A new look for me

I'm thinking of trying to make this the newest fashion craze-

What do you think? Is it too much?
As a side note... have I mentioned to anyone how much I love allergy season?!?!?!

One Word

I usually feast on Fridays but the chef is on vacation so I thought I would post this email that I got the other day.

The rules are answer each prompt with only one word-
you're feeling: mellow
to your left: couch
on your mind: drama
last meal included: chicken
you sometimes find it hard to: awake
the weather: sunny
something you have a collection of: ladybug's
a smell that cheers you up: babies
smell that ruins your mood: manure
how long since you last shaved: today
the current state of your hair: up
the largest item on your desk right now (not computer): printer
your skill with chopsticks: adequate
which section you head to first in the bookstore: fiction
and after that? children
something you're craving: chocolate
your general thoughts on the presidential race: depressing
how many times have you been to the hospital this year: daily
a favorite place to go for quiet time: bed
you've always secretly thought you'd be good: CSI
something that freaks you out a little: spiders
something you've eaten too much of lately: junk
you have never: married
you never want to: wreck

Twilight Tuesday

It's Tuesday and you know what that means.... I get to gush about Twilight as much as I want. Today is a doozie so if you're not interested in all things Twilight you can stop reading now.

Here goes-
The folks at MTV have posted an article and video on the MTV Movie Blog I'm going to attempt to embed the video here. The last time I did this I had technical issues. Let's hope it works better today. It's just a whole bunch of random questions that fans have sent in to ask the cast. It's kind of fun to watch.




MTV has also announced that they will broadcast a completed scene from Twilight during the MTV Movie Awards. It will also be on their website shortly after the award show. It will probably end up here next Tuesday too.


In other Twilight news-
When The Host was released in the United Kingdom it was released with a bound copy of the first chapter of Midnight Sun, which is Twilight from Edward's perspective. I'm not sure why they got so lucky, maybe it was making up for the fact that Stephenie wasn't going international for her book signing tour, I don't know. Anyway... they have been available to buy on E-bay for large amounts of money so even though I wanted one I knew there was no way that I would pay that much for something that I could read on-line. The other day a friend sent me a link to an ebay seller that wasn't charging an arm and a leg for a copy so I bought one. Isn't it beautiful?

Yes, I know I'm a dork but it makes me happy so I'm ok with being a dork. My only regret is that it arrived after the book signings because I would have loved to have Stephenie Meyer sign mine.

The Special Edition of Eclipse is going on sale on the 31st. Why is it a special edition? It contains the cover art for Breaking Dawn and the first chapter of Breaking Dawn. It also has some iron on transfers, but that's not important, it has the first chapter and cover art for Breaking Dawn! There are some stores that are selling it early. I'm sure that some silly stock boy didn't realize it was a special edition and just put it out on the shelves. The only difference on the cover is this little bitty sticker, so to the untrained eye it would appear to be a regular copy of Eclipse.There are some people out there that had to purchase it even though they didn't really need another copy of Eclipse. There are some people have read the first chapter multiple times already. I'm not naming any names but if you live close by me and want to read the first chapter let me know, I might be able to hook you up.

I think that's everything for this week's edition of Twilight Tuesday. I'll have more to gush about next week... stay tuned.

Outnumbered

Poor little Shori- look what she has to put up with. She's going to have to be one tough cookie to deal with the teasing that I know will come from those brothers and her Dad.

I actually think she's a very lucky little girl. She's going to have lots of love in her little life. My guess is that in a few years she'll be bossing those big brothers of hers around and they will love every minute of it.

Thanks Grandma for forwarding me this picture!! It's priceless!!

Out of the blogging closet...

When I first started this blog I didn't tell anyone I knew that it even existed. It was just my little space to document my life. I didn't really think anyone would be interested in what I had to say so I just kept it to myself. Little by little people in my life have discovered my blog to the point that it's not such a secret anymore. It then became awkward to tell people about it because I felt like they were feeling like I had left them out and then I felt bad. So tonight I sent an email to the few remaining family and friends that I hadn't confessed to telling them about my blog. It's a relief to have it out in the open and a little bit nerve wracking at the same time- what will they think? Will they be mad? Will they think I'm crazy? (that last one is a no brainer)

So anyway.... for those of you just joining the party- Welcome to Because I Knew You... Love you all!!

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What is the nearest big city to your home?
Ogden is actually a pretty big city but the biggest city that everyone is familiar with is Salt Lake City.

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?
I’m good with keeping secrets so I’d give myself a 9.

Salad
Describe your hair (color, texture, length).
Shoulder length, brown with some blond highlights.

Main Course
What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?
I’m a pretty careful driver. I always have to feel like I’m in control. I’m not saying I’m a slow driver, just in control.

Dessert
When was the last time you had a really bad week?

Finals week

Grandma to the rescue!

My Mom, who is in Italy, sent me these pictures of baby Shori. Yay for Grandma!!!

Here is a close up of Miss Shori. I need to pull out her brothers baby pictures to see who she looks like.

Big Brother Justin

Big Brother Tegan

Shori's oldest brother Kyle will be arriving in Colorado next week so hopefully I'll have a picture of the two of them soon.

Idol ramblings...

WOW! I didn't really think it would happen. I thought for sure that Archuleta had it in the bag. I was shocked when Ryan announced David Cook as the winner last night. I have loved David Cook from the very beginning so I was thrilled when he won. I just hope that he can make an album that is true to the artist that he is. I've heard the AI contract isn't all that great and is very restrictive so I hope he can rise above that. I can't wait to hear what he puts out.

I love the whole finale last night. The cheesy, silly group numbers were great. I loved seeing Carly and Michael again. They are both so super talented. I hope that they got enough exposure out of their time on AI to get a recording contract. This honestly was one of the most talented group they've ever had.

I'm sad to see it end but at the same time I'm glad that I won't have to tied to the TV two nights a week anymore. It's such a big time commitment. Now I'm free, at least until next January :-)

Introducing...

Miss Shori Lyn. She was born at 8:19 am this morning. She weighs 6 lbs 8 oz and is 19 inches long. Mom and baby are doing well.

Leif and Laura ended up at the hospital with dead batteries in their camera so they used their camera phone so this is the best picture I have. I've been promised better pictures soon. I will post them as soon as I get them.

Stephenie Meyer Extravaganza

Oh My Goodness!!! I'm not sure I can put into words how wonderful this weekend has been!!

The party started Friday afternoon with lunch with friends and ended Saturday evening when I forced myself to leave the signing after party and drive home. It was an amazing day and a half.

Here are a few of the highlights-

The Queen Mother herself- Stephenie Meyer! This woman is amazing! She is gracious and humble and flat out gorgeous! Her pictures do not do her justice at all. She was so nice to the thousands of people that came through the signing lines. I'm in awe of her.

*Fangirly squeal* Stephenie Meyer's signature in my book! Life is good!

This is a very large group of women that all belong to the same Twilight website. It was so amazing to see all of us in one spot at the same time. What a blast!!!

It's amazing to me that it's possible to meet people over the internet, people you would have never met otherwise, and become such amazing friends! Aren't these women beautiful?!?!? These are my "cyber" friends that have now become some of my dearest friends. From left to right- Me, Donna (who I got to meet for the first time this weekend-Yay!!) Meg, Mary Ann, Lisa, Kathy and Amy- I am so blessed.

The Host

I finished it at 1:22 am today. I only know that because I looked a my clock just as I finished it to see how much I was going to hate myself when my alarm went off.

I was hesitant to read this book when I first heard it was going to be published. I didn't know if anything could beat the Twilight Series plus I don't read Sci-Fi so I was leery. I knew I would read it because I love Stephenie Meyer's other books but I was worried I would be disappointed.

I should never have doubted Stephenie's ability to spin a tale. I LOVED this book!! It blew me away! I bawled through the last few chapters. Not just a few tears, I was sobbing! It was not pretty.

My favorite part of the book was the relationships. There's a love triangle that is actually a rectangle (it's very hard to explain, just read the book) and that is fascinating to watch develop. But there are so many more relationships that are not the main focus of the story that are just as vital- human, brother, sister, friend, alien, enemy, protector and uncle just to name a few. Stephenie's strength is in writing those fascinating relationships. It's what captivated me in The Twilight Series and what has made The Host one of my new favorite books. Stephenie has even made me fall in love with a human, which after falling for her vampires is quite a feat. I won't tell you which human it is... you'll have to read the book and see if you can figure it out.

Red, White and Blue Night in Georgia

I decided to bypass Twilight Tuesday this week for several reasons. First because I'm having a Stephenie Meyer extravaganza this coming weekend so I will have plenty of things to blog about concerning the Queen Mother, The Host and Twilight then. Second because I found this video today and it really touched me. This song is sung by a woman in my ward. Her name is Melissa Jones. The footage on this video is of her brother Jake and his wife Jaime. They also live in our ward. They are an amazing family that have sacrificed a great deal for our country. I love this tribute to them and to all our military families.

Red, White and Blue Night in Georgia

My New Toy

I went laptop shopping with my Mom on Saturday with no intention of buying myself one. We got such a killer deal on hers that I had to have one too. I'm so excited! Now I can be connected wherever I go! Oh happy day!!

My Mom

I had a sappy Mother's Day post typed up but it sounded too much like a Hallmark movie for my taste. So all I'm going to say is that I have the most amazing Mom around! She's my best friend and I am eternally grateful for her!!

The Mom Song

For all the moms out there- Thanks for all you do!!!

The lyrics can be found here if you want to read them.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?
I try to always smile at people when they smile at me. Of course if they are smiling sarcastically and I don’t think they are funny I probably won’t smile back at them.

Soup
Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix?
I have carpet in my living room and bedroom. There is linoleum in my bathroom that I really want to replace with tile. My kitchen has that fake hardwood stuff- I can’t remember what it’s called.

Salad
Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name.
Apples almost always appear appetizing.

Main Course
Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption?
Everyone I know is touched by adoption because they know me. I was adopted.

Dessert
Name 2 blue things
Will’s Eyes

Howie’s Eyes

My Mom's job~

My Mom has the coolest job. She works for a company that has the government contract to run the WIC offices on the military installations throughout Europe and Asia. When my parents were living in Germany she worked for them full time. When they retired about two years ago she stayed on with them on an as needed basis. When they have a hole they need to fill temporarily they call her. Usually it's for a couple of months. She's been to Germany a couple of times and to England once. Her England trip ended up being 4 months which was great for me because I got to go and tour England at the end of those 4 months.

Well, she got a call the other day and guess where she's headed now? She's going to Italy! She's headed for Vicenza which is near Venice. She leaves this Monday for two months.

I always have mixed emotions when she goes on these adventures. I love having her around, even if she is 4 hours away. It's so nice to not have to think about what time zone she's in when I want to call. I love being able to go and see her for the weekend. Not that I do that very often but the option is there for me. But I know what a great opportunity this is for her. Who wouldn't love to go spend a few months in Europe? I wish I had her job. I would love it!!! So even though I will miss her I am happy she's going. In this day and age of email it's not like we can't communicate. Of course I'm going to try and figure out a way to get over there. I doubt it will happen with airline fares soaring the way they are but I'm going to try.

Twilight Tuesdays

The MTV Movie Blog is doing what they call Twilight Tuesdays until the movie comes out. In an attempt to not blog about Twilight so much I've decided to try and follow their example. I'm going to have Twilight Tuesdays of my own, which will allow me one day to gush as much as I would like about Twilight. Of course if something really, really good comes up I reserve the right to blog about it even if it isn't a Tuesday. This is a only a test, it may not work, I'm not sure I have that much self control.


So for today's Twilight Tuesday I present the first official movie poster.... umm.... yeah... wow!

On a slightly different note but not really, since it is about the Twilight creator.... look what I got this morning~


I won't tell you what lengths I went to to get this and the signing ticket that came with it because you would all roll your eyes at me.

I haven't had a chance to start reading yet. My quick lunch with a friend turned into 3 hours of goodness at the Vienna Bistro, then I had to be responsible and go to a presidency meeting and then I had to watch American Idol. I'm headed to bed now to read but I don't think I'll get very far. I'm exhausted and I want to give The Host the attention it deserves. I'll let you know what I think of it when I'm done.

Here we go again...

Twilight in HD


This is the official Twilight teaser that will be shown in the theaters shortly. I have no words.... all I can come up with is jumbled fangirly nonsense. Just watch it- over and over and over again. Then pick yourself up off the floor and watch it again.

~~~~~~~
Random funny story about Twilight- My cousin Lyn has had Twilight at her house for months and hasn't read it. I've told her several times that she would love it but she's been busy so I haven't bugged her about it.
This is the conversation I had with her on the phone Friday night-
Me: Hello?
Lyn: Hi Amy! Are you home?
Me: No, I'm in Provo at dinner with friends.
Lyn: Oh
Me: Why, what's up?
Lyn: Well, I stayed up all night last night reading Twilight and I need the second book! Do you have it? What's it called?
Me: It's called New Moon. It's on my bookshelf in my house, send Ben over to get it.
Lyn: Thank you!

Hee, hee.... another one bites the dust! They all come to the dark side eventually. No one can resist. She hasn't read Eclipse yet because she says she has to get her life back in order before she looses another day reading. I can't tell you how much joy this brings me :-)

27 Dresses

Love, love, love this movie! It's sappy, cheesy and predictable and I love every minute of it!

Women's Conference

Those of you that know me well will be shocked by the fact that I spent the last few days at Women's Conference. For those of you that don't know why you should be shocked let me explain a little bit. I've never been a big fan of BYU or Utah Valley in general. After I spent countless hours dealing with Zoobies while I worked for the Red Cross doing blood drives I really hated BYU and Utah Valley.

So when my friend Kathy suggested I join her at Women's Conference I actually laughed. There was no way I was going to go and spend 2 days on BYU's campus being lectured on how to be a good LDS woman- not my idea of a good time, thank you very much.
I'm not sure if Kathy is just really, really persuasive or I just had a moment of weakness or maybe it was both but I signed up and took the time off work.

Surprisingly I had an amazing time! I loved every minute of it. I'm going to try and make this an annual event in my life.

The conference started with Sheri Dew speaking. She is my hero. Every time I hear her speak or read something she has written I'm inspired to be a better person.

There were so many classes to choose from on Thursday and Friday. I enjoyed every class I attended. I had an "a-ha" moment in the middle of one class that must have been the reason I was so easily persuaded to go to Women's Conference, it was exactly what I needed to hear. It wasn't anything new or deep it was just a reminder of something I already knew but had forgotten.
Thursday evening after conference was officially over there were tons of service opportunities. There were two buildings full of service projects to be done- women were making baby blankets, greeting cards, Christmas stockings, newborn kits, hygiene kits, school kits- it was amazing!!! Women were lined up for the opportunity to participate. I folded towels and opened bags for hygiene kits for awhile. People can say what they want about the Church but no one can dispute the outstanding humanitarian work that the Church does. I was blown away. Friday morning they read stats of all the work that had been done the night before and it was awe inspiring.
There was a concert Thursday night after the service projects. It featured a bunch of Shadow Mountain recording artists- Hillary Weeks, Eclipse, Jennifer Jordan Frogley Kenneth Cope and Michael McLean. It was a blast!
President Monson was the concluding speaker of Women's Conference. His talk was, of course, so wonderful. I love that man. As he was leaving the Marriott Center he stopped and waved at everyone and gave us all a thumbs up. It was so very much like something President Hinckley would have done. It was such a special moment. My entire row was in tears.
In addition to all the wonderfulness of Women's Conference I got to get together with a bunch of wonderful women I've met through a message board I'm a member of. Some of them I had met before and some of them are new friends. We had dinner Wednesday and Friday night and breakfast Saturday morning. We had so much fun chatting, laughing and really getting to know each other.
I was spiritually and emotionally fed over the past few days- I am so blessed.