Introducing...

MY PUPPY! Isn't she cute?! She is a maltese and I just love her already. I got her tonight...kind of unexpected but I have been wanting one and waiting for the perfect one to come along and here she is :-) She's very sweet and cuddly. I don't have a name for her yet so if you have any suggestions, let me know!

So she now has a name and it's Zoey. I don't know why, but it suits her :-)

The fair!

On Saturday I went to the Utah State Fair with some of my close friends. Oh how I love the fair! I love the greasy food, "rides" that basically just spin you around in a fast circle, and freak shows. I forgot my camera but I did take this lovely picture of the ferris wheel with my phone.

Anyway, we had a blast! We saw Boyz II Men (yes, they're still around and as awesome as ever!!!), ate fair food, visited all the exhibits, and saw some craaaazy stuff. For example, did you know you can pay a dollar to see a 20-inch woman from the West Indies sitting on a shelf? (She will even talk to you!) Or fifty cents to see the world's smallest horse? ("Come see Tiny Tim, the world's smallest horse...a handful of straw and a glass of water is a mighty big meal for Tiny Tim." Still stuck in my head) Fascinating. Then we saw a cop on a segway in hot pursuit of some guy running away from him. It was so funny, like some futuristic cop show.

I love the fair!

Spa Day!

A few years ago a very good friend gave me a gift certificate for a full spa day at an upscale spa in Indianapolis. I ended up moving shortly thereafter and never got to use it. Well, because I'm home visiting and because I could use a little pampering now more than ever (my "fun" summer turned into the worst one ever, hands down), I decided to cash it in! It was WONDERFUL and so relaxing and rejuvenating! These are pics of where I was and some of the services I got (that is not me in the picture though ;-) I got a Full Body Exfoliation, Tranquility HydroTub Bath, Mud Wrap, Vichy Shower Rinse, One Hour D-Age Massage, Facial, mani/pedi with paraffin, and lunch. It lasted all day. I was in heaven and needed every single second of it!!!

A Day at the Beach....

Spent a beautiful day on Lake Michigan with my family (minus just a few) this weekend. The weather was nice, the water wasn't too cold, and the company was great! Just what I needed after a couple of crazy, stressful weeks!

Got my hair did...

I recently decided it's high time for a change. My hair grows at an unbelivably slow pace, and as a result of being sick for awhile it broke off really easily so I was just getting extensions while it grew. Well I'm over them. I had it layered a little bit and went a little blonder. This picture is pretty bad, it's from my phone, but you get the idea :-) I am getting used to it and I love not having extensions in! (Or the price tag that goes with them...eesh)

Domesticated Jill

So...I lost my job last week (don't be sad for me, really! It's a blessing in disguise!) and I don't know if it's all the time I have on my hands or what, but lately I've become very domesticated! I made strawberry freezer jam because strawberries were only 99 cents at wal mart (VERY easy, VERY sugary, and VERY good!) and the most amazing lemon cookies I've ever eaten! I want to share the lemony goodness with all the people I love most in the world, so here is the recipe...really, try it!

Lemon Cookies with Icing
1 box lemon supreme cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1-2 tsp lemon juice

Mix all of that stuff together and refrigerate for at least a few hours (dough will be easier to handle) Preheat oven to 375. Roll cookie dough into a small ball, then flatten a tiny bit. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Don't overbake!

Icing (I didn't measure so these are my best estimates):
1-2 T butter
1-2 c powdered sugar
Enough lemon juice to make it a glazey consistency
Lemon zest (don't skip this! It makes the cookies!)

Bon Voyage Zach!

On December 5 (of last year, yes) Zach went into the MTC! My baby brother. He is going to the Korea Busan mission and just landed there on Tuesday morning. I know he will be wonderful! These are some pictures from when Mom, Dad, and I took him to the MTC (Andy couldn't make it with work and such and of course Sara is not in the country) and that his district leader sent us while he was there. Taking him to the MTC was very emotional but very nice. I can't wait until he gets back! I have to admit I was very tempted to sneak to the airport to tell him goodbye. It was so weird knowing he was just up the street (well, about 6 miles) and I couldn't see him!

Their whole trip out here was really nice because we got to spend Thanksgiving and my birthday together as well, which was a lot of fun.

New York City!

Last weekend I went to the Big Apple! First time ever. It was a blast! Jake travels all over for work and is gone pretty much every weekend, and this time I tagged along and was able to get a last minute flight to the city. It was fun to see all the sights. I got in and it was gorgeous! I sometimes forget how green the east coast is (although it comes at a price...humidity...ugh) It was the perfect time to go because the leaves were changing and it was so pretty, and it wasn't too hot or cold. It was perfect :-)

I got in Saturday evening and spent the time at Jake's trade show with him volunteering my services (kind of) as a promo girl. But mostly I just wondered around. It was actually a lot of fun! We were staying in Long Island, and by the time the show was over we were exhausted and it was pouring down rain so we just went to dinner and back to the boatel. (It was a hotel on water...cute huh) Then Sunday we did the show again. It was a good thing I did because I would have gotten lost in the city by myself.

Afterwards we went into the city at night, which was amazing! We had pizza on the Brooklyn Bridge, then went and saw Times Square and some of the other sights, like Central Park. I'm so glad we went at night, because it looks so different.

Monday morning we went back. We went to Central Park again and Times Square, and saw WAll Street and the financial district and the site for Ground Zero. We also went to where the Statue of Liberty was. We rode the subway all around and ran into some interesting characters! I love New Yorkers; they are hilarious. It was a GREAT time and I'm so glad I went! We had a blast!! I need to make a slideshow of all the pictures i took but I'll do that later. I'm tired :-)