Friday, March 21, 2008

Seattle!

I went to Seattle last weekend to meet my new nephew Cruz! He is really cute! It was fun to spend the weekend with my brother, sister-in-law and parents. My brother and sister who live here in Provo and I drove up on Friday afternoon. It was a long drive, but we made it!
On Saturday we went to the Seattle Flight Museum and to Ivers to get fish and chips (except I got chicken and chips because I hate fish!).
Sunday was Cruz's baby blessing and dinner with my brothers in-laws.
Then we drove back on Monday. It was a quick trip, but was a lot of fun!

Here are some pictures from my weekend travels...

This is my cute nephew Cruz


Here is my mom and sister and I posing at the airplane museum


Here I am with a big statue head


Here are my brothers feeding the seagulls at Ivers


And finally, here is my mom playing the Wii. She was bowling!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Remember the Alamo



I went to San Antonio last week for 4 days. Two of my co-workers and I just went to escape the cold and our everyday responsibilities! We had so much fun and it was so warm the entire time we were there. I would recommend anyone to go visit the Alamo in February!

Now it's back to doing school and work. Blah!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Villa Memories

I was going through some of my love notes from the Villa tonight and ran across some hilarious ones! I was also thinking about the time that Caroline and I stole the garden gnome from Chris and David and they thought that it was Em and Kat! We held the gnome ransom and made them take us to dinner. Hilarious I tell you!

Here is a sampling of the love notes for your viewing pleasure:

Ann-Marie,
I will never forget you threatening to take out that over weight girl. It was so hilarious. I love you, Angela
I don't recall this incident, but apparently it was funny!

Ann-Marie...Why are we such HOT salsa dancers? Are you part Latino? Cause you are SPICE! Love ya! Chris (Bailey)

Ann-Marie
Love you
I do
It's true
Yahoo!
Love, Kat

Ann-Marie, Thanks for the cookies. They were almost as sweet as you. A cheesy line, yes. But true nonetheless! MOYDIE!

Oh how I like Ann-Marie
I think about her down by the sea
I think about her when I drink herbal tea
And that's because she's as cool as can be!
Justus

Ann-Marie
MMM...MMM... You are lookin' good enough to deserve a cardboard love note :) Sorry you got booted, don't hate booters, they have a soul too. I hope you have a fun week! Play in the sun (while it lasts!)
Love! Jake

Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
I'm really Hot
and so are YOU!
this one isn't signed, but I love it!

Ann-Marie
My library buddy-ette! Wassup? Well, you know, say 'hi' to me sometime when you're in periodicals. You could 'check me out' but I got tattle tape and security would stop you. Umm...
Love, Lewis

Ann-Marie...This is just a little reminder that you're cute as a bug's ear! -Jon

AneMary-I like you better NOT at the Villa! -Matt (Harrison)

Ann-Marie, You have really pretty toes. -your secret admirer (This was from Steve)

and one of my most favorite drawing-type love notes:


Click to make it bigger!

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Yummy New Restaurant

So tonight some of my co-workers and I tried out a new Restaurant in Orem. Pizzeria 712 was awesome! I had the Margarita pizza (mozzarella, basil and tomato) and then my favorite part of the night....homemade S'mores!! I would recommend this place for sure! It had a great atmosphere and was a fun place to eat!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Of Wigwams and Sunshine: Have You Slept in a Wigwam Lately?

So this past weekend Kat and I went on our annual "we must get out of town and feel some sunshine or else we will freeze to death in the tundra that is Utah". This year we went to Mesa, AZ to see Ritz and Leah and stopped in Holbrook, AZ on the way down to stay in a Wigwam Motel!

Let me tell you I loved the wigwams! It was so fun to sleep in a motel that looks like a wigwam and I would recommend it to anyone! Here is the wikipedia site that will tell you some more about the wigwams. The other great part about staying in Holbrook was that it is right on Route 66 and the people in that town are very proud of that fact!

We had a blast visiting with Ritz and Leah and enjoying the sunshine and lack of snow that was in Arizona!!!

Here are some pictures from our trip! You can see more pictures on my facebook page...






Monday, January 14, 2008

You may now call me Aunt!




My nephew Cruz Evan Marchant was born yesterday afternoon! I'm excited to be an aunt!

Friday, January 04, 2008

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Friday, November 30, 2007

All I want for Christmas is You!

So I've been looking on the internet for some gift ideas for various people. I have come across some great suggestions, some interesting/humorous*ones, and some that are just wrong!

I hadn't used either of these two sites before (gifts.com, uncommongoods.com) but they do have some good stuff on them.

What's on your Christmas gift list?

***************************************************************************************
In other news, if you want to see your favorite elf (aka me) in the Provo Christmas parade...get yourself down to Center Street this Saturday (like tomorrow) at 10am! It's always a good time at the Christmas parade!



*okay let's just talk about this one specific gift for a moment. i just think it's hilarious that you can buy a "CSI"-like evidence kit and use it to determine your dating status. i don't know for sure, but i think this could be the wave of the future in dating! :)

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Surrogate Nieces and Nephews














These are my cute surrogate nieces and nephews. My brother and sister-in-law are expecting a baby in January so then I will have my first nephew, but I love these kids just the same. It is so fun to see them and watch them grow! I especially love it when Lincoln gets so excited to see me! He's the one that I get to see the most and he just loves to hang out with "Aunt" Ann-Marie!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Before and After: A true story in Ann-Marie's Life

Once upon a time Ann-Marie lived in a house. She like this house and even though her landlords decided to sell the house in the middle of her contract, she decided to live there again the next year.
One day in the middle of October the old landlords decided that it would be a good idea to come get their furniture out of the house. This was a grand plan...EXCEPT they didn't tell Ann-Marie or her roommate or her
CURRENT landlord that they were coming. Since Ann-Marie didn't know they old landlords were coming so soon, she had not yet ordered any replacement furniture to go in the house.
So she and her roommate scrambled all that week to find at least beds, and then other furniture to fill the house. They tried hard to stay in their landlords budget (and only went a little bit over!). It was a busy, stressful week. They eventually did find all of the furniture that they wanted and had it all shipped to their house later in the week. The next week Ann-Marie spent hours putting all of the furniture together. She didn't want to build anything for a long, long, long, long time after that. In the end her house did get put back together and looked very pretty. The End!

(But don't take my word for it! Come visit and see my new digs!)











Our empty living room before we got the carpets cleaned! Yuck!









Our kitchen became our temporary storage unit!










Look at our new, pretty entertainment center










New couch and coffee table









I love our new kitchen set!

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Thoughts after cruising the Mediterranean

Our Ship the Voyager of the Seas

I have now been back for over a week, but am just now taking the time to write about my travels to the Mediterranean. I had a great time on the cruise seeing the different sites and spending time with my family! I took a ton of pictures and will only put a few up here, but if you want to see all of my pictures just ask!

We left for the cruise on Friday Sept. 28th. I flew with my Grandma and my aunt and uncle that live in Payson.
Here is a picture of Grandma on the way to the airport

We had a lay over in Atlanta and then on to Barcelona. Grandma "lost" her passport twice (I found it in her carry-on both times, but it sure did make me nervous that she couldn't find it for a few minutes. On the flight back home, I held onto her passport and just gave it to her when we needed to show it :) That worked out much better!)
I didn't sleep much on the flight to Spain, but wasn't too tired. I sure did sleep well that first night on the ship though!

So we got in to Barcelona around 11 am on Saturday the 29th and just explored the ship and got settled in our stateroom. Here's a picture of me in my room and a picture of part of the ship.









The next day we went to Nice, France which is along the French Riviera. It was so beautiful there. We rode the city bus up to a little town called Menton where we walked around the city market, played a little in the Mediterranean and just sort of took in the sites.

On October 1st we went to Pisa and Florence. In Pisa I climbed all 294 steps to the top of the tower. It was really fun!
That afternoon we went to Florence. The first picture is one the church in the middle of Florence and then a replica of the "David" statue. The real statue is in a museum that was closed the day we were there. Grandma and I spent hours looking for this statue and that's pretty much all we did in Florence. Florence wasn't my favorite stop since all we did was walk in circles and we were separated from the rest of our group!
On Tuesday we went to Rome. We had the best tour guide that day! She was just awesome!
We saw the Forum, the Colosseum, the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. That day was probably the fullest, we didn't even eat lunch that day. Here's a picture of the Colosseum and a statue with marble eyes inside the Vatican.
The next day we went to Naples. We went on a drive along the Amalfi Coast which was just gorgeous! We ate an authentic Italian meal at a restaurant in the mountains and then went to Pompeii. It was another incredible day!









Thursday October 4th we went to Palermo Sicily. We went to some catacombs there in Palermo (we couldn't take pictures, but click on the link to see what I saw. It was cool and weird at the same time!) and then went up to a town called Monreal. It had the coolest church! The church had all of these cool mosaic's and I was surprised how many Bible stories we could recognize decorating the walls of this church.









Our last day on the ship was at sea as we sailed from Sicily back to Spain. We slept in, ice skated, played mini golf and watched the Ice Show. Each night our stateroom attendant would make us a little towel animal, so here's a picture of my mom with their towel monkey!












Here's Ashley's parents playing mini-golf on the top deck of the ship. It was pretty windy up there, but still fun to play!

This trip was a lot of fun! I'm glad that I got to go and that Grandma invited me and paid for part of the trip. I will always remember my first time to Europe. And it is only the 1st trip, because now that I've been I have to go back again!!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Grad School

So about a month a go I submitted my application to graduate school and on Monday I found out that I was accepted!

It is a Master's in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. All of the classes are online so I will be able to continue working here in Provo while I obtain my degree. I start in January and am really excited.

After I get back from my Mediterranean Cruise I will need to look into scholarships and financial aid.

Yipee!!

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Saturday, September 08, 2007

It's the little things...

I tend to overlook the small luxuries in my life until they aren't there anymore.

Case in point: my car (on the whole) is awesome. I haven't had to do many major repairs and it is ready and willing to take me most everywhere I want to go. Last week, however, it began fighting with me. It is an automatic, but every time it shifted gears the entire car would jerk.
I was able to get it fixed and back for me to drive yesterday. All day today I have been marveling on how wonderful it is that when the car shifts gears I don't get whiplash! Before this incident I can't really remember every noticing or caring what the car did when it shifted, but now I have definitely been paying attention.

My car currently smells like mechanic, but I'll take that any day over a broken car!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Ann-Marie Needs

According to Google... these are my needs!

Ann Marie needs a family who can provide a great deal of structure and individual attention, and who will not take the fluctuations in her moods personally.

Ann Marie needs more exposure like Survivor needs more rats.

Annmarie’s friend is Jewish and Annmarie needs to pretend that Ellen is a part of her family in order to keep her safe from the Nazi’s.

Ann Marie needs to check it out.

Ann Marie needs some of the following items in her environment:. __ (a) A lot of interaction with people. ...

Ann Marie needs to give us the information for rebates, though she won't be with us for the rest of the week.

Ann-Marie needs to get her J.Lo-booty in gear and post a pic of herself.

Ann Marie needs to find a home with a tender hearted person as she's a little bit shy until she gets used to her surroundings. She's not a demanding cat ...

Ann-Marie needs a testimonial!

Ann-Marie needs to know whether or not she should get rid of her cat.

Ann Marie needs pop rocks

Ann Marie needs a strong role model.

Ann Marie needs to be validated and wants Stephanie to like her.

Ann marie needs to start making efforts.

Ann Marie needs newsletter articles.

Ann-Marie needs backing of our group—no objections ...

Ann Marie needs to take a Self-Defense class in conjunction with her exercise routine.

Ann Marie needs support and doesn't need to be picked on.

Ann Marie needs more comment love.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Crazy Cool!



I ran across this article tonight and thought I would share. There are some other videos of him and his art on YouTube. You should also check out his sight. philinthecircle.com

Monday, July 30, 2007

Interesting Article

I ran across this article the other day and thought it was pretty interesting. What do you think?

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Shopping Expedition


I had my first "IKEA Experience" today with Em, Caroline and Lincoln. We had a great time and the store is really cool. Now I just wish I had the money to buy all of the stuff I liked in there!

(I still don't understand people camping out to be the first ones in the store, but I do think that it's a cool place to shop!)

Friday, July 13, 2007

Harry Potter is taking over my life! (and for the most part I love it!)

So it all began back in March...We decided to have a Harry Potter Party at the Provo Library and I volunteered to represent the Teen and Adult Services Department in planning this library wide event.

It is going to be really cool! (However we have already given out all of the tickets, but if you want to volunteer to help you can come!!!) We are going to show the first 4 movies all throughout the day. They are going to run from 9:30 am until 7 or 8pm. You don't need a ticket to come watch the movies so if any of your are interested you should come.

Then from 6:30-8:30 we are going to have a carnival-style party in the ballroom. We are going to have face painting and a fortune teller, a costume contest and play Harry Potter Scene it. And we are going to have some of the classes as well. Potions, and Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures (the Bean Museum is coming to do a bird and reptile show), and Charms. There will be crafts and such. It has been quite a bit of work to plan, but is going to be a lot of fun.

I have been working on getting together the owl paper bag craft, and the trivia quizzes, word searches and the movie marathon. (This doesn't seem like a lot when I have it written down, but it seems like I spend all my time at work working on the Harry Potter stuff)

I will be running the Charms booth where we will make chopstick wands and then I will give a lesson in Wands. I am just going to make stuff up. You know the old "swish and flick" It makes me feel like Professer Flitwick.
I also recently finished reading "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and "Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince".
Tonight I went to see the new Harry Potter party.

Harry and I have been spending quite a bit of time together. I think that things are getting pretty serious!

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

I'm Proud to be an American


Happy 4th of July!!!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Ann-Marie's a Fatty!

I got fat today.

Well actually just the left side of my face got fat. I went to the dentist to get 3 fillings (which, by the way, if you don't have dental insurance is not cheap!). It feel so weird to have half of my face numb and the other half feel normal. But I think the worst is my nose, I currently have one fat nostril and one skinny one! Weird!

Friday, June 01, 2007

Summer Reading Program

The Summer Reading Program at the Provo City Library begins TODAY! You can sign up all day today (June 1st) in the ballroom and anytime today or until June 30th at the 1st floor reference desk.

Come see Ann-Marie at the library, read books, and win prizes...that sounds pretty good to me!

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Professional

So I presented at the Utah Library Association Conference this past Thursday and Friday.
On Thursday 2 other librarians and I presented about Teen Summer Reading Programs. And on Friday 7 of us talked about Reader's Advisory (basically giving book suggestions when someone wants to know a good book to read).

They both went well and it will look good on my resume!

I'm quite the career woman these days, what can I say! :)

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Grrrr....

Is anyone else annoyed by the fact that when you leave on comment on Blogger you can't tab between the log-in boxes? It frustrates me EVERY time!!

Saturday, May 05, 2007

I'm COLD!!!

Saturday, April 28, 2007

What I've been up to lately

  • I hiked the Y last night and finally got to see how they light it for graduation and homecoming. I've always wondered....
  • I've been working at my 2 jobs just like regular, and also being the temporary supervisor for the position at BYU that I turned down. Yep it's been fabulous...all the work and none of the pay or benefits!
  • I helped my sister and cousins get their stuff moved down to my grandma's house for the summer.
  • My sister and I went to the Living Planet Aquarium, Clark Planetarium, Gateway Mall and the SLC Library the day before she went home. That was a lot of fun!
Yep just like usual my life is a roller coaster of a ride!

And most days I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Easter Egg Hunt

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A few weeks before Easter my students at BYU asked me if they could have an Easter Egg hunt in the library. I told them that they could NOT have an Easter Egg hunt in the library, but that maybe we could have it at my house. So I invited the kids to my house and we had the hunt and pizza. My students had a lot of fun together!

Monday, April 02, 2007

Let me tell you a little bit about how March went for me...

I interviewed for a full-time position at the Provo Library. I didn't get the job, but I was 1 of only 2 that they did 2nd interviews for. They had 40 applicants and interviewed 9 people. I feel really good about getting that far and am happy with the person that they did hire. (She has been working at the Provo library for about 3 years and has her Masters in Library Science)

I interviewed for a full-time position in Interlibrary Loan at the BYU Library. I was offered the position, but I decided not to take it.

My life has been a real roller coaster this past month with lots of stress and decision making. So even though I went through a lot in March I am back where I started at the end of February.

I'm just glad for March to be over and for April to be here!

Whew!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

A walk down memory lane...


I saw something online that reminded me of this childhood memory.

You know those cafeteria trays that you would use in school growing up?

Well we had some of those at my house and even though we would use them all week at school...it was fun to sometimes use them at home.

Do you have any random childhood memories like this one?

Monday, March 05, 2007

Lyrics

This song was my "senior song" nearly 7 years ago. It came on my computer tonight and just sort of made me smile. The line about being 25 caught my attention. I don't think that I even knew what I would be doing at 25 when I was still in high school!
Click on the link below to see the fabulous music video courtesy of YouTube!

"Graduation (Friends Forever)"

And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives
Where we're gonna be when we turn 25
I keep thinking times will never change
Keep on thinking things will always be the same
But when we leave this year we won't be coming back
No more hanging out cause we're on a different track
And if you got something that you need to say
You better say it right now cause you don't have another day
Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down
These memories are playing like a film without sound
And I keep thinking of that night in June
I didn't know much of love
But it came too soon
And there was me and you
And then we got real blue
Stay at home talking on the telephone
We would get so excited and we'd get so scared
Laughing at ourselves thinking life's not fair
And this is how it feels

[1] - As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come Whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever

So if we get the big jobs
And we make the big money
When we look back now
Will our jokes still be funny?
Will we still remember everything we learned in school?
Still be trying to break every single rule
Will little brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?
Can Heather find a job that won't interfere with her tan?
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly
And this is how it feels

[Repeat 1]

La, la, la, la:
Yeah, yeah, yeah
La, la, la, la:
We will still be friends forever

Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there?
Can we make it somehow?
I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it's like we're women and men
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly

[Repeat 1 (3x)]

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

What's your favorite color?

I scanned through this article this morning and thought it was pretty interesting. What's your favorite color? Do you agree with the author's personality description of you based on that color?

Sunday, February 18, 2007

How does he do that?



Do you think Jimmy could do that if he learned how to play the flute? :)

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Ch..Ch..Ch..Changes

I re-arranged my blog a little bit today. I tried to get a new template, but the one I wanted wasn't working for me. Maybe in the near future.

I hung out with my friend Sariah and her husband and baby a little bit this weekend. Grace is so cute and she just loves me! She kept checking to make sure I was still there and we had a fun time playing together. I also had a play date with Caroline and Lincoln on Friday. That kid loves me too! I have a fun time with my friends kids! (and the best part...they don't even make me change diapers!)

I worked for a long time at my Provo job on Saturday on a blog we are going to use for the summer reading program this summer. The theme is Get a Clue @ your Library. If you want to see what I have so far (and it's not much-but just getting the template to work just about killed me...) go to www.getacluesrp2007.blogspot.com If any one can tell me how to move the header down a little bit, I would appreciate it. Also...the template wasn't working on Firefox at work, but did work on Internet Explorer. But today it's working fine on Firefox from my house. Let me know if it looks right to you on which ever internet browser you are using. Thanks :)

Well that's all for now...

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Cheesy Valentine Messages

What would you get if you crossed a dog with a valentine card?
A card that says, "I love you drool-ly!"

What did the painter say to her boyfriend?
"I love you with all my art!"

What does a man who loves his car do on February 14?
He gives it a valenshine!

What did the man with the broken leg say to his nurse?
"I've got a crutch on you!"

Did you hear about the romance in the tropical fish tank?
It was a case of guppy love.

What do you call two birds in love?
Tweethearts!

What do you call a very small valentine?
A valentiny!

What did Frankenstein say to his girlfriend?
"Be my valenstein!"

What do farmers give their wives on Valentine's Day?
Hogs and kisses!

Why did the pig give his girlfriend a box of candy?
It was Valenswine's Day!

Do skunks celebrate Valentine's Day?
Sure, they're very scent-imental!

What did the paper clip say to the magnet on Valentine's Day?
"I find you very attractive."

What did the French chef give his wife for Valentine's Day?
A hug and a quiche!

What did one pickle say to the other?
"You mean a great dill to me."

What did one light bulb say to the other?
"I love you a whole watt!"

What did the caveman give his wife on Valentine's Day?
Ughs and kisses!

Thursday, February 01, 2007

I've got nothing. Sorry.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Sunday, January 14, 2007

In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I have a dream....

That one day I will have a full time job.
With a lunch break.
And weekends free.
With benefits.
And regular hours.

That I will only work one job.
That I will have holidays off and sick leave.

I have a dream...but for now that's all it is...just a dream.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Awkward

sometimes my life is awkward and i don't know what to do about it.

Monday, January 01, 2007

The Highlights of 2006

January
  • I turned 24 on the 16th.
  • My friend Sariah had her first baby girl Grace on the 24th.
February
  • I went on a week long cruise from the 6th-10th on the Baja California Cruise.
  • I worked a lot of extra hours at my Provo job because we were down 2 part-timers.
March
  • I had my one year Blogaversary on March 7th.
  • I went to my first Opera on March 11th. I saw the "The Magic Flute" at the Capital Theater.
April
  • I switched positions at my BYU job in the middle of April. I went from Faculty Delivery Services to the Copy Center. I hated it at first, but don't mind so much now.
  • Ashley and Tim had their first baby on the 24th and they named her Natalie.
  • I moved to a townhouse on 9th east on the 30th.
May
  • I got $30.00 back from my $200.00 deposit from Carriage Cove. I was glad to have moved out of that place!
  • I played at the Villa pool a lot and loved life!
June
  • The Summer Reading Program at the Provo Library began at the beginning of the month. Our theme this year was "Open a Book, Travel Through Time: Celebrating 100 years of Reading at the Provo City Library" I did a lot with the teen program and even created a blog for part of the program.
  • I went to Canyonlands/Dead Horse Point National Park over Memorial Day weekend.
  • I went to the Strawberry Days Rodeo on the 16th. This is the rodeo that Sariah and I have gone to for the past couple of years and I love it!
July
  • I went to my family reunion in Missouri at the beginning of July. After the reunion, I went home with Ash and Tim to Indiana for a few days. It was so much fun to see them and their house!
  • I walked a million steps this summer! I began counting my steps with a pedometer in May and had reached a million steps by the end of July.
August
  • I paid off my car at the beginning of the month. It's nice to not have any debt!
  • I moved into a house in the Tree streets on the 15th. I love living in this house and only live with one roommate!
  • I received my endowment in the Nauvoo Temple on the 24th. This was the biggest highlight and blessing on my year!
September
  • My sister that is 6 years younger than me started as a freshman at BYU. It's been so fun to have her out here and to build our relationship as "adults"!
  • September 11, 2006 marked the 5th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center. I took some time to reflect on what I was doing that day and what lessons I have learned since then.
October
  • October 6th brought me to my 100th blog post!
  • October was sort of a frustrating month what with the collections letter from my doctors office and realizing that my car registration had been expired since JULY! But I learned some valuable lessons from these experiences and am thankful that I learned them while I am just in charge of myself instead of others. This experience encouraged me to update my list of places to notify when I move!
  • Buck and Caroline welcomed Lincoln into their lives on the 16th. He is such a cutie!
  • The last weekend in October I was asked out on a date! This is a highlight for me because I hadn't been out since January!
November
  • November brought a fun Thanksgiving weekend at my grandma's house. Grandma wasn't there, but I spent the weekend with my sister and two cousins.
  • I was able to see my first BYU football game when they were playing their last game of the season. We beat Utah by 2 points and it was an amazing game!
December
  • I received my passport in the mail!
  • I escaped the blizzard in Denver (barely) while flying home for Christmas!
  • I went cross-country skiing for the first time ever and had a blast!
  • I had a really fun New Year's Eve-we ate, played games, and burned stuff! What more could you want?
In summary:
I visited 1 country in 2006-Mexico
I visited 9 states in 2006 (5 of them just on my trip home for Christmas!)-California, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arizona, Kansas

I have had a very fulfilling year and I look forward to the adventures to come in 2007...I already know that I will be going on a Mediterranean Cruise in September, but I'm sure lots of little things will make 2007 both challenging and spectacular!

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Passport

I got my passport in the mail yesterday. Now I can leave the country whenever I want to!!

Monday, December 11, 2006

Sad Tragedy

The story below was posted on ksl.com. I work with the dad of this family. I can't even begin to imagine what this family is going through. Please tell your loved ones to be careful with their little ones and to take their children out of their car seats when they are no longer in the car! My prayers are with this family!

Baby Dies While Sleeping in Car Seat
December 8th, 2006 @ 9:43pm

Sam Penrod Reporting

A tragedy in Utah tonight as a one-year old baby girl dies while sleeping in a car seat. The baby died this evening, after efforts to revive her failed. The baby's death ironically comes on the same day of a new international study, which says leaving infants in a car seat can be dangerous.

We've probably all done it -- you come home from a trip and the baby is still sleeping, so rather than risk waking the baby up, you leave it in a car seat like this while it sleeps in your house. Sadly tonight, a Utah baby may have died from exactly that.

Fifteen-month old Devin Justine Greer was being cared for by a neighbor this afternoon and was left sleeping in her car seat.

Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Utah County Sheriff's Office: "She had apparently fallen asleep in the car seat in the car, but was taken into the home."

The baby girl was sleeping in a bedroom, but when the caregiver went to check on her she was not breathing.

Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Utah County Sheriff's Office: "When family here at the home went into that room a short time later, they found her unresponsive and not breathing, and that's when they called 911."

Paramedics attempted CPR for more than an hour, but it was not successful.

Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Utah County Sheriff's Office: "We have detectives who are continuing to investigate to rule out any foul play, but at this point it appears to be an accident."

This baby's death could be related to what New Zealand researchers today warned is a danger for infants. A new study of nine infants who suffered "life threatening breathing problems " while strapped into a car seat where they were left asleep outside the car. The babies had their heads bent forward while they slept and that restricted their airways.

Janet Brooks with Primary Children's Hospital says the warning about letting babies sleep for long periods of time in car seats is not new, but an important reminder.

Janet Brooks, Child Advocacy Manager, Primary Children's Hospital: "Leaving kids in a car seat too long. If you take them out of the car, take them into the house. They sleep in it, they nap in it. These are all issues, not only for airways but for curvature of the spine, flatness on the back of the head , these are all issues we look at."

While it's not safe to let babies sleep for a long time in the car seat out of the car, we want to make it clear, while in a car it's a different story. There is no question that infant car seats save lives and researchers say may reduce car accident injuries by as much as 90%.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Ann-Marie's Life in Pictures-Here's what I've been up to lately:













Baking Pies with my sister Shelly for Thanksgiving!














Hanging out with cousins! Clockwise from the top: Charisse, Shelly, Me and Melanie!















Making funny faces on Thanksgiving Day!















Sleep over at G-ma's! Charisse is looking hot in a bathrobe while she does her laundry!















Being an elf for the 2nd year in a row for the Provo Christmas Parade!














Getting a new toy that I am loving!