And this one gives you a better idea of the colors...
Well, this tree was really fun to have around the house and we liked it, but it just wasn't a full on Christmas tree like we were both used to having. It's the small kind that you place on a table and it just might look a little funny if we place ornaments on it. So back to the store we went. To get a tree that fits more into our minds of Christmas. Now our home is decorated for the holidays! Sorry the lighting is bad. It was hard to get a good picture that captures the lights and decorations of our tree.
I laugh out loud each time. It's hilarious because he keeps shoving that light back into place and then while we are driving we hear a loud klunk in the front of the car and it's out again. This poor light is hanging by only a cord, but the car has many years to go. Hopefully the light can hang on!
On Sunday, I decided this was a go and I was planning for the big chop off on Monday. I went to Platinum Salon (this was recommended to me) and realized they were closed. Such a bummer. I had finally gotten up the nerve to get it done and now it was going to have to be postponed. Well I still went through with it and I am glad I did. Now, it is so so so short. It's crazy that all my hair is gone. Total chop off was 13 inches (over an entire foot). Some cute kid is going to have a nice head of hair now, which I am happy about.
The hit around our home this weekend has been the cinnamon rolls. I have found that Shirley's Bakery in Provo, UT makes THE BEST ones. I wish I knew the recipe she used to make her dough soooo fluffy and soft and good. It's a real treat to have these because we get to enjoy the deliciousness without doing all the work.
I feel a bit out of character posting this. Who knows why, but I love Nickelback. I have always pretty much enjoyed all their songs, not just the hits. When I found out that my dAd really likes them as well I thought it was kind of funny. Now, I just think we both have pretty good taste!
The Body Worlds exhibit is in Salt Lake City at The Leonardo Museum. Brandon and I decided to go up and see it. It was awesome! I loved it. It brought me back to my anatomy lab days of working on the cadavers. I remember teaching in the anatomy lab and always sharing Elder Russell M. Nelson's (Cardiothoracic Surgeon by Profession) speech entitled The Magnificence of Man (click the title to read or skim the speech). It is such a neat talk about the human body and magnificent creation that it is.
This is the Archer. The forearm muscles are amazingly dissected on this cadaver. The forearm muscle unit is one of the hardest to learn because of how many muscles are actually in the forearm with long-4-word names.
The vessels around this heart are so intricate. I guess they inject a dye into the bloodstream and then dissect all the tissue off, leaving only the vasculature. The entire process is called plastination. The capillary network is so tiny and amazing. Our bodies are the coolest.
This one is the Hurdler.
The soccer player isn't actually at the Salt Lake Exhibition, but I found the picture while searching for others.
The Horse Back Riders. I wonder how many hours it took to dissect this entire piece. Horses have great musculature.
There is something about the cold air that can make a person undergo a real large brain tweak or in other words, a stupid moment. I learned this today while eating dinner.
Then we headed home to make his favorite dinner. Pasta Alfredo Special. This homemade meal is really the best there is!!
For Brandon's favorite dessert/birthday cake, I made little cheesecakes with raspberries and blueberries for the toppings. Everything was so good!
Lastly, we watched the Discovery Channel and it just happened to be Man vs. Wild. A crazy show of killing an alligator and then eating it. I would only watch it for Brandon.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BRANDON!!!
This is the 2008 STG Marathon Poster!
I attribute it to the poor training (or lack thereof) and the cold, wet, torturous rain. Therefore, it's only half my fault. When I finished I told Brandon to never let me do that again. I take that back. It has been only 2 full days and my sore body has quickly recovered. Running is my passion. I will be back.
Before the race. It was raining, but you can't tell.
The first thing I did when I finished was get my wet clothes off and put on warm clothes. I was shivering (my lower lip was an uncontrolled quiver) really bad and getting muscle spasms in my quads. 
Finished and cleaned up!
I didn't notice this until I was finished. I looked down the back of my shoe and it was covered in blood. My sock was covered in smeared (wet) blood. I had 4 big friction burns on my left heel.
I didn't notice this one until I got home. It wasn't just on the back of my shoe. The front mesh is covered in blood from my baby toe (friction burn there as well). This is HARD CORE!
I really should be studying, but instead I want to blog. It has been nearly three years since I set foot in that BYU Testing Center. I was really nervous while walking from one end of campus to the other so I could enter that dreadful testing center. In fact, I was so nervous that I had to call Brandon to make sure I remembered everything I needed to bring with me. How could I forget- a pencil and my BYU ID card. It really has been a while. Well that ended today when I walked in to take my first real test in Graduate School! 
Oh, it felt weird. Floods of memories came back while I walked up the stairs to the triple doors area and then into the small room where you request your test and lastly into the giant room with rows and rows of desks. I sat in my usual area for tradition's sake and whipped through my test. It wasn't bad, at least I don't think. Maybe I will be saying different when I find out what I get in a week. Anyways, it feels more official now that I have made it through my first test. I guess I am 2 years closer now to being Connie, NP. Oh joy! By the way, the pictures are downloaded from the BYU Testing Center page. They are for all you fellow BYUians and BYU Alumni to reminisce about this building.
