December in Las Vegas is usually really nice. The January winds haven't really started and its chilly but not truly cold unless its 3 am and you should really be in bed before then anyway. For the most part.

Except for yesterday. It started out decent enough. Good cloud cover and the thought that if we got any snow it would be flurries in the north part of town. Those thoughts lasted until about 1:30 when the snow started. Didn't stick at first but by 3pm it was coming down and staying down. Wet, fluffy snow perfect for snowballs.

But I certainly didn't throw a bunch of snowballs at my 6 yr old son. Nope. Not me. Can't prove anything. Just like I can't prove that it was my loving husband who threw the big one that hit me right in the butt.

Pizza hut had a 2 1/2 hour delivery time so we decided to brave the 3 + inches of snow/slush and get some Little Ceasar's pizza. What is so delicious about pizza that is already waiting for you at the restuarant without having to call ahead? We actually did call ahead because we wanted Italian Cheese Bread and once you order that and wait for it, might as well splurge and get the deep dish pizza for $7 instead of $5. Yup, we're big spenders.

After stuffing ourselves with hot, gooey cheese and pepperoni, we walked over to the main street by the house to watch the police clean up an accident. People, if you start to skid, you have to turn INTO the skid. Going the other way will be very very bad. And a truck is more likely to flip over too.

The best part of the night was making our snowman. I think I'll name him George. He kind of looks like a penguin and the chocoapuff eyes and mouth will dissolve as soon as the snow starts to melt but I think he's cute.

Thats only about 1/3 of the snow in the backyard too. I had to brush off the poor palm trees before the pictures so they looked like palm trees and not lumps of snow. The flakes were so thick and coming so fast, they were covered again shortly but for a few minutes, they didn't have the weight of the world on their poor fronds.

Merry Christmas Las Vegas!

Busy month. I should have pictures galore to update with the next post. The new house, Halloween, our anniversary cruise and anything else thats cute. For now, all you get is words.

The house is great! The move was fairly easy but it would have been much easier to pretend we were moving farther away and didn't take smaller loads over. It would have been a better idea to buy more boxes and box everything up instead of boxing, driving across the street, unpacking and bringing the boxes back. Next time...

Its wonderful having a ton more room though! Alex was upset his room wasn't set up the way he wanted so we'll rearrange that and probably end up painting the guest room even though we swore it was just our room and the office. But now the rooms we didn't paint don't look nearly as good as the ones we did. We're awesome painters but its freaking hard work! The kitchen is almost put away, the living room looks great, alex's room is done except for moving some things and our room is almost done. The guest room and office aren't put together yet but those are different.

Halloween was fun. We attended our ward Trunk or Treat and discovered that the mummy costume I made wasn't very well made. Its easier to buy a costume when you don't sew very well...or at all... I made Alex divy up his candy to share.

Next week marks our one year anniversary! To celebrate, we're taking a short weekend cruise to the Bahamas. Its supposed to rain on Saturday when we have our kayak and snorkel excursion. I'll have to remember to pack a light jacket because even when its 80 degrees, its cold when you're wet. Let's all pray for the rain to go away. Even chant that song from when we were kids!

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!
COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY! Like when we're not on a second honeymoon. That'd be great.

Everything else? I'm not touching the election except to say that Alex pronounces Barack Obama's name as O'rourke Obama. Like he's Irish.

Oh yeah...I promised

Here's Alex's back to school picture. Such a cute first grader!

Let's ignore the bug spray thats easily within reach of little hands and the cluttered pass-through to the kitchen...

Moving and other fun stuff

We are moving! A carefully worded ad on Craigslist to advertise that we're LDS and therefore responsible, non-drinkers, non-smokers, non-college-age-partiers who pinky promise to take good care of their house in exchange for rent that is only slightly higher than what we are paying now and voila! we are moving into a 4 bedroom house just across the street from where we live now.

Which means moving. And packing. And attempting to sort through things that haven't been used since 2001 but seem to insist on sticking around anyway. Considering I sift through all my belongs every time I move and I've moved a lot the last few years, I'm kind of surprised I still have things to sift through. This does not include Dustin's impressive t-shirt collection that I'm hoping will take up residence in a new storage ottoman for the foot of our bed after Christmas...hint hint.

But I was only hoping for a 3 bedroom. One for us, one for the rugrat and one for a guest room with the desks and computers and stuff. Four bedrooms! That means we can have a separate guest room and office! The futon will probably still go into the office since there will probably be a smaller tv in there or something but that frees up a whole bedroom to be something else.

The very best part of the house? Its in a new ward and we'll lose our calling. Primary is not my bag, baby, and I'm thrilled to be able to talk to grown-ups again. Let's do the happy dance!

I started my Bachelor's program this month too and I'm working through my first class. Business Management HERE I COME! Yeah, my excitement is out of control...

Who, What, When, Where?

I was reading Becky's blog yesterday and decided to check out what the 20 comments could possibly be on. I won't touch the political stuff cause I don't want an angry mob of comments to drown my little site. What I did notice was a familiar name. I wasn't sure if it was the name of a cousin of ours that I didn't know had a blog or if it was someone else. A quick cursor over the highlighted name revealed it to be Kristina whom I know from another internet forum.

Which got me thinking (dangerous, I know. The world might explode!) how she knew my cousin. I check of her BFF blogroll lead me to a different cousin's website. But, I didn't see Becky's on there. Its a mystery to me.

Not such a big mystery that I'll actually e-mail Kristina and ask how she found my cousin's blog but enough to give us our first post of September. Yeah, I'm lazy and hoping she'll post a comment and answer the buring question.

Wait! September means back-to-school! Maybe I'll find my camera and post Alex's first day of First Grade. I think its buried under our towering pile of Ensigns that we can't bring ourselves to throw away even though they are available online. It seems like a trip straight to the dark, fiery pits of the Underworld and I try to avoid the space under our bed. Its scary.

Bad cakes

You might have noticed a new addition to my Favorite Blogs list. You haven't? Well, you should notice. Go ahead, I'll wait.



I highly recommend all of these get checked out but my current new favorite is Cake Wrecks. The ability of people mispelling words, adding punctuation that isn't needed and committing the unforgiveable sin: Making cake look so gross I can't eat it! I honestly don't think I could eat a piece of fungal toenail if it was made of manna.

And the pregnant belly ones resemble a c-section too much for me to be able to choke down a piece.

But I'll have the piece with the ("Olnypic Rings") on it.

Rock band

Dustin bought Rock Band a few weeks ago when it was on sale for the PS2. Since then, we've played almost every night and even got my older sister to sing. Alex has decided that he is a drummer.

He likes the Rolling Stones and Bon Jovi and can make it through a whole song by himself on easy level.

I'm so proud!

Neglected!

This blog has been sadly neglected for the past two weeks so I'll try to play catch-up.

First of all, we're all doing good. I've recovered physically, if not quite completely emotionally, from the miscarriage. Alex is loving getting ready for school and finishing up his kids camp for the summer and Dustin is thrilled to be driving up to scout camp to spend the weekend with his brother and parents/siblings.

I've broken down and started reading Twilight. I usually don't like to read series until they are all finished because I hate waiting for the next one (I'm talking to you, Diana Gabaldon and your 'three years between books' nonsense!) and I don't usually enjoy the young adult genre. I tried the first Harry Potter and just couldn't go past the first few chapters. However, I've been book-starved so I borrowed it from my sister-in-law and its a fun read. Fast, not so wordy that I have to re-read a paragraph four times to understand it and full of teenage angst. Its good summer reading.

We missed the family reunion this year which I'm sad about but it was just too far away and I didn't have enough vacation time saved up to go. It also fell on the weekend after our biggest deadline of the year so I spent the first three days of the week (and the weeks before) working until 7 or 8 pm until everything was done. We made it with 7 minutes to spare! Back to the reunion, it sounds like it was a lot of fun and hopefully next year it will be a better possibility.

Dustin should have lots of stories to share when he comes back on Saturday. Flying is nice but it presents some challenges when it comes to camping equipment so he's decided to buy a small tent that he can use and then we'll eventually get it back to Las Vegas where it will be good for the father/son campouts.

Three weeks until school starts! Alex has grown out of all his jeans this summer and continues to eat us out of house and home. Who knew a 6 year old could pack away more food than an adult male? And still ask for dessert. It amazes me.

But I'm looking forward to the raise that we'll get when school starts and we don't have to pay for the kids camp anymore!

Sad news

We are sad to report that we've lost the baby. We'll keep you updated.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

As some of you have already heard, Dustin and I will be welcoming a new baby next year! Due sometime in March is what we are thinking but my doctor won't see me until I'm 8 weeks to give a dating ultrasound. I've added a ticker with a generic date that I'll change when I find out the actual due date. Not that due dates mean a whole lot more than "Well, there's the chance you'll have your baby within a week of this date but...don't hold your breathe!"

Oh and we're not telling Alex yet. I can't handle nine months of "Is the baby coming today?" "No not until March." "Is it March yet?" He'll find out probably around the time of the gender ultrasound.

In other news, Alex has another loose tooth! And his adult tooth is starting to poke through into the empty void from the first tooth loss. He spent all of sacrament meeting looking in my compact mirror so he could see it and feel like he's finally growing up. In the meantime, he's already growing out of the size 6 jeans I bought this spring in the hopes they would last until school. How foolish I was!

The weekend at Bear Lake was wonderful! Good times were had by all and I even got Alex to ride a tube behind the boat. He told everyone else he didn't like it but told me he thought it was fun. I'm not sure who he was lying to. No sunburns this year! YAY!!!!! Thats quite the accomplishment for me. Dustin doesn't seem to burn at all and Alex only tans no matter how long he's in the sun. I'm apparently the only vampire in this family. It was great to see everyone and Dustin is very excited about Scout camp in August. It happens to fall on the same weekend my family leaves for an Alaskan cruise (including Alex). Do you know what this means?!

A whole weekend all by myself!! Let's hear it for hogging the bed and sleeping in! No 6 year old to come in and 7 am on Saturday and ask if he can play his nintendo DS. Ohhhhh the luxury!

See, good news all around!

Week Two

Sucks. I mean, its getting better but it kind of sucks still. My shins have decided to rebel against the torture of movement and I've been icing them in the evenings (when I think about it). Its getting better and I think we'll be ok to move on to week three next week.

Dustin is enjoying it. At least he claims he is but we really do feel better after working out in the mornings. I don't like getting up at 4:45 but its way easier to do it first thing in the morning then to let it hang over our heads all day.

Some friends are running the Wasatch Back Relay in Logan today and tomorrow and were asking about people willing to run it next year. 180 miles over two days...I think they are nuts but I'm also kind of tempted. Not tempted enough to actually sign up and fork over money but the idea is appealling. Don't worry, the temporary insanity will pass!

Can't wait to see the in-laws in Bear Lake next weekend!

Tooth Fairy

Alex lost his first tooth tonight. Well, he didn't so much as lose it as I yanked it out after listening to him complain about how much it hurt to eat the grilled sandwiches and tomato soup I made for dinner.

It had been a little wiggly for months but it decided today was the day it was going to make a break for it and go all out. It wiggled and giggled for a few hours until we had dinner and then I promised Alex a fudgcicle if he'd let me pull it out.

A few harder wiggles, a few little pulls and out it came! We put it into a small bowl to be rinsed off and he spent the next ten minutes asking how much the tooth fairy will give him for it. I told him fifty cents for a front tooth was about right. He wanted fifty dollars to get a new Wii game. That's grandpa's territory.

All night he did that thing with the tongue when you've lost a tooth...carefully exploring the open territory and tasting the tangy hint of blood on the hole. I asked if he was the last kid in his kindergarten class to lose a tooth and he immediately said yes. Just in time for his friend's birthday party on Saturday! A brand new hole to show off...what every kid wants!

Couch to 5K!

We've decided to start a Couch to 5K running program to get into shape. For motivation, there is a Police and Fire department 10k, 5k and 1 mile walk in August. 10 weeks after we start our 9 week program. Running in the summer in Las Vegas doesn't sound like very much fun with I'm planning on using the weightroom treadmill for two runs/week and then running outside for the third one.

Week One: Up at 4:43. Dustin had to be at the airport by 6am and I have to be at work by 7 with a stop at my parents to fill out some paperwork for the summer daycare program Alex is enrolled in. After a few minutes of relishing the warm bed, we drag ourselves up and change into our workout clothes. Because we have 25 minutes to do a 30 minute workout, we decide to cut the last few run/walk combos out and have an extended cooldown. I never realized there was a hill by the apartment but there is and it bites. Just small enough to not look like one until you run and your thighs are killing you.

All in all, it went pretty good. Now I don't have to worry about working out tonight and I feel good, if sore, for the rest of the day. And running tends to supress my appetite so it takes me longer to feel hungry and I eat less. I'm back to Weight Watchers again (and by default, so is Dustin) and already down 3 lbs! Woohoo!!!!!

If we're feeling brave, we might post before and after pictures. Depends on how amazing the after ones are!

Check back here for more on our training! Anyone that wants to join us can find the training podcasts here: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml and http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/podcasts/podcasts.html

Sorry I don't know how to do those cool hyperlinks.

School's out!

My little guy has kindgergarten graduation tomorrow which leads me to think that there seem to be a lot of graduations lately. Kindergarten, elementary, junior high and high school all seem to have their own graduations. But is moving from kindergarten to first grade REALLY that big of a deal? And the transition from fifth grade to sixth? I don't remember having anything but a high school graduation. Are our standards just a tad low to celebrate the natural educational movement from eighth grade to nineth?

Anyway, school. That means summer is here and we are lucky enough to have Alex for over half of the summer so that leads to things like camping trips!

I love camping. Only for a few days and in a campsite with some kind of running water but I really enjoy it. Over the last year, we've accumulated quite the collection of sleeping bags, a tent, air mattress, stove, camping pots/pans, lanterns, flashlights and my favorite, a shower. Our most recent addition is a nice enclosure for the shower so there is the hope of being able to get clean in a place where it seems your hands are still dirty even after using soap and scrubbing.

But the best part? Camp food. Dutch oven cake and roasted marshmallows, coal baked barbeque chicken, hash browns by sunrise. Everything tastes better in the wide open spaces. Plus the mountain air is much cooler than down in the valley so its a nice break from the summer heat.

Alex will be travelling with his grandparents to visit family so we were thinking it might be a good weekend to kickstart the summer season with a short camping trip. Scope out easy trails for a trip with Alex later in the summer and spend some time with nature.

Sounds great, doesn't it?!

Going Godfather

We aren't moving after all. Dustin was offered a position with his previous airline that he couldn't refuse so we are staying in Las Vegas for the time being. Grandpa said it was the best birthday present we could have given him. Apparently the only ones excited for us to move was...us.

He starts again this week with some re-training but will be flying most likely by next week. He's much more relaxed and things have been great since we made the decision to return to Grand Canyon Airlines in Boulder City, NV. I'm just happy that he's happy.

We spent last weekend in Brigham City for Clyde's birthday. A great time was had by all at the luau Sandy planned and Alex kept everyone entertained with his request to "Pause the party, I have to go potty!"

Mothers' Day was very nice. I was able to spend it with Dustin and Alex as we drove back to Las Vegas and Dustin gave me some great dvds. Alex gave me some bath salts he made in school that I think got too much fragrance. They are in his bathroom now.

The school semester is almost over and that leaves me with only one class to go until I get my associate of arts. Its about stinkin' time! I've been working on it for a few years alternating between part and full-time while working and I'm thankful to almost be done.

Hopefully we'll get some pictures up soon. That part of the blog is pretty sad right now.

How The Other Half Lives

And by Other Half, I mean those who live North of us. Specifically Canada. More specifically, Vancouver, BC.

Dustin has been doing some simulation training up there and I went up to visit last weekend. I pulled out my long sleeved shirts again and made sure I had a light jacket and flew up on Friday afternoon. Apparently meal service on airlines has gone the way of the Dodo bird. At least on Delta you can buy a "gourmet" sandwich for $8 cash, exact change only please.

But I digress. The flight was fine except for some weird chugging noises that sounded like a car engine that has a bad starter (Dustin assured me it was normal for the kind of plane I was on) and the very talkative woman next to me. Customs was a breeze and the walk out of the airport was very nice. I wish I had a picture of the homemade sign that said "Vancouver ----->". I'd hate to turn the other way and hit Quebec instead!

Dustin was waiting for me and as we waited for the shuttle, he asked what I thought of Vancouver. Always a smart aleck I said the airport was very nice. We got a laugh and by the time we made it to his hotel, we were ready for some dinner. The hotel was in Chinatown so we walked a block and found a few chinese restaurants that only took cash. A few minutes of looking for an ATM, admiring how pretty the money is up there and walking back to a restaurant that looked good and we were set. We opened the door and noticed we were the only non-Asians there. The menu was in Chinese with English translations on about half of the menu items. It was going to be delicious!

We weren't disappointed. The sweet and sour chicken was perfect and the chicken fried rice was better than any I've ever had. Dustin ordered curry chicken that wasn't quite what he expected and spicier than he liked but it was ok. Even the plain white rice was good! If you're in Vancouver/Richmond, I highly recommend Top Shanghai Restaurant on Ackroyd(I think) in Chinatown. I think even Kylene would be impressed and she's very picky about her chinese food after serving her mission in Hong Kong (right?).

Saturday we walked to the mall and bought Dustin some new work pants and a nice shirt. We ate at place that specilized in french fries and thought briefly about trying the gravy on top before opting for cheese dip. Then we found Maxims bakery. Oh the delicious smells wafting from that delightful store! We were completely full and still tried to determine if we had room for a weiner bun or cake. And the prices were soooo cheap! $0.80 for a weiner bun (hot dog in a roll) or a chicken and ham pie. Everything there was also in Chinese but with English subtitles.

Dustin had a training on Saturday early evening so I spent some time reading before we had dinner at a White Spot restaurant. Very tasty and decently priced.

Sunday was spent trying to get home and when that failed, we ordered some room service. Chicken quesadilla and some chicken fingers and fries. With plum sauce. Surprisingly good with the french fries.

Monday we were able to try the bakery finally and it was worth the wait. The bread was sweet and soft and left you full but wanting more.

It sounds like we did nothing but eat but we spent some time walking around Chinatown and enjoying the weather and lovely flowers. My last meal was at a local pub called The Foggy Dew and Dustin's bangers and mash was wonderful and my steak nice and tender.

The flight home was very quiet and went pretty fast. Dustin is expected home on Saturday and I've hinted that I'd like some rolls from Maxims if he's able to bring some home. I can't wait!

Must See TV

Ok, I've neglected this blog for over a week as I've tried to decide what to write about. I could be a good aunt and talk about my cute neices' or my adorable nephew's blessings. I could be a good mom and talk about Alex's 6th birthday. I could share the progress we are making towards the move to Denver.

But I'm not.

No, I thought I'd write about how excited I am about some of my favorite shows to come back! LOST, Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty! Yes, because I'm shallow like that.

TV has always been the way I unwind. Its easier for my brain to relax against the issues of the day if I can ignore them for a 22-48 minutes and concentrate on people who have problems far bigger than mine. I'll admit to watching Dancing With The Stars and even The Hills if I'm really bored. The writers' strike hit me where it hurt; my evening relaxation.

But, its been "worked out" and now I get to see what happens with Bailey, Betty and the Others! Will they get off the island? Will Meredith and McDreamy get back together and will anyone ever agree with me that Daniel is nursing a secret crush on Betty? So secret he doesn't even know its there!

Go ahead and mock me. Thursday nights are an internal struggle. Do I watch The Office and be thankful I don't work for Michael Scott or do I go for the science and gore of CSI: Las Vegas? The addition of the returning shows means I'll have to decide which one is more important to watch live. Its like Sophie's Choice! Two or three will be relegated to be watched online Friday. The horror of having to pick my favorite!

At least there aren't any commercials.

Denver calls!

We found out on Friday that Dustin will be based in Denver. After almost three weeks in Vancouver with the flight simulator, he'll move to Denver until Alex and I can join him. I've been looking for places to live and possible jobs and we're very excited at the adventure in front of us!

We might change our tune when its December and 15 degrees but for now it sounds mighty nice as Las Vegas starts to heat up in preparation for the summer.

But moving means cleaning out all the boxes that have been lugged around without being opened. Do we really want to take all those old college textbooks 700 miles away? The torn bedspread? A box of girls camp crafts from 1993? I'm thinking no. Those are all my stuff though so I don't feel bad for getting rid of it. I'll let Dustin go through his own belongings.

Thats the fun and exhausting part of moving. I love finding things I'd thought were long gone. But what am I going to do with old fabric from a quilt I never finished? Its a nice thought that I'll finish it but that would require lots of painstaking tasks like removing stitches and re-cutting fabric. I'm not the most patient of crafters.

I also love decorating the new place. Deciding where the pictures will go and arranging the furniture. I usually redo the kitchen at least twice until I figure out where I naturally want to put the silverware right from the dishwasher and what is convienent to the stove. Its a puzzle that I can't ever seem to get right on the first try. The junk drawer should have been a little bit bigger or the pans fit better in the other cabinet.

Woohoo! We're moving!

What's in a name?

Dustin and I did sealings at the Las Vegas Temple on Saturday. We only had about an hour so we checked in with the sealing office and were directed to a room. We handed our piece of paper with our name written on it to the sealer and waited for our turn. Only a few minutes and we were called to position. The sealer asked how we pronounce our name and we sound it out for him. He starts calling us the Wohlgemoose's. Ok, no big deal. Still pretty close. He makes it through the list and calls another couple up.

When our turn came again, he again asks us how to pronounce our name. We sound it out again and he gets some help from a one of the other men in the room. Still doesn't quite get it and calls us the Ohlgemuths. Closer but no cigar. That deteriorates to the Olgemonts. Then to the Olmonts and finally to the Lamonts. I can't look at Dustin because he's trying to make me laugh and I can't look at the sealer because I'll crack up so I just look down and pretend I'm listening very closely to the words. And miss my cue.

So, we are now the Lamonts and it is certainly easier to learn to spell.

Still Flying Somewhat High

I looked at the last few entries and noticed my name wasn't on any of these latest posts, and then I realized I'm not around anymore. It seems as life has gone on without me at home. Here is what I have been up to. Forgive the difference in writing styles, as my sweet wife is an author and I am just a pilot.

I am currently in ground school for an airline. Yes, I already know how to fly, but they need to indoctrinate me with the new systems on their aircraft. I have heard that this airplane is one of the hardest around to learn. Learning the 747 would be an easy transition (they say). The systems are backups upon backups and we have to learn everything about them so we can troubleshoot in the air. You wouldn't want us to not know how to fix a trouble in the sky would you? We can't pull off the side of the road if it dies.

I live on an old military base in Phoenix that is converted into an Arizona State University campus and will be here for 1 or 2 more weeks. Vancouver will be my next destination for 2 weeks and then thrown into the wolves in either Denver or Phoenix. I did well the first week of tests, but it has been clear as mud (nearly concrete) ever since. We will see how it all turns out. I look forward to seeing all of you who fly on United Airlines or U.S. Airways (America West) in the future.

Cinnamon rolls

When I was younger, I’d sit at my grandma’s kitchen counter and watch as she made cinnamon rolls. The dough was always the perfect shade of beige and never stuck to her fingers as she manipulated it to the proper shape, ready for the rolling pin. A handful of flour from a bottom drawer (I’ve always wanted a flour drawer in my kitchen. It seems so much easier than a canister or bag) and a few flicks of her wrist and it would be a rectangle ready for butter and a brown sugar/cinnamon mix. She made it look so easy and they were always perfection. Like a taste of love and her no-nonsense way of taking care of us each summer.

I haven’t made them in years. I can’t remember the last time I dug out the recipe that was the closest she could come to exact measurements. Everything was by sight, feel or smell with her. I needed numbers. It was on a stained and slightly faded index card with a piece of dried dough from another attempt on one corner and my teenage handwriting. Circles over the i’s and everything.

The signup for the ward girls camp fundraiser made the rounds in Relief Society so I impulsively signed up for cinnamon rolls. Dustin had never tried mine and I knew I could foist the rest off on my dad if we couldn’t eat them. They also freeze really well and that’s actually how dad prefers them as it brings back memories of sneaking one from the deep freeze before grandma could catch him. These take about 3-4 hours to make though and were needed for the fundraiser on Wednesday which meant I couldn’t make them over the weekend or they’d be slightly stale. Tuesday became the day of the project.

Alex helped with the ingredients and I explained how to break an egg as he made a face at the yolk that ended up on his fingers. He asked to taste the dough and seemed amazed that it tasted like bread. I broke a bowl that wasn’t up to the task of me lifting it with one hand after the dough had doubled.

I don’t form the rolls like she did. I make mine into a snake and then slice it like they do at Cinnabon but I kept losing all my filling when I folded it in half and made slices before twisting the dough and making the round roll shape. I think she’d be okay with me not wasting the yummy filling.

The apartment smells like a bakery. It smells like summer at grandma’s. She died a few years ago but I can see her in her kitchen at the farm as she tried to measure the ingredients for me and letting me feel how warm the water for the yeast and the smoothness of the dough.

I miss you Grandma. My cinnamon rolls aren’t as good as yours. Maybe its all that extra love you put into them.

SEAWORLD!

Alex and I went to Seaworld on Monday. We were visiting my sister and her family so I offered to take their baby girl with us. It was pretty uneventful even though Alex wanted to sit in the "soak zone" for Shamu and the dolphins and I wouldn't let him. I didn't get very many pictures because, well, after a few times of trying to keep a six month old baby away from the camera and not being able to take the stroller into ANYTHING, it just got to be too much. I swear we did see the flamingos and the dolphins and the sharks. Alex had a rough time getting his souveniers home though. He wanted to get a gift for his other aunt and had picked out a sword for himself. We forgot the sword at my sister's house and he accidentally dropped the snowglobe for his aunt and it broke. It took some convincing that it was now a statue and she'd still love it.

I've decided its easier to keep pace with an almost 6 year old if I outnumber him with another adult. Preferrably one who likes to get drenched in whale water and doesn't mind the smell of penguin feces. Cause once is about all I can do.

We'll be going back. We got season passes so we'll head back either in the summer or fall and go on some rides and make sure that second adult comes with us. They come in handy.

Suddenly Its Spring

Spring Break is next week. I never really did anything during Spring Break when I was younger. Slept all day and watched tv for the most part. It was like a long weekend that always had a major class project due the Monday you came back to school. At least one. Sometimes two or three. It wasn't a big deal to have a week of school off.

Now, in the land of Goverment Holidays, I always try to take a few days off work for Spring Break. This is the first year Alex is in a school that has it. The private pre-school he was in last year didn't have one and the private sitter the year before that certainly didn't. Her oldest was only 9 months older than Alex.

Back to work. I get 12 paid holidays a year. New Years Day, President's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Nevada Day, Thanksgiving weekend, Veteran's Day and Christmas. You math people probably count that and say "Hey, you liar! That's only 11!" I get a floating day for my birthday that I can take whenever I want after my birthday. Thats how I was able to go to my good friend's wedding on a Friday (love you Kylene!).

Notice how there is nothing from mid-February to the end of May? That's a long time to be at work without a break. Three and a half months! How can anyone be expected to work for almost 4 months STRAIGHT without some kind of paid holiday?! So, I'm taking part of Spring Break off. Just a few days with Alex next week. It will be my first paid vacation time since I started at this job. Just in time for the nice weather in Las Vegas where we can wear shorts and not shiver with cold wind.

And I have two projects due the Monday after Spring Break. Good to know some things don't change.

Leaving on a jet plane! (or in a Volvo)

Saturday is here and we spent the day getting Dustin ready for spending two months in the equivalent to a college dorm. Ground school is about 8 weeks long and they will be staying in ASU housing with 3-4 guys to a house with a private bedroom and shared common areas like kitchen, living and bathrooms. Oh and maid and linen service. Whatever. I wouldn’t mind maid service.

However, the list of things that we bought isn’t too bad mainly because we didn’t want to overwhelm the bedroom. Paper plates and plastic silverware to go with the ramen for snacks. Laundry detergent so he can actually do laundry and I’m sending the old pots and pans with him in case he actually, you know, cooks.

I’m a little concerned about how it will be with just me and Alex. We’ve never lived with just the two of us since he was a year old and that was only for two weeks. Every other place has been with my parents or my sister or Dustin. It should be interesting to see how it all works out. He’s starting swim lessons in a few weeks so that will keep us busy and I’ll be able to catch up on my tv watching. Actually, without Dustin to talk to in the evenings, I’m going to try to start learning how to make the bead ornaments my great-grandmother made growing up. I treasure the ones she gave me over the years and I want to try to make them to share with family and friends.

Easter is just around the corner and I’ve bought the stuff for Alex’s Easter basket. Included will be some stuff I bought for his stocking and forgot to put out so he’s getting a bit more than usual. I took off a few days for Spring Break but I’m undecided about what we’ll do. I’m tempted to go to San Diego for a few days but if my sister is working and no one else wants to come, I don’t know if I want to be in a rural house for three days with a 5 year old. Karen said I could have him pick up pine cones and I could get him to do a lot for a nickel a pinecone. That might get pricey though. I don’t think he’d do it for a penny. He’s got high prices. I asked what he thought he should get from the Tooth Fairy for his barely loose tooth. He said $100,000.00. I asked if she brought fifty cents if that would be ok and he said he wouldn’t want anything if isn’t $100,000.

Well, that’ll happen.

And it begins...

I can't promise how much this will be updated but the goal is once a week. If we even do anything exciting enough to be blogged about that is!

The biggest news around here is Dustin's new job. He'll be flying for Mesa Airlines which is a regional airline for United and US Airways. Ground school starts on Monday, March 10th and if anyone thinks that separating newlyweds is a good idea, let me tell you now that it will suck. He'll be gone for about 8 weeks training and weeks will be spent studying so he can pass and start flying one of their planes. The aircraft he'll be flying is called the DSH-8-200 or something. Nope, I don't know the brand but he is very excited about it and with the routes that plane is attached to, he'll be home most evenings which is a HUGE luxury in the airline world.

I recieved my probationary evaluation at my new(ish) job yesterday and I'm happy to report that I have passed and can now take vacation time! It was hard to go 9 months with only the regularly paid holidays off especially with the wedding.

Speaking of...here is a link to the wedding pictures if anyone wants to see them. Also, if anyone has pictures they are willing to share, please e-mail me!

http://www.mistydawnphotos.com/gallery/wohlgemuth/