Car Trouble

When Michael and I were driving home late Saturday night, all of a sudden we heard (and felt) this rumbling and the car sort of started to shake. As he slowed down, initially, the shaking went away a little bit; but as he ever tried to accelerate, the shaking returned more violently and he could accelerate past a certain point. We were about halfway home and, although I probably would've pulled over and called somebody frantically for help, Michael decided we should just try to get home. We made it home safely (going 50 mph in the far-right lane of the highway) and popped the hood to see if we could tell what was wrong. We could see something under/behind the engine that was red-hot. AHHH! Michael wanted to let the glowing subside before we went inside, which took about 15 or 20 minutes.

My poor, little baby. She is too young to be experiencing such trauma! Luckily she is still under warranty, is all I can say! She is being towed away this afternoon...hopefully the fine people at Audi can diagnose her and fix her up so she is as good as new.

Team Tar

Meet Team Tar (long A...as in Tara and Taryn). We have been bff since meeting on a study abroad program in London nearly three years ago. To get rid of a few extra pounds that we gained from a diet of hob nobs and cadbury chocolates (not to mention Tina's fabulous cooking!), we started going to spin classes together when we returned to Provo and haven't looked back since! Now, to transition from hard core spinners to legitimate hard core athletes, we are participating in a triathlon on Memorial Day in Austin, TX. I am into my third week of training so far and it's not quite as glamorous as I'd imagined. I feel as though my life is being taken over by workouts! With a full day of work and a 40-minute commute each way, there really isn't time for much else. The good news is that my body is not nearly as tired this week as it was last week...which is hopefully a good sign that I am making progress, as opposed to a bad sign that I'm slacking. I've got a long way to go, that's for sure; but, now that I've broadcasted through this post that Tara and I are doing it, there's no way out.

Let the Madness Begin!

Well, the opening weekend of March Madness has arrived. Michael went to Utah to watch all the first-round games with his friends (many of whom also flew in from all over the country for the weekend), and would you believe I still watched the games last night? Ok, I say 'watched', but I admit, I was multitasking. I will say, though, I do feel a little better prepared for March Madness 2007. Although my parents have been having "Final Four" parties on the night of the championship game since I can remember, it wasn't until last year that I found out that March Madness was more than just the Final Four--that it was, in fact, weeks upon weeks of basketball games, back-to-back, and every single night! Ok, maybe that is an exaggeration, but you can imagine the rude awakening I experienced as my perception of March Madness changed from one of a super-fun party, hosted by my parents and full of yummy food, games and prizes, to an endless stream of basketball games played by teams I'd never seen and players I'd never heard of (that my husband actually wanted to watch!).

As fate would have it, George Mason made it to the Final Four last year, which gave me something to be exciting about in more ways that one, but by the championship game, I was so sick of basketball that I even slept through the last 3 quarters. oopsies.

As I approach March Madness 2007, the fact that I know what to expect, at the very least, allows me to have a better attitude than I did last year. Also, in an attempt to actually enjoy this annual event, I filled out my very own bracket! This could potentially have a negative effect, though, due to my competitive nature--even though I don't really care about many of the teams involved, I may get really mad if my picks don't do as I've predicted. And the way I picked my teams was less than conventional...for me, it was more about which school sounds more fun, or in which city I would rather live, than which team I think would win. (How should I know anyway? I haven't been watching many basketball games until now! I didn't want to get burned out on basketball before March Madness even began...duh.) Michael told me that our team this year is Georgetown, so I also have a team to root for this year (BYU didn't pull through for me). Maybe I will continue my parents' tradition of a party for the Championship Game this year--that way, even if I feel that I never want to see another basketball game in my life, I can always get excited to throw a party...the menu options for a Final Four party alone make me excited!

Here's to March Madness! Go Hoyas!

The Nanny Diaries

I just finished my second go at The Nanny Diaries...this time on tape. The first time I read this book was on a trip to Cape Cod, at the recommendation of my sister Lindsey. I remember loving this book--not being able to put it down, even ignoring any onset of car sickness (usually from the backseat) as my family drove around the cape. At the time, I was working as a nanny for a couple families in my hometown and I remember being able to relate to some of the 'incidents' that Nan encounters--not that my employers were anywhere close to Mrs. X, but some of Grayer's comments and mannerisms were similar to those of the kids I got to play with everyday.

This time, as I listened to the book (in a much different place in my life than the last time), I felt a lot more sorry for Grayer than I did before. Poor kid. For one thing, every time Grayer runs to his mom for a hug, she "spatulas" him, Nanny recounts, so as not to get her designer outfits sticky or wrinkled. Sad. I don't get it--who wouldn't want a hug from an adoring 4 year old? I was also more impressed this time around with the patience Nan showed and the way she dealt with the tantrums of child who is all but ignored by his parents. Of course everything she does works to calm Grayer down before he completely explodes into a full-blown tantrum, which may or may not be so easy in real life.

The real reason I wanted to refresh myself on The Nanny Diaries is because it is being made into a movie that is scheduled to be released next month. I'm not a big fan of Scarlett Johansson, but hopefully her role as the lead character will not completely kill the movie for me. I'm going to keep and open mind. I'm excited to report back!

I scream, You scream...

Think of your most favorite thing to eat...something you could eat all day, everyday. For me, that thing is Cold Stone ice cream. I love it! Every time I see a Cold Stone sign, my mouth starts to water. For every birthday, holiday, special occasion, or event that allows me to justify a treat, Cold Stone is my go-to. Of course, if someone else suggests a trip to Cold Stone, I would never say no--that would just be rude.

One such occasion happened on Saturday night, after Michael and I went out to dinner with some friends. After we saw the dessert tray at the restaurant, we decided we weren't interested, but one of our friends suggested we go across the street to the nearest Cold Stone. (I think we will hang out with them more often!)

Why is it that I am a Cold Stone snob? Well, there are a few reasons. There's something about the concept of a mix-in that tastes so much better than a mere topping, the way the mix-in is intertwined into each bite (the days of finishing the topping with half a cup of ice cream left are over!). The rows and rows of candy-filled jars and the aroma of freshly-ironed waffle cones make my mouth water as I open the door to the store. But, the best thing of all--the thing that captures my loyalty--is the multitude of Cold Stone Original Creations that combine ice cream and mix-ins that compliment each other in ways you may not even imagine! A couple of my favorites are "Cookie Doughn't you want some"--French vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips, cookie dough, fudge and caramel--and "Breathless Boston Cream Pie"--French vanilla ice cream with yellow cake, fudge and whipped topping. The possibilities at Cold Stone are endless! And, I look forward to a lifetime of discovering all of them...one by one. Mmmm.