Happy Dr. Day Andrew!!!

Today is National Doctor's Day, a day to show our appreciation to all the doctors out there. Andrew is 75% of the way through med school, which means he has almost completed his MD degree and earned the title of "Doctor Warren." In my book, he has already earned it. Andrew, I appreciate all the long hours (even though I miss you) and all the hard work you have put in. I love you, babes, keep it up, you're almost there!

Weekend in Moab

We spent the weekend in Moab for the Canyonlands Half Marathon and for some great hiking, all with wonderful friends.

I was SO glad to see Andrew and Emma at the finish line!!! They were so sweet, and brought me flowers :)

The best part of the race was being with some awesome girlfriends! Some I have known since I was seven years old!

After the race, our friends, Tyler and Michelle, joined us for hiking in Arches National Park. Emma and their son Ethan had a GREAT time together!


[Imagine a cute photo of all of us here :) I know Tyler and Michelle took some]

Emma LOVED climbing on the rocks, she has a natural talent for it. And of course, she couldn't get enough of the sand and dirt!

Our last hike was in the Windows section, at Double Arch. Hasn't been too long since we were here last.



Thanks to all our friends for making this a great little weekend getaway!!

Who is that girl?

Printer Referrals

So, I am fed up with my free Dell printer that keeps having problems, doesn't print, says my ink cartridges are improperly aligned (when I have not touched them in weeks), doesn't communicate with my computer, and is always telling me to refill my ink when I just did at Costco.

This means, I am in the market for a new printer. I would love your opinions.

Here are my needs: a printer that can copy, scan, and, of course print, which pretty much narrows my need down to an All-In-One (AIO) printer. I mostly use the black ink function on basic; I just want quality black and white, I don't care much for the photo-quality prints, just regular documents will float my boat. Also, I can't blow the budget on ink. Costco refills HP, Lexmark, Dell, and some Canon ink cartridges. I have been running out faster and faster of my ink, without printing more (except always "realigning cartridges" which it forces me to do, and equals a big waste). It doesn't have to be refilled at Costco, just needs the cheaper refill options. And, it must be reliable. With an at-home business, it is the worst thing to go to print something for a student, and be left up a stream without a paddle.

Preferable, I would like one where the paper feeds from a flat tray on the bottom, not one that stands up and feeds from the top; my daughter is so tempted by that, and it takes up more space.

SO, what have you liked? What have you hated? Also, where do you get the best deals on the ink? I've been browsing Amazon.com reading reviews, and I would love all the info you can share.

Pampering

Last week, when my life was in chaos (Emma climbing out of the crib, my cold that wouldn't go away, being left at home without a car, etc.) I was doing some dishes with the TV on. A Kleenex commercial came on. It stated how wonderfully comforting their tissues were and argued that people can't help but go out into the streets and share the goodness. As I saw a woman who seemed so cheerful and well walk into the streets and hand someone this luxurious tissue, I decided then and there that I needed some of that happiness, some of that pampering for my sorry, sick little self.

So, when Andrew came home with the car, I took myself to Smiths and went all out. I purchased name-brand cough drops that not only "soothe sore throats and relieve coughs," but also "cool nasal passages." Oh! how that sounded so good to me. I also purchased those Kleenex tissues that were $2.29, more than double the cheapest of the cheap 99-centers I had purchased the week before, and I didn't even use a coupon for them. But I didn't stop there. Other items that found there way into my cart included a cooling face mask that lays over your eyes and relieves the sinuses, "diva bling bling"-colored nail polish (that now makes my pampered toes BLING!), an exfoliating peel-off face mask, a cucumber to go with it, and the one treat that made me forget my postpartum pains in the hospital: Lorna Doones. (I must admit, I switched out the standard $5 box for a $2 one I later found that had mini cookies in 100-calorie packs; less cookies for the money, but less money spent. You can't throw all caution to the wind.)

It's amazing what joy, relief, and happiness comes from a few lavishly-spent dollars. I'm not sure if my relief comes from better products, or the mind-set of being able to purchase them, but I definitely feel like my days are lookin' up. I think perhaps it's a bit of both. What things make you feel pampered and in what situations would you stretch the budget to get there?

End of My World as I Know It

This morning, Emma came and found me in bed. Does that sound odd to you? Well, it does to ME because up until today, I was the one to go to Emma's bed and get her out. Now, she can do that all on her own. And she doesn't have her own room, so wherever she wakes up, she causes terror. She started with the new sticky notes I purchased and spread them over the room, then moved on to the front room. This alone, is perhaps some of the worst news I can think of, but wait, there's more. Since there is no door she cannot open, no object she cannot obtain, later today, she found the crayons, and drew all over the bedroom door. When I put her in the crib for time out, she climbed OUT OF THE CRIB!! (which landed her head inches away from the corner of our bed's metal frame that holds the mattress)!! This means no safe zone, no peace for mother, no naps, and on and on!! It seems like every January manages to be my crisis month. Last year it was car trouble, and being sick for a solid week. I guess I like tradition, because I am still trying to kick this cold I've had since New Year's Eve. Do you have a crisis month? Do you have ideas for how to avoid it?

Our Trip to Arches . . . . ROCKED!!!

Our family was lucky enough to get away for a quick weekend trip to Arches between Andrew's rotations (psychiatry, and now, OBGYN). We've been hoping to go for some time, but it kept getting elbowed out by the craziness of med school. So, needless to say, we were thrilled that we finally got the chance! It was a wonderful opportunity for us all to spend time together and unwind. The weather was PERFECT, around 70 degrees, so we did just about every hike in the park. Emma was, I think, the best behaved of all of us! She's our outdoors girl, so an endless supply of rocks, sticks, and fresh air made this vacation a winner!

Some shots from our hikes:

Double O Arch:

Partition Arch:

Landscape Arch:


Is it just me, or can you see a funny resemblance of Mount Rushmore here? I see George Washington, in the center with his bald head on top and hair at the sides, two eyes and a long nose looking to the right. (There's a tiny hole in the rock just to the right of where his chin would be.)


Sand Dune Arch area:


Up inside Double Arch:

(He looks so happy and relaxed!)

The most famous of all the arches:


Now we notice it everywhere, including in the backdrop of the KSL news set (because we are true to the faith of our fathers, and watch the evening news, of course).


I took this photo while laying down under Delicate Arch. I tried not to think too much on the idea of all these arches collapsing, though the rangers point out that many have tumbled to the ground. You better see these while they last!


On our way to the park the first morning, we passed this sign in Moab, so, of course, we pulled over to catch a picture.


Emma LOVED the visitor's center for all its rocks, fossils, frogs, and so forth.



Some artistic photos by Andrew:



Emma was quite content in the hiking backpack (thanks Anne!).


Lunches are never this good at home, fresh cut deli meat, expensive cheese, sweet pickles, and, of course, good 'ole mother nature and all her beauties.

Thanks to a blog favorite of mine (Frugal Wife=Wealthy Life), I learned that you can get an upgrade at your hotel for FREE! Yep, that's right, just ask. At our Best Western, we got upgraded to a suite, which was rather nice, and it cost us nothing extra. The pool was a bit chilly, but we loved going to the hot tub, and they had warm cookies EVERY time I passed by the front desk. The hot breakfast was really the deciding factor when choosing a hotel, and Andrew had, I think, three or four helpings. :)

We didn't come in contact with any bed bugs at our hotel, but we are DEFINITELY infected with the travel bug after this great trip. There are so many great places to visit that are so close . . . at least for now, so we really want to take advantage of this area while we can, so if you have any connections (like a place in southern Utah where we can stay for free) let us know!! What are your favorite spots down there?