{hizzeather}

Inspiring furniture for tiny spaces!

2010-07-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

This would make living in 1 bedroom in your parent's house so much better! :) I wonder how much it costs...I want it all!

I will blog again someday...I promise!

2010-07-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

Right now I just don't have any TIME! But here is a fave recent-ish pic...

My baby's birthday!

2010-06-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today is my dear husband's 27th birthday! I love his birthday because I love to spoil my baby, and I also love that for 6 months I am only 3 years older than him, instead of 4! :) ha ha

I bought his presents early, but I just couldn't wait. Here he is opening his presents 2 weeks ago. :) I know, I'm horrible! I did save 1 for today though. :)Breakfast at IHOP
Nay Nay and Holly came too
Yummy breakfast before he had to get to work :(
While he was at work I made special cupcake toppers, with Holly's help
Then we added them to some delicious cupcakes from Nadia Cakes
Mmmmm...red velvet, strawberry, chocolate & vanilla and s'mores!
Special delivery!
He was so happy to get the attention! :) His co-workers were very happy too!
I saved one cupcake for us to share when he got home. He said he ate 2 at work and liked them, but I had to be sure...

Success! :)

Happy Birthday darling! I hope you had a special day, because you are very special to me! Muah!

Rejoice!

2010-04-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

The Ukraine Kiev Temple will be dedicated August 29, 2010!!!!

Almost 12 years after it was announced, the first Temple in Eastern Europe will finally be open. Words can not describe the emotions in my heart and soul right now. I was in Kiev when President Gordon B. Hinkley told the members that for the Temple to come about the members there must increase their faith and keep the commandments. I am so proud of the church members in Ukraine who listened to the Prophet and will now have their Temple.

I hope that Cody & I can find a way to be there! We would love to share in the wonderful celebration and to rejoice with our Ukrainian & Russian brothers and sisters there on that special day!

Full story on lds.org newsroom here.

Picture taken March 31, 2010 & sent to me by Yevgeniy Schmurak

Glamour is my middle name

2010-04-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in my first blog party!

Click here to join the party!

My friend Kristina is very brave...she posted her high school glamour shots! I love looking at glamour shots...I remember my mom and my aunts all getting them done one night and they all turned out SO AWESOME! Of course, you can't really display them around the house anymore...talk about dated! But they are a fun glimpse into the 90's, don't ya think?

I could never afford glamour shots, darn it! But that doesn't mean that there aren't AWESOME photos of me! :)

Oh yeah...missin' some teeth and cracking up about who knows what. I love this picture!

Here's the real glamorous one...Vaseline on the lens baby! These must have been 1986 or so.

My senior picture, 1998...I couldn't afford glamour shots, but I could afford those portrait studios at the mall where you got like 50 wallets for $10. You know, the one where you got pictures taken with that week's BFF or boyfriend and then signed the back and gave them to all your friends...I have hundreds of these from all my friends.

I had a thing for black & white, as you can see. This is me & my BFF Alyson in 2001. Do best friends still take pictures together? It was a MUST in the late 90's/early 00's!

My mission picture, 2001. The awkward arm really adds a nice touch, I think.

Needless to say, I am so bummed that Deb didn't go to my high school. I could have really used her expertise and maybe would have some art like this to brag about right now...

...so many regrets...

Spring Layouts

2010-03-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

If you'd like a new layout for spring, let me hook you up!

Click on the image to check out some ideas, but you can always ask for something you don't see and I'll do my best!

I have promised a couple gals that I would work on their blogs {Christa & Andrea} so you gals get first priority!

The little things that make me happy...

2010-03-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

...like getting this at a local Spring Boutique for only $5 and using some pics from my favorite photographer to make it look SO CUTE!

Modest is Hottest!

2010-02-21T23:29:00.000-08:00

I really do try not to be judgmental, REALLY! But after you read this you will probably think I am. I just need to get something off my chest!

Yesterday I was a bridesmaid in my sister Jesi's wedding. She picked out the dress, and as usual, the dress was not as modest as a dress that I wear should be {A very common mistake for brides who have not had to wear garments...aka almost every bride who I've been a bridesmaid for}. See above picture, and please don't notice that I am the biggest girl there. Thanks. :)

For all you members of my church that read this, you know what I mean. For all you non-member's, I am a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I have committed to wearing the garments that faithful members of our church wear after we attend the Temple. I'm not going to get into too much detail here {if you have ANY questions email me!}, but suffice it to say I can't wear anything that hits above my knee or sleeveless or too low cut without you seeing the garment {which is a no-no, even though they are cute :)}. I know the dress looks pretty modest, but if you can't wear it without adjusting your garments then you should not wear it.

So, because the Bride gets to pick the dress, I always wear whatever they pick, but I usually have to get creative in wearing it. I have to pin the dress in place or do a little pulling and tucking. I of course hate to do this, but that's what ya gotta do when you're a freaking bridesmaid. I usually rationalize it by saying it's only for that day, the dress wasn't my choice, etc, etc... Anyways, even though I LOVE the dress, I hate wearing it because I am so uncomfortable trying to make sure my "religion" isn't showing. Luckily, it's just that day.

Here comes the real rant though...what about the girls that I see every day, whom I know are also faithful members of the church, who are wearing such a short skirt that I can see a few inches of thigh? I have been with some of these girls in the temple, so I know they wear the same garments as I do...or do they? I know we all have different body types so things fit us differently...my legs are shorter, so obviously things hit my knee faster than they do on a gal with long legs. And a shirt that is long enough for some gals will show my stomach because of my longer torso {not to mention my muffin top :)}. But I think the standards of modesty are pretty clear, and just because we may be able to buy a smaller garment size or "pin & tuck" so that we can wear a certain style does not mean we should! And we should NEVER forgo our garments just to wear an outfit...NEVER! It seriously pains me when I see girls do this...not because I'm jealous, but because I know it's just not worth it. Maybe some gals just have never had anyone tell them that.

Al I know is that yesterday having to plan which garments I would wear (my smallest ones), make sure they were clean, adjust them 10 times an hour, wear a shawl when I wasn't in pictures so I didn't have to keep my arms down, have my husband be on constant watch in case my dress hiked up, have cautious movements, only being able to sit a certain way, having to photo-shop some more dress over my cleavage in the best picture of me so that I could have it on Facebook, etc, etc, was exhausting! I couldn't do that every day! I am much happier buying clothes that I can be comfortable in. I may have to look a little harder, pay a little more, and wear a few more layers than the average gal, but it is so worth it to me and I hope it is for you too.

You would think that serving in the Young Women program would make me feel younger, but I think it has seriously aged me. I have turned into a motherly figure who wants to get all up in my girls business and pull that top up, pull that skirt down and hope that there is still material enough to cover the middle! They need examples that show that you can still be cute and modest!

Anyways, I feel better getting out that rant and I hope that we can all stop trying to fit in with the world and just be who we know we're supposed to be. And I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to be a slut. ha ha ha :) I kid, I kid.

/rant

What do you think???

Turning thir....I mean, version 3.0

2010-01-19T00:13:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it, but I had a pretty big birthday this year. I was kinda freaking out before it, but now I don't feel like anything has changed and I'm kinda over it. But to celebrate my big day my entire family went to Mulligan's Family Fun Center to fight off old age and indulge in childlike fun. It was really fun! We got a deal on the all day pass and we made the most of it.

Here are some of my fave pics...

It really was the best day...we literally had hours of fun and made some great memories. I'm so glad that everyone was able to be there. I had a wonderful birthday weekend!

I took a brazilian pictures, so check them out on Facebook if you want.

My brother is front page news!

2010-01-18T16:48:00.000-08:00

{Click on the pictures to see full size and read the article}

My brother Derek owns a Martial Arts studio here in the Antelope Valley. He was recently interviewed and photographed by a reporter for our local paper, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that he made the front page! He has worked really hard to make his business successful and we are so proud of him and glad that he is being recognized. Check out Derek's blog for his business, Shendenkan Dojo. It's the best place to go here in the Antelope Valley for martial arts, women's self-defense, learning Japanese or calligraphy, or sword training.

Family Photos 2009

2010-01-17T15:01:00.000-08:00

Our awesome friend and amazing photographer Angela Meyers took pictures of us kids to surprise our parents for Christmas. We LOVE how they turned out, and I hope you do too!

We consider it successful when we can make our parents cry on Christmas morning {tears of joy, that is!}. We were very successful this Christmas! :)

Here are some of my favorites -

Having a real photographer is so worth the money! I saw the raw images, and they were good, but then after she edited them, I fell in love!

You can see ALL the pictures here on Facebook.

Please HELP!

2010-01-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

{Reposted from my eFriend Mallory's blog...I just donated $10 via text message}

I know money is tight everywhere, but I don't know anyone who can't sacrifice $10 to help aid those in Haiti right now whose lives have been shattered in the earthquake. I know if I were there, I would be on my knees begging God, praying for help from people like you me. We are all so blessed people!!! We can't sit here and allow those people to suffer without offering the slightest bit of help. Right now is the time to help.

Read this article.

Really, just take the 5 minutes and read it please.

Did you read the part that states there could be as many as 100,000 dead? Or maybe even up to 500,000 dead?? Or more???? I can't even imagine the heartache involved in such a disaster.

For those interested in helping immediately (YOU AND ME!),simply text "HAITI" to "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill (I checked it out and it's 100% legit, set up by the mGive Foundation. Every penny of that $10 goes straight to the Red Cross). Once you text, they will text you back asking to confirm. Reply "YES". They will send you 2 more texts and you just reply "STOP" to never hear from them again. Simple as can be.

Or you can go online to organizations like the Red Cross and Mercy Corps to make a contribution to the disaster relief efforts.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-18T23:28:00.001-08:00

{click to enlarge}

Here is our First Annual Family Newsletter...hopefully it will get more interesting throughout the years with new jobs, new locales, and new members of the family! I mailed out a ton of these, to as many addresses as I had, so if you are reading this and didn't get one (and if you want one next year) make sure I have your address! :) Also, I just LOVE getting these newsletters, so make sure I am on your mailing list too!

Huge thank you to Don Atherton and Angela Meyers...without their photography our newsletter would have been pretty blah! You guys are the BEST!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and take a step back from the craziness to ponder the real meaning - celebrating the life of our Savior Jesus Christ. The only gift he wants from us is for us to serve our neighbors. This season let the spirit of Christ enter your heart as you serve your family, friends, neighbors, and fellow man in any way that you can. Hopefully it will become a habit for us to continue on into the next year!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Little Savages

2009-12-18T21:52:00.001-08:00

Cody & I are at baby-sitting for some friends tonight. My friend Heather's husband {Richard} whisked her away for a night for their anniversary. It was very cool. He had pre-arranged for us to be there when she got back from picking up the kids, totally surprising her. I gave her the video camera, which had a clue that started her on a scavenger hunt that eventually led her to Santa Clarita for a night away. What a great guy!

So far we've had lots of fun. Richard left us money for happy meals at McDonald's, and with the loan of our friend's van (Thanks Jennie!) we were on our way to get tired out at the Playplace! :)

The closest McDonald's to our house is in a shady area (also, the area where I grew up :), so I was a bit wary to go there, but when I walked in, I was amazed! It was gorgeous! The classiest McDonald's I've ever seen! It's like we were in a different city!

{click on the pictures to make them bigger}

But then you looked outside at the cops bustin' someone and realized that you were still in East Palmdale. :)
The kids had a great time. Before we went, the oldest, Tyler, was so excited to play in the Playplace. He said his parenst never let them because it was full of germs (I concur Heather, I made them wash their hands right after). I told him it was a special treat because his parents were out of town. Tyler than said it was going to be great because there are always other kids there and he would make a friend! Awww! They did make quite a few friends and had a great time.
Afterwards we dropped by In 'n' Out to say 'hi' to Cody and get some shakes and hats! Thanks Cody!
We headed back home for a PJ party while watching Monsters vs. Aliens. I totally thought they would fall asleep during the movie, but they were way into it. But when they went to bed their heads were only on their pillows for a few minutes before sleep came. They were all tuckered out...exactly as planned! ;)
I can't wait for our adventures tomorrow!

FYI...

2009-12-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

Um, I don't mean to offend you, but your blog needs a makeover.

ha ha! I kid, I kid. But if you're like me and like to change your blog as often as you change your clothes (ok...maybe a smidge less), check out my latest post on heathermade. I can help you design your blog or you can pick up tips on how to do it yourself.

Happy blogging!

Why would you eat something that makes you cry?

2009-12-03T14:57:00.001-08:00

Our good friends the Savages gave us a gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings for baby-sitting for them (Thanks guys!), so we used it on Tuesday, fifty cent wing night. If I would have known that Thursdays are sixty cent BONELESS wing nights, I would have gone tonight. But I digress.

I love the food there. I have been twice and both times have gotten the salad with chopped up medium wings on it...delish! Cody likes the popcorn shrimp & ribs. We also got some wings of course, and Cody decided to try the hottest, the Blazin' ones. He was seeing if he would be able to attempt their challenge - if you eat 12 of them in 2 minutes with no water, you get a shirt and your picture on the wall (If you eat them under 6 minutes, still get the photo but no shirt). Here is a photo journal of the results - (click on it to see it larger)
Needless to say, I don't think he is going to attempt the challenge anytime soon. He will really need to train. Those suckers are HOT! I only tried a nibble and I wanted to shout expletives! He could only eat 4 of the 6 we ordered. The other two are in our fridge, waiting in case we want to disguise them into someone's food and really put them in the hospital. :)

I'm in the news!

2009-11-13T17:05:00.001-08:00

Ok...not really. But I did get a message on Facebook from my friend Felix that he saw me in USA Today on Thursday. As you can imagine, I was quite confused. Luckily my dad gets USA Today and we were able to see "me" on the cover!

ha ha! I don't look like her as much in the other picture, but that one on the cover sure is similar!

We showed it to my nephew Tai (who is 2) and asked him who it was. Sure enough, he said, "Aunt Heather." :)

I'm not an ice skater, but I am going rollerblading tonight. I don't think they have that in the Olympics yet. Oh well...I have enjoyed my 15 seconds of fame.

Pumpkin Carving Party!

2009-10-17T23:21:00.002-07:00

My friend Emily had a fun party at her house tonight! We carved pumpkins and her sister Wendy painted the kids faces and we made caramel apples and just had a fun time!

I haven't carved a pumpkin in a long time, and this was the most fun I've ever had doing it, thanks to Cody...he is so good at these kind of things!

I am so happy Fall is finally here! Now if the weather would just cooperate...high 80's today! What the heck?

I think I'm a smidge biased, but I think my husband is so dreamy!

There were some awesome pumpkins

Here's ours!

Two of our hosts...Emily & Wendy

Eating my caramel apple with our pumpkin

My two pumpkins! :)

To see all the pics check them out on Facebook

I Heart Pumpkin!

2009-10-15T22:47:00.001-07:00

I just LOVE anything with pumpkin flavor...cheesecake, ice cream, muffins, bread, cookies, etc... This is my favorite time of year because there are pumpkin flavored goodies EVERYWHERE! There is a grocery store in Utah, Macey's, that makes my favorite pumpkin chocolate cookies...I have to stop there anytime I'm close and get some. I know I could just bake some, but I hate baking! So when I saw this recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with just THREE ingredients, I knew this was the recipe for me!

Spice Cake mix, pumpkin, and chocolate chips! That's it!

At first I did not think that just the pumpkin was wet enough for the mix, but yes, it is...just keep going! :)

Ready to bake

Cooling

The last batch (It made 2 dozen large-ish cookies)

They are really yummy and sooooo easy! The only thing is that mine looked weird, like they weren't baked, on the outside. My dad even asked me if they were no bakes or something. The inside was perfectly baked though, not doughy at all. They are super soft and cake-like, and they are not as good as my Macey's cookies, but they are still delicious! I saw in the comments of where the recipe was posted that if you just add an egg you can make them muffins...I'll try that next. Yay for me kinda-sorta baking and yay for pumpkin!

She's Baaaaaack!

2009-10-15T22:31:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago the engine on our car died. We had taken it to the mechanic to replace the starter a few weeks before that, and when we asked him about the rattle the car was making, he told us it was the "Death Rattle", meaning that something in the engine was loose and would eventually kill it (aka throw a rod or piston or something). There's really nothing you can do except get a new engine, so we decided just to wait until it died. We were nervous and tried not to drive the car any great distances, but Cody had to drive to The San Gabriel Valley for school stuff. While he was there, he met up with our friend Eric's step-dad to get Eric's car, a '95 Talon, that we were to baby-sit while they live in Texas. Well, the day after Cody got the Talon, the engine died in my Honda...thank goodness for loving and generous friends, because Cody was able to get home in the Talon and use that to get to school and back. We debated for a few weeks on what to do with the Honda...give up on it? Get a new (used) engine? We just didn't know what would be cheapest and best for us. I told my mom what had happened, and she talked to a guy at her work who knew how to get a used engine for CHEAP and could install it for us...he had just done the same thing for his car, also a Honda. I guess in Japan it's the law to replace your engine after 30,000 miles, so there is a warehouse in North Hollywood full of engines from Japan with only 30,000 miles on them! So we hired Andrew to fix our car. He did it within a week (during his spare time, as he works full time), gave us a very reasonable price, and we just got it back Sunday...he even delivered it to us because we were with the kids. What a great guy!
I am so happy to have my car back! She's old, but she's gotten me through the last 6 years, and is a pretty dependable ride. There's quite a few things wrong with her (minor things, like the windshield wipers are touchy), but that's just because she's 13 years old! Now with an engine that only has 32,000 miles on it, she is good to go for a few more years...I hope!
I'm so thankful to have friends, family and their connections when we get in little binds like these. Thank you to Eric for letting us take care of the Talon and use it, thank you to my dad & Jill for them letting me borrow their Ford to get around whenever I needed it (which was a lot!), thank you to my mom for her great connections to mechanics at her work, and thanks to Andrew for saving our car! I just don't know how I'd get through life without such kind and generous people!

Being Mom & Dad for a few days

2009-10-15T21:20:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Cody and I had the opportunity to baby-sit for our friends Jeff & Jennie while they went on a get-away for Jennie's birthday. It was a fun experience going from zero kids to five! Luckily Cody & I make a great team when it comes to kids - I make sure we are organized and plan everything from activities to meals, and he keeps it fun and plays with them. We had a jam-packed time - school, soccer games, movies, church, playing games...we had so much fun!

Their school had a movie night. Cody was at work, but I took the kids to watch "Monsters vs. Aliens" with the rest of their friends at the school. It was fun eating popcorn and candy and the movie is really funny!

Adam & Herschel eating red vines

Shelby & Brooklyn with their airheads and laffy taffy

Camden

At the soccer fields - Adam is so photogenic!

Brooklyn's team during a huddle - I could only take the one picture because I was asked to ref (just man the sidelines). It was a good game, but they lost 4 - 3.

Cody took lots of pictures of Herschel's game, which was at the same time. They won 2 - 1! they beat the undefeated team!

We met up with my dad & Jill and my nephews to see Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3-D! It was really cool!

Awww Adam!

The boys loved running around in the theater between movies! It tired them out. so we were all for it! They sat great during both movies, but especially the second.

Tai Tai conquering the stairs

The three boys - Adam, Tai & Ethan

Shelby always adds energy & fun to everything!

Cody & I with our cool 3-D glasses! (That's a light behind Cody, not a crown! :)

The group after the movie in their cool glasses. They worked outside the theater too! Everything was in 3-D! heh heh heh :)

We had such a good time...I wish we had gotten more pics, but I hope Jeff & Jennie are happy to see all the fun we had while they had their retreat. Cody and I have decided that we can definitely have 5 kids...we just hope they come one at a time with some years in-between! :)

Dreams...

2009-10-09T22:22:00.001-07:00

I would love to be a photographer, but lack of discipline and money has always kept me from pursuing my dream. But every once in a while I see a site like this and I just get so inspired to give it a go...now if I could just be inspired to be disciplined and to save up for the equipment!
This is probably my most favorite engagement shot that I have seen anyone take in the whole wide world...yep, I like it a lot!
Oh how I wish I could take such photographs!!!! The color! The story! The personality! I love this guy's work!

Station Fire

2009-09-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

This post isn't very timely, but I have been super busy with my new calling. Over a month ago a humongous fire started in the Angeles National Forest, less than 30 miles from Palmdale. It ended up burning 160,577 acres. It was raining ash here for a few days and not very pleasant, and our hearts went out to those who lost their homes and to the firefighters who fought so diligently, day in and day out, to finally get it mostly contained (I believe it is 98% contained as of right now).

No, that's not a tint on my window...that was smoke & ash! I liked the juxtaposition of the clouds in front of me and clear, blue skies in my rear-view mirror.

West side of Palmdale

From our friend's house, the McFates

Views of the Antelope Valley

After the Adult Session of Stake Conference I came out to our car and it looked like snow!

Delicioso!

2009-09-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of Pioneer Woman, and when she posted this recipe, I fantasized about it for 3 days! Finally I couldn't handle it anymore and we went and bought the ingredients to make it...it was HEAVEN! It's not for the faint of heart...literally, too much cream & butter! :) But it is simply the most delicious meal that I have EVER eaten! I could add those onions to anything!!!

The finished result

It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G...and I don't even like bleu cheese!

I inhaled mine...Cody ate slow, savoring each bite :)
It was sooo good that we made it AGAIN a week later!
Mmmmm! The rib eye's are expensive, so we tried it yet again another week later with a less expensive cut of meat...so not the same. Plus I did the onions that time and according to Cody didn't let them sweat enough...oops. We'll have to do this again when rib eyes go on sale and Cody can do the onions. :) I can't wait!!!

Chore Chart

2009-09-29T20:56:00.001-07:00

Anyone who's baby-sat children regularly know they hate being told what to do...after all, you're not their mom! So I try and do positive reinforcement instead of having to be bossy and create a negative environment. I made this chart last year so that if they did their chores and kept up their schedule, they got a sticker and then could cash in those for treats, trinkets, or special trips for ice cream and stuff. I thought I would share it because it worked out really well!

The first chart I made earlier this year. It was all right for my first attempt, but I wanted to change some things and update the picturesFirst, take pictures and arrange in a word document, print and laminate

Then, punch out each face using my trusty circle punchAttach velcro to each circle and a corresponding velcro piece next to each task

Here's the finished result! I like it so much...thank you photoshop for helping me create beautiful things!!!

After our chores are done, play chess! {Aren't they cute?}

She wore an...

2009-09-29T20:36:00.001-07:00

...itsy-bitsy, teeny-weenie, BLACK polka-dot bikini.

Ok...I probably won't wear it very much, but I bought a cute bikini in order to remind me of my goal for next summer...to look good in a swimsuit! I'm not going all crazy...the suit is a large, not xs or anything, but I just want to be able to know that I could put this on (in the privacy of my own home...I do have standards! :) and not be embarassed.
I think it's cute! It was on clearance, 75% off!

I even hung it on my wall for a few days (yes, just like the commercial!) for inspiration. Then I felt dumb and took it down.

We'll see how it goes...I'll do the big reveal on Oprah next summer...or on my blog, whichever works out. :)

Ukraine's Got Talent

2009-09-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

This may only mean so much to me because I lived in Ukraine, but I think it resonates with anyone who understands the ravages of war and how they affect families. Living in Ukraine I learned how much WWII affected them due to the memorials & monuments everywhere, the holidays they have in honor of their servicemen, and May 9th, Victory Day. It is impossible to forget by the way they respectfully refuse to let those that died for their country's memories die as well. Thank you to my friend's Angela & Tricia for passing it on. I wish these kinds of talents were applauded here in America. This woman is amazing and brought me to tears!
ps...the words at the end are "You're Always Near", like we would say, "Always in our Hearts."

From Telegraph.co.uk ~

Sand artist Kseniya Simonova, winner of Ukraine's Got Talent, becomes internet hit
Sand artist, Kseniya Simonova, who moved audiences to tears as she won Ukraine’s Got Talent, has become an online sensation with more than two million hits.

By Ian Johnston
Published: 10:45AM BST 19 Sep 2009

Miss Simonova, 24, drew a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II.

One video clip of her work on the television talent show has been viewed by two million users alone.

The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about £75,000.

She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.

It is replaced by a woman’s face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman’s face appears.

She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier.

This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house.

In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.

The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine, resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.

A HECK of a week!

2009-08-23T23:22:00.001-07:00

This last week I...

~Went to a Dodger game
~Saved $20 couponing
~Stressed about my new calling
~Received a call from Cody saying our Honda engine died
~Discovered kevinandamanda.com
~Became obsessed with Amanda and all her fonts and tutorials
~Learned how to use photoshop
~Designed 6 blog backgrounds/banners for family & friends
~Compulsively used photoshop to make things like this desktop
~Got really happy whenever I opened the laptop and saw what I made
~Stayed up until 7am one night
~"Babysat" a 16 year old while her fam was out of town
~House-sat for my brother
~Freaked out over my new calling
~Deleted all the files in My Documents (Don't ask)
~Failed to recover all the files in My Documents
~Had to re-download a bunch of digital items purchased
~Baby-sat kids 2 days, all day
~Missed Cody while he was out of town for 2 days
~Was on my period
~Made frosting from scratch
~Cooked dinner for the missionaries and the fam
~Played Peggle on my ds about 200 times
~Got as ready as possible for my new calling
~Read a bunch of blogs about adoption and bawled my eyes out
~Looked for a job...no luck
~Watched Kill Bill 1 & 2 on tv
~Stressed with Cody over him having to crash classes because they are all full
~Fixed a squeaky box spring with silicone spray
~Went to church and got sustained in my new calling (YW President)
~Heard the row behind me gasp loudly when I got my new calling (They said it was a happy gasp ;)
~Went to 2 meetings and a Fireside as part of my new calling
~Came home and thanked Heavenly Father that this week was over and asked for strength for the coming weeks

My life really isn't that complicated, seeing as I don't have a traditional job, am not in school, and don't have children. How do you women do it all?

Let's Bump it!!!

2009-08-14T23:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry Kristina, but when these appeared at Target...I had to get them!
I know a lot of people can make that cute little bump in their hair, but I can't, so LAY OFF ME! :) My sister-in-law Katy and I saw them at Target and we just had to have them! We tried out the biggest one, and it actually looked cute on Kate! I looked a little silly.
On Sunday I wore the medium one and had my hair half up...it looked really cute, I swear! We went to Simi Valley for my cousin Jeremy's homecoming. I thought everyone would know, but even when I told my dad I had one in, he was surprised. So we went to church, had lunch, hung out, played games, chatted. No one said a word, but I did get a few compliments on how nice I looked (I had the cutest dress on :). All of a sudden, my uncle Bruce walks in the room, and says lightly, "Do you have a bump-it in your hair?" I was so surprised that he could tell and that he even knew what they were. I said, "Yes! Can you tell?" It was his turn to be surprised. He had seen them on Ellen that week and was just trying to make a joke...he though I wouldn't know what they were! It was really funny. I went in the other room and told my cousin how her dad had called me out on my bumpit. She was shocked that I had one too! Everyone started looking at my hair...I guess they had ALL seen Ellen that week! It was really funny...they even asked my cousin Jena, who had an artfully styled bump in her hair if she had one too...she didn't. :)

Check out the popular clip...and learn how NOT to put in bumpits. :)

When we were at Wal-Mart a few days ago and the bumpit display was cleaned out. I'm not the only weirdo! So when you see a gal with a sassy bump in her hair, be aware. They are likely bumpin' it. :)

Would you wear them? Or am I freak? :)

OUCH!

2009-07-30T18:41:00.001-07:00

Note to self - Wear long sleeves when riding your bike through the desert, no matter how hot it is!
On Monday I was doing my visiting teaching and I rode my bike since it takes longer to drive there than to scoot on over the desert. On the way back, I was going down an incline, swerved slightly to miss a clump of dirt, and lost control in some soft sand. After I sat and cried for a second, I called Cody, cried some more, and hobbled to the street so he could pick me up. I have ZERO pain tolerance, so I have had a rough week. It's finally better today after I figured out just to let it breathe, since every time I changed my bandages I peeled of the scabs. I still have to pick some sand out of my palm before it's stuck there forever, and I have a beauty of a bruise on my hip. The only consolation is I feel like a tough chick with all this road rash...when I'm not crying of course. :)

ps...I prayed that we would all be safe that day 3 minutes before my wipeout...what is Heavenly Father trying to tell me? :)

"My" Kids

2009-07-30T12:51:00.001-07:00

I have the lucky opportunity of being able to help out my friends Marc & Rachel with their kids when they are at work. They both are LAPD and sometimes their schedules intersect and I help out with the kids. I love it and I love this family!

On their last day of school, I was helping out so I took some pix for Marc & Rachel. It was so cute...I can't wait to take pictures of our kids on their milestones!

Travis and his kindergarten teacher
Grace and her Second Grade teacher
Emilee and her good friends
Celebratory lunch at In'n'Out
With Cody, their BFF :)

White Water Rafting

2009-07-30T11:45:00.001-07:00

Right after we got back from Hawaii our friends Eric & Ileana and Ty & Angela were going camping and white water rafting. We were only able to join them one night and one day, but luckily that was the rafting day! We drove up to Kernville and met them at the campsite which was right on the river and right next to where we would meet to go rafting. We did the Lickety Fun Run (Class 2 and 3 runs) with Kern River Tours and we had a BLAST! You start at the office and ride a bus up the road to different start points. At first we started at the normal spot for the 4 mile run, but we were doing so well that they started bringing us higher to get more rapids. We only paid for 4 runs, but we were so fast and having so much fun that our guide Havi took us 5 times through the runs. The only bummer was getting on the bus and driving back up the river to start over again, but the staff made it fun. We got 5 runs - 2 on the 4 mile run and 3 on the 5 or 6 mile run, so we had a lot of rapids and a lot of fun! They even have lunch included, which was delicious. We can't wait to go back and try one of the harder, longer trips!

The drive up was BEAUTIFUL! We took the 14 N to the 178 E to the 99 N. Just over 2 hrs from Palmdale.
First glimpse of Lake Isabella
Yay! Camping!
Our site was right on the river

Hmmm...is the meat cooked all the way?

Yummy! Eating outdoors makes food taste better!

Good morning sunshine!
The Meyers made us waffles!

Ready to raft!
Our bus driver, Jay (I think)
On the bus!

Give us some rapids!!!!

Fishing...but no fish
So pretty!!!!

These last pictures are taken by the company's photographer...Click on them because you will want to see them bigger. We took turns "riding the bull" which meant sitting on the nose of the raft trying not to fall off while going through the rapids. We had SO MUCH fun!!!! Everyone should go white water rafting!!!

I have so many great memories!

Last post about Hawaii...I swear!

2009-07-09T17:01:00.001-07:00

Before we went to Hawaii, I didn't even know there were different airports on each island and that everything cool wasn't on one single island. I'm so glad we happened to have friends on O'ahu, because it was awesome. I'm sure Maui and the other islands are great too, but I don't feel like we missed out on anything. Here's a map so you can see what we did and where they are in relation to each other (click on the picture to see it larger).
Also, to see even more of our Hawaii pix on Facebook, click HERE.

Fave Cell Phone Pix from Hawaii

2009-07-09T15:39:00.001-07:00

As usual, Cody and I take pictures everywhere we go with our cell phones. Who has the better camera? You decide...

From my BlackBerry...

Sleeping in the airport...we had 12 hours of delays!

Our flight from Maui to Oahu had tons of leg room! Cody was ecstatic!

Matsumotos, our fave!

Sign at Kmart - LDS Swimwear? It was not a brand name...it was all modest stuff! I love it!

Sippin' a coconut...not as tasty as it sounds :)

This guy in Samoa at the PCC was HILARIOUS!!!! His name was Kap Tafiti, and he's one of their best fire dancers and also a local artist...great guy! I found this video of him HERE.

This guy climbed that tree in like 3 seconds

I left Cody for 5 minutes, and when I came back, I couldn't find him. I saw some kids on stage in the corner of my eye, and when I looked closer, I found my husband...one very big kid. :)

Aloha from the PCC!

Getting the roasted pig for the luau

From Cody's iPhone...

View from our balcony at the Schorr house

You can buy surfboards at Target! :)

McDonald's local breakfast - rice, spam, Portuguese sausage and eggs...delish!

Beautiful point on the side of the road

Drinking a smoothie out of a pineapple at the PCC luau

Dancing on stage at the luau...taken by the sweet emcee

"Horizons" night show - Incredible!!!!

L&L...my favorite! Mmmmmmmmm!

So...whose phone takes the better pictures? ;)

Hawaii - Part Deux

2009-07-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

Sunday we thought it would be appropriate to go to Pearl Harbor before church. We got there early and got tickets for the 2nd or 3rd boat. It was really cool to be there...so much history that you could feel it. It was a very emotional experience for me, and I am so grateful I was able to go and to learn more about the great men and women who gave their all for our country.

I really liked the juxtaposition of the prop next to the plumeria...similar shapes, but so different

On the boat headed to the USS Arizona

Names of the crewmen who died on December 7, 1941 on the USS ArizonaUSS Arizona survivors who have had their cremated ashes join their shipmates

People dropped flowers into the water. I was surprised to see that it was leaking oil and at first upset that it was, but as we listened to the audio tour on our headsets we learned that no oil was ever removed from the ship - that would desecrate the memorial. Every day a quart or so seeps out, and they think of it as the tears of the entombed. Survivors say that will continue until the last of them dies. That really touched me.

After Pearl Harbor we went to church with the Schorrs and it is so cool that literally, no matter where you go, the church is the same. The only thing that was different is they have a special song, Aloha 'Oe, that they sing when a ward member moves away, and they put leis on the departing as the congregation sings. That was really cool to be a part of.

After church we headed to Laie, to see the Temple and to visit with some friends. We took Pali Highway, which has a beautiful overlook.

View of the Eastern shore of O'ahu

Driving up the Eastern coast of O'ahu to Laie was awesome...O'ahu is simply gorgeous. We took tons of pictures from the car in attempt to capture the beauty. Laie was probably our favorite city, simply because it was all Mormons! :) We were travelling, and needed to get dinner, and everything was closed in the whole city because it was Sunday! We had to drive a couple of cities above Laie to find a shrimp truck where we had a very yummy dinner, followed by shaved ice, of course. :)

Garlic shrimp...delish!

Cody had to get a coconut :)The "original" shrimp truck, Giovanni's. They have a few all over the island.

The Temple in Laie is simply stunning. It is being remodeled right now, and it is still stunning. I so wish it had been open so we could have gone through...I guess we'll have to go back. :)

In the Visitor's Center

Amazing flowers!

We met up with our friends from Palmdale that live in Laie now, the Tuione Family. Brother Longo Longo Tuione was in the Bishopbric when Cody left on his mission and with his wife and family has always been a great friend and support to him. It was so nice to see them and to hang out with them.

Longo Longo took us to Laie point, which was very cool. It was like standing on lava that had cooled. He showed us where the locals cliff dive. Cody was upset I didn't let him try it out. :)

Reunion!

Laie Point

"This is where stupid people risk their lives to jump in the water."

"Sweet! Let me try!"

If you do jump in, you have to climb up this.

On the way home we stopped at Turtle Bay to check out the Resort and to catch the sunset.

So Beautiful!!! It was a very nice Sabbath.

Monday we drove back to Laie, this time to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We drove through the center of O'ahu this time so that we could drive over along the North Shore and stop again in Haliewa for some more Matsumotos and to do a little shopping there.
We had lunch at McDonalds to try their taro pie...weird at first (I think I was expecting an apple taste because it looks the same on the outside), but it was interesting, in a good way. :)
The PCC was so awesome! I would HIGHLY recommend going there! We learned a lot, participated in an amazing luau, and saw a great show, all in 1 afternoon/evening! I want to go back someday.

Cody was fascinated by these trees

We learned to throw spears in Tonga...

...and we made these cute fish with palm leaves!

It was very pretty there!

I forgot to charge our spare battery, and our camera died while we were at the PCC! We took some cell phone pix, which I'll share in another post, but luckily we sat next to the nicest gal at the luau who emailed us some pictures! The luau was the best!

Funny story - when we sat down at the luau, we took pictures of each other with our leis to put on Facebook. A lady who worked there started talking to us, and we chatted for about 5 mins about facebook, hometowns, our story, working at the PCC, etc. Then she had to get back to work...turns out she was the MC for the luau! At the end of the program she had everyone who was having a birthday in June stand up...so Cody did. Then she told how the first people she talked to were here on their honeymoon, so she said, "Cody, stand up and show us your bride!" It was pretty cool. She had all the other honeymooners stand up, and then she said, "Cody, lead your bride and everyone else up on stage." Then we got to dance, and she asked Cody for his iphone so she could take our picture, because she knew ours had died. It was so cool, and she was such a sweetheart. All the people who worked there were awesome. After the luau, on the way to the show, a few people told us congratulations because they had been at our luau. Very cool. :)

Here are Cody and I on stage with the rest of the honeymooners and people celebrating their anniversary.

Our last full day in Hawaii we kept it low key. We had already done so much! We slept in a bit. We hung out at the lagoon, snorkeling some more.

Cody baking

Sjauna and her youngest

That night we had a very nice dinner at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion, just the two of us. The sushi was amazing! It was on Ko Olina, right near where we were staying, on a beautiful golf course.

Oh great, now I'm craving sushi again...it's an expensive habit :)

After dinner, we went over to the Marriott Resort across the way and went to this "secret" cove around a corner. We weren't the only ones in on the secret though...a bride and groom were getting photos taken and their wedding party and hotel guests were there. It was so beautiful! Prettiest sunset I've seen in a long time!

Perfect last night in Hawaii

We played games most nights...Dave is a board game aficionado! We played 3 games over 5 nights; Saint Petersberg, Glory to Rome, and Agricola. They were really fun! Cody was way into them. He and Dave are meant for each other. :)
Our last morning we packed up, and we were going to try to hike Manoa Falls, but at the last minute decided just to keep it low key. We did a little last minute shopping, ate lunch at L&L (my fave!), and headed to the airport. Luckily there were no problems with this flight and we headed back to Los Angeles. I took these shots from the plane -

Honolulu & Waikiki

Hanauma Bay
Above the clouds

It was a wonderful week...I'm so glad we were able to go! Thanks to Hawaiian Airlines for the super cheap flights, thanks to Ileana for our rental car discount, thanks to the Schorrs for a lovely place to stay, and thanks to Hawaii for being so amazing! I can't wait to go back!!!!

Hawaii

2009-06-29T19:40:00.001-07:00

Our great friends Dave & Sjauna were forced to live in Hawaii for a few months for work...tough job! :) Back when we got married, Sjauna offered to let us come stay with her for a week in the summer. We decided to try and do it for our honeymoon, so we stayed in California the week after our wedding in hopes of saving money for Hawaii. We weren't sure if it would work out, but thanks to friends and their connections, we were able to go the first week of June!

We had an AMAZING week! We missed the whole first day due to about 12 hours in delays, which sucked, but now we have credit for future flights and can hopefully go back soon! The weather there was so nice, but so humid! It took me a bit to get used to, but it was much better than the cold spell we were having here in So. Cal. The water was warm and just so beautiful. It was like living a week in paradise! I know that seasoned travelers can tell you that there are better places to travel, but I really can't imagine a better place. It was perfect for us!

Finally on a plane! We were so sick of LAX after the delays and plane switching!

We were so hungry that we ordered tons of food on the plane! The food on Delta is delish!

Our first full day we hung out with Sjauna and her two darling kids at the pool in their Resort community...nicest pool I've ever been in. Then Cody and I went off to explore the Lagoon across the street. It was so beautiful, and right next to the resort my brother stayed at on his Honeymoon. We tried out snorkeling for the first time there, and Cody saw a few fish, but I freaked out at the first sight of them. I'm not used to seeing what's actually under the water! :)

The Resort Community where the Schorr fam is living for the summer

I just LOVED seeing these everywhere...and putting them in my hair!

One of the four lagoons near where we stayed.

That night we went to visit my cousin and his wife who live in Waikiki. I was surprised to see that Waikiki is like LA, Hollywood, and Beverly Hills all rolled into one! It was quite crowded and very busy, but there was so much to see. We had a lovely dinner together (Thanks again Dan for treating us!) and then walked along the beach...if I would have had a swimsuit on I would have jumped in...it was so warm, even at night! It was nice to see Dan for the first time in over 10 years and to meet his awesome wife Jenny.

Amidst the shops in Waikiki - such cool trees in Hawaii

Dan and Jenny, the locals :)

Near the restaurant...shops as far as the eye can see!

On the beach, after I got suckered into buying a lei...yep, I'm a tourist! But I LOVED it!!!

View from Dan & Jenny's apartment - I felt like I was in New York! Not that I've been to New York or anything. :) Who knew Honolulu & Waikiki were so urban?

The next day Dave & Sjauna took us to the North Shore. The drive was beautiful! We passed many pineapple plants and cool trees. People were right when they told us that the North Shore of Oahu is the best...It was so beautiful! We saw a lot, but stopped at Three Tables beach for a few hours of swimming and snorkeling. I finally got the courage to snorkel with Cody, and it was amazing! I just held his hand and let him lead me through the reefs. We saw so many beautiful fish, and we even swam with a school of over 100 fish! It was such a cool experience. Now I know how people get hooked on snorkeling. After the beach we had a yummy lunch of Thai food in the little town of Haliewa, then headed over to Matsumotos for their famous shaved ice. It was delicious, well worth the reputation. Best shaved ice in Hawaii hands down (trust us...we kept trying other places, but although they were good, they weren't Matsuomoto good :). The shopping was great in Haliewa too. If we go back to Oahu, I just want to stay on the North Shore near Haliewa...I just loved it! On the drive back we stopped at the Dole Pineapple Factory to shop, get some pineapple ice cream and cheesecake, and to look around. Very cool place. When we got back home, Dave grilled up some steak and asparagus. Dave & Sjauna fed us very well while we were there...they are the BEST hosts!

North Shore = Paradise!

Evelynn & Owen Schorr - coolest kids in Hawaii!

Outside Matsumotos

Mmmmm...Pineapple!!!!

This is what happens if you eat too much Pineapple! :)

Saturday was our busiest day, but one of the best. We hiked Diamond Head crater in the morning. It was a steep hike, with lots of stairs, but so worth it. Amazing views! And there's a truck at the bottom to treat yourself to a nice smoothie and shaved ice when your done. :) Next we went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, the best place to snorkel in Oahu because it is a nature preserve. There were so many beautiful fish! And they must know they're protected because they are not shy. We saw 4 sea turtles! It was an awesome experience, and I would love to go again! Next we met up with the Schorrs and had Teddy's for lunch (YUM!) and then Cody and I rented a kayak for 4 hours. We kayaked to a couple of places, including Lanikai beach where we met up with the Schorrs again. Lani Kai is beautiful...pristine white sand, clear warm water, protected by reefs...it was the best beach we went to. Kayaking was cool, but there is a reason people call them divorce boats. We argued a lot! Communication was breaking down, we weren't paddling as a team...it was pretty funny. While kayaking Cody lost his wedding ring! Oops! He was upset at first, but for some reason it didn't bother me. I've had so many guy friends lose theirs and have to buy new ones that I guess I wasn't too surprised. We joke now that we were arguing so much on the kayak that Cody threw it into the ocean...divorce boat indeed! I guess we'll never know what really happened. ;)

What a hike...

..but what a view!

Mmmmm! Shaved ice!

Hanauma Bay!

Lanikai was gorgeous! Too bright though...I could hardly open my eyes for the camera!

Our first time kayaking...and probably our last! :)

So, there are our first 3 days in Hawaii...stay tuned for more!

Jethawks Game

2009-06-29T19:12:00.001-07:00

My dad and Jill are obsessed with baseball. They love going to games and actually watch. I go for the food. :) They wanted to take a few of us to a Jethawks game, our local AAA team. Cody had to work, so I really didn't want to, but since it was all you can eat night, I decided to go. :)

Jesi, Shane & I

KaBoom, Jethawks Mascot

Some of the fam - Uncle Brian, Jill, Dad, Jesi & Shane

I'm glad I went...don't ask me who won, because I forget, but I ran into some old friends, ate hot dogs, hamburgers, and peanuts, and enjoyed the freezing Antelope Valley wind. It was a fun night! :)

Memorial Day

2009-06-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

Cody and I have been called as the Activities Chairs for our ward...we also make up the whole committee. :) But thanks to all the great people in our ward (congregation), we always have a great time at the activities. For Memorial Day we had a Flag raising and breakfast, prepared by the men. It was a beautiful day, and I was glad that we were able to be together and remember the wonderful service men and women who have died to help make America the best place to live today. If it wasn't for them, we might not even be able to meet as a congregation in our beautiful building...I am very grateful.

Thanks to the Cornwall family, we always have nice decorations at our activities. And thanks to the great young and older men, we always have plenty of volunteers to set up tables and then put them back again. And of course the women are indispensable...pretty much our ward is the best. :)

I tried to take a picture of everyone who was there -to see all the pictures, check them out on Facebook...

Date Night

2009-06-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to say it...Cody has always been terrible at arranging plans. Anything that we've done, I've always initiated and planned. Every once in awhile, I get fed up and force Cody to plan a date night. He hates it when I do that and stresses unnecessarily...this is why I have only done this 3 times. :)
My most recent request was that he plan a date night on a Friday in May. It took him a few days, but he planned going to the movies, getting $5 footlongs, and enjoying the sunset at Lamont Odett Vista Point. That wasn't so hard now, was it? I love it when he plans stuff, because he chooses cool stuff I would never think to do. We invited Eric & Ileana to make it a double date and we had a really nice time! I think Palmdale can be quite beautiful, especially at sunset overlooking the aqueduct and the lake. We parked there and chatted for a long time, until it was really dark and our talk about kidnappings finally spooked us. :)

Bargain matinees, Subway specials, and a short drive can make a fun date on a budget...great job Cody! :) Now he can relax for the next 6 months or so until I ask him to plan something again!

Sneak Peek

2009-06-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, I know, I SUCK at blogging lately. But I got my wedding thank yous out after only four months, so I deserve some credit! :) ha ha

Here is a sneak peek of the blogging that will be coming your way SOON...

...just as soon as I get my act together and go though over 600 photos! :)

New Post on Choosing to be Healthy

2009-04-20T18:08:00.001-07:00

http://choosinghealthy.blogspot.com/2009/04/im-not-losing-any-weight.html

Cheap Date

2009-03-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

I love the Antelope Valley, especially Palmdale. Yeah, I loved Orange County too, but it's soooo expensive there. I think the AV is beautiful, especially our deserts.

As my dear readers know, I am currently unemployed, and so is Cody. I had an interview this week, but the pay was ridiculously low, and it was in a very shady area, so I had to decline. Cody is in school full-time, so he stays busy with that and has not yet found a suitable part-time job. We're doing fine thanks to the low rent at my parents :), but we can't splurge or treat ourselves like we used to. It's hard to think of inexpensive, fun things to do.

I am a homebody and can always find something to do (like working on thank-you cards!), but Cody needs some action. He wants to get out of the house and move around. He really wanted to go to Best Buy to check out the new LCD tvs. So, we walked there. It was a nice walk through the desert over to a big shopping center...only takes about 20 minutes. It's a beautiful day. We looked at TVs and gaming systems. The new LCD tvs are really thin and have great picture quality, but they are so expensive. I convinced Cody to let me buy Twilight. We are saving for Hawaii, but we all know I'm going to buy Twilight at some point, so he reluctantly gave in. It was on sale for $17 for the Special Edition. At the check-out, he's still questioning the purchase, so I jokingly say, "How about we get it on blu-ray instead?" He immediately agrees that's a great idea and so I get it and we spend $25 instead of $17, and he's very happy. Men do not make sense! :) Luckily we live at my dad's, who has a blu-ray player and a huge tv with surround sound, so it'll be fun to watch. For the fourth time. :)

Afterwards, we wandered around the shopping center and read for a bit at Barnes & Noble (for free!). We hit Baja Fresh, ate half our burritos and saved half for dinner, and then strolled back to the house. It was a nice afternoon, we got some nice exercise and distraction, and it was pretty inexpensive. $25 for a ~~dvd~~ *ahem* blu-ray or whatever, that I will enjoy many times, $15 for lunch and dinner, and some nice exercise and time well spent with Cody. Thank goodness blogging is free! :) I think I'm getting good at being a "recessionista". It's been a nice day.

Dave Cooley

2009-03-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

Our team, The Silver Bullets, or whatever we called ourselves that year :)

Dave is on the back left, to my right (I'm the dork in the sunglasses).
Our friend Mike is in the front right between Dave & I.

I don't watch the news much, but yesterday I did hear of the F-22 crash out here near Edwards AFB. They didn't release the pilots name at the time, but when you live out here and know so many people who work at Lockheed, Northrup & Boeing, you just hope and pray that it's no one you know. Well, unfortunately it was someone I know. My friend Mike let me know last night that it was our friend Dave Cooley. I was on a soccer team for a few years with Dave, Mike and some other good friends, and I am so sorry to hear of his death. He is a great guy...a great soccer player, a cyclist, retired Air Force, a test-pilot, and a husband and father. He literally is one of those quiet American heroes. We would have good times out on the field, especially with Steve yelling "Coo-Coo-Cooley!" He was a well respected man, always a good sportsman. I left the team when I moved to Orange County and haven't seen any of my teammates since, unfortunately. But right now I just want to get together with them again, give them all a hug, and remember what a great teammate we had in Dave. I'll miss you buddy...God be with you till we meet again.

Our Honeymoon

2009-03-25T13:19:00.001-07:00

Yeah, so I'm finally getting around to blogging about the Honeymoon 2 months ago...my bad!

We decided to save money and just stay in California because we wanted to go to Hawaii in the summer (which we already bought our tickets for...yay!!!). Before Cody went on his mission we stayed at a lovely resort with some friends in Indian Wells, so we decided to go back there (alone this time! :). It was a great choice. We got a killer deal because of Karly and other Marriott connections, so we got to stay 4 nights at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa. The weather was gorgeous, and we enjoyed laying by the pool and walking around in the sunshine. The Resort was pretty dead, so we had the place to ourselves.
The second night there we ate at one of the restaurants at the Resort and the food was amazing! They have fire pits around the pool area, so most nights we snuggled there after eating or soaking in the jacuzzi or exploring or whatever. For most of our time there, we just hung out and enjoyed not planning the wedding! It was very relaxing.

You can't beat lunch, smoothies & trashy magazines by the pool! :)

The third night we took the Palm Springs Aerial Tram. I think it's the second largest tram in the world or something. It was really cool. You go straight up about 2.5 miles, so we started in the warm desert and ended up in the snowy mountains. The trams rotate, and the views are incredible! We watched the sunset and had dinner at the top of the mountain, checked out the views and rambled around the lodge. It was very interesting.
I can't stress how much we loved the Resort! It was so peaceful and beautiful and I loved the shampoo and our room was spacious and it just rocked. I highly recommend staying there!!!
Our last full day there we went to The Living Desert. It was very interesting, and we spent the whole day there! We saw an animal hospital, butterflies galore, wolves, birds, giraffes, zebras, meerkats, too many plants to remember and even an LGB Model Train Display that was awesome. If we made a collage of the 280 pictures we took, it would look like this -
So, I picked my favorites -
I loved the giraffes, and the butterflies! There was a butterfly garden, where they just floated around, nothing holding them in...it was just an open air garden with the butterflies' favorite plants. Then there was an exhibit of butterflies, where they were inside a netted tent and we even got to see them hatching and hold one that had just emerged from it's cocoon. It was magical in there...so many butterflies and hummingbirds! I loved it!

That night we had our splurge dinner and went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Cody LOVES their steaks and just everything there. It was delicious. The concierge had told them it was our honeymoon, so we had a special corner table and they put rose petals on the table...it was very special!
We drove home on Thursday, and took our time, stopping at the big dinosaur park and outlet malls. We passed the mountain we had rode the tram up, and it's huge! I had to get a pic from the freeway. We are so lucky that we had such a nice time and got to do so many cool things. It was a wonderful Honeymoon, and I just had the best time hanging out with my husband, just the two of us!

My Latest Obsession...

2009-03-16T22:48:00.001-07:00

Everything West of the Mississippi is now Mexico!

2009-03-05T21:37:00.000-08:00

I love Glenn Beck, and I love Stephen Colbert. Even when Colbert makes fun of Beck, I still love him, especially since Beck takes it so well. Cody and I were laughing SO HARD at the BUNKER OF DOOM!

Set your TiVos to record Glenn Beck AND The Colbert Show! :)

I've got to go plant some soybeans...

If I could get everyone in California to read one thing today, it would be this

2009-03-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I'm Praying for Prop 8!

Oh my brilliant!

2009-03-02T20:58:00.001-08:00

I wanted to be cool like all my friends and put this on my blog too...so awesome!

Another Entry from the SC5 Film Festival

2009-03-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

This was also done by my pal Julie, on her own. I can't imagine how much time this took! I do not have the patience. If you remember, I helped Julie on her puppet music video a while back, but the video is not on YouTube anymore...why Julie, why? :) Anyhoo, Julie...you rock!

UPDATE - Thanks to Christa, I found the new link for the video - YAY!

Good times!

San Clemente 5th Ward Film Festival

2009-03-01T11:48:00.001-08:00

Of course my old ward waits for me to move before having the coolest activity ever. Luckily Trey posted his & Julie's award-winning video on vimeo for all to appreciate...I love it! Great job guys!

Fast Sunday from Trey on Vimeo.
Hopefully more people put their videos online so I can watch and share!

Kidnapped!

2009-02-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

My mom called me early this morning (okay, not that early...9:30 am) and told me that she was coming to kidnap me from my husband. :) It was amazing, but I showered, dressed and did my hair & make-up in 30 minutes, and we headed to the dollar theater to see 'Twilight'...it was my fourth time, her second. I still love that movie! Can't wait for the sequel!

The kidnapper and her vehicle

We kept taking pictures during the movie, trying to get good shots...yeah, we're annoying :)

After that we stopped by my brother's house and hung out with the babies.Me and our little princess, Evey

Tai Tai, with all the things he loves...pajamas, martial arts belt, foam sword & skateboard

Ethan...oops, I mean Optimus Prime!

Somehow we started talking about when I will be having babies, and Ethan was super interested in the conversation and wondering when I would have a baby in my tummy and give him a cousin that he could play with. I sorta promised him that shortly after his birthday I would probably have one. His birthday is in September. We'll see how I do with that promise! :)

After that we had lunch at the mall...we tried this new pita place...yummy. And then, of course, shopping! They just opened a Forever 21 at our mall (big step for us! :). It's in the old Mervyn's building so it is HUGE, the biggest one I've ever seen! I bought some jewelry, headbands and a sweater vest. My mom was kind enough to buy me the cutest wallet! I love it! She also bought me two shirts at Old Navy...I'm spoiled! :)

Twilight + family + food + shopping = wonderful day! Thanks mom! You can kidnap me anytime! :)

Friday Night is Date Night

2009-02-28T21:40:00.001-08:00

Friday night Cody & I went to the Temple with my parents. It was a beautiful night, just a smidge chilly. This was the first time I had done a session at the LA Temple in years! Newport Beach was my Temple for the past 2.5 years, since I lived 20 minutes away from it. I love that Temple, but there is just something so special about the LA Temple. I'm glad to be back in that district!

Trying to get a good picture of my new dress & hair

Outside the Temple after our session

My dad and my step-mom Jill, aka our landlords :)

Cody wanted to take this...Ukrainians are always posing by flowers :)

The portions at Cheesecake Factory are HUGE! Their burrito is so massive even Cody couldn't finish it! We were so starving by the time that we had dinner that we had appetizers, entree, AND cheesecake. It was so yummy...I felt like it was the best meal I had eaten in ages. Nothing adds to the flavor of food like starvation. :)

I've decided that the best date nights involve the Temple and Cheesecake Factory. We should make this a monthly tradition! Anyone want to join in the fun?

I love this!

2009-02-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

I saw this on my friend Melinda's blog...just thought I'd put it out there.

The most precious things to me on this Earth are my husband, my family, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know for a fact that the only church that has the FULL restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, commonly referred to as the Mormon Church. It has brought me so much peace and joy, and it can do the same for you. I hope if you feel that you would like to learn more that you would please check out lds.org, mormon.org, or mormonsmadesimple.com. If you are Mormon, please share this video with your friends!

What do you think?

2009-02-25T16:04:00.001-08:00

Too dark?

In these trying financial times an $8 box of dye makes more sense than giving people $50+ for blonde highlights. I was just going to dye it my natural color (light, ashy brown, or as people refer to it, "dish-water blonde"), but I let Cody pick out what color he wanted, and he chose a much darker shade. At least if he doesn't like it, I can say, "Well you picked it!" I'm sneaky like that. :)

What am I doing right now?

2009-02-16T13:21:00.001-08:00

Snuggling with these guys, who LOVE our big, tall bed, watching "Cars" in Russian (Cody brought it from Ukraine).
I love having these boys in my life! <3

Pass it on!

2009-02-15T13:56:00.001-08:00

I have a wonderful friend Brittany who is looking to adopt a child with her husband Que. If you or anyone you know is considering giving the most precious gift by giving a baby up for adoption, please consider this beautiful family. To learn more go to their adoption blog or their profile on itsaboutlove.org. Thanks!

Nesting

2009-02-15T13:18:00.001-08:00

Since I posted "before" pictures, I have to post "after" ones too, since I don't want the blogosphere thinking that we are still living ghetto style - Now we're living ghetto-fabulous! ;)

My mom took some great pictures at the wedding, and I put my two favorite in the frame all the way on the right. I love that frame! The frame in the middle has different layers of glass...we'll put some wedding photos in there.

I got the vinyl flowers at Ikea, of course. My favorite store for home decor.

Long shelf we got at Ikea to put pictures and knick-knacks on...we are very narcissistic and like to look at pictures of ourselves! Ok, we'll try to put some of family up too.

Most of the frames are empty, waiting for the perfect pictures

To help you get the whole 360 degree perspective :)

Jamie Morris made this for me...it was a very special gift because she gave it to me at the reception and it already had some pictures they had taken after the ceremony! It was so cool to see those pictures so fast! I love it! (See Brittany M, vinyl isn't all that bad...embrace it! :)

Our bookshelf from Ikea...My old roomie Kim let me use hers while I lived with her, and I fell in love with the practical design and how easy it is to organize with it. Unfortch she didn't let me take it with me (I tried! :), but fortunately our friends & fam gave us giftcards to Ikea, and we were able to get our own! Thanks!

So, we're all settled in and nice and cozy. It's nice to relax and not have to worry about the next project. The only things I really have on my to-do list now are organizing the garage, and of course, getting a job! :)

Hope this doesn't make you barf...

2009-02-14T11:18:00.001-08:00

love you! mean it!

muah!

~c&h

Sneak Preview

2009-02-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

The lovely Angela Meyers, our photographer, has finished our pictures! I love them so much!

Here is a sneak peek, 4 of my favorites! (click on them to see them bigger)

Ahhhh! I'm so happy! :)

Up-diddity-ate

2009-02-10T13:43:00.000-08:00

Just so you don't get sick of all this wedding crap, I'll update you on our life right now. We live in Palmdale, at my dad's house. As you all know, I was laid off in November and Cody just got back from his mission and started school today. We are pretty poor. So during the stress of planning a wedding and looking at some ghetto apartments to rent, my mom Jill offered to let us live here with her, my dad, and my sister Jesi. Jesi even moved out of her bigger room into the small one so we could have space! So nice! After little consideration, we took them up on their offer. It is so nice to live together in a beautiful home. It's cozy in our room, but we get along with my family so well that it's not weird at all. Cody & my dad are like best friends...I tease Cody that he only married me to get closer to my dad. Plus, Cody loves my parent's huge plasma and blue-ray player! :)

Our bed...it's raised high for extra storage, and I have my trusty princess stool to help me get up in it! :)

We have plans to put a shelf above here to put picture frames and knick-knacks on.

We've picked out a bookcase from Ikea to go here to put our TV on and all that stuff...we just have to go and get it :) The stuff there is all temporary...we will be able to get in the closet easier soon!

We like it...we're comfortable. My parents also spoil us with cheap rent, good food, and they even set up directTV with DVR in our room! Thanks!!! :)

As I mentioned, Cody started school today. It was funny to get up and make him breakfast and send him off...my baby is all grown up! I almost took a picture, but I didn't want to embarass him! ;)
I am still working on little projects, trying to get organized. There is so much to do...thank you cards, duplicate gift returns, using our gift cards to get things we need, paperwork, organization, etc... One of my most pertinent things to do is regarding our marriage license. I just got something in the mail saying it's not valid because they stamped the date on there twice. So now I have to figure out how to get in contact with the person who married us so he can fill out a form, then we have to pay another $30 to get a new license that has to be signed with NO ERRORS, even a duplicate stamp. Bummer. That's going to take a few weeks before we can be registered as married.
I also need to find a job...yeah, like tons of other people out here. It's a sad state right now. Please pray for me...I doubt I'll find anything decent right now without divine intervention! Plus I really need insurance!
So, married life is good so far...it's nice to not have to go home to separate places anymore! :) It's fun doing all the adult stuff together, and saying "my husband" & "my wife." I have a hard time using my married name though...I keep forgetting! I keep accidentally saying my maiden name. Oops!

Wedding Day!

2009-02-10T12:50:00.001-08:00

Cody took this picture of the LA Temple in December 2006

On Saturday, January 31st, Cody & I were sealed for time and eternity in the Los Angeles Temple! In layman's terms, we were married! :)

The ceremony was so beautiful. We were sealed by an old family friend, President Jon Martz (he's in the Temple Presidency, hence the title.) "Mormon" or Latter Day Saint (LDS) weddings aren't the same as traditional weddings. They take place in one of our sacred Temples, therefore only members of our church in good standing can attend the actual ceremony. This usually causes our non-member family and friends to feel left out, as if our church is trying to seperate us from them. Nothing can be further from the truth. ANYONE can obtain a recommend to go inside our Temples...you just have to accept the message of the gospel, be baptized by one having Priesthood authority, be a member at least a year, and study the importance of the sacredness of the Temple. It's not a secret...it's just sacred. We want everyone to partake of the blessings of the Temple...you just need to understand what it is first, and that takes a long time. Lots of my family members were married before I had prepared myself to enter the Temple, and I had to sit outside like everyone else. But I never felt left out. I've understod the importance and the big responsibility of attending the Temple, so I've understood why I wasn't ready to go in. It's unfortunate, but those who don't understand why they can't go in to see the marriage of a loved one and get angry, don't understand the importance of the Temple and therefore shouldn't be let in...it's a catch 22.

My beautiful Bridesmaids!!! I love them so much!

My fave picture, from my mom's camera

Although the marriage ceremony is different from traditional weddings, the reception usually isn't (except for the lack of alcohol! :). We had our reception in Palmdale at our church, an afternoon reception. That helped us keep costs down, and helped us to have things wrap up earlier and be able to have some time alone that evening. So many friends and family helped us out, and there were so many little "wedding miracles" that made our reception so lovely. Our bestest pal was our friend Aracely Hoskins, who for a very modest sum made delicious soups and appetizers for our gusts, and our amazingly beautiful and soooo delicious cake! Her & her family are AMAZING! I'll forever be in their debt for their service to us that day!

Our beautiful cake! So yummy! DARK chocolate with strawberry & banana filling!

The reception was a little chaotic for me...I decided to save on a DJ and just set up an itunes playlist with the integrated speakers. We found out right before that when you turn the volume up, it got very scratchy. It was fine for the soft music in the background, but for our first dance, when we turned up the music, it was so sad! We had this funny dance planned, where it started out slow, and then had a fast song in the middle, and then slow again. We hadn't rehearsed it much and combine that with the horrible sound and it was kinda sad! We had fun though, and it was easier for me than just swaying with Cody for 4 minutes, and it was kinda funny. It would have been so much better with proper sound...lesson learned...hire a DJ! :) That was the ONLY thing that went wrong, so we were very lucky!

ha ha...trying to rock out during our song!

It was stressful for me being the center of attention and trying to talk to all our guests and stay on schedule and everything. Maybe we should have had a 4 hour reception so that I could talk to everyone! I was very honored that so many of our loved ones came to support us, and sad that I couldn't properly spend time with them.
I'll do a proper post when I get pictures from our amazing photographers, Angela Meyers & her husband Ty. She got lovely shots of all the details that I want to share with you.
Our reception did run 30 minutes late, and after our beautiful send off we drove about 8 minutes to the hotel. :) My old Boss Zack was kind enough to give me a free room at the first Marriott I ever worked for. Not only that, but he and his wife left us some yummy treats too! It was a blessing, because I hadn't eaten all day! I devoured those pretzels!!!! Thank you Bird Family!!!

Our yummy sparkling lemonade, chocolates & pretzels left for us!

I hadn't been feeling well all day. Stress + medication = sick Heather...I even threw up what little I was able to get down for breakfast on the way to the ceremony! I was unable to eat at the reception, even though I tried. So it felt so nice to take off that huge dress, lay down & relax, and nibble on our treats. I lay there and basked in the joy of the day and thought about how wonderful our friends and family are, and what a wonderful day it had been. I am so thankful!

We got so many presents & cards!!! We're so grateful!

This was my favorite...Our friend Deb wrote on the card "Mr. & Mrs. However you spell your last name!" :) It is a difficult one! My family can barely get it right!

The next day we went back to my dad's house to open our presents and to watch the superbowl with family. Weird, I know, but my family always watches it together and my mom Jill makes the best tacos! It was fun to open the presents with almost my whole family and to be able to enjoy the festivities and pack for our real honeymoon, our trip to Indian Wells.

To be continued... :)

Engagement Photos

2009-02-09T19:43:00.000-08:00

I didn't have any big expectations as far as our wedding was concerned. I don't have a lot of money, so I had to rely on family & friends to help out, and I couldn't be a diva in those circumstances. Besides, lower expectations mean you can't be disappointed, right? :) It also means that you have the opportunity to be delighted beyond your dreams. That happened to me with our wedding. Everything came together in such a perfect way, thanks to lots of help from my loved ones. One of my favorite phrases this past month has been, "It's a wedding miracle!" :) I am so grateful for all that happened, and I'll try to share it all here.

One of the coolest and most unexpected miracle was our engagement photo shoot. I was heading to Rancho Cucamonga for Kim & Dave's reception, and we still didn't have an engagement photo. My girl Karly is quite handy with the lens, so I called her to ask her just to take a picture of Cody & I by a tree somewhere near the reception and we would use that. :) She called back with a counter offer - her dad, an amazing professional photographer, would do an entire shoot with multiple locations for us and give us all the images for FREE. All we had to do was come to Rancho on Saturday. Done and DONE! Saturday happened to be my birthday, and it was the bestest present ever. Not only did he, his wife & Karly spend hours taking pictures of us, but he called in a favor & arranged to have my hair and make-up done for free too! I am still in shock at his generousity. I don't have the highest self-esteem right now...due to my health problems, I am quite swollen and puffy and intermittently covered in red dots. I was trying to slim down last year after working graveyards and doing a number on my body when my thyroid problems started, so not only can I not lose weight, I look larger due to puffyness. So for a gal in my position who hates how she looks, this was a miracle. Not only did they do wonders with my make-up, Don knew how to get all my best angles too. I am so pleased with our photos, and to have such a stunning engagement photo was a huge boost that cheered me up and helped me get more joy out of the excruciating process of trying to plan a nice wedding on a shoe-string budget.

I didn't want to post these before the wedding, because I used the images in my DIY projects and in our slideshow, so I didn't want to ruin the "surprise." :)

I loved their use of sepia and black & white!

The one we used for our invitations is featured in an earlier post, and I hope you all got one in the mail too. Seeing most of the pictures now, would you have gone with what we did? If not, which would you have chosen?

So thank you to the Atherton/Cahoon clan, especially Don for this precious gift. I can't explain in words how much it means to me to have this special time captured on film, in a way I can be proud of, to share with friends, family, and especially our children & grandchildren!

My life right now

2009-01-24T10:43:00.001-08:00

This is what my living room looks like. Since I am unemployed, I'm doing the wedding decor by myself, a lot of DIY projects. It's kinda fun, but stressful too.

The wedding plans are coming along, thanks to a lot of help from friends & family. I had bought a lot of things along the way as well, so it was nice not to have to buy everything right now. People keep asking me to delegate stuff to them, and I have on some things, but the problem with DIY projects is you have to DO IT YOURSELF. :)

I'll try to take lots of photos along the way and do a few posts about the process after the wedding. I don't want everyone knowing all the details beforehand. When your "event" is as simple as ours, you have to keep everything under wraps. :)

On a side note, I received the BEST WEDDING PRESENT EVAH! The Big Shot!
My friend Janis, the Stampin' Up Demonstrator, was so generous. Instead of something off our registry, she gave me $150 in Stampin' Up product (plus the hostess benefits!), so I was able to get this beautiful die cut machine and some accessories! I am on cloud nine! This will be a huge help for my projects. The Big Shot just came out a few months ago, and I have coveted it ever since, but couldn't justify the price. Thank you Janis! Thank you! Thank you!!!! :D

I'm on my way to another Bridal Shower. This one is with mostly family, so it should be low key. :)

In case you didn't get one in the mail...

2009-01-22T11:55:00.001-08:00

And if you want an invite and didn't get one, let me know! Email me your address. Since we have been doing this so quickly, some people have slipped through the cracks. :(

ps...they look better in person. I had to scan the invite and it looks ghetto. :)

Bridal Shower

2009-01-22T11:01:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night my dear friends from Orange County threw me a Bridal Shower! I was a bit embarrassed to be the center of attention and to be getting the scandalacious gifts, but as they said, it was payback!
I had a wonderful time, felt so spoiled and am so grateful! Thanks Debbie, Jeana, Rayna, Kim & Christa!!!!

San Diego

2009-01-21T15:53:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to San Diego for my old roommate Lisa's wedding. It was a beautiful affair and we had a wonderful time. Our friend's band happened to be playing for the first time really close by, so we were able to catch a little bit of that too! It was a fun, but long day! :)

What the hell kind of prayer is this?

2009-01-21T15:12:00.000-08:00

*Heather steps on soapbox*

Rev. Joseph Lowery, an 87-year-old civil rights pioneer gave the benediction at the Inauguration yesterday (which I, btw, refused to watch).

He ended with this...

"Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around – when yellow will be mellow – when the red man can get ahead, man – and when white will embrace what is right."

Obama reacted with a smile. The crowd loved it and gave it a loud "Amen." It makes me a little angry.

What happened to change? Are we just going to carry over the same stereotypes about racism & "whitey"?

It makes me sick to think about all these people who are just now proud to be American, because the media elected 1 man...a man who has done nothing yet. Oh, he talks about doing a lot...not specifics or anything, just a lot of...change. But he hasn't done anything! I hope and pray that he can live up to everyone's expectations. But I will wait until I see what he's got before praising him to the skies.

*steps off soapbox* :)

Save the Date

2008-12-29T14:50:00.001-08:00

We finally decided on a wedding date! January 31st...soon!

I have tons to do...and I'm trying not to stress. All I care about is getting married and being with Cody for eternity, not what flowers are on the tables. It will all work out, and it will be great.

I am also very sick, so that's no fun. All of this equals very little time & energy for Heather to blog...bummer! But I will try! I miss you, my dear eFriends!

Snow Day!

2008-12-18T15:21:00.001-08:00

Click on the pictures to see in detail

Wednesday we got about a foot of snow in Palmdale! It was so crazy! It started snowing at about 7:30 am and it did not stop until about 11:30 that night! I was already at my dad's, Cody came over in the morning, then Nathan & his gal Ashley came over, followed by Derek, Naomi, & the boys. Almost all of us together (we missed you Holly, Jill & Mom!). We had a lot of fun playing in the snow, coming in to warm up, then going out again. We made the short but treacherous drive to pick up some pizza, and stayed cozy with hot cocoa and playing games. It was a fun day full of play...the only bummer was that Jill, my step-mom, was trapped at work because the freeway closed. Luckily her mom lives nearby her work and she was able to spend time with her & her brothers.

Enjoy a video showing the fun we had outside!

I didn't sign up for this...

2008-12-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

Remember me?

2008-12-16T22:45:00.001-08:00

I'm going to get back to blogging, I swear, but I only have time to enter this contest right now. I signed up with a site called the "The Blog Frog" not too long ago and I love it! It's like a Facebook for bloggers. Right now they are having a contest to win a $200 gift card to Target! My favorite! :) Check out the contest here, and check out the site...it's cool!

Sushi is for Lovers

2008-12-11T01:00:00.001-08:00

Wednesday we had lunch with Cody's brother Daniel & his wife Marybel. They just had the most adorable baby boy, Zachary. We always have a good time with them and today was no exception. Cody was excited to have his first good sushi in a few years, and we really loved this place we went to in Simi Valley.

* I am so excited to start saying "we" again! :D

Return to Me

2008-12-11T00:35:00.001-08:00

The moment I waited TWO YEARS for finally arrived! Cody returned from serving a faithful mission on Tuesday. His mom, his brother Kyle, his sisters Morgan & Katy, my mom, my dad & my stepmom, and my two nephews Etahn & Tai all came along to greet him. I had my mom record everything with my camera. I had to help my dad with my nephew, so I didn't even get to see everything that happened when Cody came out, so thanks mom for taping!

Some things I love about the video - Ethan RUNNING to see Cody...he was so excited! Tai, meeting Cody for the first time, sticking out his bottle and saying "Ba-ba." I love how I can barely look at Cody...I keep focusing on the boys. I was so nervous, but for no good reason. As soon as he got released, everything was fine! I'm really glad that I didn't throw up! I was so worried that my nerves would get the best of me. :)

We went to In'n'Out after, and then back to his new house in Arcadia (new to him). We waited around patiently until he could be released, at about 9:30 that night. He decided to stay at his brother's house in Simi Valley, so I stayed at my aunt's house close by, and we drove the hour to Simi together and really got to talk. It was so nice. I have missed him so. But we just fell back together like nothing had changed, like the 2 years were just a few days. I'm so thankful for that!

We have spent every minute possible together...I was sad to leave him tonight to come home. But I'll see him again tomorrow morning. I never thought I'd say this, but I sure am glad I don't have a job! :)

We haven't figured out everything yet, such as a wedding date, but we wish it could be this weekend! I'm going to be kind of distracted in these next few days/weeks/lifetime, but I hope I don't neglect my dear blog too much...this has got me through some tough times! :)

One fun thing about the last 2 days has been updating Facebook and geteting so much positive feedback...I definately feel the love, and I'm grateful.

I don't want this to turn into some TAMN & JJWT saga, so I'll spare you the mushy stuff, but suffice it to say I am SO happy and positively giddy with joy!

Shriek!!!!!

2008-12-09T10:52:00.001-08:00

I'm on my way to LAX!!!!

Wish me luck!
Think happy thoughts!
Pray for me!
Freak out with me!

I'll update with pics and vids as soon as I can! <3

Nerdy Nate

2008-12-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

Who rides their bike to Thanksgiving dinner when it's like 6 miles away?

This guy...

It was FREEZING too. My bro Nathan's girlfriend gave him this bike as a gift. I can't remember what it's called, but it doesn't have speeds or even brakes. You have to pedal backwards to stop. Holly & I got a pic and a video as we drove by the poor guy...we offered him a ride, but he said no. He almost hit us. He doesn't even have a helmet on! Nerd!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-06T15:57:00.001-08:00

I know what you're thinking. Thanksgiving was so 10 days ago. :) But I forgot to post about "The Great Pie Debacle of Oh-Eight."
This is me & my bro Nate...I took this because I think we have the same hairstyle these days :) No one will probably notice, but my face looks weird because I woke up with both eyes and lips swollen to capacity...most of it had gone down by this point...stupid hives...

So, pies...well, my step-sister Jesi had worked so hard on making all of these homemade pies, and my brother's girlfriend Ashley made a yummy jello pie with strawberries. They were all presented on a little table, waiting for us to have some room after our delicious dinner to fit some in. I was not in the room when this all went down, so we'll never really know what happened, but I heard a shriek and a crash and when I turned around, all of our pies were on the floor. Somehow my cousin Jennifer, Jesi, and her boyfriend Shane had bumped into each other and caused the table to tip over. Luckily it was Shane involved, because Jesi loves him best and will forgive him. If it had been me...well, I probably wouldn't be able to type right now, we'll leave it at that. :)
Of course the first thing I said when I turned around was, "Don't move!!!!! Let me go get my camera!!!" ha ha...I'm glad I got these pics. We were able to salvage most of the pies and they still tasted just fine. And now Jesi has a great excuse for whenever Shane doesn't want to do something for her or buy her something. All she has to do is say, "Remember when you ruined all of my Thanksgiving pies?" :)

Stamp Club

2008-12-06T15:47:00.000-08:00

Once a month my friend Janis hold a Stampin' Up workshop at her home in San Clemente. All you have to do is buy $25 in product and you get to make 5-6 projects. I like this because I buy the things I "need" in increments and I stay up to date with all the latest techniques and ideas.

Just before Christmas she has an all-day workshop with lots of Christmas projects...it's so fun! Thursday I spent 6 hours holed up in her grarage, stamping my heart out and nibbling on the yummy potluck. I decided to take some pictures so that my friends could see that there is a reason I have nicknamed myself "Grandma"...just look at my crew & hobbies! :)

Concert at Segerstrom Hall

2008-12-03T23:19:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of attending a Christmas concert tonight at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, "All the Bells on Earth Shall Ring". My roommate and a few other friends are in the Orange County Mormon Choral Organization. They performed with the Orange County Mormon Orchestra and a few Mormon choirs made up of teens, children, & even little Sunbeams! It was a wonderful evening, beautiful music, and such wonderful acoustics in that hall!

Christina put a group together and we all enjoyed it very much...see the collage for pictures of Lexi, Christa, Aubrey, Travis, Laura, Kirk, Lyndsey, Cort, Lincoln & I. Kim's fiance Dave sat right in front of me, so I snapped a pic of him with his sister & mom. We met up with our choral friends afterward & I got a shot of Kim & Paula in their sexy choir dresses. :)

You aren't supposed to film anything, but I just couldn't help taking a short video of the Sunbeams...they were angels!

It was a wonderful night! If you were there too, please share your thoughts!

More Picasa Fun

2008-12-03T16:47:00.001-08:00

I can totally make my own Christmas photo cards! :)

Obviously I'll need updated pictures...

I saw it again....

2008-12-03T14:38:00.001-08:00

...and I LOVED it again! I also re-read the first book this morning and I'm going to start New Moon later. It's like my own personal brand of heroin. :)

I'm LOVING the new Picasa!

2008-12-03T14:32:00.001-08:00

It helped me make this for my old roommate in like 20 minutes!
Screw photoshop...Picasa is FREE!

What is Truth?

2008-12-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

An excerpt from Robert George's discourse "On the Moral Purposes of Law and Government"

Our task as I see it should be to understand the moral truth and speak it, in season and out. Speak it lovingly, speak it civilly, engage those with whom one disagrees in civil discourse, open to hearing counter arguments, open to considering the other side's point of view. Yes, speak it lovingly, speak it civilly, but firmly and vigorously, because so much is at stake. Now we will be told by those who are pure pragmatists that the American Public is too far gone in moral relativism, or even moral delinquency to be reached by moral argument. Sometimes they say,"Give it up. Give up the argument for life, give up the argument for marriage. The public's too far gone. They've drunk the kool-aid of moral relativism." But we must have faith that truth is luminous and powerful, so that if we bear witness to the truth about say, marriage or the sanctity of human life, lovingly, civilly, but also passionately and with determination, and if we honor the truth in advancing our positions, then even many of our fellow citizens who now find themselves on the other side of these issues will come around. Don't underestimate our fellow citizens. People are open to the argument. Our problem is not so much that people are gone and sunk in moral relativism and so won't listen. Our problem is we don't make the argument and we don't make it often enough or well enough, with enough conviction, determination.

Now, to speak of truth frightens some people today. They evidently believe that people who claim to know the truth about anything—and especially about moral matters—are fundamentalists and potential totalitarians. But, as my friend Professor Hadley Arkes has patiently explained, those on the other side of the great debates over social issues such as abortion and marriage make truth claims, moral truth claims, all the time. They assert their positions with no less confidence and no more doubt than one finds in the advocacy of pro-lifers or defenders of conjugal marriage. They proclaim for example, not as some mere matter of abstract opinion, but as something true that women have a fundamental right even to elective abortion. They maintain with all the conviction you can have when you are speaking something that you believe to be true, that “love makes a family” therefore any two people, or perhaps more than two people, who feel affection for each other should constitute what is recognized as a marriage. The question, then, is not whether there are truths about such things as the morality of elective abortion and the nature of marriage; the question in each case is, What is the truth?

To read more about this, please check out my other blog, Preserving Marriage.

Doing the minimum of what the Lord asks of us won't be enough

2008-12-02T10:29:00.000-08:00

I really like this...it keeps me in check

Stalker Update

2008-12-02T00:25:00.000-08:00

Ok...I stalk a lot of blogs, but one of my favorites is Melancholy Smile. I've said it before...she is just my style! Or what I wish my style was. I envy a lot of my real friends that have wonderful lives too, but I don't blog about them to keep them humble. :) I read Pioneer Woman and others like her, and they have really cool lives that I wish I had. But when it comes down to it, that's not my life, and probably never will be. I feel like this could be my life in a couple of years, and it gives me a lot to look forward to. I want to be a lot like her when I "grow up." The best thing I like about this family...they keep it real. Life isn't always perfect. But it's about taking the bad with the good and trying again the next day.

I love love LOVE what they did for Christmas this year!

Wishing You a Merry 'Vintage' Christmas! from Jared Foster on Vimeo.

So festive! So special! So jealous!

Happy Holidays!

Is this normal?

2008-12-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

I'M FREAKING OUT!

Ok, not really, I'm surprisingly calm...unless I think about it too much. Gotta stay busy. I am more excited than anything, but there is definitely a lot of anxiety too.

In case you are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, click here. My fiance, whom I haven't seen in almost 2 years, is coming home in 8 days! I'm shrieking out! :)

I'm sad...

2008-11-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

I'm going to follow my dear Julie's example and make this post a full on rant. I had a dentist appointment this morning. It's the first time I've been in about 2 years. I've had insurance issues and have been otherwise distracted with my health. Since I was laid off, my insurance is about to expire, so I went to get x-rays. My dentist's office is very high-tech, and they did digital x-rays and photographs to check out my awful teeth. I am so mad at them! :) I need 7 crowns, 1 possible root canal, 4 fillings, and deep cleaning of my teeth & gums! How dare they betray me like this? After the dentist was done determining the damage, the billing assistant came in to break the news (and the bank). My co-pay is $770 per crown, $175 per filling, and $380 for the deep clean & gum scaling...that's a grand total of $6,470!!!!! And that doesn't include the root canal, for which I will have to see a specialist. By the way, she doesn't know if I need one...the specialist will have to determine that. I have no pain or anything. Well, needless to say, since I was juts laid off and no income to rely on, I wasn't able to have any work done. In fact, I rushed out of there and burst into tears on the way to my car. My hysterics came in handy, because my next stop was where I get my massages, where I had to cancel my membership, and they felt very sorry for me and cancelled it no question. Back when my doctor was telling me my health problems were becasue of stress, I was getting massages to relax. Now that I know it's not stress, but Hashimoto's, the massages are purely a perk...and therefore first to go these days. Anyways, I am feeling rather stressed and bummed, so I went to In 'n' Out for some comfort food and am now at home watching Pride & Prejudice. In 'n' Out is always comforting...Cody worked at the one in Palmdale and would always bring me dinner when he worked (every Friday). This is the 1980 British mini-series of P&P, but I'm still enjoying it. I think I'm finally calming down about that astronomical sum...over SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS! What the heck? There I go again. Sorry about the gross picture...I just have to keep in mind that it could be worse.

Well, even though I'm watching the heroine Elizabeth Bennet, I'm going to follow the method of another heroine, Katie Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler; "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow."

Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow

2008-11-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

20 years ago......
1. I was 8 years old
2. I was living in Palmdale, CA
3. I was baptized that year, on my birthday
4. I had a pretty, peach silk outfit that I loved
5. I was in Miss Heller's 3rd Grade class at Yucca Elementary

10 years ago......
1. I was 18 years old
2. I was living in Meridian, ID, being a nanny for my cousin & her 3 kids
3. I was a substitute teacher for the school district
4. It was my first time living away from my immediate family, and I missed them A LOT
5. I started doing Stampin' Up!

5 years ago.....
1. I was 23 years old
2. I was back from my mission to Ukraine for almost a year
3. I started working for Marriott in Palmdale
4. I was a counselor in the YW Presidency at church
5. I went on a lot of trips to Utah for weddings and to visit friends

3 years ago......
1. I was 25 years old
2. Cody & I had started dating earlier that year
3. My nephew Ethan was almost 3 months old
4. I was a manager at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Palmdale
5. I was Relief Society president of our Young Adult Ward

1 year ago.......
1. I was 27 years old
2. I was a manager at the Laguna Cliffs Marriot in Dana Point, CA
3. I was very depressed and missing Cody, who was serving his mission in Ukraine
4. I was pretty much "inactive" in my ward... I didn't really like anyone and worked too much
5. I had to work on Thanksgiving, but I got to enjoy the amazing $75 a plate buffet at our Resort

This year so far......
1. I became a lot more involved in my ward...now I don't ever want to leave it!
2. I quit at the Marriott, got a new job at a Law Firm, and just got laid off from there last week!
3. Totaled my car, my mechanic brought it back to life, good as new!
4. Started blogging...a lot :)
5. Developed Hashimoto's Disease...gross

Yesterday........
1. Went to church
2. Sang in the choir
3. Talked on the phone with friends
4. Found out Cody's travel plans...he gets home in 15 days!
5. Watched old movies

Today.........
1. Slept in...until 8. That's late for me!
2. Checked off a few things on the to-do list
3. "Prepared" a lesson for FHE (basically just the topic...I always shoot from the hip)
4. Polished up my resume
5. Made a "Hole in the Wall" for the first time - yummy!

Tomorrow........
1. Organize all my stuff...I will be moving next month
2. Make homemade cards
3. Organize addresses for Christmas cards & wedding invitations
4. Watch movies
5. Work out with Lindsay

In the Next Year.......
1. I will be 29...my last year of my twenties!
2. Cody will be coming home!
3. I will be getting married
4. I will need to find a new job or go back to school...ewww
5. I will have a new niece and more cousins...lots of babies to play with!

City of Angels

2008-11-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

Christa, Dawn, Melissa & I went to El Coyote Mexican Cafe on Saturday night. If you have been reading our other blog, Preserving Marriage, you probably know that the gay community is attempting to boycott this restaurant because a woman who works there donated $100 to the YES on Prop 8 Campaign. It doesn't matter that the owner donated $10,000 to a couple of LGTB groups. They are mad that this one woman donated just $100 of her personal money, in no way affiliated with the restaurant. So of course we had to go and show our support. We each brought a thank you card for Marjorie and had the pleasure of speaking to her and letting her know that for every person that may attack her for her position, there are many more who support her and her right to vote how she wants and donate money to whatever cause she desires.

The food was really great, and there really is something special about the restaurant. The staff are all so sweet, and like family. It wasn't expensive either. If you have the opportunity, please take a group to go eat at the restaurant. We need to support the families that are losing money because of this "Tyranny of Tolerance." When we were there it looked pretty busy, but Marjorie told us that it was nothing compared to how it used to be. Check out there cool website here, El Coyote Mexican Cafe.

After dinner Dawn & Christa introduced us to Diddy Riese in Westwood. Homemade ice cream sandwich for a buck fifty? Genius! It was delicious! Thanks for the fun night girls!

ps...I put a lot of pics from that night on Facebook. If we aren't facebook friends...why not? :)

Just in case you are wondering...

2008-11-21T18:19:00.001-08:00

I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!! <3

Reflections of Christ

2008-11-21T13:17:00.001-08:00

Aubrey shared this video on her blog and I feel compelled to share it as well. The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly the good news, and this holiday season more than any, we need to remember that good news. Christ can heal our troubled hearts if we just let him. This slideshow really touched me. This exhibit is coming to Laguna Niguel December 11 - 15th, and I will definitely be going. What a beautiful way to remember the miraculous birth, life & ministry of our loving Savior.

Guess what...

2008-11-10T14:22:00.001-08:00

...I'm awesome.

And the winner is....

2008-11-08T18:42:00.001-08:00

Thanks again for all of you that helped promote our other blog! I am very grateful. There were 639 entries! Some people had 30-40 entries because of emails they sent, etc...

If you are like me, you always wonder how people decide the winners for their giveaways. I saw my friend Jay @ Halftime Lessons videotape his daughter picking a winner & I thought that was brilliant. So, without further ado, here are the winners!

For those of you who don't have the time to watch the video, Here is a list of winners -

Target Gift Card - Jess Berry
South Coast Plaza Gift Card - Melissa
Nintendo DS Game - Tara
Stamp Set - Butler Family
Cell Phone Shield - Christa
Laser Engraving - Emily Navarro
Baby-sitting - Emily Foster (since she is so far away, I'll do something else for her)
Custom Cards - Tricia Bagley
Ukrainian Dolls - Sjauna
Veronica Mars - Paula

Congratulations winners! I think it's awesome that you guys were so willing to support the cause.

Please keep the buttons on your blog. We are still blogging, as there are still many issues going on. The fight to protect marriage did not end with the election.

In the end, you are all actually winners, because now that the bulk of campaigning is over, I can get back to blogging about all the inane details of my life!

Lucky you! ;)

I only have one word to say today...

2008-11-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

VOTE!

For my friends outside of California...

2008-10-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

...and the ones here too!

If you think that the upcoming election and Proposition 8 won't affect you, please read THIS!

http://www.aclu.org/pdfs/lgbt/camarriage_joint_20080609.pdf

The article is all about the ACLU's agenda to legalize same-sex marriage in every state and their plan to do so. Here's a highlight if you refuse to click on the link -

8. The most important thing now is to hold on to the win in California.
Marriage in California will transform the national debate on the freedom to marry. It will do that because the decision is well-reasoned constitutional law from the most influential state court in the nation. It will do that because California is an American trendsetter. But marriage in California will do those things only if we can hold onto it. There is a proposal on the November ballot to ban marriage between lesbian and gay couples. That proposal would put into the California Constitution a clause that only allows heterosexual marriages . The fundamental freedom to marry would be denied to lesbian and gay couples, and the concept of treating people differently would be written into the California Constitution. We think we can beat this because Californians don’t want unnecessary government intrusion into their lives and don’t want people treated unfairly under the Constitution

This just gave me a reason to fight a whole lot harder! Please, do everything you can to get the word out. Even if you don't live in California, you know Californians, and they read your blog and emails. Help us win this fight so that you don't have this fight in your state soon. Vote YES on Proposition 8!

Spectacular Giveway!

2008-10-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this by saying that I do not want to offend anyone or spark a debate. I am supporting Proposition 8 here in California, and I want to put my money where my mouth is. This will be my last post on this blog until November 5th, after the election. I am going to spend all my free time campaigning for Proposition 8 and helping others do the same. I will still be posting on our other blog, preservingmarriage.blogspot.com, and I need your help!

I am giving away 10 prizes! I have paid for them all myself, except for the two donated by my friend Russ.
Prize A - A $50 gift card to Target - best store EVER! :)

Prize B - A $50 gift card to South Coast Plaza, Southern California's premier shopping destination

Prize C - A Nintendo DS game My Weight Loss Coach, with pedometer. Truth is, I probably need it more than anyone, but I encourage everyone to be healthier. :)

Prize D - A Stampin Up! Stamp set - You can choose a set from my personal collection. Most are brand new, some have only been used a few times, all are in excellent condition.

Prize E - A free Invisible Shield for your cell phone or ipod. My good friends Russ & Debbie at Fusion of Ideas at the Irvine Spectrum have graciously donated this to help me out.

Prize F - A free custom engraving for your cell phone or laptop, also graciously donated by Fusion of Ideas

Prize G - 3 free baby-sitting coupons. For all you hot mamas out here in So Cal who want to get out once in awhile with your husband, I'll make it happen for free! :)
Prize H - 25 handmade cards custom made for you by Heathermade (me!). I'll do Christmas, Birthday, Thank You, or any combination or sentiment!
Prize I - Martryoshki Dolls from Ukraine. My fiance Cody gets back from Ukraine in December, and I'll have him pick you up an authentic set of these awesome nesting dolls!
Prize J - Veronica Mars Season 1. It's the only set of dvd's I have that is still shrinkwrapped. :) I LOVE this show, and I know you will too!

Okay...now how can you win? From now until 8pm PST on November 4th, simply comment on this post listing the order in which you would choose a prize (ex; F, G, I, A, B etc...). One comment per person, and if your name doesn't link to a blog, then you will need to provide an email address. This is open to everyone, including those who don't support Prop 8. ( I still love ya! :)

If you want more chances to win, then you have to do more...

For everyone who puts one of these buttons in their sidebar, they will get 10 more entries!
To do this, you need to add a gadget, choose html, and then copy & paste one of the bottom codes into that box. You can choose the size depending on the size of your sidebar. After that is done, post another comment with a link to your blog showing the button. The button must stay on there until November 4th.

If you would like an additional 10 entries, then simply blog about this giveaway, including a link to this blog or this post, and a link to preservingmarriage.blogspot.com. Then post another comment with the link to your post. You must keep the post on your blog until at least Nov. 4th.

If you do all 3, that 21 entries!

If you want even more entries, you can email friends & family about this giveaway. For each person you email it to, you will get another entry. Just copy me as well at hizzeather@gmail.com.

There is no limit to how many prizes you can win! If you win something local and you are not local, we'll work something out!

Now, I know a lot of you don't live in California. But I can guarantee some of your readers do. And if you think that this proposition won't affect other states, that is highly unlikely. California is a very trendy state, and what we do here sets precedents that can affect all others. I invite you to please research the issue if you haven't already, and fight for what you believe in, no matter what the side.

Thank you so much for your support! Good luck!

Loves it!

2008-10-20T08:16:00.001-07:00

My most SCANDALOUS post ever!

2008-10-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Ok...if you know me, you know that I'm very open & honest. That's why I am not embarrassed at all to share with my dear readers a new blog about SEX! Yep, I said it...S-E-X. Of course, it promotes the divine role that sex has in a marriage between husband and wife, nothing salacious, but I think it will really be helpful to those about to get married, or newly married, or married a long time, or planning on getting married...okay, it's good for everyone! :)

The blog was spawned when my friend Kristina invited readers to anonymously post secrets on her blog. The response was huge...as of right now she has 262 comments, and she posted it yesterday! Too many of the comments are from dissatisfied wives, so one of the gals decided to set up an anonymous blog for people to share stories and learn more. You can comment and ask questions, and do it all anonymously, if you wish. Or you can just be yourself, because although sex before marriage is a HUGE no no, sex after marriage is a HUGE YES!

Happy reading! ;)

Allergy Test

2008-10-16T23:26:00.001-07:00

So, I had my scratch test on Wednesday, and I guess I passed with flying colors...I'm not allergic to anything! So I had to suffer for 3 days to find out that I'm not allergic to any common allergens. I guess you could look at the bright side and say that at least now I know for sure. But I prefer to look at the dark side and just say that it really sucked going through all that for nothing.

Here are my arms as I waited to see if I had any reactions. All the dots are where they pushed sharp things into my skin with the oils of the allergens.

No reactions! As you can see my arms are free of an major groups of hives.

Right after the doctor gave me the go-ahead I gulped down one of my pills. I told him that if I took the pills after a reaction started, that it would get worse before it got better. He didn't believe me. So I took pictures on the drive home to shove them in his face next time!

Five minutes into the drive - these weren't here a second ago!

Oh, hives on my cheek too? Lovely!

Getting worse 10 minutes later...it burns!!!!

ps...not too safe to take pictures while driving. Don't follow my bad example.

I had to take a cold shower and another pill when I got home to help get these babies under control. The nice thing is that now I'm fine again. Took my pill this morning, and no hives at all today. Who would have ever thought that I'd be thankful for a day when my skin just looked normal. Don't take your health for granted people!

Anyhoo, the doctor confirmed what we basically knew, I have auto-immune urticaria. I have anti-bodies that are attacking my thyroid (kinda normal, I just have more than most people). But he said that the anti-bodies are dumb, and sometimes they attack the skin instead of the thyroid. Hence the hives. He said 50% of people have them gone by 11 months. Mine started in Feb, so let's hope I'm in that 50%!!!!

I am a crazy stalker!

2008-10-16T22:29:00.001-07:00

Ok...not really...but I feel like it lately! There is a blog I follow, Melancholy Smile. She is almost exactly who I want to be. I love everything that she does! It's so weird, and I hope she doesn't think I'm some crazy gal who steals other people's personality because she doesn't have one . We are just scarily alike!

Case in point - I read this post and it had a picture of her in an apron. I have been looking for the perfect apron for months now. I've found several that I like, but they were just ok, or too expensive, or wouldn't match anything I wear. Then I saw her picture and I found THE ONE. The apron that was exactly what I was looking for! (Could I BE any more dramatic? :) She was gracious enough to tell me where she got it, and I bought it!
I love love love it!

There have been other things too...I totally want to steal her Halloween costume from last year. I want to decorate for Halloween exactly how she did. I want to throw a party just how she featured. And I bought the exact same dress she featured recently to test it out for my bridesmaids. (in my defense I bought it before I saw it on her blog...phew!)

So, I'm sorry for jocking your style Melancholy Smile, but luckily you have enough to spare.

Congratulations Kimmy!

2008-10-16T22:22:00.001-07:00

My roommate Kim got engaged on Saturday night! She was a bridesmaid in a wedding, and as she was doing her duties and her fiance and I were sitting chatting, he confessed that he had the ring and was going to propose that night! I was so excited! I kept taking pictures of them because I knew it was the day they were going to become engaged! :) I wanted to tell Kim so bad...I hate keeping secrets, but this was a good secret.

He proposed that night, and after they called all her family, they came & told me and I forced them to do a cheesy engagement photo shoot. It was so fun! You know I love taking pictures! I printed out my faves on my fab printer and gave them each copies. They are getting married on Jan 2...yep, before me! The nerve! It's also the day before my birthday...great present for me guys - I'm getting evicted! Of course I have to make everything about me. ;)

I am seriously so very happy for Kim & Dave, and I wish them all the best!