Happy Birthday My Sweet Pup

I am a couple days behind in posting this, but wouldn't feel right if I didn't have a tribute to Miss. Poppy! Poppy is 1 year old as of May 8th!

I know that many people can't relate to the love of an animal but truly Poppy is one of the most important creatures in my life. She is so loyal, affectionate and wonderful! She makes me laugh on a daily basis! She still thinks she is a superhero while she dashes around and I am convinced she thinks she can fly as she leaps and soars from the highest points possible. She is even a bonafide stuntdog...leaping from moving vehicles...(yes...I almost died from that heart attack and she survived without a scratch. I no longer drive with the windows down.)

She licks my face relentlessly when I am laughing and sleeps curled up next to me every night. She is such a good pup! She is my constant companion and my life wouldn't be the same without her. She is the most gentle creature I know and just the other day I was laughing when the neighbor cat walked through our backdoor. She just looked at me and then yawned it off. I see the two of them hanging out in the backyard on a regular basis now.

She is my good dog and the love of my life.

I love you Poppy. I hope you live forever.

Puccini without words

I have been dealing with some interesting life changes lately. So with those changes I thought that I would change up the blog. One of the great advantages to having life get a little crazy and a little out of control is that you can look for the rainbow lining. (Do I sound positive and convincing??) So in my case my rainbow lining is really gripping onto the things I can control, taking a hard look at them and doing what I can to make life amazing, regardless of anything or anyone else. So....that's my new perspective. That I am going to be a little bit more selfish in life, have a little bit more fun, and take some time to work on well...ME. I haven't really done that in awhile.

Welcome Miss Addison

Erica, my best friend since high school, had her baby girl Addison!! She was a week overdue and still managed to have a tiny little baby!! Only 6 lbs 13 oz.I just got back from the hospital and she is so beautiful and very sweet!! Erica had a great delivery and truly makes being pregnant and giving birth seem like a breeze!

Welcome little Addison!! We are so glad you are here!

Super awesome celebration of the day of my birth...

Birthdays have never really been a big deal. Don't get me wrong. I have had some wonderful birthdays and certainly as a kid remember all the fun parties that my mom threw me, that later morphed into high school get together gatherings, which then translated to meeting at the dance club, then the more adult like dinners gatherings. I think that with the natural progression of aging and less exciting, non-pin the tail on the donkey parties, the pure butterflies in the stomach experience just naturally fades away. We hit that point where...darn it..we are a year older and tend to reflect vs..look forward to that new drivers license etc..
This birthday however, seemed to bring back some of that old glee that I had forgotten about. I am embarrassed to admit that it was all the wonderful attention and thoughtfulness of everyone that brought that glee. I really didn't expect anything other than some warm birthday wishes but truly I felt like everyone just went so out of their way!

My day started with flowers from Mom and Dad. Then Matt had some beautiful flowers delivered to work for me. I was so tickled. How fun being surrounded by all this flora!! I also got a my first job interview request since I have started the tough hunt and that literally felt like the greatest birthday present EVER! It lifted my hopes so much that I might actually find a new job after getting laid off! Then I came home from work and waiting on my front door steps were more flowers and plants with balloons and cards from my best girlfriends. My house looked like a nursery! It was of course...very awesome! Then I got all dressed up and ready for Matt to come home to take me to dinner at Andina's! This is officially my new favorite restaurant! It was FANTASTIC! The food was divine! It was the perfect mix of comfort food and sophistication. Seriously. I know that sounds totally dorky...but that was truly the best way I can describe it, besides...so yummy that all dinner long Matt and I were making obnoxious ...mmmmmmmm....noises while we ate. After a long wonderful dinner my husband presented me with a beautiful necklace, which I love! My hubby did good...it is so perfectly me. I love it and haven't taken it off since! To disgust you even more...two days later...Erica treated me to a pedicure, lunch and gave me the best birthday present.

So perhaps I should title this...Super Awesome Celebration of the day of the most spoiled brat ever's birth. That sounds about right!

I am a lucky girl with the best friends and family ever. We should go celebrate that...at Andina's. Let's GO!



These are the flowers Matt sent me. I won't post the picture of the necklace or anything else because then you would really hate me. But if you click on the word..Andina..you can look at the menu and drool over the yummy food I ate...mmmmmmmm.

My Bloody Valentine 3-D

Well- I did promise a horror movie review after my super, cheery, happy previous post.

Yesterday, Matt and I decided to go on a long overdue date together to catch a flick. We haven't seen a movie together at the theater in a very long time and decided to have fun and see My Bloody Valentine 3-D. We loaded up on the popcorn, slurpees, and $10 licorice and grabbed our Elvis Costello 3-D glasses. It was exciting going to a 3-D movie for grown-ups. (Although...we were a little confused thinking we were in the the wrong theater when we saw two different...BIG families come in with their kids...ages ranging from 3ish-10ish. Maybe the parents were confused with the 3-D glasses, Valentines....maybe they missed the BLOODY in the title...or the R rating. I did find myself watching the family in anticipation for the reactions of the both the parents and the kids to not only the massive amounts of gore, but that massive amount of gore in 3-D. Maybe the kids were being punished.)

Back to the film....

Now I am not going to do a review in the normal sense...there are too many talented people who get paid to do that. In fact...at the end of this I will link you to one of my favorite bloggers who reviews horror movies and is a hoot. She reviewed this movie for AMC...(very PG) and also briefly on her blog.(If you wouldn't go to a rated R movie and have issues with foul language, nudity, gore, chainsaws, zombies, anti-christ pregnancies, etc..then I must warn you to avoid the brillant Stacie Ponder's blog. Although the temptation is now there...and I know you want to look...)

My Bloody Valentine 3-D is a remake of the story of a pickax happy miner named Harry Warden. I have never seen the first one, although Matt remembered having seen it. That's as much background that I will give you. (Remember...not a true review..if I attempted to do that I would probably get in trouble for revealing too much or break movie review rules or whatever).

Matt and I went into this movie with big smiles on our faces...(how can you not with 3-D glasses on) and left with big smiles. The 3-D effects were very fun. In the first opening scene they (as in the movie people...who ever that is) do a great job setting the bar. It was so horrific, bloody and gory that we laughed with glee. It was that over the top. There were many more moments that you would hear the two of us going..."ooooohhhh..." or me going "blech.." followed by both of us laughing at the creative dismantling that we just witnessed. Who knew that you could kill someone in so many different ways with a pickax?

Things I loved about the movie...

-Looking over at Matt and seeing him in his Elvis Costello 3-D glasses.
-Over the top gore!
-Classic characters and dialogue. (My favorite was the sheriff and deputy in the first scene... so classic)
-The sound effects were pretty fun...very squishy.
-They hit upon so many classic horror kill spots...motel, woods, grocery store, old run-down house, small town suburbia, car, caves, hospital(hee hee), and I am sure more that I am missing.
-The ending

Things that weren't so good.

-Super expensive movie night with the extra 3-D surcharge.
-Feeling like an idiot when we paid for our million dollar movie food. (WHY?! didn't I stop at the Target and get big bags of candy and stuff it in my giant purse?!!)

Overall...after a weekend of watching Revolutionary Road (GREAT!), and The Duchess (good). It was a fun to go see an old school slasher flick with some modern digital 3-D technology.

I wonder how those kids slept last night.

Here is Stacie Ponder's link to her AMC review of the movie. (A real review).

Here is the link to Stacie Ponder's super awesome blog Final Girl.

Whoo HOO for 2009!

So many great things to look forward to in 2009!





Oh my Obama!! I love this guy! I love his wife and his adorable children! I was so inspired and touched by his speech and feel more patriotic than I have in years! He has a HARD road ahead of him and I think he has the hardest job in the world right now. I pray that we can all support him and understand that he is where he is supposed to be right now.



My best friend Erica and her husband Brian are having their first baby, Miss.Addison in February! I am so excited to meet her and know she is going to for sure be beautiful and very talented just like her mama!! I imagine she will tap dance her way into the world.



Noahanator!

My little Noah is turning 1 in March and I can't believe it! It is truly so much fun watching him grow up and I am feel so lucky to live close by to witness all his funny little quirks and charming personality come out!





Weddings Bells for Emma and Isaac!
My darling cousin is getting married on May 9th! I have had the pleasure of hearing all her details and plans! It will be fantastic! I am really looking forward to meeting Isaac, seeing all the family and getting all spiffy for what will be a fabulous wedding for sure!!! (hmmmm...how can I get her out here for a pre-wedding bash at Darcell's! Nothing better then some drag queens before the big day! I wonder if they have drag queens in Utah? OH you KNOW they do!!! Side note of digression...my Grandma Russell loves drag queens...none personally that I know of ...but I have watched many a drag queen specials with her! It must be in my blood!)

Can't wait Em!! OH and another side note...two people that look like Emma and Isaac shouldn't be allowed to have babies...so unfair for the rest of the world's babies. Although...ahem...I guess it should be illegal for Matt and I too. (have you seen my husband...holy hottness!) But Emma and Isaac have a caliber that well...should be illegal.



My absolute favorite modern day artist, Cassandra Christensen Barney, (her beautiful painting, The Incumbent, above) is having an art show in May at Cannon Beach! I have been looking forward to this show for so long! I will finally get to meet her and have been saving my money for the show!!! I imagine I will be so star-struck that I will make a complete fool of myself! But I am really looking forward to it! It's perfect because the first time I discovered her artwork, happened to be on a weekend that Matt and I were at Cannon Beach! I literally stopped in my tracks when I saw her work and then later discovered that she was the daughter of James Christensen whose art I grew up with. I am very very excited!! She is such a rock star to me! Matt has already been counseling me on how to control myself when I meet her. But what he just doesn't understand is that I know we can be best friends. (I am just kidding...mostly.)





My cousin Laura is moving here with her cute husband Robbie and her ADORABLE baby Isabel!! Robbie is going to school out here and we were all so excited to get them close to Portland!!! They move here in August! We can't wait to meet Isabel!!!





Also in August is the Bacon Family Reunion!!!!!! I can't wait! Last time I only got to spend one measly afternoon with the family at the coast! This year I plan on spending at least a couple days with the family! I hope everyone comes out and can't wait to see everyone!!



August 29th of this year Matt and I will have made it to the 1 year wedding anniversary!! We are actually on year 6 together this year but I just love that we have a wedding anniversary to celebrate from now on!! I love this man so much and they say that the first year is the hardest...it will be great to get through this first year as madly in love as ever!!! (Love you babe!)

I know that there will be so many wonderful things that happen this year! I plan on living it to the fullest! Taking more classes, more flower school, more time with my wonderful friends, memories with family, and I am going to attempt to learn how to sew! I can't wait for all the gifts that this year has in store!!!!!

OH and a shout out to my favorite pup Poppy who makes EVERYDAY full of kisses, joy and laughter!

(WOW...how's that for a sugar coma inducing post...hmmm...I will have review a horror movie on the next one...sorry..)

Happy Birthday Matt!

It is my husband Matt's birthday today!! He is the big 3-7!! That's right 37!

It was really snowy these past few days, so our birthday plans changed a bit. Originally we were going to go to a really nice steak dinner at El Gaucho's to celebrate with his family for his birthday and his brother Dave's birthday (two days ago). That didn't work out, so I brought the steakhouse to him. I found a prime rib roast that was the perfect size for us.(Enough left over for Miss. Poppy!) I cooked it up- (my first one and...it turned out really good...beginners luck!!). Roasted some potatoes, made some garlic-mushrooms, steamed veggies (doused in butter!), a salad, bread and brie! Delish!! Then of course got him a big slice of chocolate cake! After a yummy meal like that...I say bring on the snow anytime!!

A few things I love about Matt....

He has the best shoulders...very easy to snuggle in, as well as protective at concerts when crazy moshpitters are around.
I will catch him and his sons laughing hysterically while watching the same "failblog" over and over again.
He is the BEST cook.
I love that he loves zombies, comic books, hair-metal, trailer park boys, and battle-star gallatica. He is the coolest dork ever!
He feeds stray animals...even ones he is deathly allergic too. (melts my heart)
He will still play me the cheesy romantic ballads on his guitar. (even though he claims to hate them)
That he brought me the Fall Vogue when I was sick in the ER waiting for hours.

Happy Birthday Matt! I love you madly and I can't wait to spend many many many more birthdays with you!!

Snow nice to meet you!

We had quite a bit of snow...(by Portland, Oregon standards) on Sunday and it was the first time Poppy has ever seen or been in snow. I was a little worried about her wanting to go outside because she hates the cold and the rain and well..snow is of course wet and cold. Like a kid though...she discovered snow is MUCH more fun!!! She loved it! In fact...she drove me crazy because she wanted to go out and play in it all day long! She would play for about 10 minutes and then come in to warm up and then she was right back out in it. It was really fun to watch her run around in it. She would dig her nose in it and discovered that she could bump the tops of plants to make it fall. Pretty cute!! OH and I know by the pictures it doesn't look like we had a lot of snow, but keep in mind...we haven't mowed our lawn since August...so that's about 12 inch long grass there.

Random Memories...(misty water colored)...

With the holidays here I have been thinking about some of the people in my life and all the funny memories, random facts or objects that remind me of them. Things that make me smile or laugh or that have literally shaped my life. For example...when I talk about shaping my life...my Aunt Wendy's favorite cereal when I was a kid was Honeycombs. At least that was my impression. I would watch her, with her super awesome feathered eighties hair and impeccable eye make-up stroll in my grandma's kitchen and take a tall drinking glass, fill it with Honeycombs and be on her way. On that same note, my Aunt Diana's favorite cereal was Golden Grahams. Those are two cereals...that I usually always have in my pantry and that Matt knows he can't touch. (See what I mean about life changing.)

I thought I would list some of the memories that popped in my head while I was thinking about this. If I happen to spill a tremendous personal secret, I am very sorry, it should make you feel better that this is my dumb blog and you are the only one who reads it. I promise. (Also...if they aren't how you remember them...then it's quite possible that you are right. However...I will likely deny that. FYI)

My Uncle Jonathan used to tickle me until I screamed and he was terrible at promising treats for a foot rub. I think he still owes me about 35 ice cream cones. I eventually wised up! I am almost POSITIVE that he still probably goes around trying to bribe people to rub his feet.

My cousin Brian traded his Michael Jordan poster for a BB gun. When he was showing me his cool trade he accidentally shot me in the fore head at point blank range in the forehead. He freaked and I promised not to tell his dad. I didn't...because I was cool like that. (I hope he doesn't get in trouble now.)

Another memory I have of my Aunt Wendy is going into her room and sprawling out on the floor and looking at her stacks of Vogue magazines. Ripping open the perfume samples and rubbing them all over my wrists. She gave me tracing paper and I used to trace the clothing in the magazines. Even now I will sketch clothing. She also had a pair of pearl earrings that I used to admire and she would tell me, "when you get your ears pierced you can borrow them". I still think of her when I wear pearl earrings.

My mother is a wonderful cook but makes the WORST boxed mac & cheese EVER. She never measured the butter or milk, so it was more like, mac & cheese soup when we were growing up. SOOO...whenever we went to my Aunt Barb's and she made the Mac & Cheese it was like HEAVEN. She would carefully measure out the ingredients. She would even heat the milk up before she added it. (which I now do when I make it) She also used to make the spiral mac & cheese as an added bonus. We would eat it up in her Tupperware bowls. (Which I think she still has) Oh how sad I was when I thought about her mac & cheese when I was eating mom's soupy version. Sorry mom...but you know it's true.

I know that my Grandma Russell's love of classical music has been passed on to almost everyone in our family. The way she used to listen to it though is what I love though. She had a music room in her old house in Provo, and she would lay on her couch, turn up the stereo loud, close her eyes and listen. I would walk in on her many times and see her laying with her eyes closed, her feet moving to the beat and her hands leading the music in the same rhythm. She has such a passion for it! One of my favorite things to still do today is go into her bedroom at night and lay on bed with her and let her tell me all about the music piece playing. Inevitably she will prepare me to listen for the "birds" that the flutes would be portraying or about "the march of soldiers" coming. She knows her music so well, that when a beautiful piece would come on the radio and my Dad didn't know the name of it, he would call my grandmother, let her listen and she would know without missing a beat the name of it.

Just the other day my sister Katie and I were laughing as we looked at the turkey carcass on Thanksgiving. We both talked about how my Grandfather would take leftovers, pick everything off of the bird including the parts people weren't intended to eat except on bad reality tv shows, and then throw it all in a pot. We came home from school one day to him at the stove with a pot of parts and some rice all mixed together. He scooped it up and put it in a bowl for us and I still laugh imagining our faces.

I will stop there for now, simply because I could really go on and on. I just love how such seemingly insignificant things can actually impact someone for the rest of their life. I really think that my step-kids are very grateful for my Aunt Barb and don't even know it when they eat her instruction following Mac & Cheese. I am going to finish eating my bowl of Honeycombs now.



Those are my Uncle Jonathan's feet, I am sure he still owes them ice cream for that.


We are take our holiday games very seriously!(ahem..Katie)


Dr. Pepper is another life changing impact from my family!! I do believe that is the first time my cousin Jack tried it! Even at my wedding people were looking for their fix!


I wasn't kidding about my Aunt Wendy and her perfect eye makeup and awesome hair. I'm sure this was taken right after she had some Honeycombs and Diana had some Golden Grahams. It was Christmas morning and that would have for sure been their breakfasts of choice.

My good deed for the day...

I thought that I would share a little bit of beautiful with you today. I am feeling very generous today. I have thought about posting about my favorite modern day artist for a long time but there was a little green bird chirping in my head telling me.."no!!! you can't share her...her art work has been painted just for you and no one else!!" I have issues with sharing beautiful things with people. I do that alot with music too. I am soo greedy. sorry.

Back to the generosity though. Some of you may already be lucky enough to have witnessed her work. Her name is Cassandra Barney. She is the daughter of James Christensen and the sister of Emily McPhie. Both incredible artists. Quite the family! I was lucky enough to get one of her pieces..(not an original..oh my dream!) for my birthday from Matt. I will post her work..(I am sure illegally), but in my head we are best friends and she told me she doesn't mind.

Enjoy! (while you can...I may regret this and pull it down ..I can hear the bird now..it's freaking out!!)

A perfect day!

Yesterday was my 1 month wedding anniversary. Sadly Matt has a terrible cold/flu-like sickness, (which is different from the stomach illness we all had after that bail-out didn't pass), so my anniversary consisted of going to lunch and shopping with Erica. (But I digress...) It occurred to me that I STILL had not posted a dang thing from the wedding, honeymoon or anything. The photographs are still not ready but I did get some teasers sent to me and I will post those links here. They won't really be new to most of you though. The wedding was amazing, my perfect day. It really was. Matt and I still can't believe it went so smoothly. The day started out with Sarah and I waking up and having breakfast in the hotel we stayed in the night before. We then headed over to my parents house and we all took off for hair and make-up. My sisters and mother looked sooo beautiful. Afterwards we went to the Heathman and got ready for pictures. Matt and I decided that we would take pictures before the ceremony. I was so glad we made that decision. Not only did it spare the guests having to wait around for us to finish pictures, but it was so nice to have that hour with Matt. Matt looked incredible. The day was perfect outside and Jessica, our photographer did an amazing job. The flowers turned out exactly how I had envisioned them and I only had to make a few adjustments to the bridesmaid's bouquets. Katie and Sarah looked so chic with their black dresses and red shoes. I had the classical guitarist play "our" song and he nailed it. I loved seeing Matt's face as he was surprised with that. I was not nervous AT ALL. I was really surprised how comfortable I was walking down the aisle. I think that it helped that the wedding was so small and all the faces I looked at were people who I loved and was so happy to see. Josie was the perfect flower girl. She really stole the show that night. She looked like a little angel in her dress and was nothing but charming when she decided she was NOT going to walk down the aisle. Aaron walked her down and I still have people talking about how sweet that was. I think that Josie had the most fun that night, she played with the band, danced the night away. The ceremony was short and sweet and I only got choked up once. The food was incredible! It exceeded my expectations. Later that night Matt shocked me by asking me to dance. We had not planned on dancing, even though we had a swinging band in the background all night. It was so romantic because it took people a minute to notice and it was just Matt and I at first. That inspired everyone to get up and dance and it was so fun to watch people getting down. I had the opportunity to dance with my father in-law and the man has got some moves! After we cut the cake Matt and I went to the roof of the Heathman with the photographer and took pictures. They turned out amazing and it was a perfect night. The sky was incredible and almost glowed. At the very end of the night we headed up to our suite and my aunts and cousins had left us a fantastic gift basket in the room. See what I mean...a perfect day!

Here is a LINK to our slideshow-and here's a LINK to our sneak peak (which includes pictures from the slideshow)


I also included some fun shots above that my friend Elizabeth took at the wedding!
(Thanks Elizabeth!)