Down with the Tree!

O Christmas Tree
O Christmas Tree
How I loved thee

But today was the day
to pack you away

You provided a month of fun for me
and a month of annoyance for E!

Your bright lights, colors, and gifts
were pleasing to me
Your ornament hooks, reflective lights (in the TV), and size
were not pleasing to E

So, while it was fun having you around
It's time to move on and take you down

Not to worry, I'll keep you safe and sound
Until next December when Santa comes back to town!

We made it 6 months!

Happy 6-month anniversary Erik.. We made it!

I normally don't count 6-month anniversary's (especially since we've already been together for over 6 years) but I realized today that it has been 6-months since our wedding day!

I can't wait to celebrate our first anniversary!

But, for tonight.. we will celebrate our half-year anniversary!

I love you,
Me

Welcome Home!

I am happy to say that my sister and her family have finally moved home to Utah! And, even better.. it only takes 15 minutes to get to her house from mine! Much better than the 7 hour drive we have all become accustomed to!

Although they had a ROUGH trip home, they made it in one piece!

Starting with the snowy drive and road closure, leading to a spontaneous motel stay in Laramie, leading to an early awakening at 2:00 a.m. in the morning in order to make the closing of their home by Noon, leading to a spin out on the snowy freeway, leading to a house closing with tired, hungry, and cold kids, leading to a truck break down 1 mile away from their new home (UGH!), leading to ..... A very beautiful home that my sister saw for the first time as she was moving in!

Wow! You guys survived it! And, we are so happy to have you home again!

We know it will be hard adjusting to life back in the UT but if there is anything we can do to help, we are happy too!

We love you very much!
Love, Your Family

Happy 9th Birthday Torey!

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, Dear TOREY!
Happy Birthday to you!

We both hope you had an awesome 9th birthday! We can't wait to see you in a couple weeks when you move here! You are the funnest, silliest, most wonderful nephew and we are both so excited that we will be able to see you more often!

We love you very much!
Aunt Heidi & Uncle Erik

O Christmas Tree

This past weekend I put up my Christmas Tree so I thought I would post some pictures of it. I would say it's my personality with a touch of Erik's sprinkled here and there (Family Guy and Soccer ornaments).

Putting up the tree makes me more excited for Christmas. I can't wait to go shopping so I can put some presents under it! (I know, I know.. this isn't the true meaning of Christmas. But, it makes me very happy to give presents out at Christmas!)

But, even better than Christmas trees and presents is that my sister is moving back to Utah in two weeks. Her and her family will be here for Christmas!! I'm so super excited to be able to spend the holidays with them, without them having to run from house to house, squeezing in all the visits they can. I hope they have a much more relaxing Christmas this year!

211 Days and Counting

A lot of people are doing a count down to Christmas right now. But, I'm starting a count down until my LAST day of SCHOOL!

I officially have 211 calendar days or 7 1/2 months until my last day of school! The grand day is...

June, 18 2009

I promise I won't count down every day but I'm already thinking about it daily so I thought I would start a count down. I know this is really early to start thinking about this but I'm at a point in my life that I want to move on to the next stage! The school stage has been 10 long years, and I'm SOOOOO ready to move on!

For those of you out there enduring school, I can sympathize. Just hang in there with me! It too shall pass!


I ponder..

Is it crazy to go to school for this long to be a counselor and make half as much as I currently do? I know money isn't the key to happiness but "dang".. if I could change anything, I would ensure people in careers that "help" others (e.g. teachers, preachers, counselors, healers, etc) make the type of money that professional athletes make! That's just me in my dreamlike, idealistic world that exists in my head. But, I know that true happiness will come if I'm doing what I really love. With money or no money! Plus, I'm with Erik and that is all that truly matters!

Hypnagogia: What the...??

So, I'm really relieved to finally find out that there is a term that explains the madness I experience when I'm trying to fall asleep! I'm not sure if this happens to anyone else, but within 1 hour of me falling asleep I will wake up and have very vivid hallucinations that freak me out (typically I see a shadow of a man standing right in front of me)! I typically end up screaming really loud and jumping out of bed! Poor Erik.. He says it happens a few times a week!

The other day Erik was listening to his favorite radio show, Opie & Anthony, and a Doctor called in and was talking about something called Hypnagogia. Erik said it sounded a lot like what was happening to me so I looked it up and lo and behold there is an explanation to what is happening to me!

Hypnagogia, the deeply relaxed state of consciousness that occurs shortly prior to falling asleep, has been recognized for hundreds of years as a source of creative thought and intuition. The phenomenon of the hypnagogic hallucinations which occur in this period are characterized by a slide show of highly condensed, discontinuous, and bizarre imagery of faces, figures, animals, print and writing. Also accompanying this is often hearing one's name being whispered, hearing music, and undergoing termporary physical paralysis.

Hypnagogia is in fact very common, occurring in 72 to 77 percent of the population, many are unaware of the phenomena.

I'm glad to find out that I'm not alone in this craziness! But, I sure wish it would stop!

I just wanted to post this in case anyone else is suffering from this as well.... H

Happy Birthday Makayla!

Happy 2nd Birthday our sweet Makayla!

We had so much fun celebrating your birthday with you at the Aquarium! We both loved watching how excited you were to see the fish & to play on the boat! You are so full of energy and love and it spreads to everyone around you!

I can't wait to see what new things you learn and do during this upcoming year!

Thanks for making us both smile every time we think of you!

We love you very much!
Uncle E and Aunt Hiyi

Silly Torey

So, I read both Jess and Kiersti's blogs and thought it was a fun idea to see what I have saved as the 4th picture in the 4th folder... I was more curious than anything and also hoping that I wouldn't be posting a picture of Erik cuz he might kill me!

The folder is called 2005_09_04 and the picture is of my silly nephew Torey. He was staying at my house while his fam (my twinner) stayed at my house for a visit. Him and his brother Austin were making silly faces for the camera, which was one of Torey's favorite things to do!

So, here is the 4th picture in the 4th folder on my computer! I love you Torey! And, I can't wait to see you guys next weekend for the Real Salt Lake vs. Colorado Rapids soccer game!

My Querky Self

I read Kiersti's blog today and notice that I was tagged! Wow! This is the first for me!

Anyway, here are a list of 6 querky things about myself:

1. By far the most querky (or annoying if you ask Erik) thing about myself is that I'm constantly playing with my hair. It's something I did when I was young to relieve stress and it is such a bad habit now! I seriously am addicted to it and can't stop... I even have wrist problems from it. How crazy that I can't just stop playing with my hair! Now, that could be querky or straight up crazy.. who knows?

2. I always have to eat everything on my plate.. even any sauce left over that I lick up with my finger! Erik gets so grossed out by this! But, when I was growing up you were required to finish everything on your plate and now it is a seriously "bad" habit!

3. I love school! I think most people would consider this querky! I'm now in my 10th year of college and I still love learning! Although I'm not a huge fan of homework, I've always been the type of person to throw myself into school 110%. At work, I'm known as the "career student".

4. This isn't really querky but I think it's a little unique .. I'm an identical twin! She lives in Colorado and we are best friends. The coolest thing is that we are TOTALLY opposite from each other but we get along perfectly! It's great being able to be psychically in-tune with someone else and that's what I have with my twinner!

5. No matter how many times I listen to a song, I will never know the lyrics. And, I've finally figured out that's because I totally tune out the lyrics and just listen to the melody! I usually have no clue who sings what or what they are singing.. Just whether or not I like the "flow" of the song! I've even tried concentrating on the words and after about 30 seconds I notice I have no idea what's going on because I've already tuned it out! It's a good thing I'm better at listening to people than I am to songs! :)

6. I am an impulse shopper! The perfect example of this is that when Erik and I were dating I told him that I wanted to buy some artwork/paintings. He kept telling me to hang on so we could try to find a good deal (cuz sometimes these things can be real expensive)! Anyway, after a few days, I couldn't stand it anymore so I went out and bought some framed Picasso and Dahle posters on the fly! Well, this happened to be a few days before Christmas. Erik seemed to be so upset that I went out and did this! I thought it was because I was "impulse" buying but on Christmas day I found out the real reason he was upset.. because he already bought me artwork as a surprise Christmas gift! I felt so bad! But, to this day, I still impulse buy! Are you ready for this? I freaking paid $140 for a sweater from my friends on-line store because it was the launch of her store! I need to get control over this habit!

Heather, if you read this.. I'd like to hear what you think is querky about yourself! I wonder if any of ours are the same?

Memory Lane with Jess

Jess has a really cool blog on her site called Memory Lane! The idea is that I post a memory I have with her and she will post a memory she has with me.. I think this is a great idea so I'm happy to start it out for her!

I have two favorite memories with Jess..

1. I remember sitting on the hard, cold basketball floor watching the guys play B-Ball. I remember we started talking about "serious" stuff like families and religion and she let me vent about family issues I was having. (Jess..does my step-mom ring a bell?) And, I don't really tell many people about my past. Anyway, I really appreciated that she let me vent and be honest about some of the crazy things that have happened to me in the past.

2. Recently we were at our hubbies soccer game. This time we were chatting about birthdays (since g's birthday was coming up) and we both realized that we both are used to having big birthday celebrations! And, we like making a big deal out of other people's birthdays, especially family members! And, we both love holidays and giving gifts to people! Something else that we have in common!

I really appreciate those one-on-one times where I get to know Jess better. She is such a great sister-in-law!

To Jess.. Thanks for being you and letting me be me!

Happy Birthday G & T!

Happy birthday to G & T!

I know you aren't big into a ton of recognition on special occasions but we wanted to say Happy Birthday and we hope you get to have a fun, relaxing day! And, we hope you enjoy your 29th year as much as we did!

Erik is the best husband ever!

Today Erik and I went to IKEA to buy some food storage containers because Erik decided he wanted to organize our food pantry! What?? This is the last thing I would want to do on a Sunday but he is very patient with this kind of stuff... so who am I to tell him not to?

Anyway, I wanted to show some before and after pictures because I was so amazed at the difference being organized makes! (This is definitely one of my weak points!)

Before



After





It's so nice to be able to see what "stuff" we have to eat! Normally, I wouldn't dare to find something in the dark, cave of a place we called a pantry! Now, I can approach it with hope, love, and light! :) He he he.. Yes that is very dramatic but I'm super excited about this. Now, I'm inspired to help Erik organize the rest of our house!

Thanks Erik! You are truly the best,

Love ya,
Heidi

Bienvenidos Rio Tinto!

Last night I went to the Real Salt Lake Soccer game at the new Rio Tinto stadium!

I have to say that it was AWESOME! There are several things that I really like about the new stadium:

You can see the field even when you are buying concessions! So, you don't have to worry about missing part of the game if you run to grab a drink!

It seems no matter where you sit, everywhere is a great seat!

Now I can see the players when they are playing out in the wings! Before, I had to look up at the screen because the field was so close to the wall that you couldn't see what was going on out wide!

Our seats are close to the restroom (thank goodness for that!)

It's closer to my house! No longer so we have to drive FOREVER to get down to the U! What a nice gas saver!

It's right by Jordan Commons which means you can go out to eat before the game and walk to the game after.. very convenient! And, maybe you can go watch a movie after the game! So many possibilities!

Even though the score ended up a tie (1 - 1) against the NY Red Bulls, it was still a really fun experience and I'm so excited to keep going to games at the new stadium!


Bienvenidos Rio Tinto!

Today

Outside my window, a new day I see

And only I can determine

What kind of day it will be

It can be busy and sunny, laughing and gay,

Or boring and cold, unhappy or grey

My own state of mind is the determining key,

For I am only the person I let myself be

I can be thoughtful and do all I can to help,

Or be selfish and think just of myself

I can enjoy what I do and make it seem fun,

Or gripe and complain and make it hard on someone

I can be patient with those who may not understand,

Or belittle and hurt them as much as I can

But I have faith in myself

And I believe what I say,

And I personally intend to make the best of each day!

Happy Birthday Victoria!

To my beautiful Victoria!

Happy Birthday! I hope you are having a wonderful day!

5 Wonderful things about Victoria...

1. She is a wonderful big sister
2. She loves to gives hugs and kisses
3. She is an excellent student
4. She has a beautiful smile
5. She is a very loving, caring person

We love you very much!
Aunt Heidi & Uncle Erik

Gram's Peach Pie

My friend at work gave me an awesome peach pie recipe for any of you out there who are interested!

5 large peaches
1 cup sugar
3 TBSP corn starch
2 TBSP butter
1/8 - 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup water
8 oz package of cream cheese (room temperature)

Bake a pastry pie shell according to normal baking instructions.

Peel 2 peaches and mash them in a sauce pan. Add sugar, corn starch and water. Over medium heat cook these ingredients until it becomes a thick and bubbly sauce. (Approximately 5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract and butter. Then put the sauce in the fridge to chill.

Spread the cream cheese all across the bottom and sides of the previously baked and cooled pie crust approximately 1/4 inch thick. (Adjust the amount of cream cheese according to your personal taste, but make sure the entire crust is covered. Be careful to avoid tearing the crust.)

Peel and slice 3 peaches. Line the bottom of the crust with the peach slices (over the cream cheese). Pour the chilled sauce over the sliced peaches.

Place the pie back in the fridge for further cooling. For best results, cool overnight before serving. Serve with (or without) whipped cream on top. Um... Yummy!

Happy Birthday Austin!

Our Dearest Austin,

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Dear Austin, Happy Birthday to you!

I wish I could be there to sing this to you in person! I hope you have a wonderful birthday and enjoy watching your Star Wars movies!

I just wanted to write a few words that I think describe you!

A wonderful big brother
Unique
Silly
Talented
Incredibly loved
Neat

We love you very much!
Aunt Heidi & Uncle Erik

Volunteers of America

So, I'm starting a new counseling internship tomorrow at Volunteers of America. In one of my classes, I had to do a presentation on this organization and I really think it offers a lot to the community so I thought I would share a little about it!

Here is a little bit of info from their website (http://www.voaut.org/):

Volunteers of America, Utah is a non-profit, spiritually based organization that nurtures, supports and uplifts the human spirit and empowers the people we serve to reach their full potential. We provide local human service programs and opportunities for individual and community involvement. In Utah, the agency operates ten programs in Salt Lake, Davis, Tooele, San Juan, Carbon, Grand, and Emery Counties and serves more than 10,000 individuals each year.

Volunteers of America, Utah operates programs in the areas of homeless outreach, substance abuse detoxification and treatment, housing case management and senior services. We measure success in positive change in the lives of individuals and communities we serve.

Volunteers of America, Utah is an interdenominational Christian Church that serves people of all faiths and invites the people of all faiths to join us in our work.

The involvement of volunteers, donors, religious organizations, social groups, the media, and civic organizations is crucial to the success of the organization.

The goal of Volunteers of America, Utah is to provide a continuum of services for individuals in need, to foster self-sufficiency and to provide opportunities for volunteer involvement.

I will get the chance to do individual counseling with individuals who were homeless at one point and have received housing through VOA. They are required to meet weekly to make sure they are meeting the requirements (e.g. like maintaining sobriety) to keep the housing.

I'll also be doing group counseling with clients who are suffering from substance abuse. The counseling services for the VOA are provided through Cornerstone Counseling so I get the opportunity to work with people from two great organizations!

If you are the type of person who likes to volunteer or donate, the VOA is a great place to do it! 88 cents out of every dollar supports community services for people in need!

K.. now I'll get off my soap box! I just really like this organization and thought I would share it with anyone out there who reads this blog (mainly my closest friends and family who get bugged about this information anyway!)

Loving What Is

I've come across an author that I think is excellent. Her name is Byron Katie. My teacher at school recommended reading her work.

Basically, she explains how our beliefs about our thoughts is what causes stress, anxiety, depression, and so on. Just because we believe something doesn't mean it is true (and in actuality most of our thoughts are not true.. weird huh?)

Another cool concept is that our feelings tune us into our thoughts that are not true. So, when you feel stressed, anxious, sad, or some other feeling, this is a sign that what you are currently thinking is not necessarily true. Meaning, you are believing a thought that is different from reality.

If you care to learn more about this cool concept (in my opinion anyway)... Check out Byron Katie! Here are some of her books!

And, secondly I have to apologize to those of you who think this type of stuff is just "psychobabble" but I'm in my school internship and I have to do reading and research for 15-20 hours a week so this is the kind of stuff that I'm totally immersed in right now! It's hard to find time to think about anything else when you are researching this kind of stuff all week long!

So, this is fair warning that my posts will probably most often relate to some psychological concept that you may or may not think is "NUTS!"

What a Darling!

So, this last Saturday Erik and I went over to Margaret's house to hang out with Makayla and it was a total blast! I was kind of feeling down over my crazy internship situation and so it was nice to leave that stress for a little while and hang out with cute, little Makalya. She...

Makes me laugh
Always gets joy from watching the airplanes
Keeps me smiling
Always finds joy in the simplest things (like playing with the glow in the dark bathtub ducks!)
Yells "HiYi" when I walk up... which I totally love
Laughs really loud which is so contagious
Always says "Ya!"

Spending time with her on Saturday made me so happy! She is such a Darling!

We love her very much!
HiYi and E

When a tree falls in a forest with no one around, does it make a sound?

So I've been doing some research on Music Therapy for my school class and while doing so I listened to an audio CD about Music. In this CD, I was given the answer to the age old question... "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around, does it make a sound?"

The answer is a resounding........ NO!

I don't know about you but I was kind of surprised myself! I always thought ... well no one will hear the sound because no one is around but there will still be a sound!

What I learned listening to this audio book is that sound is actually a psychological (mental/brain) construct to make sense of the vibrations that are coming in to your inner ear! So, sound is the difference in how many vibrations are made per minute. When these vibrations hit your inner ear lobe, your brain translates that into a sound so you can make sense of the world around you.

So, if there is not a person by the tree when it falls, it doesn't make a sound.. only vibrations!

I thought this was interesting so I decided to post it today! Plus, I'm kind of bored at work.. :)

Heidi

Kudos to Erik!

So, Erik decided not to long ago to plant an herb garden in our front flower bed. He thought it would be cool to be able to go out in the front and get basil, peppers, tomatoes, chives, (and much more) when he is cooking. And, he has done an awesome job figuring out how to plant them and water them (and figure out the strategy behind how much to water and making sure they all get water).. Well, he's done an awesome job so I wanted to post some pictures of our herb garden! Kudos to Erik! I'm glad one of us has a talent for growing things!

Back to Normal

So, Erik and I are finally getting back to our normal routine! Both of us have so much going on right now! But, it feels good to get back to a routine!

Heidi's Routine

6:00 a.m. - Arrive at the gym so my personal trainer can work me to death. I haven't been able to lift my arms for 4 days!
8:30 a.m. - Arrive to work at Discover Card and do the usual work stuff!
5:30 p.m. - Arrive at Valley Mental Health downtown to do some counseling for my Internship
10:00 p.m. - Arrive home... talk to E for a few minutes & jump into bed to do it all again tomorrow!

Erik's Routine

Erik is soon going to be working four 10-hour shifts (Monday - Thursday).. So, he will get a three-day weekend, every week! I'm really jealous! He's kind of neutral because this means he has to get up early - con... but he also gets Friday's off - pro... So, needless to say, he will have a lot of time to work on his herb garden, work out at the gym, and listen to Opie and Anthony all the while!

The one thing I've noticed is that I'm seeing family less and it's kind of a bummer. I was seeing them all the time because they were so gracious to help me with all those wedding plans! And, I got used to seeing everyone all the time! I feel like it's been forever since I've seen family and I might be going through withdrawals! It sure is nice having family (on both sides) that you love so much you wish to be around them all the time!

BTW... I got the rest of my wedding pics and they are FANTASTIC. Thank you Lindsay for doing such a great job! You are the best!

Wedding Pics

So, I'm still waiting to see my wedding pictures but I signed on to my photographers blog page today and lo and behold she had posted some of my pictures! I was so excited to see them but it makes me so much more anxious to see the rest!

It's amazing to dream about one day for your whole life and then to experience it and have it be as wonderful as you dreamed about! The only sad thing is that it went way to fast and I am so afraid that I will forget all the details because they were so great! But, that is why I love my photographer... she is super talented and has a knack of getting great pics of all the great details. So, .. if you ever need a FANTASTIC photographer, see www.lindsayjanephotography.com! And, she doesn't only do weddings!

So, here are the pics that were posted on her blog page...

Look at the adorable Makayla...

And, my beautiful bridesmaids and flower girl in their great red shoes!

And my hunky husband... Erik.. showing off his new ring!

And some pics of us together...





The dessert was fantastic (traditional cake and Kringle)


And last, some of the details that made the day so memorable!

And.. I'm so glad my Dad got a chance to walk one of his daughters down the isle!

I guess dreams do come true!

We're Married!

So, it finally happened! Erik and I are officially a married couple! And, to be quite honest.. although we threw one heck of a party, everything else is exactly the same. Which is exactly what we had both hoped for!

It's so scary to take such a big step when everything seems to be perfect as it is. But, it is such a relief to have taken that step and realized that nothing is different... other than my soon to be last name!

When a relationship is built on friendship, love, independence, caring, trust, and loyalty, there is no reason to fear the unknown of being married. Because, really, the relationship is strong enough to last through anything.

And, lucky for us, that is what our relationship is built on. So... we are moving ahead with no fears and only hope for a bright and happy future!

To all of our friends and family that attended our big party... THANK YOU so much for your love and support! It was a dream of a day and it wouldn't have been that way without all of you!

With love,

The Olsens

A Novice Blogger

So, I have so much fun reading my sister-in-laws blog pages that I decided it would be fun to try it out. I'm not near as creative as they are but I think it's a lot less about how creative you are and more about sharing all the fun times with each other. Plus, my twin sister lives in Colorado and this is a great way to keep her involved!

So, the best news is that I'm getting married on Friday and I'm so excited! I'm not nervous at all because I know that Erik is the absolute PERFECT match for me. We bring out the best in each other while still having the confidence to stand on our own and enjoy our independence, which I think is the key to any successful relationship!

As soon as I become "officially" married (because most of our friends thought we were already married and have been calling me his wife for years now), I will add some pics from the day I've waited for...for so long!

Until then... remember this..

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortune of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.
But let not this blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life if full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imagining.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whatever or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.