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!