The Howe Family

In for the long haul...

2012-02-14T20:36:00.003-07:00

Dave will graduate from BYU's MBA program in just a few months. We can't believe how fast two years went by!! A graduate degree, however, will not be the end of school for us. Dave has decided to pursue a PhD, in preparation to eventually to do research and teach in conjunction with a business school. A few months ago he applied to 11 different schools - Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Northwestern, NYU, Cornell, Duke, ASU, Texas, Washington, Utah, and UC-Berkely.

Right now we are in that wonderful period of waiting and wondering where we will spend the next five years of our life. As you can see, half the schools would take us out east, but we could also end up in Chicago, Texas, Arizona, California, Washington, or stay right here in Utah.

Dave has already been accepted to one school - HOORAY!! It is a huge huge relief to know that we will at least be going somewhere. We should start hearing back from the other schools (either yes or no) in the next six weeks. I can hardly wait!

Best of 2011

2012-01-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

I have tons of pictures on my computer just taking up space on my hard drive. Some of them make it on to the blog, but I hardly ever have them printed, and if I do, they just sit in an envelope in my closet. Last year I decided it was time to do something more.

I searched through all the pictures we had taken since 2006, picked my favorite 10-15 from each year, and then had each year printed as an 8x10 collage. These are now hanging in my hall and I LOVE to look at them. It's so fun to look back at our life over the past 5 years and remember all the fun things we've done - trips, dates, family events, holidays, etc...

The 2011 Edition (that will join the photo wall as soon as I get a frame)

Some highlights of 2011 include: skiing at Snowbird, cheering on Jimmer and the BYU basketball team, our 5 year anniversary, a trip to the North Carolina coast with the Howe family, attending the final Harry Potter movie premiere, spending time with the Lamberts in Utah, and Christmas with the Howe family in Texas. It was a great year!!

Back Online!

2012-01-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

We have been without Internet at our house for the last two weeks - ugh. Thankfully it came back online last night and I thought I'd celebrate by posting to the blog!

Unfortunately, nothing interesting has happened since our last update, so I don't have that much to write about. The highlight of my week was when the service club snuck in to the front office at my school to give us a "heart attack". There are now hearts with little messages taped everywhere - the doors, the counter, the chairs, the cupboards, even the case to the thermostat.

This one taped to my desk makes me smile every time I see it :)

BIG Snow

2012-01-17T20:40:00.002-07:00

After Derek gave a great farewell talk (he will be an amazing missionary!) at church, which was nearly canceled due to snow, we went back up to the cabin for some more mountain fun. The snow fell pretty steady throughout the day and pretty soon we were in our very own winter wonderland.

I took advantage of all this fluffy goodness and helped myself to several snow cones. (I just may be a snow cone junkie). The recipe is simple: Step 1 - Go outside and gather snow. Step 2 - Flavor snow. I am partial to cherry/lime and blackberry/peach. Step 3 - Eat, then repeat!

On Monday we were able to ski with my mom and dad, and Derek. We went to Hyak, which is only a couple minutes from our cabin, and had a great time! This was our first ski trip of the year, so we didn't really have our "ski legs" yet, and by the end of the day we were both wiped out. I've been exercising pretty regularly, but skiing is a whole different workout and my thighs and calves were really feeling the burn.

The morning after we got home I got this report and picture from my dad:

Big snow at the cabin today. I was in the valley and couldn't get up as the freeway was closed for 7 hours. Derek cleared 21 inches off the driveway and then tried to drive to the resort. He made it a car length before getting stuck. The guy running the grader came by and helped him break free and get it back in the driveway. Hoping for big pow tomorrow and being able to get out of our road.

Looks like we left to get back home just in time! Now we need the snow to head down to Utah so we can start using our tickets to Snowbird....

Quick Trip to Sammamish

2012-01-14T22:33:00.002-07:00

On Thursday we left Utah for a quick trip to Sammamish for Derek's farewell. After arriving in Seattle, we went straight up to the cabin from the airport for some time in the mountains.

Near our cabin there is a wilderness area that is perfect for snowshoeing because you can traipse around in the woods, blazing your on trail, because it's impossible to get lost! You don't have to worry about keeping track of where you are because the forest is bounded by a creek, a highway, power lines, and a ski run so, unless you 're walking in perfect circles, eventually you'll run into a boundary that you can follow back home.

Snowshoeing with my mom, Derek, Dave, and Jobe (the dog) - in this picture we are boldly crossing a stream of water only a few inches deep

Derek will be leaving soon for Teresina, Brazil, which is right on the equator and the temperature rarely goes below 75 degrees

Just Dave and I went on a second snowshoe adventure again today. There was fresh snow on the ground and the mountains should get another foot (or more!) over the weekend. We will hopefully be able to ski on Monday before we have to go home!

BYU Basketball and a Birthday

2012-01-10T20:01:00.003-07:00

Saturday was our niece Anne's second birthday. Ever since we took her to a game a few months ago, Anne has been obsessed with BYU and basketball. Since we had tickets to the game the day of her birthday (thanks grandma Mimi!), we decided to take her with us.

Meeting Cosmo (aka Beast) - she was a little shy when he first came over, but was all smiles after he left

The huge Cosmo we found when we left our seats at half time to run around and get some wiggles out

During the second half Anne suddenly became very affectionate and would hug Dave, and then hug me, back and forth and back and forth. I guess she like her birthday?!

Towards the end of the game Anne started to get a little restless, but Dave has a unique talent for inventing ways to keep kids entertained. This game is called Feeding Frosty and it turned eating one goldfish cracker into a minute long process. She ate a lot of fishies this way - no one ever said pez dispensers are exclusively for candy!

This post is brought to you from the ward nursery closet...

2012-01-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

Dave and I have been serving as the nursery leaders in our ward for the past 6 months. We have really enjoyed working together and have found it to be a "mostly fun" calling. We teach the youngest group of kids that have just turned 18 months, so we spend a lot of time distracting and consoling kids that would rather be anywhere BUT nursery.

Today I did some cleaning in the closet and found this lovely doll. I'm pretty sure this does not qualify as a comfort item. Wouldn't you shed a few tears if your mom dropped you in a room with this? It will be delivered to D.I. this week (unless someone out there would like to claim it.)

Fun with Friends

2012-01-02T18:51:00.007-07:00

All of our friends ended up back in Texas after school, so it's really fun to spend time with them whenever we make a trip down there. Even though we were really busy doing stuff with family, we found time to spend 3-4 nights to hang out with the gang. Just like old times!

Night at James and Christie's house - the boys played Super Smash Brothers, while the girls made cookies.

Whirlyball - we changed around teams several times so I have no idea who won in the end. Pretend the picture is blurry because we are moving so fast, not because I have a cheap camera. We had a lot of fun...

... and drove a car through the barrier wall to knock both doors off their hinges. Yeah Donny!

On New Years Eve we had a party at Dave's house with friends and family. The video is James vs. Ben playing Raving Rabbids on the Kinect - this was a game where you try to dodge falling projectiles, avoid lasers, jump out of bear traps, and shake sticky bombs of your legs. Hilarious!

We also played several rounds of Wackee Six, held a Bunko tournament (Christie won!), counted down to the New Year, and then played four square in the church parking lot across the street.

BYU Bowl Game

2011-12-31T18:33:00.003-07:00

BYU was invited to play at the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, which happened to take place in Dallas! Convenient, huh? We went to the game with Dave's dad, brothers, and sister. It was a beautiful day and we were able to wear t-shirts and even got a little bit pink from the sun.

The Cougars were matched against the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. Even though Tulsa is just one state over, there were a lot of BYU fans in attendance and the cheering sections for each school were about even.

BYU struggled a bit during the first two quarters, but scored a touchdown with 12 seconds left in the half to cut Tulsa's lead to 10-14. After the half, things picked up and BYU and Tulsa traded touchdowns, until BYU scored with 11 seconds left in the game to win the game 24-21. GO COUGARS!

Glow Golf & TopGolf

2011-12-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

Dave's dad's birthday is the day after Christmas. To celebrate we went to play glow-in-the-dark mini golf with the family. The glow part was cool (look at Dave's nice new white socks!) and the dark added an interesting twist. You couldn't see your club or read the slope of any of the greens so each hit really was a shot in the dark.

Surprisingly enough, I think we both actually played better than normal. Our foursome (Dave, me, Amy, and Jack) had the lowest team score, and I tied Cindy for the lowest individual score!

A few days later, the big kids (me, Dave, Tim, Cindy, Amy, and Liz) went to TopGolf - pretty much what happens when you combine a driving range with bowling.

There are targets spaced out at several different distances. Every section of every target has a sensor so the chip in your ball will tell the computer exactly where the ball went and assign points based on the distance and accuracy of your shot.

Your group all plays out of the same bay (like a lane in bowling), and each player gets 20 shots. If you hit a ball into a double zone, your next ball counts as double, (like a strike in bowling). It took me about 16 shots before I found my rhythm so I didn't score very high the first game, but did much better the second time around. It was really cool idea, the food was great, and we had a fun time!

Who Killed Frosty?

2011-12-26T10:40:00.002-07:00

We are in Texas right now visiting Dave's family for Christmas. On Friday, Tim and Cindy hosted a murder mystery dinner at their house. Each member of the family received a different role to dress up as.

The Grinch & an Elf

We stopped at three different stores in search of costume items and had so much fun getting ready for the party! Dave covered his face, neck, arms, and legs in green body paint and we sprayed his hair. I am wearing Dave's Luigi Halloween costume from 2nd grade and some home made elf ears.

Also in attendance: Rudolph (Jack), Cindy Loo Who (Ally), a gingerbread girl (Amy), Mr. Scrooge (Greg), a nutcracker (Tim), a snowflake (Cindy), a yule log (Lincoln, who was sleeping when this picture was taken), Santa (dad), and Mrs. Claus (mom).

Who was guilty of murdering Frosty? Santa!

After the dinner we decided to spread Christmas cheer and went caroling in our costumes. At one point we had to stop for gas, so our group went in and sang to the attendant who thought we were crazy and refused to make eye contact.

Dave won the "best costume" award, although Elizabeth Christmas tree costume was fantastic. And I am pleased to report that after a long hot shower, with lots of soap and lots of scrubbing all the green eventually came off.

The Week before Christmas Break: the Good, the Bad, and the Unexpected

2011-12-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

We've had a crazy week...

THE GOOD

Dave celebrated his 28th birthday, finished the 3rd semester of the MBA program, and submitted applications to 5 PhD programs. I survived the final week of elementary school, which is pretty much one big, exhausting, yet fun, party.

We had a breakfast with cousins living in Utah, a holiday dinner with other pre-PhD families, went out to dinner with my grandma, and got to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert (thanks Aunt Sue!).

THE BAD

Dave had a couple cavities filled and still has 6 applications to go. Our car also started making a squeaking noise when we turned left, which then turned into a horrible grinding sound so we took it into the shop where is stayed for 3 days and received new axles, bearings, and sway bars. Hoo-ray.

THE UNEXPECTED

While we were without a car for three days, so many people helped us get where we needed to be:

I got a ride home from an office friend, then a ride back with my brother-in-law Jeremy, then a ride home from the music teacher, then a ride back from a 4th grade teacher, then my boss lent me his car for the night to take home, and then I brought it back the next morning. And we borrowed my aunt's car to get to the choir concert in Salt Lake.

Our family, friends, and co-workers were all amazing, but I have never done so much ride coordination and hope I don't have to do it again anytime soon. Phew!

Now that that is all behind us, we can start our break and enjoy the holidays. Merry Christmas!

Oh Pomegranate

2011-12-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

This bowl represents a good portion of my evening (and I haven't even done the dishes or wiped up the juice splatters yet). I don't care what method you use - a pomegranate is not easy to open. I think it's probably the only fruit that you spend more time preparing than you do consuming.

But when I am eating this as a snack tomorrow at work, all the cutting, peeling, picking, and retreiving of escaped seeds will have have been worth it...yummy!

One in a Million

2011-12-01T20:27:00.001-07:00

We were not hit by lightening (thank goodness), nor did we win a big prize (dang!), but we were on the receiving end of gift card fraud, not once, but twice! Aren't we lucky?

It all started when I got a gift card to Macy's from my work in July 2010 before moving to Utah...

Timeline of Events:

November 2010 - Dave and I went shopping at Macy's. When I tried to use the gift card I was told the balance was $0.00. I said that wasn't possible because we had never used the card. The store told me to call customer service. Customer service told me the card had recently been used by someone in California. I told them that I was in UT and those purchases weren't made by me. Since I still had the receipt to prove ownership of the card, Macy's sent me a replacement card.

December 2010 - Replacement card with a different 18-digit number arrived loaded with loaded $150 and all was well... or so I thought...

December 2011 - I was at Macy's picking up a suit for my brother. While there I decided to do a little shopping. When I tried to use the replacement gift card sent to me earlier, I was told the balance was $0.00. So I called customer service again and learned that the card had been used a few weeks ago in California, running the balance down to $0.00. I explained my story, that this exact same thing had happened the year before. At first they were skeptical and called in the manager to look at my case, but since I still had the original card & receipt, and the replacement card, I was able to prove I was telling the truth.

So somewhere in California someone has $300.00 worth of Macy's merchandise, BUT I should have my third, and hopefully final, gift card soon. And this time, I'm going to spend the money before someone else does. Oh the magic of Macy's!

School Spirit Day

2011-11-28T20:16:00.001-07:00

The Friday before Thanksgiving my school had its first Spirit Day of the year. In the past we've had pajama day, crazy hair day, red shirt day, sports apparel day - all "normal" spirit days.

This year we let "Scholar Council" (3rd-6th graders elected to student government positions) choose the theme. What did they come up with??

Moustache & Talk-With-an-Accent Day!

I'm not that great with accent, but I can do a mustache. Rather than draw on my face, I orded a 6-pack of stick-on moustaches online to share with the rest of the office. During our calendar meeting on Friday it was impossible to get through our items of business without laughing. We looked so ridiculous - my boss looked just like Mario - and I wish we had taken a picture of us all together.

Modeling (if you can even call it that - I suck at modeling) my "Bandit" stache:

Some things I learned during my day as a moustached women:

There were several parents that didn't get the memo that it was moustache day. When they came into the office, moms stared at me like I was a psycho. The first few times it happened I explained that it was spirit day, but after awhile I gave up, kept a straight face and just let them wonder...
It's incredibly hard to eat or drink without making a mess. The 6th grade cooking class made smoothies, and I never knew drinking through a straw could be so difficult.
If you're ever going to wear a stick-on moustache, make sure you are SMILING when you put it on or your face muscles will be frozen in a frown position like you've just had botox injections.

BYU vs. Idaho

2011-11-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

Last night Dave and I went to the BYU football game. It was fun but f-f-f-freezing! Pretty much any child in attendance was dressed in a full snow suit. I came outfitted with pants, a shirt, a sweatshirt, a ski jacket, warm socks, boots, gloves, hat, scarf, hand warmers, two hoods, and....

HOT CHOCOLATE!!

We have a skinny thermos that fits unsuspectingly inside Dave's coat. The people sitting next to us were very jealous. We would break out the hot chocolate about twice a quarter and it was a life saver! When we ran out at the end of the third, we decided to go home. BYU was winning 42-7 at that point, so we had already seen most of the action. Go Cougars!

Part way through the first quarter, Riley Nelson left with a broken rib and Jake Heaps took over at quarterback. Dave and I made a little bet - Dave thought he would fumble first; I thought he would score a touchdown. I won and now Dave has an appointment with this dish pile - oh ye of little faith :)

TUCANOS (aka Fast Track to a Meat Coma)

2011-11-08T21:05:00.002-07:00

Because my brother is leaving on his mission in a couple months, he really doesn't need any "thing" for his birthday. We thought since he will be serving in Brazil, it might be fun to take him out to eat at Tucanos instead!

To make the bill a little more manageable, we signed him up for the birthday club. Only problem was September came and went and his birthday coupon never arrived. But we just kept waiting and waiting and I'm pretty sure Derek thought we forget his birthday. Then last week I got my birthday coupon and tonight we went and ate ourselves into a long overdue meat coma.

Mmmmmmm.......

With my brother Derek, celebrating one late and one early birthday

BYU Basketball - 3 for the price of 2

2011-11-05T08:16:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I told my sister we could babysit while she went out with her husband. Then we realized that the BYU basketball game was the same night. Rather than back out of either, we decided to just take little miss Anne with us - she's free as a lap child, although she ended up with her own seat anyway.

We had tickets to the BYU vs. Dixie State game from my grandma. Her seats are AMAZING - on row 5, close enough even for Anne to follow the game. For the first half she kept up a running commentary of "ball bye-bye" (on the other end of the court), "ball back" (back on our side), and "Hi Beast!" (whenever she saw Cosmo the Cougar).

She also took time to feed this beast...

Dixie State actually gave BYU a run for their money - it was a close game to the end. Because the game was so competitive, we didn't want to leave early even though Anne was begging us to go "bye bye" (she probably asked 100 times). In the end, however, we convinced her to stay to watch BYU pull out a win.

M&Ms make great bribes, just don't tell mommy :)

Howe Pumpkin 2011

2011-10-30T21:09:00.001-06:00

We didn't make it out to a pumpkin patch this year, so this beauty is from the pumpkin bin at the grocery store. He's missing his stem, but otherwise looks pretty good - good color, good carving surface, and stands up nice and straight. I'm glad to have found him because decent pumpkins are in short supply when you wait until a couple days before Halloween.

I like to carve more than just a face, but I also like making up my own designs. Patterns you find online look cool, but they're just not very personal :) This year I decided to carve "HOWE" with some Halloween themed letters. The pumpkin was pretty thick, so some of the details were pretty difficult, but it turned out great!

Carving away!

Finished Pumpkin

A better shot of the letters - Happy Halloween from the Howes!

Rise and Shout the Lamberts are Out!

2011-10-19T20:19:00.000-06:00

This last week my parents were in town, and it was a busy few days! We ate out (a lot), saw a movie, played games, and went through the temple with my brother who is leaving on his mission in January. We also took advantage of the fact that we were all in one place and had family photos taken. The pictures were taken up the canyon and hopefully worked out (I haven't seen them yet).

On the way back, however, we changed into our BYU gear and had a passerby take our picture in front the cougar outside the stadium. It's so fun that we all went to, or are currently attending, the same school and have this tradition in our family!

As for the two of us, not much is new. We are currently on track to watch season three of Psych in less than a week, we just bought a new TV remote so now we can change channels and adjust volume without having to get up, and Dave and I had a friend connection of only 68/100 the last time we played Wii party. We're both working hard (Dave is getting ready to apply to PhD schools), playing hard (hooray for intramurals), are healthy, happy, and loving life!

Sheepish Lions - Family Kickball 2011

2011-10-14T23:39:00.001-06:00

All my siblings are in Provo right now, plus a few cousins, so we decided to put together a Lambert-side family kickball team. Our team name was the 'Sheepish Lions' - if you haven't seen the Disney cartoon from the 50s, go here - it's a classic! We had fun, and for the most part, played well!

The Lambert Family 'Sheepish Lions' + a couple fans

From left to right: cousins Katelyn & Kristen (cheerleaders), brother Derek, cousin Allison, cousin Kimberly, Kimberly's husband Michael, Me, Dave, sister Natalie, sister Amy, bro-in-law Jeremy, and Anne (cheerleader).

Not pictured: Dan (Allison's friend) and Bryan (Natalie's friend)

School Pictures & Me 20 Years Later

2011-10-08T08:43:00.001-06:00

Part of working at a school means having your picture taken on school picture day. I had my mom send me my kindergarten photo for comparison. Below is my kindergarten self at 5 years old, and my present self at 25 years old.

How do they compare?

Hair - still reddish and wavy, although now I straighten so you can't tell. Thank goodness the little wispy hairs up front either disappeared or grew into full length hair.
Eyebrows - still dark and a different color from my hair. One of the most common questions my brother and I get is "Do you dye your hair? It doesn't match your eyebrows."
Eyes - still brown, although now there's some green mixed in so they aren't quite as dark.
Nose - exactly the same and still bleeds every time I get hit in the face, blow my nose, the weather's cold/hot/dry, or for no apparent reason.
Freckles - I'm pretty sure I have more freckles now than as a kid. I don't really see any on my kindergarten self, but now after each summer I always have a good collection on my nose and cheeks.
Teeth - improvement! Braces for a year & good dental hygiene have paid off!
Skin - still pale
Height - taller! but still on the short side. When we took the faculty picture I was on the front row, where I've always been my whole life.

Grab a photo of your kid self - it was fun to look at all the changes, or lack of changes. I guess I grew up alright :)

Bundle Up!

2011-10-06T16:44:00.000-06:00

It SNOWED today! If you climbed up to the "Y" you could have a snowball fight! I'm still in denial... it was sunny and 80 degrees on Tuesday. Where did this come from?

Our poor 5th graders were on a field trip today at the zoo in Salt Lake and came back soaking wet and shivering. I am glad to be snug at home wearing sweats and drinking hot chocolate. It is supposed to get back to the 70s next week, but mom & dad, I still think you might want to bring some warm clothes for your visit just in case winter decides to stick around!

BYU vs USU

2011-10-04T04:41:00.012-06:00

On Friday we went to the BYU football game with Amy and Anne (Jeremy couldn't make it). For this game we were sitting in my grandma's seats, which are actual seats, not bleachers! It was a beautiful, warm night and the Cougars put together an amazing 4th quarter to get the win. Go BYU!

Don't judge Dave's lack of team spirit here - he had to come straight from campus. At least his shirt had some little blue stripes :)

For the 3rd quarter I had this cutie on my lap, and she was just giddy with excitement. We weren't sure how Anne would handle sitting for so long, but she did awesome. She loved watching the game, when the crowd did the wave, whenever the cannon went off, and watching the band play at half time. We had to drag her home when it was time to leave.

Conference Tradition

2011-10-02T16:29:00.002-06:00

Breaking out a puzzle during conference is one of my favorite traditions! On Saturday I did one of Temple Square and today was San Francisco. Both treasures were purchased on Friday at DI for $1.00 each. I love puzzles because they keep me alert and attentive, but don't take my focus away from the great speakers.

Although now I am a little stiff after sitting at the kitchen table for so long...

Fall Colors & My Colors

2011-09-28T17:12:00.002-06:00

I haven't posted in a while... my laptop had a minor problem that I had just been living with for the past 6 months, but since my warranty expires in October I finally decided to send it in for repair. So I packed it up in a box, put it in the mail and said goodbye.

And now it's back!

On Monday my school had a half-day, and the staff went up to Sundance after the kids went home. We rode the chairlift up to the top for a picnic and some team building. It was a gorgeous day and the trees were just starting to change colors - so beautiful!

Earlier in the week, the staff had all taken personality tests and were given a 20-page profile based on the results. It was very comprehensive - my personal style, how I interact with others, how I make decisions, my strengths & weaknesses, what value I bring to a team, my communication style, suggestions for development, what motivates me, how to manage me, etc...

I didn't agree with some of the results, but I was surprised by how accurate most of the profile was!

Some parts were great to read: Melanie is logical and analytical, an ingenious think and long-range planner, and good at anything that requires rapid reasoning. She is a good decision maker and thinks clearly under pressure. Melanie shows loyalty to others and is a pillar of strength for those around her...

Other parts were a little unnerving: Melanie dislikes being told what to do or how to do it. Her tendency to detach herself from her emotions allows her to retain objectivity, but can make her seem somewhat inconsiderate towards both herself and others. Melanie could benefit from being more open about how she is feeling...

It also gave you a summary of your "color" composition. My strongest "color" was red - competitive, determined, strong-willed, & purposeful. I am the only "red" at the school. My lowest color was yellow - sociable, dynamic, enthusiastic & persuasive, but that's ok because I married a yellow and we make a great team :)

Called to Serve!

2011-09-07T22:39:00.005-06:00

My little brother Derek got his mission call today! Since my siblings and I are all in Provo right now, we went over to Helaman Halls tonight to watch him open it. We had mom with us on Skype, but it was exciting to be there in person for this:

Please pardon the quality of this video - it's all I've got for now. There were others there with cameras so I hope to have some pictures soon.

Teresina Brazil!

Elder Lambert will report to the MTC on January 28th. He is the first (and potentially only) missionary to serve from our family, so we are really excited for him!!

Get off the couch & get your head in the game!

2011-09-02T17:16:00.003-06:00

Lately Dave and I have had some trouble keeping busy at night. We've just been sitting around looking for somthing fun to do.

Problem solved. This fall we are each going to play on four intramural teams. I'm playing women's soccer, women's volleyball, women's flag football and co-ed kickball. Dave is playing kickball, men's ultimate frisbee, men's flag football, and men's volleyball. Yesterday I got out the calendar

Behold our schedule for September - 25 games in 23 days

There are also 8 more games in October, and then the extra games for playoffs. Are you tired just looking at this? I am. We're not exactly in tip-top shape right now so this should help out. The next month will bring the end of sitting around, several loads of laundry, more showers, hopefully no injuries, and lots of fun!

Quiz Time

2011-08-23T17:37:00.003-06:00

1. Pretend you are 10-year-old child. Your mom told you she would drop off a sack lunch for you because you forgot your lunch at home. What would you do when lunch time came?

a. Go check the lunch bin where all the other lunches live
b. Go ask your teacher if a lunch was delivered for you
c. Go ask the office if a lunch was delivered for you
d. Do nothing, say nothing, and eat nothing.

2. If you were the parent of a 10 year old that selected choice (d) from the list above, who would you choose to unleash your fury upon after school got out?

a. The office lady who wrote your child's name on the brown bag with a fat sharpie and hand delivered the lunch to the teacher
b. The teacher who placed the lunch in the lunch bin where all the other lunches live
c. The lunch manager who offered your child a lunch when she saw they had nothing to eat, but was turned down
d. The child who did nothing, said nothing, and therefore ate nothing

If you believe in yell first, ask questions later, then I guess (a) is a logical choice, but I hope you are more sensible/sympathetic/grown-up than some people...

NC Beach Trip 2011

2011-08-16T19:10:00.000-06:00

We just got back from a great trip to Emerald Isle, NC with the Howe family. This was our fourth trip to this amazing beach since we've been married. Last year we weren't able to get a trip together and went camping at Turner Falls instead. That was fun, but this was so much better!

We all stayed in a house right on the beach and spent our time enjoying the water, playing in the sand, reading on the deck, playing games, eating food, staying up late, and getting up early (thanks to the cutest alarm clock ever).

At one point we had 21 people in the house for dinner - 18 adults, 2 kids, and one baby. I was a little relieved that our dinner night was over, and I wasn't responsible for feeding that many people! It's always amazing how fast a week can go by when you're having fun.

Below are some highlights of our trip.

Successfully flying a kite - it was a windy day and it only landed on the roof of the house once

Normally the water at our beach is pretty calm, but thanks to the residual effects of Hurricane Emily, we had some decent sized waves at the beginning of the trip!

No hands!

Skip disc ultimate: what you get when you play frisbee in the water with a disc that skips along the surface. You wouldn't believe what good exercise running in the water is - I was always exhausted by the end.

Racing cousin Shane for the skip disc. Watch out - Dave is a beast in the water!

Enjoying a sunset and a great trip!

Carolina Critters

2011-08-14T08:28:00.000-06:00

Besides having beautiful beaches, North Carolina also has a lot of wildlife. All along the shore are sand pipers hunting for sand fleas. Sand fleas are not really "fleas", but actually little crab-type animals that bury themselves where the waves wash up on shore. Dave loved to hunt for these when he used to come here as a little boy, still does as a big boy.

Here is Dave showing Jack one of the smallest sand fleas ever (it's in the orange circle). This guy was the size of a tiny shell shard and I have no idea how Dave even found him

At night there are bigger crabs to hunt. These guys bury themselves in the sand during the day, and then emerge from their holes when it gets dark and make a break for the ocean. Armed with buckets, bowls, sand toys, hot pads, tongs, spatulas, and flashlights, we try to intercept them on this nightly journey. My weapon of choice this year was part of a salad spinner and it was very effective! Not to brag, but I am a top-notch catcher and managed to nab a lot of crabs this year.

Once a crab is spotted it gets crazy. A shout goes out, everyone comes running, and then we try to keep a light on the crab as we chase it around the beach in the dark. These little guys are super quick and can change direction so fast. There is normally a lot of shouting as we try to keep up, and occasionally some shrieking when it heads for some body's feet :)

This is one of my favorite parts of our trips to North Carolina. I just love the thrill of the hunt!!

Part of our catch - once we're done for the night, we turn the pot on it's side and watch the crabs scurry back to the ocean

Also making a journey to the ocean this year were some baby sea turtles. There was a nest of eggs about a 1/2 mile from our place and we made it there just in time to see two little guys enter the water. The turtle patrol, who were there to help control the crowd and make sure the babies got to the water safely, told us there were 125 eggs and only 17 didn't hatch.

Go for it little guy and good luck!

This turtle had a bad flipper and will be taken back to the aquarium for rehab. I can't believe how small they are!

Yesterday we Buried Someone in the Sand...

2011-08-13T04:50:00.000-06:00

... And that someone was me

Fishing Trip

2011-08-10T07:27:00.072-06:00

We've been in North Carolina for the past few days with the Howe family - our third vacation this month. It probably would have been smarter to spread them out a bit, but it's made for fun times!

Deep sea fishing was our first adventure on this trip. Nine of us went out - six fisher people and 3 watchers. It was great to have the watchers there to cheer us on and take pictures. I never even got my camera out because my hands were so gross from baiting the lines, so these photos are all from Aunt Dee.

The group before heading out

After a bumpy hour and half ride out into the ocean, we arrived at our first fishing location. One of the crew members came around and slopped a pile of guts by each of our poles to use as bait. I made Dave bait my first hook, and then quickly realized that I just had to go for it and get my hands dirty. After just a minute, you'd either have a fish, or have your bait stolen. It was a lot of fun!

Dave and I both caught our first fish at exactly the same time - these were tiny guys that we threw back in

I think we all had dreams of catching something huge (I thought I'd catch something as big as myself), but our fish were just over a foot long. Most of the excitement came from those in our group that couldn't tolerate to the motion of the ocean. They were troopers though, and alternated between fishing, chumming the waters, and then back to fishing. Luckily Dave and I were in the strong stomach camp.

Passed out on the way back after a long, hot day

We don't have any pictures of us with our catch at the end of the day because we didn't wait around for them to get our fish out of the cooler (you see there was a snow cone truck just across the street from our boat that was way more enticing than dead fish), but the final count was Mel: 3 keepers; Dave: 1.

Snowbird in the Summer!

2011-07-31T06:45:00.003-06:00

We had never done anything "special" for our anniversary before, not even go out to dinner (unless you count the time we ate at a Korean restaurant with a family of 4 visiting from Beijing). This year we decided to try something a little more exciting and made a quick two-day trip up to Snowbird, our favorite ski resort. This was our first time at Snowbird in the summer and we had a wonderful time!!

The place we stayed at had a shuffleboard court - Dave smoked me the first couple times, but I was winning 2 out of every 3 games by the end!

Our room came with two tram tickets so we rode to the top of Hidden Peak (11,000 ft) for some great views

From Hidden Peak we hiked to the top of Mt. Baldy. Last time I did this hike was in the snow, wearing ski boots, carrying skis. This time it was a lot easier, although the way back down wasn't nearly as fun.

Dave at the top, looking back at the trail we just hiked

We also rode the Alpine Slide - it isn't as long as the one at Park City, but was still a good ride!

If you're looking for a fun getaway, I would highly recommend this! The mountains are beautiful at this time of year, and it was nice to escape the heat of the valley for just a few days.We got a unit with a kitchen and were able to save a ton of money by making our own meals. I wish we could have stayed another day or two so we could spend more time at the pool, do more hiking, or maybe try some of the resort's other fun activities. Now that we've done this, if we are still in Utah next summer, I'm pretty sure this is where we'll be on July 29th!

Five Years

2011-07-29T06:15:00.001-06:00

Today we are celebrating five years of marriage. Five wonderful happy years. Life right now is perfect. Day to day things aren't always perfect, but I can't think of anything I'd want to change (except adding some kids to the picture). We are best friends, always challenging each other to be better and go farther, and more in love every day. We've made so many memories together, and I am so looking forward to our future together!

Looking back at July 29th, 2006 - It was difficult to sort through 1000+ photos of the day to choose just a few favorites, but I did my best:

The happy, newly married couple

Our family and friends

Dave with his boys

It was a gorgeous, picture perfect day

The "mother-son" dance - I had to throw this one in because it makes me smile every time I look through our pictures

"And for always, forever, Beyond here and onto eternity
For always and ever, You'll be a part of me

And for always, forever, A thousand tomorrows may cross the sky
And for always and always, We will go on beyond goodbye"

** The lyrics are from the song "For Always" that Dave sang at our wedding dinner

Trip to Sammamish

2011-07-27T09:37:00.004-06:00

We just returned from a 10 day trip to Sammamish, WA were we had so much fun! While there we were able to spend time with my parents, my sister Natalie who was on her "break week" from being a councilor at EFY, Natalie's friend Bryan who came up to visit her, and my sister Amy and her family. The only one we were missing was Derek.

It seemed like every day of our trip was super busy, yet we still weren't able to fit everything in. There are just too many fun things to do in Sammamish during the summer! Some highlights include:

A visit to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle - my favorite exhibits are always the orangutans and the bears

Riding the "blue bikes" at Marymoor Park

A trip to the Seattle Science Center where we saw a Michael Jackson laser show, Natalie held a cockroach and I learned that I have the forward reach of a 70 year old woman - poor me :(

Several trips down to the lake to ride the wave runner

And water skiing!

Lots of time playing with these two cuties - dog Jobe and my niece Anne. Dave is like a magnet for these two - they both head straight to him whenever he's in the room

On our last day there my dad put the boys to work and in one day there were able to install a new balcony. It was a lot of work, but the new deck looks great!

I always hate leaving, but we've got a trip with the Howe family in less than two weeks to North Carolina that we are super excited for - see you guys soon!!

Seattle....SOUNDERS!!

2011-07-22T08:56:00.001-06:00

On Wednesday we were able to go to a Sounders game in Seattle! The Sounders always draw huge crowds, and there was also a Katy Perry concert that night so we left early to avoid traffic. Since we had some extra time in the city and the weather was gorgeous, we made a couple side trips before going to the stadium.

At Pike's Place Market we made a contribution to the gum wall - so cool and so gross at the same time.

The Sounders were playing a "friendly" match against Manchester United. We got destroyed (to be expected when playing a world-class team), but it was still very fun. Before the game, we went to a dinner hosted by AON, the sponsor for Man U. They gave us all red scarves, and I wore mine to support both teams. At the game with us was my sister Natalie, her boyfriend Bryan, and my mom and dad.

Then off to the stadium! It was packed with 67,000 fans (a sold out crowd) and everyone was so energized. I almost felt like I was at a quidditch match.

At the game in our "Rave Green" shirts - an official color here in Seattle that I just love. Way more exciting than the traditional red or blue jerseys.

My dad showing his team spirit during one of the cheers

Plus, we found some more tree sweaters! They're popping up everywhere...

We Northwesterners Love Our Trees

2011-07-18T22:16:00.001-06:00

A while ago some trees were cut down near the neighborhood where I grew up, leaving behind some very large stumps. For a year or so they just sat there on the corner looking ugly, until some members of the community decided to do something to make them look a little more attractive. Here is the result:

During the winter the tree stumps had sweaters with snowflake patterns, but once spring came around new ones were made with flowers

This one with "arms" is my favorite :)

Remembering "Sweet 116"

2011-07-16T23:32:00.000-06:00

I LOVE the Mariners. I've been cheering for this team since I was a little girl. Unfortunately they haven't been doing very well this year (or last year, or the year before...) but I still wanted to go to a game while we were visiting Seattle.

Before the game started - the seats are empty now, but they filled up by game time. Even when we're having a less than stellar season, the fans still show up. We love this team!

This game was particularly fun because they were celebrating the 10th anniversary of the year the Mariners won 116 games - the most ever in baseball. Several of the players and our old coach were in attendance for the event. It was fun to look back at that season and remember how energized the city was during that time. I remember people running out to their cars during church to check scores (this was before the days of iPhones), and my PE teacher bring a TV into the gym so we could watch the game during class :) I was a special year and a special team!

End of an Era

2011-07-14T22:56:00.005-06:00

It's hard to believe that tonight Harry Potter came to an end. For the last 13 or so years, there has always been a book or a movie to look forward to. What a fun time to grow up!! It makes me wonder if there will ever be anything this big again - something this "magical" that can get so many people so excited. I sure hope so.

We were lucky and went to an advanced screening tonight in Seattle - with our VIP passes

So not to brag, but we HAVE ALREADY SEEN IT and it was GREAT!

Provo 4th of July Parade

2011-07-04T19:59:00.002-06:00

This is our third summer in Utah, but the first we've been in town for the 4th of July. Apparently the parade is a HUGE deal here.

We went on a walk the night before to check things out and University Avenue had transformed into Shanty Town. I wish I had brought my camera - there were tents, chairs, blankets, couches, and pavilions covering every inch of available grass. People were camped out everywhere playing games, watching movies, riding scooters & bikes, dancing... I don't even want to think about what things would have looked like if this wasn't a Mormon town on a Sunday evening.

We didn't camp, but thanks to our brother-in-law Jeremy, we were able to get great front row seats! He picked out a spot the night before and then got up at 5:30 to protect our claim.

Some of our favorite parade entries included the Utah Old Time Fiddlers

The Llama Fest

The "Tree of Life" float complete with a great and spacious building

And those holding tight to the iron rod. Oh Utah :)

The Real Start of Summer

2011-07-02T19:57:00.003-06:00

The school where I work officially closes for the month of July. I will work a few days here and there, but for the most part the next 31 days will be a mix of vacation, fun at home, and more vacation. Needless to say, I am REALLY looking forward to this!!

This morning there was a balloon festival just a couple blocks from our house. We slept in a little too long and didn't make it there in time to see the balloons take off, but it was still fun to see them all up in the air.

There were supposed to be some contests (dropping bean bags on a giant X and popping targets with a lance), but because hot air balloons don't have much control over steering, no one really did anything cool. Zigzag here made a pass at a target, but was unsuccessful.

Darth has his eye on you...

Later in the day we went over to my aunt's swimming pool to cool off. It's supposed to reach 100 degrees tomorrow - yuck. I know this is no big deal for lots of people, but to a Seattle girl 100 degrees is like death. Stay cool!

Oh Sweet Victory!

2011-06-13T10:03:00.009-06:00

Last night was a GOOD night at our house

Demolition Derby!

2011-06-12T08:58:00.001-06:00

I've had the past week off work as sort of a mini "summer break". I go back on Monday for summer school and to start preparing for the next school year, but it was great to have time to do some fun things with Dave. Last night we went to the demolition derby in Bluffdale. It was the first time either of us had been to a derby and we had a great time!!

Cars entering the arena - We would each choose two cars to cheer for before the heat would start. There were three regular heats of 10 cars each. The top three cars in each heat advance to the money round; All the losers are invited back to the grudge match. In the grudge match, anyone still functional can go at it for one more shot at the money round. I ended up choosing the car that won it all!

By the end of each match there were tires everywhere, fluids leaking, steam hissing, broken down barriers, and lots of cars that had to be towed out of the arena. Exciting!

My checker car (I chose mostly by paint job). Checkers was a beast in the arena until he took a head on hit from one of Dave's cars and every thing under the hood blew up. It was one of the best crashes of the night.

If you're looking for something fun to do, they also do a rodeo here on July 29th and 30th. We had a great time at this show and will probably come back for the next event!

Timpanogos Caves

2011-06-10T17:49:00.003-06:00

To hike to Stewart Falls we had to buy a recreation pass to American Fork Canyon. The pass is good for 3 days, so we figured we'd take advantage of this and get back for another hike before the pass expired. It was a gorgeous day and we left early before the day got too hot.

Up to Timpanogos Caves! And the trail is literally straight up the whole way, no flat spots anywhere, but we made great time and got to the top 45 minutes before our scheduled tour time.

Some of the cave's beautiful features - it was a great tour!

Dave squeezing through a tight spot - you had to wear backpacks on your front so you wouldn't accidently brush up against the cave.

My stylish arm warmers (that are actually leg warmers). The caves stay around 45 degrees year round so you need to bring a coat. I wanted to keep my pack light, however, so I just took a thin jacket and used these beauties for supplemental warmth.

Good hike, good tour, good times!

Hike to Stewart Falls

2011-06-08T15:36:00.003-06:00

For the past 6 weeks my sister Amy and her family have been in Des Moines for a law externship. We really missed having them around for dinners, games, and other fun stuff. But now they're back, and we celebrated their return with a hike to Stewart Falls.

It was supposed to be an easy trail... but I guess the guys with chainsaws haven't made it up here yet to clear away the winter debris. There were a few tough log crossings and still snow on some parts of the trail that made things difficult.

We made it in the end - at least to a place where you could see the falls. To get to the bottom you had to cross a big snow field that was on a slope and no one felt comfortable doing that with a baby. So we took a picture...

... and then left to find a good place to eat lunch! I had a little friend at lunch that was more interested in putting food in my mouth than in her own. Luckily her hands had only a light dirt coating at this point.

After lunch, Anne decided that she wasn't ready to get back in the backpack and tackled a good portion of the trail on her own. I was actually impressed by how far she got, and that she never tripped and fell. Way to go baby!

Looking back on a fun, but short season

2011-06-06T07:59:00.003-06:00

This year we bought a kickball roster and gathered together some friends (Scott & Christina George), family (Nat), and friends of family (Nat's crew) to play with us. Go Germaine's Seeds!

Dave "pitching" to me. This photo is from my friend Christina - she takes WAY better pictures than I do, so I'm using hers and not even putting mine up :) Thanks Christina!

I asked Dave what he would say about our kickball team, and his reply was a laugh... which I guess is a pretty accurate description of how our season went.

In the first inning of every game we could never get anyone out - it was like a curse. We'd give up 8 runs, and then come up to bat and score 0. Later we'd do awesome and run down fly balls, kick a grand slams, but it was always too little, too late.

Our team was plagued by injuries. We had two sprained ankles, a dislocated shoulder, and a pulled groin so some people could run, but not throw, and others could throw, but not run.

We got in trouble with the refs when our players started "planking" on home plate during the game.

One of our teammates came to a game wearing a dress and sandals, but was told she needed closed toe shoes to play. Rather than sideline herself, she wore another teammate's topsiders that were 4 sizes too big over her sandals - it was awesome to watch her run the bases!

In summary: We lost every game, but we had fun, and that is all that matters.

Bad luck

2011-06-04T09:38:00.000-06:00

The other day I broke a mirror and earned myself seven years of bad luck. But it was a small mirror, and I tried really, really hard to catch it before it hit the floor so I am hoping for a reduced sentence...

Something to Celebrate!

2011-06-02T21:36:00.006-06:00

Exciting news! Today Dave was awarded a $3,000 scholarship for fall semester! We weren't expecting this at all and were very happy when he was notified of his achievement today. Dave worked very hard this year and finished in the top 10% of his MBA class. I am so proud!!

Also exciting - today was the last day of school!! I didn't just survive my first year, I loved it! I'm looking forward to getting the office organized over the summer, but it sure will seem quiet without 550 little bodies of energy to watch over.

4th graders heading home for the last time this year

Today was also parties-all-around day and when you work at the front desk all leftover treats eventually make their way back to you. And because I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, I accepted all offerings that came my way, which is why my lunch today was: a slice of 6th graduation cake, a birthday cupcake, a Krispy Kreme from 1st grade, popcorn from 4th grade, grapes from 2nd grade, cotton candy from 3rd grade, nothing from 5th grade because their party was at a park, and some white chocolate pretzels that mysteriously appeared on my desk. Feeling sick yet? I didn't until later that night. Oh oh oh oh....

After my delicious and nothing nutritious (except the grapes) lunch, I still had room for dinner so we went out to eat. Texas Roadhouse has a great early bird special, and we LOVE their rolls. Then to top off the day we decided to do something we never, ever do - order a drink :)

Adding some extra lime to my cherry limeade. Mmmm. It was a good day

And, per Dave's request, I will add this last picture because it is a family blog and he does have input and I love him. I don't like it, but it's his favorite. He thinks I look very happy with my drink (which I am), but I think I look like I've had a few too many (which I haven't - this was 100% alcohol free).

Hooray for Saturday!!

2011-05-21T18:55:00.002-06:00

Hooray for Saturday and hooray for sun! After 7 straight days of rain we took advantage of this break in the weather to get outside and take a nice long walk.

First stop was the library to check out a bunch of DVDs to watch over the next few days (our version of netflix). Next we wandered over to McDonald's to try their new frozen strawberry lemonade, which actually turned out to be very yummy. Then we crossed to street to Carl's Jr. for the rest of our lunch because we like their food better than McDonald's.

Then back to home where Rosalina killed Birdo in Mario Kart. I was Birdo (poor me).

Mini Golf, Mucho Fun

2011-05-13T22:53:00.007-06:00

Friday was gorgeous so we decided that part of our date that night had to be outdoors. After going to dinner on the $13 Chili's gift cart we dug out of one of our desk drawers, we thought it would be fun to play mini golf.

We decided that it would probably be better to play at Cascade's course rather than Trafalga to avoid weekend crowds. It was definitely the right choice. We practically had the place to ourselves, which was great because it's never fun to wait behind a big group of teenagers trying to hit their ball over every barrier. After playing through the first 18 holes on Course 1, we got our money's worth and played through Course 2 as well.

Dave had a little trouble with one of the water hazards

Which turned into a lot of trouble... He actually got it out on his first try, but then Friday the 13th bad luck hit and it bounced off the wall right back into the water. After 4 more unsuccessful puddle shots, he took the max score for the hole and we moved on.

I actually didn't do that awesome either, but thanks to a couple lucky hole-in-ones I was able to beat Dave both games - go me!

Oh wait... Mother's Day is TODAY!

2011-05-08T23:52:00.011-06:00

Somehow (and I really don't know how) I did not realize that Mother's Day was this weekend. I guess I win the bad daughter/daughter-in-law award this year. So while you wait for your gifts to arrive, know that I love you mom!

The signs were there - millions of commercials on TV, gift ideas all over my browser's home page, flowers and cards in the stores, and not to mention the 540 kids carrying home plants in yogurt cups, tissue paper flowers, poems, and homemade picture frames for their mommies. I guess I've had other things on my mind...

The big news for us is we have started our adventure with fertility treatment, and so far it's been a lot of drugs, a lot of doctor appointments, and a lot of $$$. But it will all be worth it if next year there's a little Howe with us here on Mother's Day. Wish us luck!

This year we had a quite evening at home and Dave grilled us some delicious steaks out in the rain. What a guy!

A New Life for Old Ensigns

2011-05-07T17:50:00.001-06:00

I recently decided that because you can access the Ensign online, and because shelf space in our apartment is in high demand, it just wasn't practical to save every issue. I, however, was having a hard time just tossing them in the recycling... So I decided to create my own "Gospel Art Kit: Part II."

Now when I finish reading an issue, I go through it with a pair of scissors and cut out all the awesome pictures that go with the stories. Here are some samples of what I've collected over the past couple months:

Old Testament Stories

New Testament Stories & Life of Christ

Book of Mormon Stories

The Restoration & Church History

The Latter Days (Prophets, Temples, Families, Etc...)

As you can see, I don't have that many pictures yet from the Book of Mormon or Church History, but I'm sure it will build over time. For now, I keep all the pictures in an organizer with a separate pocket for each "set." I'm really looking forward to having these to use for FHE lessons, primary classes, Sunday School, and who knows what else. It's a cheap, easy project that' I'm sure will be a great resource for years to come!

Happy Administrative Professionals Day!

2011-04-27T17:52:00.003-06:00

Hello, my name is Mrs. Howe and I am an administrator

I know the names of 500+ kids, along with their grade, teacher, brothers/sisters, allergies, who is late, who forgets their lunch every other day, who is sick, and who is "sick."

I have band aides for your paper cuts, ice packs for your "sudden crucial" pains, and safety pins for your skirt that is falling down. I can stop a bloody nose in record time, and if you feel like you might throw up, you can borrow my trash can until mom arrives.

My lost and found drawer is a little treasure trove - 6 pairs of glasses, about $20 in bills and coins, 2 cell phones, an inhaler, 2 watches, several earrings, rings, and bracelets, a headband, a flashlight, a Gold's Gym membership card, and much, much more - come claim your stuff!

Are you interested in attending our school? I am the enrollment expert. What do you want to know? The waiting list for kindergarten is currently 105 kids long. If you want to be added to the wait list, you need to fill out an "Intent to Register" form on our website (but your chances don't look very good). You must have had 5 doses of DTaP, 4 Polio, 3 Hep B, 2 Hep A, 2 MMR, and 1 Varicella (unless you had chicken pox) before the first day of school or I will very politely, but firmly request that you stay home. And please don't provide emergency contacts with no phone numbers on your registration packet - in the event of an emergency just a name isn't very helpful.

My job is to find the happy middle ground between enforcing the rules and making exceptions. If you're a respectful, friendly parent who is willing to work with me, then I will go the extra mile to help you. If you are angry, rude, or condescending, I will still be pleasant, but will definitely be less motivated to bend the rules for you. If you are a student, you'll know that for the most part I'm a nice office lady, but I can tell when you're lying and don't like it when you mess around. If you're trying to call your mom from my phone to arrange a playdate with your friend, you better have an office pass. And don't try to sneak under the rope to run out the front door after school because I am watching and will catch you every time.

Let's just say my job is never boring, I love where I work and could not be happier!!

SPICY!

2011-04-21T08:29:00.000-06:00

First, Little Caesar's pizza is a lot better than it used to be. It's still on the lower end of the pizza food chain, but it's Hot! and Ready! and only $5! Since it's so cheap it has become my go-to place for food on those nights I just don't feel like cooking... which leads us to this story:

Dave loves to cover his pizza with parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper. I had started eating while Dave was still "decorating" his pizza, when I suddenly heard a "WHOA!"

He had confused the "sprinkle" side of the lid with the "pour" side, and dumped a huge mound of pepper on his pizza. The pile on his pizza was probably a quarter of what had been in the jar. I was trying so hard not to laugh while chewing, but a small amount of drool may have escaped.

He managed to scrape a good portion off, but it was still one of the spiciest pizzas he's ever had :)

First Shot at Frisbee Golf

2011-04-17T08:07:00.000-06:00

On Friday we went to a local park to play frisbee golf. Dave had played before, but it was my first time.

Dave making an easy putt

Things got a little more interesting after the third hole. We rounded the corner to the tee box for hole four and found.... nothing! Apparently that part of the park has been demolished and no longer exists, taking with it holes 4-12.

I suppose it's all right our day was cut short because I was spending most of my time in the trees anyway. I just can't seem to make the frisbee fly straight and go in the direction I want - I can do one or the other, but not both. Better luck next time!

10 Serving 8

2011-04-15T08:10:00.002-06:00

Typically our evenings are spent at home on the couch either watching TV or playing games with each other - fun, but not necessarily the best use of our time or the best thing for our physiques. Now that the weather is warming up, our goal is to live a more active lifestyle and yesterday's activity was racquetball.

Dave and I used to play on BYU's courts all the time while we were dating. It was fun, and more importantly it's free :) Then for some reason we stopped... until yesterday when we thought, "We love racquetball! Let's go play!"

My game somehow improved during our racquetball hiatus because I was able to beat Dave 2 out of 3 games! I suppose it is possible that he got worse instead of me getting better, but I like the first theory better.

Yes, Another Post About Skiing

2011-04-09T20:44:00.001-06:00

Today was the start of my Spring Break - except outside it looked more like Christmas Break. It's been dumping in the mountains so of course we raced off to Snowbird! My dad is visiting this week with some friends for a ski trip and we were able to meet up with them on the mountain for a few runs. He also treated us to lunch at the lodge - BBQ brisket sandwiches,delicious!!

All the new powder was great, but by the end of the day we both had a serious case of leg burn and could barely make it through our last run. Great way to end the season, and now it's time to pack up our stuff until next year.

Taking a Breather

Life is Good

On our way out I left a little something on the hood of my dad's car. At least I think it was my dad's car (he's driving a rental). I guess some stranger might have returned from their ski day to this snowman surprise - lucky them!

And to top off a nearly perfect day, I found this nearly perfect snowflake on our side mirror. It looked better before I rolled down my window to take a picture and the defroster killed it. Oops.

May the Best Howe Win

2011-04-07T08:10:00.012-06:00

First of all, as of today there are only 8 days left to do taxes, not 10, so if you've been procrastinating like us then you better get on it!

The other night we thought it would be fun to do something different than our normal routine so Dave and I decided to have a tournament of games to determine who would do a few household chores. Luck was not on my side.

As the loser of Guess Who Marvel Edition, Golf (a card game), and Treasure Quest I had to clean out the fridge, do the dishes, and make toast.

As the loser of Racko Dave had to empty the dish drainer, but then enjoyed his victory snack that I so lovingly made. Hooray for Dave. He may have been the best Howe that night, but I sense a rematch in the near future and a hopefully a new victor will emerge!

Welcome Home & Conference Weekend

2011-04-05T07:48:00.020-06:00

I got home from Hawaii just in time for this "Welcome Back to Utah!" snowstorm. Luckily the sun melted things out by the end of the day so my climate shock didn't last too long.

One of my favorite conference traditions is to do a puzzle (did you catch the referrence to puzzles during the Sunday morning session?) I got this one from DI for a buck the day before and will be returning it to DI on my next donation run - it was fun to do once, but there was too much green.

On Sunday night we had Liz (Dave's sister) and Nat (my sister) over for dinner - luckily the puzzle was finished! In my family we name meals after the person we get the recipe from. This was my first attempt at making "Susan Chicken" (the recipe is from my Aunt Susan) - a really good sweet and sour chicken dish. I would have made a salad or something to go with this, but I don't think my little table could hold any thing else, and more sides mean more dishes and our sink was already overflowing :)

Family Trip to Maui

2011-04-03T22:37:00.000-06:00

In March Dave and I took separate vacations - Dave went home to Texas for Don's wedding, and I went to Maui with my family. We would have LOVED to make both of these trips together, but due to work and school it just didn't work out.

This trip was the epitome of relaxation - every day we would wake up, eat, go to the snorkel beach, come home to hot tub, eat, go to the sandy beach, hot tub, eat, go to the wave beach, hot tub, eat, play games, watch a movie, sleep, and then repeat. It was awesome.

Dave's absence was filled by my niece Anne. I always swore I'd never want to have a baby at the beach, but she did awesome and it was fun to have her along. And even when she was a little cranky, how could you ever get upset with someone so cute??

My awesome brother Derek doing his best tiki man impression

Riding the waves - Nat didn't quite make this one (she was on the purple board)

In the banyan tree in Lahaina

The girls in the hot tub

The palm tree trimmers outside our condo - not a job I'd want!

At the free hula show we discovered while shopping for groceries

Love you family!

Olivine Pools

2011-04-03T22:00:00.003-06:00

Our one deviation from the normal beach-eat-sleep routine was a trip to the Olivine Pools - natural tide pools formed by lava rocks that jut out into the ocean.

Assuming a low profile while getting up the nerve to jump. Large waves occasionally crash over the lava barriers and those rocks will tear through your shorts, swimsuit, and skin - ouch! A rogue wave took me out a few years ago so my nervousness is justified!

Jumping!

In the personal "hot tub" with Derek

My dad with his girls

On to Round Two

2011-03-25T20:27:00.000-06:00

BYU may be out, but MBA Supply Chain lives on! Dave's intramural team won 51-24 tonight and will advance to the next round of the tournament. Dave only contributed two of those points, but played excellent defense and got a bunch of rebounds. Go supply chain guys!

MBA All Stars

2011-03-22T21:31:00.013-06:00

Our intramural season came to an end last night. What we lacked in skill (it had been a loooong time since we had played basketball), we made up for with spirit. I had a blast playing and am really looking forward to next year!

What to do when your buns are burning....

2011-03-20T21:36:00.038-06:00

While making Sunday dinner today I forgot about some buns I had put in the oven to toast. I remembered them once I saw the little tendrils of smoke coming out of the oven. Upon opening the oven, I found that the buns were very, very black and smelled very, very burnt.

I grabbed the tray out of the oven and since they were too hot to put in the garbage and too fragrant to keep in the house, I did the first thing that came to mind - run outside and throw them in the bushes by our door.

After dumping the goods, I noticed our neighbor (who we don't know well at all) was standing right there watching the whole thing. I muttered "burned food" at her before racing back inside. Consequently, there is no photo with this post because I figured the only thing more strange than throwing food in the bushes would be to go back outside and take a picture of it.

BYU's Final Home Game

2011-03-06T21:32:00.051-07:00

Yesterday was BYU's final game of the season - our last chance to watch Jimmer play in person.

The first game we went to this years was against Utah State. We showed up 15 minutes late, parked across the street from the Marriott Center, grab a bench to ourselves, and have no one sit in front of us. It was a great game, competitive til the end and the Cougars came out on top.

Boy how things change!! By the end of the season, Jimmer-mania had swelled to epic proportions and if you weren't there an hour early, you were going to have to watch the game on television. If you wanted a decent seat, I guess you needed to be two hours early because we were squished in at the very top.

I saw this at Walmart and was glad that someone else took a picture because when I went back with my camera it had been taken down. Just one example of how great it is to live in Provo right now and watch our college town transform into Jimmerland! Hoop it up 32!!

** Picture is not mine and was borrowed from CougarBoard here.

3 feet of the good stuff!

2011-03-03T21:35:00.066-07:00

Our lives this winter have predominantly been ruled by two things: skiing/snowboarding and BYU basketball. Last weekend was a tough call because we had two really enticing options - watching round 2 of BYU vs. SDSU or heading for the mountains to enjoy 3 feet of perfect powder.

We chose the powder and unfortunately a lot of other people did too. The crowd at the bottom of Mineral Basin was RIDICULOUS. We stood in this line for close to an hour. But the snow was AMAZING and the time spent in line was completely worth it!

Although the powder was light and fluffy, the fact that it was 3 feet deep sometimes posed a problem. Amy fell over backwards, down hill and butt-first, and had to be lifted up by her arms because she couldn't stand on her own (When pulling someone up, I recommend grabbing the person under their arms and not by their mittens - those just slide right off).

At one point I lost momentum in a flat spot and was buried up to my waist in snow. For the life of me I could not lift my legs and eventually had to fall sideways and roll until I got to a place where the snow had been packed down enough to stand. Nat, however, took the cake.

Amy and I met up at the bottom after becoming separated from Nat. After waiting for awhile we called her phone. Reception isn't always the best on the mountain, so when we heard Nat say, "I'm dragging a tree" we thought we heard wrong. She must have hit a tree, or run over a tree.

But we she finally got to the bottom there was indeed a branch stuck in her binding. She managed to break most of it off, but there was a small piece that wouldn't come out. The best part was all the people that kept telling her, "You know you have part of a tree stuck to your ski," as if she didn't notice the pine bough attached to her leg :)

Exhibit A

2011-03-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

Title: Dave does laundry while Mel is at work

Critical Eavulation: Clothes were clean, dry, and less wrinkled than if they had been left balled up in the dryer. Folding is overrated anyway, right? I guess I'll give him a pass.

4-for-4

2011-02-24T10:21:00.003-07:00

The last of the Lamberts, my brother Derek, will be starting college this year and yesterday he got his acceptance email to BYU. Hooray!

Four siblings attending BYU is great, but even more impressive are the 22 grandkids in a row from my mom's side that have all gone to BYU. Derek will contintue the tradition as number 23. Way to keep the legacy alive!

One more reason to rise and shout? The four Lamberts will all be living in Provo next school year. Fun times ahead!!

Derek - Freshman
Natalie - Junior
Amy - Graduated, but supporting husband and second year law student Jeremy
Melanie - Graduated, but supporting husband and second year MBA student Dave

Mmmmmm ... caaaaake

2011-02-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

Tonight BYU beat Colorado State, but more importantly they scored more than 80 points which earned everyone in attendance free Magleby's cake - rich, chocolaty, delicious cake. Mmmmmm!

Life without TV

2011-02-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago our TV starting acting strange. It would randomly turn off, and then turn back on a few seconds later - not desirable, but we could live with it. Then it started happening every 30 seconds. Now we were beyond our tolerance limit and decided to call a repair man.

They came and replaced a part, after which our TV worked for one day and then died; Nothing but black screen.

It took us a week to get a repair guy back to our house (scheduling is a beast when you're both gone all day). After messing with the TV for a few minutes, our repair guy determined that it needed to be taken back to the shop for further investigation.

And so we have been without for almost two weeks now - a real hardship, I know. I don't think I realized how much the TV was on until it wasn't:

No Wii
No movies from our collection
No movies from Redbox
No MoTab Sunday morning
No Planet Earth Sunday evening
No TLC while I iron
No Brady Bunch while I make dinner
No Law & Order re-runs while we eat dinner
No Bones on Thursdays
No Fringe on Fridays
No Food Network at night
No sports - which prompted us to buy tickets from a scalper to the BYU vs Utah game since they stopped taking All sports passes and we had no TV to watch from home

Instead we have been playing games, getting ahead with homework, cleaning out the house, organizing photos, reading, listening to music, going to bed on time, or even EARLY.

So it hasn't been all that bad. But I will be glad when it comes back :)

Skiing with the Fam (minus Nat who was sick)

2011-02-17T11:20:00.005-07:00

This weekend my family came down to Utah for a ski trip. My mom watched baby Anne while Amy, Dad, Derek, Dave, and I spent two days on the slopes at Snowbird. There hadn't been any new snow for a few days, but the weather absolutely gorgeous - sun out and blue, blue skies!

Action shot of me; There are no action shots of Dave because he is not patient enough to wait for a photographer to ski to the bottom and get the camera out :)

Hiking Mt. Baldy - here we took our skis off and hiked up part of the mountain to reach terrain not accessible from the chair lifts. Quite an adventure, but it really wore me out!

On the hike up Mt. Baldy you pass this sign. Note the last warning - it comes in to play later

After the hike you had to ski across the mountain to get to the good snow. Somewhere along this traverse we lost Dave. Here I am at the end of the traverse ready to go down.

>>Short Story Break<<

After skiing down the softest snow of the day, we paused to watch a few skiers jump off some nearby cliffs. Then to my horror, I realized that the guy on the next cliff over was Dave. Dave's cliff was narrow, steep, and I could see no easy, medium, or hard way down. So he took of his board, choose what looked like the least rocky/treey path down and prepared himself for a slide. If I hadn't been so worried about the outcome of said slide, I would have taken a video. So you'll just have to imagine an orange blob tumbling off a cliff at great speed with a snowboard careening close behind. Luckily both the board and the boy came out of it with minimal damage - phew!

On the Cirque, looking for the least scary way to drop into Great Scott

Amy taking a break while we wait for the lost brother to show up

No trip to Snowbird is complete without a couple passes through Mini Miners Camp - sort of a snow roller coaster through the trees, complete with wood cut outs of a general store, train station, old men with pick axes, and a graveyard. It's designed for small children with short skis, but we still enjoy it as big kids.

On the chair with my cliff diver - thanks for taking up this crazy sport! I love doing this with you!

A Passionate Sixth Grade Boy Speaks to His Love

2011-02-13T06:48:00.003-07:00

On our most recent trip back to Texas, Dave's mom brought out boxes of old school work that she had saved for each of her kids. It was hilarious to look the at grade reports (Dave rocked at kindergarten), the artwork, and read through stories they had written.

In Dave's box we found these two gems, and since Valentine's day is just around the corner I thought I'd share:

We googled the first line and found that the assignment must have been to write a poem based off The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, but I personally like this version better. I still can't decide what my favorite part is - the hike/bike date, the famous picture of a dove, playing in a meadow, or the 20 lb bag of gummi bears. What a funny kid, and what lucky girl I am that he's mine :)

Tribute 3

2011-02-10T23:21:00.001-07:00

The content of this post has been on my mind for the past week, but I didn't know quite how to put I have been thinking into words. But since Tribute and Tribute 2 have now been written, I guess now it's my turn. Without further procrastination, here is "Tribute 3":

On Saturday, January 29th, we got word that Dave's oldest brother, Bill, had passed away. His passing was completely unexpected and the kind of news that no one is prepared to receive. How could this happen? What do we do now? We went and got Liz, the only other Howe here in Utah and spent the day together, while the rest of the family gathered at home in Texas.

We went through the day in shock and then when the night came, so did the overwhelming sadness. It was one of those nights where you sleep with the Kleenex box between your pillows and then throw the used tissues over the side of the bed onto the floor because you just don't care.

But a few days later we were able to fly back to Texas to be with family. How thankful we are for understanding professors and employers who made it so easy for us to just get up and leave right in the middle of the week. And how thankful we were to make it there without any delays to our trip - crazy, crazy weather down there!

Snow in Plano the day of the service

Although we wished we were there for a different reason, it was a great trip. It was so good to see family that we hadn't been able to see over Christmas. So good to cry and laugh about all the good memories we had of Bill. So good to be reminded over and over again of blessed we were to have known such a generous, funny guy that loved his family and friends above all else. It was a chance to receive confirmation that Bill was gone from his body and gone from this world, but also a reminder that he is not gone, that families are eternal and we will see him again.

One night Dave mentioned how sad and strange it was that our kids would never know Bill. I agreed. And I'm not sure exactly how it all works on the other side, but I hope that now that Bill is done with his time on earth, he might have some time to spend with our kids before they start journey here. Because Bill truly was a fabulous uncle - the best a kid could ask for.

We'll miss you Bill.

The Howe Family, February 2011

Not quite Barnum and Bailey, but still good

2011-01-28T07:13:00.005-07:00

Normally on weekdays we are kind of homebodies - after a full day of work and school we come home to eat, relax, and then go to bed before doing it all again the next day. This week we livened things up by not only going to the big game, but also to the circus!

It was kind of a spur of the moment decision to go after I got a coupon for work, but it was really fun and we're glad we went. Part of what made this circus so awesome was that it really wasn't that awesome. At times I was actually afraid the "death defying" acts really would end in death. The tight rope walker slipped, the trapeze net was set up incorrectly, the blind-folded guy on the spinning wheel walked right into a bar, and the motorcycle cage was rocking like crazy before a couple guys ran out to stabilize the supports. Good times!

This guy built a tower of chairs one at a time - adding a chair, then climbing up on top. After the last chair he froze for at least a couple minutes trying to get his balance back before the final pose. TA-DA!!

The spinning wheels of death - this part was crazy and one of Dave's favorite acts

At intermission by the bear in the chair - we weren't going to pay $$$$ for their photo and took our own

The very talented elephants

Motorcycles in the cage (of death) - I thought it looked small for one bike, and then they threw three more in and it really started rocking!

They Got Jimmered!!

2011-01-26T22:58:00.002-07:00

Victory!

Awesome game - match up between two top 10 teams, Jimmer scored 40+, the game was close almost the whole way, but we came out on top!

Was it worth it to have to be there way early and hang out on our bench for a couple hours before the game? Yes! (The student section was packed and we were sitting way at the top)

Best game BYU game we'll ever get to attend? Probably - Go Cougars!!

Return to the 'Bird

2011-01-16T05:48:00.001-07:00

When we moved back to Provo for MBA school there were several things in Washington we were sad to leave behind, but also some "Utah" things we were excited to return to - family, the dollar theater, BYU, intramurals, cheap apartments, and Snowbird - our favorite ski resort!

No room on the bench - but Dave was able to pick out a comfy little spot of concrete to call his own while waiting for the tram

Nat and I at the top of Hidden Peak, and we were lucky to get this picture! It was actually only sunny and clear for one run; The rest of the day the mountain tops were covered in fog and you could barely see a thing.

Dave at the top of the tram with ALL skiers. He has put a lot of work into learning to snowboard over the past few years and it has really paid off. With just a few exceptions, Dave can now follow me down any run on the mountain - this probably is one of our favorite things to do together!

Fat litte birds hanging out on the Target shopping cart = happy :)

2011-01-13T17:30:00.005-07:00

Christmas Countdown at the Cabin

2010-12-28T13:29:00.107-07:00

We just returned from our first ever Christmas at the cabin. It was an amazing trip full of family, games, and fun in the snow. Here are a few of the highlights:

12 homemade snow cones (actually I probably ate more)

11 adventurers setting out for a snow shoe expedition (not pictured is me as I have the camera)

10 people opening presents on Christmas morning

9 ski runs at Alpental

8 games of cribbage (I lost this game badly to my uncle Brent)

7 minutes to get baby Anne bundled for outside

6 nights spent with family at the cabin

5 sections tall snowman (I made him myself - Dave is just there for perspective!)

4 Lamberts - Dad, Mom, Natalie & Derek

3 Hindmans - Jeremy, Amy & Anne

2 Howes - Dave & Melanie

1 Dog - Jobe

Harry Potter, First-Class Style

2010-12-21T19:46:00.001-07:00

Tonight Dave and I went to see this:

We thought the movie was good, but what we really enjoyed was the theater. Last year we got a gift card to Gold Class Cinemas from Santa that we are just now using this Christmas. It was awesome.

The chairs were massive, super comfy, and could fully recline.

We also had a call button that we could press for waiters to bring soft drinks, popcorn, and other treats. I ordered some little fresh-made donut holes that you could dip in different sauces. Dave got battered chicken strips that were delicious.

Santa - you got an A+ for this gift!!

Leading Separate Lives...

2010-12-14T21:23:00.007-07:00

Apparently Dave and I have separated. We suspected that something wasn't quite right for awhile now, but things did not fall into place until tonight when my "fake" visiting teachers stopped by and were surprised that I had a husband.

According to our church records we exist as single people in two different wards that are part of two different stakes. Dave is a member of the Rivergrove 1st Ward with no wife (our "real" ward) and I am listed with no spouse in the North Park 2nd Ward (the "fake" ward). I am also in the directory under my maiden name instead of "Howe". We each have our own set of home teachers, but neither of us have a calling. It's all been very confusing.

I guess we have some things to straighten out when we have tithing settlement at our real ward tomorrow!

We are still here!

2010-12-09T22:43:00.003-07:00

So it appears I've fallen a bit behind on the blog... Things were going along nice and slow and then Halloween hit and time just flew by - hence no post for the last five weeks. All those missing entries will be posted shortly, but here's a little something for the interim:

So every week at work I check the calendar of events, grab my box letters, don an apron, and climb a ladder to change the marquee on the side of the school. Lately it's been pretty cold so I change out the letters as fast as my little frozen fingers can go.

As I was leaving the school last night, I looked up and noticed that the inevitable finally happened - my self spell check failed. It's especially awesome that my mistake follows the announcement for the spelling bee.

MERRY CHISTMAS EVERYONE!

The bakery is open for business!

2010-12-07T22:03:00.003-07:00

This year we made coffee cakes to give as gifts to friends, teachers, co-workers, etc... Oh boy was this an undertaking! I was baking every night for almost a week. I was just glad that this year I have kitchen to work in, as this would have been pretty difficult at our old house in my tiny kitchen with my tiny oven.

Here are some of the finished cakes - 17 were given away but we did keep one for ourselves, as
a test of course :)

Killer Bunny

2010-11-27T06:49:00.012-07:00

At Snow Canyon there are a couple lava tubes that are pretty neat. It was amazing how dark it was in there just a little ways in. I was really wishing I had brought a flashlight with me because I was too nervous to go in very far without one. We thought one looked awfully similar to the lair of the killer bunny from Monty Python - enter with caution!

Snow Canyon

2010-11-27T06:45:00.002-07:00

On our way home from St. George we took a short side trip to do some hiking. We love the National Parks, but have just as much fun at Snow Canyon. There are great places to explore and the entry fee is way less. Below are some pictures from out adventure!

A Mel on the Wall

It may look sunny out, but it was COLD - that's a little frozen pond we found on top of one of the rock formations!

Me with a giant "ice cube" we chipped out of the pond

Dave doing a little free-climb rock scramble

The boys in front of the petrified dunes

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-26T06:42:00.001-07:00

For Thanksgiving my parents and brother flew down from Seattle to meet the rest of us living in Provo. We then drove down to St. George where we stayed for a few days at my Grandma's other house. It was tons of fun seeing everyone, but the weather was way colder than usual.

Instead of hiking and playing outside, we went to movie and played Wii. I think we set a record for the number of hours logged playing Mario Kart :)

We also took advantage of the fact that we were all together and took a family picture. With no one else around to take the photo, we used the self-timer on my camera. It was fun to look through all the takes at some of the mistakes - I have no idea what Dave is doing in this one...

In the end (and it was the end - we used the last picture we took), we got a good one. Love you family!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T22:56:00.002-06:00

This year we went as church goers for Halloween! I guess that's what you get when Halloween is on a Sunday. Dave has a orange shirt that sees the light of day just once a year, and I just went with standard black because I don't have any orange church clothes - we'll have to fix that for next year :)

Actually earlier we dressed up at the Flintstones. I wore Wilma to school for costume day, and then met up with Fred later that evening. All the kids at school had no idea who I was - I guess this generation has never heard of the Flintstones - so when they kept asking "Mrs. Howe, Mrs. Howe who are you?" I started to just say a cave woman rather than try to explain things... oh well.

Howe Pumpkin 2010

2010-10-30T22:52:00.004-06:00

Carving a pumpkin is one of my favorite parts of Halloween - I love to create my own designs! What I learned from this year's creation:

- Carving hair is the BIGGEST pain in the world, and consequently, toothpicks can be a life saver
- What takes 2 minutes to draw on paper can take 2 hours to carve into a pumpkin
- Once you finish and light the candles all the work was suddenly worth it.

Without further ado, I present the Howe pumpkin for 2010!

Dave with a ghost and spider (the 7th & 8th legs barely fit)

Mel with the moon and a cat

Pull!

2010-10-28T21:58:00.002-06:00

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to pull a fire alarm? Well today I joined the ranks of people who have actually done it. It was for a fire drill at school, but still pretty exciting!

Turning on the alarm is easy - pull. Turning it off again, however, is not that simple. Working through the reset sequence is a little nerve wracking while the alarm is blaring and the entire school is waiting out in the cold for you to silence the system. And it's not really like you can practice before hand...

I did ok though, I did ok.

Ready or Not, Here it Comes...

2010-10-27T07:03:00.000-06:00

It's here! The first snow of the season. I guess it's time to find our snow scraper, dig coats out of our ski bags and buy some hot chocolate. Oh - and turn on the heat, because when we looked at the thermostat last night it was only 60 degrees in our apartment - brrrr!

I actually do love the snow, but last night wasn't the best time for its arrival... I had a soccer game, which we lost, but played well considering it was sleeting, our feet felt like rocks, and the other team probably took 25 shots on goal compared to our 4.

It was also the night I did a load of white laundry and reached into the box of dryer sheets only to find it empty. I decided to throw the clothes in the dryer anyway, and of course it turned into one giant ball of static - mesh bottoms and silk tops will do that. Since all our neighbors were mysteriously gone and we needed some of those whites to wear the next morning, I went off to the grocery store at 10 pm in the snow in my pajamas. It probably won't be the last time I have to do this, so I guess I probably better find my boots too :)

Two Fun Saturdays

2010-10-23T17:42:00.006-06:00

Saturday #1: Last week was one of my favorite events at BYU - the annual lost & found sale! This year we went early (like two hours early) to get a good spot in line and it paid off. We weren't able to snag a basketball, but we did have some other great finds including:

Thermal Under Armor top - $2
Burton soft shell jacket - $2
Adidas climalite pullover- $3
3 pairs of sunglasses - $3
Football receiver gloves - $2

With the haul

Saturday #2: Today Dave and I went to the football game with Amy, Jer and Anne. My grandma gave us her tickets for the game which are seats (not bleachers!) right on the 50 yard line. We got super lucky with the weather - it was pouring right before the game and it's pouring now at home as I write this, but at the game it was dry and just right with a blanket. Best part though... BYU won!

At the Pumpkin Farm

2010-10-15T21:01:00.000-06:00

I refuse to buy my pumpkin at the grocery store. Growing up we always went to a local pumpkin patch as a family, and it's a tradition I like to continue.

I had off work for Fall Break and Dave has no class on Friday so today we went down to Rowley's South Ridge Farm in Santaquin. We took a hay ride out to the field where I found this beauty!

My mom who was visiting this weekend also came along with my sister Amy and Anne. **In case you didn't notice, I am featured in this picture as the holder of Anne who did NOT want to stick her head through the hole :)

While at the farm we also did a little maze (I got out first!), sampled some fresh apple juice, and ate a delicious apple cinnamon donut.

HAPPY FALL!

I spy...

2010-10-14T18:48:00.003-06:00

Tonight Dave told me "I put away your sunglasses."

It took some searching, but I eventually found them :)

BYU Homecoming Game

2010-10-09T20:47:00.001-06:00

Happy Homecoming! We had a good view of the field from way, way up top. The sun was out, the stands were full, the game was fun and it was nice to see BYU win one again!

Maybe next time...

2010-10-07T20:13:00.001-06:00

Tonight was my first football game. Or it was supposed to be. As we drove to the game, we could see dark clouds directly over the intramural fields and right as we got there the rain started. Then the thunder and lightening, and then the hail - or as a 1st grader told me at school today, it was raining "balls of frost" :)

So we sat in the car for half an hour waiting for things to clear up, but it just didn't happen. Maybe next time...

MBA Arm Candy

2010-10-05T22:35:00.003-06:00

Right now I'm playing on the MBA Spouse Association intramural soccer team and loving it! Our team - MBA Arm Candy - is actually not that bad considering we have 27 kids between us (unfortunately I bring the average down a bit) and we're playing against sophomores :)

We won our first game (forfeit!) and tied our second 3-3 (I scored a goal). Tonight was our third game and we lost spectacularly 6-1. Overall we didn't play horribly, but couldn't seem to keep our hands down. 6 hand balls inside the box led to 6 penalty shots, which led to 5 goals for the other team and a loss for us :(

My photographer (Dave) was having some trouble with the action settings on the camera so we only have this "still life" photo from tonight's game. Hopefully we'll get some better shots on Thursday at my first flag football game!

The genius that I am

2010-09-23T18:08:00.001-06:00

After making a very comprehensive shopping list, I stuck it in the back pocket of my pants. Then I changed clothes before going to the store.

And while browsing the aisles of a Walmart superstore is good exercise, it's not a very effective way to shop. I will be going back to the store again very soon :)

**Photo from Google Images

Wordle

2010-09-13T22:06:00.002-06:00

So you may have heard of "Wordle" (because I'm slow when it comes to cool things on the Internet), but if you haven't, head over here to check it out!

All you do is choose any piece of text and enter it into the box. Wordle then generates a "cloud" where words are size based on frequency of use. Then you can customize the colors, font, shape, etc... to make it look how you want.

I fed The Family: A Proclamation to the World into Wordle and love how it looks. Now go forth and create your own!

A Little on the Short Side

2010-09-12T17:39:00.000-06:00

Last night Dave gave me a haircut. He's been my stylist for the past couple years and things generally work out ok, but this last cut was quite a bit shorter than I wanted. Dave blames it on bad scissors; I blame it on his misconception of how big an inch is. Whatever the reason, my hair is now about 4 inches shorter than it was the day before - oops.

There were also some issues with evenness that we didn't discover until about 10 minutes before Stake Conference. Everything looks good now, but I wasn't too sad that we had to sit in the back in the dark :)

Since I'm trying not to dwell on all the reasons I don't like my hair short, I've come up with a few good things about this new cut: it will take less shampoo to wash my hair, it will dry more quickly & be easier to straighten. All that means we will save money on shampoo and I can sleep in a bit in the morning!

BYU vs. UW

2010-09-05T23:42:00.018-06:00

About 8 months ago we were considering two schools for an MBA program: BYU and UW. Dave applied to both, interviewed at both, and was accepted by both. In the end we choose BYU and at Saturday's game, we received confirmation that we made the right choice.

BYU 23, UW 17 - GO COUGARS!

** The Howe Family **