No Place Like Home

Last week Brock and I got to up to Utah! The trip was originally planned for the purpose of seeing (meeting, in Brock's case) my little brother Jeff who got home from his mission last Thursday. However, in sadly typical Carolyn fashion, I messed up on the dates and we ended up missing Jeff by about 12 hours. By the time we realized I'd gotten the dates wrong, it was too late- we had both already taken work off  on specific days that couldn't be changed at that point and my plane ticket was already purchased. Missing our trip was just out of the question- we were both looking forward to the break, so we decided to go anyway. Plus, one of my best friends got married last weekend so I would have flown solo and gone up that weekend anyway.

I'm so glad we both went up because it was a much needed, relaxing trip. We spent most of our time relaxing with family, visiting friends and eating. I didn't get many pictures, but here are a few:

 Alyssa and me, waiting for the bride and groom to emerge. It was unseasonably warm outside, which was why I had ditched my coat and purse a few yards away on the sidewalk. Normally I wouldn't be quite so foolish, but hey-we WERE at the temple...

 Kate looked SOOO beautiful! This was the first temple wedding I've attended since I got married and it was amazing. Kate and Steve are so perfect together and I'm so happy for them! 

 Kate and the girls. Really, I have GOT to tone down the posing. My grandma told me she didn't care for my blue tights. Now that I look at this picture, I'm not sure I do either.

 We went to the BYU creamery where my brother Kurt works. I'm pretty sure he hooked us up because our ice cream cones were HUGE.

 Kurt rocking his fine creamery costume. (Yes,ever since the Magleby's days, I have referred to work uniforms as "costumes".)

 Okay, so I totally meant to take "before" and "after" pictures, but I ended up forgetting both and only took a "during" picture. My daring mom allowed me to highlight her hair. And if I must say so myself, it looked good. I'm no longer shy about my secret dream to do hair. If only hair school didn't cost money and take time...

 We went up to Salt Lake to see Brock's fabulous sister Bailey at CPK! It was so good to chat with her over our my staple BBQ chicken salad.

On our last day in Provo, we decided to go up Provo canyon because it is one of our favorite places in the world. We used to go on walks up there all the time when we were dating. We took this picture on the same bridge we got engaged on. Awww.. 

It was such a fun trip! We spent tons of time with my family and were even able to see Brock's parents on their way up to Salt Lake one night. The only bad thing about trips home- I get a renewed sense of homesickness for a while afterwards. I am already excited for the next time we get to see our families and friends, even if it's not for a while.

I Deleted My Last Post

Have you ever written something and posted it without really reading over it first?

Well, that's kind of what happened with my last post. I read over it again yesterday and realized that I was really embarrassed by what I wrote.

So... I deleted it.

For anyone who did read it and was disgusted by the lack of manners, social skills and hygiene present in the Sargent family, I'd like to apologize and beg you for a second chance at your respect. None of those instances were actually as bad as I wrote them- I may have taken a bit of creative liberty. Hey, we all do, right?

I promise that we are actually somewhat classy, respectable people most of the time. Those times just aren't as funny to write about. I mean, nobody wants to read about our daily vitamin intake, scripture/prayer routine, and well dressed nights out. This is just not that kind of blog.

For all of you who DIDN'T read my last post... I guess you'll always wonder what exactly it was I wrote about... Have fun!

Guess Who's Back?

No, it's not Slim Shady. It's me, Carolyn. A once avid (or at least semi-regular) blogger, I have recently fallen victim to a lifestyle full of reality TV, macaroni and cheese and oh yes, a full time job. These pesky nuisances have caused me to neglect my blog completely, much to the disappointment of all 14 of my followers, I'm sure. ;)

In all honesty, life has been a bit overwhelming these days and sometimes it's hard for me to blog when I feel like I'm in a rut. After all, nobody wants to hear about my body image issues (really, ANOTHER skirt that doesn't fit these days?), the absolute band of muppets I deal with at work (seriously, WHO shows up to a job interview sporting a J.L. track suit?), and my homesickness for Utah (the most beautiful and fantastic place on the planet, hands down.)

Today I'm feeling positive and happy, so I figured I'd take advantage of it and pen a cheery blog post to catch all 14 of you up on the latest and greatest. Well, latest at least.

On December 17th, Brock and I celebrated our first anniversary. Although the year has absolutely flown by, it seems like we've been married for longer than that. I feel like an old fogey (I've never written that word before, so forgive me if the spelling is off) saying this, but I hardly remember life pre-Brock sometimes! We recently pinpointed our "married pet-peeves". For one, I personally hate how Brock doesn't think it's necessary to hang/fold one's clothes up when done wearing them. Apparently to him, the floor, specifically right next to the bed, is a perfectly acceptable place for all clothes, clean and dirty, to reside for days on end. Brock's pet peeve regarding my behavior? I guess I don't do a very good job rinsing/scraping dishes before I put them in the dishwasher. I mean, maybe a FEW times a couple bowls have emerged from the wash cycle still crusted with bits of oatmeal... But it's not like I'm throwing full steaks in there. Brock swears I once attempted to wash an entire grilled cheese sandwich. But hey, if these are our biggest marital woes, I'll take 'em. Brock is my absolute best friend in the world and I feel so lucky to have him.

We celebrated Christmas just the two of us down here in Phoenix. It was weird not to be with our families but we tried to make it as festive as possible anyway. We bought a real Christmas tree (it dried out weeks before the 25th, leaving a mess of pine needles everywhere-next year we'll have to step up the watering), hung stockings (I actually sewed them out of Christmas cloth napkins, because the fabric stores were seriously lacking in non-tacky fabric by the time I got around to it) and made a bunch of cute and surprisingly tasty Christmas treats. (Caramel/chocolate dipped pretzel rods? I'm telling you- they could rival Rocky Mtn. Chocolate Factory- that good.)

For New Years, Brock's family came down and helped us move. We only moved about 20 minutes north to a nice area in Glendale, but it has made all the difference in the world. For one, the SWAT team doesn't seem to make regular appearances at our apartment complex up here. Sadly, that happened more than once down in West Phoenix. Our neighbors are also really nice and normal. They don't chain smoke on the balcony, nor do they have weird piercings adorning odd parts of their faces. In fact, we coincidentally moved in next door to the family of a girl I worked with at Magleby's for years! So nice to have a built-in friend... It was nice to spend time with the Sargents while they were here.

Brock bought his first pair of Costco jeans. They are Kirkland brand and utterly horrendous. I love my husband dearly, but these jeans have got to go. Apparently Brock has some really unique dimensions because it is almost impossible to find him pants that fit well. Well when Costco actually carried a pair in his size, he swooped in and snatched those guys up quicker than I did the neighboring potsticker sample. It's just a shame that they are so...blue... The only way I can describe it is the crayon color "cerulean". (Illustration below.) I guess this means that our marriage is truly based on more than physical appearance.

Here are below are some accompanying illustrations:

 Standing amidst the beautiful Douglas Firs. There were a few other varieties, but the Dougs were the only ones in our price range.

 Always prepared, Brock brought his own twine to attach the tree to the car with. When the old Christmas tree man offered him a few yards of string, Brock responded with a firm and confident "no need."  A very proud moment, indeed.

 I am not a food photographer (nor a model), obviously. But these pretzels really were amazing.

 Brock wanted me to crop his body out of this shot. He's not wearing a real shirt. But this slightly pointy, crooked but full of character is his Christmas stocking, made with love by his wife.

 I wasn't a fan of my face/body in this picture either. Plus, I wouldn't want it to distract from the lovely cloth napkin creation I'm displaying. Behold, my Christmas stocking.

 Brock's new Christmas present. I am purposefully not displaying the pictures of me with my new loot because I look like I just woke up. Which I did.

 The Sargents family chillin by the pool. Our new complex has got a great pool. The best part? Nobody ever seems to be there. Plus, they play a lot of John Mayer and Journey there.

 This picture cracks me up. Not the best picture of any of us, but I mean, we WERE in the middle of moving. I think I need to tone it down on the posing.

See? Cerulean: the color of Brock's Kirkland Signature jeans. Eww. Haha

The Token Thanksgiving Post

Since my poor husband had to work literally every day of Thanksgiving weekend (yes, even the holiday itself), he selflessly bought me a plane ticket and shipped me off to Utah to be with my family for the holiday. I missed him a lot, and the thought of him sitting on the couch alone, eating a big Mac for Thanksgiving dinner almost put me in tears, but it was great to be home and see my family. I didn't take very many pictures, and the few I did take didn't turn out great, but here are a few snapshots of the long weekend.

My mom, me and my twin cousins Beth and Emma. My cousins put a lot of thought into their Thanksgiving Day outfits. Beth's "Cape Cod, Massachusetts" shirt was worn in honor of our ancestors' place of entry (Plymouth, MA) when they arrived to this new land. Emma's pilgrim collar compliments the sail boat (of Mayflower) pattern on her skirt.  

My Dad smoked this turkey outside in the backyard, using some sort of smoking contraption. It tasted fantastic.

This picture makes me laugh out loud, because it showcases the holiday so nicely. While most families use fancy tablecloths and festive dinnerware, this band of muppets dined (and played games) at a card table with a folded up ping pong table in the background. We loved every minute of it.

Joel, Shad and I in the back of the car, on our way up to Temple Square to see the lights.

Some random man took this picture so I couldn't be picky about how it turned out.

All the Latest Haps (Really Hip Slang Word for "Happenings")

A typical day for Brock and Carolyn these days? Wake up, work, eat, sleep, repeat. Again and again.

Luckily there are a few exceptions. 

Here are some pictures from a few delightfully non-typical days we've had recently.

My mom and me at...a hockey game?Yes! My parents came to visit us a few weeks ago! It was so fun to see them, and I felt so grown up hosting my parents ay my own apartment. We went to a Phoenix Coyotes hockey game one night which was surprisingly really entertaining. Even my mom got into it. 

(She is notorious in our family for reading Harry Potter III during a Mariner's game once, so obviously this is a big deal.) I got into it too. So into it apparently, that I forgot to relieve my dad from camera duty and get a picture with him in it. Sorry Dad.

Whenever the Coyotes scored, everyone would howl. So of course, being the super fan I am, I joined in enthusiastically.  Unfortunately Brock informed me that I was howling all wrong. Apparently a howl is more of a one syllable ordeal. I was doing more of a two syllable "A-WOO" sort of thing.

 Note to Mom: Mom, before you get offended that I cropped you out of this picture, I think you should know that this was the shot in which your face looked like it had an extra bone in it. Or some weird plastic surgery situation going on. I personally think you looked great but rather than risk your retaliation on your blog (you have some incriminating pictures of me) I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry. Love you! :)

 

 Last weekend we went over to this cute little town in the middle of nowhere called Fountain Hills. There is this pretty (man made, of course) lake with a huge 300 foot fountain in the middle. Unfortunately the fountain was turned off before we could get a picture, so just imagine a huge beautiful fountain behind us.(At first, Brock told me the fountain was natural and I believed him for like 20 minutes. I was in the middle of a rant about Old Faithful being overrated when he finally interrupted me with the truth.)

 See, isn't this place pretty? And the weather was perfect. A nice breezy 70 degrees all afternoon. Not bad for November. Maybe I can get used to this Arizona weather thing after all... I really need to work on some new poses for my solo pictures. I've just about reached my "one hand on the hip" quota.

After the fake lake, we went to a real lake called Saguaro Lake. It was even prettier. But we had to leave before we got many pictures because this weird man and his son (both with huge guts and ponytails) kept giving us traveling tips and I got sick of nodding and fake laughing.

 

 The weekend before last, we went up to St. George for a quick weekend trip and hiked Angel's Landing up in Zions with Brock's family. This bunch of troopers made it all the way up to the top despite our lack of legit hiking apparel and the impending blizzard. Well, maybe it wasn't a blizzard. But it was definitely snowing.

 This background could be straight from Lord of the Rings, no? The misty mountains of Middle Earth... If only I were wearing my elf robes, or maybe a Gollum loincloth... I swear, since we've moved to the city, I am more enchanted with beautiful scenery than ever. I will never take fall leaves for granted again, I swear! 

Doesn't this tree stump look just like a baby bear? We all seriously thought it was a wood carving someone had ditched beside the trail. 

Jenn (Brock's mom) doing an "Angel Pose" on Angel's Landing. This is actually an action shot from a whole wing flapping cliff side routine.

A Wasted Wish. Thanks a Lot, Pinterest.

I purposefully waited up all evening tonight so I could make a wish at 11:11, 11/11/11.

(Note: I missed the AM occurrence due to my reluctant and very awkward participation in a break dancing contest at our company's Veterans Day Barbecue this morning. My fierce competition consisted of 4 black 13 year olds, most armed with converse high tops/hoodies, an impressive collection of "moves" and absolutely no inhibitions. Yes, I believe this situation deserves a blog post of its own.)

Since Brock fell asleep at around 9:00, I had a few hours to kill before the magic moment arrived. What better way to waste time than to poke around on the ever-addicting Pinterest, right? 

Wrong. I was so mesmerized by Pinterest's captivating array of whimsical craft ideas, dogs/babies in costumes, calorie dense recipes, work out tips and Jennifer Aniston's hair that I completely missed the magic moment.

At exactly 11:12 I looked up at the clock. What? Are you kidding me? I missed the greatest wishing opportunity of this lifetime all because I was too engrossed in a tutorial on making your own pore cleansing strips out of gelatin.

Well shoot, there goes my Range Rover, 25 inch waist, seasonally replenishing J Crew wardrobe and jaw dropping breakdance skills. (The latter was a new addition to my wishlist as of this morning.)

On the plus side, I'm quite excited to purchase some plain gelatin tomorrow. Good bye and good riddance, blackheads.

Seriously, this is the kind of thing I've been wasting my time on tonight:

Haha. (Sheepish laughter.) I can't help it. It is a little funny... Or maybe I just need to go to bed.

Finally... Some Honesty

Maybe it's a biological response to the recent arrival of cooler fall weather, or the enabling effects of its accompanying bulky sweaters/stretchy leggings but my body seems to be hanging on to every single calorie I ingest these days.

Okay so I didn't exactly avoid the recent influx in the Halloween candy supply at our office. And yes, my hot chocolate consumption has drastically increased lately. But still, for how faithful I've been to my spin bike, you'd think those calories would be negated by now!

Anyway, while engaging in some embarrassing google searches that may or may not have contained the words "Victoria's Secret model" and "diet" I came across this recent article.


 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/07/victorias-secret-angel-diet_n_1079315.html

Let's all just take a moment to applaud this wonderful, saintly vixen of a woman for actually being honest about what it actually requires to look like she does.

I am sick to death of models insisting that they achieve their stunning physiques by "eating a handful of nuts and raisins for a snack", or  "going to pilates class twice a week". Then there's my personal favorite- "I stay active by chasing my kids around!" Give me a break, ladies.

That's why I was thrilled to read this article. Because what Adriana puts herself through pre-fashion show?

I absolutely could. not. do.

And I am fine with that. Why? Because I'm sick of eating a small handful of trail mix, doing a couple laps around the living room with a small child then looking down, puzzled at my still present cottage cheese adorned thighs, wondering what is wrong with me. What am I missing!? Should I be throwing up while chasing around the kids? And how is Giselle's trail mix different than mine? (Answer- because it's laced with nicotine and able to be inhaled via cigarette.) It's quite demoralizing. But with this refreshing new light shed on Adriana's workout, I have assured myself that if I really wanted to look like her, I could. All I'd have to do is work out twice a day for three straight months, drink a small creek's worth of water, and only ingest food in liquid form.

I just don't want to.

For now I'm okay with 30 minutes on my trusty Schwin spin bike. Followed by a costco sized bag of trail mix. Dang it.