The Birthday Boy

.There he is! The old man. Twenty-five years old today. (As you can see, he even got two cakes this year!)

This cake came in the mail today from his mom and dad. It's a marble Nothing-Bundt-Cake. One bite of this captivating confection and you're hooked. You will never go back to Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines. It's the best! (Thank you, Kelly and Hank!)

This was just a simple little cheesecake I made for him. I crumbled up some of my homemade chocolate chip cookies and used them as the crust. Not bad!

After I graced his ear with a lovely "Happy Birthday" solo, Taylor blew out his candles.

Here he is earlier today, sitting in the new fishing raft he got in the mail from his dad. That thing is sweet! He loves it and can't wait to go fishing again.

He also got a book from his parents called The Military and Police Sniper. Y'know, a little light reading.

While he read his book, Rocco and I posed for this picture. Sort of.

Then he resumed his nightly blanket-sucking ritual.

My folks sent him this birthday card. It says, "I wish I weren't an old man." Poof! [He turns into an old woman.] "Son-of-a . . ."

Then inside the card it says, "Be careful what you wish for." Gotta love cards like that. Sometimes you just get tired of the sappy ones.

And talk about sappy, here's a sweet little picture of us.

For Tay's birthday dinner, we went to this place down in Idaho Falls called the Cheeseburger Factory. It just opened a few weeks ago, and they cook up some yummy burgers and fries---Tay's favorite!

Happy birthday, Lovie!

Thanksgiving Thoughts of Thankfulness

I am thankful for my Tay. He always manages to make my day brighter. I love watching Scrubs or The Colbert Report with him, because when he laughs, I laugh. And he's so helpful around the house. I mean, he's just an all-around amazing, handsome, lovable guy, what can I say? Here's a picture of us at Thanksgiving six years ago:

I am thankful for my mom and dad. They are wonderful examples to me of love, charity, responsibility, and spirituality. I love them so much, and I can't wait to go home for Christmas!

I can't forget my little Ashie. I am so grateful for her and her friendship. I am so proud of what she's accomplished this past year, both spiritually and academically. Way to go, Ash! Keep up the good work.

I am lucky to have an amazing extended family as well. It's such a treat to be able to see both sides of my family during the holidays, since so many of them live in Las Vegas.

And I can't forget my thought of thankfulness towards my family-in-law. Talk about lucky, I couldn't have asked for better parents- and siblings-in-law. They're just so . . . normal! I always feel so loved and comfortable around them. Makes me proud to be a Clinton.


There are so many other things I'm thankful for, let's see:

I am very thankful for my new house that I get to decorate for Christmas for the first time. So excited.

I'm grateful that Taylor and I both have jobs. What a blessing that he's able to work year-round, switching between his summer/fall farming job and his winter/spring Petsmart job. Pretty cool, I say. Not to mention my job---the job that I still love. I can't say that I've ever woken up one morning and not wanted to go to work. Not many people can say that!

I'm thankful for all the things I take for granted every day, like the fact that we have food, water, and clothes. That we have a home with heat, running water, and updated appliances. That we have cars that run well and get us to where we need to go. So many things that so many people don't have.

And not many people can say they have a sweet, affectionate, loving little beagle that manages to put a smile on your face every time you see him:

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. I hope you remember to think some thoughts of thankfulness this year, too.

A Cast of Characters

The cast and crew that make up my normal, day-to-day work life had to be temporarily replaced this week. You see, I haven't been able to go to work this week. And believe me, I wanted to go. I enjoy my job. I look forward to getting things done. Helping people out. Socially interacting. Making a difference.
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But no, not this week. I was held hostage at home, in bed, by a nasty little bug. His name is Flu.

Flu doesn't like to have his picture taken. He's quite camera shy, actually. But his effect on those with whom he comes into contact can clearly be seen. Allow me to introduce you to the first member of the Flu Crew. Meet . . .
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The Victim

Otherwise known as me, except not me, because this is just a version of me. A miserable version of me.

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The real me puts makeup on. The real me enjoys the light of day. The real me can taste mouthwash!

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But like I said before, this is a temporary character for this week. A stand-in. But even stand-ins deserve credit where credit is due. Like this character . . .

The "Other" Bed There's no denying that I love my real bed. But when you're only a version of your real self, it just wouldn't be right to sleep in your real bed. (Or to infect the real husband that sleeps right next to you in your real bed.)

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And when the bed gets tired of you, it's time to move yourself somewhere else. (Do beds get tired? Maybe just in the daytime.)

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Where the Comfy Things Are

The couch. The blanket. The pillow.

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Such lovely things that are normally taken for granted.

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They have each played an important role in my life this week, and they will soon be individually disinfected as a token for their dedicated, dutiful services.
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And here we have two other key players.

The Connection to the Outside World

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The Disconnection from the Real World

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And when my eyes became glazed over after watching entirely too much The Colbert Report, or when I just couldn't bear the thought of Bilbo having to trek another day closer to the dreaded Smaug, I turned to this character:

The Craft
One day you're at Michael's and you decide to buy paint and stars, even though you have no idea what you want to use them for. A few weeks later, you become extremely ill, and then it hits you: make Christmas ornaments! And lo and behold, you get all artsy fartsy and end up with these. So pretty.
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Crafting can be tiresome, especially when you're sick and haven't eaten much all week. But when you do eat, this character steps in:

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The Sustenance

Toast really is a wonderful thing. It tastes good even when you can't taste it at all.

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And when it's hearty and delicious, you just can't go wrong.

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Here's to you, toast!

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And we can't forget to name our three heroes of the week.

The Goalie
I've played many a game of soccer in my life, and if the goalies in those games were anything like the tissues I've used this week, nothing would have gotten past them.

The Freedom Fighter

This character will crash through any barrier to get you back to breathing---at least through your nose.

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The Bodyguards

They may prefer to go unnoticed, working behind the scenes, but they know a thing or two about defense. Day or night, they are there for you.

Then there's this little guy:

The Best FriendAlthough he may be terribly confused as to why you've been home all day, every day, for the last several days, he nevertheless stands by you, ready to clean your plate of all those pesky little toast crumbs. And he doesn't mind if you want to nap all day either. He'll take precious time out of his otherwise busy day just to nap with you. What a pal!

And last, but certainly not least, is this character . . .

The Onlooker

And boy, is he a looker, if I do say so myself.

Although he had to stay clear of me this week, he was there whenever I needed him (even if he had to be over there).

Now by next week, all of these characters will be forgotten, just like a bad pilot episode. But at least they've served a purpose, and they've all been acknowledged accordingly.

There is one more character that I would like to acknowledge, although he did not play a role in my life this week. (If he had, none of these other characters would have made it to this blog.)

The Preventer

Like all soaps and hand sanitizers, use them well, and use them often. I thought I was good about using them regularly, but clearly, I need to use them even more so.

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As I continue to recover from the dreaded flu, I wish you all the best in avoiding it this season.

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Take care!

3 Years

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We got married three years ago today!

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And look, we're still so happy to be together.

Taylor got me these beautiful roses. Awww!

Rocco felt left out, so here's his cameo.

I love my sweet Tay! Happy anniversary to us!

Missing Vegas

Sometimes change is good. You start a new life in a new place. You feel independent. Free.

But then you're reminded of the good times in your past. The family you miss. The friends you hardly talk to anymore. And the weather.

Currently in Rexburg:

And currently in Vegas?

Sometimes change is good. And sometimes, you just want to go home.

Aloha!

Maui was so beautiful. (A bit hot this time of year, but we got used to it. I mean, we are Vegas kids.)

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Here are a few pictures of the trip:

Aloha, Maui. Until next time.

The Countdown

Hey! Happy Friday! I hold a special place in my heart for Friday evenings. It's the one time of the week when I don't feel guilty for doing absolutely nothing.

And yet I still find myself blogging. Is blogging in the "doing absolutely nothing" category? Maybe I should qualify my previous statement: Friday evening is the one time of the week when I don't feel guilty for doing whatever I feel like doing, which may or may not include doing absolutely nothing. There.

Let's see, what's the point of this post? Oh yeah! The countdown . . .

It's been a few years since Taylor and I took a vacation, and now we're a week away from our week away . . . in Maui! Yeah, baby!

We are very excited. Our last week-long vacation was back in September 2007 with my parents in Carlsbad, California. Ahhh. Good times. We played a lot of Wii Sports during that trip.

This year, we're going to Hawaii with Taylor's parents and siblings. It's been a while since all the Clintons had a vacation together, so it'll be fun now that everyone's grown up. And it will probably be our last vacation for another couple of years, so I'm gonna soak up as much as I can.

For those of you who have been to Maui, do you have any recommendations for stuff to do, things to see, or places to eat? When Taylor and I were last there on our honeymoon, it rained most of the week, so we missed out on lots of things. We didn't even get to relax on the beach! Keep your fingers crossed that we'll have clear weather.

So we'll be there September 5th at 5:00 p.m. That's 7 days, 9 hours, 27 minutes, and 32 seconds. 31, 30, 29 . . .