Rachel being Rachel

Anybody who knows my seven year old niece Rachel knows she is one of the funniest human beings out there. Not only is she funny, she's also fiercely loyal and at the same time caring and sensitive. She fell in love with Levi when she first met him and for years she said that he was her boyfriend. Rachel was born a teenager. She may have at one point been an infant, but none of us remember it. As far back as I can remember she was cracking jokes and hanging out with all the adults. Anytime I need a good laugh I just call Laurie and have her put Rachel on the phone.
With that preface, this picture she drew me is all the more funny. As many of you know, my mom and everyone in Laurie & Justin's family are die-hard Yankees fans, while we here in Boise are Red Sox fans (yes, the two families CAN coexist!) This has always been a sore spot for Rachel and whenever we see her we like to tease her and ask her if she wants to wear my Red Sox hat or if she wants to put up our Red Sox flag. She huffs and puffs and tells us, in so many words, that the Red Sox suck. But, like I stated earlier, Rachel is a sweetheart and has a heart of gold. When she heard I had a miscarriage she took to her paper and crayons and made me a nice note. The message is sweet, (it was written in a light color so it's hard to see, but it says "I am so so so so sorry you had a miscarriage.") but the anti-Red Sox, pro-Yankees drawings all over the note are what makes this note special. This is a classic case of Rachel being Rachel.

Dirty Paws!

We have a very cute dog wash place near our home called Dirty Paws and my niece Eliza and nephew Wilson have been dying to take Morty there. The place has eight or nine stations that include a large tub, all sorts of shampoos and conditioners, lots of brushes and a doggy drier that actually looks and sounds like a vacuum and scared Morty to death. We used to take Lola there and she LOVED it. She used to get out of the her tub, shake off and then have a bout of the "crazy runs" which is where she would just get a burst of energy and run back and forth and around and around in a big circle to demonstrate how happy she was.
Morty, while he seemed to actually enjoy the dog wash, was not nearly as thrilled with it as Lola was. He was a good sport though and the kids had fun washing him and brushing him until he was sparkly clean.
Thanks Wilson and Eliza!

Thank you family.

As many of you know, Levi and I have been trying to have a baby for some time now and we received great news on Christmas Day that we were most definitely pregnant, about 5 weeks along. This was fantastic news and seeing Levi cry with joy is something I will always remember. A few days ago I found out that the baby did not develop and I will be having a miscarriage. This was the most devastating news and I honestly haven't cried that much in my entire life. Without dwelling on the sadness of what happened, I found that I was surrounded by so many great people that all care about Levi and me so much. Within hours of finding out the bad news I had received phone calls and texts from just about everybody in my family and even received chocolate cake (thanks Heather!) and flowers (thanks Laurie!)
I've never felt so blessed to be a part of an amazing family and I really don't know what I'd do without them. If it weren't for all those expressing their love and support for us, I'd still be in bed filling up snotty tissue after snotty tissue. Thank you all so much. There just aren't words to express how much I appreciate you all.
As far as trying for another baby, we'd start trying again today if it were possible. We're both very, very anxious to try again and I'm more determined than ever to bring a healthy, happy baby into this world. Nothing is going to stop us. Thanks heavens for Clomid and other fertility drugs!
My sister Heather posted a blog that included these wise words, "If there were no night, we would not appreciate the day, nor could we see the stars and the vastness of the heavens. We must partake of the bitter with the sweet." I know that because of all the pain and sadness, it will be just that much more rewarding when we actually leave a hospital one day with a baby in our arms. Until that day I will not lose any hope and will continue to go in the direction we know we're meant to be.
I love you all,
Carly

Fank you all!

What a great Christmas we had this year! We were spoiled by having both my mom in town as well as Levi's mom. We were completely overwhelmed with great gifts and every minute that we got to spend with family was so much fun.
Some of my favorite moments:
♥ Opening the big box from Levi which contained a big garden gnome. Needless to say I was stoked! I love garden gnomes and I've been wanting a bigger one for the yard. Also, he got me a Ward Hooper print of the Sawtooth Mountains. Ward Hooper is an artist that does retro-style paintings of famous Idaho and Boise landmarks. I'm so excited about my print! Here's his website. I love the Boise prints. Thanks Levi!
♥ Going to The Ram with Maria, Levi and Avery. Their steak is to DIE for. Too bad Maria wasn't feeling well and couldn't enjoy the food :(
♥ My wonderful mom filling Levi and my christmas stockings. Nobody stuffs a stocking like my mom! I got the traditional peanuts, Reeses's minatures and a chocolate orange. You're the best mom!
♥ Spending Christmas Eve night with my fabulous in-laws at my F-I-L's house. We opened all our gifts to each other that night and Levi and I made out like bandits.
♥ Watching Mamma Mia with my mom. I didn't realize I know every lyric to every Abba song thanks to my mom blasting their music whenever we did Saturday morning cleaning while I was growing up.
♥ Hanging out at Heather's house and watching the kids go ga-ga over all their great gifts. Their kids are so grateful and enjoyed all their presents. Heather's house always provides such a warm, relaxing feeling. I love going over there, especially at the holidays.

Well, hopefully I can get my camera working again and I can take pictures of the garden gnome and other fun things. I love you all and can't wait for next Christmas (although, if I could avoid working during that time I will!)

Great movie!

If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend you going out to see Slumdog Millionaire. It is such an amazing movie, is visually stunning and one of the best romance stories I've seen in a long, long time. I have absolutely no idea why it's rated 'R' and, like the film critic Eric Snider says, it should have been rated PG-13.
See it if you ever get the chance! It's your destiny :) LOL!

Why didn't anybody tell me....

....that MAKING Christmas presents is just as expensive, if not more expensive, than just buying the dang things! Now all my immediate family is going to end up with crumby gifts that I spent too much time and money trying to make special.
I should have done what I've done every year and just bought everybody books. What was I thinking??
Don't mind me, I'm just having my mid-December meltdown. I get to have one every year (working retail during the holidays entitles me to it.)

Haircuts and Happy Pups

So I'm branching out with my hair. Not only do I now have bangs, but I also had some darker streaks put in. I feel so adventurous (note the sarcasm)


Also, I uploaded this video of our dog Morty and his "happy dance." This is what he does whenever we say, "Morty, do you want to go for a walk?" Watch his front feet, they're as nimble as Michael Jackson. (Sorry there is no sound and the lighting is horrible. It's just from my digital camera)

Even the Grinch would cry at this

This little girl is an angel!

ATTENTION!!

I need favorite colors from the following people:

Scott
Stephanie
Mom
Athena
Whitney

Please either call me or comment on this posting with your color. It's for Christmas, so I'm kinda on a deadline :)

Thanks!
Carly

Post 91

I hope everybody out there had a fantastic Thanksgiving...I know I sure did!! Here are just some random thoughts that I have going on right now (I'm going to use bullet points because I LURVE bullet points:))

*First, Thanksgiving this year was a blast. We went to Levi's Aunt Terry's house for the big Gates Thanksgiving. We go there on the even years and the odd years are spent with my side of the family. The food was beyond delicious and it was so fun catching up with the family. I am so blessed to have great in-laws and any chance I have to see Aunt June is a great occasion. After dinner we went to Heather's house for AMAZING pie. Heather made five or six of the most beautiful pies you've ever seen. They were not so pretty after we attacked them with full force. Thanks Heather, you always make Thanksgiving special!

*After pie, we met up with Levi's family again to see the new James Bond movie, which I did not like at all. I consider myself a movie snob and I can keep up with some of the most convoluted plots, but this one went entirely over my head. Who is the good guys? Who is bad? Was Vesper a bad person?? I'll never know. Daniel Craig was, of course, very yummy to look but it didn't make up for the whole movie. Another plus was the girl who played Strawberry Fields was very cute. She should have been the main bond girl. Red heads deserve much more screen time :)

*Today I woke up early to go buy a new cell phone because mine is a piece of crap that dies after talking on it for less than 10 minutes. I had received a text message from my cell phone provider saying camera phones were going to be on sale for $19.99 on Friday only. I got there about 9 a.m. (the store opened at 8am) and found a line of over 200 people wrapping around the block. I was in flip flops for crying out loud and there is no way I could have waited that long for something that may have ran out by the time I made it to the front of the line. I'll try again later today, but I've nearly lost all hope of getting a new, affordable phone. Sigh.

*The new dog is fantastic. Morty is such a sweetheart and the cats are finally warming up to him. When he's laying down, Oliver will walk up to him all snobby-like and sniff him and then walk away like he was not happy with what he smelled. Our animals crack me up. They make me so happy and I'm very lucky to have a husband that enjoys their company as much, if not more, than me.
(P.S. Yesterday an English Pointer won Best in Show at the National Dog Show! The winner looks JUST like Morty! Looks like we got him just in time :)


*I have to work tonight, which I'm not looking forward to because I know the store is going to be trashed. I'll definitely be wearing my comfortable shoes tonight. If I can make one public plea it is this: If you go to a bookstore, please do not take 30 books off the shelves if you have no intention of buying more than two. You can look at the book right there and put it back in it's proper place and you have saved a poor bookseller from having to find it's home at midnight tonight. Also, there is no reason to get a stack of magazines either. Take one or two and then get one or two more when you're done reading the first two and have put them back in their place. Sorry to sound like the book gestapo, but it really is the hardest aspect of my job. I'm sure my aunt Nancy can vouch for me, since she's worked in a library for years and years LOL!

*I am in a book rut right now. We are going to be reading The Historian for my book club and I think it looks great, so hopefully this will snap me out of my slump. Any good suggestions other than this book?

Well, I hope you all had a great Turkey Day and I hope you will all have a great holiday season!
Love,
Carly

Meet Morty!!

I am such a sucker for humane society pooches! Our Basset Hound Lola passed away in early October and the house hasn't been the same. Levi misses going for the walks and I miss the company. We went to the humane society and found this sweet guy and couldn't pass him up. He is a five year old English Pointer and is VERY smart. He already knows a bunch of commands and he seems eager to learn more.
The card on his kennel said his name was "Cider" but we hated that name, and since dogs don't seem that attached to names anyway, we went with "Morty."
Isn't he adorable?? (Sorry about the devil eyes. My digital camera makes dogs and cats have that weird eye glare. Morty actually has lovely green eyes.)

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas Questions

TAKE THIS SURVEY!

Take this survey

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Both! I love wrapping presents but gift bags can be so adorable.

2. Real tree or artificial?
Real! My mom never had a fake tree in her house and neither will I. They're worth all the hassle.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Usually around December 5th, which I always remember because it's Carl & Michelle's bday!

4. When do you take the tree down?
December 26th. It makes me sad to see it up any longer than that.

5. Do you like egg nog?
NOOOO!! Levi loves it. It gives me the willies.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Probably when I got my Samantha American Girl doll. That was pretty special.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
I have a beautiful 3 piece one from my amazing Grandma.

8. Hardest person to buy for?
My in-laws are kinda tricky. Sorry guys, but you know you are!

9. Easiest person to buy for?
Levi. He's happy with just about anything.

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received?
Is there such a thing as a bad Christmas gift?

11. Mail or email Christmas card?
Mail! I need something tangible!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Oh man, I guess it's between A Christmas Story, Elf and Christmas Vacation

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Unfortunately I'm not as good as Heather, who starts shopping for the next Christmas as early as April. I think I work best under pressure, at least that's what I tell myself.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Only a gag gift that my sister and I had going for a few years. We may have to start something like that again.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Red and green Peanut M&Ms, turkey and of course those chocolate oranges. Yum!!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
I like the cleanness of the clear lights. I'm not a huge fan of colored lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Silent Night, What Child Is This?, O Holy Night. Hands down.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Both! Last year we were able to do Xmas day in Utah and then drove back to Boise and had Xmas evening with Levi's family.

19. Can you name Santas reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Donner....which one am I missing??

20. Do you have an Angel on top or a star?
I'd have to go look through my decorations, but I think it was a star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
I've adopted both traditions. In my family we always just did the one on Xmas eve & the rest on Xmas day but Levi's family opens all of them on Xmas eve so they'll have Xmas day to hang around and do family stuff. I like doing both.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
Working retail!!

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Great movie

This is one of the few examples where the movie is much, much better than the book.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was not a bad book, but because it was only about 100 pages it didn't capture the emotion and other details as much as I would have wanted.
The movie is absolutely powerful. It's heart wrenching and stunning. I recommend it to every person out there, even though it involves such a tough subject. I highly, highly recommend it.

Money, it's a gas.

Sooooo, Levi and I have much less money than we did any other holiday season, and I know that we're not alone. This year has been brutal on so many of you out there and I feel strongly that we shouldn't feel pressured into spending a lot of money on each other this year. I know every year we say we're not going to spend a lot of money and then we all do because we buy each other a lot of knick knacks and they all add up. This year is extremely tight and I really think we should stick with Heather's plan of just making each other's gifts or not giving anything and just sending a nice card.
Last year Levi and I didn't buy a tree or do stockings or anything because we were in the midst of buying a house and I was surprised at the lack of stress we felt all through December. I'm not saying that anybody else should give up getting a tree, since all of you have children that enjoy those kinds of things, but I think we all just need to be as frugal as possible and give gifts from the heart that cost little or no money at all.
I hope you all know how much Levi and I love you and how we would give you the world, if we only could. Let's all focus on the free aspects of Christmas this year and not get caught in the holiday madness. For me, Christmas has always been about family. Visiting family, sending cards, going over to Heather's house to watch the kids open presents, going to my in-laws and sitting in a circle in the living room and opening all those thoughtful gifts, etc. I know that this year will be no different--it will just not cost as much money.
***Scott, Laurie and Heather, I need you to email me or comment on here and let me know all of your kid's favorite colors. I'm making gifts this year and their favorite colors will be important. Please let me know ASAP! THANKS!!***

Anyways, enough about that. I thought I would update you on our lives, since I seem to rarely do that (mostly because nothing exciting ever happens--or at least I don't see it as exciting LOL) Levi is still working away at the detail shop. They've slowed down considerably since car sales have all but stopped. I'm hoping with the lower gas prices that people start buying again so he can get even busier. Things at my work are good. It's definitely not as busy there, but it's been kind of nice. I feel like I can get a lot more done and I'm enjoying spending more one-on-one time with my coworkers.
The baby-making process is still a go. We thought we would stop trying due to money circumstances, but we figured out that we need to trust our feelings and continue trying. I will be starting Clomid in a couple of days and hopefully that will help out. Speaking of pharmaceuticals (because aren't we always speaking of them?) I am officially an Allen with the 3 A's: Asthma, Acne and A.D.D. I officially started taking Ritalin yesterday and I can honestly say that I already feel the difference. I feel more focused and less anxious about doing projects that I normally wouldn't want to do. Here's to modern medicine and all of it's wonders :)
Our cats are doing great, with the exception of one of them throwing up in random places. We think this is because I've been doing some craft projects inside the house and have been spraying clear spray paint in the bathroom, which then circulates throughout the rest of the house. The fumes have probably got to their little lungs and I've decided to only use the spray in the garage from now on. Poor little guys. I feel like a horrible owner.
I'm still loving Boise, even in it's ugly season (November to March). Not having the mountains around us is always a little hard, but then I take a walk or drive through downtown Boise and realize just how much I love this city. I can't imagine living anywhere else and I've been so blessed to be able to move here and have Heather always within five miles. I absolutely love my family here (I have my two great sisters-in-law, Sevy's moving back to Boise from Sweden in February!!) and Brad and Julie (my father-in-law and step-mother-in-law) are wonderful. I can't believe that I've been here 4.5 years and I can't believe it's been almost 4 years since I met Levi. I love having all the relatives come up here to visit and I hope everyone who reads this knows they are welcome to come here anytime....we even have a guest room!

Love you all!
Carly

Ewww!

I just wanted it on the record that my husband, whom I truly do adore, consumed a sandwich tonight. Not that big of a deal, just a turkey, cheese and mayonnaise sandwich. The problem? The mayo was expired. How expired you ask? Try SEVEN MONTHS!! Not only that, but he DIDN'T notice!! I went in the kitchen after he had already eaten and saw the mayo and said, "I though I threw this out, I think it's super expired." I saw a look of concern in Levi's eyes and that's when I knew he had eaten some of it. Despite that concern, he insisted that it tasted, "just fine."
The best part? He started to put the mayo BACK INTO THE FRIDGE!!

Don't worry, I snatched the offending mayo out of his hand and threw it away. Could there be anything grosser than expired mayo? The thing is made of eggs and oil for crying out loud! I can't wait to hear him moaning and groaning tonight. Gotta love the man.

Gross, gross, gross.

Glasses!

Levi & I are both in the market for new glasses. I have night blindness that is only getting worse with age and he has been wearing the exact same pair since the week before we got married (almost 3.5 years ago). I can get a prescription that is strong enough for the night blindness, but not so strong that I can't wear the glasses during the day. In fact it will probably help with my depth perception issues that are becoming worse and worse.
We've both found some great pairs and here's pics of the ones we are going to order (Levi had to have pictures of him taken since his sight is so bad he can't see what they look like on his face. Poor, blind Levi)



I love Levi's face in the picture below!


Here's the first pair that I liked:

Side view of that same pair


I also really liked this pair:


But I ultimately am going with this pair. I'm so excited!


**Also, I've learned that if you need motivation to go on a diet, just have someone take close-up pictures of your face. I almost threw up when I saw how big I've let my face get. Day one of diet starts tomorrow!**

3 more days...

...until I get to see my mom and Laurie! Oh, and 3 more days until I get to see more of this:



MOM AND LAURIE, PLEASE SAY WE CAN GO SEE THE NEW BOND WHILE YOU'RE HERE! OTHERWISE, I'LL BE GOING ALONE :)

Awwww!

I dare you to find anything cuter than this! Cute overload!!

@ Yahoo! Video

Watch your butt Martha Stewart!

I recently bought The Big A#@ Book of Crafts, which is an amazing craft book that has more modern design ideas and appeals to people like me that don't have a crafty bone in their body.
Being both impulsive and a little crazy, I decided that I wanted my first craft to be a homemade tree that has old book pages as its leaves. The book made it seem simple enough, it just didn't say that it would take 30 man hours to do!!
I guess I'm exaggerating, it probably took about 9 hours to do (which was a welcome distraction to my obsessive election-day- coverage-watching on MSNBC. I started watching too early--like at 2:30pm--and by the time the polls actually closed I was going nuts!) The whole project came in under $11 and, though it isn't EXACTLY how I thought it would turn out, I'm pleased with the results. (Please forgive the pot's messiness, I forgot to wipe off the plaster of Paris that got all over it.)

LOL!!

First of all, did you all vote?? I hope so!! I always swell with pride when I turn in my ballot and I hear the words, "Carly Gates has voted." Wow. I love election day, if only to see the processes put in place by our founding fathers carried out.

No matter who you vote for, I'm sure you'll find this video hillarious. Enjoy!!

McCain vs. Obama dance off