Post-Christmas Post

Sam and I have both arrived back in Utah, though we came in several trips (including our selves and our luggage). And we seem to have survived-- only time will tell, however. There's no promising that we won't fall into a million bits sometime tomorrow or Tuesday.
Let's-Call-It-Funniness-For-The-Sake-Of-Our-Sanity from our trip to Houston:
--My flight home was delayed, meaning I was scheduled to arrive at 2:00 am. I called Continental and begged them to put me on a different flight. When they said everything was booked until New Year's Eve, I started to cry and said "I'm six months pregnant. I can't sit in an airport and I have to leave before New Years." I think the last thing anyone wants on their hands is a crying pregnant woman. The Continental person talked to his supervisor and they squeezed me on a flight on Saturday morning.
--The next morning, I woke up with the flu. That was interesting.
--I'm pretty sure I have a cold now.
--Somehow, somewhere, someone lost Sam's luggage on his return flight. It was quite the experience getting it back, but we finally did (after numerous calls to the airport, my storming up to the Delta baggage desk, and some very nice SLC airport employees).

Everything else from our trip was great. It was so fun to be with Sam's family and to see our nieces and nephews (who are getting so big). Sam is a fun uncle, and he really enjoyed playing with the kids.
Sam's family also threw us a surprise baby shower! I don't think we'll need any more pink clothes! It was so nice and so thoughtful. We haven't bought anything for the baby yet, so it was really fun to look at everything and start to build up our store! I am so grateful to have such wonderful in-laws. It really meant a lot to me and Sam, and it was really fun too.
After a long day of traveling yesterday (and baggage retrieval today), I am glad to be home. We're looking forward to celebrating New Year's tomorrow night with my sister and her husband. We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and enjoy the New Year tomorrow evening!

Christmas Card Post

I've been wanting to do a Christmas card post because we didn't send any Christmas cards this year. I thought we could take a nice picture and post it and write what we would have in a Christmas card. Well, we haven't taken a nice picture (our camera is on its last leg), and I have no idea what I would write in a Christmas card. Oh well. Here are a couple of thoughts anyway:
Sam finished up fall semester yesterday with his last final. We celebrated with some imitation Martinelli's that tasted slightly odd, but was still fun to drink. He is looking forward to having the next few weeks off school so he can rejuvenate before the last push of his college career. It seems a little surreal that he has just one semester left; when we got married, he had three years left.
Sam has finished up editing Food Boy and now it is off getting sound and other stuff added to the final copy. Sam actually admitted to me that he has really missed editing since he finished Food Boy. Sam is looking for a job to start after the New Year-- we hope he will be able to do some editing here and there throughout the semester.
The last few weeks have been pretty interesting for me. I have been feeling really great, except for my back. I have always had a bad back, but this whole pregnancy thing is definitely exacerbating my sad spine. I am a little concerned about what the next four months of an increasingly large belly will bring, but at least I have a sympathetic husband.
Work has been very stressful, lately. I still love my friends at work-- in fact, they are the ones who keep me sane-- but I am really struggling with the poor management of the practice. Those who know me can attest that, while I may be an impassioned and dramatic person, I am not a stressful, agitated person. I am trying to learn to let irritating work things go, especially while I am at home.
All in all, life is great right now. We are heading to Houston on Sunday to spend Christmas with Sam's parents. We are excited to see two of Sam's brothers, his sister, and their respective families as well. I hear Sam's sister may even bring Guitar Hero for Sam to play-- which means I may not see much of him over the next week.
We wish you all a merry Christmas. We are very grateful for all our friends and hope you have very happy holidays!

BabyRock

I think this speaks for itself.

This One's for You, Maranda

My friend Maranda pointed out that I hadn't blogged in a while, so here is a blog just for you, Maranda.

The truth is, everyone, that I am at work right now. Don't tell! I don't think I am really supposed to be blogging while I am at work, but it's just one of those days. Sam and I went to bed late because we were at a friends' house watching a movie. I try to be in bed by 10:30 at the latest, but I didn't get to bed until about midnight. So I'm a little tired (and grumpy!) today.

We watched the movie Amazing Grace, which we had never seen before. It was a nice evening, with homemade popcorn and cinnamon crumb cake (albeit from a box). I had heard that the movie was well worth seeing, and I have to agree. While Sam and I had some obvious critiques of the way the movie was made and the character development, I thought it was well-made, overall. 

I never knew the story behind the abolition of slavery in England, so I am very glad to know the history behind that. William Wilberforce is a truly inspiring character.

I don't have much else to say about the movie, except that I definitely recommend it. It does make me very grateful that slavery was finally abolished in America as well. I am so grateful I do not live in a time of slavery-- though there are still many problems with slavery around the world, I am grateful that it is illegal and people are fighting to end it. 

I think it very important to note God's guiding people like Wilberforce (among many others) to put an end to slavery. Knowing the history behind the song Amazing Grace is very moving. I am very glad they didn't attempt to hide or undermine the hand of God in the movie.

And the academy award goes to . . .

Now that the votes are cast-- and came out at an even 50/50 on this poll-- it is time to announce the results.

It's a GIRL!

We'll post ultrasound pictures soon.

A Prediction Poll

Sam and I find out what we're having one week from today (Friday). So here is your last chance to cast your vote.




On that note, we hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We definitely did. We are very thankful for food, family, and friends. Happy Holidays!

A Couple Glimpses into the Lives of the Mangums

There aren't too many updates, but it's been a while, so I thought I would try to come up with something.

About a week ago, I felt the first baby movements. It was really exciting, so now my new hobby is trying to feel the baby kick.

Did we post about Halloween? Sam and I dressed up as Batman and Robin. We hung out with some friends until very late at night, which we really enjoyed-- until the next day at work when I felt like a zombie.


We found out that my oldest sister, Amy, who is three-weeks-ahead-of-me pregnant is having a boy. She has three girls, so they are especially excited for this one to spice things up. Sam and I are anxiously awaiting our appointment two weeks from yesterday when we will find out if we are having a boy or girl. Today's predictions are that I think we are having a boy, and Sam thinks we are having a girl. Truth be told, neither of us really has any idea whatsoever. It's driving us nuts. We even considered going to Fetal Fotos so we didn't have to wait so long. But then we remembered that we are poor college students, and we can wait two more weeks.

I am getting really excited for Thanksgiving. It will be low key at my parents' house this year. My sister Amy and my brother Scott will be staying home in California, and my sister Lindsay has to work that day (she's a labor and delivery nurse at UVRMC). So, for the majority of the day, it will just be me, Sam, my parents, and my sister Whitney. I think it will be a great break for me. I am looking forward to spending time with my parents and with Sam.

Other than that, things are just the same as they always are! We went to a ward Thanksgiving party last night and I made homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing, and gravy. I was so proud of myself! Sam made a turkey, which I think deserves some praise as well. It turned out great! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We hope you have a great holiday.

Food Boy Trailer

This is Sam again-- We just finished a teaser for The Adventures of Food Boy. We're going to be posting a longer trailer soon. The more views we get the better so tell all your friends about.
By the way, making trailers is a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it-

Updates

Not much has been going on in the Mangum home. Here's the basic run-down:

We had another check-up at the doctor: we will find out if we're having a boy or girl on November 30. I can't wait to find out. Sam is excited, but it's not that big of a deal to him. I am just dying to know. I think that is a good representation of our personalities. Like the ice cream test showed, Sam is pretty chill, and I am fairly excitable.

Sam was asked to direct a friend's senior film project, and he accepted. They will get planning the film and will shoot sometime in March. Sam is pretty excited. It's a good thing he only has a few classes next semester, otherwise he would have no time to direct yet another project. We're pretty excited because it seems that Sam has quite the positive reputation in the film program.

We are getting quite excited to move to Virginia in the summer. We like to look at apartment rental websites and take virtual tours of apartments in the areas where we might live. We're especially excited to live a little closer to two of Sam's brothers. I am thinking of going back to school in the next few years to get my Master's Degree, and in the meantime, I want to get my teaching certification. I'm not sure how soon I will do that, but I think I may want to within the year of our moving to Virginia.

We are definitely excited for daylight savings next week: one more hour of sleep (although I will admit I'm sad about the days being shorter). But anything that let's me sleep a little longer makes me happy.

Ice Cream Personalities

From Jenny and Marcus

Courtney:
You are passionate, creative, and inspired. Black raspberry ice cream is an unusual color and flavor, so some people might consider it strange, but your exciting personality is what makes you so delicious. You bring a juicy burst of flavor to everything you do, and your life is packed with one memorable experience after another.



Sam:
You're as popular and relaxing as vanilla ice cream. You go with the flow, and get along with all sorts of people. You appreciate peace and simplicity, so you sometimes find crowds and loud noises overwhelming. You are a chilled-out, calming influence on the people in your life, and your friends appreciate how supportive and flexible you are.

Wearing-In the New Car

Today we had quite the surprise. We woke up late and were rushing to get Sam out the door. I was driving him to a study group for his film theory class. As we were putting on our shoes, we both checked the messages on our phones. We both had a message from our upstairs neighbor: the sun roof on our car was open and it was pouring rain.

We grabbed some towels and went out to assess the damage. Our neighbors had covered our car in a tarp, which did save our car from another two cups or so of rain, but the inside was soaked. We draped our seats in towels and dried what we could.

I think it's kind of funny. And, yesterday, I was eating cereal in the car (because we were in a rush to get to the dentist for Sam's crown) and spilled milk all over the passenger seat. So at least the milk got washed away!

I Wish We All Could Be California Girls

Well, we finally got our new car! On Thursday night, Sam and I went in to the dealer and traded in our car for a 2005 Saturn ION. We are loving it so far! There a few awesome features which we are enjoying, since our old car didn't have them: four doors, power locks, power windows, working heater, low miles, efficient windshield wipers.

It has been raining like crazy in Utah, and I am enjoying it. It keeps threatening snow, which I would not be excited about, but we'll see. It's not that I don't like snow, but when it snows this early, that means we have to settle in for the long haul of gray skies, and that is what I don't enjoy.

Sam is in L.A. this weekend. The Food Boy short is up for an award at the KidsFirst! film festival and they are going to let them show a trailer for The Adventures of Food Boy. I've talked to Sam a couple times, and he is having a blast during his first time in SoCal. I hope he's enjoying it so that he'll warm up to the idea of living there some day.

Things are going well for me. I started a new job two weeks ago, and it's going well. I feel pretty good except some nausea at night and some serious fatigue. I think the worst pregnancy side effect is that I don't have an appetite. I'm always starving, but nothing sounds good. It's really difficult to eat healthy foods when all that sounds good is ice cream. I am working hard to make sure I eat regularly. I have pretty bad hypoglycemia, so I need to be careful that it doesn't morph into gestational diabetes. Other than that, Sam and I are just getting really excited! We can't wait until we can start buying stuff for the baby, once we know if it's a boy or girl. And, other than Food Boy, it's pretty much all we talk about. We can't wait!

Poem

At the end of the summer, we sent this poem around to our families to update them on our life here in Provo. We thought we'd share it with you.

Around here this summer

It's been quite chaotic.

Though last year we

Went on trips quite exotic,

This summer we've spent

Completely at home--

Though Courtney wishes

We had gone to Rome.

We've had fun with movies

And finishing college.

There are many things

On which we've increased knowledge.

So now we prepare for

Sam's last college spree,

And then will come April

When . . .

a) We tour Italy.

b) We play monopoly.

c) Baby makes three.

d) Sam gets a Wii.

If you guessed C) Baby makes three, you would be right. Sam and I are expecting our first child to arrive in the spring, and we are very excited.

Teddy

This is Sam, and my first time writing on this blog. As you may have heard I worked on a feature film this summer but I don't want that to be overshadowed by my first actual film making experience. Due to technological restraints I haven't been able to share this will many people. But thanks to youtube, my current distributor and Allen's camera shop, my transfer house, I am able to share this with the masses.
A little back ground information- This was filmed with a super 8mm film camera, like the opening credits for the wonder years, or home movies before video cameras. In order to edit it, I cut the film and taped it together, definitely old school. It stars the wonderful Whitney Anne, Courntey's sister opposite the bear, Pierpont. enjoy.

Music Lessons

Today Sam learned something about me that he never knew: I took guitar lessons in high school. I never mentioned it before because I think I only took two lessons. I wanted to be really good so I could play along to my Indigo Girls CDs, but then, after my two lessons, I realized it was really hard, so I quit. :) So then I had Sam list all the music lessons I ever took, and succeeded in guessing all of them!
1) Piano
2) Clarinet (Sam did guess flute first, but then he got it. I was impressed because I only played for like 6 weeks.)
3) Cello (I actually played the cello for two years and would have played longer if we hadn't moved to London, but they only had two people in their orchestra there.)
4) Guitar
5) Voice

Sam then had me guess what lessons he had taken, and I also succeeded in guessing all of them:
1) Piano
2) Guitar
3) Saxophone

The highlight of this was when Sam told me that he decided to play the saxophone because he wanted to pick up chicks. How old was he at this point? Fourth grade. That's right. Cute little fourth-grade Sam wanting to pick up chicks. I love it!

Farewell to . . . oops, I can't remember what we named our car

Around the time Sam and I got engaged, Sam bought our car. It is a sprite little ford escort-- the sport edition with two doors and a spoiler. It has treated us fairly well, even when we would forget to change the oil and not replace the tires when we should have. Well, I should say it treated us fairly well until Christmas. Then we had to replace the battery, the starter, and the tires. And when we took it in to get fixed, we're pretty sure the mechanic cracked the fly wheel. This was really the beginning of the end for our poor little car. Now the odometer is starting to show some depressingly high numbers. When we got it back from the shop today (don't even ask about these problems-- all I can say is that a car with an automatic transmission should not stall) the mechanic said we should get rid of that car as soon as possible-- and don't spend too much time on the freeway. We had been planning on buying a car in the next six months or so, but now I think we will be forced to buy a new car this weekend. There's nothing like a dead car to make you need a new one. And so, we say farewell to our car (why can I not remember its name?). Farewell, car. May our next car not break our hearts as much as you did over the past nine months.

This is Sam's "new car face" shortly after we purchased the car back in May 2005.

Happy Two-Year Anniversary (on Sunday)!

Since Sam and I will be spending the long weekend in Salt Lake for our anniversary, I thought I would do a little post today to celebrate. We were married two years ago on Sunday, on September 2, 2005. The past two years have been so fun! We love being married. Sam is doing a wedding video tomorrow for my sister-in-law's brother, so it will be fun to go to the Salt Lake Temple on our weekday anniversary (we were married the Friday before labor day).
In some ways it feels like I have known Sam forever-- that it's been longer than two years. But in other ways, the two years have flown by.

Here we are at our reception.



And this is us on our honeymoon.

Graduated, unemployed, and bored

Those three things all describe me. Today is the second day that I have not had anything to do, and I am already feeling bored! Graduation was on Thursday and Friday, and it was really great. Sam was so supportive throughout my schooling, so it was great to have him there. We had a nice time at graduation and Sam took quite a few pictures. Here are some good ones:



So now that I am officially a college graduate, I am just looking for a job. I never realized how stressful it can be! Sam is gearing up for his last year of school, which starts two weeks from today. I can't believe how quickly the summer goes! We are going up to IKEA today and then out to dinner with my parents at Benihana. My mom was out of town for graduation, so we haven't gotten to celebrate yet. Sam and I are still thinking of something fun we can do for our second anniversary which is in just less than two weeks. Other than that, Sam is just busy editing Food Boy. I think he's in denial about school starting (he's a little jealous of his college-grad wife). We hope you are all enjoying the last few weeks of summer!

What do we do with our time now that Food Boy is over?

Well, filming for Food Boy is finally finished! The picture wrapped last Monday, and it has been a huge relief. With all the filming done, now all we have to worry about is post-production-- not like it's a small task or anything. Sam has been getting ready to start editing, which will be a huge task. He hopes to finish by the end of October (I think) and then send it out to festivals. We are really pleased with the filming and are so excited to see the story start coming together. This is a really exciting project.

Now, this week, I am starting my final week of college. I have my final day of class tomorrow, and graduation is on Thursday and Friday. I've already informed Sam that when I finish with my finals on Wednesday night, I will probably cry a lot. This has been a really emotional term for me. I am feeling rather bittersweet about graduating: on the one (sweet) side, my senior course this term has been absolutely horrible. I am also excited to not write any more papers and to not have homework. Things will also feel more comfortable when I have a full time job. On the other (bitter) side, I think I will really miss college. I will miss being around students and talking about theories and ideas and grammar. :) I really enjoy the people I work with, so it will be a big change to move on from that. I am not so sure I am ready to be an adult. Overall, I think it is a great thing I am graduating. This is a huge step for me! I am sure whatever lies ahead will be very exciting. I still don't have a job lined up-- I am just focusing on getting through these last classes. I'm sure I will figure something out quickly once graduation is over.

So that's what we're up to! Sam has just another three weeks until he starts his final school year-- which also means we have about three weeks until our second wedding anniversary. Anyway, things are good in the Mangum house! We are really enjoying our summer and will be sad when it's over.

Tagged by Jen

Jobs I've had (in chronological order)
1. GAP
2. Nordstrom
3. LoveSac
4. Western Wats (outbound phone surveys. yuck!)
5. Barnes and Noble
6. Writing Center secretary
7. BYU bindery
8. Writing Center grammar tutor

Movies I can watch over and over
1. 13 Going on 30
2. Moulin Rouge
3. Sliding Doors
4. The Break-up

Places I've lived
1. Seattle, WA
2. Denver, CO
3. London, England
4. Salt Lake City, UT
5. Provo, UT

Favorite T.V. Shows
1. Friends
2. Good Eats
3. Everyday Italian
4. Iron Chef
5. The Office

Places I've been on Holiday (am I supposed to just list 5?)
1. France
2. Hong Kong
3. Australia
4. Chile
5. Spain

Favorite Dishes
1. Massaman curry
2. Tikka masala
3. Cafe Rio burritos
4. Fried rice

Websites I visit
1. Facebook
2. Blogs
3. Ebay
4. Allrecipes.com

Places I'd rather be
1. Sleeping in my bed
2. Anywhere with Sam
3. London
4. A library or bookstore

People I'm tagging-- I guess this means that you are supposed to do it on your blog.
1. Ummmm . . . I don't know. Whoever reads this blog can do it. I like all of you.

The Update

We are over a week into Food Boy filming and everything is going great! Today Sam got to act in the movie. He played the part of Mr. Newton: the neurotic, slightly unstable, and totally creepy science teacher. In order to make him look older, they gave Sam the world's ugliest haircut.

Luckily, it only lasted a couple of hours, and Sam went home to shave the rest of it off, and we got some good mid-shave shots.

Sam also got to act yesterday as a caveman and they gave him some crazy makeup. It didn't wash off very easily, so even though we scrubbed with all our strength, he still has some makeup dirt on his arms and back.

Also, Harry Potter came out this weekend. I went up to the Salt Lake public library for what I heard was an awesome party. Sam's sister Rachel accompanied me as well as Theresa. We had a blast making wands and walking around the library / Hogwarts castle. We looked at some cool stars and planets out of telescopes on the library roof. It was great night.
I am a little sad that the Harry Potter series is now over. It seems like Harry has always been a part of my life. I started reading the books when I was 14, so it's a little surreal that it's over. But I guess it's good that I finished the book so quickly so I can get back to focusing on school. Graduation is in just over three weeks, and I am just sprinting to the end. I am a little burned out, so I will be just thrilled when graduation gets here. I am trying to find a job still. I started applying to a few last week, and I will keep on sending out my resume until I get a bite. I'm hoping that's sooner rather than later, because I really hate looking for jobs.

Overall, we are having a blast with Food Boy. My parents came to visit the set and Sam's parents get into town this week to come show their support to Marc and Sam. We really are very blessed to have such a supportive family. I've been trying to spend as much time on set as possible, but I usually only get to a few days a week for a couple hours because of school work. Thank goodness for Pioneer Day, though! Today I spent all day on set. It helped Sam not be quite so nervous while he was acting. We are really enjoying our summer, but it's sad to realize there is only just over a month of it left. And it will be a crazy month!

The Adventures of Food Boy Begin!

Well, the filming of Food Boy starts today. It was a crazy weekend getting everything ready. Sam's sister Rachel came into town on Saturday. She is doing craft services for the movie (that means FOOD for the cast and crew). She even braved the Saturday Costco crowds and bought tons of food. She came with her friend Theresa, and they are staying with me and Sam. Saturday night Marc, Theresa, Rachel, Sam, and I went to Tucano's. I figured we should do one last fun thing before I practically don't see Sam for three weeks. It was a fun meal, even though we all overate. Sunday brought more stress when all the actors came into town. There were some rental car problems, and Marc had to make an trip to the airport to transport one actor and her family. Then I made the trek to the airport to pick up Marc's son David. (Marc is Sam's brother and the executive producer and writer of Food Boy.) After all the actors made it into town, we went to dinner at Carrabba's with the main actors and some of the crew. It was really fun to meet the actors and get to see their personalities. They seemed to hit it off, and they make a really great cast.
Sam was up early this morning for the first day of filming. I am going to try and make it to set at least once this week to see all the action. One of the Saturdays I will camp out as an extra on set-- since I can pass as a high schooler.
As for me-- just same old stuff. I am just trying to pass my classes so I can graduate . . . And I am gearing up for the release of Harry Potter 7 this Friday at midnight! I will make my way down to the Salt Lake City library for the party and over to the Gateway Barnes and Noble to pick up my book. It should be fun!

Birthday and Fourth of July

Here are some pictures from Fourth of July and Sam's Birthday. This first one is us watching fireworks from my sister's balcony. This is us at my family's barbecue. Here is the stuffed french toast I made for Sam's breakfast in bed. This is us at Market Street Grill for Sam's birthday dinner. It was so delicious and I ever ordered fish! I had halibut with dungeness lump crab meat on top. Sam had the wild Atlantic sockeye salmon. It was a really fun dinner, and it's also where we went on our first date. And this is the cake I made for Sam's birthday. Well-- one of the cakes. This was the one we had when some of our friends from the ward came over. Yes, that is freshly shaved chocolate on top.

We're having a great summer! Even though Sam is really busy, we are having a great time. Sam is enjoying having a brother so close again. Marc just lives around the corner, and the three of us go to dinner at least once a week. I have to force them to stop talking about Food Boy, but it's still fun. Filming starts a week from today, and I think they are getting really excited. Things are really falling in to place, and it will be fun to see where the movie takes us!
I am winding down on my college career. I have just under six weeks until graduation, and I am getting anxious! I am looking for some jobs, but I am a little nervous to have to join the adult world. Graduation will be very exciting, though. I can't wait until I can stop writing so many papers!
I hope you are all enjoying the summer!

Since we haven't posted in a while . . .

What do I mean by "we" haven't posted in a while. I don't think Sam even knows he can post here. Oh well.

Sam is really busy with Food Boy. His brother Marc is finally here, so they are spending every waking moment together, feverishly planning for the film. I'll add the link, but they created their own blog (what, are they married?) for the film. It's coldfusionfilms.blogspot.com. So, check it out if you'd like. They just finished casting auditions last week and are thinking about and exploring their various options. The most exciting casting news is they have Olesya Rulin to play the part of Shelby. If that name doesn't ring any bells, Olesya plays the role of Kelsi, the pianist, in High School Musical. Having Olesya is huge deal for The Adventures of Food Boy. Sam is really excited that this is really taking off.

I am just going to school and working. I have spent that last six weeks working at the BYU bindery, a job that numbs my brain quite thoroughly. Luckily, I only have to work there for another week and a half. Then I will be back at the Writing Center, thank goodness. As I finish out this term, I am quite anxious to be starting my next and last term as an undergraduate. I am nervous for my final two classes: Shakespeare and my capstone English class. I've been putting them off for a reason. I also need to finish up my physical science class through independent study. It's quite difficult to force myself to finish, but I think my diploma may be more important than my sanity at this point. We'll see what I have to say come August 16.

Other than that, Sam and I are just hanging out and enjoying the summer. I have been toying with entering some cooking competitions, so I am researching those. I am thinking of having some cooking parties for people to try my recipes and give me feedback. We'll see. Maybe I can develop that blue-ribbon apple pie this summer. Wait, what am I saying? I hate apple pie. Strawberry-rhubarb, here I come!

Sweet Potatoes Attack!

For Mothers' Day, Sam and I traveled to Salt Lake to eat dinner with my family. As usual, I wanted to make a tasty side dish. I have been craving sweet potato fries ever since Sam and I had them at Guru's (a fun restaurant in downtown Provo). So, I decided to stand up to the challenge and make some sweet potato fries. But I wanted them to be healthy, so I decided to bake them. I tried a recipe during the week, and they turned out ok. They weren't fabulous-- they were a little soggy-- so I thought I would try to crank up the heat and see if that helped. So, Sam and I schlepped a bag of sweet potatoes to my parents' house. I washed them and started chopping. Sam peered on nervously, begging me to be careful. "Simmer down," I replied. "This knife is not sharp enough to cut me." Sam's pool of blue-green eyes gazed back at me, "just the same. Be careful, my love." I cut haughtily with my culinary skill, determined to prove my expertise with my skillful cuts and chops. And then Pride conspired with the Cosmos to my downfall. There I was, mid-chop, when the knife came down on my un-suspecting index finger. Grazing the nail's edge on to the tender flesh, the knife sliced through my digit with reckless abandon. Wedged in the golden root vegetable, the knife glared in triumphant horror. I yanked my finger away from the offender and clutched at the inured phalange. I ran from the scene, and began to run my hand under a cool, forgiving stream of water. Stomping my foot in rage and pain, I howled and cursed the heavens in futility. Luckily, my dashing mate was near and rushed to my side. At the advice of my sister Nurse Lindsay, Sam whisked me off to urgent care. With a paper towel applied for pressure, and a bag of frozen corn for pain, we arrived in a flurry of tears and laughter. In between sobs of wimp-like pain expression, I thought it comical to speculate the doctor's orders: stitches? finger amputation? arm amputation? euthenasia? The doctor saw us promptly with a stoic facade. I attempted to joke, he wouldn't have it. He set down to business with the prognosis: a band-aid. The kindly nurse descended into the room and faced the task of bandaging. With ten minutes, I was on my way with a fancy taping and wrapping of the ghastly wound.

How am I doing now? I have braced myself and faced the storm of and injured index. I have progressed to a simple finger tip band-aid and thank my lucky stars I didn't lose the tip of my blessed appendage. Though I am not sure feeling will return to the tiny tip, I am confident I will have a scar worthy of this story.

Pictures from California

The first picture is of my sisters Whitney and Amy and my nieces Lindsay and Lucy. We went to a color-me-mine type place in palo alto for Lindsay's 6th birthday.

Amy, Whitney, Sophie, and I went into the city for a day of shopping at Union Square, the farmer's market, and the cheesecake factory. Whitney and I thought these sculpture things we rather hilarious, so we had to pose with them.

Hanging out on Sunday night, me, Lindsay, and Lucy on the couch.

Now, I could have added some pictures from Sam's time alone in Utah. They would all have been him sitting in front of a computer or sitting in front of a tv.

The Trooper and The Traveler

A view into the last week of Sam and Courtney

The Trooper
Sam is the trooper this week because he has been such a good sport about being alone. Sam has watched many movies and played many video games. He told me he even cleaned the apartment he has been so bored. He has been working a bunch this week and even had an interview for a new job this fall as a student editor at the church's motion picture studio. We crossing our fingers that they could tell what a great guy and a talented editor Sam is. Sam went to play video games with my brother, Scott, and Sam is anxiously awaiting my return.

The Traveler
I have been spending the week in Palo Alto with my sisters. My nieces have grown so much since I saw them at Christmas. I was here for my niece's 6th birthday and we had a pirate-themed birthday party for her. We all dressed up as pirates and had about 25 children running around outside searching for buried treasure. Yesterday we spent the entire day in the city. My brother-in-law took my two older nieces so it was just me, my two sisters, and my youngest niece, Sophie (1 year old). We went to the farmer's market and the arts and craft fair. We went shopping for a few hours at Union Square, an amazing outdoor mall. We ended the day with an early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. The weather has been absolutely fantastic, and I am really enjoying this break, gearing me up for school to start again on Tuesday.

Sam is so relieved to be done with school and will be working full-time all summer. In addition to his normal job as a film editor, he is also working as the producer for the feature The Adventures of Food Boy, the full-length version of the short film he made last summer. I am going to school both spring and summer terms and starting a part-time job at the BYU bindery for spring term. Starting summer term, I will be working in the Writing Center again as the grammar tutor. I also applied for an editing internship with BYU's Intercultural Outreach, so we'll see how that goes.

I'll post some pictures of my trip and our adventures in a few days.

Last Day of School!

Today is Sam's and my last day of school for the semester! I will be working like mad over the next few days to finish projects and study for finals. Sam will be fleeing the state to Las Vegas to hear one of his editor-role models, Walter Murch, speak at some sort of film convention. I will be fending for myself for my first night alone since being married. I suppose it's fair, since I am leaving Sam for 6 days next week to go to California to visit my sisters.

We are both so excited that this semester is over. It has been stressful for both of us, but we are just that much closer to graduation: 2 terms for me and 2 semesters for Sam. Woohoo!

Best Birthday Ever

My birthday was on Tuesday and Sam was a stellar celebrator! First, he woke me up with breakfast in bed. Sam researched recipes for crepes for a couple weeks, so he picked a recipe and surprised me with my favorite breakfast food. After eating crepes together, I got up for the day to celebrate the big 2-2. I had a great day-- my co-workers gave me a birthday card, and then Sam came in while I was working with a bunch of balloons and a beautiful flower. He stayed for a while and we hung out for a little bit. He left for class and I finished work. Sam has class late most nights, so I headed home and did some homework. We had planned on getting Thai food for dinner, but didn't check what time the restaurant closes. When Sam got home, they were already closed. So, we though we'd try Chinese. That restaurant was closed too, so we ordered pizza. Sam had picked up an ice cream cake on his way home, we enjoyed the tasty Dairy Queen treat with our pizza while talked and watched tv.

I also had some calls from the family. My parents are on a road trip and called me from Idaho in the morning. My sisters and my brother called me. And I had a great message from Don and Diane singing me happy birthday (they also sent me a card), and Jen called me at work! What a treat to talk to so many people!

All in all, it was a fabulous birthday. I definitely have some big shoes to fill come July 4th!

Welcome!

I have seen a bunch of family blogs lately, and decided Sam and I should have a blog. Look forward to updates on our family!