Dwight Schrute's Resume

I love the internets, because you can find genius/hilarious things, like what Dwight Schrute's resume would look like. Here's a little sample of it.
 

To see the full resume, go here. Trust me, it's worth every second.

The Baby Bachelor

Not everyone can appreciate trashy TV shows like The Bachelor, but I think everyone can appreciate this version of it.

Taking Fetch to a Whole New Level

Here's a funny video of a Pitbull trying to play his own version of fetch. Sorry for the poor video quality. It's pretty funny anyway. I can imagine Tony trying something like this.

It Must be Rough Being a Celebrity

Recently, Buzzfeed published some pretty funny pictures of Beyonce performing at the Superbowl halftime show. Apparently she didn't approve, and her publicist sent them an email asking them to take down the photos. You can read the article and see the pictures here. Readers took this as an opportunity to practice some mad Photoshopping skills. Here are a couple of my favorites.

You can see the rest of the submissions here. I love the internets.

Oh, Dove

A few days ago, I noticed a video made by Dove circulating around Facebook regarding how women view themselves. While it gives women warm-fuzzies to hear they're more beautiful than they think, it's also important to note that the company promoting this campaign is the same company that sells Axe body spray. You know, the commercials that show runway models tripping over themselves to get to a nerdy guy who is wearing a body spray that's way too overpowering and would give any normal human being a migraine. So, I never actually watched the Dove video. But then one of my friends posted the Dove Experiment parodied by men, and I instantly knew it would be awesome. And it was. So here it is.

After watching this, I finally watched the real video made by dove. I would like to point out that after listening to a podcast a few weeks ago about police sketch artists, I learned they are only 9% accurate. So there's that. 

*Disclaimer* While I think the Dove video is pretty pathetic, I should point out that I love Dove soap. In fact, it's in my shower right now. It's quite lovely.

Scary Mary

My parents came for a visit last week and left yesterday. It was a lot of fun having them here, but now I'm worn out and could probably sleep for a year (I love hyperbole). I don't think Dave would appreciate that though. I took my mom and dad to Old Town Albuquerque to check out the old buildings and shops.

I found this creepy thing carved into a dead tree behind a church. I like to call it Scary Mary. I don't know if the person who carved it was actually trying to portray Mary, but it was at a Catholic church, and it was definitely a woman, so that's my best guess. There were pigeons roosting all over the tree, and the little guy on the crown didn't seem too concerned about how close I was.

Speaking of Scary Mary. Please enjoy the following video. You'll never think of Mary Poppins the same way ever again. She'll haunt your dreams.

Carlsbad

Dave and I headed down to Carlsbad on Thursday. We stayed at Hailee's, and Michelle and Kevin drove up from Texas. We had a blast! We went to the Caverns, did some rock climbing, and sang some songs. A good time was had by all.

This is a 25 second exposure shooting towards the entrance of the cave. If you look closely, you can see a few ghost-like figures on the bottom walkway. These are people who were standing in the frame for part of the exposure and then walked out. 

The group (minus Derek) after we exited the caves. We were all STARVING.

A Fresh Start?

Once again, I have completely failed at blogging. Did I even need to point that out? Don't answer that... Sometimes I think about just deleting this thing, because I never use it, so I'm going to try something different. I'm going to try to post once a week. Notice I said "try." Since my attention span is that of a goldfish (possibly shorter), there's a good chance I'll completely fail at this task. Anyway, I plan on posting anything funny I've come across, adventures in the Hensley Household, pictures I've taken, hilarious things about my dog (who doesn't love animal posts?! Only Commies.), etc... Don't worry, I'll try to make the entries short, because no one likes posts that take an hour to get through.

So let's start this thing off right. Here are a couple pictures from a ski trip David and I took to a place called Sipapu. Yep. You pronounce it just like it looks. Sip-a-poo. Maybe I'll send a prize to the person who can come up with the most immature joke involving the name. I probably won't actually send a prize, but we should have a contest anyway. You know, between the two people who read this blog.

The snow was slushy, and the resort was pretty pathetic, but I guess you can't expect too much when you live in NM. It was 60 degrees! Unfortunately, I put my lift pass on my coat, so I was forced to wear it, even though I wanted nothing more than to take it off. I was dying. So even though 60 degrees is awesome in March, it doesn't make for the best skiing conditions. My dad would be sad to know that I'm not hardcore enough to ski in my jeans like he does.

Here was my view after a pretty great wipe out. It turns out I'm no good at skiing after 15 or so years of not doing it. Sad face.

It's Time for a Quadrimonthly Post

Yes, that is a real term.

Let's see... What's been going on in my life?

First off, Dave was called to be first counselor in the young men's, and then a week later I was called to be first counselor in young women's. It's been interesting, and our lives have become much busier. I miss my old calling (Laurels adviser). It was a pretty cush job. I basically only had to teach once a month, and show up to mutual. Now I actually have meetings and crud. Bummer.

That's all I can come up with, because my brain has basically been mush for the past 5 months. Mono will do that to you. Oh, by the way, in case you didn't know, I contracted mono this year, and it has been nothing short of awesome (insert loads and loads of sarcasm in that sentence). I can't seem to get over it, and it's really starting to get annoying. My immune system is completely shot because of it, and I've been getting all sorts of fun sicknesses/infections. I'm sure my doctor is tired of seeing me and trying to figure out my mystery illnesses. I'd like to think it keeps her on her toes. When I die, I'm going to have a serious discussion with the big guy about this whole experience. Enough complaining. Moving on!

I flew out to California last week to do family pictures for Jared and Jenni. It was tons of fun, but as usual, I forgot to bring warm clothes. I'm so used to the New Mexico heat, I forgot that San Francisco is windy and cold (like 62 degrees plus wind chill). Despite that, I loved it. We spent all day Saturday in the city taking pictures, enjoying pizza at Golden Boy, and trying to make Stella smile and look at the camera at the same time. Here are a few of my favorite pictures. 

Stella was extremely proud of herself at this moment. She pulled a weed out of a crack in the marble. And the she promptly tried to eat it.

If there's anything more difficult than getting Stella to look at the camera and smile at the same time, it's getting Scout to look at the camera while getting Stella to look at the camera and smile at the same time  :)

 

After we were done taking family pictures, we went to Ghirardelli Square for hot fudge sundaes. Mmmm. We then went up to twin peaks to take some night shots of the city.

We also went to an old Spanish mission called San Juan Bautista. It was a really cool place, and I got a couple of shots I liked. 

There was a really cool cemetery, but the gate was locked. I was pretty bummed because it would have been a really good shot, but this shot through the gate will just have to do. 

Apparently it is a cat-friendly church, because this guy was hanging out in the chapel.

 

That's all for now. Expect an update in another four months!

The Last Three Weeks

As I mentioned in my last post, Dave had a three week training in Ohio. I was pretty bummed about it, but I decided that I would try to have some fun while he was gone. I wasn't going to let myself have a pity party, so I spent the first week in New Mexico hanging out with my aunt and golfing. The second week, Hailee and I drove down to Austin, Texas to visit Lindsay and her cute little fam. It was so nice to catch up and have some fun. Some of the highlights: We visited the Bat Cave in downtown Austin (it's actually a bridge, but it's more fun to call it the Bat Cave), we went to the San Marcos river and brought inflatable kayaks, and we got caught in a torrential downpour.

Texas

The Bat Cave:
This bridge is home to 1.5 million bats, making it the largest urban bat colony in North America. Each night when the weather is nice, the bats fly out and search for food. I was hoping to get some good shots of the bats, but the sun was completely down by the time they flew out, so there wasn't enough light, but I did get some pretty good night-shots of the city.

This was my favorite shot. Batman was actually filmed near here. You may recognize the building with the peaked roof and white lights from the movie.

I also liked this one from the top of the bridge. I think both of these pictures were ten second exposures.

 San Marcos River:

The San Marcos is a slow-moving, spring-fed river. The water is a really pretty aqua color. There were tons of people there the day we went, so you can spot bright yellow tubes in all of my shots. Bummer.

Jeff (Lindsay's husband) and I took the kayaks farther down the river where there were some rapids. I wasn't too scared to take them on, but maybe I should have been. I went down the largest rapid which has been dubbed "The Shoot," but I wasn't quite prepared for it. At the last second, my kayak turned sideways and flipped over. The rapids sucked me under, but thankfully I was able to push my way up to the surface. While it was quite a shock, I still had fun, and the water wasn't too cold. I have some pretty sweet bruises from it, but I'd probably try it again if I got the chance.

Fun fact of the day: While everyone else in the nation would pronounce it San Marcos, Texans pronounce it San Marcus. Annoying.

The Torrential Downpour:

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of this, so you'll have to use your imaginations.

Hailee, Lindsay, and I were about ready to leave a store when it sounded like the building was going to cave in due to a herd of elephants doing the Macarena on the roof. A lovely Texas storm had rolled into town.  The parking lot had become a lake in about 5 seconds. We debated on whether or not we should wait for the rain to stop (we had two babies with us) or just run to the car. We waited it out for 5 minutes or so, when we decided the rain wasn't going to stop any time soon. We ran to the car as fast as we could, strapped in the kiddos, and jumped in. We were soaked, and driving home was NOT fun. The rain never let up, and did I mention it was at night? We're talking flash-floods, lighting, the whole shebang. I think our top speed was about 15 mph, but better safe than sorry, folks! It was pretty nerve-wracking, and I'm really glad I wasn't the one driving. After we got back to the house, we found out that there was a tornado warning for the area, so that's something to write home about.

Ohio

After I got back to NM, I had a day to recover from my trip before I flew out to Ohio. Dave wanted me to fly to Dayton and then drive back to NM with him. Because I'm crazy, I agreed to do it. We decided to celebrate our anniversary by going to an amusement park called Cedar Point. I was reeeeeally excited, because I love roller coasters, and I've heard good things about Cedar Point. It took everything in me to keep myself from running to the gates like an overexcited child.

We got our passes and went on a few roller coasters. I was in Heaven, but Dave... not so much. Unfortunately, he has the worst motion-sickness I have EVER seen. After two rides, I think he had about had it. We had made sure to stock up on medicine for him beforehand, but it didn't seem to be doing much. However, he was being a trooper, because he knew I was having tons of fun. Please enjoy the following reenactment of what happened on roller coaster #4.

Dave's thinking: I hate roller coasters, but I love my wife. Ashlee's thinking: I LOVE ROLLER COASTERS!!!!

Dave's thinking: I don't feel so good. Ashlee's thinking: I STILL LOVE ROLLER COASTERS!!!!

Dave's thinking: I'm gonna barf! Ashlee's thinking: Ah oh.

Dave's thinking: I don't remember eating that. Ashlee's thinking: That doesn't look good, but at least it didn't hit anyone!

Poor, poor Dave. He's such a good sport. We took it pretty slow after that and took long breaks between each ride, but I don't think he had very much fun. Towards the end, I went on the rides and Dave sat in the shade. He told me that he'll never go to an Amusement Park again, so it looks like I'll have to find someone else to go with who has a stronger stomach. Any takers?

Over the next 3 days, we drove back to NM. Not much happened other than a two and a half hour traffic jam on the interstate. With no AC. In the heat of the day. With tons of humidity. Moving at 3 mph. In the middle of Indiana. Once again, WITH NO AC! I now hate Indiana and hate Dave's car even more.

We stayed in St. Louis right next to the arch, but after our car ride from H, I was too tired to get any shots of it. But it looked really cool at night. Hopefully I can go back some day and redeem myself.

While we were driving through Texas, we stopped at a place called Cadillac Ranch. In the 70's a couple of artists buried 10 Cadillacs nose first in the ground. I had heard about Cadillac Ranch in one of my art classes, so it was cool to actually stop and see it for myself. There was a movie crew filming something while we were there, but I don't know what it was for. It was tricky taking pictures with all of their equipment around, but I took a couple decent shots.

Graffiti is actually encouraged.

Just before we got to the Texas/New Mexico border, Dave's eyes started to itch like crazy and he couldn't see. I had to reach over, take the wheel, and steer us off the highway. It was pretty scary, and we ended up at this creepy, abandoned gas station. From the looks of it, someone had been living there, because there was a mattress, food, and water. I don't know who would want to live there though, because it smelled like poop. Literally. 

Thankfully, after Dave took out his contacts and put on his glasses, he could see, and we made it home without any more trouble.

While we were gone, my Aunt Brenda and Uncle Boyd were puppy-sitting for us. One night, my uncle opened up the front door, and Tony bolted out of the house right over to a pack of coyotes. One grabbed her by the neck and was about to make dinner out of her, but Boyd was able to scare it enough that it dropped Tony. She ran away as fast as her legs could carry her right back to the house. Maybe that'll teach her to not run away... I'm not getting my hopes up though. That dog has a mind all her own.

Two Years

As of Sunday, Dave and I have been married for two years. Does that mean I'm not a "newlywed" anymore? Please say yes. I really hate that title...

If there's one thing I've learned about Dave in the last two years, it's that he pulls a crazy face in every picture. It makes the pictures more interesting. As for me, I've got some serious squinty eye going on in this one. Go me. 

Dave just got back from a three-week training in Ohio, and I kept pretty busy while he was away. I have a big post coming up with all the details of my adventures. 

 

A Random Display of Pictures

Since Hailee updated her blog, I decided it was probably time for me to update mine too.

Unfortunately, there's not much to talk about, so this could be kind of boring. First off, my hair is getting pretty long, which I hate, but Dave loves it. I can't wait for the day when I get to chop it all off again. Short hair is way more fun.

I was cleaning off my memory card a few days ago (this only happens 2 or 3 times a year) and came across a whole bunch of pictures I'd forgotten about. Please enjoy this post of completely random pictures.


The above fauxtograph was done by yours truly. Yes, that's right. I had to use on-camera flash. I'm so ashamed. We were having a multi-stake youth dance, and I was asked to help with pictures. I let them know that I didn't have any strobes, and asked them what the lighting conditions would be. They said the backgrounds would be set up in a room with lots of light. When I showed up, the backgrounds had been put in the gym where the dance was being held. Basically, it was pitch black in the corner where they had set it up. My worst nightmare. I know I should own strobes, but as most of you know, portraiture really isn't my thing, so buying that sort of equipment just isn't really practical. Oh well. At least I didn't charge money for the pictures :)

When Dave and I still lived in SLC, we went up to Ensign peak and decided to do some night shots. Here's a pano of the skyline. You'll obviously want to click on this one to get the full effect. Or is it affect? I've never been good at that one.

My Grandpa passed away last summer, so a bunch of us decided to go to his favorite fishing spot the day after his funeral. We call it No Tell Em' Creek. As you can probably guess by the name, I can't tell you where it is, or my Grandpa will probably come back to haunt me. Since there was so much snow last year, the river was insanely high and the bank was completely washed over. Not good conditions for fishing. The only things we came back with were a million mosquito bites and muddy clothes. I'm sure my grandpa was laughing. Here's a picture of Hilary checking out the river.

Dave and I decided to go down to Carlsbad, NM to check out the caverns and spend some time with Hailee, Derek, and their cute little babe Carly. It was a really quick trip, but it was fun. This picture is a ten second exposure of one of the features in the cave.

It's beautiful in the caves, but above ground.... not so much. Welcome to the Land of Enchantment everyone! I have to say that Southern New Mexico is a little drab. Northern New Mexico would probably be just as boring, but we have the Sandia Mountains right next to us, so that breaks up the boring desert feel.

I took a quick trip to California in November for Stella's blessing. She's such a cutie. Jared let me try out his new Camera lens, so why not use it on the cutest thing in the house?! I just love this little gal.


In January we took our annual trip to Phoenix with a group of our Utah friends. We decided to go on a hike in the Superstition Mountains. Unfortunately, we didn't come across the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine, but we did find "God's Thumb." At least that's what some semi-crazy man told us it was called. We were a little worried we wouldn't make it to the top before sundown, but you can tell by the shadows creeping in that we made it just in time.


Last but not least. Dave, Tony, and I went camping a few weeks ago (because NM is awesome, and you can do that sort of thing in March). Dave thought it would be funny to see if Tony could balance on this post. Obviously she proved she could. This dog has the best balance I've ever seen. One time I was kneeling on the ground, and she decided to jump up on my shoulder and sit like a parrot. A couple of weeks ago I had her in the car with the window rolled down. I was outside the car washing the windshield, and she jumped up into the window frame and sat there while I finished. I have a circus act on my hands. Someday I'll post a video of her jumping. My aunt Brenda calls Tony "Flubber." I'd say that's a pretty accurate name.

Also, I'll give a dollar to the person who can tell me how to get rid of the stupid white bar that shows up when you click on a picture. Anyone?

That's it for now. You'll be hearing from me the next time I clear off my memory card...

That Weird Moment When You Realize You're All Grown Up

It's becoming more and more clear to me that my footloose and fancy-free days are over. It's been a weird transition. Every time I think of my responsibilities, I realize that I'm all grown up.

For example...
I have a mortgage payment. Weird.
I have power, water, and garbage bills.
I was VERY excited to buy a washer and dryer.
I cook almost every night. I don't really mind this one. I like cooking.
I'm always looking for fun ideas to make my house look cute. Thank you Pinterest!

In other news. I've finally finished our backsplash! Well, almost. There are a couple of spots that need touching up, but other than that, it's finished. Here are some before and after pictures for your viewing pleasure (please forgive me for the fauxtographerish quality).

Before: Huge ugly tile for the backsplash, ugly sink, ugly countertops, ugly appliances. Just plain ugly!

After I took out the backsplash and stovetop.

After: New tile (obviously), new sink/faucet, upgraded to gas cooktop, and granite countertops. This is a weird angle, so it's hard to tell, but we did small subway tile 2/3 of the way up the wall, and then did mosaic tile for the last 1/3 and over the cooktop.

I still have ugly appliances, but someday we'll upgrade those. I'm also planning on buying some hardware for the cabinets. They're pretty plain at the moment, so I'm excited to give them a little character. My favorite upgrade has to be the faucet. We decided to splurge and buy a touch faucet. Super nice to have when you have junk all over your hands. I love the way the backsplash turned out. The kitchen doesn't feel nearly as depressing, and the stupid outlets don't stick out like a sore thumb. I'm officially a DIYer. While Dave was at work, I worked on the kitchen. I even installed and sealed the gas lines to the cooktop on my own without blowing up the house! One thing we learned: Next time we have to unhook all of the plumbing under the sink, we will take a picture beforehand, so we know how to hook it all back up. Yep... Good times.

Also, I've been doing a workout program called Bodyrock. It's online, and completely FREE. I'm doing their 30 day challenge (I'm currently on day 13), and it's been pretty intense. The first day they have you do a fitness test. You do as many reps as you can in 50 seconds. Here's how I scored.

Squat Jumps: 23
Push Ups: 16
Burpees: 10
High Knees: 119
Switch Lunges: 22
Tuck Jumps: 14
Straight Abs: 16

Two weeks later you do another fitness test with the same exercises. I saw a lot of improvement.

Squat Jumps: 31
Push Ups: 28
Burpees: 16
High Knees: 131
Switch Lunges: 32
Tuck Jumps: 30
Straight Abs: 30

So basically, my first fitness test was pretty weak, but it's cool to see such a big improvement within two weeks. At least it's a big improvement in my eyes. I haven't worked out in a long time, so it was quite a shock on my body. I had a hard time walking the first week, but I feel good now. I'm starting to see muscle definition in my abs and arms, which is really motivating. If you're looking for a basic workout program, I'd recommend this one. You can find it at http://www.bodyrock.tv/ They use pretty basic equipment in some of the exercises, but they show modifications for those who don't have the equipment.

If you've made it to the end of this post, congratulations! It was a long one, but we both survived. Buh bye now!

Shorter is Sweeter

Is anybody else having problems with blogger? I had a whole post written up, and when I inserted the picture below, all of my copy was gone. I couldn't get it back, so I guess I'll give you the Reader's Digest version since I'm not in the mood to rewrite everything. The original post wasn't that exciting anyway, so maybe it's a good thing.

Basically, our house is ripped apart, I'm terrified of my new calling (primary chorister), we went skiing in Utah, and now we're back in NM remodeling our kitchen. The countertop guys are coming on Wednesday to install the granite, and I've been ripping out the current backsplash. I'd recommend removing a backsplash to anyone who has a lot of pent up anger. Not that I'm angry, I can just see how it would be beneficial for someone who is to take a hammer to a bunch of tile. It's kind of fun.

On our way back from Utah/Idaho, we stopped at the Wilson Arch just past Moab. It was a good place to get out and stretch and take a little hike to the top. Here is a picture I took of the inside profile of the arch. I think I might order a big print of dis baby. I'm liking it (other than the fact it ruined my long post. Grrr.)
Happy Monday!

You'll Thank me Later

You guys, you have to check this out. This will make your life!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44595706?gt1=43001

I'm one of those crazy dog bloggers

Tony had her first trip to the groomer's this morning. The groomer did a "puppy introductory cut." I guess they do this when the dog hasn't had it's hair cut before. They just trim around the face, ears, paws, and bum. The groomer said Tony did a really good job, so she would be fine with a real haircut next time. Since we don't have kids, I have to give you updates on our dog ;)

The Before

This is what Tony looked like when she woke me up to take her outside this morning. I'm pretty sure she gets the award for worst bed head. I think her ears were flipped back, so that added to the crazy factor. She's got kind of a Don King thing going on.

The After

Her Hair is still pretty long all over, but she'll be going back in a couple of weeks for a full haircut. I think her little bow looks pretty cute :)

P.S. I may or may not have copied this blog from an email I sent to Dave. I'm lazy. So sue me.
P.P.S. This morning I had a crazy Charlie Horse in my neck. I've never had one there before, but I can't move my head at all today. Not cool.

Some People's Kids

Today at work one of my coworkers was telling me about a person/s who has been entering unlocked homes in the area and taking food. After reading an article on our local news website, I realized that not only is this person taking food, but sometimes they are actually sleeping in these houses. Please read the article below...

SALEM, Idaho -- An unusual string of circumstances has local people worried about home invasions, and now these folks are banding together to defend their neighborhoods from a wave of what they think may be squatters sneaking into homes and onto property.

Hannah Robinson said she woke up Monday night to the sound of a man sneezing in her basement."We don't have anyone sleeping in the basement, or down there at all, so that just alarmed me a lot," said Robinson.

Her husband quickly ran downstairs to find nothing but the sliding door ajar."I just tried to tell myself, 'It's not a big deal. We're fine.'" said Robinson.

The next night, as she rocked her youngest child to sleep she heard footsteps above her."So, then I just thought 'Well, it's one of the kids coming in. But they never came in. The next morning, when I was getting the kids ready for school, I noticed that the front door was open," said Robinson.

She posted her worries on Facebook that day and that's when responses came flooding in from neighbors and friends, who say they've had similar freaky experiences over the past few months.

Alan Beagley said he's seen lights late at night in his neighbor's field when everyone was in bed."We just thought it was some neighbor kids out having fun, but it got more frequent to the point that we didn't feel that way anymore," said Beagley.

Salemites came out for a meeting Monday night with the sheriff's offices from Fremont and Madison counties to address their woes.

Some said they've noticed small things missing like gas from their vehicles; while others say pets have disappeared.

Sheriff Len Humphries, with Fremont County, urged them to look out for each other."I'm encouraging them to organize a neighborhood watch program. It would be organized and give people a forum to let us know when they have problems, specifically to call us," said Humphries.

He said, in order to protect your home, it's important to call 911 when you see anything suspicious and keep doors locked, especially at night on your home and on your car.

About 60 people showed up to the meeting in Salem on Monday night. Humphries said they've had 9 of these strange reports. but he thinks many people just aren't calling police.

If you're leaving on vacation anytime soon, Humphries said you can call in to your local law enforcement agency and they'll gladly come out to patrol your home for you.

Other than the terrible punctuation and grammar, let me point out a couple of things. First off, this Hannah girl is obviously not the brightest bulb if she doesn't lock her door at night. Second, her filament is clearly broken and the bulb is not working at all, because after a stranger took things from her house and possibly slept in her basement, she still didn't lock the door the next night! I know you live in rural Idaho Hannah, but not everything is unicorns and rainbows.

Yes, some creepy man or woman is entering these homes illegally, but I feel like these people are bringing it on themselves. How hard is it to lock a door? I know it takes a lot of time and effort to turn that complex latch, but it's better to do that than to have a squatter in your kitchen enjoying your left-over tuna casserole at 3 in the morning.

It's Way Too Late to be Posting

My friend Jace and I went out to take some pictures tonight. I was too excited to wait until tomorrow to put the images together, so here I am at 2 am. I'll try to say as little as possible since my mind is a little fuzzy right now. The process is called Light Painting. Basically you choose your subject and take several shots of it with different areas exposed to light. You combine these pictures in Photoshop, and this is what you get. I took a little over 100 images, but the final product contains about 10-15 images. The pros who do this sort of thing usually have around 150 different pictures in their final image. I'm definitely not to that point yet, but it was fun to experiment with the process. I learned that I'll probably change a lot of things next time I attempt this, but I feel like it was a fairly successful first try.

The next two pictures I took while camping in the Uintahs. This lake is called Wall lake. It was a very pretty area, and I wish I would have taken more pictures, so I guess that means I'll have to go back sometime.

P.S. I feel like Blogger always makes my pictures appear darker than they really are. Annoying.

What day is it exactly?

The last week and a half has been a total blur. The Air Force was supposed to move all of our stuff, but because they were so behind on getting Dave his orders, their moving department was not able to fit us in. You're not able to schedule a move until you have your orders. Normally you get your orders 30 days or so in advance, but we had a week. That meant it was a mad dash to find a storage unit and a U-haul. We spent the next 3 days running around like chickens with their heads cut off. We were exhausted after moving everything last minute, saying goodbye to family and friends, and making a couple trips up to the base (45 minutes away from our house). A big thanks goes out to our friends Tony, Veronica, and Amy for helping us move some things. The Air Force will supposedly compensate us for all the hassle, but I'm not getting my hopes up. My opinion of them has soured a bit since this whole moving thing happened... They will be moving our things from the storage unit in Salt Lake down to a unit in New Mexico in a couple of weeks.

Thursday morning we dropped the rest of our stuff off at the storage unit, returned the truck, and ran a few more errands. We left for Albuquerque around noon. I must say it is not the most scenic drive I've ever been on. Southern Utah is probably the most boring place I've ever been. Although driving through Moab was really cool. But let's not forget the best part, we drove Dave's Honda, and we didn't have AC for most of the drive. Not fun. We pulled into Rio Rancho around 10:30 and stayed at Brenda and Boyd's house. Dave and I drove to the base in Albuquerque on Friday to check out their housing. We drove around the city for a bit looking at different areas as possible places to live. At this point, we're thinking of living in the Rio Rancho area. Dave would be about 30 minutes away from the base, but we would be living in a much nicer area. Not as crowded and crazy.

Dave left for Alabama Saturday morning, and needless to say, I was a mess. It's pretty tough knowing I won't see him for a very long time, but I know it could always be worse. I just get annoyed when people say things like, "So-and-so's husband was gone for two months, and she got through it just fine." First I flip them off mentally and then think to myself that I am not So-and-so... That doesn't mean I don't think I'll get through it, it just means that everyone's experience is different, and telling me that someone else had to do it doesn't make it any easier.

Brenda and I went to these ruins that were just down the road from where she lives. These were occupied by Indians up until the Spanish drove them out. The houses were made of mud bricks.

I stayed in Rio Rancho until Monday, and then I flew back to Salt Lake. Brenda did a good job of distracting me so I didn't have to think about my absent husband the whole time.

My parents picked me up from the airport and we went back to my apartment. We packed up the rest of the stuff that the Air Force won't move (batteries, cleaning supplies, spray paint, food) and my things that I'd be taking up to Idaho. We then cleaned the whole apartment and then headed up to Rexburg. Thanks Mom and Dad. You guys are lifesavers.

Dave was so nice and told me I could get a dog after he left. I looked on KSL for quite a few days until I found one I wanted. My parents and I picked her up on our way back to Rexburg.

My puppy's name is Tony. Yes, Tony is a girl. When Dave was younger, his best friend Tony got a cat and named it David. After David the cat had kittens, it was obvious the cat was a girl. I promised Dave that I'd name my dog after Tony, even if it was a girl. So there you have it. She is the most adorable dog. But I might be partial because she's mine. Tony is a Yorkiepoo. She only weighs about a pound, but will be 3-5 pounds when she's full grown. She is such a sweet dog. She follows me everywhere and has to make sure she's not left out. She's almost completely house trained. We'll be working on some tricks soon. Tony and Jack have become pretty good friends. I think they'll miss each other when we move.

Let's play a game. It's called "Find Tony's eyes." I need to trim the hair around her face so she can see a little easier :)



I had to get a picture of her next to Jack so you can all see just how small she is.

It was surprisingly difficult to get a good picture of Tony. She thinks she has to be right next to me all the time, so she'd run over to me every time I'd back up to snap a shot. I had to have my mom hold her in place and then run out of the frame when it was time to shoot. Good job, Mom. You can be my photo assistant any day.

Basically for the last week and a half I have lost all track of time. Don't ask me what day of the month it is, because I can't tell you. I'm so glad that the whole moving thing is over with... for now. The government movers will be in Salt Lake on the 12th, so I'll have to go back for that. I'll have to be there the whole time they are there. They have to repack everything to make sure it's up to their standards. We basically just threw stuff in boxes since we knew they'd be redoing everything. It will all go into storage somewhere in New Mexico until we have a house.

So that has been my life as of late. Aren't you jealous?

Wow, that was one long, boring post. I feel sorry you had to read it, but people wanted updates, so there you go.