Friday, May 30, 2008

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory


I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely historical fiction, but the events that took place were not the fictional part. The motivations, because obviously the author cannot know for sure why each person did what they did, are the fictonal part. The story of the court of King Henry VIII is facinating. The whole world, the double standards, the morality, all of it is really interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to read a great historical fiction book based in fact. The other neat thing was that at the end of this book, in this edition, the author lists her sources and also has a Q&A session based on some of the factual things and fictional things she included in the book. I loved this book. It was really great.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Hello There Friend...

I decided to write a bit this afternoon. Ethan is in his room fighting his nap and thus I have a few precious minutes of "me" time. I should be doing laundry, but hey, nobody is perfect.

Today has been a pretty good day. Jenny and I took the kids to lunch at Jason's Deli, somewhere new for us. Lunch was really good. Ethan decided to be a pill and got worse after lunch. We went over to Seagull Book after lunch for a few minutes and he decided today was the day he was going to be a little bum. He ran away from me and found a box containing a big painting which, of course, was wrapped in that giant bubble wrap. He screamed when I tore him away from said wrap. He was oh so excited about being able to pop it. What is it that is so hypnotic and gratifying about popping those little bubbles? Some questions won't be answered in this life I guess...

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Idaho Trip

We just got back from our trip to Idaho yesterday. We all had a great time. It was really nice to see the family. It has been far too long. My dad rented a Suburban and we all rode up together on Saturday. We took a drive around town and saw some of my dad's old haunts. I loved the view in my grandparents' backyard. Their trees were in full bloom. Ethan loved playing outside and going to see the horses. All in all, it was a great weekend. We had a wonderful time!


Monday, May 26, 2008

Happy Josh

On our way home from Idaho.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

The Office Deleted Scene

I thought this was so funny, I just had to share....


So Incredibly Happy!


How do you know if you're way too excited about American Idol? When you scare your son by screaming when he is in the next room. I was so shocked that my favorite actually won that I screamed and Ethan thought I was mad. This is the first time in recent memory that the person I really felt should win American Idol has actually won! I love David Cook. He is innovative, comfortable on stage, a natural performer, fun to watch, and he has an amazing voice! I'm so happy he won! You can bet I'll be buying his album as soon as it comes out. I thought David Archuleta was good too, but he's just not my style of music. I'm into more of the rock versus the pop stuff for the most part. Anyway, I'm glad he won. I'm happy!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Happy Birthday Dad!


Today is my dad's birthday! Just wanted to say that. Dad, I love you so much. Thanks for everything you did for me growing up and all you continue to do for me. Thanks for loving my husband as if he were one of your own and thanks for being such a great grandpa to Ethan. Happy birthday Dad!

Good Things



Today was Jenn's birthday so Jenn, Lisa, and I went to the Good Things Utah set for the show today. It was really fun and we even got to meet the girls. It was a lot of fun. After that, we went to lunch at Biaggi's at The Gateway. I had the chicken panini. It was excellent! Here are some pictures.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

The Host by Stephenie Meyer


I read this book in about a day...maybe a little less. I started it last night after I finished the other book I was reading. I really, really enjoyed it. I really truly hope that there is a sequel to this book. Stephenie Meyer is really an amazing storyteller. It was nice to see her get into more of an "adult" frame of mind with this book versus the Twilight series. I was sad to say goodbye to the characters when I finished the book. It was that good. I can always tell when I like a book because I read it really fast and I also am sad to see it end. Stephenie was on Good Things Utah on Friday. She mentioned that she isn't sure if there will be a sequel to this book, but if there is, she plans on it being a trilogy. She had already planned for the story to go on.



I loved that it was so easy to lose yourself in this world where people aren't who they seem to be, humans are more alien than they realize, and aliens can be more human than, well...humans. I love it when I can get lost in a book and really care about the characters and what happens to them. This was a wonderful science fiction book that stretches the imagination, but still keeps you grounded in reality. This world of aliens, hosts, and rebels could really exist. These characters have real personalities, feelings, strengths, and weaknesses. I loved everything about this book!




If you want to lose yourself for a little while, read this book. It's incredible.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Ethan and Julia.

Jack Jack

Ethan at the park.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Bears, Beats, Battlestar Galactica...


I'm totally geeking out right now! So tonight was the season finale of my favorite show "The Office." I love it. It's the one time during the week that I don't have to do anything except for laugh out loud. I thought it was a really great episode. I was a little disappointed that Jim and Pam didn't get engaged...grrr...Other than that though, it was a great episode. Loved the fact that Ryan got arrested for fraud. Serves him right for being a little weasel! Awesome!


I think I like it so much because I can relate to everyone in that office setting. I mean it's exaggerated, of course, but in the office where I used to work, there were a lot of things like that. Random office parties for no reason at all, weird boss outbursts, boring meetings that you have to be at, etc. The list goes on and on. I love "The Office." Too bad the season is already over. I could watch each episode over and over...but mostly I want to figure out what happens to Jim and Pam. :)

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

DUDE!

Dan, the student nurse extraordinaire.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

That Fateful Call

I was mentioning in a previous post that I had gotten a good phone call...some of you may know we're trying to add a little munchkin to our midst. Well, that hasn't been going so great. It seems my body doesn't agree to that decision just yet. I've been working on this with my OB's office, but we can't seem to get my body to cooperate and ovulate (wow...that kind of rhymed). We've been trying for a new kiddo for about six months now and nothing has stuck.

My call was from my doctor. He decided not just to induce my cycle this time, but he's given me a ...gasp... fertility drug to kickstart my ovulation. Hopefully this works. Also, no worries, it's a low dose so I'm not going to end up with like 18 at one time or anything...also if that happened I would drop dead because I have visions of little Ethans running around and climbing on top of me...and devouring me...also some of them are yelling, "Get out of my house!" like Ethan does when he gets mad at me.

I know we haven't been trying that long and that we already have one little blessing, but it's just frustrating when you can't get your body to do what it's supposed to do as a "woman." Hopefully this little kickstart is what it needs to realize...oh wait, am I supposed to be doing something now? Also, I know like four people who are pregnant now so maybe some of that dust will rub off on me, or maybe I should just go up and lick them, although that wouldn't be pleasant for me, or for them so we'll shelf that idea for now.

Anyway, all in all, I'm set with the it will happen eventually and at least we're doing something with it phase. If it doesn't happen, I'm okay too. I love Ethan and wouldn't trade him for anything...most of the time.

Ethan is sleeping.

Age Is Relative...I Guess

I have often wondered what has happened to my 30 something husband and who this 90 year old man is that has taken his place. It's funny, sometimes Dan seems so old. He watches his "programs", listens to talk radio, complains about various aches and pains, is tired all the time, etc. I make fun of him, especially for watching "programs" or going to the "movie house" to watch a movie. I guess we're all as old as we think we are in our minds...if that's true, heaven help me for I will be married to a 100 year old soon.

The other funny thing is he often reverts back to a 12 year old boy, watching anime, playing video games, etc. I guess I'll have to keep up. Maybe if I stay my 20 something self it will somehow balance things out. Going back and forth from elderly to infancy is too exhausting for me to tackle.

For me, I'd rather stay the age that I am. Hopefully I'll still say that in 20 years. Granted, I do reserve the right to revert to age 12 when New Kids On The Block decide to come in concert...but that's just a given. I think anyone would excuse me that one time. :)

Monday, May 12, 2008

Weird Day...

I'm feeling oddly calm today as I type this. Things have been a little rough for me the past couple of days...nothing really bad has happened, I have just been kind of down. Today, I got a phone call...I'll spare you the details, but needless to say, it really lifted my spirits for today. Even though it's raining outside right now at my house, I seem to be weathering the storm just fine inside.

I really like the rain. It reminds me of rebirth, washing away the old and bringing in the new. Somehow it's reassuring that nature gets to start over each time it rains...it's all one big cycle.

Mother's Day...

I had a pretty good Mother's Day. Dan and Ethan got me a cool digital picture frame. We also went to visit my mom, Dan's step-mom, and my grandma. We had a good time. Ethan played and played. He was so tired by the end of the day...the rest of us were too. It seems also that congratulations are in order for a couple of friends of mine...congratulations! You will be wonderful mothers. Both of these friends are pregnant and are due about the same time. Yay! I think it will be great for them to have kids. :)

Friday, May 9, 2008

The Zoo

Today was a good day. Jenny and I took the kids to Hogle Zoo. We recently both got memberships. We did that last year too and had a blast. Ethan had a really great time. One thing you'll notice is missing from the pictures....the bear backpack/kid leash from last year. He didn't need it! That made things exponentially easier on me. We got lunch from Subway on the way and ate there at the zoo. Ethan really enjoyed the animals. He really liked the elephants and the penguins a lot. We also rode the train. The kids all loved that....they always do. We rounded off the day by letting them all play in the playground for a bit. Then it was time for naps and home....not necessarily in that order...Jack was asleep before we got back to Jenny's house and Ethan was asleep before we got home. All in all, a really great day. :) Enjoy the pictures.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Boosting Myself Up

Today I made a decision. I made a decision to quit being sad about the "mommy weight" I have gained, and do something about it. I've decided to pay more attention to what I'm doing to my own body and I know it will make a difference. I have done this before. I can do it now. I'm excited for it. It won't be easy, but I know I can do it. I also have decided, which is different from before, not to let the scale affect the way my self-esteem is that day. It's a hard thing, but I think if I make a consious decision to just live my life rather than live and die by the scale I think it would be a good thing. I can't let weight loss become my whole life either. There is a lot more to life than food. I do a lot of things, shopping, reading, hanging out with friends, playing with Ethan, but a lot of what I do has food involved. I think it's time to move beyond that and just live.

What's Annoying Me Today....

How can I be three different clothes sizes at the same freaking store!? Last time I checked, my body wasn't growing and shrinking as I entered the dressing room. So annoying...

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

25 Things About Dan


I realize I write a lot about Ethan, that's because he's who I spend most of my time with as of late as Dan is in school, but I wanted to dedicate a post just to Dan...so here are some things about Dan that you may or may not know.


1. He loves me.

2. He is in nursing school.

3. He has a quirky little habit of running words together to create his own language...for example, "Turn of the light." in Dan's language is "Turofthlight."

4. He likes beekeeping.

5. He likes to immerse himself in the World of Warcraft game, complete with headset for speaking with his sister, brother, niece, and nephew who also play.

6. He always says, "I love you." to me before hanging up the phone.

7. He once was so tired when he answered the phone for work one night he said "I love you." to a coworker.

8. He called me "Ashley" three times on our first date...(and I stayed with him!)

9. He worries about me far too much.

10. He enjoys music, but can't sing.

11. He used to have a mullet.

12. He once burned his hair off on one side of his head due to a faulty makeshift blood pack....this was the death of the mullet.

13. He has a twin brother, Ben.

14. He has six siblings and four step-siblings.

15. He loves almost anything anime.

16. He lived on Okinawa, Japan at Kadena Air Force Base for two and a half years when he was a kid.

17. He is one of the most accident prone people I know.

18. He once had a tire fall off of his car while he was driving. It bounced down the road and hit another car while his car screeched to a stop.

19. He makes wedding cakes. (He has done several, including ours, and my brother's.)

20. He is a wonderful father.

21. He is a wonderful example.

22. He works far too hard.

23. He is caring.

24. He is loving.

25. I love him more everyday.

Ethan Is Nitty Gritty

So, yesterday while driving around with my sidekick, Ethan, I was flipping through the radio stations, as usual, to find something interesting to listen to. I have a wide variety on my presets and there is one country station. I get to the country one and it's playing "Fishing In The Dark" by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and all of the sudden, in the back of the car, I hear "Stop!" I look back and there is Ethan, jamming to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It's a fun song and I remember liking it as a kid, but it's just funny that such an opinion can occur at such a young age to take control of the car radio. Interesting...there really is a little person inside that body. More and more each day he becomes his own little opinionated self.

Hi Everyone!

I've been reminiscing a lot lately. It has been almost 10 years since I graduated high school...(insert Grosse Point Blank comment here "10 YEARS!"). I have connected with some of my former classmates over at Myspace and others on Facebook. It has been nice to hear from everyone. I hope they are doing well. I often wonder who reads this thing anyway...feel free to leave a comment to let me know who is out there in the land of cyberspace. :)

Monday, May 5, 2008

Something New

In an effort to make my site more interactive, post comments of what you want me to write about. :) I don't know if I'm opening up a can of worms here, but if there's something you want to hear about, my views on something, something about me, etc. post it and I'll do my best to answer...if it's not mean spirited. :)

FW:

Ethan is king of the laundry.

Monday, Monday


It always seems like Monday is the day to tackle all of the mountains of laundry and dishes, and to clean the house again after not cleaning for most of the weekend. Oh well, at least it's a routine.




Wish me luck today as I charge forward to combat all manner of clutter, dissaray, and uncleanliness within the domain that is my home.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

I should be in bed but....

Surprise, surprise, I'm not. I'm sitting here waiting for my husband to come home, yes, at 1:00 a.m. Oh well, hopefully these late nights will end soon. He was on call tonight so he had to go out and help someone get oxygenated. :) I'm in kind of a weird mood in my sleep drunk state, so please excuse any nonsensical things that exist in this post.

Today was a pretty good day. I got to take a nap, which was a good thing...still working on perfecting it as much as Liz has. After the nap, I took Ethan over to my parents' house. My mother-in-law's stake was doing a production of Savior Of The World at the Bountiful Regional Center and she got tickets for Dan and I to go. Dan had to leave just about halfway through to go help a patient, but he got to see some of it. Luckily we drove separately. I really enjoyed it. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's a great production. It goes through just before and when the Savior is born and then the second act is what occurs after he is crucified. It was amazing. There was a guy who played the apostle Thomas. He was wonderful! He had such a beautiful singing voice and he was such a great actor. He really brought a great depth to his part.

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law were both in the play too. My mother-in-law, Linda, was one of Mary's aunts and in the group chorus and my sister-in-law was in the group chorus. They both had various costume changes and things to learn. They've been working on getting this together since the beginning of January and tonight was the last night they performed it. I had a really good time.

My heart was full as I felt of the Spirit in that room. I really felt and was assured that Jesus is aware of me personally. He cares about me. He really did live and die for us here on this Earth. It's amazing sometimes to be reminded of such basic prinicples that we often take for granted.

All in all, it was a good night. I would highly recommend that you see the play if you get a chance to. It was uplifting, testimony strengthening, and edifying all in one night.

Friday, May 2, 2008

So I'm Official Now

I decided I would purchase my own web domain, because it's cheap, to host my blog. I have chosen www.aleshasworld.com. I figured this would also make it easier for family and friends to remember the address. Anyway, enjoy.