los locos de LoCo

Welcome to the world, Mattie!

2012-01-06T21:16:00.000-05:00

Tuesday was my birthday and I got the best present: a new niece, Mattingly Jo Garofalo.

Mattie was born on Wednesday, January 4th, at 2:48 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs. 9 oz.. Welcome to the family!

Pics borrowed from my sis and bro. I still haven't met the little lady.... boo.

(It's my busy time at work. Grrrr.)

Goodbye, Grandaddy

2011-12-27T17:20:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about this blog and my lack of posts in the last six months. Yep, nothing since June, I know. One of my goals in the coming year is to be more diligent about it. I've even considered doing a Project 365 again. I had several things I wanted to post about today, but a phone call from my Dad early this morning changed my plans.

Today, my maternal Grandfather, George Hanes, lost his battle with Parkinson's Disease. At the age of 89, he decided he'd had enough of this life, and quietly moved on to the next, with my Grandmother sitting by his side.

We've known for months that it was only a matter of time. My family spent several hours with my Grandparents on Christmas. It was our day to say goodbye to him. As sad as it is to lose him, we are all comforted by the knowledge that families are forever, and that we will get to see him again someday. He was not a religious man; I don't know what he believed, if he did at all. I hope his parents and all his buddies were there to greet him when he moved on to the next life. What a joyous occasion, I'm sure!

So, Grandaddy, this post is for you. We will miss you and your peanut eating, story telling, car inspecting, airplane loving, (slower than tar) gift opening, WWII Veteran snap-back hat wearing ways. See you again someday. Can't wait for the stories you'll have to tell then!

This was taken on Sept. 25, 2011, his 89th Birthday

10 Reasons Why I Love My Job

2011-06-03T16:44:00.000-04:00

1. Books, books, and more books. Up to my eyeballs in books.

2. I don't sit at a computer or desk all day.

3. I'm the boss.

4. I have great stories about ridiculous students.

5. I don't work weekends.

6. The campus cops are my friends.

7. We sell Diet Cherry Pepsi for one reason: because I want to.

8. In the summer we close at 1:00 on Fridays.

9. I'm good at it. Job security, yo.

10. Gems like this that we found in a sold-back textbook today. We laughed ALL DAY over this list. My personal favorite is #2.

Good luck with that, mystery girl!

A Whole Lot a Nuthin', thankyouverymuch

2011-04-02T10:20:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks ago I met up with a friend for lunch. We hadn't seen each other in months. After catching up for a few minutes she asked, "So what else is new?" My reply: "Uh, nothing." Same for her.

Sometimes that happens, I guess. You just live your life and nothing much changes. We work, we go to church, we spend time with family. That's life and it's great. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Since I haven't been the best at blogging in 2011, I thought I'd share the goodies I found on my camera, my phone, and Michael's camera. It should give you a glimpse of what's been going on this year.

I finally got a KitchenAid mixer!

Michael sent me flowers at work, just because:

in January it snowed and I got a day off work!

In Feb. I flew to California for Christina's wedding:

of course I went to Cafe Rio while in CA:

some friends from AZ came to visit and we went to the new

Air & Space Museum:

Miss Reagan examined her bizness:

she also anxiously awaited the arrival of her parents:

Michael dealt with the cold temps:

He also started volunteering at DC United Games:

He took our AZ friends to both the Jefferson Memorial and Ben's Chili Bowl one night:

I chopped my hair off (again):

Michael and Reagan bonded over Captain Kangaroo:

We visited the crazy, busy VCU Bookstore the weekend their men's basketball team made it to the Final Four:

This week I went to Orlando for our annual meeting. The view from my hotel room:

(too bad it rained THE.WHOLE.TIME I was there)

And, lastly, GO VCU!

My bookstore is in the same region as VCU's. Our regional manager gave us all the gear I'm wearing in the above picture. :)

Happy Birthday, Michael!

2011-03-19T19:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Michael's 29th+++++. We celebrated at the local Cheeburger Cheeburger, along with 20 of our friends and family. Despite them getting nearly everyone's order wrong in some way, we had a good time. Michael took on the 1 lb. burger challenge and won and now his picture is on the Wall of Fame. Um, ok, Mikey. I turned a blind eye to that one only because it was his birthday. :)

the burger before he devoured it.

if you eat it, they take your picture with this stuffed burger and put it on the wall

with his friend Mac who he's known since high school

Congrats Laura & John!

2011-01-22T23:09:00.000-05:00

I've known Laura since my freshman year of college when we lived in the same seven-story dorm. We were on different floors so I really only knew her in passing. The next year we wound up living in the same off-campus apartment complex and became friends. The following year we were roommates. Sometime in the middle of this my brother went on his two-year LDS mission, briefly serving in her hometown. She took him a care package from me once and her parents even fed him a couple of times.

Fast forward a few years. We'd both graduated college, moved elsewhere, and started full-time jobs. I was in a tight spot and needed a new place to live. She happened to be in a place that had an empty room. Problem solved and we were roommates once again. By this time her parents had moved to Utah and we'd go visit them on a regular basis. One summer she flew to VA with me and spent time with me and my family.

Sometime in late 2002 or early 2003 I started to feel like my time in Utah had come to an end. It was time to move on. She came to the same conclusion and we both quit our jobs and moved out here to Virginia together, where we were roommates once again. That was almost eight years ago; I can't believe how fast time flies.

We're tight. We've been through a lot together. There have been jobs and boys and crappy roommates and crazy bosses and families and friends and inside jokes and tonsillectomies and ... you get the idea. If I'd had bridesmaids at my wedding there would have only been two: my sister and Laura.

Today was a big day for Laura: she married John in the Washington DC Temple and I, along with my whole family, was able to be a part of their big day. :)

Congrats, Laura and John! xoxoxo

It was freeeeeeeezing outside. See me with gloves on and her with no sleeves? Crazy.

School Starts Tomorrow

2011-01-09T20:39:00.000-05:00

All my bookstore peeps... you know what that means. Tomorrow is going to be insane.

Wish me luck!

________________________________________

Last Monday was my birthday; thanks for the birthday wishes! It was a crazy day at work, too. It was the first day we opened since Dec. 23. After such craziness, it was nice to come home to some birthday love.

The Saturday before, Michael, LT, and I went to Mt. Vernon, one of my favorite places. LT and I have been a million times; it was Michael's first time there. I love that place. To make it even better, LT got me an annual pass for my birthday. :)

Here's a few pics:

George & Martha say hey!

Mt. Vernon made out of gingerbread!

On Sunday Michael and I went to my parents' house for a birthday dinner. Shan, Dev, and Rea came up for the day.

My favorite thing about this pic is Winnie perched on the couch behind Rea waiting for a handout from Dad

Winnie in heaven, thanks to Michael

Brownie Crackles

2010-12-09T21:41:00.000-05:00

Check out my Mom's guest blogger appearance here:

Recipe Shoebox

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-27T10:10:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a fun-filled Thanksgiving. We sure did!

Gettysburg, chocolate, and the Amish

2010-11-14T20:30:00.000-05:00

Where can you find all of the above?

In Pennsylvania, of course! A few weeks ago you might have seen us as well, celebrating our anniversary. We really do live it up, don't we?

We had a free weekend, a few extra bucks, and a tank full of gas. We started our adventure in Gettysburg. Neither one of us had been there before. I'm ashamed to say I've lived this close most of my life and had never been.

Anyhoo... Gettysburg is lovely, both the town

and the battlefields.

After a few hours in Gettysburg, we headed to Hershey, PA.

We thought we'd be able to go to Hershey Park that evening, but apparently we needed to wait one more weekend before the park was open weekends for Halloween. This is as about as close as we got:

Bummer.

The next morning we went to the Hershey Gardens, which sits on the hillside overlooking the town of Hershey.

Everything was decked out in its Fall best.

It was gorgeous.

They had a kids garden... where the big kids seemed to enjoy themselves.

If nothing else, it was a great backdrop for a better-than-normal self portrait.

After our garden adventures, we stopped for a bit in Lancaster, PA, home to a large Amish population. We soooo played tourist and went to the Amish Village. This was all new to Michael. I guess you don't learn much about the Amish growing up in Tucson, AZ?

This was above the door to the Amish school, one on the outside and one on the inside.

Sound familiar, anyone?

Of course, no trip is complete without dinner at a delightfully tacky Mexican restaurant. :)

Fun times were indeed had by all. See you next time, Pennsylvania!

In case you'd forgotten

2010-10-15T19:57:00.001-04:00

This is what we look like:

I know it's been a while. :)

Scenes from the Fourth

2010-07-15T21:27:00.000-04:00

Some of you may be surprised to find out that Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays.

OK, seriously, if you didn't know that about me then you obviously don't know me very well. Take a gander at the background of this blog or look at how my apartment is decorated if you still don't believe me. :)

The 4th of July is a pretty big deal to most of my family. It stems from my maternal grandmother and her sisters who grew up in Washington, DC. They spent their respective childhoods roaming the streets of DC and celebrating the birth of our nation in their backyard - our Nation's Capital. They passed that love of July 4th to their children and grandchildren. Many a July 4th in my life has been spent with my Mom's side of the family. Parades, BBQs, and fireworks are always on the agenda.

This year's 4th of July festivities were relatively tame. For a variety of reasons none of my extended family were able to make the trip to DC for the day/weekend. I spent the weekend with my parents, brother, and grandparents. We had a couple of BBQs, watched "A Capital Fourth" on TV, and otherwise relaxed and enjoyed the time off of work. Todd and our next door neighbor Chris provided us with a fireworks show of the homemade variety. I had fun, but missed my hubby and my Utah-4th-of-July-loving friends, too.

Scenes from our Independence Day weekend:

More Exciting News!

2010-07-05T19:16:00.000-04:00

Michael got a job in Virginia!

He'll be working with Loudoun County at a job that is similar to his current position in AZ.

He starts on July 21st.

We'll move into our apartment here sometime during the first week of August.

Woohoo!

---

I have to pause and say that things could not have worked out more perfectly for us. More perfectly than we could have ever imagined. It's been really difficult living in Arizona without a job, to say the least. I'm not kidding when I say that I probably applied to 100 jobs at a variety of places there. Nothing. Nada. After a while that really starts to mess with your head.

I think I applied to three jobs in Virginia. Three! And the job I got I didn't even apply for. My resume happened to be in the right hands at the right time and the rest is history. Michael also applied to three jobs in Virginia. He got calls from two. One was willing to work with him long-distance from Arizona and even interviewed him twice via video conference. Michael got a job that he interviewed for from our living room in Arizona!

Knowing that Michael had a job only 11 miles from mine allowed me to start searching for an apartment. My Mom and I went out on Saturday to begin our search. We looked at a couple of dumps before stopping by a brand new community on a whim. I'd seen the community online and thought, "No way can we live here. It's brand new. It's way too expensive." We went anyway, talked to the leasing office, and tried to keep our jaws from dropping when we heard the current deals. As long as everything checks out, we'll be moving in to a brand new apartment there in August. I love, love, LOVE it. It's about 8 miles from my job and about 3 miles from Michael's. It's 20 miles from where my parents live.

We've been truly blessed and know that Virginia is where we are supposed to be. With all that has happened in the last two months, how could it not be?

I've been a tad busy

2010-06-13T19:54:00.000-04:00

Three weeks ago today I got a job offer in Virginia.

In the three weeks since I:

-furiously packed up as much as I could in Arizona

-loaded up the car with enough things to get me through the summer

-went to Cafe Rio several times

-spent time with a few good friends in AZ

-said goodbye to Michael

-drove 2300 miles

-passed through Phoenix, Albuquerque, Amarillo, Oklahoma City, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, and Roanoke

-and-

-worked a week at my new job.

Phew. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

I'm finally getting (somewhat) settled here in Virginia and promise to blog in more detail about my adventures here, there, and everywhere in between.

Adios.

Exciting News

2010-05-24T03:18:00.000-04:00

I got a job!

The URL for this little bloggity-blog is true once again.

I work in a bookstore. A college bookstore.
(OK, I will work in a college bookstore starting June 7th.)

I love it.

It really is who I am. I can't deny it even if I wanted to.

P.S. It's here:

P.P.S. It's close to them:

Life is good.

Nerdy Airplane Fun

2010-05-23T17:09:00.000-04:00

These are the events as they occurred yesterday (Saturday, May 22).

Look, look! A whole airplane row to myself! There was much joy in row 27 that day.

One benefit of flying out of Reagan National Airport: As you are taxing north on the runway preparing for take off you see this

and this

Pretty sweet, right?

Finally you get to the end of the runway and turn so that you take off heading south.

You get the chance to say goodbye to the airport again and wave to the passengers in the other planes waiting to take off.

You fly over Target, of course. The Target you used to drive by every day on your way to class, the Target you stopped at from time to time.

You fly over Old Town Alexandria, where your grad classes were held.

You crane your neck to see George & Martha's place, but that darn pilot turns a little to the west so you can't.

All of a sudden you are surrounded by clouds. This is the east coast we're talking about after all. That humidity has to be hiding somewhere.

Eventually you break through the clouds and you see the sun and blue sky again.

Then you have to stop taking pictures out the window because motion sickness kicks in.

Thankfully, this arrives shortly thereafter and helps with the motions sickness thing.

It's quite the surprise, actually.

(This was the third airline I'd flown with in three weeks and the first to even think about handing out some sort of snack.)

Then you get back to reading your book, land in Atlanta shortly, sit around another airport for three hours, get on another packed plane, sit on the plane like a sardine for four hours, and eventually arrive in Phoenix.

Good times.

Overdue post

2010-05-13T14:07:00.001-04:00

Thanks to a larger than anticipated tax return this year, I was able to hop on a plane and visit Virginia. It was the first time I'd been back in since we got married in Oct. 2008. I've never gone that long without a visit, even during my nine years in Provo. Thankfully my parents, brother, brother-in-law, and BFF Laura were able to visit Arizona during that year and a half, and we made a quick trip to Utah once to visit friends there.

Otherwise I'd have gone insane.

Have I mentioned that spring is awesome in Northern Virginia? I went from seeing the hot, brown desert in the morning to this in course of one day:

Of course, I didn't go just to take in the view. I also had fun with my family, especially those I hadn't seen since I left:

I had fun hanging out with the girls:

Saw a few sights:

Visited a few favorite places that aren't in Arizona:

I finally had a good gyro for the first time since I'd left the east coast:

Had to bring Michael back a souvenir:

Dear Michael,

This is what you asked for. In return you are never, ever allowed to badmouth the Skins. EVER.

Kthanksbye. -S

All in all it was fun, successful, fantastic trip. Can't wait to go back! And I just might next week. But that's a different story for a different day. :)

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2010-05-12T14:43:00.002-04:00

Rarely am I sucked in by the magazines in the checkout line at the grocery store. Three things caught my eye about this cover:

1. Lose 10.5 lbs a week. Mmmm, K. Really?
2. I never noticed it says God Bless America above the title.
3. Cupcake Bliss! specifically the "Best-ever Red Velvet!" line. (What's with the excessive !!!!!!!!!!s, by the way?)

I love red velvet cupcakes. Love 'em. They are my absolute favorite. But I haven't found the one true recipe. Red velvets from a cake mix rarely come out right, from scratch mixes are just a pain, and $3.50 a pop from places like Cakelove is just way too pricey.

Anyhoo, I quickly perused the recipe in the mag and decided they were pretty easy and worth a try. Almost homemade, if you will. I had to run back for some buttermilk, but otherwise I was good to go.

Fortunately for me, I have a ready and willing treat-loving audience. Michael has a gaggle of co-workers always willing to scarf down whatever I send with him.

The were super easy. Here's the final product:

I actually made two batches, one using a red velvet cake mix, one using a devil's food cake mix. I used canned frosting with the red velvet ones, and made the frosting in the recipe for the devil's food ones. The homemade frosting was better. (I can't believe I said that. Total blasphemy, for I usually prefer cream cheese frosting from a can!)

Michael tried one and said,

"These are the best cupcakes you've ever made."

And I've made a lot of cupcakes. A LOT. Especially during football season. Remember these?

His coworkers feel the same way.

"When is she going to open up a cupcake shop?"

"I've already had two but want more."

I have to admit, they are pretty dang awesome. I believe my search is over. Hip, hip HOORAY!

Of course I'll share the recipe. A few notes first:

1. I was able to get 24 cupcakes each time.
2. I didn't feel like wasting one to make "crumbs" for the top.
3. I didn't have coconut extract. Tasted just fine without it, but I'm sure it adds an extra zip of flavor.
4. I only cooked mine for 15 minutes, which was more than enough. My oven is wonky, though, and I always have to cook things less.

Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T10:00:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to the mothers in my life:

My Mom / Bonnie / BonBon

my Grandmother Vilma / Mana

my sister Shannon

Happy Mother's Day to those mothers who are no longer with us but we remember just the same:

my mother-in-law Jennie

my grandmother Joanna / Granny

yes, that's me with Granny 1976

Happy Mother's Day!

Pictures for Mandi's Project

2010-05-08T13:45:00.003-04:00

Which one should I/we recreate for "Mandi's Project?" They're all so, so good. :)

Mandi's Project

2010-05-06T19:57:00.001-04:00

I have a friend named Mandi. She's pretty awesome. Craptacularly awesome, in fact. I mean, she does love Barry Manilow and all. Remember my post about my job with the best co-workers ever? Yeah, she's one of 'em.

She takes things she finds around the house or in her Dad's garage or from Hobby Lobby and does some pretty cool things with them. Seriously, she's awesome. And she does it all with four kids running around.

I want to live in her house. Or have her come do things around my house. If I had a house, that is.

She also has a hilariously funny blog which you should all check out here. That's how I know about and see all her fabulous home improvements and decorations.

Why am I gushing about Mandi today?

Because of this post.

You have to go read her post and then go to this website. As Mandi says, it is totally "wet-your-pants hilarious."

Young me / Now me. I'm totally in for this little project. Are you?

Another shout out for today

2010-05-03T16:10:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday, Janet!

Cindy, Janet, and I at (where else?) Cafe Rio

Miss you and our lunches together!

I think this pic was in 2005? I know it was the first time I visited Utah after moving away.

Maybe next time we get together we can take a new picture?? :)

Kitchen Faucet Update

2010-05-03T14:41:00.000-04:00

Today's shout-out goes to Tim, one of the apartment community's handymen. He arrived on time, worked quickly and quietly, and left us with a new kitchen faucet. Behold:

Maybe I should "break" a few more things around here.

It's a mystery

2010-04-30T19:03:00.005-04:00

Alas, I am back in Arizona. It's good to see Michael after two weeks apart, but I sure did have fun with my family and friends in Virginia.

Anyhoo.... what happens when you leave the boy home alone for 2+ weeks?

Two things.

1. I came home to find this:

the faucet in the kitchen

Nice gaping hole, don't you think?

Ew. Just ew.

I believe our conversation went something like this:
Me: "Uh... what happened to the faucet? Why is it all crooked and out of whack?"
Michael: "I don't know."
Me: "Where did that gaping hole come from?"
Michael: "I don't know. It just happened."

Mmmm hmmmm.

OK then, we'll just chalk this one up to one of life's mysteries. Not that I'm complaining one little bit. That faucet is disgusting -- all calcified and corroded. And it's not my problem. Ah, one of the upsides of renting.

2. There is no food in the house.

None. Fridge empty. Cupboards bare. (OK, so I am being slightly dramatic here, but you get the idea.)

Today I set out to solve that problem, since, unlike the kitchen faucet, that one is my problem. I headed out to my favorite little fruit and vegetable market in Mesa and this is what I brought home:

Why do I even feel the need to mention this place? Aside from being totally awesome, it's also pretty dang cheap. This is what I got today:

3 cartons strawberries
1 carton blackberries
1 carton blueberries
2 limes
3 avocadoes
4 baking potatoes
2 fresh ears of corn
2 cucumbers
bunch of celery hearts
bag of baby carrots
3 Pink Lady apples
1 head of Romaine lettuce
1 head of red leaf lettuce

All for a whopping $10.93. That's it. $10.93.

I think that's the most I've ever spent there, too. I usually come out having spent only $7 or $8.

Right after that I went to the regular grocery store where they were selling the same size cartons of strawberries and blueberries for 2 for $5.

I'm such a nerd. But then, if you are reading this you already knew that.

I'm lucky that that's all I came home to find. Michael even switched sides of the closet with me. (Why he was using the bigger side I'll never know). He moved and organized(!!) everything himself while I was gone. What a guy! :)

Let's get one thing straight

2010-04-29T10:15:00.004-04:00

Gasp.

My loyalties have been questioned. My faith has been challenged.

It has come to my attention that some may question where I really stand, given my teeny little obsession with the color red.

Let's put those shameful rumors to rest forever.

Despite my love of red.

Despite the fact that it's been 12 years since I received my degree.

Despite my graduate degree from an uppity, over priced, liberal east coast school.

Despite the constant taunting from my husband and family.

Despite being the ONLY ONE in my entire family.

I did.

I do.

I will forever

without a doubt

10000%

BLEED BLUE

Come on.

I know every single word to this song. I'll gladly sing it for you if you want.

I did work here for five years after I graduated. Still consider it my best job ever. Best coworkers ever.

I'm proud to say that I wore blue to every single sporting event I ever attended during my nine years in Provo. And if you know me, that's a lot.

Even now, once a week or so, I can be found sporting a BYU t-shirt or socks or something.

Just because I love accessorizing in red, it in no way changes the very fiber of my being.

Loyal, strong, and true I will forever be.

I rest my case.

Red

2010-04-28T19:47:00.001-04:00

I've been in Virginia for the last two weeks visiting my family and pretty much just hanging out. The other day I was sitting on the bed in my old bedroom and had to laugh... I was surrounded by things I had brought with me from Arizona that all had a common theme: the color red. Behold the items:

Let's see... I spy a red laptop, a red purse, red shoes, a red watch, red toes, a red hoodie, a red brush, and a red Wegmans bag. That's some serious red business traveling all the way across the country from Arizona.

I'm addicted to red. I have a red problem.

I decided to peruse the files on my computer to see if there was further evidence of my red addiction.

I think I may need professional help. Take a look:

We own two red cars. Yes, TWO! Maybe Michael has a red addiction, too?

Ooh! Red glasses and the red hoodie in one picture. Bonus score!

I'm sure there are loads more things in Arizona that I don't have pictures of.

As a farewell to my red obsession, let's see how many pictures I can find where I'm wearing my most beloved red hoodie.

Dee-Dee

2010-04-25T19:44:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of me holding my sister Shannon when she was just a wee little lass. (Don't you just looooove the wallpaper in the background??) For some reason, all those years ago, she never could quite pronounce my name correctly. Shellie. Shelllllllleeeeeeeeeeeee. It's not that hard is it? Apparently so, because it came out of her mouth as Dee-Dee.

I've been Dee-Dee to her ever since. Shannon never calls me by my real name. If she does, it just sounds wrong to both of us. I guess over time it's sort of become a family nickname. Every once in a while someone else will call me Dee-Dee, too, usually my Mom.

Eh. No biggie, I guess. She's the only one who really calls me that.

Wrong.

Enter Devin, Shannon's husband. I was living in Utah when they met, became friends, dated, and got engaged. (It was over a four year period, more or less). Of course she'd tell him about her sister in Utah named Dee-Dee...er... Shellie. It makes sense that he'd think of me as Dee-Dee, right? He's pretty good about calling me Shellie when he's talking to me directly, but refers to me as Dee-Dee when she's around.

Shannon calls me Dee-Dee all of the time, Devin about 50% of the time. Again, no biggie.

Enter Reagan, Shannon and Devin's daughter. She's 19 months old and developing quite a vocabulary. Reagan and I got acquainted for the first time last week. (She was born a month before I packed up and moved to Arizona).

Looks like I'll be Aunt Dee-Dee now.

I suppose I'll just have to get over it.....

I mean, seriously, how can I not love hearing "Hi, Dee-Dee!" from this little face?

Aunt Dee-Dee it is.

Easter Egg Evolution

2010-04-06T17:45:00.001-04:00

10 things I like about Arizona

2010-03-25T14:57:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I pine for winter and the East Coast and being anywhere but here. I decided it was time to focus on the good in Arizona. Here are 10 things I like about Arizona.

1. Flip flops 365 days a year for me, shorts 365 days a year for Michael.

2. Good hair every day. No humidity = no frizziness.

3. Spring Training Baseball. It's awesome.

4. I never have to turn on the heater. This door is pretty much open all the time.

5. Fresh, locally grown fruit and vegetables all year long.

6. Hobby Lobby. I love you. I wish I had met your earlier in my life.

7. It's a nifty place to visit. In fact, my brother Todd arrives today. To the rest of you: please come!

8. Cafe Rio is two blocks away. I don't go there often, but just knowing it is within walking distance provides a strange sort of comfort.

9. It's March and I already have a craptacular farmer tan and a face full of freckles.

10. This crazy coachin' football lovin' guy. :)

Thank you, Arizona!

Michael's Birthday Week

2010-03-19T21:56:00.001-04:00

Tuesday: Root canal. Sad face.

Wednesday: Evening out with good friends. Happy face.

Wednesday: Worst, longest service ever. They weren't busy. Didn't get to play any games. Sad face.

Wednesday: Cool gifts from above friends. Happy face.

Wednesday: All his mascots are waiting to wish him Happy Birthday. Happy face.

(I'm not kidding about him loving anything and everything with any team logo or mascot or whatever on it)

Thursday: (his actual birthday) Free breakfast at Denny's. Happy face.

Thursday: Get cake and card from co-workers. Happy face.

Thursday: Coach tennis and listen to foul-mouthed, Lord's name in vain taking teenagers. Sad face.

Thursday: Free birthday dinner at Joe's BBQ. Happy face.

Friday: Day off of work. Happy face.

Friday: Volunteer at a San Francisco Giants game. Happy face.

Friday: Long nap after the baseball game, just because you can. Happy face.

Saturday: Nike shoe shopping with the birthday money that's burning a hole in his pocket. Happy face.

_________________

The result:

A pretty successful and happy birthday week!

The happy faces definitely outweigh the sad ones. :)

Happy Birthday, Michael!

2010-03-18T15:28:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday, Michael!

You've got a birthday; shout "Hooray!"
We want to sing to you today.

One year older and wiser, too. Happy Birthday to YOU!

Here's the birthday boy at dinner last night, after opening his ASU/Sparky purse, er... I mean manly messenger-type bag made from a jersey that his BFF Junior gave him, along with a wicked cool ASU baseball hat.

Dude. You're old.

Love ya! xoxo

Easiest. Dinner. Ever.

2010-03-16T23:54:00.000-04:00

American Idol is so doggone boring this season (gasp! blasphemy!) that I must discuss tonight's dinner while it's on in the background. [Though Siobahn just hit that freaky high note. She's so weird. But that's a subject for another day.]

Michael went and got himself a root canal today, so I needed something for dinner that wouldn't require much chewing. I decided on an old standby around here that is just about the easiest thing I've ever made and gets rave reviews from everyone who tries it.

Share, you say? No problemo.

First, get out your trusty Crock Pot. I hope yours is as cute as mine:

Add the following:

-1 can corn, drained
-1 can hominy, drained
-1 can diced potatoes, drained
-1 can Great Northern Beans, drained
-1 small can green chiles
-1 lb. of cooked, cubed chicken breast (sometimes I used canned and it works just the same)
-8 to 12 oz. of salsa (mild, medium, or hot depending on how you roll)
-red pepper flakes (again, to your taste, or leave them out completely)
-1 T. cumin
-1 can chicken broth
-lastly, add enough water to fill the rest of the crock pot

I rarely measure out the salsa, cumin, or chicken broth. I usually use about those amounts, probably a little more.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours, or until it gets hot enough to your liking. This is a great Sunday meal. I throw it all in before church and by the time we get home it's perfect.

Serve with crushed tortilla chips and top with sour cream and shredded cheese. I like to mix it all up so the chips get mushy and the cheese and sour cream are incorporated in. Michael just likes his plain, with a generous dose of Tobasco Sauce.

It's great and a crowd pleaser because you can make it as spicy (for Michael) or mild (for my Dad) as you want. :)

Behold, the soup:

Quick. Easy. Delish!

Guilty as Charged

2010-03-15T14:57:00.006-04:00

I always give Michael a hard time about the number of t-shirts he has taking up space in our closet. He has a zillion of them (or so it seems). Every team he's coached has given him 2 or 3 or 10 t-shirts and every job he's had or organization he's been a part of has given out shirts. Plus, he's bought them himself or had them given to him as gifts. I've done it. It's quick satisfaction for all parties involved. Get him a t-shirt with a team logo on it or a college logo on it and he's in heaven.

The other day I was searching for one particular t-shirt of my own and I could not, for the life of me, find it. I wound up taking out all of my t-shirts from the closet and this is what I saw:

A big, heaping pile of my own t-shirts. Enough to rival Michael's collection. Yes, Officer, guilty as charged. Maybe I should take the beam out of my own eye.

Update: I've since gone through my pile and taken out about half to be donated. :)

(Forgive the grainy photo...it was taken with my cell phone. Why I didn't grab my camera is beyond me.)

The upside of unemployment

2010-03-01T02:20:00.006-05:00

Would I rather be working? Yes.

Do I wallow in self-pity because of said joblessness? No. (Though, admittedly, it's mighty tempting at times.)

"What does she do all day then?" you might ask.

The answer: PROJECTS!

"What kind of projects?"

Oh, let me show you what I've been up to the last 10 days or so!

Project #1: A Lovely Day with the Rug Doctor

Mesa, Arizona is in the desert. Desert = dirt and dust galore. Dirt and dust galore = perpetual dirty feet and shoes. Dirty feet and shoes = filthy carpet. Ick! Rug Doctor to the rescue!

the bedroom (looks like I must've washed the sheets that day, too. Awesome!)

dining area

living room

To illustrate my point that our carpets in the desert are filthy: we live in a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment. I only cleaned the carpets in our bedroom (around all the furniture), the living/dining room (moving all the furniture) and the little hallway outside the bedroom and kitchen... and had to empty that sucker SIX TIMES. Six nasty rounds of dirty carpet water. Sick. No wonder my feet and socks are always dirty!

Project #2: Sewing Machine Goodies

Santa brought me a new sewing machine for Christmas. It's your basic, no frills kind of machine. I'm no pro and just wanted it for a few odds and ends around the house.

I finally busted it out last week for the first time. Ahem. That meant I watched the instructional video that came with it so as to correctly thread the needle and figure out that whole bobbin thing. Yay, me.

Apparently I was successful, because I made two pillowcases for our body pillows. I'll let you figure out which one is mine and which one is Michael's.

(If you look closely you can see seven, yes 7!, pillows on our bed, which are always on there. That's the beauty of a king sized bed, my friends!)

I will not, I repeat, will NOT provide you with a close up shot detailing my crooked stitches.

Project #3: Daily Schtuff

You know, all those normal housewifey things: cooking, cleaning, doing the dishes, packing the hubby's lunch, laundry, grocery shopping and mail getting. Of course, I shook things up a little when I went to Fry's Mercado, an awesome Latin grocery store / everyday Fry's grocery store hybrid. Loved it.

Project #4: The Laundromat

There's some dude I live with (I'm not naming any names) who had a pen leak it's ink all over his church bag. Oh well, not such a big deal. However, said dude placed said bag on the bed and transferred some of said ink. BOYS!

To give him credit, it was just a tiny unintentional spot. That being said, I decided it was long past time to take our quilt to the laundromat. The directions said to wash it in a commercial, front-loading machine. Off I went...

Is it sad that I had fun? The place was sooooooooooo clean and shiny. The machines were all new and I sat there and watched the wash cycle. Fascinating stuff.

Projects #5, 6, 7, & 8

Relief Society Stuff

Attending baseball Volunteer Meetings/Orientation

TB test (for volunteering - it's through a hospital)

Dinner for the Missionaries

Project #9: Recipe Box Organizing

I have a really cute recipe box. Totally me, huh?

But I had a problem: A big pile of recipes of all shapes and sizes.

I spent quite a while putting all the recipes on cards the same size. Still not done, but a lot closer. :)

Project #10: Lots of Olympics watching

Much to the annoyance of Michael, I've spent a considerable amount of time watching the Olympics the last two weeks. Whatever. He's gone all the time. Get over it, dude.

While it's not a project, per se, it has taken up a lot of my time. It's the Olympics. They are supposed to be watched.

So, what have you been up to lately?

It's the simple things...

2010-02-17T19:25:00.000-05:00

It's the simple things in life that make me happy.

Like:

- watching American Idol

- when Michael does the laundry

- finding great deals at the grocery store

- road trips, especially to visit family

- knowing that Cafe Rio is just down the street

- not ever having to turn on the heat in Arizona

- laughing at others' personal history stories

- the Olympics

- blog stalking ya'll

- Michael being more of a bargain hunter than I am

- chatting with a good friend

- a good book

and today:

getting a haircut! :)

Adios, my friends!

My Olympics Commentary

2010-02-15T20:30:00.003-05:00

I LOVE the Olympics!

Always have, always will. I love watching competitions that normally are not on TV. I cringe with the world when the figure skaters fall down and rejoice when the underdog comes away with the gold. I can't remember a time when I didn't watch the Olympics.

It was pretty darn cool to be living in Utah when the 2002 Olympics rolled through town. Yeah, I went to Olympic events in 2002 in Salt Lake City. It was awesome - a once-in-a-lifetime kind of awesome.

However, my big bone to pick this year is the lack of live coverage here in Arizona. Seriously? We are one time zone away from Vancouver and yet we don't get anything live? We get the tape delay in prime-time. Whatever. It so ruins the fun knowing my family and friends back east are getting the live coverage and I have to wait a couple of hours to catch up, when there's no reason we can't all watch together from coast to coast.

We got the Superbowl live here and other such sporting events. But not the Olympics? Really?

I'm not bitter or anything. :)

In the meantime, jealousy consumes me

2010-02-06T14:21:00.001-05:00

So here I sit in sunny Arizona with the patio door open, enjoying the blue sky and slight breeze. Is it wrong to wish my sun and warm temps away to be in the DC area with my family? Yup, this is what they are sitting at home and looking at right now:

SNOWPOCALYPSE 2010

my niece Reagan and my niece-dog Winnie watching my Dad and brother do some shoveling

so pretty!

behold the barn/shed in the backyard

Dad

Todd standing in the street

my parents house

holy snow, Batman!

Wow. Wow. Wow.

So you tell me. Is my jealousy justified? Or am I just insane?!?

P.S. Thanks Mom and Todd for the pics. :)

Viva Las Vegas!

2010-02-03T17:59:00.001-05:00

My family has been involved with the Miss America Organization in one form or another for many, many years - since I was a wee little lass. My parents used to run a local pageant - Miss Northern Virginia - and now help out on the state level with the Miss Virginia Pageant. Currently, my Dad and sister Shannon are both state field directors in Virginia, and my Mom helps out with the judges at the Miss VA Pageant.

Although they mostly help out at the state level, occasionally they attend the Miss America Pageant, both in Atlantic City (back in the day) and now Las Vegas. The 2010 Miss America Pageant was last week in Las Vegas. My parents and brother Todd decided to make the trek from VA to NV for the preliminaries.

Being that Vegas is only a six hour drive from here, I decided to leave Michael at home (OK, he couldn't go because of work ;) and go see them for a few days. It was nice to be there with a car - we were able to see more than just The Strip, including downtown Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam. Fun times were had by all.

Congrats to Caressa Cameron, Miss Virginia... now Miss America 2010!

this is what the drive from AZ to NV looks like for the most part

Viva Las Vegas!

Mom at the Hoover Dam

check out the dam/river bypass bridge. crazy high!

touching the statue at the Hoover dam for good luck

Mom trying on funky glasses at the Hoover Dam gift shop

my favorite funky glasses

Lake Mead

Todd sampling sodas from around the world at the Coke store

the weird piece of "art" in the mall outside the casino/hotel, aka "the colon in the sky"

the boys

Team Jacob

2010-01-23T23:52:00.001-05:00

Forbidden Fruits are now on sale. Apparently.

Of Pigeons and their Poop

2010-01-21T14:03:00.002-05:00

Away with you, pigeons!

The last few months we've been overrun by pigeons around here. They love to congregate on the roof of our apartment building, despite that oh-so-scary owl perched on top meant to scare them away. So scary, it is. Scares them right away. Not.

And you know... where there are pigeons there is pigeon poop. The roof should be renamed the Pigeon Restroom. Thanks to the always present Arizona sun, that poop on the roof gets nice and crispy.

Almost every day we come home to walkway covered with crusty dried pigeon poop. Any slight breeze sends it sliding off the roof. It's gross. It's right outside our front door. It's impossible not to walk in it. Sick.

We've swept it away, our neighbor sweeps it away. I think our neighbor feels its his personal mission to sweep at least 5 times a day. Literally. It's all over the stairs leading to the apartments upstairs, too.

It gets even better, folks.

It's been raining this week. Not just raindrops. Pigeon Poop. Ug.

This was the scene outside our front door Monday night. A nice big puddle.

Here's the same shot an hour or so later. Can't even see the rug anymore, the water has gotten so high. It's soapy (no idea why) and wet and poopy. Ick.

Think I was kidding about the pigeon poop? Those aren't wet spots on the sidewalk, they are enormous piles of pigeon poop that got left behind once the water went away Tuesday morning.

P.S. It stinks like no other, too.

Gems

2010-01-15T19:29:00.004-05:00

Today was one of those days where I didn't accomplish a thing I set out to do. OK, I did do one thing on my list: lunch with a couple of friends I used to work with in DC who now live in Phoenix. It was sooo nice to chat with fellow East Coast-ers stuck here in the desert. :) Oh, wait! Two things to check off my list. I also applied for another job.

Besides that, I've pretty much been sitting here in front of the computer. Somehow I got it into my head that today was the day to organize and back up all the photos on my computer. I found quite a few gems that I haven't seen in ages. And now, for your viewing pleasure......

me & my bro playing kickball on the lawn of the Washington Monument

aww... my parents on their wedding day

happy little piggies... this pic always makes me and Mom giggle

old school pic of me & Shannon

my Grandmother and Bo Bice. hehehe

Italian Eggplant Relish

2010-01-11T05:07:00.001-05:00

Michael works with a gal named Karen. She had a birthday party on Sunday and was kind enough to invite us. After church we hopped in the car and moseyed on over to her parent's casa - the location of the birthday festivities. There were handful of super nice folks there, mostly her family and a few friends. They had a lovely spread of things to eat, most of which were healthy. What a nice change from the usual birthday party junk!

Anyhoo, her Mom made this tasty dish of "stuff" (we didn't really know what to call it) that we ate with pita chips. OK, I was the only one who ate it. Apparently Michael's ability to try something new and mysterious was powered off today. It had the consistency of salsa, but was tomato free, hooray! I can't stand fresh/raw/uncooked tomatoes, for those of you who don't know.

As we were leaving I asked Karen's Mom for the recipe because it was So. Darn. Tasty. and I wanted to know exactly what to call it. She emailed me the recipe a few hours later. How cool is that? I just met her today and she turned right around and zipped it on over to me. Gotta love this here Internet.

I never would have guessed the primary ingredient is eggplant. I love food in disguise!

Italian Eggplant Relish

Changing Your Name is a Pain in the Rear

2010-01-08T18:41:00.002-05:00

I finally decided to haul myself to the social security office to change my last name and make this here marriage official and whatnot. OK, so the marriage has always been official, but changing one's last name to that of her betrothed is the last step to making it officially official. Ya know what I'm sayin'?

After waiting for over an hour at the social security office on Tuesday, the deed was done. With a new last name and an hour of superb people watching behind me, I left that downtown Phoenix office for good.

I was happy. I knew Michael would be happy. While he has never once said anything to me about it or made me feel guilty in the least, I knew he'd be giddy when I told him the news later that day. (Which he was. I think it made his day -- maybe his year, even.)

So very shortlived was my joy. Three days of it, maybe? I had to wait that long before I could go get a new driver's license. Surprisingly, there was no wait at the AZ MVD this morning. Two thumbs up for that. Two thumbs down, however, for the clerk who was helping me. Despite it being right in front of her face on the application I filled out two minutes earlier, she listed the wrong middle name. After I caught the mistake and questioned her on it she said "Oh, I just assumed." Don't ass-u-me, 'k?

Next stop, the bank. Easy in, easy out. Not. The woman there got it all situated in her computer system, checked out my spiffy new license, poured over my marriage license, and then said "Oh, wait. I need your husband here, too. If I change your name it voids everything because you have a joint account. I need new signatures from both of you or you won't be able to access your account. We close at 5. Can he come in today?" Um, no. Unlike me, he has a full-time job, thank you very much.

I texted Miguelito at work and he was free for lunch so I drove to Phoenix, picked him up, and finally got it all situated with the bank at a branch near his office. Sheesh. At least the gal at that branch was friendly and helpful and knowledgeable and totally cool. I'm so banking in the 'hood from now on. They know what they're doing.

Driver's license changed. Bank accounts updated. That's it, right?

No? You mean now I have to change every other little thing that has my name attached to it? Like the cable bill, my credit cards, our 401Ks, my health insurance, our cell phone plan, our car insurance, my part-time gig at Michael's, my Sam's Club membership, my DSW rewards card.... my.....the list is endless.

Seriously? I shoulda kept my maiden name. :)

(P.S. Two days in a row with blog posts? A new record indeed!)

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-01-07T18:05:00.008-05:00

My birthday was last Sunday. Yay! Happy Birthday to me! Man, I'm old.

To celebrate, Michael got a small group of friends together to go out to lunch on Saturday. We went to none other than...

Mmmmm.....

On Sunday after church Michael made me dinner - his famous homemade tacos. First we took this fuzzy picture on my phone to document us on my actual birthday. Check out Michael's new clothes! Love 'em!

Instead of cake we had s'mores. Who wants cake when you can have chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers? Not me! I mean, seriously. Look at all that delicious s'mores gooey goodness.

And, as always, the birthday jewels were worn and photographed. Here's the crown and scepter:

I only post this horrid picture of myself to show how tight the crown is on my uber-huge noggin':

And last, but not least, a birthday gift from Laura. Wasn't I a cute little first-grade princess?

Merry Christmas from AZ

2010-01-07T17:12:00.004-05:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah... I'm a little behind. I do, in fact, realize that Christmas was a few weeks ago. For the three of you who read this blog - I thought I'd share a few thoughts and photos of the festivities.

I was much more in the Christmas spirit this year than last. We even put up the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving! So unheard of for me. We got a fake tree from Target on Black Friday. We were so happy when we went to Target that afternoon that they still had some in stock. Thanks, Michael, for perusing the ads (one of his favorite things to do, by the way) and finding that steal!

It's funny how all my ornaments together off the tree look like a pile of garbage, but once on the tree they all somehow seem to go together to create a pretty cute tree, if I do say so myself. I love it.

Tree up. Score!

Problem #1: A tree skirt. I guess I'm just picky, but most of the skirts I've seen in stores are either 1) way too expensive, or 2) UG-LY. I found this super-cute fabric at Jo-Anne's and had to buy it. It's my goal to make a tree skirt out of it sometime before next Christmas. And I can make it on my own now. Santa got me a simple sewing machine for Christmas. Hooray! THANK YOU, SANTA!!

Problem #2: A tree topper. Our tree is 6' and narrow. Most tree toppers are HUGE and fall right over once placed on the top. As you can see from the pictures, we went without one this year. But.... the other day I was in Hobby Lobby (oh how I love thee!) and found for the whopping price of 60 cents this cute little topper. It's made for those small table trees, but fits our tree just fine. Not exactly what I was looking for, but for 60 cents I'll make it work until the *one true* comes along. Maybe a fresh coat of paint is all it needs.

Enough with the decorations. :)

We spent a quiet Christmas again in Arizona, just the two of us. As much as we would have loved to have been in Virginia with my family, sometimes it's nice just to relax and not have anywhere to be but home together. Hope your Christmas was merry and that Santa was good to you!

Touchdown Treats

2009-11-13T18:16:00.000-05:00

Somehow I've become the official Game Day Treat Maker Extraordinaire for Michael and his football coach buddies. I've made brownies, cookies, bar cookies, and cupcakes for them throughout the season. Cupcakes seem to rule the locker room, tho. They've been requested more than anything else.

My dear husband put in a very specific request for tonight's first game of the playoffs. He searched the internet on his own and came up with this:

Touchdown Treat Football Cupcakes

If you go to the website, there's even a video. Michael watched the video and explained to me how to make them. Cute.

Here's how mine turned out:

I think we'll call this one a success for the most part. (I'm a perfectionist! Shocker, I know) I think they looked better before I put the flags on. Oh well. The crowd they're for is not too picky. I'm sure they will be gobbled right up! :)

One down, One to go

2009-11-09T18:32:00.005-05:00

I'm happy to report that Michael started his new job today. Hooray! Now I just need to find something more permanent and we'll be good to go. One down, one to go.

Now that the JV football season is over Michael doesn't need to be at practice every day - only on Fridays for the Varsity games. We wanted to take a very quick trip and get away for a few (brief) hours before he started his new job.

Thursday morning we hopped in the car and set off for Lake Havasu City to see the London Bridge (I am that dorky). It is the most popular thing to see in Arizona after the Grand Canyon, you know. We came, we saw, we took our pictures and left. Not much going on in Lake Havasu City in November, even with the 80+ degree temps.

After all the excitement at the London Bridge, we continued on our journey to Laughlin, NV. Laughlin is just across the Colorado River from Bullhead City, AZ, and a hop, skip, and jump away from Needles, CA. It's home to a few big casinos and inexpensive hotels and surrounded by a whole lot of desert.

We spent the night in Laughlin and Friday morning got back in the car and headed for home. We took another route back and spent most of the drive admiring the wide open spaces, rocks, and cacti.

We made it home safe and sound late Friday afternoon just in time to get to Michael's football game. Go Toros!

It's Fall! (Sort of)

2009-10-31T18:13:00.003-04:00

You know how they say that people in far off places like Alaska get depressed in the winter because there is so little sunlight? Well, I think that the opposite can and does exist. The long, hot summer I just experienced in Arizona was the pits. It was my first here and, quite simply, I was miserable.

My spirits have lifted significantly in the last couple of weeks since the weather has gotten cooler. I've heard several individuals around me complain that it has been "cold" and pine for warmer temps. Cold, my rear. Heaven is more like it. I've been able to wear my favorite red hoodie and comfy pants. That, my friends, is my kind of comfort. My chilly little nose is back. Yes!!

Today is Halloween and I can't help but think of Halloweens of the past. What fun it is for a kid to go trick-or-treating! Today's pic is a blast from a very 80s past.

Happy Halloween!

Softball Champs!

2009-06-08T15:38:00.004-04:00

For the last couple of months, Michael has been coaching the men's softball team at church. On Saturday they played in the championship game and WON! At one point they were down by 10 runs but came back to tie it up and score the winning run in extra innings.

Way to go coach!

The team during the season

The championship winning team

Where'd it go?

2009-04-24T18:50:00.002-04:00

Look at this kid and all his hair!

Now... where'd it go? :)

Reagan at 7 months

2009-04-22T16:37:00.002-04:00

This is a recent pic of my niece, Reagan. Isn't she a cutie??

My car is cursed

2009-04-22T15:26:00.005-04:00

I've had more flat tires than I care to remember. I don't know what it is, but somehow I seem to find every nail out there on the road. In the last year, I think I've had 5 or 6, if not more.

On the drive from Virginia to Arizona after our Honeymoon, we got two, yes TWO, flat tires. On the same day. In Arkansas. The first time we pulled over on the side of the highway, waited for AAA, and then stopped at a Wal-Mart to get a new tire. Arkansas = WalMart. Did we really have another option? :)

The second one was a few hours later. We stopped at a rest stop (still in Arkansas) and I could hear the air blowing out of the tire. Sigh... not again. Ug. A nice trucker helped us put on the donut and we headed back out on the highway hoping to make it to the closest town to get it fixed or replaced.

(Note: This was the second time that day that we had to dig the donut out of the trunk. Remember - this was when we were driving my car to Arizona after the wedding. Think about it: a trunk FULL of wedding presents and my stuff. FULL. )

By now it was late in the evening on a Saturday and we weren't too hopeful that we'd get it replaced that day. We came to the last town before crossing the border into Oklahoma and happened upon JimBob and Jeffro, overalls included. Two hillbillys in every sense of the word were our redemption. With 10 minutes to spare before their tire shop closed for the evening we were able, for only TEN dollars, to get the tire fixed and ready to roll. Amen for hillbillys and hillbilly Arkansas towns! Thank you Cooley's Tires for being open until 8pm on a Saturday night!

Fast forward to March. In one month I: 1) Ran over a nail on the way to work and got another flat tire and had to have the tire replaced, 2) Had a close encounter with a rock on the highway and had to have my windshield repaired, and 3) Was involved in a hit and run accident that caused $1100 in damages to my car.

No wonder car insurance is so dang expensive in Arizona.

Long story short: I was driving south in the far right lane approaching an intersection. The car just ahead of me to my left decided it needed to turn RIGHT on to Main Street from the middle lane, right where I was. I slammed on my brakes and still hit him. He fishtailed it and took off down Main St. The collision made me stop. Not him. By the time I turned right onto Main St. the car was out of sight down the road. It was dark and I never saw his license plate. Ug, ug, ug. It still makes my blood boil. Thanks to the lovely Mesa Police Department who said I'm pretty much SOL. Apparently this happens all the time here. Why, oh, why, me?

I'm Repenting

2009-04-22T15:20:00.002-04:00

Wow. Six months since my last post. I am ashamed of myself. It was one of my new year's resolutions to be more involved with my blog. Alas, it is April, and this is my first post. We'll see how this goes...

October 11, 2008

2008-10-31T15:57:00.006-04:00

Michael and I got married on Saturday, October 11. We were married in the Washington DC LDS Temple in the morning, had a luncheon for family and a few close friends after, and then ran away. OK, we didn't run away quite that quickly. Michael and I, along with our fabulous photographer Cristian, drove to DC and took some pictures at the Jefferson Memorial. I am so glad we did! I love DC (duh) and the Jefferson is my favorite. Random tourists took pictures of us while we were there, too. Ha.

Here are a few of my favorite pics that were taken there. The first is my absolute favorite.

Reagan

2008-10-07T16:22:00.002-04:00

Here's my favorite niece... sound asleep on her favorite aunt (aka Me).

And thus it begins...

2008-10-07T16:11:00.004-04:00

The countdown, that is. I'm getting married on Saturday!

Crazy.

My last day of work was Friday. It was not exciting. I'm officially unemployed! I've been looking and applying and begging for a job in Arizona, but so far nothing has happened. I'm on a bit of a hiatus for a bit -- you know, the wedding, honeymoon, and drive across the country and all. I'll pick up in earnest once we get back to AZ.

I have to say: snaps to whoever came up with the pod idea. The company came and dropped it off, I filled it up, and 5 days later they came to pick it up. They'll store it for a bit then send it to AZ to be delivered to our apartment.

Here's a pick of my pod on the truck going bye-bye:

It's kind of a nerve-wracking experience to pack up all of your personal belongings and send them on their way in a big box. A box that I don't have control over. I packed it, locked it, and off it went. I just have to have faith it will all arrive in one piece! :-)

I'm an Aunt!

2008-09-15T18:15:00.004-04:00

Reagan Lee Garofalo came into the world on Monday, Sept. 8, weighing in at 7 lb. 6 oz. and 19 in. long. She has lots of dark hair that easily works into a tiny mohawk. Way to go, Shannon & Devin!

Crocs are a sign of the Apocalypse.

2008-09-03T14:13:00.002-04:00

OK, I despise Crocs. Unless you are under the age of 5, gardening, or working in a professional kitchen, they have no business being on your feet. I don't care how comfy they are.

My friend DWJ feels the same way about Crocs. But then I read her blog last Friday. Take a look: The Art of Accessories.

What think ye now?

Tucson from High Above

2008-08-29T18:50:00.004-04:00

When I was in Arizona a few weeks ago, we drove down to Tucson to visit Michael's mother. While we were there we drove up "A" Mountain to see the best view of the city. The A (for the U of Arizona) is currently painted red, white, and blue. Gotta love it!

Our Story - the Condensed Version (Really!)

2008-08-27T09:31:00.004-04:00

OK, I'm sure you are all DYING to know every last detail about Michael and me: how we met, dating, the proposal, etc. I bet you are on the edge of your seat with anticipation.

Too bad. It's all a big secret. Or maybe I'm just tired of talking about it.

Just kidding.

Well...we are a product of the Internet. Yes, we met online. A few years ago I thought "Why not? What is it going to hurt?" Same for Michael.

Last November, around Thanksgiving, I got a message from a guy in Arizona. His name was Michael. "Arizona?" I thought. "That's pretty far away." He was in grad school at ASU, I was in grad school at GWU in DC. 2000+ miles apart? Not exactly the ideal situation.

(Side note: Most of you are probably thinking "November? They met in November?!?!" I bet you are thinking that this all transpired rather quickly. Think what you will because it is what it is and we can't change a darned thing. Haha. :)

We sent messages back and forth for a couple weeks. In December I was in California for work and Michael called me for the first time. We chatted here and there that week and for a few weeks after.

Pretty soon we were chatting on the phone every day.

I kept thinking... "Boy do we sure need to meet." I'd had just about enough of the talking on the phone nonsense. (In general, I'm not a fan of talking on the phone). Due to some circumstances that were out of our control, we were not able to meet in person until Feb. 1.

Michael flew into Baltimore that afternoon and I was able to sneak away from work to pick him up. Talk about being nervous! That weekend was spent seeing the sights in DC, watching the Super Bowl, and just enjoying being together in person (finally!).

Guess I must've liked him because I flew to Arizona a few weeks later.

And he must've really liked me to come back. (He doesn't like to fly. At all.)

And so it went... back and forth and back and forth. I should count up all the flying miles we've logged since February!

At the end of May, I decided to take a week off work and go to Arizona to spend the time with Michael before he started his new job in June. On June 1st in a park in downtown Phoenix Michael got down on one knee and popped the question.

"How can this work?" I thought. "He's a Steelers fan; I love the Redskins. I cheer for the Nationals; he loves the Diamondbacks."

In spite of our rivalries, I said yes, he slipped the ring on my finger, and October 11 was soon thereafter agreed upon.

And now here we are, making all sorts of plans and getting married in a few weeks! We are looking forward to not flying back and forth across the country all the time, settling down, and being married.

Michael is committed to his job in AZ for two years, so I am packing my bags and moving out West. Again. We'll be making our home in Mesa, AZ. Come visit!

Update: I'll be an Aunt soon!

2008-08-06T12:32:00.003-04:00

As my sister Shannon so cheerfully reminded me, I will also be an Aunt in September! Add that to the list of craziness going on in our family lately.

Shannon and Devin will be having a little girl mid-September. Stay tuned!

Check out her blog for all the latest on Baby G.: S & D Garofalo

Birthday Jewels

2008-08-06T11:32:00.004-04:00

So I was perusing through some pictures and I came across this one of Laura and me from my birthday this past January. Yes, I am wearing a plastic bejeweled crown and plastic bejeweled earrings.

I'll pause to explain.

It's a tradition. Laura started it back when we were still living in Provo. She bought the crown one year for my birthday. I held on to it until August when her birthday rolled around -- she then got to be Queen for a day. We swap it back and forth for our birthdays and have been doing so for years. Get it?

Admittedly, it's a little bit out of control. It started with just the crown. Now we have earrings, a scepter, buttons, and a flashing pin. What's next? A sash? A gown? Rings? Bracelets? Only time will tell.

Oh, yeah. The birthday cards we give each other always have to do with being a princess or queen. We search high and low until we find just the right card, sometimes finding one months, or even a year, in advance. Her birthday is on Saturday and I've had her card at least six months. :-)

Shellie & Michael

2008-08-06T11:16:00.002-04:00

Here's a pic of me and Michael. My friends Jessica and Dan were in town the weekend of the 4th of July and Jessica took this pic of us on the 4th in my Grandparents backyard. We love it so much, it's going to be our official engagement pic. Thanks, Jess!

The Last Eight Months in a Nutshell

2008-08-06T10:24:00.006-04:00

OK, OK... I have lots of things to catch up on. Life went a little berserk the last few months. To sum up: in November I met a boy named Michael; in December I went to California for work; Christmas, New Year's, and my 32nd Birthday came and went; school carried on; in February I flew to Nashville for the first time and met up w/ my friend Jessica; I've been to Arizona four times; in March I went to New York City for work; on June 1st in a park in Phoenix Michael proposed; and I graduated w/ my Master's in Publishing in July from The George Washington University.

And what am I doing now, you ask? Not much... just planning our October 11th wedding, figuring out how in the world I am going to move all of my stuff to Arizona, and looking for a job out there.

Bah!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T14:16:00.002-05:00

California

2007-12-16T00:24:00.000-05:00

I spent the last week in California, first in Orange County with my former roommate Christina, then in San Francisco for work. I went to Disneyland for the first time... it was all decked out for Christmas. I played the part of a cheesy tourist, much to Christina's dismay. :-) I took lots of dorky pictures.

I flew from OC to San Francisco for work. I spent the week trapped in an exhibit booth handing out giveaways to greedy passers-by. Free trip to San Francisco, right? It was my first time in San Francisco, too. It definitely lived up to its reputation: I ate at a vegetarian restaurant, the two guys at the table next to me were on a date, and my hotel room had a recycling bin. Green city, indeed! It was fun, but there's no place like home...

Hilly San Francisco

Walt & Mickey (Duh)

The Pacific is cold in December!

Me & Christina

Hail to the Redskins

2007-09-14T20:18:00.000-04:00

I wrote this a couple of years ago for a writing/journalism class I took. In honor of the start of another football season, here's my ode to the Redskins:

Hail to the Redskins! Hail victory!

Braves on the warpath, fight for old DC!

Run or pass and score – we want a lot more!

Beat ‘em, swamp ‘em – Touchdown! Let the points soar!

Fight on, fight on, till you have won, sons of Washington!

Rah, rah, rah!

I sang this song recently at a Redskins game. It was one of those rare occasions - well, rare in recent years anyway - where the fans got to sing it A LOT. My brother and I were there, standing side by side, clapping along and singing with the band. What a game! Every time the Redskins scored we gladly got on our feet and sang along with the band.

For as long as I live, I will NEVER forget the words to “Hail to the Redskins.” It is forever etched in the far corners of my brain. It is one of those songs that just pops into your head and sticks around for hours at a time. You know what kind of song I mean. Over and over it plays in my head when I least want it to. But I have to admit that hearing the first few notes of the song always makes me smile.

Even so, it's more than just a song to me. It's more than what you get to sing when the 'Skins score a touchdown. It’s my childhood. It’s my teenage years. It’s lots of good memories that come flooding back each time I hear the song. It’s family.

It's Sundays as a kid, keeping my Dad updated on the score. Whenever he’d have to work on a Sunday, he would call home and get the "official report" from me. Of course, I now know he was watching the game the whole time. When he came home from work it also meant one kiss on the cheek for each touchdown they scored that day. For a true “Daddy's Girl,” it meant the world.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday – January 30, 1983. My whole family joined my Dad at work to watch the game. The Redskins beat the Miami Dolphins to become the NFL Champions.

It's my multiplication tables. In second grade I had no problem learning my sevens and my threes. 7, 14, 21, 28... 3, 6, 9, 12… I learned them quickly thanks to the Redskins. Keeping score also polished my addition skills. I loved adding up the points and figuring out the score before it was posted on the screen. The more points, the more challenging the math was for a seven year-old!

It's every Friday morning in Elementary School during football season. My principal, Mrs. Eckler - a die hard fan herself, would play the song as part of the morning announcements. She wanted us to know all the words, so she played it over and over, week after week. We'd get to hear it again on Monday if the 'Skins were victorious over the weekend. I remember that some students and teachers would groan when it came on. Me? I thought it was great fun.

Mrs. Eckler was bound and determined to make us all fans. You know what? It worked for most of us. She also succeeded in bringing several of the players to the school for special assemblies. I still remember the day Mark Moseley came to visit. We made posters for the halls that were a tribute to the “Hogs” and the “Smurfs.” We all dressed in our Redskins gear and sang the fight song to welcome him to our school.

It's RFK stadium on game day. It's the whole crowd singing together, the stands bouncing up and down. I used to want the Redskins to score just so we could sing the fight song and have the stands bounce. Cheap thrills for a kid, I suppose. It’s the crowd chanting in unison, “Rigg-o! Rigg-o! Rigg-o!” in honor of running back John Riggins.

It's that rare occasion when I actually got to go to a game with my Dad. It was bragging to my friends the day after a game, telling them all how lucky I was to get to go. Few of my friends could say they had had the chance to go to a professional football game.

It's the only time I got to ride the Metro. We would drive into Arlington and catch the orange line train from the Virginia Square station. It was fun to be stuck in the big crowd of metro riders waiting to go home after the game. Believe me, after riding the train to work on a daily basis, I've since gotten over that thrill...

It's all of us kids getting Redskins t-shirts for Christmas, just to annoy my Aunt. Somehow she - my Dad's sister - wound up a Dallas Cowboys fan, even though she’s lived in Virginia her whole life. How does that work? All three of us would wear the shirts when we saw her at the family Christmas party. We’d love to get her going about the rivalry.

For her birthday we’d give her something emblazoned with the Redskins logo. A hat, a t-shirt, an ugly wreath – it didn’t matter as long as it had something to do with the Redskins. The more it bashed the Cowboys, the better.

It's years of teasing and tormenting and trash talking among friends and relatives, from elementary school, to college, to today. I even trash talked Mr. Cannon, my sixth grade teacher because of the 'Skins / Cowboys rivalry. After the Redskins beat the Cowboys that year, I brought a little stuffed Redskin to school. It sat quietly on the corner of my desk as a daily reminder of our victory. Lest we forget, I was only 12 years old at the time!

It’s the poster I got from my Grandfather for Christmas celebrating the Skins Super Bowl victory in 1988, when quarterback Doug Williams was the MVP. It’s the junior high school years when it hung on my closet door. It’s seeing former Redskin player Gary Clark at the airport in Phoenix on our flight headed home to Virginia. It’s getting him to sign the only thing I had at the time – a baseball cap with the Tasmanian Devil on the front.

It's extra credit in Biology class. When I was in tenth grade the Redskins won the Super Bowl. We all got extra credit that year - just because the 'Skins won. The successes of the team during the season gave us the occasional extra point on an assignment. But when the Redskins won the Super Bowl? The extra credit flowed. It was a priceless treasure to a bunch of sixteen-year olds.

Now let’s fast forward to today. It’s all those things all over again. It’s attending the last Redskins game at RFK stadium with one of my best friends from college. It’s the Redskins flag that flies at my parents’ house on a game day. It’s the flag that flew the day Dan Snyder announced he’d hired Joe Gibbs to once again be the coach of the Redskins. It’s decorating a co-worker’s office in Redskins paraphernalia before the big Redskins/Cowboys game. It’s humming the Redskins fight song anytime a different co-worker is nearby. It’s a new rivalry with my brother-in-law who is a New York Giants fan. It’s the Redskins collar my sister bought for their dog to liven the rivalry.

Now we’re back at the game. The Redskins just scored. Once again the band begins to play “Hail to the Redskins.” I can't help but think of my childhood and teenage years. I hope that the little boy sitting next to me is soaking it all up. I hope that twenty years from now he will hear the fight song and remember the time his Dad took him to a Redskins game. I hope he’ll remember those two crazy ‘Skins fans who were sitting next to him, making fools out of themselves, and loving every minute of it.

Rascal Flatts

2007-09-14T19:39:00.001-04:00

I have a thing for the country group Rascal Flatts. It's true, I'm totally addicted. I don't care what you say about them -- call them a boy band, call them non-country, call them gay (Todd). It doesn't matter to me. I just dig 'em. Period.

It all began back when I was still living in Provo. It feels like a million lifetimes ago(!), but it was 2001 (I think). Laura and I used to listen to their first CD over and over and over again in the car. Wherever we went, no matter who was driving, we'd be belting out the Flatts tunes. Oh, Gary! Oh, Jay! Oh, Joe Don!

The obsession was born. It was before the legions of fans, before the sold out tours, before they became the "it" group of country music. Laura and I went to see them in Salt Lake City, where they opened for Toby Keith. I went to see them last summer at Nissan Pavilion, and I returned to the same spot last weekend for the hands-down best show of the them all. Below is a pic:

Their new album comes out next week and they'll be hosting a private show at Ned Devine's in Sterling, VA, on the 26th. The only way to get tickets is to win them by listening to 98.7 WMZQ. If you take me, I'll be your BFF. No lie.

OK, seriously... do I sound like a crazed teenager or what?

I wish...

2007-09-14T13:01:00.000-04:00

Today, Sept. 14, 2007, 1:00 p.m., Here's what I wish...

... I wore a belt today
... it was 5:00
... customers wouldn't leave the t-shirts a mess
... I had tickets to see Rascal Flatts at Ned Devine's next week
... I understood why
... it was July '08
... I could go to lunch with Janet
... there was a Cafe Rio or Burgers Supreme close by
... I could see my future
... I had my textbooks for my classes
... Prince Charming would walk through my door
... it was officially Fall

What do you wish for today? Tell me... even if it is as lame as my little list above.

My theme

2007-09-09T00:51:00.000-04:00

What the heck... I might as well have a blog, too.

I found this online the other day at one of my new favorite websites: www.oedilf.com. It's the Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form. How cool is that?

This little limerick below...it is my life. Enjoy!

bookshop, bookstore by Jonathan Caws-Elwitt

I work in a bookstore by day
(A bookshop, the British would say).
I sell you a tome;
You toddle on home.
I'm making a living this way.