The Abandoned Blog

I haven't posted anything in almost 2 months. We don't have internet at our apartment yet, so that limits my computer time to what little I can do from my iPhone.

Anyway, that's why I'm never here anymore...there's not really anything else to say either. haha

Home alone all afternoon/evening...maybe I need to turn on some music or something...

So, I am packing up my house. (I don't want to, but I have to.) I started to take down all the pictures and things from the wall. (There wasn't much, I never got around to REALLY decorating. I was waiting for the money that never came.) I pulled down a plaque I got as a wedding present, and re-read it.

It says, "LOVE: always, forever, and no matter what"

Then I thought, "How many people ACTUALLY live like that?" We get married thinking that we'll always love someone, we'll be together forever. Yet, in the back of your mind, there's SOMETHING that could happen to break you apart.

Then I thought of the relationship I have with my husband. We don't really hide anything from each other, there isn't a need to. We both know that lies will just hurt even worse and the truth is always better.

I'm not saying my marriage is perfect, but maybe it's perfect for us. Honestly, I think I have it a lot better than most.

Then...my husband called just to say hi.

I sure love him.

Downsizing...

http://greenleafatbountiful.com/

Back to apartment living...

Not too excited about that, but what can ya do?

We're sad to leave all our friends in Tooele, and our awesome house, but excited to be moving back nearby family!

We'll be moving next Friday, the 11th.

We'll be listing our house ASAP.

We are allowed to bring the dog, but we're not sure how much fun it'd be for anyone when we're used to having a backyard...to suddenly confining a huge dog in a small apartment. So, we're looking for a new home for Dominator, if possible.

We're hoping to be able to transfer back to the Bountiful Applebee's.

Joshua is still looking for a new job.

Mike is amazing.

Reason #1,327 why carpet in the dining room plus a 2 year old is a bad idea:

Mike: Mom! Eat!
Me: Okay, do you want a corn dog?
Mike: Okay! dah-dog!
I heat up a corn dog for him and set it on the table.
Mike: Dip!
Me: Do you want ketchup?
Mike: No! Dip!
Me: Do you want mustard?
Mike: No! Dip!
Me: Do you want ranch? (I think that sounds gross, but who knows what he wants!)
Mike: No! Dip!
Me: Okay, you get ketchup.
I squirt a little ketchup on his plate.
Mike: NO! DIP!
Corn dog in hand, he swats at the plate, sending ketchup flying to the carpet. I grab the corn dog from his hand, and carry screaming child to his bedroom.
Me: You can read books in your room for a minute.
Mike: NOOOOO!!!
I set him on his bed with some books and leave the room, shutting the door behind me.
Mike: No! Cha-chup! Cha-chup! Mommy! Cha-chup!
I leave him to cry in his room for a minute while I attempt to clean up the spot of ketchup on the carpet. Then I go back to his room.
Me: You decided you want ketchup?
Mike: Okay.
Back downstairs to the kitchen...I put him on a bar stool to eat his corn dog, with ketchup. He picks up the corn dog, and notices my lack of corn dog-heating skills since the corn bread promptly falls off the hot dog.
Mike: MOM! Help! Broken!
I try to put the corn bread back on.
Mike: Day-ku!
But when he goes to dip it, the corn bread falls off.
More screaming and yelling at me because I can't get a corn dog right. (LOL)
Out of patience and just trying to make this kid happy, I put another corn dog in the microwave, watching it closely this time and catching it before the corn bread splits all the way. I put the new corn dog on his plate.
Mike: Day-ku!
After a successful dip and bite, he decides he needs to go back to watching his movie upstairs. Whatever kid, so I get him down. Apparently he decided the corn dog needed to come with him, because as soon as I turned my back, he one-handed the plate off the counter. The corn dog rolled, making the plate unbalanced, and the whole thing toppled from his hand...sending more ketchup to the CARPET.

At least he says Thank You a lot, right?

Poll

Please vote in the poll on the right. :)

Joshua wants me to do my hair like Hayley Williams, the lead singer of Paramore. Specifically like this picture. I'm not sure about it. I definitely want to do something fun to my hair, but that's kinda...bright. So I don't know. Maybe I'll just do the black and pink again??

What do you think?

Carr Family Reunion

(The cousins got bored and decided to see how many people they could fit on one chair in the lodge...or something like that)

This year was my mom's parents' 50th wedding anniversary. To celebrate we had (almost) everyone to a big lodge near Altamont, UT.

Grandma and Grandpa have 11 kids...plus all their kids...equals a lot!

There was a ton of fun stuff to do. We went swimming in the pool every day, Joshua got to go rock climbing and paintballing, and we ate lots of good food!

Everyone decorated a cupcake to look like themselves.

Mike getting a ride on my dad's shoulders.

Mike trying to climb the rock wall like everyone else.

When Joshua got down from the wall he was too tired to even stand. Mike had to help him up.

Joshua climbing the rock wall.

Ugh

Nothing great is going on right now. Nothing terrible, but nothing great. All I can think of to post would be a huge venting post, but not everyone needs to know all the details, so I won't do that.

I can't even get a good picture of Mike these days. If you can actually see his face in the picture, its a picture of him reaching and asking for the camera. Other than that, it's a blurry picture of the back of his head.

Hopefully my next post will be some good news.

Me and My Husband

I stole this from Jen...hehe.

♥ What are your middle names? Michael and Alayne

♥ How long have you been together? 4 years next month!

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? a couple of days...a week before it was "official".

♥Who asked who out? We both just wanted to see each other again...

♥ How old were each of of you when you started dating? I was 18, he was 22.

♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most? His.

♥ Do you have any children together? Awesome Mike. He's 2.

♥What about pets? One huge dog.

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? Money.

♥ Did you go to the same school? Nope. We went to rival high schools, but he was out of high school before I even started, so not a big deal.

♥ Are you from the same home town? Not really, although we lived pretty close to each other when we met.

♥ Who is the smartest? He thinks he is...haha!

♥ Who is the most sensitive? I think we're about equal there.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? Applebee's...

♥ Who has the worst temper? He does, but only if his team lost.

♥ Who does the cooking? If anyone cooks, it's usually me. Not that he can't cook, he just doesn't very often.

♥ Who is more social? He is.

♥ Who is the neat-freak? Unfortunately, neither of us are!

♥ Who is the more stubborn? We both are.

♥ Who hogs the bed? Mike. haha

♥ Who wakes up earlier? I do. Mike wakes ME up.

♥ Where was your first date? We played tennis at the park, got slurpees, and went to Barnes and Noble! haha

♥ Who has the bigger family? I have one more sibling than he does, and more aunts, uncles, and cousins.

♥ Do you get flowers often? Maybe twice?

♥ How do you spend Christmas? However we feel like it. The last couple of years have been Christmas Eve dinner with my family, then sleeping over at his parents' house. Who's to say we'll do that every year though...

♥ Who is more jealous? Hmm...we're about the same...not much jealousy, but enough.

♥ How long did it take to get serious? A week...maybe

♥ Who eats more? Joshua. I don't eat much.

♥ Who does/did the laundry? I think he's done one load in the last year...so yeah. I do.

♥ Who’s better with the computer? Probably me. :)

♥Who drives when you are together? Joshua. I'm a terrible woman driver and he lets me know sometimes. So...I don't drive with him in the car.

I tag...

whoever wants to do this!

Our Summer So Far

Waiting for Grandma and Uncle Tim to come to our house:

Getting started on potty training:

Then, Mike's favorite part of the day: taking Dom for a walk and letting him drink from the hose when we get home:

"Mo' bah-band?"

(translation: "More rock band?")

Mike's new favorite activity: Singing on Rock Band!

An Update

A friend of mine told me she was disappointed that I hadn't updated my blog in a while...so here we go...two blogs in one day! We almost didn't get to go on our trip to Washington. Joshua didn't get the time off approved at work. Then...a week before....he got laid off. Nice huh? It's a small company and they're just going downhill. So, since I had requested work off a long time before, and gotten it, we went on the trip. Now we're back to real life trying to figure out how to make some money! Joshua's going to come back to Applebee's (again haha) and hopefully we can make it through on that until he finds another job.

On to better (I guess) news...Mike is growing up! The other day, we walked into my parents' house, and he walked straight up to my dad and said, "Oh, hi Grandpa!" First of all, when did he start speaking in complete sentences, and second...that's his first time saying the word Grandpa! He surprises us with something new every day. He also loves baseball. He'll set a ball down on the ground, golf-swing at it with a bat, then when he taps it he throws the bat and runs off somewhere. haha! I guess he watches his dad play softball more than I thought he did!

Um...I can't think of anything more to say...so that's all you get, for now!

Washington

We got home from our trip to Seattle over a week ago, but I never posted anything about it, so here we go...

We left Saturday morning, stayed that night in Pendleton, Oregon, and got to Grandmama and Papa's house Sunday evening. My mother in law's entire family (well, we were missing a few people...) was there to greet us. We stayed there for the week, making a few trips out and around.

Here we are (with Jefferson and Jordan) in the back of Grandmama and Papa's van:

This is the reason we went the week we did. The Mariner's organization was holding an open tryout. It was for guys ages 16-22, so both Justin and Jefferson got to try out. They both did pretty well! Especially Justin, who did really well (85 mph!) for only being 16. He's definitely going to have some scouts come out to his high school games over the next two years! In this picture you can see both of them on the mound. It's Jefferson's turn to show off his skills, and Justin (in the red) is warming up. Behind the fence you can see the two scouts.

Then, the last night we were there, we went back to that same field for a Raniers game. Here's one of the few minutes Mike sat nicely on Dad's lap:

It was a pretty fun trip. We're glad we were able to go, and see some family we don't see very often, but we're also glad to be home!

Goodbye Hayley...again?

Well we gave Hayley away...again. Someone called, said they'd be over in a few minutes, came, loved her, and took her home. It was as quick as that. They have two other dogs, so she won't be lonely, and they know what they're doing. haha

Hopefully it sticks this time!

Ugh

So much for a "good" home for Hayley.

I came home from work, and peeked outside to see where Dom was. Instead of a big black face in the window I saw a brown and white one. Um...Hi Hayley. So I called Joshua who's in Bountiful for softball...um...why is Hayley home???

The guy we gave her to last night was way excited to have her. She was a surprise for his wife and daughter who, supposedly, would be really excited to see her. He also mentioned that he was going out of town this morning until Sunday night. I thought that was kinda weird that he would surprise his wife with a dog, then leave for 3 days, but whatever...he probably knows his wife better than I do. WRONG. Apparently (while I was at work) right before Joshua left for softball, this lady appeared on our porch saying we had to take her back, or she was taking her to the pound. Of course Joshua was mad, but he took her back to save her from going to the pound again.

She didn't even bring her leash back.

Goodbye Hayley!

We had someone come pick up Hayley last night. It actually went really well. He was really excited to take her home as a surprise to his wife and 6 year old daughter. Apparently they used to have 2 dogs like her, who somehow chewed through a fence and escaped. They never found them, and have since moved from California to Utah, and have been wanting to get another dog. She will definitely be loved there and get a lot more attention than she did here. It'll be good for her, and us.

Dom, however, misses her. We brought him out in the front yard after she left and he started sniffing around where she last was. He gets more attention from us though. We let him in the house for the first time in a while. Now for training...

Where are you??

Mike hates it when sun gets in his eyes. In fact, the first time I heard him put two words together on his own were the words, "ow! eyes!" On the mornings where we need to drive Dad to work, those are the worst. The sun shines in his window just right. So, instead of having a crying kid the whole drive, we taught him this little trick:

It usually turns into a game of peek-a-boo.

What the???

Mike was taking a nap (whew!) so I decided to go clear out the flower beds in my front yard. Dead tulips and waist-high weeds aren't that pretty.

Then I hear Hayley whining. Ok, that's weird...then I look around the corner of the house:

I guess she figured out how to climb on top of the chicken coop/dog house and decided to peek her head over and say hi.




PS We're still trying to find a home for Hayley. Two dogs is just too much for me, I think. We decided we're going to try to keep Dom, get him some training and hopefully he'll turn into a good family dog. If you hear of anyone wanting to adopt a dog, let me know!

Mike's Snack

Mike asked for a snack, so I sat him on a bar stool and gave him a roll and a piece of cheese.

He made a sandwich out of it.

I thought it was cute, so I took a couple pictures with my phone.

He decided my pictures weren't good enough, so he took my phone, deleted my pictures, and took his own.

Happy Day After Birthday, Mike!

My Memorial Day

(Mike and his aunt Cristal. One of the few people he'll go to besides Mom.)

It was a good one.

First and most importantly, it was my son's 2nd birthday! I now have a 2 year old. A very cute, amazing, awesome, funny, 2 year old. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me. The best decision I ever made in my life was the one to have a baby. All the times I complain about needing a babysitter, or nail polish on my carpet, or other messes are made up 1000's of times over.

If you have kids, you know what I mean.

He got a toy guitar from my sisters (he loves it!) and some much needed 2T clothes from my parents. Leenie and Pop also got him some toy balls, because a Rupe boy can never have enough balls?

Today is his 2 year well check with our new doctor here in Tooele. I'll post about how that goes later. I've had some great reviews for this guy, hopefully he lives up to them!


After all the birthday and Memorial day celebrations were over, the real fun began. :)

(for Mom anyway)

I guess I looked hot, tall, and skinny because I was scouted by a modeling agency on my way in.

Here's me and Nicolette!

First up, was The Sounds. They were ok. We didn't listen to much of them because we were too busy kicking butt at Rock Band. We played Spiderwebs (by No Doubt, of course). I got 97% on Expert Guitar and Nicolette got 94% on Expert Singing. Not too bad for not being able to hear the song, just The Sounds in the background!

Next up...PARAMORE!!

We were very glad we splurged on floor tickets. We were standing maybe 20 yards from the stage. Amazing. You can't tell from the pictures, but we could see the faces of the band members. All of them. Hayley is even prettier in person, and yes, her hair was a bright orangey red.

Last was No Doubt. This is how they came on stage, one by one.

(Gwen is second from the left)

I thought Paramore was amazing. Until No Doubt came out. They sure know how to put on a concert! (Okay, so we were a little farther back for No Doubt. We lost our standing space when we took a potty break between bands.)

We LOVED it. It was fun to get out and do something with just us girls, and we both are loving concerts! The next one? Incubus is coming in July, and Papa Roach in August. Anyone want to join us?

Nothing to blog about

I haven't blogged in over a week. Why? Nothing is going on! The most exciting things that have happened are my iPhone screen is shattered and my laptop keyboard doesn't work. All in the same weekend. Lessons learned: Don't give an almost-two-year old your iPhone, and don't let a 44 oz cup of Dr Pepper come within 100 feet of a laptop.

My laptop looks sad. Several keys kept sticking down, so they are now pulled off. I have a USB splitter plugged in so I can hook up a new keyboard (which only works when none of the old keys are stuck down) and a mouse. At least my laptop works. I can still use it, and everything is not lost like I feared. (iTunes, all our photos from the last year, No Doubt concert tickets...etc)

Mike is awesome. He still loves to cuddle. He still doesn't sleep in his own bed, but is sometimes ok with his Cars sleeping bag on the floor in Mom and Dad's room. He sings, "We're off to the puppet show!" Which sounds more like "uh uh puh-pee uh uh show!"

We still don't have homes for our dogs. We had someone who was supposed to come pick up Hayley last night, but never showed. We've had a couple of phone calls/texts about Dom, but are considering keeping him anyway. Maybe.

That's a long post for nothing going on. I think I'll go (**NERD alert**) level my troll hunter to a 27 now...LOL (PS That is my highest "toon"...I'm only trying to play that silly game for my husband!)

Anyone want a dog? (or two?)

Seriously.

We decided we're not ready for dogs. We (I) don't have the time or patience to train them properly, and I hate just having animals taking over our backyard. They would be great dogs, but it's my fault and they need a better home. We'll miss them...kind of.

We talked about it, made our decision, and then the next day when Joshua let them in the house so he could mow the lawn:
So, not only do they dig holes in the backyard, but they have now successfully dug a hole in my family room carpet. They're just making this easier.

I'll be posting ads on ksl.com next week.

PS If anyone knows anyone who can give us a great deal on new flooring for the WHOLE house (minus nail polish, doggy diarrhea, and huge holes) please let me know.

PPS I'll also be turning off anonymous comments next week, so if you have anything nasty to say to me anonymously, get it out now.

A not so bad Mother's Day after all

1. I got to talk to my brother last night. They figured out a time that would work for all of us, including me. :) 10:45 pm Utah time, or 6:45 am Germany time. I got 5 minutes to talk to him all to myself. It was good to hear his voice. :)

2. A girl I work with asked me yesterday if she could take my Sunday morning shift. Her kids live in California and her man was going to be working, so she was just going to sit at home and feel sorry for herself all morning. Instead, she decided to ask a mother if they'd like the morning off. I said YES. That also meant we were able to sleep over at Nicolette's house and keep her company, since she was going to be home alone, with no kids.

It'd be better if Mike and I didn't have colds, and if there were such thing as cold medicine for 2 year olds, but I can't have it all, can I?

Mother's Day (and other thoughts)

It's coming up this Sunday.

It's also one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants. That means...yep. I'm working. Both the lunch and dinner shifts.

That also means I'm missing my missionary brother's phone call. It's ok, I'll get to talk to him again on CHRISTMAS.


Other thoughts: I have a cold. Or something. It's fun. Then I noticed in the middle of the night that Mike was feeling warm. He woke up this morning pretty miserable. I gave him some Motrin and now he's feeling a lot better. :)

I took Hayley to get spayed on Monday. I'm supposed to restrict activity for TEN days. I've been keeping her inside, locked in the family room, instead of outside with Dom all the time like she's used to. She hates it! If I'm not in the room with her, she whines and cries and tries to break through the gate we put up. So, this morning, while not feeling good myself and just wanting to snuggle in bed with my sick baby, I put her outside. I won't leave her out there all day...but I hope I don't end up regretting it.

Mike's birthday is coming up. It's on the 25th of this month. Aaahhhh! I'm going to have a TWO year old! I guess he's not my baby so much anymore. :(

I'm going to be a mean mom and leave him on his birthday. That just happens to be the day that No Doubt and Paramore are playing in Salt Lake...and I have tickets. I'm really excited to go...and...well, he doesn't know it's his birthday and won't notice if we celebrate another day, right?

"Is this McDonald's?"

Last night, at work, I was closing up the restaurant. It was about 10:30 pm, (we close at 11:00) so there were only a few of us left in the building, and only a table or two of people eating. The phone rings, so I answer it, expecting it to be 1) an order to go, or b) someone calling to talk to the manager or another employee. It wasn't either.

Me: Thanks for calling Applebee's in Tooele featuring Carside Service, this is Lori how can I help you?
Them: Um...Is this...McDonald's?
Me: Uh...no. This is Applebee's.
Them: Do...you...have a snack wrap for me?
Me: Who is this??
*click*

At least they waited until after the dinner rush. I guess someone was bored and lonely at home on a Friday night...

Lunch

Around lunch time, Mike grabbed my hand and dragged me into the kitchen.
I asked him, "Are you hungry?"
He answered, "Yes. Eat."
Not having any other ideas for lunch, I asked him, "Do you want peanut butter and jelly?"
"Yes!"
Then he grabbed the handle of the door to the fridge and pulled. Nothing happened, so I helped him. He grabbed the jelly and handed it to me, but before I could close the door he grabbed the ranch dressing. "Dit!" (Mike language for "Dip") Okay, whatever kid. I set the jelly on the counter and tried to take the ranch from him and put it back in the fridge door. He hung on tight. "No! Dit!" So I let him hold it. Then I got out the peanut butter and a slice of bread. I made him a sandwich, cutting it in half for him. I put it on a plate and set it on the table. Then he handed me the ranch. "Dit!" Okay, okay, fine...I squirt a little ranch onto his plate, then was finally allowed to put it away. He climbed up onto his chair, and devoured the whole sandwich, dipping it in ranch before, and saying, "mmm!" after each bite.

I don't remember if he's ever eaten every bite of a sandwich before.

No More Bink Update

So far so good.

He hasn't asked for it at all today.

Yay!!

AnnaMarie and Triscuit!!!

Or anyone else with toddler boys like Jaxon and Keller...

How do you get bright pink nail polish off the carpet? (Is it possible?)

Don't his toes look great??



PS That's not all of it...there is also light pink and clear on the carpet, but those don't show up as well in pictures. ;)

Bring on the tears...

Why? It's because last night we decided to get rid of the binkie. Yep. All Gone.

He asked for it a couple of times before bed, but understood what I meant when I said, "Nope, all gone!" This morning he had a hard time when he first woke up and couldn't find it, but he got over that after about a minute.

So far it hasn't been too bad. He usually only asks for it when he's sleepy, so we'll see how it goes from here!

"The best pot roast I've ever had."

That's what Joshua said about dinner tonight. So, I thought I'd post my recipe so I could make it again sometime, and maybe someone else will be able to use it too. Joshua's favorite food is pot roast, which means two things: a) I already knew what his answer would be when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner, and b) he's probably had a few good pot roasts in his life to be able to classify it as his "favorite".

Anyway, here's what I did:

First, I poured some baby carrots in the bottom of the crock pot.
Then I chopped up about a tablespoon or two of butter on the carrots, plus some salt and pepper.
Next, I put the meat on top of the carrots. It was a Cross Rib Roast. (The guy at the store said is similar to a Chuck Pot Roast. I'll trust him.) This one happened to be 2.9 lbs.
Then I sprinkled a packet of McCormick Pot Roast seasoning on the meat. (It came with a bag to use in the oven, but I opted to do crock pot instead.)
Then I spread a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup over the meat.
Last, I filled that now empty can halfway with water and poured it in the crock pot.

Then I put the lid on, turned it to low, and let it sit for about 6 hours.

It took maybe 5 minutes to prep. I didn't even have to chop carrots since I just used baby carrots. I also made some instant mashed potatoes to go with it, nothing special there.

I guess it turned out pretty good. :)






PS Joshua's birthday was actually yesterday. He's an old man of 26 now. ;) I was going to make this dinner for him yesterday, but his family wanted to celebrate with him so we put it off until today. Nicolette BBQed some hot dogs, and we just hung out and played Guitar Hero World Tour until it was time to go watch Joshua and Jefferson play softball. Joshua was pretty excited that his whole family would come watch his game on his birthday!

Sleepy Boy

It was about 12:30 pm, his "normal" nap time. His sleeping schedule hasn't been "normal" for a couple of weeks. So this is "weird".

We have had a lazy morning, just laying around, watching Madagascar 2, and snacking on things like leftover quesadillas and guacamole. We had finally gotten around to taking a shower together. (I know exactly where he is, and I don't have to give him a bath. Two birds, one stone.) I had promised him we'd take a dog for a walk after we took a shower. He's always getting the leashes out and saying "Hay-ee? Dah? Puppy?" In fact he had done it this morning, but I wasn't going anywhere before I had my shower. After the shower, he asked for his bink, then went upstairs. I noticed it had been quiet for a few minutes, so I went to check on him...I found him asleep, on the floor, by my closet. There WAS a pillow and blanket there (among other things...like a pair of shoes and a pillow case) and I guess it looked like a good place for a nap!

Little Guitar

This little guitar was actually a toddler toy in a kids meal.

He's saying "guitar" by the way. :)

Bowling

We took Mike bowling for the first time tonight! He loved it when it was his turn, and hated it when it wasn't.

Here are a few pictures, some are kind of blurry because he was so excited to do it again!

Mike's New Favorite Word

"Dee-do".

(Thank you)

He says it all the time. I love it.

You help him get dressed. "Dee-do." You help him put his shoes on. "Dee-do." You find his "diss" (drum sticks) for him. "Dee-do."

That reminds me of something else he does that I think is super cute. When he's looking for something, he raises his hands, palm up. (I tried to get a picture, but he's not cooperating.) He does that every time we walk out of a store. "Wheh dah?" (where car?)

Oh, and he can say his own name now too. It sounds like "Mite"

What an awesome kid I have.

A Weekend in Vegas

We had a pretty relaxing weekend in Vegas. Now a whole lot of excitement, just a lot of sleeping, eating, and hanging out with each other.

We flew in Friday night after dropping Mike off at my parents' house. He was playing cars with Aunt Cristal when we left, and was happy to say goodbye then go back to playing. ha ha Saturday morning we slept in, then slowly made our way to the buffet in the Luxor. Brunch was still going on, and it was really good!

Then we signed up for a tour of a new resort being built down the street. We spent a few hours of our afternoon there, with sales people trying really hard to get us to buy a timeshare. Joshua wanted to do it, but I had to be the mean one and say NO LET US LEAVE!! ha ha It was worth it though. We got two free tickets to a show for that night, $75 off of dinner, and $50 for the poker tables. Here we are waiting for the shuttle to take us to the tour.

We had been wanting to go to a nice steak dinner and we thought that the $75 would cover a good chunk of it...boy were we wrong! Our bill was $150! We were glad we only had to pay for half of it, and a $35 tip for the great server, of course. The food was amazing. Totally worth the money.

Joshua's 20 oz Ribeye, fries, and custom dipping sauces.

My 8 oz Fillet Mignon and amazing mashed potatoes. I also got a cesear salad, with real anchovies. It was actually pretty good!

I don't have a picture, but Joshua took that $50 to a black jack table. As soon as that "fake" money was gone, we left the table and walked with $100, after less than 10 minutes!

Sunday we finally got to walk around the strip before catching our flight home, and take a break at the Oxygen bar. It looks funny, but it actually felt pretty good!

Just two days away from a weekend of minimal responsibility!

Woohoo!

You have no idea how ready I am for a vacation. Even just a weekend one because we can't afford to take more time off work. (More in the job security department than the money department, even though that is also an issue.) Last May, Mike's birthday weekend and Memorial day weekend, we took a "stay-cation" and spent the weekend at Nicolette's house. Before that, for my birthday (January 2008), we (along with Nicolette and Jeremy) spent one night in Wendover....aaaand...that's the extent of our vacationing since July 2007 when we went to Oregon and Washington for two family reunions. It is now April 2009!

Between jobs and school (on a side note, I am happy to report that I passed my Flash class last month, so THERE!) it's hard to take time off. Even a few days off puts us behind. We finally just took the plunge and I requested this weekend off at work. That's three days of work I'm missing, three days of pay. OH WELL. Thank goodness for tax returns, right?

We have flights to Vegas booked. We're not wasting a second of our time on driving. The 9 pm flights are considerably cheaper, and we have to wait for Joshua to get off work anyway, so that's when we're leaving Friday night and returning Sunday night. A room, for two nights, at the Luxor is also booked. My parents are ready and excited for their favorite (and only) grandson to spend the weekend with them. My brother in law Jefferson is ready and excited to take care of our dogs for us. Those are the important things, taken care of. Beyond that, we don't really have any plans yet. It'll be nice to just get away, knowing that Mike (and the dogs) are ok, and just do whatever we want to do. Nowhere we need to be, nothing we should be doing (not a single diaper needing to be changed!), and the weather being in the 70's instead of the 30's. ha ha.

Sure, I'll miss Mike, but it will be nice to have two nights of sleeping straight through the night. :)

Things Mike learned this weekend

I was at work pretty much all day both Saturday and Sunday. These are the things Mike learned while I was away:

- He now says Daddy, where before he just said Dad. (more like Da) He has recently done this with Mommy/Mom, too.

- New word: Puppy. Clear as day.

- He can open his bedroom door from the inside. I guess I need to childproof if I want to keep him in there at nap time.

Las Vegas?

Joshua and I need a vacation. Our last vacation was one night in Wendover for my birthday over a year ago. As a server, you don't get paid to go on vacation, and Joshua doesn't have enough vacation hours at his day job to go anywhere big. So...we're going to be huge copy cats and do what Nicolette and Jeremy did this last weekend - a weekend in Vegas. We'll probably leave Mike with family and take off as soon as Joshua gets off work on a Friday, then come home Sunday afternoon/evening.

So...I need suggestions and tips. Especially from those of you who live there. Best hotels, best places to eat, etc. (on a budget of course!)

Dear Anonymous Commenter

"Just finish school." Is the worst advice I've ever heard. Easier said than done. I know the best solution would be to finish school. Duh. I'm looking for advice on how to do it.

You don't go to school to get brains. You go to school to get a piece of paper that says you're worth more than someone else. I have brains.

I guarantee that every hug and kiss I get from my son means more to me than that piece of paper that means so much to the rest of the world. I hope you're blog hopping. If I've ever met you in person, please let me know so I will never let you near my child.

Being a MOTHER is the most important thing I could ever be. If that means a college degree is the only way my husband and I can provide a nice home for our son all have all three of us be home at the same time more than a few hours a week, then that's what I'll do. I just wish I didn't have to.

School

School is not going so well. It should be going well. Considering school, mine is really easy!

A few reasons why it's not going well:

1. Joshua isn't home anymore to take care of Mike while I listen to my class. The nights he is home we want to be doing things together!
2. Classes are BORING. I have a really hard time focusing, even when I don't have Mike with me.
3. I live 45 minutes away from campus, and books are only available to be picked up on weekdays before noon. I'm almost halfway through my current classes and haven't done anything because both classes require books. Books I don't have because I haven't had a car and when I have had a car, I haven't gotten myself and child up, ready, and out the door before 11 am. (Haven't tried very hard either)
4. The biggest problem, which goes along with the others: I'm just not motivated anymore!

As much as I hate quitting, I would really just like to. The reasons I haven't yet:

1. I would have to give back my laptop.
2. I would have to pay back my loans without anything to show for it. (like a degree)
3. The classes I've taken in the last year don't transfer to any other school.

Wouldn't it be nice if I didn't have to worry about getting a good job? Can't I just stay at home with my son (and future children) and NOT work?

I have less than a year left. I just need to get it done and behind me, but I don't want to!

Anyone with dogs?

The two dogs have been getting along great, for the most part. This evening Dom has started playing a little too rough with Hayley. Probably because he was wanting to go to sleep, but didn't want her stealing any of his areas. So, for Hayley's safety, we separated them for the night. Dom is blocked into the family room, as usual, and Hayley is in a kennel in the front room. Now they're both barking. Are we going to get any sleep tonight?


(PS Hayley came with the name Haylee from the shelter. I changed the spelling to be like the lead singer, Hayley Williams, from the awesome band Paramore. They are coming to Utah with No Doubt, who is back together - obviously, in May. Hopefully I am going to that concert!)

It's official, I've gone crazy.

We felt bad for Dom. He accidentally killed his friend. So...when I was at the shelter today to pick him up, I asked if there was a friend there for him that he wouldn't hurt. They suggested this little girl. I thought she was cute, so we adopted her! She is a 6 month old Staffordshire Terrior. She looks small (compared to this bear we call our puppy), but she can hold her own! She can pin Dom to the ground whenever she feels like it. He is loving it! I'm happy to have Dom back, happy to see him exhausted, and happy to have another female in the house!