I Love This Man

Let me tell you why.

1. Last night we used the last of my cash to buy a cherry limeade at Sonic. I need cash to pay for parking downtown. There isn't a WaMu ATM anywhere nearby the office. Quinn told me he would run by the ATM on his way home from picking up his friend from the airport last night while I was at home sleeping. So this morning, in my rush to get out the door, I went back in to the bedroom to wake Quinn up and asked him if he had remembered to get cash. He said "It's in your wallet." So thorough. Why did I doubt?


2. When I got in my car this morning to begin my hellish commute downtown, he had set the CD player to start playing We Built This City by (Jefferson) Starship. This helped to bring a huge smile to my face. I love this song. In fact, I know practically every word to this song and have since I was very young. I have a distinct memory of recording this song off of the radio when I was about 7 years old and rewinding the tape over and over again as I wrote down all the lyrics. As a side note, We Built This City tops the list of Blender's magazine "50 Worst Songs Ever." I respectfully disagree.

A New Discovery

Redbox. Whoever invented this little contraption needs to win an award. I think I'm late coming to the party, but I am now a full on convert. I need never step foot in a video rental store again. We had our first experience with Redbox (actually a knock-off version at our grocery store) this weekend. It has a great selection and is most convenient. And you can't beat the price. A buck for a new release. Plus, no hassle of going to the video store which I have always hated. When I want to really see a movie I would rather buy it at Walmart than go to the video store to rent it and sign away your rights to your first born.

This last week we have also been on a Thai cuisine kick. My obsession started a few years back when Elise and I took a Thai cooking class together. It was so much fun and we got some great recipes out of it. This last week I've just been making up my own recipes and so far they have all turned out quite well. This weekend we even made a trip to an Asian grocery store so I could re-stock some of the essentials like fish sauce, oyster sauce, and Thai spices. I even found a recipe online to help recreate Jeweled Beef from Thaifoon. We tried it last night and it was pretty tasty. I think tonight I'll make a similar creation but use chicken instead of beef and see how that turns out. Should be fun.

A Journal of Sorts

I’ve never been able to keep much of a journal. Once I had a good stretch going for about 6-7 months. I have realized lately that I’ve had this blog for about 17 months. This is quite an accomplishment for me. At first it was just going to be a wedding blog, but now it is much more. I have been thinking lately that I need to inquire of some of my techie relatives (read: Uncle Lance) how I can go about backing up the blog every so often onto a disk or hard drive to provide a digital journal of sorts. I figure this might be as good as it gets. Plus, I’m sure one day our kids will enjoy reading some of the posts and mocking us for things we did, said, or how we looked.

Having said all of that, some posts going forward might be a little nostalgic. I need to start writing down some of the more memorable moments of my life. My friend Elise and her recent post got me thinking about some great vacations I’ve been so fortunate to take. Here are just a few in no particular order.

Lindsay, Kristen and me in Mazatlan—December 2004. I will never forget parasailing and the “Mexican Delight” showing Kristen his tan lines. Plus there was a very memorable meal of lobster and shrimp wrapped with bacon that I can still almost taste not to mention the deliciousness of Mexican Coca-Cola.

Christmas in Florence—December 2001. My Dad was nice enough to let me plan this trip. Highlights include consuming mass quantities of gelato and all the tourists ignoring the lady shouting over the speaker to please not take pictures of Michelangelo’s “David”. Although, to be fair, Cameron managed to get a few pictures off as well although he did not use the flash like everyone else was doing. Another highlight was ordering what we thought would be a pepperoni pizza in a little restaurant in Pisa. However, pepperoni in Italian means peppers. We were very disappointed.

Lindsay and me on our Mexican Riviera cruise. November 2005. What I loved about this cruise is that it was the ultimate relaxation. We barely stayed up past 10 the entire cruise which enabled us to take full advantage of the ports like Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo. Oh, and the fact that I think I only spent maybe $100 for the entire experience.

All of the Mortensen family vacations. Yellowstone and the petrified tree. Brian Head. Cruise to Catalina & Mexico. Alaskan cruise with the helicopter ride to the glacier. Caribbean cruise with stops in Roatan, Hondurus, Cozumel, Mexico, Belize and Grand Cayman. One particular memory that comes to mind was the chocolate buffet on the Alaskan cruise. I laughed to myself when I got down to the line and almost the entire Mortensen clan was first in line. Classic. Unfortunately, with Quinn in school we are missing out on this year’s cruise to Hawaii, but I’m sure they will all have as much fun as ever.

Our family trip to Nauvoo and other church sites. Summer ’93 (I think, could be wrong on the year). I loved Far West, Missouri. There was such a sweet spirit there. Another highlight was Independence and the crazy RLDS temple. Who doesn’t love a building shaped like a snail?

Family trip to Vernal. Summer ’97. Highlights include eating at the “Cracked Pot” and use of the phrase “Maybe the dingo ate your baby.” Oh, and the window in the van getting shattered while driving when a car came flying past us and kicked up a rock that hit the driver side window.

There have been so many more. Just writing all of this down has made me realized how fortunate I’ve been to be able to travel to some great places and share some amazing experiences with family and friends.

A Potter Post

This article is a must read for any Harry Potter fan.

However, a little warning is in order. The article is Keith Olberman's prediction for how the book will end. And, I have to say, it is a little bit of genius and I'm now mad at myself for not figuring it out in the first place.

Let's discuss in the comments section.

Age of Love

Last night Quinn sat on the couch last night and marveled at how odd it felt to be home in the evening and how strange it felt to be able to watch TV. He asked me if there was anything good to watch on Monday's. I told him that I haven't really found anything that amazing to watch this summer. So we did a little channel surfing and ended up on Age of Love hosted by Kelly Ripa's husband Mark Consuelos.

For those of you who haven't heard of this show (I suspect most of you) let me set up the premise. Mark Philippoussis (an Australian tennis player) is searching for love. Apparently, he has forsaken his international playboy ways and is ready to settle down. Unbeknownst to him, they have lined up 7 40+ year olds for him to date. Let's just say the look on his face as one by one the women reveal their ages to him is priceless. One whole episode was dedicated to him spending time with the ladies and getting over the shock of dating an older woman. Just when he is getting comfortable they dump the twist on him.

The show then introduce 6 20 somethings into the mix. But the 40's (as they are referred to) are at first unaware that they are competing against the 20's. This is going to get good. The kittens vs. the cougars.

But I will say this. There is only one 20 that has any real beauty. The rest are very fake looking and surprisingly not all that beautiful. However, there were several beautiful 40's. I know I would be happy to look half as good as they did at their age right now let alone when I'm in my 40's. In my expert reality dating show analysis this show comes down to three people: Adelaide (25), Jenn (48) and Jayanna (40).

After watching all two hours of Age of Love the one definitive conclusion that Quinn and I came to is that Mark Consuelos is ridiculously good looking.

Change

I hate change. But yet, I am a cash person. Quinn and I even once got into an argument because as we were walking through the mall one afternoon I threw away a dime that I had because I didn't want to carry it around any more.

This morning Quinn needed some quarters. So I told him I thought I had some in my purse. The next thing I know, I can hear him from the next room going crazy over how much change I had in my purse. Obviously he had to take it all out and count it.

So here are the results:

$21.95 and 41 pesos

Needless to say, my purse is MUCH lighter now.

What Do These Two Things Have in Common?

Symphony and Video Games?

Some might think they are an unlikely pair, but last night they were brought together by the touring Video Games Live. This, first of its kind tour, pairs some of the best and most memorable game music with top orchestras and choirs. It is all synchronized with lighting and video montages.

Luckily, Quinn was able to score discount tickets through the school, so last night we went to our first symphony together.

The music was truly fantastic. Really it was. Some of the games I had never heard of, but their musical scores alone made me want to go out and buy them.

The highlight of the evening for me was the piece featuring the music from the world of Super Mario. Who knew that little tune could sound so great? All it needed was the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Choir to make it a true masterpiece.

Another highlight was the featured performer Martin Leung, otherwise known as the "Video Game Pianist." He played a medley featuring the music of Final Fantasy and then a few other pieces from Super Mario. The furor and speed with which his hands moved up and down the piano was astonishing. Check it out here for yourself.

Clay Nation

This story is for all you Clay-mates out there. You know who you are. Trip to NYC anyone?

In other Clay Aiken news, he will be headlining the Frisco Freedom Fest (think Stadium of Fire) this July 4th. I know I, for one, am excited. Now I just have to convince my darling husband to go with me. To his credit, when I mentioned it in passing a week or so ago he didn't seem appalled at the thought of attending.

Bathroom Break

After lunch today, I took a trip to the bathroom. One of the stalls doors was closed with a sign taped to it.

The sign read:

Bathroom needs cleaning. Someone is acting like a man!

I had to chuckle to myself.

My First Movie Review

Quinn and some of his fellow students decided they needed a break from their grueling work load. So they took some time out of their busy studying schedules and we headed off to see Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. I know I should leave movie reviewing to the pro, Justin, but I thought I would take a stab at it today.

So, here is my review of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer:

This movie is not good.

Click on the pic to see the detail

Click to enlarge and see the detail

Re-do--Trying to make it so you can click on the pic and make it bigger

Fruits of Labor

I thought I would post some pics of all the stuff Quinn has been working on lately. This first picture is of the level he designed with a Star Trek theme. He spent a lot of time on this as he modeled the ship and space dock himself in 3DS Max. It looks fantastic.

These next two pics are from a team project. They had to create a Mummy Freeze-Tag game. Quinn's level of a Palace Courtyard and a Secret Garden received high praise from his professor.

Also, this last week they had to make a game pitch to the team to decide on the game that they will work on all next term. Of course the pitch that Quinn and his friend Chetan did was the pitch that won. It's going to be very exciting seeing that game come to life.

A Follow Up

Um, hello? He is amazing. I wish America Got Talent was as good as this, then I might actually watch. But seriously, I would buy this guys CD.

Check This Out

My FIL sent this video to me yesterday. It is fantastic. I thought I would share it with all the non-DelHoyo's out there. Enjoy.

My Mom

Happy Birthday to my dearest Mama! I just wish I was there to celebrate it with you. I hope you have a great day.

Out With the Old, In With the New

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are out. Say goodbye to:

The Pyramids of Giza
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Mausoleum at Halicarnassuss
Colossus of Rhodes
Lighthouse at Alexandria.

There is a worldwide vote going on now for the new Seven Wonders of the World. Perhaps, this is just in time since only one of the original 7 wonders is still in existence. And on that note, the Pyramids of Giza have an automatic bid for the new Seven Wonders. Apparently, the Egyptians were slight insulted that they would be put up for a vote. I have to say, I see their point. Take a minute and check out the contenders and vote.

I voted for the following and most of them were for purely selfish reasons:

• Angkor at Cambodia--someday I plan on seeing this for myself. If it is the last thing I do before I die I will get to Southeast Asia and tour Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
• The Colosseum at Rome--again, another place I must go before I die.
• The Great Wall--come on, you can see this from space, it was a no brainer for me.
• St. Basil/Kremlin--purely selfish, I've already been there done that so if it makes it I'll be able to say I've seen one of the 7 wonders.
• Petra at Jordan--always loved this from the Indiana Jones movie.
• Taj Mahal--not sure why, it just looks cool.
• Statue of Liberty--I have to admit this was again the been there done that in me coming out, also a bit of American pride I suppose, but I realize it has probably zero chance and deservedly so. It's not quite on par with the rest.

Addicted

I think I am officially and ESPN Radio junkie.

The seed was planted a little over a year ago with a power struggle between Quinn and me for early morning TV viewing. Ever since high school, I have always woken up to the Today show. I love me some Matt Lauer, what can I say? I remember being severely depressed when he got married many years ago. Him and Conan O’Brien. But that is another blog in itself.

The point is, soon after we were married I figured out that Quinn prefers Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN2 as his choice for early morning TV viewing. At first we compromised. We would flip back and forth during commercials and so on and so forth. But soon, I found myself not wanting to flip back to Today and even turning it directly to Mike and Mike myself. I became a fan. And it hasn’t stopped there. Not only is it on the TV in the mornings while I get ready for work, I can continue to bask in Mike and Mike on my ridiculously long commute downtown. And to top it all off, I now pretty much listen to ESPN radio all day long. Mike and Mike on the drive in, The Dan Patrick show if I happen to be in my car at lunch and the local boys Galloway and Company top off the evening commute home.

Anyway, the point is: I’m now a dedicated sports talk radio listener.

Sick

About 3 days ago Quinn got sick with a cold. He had been working very hard and pretty much getting no sleep at all, so I knew it was only a matter of time before he got sick. I tried my hardest to steer clear of him whilst ill, but alas it didn't work. Last night, I started to get sick. And of course, as luck would have it, I'm sicker than Quinn is. I'm running a lovely little fever and haven't been able to breathe out of my nose in 24 hours. Quinn has been great. I asked him to go ask the pharmacist what he recommends for severe congestion because Advil Cold and Sinus was doing nothing for me. Quinn came home with some Sudafed and I'm hoping this will help. He also just went out to go get some sorbet for me to help my throat. Isn't he the best? I just hope I took care of him as well as he is taking care of me.

Graduation Day

She is known by many names: Mal-Pal, Pallory, Kit-Kat, Meow Meow, and the list goes on. Most of you know her as Mallory. Today she graduates from the Anglo-American School of Moscow. Congratulations!!! I know she has worked so hard. In September, she will be making our father's dream come true and enrolling at BYU. I have no doubt Mallory will be successful in whatever she chooses to do in life. Congratulations Mallory!

A note about the picture. Mallory took that lovely picture of herself on my camera. I've been eagerly anticipating today when I would finally have a reason to post it.

A Walking Tour

Today for Memorial Day we went on a walking tour of downtown Dallas. I had found a cool tour described on Fodors.com that I wanted to try out. Granted, it was suppose to rain all day, but we went out anyway. The tour starts at the 6th Floor Museum where Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. It was surprisingly a very cool and interesting museum. I didn't get a good shot of the window...sorry. But below is infamous grassy knoll for all you conspiracy theorists and Zoolander fans out there (male models??)

We walked past Dealey Plaza which is where the first Dallas settlers came. From there we strolled past the historic Old Red Courthouse. Then we walked to the West End District which is full of tons of little cute shops, restaurants and clubs. We had lunch at on the rooftop of a restaurant called "Gators" and yes they serve alligator. And Quinn actually ordered it. Here he is below with his plate of fried alligator.

I ate some too. It wasn't too bad. It has a texture sort of like calamari. It started to downpour while we were at the restaurant so we had to wait that out for a bit. But it cleared up enough to resume the walk.

From the West End District we walked to Thanksgiving Square. It is this square dedicated to being thankful for all of our blessings. They had a visitors center and chapel there but it wasn't open yet, so we didn't get to go inside. But apparently all of the Thanksgiving prayers given by the President are on display there. I can't do it justice but you can click here for more info. It was a very cool park right in the middle of downtown.

From Thanksgiving Square we headed over to the Neiman Marcus flagship store. Unfortunately, it was closed. So I guess I'll just have to go back. By this point it looked like it might start to rain again so we headed back to the car. It was definitely a fun day and very exciting to get to know the city of Dallas.

A Pilgrimage

Quinn and I have been a bit homesick as of late. Ever since we moved to Texas we've been severely missing the Mexican grills that are so popular in Utah such as Costa Vida, Cafe Rio and Bajio. Being that we moved to Texas, the land of Tex-Mex, we thought we might find something similar, but we have yet to. But we did know that there was a Bajio in Garland, TX. We mapquested it and it looked to be about 20 miles away. So we headed off tonight on a pilgrimage of sorts. Of course, it was a torrential down pour during the drive. We got very lost and even had to make a phone call to my sister to have her look it up on the map and help re-orient us. But after 1 hour and 10 minutes of driving we finally found it. It was so delicious! I've definitely missed it and I know Quinn missed the shrimp tacos.

Here we are about to enjoy our meals.

(Please excuse my hair but when it rains in Texas there is no reason to waste time drying and flat ironing my hair so this is my wash n' go look.)

And here are our plates after Quinn polished off both of our meals. Do you think he liked it???

His plate was so clean after he was done you could have used it to serve the next customer. We made it back home in only 40 minutes but all the driving was worth it.

The Little Things

Yesterday evening, I went with Quinn and a friend of his from school on a search for particular model of the star ship Enterprise. We went to several hobby stores and where in and out of the car frequently. At about our third stop, Quinn's friend Jeremy asked Quinn if he opens the car door for me all of the time? Because he had been doing just that at every stop. I told Jeremy, that yes, Quinn does. I think Jeremy was a bit shocked. He went on to say that he does that in the beginning, but once he is in a relationship he doesn't do that anymore. Quinn said that he can see why most people would do that, but that opening the car door is just something little he can do to show me I'm special (how cute!). And the truth is, it probably wouldn't bother me much if he stopped, in fact, I think subconsciously I half-expected him to stop after we were married. But I have to say, I absolutely love and adore the fact that he still does it and hope it continues. After all, it is the little things that really lets someone know that you love them.

Castles and Kids

I finished reading “The Glass Castle” this weekend. This is a memoir by Jeannette Walls. For those of you who aren’t familiar with her, she writes the “Scoop” column for msnbc.com. Perhaps, it is said that that is how I know her, but it is true nonetheless. But I just have to say, I loved this book. Mainly because it was so terrifying that people could live the way her family lived. But in the end, it is a tale of triumph. Jeannette Walls and her 3 siblings were born to a mother who didn’t want to be a mother and a father who was a drunk. To feed themselves the kids would steal food out of the dumpster. She tells of a time when she was 3 when she was left alone to boil hotdogs and then she caught on fire. Her father then “stole” her out of the hospital because he didn’t believe in hospitals or the doctors who worked in them. Another time when they were moving, they loaded all of the kids and put them in the back of a uHaul (newborn baby included) and drove like that for hours. The kids had no heat, windows, etc…Those two instances don’t even begin to do justice to the horror that these children endured. And for all the Arnett’s, the family even took a turn living in Blythe. Perhaps, you guys even crossed paths.

I meant to mention this on the blog when it happened, but somehow it must have slipped my mind. But yesterday during primary I was reminded of it again. We spend the last 10 or so minutes coloring during class. Usually we try to keep it related to the lesson. Two weeks ago when we were teaching the kids about bodies and how they should be grateful for them, we asked them to draw a picture of themselves. One little girl, Keziah was very proud of her picture. She brought it over to me and showed me. She proceeds to tell me that it is a picture of Tristen, another little girl in the class. I asked her what Tristen was doing in the picture to which she replied “She is tumbling down the mountain.” Quinn and I couldn’t contain our laughter. Kids say the darndest things.

Craziness

The craziest thing just happened. My phone rang tonight and it was a number I didn't recognize. I answered it (which is something I rarely do). Immediately the guy on the other end asks "Is this Devry?" to which I hesitantly reply "Yes". He then tells me I don't know him, but that he was recently in Jamaica and met a Sarah who says she knows me. Hearing that name was a shock. Sarah was my best friend when I lived in Ecuador. I haven't seen her or spoken to her since I was 15 years old.

Turns out this guy who called me is from Salt Lake and was on vacation in Jamaica. He overheard Sarah speaking Spanish. He went on to tell me that he too speaks Spanish because he served a mission in PR. I guess it caught his attention because Sara looks very very Dutch. Anyway, he says they got to talking and she found out that he was LDS and from Utah. She went on to tell him that she use to have a friend that was Mormon that she use to go to church with from time to time and that I was from Utah as well. I'm still fuzzy on some of the details but I guess he volunteered to try and track me down when he got back to Utah. Sarah had given him my name and he tracked down my parent's house and then was forwarded on to me. He got my email and was going to forward it on to Sarah.

It was in a bit of shock after I hung up the phone. 14 years later. It is just crazy to think about it. I can't wait to hear from her. The guy knew that she had just recently moved to Jamaica with her husband who is apparently the Executive Chef at the Ritz Carlton down there.

What a small world full of crazy coincidences. I thankful for the man taking the time to look me up and helping to bring two old friends back together again.

Happy Halo 3 Beta Day!!

Many of you may not be aware that today is a holiday. Or at least it is to Quinn. Today is the release of Halo 3 Beta. It gives everyone the opportunity to play the highly anticipated game and offer feedback before the game is released worldwide on September 25^th. Quinn has been preparing for the game for the release. It started a few months ago when we went out and bought a game merely because if you buy that game then a free invitation to the Beta comes along with it. Quinn had planned to wake up this morning at 6 am so that he could be showered and dressed by 7 when the beta was released. So when he got out of bed this morning I groggily inquired if it was 6 already. He told me that it wasn’t. That he just couldn’t sleep anymore. He was like a little kid at Christmas. So cute. Anyway, he was up and at ‘em way before my 6:30 alarm went off. Tonight he and a friend I’m sure will be up late playing Halo 3, but I made it very clear that they had to turn it off for at least 1 hour so I could watch “Lost”. Anyway, here is wishing you all a Happy Halo 3 Beta Day.

A Run for the Border

Many of you know of my affinity for Del Taco. I have been touting Del Taco for some time. I remember way back during my Penn days how I would talk about it to anyone who would listen. I’ve just always liked it better than Taco Bell. For one, they use real cheddar cheese and I’m not sure what that stuff is that Taco Bell uses. And two, their mild sauce is amazing. I use to live off of the bean burritos. It was a ridiculously cheap lunch. So you can all imagine my despair upon realizing that there are no Del Tacos here in Texas. I was devastated. I thought there was little Taco Bell could do to tempt me back.

Well, today I spent most of my lunch at Michael’s picking up stuff for Sunday when I spied a Taco Bell across the street. So I went. I tried their new 7-layer Crunch Wrap. Beans, cheese, guacamole, mild sauce, tomatoes, sour cream and tortilla strips wrapped in a tortilla and grilled—good to go. I have to say, it was quite tasty. I called Quinn immediately to tell him because he always tries to get me to go to Taco Bell and I always refuse. This new development might have just changed my life. Or at least made tolerating the years I spend in Texas sans Del Taco more tolerable.

East Coast West Coast

Today we got my sister Mallory's high school graduation announcement in the mail. By the way Mallory, Congratulations!! Anyway, while I was examining the announcement Quinn mentioned that he thought it was weird that she had sent out announcements. I was a little perplexed because I had sent them out and so had most people I have known. Then he said it was a Utah thing (even though Mallory attends highs school in Russia and not Utah) and that people on the east coast don't do grad announcements. So I obviously had to take a survey on the blog. How many of you sent out high school graduation announcements? And responses from people not attending high school in a state not Utah will be weighted more heavily. I'm really curious now. I always just assumed everyone did this.

And in a "Lost" moment...Locke rocks!

A Year in Review

Yesterday Quinn and I marked the 1 year anniversary of our marriage. What a year it has been. So much has happened—not just to us, but to all of those around us that we love so much. It seems like the past year has been filled with engagements, weddings, babies, graduations, moves etc... It is definitely an exciting time for us and our friends and families.

Just in the last year Quinn altered the direction of schooling and found a great program that will help him do what he loves. We moved to a new city and have started to make new friendships. I quit a job and have recently just started a new one. The next year is unknown and exciting as we carve out a new path for ourselves.

I’ve learned so much this past year. I’ve learned how hard marriage is and how much joy it can bring. I’ve learned that Quinn and I have two very different ways of thinking for the most part. Sometimes his way baffles me and leaves me speechless and I’m sure I do the same thing to him. I’ve learned a lot about compromise and a lot about forgiveness. Most importantly, I’ve learned so much about selflessness, love and gratitude. I love Quinn very much and I’m so grateful for this year we have been able to spend together and I eagerly await the many years to come.

What is in a name?

Someone in my new office apparently thinks my name is Avery. I never understood that one. I get it all the time. I mean come on, people, my name doesn’t even start with an A. So to mistakenly call someone a name that begins with a sound that is not even close to the sound it actually begins with is just ridiculous. I almost corrected him, but then I thought it would be more fun for him to come to the realization on his own when he hears everyone else in the office calling me by the correct name (because no one else seems to have a problem with it). Plus, I’m just never quite sure how to correct someone when they call you by the wrong name straight to your face. I guess I need to figure out a way to do this since I run into this problem all the time. Once when I was in the 9^th grade, my Earth Science teacher called me DeVry (as in the University) the entire year. It was pretty funny.

Craft Projects

I finished reading Twilight last night. Every lunch this week has been dedicated to reading it and last night I was determined to finish it up. So I did nothing but read with a 30 minute break to watch The Office. I really enjoyed it. A fun, entertaining read. I loved the hero and the villain of the story. The heroine annoyed at times. But I eagerly await getting my hands on the sequel A New Moon.

Additionally, I need ideas for Mother’s Day. I’m in need of a fairly simple activity/craft project for the Sunbeams to do in class so that they have something to give to their mothers. Any ideas? I was thinking of maybe some sort of candy flower that they can assemble…I’m still brainstorming. But since crafts aren’t exactly my thing, I thought I would put it out there for any suggestions.

Idol News Flash

Quinn just informed me that he has never heard Jon Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory." I'm speechless. Who have I been married to this whole time :)

PS (I had to edit this post because another shocking discovery has been made thanks to "Dancing with the Stars"

Quinn also has no idea who Meatloaf is. I even did my best performance of "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" and he still had nothing. Clearly I need to make a CD of old 80's music for him to listen to.

Update

I thought I would finally post a bit of an update. I am now gainfully employed once again. It is nice to have a purpose again. Although, I will say that I see Quinn much less now. Before, I would get to see him when he came home for lunch and after five for a bit and then I would usually try to stay up until he came home or at least have him wake me up when he got home. But now that I have somewhere to be early every morning, I prefer if he just lets me sleep. But we will get use to it I’m sure.

My new challenge is having the energy to go to work, brave traffic, come home, make dinner, and clean etc…So far, I have let the clean etc. slide, but I’m hoping to make strides in getting it under control again this week and once again having a nice balanced life.

All of the sudden it is HOT in Texas. I swear it happened over night. There use to be nice spring weather and now not so much. The sad thing is that I’m sure it is only going to get worse.

In other news, I finally got around to getting the newest book that has discussed a lot in the blogosphere. I went over to the B&N today during lunch and picked up Twilight. I only got through the first chapter before I had to get back to work, but I’m eagerly awaiting getting home and cracking it open. I have been dying to find out what this Vampire love obsession is about. I’m sure I won’t be disappointed.

Nature Shows and a Secret

Quinn loves nature shows. We've started Planet Earth on the Discovery Channel and it is really interesting. Last night we were treated to our very own private nature show. On our way out, right by the right front tire of our car, we interrupted two rabbits engaged in, how should we say this, adult things. We watched them for about 5 minutes as the male bunny was in hot pursuit of the female bunny. He was relentless and succeeded in the end. This is just one delight to being surrounded by so many animals while spring is in the air.

Secret anti-perspirant has long claimed that it is "Strong enough for a man, but PH balanced for a woman." We now know this to not be true. Quinn ran out of deodorant. He later informed me that he has just been using my Secret. Let's just say, it is NOT strong enough for a man. But never fear, I got him some man deodorant today--a nice Old Spice variety.

A Rough Start

We literally just walked in from church this afternoon where we spent our first Sunday as Sunbeam teachers. It was a rough start. One girl would not keep her shoes on. One little boy (a visitor) proclaimed as soon as we got to class that "I'm not listening. La, la, la, la, la" and he kept it up for quite a while. But the highlight happened later when the girl sans shoe fell off of her chair. She was a little sad (but not hurt) so I picked her up and comforted her for about 5 minutes. Then all of the sudden I noticed that she had peed... ON ME!!! It wouldn't be that upsetting except for the fact that both my shirt and skirt are dry clean only. But the kids are cute and I'm sure we will hit our stride eventually but today was rough.

Quote of the day goes to the little boy sitting behind us in Sacrament meeting. In the midst of a talk from a returning missionary he proclaimed to :"This church is not about Satan." True, true.

A Weird Movie Experience

Tonight, Quinn and I braved the storm and ignored all the tornado warnings and went out to the movie theaters. We decided to see "Disturbia." We noticed things seemed a little off in the theater. There were just a handful of adults [read: 18 and up]. There seemed to be a lot of teenagers in the audience and they all seemed to know each other. The longer we sat there, the more the teens flooded in. The theater grew very loud and lively as they all were shouting, hugging and trying to get each others attention. Apparently, the theater is the local high school hang out. Things just got worse. Before the movie started we got a stern warning from an employee about cell phones and how there will be no warnings tonight they will just ask you to leave if they see a cell phone. We were also graced by the presence of 2 police officers and about 6 theater employees. They stayed in the theater the whole time. Finally the move started and things calmed down. But not for long. You see, "Disturbia" is a bit of a suspense thriller. Let's just say the shrill screams got a little out of control. They were coming every couple of seconds and you couldn't even hear the dialogue. Quinn was getting very annoyed by it. But we survived. But is was definitely the most surreal experience I've ever had at a movie theater. And we have vowed to not go back to that theater on a Friday night. But despite all of that, the movie was quite good. If you like a suspense thriller, this one delivers.

As a side note, I'm starting to feel like I belong in Texas. Tonight, while driving to the theater, a car signaled us and asked us to roll our window down. So I did and he asked me for directions to IKEA and I actually knew how to get him there. It was a truly momentous occasion.

Ramblings

I've already become spoiled. Like most of the nation, Texas has been experiencing a cold front. I'm freezing over here. Quinn tried to convince me that we didn't need to turn on the heat in our poorly insulated apartment. I kept on pulling up http://www.weather.com and reading him the current temperatures of 30 something degrees. I'm sorry, but if it is below 40 degrees at night, I need the heat on. I felt slightly redeemed when Quinn had to steal some of the down comforter that I sleep with in the middle of the night because he was cold.

I saw my first episode of Tori and Dean Inn Love today on the Oxygen network. Apparently Tori Spelling is a bit of a paranoid pregnant woman. She made her husband drive her back to LA for a check ups several time because she was afraid that she "killed the baby." How you may ask? Well, she took a bath. But she was so concerned that she told the doctor that she was only in the water for about 10 minutes and the water wasn't that hot. So the doctor kept a straight face through it all and then said "Let's go take a look at the baby [via ultrasound] and make sure you didn't cook your baby." I laughed out loud.

Another highlight of the evening came from Dancing with the Stars.

Billy Ray Cyrus speaking about his partner Karina crying over having to teach him: "I know if I was one of the best dancers in the world and I got Billy Ray Cyrus as a partner, I'd be crying to."

Bane of My Existence

Don't be fooled by these cute innocent looking birds. They are anything but. They torture me. We have two trees right outside of our bedroom window that MANY birds call home. We have tried to keep our windows open to delay turning on the air conditioner for as long as possible. But we have run into a problem because these two birds perch themselves on our windowsill--sometimes ridiculously early in the morning--every morning and coo and kaw away. It is SO SO SO annoying. It really makes me want to cause harm to the birds but we restrain ourselves and endure for as long as possible and just when we can't take it anymore we finally give in and drag ourselves out of bed, close the window and scare the birds away.

The Lake

Quinn is at Priesthood session right now and I'm a little bored. I've gotten very use to having him around over the last week. I've forgotten how to be by myself. The one upside is that instead of him having the lap top with him, like he usually does, it is with me. So I finally sat
down to do something I should have done a long long time ago. Order my wedding photo prints and album. Part of my package was one of those coffee table book style albums. I never told the photographer which prints I wanted to be included. She told me to take my time and I certainly did. So I thought I better do it before we actually reached the year anniversary that is actually fast approaching.

So I sifted through all of them and picked out my favs and sent off the email to the photographer. I've finally got the ball rolling.

In other news, today was an absolutely gorgeous day in Texas in stark comparison to the horrific thunderstorms we suffered through last night.

We streamed in Conference on the lap top because as Quinn said--I'm a Utah snob. I just can't find it in me to get dressed up and go to the church to watch conference. Especially on Saturday. We plan to do that tomorrow, but today we slummed it in our PJs at home and huddled around the lap top.

During the break, we made the typical mid-session trip to Home Depot. Although, since we aren't in Utah it wasn't ridiculously crowded. We found what we needed for the apartment and came back and hung out with the animals in our lake.

We've recently discovered that there are at least 6 turtles that live in the lake. I just love watching them swim around. Some are quite little.

I know it isn't the best picture, but if you look close you can see two of them swimming in the lake although it is a bit murky due to the storm.

Quinn had fun feeding the ducks.

But the swans rule the lake. As soon as the swans swam over to us, the ducks were afraid to eat the bread. It was crazy to watch. It wasn't like the swans even wanted it, they just wanted to monitor the situation but the ducks wouldn't touch the bread until the swans swam away.

1000 Places to See Before You Die

The Travel Channel has been advertising their new series "1000 Places to See Before You Die" and since I love (and wish I could live) to travel, I have been super excited to see the show. But I grew impatient and found a list on the web that has all of the places (plus a few more) featured in the special. The link is here. Apparently the special is based on a book written by a Patricia Shultz. So after going through the entire list, I have been/seen 64 things on the list. I guess I have a lot more traveling to do.

The Zoo

Today we took a chance and went to the zoo. The sky was overcast and there was about a 40% chance of thunderstorms, but we went anyway. There was no one there. It was really quite nice. We had ever exhibit to ourselves. Being that it was overcast, it was cool too.

One of my favorites were the flamingos. I just love the color. So beautiful.

Quinn loved the Emu's and tried to play with them. I attempted to get a picture of them together but it didn't really turn out.

This is me in the tiger habitat. Really cool and big habitat but it made it really hard to actually see the tiger.

Quinn also at one point thought he was a panda and started munching on the bamboo.

Our favorite exhibit was the otter outpost. They were so cool. They came right over when Quinn whistled at them and just swam and played with each other right in front of us. It was very cool to see how they moved through the water.

A Couple of Things

It has been so nice here now that Quinn is on a break. I once again have a human to talk to and interact with and not just the television.

When we first moved here, we went to this get together where one of Quinn's classmates had made enchiladas. They were quite delicious so I've been bugging Quinn to get the recipe. Finally, on Saturday night we went over to his house to get the recipe so I could make it for Sunday dinner. This guy lives in one of the apartment complexes that we looked at before we moved here. While we were parking in the complex, I saw a rat. I obviously screamed. So gross. I saw it walking in the parking lot and then scamper down into the sewer. We survived and got the recipe.

At church on Sunday, I had a feeling we were in for a calling. I turned to Quinn during sacrament and said, I bet we get put in the nursery. Well, wouldn't you know, right after sacrament, we were pulled aside by the first counselor and were given a calling. Not nursery, Sunbeams. It should be fun. Our first week is Easter Sunday. We will definitely have to bring an Easter treat to help bribe them to like us.

After church, we had the enchiladas. It is a fabulous recipe. You simmer the chicken for over an hour in this delicious mix of tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos, etc. Then you pour heavy cream over the whole thing. It is a can't miss.

Take Two

Let's see if these work any better.

Quinn's Game

Quinn's first game was turned in on Monday. After MANY sleepless nights, they finally got it done. I watched Quinn and his team sit at a table and work for basically 24 hours straight. It was true dedication.

Here are a few pics of the game. It is a lot of fun and I think it looks great.

Just when I was about to give up

Lost delivered. Finally!

Last nights episode was reminiscent of Season 1. It had those "WOW" moments that had been missing for so long. I'm once again excited for the rest of the season.

Need I Say More

26 years

Happy Birthday Quinn!

He turns 26 years old today. As old as I try to make him feel, he just keeps on reminding me that I'm turning 29 shortly.

Hopefully, he will have a fun birthday even though he is super busy trying to get his game finished--due in 1 week.

I plan on baking him a cake later today and then we are going to eat dinner at Pei Wei.

This year my gift to Quinn is to be more patient and humble in our marriage. This is something I'm lacking.

I love Quinn very much and hope this next year brings him much happiness. He is a fantastic husband. He does such a good job taking care of me, even though I should be taking care of him since he is working so hard at school.

Happy Birthday Quinn!

More Than Just a Name

I read the funniest thing today. It made me laugh harder than I've laughed in a really long time. We had gone to get the safety and emissions inspection on the truck so I was killing time by reading a magazine. The article was all about how Plano was founded. Then the article goes on to explain how it was named. Plano used to be mostly plains and area for raising cattle etc... So, apparently, in the mid 1800's the first medical doctor in the area thought that plano was the spanish word for plain. So he started calling the city that and it stuck. What a legacy for a city to have and just like an ignorant person to through an -o on the end of an English word and think they now are speaking Spanish.

Eh...

Last night's AI was so disappointing. I started out the night very excited and even went as far as saying that this is my favorite time of the year. Quinn thought that was quite ridiculously, but I can't help it if he doesn't see the magic in Idol that I do. But after all the build up, I was let down, big time. No one brought it last night. The last guy almost did, but it still left something to be desired. I can't even remember any of their names. And I'm not going to bother to learn them until they do worthy of it. Where was the amazing rendition of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me?" That is what I need. Oh well, here is to hoping that the women do better tonight.

A New Discovery

I haven't had an opportunity to post lately. Mainly, because the computer is with Quinn all day and by the time he gets home I'm usually asleep or don't really feel like blogging. Plus, to be honest, I don't really have that much to blog about unless people are really dying to know the details of day time television. But something of note has happened that has propelled me to blog.

A week or so ago, Quinn and I were at a Kinko's very late at night having a document printed and bound. I noticed that the store next to it was a gelato store. Due to the fact that it was the middle of the night, the store was closed. But it peaked my interest nonetheless. So Friday when we were out and about we stopped in to give it a try.

It was delish. A great discovery. Here is the link.

So good, that we went back again tonight. Really, it is to die for. It reminds me of the gelato place that we frequented on our trip to Florence, Italy. I can still remember my dad asking the little lady if they would be open on Christmas Day. She said yes, from noon to 3. to which my dad replied, "Great, we will see you then!" Both places are delicious. Yum!

AI

I did not get to watch American Idol last night as Jaxson and I made a trip up to Salt Lake to visit Stacey. So naturally, I read the recap today on msnbc.com. My favorite excerpt from the recap is below:

This year’s Kellie Pickler?
Jamie Lynn Ward definitely belongs on some sort of television show. A 17-year-old from Reidsville, North Carolina, she dreams of being this year’s Kellie Pickler, complete with the straight-out-of-the Lifetime-Channel back story. She lives with her grandmother and takes care of her father — who’s paralyzed because he caught his wife cheating on him, shot her and then himself.

Ward says that if she wins, she’ll buy her grandmother a one-story house so it’ll be easier for her dad to get around. That would make her a candidate for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” though the nature of the shooting may not quite offer the feel-good scenario that the producers of that show usually have in mind. But it was that back story that got her to Hollywood, since her voice is a lot rawer than even Pickler’s was at this stage of the completion.

In other news, Quinn had his first mid-term in Game Studies the other day. He aced it. He got a 98.5%. I'm very proud.

Control Freak

I use to always hate to drive with Dana as one of my passengers because she would always freak out and think I was two seconds away from crashing the car and killing everyone in it. It drove me crazy. Stacey was the same way. She has this thing she does too, where she extends her arm straight out in front of her like she is a policeman trying to stop traffic. Somehow this helps her feel that I am not going to slam into the car in front of me. I never understood why they were like this. Then the unthinkable happened. I became the same way. I have no idea how it happened. Maybe it is from being a passenger (with Quinn) more often than before. But now I hate to sit shot gun. I have turned into the back seat driver crazy person that I always thought Dana and Stacey were. Quinn can attest to this. He does not like to drive with me and usually sets limits that he will only drive if I promise not to freak out. I try my hardest.

Last night, I took a late night shuttle from the airport to the house. A little old man was our driver. He told me to go ahead and jump up front with him. A huge mistake. As soon as I sat down I realized this. I knew that the 45 minute ride would be pure torture because I would not be in control. However, it was too late. I could not jump out of the front seat and get into the back of the van without offending the man. So I endured. I tried close my eyes and not think about it. But that just made it worse. I needed to see where we were going. Needless to say, I was on edge the whole time. Of course, it didn't help that the old man waited until the last possible moment to make all lane changes. I was in constant fear that he would miss all of our turn offs. He did fine. He got me to my house in one piece and in decent time. Bottom line: I need to trust more.

PS: On a side note, both Dana and Stephanie told me today after reading my post, that they think Quinn is a crazy driver too and can understand why I am a back seat driver with him. So no I feel slightly justified in my craziness.

New Obsessions

I have a lot of spare time on my hands right now. Mainly, because when I'm in Utah I'm sans Quinn so things are a little boring and I usually just relax by playing with my niece and nephews and watching some TV. And when, I'm home in Plano, Quinn is either at school or doing homework and oh yeah, that's right I don't know anyone else there...so I get to watch a lot of TV there too. I'm not complaining because with all this down time I've been able to discover a few new (at least to me) gems in the entertainment industry.

My first discovery came in Plano, where we have Bravo. We did not have this channel in Utah. So one night I flipped to it and saw "Top Chef." Immediately, I was hooked. I love a reality show based on food and cooking. They were having a marathon so obviously I ended up watching until two in the morning. The only bad thing is that new episodes of "Top Chef" air on Wednesday when I am in Utah and don't have access to Bravo. But never fear, I am just constantly on the look out for the repeat to be aired on the weekend when I'm home.

My latest discovery happened last night. All the kids where in bed as well as Ryan who was tired from a late night of homework the night before. Dana was also busy with homework. So I was left alone to pass the time. I flipped to the food network and "Ace of Cakes" was on. This is a great show. Genius really. I could watch that bakery for hours. They make the most creative delicious looking cakes. It just makes me wish I lived in Baltimore so that one day I could commission them to bake me a cake in the shape of a dog, yak or a Chinese take out box (all featured on last nights episode). Check out their website. It is truly amazing.

I highly recommend both shows if you have some free time on your hands.

Pink

Some of you may remember that the blog was originally pink. There was a bit of an uproar over it when a few of my friends convinced Quinn that he could not maintain his masculinity and have a pink blog at the same time. So I changed it. Well, almost 12 months later, Quinn has yet to post or even comment on the blog. So, alas, I am taking it back. Thanks to my friend Joe who helped me change it to the beautiful pink blog that you see today. I appreciate the help!

Multi-purpose

We have found another use for our bathroom as is evident by the picture below. The counter in the bathroom is pretty much the only flat surface we have. So this weekend Quinn decided to put it to good use by also using it as a desk. How cute is that?
I guess we need to buy a desk at some point.

Quinn spent this weekend working on his homework for his art class. He had to draw a frame of Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future: Part III. I think at first, this class was a bit intimadating for Quinn, but I for one think he did a fabulous job for not having any art experience. Take a look for yourself. Below is the frame he had to draw.
And here is his drawing. Mind you, this is not the final product. He finished it after I left last night but I wanted to share anyway.

Ice Storm

The weather so far in Texas has been interesting. Two nights ago we slept with our window open. Then yesterday it was in the 60's all afternoon and I had the windows open. Then in a matter of about 2 hours the temperature plummeted. If all goes as the weather stations are predicting, we will be experiencing our first Texas ice storm tonight and tomorrow. It should be interesting. Although, I will say the news was freaking me out a bit last night with how bad it could get. But we went to the grocery store and and bought some food in case the roads are too treacherous for us to go out this weekend. Maybe if I get really lucky, my flight will be cancelled tomorrow night and I can delay my return to Utah for another day.

Quinn is heading out to the Guildhall this morning to get some homework done. I'm going to stay here and finish up the last details of unpacking. It is just the odds and ends left.

Jaxson and Joseph's Birthday Party

I'm late getting this up, due to the move, but I thought the Arnett's still might enjoy seeing them. Below are pics of the boys enjoying their combined birthday party.

Jaxson enjoying his gifts.

Quinn is intently studying Joseph's gift of Optimus Prime and Megatron.

Best Day Ever

Last night we decided to go up to the StoneBriar Mall which is just up the road from us to price Washers at Sears. I made the greatest discovery to date. There is a Cheesecake Factory at the Mall--not five minutes from my house. I almost passed out with excitement and Quinn didn't know what to do with me. Anyway, obviously we stopped in and got cheesecake to go. It was delish!!!

In other news, here is a pick of the view from our balcony. It is a little chilly today so the swans and geese aren't anywhere to be seen. But I can't wait for it to warm up for a bit and go soak up a bit of sun on the beach.

Pics from the trip

Here are a few pics from the trip.

Here we are in front of the U-Haul at a gas station in Texas. Quinn did a great job driving the U-Haul and towing the Lancer behind it.

This is our first night in Plano. Here we are in front of the Guildhall where Quinn will be spending most of his days --and nights too!

Tomorrow I'll post pics of the apt. complex if I can find the USB converter thing (technical, I know) that is packed away somewhere.

Texas

We made it! It was a long few days but we are finally here and moved in to our apartment.

Last Friday Quinn and my dad spent all day packing the U-haul. They did a great job. So far it looks like everything made it in one piece.

Quinn's parents flew in Friday night to help us make the trek. We had hoped to leave early Saturday morning but had a few set backs. By the time we got our car on the trailer, we discovered that the trailer had a flat tire. So we made a trip to the U-Haul office and were delayed a couple of hours. But all in all the first day of driving was fun. We drove through quite a bit of Quinn's mission on the way out and I learned a lot about fun towns like Helper, UT. The first day we drove as far as Moriarty, New Mexico. It was still surprisingly cold there.

Sunday we started out early for Texas. We stopped for lunch in Amarillo. Sunday's drive was bit more boring. Just a lot of flat land to look at so I actually slept. I felt bad leaving Quinn by himself driving the U-Haul but he said he didn't mind. We finally arrived in Plano Sunday evening a little before 7 pm. So we were all able to get a nice nights sleep before we started hauling boxes.

Monday Quinn headed off for orientations while Serge, Vicky and I started unloading the U-Haul. In 2 1/2 hours we had almost everything out except for the mattress, the dryer and the couch. We left the big heavy stuff for when Quinn was done with orientation so we could use his muscles. Later that night, Quinn's parents took us out to dinner for a celebratory dinner. It was delicious and fun.

Today Quinn headed off for his first real day of class. I dropped off Quinn's parents at the airport and then tried to get some work done. It's been a few days since I've checked the email. This afternoon I'll just spend unpacking and making our apartment feel more like a home.

Our apartment is small but nice. I was very pleasantly surprised with the location and property. From our balcony we have a great view of the lake and the swans. And from our bedroom window we have a nice few of the pool.

So far so good. We are loving our first few days of Plano. I'll post pictures soon. We love and miss you all!

Stay tuned for more adventures...

Zuma

Today warrants a second post. I went home for lunch to check on Quinn post-dentist. He seems to be doing well. With about 15 minutes left in my lunch break I sat down to play a little Zuma. Now, I've been obsessed with this game for the past 3+ months. While in VA I finally overcame my nemesis -- level 9 --and had little trouble beating levels 10 and 11. All that was left was level 12. So I started up over lunch. I ended up having the game of my life and not being able to put the control down, I became late for work. But it was for a good cause, I finally beat the game!!! I am so excited. But I couldn't even enjoy the moment because I just throw the controller down and ran out of the house due to the time. But I plan on fully reveling in the achievement when I get home.