Did you vote? If so, you maybe didn't need to. According to the Red Skins game last night the election has already been decided.
I am always amazed by the stats that Sports staticians come up with. Jordan was watching the Red Skins last night because one of their receivers needed to get him some fantasy football points (another day, another tangent-one thing this chick just doesn't get-watching a team on your computer that's fake).
Anyways, the stat that came up was that over the last 17 elections (17x4=68 years) if the Redskins won the game right before the election then whatever party was in office won the election and if the opponent won the game then the opposite party won the election.
Last night the Red Skins lost so that means according to their game that Obama will win the election. I have a feeling it will go this way anyways, but we are watching CNN right now as states come in.
This morning our plan was that Jordan would get up early and vote and then come home and I would vote and then we would go to work. Jordan was in line at 5:50 am and didn't get home until just after 7 and by then we needed to get ready and go to work. Also because of voting, traffic was really bad this morning and it usually takes Jordan 1/2 hour to get into work and this morning it took us almost an hour just to get to him work.
We left a little bit early from work tonight so I could get in line to vote and much to our surprise when we got to our voting area there was no line. Either everyone went this morning or we just beat the rush this evening. Either way it was very nice to just walk up and vote.
Whatever the outcome I hope that you did your civic duty and voted today. We're just hoping that our local bond gets passed so we can build a really nice library, more city parks, and a water/rec center that our relatively young city desperately needs.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
Mandatory Halloween Post
We had a good time with Halloween this year, particularly because it was the first time Matthew really understood what was going on. Unfortunately, he was fighting an ear infection and didn't feel too great, but he pushed through it due to the associated candy and getting to wear his cowboy hat a few more times.
A few days before Halloween, our Disneyland candy was starting to wane, but fortunately my office has a trick-or-treat thing for families every year, and it's hard to beat the amount of candy you can get in about 30 minutes going from cubicle to cubicle.
The Hammond Halloween Party has become an annual tradition (along with soup in pumpkin bread bowls and now doughnuts homemade by Karin). Ray and EmmaLee have a good neighborhood for trick-or-treating, so Matthew did pretty well there too (he compensated for his somewhat weakened physical state by asking "one more please" at some of the houses). Karin dressed as an oven ("bun in the oven"), and although I probably should have been a baker, I was already too committed to dressing as myself (if I never mentally left high school) to change directions at that point. Karin thinks I make my costumes too complicated to understand, and she's probably right - you'd have to have known me in my glasses/letterman's jacket/Cure shirt/mustache days to appreciate it I guess (the mustache only lasted about six hours - Karin was not a fan).
We started out thinking we'd spend some quality time at a pumpkin patch, and we found one on the internet that looked pretty good. Turns out, no one was there, and it wasn't too exciting. Matthew kept himself entertained by arranging the pumpkins, but we only lasted about 5 minutes. He did pick one out, and we carved it up a few days later for FHE (I'm assuming you are LDS; if not, Google FHE, and if you don't know what LDS is, Google that first, and then Google FHE). He helped a bit (pushed the eyes/nose/mouth out) and then just wanted to stand outside all night looking at it.
A few days before Halloween, our Disneyland candy was starting to wane, but fortunately my office has a trick-or-treat thing for families every year, and it's hard to beat the amount of candy you can get in about 30 minutes going from cubicle to cubicle.
The Hammond Halloween Party has become an annual tradition (along with soup in pumpkin bread bowls and now doughnuts homemade by Karin). Ray and EmmaLee have a good neighborhood for trick-or-treating, so Matthew did pretty well there too (he compensated for his somewhat weakened physical state by asking "one more please" at some of the houses). Karin dressed as an oven ("bun in the oven"), and although I probably should have been a baker, I was already too committed to dressing as myself (if I never mentally left high school) to change directions at that point. Karin thinks I make my costumes too complicated to understand, and she's probably right - you'd have to have known me in my glasses/letterman's jacket/Cure shirt/mustache days to appreciate it I guess (the mustache only lasted about six hours - Karin was not a fan).
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Disney Movies
As promised, here is some video from our trip to Disneyland. Matthew gives us a run for our money sometimes, but we have a good time with him - at least he doesn't lack for personality.
Happiest Place on Earth (Tied w/ In-n-Out Burger)
Pictures from our Disneyland trip - video to come tomorrow.
Matthew's flown a bunch of times, but this was the first time he really understood what an airplane is. This little toy from Burger King entertained him for about 3 seconds:
The first night, we got to go trick-or-treating in the California Adventure park:
Matthew scored a cowboy costume from his cousin Dylan. He didn't want to put the pants on at first, but then he loved them and just kept running around:
The whole park was decked out for Halloween:
Our first ride was a Monsters, Inc., ride - Matthew is a big fan:
Matthew got to see a few of his favorites in the parade:
By this point, Matthew had a big bag full of candy:
I think this was the latest Matthew had ever stayed up - it was nearly midnight when we went home. He was beat on the tram back to the parking garage:
Well-rested and read-to-go on Day 2:
In about 15 minutes, Matthew would be really scared by the 3D "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" movie (bad idea on our part):
Waiting in line for the Alice in Wonderland ride:
Back to the park that night after a nap:
Matthew's loved the Buzz Lightyear ride because he loves Toy Story and because he got to shoot at things, so we went on it twice and picked up a little gun for him, which we'll undoubtedly regret later:
Matthew liked the Pirates ride for the most part, although he didn't see the little drops coming and was a little scared:
I couldn't get a great picture of it, but the Haunted Mansion was all decked out (inside and out) for "Nightmare Before Christmas" - we had a good time on that ride:
Waiting in a long, long line for the Finding Nemo ride on day 3:
On our way out of Disneyland:
Meeting Handy Manny in California Adventure:
On our way out, we had a Micky Mouse sighting (although I think the outfit confused Matthew at first, because he insisted it was Minnie Mouse at first):
One last shot on the way out:
Sacked out at the airport:
Matthew's flown a bunch of times, but this was the first time he really understood what an airplane is. This little toy from Burger King entertained him for about 3 seconds:
The first night, we got to go trick-or-treating in the California Adventure park:
Matthew scored a cowboy costume from his cousin Dylan. He didn't want to put the pants on at first, but then he loved them and just kept running around:
The whole park was decked out for Halloween:
Our first ride was a Monsters, Inc., ride - Matthew is a big fan:
Matthew got to see a few of his favorites in the parade:
By this point, Matthew had a big bag full of candy:
I think this was the latest Matthew had ever stayed up - it was nearly midnight when we went home. He was beat on the tram back to the parking garage:
Well-rested and read-to-go on Day 2:
In about 15 minutes, Matthew would be really scared by the 3D "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" movie (bad idea on our part):
Waiting in line for the Alice in Wonderland ride:
Back to the park that night after a nap:
Matthew's loved the Buzz Lightyear ride because he loves Toy Story and because he got to shoot at things, so we went on it twice and picked up a little gun for him, which we'll undoubtedly regret later:
Matthew liked the Pirates ride for the most part, although he didn't see the little drops coming and was a little scared:
I couldn't get a great picture of it, but the Haunted Mansion was all decked out (inside and out) for "Nightmare Before Christmas" - we had a good time on that ride:
Waiting in a long, long line for the Finding Nemo ride on day 3:
On our way out of Disneyland:
Meeting Handy Manny in California Adventure:
On our way out, we had a Micky Mouse sighting (although I think the outfit confused Matthew at first, because he insisted it was Minnie Mouse at first):
One last shot on the way out:
Sacked out at the airport:
Monday, October 20, 2008
Disneyland
Last night we just got back from 2 1/2 days of fun at Disneyland/California Adventures. I was in Anaheim for a site visit for work on Friday and then Jordan/Matthew flew in so we could all go to Disneyland. I had gotten free tickets into Disneyland from my sales person I've been working with for our Convention group. It will probably be the cheapest trip ever to DLand.
It was exhausting and really busy due to UEA weekend in Utah and breaktime in AZ. We spent a lot of times in lines, but overall we had a really great time. Jordan will be posting pics and video from this weekend.
My Highlights:
-Friday night we went to Mickey's Trick-or-Treat party at California Adventures. Matthew scored lots of candy and we went on a few rides. He dressed up as a Cowboy. It was fun and we were out until about 12:30. Matthew fell asleep in our rental car about 10 min. after we left and we went to Sonic to get treats-yum!
-Haunted Mansion-they turn this into the Nightmare Before Christmas theme. It was so cool and one of the rides I liked the best. It was perfect for Matthew too as it wasn't really scary.
-Disney's Playhouse-I have been looking forward to seeing this since we decided to have this short vacation. They take all of the characters from the Playhouse Disney series like Einsteins, Handy Manny, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and My Friends Tigger and Pooh. The kids can sing along with the songs and puppets from the shows. It was super cute and Matthew loved it. It lived up to my expectations.
-Toy Story Mania-About a 45 min-hour wait, but a new ride at California Adventures. It was really fun and it had little pop guns you pull and you shoot at electronic games. It was in 3-D and really fun. The last ride we took Sunday before we headed to the airport.
-Finding Nemo-About an hour wait. They've revamped the 20,000 leagues under the sea to a Finding Nemo ride. Really cute and Matthew loved it. Worth the LONG wait.
-Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters-I think it was Matthew's favorite ride by far. He got to shoot a gun and score points. Since it had fast passes we went on this twice.
I definitely resolved after this trip that we won't be going on busy weekends again. There were WAY too many people for my liking and there were several rides and areas that we didn't get to so I was a little disappointed in that. It was nice that since I was pregnant and couldn't go on the thrilling rides I like that we could just focus on going on the small kiddie rides for Matthew. It would have been hard to try and get on the adult rides with just the 3 of us together in the park.
We definitely pushed ourselves to the max. We stayed out late Friday, were in the park by 10 am on Saturday, came back to the hotel around 2ish until about 6:30 for a nap and then were back in the park from 7-11 pm. We had packed, checked out and were at Disneyland by 10:30 on Sunday and stayed until 5 when we left to get dinner and head to the airport. I think we are all pretty beat today and will be glad when it's the weekend again to recooperate. It's hard getting home late on Sunday night and being back to work on Monday (good thing I'm working from home today).
Look for cute pics to be posted soon. We even got pictures with Mickey Mouse.
It was exhausting and really busy due to UEA weekend in Utah and breaktime in AZ. We spent a lot of times in lines, but overall we had a really great time. Jordan will be posting pics and video from this weekend.
My Highlights:
-Friday night we went to Mickey's Trick-or-Treat party at California Adventures. Matthew scored lots of candy and we went on a few rides. He dressed up as a Cowboy. It was fun and we were out until about 12:30. Matthew fell asleep in our rental car about 10 min. after we left and we went to Sonic to get treats-yum!
-Haunted Mansion-they turn this into the Nightmare Before Christmas theme. It was so cool and one of the rides I liked the best. It was perfect for Matthew too as it wasn't really scary.
-Disney's Playhouse-I have been looking forward to seeing this since we decided to have this short vacation. They take all of the characters from the Playhouse Disney series like Einsteins, Handy Manny, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and My Friends Tigger and Pooh. The kids can sing along with the songs and puppets from the shows. It was super cute and Matthew loved it. It lived up to my expectations.
-Toy Story Mania-About a 45 min-hour wait, but a new ride at California Adventures. It was really fun and it had little pop guns you pull and you shoot at electronic games. It was in 3-D and really fun. The last ride we took Sunday before we headed to the airport.
-Finding Nemo-About an hour wait. They've revamped the 20,000 leagues under the sea to a Finding Nemo ride. Really cute and Matthew loved it. Worth the LONG wait.
-Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters-I think it was Matthew's favorite ride by far. He got to shoot a gun and score points. Since it had fast passes we went on this twice.
I definitely resolved after this trip that we won't be going on busy weekends again. There were WAY too many people for my liking and there were several rides and areas that we didn't get to so I was a little disappointed in that. It was nice that since I was pregnant and couldn't go on the thrilling rides I like that we could just focus on going on the small kiddie rides for Matthew. It would have been hard to try and get on the adult rides with just the 3 of us together in the park.
We definitely pushed ourselves to the max. We stayed out late Friday, were in the park by 10 am on Saturday, came back to the hotel around 2ish until about 6:30 for a nap and then were back in the park from 7-11 pm. We had packed, checked out and were at Disneyland by 10:30 on Sunday and stayed until 5 when we left to get dinner and head to the airport. I think we are all pretty beat today and will be glad when it's the weekend again to recooperate. It's hard getting home late on Sunday night and being back to work on Monday (good thing I'm working from home today).
Look for cute pics to be posted soon. We even got pictures with Mickey Mouse.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Ramblings from a tired pregnant lady!
I've just had 2 events back to back and with being pregnant I've been pretty wiped out and being VERY lazy lately! I'm on the go again this weekend to San Francisco and Anaheim for site visits to the hotels we are having our two large events at in February and next August.
Jordan left early this morning for Oregon and will be back on Thursday the day I leave for San Fran. Matthew will be here with the babysitter when I leave and Jordan will be back to relieve her in the evening. Needless to say this week will be a little crazy. It's always weird when Jordan's not around to talk to and help out. We'll miss him!
Speaking of pregnancy I feel pretty lucky that so far I've had it fairly easy. My first 12 weeks weren't bad at all and I only had a couple of days of feeling nauseous in the morning or evening. I've mostly just been tired and feel like doing nothing at the end of the day. I definitely have to eat about every 2 hours or my body does weird things like get headaches and dizziness. I'm in the middle of my 14th week right now, so in about a month we should be finding out what we are having.
It's really cooled down here the past couple of days. I know that my parents in Utah have had a cold front and my brother in Ogden got snow so it's getting chilly up there. I didn't think it would affect us much, but it's been around 75 here. A tich chilly but a nice break from the hot weather.
We made pot roast and homemade rolls last night for dinner. We tried the roast a different way that we usually make it and I think it's the best we've ever made (technically Jordan made it-I directed from the couch). :) I went to Penzey's (the best spice store EVER!) on Saturday and thought I had gotten a Pot Roast rub, but I guess I didn't erggghhh...anyways here is what we did.
-Rub a pot roast with seasoning of your choice. We did Montreal steak seasoning since we didn't have the pot roast seasoning.
-Sear each side in Olive Oil in a heavy pot (I have a cast iron pot that is enamel covered). I think about 3-5 min. on each side is good enough. You leave it alone to make a nice crust in the oil.
-After we seared each side we added 3 cups of beef broth into the pot, covered with the lid and then stuck it into the oven on 350 for about 3 hours.
Pretty simple and maybe all of you make it that way, but I haven't so it was something new for us. It was the moistest pot roast we've ever had and I can't wait to make a roast beef sandwich soon with one of our leftover rolls. Yum-o.
We're doing some fun things this weekend so I'll post pics next week.
Funny things Matthew has done lately...
-Told me good job this morning when I sang the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song with him (I always tell him good job).
-Scrunches up his nose when he says "Orangege".
-Scared me....he says that now when we scare him and then he laughs.
-He acts out the beginnings of some of our movies or says the words along with the movies while watching them.
-Loves to build towers with his blocks and then gets a huge grin on his face and knocks them all down.
-Now that we've been watching word world he's trying to spell things. He'll see a word and start spelling it. Smile...i, b, r, k. It's cute! He gets the concept but not how to do it yet.
Most of the time Matthew is such a happy fun loving kid. We have implemented the naughty circle at our house (a circle mat we have) that he sits on in our dining room for time out. This has been working pretty effeciently and is much better for everyone to keep us calm.
Off to start laundry from yesterday and today blow-outs. Matthew is a little stuffed up and I think a little sick. I'm trying to keep him hydrated and well as he needs to get better by this weekend because of the fun things we're doing. More ramblings later...
Jordan left early this morning for Oregon and will be back on Thursday the day I leave for San Fran. Matthew will be here with the babysitter when I leave and Jordan will be back to relieve her in the evening. Needless to say this week will be a little crazy. It's always weird when Jordan's not around to talk to and help out. We'll miss him!
Speaking of pregnancy I feel pretty lucky that so far I've had it fairly easy. My first 12 weeks weren't bad at all and I only had a couple of days of feeling nauseous in the morning or evening. I've mostly just been tired and feel like doing nothing at the end of the day. I definitely have to eat about every 2 hours or my body does weird things like get headaches and dizziness. I'm in the middle of my 14th week right now, so in about a month we should be finding out what we are having.
It's really cooled down here the past couple of days. I know that my parents in Utah have had a cold front and my brother in Ogden got snow so it's getting chilly up there. I didn't think it would affect us much, but it's been around 75 here. A tich chilly but a nice break from the hot weather.
We made pot roast and homemade rolls last night for dinner. We tried the roast a different way that we usually make it and I think it's the best we've ever made (technically Jordan made it-I directed from the couch). :) I went to Penzey's (the best spice store EVER!) on Saturday and thought I had gotten a Pot Roast rub, but I guess I didn't erggghhh...anyways here is what we did.
-Rub a pot roast with seasoning of your choice. We did Montreal steak seasoning since we didn't have the pot roast seasoning.
-Sear each side in Olive Oil in a heavy pot (I have a cast iron pot that is enamel covered). I think about 3-5 min. on each side is good enough. You leave it alone to make a nice crust in the oil.
-After we seared each side we added 3 cups of beef broth into the pot, covered with the lid and then stuck it into the oven on 350 for about 3 hours.
Pretty simple and maybe all of you make it that way, but I haven't so it was something new for us. It was the moistest pot roast we've ever had and I can't wait to make a roast beef sandwich soon with one of our leftover rolls. Yum-o.
We're doing some fun things this weekend so I'll post pics next week.
Funny things Matthew has done lately...
-Told me good job this morning when I sang the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song with him (I always tell him good job).
-Scrunches up his nose when he says "Orangege".
-Scared me....he says that now when we scare him and then he laughs.
-He acts out the beginnings of some of our movies or says the words along with the movies while watching them.
-Loves to build towers with his blocks and then gets a huge grin on his face and knocks them all down.
-Now that we've been watching word world he's trying to spell things. He'll see a word and start spelling it. Smile...i, b, r, k. It's cute! He gets the concept but not how to do it yet.
Most of the time Matthew is such a happy fun loving kid. We have implemented the naughty circle at our house (a circle mat we have) that he sits on in our dining room for time out. This has been working pretty effeciently and is much better for everyone to keep us calm.
Off to start laundry from yesterday and today blow-outs. Matthew is a little stuffed up and I think a little sick. I'm trying to keep him hydrated and well as he needs to get better by this weekend because of the fun things we're doing. More ramblings later...
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
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