It's totally pouring here right now. It makes me miss Oregon...sounds weird, I know. I listened to Patty a lot in Oregon. She has such an amazing voice.
On a side note, if you haven't been to Great Harvest yet to get their sugar cookies, get going! They are soooo good. Romey and I just walked a 1/2 hour in the rain so we could get the last 3. Totally worth it.
But I'm excited for this movie. This picture makes me laugh so hard. Not only is Gob in this movie, but Jenna Fischer is, too. Hopefully it will not be a huge disappointment.
I'm not sure if this is one of those Utah phenomenon things, but since we've moved back , I've noticed that there are some really weird names here. Obviously this is totally my opinion, so if you choose to keep reading, prepare to get offended.
I know that my name is not your run of the mill name. I don't have a problem with weird names...(within reason). I don't mind when girls are named traditional "boy" names like Sam or Michael. I think that's cute. And of course, there are lots of unisex names: like Tracy, Kelly, Pat, even Courtney. The strangeness I speak of and am continually encountering in Utah is turning man names into girl names. What do I mean, you ask? Well, let me give you some real-life examples (i.e. these are all people that I know or have met).
* Cliffette (I'm assuming her dad's name is Cliff)
*Nelladet (made by spelling her dad's name ted allen backwards)
*Donette
*Jeaneal (mom's name Jean, dad is neal)
*Retta (male family name Rett)
WTFreak? Some of these are worse than others. Advice to future parents out there: If you can't agree on a name for your new baby girl, don't just take your husband's name and add -ette, -a, -elle, or some other suffix. You will end up with a ridiculous name.
Here is Ben Kweller's new video. It's pretty entertaining. This is his 82 year old grandma dancing around. He filmed it in the gym at her condo. All I have to say is that I WISH I had this much energy. And I couldn't help but notice the mini-tramp. My grandma definitely has one of those. Does yours?
Today I read an interesting article regarding a study that a psychology professor has done. In it, he says that there is a direct correlation between cruelty to animals and domestic violence. He cited that 71% of battered women in a shelter said that their partners had threatened or hurt their pets. The article also said that sometimes abusers will purposefully abuse a pet in front of their kids to intimidate them. In one case, a man bludgeoned a kitten with a hammer in front of his wife and 4-year-old daughter.
What kind of a sicko would do something like this? Although I found this article interesting, it certainly isn't surprising. Everyone knows that people who abuse animals have major problems. Isn't that how all of those serial killers start when they're young? The bottom line is that people that hurt their pets are bad and horrible and I hope that eventually they get their due.
Here is a really sad pic of a case in Utah where a dummy beat and blinded his wife's dog and then stuck it in a 200 degree oven. He is currently serving 4 months in jail.
p.s. so it looks like I've moved on from kids to pets
This is the reason why our front windows always look like a giant monster with a muddy face came and slobbered all over them.
Happy 28th Birthday to Peter! If you don't know Peter very well, you can get to know him in the next 5 seconds. Here are some of his favorite things: Sports, Romey, Baths, Popcorn, Italy, Rich Chocolate Cake, and Sleeping In. This weekend we will be combining all of his favorite things with a trip to Cucina Toscana on Friday and one to Michelangelo's on Saturday, a Jazz Game, Mandy's delicious chocolate cake recipe, some TV time with a big bowl of popcorn and cuddling with Romey, AND I will let Peter sleep in without incessantly bugging him on Saturday and Sunday.
If one day we can produce anything that is half as cute as Peter was when he was little, then we will be ecstatic. Happy Birthday to my love.
I know the LOTR post was probably screaming "biggest dork alive" to most of you. So, if you're not interested in more of where that came from, I'm giving you fair warning to stop reading now.
When I was little, I remember loving the movie The Last Unicorn and always crying because it was so sad. So, apparently geeks like me exist everywhere. Here is a video of The Last Unicorn and even better, someone had the ingenuity to set it to one of my fave Regina Spektor songs. I realize blogging is a big time sucker, but how do people find the time to do stuff like this? And more importantly, what am I doing tracking stuff like this down AND watching AND posting about it? And why am I getting sad watching this?
I seriously thought this was so funny. Luke was about to have a heart attack because Romey was inching closer to us. This was his first time being around a dog. Have you ever seen such huge eyes?
Here's the vicious beast herself:
Okay, so if it seems like I'm obsessed with other people's kids, I probably am. Our niece and nephews came over tonight for dinner and I had to post some pictures of them. Olivia just had a birthday and turned 5 and lost her first tooth. James is such a cutie pie! And Miles just likes to chill. P.S. Tomorrow night I get to babysit Mandy's little Luke and I can't wait!!
I got to hang out with my friend Mandy, who is visiting from the O.C. this week. We have been friends ever since the good old college days. We used to live in our sorority house together and hide out in the galley kitchen where we would steal cereal and eat it into the wee hours of the night. I have long told her that she is pretty much the cutest thing ever. However, now that she has passed on her blessed genes, I think it is safe to say that Luke is the epitome of cute. It seriously doesn't get any cuter than this. I mean really, you'd have to have a heart of stone to be able to resist those big browns!
Some of you may know that I LOVE Lord of the Rings. I've read all the books, we own all of the extended DVD editions and the entire soundtrack, plus I even have this really cool book about Gollum that Peter gave me for Christmas one year. Anyways, I've been wanting to have a LOTR Marathon for awhile now, but there never seems to be that straight 9 hours + block. So, last weekend I just decided to fire it up. I only got through The Fellowship, but it was as good as ever. Tonight I'm tempted to watch The Two Towers, but I should probably wait until this weekend. On a side note, let's just say that I wouldn't be around for long if Aragorn/Viggo came knocking at my door. Legolas isn't bad either. In fact, I think I may have found Peter's Halloween costume for next year.
And perhaps I could get Romey to wear this:
Don't you just love a good song? The video isn't the greatest, so just close your eyes and listen. You've probably heard it before, but I just figured out who the artist was.
Long holiday weekends are the best! We had a lot of fun. My good teaching friend Michelle came to visit from Oregon and we also were able to go out to breakfast with the Biornstads. We hadn't seen everyone for 7 months, so it was good to catch up and hang out. Isn't Koll super cute?
Tia and I'll be your tour guide! So, my friend Michelle from Oregon was THE best sport ever and let me take her all around SLC. Here are some pics from the tour. We lucked out and couldn't have had more beautiful weather. On Sunday, we went to the library and Temple Square. The SLC Library is one of the greatest pieces of architecture in SLC. If you haven't had the chance, you should go peruse the place. The grounds are really great, and there is a walkway that goes all the way up to the roof and offers spectacular views of the city. Before you book a trip, you should know that it includes spending quality time with me and doing things like pigging out and watching Dance Life. You have been warned! 
I love my Utah mountains
The reflecting pool at the temple....pretty cool
View from the courtyard at SLC Library
You are looking at the newest member of the Utah bar! Congratulations to the hub. I'm super proud of him. He got sworn in this afternoon at the courthouse. And look at his sweet smoking jacket that I gave him for Christmas. Brown velvet baby.
The actual swearing in:
Peter and his parents:
Here's the cool view of the City and County building from the top floor of the Courthouse:
Last night my friend Heidi and I were able to go to a Ben concert. It was at In The Venue, which is a way small club. He was awesome! He played for a full hour and a half, had a fan get onstage to play the harmonica for one of his songs, and was just overall totally cool. He sounded great. After the show, he was just hanging out and mingling, so I got my pic with him. For those of you who don't know about Ben, he's a great musician, but not such a looker if you know what I mean. I would say that he usually looks like a stoned, pre-pubescent 12 year old. But when my mom saw this picture, she said that he looked more like a mentally disabled girl. (Keep in mind my mom is a VERY sweet and nice person.) Either way, I was super stoked to meet him. Also, this pic is taken at point blank range, so that's why it's so scary. Without further adieu....here it is
If you want a taste test, here's a good Ben song:
In honor of the upcoming holiday, here are my top 6 favorite movie kisses of all time. (As in, I may have been known to rewind and watch these scenes more than once.) I'm sure there are other great ones, but it seems whenever you actually TRY to think of this type of thing, all of the sudden you are at a complete loss. Let me know if you can think of others or what your faves are. Here they are, in no particular order:
1. Last of the Mohicans --in the night when they are out by the fire...ahhhh!!
2. Sixteen Candles -- Jake and Samantha with the birthday cake
3. A Room With A View -- in the field
4. Reality Bites -- Lelaina and Troy against the fridge
5. The Notebook -- on the dock in the rain
6. Garden State -- the infinite abyss...here's a clip
The other day in the midst of teaching, I received a text from the hub with these 5 words: Anna Nicole Smith is dead. Imagine the shock! After I had my class observe a moment of silence and I found the strength to keep teaching, I reflected on what I will miss most about Anna. I think it is these:
It really is a shame that art work like this won't continue to be shared with the world. Rest in peace Anna's tattoos.
How could I post pictures from our new camera and not post a picture of Romey and a stogie?
