Not a chef

I consider myself a decent cook. I make dinner all the time and make several things without even looking at the recipe. (Although, that may be a bad sign that we have been eating too much of the same stuff and I need to find some new recipes.)
I was thinking of making cookies today and was cruising through my favorite recipe site: allrecipes.com. I love that you can put in what ingredients you do or don't want to use and they'll tell you ingredients that match what you want. I wanted a good chocolate chip cookie recipe, the first one I came across called for mace. Maybe you're more of a chef than I am, but as far as I know mace is something you spray in someone's face and is really painful. (as demonstrated by Dwight) I decided that wasn't the recipe for me. Whether that is the same ingredient that comes in a can or not, there are sure a lot of odd things you can find in recipes.

Tax Time Again

I'm sure no one remembers, but last year I wrote a blog and said how proud I was of myself for doing our taxes and thanks to Nate for being our free accountant. It was really funny because I went to BYU's free tax help again and after my nice long wait (free tax help always has a decent size line) they finally called my name. I thought the guy helping me looked familiar, but lots of people at BYU do. I started pulling out my chaos of deductions and piles of W-2 forms, etc. with all my illustration business stuff. After seeing my paper of categories and calculations like I brought before he asked me if he did my taxes last year. What are the odds? It was Nate, the same accountant.
I even brought some milano cookies for whoever did our taxes this year because I was so grateful for the help last time, so it was really fitting that I ended up with the same guy. Unfortunately, as grateful as I was for the help, things did not turn out as great as they did last year. But what can you expect when you don't pay anything all year, right?

The Name Game

As I've mentioned before, Brandon and I don't agree on names. We've started a new game where we take turns picking a name for the baby and that's what we call him for the week. Hopefully it will help us like some names more and other names less so we can agree on something in the next 4 months. Otherwise we might have to resort to another game, like writing our favorites down on little pieces of paper and pulling one out of a hat.

Courthouse

For Brandon's Construction Law class he had to go and observe some cases at the courthouse. He convinced me to grab my work and bring it along to go with him. I did a little work while I was there, but I couldn't help pretending to be one of those courtroom artists that draw the people involved. I told Brandon to turn it in with his assignment. I learned that oral contracts are good for four years. Not that it is really helpful since it is hard to prove, but still, I had no idea.

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V-day @ the Millers

Brandon and I decided instead of getting each other nice gifts or going out to dinner, this year we're going to go shopping for baby things. How practical huh? Maybe not typical Valentine's day presents but it sure is fun to buy that cute stuff we need to stock up on. And for a nice start to the day I made Brandon heart shaped crepes. Circle crepes are a better shape for rolling, but you know, it's the day to make things shaped like hearts. Brandon always makes cards for me on special occasions. It's sweet, I'm pretty impressed with his skills. It's fun to see his artistic side.

Maybe I'm glad my bank is stupid

Today I was so glad because I finished an intense illustration project and I was driving up to Salt Lake to drop off the files and pick up a check. I watched him write out the check and when he handed it to me I glanced at the amount then threw it in my purse. When I arrived back in Provo I went to the bank to deposit the check. As I pulled it out to sign it I realized they made the check out to one of their other illustrators, also named Rebecca. I was frustrated, not wanting to wait for a new check, or drive to Salt Lake again, or find Rebecca to see if she would deposit it and then give me the money. I just signed it like normal and hoped for the best. I waited for moment and then received a receipt of the deposit. Apparently my bank is as dense as I am and didn't even notice who the check was to. So my bank is stupid (at least that teller anyway) but for today, I'm glad.

A large brain?

Pregnancy has brought me through a couple of intense eating phases. At first, I just wanted to eat as healthy as possible to give my baby the best start with a super healthy body.
Then with the nausea I hardly ate anything and whatever I did eat usually had a very little flavor, like celery, cream of wheat, etc. Nothing with grease or sugar, not because I cared about eating healthy at this point, but it was what my stomach was more likely to keep down.
After the nausea I was excited to eat like a normal person again. I gradually started eating more and more junk food and I didn't care it wasn't healthy because I was just happy to be eating. But now I all I want to eat is junk food. Everyday I have to keep myself from going to the store to get a half gallon of ice cream and eating the whole thing in one sitting. Sometimes when I do succumb to a little temptation I tell myself that his brain is made of a lot of fat, so I am just making sure he is a really smart kid.

It's a healthy boy!!

The ultrasound was really fun, it made us so happy to look at our little boy and see that he is doing well. I remember for so many years I didn't understand why people would get so excited to show me this blurry, confusing, black and white picture of their baby. Now I understand how wonderful it is to see the little miracle, even if it is just a blurry black and white photo.

Sunday clothes

I really like the summer skirts I have. They fall just past the knee and are newer and more stylish than the many ankle length mission, and MTC teacher wardrobe skirts I have an abundance of. The only problem is it's January. Nylons are horribly uncomfortable, so knee length skirts are a tricky thing in the winter. And even if I was brave enough to go into the cold with bare legs, what shoes would I wear? My summer sandals? So every week I wear my long skirts so I can wear my black knee high socks and covered toe shoes. Even though this seems the most logical, I see so many girls at church who come with bare legs and sandals. Brave souls.

Obsession Evidence

Here is a stack of my sketchbooks from the past few years. It would be at least twice this big, but too often my sketches are combined with to do lists, phone numbers, notes, etc. so they have been thrown away. Several pages have also been thrown away because the corner was ripped off so I could spit my gum out someplace. I am pretty proud of the stack. Not that every page is great, I kept the good & the bad. I like being able to show kids how much I draw so they can see that it just takes practice.

Baby Update

I've started feeling little kicks from the baby! It is really fun, even though it's not too different from feeling food digesting. The more kicks I feel the more distinct it is though and I'm really excited about it. Brandon has been trying to feel the baby kicking for at least a month now, so maybe he won't have to wait too much longer. Lately I keep thinking about how tall Brandon is and if our baby has legs like him I bet those kicks are going to get pretty powerful by the end. yikes. Next Thursday is the ultrasound, the day after my little brother gets home from his mission. Fun times for the fam.

Alumni Show Details

The BYU Illustration Alumni Show is being held at the Health & Justice Building 151 S. University Ave. Provo, UT. The show will be there from now until Feb. 23rd, but the best time to come is to the artists' reception, of course. Then you get to talk to the artists mingling around and snack on refreshments. The opening is Friday, February 1st from 6-9pm. If you are looking for my pieces, I have an 8x10 painting of some goats and a couple tiny baby paintings. Please come if you can!

Gamer Addition

I would like to add that in addition to being a tough negotiator in games, I try to apply that skill to my illustration business whenever applicable. I was just thinking about this today as I emailed back and forth with an art director to make sure I am getting the best deal that I can out of them.
Selling originals can be different though. I was pricing my pieces for the show next week and it doesn't work the same when you are not talking to a person about the deal. You just have to hope that they like what they see and go for it, no negotiating. And in addition to the amount you feel your painting is worth you have to take into account the cost of framing, and the amount taken out by the exhibitors, it's tricky. I've only had originals for sale at a show one other time, but I must not have done too bad of a job because I sold half of my pieces. (well, one to be exact)

You get what you pay for

We've recently bought some things for our new apartment. We've gone the used route that works well with our budget. The TV we bought was $25, a nice large 25", seemed like a great deal. However, 2 problems- we have to buy a converter cord to hook up our dvd player and it is a pretty blurry picture. Now we'll have even more to look forward to when we upgrade to an HD in ten years.
We bought a washer and dryer for $50/each. Another great deal, however, Brandon had to show forth his handyman expertise and put a new electrical cord on the dryer so it would fit into the wall. A hassle, but now it is functioning. Not ideal appliances, but they work. Hopefully they will last the next year and a half for us.
So far, I am most content with our microwave. Probably because it is only a year old, but microwaves are cheap, so we got it for $20.
Now our apartment is completely stocked and ready for watching cable, doing laundry, and eating leftovers.

Alumni Show

I'm going to be participating in an alumni show and I have to get something framed ASAP. Right now we're just allowed one piece, so I would love some opinions if you have one. And then if you live in the area... come see the show! There will be a reception on Friday Feb. 1st... more details to come.

Littlest Nephite

Velveteen Rabbit

Mr. McTeeze #1

Brady

Goats

Mr. McTeeze #2 (without the text though)

Superman

This week has been all about moving and cleaning, of course. Since we were moving so suddenly, and mostly during the day when our friends are at work and school, this was a project we mostly handled on our own. The amazing part is how Brandon transported so many large things by himself to our 3rd floor apartment. Like our couch, which he said was one of the easier things, the entertainment center was more awkward because it's so tall and more difficult to find a good gripping spot. He was hoping to find some guy walking by that he could get to help him lift our dresser since it is really thick and heavy. He waited around for a bit then just gave up and lifted it himself. It sure made moving fast since he was able to do so much himself, but it sure makes me nervous that his back is going to collapse on him sometime. That's the wife's job, right? He lifts really heavy things and my job is to worry about him.

the old place...

We LOVE our new place for many reasons. However, there are always little things that you don't appreciate until you don't have it. For example: 2 light switches for the LR so you don't always have to take those 7 extra steps to the front door; a fan in the bathroom, that humming noise was just so nice; a cupboard to hold our toaster oven and even leave there while plugged in and in use (I'm sure this is "not safe", but it worked great for our 1' x 1' counter space issue) the toaster oven just looks odd on the counter; a shelf in the freezer to semi separate the chaos; normal size kitchen drawers; an attached paper towel holder; and the convenient mailbox right outside our door.

We're Moving! AAAH!

We've been looking for an apartment for months and could never find one that was quite what we wanted. We have extra demands now that we have a baby on the way. We found a place on Saturday and a few other couples wanted it as well. So I showed up at the office right when they opened and snagged it. Someone else called to get it a few minutes after I got there, but it was too late for them.
Lucky me, now I get to have a new apartment and an overwhelming week of moving to go with it. I don't even know where to start. I'm really excited about the new place, it's only a few blocks from where we live now and has a lot of great features, like A/C! and a dishwasher! But sadly, in a different ward and stake. But fortunately, less than a block from my sister's apartment. I better start packing.

What to Keep

I've been going through everything in our entire apartment to get rid of clutter and garbage. In the process I have gone through many old papers and random things. Today I was looking through a large envelope of papers from my mom. It had birth documents and a few old school pictures and report cards. Also inside was a small envelope labeled: Becca's teeth. Ew. I don't know why she kept those. They were really cute? I could use them when I grow old and lose my other teeth?

Gamer

I remember learning game strategies from my dad ever since I was little. He was always really competitive and loved to come up with a tough deal in Monopoly or similar games. Now, I can't hold back. Sometimes other players will give a lot up in a trade, just to be nice. It confuses me. I fight for everything I can get. I think my dad would be proud.

Discovered Storage

As I mentioned before, our apartment is getting too cluttered. Finding a new apartment is not going so well right now and we might just wait until April when everyone in Provo moves around and we can join in on the chaos. In the meantime we have a box sitting in our car since Christmas filled with baby things. I've thought about bringing it several times, but having no where to put it, I decided that the best place for it is in the car. In fact, I realized the best place for a lot of things could be in the car. It's not like we transport people around frequently or need all that space in the trunk. It's like I just discovered a storage unit that we've always had and I never knew it.

Bad Habit

I have a bad habit of sleeping in really late. It all started with being sick everyday and having no reason whatsoever to get out of bed. I wasn't going to accomplish anything, just lay on the couch feeling sick. So I stayed in bed. Now that I feel so much better and can actually be a responsible person again, I still can't get myself out of bed before 9:30 or 10:00, even if I'm awake at 8.
The other part of my morning routine is that I don't change out of my pajamas until lunchtime or so. There's no reason to, I can work, eat breakfast, do all the daily internet things, and then enjoy a shower later. I still step outside my apartment when the mail comes though. I like to think that no one sees me, although I ran into a neighbor one time. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm odd, not because I stepped outside in my pajamas, but because it was around 11:00 on a weekday.
I plan to change my sleeping in habit by going to our stake's morning aerobics class at 9:00. I doubt I'll put my pajamas back on after I get home, but you never know.

Expiration

Sometimes when I look at expiration dates to see if an item is going to go bad soon I am relieved that I have over a year. But then I rethink that and wonder, what did they put in this to make it last for that long when really it shouldn't? So I don't know if it's better or worse that it's not going to be rotten anytime soon. For my health, it's got to be worse. For ease in grocery shopping and keeping my kitchen from smelling bad, better.

Nesting?

We have a pretty basic 1 bedroom apartment that has worked really well for us so far. Until now. We have accumulated more things in the past year and a half. And I have a sudden intense desire to throw 80% of it away so we can have some space and less clutter. I'm not sure it's the pregnancy thing or just our apartment, maybe both. Either way, I think it's time to rearrange, throw away and find a new apartment.

Happy Vintage New Year

To bring in the new year we decided to chill at home. We busted out our vintage monopoly set we had never played before while watching Bill & Ted's excellent adventure. Afterwards Brandon pulled out his Pacman video game that connected to our TV from the dumpster. We have had a great evening, although right now Brandon is trying to figure out if he needs to hit the ancient TV or old school video game because something just isn't working.

New Things

One of our great Christmas presents this year was 2 large sleeping bags that can zip together. At first I was thinking how they will be so nice to have even though we won't be using them for awhile. Then we came home from our trip to Seattle, desperately needed a nap, and decided to roll out our sleeping bags to try them out. Since they were still on our bed later that night, and they were so cozy and warm, we just slept in them again. Who knows, maybe we sleep in them all week.

A Miller Christmas

This year for Christmas the Miller siblings decided to pitch in and buy a goat for a family in South America instead of buying each other presents. It was a great idea and I decided to do an illustration for all of them to remember it by. I'm really glad we didn't choose the water buffalo. I've never drawn one before, and I don't think they'd make a very cute Christmas illustration.

Final final

Brandon has worked really hard this week with many intense finals. He is down to the last one today, Accounting 200, his least favorite class this semester. In the middle of studying he decided to calculate the lowest score he could possibly get and still get a C in the class. After discovering that 32 was his magical number, he of course wanted to know what would happen if he didn't even take the test. Realizing he would still pass the class he was very glad. Then we realized he could be REALLY bad at accounting and didn't even add up his scores correctly. So he's still studying.

The White Elephant Gift

White elephant gifts can be challenging sometimes. This year we had a couple of really large white candles so I carved one into a white elephant for a party last week. I cut the wicks down as I went so really it could still be a functioning 3 wick candle. I think it turned out pretty well, everyone seemed to like that I brought an actual white elephant and it was fun to have an excuse to do some carving since I don't fit that into my schedule very frequently. This would be a good post to add a picture of what it looked like, but our digital camera has too many issues lately and I couldn't a picture on the internet. Sorry about that.

Snowman

Ever since we got all that snow I've been wanting to make a snowman. It seems like it would be a lot more fun to do with someone else, like Brandon. His response to building a snowman is that it's too cold outside. What I want to know is, how do you build a snowman when it's warm outside? He just needs to learn to wear proper winter gear.

Yellow Club

We used to be part of the moped club. When you drove by other people on mopeds it was common to honk at each other to say hello and you're cool because you have a moped like I do. Motorcyclists do their wave thing. People just feel bonded I guess when they own similar items.
I am discovering it is the same way with yellow cars. I don't know yet what the official hello sign is of this club, but we at least stare at each other and acknowledge, you drive a very bright car too. We could probably come up with something a little better than just staring, but that's all we have so far. I bet people who drive Porches or Lamborghinis have a connection with each other too. We have a ways to go before we know what it's like to be in that club.

in case you haven't heard....

We're having a baby! Little Miller will be here sometime in the middle of June. We're really excited to be parents. And since Brandon will be in finals week for Spring term when the baby is due, we're hoping that doesn't get too crazy for him. He'll get to be one of those working, student dads. We think he can handle that for a year. We don't find out the gender for a couple more months, maybe that will help the naming process. We're not very good at that so far.

A Christmas Surprise

I went to the post office today to mail a Christmas package to my little missionary brother and of course a large line of other people were mailing Christmas packages too. The best part was they had White Christmas playing on the TV for us to enjoy while we waited. What a great classic. Not only that, but it was at my favorite part, when the guys dress up like the girls and sing the song about being sisters. The line went by way too fast, now I have to go rent it.

who knew

My sister came over for some help with a painting she's doing for extra credit in her humanities class. We went over her composition and colors and values, etc. Sometimes she would decide on things that I would correct and explain why it wouldn't look good. And then she would laugh at me. She said she didn't realize I had a whole thought process to creating art, she thought I could sit down and it just came out. I don't know how she came up with that, it seems quite illogical to me. Then when she started working on her painting she turned to me and asked, "does Brandon know you think about your art?" So, to anyone else out there who doesn't know this: artists think about what they do. Some know more than others, have more to think about, and therefore create better paintings. I don't know all that much, but I do think.

Another Great Solution

Sometimes it is so hard to get into bed at night with those ice cold sheets in the winter. I'm overly sensitive to temperature. I always have to sit there shivering for a few minutes. Then one night I decided to throw my pajamas in the dryer while I got ready for bed, and presto! Five minutes later I am climbing into bed wearing soft, warm clothes. It's heavenly. Probably the best idea I've ever had in my life.

Fosbury Flop

It's great when you can use some of the important skills you learned in elementary school P.E. classes. This weekend we just got a new mattress and they come a lot taller these days. We are about a foot higher than we were before. I feel like I'm almost high enough to be on a bunk bed. (we're a little over 3 feet off the ground - but it still feels TALL) So my two best options for betting into bed are either: the small table/now stool at the end of our bed, or the Fosbury Flop works great too.

Winter & Rings

You know how your fingers are slightly thinner in the winter than in the summer. It seems that this winter I have been especially cold because my wedding ring can slide off my finger with ease these days. I've been gradually more and more nervous about it, because it's obviously something I would be really upset about losing. The solution: floss. I tied floss around my ring and then tied the floss snuggly around my finger. I've been wearing it like that for more than a day and it works great. I doubt anyone has even noticed the floss, and now I don't have to worry about losing it.

How to Eat Red Robin

Last night for dinner Brandon and I went to dinner at Red Robin, because we love it. The best part is their fries. Yum. Endless steak fries with delicious fry sauce. They also have really really good strawberry lemonade. However, we have discovered the secret to successfully eating at Red Robin is to get either lemonade or burger, but not both. The fries are a give in- you have to eat the fries. And maybe most people don't have the same problem we do, but the lemonade is so good you just keep drinking however many they bring you and combine that with fries and a burger, even if I bring half my meal home I will still be sick I'm so full. So last night we had water with our burgers and fries. Maybe next time I'll get the lemonade and fries. That's a good dinner, right?

Baby Shower

I went to a really nice baby shower for my friend Melinda this morning. It was fun to visit with friends and see lots of cute baby stuff. I felt really bad though because we were laughing at the pink princess blanket that someone gave her. Almost everything else there was blue, because, well, she's having a boy. We tried to be polite and reserved in our little chatting corner, but I really hope whoever gave her that didn't hear us. I'm such a jerk.

Lecture

Last night I went to a lecture by Sir J. Fraser Stoddart called "Mingling Art & Science". I just read about it on BYU's calender and thought it sounded interesting. Since I don't have classes to go to, it's nice to still learn things sometimes. Since art is my career and science is so fascinating I thought this would be great. And I'll say it was interesting, I didn't get bored at all, but I didn't realize this was being presented by a chemist and everything I know about chemistry I learned 12 years ago.
The professor talked about Borromeans interlocking circles and Solomon's rings. It was interesting art history, but then when he explained how he created these artistic symbols using molecules and things on a microscopic level through bonding - I was lost. And I didn't really get the point of it either. At the end when there was questions I wanted to ask why this was an important accomplishment he had worked on for so many years, but since I know nothing about chemistry I figured it was a dumb question. Later he mentioned how some critiques don't see the point to his work since it doesn't have any useful application and that's why he recently switched universities. I was glad I wasn't the only one who wondered about that.

Unlock

I love that the car we bought last summer has a remote to unlock it, it's so convenient. I subconsciously must think it unlocks everything though because I always push it when I am headed to our other car and sometimes even to unlock our apartment. That would be so great if it worked. But it doesn't.

Butter

We regularly keep 3 kinds of butter in our fridge. The sticks for easy measuring when cooking, the spray for convenient buttering of toast, muffins, etc. and then the tub stuff because ... ? ... sometimes we run out of one of the other two. I love the butter spray because you can put as little or as much on as you want. Maybe I'm just not that great at working a butter knife but sometimes to get butter spread on the whole piece of toast, it sometimes seems to be more than the ideal amount. So that's my recommendation for today. Butter spray. yeah, it might cost a little more, but if you eat less butter it will help your heart. One draw back I do have to mention is when you spray your toast, be prepared that it will be spraying whatever is behind it as well- depending on how good your aim is.

the weekend stamp

On Friday we went to see a friend's band play, it was fun, great band. And the hand stamp they gave us was almost bigger than my hand. I remember being single and more frequently doing things on the weekend that required a hand stamp. Although they were ugly and probably contribute to the ink poisoning I'm already going to get, but it also made me feel like I had a productive weekend. I went out and did something fun, that's why I had a big faded blot on my hand.

Coveted Talent

Do you know what talent I've always wanted to have? I wish I could go running really fast down some grass and then just do a series of hand springs and end with a couple of flips. It just looks like so much fun. And it seems like a good way to release some energy when you're really excited about something.

Leftovers

Brandon and I decided to celebrate that I finished my book and go out to dinner and then see a movie. It was on Halloween so we missed all 10 of the trick or treaters that would have come by our house. We have a huge bag of candy sitting in a bowl, so to anyone who has kids that want a second run around with their Halloween costumes, feel free to come by our place.

Alleluia!

October is over. I illustrated a book in a month. It was insane. But it was worth it. If you are curious what it takes to complete a full color children's book in one month here are some things that make it possible:
don't bother cleaning for the month- consider the clutter a developing art project, eat at Zupas as many times a week as possible, only expect to see all of your friends an accumulative time of twice, you'll have time to go to the gym exactly zero times or less, frozen pizzas and Little Ceasars will save you time from making dinner, other frozen meals work as well, don't bother showering or changing your clothes, it's not like you see anyone (okay, I didn't really do that, but you could), watch at least 3 seasons of a TV show while you work, whether it's interesting or not, listen to at least 4 audio books, let your spouse buy you flowers and awesome slippers for working so hard, and even though it seems like the month will last forever... it will eventually come to an end. Alleluia!

Surprises

Today Brandon came home earlier than expected, which is always a great surprise. Not only that, but he was carrying flowers! How sweet, huh? Then, as if that wasn't enough he bought me new slippers! My old ones were getting kind of floppy and they definitely aren't made for going outside. Now I have nice fuzzy shoe/slippers. The best part was I had looked at the exact pair he picked out and wanted to buy them, but he hadn't even been there to know what kind it was. He just knows what I like. He said I deserved a surprise for how hard I've worked on this book all month. I'm so lucky.

Sweet old lady

I've mentioned before some humorous things about helping out Hazel, a cute 91 year lady. We were trying on shoes today and she always has a difficult time finding ones that are comfortable. She was trying on quite a few pairs and then she had on a pair that she was considering buying. I don't think she could tell what the pattern was on the shoe, perhaps just an abstract black and white pattern. Really, it was skulls and cross bones. I laughed to myself, kind of hoping she would buy them. (she didn't though)

Those boots

Looking at that old mission picture (see below) reminded me of those ugly boots that I wore for SO long in the wintertime. I had a district leader who would tell me how hideous my boots were. (he must have thought I didn't realize that since I wore them all the time) He told me that I had to burn them immediately when I got home otherwise I would never get married. I refused though and I still have them. (in case anyone would like to borrow them, they're very durable- still in great shape- maybe a little smelly) I am glad that I can now say that I proved him wrong. (I would have said that over a year ago, but I forgot about it)

Heaters

Now that the cold has set in and we are drinking large amounts of hot chocolate, we are also using our heater way more than I would like to. It's not even close to the middle of winter and it already seems like our heater is running most of the day. The reason for this is that our door and windows are so drafty- really old with big gaps, it's like we're heating a tent. It's not very effective.
If we didn't live in a tent and ran our heater this much I'm guessing our apartment would feel like the apartment of some friends I had on my mission. They were from Africa and didn't really like the cold. In the middle of a Toronto winter they would cruise around their apartment in flip flops and shorts because they cranked their heater on so high. We would come in with our boots, hats, gloves, scarves, 3 pairs of socks, thermals, fleece skirts, another hat, sweaters and coats, and just start shedding layers as fast as humanly possible so we wouldn't get heat stroke upon arrival.

(p.s. the picture is me & my companion posing with Wiarton Willie- Canada's version of Punksatony Phil.)

One Man's Trash....

20" Toshiba, probably from 1985. Slight green tint on the bottom half of the screen. Brandon just found a new TV for us in the dumpster behind our apartment. He is pretty excited and we are watching Rudy on it right now.

Best Deal Ever

My sister commissioned me to do an illustration for her friend's wedding. It was a simple picture and I only took a few months to get around to it. The best part was my payment - 10 free meals from Zupas! (one of my favorite restaurants - and she just so happens to work there) Not only do I get free food any day of the week I want, but it is so delicious! I don't have to cook, do any dishes, and on top of that there is free delivery and fun visiting with Heather thrown in as well. If she had my name for Christmas, I know exactly what I would ask for.

Baby-sitting Highlights

We have been watching our nieces (ages 8 & 5) for a few days while their parents went to NY. Lauren (5) had some entertaining things to say. She told me that we should buy a house, and that I don't know much about houses, only apartments. Little does she know I have not lived in a one bedroom apartment my whole life.
Since I had a lot of paintings to finish, I took over the kitchen table with painting supplies. After a few days of painting day and night I was informed they had never left a mess on the table for that long before.

When Brandon was reading them a book I brought (Roger the Jolly Pirate) he was telling them how I knew the author and Lauren asked if he was a real person, Brandon responded yes. I heard her asking a few more questions throughout the book like, "So this really happened?" and I'm pretty sure she thinks Roger the Jolly Pirate is real and that I know him personally.

How I am dishonest...

BYU has absurd parking regulations. You're not allowed to park in visitor parking if you are a spouse of a student, but whenever I'm going up to campus I'm there for business purposes, nothing related to my spouse at all. So that's my rationalization when I use visitor parking.
However, after I park as a non-student I go into the HFAC and use the really large expensive scanner that they have for students. I'm not a student, but I figure I'm still paying tuition and Brandon could do the scanning for me if it really had to be a student. And that's my rationalization for that one.
I realized that these conflict though, I'm rationalizing that I'm not a student in anyway, then I use student services. So now the question is am I dishonest for doing both of those things, or only the combination of the two? Or only if I steal the scanner while I'm there? (that would be so awesome to have)

Creepy

While Brandon was at school this evening this really creepy, large man kept staring at me while he walked by our apartment. Even though it wasn't that big of a deal, it freaked me out and I was too paranoid to get any work done so I went to the mall until Brandon finished his test. While I was at the mall I found some great shoes that I bought. Thanks really creepy man!

A Horrible Wife

I used to try really hard to make balanced meals, lots of vegetables, etc. Lately I have been doing a lot less cooking, it just takes so much time and I haven't made it a priority. So we have been eating more pizza and frozen food than ever before. I just went to the store and probably 90% of what I bought came from the frozen food section and it barely fit in our freezer. I keep telling myself it's just for a few more weeks, but I am scared I am starting a really bad habit. If Brandon and I are starting to look a little wider, now you know why.

Addiction Requirements

Brandon has been giving me a bad time lately because in the past few weeks I have watched almost 2 seasons of Smallville. Yeah, I know, who would actually admit to that? Cheesy lines, bad acting, but I watch it anyways. I just wanted to find a show that's not too trashy. And I don't have the patience for 24, you have to wait so long for a conclusion. Brandon teases me that I am addicted to it, much like my many many friends who have experienced the 24 addiction. However, I just want to clarify to anyone who might hear this rumor, it is untrue. I do watch hours and hours of Smallville, but I assure you it is not because of an addiction, but out of complete boredom. I have no one to talk to while spending hours a day with just paper and pens. I could become like Beatrice Potter and talk to my drawings, hoping they will come to life, but I am saving that for a last resort.

New Post

For those of you who have given up on checking Brandon's blog because he never writes anything, he actually posted a new one and it's really funny. I have watched the video clip close to 20 times now and I think I have all the songs memorized.

Saints in Ghana Art Show

Some of my friends from BYU are putting on an art show in the HFAC. Tomorrow night there is an opening reception from 6:30-8:30pm. They did portraits of people they met while they were in Ghana for 2 months. There are some really great pieces, so if you live in the area you should check it out!

Winter

One of the best parts about winter time is the gallons and gallons of Stephens Mint Hot Chocolate I will consume. Costco's 4lb tubs are the way to go. Tis the season.

Rocky vs. Rocky

Brandon and I have been on a Rocky Road ice cream trend lately. It is SO good. We realized there are some conflicting opinions however. I think that the best Rocky Road is BY FAR Breyers all natural. He likes Dreyers. Breyers has a smooth marshmallow creme instead of chunky stale marshmallows. And there are a lot more nuts in Breyers than your average rocky road (my favorite part), not only that, but they are chocolate covered. Brandon doesn't like the creme though and calls it goop. And he wishes it didn't have nuts in it at all. For something that we seemed to agree so well on, we are definitely at opposite sides of the rocky road fence.

Why every artist needs a studio friend... or at least a husband

Yesterday I was finishing up one of my last few grasshopper paintings for Brady Flies a Kite and Brandon asked me why one of the grasshoppers was missing one of his big legs. I looked at it trying to figure out if it was just on the other side of him and you couldn't see it, but no. It was just missing. I looked at the sketch and realized it had been there originally and then it didn't make it from the sketch to the inked version that got painted. Such a little detail. Luckily, there was space where it should've been and the paint was light enough I just added it on. Good eye Brandon. Conflict with employer averted.

Another Smell

All day long today I have been wondering why I smell like men's cologne. I thought Brandon borrowed my jacket, or some of his cologne just got sprayed on it by accident. Neither of these made sense. Then after I took my jacket off and still smelled the cologne I realized it wasn't coming from the jacket- it was coming from my wrist! This hasn't been confirmed, but Brandon must have sprayed my watch with cologne because I sprayed his with cologne. (although, I had a good reason to spray his) So the Sponge Bob watch that I have had for almost 3 years and won out of a cereal box, now smells really good. Maybe it's not the ideal smell for my wrist, but it could be worse.
And by the way, Brandon has a new watch. I gave him one for his first day of work at his new job. It came with 3 bands.

Not the Granddaughter

I work for this sweet old lady a few days a week and help her go shopping or go to the doctor, etc. It pays great and it sure helps keep some consistency to my ever fluctuating paychecks. Hazel is 91, so I wrap her arm around mine while we walk around to help her keep her balance. Everyone tells me how sweet it is that I am helping her and ask if I am her granddaughter. I say, no, just a friend. I never mention that I get paid to help her. It seems like it would take away from how cute and sweet of an old lady Hazel is. I feel a little guilty letting everyone think that I am just a kind girl that likes to help the elderly. But at the same time, maybe I am inspiring other people to go help the elderly around them.

Saturday Night Movie Pick

Last night Brandon and I watched Miss Potter. Even though she did some odd things, like talk to her paintings that would come to life. It was definitely a kids movie, but not as bad as Bridge to Terabithia. Although Bridge to Terabethia had that music video on the dvd that was really fun to listen to Brandon sing along with.
I enjoyed watching a movie about an illustrator. It was inspiring how she became so successful and her books are still in print today. Since she never had any kids I wonder who receives all those royalties now? Brandon thought it was way too dull though and said, "this movie should be rated R- for boredom. Kids should not have to watch something like this."

Video games move up in the world

Last night I was at Barnes & Noble and I read a chunk out of this book about the brain. There was a section all about how the brain handles pain and different techniques to deal with it. One recent study was done with video games. It said one of the most painful medical procedures is changing the dressing on a burn victim, so they took some burn victims and put those virtual reality games that cover your eyes and had them play while going through this painful process. The game actually helped people to have less pain because they were so focused on throwing snowballs the brain didn't think as much about the pain and therefore, you don't feel it as much if it's not thought about. And all this time I thought video games were such a waste of time, but now I know they actually have a useful purpose. Someday when I have kids and have to take them to get shots I think I will pick up a gameboy or something.

Fresh breath

Brandon bought some new toothpaste. Usually we get mint or lately we've used a lot of cinnamon, but this time he got Vanilla mint. It tastes like you're brushing your teeth with cake batter. It's kind of good, and still minty just a little ...different.

Everywhere you go

I don't if you're familiar with NBC's slogan, but we always hear it when we watch their nightly news podcast on itunes: Everywhere you go, there we are. I think they sound like they're stalkers.

Surprise

I was trying to help my sister rent Hamlet so when she reads it for her class it will be easier to follow. I called every video store I could find in Provo, Orem and Springville and they either didn't have it or it was checked out. (apparently everyone else in her class has the same idea) I was at the BYU bookstore picking up some art supplies when I noticed some people renting videos so I checked to see if they have Hamlet, and they had 2 copies! Who would've guessed?

So Smelly

Brandon's watch has been well used. Wearing it everyday, in the hot sun, while he's at work and everyplace else, it started to smell. It probably started awhile ago but we didn't really notice until Brandon would be sitting in class wondering what that smell was and lean towards his wrist to realize it was his watch. And then he came home and forced me to smell it too. It was bad.
He tried washing it several times and then my sister Heather suggested vinegar, like they do with stuff that gets sprayed by a skunk. We're not sure if it got rid of the smell or not, it's hard to tell because the watch now has an over powering vinegar smell. (eulgh!) We tried washing it with soap more and more, but it still didn't work. Then I tried thinking of other things that smell, but not as bad as vinegar. I saw Listerine, so I poured that on and scrubbed it in, trying to get rid of the vinegar smell. After that I tried spraying it with cologne. Now the watch has a compilation of smells that just don't mix. And I think the original smell is still lingering as well. As Brandon put it, his watch smells worse than a skunk.
I told him he should just wear one of my watches, but for some reason that wasn't a good solution either. I think we might have to do some shopping in the near future.

iMiracle

I was picking up my new ipod shuffle when the ear phones got caught under a board, which jerked the ipod out of my hand and flipped it straight into my brush cleaning water. I instantly snatched it out and dried it off. And it still works! Lucky me.

Not the brightest idea

On the way to the gym I ate 300 calories of a snickers ice cream bar. It was really good, but I did not need to do that.

Phone List

Somehow my phone number got put onto some Spanish telemarketing list. Every now and then I get a call from a number I don't know and when I answer it I hear a recording of someone speaking Spanish, then I listen just to see if I can understand them. I think they are offering me free gifts. Does anyone else gets calls like that?

Roller Blades in or out

I love roller blading. I especially loved at my old apartment complex many years ago where we would play laser tag on roller blades in the huge parking garage. Or in high school when we used to play tag at the elementary school by my friend's house. So I commented to Brandon that the parking garage by our apartment would be a great place to play tag on roller blades with a bunch of people. Brandon said that no one has roller blades anymore because it was a fad, like slap bracelets or leg warmers. I'm sure! Maybe people don't own roller blades as much anymore, but that doesn't make it a fad. It's not like it's uncool to roller blade.

Best Day Ever

This morning I woke up and knew it was going to be another busy day, and after a couple phone calls from art directors it was even busier. I have 4 art directors all wanting to see their illustrations finished asap. A couple are probably even hoping for it today. (ha!) At first I was letting all this pressure get to me and I was pretty stressed. Then I realized, I have all this work that I enjoy doing and people are paying me for it. This is exactly what I want to happen, if only every day could be like today! Suddenly, my day started going so much better. And I've had a lot of sugar, I enjoyed that too.

Lemonade

For the most basic lemonade, add 3T sugar & 1T lemon juice to a tall glass of water with ice. simple & refreshing.

Blog Mimicker

My friend Katy just wrote a blog about being able to walk to places instead of driving and she mentioned this cool site: walkscore.com where you can find out how walkable your neighborhood is. Provo did pretty good. One of the commenters mentioned another site: livingto100.com and this site has you answer a bunch of simple questions and then predicts how old you will live to be. I'm suppose to live to 101. I hope I can still paint at that point, otherwise I better retire with a lot of savings.

The Phone Call

About a month ago Brandon & I met a really nice couple while we were chaperoning a youth dance. We spent awhile chatting and at the end of the dance they said we should get together sometime and we swapped phone numbers. Well, we went on vacation and came back and thought it would be fun to invite them over for dinner. I asked Brandon to call them, thinking the number we had was the husband's cell and that would be more comfortable. However, the wife answered the phone, but luckily Brandon remembered her name because he had just looked it up in his phone. He said who he was, but it was clear she couldn't remember him, which made it really awkward of course. He told her we met at the singles dance, which I'm sure confused her even more and I whispered to him it was the youth dance. Then she remembered and was happy to talk to him.
Meeting new couples is too much like asking people to do stuff when you're single, getting phone numbers, hoping they'll want to hang out with you, hoping they won't forget who you are when you call, etc. You think all of that is over when you get married, but it's not. At least you have someone next to you to laugh with when you get off the phone.

Seattle & Rain

When I was at the grocery store it was pouring rain (again) the cashier was commenting on the rain and the girl behind me said how she loves it, it smells so great. And she added it was because she is from Seattle. Being from Seattle also, I don't think that makes me like rain more, actually less. I get so tired of gray skies and blurry car windows. I don't like how the rain smells either. How often it rains is one of the few reasons I wouldn't like to live in the Seattle area. (it's the rain & the traffic, otherwise it's perfect) I enjoy rain in Utah because we don't get it here very often. Sometimes I feel like Seattleites feel obligated to stand up for the rain to say they like where they are from. I love Seattle. I don't love the rain. Anyone else with me on this?

Obligated running

Today I was meeting my sister at the gym and I got all dressed, locked the front door, walked out, and realized I didn't have my keys. So there I was standing outside my apartment thinking about when Brandon would be home next. Since I was already in my gym gear I thought, oh well, I guess I have to go running. It was nice until the clouds pulled away and I suffered in that glorious afternoon heat. But at least my experience was better than the last time I was locked out of my apartment.

Hide & Seek

The other night we went to hang out with our friends and the 6 of us decided to play hide & seek for some reason. We had a lot of fun, but it really felt like we were 5 years old. Maybe that's what was fun about it. And it only took us 30 minutes to decide on the rules: lights off, eyes closed, if you're caught you help find, no base, you can't move once you're in your hiding spot. The funniest part was if you cheated and opened your eyes to watch the finding person swinging their arms around. Or Brandon impersonating someone finding.

Special Talents

At our little nephews birthday party a few weeks ago Brandon and his brother decided they wanted to kick the balloon on the ceiling. As you can see, Brandon was successful.

Good Eatin'

This morning for breakfast we went to this great place called Floyd's in Victoria. We ate lots of delicious food. Then we indulged in some really good ice cream for lunch and then on our drive home we were a little hungry and decided to eat ice cream again. And that's what I've eaten today. I love being on vacation.

Morning Surprise

We have had a great time vacationing in Washington. On Sunday we stayed the night at our relative's house and in the morning they left for work. We were going to get up and then head to Seattle. Brandon decided we should get in the hot tub as well. We had a nice time lounging in the backyard and I was headed inside to dry off when I couldn't get the door open. It was locked! And so was the rest of the house.
So there we were, soaking wet, locked out of the house and no one would be around for hours. And it started to rain. We went over to one of their neighbors that we had met before, but they weren't home either. Then we were on to the houses of complete strangers. I'm sure Brandon looked funny standing there in a soaking wet clothes. Luckily they were nice, he got to make a few phone calls and we were able to get in to the house. It was kind of a funny way to start the day.

Craigslist

Craigslist offers so many great things. For awhile I thought of it solely as a place to look for jobs and ignored the other features. I've learned to branch out though and am a more frequent visitor of their furniture section, free section (one day I know I'll find something cool), and whatever else sounds interesting that day. I've decided Craigslist is just like a Wilk board for the whole world. I've always thought the Wilk board was useful, and Craigslist is the same thing, just bigger and therefore, better.

Announcing...

On Saturday we were at our nephew's birthday party and Brandon said to some of our relatives, "I guess you guys are the last to know..." as he smiles at me and pulls me towards him with a pause just long enough for our brother & sister in law to look at us with excitement and say "no way!" "Really?!" and Brandon continues "...Yep! We got a TV!" Of course as a young married couple everyone likes to tease us about having kids. And not having a TV. I guess it's only fair we get to tease back now & then, right? It was really funny.

13.1 mile Results

I DID IT!!! I am so happy. I ran the Provo River Trail half marathon in about 2:25:00. So I accomplished my goal of less than 2 1/2 hours! Yeah, it's not a fast time. But it took everything I had inside of me and I am thrilled. I didn't walk at all, I just kept pushing myself. I was so grateful I didn't end up with serious foot pain, side aches, or shin splints like I feared. I was exhausted and was ready to collapse at the end, but that's what I signed up for.
Some highlights were: finishing, of course. What a relief. The last 2 miles were killer.
Also: I loved dumping water and/ or gatorade on my head at the last couple water stations when it was less shaded. I have always seen people do that on TV and thought it would be fun. And it is.
And: It was great to see Brandon at random parks throughout the race. I really appreciated his support and excitement for me to do well.
Last of all: There was suppose to be pancakes at the end, which I thought sounded gross after running and I said when I'm done with a run, I just want a smoothie. And they had them! There was Hogi Yogi smoothies, watermelon, & popsicles. I loved it.
I was surprised with the variety of people that were there. Anyone can run a half marathon, just try it!

Birthday Dessert

It's Brandon's birthday today and I've been trying to come up with lots of surprises for him. For dessert tonight I made éclairs for the first time. They are pretty simple. And delicious!

#1448

I have 2 days to train for the half marathon. It's all I can think about. I wasn't planning on running it due to a foot nueroma, but now I'm just going to give a try and see what happens. (they wouldn't refund my money, what else was I going to do?) I'll probably collapse. But I am going to get my full $30.00 memorable experience. And all the pain that goes with it.
As I was at the gym yesterday, doing some last minute preparing, I was thinking that maybe I'll write my name and Brandon's cell number somewhere on my bib or something, so if I collapse it will be easy to contact him. Then I realized that's exactly what those bib numbers are for. They are just trying to make it less obvious. They have you wear this large piece of paper on your front and back so if you go down, someone quickly scans the records and they can instantly start calling out for friends and family to go with you as they take you off in an ambulance. It's going to be an exciting day.

Car Chases

Tonight we are going to see Bourne Ultimatum. In preparation we watched the first 2 Bourne movies over the weekend. I liked the movies, but I wasn't really into the big car chases. (although, I'd watch more car chases than fight scenes) My opinion of a car chase is: dull. How many millions of car chases have I seen in movies in my life? What makes one more interesting than another? Yeah, maybe some exciting moves or crazy flips, but overall, cars get smashed, they drive like maniacs and sometimes they shoot at each other also. 15 seconds or less, that's what makes a good car chase. And fight scenes, 5 seconds, no blood.
"It's just my opinion, but it's true." -Jim Halpert

Hogi Yogi Run

Last night we played Settlers with some friends after dinner. Brandon creamed us, which he was very happy about. He commented on how he has been winning everything lately, since he won a few croquet games recently as well. Of course, no one wanted to hear how he was winning everything and we started suggesting other games that we could play so he would no longer be winning in everything.
The result of this conversation was a race between Brandon and Staci from our apartment to Hogi Yogi on 9th East. It's a little over a mile and since Staci is a frequent distance runner and Brandon never goes running we thought she would win. However, we didn't calculate in the fact that Brandon had a lot of competitive energy. And his legs are twice the size of hers. He had yet another win. I couldn't believe that at 10:00 at night we were watching these two race down center street. They both felt miserable afterwards, but it was impressive that they did it. Way to be competitive and entertain the rest of us.