Happy Halloween!

Hi,
Here are a few pictures from Halloween. We had a party Friday night, wherein I dressed Hawaiian. I think the party went well enough. Then on Saturday evening I dressed as a witch to match Adria's costume. Shawn only dressed up for our party on Friday. (He is a 'Tank' character from the Left 4 Dead video game)

Such a Big Girl!

So it's been a while... Things have been crazy to say the least. Sometime soon I'll post about the trailer project Shawn and I have been working on - complete with before and after pictures.

This post however, is to commemorate a momentous occasion: Adria has officially started potty training. Not by the choice of her parents, I might add... She's been telling us when she needs her diaper changed for a while now, and she knows very well what a potty is, so we figured we should at least pick up a potty chair for her so that we have it ready. Well, the day we got it she was so excited to sit on it - I was just happy that she would sit on it (she didn't like trying to sit on a regular toilet, I'm sure in no small part because she felt like she was going to fall in...)

The next day (yesterday, 10/21/2009) when we got home from work/day care she told me she wanted to sit on the potty, so I took her in and helped her sit down - figuring that she just wanted to sit on it like she had done the night previous. Surprise surprise when she actually used the potty correctly! Then a couple hours later she did it again! She didn't pee in her diaper at all that night. Now I promise that this isn't going to turn into a 'mommy blog' but I guess I want to brag just a little here... - Is potty training supposed to be this easy? I'm sure we have a long way to go, and maybe it's just the excitement of a new potty, but I was very proud of my little girl yesterday. I can only hope that the rest of this transition goes as smoothly. I guess I should probably get some pull-ups now....

Flying High

This memory is of my first time flying. I don't remember for sure how old I was, I think it would have had to be about 6 because I'm pretty sure it was before my younger brother Kyle was born. It was a Monday night back in the day when my family held Family Home Evening.(an LDS weekly tradition.) I had wanted to go ice skating, so my parents told me we were going to go ice skating that night. I had a pair of my mom's old ice skates and I remember being really excited to try them out. When we got to the building, I remember walking through a dark hallway and wondering why most of the lights were out. "Where is the skating ring?" I remember thinking to myself. Then we walked through some heavy gray double doors and instead of seein an ice ring I saw a small airplane parked on tarmac. "WOW!"

My dad then told me we were actually going on a plane ride, and asked if it was okay with me if we went ice skating another time. :D I LOVE being in high places, and I love flying. "OF COURSE!" was my reply.

My dad had made an appointment at the SLC #2 airport. We flew in a small plan just big enough for 4 or 5 and we flew over the Salt Lake Valley and over the Great Salt Lake. I remember how thrilled I was at getting to go on an airplane ride, and I remember how happy my dad was that he got to surprise me with this gift.

My Earliest Memory

I figured that the best remembrance to start with for my little project would be the first memory that I can recall. I was three years old, standing on my bed looking out my bedroom window. When I was very young I was sick a lot, I think it was Strep Throat that I had and although I don’t recall exactly how often I had it I do remember that I had to stay home in bed A LOT. This particular day, I was standing up in bed looking out the window and wishing that I could be playing outside. I remember it was a warm spring or summer day outside and I was so sad that I had to stay inside.

This leads into the second oldest memory I have, which is that of getting my tonsils removed. I had them removed when I was three years old, and from what my parents have told me it was a pretty scary experience because there was some complication and I almost died… ? (I think I’ll have to verify the story with my mom to get more details.) However, what I do remember is lying in the hospital bed, being fed scores and scores of banana popsicles. I wanted a different flavor, but all they would give me was banana. The popsicles were the kind that had two sticks, and you could break them to form TWO popsicles. I also remember needing to go to the bathroom, but because I was all drugged up and a bit loopy I had to have my mom helped me. I remember being embarrassed by this, even at three years old.

Whatever the problem had been, having my tonsils removed must have solved the problem because after that I was rarely ever sick again. (even when I wanted to be to be to get out of school… ;)

EDIT - Apparently what happened was that after I went home I was swelling a lot, and my parents thought that I had an allergic reaction to the anesthesia so we went back to the hospital later that night. My memory with the popsicles happened when we were in a hospital room, but I don't know if it was right after my surgery or when we went back later that night.

Long time no post

It's been a while since I've blogged, I guess I just haven't felt like I had anything to blog about. I still don't, but I figured I should least post an update once a month - although the only person I've told about this blog has still been too disinterested to bother looking or reading it. Ah well, I guess it's for posterity's sake... or something.

I was thinking that this blog would be a good place to have a project I've wanted to start, which is a book of remembrances. Basically, I just wanted to write down memories from my life so I'm sure not to forget them. Some will be memories from my childhood, and some will be from adulthood, and I'll write things that are currently happening that are significant to me. This can be a place I go to remember some of the good times I've had, and hopefully it will be a source of happiness for when I might not be feeling so happy. Most of these memories will be fairly short and they will be in no particular order, so I hope no one is expecting anything grand. Mostly this is just for me, which apparently, this blog is.

ps - Happy April Fools day. So far I've not been victim to any pranks, but the day is only half over...

A good day

Last Saturday was a good day. Shawn went Goose hunting with his dad, and so I spent most of the day home with Adria. I do love to work and I love my job, but lately things have been slow at work so I've been missing my baby and wishing I could spend more time with her. I was so excited that I didn't have anything else planned because it was the perfect day to spent with her. She was happy all day and just loved playing with whatever and being with me. She took 2 good naps which gave me the chance to clean the house and finish some scrapbooking. We went to the store to get groceries, and she was an angel! She just sat in the cart, swinging her legs and looking around. She is so cute, and such an amazingly good baby. It is incredible to me just how much I love her. She makes me so happy, especially on days like that. It is hard at times, but I really do love being a mom. It's impossible to NOT love someone who loves you so much. I hope I can be a good mom to her, I want to always be there for her and hopefully and can even be her best friend. ... Chuppa - I Love You!

Birthday Fun

So, Saturday we threw a little party for my 1 year old and I think things turned out well. We barbecued hamburgers and brats, everyone ate then we had Adria open presents. She did surprisingly well for a 1 year old - as long as we started a tear for her she'd rip the wrapping paper right off! Then we sang to her and ate cake and ice cream. She of course made a mess of herself, but everyone seemed to have a good time. We decorated the house for her, and she really liked the balloons. Now the house is a disaster, (Sunday night we wanted to relax and enjoy the remainder of the weekend) so tonight we have the task of cleaning up all the decorations and putting all the toys away.

Sunday evening we went on a walk, it was really nice and I could tell that a lot of people had spring fever. I made the comment that it was good to see so many people out with their kids, it's nice that the weather is starting to allow for more outdoor activity. Shawn and I want to make it a point to go on at least one walk or bike ride a week now that the weather is warming up. It's nice to be out of the house and it's good to be getting some exercise. I don't like being such a 'homebody' - I have been bored lately and I'm really craving some activity! Walking, bike riding, ice skating, bowling, golfing, ANYTHING! Just get me out of the house and let's do something different.

MC Hammer - was in the house!!!

Now that I've seen MC Hammer in person, my life is complete. ... Okay so not really, but it was quite awesome to see such an icon of the 80's up close and personal. He came to concert at the McKay Events Center which is the building where I work, and while I didn't pay for tickets to go to the actual show I did get to see and hear his practice. I neglected to bring my camera to work for this momentous occasion, so all I had to get a picture was my cell phone. I apologize for the poor quality, but the dude in the black is good ole MC himself. Too bad he didn't sing 'Cant Touch This' for his practice. The only thing that could have made the day better would have been to hear him say; "STOP - HAMMER TIME!"

An Introduction

My name is NikkiAnn and I’m 27 years old. I don’t feel like I should be 27, I feel like I should still be 25 – but alas, according to modern calendars, I am 27. I have been married for 7 years, and my husband still is my best friend. I feel very lucky to be in what I consider an extraordinary relationship. I have one daughter; she will be turning a year old in two days. Again, it really doesn’t seem like it’s been a year since I had my baby, I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. From what I hear though, it will only get worse.

I work as an accountant/business manager for the athletics department of a local university, and although I’ve never been a fan of sports I really do like my job and I feel lucky to have such a position. While my pay here is… much less… than what I could make elsewhere there are other benefits that make my current position the best place I could be right now. As for schooling, I have a Bachelors Degree in Accounting, but before I decided to go into paper pushing I was an Aviation Major, then I tried out Vocal Performance for a while. (That should give you some idea of the variety of interests I have…;)

My husband works in research and development of an industrial diamond technology and manufacturing company, and he also really likes his job. He makes pretty close to the same salary as I do, but he doesn’t yet have a degree. His company also has some really awesome benefits such as covered health insurance, quarterly bonuses, and multiple yearly parties. In addition to working full time he is also going to school at the university that I work at. Free tuition is one of the great benefits of my job that makes up for the low salary.

As I mentioned earlier, I have a baby girl who will be turning one this Thursday. She is the light of my life and I absolutely adore her. (Although I imagine my feelings are not any different from any other mother). What might make me a little different than most (at least moms that live in Utah) is that I’ve always been more of a career woman, and have never-ever been baby hungry. While most mothers I know would prefer to be a stay-at-home mom, I much prefer to work. I get a real sense of fulfillment by working, and I think that I am a better mom because I work. While it’s nice to stay home every now and again, I know myself well enough to know that I would go nuts if I had to stay home all day every day. I might even end up resenting my children because of it. I give a big thumbs up to any woman who does want to stay at home, I think it is a noble career; Just not one that I could do and be happy.

As for interests, first and foremost I love to travel. I especially love going to places that I’ve never been. I have a map at home where I mark each place I’ve been. I like it, but it becomes woefully obvious that I need to do a lot more international travel. So far the only international places I’ve visited are Italy, Greece, and Mexico. Mexico is the only one that I’ve been to with my husband. We try to go on one big vacation a year, although last year it didn’t happen because I was pregnant. I think my favorite place so far has been Hawaii. That is where we went on our honeymoon, and it was amazing. This summer we’re planning a trip to Florida. Not overly exciting, as we have both been there before, but it will be a really cheap vacation because we’re going at the same time as a work convention so my airfare and our hotel will be covered. I’m hoping next year we can do a cruise to Alaska… but we’ll have to see how things go.

I also like to scrapbook and do crafty projects, however I am completely UN-artistic and most of what I do comes out looking a little retarded. I love to go to plays and musicals – in April we are going to Wicked, and I’m really excited. (courtesy of my close friend Jamie, THANK YOU!!!) I also love Batman. This is a bit of a weird one, but I have collected comic books since I was in junior high, I particularly love Batman, Robin, and Nightwing. Sadly, life has gotten so busy that I haven’t purchased or read a comic book in nearly two years; I really would like to do some catching up if I could ever find the time. In case you were wondering, yes I do love the most recent Batman movies with Christian Bale. I’m glad that they finally got it right; the Batman movies they put out in the 90’s were embarrassing.

I would describe myself as a good person. I think I’m easy to get along with, and I try to be friendly to everyone. I love life, and I love experiencing new and different things. I’m strong-willed, I know what I want out of life and that is what I go after. I work hard at keeping good relationships, and at keeping my home as peaceful as possible. I’m intelligent and hard working. I’m reliable and honest. I love my family.

In a nutshell, that’s me. (a very large nutshell, I realize…;)

noname's first post

Personal Log, Stardate 240209 ... oh wait, wrong format...

Sorry, I couldn't resist starting my first blog in true star trek fashion. Okay, so I'm really not that big of a Trekkie, but my husband and I have been watching some old TNG episodes lately.

I don't know what possessed me to start a blog today, I don't even know if I'll tell anyone about it because I've always had a thing about keeping my journals private. I don't want to have to watch what I write because of being worried about what someone will think. For now, this blog is for me and me alone. I guess only time will tell if I continue to use it, or if I let the word out that I'm blogging.