Stinkin' Cute Christmas Pics

Yes, yes, I know... my blog absence has been noted (if anyone even checks in anymore!) I've been a busy blogger over at my book blog and have sadly neglected my home blog! Alas! I would like to say that I'm going to do LOTS better... but lets be honest... I probably won't!

BUT...

Just in case any of you DID happen to click on that link directed to you by Rob and I's lovely Christmas postcard, I thought I better have SOMETHING new to share.

SO!

Without further ado... our Christmas pics, which were taken by my lovely friend, Jen Petty. She's oober talented and whipped them out in like a half hour flat. THANK YOU, Jen!!

This was a "test" shot... teehee...

Yeah... I kinda have a thing for my red hat... LOVE it!

Aww! Look at us! We're so cute ( :

Candid! 

Love my man!

*snort* I love this one! Vroom, vroom!

We tried to do some cute vintage bike pics... yeah, they SO did not work out! Mostly they just ended with me  catapulting off the front of the bike face first! Haha ( :

 

Oh, snap!

I ADORE you, Robbie Baby! 

Hide n' Seek

Sorry if you've been missing me, dear friends! I've been playing a bit of blogging hide and seek, as it were. The time consuming nature of trying to keep up two blogs is clearly having an affect on my "home" blog. But I have a solution!! If you've been desperately checking this site for my life's updates, only to be disappointed time after time again (hardy, har!), and you know you simply just can't live without me (teehee!), then I suggest you look here:

 http://thebookmemoirs.blogspot.com/

...where my book blog has been commandeering most of my time ( :

Passed

Angels and Demons

I have been sadly neglecting my "home" blog over the past few weeks. My apologies! On the bright side, my book blog is flourishing... hooray! I even got a fancy schmancey new blog award... not that I'm entirely sure what the "Blog on Fire" award is supposed to mean, but it's definitely a good sign (means I'm getting more traffic!) So, if you're interested in any writing updates, that's your place to be. If you're wondering what else goes on in my life right now besides writing... well... I'm sorry to report that I'm way too far behind to catch up, so we're just going to have to baby step it from the present time.

One thing of note is that I've started running in the morning. I go to this sweet little park that has a pond and lots of trees and all that jazz. Its kind of fun, because it reminds me of Hyde Park in London, (although, not even close to the size of Hyde Park!) So anyway, on these fabulous runs in my Hyde-esque Park, I've noticed two things: Houston has Angels. And Houston has Demons. I'm not exactly talking about those fluffy winged cherubs portrayed in books and movies... although, as a matter of fact, these particular Angels and Demons DO, have wings.

We'll start with the bad guys

The Demons

In London, while visiting Glastonbury (which is where King Arthur and Guinevere are supposedly burried, for those of you non savvy English brutes), I saw this sign...

...which I pretty much thought was the funniest thing in the world. (I may have been operating on like 5 hours of sleep at the time. Its definitely possible I was slap happy). In my little sleep deprived state of mind, I couldn't figure out what about a silly little goose could be so frightening that they'd take the effort to post a "Stay Away from the Geese" sign on the lawn. Obviously, I got a hoot out of it, seeings how I went through the effort of taking a picture of that sign--out of all things--whilst visiting the grave of King Arthur.

Well this sign took on a new meaning during my morning runs this week. I suddenly realized oh-how-wise those English people were in posting said goose sign. There I was this week, minding my own business, enjoying the cheery, peaceful park on my morning run, when all of the sudden I hear this strange honking noise. Curious, I turn my head to see what was causing this odd, bird-in-serious-pain noise. Perhaps a helpless little duckling caught in a trap?

Ha. No. Imagine my shock when I see the mother of all gigantic white geese--beak forward, wings out--battle charging at me with full force.

I won't lie. I yelped and screamed like a little girl. (Have you ever been bitten by a Hyde Park goose while trying to feed it bread? Yeah. It hurts.)

And then I ran faster.

And the bird followed.

Luckily my legs outreach said goose by a good three feet. So, while that mother of all gigantic white geese was making a valiant effort on those two wobbly, webbed feet of hers, by pure length of leg, I managed to escape the wrath of the fiery demon.

I was feeling pretty smug. Stupid bird.

However, after I got over the general euphoria of beating down a bird in a foot race, I felt rather silly for letting a bird get the better of me. Ashamed, I vowed to never let it happen again. (I mean, cause really... I'm how many times its size??)

Yesterday, I had my big chance to prove my warrior strenght. As I'm struttin' along down the footpath, minding my own business, this same goose (or maybe it wasn't the same goose... I don't know... it LOOKED like the same goose) starts honking when I'm still a good 20 feet away. (Seriously? What is her problem??) But I don't let it get to me. I throw my shoulders back, head high, hair in the wind, and keep running. 19 feet. 18 feet. 17... 16... I was closing in fast and this bird was having none of it. At about 15 feet, psycho bird puts her beak down, spreads her wings and charges.... My initial reaction?

Run faster!!

But never fear, dear readers, in that darkest hour, I remembered my vow. So rustling up as much courage as I had, I stopped running. Turned to face the charging beast. Stomped my foot on the ground (for the overall intimidation factor), and yelled:

"You wanna piece of this?!" 

And yes, it worked. Stupid, crazy demon psycho bird.

The Angels

But never fear, Houston has its angels too. Nestled in the park with the crazy demon geese, are lots of these fluffy cherubs:

And, really? Is there anything more cute that a baby duckling?! Awwwww!

Angels and Demons, folks. Angels and Demons. Right here in Houston!

Book Blog

I've given my book blog an exciting new makeover! Get updates, read sample chapters and become a follower! Click here, or use the link on the side of this page to view the book blog. Enjoy!

Spring Break

This March, a miraculous thing happened... ALL schools in which Baker children were enrolled, so kindly decided to scheduel spring break on the same week. All--that is--except for BYU, whoes nazi scheduel does not allow for such frivolities as a week off of school. Even still, that's a pretty hefty miracle when you think that there was an elementry school, middle school, high school and three colleges spanning four different states (Idaho, Utah, Arizona and Nebraska) involved. And when the fates align like that, who are we to argue with their decision?? Thus, a massive Baker family spring break vacation was planned!

The first bit of excitment during the break actually happened BEFORE the break even started. About a week before comencement of said massive spring vacay, Paul recieved a thick, white envelope in the mail from none other than church headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT! In an ever-impressive act of self control, Paul decided to wait until break to open his call, so that the whole family could witness the event. All I have to say is: Wow! Better men have fallen to such temptations!

Because of work conflicts, Rob was unable to attend the spring break festivities (Boo!) And after some minor thechnical difficulties with Skype (which, incidently, decided not to work at all), the drumroll started and Paul began opening the ominous white envelope! We were all breathless with anticipation and absolutely thrilled to learn that Paul was being sent to none other than...

Mexico City, Mexico! Elder Baker is sheduled to leave June 22 and will be speaking--much to Rob's delight--Spanish, of course! We're all so thrilled for you, Paul! Congrats!

After that exciting event, the whole family headed up to Island Park for some fun in the snow! I remember that before I left Texas, someone at church asked me "Are there really places that still have snow this time of year?!" CLEARLY, he was a native Texan. Yes, dear Texas person, there are PLENTY of places that still have snow in March! Admitedly, the snow was starting to get a little soggy towards the end of the week, but when you have 3-4 feet of snow on the ground, what's a little meltage, anyway??

The Gang

Natalie... in a rare moment of enthusiasm...Haha.

Me and my snow buddy, Lindsey.

Snowmobiling is great fun, but it's not without its casualties. Besides the overall general aching that sets in after WAY too many hours ridding (sadle soreness, anyone?!) there are other obstables--such as trees--that can be hazardous. Sylvi and Lisa--in particular--seemed to be quite adept at attracting said trees.

Yes, the snomobile IS on top of them. Here's a better view:

Luckily, no injuries. But a great photo opportunity! My dad also seemed to have a nack at attracting the trees:

Needless to say he was none too happy that I was both teasing him about running into the tree, and taking photographic evidence of the event, as he insisted it was "merely a ditch." Riiiiight. The final count: Sylvi, 2 trees; Lisa, 1 tree; Dad, 1 tree.

Little Scott also got his fair share of snowmobiling excitment, when late the first day, he did this to himself:

Yes, he DID bite clean through his lip.

It really wasn't his fault... he was riding with Paul, who can be a bit of a dare devil sometimes. No worries, though, I'm pretty sure Paul felt guilty! And lucky for us, our resident surgeon on hand stitched him up with no problems. The worst of it will be that he'll have a nice little scar to impress the ladies with!

Here are some other lovely pictures from the trip:

Feeding the ducks:

The outhouse... sweet relief burried under 4 feet of snow... and yes, I did brave the freezing toilet seat to aquire said relief. Teehee.

Me and Lisa (my snow buddy, day 2) got some air we got going over a jump! We had so much fun that we had to take a picture!

And of course, what's a winter wonderland without a few gorgeous pictures to show for it?

On the way home, Mark and Paul insisted we make a stop at Big Jud's, so they could do the burger challenge. I think Paul was mostly inspired because the last time he successfully completed the challenege, the camera broke right as they were about to take his picture for the challenge wall. Not to be defeated, he wanted to try again! This time, they upped the ante. Instead of the 1 lb. burger challenge, both Mark and Paul went for the 2 lb. burger challenge.

Although both did, in fact, complete the 2 lb. challenge, I doubt either of them will ever look at a burger the same way again. Nor do I think they'll make good on their threat to take on the 3 lb. burger the next time!

All in all? A successful snowy week, I'd say! Although next time, could we do the beach? SO much warmer!

Will the New Katniss Everdeen Please Stand Up?

Yay! The wait is finally over! Lionsgate recently announced that Jennifer Lawrence has been cast for the coveted role of Katniss Everdeen in the new film adaptation of Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games. I have to admit that when I first discovered who had been cast, I had to refer to my good friend, Google, because in all my movie watching I'd never heard of this Jennifer Lawrence. Incidently, I was actually happy about this. Sometimes these huge blockbuster roles just go over better if an unknown actor is cast, rather than a K-Stew or R-Pat. Anyway, when I Googled Jennifer, I discovered that while perhaps a little unknown, she's not inexperienced... I felt rather flabergasted to learn she was actually Oscar nominated (where have I been??)and the reviews about her had nothing but positive things to say. Futher, the casting director said it was the easiest casting decision he'd made in his life--despite the fact that Jennifer doesn't quite match Katniss's physical description. I'm excited to see her interpretation of Katniss! In the clips I watched of her she seemed like such a beautiful, strong, confident individual, and I'm sure she'll do an amazing job with this role. Now all that we're really waiting for is dear Gale and Peeta. Any guesses as to which lucky men will land those roles??

The Little Moving Company that Couldn't Jimmer...

I'll get to taking pictures of my apartment... eventually. Every time I think about it, the apartment is a mess. Every time its clean, I, well, DON'T think about it. However, I did finish unpacking the last box on Saturday, so as of now we ARE currently living in a habitable apartment (hooray!) But sadly, still no pictures of said abode.

Also, you should know that I now hate moving companies. ESPECIALLY (but not limited to) the company that moved our junk from Nebraska to Texas, AND the company that moved our new couches from furniture warehouse to apartment. I don't want to bore you with the details as to why and how I have come to this conclusion, as I'm prepared to spare you that lenghty, drawn out discourse. But suffice it to say that when you are almost a week late delivering a person's junk to a different state, and you are a day late plus scratch-up-all-the-furniture-and-then-have-to-replace-it-again-3-days-later when delivering someone's newly purchased furniture, it tends to create some strong feelings that moving companies just might attract the most LAZY, INCOMPETENT, and UNRELIABLE individuals in the world (elders quorums not included). CLEARLY they couldn't "Jimmer"...

Anyway, moving on...

I actually had a really fun time cleaning out boxes this past week. This is mostly due to the fact that Rob and I had LOTS of help from my family to pack all said boxes, and I kept coming across things like this:

This...And this...

while unpacking boxes. I mean, how can you help but NOT have fun unpacking when you have the prospect of stumbling across a cute new note every couple of boxes?! These notes were mostly from my wonderful mom (who did a most EXCELLENT job packing up our Nebraska kitchen and was such a help during our move), but I also enjoyed seeing things like this:

written on the sides of boxes. I'm pretty sure Sylvi labeled this one, and I'm also pretty sure that it is SUPPOSED to say "tupperware"... you know, like the little plastic container thingys that hold leftover meatloaf? And, indeed, upon inspection, I discovered that the unidentified "tub-a-ware" box did--in fact--contained the missing "tupperware" items. Sylvi, I know you're embarrassed, but I got such a good laugh out of this label! Mostly because no, I didn't know how to spell "tupperware" either, and yes, I did have to look it up for the sake of this post.

My point? If you want to make unpacking a bunch of boxes a more enjoyable experience, have your family help pack!

Rob and I also enjoyed a good Mardi Gras party this week with some newly made friends:

But don't worry, no crazy, wild spurts of drunkenness were had in the making of these photos.

We've also had the chance to begin exploring our natural habitat in Houston's outer "burbs" (as in "Suburbs," people). Alas! We haven't made it to the city yet (Rob's been pretty busy with work) but during an eventful evening walk this past Sunday, I did discover a new species of bird that I would like to call a "Turkey-Duck":

Because, lets be honest, if a turkey and a duck got together and... well... you know what I'm saying... THIS is what it would look like. In addition I saw an otter for the first time:

I'm just astounded by the diversity of the wildlife here:

Teehee.

And lastly, I'm completely--and might I say, surprisingly--enamored with this:

And thus utterly and most absolutely excited for the prospect of this:

I heart Mia. What a talented little actress. Anyway, excited--as I was--to share the Jane Eyre love, I responded to Rob's request for a new book on tape by suggesting this. Unfortunately, his reply was: that when required to read it in high school, he bribed his sister Naomi read it for him. As an avid classics lover, Naomi happily obliged, giving him complete and detailed chapter by chapter summaries of the whole book. Thus, because he didn't want to waste all that good laziness, Rob explained he couldn't possibly read it now. During the course of this discussion, he also tried to convince me that no, this wasn't cheating, but rather, "using all of ones resources." I wonder how he'll respond to this same excuse coming from the mouth of his teenage daughter someday....

P.s. To make up for making fun of you, Sylvi, I suggest you read Jane Eyre. As a fellow Pride and Prejudice lover, I think you'll enjoy it every bit as much as I have!

P.s.s. Spell check doesn't recognize the word "Jimmer."