Muffins, Moves, Mulhollands, and Marriage

The letter of the weekend was "M" apparently. First things first, our appliances arrived and where installed on Friday! Hallelujah! We pretty much haven't had a functioning oven for like 3 months now and have been without a dishwasher for about 1 month. I tested out our new oven by making banana muffins on Friday night. Unfortunatley they were sick, but this time it wasn't because of the oven, just me. I was so happy that the oven worked I didn't even care!


While I was making muffins, Seth and I were waiting for the Nathan and Lindsey Mulholland to arrive. They were our first overnight guests at the lovely Garner Chalet and were provided wondeful sleeping accomodations which included an ultra-cozy airmattress. Although I wish we could have better arrangements for our guests, it was still so much fun having them. (Don't have a picture on the Mulhollands, sorry). Seth got a little bored waiting for them so he decided to bust out some killer dance moves in the meantime.



The Mulhollands came into town because it was Seth and Nathan's old roommate, Jason Kimm's wedding. All of us went to the ceremony, luncheon, and reception. It was a lot of fun and we are excited for Jason and Heidi.

yet another tag

Yeah, this is kinda sad, but sue me. I wasn't tagged specifically, but I was looking at someone elses blog and they tagged some people and then said and anyone else who wants to do it. And well, I'm looking for something to do besides work at the moment.

10 years ago...
I was an eigth grader at Union Middle School. I was all about friends...friends were LIFE! Some of my BFFs included Jamie Johns, Amber McCune, Staci Shelton, Michelle Gratzinger, Patrice Knudsen, Janessa Morrison, Jacee Frandsen, Hailee Carlson, like I said friends were life. I had a huge crush on Mark Barnes (as did the rest of the 8th grade girls) and Ryan Button (seriously it was crazy how every girl liked the same guys) and Aaron Rickford. I hated Mr. Markle's history class and I loved my team sports class with Michelle and Jacee. I had Spanish and sat in front of Nick Provstgaard, a ninth grader, who would talk to me. I was so shy and hardly ever would talk back. LOL, what a dork! In eigth grade I made a New Year's Resolution to paint my finger nails to match my outfit every day. Our friends passed around a notebook where we talked about who liked who and other personal middle school dish. One day some boys stole it and Amber, Michelle, and I chased them down the street in bare feet for a long time. I'm laughing out loud right now because I remember swearing at the boys to give the book back! This is also the year I got my braces off. I wore boots with shorts on picture day and my friends never let me forget it. I honestly don't think I looked that ridiculous but my friends sure did and it is forever engrained in their memories.

5 things I did today...
Checked my voicemail from while I was on vacation
Checked my email " " "
Ate very tasty Thai food that I made last night (gotta love leftovers for lunch)
Checked some blogs
Oh and I worked, honestly I did.

Snacks I enjoy...
chips and salsa, baked lays (BBQ), goldfish all accompanied by a refreshing carbonated diet beverage.

If I were given a billion dollars...

I would invest it...psyche! I would buy everything my heart and anyone else's heart desired.

3 Bad Habits...
Popping every joint that will pop
Eating Candy
Being grumpy because our house is messy

5 Jobs I've had...

Well I've had about 5 jobs times 4! Here's a few:
1. After-school sweeper (another name for a janitor...I was 14)
2. Truck-driver recruiter (I have stories)
3. Server at Goodwood BBQ (my longest job ever...almost 2.5 years)
4. Server Joe Morley's BBQ (what can I say...I love BBQ)
5. Current job...Social worker

5 things you probably don't know about me...
1. I went through a phase of wanting to be a hard core skier. In high school I wanted to be like Emily Broadwater and Nanette Morgan who are both way good at snowboarding, wakeboarding, anything involving a board basically. I laugh now because I can barely make it through 2 runs befor I need the lodge and hot chocolate. I still admire both Emily and Nanette for being so dang cool.
2. I've never broken a bone (another reason I wouldn't have made it as a skier)
3. I'm still afraid of the dark.
4. I was put on "tracking" in high school. As I've posted before, I was not so great with making it to all of my classes. My mom made the school put me on tracking. I had to have all my teachers sign a paper saying I was in class and then turn it in to the VP at the end of each week.
5. I've never seen Star Wars or Lord of the Rings (and I don't have any desire to see them either)

Viva la Mexico!

We're going to Cabo San Lucas on Sunday...HOLLA! A have been a big time complainer lately and Seth has diagnosed me with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). I know it's not just me, hasn't this winter lasted FOREVER! I have absolutely loved the past couple of days having the sun out and all. It is definitely time for a vacation though. A couple of days ago I got a text from Seth: "Wanna go to Cabo?" Doi! Of course I wanna go to Cabo! Well Seth is just the absolute greatest because he arranged everything for us to go. There was a point where it was touch and go when we having major technical difficulties trying to book the flights, but alas it all worked out and we're going Sunday to Wednesday. Did I mention we got it for a major steal too? Well we did, which makes the trip even sweeter! I am as white as I think I've ever been so I know I'm going to get deep fried, but I don't even care. I'm just going to sit on the beach for sunrise to sunset, read a book, drink pina coladas, and soak up every ounce of vacation. I really can not contain my excitement right now! Not to rub it in your face any more, but here's the forcast:

Sunday: Mostly Sunny 82
Monday: Mostly Sunny 81
Tuesday: Partly Cloudy 82
Wednesday: Mostly Sunny 82
I'm not a big fan of the mostly's but I'm a huge fan of the sunny's. Aaahhh....Mexico.

What's for Dinner? Chocolate Sorbet!

I'll admit it, I'm not a very good self-motivator. Things that motivate me: money, prizes, material items, treats, etc. Things that don't motivate me: it's good for your health, you'll feel better, you'll look good in your spring and summer time clothes. I do think being accountable to other people might be a good motivator, so...I'm telling you all that I am going to train for a half-marathon. I've actually been doing well with my training program so far and haven't missed a day except for when we were babysitting a family for a couple of days. I've decided to post my progress as I go along with the training. I did finish a marathon about a year and a half ago, but I didn't really run the whole thing. I ran/walked/limped the last 13 miles. So what! At least I finished it right? Well, I want to actually run and run well this time, plus it's only a half-marathon this time.

I am also trying to eat better. My dinner last night: handful of frosted mini-wheats, 2 clementine oranges, and some hagen daz chocolate sorbet. Eh...so I'm not doing so well with that one. ALTHOUGH, I did run 5 miles last night after that, and then came home and had some steamed veggies. I won't post what I eat and don't eat because who really cares what I eat. You sure don't! But I might post when I feel good about something and when I don't. Just so I feel like I'm accountable to someone. K, thanks, bye.

I HEART SETH

Seth and I are babysitting for some family friends this week, so we decided to celebrate Valentine's next week. Seth still surprised me with some lillies when I got home from work though, I was way surprised since we were serious about not celebrating it together until next week. The night before Valentine's, Seth was in Provo teaching the MCAT class, so I was at home with the girls. We decided to make Valentine cookies for Seth. While we were making them Tyler (7) and I had this conversation :
Tyler: "You're in love with Seth huh?"
Me: "Yep!"
Tyler: "Yeah, that's why you married him huh? Yeah, he's pretty funny huh? I'm going to make him a cookie that says I love you Seth. I remember at your wedding that you had a chocolate fountain huh?."

You kinda have to be there but Tyler is quite the little firecracker. She talks so fast and SO LOUD! She's been so much fun to be around though.

14 Things That Make Seth the Bomb Husband
1. He sang at our wedding
2. He is way good at rapping, esp. De La Soul and Outkast
3. He eats whatever I make, and eats a lot of it.
4. He tries hard to remember all the rules I have in our house.
5. He still thinks I'm hot. Well, at least he still tells me that.
6. He kindly reminds me that I need to eat less candy, diet pepsi, and exercise more.
7. He is a way fun uncle, which equals a way fun dad one day.
8. He has super awesome dance moves.
9. He ALWAYS does the dishes.
10. He never raises his voice.
11. He tells me I'm funny. (He told me the other day that I have been getting funnier...I don't know how someone gets funnier. Maybe his expectations are getting lower)
12. He lets me have my moods.
13. He does lots of stuff with my family.
14. He calls me Shuggy and I love it!

Ok, you can gag now. That was a little cheesy but that's what you get on Valentine's day!

Honest Opinions

We are in dire need of new flooring. We were originally thinking carpet, but Seth and I love the look of this instead:


Now, here's the thing, it's a wood laminate from IKEA. It's really very affordable too. I'm wondering if this is worth it? I know wood laminate is not nearly as desirable as real wood. Our place is quite small and I was thinking just our entry way, kitchen, and living room. I need honest opinions on this folks.

On a side note, I LOVED our trip to IKEA on Saturday. Most people know that Seth has never been into design, doesn't really like shopping, and does not like spending money, especially on home decor. WELL, this time he was TOTALLY into it and I LOVED it!

Habit Tag

My sister in law, Natalie, tagged me to do this.

1. I pop my knuckles and have Seth pop my back everday by hugging me hard. Usually he squeezes me so hard it feels like I'm going to pass out.
2. I've been in the habit of singing. A LOT. It mostly only happens around Seth, but he'll say something that will trigger a song in my head and I start singing. It's not the funnest thing to be around since I'm 98% tone-deaf. I've also been into making up songs lately (which don't make sense and don't really have a good tune either)
3. It's not a habit, but it might be becoming one. I am always telling Seth to dry off his hands after washing them or doing the dishes. I don't know why but it DRIVES ME CRAZY when people don't dry their hands. It gets water drips everywhere! (Ok, I might have a little OCD)
4. I can't do anything in the morning, shower, eat breakfast, anything, without brushing my teeth first. I HATE morning breath.
5. I'd say I have a major habit of drinking Diet Pepsi. However, I'm very proud to admit that I am on my second week of drinking caffeine free Diet Pepsi and have not had one withdrawal induced headache.
6. I have a habit of looking at blogs way too often.
7. I have a habit of not wearing my seatbelt.
8. I have a habit of buying stuff, then realizing I don't need it, and then returning it. It's my version of retail therapy. Buy something to make me feel good, but then when I feel good I just take the item back. I don't use it or anything. I just keep it in the bag until I'm ready to take it back. But let's be honest, I end up keeping a lot of the stuff I don't need.
8. This isn't really a habit as much as just an inevitable event, but as soon as I lay on my bed at the end of the day, even for one second, I'm done for for the rest of the night. Example: Last night I took a shower after the gym, laid on my bed in my robe and towel on my head. I could have slept like that had Seth not made me get ready for bed. I think my job makes me mentally exhausted and therefore I become physically exhausted as well. I don't know how I'll make it as a mom. Mom's work way harder than I do.


I tag EVERYONE who reads this.

Good News Minute

Life is good again. Seth talked with the assistant dean as well as a student advocate. The assistant dean talked to Dr. Pants' boss and now Seth doesn't have to pay that wanker (I got that word from Colie) any money back. Seth also can take the paper to another doctor to see if he can publish it through him or her. So, in the end we win and Dr. Poopy Pants loses. That's what you get for being a jerk.

Other great news, our appliances in our condo are under warranty and it's a good thing because our dishwasher broke this week too. We had a repair guy come out and both items are not fixable so now we get a new oven and dishwasher! Yipee! Now if I could just get our refridgerator(circa 1962)to give out...

Geez...some people!

I have to vent. This is more a vent for Seth than for me, but I just gotta vent about this. Here's the story: Seven months ago Seth was hooked up with a doctor that wanted Seth to do some research and to write a paper. The doctor, we'll call him Dr. Poopy Pants, told Seth to go apply for a Federal Work Study grant so Seth would be paid for his work. Dr. Poopy Pants also told Seth that since Seth would be doing most of the work, he would be able to be listed as the first author on the paper (a REALLY big deal). So, Seth did just that,he went to where ever you apply for one of those things. He filled out these papers and was approved for a federal work study grant. Seven months go by, Seth does research, spends a lot of time writing and editing this paper, really works hard. Then one day he gets an email from this doctor saying, "Am I paying you?" Seth wrote back, "You shouldn't be, I having been getting paid through the Federal Work Study." Turns out, 75% of the money Seth was getting was paid by the government and 25% was supposed to be coming from the doctor. The 25% of the money was withdrawn from grant money the doctor had for another project. Dr. Poopy Pants did not like this one bit. Seth got an email this morning from Dr. Poopy telling Seth that he has to pay him back $590. WHAT?!?! This is crazy for several reasons:

1) All Seth did was fill out the application that this dumb doctor told him to.
2) Somebody must have had to approve the grant before it was given to Seth.
3) How the hell was Seth supposed to know that some of the money would be coming from the doctor and that the doctor wouldn't know about it.
4) The portion that came from the doctor works out to be $2.50/hr. Yes, that's right 2 dollars and 50 cents!!
5) This doctor makes almost HALF A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR! What Seth owes this guy is one-one thousandth of his annual income.
6) If a medical student is doing a Federal Work Study, wouldn't you assume that that student is poor and probably ends up having to use all of that money, and wouldn't just be saving it for a rainy day, so he probably won't have $590 of it to give back.
7)Seth worked so hard on this project and the LEAST the doctor could do was pay him $2.50 an hour!
8) IT'S NOT EVEN SETH'S FAULT YOU DUMB DR. POOPY PANTS!

Seth is supposed to meet with the assistant dean of the med. school today, so hopefully this will be resolved smoothly. But serioulsy, what a jerk.

Hooray for Living By a Hospital!

Not because we got sick, but because now we can pick up free wireless! Best news of 2008. Seth was sitting on our couch last night working on something on our new laptop (courtesy of Mom and Dad)and was talking about some email he got that day. Then he said, "Here, I'll send it to you." Then, I realized something "WHAT?!?! INTERNET!!!" and I did a little dance. We have lived in our new place since August and have not had the internet, you can imagine my excitement. I was super grateful for my internet stealing husband yesterday.

Letter to the 17 year old version of myself

This was fun thinking back to the way I thought when I was 17. Thanks for the good idea La! Whoever reads this has to do it to themselves too.

Letter to 17 year old Heidi-

1. Go to class for crying out loud! You’re parents will get off your back and you’re mom won’t be brought to tears over your delinquency! Plus, nothing exciting ever happens when you skip class. Just go to class. If you don’t believe this now, you’ll believe me when you are playing basketball in your backyard for the fourth weekend in a row that you’ve been grounded.
2. Don’t dye your hair that purple-y black color. Nate Smith will make fun of you and sing Marilyn Manson songs every time you walk past him. He thinks it’s really funny when he does it.
3. Find those friends who will be true friends to you…and make sure you’re a true friend back.
4. Be yourself. Don’t worry about what other people’s perceptions of you may be. It’s a waste of time worrying about it.
5. Don’t go home every weekend of your Utah State time in Logan.
6. Believe it or not, your life will actually go on after your first heartbreak. Actually, your life is gonna get a lot better.
7. Your life will go on after your second heartbreak too.
8. You TOTALLY luck out on who you marry. You’re going to meet him while you’re dating another guy, but don’t worry, you and that guy will end things pretty quick after meeting your future husband, and then you’ll start dating and life happily ever after!
9. Maybe try sticking to something…like a hobby or a sport.
10. Work on being a better sister.
11. Don’t forget to put oil in the Subaru.
12. Keep doing what you’re doing because your life turns out way better than you think it will, despite all the dumb things you do along the way.

Reading Material for Lara

My sis in law Lara is on bed rest and needs something to do. Here is a fascinating questionnaire about myself. This is a two in one deal because you can read it and then do it yourself. Enjoy!

1.What is your occupation? Permanency worker for the Division of Child and Family Services
2. What color are your socks right now? No socks. I know, and me feet are freezing! I can’t wear socks with the shoes I’m wearing, it’d look ridiculous. However, I do have a pair of socks in my purse for an occasion such as this. I should put them on.
3. What are you listening to right now? Annie Stela, It’s You. Thanks to Pandora.com
4. What was the last thing that you ate? A banana and some raspberry yogurt.
5. Can you drive a stick shift? I invented the stick shift.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Cerlean because I don’t know how to say it.
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? A client
8. How old are you today? 24
9. Favorite drink? If you know me at all you can answer that yourself.
10. What is your favorite sport to watch? basketball
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yeah. In high school I did it so dark that this kid would sing Marilyn Manson every time he saw me. Rude.
12. Favorite Pets? Molly
13. favorite food?Thai
14. What was the last movie you watched? Why We Fight. An awesome documentary about the government.
15. Favorite holiday of the year? Christmas…hands down!
16. What do you do to vent anger? Go into Amber’s office.
17. Favorite childhood toy? My Cricket doll.
18. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Too hard to decide. They tie.
19. Hugs or kisses? Too hard to decide. They tie too.
20. Cherries or Blueberries? Cherries, but fresh ones. Those ones they put in Shirley Temples are super nasty.
21. Who is most likely to respond via blog? Lara, let’s face it, you don’t have a whole lot goin on today.
22. Living arrangements? A condo downtown SLC with the one and only Seth Herway
23. When was the last time you cried? I think when I saw the Great Debaters over Christmas
24. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes and bags.
25. Favorite smells? Baby lotion and Seth’s Very Sexy for men
26. What did you do last night? Made dinner for the cutest kids ever, did laundry, contemplated working out, looked through old pictures, decided not to work out
27. What inspires you? Hopefully a picture of a skinnier version of myself will inspire me to work out more.
28. What are you afraid of? Sharks, deep water, fish, the dark, ghosts and goblins, boogie men, robbers, and physically injuring myself.
29. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Spicy? That sounds gross. I’ll just have a Hires Big H please.
30. Favorite dog breed? Boston terriers.
31. How many years at your current job? No years, just almost 4 months.
32. Favorite place you've ever been? Bellagio, Italy or Greece
33. How many states have you lived in? Colorado, Massachusetts, and Utah
34. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
35. Ever driven motorcycle or heavy machinery? Nope and no thanks.
36. Who's your favorite NFL team? Who?
37. Do you have a house phone that is not cordless? No but I remember when cordless phones were so so cool.

Home Improvement Handicapped

Does anyone know of a good, inexpensive electrician? Seth and I had some issues installing a dimmer on our living room light switch and now our lights won't turn on at all. Our oven is touch and go as well so if anyone wants to mysteriously leave an oven on our doormat we would greatly appreciate it. All of our appliances are the orginals from when our complex was built...sometime in the 1960s.

Pringles?

The other day I was at Maverik, my second home, getting my daily Diet Pepsi fix. The ladies at the register know me now. I can't believe I just admitted that, that's actually really sad. I also usually grab a few bite size tootsie rolls too and they always comment when I skip a day of the candy. ANYWAY, this time when I was at the check out stand the lady was like, "Wanna a Pringle?" She pointed to the counter where like 6 opened Pringle cans were sitting. I guess they decided to sample the Pringles that day or something. This doesn't sound that weird, but it really was because first of all, grocery stores usually have samples, not gas stations, and second usually samples are presented in a little cupcake wrapper or a small plastic cup or something. Maverik, however, just pops open the lid and you can just reach in and grab the Pringle of your choice...Original, Salt and Vinegar (blegh!) Pizza, Sour Cream and Onion, BBQ, whatever. It was just really bizarre to me and I had to share. In case you were wondering, I declined on the chip.

Work Story

I should've posted this a while ago since it had to do with Christmas, but I'm gonna share it anyway.

So, as part of my job, I check in on different kids who are in foster care. Just about once a month, just to make sure they're healthy and safe. This past month I stopped by a home that has two foster kids living there, a 9 year old girl and a 5 year old boy. This family also has a few of their own kids. When I got there, the kids asked if I would read a story with them, I said yes of course, and they picked out a book. It was a few weeks before Christmas, so they picked a Christmas book. It was about a little lamb who was there in the manger when Christ was born. On one of the pages, the 5 year old boy pointed to Jesus and said, "Who's that?" I said, "That's Baby Jesus." He replied,"Jesus? Our big brother?"

I thought about this on my way home from work that night and it stayed with me through the entire holiday season. I just kept thinking how grateful I was that this foster family had taught this little boy who Jesus was. This boy is only 5 and already in foster care. I think it's safe to say that he is going to have a rough road ahead of him. I am so grateful that he has atleast learned who Jesus is, that He's our brother, and he loves us. I hope that he will always remember atleast just that much.

My job is hard, but it's so worth it. I am so grateful that I get to be a part of these fragile lives and that I can do a little to help strengthen them atleast a tiny bit.


After I told him that yes, Baby Jesus and our big brother Jesus are the same person, he then pointed to the Three Wise Men and said, "I think those are his apostles." I thought that was pretty cute.


I hope everyone had such a wonderful holiday season!