Carla Cankles

And I will always love you....

2012-02-14T20:24:00.003-07:00

Oh, Valentine's Day...

Everyone has an opinion about it.

There are the friend's who hail it as "Singles Awareness Day" and boycott anything lovey-dovey, the friend's who mock the commercialism and deny the need for a day to profess their love,

and those who dress up as cupid and pass out valentine's in hopes of spreading "the love" or holiday cheer.

No matter what category you fall into,

I think everyone wants a little love.

Are you seriously going to tell me when the candy grams and singing valentine's got delivered in high school you didn't secretly hope you might get one (although that would be horribly embarassing at the same time)?

Or even if you've squashed out all excitement for the day you wouldn't smile inside if someone gave you a chocolate and said something thoughtful and nice?

I don't deny I've always wanted these things on Valentine's Day.

When I was younger, every year my dad would give me a box of chocolates and it would make my day. When I was 4 years old my brother saved his allowance and bought me a rose at school and brought it home for me on valentine's day. I felt SO special. One year in provo after slaving all day at the restaurant I came home to a valentine from all my north carolina guy friends (and I might still have it).

And, although I don't recall many horrible valentine's days, I never managed to have a boyfriend on valentine's day until Cary. Our first year was spent 6,000 miles apart. He mailed me a package with a love letter I'll save forever and valentine's peeps (if that isn't love, I don't know what is). Last year, I had to work all night at Verizon. It wasn't the best work day but I came home to shrimp linguine, spinach arugula salad, and we went to a fancy dinner the next night.

But, this year was my best valentine's day yet!

I know that Cary loves me everyday, and he is good about reminding me, and suprising me throughout the year, but with a newborn (especially), cheesy romance takes a back burner to massive spit ups and lack of sleep.

Cary bought me roses (yes, I'm usually the cynic that says they will just die--but come on, they're gorgeous), and wrote me a love note, and took me to my favorite restaurant... and on top of it all, Zoey laughed at all the funny things we said tonight! That girl has great comedic timing and I laughed so hard my face hurt.

Today,

I'm grateful for a cheesy commercialized holiday to celebrate how lucky i am to have Cary in my life. I wouldn't pick anyone else, and I look forward to many wonderful Valentine's Days to come...

***title: rip whitney houston, i loved some of your music***

Falling slowly sing your melody

2012-02-11T09:30:00.007-07:00

Happy 3 month birthday Zoey!!!

People ask us all the time, if we can't remember life without you?

Well, I can, vaguely, remember what it feels like to be well-rested, have a flat stomach, and run all my errands in one trip... but life is definitely more entertaining with you around.

You are such a bubbly, fun little baby. You are easy going and you started really laughing this week! We're not sure if you actually think we're funny, or just crazy, but either way we LOVE your laughs and do everything we can to encourage them.

You are getting soo big (well to us at least). You're 12 lbs, and blazed out of your newborn clothes about 3 weeks ago, right past 0-3 mo, and even your 3 mo clothes are almost too short. You are definitely a tall, slender little girl.

Your favorite book is Dr. Seuss's ABC, you always try to mimic whatever exercise your mom is doing, and you especially love getting out and seeing the world (as well as all the attention everyone gives you--quite the social butterfly already).

Baby girl, we love you, and are so glad you came to our family. We truly couldn't have designed a better baby. You are the perfect addition and we are excited for you to continue growing and keep us on our toes.

Love,
Mom and Dad

So spoiled... hanging out in bed.

Hanging with dad

Getting dressed

All dressed up

Love those cheeks.

Ok, she's giving me the finger... I think she's done with photos

In my mind I'm going to carolina

2012-02-08T10:53:00.003-07:00

Superbowl, schmuperbowl.

TODAY is game day.

UNC v DUKE 9 pm EST.

I mean, it's only the biggest rivalry in college basketball, and the 2nd biggest sports rivalry ever behind yankee/red sox.

This rivalry dates back to 1920 and has continued with at least 2 games per season often determining the ACC champion.

They have played a total of 232 games with UNC winning 131 of those :) These teams are neck and neck with the most season championships, ACC championships, and UNC is 3rd for all time NCAA championships (5) and Duke is 5th (4).

I mean, in the last 30 years UNC and Duke account for 27% of the NCAA championships, one of these teams has been pre-season ranked #1 at least 50% of the time and ranked at least top three 72% of the time.

This all just boils down to.... a really good game. UNC is currently smoking hot, and Duke well, not so much. Guess we'll see who shows up to play tonight :)

GO HEELS!!!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2012-02-07T09:51:00.003-07:00

Mmmhmm... baby wouldn't go back to sleep at 4 am. So guess who gets put in her snowsuit and then plopped in bed with mom.

Oh yes, we do what we gotta do in the tippets household.

baby come on ooh ooh ooh ooh

2012-02-03T13:14:00.005-07:00

I was supposed to wake up baby girl an hour and a half ago... according to the baby books.

The thing is, as much as I try to encourage a schedule, she does what she wants.

She doesn't sleep great at night, some nights she crashes at 8, some nights she's wide awake til midnight. I just don't know.

And I'm exhausted.

And apparently she's exhausted too. So far she's slept through a fire alarm and me taking a picture of her.

The way she sleeps is too funny, right?

The problem is... she was supposed to wake up an hour and a half ago, so I've pretty much wasted the last hour waiting for her to wake up so I can feed her. Oy vey.

Tips? Advice? Comments? Concerns.... actually you can probably just keep those to yourself, this first time mom does a good enough job worrying I'm screwing my kid up :)

You make my dreams come true

2012-02-02T10:03:00.004-07:00

Happy Groundhog Day!!!

The first groundhog day I ever celebrated was with good friends, Liz and Jim Pittcavage!

(borrowed photo from liz's fb page)

We watched the movie groundhog day and ate stovetop popcorn thanks to Jim.

I thought the movie was extremely depressing. I felt so bad for the guy and just wanted the day to end.

However, I watched it again while feeding baby and decided it's not so bad. So perhaps you should curl up with some popcorn and enjoy a little cinematic celebration of this fine/ridiculous holiday!

(call me if you need to borrow it)

Oh and the groundhog did see his shadow. 6 more weeks of winter to which I say BRING IT ON!!! With an average temp of 70 degrees, it can be winter til May according to me!

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

2012-01-27T11:24:00.002-07:00

I'm supposed to be working on a talk for church this sunday.

The topic is Christ before his mortal ministry

(basically what can we learn about Christ in the Old Testament and how that has impacted my life).

I'm at a loss. Any tips would be GREATLY appreciated.

So,

rather than reading conference talks and the scriptures,

I'm reading about parenting (hey, at least I'm not reading tabloid websites),

and I came across this great article!

Quirky Discipline Rules That Work

(You should really just read it, she says it better than I could)

But, quick glance for those who don't want to read the whole article:

1. You can't be in the room when I'm working unless you work too.

-Brilliant. They either really want to be with you and will help, or they'll leave you to get things done.

2. I don't work past 8 p.m.

-If they want bedtime stories and what not, no dragging their feet. Ahh I forsee watching Grey's Anatomy in peace...

3. You get what you get and you don't throw a fit

-Basically a more pleasing way to say life's not fair

4. Take that show on the road

-As a mom you really don't have to watch/listen to them perform hours on end or try to talk over them, they can continue playing in another room.

5. We don't argue about money

-Stop begging before it begins. If you say you're not buying something, end of discussion. Two sided though, you have to allow your children to spend their money how they choose.

6. I can't understand you when you speak like that

-Validate feelings, but don't tolerate whining, screaming, rude or otherwise unacceptable language.

7. There's no such thing as boredom

-Encourages kids to entertain themselves, use their imagination, etc.

I represent an entire generation

2012-01-26T02:17:00.010-07:00

When you get pregnant the waves of advice never seem to stop.

Everyone's opinion about baby essentials was especially confusing.

I mean, some people were telling me to buy baby wipe warmer's (how ridiculous, as far as I'm concerned a little cold wipe on the tush should be incentive to not wake me up in the middle of the night ;)) to my parents saying all I needed were diapers, onesies, carseat and a crib.

And, though there is a lot of truth to my parents opinion, there have been a few other items that have been fabulous with zoey and made my life so much easier.

Como tomo bottles- absurdly expensive, but they make switching between nursing and bottle seamless, which according to friends is amazing, and according to me worth the money.

Bouncy Chair, or anything really that will hold the baby that they will sit in, because sometimes you need your hands free and they don't want to be on the floor.

SwaddleMe- Straightjacket for babies. It keeps babies from waking themselves up during their more active dreams. For a baby who moves a ton--it really does make a big difference in how long she will stay asleep.

Snowsuit- Ok, this one is probably purely a Zoey thing... but the kid will not stay swaddled in a blanket. She hates to be confined. So a suit covers all her limbs, getting her toasty warm and she falls right asleep. Don't judge me--but we have nights where I'm desperate and put her to bed in her snowsuit because it worked.

Nursing cover- I just sewed one (from this pattern), but it's so much easier than fumbling with a blanket.

Oh and of course the boppy (or as Cary likes to say, my breast friend)... baby is conditioned so when I grab the pillow she calms down because she knows she's getting fed. Also, I'm able to write these oh-so-informative blogs because the pillow frees up a hand!

Anyhow, I'm not saying any of these items are neccesities, simply that to this tired mama these are worth every penny, buy again in a heartbeat items.

What are your baby essentials?

Lala how the life goes on

2012-01-23T21:20:00.003-07:00

Stories of Nary

Wow, life got the better of me and killed my blogging momentum, but what better way to get back to business than with a Nary story.

One night during Christmas break, I am up feeding Zoey and my nose starts to run. Generally trying to be considerate of Cary sleeping (why do we both need to be sleep deprived?), I try to get through the feeding, but eventually decide I desperately need a tissue. So I nudge Cary and ask him to hand me a tissue (he was sleeping next to the tissues).

This is where Nary enters.

I ask for a tissue, and Cary hands me March of the Penguins on dvd. Then rolls over and goes back to sleep.

I stare quizzically at Cary and attempt to finish feeding Zoey, but within 5 minutes the snot is about to drip down my face and I am forced to again wake up Cary.

I say "Cary, I really need that tissue."

NARY responds "What the crap! I already gave you a tissue."

Me: "Ummm no, you handed me March of the Penguins"

Nary: "Why would I hand you March of the Penguins?"

Me: "That's a great question. No idea, but I need a tissue. NOW"

Nary: exasperated tone "Oh my gosh. Geez, here's your tissue"

Again... the hilarity factor definitely increases once my nose is wiped and morning comes when I can tell Cary about his late night alter ego.

Oh Nary...

Children behave, that's what they say when we're together

2012-01-15T18:37:00.003-07:00

Baby is going through another growspurt, which means she eats every 2 hours, which means I'm not sleeping.

Yay.

I find it slightly less miserable if I pass the hours by reading random blogs (material that generally doesn't require much thought).

Anyhow,

Cary is trying to be supportive, and since Nary is no help, he goes ahead and takes the baby after the 7-9ish feeding and lets me get a nap before she eats next.

So this morning after I finish feeding the baby,

Cary offers to take the baby and I keep reading the blogs on my ipod.

He then tells me "put the ipod away you're supposed to be sleeping!"

I slide the ipod under my pillow.

Cary: "Just like a kid (scolding look), you're just gonna pull it right out when I leave"

Me: "No, I'm not"

Cary: "Yeah you are, give it to me"

Cary then lunges for the ipod, me: "NO I won't" as I throw it across the room

Yeah...

Mmmhmmm...

We're totally ready to be parents.

All the other kids with the...

2012-01-12T08:40:00.001-07:00

Sometimes a laugh can fix a rough morning...

Thank You Ellen!

Don't you blink you might miss it

2012-01-11T07:34:00.005-07:00

tidbits about zoey

3. Zoey is 2 months old today! Happy 2 months baby girl. She is almost out of newborn clothes, starting to vocalize more, sleeping better, getting cuter by the day, and... a pretty advanced baby ;)

yeah, yeah, yeah every new parent thinks their kid is advanced, but let's check out the milestone chart at babycenter.com

Advanced Skills for 2 months
Holds head steady-check
Can bear weight on legs- check
lifts head and shoulders during tummy time- check

Emerging skills for 3 months
Squeals, gurgles, coos- check
Recognizes your voice- (well mine, cary, and grandma) check

Advanced Skills for 3 months
Turns toward loud sound- check
Can bring hands together and bat at toys- check

Holding her own bottle!

So for the record baby girl... you're advanced! (Nevermind that she was 2 weeks late (and yes, I reserve the right to hold that against her for as long as I want))

It doesn't matter as long as we got eachother

2012-01-10T21:01:00.004-07:00

Sometimes being in the student phase of life isn't always the greatest...
and then around comes Christmas break.

Cary has been home for a whole month! It has been glorious!

I LOVE having him around. We're definitely not a couple who gets tired of each other or needs our own space. I wish he could stay home all the time. We often ask ourselves why we didn't pull a bieber and make millions in our teens so we could stay home and raise our baby (maybe babies in the future) together, then open an ice cream shop as our retirement from parenting.

All I can say is
he has a pretty flexible schedule and gets to be home more often than most husbands/fathers...
but Zoey and I already miss having him around. Hurry up Spring Break!!!

Just look over your shoulder

2012-01-09T16:21:00.005-07:00

tidbits about zoey

2. Zoey is already my little social butterfly. She loves going to crowded places and constantly looking around. She will let anyone hold her. And she's especially happy being held up to your shoulder so she can look over and see what's going on...

And he don't know...

2012-01-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

Stories of Nary

Nary is Cary's alter ego, also known as Negative Cary. He only shows up in the middle of the night when awoken from a deep sleep. You would think after being married over a year, I would have encountered Nary before recent events... but I didn't often get up in the middle of the night before recent events.

The discovery of Nary

About 2 weeks after Zoey was born, I was getting up every 2 hours to feed baby girl and one night in the rush to calm the crying kiddo I forgot to grab the extra pillows at the end of the bed to lean against.

So, even though I try to avoid waking Cary up in the middle of the night (I want him to be rested for school, so he can get good grades, graduate and make lots of money), I tap him on the shoulder and ask him to hand me the pillows that are literally 3 feet from his hand.

Cary, turns, stares at me, and then with a voice of exasperation states "I'm too tired," and rolls over and falls back asleep.

Oh, was I steaming at that point. I was so angry--he's tired!?!?!

About an hour later as I'm rocking HIS baby back to sleep, he wakes up a little and asks a question which I answered in a snappy, irritated manor. He then asks why I'm so angry, and I refresh his memory of the previous encounter and he claims he has no recollection.

Hence, the realization that Cary has an uncontrolled, rude, alternate personality between the hours of midnight and 6am.

Stay tuned for more Nary stories... they're funny (once I get over the initial anger)

Play the music low

2012-01-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

tidbits about zoey
(for those who aren't close anymore to get to know her yourself)

1. Zoey will not fall asleep on her own. She requires rocking, which the first few weeks of life nearly killed my back (rocking while standing, she knows when you're sitting and screams in protest)... until I discovered her love of music. She will almost always fall asleep within 10 minutes if you rock her and sing her to sleep.

Cary and I have decided she's destined to be a great singer with regular exposure to some of the greats at such a young age. She's also destined to write a novel titled "My life is a bad musical" because Cary and I are the worst singers you've ever heard....

She still gets a look of suprise when we burst into song... someday she'll just hang her head in shame.

December never felt so wrong...

2012-01-04T10:14:00.006-07:00

No posts about zoey's first christmas.

I'll confess, december didn't go how I had planned, ok hoped. I was just trying to stay on top of the basics and didn't really touch on christmas celebrations/traditions at all.

C'est la vie.

It's a new year and I am getting a fresh start!

A few years ago I finally discovered a few keys to successfully completing my new years resolutions. First, keep it to 3 or 4 (generally, a spiritual, physical and intellectual for me) this keeps you from getting overwhelmed. Second, the goal has to be measurable (i.e. lose 10 pounds, not just "get in shape"). Third, you have to be accountable--whether to family, friend, cyberspace, whatever works.

My spiritual goal this year is to actually have Family Home Evening every monday. Before Zoey, I was great at dismissing FHE because every night was Cary and I at home... (if you ever need excuses I'm really good at them).

Anyhow, now that I'm a parent I figure there's a few things I should at least try to do ;)

Monday, we discussed our goals for the year, broke them down for the week and will report back next week on our progress. We also discussed President Monson's new years message, specifically attitude--a key to success in any area.

“Attitude, to me, is more important than … the past, … than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.” -Charles Swindoll

At least she has grandma's that buy her christmas ornaments and outfits :)

We're gonna party like, like it's two thousand and twelve

2012-01-02T17:54:00.003-07:00

Happy New Year!

Baby girl slept while we rang in the new year...

In true mormon fashion, sparkling juice and all

Cary even has the drunken stupor down

And then we called it a night at 10:30... yup, yup we're majorly sleep deprived newbie parents. We don't sneer at the opportunity for sleep even if societal norms mock us for tunring in early.

It's been quite the year! Lots of fun times and good changes, but also probably the first since I was 11 years old where I didn't think "where has the year gone, I can't believe it's already New Years!" Eh, pregnancy can do that to ya...

Here's to a new year, full of parenting adventures, warmer weather, new friends in our new town and whatever else comes our way!

She's got hair like a superstar.... (not so much)

2011-12-13T10:56:00.006-07:00

Zoey has developed Alopecia.

I'm pretty distraught. Yes, I suppose I am extremely shallow and would like my baby girl to keep her hair... but, it's more an extreme sense of guilt since she only lost all her hair after I gave her a bath last night. Her hair is still just as thick on the back of her head, but the top is totally bald! She has the hairline of a 50 year old man....

Or her 26 year old father?

You tell me?

It doesn't help that she's also developed a farting problem to rival an 80 year old man. Sigh, I have a lot to teach her about being a lady!

Oooh this is how it starts

2011-12-10T14:05:00.007-07:00

Zoey is 1 month old!

(And she hates taking pictures as much as her mom)

stats on Zoey:

-She's starting to put some chub on. She weighs 9 lb 8 oz! Meaning she went from the 32% in weight up to the 50%. Such a good little eater! And she's in the 83rd% for height. (I don't know how I made a tall baby, but I'm real happy for her)

-She started smiling her 2nd week, but it still happens right after a good meal or after passing gas... but i suppose those two things make a lot of people smile

-Her first laugh in her sleep was on thanksgiving day

-She started tracking me with her eyes at 2 1/2 weeks.

-She holds her head up and looks around... this started early, but she's definitely getting stronger and almost to the point where I don't have to worry about supporting her neck

-She absolutely hates sleeping on her back, will tolerate her side, and sleeps best on her tummy. This makes me slightly paranoid about SIDS, but sleep deprivation wins and we do our best to make it safe for her to sleep on her side or tummy.

- Everytime she cries for more than a minute, cary plays me a lame movie about the period of purple crying... it doesn't help the situation.

-Cary wanted me to include, that she finally loves him more than her grandma. (He thinks she doesn't really love him--not true just different than her adoration of the baby whisperer).

Lately, she really likes to go through 3 diapers in about 15 minutes. She has this thing about waiting until she's in a clean diaper to finish her business. Family tells me that newborns don't plot--but if you could see her grin, you'd doubt too. I think she knows what she's doing and finds herself hilarious.

Seriously though, she's more fun every day and we're excited for all the big milestones to come!

And honestly to look you in the eye, it's easier to lie

2011-12-09T05:08:00.011-07:00

I have a beautiful, healthy baby.

It'd be really easy to just post pictures of her and pretend life is shiny and perfect. It's easy to only mention the funny ancedotes and happy moments and allow everyone else to fill in the blanks with visions of a well adjusted mom who has finally reached her calling in life.

But why do I have to lie?

Because I'm afraid you'll quit reading? Possibly. But people listen to horribly depressing songs all the time. Because I'm afraid to admit I'm not perfect? Perhaps. Doesn't everyone want to be the person who makes it all seem easy. Because I am too prideful? Obviously. I only have one kid, and a supportive husband and my pride tells me that I am extremely capable of taking care of a baby.

And yet...

I feel like I'm falling apart. I feel defeated... by a cute (not so chubby) 8 lb baby girl.

I can't say that there's been one thing to tip me over the edge. It's everything. The three 2 hour bouts of sleep because of nighttime feedings that are supposed to get me from day to day are definitely catching up with me. The physical pain that typically begs a few days rest to recover, which will never happen. The heartbreak of that ;ittle quivering bottom lip when I can't figure out what my baby needs followed by desperation to make the crying stop. The inability to stay on top of chores, which equals a dirty home and is not helping with the lack of peace in my life. The exhaustion that compels me to collapse whenever possible, verses the need to stay on top of daily tasks and needs such as bathing and eating. The guilt of not doing anything to meet Cary's needs, when he's the only thing getting me from day to day.

And then of course there is my body image--i place way too much value on my appearance. The philosophy it took 9 months to gain the weight, it'll take time to lose it doesn't comfort me. My previously flat sculpted stomach from hours of concentrated workouts is now in a sad state of shriveled excess skin and stretch marks that no amount of ab workouts will ever make look half as good as helen mirren in a bikini. Nothing fits, which often crushes all resolve to get out and pull myself out of this rut. I pull the fat pants back on and one of Cary's t-shirts and allow myself to stay in all day.

If I could change even one thing would it be enough? I don't know. I suppose the only therapy I could come up with was to get it off my chest. So here it is.

Please don't feel the need to come to my rescue.

Like the title says "it's easier to lie." Ah, the weird quirk of my generation. We'll post our darkest feelings on the internet, but if you ask us point blank, we'll lie.

I have a case of the baby blues. Perhaps, I just needed to write it down so I remember what to expect next time.

Despite it all,
Let's just say,
I'm not so down that I don't still thank the heavens every day that I'm no longer pregnant!

Oh and for those who just look for pictures (I know you do mom, it's ok :) Here's a little humor to sum it all up.

I can tell by your eyes that you're not getting any sleep

2011-12-05T11:13:00.002-07:00

I have started countless blog posts in the past weeks, and then baby girl wakes up or something else comes up and I never seem to finish writing the posts. So... maybe one of these days I'll finish them, but for today I'll just share a moment of my life via pictures.

Zoey loves sleeping in this position. What a goof!

I caught her laughing in her sleep. I wish she would laugh when she's awake, but I enjoy it while she's napping too. Wonder what she's dreaming about--probably her dad's dancing ;)

I'll be honest, sometimes life with a newborn feels a little overwhelming and I pause and think "What have I gotten myself into? Oh, what I would give for a 5 hour stretch of sleep!" And then she giggles in her sleep and it cracks me up and melts my heart. Those laughs get me through another day and hopefully soon they'll become daytime giggles and nighttime slumber.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

2011-12-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

Family Dinner at the Tippets Residence

(Friend's brought us dinner tonight (it was delicious))

(**These friends have a 2 months old baby boy, which is how the conversation got started**)

Cary: Hey Zoey, your boyfriend is 13 lbs. How do you feel about that?

Carla: Oooh we have a chubby chaser on our hands.

Zoey: [thought: why won't they give me my pacifier]

Carla: ooh or you could go for J.B. I mean he's a year older than you, but definitely a good looking little boy... and he has cool parents too.

Cary: Well, it's not like you have much competition so I suppose you can make up your mind later.

Carla: Well there is [good looking friend's in the ward]'s daughter. She'll make for some stiff competition Zoey.

Cary: Whatever Zoey, your mom is much more conniving. [Good looking friend in the ward]'s lost her edge.

Carla to Cary: Conniving huh? I'm not sure how I got dragged into this... [dirty look]

Zoey: [coincidentally makes same dirty look]

**Haha I forsee lots of great dinner conversations once Zoey can also verbally contribute**

Just have a good time

2011-11-16T18:27:00.005-07:00

Introducing:

Zoey Morgan Tippets

Haha I like making faces with her.

But this one is a little cuter.

Physical Stats on Zoey:
-Dark brown hair, and lots of it (stupid ultrasound tech didn't know anything)
-Dark blue eyes. They're gorgeous! (Although technically they could change by 6mos)
-Super long finger and toes.
-Born at 8lb 1 oz. She's long and skinny... with her mom's chubby cheeks. She probably carries a whole pound in her cheeks alone.
-She has a puffy right eye. It's some extra blood vessels and they're blocking a tear duct. It makes her eye look a little uneven but we still love her and it'll go away!

Characteristics from Cary:
-Skinny limbs
-Chill personality
-Not a morning person! She gives me the dirtiest look when I wake her up and then tries to pretend she's still asleep.

Characteristics from Carla:
-chubby cheeks
-dark hair
-good at making faces... and she rolled her eyes today (that's right--starting early)

Anyhow, she's a pretty cool baby. I'm stoked she's mine and I never have to give her back to anyone after holding her :)

And you're overdue

2011-11-10T07:20:00.005-07:00

My Gratitude List Continued...

Sunday, November 6 2011
1. A friend who also delivered two weeks late. She understands that it's more than just one more week.
2. Ham. It's delicious.
3. My dad for words of comfort on a rough day.

Monday, November 7, 2011
1. West Wing. Sometimes all it takes is an old favorite to make a new obsession.
2. Delicious homemade dinner. Sometimes I outdo myself. Sometimes.
3. Cary coming home early--just because he knew it would make me happy.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011
1. Finishing sewing projects
2. Mom for helping me finish those projects
3. Shopping in Cary. All their stores have way better stock and selection than Durham. What's with that?

Wednesday, November 9, 2011
1. The good nurse at my dr practice. She's perhaps the only one--and she makes up for the rest of the stupid people at that practice.
2. Jamie. She wrote an awesome letter to baby girl, that reminded me just how many people are also anxiously awaiting her arrival.
3. A great home teacher who was able to help Cary give me a blessing.

Thursday, November 10, 2011
1, 2, 3. I'm scheduled to go to the hospital tonight!!!!! I seriously couldn't be more grateful. It has been a very physically painful week (with an extremely painful end coming I'm sure), and I'm soooo excited to say adios to pregnancy. I seriously couldn't be happier.

Feel the heartbeat in my mind

2011-11-09T09:10:00.004-07:00

Day 12.

Despite my usual reservations, I might as well share some documentation--so you don't think I've faked this whole pregnancy, and everyone stops asking if my due date was calculated wrong (NO! Sorry, it's not that hard to figure out a due date, and don't try to cheat me out of 42 weeks... I'm mean that's almost a year!)

Ok, so I'm not very good at taking my own photo

Could my belly stick out any more?

Cary having fun shaving.

He's so weird :)

We also videotaped her moving in my stomach last night... but it's kinda creepy (read: looks like something out of alien) and i don't know how to cut it down to just the fun bits. I'll post if I figure it out, or have Cary help me later.

Ooh child, things are gonna get easier

2011-11-04T08:23:00.004-06:00

I must admit, meltdowns aren't as few and far between as I'd like.

I'm frustrated with my body and the horrible stretch marks that continue to come out of nowhere and taunt me. I'm frustrated with the pain that never ends in a trip to the hospital. I'm annoyed with my less than tactful doctors who say all the wrong things. I'm jealous of all the friends on facebook whose bodies could figure out how to get a baby out and have cute little newborns. I'm annoyed with the constant advice to sleep now while I can--what in the world makes you think I'm sleeping? I go to bed at midnight only to wake up at 3 and flip seamlessly through channels til 6 am before I finally doze off only to get up 2 hours later for an 8 hour shift. And more than the advice, I'm especially tired of hearing "you're STILL pregnant!" Does it really warrant an "Obviously!" Thanks, you're not helping the situation.

oooohhh deep breaths

ok, sorry just thought maybe getting out of my head for a sec might help

Since 2005, I've always tried to dedicate November to the Attitude of Gratitude Challenge. Gratitude is a proven way to increase happiness in your life and a wonderful reminder of just how many blessings we have and that the Lord is looking out for us. So each day I list 3 unique items I am grateful for.... allow me to play catch up

November 1st
1. A baby that will soon be part of my family. Not everyone gets this blessing while on earth and despite complaints, I do realize how fortunate I am to soon have a little girl in my life.
2. Beautiful north carolina fall weather. 70 degrees with a cool breeze and fall leaves is enough to lift anyone out of a funk.
3. Ice cream

November 2nd
1. Comments at work that bring a smile--they are extremely rare these last few days of pregnancy. One lady said to me "You are all belly! Once that baby comes out you'll be right back to a flat stomach and my aren't we all going to hate you then!" Probably not true, but it was the perfect thing to say after hearing from every other customer how huge I am.
2. Heather bringing dinner over and chatting for a little while. The company was really good for me.
3. Modern Family. That show is hilarious, and I'm grateful to talented writers for sharing the laughs.

November 3rd
1. A Clean house. It puts my type A anxiety at peace :)
2. Warm showers. Really long one's. One of these days Cary will get to feel warm water again, but for now I'll take whatever therapy I can get!
3. My mom for her care and concern and delicious meals. Would I starve without her... no, but her food is a lot better than the toast and cereal I would have put together for dinner.

November 4th
1. I told Verizon no more! Oh how my body is grateful for this break.
2. I made a ginormous list of projects to keep myself busy this coming week, and I am already diving in!
3. Cary's love and support. He quits trying to cheer me up and lets me cry when I need to, and then turns around and makes me laugh to make it better. I don't know what I'd do without that boy--he just makes life better.

That for me, it isn't over

2011-11-03T15:53:00.004-06:00

Still no baby.

Cary's friend's are all teasing him that she's already picked up the procrastination gene.

I wish I could totally blame him for that, but I'm not much better.

We had an ultrasound and baby is healthy. She supposedly weighs 8 lbs 2 oz, although the doc thinks she feels more like a 7 lb baby. She doesn't have hair :( And they won't induce me til 42 weeks unless something goes wrong.

I know it's just one more week, and in the grand scheme of things it won't matter. Heck maybe we'll have an 11/11/11 baby! ... but in my fragile emotional state, it was a big blow and I'll spend the rest of the day moping (mope-ing, not to be confused with mop-ing, def none of that going on) and watching grey's anatomy.

Stay tuned... everyone keeps promising me that a baby will eventually show up!

Everyday I'm shuffling

2011-11-01T08:47:00.002-06:00

Still no baby. (I'm sure that's obvious by a lack of cute baby pics--I post this merely to remind my child in 10 years how much she tortured her extremely impatient mother ;)

Anyhow, I'm ridiculously excited to go into labor and constantly wish for it! I think I'm the only person who is gonna be beside herself giddy when the excruciating pain finally sets in. I can't wait to have my body back! I know... it'll take some time, but labor is the first step and I am ready.

But... in the meantime, Cary entertains me with youtube clips. Here's two of my fav this week

haha poor dog...

I am days away from change

2011-10-30T19:51:00.004-06:00

As I continue to anticipate my awaited baby's arrival (wait, she's still gonna arrive, right? just checking. I'm starting to have doubts ;) I digress), I often think back to previous moments in life and what I would have told myself.

I think back on college, dating, single life, pre-pregnancy life in general and laugh at my growing list of What I wish I had known's...

Then I saw this video and smiled, because I think we all occasionally wish we could tell our previous selves our current knowledge.

haha I especially liked "Google doesn't have children." So true.

I need you to hurry up now

2011-10-27T18:51:00.004-06:00

I know you all wished you worked in retail. Verizon Wireless in particular.

And I know you all wish you were pregnant dealing with the public.

Because then you can be speechless when your customer says (and i quote) "you must be having a girl, you know how I know that.... your nose is fat."

Seriously?

Yup, it's rare for me to be speechless, but I was.

(I contemplated posting a pic, but her psychotic ramblings don't deserve that sort of justification)

Between my psycho customers who say whatever the crap they want to and people who think it's ok to merge onto the highway going 35 mph--I'm about to lose my mind.

To Baby: Kanye says this best

Now that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now

'cause I can't wait much longer

I let the day go by

2011-10-19T09:01:00.003-06:00

Went to the doctor today. Baby is chunky and still in my belly.

Dr said "Well, there's a lot of women who never get any stretch marks.... that's certainly not you, is it."

Oh everytime I close my eyes

2011-10-14T20:13:00.001-06:00

Emily just commented on her blog that she hasn't posted much because it didn't seem like the appropriate place for it. I suppose I've felt like that through most the pregnancy.

Yes, I'm still pregnant. Yes, I'd like to see baby girl in the outside world as much as everyone else... or perhaps 50 billion times more. I don't post much, because I'm an awfully pessimistic pregnant girl, and all my smiles, and fake positive attitude gets sucked up at work by random strangers.

For liz: I do get tired of talking about it all day, every woman telling me her labor story, and people commenting on how huge I am--but I deal with it pretty well.

Although I don't help myself out, by coming home and looking back at all my friends pregnant pictures and realizing that their belly reached maybe half the size mine has (yeah, yeah, all my weight gain is in my belly--imagine how much pain that equates to when your little parasite entertains herself by poking her foot as far out as your already stretched to the max skin can take. I'm convinced I'll give birth by her ripping my stomach open herself. I digress).

Anyhow, I wasn't gonna post about pregnancy. Sorry. I'll be happy to tell the world, when baby is finally born.

On to the meat of the post!

For young women's this week, one of the girls was teaching about standards and explaining Mormon standards. She was explaining the importance of not doing drugs, dressing modestly and ended with the fact that we don't encourage tattoos because we respect the bodies we have been given and that's what makes us awesome.

"After all" she says "You wouldn't put a bumper sticker on a porsche, would you?"

(*Not to offend anyone with a tattoo, I just thought it was a clever way to explain our standards)

You turn me over and over

2011-10-09T11:40:00.005-06:00

Well, the big day has come... and gone.

(That is, the day I had previously discussed with baby girl would be the right day for her to enter this beautiful sunny carolina home waiting for her (not my actual due date)).

I am not sure how this little misunderstanding is going to affect our relationship, but it currently is not shining favorably on our future mother-daughter bond.

Baby girl needs to hurry up and recognize I'm the stubborn one in this family, and I just want to share the baby one on one time with all the family anxiously awaiting her arrival!

P.S. current fav. song of the week: Matt Nathanson's "Faster"
It could just be b/c I'm preggo... but these lyrics sound like he's singing about his baby girl, it's cute.

"Faster"

You're so delicious
you're so soft
sweet on the tip of my tongue
you taste like sunlight
and strawberry bubble gum

you bite my lip
you spike my blood
you make my heart beat faster

own me, you own
you rattle my bones
you turn me over and over
'till I can't control myself
make me a liar
one big disaster
you make my heart beat faster

it's the way you swell, slow
pushing right out your seams
it's the way you smile, baby
when you've got me on my knees

your all night noise
your siren howl
you make my heart, beat, faster

own me, you own
you rattle my bones
you turn me over and over
'till I can't control myself
make me a liar
one big disaster
you make my heart beat faster

cause I jump back, crash, I crawl
I beg and steal, I follow you
yeah you own me
and you make my heart beat faster

(I can't get enough
because its on like
I guess this world is over to me)

you own me, you own
you rattle my bones
you turn me over and over
'till I can't control myself
make me a liar
one big disaster
you make my heart beat faster

The tourists come and stare at us

2011-10-04T20:36:00.005-06:00

I'm starting to worry my baby is gonna come out orange and overly round...

Ready to pass the basketball... come on Cary it's your turn!

Dismiss the double chin (just bad angle), bad hair and complexion (it's 11 pm, long day at work and I'm pregnant people--give me a break!)

But you gotta keep your head up

2011-09-28T17:46:00.004-06:00

So I'm chilling in greenville, and training is especially boring... So I kill some time watching videos on the various devices we're "busy" learning about.

Here's my two favorite of the day (give me a break--at least these are somewhat job related):

(haha if cary did this... there's not even words)

and video number 2

if only this could play on repeat in the verizon retail stores... people might take a deep breath, realize they're ridiculous and at least have a smile on their face

Bills on my mindset, I can't deny they're getting high

2011-09-22T16:48:00.005-06:00

So, I've been too exhausted to post lately. But I suppose I should have shared that Verizon came around and transferred me to a Durham store! Yay, because now baby's delivery will be covered by insurance--and we'll be able to pay the bills for a few more months! Not so yay, because 45 hours at 8+ mo.s preggo is.... extremely exhausting, especially in the retail world.

Other tidbits from past few weeks:

1. We went to the beach! Cary agrees that NC beaches are a) awesome and b) for sure warmer than Cali.

2. Our crib finally arrived, and now I'm even more excited to fill it... I'll post pics this weekend (perhaps)

3. My mom, heather and kim hosted a beautiful baby shower for baby girl. It was wonderful. Good variety of friends, delicious food, elegant decorations... and baby got spoiled! We received wonderful and practical! gifts for which I'm sooo grateful. It's overwhelming just getting all the big items, so I'm extremely grateful for help with all the other necessities and just nice-ities.

4. Oh, and wonderful VZW (verizon) is making me go through new hire training again (yeah, I did this for a month last december). Yes, I did switch positions within the company, but let's be real... the only differences between the two positions could have been explained to me in a day. Anyhow, I'm chilling in Greenville, South Carolina. Training was a) more interesting the first time b) more fun in Denver and c) I liked the original peeps better. So, i mostly just try not to look too bored, keep my feet from swelling and focus on not having the baby yet, as I'd really prefer she be a tarheel born baby! Oh, and I'm trying not to gain an extra 10lbs this time around since I'm already packing 25 extra.

5. Last night, I was craving dessert, but being unfamiliar with the area I decide to consult the hotel concierge. I'm hoping for a little gem dessert shop, maybe a cupcake place, and expecting at least the local coldstone--but no, he suggests the gas station just down the street. Then when I make a face, he lights up and says "oh, well there's a McDonald's just 2 miles away!"

Seriously greenville, the best you have to offer is a $1 hot fudge sundae?

I get to spend 3 more weeks in S.C.

Mmmhmmm.

6. Everyone seems really concerned about me going in to labor with the stress of traveling and working, etc. I get to come home on the weekends, so I've decided as soon as baby wants to show up... I'm leaving all my weekends free for her to do so. However, next weekend is general conference, and somehow I think I'd have a real hard time paying attention should I go into labor, SOOOooo I'm aiming for the following weekend. Oct. 8th baby--feel free to grace us with your presence. I'll keep the rest of you posted on my attempts to control the uncontrollable :)

We're all right where we should be

2011-09-01T11:39:00.000-06:00

Verizon isn't letting me transfer to a NC store (lame) so now I have several weeks to kill. Any advice on how to spend your last two months of pregnancy?

I get tired real easy so I'm sad to admit I've wasted my time watching crap tv lately. Has anyone heard the media refer to the Kardashians as American Royalty (this is in regards to Kim K's wedding)? How sad and pathetic for us. This may be one of the few things that makes me sad to be American. I mean, Britain has Will and Kate (classy) and we have the Kardashians.... sad, sad, sad.

I also watched that show where the girls are pregnant and don't know til they go into labor. Although, I definitely wouldn't want to be that person, I'm amazed that they don't have symptoms. I have the buddha belly going on that makes a lot of tasks difficult, and rather than kick counts, I have more luck counting the few minutes in the day she's not practicing gymnastics in my belly. Oh, and the stretch marks are finally showing up (not as in finally, i wanted it to happen, but finally-the inevitable dread) I'm trying not to make a big deal of it. Cary says he'll love me stretch marks and all ;)

In other news, we're moved in and we have a guest room with a guest bed! Feel free to come visit (even if you live in Raleigh, hey, sometimes you just don't want to drive home). (**For those outside Utah, we're conveniently close to Wilmington Beach**)

oh yes I did, yes I did

2011-08-30T07:16:00.003-06:00

Soooo... I have opinions.

And sometimes I share those opinions. And then people think I'm an idiot.

Allow me to explain...

When people ask how I am doing (I'm 32 weeks and getting bigger almost daily), I generally say something along the lines of I don't love pregnancy and I can't wait to have my baby already.

Then people tell me to enjoy my pregnancy because babies are so much work, to which I respond,
"oh I'm excited for the baby, I could forgo the pregnancy all together"

This is usually followed by an eye roll and a "you'll see"

**Disclaimer: I realize I don't have children, and therefore do not understand. I realize that babysitting, or even watching kids for a weekend while parents are gone doesn't equate to the 24/7 responsibilities of parenting**

Yet, allow me to explain my thought process. Once baby is here I can sleep on my stomach! That means that those 2 hours in between feedings might actually include sleep instead of constant tossing and turning in an attempt to get comfortable.

Also, it is my first and only baby--so I'm still in the stage of life where I will be able to sleep when baby does--also leading me to think I might get more rest than I have had the past several months.

Finally, with pregnancy I can't just take off the belly and take a break when I just can't handle another minute (nope, that's usually when I start crying and try to hide it from Cary, because there's no definitive reason or solution to the crying). When baby comes, all of a sudden I can hand baby to Cary and say I need 5 minutes. When baby gets older, I can put them in the crib and lock myself in the bathroom for 5 minutes. I can take my mom up on her generous offers to babysit. What I'm getting at is that I can't wait to have my body back and in my current ignorant state I feel like I will be able to tackle much more when it's JUST me in my body again.

But, please feel free to share your eyerolls and "if only you knew" comments

You know what they say? Life ain't always easy

2011-08-14T07:28:00.003-06:00

What a week....

We made it to North Carolina! Thank goodness my mom drove with us, otherwise it would have taken us all month!

Thursday, I spent all day in the hospital with Kidney stones (so they think... they can't actuallly test for this while I'm pregnant, nor can they treat it).

My family is amazing and moved all our stuff into our new apartment while I entertained the nurses at the hospital.

And now I'm lounging around at home because I'm extremely sore, tired, and the doctor has banished me to light activity. I've decided this doesn't jive with my personality, so I'm putting "the secret" into effect and sending subliminal messages to baby girl that she needs to be born in 7 weeks (as opposed to the full 10 left). I'll let you know how that goes.

Please tell me, what there is to complain about?

2011-08-04T09:47:00.004-06:00

It's official. We've left P-town.

Cary says we're never coming back.

(But I've left and said that a few too many times, so I didn't get hung up on goodbye and said "see ya later" (Just in case... don't want to permanently jinx myself))

Soooo our journey across the country began yesterday.

We made it to Colorado Springs with the two cars!!!

I started to doubt whether I'd make it.

I have new found admiration for the pioneer women.

I just drove 10 hours while pregnant and was miserable,
I can't imagine walking 10 miles and birthing a baby in the plains

I've also decided they were insane.

So even though I'm laying on my side today recovering from my horrendous past two weeks...

as my current favorite song states

This could really be a good, good good life.

Love and marriage, goes together like...

2011-07-31T17:16:00.003-06:00

Today Cary and I were asked to speak in our old singles ward about the joys of marriage.

Being experts and all (ha, we've been married a year), we had soooo many insights (heavy on the sarcasm)

Anyhow, we probably didn't have any impact on the group, but they asked us a lot of good questions. I felt the questions were sincere and deep... too bad I don't ponder the depths of how Cary and I ended up together or why we are happy because then I might have had an answer to some of the questions.

But,

Just some funny things Cary contributed...

He equates marriage to the lessons learned in the Princess Bride.

For example, "Marriage is like the fire swamp. Once you learn the dangers (i.e. what not to say to Carla) it's actually quite beautiful."

Also, "Marriage is great. You finally found a special person you can annoy for the rest of your life."

Ha, good times.

We'll probably never be asked to share our thoughts on marriage ever again.

Where we're gonna be when we turn 25

2011-07-19T09:57:00.010-06:00

***Sidenote: Cream cheese is perhaps one of the most delicious substances known to man***

Just call me "CARLA THE CONQUEROR"

Tears may have been shed.

Sleep was definitely lost.

Frustration met it's peak.

Don't look too closely or you'll realize I'm not really a seamstress

And it still doesn't hide my belly...

However, it is done!

I haven't sewn a dress since high school... but why should that deter me? Ha, someone should save me from myself sometimes.

Where are the little cinderella mice when you need them?

Just plugging along.

I have unpicked and re-sewed about 4 times already! Despise is a fitting word for this project.

Looking more like an electric blue potato sack than a dress... desperation and emotions are spinning out of control, so i decide to call it a night (at 2am).

Still managing a smile. Finished at 2 am! Flight leaves at 6 am... ugh.

I love my friends.

I sometimes lose sight of why I get caught up in projects and I apologize for the cuss words in my head.

My friends mean the world to me, and I will try to do what I can to make them happy (or their big day what they hoped). With all that my friends do for me.... what's a little sleep?

What am I gonna say

2011-07-10T14:48:00.007-06:00

Do you ever have moments in your life where you pause and think, holy cow, how did I get here

I specifically remember, being about 20 and looking at the missionaries and thinking, WAIT A MINUTE, you guys were always so old and wise. Ha, now they look like little boys and I pray that they'll be able to handle all the challenges ahead of them.

Pregnancy is another one of those moments for me. I walk past a mirror and see my belly and think WHOA, hold the wagon! Since when am I old enough to be pregnant, and how can I maintain a semblance of my fashion and personality?

I must admit...

I am not one who loves my body pregnant.

I enjoy having a flat stomach and fitting into cute clothes.

I have a hard time not comparing myself to other preggo friends.

I generally don't care to post weekly updates on the growth of my belly.

I also am not sad that I don't have many pictures to document this period of my life.

However...

My family is so supportive, and has sent fun maternity clothes, and I think I owe them a fashion show. Also, in an effort to embrace my body exactly how it is and just be grateful for the strength of my body. Here's my update:

6 months ish

15 lbs gained

(if i continue at this rate, about 15 more expected)

(***Disclaimer: Cary is a terrible photographer apparently... I didn't realize it would be so difficult to zoom in or not chop off my legs, but i guess not :/ and I will post the pics anyhow)

This is the point at which I realize, how comical cary's photography skills are so I might as well have fun with it.

This shirt looks huge, but it's actually more flattering with the black shirt underneath because it's a sheer fabric.

Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know. Can you repeat the question?

2011-07-09T18:55:00.004-06:00

I currently work for Verizon Wireless.

(I should probably say a wireless phone company that shall remain nameless... but this really has nothing to do with verizon and everything to do with their customers).

There are two circumstances that occur repeatedly on a daily basis in our store and I feel the need to clarify/vent.

1. Indirect v. Direct Retail Locations.

Have you ever bought a cell phone from a kiosk in the mall/walmart/costco and wondered how come they can sell AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile?
Well, that's because they are an indirect retailer.

They are essentially a franchise, that buys the rights to sell Verizon cell service with their own merchandise. This concept seems especially difficult for our customers to grasp.
Daily, people argue with me that they bought their phone from Verizon.

Technically, if you didn't go into a Verizon Corporate location you bought the phone from whichever indirect retailer is on the top of your receipt (i.e. bullfrog, diamond wireless, wireless advocates). This is a little confusing because they say Verizon in large letters above their store followed by premium retailer (or something similar).

So... this means you can't return your phone to a Verizon Corporate store.

I accept that customers may not understand this concept initially, but once I explain the difference to you--it is not necessary to scream and throw a fit.

A perfect analogy would be if you bought a samsung tv at walmart, and although target sells the same brand, you can't return the tv to target.

2. Free phones

DAILY, I have customers who enter the store, and when I say "Hi, how are you today?"
They respond, "Well I have a piece of crap phone, how do you think I am? Maybe I'd be better if I didn't have this piece of crap."

First, if someone smiles and says hi, how are you? It's more polite to respond with a sociable answer, such as fine, ok, i'd even take a been better.

But, I digress. So they're case is that their phone is a piece of crap.

Well, I don't admit this to the customer (but their phone is a piece of crap).
It was free.
I guarantee they walked into the store several months prior and said "I want the free phone."
Now, they are back, crying foul because that free phone doesn't work like an iphone.

Back to analogies. If someone gave you a free tv, would you expect it to be a flat screen, have perfect picture, and get all the channels?

And when the free tv died a year later, would you call your cable company and cry foul?

No, for some reason I don't think you would.

And, yet.... that is what I deal with all day every day.

Thank heavens for Sunday.

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine

2011-06-30T22:49:00.009-06:00

So I finally plugged my camera into the computer and realized, I haven't downloaded pictures in about 3 months. So here's just a few of my recent fav's.

Cary graduated!!!! And it was a gorgeous sunny spring day in Utah at a cool 55 degrees...

Roger and Mama T came out for baby wyatt(our newest nephew)'s blessing and graduation. It was fun to spend the weekend with family.

I couldn't help but suprise my little choc-a-holic beau with a fun Easter basket. Mmm cadbury eggs, jellybeans and everything in between.

American fork canyon.
Gorgeous.
I've hiked Mt. Timp before, which is extreme, so we decided to go easy this summer and hike timp caves. I had heard it was paved the whole way, how hard could it be?

Well, I don't like to make pregnancy excuses, but at twenty some weeks, I'm not sure any hike is easy. It was paved,
but that doesn't mean much when you have a 1000 ft incline.
Also, I recommend lighter clothes even though it's cold in Utah.

oh baby, baby

2011-06-30T22:32:00.003-06:00

The fans demand pictures... so even though I'm not a lover of the belly shot, here is my buddha belly for all to enjoy.

I apparently suck at taking my own photos... but I actually look really good in this one ;) Gotta love a dirty mirror

Cary says I'm not big. I say it's all a matter of angle.

Ba-da-da-dum. (This is also a more flattering pic, I'm not seriously gonna post my really huge pics)

And she's daddy's little girl

2011-06-19T19:29:00.004-06:00

The topic in church today was father's! Obviously...

Cary walked away from the meeting a little annoyed because he feels like mom's get praised and told how amazing they are; whereas our speakers today talked about how dad's need to show their love to their spouse and children, spend time with their family, and follow the commandments.

Although, there weren't very many stories shared about father's, the speakers highlighted important things for father's to do with their children. In particular, father's should spend one on one time with their kids, go on vacations, and talk to their children.

All of this just got me thinking about my favorite times with my dad...

So I'm going to share :)

As a kid, I remember going shopping with my dad. He's not a big shopper at all, but I remember him taking me shoe shopping and always understanding my need for whatever shoe was popular at the time. He let me get $50 timberland's in 3rd grade! He'd also take me shopping for his clothes and ask my opinion on his ties (which made me feel so grown up and trusted.) My absolute favorite though was when we'd go shopping for mom. He'd take me to pick out my mom's christmas present, birthday present, and mother's day gifts. I loved it. It made me feel great when mom loved what we had picked out.

(Now, my dad very well may have done this with all the kids at different times, but it seemed like it was our thing--which is all that really matters).

I also remember late nights swimming in the pool in our backyard. He'd never rush me off to bed. We'd just float there and let the helicopter leaves fall from the trees and listen to the rhythmic slaughtering of the bug zapper. Oh, summer nights...

As a teenager, some of my best memories are learning to drive. Dad isn't always the most chatty. But he'd talk to me about cars. I had lofty dreams of buying a car which dad would attempt to talk me out of, while humoring me and explaining all the different cars for sale in the paper. He'd also take me on drives to get experience while I had my learner's permit. The cold dark mornings on the way to seminary are forever burned in my mind as we listened to talk radio, and dad would freak out everytime I ran over an animal--there are a lot of little critters in NC that are hard to see in the dark!

Anyhow, I could go on, but the point is that I'm a lucky girl. My dad always put us kids first and I have so many great memories thanks to him.

Hit me with the words you got and knock me down

2011-06-12T15:47:00.007-06:00

Soooo.... I may not be handling pregnancy as gracefully as I once hoped I would (read: people ask me how I'm feeling and I respond "HUGE" with a few tears in the corners of my eyes).

Honestly, I've been really lucky. I haven't been too sick, and I didn't really start showing til about week 16. And then it was just a little bump, easily mistaken for a big meal.

Well... I've popped. In the last two weeks I have grown more each day, outgrowing more and more outfits by the day. I attempt to keep my concerns about my appearance between Cary and my pile of discarded clothes on the bedroom floor, but I was so fortunate (sarcasm) to have my insecurities thrown in my face yesterday. An ob/gyn is talking to me and looks at my belly and says, "oh well, you're like 28 weeks, right? you're almost there."

..... long pause..... me: "No, I'm just huge, thanks."

Usually, when people ask if I'm preggo, I smile and say "oh no, I just ate a big lunch," then when the look of horror ensues, I tell them I'm joking and yeah I am preggo.

But this doctor practically said I'm almost two months fatter than I should be!

This just happened to come at the end of a week filled with several less than flattering comments... needless to say Cary has had his work cut out for him. Poor guy.

I'll eventually post pics of myself, but today I feel very much like this guy

Struggling to keep my shirt from curling up over my belly.

I blame magazines, for giving me the hope of looking as gorgeous as heidi...

This is her at 9 months. Yeah... some days I wish I was a 6 ft tall, drop dead gorgeous super model.

Instead, I more closely resemble...

Anyhow... don't worry too much about me. Just a bad day, and I keep a cute onesie taped to my mirror to remind myself of the end goal... a beautiful baby with cute little chubby legs and funny faces!

Just can't get enough

2011-06-10T12:32:00.004-06:00

tehehe... check out this text convo btw my bestie jo and Cary.

Jo: Cary, I didn't even tell you congratulations!!! She is going to be one cute girl!

Cary: Thanks Jo! I sure think so, I'll have to restrain myself from soiling her :)

Jo: Hahaha please reread that text. And yes you will have to.

BAHAHAHAHA... oh cary, he should really proof read his texts before sending them (but at the same time, i haven't laughed that hard in a while).

***in case you missed it, he meant spoiling her***

Oh this has gotta be the good life

2011-06-10T10:10:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the wait...

I've got a feeling that it's gonna be alright

2011-06-08T10:25:00.004-06:00

Wow, it's been so long since I blogged I'm suprised I remembered the password.

I'll be even more suprised if someone actually thinks to check my blog and read this.

So of course I must come back with a bang!

I'm Preggo! And tomorrow I find out if it's a boy or a girl!

Really, I have no preference. I want both so bad, I don't care which I get first. I've always wanted little boys and it'd be especially fun to brainwash a boy with my grandeur plans of tarheel basketball while we are in NC, but a little girl with chubby legs sticking out of baby bloomers sounds awesome too!

Anyhow... so there's my excuse for not blogging. Not a very good one (since most my friends are mom's and somehow find the time), but I'm tired, growing a baby, working 40+ hours a week, keeping Cary in line ;), cramming in friend time before we move, ya know...

Marry me, today and every day

2011-03-17T15:29:00.000-06:00

10 Things I have learned since getting married:

1. There is such a thing as 3 ply toilet paper. And YES, your tush does deserve it.

2. Just because you got the apartment with the dishwasher, doesn't mean said dishwasher will actually be capable of washing the dishes... beware of unwanted leftovers.

3. You may not be able to cure your spouse's chronic snoring, but you can invest in quality memory foam. At least you'll be lying awake in comfort ;)

4. The Mr. may very well convince you that you would rather eat a restaurant cooked meal than get a new outfit.

5. Single life is much more exciting and fun... but dinner followed by a competitive 2 person game of Monopoly Deal is entertaining too.

6. Does that little extra toothpaste in the sink really bother you that much? Really? Maybe you should spend less time in the bathroom!

7. Football is a man's sport. Decorating/Cooking a women's. Basketball--the sport everyone can agree on!
(Highly scientific stereotypes based solely on my own marriage)

8. You may wake up in the middle of the night to find your loved one is slowly inching you towards the edge of the bed. When you finally wake up hanging on for dear life it's up to you whether you believe his story about a crazy dream, or suspect him of just trying to get the whole bed to himself.

9. I still have a lot to learn.

10. Whenever your spouse decides to point out one of your flaws, it's really great to scream "WELL..... you married me!" Then you both laugh.

I almost fell into that hole...

2011-03-01T21:44:00.004-07:00

Cary's out of town.

Normally I handle being home alone great. I sleep better and I'm about three times more productive!

But...

Today, I'm watching HGTV while eating dinner, and I see a spider on the white counter and think to myself forget that house it has a spider.

About two seconds later I realize it's not on the show, it's on my tv. The spider is in my house!! I then proceed to have a mini heart attack, which was actually pretty painful. Then I call Cary who has to coach me through sucking up the spider with the vaccum cleaner.

I know you're thinking I'm all sorts of pathetic right now.

Well...

I am! I need my man to come home! Because I'd really like to make it to 25, and if anymore events like tonight happen, my future is questionable.

So if you're too school for cool

2011-03-01T11:01:00.004-07:00

My sister Emily is an english professor. She'll sometimes post a funny sentence out of a paper a student submitted (annoymously, of course). I thoroughly enjoy reading these, because it's funny to laugh at the ridiculous mistakes we all sometimes make.

Emily posted this video on her blog:

I have a few thoughts about this.

First, she probably should have made her blog private. It's not too hard to find a blog, so she should have anticipated a student could come across her blog.

Also, she said some horrible things, and how can you expect a student to feel safe and encouraged to learn in an environment where the teacher seems to hate you and think negatively of you. I would hope teacher's were setting an example of how to treat those at school with you, whether it is other teachers or fellow students.

However, I think there is definitely a double standard here. Students and parents alike can post and say whatever they want about teachers. Another blogger wrote his perspective as a waiter and wrote terrible things about customers all the time, and America applauded him and invited him on every talk show to educate people on how to be better restaurant customers. Why can a teacher not comment on the lack of discipline in her class and the lack of effort on her students part?

Overall, I disagree with her method of commenting on her students. She wasn't opening discussion, she was resorting to harsh and general insults, just as you would expect a high schooler to do...

...but I really want to keep reading Emily's posts about her students. What are your thoughts???

My head is up in the clouds

2011-02-23T09:31:00.005-07:00

So I've been bad at posting.

For a minute there I felt like it was pretty vain to constantly post about my life and expect that people would actually want to read about it... but today I got to thinking, if any of you decided that I would be extremely disappointed because I check your blogs as part of my quick morning routine.

Wake up. Make Cary lunch. Check blogs. Get Ready. Tidy up. Off to work.

It's great. And really the blog is to keep track of myself since I don't journal regularly anymore.

So here's a bit of my last two weeks.

Pretty much I spent one week making 4 baby blankets. My sister in law, and 3 of my mac grill besties are having/had babies.

It's Jen's 5th boy... so I decided to stray from the traditional blue.

I got a sewing machine for christmas and it does all sorts of awesome stitches. Snowflakes for this blanket.

That's a rose design fleece/soft and comfy fabric on the back. Bad lighting. Very cute.

Yup, my friends are all having baby girls... all due about a month apart. It was a lot of fun to get into sewing again. And now, I've opened a can of worms and have 4 more to do :)

Also, it was Valentine's Day this past week.
And I usually don't care to make a big deal about it, but it was the first year I've actually had a valentine! (Last year doesn't count, because my valentine was on another continent... and yes I didn't time my previous boyfriends well... don't judge)

Anyhow, we had decided to celebrate on tuesday because we both have tuesday off. But Cary made me a delicious dinner on monday and did Insanity with me!
What a perfect Valentine. He sure knows what I like :)

(For those of you who don't regularly watch workout info-mercials... click here to learn about the best workout I've ever done)

Tuesday we went to the roof! I've wanted to check this out for years. It's a restaurant on the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in downtown SLC, with a gorgeous view of Temple Square....

I mean you're practically dining with Moroni.

Since I forgot my camera in the car... here's some strangers enjoying their meal there... our experience was just as enjoyable!

I'd catch a grenade for you

2011-01-25T10:27:00.003-07:00

For some reason, I hate being cheesy on my blog. I don't want to become the girl that only ever talks about her husband and how great he is--because I'd probably lose all 3 of my readers ;)

BUT... he deserves a shout out. I've been sick all weekend and I just have to say Cary is so good to me. He's cooked, cleaned, done laundry, laid on the couch with me, taken out the trash, gotten me whatever I've asked for, and made me laugh. He's done absolutely everything while I just laid around. I love him, and if you have to be sick, I suggest finding someone who will watch hours of HGTV and eat french toast sticks with you :)

So.... he is an awesome guy and I'm happy every day that I married him, but in reference to the title, we both decided that we're too chicken to catch a grenade for one another. We're willing to do just about anything else, but watch our hand get blown off. I think it's fair ;)

Also, I feel like there's never much going on with me... but I forgot to mention a while back that I finally chopped off my hair again. I cut off 10ish inches and now have a bob (that looks funny written out).

Cary and I found a new tv show addiction, it's called Fringe (been out for 3 years but we just discovered it). It's a science-y show, a little reminiscent of x-files, minus the aliens.

Cary is done applying to grad schools, so we will know a little bit more about the next 5 years come March! I can't wait.

Sooo.... that's about all for me. My life isn't the most thrilling right now, but that's ok, because my sister just bought a Mcmansion, two of my besties are getting married, my mac grill buds are all expecting girls, my omni friends are kicking my trash in a fitness competition--basically everyone has a lot going on and I'm just gonna take my time out of the spotlight and enjoy being boring ;)

Happy Tuesday!

It's gonna be alright

2011-01-24T19:25:00.001-07:00

After preparing dinner, Cary pulls a Martinelli's out of the fridge and says we should celebrate something...

Carla: "yeah, I made it through another day."

Cary sarcastically: "and that's something."

Carla: "ya know, some days it really is."

Here's a story of a man named [Cary]...

2011-01-15T10:47:00.004-07:00

So sometimes I wake up, and reach down to the floor to immediately grab my labtop, and read the latest blog updates. (You may think that's ridiculous, but we all have our things right...)

And sometimes while I'm reading blogs, Cary will look over my shoulder and read along with me. Today he decided that all my friends who are married have changed their blogs to incorporate their husbands... and I have not. How offensive!

So he suggested I change the title of my blog, and here are his suggestions:

Time as a Tippets
Training my terrible Tippets boy
Cary and Carla camping in curious country
The crazy life of Carla and Cary (this would actually imply that we're exciting)
Truly Tippets

Well, of course none of this is gonna happen, it's my blog, and I'm Carla Cankles. I figured I could appease the ranting with a post though ;)

But I'll just scream

2011-01-14T22:46:00.003-07:00

It's a January 14th MIRACLE!!!!!

So tonight Cary and I went on a fun date with friends and we may or may not have bet on our friendly putt putt game. Anyhow, as usually happens with betting... Cary and I didn't exactly play our best game (read: I failed tonight). So we owed our friends a cupcake from the most delicious cupcake shop west of Denver, THE SWEET TOOTH FAIRY.

Well, since we went putt-putting in Provo on a friday night--it obviously took about 2 hours and we had to rush to the store, making it there right at close. And what to our wondering ears did we hear...

But if we filled out a text alert sign up we got a free cupcake! And then as if that wasn't enough... the gracious baker extraordinaire gave us each an EXTRA cupcake! I would normally at this point declare it my new favorite... but because it was already my fav. (see old blog posts) I will just continue to sing its praises from the rooftops. OH, HOW I LOVE YOU SWEET TOOTH FAIRY!!!

***New flavor Rootbeer Float Cupcake was surprisingly refreshing and delicious***

Just own the night, like the 4th of July

2011-01-10T00:04:00.001-07:00

Happy New Years!!!

So I procrastinate a little on my blogging... don't hate.

Anyhow, I love New Years... well, correction I enjoy making New Years Resolutions.
(The holiday itself is actually one in which the event NEVER lives up to the hype, and it's still cold.... New Year's should take some pointers from the 4th of July on how to actually be an awesome holiday). I digress.

So seeing as last year I made three new years resolutions and accomplished 2.5 of them... I felt 3 was the right number for me.

Numero Uno: I plan to run a half marathon by June (I was going to aim for a full, but goals need to be realistic in order to be achievable).

Nombres Deux: I am going to magnify my calling to do my Visiting Teaching each month. Who knows, maybe I'll make some friends in the ward :)

C. Sorry, this is personal, and I choose not to disclose information that makes me sound ridiculous or may be embarassing (of course unless it's a really funny story, because there's nothing better than getting a laugh out of people).

Also, Omni peeps and alum (read: wannabe Omni peeps (read: Carla and Cary)) are in a fitness competition... sort of. It's really just who can look the best in a before and after picture competition (how you get there is your choice). I'm positive I'm gonna win ;) I discovered a special secret today... if Cary eats a brownie and then I kiss him, it's like all the flavor without any of the calories! WATCHOUT... I'm in it to win it!

Anyhow, feel free to check up on me from time to time. I plan to do the same to you. Happy goal making.

Leave memories for auctioneers

2011-01-04T11:35:00.004-07:00

Do I really need to say I've had writer's block?

It's been a great last two months. I am blessed to be employed! I now work for Verizon Wireless, and I don't know when we'll get the iphone. So, here I am working, and with that comes the balancing of work and life and figuring out how I used to be so productive. My old self constantly amazes my current self.

In a nutshell... I spent Thanksgiving to Christmas in Denver. I didn't get to see much of Denver, but I enjoyed the trip none the less. Christmas was spent mostly on the couch with Cary. It was lacking in traditions and the excellent food associated with Christmas, but don't despair... we had cheeseball, and that's good enough for us (we'll worry about traditions when we have kids to entertain).

Two of my favorite moments of the last two months include:

1. Playing Scattegories with the Tippets. First round we roll a C and we're on list one. We all write down what we can think of and it comes time to share our lists. Jeremy decides to go first. (First item on list 1 is a boys name)"Carlos". We all say good one, we didn't write that. Next "Charlie". We all pause. Then bust up laughing realizing that he wrote 12 boys names starting with C instead of an item for each number on the list. (It's not as funny in writing, but it was actually pretty hilarious, take my word for it).

2. While celebrating Aubrey M's birthday, Jason decided to play a simple birthday game. The birthday girl writes a number on a napkin, and we go around in a circle guessing numbers. After each guess she tells us higher or lower until someone has guessed the number. Then the person who guesses gets spanked with a broom.

Well Aubrey isn't mean enough to actually spank someone, so I suggested we just shoot them with an airsoft gun. So we did. It was hilarious. It's amazing how nervous you can get just guessing a number knowing you could potentially get shot from a 5 ft distance!

You may have just decided I'm immature and easily amused, but I dare you to play this game and not double over laughing.

Sooo...

let's just do a year in review.

1. Married Cary. It's great. We have way too much fun and when people tell me the first year of marriage is the hardest, I smile and think I can't wait for the rest of my life!

2. I lived in Europe. It still seems so surreal, and I'm glad I did it. It's especially fun watching movies and saying, "oh I've been there."

3. I bought couches! Goodbye BYU plaid, good riddance.

4. I saw Cirque du Soleil (I also saw broadway in London this year, but it was my first Cirque du Soleil and I 100% recommend it to everyone)

5. Quit Macaroni Grill. Twice technically. And although I'm in retail now and haven't made the leap out of lame work hours, it's definitely a jump.

With so many big changes there's also a few things I had to say goodbye to...

1. The end of rooming with Jo. I still miss living with Jo, and hate that I don't see her every day.

2. Omni peeps. People who hate single's wards, did not have the fortune of living at the Omni. I miss the ward, and although Cary and I still hang out with the same friends, we miss being in the thick of all the activities.

So here's to 2011! (I'd toast, but I've already drank 5 bottles of martinelli's). Here's to hoping my friends and family have a happy and healthy year and that they receive the blessings they desire. Here's to more crazy times with Cary. Here's to being better. 2010 was a fabulous year, and here's to an even better 2011!

If you only knew what the future holds

2010-11-13T11:59:00.003-07:00

I've decided to make an unconventional Thanksgiving dinner.

All the usual suspects... just in unusual formats.

Here's the menu i got so far:

Turkey subs with stuffing. Sweet Potato chips. Jello shots. Cranberry ice cream with pumpkin streusel on top.

Anyhow, Thanksgiving is two weeks away and I'm excited! But I'm most especially excited for Black Friday. I could use some new dvd's and at Wal-mart's 2 bucks each!!!

Oh and sorry to get so behind on my Attitude of Gratitude

Nov. 9, 2010
-Fun new quilt shop
-Interviews going well
-Key Lime Cupcake shake... amazingly delicious

Nov. 10, 2010
-Martha Stewart and her team that keeps up her website
-Cherry Lane Keepsakes in Provo... I think I could buy that whole store
-Healthy dinners

Nov. 11, 2010
-Sick days with Alaina, Jo, Dee, and Kaley
-Whitney making me laugh... hard
-No cavities

Nov. 12, 2010
-a comfortable bed
-2 new games to add to our collection
-Cary taking care of me

Nov. 13, 2010
-Omni Warriors (Cary's football team--lame name, I know, I made fun of it) being undefeated
-Cary ironing my shirt
-Caramel Apples

I feel the sun creeping up like tick tock

2010-11-08T15:12:00.001-07:00

Things I love:

1. Sammy's cupcake shakes. Mostly because i LOVE the sweet tooth fairy's cupcakes that go into the shake (yup, the whole cupcake!)

2. A good workout

3. Warm Apple Crisp

4. A clean house

5. My stool

6. The smell of a new book. Also, curling up with the new book on a rainy day

7. Meatball Sub Casserole. So fatty, so unhealthy... so delicious

8. Cary getting frustrated with me in the middle of the night for not understanding his dreams, and not being able to accurately explain his muddled thoughts.

9. Boots

10. Blankets

We don't believe in heating, just pile on the blankets :)

Attitude of Gratitude

November 5, 2010

-Job Interviews going well
-Hockey games
-Cary buying me the dessert I wanted

November 6, 2010
-Sabrina for making delicious cookies
-Adam and Melissa for a fun putt putt championship
-Lazy mornings

November 7, 2010
-Omni friends, all of them
-Jenn's scones and homemade blackberry jam
-Starting the week off better than last week

November 8, 2010
-Sarah for giving me a ride to work
-The rain
-Book Club

Just come on and come on and raise your glass

2010-11-04T12:11:00.004-06:00

It's that time again! November is upon us and
you can either accept or decline this challenge,
but it really isn't that difficult,
and the results are wonderful,
sooo I would advise you
to accept!
It is time for the Attitude of Gratitude Challenge!

For those of you who have not played before, the "CODE" is outlined below.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:

Each day during the month of November you will send an email to the people you want to include in your own challenge! You only have to send one list a day, so send it to as many people as you like! Each daily email will contain *3* "things" for which you are grateful. [Except for the week of Thanksgiving (November 19th to 25th). All entries this week must contain*5 "*things"].

Definition of "things"- the term "things" is used here to encompass a myriad of stuff including, but not limited to: a certain set of circumstances, an event, an inanimate object distinguished from a living being, possessions or effects, a deed or act, a product of work or activity, an idea or notion, a piece of news or information, a person, a memory, anything that makes you smile.

THE CODE:

- The challenge is to come up with 3 ORIGINAL "things" each day. Try
not to repeat entries.

- Your email should be sent by midnight each night. If you miss a day
or two, no biggie, but you have to make it up, no skipping! (Note:
For some of you, this may require accessing your email account on a more
regular basis).

- The challenging part of the challenge: One of your entries each day
must either be the name of a person who you spoke with that day about how
you appreciate them OR an experience involving a person who did something
for you ( i.e. held the door or the elevator for you) and you gave
them a "Super" thank you.

NOTE: A "Super" thank you is more than a simple " thanks" or
"thank you". Let's say, for example (hypothetically speaking,
of course), you ordered a "tricky" order with specific preferences at a
restaurant and the waitress gets it all right! Along with
leaving a nice tip, a "Super" thank you would include remarks to the
waitress along the lines of "thanks so much for getting that right".
"Super" thank you's involve more interaction between the giver
and receiver and are typically more sincere. I think you get
the idea.

Okay, the challenge starts November 1st, which was 3 days ago (whoops).
I will just be including my 3 items at the end of blog posts,
(because I secretly want more people to read my blog)
However you choose to participate... Good Luck!

WARNING OF POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS !!

Please note that challenge participation may result in any or all of the
following:

-you will be surprised at all the Lord has done for you

-angels will attend

-you will feel help and comfort

-(my personal favorite) you may find yourself singing as the days go by

-your doubts will fly

Have fun!

My Catch up:

November 1, 2010
-Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
-Jillian Michaels: for dispelling my own messages of lethargy
-Putt Putt golf championships

November 2, 2010
-Grey's Anatomy (for understanding all emotions)
-My 4 tables of customers for being so generous
-Beautiful days in November, where the air is crisp but the sun is warm

November 3, 2010
-Paul Staples at LDS Employment Services
-Getting to eat breakfast with Cary
-Scrabble: fun, distracting, discouraging, encouraging, Alzheimer's preventing

November 4, 2010
-Gchats with DeeAura that make me giggle
-New projects that make my soul smile, and stretch my imagination and skills (I'll tell you
soon)
-Calvin Klein ads

You know I know how, to make you stop and stare

2010-11-03T23:34:00.006-06:00

Happy November! Attitude of Gratitude post to come... in the meantime...

I don't know if you have heard, but
******drumroll please******

McDonald's has brought back the MCRIB!!!!

This cult phenomenon hasn't been sold nationwide since 1994, and will be at every McDonald's for the next 6 weeks.

Now, I hope you're wondering why I care? (no, of course I'm not a cult fan)
(in fact, I had never had a McRib when I read all about this)

Well, after reading this statement given by

Brian Goodman, 27, of Grand Forks, N.D., talking about his devotion to the sandwich: "I am a huge fan of the McRib, and I am glad to have it back," he said. "I just happen to find this really gross, deformed pork patty to be delicious." That pretty much says it all.

I was sold. Intrigue set in... could the perfect blend of gross be overcome by delicious?
(Well, if you've had a McGriddle... you can emphatically answer, YES)

So, Cary and I went on a midnight run to McDonald's to find out what all the fuss was about. We were a little disappointed by the line, but after getting our goods we drove to a park and partook of our "delicious, gross deformed pork patty."

CONCLUSION: McRib is not really worthy of the cult fan following or dedicated websites
(see McRib Locator)

However, midnight runs to McDonald's with your s.o.
= a fun date

(I guess all our ideas in high school weren't so bad)

I'm only one voice in a million

2010-10-28T13:28:00.003-06:00

Sometimes you see a movie trailer and you just know you're going to identify with that movie...

"Did you get a job yet?" "No, but I have feeler's out... lots"

Oh and the fact that I love Natasha Bedingfield's new song definitely sells me on this movie.

I want you to know, that it doesn't matter

2010-10-25T11:56:00.003-06:00

Sometimes I feel inadequate.

I don't dress in the cutest clothes. Trendy has never been an adjective preceding a description of me or my attire.

I am not the most knowledgeable gospel doctrine teacher. Scripture study is my biggest struggle when it comes to actively living the gospel. Can someone please explain Isaiah to me?

I can't seem to escape the deathly grip of the restaurant industry.

My face still breaks out, and I define ponytail and unkept bangs.

Yet, when I am feeling inadequate...

I remember

That, although my style has been compared to a 40 year old, Jackie O showed the world that classics are timeless

Church isn't ever really about what you know, it's about discovering that which you didn't know

I have had more success in my 3 years at a job not using my degree,
than I might have had using my degree.

Zits keep people from becoming intimidated by my good looks ;)
and at least I can grow all that unkept hair!

He did the mash, He did the monster Mash

2010-10-21T22:22:00.004-06:00

(Scene: Cary and I are eating some delicious lasagna for dinner)

Cary: Sooo tell me about your day

Carla: Oooh I went grocery shopping and got some sweet deals. I even got us two pumpkins! And guess how much they cost??

Cary: (like he already knows) 10 cents a pound

Carla: No! 5 cents a pound! They were only 50 cents each! That's like the best freakin' deal of my life!

Cary: Seriously? Best deal of your life? I mean if it were chocolate, maybe. I mean, it gets us what, an hour of entertainment, maybe! I could just sit in front of the tv for an hour... FOR FREE!

Carla: That's it! I'm taking back your pumpkin!

Said I'm so sick...

2010-10-21T12:13:00.004-06:00

Cary had a sick day yesterday.

I picked him up early from school, took him home and tucked him in with way too many blankets (we may own a ridiculous amount of blankets... nevermind, you can never have too many blankets).

Then we spent the afternoon ridiculing house hunters on HGTV, laughing at Prince of Persia (and why movies shouldn't be based on video games), and enjoying some comfort food with halloween pumpkin sugar cookies to round out the evening.

I wish every day could be a sick day... minus the sick part of course.

On my knees I think clearer

2010-10-18T14:09:00.004-06:00

Everyone seems to be very interested in my job situation... so allow me to fill you in.

As many of you know, I quit my job waiting tables in Germany (making absurd amounts for serving) to come home and win over Mr. Cary Tippets.

As you know, I accomplished my goal! And I decided to reward myself with a little time off from my typical 50-60 hour work weeks to plan a wedding.

Although, this was probably not the wisest decision... that is to leave only the daunting task of wedding planning on my plate without other distractions... it was enjoyable to have time to spend with Cary and friends, as well as ponder my next career move.

Well, the wedding came together, the honeymoon was bliss, and we came back to an empty apartment in provo the beginning of September.

Almost 6 weeks later... my apartment is not empty. I have two comfy couches, a sweet tv, a finished table, chairs that will get done some day, a kitchen that is all mine and decorations slowly going up on the walls. I also applied for countless jobs. I decided that the learning experiences as a server had been mostly exhausted, so it was time to set my hopes on other forms of employment.

Those other forms of employment weren't setting their sights on me, however. So after 3.5 weeks I decided to expand my search to include restaurant management. BOY, did the offers start pouring in. (At least I know where my strengths lie). I even got an offer pretty quickly for a well paying restaurant manager position. It seemed great, except as I was leaving the 7 hour orientation, I got that sinking feeling that can only be related to that feeling at the end of summer when you have to go back to high school. (I'm sorry if you loved high school, you are weird.)

Don't get me wrong, high school was a good experience for me. I played sports, participated in clubs, had lots of friends, and had great grades, but at the end of every summer a minor depression accompanied the wretched return of the cinder block prison. If you still don't understand me... go rent any movie with a teen in it.

Soooo, back to the details of my life, I decided to accept the offer stating I could start in a week (a.k.a. desperately hope for some other option to pop up in the next week).

AND it did! I got an offer as a physical therapy aide! I was so pumped. A job using my degree and something that might even give me insight to my education options down the road. I couldn't be more thrilled... til he told me the pay. Barely enough to cover the bills before taxes, and definitely not enough to glance past the ramen noodle aisle, I was deflated to say the least.

After weighing the pros and cons however, I decided new experience was the way to go. So I started the PT job and went back to the Mac Shack part time to make up the pay difference. Well, I didn't last very long. After a week and some crying because I never got to see Cary, I was spending 2 hours a day commuting, I felt unappreciated and overworked, the house hadn't been cleaned, the laundry hadn't been done and I was exhausted... not to mention I foresaw no time for friends in my near future, I quit.

The morning after I quit was glorious. I didn't have to rush out of bed at 5:30 to battle the traffic to work. I actually felt rested. I had time to make Cary lunch and kiss him goodbye. Despite praying before I quit, around 2 it sunk in that I'm the girl who quits a job in terrible economic times with no prospects in my future.

I'm silly, I know. I'm happy though, and that matters more to me. My family matters more. So (if you made it to the end of this post) please pray that I get a 2nd chance at finding a job, whether I deserve it or not. And if I can be so bold, let's pray that it pays enough to cover the bills and is closer to home :)

It's your birthday so I know

2010-10-16T15:09:00.005-06:00

Cary is a QUARTER of a CENTURY.

I know, he's getting old! But don't worry, we did our best to have a great start as he begins the descent into his balding years... oh wait, he's already bald.... well, who cares then! Bring on 25!!!

A few pics from the day...

It was a chocolate birthday--mugs worthy of cary's addiction!

A tee to declare his true love.

Carolina Hoodie from mom and dad! We're brainwashing him for basketball season... and maybe before grad school apps are due too ;)

A BYU snuggie to cuddle up at the drive in movie later.

Ahhh he got me with the birthday kisses.

Sexy can I, just pardon my manners

2010-10-05T08:27:00.004-06:00

So Cary and I are sitting at breakfast this morning (I made homemade Egg English Muffin Sandwiches... yummm... little pepperjack cheese, little tomato, so delicious... i digress), and he starts to quiz me in preperation for my job interview this morning.

Cary: Why should I hire you (indignantly)?

Carla: Because I want the job.

Cary: Everyone wants the job, the economy sucks.

Carla: No, I want "this job." Besides the interviewer isn't going to ask me everything with disdain and disgust.

Cary: You have to make me want you!

Carla: Oh, you want me ;)

Cary: sexual innuendos are not going to get you a job! I would refrain from using them in your job interview.

Carla: Thank you obi won...

Who cares if you disagree?

2010-09-30T13:03:00.003-06:00

I've started a lot of posts, but they're lacking any creative/humorous flair. So here's my response to being tagged on Marisha's blog...

1. Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate?
Dark for sure, european style

2. What's your favorite color?
Clear. No probably blue... I'm predictable like that, but there's seriously very few blues that aren't pretty.

3. Do you have any creative hobbies?
I love doing creative projects. Sewing, making up recipes, decorating, crafts, etc. But I wouldn't say I do any of them enough to call them hobbies.

4. What was your favorite subject in school?
I loved wood working. I also loved AP Psychology... mostly because of my teacher. In college I enjoyed floral design and my film classes.

5. What is your favorite season and why?
Summer. I love how everyone comes out to play in the summer. I love the fresh fruits and veggies, and barbequing. I love the late nights, and that the sun stays out forever. I love the beach, the pool, camping and bike rides. I love how school ends, or even if it doesn't, everyone acts like they're not really in school. I love the clothes (hello rainbows!). I love the excuse to take vacations. I love the green lawns, the fresh flowers, and that everything just feels alive. I love the concerts and free events in parks.

I do however, hate mosquitos... the one terrible side effect of summer.

6. Who inspires you to sing like crazy when no one is around?
If we're talking about an actual person in my life... probably Jo.

If we're talking about an artist.... probably Celine Dion, or Mariah Carey... I mean their lyrics are ridiculous and of course I can't hit those notes, yet try I will!

7. What's your favorite dessert? Can you make it?
Apple Crisp or Key lime anything. Yes. Can some people make it better? Yes.

8. How did you learn to cook?
I believe it started with lemon bars when I was 7 years old. I mixed up the baking soda and baking powder. One explosion later, I was convinced cooking was fun and my mom decided unsupervised cooking wasn't so fun.

So, now I'm supposed to tag 8 other people... no pressure... I just don't want the chain blog demons coming after me ;) So how about Heather, Emily, Dee, Aubrey, Shelli, Becca, Mary, Liz, and Jessamyn

How did you know I needed you so badly

2010-09-22T13:00:00.006-06:00

My husband has a serious chocolate addiction.

I thought I was supposed to be the one with the chocolate addiction?

While I have been lost in dreams of those savory and decadent melt in your mouth belgian truffles that I once enjoyed and still long for...

Cary's addiction is becoming $1 a day addiction.

(Ok, this isn't really a picture of Cary... but it could be)

Ok, ok $1/day chocolate addiction doesn't quite translate like a pack a day. So let me illustrate...

$1/day= 3 fudge brownies= 8 chocolate chip cookies= 2 candy bars= 1/2 bag of chocolate chips

You don't see why this is a problem? His munchies hit late at night which means I don't notice the chocolate chip supply dwindling! Soon I will go to make his favorite cookies and they will be nothing but butter and sugar *gasp* (actually I love sugar cookies), but then where will my husband go to feed his insatiable need???

!!!GASP!!! I will not be beat by you!

And your wretched waxy excuse for a dessert... Commence the secret stash of chocolate.

I'm thinkin bout us Where we gonna be

2010-09-15T21:47:00.003-06:00

Sometimes the things said at dinner make me laugh.

A recent dinner prayer given by Cary: "Please help Carla to find a good job she'll like so she can support us... because we both know I don't make very much money."

Also, I admittedly like gossip (nobody's perfect, ok). Cary sometimes tries to inform me of gossip I do not already know, and is always suprised when it is old news. So tonight's dinner convo...

Carla: "So I wanna watch this video"
Cary: "Ooh, I heard that so and so said this and that in it."
Carla: (not even looking up) "You mean you read that on facebook."
Cary: (disappointed) "Oh... yeah"

ha ha ha

Somebody's knocking at your door

2010-09-14T19:29:00.001-06:00

When I've had a bad day, Cary tries to make it better by holding me and singing "negro spiritual's."

Ha.

What more can He say

2010-09-13T09:09:00.002-06:00

Thoughts 1.0 (idea stolen from mary)

1. As much as I do not love Provo, I occasionally have to count the blessings of living here. Today's example being a regional conference where I was privileged to hear the counsel of Julie Beck, General RS President, and two apostles of the Lord, President Packer and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.

2. Sometimes (read: a lot lately, since I have no major distractions, occupations, projects in my life) I observe friends lives and get a little down on myself.

I surround myself with extremely talented, good-looking people (obviously, because friends rub off on us, so I for sure want the good rubbings). My friends include individuals who have sung with the mormon tabernacle choir, play collegiate sports, raise beautiful well behaved children, compete in marathons/triathlons, get masters degrees, buy houses, win beauty pageants, travel the world, play every instrument, and get prestigious internships.

At church you often hear people recall that someone spoke on just the thing they needed to hear that week. I was fortunate to have this same experience yesterday. Sister Beck got up to speak and announced that she hadn't written a talk. She had instead just had different impressions of what to say. She then said "I feel that I need to tell you, you're doing better than you think you are."

I couldn't help but feel like she was saying that to me. I'm not one to say woe is me, because I'm acutely aware of the over abundance of blessings in my life. Especially, as of late, I often think to myself that I got it 100% right in the husband department, so everything else is just details.

Yet, I am often extremely critical of my own situation, and it was reassuring to have a servant of the Lord tell me that I'm doing alright. Ha, followed by "but, you can do better."

What a loving heavenly father, that he gives you a hug and tells you it's ok, but then gently shoves you to go out there and be the best you can be.

3. On the same note, a good friend shared this video with me

4. So... here I go. I have a long ambitious to-do list for today, and I'm applying to a job that would be a good place for me to start. Wish me luck!

Ooooh child, things are gonna get easier

2010-09-10T09:29:00.004-06:00

Day 10 Update:

I'm still sick, BUT better because my voice is coming back and I can generally do normal tasks, and I'm not going to bed at 9 pm anymore.

However, my cough is still pretty horendous, it is brutally painful to yawn (gosh dangit, just writing the word yawn makes me yawn) and this just in.... several friends have strep throat.

Ugh. I guess this means I'm caving and going to the doctor to make sure that I don't end up with the long list of horrible diseases resulting from untreated strep throat (i.e. coronary heart disease, rheumatic fever, kidney failure, ear infections, sinusitis, mastoiditis, peritonsillar abscess- yeah, that's pus build up near the tonsils-sick!-and not in the you're ill meaning, in the that's about as disgusting a side effect i can think of kind of meaning)

Anyhow, at least this made me laugh, i'm glad other people appreciate the doc as much as me.

Hot and Fresh out the kitchen

2010-09-09T09:55:00.003-06:00

Cereal (Life, Quaker Oatmeal Squares, Cap'N Crunch) is on sale for $.98!!! I was so excited I bought ten boxes. Now I'll try to contain myself so it doesn't turn into the cereal sale of 2008, but I've waited almost 2 years for cereal to go this cheap again...

Who's got your money, money

2010-09-06T11:38:00.002-06:00

In the event of Carla and Cary's untimely demise:

(A little background: we have been miserably sick for the last 6 days. Due to lack of proper health insurance we have resorted to the ever so helpful webmd to diagnose us. It has been determined that we are either suffering from West Nile viruse, bronchitis, or the common cold. In case, we are not just a bunch of babies who can't handle a sniffle, and the wretched mosquito's have infected us with their deadly disease... i decided it would put my mind at ease to draft a "not technically" legal will.)

So, we have decided that our belongings will be dispersed as so:

-Samsung 32" LCD TV- Carla's Parents
-Incredible comfy tan couches- Also carla's parents
-Cary's computer- Eldest nephew, Emerson
-Ice Cream Maker- Joanna Johnson, best friend and roommate
-Ipod touch- Kim, cause she'll know what to do with my sweet jams
-My one and only Knife- Art, he appreciates good knives
-My car- Dad, I know how much he loves the alarm
-Rice Cooker- Emily, because her not having a rice cooker is like the rest of the world not having a microwave
-Heather and Tim- My gnomes... I trust they will take care of them.
-Our sweet grill- Jeremy, he has a balcony
-Bookshelf and books- Jamie, because an english major can never have too many books, but can have too many books to stack in corners thus needing a bookshelf

To all my devoted blog readers, I don't really have much, but you are welcome to put in dibs for whatever you like. For Cary's family (i didn't forget them... they just already have nice tv's and such), we would like to disperse our monies among the nieces and nephews evenly. Unless, in the likely event that it is hardly worth going to the bank to split up the sum, we allow the parents to just take the children out for extremely large ice cream sundaes.

Saturday I'm running wild, and all the lights are changing red to green

2010-09-02T13:33:00.010-06:00

*Disclaimer: I know this is a boring and long post, that's what happens when you have jam packed weeks without time to blog*

***While meagerly proofreading this blog, I realized how truly boring (sad, but I'm not about to rewrite it) it is. Feel free to skim through just for pictures***

Ok, I'm gonna start with the wedding. This is mostly for my memory sake (cause i know i won't write it all out in my journal).

THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2010 (WEDDING DAY)

I, of course had every intention of waking up getting ready, making sure the last of my crap was moved out of my apartment, packing for the honeymoon and heading off to the festivities... but what do you expect when you leave that much to do? Of course, I didn't get it done. So feeling a little frazzled, I asked Cary to come and give me a priesthood blessing. Yeah, yeah, you're not supposed to see the bride, who cares. It was a great experience for both of us, and I'd recommend it to anyone on your wedding day. It's extremely calming to be reassured of your choices hours before permanently changing your life.

Anyhow, I then realized I had no hot water, so I had to scramble to take a shower at my old apartment, took a little too long on my make up and made it to the park kind of late. Both families stepped in and started setting up the park for the reception and I just let them do their thing. Cary's mom ordered Kneaders for a brunch before the wedding, but I had to go get myself beautified (because I lack skills to do it myself)... so no breakfast for Carla... sad :(

While I was getting my hair done, Cary went shopping for his last minute items (read: belt, etc). Hair also took a little longer than expected... but I got to the temple on time! It started to rain, right as we walked in, and then proceeeded to downpour while we were in the temple.

While you are in the temple waiting for the guests to file in, they leave the couple alone for about 10-15 minutes (perhaps for one last chance to bail?) Anyhow, it was fun to just sit and talk to Cary and tease him one last time about the consequences if he backed out on me. We watched the rain come down in buckets and I was tempted to sing Alanis Morrisette extremely loudly (I think Heavenly Father has a sense of humor). I didn't sing though (too many old people standing around judging you). We then went into the sealing room, and the sealer proceeded to give a 45 min schpeel (it may have been shorter but I'm pretty sure it was about that long.) Cary started to get really nervous (read: sweaty palms), but I was totally fine. The sealer talked about going to the temple, going to church, not putting off children, he quizzed us on temple stuff (which bugged Cary-but I answered and even corrected him when he was wrong).

When it finally came time to be sealed I looked at Cary and started crying.... how pathetic. And I don't mean cute little glistening tears in the corner of your eyes, I mean sobbing. I had to reassure everyone that they were happy tears.

Well, we said yes and then we were married.

The rain cleared up just as we were walking out and the weather turned out perfectly for pictures. It was cool enough for Cary to wear his suit in the middle of August, so I was pretty stoked. I was also extremely happy with how the wedding attire turned out! Families were in khaki and white with blue accents and the bridesmaids outfits turned out really cute. My flowers were pretty, minus no one told me hydragenas die remarkably fast (Note to self: For future events requiring flowers... DON'T PICK BLUE!)

The sisters

Art was being helpful, from cooking to videotaping

I haven't seen the professional photos yet, but hopefully they turned out well. I didn't get every shot I wanted, but the families (especially nephews) got really impatient, so I let it go.

Hugs with Jo

We discovered taking pictures is hard for boys, and natural for girls.

I inherited a niece and a lot of nephews!

The in-laws.

Then Cary and I stopped by Walmart for a couple items for the reception, before heading to Sammy's for a cupcake shake (I was ravenous at this point. Try I was hungry when I got to the temple-3 hours later and I'm really hungry). So we walk in, dress and suit, and proceed to wait 10 minutes to be acknowledged! At which point I don't really have another ten minutes to wait to be served. I still had to pack for the honeymoon (ha, didn't happen) and pick up serving dishes at Macaroni Grill.

The beginning of the reception was a bit frustrating. Probably because I didn't have everything planned as well as I should have. I had hoped to be more organized, but between the moving and family coming in, some things didn't get done. I also tried to put Emily in charge, and she did a great job, but coming into the picture 2 days before the wedding makes it hard to direct everyone.

Despite, a little bit of a rough start... it all came together. I loved the park. The decorations turned out well. It was a bit windy, so I couldn't open all the doors. The food came together. We had lots of friends and family come and stay for a while. It was a lot of fun. It was a very non-traditional wedding. Cary and I mostly just walked around and mingled (no line), we didn't get much time to eat (which probably didn't help my mood, sorry to those I snapped at) and that was all. We didn't end up having a cake or cutting the chocolate dipped key lime pie, or really any other wedding traditions, which made me a little bit sad because it would have helped give the party a little bit more structure, but overall for being the bride and wedding planner I'm happy with how it turned out (read: I'm really just happy it's over).

People kept giving us a hardtime for our innocent kisses, so I went for a good one ;)

The honeymoon was a blast! We ate, and ate, and ate some more. We left for Vegas friday morning (after going to our apartment so I could pack :). Now, let me quickly explain why we decided to drive to vegas:

Me, after eating lots

a) I hate flying (I'm not afraid of flying, I just find the restrictions, cramped quarters, and waiting extremely tedious)(interesting tidbit: mark wahlberg hates flying as well... he only flies if it will be more than a day long road trip)

2) Driving allows one to come and go as they please, stop where they want, have conversations without being overheard, eat food at non-exorbitant prices, adjust temperature and music, etc. etc.

Finally, I've always wanted to see a show in Vegas. When I told Cary this, mocking and teasing commenced, but I'm not talking about an infamous "vegas" show... I'm talking about Cirque du Soleil. I've never been and have always wanted to see Cirque du Soleil. So Cary planned the honeymoon and booked a show but wouldn't tell me which show.

As we are driving into Vegas, he asks if I want to know which show we are going to.... not being a patient person (particularly when it comes to wanting to know a secret) I say yes, and he tells me we are going to X-travaganza!

Ha ha ha, obviously I know this is a fake show, but it would have been pretty fun had it been a real show and Cary didn't know and I could have been embarassed for him. Anyhow, we ended up seeing "O" by Cirque du Soleil. It's a water show, and the stage is a pool that continually moves making the stage anywhere from flat to just a wading pool to 20 feet deep. The show was visually stunning. There was so much to watch, it was hard to pick what you focused on. It was seriously one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. I was blown away by the theatrics, acrobatics, and general athleticism. Seeing the show totally made the drive worth it and I highly recommend it! Reward yourself with a Cirque du Soleil and I swear you won't regret it.

In Vegas, we also watched a couple of the fountain shows in front of the Bellagio, ate some great food, and of course played some of the slot machines. We won 50 cent, but got so bored we decided to call it quits. I'm glad I don't have to worry about Cary gambling away our future one day!

We continued on to sunny San Diego saturday. We stayed at the Bristol hotel. It was awesome. They upgraded us to a Suite (very nice of them), and it was a perfect location (right on 1st and C street, between the trolley and buses and 3 blocks from all the downtown happenings).

We ate at Asti, a cute little Italian restaurant where we sat on the patio enjoying our mango mahi mahi and rigatoni with filet mignon (I don't remember the exact name). Both were mouth-wateringly delicious.

Sunday, we decided to tackle the zoo. We actually ran into another couple from Utah on their honeymoon. They told us how they tried to get to church and were headed to see the mormon sites in San Diego (Cary and I didn't even know there are mormon sites in S.D.), anyhow, they were cool I suppose, but I decided I probably wouldn't be friends with them and I'm extremely judgemental.

Anyhow, we grabbed breakfast at Cafe 222. It was on Food Network's "Best thing I ever ate." So of course I got the best thing, which was Banana and Peanut Butter stuffed French toast, and let me tell you it was pretty close to one of the best things I've ever eaten. (Chicago's Bongo Room still stands supreme) But this breakfast definitely satisfied the taste buds. Just walking into the restaurant was a joyride for the senses. Cary got the mexican omelet, which was also worthy of a second visit. Anyhow, enough about food (for now).

The zoo was sweet. It's HUGE. Cary was so excited about every animal exhibit. I, on the other hand, hate most animals (read: I can skip right over fish and birds for sure) and mostly enjoy the lions, tigers, and bears, or pretty much if it comes out of Africa it's cool.

Cary breaking the rules and eating on the sky tram.

This is how he measures up to a polar bear.

Cool masks, eh?

Watch out for the lions! Sick.

He made me try on a hat.

Well we got hungry so we headed back to the hotel and then to Pizzeria Luigi (a place Cary found on Diners, Drive In's and Dives). It was a dive, but the pizza was a perfect blend of flavors and the crust was thin, but satisfying and just the perfect cross between crisp and soft.

It was sunday, (bus only comes every half hour), so we walked back, and got some sweet views of the city.

Monday: I figured SeaWorld would be less crowded, so we headed there. We got on the wrong bus, and had to cross a california highway, and forgot our towels, and other mishaps, but DON'T WORRY... we made it. For all of you who have never made it to SeaWorld... I'm sorry for you. It's a lot of fun, and yes Shamu is as cool as every 4 year old makes him out to be. Although, the shows have gotten a lot cheesier and everything is a little more geared towards children (I'm told this was because of the animals attacking trainers a year or two back). Cary's favorite part was riding the roller coaster with me. I, admittedly, am a total wimp when it comes to roller coasters. I'll ride them, but I get too scared to lift my hands in the air, and I have a look of sheer terror followed by closed eyes and panic at the top of every major drop.

Still having fun :)

Shamu!

Dolphins!

We decided to go for a burger monday, and headed to Crazee Burger, where we ate ostrich and kangaroo burgers. Mmmm they were melt in your mouth delicious. The meats were so tender and juicy. The ostrich was more fall apart tender, the kangaroo was slightly more game-y but had a rich flavor that was more distinct. So good.

Mmmmm.

Tuesday we headed off to Wild Animal Park (or San Diego Safari Park). I'm glad we saved this for tuesday, because apparently they feed the lions a whole leg on tuesdays! This park was freakin' awesome! If it hadn't been 110 degrees, it would have been one of my favorite destinations. The lion ate the leg right in front of me (which terrified me at first, but was actually pretty cool), the giraffes mingled with the buffalo, the baby rhino was adorable, oh and the elephants were really cool! You ride a tram around the park so you can see the animals up close and it felt like jurassic park... minus the raptors.

On the wild animal carousel.

Right before the lion lunged for the leg of meat.

I forget her name, but she just had a baby

I think I'll be a turtle in the next life.

If you're headed to S.D. in the next year, you should definitely hit up the Wild Animal Park-they're going to start racing the cheetahs in a year!

The elephants were a lot of fun to watch.

One view from the safari ride.

It was so blazing hot after two or three hours we headed to the beach. Coronado Island was raved about, so that's where we went. It was pretty nice for a California beach (I'm an NC snob, our beaches are hard to beat). Cary was hilarious. He's such a beach newbie. He was so excited to get in (even though it was still bitterly cold) and then he would have stayed all night building sandcastles and animal sculptures, but I promised we'd rent a beach house next summer in NC and he'd get the full experience.

Cary playing in the sand.

Cary giving me dirty looks for taking pictures of him in his swimsuit.

Anyhow, we headed home on Wednesday, flew out to Colorado on Thursday, had our open house on Friday (it turned out beautifully... much less stressful than the reception), and hung out with family all weekend. Monday we wrapped up the trip with a Ray LaMontagne and David Gray concert (two of Cary's favorites).

Posing for Mama T.

I made sure to get one of the little eclairs at the open house... still chewing.

Now, it's back to the grind. Cary's in school. I miss hanging out with him all day, but I'm getting organized and hopefully I will land a job soon!

All the lights are changing green to red

2010-09-01T08:27:00.006-06:00

SAN DIEGO: The land of much desert and not so much dessert...

Cary and I just got back from all our travels, and now I have a trashed apartment, no food, and no job (aka a lot to tackle). So what do I do... update you on my honeymoon of course!

First let me address the major letdown that was San Diego's dessert scene.

-Our first night in S.D. we ate at a delicious Italian restaurant recommended by the hotel. The food was ridiculously expensive, but we didn't care since it was equally fantastic. That is, until we get our dessert. Rather full I decided to just have a chocolate gelato. So it comes out and it's 1.5 scoops (read: tiny) and then when we get the bill it was $10!!! Seriously! You have got to be kidding me (read: ruined experience)

-Ghirardelli: This is usually a bankable dessert stop in the few major cities forunate enough to claim it's presence, but our sundae was subpar (probably because we were breaking the sabbath and eating out on sunday)

-Extraordinary desserts: Let me just say with a name like this, expectations are high. Carla's review: more a feast for the eyes than the mouth. There were a lot of cakes, fancy european desserts, homemade ice cream, and nasty cookies. We had two pieces of cake, and while it was good, for $10 a slice you expect it to be mouth watering, something different, something worth returning to S.D. for, yet it mostly reminded me of my favorite Cheesecake Factory desserts and left me wishing we could have gone to The Cheesecake Factory.

-Heavenly Cupcake: Seriously! It was featured on GMA and left soooo much to be desired. Their cupcakes are dry and unimaginative. For a truly fulfilling cupcake hit up Provo's own The sweet tooth fairy, they are the most amazing cupcakes to ever grace my tastebuds!

Ok, but honestly, the honeymoon was a blast. Such a fun vacation... and I'll post all about it after I clean the house some :)

It's like rain on your wedding day

2010-08-24T08:39:00.003-06:00

Another fitting title "It's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap..."

I got married on thursday! And yes it rained, or poured... or you could say a mini hurricane (a gift from my blessed home state of North Carolina perhaps). But it quit raining just in time to come out and take pictures. It was probably a perfect 70 degrees with a slight breeze, so I hope the pictures turned out well.

Anyhow, we're on our honeymoon in San Diego (yes, go ahead and judge me for blogging while on my honeymoon... but cary is sound asleep and I'm wide awake, soooo.... might as well write for a minute). The honeymoon has been so much fun! We went and saw Cirque du soleil's "O." IT WAS INCREDIBLE. I mean breath-taking, awe-inspiring, astounding, visually overwhelming, and everything else. We've also packed in the zoo, some slots in vegas (don't worry we both got too bored too finish out our dollar each and pretty much walked away), seaworld , wild animal park, and the beach. Pics to come.

It still doesn't feel like I'm married, just on a well deserved vacation.... Maybe it'll hit when we get home. Cary's friends all say it's day 5 when you get annoyed with eachother. Well, day 6 and we're still laughing pretty hard... I guess we'll just take this all one day at a time.

Funny quotes so far:
Vegas guy on the street: "Do you cry yourself to sleep at night because your facebook photo sucks??? Come take a picture with my snake."

Cary is all up in Carla's face, so she responds: (with a lot of attitude) "It's a king size bed dude! You don't have to be right next to me."

Ok, now I can't seem to remember the rest... we've had a couple really hard laughs, but pics to come :)

Ooh darling cause you'll always be my baby

2010-08-12T12:03:00.000-06:00

Cary and I continue to handle the stress of wedding planning quite effectively with arguments about future pet ownership now escalating to arguments over posterity :)

Allow me to illustrate...

Cary: I read a study online that said that girls who do not grow up with a pet dog are going to be promiscious.

Carla: That's retarded. I didn't have a dog, and I'm not promiscious.

Cary: You're a rare exception. Do you really want to risk our daughters being promiscious?

Carla: Yes, actually, I would love it if our daughters were promiscious!

Cary: That's it, we're not having children!

Carla: Fine, we're still not getting a dog.

(while eating burritos for lunch)

Cary: (burrito juice is dripping down his arms) I wish you had paper towels. You environmentalists are messy people without paper towels.

Carla: Actually, you could argue we're cleaner, because you just had to wash your hands and then dry them off as opposed to just rubbing bacteria around on a dry paper towel, maybe if you could wrap your burrito right you wouldn't be so messy.

Cary: I wrap my burrito right! I just had too much stuff in there.

Carla: No, see you're supposed to wrap it like a baby--all tight like so.

Cary: I will not allow you to wrap our babies! I don't want you wrapping them to give away as presents or to sell, or to smoke or any other kind of wrapping.

Carla: Oh yeah, my babies are gonna be cute, maybe I will wrap them and sell them on the black market.

Cary: They'll call you the Black Market Mama... BMMmmmmm. I won't allow it. We're not having children.

Carla: Whatever, I do most the work... I'll decide what to do with my kids.

Cary: Good luck having kids on your own BMMmmmmmm.

I want a simple explanation for what I'm feeling inside

2010-08-11T10:39:00.000-06:00

I underestimated the stress of planning a wedding.

As far as planning a wedding goes, nothing goes as planned. And, although these things aren't a big deal, when compounded with the all the emotions you're feeling... they tend to result in meltdowns of various degrees.

So for memories sake (and perhaps to either allow you to reminisce the events leading up to your big day, or mentally prepare for your future big day), here's some of my more exciting meltdowns.

1. Dress Shopping- Allow me to explain that although I am a size 2, this does not necessarily make for happy dress hunting. The average wedding dress shop stocks dresses for girls who are a size 6 and about 6 feet tall (not really, but obviously this allows enough fabric in case they are, and hemming is only a minor fee ;) if they aren't). I went to about 8 bridal stores before my breakdown over the fact that every dress made me look like a hobbit just waiting for the foot hair to grow in! So before you decide to hate on the little girl... check her feet, she might have to go schedule a waxing appointment before anyone will take her engagement seriously.

2. Ties- Cary has a large family, with lots of boys. This means we need about 24 ties for our wedding. At the typical $10-$15 a tie, this makes for quite a chunk out of the wedding budget! Well, determined to make ends meet... I search high and low to find a NY wholesale tie retailer and order some ties! For only $3 each! (Sorry they're a little on the short side, dad). Fantastic, right? Well, if they hadn't come in the WRONG color. So far all the wedding merchandise was carolina blue (if you don't automatically have a visual of this color, I'm not sure about the status of our friendship). The ties are in a cobalt/pool/wannabe turquoise blue. After a week of fretting and being less than pleasant, I decide that I can't find ties anywhere else (oh and the company's return policy is not actually a return policy) and I now reel to rearrange everything around this color.

3. His ring- Cary and I were at a bridal fair looking at rings when he finds one he likes. It costs around $200. Cary decides that the price is ridiculous and they sell men's rings for $50 online, so we should just order one. Sounds good to me. So we get him sized, go online and find almost the exact ring and order it. Well, the ring has come and.... it doesn't fit. Sucks to size it, but I figure at least it wasn't too expensive. Until, I'm told you can't size a titanium ring... (I probably should have known this before hand, but sadly, I did not). So now, with the wedding a week away, I have a ring that is too big for my fiance's finger and a return policy that will take two weeks to get me a new ring.

4. Money- Not only is planning a wedding stressful because our society has countless shows demonstrating the amazing things you can do with $250,000, and you don't have that, but it's a bit emotionally/financially stressful to write out $600 checks on a regular basis. Trying to make your imagination fit within your budget is difficult and extremely time consuming. It takes lots of searching online, shopping, coupon clipping and then I've resorted to crafting (which would probably be fun if I wasn't making 15 of the same thing). To illustrate the stress, let me share one of my scarier moments (and yeah, Cary still wants to marry me ;)

After a long saturday of wedding stuff, we headed home. I'm tired and just feeling overwhelmed, so Cary suggests we stop at 7-Eleven and get a mountain dew for me. I state that I don't want to spend the money and I'll just go home and drink water cause it's free. He insists on getting me a soda... it's only $1.50! Finally, annoyed I pull in and say you can go get yourself a drink, but I don't want one. So he goes in and after 5 minutes comes out with a soda and a chocolate milk. When he gets in the car, I say "I didn't want a soda." He says, good cause I'm gonna drink it. I respond, "Since when do you drink Mt. dew... you're a Dr. Pepper guy." "Since now" he says. Then not even trying to hide my annoyance I ask how much did you pay for that? He says $1.60 (and it's a 20 oz. bottle). And then I just lose it. Seriously! "Cary, the fountain drinks are only a dollar, you get twice the amount of soda, and it tastes better!" Probably realizing that I'm right, he says "well, it's not for you anyhow." He opens the soda, takes a swig and then makes a face, followed by "This really isn't good." Me: "Duh, you got a diet." Cary: "Seriously! Aghhh. That's it, I'm throwing it away." Me: "You're not throwing it away, you just wasted $1.60... I'll drink it."

Ha ha, I'm ridiculous... but at least, so are our arguments. It makes it so much easier to laugh and move on 5 minutes later. Hmmm, and now I want a Mt. Dew...

The itsy bitsy spider... wait, wait, wait hold up

2010-08-10T10:03:00.003-06:00

Itsy bitsy my foot!

(I'm going to refrain from posting pictures on this post, due to the nasty related picture two posts ago)

Let me tell you a story.

So, my room has a spider infestation. Let me explain how I came to this knowledge.

Shortly after moving back from Germany, I was reading my scriptures when a spider fell from seemingly out of nowhere to land on my scriptures and cause a mild heart attack (oh yeah, I have arachnophobia (which is also interesting that "no phobia" is in the name arachnophobia... i digress)). Anyhow, after jumping clear to the ceiling and running out of my room screaming, my life saver (Jo) comes to the rescue and kills the spider.

Well, of course I couldn't just hop right back into bed... thus a horrible night's sleep ensues on my wretched BYU issued plaid couches.

After having had a full day to recover from my trauma, I determine that I can indeed sleep in my bed and proceed to read my scriptures before going to bed, when..... imagine the jaws sound right now.... another spider falls onto my scriptures! Now, having my doubts about scripture study, I call Cary, and being the perfect match for me that he is, he comes and takes everything out of my room, pulls apart my bed and vacuums up about 6 more spiders.

Eew.

So, I wish that was the end of my story, but no...

Now, about every two weeks or so I have a dream about a spider, only to wake up and make Cary search my room again to find more spiders.

Of course, last night after Cary had gone to bed... my creepy crawly tormenters came out to play. So what do I do?

What any sane person would do! Break into cary's apartment and sleep on his cuddlebag as far away from the spiders as I can get! Sorry to break your honor code housing rules BYU, how about you get managament to spray for spiders?!?!?

Your very tired friend,
Carla

**Thank goodness I'm moving in a week**

Summer days driftin' away, to uh-oh those summer nights

2010-08-07T08:15:00.001-06:00

So, a few of you (if that) may have noticed my sharp decline in blogging over the last two months. Since I don't do much other than plan my wedding (which you should come to), I have major writer's block.

However, it's not like my life is a total yawn... so here's a couple of the fun things I've been up to...

-Mona Rope Swings: this has been on my bucket list for at least two summers, and it was a lot of fun! it's just a lake about 30 mins away with rope swings tied to tall trees.

-World's Largest Water balloon fight! So much fun!

-Scrabble sundays. My new hobby is playing the computer at scrabble to unwind. It's a little sad, but I love it. My high score is 360 pts. Beat that!

-Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me.... kids movies are seriously awesome this summer.

-Taste of the Valley. For only ten bucks, 24 provo restaurants set up booths and let you come sample some the food they offer and give you coupons. It was delicious and ridiculously filling, I think it was about 3 hours before I could move again.

-30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels. I work out a lot to relieve stress, feel somewhat productive, and to help Cary train for his triathlon. Now I'm doing THE DIRTY DASH, so I seriously gotta be in shape. It's my favorite workout dvd, and it's only $10. Check it out.

-Speaking of THE DIRTY DASH, here's the map. So that's my upcoming excitement! It's gonna be awesome. If you live in Utah, you should most definitely sign up and participate.

Cause I'm dreaming of you tonight

2010-08-06T10:01:00.004-06:00

I had horrible dreams last night...

I wish I could blame it on my dinner, but no, I made some delicious pork fajitas (I'm so domestic, seriously ;)

Anyhow, dream numero uno (this is just a quick recap): I'm talking to my sister Emily about her new diet. Emily has had several different food allergies for the past 5 or 6 years including gluten, chocolate, milk, soy, and then recently was struggling with sugar in the diet. Needless to say, this limits ones options for nutritional consumption... so, she consulted with a holistic doctor, who suggested it might be a parasite. Well, in my dream she said that she found out it wasn't a parasite causing her digestive discomfort-that is was a SPIDER!

On comes the nightmare... ugh, how did a spider get in her, and keep living, and cause all these issues for 6 years. So aside from being truly freaked out, I also felt my fear of spiders had been validated (smirk to all of you who make fun of me for being scared of spiders).

Dream 2: I dreamt that I was so busy still trying to pull everything together and get my hair done on my wedding day that I pretty much missed my wedding. I was a little over an hour late, and Cary had left and the temple peeps said I lost my time slot and there was nothing they could do for me. Cary was upset with me for standing him up and wouldn't return my phone calls. So there I am just crying and crying, because I do want to marry Cary (I just also wanted my hair to look good)... and after a while then I'm bawling because what a colossal waste of time and money putting the wedding and honeymoon together all for nothing.

My dad's advice in the dream. Move on and go back to school, ha, he's so practical, even in my dreams.

However, I, of course, was trying to remedy the situation and thought, well I can hurry and call provo temple, they'll have an open slot for a sealing, and then when the provo temple was completely booked I knew it was a dream.

I mean, who gets married in the Provo temple? (I don't think anyone who reads this blog has been married in the Provo temple, but if you were... don't take that personally)

So, here is the beautiful temple that I need to be at by noon on Thursday, August 19th. Help me out and shoot me a text to make sure I don't miss my big day!

Ice Ice Baby

2010-08-04T18:46:00.003-06:00

Imagine you're engaged to a guy who, everytime you're ready to go, says "would you stop... ... collaborate and listen, ice is back with a brand new edition..."

Yeah, you wish you had my life. I know.

Daisy dukes, bikinis on top

2010-07-06T11:09:00.005-06:00

So, this is what I do with my time lately...

Yup, I operate heavy machinery!

My roommates and I discovered we all have the same swimsuit... so of course we pulled the bottoms over our jeans and modeled. Who wouldn't do that?

We're hot.

Pictures of Me, Pictures of You

2010-06-22T10:06:00.006-06:00

Cary and I are doing engagement pictures today... let's just hope they turn out better than these ones.

Cary experiences pain when posing with me :/

We're happy, but not that happy.

Nice nostril and double chin shot.

No, we are sober.

He loves getting his tongue in every shot.

Put down the phone!

Don't worry, we won't have any kissing shots.

So hot we'll melt your popsicle

2010-06-17T13:27:00.005-06:00

LISTEN UP all you provo dwellers....

Ok, this post isn't about popsicles... it's about something better

If you are looking for a little something something delicious and summery, just scoot right over to the BYU creamery and try the

S'more Sundae

YUM! Graham Canyon ice cream with hot fudge, marshmallow creme,

whipped cream and mini chocolate chip sprinkles.

It is the perfect little summer sundae!

(I hate that I didn't have my camera on me... but imagination is a wonderful thing)

In other news, I'm still engaged. It's great, minus the planning the wedding part. I hate that all dresses are made for girls who average 6 ft tall. Way to make me feel like a hobbit!

I'm just waiting for the hair on my toes to come in :(

So... planning clearly isn't my favorite, but on the bright side... the suit Cary wanted had sold out, but a very helpful sales associate was able to track down all the pieces and have it shipped to me!

Also, I needed a mood booster so we went and registered at Bed, Bath & Beyond!

Good times! They actually have dishes! And all the As Seen On TV crap that I've always wanted...

Extra friend points for whoever gets me the Titan Peeler ;)

Yeah and that's just how we do it

2010-06-13T17:00:00.000-06:00

Cary has decided that we have an "open relationship."

NO, this does not mean we are seeing other people. Seriously? We just got engaged!

Allow me to explain. Cary has determined that an open relationship is one in which you share pretty much everything (possesions, friends, titles, talents). So, for example I can cook, therefore Cary can cook... and volunteer items to be cooked by "us."

I've decided I'm ok with this. I'm just looking forward to the day he gets his PhD and comes home and asks me for something....

Cary: Carla, can you pass me the salt?

Carla: Ummm, that's Dr. Carla.

I used to dream about the life I'm living now

2010-06-12T20:49:00.005-06:00

Now that I am engaged, I wasted no time getting down to the best part of any engagement....

....

Registering for gifts! I mean seriously, how ridiculous is it that you get to run around with a gun pointing at any and all items you could ever possibly need/some you may even want. I have looked forward to my engagment since I was about 15, simply for the activity of registering for gifts. In my single years, I have thought about it often ("hmmm too bad I'm not getting married and can't just register for all this stuff I need") and planned for the day a target employee handed over the scanner.

Anyhow, sadly I must say registering wasn't as exciting as I hoped. It's an internal battle between registering for practical gifts or just scanning every item you think is cool. My argument is that no one is gonna buy me stuff off my registry anyhow... Cary thinks that people will buy stuff off the registry.

So we took a bet. We registered for 108 items (some of which are only available in store (sad, and it doesn't tell you this in the store)), and I say we'll get maybe 24 items (can openers and pizza stone), Cary says a confident minimum of 38. Loser has to do all returns (multiples or whatever)

We shall see....

(Oh and if this made you curious, we registered at target, I'm not gonna post a link because that is just tacky, but if you do look at our list... don't judge. Yes we do realize that I won't get the dyson vaccum cleaner and Cary won't get the dog snuggie... but I mean we had to have a little fun ;)

Come on let's make this dream that's barely half awake come true

2010-06-10T08:32:00.004-06:00

When you work in a restaurant, if no one is currently eating in the building you don't have a whole lot to do. This scenario lends itself to some less than tasteful games. For example "If you had to kill someone at Mac Grill using something at Mac Grill, who and how?" Or one of my co-workers favorites... "He won, She won." This is a rather crass game where you reduce a couple to purely their physical appearance. The premise is that usually couples aren't really physically equal and you decide who is better looking (i.e. he is better looking therefore she won).

Well, I've been dating Cary for a while and allow me to illustrate why we're so much more than a cute couple (some are inside jokes)...

This is why I won

1. He tells me I'm gorgeous almost daily... and I can tell he actually means it

2. He's going to be a physicist and change the world with his scientific discoveries

3. For realsies... it's a scientific word, you wouldn't understand

4. He has a nice shaped head and he spends a lot less on shampoo/hair products ;)

5. He laughs at me, but not in a mocking way, it's more of an "oh that's all that's bothering you" way that puts me at ease

6. His blue eyes

7. He is infinitely patient with me, unfortunately this is a virtue I'm working to reciprocate

8. He's not perfect, but he's a perfect match for me

9. He's prude and proud

10. He's tall

11. He was willing to pay a lot of extra money to go to my sister's wedding with me just because it meant a lot to me

12. He waited for me while I satisfied my need to "move away and explore the world"

13. He goes above and beyond when I'm sick... even finding me 3 empty seats to lie down on the plane and getting me extra ginger ale

14. He walks me home, even if he fell asleep during the movie and I live less than 20 steps away

15. He's always makes me take a break and let him help me

16. He remembers which flowers are my favorite

17. Although he doesn't understand girls, for my sake he tries... really hard

18. He is willing to watch Grey's with me (and although he mocks it, I know he secretly enjoys it)

19. He loves me

20. He wants to be with me for-ev-ER

And... ba dum da dum....

That's why I said YES

Whataya want from me

2010-05-14T12:37:00.003-06:00

So, I never finished all my europe posts... I will. It's been a whirlwind two weeks since I got back. Between moving home, driving across the country, moving into an apartment, catching up with friends, job hunting and just basically attempting to get life back in order, I lack energy for blogging.

But, as I was calling the gym to reactivate my account (gotta get in shape to wear my cute new swimsuit), the guy politely answered "Thank you for calling Gold's Gym, how may I change your life..."

Ha ha seriously? I mean seriously! That's quite an offer sir.

I stand by my decision to not work at Gold's Gym, even if it would mean using my degree.

You don't seem to know, seem to care, what your heart is for

2010-04-25T12:50:00.001-06:00

dachau

what a devastatingly amazing memorial. Dachau was one of the first concentration camps started by the nazi's and the longest running camp, operating a total of twelve years. You walk through the main gate, with the infamous words "Arbeit Macht Frei" (work makes you free), into the main square used for roll call. It's huge. To the left are the remnants of barracks and to the right is what was once the building where they processed the prisoners, it is now the museum.

Though I was prepared for an overwhelming experience, I must honestly say it wasn't as bad as I expected. The museum is extremely informative and very interesting. I was actually fine until I reached the descriptions of the Nazi's methods of torture and the medical experiments they performed on the prisoners. The museum is moving in that it allows you to ponder the events, but it lacks the individual connections that really move one to emotion, such as one finds in memoirs and films.

As I walked through the barracks, the crematorium, the gas chamber (very eerie), I'm left wondering how a human being could do this to another human being? How does one come to the point where your purpose for getting up every morning is to murder, torture, and demoralize another human being? And I'm even more amazed at the people who were able to survive the concentration camps. The survivors listed in the museum were men who had been imprisoned for up to 4 years. How does one witness such atrocities, endure such hunger and pains, have the hope beaten out of them, and still maintain the will to live?

Today was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining, there was a warm breeze, the trees were starting to bloom and the birds were chirping in the forest. As I strolled along soaking in the sunshine, I couldn't help but ponder the circumstances some 70 years ago. What would it have been like to not be able to pause? To not be allowed to enjoy the first spring days? To dread the winter for it's bitter cold and to dread the summer for it's unrelenting sun? Do you think the birds still chirped? For some reason I seem to think that animals sense when things aren't right and settle elsewhere (or perhaps the stench of a crematorium would do it as well). At any rate, I marvel at those who survived, for I feel I would not have the strength to live so long in such a place, and I mourn for the others who lost their lives. I pray for the time when all people are respected as the sons and daughters of God that we are.

I'm out the door, I'm gonna hit this city

2010-04-24T23:01:00.003-06:00

AMSTERDAM

-Again, Amsterdam/Holland is beautiful! I love the surrounding towns, but I also liked the feel of the city center. So many people are out biking and all the families and shop owners go out in the afternoon and soak up the sun on their front steps and porches. Everyone was very friendly, and always comforting-most everyone speaks english.

-I went to a cheese/clog making factory. Odd that these two are together? Yeah I suppose. Anyhow, the factory is in the small fishing town of Volendam. Which is green and reminds me of the grassier areas of North carolina right before you cross the bridge to Topsail Island. So I never understood the point of wooden clogs. I figured they were just for decoration. During the tour they demonstrated making a shoe (fascinating) and it's easy to carve the shoe because the wood is so wet, but after 6 weeks drying they are permanently waterproof, which makes them useful for gardening (where most people wear them.) Also, traditionally a boy had to make a pair of shoes for the girl he wished to marry and if she liked the shoes he married her... I can totally picture a modern chick flick running with this idea and implementing the mandatory Jimmy Choo's. So long story short people actually wear the shoes.

-More gelato tastings: Not as good as Germany's gelato, but kiwi gelato is quite delicious!

-The Anne Frank house. What an incredible story. I read the book before, but the house is just so amazing. It's such a testament to the will to live, and making the most of crappy situations. But I couldn't get over the tragedy that after all those years in hiding all but Otto Frank died in concentration camps. Though his is probably not the only case, I can't imagine the struggle of living through Auschwitz and being liberated only to find your family and closest friends have all been killed. Though your heart breaks for the lost dreams of such a promising young girl as Anne, part of me can't even fathom the challenge of being the one left behind.

-I really wish Utah girls and European girls could somehow meet eachother. It just seems really funny in my head. The utah poof, heavy make-up, stiletto's versus the air dried, make up free, acid wash jean, 80's loving look of europeans. I like to think of myself as a happy medium... of course some might call that a lack of fashion/style... whatever (eye roll).

-The hostel though a little reminiscient of camp, turned out great. It had clean comfortable rooms, hammocks to enjoy the sunshine, friendly staff who were able to point me in the right direction, free internet, parking and breakfast. Oh and it wasn't in the red light district... So basically it was the best deal I could have gotten. It was a perfect location to get where I needed to go, yet have a relaxing vacation as well. I would definitely recommend it to anyone backpacking europe.

-Keukenhof Gardens were absolutely stunning! I'm in love with a country that supports itself off growing flowers, what an awesome export. It smells so good. Anyhow, I would say pictures to come, but my camera died :( Soooo here's the websites with random other people's pictures if you're interested http://www.keukenhof.nl/uploads/

-Really the only downside, is the sickly sweet smell of marijuana that permeates the area. Of course, if you're in to that kind of thing...

Everybody's looking for Love

2010-04-24T00:01:00.000-06:00

Funny Story number 1:

While driving to Amsterdam I hit a traffic jam, and since it was a beautiful day I was driving with the windows rolled down and singing to my hearts content (it was the song "Be a Man" from Mulan, yes go ahead and laugh). Well these French guys drove past and gave me an approving thumbs up with a big grin, making sure to make eye contact. Ha ha ha. Was I embarassed... perhaps. Did I just sing louder? Yes.

Ponderable number 1:

Once when listening to Parachute's song "She is Love", Cary mentioned that the song lyrics don't make sense to him. So it came on the ipod shuffle today and got me thinking... what if "her" name was actually Love. Then it would totally make sense, and this got me thinking about naming your kid Love. It would be kind of funny to always be saying "hey love, over here" or "love, you're ridiculous."

Funny Story number 2:

While in the gift shop at the Cheese and Clog Factory, there was an elderly spaniard gentlemen looking around. He was inspecting the chocolate and asked the clerk how much it cost and the clerk replied "one euro." He turns to his wife with his eyes all lit up "IT'S ONLY ONE EURO!!!!" Ha ha ha you would have thought he was a 3 year old kid who's mom is letting him pick out a candy at the grocery store. I laughed out loud.