Has it been 2 years already?

On Wednesday March 4th, Ben and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. Coincidentally, my favorite trashy guilty pleasure TV show "America's Next Top Model" was beginning a new cycle at the very place we got hitched two years ago, Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. They had pictures taken in some of the same places we did.
I fear that when I tell people I got married in Vegas, they picture the cheesy drive-thru chapel with the Elvis impersonator. Our wedding was nothing like that. We had an intimate gathering of about 25 people in one of the Italian themed chapels at Caesar's. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

So two years later, we marked the day in a less special way. I had to go to a midterm that morning and then I had class that night, so we really didn't do anything special on our actual anniversary. Ben did make a reservation for Thursday night at Tuscany, so that was our more romantic celebration. We had a nice quiet dinner at a very nice dinner (and thanks to b98.7, we didn't have to pay full price.) Our marriage is stronger than ever, and it was a great to celebrate our time spent and look forward to many more years.

25 Random Things

This has been floating around facebook as of late. I thought I would post it here instead.

1. I have never broken a bone. I have dislocated a kneecap and sprained a foot though.

2. I have taken tap, ballet and jazz dance classes. I have had lessons in swimming, gymnastics, singing, playing the viola and ice skating. And I quit them all!

3. “Celebrities” I have met: David Silverman, Christopher Castile, Andy Serkis *2x*, Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan. Sean Astin, (all of them are from Lord of the Rings) and Penn & Teller.

4. My first flight by myself was at the age of 19, which was also my first international flight. I went to Birmingham, England to visit my friend Bex who I met via live journal about a year prior.

5. My husband and I went on our first date on 8/1/05. We ate at Carl’s Jr. and sat in the parking lot for several hours just talking. We each thought the other wasn’t interested in being more than friends.

6. I don’t call my husband by his real name when we are alone. I have a nickname for him I use instead.

7. I get migraines with aura. Sometimes I say funny things, or see weird wavy lines and my right arm almost always goes numb.

8. I hate calling people on the phone unless they know I’ll be calling.

9. I’ve had plastic surgery. When I was 12, a plastic surgeon removed a could-be cancerous growth on my head. I still have a bald spot from it.

10. I am not what you would call a picky eater, but I am very particular about textures and won’t eat certain things for that reason. I hate coconut flavor and texture, but I will eat almond joy candy bars. I like pickles but not cucumbers. I can’t stand water chestnuts or mushrooms.

11. I didn’t try sushi until about 2-3 years ago. Now I love it.

12. More food stuff: I am not the cook in our household, but I love to bake.

13. I grew up around dogs and never had a cat until I moved in with Ben. Now I have three cats and love them.

14. I am afraid of snakes and heights and sometimes spiders.

15. I don’t find blood and guts as gross as rotten food or vomit.

16. I am a messy person and am not opposed to “creative clutter.”

17. 2008 was the first time I voted in a presidential election, even though I was eligible to vote in 2004.

18. I have one tattoo of my name in Japanese. I got it at the age of 19 and was extremely surprised at how well my parents handled it.

19. I am the youngest of all my cousins on both my dad’s and mom’s sides of the family because my parents had me later in life, and my aunts both had their kids at young ages.

20. My name would have been Benjamin if I were a boy, which of course happens to be my husband’s name.

21. On that note, I used to tell people that my real name was Victoria when I was younger, because that’s what I thought it really was. But it’s not.

22. I am the queen of starting hobbies only to give them up a few months later. I get it from my mother.

23. I named my dog Molly after the character in the American Girl books and the doll.

24. I love reality dance competition shows like "So You Think You Can Dance" or "Step It Up and Dance." But I don’t like "Dancing With the Stars."

25. I don’t get stage fright before a performance. But I do get very nervous before an audition.

ice cream is a food group

What do you do on a rainy gloomy Saturday when you are feeling depressed and bored and your husband is sick?

You say, "screw the diet!" and have ice cream for dinner.



Thank God for Maggie. I wish I had something better to write about but that's it. :)

Early Christmas

One of my Christmas traditions is to have an early Christmas at my parents house. This tradition started when I complained about never actually opening any gifts at my own house because we always spent Christmas in Rifle with my grandparents. This is nice because I get to have 2 Christmases. So on Saturday, my parents, Ben and I had our early Christmas together.

First we piled in the car together to drive to Bountiful to pick out my big gift. A brand new shiny bike.



Then we kind of regretted only taking one car, because there was no way to fold the seat down and have room for the bike and the four of us. But with some clever maneuvering and the use of some cloth grocery bags, we were able to get the bike home without scratching up the car and without having the bike fall out somewhere on the highway.

I love my new bike and can't wait for the snow to melt so I can ride the crap out of it. It was such a flashback to my childhood, having my parents take me to the store to pick out a bicycle. :)

Otherwise, I was very eager to give Ben his present. I got him a personalized jersey for his favorite soccer team.



All in all, it was a great early Christmas. Now we just have to hope for good weather so we can make it to Rifle to visit my grandparents for real Christmas. I hope you all have a great holiday!

Christmas Questions

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I have always enjoyed wrapping presents. I used to have to do gift wrapping at Cracker Barrel, and I learned some tricks that make wrapping even easier and better looking.

2. Real tree or artificial?
I think prefer artificial. We have a little fake tree and I'm fine with that. I never really liked the mess and smell that comes from real trees.

3. When do you put up the tree?
This year we put it up the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We don't really have a set time, just whenever we get around to it.

4. When do you take the tree down?
once again, whenever we get around to it.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Yeah sure, don't drink it very often.

6. Favorite gifts received as a child?
I remember one year Santa left me a Barbie house in the garage, it was totally unexpected. Also, when I got my Molly doll, that was a very good Christmas.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
My Dad because he doesn't really have any hobbies and he doesn't listen to music.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
My Mom, because I can usually get her something I would like and it's pretty safe.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
My parents do, and I still love putting it up. It's Precious Moments.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
E-mail seems so chintzy. I think this is the one time where e-mail won't cut it.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I can't think of anything truly horrendous, but my grandma sometimes would give me this awful gold costume jewelry and Charlie perfume.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Nightmare Before Christmas, Elf, Muppet's Christmas Carol and A Christmas Story.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
This year I started mid-November.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No, I recycle the boxes they come in though.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
I'd have to second Bex and say cheese and crackers, but also pie, because I really don't eat pie the rest of the year.

16. Lights on the tree?
Of course.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Angels we Have Heard on High, Little Drummer Boy

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
I always end up traveling.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
From the poem? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen. And then Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
We bought a really cute star last year. My parents have an angel on theirs.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
When I was little I complained that I never got to have Christmas at my own house. So we started a tradition of opening presents a few days early at my parents house, just the ones between me and my parents. Then we open the rest on Xmas morning at my grandparents house.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
How rude everyone is when they're out shopping.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I like ice colors- whites and silvers and blues.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Honey baked ham.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
The one big thing I want is a new bike.

Handbag Heaven

Coach > Life

Some girls like shoes, for others it's hats, or maybe jewelry. But for me it is very obviously handbags.
I started "collecting" them in High School. The great thing about holding on to your old bags is that I can go through them and reconnect to the time when I carried them. Like I can remember which bag I was carrying when I met Ben for the first time or when I went to England to meet Bex and all the hobbits.
I have my favorites, some that I don't even carry that often like my big cherry bag or my green coach that got compliments everywhere I took it. Yet, I don't think I could name a definitive favorite.
I'm probably most proud of my little Coach collection. I'm not usually a brand snob, but I really like some of the bags Coach makes and the quality is usually worth the hefty price tag. Also, I have yet to purchase a Coach bag at retail price due to the handy outlet in Park City.

So today I got bored and decided to pull out my bags and take "inventory" of them.

6 Coach
2 Dooney and Burke
1 Kate Spade
29 Assorted Brands
= 38 handbags

Not too mention that I had to have matching wristlets and wallets for all of them. I have a thing where I like the bag and the wallet to match or at least be the same color or material. A little obsessive, I know.

I'm already looking forward to my next handbag purchase. It's an expensive habit, yes but soooo much fun!



My prized Coach collection. My favorite is probably the lime green one, but I couldn't really pick a true favorite as that would be like a mother choosing a fave child!



This is where my retirement fund is going. :) Just kidding.

P90X

I've kept quiet about my weight loss and fitness goals, but in the last few months I have actually made a big change in my life by finally working on losing the weight I've been steadily putting on for the last 3 years. Pretty much as soon as I changed jobs from standing 8 hours a day to sitting, I gained about 10 pounds right away. Then from eating out at fast food places every day I gained another 10...and so on.

I decided almost on a whim to make an effort to lose weight. I stopped eating at fast food places every day. I started exercising 3x a week at the rec center. I copied the Turbo Jam workout videos and started doing those too. I even started lifting weights.

I have successfully dropped 17 pounds. I don't feel that it is very noticeable, but when my family came to visit from Colorado (people who had not seen me in months)they said they could see a change.

I'm only about halfway to my goal, but I've decided to try the P90X system. My problem with working out is that I get bored of the same routine quickly. This system should be good for me because it comes with 12 different videos to do.

I want to tone up and be able to do a real pushup and get into my skinny jeans. I think that is reasonable. I don't have aspirations of a size 0 or having Madonna arms. :)