O' Little Town of Aurora

Over the river and through the woods to Aurora, Colorado we went for our first Christmas. A couple of weeks before Christmas, I would overhear Mitchell and his sisters conversing about all of the many Christmas treats that they were going to make .... peanut brittle, buckeyes, mexican wedding cookies, chocolates, caramel, fudge, christmas mix ........ I'm pretty sure I developed diabetes just thinking about all of that sugar. I am happy to say all of my pants fit when we got home.... my body must have only absorbed about 25% of the calories I ate....that in and of itself was a Christmas miracle.

We spent Christmas Eve at Monette (Mitchell's sister) and Aaron's house. The Christmas Eve lineup included everything from a Nativity program to playing Christmas carols with chimes.

happy donkey

The Fillmores do the whole 'breakfast before presents' thing aka torture ... so the Xander and Elodie were ready to explode with excitement by the time everyone finished their lovely breakfast casserole and orange rolls.

the posse

stocking goooooooodies ..... thanks for the glades plug in mom .... are you trying to tell us our house smells rancid ? ....
I will no longer be stealing Mitchell's socks

We made time for a little temple trip to Denver

The first little girl we have is going to suffer greatly. I thought doing hair would be a cinch. Wrong. Clips, braids, barrettes, twists, ringlettes, even neat pony tails may be too complex for me. I plan on investing in many a headband for our future little girl ... or girls.

first 'doing girl hair' attempt

Santa Baby

Erin's Christmas List 2009

1. an itunes gift card

2. socks
3. underwear
4. a picture with a mall Santa

A certain display caught my eye the other day as Mitchell and I were cruising through the mall. A giant rotating Rudolph, a life size Sam the Snowman (the jolly snowman who sings "Silver and Gold") and giant mountains covered in snow. We peeked through the decor to spot a very jolly St Nick. I wanted a fun FREE picture with Santa, I even had my camera in my purse but I knew that I would be turned down by the elf taking the "professional" photos.

But I didn't give up quite so easily....

I'm not quite sure if Santa is throwing me a look of admiration or maybe Santa has a crush on me ......

My mother is the best. She rarely turns down any request I might throw in her direction. So when I proposed a "mall Santa photo" she was all for it. My dad gladly agreed to be our professional photographer. He could hardly keep a straight face after taking this next picture ........

I had no idea that my uh ....upper ... uh .... torso area .... was all up in Santa's grill. So sorry Santa.

Triple Date

Don't judge us....but had my parents not invited us to see the lights at Temple Square ... I don't think we would have gone. Is that ba-humbugish of us? The crowds and frigid temperatures usually rub me the wrong way ... but this year was puuuuuurfect. Perfect temp. Perfect amount of YW/YM groups present (close to none). And perfect hot chocolate to end the night.

couple #1

couple #2

couple #3

I Like Breathing

This picture has been four long years in the making. I guess I can't really say that I am officially graduated until I have that coveted diploma in my hot little hand. Nevertheless, homework, projects, presentations, internships, exams, classroom time, tuition, books .... all have magically become extinct. This entire semester has been a tad painful .... I think I could relate it to having a really fat guy sitting on my chest. That fat guy has finally decided to get off and I can breath again. I would like to thank that fat guy who sat on my chest all those years for making me stronger.

not a fan of the "baby blue" tassel ...what happened to purple?
Adorable and supportive Mitchell and I

thanks mumsie and popsie, couldn't have done it without you

It's Hammer Time

Is this post a little tardy? Perhaps. Better late than never. Halloween is a special time of year when we are able to let our alter egos shine without any shame... and boy did we ever. We need to give our local Savers and our trusty sewing machine some credit, we couldn't have done it without them.

Mitchell has had this gold material for quite some time. He requested some pants to be made almost one year ago, but it just didn't happen...until now.

MC Hammer and Blonde Snob

Party it UP

Mitchell and I discovered something this weekend.....we are in fact, professional theme party planners. Go ahead. Give us a theme. I dare ya. The movie Up came out earlier this month and it was quite clear a party was in demand. My parents hadn't seen it so we decided to throw them a Up party .....okay okay, the title of professional theme party planners might be a bit of a stretch ....

We had pineUPple soda

with some chUPs and dUP

and for dessert ... caramel pUPcorn

So give us a call and we can take care of all your party needs. We even offer discounts for immediate family.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Thrift stores are magical. I LOVE walking into a store and finding a diamond in the rough amidst a pile of garbage. Yes most thrift stores have a different ... aroma about them, but the deals can be killer! I remember when I was in elementary school and my mom would take us to DI .... I was embarrassed to be buying someone's used clothing... but now I prefer thrift stores and their prices. A good chunk of my closet is made up of thrift store finds.

Mitchell and I took our "fun money" we had saved up and headed to the nearest Chipotle (in Bountiful 25 mins away) and then hit DI on the way home. We came home with a beauty for sure ......

We do not wish to offend those of you who happen to have this painting hanging in your homes this very minute .... it just isn't our style .... it t'was the frame that made us drool.

With a little TLC from Mitchell ... this frame was transformed into an awesome mirror that would cost a pretty penny in a store.

Warthogs and Witches

Once upon a time there was a very vain girl who occasionally wore sunscreen. She worked two summers doing landscape maintenance ..... 6 hours per day .... in the sun. ..... yes, this girl was me. This job provided me with the perfect opportunity to say farewell to my pasty white skin. I was indeed naive. I wasn't really surprised when a mysterious bump began growing on my forehead a couple months ago, considering my sketchy past with sunscreen. I was prepared to accept the fact that I had precancerous garbage on my face. My mom was concerned so she called up the friendly neighborhood dermatologist and wanted him to take a look at it. We walked over to his house today ... he opened the door .... looked at me for 0.7 seconds and said .... "that's a wart." WHAT?! I'm a wartface?! NOOOOO! I guess I should be grateful it isn't cancerous .... but I'm kind of embarrassed to be put in the same category as witches and warthogs. Oh well. Looks like I will have to begin training my hair to part on the other side.

I'm a .... witch.

Lift off ......

Cubicle Queen

Life #5: Office Girl

Don't let the name plate fool you .... my job isn't that important. I work in a VP's office at Weber State ... it is very glamorous indeed. A typical day at the office includes:

- Fetching the newspaper for thee Mr. Tarbox
- Destroying forests (making oodles of copies)
- Playing mailman (they send all of the weird mail to
our office and I get to decide what lucky soul will get it)
- Babysitting (I stalk the jocks and make sure they go to class)
- Ask Jeeves (people call our office with the most random
questions expecting us to know the answers.

Paper cuts, numb bum, risk of carpal tunnel ... it's a tough job but someones got to do it.

Jesus Wanted Me For a Sunbeam

Life #4: Church Callings

I have to admit I was getting a little bit worried when I hit the 5 month mark in our new ward and still didn't have a calling. Heck, I would have been happy with ward bulletin board specialist at that point.... finally I have a place, make that two places, in the ward now ....... drum roll ...... sunbeam teacher and activities committee!

I was slightly concerned about having to teach a bunch of 3-4 year olds, but my sweet mother hooked me up with all the coolest songs to sing and games to play. My first lesson was "I Can Be Kind to Animals" .... how awesome is that? My next lesson is "Music Makes Me Happy." Last week consisted of marching around the room pretending we were the 2000 stripling warriors and making cool headbands. Can't get better than that.


Mitchell and I both were called to the activities committee which we are thrilled with. I am officially designated as the "ward activity poster girl" .... close to the "ward bulletin specialist" ...but not quite.

Our Halloween party is going to be rocking for sure

Slave Labor

Life 3: The Lowly Intern

Breath in through the mouth and out through the nose. This has been my motto for the past couple months as I have been trying to juggle everything. I have about 120 hours left that I need to complete before the beginning of December ....that's 20 hours per week of UNPAID work. Making sure I get these blasted internship hours has been one of my leading sources of stress, but the end is in sight. Fortunately the Warrior Fitness and Health Center on Hill Air Force Base was kind enough to work with me this semester.

If you want to be my friend for life, hook me up with a free t-shirt and I'm yours. Hill Air Force Base did just that and now we are BFF. I will admit that I feel somewhat important when I wear this shirt, the Air Force is legit and hard core.

I am Wildcat, Hear me Roar

Life 2: A Weber State Wildcat

I have been a college student for approximately 23% of my life. 5.5 years. Hopefully I will end this streak in about 3 months (knock on wood). Things I will gladly kiss goodbye:

1. Freshmen who bring their high school attitudes to campus
2. Group projects. I am kind of a control freak.
3. Packing lunches that are backpack friendly. My lunches have consisted of Fiber One granola bars and fruit for the past 2 months.
4. 40 yr old students who come to class in sweat pants
5. Busy work. Crossword puzzles and word searches in college? Give me a break.
6. Power point presentations ..... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
7. Text books that cost an arm, a leg, a foot, and your first born child.
8. Hunting for a parking spot. Thankfully, this year, campus is a hop, skip and a jump away. Yeah for walking

The Early Bird Gets ..... Tired.

I am having an identity crisis. At times it feels like I am trying to live 7 different lives at once which takes a toll on my wee little brain. Everyday for the next week I will be featuring one of my 7 lives

Life 1: The Girl Who Opens the Gym

I have kept this job for an entire 4.5 months .... that's about 2 months longer than I had anticipated quite frankly. When I applied to work at The Ogden Athletic Club, I had no idea the only shift they had available was the "you-would-have-to-be-crazy-to-wake-up-this-early-shift." I consider myself to be a morning person, but this is pushing it. My shift starts at 4:00 a.m. and I am responsible for opening the club for all the crazies who want to exercise at 4:30 in the morning.

As members walk by, they feel the need to say some of these wonderful phrases:

"Wow, you look really tired." I hear that one on an average of 4.3 times per day ... and it's usually the same people who say it. I consider myself to be a pretty good actress and I put on a "I'm awake, happy, bubbly, perky" show every time anyone walks in the front door ... I should definitely be nominated for an Oscar.

"Wake up!" Is that phrase supposed to be funny? I may have given people a courtesy laugh the first few times I heard that one, but now it is getting a tad old.

"How are you?" You may be thinking ... what's wrong with a friendly "how are you" ... I'll tell you what is wrong with it ... the guy who says it with a creepy smile and lingers just a little too long at the front desk ... that is what is wrong with it. My creep-o-meter goes off whenever he is around. I'll be watching America's Most Wanted for your story to be featured buddy!

My goal is to be able to last at this job for at least 6 months ... wish me luck.

Hostage Situation

Rewind about 3 months and 27 days ago ..... http://fillmorespace.blogspot.com/2009/06/sabbath-smashup.html My parents thought they would play bumper cars and ended up totaling the Hicken mobile. We arrived on the scene to entertain them. They had to gather everything (CD case, napkins, pens, lotion, pencils, the roll of toilet paper ... does anyone elses mother carry around a roll of toliet paper?) out of the car before it was sadly towed away.
A few days after the incident, my mother, my very own mother, my own flesh and blood accused us of stealing their beloved CD case. They couldn't find it anywhere. Why the heck would we want a CD case full of Mo-Tab remixes and LDS Middle Eastern studies? She would constantly ask us if we had seen the missing CD's.
Well ..... a few days ago ...... we found it. I swear to this day that someone planted it in our house to make us look bad. I'm blaming Craig (my little-big brother). We knew these CDs meant a lot to my parents ... so we worked up a little plan .....

We left this in a manila envelope on their doorstep

The missing subject tied up and scared in a dark, damp cellar

We definitely didn't get the cash that we demanded or even the pizza ... we ended up trading it in for some candy corn and we were able to borrow the movie "Forver Young." Not a bad trade if you ask me.

The Land of the Free

It all began when I read a magazine article about a woman who visited make up counters in various department stores to try to pick up free samples. She ended up receiving enough foundation, powder, lipstick, mascara, eyeshadow and blush to last her an entire month.... and we aren't talking Cover Girl or Maybelline.... we are talking classy make up like Clinique, Estee Lauder and Lacome. All my life I have avoided making eye contact with the make up counter girls .... and now I was heading right into the thick of it. I guess those girls can smell a mooooocher a mile away because they didn't take my bait. I guess I need to look the part of a serious buyer .... maybe it was my holey jeans or my dishevled hair ... or the fact that I wasn't even wearing makeup.......... oh well. So I decided to take a different route in order to get free stuff. Slickdeals.net.

-8 oz Juicy Juice water bottle
-Nutrish dog food
- one roll of extra soft Scott bathroom tissue
- one Oxy face cleansing cloth
- Fiber One granola
- 3 Tampax tampons
- Jergens shimmering body wash
- Boss perfurme
- package of Scott wet wipes
- one stayfree sanitary napkin

Total cost ....... $0.00

That's right boys and girls. FREE.

The Cake Line-Up

“….see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.”

I was excited every time i got a new submission to the cake contest. All of you did a wonderful job at being creative with the theme and i love all the decorations. I wish i had some great prizes to give out, but alas, i do not. Maybe next time. If anyone wants to make comments on which cake they thought was the funniest, or most creative with the theme, or most creative with the decorations, or best decorated or any other category…. please fill up the comment section.

Since everyone who didn’t participate is a LOSER, it makes all of you cake builders out there WINNERS!

Thanks for making this fun for us, i hope all of you had fun too. And it looks like many of you discovered a talent you never knew you had. Send your friends and see if they can guess which one is yours.

Swimming Pool Cake

“The cake is a swimming pool because people go swimming on labor day.”

America Works Cake

The Gears that keep America working!

Trailer Park Cake

“Our labors went into buying this trailer, making the monthly payments, doing constant repairs for the four years we lived there, and then most recently into selling it and officially becoming DEBT FREE.”

Manuel Labor Cake

“These diligent laborers, whose hands bring us delicate produce such as these blueberries, often cannot join a Labor Union and enjoy the protection of labor laws and labor holidays such as this one. For migrant workers migrate to follow the produce seasons, and many are not exactly on good terms with the INS. But they too are laborers, and on this Labor Day, I honor them by eating the fruit of their labors.”

McCake

Would you like fries with that?

Workaholic Cake

"After a long day of labor, there's nothing I like more than my bed!"

Water Broke Cake

"Uh honey, I think I'm in labor. Crap, I don't have time to finish the cake, this will have to do."

Picnic Cake

"Kissing a man with a beard is a lot like going to a Labor Day picnic. You don't mind going through a little bush to get there!"

Spa Mom Cake

"I don’t know anyone who puts in more selfless time and effort to serving others than my mom. And on this Labors day she deserves a break and a little special treatment."

The Cake is White, Already to Harvest

"If it so be that you should labor, all of your days, and bring but one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of our Father."