We Voted!

Tyler and I went and voted today. We went early to avoid the lines. HA! They had about 300 different precincts voting at the armory in Spanish Fork. They have this HUGE facility (including a gym), and they stick 10 poling machines in the smallest room in the building. Honestly. Who are they trying to kid? They have thousands of poling machines meant to accommodate everyone on voting day, they only break out a fraction of them for early voters, then they try and coax people into voting early. There would have been more room in our kitchen. I felt really bad for all the people with children. We were surrounded by fussy babies and restless kids. The line snaked through the hallway, out the door, and around the building. While we were in the building, the line forced us to stand face to face to the people that were further up in the line. This was AWKWARD at times. When you have nothing to do but stare, everyone is trying to pass the time by "not" looking at each other. We finally got to the front of the line and voted. It took us less than a minute to cast our ballots after over 1 1/2 hours in line. From what we hear, that wasn't too bad. I'm glad we got it done now because I'm sure the lines will only get worse. If they don't work harder to accommodate people to take the time to try and vote early, they will most likely have less voter turn out next time. I think Tyler and I have decided that absent-tee ballots are the way to go. Here's a picture of the line we waited in.

Just kidding. But it sure felt like it!

Tagged

8's

8 Shows I like to watch:
1. House
2. Bones
3. CSI
4. Monk
5. Psych
6. How do I look?
7. Clean House
8. The News

8 things I did yesterday:
1. went to math class and turned in an assignment
2. ate lunch (yummy chicken salad sandwich)
3. taught a concrete class
4. had a really cool acid staining and concrete coloring lab
5. went to an info session for a construction company
6. did homework
7. watched TV
8. went to bed

8 favorite places to eat:
1. Cafe Rio
2. Zupas
3. Hickory Kist
4. Tepanyaki
5. Pier 49
6. Olive Garden
7. Carl's Junior
8. Outback Steak House

8 things I am looking forward to:
1. having a baby
2. buying a house with a yard and garage
3. school to be DONE
4. Tyler to start working
5. moving to a new and exciting place
6. less stress
7. Christmas
8. summer

8 things on my wish list:
1. a house with a yard and a garage
2. having our mortgage paid off
3. having an easy time getting prego (went we start trying- NOT YET!!)
4. traveling to Bolivia with Tyler
5. no money struggles
6. a self cleaning house (haha)
7. more travel- fun fun!
8. a happy and healthy family

8 wonderful gals that I now tag:
1. Tara
2. Karlette
3. Kim
4. Lauren
5. Brit
6. Kara
7. Cassie
8. Lynne

Halloween Bash

Last night we went to our first Halloween party of the season. The decorations were amazing! They even had glasses dripping with "blood" (which was really yummy corn syrup, and blended perfectly with the tart juice). Dan and Rebecca did an amazing job.

Tyler dressed up as "white trash" complete with the disgusting wig that will "accidentally" disappear one of these days. When I was home this summer, going through some of my boxes of old stuff, I found this poodle skirt (really a phone skirt) that I made back in high school. I LOVED to swing dance back then. Anyway, when I found it I thought for sure I would never fit it. I was tiny in high school. When I tried it on last week, it fit!! It sits much higher on my waist now, but STILL!!! So I just had to wear it! Some of the yummy juice got spilled on it, so unless anyone knows a good way to clean felt, this may be its last year, but we'll see.

By the way, that's my foot sticking up. I know it looks silly...

See the blood dripping off the cups? Yum. And creepy.

Dan putting some final touches on the ghoulish dining room.

We LOVED his costume!!

I took out the poofy skirt. I couldn't get in the car....

One of the games was this banana eating contest. When Diana pulled out the nylons, I assumed we'd be putting the whole thing in the nylon and having to squeeze it out to eat it or something. No. It was MUCH worse.... the nylons went over our heads.....

Bananas DO NOT go through nylon. No matter how hard you suck.....

If it looks gross, trust me, it was MUCH more gross to experience then to just see a picture of. I've attached a video so you can feel like you were actually there! Watch at your own risk....

Pictures, as Promised....

As promised, here are the pictures of applesauce making. See our cute green apple peeler/corer/ slicer? I LOVE it!! We now have a good supply of yummy applesauce that should last us until next apple season. I didn't get any pictures of Tyler. I'm not sure why- he helped me a lot and did most of the peeling. I'll get some next time though!!

I've had a pretty good day....

Well, I must say, as days go, this one was pretty good. So here's my list:

1. I got to sleep in because I finished the homework that was due this morning, last night. Yeah for me!

2. I usually can't do my homework without help, so that in itself was wonderful.

3. Before I went to class I checked my e-mail, as usual. In my inbox I found the summary for a mid-semester evaluation that I asked my students to fill out. I typically HATE evaluations because they're not usually very good. I'm a new teacher, and therefore, not very good. Anyway, I debated whether or not I should read them, and I decided I would. This would typically end up making me cry. Like I said- usually not good, but I want to do better. As I read through the responses, I was pleasantly surprised. I still have some things to work on, but the majority of the students who responded to the survey seem to like me, enjoy my classes, think I know a lot, and feel like they are learning pertinent information. Well, YEAH FOR ME!!

4. On my way across campus I ran into an friend that I haven't seen in a while and we chatted. It was really fun to catch up with her. I enjoy talking to other women who are going through problems similar to mine. I don't feel so alone.

5. While I was collecting some of my corrected homework, my professor came out of his office and asked me if I wanted some good news. I was a little hesitant- "good" is a very relative term. But I said yes. He told me that I did well on my exam. Last week I took an exam where everything was written/ fill in the blanks so to immediate response on a grade. I've been wondering how I did ever since. So the good news- he told me that I did well. I had a momentary bit of excitement, then said, "wait, how good is "good"?". He told me that he remembered writing something like "great job" on it. Well now, "great job" can't be mediocre!! SO I was pretty excited about that. I went back to my office to check what the grade actually was online, and A!!!!! AMAZING! I'm very thankful to all those who helped me study, and to my Heavenly Father for helping me remember everything I learned!

6. I had a lab today for my soil class. Normally I have to write a long paper about the lab and everything that happened. Today's lab was visually classifying soils. This means we got to play with dirt, making mud balls and little snakes. Then, SURPRISE! No paper!! Oh yes, now this day is getting GREAT!

7. When I was done with my lab, Tyler and I got to meet up with my cousin Suzi who I see maybe twice a year. She's the cousin who is closest to my age, and who I spent the most time with growing up. So it was really fun to see her.

8. I had an interview for visiting teaching. Not the fun part. But they had snacks!! Mmmmm

9. Now we're enjoying ice cream with some of our favorite friends. What a good day!!!

10. I have to have a 10.... my husband is AMAZING!!!

Vote for Corbin!!

A radio station in Hawaii is having a contest to find the "cutest little monster" in Hawaii. People log on, upload there photos, and then everybody rates the pictures. My sister, Tara has posted a picture of her new son, Corbin, on the following website:

http://www.ksskradio.com/cc-common/rateapic/index.html?appid=28175

He's dressed as a skunk. He's the last pictures of about 15 that will cycle through. He's smiling big, and he's adorable! This is the picture, when you see it, give him a 10!!!!

I got tagged!

I am - exhausted from a long day of school, and exited for the weekend.
I want - School to be finished (for myself and for Tyler) so we can get on with the finer things in life- like starting our family!
I have - the most amazing, loving, caring, understanding husband in the world. And a WONDERFUL family!
I wish - My house would clean itself, because I just don't want to bother after long days at school.
I dislike - cold weather. All that crap about your body acclimating- IT'S NOT TRUE! I've been here almost a decade! I still freeze.
I fear - Not being able to afford the the simple necessities for our family as it begins to grow.
I hear - Miss Niece Nash on Clean House!!
I search - for recipes. I LOVE recipes. I love to cook. I really wish I had more time for it. I'm sure Tyler does too. Someday!
I wonder - why the presidential candidates can't talk about what they ARE going to do, and not what they other person did or didn't do!
I always - Call my mom when I'm walking between classes. Sometimes I wake her up. Sorry mom! LOVE YOU.
I usually - don't sleep at night. I have a very hard time getting to sleep, and then staying asleep.
I am not - a very patient person. I really want to work on this.
I dance - whenever I can. I used to dance all the time, but it's not Tyler's favorite. I miss it!!
I sing - ALWAYS in the car. I don't care how silly I look, I LOVE IT!!! I'm sure it drives Tyler nuts. But he still loves me!!
I never - study in perfect silence. Quiet drives me nuts. I turn the TV on just to have some background noise. Tyler will often ask me what I'm watching, and I can't even tell him because I'm not really watching.
I rarely - cook anymore. But Tyler is learning, and he's such a good cook!
I cry - when I get overwhelmed. Unfortunately, I have a hard time controlling this, and I am often embarrassed when it happens.
I am not always - happy. This usually has to do with work and school. I'm excited for both of those to be done because I am MUCH happier when I'm not thinking about either of those things.
I lose - weight if I follow my weight watchers plan.
I'm confused - as to why I have to take so many math classes that my superiors have plainly told me I will never use....
I need - more money so we don't have to worry and the small and simple things, especially in this current financial market.
I should - exercise more.
I dream - of a time when we can live in a house with a yard and garage, live near family, and have several kids.
I TAG - Cassie, Kara, Tara, Lauren, Kim, Tyler, Lynne, Karlette, anyone! Have fun.

Recent Happenings

On Thursday night we went to Wal-Mart. I've been wanting to make applesauce for a while now. Wal-Mart had some cheaper apples in a large bin so a baught about 12 of them. When we got home I made applesauce for the first time ever. I learned something very important. Granny Smith apples are VERY hard to make sweet in applesauce. Anyway, I had so much fun doing it that I wanted to make more!

SO, Tyler and I went on a date last night. (I know, cute, right?) Anyway, we went to a local apple orchard and bought a bushel of apples, 2 different kinds in the mix. Then we bought an apple peeler because we thought it sounded like a good tool to make the work a little easier. We went to a couple different stores to find a good deal, and ended up finding a GREEN one! All the apple peelers I've seen before have been red, which wouldn't have been bad, but I LOVE green. Anyway. Then we took a break from the apples and went to a movie. We saw Get Smart at the dollar theatre.
I have NEVER laughed so hard in my life, I swear! And everyone in the theater was laughing, out loud, non stop as well. This movie has got to be one of my favorites. I think we're definitely going to purchase it when it comes out on DVD. After the movie we went home and I started peeling apples immediately. I made one batch of yummy applesauce. Pictures to follow in a later post. The apple peeler was AMAZING! I can't believe how easy applesauce is to make, how yummy it tastes, and how good for you it is! I can't wait to have my kids help me peel apples to make this yummy treat.

This morning we woke up early and went to a couple of garage sales. We found this famliy that was moving that was selling their stuff SUPER cheap. We got a bunch of fun stuff for a baby **NOT PREGNANT** some time in the future. The deals were so good that we just couldn't pass them up. While we were out, all bundled up, the temperature dropped. It was actually SNOWING while we were digging through peoples junk in their front yard. I HATE winter. Seriously. Snow is not my friend. Anyway. After we got home the power went out, so no heat, no TV, no stove to make applesauce, no computer to do homework.........SERIOUSLY, why did it have to be snowing so we couldn't even go outside?!?!!? I'm not excited for winter. I can't wait for it to be over....already......

I'm getting old...

So I had an "old" moment the other day and I thought I would share. I was walking across campus from one class to another and there was a kid who had been pulled over for riding his bike. For those of you who don't know, on BYU campus you're not allowed to ride your bike during the last 10 minutes of every hour because there are so many people rushing across campus at that time. It would be dangerous. In any case, there was a kid who did it and he got pulled over. So the cop was asking him for his birthday as he was filling out the ticket. I over heard a month, a day, and then "1990." I just about laughed out loud as I realized that kids from the 90's were going to BYU! I had a momentary, "no wait, that can't be right." Then I calculated, and sure enough, he would be 18! HOLY SMOKES, I'm getting OLD!!!!

Conference Weekend

For Conference weekend we were able to visit Tyler's brother Justin's cabin up at Bear Lake. I had never been there before, the views were quite spectacular! The weather didn't cooperate as much as we would have hoped, but it was still beautiful. We're so glad that we got to go and spend time with Karlette and Bill and their kids!!

This first picture was taking on our drive up to Logan. We pulled over right by the side of the road off the Squapeak exit and found these beautiful colors!

At one of the local shops, NOT buying all the expensive "unique gifts."
I found this real fur coat in the local GAS STATION!! I just had to try it on! Seriously, it costed thousands of dollars and it was hanging right next to the hot dog cooking machine.
We passed a lot of the time doing puzzles. They were pretty tough, but they were fun and still let us enjoy the spiritual messages being shared.
Because the weather wasn't great, we had to occupy ourselves with other things, including staring out the window. :)
Justin had some extra wood and other burnable items laying around the exterior of the cabin, so all the boys had fun burning everything they could.Dinner
Just chillin'
Sunday morning before we left. This is the beautiful view of the lake from the deck!
The front of the cabin.
The drive back toward Logan. This was the first time all weekend that the sun was actually shining. You can't tell, but we're FREEZING!! Sun doesn't mean warm in Utah...There was a rest stop and campground just up the canyon from Bear Lake and they had these beautiful trees all around.
More views of the lake from the same spot.
In the middle of the canyon, there was this random grouping of AMAZING trees! We just had to stop!