Curses on Brittany!

So maybe she was looking seriously for a haircut when she did this, but I was just messing around... for hours! I should be doing something else.

Some of these are really funny. I wish I had more base colors to choose from. they all ended up looking pretty bad on me in most cases.

excuse the dots, I took snapshots of my screen with the adjuster open.

From InStyle, online somewhere.

New Homes

If I were to show you all the homes we've looked at, you'd hate me. True story.

But Brett is getting tempted by brand new homes in Spanish Fork. These put me as far as I want to go budget-wise. Absolutely no upgrades for us.


Now to the new homes!

Here are some we have looked at.





Off of Main, Near the new sports complex (Yummmm... tennis courts across the street) starting price includes basement. Not sure if that is finished or unfinished... they don't have an office or any models up yet.... Dibs on the bigger lots? Hopefully they don't charge more for those. You can get just the main level (how much less?), main and basement, main and top, or all 3. They don't have their prices online, but I am assuming that the starts at price is for the smallest model I am showing here. Includes the nicest "standard" features," and biggest kitchen. Don't know lot sizes yet.

Things I find amusing: upgraded carpet is standard.... sooo... it isn't an upgrade now, is it.


These ones below are being built a few blocks from Nanial's house. aparently Landmark was making houses here, and decided to stop, so the Salisbury homes are lots interspersed with the Landmark models already built/sold. I like that... less identical homes in a track housing area.


These are all variations of the same plan, FYI. The only one we could afford here. We'd be in Nanial's ward.





Though I thought they said they were using models from Maple Mountain, we couldn't find any in that community, and so we don't really know what the outside (or inside) looks like.



And Last and most definitely least. We went inside these town homes, or at least the model. Good news, there are end units available and we are allowed to build a fence around our miniscule yard (at our own expense, of course). They come with a deck, the kitchen has no cupboard space, and the master closet could easily be a nursery. Layout not horrible, but why on earth is the breaker box on the top floor? IN THE HALWAY. Seriously people. Anyhow, we crossed this one of because, even though they are cheeper than the salisbury homes, The utility-less HOA would make our payments about equal to the house.... and why would I pay the same for same square feet, No land, and the joys of sharing a wall with neighbors. Does this make sense on any level? these ones are also in spanish fork bordering Mapleton (maple mountain). For whatever reason, he quoted us cheeper prices than were in the brochure.

Now... thoughts on these new homes in sf vs. old ones in Provo or Orem



Pro's... New homes, less problems/ things to fix/ replace.
Con's... It's Spanish Fork. It is no secret that I don't love it here. I prefer more commercial, or more country. True, Comercial is coming, SF is growing, but I only hope to stay here 5 years max... and come that time, there will still be new homes to compete with when reselling. So much land left here. Plus, I am really not a fan of the extra drive to Salt Lake. We have to head north for every thing. South of us you get Salem (cute, true) Mona, Nephi, and other towns with no costco and a population smaller than my H.S.

Another Con- I feel like if I were to have a new home, I'd want it to be one I was proud of. Old homes have their excuses for their eccentricities and they have the excuse of " we can fix that later." No one wants to move into a new home and think "oh, it will be so fun to replace these countertops with something less hideous one day."

Almost everyone keeps telling me "Newer...my next home will be less than 10 yrs old." I can't help but side with the standard "location, location, location."

The Provo River Ate My Right Foot, The Cat Lady Took My Left

Yesterday for Soap's birthday, her other brother wanted to float down the Provo River. I really wanted to do this last time before I moved out of Utah, but had no idea where to get in and out of it, and must have asked all the wrong people because no one knew.

Well, now I know, and for your future enjoyment, you can get on by exiting right, just about when you see the damn ahead. then taking the fork to the left, go down the hill. You get out at Vivian Park. There were a couple other places I saw while floating that would w work, but they don't put location signs along the river, so you can figure that out yourself. It took about 2 hours, plus a little because we would stop to wait for people periodically.

Advice: If you don't have well fitting water shoes. wear old tennis shoes. The ground is rocky. I was smart enough no to wear flip flops, but I wore my old dollar store crocks. They are a bit big, and my right foot back strap broke, leaving them useless if I ever lifted that foot anywear near a current.

The strap had broken when we had stopped because Mairi's tube had popped under the first bridge (We were warned to stay to the right under the bridge, she went left... hard to control were you go sometimes). Since it was near the beginning, G and his friend TJ went back to get back to get a new tube and send Mairi down again. Ash told me there was a pile a flip flops just around the bush, and that there were.

5 flip flops. 4 black, 1 brown, all quietly floating in the still part by the bush. All right foots. I found this amusing, but convenient, and through them all into my tube with me. I would use those flip flops one by one whenever I jumped out to stop or keep Soap and I away from dangerous looking fallen tree trunks. I would loose them all eventually. Bottom is rocky. Very rocky. not sharp, but not pleasant.

So while we were waiting for mairi, Soap was going Crazy. Talk about an 11 year old prone to hysteria. "Were is my mom" over and over in a pannic.

No amount of "Hon, her tube popped and she got out of the river" could convincer her that her mother was alive and ok. Finally I told her "Soap, if your mom was dead, we would have seen her body floating down the river, and we haven't. " She thought that was a horrible thing to say. I assured her it was true, the current was strong enough.

Horrible as it may have been to say, in the end she was a lot calmer, so I win.

anyhow, in the corse of jumping in and out, loosing right flip flops that were never mine, and sometimes standing with one bear foot in the water, my right heal endued up rather bruised. Oddly, it is the back of my heal. I can feel it when I walk. Yum. I also stubbed my right toe. Not bleeding, but bruised.

So later that night we head up to Salt Lake for cake and ice cream. I go with Soap to feed the Cat Lady's pets. Typical cat lady. Very cluttered house with a weird smell in the basement. As we are leaving she has an extra step, that is like a square, if that makes sense. So it looks like you are now on level ground. Doesn't help that it is like half the hight of a real step. So, I step with my left (good) foot onto the edge of that step, roll my ankle (which I usually do casualty free) fall down smack the left side of those toes. the toes hurt to walk. Now that I have slept on it, my toes are fine, but my ankle is sore when I flex.

Thus I can walk but have two feet that wouldn't want to do it for any extended period of time.

Good for them

Anyone else ever thing " wow. I could have never married someone like that, but glad it works for them" (them being the person that married someone like "that")?

Don't get me wrong, that doesn't necessarily mean I hate them. Sometimes I might not like them, but often I just think people might work as friends but would drive me crazy as a partner. There is just so much you count on someone in marriage that you don't have to risk to a friend.... if that makes sense.

So sometimes I am in awe that someone could be married.... and that isn't necessarily meant as an insult. It just goes to show we all have different needs and priorities.

B fits my needs and priorities, and that is all that matters. I wonder if anyone ever wonders how he can put up with me... ha ha ha.

Circus City

The circus! I've had many relatives in this circus.... aunts, cousins, etc.

None this year though.

Things I learned at my family reunion.

This is a Redneck Fire Alarm.



Now that that is settled, They said that they had a higher offer on the house, and I said I didn't want to p ay more for the area. If they had countered, I might have done something, but whatever there will me more

We put in an offer!!!

Some of you may already know which one, but I am not going to say publicly yet, because I have this dream of subjecting you all to the hundreds of photos I took as I went through properties yesterday (muah ha ha ha ha ha). 

I will however give you this little highlight from our contract:


Heck Yes I did. I want that owl lantern. Granted, if they counter offer and take the owl out, I will be okay. I'm not going to be like the people that bought nathanials house and end up paying an extra few thousand for a kitchen aid. Seriously people, you paid a few thousand plus interest on a 300 dollar luxury item. I mean, I love my kitchen aid, but for reals.

Oh, to travel!

Usually round trip tickets to c hicago would cost me several hundred dollars.

If I purchase tickets sometime within the next 20 mintues for dates between september 9 through november (14?) I can get tickets for 90 bucks each way.

Sweet. Too bad I am heading there this weekend.

But this stupid sale really makes me want to buy tickets. Any SW city, 30-90 each way....

Wishing I noticed earlier, when I could have called old friends or roomates and either planed to visit them, or planned to travel with them. STINK!

I'd rather go one of the places that was 60 or less though, so I don't feel guilty for my pointless travel, and a lot of the places I would want to visit are 90.

So Poodle, Fern, June, Lilly.... just know I thought about you all, and the cool places you live that I have never been to.

I kinda wanna go to seatle. who wants to go with me. you have 15 minutes to call me and make plans.

Carrisa Express

These cupcakes, from my nephews b-day, and this plush at my bro's house reminded me of Carrisa. I don't know why though.... do you even like pandas?

I thought the cupcakes were adorable though.