Halloween Fun at Work!

We all decided to get into the spirit of things and dress up for Halloween. From left to right: Betsy's a cowgirl, I'm a gypsy (I forgot my big dangly earrings at home :(. And my pose is totally awkward :)! I was pretending I had a tamberine on my hip. Weird I know! Oh well), Elise is Sarah Palin, Paula is a jail bird, and Heather is a rockstar. We played a fun matching game, thanks to Heather's creativity. We matched homeopathic names to their common names, all on cute halloween paper. Don't you wish you could have played? We've had a fun day so far. Dressing up is so fun. If only I could convince Brad of that!

Remember Me?!

As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot...anything you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you!

Weekend Fun

Whew! This was a full and fun weekend. Friday night I went to a Relief Society enrichment activity right after work. It was called Midnight Madness. As the name implies, this activity lasted well into the night. We had a yummy dinner which included salad and breadsticks from Olive Garden, which I love!! Then it was on to the crafts. I had signed up for three different projects. I should take pictures of them to post. I think they turned out pretty well, seeing how I don't do crafty stuff all that often. I had a good time getting to know the ladies in the ward. It's been fun being in a Relief Society with women of all ages again. I love learning from the wisdom of those who have been around a bit longer than me. We've really enjoyed our ward so far. Anyway, I stayed until about 10:30 p.m. so I could finish my projects. Then I finally came home to my lonesome husband. He didn't know what to do with himself without me. Actually, I think he enjoyed being able to watch all the football he wanted without me hasseling him to change the channel to something interesting. He deserved it after a very intense week with school.

Then Saturday, while the boys/men went to the BYU football game (where Brad got very sunburned), the girls went shopping, of course. This included my mother-in-law Tammy, Shelley and Megan (Brad's younger sisters), and me. We hit up the Provo mall and the University Mall. This kept us busy for several hours. No major purchases on my part. Just a couple of pairs of earrings. Nothing really jumped out at me. Much to Brad's relief, I'm sure! It was fun just looking around and helping the others look for things. Then we went to the Sunflower Market which is the new farmer's market in town. I was telling the girls about the great deals there and they thought it would be fun to check it out. Sure enough, there were still plenty of great deals there so we all got stocked up on some cheap produce. I'm talking 10 cents per grapefruit! It was fun spending time with Tammy, Shelley, and Megan. We had a good girls day out. For the grand finale, we met up with everyone at Grandma Roper's house for a pizza party to celebrate her birthday. We had a great time talking and relaxing, and well, eating of course! I love hearing stories about Brad's younger years, and when the family gathers I'm sure to hear more about the little mischief maker that he was. Of course he's all grown up and way past that now, right?:) It's been fun having Brad's family living right here in Utah. We get to see them a lot more and we love it!

Baby Nathan

My brother, Brian, and his wife, Natalie, recently brought a new baby boy into this world. His name is Nathan Charles Call. He was born on Friday, October 10th. He was 6 lbs. 7 oz. and 19 and a half inches long. He came a little bit early, but everything went fine with the delivery. I'm so excited to have a nephew. He is sooo adorable in all of his cute tiny outfits that I can't resist the urge to post a few pictures. I love how he even has matching shoes. Good job, Natalie! We can't wait to see the little guy, but it doesn't look like we'll be making it to Florida anytime soon. So until then, we'll enjoy pictures. While I'm at it, I'm going to post a really cute picture of Kennedy, Nathan's big sister. How can an aunt resist showing off her nieces and nephew when they are this cute? Congratulations Brian, Natalie, and Kennedy!

Funny Blog

There is this blog that is pretty funny that seems to have been getting a lot of recognition around here. Sounds like she's even on a radio show. Some of the things she posts you just have to let roll off your sleeve, or you might be offended. For the most part, it's pretty clever. Check it out for a good laugh.

http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/

Conference Weekend

We had a great time last weekend. Friday evening we went to Brad's mission reunion. It was fun to see some of Brad's old companions and friends from the mission. Brad has been home from his mission for three years now. He's accomplished a lot in that time. After the reunion, we stayed with my parents in a hotel overnight. The four of us had tickets for the Saturday morning session of General Conference. So Saturday morning we headed to the Conference Center. It pretty much rained the whole day. We were very silly and left our umbrellas in our hotel room. I wanted to take them but Brad was like "It's just drizzling." Thank goodness for my hooded wind breaker. Anyway, it was so nice to be in the Conference Center and hear the Tabernacle Choir in person. In between sessions my parents took us to eat at Olive Garden (yum yum!) and then we headed back to the hotel to listen to the afternoon session. My mom and I had a fun time visiting while Brad and my dad were at the Priesthood session. Brad and I headed back to Orem that night. We enjoyed watching conference on Sunday from our comfy couch, while Brad was recovering from a nasty cold (which I feel like I'm getting today :(.) Thanks to mom and dad for treating us to a fun weekend. We enjoyed your company.

As I pondered about what I learned from conference, I realized something of significance. When searching for answers to concerns I have about health, diet, exercise, politics, etc. I'm always looking for the most up to date information. I don't like outdated material because there are always scientific breakthroughs and research is constantly being done. I'm always searching for that new information that is going to be the answer to my concerns. What I realized is that when it comes to the Gospel, it is unchanging. What was once true will always be true. Sure we'll have talks that might be more applicable to one period of time than another, but the basic doctrines and principles will always be the same. I think that is why it is often referred to as an anchor. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the one firm thing we can hold on to when everything around us is chaotic and confusing. It is the one thing we can be sure of. I find that very comforting and with this realization I've decided I'm going to put more time and energy into strengthening my testimony. No one can ever take it from me. With all of the chaos in the world right now, I need that sure foundation. I'm ever grateful for these Conference weekends. I seem to find a renewed strength and faith to keep pushing forward.

My First Tag

Okay Jules! I'll answer your tag already. I'm just not a very quirky person, you know. J/K. But I'll try to drum up something. So my lovely sister Julie sent me my first tag. Here goes.

Rules: 1. Link the person who tagged you. 2. Mention the rules on your blog. 3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours. 4. Tag 6 other bloggers by linking them.

Shanna's Unspectacular Quirks
1. I love the show "Monk". It's on USA. Give it a try, I think you'll like it. I just get a kick out of it. And somehow I can relate to Mr. Monk. Don't worry I'm not that fargone :).
2. I love editing. Anything from papers, to books, to exams, to powerpoints. I have an eye that picks out anything that is wrong. For example, I loved the Twilight Series but it really bugged me that there was some kind of a typo every few pages.
3. I don't feel completely dressed and ready for the day unless I have earrings on. They make me feel cuter, somehow.
4. Before I leave the house each day I have to make a special mental note that I turned the stove off, unplugged my straightener, and locked the door. If I can't remember doing these things it will bug me for a little bit.
5. I like different foods like hummus, yams, quinoa, buckwheat, spaghetti squash, and almost any vegetable, especially home garden grown.
6. I fall asleep really easily, and usually when I'm not supposed to. One of my nick-names in high school was "narcky", short for narcoleptic.

I'm sure there are a lot more quirky things about me, but that's plenty of quirkiness for one post. I tag:

Elise
Betsy
Heather Olsen
Paula
Amy Lambert
Amy Anderson

Have fun and I'll be watching for your posts!