BYU Football Post-season Wrap up

The only time a 10 win 3 loss season hurts is when 2 of the losses come in your last 2 games, one against your rival and one to a lowly Pac-10 team that hasn't been to a bowl game in 10 years.

In reality, 3 straight years with 10 wins or more and finishing in the top 25 isn't too shabby. I'm not sure the team will still be ranked after losing to Arizona last night, but there is a lot of promise going into next season.

As I look back on my thoughts before the season began, BYU really did overachieve this season. We won several games that we had no business winning with the way we played and pulled out squeakers that in the last 2 years would have been blow outs. The defense was my biggest worry going into the season and they promptly washed those fears away with big shut out wins against UCLA and Wyoming and followed up allowing only 3 points to New Mexico and a couple 4th quarter garbage TDs to Utah State.

Then TCU happened and both the offense and defense were exposed. The D was what we thought they should have been prior to the start of the season and the offense showed that if things don't go their way, they get flustered and make big mistakes. However, prior to that game even, I saw things that worried me. When the defense forced turnovers in the New Mexico game, the offense couldn't capitalize and ended up wasting a chance to score. That started to happen more and more and really put pressure on the D and probably took some wind out of their sails. Our team started to look like they were just going through the motions and there wasn't any passion for the game. They showed that now and again as the season went on, but again last night, the offense at least made it look like they didn't know why they were out there in the first place.

Two things need to change to continue being successful next season. First, the offense has to learn how to have fun again and therefore capitalize on the successes of the defense. The defense will be more experienced now and I'll expect them to step up and make more plays and know their opponents better so that they can read the offense prior to the snap.

If those two things can happen, 2009 can be really special for BYU and they could continue the success that began in 2005 with Bronco Mendenhall at the helm. Bronco's a great coach and has a great staff around him. It's time for the players to step up and buy into his philosophies and have fun doing it.

Here's to a great 2008 and a better 2009.

Go Cougars!!!!

Tag, You're it! Thanks Megan

Wow, it must be time for me to fix my gutters...

Dave pointed this out the other day and now it's the eigth picture in the eigth folder of my pictures...must be a sign.

This is kinda fun. Everyone should try it.

Tag: Krystal, Jesse, Sean, Traci, Stephanie(s), Jessica

It's Different

As we prepare to take other peoples children into our home and care for them as if they were our own I find that I am more sensitive to the things people say. Things like, "it's different when it's your own kid." What does that mean? Most parents with biological children say the same thing. It's different. So, as a woman that may never have biological children am I missing out on more then just the obvious? Am I unable to love a child that isn't mine the same as a mother who has given birth to a child? I mean there are so many costs that I have come to terms with as we prepare to take care of these children. If we adopt out of foster care I will never be able to name that child. Jason will never give that child a name and a blessing as an infant. I will not be given a child who I have nurtured since conception. If a child comes into our home it means there is some malfunction in their family of origin and there will be permanent repercussions. If I do take a children into my home and they live with us for 18 months, perhaps their first steps are taken in our living room or their sibling has their first day at kindergarten while with us, then they go home, those children are not mine. "It's different," they say. Perhaps it is, but as long as the child feels loved and cared for and accepted does it really matter if it's a different kind of love?

foster: Safety Inspection

Our safety inspection went great yesterday. We still need 2 window well covers and a hand rail on the stairs but our licencer is recommending licencing! She made it sound like we would be licenced by Christmas! Then we'll go on our cruise (to Mexico next month) and hope that we'll have children placed with us after that.

Foster Care Update!

We are scheduled for our home study! J FINALLY passed his background check. We've got two weeks to finish up some projects and we're ready to go. Wish us luck!

Mormon.org

I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Church gives us answers to the most important questions. I know who I am and where I am going and I am happy. Joseph Smith entered a grove of trees and God the Father appeared to him with His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. The knowledge of this singular event has been a guiding force in my life. God hears and answers prayers. God knows me by name. God loves me and He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to show me the way back to live with God some day. We can be with our families forever. How grateful I am for my opportunity to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. If you'd like more information on the Church or have questions about what I believe take at look at mormon.org. It's a site designed to answer questions with videos, article and even live chat.

Today I have visiting teaching appointments. Unfortunately they are the first in about 5 months. I have a lot of good excuses, wrong numbers, isolation in Primary, sickness, visiting family, vacations, holidays...I have more, need I go on? None of those are really important. Because I haven't been going on appointments I haven't been reading the message. I was preparing for these visits, thinking about the sisters I'd be visiting and what they should hear. Flipping through the Ensign, I was reading titles and snippets from articles trying to reminding myself of the messages we heard in October. We were out East for the General Relief Society Meeting and did not attend. I stopped and read "Happiness, Your Heritage" by President Uchtdorf. As I read tears were brought to my eyes as he spoke to those who were weary. I sometimes feel weary. And I am weary at my own hand. As I've struggled through life I have found that God sometimes won't give us the desires of our hearts-not because he can't but because he won't for our good. These last three years I have been told to wait, and wait and wait for the desires of my heart. And as I've waited, knowing the God has the answers to my questions and will lead me in the best paths, I've become weary with disappointment. As my spiritual well of faith is being drawn upon, I've neglected family and personal scripture study. That has been the cause for my wariness, trying to overcome with prayer alone without utilizing the power of scripture study and fasting. I don't need to fast, study and pray for a change in answer but to have the faith to accept it with happiness. I am grateful for the many blessings the Lord has blessed us with and I am grateful for the Holy Ghost that whispers to our hearts the messages we need to hear. Elder Uchtdorf did not talk about fasting and scripture study in his remarks to the Relief Society, but scripture study and fasting is the message I received. I hope you can find the answers to your questions as you study the General Conference Ensign this month and the months to come.

Aida Twilight and Girls Night Out

I'm not cool enough to remember my camera when I go out on nights like this. I had an amazing night starting with HCTO production of Aida. It was so well done especially considering space! I can't wait to have season tickets to the Hale!

On a Twilighter 1-10 scale of obsession I am firmly at a 5. I've read the books a couple of times- even stood in a midnight line to get the last book. But I don't wear T-shirts or dream of the main players. That being said, I was so excited to go out with the girls and see the midnight showing last night after Aida. I really think the movie stayed true to the book. But if I hadn't read the books I don't think I would have enjoyed it. In my mind it's not a stand alone movie. There wasn't enough dialog to support the romance for me. My opinion is not popular though. I'd love to know what you thought of the movie. Come on we all know you'll see it.

I am also a big fan of Aplebee's after 9. Whooo Hooo for half off aptz and virgin daiquiris!

Ward Choir

So, anyone that's visited our ward when the choir sings will know that it is not something taken lightly. Typically it feels like the entire congregation is getting up and going to the front while a few remain to listen.

It's a wonderful choir and they just recently released our director of the past 3 years. He did a wonderful job and we sang some wonderful songs.

The new director made a comment this morning that really made me think about why I participate in the ward choir. I used to think it was because I needed to keep working on my talent or lose it. Our director said that the chance to sing in church is to raise your testimony in song. I think at times we lose sight of that and it I thank her for bringing that to mind again. She also mentioned that when we focus on the words and the testimony being sung, it's much easier for the mechanics of singing to just flow rather than being forced and words will be pronounced correctly and the song will not only bring the spirit in but it should uplift all that listen.

I hope that I can keep that in mind as we move into the Christmas season and begin practicing songs from that wonderful night so many years ago when the Savior of the World was born among men. He is our true example and I give my testimony that He lives and loves us.

J

Here it Comes!

The Cougars did it, they managed to come back from a slow second quarter and get fired up for the second half. They rattled off 21 unanswered points in the second half to beat Air Force 38 to 24 setting up what is probably the biggest game in the history of the BYU-Utah rivalry. Never have both teams been ranked this high going into the game with the conference title on the line. They have both been ranked before but not like this and it's setting up to be something special. Both teams are fairly evenly matched in that the strengths of one team plays to the strength of the other and weakness goes against weakness.

Who will win out? I have no idea but it's going to be a great game. BYU holds a 2 game win streak after pulling out miracle plays 2 years in a row. One of the good things is that Utah has more pressure on them to win because they are currently undefeated and BYU will be the underdog going into Salt Lake. I give Utah the slight advantage since the game is on their turf, but in this rivalry, anything can happen.

BYU 34 Utah 28

Go Cougs!!

Undefeated at home for 3 years

BYU finally showed up on defense and proved the opponent to be what they were supposed to be, not good. BYU 41 SDSU 12. We've been making so many not so good teams look much better than they actually are that I was starting to wonder if we'd be able to pull this off. However San Diego State is just plain bad and it was a great confidence booster for the Cougs going into the toughest stretch of the season.

The great thing was the final home win marked the third straight season that BYU has gone undefeated at home, a new school record. We said goodbye to 22 seniors and while they will be missed, there are plenty of players ready to step in and take over and should give us another great year of football next year too.

Next up is at the Air Force Academy which despite being a young team has played really well this season and provides quite a few mismatches against our D. I still think our offense is good enough to win this one in the end and I'll look to our D to get just a couple stops so the O can capitalize and give us a cushy 2 score lead.

After AFA is Utah at Salt Lake. This is not going to be easy. The Utes have a great defense and an offense that plays to BYU's defensive weaknesses. The equalizer here is that it is the rivalry game and anything can happen. We're holding a 2 game win streak over the Utes and would like to make it 3 along with being the first team to put them behind on the scoreboard at the end of the game.

Go Cougs!!

SO I've also been thinking about the election and I don't agree with what J has said. I do think that many Americans have done the research and voted with their conscience. I also know that Republicans have BLOWN it. I never said that John McCain was a great choice and had a hard time in the beginning choosing whom I would vote for. When it came down to it, it was the platform I voted for. I had to dig deep and decided what Governments job is and then try and align myself with a candidate that believed as I did. I hope that is what the majority of voting Americans have done. America was hungry for a change and we have many problems. I had to decide which solutions I could and could not support. Some answers came from the Left and some from the Right and again it came down to the platform. A local radio commentator said it best for me. "Government's job is to be the referee and not to suit up and play the game." Government has made some bad calls. If I was at football game I may have even stood up and booed at times. That said I still believe that Governments job is to ref the game not play it.

Our economic crisis reminds me of the crisis form the 1830's. Real estate speculation, inflation, failing banks.... except today we feel like we need the government to fix everything and not let it run it's course with little government involvement. Economic ups and downs have always been present with the freedoms we enjoy in this country and will continue to come in varying degrees as long as we have a capitalist society. On the flip side we will also have great high times of longer duration. I agree with J that we have been warned by a Prophet to get out of debt, collect food storage and become self reliant. I think that is great advice for individuals, institutions and governments.

E

Post Election thoughts

I've been thinking alot about the results of the election yesterday. I'm not overly excited about our new President and the policies of his party, but I realize that we must all come together to move forward because we cannot change it now. Let's just hope that we get to keep enough of our hard earned Halloween candy and that it doesn't all go to those that were too lazy to go Trick-or-Treating. ;)

Some of the most important things we can do is to continue following the advice of the prophets to get out of debt and build our reserves so that we can survive tough times which are bound to come. We will probably see tax increases that will affect all of us in one way or another, but if we are saving and building our food storage, we have the promise that we'll be blessed to survive the tough times.

One thing everyone is right about, tough times are ahead and we will all have to sacrifice, be it in different ways. I know that our family is going to focus on getting out of debt and building our savings. That's been something that's been tough for us to do as we've continued to prosper since we were married. My job is steady and fortunately, the company continues to grow, but we do need to be aware that things can always change.

The main stream media is such an easy source of information these days but it is extremely biased and has leaned toward extreme liberalism in its view over the last 10 to 15 years. Hopefully we, as the new generation of voters that supposedly turned out in record numbers, will realize the importance of doing our own research and not relying totally on the Media for information. We have so many more tools out there to see beyond what the Media reports that we should become the best educated electorate of all time. We all need to start educating ourselves because no matter where information comes from, it will always have some bias from the source.

Anyway, just my 2 cents. Follow the Prophet, don't go astray.

J

Defense wasn't as bad as it looked

Now that I've had some time to look at the game objectively, I've realized that despite giving up 42 points and scoring 45, our defense didn't look that bad, but our offense didn't look as good as it could have either.

The score will be deceiving because it doesn't tell you that there was a fumble returned for a touchdown or that 2 other turnovers late in the game turned into another 14 points almost immediately.

The blessing for the team was that CSU scored quickly after the interception leaving Max Hall and Co almost 2 minutes to drive the field and I'm sorry but against an offense like that, that's a silly move.

In the end, the plays were made and the Cougs pulled out a win. It was a nerveracking but very entertaining football game and I'm looking forward to our final home game against San Diego State this weekend. Unless they pull of the game of the century, this should be an easy win. SDSU lost to Wyoming 35 to 10. We beat Wyoming 44 to 0. hmmmm

A little late

Aimee called me yesterday looking for spooky treats for her family. I gave her a couple ideas, but most needed store items or were labor intensive. I went looking today and found this great site. Check it out for next year! http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/special/specialfeature/halloween_ms_food/

I have the 7 friends...

GO VOTE!



I can do anything I was in a boy band....OK?











What are you doing? You're just sitting there. Go VOTE!

Happy Halloween!

So we're the LAME house that turned their light out at 8:30 because we ran out of treats! 50 packages of play dough gone by 8:30! LOL Hopefully you and yours had a great Halloween!

I'd Rather be Lucky than Lose

So with 6 minutes left to go in the game, BYU was losing, that's right losing, to UNLV 35 to 34. The defense hadn't been able to stop them all game long. The offense was a different story, they moved the ball quite well and looked pretty sharp in most cases. I was pleased with how they came back from the loss to TCU, but I digress.

The offense got the ball and took a nice long drive to score, putting BYU up 40 to 35. Unfortunately, we still left 1:45 on the clock for UNLV, so we went for 2 and converted! UNLV would have to score a touchdown and kick the PAT to tie it up. It sure looked like they were going to do it to, but #57 Putnam from BYU got into the back field and finally got the QB. That pushed UNLV back between the 25 and 30 yard lines and took lots of time off the clock. With only 7 seconds left, they knew they had to heave it and hope. Fortunately the entire BYU defense converged on the receivers in the end zone and someone picked it off with no time remaining. The interesting thing is there was so much blue in the endzone I couldn't tell who the QB had been throwing to.

So luckily, BYU pulled off the win against a UNLV team that has improved quite a bit after several years of being the whipping boy in the conference (kinda like Washington State in the Pac-10). We'll have to watch for them in the next few years as they are a young team that is coming together quickly. Their defense isn't great, but neither is BYUs and look where we are at this point.

Hopefully our D can get whatever is bugging them worked out and start performing like they did against UCLA and Wyoming.

Next week we travel to Colorado State and get to face a pocket quarterback for the first time since Wyoming. That basically means the QB isn't one of those athletic guys that can run and throw. They are the type that do much better when they have time to sit in the 'pocket' created by their linemen and throw the ball. Our defense has succeeded against this kind of offense so far this season, so I'm looking for a real strong performance from them on the road this next week.

Deals Deals Deals

You can't beat this deal. Especially if you are a steak fan. Check out this website to find out how you can get Omaha steaks, burgers, kives, and a cutting board for as low as $10 TOTAL! We spent $25 because we wanted more steaks =).

http://www.dealiciousmom.com/2008/10/free-25-omaha-steaks-gift-card-for.html

BCS Hopes Crushed in Texas

Well, that was it. TCU came out and did everything they needed to do to stop BYU. They got up early and the emotion rolled from there. That is one really good football team. If they'd played like that at Oklahoma, they would've taken the top spot in all the talk about BCS busters.

Now it's time to finish the season strong and win a good bowl game. After that, we come back next year with nearly everyone returning and some good talent to replace those that leave.

TCU is now the team to beat in the MWC.

Go Cougs!!!!

Tagged

I don't often do this so Steph is lucky I read her blog!

4 things I love about my husband:
1. He has a strong sense of duty and loyalty
2. He loves me enough to do the dishes
3. He's passionate about football
4. He's so sweet with his nieces and nephews

4 movies I'd watch more then once: (This one's hard because we love movies. I'm in a nostalgic mood so...)
1. Remember the Titans (One of Jason's favorite movies and one of our first dates)
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. Ann of Green Gables
4. An Affair to Remember

4 TV Shows I watch:
1. Pushing Daisies
2. Life
3. Heroes
4. Rate my Space, and Color Splash I can't choose!

4 places I've been:
1. Upstate NY, Sharon VT, Palmyra NY, Kirtland OH, Dayton OH (This is one trip so I'm counting it as one =)
2. Alaska
3. Mexico
4. Connecticut

4 places I'd like to go:
1. Hawaii
2. Veracruz
3. Europe
4. Home

4 people who email me regularly...Uhhhh I just use email for work.

4 Things I like to eat
1. Mexican
2. Chocolate
3. Mushrooms (A new fetish)
4. Fish

4 Things I look forward to in the next year:
1. Seeing Mom, Aimee and Jared next week
2. Starting Foster Care
3. Chirstmas!
4. Getting Skinny

It's Time

We need a recomendation for gutters here in Utah. After this week end's storm we have a problem...
 

 

We also need to finally get some in the back. We're big on referals so if you know of anyone or if there's someone you know who knows someone....

Bowl Eligible

Well, that's 6 wins and BYU is officially bowl eligible. The offense was kind of slow getting started and the defense gave up some big plays, but held in the end.

It wasn't the most exciting game, but we won. Erica and I had the chance to be there thanks to a friend from work that gave us their tickets. It was cold, but not too bad. It was supposed to snow, but didn't, so that was good.

Again, it wasn't the prettiest of wins, but conference play is rarely easy. I think holding a team that beat Arizona to 3 points wasn't too bad.

Now we have the short week and a Thursday night game against a TCU team that has been struggling as of late as well. It should be interesting to see which team is able to pick up the pieces and put together a clean game. (I vote for BYU).

The game will be on Versus for all of you that don't have the Mountain. I'm not sure what time kick off is yet, but I'll try and let you know.

Go Cougs!

Vacations are waaay better than Staycations!

As many of you know, we've been out east visiting family and touring historic sites since September 24th. We have had a blast. There is so much to do and see out here but not even time to do it and see it all. I guess we'll have to visit again sometime. This is going to be a long post, almost an itinerary, so sit back and get ready for the whirlwind. That's almost what it felt like to us, so enjoy. We'll try to get some more pictures up soon.

Gettysburgh:

We arrived in Richmond, Virginia where Mom and Dad picked us up. We headed straight to Gettysburgh. That is an amazing place and is waaaaay bigger than one would imagine.

Valley Forge:

We were heading straight to Valley Forge, but some city in Pennsylvania with Hershey kisses for street lamps on Chocolate Ave stopped us. We were too late to see any attractions, so we ate at The Grill on Chocolate Avenue. Best burger I've ever had, soft and tender....mmmmm, got hungry just thinking about it.

We stayed the night in a city called King of Prussia which is where the Valley Forge National Park is located. In the morning we went straight to the park for another amazing experience. The wind was blowing up on top of the hill where the camps were and it gave us a good insight to how cold it must've been in the middle of winter for those soldiers.

The Farm:



We knew that Jason's brother-in-law (Jason's sister's husband) grew up at "The Farm" in upstate NY, but I was never able to picture it. I never thought of Dan as a farmer, but now he will always be in my mind Farmer Dan. Erica got to go to the Circus for the first time ever while staying at The Farm. We also had some of the best Ice Cream ever and the portions were perfect for a BYU offensive lineman. That's one picture we should've taken but didn't. Our week stay was a blast but the best part was being with family. We're so grateful for the great examples of Krys, Dan and Dan's extended family. Thank YOU!

Sharon, Vermont:

We were lucky to be centrally located to early early Church history sites. We drove to beautiful Sharon, Vermont and visited the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
The home Joseph was born in sat on the border of Sharon and Royalton but Sharon gets the braging rights. The site is beautiful and there are still remnants of the old turnpike road that settlers travelled on in those days as well as the foundations of the cabins where Lucy Mack Smith's family had lived.

It was impressed upon my mind the influence of our ancestors on the people we become. The Lord has a plan for my life and the life of my posterity. These plans are a continuation of the plan laid out for my mother and father. The miracles in the life of Joseph Smith were preceded by miracles in the lives of his forefathers. How grateful I am to live in a time when I can know of the life and testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith

Palmyra:



On our way out of New York we stopped in Palmyra (we drug Dan, Krys and family along for that part). All the visitor centers are great, especially the one at the Hill Cumorah. Seeing the homes the Smiths lived in was an eye opener and it's no wonder they were so close as a family (you'd have to be in that close of quarters).

The Sacred Grove is much bigger than I ever imagined it. The clouds were out and rain was falling while we were walking through it but you could hardly tell due to the dense forest. There is an amazing spirit of reverance that exists when you walk through the grove and it was a very special experience.

We stayed the night in Palmyra and then went to the building where the Book of Mormon was first published. It's amazing that the building is still there. They walked us through the entire publication process. 5000 copies was an amazing feat. It's amazing the shop was able to support other publications during the process. If we still published like that today, the unemployment rate wouldn't be quite so high.

We had lunch at the Historic Palmyra Golden Arches and then parted ways with Dan, Krys, Scottie and Hazel. That's a tough bunch to say goodbye to.

Kirtland:



Kirtland is a special place for us because it is where Jason's ancestors became a part of the Church, giving us the legacy we have today. The difference at Kirtland was that the historic sites weren't all run by the church. The temple itself as well as a couple other sites are owned and maintained by the Community of Christ church which was established after the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. So instead of missionaries guiding you through, there's a tour guide that talks about the history of the temple and how it came to be what it is today.

Kinsley:

We left Kirtland a little later than we had planned and headed down to Dayton to see brand new Kinsley and new mom Melissa (ok ok, we wanted to see Jesse too, uh, well, sort of).

 

Unfortunately we didn't have as much time to visit with them as we would have liked but Kinsley is beautiful and we enjoyed watching Conference with them Sunday.

Ugly Win

Okay, so after Washington, I said a win is a win regardless of the score and that is still true, but could it have been any sloppier?

All in all the team played well in the first quarter and the defense really pounded away on the Aggies, but after jumping out to a 24 to 0 lead in the first quarter, I think the offense got a little complacent and didn't look as sharp as they have the last few games.

This forced the defense to be on the field longer than normal which led to some frustration and big plays by Utah State. We all know that frustration leads to those 'fun' personal foul penalties that have a way of shifting the momentum of a game.

I guess it was time for the team to have a game like this so they realize they can't just walk all over opponents and give up. They have to finish every game before they get a break. Hopefully they've learned that lesson and it will help as we move forward.

Execution will have to be much cleaner as we get ready to play New Mexico this weekend.

Go Cougs!

No I Didn't Edit the Prediction Blog

44 to zero. Nuff said!

Okay, I'll give you a little more. Many told me over and over that after shutting out UCLA, BYU couldn't pull it off 2 games in a row. At first, I believed them and on Monday I was giving the Pokes 7 points against BYUs 44. After researching and thinking a lot about it, I decided to believe in my team and so on Wednesday I updated by pick on the board at work as well as on cougarfan.com and gave the Cougars their first back to back shut out since 1985.

I was more confident that the team could shut Wyoming out than I was that we would only score 44 points, but not only do we shut the opponent out 2 weeks in a row but we also got to see the backups start coming into the game with 4 minutes left in the game. We even got to see the 3rd string QB this week.

This bodes really well for the program. If there was one thing I worried about the most it was about depth in the upcoming years. It's fabulous to see the newer guys get in and get that game experience that is so necessary to develop a player.

BYU gets a bye week and to celebrate, I think I'll take Erica out east to spend time with Mom and Dad. I think we'll even go see the Braytons at the farm and Jesse and Melissa in Ohio. Got room for us?

BYUs next game is Friday Oct 3 at Utah St. All I have to say is 49 to 0. That's right, I'm predicting the first ever back to back to back shutouts in BYU football history.

See ya out East!

PS - oh yeah, GO Duhhckssss. Oops.

Jam Jam Jam

I've had so much fun these last couple of days. Our neighbor has a peach tree and gave us 3 boxes of peaches. A friend and I canned 30 quarts of peaches and 74 jars of jam. It is sooo good! We made Peach Jam, Peach Berry Jam (or Streach- Strawberry+Peach), and my favorite Spiced Peach. There is still about a box of peaches left that we'll freeze. We like Peaches. "Millions of Peaches, Peaches for me, Millions of Peaches, Peaches for FREE!"

Coach Mendenhall on the Jim Rome show

BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall gave an interview on national radio today with one of the more famous radio hosts, Jim Rome. Rome has been known to be tough with his interviewees and is sometimes considered controversial.

Bronco did so well that Rome actually kept him on the show a little longer than normal. He touched on several topics from recruiting to the excessive celebration penalty from the Washington game.

If you've ever wanted to know why BYU football does what it does and where they are heading, this is a great interview to get that point of view. Bronco also touched on this season's them 'The Quest for Perfection.'

Listen to the interview here and let me know what you think.

BYU hosts Wyoming this weekend. It looks like it could be another whipping like last week. The last time the Cowboys came to Provo they left on the short side of a 55 to 7 score. That Wyoming team was better than this year's, whose only real strength is their running game. Their defense can play tough, but typically tries to overplay when they come to Provo which leads to lots of big plays for our offense. I think coach will be merciful and only put up 44 points on the Cowboys.

Prediction: BYU 44 WYO 0

Can you believe we've been in our house for OVER 2 years. I came across these pictures the other day and just couldn't believe this was my house! Thanks Dan and Krystal for helping to make my home comfortable for our family!

Old and New

Last week I revieved a surprise in the mail from Mom Gifford. She sent me this supper cute Eeyore teddy bear that she MADE! Here's Jason's bear from his childhood and my new bear! Super cute!



Kinley thought so too. She came in this morning and this conversation followed:
K: "My bear"
E: That's Erica's bear but you can play with it.
K: I like it!
E: He's so cute
k: I like his hair-He's so cute!

She's been playing with it ever since and LOVES him. Thanks you Mom Gifford!

PS.
Kinley is the daughter of some really good friends. Erica babysits her a couple times a week.

Every Week Can Change the Season

Wow, just wow. If this weekend didn't convert you to being a college football fan, there's no hope.

When schedules were made and contracts signed, I'm sure Arizona St wasn't thinking UNLV could even play against their second string let alone block a field goal in over time to upset the Sun Devils at home. I bet UNLV even got a fair chunk of change out of it just for showing up. Some have reported that Utah got
$800,000 just for showing up at the Big House to start the season.

I'm sure Arizona thought, 'New Mexico, out of the MWC. Meh, they aren't BYU or Utah, should be cake.' Oops. Another Pac-10 loss to a MWC team. TCU taught Stanford all about the eye of the storm and BYU treated UCLA by handing them their worst beating since 1929.

The only bright spots for the Pac-10 were USC tromping THE Ohio State University (sorry Jesse) and Oregon sneaking out a win over Purdue in double OT while putting another QB on the injury list.

Today's Coaches poll has BYU as the 11th best team in the country and after watching them on Saturday, I'd say it's pretty accurate. Unfortunately, every week can change the season as they say and there's a lot of tough games ahead. I really hope someone in the Pac-10 wakes up and knocks USC off their horse.

Any team can win anytime, anywhere against anyone. That's why they play the game.

I love this game! GO COUGS!!!!

HELP!!!!!

Not only do I need help on deciding which color to paint the dresser (see previous post) I also need help deciding what to do. I'm not sure I love this.

Originally this was all I was going to do. I think it's pretty cute and I love "Dream" in a child's room. I also love "Believe" but that's for later dilemma in another room.



Because this turned out so well I thought I'd go a step further and add the words "love" and "learn". Here's "Love" and I don't know if I love it. =)



"Learn" is supposed to go here horizontally in red, right on the line.



OK now please be brutally honest! Keep in mind I don't love "Love" ;). If you don't like it please tell me before I go any further!

Thanks!

Nursery update

I've finally finished the bedding! I decided to make my own because my friend said that the pattern I chose was boy oriented. I added a strip and bow out of ribbon to make it a little more girly. Thanks mom for helping figure out the logistics. It's not perfect so don't look close!




Also check out what I did with the scraps!






And one last picture! I have so many ideas on painting the dresser. I'd thought maybe you could help.



Color options:
White
Cream
Green white of the trim
Brown
Red
Pale yellow

Or any other color you can think of!

So Excited for Fall

I love the rain!!!! We've had a few storms the last couple of weeks and it's been cool and sunny and rainy and windy and I love it! The fall is my favorite season. I love soups, sweaters, cute jackets, books, blankets, hot chocolate, cool mornings, early sun sets...I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT! The change in seasons brings the anticipation of reliving favorite memories and creating new ones. I'm so excited!

We love #45 Harvey

Frockly T-Shirt Giveaway

Clik on the link if you'd like to win a Frockly Harvey T-Shirt

Last night we were watching Color Splash and David used my crib bedding in the gender nutral nursery he was creating for a couple. I actually returned the bedding and decied to make my own out of a curtain of the same patern. I'll be sure to post some pictues when I'm done!

My favorite quote from Sports Center tonight was "Fui on you!"

Anniversary

So among all the Foster Care stuff and all the BYU football stuff we had an anniversary on Wednesday-number 4. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful spouse and to know that he is mine FOREVER! We had a great FREE night out thanks to some movie tickets I won last month and a gift card from Mom and Dad Gifford! Thank you Jason for always treating me like Royalty. I can't wait for another 70 years together!

By the smallest of margins

Yes, I know, BYU didn't beat UW nearly as badly as Oregon did, but it was a non-conference road win over a BCS conference team, something BYU hasn't done since 2001.

The big talk about the game is the questionable penalty on UWs Jake Locker after scoring a touchdown with 2 seconds reamining. Locker jumped up, chucked the ball behind him and went to celebrate with his teammates.

I was thinking, shoot, here comes overtime, but wait for it, the flag was thrown and UW was penalized 15 yards for Locker's "unsportsmanlike" conduct. UW was backed up to kick the extra point and BYU pushed through and got the block. You'll notice in the picture that Jan Jorgensen (the guy that blocked the kick) is clearly being held as he fights through the line, but he got to it anyway. He made the play that won the game. The officials did not lose the game for UW.



The interesting thing about football is that on any given Saturday, any team can win. The players on the field play a part in it. The coaches on the sidelines play a part in it. The coaches in the box play a part in it. The fans in the stands play a part in it. AND the officials calling the game in the booth and on the field play a part in it. Officials cannot be blamed for a loss any more than fans can. They are part of the competition and both teams have to deal with bad calls. That's just the way it is.

UW's offensive line held BYU all game long and had several blatant blocks in the back that were not called but were significant in keeping UW drives alive. Is it upsetting? Yes. Is it fair? Yes. That's part of the game, good calls and bad calls.

I say good show BYU. You put everything into it and despite turning the ball over twice, you managed to win the game and keep hopes alive for a big money BCS bowl game.

I like the motto of the East Carolina football team. 1 and 0. They always think 1-0. Be it this game, this week, or this one practice or this one play. They always focus on executing in the moment. Every game starts out 0 to 0 and teams can start anew every week. That's why I love college football.

That is how you create a winning football team.

GO COUGS!!!!

We have had many people ask how our search for foster care furniture is going and I thought I'd post our laundry list. If you have, see or know of anyone with these items please let me know!

Still need:
2 Bunky boards for bunk beds
4 Window well covers
Converter Car seat and booster seat
Fence around the water fall-Maybe
Toys
Assorted clothing
Assorted Diapers
Formula

Have:
Bunk beds
3 in 1 crib with mattress
Crib bedding
2 sets of twin sheets
2 twin mattresses-Although they are in pretty sad shape
2 twin comforters
3 dressers
rocking chair
Toy Chest
high chair
Umbrella stroller
Carseat stroller combo
Table booster seat
Boys assorted clothing
Child Gate

Thank you to ALL who have helped us get this far! I live in the best place! So many neighbors and friends have given us items or donated money to help us to have children in our home. I feel so blessed!

LOVE this site! So I'm soooo obsessed with decorating my house. Unfortunately my budget doesn't keep up with my taste. Check out my ideas and make some of your own!
http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=3387021


This is my new bedroom.


This is the starts of my basement. I'd like to paint the walls blue. More like the blue of the bathroom than this blue.



And here is the beginnings of my living room. This one is the biggest work in progress.

It's Football Season!!!

Phew, what a squeaker. They better not turn the ball over like that against some of these bigger teams or it's going to be a long season.

BYU 41 UNI 17

Top 100 Books

I stole this straight from someone’s blog. Who knows how reliable it is but I think it’s FUN! This is a list of the top 100 books ever published. Supposedly, the average person has only read 6 of these books.

I tag everyone. This is what you have to do:

1. Copy the list on your blog.
2. Read through the list and mark the books you've read.
3. Italicize-Books I would recommend

1. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
2. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
3. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
4. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
5. Life of PI - Yann Martel
6. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett-Erica-Wonderful Story worth reading
7. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
8. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
9. Jane Eyre-Charlot Brontte-E- Favorite Book of all time!
10. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee-Erica and Jason
11. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte-Erica and Jason Started
12. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell-Erica and Jason -Love Love Love anything Orwell writes
13. His Dark Materials (trilogy) - Philip Pullman
14. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens-E and J
15. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller-J
16. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien- E and J-I read the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings as an adult. If you haven't read it yet you'll enjoy it!
17. Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger -E and J
18. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
19. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky-E
20. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
21. Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis-Erica and Jason-We LOVE C.S Lewis and read these once a year
22. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis-E and J
23. Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne
24. Animal Farm - George Orwell -E and J-Again I Love Orwell.
25. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
26. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck-E and J-This book started me on other Steinbecks. I also liked East of Eden. Be careful if you're easily offended you may not like it.
27. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
28. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens-J
29. Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White-Erica and Jason-Ummm How can anyone never read this book!
30. Hamlet - William Shakespeare-E and J-College
31. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl-E-Love IT!
32. Complete Works of Shakespeare-E-So when you listen to General Conference the 12 are very well read and often use literature and poetry to emphasise Gospel principles. It sent me on a quest to read Shakespeare. Well worth it!
33. Ulysses - James Joyce-Erica-Joyce is FANTASTIC!
34. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
35. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo-E and J started-LOVE this book! You just have to skip the first 100 pages the first time you read it!
36. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen-E -What woman doesn't love Austen
37. The Bible- Jason (Front to back not from a class. I find this impressive even in Spanish)
38. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
39. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
40. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck-Erica and Jason Started-Favorite Steinbeck
41. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy-Next book!
42. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini -I've read A Thousand Splendid Suns and LOVED it! It's a tragedy so if you don't want to be exposed to abuse, and sacrifice you don't want to read it.
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen-E and J
45. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
46. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
47. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery-Erica in English and French-We don't have many children's books because, huh, we don't have children but we own this one!
48. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
49. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien-E and J
50. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling-Erica and Jason-We read this together and I love hearing stories out loud! Plus Jason does voices.
51. Little Women - Louisa M. Alcott-E and J-LOVE this book!
52. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
53. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
54. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
55. Middlemarch - George Eliot
56. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
57. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
58. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
59. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
60. Emma - Jane Austen-E and J
61. Persuasion - Jane Austen-E
62. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
63. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
64. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown-E and J-J liked this more then I did but it was a great read
65. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
66. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
67. Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery-E-My favorites as a 12-15 year old and the books go way beyond the movies so if you love the movie you'll LOVE the books
68. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
69. Atonement - Ian McEwan
70. Dune - Frank Herbert
71. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
72. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
73. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
74. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
75. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
76. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
77. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
78. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas-E and J-Dumas is one of our favorite authors. I think we own all of his works. Actually, I know that's not true because only part of them are being printed.
79. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
80. Bridget Jones’ Diary - Helen Fielding
81. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
82. Moby Dick - Herman Melville - J
83. Dracula - Bram Stoker
84. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
85. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
86. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
87. Germinal - Emile Zola
88. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
89. Possession - A.S. Byatt
90. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens-E and J-It's a Christmas Tradition! Thanks Dickens!
91. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
92. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
93. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
94. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
95. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
96. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
97. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
98. Watership Down – Richard Adams
99. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
100. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas-E and J-It's part of this series that is being condensed to 20 years after and the Man in the Iron Mask. There's a 3rd book between these two that isn't being printed.

So I’m not sure how they determined which books would be on the list (I haven't been able to find a duplicate on the Internet) but here’s some authors I thought should've been there: Twain, Hemingway, Faulkner and Proust . Not to mention some of my favorites playwrites, Edmond Rostand, Oscar Wilde and Nathaniel Hawthorne. If they did it by number of publications, than shouldn't Twilight be on the list somewhere around Harry Potter? Oh well, according to the 33 books I’ve read off this list I’m a third of the way to making my own top 100! Enjoy!

For Anita

The "Nursery"

Here's the 3 in 1 crib we bought at a garage sale.



Notice the damage on the drop down rail.



This is a chair given to us by Megan's Grandpa. I'm going of recover the chair and was wondering if I should paint the chair and the crib while I'm at it.

So there's a lot of interest in our process to be licensed to be foster parents. We've been to 2 classes where they bombard you with information. I feel like we leave each class with less confidence. There is sooo much to know and sooo much to prepare for. Our last class told us about licensing. We were prepared for half of the info and had a price tag on what it would take to get licensed. The other half.... It seems we have a lot more to do, which means a lot more money.... I'm not sure when the change came, but it seems having children in our lives has a higher association with money than with love.In order for us to comply with all of the requirements we will be looking at several months out so we probably won't be licenced as soon as we planned

So I know this is silly but I'm really upset that in ALL of my pictures the walls in my house look PINK! I promise they are not pink, they are a gray brown. It's a red based paint so I guess it looks pinky in some lights-and that includes the light of my camera. Grrrrr.

Foster Care

So, Erica's garage sale post sparked quite a few questions. Guess we should've seen that coming. ;)

We've decided to get licensed to be foster parents. We've only just started and had one visit from a social worker from DCFS. Her visit was simply an informational one so that we could get some questions answered.

Here's what we know:

1. We have to take 4 weeks of classes in August, 2 nights a week for 4 hours each.
2. In the second class we'll get fingerprinted and have background checks started.
3. Once the our paperwork and classes are complete, we'll undergo a home study. It may take 2 or 5 months to schedule and complete the home study.

Those are the basic steps and once that's done, we'll be licensed and can start fostering children. So, we're guessing it'll probably be around Christmas before we're licenced. We are planning on taking children from ages 0 to 10. We are willing to bring in sibling groups no larger than 3 children.


We also wanted to let everyone know that we haven't given up on fertility treatment. We're currently looking at options for specialists and what kind of assistance our health insurance can give. Basically, things are at a bit of a standstill until we get all that figured out.

We know that Heavenly Father is watching out for us and we are putting our trust in Him. We feel like this is the right time to open our family to children who are in need of a loving home. This is one way we can be of service to our community while we work on the fertility challenges that we've encountered.

Speaking of deals...

There's a$400 HP printer, fax, scanner, copy machine combo on sale at Office Depot for $259.99

http://www.officedepot.com/textSearch.do?uniqueSearchFlag=true&Ntt=m1522nf

Plus HP is offering a $200 mail in Rebate: http://hpshopping.speedera.net/www.shopping.hp.com/shopping/pdf/rebate_s129_lj_mfp_6-29.pdf

That's like $60 bucks! ($77 if you live in Utah)

Office Depot's site is down so I ordered over the phone and got free shipping.

The rebate is good until August 2nd and I don't know when the sale ends but it's worth a shot if you want one!

Garage Sales!

I've rediscovered my addiction to garage sales! We're starting the process of foster care while we are waiting for our children to join our family. Which means we needed some furniture to get started, mainly beds. I turned to my own obsession with garage sales to find what we needed.

I found some GREAT deals this weekend.

A post 2000, 3 in 1 crib with mattress for $50.

A chair for $2

A bunch of cabinet doors that I'm re-purposing. for Christmas presents. (If you live in Utah please don't look! ;)

They're chalk boards! It's sitting on my $2 chair that I need to refinish. I love love love to garage sale! Thanks Lyss for going with me! Congrats on your own great deals!

Awsome Library Service

So I heard about this on the news/morning show the other day. The Salt Lake library will do a customized reading list for you. You put in a book you've read recently, a genre and some other preferences then the librarian will give you a list of books that are similar. Jason and I just tired it and are waiting for our results. Let's cross our fingers that its good! Check it out-They'll do it for anyone!

http://www.slco.lib.ut.us/booksnmore/personal_booklist_intro.htm

The Mirror Has Two Faces II

So I have to amend my review. Jason and I caught this movie on TV and LOVED IT! After renting it, we still love it, but it has a few scenes with strong language....

It is so HOT right now in Utah. I've become obessed with frozen fruit. Grapes, blueberries, watermellon balls...mmmmm. Today I looked for U-Pick farms in Utah county so I could go get some blueberrys that would be cheeper then $5 a pint. We have one in Payson-30 minutes from here.
http://www.pickyourown.org/UT.htm

Just out of curiosity I looked up how many were listed under Lane County at:

http://www.nabcblues.org/upick.htm

Eight U-Pick farms in Lane county-most within 20 minutes of Mom's house. And the site didn't even have all of them-just the ones where they grow blueberries!

Congratulations Krystal and Dan on your baby girl born yesterday! I'm sure she's beautiful.

The Mirror Has Two Faces

SO I'm a big fan of this Barbra Streisand Movie. I hated Barbra Streisand in the past, but now I think I have to give her other movies a chance. This movie was a perfect mix between reality and entertainment. It was about intimacy between men and women. Streisand explores how intimacy with the wrong person under the wrong circumstances can affect someone. Then she explores how lack of intimacy between two people can influence a relationship. I highly recommend this movie! Jason says it's funny too. http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4176871705/

PS-The background music in the trailer is the same as the music in "While You Were Sleeping."

So I tried to do some vinyl lettering. It is a lot of work! In case you can't read it, it says, "Gifford-Be true to who you are and the family name you bear. Gordon B. Hinckley".

Oregon 2X

Early last month I made it to Medford to spend a week with Aimee and Ben. It wasn't fun and games-it was lots of work! Their house was grimy and smelled bad but was huge and has some great features. Mom, Brenda and I went down to help and we washed walls, painted, cleaned and a whole lot more to get their house ready. I must say it was WORTH it! They have a beautiful house now that is a BLAST to visit with their hot tub, swimming pool, large yard, huge play room....



I have a better appreciation for those of you who helped get our house in order! Thank you! Especially Krys and Dan we couldn't have done it without you!

Aimee had a beautiful little boy who looks nothing like a "rat." He was born the day they received the keys to their new house and is growing fast! We were able to come for the 4th of July and participate in his blessing.

It was a blast to be home. We packed every second of the day with friends and family! We went through NV on our way over and stopped in Medford. We played in the pool with Aimee Ben Luke and Makenna and had a blast jumping off the "rock" and relaxing in the hot tub. We came into Eugene on Friday and spent the afternoon with Sean and Amanda. We went to Lone Pine Farms and had some Umpqua Ice Cream. YUM!

That night we had an AMAZING amateur fireworks show at Dave and Jen's. They had mortars and with the other 3 cul de sacs shooting of large ones it was very exciting.

Saturday was friends, food and shopping! Thank you Jessica Durfee and Stephanie Nack for fitting me into your schedules! I loved seeing you and catching up.

Thanks to my loving family, I am now addicted to the TJ Max Home Store. I think they just brought me there as part of their plan to make me move back.

While I was off playing with friends and shopping, Jason, Ben and Luke went to the Olympic trials at Hayward Field. He said it would have been a fun thing to do as a date night but that it wasn't quite suited for Luke (3 yrs).



Sunday Jared Whitmer was blessed and we had a family lunch in the park. It was soo good to visit with everyone and see their growing kids! We had dinner at Sean and Amanda's and had a blast with Brockton and Kelsie! That little girl is almost walking!

I don't know if there is someone in Mom's area that hates Utahans but our car was vandalized for the second time while home. When we went to Alaska Summer of 2005 someone egged our car. This time we woke up to find some inexperienced thief had tried to siphon our gas! But just ours, not the 3 other cars parked outside Mom's house. They didn't get much, if anything, but they left the cap off and the tank door open to prove they'd been there. Luckily no harm done!

Our fast and furious trip ended yesterday where we somehow turned our 12-13 hour drive home into 15 hours. We rolled in at midnight on an empty tank. I was glad to know that we can make it from Costco in Boise to our front door on 1 tank! We found the cheapest gas along our way in Boise at $4.04/gallon. The most expensive gas belonged to Elko NV, where we paid over $5.00/gallon. Everywhere else is between $4.00 and $4.40 except here where we are still under $4.00 at $3.99. Hope your gas prices are "low"!

Ottoman?

So with my next check I'm thinking about buying an ottoman! I've fallen in love with the idea of a round ottoman. Not just because, right now, my style is so traditional, but also because our front room is full of linear objects. I think the round would be unexpected and that makes me excited. So here's what I'm thinking. Keep in mind these are my favorites of only of the ones that would fit in my room. There are plenty that I would have chosen if they weren’t so darn BIG!

I love this one because I've been so careful to keep my furniture neutral to be able to accessorize in color. This ottoman is neutral but has a print. I just think it's adorable. My colors are so specific there are many things that I've thought would be perfect but they blew up in my face. =(

I like this one because you can see through it and the wood work might be a nice catalyst between our dark furniture and our lighter stuff. It is white though, and I don't want to have parents freaking out when their kids are over. (I don't want to have to freak out when I have kids of my own...)

When we got new furniture it was more formal then we planned. Instead of putting the bookcase in a backroom and never seeing it, I decided to take the offer mom gave us 2 years ago to refinish it. I also made some repairs that were needed that couldn't have happened without refinishing. I've documented the changes on the back of the bookcase for posterity and I hope that this piece of furniture can be morphed by my adult children. I hope that it will be a symbol of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and the bonds family share. It will always remind me of family who cares about us.

In keeping with the overall feeling of the bookcase I've attempted some stencil work. It's not great but I tried!

Going Home (Again)

Jason and I are going home to Oregon for Jared Whitmer's baby blessing 4th of July weekend. I know many of you there read my posts and I think we should have a friends get together! I'd love to see you and your families. I should send an email but this is easier! Let me know if you're going to be around!

Erica

Upgrades!

We finally bought a new couch. It was a great deal and is really comfortable. We took the old green one to Savers. E tells me it was 14 years old, so it had a good long life for a couch. Hopefully someone will repair it and get a few more years out of it.



The new couch was not without its dilemnas. Color coordination! We had to take Mom's old blue bookcase from college and paint it. Don't worry, we took pictures and will add more when it's done.







So, as if painting the bookcase wasn't a big enough project for one day, E's wonderful friend convinced her that she needed to reupholster the chair we bought at a garage sale (don't worry, Grandpa's rocker is safe!).

After many requests and my own promise I've finally posted a picture. Sorry about the bad quality but I haven't had the desire to take another one. =)

I found a great hair stylist. She's fabulous so if anyone is looking for a good one, like I have been, call me! She's cheep and friendly and knows how to cut curly hair (if she can do that she can do anything)! She cut it just like the picture of Minnie Driver. I am sooo impressed! I took a picture to post but my batteries died in the camera so you'll have to wait. I'll see some of you really soon!!!!

I'm Coming Home!

I’m coming home on a whim. I guess I’m not really coming home-I mean I’ll be there the night of the 29th and all day on the 30th but I’m really there to go to Medford and spend a week with my mom and new nephew in his new house (and Aimee and Ben and Family too). I’m so excited to take some time off work and surprisingly it is a great time for me to go.
As I wrote the title to this post I could only think of the Chris Daughtry song “I’m Coming Home.” There’s a line in it that says “I’m going home to the place where I belong.” I love to be home with family-I only wish Jason could come with me this time.
My time in Utah is beginning to feel tiresome. I’ve made great lifelong friends, had incredible experiences, and learned a ton about myself, but now I’m ready to go back to where I came from. You know it’s not even that-I’m ready to have some family close by. I miss sisters and games and fun and having somewhere to go on Mother’s Day and a million other little things. It’s hard to be so far away when brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and parents are having a hard time or need a little help. I’d be nice if I could get there on a tank of gas. I guess it’s good to know that someday we’ll get the "thumbs up," it’s time to move, feeling. Until then we'll just keep making lifelong friends and having incredable experiences!

To Cut or Not to Cut

I've got a question. I've been wanting to cut my hair for a LONG time, I mean really cut my hair, but I've been scared to take the plunge. What if it's bad???? And then it would be exponentially bad with curly hair! I took some time to research places with a good reputation. I've found one and once one of my deals goes through I'm planning on going in for a cut. Now the question; do I get a trim or a drastic cut???? Take a look at what I'm looking at.

Denise Jonas-Mother of Jonas Brothers-Don't really listen to them but thought she had cute hair and a face similar to mine. (Is it creepy that I want to cut my hair after someone who is old enough to be my Mom?)




Minni Driver


Emmy Rossum


Jennifer Beals




My other concern is that these are all very similar and some of them are outdated. It's ok to go retro with your hair right????

And THEN there is always the option of going Falicity.