High school Dance Beauty Consultant

I am a High School dance beauty consultant wannabe.

If only I had had someone to do my make-up when I was 16.  I mean, I did my own hair and makeup when I went to Homecoming my sophomore year, but I had not learned much about the art of cosmetics at the time. 

Since then, well... make-up and hair has become something of a hobby.  One of the perks of making it a hobby and spending all these years experimenting and being a bit, ahem, vain is: that I get asked to play beautician and cosmetologist for my girl friends!  I did my sister Liz's when she was in high school, and now it's my cousin Emma.

Hopefully some of my darling neighbor girls are next.  As of right now, my only charge is to meet the date. (wink wink.)

So fun.  Thanks for asking me, Emma! :)

First Day of Fall!!!

I adore Autumn.

Simply...

Adore.



The first day of Fall was last Saturday, September 24th.  And I was loving it. 

Our Top 5 Summer Adventures

Clint and I decided that we've done some very adventurous things this summer (and spring.)  We decided to list the top 5, and here they are:

5.  Cruise along Mexican Riviera

This one takes 5th place because, well, we both just felt like some of the other things were more cool.  But it still made the list!  It was a first for both of us. Cruising, that is.  One of our excursion stops was a revisit to honeymoon site: Nuevo Vallarta.

And I even got Clint to dance with me to some live music.  So you know, not an everyday miracle.

4. Sun Tunnels

On the eve of Summer Solstice, we watched the sun set through the west-facing tunnel, slept under brilliant constellations, then watched the sun rise through the east-facing tunnel.  As a spiritual bonus we also: pondered our existence in this mysterious and incomprehensible universe.

And as an unexpected bonus: we were quoted in the SL Trib regarding our trip.

Who wouldn't want to experience that?

3. Ragnar Relay - Wasatch Back Race

Pretty dang fun and adventurous and a lot a bit crazy.   Picked up some new buddies, too.

#3 alternate: Sam's SLC Half Marathon.

2.  Zions Narrows

This one is 2nd, beating out Ragnar, because of the extra physical endurance as well as the extraordinary scenery. 

Can also use the same 2 adjectives, adventurous and crazy, with some near brushes with death.  Ok, so, not really.  But Clint did get dehydrated and I did river walk at least 8 miles with excruciating blisters. 

We decided it was worth it.

1. U2 Concert

You may know that I am a U2 fanatic, but did you know that Clint also voted this event for the position of #1?  That's right, even with high expectations for the concert, Clint was blown away.  As was I. 

U2 dazzles.

People aren't kidding when they call U2's music a spiritual experience. 

What a spectacle!!!

There you have it!  We do enjoy our summers, don't we Clint?

Before and After Pics of BYU-Utah Game

This is me before the BYU game.  Taking pictures and posting to facebook: "I am on my way to the game!  Woohoo, go cougs!"

This is me delighted to be revisiting my college campus:

This is us before halftime:

Classic, right?

And then after the game...

Oh, nevermind.

We will never speak of this again.

BYUte Marriages: How to Deal

 Clint supported my gradution from BYU, and I supported his from the U.  I think I can speak for Clint in saying we both agree that both schools are good, quality schools and we respect each other's education.  Every fall when the football season brings high rivalry tensions, I find the best way to keep my cool and not strain our relationship is by:

>being a Utah fan because I am a Clint fan
>cheering for teams, not against
>trying not to take offence at BYU digs
>keeping a playful attitude and making our school rivalry a running joke
>not categorizing either school into a stereotype, but remembering the high profile individuals as well as people in my life who represent each school.

It does help immensely that Clint is equally considerate of my allegiance as I am of his.

However, ahem... I do have to say that I had to beg for several years to get him to take me to Lavell Edwards stadium! :)

The BYU vs. Utah rival game is happening earlier than usual this year, and I will finally be going to watch the football game in my school's stadium. I saw the BYU-Utah game last year in Rice Eccles, thankfully surrounded by a healthy mix of fans.  This 2011 season, Clint and I were able to buy tickets from someone selling them through ksl.com, and we are starting to get excited.  We are even able to maintain cordial feelings toward each other, which may be surprising to someone enmeshed in the rivalry. 

Clint even sent me this link today: http://www.ksl.com/?sid=17079550&nid=1010.

This season I am feeling a little more connected to my BYU team than usual; I think this is partially because we finally invested in cable TV with DVR so I have been able to watch the cougs much more than usual. Usually I am a little starved for BYU talk because my husband and his family AND my own family mostly only talk Utes. That's right, I am a little blue fish in a sea of red. It's okay, though. I have never been confrontational in nature and I shun the ugly side of rivalry. It takes some effort to not get too emotionally involved or offended -- because there are plenty of opportunities.

I will, of course, be wearing the home colors on Saturday. Hehehe.

However, I will be holding Clint's hand even though our outfits will clash.:)

scenes from summer campfires

 I feel like posting about some of our recent summer events, but I get a little bored of listing one event per post.  So this one I decided to give a theme: summer campfires!!!

What would summer be without campfires?

Me: a drought summer season in Utah but I've still got swimming pools!
Clint: a depressing shame, and something that will never happen in his lifetime experience.

We both love having a crackly, warm fire in the mountains.  I love it even more when the campfire is accompanied by grand scenery and an artistic sunset.

Clint in his element.

We went up to my family's cabin in August, with my extended family on my mom's side.  It is well-known and even happily acknowledged that Clint is the family's designated Fire Master.  He gets the fire started, he keeps it hot and high while everyone roasts s'mores, and he is the last one to leave the fireside. 

A beautiful sky