25 Things about US

This is kind of like the 25 things - except there are pre-decided questions and it's about you and your spouse, not just you. Then tag whoever you want to do this! Come on, play along - inquiring minds want to know! ;-) (Actually, I'm just nosey and want to know.)

♥ What are your middle names?
Rick's is Arnold, Mine is Anastasia

♥ How long have you been together?
4 years this past January, just over 2 years being married

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
A year

♥ Who asked who out?
Rick asked me out

♥ How old are each of you?
I am 33 as of today. Rick is 49

♥ Whose siblings do/ did you see the most?
Rick's

♥ Do you have any children together?
Nope

♥ What about pets?
No!!!!!

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
uh...nothing yet

♥ Did you go to the same school?
nope...I went to Skyline he went to Cottonwood

♥ Are you from the same home town?
Yes

♥ Who is smarter?
Me, duh!

♥ Who is more sensitive?
Depends on the day

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Wherever I want!

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Cancun

♥ Who has the craziest exes?
RICK!

♥ Who has the worse temper?
We don't have tempers

♥ Who does the cooking?
Me

♥ Who is more social?
Me

♥ Who is the neat-freak?
RICK!

♥ Who is more stubborn?
neither of us is really stubborn...probably why we never have any issues.

♥ Who hogs the bed?
Neither and we don't ever touch!

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Usually Rick

♥ Where was your first date?
Chili's for lunch

♥ Who has the bigger family?
Rick, they have been around longer hahaha

♥ Do you get flowers often?
Not really

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
Watching tv and eating

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
Ya know, neither of us went out with another person once we finally went to lunch together

♥ Who eats more?
Usually me

♥ Who does/ did the laundry?
Rick

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
ME!

♥ Who drives when you are together?
Usually Rick

Believing and KNOWING

I thought about writing a big ol' long blog but I can sum it all up....

What I once believed, I now KNOW!

Welcome Spring!

Today is the first day of spring and the first day I was able to lay out this year. I didn't exactly lay out but I spent the afternoon sitting on my porch with my lap top working on ancestry rather than hidden away in the Jeff Gordon bedroom. By the time I took these photos the sun was at an angle that made it very difficult to see so I pulled the shade down. You can tell though what a great little extension of the house we have in spite of being and apartment. As you can see, I ended up in my swimsuit top but still had shorts on the bottom hehehe

Seattle Sounders Season - Team Opener

There is a new expansion team in the MLS this year...the Seattle Sounders. Now don't get me wrong ReAl is still my team but my youngest brother is a season ticket holder for the Sounders and last night was their first match. Of course I had to watch. The Sounders shut out the New York Red Bulls (who were in last year's final) and the keeper for the Sounders is none other than Leicester City's Kasey Keller. (For those of you that don't know my best friend lives in Leicester England)
So not only was Kenzie at the match, photos of him have already been made public. He said that there will probably more to come out as a ton of photos were being taken when the players came to the side so I might add to this at a later time. Kenize is the one with the goofy looking smile on his face just over the left shoulder of Toux.
Bet you didn't know I was such a football/soccer fan did ya? ;-)

Job Interview

I have a job interview this Wednesday. You would think that by now I wouldn't get overly nervous. Ok maybe I am not overly nervous, but just right nervous. For some strange reason I feel a bit overwhelmed and that I won't be able to really get across what I am capable of doing. Because of this, I am in the process of creating a portfolio of sorts to provide to the VP I am interviewing with. I ask this of my friends, please pray for me. I don't know if this is the right job or not but know that I could use your prayers for confidence in myself and the way I express myself without saying anything stupid.
Oh wait, maybe I just need to change how I dress... Yeah don't even get me started about that one!

The Gangs All Here

Last night we had a reunion tour. We were able to learn that all of our instruments are interchangeable between Rock Band and Guitar Hero. The drums were having some issues with the opposite game but the guitars did well. Here are a few highlights. Katie is the ultimate groupie. She was all over dancing with all the songs. Then she had some issues with the manager, Little Jimmy, and she had to have a duel with him to put him in his place. We have a fun Sunday night!

Yummy in My Tummy Taco Salad

There is no exact recipe for this but I will give you the basics cause it is SO good!Cook chicken in the crock pot. I cooked mine on high for about 3 hours. This was totally frozen chicken. Add about 1/4 of a package of cream cheese, some water, (about half to 3/4 cup) and some taco seasoning. I know the cream cheese sounds odd but trust me.
Check on it periodically and as soon as the chicken is cooked all the way through, take a couple of forks and start ripping it up into bite-size pieces. Then let it all simmer. Obviously the longer it can do this the more flavor.
I the put broken tortilla chips on a plate. I recommend making a lot less than what you think you can eat cause it gets big fast. Put the chicken on top of the chips. Then add shredded cheese so it will melt over the chicken.
Cover in lettuce and whatever other salad ingredients you want such as green onions. The top with your favorite salad dressing. Since avocados were on sale at Wally World I was able to make some guacamole from scratch too.
Eat Up!
(The one with the devil's fruit is mine. And I was only able to eat half of it!)

Aspartame

So I gave up carbonation and caffeine back in 1998. I am happy drinking plain water and really like the taste of it, usually. This week I was at the store and they had a big display for crystal light single serving mix-ins. I forgot that they contain aspartame. Aspartame and I are NOT friends! I put one in my water bottle which means it was even watered down since my bottle holds 32 ounces. Within 10 minutes of drinking about half of this, well... yeah. So I guess the rest of these are going to my friend's house who is trying to give up the caffeine herself. (This is one of the many reasons as to why I don't chew gum. It too wreaks havoc upon my gastronil intestinal tract.) ok I realize that is all probably TMI BUT Dude, you are the one reading this. You should know better by now if you regularly read my blog. hahaha

Lessons Learned

Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Do you ever have those experiences where someone says something to you and you just want to say...UH Hello!?! Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?

Fortunately I controlled my first impulse, stepped back and now I can just sit back and laugh!

A Big Milestone

I reached what I consider to be a large milestone for myself today.

Drum roll please....

I did NOT cry at the end of Pirates 3 today!

Could it be because I have been watching it pretty much every day for the last 2 weeks? Yes I have been watching it every single time it has been on TV. Those of you who have Encore know that it has been on all the time. Rick teases me that I watching nothing else. I had to point out that Pirates 1 is the only movie I have ever been to the theater 3 times to see it. Not even Harry Potter got me there 3 times! (It might have been 4 but I know 3 for sure.)

Now don't get me wrong, my heart started to palpitate and I really thought I wasn't going to make it. I chocked up and all still but no actual tears fell this time. I did almost start crying at the very very end though, something I have not done before. Granted this is only one time so we shall just see what happens next time I watch it. This may have just been a one time instance.

Michele Needs...

My friend Heather posted the "Needs" blog and I had to follow suit. (Ok maybe I didn't HAVE to because she isn't here making me do it but I felt like blogging and this sounded like a fun idea.)

To find out what YOU need Google your Name + needs (Michele needs). Then see what you need!

Michele needs...
1. to hire a goon (Ok this one makes me giggle because I actually picked up on the same game off someone else's blog!
2. help adjusting her body regularly
3. to create names for her imaginary friends
4. to learn to be more careful with her Voodoo (hehehe if you only knew)
5. the following info for your demand to count
6. to get laid in the to ten list?? (they put the question marks in, not me)
7. every advantage possible to attain this goal
8. something more with pictures, videos personal blog, interests, information about me and more
9. to shut the $%*@ up (oh my!)
10. our get well vibes

My oh my, Google knows me well! HAHAHA

Ushering at the Draper Temple

Today I was given the opportunity to serve at the Draper Temple Open House. Please forgive me, those of you who have been on the tour as I have many friends who aren't in Utah and others who haven't been on the tour.


For the open house, guests are asked to park at one of 4 parking lots located at churches near the Temple. From here guests watch a 12 minute video about Temples, then ride a bus to the Temple. Once there they go through a silent tour. Along the route are many ushers placed to smile and guide you along. Then there is a meeting house where people can grab a cookie, water and ask questions. After they board a bus and return to the meeting house where their car is parked.
So today I was able to be an usher on the bus ride to and from the Temple. Not only did I get to stand outside with a colored placard, mine was red, I was to read a pre-written speech specific to the Draper Temple. The PA system on the bus did not work so I had to stand about 1/3 of the way back on the bus and speak in my outside voice while trying to balance myself as the bus went around corners.
Let me tell you some of the things I learned, was reminded of today in case you missed them while on your tour.
- The exterior stone was imported from China
- The interior stone is limestone imported from France
- The dark wood is African Cherry imported from the West Coast of Africa
- Ground breaking was Aug 8th 2006 - it took 2 years and 5 months to complete the temple
- The acreage of the Temple site, including the parking lot and meeting house next door is 11.9 acres
- Moroni is made from fiberglass with gold leafing done by 2 local artists
- The windows were pieced together by hand by local artists
- Moroni is 13 feet 8 inches tall
- The rooms were hand painted by local artists

A few additional things not written into my speech that I know are...the building where many of the windows were made, such as the etched glass, burnt down just after I think it was 38 of them were finished. Only one was damaged. The main theme for the painting, carpet and upholstery is the Sego Lily, the Utah state flower. It is painted into the trim of many of the rooms and is the design on the upholstery. It is etched into the windows and pieces of glass throughout the building and it also cut into the carpet of the Celestial Room.
The Draper Temple holds the largest sealing room in the world. It regularly holds 65 chairs...I counted them. The next largest is set for 45, of course there is room for a few more chairs in both and standing room as well.
What can I say, I am in love with the building. (And yes, the photo in this blog was taken by me.)

Professional Photography

I have a friend who is a professional photographer and she is having a great SPECIAL for Easter.
Check it out Heather Gardner Photography
I think the best part of the deal is not only do you have someone with great insight, you get all your photos on cd! That's right, you can share them with the world. All for only $50 which includes the sitting fee and an 8x10
Most people I know would love to have photos of their little ones all decked out in their Easter Best. Or just some great spring photos. Rick told me that the flowers are starting to pop up at Temple Square. Easter is the week after conference - April 12th. You know that there will be plenty of flowers up by then and you could have a great family photo with you and your kiddos with Spring just shouting in the background. Seriously...CHECK HER PHOTOGRAPHY OUT!!! :)

Our View of the Draper Temple

This is the lovely view we have every day as we come around the corner of our apartment building. Up there in the centerish area is the new Draper Temple. The tennis courts in this photo are our first choice for playing as they are directly across the street from our home to give you an idea of how close we are to the park. This coming Tuesday, March 10th, I get the opportunity to be an usher inside the Temple during the afternoon. What a wonderful opportunity I have due to our living in this stake. I am excited for the blessings from this and for the Spirit I am sure to feel while being there.
(We were able to go through the open house during the first week.)