day 105

I kinda wish I was cool enough to be in one of those “my name is _____ and I’m a mormon” commercials. I just don’t feel like I have anything special to share. I don’t play in a band. I don’t skateboard really well. I’m not a lawyer. Mine would go something like this. “My name is Courtney. I’m a wife. I’m trying to get pregnant. I have acne. And I’m a mormon.”

Well, maybe I wouldn’t say quite all those things…

But it brings me to my point. Yes, I’m a wife who’s trying to make a mini blake or Courtney. As wonderful as that is, it means I can no longer take my beloved acne drugs. (insert tears here). They have saved me for the past few years and now, I’m back to square one, as the drugs I was taking aren’t exactly “baby-friendly.” Luckily, I was able to go to the dermatologist today and he gave me something to help get my complexion at least a little better. Gosh, I love the medical field.

(this one makes me think of my mum)

day 104

I love working early. I love getting done at a normal hour and having the rest of the day to enjoy. That’s all.

day 102 & 103...

... i did absolutely nothing. don't judge. 

day 101

nothing gets the nerves going like speaking in public. or rather the ANTICIPATION of speaking in public. yes, the bishop finally nabbed blake and me and had us speak in church today. luckily, my heart rate was only 160 bpm, compared to 360 bpm the last time we spoke in church. we were asked to speak on the blessings of being rich, which is ironic since we are the two poorest people we know. i have to say though, i really LOVE preparing for a talk. i hope this doesn't come across wrong, but it kind of forces you to "search, ponder, and pray." and i love it! now if only they would call me to be a seminary or sunday school teacher...

day 100

i've always wanted to read edgar allan poe. mostly cos i love dark and depressing stories (especially the romantic period). i decided to buy a collection of his short stories to read during my downtime at work. so far i've only read one and i must say, i'm thoroughly disappointed. it was entitled "the balloon hoax" and it was 100% BORING. more than half of the short story is a description of how a hot air balloon is built- technical jargon and all. hopefully the next story is somewhat more interesting. 

any suggestions?

day 99

today i was watching TV and saw a commercial for sarah palin's new reality show. during the commercial she starts climbing a mountain and while looking up says, "this is flippin' fun!" oh dear. flippin? this scares me. but it made me think of my dear sweet, jenjamin long, who refers to soda as "pop." bless her soul. 

this made me wonder- what quirky words do you use?

day 98

happy veteran's day!

i am so honoured to have a member of my family part of the military. my brother cameron is an incredible example to me as someone who is willing to sacrifice himself so that his fellow american citizens can enjoy the freedoms this country was founded on. i am so proud of him, and the other 25 million veterans (past and present) that continue to protect our families, our cities, and our country. 

day 97

3 thoughts...

1. i love having days off. i feel like a day off from work is the day you do everything. my day off consisted of cleaning my room and attempting to organize all the garbage that collects on our dresser during the "work days."

2. today, many moons ago, sesame street premiered! how many of you 80s babies lived for sesame street? not to mention mr. rogers and reading rainbow. i often shed a tear knowing that my children may never experience lamar, mr. rogers, or big bird the way i did.

3. i love real mexican food. love it. but i REALLY love fake mexican food. give me chevy's, baja fresh, and chipotle any day. like today. my wonderful husband took me to chevy's for dinner, where i gorged (yes, gorged) myself on shrimp/steak/chicken/pork fajitas. holy smokes, i may never eat again. well, until tomorrow, that is.

day 96

today is the anniversary of the berlin wall opening. isn't it funny to think that at one time (in the not-so-distant past), there was an east germany and a west germany? i can't even imagine separating california into "northern california" and "southern california." Now that I think about it, didn’t some propose that idea a few years back?

http://www.downsizeca.org/

(uh, no thank you)

day 95

apparently today is the 45th anniversary of the soap opera "days of our lives." who knew that a soap opera could continue to create story lines beyond "my best friend's mother's sister's next door neighbor's personal trainer broke up with the pool boy’s dad who faked being in a coma while robbing nordstrom's because he and the perfume girl had bigger plans to live in paris together with their twin siamese cats..." Or something like that.

also, i think it's important to note that this week is "dear santa" week, so get those pens out and start asking for those things to which your heart most desires.

(courtney's letter)

dear santa,

i would like the following.

1. a puppy.

2. a baby.

3. a new job

love,

court

day 94

i really enjoy testimony meeting today. i love hearing how others have come to gain a stronger testimony of a certain topic. it's inspiring, humbling, and helpful if you are struggling with a similar trial. 

after church, blake and i went to kip's house (blake's best friend) for dinner where we met his darling fiancee and ate a fabulous meal. i must say, going to dinner at other people's houses is the best? why? i'll tell you. some may know me as a picky eater. that is sometimes true. i've gotten a lot better over the years and am willing to try ALMOST anything. that being said, i can still be pretty stubborn about not trying things i think might taste weird. 

when you go to someone else's house though, it's as if your politeness is in full swing, and you have to try one of everything they offer. so i did. even though i didn't want to. and let me just say... i'm so glad i did!!! wow! i've NEVER been a fan of squash or green salads with fruit in them, but i was blown away. kip's mum did an amazing job. i am now converted. bring on the spaghetti squash. 

day 93

when the leaves turn red and make their way down from the tree to the grass below, it can only mean one thing:

it's time to visit apple hill. 

apple hill is a lovely place near placerville, ca.

it consists of... well, lots of apples, but also treasures like apple doughnuts, REAL apple juice, and my personal favourite, flavoured olive oil. yum. go visit today. 

day 92

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

day 91

today in history

november 4

Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first woman elected governor of a U.S. state (1924)

day 90

my, oh my. it seems like forever since blake and i had a date night. that's what happens when you work opposite shifts and have opposite days off. we decided to celebrate finally having date night back with a day in san francisco! our field trip had one main objective: take old school photos at the musee mechanique. after two tries at the "perfect" film strip, we gave up and graded our photos a nice B-. 

in addition to our primary objective, we got to see the aftermath of the SF giants parade. holy smokes, i've never seen so many people decked out giants memorabilia. it was insane. 

p.s. if you ever feel adventurous and want to see some new sights, refrain from taking the bus or subway. getting lost produces several unknown treasures. 

(the super cute house i want)

(best bridge ever)

(alcatraz: next SF date)

(a really, really, REALLY cool tree)

(in the cool tree)

(hhhhhottie!)

(i love this mini door)

day 89

well, no, i didn't. i was ONE day late in registering. curses. if i had only gotten it in earlier, maybe meg whitman would have won. haha! instead we, the citizens of california, are the proud supporters of one mr. jerry brown. best of luck to you, governor. 

on a happier note...

THE GIANTS WIN THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!!!

here's a shout out to the star players of the final game!

ANDRES TORRES, winner of the willie mac award!

FREDDY SANCHEZ, makes world series history with 3 doubles!

BUSTER POSEY, rookie of the year!

CODY ROSS, MVP of the NLCS 2010!

JUAN URIBE, uuuuuu know he hit a 3 run home run in game 1!

AUBREY HUFF, proud wearer of the rally thong!

PAT BURRELL, 390 foot home run during the playoffs!

EDGAR RENTERIA, home run hero of game 5!

AARON ROWAND, hit a 2 run triple in game 2!

TIM LINCECUM, star pitcher of game 5!

last, but most definitely not least, my personal favourite...

MR. 

BRIAN

WILSON!

(...fear the beard...)

best. closer. EVER. 

congratulations, giants. you deserve it. 

day 88

i would like to create a playlist with the best songs to sing along to. feel free to send me your suggestions. 

today's best song to sing along to is, 

"everybody" by tears for fears.

day 87

happy halloween! 

halloween is my second favourite holiday and i have to admit... it just wasn't the same this year. i felt like no one was really into the "halloween spirit!" no great costume from evangeline's, no fabulous decorations, hardly any trick-or-treaters, no pumpkin carving... it was really sad. hopefully next year will be a little more exciting. 

on a positive note, the giants beat the rangers in game 4! go giants! and many thanks to grandma roskelley for the AWESOME homemade doughnuts!

(blast from the past: halloween 2009)

day 86

i love books.

going to border's and drooling over all the treasured works they possess is one of my absolute favourite pastimes. as much as i love collecting books, it seems like i "never have time" to just sit down and read them.

until recently. 

one of the perks of working at the gap late at night is that i get to read while waiting for phone calls. luckily, almost no one calls in after 6 pm which leaves me 5 glorious hours to read whatever i want. 

my most recent read is a book entitled, 

"up from slavery" by booker t. washington. 

i've never been so impressed, moved, and inspired by a book! 

in his autobiography, washington details his life as a young slave until the emancipation proclamation was passed in 1863. he then did everything in his power to gain an education and proceeded to teach the southern black people the importance of education and hard work. he worked his entire life to better his people and bring the black and white people closer together. truly an amazing man. 

make it your next read!

  

day 85

okay, i'm so weird. ask blake. sometimes, out of nowehere, i'll ask him some RANDOM question and he'll be like, "uh... where did that come from?" i then proceed to explain my train of thought that led me from what we were talking about to the current out-of-place question. 

case in point....

i was just about to start writing my sob story of how brooke left us for utah, when immediately a quote from "jurassic park" popped in my head in which lexie says to alan, "he left us... HE LEFT US!" hahaha, wow.

i'm a nerd. 

now that we've gotten THAT out of the way, let me just say that brooke leaving us (well, basically leaving ME), has made me very sad. yes, i know she will be happy in the blizzards and high altitude doing things like hanging out at the creamery and going ice blocking, but i sure will miss her. like everyday. i already do. 

Give and Get is Here!

Give and Get is Here!: "Enjoy 30% off from November 11-14 at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy plus we'll make a 5% donation to a non-profit."

day 84

once again, grey's anatomy outdoes themselves. loved the documentary style. way to go shonda rhimes.

day 83

today is wednesday. i DIDN'T go to work. the end. 

day 82

today is tuesday. i went to work. the end. 

day 81

today i cut my bangs. and i love them. pardon the cheesy self-taken picture. i had to share with my sister for approval. 

day 80

today after church, blake and i got in the car and decided to pay our grandparents a visit. first stop was with grandpa mcghie where we played a round of 31. blake won, of course. then it was off to grandma roskelley's house where she told us about all the cool things there are in jerusalem.

i just love those people. 

day 79

"the giants win the pennant! the giants win the pennant!" 

day 78

this is the best website ever.

Stumble Upon

at the top of the screen, it should say "all topics." please change this to "bizarre/oddities." you will find more treasures than you can count. 

day 77

i love spontaneity. especially when it involves driving to woodstock's pizza at midnight with your sister just because you're hungry and it sounds good. 

day 76

i've decided to make a list of things i currently like...

1. rowley from "diary of a wimpy kid." i kinda wish he was my kid or my best friend. 

2. TAG10- spreading kidness around the world. 

3. weird vintage ads- creepy...

4. paper sky store in SLO. i could stay there for days. 

5. for those who love or hate cauliflower- eat this: 

best cauliflower EVER

day 75

oh my. there is nothing better than seeing your favourite celebrity couple sing at the giants vs. phillies game in san francisco. ben gibbard and his darling other half, zooey deschanel, once again blew me away with their amazing pipes.

Ben Gibbard Singing "The Star Spangled Banner"

day 74

i can't believe this kid is putting in his mission papers any day now. so awesome. here are my top 3 places in which i think he'll go...

1. baton rouge, LA

2. somewhere in the middle of north dakota

3. kiev, ukraine. 

no matter where he goes, i hope he knows how incredibly PROUD his family is of him!

day 73

one of my favourite people, mr. micah taylor, finally returned from his mission in brazil! it was so fun seeing him, as well as my second family, the taylors at his open house. i just love them. 

(micah and my most lovely friend jayna)

day 72

i love shopping. 

day 71

things i like about the gap:

1. you get a sweet discount on their clothes. like the awesome skinny jeans i got for $35. 


2. you get a discount on your verizon wireless bill. hello savings!


3. they feed you pizza, candy, fruit, slushees, etc. all my favourite food groups. 


4. they have the best potlucks. 


5. they enter you in "safety" contests where you can win things like a fire extinguisher... hmmm...

i suppose for the time being, i can sacrifice seeing my husband and working until dawn, so long as they continue supplying us with the above items...

day 70

okay. it has been wayyyyy too long since i last saw my beautiful and amazing friend, mrs. jayna renee taylor brafman. all i can say is i absolutely LOVE that girl! the thing i love about having close friends is it doesn't matter how long it's been since you've last seen each other- you just pick up RIGHT where you left off. now, if only she could move back to sacramento...

(back in our SLO days...)

day 69

i have absolutely no idea what i did today. none. 

but here's a random picture i took of braden right after he got done with the dentist. obviously he didn't want anyone to see his completely numb face. darn root canals. 

day 68

there are two types of people in this world: funny people and not-so-funny people. although i can make people chuckle every once in awhile, no one would call me the "funny" girl. my sister, on the other hand, is such a person. tonight she decided to leave me 46 comments on facebook re-living our memories together. i love her.

day 67

"welcome, courtney. 

the retail world is happy you've returned."

sigh.  

yes, today was my first day of training at Gap Inc. Direct. If your shipment was late or you just hate the gap, i am the girl you wanna call and complain to. just be nice. i'm all about fixing your problems, just not when it includes yelling and name-calling. thank you kindly. 

day 66

i need to read my own blog. on day 55, i wrote about being selfless and doing more for others, yet i haven't been following my own advice. i've felt more selfish lately and need to get out of this rut before it sticks. any ideas?

day 65

"i just want us to be happy like when we're at costco."

i love this. 

my wise husband made a good point. every couple has some great days in marriage and some lousy ones. what matters, though is that the majority of your life together is like the day you spent at costco. for others, it could be the day the two of you changed your oil, or watched a "full house" marathon. it's that feeling of contentment, being happy with your life and loving your spouse more than anyone in the world. 

p.s. i just watched the scariest movie ever- "paranormal activity." if you want something to scare the heebie jeebies out of you, go rent this. 

day 64

some people take their jobs wayyy too seriously. i mean, really seriously. i am not one of those people. don't get me wrong, i take pride in the work i do, but i still know that it's only retail. 

other people, however, have a different perspective. 

let's take today for example. as some of you know, i got a job. yes, it's true. i am now an employee of gap inc. direct. today was our orientation and we were introduced to someone named, "Safety Lady." i've never seen someone so proud of a job that literally has NO purpose whatsoever. 

i swear this is the video she watched before she gave her spiel.

day 63

i would be willing to give up 10... nay 15% of my paycheck if i could work with either of these three men...

long live "the office."

day 62

wow. it has been farrrrrr too long since i last went to the dentist. well, not *that* long, but for someone who goes to the dentist every 6 months ON THE DOT, i was starting to have teeth cleaning withdrawals. thanks to my wonderful career-husband, i was able to get dental insurance and finally get my long awaited check up. happy day to me. 

number of cavities= zero

compliments on nice teeth= one

love it. 

day 61

holy smokes, i'm turning into an old lady. i figure that as i approach my 28th birthday, it's only natural to start using things like a crock pot (though i refuse to believe i'll ever cross over and use a sewing machine). so today i experimented with pot roast. the outcome? not great. but not terrible. i suppose it will take more than a few tries to get as good as julia.