Our getaway to Vegas and Pasco

Just recently Clark and I made a quick getaway to Vegas and Pasco.  Anticipating our future move to Australia back in January, we requested a week off from work in February to make the rounds and see the 'rents.  Lucky for us, Vegas has direct flights to Pasco via Allegiant Airlines.  Though this airline really sucks, at least we didn't have a layover anywhere. 

In Pasco we celebrated my sister's recent--and kind of secret--marriage to her long time love!  Here's the "wedding cake" my Mom made for her.

My Mom, sister and I spent an early afternoon thrift store shopping (with successful purchases) and having high tea.  

Though I am convinced that no tea will ever compare to Good Earth's Sweet and Spicy herbal tea, the snacks and sandwiches served with our tea were tasty and quite filling.

Clark kept Cole and Chase entertained with his tricks and whistling skills.

Sweet little Taya loves the camera, and I think she loves her Aunt Rachel, too.

Cole was intent on combing Clark's hair with a toy...

We got to witness Taya's baptism on Sunday morning.

Her vintage baptism gown was so precious.

Later that Sunday morning Dad took us out and let us shoot his 9mm.

I can't wait until we own one of these.  They're so fun to shoot.

Then, later in the afternoon on Sunday we drove out to Palouse Falls.  I had never been and it was so impressive.  I don't think pictures do this waterfall justice; the fall is actually 190ft. Ty, Clark and I ended up walking along the grassy rim right to the top of the falls.  Exhilarating.  Side-note: If we move to Pittsburgh one of the first trips we'll have to take is to Niagra Falls.   Here's a video of a world record being set at Palouse Falls.  

Beautiful canyon views.

Sweet little Taya; she's always in a happy mood.

Monday before we flew back to Las Vegas we spent time with Katie, Ty and the kids.  Apparently when Katie put Cole down for a nap, she forgot to remove gum from his mouth (dang Valentine's candy) and this is how he woke up (you may have to enlarge the picture to get a good look):

Right before leaving for the airport.  Awwwwww!

Tuesday Mom and Dad Tobler, Clark and I spent a good part of the afternoon hiking around Red Rock Canyon.  Here's my professional photographer testing out Mom Tobler's camera.

Taking a load off after 400m.

Gotta love the self timer feature!

As I was taking photos of Mom and Dad Tobler, I pushed the shutter button and realized that the self timer was still on and was still set to 8 consecutive shots.  Here is one of the successive shots.  Way too funny.  

Our awkward prom pose in the canyon.

So in this picture below we have two hats.  They are identical, only one is severely outworn.  Jake was kind enough to give Clark a brand new Rainbow Bar & Grill hat! Thank you, Jake! This restaurant no longer exists so this hat is pretty special.  It was extremely hard for Clark to relinquish his outworn hat that he's had for 5 years and has "been all over the world."  The outworn hat is currently in Mom Tobler's possession as there is sentimental value associated with this hat.  Perhaps we should have a burning hat ceremony in the future...

Thank you to the Ellisons and the Toblers for allowing us to come visit, sleep in your homes and eat your food.  You guys rock and we love you all.

Our Adventure Awaits!

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THE BEST (WORKING) VACATION EVER!

After months of paperwork and notarizing every document that proves we are who we say we are and paying ridiculous fees for just about everything... our visas and nursing registrations have cleared.  We're going to Sydney, baby!  We leave the end of February and start early March or middle of March...we'll play it by ear.

Though I feel overwhelmed with boxing up all of our earthly possessions and tying up loose ends here in the states, the thought of eating one of these makes everything ok.  Tastes like chicken???

Truly a Gift Receipt

Somehow I have neglected (forgotten??) to cash this in.  When we were in Hawaii back in November, my birthday rolled around.  Clark got all clever and romantic on me and basically wrote me an I-owe-you birthday gift on the back of an ABC store receipt.  I did request a manicure and a massage for my birthday, but I was hoping for gift certificates.  Naw, that would be TOO romantic.  I found this little gem stashed away between papers as I was organizing unruly piles of bills.

Sorry, Clarkman, you're not getting off that easy.  Now that this receipt is posted, it must be cashed in.  

My new best friends

Move over Clark, Flu Relief Therapy is in the house.

I have run once since Friday (and that might be the reason I'm not feeling better yet).  I want to scream out of frustration but even that seems like it will take too much effort.  I've never missed running so much.  I've never missed being productive...and working so much either.  Man, I feel useless and weak.  Flu Relief Therapy, please work your magic so I can get back to my normal life.

Three sick calls into work and no vacation time left...GO AWAY SICKNESS, I HATE YOU!

A delightful few days

Actually, we've had about five delightful days off from work.  Originally I had requested these days off so we could venture up to Idaho for a possible snowshoe expedition with Clark's uncle.  Then we realized we had too much to do and we never finalized the snowshoe plans.  Ahhhhh, maybe someday.  

I'm not sure that we actually accomplished anything noteworthy during these five days off other than checking items off of our TO DO list.  I'd like to say we were super productive and checked EVERYTHING off our list, but we hung out and relaxed a little too much.  But that's ok because we needed time to just be with one another.  I've been too stressed about something that is way out of my control and Clark has had to be my Consolator on more than one occasion.  So, what did we do?   We sold one of our dressers, Clark jammed with BJ a couple of times, we bought TurboTax (which is half the battle right there) but failed to do our taxes, we found an awesome thrift store that has rejuvenated my love for thrifting, we bought a rather large piece of luggage that we may have to return if our visas aren't granted, we went to the Carl Bloch exhibit at BYU's art museum, we met Nick and Tallie's little boy Ezra, we went to bed at 9:30 one night and slept for 12+ hours, we watched some movies and The Office, and we've been looking up our visa statuses constantly on the computer.  I've been trying to be patient, but I can't help but feel a little anxious.  Why, oh why, do these things take so long?

So...wanna see some of my thrift store treasures?  Sure you do :)

I am so excited to read The Help!  I have heard nothing but great reviews!  I have been wanting to read it since 2009 (a patient at work actually tipped me off that it is a great read) and every time I try to check it out at the local library it isn't available.  And I don't like putting my name on reserve lists because I hate long waits.  So you can imagine my joy when I found a nearly perfect hardcover copy at Savers!  The Alchemist is supposed to be great as well.  I've read many of Paulo Coelho's novels and they are always quick reads and thought-provoking.  I think Clark could get through this one fairly quickly.  And just for the record...Clark just finished The Grapes of Wrath!  Way to go, Clark!  His goal for 2011 is to read one book per month.  

 A cute little pink cardigan.

A cute little cow(??) or giraffe inspired cardigan.

 A skinny brown belt and grey skirt.  Oh, how I love Savers!  DI has brought me no good fortune since moving to SLC.  Thrift stores are not and have never been created equal and I am so happy we stumbled upon a good one here...finally!  

And since we couldn't take any pictures of the Carl Bloch exhibit (we could take pictures at the Prado Museum in Madrid but not the BYU art museum??? hmmmmmm), here is a picture of the admission ticket to the exhibit.  If you live near Provo and appreciate religious art, I highly recommend checking out the Carl Bloch exhibit.  And the best part is it's free.

Table for two

We no longer have a dining room table.  Or a couch for that matter.  So now we're eating off of storage tubs.  It's a little awkward, but it works.

Quest for prescription sunglasses

Recently, Clark and I have been "trying on" various sunglass frames via zennioptical with the site's complimentary photo uploader.  I may have been stifling laughter in my photo and Clark may or may not have turned a little special in his photo.  I have come to find that my pupillary distance is so narrow that most glasses won't work for me.  Being on the low side of normal is no good in this case. Ho hum.  Here are the frames I want but won't be able to purchase:

So I guess I'll have to settle for this wayfarer-type frame since it is the only sunglass frame that will fulfill my prescription requirements.

Clark is looking for some solar shield type sunglasses.  How do you think they look?

We cracked up for a good long while over these...

Rockin' some sport sunglasses.

Yes, they are quite off-kilter since my special boy refused to take a normal picture.  Right as I would snap the picture he would look away or cross his eyes.  Hence the reason the glasses seem to follow his pupils rather than sit on his bridge.

If you are looking for cheap glasses and you know your prescription, zenni is a wonderful site to browse.  We purchased a few pairs early last year and have been big fans since.

the facebook movie

"I know everything about film.  I've seen over 240 of them."

-D.K.S.

Sorry about another Office quote; I have a real problem.  But it is just so appropriate for this post!

So it looks like The Social Network is kind of a big deal.  The film took home best picture, best screenplay and best director at the Golden Globes last night.  Am I missing any other categories that it may have dominated?  I totally didn't expect that.  Not that I was watching.  I had to catch up via the interwebs today as we had company over last night.      

I haven't seen the movie yet, and I must ask, is it really that magnificent of a film?  Have any of you seen it and what did you think?   If it can contend with the likes of The Fighter, Black Swan and Inception, I'm totally looking forward to watching it.  Go Jesse Eisenberg!  He was awesome in Zombieland and reminds me of Michael Cera, though I doubt he's ever flipped out like Michael Cera... at least I hope not.

Quotidian Trivialities

Hello there,

So the other evening I spent about 50 minutes catching up with one of my closest friends from childhood.  We caught up on topics such as work, family, math class (Les, you can do it!), school applications, Clarisonic brushes and Christmas.  Our discussion of Christmas led us to the topic of blogging (because I really wanted Lesley to post pics from Xmas but she didn't take any. Boo.) and how blogging is for everybody, not just people with children (she mentioned that she didn't feel like she had anything to really blog about since she doesn't have kids yet).  I think I convinced her that an individual's thoughts/updates/photos are worthy of blogging because over time the posts will accumulate and serve as a journal for the individual.  People shouldn't feel like they have to have children in order to have something legitimate to post on the interwebs (though I will admit children are super funny and always provide something to post about).  Les, is that what you got from our conversation? Because that's what I got from it.   

So this post is about my every day, mundane thoughts and trivialities, enumerated.

1.  I have been called off not once but TWICE this week.  Heavenly bliss.  

2. Due to #1, I have been able to refine my domestic goddess skills.  I have made four dinner meals this week: Stuffed chicken wrapped with turkey bacon, killer Shepard's Pie, killer broccoli quiche, and a shrimp curry that Clark still needs to try.  I am bringing him some tonight since he did not have the good fortune of getting called off.  

3.  We attended our first Quincenera (sorry, can't get the tilde over the n) last night.  A good old fifteenth b-day celebration.  It was enjoyable, even if we only knew the b-day girl's mother from work, and a few other co-workers.  It was an LDS affair so I can only imagine how crazy it can get when alcohol is involved.  So my next goal in life is to attend a non LDS Quincenera.  Witness some craziness.  And perhaps volunteer as a designated driver for those who are too inebriated to drive.

4.  We have booked our place tickets to visit mi familia up in Pasco in February.  A short but sweet trip it shall be.  And we'll get to spend time with Clark's parents in Vegas.  Gotta get in visits with the parentals before we leave the country.

5.  We're still trying to find a loving home for Gretchen.  Any takers?  She's as cute as a button.

6.  We just watched The Hurt Locker.  Holy cow, I was nervous for those fellas the whole time.  

7.  We have also recently seen The Fighter and Black Swan.  Really enjoyed both.  We can thank Intermountain Healthcare for providing me with free movie tickets for the few nights I was a preceptor to new nurses.  I love not paying outrageous prices to see movies in the theater.

8.  I really like my bangs.  And I have fixed them nearly every day since I got my hair did.  So...that would be seven days straight.  On a roll here, folks.

9.  Lesley has nearly persuaded me by her ardent testimony that I need to invest in a Clarisonic brush.  I run, therefore I sweat.  But I'm 27 and tired of pimples.  I trust her judgement so I may invest very, very soon.  Anyone else use one of these bad boys?  Thoughts?

10.  I really love my husband.  Just thought ya'll should know.  I know people always say, "I have the best husband," or, "my husband is the best." This statement bothers me because it is an incomplete statement.  And it neglects to recognize that there are lots of awesome husbands out there.  I think two extra words help complete this statement.  Because I really believe that my husband is the best for me.  Just as your husband (if you are married) is the best for you.  Clark's just the right person for me.  And he is awesome. 

11.  Carl Bloch's exhibit is at BYU right now.  Totally wanting to check it out.

12.  I have yet to complete a pull-up.  My goal was to complete a pull up without assistance in 2010.  Now I have to try to do it in 2011.  Dang it.

13.  I really want a pair of boots like this:

They're pink (technically taupe), sassy and flat.  Just waiting for the price to drop.

14.  Not looking forward to doing our taxes this coming weekend.  Not excited about how much $$ we'll be owing the federal government and Utah.  Thank goodness Clark paid off ALL of his student loans in 2010, so we should have a tax break there!  That's what it's called right?  Tax break?  Or is it tax cut?  Taxes confuse the hell out of me.

15.  We're going to see The Get up Kids in early February!  Yahoo!

16.  So the zodiac signs haven't really changed.  Phew, I am so relieved that I don't have to get my Scorpio tattoo removed.  Just kidding.  About the tattoo, I mean.

Ok, I will quit boring you with my list.  Tomorrow Clark is making orange chicken, I am one lucky girl.

Clark's Kitchen Adventure

"No, no.  Let me cook for you.  Cauliflower and noodles.  A baked potato on the side." -D.K.S.

If you have watched season 4 of The Office, you probably love this quote.  We've been watching The Office waaaayyy too much lately.  So much so, that we have started incorporating quotes from the show into every day life.  Sometimes without realizing it.

Anyway....

The above quote really doesn't have anything to do with what this post is about.  Because unlike Angela, we eat a lot of meat.  Clark made some dang good meat loaf the other night.  Jalapeño popper meatloaf, in fact .  Mmmmmm mmmmm good.

Firstly, Clark mixed spices and seasonings into the meat and formed it into a rectangle on a cookie sheet.

Then my man spread cream cheese all over the meat.  Then he added cut up bacon.  Real bacon, not the fake bacon that comes in a jar.

Then he added chopped jalapeño peppers.

And then he rolled the meat.

Ta-da!  Here is the finished roll of meat.  Then I believe he transferred the beast to a baking dish so that grease wouldn't run all over.  The final result tasted great.  I have to say my favorite part was the cream cheese and the bacon.  Good job, Clark!  However, Clark wasn't satisfied with the end result and he is still tweaking his recipe.  

Oh, and look!  I picked up these goblets for 25 cents each.  I think we'll use them year round since goblets are way more fun to drink out of. Gonna keep that Christmas spirit alive 365 days a year!

Change

I made a change yesterday.  I love the color, but the bangs may take a while to get used to.  It's nice to be back to my (more) natural roots.

 Here's a more natural pose since I think Amy and I are the only ones who find the tourist pose funny.

Clark says I look trendy.  I'm not trendy and had no intention of looking trendy.  I think he misses the blonde but he won't admit it.  He's a good husband for not admitting it.  Blonde is just TOO much maintenance!

Friday...finally

Whew, thank goodness the weekend is here.  Work has exhausted us both this week.   And thank goodness that Clark and I have a real, bona-fide weekend off together (plus Monday)! Our schedules are finally in sync; angels are rejoicing on high for sure.  It only took an entire year.

So I think we're just gonna chillax this Friday eve and perhaps join Gretchen in front of the fire HeatDish.  Gotta keep warm when it's 18 degrees out.

Awww, my two loves.  

She hasn't burned her face off yet.  I on the other hand have nearly acquired second degree burns through my jeans.  

Merry Weekend!

an applicable adage for 2011

Well you're not hardcore (no you're not hardcore)...

Unless you live hardcore...

Running in the snow is pretty harcore, right? 

 My goal for 2011 is to be more hardcore.  In everything I do.  Amen.

Thank you, Jack Black, for your inspiring lyrics in the School of Rock.  May the legend of the rent always remain hardcore.