I'm taking a break from my 30 day challenge to bring you some sad news. Dave's dad passed away last night. Bill suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke three weeks ago. The doctors did not sound hopeful at first, but after two surgeries, they felt he might recover. He was making small steps to recovery, and we were all hopeful. Dave and his mom were looking at long term care facilities for him, and they were planning to move him yesterday. However, when Rose showed up at the hospital yesterday morning, Bill's breathing was very irregular and labored. It got worse throughout the day. He vomited, and this became a very big problem because it got into his lungs. Rose called Dave and told him that Bill probably wouldn't make it. We got to the hospital as soon as we could, and he passed away about 45 minutes later.

I'm grateful for the example Bill was to everyone. He was so loving and kind. I don't think the man had a mean bone in his body. We'll all miss him very much. Please keep David's family in your prayers. This came as quite a shock to all of us as we were all expecting him to recover.

Day 11- A picture of something you dislike

It's not that I dislike doctors, I just dislike surgery, blood, vomit, and anything that has to do with a hospital. If you want to see my face turn green, put on a surgery show. Yuck.

Day 10- A story about a past relationship

Well, I definitely wouldn't consider this a "relationship," but it is a funny story about a blind date I went on.

A friend I worked with talked to me for weeks about this guy he wanted to set me up with. He totally talked this guy up. He was supposed to be my perfect match. As we all know, blind dates never turn out this way, unless you're my parents, but that's another story.

I don't remember his name, so we'll call him Jim. Jim called me a few days before we went out and asked me to go to a movie. We decided to see Bedtime Stories, because we both thought it looked like a good show. He said he'd pick me up at 6:30.

6:30 came and went and Jim hadn't shown up. I got a call from him at about 6:45 saying he was running late. I gave him directions to my house, and he said he'd be there in 10 minutes. Once again, 10 minutes came and went. No sign of Jim. Another half an hour rolled by, and Mr. Perfect was nowhere to be found. Now, anyone who's been to my house knows that it's really not THAT hard to find.

I got another phone call from Jim saying he was lost. I asked him where he was, and he was on the complete opposite side of town. I started to think that this kid must not be too bright. Awhile later I saw a car going up and down my street like the person driving it was lost. I figured it was my date, so I called him and asked if he was lost again. Of course he was! I told him he was right outside my house. He finally came in, met my mom, and we left in a hurry because we were running late. At this point, I found out Jim was driving his mom's box van because he got his car stuck in a snow bank earlier. Hence the reason he was late. Well, partially. He was mostly late because he couldn't navigate his way through the thriving metropolis of Rexburg.

We got in the car, he put it in reverse, stepped on the gas, and backed straight in to AJ's massive truck... We got out to check the damage, and the poor kid looked scared to death. But not nearly as scared as when we went in to tell AJ. AJ had a shaved head and a bushy beard. He looked pretty intimidating. My date stumbled over his words, so I broke the news to AJ. We went out to look over the damage. Thankfully AJ's truck only suffered a broken taillight cover. However, the back of the van was a different story. The tailgate was completely smashed in. Jim kept saying over and over how his mom was going to kill him. I just kept thinking, "How did you not see a HUGE F350?!?!?!" AJ let the kid off easy and told him not to worry about the truck. He happened to have an extra taillight cover, so he could easily fix it.

After the color in Jim's face reappeared, we finally left for the movie. Let's just say that Jim's driving skills did not improve. We were sliding all over the road, and he almost rear-ended another car. The Indiana Jones Ride had nothing on this guy! We somehow managed to make it to the movie alive. Of course we missed over half of it.

After a scary ride back home, and Jim saying, "We should do this again sometime," I ran back into the safety of my house never to see him again.

Day 09- Something/someone you’re proud of

Dave is only three months away from earning his master's degree. Even though I complain all the time that I don't get to see him, I'm proud of what he's doing. Plus he's totally HOT!!! Hello!

Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why

I'm going to start off by saying that I hate goals. I think they're annoying and cliche. I'm such a Scrooge. I've never made a New Year's resolution, because I think they're just plain dumb. The only goal I have this month is to post something every day on my blog. Good thing I'm doing this challenge so I have a goal to list in this post :)

Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you

Hmmm, good question. Well, Andrea already used family as her biggest influence, so that one has been taken. I'll go with the next best thing. FOOD! Seriously, if I'm hungry, you don't want to be around me. Just ask Dave. If my stomach is full of good food, I'm a happy person. If my stomach is empty, you better watch out. Things can get a little crazy. It's very safe to say that food has a big influence on me. I think it's better if Dave and I just don't acknowledge each other on fast Sundays. I think it's healthier that way :)

I actually took this picture for one of my classes. Who wants egg rolls?! I do!!!

Day 06- A hobby you have

I love to record music. I just think the whole process is fun. I'm pretty shy when it comes to actually sharing my songs though. I usually just let my parents listen to them, because they're required to like them :) I just ordered an electronic drum set that hooks up to my computer. Too bad it's on back order. And of course the company I ordered it from didn't tell me that until AFTER the purchase. Grrr...

This is my cute little mic. Thanks for hooking me up Jared!

Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to

We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon, and I miss it every day. What a cool place! We stayed on Oahu and Kauai. Kauai was by far my favorite. It was more relaxed and not as crowded as Oahu. Although, it was more crowded with chickens/roosters running around :)

Day 04- List 15 songs that represent your life’s soundtrack

1. Cecilia - Simon and Garfunkel
This is the first song I can remember loving. I was probably 3 or 4, but I can remember singing it in the car with my mom and dad. I was surprised to find out what it really meant when I was older :)

2. The Sign - Ace of Base
One of my brothers had this song on tape, and I would listen to it over and over while I roller-skated in the garage.

3. Down On the Corner - CCR
Another song I can remember singing with my dad when I was growing up. We had the opportunity to do a guitar duet at the nursing home a couple of years ago, and we sang this song. You can't go wrong with a little CCR.

4. Needs - Collective Soul
Jared introduced me to this song. It was pretty much life changing :) I've loved Collective Soul ever since. My friends and I played this in Guitar's Unplugged a few years ago.

5. Brighter Than Sunshine - Aqualung
Just an all around great tune I've listened to countless times.

6. None of Your Business - Salt-N-Pepa
My soccer team and I would listen to this song all the time on our way to games. We'd roll down the windows and belt it out like fools. We were fools.

7. Colors - Amos Lee
I first heard this in the movie "Just Like Heaven." It's kind of sad, but really good at the same time.

8. Landslide - Stevie Nicks
Okay, so Stevie Nicks doesn't have the greatest voice on earth, but this song is pretty dang awesome in my book. I don't have any specific memories regarding this one, but I've always liked it.

9. Come Home Soon - SHeDAISY
Lindsay, Hailee, and I would always sing this. It's such a good one. I never get tired of it.

10. Steal My Kisses - Ben Harper
Who wouldn't like this song? Only commies.

11. No One - Alicia Keys
I can honestly say that I don't particularly love this one, but my roommates and I would always sing it at dance parties, so the memories are worth it :)

12. One Day Like This - Elbow
Another song Jared introduced me to. I've listened to it on repeat for hours at a time.

13. Takes So Long - The Weepies
I heart The Weepies, and I heart this song.

14. If It's Love - Train
Train is one of my favorite bands ever, and this is a great upbeat song.

15. Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles
No specific memories on this one, I've just always loved it.

Day 03- A habit that you wish you didn’t have

I don't know if you would call this a habit, but it is definitely a problem I wish I didn't have. I have a really hard time calling people on the phone. Especially people I don't know. It's like I'm afraid I'm going to freeze up and forget what I'm supposed to say, and then I'll say something totally stupid. This has never actually happened, but I'm always terrified it will.

I'm afraid to call and order a pizza, I'm afraid to call the doctor and set up an appointment, I'm even afraid to call people back who have called me and left a voice message. I messed my elbow up a couple of months ago during a soccer game, and it still hurts like crazy. But do you think I've set up an appointment? If you guessed no, you're right...

Day 02- A picture of something you cannot live without

Sweaters. I have to wear a sweater/jacket everyday, or life is not pleasant.

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

1. Pretty sure I'm a little OCD. I feel like I'm constantly washing my hands or using sanitizer. When I was in 6th grade, I won the clean hands award. True story.
2. When I was in high school, I went on a "business trip" with my parents to Las Vegas. While we were there, I got to meat Morgan and Paul Hamm.
3. I have 20/20 vision. I've been prescribed glasses three or four times, but the last time I went to the eye doctor (a couple of weeks ago), my eyes had improved. Yay!
4. I studied marshal arts for a couple of years.
5. I can't leave my house if my makeup and hair aren't done. I'm pretty sure I got that from my mom. No shopping in PJs for me!
6. I may or may not be a little addicted to Angry Birds. But who isn't?!
7. When I was in third grade, I broke the middle finger on my left hand. Not fun, but I got to wear a sweet splint for a few weeks :)
8. I'm the music leader in relief society. It always makes my day when the cute old ladies give me a hug and tell me they love the hymns I pick. They're sweetie pies.
9. One of my pictures from work will be in Woman's World Magazine next month. Coming to a news stand near you!
10. I really love vegetables. Like a lot.
11. Every time I see one of those vinyl family stickers on the back of a car, I have to keep myself from cussing. I really hate those things.
12. I taught myself to ride a bike. AJ left his bike out on the lawn one day, and I decided I should give it a whirl. I actually got it on the first try.
13. Top Chef is probably my favorite TV show ever.
14. I am now officially a Hensley (changed my name on my SS card) and (unfortunately) a Utah resident.
15. I've never been pulled over. Knock on wood.

Andrea, may I copy you? K, thanks.

Andrea has been doing a 30 day posting challenge on her blog this month, and I think it's kind of cool. So naturally, I'm going to copy her :) I figured this would be an easier way for me to think of things to blog about. So here you go.

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.

Day 02- A picture of something you cannot live without.

Day 03- A habit that you wish you didn’t have.

Day 04- List 15 songs that represent your life’s soundtrack.

Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to.

Day 06- A hobby you have.

Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you.

Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why.

Day 09- Something/someone you’re proud of.

Day 10- A story about a past relationship.

Day 11- A picture of something you dislike.

Day 12- A picture of your room & don’t cheat by cleaning it. Share a secret.

Day 13- Write a letter telling someone something you could never tell them.

Day 14- A picture of something you ate and 10 confessions.

Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle & share the first 10 songs that play.

Day 16- Something you could live without.

Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why.

Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have.

Day 19- Nicknames you have & how or why you have them.

Day 20- If you had 3 wishes, what would they be.

Day 21- Share a picture from your day.

Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else.

Day 23- What is something you crave.

Day 24- Share a story about your past that you are ashamed of.

Day 25- What I would find in your bag.

Day 26- Places you want to visit before you die.

Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge?

Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?

Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned.

Day 30- A picture of you today & 20 goals you want to accomplish.

Year in Review

I wanted to make a list of all the fun/cool/exciting things I've done this past year. I wanted to throw in a bunch of pictures on this post, but true to form, I don't have very many... A little ironic, don't ya think? Anyway, here we go.


* David and I got engaged. It's pretty weird to think that was a year ago. I knew Dave wanted to propose, and I totally thought I'd know when he was going to pop the question. But I was wrong. It was a great surprise. Good job, Dave.

* Joined an indoor soccer team. It has been really good for me to have something to do every Friday. It's been rough having Dave in school, and soccer is one thing that gives me something to look forward to every week.

* Got a new Mac. Yes, this is worth mentioning. I love Napoleon. Don't make fun of me for naming my computer. I have to give Jenni credit for coming up with the name. You see, he's named Napoleon because he's little, but he can take over the world. Mwahahahaha!!!!


* Moved to Sugar House. I love our neighborhood. It's awesome not being surrounded by apartments. Just cute little houses. And EVERYONE has a dog. Except for us... I'm determined to change that.

* Got SCUBA certified. After doing a few sessions in a pool, I got to go to the Crater in Midway and do two more sessions. It was honestly really scary at first. You have to train yourself to not freak out when you're underwater. Once I got the hang of it though, I never wanted to stop. It's a very different world underwater.


* Got married. I guess this one makes the list... Just kidding. This was by far the bright spot in my year. Everyone asks how I like married life. Honestly, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Marriage is awesome. And I will refrain from being cheesy so I don't embarrass any of you and/or my husband :)

* Went to Hawaii. By far the coolest place I've ever been. Between the food, SCUBA diving, off-roading, and everything else, I didn't want to leave. We actually tried to change our plane tickets last minute so we could come back a couple days later, but we weren't able to. Sad.


* Lake Powell. I'd never been before, and I wasn't disappointed. We had a few scary moments (hitting a deer, almost sinking our boat, getting caught in a major storm), but it was awesome. The landscape is so different but beautiful. If you haven't been to Lake Powell, I highly recommend you go.

* We went hiking and camping quite a few times this summer. The weather was great, and we took advantage of it. Dave didn't have to take any classes during the summer, so we definitely made good use of our time.

* Ran in the Dirty Dash. This 10K was so fun. The girls in our group were awesome (Hi Hil!), and it was great to have people cheering us on. I really wish I would have trained more, but I still had boatloads of fun.


* Turned 24. Good thing I got married, or I'd be considered an old maid by Mormon standards. Phew... That was a close one.

I'd have to say that 2010 was a pretty good year. We'll see how 2011 pans out.

It's Been Awhile

I have writer's block. So sue me. Until I come up with something worth writing, enjoy the following picture.

Dear Mom,

This post is for you, because you said you didn't like clicking on my blog anymore because the last post was sad, and it was always at the top. Consider this an early Christmas present.

Love,
Your Favorite Child EVER

Can't Sleep. Guilty Conscience

I'm writing this post for strictly selfish purposes. I guess I wanted to blog about this just so I can go back and read it to remind myself to act when I'm impressed to do something.

There's only one way to put this... I feel stupid. Really stupid.

Dave and I try to go out on a date once a week. With him being in school and both of us working full time, it's hard to get quality time in. Our date night is usually designated for Saturdays.

This week we decided to go to dinner (The Old Spaghetti Factory at Trolley Square) and then go bowling. The bowling alley was pretty busy, and we had to stand in line for quite awhile. In front of us was a man and his daughter. They were soon joined by his wife and three more kids. Dave and I both commented on how cute this family was. It was finally their turn to get set up on a lane. The kids were SO excited. As they were lacing up their shoes, I could see the man trying to communicate with the cashier. I don't think he spoke English, or at least not well, so the older daughter was trying to translate. It was obvious the man didn't have enough money to pay. I felt impressed to help them out... But I just stood their like a Greek statue. Or an idiot. Whatever you want to call it. We watched as the mom told the little kids to put their shoes back up on the counter. They had the most disappointed looks on their faces. The family walked off, and we never saw them again.

It was our turn to pay. We were surprised to see how much it was just for the two of us. I'm sure paying for a family of 6 wasn't cheap. As we were walking up to our lane, Dave commented on how we should have helped that family. I told him that I had the same impression.

We played 1 game, but we didn't really enjoy it because we felt so bad about the situation.

It's not like we couldn't have helped them out. It wouldn't have been a financial burden for us. As I watched the whole thing go down, I wasn't thinking selfish thoughts as to why we shouldn't help them, I just didn't act. And now I feel horrible about it. I felt like Heavenly Father gave us an opportunity to help some people out, and we let it slip through our fingers. I hope He will bless me with more opportunities like this. Dave and I both committed to never let something like that happen again.

So this is why I can't sleep. Sorry this post is kind of a downer, but I guess I wanted to tell someone about it. And that someone just happens to be everyone who reads this blog. So there you go.

Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On

Dave went to the eye doctor a few days ago because his prescription was about 6 years old. Plus, one of his lenses was scratched to H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks. The Air Force said they'd mail the glasses to us, and when I got home today I found the package in the mail box. Dave was pretty excited to get them. We were surprised to find THREE pairs of glasses. Three pairs of totally awesome glasses. One of the pairs looks like this. David didn't know why they asked for his gas mask size, but today we found out. Apparently these babies are supposed to go UNDER the gas mask. They look about a half inch thick. I'm sure that's an exaggeration, but the lenses are ridiculously thick. I tried them on, and they were totally like beer goggles. My husband didn't bother to mention while we were dating that he was practically blind. I might have thought about things more if I would have known that... Just kidding.

I'm really diggin' the poky ears in this one. I've never had poky ears, but the rubber band apparently does wonders for people with normal ears.

Here's a good shot of what they look like. You can tell I took this picture because it's not shaky unlike the one of me :) Love you anyway, Dave!

Mobile Uploads

Getting a phone with a decent camera has been pretty fun. I've never really used the camera on my cell phone much, but after getting this new one (5 megapixels), I've found myself snapping quite a few. That doesn't necessarily mean the pictures turn out great since you can't control exposure, white balance, etc with it, but I still like to take them. I hardly ever have my nice camera with me, and I don't have a little point and shoot, so this makes it nice.

We decided to drive up to Rexburg this weekend to surprise my mom and dad. We got to the house but they were gone. We needed to run errands in town, so we decided to kidnap Jack. I sent this picture to my mom's phone hoping to confuse her as to what we were doing with her dog, but I forgot she doesn't know how to use a phone. Just kidding, mom :) But seriously... She didn't even see it until they got to the house and I asked her if she liked my text message. I could tell by the confused look on her face that she had no idea what I was talking about.

Oh, and please don't make fun of my nasty Donald Trump hair in this picture. We had been playing hockey. So there.

Is this a bad sign?

I passed this truck while on a walk the other day. Your guess is as good as mine.

New Project

I've decided to start recording some songs again. It's been awhile, and I've missed it. I went through a streak where I recorded a bunch of songs all at once, but then I stopped for some reason. Oh yeah. I think it was because of those 19 credits that almost killed me. Yeah, that must have been it. Have I mentioned I'm so happy that I'm finished with school?

This song is called "All I Want is You." It's by U2, and you can listen to the original here.

This recording is far from professional. I haven't edited it yet, so please forgive me for my out of tune notes and other mistakes. Also, I hope you like the one and only picture in this video. Apparently, Blogger won't let you post a song, but it will let you post a video. I put the song in iMovie and grabbed a picture. I think Jonas looks awesome in this one :)



P.S. Sorry about the poopy quality.

24 is the new 23

Thanks everyone for your birthday phone calls, texts, and gifts. It was a good day. My office at work is in the process of getting remodeled, so I got to go home at about 11am on Friday. Hizzah! Best b-day present ever :)

Dave went to a lot of trouble to make sure I had a fun birthday. I don't see much of my husband due to work and his Master's program. Not cool. Anyway, he's been staying really late at work almost every night. We're talking midnight usually. So it was no surprise when he told me on Thursday he was going to be working late again. I went to bed and was fast asleep when suddenly the lights came on, and Dave was standing there with a cake fully lit with candles. I was so disoriented, I didn't really know what to think. Waking up like that scared me to death, and my heart was pounding out of my chest. Once I (finally) grasped what was going on, I blew out the candles, and we had cake at 12:30am. He had left work early and made the cake at our friend Amy's house. It was a very cool surprise... Once my heart returned to a normal rhythm that is.

Dave got off of work around 5 on Friday, and we headed up to Park City for dinner. We went to a little place called the Baja Cantina. Soooo very tasty. We then went to Provo because I wanted to go to a concert I had heard about. This band is pretty awesome. They put kind of a bluegrass spin on church hymns. They are called The Lower Lights, and you should check them out here. I recommend you listen to Ye Elders of Israel first. It is pretty awesome. Unfortunately, the whole album is no longer available to listen to for free, but a few songs are still up. Don't worry, it's not cheesy Mormon pop. Although, I'm sure I'll still be made fun of for liking it.

In other news, I talked Dave into letting me get new running shoes since mine were pretty much destroyed from the Dirty Dash. So, we bought these babies...


Let me introduce you to my new pair of Asics Cumulus Gel 11 (AKA the most amazing shoe ever). I can almost hear my feet let out a sigh of relief when I put these on. They are that comfy. It's amazing how a nice pair of shoes can make running a lot more pleasant. Or a lot less torturous, depending on how you look at it :)