The Sigerson Hoke Institute of Talent Christmas Extravaganza!

Sigerson Hoke Institute of Talent (SHIT). I came up with that acronym when I was approximately 10 years old. We've used it ever since. It pretty much sums my family up... we're a bunch of sick-minded, yet (in my opinion) hilarious people, who like to joke around about inappropriate things and thoroughly enjoy each other's company while doing so. Going home for Christmas this year was a dream come true. I haven't been with my own family for Christmas in over 3 years. Finally, I got to be with everyone except my brother, who is currently serving in the Airforce over in Japan. He did, however, join us via Skype, along with his girlfriend Chelsea.

It really couldn't have gone better. Jeff and I arrived on December 18th. Meghan picked us up from the airport, and took us to my parent's home in Littleton, CO. I was concerned Meghan and Jeff wouldn't get along, but it was just the opposite. They get along great! They both enjoy intellectual conversations, both are well read, with great vocabularies, and both have similar opinions on the same subjects. It was really cool to watch them bond over these things and I am really glad now that when I want Meghan to come visit, or we want to go visit Meghan, Meghan and Jeff can both look forward to seeing each other, meaning I will get more Meghan time. Did I say Meghan enough in that sentence? lol.

Of course my Mom loves Jeff, and my Step-Dad gets along well with Jeff as well, because they are both sci-fi readers, and both understand money stuff like stocks and bonds and what not. I think one of my favorite parts about our trip was the games we played after dinner. We played Scattergories, Mexican Train,Taboo,Things, etc. etc.. I also enjoyed going with Meghan to Chingu's training. Chingu is Meghan's dog that she adopted from Korea. He's a sweet, very gorgeous Jindo mix. He's also quite a handful, hence the training. Meghan and I did a ton of Christmas shopping, and finally pulled it all together the day before Christmas. It was awesome.

I also have missed my mom's cooking a LOT. So here are a few pics of me enjoying her food, or just her cooking her food. Don't be fooled by my face, I'm happy here.

The day before Christmas, Dusty, Valerie, April, Dave (her husband), and their baby Ian all came. Ian is 4 years old now, and REALLY into Indiana Jones. I still have the theme song stuck in my head. Dun duh dun dun! dun da da! Anyway... he spent the next few days running around with his Indiana Jones whip that plays the theme song over and over again, and asking all of his Aunts to be Marian. haha. I had fun with that. He's really a cute kid. Poor guy broke his arm a few weeks ago, but it definitely did not slow him down from running around, trying to jump on the couch, and whipping "bad guys" with "Marian". I really like being an Aunt. I just want to brag on and on about Ian. He is the most articulate 4 year old I've ever met, he's super sweet, and a pretty good kid. He even told us that he didn't need more than 2 presents for Christmas. It was so cute. He definitely got more than that though. Anyway..

Christmas itself was pretty sweet! We all got and gave some great presents.

We got up super early for Ian's sake, and you can tell by the following photos how happy we were about it:

In fact while we waited, Jeff and Ian played a spirited game of Indiana Jones VS Pink Bunneh! You may see what looks like a blur coming from Ian's hand.. it's his whip moving at the speed of lightning!Ian got to play Santa this year and hand out the presents. He and his Dad, Dave, and Jeff all got matching Camo night gowns. How cuuuuute!

Afterward, almost everyone took a nap. Those of us who didn't sleep played Hungry Hippos with Ian, Sorry, Legos, and a few other games. It was good times.

I don't really have any super crazy stories to tell, I just had an amazingly great time with my family, and am so glad to have gotten to see everyone. However, I did miss my baby Akira, she apparently missed me too, because she's been clingier than EVER and is currently sitting RIGHT BY the computer screen staring at me intently.
Chris took good care of her, though, and I really appreciate how responsible he was in taking care of Akira, even though he's allergic to cats. He's a good friend.

Alrighty, well, I'll end this with a few random photos of our vacation to Colorado. Some of the following are from my parents' or Valerie's cameras.

Me and Val on my Camera
Me and Jeff also taken with my camera

Me and Jeff with Val's camera.. I just really like these pictures, I think they really reflect how well we mesh. :)
Me and Val on Val's Camera... I love Val. She's such a cute sister. I wish she lived closer.

Me and Val's Top Model Poses... yeah... you can tell I'm definitely not America's next top model...

Blog Out.

Wow

So it's been WAAAY TOO LONG since I posted.

Life is going well. I've been busy with work, and with play. If you are my facebook friends, you are all aware that I went to visit my sister a few weeks ago in Colorado. She flew home from Korea (after being gone and living there for a year), and I flew in the same day. It was so nice to see and spend time with her. We stayed in CO for a few days and then drove to Las Vegas to pick up the dog she adopted in Korea (Chingu). It was a fun trip. Not enough time in Vegas, though, we only stayed one night and we were both way too tired to really enjoy it. It's an 11 hour drive from Denver. Chingu is a delightful dog. Meghan was worried he wouldn't like me, but we were instant friends. I'm assuming it has to do with the fact that Meghan and I sound very similar, and smell similar (I only know this because once a few years ago our younger sister Rebekah sniffed my head and said "you smell like Meghan." lol... she's hilarious). Anyways, so we drove from Vegas to St.George, which was way further away from Vegas than we'd realized. However, it was worth it the next morning, when we went to see our Grandma Pauline, who is my step-mom's mother. I love Grandma Pauline. She's always been a really great grandma to me, always treated me and Meghan like instant family. When she saw us, she broke into tears, and I almost cried too. I hadn't seen her in probably 7 years. Maybe more. So we sat and caught up with her for a few hours, and then got back on the road to Denver. Colorado was also awesome because it's where Meghan and I realized we had both gotten down to a size 2! We had a slight competition on who would be skinnier so we'd both tried a little harder, and whala! I'm pretty excited. All in all I lost about 8 lbs in the past month. Part of that was the flu, though. :(

Once I was home, Thanksgiving happened. First we went to Jeff's mom's house. We had a delicious Turkey lunch and played Mario Brothers on the Wii, which, by the way, is one of the most awesome games I have played in the past 5 years of my life. I highly recommend it, especially for those of you wondering what to give your husband that won't leave you an XBox360 widow. I can actually play this game with my husband rather than ignoring him while he plays some weird game I can't get into. I digress... anyway, after we had that Thanksgiving meal, we went to my Aunt Sherry and Aunt Didi's house and had Thanksgiving Dinner! YUM! I had turkey, sweet potatoes, and buttermilk pie (my favorite). I know, I shouldn't eat gluten, but I sacrificed just that one time. After dinner we played cards with the aunts and my cousin Kim and her husband Brian. It was really fun. We played Texas Hold'Em. I lost before everyone else, but ended up playing for my Aunt Sherry while she ate pie. I ended up winning for her! So I lost and then I won! It was awesome. I was so freakin proud of myself. And as always, I enjoy my Aunts' company very much, I can't help it, they make me laugh and entertain me endlessly.

Other than that, not much is going on. I've been training my clients and added a few on last week. I love what I do. My clients are all progressing, especially my most recent ones. I've got one who lost a whole pant size in 1 month, and another who lost an inch in her waist! It makes me really happy to see their progress, and keeps me going when I feel tired or stressed out. Akira's been behaving herself and playing fetch with me a lot recently. I think she missed me when I was gone.

Sorry if this was a boring blog post. Just trying to catch you guys up. Fortunately enough, my life is no longer the dramatic soap opera it once was, and honestly, I'm really enjoying the peace and quite. Hope you all have a great holiday season!

Please Go To My New Blog

HELLO!!! I just started a blog for my company, Caitlin Hart Fitness. Please, check it out, and "follow" me, it would help me a lot! Go Now! And when you're finished, read the rest...

pause so you can go to my new blog: http://www.caitlinharttraining.blogspot.com

Ok, so now that you've helped me out, I will give you a little entertainment. I have picked out my halloween costume, and have chosen... drumroll please...

MEDUSA!!!!

MEDUSA!!!!!!!!!

It's gonna be awesome.

BLOG OUT!

Halloween?

Halloween is approaching, and I'm starting to worry... you see, I have always wanted to be a sumo for halloween, but never had the opportunity to do it. See, the costume has to be JUST RIGHT... and I have yet to find such a thing. Ugh... decisions... so I thought I would ask for anyone who reads my blog's help in deciding my costume for this halloween... so far here are some ideas I've come up with:

1. Sumo
2. Medusa
3. A Slot Machine (but the inuendos worry me on this one)

yeah... so um... suggestions would be most appreciated! Everyone have a great day!

BLog OuT

25 Random Facts about ME... stolen from Ali's blog

1. I know soda is bad for me so I don't drink it, but if you offer me a rootbeer I won't turn you down.
2. I like to surround myself with pillows when I sleep, and I prefer to be the outside of the spoon when cuddling... I know it's supposed to be the man's spot but I hate being forced into a ball.
3. I can roll my tongue like a taco AND like a shamrock/clover. Because yes, I am that awesome.
4. I love to shop in stores that are one of a kind. I feel less guilty about giving them money.
5. I had 3 perms total in my life. The first one fell out, the 2nd one made my hair fall out, and the third one made me wish my hair fell out it looked so bad.
6. I have struggled with my weight and body image for my entire life... I'm finally starting to win.
7. All it takes to make my day is to connect with someone.
8. My skin is mega-weird and I am tired of fighting it. The less I wash it the less it breaks out.
9. I've never been on a surf board but lived by the beach for 6 years.
10. I fantasize about becoming a citizen of a different country whenever I watch the news.
11. I love being around people. If I could just sleep in a room filled with people (good people not scary people), I would probably sleep better than I ever have.
12. I LOVE to sing... car, shower, no matter where I am, I love to sing. But I'm too scared to sing in front of most people.
13. I almost worked at Lowes once but I just couldn't make myself do it.
14. I honestly do not find any man more attractive than my husband, Jeffrey. I can't explain it, and I am not lying. He and Brad Pitt are neck in neck, but he wins cause he's younger. ;)
15. I'm legally blind... and I'm afraid to get lasik... so I wear contacts every day.
16. My favorite snack is hummus and celery... and green tea... both of which I attribute to my recent weight loss
17. I don't know how to dial Korea to talk to my sister... so I wait for her on facebook chat.
18. I'm turning 23 this coming Wednesday, and I am already dreading it... It's only 23, but it's one year closer to 30 and I don't want to be 30... please God, slow time down for me... I'm not ready.
19. I would not sell my cat for a million dollars. Wouldn't do it.
20. My hair gets greasy within 12 hours of washing it (me too, Ali) (Oscar Blondi dry shampoo fixes this)
21. My biggest fear is that someone will find me boring. I'd rather be almost anything else.
22. I stopped coloring my hair in January, and I really love the real color... it's still blonde (: just dark
23. I think I have a temper control problem. I can boil really fast. I worry for the children.
24. I just want people to be happy... sometimes I don't know how to express this... but I seriously would do anything for a friend who needed me.
25. Secretly I want to burn my house down and collect the insurance money. I'm over it.

The Haps...

July 4th was pretty fun. Jeff and I went downtown to go to Zilker Park but none of the booths were open yet, so we went to 2nd street where I heard the shopping is really great. It is. I found a bunch of stuff I wanted to buy lol, but we controlled ourselves and only bought some yummy Gelato! Afterward, we decided to throw a BBQ at Jeff's parents house, so Tom, Marian, and all of Jeff's family (aside from Chris, who is in CO) came. It was pretty cool, We watched Paul Blart, Mall Cop, and Marian taught me how to make this delicious Queso. After the movie, Marian and I were the only ones who cared about the fireworks, so we went on a mad hunt for them. We could hear them, but couldn't see them, so we got in the car and drove until we found a great spot with a 180 degree view of fireworks from all over the place! It was pretty cool. Soon, Jeff regretted not coming, so he met up with us and we found more fireworks, and had a pretty cool 4th of July.

I'm pretty excited to announce that my Mom is coming to town on Friday. I will be picking her up from the airport. I'm so greatful that she's coming out, I think it will be good for me to get some family time in. Not only that, but she has agreed to help me finish painting my house! WOOHOO!!! Now, you all might not know this, but my mother is a painting genious. Not only can she do wall hanging paintings, and murals, she can actually paint walls. She even faux paints. And she's darn good at it. She's had several offers to paint people's houses for money. Another thing my mother is good at is sewing. She sews all the curtains in her house, duvee covers (sp?), basically anything you need, she can sew. I really need to rope her in as my yoda, I have so much to learn. I also hope to influence my mom to cook me a delicious dinner. I'm not sure what I want yet, maybe just some pink stuff, and definately some spaghetti... her way... there's nothing better than mom's spagghetti. Can you tell I'm excited? Of course she will have to use gluten-free noodles, but I know where to find those. I'm also glad to be going to dinner at my Granddaddy's house on Sunday. It will be nice to just be with my family... I just like being with people that have known me my whole life, I can be my FULL UNBRIDLED self around these people. Watch out, World... this could be dangerous.

In other news, next friday I start my 3-day crash course to prepare for my Personal Training exam. I cannot WAIT! I have been waiting for this day for a long time. I'm starting to salivate just thinking about it! I mean, I have been cooped up with NOTHING to do, and suddenly life is getting back on track for me! I am so happy! Once I pass my test I can start working!!! HOORAY!

Also, last night Jeff and I made a very very scary decision. We joined Direct Buy. This wasn't a Sams Club membership. This was like, a life decision. But, after weighing our options, we realized that Direct Buy will save our lives. We can finish our kitchen for 40%-70% off of what we were originally going to have to spend. We can put in new windows for TONS cheaper. I can even put in window treatments for probably around 10% of what it would cost if I had a professional do it. Unless of course, the mommy wants to help me. Also, furniture is much cheaper direct, all the little things we have to buy for our house, we can get at cost. However, to be a member of this place, you have to shell out some major cash, so for anyone remodelling a house, I recommend you join. Otherwise, don't go to the open house.

That's about everything going on right now. I can't wait to write and tell you all about the next 2 weeks. I will also be posting many pictures as soon as I can find the stupid cord that connects my camera with the computer! Love to you all!

Blog OUT!

A little bit of everything...

R.I.P. Michael Jackson. I don't care what they say you did to little boys, or how weird of a person you were, your music changed my childhood. Today, I listened to an old interview of Michael Jackson talking about his abusive father beating him till he was near death... well, Papa Jackson, you finally finished the job. You screwed up your son so bad he died at the young age of 50. For that, I hope you rot in hell. ... Anywhoo... my favorite Michael Jackson song growing up was "Beat it." My sisters and brother and I used to dance around the living room acting it out and having dance parties to the tape we had with all of his songs on it. Thanks for the childhood magic, old buddy. Hope the after life treats you better than this one did. Man... all the recent deaths in the media have kind of bummed me out. I guess it's hard to really grasp the concept that, Yes, people can die... and that includes me. It's scary. I don't like thinking about it. But I swear people are dropping like flies lately. I just want it to stop.

MOVING ON... in other news life has been going slow. The house is slowly getting put back together, we finally have some paint on the downstairs walls. We have the flooring ordered and the kitchen planned out and saved at Lowes. I have been spending a lot of time working out and hanging out with the sister-in-law and yesterday we went and saw "The Promotion" starring Sandra Bullock. Hilarious. I laughed the whole movie, and I was never super uncomfortable like most romantic comedies make me... so I give the movie a solid A. Afterward, Liz and I went to the outlet mall and I FINALLY got some clothes that fit me! Hurray! It's been hitting tripple digits all week here in Austin (today it was 107 degrees), so I decided that I need shorts BAD. The shorts I owned previously are a size 6 or 8 and were falling off me like dead skin. I found that Calvin Klein has the perfect fitting shorts for me! Hurray! So from now on, me and Calvin Klein are tight like tigers (aka best friends). I also got 2 new shirts and a shirt for Jeff at G Star, where they are having a EVERYTHING UNDER $30 sale!!! Love it! I'm just so glad I can now face the blistering heat with some shorts on instead of saggy pants.

Recently I have been having truly vivid and bizzare dreams. I know I always have weird dreams... but recently they have been even MORE bizzare and VIVID than normal. Like I had this dream where I attacked my mom because she had some information and was going to share it with a bunch of people, so I threw her into a bookcase and we got into a horrifying fight. I woke up completely confused because I have no beef with my mother, I don't have any desire to fight her at all. lol. And then last night I had a dream that my mom, Valerie, and I were all going to fly to Germany together and we missed our flight because my mom wouldn't get off the computer. I was SO mad, and SO irritated when they told us we couldn't take another flight till the next day. So we had to stay with one of my mom's weird friends, and then we went skydiving to make up for it, and this guy fell out of the plane but didn't have a parachute, so when he landed I watched him throw up volumous amounts of blood. It was horrific. I don't know what all this means. Meh.

Jeffrey and I were going to go on a last minute cruise if we could. It didn't work out cause the cruises were all too long, we wanted something for 3 days or so. Sad. I was really hoping. I also tried to plan a water fight today and that failed too. I'm starting to think the universe is conspiring against me. The only for sure thing I can count on is my 3 day training course in July. I know I will be there because I already paid for it, and I REALLY need to get certified already. I'm really really looking forward to it. I can't wait to just jump in and start training. I think I will be fantastic at it. There is just so much I already know and want to share! But I have so much more to learn! I can't wait! I really really love this industry I am getting into... every industry has it's dark side, but the good outweight the bad parts with personal training. Because I control my own destiny. I decide whether or not I am going to dedicate myself enough to become good at what I do, to help people get healthier and stronger. It's a beautiful thing.

Anyways, I am done rambling for now. Till next week.

Blog OUT.

For those of you who enjoy sugar as much as I do...

Please check out my trainer, Jake's blog. It talks about how incredibly bad for you sugar can be... and for me it's a huge wake-up call. Because yesterday I swear I pigged out on sugar like there was no tomorrow. And then to read Jakes blog this morning, I just want to go vomit. That's it, guys... I'm off sugar again... it's only natural to eat, well, natures form of sugar. Like fruits. So, please read it. The link to his blog is under the "People I stalk" called "Train with Jake".

Thanks

Caitlin

Neighborly love...

Today Jeff and I went to the house to see how far along it is getting. I am somewhat dismayed, and somewhat pleased at the same time. I took some photos but don't have the equipment to upload them right now. Anyways, as we were leaving this lady came up to me and introduced herself as our neighbor. Let me just say that she had me at the initial greeting. I'll describe the encounter:

Jeff puts his hand out and says "hi" and she says "huh uh" "I am in medical (something or other) and shaking hands is one of the fastest ways to spread diseases like scabies. You need to learn to bow." She bowed at us. I laughed and said "Oh, like the chinese," and she said "yes, like the japanese." hehe. She is a mature black woman in her mid-forties or fifties. You can't quite tell because most african american women have a timeless look to them. At least for me. She went on to introduce her husband, a retired airforceman who walks with a cane and has a kind smile and a salt and pepper beard. He had very kind eyes, as did she. Then she asked me to show her the back yard, because she'd noticed our grape vine had grown over into her side, and also our rose bush was peeking through the fence, and she wanted to see what else we had. So we led her through the overgrown fence, and showed her the magical wonderland that has become our backyard. In the few months it has been neglected, our yard has become a forest of beautiful flowers, weeds, and tall grasses. The woman was absolutely pleased to see the rose bush and refered to it as "she", she also refered to the the grape vine as "she." I liked it. She told me she is a vegetarian and believes that all plants and life in general have souls and spirits living inside them that need to be nurtured. She asked if she could have some of the seeds coming from our cumquat tree and any other fruit trees. I told her of course! She also informed me that she had been taking care of a beautiful tree in our front yard, watering it and such!!! I am SO greatful to have these neighbors! Not only are they unique and eclectic, they are a HUGE change from the roofers that lived there only weeks before. They care about their yard and their home, and want to be friendly neighbors. I absolutely enjoyed meeting them, and plan on planting organic fruits and vegetables and bringing them over to my new neighbors. I think this could become a beautiful environment that Jeff and I are about to live in. Not only do we have great next-door neighbors, but our across-the-street neighbor is also a very kind police officer who I remember from when I worked as a 911 operator. So I just have to go over there and re-introduce myself and meet the family and perhaps we will have a neat little neighborhood family??? Who knows, maybe I dream big but I can't wait to get started!

Blog OUT!

Sims 3...

I just got SIMS 3!!! I know, I'm a freak, but I love the Sims, and I loved the Sims 2 even more... so today Jeff bought me SIMS 3 to cheer me up! (it's been a rough week for me). I absolutely love it! I created a Jeff and Caitlin Hartung and Caitlin is currently expecting their first child, and Jeff is a bedpan cleaner. Muahahaha. Good stuff! Anyways, I know I haven't written in a while... life for me recently has been fairly difficult, and I haven't had much to say. Hopefully soon something really fantastic will happen (like our house being finished) and I can blog again with whitty remarks and hilarious commentary... (at least I make myself laugh). Until then, I leave you with only this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCF3ywukQYA

Random

So today my friend Marian and I decided we needed some quality girl time, so we went to this lake near brushy creek. It's a really gorgeous area in north Austin/kind of Round Rock. It's not real beachy, but we brought towels to lay out and get some sun while we chatted and caught up. As we were laying our towels out, this man came out of nowhere. Picture a huge field of flowers and grass up to your mid thigh, off the beaten path. He just came out of there and it was a friend of mine, Mike Brown! I was like, HEEEEYYY!!! And I got so excited because I haven't seen this guy in about 9 months, and he and I were buddies at the hospital. He's one of those uplifting types of guys... he's a radiologist but he plays the piano and writes his own music and performs not only for the hospital guests in the lobby, but also for money at different locations. Anyways, before I left he always was telling me to live my dreams, be free, and not to work for "the man" like he has to. Just a real positive, uplifting dude. So anyways, he just pops outta the field and gives me a big hug and it was crazy. He said, this must be what heaven feels like, you're walking around in this beautiful place, a field full of flowers and a lake nearby, and along the path you find your friends, and you're like, HEY! How'd we get here? Guess we did something right. And it totally felt like that. So I feel like today I got a taste for what heaven must be like, and I liked it. I hope someday to die and wake up in a beautiful field and find all my old friends there. Cause I love you guys. I really do. All of you.

Avoiding packing..

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops? kind of, but they didn't pat me down

2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters? only if I'm trying to take it up a notch

3. When's the last time you've been sledding?Since my sophomore year in college. I hit a rock
and it broke the sled and bruised my butt.

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone? I'm more of a community sleeper.

5. Do you believe in ghosts? sure... but I really think the ones people encounter are all evil

6. Do you consider yourself creative? sure

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife? Yes I do

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie? I think Jennifer Aniston is kind of a whiner, but I like her and I think Angelina Jolie is pretty messed up mentally so I kinda feel sorry for her

9. Can you honestly say you know ANYTHING about politics? some... not much

10. Do you know how to play poker? cha!

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight? I think I've been awake longer than that straight...

12. What's your favorite commercial? real men of genius

13. Who was your first love? Muffin.

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around you, do you run a red light?No, cause that's when drunkie comes barreling down the road and T-bones you

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you? I can't keep my own secrets

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees? meh

17. Have you ever been Ice Skating?Of course

18. How often do you remember your dreams? almost every night

19. What's the one thing on your mind? 42 days...

20. Do you always wear your seat belt? If I don't my car will continue to beep at me until I follow it's command

21. What talent do you wish you had? I wish I was an amazing gymnast.

22.Do you like Sushi? it's a full blown love affair between me and sushi.

23. What do you wear to bed? that's naughty! I won't answer!

24. Do you truly hate someone? hate is a strong word... but yeah kinda

25. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be? Jeff Hartung, drummer for the
Bodagits (that's our rock band name)

26. Do you know anyone in jail? possibly

27. What food do you find disgusting? anything involving onions

29. Have you ever been punched in the face? haha probably... I know I've been slapped in the face, meghan used to punch me but usually aimed for my stomach instead... good times, thanks for bringing that up >:(

30. Do you believe in angels and demons? yep kinda

Happy Birthday, Rebekah

Today my littlest sister, Rebekah, turned 14! I can't believe how grown-up she is getting (not to mention TALL)! So I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you why I love my little sister so much!!!













Rebekah is the sister who is most like me.









We both have blonde hair,






we both have a VERY girly side,







we both can be shy around people we don't know, but when we do know people, we act like our fun, CRAZY (in a good way) selves,









we both loved playing barbies together,










we both have a flair for the dramatic... I was in drama, she is in drama.







we both LOVE to sing, and we are both pretty good at it.




we both are musically talented, we play piano, and Bekah plays the French Horn.




We both were in band (she still is).








We both love to dance (I taught her how).











we both love playing Sims, and eagerly await Sims 3.








But Rebekah is also her own person, and here are some of her unique qualities that I love:















Bekah loves like a puppy, unconditionally... she is very loving, very open about it, and forgiving.




Bekah has a soft heart, she treats people well. When she hurts someone's feelings on accident, she feels worse than they do about it.

Bekah is in choir, and she excells at it.




Bekah makes very good grades, is very smart, and very talented at just about everything she does.




Bekah is a great artist. When she was little, she used to draw me pictures everytime I came to visit her. I still have most of them.




Bekah was the cutest baby in the world, I have not seen a baby cuter than my little sister was.





Bekah loves her parents, she respects her parents, and I love that about her.





Bekah makes me laugh, she's spunky and adorable, and I have enjoyed being a part of her life.








Now that she's 14, I worry about boys coming around and messing with my sister while I'm not there to beat them away with my metal baseball bat. But I'm not too concerned, after all... my dad can handle it.








So Happy Birthday, Bekah! I love you SO MUCH!

RIP Muffin... A tribute

Yesterday, May 16th, was Muffin's birthday. She would've turned 21 this year. I can't believe she's been dead for 5 years. I just wanted to list the reasons why Muffin was special to me, to remember her in the most positive and happy light I can.

I met Muffin when she was 4 years old, I was almost or barely 6. We picked her up from the Groomers, and then sat in a circle around her trying to get her to come sniff our hands or let us pet her. She was scared to leave my mother's side. My mom worked that summer, and Muffin would sit on the back of the couch howling for her. I felt so much compassion for the poor dog, that I wouldn't leave her side. I sat and pet her for hours, while the other kids played with the babysitter. I couldn't stand to hear her howling while I had fun, so I just stayed with her. After no more than 2 days of this, Muffin started following me around, sleeping in my bed, and coming when I whistled for her. What a good dog she was. As I grew up, and dealt with many hardships, Muffin always knew when I was sad, and she would lick the tears off of my face. When I came home from school, she was always waiting by the door to greet me. Our bond was so strong, that when I left her for a few months to be with my dad in the summer, my heart would ache knowing she would be waiting by the door every day until I came home. When I felt lonely, friendless, or unloved, Muffin took those feelings away for me. She was my best friend. I don't really expect anyone else to understand how deeply I loved my dog. The bond between man and dog can be something so beautiful if you have the ability to see dogs for what they truly are, loving, kind, and compassionate creatures, empathetic creatures. They love unconditionally, and if you show them love in return, there is a beautiful symbiosis that occurs between dog and dog's best friend. Muffin and I share many fond memories. She used to "hunt" acorns in the yard, and bring them to me as gifts. She and I would go for "daily rides" in my little red pedal car. Sometimes when we would come home from school, Muffin would be crossing the street from the park. We never figured out how she got out of the house. My theory was that she learned to open doors and met up with her boyfriend at the park. lol. Muffin was very protective of me... a few boys learned that lesson the hard way. Even as she got older, Muffin always showed a fierce loyalty to me. Once, I was swimming with some friends, and one of them kept dunking me under water, Muffin leapt in trying to save me, only to find herself in danger. I had to rescue her instead lol. What a sweet dog. I miss her little face, and how content she was to just sit in my lap or have me carry her around like a little purse. I miss kissing her little poufball head. Muffin taught me about unconditional love, about taking care of and appreciating small animals roles in life. She will always be in my heart. I love you, Muffin... I know we will be together again someday.

Blog Out.

A wedding story...

This is my favorite photo from the wedding I think...

THURSDAY: So we left Thursday morning for Salt Lake. It was early, and we were tired, but we laughed and joked the whole way there. Something I love about my husband is how much fun we have together. Although, I am sad to say, I didn't take many pictures aside from the actual wedding part of the trip. It was getting kinda freaky cause Jeff and I kept saying the same things at the same time... luckily we got a break from each other just in time before we became the same person... I met up with Melissa at the Gateway mall and Jeff started working on his bidding and estimating. Yes, he worked the entire "vacation" which was incredibly annoying to me, but I will have a discussion with his "boss" about that later. Mel and I didn't find what we were looking for at the mall, so we went to a little place called Blue Boutique. Yeah.... I was giggling the whole time cause it's one of those places that takes lingerie above and beyond. We found something... er... "tasteful" for the bride, and went on our ways. Jeff and I headed for Idaho. It went by really fast because again, I love being with my husband, especially when he is NOT working. We stayed at this little hotel called the Pinecrest Inn, which was super cheap but actually not a bad room (NEVER EVER WILL WE STAY IN MOTEL 6 AGAIN). Then we went to sleep.

FRIDAY: Friday morning I woke up too eager to get to Lorraine's side to sleep. Jeff and I went to Denny's for breakfast since we had pretty much lived off of beef jerky all day thursday. gross. Anyways, so we hurried at Denny's and then I rushed to Rigby to get to Lorraine. When I got there I met her family and there were a lot of them, but they were all really nice people whom Jeff and I would eventually really enjoy spending time with. Lorraine was taking a bath when I got there, so I waited and chatted with the family. When she got out, I found her very overwhelmed, so I decided to take charge. I made her get back in the shower and rewash her hair because the bath had made it greasy, then we packed up all of her makeup and took her to the spa in Rexburg where she and her daughter got their nails done. Lorraine forgot a few things so I rushed back to Rigby to get them, then back to Rexburg. I then helped her do her makeup, straightened her hair, and rushed her to the Temple, barely making it close to on time. Honestly, I'm not sure if she would have ever made it had I not come to Rigby. But, I am so glad i got to be there to help her, and by the time she made it in the temple, she looked amazing. I went next door to the church building and got myself ready in the bathroom there while several ladies came in and out thinking I was nuts for doing my makeup in the church bathroom, but I told them what was up. It took me an hour and a half to get my hair right, then I waited at the temple for another hour or so, thank goodness Lorraine's sister Natalie and her fiance Zach were there to keep me entertained! We heard the couple was coming out, so we went outside. I got a funny looking sunburn while waiting outside. When the couple emerged, they looked radiant! It was all worth it. I double wielded cameras and tried to get decent photos, then ended up just using Lorraine's camera and deciding to use mine for the reception. We took lots of photos. Then I went back to our hotel where Jeff had been working ALL DAY. I picked him up and we went back to Rigby for the informal bridal party dinner. It was fun. Brenden and Zach were really hilarious and kept us all entertained.

SATURDAY: Saturday was hectic. Jeff and I checked out of our Pinecrest hotel, and went to Le Ritz. I then went straight to the salon where all the bridesmaids were getting their nails done, and Lorraine was getting her hair and makeup done professionally. Day two of the wedding celebration. We ate chocolate covered strawberries and I got my nails painted a sparkly gold color. Lorraine looked just as gorgeous as she had the first day, and all went well. Then I took Emily back to Le Ritz and told Jeff to get dressed up for the reception. We were late, got lost, and eventually found the place. It was gorgeous! I have tons of photos so no need to describe it. They did a ring ceremony, so we all walked down the stairs with two bridesmaids to every groomsman. Then the bishop talked about where rings came from and the symbolism. He asked Lorraine to tell him what she had learned in the first day of marriage. Her answer was hilarious but I can't remember it word for word. We took tons of photos, danced, ate cheesecake, blew bubbles, and generally had a wonderful time! I think my favorite part was seeing how happy lorraine was, Brenden's pre-garter retrieval dance, and that I got to give a toast to the bride and groom. I almost cried but kept it together. While they were destracted taking couple and family photos, Lorraine's brothers, Zack and Natalie, and Jeff and me all decorated their car! I wish I got a picture. We used: plastic wrap, paper towels, cheese wiz, ritz crackers, hot dogs, and toothpaste ( I claim no responsibility for the toothpaste ). All in all it was a beautiful wedding. That night, we all went out to dinner at Sizzler, laughed and talked. Then it turned into a spitball fight! I know it is so juvinile, but it was hilarious. Even I was shooting spitballs! Jeff started it, and Zach got me in the hair, so it was on! It was a great ending to a perfect weekend!

SUNDAY: Sunday morning Jeff worked ALL MORNING until 1 or 2 pm. I worked out for over an hour in the hotel gym. I watched the HOUSE marathon. I waited and waited until we were forced to check out, then I waited in the business room for hours. FINALLY we were able to leave, and we hit the road at high speeds trying to make it in time to have dinner with Melissa and Theron, see Jeff's friends, and see Daniel Bagby!!! We got a speeding ticket. Well, Jeff did. What's awesome is that it was only $140 bucks, if we had gotten the same ticket in Texas, it probably would have been around $500. Yeah... but honestly I couldn't get mad cause I know I would've been going just as fast if not faster had I been driving. So on the road we were driving, and Jeff looked over and saw the WEIRDEST looking girl we have ever seen. He was like "Is she real? QUICK GET THE CAMERA!!!" So I look over, and this girl looks WEIRD. She has these HUGE lips and they are all sticking out and open like a duck about to bite something. She has huge bug-eye glasses and just looked comical. So I grabbed the camera and took a picture right as she looked at us! HAHAHA. Then we sped off. This is Jeff's impression of how she looked from the side:10 minutes later, the very same white car she was driving catches up to us, we both look over right as we see the flash of a camera! She caught up to us and took a picture back! It was hilarious! Then she cut us off, and took the next exit before we could take another picture. She flashed us the peace sign. It was hilarious! By the time we made it to Ogden, we only had half an hour to see Jeff's friends in order to fit everyone in. So we saw Matthew and his wife, and we saw Josh and Harmony. Harmony is due to have her baby anytime in the next week or two, and was glowing! Josh's family was really cool. His brother is a singer/song writer and plays punk/emo type stuff... he sounds amazing! It was like getting a free concert! Then we headed for Salt Lake, had dinner with Melissa and Theron, which was really nice to see them. They barbequed for us and we just sat and talked. Afterward, Jeff and I headed for our hotel the Sky Lounge, which was really cheap, but super awesome! Next time I go to SLC, I am staying there. It's like a little apartment. Anyways, we checked in and Jeff started working again, so I went and met up with Daniel Bagby and his mom at the temple. It was SO great to see them both again! Daniel just got back from his mission to Brazil, and it was lucky I was in the area literally 1 day after he got back. We sat and talked for about 2 and a half hours, it was so great to see him. I have to say, some of my best memories are from high school and being friends with Daniel, and all the people in our group of friends. It was also nice to hear what was new with people I have lost touch with and all of that. It was a GREAT ending to the whole trip.