Black Friday at WALMART

This is a long post but it has a funny story that you can’t explain in a paragraph or less.

So like every other year in years past we decided to brave the crowds and go shopping at the busiest place in the world WALMART!! I mostly go for the entertainment of seeing it all and hope that I get a great deal. This year was no exception. I stood by the TV’s and Kayla stood by the Cricut. I had a pretty uneventful time. I just grabbed one and went on my merry way to the $2 DVD’s (we always get about 10 of them, this year 12). Kayla however had an experience.

The Cricut’s were few in number but she stood right there to get one. There was a larger woman that had been there since 2:00 am waiting to get herself one. Well she had parked her cart by the display and left to go and try and get some other stuff then would come back and put it in the cart. When you move you lose any advantage you may have had. Mistake number 1. So when she came back a lady let her in to stand by the display again to get one. Mistake number 2. The lady should have given up then. She was just foolish. At those types of sales do NOT move from your post.

According to the Wal-Mart ad, the black Friday sales start at 5 am. So about 4:40 am there was a tidal wave of people ripping black plastic from the displays to get to the bargains. Although it was 20 minutes early not even 500 armed soldiers could have stopped the madness. So back to the Cricut story…

When the tidal wave of noise started Kayla dove in on the ground, got smacked in the cheek by something hard, and successfully ripped one from the display and put it in her cart. Well the larger woman also went after one of those coveted Cricut machines, but wasn’t as successful. There was another lady who was also on the ground with her hands around the box so the larger woman decided to sit on the box…You can see where this is going…The lady on the ground is crying that her arm is broken, the larger lady sitting on the box is crying and saying it’s hers because she’d been there since 2 am. Next the police officer and the Wal-Mart manager show up and start yelling at the larger lady to get off the box. She continued to whine “It’s mine!!! I’ve been here since 2!!!” The officer told her he didn’t care and to get off the box so as not to hurt the lady on the ground any more. Dumb larger lady made an ass out of herself for a Cricut and she didn’t even get one.

Since there were so many people and carts by the Cricut machines there was a traffic jam. People abandoned their carts in the aisle and started walking towards the front of the store. So those that had stuff in their carts could not work their way out of the crowd. About 5 minutes later we rendezvoused at in the clothes section. At that point Kayla realized that her Blackberry was gone, it had fallen out of her hoodie pocket. I started frantically calling it hoping somebody would answer and give it back. No luck!! I thought oh great there goes a $300 phone! Meanwhile she ran back to the Cricut display and rummaged through the garbage and there it was just sitting there. She said it would have been thrown away with the garbage if she didn’t dig through it.

Black Friday morning ended with us waiting in line for 1 hour to check out. During that time you couldn’t move because there were so many people, carts and lines you had to ask 20 people to move if you wanted to go anywhere. Wyatt slept over at my mom and dad’s house so we didn’t have to take him with us. We stood in line next to a lady who brought her newborn. STUPID. You shouldn’t take them to Wal-Mart in the first couple months and let alone on the craziest shopping day of the year. We got several good deals. Afterwards, I always wonder if it is worth it though. But I think it was! And I am sure I will do it again next year.

Uneventful Month but there was a semi-date

Everything has been pretty much uneventful around our house. Hence, there have been no new posts of anything. Kayla continues to fight through her math class. There are only a few more weeks until it's over so it will be great once she is done!

Yesterday we did go on a semi-date. I use the word semi because I went to my parents house to take back a bunch of junk I borrowed and my mom said she would watch Wyatt for a while. So we got a free coulpe of hours together. (man those just seem so rare). We went and saw Twilight. I've read the books but Kayla hasn't but she still wanted to go see it with me. Overall we both liked it. We both though it was really slow at the first but got better as it went on. I do not think the characters of Edward and Bella are what I pictured from the books but I guess they'll have to do.

Anyways we are getting ready for the Holidays and we will be going shopping on Black Friday. I love it! It is almost more amusing at watching all the people fight over things than it is to get super deals! I will have to post about that next Friday after I set up our Christmas tree!

Baltimore

My cousin Michelle lives near Baltimore. Since I was so close I thought it would be nice to visit her and her family. It has been about 10 or 12 years since I had seen her so it was good to catch up and get to know her family. I didn't get to meet her husband because of his work schedule but her kids were fun. After we walked around DC all day we went to her house and talked until about midnight. The next morning she made us breakfast and we went to the Baltimore harbor. It was really nice. We ate lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. The pictures are at the harbor in front of the boats. You can pay to go on them but we didn't have enough time...Maybe next time!

Sam and Abby

Washington DC Weekend

We went to Washington DC to see all the historical sites. On Friday afternoon after class we went to Arlington Cemetery. We decided to do this on Friday because it is a little out of the way and we were able to drive right there. It was really cool. We went to see the Kennedy’s Gravesite then to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This was pretty cool. We saw the changing of the guard. They are very professional and serious when they do it. After the ceremony somebody touched or knocked over the chain surrounding the tomb and the solider stopped marching and began to yell at him. It was interesting because the only thing they do is march and to see this guy yell was totally out of the ordinary. I was glad we went and saw this on Friday because Saturday was such a long day of walking and we were so tired.

Saturday we jumped on the Metro (DC’s subway system) and went to the National Archives. We saw the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights. In the building you can’t use your flash on the camera so all of the pictures were so dark. This was about a 20 minute wait to get in but it was totally worth it because you don’t get to see all that stuff in real life (just copies).

Next we went to the Museum of Natural History. This is where we saw all the dinosaur skeletons, the big elephant and lots of other prehistoric skeletons. It was really neat but we were just really rushed and that place was packed with people. It was cool though.

Next we ate lunch in the Ronald Reagan building. It is a joke to get into any Federal Building because the security is so crazy. It is like going through the airport to get into any of the buildings. Anyway to each lunch we had to go through security and show our IDs.

We then walked to the White House. It really wasn’t too intriguing since it looks like a mansion with a big fence around it. However, there was a tour guide there giving a brief speech and there is a woman that live across the street from the White House. She lives under a tarp and has been there since 1982. She is protesting Nuclear stuff. So if she ever leaves to go to the bathroom or something like that she has to get somebody to take her post or it will become illegal to protest in front of the White House.

Finally toward the end of the day we went and walked to the Lincoln Memorial. On the way we caught the Washington Monument and the WWII memorial. Afterwards we saw the Vietnam Wall. There was an excellent speech from a forest serviceman that explained all of the significance. It was super informative and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We rested on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial then walked, what seemed like 1000 miles to the train station. We made it back to the Metro Station then we were off to Baltimore to see my cousin Michelle and her family.

The beginning of year 4

So today we have been married for 4 years. It is amazing how fast time flies. I cannot believe it. Our tradition is to watch our wedding video and then do something. (we were so skinny 4 years ago) For our honeymoon we went to Hawaii, year one was Park City, year two Las Vegas, year three Cirque du Soleil. This year we will watch the movie, eat Applebee’s To-Go and watch the season finale of American Idol. It seems it is getting much simpler as time goes by. However, we will be going to Washing ton DC in June so we’re going to count that as being our anniversary trip. I will actually be there for work from the 15-27 of June so Kayla is going to come out for the weekend and we’ll tour downtown DC and see all the sites. We can’t wait!

Back to Reality

So i know it has been a few weeks since I have posted but relax I finally updated with all the fun things we have done the last month. A lot of our pictures are posted below of the cruise and all the fun stops. The reason I labeled this back to reality is because since we are back I have to cook my own food, make my own bed, find my own entertainment and work. I don't mind doing all of that stuff but when you are pampered it is hard to let it go.

I just finished my second to last class for my Masters degree yesterday so come May I will be finished with school and i will be able to post more often. So don't worry we are alive and well just busy with everyday life and trying not to let our tans fade too much before summer hits.

If you get tired of hearing my song then go to the Cozumel post and click the speaker in the bottom left corner!

Hodgepodge Of A Post

So this has been a long time coming. I am a real slacker and haven’t posted much of anything lately but I promise I am still alive and have been doing things too. Since I don’t want to bore with all the details I will keep it short and sweet.

December 31st –

We finally broke down and bought a new car for Kayla. Her old Buick is still running but it was time for a new car. She has wanted one for a long time and we finally got the guts to buy one. We bought it from The Sherm’s Store in Ogden. The manager is in my ward and gave us a really good deal. It’s a 2007 Toyota Highlander. I love it and I think Kayla loves it even more than I do.

After putting ourselves into debt we went and saw I Am Legend. I didn’t know that it was such a suspenseful movie but it was and I liked it. Kayla watched the majority of it with her faced covered by her coat. But ever since our first date (December 31st 2002) we have gone to a movie. It is kind of a fun tradition that we have.

We also went and celebrated the new year with the Cave’s. It wasn’t much of anything. We watched Spider Man 3, ate some food, watched the ball drop then went home. It was still fun to hang out with them though.

January 2nd --

So we decide to redo our kitchen cabinets. It was such a long process because we used oil paint that took 16 hours to dry. We added a bead board insert in the middle of all the doors then painted them a brown-orange color… It is a little too orange for me. I am not a fan but it is still growing on me. It really does look OK but I don’t want ever re-paint them again. After they were painted we drilled holes and added handles and that took FOR EVER. Take a look, here is a before and after picture.

January --

Our friends, the Cave’s, came over for dinner. We were going to build a snowman but by the time we made it outside the snow was too hard and would not roll into a ball. That’s OK we just played in the snow for about 10 minutes then went inside. Wyatt was so cute. He looked like the camouflaged stay-puff marshmallow man. We have this snow suit from my parents and this is the first time it has been used. It was hard for him to move but he liked to lick the snow and throw it too.



January 9th --
It snowed like no other. I was amazed how much snow I had in my drive way. It took me 2 hours to shovel it all. The neighbor let me use his snow blower but it only blew the first 8” off the top. I had to shovel the rest. We had about 13” total from the storm. The next day I could hardly move!! Just two days before this huge storm I took in my parents snow blower to get fixed so I could use it. He called and said it would work but I would have to shut off the gas after each use. My mom told him just to keep it until he could get it fixed all the way. My dad told me I could have it but it would be a family snow blower. I told him that was fine but I was going to store it at my house. It was just a few days too late. Now that it is fixed it won’t snow anymore.

HOLLYWOOD

So for the other half of our vacation in So Cal we went to Hollywood. YES! The traffic was horrible. We were hoping to be able to catch a movie down there before we had to get Kayla to LAX so she could go home but we spent over 2 hours waiting to go about 8 miles. It was horrible. But when we got down there we walked down the Walk of Fame. That was cool to see all those stars on the side walk that you only hear about on TV. We took a picture of a couple but mostly there were too many people to do anything like that. It reminded me of a mini version of the Las Vegas Strip. It only lasted for about 4 blocks but it was crazy.
They had entrepreneurs on the road dressed like characters (i.e. sponge Bob, and the Little Mermaid) that would take pictures for tips. The mermaid kept saying “I only take pictures for tips” So I didn’t want have her say anything to me because she looked scary. The Aladdin was caring a chi Wawa instead of a monkey. It was just weird. And most of them were dressed just enough that you could tell who they were and that was it. It wasn’t a very good costume. Anything to make a buck!
Then we walked inside the Kodak Theater where they do the finale of American Idol. That was cool, but again it is just like Vegas because it was a mall inside then the theater is at the top of the stairs. Also within the mall was a bridge to where you could take a picture of the Hollywood sign. That was really cool to see.
We also waked by the Chinese Theater. They usually hold lots of premiers here but they were doing anything like that when we were there. In front of the theater were cement pieces that had stars that had put their hand prints and wrote in the cement. It was cool too. We finished everything off by looking through the souvenir shops but that was just to see what they had.
We got Kayla to the airport on time but she called me when I was driving back to my hotel to tell me that her flight had been delayed an hour thanks to inclement weather in New York.

Traffic, MLB, and the Beach

Since I was going to be in California we decided to take advantage of the weekend and fly Kayla out. So when she flew in on Thursday night I went to get her and it took about 2.5 hours to get to LAX when it should have taken about just over an hour. LA traffic is HORRIBLE. It was fun because we got to go to a MLB game on Saturday (we ate a hot dog and everything). Of course the traffic was atrocious to get to the stadium but it was worth it. The Anaheim Angels played the Detroit Tigers. It was an afternoon game so pretty much the entire stadium was blasted by the sun. After about the 4th inning though, our seats finally got to be shaded and it was so much more bearable. It was fun to see it in real life. I don’t watch baseball at all but it was just fun to go in person. There were 43,122 people there so that made it better, especially when they hit a home run.





After the game we didn’t want to rush into traffic to get back to the hotel and sit so we went to Newport Beach and drove around that city and then parked and walked on Huntington Beach. Of course traffic was a “beach” getting out of there so we just took a short detour, ate some Asian food then worked our way back with fairly little traffic. That was a first. I am amazed at all the houses and glamour there is around this beach area. But I guess that is California for you.

Harry Potter 5, The movie!

So Kayla and I, along with Katherine and Marc, went to see HP5 at the new movie theaters in Ogden. First off the movie, I think, was the best out of all of the movies. I didn't really care for the book because it was such a downer the entire time -- and UMBRIDGE?? But the movie's special effects with the magic was excellent! I realized they couldn't fit everything into just two hours but that the directors did a great job. Kayla also liked it! Now we can't wait for HP7 to come out! We keep debating on who is going to read it first. I know it will be me because i will be traveling that week and I'll need something to do on the plane. She can read it when she comes to visit.

The new junction theater in downtown Ogden is exactly what they needed! That place was pretty busy so i don't think it will be going any where soon. The theater was clean and i really loved how they had assigned seating because it allowed us to get there right when it started and not have to wait in line for an hour! We did sit in the wrong seats to begin with but that was because i couldn't see what row we were on! I think i will go to this theater for my last couple summer must see (Hairspray, Transformers, and the Simpsons)!

Hopefully there is not a fourth!

DISCLAIMER: Somebody told me that I ruined these movies for them because I gave away the ending...so beware you could find out the ending. But don't worry they'll probably make a fourth and it will all make no matter!
For the last three weeks Kayla and I have gone opening night to the three main blockbusters; Spider Man 3, Shrek the Third, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End. All of these movies have made over $100 million each.
There is a theory of movie sequels and it goes something like this:

1. One really big hit makes lots of money for Hollywood and fans love it

2. Hollywood will try to capitalize and to make more $$$ off a sequel

3. Sequel is released and not even close to being as good as the original but fans see it because they loved the first; Hollywood makes their millions.

4. The story line was left wide open so there has to be a third and every fan will see it because they have to know how it ends; Hollywood makes more millions

5. The third ties up the story but is as bad or worse than the second; Hollywood knows how to play the game and they make more millions; The story ends but could possibly be interpreted or left open for another movie if Hollywood wants

Without doubt this has been the conspiracy of all three of these movies and I have not been impressed to say the least. I loved all of the originals so I saw the second ones -- and now obviously the third ones too. I guess I had too high of expectations. Of them I like Pirates the most, Shrek second and Spider Man 3 the least. I was so excited to see all of these movies because the previews make them look so wonderful. (WRONG!!) One thing is for sure; if another sequel in any of these series comes out I will not go opening night to see it. But I will still want to know … Do Peter Parker and Mary Jane get married? What about Shrek? He wasn’t next in line because there was a Queen; but if she dies then he will fight Prince Charming for the throne? And poor Elizabeth is torn between two loves, her husband Will Turner who is stuck on a boat for eternity so does she go after Jack Sparrow? So far this summer of movies gets two thumbs down!

Josh and Kayla Chapter 3

The last 3 years has past by so fast. I cannot believe how fast it has gone. Our lives are completely different but in a good way. We have made it a tradition to watch our wedding video every May 21st. It is about an hour long with all the pictures, temple footage and advice. It was definitely fun to listen and see that day over. Sometimes we forget how much we change or what we sounded like on that day. One thing is for sure that both Kayla and I agreed on is that we have gained a lot of weight. We were skinny once and have the pictures to prove it! Maybe this will be the motivation that we need to lose it. Another thing that I noticed for me is that I have all the same close as I did in 2004 so I guess I need to go and buy some new clothes. That’s a good excuse, right? I probably won’t but it would be nice. Other than watching that video our day was pretty uneventful. Kayla did buy some éclairs for dessert which were good. (Probably part of the reason we are heavier) But we are enjoying our years together. And now that we have a kid and a dog we stay quite busy. As we continue our lives together we will grow and change but one thing will remain constant is the love we share each day.

Delirium at the E Center

Happy 3 year anniversary. The 21st is actually our anniversary but we celebrated today because Kayla wanted to see Cirque Du Soleil. It was really entertaining. I didn't really know what to expect but it was good. I paid $63.50 each for these tickets. When we found our actual seats, I paid lower bowl prices for upper bowl seats. So I called to complain and their response was there are only single seats so I thought OK I will sit by Kayla in the upper bowl. When we found our actual seats they were off to the corner so we decided to move to the middle. When we got there two other couples were doing the same thing as we were. One girl paid $130.00 each and the other paid $85.00 each. So all in all I think we got good seats and apparently at a good price. So as for the show I wish it would have been in English and that it wasn't so loud. Does that make me sound like I am 50? All the circus freaks were really good at their acrobatics and singing but I didn't understand what was going on. The only words that I understood were "my dream is weird" hence delirium i guess. Overall it was a great way to spend an anniversary date as far as entertainment goes.
Now for the food part of the date; YUCK!!! will sum it up nicely. First off Kayla had found a list on Google of restaurants close to the E Center. So we crossed off all of the chain restaurants and decided that we'd try something new called the Copper Kettle. So we drive to this address and low and behold it was a popcorn place in the Valley Fair mall. So we drove to down town hoping to go to the Melting Pot or PF Changs. But everything was like an hour to hour and a half wait. So we drove really slow around the Gateway searching for something but didn't have any luck. So we drove back to West Valley to go to the Red Robin out there. On the way back down 3300 South Kayla found a restaurant called Koolums Chinese American and the parking lot was full. So we pulled in. We got seated in this GHETTO room and got some menus. We decided on the Chinese meal for two and also ordered some sweet and sour chicken on a stick (thinking they were like skewers of meat) CLEARLY not the case. So out come these seven deep fried balls of something with a chicken bone sticking out of them. It was awful! Mostly cartilage, skin and bone and 2 inches of deep fried goodness. Neither of us ate even a whole one. At that point Kayla was ready to leave. She said lets just pay for this and go. But i guess i am too nice because i had already ordered so we stayed for the other half of the meal. It was slightly better but when you are slightly better than the worst most awful thing then it is still bad. Needless to say it was icky and very disappointing. We are going to have to have another try at it the coming weekend. Happy Anniversary, 3 YEARS!