Please Pass the Shmear.

February 1st is a beautiful day. "Why so beautiful?" you may ask. February 1st marked the day that our Einstein Bagel coupons became legit. We wandered on over to our local Einstein's and got our free bagels (one per person). No names were taken, no phone numbers recorded, no retinas scanned .... it was easy like a Sunday morning. Not only were our coupons good for one free bagel .... a free shmear of our choice was also included. A shmear? What in the world of Einstein Bagels is a shmear? When I heard we would get a free shmear ... the first thing that came to my mind was an uncomfortable procedure only women are familiar with ..... if you get my drift....and I didn't want any part of it. Probably not the smartest move on behalf of the advertising team at Einsteins. I was relieved to discover that a shmear is simply a gourmet spread .... no worries. Phew.

Mitchell's beautiful bagel eyes are one of the first things I noticed when I met him.

On another note ......

A victorious Erin. Wait, what is that pin she is proudly displaying? Let's take a closer look ....

No, I did not get a new job at the Olive Garden, nor am I Italian. But I am hospitable apparently. My supervisor told me I scored an 83% on my test. I informed her that I was not aware I had even taken a test. Apparently Human Resources made mystery calls (pretending to be a student with a question) to each department to test our phone skills and rate our helpfulness. An 83%? What did I do to be docked a whole 17%? Maybe I put them on hold for too long ... or maybe my voice wasn't pleasant to their ears ... a bit too nasally for their liking. Either way I am grateful I was not the poor sap in the Athletics Department who scored only a 30%.

FYI: I found this nifty button in the gutter while walking home today. It was meant to be.

Endangered Species

A decent job and the Asiatic Short-tailed Shrew have a lot more in common than you would think .... they both happen to appear on the endangered species list these days. I have applied for over 20 positions ... and I have had only 1 interview ... and it was a group interview (how the heck am I supposed to win the boss over with my charm when I am sitting in a room full of other girls who are fighting for his attention? .... I felt like I was on The Bachelor ).

Don't get me wrong, I am extremely grateful for the two part time jobs that I have currently.... but I thought post college life was supposed to be filled with insurance/benefits, a bit more than minimum wage, and full time hours .... ??? Well, we were on our way home and we saw a man on the side of the road with a bright idea. This is one thing i haven't tried yet....

you can just smell the fear in the air. pure terror.

One other thing I am grateful for ... an adorable husband. Mmmmmitchell.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

I have given my new haircut a proper name/title. I call it the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." It is so two faced ...its just down right deceiving. And I love it. If anyone remembers my last hair escapade .... they will remember that I wanted something a tad edgy, jagged .... and awesome....my wish was not granted last time. That wish was fulfilled this very day. I found a stylist who is not timid with her scissors....she has talent ... I'm pretty sure she was born with a pair of scissors in her hand If you are in the Northern Utah area and are looking for a change, you should check out Amy Afuvai at Lucidends Salon. (stylethemfabulous.blogspot.com)

The before

The aftermath ... you may be thinking ... uh ... "Erin, this looks pretty similar to what you already had ... only shorter." And my response is just wait for it ......

...... wait for it ...wait for it ....and ......

WAA BAM! This side smacks you in the face with its boldness. It's like two different people. My right ear made it's official world debut today. Welcome ear! Welcome!

I Don't Like Mountain Dew

I don't like Mountain Dew. But I sure did like the Mountain Dew Winter Tour. I learned this tour was going to take place many many months ago and we had to be a part of it. So we decided to witness the women's and men's snowboarding super pipe finals.

Check out the gnarled death grip I have on that Yeti.

This picture does the super pipe no justice. It was gargantuan. After waiting in line for a little over an eternity, we were able to claim our territory ... right behind all the VIP people who paid $100 for their positions ... suckers.

We had to watch the women's finals first .... and I will admit ... the men were much more entertaining. You would not believe how hard it was to get a nice shot of these guys doing their thing. So fast. So steath. I was lucky to get this one.

3 1/2 hours of standing in the freezing cold took its toll. After consulting with our toes, ears, backs and legs ... we decided to head home.

Friday Night Finds

Lunchbox gummies. Honestly, who doesn't love a good gummie meal? Mitchell and I paid Carl's Super Saver (our local second hand food store) a little visit last night and found a treasure. I was a little hesitant to buy it at first ... but then I examined it further.... lettuce, meat, tomatoes, cheese, tortillas....sounded like a fiesta in a box. Then I read "sweet and sour flavors." .... that sealed the deal for me.

As we opend the box, I was blown away by the smell that filled the air. The best way I can describe it is ...a combination of B.O. and the rank odors that sometimes emit from a garbage disposal. So disappointing... and weird.

That long yellow thing resembles the cheese ..... string cheese maybe?

So the tacos were a huge letdown ... but check out these 10 cent earrings! I couldn't say no. I love that the earrings look like they have been sitting outside for a couple years ... they could pass as vintage .... maybe. Jewel-tek ... hahaha.

This next one is a legitimate find. I have been searching for a sweet bedspread since we got married. I really love the look of the quilted blankets, but they usually run from $80 and beyond. I had looked at Overstock.com, Ebay, all your big box department stores ... nothing ... until last night. Thank you clearance at Target .... gotta love Target gift cards left over from the wedding.

Slush Puppies

My very first ice skating experience was on a frozen reservoir in Aurora when i was probably 13. It was one of the first things that I was naturally semi-decent at. So when Erin told me a dazzling tale of happy children playing ice hockey on the frozen Weber State duck pond, I longed to have an adventure of my own.

I dusted off my skates and my wool knee-high socks and headed toward the pond.

It was a nice sunny day, decently warm for January. So bright we couldn't even keep our eyes open.

With my skates securely laced, i was ready to go.

Under what looks like snow and slush, was a layer of smooth, unadulterated ice.

Where i could really open up my wings and soar.

Then when I was done showing off for the locals, Erin and I built a lovely snow-man in the middle of the pond.

Snow face is better than no face.

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