You Know He Loves You...

...when he skips class to get home before you and do the dishes.

...when he doesn't complain that he hasn't had clean laundry in a week.

...when he doesn't take away your credit card after seeing the bill.

...when you've gained weight and he still looks at you with starstruck eyes.

...when he thinks you're gorgeous without any make-up.

...when he's the only one who gets your jokes.

...when he walks around piles of scrapbook paper and

 fabric for two weeks while you're finishing a project.

...when he wants you to share his interests (scuba-diving, longboarding, etc.)

so that he can spend more time with you.

...when he sneaks into your office to give you a quick smooch or a tight squeeze.

...when he laughs at how cranky you're being, even though

 his day was just as bad, if not worse.

...when he comes to you for advice and comfort.

...when he takes the time to scrape off your frosted

windows even though he's running late for work.

...when you can't remember where you put something

and he spends the time to help you find it.

...when you're so frustrated you can hardly stand it

 and he knows just what to say to calm you down

 and make everything better.

...when he says, "I love you," and you know, without a doubt, that he truly means it.

A Cop, A Pop, and Lip Gloss

Intrigued by the title? You should be. This was one of the most memorable days of my life!

It all started when one of my bosses, JG, came up to me and asked if I wouldn't mind coming dressed up to work the next day to do some product shots. I jumped at the chance (I mean, what girl in her right mind wouldn't want an excuse to spend a little extra time in the morning getting all dolled up for some photos?). This wasn't the first time I'd been asked to be the company model, so I was running low on outfits.

After work, I headed over to the mall to pick out a new shirt or two, when I totally got sucked into Sephora. I'd always avoided places like Sephora and Bath & Body, mostly because I know that I'm a girl, and as such I have a natural weakness for all things sparkly and smelly! Yep, I went to town. I figured that this might be the only time in my life where I can splurge a little bit on myself, 'cuz, let's face it, after kids, splurging is not a reality unless you're loaded.

Can I just say, I'm in love? 'Cuz I am! Bare Minerals and Stilla Smudge Pots are my two best friends!

Anyway, after splurging, I started hunting for some cute tops, and let me tell you, it wasn't easy. I was starting to get discouraged when Jefferson called.
"I don't want you to come home yet," he said. "Actually, I told my siblings you'd come and get them and take them to see Gnomeo & Juliet. So go buy tickets, pick them up and, whatever you do, don't come home yet."
I'll admit I was a little miffed. I'd just spent a lot of moola and wasn't in the mood for spending any more when here comes my hubbs saying that I have to 'cuz I can't come home yet. The miffness went down a little when Jefferson told me he had a surprise for me. (Wow. Am I spoiled or what?)

So I swung into Mapleton and grabbed his two youngest siblings, Megan and Jake, and we headed off to the Movies. Thank goodness we grabbed some popcorn and soda before the film because, to put it bluntly, it was lame.

On the way home, I tried to compensate for the lameness of the movie by cracking jokes and keeping the ball rolling. You know that common misconception about women being really good at multi-tasking? Well, it does not apply to talking and driving, apparently because the next thing I knew, there were red and blue lights flashing in my rear-view mirror!

Never having been pulled over before and just having downed a whole bunch of junk food, I was sick to my stomach! Honestly, I totally forgot which side of the road I was supposed to pull over on! (Of course, it didn't help that he pulled me over on a stretch of road where there wasn't a shoulder.)

He came up to my window and I panicked, rolling down the rear window before I realized it was the wrong button. He asked for my license and five minutes later I finally pulled it out of the lining of my wallet, my buttery fingers shaking as I slid it out the crack in the window.

He let me off with a warning (and believe you me, he was not nice about it!) and I proceeded to drop off my siblings-in-law (?) swearing them to secrecy.

When I finally pulled into my lot, I thought for sure I was going to be sick! I stood and wobbled my way to our door, leaning on it for support. Once inside, I found Jefferson sitting on the couch working on some homework. The first words out of his mouth weren't, "Hi honey!" or even, "Is everything okay?" but instead, "So, I heard you got a ticket, " accompanied by a little aha! I caught you grin.

And the surprise? My sweet man had cut class early and snuck home to clean house before I got back from my shopping spree! Honestly! I am soooo spoiled!

The Great Escape...Twice!

Everything was fine and dandy until Jefferson decided he was going to be like Red Foreman off That's 70's Show and do some home repairs on Coal's cage. Let's just say I'm glad he wasn't trying his hand at home repairs around the house. After a saudering iron, a hot glue gun, and a bunch of zip ties, Jefferson thought he was finished...that is until Coal escaped!

Yep, we've had him for less than a week and he's already wreaking havoc around the house! Not really. Jefferson found him that morning when he went to get in the shower. Coal had gotten out that night, fell off the table and then ran around until he got so thirsty that the sound of dripping water from our leaky faucet led him into the bathroom where he hunkered down in front of our electric heater.

So Jefferson put him back in his cage. The next night the same thing happened, only this time, catching the little booger was much more difficult.

Jefferson came into our bedroom, and shook me awake. "Genny, the hamster got out! Come help me find him!" We searched and searched and searched.

"He's behind the counters I tell ya!" I said for the umpteenth time as I over-turned the cushions on the couch...again!

"Maybe, but we don't have time to look right now 'cuz we gotta get to work. We'll look some more later."
 You mean, you'll look some more later, I thought. I already know he's hiding behind the counters and besides, I'm not the one who renovated his cage and de-escape-proofed it! (As you can see, I did not like the idea of having a mousie running around inside my house!)

Well, while making some deliveries that day for work, Jefferson, using his newly found hamster-catching knowledge (thank you google) made a pit-stop home and set up some traps. I was completely unaware of this until Jefferson called me.

"You did what?" I said.
"I spread flour across every threshold in the house, that way if he walks across it, he'll leave little footprints everywhere and we'll follow his footprints to where he's hiding! Then, I left some paper plates on the floor with food and water in them just in case."

Those were the words that literally came out of his mouth, but what I heard was, "Someone on google was trying to be funny and listed this idea as a joke to see who would actually try it out, and guess what, honey? I did it! So when you get home, there'll be a nice mess all over the floor for you to clean up and it'll all be for nothing because we all know the mousie is behind the counters just like you said." Of course, I didn't say this, and instead replied in the happiest voice I could muster, "That's great, hun."

It wasn't until after Jefferson got home from work that we found the mousie, and what do you know? He was behind the counters, all nice and snug with a little nest built out of paper scraps and a plastic bag. And for those of you who are asking, no, I did not have to vacuum up all the flour.

Ole King Coal

Oh, did I forget to mention that on Valentine's Day, Jefferson and I wanted to get a pet? It's really hush-hush, because our Landlords don't want pets in the apartment, and if we were getting a kitten or a puppy, I could understand why, but for something as self-contained as a fish, we thought that rule didn't apply...

So, after work on Valentine's, we made our way to PetSmart, fully intent on buying a fishbowl and the attached necessities. But when we got there, Jefferson started having second thoughts.

"Fish aren't any fun," he said. "They just sit there and swim around. Can we get a lizard?"
Horrible visions of a lizard loose in our home had me shuddering, "Ugh, no!"
It was then we saw the hamsters and at the sight of their cute little hands, fluff-ball body's, and pink noses, (oh and did I mention Jefferson has the best puppy-dog eyes I have ever seen?!?!) we walked outta there with a black-bear hamster. After discussing names like Smokey and Raincloud, we decided on Coal, though both of us usually just call him mousie (don't ask why, it just stuck).

Yep, Coal is the newest member of our small, cooky family!

Scavenging for a Valentine

Monday was Valentine's Day and the funny thing is I totally was not expecting a Valentine from my hubsand because we'd had our own Valentine's Day in Vegas. To preface this, on our way out of Vegas, when we were heading home, we passed several stands selling the huge teddy bears in red and pink baskets with boxes of chocolates and you get the picture: the ultimate cheesy Valentine.

Well, I just had to open my big mouth and pointed out the biggest teddy bear and said, in the best sarcastic voice I could muster, "Oh, yes, I do ever so want a giant teddy bear on Valentine's day."
"Are you serious?" asked husband.
"Yes, dear, I'm serious," still in that sarcastic tone. What I forgot is that not only is he a tease, but my husband is also a man, and men don't quite understand sarcasm and take things literally...very literally...

Okay, now that we know that we can continue: That day at work was being a real pain in the you-know-where and I had just about had it. Seriously, I was super-crank that day, and Jefferson coming in and out of my workspace and interrupting my system was not helping!

He pulled one of my yet-to-be-filled orders out of the neatly arranged stack and just walked away with it.
Well that's just great, I thought. He's going to forget where he put it and then I'm going to get a call from an angry customer demanding their order...grumble, grumble...

Well, he came back with the order and said, "Fill this order first."
Being my stubborn cranky self, I asked why.
"Because it needs to be your top priority." And with that, he started to walk away.
I yelled after him, "Like right now? Do I wrap like I usually do? What's it for?"
He kept walking, which did not help my mood at all. I was just about ready to throw that bleepity-bleeping order away when I noticed this:

Wait...wha...? My suspicions thoroughly aroused, I proceeded to the polk-a-dots in question. (We'd been painting our new office for about a week by that point, and were getting ready to add some polk-a-dots to the accent walls, but first we had to measure and lay them out so that they could be approved by someone higher up...yeah, that was not adding to my happy mood that day...)

I started to turn-over some of the dots, when I stumbled across this:

Clear across the warehouse, is a crate used to store and ship items we use for Shows. Amy, my co-worker, had spent the last week emptying out the contents and checking them for the next show, just one of the reasons our tiny office was taking so long to paint.

Entering the crate and shuffling to the end (the thing's not big enough to stand-up in) I found another sticky note:

I did as directed, finding myself in the downstairs part of the office section of the building. There was another note on one of the doors:

Starting to be thoroughly peeved, I followed this last direction and found this waiting for me:

My husband, a huge teddy bear, a bouquet of roses and lunch! Does anybody know what you do with an over-sized, over-stuffed mammal? I'm open to suggestions...Currently, I have him buckled into the back seat of my car. I figure I can use him as an excuse to get into the carpool lane!

Viva Las Vegas!

Picture this: It's Friday night right after work. I'd just gotten home when my cell-phone rings.

"Run away with me," says the oh-so-familiar voice on the other end.
Instant panic-mode sets in: "Okay, what happened?"
"Nothing, really, I just thought that Monday is Valentine's Day and we'll have work and then I'll have class, and then it'll be too late to do anything special, so let's go somewhere this weekend."
Wow! Spontaneity! I love it!

He continued, "Tell you what, you start packing and I'll look for hotel reservations. We'll go someplace nice, how 'bout? I'll call you with more details later, kay? But right now I should probably get back to class."
"Okay," I said (or at least I think I said that...by this point I was totally starry-eyed, twitter-pated, and day-dreaming all at the same time). And then it hit me! I hadn't done laundry in a while and all my jeans were dirty! I threw a hurried load into the washer and then frantically began packing our suitcase, giggling all that while and wondering where we could be going.

The phone rang again and I wrestled with my purse to pull my phone from its bottomless depths.
"How does Las Vegas sound? It's far enough away, but not too far and we have reservations starting tonight so I'm skipping out of class early so we can get on the road, kay? We'll leave in the next hour, so be ready."
Ready...right...
An hour later, with my still wet but not quite dripping jeans hanging in the back-seat, we were on our way!

Five hours later, we were on the Strip making our way through the traffic to the MGM Grand Hotel (& Casino. Everything in Vegas is either a Hotel & Casino, or just  Casino, but never just a Hotel.)

We parked, checked in and we crashed until the next morning. I'm telling you that Saturday was one of the longest Saturdays I've ever had. It was blissfully long. We had breakfast at the MGM Grand Buffet. It was so-so, but mama's cooking still wins. Then we found the Monorail, and road all the way to the end of the Strip, and caught a cab to Fremont Street.

If you've never been to Fremont Street, I would highly recommend. It was by far my favorite place we went to (not that we went many places, I mean in all reality, Saturday, as long as it felt, still only had 24 hours in it). Basically it's Vegas' version of Disneyland's Main Street USA. There's no through traffic, so you walk everywhere, and there are vendors and kiosks everywhere. Jefferson and I were mesmerized by the artists. Holy cow! There was this one spray-paint artist who was ama-za-zing! I can't evenly spray-paint anything, and he was creating space-scenes, complete with planets, stars, everything! He could make woodland scenes, too, as well as city-scapes. We were in awe and watched him work his magic. Honestly, he deserved applause after each piece.

Then I saw the caricature booth. You know those super exaggerated cartoon drawings, I watched another couple get one and thought how cute that would be to have as a keepsake (Especially since this trip was so spontaneous that we both forgot our dead cameras' chargers!).

We sat in that booth for about forty-five minutes as an artist captured us in that moment. Here was the end result:

Stinkin' hysterical I tell ya! I love it!

After that, we decided to skip the cab back to our hotel, and walked instead (I mean with the "" as a landmark, it wasn't too hard to just walk in that general direction until we hit the Strip)

We snagged a quick lunch and I took a nap until dinner. We dressed up all fancy, like the way you see James Bond in all those movies, and strutted our stuff on the red carpet of the casino until we found a place where we wanted to eat: the Rainforest Cafe. It was really family oriented (namely non-smoking, honestly, I don't think I will ever get the smell of cigarettes out of our clothes) and had, as Jefferson puts it, the best restaurant dessert he's ever had: the Volcano. A tiered masterpiece of chocolatey confection, the Volcano was the only thing we bagged up and took back to our hotel room.

Sunday dawned and we made a quick pit-stop to visit the Hardy's, a sweet elderly couple who knew Jefferson and his family from when they lived in Asia for all those years. Then it was off home, getting there just in time to pass out and make it to work the next day without anyone knowing about our sneak vacation/Valentine's day getaway!

Stupid Steak

Yesterday at work, Jefferson and I decided we wanted steak and potatoes for dinner (however we couldn't decide on the potatoes. Jefferson wanted potato salad, which to me is a total summer dish to be eaten with hot dogs and chips, and I wanted mashed potatoes, a Belknap staple. He kept teasing me and saying that I'm too picky, but mashed potatoes won out.) So, while Jefferson was out doing deliveries to Walmarts, he picked up some steaks and bar-b-que sauce. He put them in baggies and left them in the frigde at work, reminding me before he left for school that I needed to take them home.

"Right. On it," I answered. Less than ten minutes after pulling out of the parking lot, he calls my cell.
"Don't forget the steaks," he said. "I want you to write it down on a sticky note. Those exact words, got it?"
"Yep."
"Good, now hand the phone to Amy."
"Okay...?" Amy is my co-worker who just happens to share an office (really a closet) with me.

I strained to hear what he was talking to her about, but could only catch her end of the conversation.
"A-huh, sure. Hey Gen, let me see that notepad you wrote on...thanks. Yep, it says right here, 'Don't Forget the Steaks.' A-huh, sure. He wants to talk to you again."

Right. The steaks. Well, guess who got all the way home, looked over to the passenger's side and saw a half-empty bottle of bar-b-q sauce and a bunch of plastic bags and thought, "oh crap." I called Jefferson and let him know that he would have to swing into work on his way home from UVU and pick up the steaks that I left in the fridge.

Yep, you guessed it. I have not heard the end of that one.