Oscar

My grandparent's cute (and well fed) little pet, Oscar.

Sailing

So the below pics are from Lake Sommerville in Sommerville, TX. We had a great day sailing with aunt & uncle Bob & Diane Wallis from Houston. Their boat, aptly named “Finally” was very cool and we really had a great time. We met them at the marina and had little (translate no) wind out to the center of the lake, but we drifted calmly and it was pretty hot which gave us all the more reason to jump overboard and cool off. We visited and ate snacks and drank Tecates and carried on just generally had a really fun time. At one point while in the center of the lake we bailed out to take a cool dip only to be surprised by the fact that we could touch the bottom with our feet! Now that was a slightly creepy sensastion, especially since we were all hanging on to this massive boat floating right next to us. We were scraping rudder for a bit but got turned around and were on our way again. Returning back to the marina, we had significant wind and the boat tipped sharply to one side. It’s a very unnatural sensation and I haven’t been on a boat like that for ages. Suffice to say I was a little freaked out and hid out in the bough of the boat until Aunt Diane convinced me that we would not tip over like on a smaller pontoon Hobie. I’ve jumped out of an airplane and own and ride a Harley Davidson and the boat freaked me out. Go figure. (And I’m a good swimmer, too!). Makes no sense. But we eventually made it back to the marina, shuffled into town and had some great Mexican food at the local joint (we drank a margarita the size of my head) said goodnight and gave goodbye hugs, jumped in the new truck and made our way back through the rural cotton fields in Robertson County.

Sunset at Sommerville

Love The Gov

Well, I have been a bad, bad blogger. No posts in over a week. However, we are full steam ahead into the wedding planning and a lot has been going on. First of all, I bought my dress last week. Sight unseen since they actually had my size & color in stock at Bridal Corner in North Ogden. I am going Saturday morning to be fitted. Now that is progress.

We have also been talking with wedding coordinators Lori and Jon Woodbury and as it stands they will be handling several aspects of the organizing. Yeah! Less stress for yours truly.

And finally, I have little time and will get back to the photo blogging of the TX trip because I’ve got guest lists to edit and passport renewal forms to tackle this evening. BUT, I felt compelled to share my experience this evening. I had the honor of finally meeting Governor Huntsman and The First Lady, Mary Kaye. (And of course an entourage of various staff including Mike Mower the Governors PR man. They were in the studio to chat with Doug Wright on the call in program “Let Me Speak To The Governor”. Afterward, they hung out and visited with the Nightside crew for a few minutes, and it was revealed to all even more how ultra cool The Gov is. The interview will likely be posted on the Nightside website in the next few days, and when it is I will link to that audio so all can enjoy. Aside from being a top legislative official, he is a very sincere person and exceedingly gracious. He is not only an avid rock fan he is a musician himself (piano/keyboard-- the coolest instrument for among other reasons it’s the one I can play). Oh, and on the air he challenged any other state’s governor to a rock music trivia contest. I suspect he won’t have any takers.

Just another in a long list of reasons to love The Gov.

Update, you can hear the audio of Huntsman on Nightside on this page. Unfortunately I can't link to the specific interview but scroll on down there and you'll find it...you should already be surfing this site anyway...

TX II

Wow, where to begin. What a great trip we had. It felt like we were gone for a month—in a good way-- when really it was merely a week. We arrived in Austin around 4:00 PM after our plane was delayed for 2 hours. Boo! We could’ve slept in. Oh, and might I add that I had been in the ER with my mom all night the night prior. She up & decided to have appendicitis that day. I got the call at work from the doctor at the Instacare who said they needed someone to come and take her to the hospital pronto. I didn’t want her to have to take the dreaded ambulance ride, so I tore out of work early & rescued her. Well, sort of. Eight hours later, much physical pain and administrative ordeal she was safely out of emergency surgery and in her hospital but her appendix had actually ruptured by the time they got her in the OR. Good grief. The recovery was not as simple as it could have been, but I am happy to report that she is doing much better now and we are already planning a camping trip to the Wasatch Mts. for next weekend. But alas, I digress.

So we got to Austin and headed to San Marcos to my Aunt & Uncle’s house. I regret that we didn’t really get any pics with Gary & Gini (sorry guys) so we’ll have to make up for that next visit. They took us down to the San Marcos River where it winds through town and we floated from one of the falls to a point downstream that was not too far, but just enough to give us a taste. The water was brisk, and we saw a few fish, a lot of college kids (Texas State U), 'Frisbee Dan', and a few of Uncle Ace’s fellow Lions of the San Marcos Lion’s Club.

Afterward, we cruised back to their house, and proceeded to visit with their neighbors, and then….dinner! They really know how to treat folks like royalty. It had everything to do with an early birthday celebration for me since Gini would be leaving in the morning to visit her family in Arizona. Uncle Ace busted out the filets and lobster! I have some great pics of him goofing around with the crustaceans prior to putting them in the pot but I have chosen not to post them here as I figure it would just piss off my animal welfare friends. I must say I have to agree with Alton Brown in terms of getting over the whole ‘hurting’ of the lobsters. They are just great big insects. Perhaps I’m fooling myself, but regardless, they sure were tasty.

The next day, (my birthday!) we headed into Austin for a brief tour before splitting to Rudy’s BBQ Sauce for Jon’s radio cohort Michael (well, ok he’s actually the host) and we toured the Texas A&M campus. Along the way (and earlier in the day on our way to Hearne) we were enlightened by many a college tale from Uncle Ace. When we went to College Station he was able to point out several of his old haunts, on & off campus. Gig ‘em Ags!

Back in Hearne we started the evening with a pitcher of margaritas. Yeehaw! My birthday dinner was great. Mary’s El Alamo Cafe, owned and operated by Mary, a long time resident of Hearne and kind friend of my grandparents. It’s home style Tex Mex, and the chili rellenos are really excellent. Can’t beat the prices either! I was presented with a cake and candles, the whole she-bang. I am such a lucky, lucky girl. I think they even sang to me but I don’t recall as I was heading into a food coma & was undoubtedly half in the bag. After dinner we retired to Wheelock Street, and the day ended. The next day we were slated to meet my other Aunt & Uncle, Diane & Bob (from Houston) at Somerville Lake where their beautiful sailboat is moored. Stay tuned for that excursion, along with pics.

Our Trip To TX Part I

Here is is folks, the Texas State Capitol Building.



Upper left hand --here is a crop duster that almost took us out.



Above: Abstract: "Crop Duster Over Cotton Field"

Below: Rural area outside of Hearne, TX. It's all cotton fields, baby!! (And yes, we pulled over and stole a handful right off the plant)...hemp schmemp...



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What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been

For those who were anxiously awaiting news from the road, I'm sorry that I wasn't able to post while we were out there. Well, technically I was able to but we didn't really have much time and the last thing I wanted to do at the end of a full day in the car with JD, a gatorade, and some crappy AM radio stations was plop in front of the computer. So stay tuned as I will attempt to recount the highlights (and of course some of the lowlights) of our journey to Austin, Central, Northern, and West Texas, through New Mexico & Arizona, Kanab Utah, and finally Northward home to the S-L-C. Hail Zion!

Cat

This is so ridiculous I had to post it here. Somewhere, I'm still humming this song and laughing.

What, Me Tense?

While this is admittedly really gross, I can also say it is effective in keeping the pens in my office from getting ripped off. Anybody got a Valium?



 

Why Are You Green?

When we got home from the Homestead, we came inside the house and the cats were instantly swarming us. We keep dry food out for them all the time, but have been feeding them wet food in the evenings. They're both pretty thin and they really love it, so we figure no harm done. As I was shuffling through the door, both of the cats were stalking Jon. He went into the room where we keep their food, and two rooms away I hear him say "Why are you green??". I thought maybe the white one (Coconut) had rolled in some grass clippings, etc. but no, some wiseass dyed my cat green. WTF??!! 

Quack Quack

Check out the bouffant on this duck that was begging for scraps from the patio of the grill at the Homestead Resort. Looks like she took a wrong turn & missed the Aveda Spa.

Tick Tock

The clock is ticking. Three days till my birthday, and two days till we head to TX. We have quite the road trip in front of us. I'll be taking the notebook & the digi cam so hopefully we'll get some great pics from the road. Stay tuned....

Oh, and speaking of staying tuned, KSL Nightside now has their own proper website. Sort of. Click above for some bios and cool graphics if you please. Oh yeah, and don't forget the gang is now taking listener comment during the show, so tune in, call in, and quite possibly they'll let you throw in your two cents worth. Word.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Lots of stuff going on. First off, we WON the company golf scramble. Big Shock. Actually, I must say that out of the 16 people, four were women, including myself. They were all really great, and I must say that they were huge assets to their respective teams. I think the other women in the tournament had more 'qualifying' drives than I did, and one gal had never hit a ball in her life. I stand humbled.

Here's a pic of our trophy. I've been with the company for twelve years and I've never won anything until now. Thanks honey.

Tick Tock

The birthday clock is counting down. eEeEEEgaaads!

Weekend Scramble

Went last night with Barb to the driving range. We pounded a few buckets of balls. I did pretty well, and was very aware of the fact that whenever I didn't do something I was supposed to, the swing was a disaster. BUT if I kept my posuture and movements on track I really can whallop that thing a good 150-200 yds. And at the risk of sounding like a goof geek, I am looking forwrard to the scramble tournament we're playing in this weekend at my company's annual retreat weekend at the Homestead in Midway, UT. (Just down the road from the Blue Boar Inn). We are favored to win, thanks to Jon Dunn. Let's just hope I can bring something of value to the playing field.

Fore!

Today was my first official day as a golfer. Well, okay not exactly. We ordered a set of ladies' hybrid clubs on eBay for about $150. They arrived yesterday and we took them to the course today and I got to whallop a bucket of balls. Jon's group played at the Sleepy Ridge links course in Orem, UT. It was nice--cool & breezy in the morning but by 2:00 it was roasting. I tagged along for 18 holes with the usual gang, and then Jon & I headed over to the driving range. I suppose I did all right for a novice. Smacked a couple pretty well, missed several times, skimmed some heads, sliced a few, and so on. Next week is the company tournament (scramble) and I suppose I'll be in good enough shape for that. I am hoping to make it to the range again some night this week, so hopefully that helps.

I am currently stalking a pair of golf shoes in eBay. I guess not a lot of women golfers purchase things on eBay because it is certainly one category I have discovered where you can still get really good deals on things. I asked Jon why seemingly all golf shoes in general are so ugly. He was offended at first, and then sort of laughed & shrugged his shoulders. I guess you don't feel like an expert unless you're sporting hideously ugly shoes. Go figure.

After we left Orem we went by the Old Mill pro shop and got Jon a new golf bag. Week before last he competed in a Farmer's Insurance tournament on behalf of KSL and his team came in 2nd place. For it he won a large trophy (which I still have not seen--it's apparently his new office decor) and a $75 gift certificate for the pro shop. Since he didn't need anything at the time he stashed the certificate. Today he realized that I would need a golf bag, so I have now inherited his, and he has in turn acquired a beauty of a new Titleist bag from the proshop for $100 with the certificate discounted. It was an all around win for all.

Der Ring

So I’ve sort of strayed a bit from the original purpose for this journal. (The wedding....) ~Bridezilla Schmidezilla!

I realized the other day that I had failed to shower praises upon our favorite custom jeweler, Charley Hafen. I can’t believe how fortunate we were to finally find a jeweler that we clicked with. And let me tell you we did our homework! Charley was actually referred to us by a friend who knew him from the days when Charley’s shop was located at Trolley Square. His gallery now independently stands in Sugarhouse. After all our valley wide searching, there he was all that time, just a half block from our home! So here’s how it happened.

When we decided we wanted to get married (we had an adult discussion about it—none of this archaic getting on one knee nonsense) I didn’t have to have a ring, but Jon was all for it, and hey, who am I to argue? I say this in all honesty, and people often still don’t believe me, but I never had any childhood fantasies about how my wedding would be or what my ring should look like. I had a few ideas about what I liked based on some looking I did last year with my girl Brooke when she & her now husband were looking at rings. But beyond some basic knowledge, I knew nothing. Neither did Jon. So we started doing a little research on the web, made a few calls around town to see who our friends knew, and then ventured into some jewelry stores. It was awful! You know that icky feeling you get when you are looking at used cars and a hairy, porn star looking guy who smells like cheap cologne is leering at you? Yeah, it was that gross. Apparently the jewelry business is extremely competitive and we heard just about every come-on there is. We looked at some pieces and there are a lot of beautiful things out there but nothing stole our hearts. Until we looked at tension rings. Tension rings are uniquely beautiful and we looked at a couple of different designers. As for diamonds, well, I don’t have any family heirlooms, and neither does he, so we needed to invest in a stone as well. I was and remain a ‘quality not quantity’ type of gal. I would much prefer a smaller stone that is finer and less flawed than a large, dull diamond. We checked out the tension ring dealers in town and boy they are pretty. But then I got a little gun shy and decided I didn’t want my center stone so vulnerable that it could potentially get ripped out of its setting. I’m pretty hard on my stuff (playing with the dogs, digging in the dirt, fiddling with doodads on my motorcycle, etc.) so I’m not really well suited for a delicate piece of jewelry.

So one day Jon stopped by Charley’s shop on his way home from work. He went in and chatted with Charley and was impressed with his mellow, friendly demeanor. He explained to Jon how he would hand craft the ring, make a wax mold, allow us to ‘proof’ it, and then cast it in gold (white gold was our choice). We showed Charley pictures of some of the rings we like, and with the photos he was able to design a unique composite sample incorporating elements of all the different styles we liked. Since we didn’t have a stone yet—the centerpiece of the ring—he said he would have his gemologist bring us a few samples. A few days later we went back to Charley’s shop together and chose the stone—a beautiful .9 karat princess cut (the clarity and color stats slip my mind at the moment—I’ll come back & insert in this post if I can locate the paperwork). Suffice to say it was a beautiful stone and we were eager to see it in our finished project. A week or so later we went back to see the wax mold. It was fragile and gave us an idea of what to expect, but we really had no idea how beautiful it would be in the end. Needless to say I showcase the bling every day and we are definitely very pleased with the outcome.

Bling

Special Shout Out

Here's a shout out to our friends Drew & Terry Hall who allowed us to come over & continue the weekend debauchery. This included playing their slot machine--- undoubtedly the tightest and loosest slot in the state of Utah!

Postscript to Giving Life

I neglected to acknowledge this cool sister website to the American Red Cross. GiveLife.org goes into detail a lot more specifically about donating blood. And per my description of the whole blood donation process below, you can check it out on this page of the Give Life website. See, I wouldn't lie to you. Now go make an appointment and do it.

Giving Blood

I went and donated blood for the first time today. Mom called me yesterday and asked me if I would do it. Not having the cure for cancer, or anything remotely close, we felt this would be a good solution to cure our own helpless feelings toward the big evil “c” word that has so viciously attacked people that I love. We only wish there was more we could do…

For those who have never had the pleasure of giving blood, I recount my experience and tell you that it is so not a big deal. I called this morning and made an appointment to go after work. Between the Red Cross Website and the girl I talked to when scheduling, I found out it was only about an hour process (and ended up being less than that, actually). Because I was a “first timer” it took me a little longer because they had to register me in their computer and give me time to review the informative materials. They asked me questions, mainly basic health questions, and questions pertaining to lifestyle, place of residence, covering all the possible scenarios that could have resulted in a blood disease or contamination that could make me ineligible to donate. The first gal who set me up in front of a computer to answer the survey questions pricked my finger and took a small preliminary blood sample to make sure my blood levels were adequate (I’m not sure exactly what they were checking, but the minimum was 38% and I was at 41%). She took my blood pressure, pulse, and temperature (I was strangely 99.4, which is a little high for me). “Are you a little anxious?” she asked. “No”, I told her, “I think I’m just a little high in the blood pressure department because I’m overweight”. Quite honestly I’ve been a ball of nerves and anxiety as of late, but I didn’t offer that explanation to her. She took my name and address and other personal information, entered it into the computer, and told me they would send me my own personal ‘Donor Card’.

Next was the big room with several large medical dentist type chairs. There were already a few folks in the process of giving blood, and after a few minutes, they strapped me into my own (just kidding, no straps involved). I was asked which arm I preferred. “I don’t care, whichever one works better”. (Translate: whichever one is going to be easiest to poke ONE time). I sat comfortably as the male technician once again took my vitals and verified that I was the correct person with the correct paperwork. He looked at my arms and chose my right. He lifted my arm and slathered the inside of my elbow with alcohol and iodine, and waited for it to dry. He fiddled with a maze of tubes around my arm, which assumably led to a pint bag below my chair. After a few minutes he reappeared with a needle and “quick poke” (it was a little sharp) the needle went in but the pain was very brief and once it was in place, the sharpness subsided. I sat quietly and squeezed the foam ball in my hand as often as I could remember, and watched as my blood ran through the tubes beyond my sight. I felt fine the entire time, until the very end. Near the end of pint I began to feel lightheaded, and was experiencing the sensation that precedes fainting for me. I was breathing a little more labored than normal, was fighting passing out, and felt woozy. As the male tech took the needle and tubes away, another female tech was kind enough to bring me an icepack for the back of my neck and a bottle of water. She also adjusted my chair to put my feet higher in the air. After about five minutes in this stance I was all better and the dizziness went away. I hopped out of my chair, was showed the way to the fridge (cold water & juices) and snackies (chips, crackers, cookies, etc.) I grabbed a can of OJ and was out the door & on my way home. I gotta keep this cool pink bandage on for five hours, and no strenuous activity allowed. As if I needed an excuse to avoid the gym.

So that’s it folks. Go give blood. If I can do it, you can do it. You never know-- it could save your life--or the life of someone you love.

My Four Eyes For Your Eyes

Introducing the newest member of the Geek Squad.

How I gained 40 lbs in seven months!

 

The Big Three-0 is Lurking

The big birthday is three weeks away. Yikes! My parents bought me a shot glass in Gruene, TX during their trip last week. It’s solid blue and reads,

“You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas”–Davy Crockett.

Gotta love that. So for my birthday this year, everyone can just go to hell and I will go to Texas.

All jokes aside, we are awaiting vacation approval but will likely be in Austin for the big day. Yes, once again we’ll be voyaging down to the Lone Star State to see my beloved family and take custody of my grandfather’s 1993 Ford Explorer. We’re replacing Jon’s 1991 Ford “Exploder”. Although the SUV’s are only two years apart in year of manufacture, they’re light years apart in condition and mileage. We're really looking forward to heading down and seeing the fam.

Fish

Incidentally, Iceman (Betta, above), Patron (Tequila Sunrise Guppy), Harley (Yellow Tail Guppy) & the Tetras (Neon & Albino) are doing quite well considering their tank’s filter is busted.

New Toy

Check out the new toy! It’s our first major collaborative purchase besides the fish.

Proof That Your Mother Was Right

This is a prime example of why you should be cautious with internet dating. Or any kind of blind dating for that matter.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=386442


The old "axe murderer" cliché exists for a reason. Please be safe.

The Nightside Project

Listen to KSL Radio (M-F 7P-12A MST) & give your feedback.

Do it now--click here.

Bridezilla

Bridezilla (bryd.ZIL.uh) n. A bride-to-be who, while planning her wedding, becomes exceptionally selfish, greedy, and obnoxious. Also: bride-zilla.

Why do people continue to insist I will become this? I doubt it. I'm already selfish and obnoxious. What gives?

Jon Dunn Look-Alike?

Rachael thinks Ross Millard (of the band Futureheads--far left) and Jon were separated at birth. I'm not sure I see the strong resemblance. But I certainly see the humor!

Beating The Heat

Coconut, above, lazing in the laundry pile. Below, I think Karma believes that if he hides from it, the heat can't find him. (Wrong!!)

How The Sprinkler Got Broken

The girls (and Otis) got a little over zealous with the water. As a result, I am heading to Home Depot to replace the broken sprinkler head. But they had fun & cooled off. A cause well worth a dog mom's agony, no?

Mom's Goods

Just a few of the greens we helped mom plant on Mother's Day.

Optometrist

Tuesday I went and had my eyes checked for the first time in about 23 years. After 29 years of 20/20 vision I am now slightly nearsighted. My new glasses have been ordered & are on the way. In addition to a slight correction, my lenses will also have some computer filtration qualities and will block out some of the ‘garbage light’ from the fluorescent lighting in my office and elsewhere. Can’t wait to get them as I have been suffering eyestrain and headaches for about a month now. As my uncle would say “getting old isn’t for [wimps]”. Only he wouldn't use as G-rated a word as 'wimp'.

Destiny Norton

It’s late--after midnight--and by the time this is posted the news I have will no longer be new. It will, however, be as unfortunate and sobering at whatever hour this is read. I am deeply saddened to have just learned that the body of five year-old Destiny Norton has been found in the basement of a neighbor’s home. A suspect has been identified and apprehended, but that is all I know at this time.

We were having a great evening visiting with neighbors, gathered with dogs and children underfoot, celebrating our “Lymanite” status and “Pioneer Day” as the biggest fireworks show in the state happens a block and a half from our street at Liberty Park. Ironically, this park is also a mere few blocks from where Destiny's family lives, and where she ultimately came to rest. This is a crime against nature and humanity, and it hits close to home for us literally and figuratively. And while I cannot claim to know the grief this family will face in the days to come, I know the discomfort and unease I feel sending my partner and best friend out into the night to uncover details pertaining to this unfortunate circumstance. Just imagining a personal loss of this nature chills me to the core. It is utterly incomprehensible. I also know that when and if I can finally retire to my bed this night I will hug my four legged fur babies tightly and insist they remain close by so I can watch over them, and they me.

Rest in peace dear child, as I pray your family may find solace in the love and support of fellow family members and friends in your absence, this dark hour.

Green

Jon testing out the new putter at Wasatch Mountain July 16th

Otis

Otis is a happy boy

O-T-I-S

Mom & Dad are heading down to TX so I am on pet & home patrol. I told mom she should be flattered that I’m willing to water her lawn considering I don’t even water my own. Yep, after the vacant [expletive] hole duplex across the street we definitely have the second trashiest looking yard. I call it “progressive water conservation”. Others call it “laziness”. Call it what you want, but remember that we do, after all, live in the desert. So while mom & dad are gone I’m in charge of Otis. Otis, Cyrano, and Krash are mom & dad’s residual children. Cyrano and Krash were both mine--Cyrano a senior canine (he turned 15 in March) and Krash a mature 8 for a feline. I don’t know yet if it has occurred to mom & dad but all three of those animals were brought into their house by yours truly. What can I say, I am just a talented animal home finder (otherwise known as ‘family-completer’). I also have a pretty astute sucker radar and it goes off loudly when it comes to my folks and animals. (Where the hell do you think I inherited it from?)

Otis was a rescue from Best Friends on Tour. He had been adopted through the program two years earlier but had since been surrendered by the family and returned back into the adoption pool. I don’t know how you drop your faithful companion and family member off at the shelter and say goodbye forever, but people do it (and worse) every day. I got mom to come down to the Super Adoption last fall while I was volunteering. I’d had my eye on Otis (formerly “Sumo”) since the weekend prior when he was at the Avenues Street Festival with Kip & a couple of other big dogs. I saw him there and knew right away he was special. Mom & and I walked around the adoption for quite a long time. She really liked a 3-legged shepherd that was there, but it was only a year old, in full hyper puppyhood mode despite the missing limb, and thus not a perfect fit for the more relaxed Aalen household.

Otis was a shoe-in. He was so sweet and mellow. It is an unfortunate fact that large dogs and black animals (canine & feline) and adult animals have less chance of being adopted than the small, young, or animals of color. Triple whammy if you’re a large, black senior animal. (Otis is about 8 years old in human years). At the time he weighed about 125 pounds—now he weighs considerably more, though I know they try and keep him on a decent diet. Within a few days of getting him home, mom called to report that he was having trouble breathing and had become violently ill (on their new pergo no less). Turned out he had a nasty case of kennel cough, and mom got him to the vet right away. In addition to the diagnosis he had all of these bizarre symptoms pop up which the vet equated to Cushing’s Disease, a thyroid tumor issue. Otis probably does have some thyroid issues, but once he got over the kennel cough he has not had any of the negative symptoms recur. He has an insatiable appetite, and we have not yet encountered a food he does not like. I’m not kidding. He shares a banana every morning with mom for breakfast, and you should see him snap a piece of sandwich bread out of your hand. Watch the fingers!! He is quite the character, too. He greets mom and dad at the door each day as they come in from work. He is a large, sweet, friendly, outgoing, loving dog. I was recently speaking with mom and dad about it, and although Otis has been with them for less than a year, they don’t really recall or fathom life as it was before he came along.

Lyman Court Continued

Wow, so I guess people are anxious to hear what happened. And while it is eventful and exciting, is is only run of the mill for Lyman drama, as I have five years of living here and this is only average. (Oh the stories I could tell...) For those who have not had the honor of ever visitng Lyman, here is a brief descrption of the layout. There are only eight houses on our street; four on either side (east & west--we are the very last house on the east side) and we all have very small lots and all the homes are all between 80-100 years old. Two of the homes are converted into duplexes, and there are two homes at the entrance to the street in addition to the eight but they are technically on 1300 South (not on Lyman). So we are a very small community indeed. Over the years I have seen police here several times (called them a couple times myself) and while I really don't want to lump 'renters' into some generalized group of unsavories, I must say, their track record on Lyman has not done much to dispell that unfortunate generalization. In all the many times I've seen people get arrested or had authorities come out, it has never been a complaint against one of the fellow resident homeowners. Hmmmm....

After the Hard Rock on Sunday we proceeded across town and picked up the girls from their overnight at the kennel, and we weren't home very long when we found out that we missed some major drama. Yep, once again we missed all of the action. (This has been the pattern over the last few years--every time I go out of town there's some big police raid or gang fight or party bust on the street). I used to see a lot more of the drama, but over time the general trend has become that I somehow seem to witness the drama less and less first hand.

Sor starters, silly as it sounds, our small cul-de-sac has its own MySpace.com profile, and as Jon was checking his email upon our return home, he read the following bulletin:

Jul 16, 2006 12:39 PM
Subject:
Idiots!
Body:Lyman Court is a
peaceful street! We watchout for eachother and care very much about eachother
and if you happen to be a visitor or a renter on the street you should respect
that! Unfortunately there are those who would think it is okay to bad mouth the
occupants who own and live on this street, this happened last night when a
birthday party was in full swing disrupting a normall fun, harmless event. If
your stupid enough to mess with the long term residents on the street you will
definately feel the "long arm of the law"!!!

Needless to say (hey we have no shame, we're busybodies just like everyone else) we were dying to hear what happened. So we walked over and found out. Please remember this count is second hand, as I'm retelling it from what was told to me. But the gist of story we got was this:

Our next door neighbors Ben & Nicole (who are moving soon—we are sad) were having a BBQ for Ben's 30th birthday party and apparently someone from the apartment house at the end of the street stumbled over to the party uninvited and started badmouthing another neighbor of ours who happens to be a police officer. (We are thrilled that Officer Mortensen parks his car on the street--things have been a LOT quieter since the squad car’s appearance a few months ago). But apparently JD, our officer neighbor, had to repeatedly ask for quiet during a late rowdy party at the apartment house the night prior and this guy (I don't think he is an actual resident but a mere friend of a tenant of the apartment) was not happy about it. He mistakenly starting spouting off about it to another of our neighbors who is also friends with the officer, and after some colorful words were exchanged Ben evidently escorted the guy outside, only the guy didn't leave the street. He was high on something, or drunk, or both, and was just hanging around. JD’s wife returned home later after leaving Ben and Nicole’s only to find the guy lurking around our street and she was pretty creeped out so she called JD (who was out working on patrol) and almost instantly an entire cavalry of officers showed up and started arresting people—namely this drunk guy and his friends. All of them reportedly had warrants for something or other, and the one guy out of the half dozen or so who didn’t have a warrant was field tested and determined by the officers to be intoxicated but they had no reason to arrest him. Except right after they dismissed him he tried to drive away right in front of them. (Heloooo!!) So they threw him into the back of the squad car with the rest of gang too.

Never a dull moment I tell you!

Except for when I’m home.

Lyman Court Drama

When we returned home Sunday evening, we found out we had missed out on some major drama on our street. Police were called and people were arrested--all sorts of action, and we missed it! (We miss all the good stuff). Details to follow in a later post.

The Weekend

This weekend was a lot of fun. It wasn’t crazy or fast paced or anything like that, yet I still feel like I could have used an extra day to recuperate. We took off for higher ground to beat the heat, and it ended up being 99 degrees in Midway anyway. Jon & friends golfed at Wasatch Golf Course and I got some good photos of the Heber Valley. I also got some shots of Jon driving & putting, and perhaps the best--some great pics featuring Jon's "Grandpa Randall" and another friend Rob which I'll have to post tomorrow since we can't find the usb cord for the camera. I am sunburned, covered with bug bites, and just generally wiped out, but it was still a fun weekend "away".

Saturday night we ate at a the Mountain House Grill in Midway. The restaurant was very busy (and hot inside!) and the service was slow, but the food was surprisingly good. We ordered the spinach dip appetizer, and full entrees (Jon had Ariel's Chicken, and I had the Ravioli with Shrimp). We were shocked when our server brought out the spinach dip--it was so much food we could have just eaten that. But both of our entrees were surprisingly tasty, although Jon was not thrilled with his crab cakes (they had waaaay too much dill). We also stepped outside the box (well, our usual box anyway) and both had a Long Island Iced Tea with our meals. As I mentioned, the inside of the restaurant was uncomfortably warm, so this was an effort to cool off. And of course I drank the thing but was also reminded how little I care for that particular cocktail.

The Blue Boar Inn was, for the most part, great. The restaurant was closed for a private party, so we were not able to dine there on Saturday night. (We thought they should have had the courtesy of informing me of this fact when I made the reservation, but oh well). All of the rooms are themed with the motif of various literary figures. We stayed in the ‘Robert Frost’ room, but there were also rooms named for Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett & Robert Browning, Geoffrey Chaucer among others. Our five-course Sunday brunch was included with the cost of the room, which was a bargain as far as I’m concerned. The courses included fruit, pastries, swedish pancakes, entrees (Jon had the Eggs Benedict, and I had the Canadian Crab Benedict with Fennel) and then dessert which was a poppyseed scone stuffed with berries and thick sweet cream. It was wonderful. Needless to say we were not hungry until much later that evening.

After golf (and near heat stroke) we returned to the valley. We ended up going to Trolley Square to purchase a gift for someone, and then had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe-- a tourist trap at best, but it was fairly empty, air conditioned, and food was decent. We had a nice laugh at all of The Osmonds memorabilia surrounding us. Again, in effort to cool off we ordered some tropical cocktails with our food. Jon had a hurricane and I had a frozen 'exotic margarita' which was blended with pomegranate juice. Very refreshing! At one point I winced, and told Jon "I have brain freeze...and that is a good thing".

Me & Julie C. at a Halloween Party last year

Kona & Moki Say Congrats to Brandy & Jeff!

TGIF!

Today I went to a farewell lunch for Julie Castle, former executive director of No More Homeless Pets in Utah. She's friend of ours and all around great human being. I know a lot of people are sad to see her moving on, but I know I will see her here and there when she is in town, and of course at all the big fundraising events. Plus, she and Jon and I have a couple of silly "inside jokes" about the movie Dirty Filthy Love that we like to quote to (more like 'at') each other-- in person, voicemail, text messaging, you name it. The movie title suggests an X-rating, but it's not pornographic. It's humorous and dark, and actually a love story....I actually highly recommend seeing it. I won't bother to describe here the tomfoolery between us & Castle but suffice to say there will be text messages exchanged, that I can assure you.

Jon & I have a voucher for a weekend at the Sanctuary in Kanab, which we won at the 2005 Yappy Hour Silent Auction. We also bid on & won a weekend at a resort in St. George (or somewhere close, outside of Zion National Park). Now with Jon's new night schedule who knows when we'll get the opportunity to use them...

This weekend we are looking forward to beating the heat in the valley and are heading to Midway, UT just east of Park City. Jon's golf group is playing at a golf course up there on Sunday so we have made reservations at The Blue Boar Inn, which boasts a fabulous Sunday brunch. We are really looking forward to our little get-away close to home. I'm taking the digital cam so hopefully I'll have some pics to post next week. Woohoo!

Tonight will be the second airing of The Night Side Project on KSL. Last night there were a few technical glitches, but upon learning how many problems that were actually ocurring behind the scenes, I must say the team pulled off a pretty great premier. Props from me to the entire crew.

Finally, this evening I am off to visit Brandy & Jeff who will soon be wed! Tomorrow they are taking off for Vegas to finally officially tie the knot. Congratulations to them! They have been great friends, and excellent surrogate caregivers to my canine babies.

The Agony

Right now I'm agonizing over what colors to choose for our wedding. It's indecision time again. And then do we have a theme? Do we need one? We definitely have our own style, but is that the same thing as theme? Who knew it could be this confusing. Does anyone care about this stuff anyway? It really isn't going to matter a year from now, is it? It will all be over and I won't know what to do with myself without a wedding to fuss over. It's kind of nice to be preoccupied with this sort of trifle thing. Then I don't have to worry about North Korea obliterating us, or how messed up the government is, or how fuel inefficient and environmentally unsound my truck really is...just color schemes for my wedding.

First Try

I finally snuck off and tried on some wedding gowns. I was dreading it, and it was indeed (surprise!) a total pain. But it wasn’t as bad as I expected. You must understand that besides my First Communion when I was seven and the two other weddings I have been in (one was also when I was seven as a flower girl), I have never owned a formal dress in my life, much less tried on a slew of them, and certainly never anything without sleeves. (No, I never went to a formal school dance or prom...yes, I sound like a social leper…as I digress…) So bear with me as my naiveté may shine through a bit. Most of the dresses I am looking at have somewhat of a train, not necessarily a full on cathedral length train (though I am certainly not averse) but they are all at least floor length.

Getting crammed into the bustier by yourself is the first puzzle. I had to have the salesgirl help me. Then, you have to pull the dress over your head, and while it sounds like a simple task, I will tell you that it is not! There are numerous layers, and the material of the gown itself tends to be heavy on top of everything. And with no sleeves to guide me, I actually slipped one over my head only to realize I had it on backwards. With all the layers of petticoats and slips and corsets and bustiers, and pantyhose, and who knows what else besides the kitchen sink, I suppose it’s about a bazillion degrees under there when all is said and done. And I was concerned it might be cold in March! Not any more….in fact, I doubt I will need any sort of shoulder wrap or jacket. The A-line/ball gown style I am pretty well set on has so many layers I had no idea it was going to be that warm. Which makes me wonder: how do brides make it through summer weddings???! I think I would burn up and die of overheating.

And here’s another bit of interest. Although it is the year 2006 A.D. it is apparently still taboo in the current day to have your fiancé see you in your wedding gown prior to the wedding, not to mention have him go shopping with you for it. But what can I say, my bridesmaids are all out of town, as is my mother this week, so what’s a bride to do? The groom wanted to tag along and I didn’t object. It was fine with me to have Jon's company, however the salesgirl (and several other female customers) appeared a bit wary. All that wore off after a while, though and I think everybody got over it. Well, I hope they did. Second thought, I don’t care if they did or not. Ha! So there. Let’s not be archaic. Next thing you know he’ll be taking my surname instead of the other way around. Well, okay, maybe not.

One Year

This weekend marked our first anniversary of introduction (see July 3rd post) and indeed, we celebrated. Although it wasn’t until a few months after we met that we decided we liked each other (or rather, Jon pulled his head out of his ass & decided he like me). Jazz fest was fun again this year. Our merchandise sales were not as high as last year, perhaps it was a different crowd or perhaps our novelty has worn off. Regardless, it never ceases to amaze me how generous people are with their donations and their volunteer hours. We are a fortunate group indeed.

Went to the new Squatter’s tapas restaurant “Zola” last night. It does not officially open to the public until Wednesday. The menu was eclectic and the ingredients organic, mostly locally grown, I believe. And while I am certainly no true “foodie” the menu offerings we sampled were tasty, and the wine list was fairly extensive; as well as their offerings of designer cocktails and of course beer. The service was not great, but we expected that since this was more or less a dress rehearsal for them before they actually open later in the week. I am sure with a few more days of getting into the groove they’ll have it all together. The place was very crowded, and that I’m sure that did not aid much in the ‘keeping things running smoothly’ department. We had a nice time. Warning, though, this one will not likely be an outing that is easy on the wallet….

Water taxi on the San Antonio Riverwalk

Here's a funny pic of us bar hopping in the rain this past March on our trip to Texas. The background is the town square in San Marcos, TX.

Spa-aaah

I went & had a spa pedicure last night. What a treat! I haven’t had one in over a year, and not only wanted, but needed one badly. I will have to make a point to do this more often. I had never received a paraffin treatment. It was lovely! Not to mention relaxing, and reasonably priced. My skin is all the better for going, and my toes are painted a cute feminine pink. Just in time for the summer wedding we will be attending tomorrow. (Yeah for open toed sandals!!)

Tonight we will be volunteering for NMHPU at the infamous SLC Jazz Festival downtown, along with our dear friend Julie Memmott! (See post from July 3rd). I’m looking forward to it for a number of reasons, among others: I really like Jazz, and I really like Julie. I also have not had the chance to volunteer for a while and I do miss it. Unfortunately, I see these events fitting less and less congruently into my schedule as the summer progresses. We’ll see, though. Jon’s new work schedule will change soon and he will be working late nights five days a week, leaving only weekends for us to spend time together. And while I am just fine to be on my own, I know we will want to (and try to) jam pack a week’s worth of activities into two short weekend days. Such is life, but we’ll manage.

Another cause for time consumption: I may begin taking golf lessons. Now that will be a trip!! I'm pretty good at putt-putt but besides that I've only ever played golf once in a company "tournament" (scramble) about 8 years ago, and I've been to the driving range a few times. I've been accompanying Jon and his friends on Sundays for their weekly golf game. It's really peaceful and relaxing (for me) since I'm just an observer and don't have to actually do anything. I enjoy being out doors, and spending time with him, so I may just start being able to play myself. We've mutually agreed that he won't be my instructor (we'd like to get married before we can start threatening each other with divorce). That being said I've yet to speak with a golf pro or instructor but it's "on the list".

Random Rant

So I went to the gym last night and did my regular weight routine. Afterward I went over to Wild Oats and made a salad from their organic salad bar, which I love to do but don’t do very often. Jon (who is not a fan of salad) always makes ‘eww’ noises when I come home with one. It’s usually complete with tofu and miscellaneous vegetables, maybe a few nuts, an artichoke heart or two. He says that I make salads that have “a pile of unidentifiable items on them”. Perhaps. The ridiculous part is when you go to pay for the thing and it’s $12. I mean, really! A $12 salad?? I didn’t have the thing piled to the sky or anything, it was just some different kinds of tofu and veggies on a bed of fresh baby spinach. Ridiculous!! But delicious...

Reception Booked - Dress Hunt On

We booked our reception site last week. It's beautiful and we are really pleased. It was our first choice. We looked at some different things on the web and talked to a lot of people about various venues, but ultimately when it came down to making the decision, this was our number one choice, so we went with it. Despite the expense, we threw (monetary) caution to the wind and just did it. I don't think we'll regret it. We will still need to meet with our caterer and go over menus, but we have a couple of months to fiddle with that since we also still need to fine tune our guest list.

Now, if I could just find that dress. Incidentally, Rachael and I both found dresses we like. We've been exchanging pictures, and boy do we have good taste! We could have a small fleet of Harley Davidsons for the combined sum of our dresses. Whoops....we are both still looking.

I've been looking online and in the yellow pages for local dressmakers, seamstresses and tailors. Perhaps they are a dying breed, because there just aren't very many listed or advertised. However, I think I've found one I really like. AND her online portfolio showcases a handful of dresses similar to the expensive designer one I am in love with. Even if I purchase one from a Bridal Boutique, I could have her alter it to my specifications, thereby making it a unique piece indeed. Yeah! Now we're getting somewhere.

For Starters

I forgot to post the story of how we met. It's one of the most common questions I am asked, and it's a fairly interesting tale. I have been a volunteer for No More Homeless Pets in Utah, a program of Best Friends Animal Society for almost four years. I have been most active with fundraising via merchandise sales & educating the public at community events, and training new volunteers. I have also had my hand in assisting to organize a few smaller scale fundraising of events such as the yearly Muttster Mash Halloween dog costume contest hosted by Dogs R Us. One of my fellow volunteers (and fellow animal enthusiast) Julie Memmott and I worked at the NMHPU booth at the Salt Lake City Jazz Festival downtown last year. Her husband Dave and his friends stopped by the festival one evening to check out the music, and they stopped by our booth to say hello to Julie. She introduced me to Jon Dunn (who I believe was feeling pretty good after consuming umpteen beers with Dave and their other friend Scott Seeger prior to and during the festival). She randomly informed to him that I had just purchased a Harley Davidson (which I had in fact--a 2005 Sportster 1200 Custom--and was very proud of). We chatted a bit and Jon asked about NMHPU and told me he wanted to volunteer. Julie scoffed, but he passed me a business card, and said he was serious. At the time, I was in charge of all the volunteers that do this kind of work, so I put him to the test right away. I explained to him that we were there not only to sell t-shirts and Frisbees and key chains and hats, but more importantly to educate the public and to expand our postal and email contact databases. In this way we take a “grass roots” or “word of mouth” approach to our cause, and we gather names and addresses so we can notify more and more people of our fundraisers and yearly events—basically increase our client contact base. So I told him, the next person that approaches the booth, I want you to get them to sign our mailing list, and I want you to get them to buy something. Not long after, an unassuming man wandered up to the table eating an ice cream cone. (Who, ironically, wound up being an acquaintance of Julie’s who was employed by her distant cousin or something, but that’s another story). Jon pestered and hounded the guy (in a friendly, non threatening manner of course) until the guy gave in, signed the list, and bought one of our most expensive items. Love at first sight, I tell you.

Actually, that’s only part of the story. The other part is later in the evening when the guys had wandered off to stand in the beer line, or otherwise wreak havoc elsewhere, Julie and I tended our booth and chatted with passersby and sold various merchandise. After a while the guys returned, and Jon picked out a hat he wanted to buy. He gave me a $20 bill and I owed him $5 or so in change. I jokingly said to him “I’m sorry, I don’t have change” and pretended to put the $20 bill in my pocket. The look on his face was sheer disgust. “What?” he asked, getting irritated. “I’m sorry”, I said, “I’m broke. I need the money”, and once again pretended to slip the money into my own pocket. “You’re the one who bought the Harley!” I realized a little late that this person apparently had no sense of humor. “Just kidding”, I sheepishly muttered under my breath and proceeded to dig out the cash box from under the table and give him his change.

Skip forward a few weeks. I don’t recall exactly how we corresponded—e-mail I think—and he went in the NMHPU office to take their staff-given volunteer orientation so he could start volunteering with the group Julie & I worked with. I didn’t have much contact with him personally, but he worked at various events toward the end of the summer. And at the request of the NMHPU PR director Erin, he even got an ad aired on the radio station he works for, KSL, plugging a special “Katrina Cats” pet adoption that was taking place after the infamous hurricane. I sent him a few casual e-mail invitations to go hang out or grab a beer together, and I was sincere in my offers to socialize. I thought he was funny, and sarcastic and cynical, and I didn’t have too many friends here in town any more. I thought we would probably get along. He never took me up on it, though, and I thought he was rather stuck up and assumed he just plain old-fashioned didn’t like me.

Flash forward a few months, it was early October and we were scheduled to work at a fundraiser called “Bark in the Park” along with Julie. The night before the event I called Jon on his cell phone (it was late & I had been home addressing invitations to another fundraiser). He was leaving his friends at the bar and informed me he had just gotten in a tiff with Mayor Rocky Anderson over some story he had done and was very frustrated, and oh by the way where do I live because he was coming over. He arrived and we proceeded to drink beer until some ridiculous hour like 3:00 a.m. Knowing we were expected at the park the next day at noon, I figured he could crash at my place and we could go to the park together and meet Julie in the morning. But that’s not exactly how it worked out. He crashed and burned, and I mean I could probably have set him on fire and he would have slept through it. Still feeling woozy from the previous night’s antics, I crawled out of bed, into the shower, and out the door. I was an hour late meeting Julie, and the event was doomed anyway. It was freezing and it rained all day. We were drenched, and we finally packed up to head home early. Julie asked “Where’s Jon?”. “He’s at my house sleeping” I said. “What?? Is there something going on that I should know about??” she asked anxiously. “No, we just tied one on last night and he is still sleeping it off” I said. “That little #@$%”, she proclaimed, “I’m not going to let him forget this one”, and we packed up our canopy and merchandise, shivering wet and cold. I know she didn’t mind he wasn’t there, except for the fact that it was freezing, we weren’t prepared for the weather, and we really could have used his help!! I went home expecting to find him gone; crawled away to his own home and bed. But no, his truck was still there in front of the house, and he was still inside, sleeping like a baby.

At the time, I was also co-organizing the Muttster Mash fundrasiser with the NMHPU staff, and my friends at Dogs R Us, a local dog kennel. I asked Jon to emcee the event. We just wanted someone on the mic to introduce people as they paraded their costumed dogs around for the judges. At first he declined my invitation, and told me “I can get you someone more famous”. I told him that was very nice, but that we really wanted him to do it since he was already a volunteer. I thought it put a much more personal spin on things to have a fellow Animal Ambassador host the event. He finally accepted, and ended up doing an excellent job, by the way. The night of that fundraiser is what we consider our first “date”, and not long after that night we became pretty much inseparable, as we remain today.

Planning I

I have to find a dress. I have looked on the web a little and found one I am in love with. And hey-- it’s only $5,000.00! (I intend to keep looking). In reality I would rather spend that kind of extra money on our reception or honeymoon. I’m pretty ok with things if I don’t get a five thousand dollar gown. Aren’t I so reasonable!? I refuse to become Bridezilla.

Actually, my biggest problem is decision-making. I am pretty indecisive over a lot of things. Some things just don’t matter to me--they're not important to me and I don’t care. I want things to go smoothly, and I know what I don't want, but.... Don’t care what the table centerpieces look like at the reception—our reception venue’s beauty stands on its own so it won’t need a lot of embellishment. Don’t care what’s on the dinner menu (but do care that it’s pleasing for all or most guests). Don’t care what color my mother wears; just want her to feel comfortable and appropriately attired. Don’t care if we have a videographer. I’m fine with good old-fashioned photographs. (Although a friend pointed out to me this weekend that she and her husband LOVE their wedding video-- they relish the fact that they are able to share their wedding experience with their children, who did not come along for some years later)… Which is a great point…which leads to more indecision on my part…..

Stay tuned for more notes on the planning process. There is much to come....