Disney or bust.

In a few hours Jazz and I are boarding a plane to Orange County to meet with my family and spend a couple days at DISNEYLAND!

Things I am hoping to do on this trip:

1. Watch Jazz experience the magic that is Disneyland.
2. Follow my mom as she drags us to Splash Mountain at midnight.
3. Eat lots and lots of churros.
4. Catan showdown with the California Sumsions.
5. See baby Madilyn, who I hear isn't so little anymore!
6. Buy an ornament.
7. Wear my pedometer and track my zillions of steps.
8. Stay up way too late and get up way too early. Sumsion vacations tend to be a bit...organized.

and stayed tuned for an update on the ongoing Nancy/Nelly debate. Its getting very political.

A horse of a dilemma...

So. Many of you participated in our friendly "What should we name our neighborly horse" poll we had up for the last few weeks. You will notice to the right that the results are displayed in a dead tie. What I want to know is

WHO VOTED FOR NANCY???

Really people, cmon. This horse is neither a secretary nor a school teacher therefore it should not ever be named Nancy. This was Jazz's choice and I'm sure some of you voted purely for that reason. Let's just say I'm glad Jazz will not be naming our children by himself. (No Jazz, He-Man can not be considered)

Nelly is a beautiful horse name. It is soft and smooth. It can be used many different situations, such as: "Gmorning Nelly!" and "Cmere Nelly!" and "Whoa, Nelly" Nelly is a perfect horse name.

Here is a picture of our unnamed horse:

*editors note: this little mask on Horse's face isn't to punish her or be mean. Its a fly mask used to keep bugs and infections out. It is netted so she can see through it and get to her delicious grass and cool refreshing water.

Now, doesn't this beautiful horse deserve a beautiful name? SUCH AS NELLY!

How are we going to settle this silly, drawn out debate? If you would be so kind as to leave a comment stating what name you prefer, and a legitimate reason why you prefer it, we would greatly appreciate it.

Here are some pictures from our neck of the woods aka our driveway. No, we don't live on a farm. Just NEXT to one.

Jazz's Side:

Whoa Nancy!

Here are the reasons why I chose Nancy, for the most beautiful horse name ever! Nancy and I have had many conversations, and here are a few of her memorable quotes for reasons why her name is Nancy:

1. “My name is Nancy, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Mother to a murdered son, Wife to a murdered husband. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”

2. “You bring the crowns and heads of conquered kings to my city steps. You insult my king. You threaten my horses with slavery and death! Oh, I've chosen my words carefully, Jazz. Perhaps you should have done the same! I am Nancy!

3. “Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of horsekind. "Horsekind." That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it's fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom... Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution... but from annihilation. We are fighting for our right to live. To exist. And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate Nancy Day!

I could go on and on, but these are 3 great reasons why Nancy should be named Nancy! I rest my case

Our weekend in photos

Saturday, Jazz made homemade fluffy waffles with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.

Heaven.

Scrabs came up and we had a sleepover. We played Catan, and I totally won. (suckas!)

Who knew you could make scrumptious golden brown marshmallows on a burner?

*Warning. Do not touch marshmallow to burner. It WILL light on fire.

Cookie decorating! With Mo's fancy cake stuff!

Me sporting my favorite Monterey Bay Aquarium tee.

These cookies + cold milk = love.

Sunday lunch made by Chef Jazzypants.

Other activities included: catching up on our weekday tv shows, tending baby Adi, watching 8 episodes of project runway, Frisbee, the park, church, and a big ol fatty nap. Yeah, it was pretty much awesome.

Haunted Houses

When I moved to Utah in 2002, I noticed a few things that are different here. It snows a lot. People don't use their blinkers. Mountain is pronounced meow-tin. Teasing hair is an art form. There is no In-n-Out. (This is a crime.)

Another thing that Utah has is haunted houses. I mean, the kind where you actually pay money to walk around in dark, scary hallways and scream when a 14 year old jumps out at you looking like Freddie Krueger. Last weekend we went to the Castle of Chaos with Sabs, Mo, their friend Beth, and Mo's newly acquired man friend Adam.

Here we are looking foxy. Morgans body looks oddly twisted. And Sabs looks like Zeus.

Here is my adorable husband wearing his oh-so-cuddly sweatshirt.

I gave the Castle of Chaos a 5. It was kinda entertaining, mostly just dark, and also way too short. The company we were keeping, however, received a 10.

Last night Jazz and I went with our married friends Garrett and Sydney to the Haunted Forrest down in American Fork. I think we were more excited to go on a double date with grown up married people than we were to go to the actual haunted house. These people are the fun kind- the kind you want to hang out with. We had a blast.

Look at us all matching and we DIDN'T EVEN MEAN TO.

This guy was super creepy and followed us for awhile. I just pretended it was my friend.

This part was the worst part. It was like two big cushy things squished together, and you had to walk through them for like ten feet. Yeah I'm really claustrophobic. This did not go over well.

Whats that you say? My husband is handsome? I know!


And what is a blog post full of pictures without a selfie.

Tricky Topic

Most of the topics on our blog are pretty light and fluffy. See here, here, and here. However, once in awhile I feel the need to discuss something a tad more meaty. See here, and here.

This is one of those times. This particular topic is tough because I have many friends who might be offended by what I say. Proposition 8 is being voted on here in a few weeks, and I want to say why I would vote yes, why my parents are voting yes, and why I am encouraging everyone to vote yes.

I believe that marriage is sacred and is ordained of God.

"Marriage is not primarily a contract between individuals to ratify their affections and provide for mutual obligations. Rather, marriage and family are vital instruments for rearing children and teaching them to become responsible adults."

"We solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children . . . The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity."

Prop 8 isn't a hate amendment, it isn't a vote for discrimination. It is a moral measure taken to preserve the family unit, which is vital to our Heavenly Father's plan.

For more information, visit:

Divine Institution of Marriage

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Protect Marriage

Convo with Jazz

Jazz: "Hey, can I hook my ipod to your laptop?"

Me: "Of course! What songs do you want?"

Jazz: "WOMANIZER, I need it for the gym"

Me: "Oh, really??"

Jazz: "Yeah, I gotta get my other favorites too."

Me: "What other favorites?"

Jazz: "You know, Lucky, Stronger, and Baby, One More Time. All the good ones."


My husband is so awesome.

10/17/08

I'm so glad its Friday. Taking NyQuil makes it nearly impossible to move any of my limbs when I wake up. My phone alarm went off this morning and I said, "Excuse me alarm, you want me to do WHAT?" And then I threw my phone directly into the wall where it smashed into a million pieces. Just kidding. Kind of.

Jazz spewed milk out of his nose last night. It might have been the single most awesome moment of our entire relationship. I could not stop laughing... I was literally on the ground in a little hamster fetus position. He was still laughing while dripping goo over the sink, and looked up and said "awww my mouf tastes like frow up!" And then I resumed my hamster fetus position.

Speaking of throw up. I bought a pink trench coat from banana republic that is SO CUTE. I can't find it anywhere online, which makes me feel even more special, but when I wear it I will force Jazz to take a picture of me. I'm excited.

More excitement:
2 weeks until Oktoberfest '08 in Disneyland
6 weeks until Thanksgiving
10 weeks until Christmas

Where does the time go???

dear tonsils

Dear Tonsils,

Its such a surprise to hear from you again! I kinda thought we had an agreement--- I would have somebody take a giant knife and gently carve you out of my sensitive throat so you could run free, and in return you would GO AWAY AND STOP BOTHERING ME. Tonsils, I know its been awhile. Its been 16 whole months of us going along in our separate lives, when out of the blue *BAM* you take me out.

Now, I feel like I have been pretty fair to you. I followed through on my end...I even submitted to some extra local anesthesia so you would be comfortable whilst the scapel did its thang. I sent you to a fun day of "tests" at the lab to make sure you were nice and healthy.

After we were separated I had a really hard time. I missed your company so much that I puked. Many, many many times. I was so sad I didn't eat for weeks. I just laid in bed, contemplating my decision to part ways. In the end I knew I had made the right choice, it really was the best thing for both of us.

Yet here we are again- downing NyQuil and Sudafed and all your other favorite treats. This was not part of our agreement. This should not be happening. You should be off with all the other tonsils, in a career now, raising little tonsils and teaching them all about tonsilitis. I know you love me, we have many good memories together...Burrito Bandito...In-n-Out...Mom's Ham Ring. But this has to stop.

I appreciate your visit, but you have to be on your way- and soon. I look forward to your Christmas card- you and Jazz's tonsils sure look great together.

Best Regards,

Your Former Mouth.

Just some loose ends...

1. I can't believe that we woke up to two inches of snow. um, hello its October.

2. Whats better than a movie about adorable talking chihuahuas? The answer is NOTHING. We saw Beverly Hills Chihuahua on Saturday night and it was awesome. Jazz wants everyone to know that I cried. Is anyone really that surprised...I didn't think so.

3. Just recently it has come to my attention how completely and totally overjoyed I am to not be in school. Midterms and papers and homework are so overrated and my life is exponentially better now that I don't loathe every day of class.

4. Why have I never used Press n Seal before? This stuff is like magic!

5. Sometimes the most delicious thing in the world is a really cold glass of 2 percent milk. I'm not normally a milk drinker-- but give me some chocolate chip cookies, rice krispy treats, or zucchini bread and that glass of milk is so incredibly satisfying. The trick is to have the right milk to treat ratio, because running out of one or the other is absolutely catastrophic.

6. I know I talk about it a lot...but being married to Jazz is the best. He has this little wheezy giggle that is just so cute I can't stand it. And he smells really, really delicious. Still finding joy in the journey.

The infamous Cheese Face appeared this weekend.

Finding joy in our journey.

Our weekend was seriously great. Saturday at 4 am I couldn't sleep, which is odd, because usually I can sleep anytime, anywhere. So I got up and tried to be productive. I made cinnamon rolls from scratch for the first time ever, and they were seriously delish. I would share them, but we ate them all. Sorry about that.

I am going to let you in on a shopping little secret. Two words: General Conference. The Gateway was totally abandoned by all the good people attending GC...I swear I was the only one in Anthopologie. A whole store just to myself- this is how Oprah must feel! Now before you get all judgy, I did set my Tivo to record both sessions so you just shut your mouth.

Sunday's sessions of general conference were awesome. Do you ever feel like one or two talks were specifically written for you? President Monson gave this talk about finding the joy in the journey-- really enjoying where you are in life, because it all goes by so quickly. Seriously, I felt like he was sitting in my living room saying "Sister Sorensen..I would really like to talk to you for a minute..."

I am so anxious for things. For dogs and for babies, for a house and for being grown up. Jazz knows this because I talk about it every single day. I suddenly freak out when I realize that we are getting so incredibly old and THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME. He keeps reminding me that we have lots of time, and to slow down and stop being so dang dramatic. So this is my new goal- not to be able to buy a house next year or to have a baby before I'm 26-- but to really enjoy everything that I have right now.

In between the sessions on Sunday, Jazz and I went for a walk to the park near our house. There is this big overlook of the canyon, right at the mouth of Little Cottonwood. We just held hands and sat on the bench and looked at the fall leaves and the snow on the tips of the mountains. It was one of those times of total contentment, complete bliss. There was no place on the entire earth that I would rather have been than sitting there in the cold with my best friend.

All the things I'd rather be doing.

Here are all the things I'd rather be doing than sitting bored at work:

• Browsing Anthropologie. My good friend Brianne blogged about Anthro a few weeks ago, and ever since then I have been itching to get down to the Gateway. I could buy one of everything there...except then I would be homeless. Its a tad pricey.
• Exercising of some sort. Its perfect outside, not too hot and not too cold ("All you need is a light jacket!). I feel like Jabba the Hutt sitting at my desk all day. Do you think I could install a treadmill in front of my computer?
• Playing with Jazz. We just got LEGO BATMAN for the Wii and we haven't even had a chance to play it yet. Not even fair. Although last night I did reclaim my crown as reigning Queen of Catan. Jazz has been wearing the tiara for a few weeks now and I'm glad I finally got it back.
  
• Baking. Baking bread. Baking cupcakes. Baking delicious fall treats. And then eating them. Last night I made my mom's awesome recipe of zucchini bread. After a small set back, (yeah I purchased cucumbers. not zucchinis. they are very different.) the bread came out really tasty and reminded me of home.
• Organizing our closet, taking out summer clothes and replacing them with warm, winter clothes. This is one of my favorite things to do ever. I love love love fall.
  
• Playing with someone else's dog. We can't have any pets at our apartment, and I am seriously dying to have a puppy. Like, sometimes I want one so bad I can't breathe and I fall over on the ground hyperventilating. Jazz just ignores this behavior. *note to self: come up with new behavior that is too irritating to ignore.
• Pretty much anything and everything at this point. My days drag like the bottoms of Sabrina's pants.

Any ideas? What can I do at work to fill my time?