Secretive Things

I've been tagged. The object of this tag is to tell you 10 things that you may NOT know about me. Here they are...

1. I have officially majored in: Public Relations, Fitness and Wellness, and Linguistics, but in my head (in other words, for 1 semester or less and so didn't change my major officially) I have also majored in Broadcast Journalism, Athletic Training, and Italian.

2. I love all things astronomy. I thought about majoring in astronomy until I learned it was Astronomy/Physics. I don't do physics.

3. I have had stitches three times, all on my head. Once for a cinder block falling on my head, once when a Pomeranian attacked me, and when I ran into a sharp-cornered TV on the floor.

4. I used to always want to be famous. I wasn't sure how I would attain that, seeing as how I'm not great at acting, but I wanted it nonetheless. I just wanted to be famous.

5. Dream jobs: ballerina, concert pianist or cellist.

6. Speaking of instruments, I play/have played: piano, violin, bassoon, xylophone, and chimes (the big ones). I'd also like to learn: cello, organ, oboe, and clarinet. I think the cello is one of the most beautiful instruments.

7. I had a pet rock in 5th grade. In fact, I started a trend of pet rocks in 5th grade. One of my brief moments of popularity. (I was going to say coolness, but there's nothing cool about owning a rock.)

8. I couldn't remember Kurt's name once right after we met. It had been over a week since I'd met him, and I saw him on the way home from campus. I thought it was Kurt, but wasn't sure and finally decided it was better not to know at all than to guess and be wrong. I should have guessed, seeing as how I would've been right!

9. I love flowers! My favorite is the stargazer lily, the lighter the pink the better. I also love calla lilies, hot pink roses (hence why they were at my wedding), tulips, orchids, dogwood flowers, magnolia flowers, and just about any lilies. I also really love a type of rose that I've only seen one place (the Flower Basket Boutique in Provo) but cannot remember the name of them for the life of me!

10. I am terrified of tornadoes! Just terrified of them!!

Our New Car

Our new car is a 2002 Acura RSX hatchback. It has about 69,000 miles on it and has been garaged for over the last two years because the owner was in Iraq. The interior is spotless and the paint has very few small scratches on it. It has a sunroof, black leather interior, cd player, manual transmission, lots more get-up than the PT, and sex appeal. :D
Kurt is driving it down to Arizona today to get it registered (no sales tax in Arizona). I got to drive it last night and it's a quiet and fun ride! We love it!

More Dogs

Here are a few more breeds Kurt and/or I really like. This is really for my benefit (for later use, when we actually get a dog), so don't feel like you need to look at every one of these. Unless you really want to, because dogs are awesome.

Basenji
Very cool dog, but apparently a handful. Still, we like the look of 'em.

Belgian Malinois
Like a German Shepherd, but looks nicer. I don't like German Shepherds (bad experiences).

Carolina Dog
So this dog isn't a realistic buy (pricey), but come on! It was a breed recently found in the wild in South Carolina!!

Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Like a lab, but a bit smaller.

Collie
I've never thought about Collies a lot, but I just read about them today and they actually seem like great family dogs.

English Springer Spaniel
I DO think these are cute, Allison, but I do prefer the ones without the curly ear-fur, like this one. He's adorable.

Eurasier
Kurt's not crazy about long-haired dogs, but apparently these dogs have great temperaments!

Finnish Spitz
Another long-haired dog with a great personality. :)

Flat-Coated Retriever
It looks like a black lab met a golden retriever and had babies.

German Short-haired Pointer
Cute! I love the spots!

Giant Schnauzer
I love BIG dogs. He looks cuddly.

Great Pyrenees
In case you haven't noticed, I really like fluffy dogs. And they all seem to have great temperaments.

Irish Setter
Mellow enough not to drive you crazy, energetic enough to be fun.

Irish Terrier
I love terriers!

Norwegian Elkhound
Fluffy!

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
Caramel colored golden. :D

Petit Basset Griffon
He is SO cute!

Samoyed
I seriously love white, fluffy dogs.

Shetland Sheepdog
Like a Collie, but smaller.

Shiba
Like an Akita, but smaller.

Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier
These are beautifully shaggy and great temperaments to boot.

Standard Schnauzer
In case you haven't noticed, I like schnauzers.

Welsh Terrier
And terriers.

West Highland Terrier
This is seriously one of the cutest breeds ever.

White Shepherd Dog
This dog is GORGEOUS!

So basically I like: spitzes (fluffy ones), herding dogs, retrievers, and terriers. I do have a type (or several).
Rest assured, I have exhausted myself on dog-research (for a while) and so will not post about dogs anymore (for a while).

The First Large Purchase

Today, Kurt and I are buying this:

This is my first car purchase EVER. It's Kurt's first over $2500. It's a great car with low mileage and great gas mileage. We are so stoked.
We are growing up!

Dog'gone crazy!

So, I love dogs. Like, want to own 2 or more at any given time.
Recently, I've been looking at dog breeds a lot, trying to decide what would be a good breed for our family.
I've come across a few breeds that have become my favorites.

Airedale Terrier
Playful and very smart, but apparently a handful.

Akita
Dignified and loyal. Beautiful!

Black Russian Terrier
Unfortunately, these big, gorgeous dogs are a rare breed so cost up to $2500. Blech.

Welsh Corgi
Both Pembroke and Cardigan, though I think Cardigan's a bit cuter.
(This one is a Cardigan).

Golden Retriever
I'm always a sap for these light-hearted dogs.

Komondor
Because of their unique coats, they sound like they're a whole lot of work to groom but they look so cuddly.

Miniature Schnauzer
This is probably my favorite breed!
Isn't that the cutest face you've ever seen?!

Red Heeler
I think this is a very cool looking dog and they're apparently great with kids.

Welsh Springer Spaniel
Like an English Springer Spaniel, which are very cute, but just a bit cuter. ;)

Labrador Retriever
I like yellows the best, preferring them over chocolates, whites and blacks.
But let's be honest, they're a classic dog!

Last, and CERTAINLY not least, the cockapoo.
:)

Kurt and I will probably almost always adopt rescued/shelter dogs. I mean, what's better than saving a life AND getting a companion?

Good times!

So, my mom's in town (yay!!!) and I don't think I'll be posting a whole lot for the next 2 weeks or so, so here's a post to keep y'all busy (and I think it will be fun!):

Here are the directions:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory (or two) that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. I'll play back with you, too!

Another birthday

Yesterday Kurt informed that July 8th was his older brother's birthday.
So Happy Birthday, Nikkia! I hope it was a great one filled with ... bears.

The Fourth II

Rested up, Kurt and I packed up and met our friends the Winder's and the Bergam's to set off on our new adventure:

backpacking Y mountain! Here we see the hopeful and somewhat naive travelers as they begin this epic journey.

About halfway up the Y trail I discovered that my inhaler was completely empty and Tiffany, my friend-in-asthma, didn't have hers. This was a daunting beginning, but it was overcast (which helps with keeping the heat down, which in turn helps with the asthma) and we decided to press on without.

My asthma, though very bad lately, was nice and not-so-bad for this hike and so I made it to the top of the Y (first time, I've always stopped at the bottom of the Y). I felt triumphant.

Photo op!

We continued on past the Y into unknown territory

...and continued on so more...

And found a nice lookout spot ripe for picture taking! Plus, we were all suckin' wind and feelin' the 20+ pound (girls)

and 40+ pound (boys) packs on our backs.

We were not the only ones enjoying the scenery and taking advantage of it.

Finally, a beautiful sight came into view... We decided it was a meadow worthy to be our sleeping quarters for the night.

Tiffany and Greg set up camp.

So did Jen and Evan.

Kurt was really thirsty and very glad to have this water.

Home sweet tent.

Then, settled in Greg started the fire.

And Kurt cooked delicious chili with rice, hamburger, and cheese. After it got dark, we set off once more for the main event:

Watching Fire of Stadium fireworks at the top of Y Mount! It took about 30 minutes to get up there and at first as we trekked through stinging nettles and over rocks and roots, we each wondered (to ourselves) if we really wanted to hike all the way to the top. We wondered if it would be worth the extra effort that night and soreness the next day. Two words: it was. There were two beautifully weathered logs on the very top of the mountain that made perfect seating to watch the best fireworks display in Utah. They were big, beautiful, and loud. We could see all the way from Santaquin to Draper. It was pretty amazing.

Look at the amazement on our faces!

With sadness we left the beautiful view and started our trek back down, until we remembered what awaited us back at the meadow: s'mores (courtesy of Tiff and Greg)!! What a way to end an amazing July 4th!

Waiting for my mallow to be flamin', then I'll put it on the graham.

Somewhere along the way, Kurt turned into a thug.

But a sweet thug. The next morning, I woke up to these. :)

There's my sweet thuggin' husband. Up bright and early.

We ate oatmeal and poptarts for breakfast (courtesy of Evan and Jen).

And then it was time to leave. July 5th was much sunnier than July 4th and so I was able to see just how beautiful and green our meadow was.

Tiff and Greg packin' up.

Evan and Jen already packed up. That was fast!

One last picture... because my jacket matched the meadow.

And then Kurt turned into a Boy Scout.

As we left, we turned and looked back the way we'd come...

We felt like macho persons (politically correct) as we got back to our cars! 'Twas a successful trip!!