Weekend Warrior

This post has been several months coming, but now, it's FINALLY happening!

Starting next week, I will say goodbye to my morning show, and officially become the weekend show producer at my station. I am so excited, I love my new anchor and awesome staff. I've had a blast the weekends I've filled in.

That said, this was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made, career-wise. I'm leaving behind a fun morning show and great anchors. I have made a bunch of friends on this show and it will be strange not seeing them everyday. This is the show I learned to really produce on. It's just too bad it was a MORNING show.

My body just never adjusted to this schedule. Going TO work at one in the morning has its challenges. I knew that going in. I feel like for nearly two years now, my life has revolved around how much sleep I can get. I'm always groggy, or in a state of perma-sleep. I hate that I'm like this during the few hours a day I spend with Judd, despite my best efforts to be more awake. I know this schedule also hasn't been kind to my health. I think it's a reason I've not been able to get pregnant (well, the PCOS isn't helping either, but that's another story).

So when the opportunity came up back in September to become the weekend producer at my station, I took it. It wasn't an easy decision to make, mainly because Judd and I won't have a day off together anymore. I'm still a little concerned about that, but this does at least mean the time we do have together will be more enjoyable.

I was supposed to start several months ago, but due to a tragedy at our station, combined with all the holidays, it got pushed back to January. This is my last weekend off. Starting next weekend, I'll go in at two p.m. and come home at 11. I'll also write for various shows during the week.

All in all, I'm excited! My new anchor and I have some good ideas to revamp the show, and make it more "Vegas". Everyone on the weekend team has been so supportive, I'm just glad they like me! I really didn't want to leave my station, it has been so good to me. I'm just happy they were willing to let me switch shows.

And now that I have two full days off (because of my sleeping schedule before it was more like 1 1/2), I can finally do some of the stuff I've been dying to do. I can organize my house, check out the Pilates studio across the street, volunteer at the bird sanctuary, get my dogs certified so we can visit hospitals, and so on.

DIY: restoring a hot tub!

This has been a project months in the works, but now I'm proud to say we're finally done!

It all started months ago when we first moved in this house. While hanging out in the backyard one day, we noticed there were some electric hookups for an outdoor hot tub. On closer inspection, we noticed the faint outline in the cement where the tub must have been. We thought it would be cool to have our own tub, but put that thought in the gigantic "someday" folder we have.

A few days later, we heard some friends had scored a free hot tub. Just for the fun of it, we decided to check out Craigslist. My goal was to stay under $500. Dangerous past time! There on the first page was one for $200. It was a little too good to be true, but we met the guy, and he was serious about the price. Which was cool, because brand new, it would have retailed for around $7,000. Kind of a shady deal since we're not entirely sure the tub was his to sell, but it made the long and heavy trip back to our house.

We soon realized we were basically sold the shell, since all the guts and machinery were gutted out or rotten. It needed a TON of work. We were looking at individual parts costing hundreds of dollars apiece. Lame! So we turned back to our trusty Craigslist.

Score two! A guy in Pahrump was gutting out a tub, and was willing to sell us everything we needed for $250. We made a nice little road trip out of it. With the new parts in place, we scrubbed the shell in vinegar (never bleach one of these!), and filled it up. Chemicals cost another $60 or so, and we found a cover for $20 on Craigslist. It's a little big, but it does the job.

I had a fear the tub wouldn't actually turn on or ever heat up, but I was wrong. Judd worked for several nights straight to get the wiring right, and it paid off! The tub works! He added an extra layer of insulation to keep it warm and was also able to stop most of the leaks.

So all we needed was to make it pretty. The wood panels were kind of gross, so we stained them with a pretty brown called Gunstock, then put a protective finish on it. We finished that part this weekend, so I think we can officially say it's done!

It's been a fun addition to have. I think we can appreciate it more since we brought it back from a near death state!




Photos:
1. The picture from the original Craigslist ad. It doesn't look that bad here, but as you can imagine, all those leaves and flowers weren't fun to clean out.
2. Judd working his magic. Looks kind of ugly on the inside!
3. Painting the wood panels. Bindi supervising, or just watching the paint dry.
4. Loki was no help at all. She lived up to her name and kept stealing parts. So Judd taught her a lesson and gave her a little shoe made out of tape!
5. Yay it's DONE!!

Our new baby girl

We're parents again! Well, puppy parents, that is. I know, I know. We should really start thinking about adding a human baby. And we are. One of these days.

But I have to brag about my Loki first! We've known about her ever since she was conceived. Our friend Sierra's dad has the mom "Anonymous" and the male dog is a stud shipped over from Scotland. So a pretty legit Border Collie. We wanted one of these puppies as soon as we found out Anonymous was expecting. So while we waited several LONG weeks for the babies to be born, we called our girl "Fetus Puppy" as a joke. It kind of stuck until she was actually born and we saw the pictures of the newborns.

Since we were getting a little redhead, Judd really wanted to go with a Viking name. We looked up a bunch, and "Loki" caught our attention. It's the Norse god of mischief, perfect for a border collie!

We had to be content to just look at pictures for a few weeks. Then, when the babies were three weeks old, we made the drive up to Alpine Utah for a visit. And that's where I fell in love with the one nicknamed "Baby". They were all too cute, but Baby seemed the most interested in us. I knew it wasn't for certain that we would get her because someone else had already asked for her. So I tried not to get attached.

Fast forward a month. The big day was here! We went back to Alpine, where all 5 puppies were still available! That's right, even Baby. We wanted to stay objective though and pick the pup that meshed well with us. We played with all of them for a long time. But in the end, Baby stole our hearts, and became our Loki.

We absolutely love this little pup! She's kind of a pain sometimes, but what puppy doesn't have those moments? She's a quick learner, and I'm hoping she'll make an excellent Flyball/Disc dog like her big sister Bindi. Speaking of which, these two are already besties! They play so well together, and Bindi is pretty gentle for the most part.

Enough of my blabbing. Puppy picture time!!! She's easy to pick out from her litter because she's lighter than the other pups, and she has a "beauty mark" on the side of her lip. Kinda Marilyn Monroeish. It's kind of fading away now, but I hope those green eyes are here to stay!

All Things Fishing

For those who don't know, the Alworths are absolutely ADDICTED to fishing. It's our thing. An Alworth child is raised to be out in the water, in a boat, with a pole in hand. On the Cape, of course  :)

My dad refers to himself as the King of All Things Fishing. When I was 12 or so, I asked when I would deserve such a cool title, since at time, I was still Worm Girl. My dad told me once I caught a "keeper" (a Striped Bass at least 28 inches long, gotta keep it legal), I could earn a new title. The next summer,  I got my first keeper fish! So I've been the Rock Goddess of All Things Fishing since then, and we've been on the hunt for a new Worm Person.

Enter Judd.

Judd finally got to spend a week up at the Cape this year! The last few times he's been, he's only gotten to go for a couple of days, so he hasn't had all the awesome experiences you just have to have while you're there. And since Judd had not caught a keeper at that point, my dad and I decided he was Worm Boy.

So what does a Worm Boy do? Dig for bait! 

Not any worm will work. Striped Bass like sea worms, which leave a distinctive trail when the tide goes out. They are angry looking creatures, you can't miss their evil fangs, especially when you get bit. 

You could go out and buy these worms, but that's cheating. Then you have Fake Worms, which means you displease the Fish Gods, and they will frown on you (yes, my family takes this stuff semi-seriously. We also believe the fish need to be sung to, so we make up ridiculous fish songs to try and lure them in). So the way to prove you are a real person of All Things Fishing is to dig them yourself.

And as Judd learned, it's strenuous work! My dad and I critiqued as he took the rake to the wet sand. 

 I stepped in to show Judd how it was done. But I'm wimpy, so I didn't last long  ;)

Eventually, we had enough worms and a workout to last us the day! My dad was thrilled, he really wants to make sure the important traditions get passed down, haha. 

I've learned the hard way that cameras and boats don't get along. So all these pictures are from the dock afterward. 

And as you can see, the hard worm work, plus HOURS at sea were all worth it! Dad, Judd, and I all brought home a keeper!

This Striper is about 31 inches. Judd's was 32, and my dad's was 34. We have an extended family competition each year over this. The person who gets the biggest fish that year gets their name on a plaque and they get to keep a shiny fish trophy for a year! I won about 5 years ago with a 41 1/2 inch fish. So far, Dad is in the lead this year! We'll see what happens when all the aunts and uncles get to the Cape this weekend for their turn. 

Judd of course was thrilled to catch his first keeper! He's still working on his official All Things Fishing name since he has progressed from Worm Boy. We tried to make them kiss, but I think they had other things on their minds. 

It's okay, we'll do the kissing. 

The best part about catching your own fish is eating it for dinner that night. We had a HUGE group to feed at our house, and we still had too much fish. Luckily the most awesome family EVER (Geigers) took about half of it, so everyone wins.

I have a crazy amount of Cape Cod pictures, so I think it's easier if I break them up into categories. But since fishing is the best, it had to go first!

I hope this makes sense.

How am I feeling this morning? Frustrated, down, and kind of mad.

I posted an article over the weekend about women who are seeking more leadership opportunities in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You can read it here:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/54704413-80/church-equality-female-general.html.csp?page=1

I thought it was really interesting, and I agreed with many points. I felt like I could relate to many of the women interviewed. My point was not to offend or bash the church in any way. Rather, I know these are issues so many women struggle with, myself included.

I said on Facebook I'd write more of my thoughts on this article. Instead, I think the more pressing story is why I took it down.

I posted this Friday night. By Saturday morning, I already had comments and private messages on it. Most were positive, but I did get a text from someone asking me to remove it. This came from someone who says she knows I have issues right now, but since we've never talked about it, I don't think she understands why. It was defensive in favor of the church, fearing I might give non-members the wrong idea.

I really didn't want to, but after dragging my feet on it (I did have A LOT going on that morning to be fair), I eventually took it down. It started off a chain reaction of people either worried they offended me, or people thinking I was brave to even open up the discussion.

I want to have more of these discussions. I want people to open up and talk about real issues. But now I'm scared to open up myself, because I might offend someone. Which is stupid, because I offend viewers every day with controversial stories not everyone likes. I'm trying to have these conversations tactfully, and I'm trying to not say things people will be hurt by. I've made some mistakes, so I'm really trying to not come off like I'm attacking anyone.

It just kind of brought everything back to square one for me, in feeling like I'm very much alone in my journey to figure out what I actually believe. It's not true, I've had some great friends (and husband) to vent to, but none of them are actually going through this. And now that I feel like I have to censure myself, I feel even lower.

And it goes so much more beyond a stupid Facebook post.

Can everyone just do me a huge favor? If you know for certain someone is struggling with faith, can you skip any accusations? It hurts more than I can explain to hear I don't have enough faith, I'm just not spiritual enough, I'm not really trying to make things better. The prophet/bishop knows better, just follow the council, etc. Maybe you should read/pray/go to church more.

It might be an attempt to get the person to feel "humility" and come back, but when I hear that, all I feel is humiliated and wonder why the heck I can't just believe.

The best you can do, in my advice, is just listen, show your concern, and offer love and support. I'm truly thankful to the people who have been there for me in this.

I'm doing the best I can. I can't unread what I read, and unlearn what I learned. So I'm just trying to move forward and decide for myself what I believe in. I don't want to leave. I just have to make it work.

UPDATE: I just read this back again. It comes off like I'm complaining too much. I'm really a happy person! I'm not angry at anyone, and I really don't want to intentionally offend. I'm just trying to work through this, and writing/venting helps.

New Jobs, new opportunities

Life's jumping ahead of me! I can barely keep up with everything that's going on these days. But I'm enjoying the ride.
So we both got new jobs recently. Judd is at a new firm, teaching people how to be computer and design geniuses like him. Ok, that's a stretch, but he's getting to travel and meet lots of people. I'm hoping it's our ticket out of Las Vegas someday since they have offices in several other states. Plus they're helping with the design of the Disney Castle in Shenghai, so I have a crazy fantasy that we'll become a cool international family who lives abroad.
But that's going to have to wait a bit. I also have a new position! Same station, but now I'm the producer of a much bigger show! Before, it was just the 4:30 a.m. Fun, a good show to learn on. Now I'm the 7-9 a.m. Producer! It's crazy busy all the time. My show is a little more entertainment based than a typical newscast, we have a ton of guests that come on, and we tend to keep things more lighthearted and fun! I'm working with a great team, thankfully, since this isn't the easiest job to learn. I went back and forth on whether to take this show for a few weeks, mostly because I was kind of intimidated by it. But now that I'm kind of used to it, it's becoming easier. I'm sticking with my mantra: I CAN do hard things!
So if you're in Vegas or have the FOX5 app, it's FOX5 News Live in Las Vegas, from 7-9 a.m. Hey, I'd be an awful producer if I didn't do a little shameless promotion of my show!
We're really excited and thankful for these new changes. Once we get settled in, we can start figuring out the next big change to hopefully come our way. Yes, that was a Pre-announcement. ;)

Atomic Camping

I only have about five billion pictures I haven't done anything with yet, so I'm slowly trying to catch up on blogging. Really, really slowly!

Our flyball team decided to skip a tournament and go camping instead. We went up to Kolob for a few days of fun, sunburns, and just a wee bit of drama. If I learned anything this trip, it's if you have a huge group of people on one trip, you have to be super flexible! Some feelings were hurt when everybody started doing their own thing, and sadly some people went home early. I hope we're all good now though, I felt kind of bad about that.

ANYWAY... so we had 19 dogs with us (I think)! The best thing about this place is that the dogs are able to just run around like crazy and not obey lame leash laws (I'm sure people around us were thrilled). We were right on the reservoir, so there was plenty of boating and fishing involved. Judd and I were failwhales and forgot our fishing gear, so we just paddled around everyone else.

We also brought up our little dirt bike for one last spin before we sold it (I recently bought a new one since the bike was kind of small). It was a hit, and we ended up selling it to our friends on this trip, since they couldn't keep their little girls off it! I'm glad it went to a good home.

It was just a really great time, with great friends! The food was excellent (doesn't everything taste better camping?!), and we had plenty of fun just hanging out with friends and our pack of crazy dogs. Getting home was a little ridiculous with everyone having a car issue at some point, but at least we made it since we stuck together like a little caravan!

Runnin' for the HOUSE!!!

Man, it's been crazy. I've barely had a chance to breathe, let alone update this thing. So I'll play a little catch up.
I ran my first 5K a few weeks ago! I've never done anything like that before. I usually wimp out and do whatever "fun walk" option is available. But this time around, all my friends were doing the 5K for the Ronald McDonald Runnin' For the House challenge. It's an event my station hosts, and we were volunteering with the setup. When I mentioned I would just do the walk, my friend Kristin told me she thought I should try the run. She reminded me that I go jogging everyday anyway, so it shouldn't be a big deal.
That's true...except my idea of jogging is more of a jog-walk for a mile, two if I'm feeling really ambitious. I've never done three before!
So after feeling a little peer-pressure, I snuck into the 5K runners section. And when Ronald McDonald himself kicked off the race, I started to run.

A few things I learned along the way:

I could almost hear my middle school P.E. teachers scream "Pace yourself!" I learned quickly it doesn't matter where you are in the pack, especially if you haven't trained. It was humbling to sprint that first half mile, then gasp for air and feel like you're gonna topple over!

Speaking of being prepared, having an inhaler would have been nice. Eating breakfast would have been smart, wearing sunscreen would have been even smarter!

Fanny packs ARE cool! All the serious runners had a belt or pack, which I totally wanted after jangling my keys for three miles!

Most importantly, I learned my body is a lot tougher than I give it credit for. I usually back out of stuff like this and blame my asthma or bad leg. But you know what? Once I paced myself better, my asthma wasn't an issue. And my leg never became a problem. Whenever it got hard, I would remember what this race was raising money for. I ran alongside families who have stayed at the Ronald McDonald House. Their stories were inspiring. One mother kept reminding her daughter about the importance of keeping this organization going, since they had to use its services not long ago.

I ran, walked, and jogged the race in 46 minutes. My goal was to do it under 50. It's a start! The best was seeing my friends all waiting for me at the finish line. I'd say we got a great workout, but it was probably negated when we went to Hash House A Go Go!

Me and Kristin. I can do a 5K...just can't keep my eyes open!

Two Home Sweet Homes

Home #1

Alright... it's decided. Kidmans are making their 5th move in four years.

We said we wouldn't do it unless we found a house that was worth it. I think this one will do the trick:

Whoever lived here before loved plants. There's a ton of them all around the front yard and the back. It's a one story with a big backyard and shed. Its in Green Valley, not too far from where we are now. My phone is being finicky about uploading more pictures, but at least you can see the front of it. The house is slightly smaller than our current one, but all the rooms are bigger. We basically figured we're losing the family room, which means the turtles will someday be roomies with the future kid. I was planning on a nautical/ocean theme anyway!

But the interior, new appliances, paint, yard, and special features more than make up for the lost family room! I'm still a little sad about leaving our home here behind, but I think this will be good for us. 

This is by far the easiest move ever. Our lease here isn't up until the 30th, and we already have keys to the new place. So we've just gradually moved a few things in here and there. Our awesome new landlord said she won't charge rent until the 15th, so we'll be fair and wait until then to move ourselves in. Then we have two weeks to clean up the old house! The rush of having to pack, transport, and deep clean within a few days always freaks me out each time, so it's nice not having to deal with that this time. 

We also have this to help us out this time around

Home #2
I wanted to move because of the dog... Judd wanted to move so he'd have a place to park a trailer. So as soon as we signed the lease, we were on Craigslist looking at trailers! Thing about them, they hold their value really well. We were seeing used ones for the same prices as new ones, so we figured we'd start fresh and get one that didn't have anything wrong with it for the same price.

So there's Judd's brand new toy! If you know him at all, you know he's gonna give it a makeover. The goal is to turn it into a camper that can haul around the bikes and paddleboat. He's putting in a floor, windows, sink, refrigerater, TV, and bed.

 I'm not joking.

Yay  for creativity, right? That's Judd, always gotta have a project going!

An Inconvenient Week

Crazy night last night. We're looking at this house (another story, hold on a sec), when Judd gets a call from his dad, wondering where he was. In some weird, confusing mix-up... Judd thought he was going for his annual Moab trip next week... but it was actually today. So after a mad dash to beg for his boss to let him off... we had to cram a whole week's worth of things to get done in one night. That included filling out taxes (ugh, hate waiting last minute), filling out this rental agreement, cleaning up some stuff, getting Bindi's freestyle routine set to go for today, and so on. Somehow, we fit in our friends' little girl's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese (at that point, we so needed to have some silly fun, haha).

So now Judd is gone for the next week, and I feel like I have all these crazy decisions to make in the next few days that he should really be here for. Most important... figuring out once and for all what we're going to do about this house.

I've said it before... we LOVE this house and neighborhood. But the situation with the landlord changing her mind on our puppy because she was worried it would destroy the non-existent carpet really rubbed us the wrong way. I mean, what else is she going to change her mind on? So we decided to change our minds about re-signing the lease.

I've had a few people tell me we're totally ridiculous for wanting to move over a dog. To them, I say they must not know us very well. Our social lives, as weird as it sounds, pretty much revolve around Bindi. We are on a dog sports team, so we spend hours each week practicing with her, and several weekends out of town at events. Our team is like our second family, and we do a lot of things with them, even if the dogs aren't around. So in our minds, since dog sports is kind of our thing, it makes perfect sense to get a second dog, so we both have one to work with. At most of our events, one of us gets to play with Bindi while the other doesn't. If we had two dogs, it would solve that problem and we could compete together.

Plus... it's a pre-baby thing. I have a sneaky feeling once a baby comes, Bindi won't get the undivided attention she's used to (we wouldn't quit our team, you should see how many babies are on it!). I figure if she has a dog friend, it won't be as bad for her. And since I don't want to deal with a puppy and training if I'm pregnant or have a baby, why not now, before all that?

I found a house on Craigslist, and we fell in love with it. 1 story, 3 bedrooms, big grass yard, built in BBQ, big barn shed, RV parking, and all new appliances. It's exactly what we're looking for, and this owner is cooler about dogs. I'll post pictures if we actually end up with it. It's looking good so far, have to sign a few things Monday.

I HATE moving, packing, etc. Like I said earlier... this would be our 5th move. We swear next time will be when we actually buy a house. But that would involve leaving Las Vegas (technically Henderson, haha), and we're not quite ready for that.

But this house just might be worth the hassle. I think.

I just wish Judd were here so I didn't have to figure all the procedural stuff on my own. I can do it, just worried I'll miss something and it will come back to bite us later, you know? But I guess I have to be a big girl and just get over it.

Sorry this is the longest rant ever. I just have so much on my mind right now, and thought it would help to write it out...

4 Green Thumbs

Here's a good reason why we shouldn't move right now...

We just started a garden!

One day, Judd and I took a look at our backyard and decided it needed a little love. So we went to the plant store and bought all kinds of stuff. Then we waited to see what would happen.

So here's what it looks like all together. The lady next door who's really good with plants gave us an umbrella so the sun wouldn't totally roast them. Bindi ate the watermelon, hence the chicken wire.

This rose bush was already in the backyard, but more or less dead. We've been nursing it the past few weeks, and not only did it come back to life, but it bloomed!


Here's the petunias and lettuce. We tried planting both of these in a sunnier section of the yard. They burned to a crisp, so back under the umbrella ICU for them. Looking much better!

We bought carrot, cucumber, and pea seeds. So far, only the pea seeds have sprouted.


Here's an assortment of basil, strawberries, mint, and a pepper plant!


As seen on TV, and our back yard... Topsy Turvey! We tried this a couple years ago, but failed miserably. Mostly because we forgot to water them. Not this time around. I'm determined to make this make tomatoes!


And last, but not least, a miniature orange tree! Not sure if it will actually grow oranges since it's so puny, but it smells so good!

So there you have it! I wouldn't say I'm a crazy plant lady yet, but maybe I'm getting there. I call them my "plant babies," and have decided if we do move, they're coming with us. At least I don't sing to them. But I do spend plenty of time out there taking care of them. It's actually really soothing to take care of the plants. I find it really relaxes me after a hard night of work.

And call it cheating if you want... but Miracle Grow does WONDERS for plants!!

3 things I'm torn on

There's three things I'm torn on this morning. One silly, one serious, and one that could have a bad impact on my sanity.

Let's start with silly...

At what age are you too old to shop at stores aimed at teenagers? American Eagle Outfitters has been my go-to store since high school, mainly because no one else makes jeans like they do, for the price they're asking. Seriously. I love Love LOVE my American Eagle jeans. I rarely buy them anywhere else. Good product, lasts for years.

So this weekend, I needed a new pair. Judd and I headed to Galleria, where we both picked up a new pair of jeans, along with some other cute stuff. As I paid for my clothes, I looked up at the pictures of models all over the wall.

And realized they were easily several years younger than me.

I don't think I've written about my quarter life crisis yet, but turning 25 made me feel OLD! I'm looking around the store and seeing all these kids, and thinking, "Am I too OLD to be shopping here?" Never mind the cashier was probably older than me, and Judd has three decades on him and could care less.

So at what point are you too old to hang out in the junior department, or shop at teeny-bopper stores? It's not like those are the only stores I shop in. I love me some Express and New York & Company. But no one, and I mean NO one, makes jeans like American Eagle.

Earlier, I wrote that what happened to Trayvon Martin was a travesty. But now, that's what I'm thinking about the media coverage of it. I picked these two pictures, because we as a media mis-used them. They're both years old, and give viewers the wrong idea about the people pictured. Trayvon wasn't a little kid when he was killed, and George Zimmerman wasn't a con. Of course, this is what we had to work with for a few days. But now, every time I see either one of these pictures, I cringe.

My thoughts now on the whole thing: Mistakes were probably made on both ends, and I kind of doubt we'll ever get the entire story. I'm concerned someone will go after Zimmerman, so maybe he should be in police protection for his own good. I think everyone, myself included, probably blew this thing out of proportion before enough facts were out there. So at least in my newscast... I'm doing my best to make sure the stories even out as far as which side they take.

Ugh... I don't know what to do about our house. Remember how I said I had news that wasn't a pregnancy, but baby related? We were going to get another puppy, but the lady who owns our house had a change of heart on the whole thing, and without a really good explanation. It's a long story, but we feel kind of led on by the whole thing, and it put a bad taste in our mouths. We've heard so many complaints about the people who lived in this house before we did, and not trying to sound pretentious or anything, but I think the homeowner is lucky to have us as renters. We haven't destroyed the house, threatened our neighbors (I guess this happened to several people), or done anything wrong. All we did was ask if we could bring in another dog, and it turned into a mess.

So Judd and I feel we should look at our other options regarding where we should live. Our lease is up in a month, and if we're going to move, now is the time to do it. It's not just the dog thing. We could be paying less somewhere else, or pay the same and get a really cool upgrade.

But we LOVE this house and the neighborhood. And I HATE moving. This would be our fifth move if we do it. There's just a lot of pros and cons on the whole thing to weigh. Basically, it better be a fantastic deal if we're going to leave.

Bit of a Roundup, Ya'll

Thoughts on Current Events.

Let's get the serious stuff out of the way first...

For the past few days, Trayvon Martin has dominated my newscasts. I actually heard about the story a few weeks ago, and wondered if it was going to catch on... because it is THAT MESSED UP. Trayvon was the 17 year old in Florida gunned down by a neighborhood watch volunteer. Look, it's one thing to use a gun to defend your family and property. I'm all for that. But to look for someone out of place, armed with only candy in his pockets, that weighs 100 pounds lighter and is just a kid... it really disturbs me. I'm glad people are talking about this, and giving it the attention it deserves. I'm praying for justice for Trayvon.

So what else are people talking about these days? KONY 2012 is so last week, but it's still around. Gotta say, I didn't have the patience or time to watch the whole video, but I at least know the context. Child soldiers... not good. Let's raise awareness. But the organization that put this video out? I'm hearing some fishy stuff. I read one article that I thought was awesome, and I so wish I had the link. But basically, it said if you want to help kids not become soldiers in Africa, donate to organizations that build schools and give kids an education.

So are any of these Republican candidates gonna budge? I feel like I've done nothing but write the same story for the past few weeks. Mitt Romney wins! But no one else will drop out! Why? Seriously... are they going to hang in there until the Republican Convention? Because that's MONTHS away! Let's face it, Santorum is the only one with a chance against Romney at this point, so Gingrich and Paul should save themselves some embarrassment and dignity. I've really tried to like Rick Santorum... just in case. He seems like a decent guy. But he leans way too far to the right when it comes to women's issues, at least in my opinion. And to me... women's health issues like birth control shouldn't be a political thing. Let's not go back to the 50's, alright?

Let's go on to some more depressing news... like March Madness.

My Runnin' Rebels just keep breaking my heart. They do SO GOOD at home... but just don't stand a chance on the road! We went to some games this season, and watched others at B-Dubs. It's been a mostly great seasons... but there were some moments that just crushed my little scarlet and gray spirit. But what I'll remember most?

The Fatheads!!! There's "Mozilla", which quickly became a fan favorite. Two of my anchors loved the fatheads so much, they got someone to make fatheads of them to bring to the games! I wish "The Rebellion" (crazy fanatic student section) existed while I went to UNLV, I totally would have been all into that.

Let's talk about The Bachelor...So since I read Reality Steve, I knew Courtney was the big winner and all for months. Part of me hopes she really isn't that awful and the editors in the back room just had too much fun. I can't imagine being either Ben or Courtney and watching the show back, that just had to be painful. But you know, I think the other girls were too good for him, so maybe these two crazy kids deserve each other.

So now that The Bachelor is over, I can give more time and attention to American Idol! Come on folks, don't have time to follow more than one ridiculous reality show at a time! In all fairness though, I work for a FOX station, so American Idol is kind of our baby.

MUCH better group of contestants this year than in the past few. I haven't been this interested in following the show since Kris Allen and Adam Lambert's season. So far, I like Colton, Jessica, and Hollie sometimes.
But Judd and I have decided this guy is our American Idol!

We LOVE Philip Phillips! His name might be ridiculous... but his talent isn't! This week was especially awesome, seeing him stick to his guns rather than listen to Diddy and Tommy Hilfiger (seriously?). Wear gray and play the guitar all you want Philip X 2. It's working!

And here on the home front... we do have some exciting news, but I'm waiting on a few things before I announce it. I'll give you a hint though.

It's NOT a pregnancy announcement (sorry).

But it DOES have to do with babies!

Details later...

Painful Lesson learned in Norco

This past weekend, we went to Skyhoundz Disc Dogathon in Norco, CA. But before I get into that story, I have to set the scene. Norco's other name is "Horse Town, USA". They have dirt instead of cement for sidewalks, and hitching posts outside stores. And practically every other business is horse themed or related. I felt like such a tourist taking this picture...

So anyway, we're in Norco. There were a bunch of competitors, all with really talented dogs. I wasn't planning on doing a Freestyle routine (basically a dance/Disc throwing show set to music) because I thought the one I have been working on needed more time. But I got peer-pressured into it (haha), so I thought, "what the heck?"

Judd was handling our second favorite dog ever, Nel, for this event. He didn't know Nel's owners had signed her up to do Freestyle, so he just went with it. Turned out pretty good!

I should of been like Judd and just went with it. But then I started watching all these crazy intense routines, done by Disc champions. I got really intimidated, so I was trying to think of ways to make my routine stand out. This "bright idea" hit me... how about I try running into a flip, and toss the Frisbee midway? It looked really cool in my head, even though I haven't done anything like that in a couple years.

At least I had the sense to try it out before I was set to go on. Because that's when I landed really bad on my neck!

I seriously thought I was going to have to go to the emergency room, it was THAT painful. I couldn't move my head for a good few hours. Needless to say, I was out of this tournament.

In a strange twist of events, our friend Casey's dog hurt his leg before he was set to go on. So he didn't have a dog, and my dog didn't have a handler. It was meant to be. I threw Bindi out there, and hopes she could work with whatever Casey had in mind.

And it worked, for the most part! Bindi was kind of confused since she didn't know the routine, but at least she looked good out there!

This is how I spent the next several hours. Seriously, I had no idea this picture was being taken, but I sure look pathetic in it!

This dog always got a smile out of me though! Gus the Great Dane is seriously the coolest. And he can catch a Frisbee.

Eventually though, I decided as long as I didn't move my head, I could participate. I played in all the other Disc games. This is one where two people had to toss the frisbee as many times as they could in one minute. Family Christmas card?

Judd ended up placing second with Nel in one of the events! I'm so proud of him, he beat out a lot of Frisbee champs. And he's super proud of his plaque!

So I learned a) It's good to be ambitious, but not because you're intimidated. My dog can do these crazy flips that most dogs can't do. If I had just let her do that for a minute instead of *me flipping, it would have been a better crowd pleaser anyway!

b) I need to keep my body in better shape if I ever want to attempt that again. I used to be able to do that rolling flip just fine! Just one more reason why I should up my exercise, and Bindi's too.

Here's the link to Bindi's performance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvrUsxB7UgQ&context=C4cd9983ADvjVQa1PpcFOUOnG7jdQm0J7ejO3DGwzfWlPw--jCvvs=

So I have a few weeks before we do it all again! This time though, I'll be better prepared with a routine that works for Bindi and I.

Welcome to the Kidmans', feel free to leave on your shoes

I realized we've lived here almost a year, and I've never given you the TOUR! Judd and I live in our house by the District at Green Valley Ranch. It's not actually OUR house, we're renting it, but it feels like home all the same.I'm thinking we'll renew in May. No need to pack again, ugh! It's the fourth place we've lived in together, and so far, our favorite! (and yes, those are Halloween lights).


Welcome inside! Here's the living room.


Another view...


My attempts to be creative with pictures...


The kitchen


Another view...


The room where the one-armed couch and the turtles live. Seriously, if you have any creative ideas for a tall empty wall like the one you see, let me know. I'll make you dinner :)


Fireplace



Office/Sugar Glider playroom


Downstairs bathroom. This is supposed to be Cape Cod themed


Let's go upstairs!



This could be a nursery someday. No Promises. For now, it's a craft/gun room/guest room. Haven't had any guests yet though, so haven't needed to actually do anything with it!


But if you do become a guest in our home, this would be your bathroom!



And last, but not least, our room. Judd came up with the curtains. Notice the blackout, desperately needed for my vampire schedule!

One of my favorite parts of the house. I'm obsessed with the drawers and cabinets all around the bed! I was feeling generous though... so I let Judd have them.

Ok, I just wanted the walk-in closet. Never knew it would be such a big ordeal, but Judd totally wants it!



AND... our bathroom!



Not pictured... the garage, aka Judd's man-cave. Just a teensy bit cluttered. Don't want you to think any less of us. I just don't go in there very often. I don't have to, because I can't even park in there between Judd's car, motorcycles, bikes, tools, freezer, work bench, generator, etc...

Backyard's getting some love. I'll post pictures once I figure out what I want to plant there!

So there ya go!