Boating

I just wanted to make a note that Mitch and I actually made it out on the lake this summer. It seems like we tried to go earlier and it either rained or we couldn't go when my parents went (they have the boat). But, last weekend we went with my parents and Brock and Natalie to Pineview. It was nice; I had never been to Pineview before. It's really pretty, but the lake isn't as big as Jordanelle (where we usually go), so it seemed really crowded. Brock and Mitch rode the two-man tube and now Mitch has sores on both elbows. At least he had fun. They didn't get dumped even though I thought they would more than a few times. The best part was that some people kept flying by in their boat and their music was SO ridiculously loud you could hear every word from halfway across the lake. We nicknamed them "The Jukebox Boat." We were partly annoyed and partly amused by their loud music. At least it was good music. Brock caught some little fish AND he was the only one who skied. It was warm outside, but it was overcast, and I only like to get in the water when I'm hot. Apparently everyone else felt the same way, besides Brock, because no one else got in. :) I'm glad my parents invited us and I'm glad they have a nice boat. It's a good time. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

I Like This Video

Homemade Salsa

Mitch made homemade salsa with the peppers from our garden. It's really SPICY and really YUMMY. I think I ate most of it myself. Can't wait until he makes more.

History

I am updating this post on February 13, 2013.

So, back in the day, my little brother got married. (August 2009) I don't care to remember much about it, seeing as how they got divorced less than a year later due to his ex-wife being addicted to pain killers (if only we'd known that before!) and a number of other problems she had including being a liar and extremely lazy. Jordan tried to help her, of course, but she wouldn't clean up and her family didn't believe him and accused him of lying. It was really a sad situation and I don't blame him for the decision he made to leave. He grew stronger from the experience and that is always a good thing.

That being said, I did want to save these pictures from that day, mostly because they are literally the ONLY copy I have of them. (I deleted the other copies off my computer so that Jordan's new wife wouldn't be offended if she ever saw them. I hope she appreciates that because quite frankly, there were some great pics of my hubby and I in there. But they're gone now. Forever.) I am keeping the two pics below though. I love them. And since they are just of Mitch and I it shouldn't be a big deal.

Mostly, these pics mean a lot to me because at this time Mitch and I were keeping a secret ... I was pregnant! We had just found out about two weeks before and decided not to tell anyone since we didn't want to steal Jordan's thunder as everyone was focused on his wedding at the time. So Mitch and I were extra happy when these pics were taken because we were so excited about our little secret.

And lastly, this is the only time I have ever been a bridesmaid and I had so much fun playing that role.

Mitch and I bustin' our moves on the dance floor.

Mitch and I in front of the waterfall. 

Sunny San Diego

Mitch had to go out of town for work last week. He went to San Diego and guess who went with him??? Yup, me!!! (Thanks to our Amex frequent flyer miles!) I could TOTALLY live in California. Especially San Diego. It's beautiful and the weather is perfect. Here's how our trip went:

• Arrived on Wednesday. Ate at a Mexican place near La Jolla beach. Wasn't that good. Got frozen yogurt and ate it while we watched the sunset over the ocean. Loved it.

• Thursday: Mitch left early for Day 1 of his conference. I went jogging. For an hour. The sea level altitude made me a world-class runner. I ran to the San Diego temple, which was close to our hotel. I wanted to know where it was so I could go do a session there the next day. I found this:

Yeah, it was closed only during the few days I happened to be in San Diego. Total bummer.

I jogged back to our hotel, got in my swimsuit, and laid by the pool for the next 4 hours. It was lovely. Then I got ready for the fancy dinner that the conference put on that night. Mitch picked me up and we went to the dinner. It was good and I found the speaker's, Ambassador Brooks, topic quite interesting. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about nuclear war and nuclear weapons.

• Friday: I slept in while Mitch went to Day 2 of the conference. I eventually walked over to Cali University San Diego to watch Mitch present his topic. He sat in a panel with 3 other speakers. He was second to last. He did very well. I learned a lot (again) about nuclear weapons. After all 4 speakers presented, the audience had about 45 minutes to ask the speakers questions. Ambassador Brooks asked Mitch a question or two; I was nervous for Mitch, but, as always, he did very well. I was so proud of him. I wanted to take his picture but thought I would embarrass him, so I refrained myself. The conference people might post pictures soon and I'll put them on here then. Here we are all dressed up before the dinner.

Mitch got to go on a tour of an attack submarine as part of the conference. Here he is at the periscope.

After the conference was over, Mitch and I took one of his co-workers to the airport. Then we went to Sea World. I felt like a little kid I was so excited. Sea World is awesome. We got there around 6 that night and it wasn't crowded at all. It was nice. Here we (and some random people) are in front of the flamingos. They're so weird looking! The flamingos, not the people.

• Saturday: we slept in and eventually made our way to Sea World. It was incredibly crowded, but we still had fun and managed to see every exhibit and every show. We both loved it. I told Mitch after the "Pets" show of dogs and cats that, "I really like dogs, but I'd rather have a sea lion." How can you not love these guys? They crack me up.

• Sunday: slept in. Went to breakfast. Had a horrible landing on the plane ride home; I almost puked. Harvey was incredibly glad to see us. In fact, he wouldn't leave us alone all night. He was being so funny, constantly meowing and rubbing all over us, trying to get our attention. If one of us would walk out of the room, he'd meow and run after us. Poor guy, we think he was having anxiety about us leaving again or something. Glad he missed us, it makes me feel loved.

Lacey's Quest for a New Car

Hi everyone, this is Mitch. Lacey is starting to complain that her Saturn is no good. "It only has 2 doors!", "It's 12 years old!" are frequent complaints heard around the house. (This has been going on for at least a year). Lacey can't make up her mind as to what kind of car she wants. A year ago: "Chargers are so cool, I really want one" turned into "Everyone has a Charger and they are too big". Nine months ago: "A 4 door Tacoma is what I want, plus it will be nice to have a truck" turned into "it rides too much like a truck and gets bad mileage." Six months ago: "I really really like the CTS" turned into "they have way too many gadgets and are too much money." The latest craze is a Volvo S40. Since Lacey can't seem to make up her mind I figured I would put up a poll to see if everyone else's opinion may help steer her in some direction. Lacey's main requirements are that it must have 4 doors, has to be less than 5 years old, has to be something unique and fun, has to be either FWD or AWD, and has to fit our budget (that last one is more my requirement). Please vote on the poll on the right side of the screen. Hopefully this will help her make up her mind.

Here are some pictures of the cars she is thinking about:

Volvo S40

Toyota Tacoma

Cadillac CTS

Keep her Saturn