Celeste in the city with Captain Amazing and two Baby Dahls

It's Unreal....

2011-11-29T16:19:00.001-07:00

It really is unreal to me that I have two kids, that I have a 7-month-old and a 2-year-old. It's unreal to me that I get to be with them during the day and be there for everyday's new adventure. It's unreal to me that I have an amazing home and an amazing husband.... wow

Well it's Christmas time and we have a couple months to catch up on.

We had Family Photos taken in August. They turned out great.

Then of course there was Halloween

And last but not least, we got passes for the Aquarium. Somebody found a new friend....

In Conclusion.

I am very Thankful.

The End.

A family of 4 is on the rise

2011-05-04T14:28:00.007-06:00

Having a baby... the second baby can really do a number on you for a while.

This was me at 9 mos pregnant with Alexis. I was very ready to have her and not sure my stomach could stretch out any further.

On May 2, 2011, Alexis Marie Dahl was born.

Already best friends, Felicity and Alexis together.

The End.

Well there have been some changes to life....

2011-02-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, there have been a lot of changes. I am not interested in attempting to recap so many months, but to just move forward.

The last two main events have included the following in chronological order:
I discovered that I was with child .....
about two weeks before Baby Dahl turned the big ONE!

It has been an interesting ride since then.

Watching my baby turn into a toddler has been epic.

She seriously is just about the most adorable little thing I have ever had the pleasure of being in contact with.

The End.

Happy About Life...

2010-08-25T08:57:00.000-06:00

My way of capitalizing on the month!

Lovin the bath.

Lovin the slide

Lovin the Swing

Love playin Peek-A-Boo (even if you can't really tell)

Really loving pudding.

Loving that Binkie!

Lovin sleeping with her bum up in the air.

Love that bug.

The End.

And.... she walks!

2010-08-19T14:07:00.004-06:00

The date was August 13, 2010.

Picked Lissa up from the sitter, took her home, and she walked!!!

Minus the day she finally said "Mum" this is my most favorite moment.

Someone told me that literally one day she would just start walking and she did!

The End.

Johnson Family Reunion

2010-08-19T14:00:00.002-06:00

I mentioned before that my brother and his family came into town, the first week of August, for a visit and it's been almost a year since we were altogether - so it was really fun.

One of the days we celebrated all of the July/August birthdays and this is what we took:

I will have to find more family pics that were taken, until then these will have to do.

The End.

August at the Park.

2010-08-10T08:39:00.000-06:00

Sweet little Felicity is officially 11 months. A few short weeks, and she will be One-year-old. I can't believe how time flies with our baby girl.

Last Saturday all the family was in town and together to take a family photo: The Portlanders, the original parents, and my little brother's crew. It was good times and getting pretty warm even for 10am. When pictures were finished we walked over to the park and put Lissa on the swing. To date, I have never seen her laugh and enjoy life so much.

My pics do no justice other than to show you just how adorable she is, I will have to check the Captain's phone tonight.

When swinging time was finished, proud daughter rode back to the car on her daddy's shoulders.

The End.

My Baby Dahl

2010-07-28T10:57:00.000-06:00

Just shy of 11 months old, my baby girl wearing a 24 month outfit.

Yes it's a little big - but who are we kidding :) She is going to be tall and make her mama proud!

The End.

The Days of 47 Parade

2010-07-28T10:47:00.004-06:00

July in Utah is quite an eventful time of year- two holidays to provide days off of work mixed with an 11month old girl = fun fun fun.

We took Lissa to her very first parade - the days of '47 parade to be exact.

This was Lissa when it first started

Oh the fun she was having with her cousins, Savayah and Mia.

Then about an hour into it, I needed to jump in and entertain her as she was losing it a little.

By the end of the two hour event, she was done!

All in all it was a great time.
The End

Swinging Fun and better days

2010-07-12T11:31:00.000-06:00

Well as time moves on, baby Dahl continues to get bigger and wants to be a big kid now.

So, we decided to try her out on a big kid swing. This one is my favorite because she is sportin her new bottom teeth.

And all the rest are just cute.

:) she definitely makes me laugh!

The End.

See a penny pick it up...

2010-07-07T15:27:00.000-06:00

Lissa's motto in life is: "If there is not a Binky in my mouth, everything else will be!"
This is an awesome motto when it comes to eating her veggies and fruits and real food, but not so much for everything else.

Thursday, Lissa ate a penny that got lodged halfway down her throat - just to kill a little suspense in this story, she ends up living and turns out fine, but consequently aged her poor mother about 30 years.

Unluckily for me, the Captain was out of town for work and so I had to call in reinforcements (Abuelita and Grandpa).
We took Lissa to Insta-Care where x-rays showed the coin lodged in her throat, then they sent us to Primary Children Hospital to have the coin removed.
First attempt to remove the coin (by sticking a catheter down her nose and into her throat, blow up a balloon, and pull it back up) was unsuccessful, so Friday morning they took her back and performed an endoscopy to get it out.

If you really want to get down to the nitty gritty, yes I cried for the better part of 24 hours and realize that life and crisis' go much more smoothly when the Captain is by my side.
I am very grateful for my mom and dad who were there for us because I am pretty sure I couldn't have done this alone.

The End.

No!

2010-06-24T11:01:00.000-06:00

Memories that must be documented.
Do you see this beautiful little baby girl....

Just in case you didn't see her, here is one more look of this perfect baby girl of mine.....

So last night, I was bathing this little angel and when we were finished, I asked her if she wanted to get out with my arms outstretched to grab her and she looked at me and for the first time shook her head NO!
haha!
I took a moment because I wasn't sure SHE was sure what she just said.
So I asked her again, Lissa wanna get out of the tub and re-stretched out my arms....
NO! (this time with a smile and a little giggle)

I can't believe it!
My baby has learned No? From who?
It couldn't possibly be that we are constantly saying....
No Lissa - don't get in mom's tree
No Lissa - get away from those stairs
No Lissa - you know the bathroom is off limits.

I am still laughing... but officially scared!
The End

El Captain's Birthday AND Father's Day... SHEESH!

2010-06-24T10:49:00.001-06:00

Lissa and I have recently voted on an amendment regarding presents in our family. We have decided that for the rest of the Captain's life, he will be sharing his birthday presents with Father's Day presents. The voting was 2:1 so it shall be written.

Saturday morning after the Captain got up early to give service in our ward, he returned to this:

Lissa and I started pushing it over to where he was sitting, but Lissa got distracted...

So I finished pushing it over to him.
Once he began opening it, Lissa was all over it again.

YAY! A New Grill.
I needed evidence that the Captain actually IS capable of reading manuals and has done so in this particular circumstance.

When all was said and done, we were grilling champs!

Ok, maybe just the Captain is a champ. Happy Birthday AND Happy Father's Day Captain!
We love you.
The End.

I camp You camp We camp...

2010-06-02T10:25:00.006-06:00

Lissa was one week shy of 9 months when we headed off to Flaming Gorge for her first official (tent included) camping trip.

My oh my was I stressed to the max! It's possible that I made the captain buy a tent heater and a very nice thermos to keep her water hot and ready for bottle making. I also pushed through my anxiety of possible Bear attack and this was the result:

Lissa in the tent while it rains

Lissa keepin it real in the wilderness with dad

Lissa playing with mom and using her bandanna to keep the sun off her head.

Crystal barefoot and pregnant ... and STILL chopping the wood!

It may appear that this was all the same day, but we just kept Lissa in this little outfit because it was the warmest.
This was us at the Dam.

And, this was Lissa after a hard days work of playing and being super cute.

The End.

I suppose there is one good thing about the I-Phone...

2010-05-26T08:48:00.005-06:00

I make no excuse for my detest of apple or their I-gadgets.
HOWEVER...
We have recently misplaced our camera for about a month now and the Captain is my only source for cute picture shots of our sweet Baby Dahl.

So, I was looking at the I-phone last night and found this first picture and started laughing. I went into the computer room where the Captain was and asked him -what the heck?- he smiled and said that was taken one morning on the way to the sitter's house.

These next few were taken at a park a couple weekends ago. We decided to get Lissa some sun and us some fresh air - but it was still cold. I love that she wants to eat the grapes in this book :)

And this last shot just goes to show, that Lissa truly is her moms daughter. :)

The End.

Daddy Daughter Time

2010-04-27T22:13:00.001-06:00

I can't get her to enjoy dinner this much, must be a dad thing:

The End.

Tuesday night is Ladies Night

2010-04-27T21:46:00.003-06:00

Tonight me and my sweet baby girl had some good ol' fashion fun.
We went next door and had dinner with Krista, Kambria, and Maylee while our husbands enjoyed some fun at school.

Then we came home and played some more. Felicity decided she wanted some bouncin' time in the Baby Einstein Walker:

then she decided to play hide and seek with me:

Finally, I convinced her to snuggle with me on the couch for some "Glee." In between we played with the camera and took some pics.

Thanks for a great night sweet lil bug of mine.
The End.

Happy Feet

2010-03-30T11:23:00.003-06:00

Easter and a 7 month old!

2010-03-29T15:23:00.010-06:00

Where does the time go!
In one week from tomorrow, Felicity will be 7 months old!
If it is possible to suggest, she gets funner by the day.
She can say ba-ba, da-da, and mama - just kidding on that last one.
She rolls around like crazy and LOVES bananas with her rice cereal.

The only person who can get her to laugh hysterically is her dad. Whenever he is playing with her, all I hear is crazy laughing from the both of them. I am a lucky mom.

Yesterday she wore her Easter dress to church and I just had to capture her cuteness.

It was such a beautiful day that we stayed outside for a bit to try and get a good pose out of her. How come no one told me about how difficult it is to get a baby to sit still?

After many attempts, these were the few semi-successful ones.

And this one helps explain just how many DIDN'T turn out :)

HAPPY EASTER!
The End.

Felicity on the rise.

2010-02-22T15:24:00.003-07:00

Our sweet little Lissa is 5 months old.

She smiles all of the time. Even when she first wakes up and can barely open her eyes. How can we even be so blessed.

Two weeks ago on Friday she finally rolled from her belly to her back! I was really excited because she would get so frustrated only being able to roll onto her belly and then getting stuck.

She also was introduced to real food - and yes I mean the baby food kind.
She loves eating, so she has not shown any signs of distaste.

I hate to say it, but she is just an all-around-awesome kid!
We love her guts and can't wait for some more mile markers :)

The End.

All Tuckered Out....

2010-01-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

The Little One was spoiled to death this past weekend and it just tuckered her right out.

We have been burned upon burned with gift certificates lately and just wanted to be rid of every last one in our possession, so Saturday we drove to the Gateway and spent a pretty penny on our pretty penny (I mean Lissa).

What was even more awesome to note was the fact we finally put some miles on our stroller and got ourselves some good exercise too!

I sat down with the little one when we got home and told her that mom and pop probably won't be spending that much on her again (at least for a while) so to live it up in her new outfits and mom would be more than happy to take as many pictures of her posing in them to get their value.

So keep yourselves posted.

The End.

Rice Cereal

2010-01-09T09:29:00.006-07:00

On Lissa's 4 month mile-marker we celebrated by introducing her to Rice Cereal. I think it was more of a treat for us than it was for her.

This first time was not a complete success, well I guess it depends on what you qualify as success, but it was so much fun to try.

Since then, she has really grasped on and is eating like a champion.
The End.

4 Months and 15 lbs later...

2010-01-08T11:17:00.004-07:00

On January 6th, Lissa hit her 4month mile marker and boy-oh-boy she is growing like a weed. She is measuring at 15 lbs and 11oz - yay!

This outfit came from her uncle Jared for Christmas. It's a 6 month outfit but surprisingly it fits!
Thanks JJ.

The End.

Big girl with Big Smiles

2010-01-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

Our little Lissa is growing so big, we just can't believe it. She smiles all the time, laughs when we tickle her, loves taking baths, sleeps really good, a huge fan of eating, and shes probably my most favorite accessory- perfect for every occassion.

This was our first Christmas with her and it was fantastic. She got a lot of fun presents from Santa, Mom/Dad, and Grandparents - what a spoiled little girl.

Merry Christmas Everyone - Hope you all have a great New Year.

The End.

Bouncie Bouncie Bouncie

2009-12-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

This will probably be my favorite post. So a couple weeks ago, we were noticing some changes in Lissa. She was starting to hold her head up pretty good (still not great but a little better) and she started to giggle. How exciting, right?

So the Captain put her in the bouncer and this was her reply.

The End.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

This year for Thanksgiving... we did the exact same thing as last year :)

We went to my parents house for an early Thanksgiving - lunch feast, rest a little, and do it all again at Kevin's parents that evening. We had a great time.

We love Thanksgiving because it reminds us just how grateful are for so much food! and maybe that is more me and Lissa than Kevin :)

But also, because we are so grateful for our little Felicity. To date, she is the best daughter we have ever had.

Pictures re Thanksgiving are forthcoming.

Baby Felicity is growing up.

2009-11-29T15:00:00.004-07:00

Who ok'd the rule that babies grow up anyway?
My baby girl is going to be 3 big ones on the 6th of December and she is already so advanced.
Some of her updates include:

She has been sleeping thru the night for a month now;
she smiles, giggles, and plays with her slobber;
she can distinguish her parents from all you other humanoids;
she loves watching TV;
she is in the 55% of all kids her age when it comes to weight and height; and
she is such a well mannered child- she always folds her arms when she eats so we know prayer will be a sinch.

I can never post just one picture of her so here we go. (Month Two)

The End.

Precious...

2009-11-06T09:39:00.001-07:00

I have nothing else to write other than... Precious

The End.

Halloween, Chilling, and a Baby Blessing - a 3 in 1 weekend.

2009-11-03T14:34:00.009-07:00

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS!!!
This is NOW a very typical Friday night at our home.
Chilling at home and watching Lissa make faces at us with an occasional smile.
We tried for almost 2 hours to capture her perfect smile on camera.... Yeah the minute she sees the camera come out it's nothing but a hard stare.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
My little Frog had a great time helping me and the Captain hand out candy to the Trick-er-Treaters.
I am very proud of her for letting me take these pictures without her binx (binkie). I dare say she loves that thing as much as she loves us - or ever so slightly more.

BLESSING DAY!
This is my Felicity on the morning of her big day. (Sunday November 1, 2009)
She seriously would not let me take out the Binx without crying. I still have no idea how I actually got two without it.
Thanks Abuelita for the dress and Thanks Grandma Dahl for the Blanket. They made my beautiful girl look amazing.

The End.

Mom and Daughter...

2009-10-19T10:01:00.004-06:00

I love my baby girl.....

Sometimes I want to eat her - she is so cute!

Lissa pants...

2009-10-08T22:08:00.005-06:00

It's very possible that the last 4 weeks of my life have been practically amazing.
It's also very possible I am just as obsessed with Lissa as I am the Captain - :) Totally kidding only psycho's are obsessed.........

Well life with baby Dahl is fun. Updates for us include the following:
Eating, Sleeping, and Potty-time... and as for lil F... jk that was pretty much her sum up - I spend most of my days starring at her wondering where the freak is my Mexican baby... hehe just kidding. I really think she is a perfect blend of me and the Captain - maybe ever so slightly more Cap't then me, but that's perfectly ok with me because I win the personality contest - hands down...
No joke... Lissa talks just like me (complete jibberish); and
She gets JUST as fussy as I do if she is not immediately fed when she feels the slightest bit of hunger. :)
She is very particular about her binkie choice - the same way I am about the brand of makeup I use; and
She does not.. and I mean NOT enjoy getting a diaper change - me either!!! Yes yes... this girl is definitely my daughter.

So anyway, I've captured my baby girl with family, friends, and God-parent... and want to update my blog with them.

Lissa Pants with ...

God-Mother E Diaz

Best Friend Avery Reary

Grandpa and Grandma Dahl

Grandpa Dahl getting jiggy with Lissa

The End.

Felicity Claire

2009-09-15T15:27:00.010-06:00

Where to begin.....

So one of these last Saturdays (because Felicity is already a week old) I was admitted into the hospital.

At approx. 4:42 am little Lissa was born weighing in at 7lbs and 9oz.

They say she was 21 inches long, but I'm a firm believer that she is definitely longer than that!

Two days later we brought her home.
Unfortunately I did not properly document her very first outfit leaving the hospital but rest assured she was adorable.

This last week has been insane but the best week of our lives. We love her so much and are so happy she is here.

Hooray for Felicity.

The End.

The mother-load of updates...

2009-08-27T08:59:00.009-06:00

So lots to talk about today:

Bought and moved into a new house

Despite the lifting and moving and whatnot, no baby yet.
To date, none of the rooms are ready for public scrutiny but I think I can still share a glimpse of the potential.

Featured below is one of the bathrooms, Felicity's room, and the Kitchen.
Yikes a lot of work needs to be done - any takers??? :)

My birthday came and went.
The captain surprised me with the best birthday gifts ever...

These bad-boys wash and dry no joke in under 2 hours. It's insanity. Please don't make me remember or re-live my life with the stackable washer/dryer from the condo. Or the fact that it took almost 3 hours just to dry anything while simultaneously over-heating and over-humidifying the condo.
Or the fact that I could never dry jeans, towels, or anything heavier than a thin shirt.

I love him - He's the BEST! No joke, better than a can ice cold Pepsi.... oh yes I said it.

So then I hit my 36 week mark - 9 months....
And documented the occasion...

I'm not a huge fan of pictures at this point - but will do it for posterity.
I cut my hair about a month ago when the over-heating just became unbearable.
I was not met with a round of applause from the Captain - I'm not sure he even spoke for about 5 minutes, but he has come around and I'm sure is happy cause I'm happy. :)

As of today's date, I'm down to 3 days before baby Dahl hits her deadline.
We are so excited!
Thanks to all for your endless help, gifts, and prayers.

The End.

Baby Showers....

2009-08-19T16:53:00.006-06:00

Most of you know by now that I'm having a baby pretty soon :)

I have been a slacker but am still going to post some belated pics. I had 3 baby showers and loved them all so much I am dedicating a post to them.

My work held the first baby shower for me and baby Felicity and although we didn't take pics at the shower, I will post pics of some of my presents because they were amazing.

[ LOCATION I WILL BE INSERTING WORK PRESENTS.... ]

Second shower was a friends and family one.
(Aunt Alina and Cousin Mandy)

(Aunt Neni and beautiful mother)

(Kirstan and the girls)

(Me)

My Third shower was another family one and because my mom has not emailed me the pics, I am still at a loss for those. MOM this is a public notice to you - EMAIL ME THOSE PICS. :) LOVE YOU.

So while I patiently wait for those pictures and for little Felicity to arrive. I will start working on the next post.

The End.

It's true I have a lot of things to blog about... BUT

2009-08-04T13:49:00.002-06:00

I must inform you all of my most recent disease: Shrek Feet.

In the first image here, you will see two fat sick swollen unbeautified feet.
Yep those bad boys are mine and the sausages that are attached are actually toes.

The second image depicts just how tight my shoes are because my foot is actually bursting out of the shoe.

Why share you ask?
Cause I think it's hilarious. What will the next 3 weeks bring...

The End.

Things you can do while 7 months pregnant.

2009-06-24T13:50:00.007-06:00

The Captain is a fan of the out-doors and I am a fan of the Captain, THUS things like this tend to happen:

We went canoeing even tho I'm pretty sure my life jacket does not fit me.

We went kayaking, which is actually easier than canoeing, but if I look exhausted, it's because I am.

And then if that's not enough, We also went fishing.

While I'm not proud of how I look in these pictures, I am proud of this...

I hooked my own worm, I set my own reel, and then...

I CAUGHT MY FIRST FISH...

Savayah and Mia caught fish too.
We were all really proud of our accomplishments.

and as you can see the Captain was an old pro helping us all out.

It was a fun day and I'm glad we were able to do it.
The End.

Who says I can't camp with a big belly.....

2009-06-01T16:05:00.002-06:00

That's right! I went camping.
61/2 months pregnant and headed up to the mountains to be one with the cougars and bears.

As you can see, the captain did pretty much all the work and tried to keep me off my feet.

But I must say, I'm totally in tune with the outdoors and what to wear to prevent ticks from invading my scalp.

Ewe... we kiss

The End.

Seis Meses

2009-05-15T10:09:00.003-06:00

Six months is finally here... I'm officially 24 weeks along!

Last night in my winding down process before sleep I started thinking "wow Celeste, in 3 more months were going to have a baby in here" and that kind of thinking always freaks me out a little.

But then I laid there some more and realized 1) this 6 months has not "flown" by, 2) I can't wait to have her here with us, and 3) another 3 more months??? are you kidding me that seems like forever.

And the endless array of emotions continue. Recent update on baby: I felt her start moving almost two weeks ago now and the Captain felt her move for the first time last Sunday. We have both been looking forward to that so it's been a pretty exciting week. Now that I feel her all the time, I'm looking forward to feel her hick-up - I hear that's a pivotal moment.

I know I still haven't seen many of you for a while, so to help lift your spirits today, or just make you giggle a little, or even just reassure you that I still do exist...

PRESENTING ... ME AT 6 MONTHS:

The End.

Ugh! Movie Critics....

2009-05-01T09:51:00.007-06:00

Seriously....
I have never had stronger feelings on the matter until THIS very morning but I don't think I could be more irritated than I am right now so I must vent - and this is my blog, right?

This morning as I'm driving to work I turn on the radio just in time to hear the stations movie critic (a man) sharing his opinion on the new releases opening today. I try not to get irritated that he bashes the "chick flick" (shocker, right?) and I try not to yell back at the radio when he tells me that X-Men is simply "not believable - too far fetched" (really? the action scenes are far fetched huh, I'm stunned.)
Whatever.
I turned my radio to CD until I got to work.
I sit down at my desk and type in movies.com so I can see show times for this weekend and of course to my dismay on their main page I see their "movie critic" (another man) who apparently will give it to me straight up. His review for the chick flick movie reads: "death of comedy" and rates it an F - I roll my eyes and his review for X-men reads: "Seriously fluffy hair" and rates it a C-.
I... WANT... TO... SCREAM!
If there was a way I could have rolled my eyes harder I would have.

I got up from my desk and walked to the kitchen here at work to get a drink and blow off my irritability and hear two attys talking about the "reviews" for X-Men. "Well the critics gave it.....?" Ugh!

No doubt they were listening to this movie critic.

My day would have been ruined at 10am if it wasn't for this gift that my co-worker brought for me this morning:

Aw. I love them - they are so soft and cute. Ok my mind has been diverted back to baby thoughts and my baby. :)

The End.

My baby says Hi....

2009-04-15T10:14:00.004-06:00

I know it's so hard to even see a thing in ultra sound pictures, but yesterday we went to the Doctor to make sure the baby was growing according to plan and this is what we saw...

My baby was saying Hi... :)

And yes she is doing great and still growing a week ahead of schedule.

I can't WAIT until she comes.

The End.

Arizona and Easter

2009-04-15T10:02:00.004-06:00

Last weekend we took a really quick trip to Arizona to see the Easter Pageant.
They always put on a really great show.

The atmosphere was nice since the cops sent the protesters home and the weather was shockingly cool that night. It was a lot of fun.

On our way home, we stopped at the Grand Canyon. Mostly for a bathroom break and to stretch our legs but also to just see the view.

We had a great time.
It was so great to see everyone and catch up.
If it weren't for those blasted insanely too hot summers, I'd totally move back!

The End.

Think Pink

2009-04-08T18:13:00.004-06:00

As the world turns, with one life to live, these are the days of our lives.

WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!!!!!

That is our beautiful baby's side profile.

I am also happy to report that since I was so shocked and stunned during the ultra sound I did not cry. I must be turning into one tough cookie.

We are so excited! A mini Celeste is on her way.

The End

What will my baby look like....

2009-04-06T15:10:00.006-06:00

On Wednesday we will "hopefully" find out the sex of the baby but we will not know much about what he/she looks like. So I have decided to take matters into my own hands and with the help of makingbabies.com...

Apparently THIS is what our baby will look like...

I'm officially scared to have this baby!

The End.

Leprechaun update

2009-03-27T09:18:00.008-06:00

March has been an interesting month.
I have discovered a love/hate relationship with March.

March 9, 2009 - was my 15 week pregnancy checkup. According to all the right sources, I am in my second of the three-mesters and should be starting to "feel" better. HA! I am not so lucky. Cindy my nurse, who is amazing, told me I was measuring at 16 and 1/2 inches and to help lift my spirits, because I was not suppose to have one, she performed an ultra sound and IT WORKED! Spirits were lifted! Everything that has been hard to deal with has been well worth it when I see this beautiful apple-sized baby moving around like crazy in my stomach.
The Captain missed this appointment because of work and the ultrasound machine was out of paper so as sad as it was for Kevin to not be a part of it - this mama had a moment with her babe.

(baby bump update)

March 14, 2009 - the Captain was able to get out of the house and have some fun -day skiing with his family. I was happy for him because for the last couple of months, his life has been wake up, work, come home, comfort crying wife, hold wife's hair back while she pukes, rub her back, live on Ramen Noodles, and basically never leave the house.
When he came home later that afternoon, he looked like he got a little sun. The next morning when we woke up for church, I took one look at him and yikes! his face looked like a cherry tomato but for reasons of saving my marriage, I have promised not to post those pictures. Let's just say "Thank heavens for Aloe".

March 16, 2009 - We started the baby room. Thanks to those precious babies who were born before my babe, we have been able to get some really good hand-me-downs. We started setting up the crib and changing table and all sorts of other good stuff. THIS day definitely lifted our spirits.

March 25, 2009 - We went to a Luau! It was so much fun to get out of the house and go see my cousins shake their tail-feathers.

Our Luau queen with my parents - adorable

The Luau Queen with some weird pregnant girl

The Luau Queen during performance

The Luau Queen and King with my dad and their precious girls

My cute family with the Luau Queen

Well I realize the month is not yet over and if something really exciting presents itself I will post, but until then plan for April 8th BIG DAY UPDATE!!!!!!!

*** and because every time I tell people I am starting to feel better and might be coming out of the woods, I end up having a horrible next couple of days so I will not say I am starting to feel better.... BUT
Today I feel pretty good :)

The end.

Happy Anniversary to Me!

2009-03-03T21:57:00.005-07:00

So first things first - Pregnancy update: Still sick, Still vomiting, Still can't brush teeth with toothpaste, Still stomach pains, Still getting bigger in the stomach department, Still don't move very much at night, Still think Asian food reeks!, but STILL HAPPY TO BE PREGNANT :)

Well so anyway - February 23, 2009 was our big one year anniversary. I woke up at midnight and started singing to the Captain. He was like what on earth are you talking about but then remembered and was happy. In the morning we got up as usual and went our respective ways to work. By the end of my work days I am usually spent. I'm tired, grumpy, and starting my downward decent into evening sick hours, but because it was a big day AND because I went to Rubio's for lunch, I happily drove home to my captain. He was waiting for me and when I walked in the door he surprised me with these babies:

Yes I was very happy to have them. I am definitely a girl who LOVES to get flowers.
I went to go lay down on the bed for a bit and this was lying on the bed waiting for me:

Could I be more spoiled? I think not!
Then the Captain took me to Olive Garden for a nice one year anniversary dinner.
We had a great time and then came home and relaxed on the couch for a bit before bed.
What?
Of course I got him a gift - but this is MY blog to write about ME. :)

Anyway it was an amazing night and I will confess that I married the best Captain in the world.
(Oh puke me - that was a bit on the cheese side)

The end.

Big Day... Big News...

2009-02-11T09:30:00.004-07:00

I'M PREGNANT!!!!
AND IN ORDER TO CELEBRATE PROPERLY, THIS ENTIRE BLOG WILL BE IN CAPS BECAUSE I AM SO EXCITED.

IF YOU WANT A BREAK DOWN OF WHAT IS WHAT IN THESE PICS..... PLEASE SEE KEVIN - HE HAS A VERY KEEN EYE.

BUT I'M PRETTY SURE THERE IS A GHETTO BOOTY IN THE FIRST PIC :)

ANYWAY I'M IN LOVE... AND I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT!!!

The Big Game and Kesha

2009-02-10T18:08:00.004-07:00

Happy Birthday Kesha - 10 days ago :)

Because I have been having a hard time keeping up with my blog, she is getting this tribute a little later than normal.

Her birthday fell on the the same day as the Big Game! It was a hard loss to see Federer lose yet AGAIN to Nadal but we still had a good time at the party.
Oh yeah and that Superbowl game was on too - but no one really cares about that game.

Anyway the Captain and I had a good time with the Scotts and all their friends and I want to thank Kesha for getting to 31 before me so that she can help me when the time comes. Love ya girl!

The End.

The Birthday Boy....

2009-01-26T21:00:00.009-07:00

Once upon a time in 1977, this cute little kid was born... (yikes he's old)

He was created by this beautiful woman

And then he grew up and turned 32!!!!!!!
This is a tribute to my super cool younger brother!

(All I can say about me in this pic is that I was going through a phase) :)

Aw geez. He's a cutie.
Yep.. we've had some good times together.

Anyway, I want to wish him a Happy Birthday with all the fixins.
I hope you had a good day bro.
We love you lots and look forward to hanging out with you in '09.

I swear... I was going to update a LONG time ago...

2009-01-17T23:54:00.007-07:00

Hi.... yikes.
Seriously what is wrong with me. Every day I say to myself "Celeste, update your freaking blog. I know you don't have much going on or much to say, but the people... they wanna hear" and then I wouldn't because I seriously feel so busy.

Well here I am with a new and improved resolution to update weekly again. I know I know all my other new years resolutions have already been broken but I swear - therefore I swear (probably only Raegan will get that quote - but it's ok it's from a movie and you should all start watching nothing but movies until you all get it too)

Moving on...
So... geez well Christmas was good.
We got a ps3 - well equipped with a sweet driving game as well as some others. I tried to capture a little moment of my driving adventures for your entertainment:

Well anyway it has been good times for us and the ps3. We have a couple of games now and 2 new blu-ray movies to watch on it as well:

Freak tonight totally sucks to upload pictures, so I'm not going to upload anymore for this blog.
Hopefully next week will be more successful with the picture uploading.

So then there was New Years.
We were both sicker than sick - which is funny cause last year Kevin was really sick and we vowed to not be sick.
So we rang in the new year together here at home. It turned out to be pretty fun through the upset stomachs, nausea, congestion, and sore throats.

And here we are to date.
15 days into the New Year.
Fun things we've done so far...

hung out with friends
worked
watched Benjamin Button (wait that was not fun)
and started getting ready for our first anniversary... yep that's right we've almost been married one year.

Maybe I'll do something fun like a count down. We all love count down's right?
Ok I'm tired.
The End.

Wow... a month huh? It has been a while.

2008-12-27T22:06:00.008-07:00

So... the month of December..
Came and went without me even blinking. The Captain and I had so much going on, I'm not sure we even slept - no wonder I'm yawning right now.
Starting from the top...

December 5th - We went to the first Christmas party of the season - the Jones family party. We got there about an hour late due to uncontrollable traffic but ended up having a great time.

December 10th - We went to my work Christmas party at the Point. It was a very beautiful formal dinner and I wish I could have taken pictures for you all to see.

December 12th - We went with Nick, Kesha, and baby Boston and saw:

Are you kidding me? How come no one told me that all the sad moments that make you cry uncontrollably (just ask the girl sitting behind us) happen right before they turn on the lights?
Yeah it was embarrassing to say the least. I guess I should just clear this up for any future problems... it's true, I'm a cry-baby.

December 17th - I went to my first mutual as Young Women's Secretary. Turns out I can tie a quilt and I can make friends pretty fast - I really think I'm going to like Young Womens.

December 19-22 - The Captain and I went to Lava Hot Springs with the Dahls for some good times and a little pre-Christmas fun:

December 24th - Well after almost a full day of work for the Captain, we headed off to my mom's for our Christmas eve party. Since there were only adults present, we decided to have some adult fun. We played games until almost midnight (I know I can't believe my parents stayed up that late either) and then the three kids watched a movie after that.
Christmas morning we got up around 9:30am and opened presents:

It has been a wonderful Christmas for us this year.
I hope that 2009 will be as great for us as 2008 was.

Anyway - looking forward to New Years.. YAY
The End.

casserole, friends, and fun

2008-12-02T23:30:00.005-07:00

So basically this post must happen because Danielle rules.

Apparently Kevin didn't clean his camera phone before he took this pic but at least we finally have a pic of us. Seriously this is our first picture together and we have been BFF's for almost a zillion years.

Anyway back to tonight. The Captain and I got together with Danielle and her BF tonight.
We ate some yummy casserole made by D - and I think in 5 years I will attempt to make it.
Then we went and saw 4 Christmases and laughed a lot. It's pretty funny.

It was a fun night and now I'm just waiting for the Captain to finish up so we can go to bed.

The end.
I

I'm grateful for...

2008-12-01T22:52:00.009-07:00

So this year the captain and I decided to go to my brother's house for the annual Thanksgiving feast and it was fun...

We all got up around 4am on Wednesday and left for Portland. (Yes we drove)
Our first stop - the falls (I only call them the falls because I can't remember what the name of these particular falls were.

This is us freezing our butts off...

I hate it when you can't move around a picture. I am pondering whether I should delete the last one but I like it.

Next stop...
My brother's home.

This is all the girls having breakfast Thursday morning.

I don't know when this was taken but as you can see - no women in site. Obviously we are in the kitchen WORKING....

A little more "man" slacking... What is going on here...

Aw. All the children under control for exactly 30 seconds while I took this pic.

All the look-alikes in one pic.

And the cutest couple ever!!!

I'm not sure what's happening here but I just remember thinking the kids were so cute.

The missionaries came to the house for Thanksgiving Dinner.

The Parents! They are so cute. I love them so much.

The following are pictures of the "amazing house" that my brother and his family of 9 live in.

(some of the pictures might be rated pg - on account of the Captain's bum) :)

The End.

Because I love my cousin so much.

2008-11-05T15:31:00.005-07:00

My Cousin has the funniest blog. She is currently raising 3 beautiful boys and she still has time to be funny.

I love her and so I will accept her tag to tag:

8 TV shows I like to watch:
1. Office
2. Heroes
3. Law and Order
4. Mad-TV
5. Frasier
6. The Bachelor
7. CSI Miami
8. Gossip Girls/90210

8 Things that happened yesterday:
1. Rejoiced! when my husband made me dinner - it was amazing.
2. Continued the journey of trying to find a place to put things in our new condo.
3. Texted both of my brothers to say hi.
4. Went home for lunch, ate, and took a power nap.
5. Went to my precinct and voted, came home and found out that Kevin and I voted for the same person - are we soul mates or what.
6. Worked for 8 hours and broke a sweat.
7. Turned our thermostat to snuggle celsius also known as cool 67 degrees and snuggled with the Captain on the couch for a bit (you will only get this joke if you watch Mad TV)
8. Played with the Captain's I-Phone while he did homework.

8 Favorite Places To Eat
1. Cafe Rio
2. Olive Garden
3. Famous Daves
4. Barbacoa
5. My moms house
6. Sconecutter
7. At home with el Captain
8. Panda Express

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To:
1. I was going to say getting our Hercules Hooks, but those came yesterday.
2. Sleeping (night time)
3. A mini getaway with the Captain.
4. Thanksgiving.
5. When Christmas music STOPS playing on radio stations.
6. A mini shop fest to Ross or TJ Maxx
7. The next time I can eat at Cafe Rio.
8. Finish decorating the condo.

8 Things On My Wish List:
1. I wish for a mini captain or celeste.
2. I wish for a day off work.
3. I wish for the day all our debt paid off - mostly my school loans.
4. I wish I could lose weight and still eat what I want - basically me at age 18 again.
5. I wish to go on vacation to Europe - mostly England.
6. I wish to be taller.
7. I wish I could still drink caffeine and soda during pregnancy and still have a healthy baby. (nope not currently pregnant- just wishing)
8. I wish for world peace

8 People that I Tag:
1. E-MANIA - Cause I miss her
2. Danielle
3. Meli
4. WARE
5. Lindser Lou
6. Terra
7. Diggies
8. Rachel

My New Job...

2008-10-29T12:23:00.003-06:00

Once upon a time - in a far far away place (also known as Cottonwood Heights)
I got a job and started working out there...

To close in as to exactly where I am, it's this building.

For security purposes, I will not disclose which of the 5 floors I am on but rest assured it's an amazing place with really nice people and so far pretty fun to work for.

What do I miss?

I miss a very laid back and 90% relaxed law firm. I miss my crew (Amy, Jeannie, and James). There are many cool people here but there are no Amy, Jeannie, or James'. For fear of tearing up, I will move on.
I miss Craig. I worked for him for 2+ years - we went through me getting lasik together and me having to wear glasses for 5 days to work, we went through a couple pretty serious litigation matters (of which I am still having nightmares about).
I miss my desk and the view. I don't care what anyone says, I loved my huge windows and being downtown.
I miss the food court - even tho it shut down before I even left (part of the reason I left)
I miss the morning muster - oh dear I really might tear up this time. Me, James, Jeannie, and Amy used to have a kick A time laughin and joking around. Making fun of old times or of the lame things I did.... well actually that is what we mostly joked about so... hmm maybe I don't miss that?
I miss seeing pictures of baby Olive. Alright Stephanie - you have to update your blog daily.. I need my Olive fix. :)

Well I could go on.. but I must move forward and maybe blog about some of the things I like here so no one feels bad.
Tonight I will take pics of our new place and maybe blog about that...

ok.. bye

I

Why the Captain married a Job-less wonder...

2008-10-17T14:09:00.005-06:00

So many many changes going on in the world of C&K music factory.
Within a week:

I went for a job interview for a law firm in south SLC;
Later that night, the Captain and I went "browsing" for apts by my potential job - which was totally for fun;
The Captain filled out a couple applications at some good places;
The next day we got a call on the condo (lease to buy) that we really liked saying we got the place;
The next day after that, I got a call from potential job informing me that I got the job;
Later that night we signed on new condo;
The next day after that, I gave my notice at work to which my boss responded that my last day could just be the next day;
I went home and had a mini panic attack;
After which the Captain had a mini panic attack;
Yesterday morning woke up officially job-less; and
Today I am starting the packing process.

So as the first day of packing:

I have gathered the necessary items for the move.

I am pumped to get started.

A little Days of our Lives action.

A little me - 4 hours from now...

So there you have it..
Why did the Captain marry me? Because it's only the second day as a job-less wonder but I am still "working" for the man.

The sweet life my butt.

The End.

... in the big rock Candy Mountain

2008-10-07T10:43:00.008-06:00

So this last weekend the Captain and I went to Colorado.

I can say in all honesty that we planned this trip pretty much Thursday night and left Friday after work.

The drive was about 6 hours leaving us - at our destination - Breckenridge.

Breckenridge is a beautiful little town just past Vail, Colorado.
Our hotel was built into the side of the Mountain so our view was amazing.

The Captain had been to Breckenridge before and loved it. He has told me several times he would like to live in a place like this. Seeing how he is serious about it, we decided to come out so he could show me.

Conclusion: I love it too! And this is not a "love it" like I love the I-phone, this is a for real love like the way I feel about my sweater boots or the tv show Heroes.
This place was amazing and beautiful- just very calm and laid back. (Seriously, who am I?)

If you don't know much about Breckenridge - I will enlighten and educate.

BRECKENRIDGE

Population: 3,535
Town Size: 7 miles long
It was originally a mining town - turned ski resort.

So why was this boat set in the middle of the town? We seriously have no idea.

But that's what is so cool about this place, there were lots of hidden little mysteries and it was fun exploring each and every one of them.

The Captain promised me that we would not run into any bears.... two words - yeah right!

Since it was Conference weekend, we took our laptop with us so we could watch and then venture out after each session.

With it being off season, we got to stay in a really nice hotel. So it was actually really nice to relax in our room during the conference sessions and listen...

CONCLUDING FACTS:

It was this time last year that we were engaged to be married and exactly one year ago that we took our engagement pictures.

The picture posted below was the last pic we took before we left.
We attempted to reenact those old engagement days.....
yeah - no dice.

Oh well - were still cute and had lots of fun.

The End.

And then there came the I-Phone.....

2008-09-24T08:46:00.025-06:00

"See the way it works is you get married and then you become the apple in your spouse's eye." Apple -- being the next best thing.

I have been the apple in my husband's eye for 7 months IN A ROW.
I know! that IS a long time and it has been great. We've worked out a lot of kinks and managed to still love each other - as depicted below:

I love this boy to death and then some.
I have spent a lot of time planning our future and the fun things we are going to do and I was absolutely sure he felt the same way about me until.........................

THE I-PHONE

Our beautiful family of two was introduced to the I-Phone two *blessed* days ago.
**(Blessed depending on who you talk to)
It was a Monday - I remember it vividly.
I had accidentally poured transmission fluid down the oil tank in the jeep and as a result had to get an expensive oil change. I went home and was prepared to face a spouse who would be disappointed in my lack of responsibility and ability to decipher the green transmission bottle and the green oil bottle - same build of bottle and same label - just one says in fine print oil and one says transmission fluid.

Whatever -

Anyway I was met by a loving husband who too easily forgave my expensive mistake.
Two minutes later - introduced me to what would become a new member of our family.

THE I-PHONE

I was happy to be so easily forgiven - he was happy about the I-Phone and so naturally I told him to play with it.

Play time turned into the rest of Monday and part of Tuesday - 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, and so on until 2am.
Yes.

Now in husband's defense - he wasn't playing but was trying to unlock it so he could use our phone service, which apparently can be a very difficult process, but still....

Yesterday - said husband took me to lunch and asked me for forgiveness and spent the rest of last night trying to unify our now.... family of 3.
and because I love said husband-- who loves this new intruder, I will start to learn to love this new intruder (that is actually kinda cool) for said spouse.

The End.

Tribute to Kirstan... the sista from another mista....

2008-09-16T09:59:00.009-06:00

So it's my eldest sibling's birthday today.

YAY !!!
she's my longest running sister in law (turned sister at this point) - 8 years (and then some) and counting.

She's always been such a good sister to me, but I refuse to make this blog about feelings or tenderness.. so, instead I will tribute to her and her "older age" hehe and wish her the best on her big day...

MY TRIBUTE TO KIRSTAN! Hope you have a sweet action day!

Shes an artist like no other! Amazing talent.

She loves Def Leppard! Nuf' said.

She's a great mom to two beautiful girls. (wow look at mia, she's a baby!)

And, a great wife to my bro Jared.

Happy B-day girl...

The End.

It's a Diva's Birthday

2008-09-12T08:52:00.009-06:00

No joke - I'm the worst when it comes to frills, chills, and birthdays.

I used to have this friend who would remind me when important birthdays came up but now that friend is gone and I have to attempt to be grown up enough to remember these important dates all on my own and if that's not enough, I also have to stress about coming up with a creative birthday response. Ay it's a hard life I lead.

All of my friends and sister-in-laws carry the creative artsy trait. These divas remember everything important, create amazing gifts or cards, and deliver birthday wishes without delay.

I... am none of those things. Most days I can't even remember what day of the week it is. I don't have a creative bone in my body and I'd rather be faced with some sort of math crisis than a creative art challenge.

It seems that I have surrounded myself with these creative queens because I want some of that to rub off on me.

Meh. Actually, I don't really see that happening anytime soon, I hear it all has to start with some sort of desire - one that I haven't come upon yet, but don't you all start to fret, I am actually ok with my less than perfect status - or flaws as some may call them. My mom tells me that I have other "positive" traits that make me special. :)

ANYWAY speaking of artsy divas and their birthdays...

HERE IS MY OFFICIAL SHOUT OUT TO MY FAVORITE ONLINE DIVA ON HER BIRTHDAY.

She is my craziest funkiest most creative friend. She even has a blog dedicated to all the cool things she creates and sells.

But shes more than just the cool stuff she creates, she also takes the time to email me daily and make me laugh 5 days a week.

Our friendship began in Arizona.
She was my very first friend (besides family) and from the moment she said hi to me, I knew we'd be life long friends.

LWS, I hope you have an amazing day and that your hubby treats you good! If not, I'm going to have to come down there (not until winter of course) and kick some trash.

haha - anyway...
That's all for today. All this creative birthday nonsense has made me tired.

The end.

Labor Day Weekend...

2008-09-02T10:13:00.003-06:00

Well I am just going to have to come to terms that I don't always have to have pictures to post.

I am on a major overhaul to be a more positive person (started it today) so bear with me if this post is a little cheesy over the top.

THIS WEEKEND WAS GREAT! haha

Alright in all seriousness it was just another weekend but with an extra day. But this extra day came just in time. I was starting to get a little burnt out from work and all the drama.

Basic weekend sum-up:

At work, we said goodbye to a couple attorneys who are going to spread their wings and fly on their own. Good for them!
Kev and I got some much MUCH needed R&R..
I finished Breaking Dawn - wow lots to still ponder on that book.
and, had a little bit of fun!

Yesterday - Kev and I went shopping at the mall to spend a $50 gift cert we got from Macys. Then we headed up to Kevin's moms house to surprise her with a computer for her craft room. Things didn't end up as perfectly as we would have liked, but we did our best.

Then we went to Boston's for dinner with Shawna, Kody, and the babes. First time for most of us at Boston's Pizza and something but we were pleasantly surprised. The Chicken Parmesan pizza was heaven - a must try!
After some fun and chill time, we headed home. We played a little chess before bed (of course I lost) and we attempted to play backgammon - but I swear that game is impossible to learn.

All in all it was a great 4-day weekend but were happy for the up-coming week.

The End.

It's what fun is.

2008-08-26T09:57:00.009-06:00

Lagoon.
What can be said about this magical place?

So... last Friday, the Johnson Family (minus Armando's fam) went to Lagoon and let me tell you what, it was some good ol' fashioned fun.

There were so many moments I wish I could have captured on camera. Like:
1) When Kirstan cried on Wicked;
2) My feet after 10 hours of wearing heels - (thanks mom for finally buying me flats);
3) My dad on any ride - he's the crazy loud one;
4) Kevin riding on the Bat, cause I seriously think he fell asleep; or
5) all of us after riding Rattlesnake Rapids.

Moments I did capture were:

Me and my mom laughing and having fun.

The girls playing in the water to cool down. Mia is a lot like her aunt Celeste. If she gets too hot - it's all over.

Kev chilling. Two seconds after this picture was taken he splashed me with water turning my straight hair into waves. Can you see where his arm is? Oh well, I was dying of heat.

The girls cooling down. They were hilarious to watch.

My sweet lil mama. She was the most fun and even got on several rides. Go Ma!

Anyway - Lagoon was great. I would totally recommend Wicked!
Even tho it made my sister in law cry, it was totally worth every moment.

The End

KOA and Bees

2008-08-21T09:08:00.005-06:00

As it turns out I don't have any pictures to document these last two historic moments in my married life, so I will do my best to describe them with such detail that you can picture the moment yourself.

KOA -
Last weekend Kevin and I went to Idaho with the Dahl Family to attend the walk-through of the Twin Falls temple.

Because I didn't know camping and temples could go hand-in-hand, I wasn't sure how to prepare for the trip. (Best dress/campfires and tents)
The last time I went camping with the Dahls, I brought my flat iron, nice shoes, non-camping clothes, and basically felt WAY out of place. So this time I pulled out my hiking shoes, camping clothes, took only the basics for makeup, and decided in order to do it right, I'd have to go curly hair.

Both Kevin and I had to work on Friday, so we did not get up to the KOA until after 10pm. Right when we got there, we set up camp. We quickly joined in the fun around the campfire and thanks to Shawna and her great ideas roasted some starbursts - yum.
We all just talked and hung out, it was very relaxing. The only downfall for me at this point was my stomach. On our way to Idaho after work, we made the mistake of stopping at Arbys for dinner. Let's just say I was holding my stomach all night and had to keep reminding everyone that the stomach pains were not due to a future bundle of joy.

We all went to bed around 11pm and woke up on Saturday around 8:30am. Kevin and I wandered around and found the bathrooms to wash up in. I did bring towels and toiletries but again, just the basics. I walked into the bathroom and there were showers and all sorts of nonsense.
It wasn't until all the family started getting ready, straightening their hairs, and getting beautiful, that I realized again - i was out of place.
Oh well.
I did my best with what I had and went with curly hair.

After the temple, we changed clothes and went to see the falls, the gorge, and some other sites. It was so much fun. Kevin, Bracken, and I wandered around and found ourselves about 5 feet from half a dozen deer. It was pretty amazing but I was a bit freaked out. We hiked behind this waterfall and basically just relaxed and had a lot of fun.

All in all it was a really great trip. Now that I understand the KOA concept - camping with the perks of staying clean - I will not forget my flat iron next time.

SLC Bees -
Last night Kevin and I went to a SLC Bees game with our ward.
It was so much fun. I think that was the 3rd time I've gone to a baseball game
(1 - DiamondBack, 1 - Braves, and now 1 - SLC Bees)

They had hotdogs for $1 - so I was basically in heaven and the team played well. I think they had 8 or 9 home-runs. We spent half the time getting to know everyone and half the time watching. It was great weather and lots of fun. I would recommend a Bees game to anyone and everyone. It's a great way to just chill, relax, eat hotdogs, and have a good time.

The End.

30 things I learned...

2008-08-06T08:09:00.005-06:00

Well, I made it through my birthday successfully.

After I got home from work, Kevin brought home my favorite pre-dinner treat. Nachos and cherry Dr. pepper (fountain drink) from 7-11. I was so happy!
Seriously, I don't need presents to make me happy - it's pretty much just food.

Anyway, as I was eating my nachos, I thought about all the things I had learned in life to this point.

I have complied a list of 30 things I've learned so far:

1. My mom was right: live up my 20's they will go by fast;
2. I will never have blond hair and blue eyes;
3. if I don't start learning to eat healthier, one day my weight will not come off so easily;
4. don't worry... I'll get married;
5. stop stressing about the future so much, I'll get there fast enough.

6. My dad was right: sometimes a soda and a candy bar really ARE the answer to a bad day;
7. a whole bunch of mini trips throughout the year are much better than only one big one,
8. kung fu movies rule;
9. being a hard worker and having a good work ethic will lead to a successful life;
10. that I really can, help build a shed, help build a bathroom, hold an entire strip of sheet-rock above my head for several minutes while he drilled in the screws, change the oil in my car, change the brakes and cv joint, turn the rotors, learn the names of tools, put shingles up on a roof, mow lawns with straight lines, and paint.

11. My brother Armando was right: quoting movies is so much fun, movies really do make life better;
12. anger can be resolved with jokes and teases;
13. if you make your sister try things first, she is the only one sure to get hurt;
14. there are ways to beat up your brother when he taunts and teases you;
15. no need to be so serious and stressed out all the time, things will work out.

16. My brother Jared was right: you can never be too old to tease;
17. good music makes life better;
18. to be the better tennis player, rial your opponent - throw them off their game;
19. if you put your little sister down the laundry shoot, she really will get hurt - if you roll your sister up in a blanket and swing her around and then let go, she really will get hurt, if you constantly cover your little sisters face with a pillow, she really will develop claustrophobia, and if you think you know her board-game better than her, she will slap you across the face;
20. no need to be so serious and stressed out all the time, things will work out.

21. My sister in laws were right: my brother's will never stop teasing me;
22. My friends were right: I really am super funny;
23. My cousins were right: we will always be close to each other;
24. My grandparents were right: soy un hermosa y precioso nieta;
25. My co-workers were right: never answer the phone in the middle of a cough-attack.

26. I was right: Marrying Kevin was the best decision of my life;
27. The peak of my fame was the Cafe Rio commercial;
28. Pepsi really is better than coke;

29. Kevin was right: I really do love him more than cheese fries;
30. He will always kick my trash at guitar hero and Mario tennis - but get me on a real court, and I always show him who is boss.

Anyway - happy 30 to me. I am smarter, wiser, and ready to conquer the 30's.
The end.

Birthday Celebration!!!

2008-08-05T10:13:00.002-06:00

Yep it's the big one...

and it's already off to a good start.

I just wanted to get in a morning post about my progression into my 30's...

I woke up late today for work - :) always a plus - Kevin kept whispering to me to sleep in... sleep in, so i did.

He offered to make me breakfast and i asked him what it would be... he said toast.
:)
I passed - but thanked him for the thought.

I got in the shower and looked at myself - still look 17 :) ok maybe i just feel 17.

Finally I got to work and my boss had been looking for me for almost a half hour. (yikes) but was easily forgiven because.... i'm old.

Were going to lunch today for the big day - they asked me where i wanted to go, uh do you even have to ask... I'm basically the spokesperson.

Anyway, I think it's going to be a good day, I am geared up for it - bring it on!!!

The day before my birthday - nonsense

2008-08-04T12:17:00.002-06:00

So...
Tomorrow's my birthday.
Yep - I'm going to be another day older. How old? How dare you ask?
Let's just say, that I will be... old :(

Kev has been feeling the pain of a wife who is stressed out about getting old..er.

Last night Kev and I were chilling on our bed after we got home from a family party. He leaned over and asked me if I felt old. I just smiled and said no.
He smiled back and said - good! Then we will celebrate your birthday and not worry about any of the rest of it. :)
He's so good to me.

I suppose he is right. I am the only one who puts these unrealistic pressures on myself thinking accomplishments have to be age appropriate.

Whatever.

New rule:
I am going to have a good birthday and I am going to enjoy every minute of it.
(Do I sound like Stuart Smalley, yet?)

Some sort of Memory Lane ( your turn to post) yay.

2008-07-28T11:53:00.002-06:00

This post is mostly for Krista, but all please feel free to add a comment.

Below are the "instructions" and I'm sure you've read this already on someone else's blog. So just do what needs to be done and tell a memory or just something funny. I need a laugh, yo.

1. As a comment on my blog, write about a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next (if you choose to), re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty 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.(Even if you don't want to re-post this on your blog, leave a comment anyway.)

na na na na na na na... BATMAN!

2008-07-22T15:38:00.002-06:00

So... yeah
I experienced stress, love, sadness, and anger all at once - twice!
yep - I went and saw "The Dark Knight"

I tried to take a picture of myself looking scared - but negative on that image.

Friday night was the first time I watched - Batman. My reaction:
Well what I can say is that 3 hours and several minutes after the movie ended and we were on our way home, we were silent. All we could do was just go over the movie again and again in our minds. We couldn't decide if we liked it or not because we were still so somber.
No joke, I haven't felt that affected by a movie in a long time. Just one night before we were laughing and singing ABBA songs and Friday night we were almost to a point where we felt that hope never came without a hefty price. Sad.

As if that's not horrible enough, I went and saw it again on Monday morning with our firm.
Endured the endless torture that the Joker inflicts on basically anyone and everyone PLUS I once again had to endure watching Christian's beautiful face over and over on a HUGE screen. - torture.

Honestly, so many deep meanings in this movie, if your a deep person - like me.

I believe a lot of political agendas were shown - but what's new right? At least this time I half agreed with them.

I really liked the movie, but maybe I am not built to watch such sad movies anymore. It's so mean and tortuous to watch the hero suffer so much.
Maybe I've changed.

Hmm.. The End

Here I go again...

2008-07-18T08:41:00.006-06:00

Ok. Ok.

So Kev's parentals pulled a little karaoke action and scored some movie tickets to a premiere movie showing of Mama Mia last night.
THE FIRST SHOWING IN THE STATE OF UTAH (apparently). and they invited us!!!

I was excited. I mean a) I love going to the movies; 2) I love movies that are going to make me laugh; 3) I love being one of the very first people to see a movie; and 4) I love ABBA.

Kev was prepared to catch up on some 2 hours of sleep.

OUTCOME:Good
During the first music number I glanced over and saw Kev crack a smile. Not sure if it was a "make fun of it smile" or a "I think I may enjoy this after-all" smile. To be honest, I think it was a) but because there were so many funny things happening, we both started laughing.

PENNY FOR MY THOUGHTS?

Alright - Meryl did not seal the deal for me which kind-of shocked me. In fact, it was more of her diva sisters that made me laugh.
Pierce attempted to sing "SOS" seriously -no joke- it hurt me on the inside.
But I loved the random people and I loved the nonsense. It added to the fun.

Maybe we were just in a good mood last night, or maybe we were high on life. But we left the theater happy and glad that we saw the movie.
and I don't think we were the only ones.

Karen loved it! She was a hit and I love her laugh.
Val had fun and probably enjoyed it the same way Kev did.
Lisa and I liked it pretty good; we both enjoyed a little Pierce Brosnan action and I'm sure everyone loved the music.

On the drive home, we just laughed and laughed about the funny parts and people in that movie. Man I haven't laughed that much about a movie in a long time, nor have I seen a good funny movie in a long time. (but don't let this comment get your hopes up)

Official critic review: I'm glad we saw it.
Expectations: Expect nothing. Expect to watch a silly show with awesome music.

Finale

Atlanta - Last week of June

2008-07-09T15:23:00.004-06:00

Yes - we have been back from Atlanta for almost two weeks - today actually- and I am a slacker.

Major points of our trip:
1) Our Hotel - amazing!

2) The Coca cola Factory. Even tho I am a Pepsi girl thru and thru,
taste testing all the different sodas that Coke produces in each country was pretty cool.

3) We went to a Braves game with Josh and Ashley, our friends. Way fun and Kevin had dippin dots for the first time.

4) The last night we were in Atlanta - was a proud day for us.
Kev and Josh won 2nd place in the nation in their competition Networking. I was pretty proud of my guy.

The End.

Family BBQ

2008-07-08T10:18:00.005-06:00

As promised and much delayed - Our Family BBQ.

So, a while back (June 14th or so)
we decided to host a family BBQ over at our apt.

We invited both sides of the family over. Why you ask? Well for a couple of reasons: 1) We wanted our families to mingle; 2) We wanted to jointly celebrate Father's day; 3) We wanted everyone to know and see where we lived; and 4) We wanted to have a family dinner for Kevin's birthday.

I must say, it was a hit.

and the birthday boy!

All in all we were really glad that almost everyone came.
The company was great, there was enough room for everyone, the food was amazing and the weather was pretty darn perfect.

Fun in the Sun

2008-06-30T10:11:00.004-06:00

Saturday's adventure started with us going pick up the Jeep. She had been on some downtime but is now fixed and we are very happy to have her back.

I stopped off to say hi to the parents - mom was in the Syracuse parade and dad was helping set up the booth. I watched mom go through the parade, it was cute and then chatted up with my dad for a few after that.

My younger brother showed up with the babes and Grandpa ended up taking them on some rides.

Fun times!

It was blistering hot and I was getting ready to leave. Grandpa bought us all snow cones and Vayah's tongue was the only one that changed.

The Skinny...

2008-06-27T14:20:00.005-06:00

Basically what happened is this....
-- I got sick, had a party, planned a trip, went on a trip, and freak now I'm back!

For the sake of my readers this post is going to sum up since I last spoke.

I am guessing we are all still on the fact that I am pro-public transportation. Well yay for me - moving on.

First things first - the Jeep - well let's just say she's under the weather.
-She/he- "the jeep" has been for some time now which means, I am without vehicle.
I must say, what timing. Just when I decide I want to be a public transportation user the jeep breaks down. In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have been so forward about my opinion. Now I have no option to fall back on. :)

Second on the agenda - May I have 5 stitches?
So it was the busiest week of my life June 16th thru the 20th. I was Jeep-less and I had an Atlanta trip to plan, a husband's birthday to celebrate, and a lot of things to get in order before either one of those events -sharing one car. Some friends wanted to go to dinner but I just felt like I shouldn't - good thing I walked in the door and was home for about 5 minutes when K sliced and diced his thumb. Blood started spewing everywhere and when we looked at the cut it was really deep. I started up the car and drove him to the Urgent Care. 3 hours and 5 stitches later - we were on our way home. His thumb was wrapped up pretty thick and he still had a lot of work at home that he had to do. I quickly made dinner and then spent the next 6 hours helping him put computer pieces back into these computers that he was working on. It was ama-za-zing!
That night, I learned more about computers than ever before.
At this point, I feel very comfortable answering all your computer needs.

Next up - Kevin's Birthday.... YAY
I really think I should read up on "how to be a good wife" or something.
Last Thursday (19th) was K's birthday. Wednesday night I went to bed excited to celebrate this grand event with him but ended up with the worst nights rest ever. I got a horrific sore throat and didn't sleep a wink. In the morning, I told K that I couldn't possibly go to work and that he needed to take me to the doctor over his lunch break. He was so sweet and said he would work it out. I drank most of the NyQuil bottle and crashed. About noon I finally woke up. I looked at the clock and was stunned. I climbed into the shower only to realize that YIKES... it's my baby's birthday and I didn't even tell him anything! I'm such a jerk.
So I jumped out of the shower (literally) and called him. He was on his way home to get me for a dr's appointment. I apologized and told him I was taking him out to lunch for his big day.
We went to eat his favorite - Tai
After we ate, he took me back home. I was still pretty sick so I crashed again on the couch. He went back to work and I woke back up around 4pm.
Seeing how I didn't have a vehicle to go out and get him anything I called my resources for rides - no avail.
So I walked the three blocks to the dollar store and bought him a whole slew of party presents. I decorated the apt with balloons and signs and even got him his favorite treat.
When he came home he was excited and we partied. We played guitar hero until our hearts were content and then we packed the rest of the night for our Atlanta trip (which was the next day).
All in all he said it was a good birthday, plus the Atlanta trip was all for him so he does actually have a pretty cool wife.

I know I have a lot more blogging to do.
The Family BBQ and our Trip to Atlanta... but please be patient.
Sheesh - it's hard having such a busy life.

Ok hugs and kisses til we meet again.

Run CD Run.

2008-06-10T14:18:00.006-06:00

So as it turns out - I am now officially a public transportation user.

and the killer is, I actually don't mind it.
Basically, I have discovered is that there still are freak-shows who take public transportation.
Meaning: the weird man who stares at you a little too long, or the two men who have made riding the bus their job and talk about how quickly they can get to Sandy from downtown by taking the 202 off 2nd east, or the lady who smells like she just lit up a ciggie, young mom that forgot that her shirt was really short and when she bends down to take care of her child you can see all her post baby belly, or the rebellious teenagers who tend to be ever so slightly frightening BUT for the most part leave everyone alone.
So it's good.

I take the bus in the morning and trax in the afternoon. Catching the bus is a 2 minute walk from my front door everymorning and the bus driver is really nice.
In the afternoon, Trax leaves earlier - but leaves me with a 2 1/2 block walk - but this also works because its nice to get in a little exercise.
So far it has been great, but well see what the winter brings.

Since I don't drive now and I don't carry a purse, I take my trusty bag

It's filled with all sorts of goodies. Walking shoes, my lunch, a snack, crystal lite packets, my keys, a jacket, and even my cell phone on occasion.
Not my favorite bag - but it works.

Kevin hasn't transitioned to public transportation yet and to tell you the truth, I don't see it in his future but then again his gas is paid for by his company so.... it works!

Indie.... snakes and the infamous hat

2008-05-27T15:43:00.003-06:00

Saturday night my family went to see the new Indiana Jones. Two words: I liked it.
I know what the critics are saying and I know what Kev is saying - despite their critical movie demeanor, i thought it was a really good movie.
- but I never went to the movie looking for a life change.

We went to the Junction out in Ogden. I took this pic as an after-thought.
It's a pretty cool place and if I ever go back, I will take a better pic.

This is the Fam. Aren't we fun.

So basically as far as the movie. It's good.
Should you spend $8.00 to go see it - no.
But it's rare that a movie is ever that worth it.

Big day for the Dahls - younger generation

2008-05-21T08:38:00.005-06:00

It was a big day yesterday, our jeep rolled 200,000 miles.

Please try not to make note that I was going 65mph when I took those pictures. It was a pivotal moment but unfortunately I was on the freeway and needed to capture for posterity.

Luckily, no one was hurt and I won't do anything that lame again, but you can clearly see that they are not that great of pictures - this means that my eyes were more on the road then on the camera.
So - there you go.

We should all make wagers to see just how long the jeep will keep running.

Planning is already in the works for me to take public transportation to work. Yes - it's something I always talked about but have never done. I will take a picture of my first day. I think it will happen next week.

Until then.

Mystery Dinner and Estee Lauder Powder...

2008-05-19T19:33:00.004-06:00

No joke. There are precious few things that I must have in my life to keep living.
1) chap stick
2) cafe rio salads
3) liquid eye-liner
and
4) Estee Lauder Makeup - especially powder.
(oh yeah plus Kevin... but he's a given.... :) )

If you can reasonably see #'s 1-3 but not #4, then this story is for you.

We went to a Mystery Dinner. We got to dress up and had lots of fun. We had the best out-fits on and were ready to shine..... LITERALLY.

My character "Silky" was a swanky night club owner from the 1920's. I looked really cool, but you wouldn't know that because I had shiny face in all the pictures!

(case study #1) - ok, if kevin wasn't moving when he took this pic then i wouldn't look so blurry but more importantly..... shiny face!

Case Study #2 - ok we don't look shiny in this one. I just put it up for fun times.

Case Study #3
Kevin was a 1920's attorney. Wouldn't this picture look great if I was able to properly powder my nose?

Ok - this one is just being posted to show others in our group.

I hope you all take heed to the words in this blog and cover-up this summer. No need for shiny faces to cause car accidents or ruin pictures.
The end.

Moab Camping Trip

2008-05-11T20:29:00.009-06:00

We went camping this weekend and I want everyone to know that A) I was such a good sport and B) I actually had fun - dang that kev.

So... it was Friday afternoon, and by 3pm we were on our way to Moab.

(This is me "Pre-camp Trip")
Yee haw!
Actually, I believe the correct camping slang would be... Wilderness here we come!

So, 4- hours later - we were in the city of Moab.
First things first. The moment we parked I pulled out the "Off" spray and Kev pulled out the Tent and fixins.
I asked him what the heck. How can we put up a tent when we were so vulnerable to bugs, moths, and other various insects. He looked at me, took a deep breath and then asked me to help him set up the tent.
Alright...

We set up the tent first but the second our tent was set up.... I had "Off" spraying all over my body.

We had about 20 minutes of actual light and then darkness fell.
I was excited. This camping trip was already monumentally better than the last time we attempted to camp.

This is the inside of our tent and our tent light.

This is us inside our new tent.

Alright.. and that was that. On to Saturday.
So we woke up early and had breakfast and then began our journey of our hiking Corona Arch.

I just bought my first pair of hiking shoes for this trip. Look at me!

This is us as we were just starting to embark on what became a 4 mile hike.

This is beautiful wilderness! Actually these are florecent flowers, but you can't really tell, can you?

This is a picture of me mid-trip. See I am having a fun time.

This is me scaling rock.

And this is us, when we accomplished our hike!
The End.

Playing a game of catchup

2008-05-05T15:04:00.006-06:00

Yikes! So much to say and so little time to say it.
Ok I have a whole list of things to touch up on so I'm going to make this quick and brief. Why? Well since our firm just got rid of two people, the rest of us gotta pick up the slack.

#1. Modeling nieces. -k- My sister in law took this pic of Vay and Mia and seriously it's adorable. I just had to put it up because they look so super cute. Kev and I watched the girls for an hour or two this weekend and it was so fun.
Now I just need to get all my other sister in laws to send me pics of their kids so I can post them. Seriously, we've got some really good looking nieces and nephews.

#2 Dinner with Rach. -k- I met Rachel a little less than 5 months ago but seriously, she = fun times. The best thing about Rachel is that she ALWAYS let's me pick where we are going to eat for dinner. This time I chose Costa Vida. I was a little concerned with the fact that Rachel JUST went to Cafe Rio for lunch but I told her they were so different (wink) that she really needed to try Costa Vida. She agreed and off we went. I really think I could eat at Cafe Rio or Costa Vida every day of my life.

#3. Weeding and Whatnot. -k- I wouldn't recommend looking dangerously close to this picture, but I am still adding this picture to this post for several reasons, 1) This is where I spend a lot of time, 2) The flowers are looking so good, and 3) I am in search of positive reinforcement that my labors are not in vain.

-k- I think this is all for now.
I have a ton more to write about (i.e. kev cleaning the carpets and kevin during finals) but until then...

Getting to know Celeste M. Dahl is very different from getting to know Celeste Johnson

2008-04-23T15:31:00.006-06:00

Well I have been asked to give a talk about myself. Not really but I kind of want to just in case any of you want to know more about me, my likes and dislikes. I suppose this will be a guide on how to feel comfortable talking to me.

A - Attached or single: Attached by marriage to Kevin, for exactly two months yesterday!

B - Best Friend: hmm I'm going to have to go with Kevin again. He's really funny and he listens to my endless rants and raves.

C - Cake or Pie: French Fries! I am so not a sweet tooth. I'd rather salty foods always.

D - Day of Choice: Tuesday - date night or Saturday - but only when it doesn't come with any obligations.

E - Essential Item: Chapstick - Natural Ice and Liquid Eyeliner. No joke these two things will make or break my day.

F - Favorite Color: Black - it's so slimming. Ok just kidding - it's Red

G - Gummy Bears or Worms: Worms; there so much longer. More for your money.

H - Hometown: Syracuse (pronounced Syracust)

I - Indulgence(s): tv time and making fries in our Fry-daddy

J - January or July: Neither - I hate extremes in weather. I can't possibly answer this question. If it said September or April - I'd go with April.

K - Kids: They are a very high probability in our future.

L - Life is incomplete without: My husband - awww (feel free to puke a little).

M - Marriage Date: February 23, 2008 - again awww.

N - Number of Siblings: 2 older brothers - funniest people I know!

O - Oranges or Apples: The orange.

P - Phobias or Fears: Moths

Q - Quote(s): "Clearly... you don't know what your talking about." (what i say to Kevin on a daily basis)

R - Reason to Smile: Comfy Bed, Sweater boots, our frydaddy.

S - Season: I love cloudy day season. It doesn't really exist in Utah but every once in a while you will see it.

T - Tag Eight:Cindy Ware, Alina Diaz, Cindy Ware, Jessica Clark, Cindy Ware, Stephanie Brimacombe, Cindy Ware, Lindsay White.

U - Unknown Fact About Me: I'm in a Cafe Rio Commercial.

V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Kill the animals! I love beef, chicken, and fish!

W - Worst Habit: Please, like I even have bad habits. I suppose some might say that I chew on the inside of my lips. Others might say that I'm obsessed with eating every two hours or I can tend to be somewhat mean.

X - What? No X?

Y - Your Favorite Food: Cheesefries and Cafe Rio Salads.

Z - Zodiac: Leo; I'm a horse...

Why I hate gift cards - one girls journey to getting burned.

2008-04-17T14:13:00.007-06:00

-k- I don't want my blog to turn into one negative girls journey to complaining-ville but seriously I have no luck.

About a year ago, I bought a gift card from Sharper Image to give to my dad for father's day.

(Will add picture later when the blogspot stops being retarded)

Turns out I never gave him that gift card and I just kept it for myself. Well then I get married to a electronic-technology lover who was excited to spend my $40 gift card. Sure! Great! Let's go! So we show up to the last standing Sharper Image in Utah and apparently Sharper Image filed a Chapter 11 or 13 or 7 Bankruptcy and our gift card is no longer valid. Are you kidding me?
So I spend $40 of my hard earned money only to have it non redeemable now. Yep that's right.

Makes me wonder. What about all those gift cards we got for our wedding. If we don't use all of them in like the next 5 days, will they not be redeemable?
There is no surety with a gift card, but there definitely is two possibilities of disaster:
1) The gift card you spend your $$ on is no longer redeemable. Sorry you lose; and
2) Since there is no way to show or prove that when you buy a gift card and they slide the card electronically that $20 is actually put on. So then, when you go to redeem the card it will not show a balance (yes, this happened to Kevin).
Basically - they are just plastic pieces of crap.

Maybe the answer is to just put actual cash in wedding cards? But wait, what if you lose that cash? You have no proof that it existed. There is no proof it was lost and no way to get it back.
Well ok, there's the idea of actually giving a gift - but this can't be the answer either because if the bride and groom get 4 blenders, heaven knows stores wont take back more than 2 items per person more than $20. Sheesh. What a joke.

Maybe the answer is to just give the bride and groom a swift kick in the @#^^%$^@# and send them on their way. Your advice could be - get used to it. :)
I am so negative.
Tomorrow I plan to write a positive story.

Maybe I will write about one girls journey to positive weight gain. (post marriage)
Bye Bye.

Weekend Report - Tennis and Lord of the Rings.

2008-04-14T08:42:00.006-06:00

Alright - look, if I'm going to share about my weekend then no one is allowed to post any additional commentary about my movie choices. :)

So in order to fully grasp my weekend we have to go back to last Tuesday (8th) when me and Kevin went to graywhale. We had a gift card from there and wanted to buy some DVD's with it. Kevin kept suggesting all sorts and varieties of movies. I thought he was insane. I mean you can't buy the the Bourne Identity without Ultimatum and Supremacy? Or you can't buy the fellowship of the ring without two towers and the return of the king. It's just unheard of. (I mean really) People would come to your house and look at your DVD collection and want to watch a trilogy and not be able to because you only own one movie of the set. (coo coo) so we ended up buying the "set" of Lord of the Rings.

I swear I only saw them once but I hated them because I didn't understand what the heck was going on and they were like 1900 hours long (each one).

But here we are - a couple who now owns them.
So, now we come to Friday. I got home from work and took a nap until Kevin got home. We went and ordered Sampan for dinner (yum) and while we were deciding what to watch, I suggested watching the Trilogy of LOTR.
So we did..
all 900 hours of it.
and yes all weekend long, we were exhausted.

I have to say, I finally understand it and feel like i have a strong grasp on the concepts. Apparently, the hobbit's who had the worst chapped lips i've personally ever seen, were a big deal and basically saved everyone.
and
the ogres ... oh the ogres.... had the worst teeth ever. I could almost stomach the rest of what makes up an ogre but their teeth - sick.

whew!
So anyway.. LOTR go watch it.. or borrow it from us. We have the trilogy - not to be confused with some extended version. Just the basic version.
Extended Version? Sick

Saturday - me and kev went to play tennis.
Oh yeah I suck. Basically my serve has gone straight to pot. I pretty much double faulted the entire 2 hours.

Sunday - me = major back and arm pain.
Apparently I needed to stretch a little more before I played.. Or develop some kind of muscle before i played. No good.

Anyway - it was positively the best weekend of my married life.
No one but me and kev.
and nothing but fun fun fun.... till her daddy takes the t-bird away.

Weekend Report - Conference and Hockey?

2008-04-07T10:32:00.007-06:00

Yes - I realize I still need to finish writing about my cruise. I don't know why it's become such a bother.
The only solution I see on the immediate horizon is to write about my weekend and some other stuff and then come back to day 5,6, and 7 of my cruise a later.

So, this weekend.
Well Friday night we (Kev and I) found ourselves at a hockey game.

Don't get me started on the fact that you now have to PAY..... to park. I freaking hate this disaster that is.... The decline of the economy.
Who wants to go to a stupid event when you now have to pay just to park. Apparently we are all now made of endless amounts of $$$. Grr - way pissed and I haven't even entered the arena.

Ok moving on because once inside and had forgotten about paying to park. There were some pretty interesting and crazy things going on...
On a very serious note, hockey fans are just about as crazy as the hockey players are. I of course found more amusement by watching everybody else's reactions to the game.

Kev loved it!

He had no idea that I existed.
Just kidding he insisted on buying me a hot dog and coke for a meager $10,000 to help keep me entertained.

Shockingly enough - I said no. I actually got into the game a little myself.
I mean it's not everyday you see players duke it out on the floor.

Serious note:
If you are a hockey player and your going to fight with another hockey player, why on earth would you throw down your hockey stick? Wouldn't that be your best asset as far as a weapon?

Whatever..

So then conference.
Woke up extra early on Saturday because we had tickets to the morning session.
It was nuts..
People everywhere!

Conference was great, but I must end on this note.

I took this picture which I think perfectly depict Kevin's thoughts:

"Celeste get that stupid camera phone out of my face! I am freezing and starving and you are the cause of both!"

Our Cruise down the Mexican Riviera - Day 3 and 4

2008-04-01T14:07:00.006-06:00

The much anticipated - Day Three...
I was going to write all sorts of nonsense in today's post but I honestly don't have the time to do it any justice.
As it stands, I am already three weeks behind in writing about the Cruise. Let's see if I can take out two days.

So on day three we were still at sea. I don't have any pictures for this day. Pretty much all we did was sleep in, lay-out, and play ping pong.
Oh, and we watched a game of human chess, ate frog legs, and saw a magic show. It was a fun day but nothing worth taking pictures for.

Day Four -

We arrived in Puerto Vallarta bright and early. We took a taxi into the city and walked downtown. Kevin bought some sandals and then we went and hung out on the beach.

I hope I'm not too immodest, but I am at a beach.

This blog is lame. We did not have the best time in Puerto Vallarta so it doesn't make sense for me to go on and on...

Thus ended day Four.

Our Cruise down the Mexican Riviera - Day 2

2008-03-28T14:25:00.008-06:00

Ok... let's see where did I leave off. Oh yes - the part where I was apparently not finished with Day One of our cruise.
I really wanted to see the sunset, so after the ship set sail me and Kev went and sat at the top of the deck to watch the sunset. I really wanted to capture the moment so we asked this mom/daughter to take our pic.

It took a couple tries, but I really like all three.
OK -
NOW...................................................................
DAY TWO -
We slept in (obviously.)
It's like once you shut the curtains in your room, it feels like midnight (even in the middle of the day.) It's very nice but it's always a lot later than it feels.

So, we eventually got up - at an undisclosed hour - and went straight for the buffet on the 14th floor. Yum!
Then we hung out on the deck.
They had bands and singers, it was a fiesta and since we LOVE fiesta's we fully intended to participate. We ate!
Pizza and Fries. :) Seriously, the fries and pizza were like heaven to our mouths and with a constant refresher of cherry coke, it truly was paradise.

We lounged and watched the sea pass us by. It was pretty windy but also very hot, so the wind was comforting. I spent my time reading Eclipse and catchin rays while kev tried to cover himself up as best he could and sleep. Despite my attempt to get him to wear sunscreen, he refused!
Only one of us paid the price.

While sitting on the deck we saw whales. It was amazing and fun but we never actually got any pictures. They were too fast!

Day Two also featured "formal dinner night"

Yeah it's true. Apparently, I didn't quite get the memo to wear my sequin dress so I stuck out like a sore thumb, but meh I seem to stick out no matter what I do.

Also at this dinner, I had to wear this really athletic looking bracelet. I kept feeling dizzy and sick and it really helped me. So really, you could say, it was actually really important and I'm really glad I had a long sleeve cardigan on - and yes that was just my attempt to justify looking like I was at a business womans convention.

Whatever - Kevin still loved me.

After dinner we attended a music show.
(Can you see my motion sickness bracelet?)

And thus... ended Day Two.

Our Cruise down the Mexican Riviera - Day 1

2008-03-27T09:31:00.009-06:00

Honestly, how lucky am I to be able to go on a cruise.

From the moment I got engaged to Kev and on - my life has improved dramatically.

Our wedding day was amazing - everything I wanted!
(despite the slight mix-up at the conference center - but even that didn't really bother me. So what, a whole slew of naked ballerina dancers at the entrance of my elegant wedding - meh!)

Our wedding night was also so much fun!
(despite my slight mix-up in telling Kevin where I wanted to stay). Again, It didn't even matter.

Our first week of married bliss - was mostly just a lot of laughing over new things. Even tho we had a lot of work to do, moving Kevin in, we still found time to take this picture.

And then came our cruise - the funnest part of all.
DAY ONE!
We boarded the ship and discovered that our cabin was located at the back. All we had to do was go up 4 floors and woolah:

Best view!

HOURS LATER (Still Day One)
After a 2 hour nap (due to waking up so early) and a brief tour the ship. We took part in a afternoon muster (where we all prepared for an emergency evacuation). Apparently you aren't suppose to put on your life jackets until the staff tells you. We showed up to the muster station like this:

don't we look prepared?

THIRTY MINUTES LATER (Still on Day One)
We set sail.
As the horn sounded we took our seats and watched as the land slowly disappeared from our view.

As if. This boat tried to take off at the same time as us. Earth to little boat - Were the Golden Princess.

And Thus ended - Day One.

Customer Service... The customer is never right.

2008-03-26T08:40:00.011-06:00

I really do need to write about our cruise and post pictures, but this is just too important.

Plus, I told you it was coming.
One more irrational 16 year old employee was going to cause an outburst and I'd have to write about it, well here you go.

Tuesday night's are our date night. Kev doesn't have school and so we have coined it "our night" so that we can continue to keep the spark alive.
When I got home from work, we discussed what to eat for dinner. I suggested just eating cereal, mostly because I didn't want to cook, but to no avail. Then I think I suggested pizza. I wanted it for lunch but got tacos instead so the idea of it was still fresh in my mind. We talked about places and finally decided on precious pizza hut because they have stuffed crust pizza.
We drove to the nearest location and ordered the mia pizza special, (ps. Mia is my middle name), but that's not why we ordered it. :) We ordered it because it was 3 medium one topping pizza's and would have been about the same price as one large pizza with 3 toppings. Kev ordered the pizza's and told 17-year-old Jimmy that we wanted an extra topping on one of them. 17-year-old Jimmy informed us he would have to charge us extra. Fine - let's do it. Kevin sat down for about 3 minutes and remembered that he wanted stuffed crust. He stood up and holla'd to 17-year-old Jimmy that we also wanted stuffed crust on one of the pizza's. 17-year-old Jimmy told him he couldn't. No explanation, No added suggestions to help us get what we wanted, No nothing. Kevin reminded him that the menu board said otherwise and the stuffed crust was specifically why we came. 17-year-old Jimmy said he was sorry about that but that he simply couldn't.
With the wind out of our sails, we drove home with 3 pizza's - none of them containing stuffed crust.
Really tho -
What's the point of complaining to anyone. Nothing would have been done. Apparently all stores have this "all terminating button" and once they push it - there is nothing they can do to help you.
We have "17-year-old Jimmy's" running almost all the retail stores. How will the customer ever get what he/she wants again?

I truly believe that retail stores actually have meetings where they tell staff and employees "The customer is never right."
Apparently - too many customers have been taking advantage of "The customer is always right" slogan and they are losing profit.

I also believe that some of these 17-year-olds don't have any work ethic. Now don't get all crazy upset with me for making this statement. If you are a 17-year old who works hard then good for you. If you know a 17-year old who works hard then good for them. CLEARLY, I'm not talking about you/them. I'm talking about the "17-year-old Jimmy's" that stare blankly back at you and say "I can't help you."

Back in the day - (circa 1995 - approx 2000) - I worked retail. I served popcorn, nachos, and a drink the right way! The customer way. I sold movie tickets to good movies that the customer really wanted to see. I helped customers find seats in a dark theater. I helped moms get their kids boosters for their seats. All for a whopping $4.25/hr.
I know right. This is my own soap box.
But seriously, we did whatever we could to offer up suggestions to help the customer get what they wanted.
Oh Well...
Whatever. I suppose things will continue to get worse. I'm sure at some point we will be charged just to go into a retail store or pizza place. Come out empty-handed and just be grateful for the memory of it. Who knows.

I suppose I should only blame myself. I am, after all, a member of the very society that's causing CEO's to cease any additional benefits- even though I don't have any children and I am not the confronting aggressive type. Hmm, lots to ponder.

Well, maybe the answer is to stop shopping. Teach those rich CEO's a lesson!
I can grow all the food we need in a garden. Pepperoni, cheese, marinara sauce- all of it. I can make my own stuffed crust pizza. I may take 2-3 hours more but maybe that's the price I will have to pay in order to stick it to the man.

If our world is going to continue making things worse for us, I will just have to start buying my own cows, and chickens and sewing clothes for me and my family. Yes - that seems to be the answer, I am going to sew the clothes we are going to wear for now on... Now does anyone have a sewing machine with instructions I could borrow?

Prep work for our Cruise - Honeymoon

2008-03-19T09:16:00.009-06:00

On March 8th, 2008, me and kev headed off on a 7-day cruise down the Mexican Riviera. It was amazing. The prep time for the cruise however, was not amazing. On March 7th - the night before and with so much packing to do - this is what you would have seen if you walked into our apt.

Yes that is right, Kevin at the computer working on our finances and me goofing around with my new slider phone and making Kev take pictures of me. Lets just say that the next morning when we got up at 4am - we were not in the best of moods.
We left the apt and got to the airport by 6am. My flight ticket was booked under Celeste Dahl and my new drivers license had not come yet, so i was really worried about potential drama from the airport security. So, in preparation I walked up to the security girl explained the situation.
"Hi, I'm Celeste Johnson and about 2 and a half weeks ago I got married, so my new last name is Dahl. Well, I just went to the DMV to change my drivers license but I haven't gotten my permanent one yet, so I just have this paper one - but here is my original drivers license with my maiden name."
She looked at me like I was a mutant from table 9 and just said, "um ok" stamped my flight ticket and moved me ahead. I looked back at Kevin and he pretty much gave me the same "your a nerd" face. We laughed afterward and later he said that I probably didn't need to offer so much detail next time.
- whatever, she appreciated my story.
We got to the gate with about 30 minutes to spare.
We sat for about 8 seconds when I said I was hungry. I walked over to the the Blue Burrito and ordered a Steak & Egg burrito - yum.
Kevin ate most of my burrito -

Our flight arrived in L.A. at like 9am. We had hours to spare. We shuttled over to the cruise ship and waited and waited and waited to board. But don't you worry - we had plenty of entertainment.

A mariachi band was there singing to us. Kevin knew 3 of the songs. I was shocked. He sang all the wrong words, in fact I don't think he was singing any real Spanish words, but it was really funny and he sounded pretty good.

As the band finished we took our "just about to board" picture.

7 days of fun in the sun - here we come!

First week of married bliss!

2008-03-05T10:25:00.017-07:00

I'm sure when you think of a couples first week being married, your ready to hear about their first major disaster, or the beginning of the "fighting stage", or their first really "rude awakening" from living with another person, but that has not been the case with us - for the most part. :)
Being married couldn't be funner - at least that's the way it is for me.

Basic Rundown of our first week of marriage.

Replacing the lid or not - what does he do?

Sunday night (the day after we got married) we got back to our apt and as it was late and we both headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed.
I start washing my face and he started brushing his teeth.
I glanced over to see if he would just squeeze the tube and leave the lid off or if he would take the time to put back on the lid.
AND HE PASSED.
He put the lid back on and start brushing his teeth.
I smiled on the inside that night because "the lid on the toothpaste" will never be a problem for us. (Now if only I can get him to wet his toothbrush before he puts the toothpaste on and starts brushing his teeth.)

Returning doubles - from our Wedding presents.

Opening wedding presents was a lot of fun.
It was really cool to get presents from people who were or are happy for us and want to congratulate us on our big day.
Seriously, the gift part is such a great way to help out newly weds - whether they previously lived out on your own or not.
I've had this cream colored all-a-dollar spatula (I think from my first year of college) that has, over the years, melted and formed into a whole new spatula shape of it's own. Let's just say I am very excited about my new spatulas that are not only a decent color but actually LOOK like spatulas.
We also got a full silverware set. I'm excited! Theirs actually an equal amount of spoons as there is forks?
We got new blankets - so i can give back some of the ones i stole from my mom.
Thanks mom :)
I really think were going to have all sorts of fun with all our new stuff. YAY!

HOWEVER...
Obviously, we got a lot of duplicates - so our first week together we spent a large portion of our time returning those duplicates to the stores.
Let me give a nice plug for Bed Bath and Beyond. They were so great and very helpful.
Target on the other hand, gave us a little grief. I still plan to do shopping there, I am just not fully satisfied with their return policy. Why must bad people ruin everything? Apparently, they only allow one human being to return "two" items in their lifetime without a receipt. They alleged it was because people were stealing their products while in the store and then tried to return them. Hmm not fully convinced.

As for Circuit City....

I can definitely promise we will never go shopping there again.
WORST EXPERIENCE OF OUR LIVES WITH REGARD TO CUSTOMER SERVICE.

I really think something must be done about customer service. Back in the day, when I worked in customer friendly places - we did everything we could for the customer.
The attitude we received was more like "Nope, sorry can't help you... now kindly step aside, I have a line of customers waiting that I will eventually disappoint as well.
Grr to Circuit City.

I think my next blog will be about Customer Service and where it has gone.

Anyway -
We finally got our one bedroom apt under control. Everything fits in very nicely and we are so excited.
Week 2 has started off on a promising note - except why isn't laundry ever done?
Whatever -
I am now getting my 8 hours of sleep and cooking for two is actually kinda fun.