Guilty Pleasures

From Wikipedia: A guilty pleasure is known as a something one considers pleasurable despite it being mainly received negatively or looked down on by a majority of society.

My friend Jen posted a blog about a few of her guilty pleasures and it got me thinking of my own. Now, by its very definition, some of these are uber- embarassing.

• Trashy Celebrity magazines (particularly US Weekly)
• Checker's burgers and fries
• Danielle Steele romance novels
• Afternoon naps
• Generic 90's rap (Young MC, Salt n' Peppa, etc..)
• Monster Ballads
• Cheerleaders: Making the Team (a reality show where girls try out to be Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders-- so stupid, I know!)
  
• Long bubble baths
• Swiss Cake Rolls
  

Don't judge me! Everyone has a few, so... what are yours?

Husband Tag!

This is my first "blog tag". Yay! I'm glad its about my husband. I don't say enough about him on this blog.

Stats: Lance grew up in Alpine, Utah and hence loves big trucks and extreme sports. Poor Lance has missed snowboarding, mountain biking,rock climbing, hiking and camping since we have moved to Florida. He loves painting, music, muscle cars, working out, and his kids (oh yeah-- and his wife!) Lance works in residential construction and has served in the Elder's Quorum Presidency for the last 3 years.

Us: I met Lance while working as a hostess at Chili's in Orem, Utah. I turned a corner, looked up and saw him-- tall, tan, green eyes. I couldn't take my eyes off him all night. He was different than any other guy I had dated. He was a constant challenge and I was determined to make him fall in love with me-- never would have dreamed we'd get married...

Inside Info: Seems gruff on the outside, but is a big softy underneath it all. He doesn't have an insincere bone in his body. He is honest to a fault. I have to admit it hurts to hear the truth to certain questions- (Do these jeans make me look fat?) But it is a trait that I have grown to love. Now I have no patience for insincerity in others. Lance makes me laugh harder than anyone and makes even the most mundane activities so fun. He truly is my best friend. I tell him anything and everything (ad nauseum).

What is his name? Lance

How long have you been married? 7 years this summer

How long did you date? a year and a half

How old is he? 30!

Who eats more? Lance-- but I'm close second

Who said "I love you" first? Lance (it was during a fight and he practically yelled it)

Who is taller? Lance (He's 6'4 so I can finally wear heels!)

Who sings better? Probably me-- but Lance has been known to do a decent Thom York

Who is smarter? I have the book smarts (31 on my A.C.T.- thank you very much!), but Lance DEFINITELY wastes me on common-sense and "street" smarts

Whose temper is worse? LANCE!

Who does the laundry? Me

Who does the dishes? Me

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Lance

Who pays the bills? Me

Who mows the lawn? Lance

Who cooks dinner? Me

Who drives when you are together? almost always Lance

Who is more stubborn? Its an ugly tie

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Me

Whose parents do you see the most? We probably won't see mine for another 2 1/2 years-- We see Lance's like once a year.

Who proposed? Lance

Who has more friends? Lance has more, but I am closer with my friends

Who has more siblings? Lance

Who wears the pants? Lance (I spoil him rotten)

Okay-- I tag Jamie, Valli, and Jen Porter (ha!)

The Joys of a Cookie

As a treat for being good at the grocery store (yes, I'm one of those Moms), I bought Zoie and Tobin cookies made to look like characters from the movie Cars. It never occurred to me that the food coloring may cause "mess" issues.

Here you can see Tobin enjoying his cookie.

Enjoying it VERY much.

And once the clean-freak side of me (yes, I do have one!) took over, I had no choice but to take the cookie away-- which prompted this:

The Movie of Your Life

My cousin Carie wrote on her blog about how she had been told she resembles a celebrity (Kate Hudson, if you were wondering), and it got me thinking about the game my friends and I used to play-- "If there was a movie of your life, who would play you?" (ok, that name is way too long for a game). Here is what we have come up with over the years:

Me, played by Katie Holmes (Except probably Pre-Tom Cruise: less stylish,skinny,& polished)

Lance played by Wentworth Miller

My best friend Jen played by Gina Gershon

My best friend Jamie played by Kyra Sedgwick

There are obviously others who still need to be cast. So, who would play you? Let me know!

The Evolution of Cake Eating

Zoie's table manners are slowly progressing...

2006

2007

2008

My 3 Year-Old

Zoie is 3 today! We had a Shrek party for her on Saturday with her friends and a small family party last night.

Sometimes its hard to believe our Zo-Zo is already 3 years old. (Sometimes it seems like she should be heading out for college already). Here is a short description of Zoie at the age of 3-- the good and the less good:

Loves books and puzzles
Fascinated with animals
Obsessed with Shrek and Harry Potter
Laughs a lot
Very sensitive
Extremely emotional
Gives hugs and kisses freely (which is fine for now...)
Talks constantly
Makes friends easily
Daddy's Girl
Hates being "messy" and always has napkins with her

She makes me laugh every day and helps me to work on my patience daily. She is an amazing sister and daughter. She fills our home with excitement and energy.
Happy Birthday Zoie!

Carrying the Banner

(I do realize that by publishing this post, I am opening myself up to outright mockery)


I checked out Newsies from the library yesterday. I have no idea why I do not own this fantastic piece of cinematic history. In 8th grade or so, I watched Newsies every day. Jen, Jamie and I knew it by heart-- every word, every dance move, each and every background character.

Sometimes when you watch one of your favorite childhood movies, you realize how silly and outdated and cheesy it is (The Cutting Edge and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun-- which, lets face it, I still love). But not Newsies! It is still clever and powerful and I still have a crush on Jack Kelly and Spot Conlin.

As I watched, I actually teared up a little at how much I absolutely love this movie. I am sure much of it is nostalgia- I had to call my two best friends and reminisce on our "Newsies Days".

If you haven't seen it, crawl out from beneath the rock you have been hiding under. If you are like me and have allowed Newsies to be relegated to a distant memory, swallow your pride and rent or buy it! You will not be disappointed.