I am the world's biggest sap...

I SWORE I wouldn't get another dog after our last dog passed away last Thanksgiving. I've loved not smelling dog poop or having to buy dog food but this was all before I met a certain 4 year old Basset Hound at the Humane Society today.

I go up there often to walk the dogs and pet all the kitties and this trip was no different. I took Eliza and her friend Katie and everything was just like normal until I walked into Kennel D and saw the cutest droopy eared dog in the whole world. 

We took her out to the dog runs and I was hoping she would be hyper or bark a lot or anything that could justify me not wanting to get her but she was nothing short of perfect! She LOVES kids and was so happy to be around Eliza and Katie. She hasn't even barked once! Levi came from work to meet us there and he fell in love with her too.

We called Levi's stepmom who used to have a Basset Hound and she let us know that they're great pets and there aren't really any red flags with the breed.

Long story short: We are now the owners of a 4 year old Basset Hound that we named Lola. Zane thought we should name her Wilma but she already looks dorky enough without having a dorky name!

Here are some pictures, I'll post better ones later

This will cheer anybody up

GET READY FOR THE CUTEST PIC YOU WILL EVER SEE IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE.............

........ARE YOU READY??????

Have you ever seen anything so sweet? Look how happy Bruce is with his apple!

Birthdays and goodbyes

Today is Levi's 28th birthday! I can't believe he's pushing the dirty thirty and I also can't believe that he wasn't even 25 when I met him! He was totally spoiled this year by both families and we're so grateful for everything. I bought Levi and me the 9-time movie pass to the Flicks theater. They play the best independent movies and buying the passes saves a lot of dough in the long run. Avery & her boyfriend Chris bought Levi a gift card to George's Bicycles (which is probably being spent as I write!) Laurie gave him a cool coffee mug that says 'El Guapo' on it :) Brad & Julie bought him a nice 6 foot ladder, his mom Maria helped Levi pay for his new bike and other things and my mom got him a gift card to Home Depot. Awesome!! Heather's present to him might have been my favorite though. She took my favorite picture of us, which is also the one at the very top of this page where we're on our bikes riding away, and blew it up and framed it in a gorgeous mat and frame. Well done Heather!! It's going to be hung on the wall above the fireplace. 

Also my mom was able to come up this weekend with my niece Carlie Paige and we had such a great time. She's still recovering from her knee surgery but is no less the spitfire that we know and love. She is such an amazing person and I love spending as much time as possible with her. We can't wait to see her again when she and Bruce come up this spring. I'm going to try to make a trip to Utah in either March or April. Anyway, today we had to say goodbye to my mom and Carlie, which always sucks. I HATE when she leaves Boise but I have to remember that there are a bunch of grandkids in Utah that need her just as much as we do up here :)

Love you mom!

Oh yeah, tonight was the Oscars and I was very happy with Daniel Day Lewis' win for There Will Be Blood, which was INSANELY good, as well as No Country for Old Men's win for best picture.

BTW, the pictures I posted on this blog were not from this weekend. The one of my mom and me was from Christmas Eve at Temple Square and the one of Levi is from Thanksgiving. I just really love that picture!

I'm a Zombie!!

If you are reading this you need to take this quiz and then post what monster you are in the comment section. I can't wait to see what everyone is!

You Are a Zombie

You're a pretty apathetic person, and you often feel like you're sleep walking through life. You don't necessarily have a case of the "blues", but you do have a case of the "blahs." It's hard for you to snap out of your boring every day routine. You're a bit burned out. The only thing you crave is the company of others. But you're not too nice to the people who do hang around you. Your greatest power: Your lack of a normal conscience Your greatest weakness: Your lack of most emotions You play well with: Aliens

What Kind of Monster Are You?

Great Slide Accidents!

Going clubbin'

I'm so excited! Heather and I decided to start a book club in Boise and I'm so stoked for our first meeting. Heather has some awesome friends from her ward and they're all avid readers so we decided to do a book club thingy and get together once every six weeks or so. I think the first book we're reading will be Julie & Julia which is supposed to be pretty funny and cute.

We're thinking of either holding it at my Barnes & Noble or we'll just rotate houses so we can have treats and be loud. I think I like the second option better. Also, I'm excited I can finally host things at my house, even if it is a little small :)

I'll update this when I know more details.

Venty McVent, mayor of Ventsville

I'm editing this post, mostly because it was bothering me that I was so bitter in this post and it hasn't exactly made me feel any better to publish my feelings about my high school experience. I appreciate everybody's kind words and I'm sure there will be more venting to come...its just in my nature!

Thanks!

Carly

'There's always money in the banana stand'

I think it's funny that apparently I was destined to be with Jason 'Michael Bluth' Bateman, even in the 80s. This quiz was proof!

Your 80s Hunk Is

Jason Bateman

Who's Your 80s Hunk?

Any member of my family already knows that Arrested Development was the best show to ever grace the TV. Here's a fantastic Arrested Development tribute that I found on youtube. I miss Gob and Buster so much! Enjoy!! (You'll have to put my music player on pause to watch the video)

We'll miss you Sissy!

Levi's sister Sevy is leaving for Sweden on Sunday 

morning. She is going to be a nanny to an amazing family outside of Stockholm. I went with Sevy to Florida to meet the family while they were on vacation and I definitely give my stamp of approval. She'll be a great nanny and the family will be lucky to have her in their home.We'll miss you Sevy!!! 

Good luck in Sverige and remember that we love you!

Lagoon trip 2006 with Levi, Avery and Sevy

Obama's Super Tuesday

Here's a youtube clip of the end of Mayor Bieter's speech and the crowd going wild at the Ada County Caucus (or as I like to call it, the Obama Pep Rally!) 

This was so much fun to go to and I'll never forget it:) It's a little hard to make out, but the chanting after the mayor's speech is 'O-bam-a, O-bam-a'. I honestly don't care who people vote for, obviously you know who Levi and I are going for, I just want to stress the importance of really studying the candidates and making the best educated choice. As long as we all actually vote we're doing our part as U.S. citizens. 

Chick Flicks and whatnot

Now that Valentine's Day is upon us I thought I would take a minute and talk about chick flicks. It's not that I hate them or anything, I just find myself frustrated after watching them because they're usually so unrealistic and make me wish for things that don't exist on this earth (i.e. Ryan Gossling in The Notebook)

Again, I don't completely detest chick flicks but if given the chance to see the latest movie starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman or seeing 27 Dresses I'll take my chance on The Savages with Hoffman.

I know that sounds snobby but here's my reasoning: how many times after watching a chick flick do you look at your life and think, "I wish I could have that kind of life." or, "I wish my husband was more like that." I want to watch a movie that makes me appreciate my husband even more after watching it, not one that makes me want him to be more like Hugh Grant in one of his many Rom-Coms. There should be more movies made about the sweet side of the everyday man.

Ok, I'm off my soapbox. There are actually a number of romantic movies that I really enjoy that don't make me feel bad about my marriage. Here are some of the Chick Flicks that I've seen multiple times and still enjoy:

Chocolat- I have yet to find any woman that doesn't LOVE every second of this movie. It's great because it's a sweet story about family and acceptance and it just HAPPENS to feature a very charming Johnny Depp as well as some sweet gypsy guitar. 

Breakfast at Tiffanys- Ok, maybe Truman Capote didn't mean for this to be a romantic movie (in fact I believe George Peppard's character in the book may have been gay) but it's romantic and sweet nonetheless. Those final scenes when Holly Golightly is looking for her poor cat in the rainstorm get me choked up every time. 

Last of the Mohicans- Alright, so it isn't exactly a romance but I dare you to find a better kissing scene with better music. It just doesn't exist. "No matter what, I will find you!" *Sigh*

Amelie- Had Amelie been set in L.A. or Chicago I don't know if it would be so sweet and romantic, but being set in Paris with the sounds of accordions and violins and the images of the farmer's markets and the cobblestone roads makes it utterly irresistible. 

Return to Me- The thing that made this movie work wasn't the main couple played by David Duchovny and Minnie Driver, but the relationship of the married couple played by Jim Belushi and Bonnie Hunt. Seriously, go rent this movie just to watch their scenes. They love each other, they just show it in a realistic way, not in a Hollywood air-brushed way.

Lars & The Real Girl -This movie is amazing. Talk about an amazing performance from Ryan Gosling! If you haven't seen this movie, do yourself a favor and rent it when it comes out next month. 

The Notebook- I concede! I am human! I can't help but love this movie. If you don't get choked up in the final scene you have no soul. Yes it's cheesy, yes it makes me wish my husband was as romantic as the character of Noah but it still has a fantastic message. 2 hours of eye-candy ain't bad either :)

Well, I'm off to bed now. Thanks to this blog I'll probably have dreams of kissing a shirtless Daniel Day-Lewis. GOODNIGHT!!!

Ha ha!!