Happy New Year!!!

Officially the lamest New Year's Eve Jeff and I have ever celebrated together, we rang in the new year with me in my Olive Garden uniform, having gotten home from work just in time to see the ball drop, and Jeff in his robe, after having the flu for three days. To rev up the excitement we lit sparklers in the house and snapped this photo. Good times!

A tribute to Justin Bobby

I debated whether or not to waste blog space on this ridiculous topic, Googled the guys name, and found a posting on someone else's blog that seems to give a small glimpse into the life that is 'Justin Bobby'. In a tribute to this amazing character, Sam sported a head scarf and corresponding body language on one of our nights out in Albuquerque. If you are a regular watcher of The Hills, on MTV, you will appreciate this post. If not, you will probably be better off not reading the rest of this one...


In a post ripped off from the blog of a stranger:

Justin Bobby, WTF?
Much has been spoken in recent months regarding the alleged Lauren Conrad/Jason Whaler video tape; if it even exists; who leaked the idea of it; how the idea of it ended Conrad's friendship with former BBF Heidi Montag; and how the idea of it will shape Season 3 of Conrad's MTV "reality" show, The Hills.

But for me this season, the most fascinating aspect of the Hills as got to be the enigma that is Justin Bobby. For those uninitiated into the spectacular train wreck that is the Hills, allow me to explain. Justin Bobby is a former paramour of one of the show's leading women. He has recently re-entered her life and is trying to win back her affections. But that isn't what makes Justin Bobby the perplexingly fascinating male specimen that he is. No, Justin Bobby is an enigma wrapped in a riddle, shrouded by mystery simply for the shear way in which he inhabits his Justin Bobby-ness. Let's break him down.

His look. With his mangy chin length hair, big eyes, and head scarf, Justin Bobby seems to be channeling some sort of Jared Leto/Kurt Cobain persona. Were this 1994 I would completely get it, as that look was definitely the paradigm for male attractiveness in many circles. But this being 2007, I thought we were over that. Justin Bobby doesn't strike me as particularly cute or hot. But he's a character on The Hills, which is all about promoting glitz and glamour, so perhaps I'm just not plugged into what is considered cute and hot anymore.

His name is Justin, yet his friends call him Bobby. Interesting, why is this? It's not as if the word "Bobby" has anything to do with the word "Justin." Moreover, Justin announced this fact to Lauren and her friend Lo as if it made all the sense in the world and didn't require further explanation. Was Justin Bobby purposely being opaque, or is he simply too stupid to understand that this real name-nickname dissonance needed additional elucidation? Regardless, Lauren and Lo christened him Justin Bobby and it seems rather clear to me that a phenomenon has been born.

Studs

To my brothers and husband~
Even though I complain that you guys spend all your time together during vacations, I couldn't be happier that you get along so well. I love all three of you very much! And what a cute picture!

Birdwatching

My dad has become quite the birdwatcher over the years and I am reminded of his passion for it every time I am home. He has many different kinds of feeders in the backyard to attract different kinds of birds. He makes sure the feeders stay full of the right kind of food and that they are put in the proper places for easy access. He also has a 'Birds of New Mexico' book in which he can identify all birds that enter and exit the yard. He has even spotted a few impostor birds that must be from other states! I always think it is interesting to get a glimpse into someone else's world and learn about their passions. Learning about my dad's makes it extra special. Keep up the good work, Dad. The birds love you for it and so do I!

Amateur...




























Sierra practiced her birdwatching skills by staring endlessly at Juanita's cockatiel. Good thing the bird never jumped off the counter!

This is why we live in Phoenix...

In the afternoon, we decided to take a walk together as a family. We spent 20 minutes bundling up and searching the house for parka-like jackets, gloves, scarves and hats to brave the cold. Lewis didn't make it past the front porch (where this picture was taken) before bailing on the walk and deciding to stay inside where it was nice and warm. Those of us who went, survived, but it reminded me why Jeff and I have no plans to leave Phoenix anytime soon!

Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 25th, 2007

Christmas Eve was spent with the Haydens and Christmas Day with the Hendricks. On Christmas Eve we had a delicious dinner with Al and Juanita (Jeff's parents) and Randy and Delia (our brother and soon-to-be sister in-law). Then we opened gifts and went to church together. It was a great evening, but unfortunately, we all forgot to snap pictures during the festivities! Christmas morning at the Hendrick house was spent digging through stockings... Thanks, Santa! Then, eating breakfast together and opening presents under the tree. Our tradition is to open presents one at a time, which usually takes about two hours and would drive most people insane, but remains my favorite morning of the entire year. Our gifts to our parents this year were copies of our wedding album. Even though it has been over a year since the wedding, we just got our albums on December 21st! They turned out beautiful so I guess it was worth the wait.

Race training

In spite of the fact that it was 36 degrees in Albuquerque on Christmas Eve, Sierra and I stayed on track with our race training schedule. The 1/2 marathon is two weeks away and there is no time to fall off course now! Even though the beginning of the run was freezing, by the end I had stripped down to a t-shirt and the weather felt great. Sierra jumps up and down with excitement every time I ask her, "Do you want to go running?" She can make it about six miles before tiring out. If we arrive back at the house and then I say the magic words again, she will jump around and would probably run six more miles. It is hilarious! She is the most loyal dog I have ever seen and it's great motivation that she gets so excited!

Party time!

Two hours after arriving in Albuquerque, we were already out with Sam, Lewis and friends. Here are a few pics from our crazy night!

On the road again...

Saturday, December 22nd, 2007

As we prepared to head out for Albuquerque, Daz and Sierra got in the car 30 minutes early and sat in garage, waiting for us to finish loading the car. Daz usually stays anxious for most of the trip, pacing and panting, while Sierra seems to claim her spot quickly and sleep the whole way there.


Daz eventually gave in, found a little space in the backseat, and took a nap.

Christmas Sweater Party!

On Saturday night we went to our friend Scottie's annual "Christmas Sweater Party". The goal is to wear the gaudiest Christmas sweater you can find. Half the fun is hitting all the second hand stores to find the perfect sweater. Here are some of the fabulous finds!


Travis scored this one for $1.99!


Kassia and I made purses out of placemats. You can see some of mine sticking out. They were a hit!























Scottie opted to dress as Santa.























Matt plays a little beer pong. Notice the '505' pong table. Handcrafted!


Ashley and Kevin























Some of Scottie's friends. Check out the socks!

Later that night...


Later that night, we moved the sweater party to the ASU bars, where we met up with Kristie and Tara. It is amazing how many strange looks you get when you walk into a dance club with Santa and 10 people in Christmas sweaters.

Chili Cookoff

This afternoon we went to the annual 'Chili Cookoff' in Kristie's mom's neighborhood. They block off the whole cul-de-sac, set up tables and chow down! There are more than twenty different kinds of chili plus sides and desserts. I entered the chili cooking contest this year but did not win. Toward the end of the party, Santa came to hand out gifts to the little kids. Of course we had to sneak in a picture! Tara, Kristie, Angela, Kassia, me, Kristen and Santa! It was really nice to hang out with the girls! Thanks for inviting us, Kristie!

Go ASU!

Scottie, Matt, Nate, Jennifer, Jeff and I went to watch the ASU~UofA game down by campus. The "BALLS" sign is for the pool tables and we did not purposely stand there!

Tortoise Crisis!

After getting over an inch of rain yesterday, Spencer's tunnel caved in on him. I found him this morning, looking confused and depressed... as if a tortoise ever changes their facial expressions. I contemplated digging him out, but decided he may be warmer staying packed in the mud.


The temporary solution has been to add a heat lamp to his precarious situation and hope for the best. Jeff and I will have to come up with something a little more permanent to keep him warm through the winter. Spencer is going to have to do a lot of digging to repair that tunnel!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!


The Hendrick family came out for Thanksgiving (minus Sam). Sorry, Mom, for putting this picture on the blog! The Hayden family was unable to make it due to doctor's orders for Juanita to stay in town, after her knee surgery at the beginning of the month. We missed everyone who was not able to make it and can't wait to see everybody in December!


After dinner we relaxed and watched the ASU game.


This was the first time Lewis had been out to visit Jeff and me since he turned 21! On Wednesday night, we went out to Dos Gringos to show him a good time!

Bath time!

So, Jeff and I decided to wash the cars today and ended up lining the dogs up to get washed, too. Here is the progression of events:


Sierra is pretty hilarious because she will just stand, lined up with the cars, and let you spray her in the face.


Daz, on the other hand, does not enjoy the process quite as much.


Sierra looks on, sympathetically. She is always worried about what Daz is doing.


Clean and happy!


Sierra then got a manicure... poolside.

Yes, we are dog obsessed but they are really entertaining and we love them so much!

Go Huskies!

Tonight, we attended the Hamilton High School football game. Hamilton is our neighborhood high school and the stadium is walking distance from our house. Their football team is undefeated and nationally ranked so it is really exciting to go watch them. Brings back some great high school memories!


It was a close game but Hamilton took the lead with 1:10 left on the clock. Final score 21-14. Go Huskies!

Firefighters!

The firefighters came to visit the first graders today. They taught the kids all about the gear and trucks, as well as going over how to evacuate a building if it's on fire. They have some really neat tools to use with the students, including a toy phone on which they can practice dialing 911. A recorded 911 operator's voice answers, so they can really hear what it would sound like and practice what they would need to say in an emergency. The kids asked some great questions like, "Are the seats on the fire truck comfy?"


Although it was a very educational afternoon, Kassia and I spent a little time posing on the firetruck.

Spencer's remodel

Jeff has been constructing a zoo like habitat for our desert tortoise, Spencer. He started working on it in the spring but took a break during the summer since it was so hot. The weather is finally cooling off some so he is back to work.



Doesn't Spencer look excited?



The dogs were no help at all. They just got in the way a lot.


Finished product to come!

One year!!

The last year has flown by! We can't believe we have already been married one year. It seems like the wedding was just yesterday. We decided we should start a blog so we can keep our friends and family updated on our lives. Last Sunday was our official one year anniversary. We celebrated by cooking breakfast together, eating on the patio and reminiscing about the wedding. We read our guest book and our wedding cards and watched the video my dad made that played at the wedding. We then went and had lunch at Secret Garden, where we got married. They were setting up for another wedding and it brought back so many great memories to see the white chairs all set up, awaiting the guests. That afternoon we had to squeeze in a football game at the sports bar (Jeff's idea of course) and then we went out to a romantic dinner at a new restaurant, Sau'tee, that is walking distance from our house. It was a very relaxing day and reminded us of all the fun we have had together in the past year. Can't wait for many more to come!