On Saturday night, Kurt and I realized that the air in our front left tire was low. By the time we headed home that night, though, Kurt was absolutely exhausted from his all-nighter hike of Nebo (post to come soon), and I was pretty sleepy myself, so we forgot to fill it up with air.
Sunday, we only drove to church and back. We didn't think about stopping at an air pump.
This morning as I was leaving for work I remembered that it was low. "I'll stop by a gas station and fill it up," I thought as I pulled out of our parking lot and onto my street. Then I noticed the car veering heavily to the left when I took my hand off the steering wheel. Just in front of the intersection with University Avenue, I pulled over and checked the tire. It was completely flat.
I called Kurt. He's got another midterm this afternoon--so he's studying all day, and was already up on campus--and so I got out to change the tire myself. I was wearing a cute cardigan and tank top, flats, jeans, flats, and a wool pea coat. Not exactly tire changing attire. However, I did happen to have a very washable jacket still in the car as well as an entire box of Laugh Out Loud t-shirts. I decided I need one more... so I took off the pea coat, rolled up my cardigan's sleeves, put the jacket on, and put on my new LOL shirt over it. Good thing I did too, because my jeans and the t-shirt are now ready to be washed.
I proceeded to change the tire, calling Kurt when I couldn't find the jack or forgot one of the steps. Lucky for me, my dad helped me change a tire a few years ago and so the process was fairly fresh in my mind.
Did I mention it snowed again last night? And that it was about 25 degrees as I was changing the tire, with thin shoes and socks on and only latex gloves to cover my fingers? I had to stop more than once to breath on my fingers so I could feel them again.
Oh, and did I mention that though several guys walked by, only two offered to help? The first I only asked where the notch on the hubcap was so I could flip off the cover to get to the nuts. He showed me then went on his way when I assured him I knew what I was doing.
Next, as I was straining to loosen the nuts before jacking up the car, a friend from Laugh Out Loud and neighbor, Andrew Perkins, walked by. He asked if I needed help and I said, "Yes! I can't get these to loosen!" So he loosened them for me, saying you needed to be a fat kid to do it, then held the jack still while I cranked it up until had the weight of the car on it (which held it still after that).
I can't believe more people didn't help! If I was in Charleston, most every man walking/driving by would've offered their help! I've had a similar experience in Sandy (different car troubles, but still two girls on a frigid, windy day trying to fix their car, with absolutely NO help offered) but I thought, "Hey! I live in Provo, everyone here is Mormon! Especially on my 100% student housing street!"
It's a sad day.
Still, I changed the tire almost by myself. I probably would've gotten the studs loose eventually, but I'm really glad Perkins stopped to help. (Kinda funny though, he started taking the studs off completely before I jacked up the car. I knew more about changing a tire than he did! Go me!)
Go me! *Go my dad for teaching me how to change a tire a few years ago!!*
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Spring Has Brought Me Such a Nice Surprise
I looked out the window and what did I see...
Snow pouring from the sky and covering the trees!
Err.... ugh.... Happy March 30th!
Snow pouring from the sky and covering the trees!Err.... ugh.... Happy March 30th!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Double digits
5.26.07 - 3.26.08
10 months.
Significant because we're in the double digits.
I know it may not seem like a long time to you,
but it's the longest I've ever been married.
By the way, the 10 month anniversary is the gift of a sushi dinner.
Significant because we're in the double digits.
I know it may not seem like a long time to you,
but it's the longest I've ever been married.
By the way, the 10 month anniversary is the gift of a sushi dinner.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere...
So... I realized I haven't done a post on the Big Apple yet. How could I forget! Making this post has made me so sad.... I really, really love New York. If it wasn't for a) money and b) living with small kids in a tiny apartment without a car, then Kurt and I would have lived there. I think we still will, one day when our kids are big and we have lots of money, if we can. I know I'm from small Southern town, USA, but New York is a very special place. I wish I had explored it more. Anyhow, here are some of our pictures. They're roughly in chronological order. If I can find pictures of our trip to the Brooklyn Zoo, I'll post them. I believe they're on my computer or Kurt's. (I'm posting this at work. And to answer your question, Alisse, I usually bring my memory card to work, upload the pictures, then go home and fill in the blankets because my internet is too slow for uploading pics.) If you think Kurt and I look chubby, don't worry it's no optical illusion. Kurt and I were very chubby in the Big Onion because all we did was eat and walk, and the walking didn't seem to do much in the calorie-burning area.
One of our first days sightseeing in New York. This is right off of Wall Street. We got pictures of Wall Street and the Golden Bull (not on Wall Street, but still in the financial center of town) but our friends took them with their camera because ours died shortly after this picture. I need to get those pictures!
One day we decided to take a trip across the harbor on the Staten Island Ferry. The trip was really nice, especially to get out of the urban jungle for the first time in weeks. When we got to Staten Island we turned around and came back home. Good thing the ferry is free.
Central Park is absolutely my favorite part of NY! I loved, loved, loved it! On Saturdays all the Jews would be out in the meadows picknicking and on Sunday afternoons the mall was full of music groups and skaters. If you're wondering whether rollerblading is still cool, the answer is YES, in NY it is still very cool. You probably recognize this bridge... it's in I don't even know how many movies, example Spiderman 3 (where Mary Jane breaks up with Peter).
Columbus Circle. I think it's funny how our camera couldn't pick up the endless skyline of buildings behind us. If you could see the statue over Kurt's right shoulder well enough, you'd recognize it. If you've seen Cloverfield, this is where the chick they're rescuing lives. Not this building, but this area.
On top of the Empire State Building. If you go to this awesome tourist trap, I have a suggestion: go to the 102nd (or something like that) floor. It's $15 extra but SO worth it. You beat the crowd that's on the 86th floor so you can actually see the view! And quiet and uncrowdedness are not common things in public in NY.
The good ole 1/2/3 line home. We rode this multiple times a day.
Kurt and I scored student tickets to see my friend Josh Strickland as Broadway's Tarzan. Unfortunately, he was gone for the weekend and so we saw his understudy instead. Good thing we only paid $20 for it!
The Metropolitan Musem of Art. I loved this musem! You need multiple days to see all of the permanent exhibits and they rotate exhibits so you could never see everything there! Kurt and I spent two full days there and still didn't see everything. But we saw a bunch of Rodin, which I LOVE. And they had Kurt's favorite Van Gogh there... I forget what it's called. Oh, and you'll probably recognize the first picture from one of two movies... one is old, one is new. Take a guess!
July 4th on Coney Island! We saw Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, which was disgustingly irresistible to watch. And pulled in thousands of spectators. Coney Island is really fun, and sadly, decrepit. It's right on the beach, but it was down right cold that day. The only cold day the whole summer. Dang.
The beautiful Brooklyn bridge. As much as I love the old and new Cooper River bridges, this bridge is pretty amazing. I don't even know how many times we walked over it.
Grimaldi's pizza, the best pizza in New York. Possibly in the world. We tried it with Mark and Alicia (above) on July 4th, fell in love, then went back alone, with friends Sarah and Jeff (below), and with my dad. And possibly alone another time too. :D Unfortunately, my pictures of Grimaldi's (and Brooklyn Bridge) with my dad were damaged. Dad, do you have copies you could email me, please?
Kurt worked about a block from the famous branch of the NY library, you know, the one in Ghostbusters II. Right next to it was Bryant Park, which hosted all kinds of events. One was on Monday nights HBO would show an old movie on a huge projector screen. This is us melting as we wait to watch Wait Until Dark. Unforunately, waiting until dark for us didn't bring any coolness at all. That was the hottest night of my life and I had been there since 5. I believe I sweat my entire body weight that day.
The American Museum of Natural History, or something like that. It's the museum from Night at the Museum and they didn't show even a 1/3 of the entire museum in that movie. This is another museum you could spend an entire day in and not see all of it. I know because that happened to us (but we didn't go a second time).
Dinosaur BBQ, the best bbq joint in New York. Located in east Harlem, it was only about 2 blocks north of us. We went there multiple times too!
Another trip to Coney Island. This time we rode the two famous rides there, the Wonder Wheel and the rollercoaster... I forgot it's name. I can't find my picture of the rollercoaster. Both are OLD and rickety.... I've never been afraid on a ferris wheel before. But after 80 or so years there's never been an injury. And there never will be, because they're tearing it down. Oh, this is what the two characters are on at the end of Cloverfield.
Phantom of the Opera!!!! One word: amazing. That's all there is to say.
Our last full day in NY! So sad! My dad came up for the night. Kurt was in Florida that morning, and so my dad and I drove around the Upper West Side... that was a new experience for me! Lol, but seriously, it was my first time to see much of the upper west side... we always rode the subway and didn't explore beyond Broadway/Columbia much. Riverside Drive is beautiful!! And my dad got to the see the Manhattan Temple, where Kurt and I worked on Wednesday nights in the baptistry and also where we went to church. Then we went back to our apartment, just as Kurt got home, and headed over to Grimaldi's. Walked Brooklyn bridge one last time, and headed home. The next day we took my dad to Dinosaur BBQ and he took us to the airport. It was probably my favorite 24 hours in NY. Thanks for coming Dad!!! :)
One of our first days sightseeing in New York. This is right off of Wall Street. We got pictures of Wall Street and the Golden Bull (not on Wall Street, but still in the financial center of town) but our friends took them with their camera because ours died shortly after this picture. I need to get those pictures!
One day we decided to take a trip across the harbor on the Staten Island Ferry. The trip was really nice, especially to get out of the urban jungle for the first time in weeks. When we got to Staten Island we turned around and came back home. Good thing the ferry is free.
Central Park is absolutely my favorite part of NY! I loved, loved, loved it! On Saturdays all the Jews would be out in the meadows picknicking and on Sunday afternoons the mall was full of music groups and skaters. If you're wondering whether rollerblading is still cool, the answer is YES, in NY it is still very cool. You probably recognize this bridge... it's in I don't even know how many movies, example Spiderman 3 (where Mary Jane breaks up with Peter).
Columbus Circle. I think it's funny how our camera couldn't pick up the endless skyline of buildings behind us. If you could see the statue over Kurt's right shoulder well enough, you'd recognize it. If you've seen Cloverfield, this is where the chick they're rescuing lives. Not this building, but this area.
On top of the Empire State Building. If you go to this awesome tourist trap, I have a suggestion: go to the 102nd (or something like that) floor. It's $15 extra but SO worth it. You beat the crowd that's on the 86th floor so you can actually see the view! And quiet and uncrowdedness are not common things in public in NY.
The good ole 1/2/3 line home. We rode this multiple times a day.
Kurt and I scored student tickets to see my friend Josh Strickland as Broadway's Tarzan. Unfortunately, he was gone for the weekend and so we saw his understudy instead. Good thing we only paid $20 for it!
The Metropolitan Musem of Art. I loved this musem! You need multiple days to see all of the permanent exhibits and they rotate exhibits so you could never see everything there! Kurt and I spent two full days there and still didn't see everything. But we saw a bunch of Rodin, which I LOVE. And they had Kurt's favorite Van Gogh there... I forget what it's called. Oh, and you'll probably recognize the first picture from one of two movies... one is old, one is new. Take a guess!
July 4th on Coney Island! We saw Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, which was disgustingly irresistible to watch. And pulled in thousands of spectators. Coney Island is really fun, and sadly, decrepit. It's right on the beach, but it was down right cold that day. The only cold day the whole summer. Dang.
The beautiful Brooklyn bridge. As much as I love the old and new Cooper River bridges, this bridge is pretty amazing. I don't even know how many times we walked over it.
Grimaldi's pizza, the best pizza in New York. Possibly in the world. We tried it with Mark and Alicia (above) on July 4th, fell in love, then went back alone, with friends Sarah and Jeff (below), and with my dad. And possibly alone another time too. :D Unfortunately, my pictures of Grimaldi's (and Brooklyn Bridge) with my dad were damaged. Dad, do you have copies you could email me, please?
Kurt worked about a block from the famous branch of the NY library, you know, the one in Ghostbusters II. Right next to it was Bryant Park, which hosted all kinds of events. One was on Monday nights HBO would show an old movie on a huge projector screen. This is us melting as we wait to watch Wait Until Dark. Unforunately, waiting until dark for us didn't bring any coolness at all. That was the hottest night of my life and I had been there since 5. I believe I sweat my entire body weight that day.
The American Museum of Natural History, or something like that. It's the museum from Night at the Museum and they didn't show even a 1/3 of the entire museum in that movie. This is another museum you could spend an entire day in and not see all of it. I know because that happened to us (but we didn't go a second time).
Dinosaur BBQ, the best bbq joint in New York. Located in east Harlem, it was only about 2 blocks north of us. We went there multiple times too!
Another trip to Coney Island. This time we rode the two famous rides there, the Wonder Wheel and the rollercoaster... I forgot it's name. I can't find my picture of the rollercoaster. Both are OLD and rickety.... I've never been afraid on a ferris wheel before. But after 80 or so years there's never been an injury. And there never will be, because they're tearing it down. Oh, this is what the two characters are on at the end of Cloverfield.
Phantom of the Opera!!!! One word: amazing. That's all there is to say.
Our last full day in NY! So sad! My dad came up for the night. Kurt was in Florida that morning, and so my dad and I drove around the Upper West Side... that was a new experience for me! Lol, but seriously, it was my first time to see much of the upper west side... we always rode the subway and didn't explore beyond Broadway/Columbia much. Riverside Drive is beautiful!! And my dad got to the see the Manhattan Temple, where Kurt and I worked on Wednesday nights in the baptistry and also where we went to church. Then we went back to our apartment, just as Kurt got home, and headed over to Grimaldi's. Walked Brooklyn bridge one last time, and headed home. The next day we took my dad to Dinosaur BBQ and he took us to the airport. It was probably my favorite 24 hours in NY. Thanks for coming Dad!!! :)
Monday, March 24, 2008
Bling!
I read this in an articly recently. Pretty cool, especially if you like the LDS church, music, analyzing lyrics, and/or the Killers. I love all four.
"On Sam's Town, the Killers concern themselves with dramatic stuff: home and heartache, life and death, right an d wrong. 'Bling (Confession of a King)' is the victorious story of Flowers' dad forswearing - overnight - alcoholism and Catholicism to become a Mormon when Brandon was five. 'Higher and higher/We're gonna take it/Down to the wire,' sings Flowers in another arms-aloft Killers chorus. 'We're gonna make it/Out of the fire.'"
-Craig McLean talks to the Killers' singer Brandon Flowers
"Bling (Confessions of a King)"
by The Killers
on: Sam's Town
When I offer you survival,
You say it's hard enough to live,
It's not so bad, it's not so bad
How do you know that you're right?
I awoke on the roadside,
In the land of the free ride,
And I can't pull it any longer,
The sun is beating down my neck
So I ran with the devil
Left a trail of excuses,
Like a stone on the water,
The elements decide my fate,
Watch it go..."bling".
When I offer you survival,
You say it's hard enough to live,
Don't tell me that it's over,
Poor and tired,
But more than this
How do you know that you're right?
If you're not nervous anymore,
It's not so bad, it's not so bad
I feel my vision slipping in and out of focus,
But I'm pushing on for that horizon,
I'm pushing on,
Now I've got the blowing wind against my face
So you sling rocks at the rip tide,
Am I wrong or am I right?
I hit the bottom with a "huh!"
(??) Quite strange,
I get my glory in the desert rain,
Watch it go..."bling".
When I offer you survival,
You say it's hard enough to live,
And I'll tell you when it's over,
Shut up poor and tired,
But more than this
How do you know that you're right?
If you're not nervous anymore,
It's not so bad, it's not so bad...
Higher and higher,
We're gonna take it,
Down to the wire,
We're gonna make it,
Out of the fire,
Higher and higher. (x2)
Higher and higher,
We're gonna take it,
Down to the wire,
We're gonna make it out,
Whoa-oh-oh Higher and higher...
It ain't hard to hold,
When it shines like gold,
You'll remember me.
"On Sam's Town, the Killers concern themselves with dramatic stuff: home and heartache, life and death, right an d wrong. 'Bling (Confession of a King)' is the victorious story of Flowers' dad forswearing - overnight - alcoholism and Catholicism to become a Mormon when Brandon was five. 'Higher and higher/We're gonna take it/Down to the wire,' sings Flowers in another arms-aloft Killers chorus. 'We're gonna make it/Out of the fire.'"
-Craig McLean talks to the Killers' singer Brandon Flowers
"Bling (Confessions of a King)"
by The Killers
on: Sam's Town
When I offer you survival,
You say it's hard enough to live,
It's not so bad, it's not so bad
How do you know that you're right?
I awoke on the roadside,
In the land of the free ride,
And I can't pull it any longer,
The sun is beating down my neck
So I ran with the devil
Left a trail of excuses,
Like a stone on the water,
The elements decide my fate,
Watch it go..."bling".
When I offer you survival,
You say it's hard enough to live,
Don't tell me that it's over,
Poor and tired,
But more than this
How do you know that you're right?
If you're not nervous anymore,
It's not so bad, it's not so bad
I feel my vision slipping in and out of focus,
But I'm pushing on for that horizon,
I'm pushing on,
Now I've got the blowing wind against my face
So you sling rocks at the rip tide,
Am I wrong or am I right?
I hit the bottom with a "huh!"
(??) Quite strange,
I get my glory in the desert rain,
Watch it go..."bling".
When I offer you survival,
You say it's hard enough to live,
And I'll tell you when it's over,
Shut up poor and tired,
But more than this
How do you know that you're right?
If you're not nervous anymore,
It's not so bad, it's not so bad...
Higher and higher,
We're gonna take it,
Down to the wire,
We're gonna make it,
Out of the fire,
Higher and higher. (x2)
Higher and higher,
We're gonna take it,
Down to the wire,
We're gonna make it out,
Whoa-oh-oh Higher and higher...
It ain't hard to hold,
When it shines like gold,
You'll remember me.
Monday, March 17, 2008
The Luck o' the Irish
Even though I forgot to wear green (whoopsie), I am Irish (among many other ethnicities) so Happy St. Patrick's Day. And if you pinch me, I won't be happy. ;)
Awesome Graphics and Myspace Layouts at pYzam.com
Sunday, March 16, 2008
La mia vita
So I'm going to do a miscellaneous, list-of-my-life-right-now post today. Because I'm inspired by what all of my other friends have been doing :D
Quest'è la vita mia. Non è troppa speciale, ma è tutta che ho e l'amo molto.
-Kurt. Being married is better than I ever thought it could be.
-Striving to be a better person every day. This weekend is stake conference and it's really inspired me.
-Missing Japanese.
-Missing Italian more, and much to my surprise.
-Missing being a student, as well. There's a camaraderie about being on campus and having a topsy-turvy life.
-Not missing being a student. My free time is my time!!
-LOVING my new ward. I'm so glad the ward we were in last semester turned out to be the wrong ward. Our ward is awesome. We have made the best friends in it!!
-Working 9 to 5. Well, 9 to 6, really.
-Improv with LOL. And the best part is, not being president of LOL.
-Accounting everywhere. Kurt, me, Kurt's friends, some of their wives (who are also my friends). It's crazy.
-Charleston, South Carolina. It's my favorite place in the whole world.
-Amazing friends everywhere! Kurt and I didn't hang out with anyone else last semester, really, because we were so dang busy, but this semester we've been reacquainted, so to speak, with all of our great friends and gotten new ones! It's been awesome.
-I love flowers! :)
-Moving to Denver soon!!!
-Buying a house and a car pretty soon too!! Ahhh!
-Seeing small blessings everywhere, even when things seem really hard.
-Excitement at getting my beloved Chou chou in the fall!!!!
-Missing my family terribly.
-Wanting to write, but being afraid.
-Reading again!!
-An awesome girl friend at work, who helps keep me sane.
-Budgeting.
-Fitness.
-Finally having real self control when it comes to eating healthy.
-A tiny piece of chocolate every day at work, also to keep me sane.
-Guitar Hero III :D
-Keeping the apartment spotless, on most days. I love the feeling I get from having a clean home.
-Cooking on a more regular basis (but not every day... Kurt and I can't eat enough food to cook every day, lol).
-Learning new recipes.
-Making pizza! Kurt and I got a pizza stone. It's been really fun.
-SNOWBOARDING. My new love.
-Blogging! Another new love.
-Waiting for my bangs to grow out!! Grrr.
-Trying to enjoy my hair cut in the mean time.
-Trying to be cheerful every day. The days that I succeed, I feel the best.
Quest'è la vita mia. Non è troppa speciale, ma è tutta che ho e l'amo molto.
-Kurt. Being married is better than I ever thought it could be.
-Striving to be a better person every day. This weekend is stake conference and it's really inspired me.
-Missing Japanese.
-Missing Italian more, and much to my surprise.
-Missing being a student, as well. There's a camaraderie about being on campus and having a topsy-turvy life.
-Not missing being a student. My free time is my time!!
-LOVING my new ward. I'm so glad the ward we were in last semester turned out to be the wrong ward. Our ward is awesome. We have made the best friends in it!!
-Working 9 to 5. Well, 9 to 6, really.
-Improv with LOL. And the best part is, not being president of LOL.
-Accounting everywhere. Kurt, me, Kurt's friends, some of their wives (who are also my friends). It's crazy.
-Charleston, South Carolina. It's my favorite place in the whole world.
-Amazing friends everywhere! Kurt and I didn't hang out with anyone else last semester, really, because we were so dang busy, but this semester we've been reacquainted, so to speak, with all of our great friends and gotten new ones! It's been awesome.
-I love flowers! :)
-Moving to Denver soon!!!
-Buying a house and a car pretty soon too!! Ahhh!
-Seeing small blessings everywhere, even when things seem really hard.
-Excitement at getting my beloved Chou chou in the fall!!!!
-Missing my family terribly.
-Wanting to write, but being afraid.
-Reading again!!
-An awesome girl friend at work, who helps keep me sane.
-Budgeting.
-Fitness.
-Finally having real self control when it comes to eating healthy.
-A tiny piece of chocolate every day at work, also to keep me sane.
-Guitar Hero III :D
-Keeping the apartment spotless, on most days. I love the feeling I get from having a clean home.
-Cooking on a more regular basis (but not every day... Kurt and I can't eat enough food to cook every day, lol).
-Learning new recipes.
-Making pizza! Kurt and I got a pizza stone. It's been really fun.
-SNOWBOARDING. My new love.
-Blogging! Another new love.
-Waiting for my bangs to grow out!! Grrr.
-Trying to enjoy my hair cut in the mean time.
-Trying to be cheerful every day. The days that I succeed, I feel the best.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Oh Li'l Brudder!
Happy Birthday to my li'l brudder, Collin!!
14 years ago (wow, really, that long?!) Collin Christopher Cooper was born in Charleston, SC. I can't believe he's 14! He's gonna be going to Church dances and in the fall high school... holy cow. So, 14 things about my awesome little brother.
1. My parents knew they were going to have another boy.
They knew it so much that they were sure I was going to be a boy, and my name would be Kyle. Two girls later, still no boy. When Collin was born and he was a boy (they never found out the sex of their kids before birth) they were so glad! After an on-slaught of girls, Collin was nicknamed "the boy." Sometimes my friends and friends of my siblings joke that my dad really thinks Collin's name is "Boy." We also call him "Bud." You'll rarely heard him called Collin by our immediate family.
2. Collin has always had great hand-eye coordination, even when he was a toddler. He would spend hours building 2-3 feet tall buildings with his blocks (which, according to my mom, is very impressive for a kid that old).
3. Collin swims, plays soccer, has played basketball, knows how to snowboard, skateboards, skim boards, and ripsticks. He'd probably also waterksi and wakeboard if our family's boat wasn't broken. He's very athletic.
4. Ryan is 13 years older than Collin and so was out of the house when Collin was 5. Because of that, he's far more comfortable around "girl talk" than any other boy I've ever known. Periods, bras, crushes on boys? Doesn't faze him at all.
5. Ever since he was little, Collin has had a knack for clever sayings. One time I told him to tell my mom I was going to work
(who wasn't home at the time). Instead of saying ok, he said, "No I don't think I will. I like to make her fret." He was about 8 at the time.
6. Another time, around this same time period, my mom had come home after I left for work at the bookstore. My mom asked if that's where I had gone and Collin said, "No, she got fired from the bookstore. But it's ok because she has a new job at Hank's (a local restaurant) peeling potatoes and onions, and she wears a shirt that says, 'I peel potatoes and onions at Hank's.'"
7. Collin is really good at Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and DDR. When he does DDR, he usually spices it up with his own moves. It's pretty funny. He's also a really good dancer and loves to dance.
8. He's really goofy. I mean, REALLY goofy. I mean, check out his beautiful face in my wedding picture!!
9. Even though he's goofy, Collin is really mature. My mom told me a story recently in which Collin was giving the FHE lesson, and it was on future goals or something like that. Anyway, he talked about how he really respected Kurt and thought that going into accounting seemed like a really good idea, since it has such good job security and teaches you good skills. What 14 wants to be an accountant because it has good job security?
10. When Collin was really little (around 5 or 6) the local pop music station started to play "Push It" by Salt n Peppa hourly (for some reason). My mom really liked the song and so would turn it up loud when it came on. Sometimes, just around the house, we'd hear Collin singing, "Ah, push it, push it good!"
11. At age 10 Collin knew who Led Zeppelin, Queen, and the Rolling Stones were. He's good really good taste in music.
12. At an age when most kids are embarrassed to be seen with their mom or family anywhere (especially the grocery store), Collin still enjoys going to on errands with my mom. Like I said, really mature.
13. He's so photogenic!!
14. Collin was a surprise baby, but we're all so grateful for him! He's always making us laugh! He is the coolest kid I know!!
14 years ago (wow, really, that long?!) Collin Christopher Cooper was born in Charleston, SC. I can't believe he's 14! He's gonna be going to Church dances and in the fall high school... holy cow. So, 14 things about my awesome little brother.
1. My parents knew they were going to have another boy.
They knew it so much that they were sure I was going to be a boy, and my name would be Kyle. Two girls later, still no boy. When Collin was born and he was a boy (they never found out the sex of their kids before birth) they were so glad! After an on-slaught of girls, Collin was nicknamed "the boy." Sometimes my friends and friends of my siblings joke that my dad really thinks Collin's name is "Boy." We also call him "Bud." You'll rarely heard him called Collin by our immediate family.2. Collin has always had great hand-eye coordination, even when he was a toddler. He would spend hours building 2-3 feet tall buildings with his blocks (which, according to my mom, is very impressive for a kid that old).
3. Collin swims, plays soccer, has played basketball, knows how to snowboard, skateboards, skim boards, and ripsticks. He'd probably also waterksi and wakeboard if our family's boat wasn't broken. He's very athletic.4. Ryan is 13 years older than Collin and so was out of the house when Collin was 5. Because of that, he's far more comfortable around "girl talk" than any other boy I've ever known. Periods, bras, crushes on boys? Doesn't faze him at all.
5. Ever since he was little, Collin has had a knack for clever sayings. One time I told him to tell my mom I was going to work
(who wasn't home at the time). Instead of saying ok, he said, "No I don't think I will. I like to make her fret." He was about 8 at the time.6. Another time, around this same time period, my mom had come home after I left for work at the bookstore. My mom asked if that's where I had gone and Collin said, "No, she got fired from the bookstore. But it's ok because she has a new job at Hank's (a local restaurant) peeling potatoes and onions, and she wears a shirt that says, 'I peel potatoes and onions at Hank's.'"
7. Collin is really good at Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and DDR. When he does DDR, he usually spices it up with his own moves. It's pretty funny. He's also a really good dancer and loves to dance.
8. He's really goofy. I mean, REALLY goofy. I mean, check out his beautiful face in my wedding picture!!
9. Even though he's goofy, Collin is really mature. My mom told me a story recently in which Collin was giving the FHE lesson, and it was on future goals or something like that. Anyway, he talked about how he really respected Kurt and thought that going into accounting seemed like a really good idea, since it has such good job security and teaches you good skills. What 14 wants to be an accountant because it has good job security?
10. When Collin was really little (around 5 or 6) the local pop music station started to play "Push It" by Salt n Peppa hourly (for some reason). My mom really liked the song and so would turn it up loud when it came on. Sometimes, just around the house, we'd hear Collin singing, "Ah, push it, push it good!"
11. At age 10 Collin knew who Led Zeppelin, Queen, and the Rolling Stones were. He's good really good taste in music.12. At an age when most kids are embarrassed to be seen with their mom or family anywhere (especially the grocery store), Collin still enjoys going to on errands with my mom. Like I said, really mature.
13. He's so photogenic!!
14. Collin was a surprise baby, but we're all so grateful for him! He's always making us laugh! He is the coolest kid I know!!
Happy Birthday, Bud!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Snowmobiling!
First of all, congratulations to my sister, Stephanie, who was just offered an awesome job up in Atlanta. Also to her, thanks for helping with my bridal and engagements pictures. Everyone be aware that Stephanie gets credit for those too!
Ahem. So last weekend Kurt and I were invited
up to his friend's wife's parents' cabin back in Heber (phew, that was a mouthful). Evan (the friend) was engaged to Jen (his wife, obviously) at the same time as Kurt and me and he was also Kurt's roommate. They invited us, James and Camille (Kurt's best friend from high school and his wife), and Andrew and Jannie (Kurt's old mission companion). Are you noticing a trend here? It's all guys who are really close to Kurt, but the rest of them aren't particularly close to each other. I thought that was rather funny. Why were we all invited? Well, just to have a fun, relaxing weekend, but also because we're all ending up in Denver after college. I don't think any of us have relatives there (except possibly Andrew or Jannie) but we're all going there. I'm really excited cuz they're all great.
FYI: Andrew and Jannie are not in any of the pictures. They had to leave Friday night and I was forgetful about taking pictures on Friday, so yeah, sad. But we had some amazing white chicken chili, cornbread, and brownies (made by yours truly), then played lots of Wii, and watched Stardust. If you haven't seen that movie yet, you should. It's really good. Definitely own-able.
The next morning we slept in, ate breakfast, and played games. Then, towards 11, we went snowmobiling. So much fun! Being on the back is kind of scary--I bounced around like crazy! But it was really fun when Kurt went fast (and those of you who know him well know that he likes to go fast). After a while we discovered that James and Camille's snowmobile was low on oil, so we stopped in some trees and hung out, taking turns with the two good snowmobiles.
Jen and Evan. Thankfully, he didn't throw that snowball at me (he threw it at Kurt actually).
James and Camille. I'm sure you'll remember their faces.
And us. I'm pretty.
Jen and Evan had been taking turns driving, which I thought was cool. Then she told me I should try driving one. I was a little nervous because snowmobiles are WAY more weight sensitive than motorcycles or wave runners, both of which I've driven before. I hopped on with Kurt behind me, took a few tentative turns in the area where we were chillin', then went roaring up the hillside.
It was really fun! I wasn't going super fast at first, but then Kurt made me push the gas harder and that didn't scare me, so I sped all the way up to the ridge.
Do I look proud of myself or what?
This picture is great because you can't really see our faces. But that's us.
There were a ton of people snowmobiling that day.
It was the perfect day--temps in the 40s, cloudy (so you could actually see), the snow was soft but not too soft. I think everyone in that community snowmobiles, no joke. We saw a couple of dare-devils, like this guy. You can't tell, but he's on the side of a very steep hill. As in, if it was a skiing hill, it would be black diamond.
After that we hung out at the spot for a little longer and took some more pictures.
Lovely pictures, James. Thanks.
Another one. Wonderful.
On the way home we saw the most fantastic sight in Heber: a completely frozen tree. My dad used to do this in Charleston when it got really cold (i.e., 30 degrees, lol) but never to this extent! It was a pretty sweet way to end our awesome trip, that and eating the rest of the cornbread. Yum. :)
Ahem. So last weekend Kurt and I were invited
up to his friend's wife's parents' cabin back in Heber (phew, that was a mouthful). Evan (the friend) was engaged to Jen (his wife, obviously) at the same time as Kurt and me and he was also Kurt's roommate. They invited us, James and Camille (Kurt's best friend from high school and his wife), and Andrew and Jannie (Kurt's old mission companion). Are you noticing a trend here? It's all guys who are really close to Kurt, but the rest of them aren't particularly close to each other. I thought that was rather funny. Why were we all invited? Well, just to have a fun, relaxing weekend, but also because we're all ending up in Denver after college. I don't think any of us have relatives there (except possibly Andrew or Jannie) but we're all going there. I'm really excited cuz they're all great.FYI: Andrew and Jannie are not in any of the pictures. They had to leave Friday night and I was forgetful about taking pictures on Friday, so yeah, sad. But we had some amazing white chicken chili, cornbread, and brownies (made by yours truly), then played lots of Wii, and watched Stardust. If you haven't seen that movie yet, you should. It's really good. Definitely own-able.
The next morning we slept in, ate breakfast, and played games. Then, towards 11, we went snowmobiling. So much fun! Being on the back is kind of scary--I bounced around like crazy! But it was really fun when Kurt went fast (and those of you who know him well know that he likes to go fast). After a while we discovered that James and Camille's snowmobile was low on oil, so we stopped in some trees and hung out, taking turns with the two good snowmobiles.
Jen and Evan. Thankfully, he didn't throw that snowball at me (he threw it at Kurt actually).
James and Camille. I'm sure you'll remember their faces.
And us. I'm pretty.
Jen and Evan had been taking turns driving, which I thought was cool. Then she told me I should try driving one. I was a little nervous because snowmobiles are WAY more weight sensitive than motorcycles or wave runners, both of which I've driven before. I hopped on with Kurt behind me, took a few tentative turns in the area where we were chillin', then went roaring up the hillside.It was really fun! I wasn't going super fast at first, but then Kurt made me push the gas harder and that didn't scare me, so I sped all the way up to the ridge.
Do I look proud of myself or what?
This picture is great because you can't really see our faces. But that's us.
There were a ton of people snowmobiling that day.
It was the perfect day--temps in the 40s, cloudy (so you could actually see), the snow was soft but not too soft. I think everyone in that community snowmobiles, no joke. We saw a couple of dare-devils, like this guy. You can't tell, but he's on the side of a very steep hill. As in, if it was a skiing hill, it would be black diamond.After that we hung out at the spot for a little longer and took some more pictures.
Lovely pictures, James. Thanks.
Another one. Wonderful.
On the way home we saw the most fantastic sight in Heber: a completely frozen tree. My dad used to do this in Charleston when it got really cold (i.e., 30 degrees, lol) but never to this extent! It was a pretty sweet way to end our awesome trip, that and eating the rest of the cornbread. Yum. :)
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