-Cottam Family - Kyle and Megs-

Christmas 2011

2011-12-29T13:15:00.005-07:00

Hooray for Christmas! This year was different, but good at the same time. First of all, Kyle and I followed our usual pattern and opened our Christmas early...to be honest it is just too hard to be the "adult" and wait when all the presents are wrapped and under the tree and there is no one with the sense to say "No kids, you need to wait for Christmas!" This year our traditional presents were:

Christmas book: The Polar Express
Christmas ornament: a small wooden flower that we found when we visited Hawaii earlier this year.
Christmas game: Mr. Jack, which is a two player strategy game with a bit of a mystery behind it! It is super fun, even though Kyle usually wins :)

The highlights of the year was Kyle gave me seasons 1-3 of NCIS and a new apron and baguette pan! I was so excited!

I was lucky enough to have an AWESOME mother-in-law who donated the game that I had been spending way to many hours looking for online....13 dead end drive! We have so much fun playing it! The funny story behind this gift is that each year Kyle always, and by always I mean ALWAYS, knows everything that is under the tree...so I was doing my darnedest to have at least one surprise under the tree this year. So I plot...bring the game home already wrapped and everything, and what happens?! He picks up the box, shakes it and proclaims that it is 13 dead end drive! So I spend the next few weeks thinking that somehow HE KNOWS! In reality, it was a really lucky guess and he had no idea that that was what it was. The other really fun, Kyle appropriate gift was a doughnut maker, which he may or may not have found the add for which sent me looking!

Here is Kyle with all of his loot...which was ironically mostly food...

We both gave each other hot cocoa...so we are officially set!

Me and my presents! This is Kyle and his ENTIRE box of raspberry filled doughnuts! Thanks Shan!
Doing Just Dance at the family Christmas party...Alyssa was hilarious!

Hair bows

2011-12-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

So with a brand new niece and a little girl on the way I decided to try my hand at hair bows and I think that they turned out pretty cute and they were SUPER easy to do...new favorite baby gift? I think so!
You can't really tell from this picture but this one is pink and chocolate brown.

Christmas Photos 2011

2011-12-12T15:27:00.007-07:00

My friend Krystal did a wonderful job on the Cottam family Christmas photos this year and she had some AMAZING spots up on her property to take shots! Here are some of the favorites this year!

Newest Member of the Soderstrom Family

2011-11-30T11:29:00.004-07:00

Abigail Anne Johnson is officially here! Can I just say how much I love being an Aunt? I think it is one of the best things ever! I was lucky enough to get to spend a few days with miss Abigail and my sister Carrie although I think that I was more of a hinder than a help, but I sure enjoyed being there! Also it was a great learning experience because I was able to ask all sorts of questions to Carrie. I must be really attached because I am already missing her like crazy! Here are some pictures of the babe!

Aaron and Sarah's Wedding

2011-11-29T10:59:00.006-07:00

On November 5th my brother got married! I thankfully was able to travel down to Texas to be there for the wedding. They had it at the Marriott, and it turned out beautiful! They had the actual wedding outside, and the venue was gorgeous! And then the dinner/reception was inside. It was right next to a lake and they timed it just right so the sun was setting during the ceremony. It was wonderful to see family and add a new member to ours! Funny wedding memories...on the day of the wedding Amy, TJ, Aaron, kids and I were down at the pool. Aaron said that we needed to be dressed and ready by 5:30 so we were all just relaxing and playing in the in pool. I headed up to get in the shower at 3:45...and just as I am getting out at 4:00 everyone else comes into our room. Aaron received a text from Sarah saying everyone needed to be ready by 4:45! That is not an easy feet with 4 others needing to use one bathroom! So it was a mad rush to get ready, but thankfully we made it! The second story...the flowers were not my friend...I was the one distributing them to the wedding party and they kept breaking on me! But all in all the wedding was small, very personal and just like Aaron and Sarah! Here are some of my favorite shots from the wedding!

Halloween Crafts

2011-11-29T10:41:00.005-07:00

I have been such a slacker but for good reasons! Here is the Halloween craft from this year...I had SO much fun doing this with Valeena and Tina! There is a story behind these ones, Valeena had a picture of them and we just loved them...so we all pooled our resources and were able to make them for about $5.00!

And here is the pumpkin of the year! I had a nice Halloween party by myself, but thankfully had plenty of trick-or-treaters and was able to chat with my sisters while they passed out candy too :)

Happy 4th of July!!

2011-07-05T09:37:00.005-06:00

What a wonderful 4th of July with new traditions and great friends and family! I started out the day baking...and baking...and baking! I had a lot of fun doing it though and appreciated the fact that I had time to do it! Here is a photo of the fruits of my labor...
Sonnett and Levi joined us for the day; we played games, watched Harry Potter (we officially started a HP marathon! ) ate yummy food and just relaxed! Later that night we had the Clawson family join us for a BBQ...and MORE FOOD! Maybe that is why I had such a great day, feed Megs and she will remain happy? Anyways...after the BBQ we played with the kids, the sidewalk chalk was my favorite :), then we headed out front for some great fountains, epic tank battles and sparklers! Have I mentioned that I LOVE the 4th of July? Cause I do! After we did the "home" fireworks, the Clawson family headed out, and Kyle, Sonnett, Levi and I headed up to the roof to watch the Cedar City fireworks...I have a feeling that we have a tradition in the making there! I was a bit scarred climbing up, but after I got up we had a great time! :) Here are some photos from the night!

Me and Kyle
Sonnett and Levi
Kyle with the 1.21 Gigawatts firework...thankfully it did not disappoint!And here is the actual show! I was playing around with my new mini video camera that I won! :)

Me and my wicked big sparkler!
The epic tank war!

This was the big finale!

Kayla was having a great time in the duck hamper!
Us doing our "fish faces"

My life in the Registrar's Office...

2011-07-01T10:54:00.013-06:00

I work as the Administrative Assistant in the Registrar's Office at SUU and some days I never know what to expect when I get into work...I could be laughing or crying, get the best customers or get chewed out by a certain group I call the "missionary moms". So I try and keep everything light hearted, to do this about a year ago, I started a list of the funniest things that have happened to me in my office so when I get one of those hard customers, you know the ones that no matter what you do for them they will never be happy, I can remember that I do LOVE my job. I just wanted to share that list! And please note that these are all 100% true stories...I write them on my board right after they happened... :)

"I have Prairie Dogs on my property and I was told that someone at your institution would come and count them for me."

"My wisdom teeth need to be pulled...do you know a dentist at SUU that could do it for less money? No? What about a dental student?"

A student called in to my office to check on the registration status of their internet class. I asked if they had checked their schedule online...they informed me that " don't have access to the internet."

(15 minutes before 5 o'clock on the last day of the semester) "Can I get a 100% tuition refund if I withdraw from all my classes?"

"Is it your office I would speak to about my financial aid coming in or financial aid?"

A student called in to have an enrollment verification sent to her dad. I asked her what her father's name was and how it was spelled so I could attn it to him. She did not know how to spell her dad's name...It was Ernest and she was a sophomore in college.

A student called my office concerning ordering an official transcript: "Can't you just forge my signature? To heck with FERPA!"

Another staff memember told me that I had the perfect voice...and then asked me to do a favor for her. Her 4 year old daughter was having a birthday and more than anything she wanted to have Cinderella come to her party. Unfortunately they cost A LOT of money and she could not afford to have an actress come. So she asked that I call her daughter and act like I was Cinderella. Seriously the best 20 minutes ever!

Permission forms signed by the students...giving themselves permission to register.

Harry Potter envelopes...the top number of stamps so far on one envelope is 44.

A student came into my office to register for a class, but unfortunately did not have photo ID with him, but had it out in his car. He turned around and ran across the rotunda...and that is when we realized that he had a raccoon tail on flapping behind him!

"I was told this is where I can get a gym membership"

"I know my Tnumber is T something, something, something, something...."

A student called into my office: "I am coming to pick up my transcript and am standing in front of the admissions office in the student's center. Where can I locate your office?" My office is right next to the admissions office, sharing the same front counter.

A student came into our office and wanted me to certify that his transcript and diploma were official. What he wanted me to certify were photocopies of the documents from an institution ins Missouri.

"Good morning, SUU Registrar's Office this is Meaghan." "I'm locked out of my room."

I received an email from a students asking what my email address was.

After helping a student his response: "Oh! I love you! Can I send you flowers?"...The next day when he called in again: "I was the one who professed his love to you yesterday..."

Yearly visit from Gayla!

2011-06-28T10:13:00.003-06:00

Each year my good friend Gayla comes to Las Vegas with her hubby, who comes to play golf, and we meet up in Mesquite and go to lunch and just get to talk! Sometimes others from Indiana come and sometimes it is just Gayla. What a wonderful visit it was! Here is the yearly photo!

First Camping Trip of the Season!

2011-06-24T09:16:00.006-06:00

This last weekend we went camping with Sonnett and Levi at Yankee Meadows. I love it up there because it is not too far away, it is clean, quiet and has everything I like while camping. I found out that Levi is a firewood cutting fool. I was reminded that boys get crazy when you get them together, everything tastes better cooked over the fire, smores are AWESOME, bug spray tastes AWFUL, Yankee Meadows has the cleanest latrines EVER (which I really appreciate), woods can get creepy after ghost stories (even silly ones like Kyle's golden arm story), I like looking at the stars, and remembering layers is a good thing! It was a great trip, at a great site, with great food and GREAT company! Here are some photos of the trip:

Kyle and I :)This was my "En Guard, I will skewer you with my roasting stick if you attempt to take my mallows!" look...
Me and my smore...and yes, it was AWESOME!Sonnett roasting her mallows...and Levi doing what he did best...chopping wood!Kyle enjoying his hot cocoa in the morning...
The beautiful Sonnett working on breakfastOn our hike...I love Kyle in the background on this one! At the reservoir on our hike!
Yes, we are all wearing the same sweatshirt just in different colors...Thank you SUU athletics's dept.

UACRAO 2011

2011-06-21T16:35:00.005-06:00

I was able to attend another conference this year...this time in the booming metropolis of Ephriam, UT at Snow College! I went with Kristin, Sheila and Valeena from my office. We had a great time! We got there on Monday afternoon and got somewhat settled into our motel room. Speaking of the motel, wow what a place! Not! We had brown water the first day and no water the second! Anyways...back to the fun stuff! The first day they had service projects to do, my group tied quilts and sewed bags. Then they had dinner groups and a movie night! So much fun! The next two days were the actual conference...we attended different sessions, ate loads of good food, were entertained, won prizes and I even did line dancing. I got a BYU shirt, which I traded with Kristen who had an USU one! And then I won one of the grand prizes...a small video camera! Honestly, it was nice to get away, be paid for it and come back energized!

Shannon's Wedding

2011-05-19T11:55:00.001-06:00

Welcome wedding number 2! Shannon got married last weekend in the Manti temple...oh what memories! Kyle and I headed out at 6:30 to make it to Manti in time. We actually got there super early and had time just to walk around the temple and take a few pictures. We then headed in and got dressed (It was a white sealing). Walking by the dressing rooms the temple smelled like baking bread...that will always be the thing I remember about Shan's wedding! I also love the celestial room because they have rocking chairs :) The sealer gave some great advice...he said to have at least one meaningful kiss each day that you think about the kiss over the alter! Love it. After the temple we headed to the local park for a BBQ. BJ's dad set it all up and it was AWESOME! Afterwards we headed north to get ready for the reception. She decorated with sunflowers, cowboy stuff and john deer tractors. I wasn't so sure at first, but it turned out really cute! Here are some photos!

What a beautiful morning it was!The whole clan at the temple!

The reception....

Where the line was:

The cake!The food table! She did chips and salsa, so cute!The Cottam clan all dressed up!Me and Shan!
Shannon and BJCheyenne

Sonnett and Levi at the temple

Sonnett's Wedding

2011-05-19T11:18:00.000-06:00

The first of the niece's/nephew's got married on March 15th! It is crazy that Sonnett is now married, but she and Levi are perfect for each other! They were sealed in the Salt Lake temple and had their luncheon at Texas Roadhouse. After lunch I was the official hairdresser and then headed to the reception center to set up! The reception was so cute...they had a candy bar as a thank you...and I particularly liked the root beer floats! Here are some photos of the day!

Me and Kyle while waiting for Sonnett and Levi!

Me and Sonnett!
Her immediate family.
The whole clan!
This is Sonnett and Levi in their natural habitat...when they look like normal people that is when they are really acting! The thing that I love about this photo is that I randomly called out "hey look at me for a photo!" and this is what they came up with without even talking to each other! At the reception...Kyle is looking good in his new suit!
Me, Na and Court! I love these girls!
Sonnett and Karen...don't they look lovely!
The cake!
The candy table. I loved this idea!

Hawaii 2011

2011-04-08T08:47:00.001-06:00

Kyle and I were lucky enough to get to travel with the softball team to HAWAII!! At first we thought that Kyle was going to be going without me because the team was originally renting houses and they did not have space for me...but their plans changed and Kyle would have his own hotel room! So all we had to pay for was my plane ticket...and we figured when would we ever get to go to Hawaii for that cheep?! So immediately I called my Uncle Tom (who lived in Hawaii for many years). He was AMAZING! He gave us all sorts of advice and set up a wonderful evening on the town (more to come) and had his friends watching out for us once we got there. (I had 4 different people call just to check up on us!)

So we started out on a bus leaving Cedar at about 2:00 a.m.!! (Please note that I went to bed at like 11 the night before because I was so excited I couldn't sleep!) I wasn't able to sleep on the bus sadly enough...and when we reached CA our flight had a 5 hour delay!! So we got there much later than we thought. I have come to conclude that I don't like traveling much. I love the excitement before and the fun once you get there but not the process in between!

Fun things we did: The first night Kyle and I just wandered around Waikiki, we found a good Korean restaurant and people watched.We visited the Zoo after a long walk down the beach...the best part was the apes and the hippos!
We watched a lot of softball...I didn't think that I would go to so many of the games but I felt like I needed to support the girls.

I did take one day off from the games and did nothing but lay on the beach! I LOVED IT! I took a Mary Higgins Clark book (which I finished), played in the ocean, napped a bit and people watched. The only bad thing about me going to the beach by myself was that I couldn't quite reach all of my back to put sunscreen on, so I ended up with a bright red sunburn on my back!! It really hurt...but I didn't feel comfortable enough to ask a stranger. Kyle said I should have found myself a cute beach boy...
We took a night-time stroll along the beach... I got in a fight with the ocean (again) and got pretty wet. We then stopped at cheesecake factory to get a slice to go.Uncle Tom surprised us with dinner at the Pacific Club. We got all gussied up and headed to the club...they were expecting us and gave us the royal treatment because of Uncle Tom! The food was DELICIOUS! I had fresh mahi-mahi, caught that morning, with mushrooms, beans and a pastry. Kyle had steak. I am hungry just remembering it. And then Jimmy made us banana fosters...and did the whole light them on fire right next to our table! They were so good. I really wanted to take more pictures of the club, but didn't feel it was appropriate. Thankfully Jimmy brought out his camera and asked for a picture...I then felt like it was ok to ask him to take a few of us.
We visited Hanauma bay on our last day there and went to the beach and snorkeling...Kyle finally had a day off and we had a car! Snorkeling was so much fun! It was so beautiful! Kyle had a little malfunction with his snorkel but after that we were good to go! It was funny trying to signal each other to see something cool...We visited Pearl Harbor...

I shopped a bit at the swap meet, (so much stuff there for so cheep!) and took a drive to north shore.

All-in-all it was a great trip! We now know that you have to have a car when you go, and Kyle wanted more time to play. We are planning to go back for our 10 year anniversary so we get to see the things that we didn't get to this time (like the temple and the PCC). Everytime the weather gets cold Kyle says that he just wants to live in Hawaii...I keep telling him sure, but we would have to live in a tent on the beach because that is all we can afford! :)

Random facts about me...

2011-03-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today I just had a bunch of random thoughts...I guess it all comes from blog hopping and someone else did this, so here they are!

I love old movies. Love them! My favorite actress is Audrey Hepburn and my favorite actor is Bing Cosby. I love the simplicity of the story lines and the lack of everything that ruins movies now-a-days.

I love the smell of new school supplies. Wierd, I know.

I hate change. I like to be rooted in one spot. If I believed in it, I think in another life I would like to be one of those huge redwood trees.

I like to bake. BUT I only really like to bake when I can take the fruits of my labor somewhere and share them...cause if not I just feel really guilty about eating all of it. Also, I know this is vain and it is a fault of mine, but I like others telling me that they like it...

I like to make things and be crafty...I guess I just like to have my hands busy :) I love the feeling of accomplishment after I am done.

I love my curly hair.

People tell me that I am just too perky/happy for my own good. Sometimes I agree.

I can read all day and see no problem with it.

I really like my handwriting.

I am a holiday fanatic. I love everything about them. The food, the decorations, the traditions and the celebrations.

I drink more water than anyone I know except my dad.

I love cardigan sweaters. I wish I had more of them. Also I love socks. Kyle will often find them in the bottom of the bed after I kick them off in the middle of the night.

I love making lists. I make them for just about everything.

I think I am a bit OCD about cleaning.

I don't watch very much TV at all...but I am addicted to three shows: NCIS, So You Think You Can Dance and The Amazing Race.

I think that is all the ramblings that I have for today :)

Not Me Friday

2011-01-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

I realized that I haven't posted on of these random thoughts of Meaghan lately...so here they are!

I do not think that skinny jeans look awful on most people...they either make you look more large than you really are, your rear end look twice as big or on the other end of the spectrum make you look like you have bird legs. I own one pair and I love them. As I am writing this I have to admit that in my head I am thinking...wow Megs...I hope that you don't look horrible in them!

I have not been craving salad from Chili's...that might just have to be dinner tonight.

I do not hate the tests given from one of my French teachers. You just never know what to expect. And honestly, why is it important for me to know the name of the first French food critic?!

I am not very excited to go to Hawaii. Seriously almost as excited as going to France. Almost. The countdown is officially 11 days. And my Uncle Tom has been WONDERFUL!! He gave us a whole list of things to do and places to see!

I am not already ready for this semester to be over. Is that bad?

I am not already having anxiety over passing the Praxis content area...I hate tests...Boo. And this one will determine if I can teach. Boo again.

I am not enjoying getting to watch NCIS on Tuesday nights. I miss my YW but it is kinda nice.

Crafts over Christmas break!

2011-01-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

This winter break was full of craft projects...honestly I am a bit surprised with myself that I got them all done. I think that I watched probably 20 movies and did nothing but quilt or crochet. Here is the fruit of my labor!

This is the quilt that I made for my sister Amy...I always try to do homemade Christmas gifts, why I'm not sure, but that is just me.
Here is a close up of the fabric:I also had Sonnett and Levi for Christmas on the Cottam side. As soon as Sonnett found out that I had her name she requested an afghan. I started this right before Christmas and finished it right before New Years. It turned out so soft!
While searching for Amy's quilt fabric I found baby flannel that I just could not pass up! First of all I loved the fabric...and then I saw that it was on sale from $7.99 to $2.49 a yard and I had a 10% off my total. Yeah. It was awesome! Here are some photos:

I loved the word pattern... :)

Christmas 2010

2011-01-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

"It's the most wonderful time of the year"...and for me it really is. I start singing Christmas carols after the first snowfall. Following the normal "Cottam Christmas tradition" we had our own Christmas a few weeks before the real date. It was nice, quiet and just the two of us! The Christmas book this year was "The Night Before Christmas," the family game was "Guillotine" and this year's ornament was made from a key chain I brought back from Paris. The big family gift was a Kinect for the X-box...which may or may not have been opened a few weeks early too! Here are some photos from this year!

The new tree sent down from WY from Grandpa and Grandma! It was great! We put our old one in the upstairs window so it could be seen from outside.

"Santa" gave Kyle raspberry bismarks in his stocking...isn't he loved?

Kyle always does such a great job with my stocking...slippers, mike n' ikes, socks, Mentholatum, and orange cream sodas! Totally awesome!

Halloween

2010-11-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

This year I thought a lot about Halloween's from my childhood. The thing that I loved about Halloween's growing up is that they were always very homemade. Homemade treats, costumes, pumpkins and decorations. I remember making homemade caramel apples with Daddy...And through years of work from Mom the box of homemade costumes...I would always carve pumpkins, and still do to this day, Halloween night. The sense that is most closely associated with Halloween for me is all of the smells...The smell of a candle burning inside of a jack-o-lantern reminds me of trick-or-treating around the neighborhood...the smell of Noxzema reminds me of taking face makeup off...The smell of candy!! But it has to be a mixture of types of candy...if not it is just too specific.

This year I made a Charlie Brown ghost costume...it was really fun!
Here is a photo of everyone in the office who dressed up. Look! I found Wenda! For the office I tried my hand at homemade rootbeer. Totally expensive. Totally worth it. The only thing that I did not like was that it didn't "fog" very long. Any suggestions to make it smoke longer with the dry ice? Still it tasted wonderful.

Here are this year's pumpkins...The owl didn't turn out as well as I would have liked, but the spider made up for it!

Christmas photos 2010

2010-11-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

Here is this year's Christmas photos! I think that these are some of my favorites of all time! Thanks again Jami!

More crafts...

2010-10-18T12:57:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to show off some of the craft projects I have been working on lately. :)

SUU vs. NDU

2010-10-18T12:11:00.000-06:00

For the first time in over six years Kyle got to go to an actual game and cheer for a team , he really liked being a fan for once.. We traveled with the SUU football team to the booming metropolis of Fargo, ND then Grand Forks, ND for the actual game. We had some down time in Fargo so we walked quite a bit...in fact Saturday morning we walked to Minnesota. I think that Kyle suggested this just to say that we did it...hehe... We had a great time, and our team actually won! The other fans were not very good fans...it was their homecoming game and when they were loosing pretty badly in the third quarter they got up and left (probably to go and drink some more!) All-in-all, great trip, good food and GREAT company.Great facts about North Dakota/ our trip:

Around Fargo they have these big painted buffalo that looked like they were totally out of the seventies...
Out of our hotel window I counted 20+ water towers. Welcome back to the mid-west.
Alcohol flowed like water. They had three types of flags at their tailgate party, the USA flag, NDU flag and beer company flags.
They have a really nice indoor football arena, which makes sense since it is ND! But I don't think that I would like to play football on carpet. There is something about football and green grass that go hand-in-hand.
At the Chinese restaurant that we went to for dinner they had huge trained goldfish...that when you walked over to their pool they would swim up to you. Totally cool.

The Cottam's Anniversary

2010-10-18T12:09:00.000-06:00

It has been officially six years since we got married...This is what I came home to:

Kyle just laughed and said something about it all being smoopy. I really like smoopy though.

Not me Monday

2010-10-18T11:58:00.000-06:00

I do not hate condensation on bottles...It always seems to dribble on my pants.

I am not happy that fall is finally here, I have pulled out the sweaters already.

I do not hate it when your head and your heart tell you two different things.

I am not getting excited about Christmas already. I know I am crazy. Thankfully Kyle loves me anyways. Bring on the FM 100.3!

I am not thankful for good friends.

Not me Wednesday

2010-09-22T15:01:00.000-06:00

I am not excited to put up Halloween decorations, and I am not doing it this weekend because Kyle will be out of town!

I was not tempted to feel a cactus at work...it looked fluffy. I did resist this strange urge.

I am not nervous about my new boss starting in a week and a half and no it is not because I am almost half his size at 6' 7''.

I did not find a wicked awesome Sherlock Holmes pattern for Halloween...It will have to wait until next year though. This year I'm going to be a "Charlie Brown Ghost."

I have not been super busy with school. But when I stop to think about it, all the studying I do is not a bad thing...hearing how much TV other people watch.

I have not already completed 3 new Halloween crafts. And I have another one in the works. I am a hopeless cause.

We do not love our new BBQ. Hooray for the first real steak in my marriage! :)

I am not already thinking about the Christmas music I get to play in the near future.

Not me Thursday

2010-08-26T14:33:00.001-06:00

I did not just get caught in the rain walking across campus from my class...thus I am not drenched and I do not have several hours of work left!

I did not spill my peaches all over my pants such that it looks like I had an "accident"...yeah.

I am not looking forward to school shopping this weekend!

I have not been crazy at work...I am starting to wonder why I wanted students back on campus.

I am not already starting to plot Halloween decorations...he he he he (evil witch laugh)

I did not find the creepy organ music from The Ghost and Mr. Chicken for my Iphone...and I am not ECSTATIC about it! I really need to find the sheet music to that.

Kyle did not find a game for our Iphones called Plants vs. Zombies...and I actually really like it!

I am not going to spend all night tonight watching NCIS season 7 that just came in the mail from Netflix.

I did not put my trust in Walmart this last week to get the new Mockingjay book...come to find out they only ordered ONE BOX. Yeah, now I get to wait for it to come in the mail. Patience is a virtue...

Not me Monday

2010-08-02T14:11:00.000-06:00

I have not come to conclude that I don't like eating leftovers very much. There are certain ones that I LOVE...but normally not so much.

I did not feel very uncomfortable when while using the public restroom today someone else the stall next to mine answered their cell phone and had a lengthy conversation. I tried to wait but just couldn't...That is just gross.

I am not frustrated with my dish washer...it is leaving a film on everything. I think that I might need to have it looked at.

I did not have a phone call last week that lasted 54 min 59 sec. Fun...I think that I earned a gold star! :)

Not me Wednesday

2010-07-21T14:41:00.000-06:00

I am not reminded of my childhood when I smell fresh paint (my office is getting painted).

I have not come to the conclusion that all troubles boil down to lack of communication.

I am not very excited about our camping trip this weekend!

I am also not very, very excited about Kyle getting us new Iphones!

I am not stressed about hiring a new Registrar in my office....

The Fourth of July!

2010-07-05T20:45:00.001-06:00

Hooray for the 4th of July! Kyle insisted that we headed up to SLC in time for the Murray City parade. We had a great time! We started off the day with a free McDonald's breakfast...which is the junk food breakfast of choice. Then we made it to the parade just in time! I have to say that Kyle was at his best with his commentary. He should be the one doing the official one...One of the great things about the Murray City parade is that they give out lots of free stuff. Here is Kyle with his TP...hehe...
My niece Angela had a ball with the marching bands...she would get up and dance! It was hilarious!
Hey look! I found Waldo! This is my crazy bro-in-law Troy. Yes he did dress up like Waldo. AND yes he did get a LOT of free stuff for doing so. Tradition in the making? I think so!Melissa and her cool mask!Kendall and his girls...hehe...
After the parade we all went back to Mom and Dad Cottam's for lunch. Here is me and Mia. Can I just say that I love this shot? :)
After this we had a BBQ with my family and watch the "legal" fireworks that my brother-in-law got. All in all great day, good food and wonderful family! :)

Blankets and Cupcakes!

2010-07-05T20:40:00.000-06:00

This is the latest quilt that I finished for my niece Callia. I got a package a few months ago with a note asking me to use the Mickey Mouse fabric that she sent to make a blanket. Here is the outcome!
A close up:
This is when I gave her the blanket! This is huge because lately Callia has hated getting her picture taken! That means that she loved the blanket.
Also here is the promised cupcake photos...I am really looking forward to doing these again! But I have to say that as good as these looked, they tasted even better! Super moist!

Not me Friday

2010-06-25T11:34:00.000-06:00

I am not ready for this weekend.

I did not laugh hysterically when a student called in and wanted their transcript hand delivered to Montana. Yep, let me get on that.

I am not frustrated with the new design feature of my blog.

I am not excited to see family this next week!

I did not get elected to be the Staff Association Secretary for the next year. It is even a payed position. :) I have to admit that I felt like I was back in high school because you have to be nominated and then they hold an election.

I am not VERY excited to get our new furniture for our bedroom. And because we are getting new furniture I do not want to get a new comforter...hehe.

My cupcakes did not turn out wicked awesome. And the best part is that they tasted as good as they looked!

I am not devastated that my boss is leaving for a new job...thus I am super nervous about hiring a new one.

I do not have the best Dad in the whole world! Daddy drove down for a surprise visit on Sunday...totally made my week!

I am not about to finish a new quilt for my niece. It is a mickey mouse shag quilt! I hope she will love it.

PARIS POST

2010-06-22T16:03:00.000-06:00

Ok, so it just took me a really, really, really long time to get this up! But that it because it is HUGE! So please go back and read it if you are interested. :) It is listed under 5-27-10. I hope that you enjoy!
http://cottamfam.blogspot.com/2010/05/paris.html

Random thought

2010-06-21T16:06:00.000-06:00

Do you ever have those clothes that you just love, that you hang onto forever but do not fit you anymore? And then...do you ever try them on just in case? Well I have one of those...my favorite blue dress that I have had since I was like 14 or something. Randomly I tried it on again on Sunday, and it totally fit! I have no idea how, but it did. And I totally wore it to church. Maybe my sisters were right, maybe I have lost weight...but I don't know, I don't own a scale!

Crafts and cakes

2010-06-17T08:50:00.000-06:00

I have come to a conclusion about myself recently. I am a crafty person...but I am one that has to see it somewhere else (Or at least the beginning!) first and then I can create it! Here are some new ideas that are recent finds that I am going to try out! :)

Rainbow cupcakes! Love this idea. I am going to try different themes with these ones...Different greens for St. Patrick's day, black, orange and purple for Halloween, etc... The credit goes to a really nice gal named Mindika. Here is her blog: http://www.mindikamoments.com/2009/09/rainbow-bright.html. I am going to try these this weekend for a work party, and if they work well I'll do them for Ma's birthday party!
The next fun idea is for the 4th of July! Flag cake! :) This is from a blog called 17 and baking. Here is the site: http://17andbaking.com/2009/07/01/a-little-taste-of-independence/ and a link to the video! http://studio5.ksl.com/?nid=71&sid=11199064

UACRAO

2010-06-14T15:22:00.000-06:00

Is it just me or is it really fun to travel for work? I really like it. I got paid to go, I got paid to eat, I got to go shopping, I got a really cool door prize and I got to spend time with some AWESOME ladies from my office! Now if Kyle just came with me it would have been perfect! (That and poor Valeena not getting food poison!) Here are some photos!

Me and Kristin hanging out between classes.
The wicked awesome SLCC shirt that I won. Everyone thought that it was very appropriate for me to have won it :)

My birthday

2010-06-14T15:04:00.001-06:00

What a great day! Kyle and I started out by doing a session at Bountiful. Then we headed to Kyle's parents house for a graduation party for Kent and Shannon. It was so nice to be out in the sun! Then we were off to my folks! My birthday tradition has always been to have Daddy BBQ...which he continues to do for me! All and all a great day! Here are some photos...

Joshua and Samuel had to help put all the candles on my cake!
Here are the three of us! :)
Trying to light all the candles...I didn't feel old until this moment because it took three of us to do it and still couldn't get them all lit.They helped me blow them all out! Joshua decided to skewer his cake. Hilarious! Carrie gave me Nutella and French Soda. And a really cool Paris poster...Totally AWESOME!

Not me Tuesday

2010-06-01T09:12:00.000-06:00

I do not hate being put on hold. I do not hate electronic phone trees. Add them together and it makes everything worse.

I did not laugh hysterically last night when Kyle was playing with his new blow up pool chair...without the pool.

I am not so happy to be home and using my own clean bathroom.

I did not have a great weekend and this was not because I got to choose what I wanted to do.

I did not get to finish a book just for pleasure this weekend.

I am not looking forward to seeing my family this weekend.

I do not have to renew my driver's license this week. I hope that this time's photo is better than the last one...

I do not have a wicked awesome tan line from my sandals.

PARIS!!!

2010-05-27T11:20:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the wonderful experience that was PARIS! Yes I know that this is going to be a super long post and it has taken forever to get it up and ready, but I wanted to share some of my favorite things about Paris.

So I will start at the beginning: This is 80 Rue Balard where I lived while I was there! I lived on the 8eme floor (the ninth floor). To get in I had to scan my key over the black circle next to the door. (And to get out of the doors you always had to push the "porte" or door button...
Here is my bedroom, which I think was really my Madame's bedroom...I tried not to think of that too much! It was totally pink!
This was the view out on my balcony. I loved the balcony, it was just too bad that it was so cold for the first two weeks that I didn't get to enjoy it too much. The only bad thing about this was that my Madame had to come though my room to water her plants...but what a view!Here is a picture of the bathroom that we all got to share. And notice that there is not a shower head attached to the wall. This is pretty typical for people in France. You have to sit in the tub...which was kinda hard to shower one handed in less that 10 min. I actually did the whole turn the water on and off thing...which was really cold!
Here is the kitchen! I ate breakfast each morning looking out the window just observing Paris! Random note...In the green fridge Madame did not use tupperwear or seran wrap. She would just put leftovers in without covers...sometimes this really made the fridge smell funny! My responsibilities: Dishes! I set the table each night and did the dinner dishes afterwards. Here was the living room/dining room...this is also where my Madame slept (please note the mattress under the window!) Obviously she really liked to read. She had the TV on a lot, I got to watch the wheel of fortune each night at dinner :)
Here is the metro that I took each morning. I lived at the end of line 8. I know it is silly that I took photos of the metro, but I spent so much time on it that it was a big part of each day! This was the entrance/exit. I took the tunnel to the left! To get on the metro I had a metro pass that I would weekly charge...I felt so official after I got it. :)
This was a cool picture that Bre took of us huddled and holding on!
For the first few days we walked down to the metro station right next to the Arc de Triomphe. This was quite a sight! This is how they tow cars in Paris! We totally sat and watched this happen.
This was the day that we visited the Concergerie, which at one time was the palace for the king, but was then made into a prison. In fact this was the prison that Marie Antoinette was kept before she was beheaded.
Me and Bre! I love this photo. Sometimes it is the random ones that are the best! :)Once again it is the random ones. She said to pull a face...and this is what I did :)
This was my favorite church! It is called Sainte Chappelle. It had the most amazing stained glass windows! They told the stories of the new testament.Sainte Chappelle was the first place that I got to experience the winding stone staircases...these ones weren't too bad, but the ones at Notre Dame were so scary!
On our way to one of the many museums we stopped for some tartes! Elise would randomly say that she needed tartes...totally hilarious! :) Here was my first tarte: une tarte framboise! So yummy...in fact I am getting hungry again just thinking about it.The view of Paris from the tower of Notre Dame. I think that this was one of the best views that I have ever seen.
When the weather warmed up (a bit but not much!) we walked to the Eiffel Tower to catch the bateau-bus, which is a boat that goes up and down the Seine that you can get on and off of. On the way we got some great shots at the Eiffel Tower!
This is my favorite picture of Paris. It was the end of the day and I was waiting for the bateaubus again. Why I love this picture: because it is not of anything of any great importance...but just normal buildings that totally remind me of Paris.One of my favorite things about Paris was church. It was AWESOME! I totally felt the spirit and I understood everything that went on. Interesting note: In the church the rooms were not connected, you would have to cross through the courtyard.
On the second Sunday we walked through the catacombs of Paris. In the 17th century the people of Paris had a need to clean up the sanitary state of Paris...and one of the ways they did this was to excavate all of the old graves from church's cemeteries and relocate them to tunnels dug underneath Paris. They would have signs posted of where the bones where from and the date that they were dug up! Totally creepy. Today there are stacks and stacks of bones, water dripping from the ceiling and low lights. We were just waiting for someone to just out at us! Here are some photos!
Here is me and my wicked cool headlight. Everyone kinda laughed at me for bringing it, but I was so thankful for it! Yes, you could tell that Meaghan read her guide book before coming! I know that this photo is super dark but I loved the expression on my face...This one was just my very artsy photo of the creepy bones...
This was our first day trip! It was to a small town named Chartes about an hour by train outside of Paris. The countryside was so beautiful! We specifically came to Chartes to visit the cathedral. It is the first Gothic cathedral ever built and there is a tour guide by the name of Malcom Miller. He is an old Englishman who has been giving his tours for over 50 years. He was hilarious and very interesting. We liked him so much we went to lunch and came back for his afternoon tour. He focused a lot on the stained glass windows. Here are some photos of the trip.
My first train ride! :) Very comfortable. This is the way to travel!
This is the Chartes cathedral
Some of the stained glass windows:
This was my group at lunch. We ate at an Italian restaurant...I had spinach tortellini, so good! The waiter thought that I was kinda weird because I ordered chocolate chaud (my first hot chocolate) in the afternoon...but in my defense I was so cold!
The town of Chartes, France! Please note that after this shot was taken I had to run to catch my train! Ahh!
Me out in the gardens.
The streets were so beautiful. I was a bit sad that this photo turned out so dark.The next Thursday was a holiday in France so we got the day off from school! Hooray! So we took another day trip to Versailles. Elise chose not to come with us on this one because the tickets were so expensive! Our group gathered though and we headed out by train again.
This was us walking to the Chateau!
Me in front of Versailles! Can I just say that it is huge! Even though we spent all day here I don't think that we saw everything. And I wish that they let you see more of the rooms inside...and that there was less people inside, I got kinda claustrophobic! Versailles was built by King Louis the XIV as an escape from society in Paris. We after it was finished society came to him so he ended up building an escape from his escape.This is a view of the gardens. In the back right corner is where King Louis built his "summer" palace...which is where he spent most of his time. You can also find the domain of Marie Antoinette in this corner as well.
Inside Versailles. This is called the hall of mirrors. So beautiful! This was one of my favorite parts of the day!
Steph, Bre and I listening to our awesome audio guides.
This is part of Marie Antoinette's area...she built a little village so she could see what village life felt like. I am pretty sure that she hired people to live here, so not really realistic, but it was beautiful! The next day trip (Wow I sound like I went on a lot day trips...these were just my favorite parts and have the best photos!) was to a chateau called the Vaux le Vicomte, which was built by the finance minster of France, Nicolas Fouquet in 1641. When it was finished Fouquet had an openhouse to show off his new home. King Louis the XIV was so jealous that the next day he arrested Fouquet and sent him to prison for the rest of his life, took his architect, landscaper and designer and built Versailles, which had to be bigger and more extravagant! This is the view from the top of the tower. I really liked this chateau because it was more intimate...and you got to see the whole thing! :)In the gardens...Me and Elise!This is one of my favorite group shots! Me, Stephanie, Jeff, Julie, Lindy, Elise and Breanna!

During one of our walks we were right next to Sorbonne which is the University of Paris. Elise actually went here!We visited a very famous cemetery called Pere Lachaise...This is me and the grave of Edith Piaf (A very famous French singer...La Vie en Rose.)And of course you have to visit the Louvre! Once again I felt a bit claustrophobic because of all the people!
During the last week we were in Paris we had a lot more free time...which suited us just fine! We got to really experience Paris! This is me sitting on the grass in the Place des Vosges, which is where Victor Hugo lived while he was writing Les Miserables. And once again, me with food! I am eating a beignet, which is a really fancy way to say a wicked awesome, chocolate filled doughnut. I ate it in honor of Kyle! :)
The bridges at dusk. We were on our way to a play!
Me eating the famous berthillon ice cream on Ile Saint Louis! It was raspberry and super tart but really good!
During my last few days in Paris I realized that I had yet to climb the Eiffle Tower...so here I am!

Each night on the hour the Eiffel Tower sparkles. It was amazing! I would sit and watch this from my balcony...sigh...
On our last official day in Paris we took it easy! We walked the Champs Elysees, sat in the park and soaked up some sun, went to a movie, visited the opera house again (The first time the actual theater was closed...)and in the evening visited the Quarter Latin.
We saw Robin des Bois (Robin Hood).
This is a crazy guy in a chicken suit! I was trying to get a good photo of the Opera House and he came up behind me and put his arm around me. I totally screamed bloody murder!
Our last night in Paris!
I was being goofy and posing with the ligthpost! Last photo outside of the Hotel de Ville...
All in all Paris was wonderful. At the end I was really happy to get home though. Things I missed about home: clean bathrooms, Kyle, hot showers, Kyle, milk, breakfast cereal, my family and no homework. Things I miss about Paris: Crepes, my group, nutella, awesome architecture, walking, bread, the language and amazing bookstores.

Observations of Paris...

2010-05-27T08:51:00.000-06:00

I have decided to share part of my journal that I kept from my trip to France...where I made daily observations on life in Paris! I hope that you enjoy them!
Transportation:

French driving is crazy!!!!
The streets here are very narrow.
People will stop in the middle of the road and have no problem with this!
People use their horns a lot.
When cars stop at crosswalks they stop on each side of them...and sometimes it is scary because you do not know if they are going to stop!
Motorcycles go wherever they want, do not follow all the traffic rules and don't pay much attention to pedestrians or traffic signs.
People actually walk on escalators.
The metro is wonderful!
If you miss your metro there is always another one in about 2 min on weekdays!
Trains are the way to travel.
People on the metro do not talk. They read or listen to their Ipods. The people who talk are the ones from out of the country.
People here wait to go across the crosswalks in the street and not on the edge of the sidewalk.
People getting on a full metro will push until they can get on, no matter how full it is.
There are no trucks or vans in Paris unless they are work vehicles like garbage trucks or mail trucks. Everything to do with the garbage are green and the mail is bright yellow.
Gas stations are indoors.
Cars in Paris were either really nice or really old with not too much in between.
Taxis are really nice here. I took my first one and it was a Mercedes.
People park their cars on the curbs, or at least one or two wheels on the curb!
Streets are often cobbled, which are beautiful but hard to walk on for someone who has problems walking on flat surfaces.
School kids have no need for school buses, they just take the metro.

Bathrooms:

So small. No wonder why the French are thin, they would not be able to fit inside the bathrooms.
Bathrooms are really gross and smell bad. This was one stereotype that was dead on.
Places with lots of people should = more bathrooms right? Nope. At the Louvre only two stalls.
All the water in bathrooms is cold.

Food:

It is normal for someone to take 2+ hours to eat lunch. Eating is never a quick occurrence in France.
It is normal to eat bread and cheese three meals a day.
French Tartes are AWESOME.
When they have drinks in a vending machine they put them in upside down.
All of the chairs at cafes face outwards. Sometimes this was 4 rows deep.
There is never ice in any of the drinks.
Beverages are super expensive, like 3+ Euros!
Baking is an art. Most of the time the food was so beautiful that I did not want to eat it!
In order to sit and eat in a restaurant you have to pay more for the same food, but if you got it to go it would be much cheaper.
Everything is made with butter.
Nutella is better here.
Drinks are served in glass bottles, which they save and have them cleaned and refilled.

Buildings:

Buildings are built high.
There is really cool balconies and iron work on all the buildings.
In the chateaux all of the decor will match in their rooms, the beds, wall paper, chairs, drapes and rugs.
The old chests of drawers in the chateaux had wood for the drawers and marble tops of different colors. I like the green topped ones.

Outside:

There is little to no grass but lots of tall, full trees.
Parks are always busier on Sundays.
The French countryside is absolutely beautiful.
They have lilac trees everywhere.
When the weather is nice all sorts of musicians come out. From violinists to xylophones, Oriental to Regae.

Fashion:

Scarves. Everyone wears them, even when it is hot.
Small floral prints are totally in. People have shirts, scarves, skirts and even shoes out of them.
Converse tennis shoes in all colors.
Skinny jeans.
Women's hair is so messy! It looks like they don't brush it.

Smoking:

Everyone smokes. Literally.
People do not worry about 2nd hand smoke here. I was so furious with at a guy smoking in an enclosed area around his three young kids.
After someone is done with their cigarette they just throw it on the ground. Paris would be a lot cleaner if people would learn to take care of their cigarette butts.
The place with the most butts is the Place des Vosges. It was gross.

Books:

All books are in paperback.
They have the "Where's Waldo" series, but Waldo is Charlie :)
They have cool bookshops with new and used books. You have to look but you can find some great deals!
Bookshops are called Libraries and Libraries are called bibliotheques.

Grocery Stores:

Things are stacked to the ceilings to fit more stuff into smaller areas.
They have local stores on almost every street.
You have to bag your own items.
They all smell funny.

Random things:

The keyboards on computers are different. It made typing emails pretty difficult at first!
There are peddlers everywhere...and sometimes they do not take no for an answer.
Once you start thinking in French it is hard to think in English.
People do not smile at each other on the streets.
Street markets are crazy and they sell just about anything that you could want.
There are a LOT of American influences in Paris. McDonalds, Starbucks, Nike, Gap, Ipods are just a few off the top of my head.
Keys are really cool here...and I totally struggled with my front door for the first few days.
They have rain-gear for their strollers.
They have no drinking stations in France. But come to think about it, if they had them I don't know that I would use them.
Doorknobs are really cool. They are bigger and are found in the middle of the doors.
Everything is closed on Sundays. You would think in a huge city like Paris this would not be the case but yep!
To mail letters you just have to look for the bright yellow post boxes on the streets.
Printer paper is a different size...it is the same width but is longer.
TV shows are the same as in America, just French versions. I got to watch a lot of the wheel of fortune.
Showers are non-existent here. They have tubs with a shower head that is not attached to the wall which is harder because to have only one hand.

Not me Tuesday

2010-04-27T12:39:00.001-06:00

I did not get in a fight with the church wall on Sunday...the wall totally won. I have the battle wound to prove it.

I am not looking forward to being done with finals already. I hate tests. Boo. Can I be a teacher someday that does not give tests? Is there a way around this practice?

I do not laugh at the music offices play in the background when you are on hold...most of the time it just makes me want to take a nap.

I do not have 4 days left until I leave. I am also not officially packed...besides all the little stuff that you need on a daily basis, like my toothbrush.

I did not get to paint at work today. Yeah, my job is AWESOME.

I am not thinking about dropping my summer class just because I need a break. Is that bad?

Not me Friday

2010-04-23T08:22:00.000-06:00

I do not officially have 7 days until I leave for France. Thus I do not feel like I am being pulled in multiple different directions all at the same time. I'm getting slightly trunky, a little nervous but VERY excited. Everytime that I wear my new sandals (that I bought for my trip) Kyle teases me about "breaking them in" I don't think that I'll ever convince him that you really do have to break in new shoes before you wear them all day and walk miles in them! :)

My French professor did not break out into song TWICE in yesterday's class. Freakin hilarious. I am partially sad that this semester is over...but so happy! I'm looking forward to getting to read for the sake of reading...spend time with Kyle...not stress about tests for a bit...and get to spend some time outside!

I do not love warmer weather. It was nice here for a few days and then turned cold again. Boo cold. I'm looking forward to flowers...playing at the park...picnics...kite flying...and throwing a Frisbee.

We did not have a student come into our office needing to turn in a form who insisted that she put it in Lindsey's (my boss) basket herself. I kinda wanted to say "I promise...I will get it to her. I do it all day long! :) " We were trying hard not to laugh.

Relay for Life 2010

2010-04-19T11:03:00.000-06:00

This year's Relay for Life was so much more organized! Valeena did a wonderful job! Here is me and Valeena :)
For those of you who do not know the Relay for Life is for the American Cancer Society raising money for cancer research. As a second year team we ended up in 5th place (which is AMAZING!) raising $1,627.00. Our theme this year was "Be a Hero."
So to tie in the theme I made, with the help of my wonderful niece Sonnett who drew them and bro-in-law Kevin who helped come up with the words, onomatopoeia
signs (like the old Batman ones) to decorate our campsite!
We sold walking tacos which were a huge success! I also made capes for each team member...they were really helpful because we were able to distinguish who our team members were!
Here are some other fun photos of that night!

Wonderful Weekend

2010-04-06T15:18:00.000-06:00

I realized this last weekend that I just love hanging out with Kyle. It doesn't have to be something huge, but I am just happy being with him. I guess that is what happiness is all about.

Thursday we did our traditional Easter egg hunt...I hide them...Kyle finds them. It was fun this year was the first Easter in our home, so I got to find new places to hid them! The winner for best hiding spot was in the ice dispenser on the fridge...from my level you could see it, but from Kyle's height he could not! So funny. Later that night we just watched a movie.

Friday morning we slept in and then got up and started driving up north to got to the SUU vs UVU baseball games. The games were good...it was super cold though. I stayed at the hotel for the second one to try and get through my 166 pages of reading for my lit class. It was nice just to climb in bed and be warm! After Kyle got done we went out to Korean food...good stuff. I miss it. Afterwards we had to stop at Walmart because I forgot face wash...and we found Mille Borne. (Anyone remember that game? Totally AWESOME!) Unfortunately this was not the French version, but still cool.

Saturday was conference. Oh, how I love conference. What a wonderful blessing that it is to live in this day and age...to have the opportunity to hear the words of the prophet. There is something about being able to listen. We had more baseball, but I stayed in the car to listen to conference. We made it up to SLC before Priesthood so Kyle was able to go with his brother Kevin. I headed over to my sister's to play! Easter Sunday was relatively quiet. More conference, the drive home, dinner and Amazing Race. Still all and all a great day. We were happy to be home.

Not me Tuesday

2010-03-30T12:00:00.000-06:00

I did not get an "atta girl" from a random stranger today.

I did not have someone in church on Sunday come up to me and tell me congratulations...on being pregnant. Yeah, I'm not pregnant. If I were to really be pregnant every time someone thought I was I would have 5 kids by now. It was hilarious though. The only bad thing about these type of situations is that I wonder if I LOOK pregnant. Kyle told me I didn't, thank you love for saying no even if I do.

I do not have 31 days until Paris. I am so ready to be there but not leave Kyle. This also means that I do not have 4 weeks of this semester left and I am so ready for it to be over!

I did not get contacts again this week and I am not having to get used to them all over again. The first time that I looked in the mirror I thought I looked funny.

I am not ready to read for the soul purpose of recreation again. I miss my books. Let me clarify this...I miss books in ENGLISH. French class I love you. I do! BUT I am sick of reading in French. Is that bad? Probably.

Not me Tuesday

2010-03-16T14:40:00.000-06:00

I do not love chocolate chip pumpkin bread.

I did not play with bubbles at the office today. And I did not thoroughly enjoy myself. I think that the office and random strangers enjoyed them too :)

I did not finally find shoes for FRANCE! They are Merrells and super cute. (Amy would be so proud of me!) Also I did not pay more than I have ever paid for shoes in my life...but I have a feeling that I will be thankful that I did once I get there.

I did not buy the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes for the plane. I have read it before but I don't remember all of the solutions. I figure 500 pages should be enough for a 16 hour flight.

I am not having a hard time getting motivated with my work project. Boo.

I am not loving the fact that I have no homework DUE this week due to spring break...I forget what stress free, no homework life feels like.

I do not love date nights! There is just something about them that make me happy...probably it is mostly that I am with Kyle. We went out last night to Alice in Wonderland and out to dinner. Nothing fancy, but it was wonderful :)

The countdown is not officially 45 days. This is coming up fast!

I did not try a new recipe this weekend...cream puffs! They turned out really yummy and were really easy. I now want to host something at my house so I can make them again. And I might try the cream filling in crepes! :)

And the Answer is...

2010-03-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

49!! 49 days until France.

Not me Friday

2010-02-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in a while, and I am so sorry! So here is my not me Friday:

I am not stressed about all the school work next week...which does not include a midterm worth about 1/4 of my grade, a paper in the same class and a 10 min presentation in the other class on the same day as the midterm. I wish that I could just get over my test anxiety already! And I did not break down in tears in the middle of class during the review for the midterm. I think that my teacher must think that I am nuts...but I hope not since she is stuck next to me on the like 16 hour flight to Paris.

I am not looking forward to my trip to SLC next week. Kyle will be on the road again and I did not want to stay home alone again...no really I didn't. So after my week from Hades with school I am promptly taking Friday off and hitting the road! :) Just pray for good weather.

Tonight I was not getting sentimental about my old high school. Weird.

I was not preparing lesson plans for a job that I don't have. If anyone has taken a foreign language and would like to pass on what they loved to do in their high school classes I would love the advice.

I did not enjoy spring cleaning at the office. And my office was not violating fire codes. Also I was not thoroughly enjoying the fact that I broke the rules and wore sneakers to the office...but I was doing the dirty work and nice shoes just don't cut it.

I do not have 63 days left on my countdown to France. :)

I did not realize this week that I am finally an adult. Seriously, when did THAT happen?!

I am not currently listening to Edith Piaf, who is not amazing. :)

I am not still searching for good sandals to take to France. I'm really not having any luck.

I do not love having my house back in order...I really am a neat freak. Someday I might have to get over that, but today is not that day.

I did not find some Peanuts comics in French...which made me very happy. I think that someday they will be posted on my wall of my classroom. Once again the plans that I am not making.

I do not need to find a new book for my flight...I am so out of the loop with books, which is so weird for me, the person who when not taking classes reads a book a week. Once again any suggestions are welcome!

I think that is all for tonight...:)

Countdown

2010-02-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to state that I have (Drumroll please...) 70 days left until France. Yeah, I'm not excited. Not at all :)

Week three and four

2010-02-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

Weeks three and four have come and went! Here are a few of the fun things we/they did!

First of all Yoon Jin and Jee Hyun started actually going to the local elementary school here in Cedar and helped out in two different classes. They would talk about all their kids...the favorite question that they got was when they told them they were from Korea they were both asked (by two different kids mind you) if they could speak Korean. This just made me laugh!

I have come to conclude with them when they hear that another group did something that is when they would want to try it. For example one group went to Sizzler, so they wanted to too! So we obliged and took them. Let me back track for a moment. We had to be interviewed in order to have them come and stay with us to make sure that Kyle and I weren't crazy people...and during that interview we were told that Korean girls never eat very much. HA! At sizzler Yoon Jin ate 6 plates of her own and then finished off everyone else's. Seriously...I have no idea where that girl put all that food!

Friday night we went over to the Louthan family's home to eat homemade pizza and play games. Here is a few photos from that night. We taught them Twister, it was hilarious!

They got to visit Las Vegas for their weekend here. They had a great time! Why...because all they did was shop, eat at buffets (at which I was told Yoon Jin finished 10 plates!) and hung out with their friends! I have to admit that Kyle and I were happy to have a weekend off :)

The next week they were busy with school...they had presentations and had a great time on Valentine's day. They made valentines for all their kids. It kinda made me want to be a kid again, and make a valentines day box. Maybe next year! :)

They learned how to cook some of their favorite American meals...and I sent them home with ingredients to make them for their families!

On Friday we had a going away banquet with the whole group. It was crazy but fun! Afterwards we played ping-pong and foosball and then came back to our home for cake!

Saturday they went shooting and on the way home Kyle got stuck in the mud. Totally hilarious but Kyle was so frustrated. Rule number one. No back roads in the winter. :) Later that day we did a whole lot of shopping in St. George for gifts for their families and boyfriends. At the end I was so tired but it was fun. They had a hard time choosing sizes...I just hope that I made some good judgement calls! We then tried In-and-Out Burger for dinner...once again because one of their friends said they tried it. (I tried to pitch Olive Garden with no success!)

Here is us on Sunday morning dropping them off at the bus. Kyle wore his Honbok for the occasion. Everyone but Kyle shed a few tears.

We asked them what their favorite things were and they said their homestay (meaning us! :) But I don't know if they were just saying that...I don't think so though!), seeing the stars and Las Vegas.

Korean Students Week Two

2010-01-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

What a great busy week! :) First of all, Jee Hyun and Yoon Jin do not like oatmeal....but they thought that crepes were pretty great! Kyle was crazy and made a Kimchi crepe...nasty! We played loads of games, made lots of meals, they ditched their first class...which we did not approve of but couldn't blame them...They like to watch disney movies because they can understand them! Yoon Jin can sometimes be found in her pajamas at different times of the day (which is not at all like someone that I know...) We had a group of their friends over to play games and have dinner, I thought it was a success! On Saturday we took them sledding and then they went out for a steak dinner and a movie. Here are a few of my favorite photos:

Things I have learned from our Korean's

2010-01-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

We are now officially two days into having our study abroad students stay with us from Korea...and I am already learning a whole lot, not only about them and their culture but myself as well. I just wanted to write down my thoughts, funny things they say, funny things we say and our experiences.

First of all the word Llama is the same in Korean as it is in English. Who knew? (This was brought up because to get to our house you drive by the SUU farm and in the sheep pasture there is a llama out there with them (I even know why!) and Kyle and I look for the llama each time we drive by. The llama is there because they do not stand down to predators...they will protect the herd of sheep!)

Our Koreans loved looking at the stars...they had never seen so many before.

They are so gracious, and want to help with everything and learn how to help.

I was told that I was the best card shuffler that they had ever seen...and that may change when they visit Las Vegas on their trip...but it was a funny compliment.

They think our home is huge...and to them it is. At first I felt kinda selfish and greedy...but then this made me realize how truely blessed we are. We have so much compared to most people. And not only are we blessed physically but spritually. Let's just say that my prayers have a whole lot more "thank you's" in them now.

And lastly Kyle has been AWESOME! He helps out a whole lot, is really involved, is positive and funny! I don't think that I could do this without him.

The FORT!

2010-01-16T12:52:00.001-07:00

Have I ever mentioned that Kyle and I are just like two big kids? Well if this is new news to you, then here is a perfect example of why! For our date night last night we decided to have a fort building night! We built this AWESOME fort in our upstairs great room with all of the kitchen chairs, the bench, the step stool and the swiffer mop and then turned out all the lights and pretended that the power was out for the night. We played games and just had fun. This is why I love my husband...cause he doesn't think I am too nuts...and he will play along! :)

This is me coming out of the "super secret entrance."

The inside: (Note it looks smaller than it really was...we were both able to sit up, move around and spread out! Once again, totally AWESOME!)

I was sad that this shot turned out blurry, but oh well! Still a good picture of us!

Us doing what we do best :)

Not me Thursday

2010-01-14T16:32:00.001-07:00

I did not forget to pack a lunch today...thus I am not STARVING! :)

I did not turn in my application for study abroad today...and I am not getting very excited about it!

I am not loving classes this semester, and I am not so happy that I stuck with my lit class last semester, because now I see the fruit of my labors.

I do not get frustrated with stupid people that call into my office all the time...but unfortunately I always need to be professional. Blah. Somedays you just don't want to be professional anymore.

I did not have a great time yesterday with Kyle...it was his birthday and it was just so great to be with him!

Korean students are not almost here! Just one weekend left!

I do not miss getting to watch NCIS. I love my calling but I have to admitt that I miss watching my favorite TV show. Is that petty? Yes. Yes it is. Thank heavens for Netflix :)

Not me Sunday

2010-01-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

I did not eat Oreo Lush for breakfast this morning. That would just be irresponsible.

I did not break the bathroom door last night....and I do not feel horrible about doing so. (Honestly it really was an accident though!)

I did not love this last few days off...and I did not stay in my pj's for most of the time.

I am and am not excited about getting back in school...(does that make any sense?!) but to keep practicing my French I did not start to read the D&C in French!

I am not dreading tomorrow, since it is the first day of spring semester and the office is going to be crazy!

I am not looking forward to Kyle being home already (and he just left not but two hours ago!)

I am not excited but nervous about housing two Korean students for a month for the study abroad program. And Kyle is also not more excited than I am.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2009-12-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

Christmas 2009!! I can't believe that it has come and gone...for us it really is the most wonderful time of the year! Kyle and I actually waited for an appropriate period of time before we did our Christmas...we had ours on Wednesday night, and it was great! Then Thursday morning we slept in and then headed north to visit family. Christmas Eve is the Soderstrom's big tradition of our "Christ dinner"...we eat things that we think the Savior would have eaten, like flat bread, fish, olives, dates, almonds, cheese, grape juice, celery etc...this year mom decided to throw in some new foods...different types of nuts, lentils, goat's cheese, and goat's milk. Kyle and Ben were the only two brave ones for the goat's milk...unfortunately they did not read the can before drinking and it was warm goat's milk concentrate! So funny! Also we got new jammies! Hooray for Christmas pj's! The next morning we woke up and had the traditional Cottam family Christmas breakfast! Which includes ham and buckwheat pancakes with fresh raspberries and cream! AMAZING! I am hungry just thinking about them! We played games and then headed back to my sister's house for our family gifts. Really it was just a day full of family, food and fun! the next day we went up to visit Kendall and Mel and made crepes with my new crepe maker (which is freakin' AWESOME! Thank you love!) and then hung out with my fam that night and played games. Sunday was great too, we had the Cottam family party, and then got to hang out with Kent and Bethy (who surprised us all with a visit from Nebraska!) After all of that we were kinda sorry to be home...it was a great Christmas, not too stressful at all!

Here is a picture of our tree this year!

And of the stockings...Santa really loved me because he left me a HUGE potato in mine!

As for the new decor this year I made garland for my pot shelves...I think they turned out great! Here is a close-up of the cinnamon ornaments!

Christmas Pictures 2009

2009-12-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the selection of Christmas pictures this year. Once again my good friend Jami Bonner took our pictures! She is AMAZING! Thank you Jami!

Not me Monday

2009-11-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

I am not super excited to see my family this week for thanksgiving...but at the same time I am not super sad that I am leaving Kyle at home.

I was not told today by a complete stranger that my sneeze is adorable.

I did not accidentally call 911 today.

I did not eat a potato for breakfast today. You would think I eat enough of them during the other hours of the day!

I do not hate kidney infections.

I am not upset that my casual Fridays at work got taken away.

I am not still waiting for my new phone at work. And I do not anxiously chase down any and all packages that come into the office :)

Not me Monday

2009-11-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

I do not love a good McDonald's breakfast. It is my guilty pleasure.

I do not hate it when Kyle goes on work trips.

Thus because of the previous statement I am not looking forward to this week being over. This is sad...Kyle has only been gone a little over an hour. It is going to be one long week!

I am not starting my Christmas shopping this week. I just hope that I am a smart shopper and that Kyle likes what I get!

I did not really like the movie Up. And we both did not cry in it either.

I am not going to see New Moon this weekend and I am not leaving Kyle at home because he made fun of Twilight. Since Twilight I have not left him home for chick flicks.

I am not so excited to get a headset for my phone at work! It is so AWESOME!! I feel like a kid at Christmas!

Not me Monday

2009-11-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

I am not a huge fan of hand sanitizer. Especially when I am at work among so many students.

I do not love a good cup of hot chocolate on a cold morning...especially when you get to sit and hold the mug and it warms up your hands!

I do not get frustrated at work when people say they are going to do something then don't...but then when someone else asks them they do it immediately. Blah.

I do not hate being sick. I think that I slept all weekend long...and I didn't get done what I needed to get done so now I feel even more behind.

I am not excited to go and see the Forgotten Carols. Sue came into work asking about them because she was invited to go...that was when I realized they would be down in St. George! So Kyle and I are officially having a date night in December to go and see them and I am really looking forward to it!

I am not counting down the days that I have left in this semester. And the number is not 7 classes left.

I am also not counting down the weeks until I get to put up Christmas. And it is not 2 1/2 weeks :)

I do not love our new shelves in the garage and laundry room. They look totally AWESOME! Kyle had a very productive Saturday last weekend. (Pictures to come soon!)

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

This year Halloween was not what I expected it to be. It was quiet...too quiet! We had a total of three trick or treaters, and one of my two pumpkins was totally rotten when I tried to carve it! (It was really, really yucky!) I did get to watch "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" and "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" but really it was just quiet. Here are some photos of the house and decor!

Yes I know another picutre of the house...but I was trying to show off my tombstones! Those little LED lights that flickered made them AWESOME!

My pumpkin...he was named Bugga Boo!

Not me Friday

2009-10-30T19:42:00.000-06:00

I do not love the smell of pumpkins when they are carved! That smell reminds me of Halloween more than anything else and brings back childhood memories!

I did not eat breakfast type food for the last 4 out of 5 nights this week. (And no ironically it was not all cereal!)

I did not process 29 transcripts today for the same person. It cost the student $116.00 and sadly there was only one whole class on their record! (And it was like an Acting I class...) And I couldn't help wonder what in the world she is going to do with 29 copies of her transcript.

I did not forget to go to the bathroom today because I was so busy at work...and for me that is pretty hard to do!

This week Kyle and I did not go to the store and buy all frozen food items. So sad, but true.

I did not get a whole lot of wierd looks today because I wore my Halloween costume. Seriously people, who wouldn't want to dress up?!

Not Me Wednesday/Thursday

2009-10-21T10:21:00.000-06:00

I am not planning Christmas decorations for the office (including putting up a tree!)

I did not cause a breaker to shut off when I turned on the computer, iron and space heater in our office. I think that it is all the space heater's fault...

I am not hoping and praying that the snow melts here in Cedar for Halloween...those poor trick or treaters having to wear their coats with their costumes...I remember having to do that as a kid and I HATED it. That and all my Halloween decorations are covered in snow. :(

I am not probably going to FRANCE next summer for a study abroad. My boss approved my time off, I was so surprised! And so I have not already though about what to pack...hehe...for those that know I plan what I am going to take way too far in advance...and I've done that my whole life, for girls camp, EFY, etc...

I am not excited for my new phone in my office...it is awesome! But I not having a hard time finding a ring that I like and that won't drive me crazy hearing it all day!

I am not wanting to bring in a movie to our conference room that just got mediated. It is seriously awesome. The guy that was installing everything yesterday had Harry Potter in as a trial run. I did not want to go back to work! :)

I am not already looking forward to the weekend after next. Is that a bad thing? Probably.

Not me Tuesday

2009-10-13T10:13:00.001-06:00

This idea I stole from Lissa...which is the part of her blog that I love the most because it makes me laugh and you really see her personality coming out! So I thought that I would start this tradition as well.

I have not been singing Christmas carols all week. You would think that since I am such a Halloween nut I would stick with the current holiday.
I did not just seriously contemplate keeping the huge box that our new work shredder came in so that I could take it home and make a fort.
I am not afraid to talk to my boss about doing a study abroad next summer.
I have not had to fix my halloween decorations like 4 times because of the wind...grr...stupid wind! Thank goodness I am handy with a glue gun!

I will leave it at that for the moment...it is harder to come up with these that I thought it would be!

Halloween decorations!

2009-10-12T10:33:00.000-06:00

It is so fun to decorate a house! Here is a few pictures of the halloween decorations that have gone up! Please feel free to come trick or treating at the Cottam household...I promise that we will have good candy given to children of all ages! I will try and take some better ones and repost them!

These are the cute spirit jugs that line our entryway!

This is one of the tombstones...they look a whole lot cooler in real life because the little light just outlines them...so they look spooky!

The halloween quilt that I made this season! (Thanks again Amy for getting the fabric for me!) I think it turned out really cute!

A close shot of the fabric:

Five years today!

2009-10-06T08:16:00.000-06:00

Today is officially our five year anniversary! And what a wonderful 5 years it has been! I cannot believe how the time has flown by, but then again cannot imagine my life any differently. Kyle brought in some beautiful flowers into my office and we had a great dinner at Rusty's. Love you my honey! You are the best!

The first weeks of school...

2009-09-17T16:36:00.000-06:00

Can I just say that the first weeks of school are crazy! The office for me has finally slowed down, but Kyle is in full swing with work. All of my free time is taken up with my two French classes....and when I say all, I mean ALL! It has been rough, but I am trying to keep a good attitude. And I had to put myself back in perspective with my spiritual education...if I was spending at least 4 hours a night on homework, I should at least devote some of my time to my scripture study too! My French is getting better, and I've started having days when I walk away feeling good about myself and how my French is doing. Although I do have those days when I walk away not really knowing what the discussion was really about...and today may or maynot have been one of those days!

It is nice to have students back on campus...and really fun to go to the games with Kyle! He has started a new sport this season...volleyball! Love it, love it, love it! He is getting comfortable with it, and I'm super proud of him!

I think that is pretty much it for the Cottam family...just work, sports, homework and callings...(Which I get a new one this weekend, and it should be no surprise to anyone. Except me, since I thought after 4 years of YW's I would be done for a bit. I guess that isn't the case...I wonder what lesson I was supposed to learn.)

Updates, updates, updates!

2009-08-26T08:43:00.001-06:00

Updates were officially requested so here they are!

The month of August was very busy for the Cottam household! We visited family, had family visit us, had new callings and had work pick up. I guess I should just start at the beginning!

The first weekend in August we went up to Cherry Hill to camp/play with most of the Cottam clan (Kent, Beth and Melissa were sorely missed and I hope they get to come next year!) We had a great time! We drove up on Friday night...I was a bit overwhelmed by how many people were there! I guess I was just expecting a bit more room to have the camp site! We walked around, played a bit and mostly just enjoyed the family that night! When we got up the next morning it was a bit cold and it was cloudy, but I think this worked out in our favor since it kept the crowds down for the water stuff! We played miniature golf, went down the fun slides, enjoyed a good game of Airoball, which Kyle and Kendall were the experts at (I think the rest of us tried really hard but never really got it!) Probably one of the best things was the lazy river! Me, Courtney and Kyle just floated and relaxed! It was so nice! We stayed the night again and headed home on Sunday. We really just had a fun time, good food and great family!

After we headed home, Mom and Dad Cottam headed down our way. They came for the Shakespeare Festival but visited us too! We got to go and see the Secret Garden with them on Thursday! It was good...but I was a bit disappointed with the actor who portrayed Archibald. He didn't project on certain songs! But we had a good time anyways. Then on Friday Kim and her boy Mark came and stayed with us! We played loads of games, we out to breakfast with them and Mom and Dad Cottam, and went swimming. Then on Sunday when they left JaNae and Na came and stayed with us until Wednesday! (Obviously we had a really full house!) We were able to spend a lot of time with them on Sunday, but after that they had plays and dinner each night...so we really were just a B&B! I have to admit that the weekend that followed was a nice one! I didn't go anywhere or do too much!

Church updates: Kyle got put back in YM's as the first counselor...again! I've been filling in for the ward choir pianist, which has been an interesting experience.

School has officially started, and thus our work schedules have been crazy! Kyle has already started up with sports, and is traveling this weekend with the volleyball team to TX. Volleyball is a new team this year, so it is taking extra work on Kyle's part on learning the new program. My office has been very busy, but to me it is just job security! I've also started my own classes: FREN 4640, which is a French Caribbean lit class and FREN 4510, a translation class. They started yesterday. The lit class is by far the hardest. It is with a new instructor who is a native speaker. Between the new vocab, the rapid speaking and the accent I had such a hard time with it! I made a promise to myself that I would stick it out for two weeks...and I know that this will really help my French if I can just stay with it!

Living Room Furniture!

2009-07-30T08:52:00.000-06:00

We finally have furniture for our living room! It came yesterday afternoon. We picked it out a few weeks ago from Ashley Furniture in St. George. I promise...we will take off the tags, I was just too excited to post pictures that I forgot! :)

My favorite piece...the comfy chair!

24th of July/ Visit from the Mannos Family

2009-07-29T09:43:00.000-06:00

What a great weekend! On the 24th we had a nice lazy day...I love those days when you can just do what you want to do and not worry about having to be anywhere or impress anyone. I worked on my shelf...and completed it with some help from Kyle (He even helped with the stenciling!). I was thoroughly impressed with Kyle's craftiness and handyman help.

As he was putting up the decor on the shelf (I was too short to reach) he placed the heart in the love forward instead of having it in a straight line like I wanted it to be...so we needed to do something to make the decision! As a 24th of July tradition we have tank battles. We went to the firework store that day and could not find any. So we had to think out of the box and use turtles (They basically did the same thing...so it worked!) So we decided that we would have a turtle battle to decide which way the heart would go. It was pretty even to begin with, until I lit Kyle's on fire with my sparkler...but then Kyle did the same. Afterwards...when we could actually see the damage, Kyle won. Here is the pictures of the carnage! Saturday was spent cleaning, working on my talk for Sunday and just relaxing!

On Monday Amy, TJ and kids came down to visit! I was so happy to see them! We rode bikes, played at the park, had a yummy dinner, had FHE and was able to just enjoy their company...here are some pictures of fun at the park!

The Craziness that is the Cottam household

2009-07-01T09:43:00.000-06:00

We have officially moved into our house! And can I just say that I love it? :) Here is how the weekend went:

Friday: Friday was our big packing/moving boxes day...We took like six trips from the apt. to the new house. Also Friday was the day that Sonnett moved in with us, and can I just say that she and her dad were LIFESAVERS! They drove down in their truck, so we utilized their services! We got the majority of the boxes moved that day...I was very surprised with how much we could fit in our Subaru :)
Saturday: Saturday was the "official" moving day. We were supposed to borrow our neighbor's moving truck, but we couldn't get it to start! Not the way that we wanted to start out the day...so I called a few friends that I served with in YW's. I love the fact that there are people in your life that you can call and at a moment's notice they drop everything they are doing and rescue you! Terri came with her truck and Rochelle lent us her trailer. It was a perfect fit! The move in only took about a half hour (Since we don't have that much furniture! That and there weren't any stairs!) We spent the day getting settled and I got started on my talk. Kyle was the official home decorator and even hung the kitchen decor!

Sunday: What an emotional day! I spoke in sacrament meeting, and when brother Farnsworth said I was speaking and that we were moving I just started crying! Thankfully I got through the talk (which I went over my time...and I was worried about not having enough!) And then the RS lesson, which I was introduced as Meaghan "the traitor" Cottam, which went well. And then we attended the BBQ for ward choir.

Monday: Monday was just a busy normal day at the office, but that night I went to a dinner for my co-worker Kathy who retired. We went to the Garden House! Yummy! I had salmon (which I got grief from Kyle about when I got home cause I ate the whole thing) It was so good just to sit and talk...good food and good friends! I totally ruined Kathy's present...I was so embarrassed! We got her an engraved jewelry box and three sets of Lia Sophia jewelry...and like the awesome person I am, when she started opening the different boxes I shout out "Which set it that?!" (So she knew what else was in the box! Everyone started laughing so hard at me...Valeena captured the moment perfectly!

Can I just say that Lindsey is such a great boss?! She ordered one of each of the desserts and had them bring out 10 spoons for us to share! It was AWESOME!

Tuesday: What a crazy day! I was in charge of the retirement party for Kathy...which was for over 200 people! I'm glad that it is over, but really sad that Kathy is gone! We had such a great turnout! Just to show what when into this party:

Here is the display:

Here is the Veteran Day Program posters that I made...Kathy put on this program since 1988.

I made a sign-in book...

Me and Kathy:
The office:
Valeena and Netta:
We had a special guest that came...Kathy loves Tom Selleck. LOVES Tom Selleck. Please note that this is really the body of Elvis and the head of Tom...but I think that it turned out looking pretty darn good!
This was her reaction when she saw him!
Karleen came down to visit! I was so happy!
Why is it that when it rains it pours? All in all, great things happened, but I am just worn out! I think that my stress level will go down significantly when I have all of the boxes unpacked and can actually find what I need at home. :)

Julia's Wedding/Trip to Denver

2009-06-18T10:37:00.000-06:00

We headed on the road last weekend for my cousin Julia's wedding in Denver CO. Kyle and I drove to Green River WY...and met Daddy, Ma and Carrie there. We beat them there by about an hour and a half, and it is such a small town that I didn't have reception on my cellphone, so they didn't know where to meet us! Finally they decided to think like Megs...where would she be? THE PARK! And sure enough, that is where they found us! We continued on the road, snugly joining Carrie in the back seat (I am really glad that we are a close family). We had some good laughs, mostly from playing name that tune off of Carrie's Ipod...no one else could hear the music...so they had to guess from Kyle and my's singing. Some...well most of the songs we didn't know...which is where the game got funny! Once we got there Aunt Sandy fed us dinner and we headed to the hotel to crash. The next day was just a day to relax...we got up and ate breakfast with Papa, swam, went shopping, swam again, went to dinner with just the adults, and stayed up late playing games with Carrie, Amy and TJ. (Where Kyle and Carrie had a rival, and everyone was convinced that Amy and I were cheating. Which we weren't. Just because she wasn't going to win, she figured that she might as well pass on what I needed!) The next day was the wedding! It was a Lutheran wedding...which I had never attended one before. It was beautiful, but really long! (After the actual wedding they had a full communion) We sat on the third row...so one would think that I would have gotten to see it all...but I had Daddy and Uncle Hank in front of me. So I saw NOTHING! Thankfully about half way through, Kyle traded me places which helped. Then we headed straight to the reception, which was at a country club up the canyon. It was beautiful! They had a beautiful view and the decorations were wonderful. Dinner was good...the best part being the yummy salad dressing (I know weird...but it was so good!) Then all of the traditional toasts, cake stuff and dances. We were one of the first to leave...and that was at 10:30. I was so tired! We got on the road early the next morning and headed home. It was nice to be home. :) Here are some of the photos, I forgot to take pictures most of the time, I'll just have to get Amy's!

HOUSE!

2009-06-05T11:56:00.001-06:00

Last Tuesday we got the good news that the bank accepted our offer on the house! We have to close by June 30, 2009, but we are hoping to close sooner than that! Here is what it looks like!

From the front:

From the back:

Out the back door: Note that it is on a 1/2 acre...the property line is where the fences change colors!

The entryway:

View from the front door: (On the left is the garage door and then the stairs...then the hallway to the laundry room and master.)

The front room:

The kitchen:

The other side of the front room:

The master: (Showing the walk-in closet)

The master bath:

One of the other two bedrooms:

The other bath:

The great room above the garage:

From the other side:
The garage:

Hair Cut

2009-05-19T09:09:00.000-06:00

Last Friday I finally got up the nerve to cut my hair...but of course I couldn't go just half way! I decided that if I was going to do it, I would donate it. It really was a fulfilling process, the best part of it being when I actually mailed off the envelope of 14 inches of my hair. It just felt so good. It is definitely true...when you give to others you really get more in return. Here are the photos! The before:

The after:

Crazy Week!

2009-05-11T08:38:00.000-06:00

This may sounds silly, but I am thankful that it is Monday! :) Last week from a mixture of grades being due, my phone ringing off the hook, a work conference, learning cake decorating, and organ and piano playing it was a crazy week! Let me start at the beginning...Have I even mentioned that I hate it when grades are due? It is probably one of my five worst days of the year! (Although thankfully this time I did not get yelled at...serious blessing there!) And because grades were due things were just crazy in the office. And on Friday we had a work conference...and had a guest speaker come in who spoke about time management. He laid everything out that you did at the office in a four quadrant grid. Number one and two were on top of three and four. The top row was labeled as important and the bottom row was labeled as not important. Then the first column (which was numbers one and three) were listed as urgent and the second column was listed as not urgent. So basically what is in box one is important and urgent, two: important and not urgent, three: not important and urgent and box four: not important and not urgent. Box one had things like putting out fires, emergencies, etc... Box two had planning information, and meetings. Box three had phone calls, voicemails, emails, interruptions, etc..and box four had personal stuff. I couldn't help but think (and then comment) that my ENTIRE job was in quadrant three...nice to know that my job isn't considered important at all! Lol...my boss afterwards came back and clarified that yes our jobs are important!

And the last part of the week...which was basically all of my free time was learning the art of fondant frosting! How fun it was! But my arms got so sore from mixing all of the dye in...Here are the photos!

Relay for Life

2009-04-21T11:16:00.001-06:00

This last few weeks at work we have been working towards one night, which was last Friday! My office put together a team for one of my co-workers who is currently battling breast cancer, thus the name SUU Kathy's Krew! We did fundraisers, donations and change gathering. It was a whole lot of work but so full-filling! Here is Kathy
The actual event lasted from five pm to noon the next day. I had the 9 pm to 6 am shift, but was on the set up crew too. (Try putting up a tent with the wind blowing...that is hard work!) I personally walked over 10 miles. I was a whole lot more emotional than I thought that I would be...because of Daddy...but I did alright. The best part of the whole experience was the luminaries walk which was when they honored those who had to go through it. This is Sheila, Netta and Me!

They had fireworks and all sorts of activities...but people became scarce at about 2 am. I had this weird burst of energy about then, it could have been because of my awesome relay mix on my ipod...hehe...and I started doing cartwheels on the track. I got some good laughs at least! All and all a great experience.

Easter

2009-04-13T16:07:00.000-06:00

What a wonderful season! I love both aspects of Easter: the spiritual and the fun. This year for the first time, Kyle and I just stayed at home for Easter. It was nice and quite, I played easter bunny and did an easter egg hunt for Kyle...which has been one of our traditions. Church was wonderful! Kyle made crockpot pork chops (Lissa you need to try this recipe) and I did mashed potatoes and green beans. At dinner Kyle and I had a nice discussion...I was joking with him that I would be the easter bunny and he could be santa. He promptly told me that he was going to be straight up with our kids someday and tell them the easter bunny and santa (and the toothfairy...I'm not quite sure where the toothfairy came into play) don't exist. This didn't make me too happy...since I am so crazy about holidays and all...so I made him call his mom! :) Needless to say that she agreed with me and that closed the discussion.

Springtime!

2009-04-03T09:01:00.000-06:00

I am in the mood for spring. Bright colors, bike rides, planting in the garden and shorts! Can I just say that I really want to start my garden, but don't know if we will be around to enjoy it. I have already tilled and I think that I just might plant something (knowing me prolly pumpkins) but I know that it would make it hard to leave. And I can't help but think...wow! hard to leave the basement apt? Lol...but I am definatly in the mood for spring. My Easter decorations look pretty funny up against snow!

New Car

2009-02-16T18:55:00.001-07:00

The Cottam family has a new car! I love it. It is an automatic! And I actually like driving it. Shocker! It is a 2008 Subaru. Pictures and info soon to come...when the car is washed, it got quite a bit of salt on it from the drive from SLC to Cedar. Why we didn't take pictures of us with the new car the day that we bought it I have no idea. Really...that is a big life moment!

(That was for you Lissa...wink wink!)

Projects

2009-02-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

I have come to conclude that sometimes I just need to finish things on my own pace. I hate it when I feel pressured to finish something that I am doing just for fun. There is way too much in life that you have to do on a schedule...and so for the fun things it is nice just to do then when you feel like doing them. I volunteered to do a quilt for my co-worker. Yes I had it for a few months...but she finally asked if someone else could finish it. I wasn't offended but I still feel a bit guilty. I guess that what I want to do for fun just kinda goes in cycles. One day I feel like sewing...the next scrapbooking...the next knitting...etc. I guess that is just Megs.

I just finished my spider for my dear friend Annette (from Indiana). Yes it took some time to finish it, but I know she doesn't really care. :)

Christmas in the Cottam house

2008-12-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

I would just like to say I love that Kyle and I are just like two little kids...Christmas shopping at the Cottam home has been finished for some time. (since Thanksgiving) AND...we have been watching and waiting...shaking gifts, taking wild guesses (that was me) and making a couple of very accurate guesses (that was Kyle). We taunted each other, teased and randomly brought it up throughout the day. Thus it was always the topic of conversation. The question is will both of us give in?

Lets just say that we are just like kids...no patience what-so-ever...but yet, we are adults that get to choose when to open gifts! Patience didn't win out. Christmas came last Saturday...

2008-12-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

Christmas Pictures

One of the favorite things about Christmas time is the Christmas cards...And because Kyle and I change so incredibly much, we thought (and by we I mean I) that it would be a wonderful idea to have new photos taken. Thankfully I know a photographer...(who is the best and did a wonderful job!) aka, one of my student workers named Jami! Realize that we had a time crunch, and only had a two day window. Day one: no snow. And I just had to have pretty snow pictures...not out in the yucky brown! Thankfully snow came on the night in between day one and day two. So day two we had these taken.

The second half of this story is that Kyle had the great idea to have some of them taken up at the SUU cabin...which is very picturesque...but also up the canyon=very cold! If you look closely in the cabin pictures you see small signs that show you how cold we were. Perfect example here:

I didn't think that we would be walking very far from the car...and I didn't want to get my coat wet. So I thought of the best idea! I would leave the coat in the car! Right...great idea Megs...Here is where Kyle hands me his coat, which looks great on me if I don't say so myself, being the gentleman that he is and freezes himself. I felt so bad.

Next: Please note in the next picture how dark the tips of my fingers are. That is because they were bright red!

I really wanted to have a picture of us walking out in the snow...cause if I was going to postpone the pictures because of no snow then I needed to do some in the snow! I think that they did turn out pretty cute...even though Kyle didn't want to hold my hand in them cause his hand was so cold...obviously I won that one though.

And here we are running after all the pictures were done. Yes, we were that cold. (Did I mention that we were cold?)

And the moral of this whole long story: the best pictures come in the last ten minuets. And after all the pictures that Jami took...here is the winner for the Christmas cards:

Halloween 2008

2008-11-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

What a great time of the year! Obviously it is one of my favorites. I deck out the house, carve pumpkins, get loads of candy...and yet only had 2 sets of trick-or-treaters...but it was all well worth it!

This was my window and new wreath that I made!

This was my cool stair idea! I had to light up the stairs somehow! So I made milk carton ghost...ghosts not pumpkins!

These were my two pumpkins...trick-or-treaters and a pirate ship!

Kyle was a used car salesman...we found the awesome suit at DI for like $8! So worth it! The sad part is that that is his real tie! Lol...And the car is a transformer, bumblebee actually!

Chicago

2008-10-24T14:48:00.000-06:00

We finally have new news to report on! For our 4th anniversary we took a trip to Chicago! For the first half hour I was in shock because of the size, sounds and traffic of the city. Kyle did amazingly at driving in the big city, and actually enjoyed it! Once we checked into our hotel, "The Silversmith" which had the train that ran right next to our window, we went to visit Cassie, the sister of one of my student workers Karleen, who works in the Aon building. (The Aon building is the second largest building in Chicago!) She gave us a tour and took us to the 80th floor to check out the view! I took a picture of her building just to show how far up we were!

After taking in the view she kindly drove us to Navy Pier where we spent the rest of the evening. They have loads of fun shops, not very many restaurants, and a really cool ferris wheel! It was really cold though.

The next morning we walked to the aquarium...which was farther than we thought it would be, but it was a beautiful walk!

The coolest part of the aqaurium was the shark tank...

but I kept looking for cool turtles too!

Afterwards, we walked through millenium park...which has the reflective bean (public art) and the huge faces that actually moved. They really were creepy. They blink and move their lips. Apparently in the summer time they spit water at you.

And then....WICKED! It was amazing! The moment that we left we wanted to see it again, which we will when it comes to SLC.

The last few days we spent in Terre Haute, IN where we used to live. We did get a bit lost on our way out of Chicago, but not on the way back to the airport. I have realized that I miss the people but not the town! We went back to our old ward and got to have an "Amazing Race Sunday" with one of our favorite families the Greens.

Annette, Gayla, Kacie, Mary and Me

2008-04-25T09:20:00.000-06:00

I figured it was just about time to post a new blog, yes I know the last date was a year ago. But here is the new news in the Cottam household.

Kyle's year is coming to an end as the semester closes. He still has baseball games and track and field, but his schedule is no where near as busy as he has been this past few months! He is getting ready for summer games in June, during which his schedule will be crazy once more. He was released from his calling as YM Pres. this past month, and has had a few weeks off. This past week he was put in as the ward clerk, which should be a good new experience for him, even though it is not as exciting as YM's. He has applied for a job at the U, which may or may not happen. Either way we are happy with where we are and what we are doing in life. We should know more about that the first part of May.

I am keeping busy with work and church. Our YW's Pres. is getting released this week, but I was called again to 2nd counselor. It should be interesting and a bit difficult I'm sure with the change of presidents. I'm going to try and keep an open mind so the new one can make this "her" presidency. The official news from the doctor's office is that I get to get some more tests done! (If this is new news...I have been having some kidney problems...4 infections in 5 months.) He said that there is a blockage in my left ureter, and that it is not attatched correctly causing the problems with my left kidney. I get to have some blood work done and another one in radiation. We'll know more in a few weeks....Hopefully....

The biggest news of the Cottam family is that we have been searching for a house here in Cedar. We have found some that we really like, that are new homes being built just west of the city. They are two stories, 3 bed, 2 1/2 bath homes. Kyle is most excited about the 2 car garage. We have made an offer, but that is now on hold with the job opening at the UofU.

As you can tell there has been a whole lot of changes...and many things still up in the air. Time will just have to tell, but once again we are happy with whatever happens...

First Try

2007-06-04T18:06:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Cottam Family site! I am very new to this sort of thing, but I am going to give it a try.

Life is great in the Cottam household. Very routine, but great none the less! Kyle is gearing up for the Utah Summer Games, which is he the SID for. It will take up most of the month of June, but will be a great experience for him! Our niece Courtney will be competing in it this upcoming weekend, so we will be having visitors come and stay with us, namely Mom Cottam, Kris and her three kids Courtney, Trent, and Tanner. I will be on kid detail, mostly keeping the boys busy at the pool with Mom Cottam!

I am currently keeping busy with my little garden that is entailed of pumpkins! They are getting bigger, and it has been an amazing experience watching something grow, which I have never done before. (At least if I have, I have never paid much attention to this before.)

We just got back from SLC this past weekend. I was up for the week watching our nephew Samuel for 5 days. I had a great time, but I have to admit that I am thankful that God does not give you two year olds to start out with! I did get loads of exercise running after him. He is all about playing with swords, and even Uncle Aaron played with him, falling to the floor each time that he was struck, meaning he was up and down off of the floor about 20 times! I don't think that I could have survived this experience without my Mom! Nana and Papa were over every night just to help me out! On Monday we spent some time with the Cottams at the Davies home on our way back home. Karin was the expert cook on the grill, and Kyle and I had a great time playing with the nieces and nephews! By the time we were home, I was very excited about sleeping in my own bed!

Thats all for now...but plan on another update soon!