A New Way Wii Waste Time

This past winter, Erik and I decided one Saturday night to buy a Nintendo Wii. It was cold, snowy and we had nothing to do...it was a very random decision seeing as neither one of us are "gamers".

We played it for a few weeks and then it sat in the cupboard accumulating dust until we realized recently that we should probably play it more. It's a lot of fun but when I think about how many hours we've wasted playing Mario Kart, it's kind of depressing. Thankfully for Erik, when I get tired of playing (and losing), his friend Jon comes over and will play with him until two in the morning. :)

(Sort of) New Church Callings

I have become such a horrible blog poster lately. After reading my cousin-in-law's blog this afternoon, I was reminded that one of the reasons I have a blog is for "journaling" purposes and that eventually, I will download all of my blog posts and get them bound in a book. So, being that it is Sunday, I figured I would do a post on our "new" church callings.

Last month, Erik and I were called to be the Ward Program Editors. I have to say, this calling is right up my alley. I don't have to do anything in front of anyone, have nothing to be nervous about, it's totally computer oriented, and it requires barely any time. Every week, I update the sacrament meeting schedule and add any new announcements, birthday's and lesson titles. I also find a picture on the church website for the cover that somehow correlates to the subject of the meeting. Erik and I then go to the church building on Saturday's and copy and fold all of the programs for the next day.

I really enjoy sharing a calling with Erik and every Sunday morning while I sit in sacrament meeting, I look over the program and analyze every little mistake I've made and think about how I can improve it. I do owe a BIG thanks to my Dad. He does the program for their ward in Bermuda and was the one that came up with the genius template. Thanks Dad!

On another note....Erik was just called today to teach in Elder's Quorum on the 4th Sunday of every month as well. He is such an amazing teacher and I think this calling is right up his alley.

Not One, but TWO Graduations

Today was graduation day for Erik and I. Well, I graduated in December, but walked in the commencement ceremony this morning with Erik who just finished getting his Masters degree in Finance.

It was really fun to be with Erik during the ceremony. I was supposed to sit in the Bachelor degree section but Erik and I wanted to sit together so I joined the other Master recipients on the floor. I felt a little stupid at the beginning but got over it quickly until we had to stand at the end (and keep in mind, our seats were on the floor right in front of the podium). They asked everyone getting a Master's to stand. Everyone on the floor around me stood. Then, they asked everyone getting a Bachelor's to stand; so I reluctantly stood. This is when I really got embarrassed. It was pretty much just me standing on the Huntsman Center floor for that moment. Oh well.

I am so happy to finally be graduated and also very happy for Erik. He put in so many hours these last couple of years to finish his Master's degree and we are both elated to finally be done with school. I wish my parents (well, any of my family for that matter) would have been able to be at the ceremony with us. Thankfully, Erik's parents, sister and son, and grandparents were able to make it. It was a beautiful sunny day and the perfect way to say goodbye to the "U". Well, until football season that is. :)

Not Much To Post

I've been feeling guilty lately for the lack of attention I've paid to blog posting. Our lives are pretty boring right now and there really isn't much to tell all of you about. Every day we wake up pretty late, get a bunch of work done, usually watch a movie, work out and end up going to sleep around 2am. I think it's starting to catch up with me....the fact that my sleeping schedule is all screwed up. I find myself tired all through out the day.

The only semi-new thing that's been going on in the Olafsson household is how much time we waste playing a game called "Settlers of Catan". At first, it looked really boring and very korny, but it's very addictive. I've even dreamt about it and in the middle of the night once, when Erik asked me something 'cause he couldn't sleep, I told him to "go buy some ore". You'll understand if you play the game. :) Erik, Kari (his sister) and I are the standard players. We usually play for about 4 hours after our Sunday dinner at the parent's house. It's been a wonderful way for us to get to know Kari more. I've gotten a little better at it, but Erik and Kari seem to be the typical winners. I only win about 1 every 5 or 6 times. Have you ever played this game?


Anyway....we do actually have an exciting event going on this Friday which I will post about after the fact so stay tuned. After that's over with, I'm going to try and make something exciting happen. Our blog is suffering. :)

What's So Cool About Twitter?

Unless you've been living in a cave recently, I'm sure you've heard about the latest social networking fad, Twitter. Seriously though, I don't understand why this is so cool. Everyone from President Obama to Ashton Kutcher to Oprah are twittering.

I'm assuming the only people that tweet on a daily basis are those with Blackberry's or some sort of hand held device so that they can upload their tweet's constantly throughout the day and I am not one of them. First off, I'm not important enough to warrant having a Blackberry. I'm not cool enough either seeing as the only people that ever call me are my family and lastly, why would anyone be interested in reading what I am doing at that very second? No one is going to find "playing with my dog and her squeeky toys" even remotely interesting. I'm sure my blog posts are boring enough for my family and friends to read and I only update that about once a week.

A friend of mine convinced me to create a Twitter account a few months ago but I have never used it. Every morning I get emails saying someone is following me. But why would someone want to "follow me" when I never say anything? Strange. Just like I ignored everything to do with Twilight (I have never seen the movie and never plan to) I have no intention on jumping on this bandwagon.

I just don't get it. What is the big deal about Twitter?

Are You Ready?

I can't believe it....summer is only 2 months away. Usually, it catches me by surprise, but this year I am trying to face it head on. We all have our problem spots when it comes to our bodies and I've made a couple of goals for myself this year. First, work out 6 days a week with my P90X program. Second, for that one hour I am exercising, push myself harder than ever because once that hour is over, it is over. And lastly, stop eating when I'm no longer hungry.

You may think this is kind of a weird post for me to be writing publicly, but it's really for my own good. It's almost 10pm and I still haven't worked out yet today. I've been putting it off all day and need some extra motivation if I'm ever going to get off my lazy bum.

As of January, I have been working out to my P90X DVD's almost every day. I'm sure you've all seen the corny infomercials on TV and well; they got me. I am here to say that these are the hardest 12 workouts I have ever done in my entire life. If you are looking for a workout program, I highly recommend you get P90X. I haven't reached my personal goals yet, but that is due to the fact that I have horrible eating habits. I've just got to stop buying these Double Stuf Oreo's.

Anyway, I've been doing this program for 4 months now and the exercises never get any easier. The big thing that P90X pushes is "muscle confusion" and it really does work. The 15 minute ab video is still extremely hard for me. So, if you are stuck in an exercise rut and are looking for something new and that will kick your butt every single day....buy P90X.

Well, I guess I can’t stall anymore. Here goes another workout. Ugh!

Hiking in Moab

The Olafsson's....Erik, me, and of course Khloe....took a quick trip down to Moab last weekend. Before we got to our hotel, we stopped at Fisher Towers and it was snowing. We couldn't see much of anything through the fog and it was freezing cold. I thought our whole trip was going to be ruined.

Our first night was spent at the Red Cliff Lodge (stay here if you ever visit Moab) and the next morning we woke up to more snow. Yuck! As the day went on, the snow melted and we were able to hike through Arches National Park but my pictures weren't turning out that great because the sky was so gray and gloomy. Bummer! It had been a long time since Erik and I had each been to Arches so it was really cool to see all of the sites again. It's amazing how these sites have been created through the years. They are absolutely beautiful.

The next morning, our last day in Moab, it was beautiful! The sun was shining and we were excited to take Khloe hiking at Dead Horse Pointe. She had SO much fun running around the slick rock and sniffing everything in site. I surprised myself at how nervous I got when she would get close to the edge. The thought of her leash breaking and her falling down the cliff scared me to death!

We hiked around for a while and then decided to go bach to Arches so we could hike up to the Delicate Arch which we missed the day before. Khloe stayed in her doggy backpack this time and people thought she was so dang cute!!!

Overall, our weekend was great. The weather warmed up, Khloe enjoyed her very first vacation/road trip and it was really nice to spend time together as a family. Vacations are the best!

Why I Love My Dog So Much

"A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes or designer clothes. A water-logged stick will do just fine. A dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he’ll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you seem rare, and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?" (Quote from Marley & Me)

Erik and I watched Marley & Me on Monday and if you haven't seen it yet, you must go rent it immediately. At times I laughed and at times I cried. Towards the end, tears streamed down my face like they never have during a movie. It made me so grateful to have Khloe by my side as I stumble through this life. She is my best friend and my confidant. I can always count on her to be there for me when I need her. No "human" friend could ever take her place and when I think about her life ending in the near future, my heart breaks into a million pieces. Like in the movie, Khloe doesn't care about having a big house or if I'm smart or pretty. The only thing she wants from me is my love and nothing else in the world matters.

In need of a true friend? Buy a dog!

(Khloe and I at Dead Horse Point in Moab last weekend.)

The Truth About Motherhood

Did you watch Oprah yesterday? The entire episode was based on the "Secret Lives of Mothers". Women were brutally honest about a side of motherhood that hardly anybody ever talks about.

Vicki, a mom of two, had a "pee incident" during a seven-hour drive with her kids. "I looked in the back, and the kids were sleeping, which was literally a miracle from God, but the problem was I had to pee," she says. "So I'm thinking, 'If I stop at a rest area, they're totally going to wake up, and I do not want them to wake up.' So I reached into the diaper bag, pulled out a diaper and I peed into it." How funny is that?

Yesterday's episode also touched on the feelings of inadequacy, fear of judgement by other mom's and being overwhelmed. I know all of you mother's out there probably feel this way everyday and I am right there with you (even though I'm not a mother). I know you're tired and feel like you should be doing so much more....we all do. But I promise you, you are a great mother. I admire you all.

In tribute to yesterday's Oprah show, please tell me....be honest....what is motherhood really like? What crazy thing happened to you today? Spill the beans.

Update: FRAME THIS! Blog

Here's a sneak peek of Linda's fabulous engagement photos taken last weekend. To see more photos of this session, check out the new blog post at

http://www.framethisphotography.wordpress.com/

See you there.

Shake'n It

Throughout the past 17 months of having Khloe, Erik and I have learned the new meaning of dedication and persistence. We haven't been the most committed "trick" teachers in the world, but I think we have done fairly well. Khloe knows how to sit, lay down, stand up, go to her bed, roll over and as of today....shake! This has been the hardest trick to teach Khloe and she finally did it on her own this afternoon. We got so excited; it really brightened our day!

Khloe is such a little cutie and has even turned Erik, a previous "dog-hater", into a devout animal lover. We stayed up until 1am last night watching Lions of Crocodile River on the Animal Planet. It's amazing how a parent's outlook on life changes once "children" come into the picture. I know....she is a dog, but to us, she's our precious baby girl. Anyway, I just had to post some pictures of my little Khloe doing her brand new trick. Now...what trick should we teach her next?

Family Visit

Last week my sister and her family visited from Las Vegas. Unfortunately, they were only making a pit stop because they were on their way home after being in Montana. During the few hours we got to see them, we went to the Draper temple open house and then back home for lunch. We also squeezed in a mini-shoot of my nephew, Blake, for his 6-month pictures. They turned out so cute! I love getting to spend time with my family even if it is only for a few hours. Hopefully we'll see them (as well as the rest of my family) very soon!

Erik's Birthday

Last Wednesday, March 11th, was Erik's birthday. It was kind of a low-key event this year, but we did eat dinner with his friends at Iggy's. Where else would Erik want to go for dinner on a night the Jazz are playing? :) For his present, I gave him two DVD's. The first gift was the official broadcast of the 2009 Sugar Bowl and the second was a highlight video from the Ute's 2004 football season. He didn't show me too much excitement, but I know he loved them because he watched both later that night. I think he's seen the Sugar Bowl about five times now from beginning to end.

A while ago, my Mom asked me to try and make cake pops since she didn't have all of the ingredients available in Bermuda and Erik's birthday was the perfect occassion. After I had started, I realized I didn't have a key piece of equipment; styrofoam. Where the heck was I going to dry these things without messing up my wet chocolate? I searched around my kitchen for something I could use and finally realized the wooden balls I have out for decoration would work perfectly. They turned out really cute and were delicious, although they take FOREVER to make!


All in all, it was another great birthday for Erik. I don't know if he'll think he's as lucky next year though....it's the big three zero.

Check This Out!

I am excited to announce the arrival of the FRAME THIS! Photography - BLOG. You can access the site by going here. Images from my latest photo shoots will be uploaded onto the website frequently. Feel free to comment on the posts and contact me if you'd like to schedule a portrait session. Enjoy!

Blog Site Address: http://www.framethisphotography.wordpress.com/

Sunshine and Sneezing

What does a beautiful 60 degree sunny day in March bring me? Sneezing, itchy/watery eyes and a runny nose. Ugh! Allergies ruin everything.

(This picture is not me, although we do kind of look alike.)

By the way, how is it that in the middle of the night, pollen seeps into my house and makes me miserable? Sneeky little things. And why is it that all allergy medicine knocks me out within the hour? I can't decide what's better....dealing with allergies all day or falling asleep for 3 hours and wasting my afternoon.