I seriously need to get out more......

In bold is what I have done.....
1. Started your own blog (duh!)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (does being a groupie count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (love it!)
8. Held a praying mantis
9. Climbed a mountain
10.Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (no way)
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (at times)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48.Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
87. Visited the white house
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (yuck! does Utah Lake count?)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all our friends and family this year!!

We wish you the best in 2009!!

White elephant parties........

Pumpkin Spice Cake.......

We attended 3 white elephant parties this weekend.....check out our facebook pages for pictures!

Is it possible to be white-elephant-ed out?! If you don't know what a white elephant party is.....you haven't been to Utah or met someone from Utah. Its basically a gag gift party that people do over the holidays. I have a blast opening white elephant gifts, though on the inside I am always a bit nervous. At Melinda's 3rd Annual Cosby-Sweater-Coon-Attack-Special-Needs-White-Elephant Christmas Party (yes that was its actually called, last year they had a raccoon come through the wall of their house), I got the candy bra for my white elephant gift! I have a tendency to turn tomato red in large groups of people....so needless to say everyone had a good laugh! I will be re-gifting that for next year's white elephant party! Adam got a giant pink pig that our dogs were afraid of at first because it was bigger than them....then they started playing with it, then they ripped it up and proceeded to eat the stuffing....gotta love pugs! I wore my ugly Christmas sweater vest....it is awesome! I found it on sale at Macys for $15, normally $50!

I discovered a fabulous new recipe for pumpkin spice cake, I substituted the oil for applesauce to lower the fat (turned out fine, just took a little longer to bake), then I added semi sweet chocolate chips (fat goes back in!) I didn't add the pecans but I added cinnamon to the frosting! I made the homemade cream cheese frosting, but its more like icing. I made 2 cakes and they were a fav at both parties! Gotta love holiday baking!

Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe from Jello.com

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup mashed cooked fresh pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup chopped toasted PLANTERS Pecans

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Place cake mix, dry pudding mix, pumpkin, oil, water, eggs and spice in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened. Beat on medium speed 4 min.
POUR into greased and floured 13x9-inch baking pan.
BAKE 32 to 35 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack. Spread with PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Frosting; sprinkle with pecans. Store in refrigerator.

25 degrees.....

on my way to work in the morning! Seriously!! Welcome to winter! We had snow a couple of days ago & we're supposed to get another big storm this weekend! I wish it would stay in the mountains & out of the valley so I can easily get around town......not everyone has a Subaru ya know!! I feel like using a sled to get to work on the snow-days! ugh!
So we are having a white elephant party at my work on the 22ND! I need ideas for a cool gift to bring to the party! Suggestions?? We had some fun W.E. parties at my old job in Vegas.....this time it has to be G rated! Maybe I have something I can re-gift? Or make a trip to the dollar store? I wish I still had those Rhinoceros book ends! Those were classic!

Ugh.....I'm old!!

Thank you to my hubby for making my bday special! We went out to dinner, ate too much, got dessert (tiramisu)....gotta love Italian food!! Adam gave me some beautiful flowers.... gerber daises & roses....I love getting flowers! (who doesn't?) I would be okay with flowers everyday!! He got me an awesome pink Ipod....so now I have no excuse to not work out...I am finally with the current times, 10 years later! I also got my hair done this weekend. He seriously spoiled me! Thank you Adam, you are the best!!!
My parents sent me a package in the mail.....My Mom is the queen of random presents.....a cashmere sweater, a reindeer oven mitt, towels with our initials sewn on it, and a Christmas night light. Thank you Mom for your thoughtfulness.
Thank you to my old crew at work for remembering my bday! I loved the "PuglyBetty" card!
Thanks for all the phone calls, emails & text messages from everyone!! I have great friends!
Seriously getting older really isn't fun anymore!!

1st day at work......again!!

I started my new job today. I love working downtown. I felt like I was working in a big metropolitan city. There are a ton of places to go to lunch all within walking distance. I felt like a corporate executive working in a high rise building. I have my own office with a window!! I have a secretary!!
I am not looking forward to learning all the codes & programs and all the paperwork. Yea for government jobs & lunch breaks!! If you will be downtown, let me know & we can do lunch!!!
I was also offered another job working part time (1 day/wk) on call at a hospital doing psych evals....I am hoping to fit it into my schedule because its a great opportunity!

Turkey Day Weekend.....blah

We stayed here for Thanksgiving. We were hoping to get out of town to see family but it didn't work out. Adam had to work. For Turkey Day we went to my cousins here in town. By Friday I was incredibly sick....... body aches, headache, nausea, etc. It was awful! Fabulous diet.....I was able to fit into my favorite black pants by Sunday! Seriously it sucked....I haven't been that sick in a very long time and I remembered why I hate it.
I seriously hope everyone had a better holiday weekend than I did!!!

You know you are a Utah nerd when........

You go to see the midnight showing of Twilight. Yes I read ALL 4 BOOKS, even after all the hype! Ok, last night we went to see the 12:45 am showing at Gateway. I couldn't believe the turn out or the fact that everyone was wearing Twlight t shirts/sweatshirts. I want a shirt that says "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob" or some quote from the movie like "I will love you forever." I had a co worker that had a friend who rented out a whole theater for Twilight for their friends so they could all dress up and have a "Twilight party!" ONLY in UTAH!!!
Apparently there is a Stephanie Meyer fan website where you can buy such merchandise.......WOW!
http://www.twilightlexicon.com/
I can make fun of it, because I am totally a fan!!! And apparently I am now an official UTAH NERD!!

I got the job!!! Woot woot!!!

I got a call about a week ago offering me the job as a rehabilitation counselor (see previous blog). I was totally surprised because I didn't think I would get it. I had taken 2 online profile tests (300 questions) that asked me questions about my personality, work style, what I think of/how I relate to others, math questions, etc.....I felt like I was back in high school taking an SAT test. My answers were all over the place...I am not a fan of those types of tests! So needless to say, it was more money, so I accepted the job offer. I start Dec 1st. The lame thing is that it is M-F, no more Fridays off! It was so nice only having to work 4 days a week! I am a little bummed because I have a great office mate & I work for a non-micro manager (ie....I don't care, just do your job), I doubt I will have the same experience at the new position! Its the same company (the State) but a different agency. This job is actuallly a little closer to the house, downtown vs Holladay. The benefits are amazing.... I pay like $7 a paycheck for both me & Adam! And my current supervisor, took the news surprisingly well. I was so nervous about having to quit.....and it wasn't so bad. What is that saying? That your anxiety is always worse than the actual event! So glad to have that overwith! So for the next week I am running around seeing all my clients before my last day & figuring out the lame computer program!! Yeah for government jobs!!

Tagged.....8 things

Ok, so Aubri tagged me....now I need to think of 8 things....hmmm

8 favorite tv shows (Ok, I have more than 8!)
Law & Order (I love Chris Noth aka Mr. Big)
Sex & the City-reruns (I've been told I'm like Charlotte)
Army Wives (The best show on Lifetime!!)
Raising the Bar (Mark Paul Gosselear from Saved by the Bell)
Dancing with the Stars (I am a sucker for reality tv!!)
So You Think You Can Dance (I can't dance, so I like to watch those who can!)
Extreme Home Makeover (gets me choked up everytime!)
Jon & Kate plus 8 (I recently started watching this show!!)
Saturday Night Live (my fav is Obama girl)
Friends & Seinfield- reruns!

8 favorite restaurants
The Pizza Factory
The Pie (best pizza!!!)
Sweet Tomatoes (its the only all you can eat place I can tolerate)
Cheesecake Factory
Ruth's Diner (The best place for breakfast in SLC!!)
In & Out (a must in Vegas!)
Bahama Breeze (they need one here in SLC, the best food in Vegas!!)
California Pizza Kitchen (BBQ Chicken Salad !)

8 things that happenned yesterday
Day off!!
Was offerred a new job
Did laundry & the dishes
Thought about working out.....I need to get motivated!!
Checked email
Made holiday plans
Got my fingerprints for my new job
Date night: dinner & a movie

8 things I am looking forward to
Thanksgiving
My birthday
Christmas
Having people over for dinner
Seeing family
Starting my new job
Benefits (yes, I am a nerd!)
Holiday Parties

8 things on my wish list
Ipod
Boots
Travel to Europe (maybe someday?!)
All wheel drive vehicle
Microfiber sectional
Pay off debt
Buy a house
Getting in shape

People I'm tagging....
Sally
Michelle
Brandi
Jennise
Kriss

For those of you who like hot cider.........

Here is a receipe from Skylar's Grandma for her famous wassail. It is delicious & was a hit at the housewarming party. A great winter drink!

Grandma's Wassail

Boil for 10 minutes: 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 quart water

Add: 2 whole cloves 4 cinnamon sticks 4 whole allspice
Cover and let stand for one hour.
Remove spices and add: 3 cups orange juice 2 cups lemonade 2 quarts apple cider
Heat and serve. Makes about 1 gallon.
(Hint: Melinda suggested we leave the spices in, until ready to serve. You can keep it on low for several hours before you serve it.)

Housewarming Par-ty

Here are a few pictures of our new house & the food at our housewarming party. Thank you to Melinda for helping me get ready for the party! We had tons of food....of course I made my spinach dip! I made a delicious Pumpkin Trifle....thanks to Sally for the receipe! We have an amazing view of the city from our front window. Now that you've seen our cute house, come visit!!!!

My 1st day at work in the SLC.....

UGH!!! In one word, that sums up my day!! I feel the need to rant...it is my blog, so I am not apologizing for complaining!
Things that sucked today:
* Utah drivers.....seriously people!! How many people need to run a red light? Do you really need to drive like a race car driver when its snowing just cause you have a SUV?
* Why did we have to get our 1st big snowstorm on my 1st day of work?? We got a few feet of snow today! I wish it stayed on the mountains & out of the valley!! Though it is beautiful! I remembered why I hate driving in the snow when......I was driving to my 1st client appointment today and it was a blizzard outside! Ok, blizzard is extreme but I have lived in Vegas for 4 years....I need a subaru!!! My Altima handled the snow ok today, I would just prefer an all wheel drive vehicle....I need to wait to make that purchase til I make the big bucks!!
*30 degrees today!! UGH!
*I had 35 case files sitting on my new desk already........apparently I am taking over another person's caseload, cause they are changing departments.
*When I remembered how much I am getting paid at my new job!! UGH!
The best part of my day:
*Being on my own.....driving around town to my client appointment and to lunch, its nice to get out of the office!
*My new boss is not a micro-manager! Woo hoo!!
*My dogs were so happy to see me come home! They have been spoiled this past month cause I have been home so much! Taking my dogs outside to go potty was hilarious! At first they looked at me like I was crazy cause they don't like to get wet. They were not a fan of the snow at first, then they started running & playing in it. Harley doesn't really like it, but Baxter seems to enjoy it! I have to block them from running back inside through the doggy door so I can clean off their paws. Baxter always wants to wrestle me. I need to remember to take pictures of them in the snow! So cute!
*Retail therapy! I felt a little like Carrie on Sex in the City when I went to buy shoes after work! Okay it wasn't $500 designer shoes, but they were nice boots from Macy's. I need winter shoes!
**So everyone was really nice to me at new job......but I admit I miss my old job! I am a little homesick!! UGH!
I realize that I am not good with change.....I would diagnose myself as Adjustment Disorder NOS. Those of us who know the DSM, know what I talking about! It takes me a while to adjust and get comfortable with a new place. Yes I've lived here before, but this time its different.
I think the reason I am a little cranky today is also cause I was up late last night. Adam & I went to see a play (Jekyl & Hyde) with Melinda & Skylar in Centerville & then went out to AppleBee's afterwards. The play was really good but I was tired this morning! I am such a grandma, I like to be home early so I can get to bed at a decent time. I generally don't like to be out late on school nights...I mean work nights!!
**So I need your opinion, advice, etc. I just started this new job with the State. I have another interview tomorrow for a different job with the State. Here's a pro's & con's list (of my current job) so I can think about it more clearly:
Pro's:
Boss seems cool
Not a desk job- variety
Awesome benefits
Con's :
The PAY! Ugh!
Not exactly what I want to be doing
Not using my degree
**So I haven't even been offered this new job.....but the big plus is that it pays better. If they do happen to offer me the job, or if I get a better job somewhere else....I feel bad giving notice to my current boss when I just barely started! I feel like such a flake cause I just started this new job. What I should have done was tell my boss that I have applied to other jobs & I am still waiting to hear back....I was so happy that he called to offer me a job, that I completed spaced the fact that I am waiting to hear back from other (better paying) jobs....So if I were to get another job offer say next week, do I give 2 weeks notice? I guess its the only right thing to do...but I guess it depends if my boss says he doesn't need 2 weeks notice since I havent' gotten too far ahead with my cases yet. Plus there is no guarantee that another employer will offer me a position & I needed a job, so I felt like I should have accepted this job regardless....but I probably should have at least said something! The other thing to think about is, what do I want to do? Work for the State, work for a treatment center to get my LCSW or work for a hospital? I miss the hospital setting but I don't know if I want to do it forever....I would have gotten seriously burnt out doing what I used to do. But don't all Social Work jobs run the risk of burn out? As my friend Lana says "social workers have bleeding hearts!" I am not sure if I would even be a good therapist (sometimes I feel like I need therapy myself!) so I don't want to waste my time working on getting my LCSW if I won't use it (4000 clinical hours for the state of Utah! UGH!) Though I like doing assessments & assigning a diagnosis.....the clinical aspect does interest me. Right now, there are no full time social work positions available for a therapist or medical social worker.....so I guess I will stick with the State for now.
Feedback people? I mostly need to know what to do if I get offerred another job & I don't want to look like a flake!

Fall Pictures

The canyon by our house, our neighborhood & the pugs enjoying their walk in the leaves!!

Autum in SLC.......

I have decided that all of my posts are going to have "In the SLC" somewhere in the title, just in case you forgot where we lived!!
***I love fall.....it has been so beautiful here. The trees are yellow, orange & red. We are located right at the base of 2 canyons.....so our backyard is basically the mountains. We have a great view of the city at night. Today I took Harley on a walk & was taking pictures. It is about 70 degrees outside during the day, it has been like that for the past 3 weeks (with the exception of our brief snowfall!). Anyone that loves skiing or biking would seriously love it here. There are a million road bikes zooming by everyday around here. Do I sound like an advertisement for Salt Lake City?! We welcome our family & friends to visit!!
Fall is almost over & winter is around the corner.....not looking forward to driving in the snow!! I need a subaru! Seriously one of the ugliest cars ever! I will probably just get snow tires & hope my Altima survives!
***You know the expression, when it rains, it pours! Well I have been having a ton of job interviews & just waiting around for a job. I finally was offerred a job yesterday with the State of Utah....great benefits, but serious pay cut. I forgot how cheap Utah is!! The good thing is I have the opportunity to move around (ie different job) with the State cause there are so many departments within. Later I received a call about another job offer & 2 other interviews....crazy! I think I am just gonna stick with the state cause of the benefits & ability to change my job. My boss seems cool, apparently there were 60 applicants for this job!! I guess I can't complain cause its a job......
***I had been thinking of signing up for cobra so that we didn't have a gap in health insurance......It is scary to go without health insurance!! Cobra is so expensive, around $800/month for both me & Adam! That's like paying another rent or mortgage payment. We would be on a serious budget. I have worked at a hospital, so I know all about expensive hospital bills when you don't have insurance! I also know "murphy's law." You only get sick or injured when you don't have health insurance.......when you do have it, you are fine, perfectly healthy! The good news is that the state's benefits kick in within my first month of employment! Yeah benefits!!

Unemployed in SLC.........

So this is what it is like to not be working?!! I have so much free time, that I am bored! Everyone tells me to enjoy the time you have not working but truth be told I would rather work!! I am spending my Saturday cleaning.....we invited a few people over tonight for closing night (Adam's last show!) and I want the house to be spiffy clean (plus I really have nothing else to do!!) I take the dogs on a walk & go to the dog parks, they are so spoiled that I am home all the time! I have been looking for a job the last few weeks & keeping my fingers & toes crossed!! I forgot how much work it is to find a job! I submitted resumes, applied online, went to interviews........so far NOTHING!! Its so frustrating & I admit I'm impatient!! Everyone keeps telling me I will get a job.......so when exactly?! A small part of me wishes that we moved to the Bay Area instead....I love San Fran! But it is so expensive.....we would either be living with my parents (never!) or in a cardboard box, because who can really afford to live there?!
I miss my old job in Vegas, as demanding and stressful as it was, I miss it (sort of!). Well I miss sitting in the cafeteria at lunch with my friends!! I miss the paychecks!
Adam & I have been talking about opening our own business.....crazy right?! Its still in the talking stage so who knows.....
Wish me luck on the job front!! I better get back to cleaning!!

Housewarming Party

We decided to have our housewarming party on Sat Nov 8th 7pm-10pm. We will be serving appetizers and finger foods and play cheezy board games!! Some of my fav times in Vegas was game night! (I miss that!!) Please stop by and say hello or bring your favorite board game! Send me a message with your email address & I will send you an evite! Hope to see you there!!!

Goodbye shorts, capris & tanks!

So I went through all my summer clothes & put them in storage for the winter. I figured we will only have a few nice days until it snows again! It was a beautiful day, 68 degrees today! I heard next week its supposed to get colder. No more flip flops!! I was talking to someone today who is from Vegas, she loves the heat & misses the weather. I will not miss the heat of Vegas, I seriously melt in the summer! I love sweaters & jackets & hot chocoloate! I wonder how my dogs will take to the snow?! They weren't a fan last week!
They have an IKEA here......I have already been there 2 x since I moved here! LOVE that store!!! I have been having fun decorating our new place. I love the Quilted Bear, they have cute homemade decorative items for your home. I could do some serious damage there! When the house is organized & decorated, I will post pictures! Its a work in progress....
FYI......We will be having a housewarming party next month, I am thinking Sat Nov 1st. Email me & I will send you directions to our place.

Adam's Play

Adam is performing in The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe at the Draper Historic Theatre. He has invested a lot of time in it, painting the set, going to rehearsals, etc... The play is a success! (for community theatre) The show goes until the 25th. My Mom & I went to see him last night. Here are a few pictures from his show. Our friend Melinda is the White Witch & Adam is Father Christmas.

Our first snowfall

We had our first snow this weekend! October is too early for snow!! I was not prepared for it! My Mom came out for the weekend to help us unpack & get settled....we are still unpacking!! Here are some pictures my Mom took of the 1st snow this year!! We live at the mouth of the canyon, which means out of all of SLC, we will get the most snow (unless we were in Park City!) I will be getting snow tires!!! Thankfully most of the snow has melted today so driving is ok. It is freezing outside! I put all my Vegas summer clothes away & got out all my winter clothes! I am excited for soup & hot cocoa & sitting by the fireplace!!

Moving!!

Here are some pictures from our move. We loaded up the truck last Sunday and drove here Monday. I forgot how much of a pain it is to move! I spent the entire 2 days cleaning our house, I was determined to get our deposit back!! Thanks to Adam, Joe & Dad for doing all the heavy lifting & packing the truck so everything could fit!! We had the 17" ft truck filled to the brim. I think we could have gone with the 24" truck! My Dad came out from CA to help us move and get settled in SLC. Thank you Dad for everything!!!

Hello SLC..........

Our new home..................

So I was in the "SLC" this weekend. We were house hunting and I also had a job interview. We finally found the perfect house. I was hoping for the Avenues or Sugarhouse, because I really love the area. We compromised and went with east of Sugarhouse. Its close to the freeway so we can both get to work easily. (when I get a job!!) The home has been remodeled, lots of cabinet space & a nice kitchen. It has a backyard for our spoiled dogs & they are putting in a doggie door for us. My dogs are not gonna like the snow, I can already tell. Our landlords are really cool, we really lucked out. We only signed a 6 mo lease so we can start looking to buy a house in a few months. Well, I better get back packing.........did I mention I HATE MOVING!

P.S.--- Don't forget about the BBQ on Sunday!! You are all welcome to help load the moving van ! We will probably start around 10 am!! We will be in SLC Monday afternoon if anyone wants to help unload??

Goodbye Vegas, hello SLC!!!

Here's a picture of our home here in Vegas. Good thing we are only renting! The housing market is not for sellers right now! We will miss our cute little home in the southwest!! I will seriously miss the shopping!!!!!

Its Official I'm Addicted to Blogging.........

So I should be packing right now but I feel like blogging. Its my own personal soap box! Just an update, Harley is fine. I was being just a little neurotic.....She's on antibiotics due to a slightly low white blood count. I have a few extra things I want to add to my list of what I will miss about Vegas:
*My doctor- She is so nice and personable! It will be hard to find another doctor like her. Thankful I'm healthy at the moment, keep my fingers crossed!!
*My favorite radio station- Mark and Mercedes in the Morning on Mix 94.1. Seriously the best morning show ever! If you've listened to it, you know exactly what I am talking about. I am thinking about listening to them online when I'm in SLC....
*24 hour convenience- Everything is open 24 hours (or at least really late) here. Not that I go grocery shopping at midnight, but if I wanted to, I could. If I want to grab a bite to eat really late, I have a choice of where to go.
*My Pug rescue group- I am gonna miss their annual fundraiser "PugORama" which is held just a few weeks after I leave. Everyone dresses up their pugs in Halloween costumes. There are contests and raffles, etc. 200+ pugs show up. I love hanging out with the other neurotic pug owners!!
*My crew at UMC- seriously the coolest group of people I have met here in Vegas. I will miss eating lunch everyday in the cafeteria and gossiping! I will miss Icehouse & Blue Martini & Game Night but probably not the cafeteria food! There are way too many unflattering pictures of me floating around! We are the culturally diverse version of the tv show "Friends." I need to figure a way to market it for the networks in Hollywood.......hmm. I have to give them a lot of credit, for putting up with me during school. I was working full time, going to school and had an internship so I wasn't necessarily in the best mood all the time! I credit my diploma to the patient advocates & my former boss! I won't miss how stressful my job can be at times. Being a social worker in peds & picu, was challenging..... I will not miss getting subpoenaed by the district attorney. I will not miss the CPS cases. I knew being a social worker would be hard, but I really had no idea! I will miss working in a hospital- my favorite nurses, residents, eligiblity workers and ot/pt staff.
I have mixed feelings about leaving. I love the people, hate the weather in the summer. I hate the dryness! I would be happy with a little humidity, it makes for great skin & hair! I'm glad Adam found a job he likes and I'm glad he's getting back into theater which is something he loves. So anyway enough about Vegas (for now)!
We are loading up the moving truck Oct 5th, anyone is welcome to help us! Haha, I will not torture you with helping us move. We will have a BBQ on the 5th around 5 pm (after we are all done!) for those who want to stop by to say good bye and eat with us!
I'm reading the Stephanie Meyer vampire book series.....anyone else reading it? I am so hooked! I heard they are coming out with a movie this year!
I love comments so be sure to tell me what's up!!

Am I being a neurotic dog owner?

( This is a picture of Harley from our wedding. She was part of the ceremony! She loved all the attention!)

If I am asking myself this question, then there is probably a problem......I will start off by saying my dogs are high maintenance! Sometimes I think they are worse than kids, but of course with dogs I get to leave them at home unattended. So Harley had a dental cleaning today and she was put under anesthesia. Anyway she has been pretty out of it since I picked her up from the vet. I have been so worried cause she's not acting like her self. She won't eat. She looks lethargic, pale. Her back legs give out and she can't hold her self up. I'm hoping that by morning she will be back to her usual self. I know I will be up half the night checking on her, making sure she is ok. Is it okay to call in sick to work because your dog is sick?? I know you aren't supposed to have favorites, but Harley is my favorite. She just loves everyone and really is the perfect dog, other than the jumping up thing. Baxter is the alpha male and he thinks he's in charge of the house, its hilarious! I joke that he has "little man syndrome" for dogs, because he barks at every little sound he hears. Well I probably should be packing right now.....yuck! I hate packing! Moving is such a pain.

The summer

Here is what we did this summer: Lake Tahoe, San Fran

And we went to St George!

Leaving Las Vegas

Welcome everyone to my blog!! I finally got on board and decided to start a blog. So in case you haven't already heard........We are leaving Las Vegas! The day has finally come! It feels weird because we have lived here forever!!! Ok, like 4 years but it feels like forever. We are heading to Salt Lake. Why do you ask? Well, Adam got a job there and we decided why not?!!
Here is a list of the things I will miss about Vegas:
1) The people...aka My friends....work, school, etc....
2) The diversity (lets face it Utah is not diversified!!)
3) The restaurants (Bahama Breeze)
4) The shopping!!
5) The shows & concerts!! Vegas is the place to see everything!
I will not miss:
1) The crazy drivers, the commute time, the traffic
2) The crime (have you seen the news??)
3) The heat (120 degrees in the summer, talk about melting!)
4) Did I mention the heat??
5) No change of seasons
I am looking forward to:
1) Change of seasons
2) The mountains
3) A safe community!!
4) Cooler temperatures
5) The Pizza Factory (Is there anything better than their breadsticks & ranch pizza?)
6) My Utah Friends....hello its been forever!!
We seriously need to get together as soon as we are settled!!! Housewarming party!!
I am not looking forward to MOVING!!! Yuck!!! Finding a place to live & a job!!
Okay so like Comment Me or something!!
I need help with this blog! I have no idea how to change the background.....suggestions?