2009

So I've been reading some Facebook statuses of various friends and family today, and I saw a bunch that said something like "2009 was the worst year ever! Can't wait for 2010!". While I can't say that 2009 was the greatest year of all time, I think it had its highlights. We had a lot to be thankful for, so I'm choosing to focus on the positive in a year that was a downer for so many...

So in no particular order, here's a few of our memorable moments!

We finally got our puppy Bindi (you know, the one we had named before we were engaged!)!!


Speaking of pets, we were the proud foster parents of an adorable little duckling named Tweakers. She is currently living at Gilcrease Bird Sanctuary and doing great!


We both left jobs we had been with for three years for some new experiences. Judd's been having fun at ICM where he's working on the new pool nightclub for the Wynn, and I started my internship at Channel 8 on Monday! I love it so much, especially since all I have to do is ask, and they'll let me go on an interview or whatever!


Shows we saw include U2, Wicked, and we're seeing Flogging Molly on Saturday!


I learned auburn is a fantastic color for my hair, how to Photoshop, how to ride a motorcycle, train a dog, work a professional video camera, edit videos, and cook a turkey.


Judd learned that Blu-Ray looks better than DVD, patience, how to shoot, how to protect his 2nd Amendment Rights, and how to be a super shopper.


We became fans of Smiths, the Atomic Dogs team (which Bindi will be joining at the end of January!) America's Next Top Model, Buffalo Wild Wings, Phur Lovesac covers, Town Square, clean apartments, and Windows 7.


We were amused by Balloon Boy, saddened at the loss of Michael Jackson, avoided getting the Swine Flu, and survived the Great Recession.


We celebrated our one year anniversary and plan on celebrating many more!


We hope 2010 will be rewarding and our hard work will pay off. And that our dog will be better behaved. And that we'll eat better and work out more. And that we'll find a better place to live. And that I'll graduate and Judd can start on finishing his degree. And that we'll be better at keeping in touch with people we love.


And that your year is great!

Our Christmas Puppy Became a Thanksgiving Puppy!

Bindi has arrived!!!!

We went to Utah for Thanksgiving this year. I was wistfully hoping we would bring back our girl a bit early, because who wants to make that drive twice this time of year (snow and deer hazards?!?!?)? I had been diligently searching KSL (a fancier Craig's List for Utah) for a border collie puppy everyday hoping Bindi would pop out at me somewhere. There were so many different litters to go through. We made the drive up to Highland hoping we could find a few to at least look at, but we didn't have a litter we were really super excited about. On Thanksgiving morning, I came across an ad for a litter of puppies in Cedar Fort with this picture:

I was sincerely hoping the 8-week old cutie in the middle was still available...and she was! We visited her that night and fell in puppy love. Her mom and dad were both on site and we got to play with them. They were total outdoor farm dogs. I was a bit hesitant at first because the daddy dog came running at us with a limp and I worried he had hip issues. But as he got closer, I realized he only had three legs, and his owners explained he lost a leg in a cougar trap. They were both gorgeous dogs so I'm hoping Bindi will be too. My mom and Sam came too and approved of the newest family member.

We spent Black Friday looking for puppy supplies instead of electronics (but we did get a killer deal on a Phur Lovesac cover!!!). We picked up Bindi on Saturday. I kind of felt like a jerk taking her from her mom and dad, but I hope she got over it quick enough.

After an eventful night at various homes of Judd's relatives, we were ready to take Bindi on the six-hour drive home. For being such a young pup, I think she did pretty good!

So now we've had our little (for now!) puppy for a little over a week, and she's been doing great! She is so smart and lovable and pretty much potty-trained. Here's a few highlights of our week thus far... (I feel like such a proud parent; since I don't have a baby to post pictures of, you get my dog!

First bath (highlight for us, not neccesarily her!

Getting into trouble (it's a good thing puppies have such cute and forgivable faces...)

AND attending her first flyball event! Bindi can't officially compete until she is a year old, but she will start training with the Atomic Dogs in a few months! They invited us to a tournament and let us work some of the other dogs on the team. I keep saying this, but as much as I love baby puppy Bindi, I can't wait for her to be big enough to compete in sports!

Opportunitiy Hits!

Judd has been looking for change in his career field for a while while I've been looking for an internship with a news channel. Last week, both of those opportunities presented themselves on the same day! Channel 8 called me, and ICM called Judd. We both had interviews (I was super-thrilled to finally have an excuse to buy an awesome suit!), and we both got the jobs! We're really excited, even though it means we'll have to move again (third time in a year and a half, gotta love it!) just to be a bit closer to our new jobs. We can't wait to start! It's a nice feeling to be able to escape this rut we've felt like we've been in job-wise lately. I don't say it often, but I feel we have been blessed.

We're EXPECTING!!!!!!

...a PUPPY!!!


Ha ha, I know what you were thinking there!

This blog may be a bit premature, but we are like 99.9% for sure (as in we better, lol) finally getting our little Bindi for Christmas! She will be a border collie, much like the one that introduced Judd and I two years ago. We've become rather attached to the breed, especially after having said border collie Nel come stay with us several times in our home.

We've seriously had our future dog planned out since before we were engaged. We are so excited to be parents to the breed of dog considered the most intelligent. This is the type of dog that people do agility training and flyball sports with. I've been (slightly) obsessively going on KSL every day to find the perfect pup for us.

Of course every time I announce our puppy plans, everyone has to jump on the Rescue Bandwagon and make sure we are planning on adopting our puppy from an animal shelter. And I would LOVE to do that…except that our lack of a fenced backyard is preventing shelters from wanting to adopt out to us. Our complex has nice grassy areas and we're active people so I don't feel we're cheating the dog out of anything, but I understand why the shelters have to have these rules. I understand the concern everyone has and I'm always recommending rescuing as opposed to spending hundreds of dollars on a puppy-mill product.

So our plan is to buy a pup from Utah that was farm-raised and just needs a good home. There's so many on this website that people bought that they now can't have anymore for whatever reason, or some that are in "oops" litters. I'd like to see the dog's parents if at all possible to look for good health and behavior traits.

It's been awhile since I've had a dog. I miss my Sadie so much, but I can't wait to make new memories with our little Bindi!

U2 Concert!!!

Judd and I went to the AMAZING U2 concert last Friday!!! U2 has been my favorite band since I was 14. This was my second time seeing my favorite Irish boys and Judd's first time. It was absolutely incredible and well worth the 4 year wait from the last time I saw them. The stage was 160 feet tall and brought to Vegas on 120 semi-trucks. The Black Eyed-Peas opened up for them which was fun (except when they started talking).

We made some friends at the show that were crazy U2 fans like myself, so it was fun to sit by people who could sing and dance to the more obscure songs. Unfortunately, some old people (and there were a lot of those, but considering U2 has been around 25ish years, not too surprising)came and kicked the cool fans out of their seats, claiming they were theirs. The old people insisted on smoking and drinking and continually getting up and leaving DURING U2 to get more stuff to fuel their addictions. I gave up on them and invited the cool U2 fans to come back and sit with us. Turns out they were right about those seats being their seats the whole time!

But anyways, as I told Judd before the show, a U2 concert is like going to a religious revival. Bono is seriously one of the most enlightened person and you can just feel how he is connecting to the audience through the strong messages in the songs (and no, he wasn't totally political, even though Bill Clinton was in the crowd). As crazy as it sounds, going to a U2 concert borders on a spiritual experience because as enthralling and exhilarating as the show is, I know I at least felt cleansed afterwards. But I'm a huge fan so maybe it's just me =D.

They sang all my favorites and the new songs, but the best, BEST moment of the show was FINALLY seeing my FAVORITE song in the universe live. They didn't play it last time which was slightly disappointing, but this time, they finally played "With or Without You" as the closing song. Bono came out in this crazy laser jacket that shot red beams across the field and sang "Ultraviolet Light" before melting into the most hauntingly beautiful song ever in my opinion. SO PERFECT!

Other highlights: welding "Amazing Grace" with "Where the Streets Have No Name"; "Viva Las Vegas", "Elevation"; the feeling that the stage was going to blast off at any moment, and all four of them giving each other these cute manly hugs at the end. I appreciated it because they're not going to break up, EVER (they better not!).

So if you ever get the chance to go, GO to a U2 concert!

A Long Overdue Update

Who else votes that Judd should take a turn at this blog? It might get written in more often!
So for those who Blog spot-stalk us...


1) We went to see Wicked in San Diego for our 1st anniversary! I've been slightly obsessed with this show since I was 17, so to finally see it in person was on the amazing side! We had amazing seats on the balcony and I was in heaven the whole time. Judd thought he was going to hate it, but he found it to be funny and clever. He still hasn't committed to downloading my CD on his phone, but he at least can hum the songs.

2) Other highlights from our San Diego trip include Sea World, pretty hotel (Westin), Busters (my favorite restaurant there!), fun car trip, chance to wear hot dress that got tons of compliments, and BEACH! Only low light: having to do homework half the trip =(

3) Molly and Mike got married! Judd's baby sister (he's having such a hard time with this) married Mike September 5. We had a crazy weekend setting everything up, but it was fun, especially the part when us ladies escaped to do nails and eat at the Cheesecake factory.

4) School started for me. This is the most ridiculous schedule I've ever had, but I'm starting to figure it out. I still love Broadcast (thank goodness, I can't handle another major change!) and now I work for UNLV-TV. Today was my first actual paying broadcasting job which was way fun! The lecture I had to help film was boring as heck, but filming it and hanging out with my new team was great.

5) Judd is now the second counselor in the Young Men's as well as a Scout Leader. So he's basically the coolest guy for all the young dudes.

6) Wholphin, my car, got hit by a suicidal deer, and has not been the same ever since. I came this close to being able to write him off and get the Celica of my dreams, but alas, Wholphin is here to stay. My insurance paid for all the body work, but I think the ghost of the deer is still haunting Wholphin because bad things such as rotten batteries and broken alternators keep happening.

7) Shows we're watching: House (who doesn't love House?), America's Next Top Model (slightly addicting), Glee (GLEE!!!!), Malcom in the Middle reruns (I forgot how hysterical that show is), and Gossip Girl. Ok, I'm really the only one watching Gossip Girl. I talked up Gossip Girl to Judd and tried to explain how clever the plot is, but he watched one episode featuring Hilary Duff and gave up. I don't blame him, I almost gave up on it too after that episode!

8) We're dieting. Well, kind of. We're just trying to eat better and exercise more. We're not fatties by any means, but we want to really feel in shape while we're young and can. I have felt so unhealthy lately (well, with this stupid flu I've been recovering from for over a week now I have been!), so I really want to change some lazier eating habits. It's funner to home cook a meal then to get Arby's or Little Caesar's, right?

9) Upcoming events we're looking forward to: Ren Fair, BYU-UNLV football game, and of course, U2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 year!!!!!!!!!!

I am so ridiculously behind on blogging our life story. I still need to write about our dangerous escapade into the Narrows and our run-in with a ferocious deer that severly injured my car.

BUT...

WE'VE BEEN MARRIED A WHOLE YEAR!!!!

I still cannot believe it's been that long! I still feel completly like a newlywed, but I'm not entirely sure I look the same. Different hair and all. Judd's little goatie is gone and his hair is longer...

Sunday was our one year anniversity. To celebrate, we crashed the pool at the Flamingo on Saturday. It wasn't that hard really, considering that they don't ask for a room key.

Then we rode horses at my co-worker's house! Horseback riding is something we've been wanting to get into for a while now. Judd is really good at it, he was cantoring all over the place on "Wally". Due to my past unfortunate experiences on horses (skull fracture), I was a little bit hesitant to be as risky as Judd, but I was able to at least able to get "Rolly" to trot without killing me! We've vowed to get more practice so I can cantor without fear like Judd can...

On our actual anniversary Sunday, I had to finish up a lame research paper that took several hours. We then went on a hike and picnic at Mt. Charleston. We made some faux lobster/crab rolls (stores don't have lobster at 10:00 pm. They also don't open up their deli to sell us crab. So we had to buy imitation crab meat to make lobster rolls, but it still tasted yummy!). We were sore from all the horseback riding we did before so our hike turned into a leisurely walk through this really cool slot canyon. We then watched our wedding video in the car in the middle of the canyon while eating our faux lobster rolls and drinking faux champange (Martinelli).

Completly romantic.

I'm so happy we found each other and that we've been able to be so happy together. I may have made the toast to "another year", but really, it will be forever. I'm glad we made the commitments we did a year ago. It has been a blast, an adventure, and completly worth every minute. I love him and he loves me. That's really all there is...

Attacked by Burroes!

Attacked by BURROES!!!

Well, kind of. But before I get to that, a few random thoughts:

1.) If anyone deserves to rest in peace, and I mean that sincerely, it’s Michael Jackson. He brought so much to the entertainment world and transformed the way we both listen and watch music. We’re fans and always will be. I don’t care about the controversies that surrounded him. I choose to remember him as an extremely talented individual who was sadly hounded by a jealous and spiteful media.

2.) It’s a bad week to be a celeb, particularly if you hit it off in the 80s. I hope I can turn on my computer tomorrow WITHOUT a dead person’s face being the first thing I see.

3.) While we’re on the topic of dead people, the image of the poor girl from Iran who was killed as she expressed her disgust at her country’s election results is both disturbing and yet slightly empowering as it shows that women finally have a voice there…

4.) Off the topic of dead people: I am an awful visiting teacher. I don’t feel comfortable spying on less actives for the RS.

5.) We’re ticked that Jillian sent home Jake on The Bachelorette. Actually, only I’m ticked because Judd feels that Jake was too boring. I feel he’s her only chance at true love and CAN’T WAIT for him to reappear! I do not want this nice guy to finish last! But we both agree that Wes and his devious plot need to go home NOW! Even though he’s the only one with game, I still can’t believe a smart girl like Jillian can’t see through him.

But on to a happier thought…we were attacked by wild BURROES! They came up to our car and stuck their heads in. Judd wants me to mention how ferocious they are, particularly the one who yelled at us as it charged our car! We were driving by Bonnie Springs today after a pleasant afternoon at Red Rock (sometimes a vacation from churchly duties is nice), and they just walked right up to the car. Of course I had to roll down the window to get a picture, and that’s when they decided we were their friends. I took a video too, but the sound didn’t take for whatever reason. Just imagine a wild burro sticking his head in the driver’s side window and another burro screaming as it charges our car. Scary!

Don’t worry, we didn’t feed them or try to encourage them to come up to us. I guess they’re just used to it from other people.

And we saw our adorable little friend Tweakers! We paid her a visit at the bird sanctuary where she lives now. She looks great and has plenty of little duckling friends to swim with. She didn’t recognize us until she got out of the water with one of her friends. She did her excited ducky dance and came by us. We’re just happy at how well she’s adjusting.

We miss our duckling =(

On Sunday, June 7, we said goodbye to our little duckling friend Tweakers. I didn't expect it to be as difficult and upsetting as it was. We had her for 4 weeks at that point, and I guess I didn't realize how attached I had become until it was time to let her go...but at the same time, I know we did the right thing.

Our cute little baby duckling was very quickly becoming an actual duck. Every morning we would wake up to find her looking completly different then she had the day before. She was learning new things so quickly, and we were so amazed that we didn't have to teach her anything. By the time a duckling is only a few days old, it can eat on its own, catch live crickets, swim both above and under water, groom itself, and follow its mother. In comparison, human babies are pretty pathetic! We were having a blast watching her grow up and feeling like proud parents for keeping Tweakers so alive and healthy when she wasn't supposed to last more then a few days. We love how attached she was to us; she loved to sit and cuddle with us while we watched movies and she would follow us around as if we were her actual parents.

At the same time, we knew it wasn't going to be long until Tweakers would need to be released into the wild. She was a messy little thing that only got worse as she got bigger. She was rapidly outgrowing her cage and the bathtub. I had been taking her to work with me so I could feed her, water her, and keep her somewhat clean throughout the day. I also didn't want the apartment managers to know we had her, and I worried about the day she would develop an actual quack that our neighbors would surely hear.

So we started looking into options for Tweakers. There was the standard dropping her off at the pond at Sunset Park or Bonnie Springs, but I worried that she wasn't wild enough to be able to take care of herself. Because she was so attached to people, I worried she would follow someone out and get lost or killed by predators. There is an indoor duck pond at Bass Pro Shops that we thought about because of the lack of predators and the fact that she would always have food. But we realized they probably clip their wings, and I wanted Tweakers to be able to fly in the fresh air.

I found Gilcrease Bird Sanctuary online when I typed "Bird Rehabilitation" in Google. My prayers and concerns were answered. This was a place where Tweakers could still get fed and cared for, but with the option of becoming a wild bird if she felt like it. This place takes in rescued birds, whether they are orphans like Tweakers or pet birds that no one wants anymore. After visiting them to make sure they weren't shady, Judd and I decided that this was Tweaker's best option. The gentleman we talked to actually had a group of orphan ducklings that he was caring for. This little group lived in the big pond with the other ducks, but got special attention. We would be able to visit her whenever we felt like it.

So after four fun-filled weeks, we decided it was time. Tweaker's adult feathers were starting to grow in and she was big enough to the point where I felt she was hardy enough to make it on her own. We made the long drive across town. Tweakers was so anxious in the car, so I couldn't wait to put her in the water. We arrived, and they told us to go put her in the pond. We looked around for the right spot and found one in a little stream where some duckings were playing. We kissed Tweakers goodbye and put her in. Rather then swimming away like we expected her too, she ran out of the water right back to us.

So for the next two hours, we kept trying to put her in the water and leave when she wasn't looking. We would go across the pond and watch her try to adjust. Unfortunatly, she kept trying to find us and she succeeded several times. When she couldn't find us, she would try and follow someone else out of the pond. I was getting really frustrated with the visitors who kept stopping to pet "the cute duckling" because then she would try and follow them away and we would have to go catch her and put her back. I was such an emotional wreck too; one minute I would be so happy for her if she did something like swim around for a bit, the next I'd be all teary and upset with the thought of leaving her.

Eventually, it seemed like she was going to be okay. We quietly walked over the bridge and started to head out. Unfortunatly, she discovered us and decided she was leaving too. She got stuck in the fence as she tried to get out. She was crying out and flopping around trying to get to us. That's when I lost it. I grabbed her and started bawling like a baby. I was so sad to leave her, and now I had this fear that she was going to get herself hurt if she kept trying to get out of the fence. The worker assured us that he would watch out for her and Judd handed Tweakers back.

I couldn't sleep that night. I kept having flashbacks and visions in my head of poor Tweakers stuck in the fence. Judd felt pretty sad too, and he made the suggestion that we should visit her the next day just to make sure she was doing alright.

So on Monday, we went back to the Bird Sanctuary. The worker recognized us from the day before and took us to the pond. We scanned it, trying to pick out our duckling among the hundreds of ducks. He then led us to another section of the pond where a group of ducklings were trying to swim up a waterfall. There were many different types in this little group, and they clearly weren't related He pointed out the little mallard on the side and we knew it was ours. She had found some friends overnight, and I was glad they were helping her out. The day before, some other ducklings had tried to befriend her but she was too scared. Now she was swimming confidently with them, eating on her own, and looking like she was having a blast. It was such a pretty day, and I was so happy that she was spending it outside in a pond with other ducks rather then inside in a kennel. We felt good about our decision, so we just watched her for a while. We knew we were going to miss her, but at the same time, we were glad for her.

So now I'm compiling all these pictures and video clips (which is a ridiculous amount!) I have of her into one big video. It was such a great experience and I don't want to forget it. Obviously, I'll post it when I have it done!

So for our first parenting experience, I think we did a great job!

'Cause we'd still like to eat...

So I've never been majorly concerned with the importance of food storage, despite it being preached pretty much all the time, especially lately. To me, it's was just one of those things that I'd get around to someday, just like I'll get around to finishing my wedding scrapbook and I'll get around to going to the gym on a daily basis.

But then I started to realize that Judd and I have it a little too easy and that we're totally used to it. We're both working, we can pay for school on our own, and we have a really nice apartment. The only dependants we have to care for are three sugar gliders and two turtles (the duckling is in her new home, which will be another blog!). We go out pretty frequently and make a lot of impulse buys. I'm not trying to brag or anything, we work really hard and I guess we feel the need to reward ourselves. I always hear nightmare stories about being newlyweds and being totally broke and wonder where we got off easy.

But with the crappy economy, we can lose this lifestyle we've grown so accustomed to very quickly. Judd especially is in a field that is very shaky at the moment, fortunately he continues to educate himself so he can stay on top of the game. I'm safe as long as people continue to care for their pets. Unfortunately many of our family and friends have been laid off recently. I started to worry about having a backup plan in case it happened to us. Our idea of food storage was buying a couple of extra cans of corn here and there and tossing it on the top shelf of our hall closet...

I wanted something that would last longer and be a lot more substantial. They have Relief Society Canning Days, which I have always avoided basically because I'm having a hard time admitting that I'm eligible to go to Enrichment meetings at family wards. In Singles Ward, Enrichment meetings were more like ice cream socials at some one's house. Here, they're about making aprons and cheesy/cutesy crafts. I am trying very hard to not become frumpy/housewifey/Molly/etc, so I try to avoid the exposure. The Church is true...but sometimes the people are a bit too much.

But I know that I need to humble myself and accept that I still belong to this otherwise awesome organization (heck, now they just made me a RS teacher, karma!) and that they have good intentions to help me out. So I went canning. And I canned. And canned. I realized that this is the cheapest way to store a lot of food for a long time. The macaroni and rice I canned is supposed to last 30 years! (Not that I'll wait that long to eat it, but still, 30 years!). And it was funner then I thought it would be. The Relief Society gals that went were sweet and were interesting to talk to.

We also stocked up on really cheap staple foods such as Mac and Cheese (50 cents a box? Beat that!). I'm trying to find some healthier alternatives that store well. I did get a can of dried carrots when I was at the cannery. I'd rather not live on carbs if we had to, and I don't like beans, so I'm looking for some other healthy options. Any ideas? I I didn't want to forget my cute little pets, so we built a food storage for them as well. I'm glad I'm getting on top of this now before we really need it.

This really needs to go under the bed, but I was so proud of myself for taking care of us that I made a tower! I never thought I'd say it...but I could get into this!

Peeve has Returned!

So we have this Red Eared Slider named Peeve. I became her stepmom when I married Judd; she accompanied him throughout his bachelor days. She is the most unique turtle I have ever encountered. She is like a little cat, she has almost free-reign of the apartment and likes to crawl up on us and cuddle.

Peeve is also a master at hiding. We let her out about every other night, and with all the noise she makes climbing all over things, it is not that difficult to find her...usually. But this week, we went three days without a sign of her! We were getting pretty nervous, it's not like she can run away. We went though all these scenarios over what could have happened to her. I got this nasty feeling that we may have accidently thrown her away because we had a garbage bag on the floor for a little while while cleaning some stuff, and I wondered if maybe she crawled in it when we weren't looking. This revelation came to me at about 4:30 the other night. Poor Judd was so bummed about his missing turtle, so I decided it was time to go dumpster diving. I imagined myself being this really great hero bringing back a smelly, dirty, but otherwise alive Peeve and making Judd all happy again!

Unfortunatly for me, my glory moment was ruined when Judd realized she might be able to fit under a nightstand. I thought it was impossible, but sure enough, he reached under it and there she was! She really is a crazy-good hider, we've found her before in purses, under clothes, under lovesacs, etc...it's just never taken us more then a night to find her!

I'm glad she's okay and alive, I'm just bummed I wasn't the one to find her!

Good Night, Sleep Tight, Don't Let the Bedbugs...bite...

We have bedbugs. These stupid things were supposed to be eliminated in this country back in the 50s with DTD or whatever...but they have returned in full force. They bite, ruin sheets, eat leather headboard protectors, and cause sleepless nights.
We've slept in the living room for a few weeks now with all our animals surrounding us. So basically we haven't really slept in a few weeks! I am so exhausted...we had a bug guy come and exterminate them, but we still have to take our clothes steamer and really run through the blankets and mattress just to make sure.
I have no idea where they came from, as Judd works at an engineering firm and these are not bugs we see on pets at my work. I guess Las Vegas is a hot spot for them right now because of all the tourists that bring them with them.
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I HATE BED BUGS!!!!

DUCKLING!!!!! (among other things!)

So we have this adorable little duckling staying with us for a little while. The name she came with is "Tweaker". We're not really sure whether it is a boy or a girl, we just like calling her a girl. Someone brought her into my animal hospital last Monday and said that her mama duck abandoned her before she had even hatched. One of my coworkers wanted her, but because she was going to be gone for a week, I volunteered to take her! So now we have this little duck living with us. She's a week and a half now, and we'll probably keep her a few more weeks until she's a bit bigger. She grows like crazy though every day, so who knows how long that will last! She absolutly loves us though, she cries if she can't see us and she is a little cuddler. She especially likes Judd, she likes to crawl up and sit on his shoulder! It's going to be hard taking her to the bird sanctuary when she's bigger, but we're just enjoying her cute company while it lasts!

In other news, I am still shocked at the American Idol Finale last night!!!!! I so wanted Adam "Glambert" to win because of his amazing voice and theatrics (I went to LVA, gotta love the dramatic one!). Judd was voting for Kris the whole time, so he was pleasently surprised when Kris took the title. I like Kris too, I just really liked Adam and Allison. We were Danny fans for a little while during Hollywood week, but he stopped wearing his wedding band and I found that kind of unromantic. I know he's a widower and all, but for all the hype about that, he still could act slightly married, right? It will be interesting to see what happens to everyone now...especially Adam! He had my vote ever since I saw a YouTube clip of him as Fiyero in Wicked, which increased his likability points for me! His "Mad World" and U2's "One" (thanks Simon for calling Bono and getting permission for him to sing that!) interpretations...pure genius!

So a bunch of my friends that were in my high school class of 2005 are graduating college this year. At first I was kind of bummed that I was still going to college while they will be done, but I've kind of had a change of heart in the past few days. I may still be in school, but at least I'm in a major where I can get a "real" and exciting job in the media afterwards as opposed to the many who went to school for theatre and will be just like every other struggling actor in this rough economy. Not to offend my friends, they are extremely talented and deserve to do well. I think I had just a couple extra bumps that prolonged my education that they didn't have, such as getting married, having to work a lot of hours that I could have used to take more classes with, and having to pay for a huge portion of my education out of my own pocket (well, mine and Judd's pockets) instead of relying on my parents to foot the bill, housing, food, etc. Not that any of those things are bad, it just makes for a longer road, that's all. Besides, I like school. As much as I would like to graduate soon, I really enjoy learning and will miss it when I'm done.

Well, there goes my thoughts for this morning!

Congrats Dawn and Tyson!!!

(Dawn catching the bouquet at my wedding...look what happened!)

They’re “finally” married! Dawn and Tyson are absolutely awesome people and we couldn’t be more thrilled for them! I guess that old superstition about the girl who catches the bridal bouquet is the next to get married, because that is what happened here. Dawn was one of my bridesmaids, and she totally beat out the other girls when I tossed my bouquet! (Ok, I totally admit to aiming in her direction because she just seemed like the best candidate for a potential marriage, even though at the time she didn’t have a boyfriend!).

This was my first experience being a bridesmaid, and I hope I did Dawn’s wedding as much justice as she did for mine. Planning her bridal shower and then helping with the bachelorette party was fun. Her other bridesmaids were such sweet girls, it’s a bummer they don’t all live in Vegas. I thought it was funny that at her Bachlorette party, Dawn was in fact, the only bachelorette as we were all married!

This was also my first time getting to witness a temple sealing besides my own. I can’t even begin to describe how wonderful it is to see two people I care so much about committing their lives together and knowing that they will be together for all time and eternity. It just filled me with so much love, especially for Dawn who has really inspired me ever since she joined this church a few years ago. I was such a teary wreck, but it was happy tears!

I got to do the whole isle walk, complete with a goofy pose with Dawn’s brother just to shake it up a bit! They had Memphis BBQ cater the reception (great choice guys!) and the best “first dance” I have ever seen, complete with bits from everything from “Macerana” to “YMCA” to “Bye, bye bye”!

So overall, we’re so happy for Dawn and Tyson. I’m glad Dawn found someone as great as Tyson, and I hope Tyson knows how lucky he is to have such a wonderful wife!

I Remember

Normally I write deep-seated blogs on my personal blog, but MySpace is wigging out on me, so I had to use BlogSpot. I'll go back to happier ones next time...


I just recently finished a very engrossing novel, Nineteen Minutes. It is a fictional story about the horrors that follow a school shooting. Reading it, I felt like I was watching the whole thing unfold on CNN. Coincidently, I finished it on the tenth anniversity of the Columbine shootings. I've watched a bit of the memorial coverage from that day and I still cannot believe it's been that long. I still remember that day very vividly...

I was in 6th grade. My science teacher walked in the room and announced that a tragety had just happened in Littleton, Colorado. News was shaky at the moment, and they estimated 25 kids had died. Fortunatly it wasn't that much, but we learned later that 12 kids and one teacher had been murdered.

Suddenly, school had become a scary place. The goth kids and the rebels were looked at funny...were they crazy enough to kill the rest of us? I remember panicking once because I didn't realize that I had a knife in my bag left over from a camping trip. The knife fell out and a girl completly freaked out when she saw it. I had to beat her to the principal's office so I could turn it in myself before she thought I was a killer or something...

There was one girl who had this supposed "hit list". Rumors spread about it, how all the popular kids were on it. A lot of kids were kept home for a few days, myself included. While the school claimed there was never a list, we saw the girl in handcuffs, taken away, and never heard from again.

Columbine sparked my obsession, which turned into a passion, for the news. I watched coverage obsessively, trying to understand why. In watching all this news, I learned that I lived in a scary world...yet decent people still seemed to exist.

I feel Columbine to me was that bridge from childhood into adolescence. It was that step away from innocent bliss to awareness and acceptance. I could never forget. I don't want to. I would hope I would never be involved in something so tragic and that my future kids will feel safer in school then I did.

Sick Kid

I absolutly hate being sick.
I have now missed a full day of work as well as two classes, well, three if you count Institute. It's been nice to just lay around doing nothing, but not for two days! I want to be productive, darnit.
Judd's out of town this week on his annual motorcyle Moab trip, so I've had to suffer alone =( I think it's the flu. I'm scared, as in deathly terrified of needles, so I did not get the vaccine. I'm not sure why I'm that scared of them, I draw blood out of animals just fine at work! But I figured I'd risk the off chance of getting the flu rather than embarrasing myself and passing out at a clinic.
REGRET!!!!!
So now I'm just laying here pathetically watching America's Next Top Model reruns while waiting for my system to flush out all this crap in it. I probably should be doing something more productive like this mountain of homework in front of me. But I feel like with all this craziness, illness, and no husband around to feel sorry for me, I deserve a sick day!

Minus the sick part, of course...

Hey

-Judd Here,
Kristen decided it was my turn to add to this blog. She probably wants me to tell everybody how extremely lucky I am to have a such a wonderful girl in my life. We just got back from camping at the hotsprings yesterday. It was a blast, we love camping and we need to do it more often. Kristen is not a real big fan of the cold though probably because she has absoultely 0 body fat -I dont have that problem. Im trying to toughen her up though, we are doing more out-doorsie stuff like jogging, hiking and hopefully soon kayaking! I havnt told her yet but I just found a family friend who has one and is willing to let us use it whenever we want. We recently had two new additions to our family, I havnt taken any pictures of the little ones yet but as soon as I give them a bath I will show off how cute they are. Of course I'm talking about my Yamaha YZF426 and my Isuzu Rodeo Sport. I just spent the morning getting our trailer ready for our annual Moab trip, I am very excited for this and now I have a bike that is definatly more up to the task. The only problem with this bike is that it seems to be missing a clutch lever so I will need to figure out how to ride without it. My last bike was a real trooper and I will definatly miss it but this new one is just in annother league. Kristen, purely out of the goodness of her little heart, also decided that my old ride was ready to be retired. It also was such a good little Amigo and it definatly has a little oily place in my heart. For the past couple years I had been eyeing this newer type of truck and every now and again I would check around to see if anyone was selling one. It just so happened that we found the exact one I had been dreaming about on craigslist and so we snatched it up! :) This one is much more off-road worthy so it will definatly come in handy on campouts, picknicks and running over stuff. Anyway, thats it for now. Kristen and I have to get to writing our talks (we were called to speak in church tomorrow...)

New Apartment Tour!

We moved into our new apartment a few weeks ago! Here's the tour! We love it, so much prettier then our old one (and far less ghetto!) I look like crap here thanks to stupid allergies, but oh well.

Life is pretty good at the moment. We filed taxes for the first time as newly-weds and it's a good thing the government still recognizes married benifits (for now!). We're trying to work out a lot more. I'm going to take up raquetball so I can give Judd a run for his money! Spring break is next week. Hopefully work won't make me come in for the whole thing. I appreciate having a job during this economic crisis...but it is a BREAK!

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition!!!

Judd's company, Wright Engineers and Custom Home Builders, was chosen to build the Las Vegas house for the hit TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition!!!! They are here in town building a new home for a family in need. As I understand it, the family they have chosen have two daughers with Combined Immune Deficiency Disease (CIDD). The house they are living in is killing them slowly as it is not sterile enough for these girls' sensitive needs. Extreme Makeover and Wright Engineers is going to tear down their old house and build them a brand new home! We went to the rally on Fremont Street a couple of days ago and were featured in some B-Roll (yay for my journalism skills!) seen in the pictures above. We got to meet Mayor Oscar Goodman, where I made a total fool of myself in accidently turning off a camera someone gave me to take a picture of them and the mayor!

Judd gets to actually help build the new house. I'm a bit bummed that my name got lost in the thousands of people who volunteered, but maybe Judd can pull some strings for me! Either way, I plan on going out to the site to see the house being built. You can see it too on May 10 at 8:00 on ABC!

I just think it is so amazing that this show can take a family in need and completely change their lives. Even more amazing is the thousands of volunteers that show up to help. I can't wait to see what good this new home will do for a family who needs it.

If you're in Vegas, they still need some help. Here's the website where you can learn all about what they are doing and what they need:

http://wrightextreme.com/home.cfm

Poor Judd

Poor Judd is dead...well, not really. I just have that Oklahoma song stuck in my head and it's just fun to sing to my dear husband when he's sick. I'm such a nice wife! Anyways, poor Judd is not feeling well so I finally get to be nice and take care of him. Usually I'm the really sick one all the time.

But in other news, I finally have a potential graduation date! Summer 2010... if I work my butt off. I'm willing, so then I can be the sugar mama so Judd can finish faster. School takes up a lot of our time and it drives us crazy, but it's going to be worth it in the end.

Oh, and we're finally moving Friday! I can't wait, we have a neighbor currently who must have recently acquired a karaoke machine because he sings everyday at the top of his lungs and it's driving me crazy! I'm looking forward to a pretty apartment and sparkling WORKING pool!

Did I mention I'm a bridesmaid? My bridesmaid Dawn is getting married, so now I'm her bridesmaid! I really like my new dress I get to wear. I cheated and wore it to church the other day. =D

So does anyone know how much money married couples will get if they get an economic stimulus check? Just wondering! Free money is nice!

I spill our beans in this one!

25 Things... couple style!

I’ve been seeing this cute little questionnaire around, so I thought I’d fill it out too!
Kristen and Judd

♥ What are your middle names? Mary and... Judd. (Elias is his actual first name, he just goes by Judd).

♥ How long have you been together? Married: 7 months, altogether about a year and a half

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? Shoot, two weeks? We met, went on a date, and kind of just kept dating...

♥ Who asked who out? He asked me out, but only after I had to MySpace stalk him because he hadn’t called me yet after a week of having my number.

♥ How old are each of you? He is 29 (uh oh, almost 30!!) and I am 22. We joke that when he was graduating high school, I was entering middle school. He was in second grade when I was born!

♥ Whose siblings do/ did you see the most? It’s about even.

♥ Do you have any children together? Not at the moment, but we love our pets! It’s nice to think about them in a “someday” mode though.

♥ What about pets? Three sugar gliders named Brewster, Chatham, and Boston. Then two turtles named Peeve and Jinx. I really want a border collie, but Judd says we need a house first.

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? Busy schedules, we’re both working and going to school. We don’t see each other as much as we would like to =(

♥ Did you go to the same school? Not at the same time. I’m at UNLV, he’s at CSN. He’ll probably end up at UNLV too, hopefully. It would be nice to have a hottie to carry my books!

♥ Are you from the same home town? Nope. But we’re similair in that we have moved so much that we don’t really have original “home towns”. Vegas is about as homey as it gets.

♥ Who is the smartest? I think we’re both pretty intelligent people. He very technologically savvy and computer smart, while I’m up on my current events as well as historical ones.

♥ Who is the most sensitive? Me, but he has his moments =D

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? Sushi bars! We have this one sushi bar we go to a lot. They love us there. Other then that, it’s Arbys or Sonic!

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? We went to Sint Maarteen on our honeymoon. That’s in the Caribbean, so from Vegas to there, it’s pretty far.

♥ Who has the craziest exes? Me. Not all are, but the majority are extreme in their craziness and range from former Nazis to self-obsessed poets. His are normal and intelligent women, one even cuts my hair!

♥ Who has the worst temper? That would be me =D

♥ Who does the cooking? He’s really good at it, so he does a lot. I’m learning and starting to like it, so I’ll help.

♥ Who is more social? We’re probably about the same. We’re good people-people, but we’re just too darn busy to regularly hang out with friends.

♥ Who is the neat-freak? We both really need to improve on this. He is about the kitchen, I am about the bedroom.

♥ Who is the more stubborn? This is a tie. We are both incredibly stubborn people! I prefer the term “strong willed” though, it is a kinder euphemism.

♥ Who hogs the bed? It’s a big bed. We fit just fine!

♥ Who wakes up earlier? This is so me, I’m a morning person, he’s a night owl.

♥ Where was your first date? P.F. Changs, followed by swing dancing at the Aruba. I was super sick and almost cancelled. I didn’t though, so at one point we ended up at Walgreens buying cough syrup so I would stop hacking every three seconds!

♥ Who has the bigger family? Him for sure. I have 4 first cousins total, I’m not sure he can count all his!

♥ Do you get flowers often? Yes. He gets me pink stargazer lillies =D

♥ How do you spend the holidays? Shuffling between the families. But we did get a Christmas tree!

♥ Who is more jealous? I don’t think we are. We both have a lot going for us individually and we support each other in that.

♥ How long did it take to get serious? I thought we were “serious” after a few weeks, but apparently he didn’t think we were serious until more then a month in!

♥ Who eats more? Him. Luckily it doesn’t show!

♥ Who does/ did the laundry? I’m so anal on this with color separation and all, so I just do it so it gets done right!

♥ Who’s better with the computer? Judd. But I’m learning!

And so it goes...

Now that school is in full swing, I thought I'd update this thing a bit here!





Our big news at the moment (NO, NOT pregnant!) is that we're moving in a few days! We're leaving our slightly scary/almost ghetto apartment and moving into a way pretty one! It's brand-new with granite counter tops, gated community, big huge tub, full size washer/dryer, pretty pool that actually WORKS, gym, community center, etc.... I'm in love! Not that our old one was completly awful, but why pay for an older, and like I said, slightly scary/almost ghetto apartment when we could pay just slightly more for a safer/pretty one? Since we'll be in a new ward, I'm going to miss the cute kids I teach, which is the bummer to this. I had one call me the other night requesting that I bring the sugar gliders to my last lesson, lol!

Judd would want me to mention his big news: I so kindly let him get a new motercycle after his crashed and burned last weekend! He is super-excited about his new bike, which is always a good thing. I'm super excited about it too, because in exchange for him getting his dream bike, I get to see my dream show, Wicked!!! Compromise is so awesome in marriage!

Other then that, we're working like crazy and studying hard. I turned 22 the other day, which made me feel super old. Really, I have never felt old before until just the other day. It's like all the fun birthdays run out after 21. Judd was so sweet and made me a birthday cake...except that he had to write "old" in the corner of it! But on a certain someone's 30th birthday this year, he'll get payback!

When your school hopes you fail in life...

UGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!! There is nothing I (Kristen) currently hate more right now then the UNLV Advising center! It's like they WANT us to fail at life, or at least at the University. I am seriously so frustrated at the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs. My sob story began back in November when I tried to get an appointment for advice on what classes I should take. They made me wait almost a month to meet with an advisor. Then, as I drove down to UNLV to meet with this advisor (which isn't a short drive at all, mind you), they called and informed me that because they screwed up and scheduled my appointment on the day they closed for holiday break, they wouldn't be able to meet with me. Come on folks, call the day before! THEN, since their office was closed until this week, I talked to some lady on the phone who told me I would have to wait until next week, AFTER the semester started, to meet with an adviser. She suggested that I e-mail my class list to them and they could tell me if I'm on the right track. They have not replied yet. I'm tempted to drive down there and demand that someone meets with me, but that would be kind of rude, right?

I just hate being ignored, you know? Classes are already freakin' expensive and books are ridiculous, but to be blatenly ignored while you're doing your best to succeed isn't fair. I'm not a slacker, I got straight A's the past few semesters. I just need a little guidence, ya know?

*Deep Breath*

*Smile!*

Anyways...

Life is pretty dandy otherwise! I'm about to be 22, crazy, huh? Judd and I are going to go to St. George in a few days for a much needed mini-vacation!