Em & Aubs :)

I have been so blessed at key points in my life with incredible friends. Even if I don't stay in close contact with them (as is too often the case, unfortunately), I love looking back and recognizing how they were exactly what I needed at that time and the positive influence they had on me.

A couple of weeks ago, I got to get together with two of my best friends from years past: Emily (Ogden) Johnston and Aubrey (Mitchell) Erickson.
(thanks for being our photographer Judy!!)
The occasion was a baby shower for Aubrey (middle) who's expecting a baby girl in June. She lives out of state and I hadn't seen her since her bridal shower three (and a half?) years ago.

Aubrey and I were joined at the hip ninth and tenth grades. She is such a generous, caring, thoughtful person - I'm pretty sure I still have sweet notes she wrote to help me through hard times. She is also very fun and free-spirited; we had some pretty awesome adventures together (summer school P.E., driver's ed, lunch in the elevator at the seminary building, rollerblading between our houses, Aubrey's foray into online romance (was his name Trenton?), my awe of Aubs' sweet dance moves, her delicious homemade chip dip, etc, etc!). Aubrey and I were SO alike in some ways and so very different in other ways - we complemented each other really well and stayed good friends the rest of high school.

Okay, so the quality sucks (cell phone snapshot of a photo booth picture, what do you expect?) but here's me and Aubs circa 2000. Yeah, I used to wear a bandanna sometimes. Maybe I still do.

Emily and I have known each other since elementary school (or earlier?) and were always friends but we took things to the next level our senior year. We formed a tight foursome with our friends David and Andrew and spent the whole year laughing and having SO much fun. I seriously get a little emotional thinking back to what an amazing friend Emily was and how much I needed that year to end my high school experience on a high. Random memories: driving around in David's sea-foam green two-door car (Honda maybe?) blasting the soundtrack from 'A Walk to Remember', hanging out at Comet while Em (and later David and Andrew!) worked, our shopping obsession at Ross, lunch every day at the Ogden home, Emily and Andrew buying me a new purse for my birthday and tactfully insisting I retire my old leopard print one, PROM!, Emily sweetly letting me borrow her car for after school errands while she was at work, and so on. Emily was the first person I called after my first date with Chuck and they even took an Institute class together at Boise State while I was at BYU that fall. She was there (along with Chuck and my mom) the day I bought my wedding dress, and was my beautiful maid of honor the next summer when Chuck and I got married. Emily herself got married a few months later and now has a cute, CUTE baby girl too - see for yourself!

One of my favorite things about Emily was how high she kept her standards and how much that helped me keep mine high as well. To this day, she is one of the most spiritual people I know and I cherish that. There's a scripture in the Book of Mormon where Alma encounters his friends, the sons of Mosiah, from whom he's been separated for a time. As they meet again, Alma rejoices that "they were still his brethren in the Lord" (Alma 17:2). That's how I feel about Emily; I know every time we meet she will inspire me with her faith and her devoutness.

Me and Em at our high school graduation, June 2003.

Most of all these girls make me laugh like NO ONE else. Case in point:
We all held up our cameras and counted to three - notice how I'm the only one who can't keep it together long enough for the picture! Oh, thanks for the laughs girls!!! Em - let's get together again SOON! Aubs - call us ANY time you're in town! Good times await :).

*What a fun stroll down Memory Lane . . . I might have to find some more old pictures and revisit other amazing friendships - Carly, Julia, Kelee, Cassie, Meghan, Christina, Megan, etc . . . Who else is excited??

Bowling is fun; we should know

. . . because we went like three times in a two-and-a-half week period.

First up was when we were in Elko last month:
( I was not in attendance this time, however, since as a female member of the family I was recruited to help decorate for the ceremony and reception. I tried my hand at wrapping tulle around the archway, was mocked incessantly by Aunt Sue (it's okay because I love her), and tagged her in to finish the job :). I moved on to a more supervisorial role. (See, supervisors can make up words like supervisorial).)

Pops helped Will . . .

and Chuck helped Clyde . . .
who then proceeded to watch his bowl travel (apparently very s-l-o-w-l-y) down the lane. Pretty sure that constitutes a foot fault.

Then we happened to be in Boise two Monday evenings in a row, so we hit up the BSU Student Union for the Monday night special. Ooooh, check out that form ;)
(That is the first, and possibly last time I've done the 'wink' smile emoticon thing. It just seemed to fit there).

My mama joined us! Pretty sure it was the first time she's bowled in like 10 years, but she was pretty good. So good that I resorted to photographing her mid-approach to disturb her concentration. It worked.

Will loved giving the ball a solid push down the little ramp.

He also loved checking out the rows of bowling balls when it wasn't his turn :).

The boys also discovered the arcade, where Clyde showed a serious affinity for the drums.

And all three boys got behind the wheel. Cute, eh? Heaven help the person who teaches my children that the games are more fun and interactive if you put money in!!

And finally, here is a cute video of Clyde's aiming of the bowling ball dance ritual. Enjoy.

Ooh, I just realized it's kind of a cliff-hanger since you can't see how many pins Clyde's ball actually knocked down. Naturally, I can't remember (really, it would be weird if I DID) so we'll just say it was a strike! Yay Clyde!

Turns out it's not just me . . .

You know all those quirky things about yourself? Weird, compulsive things you do that you would never confess to other people because they just wouldn't understand?
Well, facebook is slowly helping me see that I'm not alone in my various oddities; it's comforting to know that I'm not the only nut around. Let me explain further . . .

On facebook, you can become a 'fan' of 'pages' featuring businesses, celebrities, foods, places, etc. Pages can be created by anyone, so lately there has been a huge wave of pages that embrace some sort of idea or behavior. And as I watch various facebook friends become fans of these pages, it seriously blows my mind that there are other people out there JUST LIKE ME! Here are a few examples of profile titles that I previously thought only applied to me:

1. Flipping the Pillow Over to Get to the Cold Side - For some odd reason, it never dawned on me that other people do this too! It makes sense that it's so popular, since it's the best feeling in the world (especially if you're in bed sick).

2. mentally saying "Wed-nes-day" when writing the world "Wednesday" - I should confess that sometimes I even pronounce it that way :)

3. I Only Check My Voicemail To Get Rid Of The Little Icon On The Screen - That's me. I can't even explain why I'm so lazy about checking my voicemail; it takes like 30 seconds. But anyways, I'm glad I'm not alone.

4. I hate it when a teacher erases everything on the board but a little mark - This drives me CRAZY! I'm pretty sure I actually darted up to the board to finish the erasing a couple of times in high school; good thing I had understanding teachers! It's so funny to know that it bugs other people too!

5. Stopping the microwave before it hits 0:00 to avoid hearing the "BEEP"s - Yep, I do this. I usually add a second or two to the time at the beginning to account for the fact that I'm going to open the door at 0:01. Again, I can't explain why; the 'beep' isn't that obnoxious. Probably because it's usually late at night when I'm melting my ice cream a bit and I don't want everyone to wake up and ask for a bite! (Hmm, I wonder if there's a page about liking melty ice cream . . .)

6. I'd rather carry 10 grocery bags in each hand than make two trips. . . - This cracks me up, because it's usually when I'm struggling through the door with all those bags that Chuck absent-mindedly says (often without looking up from whatever he's doing) "Oh, do you need any help bringing in groceries?"

*It should be noted here that Chuck actually does the grocery shopping on a regular basis - and takes both boys along so I can have some 'me' time - so I guess he does his fair share of bringing in the groceries :)

7. When you walk you try to take the same amount of steps in each cement box - Okay, so this is the one that really amazed me. I've done this since I was in elementary school (and still do!) when I walked to and from school every day. My feet always have to be completely even - take the same number of steps in each box, if my right foot steps on a crack then my left foot has to step on the next available crack, etc. If I encounter a slightly longer box that takes me three steps to get through (right, left, right again) the next box also has to be three steps (even if it means smaller steps) starting with the left foot so that on the next box after that, I'm ready to start with my right foot again. Got all that?

So, there you have it. Turns out I'm not as crazy as I thought . . . or it means that other people are just as crazy! Either way, what a relief!

* I should also note that I am not actually a 'fan' of any of these pages; I hate to clutter my facebook up too much. Which is why I prioritize what I'm truly passionate about and have become a fan of only four pages: Melissa's photography, glee, the Ellen DeGeneres show, and President Obama.

Well, we kept celebrating.

The little boys and I decided not to let the fact that we celebrated Valentine's Day early this year stop us from partying on all weekend long - while Chuck worked and slept. And worked and slept. And worked and slept.

We made some sugar cookies. As some of you may know from my status update on facebook, we were lucky we had enough dough to roll out for cookies, seeing as how I couldn't open the fridge without sneaking some. It's sooooo good, though. And it's always risky when you turn wonderful cookie dough into cookies - what if they get burned? Then you've wasted delicious dough that you might as well have just eaten.

Isn't he cute all flour-y? For a more authentic baking experience, we wore aprons; for Christmas, Sam and Terri gave me a super cute brown and green 'flirty' apron (they're all the rage in Utahr). I felt very domestic.

Will oversaw the actual baking. And eating later on. Luckily my children don't know that sugar cookies are also delicious with frosting and sprinkles, so they happily accepted them fresh off the cooling rack completely unadorned.

Saturday we spent the day in Boise, where I went to a VERY fun baby shower (more on that another time) while my mom watched the wee ones. That morning I had a flash of inspiration and remembered that I purchased the cutest Valentine's Day shirts at Goodwill last summer and tucked them safely away for the boys this year. While at my mom's, I tried to take a cute picture of the boys in their shirts, but I think we all could have guessed that wasn't going to happen.

Cute Clyde Monster

Cute Wilbur. And you can't see their shirts clearly in either pic :)

Here I am with my little Valentines. I really, really love them.

Later that day we met up with my dad at (where else?) McDonald's - we go for the chicken nuggets, but stay for the chocolate milk :)

Can you tell that Will is a bit preoccupied in this picture? He was plotting his entry into the hamster cage, er, Play Place. His previous attempts to climb up had been unsuccessful, so I foolishly let my guard down and let him wander around - and somehow he made it up!!! I was so stressed out about how we were going to get him out of there since I seriously doubted he would happen upon the slide on his own, and his direction-following skills are non-existent. Will, of course, was happy as a clam (from what I could tell when he would randomly pass by one of the circular windows). Clyde was also having the time of his life in the little maze thing and did not comply with my repeated requests to help 'brother' get down the slide (he was duly dealt with later, I assure you). Finally Will backtracked near the stair platform deal and my dad was able to wriggle in and meet him halfway and pull him back to safety - thanks again Daddy-o!!

Sunday I committed two cardinal sins as I got Will ready for church: I let him wear a t-shirt to church AND it was the same t-shirt he'd worn the day before.

I couldn't resist; it just looked SO cute!! Also, his white shirt is getting too small (aka his chubby little tummy peeks out) and nothing else in his closet looked Valentine's Day-ish.

I asked Clyde to go stand by Will for a picture, and he said, "Okay, but I stand this way." Grrrr.


Luckily he turned around pretty quickly, but then he and Will were both inexplicably drawn to something on the floor. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were listening for instructions from down below . . . just kidding!!!

And then, just as Will was getting his 'sea legs' and Clyde was debating which side was his 'good side' I realized how late we were to church and we headed out the door!

Happy (late) Valentine's Day (again)!

Valentine's Day came a bit early around here...

A number of factors came together to necessitate an early celebration of Valentine's Day: it falls on a Sunday this year, Chuck works all weekend anyway, and in general we try to boycott the silly one-day jacking up of flower prices.

Which is why Chuck brought home these beautiful roses last week!

Along with donuts for breakfast, a sweet note, and a whole lot o' chocolate. But that wasn't all. A couple of days later, he brought home an envelope labeled JANA AND PAM. I waited until my mom was over and then we opened to together to find . . .

A gift certificate for us to go get manicures and pedicures together, yay! What kind of suck-up husband shops for his wife AND mother-in-law for Valentine's Day? My husband, that's who! He's a keeper :). So what kind of amazing gift did I get for such a sweet husband?


I agreed to see AVATAR (in 3-D!) with him. I thought it looked really, really dumb and James Cameron's ego annoys me, but Chuck really wanted to see it so off we went. And as always, Chuck was right and I liked it a LOT. One of these days I'll learn not to question him in his attempts to broaden my horizons :).

A 'Chuck and Jana date' also allowed for a 'Grandma Pam and Clyde and Will date'.

Grandma Pam helped Clyde make Valentines - so cute!

She also gave each boy a new Pez dispenser - now in addition to Buzz Lightyear and Woody, Clyde has Thomas the Tank Engine and Will has Percy. Will walked around with Percy ALL DAY today :).

Happy Valentine's Day (er, week? weekend?) to everyone! Love you all!

Why hotel livin' is the life for us

Prior to our trip to Salt Lake City and Elko for Amanda and Steve's December wedding, my children had never stayed in a hotel before - we prefer the less expensive 'show up at the homes of relatives and friends and ask for room and board in exchange for fun dinner conversation' route. After five days of fabulous hotel accommodations, however, we might move in permanently - here's why:

1. Room service.
Granted, we never actually ordered any, but the concept sounds GREAT.


2. Fun, sheer curtains to run out from under.
(Pay no mind to Will's oddly colored eyes; the red eye fixer perhaps did more harm than good.)

I personally did not understand the allure of this game, but Clyde and Will LOVED it. They giggled and ran out from underneath and giggled some more. I might have to invest in a panel of this stuff - Will's birthday isn't too far off . . .


3. Long corridors to run up and down.
(I was all set to write 'hallways' there, but suddenly had the impulse to write 'corridors' instead. 'Corridors' is a much prettier, fancier word that is more fun to say. Try it.)

I was very mindful of the neighboring hotel patrons and insisted the boys wrap up the running just before midnight. . . kidding, it was just after :).


4. Nice big beds at such a convenient distance apart for jumping back and forth with cousin Courtney.



4. Nice big beds to pile on with cousin George for some pre-bedtime cartoon viewing.


5. Nice big beds to sleep on . . . although clearly a twin size would have sufficed for these two very close brothers.

The other hotel amenities we were very impressed with but failed to photograph were:

- the elevator. An obvious highlight, but even more so because a little voice made an announcement each time we arrived at our intended floor. I felt like I was with Harry Potter and the gang taking the visitors' entrance to the Ministry of Magic.

- the laundry room in the basement. I did a late night load of our wedding outfits so they'd be ready for us to wear again at the Elko reception on Tuesday, and it was darned convenient to have it just downstairs!

- the hot tub. Again, we didn't actually use this amenity but it was nice to know it was there.

- Computer with Internet access and a comfortable chair in the lobby. Seriously, it's like they went out of their way to make ME feel more at home. This was particularly wonderful the night that Will was sooooo grumpy between two and four am; he just cuddled up on my lap while I blog-stalked and played on facebook.

Of course, sitting in my own home in my comfortable chair at my computer is pretty nice, too . . . and there isn't a weird night security guard trying repeatedly to strike up a conversation :)