August 17, 2008

Tag! I'm It!

I was tagged my friend Jamie earlier this week, but I've been a little slow on getting it posted! Here goes!

Name: Clarissa

Where I was born: Burley, ID

Favorite Color: Pink and green

Favorite City: Well, I haven't seen all the cities, so I can't have a favorite!

A place I would like to visit: Niagara Falls, Washington DC, San Francisco

Bad Habit: Talking (angrily) to other cars when they cut me off or do something that I think is stupid...

Favorite animal: My cat, Rascal! I also have a fascination for giraffes. I'm not sure why, but I love them!

First Job: 1996 - Papa Kelsey's and Henry! I got to work with my friends Britt & Jen! We had a great old time!

I am from: Burley, ID (Don't judge me, I only lived there for a couple years of my life.)

Another place I'd like to visit: New Zealand, Hawaii

Where I work now: Daines & Wyatt, LLP (Law Office)

3 joys....
1. Nate!
2. Our nephews & nieces!
3. Checking out all your blogs!

3 fears...
1. A life without Nate...
2. Lightening...
3. I'm going to copy Jamie's answer and put losing someone I am close to as well...

3 goals...
1. To be an ASL Interpreter! (Correlates with getting through College!)
2. Be a mom!
3. To stay in shape so that when I am a mom I can keep up with my kids!

3 current obsessions...
1. Getting ready for school (mentally).
2. Blogging!
3. Getting ready for school (getting through my to do list)!

3 random facts...
1. I don't like coconut but I am going to go eat German Chocolate Cake for breakfast! (Remember my sister-in-law from the South who is a great cook? She also makes great cakes!)
2. When the Olympics were in Utah, we got to watch the Russian Ice Skating Team practice at the Eccles Ice Arena! It was really cool!
3. My friends tease me that I am like Monica on FRIENDS, cuz I'm kind of a paranoid freak!

I tag Erica, Char & Ollie

August 11, 2008

My Love!

Yay! A chance to flatter and probably embarrass my sweet husband!! Here's a little about my guy that you may not know!!

1.What is his name? Nate, Nathan, Naters, Natee Poo, Dawg, Love
2.Who eats more? Hmmm... let's see... me... no, Nate... no me... nope... definately Nate!
3.Who said I love you first? I believe that it was a very calm discussion and we both admitted it in the same conversation!
4.Who is taller? Nate, but only by a bit.
5.Who is smarter? Depends on the subject - academically - definately Nate!
6.Who is more sensitive? Me, me, me! Wait, was that rude?
7.Who does the laundry? We take equal responsibility for the laundry! If he'll wash and dry, I'll fold... but we usually work together!
8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Depends on what you mean by right?
9.Who pays the bills? I do... but only until school starts, and then we pay them together!
10.Who cooks more? Hee, Hee, Hee... Nate... he is quite a creative cook (by creative, I mean pulling out whatever he can find and making an edible meal). It's quite impressive!
11.Who is more stubborn? Oh... this is a tough one! We are both equally bullheaded!
12. Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Usually Nate... did you not just ask if we are stubborn?
13.Who has more siblings? I do, by 1!
14.What do you like to do together? Uh... what don't we like to do together! We love to snuggle, watch movies, play cards, eat, sleep, read, go for drives, hang out with our friends... we love to do most things together...
15.Who eats more sweets? Nate! I'm a salty chick!
16.Guilty pleasures? Nates? Video games, reading, surfing the web, computers, sugar cookies, pizza... he can never resist a pizza!
17.How did you meet? We technically met in middle school, but it was during 10th grade that we took a serious liking to one another! He stole my shoes on Valentines Day (while I was attempting to woo another, none the less),and while he was stealing my shoes, my heart was escaping me as well!
18.Who asked who out first? I asked Nate to MORP - a girls choice dance and our very first date!
19.Who kissed who first? Nate kissed me, but I was ready and waiting!
20.Who proposed? Totally traditional, Nate asked me!
21.His best features? Easy - his eyes! I could get lost in his eyes for days! I also love his smile and his voice...
22.What is his greatest quality? His passion! Nate is a very passionate person - he has passion for me, for our families, for his duties as an uncle, for his job, for his video games... he is very good at doing whatever it is he is working on.

I truly have the best husband in the world! We are constantly amazed at how perfectly fit we are for each other! I am truly, the luckiest girl in the world!!

August 7, 2008

Amazing

So, I've got to tell you about my Amazing breakthrough today! As most of you know, I don't enjoy cooking! Yesterday I picked up the ingredients to make an easy chicken potato crockpot dinner, and I was told by hungry brother in law, that it smelled "Amazing." I think that is the first time, EVER, I have gotten that kind of response to something that I cooked!

So, I'm now savaging the web for tasty crock pot dinners - if you have any tried & true recipes, let me know!! And just to get you all started, here is the recipe for what I made today!

Crock Pot Ranch Chicken & Potatoes
Courtesy of C. Gardner

6 frozen chicken breasts
1 pkg cream cheese
2 small cans Cream of Chicken Soup
4 - 5 potatoes - peeled & chopped into bitesize pieces
1/4 cup milk
1 ranch packet (the dry stuff)

Add ingredients and cook on high for 6 hours! (Would be good with extra veggies such as corn, broccoli or carrots!

August 3, 2008

Rock On!

It is the last night of my girls weekend and we are spending it at my sisters house! My nephew, Scoutie, has turned out to be quite the rock star - and is a big fan of the Jonas Brothers! Check this out and see how adorable he is!!

"Breaking Dawn" Update


As many of you avid vampire fans know, this weekend was the release of the long awaited "Breaking Dawn." We were lucky enough to find a bookstore in the mountains and purchase the book! I'm halfway through at this point, and don't want to leave any spoilers, but I'll just say this... so, so good!! I am thoroughly enjoying it and looking forward to my flight home tomorrow so that I can read the conclusion!! If you are a vampire fan as well, drink deep and enjoy!

Girls Weekend in Colorado






This last weekend was spent in Breckenridge, Co, with my 3 sisters and my mom! We had a great 4ish days at an awesome Condo! We shopped, ate, hot tubbed, tanned, laughed and had a great time! My sisters all live pretty far away and we don't get to see each other often, but it is so great when we all get together and feel like we haven't lost any time at all! Love ya sisters, thanks for the great time!!

July 28, 2008

100 Things About Me...

All righty! I have seen this idea on other blogs - most recently my sister in laws, and decided it was time to give it a whirl... the reason that I haven't done it until now is because I am not so sure that there are 100 interesting facts about me, but we'll see!!

1. I absolutely love staying at Hotels that have Continental Breakfasts. You know, the ones that are buffet style and you can eat and people watch and yawn all at the same time... pure bliss!
2. I enjoy food but I really hate eating... it takes so much time and often times I find myself getting bored with having to finish my meal...
3. My fingernails grow really fast and are really strong.
4. I am terrified by snakes and lightening.
5. Lately, I have been addicted to MobWars. (A game on Facebook - I dare you to join a mob!)
6. My favorite person to be, besides Nate's wife, is Aunt Clar! (Only because my nephews and nieces - blood and non-blood - are so dang adorable!
7. Glancing at Nate still makes me weak in the knees.
8. I hate tomatoes but I love ketchup and tomato soup.
9. I've decided that I'm a forever student! No matter where life takes me, I never want to stop learning.
10. I have never had a broken bone.
11. I'd rather have a potato chip than a cookie.
12. Besides a tiny bite of Nate's roast beef sandwich from Arby's 4 or 5 years ago and a small piece of beef jerky around that same time, I haven't eaten red meat or pork since I was 14.
13. When I was in the 5th grade, I fainted and hit my head on the kitchen counter which resulted in an ambulance visit and stitches on the bridge of my nose (I can still feel my scar).
14. I fainted again, in 12th grade, in Como's Psychology Class! We were talking about Steroids! (I don't think that's why I fainted, but I'm not keen on discussing them since!)
15. I think people sometimes think that I'm snobby - I'm not... I'm just really shy...
16. I am intrigued by Vampires! (Not because of Twilight, although I do LOVE the series!)
17. I would love to go to a Tanning booth but Nate won't let me because he is terrified I'll get skin cancer.
18. I have a pink water bottle, a pink purse, a pink backpack, a pink phone... Up until 2 years ago, I hated the color pink...
19. I am completely obsessed with Tattoos! I once commented in Relief Society that I want to get one...
20. I am a "To Do List" maniac!
21. I talk to my cat! She is a great listener!
22. I HAVE to sleep with a fan on. If there's not a fan around, I am a very restless sleeper and it is a very long night! (I even have a little fan that I take on trips with me!)
23. I love dark walls in my bedroom! Dark & romantic - that's my style!
24. My favorite kitchen appliance is a toaster oven!
25. I am a cusser... I admit it... sometimes, I just have to cuss...
26. I am a sucker for cheesy movies...
27. I have crazy dreams... I once had a dream that Nate got hit by a car and turned into green goo - I carried him around in my pocket so that he could be with me all the time... (And this is a mild dream)
28. When I stay up late, I get either really tired or so silly that I laugh until I cry.
29. I hate my toes!
30. My favorite drink is Orange Bang! Whipped, fruity, yummy! Too bad the only close place to get it is in Bear Lake!
31. I love listening to people who have accents... I think they are so intriguing... my favorite accent, however, is Australian!
32. I love reality TV shows...
33. I am a very random person... at times, I'm not sure what is going to come out of my mouth.
34. A dream fulfilled is that I have been to the Statue of Liberty - twice!
35. I think that birthdays are important!
36. This is the first year in a long time that I have kept a New Years Resolution (exercising better and more)!
37. I am grateful that I was not born in Pioneer Days... I would have been a very unpleasant pioneer (I am also grateful for those who were Pioneers and for the sacrifices they made for those of us who are descendants)!
38. I am easily moved to tears (the good kind)!
39. I am a people watcher... I love to try to figure out what people are thinking about...
40. I love projects! I plan them out, start them, get bored in the middle of them, and finish them because they have be finished or put up...
41. I love to organize! If there were a career that would let me organize for people, I'd do it (on the side of my Deaf Education and Photography business of course)!
42. I hate ironing... I haven't ironed a piece of clothing for years...
43. I love fresh peas - straight from a garden! Tasty!
44. I am a F R I E N D S addict - the TV Show, love it, love it, love it!
45. I feel naked without my purple eye liner!
46. I co-accompanied (on the piano) our 8th grade musical "Give My Regards to Broadway!"
47. I was born with an extra "wire" in my heart that up until I was 24, would cause me to get really tired and run out of breath (after just sitting on the couch)!
48. I am grateful that my real life friends are Nates friends and that Nates friends are my friends! It's a good time when we all get together!
49. I have never gotten a speeding ticket. (Not because I don't speed, just because I've gotten lucky)
50. I am a pen collector... I've got hundreds of pens, just lying around... and I'm a pen stealer... (seriously... can't get enough of them... especially colored pens)!
51. I don't enjoy cooking... I'd rather cook a whole bunch of one big meal and eat leftovers for 3 days than have to cook for 3 nights in a row...
52. I have thousands of pictures stored on my computer - and I am obsessive about keeping them organized and backed up...
53. I do not own a tube of lipstick... it's not for me!
54. I'd like to believe that I inherited my love of photography from my grandfather who passed away when I was 2!
55. I love the smell of baby lotion!
56. I've had to take a breathalyser. (The short story is I had to pick someone up from Jail at 2:00 in the morning - given that I was tired and my hair was disheveled, I probably did look drunk!)
57. I've never tasted alcohol! (Just for those of you who didn't quite believe my last statement.)
58. I want to have a beach house on the Oregon Coast!
59. I am quite a paranoid person... I won't bore you with details, but I am very aware of my surroundings and who I am near...
60. I don't enjoy running but I love watching the calorie meter numbers increase...
61. I've ALWAYS got a song in my head... it's not always the same song, but there is always something there...
62. Some days, especially in the summer, I really miss being a kid!
63. I don't want to own a big house! I want a little house full of love!
64. I grew up in Utah and I've only been skiing once in my life... it was a miserable experience, I didn't enjoy it at all!
65. I have, however, been snowshoeing in -11 degree weather! It was fun, and cold...
66. If we are eating dinner in the living room, I'd rather sit on the floor than on the couch... I'm not sure why... I just always end up there...
67. I was lucky enough to attend a performance of Les Miserables in London! It was wonderful! (I've actually seen it twice, as it is my favorite musical, but in London... come on!)
68. When I went to Scotland to do a little family history finding, we came upon a local and asked him for directions. When we told him what we were looking for and who I was a descendant of, he bowed to me and kissed my hand. (I am a descendant of a King - I think he was kind of crazy, but people still respected the name.)
69. I am horrible at returning phone calls... FYI - if you ever need to get a hold of me, e-mail me!
70. I don't like ice cream... I don't hate ice cream... I just prefer other things...
71. I do, however, love homemade rootbeer! Yum! (I may even break my water only rule for that!)
72. I'm not superstitious, but my friend once had a dream that I died in a red car in an intersection in Hyrum - so I will never own a red car or ride in a red car through that intersection!
73. I have been to the castle where they filmed part of the 1st Harry Potter movie!!
74. Sometimes when I get bored, I like to read the phone book...
75. 4 or 5 years ago I started composing a song... someday, I'll finish it!
76. After our wedding, Nate & I wandered around down town Salt Lake in our wedding dress and tux! (We were gifted a carriage ride from the Temple to where we had our wedding breakfast and we had to get back to our car.) It was pretty funny... I wish someone would have been with us taking pictures...
77. Speaking of my wedding... if I had to plan mine all over again, it would be completely different!
78. I have a childhood friend that passed away a few years back... I still dream about her at least once a week...
79. My favorite out of town restaurant is the Training Table... mmm... cheese fries and dipping sauce...
80. I prefer Wendy's chicken nuggets to McDonald's chicken nuggets!
81. I'm not scared of heights, I just don't like them... I can't see myself ever bungee jumping or jumping out of an airplane...
82. A dream vacation of mine: Niagara Falls with Nate! He's been there, I haven't, and he promises that one day, he'll take me!
83. My favorite fruit is fresh pineapple, followed by strawberries, followed by kiwis!
84. I always get nervous driving in the first snow of the year... not because I don't trust me, because I don't trust other drivers!
85. I would love to go on a cruise but I am secretly scared of hitting an iceberg... that didn't bode will for people on the Titanic!
86. I absolutely love restaurant pickles. I don't know how they are different from regular at home, in the fridge pickles, but they are and I love them...
87. I don't like to try new foods - I have a very sensitive stomach!
88. I would rather go on a trip to Sea World than Disneyland!
89. I love getting dressed up for no reason!
90. I also love having days where I don't have to get ready at all!
91. Until last month, I had never spent more than $20.00 - $25.00 on a pair of shoes...
92. I love movie musicals and more often than not end up buying the soundtracks!
93. I would rather have 1 best friend than lots of acquaintances.
94. I'm terrified of turning 30.
95. My favorite animated show is "Anastasia." I hated it when it first came out, but it has grown on me and is now my favorite!
96. I want to tour a vineyard! (Not to taste the wine, just to marvel at the beauty!)
97. My favorite Christmas Song is "What Child is This?"
98. I can't stand having my fingernails painted... I love to paint my toenails, but my fingernails have to stay au natural!
99. I whistle "in" better than I whistle "out."
100. I am big on memories and reminiscing, so this challenge has been a fun one for me to take!!

So, there you have it! 100 things about me... whether or not it's interesting, well, that's up for you to decide!!

July 27, 2008

How Much Water Can One Hold?



So, I've been trying to get into shape and lose a few pounds... not anything drastic, just trying to get healthy! I've been running pretty regularly and doing other exercises since the first of the year, yet I haven't been yielding the results that I had been hoping... I have been wondering why, and it finally dawned on me that running on the treadmill each day and then having a Dr. Pepper or other equally high calorie drink every day kind of counteract each other - right? So, I made a pact with Steph, my co-worker who is very health conscious, that we were only going to drink water and milk (for at least a week, because she wanted to be free to drink what she wanted on her vacation)! I am proud to say that I have gone a week and a half drinking nothing but water and a little milk (don't worry - I take a multivitamin), and I have survived! I had a caffeine withdrawal headache for a couple of days, but I have survived and I feel much better! The great thing about this though, is that I am slowly changing my eating habits and cutting out things that I shouldn't be eating, so it's good for me all around! Now if I can just find a way to cut out chocolate... ... ...

July 21, 2008

Memories!

I have seen this on other blogs and I think it's a great idea, so play along with me, won't you?

{remember, memory}1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

July 19, 2008

Hail to Logan High




Wow! I can't believe that 10 years have passed since Nate & I graduated High School! I absolutely love that we have memories that far back and that we were able to share those crazy high school years together! Last night we attended our 10 Year High School Reunion! It was pretty fun to see old friends and to catch up with people that we haven't seen for quite a while!! It makes me feel old to think that I've been out of High School for so long, and while I'm not as accomplished as some of my classmates are, I know who I am and what makes me happy in life, and I feel like that is an accomplishment to be proud of! I'm excited, nervous and anxious to see what the next 10 years will bring for Nate & I, I just hope they don't fly by as fast as the previous 10 years have!

July 18, 2008

Girls Day Out



On Wednesday, I got to go to lunch with my girls!! We had some tasty food at Mandarin, shopped around at Kohls, and did some crazy jewelry checking out at Claire's! We ended up going on a 5 hour lunch date, and it was, as it turns out, much needed for all of us! It's been a while since we've had a girly couple of hours, and I had a great time! Thanks friends! Love you!!

July 8, 2008

"I May Not Have A Lot of Money....

But I am the Richest Man in the World."





Last Saturday, Nate & I, along with other members of my family, went to a BBQ in honor of my sweet grandparents. The above saying is something that I have heard my grandpa say every time I see him. This saying is always followed with an accounting of how many people his family consisted of - children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and who was expecting. They are so proud of their family - even those who have not made the best choices. They are the kind of people that make you feel important, even if you are sitting across the room from them. They are getting old and their bodies are starting to slow down and not work so well, but their love for their family and for the Gospel still shine through, and I am so grateful for them and for their influence in my life!

July 4, 2008

Happy Independence Day


Today, while we were waiting for the Hyrum City Parade to start (we attended with my family), I was contemplating the 4th of July and what it means... as I was thinking about it, the parade started, and the National Guard marched by with the American Flag. I was touched as I watched it passed and I remembered how grateful I am for the freedom that I have been blessed with. I love this picture because I have always loved the Statue of Liberty and the dreams and the freedom that it represents for the American People. I admit that at times, my life gets hectic and I fail to think about and be grateful for our freedom and for the people who are risking their lives to preserve that freedom. I am grateful to have been born in the time and place that was chosen for me and I am grateful for the wonderful country (despite the problems) that we live in. Happy 4th of July!!

Scentsy Candles


What is it? A wickless candle? How do you use it? You take the warmer (such as this one, which I purchased), stick the wax in, and let your nostrils fill with a wonderful aroma that won't burn down your house if left unattended! My cousin's wife, Heather, brought her stuff to our girly weekend. Within the first few minutes, I was S-O-L-D, sold! The scent currently in my wickless candle burner - French Kiss! A very sweet smell that Nate even likes! If you haven't checked them out, do it!! Your home will never smell the same again!! (And I mean that in a good way!)

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