Did That Just Blow Your Mind?

Christmas in Cali

2012-01-31T16:07:00.002-08:00

Ocean Beach in SF...my dad used to go there as a boy to hang out and surf. Pretty cool. We went to Fresno for Christmas and spent time with my parents. Then we went to San Francisco for a day, hence this picture, and had a great time there. I don't have any pictures from Fresno-my mom took all of them with her camera. But we had a ffaabbuulloouuss time!

Magical Birthday!

2012-01-17T16:50:00.000-08:00

For my grand ascension into my 30s(which was waaaaay back on November 30th, I have procrastinated tremendously with this), I decided a trip to Disneyland was appropriate...but since I have taken Brandon to a Disney park 6 times in the 5 1/2 years we've been dating, he put his foot down to only go for very special occasions...which then leads me full circle to my 30th birthday! Hahahaha! Keaton and Sara came along for the fun and splendor and we had a most magical time in a very special land of wonders...:)

Tower of Terror!Brandon researched the secrets for how to get a high score in the Buzz Lightyear Space Blasters ride (which was his favorite) and we did boys vs. girls a few times...this is him and Keaton fighting us off while they discuss the secrets...we never did beat them...

Telling the secrets...

Gazing adoringly at each other...this team has perhaps become toooooo close...
Splash Mountain Big Thunder Mountain

Mystical Esmerelda...She is so wise...
Splash mountain...again! It was kinda chilly and we (I) got soaked...
Christmas decorations...

Delicious treats!

After the river rafting ride in California Adventure

The Matterhorn...I think this one is my favorite...it's so old-school, and the abominable snowman is soooo awesome!

Honey badger....takes what he wants....
Indiana Jones
Waiting for Space Mountain

Home, Eh?

2011-11-16T18:47:00.001-08:00

He's back from America's hat and better than ever! Welcome back, our royal teen highness:) We loooooove you!

All Hallow's Eve

2011-11-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

Brandon's brother Pat had a rip roarin' Halloween party. Excellent. Brandon makes a beautiful fairy, don't you think?

Blackout Game!

2011-11-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

Sara and I decided we needed more flair for the Utah games, so we got fairy outfits to cheer on our Utes- which is odd because if there is any group of adjectives to describe Gelwix's it would probably be quiet, demure, shy...so why we would do anything to gather more attention to ourselves is beyond me...So the outfit pieces happened to come right before Halloween and the Black Out game, so we debuted the lovely Utah fairies at the game...which I think is why we won. They needed a little bit of our magical fairy dust to pull themselves out of a funk. Go Utes!!!

Too tired!

2011-11-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

Our sweet baby Keiko (or Baby Cakes, as I like to call her) is a whirlwind of energy and absolute pure love. I have never met a dog that craves love like this dog-not in an annoying way, but in the cutest "come pet me and play with me and I'll give you kisses all over!" kind of way. She is a rascally rascal, but also the sweetest little munchkin...and as you can see, when all that energy is spent, she just collapses in the cutest ways:)

Goodbye Chunky Monkey!

2011-10-06T17:48:00.001-07:00

Good news! My larger than normal bootay is going to get a massive overhaul. I've been so busy and everything, that my fitness level is on the verge of extinction...But the good news has arrived! I decided that since marathons are now pretty much out of the picture because of my degenerative disc disease that I signed up for the lottery for the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon. I did it 5 years ago, thanks to sweet Stacie Stevens getting me in, and had such a great time that I thought I'd give it a shot again...Well folks... I got in! Now the training begins:) And 'you're welcome' to all the folks that have had to stare at my sedentary body for this long. You're real troopers.

We Had a Baby!

2011-09-29T15:54:00.001-07:00

Well, a baby puppy. I was having such a hard time with the void Wicky left in our little family, so Brandon got me a baby. We rescued Charly, but having just barely lost Wicky-I wanted my next dog to follow the same path with me, being a puppy. Pekingese dogs are not very common in Utah, much less finding puppies. But randomly we found this 9 week old puppy in Kaysville and the owner wasn't a breeder and didn't want a crazy amount for her. I didn't know if I was emotionally ready yet for another dog, but some strangely coincidental things happened and we decided to go meet her and we LOVED her. We decided to name her Keiko (pronounced KAY-Ko), which is a Japanese name (even though it's a Chinese dog) and Brandon has an Aunt Keiko who we love and we love the name. Keiko is a name we had picked if we ever had a girl, but when Sara suggested it, it just seemed perfect. We are having a lot of fun with her, and she acts a lot like her brother Wicky. Now I just need to get her to stop peeing all the time. We love our new rascally snuggle bum :)

Our Sweet Buddy

2011-09-22T17:36:00.001-07:00

Last week was a hard one for us. My baby Wicket passed away. I know some may say it's just a dog, but Wicky was so much more. I don't have children, and he was the closest I think you can come to that for me. I got Wicky as a puppy when I was 16. I was still a kid and we grew up together. He was with me through High School, graduation, college, my first "real" job, meeting Brandon, and so many more experiences. We did everything together. I already miss sitting on the porch, letting him out to roam the neighborhood by himself, snuggling on the couch, prancing, getting licked from head to toe, him laying in my "teacup" between my legs at night on the bed, him watching me get ready for work while still relaxed on my bed, following me everywhere, captaining the car, his after drink cough, his only trick "sit pretty" and so many more little moments we did together. We were soul mates. He had been through a lot in the last month with his eye infection and removal, but the last week of his life was the best he'd been in a few months. We considered it a tune up! So when he suddenly got a cough one day and it worsened throughout the day, we didn't see it coming. But...I knew at some point the day would come when I would lose this best friend. I just didn't think it would be any time soon. If I had do script it, I can honestly say that it happened exactly the way I would have wished. I didn't have to put him down, I didn't have to look him in the eye and know I'd be making that decision. He let us know that evening that he was leaving, which allowed me to say goodbye. I snuggled him and rocked him in my arms until he left us. It was peaceful and in his favorite place-my bed. Our little family-Brandon, Charly, and I-were able to be with him as he left his earth. I am devastated, but am so grateful that he was mine. We miss him terribly. The tears are coming even as I write this. He may have been a dog, but he was MY dog. We miss you buddy. You left a big void in our lives. We love you.:)

The cutest brother and sister:)
Best friends!

The best smashed face ever. My sweet buddy. I can't wait to snuggle you again.

Un Baguette?

2011-09-06T17:05:00.001-07:00

After jolly ol' England, we took a jaunt over to the city of Looooovvvveeeee. How romantic.

The Catacombes were amazing. Really haunting and creepy.

Brandon took me to Disneyland Paris and paid for the whole day-entrance, food, treats...as a special day for me for planning our trip. He is such a sweet Asian.

We got tickets to the Moulin Rouge show.

Beautiful Versailles.

The Hall of Mirrors. Gorgeous.
The cafe by our hotel. We loved the rows of tables and chairs where you could just sit and relax and watch what was going on around you.

We tried escargot. It was surprisingly good. I'm not a fan of the texture, though...
And of course the Eiffel Tower.

The view from our hotel room.Ice cream after our Eiffel Tower stairs workout.

God Save the Queen!

2011-08-31T15:57:00.001-07:00

We got to go on a fantastical trip in August to the motherland. It was wonderful to introduce Brandon to my people. We were in London for a week because Brandon's wonderful parents gave him and his brother Pat their Mexican timeshare for Christmas, but with a book of other properties they could trade it for. So London it was! I jam packed our days and we were exhausted but happy.:)

The Tower of London-my favorite! Shopping at Lillywhites at Picadilly Circus. It is my family's favorite sports store because it has rugby merchandise (especially England!) that isn't super expensive.
Locked out of Buckingham Palace:(

St. Paul Cathedral's doors.

You can't tell very well, but we're reinacting the girl behind me who spent like 15 minutes in different poses at the London Eye. Seemed sooooo amazing that I wanted to try it myself.
In a pod on the London Eye with Parliament in teh background.

The Tate Museum
On our way to Twickenham to watch the rugby game. By the time we were a few blocks from the stadium, there were thousands of people in the streets.
England vs. Wales! Johnny Wilkinson is my favorite player in the whole world. He is the one in black pointing.
We won!

Hampton Court Palace. I LOOOOVVVVEEEE Tudor history, so this was one of my favorites!

Right off of Picadilly CircusOur Thames River boat cruise.
Westminister Abbey
We'd seen the Ice Bar on the Travel Channel, so we decided we wanted to go see. It was crazy. Everything was ice. They give you a cloak and gloves and the longest you can stay in is 40 minutes. Very fun.
Not a great picture of me, but you can see the sweet ice bench I'm sitting on and all the walls of ice.
On the top of St. Paul's Cathedral.

Waiting for the changing of the guard.

Touring Buckingham Palace. We got to see Kate Middleton's wedding dress, shoes, and wedding jewels. I loved it.

Warwick Castle

I love how the billowing wind makes my butt look behemoth.
Stratford on Avon-Shakespeare's birth home.
Walking through Stratford.

Strawberry!

2011-07-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

Brandon had a few days off in a row, so we ventured up to Strawberry Reservoir for a camping extravaganza. Brandon planned everything, got everything ready and set up, and all I had to do was show up. It was awesome. He is an amazing wasian! We camped at Aspen Grove and went down the street to the reservoir-the water is insanely high!

We took our rafts out and Brandon fished while I read on my floaty raft. It was beautiful:)

Check out the view!
Making our way out in the lake. There were huge pelicans everywhere. I thought maybe they would come peck me to death, but turns out they didn't. Relief.
I am a rowing goddess.
I have to add that this was the very first time EVER that Brandon let me put sunscreen all over his body. We have always had a struggle putting ANY sunscreen on him. He thinks because he's an Asian sensation that he doesn't need it. I usually only get to put it on his face and maybe on his shoulders, and he usually doesn't let me do anything above SPF8. This time, while he had a sad baby face on, he let me put SPF30 on his whole body. I say "let me put" because he won't put it on...so like a mother and child, he stood still while I applied sunscreen on his body! It was a crowning moment of achievement for me!!! And...probably funny to watch for everyone around us. Afterwards, he got a little red, so he was actually grateful that I put it on him cause he would have FRIIIEEEEDDD otherwise. You're welcome.;)

Brandon's incredible fire skills...I made our favorite dutch over stroaganoff and cobbler...we were in heaven.

Two of my students on the last day of school gave me these glasses...so if it was 2003 and I was a rapper, you'd be pprreeettttyyyy impressed.

Our fishing extravaganza! We rented a dumpy fishing boat and went out early (too early for my liking!) to catch our little swimmy friends...

Very manly.Wicky and Charly had not had their second sleep (their routine nap right after they wake up in the morning and go to the bathroom. They are verrrry sleepy dogs!) and it was a little cold. So we made a very nice snuggle spot in the front of the boat where they cuddled for most of the adventure.

We are best friends!
They are best friends!
My babies!

So after like 5 hours of nothing biting, we had a fabulous time and had to take the boat back in. So Brandon decided to go back slowly and troll (sp?) while we went in...and that's when he caught his big fish! He caught a Kokanee salmon, and I had a little bit of a PETA moment and freaked out and told him to throw it back, but then I recovered and he kept it and made a delicious dinner that night.I love this pic of him. He was so excited :)

Sara G. and Arni-Elei C.

2011-06-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

Sara and Arni-Elei got married last Friday and it was one for the ages. They got married in the Bountiful Temple and had their reception at the Willowcreek Country Club. It was splendid:)

My cute niece Lucy.

Another cutie pie-Jane

Brandon and Janie

Besties!

Very dramatic wind...

Larry and Annie
Lucy and Jane
How...adorable.

Brandon's brother Pat, mom Diane, and stepdad Sterling.

I love that Keaton's cardboard cutout is creepily staring at the camera.

Pacifica, Brandon, Amy, Ashley, and Laura.

It's about time we got some color in the family! Congrats!

Wedding Dinner!

2011-06-19T19:09:00.000-07:00

Sara and Arni-Elei had their wedding dinner at Rodizio Grill...since he IS ethnic and all. It was delicious and super fun.

Jane was very sad because my brother wasn't in town yet and she wanted her daddy...

My sweet poogly cup daddy:)

Besties!

Rugby Nationals Day 2...Champions!

2011-05-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

Highland won their 20th national championship. My dad will retire with a varsity record of 418 wins and 10 losses...not too shabby. We were a little nervous because the boys seemed a little tentative in the first half, but they pulled it together for the second half to send my dad out on a win. An amazing end to an amazing volunteer career:)

That's my bedazzled sign in the background. Apparently it made it onto the sports segment on channel 2 that night.

My dad's brother Tom drove down from Idaho to come to the game.

The team and alumni did a haka for my dad to honor him.

Highland haka-ing United after the game and Highland/alumni haka-ing my parents.

Rugby Nationals Day 1

2011-05-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

Friday was the start of a bittersweet weekend. This is the final year of coaching for my dad. He's coached Highland Rugby for 36 years and is retiring so he and my mom can go be mission presidents in Fresno. Our family has been reminiscing about all of our memories from rugby. A lot of my childhood was spent in some sort of rugby related event. I've seen my dad behind the scenes when no one else is looking and all the time and energy he put into the team and the boys. It's been an amazing ride for us. I don't know what I'll do next spring when Highland Rugby isn't a part of my family. It's all I've ever known so it will be weird to not have that. I love my dad so much and am so grateful for what he's taught me about hard work and selflessness. Thanks dad:)

Numba one fans!

I have the most incredible dad:)
There was a dinner for my dad on Friday night honor him and his storied career. Pretty emotional.

The fam minus Keaton.

Pat's Marathon

2011-05-01T15:37:00.001-07:00

What a fun race day. Brandon's mom and I ran the Salt Lake 5K. Champions? Yes. His brother, Pat, ran the marathon. He was excellent and we are soooooo proud.

Early morning before the races. What...a beauty.
Waiting for Pat to run by on 5th East and 2700 South. We had a hoot of a time cheering the athletes on.
Yay! He's alive!
Gloriously good looking.

Almost there!

Brandon was a very sweet older brother and ran Pat in, but forgot he had a mug in his hand and spilled everywhere.

Finished!
Victorious!

Matt and Emily

2011-04-03T09:48:00.001-07:00

Emily and Matt got married at Le Jardin on April 1st. It was a very nice ceremony and reception. We are super happy to have Matt in the fam.:)

Family Time

2011-03-31T22:03:00.000-07:00

My sister Emily is getting married on April 1st so we've had some excellent family time. We had their rehearsal dinner at Biaggi's because of their gluten free menu for my two glutard sisters. Very nice! Wedding pics are next:)

Our family is bursting with fun because we have the little girls here for Emily's wedding. We had a sleepover with them and my dad always makes colored pancakes for them, so we had to keep the tradition alive. It was excellent.

Birthday Blowout!

2011-03-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

Brandon's mom is turning 50, so to celebrate we went down to St. George and Mesquite. We stayed at their house down there that is right by Snow Canyon, so our first day there we took a fabulous bike ride up around Tuacahn and up the canyon. We had an excellent time getting out of the cold.

Finally Some Sunshine for my Poor Pasty White Skin:)

2011-03-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

My sweet dad invited me to come on a work trip with him on a Mexican Riviera Cruise. Best dad ever! We had such a great time together and did a super fun zipline adventure across a jungle forest. Plus, I don't look slightly albino anymore, which is always a plus.

Waiting at the pool while the ship leaves Mazatlan.
Riding the donkeys after the zipline in Puerto Vallarta

Waiting for the show to start.
Cabo San Lucas

California Here They Come!

2011-03-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

My parents were called to be mission presidents in the Fresno California mission! They are super excited and are busy bees trying to get ready to go. They leave June 22 and will be gone for 3 years, which seems rather long, but a good reason to visit California. When I found out, first I googled how far it is to San Francisco. My dad was born and raised there until he went to college, so it's a favorite of my family. about 3 hrs. Perfect! Then I googled the distance to Disneyland. 3.5 hrs. Excellent. So...pretty great:)

VD

2011-02-16T16:25:00.000-08:00

Nope, not the STD, but rather the day of love. Brandon took me on an adventure! First...Settebello for dinner and gelatto, then we had a film photography quest, then walked around the city. Brandon used to go "roofing" a lot when he was younger, so he decided to show me the ropes and we ventured onto the Salt Lake skyline. I am terrified of heights, so I was a little nervous, but it was gorgeous! What...a treat.:)

We......are pretty cute...

2011-02-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

and...we have oodles of fun:)
The End

Keyyyyyyyys!

2011-01-25T17:17:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was party-tastic at Keys on Main. Brandon's coworker was moving, so a bunch of peeps from his work got together for a going away party. We had a very excellent time singing along with the piano players. What....a hot time in the old town.

Brandon and me with our friends Johnny and Lindsey.

Pat and my giant head.

Snow to the Bird

2011-01-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

Brandon and I spent some relaxing time up at the Iron Blosam lodge at Snowbird during the week his family has their condo. We had an excellent time and spent some fabulous time snowboarding. I got new snowboarding boots for Christmas and it probably changed my life...it's amazing the difference new equipment can make. I am probably the best snowboarder ever now.

We spent one morning exploring all the buildings up at Snowbird...

Snow Time!
Tunnel to Mineraaaalllll Basssssiiiinnnn! We made up a rap song where Brandon rapped and then I came in like Rihanna and sang the chorus...it was pretty spectacular. When we came out the other side, the attendant at the opening was laughing at our song. He loved it.

The last night we were there, we had party times with rock band.

A Glance Back...

2011-01-02T13:37:00.000-08:00

2010

JANUARY

Jazz Game

Brandon's 30th Birthday at Snowbird

The painting of us I painted for his birthday.:)

FEBRUARY

San Francisco

Thailand

South Korea

MARCH

Las Vegas

APRIL

Chicago

Rugby-Year 35

Salt Lake Half Marathon

May

Aydre's Wedding in Idaho

JUNE

Many trips to Tan Camp

The Babies

Alaska Cruise

Bear Lake

Biking in Heber

JULY

Larry's family visits...

Another year working at Bob's Brainfreeze:)

Waterton, Alberta, Canada

Random Summertime Stuff

August

Back East

Twilight Concert Series
10 Year Reunion

October

November

29th Birthday

December

A most wonderful day:)

2010-12-27T09:44:00.000-08:00

Awesome Christmas.

Brandon and I made our Gelwix home movies into DVD's (still not done though...there's a lot of videos) but it made my mom cry....excellent! Lining up to see what Santa brought!

Wicky always finds the most comfortable spot:)
Mmmmm...breakfast right before we get to talk to Keaton.

My Aunt Von and me.

Best Christmas ever!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-26T18:18:00.000-08:00

Brandon's family does an annual Christmas sushi dinner. Usually we go to his Aunt Keiko's house and make it, but this year we went to a really great restaurant. They almost didn't let me in due to my pale white skin and round eyes...not Wasian enough for them. Luckily I was the token minority, so luck was on my side.;)

Uncle Russ and Aunt Keiko
Brandon and his step-mom's neice DJ and nephew Blake. They are adorable and they looovveee Brandon.
Brandon and Pat making their cousin Chris feel quite uncomfortable...

We went to the Cathedral of the Madeleine carol service with Brandon's family. It was great and made me feel like I was in a medieval movie...really cool.

Sterling and Diane

The Latest and Greatest Happenings...

2010-12-19T10:05:00.000-08:00

Brandon, his brother Pat, and I were going to go snowshoeing for a blissful holiday excursion. Turns out the pipeline didn't have enough snow, so we just went on an adventure filled hike. Gorgeous and our tiny babies had a blast.

Pat turned 30 so we went with Brandon's family to the Tavernacle to have a festivus celebration. It was their parents' first time to the Tavernacle, so it was fun to see their reactions to the songs and things the pianists say that are a little naughty...:)
Very serious brothers.
B and his fabulous mom.
What a cute family:)

And best of all, our ugly sweaters. Thank goodness my dear mother saved her seasonal sweater collection, because it has come in handy many times. You can't tell very well, but I did the Utah poof on my hair. I tried the best I could, and it is actually really hard to do. No one ever needed a Bump-It more than I did at that moment. Brandon did the mid-90s hair spike, and all that was missing from making his outfit amazing was some frosted tips.

My Day of Alllllll Days!

2010-12-09T15:37:00.001-08:00

In honor of my blessed birth, I decided I was too sick to do anything(work) but go to Snowbird last week. What a genius plan because it was one of the best days ever! We rode in knee deep to waist deep powder the entire day.:)

Food is soooooo delicious when you're on the mountain for some reason. The chili I had may have saved my life. Just incredible.

Every time I turned around he was eating snow. Now, I like eating snow...but the amount he eats is just ridiculous!

Best Day Ever!

Precious. Just precious.
Now I'm 29 and very wise and mature.

Halllllllsssssweeennnnsss!

2010-11-11T15:55:00.002-08:00

A festivus All Hallows Eve! Brandon's brother had a rockin' party at his house, so I went as an incredibly hot German bar maid, and Brandon went as a little person in a giant hat. I put the video of his costume at the end. He's wearing some of it in this pic, but you can't really tell...:)

Pat...He's Justin Timberlake in the SNL short "Dick in a Box"

And more appropriately for my job, I was a breathtaking Alice in Wonderland...and yes, Halloween parades in schools are still alive and well!

End of Summer

2010-08-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

To unofficially end summer, Catherine and I biked down to the last concert of the Twilight Concert Series and met all sorts of peeps down there. Perfection.

America's Hat!

2010-07-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

We returned to the Mercer family reunion in gorgeous Waterton, Alberta. It's kind of like a sleepy Jackson Hole. We had a grand old time...:) Fun fact: We didn't have any episodes of second or third cousins caught canoodling this time. That happened at the the last reunion. Seriously. My great uncle had to lecture them about the fact that they were related. :) I still laugh when I think about it. Anyway...Waterton...beautiful!

Waterton Lake

The amazing fashions of Waterton...
My great grandparents' grave...

Such a cute town...

The red rocks... if you look closely you can see Sara and me. We are going on one of the rock slides in the river...

The water was soooooo cold! But the slides were too fun to pass up...

The start of the hike to the waterfall...

My dad turned 60 on this trip and is already showing signs of dementia...as you can see from this picture..

That's the Prince of Wales Hotel. I've always wanted to stay there...hopefully someday I will!

LX is the new XL

2010-07-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Did you catch on to my excellent usage of Roman numerals?... My hero of all heroes is turning 60 this week. So here's to my sweet dad...:)

Love These Girls:)

2010-07-11T20:26:00.001-07:00

My cutey nieces have been in town from Chicago and my family is having a kablasto good time with them. There are a lot of pictures, but I couldn't choose, so I just included them all. :)

Bob's Brainfreeze

Raging Waters

Annie's 1st birthday party

4th of July party

Just hanging out...

The aquarium

The zoo

Bizzzear Lake

2010-07-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

Hooray for excellent Uncles and Aunts that invite us to Bear Lake! Thanks Scooter and Von:) We had an awesome time on the lake, and even brought tan camp up from my pool for the occasion.

Tan Camp has begun...

The lake was freeeeeeezing.
Yellow drink on the dock...perfection!
Best sisters:)
My cousins Lisa, Amy, and Alex with Sara and me.
Our sweet ride.

Me attempting to ski.

The whole gang!

Alaskan Adventure!

2010-06-15T22:39:00.001-07:00

I was lucky enough to accompany my darling parents on an Alaska cruise adventure. What a hoot:)

My dad (who has lost like 35 pounds by the way) was so diligent in his exercising. I am so proud. He's such a stud! Ow owwwww!!!

The welcome cocktail party with my Aunt Diane.
Mmmmm...delicious drinks. Pina Colada and a Diet Coke...a winning combination!

The totem park in Ketchikan.

This was in Juneau. Prostitution was huge in the mining towns, and this was in "Dolly's House" which was a brothel that operated for a long time. These roses on her shower curtains are made out of silk condoms from France that didn't work. Seriously.
Dinner in the dining room.
Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau

Sawyer Glacier. We stood in that spot for like two hours while the ship drove up the fjord. We HAD to get the best lookout spot...and we did!
Ugh. My least favorite part of Alaska.
Skagway. This train would clear the snow off the tracks.

Yukon Trail train ride in Skagway. Absolutely gorgeous.

Prince Rupert, Canada.
We are soooooo attractive:)

A great trip. Thanks mother and poogly!

Aydre:)

2010-05-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend up in Blackfoot, Idaho, for Aydre's wedding. It was at a beautiful house right on the Snake River. It couldn't have been any more beautiful. She and Kelly were so cute.
Sara and me.

Sara and Arni Elei waiting by the river after the ceremony.

The beautiful backdrop for the ceremony.

A beautiful day:)

Lately...

2010-05-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

I figured it was time to put something new up. So....here goes:)

I ran the Salt Lake Half Marathon in late April with my dear friend Diane. We wore our amazing bionic tutus, which helped us keep our swagger all the way to the finish line. I had always wanted to run a race in a tutu, so my wish was finally granted. It was so fun and people loved it! We were awesome!

Almost there! We came up with our running names- mine was Gurty, and Diane's was Stella. Excellent:)I really wanted to go to a playoff game, so I got tickets for Sara and me to go to the first home game the Jazz played against the Lakers. What a heartbreaker:( We had saawwweeeeeeett tickets on the back row of the entire arena, but that didn't dampen our spirits.
And that's it for now...I've been painting my ceiling all night and am too tired for more...:)

Rugby season...I love you:)

2010-04-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

For the 29th time in my life, high school rugby season has come and I'm loving it! This probably isn't a super exciting post for anyone else, but this is one of my favorite things ever! Nationals this year are at Rio Tinto-so you should all come out the 3rd weekend of May. :)

Best dad/coach in the whole world!
I tried to study for my entrance exam to graduate school...I was only mildly successful.

Playing the Montana state champions, Iron Horse, at Rio Tinto.
My dad and the boys at Murray City Park playing East High School out of Denver.
My cousins and Sara...
Selling HR merchandise with our friend Stacy Voelzke.

Chi-Town

2010-04-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

I decided to add on to this post...So Jane and I went on an adventure in the mini van to our favorite store. Jane was a sassy dream come true in the store, she loved going to the clothes and saying how cute they were. We had so much fun, and I kept the Barbie fruit snacks coming!

Larry and Amy's friends had an Easter egg hunt...so cute!

Because of my amazing parents, I got to take a last minute trip to Chicago during my spring break to visit my brother's family. We are having an ooooodalolly good time!

Annie and Lucy

Lucy and Jane
Skyping Nana and Papa (my mom and dad)

Make up time!

Don't I look gorgeous?
Then Lucy had to show me how she can ride a two wheeler now, so we went on a walk so she could show off:)

VEGA$$$$$$$$$

2010-03-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I gave his brother Pat a birthday trip to Vegas! We had an awesome time and went to see Cirque de Soliel's "Zumanity." I have to say that Vegas gets more and more fun every time I go.:)

Mindy (Pat's woman), Pat, B, and me.

The ceiling in the Bellagio...

$15 crab and steak at the America restaurant in New York, New York

With Michael Jackson...turns out he's alive!

At Zuuuummmmaaaannnniiiiittttyyyy!!! The host was a drag queen...he/she was awesome!
Amazing brunch buffet in Planet Hollywood...

Until next time...:)

The Last of It...

2010-03-11T19:03:00.001-08:00

So I promise this is the final post:)
We went to the Golden Triangle and went to the Opium Museum to learn about the history of drug trafficking in the area. Amazing but totally sad.
This is our guide Tuk that my dad uses every time he takes a group to Thailand. She is so awesome and is my new Thai mother. If you ever go to Thailand, use her!
They had these hats everywhere...it really makes his eye "pop"...don't you think? ;)
Laos is in the background across the river.
More of the Golden Triangle...

They have this at the drug checkpoint. They call him "Officer Cool" because he never takes breaks, and even when it's hot he keeps all his gear on and works round the clock...I thought it was funny;)
SOUTH KOREA

We had a quick stop in Seoul, so we went on a city tour and stopped for a traditional Korean barbecue. We sat on the ground (which was awesome) and the food was amazing! I even retried Kimchi, even though I know I don't like it, but I had to since I was in Korea...yep still don't like it.
The Blue House- the Korean equivalent of the White House.

The End.

More Thailand...sorry...well...actually I'm not sorry ;)

2010-03-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

Lot's of pics- I know! I'm almost done, I promise...
We toured some local villages by boat...this little boy was my favorite...

A local market...
We toured the King's mother's house. She died like ten years ago, and they've kept her house exactly as she had it and turned it into a museum where you can tour the house and the huge gardens. It is amazing and huuuuuuge! They had men out there watering the lawns and the flowers because they don't have sprinklers...

Amazing flowers everywhere! They also had a greenhouse full of orchids-I'd never seen such beautiful or giant orchids in my life.

In front of the house.

Oh, and a sweet toilet.

Elephant park!

2010-02-28T15:49:00.000-08:00

Well...my favorite part of our trip now has earned its own post. We went to this elephant camp (and not to worry, it's one of the camps that treats their animals very humanely. They are like family to the people who own it and work there). First we got to ride the elephants, then they did a show for us where they raised the flag, did tricks with their mahoots, shot basketballs into baskets, kicked drop kicks and regular kicks into a soccer net, played harmonicas, and the coolest of all- THEY PAINTED!!! I'm not kidding. I included pictures of the paintings they did, and I bought the one that the elephant closest to us painted. It was such a neat experience, I HAVE to do it again!
They have these treehouses with women in them selling bananas and sugar cane for 30 baht (which is like a dollar) that we can buy to feed our elephant. So we did, and our Mahoot fed him our treat.:)
Riding our elephant through the jungle.
Our view of our ride.

These are all the paintings that each of the painting elephants did. They train each elephant to paint one type of painting, so it's not like they can just paint whatever they feel like that day. It is amazing to watch them paint. The Mahoot (their trainer) would just dip a paintbrush into paint and hand it to the elephant, and the elephant would know exactly what to do. I bought the one in the middle with the two red flowers. Oh, and the paper they paint on is made of elephant dung. Excellent.

My dad and I riding through the jungle on the elephant I named "Princess Sparkle McUnicorn". He was a very noble elephant.
Out of order, but the beginnings of my masterpiece.
The beginning of our show.
Bath time.

Here are videos of bath time, and the elephants playing harmonicas in the show.

Sawadee! #1

2010-02-18T21:04:00.001-08:00

I just had the awesome opportunity to go to Thailand with my dad for almost 2 weeks. We had the best time and I have to say it's my favorite trip ever. Here are some of the pics- I'm going to post some more but I'm t-i-r-e-d:) I hope you enjoy my picture jewels. Thailand is an amazing place.

This is the Chiang Mai flower festival parade.

You can buy birds in little bamboo cages and let them fly free for good luck.

This cute little girl was walking around trying to sell us the bag in her hand. She was adorable.

On our way to the floating market.

A Quick Stop...

2010-01-30T22:17:00.002-08:00

My dad and I took a brief layover trip into San Francisco. It's always fun to go because he grew up here and knows his way around, has great little hole in the wall places to go, knows the city's history, and has amazing stories from when he lived here. We had a kablast of a good time.:)

Having a delicious hot fudge sundae at Ghirardelli Square.

Ocean Beach
He went to this beach a ton as a kid and teenager, so it's always fun for us to come with him.
Right outside of Golden Gate Park.

...and on we go to the next stop:)...

30 is pretty old if you ask me...

2010-01-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

Brandon's big day was a hoot this year. We went up to the condo at Snowbird and had a great day on the mountain. Then I tricked him and made him come down the canyon to walk our dogs, and when we got back there was a magnificent surprise party there to greet him. The best part is that like two weeks ago he told me I couldn't surprise him with anything, he's too good. But he was shocked when he walked in, so ha! Take that you old wasian!

We just keep getting better and better looking as the pictures go on...;)

Brandon and his cousin Chris (also a marvelous wasian:)). Chris's birthday is the day before Brandon's. They have a picture from 1985 where they both had a birthday cake and celebrated it together, so this is them recreating their picture.

We gave Pat a trip to Las Vegas and a Cirque de Soliel show, so he returned the favor with a rafting trip in Moab...and Brandon can bring a guest, which = me!
My crafting skills hard at work.
This is one of my gifts to Brandon. I like to paint, so I painted us. I'm just an amateur so be nice:)

Poinsettia Bowl!

2009-12-24T12:15:00.000-08:00

My dad took a group to the Poinsettia Bowl, and he got to take Sara and me along. Sweeeeeet! So we took a quick 2 day trip to San Diego and got to spend some quality Gelwix holiday cheer time together. Gelwix time+Utes' win=Excelllllllllent!

I bought those bows for Charly(Brandon's dog) but I think they are much more beautiful on my poopie. Very becoming!
We got to the stadium like 2 hours early, which explains oooooool the empty seats.

The Utes' first touchdown:) Number 81(Moeai) just caught the ball
Every first down my dad would do his over the top signal.

Some Cal fans lit a paper garbage can on fire. Excellent!

The Most Glorious Day of the Year+The Happiest Place on Earth=Magical

2009-12-05T15:10:00.000-08:00

Yay!!!! Birthday celebration in Disneyland!!! I signed up like a year ago for the free entry on your birthday, and boy was it princess-tastic! We went for 2 days and it was glorious. We barely had to wait in lines too, 5-10 minutes for most, 20 minutes for Space Mountain was the longest we waited. It was perfect weather, and the perfect day.:)

Birthday dinner at the Blue Bayou...(the restaurant in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride).

Sara ate like 7 pounds of cotton candy- she looovvveeessss it!

Emily cried on this ride. She hates droppy rides, but we made her go on the Tower of Terror...She swears she didn't cry but I looked over and she was sobbing saying "I hate this!" It was pretty funny.:)
It's hard to tell which one of us is the princess...
Turkey legs for dinner one night...delicious!

Until we meet again Dizzzzlanzzzz...I miss you already...

An oldy but goody:)

2009-12-05T14:51:00.001-08:00

To celebrate the 28th anniversary of my glorious arrival, we went to La Frontera for delicious cheap Mexican food, then went to see "New Moon," which was a total disappointment-in fact I would say I hated it. Buuuuttttt....we still had a grand ol' time.:)
My presents from my parents...

I got a messenger bag for traveling...I ordered it, then my mom paid me back and wrapped it for me.:)
Pink heels...excellent!Brandon told me a long time ago that he was making my birthday present and I wasn't allowed in his house because he was still working on it and it was out in the open. Turns out he totally tricked me. I didn't have a computer, and a while ago we were at Costco buying some random stuff and we went over to the computer section and started playing with computers and I was telling him what I liked and didn't like about the layout of certain computers(since I really don't have a clue when it comes to a computer's make up and capabilities). Turns out he did that on purpose, and he presented me with an orange leaf bag full of newspapers. I had no clue what he could have made that would be in that bag. Well folks, it was a kick A computer. It's a monster! I was kablasted with excitement and surprise. Brandon is a very sweet baby.:)

Oh, and just for fun he covered the computer box with industrial glue so the paper(and everything else) would stick to it.

Hooray for me finally having a computer!!!!! I've officially entered the 21st century!

I practically own Home Depot

2009-11-19T15:10:00.000-08:00

So I've had many projects lately.I grew up in a very non "do it yourself" household. So learning how to do these little projects makes me very proud. :) Here's a peek...

An extra shoe shelf in my closet (I built it ALL by myself in one evening. It's level and everything:))

Knobs and drawer pulls in the kitchen. This is technically not "before," since I'd already put the first one in.

My grandpa built this china hutch in the 70's and my mom gave it to me. This was my first experience with sanding and staining...blech.

You can't really tell, but it's a really cool mahogany color...

And finally, this was an antique cabinet I bought at a yard sale at Brandon's neighbor's house.

Other Ridiculously Amazing Happenings...

2009-11-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

A Scareeeeeeeey Haunted House with Sara's roommates...I'm the orange one...
We have been going to Lumpy's downtown for the away Utah games. It's super fun- they have these giant screens up, and super comfy chairs to sit in. The food is awesome, and best of all- free Diet Cokes! I don't know why really, probably cause they think we're designated drivers, or maybe just cause it's cheap. Either way, guaranteed excellent times!

I got bored so I saturated this one. So this is apparently what we'd look like as oompa loompas. Or maybe Lindsay Lohan's tanning friends.

Utah home games!

The first time I've ever used a pattern for a pumpkin. Mine is on the left, Brandon's is on the right.

Now don't everyone comment at once-I don't know if my blog can handle the volume of comments I receive! PS I love you.

Saying Goodbye to the Teen Teen...

2009-11-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

Last Baconater (sp? I have no clue how to spell that...)