football scrimmage and moccasins

This weekend we went to Utah State's Blue-White football scrimmage. We got decked out in our Aggie gear and walked over to the football stadium to cheer for our Aggies one last time.

We also bought Spencer's graduation gift this weekend. Out of all of the things in the world he could get, he went with the moccasin kit that I tried oh, so hard to talk him out of! They are a size too small, and not at all practical for hot and sticky Alabama. I really shouldn't complain though because they were on sale at Hobby Lobby for a whopping 9 bucks. But how do I not complain!?! He won't even promise me that he will never wear them in public! Why does he think they are so awesome??!!!

I guess after four hard years of undergraduate studies, he deserves an uncool, impractical, cheap looking, 9 dollar gift that he sewed himself, if that's what he really wants.

Why I love Logan: Reason 4

Every time I come out of Sardine Canyon, I search for my two favorite landmarks of Cache Valley. Across the valley of farms and green pastures, I spot the glowing castle-like structure, the Logan Temple, and the big blue “A” just behind it, Old Main. They both have great significance to me. To me, the "A" on Old Main represents those four wonderful and defining years I spent at Utah State as a student, and the Logan Temple reminds me of when, inside those temple walls, Spencer and I knelt together and made eternal promises to each other and to God. 

Reason # 4 why I love Logan: The Logan Temple and Old Main 
P.S. Reason 3, reason 2, reason 1

Weekend

This weekend I...

• Visited my grandma in Kaysville.
• Took a trip to Target.
• Met friends at the City Creek Mall for the Marathon Expo and Cheesecake Factory.
• Ran the Salt Lake City Half and somehow got my fastest time ever of 1:48!
• Went to USU's Track meet to watch my brother-in-law compete.
• Went out to dinner for my mother-in-law's birthday.
• Met my bestest friend, Rachel's boyfriend, and approved of him 100 percent!
• Went to my old roommate's homecoming talk.
• Barbecued at our friend's house.
• And nursed and nursed and nursed Jack. (At the Cheesecake Factory...at the finish line...at the track meet...) Nursing is the most inconvenient, convenient thing ever!!!

It was quite the fun and eventful weekend. We're totally pooped, except for Jack.

Dumb dumb dumb

Back in the fall when I was pregnant, I was really envious of all of the runners that jogged by my house. Running in Autumn in Logan is my favorite and I was missing out! Knowing that I would have no motivation to run in the middle of the winter after just having a baby, my nine-month pregnant self waddled over to my computer and did something really, really dumb: as an early Christmas gift to myself, I registered for a half marathon.

To this day, I regret that decision because my race is tomorrow and I have no endurance and that darn 75 bucks is nonrefundable and I AM GOING TO DIE!!!!!

The race t-shirt better be cute or else...

Cruel Parents

A few weeks ago, I enjoyed reading a somewhat viral blog post about terrible names that parents named their children in Southeastern Idaho. It is an amazing post. Read it right now. I'll wait....


My mom later pointed out that the best part about the post were the comments. There were a lot of comments and sadly, I read every single one. But, if you don't have time to kill while nursing a baby like I do, I just did you a favor! I copied and pasted the best ones (which are still quite a lot) just for you! Please read them all. My favorite one is the second to last one I pasted. The "ABCD sure is a pain" one.


And here they are:


My sister, bless her freaking heart, named her oldest son Tab. Not short for anything. She also has a Benton, Paisley, and finally Hobbes. I wish I was kidding.


My friend (who is getting his PhD at BYU) said there was recently born in his ward a child called Jimmer. His given name, mind you.


My husband calls those erroneously huge flowers "satellite dishes." As in, "That baby must be getting HBO because there's no way her headband doesn't receive satellite transmissions."

Gah, most of those names make me ill! All those kids are going to wind up in prison or on poles waving their tatas around.

I also have to add that there is a child that goes to the same preschool as my daughter who is named "Bringit".

There is a child that shows up on my facebook feed occasionally (niece of a friend, I think?) who is named Pheliciti Grae. PHELICITI.

Poor poor children!! Grandmas hate those names! I hate those names. That kid is going to end up being called Boener. We all know it.

Someone I know has grandchildren with APOSTROPHE'S in their names. As in like THREE of them.
The most recent addition to the family...
Jax'n
Yeah, weird right? And I wanna say that Jax'n has an older brother named Link'n or something. I can't remember for sure the other ones... but her sons girlfriend is obsessed with apostrophe's in names.

In my work I deal with a lot of adult names. I have taken pictures in case my friends thought I was mistaken. Here are my two favorites: Lady PeeWee Sanchez & Halloweena Coffen. I couldn't make this up if I wanted to, but then again we have an adult daughter named Rhyan.

Unfortunately, my sister-in-law used Tytan. And if she has a daughter next she's going to name her Tossee (prounounced Tossy) YOU GUYS! I have to pretend I like these name! How do I do iiiiiiiiiiiit?

These are pretty bad, but consider the following true story.
Orem, Utah, 1978: One of my co-workers came in to work on a Monday morning and said, "You will never guess what happened in our Fast & Testimony meeting yesterday"--to which we could only reply, "You're right, we'll never guess, so go ahead and tell us."
"A couple in our ward had triplets--three girls--and yesterday they were given their names and blessings."
"So?"
"Their names--the ones by which they shall be known upon the records of the Church and throughout their lives here on earth--are Candy, Cookie and Cupcake."
So which would you rather be called: KeiseLyn or Cupcake?
(Who knows? Maybe it was Kandee, Kookey and Kupkayk.)

My son has a classmate named Ici. Sounds like Icy, but what do you say when you read that? Exactly...Icky. Nice. But the worst I have ever ever ever heard is Natas. That's right - Satan backwards! (sounds like Not Us) WHO DOES THAT? It made me want to call DCFS. Seriously. Still does in fact.

I knew a guy named Dwayne. His parents named his sisters Dweeva, Dwarva, and Dwova.

I work with high school kids and get to see a lot of girls names on a daily basis. The worst name so far this year is: K-La, and I met her last week. I looked at her paper she handed to me and had to ask her twice if that was her "real" name. To which she replied, "yes!". Seriously? WTF parents? She will NEVER be taken seriously!

I have a friend who named their daughter Eowyn. Yes, an elf from Lord of the Rings. Pronounced A-O-win. Her parents swore they would never shorten it, but now she goes by Winnie. I honestly don't know which is worse. But my favorite was a student in a class I taught named Rowdy Times. Not a big surprise that he was a major trouble maker who was eventually pulled from school for attacking his mom with a hammer. True story.

But, in my experience as a teacher it's the invasion of the apostrophes! And yes, these are real high school students of mine!
Trey'vion
La'tasha
De'Kinae (pronounced dee-kin-nay)
De'jenique (day-Ja-neek)
Dat'reion

To Jennie Holt, Jaeger SHOULD be pronounced "Yay-grr." As in Jaeger bombs. As in that's more than likely what the parents were doing leading up to conception. Of course, if you live in the Utah-Idaho Mormon Basin (or Washington, D.C.), they'll probably insist it's pronounced "Zhai-geyhr" or similar.

I do pictures of babies at two hospitals in Utah Valley and have heard some really unfortunate names. One of the most memorable was Maybe. Yep, that was the baby's name! No, they were not still deciding, and no, they weren't trying to keep it a secret, and no, I wasn't supposed to to figure out their strange little game of not telling the photographer their baby's name, HER NAME IS MAYBE. Oh.

I know a family with all of the following names in the under-3 set:
(Yes, they're all related, cousins and second-cousins!)
Morrison (boy), Pressley (boy), Hendrix (girl), Zykah (boy, rhymes with Micah), Axlynn (girl), and Marley (girl)
Ironically, all of these babies' mothers have totally "regular/normal" names themselves... :-/

My friend teaches first grade. There's a girl in her class, and I wish I was kidding, named Le-a. Pronounced, Ladasha, because according to her, "The dash ain't silent!" That poor, poor child!!

I worked with a man named Beveridge. Which sounds exactly the same as "would you like a refreshing beverage?" I work for an insurance company, and while ordering an MVR (motor vehicle report - it's a person's driving record), came across the name Joylet. Seriously? Who says to themselves, "We should name our kid something that rhymes with toilet."

I know of a little girl named "Tyranny." I'm not sure how it is spelled. I really doubt the parents were aware of the meaning of the word.

My husband has a cousin (last name Payne) who named her little girl....Abcyde (pronounced Ab-sidy or abs-cd). First, they were going to spell it Abcd just like the alphabet. But decided it needed a silent y and e. She has 2 middle names, the first Suri (pretty okay), and her second middle name is Iza, yes Iza (pronounced Is a). Let's say it all together Abcyde Suri Iza Payne. ABCD sure is a pain. Way to go mom and dad. Luckily everyone in the family calls her Ce-Ce.

I knew someone who named her kid Stockton Malone. Her husband was a huge fan. They're divorced now.

Aren't they all just so great?!

Why I love Logan: Reason 3

I love going running where there are hills and windy paths and pretty things to look at. It makes me want to wave my hands in the air and yell "Weeeeeee" like Phoebe on Friends.

But seriously, some of my most peaceful, spiritual, and happy moments have been while running on those breathtaking trails less than a mile from our home.

Reason #3 why I love Logan: Bonneville Shoreline Trail and Stokes River Trail. 


P.S.  Why I love Logan Reason: 1
         Why I Love Logan Reason: 2

Sundays with baby

It's fun having my very own baby to hold and to play with at church. Jack has officially cured me of staring longingly at all of the other babies in the congregation. Sometimes I think that three hours of church is just too long for babies. Luckily, today was not one of those days - Jack had a good church day! We had a good Sunday napping, relaxing, and cuddling.

                       

I love my boys.

Why I love Logan: Reason 2

My favorite places to eat in Logan are:


1. Aggie Ice Cream 
Lemon Custard Aggie Ice Cream is the world's best ice cream. I promise. Their Praline Pecan ice cream and Chocolate Toffee ice cream are also incredible.
2. Fredrico's Pizza 
I've had Fredrico's Pizza since I was a little girl. The lunch special is cheap, simple, and delish.
3. Zeppe's Italian Ice
Their gelata is the best - italian ice with the creamiest custard on top. It is better than Bahama Bucks in AZ.
4. Indian Oven
Spencer and I split the spicy lamb kurma and spicy chicken coconut kurma with naan bread and it is so yum.
5. Logan Heros
It's a total dive, but it has the best sandwiches in town and the owner is so nice!
6. Taco Time
What am I going to do without their disgustingly amazing crisp bean burritos?!
7. Old Grist Mill
I gain about 5 pounds every time I eat their raspberry cream cheese roll but I never regret it.


Reason # 2 why I love Logan: the local restaurants

Logan friends, am I forgetting anything???

P.S. Why I love Logan: Reason 1

No fb or blogging + Nienie's book + Nat's comment + fried chicken

Sometimes I set tiny goals during the day for myself; just little things to keep me checking things off my "to do" list. For example, I often set the timer on my oven to see how much of the house I can get cleaned in a certain amount of time.

Yesterday, my goal was to not get on facebook or blogger for the whole day, even when nursing, and it was terribly pathetic how difficult it was for me. I did it though, and at the end of the day I proudly bragged about it to Spencer. He responded, "I don't think it counts because you read almost all of Nienie's book today. Isn't that like one amazing, giant blog post?"

How dare he!!!
(But seriously, it was!!!)
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P.S. The Natalie Holbrook commented on my last blog post about her! When I saw it, I screamed, "Spencer!!! Nat The Fat Rat just commented on my blog post!!!" And do you know what he said?! "So... who is that?" And do you know what I said?! "Spencer, this is the most exciting thing that has happened to me since I was in paparazzi pictures with Kelly Clarkson and you don't even care!"

In Spencer's defense, he really does make an attempt to care or at least understand my love for blog stalking.
In the past he's asked:

"Wait, so Nienie and C. Jane are sisters?"

And sarcastically, "So how is Steoffrey Language doing today!?"

My fascination with the tiny little details of friend's lives and stranger's lives are about as boring to him as his dumb nature and survival shows are to me.

And I guess that's just fine.
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P.P.S. In response to that same blog post, my friend suggested that in Alabama I should go on a hunt for the best fried chicken!!! (You know, since I can't be on a quest to find the best cookie in NYC, like Nat?) She is a genius!!!

But how come fried chicken in Birmingham just does not sound as tasty as chocolate chip cookies in NYC?

Nat The Fat Rat

You guys, why didn't you tell me about Nat the Fat Rat?! I only started reading her blog a few months ago and she is seriously my new favorite. Like, I want to be her.

I want to write like her and live in NYC like her and be on a quest to find the best cookie in the world like her and be able to adequately express my feelings about motherhood like her, and I wish that my first blog post ever was as simple and as witty as her first blog post ever. (It's about Target, I love Target!!)

She made me want to live in New York City so badly that I made Spencer apply to graduate school at Columbia University. But Birmingham, Alabama or New York City? Really, what's the diff? At least that's what I keep telling myself...

So do yourself a favor and read Nat The Fat Rat. If you don't think you have time, give up Nienie or sleep or whatever because her blog is the best of all the blogs.


****Nat Disclaimer!!!****

I received a text from my mom this Sunday with a picture attached.

Mom: I do not recommend the natthefatrat recommended bright lip stain. I look ridiculous and a little clownish or transvestite-ish. Do not show anyone this picture!*

Mom: I took that picture in the church bathroom. Michelle helped me tone it down with some brownish lip gloss... kind of like we were in jr. high again.

To which I responded something like: What is lip stain?

Mom: Seriously, if you are as "hip" as that natthefatrat girl you can wear what ever the freak color you want on your lips. I just looked like a clown. Just ask Maddie Budge who was involved in the "intervention"in the church bathroom that was required so that I wouldn't be a distraction to my own young women's lesson third hour! You ask, "what is lip stain anyway?" It is exactly what it says it is. It is a paint-on-a-pencil that stains your lips so that you can't even rub it off if you want to. Thus, you end up with an even brighter red tone from scrubbing!"

So the bright lip stain... only if you're "hip" like Nat.



*I really badly wish I could show you the picture, but I think my mom would kill me.

Chuckin' eggs

This Easter, we joined in the local tradition of tossing Easter eggs down Old Main Hill on USU's campus. My mom did this every Easter growing up and even came up a few years ago from Arizona to do it again with our family.

Ever since I've lived in Logan, I've chucked Easter eggs down that hill to those anxiously awaiting seagulls (does that make them seagull cannibals?) It's super fun.

Hope you had a Happy Easter and that you didn't eat a shameful and embarrassing amount of cadbury eggs like I did!

True Aggies (finally!)

Big news over here people! My blog url and this wedding picture are officially legit!!!

Here is USU's True Aggie Tradition:

"One can become a "True Aggie" by receiving a kiss on the "A" under a full moon at midnight by somebody who already is a "True Aggie," or on Homecoming or A-Day by somebody who is not. The Student Alumni Association is proud to be the keepers of the True Aggie Tradition."

Here is my True Aggie Story:

Four years ago, my insecure and intimidated freshman Ambassador self went to the Homecoming True Aggie Night and kissed a random boy (who turned out to be a Ute!!!). When giving campus tours, I did not want to tell about the True Aggie tradition and then have to shamefully admit that I wasn't even a True Aggie yet. I got asked if I was a True Aggie every tour without fail, and it was totally worth that one scary and awkward moment on the "A" to be able to say that I was!

Here is Spencer's True Aggie Story:

He became a True Aggie last night. He missed every other True Aggie Night of our dating and married lives because he was traveling for track or because we were too tired or too cold or too boring to get ourselves over to that "A" at  midnight. Last night was the last True Aggie Night that we would be in Logan so I took Spencer up on that "A" under the full moon at midnight, smooched him, and made him a True Aggie! 

And here is Jack's True Aggie Story:

Last night at 11:30, we dragged him out of bed and into his carseat, then into his stroller, then out in the cold and onto the "A" where he gave me a sleepy, open mouthed kiss. He slept through the entire thing. Now, when he's a freshman at Utah State he can tells his friends, "Oh yeah? Well my MOM made me a True Aggie!!!" And who doesn't wish they could say that?!

Orange Rolls and General Conference

General Conference is pretty much considered a holiday here in Utah. I could swear that all of USU's students clear out for the weekend. On Saturday night during the Priesthood Session, there are numerous "ladies night outs" at different stores and every restaurant is packed once the Priesthood Session gets out.

We spent General Conference weekend in Kaysville with Spencer's family. We listened to great messages (the ones we didn't sleep through), ate a ton, and enjoyed good company. After the Priesthood Session, we decided to avoid the crowds and complications with three babies and ordered pizza and chinese to go. (yes, both!) Sunday morning, we had my mother-in-law's traditional Sunday-morning-of-conference-breakfast: fruit, breakfast casserole, and the world's best orange rolls. I also put down multiple handfuls of cadbury mini eggs throughout the weekend. It was great.

Today, I finally finished watching the talks that I slept or talked through. My favorite quotes from conference were:

If you come upon a person who is drowning, would you ask if they need help - or would it be better to just jump in and save them from the deepening waters? The offer, while well meaning and often given, "Let me know if I can help" is really no help at all.                
    - Ronald A. Rasband


This is a truth revealed in the Lectures on Faith, which teach that "a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.
     - Dallin H. Oaks

Envy is a mistake that just keeps on giving. Obviously we suffer a little when some misfortune befalls us, but envy requires us to suffer all good fortune that befalls everyone we know! What a bright prospect that is—downing another quart of pickle juice every time anyone around you has a happy moment!... coveting, pouting, or tearing others down does not elevate your standing, nor does demeaning someone else improve your self-image. So be kind, and be grateful that God is kind. It is a happy way to live.
      - Jeffrey R. Holland


Surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it.
      - Jeffrey R. Holland


This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: STOP IT!
      - Dieter F. Uchtdorf


I can quote scripture, I can try to expound doctrine, and I will even quote a bumper sticker I recently saw. It was attached to the back of a car whose driver appeared to be a little rough around the edges, but the words on the sticker taught an insightful lesson. It read, "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you."
      - Dieter F. Uchtdorf


Because we all depend on the mercy of God, how can we deny to others any measure of the grace we so desperately desire for ourselves?
      - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Fishy Face

Jack makes fishy faces and sucks his upper lip constantly. 
Is this normal?

(Please ignore our discussion about our future children)

At least it makes for funny pictures!

Why I love Logan: Reason 1

This morning I went running along the Bonneville Shoreline trail. For that two mile stretch and back, I gazed at the gorgeous view of the Wellsville Mountains behind campus and the temple. It would have taken my breath away if I wasn't already out of breath.


I then realized that my on-again, off-again relationship with Logan is back on and that it will continue to be until moving day. Because despite the long horrible winters and lack of a Target and Costco, Logan has been oh, so good to me.


Reason #1 why I love Logan: It has taught me to never take beautiful weather for granted.