Nothing much is going on for us right now. I think we are mostly preoccupied with buying a house. We probably ought to wait another year or so, but I have to deal with them every day now and it's kind of become a hobby....looking for the right one. We actually put an offer in on one of them. Here's some pictures:

 

I don't know that we'll get it because the bank has to approve the price. But I think we will end up buying one pretty soon. It's so exciting! We're full of all sorts of ideas of how we want to landscape and decorate (that last ones me :) ). We'll have to see I guess. 

Here's a list that I found that made me smile....

Natural Highs: Think about them one at a time.

1. Falling in love. 
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts. 
3. A hot shower. 
4. No lines at the supermarket 
5. A special glance. 
6. Getting mail 
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road. 
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio. 
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside. 
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer. 
11. Finding the sweater you want is on sale for half price. 
12. Chocolate milkshake. (or vanilla!) (or strawberry) 
13. A long distance phone call. 
14. A bubble bath. 
15. Giggling. 
16. A good conversation. 
17 The beach 
18. Finding a 20$ bill in your coat from last winter. 
19. Laughing at yourself. 
20. Midnight phone calls that last for hours. 
21. Running through sprinklers. 
22. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all. 
23. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful. 
24. Laughing at an inside joke. 
25. Friends. 
26. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you. 
27. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep. 
28. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner). 
29. Making new friends or spending time with old ones. 
30. Playing with a new puppy. 
31. Having someone play with your hair. 
32. Sweet dreams. 
33. Hot chocolate. 
34. Road trips with friends. 
35. Swinging on swings. 
36. Wrapping presents under the Christmas tree while eating cookies and 
drinking your favorite tipple. 
37. Song lyrics printed inside your new CD so you can sing along without 
feeling stupid. 
38. Going to a really good concert. 
39. Making eye contact with a cute stranger 
40.. Winning a really competitive game. 
41. Making chocolate chip cookies.. 
42. Having your friends send you homemade cookies. 
43. Spending time with close friends. 
44. Seeing smiles and hearing laughter from your friends. 
45. Holding hands with someone you care about. 
46. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) 
never change 
47. Riding the best roller coasters over and over. 
48. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired 
present from you. 
49. Watching the sunrise. 
50. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another 
beautiful day. 

We got to spend all day Saturday fishing! I haven't been fishing for several years, but Justin's sister and her husband have a fishing boat and invited us to come along. We spent nine hours sitting in that boat cruising around Strawberry Lake. My face is incredibly sunburnt. I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror.... I look like an Indian. A sunburnt Indian. 

I just realized I've been tagged! So, Here goes:

All Good Things Come in 3's

3 JOYS

1- My Family. I love spending time with them!

2- The gospel of Jesus Christ

3- Chocolate Cake

3 FEARS

1- Definitely Spiders....something about all those pointy legs and fangs that really gets to me

2- Regrets 

3- Losing someone I love 

3 CURRENT OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS

1- Decorating :) 

2- House-buying: we're hoping it will be in the next few months!

3- reading Twilight....again (gotta refresh my memory before the 4th book comes out!)

3 SURPRISING FACTS

1- I can shop in Mandarin, climbed the Great Wall, and petted a very large Tiger

2- I am slightly OCD....towels and pillows must be laying in their correct position or it bothers my brain til I fix it 

3- I have a titanium rod in my back, but have yet to find something besides a forward roll that I can't do ;)

As I am typing this I am sitting in my newly re-modeled zen garden. The sun in setting and there is light dancing off the water in my wall fountain. I can smell the honeysuckle in the air...in fact, it's currently growing up a pretty cool looking tiki torch.....yes...this is definitely my happy place ;).

We have had kind of a slow week. One of those that really does let you stop and take time to look at the clouds in the sky or watch your flowers grow.

On monday we took a quick trip down to Yuba lake. This is the first time this year we got to use the waverunners! Everyone was so excited.....probably a little more than necessary (note the video).

It was beautiful. The water was perfectly still just as the sun was setting (not a frequent occurrence for Yuba), this meant you could fly through the water at 55 mph without even the trace of a wave to slow you down.... although the numerous bugs aiming for the whites in your eyes might do the trick instead. It was amazing and it was a good way to bring in summer.

We spent most of the week working. I am really enjoying learning more about my job and how the real estate field works: I know it has nothing directly to do with my almost bachelor's in Psychology, but hey, anything to do with people relates to Psychology. I have always been a big HGTV and home improvement/decorating fan, and I love seeing and hearing about the homes that my boss works with (he specializes in Alpine and Highland). It makes me want to own my own. I'm sure Justin wouldn't be too thrilled to hear this though, lol. That means we would end up having more rooms to decorate....as of right now there is really no more room to put anything. So my shopping trips have been cut back (much to his relief).

(examples of nothing left to decorate)

The fourth of July was spent being lazy and barbecuing, followed by a few legal fireworks in the front yard...nothing too out of the ordinary. It was a great day to think about all the freedoms I am grateful for.

On saturday we wanted to go to Seven Peaks. After arriving we changed our minds. The lines were out the door and around the corner, and the lazy river was backed up tube to tube. After the gray clouds moved in and the rain started we headed back. We are going to try again in a few days. So, instead we went and played in my parents recently purchased wading pool. It's only three feet deep and fourteen feet wide but that's enough room for seymore and cecil (our seahorse and sea turtle, respectively) to fit comfortably. With a swing hanging from the tree above it there were enough toys to last several hours for the boys. We dried off on the tramp and then waited for nightfall in order to do something that I have not done in years: Nightgames. I LOVED nightgames when I was younger. there's nothing like sneaking around in the dark with the sensation that someone could be lurking around every corner. It was exhilarating as a kid, and I found just as much so as an adult. Although it was troubling to find out that I'm not nearly as lithe or as fast as I use to be. In fact my greatest defense this time was to lay there quietly like a big camouflaged slug. This worked wonderfully better than trying to escape the quick movements of my younger siblings.

Afterwards we laid on the grass and watched the stars. No worrying about bills or work or the future.....rather, just being. It was a nice way to enjoy the weekend.

Our first anniversary was last week. Justin wasn't feeling very well so instead of doing anything too big we went back to Salt Lake to eat dinner at the place we had our luncheon, and then afterward we took a carriage ride around temple square... something I've always wanted to do.

This weekend we decided to go down to St. George. We stayed at this little restored bed and breakfast that used to be pioneer houses. Ours was built by Orson Pratt, I thought this was pretty cool. I was going to sleep in a place that important church people had possibly stepped in. Maybe they had important conversations. They may have touched the fireplace, the doorknob, or the desk. Who knows! It was all original in my opinion :D. Justin was wondering if it was haunted... I thought that was a dumb question. 

They gave us breakfast in bed on Saturday and then we were off to Zions. It was 110 degrees! Needless to say we only explored a little and did one small hike before heading back- due to dehydration and the similar feelings we shared to a hotdog at a barbeque. This was even with soaking myself in 800 year old water....nothing was cool enough.We did get to eat at the Bumbleberry Cafe before we left though -- Bumbleberry pie is basically melt in your mouth good. 

That night we went to Les Mes at the Tuachan Amphitheater. It was such a great show!!! I highly recommend it! It was in the middle of the desert and they still managed to make it as professional as broadway. They had fireworks and cannons going off, and the music was spectacular. We had a great time :)

P.S.- I'm working as a real estate agent's assistant in Highland

     

Yay! I found a job!!!!!! More info about it to come... :D

Funniest American Idol Auditions- James Lewis

This is my very favorite American Idol audition. I just had to share it :D

Okay, so I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions. Our first anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks and we're not sure what we want to do yet. What do college students, with only a small amount of funding, go and do on that one day of the year? :)

I'm wondering if i don't have what it takes to keep a plant alive. I believe this was inherited. We learned as kids to never give my mom a plant... unless you wanted the life slowly sucked out of it. There is currently one big lifeless plant adorning her front porch, not very welcoming if you ask me, and if you were to look on the deck there is a crispy potless plant (after a brief search we found the pot around the corner... Not sure what happened there). But anyway, we went and bought a few plants for our balcony last week. Pretty plants. And the two-toned rose is already dropping petals as if it's giving up on life. hmm.... Water and sun, you think it would be pretty simple...

P.S- My brother-in-law is coming home from Iraq in two days!

Alright so the only thing that is really new with us is that I am currently looking for a job. We are both out of school for the summer, and it has been sooo nice! There's nothing like knowing you have absolutely nothing to do. But, I'm looking for something with a few more hours and a little better pay....it has been a little frustrating to say the least. We'll see how it all works out though. Let me know if anyone has any ideas for someone with an almost bachelors in Psychology and a lot of office experience :). 

In more exciting news we have several vacations planned for the summer. I can't wait for it to get a little warmer. It should be 90 this weekend! We'll see how much everyone longs for warmer temperatures after a few days like that ;). 

~Jodi

P.S- here's a funny email I recently discovered in a long-forgotten folder in my inbox. It made me giggle:

HOW TO KEEP A HEALTHY  LEVEL OF INSANITY-
1. AT LUNCH  TIME, SIT IN YOUR PARKED CAR WITH SUNGLASSES ON AND POINT A HAIR DRYER AT  PASSING CARS. SEE IF THEY SLOW DOWN.
2. PAGE YOURSELF OVER THE  INTERCOM. DON'T DISGUISE YOUR VOICE.
3. EVERY TIME SOMEONE ASKS YOU TO  DO SOMETHING, ASK IF THEY WANT THAT SUPER-SIZED.
4. PUT YOUR GARBAGE  CAN ON YOUR DESK AND LABEL IT "IN"
5. PUT DECAF IN THE COFFEE MAKER  FOR 3 WEEKS. ONCE EVERYONE HAS GOTTEN OVER THEIR CAFFEINE ADDICTIONS, SWITCH  TO ESPRESSO.
6. ALWAYS SPEEL EVREE THNG RONG OR  INALLCAPSWITHNOSPACES
7. FINISH ALL YOUR SENTENCES WITH "IN ACCORDANCE  WITH THE PROPHECY."
8. DON'T USE PUNCTUATION.
9. AS OFTEN AS  POSSIBLE, SKIP RATHER THAN WALK.
10. ASK PEOPLE WHAT GENDER THEY  ARE.
11. SPECIFY THAT YOUR DRIVE-THROUGH ORDER IS "TO GO."
12.  SING ALONG AT THE OPERA.
13. GO TO A POETRY RECITAL AND ASK WHY THE  POEMS DON'T RHYME.
14. PUT MOSQUITO NETTING AROUND YOUR WORK AREA.  PLAY A TAPE OF JUNGLE SOUNDS ALL DAY.
15. FIVE DAYS IN ADVANCE, TELL  YOUR FRIENDS YOU CAN'T ATTEND THEIR PARTY BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT IN THE  MOOD.
16. HAVE YOUR COWORKERS ADDRESS YOU BY YOUR WRESTLING NAME, ROCK  HARD KIM.
17. WHEN THE MONEY COMES OUT THE ATM, SCREAM "I WON!", "I  WON!" 3RD TIME THIS WEEK!!!!!"
18. WHEN LEAVING THE ZOO, START RUNNING  TOWARDS THE PARKING LOT, YELLING,"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, THEY'RE  LOOSE!!"
19. TELL YOUR CHILDREN OVER DINNER. "DUE TO THE ECONOMY, WE  ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LET ONE OF YOU GO."

20. WHEN YOU ARE ORDERING DO IT  VERY VAGUELY- I WANT ONE OF THOSE THINGS WITH CHEESE, SAUSE, THAT'S ON  BREAD! 

21. ASK PEOPLE IF YOU COULD  TELL THEM THE TIME.

In the spirit of Mother's Day I found some things mother's would never say:

"Be good and for your birthday I'll buy you a motorcycle!"

"How on earth can you see the TV sitting so far back?"

"Don't bother wearing a jacket--it's quite warm out."

"Let me smell that shirt--yeah, it's good for another week."

"I think a cluttered bedroom is a sign of creativity." 

"Yeah, I used to skip school, too." 

"Just leave all the lights on...it makes the house more 
cheery." 

"Could you turn the music up louder so I can enjoy it, too?"

"Run and bring me the scissors! Hurry!" 

"I don't have a tissue with me--just use your sleeve." 

"Well, if Timmy's Mom says it's okay, that's good enough 
for me." 

This makes me smile, and it also makes me grateful for my mom :)

(Although I have heard a few of these come out of her mouth from time to time, hehe)