Moving to the MAC!!

After my last "OneToOne" class at the Apple store, I've been experimenting with publishing my own website.  Yeah, it's been a few weeks and I'm somewhat nervous to make the jump, but I think it's time.  I've been trying for the past three nights to post a picture to Blogger without success, so I admit that has egged me on.  Tonight I added all the cool features to our website that I love from my blog so I think it's time to officially move.  So, for all those of you out there who have a link to my blog on your blog, please cut and paste this new address into your blog:

http://web.mac.com/kristinkrandall/Site/Welcome.html

There is a blog page on our website, so I hope to keep posting as frequently as I did on the old blog. The cool part is that I can post albums of pictures, movies and cool stuff like that. I will keep the old blog up, just because I want to be able to upload and print it as a book/journal sometime soon. So, please visit the new site and let me know what you think!

American Idol

I can't believe that after almost 8 seasons I have been pulled into the addictive forces of American Idol. I resisted for so long...it was just too popular, y'know? But last week when I called my sister, my brother-in-law answered and said he was getting the kids in their pajamas so they could watch American Idol - yet another person I knew who loved it! So, I admit I was curious. What was the big deal? From the little I had seen, Simon was AWFUL and I hated when he was mean to anyone, which I heard was pretty often. What could be so fun about watching this show? My curiosity got the best of me, so I sat down and watched it. And.....I kinda fell in love! My favorite is David Cook (see cute pictures below). I'll admit that when I heard him sing "Hello" by Lionel Richie in that kinda "rocker" style, I was done for! Blair was teasing me unmercifully last night, but I don't care. I guess I can say that I love American Idol!

Kind of a cheesy picture, but whatever...I am addicted!


Yeah, I could picture myself at one of his concerts some day!

So, I if you call our house during American Idol for the next month or so...leave a message. I'm dealing with my new addiction!

I've Been Tagged!

I have been tagged by Melanie with the latest "tagging" game for bloggers:

Here are the Rules of the Tag:
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next five sentences.
5. Tag five people.

As my computer sits just below my bookshelves, that is relatively easy. So, here goes...

My book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

My five sentences:
He cleared his throat. "I am here, as I'm sure you know, because of Albus Dumbledore's will." Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at one another. "A surprise, apparently! You were not aware then that Dumbledore had left you anything?"

I tag Mimi, Christine, Adair, Jyl & Zan -- it's kinda fun especially to see what cool books are out there!

Goodbye to Snelgrove's

You might not have heard yet - Snelgrove's, a Utah ice-cream icon has ended. They were bought out by Dreyer's a few years ago with the promise they would still produce the amazingly yummy ice cream they always had. However, for some reason Dreyer's decided to discontinue the Snelgrove brand and they stopped making all that yummy ice cream a few weeks ago. All that is left is on the store shelves even as we speak. Even though during the past few years I haven't like ice cream as much as when I was younger, I still have a total thing for Snelgrove's Burnt Almond Fudge. Mmmm...it's just so good. So, at the grocery store on Saturday night, I spotted it...the last container! I grabbed that sucker like it was a life preserver and threw it into my cart. It's been in my freezer ever since and I must admit I've been having a bit here and there. Whatever will I do when it's gone?????

One of Those Days...

Ever have one of "those" days?  Usually Sunday is a peaceful, slow, not-so-frantic day that I can relax, spend some time with Blair and Abby, go to church and hang out.  I look forward to Sundays so it was quite a surprise when today was one of "those" days!  I started the day nervous about my new church assignment (teaching the 12-18 year olds in Sunday School) but was still hopeful things would go well.  I was getting dressed, getting stuff out of the dryer when the doorbell rang.  I still wasn't dressed yet and Blair was in the shower but Abby said it was our neighbor Melissa, so I opened the door....just a crack....to find two young men from our ward coming to collect fast offerings (this happens on the first Sunday of the month and you would have thought I would remember that!) I don't think they saw much as the door was open just a crack but I was in a TOWEL and yes, both of them were supposed to be in my Sunday School class today.  PERFECT!!!!!   Strike one.  

Church started, all was well - still nervous (especially after the towel incident) but still optimistic.  As it turned out, for no good reason.  Remember being a teenager?  Remember keeping your mouth clamped shut during church?  Even if someone asked you a question?  Things haven't changed, no one talked.  I even had cool questions to ask them about themselves to get to know them better.  They answered them, but just barely.  Strike two.

Started to cook a lovely Sunday meal, actually one of my favorite things to do.  California Chicken casserole, asparagus with egg sauce (family favorite) and strawberries with cream for dessert.  Mmmmmm......until I let the asparagus boil away on the stove while reading the paper and the water actually boiled away and I BURNED THE ASPARAGUS!  Who does that?  Certainly not me!  My house smells like burned asparagus (currently trying some candles to make it smell better) but it really doesn't yet.  Strike three.

So, I figure three strikes and I'm out, right?  I'm going to bed...hopefully tomorrow won't be one of "those" days!  

Cousins are Awesome!

Abby and I went to the zoo with my cousin Pamela's family, including Zachary who just loves Abby.   Abby loves him as well and they had a marvelous time together!  Despite the snow still lingering on the ground, it was quite warm and the perfect day for the zoo!  

Abby & Zachary decided we also needed to go to dinner afterwards, so we went to the Spaghetti Factory -- one of Abby's favorites.  Can you tell how much fun they had?

Life is pretty awesome when you have fun cousins!  

Ben Folds!

As many of you know, I am a HUGE Ben Folds fan. Have been ever since my brother loaned me a CD in the spring of 1999. I was recovering from cancer treatment at the time and something in his music healed my soul. If you could actually wear out a CD, I would have - I played it that much. Of course now I own everything Ben has done and have MANY favorites. His "The Luckiest" describes how I feel about Blair. My musical tastes have also spilled over to Abby and one of her favorite songs is "Gracie" by Ben Folds. Anyway, if you're wondering why I'm ranting about Ben Folds....it's because....HE'S COMING IN CONCERT! I don't think I've been this excited about a concert for a VERY long time and I just bought tickets to see the Police in the summer. Yeah, I'm excited about that one because they actually got back together to tour, but Ben Folds is at the TOP of my "people I'd like to see in concert" list. Yes, the top of the list. So, you can imagine my excitement when I got the following email:

Concert Quench to raise money for Care for Cambodia! Ben Folds with opening local bands Chris Merritt, Mesa Drive, and Allred. Where: SaltAir When: Wednesday, April 23rd, doors open at 7:00. As many of you probable know, Judy Vu and I are part of Rotaract, which is a local service group that works with Rotary clubs. This year we decided to have a fundraiser to raise $50,000 for Care for Cambodia, which provides the supplies and expertise to build clean water wells in the poverty stricken areas of Cambodia. To do this we have organized a concert with Ben Folds at SaltAir. General ticket sales will begin March 1 at 10:00 from SmithTix and KTix for $32.50, but before this, 101.9 The End is going to be doing a pre-sale promotion for the concert from February 27-29 where they will be selling tickets for $20.This is going to be a great concert, and because SaltAir only has a capacity of 3,400, we anticipate that it is going to sell out quickly, so make sure to get your tickets soon. See you there. -Lily Marsden, MSII

These are second-year medical students who put this together. There are so many lovely perks to what I do during the day! So, if you love Ben as much as I do, check out the information about tickets and SEE YOU THERE! :)

My Poor Tired Little Girl!

Last night on the way home from school (and after a few errands) Abby said her "eyes were tired." She had fallen asleep in the car for a few minutes, but usually when we get home, she is energetic enough to eat dinner, do homework, etc. I went upstairs to change my clothes and came downstairs to this:

She had literally fallen asleep after sitting down for a minute on the couch.  That's her Winnie the Pooh next to her, apparently asleep as well.  Maybe I should change bedtime to 6:30pm????

Dinner Impossible

If you have the Food Network and are as bored with most TV as I am right now, I have something for you to check out.  It's called "Dinner Impossible" and it's the most cool show on TV.  In fact, it's one of just a few that I actually love to watch right now.  It's on Wednesday nights at 8:00p and it JUST ROCKS.  It's a cooking show kinda blended with James Bond or something cool like that.  I always learn something new.  

Here is a link to the show's page on the Food Network website:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ie.

I just love it -- thought I'd share.  :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

When I got married at age 34 I never imagined I would become so happy. At 34, I thought I was content but who knew how exciting and happy my life would get! I am SO blessed to have Blair & Abby in my life. Aren't they darling? Abby bounded out of bed before 7:00am announcing that it was "Valentimes" (that's how she says it) and then was WAY excited with her toy dog, toy cat w/ a kitten and a new Littlest Pet Shop set. Her face when I pulled that out was AWESOME!

In a life that has been full of both good AND bad Valentine's Days, I have to say that this one is pretty nice....even if we got 8 inches of snow and it took me 10 minutes to get up the driveway this morning and an HOUR to drive to work! It is amazingly beautiful, though and I wish I would have had my camera. When I passed Temple Square, the wind had started blowing the snow around and it was SPECTACULAR! I hope everyone has an AMAZING day, full of love and friendship! Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Cute Cole

I took this picture of Cole on Friday night...isn't he so cute?  He is getting so BIG and smiled almost the whole time.  We just don't get to see him enough -- we love you, Cole!  

This is my favorite picture of Abby...doing a little snow-jumping!  

And, I guess that's going to be the last picture tonight because I can't get Blogger to post anymore pictures!  Rats!  I'll try again tomorrow....

It was so fun to hang out with my parents & Mandy & Cole last night.  Cole is getting so BIG!  He was really smiley before we left, so I promise to post some really cute pictures tomorrow.

Good night, all!  

These are some cool icicles on the side of the house!

Here are Mandy & Cole, and Abby on the giant stack of snow!

Got Snow?

Seems even when you live where there is a lot of snow, there can be major differences between cities.  For instance, right now we barely have any snow at all and what we have is melting.  There IS another storm predicted for next Wednesday, but for now it's almost 45 degrees and quite warm.  My parents, on the other hand, have over four feet of snow.  Yep, you read that right -- over four feet.  The stacks of snow on either side of the driveway are at least six feet and counting.  Abby and I needed to see it for ourselves, so we went to visit last night.  Mandy & Cole joined us and we had a lovely time.  Abby particularly loved playing in the snow!  Check it out...

Here is Abby in front of one of giant stacks of snow...isn't it amazing?  

This is the apricot tree in the front yard...trunk completely buried in the snow!

Signs of Spring?

Every year for Christmas, my parents give us an amaryllis.  We've successfully grown quite a few, with the one exception of the one we lost in the trunk after the holidays were over and didn't find until we cleaned out the trunk in the spring.  This year, our amaryllis is bright red and BEAUTIFUL!  Certainly this means that spring must be coming sometime, right?  

Snow, Snow, Snow & More Snow

Yeah, we've got snow.  LOTS of it.  And we seem to get more and more of it, about every other day.  The evening news predicted another 6 inches by tomorrow morning, followed by another storm Sunday and then another one next Wednesday.  Yeah, I'm a little jealous of Laurel's flowers on her porch and the balmy 50 degrees.  But...I would miss how amazingly beautiful all this snow is.  Yeah, I know - I'm nuts!  But check out these recent pictures...isn't it beautiful?

I love how it looks when the sun is rising or setting and everything is pure and beautiful in the snow.  I wish I would have had my camera this morning on the way to work.  The mountains looked spectacular!  

So, the snow is messy and hard to drive in on occasion and every morning I pray as I drive up the steep driveway that I will actually make it to the top.  I repeat the same prayer as I drive up 1st South to the University...I would absolutely hate to start sliding back down...that is my fear.   So far, though...as bad as this winter has been, driving has been OK.  So, yeah - as nice as warmer weather would be, I'm going to appreciate what we have....the snow!  

Abby Loves Her Dad

Couldn't wait to post the following picture that Abby drew yesterday....

Isn't that the cutest thing EVER?  Yes, he does have arms, they are just light blue and you can just barely see them.  Blair, you need to know that Abby and I are your biggest fans!  We love you!

Gordon B. Hinckley 1910-2008

I guess I always knew that he was getting older...although until recently you really couldn't tell.  He certainly didn't act like most 97-year-olds, although I really haven't known very many!  He was amazing in about ten million ways.  I think one of the reasons I really admired him was his love for EVERYONE.  It didn't matter who you were, you just knew he loved you.  I was always anxious to hear him speak at General Conference every six months and have absolutely, truly loved hearing him speak.  I've been lucky enough to see him in person a few times at meetings in the Tabernacle and Conference Center and very well remember everyone rising to their feet and the absolute silence that would occur as he walked into the room.  It didn't feel real until this afternoon when I was driving home (early, because of the storm) and listening to the radio.  They were discussing how a public viewing would probably be held and I remembered walking past President Benson's casket in the Church Administration Building and suddenly thought - NO, not President Hinckley!  While I am certain that a joyous reunion has taken place there will be many that will miss him.  I am one.  

My sister sent me the following link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC0W0ZVI9ak but be prepared - you might need some Kleenex's.  I'm just grateful for the past 13 years to have been inspired and taught by such a great leader.  We'll miss you, President Hinckley!  

Bono, The Edge & Snow

The past few days have been quite exciting around our neck of the woods!  Monday (Human Rights Day) was spent at home as the entire city was hit with a GIGANTIC snowstorm!  I was SO glad I didn't have to go to work that day!  Here is a shot I took out our back door...

It doesn't really look that deep, but we got about 8 inches (on top of the other snow already there!)  They said on the news Monday night that we will get five more storms in the next fourteen days.  Kinda cool!  (In a January, snowy kinda way!)

Having a whole day in the house (along with the rest of the weekend, which was pretty much spent indoors because of Abby's pinkeye and cough) I managed to put together our little home office.  Check it out...

Blair put up the shelves and then I put everything else together...isn't it cool?  It looks even BETTER than the Elfa shelves that were $1,000 online!  I can now do about everything I do in my office at work from home.  That definitely comes in handy when a small one comes down with pinkeye and other such fun things!

Then, last night Abby and I saw the new U2 3D movie at the IMAX theater at Jordan Commons.  Blair won tickets on the radio (how cool is that?) and I just have one word....WOW!  For all those U2 fans out there...don't miss it!  And, if you like Bono as much as I do, you might possibly quit breathing at certain moments during the movie.  The 3D effects were amazing and he was literally just inches away...so yeah, I quit breathing for a minute or two!  It was AWESOME, although kinda weird because you're watching a concert, yet you feel like you should behave as if you were watching a movie, because you are.  Still, lots of people were singing along - kinda couldn't help it.  Especially during the song "Pride."  It might have been because Monday was Human Rights Day, but it made me cry.  At every U2 concert, that is always my favorite, but this was absolutely amazing.  Even Abby loved it - she said that "the guy with the sunglasses that sings" was her favorite.  YEAH!  And, my favorite part...she grabbed me at the beginning and whispered in my ear, "Mom, that guy playing the guitar (The Edge) is my friend Emily's dad!"  If this is true, we definitely need to have Emily over for a play-date.  With her dad.  :)

Well, gotta go - "Dinner Impossible" on the Food Network is on and it's quickly becoming my favorite!  Good night, all!  

My Small Pink Eyed One

So, Abby and I are home today as a result of some lovely PINK EYE!  We have some antibiotics drops to help, but Abby needs them for 24 hours before she can go back to school....so I am working at home and Abby is busy coloring, playing on the computer and watching movies.  We put our old PC in Abby's room for her to use and she is REALLY enjoying it.  The printer needed some ink, so I went to look at what cartridge number I needed and found this:

Yes, this would be Yogi, curled up in Abby's art bag next to the printer!  I thought it was one of her stuffed animals and it was a rude shock to discover a LIVE animal in there!  Kinda funny, though - thought I would share.