Fulltime

Liam's 1st Hair Cut

2012-01-30T09:21:00.000-08:00

Well it was a little traumatic (mostly for me) having Liam's beautiful curls chopped off.
Here are some before pictures:

During (we tried to calm him with food)

And after...

A member in our ward owns a barbershop so he offered to cut Liam's hair for free and at our house. It was very nice of him to stop by and work on Liam. I still am trying to get over his curls. He was so freakin cute with them. If our next kid has curls like Liam I am not caving into Nick's request for a haircut. I really don't care if people thought he was a girl. He dresses like a boy, they are just dumb. Anyway, with his new haircut Liam looks much older but still cute. It's crazy what a haircut can do.

At least Liam seems happy

Don't you just love his cheesy, goldfish filled smile?

A Few of My Favorite Things (now that Oprah is gone, here are my two cents)

2012-01-24T14:04:00.000-08:00

Not in any particular order

Skin Care
1. Trish McEvoy Beta Pads (exfoliater)
2. La Mer Hand Treatment
3. Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20
4. Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster SPF 15
5. Trish McEvoy Vitamin C Cream

Make Up
1. Trish McEvoy Instant Pick Me Up for Lips
2. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick
3. Chanel Nail Polish
4. Trish McEvoy High Volume Mascara
5. MAC #3 Lash (fake lashes)

Clothing
1. Down East Basics
2. Gap
3. Ann Taylor
4. H & M
5. Forever 21

Shoes
1. Aerosoles
2. Tom's
3. Asics
3. UGG
4. Stuart Weitzman
5. Coach

Here is a picture of Trish

She is in her sixties. She looks amazing.

Nap Time

2012-01-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

SO it has been really hard for me to find the motivation to blog. Usually I either have tons of housework to do or I would rather take a nap. Its pretty 50/50. Today, Liam took a 2 1/2 hour nap in the morning so I got most of my chores done. After lunch we went to the park and played soccer (thanks Uncle Matt and Papa for teaching him how to kick). I know he is tired when he starts to fall down a lot and just lays down while he is drinking his water. So now he is down for his second nap. Hopefully it will be long so I can fit in a little nap myself ;)

Here are some pictures to update you on our going ons:

One day Liam will stop being our little drool monster (he has all his teeth so...)

Nana helping put Liam's new toy together

Liam on his favorite toy...mostly because it plays music when you hit the lion's nose.

Liam excited for his Christmas gifts

Me and Liam waking up on Christmas morning.

We bought Liam a tent with a tunnel....its his favorite thing

To be honest I haven't really many pictures since Christmas. After they turn a year you're not as camera happy. Plus they (mostly boys) are always on the go so it is hard to get a good picture.

What else....Oh yeah if you didn't know already we are having another little boy in May. I need to take a nap just thinking about that. I am going to be so tired.

Um I am working part time for my sister in law at Trish McEvoy. It's okay if you haven't heard of them. I wouldn't if it wasn't for my sister in law. Its a fun little job and lets me get out the house two days a week. I mostly do it for my sanity.

My dad had three more stents put in on Wednesday and will have to have surgery in three months to have a defibrillator put in. He is doing a lot better than when he had his third heart attack in November. We have been pretty lucky so far.

Nick's business is still doing really good. It keeps growing and picking up more clients :)

All and all everything is going good. Well except for our dishwasher they just died on Monday. Hopefully Nick can successfully put in our new dishwasher tomorrow.

Chandler Chuck Wagon Cook Off

2011-11-13T09:02:00.000-08:00

First off, how is it November already? I don't know where the time goes. Yesterday I had my first Saturday off since I started working with my sister in law Amy. I love Saturdays. I got to take two naps :) That makes me happy. Since we didn't really have any plans, we decided to check out the second annual Chuck Wagon Cook Off that Chandler was hosting. There were ten different chuck wagons competing for the title of "Best Chuck Wagon". It was pretty cool...take a look.

I thought it was pretty cool seeing all the people dressed up as coyboys/cowgirls. Also there was a little petting zoo and by little I mean tiny. Like if you blink you might have missed it but whatever.

I was surprised that Liam wasn't scared at all by the animals and that he really wasn't that impressed my them either.

Pros:
1. It was free (parking, petting zoo, fake shoot out, live music)
2. It was really a nice day to be outside
3. Lots of open space for Liam to run around
4. The air smelled delicious
5. Decent food from the vendors not in the chuck wagon cook off

Cons:
1. Large pits dug in the ground with burning hot coal (not good for a curious little one)
2. The chuck wagon food sold out within 15 minutes of them opening (so we didn't even get to try any of that food that smelled sooooooo good)
3. Not enough chuck wagon food (very disappointed)
4. Hello! I didn't get to try the chuck wagon food
5. How come I didn't get chosen to be a judge on the cook off panel?

We will have to try again next year and get there super early to try the food. It was only $10/person for a 5 course chuck wagon meal. I really wish I could of had some of that food. I mean they did have other food vendors and I did get to eat a yummy bbq pork sandwich. So I can't complain too much, I just wish I could have tried a little of that food. It really did smell delicious.

Liam's Birthday

2011-09-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

Since Liam's birthday was on Wednesday we decided to keep it low keep and then have a family party on Saturday. My aunt, Lisa (yes that is where I got my name), sent Liam the cutest onesie.

I know it's a little hard to see but it say "Liam the drool monster" which is pretty fitting. And yes my son's hair is out of control. Looking at this picture, I now can see why the lady at Safeway said he was a "cute little girl". Anyway... So yesterday we celebrated Liam's birthday with our families.

It was a lot of fun and filled with a lot of firsts. Liam had his first party, his first hot dog, his first water balloon toss, and his first cake. I wish I had taken a video of everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to him. At first he looked scared and then he started clapping. So adorable. I am glad we did a little party for him, it was worth it especially since he slept 9 hours last night and took two really long naps today :)

To eat or not to eat

2011-08-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to do this post for awhile. Just recently, someone we know posted pictures of their 5 month old eating oreos. Oreos? Really? 5 month? I have a problem with this and part of me thinks that this should be considered child abuse. For multiple reasons. But as Nick quoted last week "if you judge people, you have no time to love them". After all, Nick thinks I was abusing our child by not letting him eat meat. Which by the way there are a million reasons why you should wait as long as possible to feed your child meat if at all. Ask me some time and I all go through my list. Liam is eating meat now but only once a week. You can call it a compromise. Since I am not judging anyone and their parenting skills, I will share, out of love, some recipes I make for Liam.

#1 Super Cereal
(Liam eats this every day)
So this is a super easy recipe that can be made in a variety of ways.

Ingredients:
2/3 cups whole grain (millet, steel cut oats, quinoa, brown rice)
4 tbs legumes (black eyed peas, pinto beans, black beans, navy beans)
4 cups of water
1/4 cup flax seed (if desired)

Directions:

Ground dry ingredients ( I use my blender)

Add water and ground ingredients to medium sized pot. Heat mixture, stirring frequently, until it begins to boil. Lower heat and let boil for ten minutes, still stirring frequently.

When finished place in individual ice cube trays to freeze. When ready to eat defrost 2-4 cubes (depending on how hungry baby is).

If you want to go crazy add bananas or applesauce. If you are really crazy like me add sweet potato and spinach.

#2 Homemade Veggies and Fruits

So there are a variates of ways to make theses too.

Ingredients:
Any vegetable or fruit

Directions:

Using, a steamer cook the fruit or vegetable until soft. If using a potato of any kind, peal the skin off after cooking. Add cooked fruit to blender and 1/2 the water remaining int the bottom of the steamer (this is where a lot of the vitamins and minerals have gone from the skin of the fruit). Blend until you have reached the constancy that your child is accustomed to. As with the Super Cereal place in ice cube trays and freeze for later.

#3 Homemade applesauce

I mean can this be any easier?

Directions: Peal skins off of apples. Throw in blender. Ta da. Homemade applesauce.

#4 Banana Wheat Bran Muffins

Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups wheat bran
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 bananas, mashed
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons agave nectar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together the wheat bran, baking powder and brown sugar. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, egg whites and agave nectar.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yummy :)

I had to throw this last picture in of my mom making airplane noises as she feed Liam.

Nick's New Business

2011-06-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

Last month Nick decided to go into business for himself. For those of you who don't know, Nick is a financial planner. It was a really hard decision not only for Nick but for me too. I am always weary of change. And starting a business is really really hard. Did you know that 50% of new business fail in the first year? And 95% fail in the first five years? Yikes! Luckily though for Nick, he has me as his cheerleader even though he thinks I am his nemesis when it comes to this. I just like to make sure everything has been covered that's all.
Anyway, back to Nick....So his new business is in the office buildings on Tempe Town Lake. They are pretty sweet.

So far he has done pretty well. The main reason for him starting his own business is because he has a really good in with the Phoenix Fire Department (he now manages some of their pension). He was unable to work with the FD at Edward Jones and at his last position at First Financial. You'd have to ask Nick about them....I start zoning out sometimes when he starts talking about some stuff.
Now that its been about a month, I feel a lot more confident that Nick is going to succeed. I am glad I married such a go-getter.
I have been helping Nick with a bunch of random stuff. I helped design his business logo.

I wanted to include Heavlin somehow but Nick wouldn't let me. Heavlin Fuller Wealth Management. Sounds good.
I have made several batches of gourmet cookies to send to new clients (I have some good recipes now thanks to The Brown Eyed Baker).

Currently I am helping him design a web page. Its a lot harder than I first imagined and very time consuming. Mad props to people who actually know what they are doing. Hopefully I will have it done by the end of this month so you can all check it out.
I guess you could say that we have been pretty busy.

Swim Lessons

2011-06-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

Today was Liam's last day of swim lessons :( We had a great time and I am sad that is already over. His instructor, Jessie, was fantastic. She taught us lots of new songs and got Liam to finally float on his back without freaking out. Nick came, since it was the last lesson, and took some pictures for me.

Now I have to find something else to do for the summer. Any suggestions?

Can't help but smile :)

2011-05-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

Splash Pad and Butterflies

2011-05-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my best buddy Jen and her son Owen joined me and Liam at a splash pad (park with cool sprinklers) out in Phoenix. We had a blast. Liam and Owen are too cute together.

At first Liam didn't know what to think about the water. It was a little cold. But after awhile he started crawling (a little) in the splash pad. I ran with him through one of the tunnels and he seemed to enjoy it. We had a picnic and enjoyed being outside.

If you want to go to a splash pad there a couple around the valley. We went to Altadena Park (36th Street and Cactus). There are several in the East Valley like Chuparosa Park Spray Pad (Germann and Dobson), Desert Breeze Park (Rural and Ray), and Espee Park (McQueen and Arizona Ave). There are also splash pads at some of the outdoor malls (Desert Ridge, Kierland Commons, San Tan Village). The biggest one I know of is Tempe Beach Park, which I plan on going to when it opens up again on May 31st. These are all free, which is fantastic. But if you feel like paying you can always go to the splash pad at the Phoenix Zoo. I have heard that it is pretty cool.

Today, Liam and I went to Desert Botanical Garden with my friend Janea and her two kids. Apparently today is National Public Garden Day so it was free to get in. It usually cost $18 for one adult admission. So great deal. I am going to have to put this down as a reoccurring event in my outlook so we can go next year. I had never been to Desert Botanic Garden so I thought it was pretty neat.

My favorite part was the Marshall Butterfly Pavilion. I didn't take any pictures because they wouldn't let me take the stroller in. I am not talented enough to carry Liam and take pictures at the same time. There were tons of butterflies everywhere. One landed on my arm :) There also was an area that showcased the Native American population which used to live in the Salt River Valley (now know as Tempe/Phoenix). They had replicas of their huts and gardens. By the time we left, which was at 10:30am (we got there at 8am), it was already 93 degrees outside. I don't know how anyone could have survived in Phoenix without air conditioning. The past two days have made me think about how truly blessed we are to have water and air conditioning. Also as a side note, if there is anyone who lives in a much cooler climate who wouldn't mind me and Liam staying with them this summer let me know. Ha ha

My bad

2011-05-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today I attempted to make French Dip Sandwiches. Attempted being the keyword here. We will see later today if they turn out. Below is the recipe (just in case you feel inclined to cook...cough...cough...mom...cough)

Ingredients:
1 (4 pound) boneless beef roast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
3 whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
20 slices French bread

Directions:
1. Remove and discard all visible fat from the roast. Place trimmed roast in a slow cooker.
2. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, bouillon, bay leaf, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder. Pour mixture over roast, and add enough water to almost cover roast. Cover, and cook on Low heat for 10 to 12 hours, or until meat is very tender.
3. Remove meat from broth, reserving broth. Shred meat with a fork, and distribute on bread for sandwiches. Used reserved broth for dipping.

As you can see, its a pretty easy recipe. I bought the ingredients last night and planned to start it first thing in the morning (the meat needs to cook for 10-12 hours). Well I forgot to make it this morning and didn't realize it until I had put Liam down for his morning nap around 10:30am. So I hurried up and put everything in the crock pot and turned it onto "low". Just now I went down stairs to check on my masterpiece and realize that my crock pot was not plugged in. The meat has been sitting out for four hours. I hope I don't make us sick. I am my mother's child.

May??!! Wow how time flies.

2011-05-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's May already. What happened to April? I am not sure. I guess we were pretty busy. We didn't even make it to the Easter Pageant this year. Not that Liam would have really enjoyed it. Man once 7:30 pm comes around that kid is ready for bed. I can't think of really anything exciting that happened in April. Sorry. This weekend Liam started to stand up. I swear last week he just started crawling. It happened so fast.

He just did his first commercial!!

2011-03-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Andrea's Wedding

2011-03-06T12:37:00.000-08:00

My cousin Andrea married her best friend, Josh Sciacca, this weekend at St. Teresa's Church in Central Phoenix.

I am not sure which is longer a Catholic wedding ceremony or a LDS wedding ceremony. I think it might be a tie.
When we were taking pictures after the ceremony, my aunt Terri (aka dancing queen) slipped on one of the steps and to be taken to urgent care. Louderback weddings are always eventful.
Later, everyone headed over to the Palms in Tempe for the reception. Below are some pictures. I love the one of my aunt dancing in the chair when they brought her back from the urgent care. Turns out she broke her ankle :(

Pole Dancing and other shenanigans

2011-03-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

Two weekends ago my cousin Andrea had her bachelorette party. Her best friend Anna, who is also her maid of honor, threw the shin dig. I arrived at Express MiE in Tempe not really knowing what to expect. Apparently I, along with my cousin and four of her other friends, was about to embark in a private dance class devoted to the art of pole dancing and lap dances. Let me tell you, pole dancing is not as easy as it seems. A lot of upper body strength is involved. But I am proud to say that now if Nick and I are desperate for money, I can get a job at the local strip club. I would post pictures but I am afraid that they are a little "risky". It was a blast learning the moves in stripper heels and practicing a lap dance on an empty chair. I almost want to put a pole up in the bedroom. JK.

This last weekend Nick and I ran in the Ragnar Relay. Below is a little blurb taken off the Ragnar website for those of you who are unfamiliar with the relay:

You and 11 of your closest friends running 200(ish) miles, day and night, relay-style, through some of the most scenic terrain North America could muster. Add in crazy runners, inside jokes and a mild case of sleep deprivation. The result? Some call it a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant. We call it a Ragnar Relay.

This was my fourth time doing the relay and I have to say it was the best one so far. Below are some pictures from the relay

First Taste

2011-01-25T13:17:00.000-08:00

Brief Update

2011-01-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

Liam is getting so big so fast. Its kinda of scary how fast the grow. Lately his new thing is coughing (for attention) and rolling over. He doesn't like being stuck on his tummy but he doesn't seem to understand that happens when you roll over. Maybe one day he will get it. I would post a video of him but blogger doesn't seem to want to work for me today.

Christmas was a blast. It was good to see Amber and Kerri again. I wish they would stop moving away. But whatever. Liam was completely spoiled by both sets of grandparents. I don't know where to put all of his clothes and toys. I can't wait till he understands Christmas.

Oh and these are some picture from Nick's family's white elephant gift exchange party. I wish someone would explain to them what exactly a white elephant gift is. Some people tend to get upset when they receive an extra large thong or an enormous high school picture of Liz.

Catching up

2010-12-08T18:16:00.000-08:00

I apologize for being so lax with this blogging thing lately. Our computer has been pooping out on us lately. I hate the dreaded blue screen. I know we have some sort of virus. But instead of fixing the computer we went ahead last week and bought a new computer. It arrived today and I am so happy :)

Liam is doing so good. Except for the whole not sleeping more than three hours at a time(I talked to Jen and Amber about this and the both gave me some good advice. Now I just have to try it out). He is babbling nonstop and loves to say "ohh" really really loud. Is it pretty cute. He also has started to turn onto his side. He loves to suck on his hands and tries to get both of his fists in his mouth at once. This usually cause him to choke but he keeps trying.

Nick and I have started running again. Thank you Richard and Erin for letting us borrow the baby jogger. So far we have only been able to run up to 6 miles. Hopefully by the end of this month we will be up to 12 miles. Having a c-section really has made it hard for me to get back into shape. Being unable to do anything for six weeks really sucked. When I was 5 months prego I was able to run a 7:20 mile. Now I am lucky if I can run one under 11 minutes.

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving over at Nick's parents' house. There was lots of good food and tons of people. I think I only held Liam for 20 minutes the entire day. Its a good thing that he has so many loving aunts.

Other than that I can't think of anything else that has happened.

William

2010-10-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to post something. My child doesn't give me a lot of free time. My sister in law Liz took some pictures of Liam a few weeks ago so I thought I would post them for you all to see. Enjoy

My Worse Nightmare!

2010-08-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

These past couple of days have been interesting ones. I call Lisa a couple times throughout the day to see if anything has happened with her, meaning contractions. She seemingly replies with "yeah I had one or two but nothing too serious, nothing worth timing." We went to the doctor on Monday for a checkup and they said her body still has some work to do. The nurse whispered something in her ear as we were leaving. When we got in the car I asked what she said, Lisa replied "she just told me to have a lot of sexy time." With that said.....

I am all for trying to help this baby come out asap. I recommend that her and I walk every night. As a matter of fact when we went walking on Monday night, I decided we needed to go at a fast pace. For some reason I thought this would speed things up. So without telling Lisa, I was speed walking and sure enough she had some strong contractions on the walk. During the contractions I was like "you need to walk faster, it will help." I am guess my theory didn't work, since no baby yet.

This morning I recommended we try the nurses advice. Lisa was up for it and so we proceeded to do the deed. About a minute into it I look down and see some stuff on my thing. In my head I am like "what the f is that?" and "is this baby related?" I didn't think much of it until another minute passed and then it was grossing me out. I stopped and Lisa was like "what?" I say "what's this on me?" She looked and said "Umm I am not sure but I think that might be my mucous plug." First, I about threw up in my mouth as I walked away and said "I am done," then went to the bathroom to clean up. All I could hear in the background is Lisa laughing, which didn't help!

This was my worse nightmare!!! Ever since learning about that damn thing I've been totally grossed out by it. I guess this is what I get for asking her for the past month if it has come out. Guess I don't have to ask anymore. It will never be the same.

I remembered

2010-08-10T21:41:00.000-07:00

Really I never forgot my password, as Lisa said, I was just never really good about posting life events. Maybe I should be more touchy feely like they taught us at our birthing class. First of all, for those thinking about going to a birthing class, don't waste your time. When they had us all sit down and rub each other, I thought this is so awkward. They made the ladies get on all fours, then had us get behind them and squeeze their hips. Some guy said "isn't this what got us all here?" I thought that was the highlight of the class. Lisa was mad because I slept the first 20 minutes, but who wants to hear about mucous plugs anyways?

My job with Edward Jones is going good. I've pondered a lot about how time consuming and tough it is to create a business from scratch. It will all work out in the end or else I am going to choke somebody for lying to me about the position. I am excited about being a Dad but ask me again in 3 weeks and that might change. Lisa and I have disagreed on names but I think we finally found one we both like. She made fun of a childhood book I wrote when I was in 4th grade. It starred two boys, one named Thunder and one name Jackson.

Catching up

2010-08-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

I just finished looking at a bunch of my friends blogs and thought two things (a) why hasn't Kerri posted anything since last October and (b) why don't Nick and I keep up with our blog? Well I don't know why Kerri never writes anything but I do know why Nick and I don't. Nick forgot his password and I don't want to give him mine (Is this selfish or childish? I am not sure. I like having my stuff and I don't share well). I haven't blogged because so much has happened and I don't know where to start.

So here is a run down of everything that has happened since January in no particular order:
Nick and I found out we were having a baby (still no name and suggestions are always accepted), I got fired from my job as soon as I told them I was pregnant, we settled with my company outside of court so that now I don't really have to work till next April, We bought a new car, Molly has started to really like Nick and will even give him kisses, I am dying of boredom and wished I had a job (although I am not sure what I want to do now), My mom had open heart surgery and is recovering really well, Nick's grandma passed away :(, We spent 4th of July up in Greer with all of Nick's immediate family (I think there was 24 of us total in two cabins), and last week we went to Wisconsin for my cousin Tim's wedding. And I think that is everything.

In three weeks, hopefully sooner, Nick and I will have a new addition to our family. We call him No Name Fuller or Chince (our dads' names combined Charles + Vince). We are really struggling with names. I can't take Nick seriously anymore after he suggested Thunder. Really? I am not naming my kid Thunder.

Yesterday we attended a birthing class at St Joe's. At the beginning of the class we all had to go around and give our names and say one thing we like about being pregnant. I was the last one in class to go and I was honest. I hate being pregnant. Seriously is that wrong? I don't think so. I want my body back. Nick was mad at my answer. But it was true. Pregnancy is not my thing. Anyway I learned a lot and well Nick slept most of the morning and thought all the relaxation techniques were "gay". I am planning on trying to have a "natural" delivery without any pain meds. However after seeing some of the births, I might chicken out last minute. We will have to see how strong I am when the time comes.

I will try and be better at this. Hopefully Nick will remember his password and post some things too. Also once I find my camera thingy that lets me download pictures, I will post some. Until then Adios :P

Get ready

2010-01-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

Finally Lisa has allowed me to start writing on OUR blog, yes that's right it's no longer just her venting about me but now I get to add my two cents to this whole thing. No but really I asked if we could make this blog about us, that way all of our friends and family can get a glimpse of our everyday lives, really I was just feeling left out. You will soon find out that we probably will write about completely different stuff, but that's what makes it exciting so get ready.

My first two cents.... Even though today I would of much rather watched the Cardinals game with Cardinals fans, it was nice to celebrate in the midst of two Packer fans (Lisa and her Mom), Go home Pack!

Wisonsin...Land of Cheese...Mmmm

2009-07-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

Nick and I went on our first vacation of the year....to....wait for it...Wisconsin. So romantic I know. My brother is leaving for Iraq at the end of August, it was my aunt's birthday, and it was Forth of July weekend. So most of the Louderback clan decided to get together in Wisconsin to celebrate. Everyone got there the week before but I don't think we missed out on much. Come on we are the life of the party. j/k. On our first day, we all drove to Madison to hang out for the day. It was really cold, there were a lot of hippies (not unusual in a college town), and lots of brats and burgers. We went to this restaurant/bar that served a meal with two brats on top of two hamburgers. Talk about a heart attack. I decided to go for the safe route and go with a turkey sandwich, while Nick went with a brat quesadilla (no joke). Here are some of our pictures from Madison.

In that last picture I look a little fat. I am not pregnant I swear. I have just packed on a few pounds. Going to Wisconsin didn't help much either. Anyway. The rest of the trip was spent in and around Milwaukee.

We went to Summerfest. Ate and saw a lot of cool bands play.
We went to downtown Milwaukee. Shopped, ate, went to the river.
We went to Lake Michigan. Watched an amazing fireworks show that lasted over an hour.
We went to Lake Pewaukee. Watched some more fireworks, saw a cool band, and were eaten alive by mosquitoes.
However, I think Nick will have to agree that the best part of our trip was our morning runs. Farms and more farms. Beautiful country. Lots of hills. Lots of trees. Just gorgeous. Nick even got chased by a wild turkey. It was a great trip. For those of you who have never been to Wisconsin, you are missing out on some of the most beautiful country in the US.

Molly!

2009-07-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

Molly, our new dog, is doing good. She still is a little afraid of Nick but other than that she is adjusting better than I had expected. Maybe the herbal prozac we are giving her has helped. Who knows. Below are some pictures of her. (I don't know why she always cocks her head)

Here is one of Molly and Mason. They are bestest buds. They love eating my stuff and destroying my house. At least by the time Nick and I finally decide to have kids, our house will be baby proofed thanks to the dogs.

We got a new dog!

2009-06-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know what you all are thinking. What are Nick and Lisa doing? I don't know. But she is so cute! Her name is Molly. As soon as I find my camera, I will post some pictures of her. She is a white Lab, like Mason. We got her from Desert Lab Rescue. They think she was abused and possibly one of those puppy mill dogs. She is only two and has had five litters of puppies (at least that's what the vet thinks). She is very very shy and afraid of people. She won't look at us when we pet her and she tenses up anytime something touches her. It is very sad. But hopefully with lots of love and time she will come out of her shell. Mason loves her and always brings her his toys. He doesn't understand why she doesn't want to play with him. She did finally wag her tail today so we are making progress. She is a very cute dog who needs lots of love. Hopefully Nick will learn to be nice. JK :)

Nick and his dream to be a cheerleader

2009-05-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

Really, he was just trying to strech and Mason wouldn't leave him alone.

80% sure and other random stories

2009-05-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe its been over a month since I last posted anything. A lot has happened. Well not really but some stuff. I went to Kentucky and Ohio for work last month. Two places I never really thought about going and it was really fun. Here are a few pictures from that trip.

Apparently, black barns and fences mean purebred whereas white fences and red barns just means you suck and you aren't rich.

This is an old glass factory somewhere between Cincinnati and Columbus. It's pretty run down and there is a sign that says abandoned, but if you look close you can see a truck in the back. I think something illegal was going down.

This is Harriet Beecher Stowe's (wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin) house in Columbus...in a very scary neighbor hood...sad.

If you see Nick, you should ask why he was only 80% sure I didn't leave him and take all our money on that trip.

Two weeks ago our kitchen was attacked by some fierce ants

Luckily we finally defeated them after three days of cleaning and spraying ant killer everywhere. I hate ants. We don't know where they came from but we haven't seen them since.

Obama

2009-03-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

Obama (3/22/09)
I just heard that Obama is giving the commencement speak at ASU in May. Too bad I have to go and cheer for Nick. Maybe I all take some extra shoes.

Mason !

2009-03-23T19:05:00.001-07:00

Daycare (3/6/09)
Mason had his first day of daycare last week. It’s kinda of silly to think that we are the type of people who take their dog to daycare. It reminds me of that lady I met when I worked at Biltmore Fashion Square who put braces on her dog. I swore I would never be like “those people”. But here we are sending are dog off to daycare, not as bad as braces I guess. However I am pretty sure I know people who think Nick and I are “those people”. I can just hear people saying “why don’t you just have a kid already?” That’s another subject, moving on. Mason was pretty excited to go to daycare. He pretty much ran in the door with his leash dangling by his side and didn’t even look back at me. The people at the daycare said Mason played really well with all the other dogs all day long, but that he has a problem barking at dogs when they don’t want to play with him anymore. I can see that, he barks at me in the morning when I am getting ready and not paying attention to him. Why have kids when I already have a dog?

My broken toe

2009-03-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

I really did break it. I swear

San Jose

2009-03-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

San Jose (3/5/2009)
I never thought I would be in San Jose twice in less than I week. But here I am. Last week, I was here making the sales call rounds, which means I just take people out to eat and drink. Our sales rep. from the area took me around and introduced me to some of his clients. He is super smart, PhD and all, but very ignorant. Luckily, he had a bad hang over one day and I got to enjoy San Jose all by myself. So on my day off, so to speak, I decided to go on a run. Below are some of the pictures from the trail I ran.

It was so pretty. I now have a new goal: one day live in the foothill in the San Jose area on a huge plot of land with lots of cows and horses.
Anyway today I am here for the day, a quick day trip to learn about electronics and semiconductors. Very exciting stuff let me tell you. I had to get up at four am this morning to catch a six o’clock flight. Of course the plane was pretty empty, probably only 50 or so people. More than enough room for every person to have their own row, but no someone always has to sit next to me. I swear I have a sign that says “please sit next to me, please”. Ridiculous. So I didn’t get my own row and I didn’t get to stretch out and sleep. Tonight after I fly in I have to go to my sister in law’s house for a get together with all the girls in the Fuller family, Nick’s youngest sister is getting married next weekend. It’s gonna be a long day. I just hope I am not to crabby tonight.

old blogs unpublished - Ragnar

2009-03-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

March 1, 2009

This weekend, Nick and I ran in the Ragnar Relay along with our ten other teammates. The Ragnar Relay, for those of you who don’t know, is in its third year in Arizona. This was my second time running this race. It’s a relay race from Prescott to Mesa, covering about 204 miles. There are 12 people to a team and each member runs three different legs. We started the race at 10 am on Friday morning; the race is staggered (start times vary from 8 am to 2 pm depending on how fast your team is). And it ended at 8 pm Saturday night. I ran 22.4 miles total and slept for maybe 2 hours. Below is a picture of my first leg.

I must say by my third leg, I thought I was going to die. I’m not sure if it was because I was running in the middle of the desert at 1:30pm with the outside temp in the high 80’s with no clouds or if it was because my body and mind were so tired. Maybe a combination of both?
Of course what would be story without drama? Let me tell you, we had drama. Nick’s dad got lost on his first leg and ran a lot longer than he was supposed to. Nick and his sisters were freaking out and had to go try and find him in downtown Prescott. So that put us about an hour behind. Then our second van (we had 2 vans each with 6 people) got lost right before they were supposed to meet Nick at his first exchange. It is important to note that they had six hours to get to where they were supposed to be. So all of us we pretty pissed at them and we lost another hour and a half. We were supposed to finish on Saturday at 5pm….but no we finished at 8pm. And we were the fifth from last (there were about 220 teams) to cross the finish line. But whatever, we survived and we all can still walk. It was fun, probably because we were all delirious. Next year, I am going to try and start my own team or join a team that is more um better at time management. Just Kidding :)

TV

2009-01-12T20:20:00.001-08:00

I am not a big tv watcher...mostly because we have one tv and apparently it only gets sporting games (basketball, football, ect.). However, the best most amazing show is back on tv. Oh how I love Jack Bauer! Yeah for 24!!! Monday nights now belong to me and my boyfriend Jack.

Missing Christmas

2008-12-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

I miss the Christmas season. Yes, I know its only been four days since Christmas. I love decorating the house and putting up lights. I love shopping and wrapping presents. I love making cookies and listening to christmas music. I have decided, however that I don't like Christmas day. Christmas day means an end to all the things I love until the next November. I never thought I would be one to hate Christmas. But I do. It comes too fast. The day is over before you know it and then its time to put away the tree. Oh how I wish Christmas would stay a bit longer.

Bruises

2008-12-24T12:04:00.001-08:00

I looked at my legs this morning while I was putting on lotion. I noticed two things. One, my legs are pretty hairy. I wear pants all the time but I think I should at least put in some effort to shave more than once every two weeks for Nick's sake. Two, I look like I have taken some sort of beating. I counted seven bruises on my left leg alone. I believe they are all from Mason trying to sit on me. He still thinks he weighs 15 lbs and is 1" long. I try to tell him he's no longer a lap dog. He just doesn't believe me. I almost want to wear shorts and tell people Nick beats me. He did give me a black eye after all.

On another note, Nick and all his family are off to Polar Ice (ice skating rink). Me, well, I am stuck at work. Ug. I don't know who had the bright idea of having us all come into work today. Half the staff took the day off. I am the unfortunate smuck who gets last dibs on holidays. So here I am blogging at work. If they hadn't blocked shopping, sports, or social sites I would be having a lot more fun. I think I am going to try and sneak out around 3pm. Wish me luck.

The red bowl

2008-12-23T12:50:00.000-08:00

Ode to my red pottery barn bowl.

Nick broke you.
And I was mad.
He said it was an accident.
I think he lies.

He let me buy a whole new set.
Times two.

I feel better.
But still miss you.
And Nick still can only use
the plastic dishes.

Well you see I've been busy...

2008-12-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

It's a good excuse, right? Truth be told its really, really slow at work this week and Nick never lets me use the computer at home. I still don't know how that works. It's my computer and I pay the bill. Whatever. A lot has happened since I last posted anything. The new house and jobby have actually been keeping me busy. Plus my husband and dog are pretty demanding to. I don't know how people with kids do it. So much has happened that I don't even know where to start. I wanted to blog about Susan. But the thought of writing about her made me want to cry. Maybe one day when I am not too emotional, I will dedicate a whole post to her and how amazing she was as a friend. I also wanted to post about Jen's wedding. My family being in town. Getting to see my Nana. Putting my good ole' Jasmin to sleep, I will probably dedicate a whole post to her too, she was a good dog. Amber's baby shower. Visiting my brother in San Antonio...the list could go on forever. A lot has happened and at the moment I don't know where to begin. Since this week will be slow, I will try and blog the last few months out. I hope people are still reading. There will be some juicy stuff on the way...not really sorry.

Gold Digger

2008-10-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

My husband, I have found, is easily persuaded by the left, no thanks to his brother Mike. Nick seems to like the idea of social welfare programs. So I have decided to see how much he likes having someone else take his money without his say. I am going to get pregnant and have his child. By the time the baby is born, Nick will be out of school and working full time. I will quit my job. I will then fill for divorce and gain sole custody of our child. I will be awarded alimony and child support by the state. I will travel the world and live off of Nick's money. We'll see how much he likes giving away his money. Here's to welfare :)

Things inside my head

2008-10-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

Today, being that I am trying to eat better and spend less money on gas/food, I ate in our lunch room. Gotta love lean cuisines Our lunch room is a very interesting place. Its a place where VP's and forklift operators get to mingle with one another. Its a place where, the small 12" tv projects shows like "who wants to be a millionaire" and "tmz". It always strikes me as amusing to see "tmz" on being that the guy to girl ratio at my work is 15 to 1. It's a place where you really never want to talk about the real issues plaguing our american society rather a place where you want to discuss your grandchildren or in some cases your pet's eating habits or sports. So like I said I was eating in the lunch room perusing paint samples when two of our warehouse workers began talking about politics. Oh this is going to be bad I thought to myself. Work and political ideals, no good. I try to pretend I am not listening, but of course everyone in the lunch room is listening so how could I not. So other people join in and everyone is talking about the debates blah blah blah. "Lisa, what to do you think? Who are you going to vote for?" Alfredo, one of the production guys, asks me. "Um what, oh I am not listening sorry just trying to pick out paint samples..." End of story, well my part anyway. Sometimes I think if people where to listen to the thoughts going in my head they would be horrified or just think I was kidding around. I am certainly glad God designed our bodies the way He did. Imagine thinking something and not having control of your thoughts turning into audible words. I think if this were to occur I would a) be killed on sight b) spit on c) be deported to Iran (just to teach me a lesson). I would tell you all reading this what I was thinking at the time but then I don't really want to get in trouble for my uncensored thoughts.

Meltdown

2008-09-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a meltdown. I was so exhausted, tired, and upset. My husband had class last night which general goes from 6-9pm. Usually he stays at his parents after work so that he doesn't have to drive back and forth (his job is 5 mins from ASU) and then he comes home around 8:15-8:30 (his teacher apparently doesn't like to stay late). Yesterday was moving day. He left work early and some how convinced his parents into helping him. I got off work an hour early to help. By the time I got home the apt was pretty much empty, thank goodness. Nick finished packing the remainder of the living room crap (trust me its crap...we should just throw away) and then had to get ready for class. He left at 5:30ish and I started to clean. I thought I was going to kill my dog, he kept trying to eat my SOS pad that I was using to clean the oven.

At 8:30, I was exhausted. My back, my knees, my shoulders, and my arms were throbbing. My hands were raw from the bleach and hot water. I looked at the clock and started wondering where the heck my husband was. He had told me before he left that he would leave class early to help me clean. Yet it was now 8:32 and no Nick in sight. So I called and I called and I texted and I called some more. No answer, no response. What the heck? If he was still in class he would have texted me back. Was he in a car accident? Where was he? Didn't he know how tired I was? He said he would help me clean. Is he just hanging out at ASU? I am going to kill him, I thought, maybe I should call his parents and see if they have heard anything. I started to panic. He better be dead, skipping out on the cleaning, what a jerk. After 25 exhausting minutes, Nick walks in. I am now a widow. Sad. No but really. I was so mad at him. "Sorry my class went late and my cell phone died" he said as I started crying. Likely story, Mr Fuller...Likely story, Mr Fuller. In other notes, I think my menses will be here shortly and I think that I might have an anger problem because I always want to kill someone or something.

Moving Day

2008-09-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

The day is here!! Today we get the keys to our first home. I can't believe that we now own a home. I am so excited and so scared all at the same time. We have so much to do. Looks like I will be busy every Saturday for the rest of my life.

This our new house...unfortunately the car in the driveway is not ours.

T-Rex

2008-09-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

While I was putting on my mascara this morning, my husband walked into the bathroom and told me I look like t-rex when I am putting it on. He's so sweet.

Imagine this...

2008-09-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was in Austin, TX to meet with a client. Note to self never wear high heels when traveling...your boss likes to walk for miles to find a restaurant. My feet hurt, my middle toe on my left foot lost its nail, very painful by the way especially when your toes are scrunched, I was sweaty, I was tired, and I couldn't wait to get home and take my shoes off. At the airport, I grabbed my phone to see if anyone loved me. Well, some people do. I had a message from Nicole, which I need to return, I miss her so much. I also had four missed calls from my husband's work. It always worries me when the same person calls me more than twice in a row...it usually means something bad has happened. Instead of listening to his message, I immediately called him back. He sounded pleasant when he answered, while I was slightly unnerved. "What's wrong?!" I asked. "Nothing" he replied, "Didn't you listen to my message?" I replied that I hadn't and he began repeating what he had left on the message. "Imagine this" he starts off, "One year ago, we decided to go hiking Papago Peak. It was dark and I pulled out a ring..." He goes on to describe how he was nervous as heck and proposed to me. Wow, he's good. Sometimes I forget, especially when I get angry at him for not helping more around the apartment or when I am cranky cause my feet hurt, how luck I am to have a thoughtful husband who remembers to celebrate the day we got engaged. So here's a little shout out to the man who makes my dreams come true. I love u, Nick.

Too immature

2008-09-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

We got a call from the people who run the dog training center where we signed Mason up at. He's apparently too immature for the class. We have to reschedule him for a different class. I feel like a mom who was just told by the kindergarten teacher that her son is not ready for school.

Funny Stories of the Weak

2008-09-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I had a meeting with some buyers from Intel. Which at my job is a pretty big thing. Intel is our largest customer and doesn't like "new" people to join their inner circle. Some how my boss convinced them to let me in their circle. I was really nervous about the meeting and somewhat stressed out. I don't want to look like an idiot in front of these people...which I tend to do in most, if not all situations. So I prep all morning for this meeting. Before I leave to go to work in the morning, I pretty cranky towards my husband...sorry about that Nick. I was really really stressed out about this meeting. Anyway I am stressed and nervous and just have knots in my stomach because I want to present myself in a good way.

At one o'clock, I headed out to the car to drive over to Intel. If you live in Phoenix right now, you know how humid it is and how much rain we have gotten this summer. You also may have noticed a huge increase in the number of mosquitoes flying about due to this large amount of moisture pooling up. And if you have ever been around me when I have been bitten by these flying blood suckers, you know that when I get bitten, I develop unusually large golf ball size lumps at the site of the bite. So like I said, I am walking to the car, when I feel something on my face. Naturally I slap my face. In doing so, killing the mosquito that just bite me and mashing its bloody remains all over my face.

I started to panic. "Oh no" I thought to myself as a rushed into the car and pulled down the visor to see myself in the mirror. My boss in the seat next to me started to chuckle. "Oh my gosh no!" I screamed in my head. There in the mirror, looking at me was a blood streak across the entire length of my right check with the remains of the brutal attacker as well as a large swollen red bump. My boss trying to diffuse the situation said "hey don't worry about when you get old you get lots of strange things on your face." "What?" I thought to myself. I am developing a softball size lump on my face before a very important meeting and your telling me that old age brings 'strange things on your face'. What does that have to do anything? He changes the subject and starts talking about something or other. I have to admit I was listening I was fixated on the enormous growth appearing on the right side of my face.

Within thirty minutes, we were at our destination. The lump had not gone down, if anything it looked more red. My boss looked at me as we walked in and I can tell by his distorted facial expression that he is trying hard not to laugh. The first thing my boss says to the people we are meeting with is, and I quote, "Lisa had a little incidence with a crazed wild beast". They all laughed but still stared at my face in horror. I think God was trying to teach me a lesson in humility. I am not sure.

It's been a year and I'm back bitches

2008-09-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

Wow...what's with the swearing? Jeez. So I spend most of the morning at work reading other people's blogs and I think to myself, I should really start blogging again. But then I think, there are new people in my life (ie a husband) who might read this and get a glimpse of the in workings of my twisted mind and think I am crazy. I don't want people to think I am crazy. Even if it might be partial true. Okay an epiphany, maybe Nick already knows how crazy I am. Blogging is like recording all the thoughts that go thru my head with no sensor. This could be very dangerous. I will attempt, when possible, to sensor most of my thoughts. But I want everyone to know that they are reading at their own risk. You can't get upset or offended by me if you keep reading. Enjoy :)

Stepping up to the plate

2007-04-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

Recently I have made several discoveries about myself, maybe I knew of them but choose to ignore them, who knows, in any case several things, faults/weaknesses, have come up and been made known. I find it really interesting to find that little things in the past have continually made huge impacts on my life and has not been until now that I'm realizing certain behavioral patterns are negatively impacting my relationships with family members, friends, and past and current boyfriends. Luckily I have an amazing support network and an awesome bishop, who, come to find out, deals with this all the time (apparently I am not the only one in the singles ward with issues...surprising). Last week, at my bi-weekly bishop meeting, the bishop challenged me. I'm not sure I'm up for the challenge. But I'm going to at least try. Wish me luck

189 miles later

2007-04-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the opportunity to participate in a relay race from Wickenburg to Downtown Scottsdale. For two days I was stuck in a van with Nick's dad, two brothers, and sister. By the way we placed 15th out of 75 teams in our division I must say it was very interesting. I learned a lot about Nick and his family...probably more than he would like me to know. I found it funny that everyone just assumes Nick and I are getting married. Not that that is a bad thing, its just kinda weird to me. His sister wants me to go up with her to run the St George Marathon in October. October? Thats like five months away. Who's to say Nick and I wont break up by then? Not that I would want us to break up..but still I am a little weirded out. It's like all of the sudden I have assumed a role in their family. Crazy. It got me thinking what it would be like for my family and nick's family if we ever got married. I don't think they would get along as I would hope. Not that either of our families are bad...is that the right way to describe them. But I think there are a lot of extremely strong personalities in both our families. I can see some butting of heads in the future. Obviously I'll just have to wait and see what happens, but I must admit that I have never really had a thought like that before...you know family dynamics after marriage ect.

Follow Up

2007-03-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Okay my last blog "I just don't get" was a pity party. I like to throw those out there every once in a while. I appoligize for my rant. There are people in africa who are starving, beaten, raped, stoned, ravaged by AIDS and here I am complaining about how hard dating is. I am embarassed and just thought I should appoligize. I'm learning. I'm growing. I can't promise I won't throw any more pity parties but I can promise to try and remember how lucky I am.

Blind leading the blind

2007-03-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Anti-Mormon DVD given to 18,000 homes
Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 27, 2007 12:00 AM

A ministry opposed to Mormonism distributed 18,000 copies of a DVD to homes across the state on Sunday as part of a nationwide effort to persuade members to leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The distribution of 15,000 DVDs in Mesa, Gilbert and Tempe was timed for the last weekend before the church holds its General Conference in Salt Lake City on Saturday and Sunday, said Jim Robertson, executive director of Concerned Christians, an organization largely made up of former Mormons.

Another 2,000 copies of Jesus Christ/Joseph Smith were distributed in LDS-heavy Snowflake and Taylor, and 1,000 were distributed in Tucson. advertisement

"We've found this works very well. We need to step out in faith to do it," said Robertson, a former Mormon who founded the organization 35 years ago. "We're not against the Mormon people. If we hated the Mormons, we'd let them stew in their own juices."

But Don Evans, an LDS spokesman in Arizona, said Robertson is on a lifetime crusade to attack his church.

"It won't faze members of our church one iota," Evans said. "They're strong enough in their own beliefs. It's water off their backs."

Dave Udall, a Mesa attorney and former church spokesman, said Concerned Christians was denounced in the early 1980s by the National Conference of Christians and Jews and by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai Brith after showing the film The God Makers at the Mesa Convention Center.

"I'm disappointed. We need tolerance in our community, and religious tolerance is one of those things we need to do," Udall said.

He said Concerned Christians pickets the annual Easter Pageant produced at the church's Arizona Temple in Mesa, handing out literature, but the LDS Church opposes religious conflict. The pageant begins tonight.

"The attitude of the church is there is freedom of religion," Evans said. "Our church would not go after another religion."

But Robertson said the DVD was produced in response to aggressive Mormon missionary work, saying, "they're stealing sheep" from other religions.

"I don't like the fact that they lie to people to get them into the church," he said. "They're not telling people what the church is all about until after they have them hook, line and sinker."

Utah-based Living Hope Ministries coordinated the nationwide distribution of the DVDs, Robertson said.

Bob Betts, Concerned Christians' office manager, said the DVD contrasts the teachings of Jesus Christ with those of Joseph Smith. He said about two dozen southeast Valley residents upset by the DVD called the ministry's office Monday morning to complain.

He said about 100 volunteers, mostly from churches, distributed the DVD but another 35,000 were not distributed because of a lack of manpower.

"The Mormons are madder than hornets," Betts said.

Evans said that Mormons believe in Jesus Christ but also believe that church founder Joseph Smith was a prophet.

I don't get it

2007-03-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

Okay so either I haven't got enough sleep, I've had way too many diet cokes, or I am just plain going crazy. Maybe its that last one. So...can someone please explain to me why I have to make things so difficult? Why do I read so deeply into things? For reals, I should not be dating anyone right now. Or ever for that matter. Why are there people out there that have everything together and don't have a significant other? I live with two amazing girls. Well educated, good looking, smart, friendly, kind, and active members...yet they are single. These girls should be married. There is nothing wrong with them. They are cool girls. Then there are people, like myself, who are a complete mess; have tons of baggage, second guess every decision they make, and don't have a clue to what they are doing. How do I always have a boyfriend? I haven't been single since I was 17. Well besides the 7 months between one of those Jeff rounds. People should not date me. I have issues. Mad issues. I used to think the boys I dated had issues but in reality its me. Is this some cruel joke? I just don't get it

Double Meaning?

2007-03-23T21:52:00.000-07:00

According to a study published in the current issue of the journal Nature, it is impossible for a person immersed in quicksand to be drawn completely under. The fact is, humans float in the stuff.

Researchers in the Netherlands and France studied quicksand, a combination of fine sand, clay, and salt water. At rest, quicksand thickens with time, but it remains very sensitive to small variations in stress.

At higher stresses, quicksand liquefies very quickly, and the higher the stress the more fluid it becomes. This causes a trapped body to sink when it starts to move.

But a person moving around in quicksand will never go all the way under. The reason is that humans just aren't dense enough.

The botfly and the frog

2007-03-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

Deep in the Chilean rain forest lived a beautiful tree frog. Despite environmental factors, the encroachment of man, and natural predators, the frog lived a "good life". One day, as this beautiful tree frog rested in a Kapok tree a small fly landed on its back. Before the frog could react, the fly flew away. Unbeknown to the frog, the fly left a little white deposit. Within days this little white addition to the frog's back, hatched into a larva that began to burrow into the frog's body. For several weeks the frog lived his "good life" as the the larva slowly began to eat the frogs internal organs. On one particular day as the frog was leaping from leaf to leaf, his left hind leg suddenly detached. The frog fell several feet to the bottom of the forest floor. He tried in vain to move around. Several hours passed as the tree frog struggled to regain his footings. But he got tired. As he laid in a pile of decomposing leaves, the larva started working its way out of the beautiful tree frog. Suddenly the larva, now a full sized botfly , emerged out of the frog's back, killing the frog instantly.

Honeymoon Over

2007-03-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

Infatuation

Etymology:: Latin infatuatus, past participle of infatuare, from in- + fatuus fatuous
Date:: 1533

1 : to cause to be foolish : deprive of sound judgment 2 : to inspire with a foolish or extravagant love or admiration

— in·fat·u·a·tion \-ˌfa-chə-ˈwā-shən, -chü-ˈā-\ noun

When does the "honeymoon" stage of a relationship end? When does the infatuation change into love? One thing is for sure...I haven't got a clue