7 random things about me...

Carly tagged me... so here goes. Haha! And yes, this was a difficult task...

7 random things about me—

1. I am insanely organized about many many things.... and completely in a mess when it comes to others. Yes, it's true... shocking, I know. Haha! And my newest nickname from Troy is A.R.G. (You'll have to try to figure that one out on your own). I have a calendar of our upcoming social events (but it only covers the next year and a half so its not really obsessive... hahaha) that is all color coordinated and just the funniest thing. Its a source of both entertainment and pride for Troy. Haha! I have my closet all color coordinated and well, you've all seen the little drawers with all the other stuff. I have my cupboards neatly organized by type of food and in order of expiration date. But then there is my "home office".... piles of paper everywhere! And I do mean everywhere. The filing cabinet is sitting there empty and the table and desk have random piles of paper covering every surface. When trying to do my taxes, I spent hours searching for a single document regarding my property taxes. And amongst all the papers are boxes, upon boxes of things that I have not bothered to unpack yet in the year and a half that I have lived there. It's really quite an embarrassing mess but, I just can't seem to get myself motivated to organize it. Haha! Oh well... I guess every house needs one messy place.

2. I get claustrophobic at the dentist and orthodontist. I'm sure that sounds funny to many of you but, I just can't stand all those people hovering over me and getting in my personal space. Not to mention sticking their hands in my mouth. Its just too much... they are all too close and I really have to concentrate on not getting anxious and just running screaming. Ok... that may be a little extreme... unless you are talking about when they have to take the molds of your teeth.... I totally freak out about it. I just want to yank the stupid thing out and run away.

3. This is by no means news to anyone who has known me for more than a week but, I am obsessed with shoes.... Its a bit of a sickness, honestly. I would be embarrassed to admit how many pairs of shoes I actually have. In fact, I just gave away 6 or 7 pairs to DI because I needed more room. You see, I stumbled upon a great shoe sale, and well... you know how it goes. Haha! Lately, I am mostly obsessed with wedge sandals and wedge sling backs. They are just so comfy and so cute! I recently bought a new pair of RED patent leather wedge sandals and they are just fabulous! And really, I needed them since I only had 2 other pairs of red sandals... and 1 pair of red boots, and 1 pair of red tennis shoes, and 2 pairs of red flip flops... well, you get my point...

(and don't worry, they already have a home right on the colored sandal shelf with the other 2 red pairs, the 3 orange pairs, the turqouise pair, the snake skin pair, and the leopard pair.... Haha!)

4. I hate exercise.... yes, I enjoy TaeKwonDo and I enjoy going for a walk with Troy, Askie, Maika and/or Aleusha but... as a whole, I really just don't enjoy exercise. Don't get me wrong, I very much like the positive effects that exercise has... but I don't enjoy going to the gym, lifting weights, etc. In fact, I pretty much hate it. It's just not fun and I often have a very, very hard time convincing myself to go do it.

5. I have said this before but I will say it again.... I just think that there is something just sooo comforting about old friends! I had a nice long chat with Rachel Wells (Walker) the other night and it was just so fun to catch-up and reminisce; but it was also nice to just chat with someone who knows so much of my history. It is so comforting. So... thank you to all my old friends who, to me, are the most important friends to have. Love you all! :) And I miss you all.... call, email or text me soon!

6. I am constantly amazed at what a small world we live in. Seriously! Here's a short run down of a few examples... Troy is the cousin of my ex-boyfriend Steve's old roommate, who I used to hang out with all the time. Last night Brandon Streiff called me to tell me that one of the bishopric counselors in his single's ward is a guy that I dated in college, Darren Lemmon. Bunker moved in 50 yards up the street without having a clue where I lived. John Tenney, a friend from college, not only lives in my parents ward but is their bishop. Mike Hooper, another friend from college (who also knows Rachel and John, and Darren too I think) who I hadn't seen in at least 10 years, showed up at my house with the guy I was dating at the time (Terrence) when he and I were going to a football game and I had told him to bring a friend to use the other ticket. On a camping trip a few years back, I ran into Fritz Tessors (who is Ken and Nate Newell's ex-brother-in-law) who I hadn't seen since I was 17. And a few years before that Ken married a girl who lived across the hall from me in the dorms my freshman year.

I can go on and on and on about all the funny little coincidences, but seriously, it just constantly bewilders and entertains me! I get such a kick out of it. But it also makes me think... "I'd better be on my best behavior all the time! Otherwise, its gonna come back to haunt me!"

7. I now get car sick... never used to, but alas... I do now. It sucks.

Ok... I am breaking the "tagging" rules since so few of my friends have blogs of their own — and since Carly already tagged most of the family members (don't want to duplicate too much. Haha) — So... I am tagging the following 7 people and if they don't have blogs, I expect their responses via email. :) That's fair, right??

- Shelly

- Paulette

- Janice

- Rachel

- Michelle

- Tammara Lynn

- Meri

The rules if you need them...

Instructions: These are the rules…. each player starts with 7 random facts about themselves on their Blog. People who are tagged need to blog 7 facts about themselves and post the rules as well. At the end of their blog list 7 people you are tagging. Let them know that they are tagged by leaving them a comment.

family reunion photos

Here are a few photos from the reunion. :)

The entire Anderson Clan! (well, missing several people actually but still quite a large group.. Haha)
Here is Mom and 3 of her 4 brothers. I think Byron looks so much like grandpa! It's just cute! But it also makes me miss him and grandma even more.
Here are the cousins, in age order (with 11 cousins missing, I think... if I counted right) starting from the left with Tony and ending at Billy on the far right.
And last, but certainly not least, the Streiff group that was at the momument.
You know... I sometimes forget how tall Troy is.... haha!

The deer... and a pretty sunset. :)

As I mentioned, on the way home we saw a very cute little deer family—a mom and her two little ones. They were so very cute and I am so happy we didn't run over any of them! It was a little close for comfort actually. Anyway.. the pictures are terrible but here they are. Haha!


And we had a beautiful sunset on our way back to Salt Lake... so here is a shot of that too. :)

family reunions are fun!

What fun its been to have part of the California crew in town!

And it was so fun to get to go visit with all the Anderson clan too! I don't see any of the Anderson relatives nearly enough... and they all let me know it that night too! Haha! It was so fun to catch-up with everyone, and meet several new additions to the family! I still can't believe Loni has 11 children, but they are all adorable and I just loved playing with Maryann and Matthew (the youngest twins). And thank you Loni and James for picking up the "populate the earth" slack for our part of the family. :) Hehee!

Thanks everyone for welcoming Troy with open arms too! He loved meeting everyone and had a wonderful time!

After that it was off to Bear Lake for an all-too-short visit to the Streiff cabin. It was short, but very sweet! We had a wonderful time and were so very sad to leave. As we were pulling out of the Bear Lake Sands gate, Troy looked at me and said, "I wish we could have stayed longer." I do too!! I miss everyone already! It was wonderful though to get good-bye kisses and hugs from Trevor!! :)

On the way home Troy and I saw some ADORABLE baby deer... they were so small and sooo cute! I admit it, I can't see how anyone could ever shoot one. We took pictures... they didn't turn out great but I am posting them anyway. Haha!

We also took a detour on the way back to the cabin from church to stop off and see Tanya and Rich's old house... what a cute little place. And what a cute little town they lived in (Liberty). What a beautiful day it was and we had a wonderful time!

I can't wait til Wednesday when my house guests come back for some more fun! :) :) :)

Luke and Trevor came to visit me! :)

Oh... and their moms came too! :) And their grandma also!

Its so fun to have Shelly, Mandy, Mom, Trevor and Luke over! Its amazing the things that the boys find to be great toys.
Luke remembered that I have a stuffed Huskie that he just loves and he also found the same cow magnet off my fridge to carry around. So cute! (The Huskie's name is Angus, by the way... it was a gift from Steve many years ago when I was really missing Askie)
And Trevor LOVES the fans and lights and the light switches. He also loves the couch cushions and that he can climb around in them. It's adorable!
And they both love the fabulous nesting bowls that my Mom bought for me Christmas a couple years ago... luckily they are quite durable, even when thrown on the tile. Thank you Elliott for helping me figure out what great, durable toys they were last summer when you came to visit! :)

I can't wait to finish work for the day so that I can go play with them some more! :)

And for Mom, Shelly and Mandy... since you didn't get to come in and check out the office... here it is. Not very exciting. Haha!

Forgot two!

Oops.... I forgot Tina and Avery's birthdays! Happy birthday to Tina and Avery too!
I can't believe how much Avery has grown and changed in the year and a half that I have know her. She is turning TWO and is just such a cute, sweet, little girly girl. She loves to read, laugh, jump and wear my shoes.
But really... who doesn't love to wear my shoes?!?! I have so many and they are all so cute... hahaha!

So let's see... what else has been going on...
I got a promotion at work, which I am very excited about. My new title is "Ruler of the Universe". Ok, not really, but that is what my boss calls me. Haha.

Our company has been going through a bit of reorganization over the last two weeks and everyone (except me) got a new boss and a new seat. Haha! I am ok with the fact that I was left out of the re-org though. I already have the best boss for me and we work very well together.

I am excited for the added responsibilities of my new job. And it will be nice to shift some of the other work to some of the other departments.

Anyway... can't wait to see Mom, Shelly, Mandy, Trevor and Luke tonight! And Dad on Saturday! It will be so fun! (but there is some bad news on the 2nd guest bed.... sorry!)

What's up with all the July birthdays??

Wow... just looking at my calendar and realizing that there are tons of birthdays this month! So... I am just getting them all out of the way in one post... Haha! :)

Happy Birthday to:

Mom

Jodi

Shelly (Johnson)

Brian (aka blue eye)

Misha

Kevin (aka Twinkle Toes)

Tacy Anna

Colleen & Thomas Hickman

Terrence G
Loni

and I am pretty sure that Troy has a few nieces or nephews with birthdays this month too!

And Happy Anniversary to Mandy and Jason too! :)

Is it time for bed yet?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am just worn out! As with the last couple weeks, this week has just been just as nuts. I will be very happy when we get this new product launched and all the websites, etc up and running!

At least I have found a little time for fun....
- Troy and I went to a play last night. They are doing "The Rainmaker" at Hale Center and Troy and I both very much enjoyed it.
- I had dinner last week with Steve and this week with Oscar. Steve said to tell the family all hello! He is just working hard, still taking lots of photos and dating a girl that he really seems to like.
{{ And Paulette - Oscar says hi! He and I were laughing about that first lunch where we met, with all the Penna Powers people and me. Haha! And holy cow... it was 11 or 12 years ago! What fun! :) }}

This week I also started my golf lessons! First class was Wednesday and I have my second class tonight. I am having fun and really like my teacher. She has improved my grip and my swing doesn't feel too bad. But I am still hitting off to the right so we'll see if she can fix that next. Haha!

Fun summer weekend...

This past weekend it was HOT! But despite that, we had a lovely time! Well... after all the hard labor in the various yards... haha! Troy spent a good portion of Saturday helping his brother build a retaining wall. Hard work, even when its not 100 degrees out. But he was happy to help and said that it looked very good when all done.

Since he was occupied, I spent the day working on my own yard. The community takes care of the yard, but when they put all the landscaping in, they did the bare minimum. There were only a few plants in my garden and none of them especially pretty. So... I filled it in a bit. I attached a picture, but I'm sure its hard to really see the difference. Haha! But... I can see it and it makes me smile. Once the new plants grow in a bit, it will look great! I hope!

The rest of the weekend was a little more leisurely... happily! We headed up to Park City - to a little cooler weather which was a very welcome change! Did a little shopping and walked around the galleries, etc.

After Park City, we went for a nice drive down Immigration Canyon. I always love it there! We looked at a gorgeous piece of property that we can't afford, but loved to see anyway. It has gorgeous view up and down the canyon and was a great layout for the style of house that we would someday like to build. Its fun to dream! :)

And then it was off to the Jazz Festival! :) I always love the Jazz festival. We didn't end up staying very long but we enjoyed the music of a lovely little jazz quartet while we were there.

I love the weekends! :)

Fire! Fire! Fire!

Brush fires are definitely NOT any fun.... but they sure do make the sunsets pretty!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Today I am thankful for...

FREEDOM! :) Troy and I had such a wonderful 4th of July and it just made me so thankful for the freedoms that we have. We went up to Deer Valley to hear the Utah Symphony perform, and to have a little picnic. For anyone who hasn't been up there, they do lots of concerts up there during the summer. There is an outdoor amphitheater and you take blanks and/or beach chairs and sit on the ski slopes and have a picnic. Its very fun!

Anyway... At the beginning of the concert they had the Color Guard from the Air Force bring out the flag so that the symphony could play the National Anthem, while several people sang along. And right when the song was starting, an Apache helicopter flew right over the stage and then over the crowd. It was very cool. I just wish I had my camera out! Haha!

The concert was wonderful with lots of fun songs... a patriotic theme mostly (aside from the random selection from Star Wars. Haha!). Then towards the end they did an arrangement of songs from all the different Armed Forces... and all the people in the crowd who had served in each of the Armed Forces, and their families, stood up. It was very moving and a wonderful experience. There were people there from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines, and I think the National Guard too. It was a great experience. After that we headed down the canyon while watching the fireworks in Park City. Then when we hit the valley we got to watch the fireworks all the way home... they were going off at locations all over the whole valley. Very pretty! :)

Ok... now to back track a little.... Tuesday night we splurged and we to the dollar theater.. Haha! We went to see HOG WILD! What a fun movie! For anyone who has ever wanted a Harley, or some other type of cruiser, it is just a very entertaining movie! We laughed sooo hard and just loved it! However, it made us both want motorcycles again! We thought we had talked ourselves out of them.... we'll have to work on that again now. Haha!

And before heading up to Deer Valley on Wednesday we stopped in Park City, and stumbled upon a really cool art gallery on Main Street. They had a special exhibit going with some Picasso, Monet, Manet, Chigal and Rembrandt pieces. Several were lithographs, but some were original etchings, etc. It was very cool and we were happy that we had found it. What a pleasant surprise it was!

So who all is coming up later this month for the reunion, etc.???? I have plenty of room for all! :) By then I will hopefully have two guest rooms (both with beds. Haha!), and a freshly painted basement! The basement may still need new carpet at that point, but I hope to have the paint done by then. I have a friend who is here on a student visa... he also happens to be a widower trying to raise 4 children. He isn't allowed to seek employment but has offered 'handyman services' for very cheap prices.... so, I figure I can get some work done and give him some much needed help in the process. :) And it saves me having to do the painting myself! Haha!

I hope nobody is checking my spelling or grammer.... scary!

Wow... as i look back over my posts, i realize i have lots of typos... hope nobody is grading me! Haha!

Ok... let's start with the fact that it is the 4th day without braces! :) Yesterday i ate english toffee and pesto and LOVED not having to spend 20 minutes getting it out of my braces... hahahaha! Gross, i know... sorry! It's kinda funny to say but the highlight of the weekend... at the buffet tables of both weddings, i was just so happy to not have to think about what would be hard or easy to eat... i got to pick whatever i wanted! Yeah!

We had several friends get married over the last month or so... its been a little nuts! Spring wedding season has been in full swing, that is for sure! So this weekend we had two weddings to attend.. one Friday and one Saturday.
~~ On Friday Michelle and James got married... the reception was at La Caille and it was just gorgeous. They held it in a big atrium type room and it was just beautiful. The bride looked gorgeous and the groom was beaming from ear to ear. He told us the cutest little story about how his jaw just dropped when he saw Michelle walk out with the flower girls and come down the stairs. He said he was just blown away... it was very sweet.
~~ On Saturday, Otter (Dave) and Kim got married and had a lovely reception at the Sherwood Hills Resort (in Sardine Canyon, past Brigham City). It was just gorgeous up there and the setting was perfect. The Bride and Groom both looked wonderful and were beaming with happiness and excitement... maybe a little nervousness mixed in there too. Haha! (I think when you have been married before, the idea of getting married again brings a lot more apprehension than the first time around.... just ask Troy and i. Haha!)

Anyway... it was a very nice weekend and i loved having some free time to play with Askie. We took some walks and had a wonderful time. I am very sad to say that Russ picked him up yesterday evening, but it was fun to see Askie play with Brooklynn for a minute. They were very cute together. And i was so happy that Troy was over for dinner after Askie left... the house didn't feel quite so empty. Thanks baby! :)