The fun continues

Canyon continues to be obsessed with "Kung Fu Panda". We've now all officially watched it 20 times. Yesterdays fun also included Lex and I almost hitting a pedestrian whilst on our way to In N' Out. She stepped out when the light was still yellow. I had to swerve into another lane to avoid her and almost hit another car.....Yikes!

So to ramp down the stress level, Lexi and I went and got some Pedicures, which was delightful.

Here is the finished product.

We were also thrilled that Lacy and Peeps joined the fun yesterday. Dave comes today and then the circle will be complete. Canyon and Penelope were also thrilled to spend some Cousin time. Not deterred that Penelope out weighs her by probably 10 pounds, Canyon insited on "holding" her. The result is one ridiculously cute photo.

Canyon and Penelope Best Friends Forever

Hope you all are continuing to have as wonderful a Christmas week as we are :)

Christmas Eve

Today has been a great day. Lexi, H.B. and I got up this morning and went for a quick run, afterward everyone scattered to do their own last minute Eve things. Syd and Moe had to go to work and Lexi and Aussie took Cam to the airport and Penee and H headed out to see Cliff and do some grocery shopping.

Later on while we waited for Miley to get off work we all sat down and watched "Kung Fu Panda" none of us had ever seen it and we had a great time. Once Miley got home and all had eaten, we re-enacted the nativity-at least the part with Mary and the Donkey, and then Jeff and Pam came over and we talked and carried on some more :)

And now for a few photos-Aussie and Canyon snuggling on the couch

Canyon helping Lex get all gussied up

Canyon clearly has learned a few tricks from Grandpa H.B.

The Donkey takes Mary for a ride to Bethlehem

H.B. just getting warmed up as he tries to out funny his Brother Jeff

Christmas Vacation So Far.....

We've braved arctic blizzard conditions, our ride down to AZ should have taken 9 hours and instead took 13 hours +. We arrived at 7 am this morning and immediately all crashed. We woke up around 9:30 got showered and headed down to Sierra Vista to pick up Aussie. Lucky us, it was another 6 hours round trip in the car. Here are some picture high lights

Lacy made us a delcious lunch when we arrived. Here is Sydnee, Lexi and Austin enjoying some delicious broccoli cheese soup

Here is The Steige maxin' and relaxin'

Twinsie time: Lexi and Syd enjoying some twin bonding time

Peeps showing off for the Aunties

Me soaking up some Penelope time

Tonight Camsies came over and we've been playing some Wii and having a few laughs. So far it's been the best Christmas ever :) Stayed tuned tomorrow for more H.B. Arnett Christmas Vacation 2008 updates.

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap

This last weekend was so wonderful, as most Holidays are :) The fun started Wednesday. The Mayberry's had arrived at 4:30 a.m. I only had to work a half day so as Lacy and Lex jaunted off to do some shopping I took Peeps with me to my house for some one on one Auntie time. It was truly delightful. I haven't had the opportunity to do much of that with her living so far away.

Thursday morning H.B., Lex, Auntie Candy, Meghan, Dave and Myself all convened at the Orem Rec Center. We got all registered and did in fact run our 4 mile "Earn Your Turkey" race. With Dave and Lexi's running coach she whipped all our butts :) But the extra special shout out goes to my Dad and Aunt an unstoppable brother sister duo who proved that no matter what the age they are all about setting goals and accomplishing them. They are truly an inspiration.

(from l-r) Me, Candy, H.B., Lex, Meghan

Followng the race we all headed out to finish our Thanksgiving Dinner preparations. We were fortunate this year to have a wonderful mix of people. We had my Hendrix relatives, Uncle Ken, Jeff and Grandma Hendrix, along with Dave's family the Mayberry's, who are always a delight to be around I do assure you.

Here are some of the men shooting the breeze at my Mom's whilst waiting for some delicious turdey.
(from l-r) Dave, Steve (his bro), H.B., Uncle Ken

After Dinner and clean up we continued the fun over at Auntie Kathleen's house. We had desserts with all the Arnett's and children. It was a madhouse, but definitely in the good way. I love when we can all get together!

(from l-r) Mallory, Sadie, Me

The Shepherd Fam
(from l-r) Jax, Danny, Stacey

Joe and Mallory

A good group of the Arnett clan along with Dave's Mayberry brothers went to a 9:00 p.m. showing of "Australia". I loved this movie! To coin a Cameron phrase it was "Epic". I thought it was so romantic and loved the story. We didn't get out of the movie until 1:30 a.m. I headed home for a 2 hour power nap before leaving my house at 4:15 a.m. to get down to Wal-mart for "Black Friday".

It was crazy busy, busier than I've ever seen it. In all the madness I accidentally bought a Wii. Turns out I thought I was standing in line for Wii games, but when I was handed a console instead I thought maybe it was a sign from heaven ;)

Friday's marathon day continued with Lexi going through the temple for the first time. Quite a few of the Arnett's met at the Provo temple so we could be with her on the very important day. I love you Lex and I'm so proud of you!

Here is a pic of all the extended fam

Here is a pic of the H.B. Arnett fam
(from l-r) H.B., Penee, Lexi, Lindsay, Lacy and Dave

We had such a great time all weekend long. Saturday we did some shopping and met up with some cousins for a little Happy Sumo and hung out at my Mom and Dad's all Saturday night to soak up all the time with the Mayberry clan.

This weekend reminded me how much I love and adore all my family both immediate and extended and I can't wait until Christmas in AZ to spend some more time with my sisters and brother who I haven't seen in awhile and with all my fun AZ cousins1

Random Updates

It's been brought to my attention (thanks Lex) that I have been a blogging slacker of late. Let me assure you that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I just have been a lazy blogger, none the less I thought I'd give a recap of what I've been up to:

Devry's shower, we had a great turnout to celebrate the upcoming arrival of baby boy DelHoyo

Special thanks to Candy for the adorable baby bird cupcakes/party favors!

"Twilight" was a lot of fun, but next time I want to go to a midnight showing of a movie targeted to teens, will someone please remind me that I'm over 30 and that getting home at 2:30 a.m. just to turn around and go to work the next morning is liable to kill me? Thanks in advance friends :)

The movie was definitely "B" status. But I liked it over all. Where before I hated the casting of Pattinson, I now find him imminently "swoon" worthy. Unless you are a die hard fan of the books, I would steer very clear of this movie until all the madness dies down.

Loving the "Twilight" from L-R:
Auntie Kathleen, Devry, Me, Lexi, Dana
(missing from photo are Stacey and Mallory, but we love you guys anyway)

Rock Band with my single "peeps". I've been really blessed to have such fantastic single-tons in my ward. We meet for FHE every other Monday and it is always a good time. We have so much fun in fact that we often invite others, not of our Ward to join in :)

Special shout out to B for hosting us, I think we should have more of these kinds of parties :)

Pride and Prejudice the game. To Win this game, you must answer P&P trivia, navigate the highs and lows of Jane Austens world and finally get you and your significant other to the church. First one to get married wins. Could anything be more delightful?

Jane and Bingley just beat Lizzy and Darcy, but it was a close race I do assure you!

I got introduced to the artist Ray Lamontagne through a friend. We ended up going to his concert at Salt Air and it was one of the best shows I've been to in a very long time. He is now officially one of my favorite artists. Random side note: I don't think I've ever been out to Saltair, or if I had it's been so long as to not remember it.

Loving the interesting architecture at Saltair

Finally, what would a blog post be without a gratuitous picture of Miss Canyon Rose. She is up visiting her Hardman relatives for Thanksgiving and I sure do miss her even though it's only been a week.

Here is a pic of Penee, a pony and the little miss taken around the time of Halloween.

The end of this week I should have gratuitous pics of Miss "Peep" and the rest of her family. Can't wait for the Thanksgiving fun to start!

Save The Date

Just as a heads up for all you lovelies out there. The DelHoyo fam is coming into town for Thanksgiving and we are going to celebrate the upcoming arrival of baby DelHoyo. So announcements to come in the mail but keep your Calendar free

NOVEMBER 22nd @ 1:00 p.m.

Twilight

Ok friends, I'm putting out the word that tickets are already on sale and we've been slacking. Both of the cinemark locations are already sold out. There are still tickets at Thanksgiving point. The thing with the point is that the seats are reserved seating, so it could require some coordination.

Maybe I can get a count of who is potentially in and we can go from there. The date is November 20th at 11:59 p.m. - So obviously this is a midnight showing. I personally can't wait, and I hope that many of you will come and join the fun!

You Should All Be Very Jealous (or alternate title) Wendy I Love You

You should know I love receiving packages in the mail. I mean REALLY love it. So when my dearest cousin Wendy leaves me a comment telling me that she found something whilst out thrift store shopping and wanted to send it to me the excitement factor was off the charts for the following reasons:

1) Wendy is the BEST thrift store shopper ever! I've never met anyone who can find the most fantastic things in the world. No one has the mad thrift store gem finding skills she has. Pink Chair anyone?

2) Did I mention the joy I find in packages delivered to my house?

Now here is the part where you should all be very, very jealous. I got home today and found my delicious package waiting for me to open. When what delight should burst forth?!?!

BEHOLD

Imagine lots of happy dancing and some very high pitched squealing upon seeing this! Thank you, thank you, thank you Wendy. I love it so very much.

Now if only I could find some people interested in playing it with me...................any takers?

"Earn Your Turkey"

The details and registration are now available! Come one come all.....I think the name puts it quite aptly.

I'm excited to race with all my dear family on Turkey day. Click HERE for all the details. The adrenaline is building all ready!

Please notice that there is a 2 mile "health" walk, so no excuses for all of you non-runners out there. Come and hang out with us run or walk (Kathy, Penee, Mal Pal ).

Just because you don't suffer from A.S.S. don't feel like you can't join in the fun. Friends and card carrying members of the Arnett Fan Club are welcome as well :)

Liquid Liner

This morning as I was rushing around like a mad woman running just a little behind and feeling stressed about it. I found a reason to be grateful and it came in the form of liquid eyeliner.

I haven't always worn liquid eyeliner or for that matter eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara......ok you get the picture. In my younger years I rarely if ever sported make-up. As I've gotten older, and hopefully a little bit wiser, I have decided that my face looks better with a "fresh coat of paint". I think Grandma Ethel would have agreed that this can apply not only to lipstick but to all the arts of make-up enhancement.

Now the reason for my gratitude. I'm one of those who always has something swirling in my brain. I literally can not sleep in on a Saturday morning because I wake up thinking of the million things I both need and want to do that day. Most days of the week I'm rushing to get out the door and get to work on time. I feel grateful for the liner because it gives me the opportunity every morning to take some deep breaths, settle myself and find peace, even if it's just for the 2 minutes or less it takes me to apply it.

For those of you who have ever worn this particular make-up enhancement, you know what I'm talking about. Maybe some of you are much more skilled at the art of putting it on than I, but for me it can not be a rush job. It requires a steady hand and a bit of calm to not walk out of the house looking like a disaster. I find that once I've conjured up that calm it stays. Maybe it doesn't last all day, but at the very least it follows me out the door.

Today I felt grateful for all of the moments of calm and peace I have in the sometimes stormy seas of life. I'll take it, even when it comes in liquid liner form.

The Jane Bennett Hump

I'm sad to admit that I previously had been starting to get the Jane Bennett hump. All you who have seen the '95 BBC production of "Pride and Prejudice" know to what I am referring.

Good news though......thanks to all the running and therefore strengthening of my back muscles my hump is almost all gone.

So thanks running, one more reason to love you :)

A Girl Can Dream

I now have a new dream. I first heard of these bikes for rent in France from Lex on her European adventure this year. I borrowed this photo from Dave's cousins blog. My new dream vacation involves Paris, one of these bikes and riding them along all the many bridges throughout the city.

SYTYCD

I went to the concert last night and it was truly fabulous. They performed all the hits from the season. Including: The Garden, The Door Dance, The Briefcase Dance, The Mia Michaels bed number and many, many other delights.

I thought all the dancers had such good chemistry together and I realize that Will just somehow didn't translate on T.V. If people would have been watching him in person there is no way they could have failed to be blown away.

If next year I can only pick one show to see between A.I. and SYTYCD the latter wins hands down. Here are a few photos from our fun night last night.

Here we are before the show from L-R
Alecia, myself, Kimberly, Christine

Christine and I getting excited for the "door" dance

I loved their interactions and the way they all introduced each others dances. The intermission was so much better than Idol.

Me and Alecia-still laughing about that guy with the sweet "throwing the dice" dance move. Ask me, I'd be happy to demonstrate :)


Gratuitous shot of the crowd-Jen I know you were in here somewhere, hope you loved the show as much as I did!

Training for the Thanksgiving 5k

I'm excited that the some of the fam are in for this fun run! In order to help some of the newbie's (and myself) I thought I'd post a website I love that gives you a training schedule so you can be ready for the big day. Click Here

As soon as info becomes available on registration for the run I'll be sure to let you know. In the meantime I think we should resurrect the running blog Really Running a Marathon Ok, so maybe it's not a marathon, but it could feel like it for some of us.

It's motivating to share our stories of training and to encourage one another. What do you all think? For those of you who want to add to the running blog and haven't been added to it I petition Lacy to add you and let's discuss.....after all if there is one thing we are all really good at it's talking about ourselves ;)

Random updates

It's been awhile since I posted and I thought I'd share some of the random end of summer fun I've been having.

As you all know I'm not what one would call "outdoorsy". This summer I've had the opportunity to camp quite a bit, and I've found that with the right pad to sleep on and some good company camping can be rather delightful.

Here is a pic of my view whilst enjoying a good fire.

Here is my friend Christine and I. Like I said good friends make all the difference to a fun camping trip.

A week or so I also got invited to a "sleep-over" in a friends back yard. The only thing that could have made this more fun, was if they had a trampoline to sleep on. Then we could have done it old school, like when we were 12.Camping, with all the comforts of home. I love having real "facilities".

Other fun has taken place this summer. Lexi's good friend Mallory got married, Lexi was the best bridesmaid ever. She got a tan that made us all wonder what might have been if HB would have married a Latina ;)No guys, it's not the Latin Oprah.......It's Lex

I've also still been running and doing a lot of hiking. I'm so blessed to live in such a beautiful area.

Jaree and I up Rock Canyon

Carol and I...same place

I've tried new foods....hello pink filipino delciousness
Jaree, my guide to all things Filipino

All in all it's been a truly fantastic summer. Filled with good food, friends and scenery. I hope the fall turns out to be just as fantastic!

For Your Enjoyment

A friend just linked me to this and it's one of the funnier things I've read in awhile. Please do yourself a favor and read the comments, because they are as classic as the post. Without further adieu-

The Top Ten Chick Repellent items of 2008

I L.O.V.E. the Olympics

I had a fantastic weekend. The Olympics started and I'm obsessed by them. I've been Tivo'ing everything and staying up ridiculously late to watch all the events I possibly can.

Friday evening Carol hosted Marc, Molly and I at her house for an opening ceremonies party. We ate Chinese food, talked about world events and thoroughly enjoyed the opening ceremonies.


Saturday morning I went out to Cedar Hills and met up with my friend Julie and her niece. We caught a showing of "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" I really liked the movie and the altercation I had with the teenager in the theater didn't dampen my love (if interested in details of altercation I will elaborate to you personally).

I followed up a fun afternoon with Jules and Co. by heading up to SLC with some friends to try some Filipino food. It was an interesting experience. I like 50% of what we ordered. Here are some photos of our food. The pink dish was a bit, how do you say?........disgusting. But the company was good and I love the adventure that trying new food always is.

These were the 2 Filipino dishes we ordered. The one on the left was pretty delicious.

Here is Juree modeling how the hue of this dish matches her shirt almost exactly.

I spent pretty much the entire day yesterday engrossed in the Olympics. Could that 4x100 relay last night have been any better? How about the drama that the U.S.A. Women's gymnasts conjured up! I'm on the edge of my seat for what other delights this Olympics will bring!

Just for Fun

Canyon is a little bit obsessed with baby Cate. She was especially concerned that I was taking a picture of her naked belly. She'll make a great addition to the modesty police.

A.S.S. Rears It's Ugly Head

(Disclaimer- this is not an actual picture of me biking. They clearly look way to professional)

That's right, Arnett Self-Assured Syndrome. Turns out I have plenty of it. When we went on our hike up at Sundance over the 4th of July I saw some mountain bikers out and about on the mountain. I thought it looked fun and thanks to A.S.S. I was sure I would have no problems mastering it. I mean I've ridden a bike before, how hard could it be?

Pretty difficult as it turns out. mtn. biking, is not quite the same as riding around on a bike with a banana seat.....who knew?!?!

I rented a bike last week from Outdoors Unlimited at BYU. I had it for the week and took it for it's first spin last Friday. I went just off 8th north in Orem, on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. I had 3 problems really.

1. I didn't understand how my gears worked and so it was WAY more ridiculously hard than it needed to be.

2. The sheer cliff on one side intimidated me a bit, therefore I was more cautious going downhill and so didn't have enough speed to get up the uphill.

3. I'm not as coordinated as one would think to look at me. I hear biking is a bit better when you stay on the bike the whole time. Although the view from the scrub oak wasn't so bad, I chose to look at my falls as "rest breaks".

I went out again yesterday, this time I was smarter and recruited a mtn. biking expert who couldn't have been more helpful and encouraging. I was shown how the gears actually worked, given many helpful tips and tricks that made it so much more enjoyable.

My biking friend is some sort of professional biking machine and since riding uphill on a bike made my heart feel like it would beat out of my chest. I had my friend bike on for a bit whilst I went at my significantly slower pace.

Maybe it makes me weird, but I think all those people taking the lifts up at Sundance were cheating a bit. For me the best part is the sense of accomplishment when after all that hard work of getting up the mountain you finally turn around and get to fly back down the hill (and obviously I use the term "fly" loosely as a description of what I did yesterday). I can't think that the downhill would be as much fun without the work of getting yourself uphill.

Verdict: I really liked it and think I could like it more and more as I got better at it. So here's hoping I have plenty of opportunities to get good. Up for a bike ride anyone?