Simply Amazing

Greg sent me the link to this video today in an e-mail and told me that for some reason he thought I might like it. Boy was he right. This is one of my favorite things to listen to. If only I had a piano to play like that again!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfH2BY5pdLw

Meet Joey

I don't have any idea how we came to this decision, but as of Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, we have a new member in our family.

Meet Joey!

This is our 1 year old Schnauzer pup. He was adopted from a shelter in Utah. The gal that runs this shelter runs alot of our dogs from the Animal Shelter through the Humane Society. Thanks to all her help, alot of our dogs have a better chance of being adopted than they do in Jerome. So....she ended up having a few schnauzers to pick from.

Ryan, Lucy and I met Joey in the Petsmart parking lot late Wednesday night. We had to meet on neutral ground to see if they would get along. Slate, the black schnauzer was the one we were first interested in, but he was too dominant over Lucy. Joey just sniffed her and sat down like ok, where am I going now?

So we took him home and of course he seemed immediately comfortable. Then we took him all the way to Rigby to meet Mom & Dad. He was a little confused all weekend, and the slightest strange noise would send him running into the bedroom to hide in the bed. I was a little nervous that it wasn't going to work out, but as soon as we got home on Saturday, he was fine! He was dragging toys all over the house, running around, and chasing Lucy all over the place. He is such a love bug.

I was also concerned about my little Lucy being a bit jealous. Much to my surprise, she has accepted Joey. She still doesn't play with him much, but she is getting better. She hasn't tried to bite his head off once, just a few growls. And she shares the bed with him.

I have come to the conclusion that god doesn't send us children, he sends us dogs. :) hehe. Maybe someday we will have some kids running around.

Thanksgiving was great. Got to hang out with my family for a few days, which was nice.

Until next time....

Spiraling Out of Control

Today is a big day...a really BIG day! Everyone is already well aware that today is the premier of New Moon.

My good friend Kiley stood in line for an hour at the Cinema in Twin Falls only to get the last 4 tickets for the 9:00 showing. And they oversold the theatre by 1 so she could get 4. Holy crap. Talk about a close call. I thought I was going to be sick when she told me that. So, there are 4 of us girls getting together after work to watch Twilight, and then venture off into a pool of screaming, drooling young girls for New Moon. I'm excited....way too excited. My obsession with this story has literally spiraled out of control. It's completly and utterly ridiculous. If I make it through this day without combusting into my own pile of anticipation, it will be a miracle. Who ever knew that one could write a set of books that would send the whole world into a Vampire Frenzy. I'm ready for Twilight Part 2, she should really write another story. Something with Renesmee and Jacob would be good maybe??

Ok well enough of Twilight. I think we've all heard enough about it last a lifetime and then some.

This week Ryan started his new job. Turns out he really likes it. What a relief! He can be rather particular in the job department, so I was really nervous about what he would say after his first day. His response was, " My job is kick @$$." Phew...I think I can breathe now.

Wednesday we had the mold removed from the dirt underneath our house. I stayed home that morning while they were cleaning. By the time I got to work I was higher than a kite. Mold cleaning fumes can't be good for you. The smell has polluted our house for 2 days now. I think it's finally gone...I hope. Wow....permanent headaches for days are just not good.

Tomorrow I am participating in my last craft fair of the season. My feelings towards these are rather un decided. I love going to them, but the work to prepare is almost becoming too much when combined with running an online store as well. Especially during the holidays. I'm pretty sure I've exhausted myself and it's not over. This rush won't be over until after christmas. I'm grateful for the success. I couldn't ask for more. And I'm grateful for the talent god has given me.

Lately I have been pondering the thought of going back to school. It's been a rough decision for me because it brings back many memories. Memories of way back when I was young and pretty stupid. If I would have just went to school after I graduated, instead of making the choices I made, I would be almost done, if not done already. Things would have been very different. I can't say I regret everything I guess, because I wouldn't be where I am now, and probably not married to the man I married now. Funny how life turns out. Never expected to be where I am, living where I am. But anyway, I'm going to be trying to take my generals to get accepted into the nursing program. Probably an LPN to start. The hardest part is, I have to work. Working full time, going to school, and running a business is going to be overwhelming. I may have to step back from the bags for a bit. I guess we'll see how school goes. I've never been a fan of school, but I need to go.

Anyway, Happy New Moon Friday! I'm sure I'll have a good story or two in the next few days about attending opening night. It is sure to be a fiasco at the least.

Good Times!

I really need to get better at blogging....but I guess I just haven't been able to get into it lately!

Here's a few things that have been going on.

You all know that Ryan stopped working for US Bank in September. And we were a little freaked out as to what the future would hold. He has been working for his mom and dad in Glenns Ferry. About a 45 minute drive from Jerome. The first few days we were a little sad because we weren't sure if he would have to stay down there during the week or be able to come home. I took this picture on one of the first days he was gone to cheer him up. He probably thought, "Ahh!! I can't get away from this crazy lady and her dog!!" hehe.

Here's the good news, Ryan has a new job! With the City of Jerome in the Water Department. The City is a great place to work, good pay and good benefits. He starts on Monday! Such a relief to have that stressful weight off our shoulders. I was afraid I would have to run a sweat shop out of our house and do some serious sewing to sell some bags to pay the bills!! :)

Next thing, a bit of advice. Well maybe not for all you smarty pants, but for dummies like me.... if you buy a newer car and something breaks, take it to the car dealer and not your local mechanic!! Chances are, the part that broke, may be covered under some type of recall warranty and you won't have to pay a dime. Or, you could be a total dummy and take it to your local mechanic and pay a fortune. And then, have the part break because they put in the wrong one, and then find out it would have been covered if the dealer would have just taken care of it.

Yes, this happened to my poor little beetle juice! Long story short, I had this sexy beast of a car to drive for a day....

A Chevrolet Aveo. I call this the Ugly Duckling of all cars. My good friend Kiley kept me company at the car dealer while we waited for the Prince of Enterprise Rent-A-Car to sweep us off our feet in this bad boy. lol....thankfully he didn't kidnap us. What a chariot! And then it was mine for the day... hot rodding anyone??

Good thing I didn't wreck, I would have been a pancake!! Alright, now I should be more optimistic, my rental could have been worse!

Guess what else! We have MOLD! Mold in the dirt underneath our house in the crawl space!! Who would have known... Over watering, and the extremely wet summer we had caused our ground to be so soggy the water seeped in underneath the foundation of the house and started growing on the dirt. $480.00 later, we will have a mold abatement company come remove it.

Lots of lessons learned for us young idiot kids. Now, be smart and don't over water...you'll get mold underneath your house.

Fall - With a Few Surprises

Fall came this year with a few surprises, and of those few surprises....none of them were very nice!!

The first surprise....Snow....

Last time I checked.....didn't fall consist of beautiful leaves changing colors and falling all around? And the sunshine...fall always has the most beautiful soft sunshine.

I woke up Sunday morning and got up to let Lucy out. Total shock, I screamed, " OH MY GOSH!! RYAN!!! You HAVE to get up and come see this!! IT SNOWED!! It's still snowing!!"

He came running and we both hid behind the curtain peeking out the window glaring at the white stuff covering the ground.

I had to hurry and brush off the patio furniture so it didn't get ruined.

And my flowers!! The day before they were so pretty and still full of flowers! ahhh!!! Now they are drooping and sad!! :(

The next surprise fall brought.... My husband isn't working right now. Not exactly the best time! Anywho, times are tough, jobs are scarce, and its snowing. Ok, it's not snowing anymore, but it was!

I think it's actually a blessing that my husband is no longer working where he was. It wasn't a good place to work and he was so very unhappy. Both of us were. Now we are doing ok, just digging and digging around for a better job. Hopefully god has a plan in store for us! I'm guessing he does, I'm hoping it's a good one.

Everything happens for a reason right?

Happy fall! Or um...winter? Which season is it? And have I been sleeping for the past 6 weeks?

Summer

In about 7 days, I will have lived in Jerome for exactly 3 years. Not sure why I'm thinking about that. I guess because its review time at work and the 18th marks 3 years with First Fed. Yay! Seems like just yesterday that I moved and cried my eyes out as soon as my parents left me all alone in a town where I knew no one.

I remember thinking a few times why in the heck did I ever move here? It's like little tijuana, people shoot people and vandalize everything in sight. I couldn't go outside by myself unless I was on the phone with Ryan.

And now, I look back and I think, "Wow, how different I would be if I never would have moved." Moving has completely brought me out of my shell. I had to grow up, mom wasn't around the corner driving past my house every day, I was on my own, and I had to find new friends to hang out with. It's amazing how one move can change your life.

The other day I went for a drive back behind the Jerome Country Club. I had always known that there was a road back there, but never knew where it went. So I decided to go explore. I'm thinking that the road I took the bug down was probably a little too rough, and skinny I might add. And I totally didn't have a clue where it would go. Luckily I got down in the canyon a ways and there was a turn around spot. Leave it to me to go exploring when I'm by myself. At least it was still day light outside!! Good thing I didn't get stuck...Ryan probably would have killed me!

One of things I love about Twin and Jerome the most is the Canyon. I remember seeing it for the first time 3 years ago, and for some reason I was in awe. So, I took a few pictures while I was on my adventure.

It seems like no matter where you go, if you are in the canyon, there is a waterfall somewhere. They are so beautiful. I love them. Wierd, probably, but they interest me.

This picture is looking down from where I was standing. You could still go farther down, but I figured I had done enough damage going as far as I had gone. I love it. It's almost like an unknown world down there.

Anyway.....

Our summer has been kind of slow, not much going on. Which is ok....here are a few more pictures............. bet you can't guess what they are of. :)


Here's my pretty Lucy again! lol. Poor dog, she is the culprit of all of my camera snapping frenzies. Love my dog, yes! A little too much? Probably! But thats ok, at the end of the day, when I come home, she is always excited to see me and Ryan!!!

And now, Ryan........

One day he got into my facebook and decided to yearbook himself. There was probably 20 different pictures!! I hope he never decides to grow dreads. By the time he was done with my facebook, I had about 10 new friends I didn't even know and 20 more year book pictures to add to the collection.

Today was our first day back to work since August 28th. We had 11 days off work! YAY! We spent the weekend with my parents. Ryan played in an amatuer golf tournament for 2 days. He took 2nd place. I've never seen him so excited in my life. Well, I take that back, he was pretty excited the day he went golfing with Alfred and shot 1 under par. I'm telling you, golf is his first love!!

We came home on Monday and later on in the week we decided to go fishing with Ryan's dad in Glenns Ferry. They just purchased a new fishing boat. That day was probably the most relaxing out of all. It wasn't too hot outside so I was able to just lay on the front of the boat and take a nap while they fished.

The rest of the time we spent hanging out with friends and then I started reading Twilight. Now I'm addicted, just like everyone else!

Anyway, not much else going on, back to work, back to sewing. Vaca is ovvverrr :(.

Lagoon!

Today we decided to meet some friends from Idaho Falls at Lagoon. We almost didn't go because of the weather, but went anyway. I'm glad that we did! It was perfect weather. It wasn't too hot or too cold.

When we were walking around looking for a place to eat Ryan thought he was sooo funny because the sign on this little food shack said "Olde Mill" Well he had to take a picture because he calls me Mill & Mille. I was freezing at this point because it had just started to rain. Can't you tell I'm just thrilled by the look on my face! :)

This one is a little better, but I was still freezing!!

I haven't been to Lagoon for years, I think the last time I went I was in High School and I used to go every summer with my dad. There were alot of new rides which were fun. We didn't go on any of the water rides because we would have been freezing. It was only 60* all day.

I got really excited because Ryan told me that he wanted to ride the Sky Coaster and the Catapult with me. Those are the 2 rides that you have to pay extra for. I had always wanted to go on them before, but noone would ever go with me! So...I was really excited that Ryan was going to do them with me. Well....we had just got off of the Rocket and apparently the free fall made Ryan want to barf and so he decided that there was noway he was going to go on the Sky Coaster or the Catapult. I was so sad!! So I thought, fine, then I'll go by myself if noone else wants to! Finally Dustin's cousin Talia said that she would go with me on the catapult.

We were freaking out the whole time because once you get buckled in, they roll this ball backwards and you just set there and wait to be launched into the air. I swear I was trying to control my breathing because my heart was beating so fast. And my knuckles were white from holding onto the handles so tightly. Finally they launched us into the air. The second we took off both of us girls started screaming. It was the most amazing thing ever!!! That thing goes as high as the ferris wheel! We were just bouncing around like a bouncy ball. There is a certain way you can place your feet, and if you don't place them too high then you won't spin in the air. If you place them too high then you will spin more. I don't think it mattered because we were spinning like crazy and it was so scary because we were upside down and plummeting towards the ground. Wow, it was so worth it!!! Ryan was really surprised that I wanted to go, so he took a video with our cell phones. You can't really see me and Talia, but you can hear us screaming for sure.

I'm so glad we went. I think we will definitely have to plan to go every year. I forgot how much fun Lagoon is!

Petunia the Bobble Head Piggy Bank

Ok, so I have been posting strange things on Facebook for the last two weeks. These strange things have all been about my gigantic bobble head pig, and stuffing chicken wire.

You were all a little confused, but now, I am going to clear all this up!

This is our parade float this year. Completely designed by myself, I guess I'm tooting my own horn because I'm proud of my piggy! I couldn't have put it together without the help of my friends at work, but thankfully we finished it up and it turned out great!

Pictured left to right: Teena, Dawn, Vanessa, Jerrine, Jackie, Camille, Esteban & Rosa

Pictures are kind of hard to see, but yes, I am carrying a cardboard mound of fake money. I wonder what our customers thought when they came in and Rosa and I were coloring fake money at my desk for 2 days straight....

Here is a close up of Petunia's face. I wish I would have taken a video of her during the parade so you all could see her head bobbling. It was hilarious.

Petunia the pig has now made her home in the lobby of our bank. Can I just say that I am so lucky to work for a bank that allows me to let out my creative side at work?

Have I Ever Told You?

Have I ever told you all how much I just love our little Lucy dog? She is...without a doubt...the most spoiled dog EVER! I was trying to think about something to blog about...but I'm so boring lately that I couldn't think of anything!! So I was looking through the pictures on my computer and I saw these. It then dawned on me how loved little miss Lucy really is....

This picture above was taken on a Saturday morning....this is not an unusual sighting at our house. Yes, I am hiding underneath the bedspread. For some reason I really don't care for pillows so I sleep on my stomach most of the time and just hide under the blanket. Well, apparently Lucy did not want the pillow to go to waste, so she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Have you ever seen a dog snuggle herself right up next to you and lay on a pillow like a human? Yes....Thats my Lucy, she does it every single night. I wake up and she is in the same place, stealing my pillow, snuggled up as close as she can get. I just love her to pieces. And I'm so lucky to have a husband who allows her to snuggle herself right there! Ha...don't ever let him kid you, he loves her just as much as me!

Home Sweet Home

This year we decided to go home to my parents house for the 4th. I'm so glad we did. My parents live close to Rigby Lake and so Friday night we sat out and watched Rigby's 1st ever fireworks display. Movin up town and I live too far away to see it all! I swear the town has grown more every time we come home. And we come pretty often!

I spent Saturday hanging out with Mom. I think that is probably my favorite thing to do. We usually go shopping and hit up the fabric store. Makes me feel lonely when I come back home and I have to go shopping by myself! :( Thats ok, cherish those moments with mom as if they were too many they could be taken for granted. Too little and they are missed and looked forward to.

Saturday night we went with my brother up to the State sheds in Idaho Falls and watched the fireworks. We haven't watched them for so many years. I forgot how many people there are. Wow. I was glad to spend time with my brother and his family. His kids just love to hang out with Ryan and I. My dad and Bert and mom and Greg came along too.

Sunday we hung out with Dad and Bert. I love to go out to their house. It reminds me of when I was young and just ran around dad's house getting into anything and everything possible. He reminded me that I used to play in the dog house with all the puppies when I was little. No surprise there....I still play in the big dog house (animal shelter) with all the puppies now!! Good to see them.

Monday we took Lucy to the vet to get some shots! Ouch! I also mastered my hula skills, and played mario kart with mom & greg all afternoon. Yes, mom and greg play mario kart! I love it! They got a Wii and so we spent the whole weekend playing that too. Fun times!

So glad to go home, it's a nice change of scenery for a few days. But also nice to come home to our house, which I am so grateful for. Before I would cry and cry the whole way back to Jerome because I hated the neighborhood we lived in. It was dangerous, we lived next to crazy drug dealers. There was a shooting across the street from our rental. It was just scary and I hated it and I would just cry the whole way back to Jerome. Now, we have been blessed to live in a beautiful home with wonderful neighbors and definitely no drug dealers or shooting going on.

Anyhow, not very much else is going on. Just working on my fall line of bags with different styles and solids. I'm really excited to bring them out!

Talk to you all soon!

Copy Cat!

So I decided that I should just stop being such a chicken and try something new! My friend Ashley just chopped off inches and inches of beautiful hair...and it looks amazing, so I'm a copy cat!

I had scheduled a hair cut for after work today and was just going to stick with the tradition trim. Noway...couldn't handle it. I'm tired of long hair and looking like a 12 year old.

So...here you have it...Mille with short hair!!

I must say that I do like it better than I thought. Nice change...Maybe now I look...mmm 18 ish.... ?? :)

Nothing New....

I figured that since I haven't posted in awhile....I would try to find something to post about....

Here's a few random things that have been happening in our house lately:

1. Our new umbrella took flight and landed over the deck in the back yard. Thanks to this lovely Idaho wind. I was outside when this happened, and I just sat there like, "What the heck just happened?" So I was yelling at Ryan to come outside and help me. Of course he isn't paying attention, so I left the umbrella hanging over the side of the deck and went inside...he just laughed and said, "what did you do that for?' I said, " I didn't do it! The wind did!" Sometimes I wonder if he is really listening... lol. Anyway, umbrella is safe and sound....in the shed! Since the wind won't stop blowing....we had to put it away. :(

2. Lovely Idaho wind broke our fence! ahhh!! And almost smashed Ryan in its fury. He was trying to take the lawn mower out front when a gust grabbed the gate and flung it backward....in a direction it does not normally go! Oh the joys of being a homeowner. Mr. Fix It has fixed that though.

3. Do any of you have a garbage disposal? I'm starting to wonder if those things are just dumb. Want to know why? Well...because they stink!!!! Holy smokes...or maybe its just ours...I don't know. But it seems like after we use it...the next day when we come home from lunch, it smells like someone died in our house. Literally. Coffee beans have been my saving grace......just dump them down the drain and wahlah! Stink free.

4. Sunday was boring...let me give a little insight to how bored Ryan was. I was playing on the computer when the next thing I know, he is hiding underneath our purple blanket and he is hollering at Lucy. Of course she just sets by me and looks at him like he's gone retarded. So he stands up underneath this blanket and tells me he is pretending to be a giant blob that is going to swallow up Lucy the dog. ok...... Well...moving on...Lucy wasn't that interested, so he thought he would try to swallow me in his giant blob. I was not too happy about this....because of my one eyed pain...story below... Who's husband pretends like they are a giant blob? Mine!

5. I am now a one eyed mutant. Ok not really, but I feel that way! Saturday morning I woke up to some serious pain in my left eye. I figured my contact was just folded up. So I took it out and went back to sleep. Well, my pain didn't go away and my eye was just really red. I figured I was getting pink eye. Sunday came and my eye was still hurting horribly. Felt like someone was stabbing it repeatedly. Ouch. Monday I went to the doctor and somehow I have managed to scratch my cornea. Not just a little scratch. a huge one! It is now Wednesday...I have had this scratched cornea for 4 days now, not getting better. :(

My eye is really sensitive to the light, so I was joking about needing a pirates patch. Low and behold, Ryan had a great idea! Wrap my head with a bandana! So, I gave him the bandana and he wrapped away, and covered my eye. It was working perfectly. Except I looked like I belonged in Pirates of the Caribbean. All night Ryan wandered around the house with Lucy and he would say, " Arrggg Matey, off to mop the deck for captain finn!" Sometimes.....I just wonder where he comes up with this stuff...??

oh well...makes me laugh, makes me mad...makes me just a moody old Camille! :)

Ouch

Ever wonder how something so pretty could cause something not so pretty??

I love Gerbera Daisies. I think they are amazing. So I was super excited when I found some to plant this year. Last weekend Ryan and I decided to tackle the front yard and rake out all of the old faded bark in our flower beds.

We added new mulch, which turned out not to be the right mulch. And planted new plants and flowers. The mulch we wanted was the shredded kind. That kind is better because it eventually decomposes into dirt. The mulch we ended up with will have to be raked out again next year because it too will discolor and look nasty!

We are lucky that when we bought the house, all of the curbing and landscaping was finished, we just have to maintain it of course. We went through 15 bags of mulch just for the front yard. Yup...15 stinking bags!! Yup...we're officially broke. The back yard will have to be ugly for another year. Can't afford to do it! It will probably take 100 bags!

Anyway, back to my question at the beginning.....

Here's my pretty flowers...well some of them anyway. I didn't want to stand out front and take pictures of the house, I think our neighbors already think I'm crazy. I'll save that story for another day. haha...just kidding...I didn't do anything embarrassing!

Alright...ya ready?

This is what my back looked like last week a couple days after we finished our work out front.
I sunburned sooo bad my neck blistered! Lori...skip this part, since you're a nurse, you're probably really scolding me for not wearing sunscreen. :)

I usually never sunburn, but apparently my neck hasn't seen the light of day in quite some time because it was bad! A tomato I might have compared the color to...

For your viewing pleasure, my nasty peeling neck! EEW!

And for the record, aloe vera does not help as well as one may think.

Yes, I will wear sunscreen from now on. A neck that looks like this is just NOT attractive whatsoever.

My Sweet Lucy!

Many of you that know me, know that I LOVE animals. I think they are the absolute best! This is my little Lucy, as if I haven't posted pictures of her before! :) We bought a new patio set and Lucy obviously has claimed it as her own.

I took a few pictures of her because she just looked so cute setting there! She is my little baby!

We really had to get something because our patio isn't shaded at all and the sun just shines on it all day long. We have a trek deck and that stuff gets HOT! I kind of like it because I like the heat, but when it gets 100 + degrees outside....I'm not so sure I'm going to like it. So I'm glad we bought the matching umbrella.

Here is Lucy again, she is obviously annoyed that I keep flashing a camera in front of her face!

Not much has been going on in our lives. I hate to say it, because I might jinx myself, but life around here has been a little quiet. I shouldn't say that, I'm sure my husband is in the next room brewing up his next prank.... I'll be sure to let you all know when he pulls that off!

I'm getting better at the whole joke thing. The other day he ordered a new Scotty Cameron Head Cover for his putter. This head cover was a special edition released only for Cinco De Mayo. Well we thought they were all black, but apparently Scotty made some white ones as well. If you got the white one then you were lucky because they are selling on ebay for around $1000.00. Ryan was just SURE he was getting a white one. He had the head cover delivered to me at the bank. I got it on Wednesday and it was a black one, so I decided that I would call Ryan...and this is what I said, " Ryan, its Mille, I got your headcover today....and its a WHITE one!!" LONG PAUSE....."Just kidding!! Its black, see ya later!"

He was so ticked. He calls it the $1000 prank.

Ok, you probably didn't think it was funny, but I was just glad to do something to him!

Anyway, I've been awfully tired lately, and its only Thursday, so I'm headed to bed!

Picking your nose...

Today I am missing our little neice Lucy. She is just growing like a little weed! I was setting here thinking about her funny little antics and I was looking at her pictures on my computer. I came across a few that just made me giggle!

So please...enlighten yourself with a little girl at her best!

Here is a our dear little Lucy...picking her nose. What is it with kids and picking their noses? Don't get me wrong, I'm fairly certain that I used to pick my nose when I was young too, but now the thought runs through my mind...WHY? Why do little kids pick their noses?

There must be something gratifying about having a place to poke your little finger to remove that sticky slime to examine and then eat.

Ok, sorry, that was gross, but I can't help but wonder what goes through a 1 year olds mind. Of course I'm so old now I can't remember my own thoughts. I remember I used to be the bully cousin and dared my younger cousins to pick their noses and eat it. Yuck. Who ever taught me such a thing? Probably my brother. . . .

Anyway, I hope I haven't made your stomach churn, I'm just having one of those days, where I think about strange things, like little kids picking their noses.

Here is another picture of Emma playing with Lucy the dog, and if you look, you'll see little Lucy the Baby in the background....at her best...picking her nose!

Happy Sunday!

What were my parents thinking??

Just recently my step dad, Greg, sent me some old pictures that I never even knew existed. Isn't it funny that you don't remember some things from the past until you see a picture.....one much like this one....

I saw this picture and I just about died!!! I was probably 9 years old when this picture was taken. It was at my Mom & Greg's wedding. Ok...who in the world allowed me to pick out those glasses?? Holy smokes! Those suckers are HUGE!! And didn't my mother ever teach me to cross my legs when I had a dress on? Geez...you can see right up my dress! Which I 'm sure when Greg took this picture...he was totally thinking blackmail.....

And the bangs...what is with the bangs???

Anyway, I had to share...maybe to give you all a good laugh. Cracks me up everytime I see it. My cousin Madi is there next to me. Doesn't look like we liked each other very much huh... Haha, we did! We used to play all the time during the summer. I would tag along with Greg up to Grandma Haywards house and Madi, Robert and I would do just about anything we could to drive Grandma nuts. We were always in trouble!

Now, a lesson to be learned, PLEASE don't let your kids look so nerdy!! haha!

Strawberry Poundcake

Yesterday was my 24th Birthday. I can't believe I'm already 24. I know its not that old, but you know what I mean. Sometimes I set back and think how different I used to picture my life. I used to think I would at least have a kid or two by now! Ha...that just isn't happenin...at least not like we would like anyway.

Anyway, I spent the afternoon with some friends at a Scentsy Party where I took some of my bags and purses. I'm so glad that my friend asked me to bring them because I ended up selling $150.00 worth of stuff. I was so excited about that because the internet has been kind of slow and I haven't had time to keep up with it with all of my custom orders from people around town.

I also got to talk with almost everyone from my family. My dad remembered to call this year, Mom and Greg were in Florida with Carrie and her kids, and they all called and sang Happy Birthday to me. That was so nice. I haven't seen the kids for so long. Sure do miss them. It was also nice to talk to my sister. I haven't talked to her for awhile either! It meant alot to me that they called and I got to talk to them.

Something else special about this particular Saturday; My husband didn't play any mean tricks on me because it was my birthday! What a nice break!! :) He made me dinner and this awesome tower of Strawberry Pound Cake. Loved it....was sooo good.

Easter was good, we spent Saturday with Ryan's family. It's always so much fun to go down there and see our neices, Emma & Lucy. They are so darn cute, we love to go play with them.

Sunday we went to church and then we just came home and relaxed and did nothing! Thats what I love so much about Sunday's, they are so relaxing and you just get to set around and sleep and do nothing!

This weekend we are going to Rigby to see my family. I can't wait! We haven't been down since Christmas time! Everybody came and helped us move in January, and I saw my Dad in March, but other than that we haven't seen anyone. I really get excited to go home and hang out. I'll be counting down the days.....

But for now, I'm exhausted. We have spent all day working on our first little home project. More pictures to come soon!!

Buggin'

So.....this is the newest edition to our family. My new Beetle. Last summer Ryan and I sold our Lexus because it was rear wheel drive and it did nothing but set in a pile of snow all winter long. We went 7 LONG months with only my little green honda. Which I have had since 2003. Can I just tell you that shuffleing one car really is quite the task. It worked out most of the time because we both work in Jerome, so one or the other would drop the other off at work. We literally had to arrange our work schedules to the same hours, lunch time and everything. Even doctors appointments had to coordinate. I don't know how we did it...but we did.

Well, US Bank decided that they were going to cut everyone's pay by 5% because of the economy and so Ryan's hours got cut back 2 per week. Not alot, but enough to really throw our schedule into a whirlwind. Ryan would have to get up, shower, take me to work, come back home and finish getting ready, and then go into his job. It was a nightmare, and a waste of gas.

So.....I begged and pleaded and this is what I ended up with! I love it!

Yes...I know...it is not family oriented, but I'm small enough, that if we were to ever have a baby, I could definitely maneuver a car seat into the back somehow. I bet you all you mama's are laughing at me....but I will make it work! My sister made it work with her Camero! :) When you love your beetle...you love your beetle!
It's my little race car, fully equipped with a turbo and everything. This thing goes so fast!

Even Lucy loves it....I took a picture of her because she was running on the dash. She will not get out of the bug, everytime I go out in the garage to get my purse out of it or something, she gets in and will not get out! The other day I tried to grab her and she growled at me and ran to the passenger side and sat on the floor so I couldn't reach her. I'm not sure why she likes it so much, but she does.... what a dog!

So....we just leave her in there and when she wants to get out, she gets out. Usually Ryan has to yell at her before she'll listen. Funny how that is...I hope our kids listen to me, because Lucy doesn't. She only minds Ryan. Ok...now I'm probably really scaring you all.

Anyhow, I hadn't blogged for awhile and couldn't really think of anything to blog about, and this is really the most recent thing that has happened to us...so there you have it! We're Buggin now!

CoMpEtItIoN!!

Today, I went to Boise and met up with my family to watch my step-sister's dance competition. Yup...she dances for Rigby!!! The competition was at the Idaho Center in Nampa. I had SOOOO much fun!! I have never been able to just set and watch a competition all the way through...because of course...I was always competing! I loved it, it was so much fun to go and watch all the teams and see the new things they are doing.

I must say, that Rigby is pretty good this year. They were only in the Military, Novelty, and Dance categories, but they were so great. And they were wearing our old Military uniforms from sophomore year!! Memories...!!! Their novelty was super duper cute. They did a circus theme. I loved it. So cute. Made me want to dance again. Oh if I only had the time.

What I found so interesting though, is that there were NO teams from Idaho Falls. Apparently they don't have any really anymore. Not sure why. That kind of stinks.
But of course, Centennial was rockin as well. They were always amazing, and still are. Their kick routine was to the song " itty bitty, teeny weeny, little polka dot bikini" It was adorable. And their team is huge and so uniform.

I was also really impressed with Boise States Cheerleading Team. Their competition routine was amazing, and apparently they are taking it to Anaheim. Their stunts were nearly flawless. Its great to see that Idaho Teams are so great.

Anyhow......I'm super duper tired from all that driving and setting! So I'm DONE!

The Driving Range

Can I just start this post off by saying that today was AWESOME!! It was SOOO nice! I actually got to take off my sweater, short sleeves and all. It is about time. Usually Jerome is really warm, alot warmer than Idaho Falls & Rigby, but this year it really is just taking its sweet time warming up.

Since the day was so nice, Ryan and I decided to go to the driving range after work and hit a few balls. My hairdresser, Sandy, who I might add, is so neat and fun, told me last time I was there that I was going to become a golf widow if I didn't learn how to golf. Apparently her comments have sunk in, because since then I have found myself chipping balls around in the back yard, and now...going to the driving range. I hit some pretty good shots, but about 90% of the time I missed the ball, and now have a shoulder in excrutiating pain.

Now, I must tell you that something happened today while we were at the driving range, that I have never seen before and I am VERY VERY bothered by it. I thought that maybe if I blogged about it, it would help me stop thinking about it. Even though I've already texted a million people and filled out a police report. You're really probably wondering what I'm talking about now huh....ok....here goes...

So as we were hitting balls and goofing off, a jeep cherokee pulled into the parking lot at the driving range. We didn't really think much of it other than the fact that they might be joining us. Boy was I wrong. A lady jumped out the jeep and headed over to the porta potty that they have over there. She was yelling something, but I couldn't really figure out what her problem was. A few minutes later she came out of the potty and started walking back over to the jeep. She went to the back passenger door and started pulling out some bags and eventually these bags of stuff ended up in the parking lot on the gravel in a heap. Her and her "boyfriend, friend," whoever started fighting and I was watching them. Next thing I know, he punches her in the face! I said, "OH MY GOSH RYAN! That guy just punched that lady in the face!" He turned around and watched for a second with me. He didn't really know what was going on and just went back to hitting his golf balls. I, on the other hand, am nosey, and just couldn't stop staring.

The fight continued and she tried to hit him a few times but missed, next thing I see is her on the ground on her back and this guy grabs her by her hair and drags her on her back through the gravel in between his car and this huge work van. I just could not stop watching. I was literally sick to my stomach. I wanted to call 911, but my cell phone was in the car and I was not about to go over to that parking lot to retreive it. I heard a really loud thump and new that he had smacked her again somewhere somehow. Then I saw the poor lady on the ground underneath his jeep and he was kicking her! At this point I am just really concerned.....but there was nothing we could do...I didn't want Ryan and I to get involved for fear of our safety! Then, a truck pulled into the parking lot behind the jeep and sat there and watched them for a bit. I thought maybe this guy will stop beating her because they are being watched. Oh no, he kept it up. Finally the lady got up and stumbled over to the pile of her stuff. She was limping so bad and her hair was just a mess and her face was so red...I'm sure she was bleeding. She picked up her stuff and started walking across the road. The man called out after her and she just kept walking. I though oh please...just get away from him...please just run for your life. Well, the guy got into his jeep and followed her. Stupid woman got back into the car with him! That stupid stupid woman!!! I was furious!!

The truck that was watching them drove out of the parking lot and was following them. Obviously he called 911 because a few minutes later every cop in Jerome went flying by. I thought please oh please catch that man. Please. Finally we finished up our buckets of balls and when we were getting ready to leave, a cop came back over to investigate the scene. As we were driving out, we asked him if he was able to catch the man. He said no they didn't because he made it into Twin Falls County before they could reach him, so the Twin Falls Police were on the chase.

He asked if we had any information and I told him that I had saw the whole thing, and then Ryan and I had to fill out police reports. He stopped by our house a couple hours later to pick them up and asked if we would testify in court if needed. We said yes, but it would be so scary! People like that belong in jail!

The cop told us that the eventually caught the man. I was so glad to hear that he is setting in jail. Apparently he is already a convicted felon, sex offender and all. Not a nice person. Cop told us that the lady said that she started the fight and that he didn't hit her, but the cop still arrested him anyway because he had 3 statements from 3 witnesses that were all the same story. He said he found it interesting that she said he didn't hit her, but she had a black eye and scratches and bruises all over her neck.

Yikes!! I just can't believe it!! I just stood there the whole time with my hands over my mouth just in awe. I was so nauseated that I am surprised I did not throw up all over! I can't stop thinking about it I'm so bothered about the situation. I never thought that something like this could bother a person in such a way, especially when its not directly related to them. But it does...it bothers you. I found myself praying to god and asking why there are such bad people in the world? Why do people do things like that to others? I'm so upset...hence this novel of a blog post. But...I'm hoping...that this will help clear my mind...so I can sleep tonight.... and not wonder about how many other women in the world are getting beaten and hurt. Its terrible.

How grateful I am to be married to such a loving, caring man, who would never hurt me or our family. And how grateful I am that we have the Lord in our lives to protect us in situations like these. That man very easily could have noticed us watching and hurt us as well.

Ok....I'm done with my rant....I HOPE!!

It's Not Funny Anymore!!

Every night, I like to shower before I go to bed. Its one of those relaxing things, helps me fall asleep. Just barely, I got into the shower so I could set down and relax and watch tv for awhile.

Little did I know, my shower wouldn't be so nice and relaxing. I got in and as I was washing my hair, Ryan came in and I heard him say, " I'm going to brush my teeth, I just ate a banana." I'm thinking, ok whatever weirdo. Next thing I know, I am being drenched in FREEZING cold water. Of course, I immediately started to scream. I don't know anyone who wouldn't. I looked up and there was my loving husband, peering over the top of the shower curtain with a goofy smile and an empty glass. I could have killed him! Talk about being ticked off, I was exactly that. So I said "Get out of here you jerk!" haha, I'm sure this whole thing was hilarious.

If that isn't enough, yesterday we were out in the yard hitting some golf balls around and the next thing I knew, I was being pegged in the side with a golf ball! OUCH! Yes, loving husband strikes again. He claims it was an accident...I beg to differ. So here I am today, freezing and bruised from golf balls.

I asked him if he would ever stop picking on me, and his response, "ya, when we have kids." I have a feeling that life in the Darrington household is going to get more interesting as time goes on and our family grows. YIKES!!

Curtains

I decided that our bedroom looked a little boring. And it wasn't dark enough at night time. So I ordered some fabric from JoAnns and decided to tackle a new project and make my own curtains.

This is how they turned out after I finished them. I think I'm going to change the paint color on the walls. Not sure what to do...?? Any suggestions???

I love the fabric because it has the most beautiful embroidered detailing in it.

But like I said...it kind of blends with the walls...

Maybe I'm just second guessing myself.

I couldn't use tiebacks for the ones above the bed because they are so much shorter, so we'll just have to leave them hanging for now.


But this window was long enough to allow for the tiebacks! I love tiebacks, they are the coolest things.

Of course, Ryan had to be involved....don't laugh at his ugly "Sadam Hussein" t-shirt. Oh wait...I was just informed that its "Fidel Castro" not Sadam. Excuse me! :) One of those shirts that he has that I can't stand...oh ya...and his g's are hanging out!! Ha! What would I do without my husband to laugh at?

Why in the world...??

Britt- - -don't read this until after you have watched The Bachelor. :)

I was so excited last night to watch The Bachelor, but I didn't get to start it until around 9:00. Some of my friends were texting me and it was SOO crazy because I didn't want to know what happened. I had really liked this season because the people involved seemed to be so genuine and true. It didn't seem so fake like reality tv is.

I am completely in shock, and quite frankly, to be honest, a little torked off! What is it about reality shows and the drama they create? Whats even worse, is that peoples emotions are involved, and it can really mess people up!

I was up until 12:00 watching all 3 hours of The Bachelor that I had recorded. By 12:00 I was so upset I couldn't even sleep! Jason really upsets me. He puts off like he is such a great wonderful caring guy, and in the end, he turns out to be such a weasel!! Who picks one absolutely wonderful girl, dates her in real life for 6 weeks after the show is over, decides she isn't good enough, goes back on national tv, dumps her, and picks the other girl he already dumped on national tv! COME ON!!!!

There really needs to be some changes made to that show. For instance, lets call it "The Bachelor; Real Life" Bring these people into your real life. Your every day work, your family, your home. Go on NORMAL dates like the rest of us! No wonder noone ever stays together off this show. Who wouldn't be able to fall in love while going on such extreme dates. No wonder it doesn't work when its back to real life, because real life isn't enough after they have been taken on these outrageous romantic dates, and taken on trips around the world to some of the most beautiful places. This will never happen though, because NORMAL life doesn't sell on tv.

As you can see, I'm a little upset about this. Then...what was the point of having the After the Final Rose show with no audience? I realize they were trying to cater to the emotions that were running very high, but the episode still aired on tv, so its not like they really kept it confidential!

I'll be interested to see how tonights episode turns out. And I'm sure that even though I think this is stupid, I'm still going to continue to watch this show! Women and their drama! We just can't get enough of it.

Karma

Someone once told me that what goes around, comes around, so don't get upset when someone does something that doesn't exactly "suit your fancy" so to speak.

The last two weeks have been absolutely CRAZY at our house. Let me explain...

Last Tuesday, my dearest husband, had to go into surgery to have his tonsils taken out. Once we got into his room and they had stuck an IV in his arm, I immediately knew that things were going to get a little bit on the strange side. How did I know this? Well, as Ryan was laying on this hospital bed in one of those oh so hot nightgowns, he proceeded to explain to me his death wishes.... haha....in case he was to die while he had his tonsils out.

These are those wishes:
1. Take the money I get from life insurance, and buy a lambo. And only I can drive this lambo.
2. If I am to marry again, new husband cannot drive the lambo, can't look at it, it is to remain in the garage at all times covered by a car cover, so new husband can't see it. Unless by chance I marry his cousin Cole, then cousin Cole can drive the lambo.
3. He proceeded to make a list of people who can drive the lambo, who can't drive it, who can't see it, who can...ect ect.

Anyhow, the list went on and on and all I could do was laugh and giggle because he was dead serious, but it was so funny because all I saw was Ryan in his funny hospital gown with knee high black grandpa socks hanging out. I just couldn't take him seriously.

The surgery only took about 30 minutes, but we were there from 8:00 until 2:00. Little did I know that the next week was going to be an absolute nightmare. Who ever knew that men were such whiners? I didn't! I thought they were supposed to be "tough" and act "tough" Holy cow was I in for a surprise.

Well, on Saturday afternoon, Ryan's eye started to swell up and he was getting a really bad eye infection. So he asked me to get an ice pack so he could put it on his eye. Obviously he was tired of holding the ice pack, so he asked me to get a piece of fabric or something to tie it around his head, so I did. Then, he couldn't see the tv, so he wanted his glasses so he could see....after I was done fixing him up, this is how he looked.....



HAHA!!! I love it!! Now this is payback for laughing at me when my face is numb and not moving correctly!! Look how retarded he looks after I've finished "doctoring" my patient. Anyone think I should be a nurse?? :)

Now, please be aware that the next picture you are about to see is of my husband the cyclops. :)

Poor guy, he got a really bad Stye in his eye from having his tonsils out and infection running around and all sorts of sickness. Its finally starting to go down so he's getting back to normal. Finally, I'm tired of all this doctoring!!

Ok, I'm done trying to be funny. :)

Crafty!

Today I must have been a little bored with the empty plant shelves in our house, because I went to Michaels, and this is what I ended up with after the day was over! Who would have ever though I could take a bunch of flowers and weed looking things and turn it into something so great. So now, this arrangement is setting on my plant shelf looking awesome!! Yay!

Rough Day

Today, was a rough day, let me tell you why.

7:00 a.m. Wake up, bath, get ready for the day
8:15 a.m. Say good bye to husband, get in car...head to the DENTIST!!!

So, I have had this tooth that has been driving me NUTS! Absolutely nuts, it hurts like crazy. If you have ever had a toothache, then you know what I'm talking about. Excruciating pain. So I called and made an appointment with the dentist. He decided that we should probably do a root canal on my tooth. Ya, you read that right...and stinking root canal!!! These words are swear words in my book and I was shocked to hear that me, a 24 year old, will have to have a root canal! AHHH!!!
So, I decided to tough it out and go through with the procedure. After 2 horribly painful shots in the mouth with numbing injections, I thought was going to die. Boy was I wrong, 'ole mister dentist started to drill a hole in my tooth and it hurt like a $#&!*$#*!&%#*!!!! So he stopped and decided to stick another needle full of anesthetic into my mouth. OUCH!! Another 5 minutes goes by, he starts to drill again, it still hurts!! So he stops, and injects a 4 needle into my mouth. By then I had had it with this needle business. Finally, after being stabbed a thousand times, my whole face was numb, and so we continued on with this so called "root canal".

The whole time I'm thinking, "huh, this isn't so bad, going well, can't feel a thing, watching some tv...sweet, I'll be out of here in no time. Pain free." And then the dentist says, "Camille, we're going to have to refer you to a specialist, I can't finish the root canal with out a microscope." WHAT?? You have seriously got to be kidding me...I mean, come on dude...a specialist? Thats going to cost a fortune! So we made an appointment with the specialist in the afternoon and I left not really knowing exactly why I had to go to a specialist.

I had to go to work, and I just wanted to crawl under my desk, my face felt like it was going to fall off! Not joking...so I took some of the pain killers I was prescribed. Didn't do a thing!!

2:00 rolls around and I head back to Twin for the 2nd time now to the specialist. Get there, he is behind over an hour. So I sat there in the office, about ready to pull my own tooth it hurt so bad, and waited. FINALLY, it was my turn. Now...for the 5th time, I was poked with another needle, 2 more times...to numb up my face, AGAIN! I was informed that my tooth had an bacterial infection and thats why I had to go to the specialist. Thank you for telling me...$800.00 later. Yikes.

Anyway, 30 minutes later I'm all fixed up and feeling like a handicap. I get home, pick my husband up from work and what does he do? He laughs at me!! Why is he laughing might you ask?? Check out this picture......
While he was laughing at me, I couldn't help but laugh as well, because his laugh cracks me up. This picture was taken of me when I was laughing my head off. So the side of my face that is "not smiling" so to speak, is the side that is numb. This is how retarded you look when you have been injected 6 times with anesthetic, and you're laughing, and your husband thinks its funny to take pictures of you at your most beautiful moments.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH!!!!!!!

p.s. don't get me wrong, I take very good care of my teeth, we just happen to not be getting along right now.

Cupcake Anyone?

Sooo.....today I got a little carried away. This week we are having a little "bake sale" at the bank to start raising money for Relay For Life this year. First Federal is a big sponsor of this event and so we thought we would get an early start on raising some funds.
I decided that I probably got a little carried away when I started making cartoon faces on them out of candy corn and cinnamon lips.

Anyhow, I was quite amused at my little cupcakes and thought I would share them with you all!

Don't they look ssooo good? Would you pay 50 cents for one of my delish cup cakes?? :)

Conspiracy

THIS IS HAPPENING RIGHT
HERE IN OUR OWN COUNTRY!

We Must Stop This Immediately! Have you noticed that
stairs are getting steeper?
Groceries are heavier.
And, everything is farther away.
Yesterday I walked to the
corner and I was dumbfounded to discover how long our street had become!

And, you know, people
are less considerate now,
especially the young ones.
They speak in whispers all
the time! If you ask them
to speak up they just keep
repeating themselves,
endlessly mouthing the same
silent message until they're
red in the face! What do they think I am, a lip reader?

I also think they are much
younger than I was at the
same age. On the other hand,
people my own age are so
much older than I am. I ran
into an old friend the other day
and she has aged so much that she didn't even recognize me.

I got to thinking about the poor
dear while I was combing my
hair this morning, and in doing so,
I glanced at my own reflection.
Well, REALLY NOW -even mirrors are not made the way they used to be!

Another thing, everyone
drives so fast these days!
You're risking life and limb
if you happen to pull onto the
freeway in front of them.
All I can say is, their brakes
must wear out awfully fast,
the way I see them screech and swerve in my rear view mirror.

Clothing manufacturers are
less civilized these days.
Why else would they suddenly
start labeling a size 10 or 12 dress
as 18 or 20? Do they think
no one notices? The people who
make bathroom scales are
pulling the same prank. Do they
think I actually "believe"
the number I see on that dial? HA!
I would never let myself weigh
that much! Just who do these people think they're fooling?

I'd like to call up someone in
authority to report what's going
on -- but the telephone company
is in on the conspiracy too:
they've printed the phone books
in such small type that no one
could ever find a number in there!
All I can do is pass along this warning:

WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!

Unless something drastic happens,
pretty soon everyone will have to suffer these awful indignities.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE
YOU KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
SO WE CAN GET THIS CONSPIRACY STOPPED!

PS: I am sending this to you in a
larger font size, because something
has happened to my computer's fonts -
they are smaller than they once were.