flawed and fabulous

My sister in law Ashley started this fun thing called flawed and fabulous friday where we celebrate our flaws. So here goes:

Last night I got out of class around 10. It has been a long week and I was ready to get home and crash. Brent and I had both been sick all week. But as I got in the car Brent told me that he was in desperate need of a bran muffin (new diet = weird cravings). We went to Smith's and looked through their baked goods, NO LUCK! We went to whatever Albertson's is called now, NO LUCK! Brent was really frustrated and then I realized he had been wearing his shirt inside out all night I started laughing. Instead of going home I called Macey's and they said that they sold them in packs of 4.
We rushed to Maceys and looked through their muffins. They had bran muffins but the four packs were variety packs and had lots of different flavors. Brent was really upset, so I did the only rational thing and started marching to the service desk to demand they put 4 in a box, they did tell me they sold them after all. Brent stopped me and dragged me back to the muffin stand where we finally found one box with 4 bran muffins. He was one happy camper and we giggled the whole way home.

yes we are ridiculous but we love our silly adventures. Flawed and Fabulous :)

KNIVES.

I HAVE THOUGHTS!

So... this is Brent. I have decided that I have some thoughts that I want to blo g. Some of them, of course, will involve basketball; more specifically, the NBA Playoffs coming up. Also, I am going to post some of the convoluted craziness that I will extract from the manic maelstrom that is my conscious process. Buen provecho. Enjoy.

1. Our neighbors, Jake and Hannah Garrett, are moving. That stinks. We've really enjoyed having them so close. They taught us pinochle and gave us our first real "couple friend" after we got married. Good times. We know that they'll be off on a new adventure in a new apartment, but if one of you is reading this, WE STILL WANT TO BE FRIENDS! We need another pinochle summer!

2. I enjoy drinking out of large glasses. Small glasses stink.

3. One of Katie's students, Sarai, invited us over to her house for some authentic Central American food on this upcoming Monday night, including pupusas, black beans, tortillas, and a few other things. I think that I will be fasting until Monday. For those of you that know how amazing this stuff is, be jealous. For those of you that do not know this food, I feel bad for you. Legitimately. Your life is awful.

4. (Insert sports rant) The Chicago Bulls will win the NBA Championship this year. They have size, length, athleticism, and "that dude" (thanks to Charles Barkley for that), Derrick Rose. Though they may not have the proven playoff mettle of the Lakers, Spurs, Mavericks, Celtics, Heat, Knicks, or the Magic, they will have enough to dethrone the Lakers as champs. Here's a team-by-team breakdown of why:

1. Celtics- the Celtics are the presiding elders of the eastern conference. However, the loss of Kendrick Perkins opened up the door to Father Time's withered hand that is now firmly choking greatness out of the Celts. Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer will make Jermaine O'Neal (yes, he's still playing, and yes, he's starting for the C's) look 10 years older than he is, effectively putting him into the geriatric ward. Luol Deng will bother Paul Pierce enough to lower his effectiveness. Kevin Garnett will do well on defense, but his "O" has retrogressed to the point where he is a shadow of his former self. Rose v. Rondo is compelling, but Rose is in a league by himself. He makes Raghib Ismail look like Wilford Brimley and will make sure that this year the Toros take down the C's if they meet.

2. Heat- Containing the Big 3 will be a tall order for any team in the league, and whether or not it can be done remains to be seen. This will be the season where Lebron must step into legendary status or continue on in his past of playoff frustration. Luol Deng, Ronnie Brewer, and Keith Bogans will be able to do their job against Lebron and D-Wade, which means that they just have to make them take hard shots (jump shots) and keep them from simultaneously averaging 40 points over the course of the series. Joakim Noah will nullify Chris Bosh with his physicality and manic defense in the pivot, and Joel Anthony, Erick Dampier, and Big Z will be disappointing reinforcements. Derrick Rose will dissect the Bibby/Wade/Chalmers mod squad that will attempt to put a dent in his production. Though the Bulls will not win by 20 every night, I think they will be able to eke out at least a 1-point in victory in four out of seven.

3. Knicks- Noah will beat Stoudemire up, Boozer will get the better of Knicks C Jared Jeffries, and Deng/Bogans/Butler trio will be able to keep Carmelo from a 30 ppg average. Once again, Derrick Rose will be the force behind the frontcourt battering ram of Deng, Boozer, and Noah that will power the Bulls to a victory in this possible matchup. A Chauncey Billups from the 2004 Pistons championship run would make for an intriguing matchup against Derek Rose, but this year's Billups model has too much mileage. His craftiness will win him some battles, but Rose will win the war.

4. Magic- Outside of the Lakers and the combined 21 feet of Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum, the Bulls may have the best matchup possibilities against Dwight Howard. Coach Thibodeau can run Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and a bevy of double teams zones that will effectively confuse Superman and force him to do what he does not do so well: pass out to the open man. He hasn't been able to throw a exit pass to anyone but his teammate standing directly in front of him. If the Bulls can force him to look cross-court to pass out and stay solid on their rotations, they should be fine. Though the Magic shooters can burn it up from outside, the perimeter team defense with Bogans, Brewer, Deng, and Rose will have the length and quickness to cover a larger part of open 3s than most teams in the league. Advantage: Bulls.

5. Lakers-Whatever anybody may say, the championship still comes through L.A. If the Bulls meet them in the Finals, Kobe's and Bynum's knees along with more apparent vulnerability on defense will spell the Lake Show's downfall. Nobody in the league can cover Rose; don't even try. Joakim Noah will give Pau a run for his money, which means keeping him under 20 pts and 10 boards a game and outside of 10 feet from the hoop. Though Kobe's knees may be ailing, he's still the deadliest clutch player in the game. If Brewer/Deng/Bogans can keep the Black Mamba from getting to the hole with regularity, Kobe may be less effective. His knee will be banged up, his jump shots may come up a little short, and Showtime 2.0 will fall.

The Bulls have the size, athleticism, and star power in Derrick Rose to bring the O'Brien trophy back to Chicago. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. If I'm right, I'm smarter than you and you should seek my opinion on future life decisions. Ha!

Thanks for dropping by. Katie will be making the future posts; I'm just glad that I can have the floor every few months for a rant. Thanks!

The Way We Were

I sometimes wonder what would have happened if Brent and I had met in high school. We were both such different people then. We might have gotten along as friends or we may have hated each other. When Brent and I first met in October 2008 we could not stand each other. It was only through a summer of working together that we got over it. But this post is not about where we are now, it is about who we were before.

Brent-the jock

Brent has always had a love for the game of basketball. He played on all the city leagues and made the high school team. He was the kid who was in the gym everyday, even in the summer. He practiced and practiced and practiced. It definitely payed off, Brent was an amazing basketball player. He started for varsity his junior and senior years, averaging 16 points a game his senior year.

Brent playing in the Spectrum against Logan... MC won :)

One of the greatest blessings in Brent's life has been his friends. I am so grateful that he had the friends he did growing up. They all grew up together and stayed close from elementary school to now. Even though they all have very different personalities, they still did everything together. We don't get to see everyone as much as we would like, but every time we get together we laugh a ton :)

Here are a few of the guys at Ryan's wedding (Ryan had not come out yet)

Brent's ambition in life was to be a high school basketball coach. He decided to go and play basketball for year at a junior college in Wyoming. He learned a lot about basketball, made some great friends and had some interesting roommates. Although he had fun that year, he still hates everything about the state of Wyoming.

The summer of 2006 as I was graduating high school, Brent was leaving for Quetzaltenango, Guatemala on his mission. Brent's mission is a big part of who he is today. His mission president, President Morales, is an incredible man who taught Brent about being a husband and a father. Brent really grew up on his mission and I am grateful every day that he had those experiences.

Brent as a missionary

Katie-the geek

In high school I was very much a "red" "type-A" personality. I was voted most likely to be President of the US by my graduating class. I was the overachiever who was involved in as much as I could possibly handle. I had a flair for the dramatic and I now regret all of the drama I dealt with.

I was on the yearbook staff and was co-editor in chief two years in a row. I loved being a part of something creative. I was on the debate team. I spent weekends at debate tournaments: running through schools in heels pulling carts with heavy boxes of evidence around. I can say without a doubt that debate is the reason I can write as a grad student. I played cello in the chamber orchestra for three years of high school. We were a very close group. The tours to Seattle, St. George and San Francisco were a blast. I participated in pit orchestras for two musicals, was in National Honor Society and took 4 AP classes.

This was one of the orchestra tours... I think Seattle?

Looking back it was probably too much, but I don't know what I would change. I envy Brent because I did not have that group of friends he did. In fact, I had a hard time keeping friends. It wasn't until the end of my senior year that I became good friends with Lee, Libby, and Tess. I had friends in all of my activities, but they all had friends to hang out with on the weekends. For the most part I stayed too busy to worry about it. If I could do it over again I would build more friendships.

This was taken a few days before graduation. It's a shame we didn't become close sooner.

After high school my ambition was to be an investigative reporter. I headed to USU as a double major in Political Science and Journalism. The first two years were tough. Really tough. I survived and made it to my junior year which is when I found the greatest group of friends. Maren, Kelsha and the boys of 105 made me a much better person. They loved me for being a geek and showed me that I could be other things too.

On the left: the combo meal at the Preston Parade. On the Right: me and three of the 105 guys playing after finals week.

And Now?

A lot has changed. Brent wants to be a pediatrician. He is preparing for medical school (and doing an awesome job). I am becoming an ESL-social studies teacher. For health reasons Brent cannot play basketball (which makes both of us very sad). I can barely play my cello, because I stopped practicing. Brent has become more confident. I have chilled out a lot and am not nearly as red as I once was.

I never imagined anything like the life we have today. I had a lot of dreams about traveling, scholarships, law school, politics, etc. A friend asked me if I regret marrying young. If I wish I had done more, accomplished more, seen more before I tied myself down. The truth is I have no regrets about where I am. Falling in love with Brent was like finding a pair of shoes that fit perfectly. I had no doubts he was my someone. There was once a Katie who would have been a great lawyer, but that's not me anymore. I am different and so much more than that person was. Brent has grown as a person too. He still loves sports but he is so much more than that. He has new interests like: photography, fly fishing and playing mah jong.

Our life might not be what others expected for us, but in our eyes what we have is so much better.

Coming out of the temple as newlyweds

awkward and awesome thursday

So I've seen a few other bloggers participating awkward and awesome thursdays and realized that I am both awkward and awesome so here it goes:

AWKWARD:

• putting my hair in a french braid and having ALL the short pieces of hair fall down
• being late to all of my classes this week and walking into class in the middle of lecture
• getting sick and having to take nyquil at night. According to Brent I: sobbed, screamed, hit, and laughed uncontrollably.
• The following conversation which took place the morning after the nyquil incident:

Brent: "You went crazy. You were sobbing and yelling for me to protect you because someone was trying to take your arm."

Katie: "You must have done well, I woke up with two arms."
Brent: "Ya. Don't ever say I don't do well in crisis situations."

AWESOME:

• started watching the Biggest Loser again instead of watching people lose weight over the course of several weeks I watched it all in just a few days :)
• Beating Brent in Quiddler Sunday night
• During a classroom observation this week I recognized J- a boy who I met a few summers ago who spoke no English. We worked together all summer and he is a big reason why I am going back to be an ESL teacher. He read aloud from a book for the whole class. His English is awesome!
• rediscovering the cheese curds and rootbeer at A&Ws (I've gone three times in the past week!)

What is awkward and awesome in your life?

blogstalking

I have a confession to make... I am a blogstalker. One of the nameless who drop by your blog read every post you've ever written and don't leave a single comment. If you are blogstalking me right now feel free to keep stalking, but think about leaving a comment too , I won't judge you no matter how well we don't know each other.

I love blogstalking because there are so many witty, creative and genuine people out there who have the most incredible things to say. I thought today I would share some of my favorite blogs (I read tons of blogs so if I don't mention yours I promise you are an awesome blogger and I am still reading, just wanted to list the ones I am currently obsessed with)

1. Ashley Rose Reeves

Ashley is my sister-in-law, my friend, and my blogspiration. She writes regularly for two blogs, her family blog: http://justinandashleyreeves.blogspot.com/ which is filled with craft projects, awesome outfits, fun foods, adventures and my favorite: pics of the babies (my nephews) and http://adailydoseofdieting.blogspot.com/ which is a dieting blog that she started a few years ago. She turned it over to her sister Courtney, but still posts once a week. The blog catalogs her personal weight loss journey as well as giving tips for a healthy life. This blog was very helpful when figuring out our diet.

2. http://vintagerevivals.blogspot.com/

This is a recent find for me. I love her projects and hope that some day my house can be just half as cool as hers. Here is hoping that I'll have time to attempt a few of these projects this summer. If you have time go check out the awesome mirrors, as soon as I find a good mirror at the DI I am trying it.

3. http://peachtreecooking.blogspot.com/

This site is a mother and her 10 (yes TEN!) daughters. They post all of their recipes that they like. Some are from restaurants (Zupas soups, Olive Garden chicken etc.) and others are just good home recipes. I read a lot of cooking blogs but this is one of my favorites. Every recipe I have tried has been delicious. They almost always have pictures of the food which is a must for me, I have a hard time cooking something if I don't know how it is supposed to look. My favorite recipe that I make several times a week is the roasted vegetables. It is super easy and tastes amazing. (http://peachtreecooking.blogspot.com/2011/03/oven-roasted-vegetables.html)

4. http://diaryofabirthmom.blogspot.com/

Warning tear jerker. Sterling worked with me as an RA a few years ago. We both had a busy year and I wish I had gotten to know her better, she is an incredible person. This is her story of giving her little boy up for adoption. I am so impressed with Sterling and how she has handled herself through everything. She got engaged this past weekend and I am thrilled that she is so happy.

5. http://mormoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/

I love this blog because it is hilarious. The tagline is (NO) Sex in the City. The author is currently on broadway. She writes about her adventures in NYC. My favorite posts she has ever done are on engagement poses. (Look it up, SO funny)

Hope you enjoyed my favorite blogs. Let me know your favorite blogs to read, I'd love suggestions for others.

March Madness

Our blogging efforts at the beginning of 2011 were great but the past month has been an epic fail. So here is a post to catch you up on our life.

February

Sharolee and Jason's Wedding

Early in the month we got to go to Lindon for Sharolee's wedding reception. Sharolee is one of my closest friends. We really got to know each other through orchestra. Here are some pics :)

This is me with Libby's beautiful little girl Anna Liberty. Oh and Tess is making a funny face in the background.

Here is brent playing with Anna. They got along great.

Here we are with the happy couple. We are so happy for Lee and Jason. Also-- check out how great Brent looks-- this was after 1.5 months on our diet.

The black pack- we don't get to see these girls nearly enough. They are some of the sweetest, funniest and all around best friends a girl could have.

Valentine's Day

Forgot to take pictures of our cute dinner (darn!) Last year we started a tradition of having Valentine's at home. We made a big dinner-- fettuccine alfredo, chicken, asparagus, salad. This year for gifts we decided to do homemade gifts. I made Brent a valentine and he wrote me a poem. It ended up being a lovely evening and a nice break from homework.

Brent's Birthday

Brent turned 24 this year. We celebrated by:

• A big breakfast
• Going shopping for new clothes (for him)
• Dinner at Hamilton's
• Troy's state playoff basketball game
• Played games with Maren and Greg
• Watched movies until late

Overall Brent deemed the day a success. The picture below is old... but I feel like it is a great representation of my husband. This is his "don't be this crevice in my arm" look

March

Spring Break!

We decided to hit the road and head to California this spring break. Brent had never met my dad's parents and there were several other family members whom he'd never met. Also he had never had a Ferrarese's sandwich, which obviously needed to be fixed. We had a great week out there. I am waiting for Brent to edit the pictures so I'll do more about that topic soon!

Back to the Grind

Since spring break we have been busy with life. Brent is doing well in his classes, keeping up with homework and tests. In addition to work Brent is volunteering as an interpreter at the hospital. He is very involved with Spanish Ambassadors on campus and is serving in the Elder's Quorum Presidency. He does a great job of balancing it all. I am very impressed with him.

My life has been a bit chaotic this month. In addition to my classes, I am observing classes at Mt. Logan Middle School, which is close enough that I can walk over. I still LOVE my job as after school program director. We decided to apply for a grant to do a health fair and got $1000 to put it together. So now I am running around trying to make this fair happen. Friday to get the kids excited we had an international foods fair. I brought in several foods for the kids to try. My favorite (of course) is pictured below.

If you would like to come to our health fair it will be April 13 (Wednesday) in the Millville Elementary gym at 3:30.

That's it for now. I promise to keep up with this better :)