A New Year's Challenge

OK - this is super cool. A totally mystifying optical illusion.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22556281-661,00.html

I saw counter-clockwise at first, but stared at it for a little bit and, low and behold, it changed! This is a good trick for New Year's Eve. Bring the crowd over to stare at your screen. You'll be amazed that people actually start to argue about which way she is turning.

Leave me a comment and let me know which way you saw it spin.

Happy 2008!!

Family Additions

We've had two new family additions on the Williams side of the family. Both of my sisters have had babies in the last few months. Since Kellie's baby, Parker, lives here in Las Vegas, I've been able to practice my photography skills on him. Combine that with some Photoshop classes from UNLV and we've been able to come up with some pretty cute shots:

Julie's baby, Clementine, was just blessed yesterday in Colorado. I wasn't able to be there, but my mom got these shots. Very cute!

Thanksgiving

We had a great time with the Sanders family this year. Everyone was able to be together and we had a fabulous feast planned and executed beautifully by Diane, as usual. We were able to get this shot of everyone. Even Cricket made it to this photo. Thanks for the great time, Sanders! Aren't all the "grannies" (short for grandkids) cute?!

A Belated Halloween Post

I never got around to posting these pics near Halloween, but I've had some recent family requests (sorry Alison and Amanda) to get these up, so without further ado . . . here is what Chloe believes is the worst torture you can inflict upon a dog - humiliation. She was so embarrassed, she wouldn't even look at the camera. She's so funny. She really is embarrassed. Can you tell? Interestingly enough, however, she was a huge hit and got more attention than she could handle that night at the Ghost Walk at a local shopping area. Both kids and adults kept pointing and saying, "Look! A lobster!" She was a hit! I'm sure she would love to know that her humiliating picture is now posted on the internet for all to see :) Hee hee.

A Day of Thanks

Well, we're here at the airport in Las Vegas, preparing for a flight to Denver. Man, is it cold there!!! I'm not sure I'm prepared for 23 degrees (and below) after basking in the 70s and 80s during the last two months. Today was one of the first days since May that I've had to put something other than flip flops on my feet. Oh well! It's the price we have to pay to see family and friends we haven't seen in awhile. We're looking forward to it.

Tomorrow is obviously the day (and hopefully not the only day) we ponder about those things for which we are thankful. Here are a few of mine:

1. A loving and husband and family that keep me grounded and give me all the support I could ever need.
2. The cutest dog in the whole wide world
3. A safe and happy home
4. The gospel, the Savior, and "the plan" - which helps a ton with that safe and happy home thing ;)
5. A sense of hope for good things to come, even if I am left unemployed during the holiday season
6. Good friends
7. My computer and the internet - how did I ever live without them
8. Good food - which I need to eat much less of - starting next week :)
9. Warm weather - mmmm, snow will be pretty, but I know I'll appreciate 65 when I get home
10. A healthy body, a bright mind and the promise of lots of fun happenings in 2008. Should be an interesting year.

I wish all of you a very happy and thankful-filled day! Enjoy.

ComMITTed

Today we had the opportunity to see Mitt Romney in person as he came to our local library for a Town Hall meeting. It was a very cool event and as political candidates go, he's got a ton to offer. There were some good questions and Mitt really showed off his ability to think on his feet. In the midst of what can be a very cynical atmosphere in this country, it's wonderful to see a man and politician that really lives the values he professes. In my humble opinion, he's the best man for the job. Check out his website to see if he's coming to a town near you - www.mittromney.com.

Of course we couldn't leave without getting the requisite photo. Nate was the photog (as usual) so he's not in the photos and my dad got cut out of the main one due to lack of zoom on the Iphone, but he wants everyone to know that he was there too. I'll stick in a photo of the back of his head to prove it!

Don't we look like buddies here? Really I was just saying "Go Cougars!"

See Dad and Mom here . . .

Priceless

I know I haven't been here to blog in awhile. We've been busy, but mostly I've had some lousy things happening and haven't felt much like blogging. Today, I came across this video and it gave me a big, therapeutic laugh. Some of you may have heard the song on the radio (I had), but it's just so much better on video. Seriously priceless. I hope this brings you the laugh I got.

Happy Thursday!

Look! I Won Something!

I started reading this blog when Monique recommended it months ago. I think she had won something too. Anyway, I've since gotten really into it and check it often. I'm kind of fascinated with her life and her talent. I've even gone so far as to watch Lisa on a recent QVC appearance. I was curious about how she looked and talked in "real life". No, I'm not a stalker. I just find her interesting and a great representative on being Mormon in the real world. She seems to be setting a great example. Anyway, thanks to the very valuable Bloglines, I got a blog update a few nights ago. It was a contest! I quickly submitted my answer and then waited and waited and waited. She finally updated yesterday. YEA!!! I won!!!! I'm not even much of a scrapbooker (aspiring at best), but I'm super excited about the stamps. Don't they look fun? I never win anything, so it's thrilling for me :)

Since I'm mentioning favorite blogs, I have to put a plug in for a blog I discovered recently that is awesome - great writing, a great feel to the site, recipes, fabulous pictures, and romance! Pioneer Woman rocks! If you check out her site, you're going to have to go back a little in the archives to understand the story she's been telling about how she met her husband. You'll also find some references to a blog she's writing for JCPenney. If you've ever decorated a new house or remodeled an old one, you'll relate. You should also check out her cooking blog - Pioneer Woman Cooks. I've tried some recipes. She knows what she is doing, plus her pictures are perfect. All in all, her sites are a wonderful, satisfying treat.

Chloe's Birthday

Chloe turned 3 today. I can't believe I brought that little puppy home 3 years ago!! She is a joy and a pleasure, even if she is work. The world is a better place because of dogs :)

Here's an old pic of her a few months after I got her. Is she cute or what!!?

Baby Shower Invitiations

My sister, Kellie, is due to give birth to her first baby near the end of October. Now that we live near her, we get to participate in throwing a shower for her. I volunteered to do the invitations, which I love to do, but I have an uncanny ability to underestimate the amount of time it's going to take to make them. In this case, I WAYYYYYYYY underestimated. I found the cutest idea (that was actually for a baby announcement) but I altered it to fit our shower theme. After many hours, lots and lots of intricate cutting, and help from both my mom and Kellie, we got them done and mailed out. Hallelujah!! Here's a peek (sorry about the blur - I think the light was too low):

My favorite part is right here: See where it says "General Contractors: Kellie and Chad Davidson right under the ultrasound of the baby. So cute!!!!

A New Car

We've known since we moved here that we needed to get another car. We left Nate's old one back in Colorado because it would have been too difficult to get it out here along with our two Uhauls and other car. Selling it made the most sense. Until Nate got a job, we could get by with one car. Truth be told, I was putting off the whole thing because the thought of shopping for a car made me sick to my stomach. You see - I've been very lucky. Since I graduated from college, I've always had a company car. I've never made a car payment, an insurance payment, a gas payment - nothing! I know, I'm spoiled and very lucky!! That joy came to an end last week when we finally ventured out in search of a car for Nate. We made the mistake of going to a dealer (that's a nightmare story all in itself), but when it was all said and done, Nate got a great car and we're happy with our purchase. The best part of all is that we learned today that the dealer is willing to let Nate do all their large format printing. Maybe the purchase will be a great investment after all!! Nate insisted he couldn't drive a 4-cylinder, so we had to search out this '05 Altima with the 3.5L V6. He loves it and it won't break our bank. That's all that's important. Here's to happy driving!!

A Long Awaited . . . J-O-B !!

I posted a few weeks ago about how most things long-awaited seems sweeter than those that come easily or quickly. In the case of Nate's job search, we've learned that lesson again. After over two months of searching in what should be a great job market here in Las Vegas, Nate found an awesome job in the least expected of places!! A company he used to order printing supplies from back when he owned his print shop recently called. I answered the phone because Nate was off at a job fair. I ended up talking to the sales guy and mentioning that we had moved to Vegas but still had the printer, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, he kind of paused, then mentioned that they had been thinking about opening a location in Las Vegas, but didn't have anyone who wanted to move here. Wa la! The light went on for both of us. He said, "Well, I believe everything happens for a reason". Yep, we do too. In this case, the reason is that Heavenly Father is looking out for us and answering our prayers for our new family. Nate spent all of last week up in Minnesota meeting the owners and firming up details. He will be opening a location of Northlight Color (large-format printer sales and printing services) here in Las Vegas(the first one west of Chicago)and will run the shop while trying to decide if he wants to focus more heavily on the sales or the printing side. The job has lots of upside potential and plenty of room to grow. As you might imagine, printing is just a "tiny" business here with all the larger than life billboards, signs and banners we have! Nate gets to use his graphic design skills while still having lots to do and not being trapped in an office all day. He's just excited he doesn't have to get a work wardrobe :) We're both grateful for the exciting turn of events. Isn't it just amazing how things work out in a way that you would have never expected, yet they work out in the very best way of all? Long awaited blessings are indeed the best!

Lawnmower Fun!

It's not often that you see "lawnmower" and "fun" in the same statement. Nevertheless, for us, they went hand in hand today. You see, when we first moved here in June it became quickly apparent that we needed a lawnmower since we now have a lawn. I set off on a search for the perfect lawnmower in typical Wendie fashion - I scoured the internet, read the reviews and consumer feedback, and searched the stores. I eventually landed on the perfect, top-rated, easy to use, no fuss, no muss mower that was cute to boot! - and who can resist the name - "The Lawn Pup". So, I ordered one. Little did I know, I was among many. . .

Isn't it interesting how much more fun and interesting things become when you have to wait forever to get them. Maybe that's why we like babies . . . anyway . . . I order the Lawn Pup on June 18th. After many "update" e-mails and a log of my mower's trip all the way from the Far East, it finally arrived on August 28th!!! In the meantime, you need to understand that our lawn kept growing . . . and growing . . . and growing. Luckily we only have grass in the backyard or I'm sure the neighborhood police would have been knocking on our door. The UPS man knocked on the door this morning and I think I heard an audible "whoo hoo" from somewhere in the house. We had that mower out of the box, put together and ready to mow within 10 mintues (another great reason to buy this beauty!) Take a look at how cute!! I watched Nate mow the whole lawn. The Pup reminds me of a little yellow VW bug. It mows (very well, so says Nate) and it's cute. You can't beat that. The instruction manual claims this thing has "fine Italian design". I don't know about that, but it's pretty darn "fun". I had to take these pictures so everyone else could enjoy the cuteness, but we also need to chronicle our first lawn-mowing of our new home - a landmark moment worth a blog note. So there you have it - a fun lawnmower moment :)

See how long the grass has gotten in 2 months!

Chloe thought she was guarding the yard from the new interloper. She wouldn't stop barking, as you'll hear in the video.

Uh Oh, I'm It!

Monique tagged me on her blog, so here goes . . . a little about me . . .

Jobs I've held:

1. Sea World hamburger slinger
2. Sea World lemonade slogger
3. Telephone surveyer (for like 2 hours - who can do that?)
4. Griswold Advertising intern (don't you just love "unpaid" internships)
5. Procedure Manual writer for a building company (lots of Tetris during this one)
6. Recruiting agent (this one was for 2 days, I think - what a nightmare!)
7. Vanity Press marketer
8. Kellogg's Marketing Rep (there's no better job than one that gives you all the free cereal you can eat) . . . . nevertheless, I gave up the cereal in hopes of . . .
9. Juice - Ocean Spray National Business Manager (I manage all of drug now - Walgreens, Riteaid, CVS) - it sure is nice when they're building one on every corner - nice growth curve for me!

Places to Go for a Weekend Getaway:

1. The Sanders cabin
2. Anywhere else in the mountains
3. A Road trip to pretty much anywhere as long as you feel like you're "getting away"

Movies I Can Watch Over and Over

1. Pretty Woman
2. Forrest Gump
3. Never Been Kissed

Guilty Pleasures

1. Any kind of bakery cake - with buttercream icing
2. Sugary cereal with fresh milk
3. Sugar of any kind, really
4. Shopping at Ann Taylor loft
5. A spa day
6. Pedicures
7. Too many hours surfing my favorite sites on the web

Places I've Lived (is there enough room here?)

1. Clearwater, FL
2. Key West, FL
3. Kalispell, MT
4. New Albany, IN
5. Louisville, KY (twice)
6. Evansville, IN (twice)
7. Hudson, OH
8. Provo, UT
9. Midvale, UT
10. Chicago, IL
11. Aurora, CO
12. Henderson, NV

What were likely the first things you thought of when you saw your significant other for the first time?

1. Nice smile
2. Very thoughtful
3. Tan
4. When will he call me?

Places I've Been on Vacation

1. Mexico
2. Caribbean
3. Canada
4. Hawaii
5. Florida
6. Israel
7. France and Belgium
8. England
9. Costa Rica (honeymoon!)

Favorite Foods

1. Did I mention cake with icing??
2. Mexican (pico, chips, enchiladas, quesadillas)
3. Comfort food of any kind - mashed potatoes, roast chicken, gravy)
4. Ripe tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and viniagrette
5. Chocolate

If in a "jam" with your spouse, what tactics do you use to get out of the "doghouse"?

I don't think it's been long enough to get in a "jam" yet, but if I did, I'm sure I'd be remarkably charming . . . and making yummy food goes a long way too!

Websites I visit daily:

1. Friends' blogs
2. Lifehacker - Geek to Live
3. Fox News
4. 9 News
5. Meridian Magazine

Best First Kisses Landmarks:

Most of my best kisses have happened very simply at the front door or on the couch (in the case of Nate). Don't you think one of the best parts of a first kiss is the tingle of anticipation? Not that the rest's not good too, but you just can't ever duplicate the anticipation of a first kiss again.

Places I'd Rather Be Right now:

1. On vacation
2. In Colorado, visiting friends
3. At the spa

Who sent this to me: Monique

Buddies to Survey:
All my blogging buddies have already done this. My choices will have to be postponed until I can convince a few others to start the blogging thing.

House Pics

OK - we haven't exactly been quick in our endeavour to get our house cleaned up, but this weekend, we made some progress. At least most of the living room and family room is totally liveable. We still need decorations (curtains, plants, accessories, etc.) but we're getting much closer. Here are a couple of pics of our living room. That's the family room in the background. Nate got our surround-sound hung up this weekend too, so another thing off the list!

We picked this house because we loved the windows and the open ceiling.

If you look closely, you'll see Chloe out in the family room (along with a few of her toys). You might also notice those pieces of paper on the floor. Those are the canvases Nate started. These are just on paper, but they are so cool. Pictures don't do them justice. These happen to be patterns from some new scrapbook paper I bought. I'd like to print them on canvas and do a gallery wrap (i.e 2-inch depth).

Speaking of printing, Nate's finally got the large format printer up and running, so if you ever need a picture on canvas, let us know. We'd love to do it. For now, we're going to begin dabbling in e-bay sales. Custom canvases are getting very popular.

So that's the house for now. As we get more accomplished (I'm working on curtains now), I'll post pictures. I can't wait until we live in some kind of peace with no boxes to unpack :)

A Wedding Picture Peek

OK - so I know a bunch of you have been begging (yes, begging) for wedding pictures and the truth is that I really don't have any yet. We were slow to pick our favorites, the photographer's on maternity leave, blah, blah, blah. We hope to get our real pics sometime in Sept or Oct. In the meantime, I've got a little peek under the tent - my bridal video. This was taken at Temple Square about a month before the wedding so it's not technically wedding day photos, but it will give you the idea. The only thing missing is Nate (I know that's a big "missing") and my hair was bigger on the real day. Enjoy for now. More to come later. . .

Key West Adventure

OK - so one of the catch-ups I have to do is our most recent vacation to Key West with the whole Williams clan. It's the first time all of the daughters and their husbands have been there all together. The main event of the week is always the lobster hunt (Buggin', as they call it) on Wednesday and Thursday. We get up at the crack of dawn so that we can be out on the water and on our "spot" by sunrise. Then it's a crazy amount of diving for the boys, while the girls stay aboard to collect the catch and make sure it's of legal size. You can see here that the boys did just fine - even the newbies (of which Nate was one). In fact, Nate got two lobsters that day, and boy, did we hear about it.


He was so proud! Diving is actually much harder than you would think, so he really did have something to smile about it. He kept checking the live-well to see "his" lobsters. Some found it so funny that they decided to mark his lobsters with those plastic tie-wraps so he could keep track. They're in the big picture above.


After the two days of lobstering, it's more water time for the boys. The girls enjoyed lounging at the pool :) Nate was successful once again -

OK - not really. This is actually my uncle's catch - Nate's catches were too small to keep, but doesn't he look good with this one?

The cap of the week was the ever famous "Duval Crawl" - a trip down Duval Street to see all the sights - and believe me, there are sights to be seen! Key West is a place all its own. And no, we didn't visit the psychic in this pic. By the way, that's my preggo sister, Julie, on the left.


And our trip would not be complete without the most famous picture of all. We actually had to wait in line for 10 minutes!

A New Beginning

OK - so 4 months and many well-intentioned attempts later, I'm back to blog. So much has happened over the last few months - we've hardly had the time to keep up. Of course there was the wedding (on April 20th), then the honeymoon to Costa Rica, then packing up all of our worldly belongings in early June (in 2, yes 2!, giant Uhaul trucks), which we then drove ourselves the 14 hours to lovely Las Vegas. Then there was all the unloading, unpacking, decorating, and general moving nightmare - all while maintaining a job and starting as a new couple together. Talk about pressure! But we're finally here and settled. Well, kind of settled. Neither of us has yet mustered the energy or desire to unload all the myriad of boxes strewn through the house. But, we're making inroads. Hopefully by Christmas we will have pictures on the wall and all of our clothes hung in the closet. Ugh!

Through all of this, we've actually had a great time. Most things have gone very smoothly and we're really liking Las Vegas. We're blessed. As for today, Nate is still looking for a job here in Vegas (the job search process in Vegas is a post within itself - crazy.) while I'm pressing forward with Ocean Spray. We know he'll find something worthy of his talent soon. In the meantime, he is making me some awesome canvases for the house. I'll have to post a few pics of those. We're beginning to get to know our church congregation (aka ward) here. It's huge! I think we're topping 700 people now and I swear it grows by 4-5 new families per week. We're meeting with the bishopric tomorrow evening. We hope to get involved soon and maybe even get a calling.

As an FYI for all those members out there, they're doing this really cool test market thing here in Vegas. The church is running a ton of commercials in primetime, on the radio, on major billboards, etc. spreading the message of "Truth Restored". The ads are all super cool and not so much like the tear-jerking older style of church commercials - more black and white and very thought-provoking. If you get a moment, please check out the new mormon.org and look for these ads there. If the program works here (and we've heard some amazing stories so far), you may be seeing this program come to a city near you. What a cool thing to see our message in the mainstream. It's getting so many people to think, and that's just what we want.

I need to get caught up on pictures soon. For all of you who are waiting for wedding pics, they are coming. We were super slow in picking our pics and then our photographer went on maternity leave, so you'll have to wait a few more weeks.

More to come . . .

20 Days to Go!!

Oh my goodness! The wedding day is 3 weeks from last Friday. Wow! These last 3 months have just flown by. I think all of the planning is done and all that's left is a few loose ends with decorating. Hopefully those will be wrapped up by Wednesday of next week. I'm leaving Thursday to go take my bridal pictures in SLC. Should be fun! I still need to find someone to do my hair and makeup though. Ahhh!! I can't wait until April 14th when all this prep work is over and all we have to do is look forward to Friday, the 20th and then Saturday the 21st - Costa Rica here we come!!! :)

I went out to Las Vegas a few weekends ago to meet with the caterer and florist. I'm so excited for the food we're going to have at the reception. The Four Seasons is incredible and I'm thrilled with the choices we made. I think the guests will get lots of fun surprises that they've never seen at receptions before. It will be a night to remember and I hope that everyone who is there will feel special and pampered. I know I will.

The dress is finally coming together, and though it's not perfect, I think we've brought it to a point of being much more flattering. I need to find a sparkly necklace to add some pizzazz and the veil will help too, since it has sequins on it.

Mostly, I'm just so thankful for the peaceful heart I feel. The world is so caught up in the wedding and the showiness of it all, and that can add significant stress. When it's all said and done, I feel very lucky and thankful to be marrying a kind man with a good testimony and desire to take me to the temple. That matters over all else.

Oh My Goodness! An Offer

One of the many things on my plate right now is selling my house. Nate and I are considering moving to Vegas, but even if we didn't, my house just isn't the right location - too far from his job and we'd like to find a place "together". So, the house went up on the market 2 weeks ago. In a market where the average selling time is 120 days, I thought I was in for the long haul. Lo and behold, I got a full price offer yesterday! Maybe someone's trying to tell me something :) Anyway, there are some conditions this new buyer has to meet, so we'll see if the deal comes through. If so, we'll have to be out by May 30th. We're going to Vegas this weekend to check it out, do some wedding planning, and look at some houses. Maybe I'll feel better about selling my house after seeing some new stuff. I'm having a little "seller's remorse" right now, even if I know it's the right thing.

As for wedding planning, the dress is coming along. I'm still not sure I'm in love with it, but I hope the changes we're making will improve it. The neckline has to come down a little. Why is it that no one can make a dress with sleeves anymore?? It's truly ridiculous. This whole dress shopping thing and having to shop in Utah and over the internet just to find a modest dress is so crazy. My veil should be coming this week. I'm excited about that. There's something about a veil that just brings things together and makes it real :) Speaking of which - 37 days!!! Holy Cow!

I'm writing from Boston right now (a last-minute business trip). Just what I need - more work travel while I try to pull this wedding together. I'm looking forward to our trip this weekend. We're even going to get our marriage license - only in Vegas is the clerk's office open 24 hours on the weekends! Ha Ha.

A first foray into blogging . . .

I have so many friends with blogs now and I love reading them! It's fun to get another window into their lives and perhaps it satisfies the voyeur that lives in me (and in all of us, I think :)) So, here goes nothing!!!

There is so much crazy stuff happening in my life right now. I'm trying to plan a wedding (April 20!), keep afloat at work, sell my house, keep the house spotless for the "lookers", and achieve some of the goals I have set in my head without exploding! I can't wait until the wedding is here, the honeymoon is complete and things get back to normal. Not that I want to rush the wedding or the honeymoon. I will relish those days . . . but for now, I'm focusing on the future and trying to stay sane by knowing that it will all be calmer and better in 2 months.

Today the house is mostly spotless, but I've still got organizing to do. The closets are a little scary. Perhaps that will be this weekend's project. I've got the time. It's stake conference weekend, so no sunbeams!!! I look forward to a germ-free weekend.

Until later . . .