3rd times a charm!

3rd viewing and still ready for more!

What happens in Vegas....

What an awesome trip we had! Thanks mom and dad for the fabulous time in Vegas...I think it should be a new tradition every year!

In the car on the way to the airport...all the excitement!

Turns out my drivers license was expired so I'm lucky they let me go. I just had to go through all the extra security. We arrived in sunny Las Vegas...I mean RAINY Las Vegas on Wednesday the 26th. We got checked in to our hotel room (at the Tuscany...SUPER nice place and just a block off the strip!) and proceeded to find a place to eat. We ended up at the Rio for the buffet and it was delicious! After dinner we decided to go check out Fremont Street in downtown Vegas. It was pretty fun with the light show on the ceiling but not much going on because of all the rain. After walking Fremont St. we headed back to the hotel for some Black Jack. I LOVE this game!! I think Blair gets a little worried when I walk into a casino. He's not a big fan of gambling so all my gambling balances us out. But I actually did pretty well and ended up coming home on top of what I started with.

Dad and Jenna enjoying the rain on Fremont Street.

On Thanksgiving Day we got up, hit the casino again, and then headed over to the Mandalay Bay for the Shark Reef. It was so fun. I was so excited to go because I was watching the Discovery Channel during Shark Week and they said that the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay had one of only two Hammer Head sharks in captivity. So I'm all excited to see this hammer head shark and what do you know...it died!! Bummer...but it was still really fun and I would recommend it to anyone hitting Vegas.

We stayed there at the Mandalay Bay for Thanksgiving Dinner and I swear I've never seen more crab legs eatin' in all my life! Dad, Chad and Blair did a number on those things! After dinner we went back to the hotel and changed so we could go to the show that I couldn't wait another minute to see....PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

Anyone that knows me well knows that I have a special place in my heart for this show. My Grandma Dalton took me to see it at the Capital Theater when it came out from Broadway and I've loved it ever since! Well, this show at the Venetian did not disappoint. Even though I'd already seen it before it was still AMAZING!!! I'm in awe of all the staging. It's beyond imagination. I haven't stopped listening to the soundtrack since I got home. So needless to say it was the HIGHLIGHT of the trip for me!

Friday morning we headed out to see the Hoover Dam. We took the "Dam tour" and spent lots of time looking over the "dam" side. Well, I don't like bridges very much and I did pretty well on this "dam" one for the most part. After a half hour looking down and hoping that some crazy didn't come throw me over the"dam" edge (being vulnerable like that makes you watch all the peeps around you to make sure they're not going to do something crazy!!) I was feeling the panic/anxiety attack coming on...so we took off to do some shopping at all the outlets. Ahh, shopping...it always seems to calm me down. :)

So we did a bit of shopping and then we went down to the Stratosphere to ride the big shot. I've done this before and thought it would be no big deal doing it again. Well, on my way up in the long elevator ride I was beginning to second guess this decision. Lucky for me we got to the top and waited in line for about 5 minutes when the ride was cancelled due to HIGH winds. I mean HIGH winds...I thought I might blow right through the fence and off the top of that thing. So they refunded our money and we headed to New York, New York to ride the roller coaster. Before we got there we ate and I wasn't feeling great so I decided to bypass the ride since I'd done it before anyway. So Dad and I went and hung out in the Harley Davidson shop so Dad could drool and say his prayers that he would get a motorcycle someday!! Basically we spent the rest of the evening bumming around the strip and hitting up the casino.

After flying back to SLC on Saturday we went to see the lights on Temple Square and they were beautiful as always. But there were way to many people so we made our way back to the hotel. We stayed at the Little America Towers and this is by far my favorite hotel! It's super fancy so it's fun to stay there every once in awhile. Sunday morning we ate way to much at the Sunday Brunch at Little America. Super good...although I vowed I was never eating again after this trip and I would be spending the rest of my life on a treadmill!

Viva Las Vegas

We're heading to Vegas baby! We fly out tomorrow morning with my family and hopefully we'll catch some sun and not just rain as the forecast predicts! It's going to be so nice to get out of town and take a break! Hope you all have a fabulous Thanksgiving.

Edward Junkie

Just needed my daily Edward fix...Thanks Jenna!!

This is also my favorite part of the movie...super hot!!

Once again...

So I just got home from my second viewing of Twilight. I'm already making plans to see it again Monday. I don't know if I'll be able to wait until the DVD comes out! It was fun the second time because I was over the unknown and I noticed more things. Like did anyone else notice that Stephanie Meyer made an appearance? I thought that was pretty cool. I also could study the other characters a little better because I wasn't just so focused on Edward...well okay, I was still focused on Edward! I really like Jasper for some reason...he just played out a little more for me this time. I'm just fascinated by all the Cullens. I wish I could pause the movie and just check them out! My favorite part is still when Edward drives Bella to school and they walk across the parking lot...the sunglasses are too much! I love it...

Anxiously awaiting midnight on Thursday!

All the ladies waiting for the much anticipated unveiling on Thursday night

And I actually couldn't help myself...I thought he was real!! :) It's a good thing that it was 2:30 am and the only people around were on the same page!

PS I bought the soundtrack on iTunes and it's AMAZING!! I love it, I haven't been able to stop listening to it. So I highly recommend it!

Where do I even begin.....

"That night was the first night I dreamed of Edward Cullen...."

Really, seriously...I got home at 3 am and couldn't sleep because I just kept thinking about EVERYTHING in the movie...and how irrevocably in LOVE I am with Edward!!! (wink!wink!)

There are about 3 things I am absolutly positive of....one, I loved every minute of it...two, I thought it was perfectly made...and three, I can't wait to see it again (SOON!!).

Last night I headed out to the Twilight midnight showing. I haven't stayed up that late in a LONG time...but it was very worth it. My very good friend Becky bought me tickets for my birthday (thanks Becky! How will I ever repay you for the time of my life!?) so we made our way through the theater and luckily got the best seats in the house. It was CRAZY...people were running all over the place trying to find seats. I won't write much here about specifics because I'm sure there are a lot of you out there that haven't seen it yet. But here are a few of my thoughts....

The Cullens...beautiful people. When I first saw pictures of who was playing Edward I was unsure if he would meet the expectations I've had in my head of Edward. But it quickly went away as he first entered the scene. He was the PERFECT Edward!! Totally how I imagined him. I also thought they did a great job at matching up the other Cullens. As each one entered, Becky and I kept leaning over to each other and saying "That's totally who I imagined!!" All the characters were pretty close to what I had envisioned. Really the only thing that was really different from how I imagined it while reading was the Cullen's home. It's very modern...not what I had pictured...but it still works. Some of the things that are said are word for word from the book. My favorite, favorite line is when Edward tells Bella "You're like my own personal brand of Heroin"...I loved it in the book and it sounds great in the movie!

Okay, without giving anything away....this was the most amazing scene in the movie!! It was super hot and I wanted it to keep going! Only, I wished it was me there playing Bella. Watch for this scene....you'll love it! So much tension!!

After watching this, I kept wondering how they would make the 4th book into a movie? But after seeing Bella and Edward together...I'm so excited for the 4th movie!!

Over all I give this two thumbs up times a million! There's no question...I WILL be seeing this again, possibly a few more times, before it leaves the theater. THEN...I'll be first in line to buy the DVD and spend the rest of my life watching it over and over and over!!! :) WOW...sounds obsessive but I can't help it....I'm so excited about this.....I can't get enough. All I can say is that movie two better be in the works because Twilighters won't be able to wait very long!

Picture Tag

Here's my picture tag....a canoe trip down the Big Springs in Island Park Summer of '07 with Blair, Garrett and Shelly. This was Gibson's first canoe trip, and he loved it! Except for the fact that he couldn't stand being that close to the water and not swimming. He jumped out twice in the beginning and I had to jump in and get him...luckily he only weighed about 50 lbs. then...now it would be quite a treat trying to get a 120 lb. dog to stay put in a canoe!

I can't believe he was that little...oh, my little baby! He's a monster now! We took a few breaks on the way down so he could get in and swim around. Once he gets in the water it's impossible to get him out...he loves it! We also take him in the fishing boat...but it's bigger and easier to keep him in. He usually just lays down and chills the whole time! Can ya tell he's kinda spoiled!?

I tag Jana, Shelly, Shamae and Kyra

Happy Birthday!!

27 years old....that SOUNDS old! Only 3 more years to 30!! That's the weirdest thing to wrap my head around. Blair did a smashing job making my day fabulous this year. I came home to find the living room decorated and a homemade (well, from a box) cake with 27 candles. To fun! Then he took me to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and then he told me we could do anything I wanted to do. It didn't take much though...I wanted to go to Costco! (It just opened last week and I've already been twice!!) So we went to Costco and bummed around. It was fun to just spend some time together...it's been crazy lately and it seems like there just aren't enough hours in a day!

My good friend also stopped by with a birthday gift (which Ms. Hailey, you did not need to do!)...and I love my new ipod headphones and photo albums. I got some money from the folks...thanks mom and dad!! I got a mall gift card from the in-laws...thanks Bri and Lori! Shelly took me out for a girls afternoon complete with lunch at Chili's and pedicures. Shelly, you're a life saver...I needed a day of pampering! Blair got me a new Nikon Coolpix camera and I LOVE IT!! It's so nice! He also gave me a gift certificate (he also made that) good for one craft room! I'm so excited. He's going to fix up the room downstairs and turn it into a craft place for me! YAY!!!! I asked him how soon I could cash that in...I'm so pumped about it I don't know if I can wait! It was a great birthday...even if it did put me one year closer to 30! Thanks everyone!! I love you all!!

Carving Pumpkins

On Sunday we spent the evening with Garrett and Shelly carving pumpkins. It was so much fun...although I don't remember it being so hard! It must have been because when I was little after getting our fill of playing with the pumpkin guts, mom and dad took care of the cleaning. We had lots of laughs and ended with tons of pumpkin seeds to cook up.

This is mine...I'm so artistic!

Just a little shot of Blair's and mine out on the step that night. It's been lots of years since I've done this and I forget how fun it is to light them up at nights!

Posing with my masterpiece! I'm so proud!

WOW...the resemblance is uncanny. It's amazing how accurate he got that!

Just a pic of our front step. Thanks mom and dad for the super cute tiny straw bales and the pumpkins from the garden.

And just a little kiss goodnight. I was somewhat worried that some evil little devil may come by and steal them and horrifically smash them in the road...but so far my little pumpky is safe and sound. I remember one Halloween when I worked to hard to paint a pumpkin (it even had yarn for hair) and some super mean kids came and smashed it in the road...right in front of me! The tears immediately started pouring and my dad immediately started to scream and them and chase them down the street. It couldn't have been a pretty sight when he caught them! Thanks dad...for not letting my pumpkin die in vain!

Who Shot the Sheriff?

So we had the awesomest time at our friends on Saturday for a murder mystery dinner. Brody and Katie put on quite the party. It was a wild west theme and took place in Lil's Lucky Saloon (aka their living room decorated like a saloon). I was Lily White, Saloon owner. So I got to read this cute little script for welcoming everyone and then all of the sudden...BANG! BANG! and here goes;
Lily (me): "Oh no...it's the Sheriff....he's been shot and killed and he's fell from the balcony!"
And so proceeded the mystery of who done it?



Blair was Woody Box, undertaker and part owner in the local grave digging business. Apparently, since the sheriff came into town and cleaned it up business has been a bit slow for Woody...not to many people dying in shoot outs anymore. That dang sheriff....messin' with Woody's business...could this be motive for shootin' the sheriff?



Lily White, who was having a passionate affair with the sheriff until he recently dumped her for a dancer in Lil's saloon, that little hussy Scarlet Oh'LahLah. Lily is now heartbroken...she loved that sheriff! Could this be motive for Lily to off the Sheriff?

This is the super cute table that Blaze F. Glory (aka Katie) had set up for dinner. I thought that the pie tins we the perfect touch. Not to mention the moonshine (water) and root beer. We ate white chicken chili with tortilla chips...and it was delicious! Katie...I need to recipe! We also had

some great homemade biscuits with the tastiest Miller Cinnamon Honey Butter.

Here's all of our clues to figure out who shot the sheriff...turns out the sheriff had some pretty good secrets he was keeping. It could be anyone at the party!!

Here's the fearless group of detectives. The banker Ace Lender (aka Brody) shot the sheriff. Turns out, the sheriff had robbed a bank a while back and hide the money under the bankers name in Dodge City Bank. If anything were to happen to the sheriff, 90% of the money was to go to the sheriff's mother and 10% was for the banker for taking care of the money. I guess ole' Ace got a little greedy and decided to get rid of the sheriff and keep all the money for himself...since he's the only one that knew it existed.



Looks like Lily got over that sheriff and all his tomfoolery pretty quickly and took up with Woody Box. I mean, who really can resist that mustache?

The party was GREAT...we had a wonderful time and decided maybe we needed to do one of those as well. And, I think we had just as much fun putting together our costumes as we did at the party.

Sweetheart Tag

WHAT IS YOUR HUSBANDS NAME ? Blair Derek Goldade

HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN MARRIED ? almost 3 years

HOW LONG DID YOU GUYS DATE ? ABOUT A YEAR!

HOW OLD IS HE ? 27

WHO IS TALLER? um, Blair (6'6)

WHO CAN SING BEST ? Probably me...only when i'm alone driving or in the shower!!

WHO IS SMARTER ? I think we both think we're smarter than the other

WHO DOES LAUNDRY ? mostly ME...Blair doesn't quite understand the idea of "sorting colors"

WHO PAYS BILLS ? mostly me...he helps sometimes

WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED ? Well, if you're laying the bed Blair does, but if you're looking at the bed...I do!! =)

Who mows the lawn? both of us. Neither one of us minds doing it.

Who cooks dinner ? ME...sometimes...not as much as I should

Who is 1st to Admit there wrong? Were both pretty stubborn, but he usually comes crawling back first!

Who kissed who first? Blair kissed me first

Who wears the pants? I like to make Blair think that he does...but we all know the wife does when it comes down to it!

Another FAB Retreat & Oh, yeah...opening day for hunting season...yipee!?

It was time again for the scrapbooking retreat at Red Moose Lodge in Eden, UT. This time Hailey, Andrea, McKenzie and I headed out with a suburban packed with totes of scrapin' stuff. But the trip wouldn't be complete without some shopping! We left Friday morning so we'd have plenty of time to shop before heading to the lodge. Let's just say by the time all the shopping was complete on Saturday, you couldn't see out the back of the burb!! We crammed the back of that vehicle over every square inch! It was so much fun...

Here's our table as we're getting started...it didn't stay this orderly for even a second. We got tons of projects done...along with lots of eating and talking!! We only made it to 12:30 am before our brains were dead and we couldn't think anymore.

Here's Hailey showing a bit of her mad skills. This girl can whip out cards like nothing else.

We decided to dine at the Mayan after we left the retreat on Saturday. Hailey hadn't ever been so we had to give her the experience. It was actually better food this time than the last time I was there, and you gotta love the divers!

The retreat was awesome...but I must admit...the highlight of this trip is that I got to go to IKEA for the first time! It was crazy fun...I wanna go again ASAP! I loved it.

It worked out great that the retreat fell on that weekend because Blair spent his weekend hunting (of course) since it was opening season. He didn't get anything which means...I continue to be a "hunting widow" until the end of the season or until he gets one. He said "Well, I saw a lot of 2 points...but I'm waiting for a monster!" I say "Just shoot the 2 point and let's be done!"...until bear season anyway! I almost wonder if he doesn't shoot one the first day on purpose so he can keep going? I think these boys have figured that out. He did get snowed on though...thanks to the snowmobile trailer (sleeping quarters) and a wood stove they stayed warm, while at camp at least.

To good to be true!!

At our house Friday nights are TACO nights. It's just something my mom always did when we were growing up (probably cause they were quick and everyone was so busy!)...so I made that a tradition in our home too. And lately, I've been craving chicken tacos like crazy. So TACO nights have gone from Fridays to whatever night I can do them! They are so good! Wow...just looking at these pictures makes me want one NOW!! They're quick and easy so it makes it nice for evenings when I get home from work and haven't planned anything for dinner.


Step #1: I usually fry some chicken in olive oil and just season with salt and pepper. Then, fry up some corn tortillas and smear with sour cream. Load up with chicken (shredded).


Step #2: Smother with Herdez Verde sauce (green salsa, but the Herdez brand is best!)...the layer with some shredded cheese.


Step #3: Squeeze fresh limes (usually one slice with do a couple tacos) and top it off with lettuce and tomatoes (except I don't like tomatoes, I leave those off!)...and EAT!!

I can usually out eat Blair on Taco nights....I love them that much!! They are by far and away my favorite food!! If you give em' a try, let me know what you think!

Halloween Fun

So, last Sunday I spent the evening dancing to Thriller (yes-I know the whole dance!) and getting the house decked out for Halloween...one of my favorite times of year. I don't know if I like it so much because it's super fun or because it means my birthday is coming?! The older I get though, I start to think not so much the birthday but all the yummy candy! We're going through Cinnamon Devils like none other!! Next to Christmas, Halloween is my favorite for decorating. I keep telling Blair that I need a bigger house...I'm running out of decorating room and wall space! He says that means I need to stop buying stuff...what does he know!?

This year I got some new witch stuff that is so cute because it's a lot of glitter and purple...a nice addition to only black and orange. There's also a lot of "wicked witch from the east" stuff with the red and white striped socks. It's super cute!



Basically for the next three months the decor in our house changes often. We go from Halloween to fall and Thanksgiving to CHRISTMAS!!! I think it's an addiction that I have for home decor...I can't seem to stop!

Brake for Breakfast

Wow! I'm kinda behind on bloggin...it's been a busy couple weeks. On October 1st Portneuf and the the hospital co-op held the 9th annual Brake for Breakfast. It's an awesome event that helps spread the word on breast cancer and health awareness. We figured that we had 2,000 people drive through this year. It's held on the hospital campus and there's a drive through where people can come get free breakfast, a packet of TONS of information on upcoming events and breast cancer awareness, and a cute pink cosmetic bag with a pink ribbon magnet for their car and a pink ribbon lapel pin. There were a few of us on the committee that planned and organized the event. That event alone kept me extremely busy for a couple months but I was proud to be a part of it. My morning started bright and early at 4 am. Well, actually not to bright that time of the morning...as you can see we were still in the dark when the event started at 7 am. The radio station came and did a live broadcast with lots of interviews from Oncologist and breast cancer survivors. That's me with Paul Anderson, the DJ for the morning show. He's a super cool guy and it was fun working with him that morning! All in all, it was a huge success. I was pretty fortunate to be a part of it. They were hinting that next year it may be MY event...I'm feeling a little sick about it already. It will be the 10th annual event so it's gonna have to be big...i'm already thinking of some fun stuff to do. We'll have to wait and see.

TAG...you're it!

I saw this on my friend Garianne's blog and loved it...so I STOLE it!!

I am: WOMAN!!

I think: about how I'm not ready for winter but I love this fall weather.

I know: how to do the Thriller dance.

I want: to go to IKEA and a new IPOD.

I have: a love for shopping!

I dislike: eating anything that lives in the water.

I miss: Grey's Anatomy...one more week!

I fear: snakes and spiders.

I feel: like going to ColdStone.

I hear: the Pussycat Dolls song "When I grow up" on my Itunes.

I smell: my Scentsy...Skinny Dippin' is my fav.

I crave: Senior Iguanas enchiladas.

I cry: When I watch the Notebook, P.S. I Love You and Oprah (sometimes).

I usually: like to stay up late and sleep in, although it doesn't happen often since I do this thing called WORK!!

I search: for house plans.

I wonder: If palm readers know what they're talking about...I hope so cause I've got some good things heading my way! =)

I regret: not going to the cabin as much this year.

I love: My Family and my doggy so much.

I care: about all my friends.

I always: love to buy totes, post-it notes, sharpies and ORGANIZE everything.

I worry: about getting our 3 month supply of food storage together.

I am not: messy.

I remember: being sequestered on jury duty...not fun!

I believe: in Santa!!

I dance: to Footloose weekly...and Michael Jackson songs too!

I sing: when I'm alone...no one wants to hear that!

I don't always: keep up on my scrapbooking.

I argue: with Blair for drinking my Red Bull!!

I write: Lists...I can't function without a daily list.

I win: never.

I lose: when I buy lottery tickets.

I wish: I was on a beach in Fiji.

I listen: To my IPOD.

I don't understand: how there can be no end to space...if I think about it to long I go crazy.

I can usually be found: Working.

I am scared: when I'm at the office at night by myself.

I need: more money!

I forget: to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer!

I am happy: when I'm with my family.



Tag, you're it!! Jana, Aricca and Shelly

Poison

WOW....you gotta love it when a band from the 80's can still make you rock 20 years later! We had a totally RAD night taking in the Poison concert this year at the Eastern Idaho State Fair. Bret Michaels, C.C. Deville, Rikki Rockett and Bobby Dall put on quite the show. I immediately wanted to rush home and play Guitar Hero after watching CC at the strings, and he truley helped coin the phrase "hair band"...he had the best hair of any rockstar ever! Many of you know that I was, in fact, raised on a steady dose of Guns N' Roses, Lynard Skynard, Bon Jovi and Poison, just to name a few. So I was overjoyed at the thought of getting to see Poison live. Plus, although somewhat embarrassing to admit, I'm a HUGE Rock of Love with Bret Michaels fan. And you're all in luck...season 3 starts in January. Yes, you heard me...you can get your fill of white trash, rocker chicks in just a few short months! Once I passed along the exciting news to dad, he for sure was in for a night of rock...mom came too, although she was not as thrilled. She did get a kick out of how old those guys looked...cocaine doesn't seem to age a person real well. But with lots of makeup, heavy on the eyeliner, they can put up a front! Chad & Jenna also came and while I think they enjoyed themselves, I don't think they fully appreciated the coolness of this moment. Garrett and Shelly also got in on the action with us and had a great time. I will admit, the next day I felt like my ears were bleeding...they ached to bad! Talk about feeling like your getting old. I vowed to never attend another concert unless I had a get set of ear plugs!



I just couldn't keep my butt in my seat...especially during Unskinny Bop...but then again who can?