birthday boy

Today is my husband's 25th birthday. I've chosen to honor him by showing the world these videos of him dancing "with" our birds (I took them last fall while moving out of our apartment). I'm sorry that they're sideways but it's worth tilting your head slightly. I love you B, happy birthday.

the curious case of laura miller

Let me just give you a little insight into my life. Over the last couple weekends I have been asked questions concerning my age that are typical and yet somewhat distressing. The first occasion was at Deer Valley Ski Resort where I was asked if I was over 18 yet so that I could sign a form. “I’m 23” I quickly retorted. Like most people, the lady apologized with a “well you just look so young”. The second occasion was at an African dance class I took last Saturday where I was asked by some random lady if I was from Butler Middle School. Yes, middle school! Meaning a good ten years younger than I really am; must I remind you of this? To her I gave only a grimace and a contemptuous “No”.

Do I feel bad about the way I react to these comments? Yes. Should people probably be a little more tactful? Yes. Maybe I shouldn't get so offended, but I am sick of this being the story of my life. It’s true that I could do more to help the situation like wearing heels and more makeup and maybe act my age, but honestly, I doubt it will make much of a difference. Can anyone think of some advantages to this problem so I could feel better about it? If so, please post and explain.

And please, none of these responses: “When you're older you’ll be glad you look so young”. To that I say this: hogwash. The last thing I want is to be walking around looking like a Juno when I’m pregnant or a babysitter when I pick my kids up from school. Besides, just because I look young now doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll age well. So you’ll have to do better than that. How can I make the most of this situation now? (creativity and humor is encouraged)

ps. This is not some weird way for me to announce that I'm pregnant. I'm not.

snow canyon

Bret and I went down to St. George over President's Day weekend to visit his parents who are living there this winter. Although we didn't get the high temperatures we were hoping for, we still had a great visit. One of my favorite parts was a fun hike through nearby Snow Canyon in which I took a camera along. I'm definitely not the best at landscape photos but Bret's dad is really good and he gave me some pointers. Here are my attempts, such as they are.

Bret looks totally posed in this picture.


I thought these ripples were pretty cool. I'm always amazed to see what water can do to rock over time.

We also met up with my sister's family who were down there too that weekend at the St. George Temple. They're a funny bunch. By the way, my sister is very creative and has a really cute quilting/other crafts blog. You should check it out.

we thought this was fun

Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance
Uploaded by IgnitionVM

it's hammer time

Bret and I are preparing to witness history this Friday at the Mckay Events Center. We hope to see you there too so we can all do the bump (not to mention, stop collaborate and listen together).

my (not so) evil twin

While at the convention in CA, a girl from my work found this pamphlet at another booth (one of our competitor's booths actually). She concluded that I was either a double agent if you will, working for both companies or I have a long lost twin somewhere. You be the judge.
I can't deny the resemblance but she's probably 14 and that doesn't make me feel too good about myself.

Groundhog Day

This is a video that we put together for a ward activity a few years ago. It tells a tale of a young rodent in search of what he treasures most...his shadow. Follow him through trials of heartache and through the ultimate of pleasure. Thanks to Eric Chambers for editing it.

anaheim

This past week I went to Anaheim, CA for the Craft and Hobby Trade show (or CHA) for my job. It's always fun going there and seeing what's new in the world of crafts. There's not just scrapbooking stuff but paints, paper, beads and jewelry, yarn, supplies for knitting, quilting, sewing, art and other random hobbies that people have. I didn't have too much time to wander but it was cool to be there anyway.

The girls. Yes we're matching.
Give-aways at our booth.
Somewhere in that huge convention center someone burned their microwave pizza and we all got to evacuate the building.


The QuicKutz crew (in bright orange :).
And you thought you had to go to Sundance to see celebrities. Turns out they're all at craft shows.
Yes this is Paris. Apparently she released her own line of scrapbooking paper. I'm sure she designed it herself and uses it all the time. It may not look like it but there was quite a crowd to see her.
Hanging with my new buddy Jane Seymour. Some may know her as Dr. Michaela Quinn the Medicine Woman, but the Udall family knows her best as Marguerite St. Just from The Scarlet Pimpernel ("they seek him here..."). She was nice. I just hope I look like that when I'm pushing sixty.

Although I could see Disneyland from my hotel, I never made it to that magical place, which is probably good because it wouldn't be nearly as fun without Bret. Despite that, missing B and all the hard work involved, it was a fun week.

Downtown Disney. This is as close to the magic as I got.