To Be a Teen Again...

Don't be too jealous, folks. But, my hubby and I are off to her concert tonight...

I'm actually really excited. Hubby surprised me with tickets for my birthday and now it's here. I've heard her shows are actually really good and the teacher in me loves that she is actually a good girl. I also like that she writes her own songs. That's a talent that I wish I had. Anyway...we will see how much squealing teens we get to sing with tonight. Don't worry though, Michael wants to get binoculars for me just in case our seats are really far away. (That's what he says.) I think he wants to get a good look of Taylor. It's ok. She's cute. I approve.

Happy Friday!

Grumpy Gills...

I like to pretend that I'm a pretty positive person that doesn't get upset too easily. Sometimes this is more true than other times. However, I became very frustrated yesterday. It's my fall break! I'm in Utah with my family! Why would I be SO frustrated? Well, I will tell you. It's because I had only been in Utah for a few hours when my throat started to burn. My brain became cloudy. My nose started to run. And there was major sinus congestion. I was getting sick! Yep. By the end of the night, my headcold was in full force! Therefore, my wonderful fun filled Fall break has turned into me feeling like death and my mom taking care of me with hot lemonade and other mommy tricks. (Being babied by my mom is nice, but still not what I had planned.)
So, pray for a miracle that I will be able to not be sick anymore so I can play. Until then, I will keep on blowing my nose! Hooray!

Two Beautiful Sights...

1: Me not having to cook...

Plus, he's pretty good looking.

2: SERIOUS meat...

Come to mama!

For the record, we split the steak, so I'm not completely heading to obesity. Also, I don't feel like I have real "cravings." It's just really amazing to me how NOTHING will sound good and some things just hit the right spot. This was one of those moments! Well played, Michael!

Oh What a Beautiful Morning...

It's here! It's really here! October is very welcomed in this house...

Best way to start off this wonderful month:

We are having some technical difficulties today and I threw a mini temper tantrum about getting to watch Conference. Luckily, husband got it semi up and running. It's so satisfying!

In October, we get to spoil this guy...

He's totally worth it!

I get a full week off of school to fly back to this beautiful place...

We get to finally find out what color will soon be dominating our lives. And yes, there is only one color. Michael's dream of having both didn't work out for him this go around.

October is finally the start of average temperatures in the 80s. It's a very welcomed cool down. So visitors can start coming anytime!

I just can't tell you how excited I am!

Even Baby is looking super festive for Halloween as a skeleton this year...

If you know me, you know my baby should have plenty of calcium. In our last ultrasound, the dr. said that the calcium is starting to strengthen certain bones and that's why it's "glowing" in the picture.

What a great month!

The Life of a Princess...

To start, thank you for such nice comments about our big news! We are pretty darn excited. It still feels a bit surreal, but some things keep it very real. Like the fact that I'm super tired but for the most part, I haven't been too sick. Last weekend was the worst that I have had which made me a little nervous to go out for the best night ever. I was afraid it would be ruined by visits to the toilet, however, baby likes baseball games as much as me and no nausea!

Tuesday evening, I was planning on being home alone (since Michael had class) and watching Netflix, cleaning a bit, and blog stalking. You know, the usual. But that would not make the best night ever. On my way home from school, I got a message from a friend in my ward that she had Diamondbacks tickets for that night. Given the previously mentioned schedule, I jumped at the chance.

When we got to the game we went to the SUITE level! AWESOME! We then asked the friendly usher man which suite was ours. He informed us that our suite is called the Batter Box Suite meaning we needed to go much lower! Like, this low...

(Inside the box. Behind the batter. Get it?)

Seriously! This next picture was not from our game, but it was to show you how elite these seats are. My head was directly underneath the Fireworks Friday banner-which scrolls to different ads throughout the game- just so you know. Awesome!

This was my view...

The writing on the red strip says to avoid distractions like excessive waving and cell phone use. I could easily see why that would be there since every time I saw myself on camera, I wanted to wave so my dad and the rest of ESPN watchers could see me. Plus, I was taking pictures on my phone and sending them all to my dad so he could appreciate the awesomeness! I will admit, at this view, it was a lot easier to pay attention to the game because you could really tell if those 78 mph pitches were balls or strikes! Awesome!

On top of that- yep. there's more.- The company that had given my friend the tickets had an open tab during the game! Furthermore, to avoid distractions of people coming and going into the batter box, they had menus for us! That's right, MENUS! So we could order and a few seconds later a worker would bring us our order from their secret entrance. I had a bottle of water. Pink Lemonade. A cheese burger with fries. (We all split up our entrees so we really had cheeseburgers, chicken strips, supreme nachos and taquitos.) Then I got popcorn in the souvenir helmet that I got to keep for my neighbor boys. (I didn't eat much of the popcorn because of how full we were by this point.) But to top it off, we got Coldstone Ice Cream after the 7th inning stretch! It was AWESOME! Totally worth all the calories!

And for the cherry on top. I got to spend the evening with my girls from the ward! It was simply the best.night. ever! I slept so well that night and was very grateful the next day at school was pajama day so I could wear my comfy pants after eating all that food. (I had a student point that out to me right after I told them about my night. He insisted he wasn't calling me fat or anything but was sure I was grateful- ha!) I am positive that is what royalty feels like.

Metaphors vs. Similes

My class and I have been discussing the difference between metaphors and similes. Similes are easy because they have the words "like" or "as." Metaphors don't. I like that it took me actually teaching to complete understand and feel confident with this concept. Lately, I have been feeling a lot like this poem...

Metaphors

I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.

Sylvia Plath

We may not be able to get off the train, but we sure are excited for March 30, 2012 in this house!

(Little Squirrel's first picture 3 weeks ago.)

A Widow's Wallow...

So... Michael just started his MBA program at Arizona State University. We are super excited that he is accepted and working hard and going back for an even higher education! I'm not going to lie, the concept of going back to school and studying and tuition and tests is not something I would volunteer for. But I do admire Michael for getting on board because he knows that it will be better in the long run.

After we found out that he was accepted, Michael kept saying that I needed to find a hobby. At the time, I would reply that there are many, many things I could do while he was at school for only two nights a week. I mean, I have school work, I can clean, I can read, I can shop, I can watch chick flicks that I can't get Michael to watch with me. The possibilities are endless. I love my husband, but having some alone time is never a bad thing...Now that he has been to a grand total of 4 classes, I realize I NEED A HOBBY!

I am so bored! I have tried many different recipes. Most of which were recommended by you all. They are delicious by the way. But that's only the beginning of the evening. He's gone all night. I get sick of correcting. Doing housework doesn't exactly count as a hobby. Shopping alone doesn't last that long. Although it's embarrassing for me to admit, I have had a few TV shows that have kept me afloat...

Oh how I LOVE Design Star! I love it! I love it! I love that they have it online so there are limited commercials and so I can watch all seasons over and over again. I feel like this season there is a lot of talent. Most seasons I don't have 5 that I want to win. It's my favorite HGTV show because I love the across the spectrum ideas and inspiration. So thank you design star for keeping me sane on Tuesdays. However, that leaves Thursdays wide open!

What's an MBA Widow to do the rest of the long nights and meetings with study groups?