nieces

here are some pictures of laura's girls that i took on 23 jan 09. this was my first visit to see kimberly, who was born on 12 jan 09.

me and makayla. she wouldn't stop making funny faces, so i just picked the best one of me.

makayla

makayla hugging her pony. she had just arranged all of her butterfly clippies in the pony's mane, as you can see.

ellie playing with mama's piggies while she watched a movie.

makayla and kimberly

ellie pulling the zoolander face

more ellie

ellie and kimberly at a slightly strange angle

one last pic of ellie. she's just adorable, isn't she.

my first ever contest.

badwater basin, 282 feet below sea level

inspiration point, 8100 feet above sea level

okay, so this contest is not so hard. which is why there's no prize offered besides the satisfaction of seeing how smart you are. these pictures are a small geographical overlook of my weekend. the name of the game is match the terrain to the elevation. like i said, it's pretty easy. it was a better game in my head when i didn't actually have the pictures in front of me. it was still pretty cool. submit your answers in the comments section so i know you were here, thus making me feel even cooler for going to some pretty incredible places for presidents day. thanks for playing.

contingency plan

i'm sure that some of you know that i'm going back to las vegas this weekend because i really need to go somewhere warm(er than here) and las vegas is my closest driving option. if you didn't know i was going back, surprise! shawn is working on getting us some tickets to a show tomorrow night, which will be totally awesome if he can. but i believe in the boy scout motto: be prepared. so in case that falls through, i have a contingency plan: death valley. because, really, what could be more appropriate for two single girls to do on valentine's day. i'm not saying we have a death wish or anything. i hear it's quite nice there this time of year. i'm just saying the polar opposite of valentine's day is someplace that has absolutely nothing to do with valentine's day. i think death valley is pretty nearly it. and it's only 2 hours from henderson, which makes it completely day trip-able. while i'm busily emptying my trunk just so i can fill it up again, i'm working out the details in my head. julia's on board for it. i think it just might work. . . stay tuned to find out what happened.

people, come on

last night, instead of going to institute like a good girl, i went to a rock concert. i felt like i was 19 again. the feeling 19 part was not because i skipped institute, nor was it because of the crowd at the show. if anything, the average age of my co-concertgoers would have made me feel my age and then some. i don't really know what brought on the nostalgia for 2000. it might have been the excess of flannel shirts worn by the band. it's hard to say. but i digress.

i went with my friends julia and matt moses (you have to say both his first and last name all of the time when referring to him. these are the reasons. 1. i know other people named matt and must differentiate. 2. matt moses is too cool to be referred to by just one name. 3. it's a really cool name. 4. i like alliteration.) the concert was at a little venue here in slc called kilby court, which is now one of my favorite venues ever. (it's right behind pictureline, dad) it's like an old garage that's been turned into a concert place. it's hard to describe because of its sheer awesomeness. now i know why julia could never explain it to me better.

we saw a little band called delta spirit, who played a free show with clap your hands say yeah at the gallivan center this summer. i liked them then and i like them even more now. and thanks to the remainder of a barnes and noble gift card from laura and co. and a coupon that i got in the mail yesterday, i am now the proud owner of their debut album for only $5 out of my own pocket.

for your benefit, since you obviously weren't at the concert, i found them on youtube so you too can enjoy (or not) my tuesday night adventure. the name of the song is "people, come on."

25 randoms about me

i've decided, perhaps temporarily, to reenter the blogging world. really, i'm just recycling a note i posted on facebook, so sorry about the repeat if you've read this already. give me a break. the fact that i even logged on here is a big step for me :)

1. i'm addicted to nalgene bottles. i have at least 8 if i remember correctly. and i'm kinda a snob about it. my water bottles have to be nalgene brand because everything else is just a rip off of the original.
2. i'm always on the lookout for new stickers to decorate my nalgene bottles with.
3. i hate bath and body works because they always discontinue my favorite scents. but i keep going back. . .
4. i'm a sucker for $5 dvds at walmart.
5. i've been dying my hair various shades of red since early 1996.
6. i loved paul newman like no one else. we had the same birthday.
7. my dad is probably my favorite person in the whole world.
8. my passport has only been stamped in ecuador, much to my dismay. i mean it's to my dismay that i haven't been more places.
9. i'm invariably surprised when people remember my name.
10. i still suffer from middle child syndrome.
11. i always seem to make friends with foreigners.
12. i've had over 50 roommates. i've actually lost track of the exact numbers, and i can't even remember some of their names at this point.
13. i lived the same roommate in 3 different houses because we got along so well.
14. i graduated from college when i was 21.
15. i have an uncanny knack for remembering useless trivia. i could win jeopardy. but when it comes to things i should/need to remember, i'm useless.
16. the day that i got over my height complex and started wearing high heels was a good day.
17. i'd rather drive somewhere than fly there. flying is so boring, even if it is more time efficient. i will always love the sensations of takeoff and landing, though.
18. i'll go see a movie in the theater by myself if i want to see the movie bad enough.
19. i'm not ashamed to admit that i love knitting.
20. i have motivation issues. and procrastination issues. they kinda go hand in hand, really.
21. my favorite job i've ever had was as a barista at mocha madness in pocatello. only an extreme love of what you do can make you work for less than $5.50/hr for more than 2 years.
22. a flat tire on labor day 1999 started a chain of events that introduced me to some of my oldest friends.
23. i know i shouldn't pick favorites, but my favorite niece and nephew are also middle children.
24. i like making lists. except for this one. this one was moderately painful. 25 is a lot of things to think of in one sitting.
25. i love visiting national parks. someday i'm going to purchase one of the national parks passport just so i can collect stamps from all of the national parks and have proof that i've visited all of them.

my 2009 welcome party plans

i made some killer new year's eve plans. i'm going to detroit to the barenaked ladies concert, because they are my favorite. lucky for me, katie and shawn just happen to live near detroit (thanks guys!) otherwise it would have been out of the question. it's the first time ever that i've had really cool new year's eve plans. i'm flying half way across the country to go to a concert. which begs the question, when did i become the person that will fly somewhere for just two nights for the sole purpose of going to a concert (and visiting my sister)? only cool people do that, and i'm still very much a nerd at heart. who do i think i am trying to be one of the cool kids? i don't know, but i do know that i am so very excited to see bnl for the first time in 2 years and i'm doing it for new year's eve. i'm going alone, but like i told julia, at least i know that i'll be among kindred spirits. what better way to ring in the new year? (well, it'd be better if julia could come too, but jobs just put a kink in your travel plans.)

bored

i'm gonna be honest. i'm pretty much bored with the blog thing right now. plus, i don't have anything good to say. so whatever. i'm still undecided about what that means for me and my chronicles. just wanted to put that out there.