Niece #3!!

Heidi Ruth was born earlier this evening at 7:29pm. She is 8 lb 3 oz and 21.5 inches long. She has long eyelashes and lots of dark hair and looks a lot like her big sister Leah. I'm sad that I'm not there in person to see her yet, but I'm excited about the technology we have! Matt has had his laptop and web cam in the hospital room so I was able to see Heidi already and even hear her cry. :-) She's only about 3 hours old, but I've already been emailed pictures and now I'm posting this to share with everyone (Deb never posts on her blog anyway).

The news from Matt is that Heidi and Debi are both doing great. I'm excited to meet niece #3 next weekend, but until then, here's a couple more of her first pictures:

Greatest snow on earth!

So of course my blog posting continues to be sporadic. I think the main reason is because I am lazy about uploading pictures to my computer from my camera and I guess I think my blog is more exciting when I have photos to share.

Anyway, last Friday I took a day off work and went skiing for the first (but hopefully not the last!) time this season. We had free passes from going to see the Warren Miller ski movie, so we went to the Canyons. Sean (my brother in-law) was able to come last minute because we had an extra pass, so it was fun to get to hang out with him. I started the morning by having breakfast at Henri's house with his mom and dad and Bekah and Izzy, so it was a long and full day, but lots of fun.

Izzy and Henri, dancing in the kitchen after breakfast-they're getting so big!

I basically skied alone because John and Mikey were snowboarding and Sean alpine skis and does so much faster than I do on my tele skis. I actually like skiing alone though because then I can go at my own pace and I don't feel like I'm waiting for anyone or that anyone is waiting on me. We only skied about a half day, but it was enough for me...I need to get my skiing muscles in better shape for next time. It's also interesting to meet all sorts of people on the lift...plus I got to go in the singles line so I never had to wait; it was great.

View from the top of one run...not sure which :) Love it.

Even though I'm not that good, skiing is one of my favorite sports/hobbies and I hope to get to go more this year so I can get better. There is nothing like the view from the lift and from the top of the run...and as cliche as it is, Utah truly has the greatest snow on earth!

With Sean at the end of our ski day

Woo hoo!!

I got an A on my research paper!! I'm just really excited and I had to share it with the world. I was really stressed about this paper and spent a lot of time working on it, so I'm glad it paid off.

This semester has gone by so fast. I just have my last 2 tests and then I'm just 6 credits, two classes, and one semester to graduation. I have officially applied for graduation too, so that was also an exciting day this week.

Anyway, it's been a great week so far so I hope it's been good for all of you too!

concerts and snow

So Friday night I went to a concert (my last this semester for my class) and it was Peter Breinholt, Ryan Shupe, and Sam Payne. It was called "the Gift" and obviously had a Christmas theme.

Back in the day, I used to see Peter in concert all the time and going to this show reminded me how much I love both Peter and Ryan Shupe. They both put on such a great show and I always have such a good time at their concerts. This concert was especially fun because they did fun folk/bluegrass versions of Christmas songs, so that was cool. It was just what I needed to get into the Holiday spirit.

I tried to take some pictures, but I didn't want to use my flash so they didn't work out. I was in the second row too, so they could have been good.

The other great thing this weekend was all the snow. I woke up to this Saturday morning and it made me happy to see snow on the river:



Now I just can't wait to go skiing!

poor Oliver

So today I got to experience a little parental anxiety for, really, the first time. I dropped Oliver off at the vet this morning and he got neutered today. It's such a basic procedure, but I still got a little nervous when I took him because I've heard of little cats not surviving anesthesia, but the vet tech reassured me he would be fine. I still called in the afternoon to check on him because I wanted to know he was ok.

I picked him up after work and he's been asleep ever since. He did manage to get himself up on to the futon and then he fell asleep again. Normally he sleeps all sprawled out, but he's just been curled into a little ball. It's so sad. He has been up once to use the littler box, but he got tired on his way back and stopped to rest in the hall, so I helped him out and put him back on the futon.

Gypsy seems confused and curious about why Oliver isn't playing with her. She's been watching him from close by and went up and kind of poked him with her paw once. He seems unaffected by any noise or movement, which is weird because he's skiddish, like most cats are.

It's very strange to have him just lay there because he is usually so responsive and active while I am home. Besides being sleepy and a little wobbly on his feet the couple of times he's tried to walk, I think he is fine and should have a quick and easy recovery.

Gotta love the 80's

I'm posting again and it hasn't even been a whole month yet. Woot.

I just wanted to share a couple of great photos from a fabulous 80's themed party I attended Sat. night at my friend Jeff's house. I'm not sure why he wanted to have an 80's themed party, but it sure was fun to get dressed up and act a little ridiculous. We also grilled some hamburgers, but the grill was not cooperating so we could only make 4 at a time and it took forever, so I think I ate a burger around 10:00 or so.

I was really lame and went to bed while the party was still going strong, but I had a great time and wish Jeff would have more parties (hint, hint) because I enjoy getting to know his other friends and I always enjoy seeing him dance.

Scuba and I stopped by the DI where I picked up a this great yellow sweatshirt and Scuba found his whole ensemble. I was going for the 80's punk look..or something. John basically looked like he does every day, except he was sporting some sweet high tops which, unfortunately, didn't make it in to the picture. I wanted to take some more photos, but I got distracted. These give you the general idea though. The greatest part about my costume is my shirt clip, which somehow I had at my house because my mom actually saved some that we used to wear. Classic.

7 Random Things about Me (ok I guess 9)

So Rachel tagged me to tell 7 random things about myself awhile ago, and since I haven't written in my blog for over a month now, I thought I would finally do it. Sorry I'm not good at blogging...I'm just really not that interesting.

1. I am left handed but I'm not artistic. People always expect me to be creative and artistic when they find out I am left handed. I will give myself creative, but besides photography, I'm not artistically inclined at all.

2. I have really, really small ears. Most people don't notice, but when I point it out, they say something like "I my gosh, you really do" like I was kidding or something. Next time you see me, try to notice my tiny ears. What is more random, is that I am nothing like my brother, except we are both left handed and both have really tiny ears (although he has a big head, so maybe that's why his ears looks small).

3. I am the proud owner of 2 kittens, Oliver and Gypsy. The thing is, I have suffered from pet and seasonal allergies my whole life. I am just as allergic to trees, grass, dust, and flowers as I am to animals, and I still go outside so I decided I could have cats. So far it's gone really well and I think my allergies are fading away...at least to the cats.

4. My best friend is my ex-boyfriend. A lot of people think that's really weird, but I call it random. There was a time that I loved him more than anyone else and I time I hated him more than anyone else. Now I love him, but it's different. We pretty much never use the term "ex" to describe each other cause that's all in the past now. We get a long great and he is truly my best friend. He knows me better than anyone else and we have the most fun together. I guess you could say he "gets" me, and things are better than ever. Most people are critical, but at the end of the day, I don't actually care what anybody else thinks. Our relationship is completely non-traditional, but it works for us and we are happy.

5. My other two best guy friends are gay (but not a couple, although I think they should be). They are my favorite people and I would trust them with my life. I am probably the biggest advocate for gay rights my family and most of my friends will ever know, and these two men are a big reason for that. I choose to support love!

My other best friend is my sister Rebekah (ok, so I don't really have a "best" friend because they are all great). She is one of the strongest women I know and I admire her for being a mom, wife, student, daughter, sister, and friend. She fills many roles and she does all of them wonderfully. We've grown closer over the last couple of years and I trust her more than anyone. We don't always agree (in fact usually we don't) but we respect and love each other and she constantly reminds of what being family is all about.

6. I have been working on my bachelors degree for nearly 10 years. While I haven't been in school the whole time, it has still been a long road. I will graduate in May 2008, just one month shy of my 10 year anniversary of graduating high school. Woot. I'm very proud of myself.

7. I love kids, but I don't think I will have any of my own. I am very nurturing and compassionate and taking care of children seems to come naturally for me and I've been doing it as long as I can remember. Some days I think I can see myself as a mom, but most days I can't. I don't admit it to most people, but ultimately I think it's a commitment issue. I just can't see myself devoting all my time and energy to a child...yet. I got cats to work on my issues, and I think it's helping. I love them and it's nice to feel needed every day. I have a greater sense of responsibility now and a new appreciation for pet-lovers everywhere.

8. I'm a girl, but I love video games. Most girls don't I have found. I love everything from car racing/crashing to situational and simulation games. My favorite game is Burnout, and I like the 3rd version the best. I spend hours and hours playing James Bond Goldeneye for Nintendo 64 my first year of college. I also love the Sims and play it when I have free time...which isn't very often.

9. I am a craigslist success story. I have found a job, apartment, random furniture, and even dates on CL. I've sold lots of things, including a car there as well. Check out saltlakecity.craigslist.org to try your hand at your own success story.

10. I just remembered this wasn't 10 random things, but 7. I've already typed it out so I'm leaving it.

Ok, there are some random things about me. I will now tag Anna, Jeff, Dethrow, and Kathy...since you four are the only other people with blogs I read (besides Rachel, of course).

Julie Wheeler "How Can I Tell You..."

I think everyone has heard this song on that jewelry commercial...but I love the song and this was a cool version I found on youtube. The original song is by Cat Stevens, and although I love Cat Stevens, I really like this song better with a female voice. It is Cat Power that does the version on the commercial, but it was never recorded as a single...bummer.

Yellowstone

John, Me, and Jeff

Well, it was no Costa Rican adventure, but I took a quick weekend trip to Yellowstone this last weekend with John, Jeff, and Cassie. We stayed at Cassie's family's cabin which is about halfway between Island Park and West Yellowstone.

Old Faithful

Beehive Geyser

I haven't been to Yellowstone in years and years and actually have very few memories of the trip, so it was kind of like going for the first time. We spent a lot of our day driving, but we did get to see several geysers and thermal pools, specifically Old Faithful, Beehive Geyser, and one more that went off in our face that we are fondly calling Poo Geyser, mostly because of the smell.

Jeff, running away from the poo geyser when it went off in our faces

Cool blue pool thing

We also drove to Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Falls, and a few other places...I got really disoriented because I kept falling asleep between seeing the sights so I lost track of where we were. We ended up exiting the north entrance into Gardiner, MT for gas and groceries. I've decided I think it would be fun to live in a little town like this for awhile sometime in my life. Life just seems more simple in a small town, even if the only grocery store in town does close at 8:00.

Me and Jeff...we're perfecting this shot

Me and John at some cool overlook of a waterfall and river

We did get to see lots of animals on our trip, including bison, elk, a mountain goat, tons of birds, and even a bear. Yes, a bear. We stopped on the road where several cars were already parked to find out what was going on. Cassie brought her scope and binoculars, so we were able to see him pretty well...but not well enough for pictures unfortunately.

After a long day of driving, we cooked a delicious spaghetti dinner and just bummed around the rest of the night. It was great to get to relax and spend time with friends and to get out of Logan for a couple of days.

Jeff, Cassie, John, and Me after scoping out the bear

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

My friend Natalie forwarded this email to me, so rather than forwarding it on, I thought I would post it here for all to see (well, all 2 of you who maybe read my blog). But it is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so I thought it was especially applicable. It just takes 3.2 seconds of your time to help the cause!

Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on 'donating a mammogram' for free (pink window in the middle).This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors /advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising.Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/ AGAIN, PLEASE TELL 10 FRIENDS TO TELL 10 TODAY.

Girl's Day in Logan

This past weekend my mom, sisters, and Izzy came up to Logan to hang out. Debi and Leah were playing in Moab, so they couldn't make it. At first Bekah was just going to come with Izzy, mostly so they could meet my kitties and see my house finally. My mom decided she wanted to come though, so Rachel basically had no choice and had to come. Unfortunately, we couldn't hang out at my apartment for too long...the kitties were scared and stayed under the bed the whole time, plus everyone was allergic to them too. It doesn't help that my apartment is one room either, so it's not the greatest for hanging out.

Anyway, we ended up seeing the movie "Hairspray" and having dinner at Costa Vida. We also visited the cheese factory and Izzy and I got to hang out while everyone else went the the relief society broadcast. I introduced Izzy to Buddy, Whitey, Tinkerbell, and Oreo and she seemed to have a lot of fun running around the house with all the animals. She's getting so big and just gets cuter and cuter every day.

Even though it was only one day, it was fun to hang out with everyone since we don't get together very often.

My fur-babies

Yes, that's right, it's plural. Fur-babies. I picked up Oliver on Thursday night and he was pretty freaked out about his new home. He poked around my apartment a little, but mostly wanted to stay in his carrier. He cried most of the night and I got maybe 2-3 hours of sleep and most of that was on the floor because he seemed to cry less when I did that. So I made the decision Friday after work to go back to the kennel and get one of his sisters after much discussion with and with a lot of encouragement from John. He just seemed so lonely and is a social cat and I want him to be happy. Two cats doesn't seem like much more work than one, and I've decided it's actually easier because they play with each other.

So John and I went back and picked up Oliver's sister, Gypsy, and she has been a great addition to our little family. She was also scared, but Oliver was happy to see her and they have been playing and sleeping with each other and not crying hardly at all. They are starting to explore a little more too and right now Oliver is playing with my ties on my hoodie that are dangling in my lap. It' s really cute. They are using their litter box and eating fine. They are finally eating the dry food I put out, up until now they have just had the wet. I'm trying to snap some pictures of them, but they spend a lot of time under my bed, so I haven't been able to get a good one. I will work on that as they get more comfortable and come out and play more.

I'm feeling good about this choice though and I think I will learn a lot. Especially patience. John is a natural with animals so he is helping me and the time I've spent with his and Jeff's cats has been some good practice. I'll post here about Oliver's and Gypsy's progress and I promise to add pictures soon. And I promise I'm not a crazy cat lady.

Introducing: Oliver

So I'm getting a cat. A kitten, actually. His name is Oliver and he is about 8 weeks old. I'm really excited! I'm bringing him home on Thursday after he has his last shots. I've been getting ready for him to come home for a couple of weeks and have all the essentials...I hope. Since this is my first pet, he will definitely be spoiled.

I know what you are all wondering. "Hey Bethany, aren't you allergic to cats?" Yes, this is true. But I've been spending a lot of time around 3 cats and a dog lately (since June when I moved to Logan) and I've been fine. Mostly. I do take an otc allergy pill occasionally. My two bff's John and Jeff have a house full of animals and it has inspired me to adopt a fur-baby of my own.

This actually is really big for me. I have an intense fear of commitment, so this is my first big thing. I'm committing to be there for Oliver for the rest of his life, so hopefully this will be a stepping stone for me for future relationships.

Anyway, I will probably post a lot of pictures of him here on my blog for you to all enjoy.

Blog this

So I finally broke down and decided to start a blog. It seems everyone is doing it. Mostly I am inspired by my friend anna jo who has the coolest blog around. I think she should give me a blog tutorial and help me figure out how to make my blog at least a little bit cool. I have a myspace page, which I used to spend a lot of time creating and changing, but I'm pretty much over it by now. I plan to continue to keep in touch with people that way, because it's terribly convenient, but I think I will blog here and there as a more intimate way to keep people updated on my life. I really don't do anything all too exciting, but I have enjoyed reading the blogs of my friends and family, so I figured I would join the club. Happy reading. :)