The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear!

So, my Christmas came a little early this year and I couldn't be more excited! Guess what I got...

A PUPPY!!!

His name is Bowser (yes, we named him after the character from the Nintendo games!) and he's 9 weeks old. Look at his adorable wrinkles and his big old paws! He's going to be a big guy when he's full grown. He's seriously adorable...I'm not even exaggerating! He won over Jacob - that says a lot right there! (Yes, Bowser enjoys to watch TV...)

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am!! I have a bit of guilt that I have a puppy and Nelson, my dog who lives with my mom, can't live with us, but the circumstances don't really allow for that to be a feasible option. Nelson will always be my number one, but this little guy is a really close second!

Jacob and some awesome friends/family built a fabulous fence for the house, and it's almost finished! Once it is, Bowser will have a great yard to run around and get a lot of his energy out. I will post some pictures of the fence when I post about all the work we have been doing on the house. It's been a busy last month or two.

Bowser's personality comes out more and more every day. He's such a great dog. He loves to play, but he also love to cuddle. It's rather adorable. He sleeps through the night, and has from the first night we brought him home. He doesn't make a mess at night...during the day is a different story though. We are crate training him, but since he's in there while we are at work, we let him sleep in our room and that's worked out great. He still has a lot to learn though, but we are (well, at least I am) super happy and excited to have him! He came at the perfect time, and we definitely got a wonderful little guy.

I had a dog and his name was King, I told the dog about everything...

So, life has been busy and somewhat crazy, but it's good as usual. I don't have much time to update now, but I did want to mention that I have recently started volunteering with the Atlanta Boxer Rescue and that this Saturday, September 19, is the big fundraiser - Boxerstock!

ABR works with local animal shelters to identify Boxer dogs that need to be rescued, move those Boxers to foster homes for care and rehabilitation, spay/neuter and vaccinate the Boxers as needed, and seek qualified adopters to give those Boxers new, loving homes. (I stole that from the website!) Recently, a lot of the dogs they have rescued have heartworms, and the treatment can get costly. So, if you want to help out this organization, come out to Boxerstock! The money earned will help cover the costs of the health care for these adorable little guys! I'm really excited about being a volunteer with this organization, and want to spread the word.

I am a huge fan of boxers in general, but in particular, Nelson. He's not from ABR, he's my puppy, who is now nearing the age of 13. We have had him since he was 6 weeks old, and he's been one amazing puppy. (Yes, I am fully aware he's not technically a puppy anymore, but he will always be one to me.) I would write more about the amazingness of Nelson, how much he means to me and how much I love him, but that will be saved for another day. He deserves his own post :)

Boooooring

Are you interested in unbelievably dry analysis of the iPhone? Well, great! Then you're in good company, because I've written some.

Oh wait, you aren't? Oh. Well, then here's some pictures of our garden. I'm thinking I'll write a "What I learned in my first year of gardening" post in the next month or so.

I can't see the stars anymore living here, let's go to the hills where the outlines are clear...

I am absolutely ready to explode with excitement!!!

I get to see my BEAUTIFUL Jiznin in less than two weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so proud of her and her service to the Lord and the people of Mongolia. She's amazing!! I have missed her so much, and I can't even believe it's already time for her to come home. I'm so blessed to have her in my life, and I'm so grateful for all that she has done for me and taught me through her amazing example. I can't wait to hear her stories and tell her mine. OH MY GOSH I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HER!

I LOVE YOU JIZNIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Can you tell I'm a little excited?!

:)

Where are you now; as I'm swimming through the stereo, I'm writing you a symphony of sound..

I have been having trouble thinking of things to write lately, so instead of telling stories about what we have been up to, or how much I HATE Atlanta traffic/drivers, I thought I would write a list of things that make me happy lately...or always. Things that I love. So, in no particular order:

I love...

- My husband.

- Text messages that make me laugh.

- Peeling Clementine oranges. Mmmm.

- Going to see live music. I love seeing other peoples talents.

- Hugs from Jacob. They are the best thing in the world.

- Watching my husband play Tiger Woods on the Wii.

- So You Think You Can Dance

- My Smiths. All 3 of them. They are the best!!!

- Clint's sense of humor and taste in music! It's seriously my favorite. I also love it when he helps me cook. It is always a lot funnier/more fun when he's there! He's my favorite Martin...hahah!! Get it?!

- Pep talks from Calien. She makes me feel like I can take on the world.

- Baking yummy treats.

-Walking in the rain (even when it's a DOWNPOUR!)

- Looking at pictures from my childhood. My brother and I are awesome :)

- Watermelon

- Seeing a rainbow.

- Etsy.com

- Our new couches!!

- Having a really clean kitchen.

- Watching Food Network.

- Seeing midnight showings of Harry Potter movies.

- Trips to see Mary.

- Tweaking recipes to make them taste even better.

- Pedicures with Heather.

- Having FHE with the Smiths and the Eltons.

- Key lime pie

- SmartWater

- The Burkes. 'Nough said!

- Reading other peoples blogs. People are so interesting!!

- 4th of July BBQ's with amazing friends. (I was sad I didn't get to spend the weekend with all of the Williams clan though...)

- No Doubt concerts with Brittany.

- Brittany: No one knows me quite like she does :)

- Beating Jacob at Buzz Quiz (that doesn't happen as much as I'd like).

- Hanging out with my brother.

- My family. I have a really amazing family. I also have really amazing in-laws. I sure got lucky! Wonderful family makes life so much better.

- Zesting a lemon.

- My iPod.

- Decorating our house.

That's enough for now. I'm a very blessed individual! I love my life and all the people in it!

But until then I'll spend my money up right down to my last dime, callin Baton Rouge...

I love trips. I love seeing new places. And I love doing that with amazing friends!! This time, I went to Louisiana to visit my wonderful friend Mary. It has been way to long since we last saw each other (well, her and her family came in town for my wedding, but we didn't get any quality time together...it meant the world to me that they came!) but when she picked me up from the airport, it was like we hadn't skipped a beat. I have to say, the trip was just what I needed, on so many levels. I am so grateful for Mary and her friendship over the years. I had a blast traveling over the South with her! We went to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Gulfport MS, some beaches in AL, and lets not forget all the fun outlets we stopped at along the way!

I also really loved seeing her home, hanging out with her little (and ADORABLE) little boy Hudson and her husband. I loved the Spirit in their home. I felt the love that they all had for each other when I walked through the front door. I'm really blessed to have Mary and her friendship in my life! I can't wait until I get to see her again!! (Don't worry, it won't be another 5 years!!)

I took some pictures of our adventures, but I can't find my camera cord. SAD! She has some posted on her blog, so if you are really curious you can check them out. Isn't Hudson precious?!

Thanks for letting me come to see you!! It was perfect :)

It's a lot like Mayberry, but without that catchy theme song to whistle in my head.

I'm a nerd. For so many reasons, but #465 is my love of Archie Comic books. I have been reading them since...well, since I learned how to read. I have copies of comics from the 1950's all the way up to the issues that are out at Publix today! It's a guilty pleasure, one that I have no intention of giving up anytime soon. They may not be as cool as Spider-man or Batman, but they make me happy.

While I was reading CNN this morning, I came across this article. I was surprised, because usually Archie doesn't make headlines - I think it's because he's not real, but that's just a guess... :) - and it said that he is finally getting married and he's going to propose to Veronica!!! BOO!!!!! Ever since my first issue, I thought that Archie would end up with Betty, and to learn otherwise is devastating! I went to the Archie Blog (I'm super passionate about this...and may regret blogging about it after it's posted, but whatever...we all have our things!) And it looks like it's true...He is going to ask Veronica. Let's hope something happens in the next 6 issues that make him change his mind!!! I guess I won't know more until it hits newsstands on September 8, 2009.

This news takes away from my original post, about how overrated I think Rob Pattinson is. I mean seriously....did you see Twilight?! Worst movie ever (the books were good, I loved them)...yet somehow America overlooked the suckiness of that movie and catapulted him to fame. I'm not saying I don't like him - he's charming, handsome and has a lot of potiental....but Twilight is not a good reason to get all this attention. I thought he was great in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Good looks will get you anywhere, I guess. He's freaking everywhere!!! Ok, I'm ready...beat me up for that.

Ohhh, Harry Potter. I can't wait for The Half Blood Prince to be out - reason #25 that I am nerd.

I dream of dusty roads, paved with gold that lead me in your eyes...

So, we are officially horrible bloggers. I blamed part of it on the fact that I didn't have a working camera, so I wasn't able to document all the things we have done...but then I got a working camera and nothing changed. So...that just confirms my theory - we are horrible bloggers. I used to be much better at it, but I lost my drive along the way. I am trying to get it back though. We will see how I do.

The last few months have been crazy busy, but they have been really good. We have slowly been getting the house all put together and making changes that make it feel more like our home. So, you know, that's a good thing. Plus, there are a lot more things we want to do, and I'm really excited about some of them. I really should be taking before and after pictures....but....I'm really bad at remembering to do that. I do have pictures of our garden that Jacob has started, and so far it's looking really good! Jacob is doing a great job with it. I can't wait until the stuff is ready to be picked. Now I need to remember to upload the pictures :)

Last week we went to see Death Cab for Cutie and it was awesome!! I love Death Cab. They played at the Fox and we went the Heather, Ry and Clint. Good show and good people - does it get any better than that?! I thinkest not. I love going to concerts. This summer there are some good ones coming to Atlanta, but I'm not sure how many I will get to go to. Apparently I'm at that stage in life where paying bills and mortgages are more important than going to shows. We will see how long that lasts for...

I am sad that this season of Biggest Loser is over. I love that show, and now I have to wait until next fall to see another season. I really wish Tara had won, but she looked so stinking beautiful and happy and AWESOME, that I am not sure she cared. She has inspired me on many levels! However, on an up side, So You Think You Can Dance starts next week, and that show makes me happy.

Ok, I'm done rambling....for now.

Has Taylor Swift even read Romeo and Juliet?

On Sunday I asked Ashley about the lyrics to Taylor Swift's song Love Story. Well, I didn't really ask her anything about it, but wondered aloud if they made any sense. She got very defensive that they did make sense. She was kind of stressed, though.

Let me clarify. They DO make sense, they just have very little in common with the story of Romeo and Juliet. Now, Swift's lyrics start out strong. The two protagonists ("Romeo" and "Juliet" for our purposes) meet each other at a party, as in the play, and at least one of the parents is against it:

That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet

I'm not too sure about throwing pebbles, but otherwise, this fits. In the Shakespeare play they were told to stay away from each other (seeing as how the two families had hated each other for generations). The song goes on, there are some other lines, it kind of fits the story of the play, but then there's this:

'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter

She's a scarlet letter? Mixing metaphors, tsk, tsk. Given that The Scarlet Letter is about a woman that commits adultery and suffers nearly her entire life under the weight of her sin, I'm not sure what Swift is going for here. Ashley explained to me that "Juliet" is shunned, and that's what this line is about. Okay, fine. But the line that really gets me is:

I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress

First of all, didn't the dad warn him to stay away three verses ago? But more than that, it's definitely not the way the story of Romeo and Juliet goes. At this point I think the only thing she knows about Romeo and Juliet is that they were in love. Everything else she's made up. It's like an 8-year-old wrote the song after falling asleep while watching the movie version.

Anyway.

Since I already sound cranky, let me mention something that really bothers me. (To clarify, this is not something else that really bothers me, because I really like that Taylor Swift song. It's just that the lyrics are pretty dumb.) I hate when cars at stop lights leave huge gaps between them and the car in front of them. I've threatened many times to get out of my car, walk over to the offending driver, knock on their window, and ask them to explain to me why in the world they've stopped 30 feet back from the car in front. I have yet to do it. Perhaps, if you're someone who does this, you can explain why this happens so I don't have to scare the bejesus out of some poor driver one day. I have photos.


I stitched together these four pictures so you can see what I'm talking about (that's right, it took FOUR pictures to photograph the enormity of the space that this person left between them and the car in front). These were taken at the intersection of Windy Hill and Powers Ferry. Why would this person stop where they've stopped? I can't understand it.

We went bowling the other night as part of what I'm billing (starting now) as the Weekend of Heather. I bowled possibly my best two games ever, 167 and 150. Here are the scorecards:



One last thing. I really like sudoku. I'm currently trying to solve a very difficult puzzle, difficult enough that I think I need to learn some new techniques. I think I can use the X-wings technique on it, but I'm not sure. Help me out:

Ohhh the sewing machine, the sewing machine; a girl's best friend, If I didn't having my sewing machine I'd a come to no good end...

I love fabrics, and I found this seller on Etsy.com! The lady who runs the shop has a blog, and I want to win some fabric! So, go buy her fabric (But don't enter...I want to win!!)



Go here to learn about the giveaway. I never win this stuff, but I thought I would try one more time....

P.S. I have bought from her a few times and she is FABULOUS to work with!!!! I recommend her.

All eyes on me, in the center of the ring, just like a circus....

She's back.....

And she is awesome - just like I knew she would be!!!!!

These pictures do it no justice, but here are some anyways :)

I know I should be above this....But I'm totally not. I'm pretty sure I'll be a Britney fan for life!

P.S. I think I hate the Pussycat Dolls even more after seeing them "perform".

If dreams are like movies, then memories are films about ghosts

So, I don't really feel like I have anything to blog about at the moment. I always have lots of different ideas and such floating around my head, so I thought I would share a few of them. I mean, I will spare you the "I'm so excited to see Britney Spears!!" tangent (even thought I totally am....) These may or may not be more interesting than that!

So here goes....random tangents...

1) I'm so sad! It was announced that Domino Magazine is going out of circulation, and not only that, they are taking the website down too. Punks! I have been a fan of the website for a long time, and when I finally give in and get a subscription to the magazine, I only get to enjoy it for 3 months and then it's taken away from me. It's to bad too, because now I have a house to use a lot of their awesome tips and such. It's sad time. But I won't let it thwart my plans to become crafty! I already have a few ideas of things I want to make for the house, so I can't wait to get started. But, I must do it without my beloved Domino. You will be missed...

2) I'm so excited!! My oldest cousin Jenni and her husband Jon just had a baby!! He's a beautiful baby boy - Tilden Douglas. They are both wonderful people and are going to make such fantastic parents! I can't wait to meet the little man - I hope it's sooner than later!! They will be posting pics of Tilden soon, so check out their blog! What an exciting baby season :)

3) So, since Jacob and I are married now, we are in a new ward. When I was baptized at 19, I was baptized at the Singles Ward, and spent the last 7.5 years there. It had it's ups and downs, but it was comfortable and familiar to me. The family ward is a whole new can of worms. I don't know a lot of people (thank goodness for awesome people like Reva and Jared and the Burke's who are there). I know I will get comfortable there soon...and I hope its sooner than later!

4) I think that if Christian Bale ate something, he wouldn't be so moody on the set (I swear he gets thinner with each movie he does...) This would cause him to be pleasant to be around, and not cause him to scream at innocent people (I don't know if the video with the article is a copy of the rant, but I don't recommend listening to it...he's got the mouth of a sailor!) At least he apologized - he gets a lot credit for that. But still.

5) My Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer is my new favorite gadget. It makes me want to bake things all the time!! I've made cookies, pies, cup cakes, and they have all turned out great, thanks to the mixer!! Holy cow it's amazing...and pretty.

Turns out I don't think any of them were interesting, but since I typed it all up, I am posting it anyways. Maybe the next post will be better.

You know its gonna make it that much better, when we can say goodnight and stay together...

Happy February!

Jenni, this post is for you!! I promise to be a better blogger from now on :)

So, things have been really good, but also really busy, so blogging has taken a back seat. It's sad, but true. Thus far, 2009 has been a good year. Jacob and I got married toward the beginning of the year, and from there went to St. Johns for our honeymoon. It was perfect and beautiful and warm...and I can't wait to go back!! I love the beach, and this was by far the most beautiful place I have ever been to. Once we get the pictures developed, I will post some. Since I had been living in my mom's basement with all of my stuff already over at Jacobs house in boxes, I couldn't find my digital camera charger before we left, so I bought disposable cameras instead. How old school!

The house is no longer Jacobs house, but it's our house now. We have slowly been getting settled in, and hopefully I will be unpacked sooner than later. It's true, I have a bunch of stuff, so I need to make some decisions about what I will actually be able to keep, and what needs to be chucked. I may be a bit of a pack rat, so those kinds of decisions can be hard on me. But I want to get everything put together so it feels like home and I have a place to start on all the different projects that I want to. I know it will take some time, but I hope it doesn't take forever!

The wedding was perfect - I had no complaints!! And it was so exciting to have some close friends and family come into town - it meant the world to me!! I will also post some pics of the wedding soon too. I have seen a preview of them, and Heather did an AMAZING job!! There are so many reasons why I love her!! I included a sample, but when they are all finished I will put some more up.