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Weird. **

8.30.2009

I + You...



No, not you...


These...




I bought them before we went camping, because I was sharing a tent with two boys who sleep rather loudly (oxymoron?). I have since noticed that they come in very handy for studying. I can sit in the room adjacent to our humongous, and very loud TV and grow my brain in complete silence. I am actually surprised at the amount of work getting done in so little time. No longer am I distracted by the melodious siren calls of Inner Circle on "Cops"; or someone opening the refrigerator and the goodies inside calling my name. No no, I can sit in peace, and enjoy reading about the "Morganucodons of the late Triassic period."

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8.28.2009

What Did You Do This Week?

My real First Day of School
Kindergarden 1989
Yes, my hair was crimped
  • This week brought the beginning of my last mandatory year of education. You see in my family, college was never an option, but an obligation. I have decided to really "go out with a bang" and stay on top of all of my assignments. In order to do that my extreme-need-for-organization kicked in, and I planned out my EXACT homework/study schedule through the month of September. As long as I stick to the schedule, I'll be ahead and have plenty of time to learn/study the materials.



  • I’ve been having strange dreams lately. I don't typically have dreams, and if I do, I am usually awakened by some form of nightmare. In the past two nights, however, I have been aboard a large car ferry that was commandeered and pirated by Kermit the Frog, who was, quite rightly, wearing a Panda bear costume. It was bizarre, but scary. In the second dream, I was at the mall, lolly gagging with the crew of Twilight. I had just purchased a used, brown and orange floral couch and we were trying to find someone to take a photo of all of us sitting on the couch in the parking garage. Meanwhile, Kellen Lutz got my phone number and gave me panties from Victoria's Secret.


I met Kellan when I photographed the ESPY'S last year, before he was famous.

He's quite possibly the nicest kid ever.

  • Why do LDS people feel the need to get married before they reach 21? My mom says it’s a cultural thing, and that we were just raised differently. We were raised to get married when we know it’s right and we’re in love, and all that blah blah blah, but we were also taught that education is important, and trying to balance marriage, family, finances, etc. while a student is very difficult. I think we also have an over developed sense of finances. Neither my brothers nor I want to get married without knowing that, at the very least, we can support ourselves and a spouse. This entails finishing school, getting out of debt, and being in control of our finances before we marry.


    This week in institute I felt like a leper. Bro. Fotheringham (whom I love), asked everyone if they had a boyfriend/girlfriend or who was/wasn’t married already. Out of the 20 young adults in my class, I’m the only one who is not currently married. Did I mention that at 25 I am also the oldest student in the class?!?!? I don’t feel bad though; right now I have no desire to get married… I have a laundry list of things I feel I need to accomplish first, I just don’t like the idea that I’m judged and labeled an “old maid” or that “there’s something wrong with me”. Life today is no longer as it was 50 or 100 years ago. There’s no need to marry young. I think 27-30 is a good age to get married. Anyone else agree or disagree?



  • My Biology Counselor is making me re-take Organic Chemistry II to get the A instead of the B- I got when I took it 2 years ago (Apparently it really REALLY really makes a difference in whether or not I will get accepted into Medical School). I have a teacher who is new to the school, and he is AWESOME. First of all, he’s American... As in from the United States, and therefore has no impeding accent. Secondly he explains things in idiot terms, which, as anyone who has taken this class knows, is extremely hard to do, but essential if you want your students to pass. This class is the most difficult class that is offered at ANY University, and a passing A is usually only a 50% or less. I know that I only had a 17% and got a B- the last time I took it, so this goes to show its complexity and the giant grade curve required for students to survive. I find myself actually looking forward to this class, because so far, I understand what is going on.


  • With the start of school came the inevitable buying of Textbooks. I read this account from No Telling, which couldn’t be truer. Luckily, my brother told me about a website called Half.com from EBay. At this website students can buy new or used textbooks for bargain prices. For example, my required reading list at the UNLV bookstore would have cost upwards of $800, however, I purchased all of my books, brand new, from Half.com for only $220. The only downside was that I waited until the Thursday before class started, and even though I opted for Expedited 2-day shipping (only $5.39 instead of $3.99 regular shipping), my books took almost a week to get here.


  • Cindy called this week. Twice.


  • After a long week of "feeding my brain", I've decided to do something mindless and bake. I found 2 recipes for cupcakes that I'm interested in trying. One is Cherry Limeade, and the other is Maple French Toast & Bacon. Both seem to have VERY different flavors but like I said, I'm curious to try them. If I don't like them, I can always throw them away, or take them to church and pass them out to the boys. Mormon boys will eat anything. I've set up an anonymous vote so you can help me decide which to make.


What Flavor Sounds Better?


Cherry Limeade
Maple French Toast Bacon


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8.24.2009

♫ Lost No More ♪

It has been close to a year since I have seen my little guy. I thought I accidentally threw it away. You see my old purse had a hole in the lining, and my little iPod would always get lost in between the leather and the lining. Before I threw away the purse I THOUGHT I had thoroughly checked it to avoid such an occurrence. I haven't bothered replacing it because I was determined that in fact it was not in the purse I threw away. I have since been searching for almost a year. A few months ago when my computer crashed I lost all of my songs from iTunes! Five years worth of music!

I got onto Apple's website to look for a customer service number. Only all I could find were numbers for local Apple stores. So I called the Apple store at the Fashion Show mall and explained the situation. "Well did you back up your library?" The lady on the other end of the phone asked? "Yes," I lied, "but I backed it up to my external hard drive and it crashed too."


After continuing to lie about backing up, I was told that there was nothing they could do. Are you kidding me? I've spent 5 years downloading songs for $0.99 each, and there's nothing you can do? I asked if they have my account on file, and could send me a disc of my library or soemthing, "No" and "no" They are just a retail store and help desk not an actual customer service line. After much debate and questions it was determined that in order to get my music back, I would need to find my lost iPod.


While camping, Griffin brought his iPod, and listened to it most of the weekend. I made a sarcastic comment about wishing I had mine so that I could seclude myself from quality family time. Just then he asked me, "is it the white one, just like mine?" "Yes, why?" I asked. "Dude, it's in my room. It's been in my nightstand drawer for like a year." WHAT? I know for certain that I've asked EVERY member of my family numerous times if they had seen my precious, and every time, the answer was "No, but you can listen to mine if you want." While that was a very nice gesture, nobody's music is as good as MY music.


Needless to say, we are now reconnected. Once again I have 967 songs at my fingertips. I even put all the new stuff I've downloaded in the last year. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to listen to classic songs like, "Scatman."


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Sissy-fied

I am pleased to announce that I survived the weekend in the wild! I knew I would, it's not that I can't handle the wilderness, it's just that most of the time, I choose not to. I'm not a complete girly-girl. When I was little, I used to create entire neighborhoods out of my Barbie furniture and the muddy substance that collected in the gutter at the end of our street; I even touched a bug once. I used to love camping, as mentioned earlier; I just haven’t done it in awhile.


Once we got out of Cedar City, we took the scenic route through Cider Breaks up to the campground. It was so beautiful. I forgot how much I absolutely love Dixie National Forest. The green foliage, the billowy clouds, the radiant red rocks and beautiful sun kissed lighting; I couldn’t take enough photos. When we got to Panguitch Lake North Campground, it looked like a campground… There was a little driveway into our “lot”, a long wooden picnic table, a cast-iron fire pit, and 3 flattened dirt surfaces for tents. Practically all the amenities of home. In all honesty, it wasn’t what I expected… I don’t know what I was envisioning, maybe I subconsciously thought our campsite would look like a 3 star hotel, at least I hoped…


Playing with my autofocus : Grif

Ev

Colb

Grandpa

As we started to unpack and set things up, I found that I was incredibly eager to help, very unlike me. I helped build both tents, blow up air mattresses, organize the “kitchen” and set up everyone’s sleeping areas. What? Who was this person? I couldn’t get over how excited I was to be there. The air was clean and cool and smelled like crisp pine and I was thoroughly enjoying myself. I’m not sure whether it was all the excitement or the high altitude but amidst all the effort of domesticating our temporary living quarters, I got a migraine. Of course no one thought to bring drugs, so I pushed it aside and thought to myself, “the pioneers didn’t have Excedrin, I’ll be fine.”




After the “chores” were done, Griffin, Grandpa, and I gathered pinecones and dry pine needles, kindling, to start a fire while Evan and Colby went and bought some firewood. Yes, in a forest surrounded by thousands of timbered trees, we paid for wood. I decided right away that to pass the time I was going to widdle. I used to do this when I was younger, and I remember I was quite good. I found a great stick and began grating it like it was a carrot to get off all of the old bark. I then chipped a little here, cut a little there, smoothed out a section or two and within an hour I had the most remarkable marshmallow roasting skewer you’ve ever seen!



Widdling


It got to be about dinner time, and we had brought hobo stew. The recipe includes:
Ground beef
Quartered potatoes
Corn
Green beans
Carrots
Lots of salt, pepper, garlic and onion
Wrap in tinfoil and put in coals of fire for 30-45 minutes.

It was delicious. Only later that night, due to my horrible migraine, I got sick, and didn’t even get to fully enjoy it…


We roasted marshmallows and then it was off to bed around 11. I didn’t sleep, at all. Between the freezing weather, I was unable to get warm no matter how many layers of clothing I put on (I think I woke up with 4 layers total, plus a sleeping bag and 2 blankets); two brothers who’s snore is reminiscent of the sound of a moose dying; some crazy man standing right outside the tent yelling for “WILL?”; and the two owls who mocked each other’s hoots, there was too much going on for me to sleep.



Oh no, Grandpa's marshmallow is on fire!


Morning came and immediately I wanted a shower, and a bathroom. Our campsite had a water faucet, so I used it to brush my teeth, and rinse off the remains of my Oil of Olay Cleansing Cloth. I also used the baby wipes I purchased and gave myself a quick rubdown. I felt better, but not good enough. I asked Evan if it would be completely ridiculous if I washed my hair in the lake. He replied, “no, but the water is really cold.” “Well I can tough it out, how bad can it be? Like 80 I can handle, I’d even venture 75,” I replied. Then all 3 brothers and my grandpa simultaneously replied in some form or another that the water in the lake was about 40 degrees. I decided to wear a hat that day.


We decided to have a lazy afternoon and drive down through Panguitch; we ate lunch at the Burger Barn, and then head back to camp. I read a little of my book, and Evan Griffin went fishing. Colby took a nap, so Grandpa and I went on an adventure hike down to the stream. It was fenced off, so Grandpa, being 76 years old (his birthday was that day, Saturday) taught me how to break open and crawl through a barbed wire fence. We hiked a while and saw heaps of beautiful scenery. When we got back, Ev and Grif were just returning. “How was fishing?” I asked. “Well, now we know why they call it fishing and not catching they replied.





Apparently calories don't exist above 8000 feet....
This is not true

Teaching me to tresspass






Later that evening Evan and Griffin were determined to make fire the caveman way, by rubbing two sticks together. They had numerous theories on how to create a device that would work. It started with hand rolling a pencil shaped stick into a flat log, the way you see in movies. But hands and shoulders grew tired so a Bow was fashioned to roll the stick, however the stick portion needed more support so we needed another piece of wood on top of it. But that didn’t work so Colby suggested cutting a circle in the top supporting piece so the “stick” would stay stable. Hmm, that just might work… In order to put this circle in the top piece of wood, one would think to use a pocket knife, or Leatherman’s tool, but not the Green boys. They are smarter than that. Evan decided the most effective way to cut a circle into a log would be to place the wood in between his legs and hammer just the end point of a hatchet into it. Genius I tell you. Needless to say, our attempts were futile, and Grandpa was the only one able to make fire. His age and wisdom gave him the advantage… that and the matches…



Making Fire

I tried the bow method while Ev held it steady

Genius

We roasted hot dogs and were just starting to enjoy the evening, when it started to rain. We scurried to put all foodstuffs and anything that wasn’t waterproof in the car/tents, and then, with no other choice, it was off to bed, at 7:30 pm! I fell asleep after about an hour, but was awake again by 1 am. It was still raining, and so I decided to listen to Colby’s cell phone. He has an Audiobook that he just finished and Griffin started. Both of them crack up hysterically while listening, so I decided to give it a try. Not only was the author/narrator a total douche bag, he had at least 2 speech impediments that I could identify. I almost couldn’t stand to listen, but my desperation left me no other alternative. I could, however, see how boys could find it amusing… I finally fell asleep about 4 am and woke again at 8. This time everyone else was up too, so it was ok.



Griffin made a flute out of a pickle... A pickle-o


I really, really, really had to go to the bathroom. Throughout the weekend, I had held my bladder closed until dark, and then just gone behind a tree, but now it was morning. The campsites were fairly close together, and I decided no one needed to see all-of-this doing any kind of business. Colby told me that there were restrooms, but they were “like gross latrines.” He mentioned something about squatting over a big pit, and being careful not to fall in. In my mind flashed dreadful images of little green soldiers being blown into bathtub water by a little boy who delighted in making screaming sounds. Amidst my horror I told my grandpa I was going to walk up the street to the General Store and go pee there. He gave Colby a look and told me that there were normal restrooms a few hundred yards away, so I went there instead. These bathrooms were located in a wooden building, very much like normal “campground” latrines I’d seen at Girls Camp. Only when I opened the door, *cue angels singing music*, they were magnificent! White tiles covered the floor, and even the grout between them was white. The dry walled ramparts were painted a lovely ocean blue shade, and there were two stalls, both cleaner than any public restroom I’ve encountered. The smell of bleach and cheap air freshener filled my nostrils. The toilets flushed and sink and paper towel dispenser worked and everything! Had I known about this Friday, I would have set up my sleeping bag and stayed here the whole weekend!


On the drive home, I was nervous. I have a relentless case of “backseat” driver, only my instructions come more in the sounds of shrieks and screams than actual advice. I’m not sure if this is due to a need to be in control or the fact that I’ve been in 3 car accidents. However, I tend to get severe anxiety whenever someone who is not me takes on the role of chauffer. As I said, I’ve been in 3 car accidents, none of which was my fault. I know that everyone uses this excuse, but really, I was not responsible for any of those because I was not driving, hence my not-in-control-panic-attacks. The one wreck I was in while I was behind the wheel was also not my fault. I was stopped at a stale red light, when I was rear ended by a guy whose excuse was, “It had been red for so long, I thought it would be green by the time I got up here.” Are you kidding me? Stupid Hyundai drivers. Evan was driving home from this trip, and most of the time I was gripping my “Oh shoot” handle debating on whether or not I should comment on his speed. I knew he was going fast, but I couldn’t see the exact speed, as I was sitting directly behind the driver’s seat and the odometer was out of view. I was able to rest assured when a silver Toyota Solara passed us like a bat out of hell. Its contents were an elderly couple leisurely eating ice cream cones.


We made it home safely, and my only concern was dumping the car’s contents into the washing machine, and then washing myself. After about an hour in the hot water of my shower, an entire bottle of body wash, and a Brillo pad, I no longer smell like barbeque. Now it’s time for an at home mani-pedi, and face mask. Then I’m off to bed as I start school tomorrow. All in all it was a great trip. I’m glad I was able to spend quality time with my grandpa; it’s been too many years since that has happened. I enjoyed being outdoors, but I think it will be a while before choose to do it again.

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8.21.2009

And I'm off...

To enjoy a nature filled weekend at beautiful Panguitch Lake.

On Tuesday, I designed a contest for those who read my blog to help me with a Weekend Camping packing list. The entries came pouring in... Three all together. Congratulations to KDEN01@yahoo.com, who has won a FREE family portrait session, from A Thousand Words... E-mail me for details.


Thank you Melanie and Kirsten for your entries. They were very thorough and helpful, however it was the creativity and whining undertones of KDEN01's list that made them the winner! ("Baby wipes, because let's face it, being dirty is 'Eww gross'").


As a consolation prize, I have here a hillarious account of why White People Like camping so much. All those who didn't submit entries this go round may enjoy this prize as well, and hopefully you will feel compelled to enter the next contest.




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8.20.2009

Oh Monda

I recently found This Blog on the "blogs of note" tab on my Dashboard, and next to The Meanest Mom, it has quickly become one of my favorites to read. This little English Professors' words flow off the page like a breath of fresh air. I was literally awake almost all of last night, eyes glued to my computer screen forcing back the inevitable migraine, and read every single blog post of hers. Her blog is somewhat interactive; with links, and even a vintage chapter from the Palmer Method of Business Writing- and it has lots and lots of Vocabulary words for me!


Dervish

Limoges

Sylphs

Nonplussed

Acumen

Curmudgeon

Pedagogically


On occasion, I couldn't help but wonder if these words were made up. But, as you can, they are legitimate, real words that people use. I can't imagine being able to conjure up this sort of terminology in everyday conversation. However, Monda does. She is a Southern Grandma (so of course we like her already), who is obsessed with all things writing, and vintage ephemera. I'm hooked. Not only is her blog interactive and educational, it's entertaining. Which, as far as I'm concerned is a thumbs up all around... Or a Hitch hiker's thumb all around... Check her out.


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Italian Dinner &
Drug Overdose


Tonight I went to the BF's house for dinner. His whole family is always raving about "Grandma's" Spaghetti sauce. “It’s amazing!” they’ll say. Or, “no one else’s sauce even comes close, you have to try it!” I was skeptical. I happen to believe that my mom's sauce is the unsurpassed. However, the more I thought about it, I realized that everyone thinks the red tomato concoction tastes best when prepared by their own mother/grandmother. I decided to give the ol’ gal the benefit of the doubt. After all, I ♥ Spaghetti, and it can't be that hard to make a decent spaghetti sauce, right?

As we sat down to dinner, the infamous pottage smelled… Well it smelled like Spaghetti sauce. I scooped up some ravioli onto my plate. Then a slice of garlic bread, 2 meatballs, a heaping spoon of spaghetti and something called a Braciole (pronounced: “brazole.” Basically it is consists of slices of round steak wrapped around hard boiled egg with garlic and basil). I then topped off the whole mess with 3 ladles of Spaghetti sauce. I opened my mouth, took the first bite and… sent a text message to my mom that said:
BF’s grandma heard I love Spaghetti and everyone here has been telling me for weeks how amazing her sauce is… I just tried it. It tastes like yours… only with less meat, more water, and no flavor. Plus there are hard boiled eggs in it. Thanks for making the BEST spaghetti sauce ever.
Just as I finished texting my very professional critique, I noticed something strange about my BF. He was taking FOREVER to eat, and kept complaining that he was having a hard time swallowing the food. But he was eating a ton, which is rare for him, so I let him alone. All of a sudden he got very still and quiet, in a very creepy way. His dad also noticed and asked if he was OK, to which he replied, “I’m fine.”

The still, strange behavior only got worse, and the BF seemed to be falling asleep as he was eating. He would simply “pass out” mid sentence. His head would fall forward, or back, eyes rolling in the back of his head. Then a few seconds he later he would wake up and finish what he was saying as if nothing happened. We were all very concerned. Informing him he was acting like a drunkard. We wondered what was causing this strange behavior, when all of a sudden I looked over and his lips were turning blue. Before I could finish vocalizing my concern for his coloring, his lips and tongue had turned Violet purple! The rest of his face turned a clammy gray color. I got up literally scared straight. I yelled to his mom who was doing the dishes that we needed to take him to the doctor.

Instantly he sat up and yelled with slurred speech that he would not be seeing a doctor. I pointed out his hands which had gone stark white. If ever I were to see a corpse, this is what I imagine one would look like. With heavy, dozing eyes, and garbled muttering, he insisted he just needed to relax for a minute and was very tired. While I ranted and raved about the importance of correct medical diagnosis, his mom rubbed his back and took his temperature. Almost immediately the statuesque cadaver facade disappeared and his normal color came back! However his behavior was still that of an Intervention documentary subject.

While he still insisted he felt fine, I was able to convince him to get in the car so I could take him “home”, and by home I meant emergency room. On the way to the hospital he said he was thirsty and didn’t feel well so we stopped by my parent’s house to get water. He got sick, to which I immediately called Colby. Whenever I panic I call Colby. He loves situations that are high impact and high drama, and I don’t bode well in either.

Colby came out and agreed that he needed to go to the doctor, as did the rest of my family. He drank two bottles of water, got sick a few more times and then, almost miraculously he started to get better. He went from death's door to 60% in literally minutes. Now I believe in the healing powers of water, but only in instances of sore muscles and baptisms... This was something else. This was amazing. A half hour or so past and he seemed to become right as rain, but still tired. We decided just to take him home and let him rest since he seemed to be out of danger. It was a very scary experience!

What happened to him you ask? No, no, he wasn't demonically possessed, that was my first guess as well (seriously ask him. I swear I watch too much of this show) For the last few days his allergies have been really bad causing his sinuses to go crazy. So he purchased some nasal spray, Sudafed and Nyquil. He hates taking pills so he talked very carefully with the Pharmacist about the quantity he should take and when. He figured it would be fine. What he didn’t tell the pharmacist is that he is also currently taking 2 prescription medications! He figured that O.T.C. medications would have no impact on his prescriptions. Wrong. After playing detective, and making a call to my dad in Germany, we discovered the effect of mixing them was the cause of the bizarre behavior.

Essentially, with the Nyquil and Sudafed he had a double dose of pseudoephedrine which had an adverse chemical reaction with his prescription meds. His body was trying to do what-you-normally-want-it-to-do-when-you-take-Nyquil, and sleep, and he was fighting to stay awake. The turning purple indicated that he wasn’t getting enough oxygen, again due to mixing drugs.

Once we got to his house and he was coherent enough for me to talk him, I chewed him out, and then asked what he was thinking taking Nyquil in the middle of the day. He replied that he was out of Dayquil. Typical.

8.19.2009

9 Things

1. I have a nasty habit of eating in bed. I'm very anal about crumbs and use a hand towel as a bib, but nevertheless, I love a good snack while laying down and watching TV.

2. I need at least 1 serving of junk food a day to survive, preferably Chocolate. For example, This past week I personally have consumed 2 boxes of Cheez-it's and 1 1/2 Gallons of Rocky Road Ice Cream. My Brothers and I were just discussing our fantastic genes. Without them, we'd all be in serious trouble. I'm starting P90X tomorrow because honestly, I feel disgusting.

3. I haven't seen my natural hair color since 7th grade. I've been every color under the rainbow but I prefer Light Blond. I'm almost certain I am a natural blond because when my hair is dyed dark, and I get roots, they look white. However, when I'm light and my roots come in they look black... I'm going to guess Dark/dirty blond...
4. I can raise my left eyebrow but not my right. I am also double jointed in my thumbs. I can bend them backwards to a 90 degree angle, but I can not make them stand straight up. (My "thumbs up" gesture looks a little strange)

5. I HATE HATE HATE when people speak in the 2nd person, when they should be speaking in the 1st. For example, I was watching a Proactive commercial and the boy said, "When I put this crap on my face at night, you wake up and you don't have acne." No, that is not the case. You put the pimple cream on and I still get a zit. UGH! It drives me nuts. Now that you know about this, you will notice people doing it ALL THE TIME! I blame it on our public education system.

6. My BF thinks my couponing/saving money turns me on more than he does. To which I respond, "Good, you're not supposed to be turning me on!!!"

7. I have severe insomnia. It started about 2 years ago. I am never tired until about 5am. Even if I go to bed at 10 I lay awake until about 5, sometimes 7. It's ridiculous. Right now I'm not in school so it's OK if I don't wake up until noon, but Monday I have class at 8:30 (what was I thinking) meaning I need to be up by 6:30 so I can be down to good ol' UNLV on time.

8. If there was any money in it, my dream job would be as a Paleoanthropologist. I love ancient humans and would love to spend all day researching/looking at "Cavemen." Although I technically don't believe in Evolution, I do believe that my religious beliefs and Science go hand in hand. And I love being able to connect science and religion whenever I learn something new. If I were able to make $100,000+ annually digging up bones in the dirt, I'd do it in a heart beat.

9. I am going camping this weekend. When I was younger I was a total "boy". Pants, outside games, dirt, mud, and all things boy used to excite me. Then, about my senior year of high school, I gained an appreciation for the color pink, make-up, and hair products. I haven't been camping since the one year I actually went to girls camp, and I have to say I'm a little nervous. I googled things to pack for camping and every website I've come across stresses the importance of packing light. However while scrolling through the lists it seems as though I should just pack the entire contents of my house...

CONTEST: So here's where you come in. I am looking for "an experienced" camper's knowledge of a good weekend packing list. Whoever e-mails me the best, and most helpful list will receive a FREE portrait session (not wedding). I need the list no later than Thursday evening at about 6pm PST. The portrait session is available to all Las Vegas Residents, and is valued at $125. It could be of your children, family, or just you. Good luck!

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} Quick Post
I'm very Busy & Important

I thought I would do a quick post tonight. I've been super busy lately, even though I haven't ACTUALLY done anything... Physically anyway. For the last 5 days, I have slept, eaten and sat at my computer, and that's it! I did take a few hours last night to watch some late night TV with my brothers. What was on? Wrestling! Yes, as in Monday night RAW. Are you kidding? I have never been a fan of wrestling, but Colby has loved it since we were very young, and unfortunately he had both of the remotes.

*Side note: Yes we have 2 remote controls for one very large television. There are two reasons for this. The first being that it's much easier to fight over what we watch when two people each have a remote. It's like the scenes in Disney's Sleeping Beauty when the Fairy Godmothers, Flora and Maryweather, are fighting over what color Aurora's dress should be. Secondly, it allows whoever is watching to feel in control. Doesn't everyone feel like they have complete control in life when holding that little piece of technology?*

**Other sidenote: Back to wrestling. As I mentioned before, Colby used to be a super-fan. He and my dad would watch whenever a Special was on, which, to my great annoyance seemed like every night of the week: Sunday Night Smack down, Monday Night Raw, etc. My dad always watched with him, as did Evan and Griffin, but I don't think they liked it as much. Until 2nd grade we only had 1 TV in our house, so if wrestling was on I was forced to watch. My mom and I would complain endlessly about about the gross old men in spandex, and try, with no avail, to help my brothers to realize, that not only were their moves fake, it was bad acting too. The only good thing to come from this torture was when Griffin was about 3 and just learning to talk, Colby taught him to sing Sean Michael's Theme Song. Granted nowadays I would think it inappropriate for a toddler to sing, "I'm just a sexy boy... I'm not your boy toy." At the time it was adorable. (PS I secretly did think The Heartbreak Kid was a little cute).

In watching last night, it was fun to see the much older Sean Michaels apparently "Return" to wrestling and galavant with another man, who I can only assume is his "bestie." the two huge, tight-jean clad men seemed to enjoy running around the ring, making X's with their arms across their private parts and yelling "Suck it." That's entertainment.**

So what did this mindless mini-break tear me away from that was so important?!? Hours upon hours of what we in the Photography business call "post production". I have 2 Wedding albums a a guest book and a total of about 400 photos to edit and design. I am determined to get all of my work done, before school starts on Monday! Here's a little (and I mean very little) peak into the reason my butt and legs never want to come in contact with a chair again:


I have been toying with the idea of a new logo for a while. So far this is what I've come up with. It's a logo and a few watermarks. I've also been getting serious about my website design... That will still take a while though. The colors of these were ruined during the upload, Blogger hates Photoshop's vibrant colors. They are suppposed to be Lagoon Blue, Hunter Green, and Raspberry. I'm also creating all new Branding/Marketing tools for new or prospective clients. I'm so excited for the final result!


This is the cover for Michelle & Travis's guest book. It is so cute on the inside and I can't wait until my extra copy comes in to show new clients. It's a 20 page 7x7 book with lots of room for guests to sign. I've also included little Advice topics and Love quotes as well. In a few weeks I'll have a digital version up on my website.

This is a page from Kirsten & Sean's Wedding album. Sorry to ruin the surprise Kirsten! Again the colors are hideous and look very dull on Blogger, but it's turning out really well. I'm about halfway done with only 40 layouts left to go! (Let's see that's about 14 layouts a day until I go out of town... I can do it, I can do it).
Wish me luck.

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8.13.2009

Old photos


I was doing a bit of "Spring" cleaning, today and came across a couple of boxes filled with old photos. All I have to say is, "Thank goodness life doesn't always turn out like you planned."


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8.12.2009

Encyclopedia P

Yesterday I didn't have much to do, so I decided to read a book. I've been on a reading kick lately, and am determined to read as many books as possible before school starts. I chose the book with the thinnest spine on my shelf, which happened to be A Wrinkle In Time. I remember reading this book in the 5th grade, and just "not getting it." So I figured I'd try again. It is less than 200 pages so I figured I could have the whole thing read before I went to bed.



I'm still not entirely sure what I think of the book. It was interesting. Written in the 60's but held strong themes of time travel, physics, and 5th dimension as described by Stephen Hawking. While I was reading, I noticed the extremely blatant Christian symbolism, which made me think. It wasn't as obvious as say, works by C.S. Lewis, but it was there nevertheless.

Anyway, part of my reading binge has to do with my wanting to increase my capacity for self expression. As mentioned before, I have the emotional range of a teaspoon, and the communication skills of a man. I feel that by reading and allowing my imagination to open up, I'll have an easier time formulating what goes on my head into words, photography, etc. In order to begin increasing my vocabulary I turned to a trick I learned in High School. Post-its.

I bought the tiny sized post-its and every time I came across a word I didn't know, I'd write it down along with the definition and leave the post-it in the book. As it turns out, in the 187 pages of the book, there were only 7 words I was unfamiliar with. Of these 7 words, 4 of them began with the letter P.

Prodigious

Peremptory

Propitious

Pedantic

Did you ever see the episode of Friends where Joey encounters an Encyclopedia salesman, however he can only afford one book? He ends up buying the "V" encyclopedia. I think he was on to something...

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8.08.2009

Froogle

Have you heard of the website Froogle.com? It's probably my new favorite site. Since becoming a very "spend thrift" grocery shopper for my family, I've gotten to the point where I refuse to pay full price for anything.

Basically, Froogle is a a comparison shopping search engine, launched by Google. It allows buyers to compare prices for various items all in one place! To test it out, I decided to type in some items I need and am getting low on. I typed in "Jergens Skin Firming Lotion" and then changed the "sort-by" menu to "Price: Low to High". I found a bottle for $2.99! I even tried my Big Sexy Hair Root Pump and got a listing for $6.99.


The website is still under development, and most of the stores are Online vendors. However I did notice that Target, and Walgreens are on there... Check it out.


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The Real World


Conversations with Morg & Ev


Morg: Do you remember watching the Real World, and everyone seemed so old and mature?


Ev: Yea...


Morg: Now everyone seems younger than us, and more stupid


Ev: I know, look at her, she looks 13...


Morg: When did that happen?


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8.07.2009

Hello
I'm Gail

Hello, I’m Gail…
Apparently…
Close to a month ago, I received a call from a number I didn’t recognize. I am notorious for screening my phone calls, so of course I didn’t answer. No message followed, so I assumed it was a wrong number.
About 2 days later my phone made a “bing-bong” noise, alerting me that I had a new text message. It was from the same number that had mis-dialed just a few days earlier. The message said:
“Hi Gail, I’m in your area if you’d like to put in your Avon order. Give me a call.
–Cindy”
I kindly texted back, that this was not Gail, and Cindy must have the wrong number.
A few days later I received another phone call and text message. Both from Cindy, telling Gail that she postponed her order, so if Gail hurries she can still take the order until Saturday.
This time I called back and left Cindy a message. “Hi Cindy, this is Morgan. You keep sending/leaving me messages for someone named Gail. I just thought I should tell you that you have the wrong number. My number is actually XXX-XXXX, not Gail. Thanks.”
I thought for sure, that this would clear up any confusion.
Nope.
A Few days later I received a text from Cindy, informing Gail that she was taking her mother was to the hospital because she’s been really sick.
Again I sent a nice text, “This is Morgan, not Gail… sorry about your mom.”
A few days later I received a voicemail.
“Hi Gail, its Cindy, Sorry I haven’t gotten in touch with you earlier, my mom hasn’t been doing very well and I had to put her in a hospice. If you’d like to get together tonight, give me a call.”
This time I just let it go. I figured this: I’ve told this lady I’m not Gail, I’ve texted her I’m not Gail. When she leaves messages on my voicemail, it says, “Hi, this is MORGAN…” And if she hasn’t noticed that Gail has no clue what she’s talking about when she mentions “the numerous messages she’s left”, then I can’t help her anymore. She’s on her own.
Finally the situation worsened. I got a text stating,
“Hi Gail, It’s Cindy. My mother passed this morning. I’m ok. Are you going to be in the office today? I need your order.”
Oh no, what should I do? Should I send my condolences? Should I buy some Avon out of pity? I relayed the entire story to my BF. He thinks, quite rightly, that this lady is a few crayons short of a box, and reminds me that not only is she a stranger, but that I’m happy with my Bare Minerals makeup.
So again, I let it go, and for some reason was sure the calls/texts would stop.
Do you believe that this morning I got a call from Cindy? This time I answered, and told her I’m sorry you have the wrong number. Finally, it was over. Not that it was a traumatic ordeal, just awkward. This poor woman is telling a complete stranger her family’s personal business and doesn’t even realize it!
Only… it wasn’t over. While I was in the shower this morning, I missed a call, and waiting for me was a new voicemail. From Cindy!
“Hi Gail. I was calling you back about those people whose house burned down. If you talk to them, have them call me. I’ve got all of this furniture and I need to get rid of it this week. If they don’t take it I’m just going to donate it to Catholic Charities or something. Also your new order comes to $25 and change or something.”
I guess there’s nothing I can do. Cindy just isn’t going to get it. Or, maybe I really am Gail, and I just don’t know it… Anyway, I’ll say one thing. This lady sure is business minded. Even amidst personal struggle, the one thing that seems to always be on her mind is her Avon business. If you’re looking to buy some new make-up, let me know, I know a GREAT sales woman!


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8.05.2009

Tuesday Tidbits
on Thursday \

Tattoos
Lately, my brother Colby has been dropping hints that he wants a tattoo. Well he's been dropping hints since we were 16, but he's been mentioning it almost twice a day for two weeks. About 2 years ago someone discovered that he had already gotten 2 just after high school and had been keeping them secret! My parents and grandparents think 2 tattoos is enough so they were very against it.
A few weeks ago, Colby met some guy at work who needed a ton of work done on his car. The young man was frustrated at how much money it was going to cost him, so Colby referred him to our mechanic. The guy went, and saved $3000 off the initial estimate he'd been given. It turned out this particular young man is a tattoo artist, and to thank Colby, offered him a FREE tattoo.
Great...
So at 5:30pm Colby, Evan and Griffin headed out to get Colby's free tattoo. He is a huge Batman fan and so he decided (against the council of both my mom and I) to get a 1/2 sleeve of Batman looking over Gotham City. Evan sent me some photos from his iPhone to document the process:


Getting Ready to start



My mom and both called to make sure that Colby
knew it was ok to speak up if he didn't
like where it was going, and to have the guy fix it before he continued.

The semi-finished product

Anyway, the boys all came home at about 5:00am. That's right, nearly 12 hours later, and the piece still isn't finished. Apparently everyone was too tired and Colby was in too much pain to finish. Once it heals, he's going back to have it completed.

Does anyone reading have any cool tattoos?

Birthday Dessert
This weekend is my BF's birthday. He was feeling a little blue (even if he'd never admit it) because his entire family is going out of town this weekend. We always joke that he is the least favorite child, because of instances like this. He is usually working during family trips to the cabin, or they forget to tell him they're all meeting up for lunch and shopping. You get the idea.
He swears he really doesn't mind, saying that Birthday's, Christmas and other holidays just aren't' a big deal to him anymore... Well he's dating the wrong girl, because I LOVE any reason to celebrate. I offered to take him out, but he said he'd rather have dinner at home. So I decided that I would make him a nice birthday cake. However, he doesn't eat cake, so I said I would BBQ him a birthday Steak and put a candle on it. I think he liked that idea, but then he brought up the fact that I've never used a grill, so he should probably make dinner. (Plus anyone who knows me knows how AWESOME of a cook I am).



I agreed but decided that him cooking himself a birthday dinner, took away from ME doing it. So I am determined to think of a birthday dessert. I originally thought about an angel food cake with fresh berries and homemade whip cream, but when I gave it further thought, I can't even scramble eggs.... I could make him Jell-O, you only have to add water and stir, and I could totally do that. Then my hunny reminds me that he doesn't like sweet stuff. (He really is a healthy eater). I could always put some candles on a fruit platter, but that is kind of lame. If you have any ideas, please let me know. I'm getting desperate.

I Hate Walmart

Seriously, I hate Walmart. I've only been there a few times and every time I go it's filled with Rednecks with mullets in tank tops. Anyway, I had to go grocery shopping today, and my mom told me that Walmart always has the best prices, and they price match... Hmm, is it possible I could get all my great deals in once place? I decided to try.

I purchased the items on my list that I didn't' have coupons for at other stores. So did the leading retailer save me money? NO! Rollback my behind! I spent 1/2 of my budget and only got 1/5 of the items on my grocery list! I was completely discouraged. If I had any kind of guts I would have said never mind and put everything back, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Driving home I felt like someone had literally taken the wind out of my sails. I was so excited to save money, but didn't feel like I'd get anywhere now. Total bummer. At least now I know that I'm not shopping at Walmart anymore.

Shopping

Not one to be defeated, I made a plan. I was going to get the other 4/5 of my groceries, and I was going to do it on only 1/2 my regular budget. I put on some Muse, and headed out again. This time I was determined. I started with Vons. I must have been quite the site. Decked out in full workout gear, I had my clipboard, coupons, shopping list, and iPod. I meant business. After Vons, I hit up Albertsons, and then Walgreens. Well guess what? I did it! I got everything on my list for $200! Below are some pictures, along with my savings. If you have any questions, or would like to start saving, let me know, I will tell you my secrets.

Total Value:
$332.28
Total Spent:
$201.08


Everything I didn't get at Walmart

Only $100 for everything here!

(click to enlarge)
Walmart purchases (water was from Albertsons)

Seriously, that's all I got!

I was pissed
I forgot to put these in the Walmart pic.

I'm still upset that $100 was spent at Walmart, and all I got was the Ground Beef, Pot Pies, Ice Cream, Chicken breasts and Orange Juice. PS I'm even more upset, because I just saw an insert I got the mail today. Buy 1 Get 1 Free deals at CVS on Toothpaste and 2/$5 Dreyers Ice Cream (I spent $3.50 each at Walmart)... Grr. I hate Walmart.

The Giver
I just finished reading this book. It was supposed to be fantastic, and always on the Top 100 lists. I wasn't impressed. It had potential, but then had a rushed, pretty lame end. I don't reccomend it.






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