More pics, less words--Go Cougs!

Well, since my last couple of posts have been WAY too wordy, here are some pictures of a road trip we took last weekend. Good times.

Scott and I drove to St. George on Friday night with our good friends Carla and Emily, stopping in Beaver for dinner at our favorite pizza place (We toss 'em, they're awesome!). We stayed the night at my sister Melissa's house. This is a picture of the sleepover Scott and I had with Mikayla, Kyler, and Rylan. Loved all the snoring. :)

This is where Kyler actually slept. Um, I think the smile gives him away...

Saturday morning, Carla and Emily went to the temple, and Scott and I went on a mini-hike with Melissa and her family. It was super fun, and the view was fabulous!

The four adorable Nielsen kiddos--Katelyn, Mikayla, Rylan, and Kyler. Love them!

We drove the rest of the way to Vegas after a quick stop for lunch at In N Out, and we spent the afternoon visiting with Scott's sister MaryAnn and her family and Scott's cousin Tyler. We also enjoyed some yummy Mexican food. Too bad I didn't get pictures of Scott's nieces playing princesses. Super cute.

Us fans at the game--me, Scott, Emily, and Tyler (Carla went to a movie with a friend). It was a fun game (thank goodness for that cotton candy), and I even ran into my uncle there. Go Cougs!

We drove home Sunday after sacrament meeting, and we stopped at Carla's sister's house in Parowan for dinner. I just love a good road trip with great friends!

Good-Bye to Gold's

It is bittersweet to be ending my 4-year relationship with Gold's Gym. It has really been there for me during some tough times. My sister Jana and I joined just over 4 years ago on my 3rd wedding anniversary with my ex-husband (we were separated at the time). It was the beginning of me truly caring for myself and my health. And it was a great outlet for my anger and pain.
So, I was a dedicated gym-goer that first year, and I lost 35 pounds to show for it. I fluctuated slightly the 2nd year because life got busier. Then 2 years ago, my sister dropped her membership, and I convinced Scott to join my account (it was in exchange for me getting football tickets with him). We went fairly regularly while we dated and were engaged--after all, I was trying to look good for my wedding. But then we slacked off a bit after we got married. Due to that and also Scott's amazing cooking, I gained the "first-year 15" during our first year of marriage. I've re-dedicated myself to the gym these past few months (since I quite my full-time job), and I have been able to shed most of the extra pounds. Unfortunately, Scott hasn't had the same benefit because I now go in the mornings when he heads off to work. Trust me, Scott's not too heartbroken about it.
Anyway, the end of Gold's had to happen in the name of trying to be frugal or to pretend that we have a budget. Plus, it didn't make sense anymore (or ever really) to pay $50 a month when Scott gets a family Rec Center pass through his work for just $20 a year. No brainer, really. Unfortunately, I have become a bit of a gym snob and have resisted the change. It's not really about the facility itself--I just can't stand the smell of the air freshener they use. It's the same one they use in WalMart bathrooms, and I first became familiar with it when I worked for a summer at an inpatient facility for severely mentally ill adults (not my favorite memory to have triggered).
Scott and I finally went to the Rec Center on Tuesday night to get our little keychain passes. I did NOT love their ellipticals, but I guess I'll have to adjust. Scott LOVED that they close at 10pm--no more late nights at the gym. Last night I dragged Scott to Gold's Gym with me to use their pool and hot tub for the first time. I just couldn't stand the thought of having a membership there for 4 years and never using them. I know, I'm a weirdy. I liked the pool and the hot tub, and I LOVED the steam room (I never realized they had one or I would have gone much earlier). But I didn't like all the strange men lurking around (glad Scott was there). Plus, one of the guys yelled at me for turning on the light in the steam room (I couldn't see where to sit, for crying out loud), and one guy was making creepy groaning noises in the corner of the steam room.
This morning was my last visit ever to Gold's Gym. I will miss having my own TV while I work out. I will miss the cute little old ladies (although I'm sure there will be many at the Rec Center). And I will miss the proximity to Macey's. I won't miss the cocky men. I won't miss the anorexic women. And I definitely won't miss the cost.
Thank you, Gold's Gym for four years of supporting my quest for better physical and mental health. Good bye to Gold's, and hello to the Rec Center!
**Sorry no pics--Scott would not allow me to take a camera along last night/I forgot.

Bad luck comes in 3's, right?

Well, Scott and I have had our fair share of bad luck these past few months. First my car was stolen. Then my computer crashed in the middle of trying to start my business. And last but not least, I lost 3 teeth last month. The fateful event leading to the loss occurred on Sunday, August 30th. I was happily eating an ice cream bar at Scott's parents' house when I bit into something REALLY hard--like a rock or piece of metal or something--it was way too hard to be a nutshell. And I heard an unnerving crack. Anyway, I decided to keep my cool because we were in the middle of a discussion with a large crowd of family, and I just swallowed whatever it was along with the ice cream. Well, I was in pain and couldn't chew on the right side of my mouth, so I made an emergency appointment with my dentist for Tuesday morning. The dentist told me that, yes, a small piece of my tooth had broken off, but the tooth in front of the chipped tooth looked badly bruised (tooth #5 in the middle of the upper right side). He said that the tooth might die and need a root canal and that I had to wait 3 weeks to know for sure. He also actually told me that unfortunately I would "have to live with some owie for awhile." Seriously? Am I 2? So I left his office truly believing that my tooth just had to get better because I never have dental problems. Well, it didn't get better. I still couldn't eat on that side of my mouth, and a week-and-half later I accidentally bit into a soft tortilla which resulted in shooting pain in the entire right side of my face. The shooting pain continued off and on through the weekend, so I went back to my dentist a week earlier than planned. He confirmed that the tooth was in fact dying and would need a root canal. I felt bad enough about that, but then halfway through the root canal my dentist said that he thought the tooth was fractured in half and would need to be removed. At this point, I texted my visiting teaching companion to let her know I wouldn't be making it to our appointment. I was already on laughing gas, but they gave me a break so that I could sign an agreement to pay $852 for a bridge (and that's WITH insurance). Back on the gas, I had to get 10-15 shots to get numb. The dentist seemed genuinely shocked that it took so much to get me numb, saying that it normally only takes 2-3 shots. Super. Well, he finally gets me numb and yanks the tooth in 2 separate pieces (see picture below). He then proceeds to shave the 2 teeth next to the gaping hole down to basically nothing to prepare them for the bridge. I was seriously depressed at this point. I was already upset about losing one tooth to a root canal, but now I had basically lost 3 teeth. Seriously traumatic for me. And then the shots wore off "much more quickly than usual," leaving me in great pain. I might have cried a little at that point. The dentist and hygienist were empathic and at least didn't refer to my pain as an "owie." I left the dentist's office after 4 1/2 hours with a temporary bridge and huge sobs for Scott. I was a little delirious and insisted on driving myself home even though he urged me to pull over so that he could come get me. I dropped off my prescription for Lortab (bless those pills!), and Scott picked it up and brought it to me at home. I slept and read for two days and finally felt some relief. A couple of weeks ago, I got my permanent bridge put in. It's pretty hard to tell a difference, so I guess that means they did a good job. I'm trying to forget the part where the hygienist and the dentist couldn't for the life of them get the dental floss threaded above my bridge, resulting in many pokes and much bleeding of the gums. Once again, they commented on how "unusual" it was. I just love being special.
Wait. One bright note. My dentist told me that I must have a very high tolerance for pain, which I think is probably true. I believe it makes up for my wimpiness over having blood drawn, etc.
And finally, some pictures:

The culprit. Don't worry. I have filed a claim with Fat Boy's insurance company to hopefully get some compensation.

The damage. Yeah, it split clear down below the gum line.
I was a little disappointed that I forgot to take some before and after pictures of my mouth, but I think I'll be glad to forget my white trash mouth. Nonetheless, it was fun to pop out my temporary bridge and gross out Scott. I think my in-laws will be scarred for life after seeing that.

Now I'm just hoping bad luck doesn't strike a 4th time. We're at our max with 3, and I didn't even count car repairs or ongoing fertility problems. Please tell me we're done for a long, long time!

Whoo! Whoo!

Who in this great land of America has never been to a baseball game? Well, we found out a few weeks ago that Scott's cousin Jacob (22 years old) had never EVER seen a baseball game. So we took him to his first game a couple of weeks ago--an Owlz game. It was strange but fun to teach him the rules of baseball. And Jacob was a great sport and sat through all 9 innings with us. He even said that it was fun, although he admitted that the company was the best part. What can I say? Scott and I are pretty darn fun. :)

Scott and Jacob enjoying the game.

While I'm on the subject of baseball, I just have to say how much I love Owlz games. I was curious and just counted in my planner that I have been to 17 Owlz games this summer, and their season didn't start until the end of June and ended last week. For those of you who don't know, the Owlz are the rookie league affiliate of the Anaheim Angels (that's lower than single A). They play at UVU, and they have some pretty good concessions (minus the raw polish sausages we once started eating). We especially love how close to home they are. They are super cheap games, and let's just say that Scott and I are creative and haven't had to pay for parking all season. We also didn't have to pay for several of the games because we sometimes went really late after I got home from running my evening groups. The ticket office usually closes at 8:30pm, so we would get in free to see the 2nd half of the game. One time we got there at like 8:45pm, and the ticket office still wasn't closed. We waited around for nearly 15 minutes for it to finally close, and we were just a little embarrassed when Scott's cousin and his family walked past and wondered why were weren't inside. Well, uh, it's because we're too cheap to pay $4 each for one hour of baseball. It's our little way of budgeting.
Here are some pictures of our Owlz fun this summer:

Nothing beats baseball with mountains in the background--except maybe baseball with Chicago in the background.

This water bottle saved us quite a bit of money on pop and water.

Three of my adorable nieces (and sister Melissa) at an Owlz game. I LOVE when Faith calls the Owlz mascots "ball-headed chickens!"

Four of my handsome, silly nephews at the same game (with Scott and my brother-in-law Braydon in the background--I guess they're handsome too).

Scott's sister Diana and her husband Sam attended several games with us this season.

And the icing on the cake? Last week we were at the last game of the season, and my RS president texted me to say that they were sitting behind Luis Gonzalez. He played for the Cubs back in 1995-96 and more recently for the Diamondbacks and Marlins. He was very nice and let me get a picture with him. I might have been a little nervous, and he noticed. He said, "You're shaking. You don't have to be nervous. I'm a normal guy." Kind of embarrassing, but what do you expect? HE PLAYED FOR THE CUBS, and he's not bad-looking.
Go Owlz!!

While the cat's away...

What does the average husband do while his wife is gone overnight? Eat, sleep, and watch sports, right?
What does my not-so-average husband do while I'm at a fabulous Relief Society retreat at Heber Valley Camp? He eats, sleeps, watches sports, AND cans tomatoes. I know, I know. You're all jealous that I have such a well-rounded husband. :)

21 quarts for Scott to work his cooking magic with this year.

And here's our most recent harvest of Topsy Turvy tomatoes. We've already used half of them to make salsa, and I think Scott will use the rest to make bruschetta this week. Yum!

Long Live Labor Day!

Yeah, yeah. I'm super late posting about Labor Day weekend. Scott and I went camping Friday night up American Fork Canyon with some friends. Highlights included: roasting wienies, eating fire-baked potatoes, doing Mad Libs (with some great potty humor), playing spoons (dangerous), watching Melissa caress the tent (see above picture), surviving a rainy morning in our newly almost-waterproofed tent, and making breakfast at Carla's place (out of the rain).

Me, Carla, and Emily posing with our cards. Carla's a cheater!

Yup, that's right. Scott LOVES hanging out with all us girls!

Labor Day we woke up early to have breakfast in the canyon with the Carters.

We also played a little softball in the beautiful canyon.

Scott and I then headed to Salem to have a BBQ lunch with my family. Afterward, I played baseball with my adorable nephews. This is cute Clay.

And this is cute Cole.

Later that day, Scott and I saw the movie "Julie and Julia" with my parents. I liked it. On the way home from the movie, my odometer hit 77,777 miles. I couldn't resist taking a picture. Lucky 7, right?

Fun List Sandy!

The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up? Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (X)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (x)--I read 1 and found it to be the most boring thing I have ever come across, the movies are much better!
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte ( )
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (X)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (X)
6 The Bible - (x)-not cover to cover
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte ()
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell ( X)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman ( )
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (X) Great book you all should give Dickens a try.
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott ()
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy ( )
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller ( )
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare ()
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier (X)
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (X)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk ( )
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger ()
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger ()
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot ()
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell ()
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (X)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens (X)
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (X)
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams ( )
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh ( )
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky (X) This book is great I highly recommend it
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck ()
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (X)
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame ( )
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy (X)
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens (X) My favorite Dickens novel!
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (X)
34 Emma - Jane Austen ()
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen ()
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (X)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - (X)
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres ( )
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden ( )
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne ( )
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell (X)
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (X)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ( )
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving ()
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins ( )
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (X)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy ()
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood ()
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding (X)
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan ( )
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel ( )
52 Dune - Frank Herbert ( )
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons ( )
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen ()
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth ( )
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon ( )
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (X)
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley ( )
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime-Mark Haddon ( )
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ( )
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (X)
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov ( )
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt ( )
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold ( )
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (X)
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac ( )
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy ( )
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding ( )
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie ( )
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville (X)
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens (X)
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker (X)
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (X)
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson ( )
75 Ulysses - James Joyce ( )
76 The Inferno - Dante ( )
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome ( )
78 Germinal - Emile Zola ( )
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray ( )
80 Possession - AS Byatt ( )
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (X)
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell ( )
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker ()
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro ( )
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert ( )
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry ( )
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White (X)
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom ( )
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ( )
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton ( )
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad ( )
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery ( )
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks ( )
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams ( )
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole ( )
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute ( )
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas (X)
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare (X)
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (X)
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (X) Possibly my favorite book ever.

As a side note many of these I have listened to. I work in the most boring job ever so in an effort not to go crazy I listen to books on tape. I count 35! I need to go to library with this list and see what they have on CD!