David and Anna

So here's the deal...

2011-01-12T16:25:00.000-08:00

I've started a new blog.

but it's just me (Anna).

Mainly because I feel a little weird talking about just me here, and barely mentioning David. I know most of you don't care, but it's weird to me. So from now on, if there is something going on with David and I, I'll post it here, but as for my random thoughts and various fangirl outbursts you can go here and see it there.

The main purpose for this is actually to get more into writing and graphic design. Most writers have blogs, and I want to show people all over the stuff I can do when it comes to graphic design. It's still a work in progress, but I hope that it'll get a bit better.

Feel free to follow me. (:

A Year of Broadway!

2011-01-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

This past year can pretty much be called Anna's Year of Broadway.

I've seen some truly amazing shows this year and I've loved every single one of them.

In February, I went as saw Avenue Q which is, by far, one of the funniest musicals I've ever seen. Not exactly a show I'd take anyone under the age of 16 to go see maybe, but definitely one of the best shows out there.

March came, and with it came, Legally Blonde: The Musical. Elle Woods on Broadway can not be denied. This musical continues to be one of the most listened to musicals on my Zune. If ever there's a day that makes me sad or depressed, or I just need a little smile, I turn on Legally Blonde and within the first few moments of what ever song comes on, I'm smiling and dancing.

When I went to New Jersey to visit my mother with my younger cousin Shannon, my mom and her friend surprised us with taking us to a sneak peek of the revival of Promises, Promises, a Musical that is now very dear to me, because it was my first Broadway show ON BROADWAY. Not only was it my first show on Broadway in NYC, but it showcased one of my favorite B-Way actresses, Kristen Chenoweth. It was an amazing experience and most certainly one to repeat if I ever got the chance.

Lastly, for my birthday, David and I went to go see The Lion King. It's always been one of our favorite animated movies and the Broadway play didn't disappoint. The way they portrayed the characters, the magnitude of the show was beyond astounding. You almost need to go see it twice, once to concentrate on the amazingly complex costumes, and a second time to enjoy the retelling of the story.

This next year, I have no plans of slowing down. I can't wait to go see Young Frankenstein, Monty Python's Spamalot, Mama Mia, Mary Poppins, Les Misérables, l, and finally, be able to see the Tuachan Theater in St. George put on their version of 'The Little Mermaid'. I'm lucky to have people who are willing to go see these shows with me. It's going to be another year of amazing musicals.

Proof that J.K. Rowling is amazing!

2010-12-08T06:37:00.000-08:00

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.”
-J.K. Rowling.

This quote seems to sum up my whole life (or at least how I've been feeling lately), and just proves that J.K. Rowling is one of the most influential women I've ever heard about.

Books are good for you!

2010-12-07T16:47:00.000-08:00

You'd think, considering my mother, that I'd read like Rory Gilmore and never put a book down. But alas, although I do LOVE to read, that particular gene has not been passed down to me. Though I do always have a book in my purse (Meg Cabot usually as she IS my favorite author), I've realized I haven't read NEARLY as much as I wanted to this year. I got distracted by pretty tv shows and AMAZING movies (see: Harry Potter posts), that my reading habits have kind of died.

So I'm changing this.

Starting tonight. Tonight I'm off to go pick up THREE books from the library all at once. I'm pretty excited to read them. Lucky for me I have a Bookaholic Extraordinaire for a best friend and since she and I have freakishly similar tastes in books she's able to send me in the right direction for books I should read.

So if anyone has any recommendations they want to send my way, I'm more than happy to take a crack at them! (: Because every purse needs a good book.

If you want to follow what I'm reading (and have a goodreads account) add me here.

(click the button)

My Weekly Enthusiast site has fallen slightly, only because of my momentary distraction of Harry Potter and the lack of a muse and good tv. I'm hoping to pick it back up in the new year. Once all my shows come back from winter hiatus.

The Beginning of the End

2010-11-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

So I realize that I've been beyond horrible at updating this. The thing is, nothing has really been happening in mine and David's life that is all that interesting.

however there is something I want to share, its very geeky but it is something that is very special to me.

This upcoming Thursday, I will be one of those crazy people standing in line to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, at 12:15 am. That's right I'm insane.

I know that a lot of people don't understand my fangirl obsessions. But Harry Potter is very much one of those books that has made me the person I am. It sounds silly and maybe even untrue, but it is very much one of those random things that makes me so sad that this amazing franchise of my generation is ending.

So, I'm taking this meme from one of my friends on Livejournal. Its basically supposed to be answered every day for 30 days. But since Harry Potter comes out on Thursday, I'm doing it all at once.

(Be warned... there's some sort of random references in this that you may not get... also, there are quite a few random graphics I've made.)
Day 1: Your favorite book
The sixth book is my favorite by far.
It makes my little shipper heart flutter, and is the most humor filled book (with the exception of the last part). Its the one that I related to most too at the time. And the first book I ever went to a midnight release for ever.

Day 2: Your favorite movie
As a movie, not comparing them to the books, the fourth movie is my favorite. As much as I want to go and cut all the boys’ hair in the movie, the parts that they used were exactly how i pictured them in the books. Most surprisingly was the way they filmed the Yule Ball. Even though Hermione’s dress was the wrong color, it was still perfect.

Day 3: Is there any of the films adaptations that have made you angry because they've ignored important parts of the books?
Of all the movies I'm pretty sure the third one annoyed me the most. I understand that they can't put everything in the movies but I do wish they would have gone into more detail on the backstory of the marauders. When we went and saw it, afterward I was answering unanswered questions for those in my family who hadn't read the books.

Day 4: Least favorite female character and why.
Unfortunately I'd have to say Ginny. It could just be the way Bonnie Wright plays her. But I find the character to be very bland. Yeah she's a pretty awesome wizard, but she's just kind of a little boring. Maybe its just me. Perhaps JK Rowling didn't go into enough detail when it came to that character, or perhaps I was too distracted by other characters, but if I had to choose one it'd be her.

Day 5: Favorite male character and why.

Hands down, its Ron. I'm a sucker for redheads. Not exactly sure why. I just am. Ron always shows his bravery but doesn't flaunt it. He’s smart when he wants to be and so completely clueless in other respects that you just want to pet him on the head and give him a giant hersey's candy bar.

Day 6: What House would you want to be in?
Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders! Yeeeeeeah. That’d be me. I’m absolutely a Hufflepuff. I’m kind of ditzy and get distracted easily. I’m not really a leader and not really a evil dark lord. I’m smart but not like genius smart. I’m just kind of here. Thus I am undeniably a Hufflepuff.

Day 7: Favorite female character and why?
Hermione. (I know... Ron and Hermione... can you tell what my answer is going to be for Day 12?) She's not afraid to stand up for herself, or be smart when others tease her for it. She's an overachiever and if it weren't for her, Harry wouldn't have made it this far. I love that she isn't afraid to call Harry out when he's being a jerkface (which lets face it... happens a lot), and she's a bookworm. I heart bookworms.

Day 8: What do you think would be your favorite lesson?
Charms. I think I'd find it interesting to learn the ways to wield and handle a wand. Though I probably wouldn't be as obnoxious as Hermione in this subject. I do think it'd be fun to learn it. "Its levi-O-sa, not levio-SAA."

Day 9: Least favorite male character.
Um....... I guess Cedric. He was kind of pompous. Maybe its just me. But I always wanted to punch him in the face. Plus he's just this spare guy that is always hanging around when Harry doesn't need a guy. He's just a spare.

Day 10: Horcruxes or Hallows?
Hallows. Hallows are just... AWESOME!

Day 11: What character would you say you are most like.
A mixture of Ron and Hermione. I'm a little bit of a bookworm like Hermione, but I also enjoy the smaller simpler things like Ron.

Day 12: Favorite Relationship.

Really? Do you have to ask? *sigh* Fine. I am without a doubt a hopelessly addicted Ron/Hermione shipper. These two are my OTP (One True Pairing). They are the ones that got me so addicted to shipping in the first place. It's really quite pathetic. I just adore all their sexual tension and the funny ways they act around eachother. Ron obliviousness to Hermione and the way they have a who-can-have-a-better-date war in the sixth book never fails to make my little shipper heart flutter.

Day 13: Least favorite movie.
The fifth one. Though granted the fifth book was my least favorite too. I kind of hated how Harry was just a jerk through the whole thing. I just want to smack him. Plus you know... the ending.

Day 14: Team Voldemort or Team Harry?
Lol. Team Harry.

Day 15: Who would be your best friends at Hogwarts? (three only)
I think Luna, Ron and Hermione. I'd probably end up slapping Harry (or wanting to slap him) far to often to be his friend.

Day 16: Favorite professor?
~~Rumbleroar~~ Dumbledore and McGonagall. Dumbledore always believed in Harry and always tried to help him. McGonagall, never gave up on Harry and always did anything she could to help him. She's always been one of my favorite characters.

Day 17: Are you excited about The Deathly Hallows movie or scared it won't do the book justice?
Both. But I've learned from the previous movies not to read the book before I see the movie. Otherwise I'm annoyed and very depressed. I know that they can't do everything, but at least they're trying a little by making it into two movies.

Day 18: Least favorite book?
The Fifth book. JK Rowling, kept to the teenage angst very well and showed that a fifteen year old would be annoying and kind of jerk to all his friends.

Day 19: Do you prefer the books or films?
Books. Definitely.

Day 20: If you had to meet one member of the cast, who would it be?
Really, I'd be happy just to meet ANY of them, but if I had to choose, I'd choose Rupert Grint or Emma Watson. I really admire Emma Watson for being so determined to be a normal kid after the Harry Potter series, and Rupert Grint would just be AWESOME to meet.

Day 21: Out of all the characters that died, if you could bring one back, who would it be?
SPOILERSPOILERSPOILER Alert!
If you want to know the answer to this and HAVEN'T read the book, highlight over the next few words to see my answer.
Answer: Fred. I was surprised at how much his death made me cry.

Day 22: Harry Potter or Twilight?
Harry Potter. No contest.

Day 23: Any part of the books/movies that makes you cry?
Pretty much all of the seventh book made me cry.

Day 24: Any particular scene you wished would have been put in the movie but it wasn't?
The explanation of the Mauraders Map in the third movie. It would have made things make a lot more sense.

Day 25: Nineteen years later. Are you happy how it turned out, or do you wish something was different, ie Neville married Luna?
Do I wish that Neville married Luna? Yes. But am I glad that JK Rowling didn't do it just because all the fans wanted it? YES. I'm very happy with how they ended the series and how everything really turned out. I'm very happy JK Rowling didn't let the fans get to her, and that she played it out very characteristically.

Day 26: If you could be able to work one spell without a wand what would it be?
Lumos. Then maybe I wouldn't stub my toes so much.

Day 27: Would you rather own The Invisibility Cloak, The Resurrection Stone or The Elder Wand?
The Invisibility Cloak. It'd just be cool.

Day 28: Do you listen to Wizard Wrock, what do you think about it?
I've heard about it, but never actually listened to it.

Day 29: Did you enjoy A Very Potter Musical/Sequel?
Judging by the various Very Potter Musical referances in this, its easy to see that I love that musical. Its brilliant, creative, and HILARIOUS. If you haven't seen it yet, you must. Go here and watch it. There's a little bit of language, but anything REALLY bad, is bleeped out. Also, keep in mind... its like three hours long.

Day 30: What affect has Harry Potter made on your life and how much does it mean to you?
Okay, here we go.

I didn't read Harry Potter until I was in seventh grade. I went and saw the movie at the dollar theater with my friend Sarah. After the movie, I was determined to read the books. And quickly fell in love.

Harry Potter is the reason I started reading so much. Its the reason I discovered Meg Cabot, its the reason I realized that I liked to write. Its the reason I have the friends that I do, if it weren't for Harry Potter, I wouldn't have the friends that I have, HP is the thing that most of my friends an I bonded over the most. Its the reason I'm so interested in graphic design. Designing fan art and other thing similar, is now one of my favorite things to do.

Harry Potter is the one of the first thing that my little cousin, Shannon, and I bonded over. Which in turn, made her want to read more.

With out a doubt, is the story that defined my generation. It will always be close to my heart and I know that I will be crying when I walk out of the theater in both parts of the last movie.

Good News!

2010-09-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

Today started off kind of bad. HOWEVER it greatly changed when my boss called me over to help her fill out some paperwork.

For those who don't know I work for the State, as a temporary employee. I've worked for the state for the past (almost) 4 years in two different jobs. The thing with being a temp is that the deal is to only keep me for a MAX of two years. So when I was let go in one job with the state, two weeks later, I was scooped up by another job in the state. Working for Unemployment Insurance.

Come January, my two years here was going to be up. I was getting nervous, and was asking my boss (sometimes WEEKLY) if she had heard anything new about my status. Well today she had!

My status has been extended for another year. So not too long, but its another year with great pay and fantastic benefits! So snaps for that!

Then to make my day EVEN BETTER(!!!) the new posters for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 came out and I nearly fainted at how awesome they are.

aren't they AMAZING!!!!! I'm so excited for this movie!!!!!

Don't forget that I have a tv show review site called The Weekly Enthusiast. Be sure to check it out!

Confessions of a Television Nut`

2010-09-14T10:28:00.002-07:00

Everyone knows that I watch a lot of tv. If you're a friend of me on facebook its pretty obvious. Its been commented that I watch 'too much' tv.

This is true. I know. I'm very aware that I watch too much tv for a sane person.

So to put my obsession/insanity into a slightly positive outlet I've decided to create a tv review blog. It won't really start until next week but I'll be posting at least once a week about all my tv shows that I love. Including (but not limited to) :

The Big Bang Theory` Sept. 23 | CBS
Bones` Sept. 23 | FOX
Castle` Sept. 20 | ABC
Chuck` Sept. 20 | NBC
Fringe` Sept. 23 | FOX
Glee` Sept. 21 | FOX
Grey's Anatomy` Sept. 23 | ABC
How I Met Your Mother` Sept. 20 | CBS
Private Practice` Sept. 23 | ABC
Sanctuary` Oct. 15 | SyFy
Smallville` Sept. 24 | CW
Stargate: Universe` Sept. 28 | SyFy

Its called The Weekly Enthusiast.

9/11 Remembrance

2010-09-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

I remember coming into my 1st period History class Mr. Minter and seeing him and the math teacher next to his class talking about something. I brushed it off figuring they were just talking about something teachers talk about and went back to working on the homework I 'forgot' to finish the night before.

Little did I know that he didn't even care about the homework.

When the bell rang things were odd. We could all tell something was wrong. The main clue was that the tv was still on. Mr. Minter never let us turn on the tv unless Channel One was on. Our Principal came over the intercom saying something like "Teachers please continue with your lessons and keep the televisions off." A lot of us were seriously confused. But Mr. Minter laughed and shook his head. I will never forget what he said.

"There is no way in HELL I'm turning this off. In twenty years when you have kids that are going through their history classes they're going to come up to you and ask you where you were and what you were doing when this happened. I want you guys to be able to tell them that you may not have been there, but you watched and you listened because this is going to be a significant day in the history of United States and you knew that when this happened you were going to need to tell the story."

Mr. Minter was a vet in the army (i think). As was the teacher that was next to him. Thankfully I had both of them for class that day.

That morning not once did he turn off the tv. And when the second tower was hit, we all offically knew what was going on. We knew that things were going to be different. When the bell rang from his class, Mr. Minter told us that he would be watching it all day, if one of our teachers didn't let us watch it to be sure to swing by his class on a hall pass or between classes and he would let us know what was going on.

In my next class the teacher wouldn't let us watch anything. Even though a lot of the kids kept trying to turn on the tv, she refused. So I did as Mr. Minter said. I took the hall pass and went to his class where he was still watching the news. And I saw that half of my class was in there too. I ended up staying in there with the hall pass for almost the whole class period (ended up getting a detention slip for it too, though they never collected). Every class period that the teachers wouldn't let us watch I would take the hall pass and go to Minters room. and every period he'd have more kids in that class room.

I will never be able to thank him enough for knowing that we were old enough to know what was going on and that we needed to remember this day.

Everyone needs to remember this day. On the 9th anniversary, it is still truly a day of remembrance.

Sorry about the neglect.

2010-08-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I updated. So here's the readers digest version of the past month or so.

My grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year. So the whole family was flying out to visit. This means I was able to see my Mom for a little while. I'm always much happier when she comes to visit. I miss her greatly. Unfortunately along with happiness came some sadness. A week before my grandparents anniversary, my (Great) Uncle Dave died. It was very sudden and very sad. A few days later my little (I probably shouldn't call her little considering she's 19.) cousin lost her baby. At this point I just sent out a holler to the universe to stop picking on my family. Little did I know that if they stopped picking on my family... they were going to start picking on me.

Okay I'm being over-dramatic. In the middle of the month of July David and I were informed that we needed to get rid of our cats because our landlord was allergic. I'm not sure many, if any, of you know that David and I got a kitten last July and a second one last November. These two kittens have been the primary reason that David and I don't fight nearly as often, we're happier, and consistently in better moods around each other. The kitties have been complete buffers in our relationship. So getting rid of them. Was out of the question. We immediately started looking for places to move. One of my new friends, Allison, suggested an apartment complex that she and her husband loved. Its called Somerset Village.

As of this past Saturday, that is where we live now. We rented a two bedroom apartment on the top floor and are already loving it. It was sad to move once again (this is our fourth place of living in two years of marriage) but most of all it was stressful. Moving always does bad things to me. It causes my ucler to flare up a lot. Normally I can handle it but I ended up going to the InstaCare a few days before we moved because I was in so much pain. While there I also found out that on top of my ulcer I had a stomach infection and a few other things (that would qualify as TMI) wrong. Of course telling my mom this her main response was "I fear for when you get pregnant honey. You're going to be one sad mama." Great.... something to look forward to in a few years. *eyeroll*

With all that being said this next month, I'm hoping, will be better. Now that we're moved and settled (for the most part) I have a few things to look forward to. My birthday is on Sunday and for my birthday David and I are going to go see Lion King on Tour!!!!! I'm so excited for this! It'll be my fourth musical this YEAR!!!!!! (wow, thats a lot! I hadn't even thought about it that way...) And its one of my favorite Disney movies of all time.
We were also supposed to go get pictures done with the amazing(!) Wendy this upcoming saturday, but because of the move I had to cancel/reschedule. Which is a real shame because David and I were going to do pictures of us battling with our (plastic) lightsabers... HOW COOL IS THAT!!! (and geeky.) Its still on the list of things that need to get done soon.

Then on the 26th of this month, one of my favorite bands She&Him come to perform at the Twilight Concert Series. I completely love their music and ITS FREE to go to. Which just makes it better.

I hope everyone is doing well. I'm going to try and update a little bit more often. Sorry I've been so bad at this.

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

2010-06-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at about 4:00pm, the guy that sits next to me at work walked over and said that he had two free tickets to go see Eclipse (a special sneak peek last night). So I called up my aunt to see if she could bring my little cousin Shannon by my work so that Shannon and I could go. Lucky for me she did.

(and yes I do realize the date is wrong on this poster)

Now I'm not a HUGE twilight fan. Its pretty much mindless fluff that you only read because of the the boys considering that Bella is a completely blank character (in my opinion). Hate me if you want, but Bella is quite possibly the worst female character in the history of fiction. She just bothers me. But I digress. I wasn't about to turn down a free movie.

The movie theater itself wasn't even very full. We had almost a full row in front of us that hadn't been taken up. It was pretty cool. And all the people who won the tickets weren't super obsessive twi-hards that screamed at every appearance of Edward or Jacob. There was a little bit of screaming and cheering and clapping, but all in all it was a pretty calm crowd.

So here is my review on the movie:
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse`
Kristen Stewart was her normal dull self through out most of the film. Though it seemed she went through about 5 different wigs through out the movie, her performance greatly increased when she wasn't around Edward. I understand that Bella is supposed to be mesmerized by Edward, but Kristen seems to over play it in the movie. The lovey dovey looks between Edward and Bella are adorable I'll admit, but for the most part, I sort of just wanted to slap Edward the whole time.

Though thats also how I felt about Edward in the book. (I'm Team Jacob to the core) The kiss between Bella and Jacob (both times) was a little awkward. The first one didn't seem as agressive as its supposed to be in the book, they did a lot better with the second one. But it was still a little awkward. Taylor Lautner's performance, you gotta give the kid props for keeping his figure, was probably the best of all. (though that could be my Team Jacob head talking.) As much as I LOVE Rachelle LeFevre (Victoria in movies 1&2), Bryce Dallas Howard did an AMAZING job playing the villian.

There was a lot of humor in it. That I enjoyed. I'm glad they kept the humor of the third book, it was my second favorite (second to New Moon)

All in all I'd give the movie 3/5 stars.

In other (and in my opinion BETTER) movie news, the new HARRY POTTER trailer came out for the first part of the last book. I'm so excited for this I can't even explain.

yes I do realize that I watch too many movies and WAY too much tv. But oh well!

Diet: Week One

2010-06-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

Not being satisfied with your weight is something I'm sure most people aren't a stranger to. Hence why David and I hadn't bought a scale until I decided to start a diet with one of my new best friends Julie.

The Diet is a high Protein, low carb diet. It cuts out a lot of food such as Breads, pasta, fruit, certain vegetables (ie. potatoes, carrots, beans, corn, tomatoes... you know the good ones...) and sweets. I start off the day taking some vitamins and do a protein shake for breakfast. At first I thought this was going to be hard. I normally have a heaping bowl of cereal, so I was pretty convinced that only having a 11oz shake was going to kill me. Surprisingly no. I actually really like it.

Lunch is a salad (on this diet you can have UNLIMITED lettuce, (though only minimal dressing), two cups of select vegetables, and another protein shake. What you have to understand is that I pretty much HATE veggies. Carrots I can normally stand but only in small amounts. I love Broccoli and Corn, and normally green beans. But I had to find some new veggies to try. First up on my list were Cucumbers. Truth be told I never really TRIED cucumbers. Mostly because my mom never really liked them and thus didn't have them in the house. So I bought a few thinking if nothing else I would just force myself to eat them. Turns out. I like Cucumbers. Quite a bit actually.

Dinner is the hardest. I normally don't cook dinner. I just have leftovers from lunch or don't eat anything at all (Healthy I know...). But on this diet, it says you need to eat 5oz. of meat or 7oz. of fish per day with two cups of veggies. Considering that I normally don't eat dinner that's enough.

The hard part about this diet is when I go eat at someone else's house. Of course they make wonderful potatoes and fruit or my work decides to go to The Olive Garden and I can't have pasta, OR the bread sticks (that happened my second day on the diet... ) But all in all everyone has been pretty supportive. And reading Meg Cabot's Heather Wells' Series (entitled: Size 12 is Not Fat, Size 14 is Not Fat Either, and Big Boned)helps.

My weight goal and the point of all this really is to be able to fit in my wedding dress again. I have been really wanting to do a Trash the Dress with Wendy, but I don't fit in my dress. So that's my goal.

Lastly, yesterday I weighed myself. Trying not to weigh myself daily is really hard. Over the first week, I lost ............... (insert drum roll here)

10 POUNDS!!!!!

Granted most of that was probably just water weight, and even in the program they say the first week is the most dramatic, after that its only 3-5 pounds a week, but still. I come into work and I'm already getting asked if I lost weight. Apparently they see it the most in my face so. Snaps for me!!!!!

I'm super excited about this. Just have to remind myself that for the rest of the time I'm doing this it won't be this dramatic. But I'm going to keep sticking with it.

Wish me luck!!!!!!

Fashionably Undead

2010-05-25T11:59:00.002-07:00

I'm not sure if anyone would really be interested in this. But I found it highly entertaining so I figured that I'd share it.

As many of you know. I adore! Meg Cabot's novels. All of them. Even if I've never heard of them before, you can guarantee that I'll be addicted to them. She recently released an Audio Book entitled "Fashionably Undead". Its one of the funniest books I've ever heard. Its about a girl named Carly who is a receptionist for a fashion agency who gets recruited to help fight off the evil running around in the city. What's the evil you ask? While most would assume that its vampires considering the crazy phenomenon, they would be wrong. The evil is, zombie fashion models. (Don't deny it, You've always wondered how they stay so skinny... its cause they're dead... well, undead) She's the 'Chosen One' with her killer spit of doom (thats right. Killer SPIT!) she sets off with the intriguing and hunky Jake to bring down the Queen of the Zombies... Coco Chanel.

The book itself is only an hour and a half long so if you feel like you have time to spare and can listen to a hilarious book (read by the fantastic Sarah Drew). Go here and download it (for FREE!!!!)

In Anna & David news, there hasn't been much going on. Our really good friends got married a few weeks ago, and seeing them so happy has made us want to put more of an effort into the time that we DO see eachother. We just go so used to not seeing eachother, that when we did it just kind of lonely still. So that has helped us a lot. But all in all, we're doing pretty good.

Library Book Sale

2010-04-27T11:34:00.001-07:00

When I got to work today, a few gals that I work with informed me that the City Library (at the one that is less than a block away from my work) was having a sale. After finding this out I knew I HAD to go. I've been seriously failing in the reading department this year, so I decided to go a little crazy today.

I bought NINETEEN books. "Well how much did you spend Anna?" You ask?

FIVE DOLLARS!!!!

no joke. True they're all chick-lit/youth romance novels but still thats what I like so thats what I got.
I'm giddy with excitement. Now all I need is another book shelf.... hmmm.....

I bought:
Pretty Face by Mary Hogan
Mismatch by Lensay Namioka
Love& Lies by Ellen Wittlinger
The Beat Goes On by Adele Minchin
Secret Celebrity by Carol Wolper
Throwing Like a Girl by Weezie Kerr Mackey
Spells and Sleeping Bags by Sara Mlynowski
The Making of Dr. TrueLove by Derrick Barnes
Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn by Sarah Miller
You, Maybe by Rachel Vail
Tale of Two Summers by Brian Sloan
The Problem with Paradise by Lesley Dahl
Perfect Princess By Meg Cabot
Avalon High by Meg Cabot
Mates, Dates, and Cosmic Kissing by Cathy Hopkins
Mates, Dates, and Tempting Trouble by Cathy Hopkins
Lucky Stars by Lucy Frank
Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti
Band Geek Love by Josie Bloss

Five bucks well spent.
(:

A year of helping to make a difference!

2010-04-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

This year I am determined to help make a difference in the world.... Okay so I won't be doing much, but every little bit helps right????

Last year I really wish I would have known a little more about when and where all the "Walk for a Cure" s were. The Buddy walk, I really wanted to participate in on Justin's team with a whole handful of the rest of David's family. Unfortunately I missed it.

This year will be different. First I'm starting with the Lupus Walk for my best friend's sister, Melissa, on May 1st. I've watched Meghan be worried about Melissa so often I felt like I was going through it as well. So this year, I'm making sure to at (the very least) donate to the cause. I'm super pumped for it. Not only will doing all these help me try and stay in shape (*snort* emphasis on the word TRY!) but its for a really good cause.

I'm also going to do the Heart Walk, Breast Cancer Walk and any others that people bring to my attention.

SO! to all those who read this (the whole 3 of you...) let me know if there are any walks for good causes coming up. I'm more than willing to participate!!!

So Much Better

2010-03-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

I love this musical soooooo much. Its not even funny. At work that day I was walking around in my 3 inch heels, I did my hair and makeup at 5:00 that morning, so by the time work was over and we were headed to Jimmy Johns for dinner before the show I looked like crap, but I was determined that nothing was going to put a damper on that night. So Julie and I were walking toward Jimmy John's/Capitol Theater only to find this wall that some people had spray-painted with a GIANT squid and octopus.

Me and Jules.
So of course we had to take pictures in front of it....

Me trying to do a one handed self portrait.... I'm really bad at it....

At Jimmy Johns I had a Tuna Slim-Which, and it was amazing. Almost as amazing as this sign that was on the wall next to us....

lol!!!! I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!

this one is my second favorite....

We met Tara, her sister, and her sisters two friends at Capitol Theater where we then saw LEGALLY BLONDE:THE MUSICAL!!!!

LEGALLY BLONDE! Unfortunately it's illegal to take pictures DURING the show so this is all I could do.....

All in all it was a good day.

new phone! and a trip to NJ to see my mom!!!

2010-03-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

So last night, my blackberry offically went caput! The trackball fell out and I lost it. So as an early anniversary gift from David we went and bought me a new phone.

I've been wanting a new phone for a long time, mainly because my blackberry has been on its last leg for the past month and a half or so. SOOOO I bought the new MyTouch 3G from t-mobile....

*shine*
its sooooo pretty!

like this one *points up* but mine is black with a pink cover.

And I found a really pretty background of new york for it, since I leave on THURSDAY for New Jersey to see my mom!!!!!

my next project is to get a new shell for it... since I end up dropping my phone so much, I want to get a hard case for it....and lucky for me my phone has a 'personalization' option for its shells. I'm going to design my own!!! I'm determined to make a geeky, nerdy one... like....

THIS ONE!!!

with this picture...

is that too pathetic???

On Thursday I fly out with my cousin to see my mom for FIVE days. I'm so excited.

shoooooooes!

2010-03-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

today i feel:

excited!

I just got my SHOES!!!!! I've been coveting these shoes for like six months!
these shoes!!!!

Aren't they CUTE???????

they're so cute and I'm so excited to wear them today!

squeeeeeee!

2010-02-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

My ALL-TIME-FAVORITE author is coming out with TWO(!!!!) new books this year. and I'm super stoked. Who is this awesome author you ask???

None other than the Amazing! MEG CABOT!!!!

Her first one coming out on the 20th of April is called Runaway! Its the third (and I believe last) book in her Airhead series.

(plot taken from Meg Cabot's site)

Where can you hide
When everyone knows your name?

Em Watts is a prisoner: Brandon Stark, heir to the Stark corporation family fortune, is holding her captive.
Em Watts is a liar: She's told all her friends she loves Brandon, and that everything is fine.
Em Watts is scared to death: She really doesn't know how she's going to get out of this one.
She's still in shock over the fact that the girl whose life she was forced to take over when her brain was transplanted into her body is alive—alive and furious with her for stealing what she claims was rightfully hers...
...including Brandon Stark, who's intent on finding out what that girl's secret was, and using it to get revenge on his father.
But that's not all Brandon wants…he wants Em. And not just to use her to trick Nikki into revealing that secret, and helping him secure his place as head of Stark Enterprises once and for all.
But Brandon's not the only one who wants something from Em. Christopher wants to use her to hurt Brandon…for taking her away from him, and to destroy Stark Enterprises.
Em Watts is tired: She's tired of being used. Tired of being lied to. Tired of being told who she can and cannot love. Tired of the lies she's being forced to live.
With everyone she loves furious with her for things she can't explain, Em's reached the end of her rope...what's the point of even going on?
But when she discovers the truth about Nikki's secret, she knows there's only one person she can turn to.
Will Christopher be able to put aside his personal feelings and help her expose her employer to the world? Is it even fair to get Christopher involved — since if he agrees, there's every chance that Stark Enterprises will try to have them both killed—this time, permanently?

Maybe it would be better for Em to just keep on running...

Secondly, her new book Insatiable

Meg swore up and down she wouldn't write a vampire book. And well she kind of didn't. I'm super excited for this book because I do LIKE the Twilight books but Bella pisses me off because she is such a sucky heroine (more like an ANTI-heroine). Meg always writes such amazing female leads I just can't help but love her books.

(plot taken from Meg Cabot's site)

Insatiable
A modern sequel to Bram Stoker's Dracula
by Meg Cabot.

Sick of hearing about vampires? So is Meena Harper.

But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn't believe in them.

Not that Meena isn't familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you're going to die (not that you're going to believe her. No one ever does).

But not even Meena's precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets — then makes the mistake of falling in love with — Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side...a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.

The problem is, Lucien's already dead. Maybe that's why he's the first guy Meena's ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena's always been able to see everyone else's future, she's never been able look into her own.

And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.

Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future...

If she even has one.

I think I'm the most interested in the fact that this character hates the vampire craze only to fall in love with one... its an interesting twist on an overtold story.

Let your Geek flag fly!

2010-02-20T07:19:00.002-08:00

So this year for Valentines day David and I decided to do a group gift, we bought an HD DVD drive for our Xbox 360. Mainly because HD DVD's aren't really being sold anymore so you can find HD DVDs for like $3.00 a piece... So we bought the drive and a whole bunch of movies. One thing that David bought that he neglected to tell me was the first FIVE Harry Potter Movies. and It came in a nifty little box set.

I completely freaked out because I have been wanting the series on a higher quality DVD than normal DVD. Plus all the extra things like the pretty shiny bookmarks, dvd game, and bonus features dvd. I love it.

I'm totally geeking out right now!!!

Only for now...

2010-02-06T18:49:00.001-08:00

Last night David, Julie and I went to go see Avenue Q. Which is AMAZING! I loved it. It was a musical that kept me laughing the whole way through. Though slightly crude humor, it was performed amazingly and I have to say I am in complete aw of the actors on the stage last night. Half the actors play puppets (think Sesame Street but a lot more adult) and they have to sing, act, and move the puppets all at once. Something that would be a challenge. I'm so glad I went.

The show got out at about 10:20-ish, so we had to walk back to my work (where we parked so we didn't have to pay for parking) and on our way home. Tired and feet aching we get home and David sees that he missed a call, from my mom (keep in mind NJ is two hours ahead of UT), saying that I left my phone at the theater and that I can go pick it up tomorrow. I was far too tired to pick it up that night, so I called my mom to let her know we got the message and get other information about who I needed to talk to the next day. My mom informed that recieving a call from the Sheriff in the middle of the night shaved 5 years of her life span, and proceeded to (playfully) scold me for giving her a heart attack.

Sorry Mommy! Love you!

So today I drove back to the theater and parked right next to it thinking I'd only be there for a max of 15 minutes. Only to walk into the security office and find out... THEY LOST IT!!! I spent the next half an hour helping/waiting for the sheriff to find it to no avail. Giving the sheriff David's phone number I left. The parking lot I pulled into had only a 15 min grace period so I had to pay for being there 30 minutes. How much did I have to pay you ask? $2.00, not that bad really, except they don't accept cards so I had to write a $2.00 check. The weirdest check I've ever had to write.

Continuing with my errands and finally getting home, I look on my computer and there is an e-mail from David. "They found your phone, you might want to go get it." Frak. I had just come home, and had to drive ALLLLLL the way back downtown to get my phone. Luckily, they actually did have it and I didn't need to write another $2.00 check.

Did I mention I'm running on 4 hours of sleep? Yeah, its been a long day. Now I'm sitting at home, indulging in a Stargate: Atlantis marathon and making icons for my LJ account. Its calming. The end song for Avenue Q repeating in my head saying

"Don't stress relax let life roll off your back exept for death and paying taxes everything in life is only for now."

keep it positive.

2010-01-25T18:04:00.000-08:00

I don't know how many if any of you have seen Legally Blonde: The Musical. If not, its a must see. After listening to the soundtrack over and over again today, I've decided that I need to be more like Elle.

Not exactly Elle from Legally Blonde the MOVIE. (aka Reese Witherspoon)

It may not seem like there is a difference between the two, and really the main difference is that Elle Woods in the Musical sings and Elle in the Movie does not, but nonetheless, both are expert and prime examples of staying positive. Throughout her stay at Harvard, she never gives up on herself, she always believes that she can and will change the world, one mani-pedi at a time.

Case and Point is the song below. Entitled (rightly so) Positive. The song takes place just after Elle finds out that Vivian and Warner are dating, depressed, her Greek chorus (the girls from Delta Nu) comes to cheer her up. (fyi, the song has a tiny bit of language, though not more than the movie does.)

if you have some time (about 3 hours) to waste you can watch the entire thing on Youtube, its in 18 parts about 10 minutes each.

Milo's Law

2010-01-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

The Amazing Montana is trying to get enough signatures for this law to be passed. please take just a few moments to sign the petiton, you DO NOT have to live in Utah to do so, we need as many signatures as we can get.

Please,Sign this petition that will take you only 1 minute as a gift to Milo's mom. Milo was 9 months old and died 2 months ago at the hand of a man who couldn't control his anger. This man can plead his case down to a 2nd degree murder and be out walking the streets in less than five years because Milo is under 14 years old. Milo's mom would like to see this change, Milo never got one Christmas and this petition to change these laws is the only thing keeping Milo's mom going... PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION AND FORWARD ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. THIS MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO FOR SOMEONE ALL YEAR...Thank you and forward on!!!!!!
http://www.gopetition.com/online/32608.html
(Copy and paste the link if it won't take you to it by clicking on it)

Nothing to See Here

2010-01-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

Did you know that most people break their new years resolutions within the first 11 days of the new year? So the fact that I found a New New years resolution on the 16th of the new year... does that make it so I may have a better shot at keeping it?

For those who don't know, I have fallen in love with Kevin and Amanda's Blog I don't remember how I stumbled across it, but I love it. The other day I was reading her weight loss story and decided. I can do that.

It requires me to become........................................................... a Calorie Counter. *insert gasp here*

But I honestly think that I can do it. It also requires me to give up soda completely! Which is healthier for me anyway and would probably help with my hiccups I get all the time. So starting Today, I'm going to try and keep track of how many calories I eat each day and keep it in the 1200 category.

We also bought an elliptical so I'm hoping that I can do that for at least 20 min every other day. So that is my plan for getting a little more fit and healthy.

WISH ME LUCK!!!!

Blogging Fail.

2010-01-12T14:23:00.000-08:00

Sorry its been a rough month or so with us. So I haven't been able to blog as much as I would like. We moved into our new basement apartment that is super nice and almost twice the size of our old house. Then promptly the next weekend (while we were still unpacking), the apartment flooded. So we spent the next week or so sucking all the extra water out from our carpet pads and mopping it up from the kitchen. We had to move all of our furniture into our (dry) kitchen, and lock out cats in our bedroom. It was a nightmare.

Luckily I have an awesome family who came over and helped clean the carpets, and lent us their machines.

The the next week was christmas. So that was fun, but stressful.

And with this new year, I'm determined to make this little black cloud that seems to have made my life its playground evaporate and move on. I've got to think positive.

Keep it Postitive.

The Naming.

2009-12-31T16:50:00.000-08:00

A little while ago my mom sent me an e-mail of how I got my name. Its a short story (less than a typed page) written from my perspective... as if I had any say in the matter....

so I've decided to blog it...

Long before I was a twinkle in my mother’s eye, and I mean LONG before, my name was destined to be Anna. As a child my mother grew up in the knowledge that she had been named after her great-grandmother – a brave woman who had been widowed in her homeland Germany, lost a child, and immigrated with her two young children to the United States during a turbulent era of the earth’s history. It was with this great sense of pride that she decided that HER first daughter would also be named after a great-grandmother, her beloved “grandma with the cows”. (My mother had great plans… first daughter named Anna, second daughter named Alyce – after her other beloved grandmother. Alas, she was only blessed with one child – me.)

My middle name was a source of contention between my mother and grandmother. My mother wanted to name me Anna Michele, my grandmother detested the name Michele claiming the only women named that were crazy – as my mother’s friendships with various Michele-Mashell-Michelle had demonstrated. But, my mother stood her ground and Anna Michele it would be. Until I was born. Then everything changed.

My mother is a single parent. Always has been. The story for that best left to another time. Suffice it to say that my birth, while not anticipated, was welcomed with excitement and trepidation. Mostly she was just scared out of her mind – but, having been blessed with goodly parents and siblings, she knew that we would be ok. But I digress… this is about my name.

Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Roxanne were all present when I was born. When the doctor announced I was a girl he asked “what’s the name of this pretty little girl?” to which my grandmother responded (begrudgingly, I’m sure) “Anna Michele”. My mother, while in the midst of those things that happen AFTER a baby is born and being exhausted to boot, responded with a fuzzy “No, its not”. My grandmother looked at her, exasperated, and asked “then what the hell is it?”

My mother responded slowly (drugs?) “Its Anna…….P…P...Paulette”. My grandpa’s name is Paul. I’ve had him wrapped around my little finger from that moment on. There’s more to the story of my arrival – for later.

so thus I was named Anna Paulette....

January the month of Movie and TV AWESOMENESS!

2009-12-30T10:11:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are over I am getting super stoked for my shows to return. I realize that most of them haven't been gone for very long, and others I've been anxious for them to return since their season finales. Here is a list of my 2010 Winter TV premieres, and Movie releases.

January 8th
Leap Year

(taken from IMDB) A woman (Adams) who has an elaborate scheme to propose to her boyfriend on Leap Day, an Irish tradition which occurs every time the date February 29 rolls around, faces a major setback when bad weather threatens to derail her planned trip to Dublin. With the help of an innkeeper, however, her cross-country odyssey just might result in her getting engaged.

I love Amy Adams. And this movie seems too cute to pass up. Though I'm a total romantic comedy addict.

January 10th
Chuck returns (part one of two)

Now that Chuck has the new intersect in his head and know Chuck-Fu, this should be a very interesting season. I'm glad to see Chuck getting a little more brave and not being such a wuss.

January 11th
How I Met Your Mother (100th episode)

ITS THE MUSICAL EPISODE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! gotta love me some singing NPH. Plus sources tell me that we'll meet the mother!*insert fangirl squee here* Though of course I'm the most excited for some singing Barney! It's going to be legend.... wait for it.

Chuck (part two)
Could it get any better than to have TWO days of Chuck plus a singing HIMYM ep. I think not. I shall go to bed happy.

January 14th
Bones

I love Bones! thats pretty much it. No other reason than I love it.

Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice also return, but I'm not as excited about that.

January 22nd
Smallville

its not the first episode back but the one that airs February 5th is the one where Michael Shanks (from Stargate SG-1) guest stars as Hawkman... that I'm really excited for.

January 29th
When In Rome...

(taken from IMDB) Beth (Bell) is a young, ambitious New Yorker who is completely unlucky in love. However, on a whirlwind trip to Rome, she impulsively steals some coins from a reputed fountain of love, and is then aggressively pursued by a band of suitors.

thats right... My Kristen Bell obsession surfaces as I will be seeing this movie opening weekend regardless of if its actually worth it. Plus it has the incredibly yummy Josh Duhmel in it too.

February 4th
The Office

Need I say more??? Its the Office!

Then stupid American Idol is pushing the Glee return back to April!!!!

its horrid...

so to tide me over guess I'll just have to settle for wearing out my zune listening the soundtracks and watching the first half of the season.

and watching this over and over...

(authors note: yes I do realize that I watch WAY too much tv.)

New Years Resolution(s)

2009-12-23T15:15:00.000-08:00

So for the year 2010, I have decided to forgo any resolution to lose weight. Mainly because it never works. I have however decided to make a few that weight loss may be a side effect.

2010 Resolution One:
ween myself off caffeinated and carbonated drinks, and start drinking more water.

I already know that I have a horrible addiction to Dr. Pepper and Pepsi. Something that is really hard to overcome. The bubbly goodness of soda just gets me through the day sometimes. So I'm not saying I'm going to quit cold turkey, but I am going to start getting myself unaddicted to it. Starting with caffeinated drinks then moving onto carbonated drinks.

I've always hated the taste of water. I don't know why (since water doesn't really have a taste) so I find it hard to drink eight glasses a day of it.

2010 Resolution Two:
start eating actual meals.

I love eating out as much as the next person, but I'm getting kind of tired of eating out all the time. I need to cook more. I think at work its the worse, I need to start bringing lunch that is a decent and filling lunch... not just a microwave dinner.

2010 Resolution Three:
read more books than I read this year.

Orginally I was planning on reading 50 books, but I may be setting my sights too high. So I've decided to just try and read more than I did this year. I think I read about 15 books this year so as long as I read more than that I'll be satisfied. The books have to be books I haven't read before (I have a habit of re-reading books/authors that I love), and I'm going to document them on this blog.

2010 Resolution Four:
when November comes try and actually participate and finish NaNoWriMo.

I keep saying I'm going to do it then never actually do... so heres hoping this year will be different.

I hope that 2010 bring good things and hope to all those who need it.

glasses...

2009-12-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

so its recently come to my attention that I might need glasses. At work its been getting harder and harder to concentrate on my computer screen and i've been getting monumental headaches from it. so tomorrow I go in for an eye doctors appointment....

wish me luck!

Thankful

2009-11-23T19:40:00.001-08:00

A. Great Grandma Anna
an amazing and strong woman, with whom I'm glad to
have shared some of my life with and my name.
B. Blackberry
and how it enables me to talk to my friends and family.
C. Carmex
I would be in severe pain without this stuff. its amazing.
D. David
my wonderful and amazing husband, he is my rock and
my guiding light. he is what gets me through the day.
E. E-Pay online
not only is it green, but its so much more convienient
to get e-mails about what bills need to be paid.
F. Facebook
that allows me to connect with old friends keep in touch
with my family and play some horribly addictive games.
G. Geeks
being married to one i guess I'm a bit biased. But I love
getting together with friends and playing video games
with eachother.
H. Harry Potter
you may think its funny, but Harry Potter is what got me
into reading. I owe it all to those books.
I. Internet
Seriously!
J. Joss Whedon
the creator of Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along
Blog, all amazing and incredibly addictive shows.
K. Kittens
my kittens are the best part about coming home. They always
greet me, purr and snuggle. Its hard to be upset about a bad
day at work, when you have a kitten purring on my lap.
L. Laptop
that allows me to watch my shows while making blog backgrounds,
chatting with friends on facebook, and writing.
M. Mom
My mom is the strongest person I know. She raised me to be my
own person, and to stand up for my thoughts. I wouldn't be the
person I am without her.
N.Noon to midnight Conversations with my Aunt and Cousins
Roxie and Shannon and I always end up talking for HOURS about
anything from Bones to Crafts.
O. Online Bookstores
Although you may have to wait a few days to get the book, the prices
can sometimes be SUPER cheaper.
P. Photos by Wendy G.
Wendy is the most talented photographer! All of our family photos
and wedding pictures turned out amazing!
Q. Quilts made by mom
The quilt made by my mom is my favorite in the world. It looks just
like me. Its bright and beautiful and amazing.
R. Rest
Having the fourday week gives me ample time to rest up and actually
get things accomplished during the weekend.
S. Scrapbooking Freebies
I'm addicted. Thats right I said it. DigiScrapDepot is my source for all things scrapbooking. And its all FREE!!!!
T. Terabyte harddrives
we now have 5.... and might need another one.
U. Uncles and Grandpa
all 3 of my uncles and my grandfather have been the best father figures I could have
asked for.
V. VLC Media Player
the best media player to use on your computer!
W. Work Friends
Danielle, Julie and Montana especially! I don't know what
I'd do without you girls!
X. X-Men
one of the BEST comics ever.
Y. Yesterday
so that I can look back, knowing that its passed and I got
through it.
Z. my ZUNE
I love my Zune! Its what wakes me up on my way to work and what puts me in a good mood on my way home.

Twinkle Light Blogs

2009-11-18T19:29:00.001-08:00

For those who don't know, I've started a Blog Background Blog called

'Twinkle Light Blogs'

So far I have only made a few but I'm hoping to make more once we move into the new apartment and I have time.

If you would like one that I made or to have one even custom made, I'll do friends and family, including a matching header. Just let me know.

if you would like some examples of what i've done see

Gerriss and Cara's Blog
Kaylas Blog

if you love me enough to advertise on your blog here is what you put in a HTML gadget

November 7th, 2004

2009-11-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

That was the year David and I first got together. Thinking back on it, I sort of kind of threw myself at him. Of course at the time I had no idea that we would last this long let alone fallen in love and gotten married. When I was thinking about it, I had to force myself to remember how long it had been, the time seems to have just flown by. We went from being friends in choir who, to everyone but ourselves, it was fairly obvious liked eachother, to growing a part for a year while he was still in junior high and I had moved on to High School, to being friends again that flirted but they were just friends, then wondering why were just friends if we were always flirting, to being a couple, to being a couple in love, to being engaged, to being married, and now, we are husband and wife, who respect each other, who are working towards getting sealed for time and all eternity in the temple, and who know who we are as individuals and as a couple. Not using either one to define us completely.

blog backgrounds blog?

2009-11-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

So I've been getting a lot of compliments on my blog backgrounds. I'm wondering if I should create a blog for the backgrounds that I do make so that others might enjoy them... what do you think?

Yes?

No?

sound off in the comments.

2009-10-20T19:56:00.001-07:00

I realize that I change the background on here almost weekly, but I'm insanely proud now because I actually made this background all my myself.... okay with a little help from Shabby Blogs I've been trying to make my own backgrounds for MONTHS, and finally I can.

FYI! if anyone would like me to make one for them let me know, I'll see what I can come up with.

NaNoWriMo

2009-10-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Its a competition (of sorts) to write and entire 175-page novel... in thirty days. Which really in theory doesn't sound like a lot. I mean its only 5 pages a day.

Its better in theory than actual execution... especially considering those of us who have jobs and lives to live during November.. not to mention Christmas to prepare for. So ideally my goal is to finish the book obviously. I have a few thoughts of storylines brewing in my head, but should that fail, I want to at least get 50 pages into it. I realize that's cutting myself short, but I would like to be able to work and you know live, plus am I really willing to give up my tv shows for a month???? Well I guess we'll see.

So wish me luck and I really hope I can do this. But it may also mean that I don't update through November... it all depends on how much time NaNoWriMo takes up.....

headers...

2009-09-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

So as you can see I've changed my background once again. Yes I do realize that I change it like 3 times a month, but still...

I made a few headers to match it and I can' decide which one I like more....

so let me know which one you like most... I'm taking a vote!

Anna's Big 2-1 Birthday celebration... day 1

2009-08-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

Thats right... I'm old. Just kidding. But I'm beginning to feel like I'm old. Though I know that that is totally crazy, I'm not old. 21 is not old.

Anywho, so a few weeks ago my grandpa called me up saying that for my Birthday he was going to take me and David fishing. Now I LOVE fishing. It's so much fun to me. I especially love fishing with my Grandpa, its one of the best bonding things we do together. So David and I get up at O' Dark-thrity, to meet my grandpa at his house to go fishing. We're sitting on his couch in the living room and he informs me that my grandmother isn't going to come, a little sad but I understand (We were having a party with the family later that night) . So a litle bummed but I could handle it. I hear the screen door of their house open and expecting it to be my little cousins or my aunt and uncle I look up. Only to find the one person I never would have thought would come through that door.... My MOTHER!

(us at lunch after fishing)

I was so excited I jumped off the couch, making the picture my grandma was trying to take of my reaction just a blurr and nearly tackled my mom. She had flown down for the weekend of my birthday, I started crying. I couldn't help it. It wasn't like it'd been months since I'd seen her, but really now, anytime I see her I start crying, its completely involuntary. Needless to say it was a FANTASTIC surprise, and not at ALL unwelcome. Though, to be honest, nearly everyone in my family was in on the surprise, and they all kept it from me. I'm surprised that it worked. After calming down a bit, we packed up my mom's rental car and headed on our way to fishing. We drove the beautiful mountains until we reached Pass Lake, at which point a cloud decided to sit directly in the sun so that it was impossible to get warm, and me being flustered, forgot my long sleeved shirt in my car.

(grandpa and I using what ever we could find to keep warm)

Other than being FREEZING Pass Lake was beautiful, and we ended up catching 12 fish. David even caught the biggest one. Though I was so cold I just wrapped up in a towel... which doesn't really help all that much, But none the less it was a great morning.

(david and his big fish)

We stopped on our way home at Mirror Lake and had a picnic. Why is it that Ham and Cheese Sandwiches taste better when eaten out doors? I think everything tastes better when eaten outdoors.

(lunch though its missing my mom because she's behind the camera)

After getting home and resting for a little bit, we headed out for the second event of my birthday. A family party at my aunt and uncles house, now these are normally pretty loud and confusing. Everyone having conversations with everyone else, so originally I wasn't going to invite any friends, thinking that I'd break my friends in slowly to my family by first letting them meet David, then my mom and/or my grandparents and slowly work up. Well one of my friends from work, Julie, said that she would love to come. So she jumped over all my steps and took the express lane to my slightly overwhelming family.

(Jules and Me)

Well my family quickly found out that Jules and I... are very much alike. We end up quoting movies for no reason, humming songs that no one else knows, and laughing at things that no one else would understand. But I think thats a good thing.

(me blowing out the candles... yes it was posed)

Now I know a lot of people that love the Jim Shore Products.... but i've never been all that fond of them, they've always been a little too folk-artsy to me. That is until my mom gave me this for my birthday.I have ALWAYS been a Little Mermaid fan. And when I was young for my birthday cakes my mom would put disney figurines on them. Not the cheap plastic ones, but the nice and beautifully crafted porcelain ones. In honor of that, my mom bought me this Ariel figurine, since Ariel is the one who started it all. Now I'm OBSESSED with finishing the carousel set and then working on getting the love sets... All of his Disney and Rudolph sets are so pretty.

Aerith

2009-08-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday for my birthday David finally got permission from our landlord to get a kitten. We drove down to the Humane Society and found this adoreable little Tortishell Calico. She's two months old and is so funny. She loves to cuddle and play, lol, she cuddles with me and plays with david.

We named her Aerith, who is one of the heroines from Final Fantasy VII, and was the only name David and I could agree on.

She very smart, she's discovered that we humans have good food, so when she sees me eating, especially cereal, she waits for my spoon to reach my mouth and then hooks her paw on the edge of the bowl, knowing that I have the least amount of control over the bowl when I'm only holding it with one hand.

to trash or not to trash...

2009-08-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

I found something that looks really interesting to do.... The premise of it is that a woman only gets to wear her wedding dress once really, and before the Big Day, one does what ever we can to keep that dress from getting ruined.... but what happened after the big day? The beautiful dress stays in a box hoping that someday it'll get worn by a daughter or granddaughter, but until then it just sits there....

Well I discovered what some photographers are calling "Trash the Dress". Its where after the big day, you do a photoshoot in your beautiful wedding dress, doing things you never would have done before the big day... like standing the middle of a lake, or on a trampoline. At first thought my reaction was... um... NO! but as I saw the beautiful pictures that come out of it, I've been trying to see if its worth it...

some examples of such pictures are here at David Terry Photography. The pictures are fantastic!

My question is... I can't decide whether or not i should actually do it... It'd be fun to do pictures in my wedding dress that were outside. I need some input, should i do it?

New Look!

2009-07-30T23:18:00.000-07:00

so with a new look to my blog I'm going to try and post a little more often. Though i'm not making promises... mainly because i don't think i have that much to say.

So over the fourth of July my mom was here and it was fantastic. I miss her so much and although I know she's happy where she is (at least thats whats she telling me) I do miss her a lot more than I tend to think. I'm a total mommy's girl. Seriously, I was thinking back on it and all growing up I totally cried for my mom at all sorts of things.

(my grandpa, my mom, me and great-grandma Anna)

Anywho, back to the point, while she was here I decided to ask my INCREDIBLY talented cousin Wendy, who is a photographer to take some family pictures of David, Me and my Mom. My mom and I haven't had a family picture done since I was 12, so for a while. We went to murray park during the 3 hours of sunshine that was going to be out that day and took some fantastic pictures.

Wendy was so surprised that my mom would actually climb in the tree... lol!
Only to have my mom retort with "I'm climbed more trees than all of you". It was truely a very good day. It was nice to have a picture of my little side of the family.

David making his "GQ" face. One of my favorite pictures.

Although I didn't get to spend as much time with my mom as I would have liked, At this point a daughter can't be picky. And then of course, because Wendy is SO awesome, she had all the pictures edited and put onto a cd in less than a day. So then I did my Scrapbooking thing and this is what came out.

PAY ATTENTION!

2009-07-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

dang it!

This morning I was rummaging through David's desk trying to see if I put my car title in there, but we have yet to unpack all the files from his desk (yes after being here two months, we are STILL not unpacked). Not finding the files I moved on, hoping to find it in that safe place i know i put it so that it wouldn't get ruined and I'd remember where I put it, that i seemed to have forgotten.

Then at work, David calls sounding a little ascared.
husband: "Why were you looking in the bottom drawer of my desk?"
I explained that i was looking for the car title.
husband: "did you see anything?"
wife: "no? why was there something in there for me?"
husband: "Yes, but i'm moving it"
wife: *growling* "I should have payed more attention"

My birthday is in a few days, and although i really don't like to know what i'm getting for my birthday, now i'm intrigued. Though i won't go rummaging through the house trying to find it, now i'm going to be wondering what on earth he didn't want me to see.

Curse my curiosity!

Books, Books, and more Books!

2009-07-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to hide it. I read Teen Romance novels. Most times I find them as adorable fluff that makes me laugh. But what I don't like is the current Vampire craze that seems to be hitting everywhere. Now I love Twilight, as much as the next person, but seriously people! There are other books. Other fantasy books BESIDES Twilight and even Harry Potter.

For example, my personal favorite author, even above the beloved JK Rowling, is Meg Cabot. Now she is most well known for her Princess Diaries series, but what most don't know is that she has written some amazing fantasy books. And not one of them has vampires or wizards in them (though admittedly one does have a witch, but still.) And what I really respect about her, is that she has read all of the aforementioned books, and still refuses to write books about vampires, werewolves and wizards. There are other genres in the fantasy category.

My Personal suggestion for anyone looking to explore the fantabulous Meg Cabot, is to start with the Mediator series. The first book is called "Shadowland". They are by far my favorite teen lit series of the year.

Taken from Amazon.com-
"The inaugural installment of The Mediator series introduces high school sophomore Suze, who, in her words, has "this unfortunate ability to communicate with the dead." As a "mediator," the girl helps ghosts put unresolved issues to rest so they can move on to the next world. When her mother remarries, Suze moves from New York City to California, where she and her three stepbrothers attend a Catholic academy headed by a priest. Conveniently, the priest is also a mediator (the first of her kind that Suze has ever met). During the course of this rather repetitious and intermittently sluggish caper, Suze encounters two ghosts: a handsome young man from the 19th century who haunts her bedroom and a girl who was a student at the academy until she killed herself when Bryce, her boyfriend, broke up with her. As Suze attempts to protect Bryce from the angry apparition's wrath, the ghostly girl grows determined to get revenge on both her former beau and Suze. Suze finally resorts to an exorcism to get rid of her. As a narrator this teen is a bit too tough-talking and cocky to be credible. Still, the intriguing premise of a 16-year-old with a sixth sense may stand more than a ghost of a chance at snaring teen readers."

If ghosts aren't your thing, but you're into mysteries? Try The Heather Wells Mysteries starting with "Size 12 is Not Fat", followed by "Size 14 is not fat either", and the latest one "Big Boned". They are good, fun reads that keep you guessing the whole way through.

Taken from Amazon.com:
Bag the tiara and get out the gun: Heather Wells, former teen idol, turns detective in the cute debut of a new mystery series from bestseller Cabot. After the 20-something Heather's rocker boyfriend dumps her, and her mother and manager flee with her earnings, she becomes an assistant director of an undergraduate residence hall at Manhattan's New York College in hopes of free tuition. When students start to die mysteriously while "elevator surfing" in the building, weight-conscious, romance-obsessed Heather goes on a crazed hunt to uncover the truth—with an unwavering sense of style. As Magda, Heather's dorm cashier friend, says: "Even if the rest of your life is going down the toilet... at least your toes can still look pretty." Cabot delivers Heather's amateur sleuthing adventures in a rapid-fire narrative that may leave some readers begging for time-outs to control sudden laughing fits.

okay now that I have severely plugged Meg Cabot's books. I think I shall be done with it. If there are any questions (assuming someone actually reads this) let me know. I've read the books lots, and can tell you most anything about them.

Lightsaber duel!

2009-05-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

David and Gerriss both have a lightsaber app on their phones. So they decided to duel.

sorry if you can't hear it. but i think it's still funny to watch.

scrabooking pt. 2

2009-05-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

so this morning I woke up at 8:00 and said to myself.
"Self..."
"Yes, Anna?"
"We haven't done any new scrapbooking recently"
"why you're right, but what could we scrap?"

at this point myself and I had a moment to think. Then oddly enough we BOTH came up with the same answer. A few months back, Wendy, our amazing cousin photographer, took some pictures of the Gailey side of the family. So it was settled I decided (with a little help from myself) to scrap some of the Gailey family photos...

and here's what came out.

and then a page for each person/couple.

they turned out pretty good if i do say so myself.

Glee!

2009-05-20T09:31:00.001-07:00

I'm sure most everyone has seen the promo's for Fox's new series 'Glee'. Last night, after American Idol was the premire. All I have to say about this is.... AMAZING!

This show is so funny, just in the first 10 minutes you'll be laughing. The acting is amazing and the music I can already tell is going to be spectacular. The rendition of classic songs like "Rehab" and "Don't Stop Believin'" literally kept me up all night with them stuck in my head. This show seems to be a series that have you singing yourself to sleep and dancing your way to work. I know that I did.

Unfortunately, the next episode of this show will not be for another FOUR months. So I am certainly going to be setting my DVR for it, Its going to be FANTABULOUS!

If you haven't seen it yet watch it here at Hulu.com

2009-04-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard, David and I are moving. I'm going to try my hardest to take pictures of our new place and post them but i'm not making any promises.

We're moving to a little home in Draper that is going to be so nice, and thankfully I can just take the TRAX downtown to work. It'll be really good for us.

So wish us luck and I'll try and post some pictures later...!

scrapbooking, or something similar.

2009-04-25T12:03:00.001-07:00

I am a HORRIBLE scrapbooker... Horrible! but I've recently discovered that scrapbooking via a computer, not so hard. I love playing on photoshop, I always have. and now I actually have something useful to do. So here are a few pages I made just the other week...

Snickerdoodles...

2009-04-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

About a week or two ago I had this urge to make cookies. Now I pride myself on being a good cookie maker, I've always loved doing it and most people seem to enjoy my cookies. So David and I made Snickerdoodles, and now everyone would like the recipe i used. I just found it online and tweeked it a little.

Mrs. Sigg's Snickerdoodles

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Cream together butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
3. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

this is my tweeked recipe. hope you enjoy!

Upcoming Movies.

2009-02-23T18:51:00.000-08:00

Considering that our life is fairly boring I've decided to make a list of movies that we are excited to see in the upcoming months. I realize that this is random but well I don't have much else to report.

April 17th 2009 ` 17 Again - About a guy whose life didn't quite turn out how he wanted it to and wishes he could go back to high school and change it. He wakes up one day and is seventeen again and gets the chance to rewrite his life.

May 1st 2009 ` X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Wolverine lives a mutant life, seeks revenge against Victor Creed (who will later become Sabretooth) for the death of his girlfriend, and ultimately ends up going through the mutant Weapon X program

May 8th 2009 ` Star Trek - A chronicle of the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members.

May 22nd 2009 ` Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian - Security guard Larry Daley infiltrates the Smithsonian Institute in order to rescue Jedediah and Octavius, who have been shipped to the museum by mistake.

June 26th 2009 ` Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen - Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle.

July 1st 2009 ` Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - Manny and Ellie, having since become an item, are expecting a baby, which leaves Manny anxious to ensure that everything is perfect for when his baby arrives. Diego is fed up with being treated like a house-cat and ponders the notion that he is becoming too laid-back. Sid begins to wish for a family of his own, and so steals some dinosaur eggs which leads to Sid ending up in a strange underground world where his herd must rescue him, while dodging dinosaurs and facing danger left and right, and meeting up with a one-eyed weasel known as Buck who hunts dinosaurs intently.

July 17th 2009 ` Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - As Harry Potter begins his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he discovers an old book marked mysteriously "This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past

more Harry Potter...

2008-12-17T19:47:00.000-08:00

Now anyone who knows me knows how much I truly love the Harry Potter Series. It was my first love in the reading world and could never be outdone in my mind... not even by the amazing Twilight. Another thing that I love, are spoilers, mainly for my TV shows, but I love watching exclusives and special features on movies.

Today I ran across a handful of exclusives for the up coming Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Which is my FAVORITE book in the series by far. Now these exclusives do not give any crucial information, there are small spoilers, but nothing huge.(ie. the new teacher they're hiring to fill the empty post at Hogwarts) Anywho, I am super excited now to see the movie and if anyone wants to go opening weekend with me, let me know and we'll make a date.

so... I guess this is a MINOR (like almost none) spoiler alert...

reminder... it comes out July 20, 2009! mark it on your calenders.

help wanted.

2008-12-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

I found out today, that I will no longer have a job at the end of this month. It sucks but at least my boss gave me a reasonable amount of time to find a new job. So heres where I'm asking the help of any family or friends.

If anyone knows where I could get a decently paying job that offers benefits (preferred but not mandatory) please let me know. I would really like to be on unemployment for as little time as possible.

2009 theme song

2008-12-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

I try and have a theme song every year to kick off the next year.
with the economy the way it is, I think the thing that we all need to remember to be thankful for everything we have. I know that I am. I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am now without my friends and family.

So this years theme song is 'Thankful' By Josh Groban

for the lyrics to the song click here

Happy Holidays!

oh christmas tree... oh christmas tree...

2008-12-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

here are a few pics of our house decked to the halls. I tried to convince David to let me do bright orange, bright pink, and a bright blue tree... but he didn't like it. so i settled for blue silver and white. Also we've had our tree up since Halloween.

Don't believe me? ask our neighbors, we dressed up our house for halloween... as christmas.

one of two pictures of my penguin collection...

two of two pictures of my penguin collection... and this isn't even all of them.

David's favorite christmas decoration that we have.

our ONE wrapped present... its to me... but David won't let me peek.

my beautiful tree skirt that my mom made me. I love it.

Our tree... with what else? penguins all over it.

Here is our entire entertainment center with all the trimmings.

YAY! i'm so excited!

2008-11-14T15:47:00.000-08:00

the new Half-Blood Prince trailer is up...
I'm so excited! it's going to be so good!

'I smell snow!'

2008-11-09T14:01:00.001-08:00

I just spent the last three hours trying to make a layout that would look good on most computers. the layout i made that is currently on here fits my desktop and both of our laptops, but not Davids computer. so i hope it works though I'm not counting my chickens.

Anywho, David and I have been very busy this weekend. I spent time with my best friend, she's leaving next week to go meet her husband who is coming back from Iraq. So that was fun for me at least. And David has been working all weekend which sort of sucks, because I hate being by myself. But I can normally find things to do. Such as finally getting started on mom and dad's tree skirt (I'm such a slacker.) and cleaning my house. Now all we need to do is go put away the boxes of unused decor and then i can get a picture up of our christmas tree.

I'm so ready for christmas to be here, I think I'm beginning to bother my friends at work. On Halloween I dressed up as 'Santas Helper' and people refused to give me candy because it wasn't christmas. Plus i'm always listening to Christmas music. Currently my favorite christmas album is Josh Groban-Noel. He's pretty amazing when it comes to the vocal performance. I must say. Though if you'd like my personal list of must have christmas albums look down below. David and I compiled a list of our must have christmas items to get in the spirit. It's a pretty intense list. So be sure to check it out.

We did have fun at Gramps and Grandmas yesterday though. It was nice to visit with all the cousins and everyone. And after we went and bought a whole bunch of christmas stuff, (such as: wrapping paper, cups, candy bowls, ect.) and i am now determined to find a christmas penguin bathroom set. If ya'll know where i can find one let me know.

Okay enough procrastination I should go work on the tree skirt or at least go spend time with my husband.

technical difficulties

2008-11-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

i am currently working on making my own layout. so if you hop on and the layout of my blog is all sorts of weird I apologize, i'm just trying to figure this out.

another update.

2008-11-06T10:27:00.001-08:00

I picked a new layout that is adoreable so thats new.

and i found a new way to pass my break times at work.

MAKING LISTS!

you will now be able to see all sorts of fun lists on this blog.
just remember they are all subject to change.
I'm going to put the lists at the very bottom on of the blog. so go check them out.

snort

2008-11-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

lets try this again.

i'm going to try doing this again.
though there is never really much going on in mine and Davids life...

so.
But i will try this again.

an update.
David and I have been happily married for almost seven months now and are loving it, and eachother. I still have yet to master the art of cooking (i've burned rice-a-roni) but i'm still trying. Baking i'm great at, but cooking not so much. so if anyone has some fairly easy recipies or cookbooks let me know and i'll check it out.

David has a new job, sort of. He's now working on the installs team for RC Willey, so he's learning how to install huge theatre systems and hide the wires and all sorts of fun stuff like that. From what i can tell he loves it so heres hoping it stays this good.

This month is National Novel Writing Month {in case you didn't know}, or NaNoWriMo, and i'm trying to see if i can do it. The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in 31 days. I'm about 8,000 words behind but at least it has me writing. if anyone wants to read it as i write it let me know. I'd love some opinions.

For halloween David and I decided that we were going to skip two holidays... Halloween itself and Thanksgiving. On Halloween we dressed up our apartment as Christmas. We listened to Christmas music and put up our Christmas tree, and even handed out christmas candy. I'll take a picture(once i clean my house) and put it up so you all can see. But it was great fun.

can i just say that i love the radio stations that started playing christmas music on November 1st, at 12:00am. they made my day and are pretty much the only thing to get me through work. That and all my audio books.

i'm going to try and keep up on this, so heres hoping!

We're Engaged..... officially.

2007-12-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

as of December 8th, David and I are officially engaged. He proposed while we were getting our engagement photos done, by Wendy Gailey.

here are a couple pics.

here is where David proposed. I was certainly caught of guard.
and my ring... (isn't it beautiful?)

hello....

2007-12-04T23:04:00.000-08:00

well welcome I guess is the proper term for this.

Welcome to our blog. though it may not look like much, it will soon.
but give us time, we are trying to plan a wedding after all...