The Cook Book

Dexter

2012-01-26T09:53:00.000-08:00

So Mike got the family a puppy for Christmas. We decided to name him Dexter. He is really smart and we love him even though he is a handful at times. He is pretty much potty trained. Haylee likes and hates him. She mostly likes him unless he is jumping on her or play biting her. He is a great addition to the family.

San Diego Trip

2012-01-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

So this past weekend I was able to go to San Diego for my sisters sealing. She got sealed in the San Diego Temple. I have to tell you it was the prettiest temple that I have ever been in. Elyse go her endowments out and then sealed to Steve on the same day. So it was a busy day but such a great day. I am grateful that I was able to go and witness her sealing. The spirit was so strong. I am thankful for Mike and Kathie for watching Haylee for me while I went.

Another reason I went was to see Steve before he gets deployed. It was nice being able to spend time with Steve and Elyse. While I was there I helped them move their stuff into a storage unit because Elyse is moving back to Utah until Steve gets back, and then we were able to go to the beach, play cards, and visit. It was such a great trip and I am so thankful for the gospel and being able to be sealed to my whole family. I love you Steve and Elyse and I am so proud of both of you.

So Steve let me try on some of his Marine gear that he has to wear. It is really heavy and this isn't even all of it, he would still have to add a backpack on top of all this. In the picture I am trying to look tough. It doesn't work very well but it was still fun.

All in all the trip was amazing and I am so grateful for the time I got to spend with my family even though I missed Mike and Haylee like crazy.

Haylee's First Birthday.

2011-12-23T08:42:00.000-08:00

Haylee's Birthday was on December 21st. I can't believe she is already 1. We are so grateful to have her in our lives and she has brought us so much joy. She is a miracle and had taught me so much. I love her so much and it's a privilege to be her mother.

So the morning of her birthday she opened her presents from just mom and dad. Then later that night we had a small family party. It was so much fun. Thank you guys for showing up and supporting us in Haylee's Birthday, and thank you for all the gifts for Haylee she loves them.

Haylee's gifts from mom and dad.

Party decorations.

Opening presents from family. She loved them all.

She just dug right in her cupcake without any hesitation. All in all it was a great day and had so much fun. Haylee we love you and glad you are part of our lives.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-02T21:58:00.000-08:00

I love Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holidays. I love getting together with family, eating all that good food, and just being able to be with the ones I love. This Thanksgiving has been extra special because it was Haylee's first. I am so grateful for her and can't believe it has almost been a year since she has come into our life. Haylee is like her mother and loved all the food we ate and spending time with family, taking baths with her cousin, and being with her aunts and uncles.

A little update on Haylee as well. She is now 11 months. Last month she learned how to crawl, and then this month she stands up on everything she can get her hands on. I think she will be walking very soon. Haylee loves to talk. She loves to talk to anything, mostly her toys and the cat. It is so cute watching her do this. I love it. She has started saying more words, she finally says mama. The thing she has just started doing is when she sees the cat she will say "kitty, meow meow." and when we ask her what a puppy says she does this cute little woof, woof. I can't believe my baby is going to be 1 in 20 days. I am excited, and kind of sad that she has grown up so quickly. But I love Haylee and I am so grateful that she is a healthy, happy, baby.

10 months

2011-10-24T13:37:00.001-07:00

Haylee is 10 months old. She is getting so big and growing up so fast. She has so much personality and I still can't believe she will be a year old in 2 months.

Some facts about Haylee.

1- She has found her loud voice and will scream and squeak. She loves to smile and laugh especially when you make funny faces at her.

2- Her hair is still out of control.

3- We can finally put pigtails in her hair.

4- She is almost crawling. She will get up on all 4's and crawl backwards but now forwards yet.

5- She can hold her bottle now but only when she feels like it.

6- Her favorite foods are eggs, strawberries, sweet potatoes, and bread.

7- She can say Dada and Kitty

8- Loves to play patty cake and her favorite song is wheels on the bus.

She is such a happy girl and we love her so much!

Family in Town

2011-10-24T13:13:00.001-07:00

So at the beginning of this month my sister Elyse came from California to stay with my mom for the month while her husband Steve went to Yuma to work and then my brother Tony and his wife Rachel and there daughter Evelyn came to visit the second week of October. It has been so fun and Haylee has really loved being able to see and get to know her Aunts and

Uncle and her cousin and so am I.

Haylee and Evelyn. Evelyn was so good with Haylee and helpful.

Cousins playing together.

Grandma pushing Evelyn and Haylee in the wagon. They both loved it and didn't want her to stop.

First Trip To The Park

2011-09-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

So Labor Day was Haylee's first trip to the park. I had a horrible migraine in the morning and Mike was kind enough to watch Haylee while I rested. Thanks Mike. In the afternoon we picked up some food and headed over to the park. It was a really nice day and we had a lot of fun. I think its safe to say that Haylee loves to swing. All in All it was a good labor day.

Haylee has been so happy lately. I really love this stage she is in. She is finding new things all the time and interacts with everyone all the time. She is so sweet and I mean how can you look at her sweet face and not love her.

June Already

2011-06-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is already June.

Haylee has been growing up so fast. I remember everybody telling me that and me thinking yeah yeah. But now that I have a child it is so true I really can't believe how fast time goes. Haylee is almost 6 months old. She now eats baby food. She is more interactive with her world. She knows who I am and who Mike is. She has so much personality and loves other children. She is also starting to be able to entertain herself better and doing better when she is left alone in a room. She sleeps through the night for the most part and is a very happy baby.

I also can't believe that we have been living in our house for 2 years now. I love having a home a good neighborhood for Haylee to be able to grow up in. Mike and I are going on 6 years of marriage and even though it has been hard at times I love him more then anything and am so grateful I am sealed to him for time and all eternity. My life is so blessed and I am so grateful for all that I have.

Here are some pictures of Haylee over the past few months.

Haylee 4 months

2011-04-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

Haylee turned 4 months on the 21st and I can't believe time has gone by so fast. Haylee is such a good baby and her personality is finally coming out more. She is such a good baby. She is pretty mellow unless she wants something and then she will tell you. She can go from happy to mad in about 2 seconds. She rolled over for the first time on April 27th. She is almost always smiling and has started to laugh a little.

Things Haylee likes
-She loves bath time
-She loves to read stories
-She loves being rocked to sleep and for the most part still likes to cuddle
-She loves getting undressed and being naked.
-Loves when Daddy bounces her on his lap
-Smiles every morning when we go and get her out of bed.
-Loves to sit in her bumbo and watch what is going on
-and she is fascinated by watching mom and dad eat
-She loves being outside

Things Haylee Hates
-she hates being left alone
-Hates her car seat more then anything
-Thinks it's torture getting dressed
-does not like tummy time

All in all she is a really good baby and we have enjoyed every second from the day she was born sans the crying spells that seemed like they would never end. She has started to sleep through most of the night, and she loves her routine for bedtime.I can't even begin to describe the love that I feel for her and I am so grateful for Mike for being such a good dad and helping out with her. Haylee loves spending time with her dad. She also had her first taste of rice cereal. She seems okay with it but I don't think she is quite ready to eat it all the time. She is getting so big and is such a joy in our lives. I am extremely grateful to my Heavenly Father for sending me such a amazing baby.

Here are some pictures of her over the past few months.

The flower is as big as Haylee's head.
Haylee's new toy. She loves it.

Loves her bumbo.

Watching Conference. She looks like she is very into the speaker and deep in thought.

Haylee 2 months

2011-03-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

Haylee is getting so big. We love having her around. Motherhood is so much better then I thought it would be. Mike is an awesome dad, he feeds her and bathes her when he gets home from work. He loves her so much, I think he takes more pictures of her then I do. The other day he got up with her in the morning so I could sleep in and Mike came into our room with Haylee all dressed up. It was so cute because he was so proud that he picked her outfit out and got her ready.
Haylee has the sweetest spirit. So is generally a happy baby now that we figured out that she has acid reflux. She loves to smile and is now starting to figure out how to use her hands. They are in her mouth a lot lately. She loves to take baths and is always happy in the water. She doesn't want to get out when it is time. I had to go back to work last week so my mom is watching her on the days I work. I have had a hard time adjusting to being away from her but she has been awesome so far with no major problems as of yet. Here are some pictures of her from the past month. Enjoy!

More Haylee!

2011-01-31T19:56:00.001-08:00

Baby is cute.

This is our current favorite picture of Haylee

She's starting to smile :)

I loves me some bath.

Haylee with cousin Ruby

Cousin Evelyn wants Haylee's "Chupee"

Haylee's Pictures

2011-01-10T16:57:00.000-08:00

Haylee got her pictures taken the other day and I think that they turned out really good. I really love this little girl and can't believe how much she is already changing in such a short time. Haylee's blessing was on Sunday Jan. 2, 2011. It was really beautiful and I think that Mike did a great job. Thanks to Grandma Cook for her beautiful dress, I love it. Well hear are some pictures. I hope you like them.

Haylee is home

2010-12-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

We brought Haylee home from the hospital on Thurday Dec. 23. She is such a good baby. I keep thinking that it is too good to be true. The first night with her being home went really well. She had her first bath, and she slept really well. She only woke up a few times. Mike and I are so blessed to have her in our lives and I am extremely grateful for this sweet spirit. Here are some pictures. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

A new baby is born! (Our Baby)

2010-12-22T14:58:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning we welcomed Haylee Marie Cook into our lives. She weighs 6 lbs 3 oz, is 18 inches long. Born at 11:30 am on December 21, 2010. Baby and Mom are doing well.

Funny Picture

2010-10-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to show you guys a funny picture. That's my sister in law to my right and my mom to my left. That hair was pretty sweet.

And The Comments Have Started!

2010-08-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

So even though I am only 21 weeks, the comments about me being pregnant have started. Twice this week 2 different people have made comments about my weight. The first one stated "You don't even look pregnant, you just look like you have gained weight." and the second one stated "Oh your pregnant, I thought you were just fat."
Okay so one was a patient and she was old but the other was my age and in my eyes not acceptable to say. To make a long story short if you don't know what to say or have something mean to say keep your mouth shut!

Weird Dog

2010-08-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

One of our animals has been getting in our bathroom garbages when we're gone. For a while, we though it was the dog. Then we thought it was the cat. Then we thought it was both. Well, one thing's for sure; it's definitely not just the cat. We came home today to find this:

(No, she's not dying in this picture. Just yawning. Apparently she doesn't care about being wrapped up in a grocery bag.)

We're having a ...

2010-08-18T18:52:00.001-07:00

GIRL! Sorry, this is a week late, but we had our ultrasound last Tuesday and found out, for sure, that the baby is a girl. We also discovered that Brandie's placenta or somethin is in the wrong place or somethin (ask B for details). Long story short, she can't lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk. On the plus side, she got a note saying she doesn't have to lift anything at work, so that's good :)

Cat Baby (or Houdini Cat)

2010-06-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

Brandie went yard-sale shopping today and bought a bunch of baby clothes. She just couldn't resist putting them on something. I guess the cat chose the wrong place to lounge.

Then we thought it would be funny (it was) to put her down and let her "walk".

Good News

2010-06-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

So Mike and I have some great news. After a couple years of trying to get pregnant it finally happened. I am 10 weeks pregnant and my Due Date is December 31, 2010. We are so excited! We feel so blessed to finally get an opportunity to bring this special spirit into our family. Here is the ultrasound we had on Friday. It is actually starting to look like a baby.

Our Chickens

2010-04-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

Okay so we finally got chickens. Mike has wanted chickens since he was like 5 and ever since we have moved into our house he has been bugging me to get them. I never have really wanted them so I always told him no. Then one day after we had went to lunch together he wanted to take me to Cal Ranch. So we went there and he showed me the baby chicks. They are very cute. I didn't want them because they are messy and stink and didn't want to have to take care of them. Well we were looking at these chicks and what sealed the deal was Mike saying "Just think Brandie if we get 6 of these Chicks we will be saving them from being slaughtered."

So of course I said yes because I am a sucker for animals and he knows I hate animals getting killed. Plus it would be good to have to not get eggs at the store. When We first brought them home I was like Oh they are cute but I felt like I was living on Little House on the Prairie. But I do have to say now that I really do love them. They are starting to look like chickens now but they are still cute and we did name them. I picked 3 names and Mike picked 3 names. Mikes names were: Mrs. Featherbottom, Omelet, and Ginger. My names were: Sunny, Annie, and my favorite, Gizelle.

So here are some pictures of their first time outside. They have to live in the house until they are big enough to be outside and kind-of defend themselves and when it is warmer.

Kitty Loves Water

2010-02-25T18:06:00.001-08:00

Elyse's Wedding.

2010-02-15T16:46:00.000-08:00

So my little sister Elyse got married last Saturday. It was so beautiful and I am so happy for her and Steve. I am really going to miss her, she has been my best friend for years but I am very excited for her to start this new chapter in her life. Love you Elyse.

So here are some pictures.

Elyse in the Bridal Room.

Me in my Brides Maid Dress.

The Bride and Groom. He is a Marine.

Me and My sister. She looks so beautiful. And last of all her car. Which she thought she has a good hiding spot for it.

Update

2010-02-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

So nothing much has been happening over the past few months, but there is some exciting news for February.
First of all and the most exciting is that my little sister Elyse is getting married on Saturday. I am so happy for her and Steve and it is going to be a beautiful wedding. Pictures will hopefully come soon.
Lastly I am having surgery at the end of this month. It is kind of scary but I am excited for it because the doctor thinks that this surgery is going to help me get pregnant and everyone knows how much I want to start my family.
And lastly but not the most exciting thing is they called me to be a relief society teacher. My first lesson was at the end of January and I think that it went well. I am scared about this calling because it is so important but I am excited to learn some new things and maybe not be as scared to get up in front of people as I am now.
Well that is about it. I hope you all have a good Valentines Day and a good month.

I Hate the Police

2010-01-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

Can I just say I officially hate the police? Well, not really "the police" per se, but the entire automobile and traffic regulation system. As most of you may well know, I've had some bad luck (and 1 dumb decision) that have made me feel this way.

First, I was hit by an uninsured, most likely illegal immigrant and had to pay for the repairs to my car myself. Because he was uninsured, he literally didn't have to pay for any of my repairs. I (and my insurance) had to pay for all of it.

Then I got my scooter. One night, last May, I get pulled over for making an "illegal left turn" when I really didn't. There were trees obstructing the view of the cop. I fought it in court and won, but I had to take half a day off of work to go to court.

Literally the night after I get pulled over for the "illegal left turn", I'm driving on a completely different street in Provo and, out of the blue, a cop pulls me over. Turns out it's the exact same cop! He drove by me and recognized me from the night before and pulled me over to tell me that after I had left, he had seen on my records that the scooter wasn't insured.

So, ironically, I got tagged for not having insurance on my SCOOTER (after having to pay for my own repairs when the Mexican hit me) and am put through the ringers. Apparently the penalties for insurance, registration, etc. are the same if you're on a tiny scooter or a 3,000 lb car. I had to pay a $100 fine (after $300 discount for obtaining insurance.) And that's not all. On Friday I got pulled over for having a tail light out and ended up getting a ticket for driving on a suspended license!

As it turns out, my license was suspended when I got the ticket for driving without insurance. I guess in Utah the DMV requires you to carry "SR22" insurance if you've driven a vehicle without insurance. Whatever that means... Your license is suspended until you take proof of said insurance to the Drivers' License Division and pay a $30 "reinstatement fee". The problem is, I was never notified that my license was suspended. I called the DLD and asked why I hadn't been notified. As it turns out, they had been sending letters to my old address in Orem. In other words, the only excuse I'll have if I fight this ticket for driving on a suspended license is "I didn't change my address when I moved"...

So here's what I've learned: You can't do everything right. Even if you're trying to. And if you aren't, you can get off scott free. If you are, you can still get screwed. So why bother? Why not just drive around without any insurance, registration, or anything and just hope to high heaven your tail light isn't out?

Visiting Big Bro

2009-09-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

So my mother and I went on a little trip to Arizona to visiting my Brother and Sister in Law and Evelyn my new niece.

On our way we had been driving for about 5 hours and we had just entered Arizona and this is what we saw

We felt like we were driving into the Apocalypse . It was kind of scary. My mom asked me if we should stop because we thought that it was a fire. I told her that there wasn't anyone stopping traffic so just keep going. We were a little nervous to see what we were getting ourselves into. Luckily it was just a really bad wind storm.

here are some pictures from the trip. I didn't take very many but here they are.

This is my newest niece Evelyn. She is the first to be born on my side of the family.

The proud Grandma hold Eve. She is very excited to be a grandma.

This is my brother Tony. The whole trip was so relaxing as you can see in the picture. We visited, took care of Eve and just had a lot of fun. I am so glad we were able to visit. Thanks Tony and Rachel for letting us come down and see you guys. Love you.

Mollie and Sierra

2009-07-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

So Mike and I have always wanted animals but our landlord would not allow them. So because of the move we can have as many as we want. First Mike's parents are moving and they had us take their dog mollie until they can move back to Utah. I am already in love with her and would keep her forever if I could. Then for my Birthday I wanted a kitten. Well a long story short we found an abandoned one and took her in. She is so sweet and cuddly. I could not have asked for a better cat. We are so happy with the two and they get along together to. Which is a plus. Our family is now complete for the moment.

This is Sierra. She is a beautiful Kitten. We love her.

This is Mollie. Such a Good Dog. Could keep her forever.

Our Oregon Vaca

2009-07-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

These are a few pictures that were taken at the beach in Oregon. Mike's Grandpa had an 80th Birthday party so we went and stayed in Eugene after the party. It was really fun and nice to be able to see my nephews and niece. I miss you Lynn and Kathie we had a wonderful time.

This was on the way up. We were all driving to Oregon and all the sudden we heard a pop. Come to find out the sun roof had shattered out. This is how Dave and Mike fixed the problem. We spent 3 hours and home depot for this good thing it held up.

Pioneer Crossing, eh?

2009-06-24T07:52:00.001-07:00

So apparently all of the construction by the freeway around American Fork Main Street has a name. It's called Pioneer Crossing. I thought they were just going to re-do the freeway entrances and exits and build a bridge over the railroad (if you've driven to my house that way, you know the crappy intersection I refer to. But apparently Pioneer Crossing is way more rad than that. See for yourself: http://www.udot.utah.gov/pioneer/

House Pictures!

2009-06-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to taking pictures and a video of the house. There are way too many to post them on the blog, so I decided it would be faster to just create a page on my website to show you. In my true fashion, I took much much longer doing so than it would have taken to just put them on the blog... Oh well, it looks cool. Here is the link:

http://www.michaeldeancook.com/house/

I also have a video of the house, but it's pretty big and the best way I found to upload it and show you guys was to put it on YouTube and link to it. Unfortunately, I just barely started uploading it and it takes over an hour to upload. So I'll give you guys the link tomorrow. Until then, enjoy the pictures!

[Update: I have added links to the two videos at the bottom of the page linked to above. For some reason, the page loads the images in the wrong order on my server. I did it fine on my computer, so I don't know what the deal is. Oh well.]

Mike Cook's Website Building Extravaganza

2009-05-28T23:02:00.000-07:00

In order to help pay for our new house, I, or my company (Mike Cook's Website Building Extravaganza), am finally taking up website building on the side. If anybody knows anybody that is looking for a website, please refer them to me. My rates will vary depending on the job, but as a general rule I'll be charging $400 for a basic website and up around $800 for a site with a blog, shopping cart, and other goodies.

And don't worry, Dad, I have been working on your site. It's getting very close to being done.

My website is http://www.michaeldeancook.com/ in case they want to snoop around what I've done. Right now it's not much, but at least they can see the work I've done on my own site as well as things I've done in school.

p.s. That company name is a joke. I don't really have one. Any ideas?

Inspection

2009-05-26T15:35:00.001-07:00

Today I went to the house so that the inspector could show me around and let me know about any problems with the house. It's worth mentioning that Shane (our real estate agent) recommended this particular inspector because of his reputation for being brutally thorough. He showed up at the house at 10:30 and inspected the place until I arrived at 12:30 at which point he walked me through.

The first thing he said to me was "you've bought a great house". He proceeded to show me all the "problems" that he found. I put "problems" in quotes because they were more or less trivial problems. For instance, the plug box where the garage door opener plugs in had come loose from the board it was nailed to... He then suggested that I adjust the sprinklers so they do not spray on the windows directly... He even pointed out that the plug stop used in the tub upstairs didn't quite seal off completely... These are the kinds of minor things he pointed out. He continued to mention that he thought this was a wonderfully taken care of house.

It's a nice feeling to have an inspector go through your house and the biggest problem he can find is sprinklers squirting your window.

Success in the Search for Real Estate

2009-05-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

That's right. We finally found a house worthy of our hard-earned monies. We have it under contract and we are currently working through all the mucky muck of lending, inspections, etc. The house is located at 400 S 1626 W in Lehi, UT. It is on a quarter acre (which is nice, but man I'm not looking forward to mowing it...) and rests against a large park at the back of the lot (see here) which will be very nice for privacy. It has full-auto sprinklers, thank goodness, as well as central air, ceiling fans in every bedroom, a shed, RV parking, and is in a very nice neighborhood. I would send you a link to the MLS listing, but it has been removed. I do, however, still have the images from the listing to show you and here they are:

Here is other information about the house:

Lvl	Approx Sq Ft	Bed Rms	Bath			Fam/ Den	Dining				Laun dry	Fire Plc
Lvl	Approx Sq Ft	Bed Rms	F	T	H	Fam/ Den	K	B	F	S	Laun dry	Fire Plc
4 3 2 1 B	0 0 616 432 528	0 0 3 0 1	0 0 2 0 0	0 0 0 0 1	0 0 0 0 0	Y Y	Y			Y	Y	0 0 0 0 0
Tot	1,576	4	2	1	0	2	1	0	0	1	1	0

Roof:	Asphalt Shingle	Basement:	Daylight, Partial
Heating:	Forced Air, Gas Central	Garage/Park:	2 Car Deep, RV Parking
Air Cond:	Central Air Electric	Driveway:	Concrete
Floor Cov:	Carpet, Tile, Linoleum	Water:	Culinary, Irrigation,Pressure
Window Cov:	Blinds, Full	Sewer:	Connected, Public
Pool Feat:		Possession:	FUNDING
Exterior:	Aluminum/Vinyl, Brick
Landscape:	Fruit Trees, Full Landscaping, Mature Trees, Terraced Yard
Lot Facts:	Curb & Gutter, Fenced Full, Sidewalks, Sprinkler, Auto-Full, Terrain,Flat, View, Mtn, Private Yard
Exterior Feat:	Double Pane
Interior Feat:	Master Bath, Range Oven Free Std.
Amenities:	Cable TV wired, Home Warranty
Inclusions:	Ceiling Fan, Microwave, Range, Satellite Dish, Storage Sheds
Exclusions:	Freezer, Gas Grill/BBQ, Refrigerator
Terms:	FHA, Conventional, VA
Remarks:	Great home in quiet neighborhood. Large fully landscaped lot with custom curbing, vegetable garden, fruit trees, vinyl fence & work shed. New paint, clean and updated throughout Home backs up to a park nd within walking distance to schools.

Mike's Graduated! (2 weeks ago...)

2009-05-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

I'm a little belated on getting this posted, but just pretend it's still very exciting. I graduated on May 1st from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor's Degree in Digital Media, and I sure am glad to be done. As I look back and reflect on school, it's hard to think of just what it is I learned after putting so much time into my studies. At times I feel like it wasn't as much as I would like it to be. But then as I start working on my work at work, or on Dad's website at home, it all comes flooding back. Then I realize I've been trained as much as taught. Enough flabble babble (just made that up), here are some pictures and videos:

Can you pick me out of the crowd? (hint: I'm the one wearing jeans.)

Birthday Presents Update

2009-05-16T00:14:00.001-07:00

I finally got around to uploading my pictures from my camera. So here are more birthday pictures:

My brother and I once talked about how funny it would be to put "COOK" on the back of a car in huge Old English letters like mexicans do. So we went over to Dave and Megan's for some cake and ice cream and visitings. I noticed dave wasn't in the house and asked where he was. Megan lied to me telling me he was out cleaning the car or something. In reality, he was doing this to my car. It's still on there. Here's another picture:

My window with my sweet old 311 and World Rally Championship stickers (WRC has since dropped Mitsubishi and Subaru, so it's lame now. But it's still cooler than NASCAR. I'm into F1 now, so maybe I'll replace my sticker...) along with my sweet new Bob Marley sticker (which has since faded to completely yellow and teal.)

I already have a picture of this jersey, but this is a picture of MY jersey. In case you cared.

Ok, so here's the big one. One day back in January I got a text from Dave who was with Megan in Wyoming telling me that they had bought me the coolest birthday present. 3 months later, we were at their house the night before my birthday and they decided to give me my present. With family gathered 'round, I pulled THIS out of the bag:

I don't think I need to explain why this is funny. If you don't know, you shouldn't be reading this blog. And no, it's not an inside joke. It's just hilarious.

Yeah, that was like 3 months ago...

2009-03-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

I realized today that we have not updated our blog since the Utes won the Sugar Bowl, which is what my last post was about. As much as I like looking at that picture, it's time to move on. Plus, Megan made fun of me for never updating it despite the fact that I'm an SEO Analyst.

The reason this blog is so neglected is that our lives right now are none too interesting to outsiders. Brandie is still working 3 12 hour shifts at IHC as a PCT (fancy term for a CNA). I still work at Orange Soda as an SEO Analyst. I'm still in school. This is my last semester. We still don't have kids and aren't pregnant. Yet.

I did just have a birthday. I got some sweet presents. My favorite from my wife was a Utes football jersey:

which was pretty much the only thing I really asked for. She also read my mind and knew I wanted the newest James bond movie, Quantum of Solace. She was really creative and also got me two Brian Regan stand-up DVDs (Standing Up and The Epitome of Hyperbole). I also got a couple of shirts (by the way, what's with all the different sizes within shirt sizes?? I told her to get me extra large because too big is better than too small but they were both smaller than any large I have in my possession!)

Brandie's family likes to exchanges gifts as well, so I got a gift card to Best Buy from Tony (Brandie's brother) and Rachel. I still haven't decided what to buy with it. Then her sister, Elyse, got me one other thing I asked for:

For those of you who don't live in Utah Valley, you won't get it, so here's the explanation:

I seem to remember shirts that said "for Perfection" underneath. Anybody have one? I'm not sure, but I know that "The Quest for Perfection" was their full slogan this year. (By the way, I'm pretty sure this is the only image left on the internet of this shirt.)

Brandie's parents got me a present that was a combination of a birthday present and a graduation (since they will be gone.) It's a Panasonic DVD player and 5.1 surround system. I hooked it up and it sounds really good. I was going to wait to buy one until we got into a house for the sake of our neighbors. But hey, our neighbors obviously don't care about that so what the heck. At least I set the subwoofer on a cardboard box so the bass won't travel downstairs as easily. Though it is tempting to just crank it up to spite them, I don't really want to give them an excuse to blast their music more.

My parents got me (and Dave, for his birthday) a cool "Official Allstate Sugar Bowl" celebrating Utah's perfect season and Sugar Bowl invitation. The team had a signing a month ago and Dave and I went got our hats signed.

Speaking of Dave, he gave me a couple of unique but awsome gifts. I will take some pictures soon and post them. I don't want to spoil the surprise. Words just won't cut it, so keep your eyes peeled.

Mike

2009 Sugar Bowl Champs

2009-01-03T13:49:00.001-08:00

Man, I love being a Utah fan! You're welcome, MWC. Dave and I sure did pick the perfect season to get season tickets.

Santa Defeats Martians!

2008-12-16T11:31:00.000-08:00

Mom mentioned that she doesn't go to my blog because every time she does she sees that gross picture of the cockroach. So I threw this up! That's really the only reason for this image. That, and it's funny.

Good Riddance!

2008-12-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

So we got rid of the cockroaches. Phew! We realized that they were coming out of the drains from downstairs. We started plugging the two drains whenever we weren't using them and now, even when they aren't plugged, we don't see them around anymore. So we swept up all of the death dust and our kitchen is nice and clean!

La Cucaracha! La Cucaracha!

2008-11-17T21:35:00.000-08:00

Ok, so a couple of weeks ago we came home to a new roommate. Crawling around behind the sink was a nasty little cockroach! Ew! So I smashed the hell out of it. Each night for the next few nights we found a cockroach on our counter as soon as we came in the house. We went to the store and bought some cockroach traps. After about a week of these annoying little house guests, I decided I really needed to nip the problem in the bud.

Megan mentioned Boric Acid as a sure-fire way. After looking it up, I found that most people that seemed to know anything about cockroaches said the same thing. Apparently, Borax is mostly boric acid, so I had Brandie pick up a huge box of the stuff. I had read that you should gently sprinkle it all over where you think they might walk. Too much and they would walk around it. This wasn't cutting the problem. They still kept showing up.

Finally I found what I was really looking for online: one expert suggested mixing 4 parts Borax, (or boric acid), 2 parts flour, and 1 part cocoa powder and (this is the best part) to apply it liberally! Excellent. So I mixed up the concoction in a bowl and I applied it as liberally as i could. Our kitchen is covered in the stuff!

However, a week later we were still seeing the stupid buggers! Luckily, I think we figured out that they are coming up the drain. We have been covering it lately and haven't seen one for a few days. Whether it's the boric acid, the drain plug, or both I don't know. All I know is that we are looking for a house!... With no dirty neighbors.

Keep in mind, this one's body was only about a 1/4 inch long. We've had them up to 3/4.

Even the kitchen sink.