Fillmore Space

costume blunders.

2011-10-27T20:08:00.001-06:00

Awwwwww, Halloween.

I didn’t always love Halloween. I blame it on my “costumes” growing up (no offense to my creative director/seamstress … my mom … bless her heart) AND that awful show they made us watch in school every year… Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. Biggest snoozeathon of a movie ever.

In elementary school, we would have a costume parade. It was kind of a big deal. All the parents were invited to the school to watch all the kids in costumes prance around the gym. I dreaded this day each year. Where to begin ….

2nd grade: A Princess. Costume consisted of a weird white dress that looked like a sheet/straight jacket and a giant poster board rolled up with a scarf tied to the end to look like one of those pointy princess hats … I think I was even wearing awkward white bulky dirty tennis shoes. A princess with tennis shoes? fail.

3rd grade: A Fortune Teller. As I walked through the parade everyone thought I was dressed as a school teacher. I had on a shawl … and some clip on earrings … yep that made me a fortune teller. I even had on a little bit of blue eyeshadow. Come on now, what kind of school teacher wears blue eyeshadow? It’s never a good sign when you have to explain your costume to people

5th grade: An Indian Princess. Picture this. A chubby white girl, with coke bottle glasses, wearing a tan smockthingamajig and a headband decorated with that puffy paint stuff. Not cool. To make matters worse, my best friend had decided that she too was going to be an Indian Princess … she showed up in an authentic leather princess indian dress and had feathers in her hair. I had to walk right next to her in the parade. She one upped me big time. Whatever. I’m over it.

6th grade: A Pumpkin. You know those giant orange garbage bags they sell around this time of year that look like pumpkins? We cut a hole in the top for my head … then stuffed it with newspaper. It sounded like I was wearing a diaper as I walked. A big. fat. diaper.

Apparently Mitchell had a costume blunder as well. How many boys can say that they have been a witch for Halloween? I’m gonna go out on a limb and say, not many.

Phew. That was painful to reopen all those wounds.

And maybe that is why I feel this need to love Halloween so much now …. I have to make up for all those lost years.

Props to my family that put up with our Halloween dinner party this year. There was only ONE rule. You had to dress up. No ifs, ands or buts. There was only minimal moaning and groaning. I’m so proud of my dad … he decided to be Gandalf all by himself.

Mitchell’s costume. Let’s be real. Its just a mumbo jumbo hodge podge of weird stuff thrown together in 30 seconds.

I personally think he looks like a creepy murderer that would have been featured on America’s Most Wanted in the 1980’s.

Not quite what we were going for.

I found both mine and Mitchell’s wigs at saver’s for $3.00 a piece on the SAME day. It was one of my happiest thrifting moments ever.

My seashells might be a little inappropriate. I didn’t think they were until I saw the looks on my family’s faces when I debuted my costume.

I have shamed my family. I guess next year I should be a Nun or something.

Uhhh …. sorry guys?

Who Disturbed My Slumber …. Party?

2011-07-09T14:44:00.001-06:00

Mitchell and I had the honor of hanging out with two of the coolest blondes we know,

no not Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen but Corinne and Hayley

We had fun going out and pretending to be parents. When you spend 12 hours with little kids …

they say some of the darndest things ….

“Is that the way he came?” (Mitchell sneezed really loud and she wanted to know if Mitchell was born that way)

“Why do policemen write tickets? Why don’t they just do something nice and sell lemonade or something?”

“If there were a medium caesars I would still just pick little caesars”

“I just keep seeing moms with funny pants”

A perfect pizza party in the pleasant park.

THIS my friends is a bad case of a pizza coma.

The glazed over eyes … the drained energy … the zombie-like state … her little body just couldn’t take any more.

(and yes Mirien … her headband is upside down … don’t ask me how or when that happened … or why I didn’t even notice)

a 25 yr old little kid

park prancing

successful swinging

Mitchell must have had a bad case of static cling … because poor Hayley clung to him the entire time while at The Gateway. Remind me to use dryer sheets next time.

Random giant shooting geysers to the face must not be her kind of thing. Weird.

I don’t really understand how getting shot in the rump unexpectedly is much better …. to each their own.

Shepard Corinne and a very deep in thought and reflective Hayley

A fun evening always has to end with a movie. By the look on their faces you would think we rented “The Shining” … but don’t worry, it was just “Barbie: Fairy Secrets” (scary in a different way). There were barbies and fairies … barbies turning into fairies … lots of dialog about fashion … two thumbs WAY up in my book. I smell a Golden Globe.

Candy and root beer floats were eaten, laughs were shared, teeth were brushed and bed time stories were told.

No one got hurt. No one cried. No one was kidnapped.

Operation: Slumber Party was a success.

Maroon, Ivory and Navy

2011-07-06T19:44:00.001-06:00

July 4th 2011

Took a spin in my little brother’s “new” 1989 convertible … my hair immediately morphed into a giant rat’s nest … it could have housed 4 families of rats I’m sure.

Fire Fest in my parents backyard … Mitchell and I ended up with some blankets and slept under the stars … it was bliss.

Enjoyed some of Mitchell’s crepes filled with American Pride … I think we ended up consuming one entire strawberry field and a couple blueberry bushes that day …

Made some snazzy drinks …

classic barbeque …

Made my family take this picture … you would have thought I had asked them to run outside in their underwear … its not embarrassing guys.Posterity will thank you for these classic photos.

Spent some time with this adorable human …

Let my slightly crazy/delusional side out to play …

And attempted to get a great shot of the husband and I …

clearly Mitchell LOVES to get his picture taken …

Drive By Photography Shooting

2011-06-27T17:14:00.001-06:00

Shooting and editing make my heart so incredibly happy.

A few from some recent photo shoots.

Play That Funky Music White Girl

2011-06-26T14:10:00.001-06:00

The 70’s.

Bell Bottoms. Sideburns. Afros. Abba. Hippies. M*A*S*H. Stretch Armstrong and ….

Ugly couches … but the good kind of ugly. Now it may be debatable whether or not there even is a good kind of ugly … but I believe, oh I believe.

I have a thing for old-ugly-retro couches and furniture. I LOVE the sleek straight lines …

Yes, yes I know, they make modern couches that have a nice clean silhouette now but honestly I can’t fork out the moo-lah they are asking for those pretty little things.

Trust me, a beautiful modern grey couch is on my wish list … but this will have to quench my modern-straight-couch thirst for now ….

1972 was a good year.

Poor Mitchell doesn’t quite see my vision.

“The couch looks and smells like something from a baby diaper”

-Mitchell

The color … yes, can’t argue with that … the smell? … a “vintage aroma” would be more accurate

I love it.

Masculine Hair, Stunning Niece and Marshmallow Sheets

2011-06-08T21:08:00.001-06:00

Mitchell is funny. More than just funny … the funny-ist eva’.

I, on the other hand, have hair comparable to my homeboy, JB (justin beiber). I never knew my hair would leave such an impression. I’m pretty sure I will forever be known as the crazy aunt who cut her hair like a boy … ON PURPOSE. That crraaazzzy Aunt Erin.

You win some. You lose some.

A while back I did a little photo shoot with our gorgeous doe- eyed-avid-reader-niece Alyssa …

Mitchell and I celebrated back in May, being together for 2 years … 730 days … 17,520 hours … 1,051,200 minutes. Best 1,051,200 minutes of my life.

We decided to celebrate Hotel Monaco style.

I married a model.

Just sleeping there for one night gave me a slight case of “bed envy” …the sheets,like butta’ … the comforter, so marshmallow-like … I seriously felt like the Queen of England. Maybe when Mitchell rules the world and I’m making booukobucks being a photography rockstar, we will have butter sheets and a marshmallow comforter. Fingers crossed.

Cheers to us. Bring on eternity.

Getting Over Our Hill

2011-03-26T14:18:00.005-06:00

I never had any big trials growing up, unless you consider that bad perm job I had in the 5th grade. In fact, I remember wondering when they would show up in life and what they would bring. We always hear that we should learn something from the hard knocks of life. As I experience more and more of life, I realize that one of the best gifts we can receive from our trials is empathy. I LOVE what Annie Swetchine had to say about this:

"Those who have suffered much, are like those who have learned many languages; they have learned to understand and be understood by all."

There are so many difficult languages to learn. Mitchell and I learned a tough language this week and I am so grateful that we were filled with love and compassion and not bitterness and anger. I know that is a direct result of so many of your silent prayers and thoughts for us. We love you all and have felt your love in return. We are continuing to grow and we will get over and conquer this hill.

I have had several days to ponder and reflect and music seems to speak to me.

After The Storm - Mumford and Sons

And after the storm,I run and run as the rains come

And I look up, I look up,on my knees and out of luck,I look up. 

Night has always pushed up dayYou must know life to see decayBut I won't rot, I won't rotNot this mind and not this heart,I won't rot. 

And I took you by the handAnd we stood tall,And remembered our own land,What we lived for. 

And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.Get over your hill and see what you find there,With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

Evolution

2011-03-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

I have evolved over the years.  

I used to have two rules when walking into a thrift store: 

Rule #1:  don't buy used 

underwear/leotards/unitards

Rule #2:  don't buy used shoes. 

I can't quite put my finger on what made me 

change my mind a few years back....

 about rule #2 that is ... don't worry ... 

rule #1 is still very much enforced.  

You better believe I buy all my unitards brand spankin' new. 

I was making the rounds at DI the other day ... and I heard something whispering my name.  "Erin, Erin, over here."  I turned around and saw these loverly shoes.  Cute. Comfortable. Stylish. 

I mean, just look at them.  BRAND NEW.  And for 5 buckaroos. Then I looked at the size. 

 11.  Oh dangit.  This was one of the few times I wished my feet were size 11. 

 Unfortunately my petite little size 10 feet are just a tiny bit small.

 

I bought them anyway.  

Maybe I'll just wear some thick wool socks with them.

 Side Note:  This next picture is the 2,349,201th reason I love Mitchell.  

He said he wanted to make dinner the other night ... and this was what he came up with.  

LOVE.

Current Events

2011-02-13T14:05:00.001-07:00

 -  Mitchell and I don't sing. 

 And that is the reason why I 

actually laughed out loud when 

we were asked to be the new primary 

choristers. A tag team duo if

 you will. We can now do "Head 

Shoulders Knees and Toes" backwards 

and in our sleep. 

- I am surprisingly still employed 

with my temp job that was supposed to end around Christmas time.  Knock on wood.  Mitchell recently got a job as an HVAC tech with Whipple.  I love a man in uniform. 

- Our neighbors thought it would be

 cool to purchase an awesome 

subwoofer. 

 Not so awesome for us. 

- Mitchell and I were cursed with a 

curse last week. We had to throw out 

not one but TWO failed attempts at

 cinnamon rolls. 

- We had a Chuck Norris Walker 

Texas Ranger birthday party for 

Craig in honor of his Texas mission

 departure.  It was complete with a

 Chuck Norris face garland and 

homemade fortune cookies filled 

with Chuck Norris jokes. 

Mitchell's workplace party was a

 breeding ground for bump its. I 

have never seen so many bump its 

all in one place, at one time.

My mouth was

seriously ajar. 

-I scored a really- nice- practically

- brand- new winter coat for $12 at DI. 

  Thrift stores make my heart leap for joy. 

It's the thrill of the hunt I tell you.

They Don’t Even Make Buttons This Cute

2011-01-02T13:02:00.001-07:00

cute

/kyut/ Show Spelled [kyoot] adjective, cut·er, cut·est, adverb, noun

1. Ellie and Kien Hicken

2. attractive, esp. in a dainty way; pleasingly pretty: a cute child; a cute little apartment.

3. affectedly or mincingly pretty or clever; precious: The child has acquired some intolerably cute mannerisms.

Ellie 4 months

Kien 3 years

The Baby In Me

2010-12-20T20:49:00.001-07:00

Photography. Love it.

Mitchell understood and understands this slight obsession.

Now, I usually don’t like it when people mush, gush, ooooooze and brag about their spouses and all the awesome things they do … but I can’t help but oooze for just a couple seconds. Mitchell somehow managed to save bit by bit enough money to buy me the camera of my dreams. He wanted me to learn how to use it before Christmas and couldn’t wait for me to open it … so I may or may not have opened it about 2 weeks early.

I don’t usually cry. I didn’t cry when my parents said goodbye at the MTC. I didn’t cry during Charly, The Notebook, or The Lion King (when Mufasah gives up the ghost … so sad, but no tears). Nor do I cry when chopping onions. But I DID cry after I opened this present. Not once. Not twice. But thrice.

I was shocked. Surprised. Touched. Ultra happy.

This camera has more buttons, levers and toggles than a 747 cockpit. I’m waiting for the Cliff Notes version of the manual to come out. Basically I have NO idea what I’m doing. I thought I took decent photos before and now I realize just how little I know. Taking good photos is a lot harder than I thought.

Poor Mitchell has been my Fabio for the past couple weeks.

( I personally think he could give Fabio a real run for his money. )

The title of this photo is : HAWT

My friend Seara was nice enough to pose for a few shots as well.

So I might be calling upon some of the readers of this blog and their children to be my guinea pigs …

Man in the Mirror

2010-12-05T09:29:00.001-07:00

Mitchell and I felt strongly about creating this post. We want to share our experience in hopes that others may learn from our bad decision and not make the same mistake.

It all began quite innocently as we were in Bed Bath and Beyond looking for a Christmas present. We were approaching the front of the store when a certain aisle caught our attention. We should have turned and walked away at that point … but we didn’t. Like a moth to the flame.

We each grabbed a mirror and took a glance. We both just stood there. Too shocked and mortified to run away after what we saw. Everything magnified by 1.3 million. Every pore. Every hair. Every blemish. It shook us up good. We walked into the store thinking we were a little above average looking people and left feeling like the scum of the earth. Mitchell and I quietly shuffled out of the store with our heads down, not speaking to one another. If the world saw what we saw that night … babies would cry … our own mothers would turn their backs on us.

No words can describe.

The battle between good and evil is raging.

Evil won that night.

Decking the Halls

2010-11-28T17:38:00.001-07:00

Mitchell was so excited to wrap and display some of the presents he got for me … one problem … we didn’t have a tree to put them under. Mitchell solved that quickly … and boy do we have a tree.

You may have to treat this picture like one of those I Spy books.

This tree is very portable. Fold it up and it can fit in your back pocket. It helps cut back on the electricity bill. And since we don’t use those trendy reusable grocery bags or plant a tree each Earth Day we were feeling a little guilty. So we thought we would give Mother Earth a break. Instead of chopping down an entire tree … we are using a mere 1/8,333 of a tree. Just trying to do our part in reducing our carbon footprint people.

Mitchell also wanted to display our classy reindeer. After all it does say that it is for INDOOR/outdoor use on the box. We received this as a wedding present if you remember … click here

Mitchell opened it.

Shock. Dismay. Crushed dreams. Tears.

The reindeer was no where to be found. For those of you who don’t have your thinking caps on … yes that means we didn’t really officially open this wedding present … ever. For 1.5 years we believed we were the proud owners of this festive decoration.

Heartbroken?

Maybe a little.

But we will get over it now that we are the proud owners of some authentic oriental dinnerware.

Bring on the egg drop soup.

Hot Tubbin’

2010-11-25T15:43:00.001-07:00

Erin Fillmore: Hot Spring Specialist.

I have researched every hot spring in Utah known to man within the last week or so. One day Mitchell and I will trek down to Spanish Fork to visit the mother load of all springs

The Fifth Water Springs

But for now Mitchell and I had to settle for the hot springs in Ogden. How the heck did we live in Ogden for an entire year and never know about this? Such a shame.

What better way to spend your Thanksgiving morning than soaking in a poor mans hot tub? I don’t think there is a better way.

I’ll admit, I was kinda sorta maybe nervous to embrace this murky hot abyss when it came right down to it. Visions of dead animal carcasses, bacteria and poop filled my head … but when you are standing in single digit weather with a slight breeze… you don’t care. You just want in.

I don’t think it would pass the white glove test … but it was surprisingly clean.

It was a balmy 12 degrees as we headed out on our hot tub adventure. The whole hot spring mist thing mixed with hair and icelandic type weather made for frozen/crunchy hair.

Now getting out of the spring and into dry clothing again was a entirely new adventure/challenge.

I must say, our first encounter with a hot spring was rather delightful. Mitchell and I will be back for more.

Little Red Riding in da’ Hood

2010-10-31T09:40:00.001-06:00

awesome silky lacey pink nightgown? check. snout? check. authentic wolf fur? check. red hood? check.

once again … Savers provided for all our halloween needs this year.

awesome silky lacey pink nightgown: we were thrilled to find this little pink number. i just wasn’t thrilled to be sifting through a bunch of gross “night wear” at savers. i get creeped out by used things that people sleep in.

snout: it was originally a tiger nose. shoe polish works wonders.

authentic wolf fur: mitchell and i found this fur a couple months ago at a great price …. so we bought some … quite a bit actually.

red hood: a red flannel sheet at savers + hood tutorial online

teen heartthrob

2010-10-04T19:35:00.001-06:00

“Has anyone ever told you, you look like Justin Bieber?”

I was just minding my own business working at a temp job in a warehouse, when the woman working next to me in the assembly line threw that at me.

Whaaaaaaaaat?

She insisted that it was a compliment. Since when is looking like a 16 year old boy a compliment? I guess she did have plenty of time to assess my looks considering we were standing side by side for 8 hours. I laughed and said … “Uh …. thanks?”

I would much rather hear, “Has anyone ever told you, you look like Beyonce?” Oh well. I’ll take whatever I can get.

Move over Justin Bieber.

New Kids on the Block

2010-09-26T21:28:00.001-06:00

Perks of the New Apartment

1. Natural Light – above ground windows rock my world.

2. Carpet – We can now lay down on the floor without breaking our backs on tile.

3. Room to Decorate – When I get stressed … I like to create … thank goodness for this outlet.

4. 350 additional sq ft – need I say more?

5. Man Cave – just like Bruce Wayne needs a Bat Cave … Mitchell needs a Man Cave (aka our 2nd bedroom)… so he can do manly things … in … the Man Cave.

6. Washer & Dryer – Laundromat is a swear word.

Welcome to our humble home.

I think my favorite thrift find so far is our $4 lego lamp. It was originally brown … a little red spray paint and … viola’.

Liar Liar Pants on Fire.

2010-09-24T16:11:00.001-06:00

For the past 3 months my pants have been on fire. I extinguished my pants yesterday and they are no longer smoldering or smoking.

I quit my job.

I had a lovely (and when I say a lovely I really mean ugly) 40 minute phone conversation with my boss over my lunch break. I told her I didn’t agree with what was going on in the clinic and I felt very dishonest. I was lying to people by not telling them the entire truth. I didn’t want to be associated with the company any longer. Excuses and reasons were given as to why things are the way they are. I told her that my morals and standards were and are not going to change.

This whole experience has really opened my eyes. The owners of the company are LDS and yet we disagree on what is honest and ethical. Mitchell made a very excellent point the other day. Everyone has a different definition for what ethical and honesty really mean. He said that if anyone else thinks you are dishonest then you probably are playing too close to the line. I couldn’t agree more.

Was I nervous making the phone call? Absolutely. Was I nervous to tell someone that I thought they were dishonest? You betcha’. I was in a cold sweat the entire day just knowing that I had to have that conversation.

But next to marrying Mitchell and going on a mission … this was the best decision of my life.

I am very happy to have my nose back to its original size.

Pillows and Monsters and Interviews. Oh My.

2010-09-10T17:42:00.001-06:00

I have discovered a slight fetish … a pillow fetish.

As you can tell … I don’t like matchy matchy when it comes to decorating. And yes … that is a rabbit/wild fox/bigfoot hair pillow. And yes … I am wearing jean cut off shorts … go ahead … judge me.

Mitchell and I wandered over to the park today on a mission. A branch finding mission. Mission complete. I have a little decorating project up my sleeve. I have all these ideas in my head … and I never just know how they will turn out. Pictures will follow in the following weeks … IF all goes well

Lil’ Champ sprouted a massive mast and Mitchell sailed us home.

I created a fur child a couple weeks back … and I love her. Mitchell and I went to the SLC arts festival and some girl was selling some adorable plush monsters … for $75. I made a $6 version. And her name is Harriet.

As you can tell by looking at the calendar … job interviews are taking place … I am on the job hunt … again. You might be thinking … “Wait! Didn’t you just get a job a few months ago?” And the correct answer is .. “Yes. Yes I did.” To make a long story short: I don’t go home at the end of each night feeling right… morally. I hate being associated with the business and the things that go on there. Shady. The end.

On a side note … I cut my hair. Like a little boy. And I love it. My name is now Aaron.

happy bert day.

2010-08-08T21:13:00.001-06:00

August 4th marked my dear mother’s bertday. We thought we would honor her by bringing a bertday cake … ancient greek mosaic style. Mitchell tried this new recipe which produced a very lovely and moist cake … more moist than a towelette.

The party didn’t officially begin until she put on her party pants. Party pants on? Check. The real fun can now begin. Every family should have a designated pair of party pants.

Unibrows? Check.

Mom has matured and at the ripe young age of 57 has blossomed into a beautiful bearded woman.

we love you mom. happy bertday.

"No disassemble Number Five! "

2010-08-02T19:50:00.002-06:00

To all who read this post about Short Circuit and wished there was an easy and free way to enjoy the many thrills of 1980's cinema... I have good news! Its now available streaming from hulu WATCH NOW!

The fact its on hulu is proof that it isn't that bad.... Also they are planning to remake the movie.... Whose down for joining me on opening night?

Just Mostly Dead.

2010-08-01T17:58:00.001-06:00

We’re not dead. Just mostly dead. There’s a big difference between the two. Here is a slight recap of our lives.

* Lil’ Champ, the prodigal car, returned home to us tonight after a months absence. Turns out all he needed was a new starter. We knew Lil’ Champ would be back for more. He is a cat … 9 lives … I think this last little issue was life number 7.

* My new job … the job that we had been waiting and praying for … the job that required us to move to SLC …. is not what I thought it was going to be. Slightly disheartening. Love being able to walk to work. Like my co-workers. Not loving my boss. We do not get along. I have never had this happen …to this level or degree … ever. Not loving the fact that my blood pressure, cortisol levels, mood, and digestive system have all taken a toll thanks to stress.

* Our new apartment. Love the space. Love being able to decorate. Love that Mitchell now has his very own man cave. Love the washer and dryer that was included. Not in love with the neighbors. They stink … literally. One of our neighbors started this rumor that I had burnt my face badly while lighting the pilot light in our apartment … as a result I was suing the landlord … and as a result of that, the landlord was evicting us. For real? That’s the best rumor you could come up with? Seriously. On a more positive note … we live mere minutes from my favorite Indian restaurant.

* Mitchell had a serious relationship going on with KSL classifieds a little while back. He found: a free tv, a free printer, a free sewing table and PFAFF sewing machine, an office desk for his man cave and an entertainment center.

Here are some pictures from our latest adventures

a little sidewalk chalk and a lot of talent …

Mitchell could be mistaken for a platypus and I am eyeless.

face off. mitchell won.

mitchell had a birthday shout hooray.

monster cupcakes were necessary.

we explored some of Salt Lake’s parks

we made friends with the sweetest little owl.

thought I had a slug between my toes … looked down … ended up being something much less sanitary. That dog must have done its dirty deed, merely minutes before I took this fatal step.

old mission president got home …. missionary reunion happened.

saltair – sooo stinky … and sooo salty. mitchell and I walked away from this adventure high in sodium.

no a/c does wonders for my hair

pioneer day. pure sparkler love. the purest kind of love you can have.

bippity – boppity – boo.

Lil’ Orphan Annie

2010-07-05T22:10:00.001-06:00

Oh where to begin. Seriously.

This past weekend was spent frolicking with the fabulously fantastic Fillmore’s at the Fillmore Family Reunion (blog post to follow in the near future). Try saying that 3 times fast. I had to work today (Monday) and so a very beautiful, gracious and anonymous donor offered to help pay for a plane ticket so I could be back before I turned into a pumpkin. I was super grateful that I was able to spend the time that I did have with Mitchell’s side of the family. So it was slightly sad when everyone was enjoying themselves Sunday evening and I had to be a party pooper and leave. (I was already feeling pretty stressed about going to work the next day. I have a lot of responsibility at this new job and Monday meant the first day that I would be flying solo …. no trainer … no nothin’… on my own.)

Mitchell dropped me off at the airport … I boarded the plane and before we knew it … the sky had become filled with swirling dark grey cotton candy. So we sat in the plane forEVER. Finally we took off. This is where the fun begins …….

1. A very friendly crazy lady sat down next to me. She had been stuck in airports all day with her 6 month old. By the time she got to our flight she had pretty much forgotten how to even hold her baby. The poor thing was seriously just dangling, pinned between her knees and the seats in front of us. I didn’t want the poor thing to die, so I offered to hold the cute little bugger. Well, the mom ended up falling asleep and I was left to entertain a 6 month old. Much harder than it looks. Props to all you mothers who dare fly with babies. Soooooo that meant no nap for me.

2. Earlier at the airport gate, I caught a guy staring at me. Thought nothing of it. As I took my seat on the plane … I noticed that he was sitting diagonal to me. I was still okay with that. But then the staring continued. And intensified. I would catch him staring at me and then he would give me this “come hither” look. I don’t know where that guy learned how to talk with his eyes that way … but it freaked me out. Seriously. Barf. At some point I caught him trying to mouth a couple words to me … I am horrible at lip reading…. thankfully. At one point the nice crazy lady woke up and went to the bathroom … she was the only barrier between me and him. As soon as she left he made his move. He leaned across the aisle trying to get my attention. I flashed my wedding ring casually while scratching my face and totally snubbed him big time. Most uncomfortable flight on the planet.

3. I get off the plane. Take a shuttle to the Park N’ Jet. Drive home. Drag my stuff up the stairs to our door. Shove my key in the door and turn …. nothing. After trying about 50 bajillion different deadbolt/door lock twist combinations and calling Mitchell, I ended up going over to the neighbors house (by this time it was midnight). They tried with no such luck. Said sorry and then shut their door. The straw that broke the camel’s back for sure. Exhausted. Cranky. Bed-less. Stressed … and an orphan.

this is what an exhausted, bed-less, cranky and stressed orphan looks like. boy am I glad I carry my camera everywhere so I can document joyous occasions such as this.

I thought up the possible game plans …

A) sleep in the ole’ minivan and go to work the next morning stinky while adorned in dirty clothes.

B) try and find a super cheap motel room that doesn’t smell like a thrift store.

C) homeless shelter or build my own shelter

D) drive the hour and wake up the entire Hicken household and sleep in my old room.

I chose D. Finally got to bed around 1. Had to get up early. Woke up. Felt like I had been trampled by a herd of wild buffalo. Put on some of my mom’s clean clothes. Got a blessing from my dad. Drove to work. Had a fabulous day. Didn’t yawn once. Moral of this bedtime story … priesthood blessings are real and amazing. Thanks dad.

Erin Fell that Lil’ Champ Might Drive

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

slightly sacrilegious blog title? perhaps … but it just fits so well.

The rumors are true. Mitchell and I are no longer Ogden-ites. We have been cleaning like crazy and taking down van loads to our new location in South Salt Lake all week. Today was our last Sunday in Ogden and I thought that it might be fun to go around and take some pictures of things we will miss about Ogden before we hit up our Sunday meetings. Our first stop was the Welcome to Ogden sign.

After our first picture we hopped in the car, turned the ignition …. silence. Our dear little 1989 Nissan Sentra has been so incredibly good to us. We have had him (we refer to him as Lil’ Champ) for almost an entire year and he has never back talked to us or given us any lip. He has been an excellent addition to the family …. up until today. His starter had just had enough and he decided to rebel. We only had one option … find a hill … roll Lil’ Champ down .. and pop the ole’ clutch. We had a sliiiiiiight problem. We were hill-less. We were in dyer need of some speed. So Mitchell and I rolled up our sleeves and began a pushin’. Mitchell was pushing along the driver’s side and I took to the back (in our Sunday clothes mind you). So we got some speed, Mitchell hopped in, popped the clutch and boom-ba-da-bing … Lil’ Champ was resuscitated. Now, the smart Erin would have realized that when the clutch was released the car would lurch forward a bit … unfortunately the smart Erin was not behind the car pushing today. The car lurched forward with me still pushing with all my might, mind and strength ….. and BAM. I face planted it on the asphalt … in a skirt … with a few bystanders watching. And when I say face plant … I mean FACE PLANT. Prostrate on the ground with a broken jaw. I picked up the shattered pieces of my ego and chin, hopped in the car and we were off. We couldn’t risk parking anywhere but a hill so we just headed over to our old apartment (which is on a hill) to recuperate (since we still had the keys to the old apartment). Mitchell thought that he had left a bag or two of frozen veggies in the freezer that would work as an ice pack …. all we found was a frozen bottle of jam that we had neglected to pack … frozen jam ice pack it was.

Mitchell is convinced that my last and final push was what put the life back into Champ. I like to think my chin didn’t die in vain. Thanks mom and dad for adopting Lil’ Champ for the week and letting us use the Silver Steed (15 yr old grey mini-van)

Battle wound. Purple heart award here I come.

The Answer is E

2010-06-22T10:20:00.001-06:00

The dam has become a river.

About 6 months ago I graduated from Weber State University. I had no idea how hard it was going to be to find a job. I just assumed a bachelor’s degree automatically gave me a job. I applied to countless jobs, had numerous interviews, had several call back interviews … but nothing ever seemed to happen. I would get so close … and then everything would fall apart. I began thinking something was wrong with me …. bad breath? B.O.? horrible personality? Do I need to start wearing shorter skirts? …. then I snapped out of it and realized the Lord knew exactly what he was doing … he always does. So, I stopped worrying.

During those 6 months I had the opportunity to serve in the Young Women’s presidency in our ward …. which I loved. After so many job interviews … I felt that the Lord wanted me here in Ogden …. in this ward …. with these young women. So I stopped looking at jobs that would take me away from Ogden.

About a week before girl’s camp, I felt that I should just take a look at the “wanted ads” for Salt Lake …. and lo and behold …. there was a job available at a Health and Weight Loss Clinic. I got a little excited, but tried not to get too excited because by this point disappointment and I had become very familiar friends. I applied, got called in for an interview and received a call back that evening receiving a job offer. That call was incredibly bittersweet. Hallelujah! Finally a job! …. But that call also meant that I would be leaving my current job, leaving my awesome young women that I had come to love so much, leaving our very first apartment, leaving the ward, leaving beautiful and familiar Ogden. I admit, that I cried for about 1 minute and 25 seconds.

I begin June 28th. We will be living in Salt Lake City.

Erin is

A. grateful

B. nervous

C. relieved

D. terrified

E. all of the above.

the answer is E.