We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

David Sedaris. "Six to Eight Black Men"

For anyone who has never listened to or read David Sedaris' essays, you are truly missing out. If you would love the hear about Holiday Season Traditions or stories from around the world as told by this wonderful writer, just click on the link below. Enjoy, and be happy that "our" Santa's helpers don't kick us or drag us away in his sack!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCUHTDrca4s

But I thought Santa was nice...

I just had to add these really great pictures because I'm sure that as children we were ecstatic about getting gifts from a random stranger for no reason whtsoever who was known to sneak into our homes in the middle of the night, and eat all our cookies we slaved away making. But if it ever came to meeting the guy?... FORGET IT!!



And this is my favorite. I think Santa must have been having a rough day too.

Finals Week...

As of this moment I am formally putting aside all computer minutes to the better benefit of studying for my finals and the writing of my final papers. Wish me luck and hope that the screaming only lasts until next Wednesday!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Follow Me.

As crazy as it sounds, we want people to follow us! No, not watch us from the bushes at night or hide behind the car kind of stalker-followers, but blog followers! I pretty much just want to see who keeps up with our (my) blog. So, next time your on our page, just add yourself to our followers list on the right. It's simple and easy. This way we can keep up with our followers and see who 'follows' us! Thanks!

Please Don't Kill Me... Or Suck My Blood.

Okay, I admit it. I read Twilight by Stephanie Meyer over a year ago and I hated it. (Sorry to all of my friends out there who love the book so much and especially to Dee Ann). Don't get me wrong, it was interesting at parts, and the author was very creative at times, but I felt the story it it's entirety was lacking in character development, and the like. I mean come on, a girl falls in love with a vampire and she isn't scared or worried of fearful of her neck in the least bit? Oh, and if I were told by a guy who constantly gives me the creep eye and looks like he wants to kill me that he has been in my bedroom watching me sleep at night, I would scream and run for my life.
I guess you can just chock it up to the fact that I am an English Literature major and all I ever read 9 months out of the year are Classic Novels.

But, and this is for all of you lovers of Twilight; I have to say that all of this hype about the Twilight Movie release is making me a bit excited. I guess I will decide whether or not the next 3 books in the series are worthy of my time by how much I like the Hollywood release on the 21st. And some of us can attest to the fact that sometimes Hollywood just doesn't get it right when it comes to making a feature movie premier of a well-know book. (Harry Potter, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Bridge to Terabithia, blah, blah, blah) and sometimes they get it right, (The Shawshank Redemption, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) so, for Twilight's sake and for my own, let's hope they make the movie even better than the book.

She's got 10 little fingers and 10 little toes and everyone knows she's as cute as a rose!!

Congratulations to my big sister Dee Ann on her 4th child. Their baby girl was born just before noon on Election Day Nov. 4th and is healthy and pretty! Dee Ann is doing well and daddy Cory and older siblings Keller, Preston and Addy are excited for the new addition. They don't have a name yet, but if you want to leave suggestions, feel free!

The Longest Game of Tag I Have EVER Played!

10 years ago I . . .
1. 17 years old, in my Junior year at Leon High School!
2. was hanging out all the time with my boyfriend at the time...
3. and hanging out all the rest of the time with my bestest friends including Jessica G.
4. driving my first car to school! My silver 2-door Honda Civic! I was so cool... and now Michael drives it and he is so uncool...
5. listened to Dave Matthews Band, shopped at the Gap and got Razzberry Cool at the Govorner's Square Mall whenever I got the chance.

5 things on my "to do list" today . . .
1. Write my paper on Anglo-Saxon Literature.
2. Write by paper on Washington Irving and "The Legend of Sleepy Hallow."
3. study Italian.
4. rush home to hand-out Halloween candy to trick-or-treater's from 6pm to 8pm. (We have set time for Trick-or-Treating here in Ohio! Isn't that bizarre!?)
5. watch a scary movie, eat popcorn and chocolate with my hubby.

5 snacks I like . . .
1. chocolate
2. pickles
3. olives
4. cheeze-its
5. sun chips

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire . . .
1. Go on a $10,000+ shopping spree
2. travel
3. pay off mine and Michael's student loans, and get another degree
4. put aside enough for a house for when we finally settle down again...
5. invest the rest


5 places I have lived . . .
1. Tallahassee, Florida
2. Bountiful, Utah
3. Logan, Utah
4. Salt Lake City, Utah
5. Cincinnati, Ohio

5 jobs that I have had . . .
1. My first job was at Guthrie's!! Yummy, I miss that chicken!
2. The movie theater in Logan, Utah while at college
3. sales associate at Meier and Frank (formerly ZCMI)
4. receptionist at a men's barber shop I forget the name...
5. a nanny for 3 crazy boys!!!

8 favorite TV shows I love to watch.
1. The Office
2. America's Next Top Model
3. The Hills
4. Friends
5.I don't get the chance to watch that much television!
7.
8.

8 things I did yesterday
1. Got up and went to work at 6:30 am.
2. Went to Meijer to buy Luke a Halloween costume
3. ate Chipotle for lunch
4. read 62 pages of Literature
5. watched an episode of House Hunters
6. studied for my mid-term
7. watched the Office
8. tossed and turned in bed because I couldn't sleep

8 favorite places to eat (in no particular order)
1. Anything Indian
2. Anything Thai
3. Chipotle
4. Panera Bread
5. Lindy's in Columbus,Ohio (I still remember the yummy steak. Perfection.)
6. Bronte
7. First Watch
8. Buffalo Wings and Rings

8 things I am looking forward to (again, in no particular order)
1. Graduation Day - June 13th 2009!
2. Christmas!!
3. When Michael finishes the grad school application process and we know where we will be in 9 months from now...
4. going to Europe next summer with Tish and Trevor and visiting my mom and dad in Germany.
5. the end of the Quarter
6. sleeping in tomorrow
7. having children
8. checking off all of those books on my list

8 things on my wish list (n.p.o.)
1. a new pair of jeans... Merry X-mas Jayna?
2. flowers
3. to live in a foreign country
4. to live in New York City
5. a message
6. to run a marathon
7. to be able to play the violin
8. That Michael and I can sell our home in a timely manner and find the time to keep int clean!

8 people I tag . . .
1. Tara
2. Misty
3. Lynze (Right back at 'cha)
4. Dee Ann
5. Aubree Tallman
6. Jennie
7. Alexis
8. Heather Duff

Playing Catch-Up on a Couple Games of Tag...

I've been tagged by Lynze. The Six Things You May Not Know About Me Are:

1. I have a heartshaped birthmark on my collarbone.


2. I love to organize things, my school work, cabinets, drawers, photographs, files, and my mother would let me organize the kitchen cabinets whenever I wanted, but I never want to clean my house!

3. I have an addiction to designer jeans... I blame this on Michael who bought me my first pair when we were dating. Those were the days when Seven for All Mankind Jeans were only $129.00. Sigh...

4. I watch The Hills.

5. Since I was a kid I've loved to look at house plans and imagine myself walking through them from room to room.


6. I practically live in my car and it is a disaster! If anyone is wondering what to get me for Christmas - a full-detail car wash would be perfect!!

I tag Amy Cottrell, Ann Muldowney and Melissa Kelly.
Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who has tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write 6 random things about yourself
4. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

Fun with Helium

Michael has met some really great students while at UC and some of them have been very entertaining... such as our new friends Axel, Louisa, Alex and Caroline from Europe.

****Just a note, we do not condone the inhalation of Helium :) ****

A couple of weeks ago we had them over for dinner and while one of my old birthday balloons was floating around the ceiling, Axel mentioned that he had seen people using helium in movies and didn't know what it did... so of course we dared him to try it! They said they don't have helium inflated balloons in Europe and they had never played with them before! Go figure!

This is actual footage of our friend Axel from Belgium and Louisa from France having fun with a helium balloon! Too funny to not add!! BTW I love how she says "Bonjour"! Too Cute!

Fun with the Wii

We recently had some of our friends over to play our New Wii and we had a lot of fun! When it became very apparent that the 'new' players play much different than the 'seasoned' players (because having had our Wii for an entire month, that is what Michael and I like to call ourselves, 'seasoned' players), we just had to get it on camera. So, this video is for you Louis... if you would like to study the technique and come on over for another round, we will be waiting for you. And Michael will be sure to wear his helmet...

Who wears the pants in the family?

Apparently Fitz does.

So, Michael has this habit of leaving clothes all over the house and normally I complain and nag, but this kodak moment was too cute to get mad about. For those who don't know, since we don't have children our cats fill the void for the time being.

Their names are Fitzgerald (Fitz for short) and Sadie, and they seem to thing everything of ours is theirs, even our pants apparently.

Luckily, I had the camera nearby and didn't disturb her slumber too much.

My 27th (or 18th) Birthday Party

Michael threw me a party for my 27th Birthday and we had such a great time. We love to get together with friends and have party's at our home and this time around Michael was in charge of everything from decorations (none) to food (hamburgers and hotdogs). He even decorated my cake I made and did such a great job and just for fun he wrote my age in candles on the top - 18 - I guess he thought I was feeling old or something...
Well, after eating cake he presented me with my Birthday present, a Wii Game System!! I had no idea he was going to give this to me for my birthday even though I had told him before it would be fun to have. We had a lot of fun setting it up and playing some tennis that night while some of our friends were still there.

Overall, it was a great birthday. I have discovered that 27 is not NEARLY as old as I thought it would be when I was 9. Michael did a pretty good job with the party planning, although I am sure he appreciates all I do in previous planning because of his lone efforts at this party, but I am sure we will have many more get-together's in the future.

I also have to say thanks to Michael's family for thier contribution to my B-Day present!! Especially my bestest sister-in-law Tish!! You're GREAT!!!

Big B's B-Day Party

A few weeks ago my friend Jennie gave a surprise party for her husband Britton. We had such a great time in the Mansion at their apartment complex playing pool, ping-pong and taking pictures. All of us girls tried a few times (okay, maybe 9 or 10) to get a good picture and here are our attempts in order. We tried to use the automatic button but just couldn't get it right!! Needless to say, we had a lot of fun trying to strike a perfect pose. I think we may have gotten one or two decent pics out of it!

Seriously So Blessed is Seriously the BEST!

Thanks to my sis Dee Ann and my friend Misty, I get my fill of typical Mormon Culture through this hilarious blog! It is so funny and even though I laugh about half of the posts, I find myself relating even if I don't want to! All because I love Stampin' Up!, Michael and I are both in School, I am part of a book club and we are "seriously so blessed!" You have to check it out not only if you get a chance but also if you have a sense of humor and don't mind making fun of the culture you are part of!

To check it out just click on the title.

Fun at the Apple Store!

MIchael and I had some time to kill while waiting to pick up his computer that was being worked on and we decided to head over the an unused Mac and take some pictures. My favorite is the one that looks all Andy Warhol. We look so like we don't care which truly captured the essence of pop art, don't you think?!?!

Water For Elephants

I had just recently read a really great book that my boss recommended and I have to get it on the blog and tell others about it. It is called Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen and it was absolutely wonderful. I actually read it in about 3 day (when we had no electricity) but I think I would have flown through this novel nonetheless. It is about a 22 year-old veterinarian student from Cornell in the 1930's who finds himself on a train that houses an entire circus, including its workers, performers and animals and what he does among them for the next 3 months of his life. It is a great novel that reads really well, and I would love to know if anyone has read it. If so, let me know what you thought.

Thanks and happy reading!! :)

Big, Bad Seniors. Who said picking on Freshmen wasn't fun?

Michael and I have officially started our senior year at the University of Cincinnati and we can't help but feel proud of ourselves. Classes started Wednesday and even though I am a transfer student and have technically only been at UC for 3 quarters, I couldn't help but scoff, give the stink-eye to, or deliberately give bad directions a couple of little-bitty Freshman. Michael personally knocked a few books out of some of their hands to show off not only his rank in this social realm, but to also show of his masculine muscles. No, just kidding, although it is nice to no longer have that deer-in-the-headlights look in our eyes.

It is crazy to think that we will be done here in a mere 9 months and we will be off to somewhere new and the cycle will start all over again at Graduate School.
Classes will be absolutely crazy for the two of us this quarter and I barely have room in my schedule to watch The Office on Thursday nights, but I know it will all be worth it in the end.
I know have to share my thoughts on how lucky I feel to be finishing my degree 8 years after graduating from Bountiful High School, but of course I have to say, "better late than never," and I have to thank Michael for all of his support, as well. Now, the true challenge will be to try and graduate with a combined debt of less than $50,000 in student loans by the time we are done in 3-4 years. I wonder if we can keep our education under budget...

P.S. This building, among others on our campus was recently in Architectural Record. It is very cool, as far as Michael is concerned and that is a lot coming from an Arch student.

Who Needs Electricity? Wait... I do!

So, do to a recent hurricane in Texas many of the Duke Energy employees who serve us so well here in Cincinnati went to help turn power back on in the South. Little did anyone know that around 4:00pm Sunday afternoon a freak windstorm would blow through the tri-state knocking down trees, and cutting power to more than a million customers from Dayton, Ohio, to Lawrenceburg, Indiana to Florence, Kentucky. It goes without saying that we were all very surprised and very underprepared. Calling in reinforcements from S. Carolina has not been quite enough because half of our Duke staff is still in Texas, but we are getting by nonetheless.

There are many good reason for electricity; hot food, cold food, television, radio, lighting, computer use, charging a cell phone, but we had to learn over the past 4 days how to survive without all of these wonderful things. So, in the midst of no power and no entertainment, I have decided to give my list of the very few reasons why I love living without electricity.

1. There are oh-so-many good books to read out there and I finally had an excuse to get some summer reading in just before school starts next week.

2. Playing board games is a lot of fun by candlelight.

3. Peanut Butter and Jelly tastes delicious when there is no other food left in the house.

4. It's amazing how much cleaning you can do when you don't have television to compromise your time.

5. It truly is nice to go to bed before 10:00pm because you have run out of things to do.

For anyone interested, Michael and I are still without power but this only means that we'll be eating our chunky peanut butter and grape jam sandwiches to candlelight tonight as I challenge him to a rematch of scrabble.

I've Been Tagged...

So, I've been tagged by my sister and this was so exciting because I haven't been tagged since I went to Gilchrist Elementary School. So here it is... a short list of all things Jayna.

* 3 Joys *

1. Spending time by the ocean, smelling the salty air and getting sand suck between my toes.
2. Staying up late with a good book.
3. Eating dinner with my husband.

*3 Fears*

1. Not planning ahead and learning the hard way.
2. That UC will deny my transfer credits and I won't be able to graduate in the Spring.
3. That our house won't sell before we have to leave for Grad School.

*3 Goals*

1. Run in a Marathon. (too bad I don't run at all!)
2. Become an amazing cook.
3. Have a loving, energetic, and amazingly fun family someday.

* 3 current obsessions/collections*

1. I am still obsessed with Designer Jeans.
2. Classic Literature.
3. Learning to eat well and take a multi-vitamin.

*3 random surprising facts about me*

1. I have a heart-shaped birthmark.
2. I love lime popsicles.
3. I am a nanny of three boys ages 8,9 and 11. I have been their nanny for 3 years and counting... and counting... and counting... :)

So, this is everything you ever wanted to know about me! I am now going to tag a couple of people I would like to know a little more about and they are Amy Cottrell and Nici Tucker!! So, have fun ladies!!

Yearbook Yourself is all the rage...

Thanks to my friend Heather, I've visited yearbookyourself.com today and I found myself laughing so hard! Here I was at home by myself and I couldn't stop laughing at what I was looking at on the internet. It's simple, just upload your picture onto Yearbook Yourself and see what your yearbook picture would have looked like in each of the past 5 decades! This was great and I had a lot of fun with Michael's! I've added my favorite "Yearbook Pictures" of each of us and I especially love Michael's throughout the 70's. The facial hair really helped him throughout that particular decade and I think he would have blended in very well.

So, What Disney Princess am I?

I've seen that a couple of my friends from Tally have done this quiz and posted their results on their blogs, so decided to check it out. I know, I know, a little childish, but it was just for fun. Well... the result is....

Cinderella

I found this cute and interesting because everyone always tells me I must have so much patience to be able to put up with my husband Michael! (Just Kidding, I love you honey!) But, I think I learned a lot of patience from growing up in a large family and being the 7th child of 9 children. So, my verdict is that it was a pretty cute quiz, but it's not going to tell you the inner workings of your personality or something, it was just cute and fun, and I can't complain that I can now compare myself to Cinderella. I clean up after others all day, (I am a nanny) I come home and slave away in the kitchen for hours, (okay, I cook for like 30 minutes and I get to enjoy what I eat) but at least I have found a Prince Charming. :)


You Are Cinderella!

Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Bored on a Sunday Afternoon

After taking my three hour Sunday nap today, I found myself very bored. I uploaded all my pictures onto Shutterfly that had not previously been added, I checked my grades and fall schedule on the University of Cincinnati website, I checked our bank accounts and I even went back on to Shutterfly and made a Calender that I am sure I will never need or buy. After a couple of hours I found myself on the Crayola website. Don't ask me how I got there, but for anyone interested (which I am very sure you are...) I was able to name 41 of the 64 colors in a Crayola Crayon box correctly on my first try. Oh, to be a child again coloring the pages of a Strawberry Shortcake coloring book with my Macaroni and Cheese crayon in one hand and a Blue Violet in the other.

Maybe next Sunday when I am bored I will find something more profitable to do with my time such as perusing the Business Section of the New York Times, but I am sure I will end up finding myself at 10pm on Ebaum's World or checking up on my fall semester lecturers on ratemyprofessors.com.

Horseback Riding in Lovelock, Nevada

My sister Coni Jo and I have gone horseback riding three times in the past two days. We have had such a great time, and I even had a true cowgirl moment when we went searching for a lost bull on the farm, but we never found him.
I have woken up this morning with sore muscles I didn't even know existed. I can't wait until I too can have a horse to call my own and maybe I can ask Santa for a pony this Christmas. It has been so much fun riding the past few days and of course the scenery isn't bad to look at with mountains all around. I truly miss the mountains, but I will keep the greenery in Cincinnati for now. This was a great shot to see who had the better behind...