Summer makes me want...

...to play tennis!!

I'm not very good,

and sometimes it's hard to

find someone to play with,

so I content myself

with watching 

some of the most amazing

athletes battle it out.

There are four major 

tennis tournaments

every year, and I would

love to go to each one,

just once in my life.

In January,

the Australian Open

is played in Melbourne.

This is played on a hard court.

The winners this year were

the legendary Roger Federer

and Serena Williams.

Next up is 

the French Open,

held at Roland Garros, 

in Paris, France.

This tournament is played on clay

around the end of May.

The winners were

the exciting Rafael Nadal

and Francesca Schiavone.

Wimbledon,

played on grass at the

All England Lawn and Garden Club

outside of London,

concluded this weekend.

Both Rafael Nadal,

and Serena Williams

received their second 

titles of the year.

The last major event 

of the year is 

the US Open

played on decoturf at the 

National Tennis Center

in Flushing Meadows, 

New York.

I can't wait for the beginning

of September to get this

party started and to see

if Roger Federer

and Kim Clijsters

can repeat their wins

of last year.

Until then,

if anyone wants to play,

just let me know.

I've got rackets and a 

bucket of balls.

p.s. I know I'm a geek, 

but that's just the way it is :)

And that's how...

...we roll!

My new favorite tradition is 

Half-day Sushi Fridays!

My friend, Josselyn, and I

went to Ahh Sushi

for my birthday in Febraury.

We decided that we needed

to go every other month.

So, when April rolled around

we were back for more,

this time accompanied by

Josselyn's husband, Randy,

who doesn't even like sushi,

he just claims to enjoy the company.

Whatever!

That day, we decided that 

more was better, and this

needed to be a monthly occasion.

In May, Josselyn's Aunt Voi

came with us, and this month,

we were joined by Randy, 

and Josselyn's mom, Laurita.

We have enjoyed such rolls as

the Sunset, the Caterpillar,

Mt. Fuji, Funky Vegas,

Playboy, and the Confidential.

I'm already excited for 

our July excursion,

which will be on a Tuesday

in celebration of Josselyn's birthday.

There is an open invitation.

You are all welcome 

to join in the fun

and share the joy.

The more the merrier.  

Let's make it a party,

and let the good times roll!

Have you ever been...

...Busted?

There is a new crime-fighting magazine

in Salt Lake and Utah county.

It's called "Busted."
Pictures of people who have
recently been arrested or
who are non-registered sex offenders
are published here and can be
yours, for only a dollar!

My friend Stacie and I

were on our way to see

Mr. Bradley Cooper

in "The A-Team,"

when we were stopped

for an interview

about this new magazine.

I was laughing the whole time,

but Stacie managed to say

something intelligent enough

to get us on the news!

Click here to read the story.

For more fun, play the video clip 

to the right of the story.
Hope your picture doesn't
end up in the magazine
or you'll be as famous as me!
For Stacie's perspective,
click here.

Two things I can't eat together are...

...peanut butter and chocolate.

I know, I know!

Most people find this weird. 

I can't help it.

I've tried - more than once,

and I just don't like it.

Don't get me wrong.  

I like Peanut Butter,

and I love Chocolate,

just not together.

I'll even eat peanuts with chocolate.

There's just something about

chocolate and peanut butter.

Peanut butter is not dessert.

It's easy for me to say no

to peanut butter bars,

Reese's anything,

and don't even think of putting

peanut butter in rice crispy treats!

But I tried something new.

A snickers fudge bar.

And I liked it.

The description says:

Snickers Fudge 

with peanut butter nougat & peanuts

wrapped in milk chocolate.

I was nervous to try it, 

but I'm happy to report,

I would definitely try it again.

Do you ever get sucked in...

...by infomercials?
I do, I admit it.
For some reason at 1, or 2, or 3
in the morning
everything sounds
Amazing! Fantastic!
Can't live without it!
And for ONLY 3 easy payments
of $19.95, plus S&H,
it's yours!
Hence the reason
Zumba
is now one of
my favorite things to do.
I didn't actually give in
and buy the DVD's,
but I did find out
that they teach classes
at the local rec center.
I talked a couple of people
into coming with me,
and I think we'll all agree
that it's definitely a good time!

Where have I...

...been hiding?
Back in the day
(and by that, I mean up until
a little over 2 months ago),
I used to run through
a list of blogs daily.
It started with Cakewrecks,
and grew to include
NieNie, CJane,
The Spohrs Are Multiplying,
and of course,
a host of family and friends.
It was because of this habit
that I decided to
start my own blog.
Sadly, my blogspot viewing time
has been greatly reduced
since it's no longer an option
for me between 7 & 4.
This has directly affected
my own blogging habits.
Not to mention,
life has been a little
on the hectic side:
Still getting settled in my place,
getting the Parents and D'Art
settled in faraway Tooele,
Dad's quintuple bypass surgery,
ReAL Salt Lake Soccer season,
regular work and church activities,
all while trying to maintain
some semblance of a social life.
For the Blog Nazi
(you know who you are),
and for anyone else who cares
I promise to do better!
p.s. Even if that means losing a little sleep :)
p.p.s. Maybe because I'm
losing sleep over this,
I can't get this post to
format the way I want it to.
Frustrating enough to
scare me away for good?
Not a chance!

You're never too old...

...to have a happy childhood!

On the spur of the moment

a group of friends found themselves

at the local Boondocks Fun Center.

Andrew, Elise, Angie, Marcos,

Holly, Chris, and me, of course :)

Elise wins the prize for

getting the most tickets,

although I think she rigged

the Ballon Pop game!

Andrew should have taken

the Deal from the Banker -

No Deal is not always your best option!

Angie needs to practice her

Dance Dance Revolution skills

cuz I know she can kill it!

Probably the most random sight

of the whole evening was the lady

who had staked out the

winning ticket machine.

Listen up Lady -

There's a Fun Bus to Wendover,

maybe next time that would be a

better option instead of scaring

the young at heart :)

Gotta love the good times!

33 things I loved...

...about MY BIRTHDAY this year:

(in no particular order!)

1. A new bath robe

2. Dove chocolate and Skittles

3. 1/2 day off work

4. Homemade bracelet with

5. Matching earrings

6. Homecooked dinner

7. Happy Birthday phone calls

8. Stylish new hat

9. Family birthday dinner

10. Birthday texts

11. Crystal Garden Wish Flower

12. Chocolate Almond Amore

13. Facebook birthday wishes

14. Prison Break: Behind the Scenes book

15. Whipped Cream filled Chocolate Cupcakes

16. Song from the Primary kids

17. Manicure and

18. Pedicure with

19. Paraffin Wax

20. Italian Doughnuts

21. Old Navy

22. Burt's Bees

23. Ahh Sushi, especially the

24. Funky Vegas and Sunset rolls

25. Reading the Last Song

26. Gel earphones

27. Pineapple Upside Down Cake

28. Birthday wishes in languages other than English

29. Shape Ups (birthday present to myself)

30. Sunshine

31. Birthday treat from the Bishop

32. (500) Days of Summer

33. Perfect birthday cards

Much love to everyone who helped

make it a great week long experience!

Ship out or...

...Shape Up!

That's right folks.

I am now

the proud owner

of these shoes.

Here's a question for you:

When was the last time

you bought shoes

that came with an

instruction DVD?

So far, so good.

These shoes are

cute and comfortable.

And good for you.

I'll let you know

how they work out :)