In Like a Lion

March is starting in a very blustery and windy way! We have had some snow, but most of it has melted off, though it stays bitterly cold (to me--to Dad, it would be "refreshingly brisk"). Today our little CU branch is being rocked by crazy-fast wind. Hopefully the electricity stays on!
Well, let's see. I'm right on schedule for my once-a-month post. I talked to Dad the other night, and he mentioned that it had been a while since my last post... sorry about that! Well, here's the update on Zak and Sarah for all of you who have been dying to know...
Zak continues to do well in school. This week is spring break, and he is spending lots of time reading and researching for one of his big semester projects. He continues to work with his dad doing construction. Work is going about the same for me as it was at the time of my last post. Quiet, but that's to be expected at this time of the year. Other than that, life is going on as it usually does.
We just got a new couch. The neighbors across from Zak's parents are moving and are cleaning out things that they do not want to take with them. So we got a green couch that has a hide-a-bed. It's pretty comfy to sit on. Zak watched a movie while laying on the hide-a-bed the other night after I went to sleep (so I haven't tried it out), and he says that the bed is pretty comfy too. We are excited about it. That means that we have a place for visitors to sleep... you are all welcome anytime!
In other unrelated news, Zak wants to get a new scooter. I can't say that I'm opposed to that idea. He wants to get a TN'G Milano, which is different from our current Metro in the following ways: 1-It's actually made for two people to ride, so there is a place for me to put my feet, 2-It's 150cc (Metro is 49cc). I think that's all. It is a cool-looking scooter, and would give us a more cost-effective way to get around in the summer when it is warm. It only holds 1 gallon, and goes for about 100 miles on one gallon! I would definitely rather spend $2.50 at the gas station than $35-40. We haven't decided anything yet, but I think it would be cool.
If any of you remember my reference to "24" in the last post, you will be saddened to know that Edgar Stiles is no more. He died in the last episode from being exposed to toxic nerve gas. We will all miss him. Let's have a moment of silence. Thank you.
There is a new show on TV that Zak and I checked out last week. It's called "The Unit" and features Dennis Haysbert. Any 24 fan will know that he plays President Palmer from 24. It's pretty interesting for any of you who have an interest in covert sections of the military and what they do.
I don't know if any of you have heard about a new show that HBO is airing soon called "Big Love." I read a little blurb about it online yesterday, and apparently it's a show about polygamy. Not sure that it's one I'd want to watch no matter what my religion is, but it's even more distateful to me considering that I'm LDS. It's amazing what the media is doing. And I don't mean amazing in a good way, y'know?
Um, what else, what else? Zak and I have a trip to Vegas planned in August. We got it for free, just for listening to a high-pressure presentation about buying vacation credits from a company that sells them. The highlight of that night was when the lady who was assigned to pressure us asked Zak, with almost a tear in her eye and all the appropriate dramatic pauses (she was very good), "What could be more important to you than your family?" Zak, being the jokester he is, replied, "Uh...myself?" At that, the lady looked like she was going to fall out of her chair. I think she realized we weren't buying anything at that point. It was a funny experience, especially because I know Zak was just kidding.
In other trip news - we are also planning to go to St. Louis for Christmas. I hope some of you other siblings are also planning to come! It would be great to see you.
I hope you are all well. Please email, call, post comments on my blog. I would love to heard from you!

Happy V-Day!

I guess once a month isn't too bad... right? Let's see if I can remember everything that has happened in the last month. January was a quiet month. I spent a lot of the month being sick. I got a terrible flu bug that I am still trying to get over. I missed three days of work (which is a lot for me) and spent a lot of time sleeping. I even bought a humidifier. Crazy, huh? Luckily, I am feeling much, much better now and just have the sniffles. Soon those will go away, too, and I will be a new woman!
Zak has, of course, been doing well in school. His four English classes are good - he doesn't care much for the way one of them is taught, but other than that, he likes them. I think. He reads a lot, and has more papers than I remember him having in prior semesters. He is a trooper, though, and does very well. Is it trooper or trouper? I don't think those words mean the same thing. Huh.
Work is going well for me, although it is definitely the slow season. I have spent time cleaning the microwave, doing dishes in the break room, and other various and sundries. I even occasionally get to help a member! I was blessed to get another raise last month. Raises are always welcome!
Other than the aforementioned, there isn't a lot going on for Zak and me. Zak has been riding Metro (our scooter) to work and freezing in the process, but he's learned how to REALLY bundle up. There isn't any skin showing anywhere by the time he's done. He said that he has never experienced frozen eyeballs before he began these winter rides. Yikes. I think he has worked out a solution for that, thank heavens.
Our plans for Valentine's day consist of Zak going to school all day, and me working all day. I am going to get some yummy breadsticks at Pizza Plus after work and go hang out with Zak and his parents in Millville.
Beck and Kaiya are at the folks' house right now while Nik and Corey enjoy a Seattle getaway, and so we will get to play with them a little before they go to bed. It is so fun to have them here! I love listening to them. Beck explained to me last night why he doesn't like clocks, and Kaiya is just sweet. She is really talking a lot, and is so girly and cute. What fun Zak and I have to look forward to!
Um, the only other thing of note is that 24 started on January 15th, and it is the coolest show ever. We all enjoy watching it very much, and Rhett, Burke, and Ben even met the guy who plays Edgar Stiles while they were in Park City for the Sundance Film Festival. Jack Bauer is without a doubt the best action hero ever. (At least, according to Zak, Rhett, Burke, and Ben.) They think that he should go head-to-head with Jason Bourne. Or maybe James Bond. He is pretty cool. And now it's time to invoke Rule #4 on myself again... The people on TV are not real, so stop talking about them like they are.
We just enjoy the show. Is that so wrong?
I hope that all of you are doing well and that you have a great Valentine's Day!

Happy New Year!

I know I'm very overdue for another blog, as usual. It's just a matter of making the time.
Our Christmas and New Years seasons were very nice. Not very much snow, but don't you fret, Mother Nature is making up for it in the blustery month of January. Yesterday we got several inches - all coming in the late afternoon hours. This, of course, made driving home after work somewhat of a scary proposition... We had people on Main Street still going 50 or 60 miles per hour - um, not such a great idea when the roads are slushy and slippery. Just in case any of those drivers out there need clarification as to driving safety, I can give it to you. Please ask. No really.
School has started once again for Zak. He is taking four English classes this semester, which he alternately feels as though he will enjoy, then feels as though the classes (and his professors) will eat him alive! I know that he will do very well, as he always does. Incidentally, for anyone who is in college or loves books--half.com is the place to buy. I love that place! We ended up spending about $125 for books that would otherwise have cost us much more. (When I was in college, I think I regularly spent between $300 and $400 on books.) That $125 is including shipping and handling, so these books are very inexpensive!! Also, I have recently started selling on half.com and have found it to be very, very easy. Not like e-bay. Selling on e-bay scares me a little, for some reason. (I guess the same reason that corn mazes scare me - no reason at all.)
Work is plugging along for me. We have some very optimistic goals for the year, so that will keep life interesting and challenging. Notice how I never say much about work? I don't really know why that is. Probably due to confidentiality issues. If anyone wants to know more, just ask me. I still won't tell... ha ha ha. :)
Ah! One other item of interest - Zak has decided to buy his brother Rhett's scooter. We are (he is) sort of (very) excited about this! It should be fun to ride when the weather is a little warmer, though Zak thinks the conditions NOW are pretty good...that crazy kid!
Um... can't think of anything else earth-shattering at the moment, although I do have a bit of a testimonial to give. Every once in a while I will think of a movie that I thought was pretty cool as a kid, and suggest to Zak that we hunt it down and watch it. His advice, nine times out of ten, is to leave the movie in the past. If we watch it again, he says, we will just be disappointed, and wonder what in the world was wrong with us when we were kids to make us think that it was that great. I am saddened to say that he is correct. We checked out "In Like Flint" from our local library the other night and watched it. While I think it still has great merit as a spy-spoof, and parts of it were pretty funny, it was somehow not as great as I remembered. (Sorry Dad! But hey, our library does have "Forbidden Planet" so maybe I'll get crazy one day and check that one out!)
So, boys and girls, the lesson is--Zak is right. Think of those movies with happy and fond memories, but don't watch them again!
And with that, I leave you for the time being. I will do my very best to be a more frequent blogger in 2006!

Irregardless vs. Regardless

Did you know that these two words mean virtually the same thing - except that you are considered to be an uneducated boor if you use "irregardless?" Yep, it's true. Thought you might like to know. (Mostly because I used the word "irregardless" on Monday and was corrected. Don't want that happening to you.)
In other unrelated news: Life is going along just fine. Zak was in a car accident yesterday (but not in our car--wouldn't that be rich now that we've almost had it for one month?) and is fine. He was with his brother Rhett and our friend Ben. Luckily, everyone is fine, no serious injuries. It wasn't the best call I've ever gotten at work, though, that's for sure. "Hi Sarah. Don't freak out, but I was just in a car accident and now I'm at the hospital. Everyone's okay, but I have to go."
Well. We're all just glad that Zaky is okay. (And that Rhetty and Benny are okay, too.)
In somewhat related news: Our Toyota gave us some trouble over the weekend and we discovered Monday that the reason for the trouble was that our battery was dead. We bought a new battery and are now back in business. For a little bit there, we were wondering what sort of luck this presages for us with automobiles. We haven't had the darn thing a month yet!
This past weekend was very fun. Zak and I went to Salt Lake with his mom and dad and brother Taylor. We spent Saturday afternoon shopping, and then went to a performance of The Messiah that evening at the University of Utah. It was performed by a group called The Oratorios (I think) that our brother-in-law Kurt is in. They did a great job! I always love to hear The Messiah at Christmas time.
We slept over at the Travelodge and went to Music and the Spoken Word on Sunday morning, which was great! The Brett Family Singers from Branson, MO, were the guest singers, and did a wonderful job. All in all, a fun weekend. We were able to enjoy the First Presidency Christmas devotional in Preston, ID, on Sunday evening. I think Zak is the only one who noticed that something was a little funny about the lady screaming "It's a lie! It's all tricks!" right as the program began. Luckily, security took care of her quickly and as discreetly as possible. I guess she (thinks she) is a descendant of Joseph Smith and had some important documents to share. Poor lady.
This week has been action-packed, thus far. We made candy houses Monday night, which is always a treat. It's fun to see what new and crazy designs the Lewis family (and Foster family this year) comes up with. My favorite was Burke's behemoth well-like tower. He made it out of candy, and filled it to the top with candy. Then he sealed it off with frosting that hardens just about like cement, and put more candy on top. It was truly an accomplishment.
Tuesday night was a pick-up-the-laundry (thank you, Barb) and go-to-tithing settlement night. Tonight is a clean-the-house and go-grocery-shopping kind of night. And Alias is on at 9pm. Tomorrow night is our work Christmas party - I am excited for this. Should be fun. That's about all I have for the moment. I hope everyone else is having a good week!

Fewer and further between

That's how my blogs seem to be shaping up. I have not had much time to write lately. I will do better in the future. Well, here's the recap on the month of November for Sarah and Zak in Cache Valley:
We sold our Mazda on the first of the month, thinking we would just drive Zak's 1990 Volvo with 230,000 miles. (That is the correct amount of zeroes behind the "23" in case you were curious.) We thought we were being good and getting out of debt, plus the Volvo has heated seats. Pretty killin', as Zak would say, except for the part where the Volvo broke down the same night we sold the Mazda. We got it fixed a few days later, and it ran like a champ -- for four days. At that point, we went shopping for another car.
We are now the owners of a 2000 Toyota Camry. It's a pretty nice car except for its squeaky brakes, which of course did not squeak during any of the test drives we took. Well, it's functioning fine and getting us from point A to point B, and that is really what matters. Luckily, we owe much less on our new car than we did on the Mazda. To sum up: what a huge learning experience! I miss my Mazda, but I think that we are going to be just fine. Also, I think that Zak will be getting his much longed-for scooter come spring, so we can save money on gas once the weather is a little warmer than it is now!
I think the next big point is Thanksgiving, which took place last week as you all know. Carolyn, Jake, and Nicole came up to Logan from Provo for the big day. We had a great meal, played a pretty fun game of soccer (post-meal... what were we thinking?), and enjoyed seeing Harry Potter 4: The Goblet of Fire. I rather liked the movie. We had a good time visiting and eating crackers and cheese. It was really fun to have them here.
We had our first snow of the season over the weekend. It was pretty light and had mostly melted off by Sunday afternoon, but we got a few inches of snow again yesterday. I fear the cycle will just continue for several months now. Sigh. That's Logan!
On Monday night, I finished my Christmas shopping and shipped off all Christmas presents to out-of-state destinations. I also learned that FedEx does not deliver to P.O. Boxes (DUH) because only the US post office has access to those. What can I say? I just didn't think it through.
In any case, Zak and I are happy and healthy, and couldn't ask for more as we continue through the holiday season. Work has been going well lately, and every semester that goes by is one closer to graduation. Zak and I are both very excited for that day to come!
Well, readers and loved ones, hopefully you are all well, too, and are enjoying your holiday season. I love you guys!

Shamefully overdue

It's been a few weeks since I last blogged and I have no excuse. Just lazy, I guess. Things are going great in Logan. Zak is finishing up the fall semester (well, kind of - there are five and a half weeks left) and is doing well in all of his classes. I am still enjoying work. Nothing too exciting to report.
I guess maybe that's why I haven't written - I have nothing exciting to say. I am looking forward to Christmas and almost have all my shopping done. My plan is always to be done by the last day of November, just so I can enjoy the Christmas season without having to shop during the month of December. I think I am well on my way to achieving that goal this year.
It has been quiet for the last week or so. Rhett, Candyce, Burke, Britt, and Kurt have been in Taiwan. They return late Friday night and Zak is excited to have his best friends back. (We have been enjoying hanging out with Spack, however, during the absence of the other best friends.)
I guess that's about all I have for right now. I'll try to have a more exciting life so that I can write more often.
Wait a minute - I forgot all about Halloween! Here's a little bit about our Halloween 2005: Zak and I carved a pumpkin (the first I can remember doing - Mom, maybe you can correct my faulty memory - did we ever carve pumpkins when I was a kid?) on Saturday night. I have secretly named him Arthur and am very proud of how he turned out. (Zak gave him some wicked cool eyebrows.) He is still sitting on our front porch, despite Zak's penchant for smashing pumpkins on Halloween night. Thank goodness. Halloween night was a fun night - we went to Zak's parents' house and then went to a neighbor's to get donuts. Yum! After that, we brought my bookcase back to our house! It is beautiful, and looks fabulous in our front room. (Thank you Larry and Barb!) I am so excited that I have been able to unpack my books and use my lovely bookends (thank you Zaky)!
As we were getting ready for bed Monday night, we remembered that Zak had signed up to close up the church that night, so we drove over to the church building (and because it was Monday, it was already all locked and we just had to check the doors - my clever husband was counting on that). We had a race to see who could check more doors. It was pretty fun. Hopefully that wasn't bad to run and be a little rowdy on church grounds. Well, actually, if they let young women play basketball inside the church, there's no reason we can't run around outside the church. There. My conscience is soothed. It was fun. Whew! Am I ever glad I remembered that story! I do have things to say. What a fun surprise.
You guys take care.

The Big 2-7, and still a scaredy cat

It has been a few days since I wrote anything in my blog. I had my birthday last week on Thursday, and it was a good day. Friday night there was a small surprise party for Burke (whose birthday was Oct. 15th) and for me, which was really nice. I was totally not expecting anything like that, so it was fun. We went to a haunted corn maze that night and I did NOT enjoy that. In fact, I was feeling a little sick, so Zak and I took the emergency exit and waited in a nearby building for the others to emerge. Yikes. I didn't like being chased by guys in masks who had chainsaws. Call me crazy...
Anyway, the weekend was nice. It was calm and quiet. This week at work has been busy and it's now beginning to slow down a little. I don't have too much else to report. No more falls or anything like that, which is good.
Hope you are all doing well and that you are happy.

The Weekend

Friday night Zak and I went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and enjoyed it. There were some noisy kids in the row in front of us and I shushed them, as I am wont to do when someone is annoying in a public place such as a movie theater. Only after I shushed them did I realize that I closed a loan with the parents a couple of weeks ago while the kids ran around my desk screaming and shoved crayons down the vent by my desk. Weird. I guess you just never know, do you?
Saturday morning (well, okay, it was actually afternoon by the time we got up and got ready, but it's Saturday, right?) we went to the temple, which was nice. The afternoon was laundry time, which went surprisingly fast this time for some reason, and Zak played Halo with his brothers until about 10:30pm. I read my book until it was time to go. I was rather impressed at the time--usually when Halo is involved, it's the wee hours before I get to go home. They have a projector in the basement and use one of the basement walls for the screen. It covers the whole wall! Crazy. But fun for them.
Sunday I had a little adventure I like to call "falling down." I was trying to shave my legs (eww, gross, I know) and was bracing one leg against the wall. My other leg slipped in the tub and in trying to catch myself, I fell backwards out of the tub, bringing down the shower curtain and spraying shaving cream everywhere. It was a pretty loud thump, but Zak was asleep and so didn't think anything of it...I managed to get myself up off the floor and finish shaving and so on. It was actually kind of funny, now that there's a little time that's passed. I only have one small bruise on my shoulder and am otherwise unharmed. I was in a lot of pain on Sunday, though. Youch!
Yesterday was Columbus Day (celebrated on Wednesday the 12th) and so I had the day off. Hooray!! I slept in a little, got a few errands done, went to a movie by myself, and went shopping. The movie was great! I saw Just Like Heaven with Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. It was a DPS, which in girl-language means it was super-fabulous.
I did a little birthday shopping with some bonus money from work and got a few things for work. My first pant-suit! You know, I had a little mini-epiphany the other day as I drove home from work: I am getting old. I listen to Q92.9 soft rock and I like it. And now I have a pant-suit. Woe is me.
My shopping finds also included one pair of sandals...I know they aren't for work, but they were on clearance for $14.99 (down from $44.99, as if that makes any difference - I sure wouldn't have purchased them at that price!). I have been looking for more dressy brown sandals (they are HARD to find, too--everything is black!) and so I was excited when I found these. It was lovely. Zak and I spent the evening hanging out. I also re-organized the closet and cleaned out some DI items. That's always somewhat liberating, I find.
So that's basically the weekend. I am at work today and feeling good. Not really busy, but that's okay. Tonight is Gilmore Girls and probably early to bed. I am feeling pretty contented with life at the moment. Hopefully you are all feeling the same.

Life

It's Thursday again! Work is quiet, as ever. Tonight is Alias night, which is always an exciting time. I watched the season premiere last week and couldn't believe that Vaughn died! There has to be a way for him to "come back." All the men in Sidney's life always die. How sad. Well...good thing it's not real life, huh? I'll have to invoke rule #4 on myself (which for those who don't know is this: The people on tv shows are not real, so stop talking about them like they are).
I got up this morning and made peach cobbler with some peaches from Larry and Barb's backyard. I didn't have a chance to sample it yet (no vanilla ice cream) but I will when I get home tonight. I also did a LOT of dishes. It's amazing how quickly they pile up and I am also amazed at how often I find myself saying, "I'll do the dishes tomorrow." Then tomorrow never comes (to borrow from Les Miserables). I kept meaning to make the cobbler, too, and it never got done when I got home from work this week or last--the peaches were just barely hanging on, they were SO ripe. I have decided that each day of sitting around doing nothing (or very little) saps all my strenth and motivation. What a sad story.
Anyway, had a little break there to take care of some things, and now I'm back. I don't actually have much more to say. My birthday is one week from today. That's fun! And Monday is a holiday, so I have the day off work. I am going to go see a movie, I think. It's been a while since I went and enjoyed a movie all by myself. If there are any suggestions, please add a comment and let me know!
Hopefully all is well with all of you. Love to hear from all of you....

Brrrrr....

It's cold here! I saw my breath as I walked to the car this morning to go to work. The thermometer in my mirror kept flashing "ICE" on the display this morning. I am not ready for the cold weather. It makes me sad. Why can't we have spring or fall weather the whole year round? That would be perfect!
That's all I have to say today.

Another day, another dollar

Well, it's Friday again. Boy am I glad! This has been a busy week. Last Saturday, Zak and I got up early and went to Taylor's football game in Morgan. That's about twenty minutes east of Layton. Or west. I forget which. Anyway, Tay played a great game, got three touchdowns (even though two were called back for penalties) and had an awesome interception (that led to one of the called-back touchdowns). It was a fun game to watch, and the team won, 28 to 6!!
After the game, we went to Britt and Kurt's for a barbecue (v.g.) and then several of us went rock climbing. I should clarify what I mean when I say "went" rock climbing. I "went" and watched everyone else climb...I decided to forgo the pleasure of actually doing it myself. Zak and I then took off for Provo so that we could be at Carolyn and Jake's open house. Let me tell you, it was junk food HEAVEN. (Translation: MY heaven) The selection of food was so varied and enormous, it was wonderful. There was pizza, Taco Bell tacos/chalupas/etc., Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers from Wendy's, another kind of burger from Wendy's, and loads of chips and cookies and soda. The only sad part is that I have some self-restraint, and limited myself to one burger and a handful of chips.
After we enjoyed the hospitality of Chez Wall... or Kiwanis Park... we met up with my old roommate Jamie and her husband Jeff. We played some games with them for a few hours, and that was rather fun. I learned how to play dominoes for real, keeping points and everything. I rather enjoyed it, and I think Zak did, too. It was also nice to visit with Jamie and Jeff.
Sunday we spent mostly at home, except for going to church, and it was so nice to relax and not do a whole lot. We did go to our ward's Linger Longer after the block of meetings (that was a momentous occasion, as it was the first time we have ever attended a ward activity...baby steps, right?). I had the day off on Monday because I am working Saturday this week. I got so much done! I cleaned my house, and did the laundry, went grocery shopping, and finished some projects I've been working on. I was quite pleased with myself.
That's about all there is to report for the weekend. I did attend the Taste of Home Cooking School on Tuesday night with lots of the girls from Zak's side of the family, and that was really fun. Lots of new recipes to try! It has been a good week, despite being busy. I am looking forward to going home tonight and putting my feet up.
Tomorrow is Taylor's last game of the season (Go, Mountain Crest!) and his birthday. I think it will be a fun-filled day! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

A little under the weather

I'm feeling a little bit sick today. Cold season approaches quickly... I had an IRA training yesterday in SLC and that was good, I guess. Work has been plenty busy today, which has been good, especially as it keeps my mind off of how yucky I am feeling. To all you moms who still get sick and still have to take care of your kids, no matter what, my hat's off to you! I can barely take care of myself when I'm ill, let alone several small kids who are full of energy. Zak just has to fend for himself, poor thing.
I have been eating lots of chicken soup and saltines. Yum. It does make me feel better, though. Well...as fascinating as it must be to read about my illness, I think I'll stop now.
I was going to share something else very important and interesting, I'm sure, but it's left me now. I should probably go help get things closed down. It's about time for that today.
Oh! I know what I was going to write. No one ever comments on my blogs anymore, and that's okay, but I'm wondering if it's because I started getting spam...so I put a secure thing on there so that comment spammers can't just throw all kinds of junk on my blogs. So not very important after all. Ah well.

I'm noticing a trend...

It seems I have the most time to write these blogs on Thursdays. Interesting.
I have had a really slow week at work. I don't know if it's just because school is now in session, or what.
Well, here's the update for the past week:
I can't remember what Zak and I did Friday after I got off work, but Saturday morning, we went to Taylor's football game and enjoyed that. As usual, Tay played well. Saturday afternoon was spent doing laundry. Nothing unusual there.
Sunday we went to church and went over to the folks' for dinner, which was very good.
I am really blanking out. I can't remember what we did on Monday night. I know that Tuesday morning, my parents drove up to Logan from Lehi, where they were staying with my brother Scott and his family. They spent several hours with Zak and me, just talking and enjoying being together. The only not-so-good thing about the visit was that they got a parking ticket! This was really my fault for not knowing that you need a permit to park on the street between 7:30am and 2:30pm. I should've had them pull into my driveway... Darn. Dad is appealing the ticket, so hopefully the Logan Parking Authority will let it slide. We will see.

And now I'm continuing this blog a day later... Kind of ruins my whole "trend" theory, but that's okay. Let me just finish up with a note about our plans for the weekend. Tomorrow morning Taylor has a game in Morgan, Utah, which is close to Ogden--so Zak and I are going to go spend the night at the Lewis house and ride down in the morning with them. Should be fun! I think we'll take our laundry tonight and get it done. That will be quite fabulous! I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

The Weekly Update

Today didn't start off really well. I put on a white shirt this morning, preparing to walk out the door to an early work meeting, and promptly spilled my Carnation instant breakfast down the front of it. If it had been the vanilla flavor, maybe I could've gotten away with wearing the shirt still, but alas, it was the rich milk chocolate flavor and very brown. Then I put on another shirt--this one was too small and I couldn't get it buttoned (time to clean out the old closet). The third shirt I put on was far too wrinkled to wear to work, Zak told me. So then I just gave up and pulled on a t-shirt so that I could get to my early meeting. While I was gone, Zak kindly ironed my shirt so that when I got back I could change quickly and get to work.
The past week has been rather quiet, but I have a few fun things to share from the weekend. Saturday night Zak and I went to the house of a couple in our ward, had a backyard BBQ (v.g. - very good, for those Bridget Jones's Diary afficianadoes out there), and went miniature golfing. This was my first experience with mini-golf, and I quite liked it. We had a good time with James and Juli, and Zak was almost par for the course! It was a par 49 course, and he got 50 (v.g.). I, of course, was more like 62.... (n.v.g.)
Sunday night Zak decided that we needed a little fresh air, so we went for a "walk" around Hyrum Dam in the south end of the valley. Apparently (and unbeknownst to us) the water had been so high earlier in the summer that the pathway around the lake was washed out. We exited the path before we got to that point, however, because anytime we are near a somewhat large body of water, rocks must be skipped. I stink at this, but Zak is very good at skipping rocks. We couldn't find the path again, so we continued our walk along the rocky shore - it has so many rocks that it can't be called a beach. It's just shore. We walked quite a ways around the water to a jutting piece of land called Big Toe. (Looks just like its name.) At this point, it was beginning to get dark, and thunder had been threatening ominously from the other side of the lake for about 20 minutes. We found a way up the back of Big Toe to the road. It was just about straight up, so that was fun and athletic. Good thing Zak has me keep a pair of running shoes in the trunk of the car for occasions just like these - I am almost always to be found in flip flops during warm weather.
We finally got to the road by walking through someone's back yard. Luckily it was pretty big, so no one noticed. As we began the trudge back to the car, it began to rain. We were next to a church building when lightning struck PRETTY close to us. I couldn't begin to estimate how close, but I could smell a burned smell in the air, so that's PRETTY close. We didn't realize the storm was moving so fast! We ran into the building and waited the storm out for a few minutes. Luckily, it was unlocked and we could use the restroom and get some water. Then we finished walking back to the car just as the rain let up. All in all, while not being something I care to repeat, it makes a fun memory.
On Monday Zak and I slept in very late. I love sleeping in, and get to very rarely these days. We went over to Zak's parents' house and did laundry. We also went back into town with Burke and Rhett for a few hours while the laundry was going. We test-rode some beach cruiser bikes (that's the kind I learned on - I'm sure many of my siblings will remember the green bike with the cushy white seat --or denim covered seat-- and pedal brakes) and enjoyed that.
That night, we all watched in amazement as Burke fit 5 (yes, FIVE) McDonald's double cheeseburgers into his mouth at one time. It was without a doubt, the grossest thing I have witnessed in person to this point in my life. But quite amazing, all the same.
Work has been very, very quiet this week. I didn't even close a loan until this morning. I just discovered that an old co-worker from a prior job has been hired at the CU, so I am excited to see her around.
That's about all the news...except that we got cable yesterday!! It's just the basic, ten-dollar-a-month variety, but I am pretty stoked. We haven't had tv at all this first year of marriage. So it will be fun to have that once more.
I hope all of you are doing well and that things are great! Love to hear from you when you have the time.

Gas prices

Gas prices jumped to $2.89 by the time I went home yesterday. I hear they will go above $3.00 a gallon this weekend. That is just too bad.
Work is really busy today! Lots to do, no time to do it all. I work tomorrow also, my first Saturday. I hope it won't be too terribly busy. Have a good weekend everyone!

Another exciting Thursday

Hello again, everyone. I hope all of you are well. It's Thursday and it's been pretty quiet at work. I have to find things to do to amuse myself. I'm not having a lot of success in that department.
It's September! I can't believe how fast the year is flying by. Next thing I know it'll be Christmas! Also, gas prices are making me positively sick. Maverik, the cheapest in the valley, is now up to $2.77 for regular unleaded. It's just not right.
Zak started school again on Monday, and we are both a little overwhelmed at the sheer amount of reading and homework that he has. Regardless, I know he will do just fine. He's such a smart kid! He has two psychology classes (then he's done with his psych minor) and two English classes, and also a general science class. I may have already shared this, I don't remember. The classes sound pretty interesting to me, but I guess that's because I don't have to take them.
It's time for lunch and I am going to have an egg-salad sandwich, courtesy of Zak. What a good husband he is!

Everybody's Working for the Weekend...

...including me! Zak and I had a really good weekend and we're already looking forward to the next one. We went to Taylor's football game Saturday morning (Taylor is Zak's little brother for those who don't know). Mountain Crest didn't win, but Tay played great as a running back. We did laundry on Saturday afternoon -- that's always fun.
We now have early church on Sundays. I really didn't think I would enjoy it, but I do! I like going to church at 9:30 and getting home by 12:45. We made lunch, took a nap, and took it easy. I talked to Nikkol and Janet Sunday evening. That was really fun! It's nice to stay in touch with family. We had some friends from the ward over to play Scattergories. They are a fun couple to hang out with.
Work has been very busy today, and I love it when it's busy. The time goes by so fast!
I'm talking to Zak on the phone as I write this, so I'm going to go so that I can give him my undivided attention...more later!

The Island: The Longest Commercial Ever

Zak and I went to see The Island at the cheap theater last night. While the story was somewhat interesting, the blatant product placement was a little disappointing. The first movie sponsor to show its face was Puma (maker of running shoes, for those of you who don't share my immense love of foot couture). Then came a string of additional sponsors: Aquafina, X-Box, MSN Search, Dodge, Honda, Hummer, Chrysler, and many others. There was even a part of the movie where I thought I was literally watching a commercial. Picture a close up of a blue and white bottle. You can read the label clearly (though I no longer remember what it said, so I guess it wasn't that effective) for about ten seconds, and then the actor comes along and picks up the bottle and the commercial's over.
Anyway, that was how we spent our evening--going to the movie and then to the grocery store.
Today work is very quiet (not unusual). I wish I had more exciting stuff to say! That's about all. I hope everyone's having a great day!

Back to Business

The wedding in St. Louis went well. I had a fun time hanging out with family, seeing friends, canoeing on the Current River.... It's also good to be back at home and at work. I missed Zak a LOT, so it is nice to be back. On both flights, the one out and the one back, it was SO crowded on the plane. That is never fun. I sat in the middle of the row both times and had to be sure I wasn't invading anyone else's space. I read a few of the books that Zak will have to read for his Young Adult Lit class this fall. They were pretty good.
This morning I have been busy at work, catching up on everything that needs catching up on. I am doing great on my quarterly goals, so that is a blessing.
Tonight will be a laundry and grocery shopping night. I am excited! I hope you are all having a good day.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

In just a few hours, I will be on my way to St. Louis! I am leaving work in just a couple of minutes. It was a quiet morning, which was wonderful. I am excited for the wedding and to see family and friends. It's time to go. I will try to post while I'm in St. Louis, but I don't know how much time I'll have. I'll miss those of you in Utah (especially my Zaky), and hello to those of you in St. Louis!!