This is why I want girls

Long day

Sometimes at the end of a long day, this is the only one who can get me to smile!

Frustrated

Millions of thoughts but I can't make sense of any of them. Does that ever happen to you? Oh well..only 1 am, guess I will watch "Horton hears a who"

My mom is a bad blogger

So i am giving you all a glimpse of the landscape project

The view from the house to pool, you can still see the wine cellar door. Check out the new hot tub!!!!!!!! Best addition in my opinion
View from the deck toward mom's garden. We kept the apple trees and mom's garden was extended a few feet

Ouch

I knew there was a reason I decided not to play soccer in college

Tim Burton

I have always been obsessed with Tim Burton films and I have to say, it looks like Alice in Wonderland wont be any different. I hope this helps get your obsession started as well.

1 year

1 year ago today

Our hearts broke again

Today as I sat and thought

I kept thinking of 1 word

Love

so simple

but strong enough to bring tears to my eyes

Hutch,
I love you. I love the little life you helped bring into this world. Because of you I look at my family in a new light. I look at a newborn baby and feel more then I have ever felt. Life without you is hard. I look at your beautiful wife and baby and my heart aches. So I will love them more. Because of you, my love has grown in many ways. I miss you Hutchie...and I love you!

Welcome Back

Its official.

Erik and Megan have moved back to Utah.

Today I drove down to Pleasant Grove and helped unload the biggest moving truck I have ever seen.

With the help of a friendly neighbor we got the truck unloaded around 12 and then started getting them organized.

Bedroom 1st: We put their Ikea bed back together and unwrapped their new mattress. We are all hoping the bed bugs stay out of this one! (for Meg's sake!)

Then the kitchen: I forget the obsession or should I say the complusion the women in my famly have for dishes.

It took us a few hours and when I left there was still a good deal of work to be done. Good thing neither of them have a job or anywhere else to be. They have all the time in the world to get organized!

Anyway, Im happy to have my brother back. Now I dont feel so abondoned in this crazy state! Thanks for giving in Meg, and moving back

2 of my favorite things

OK so we all know I LOVE Nicole Hill Photography

Well she got to go to my parents house yesterday and take beautiful photos of my beautiful wannabe nieces and nephews. You have to check out the results because they are to die for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes I'm sure you are all thinking that I'm a little biased but after you take a look. You will understand my infatuation.

Weekend getaways

Vegas

For memorial weekend and my good friend Nikki's birthday a few of us girls decided to head down to Vegas for some warm weather and a little escape. It was a perfect weekend! We got down there saturday afternoon and stayed till tuesday. We got a lot to eat, some good warm weather with lots of pool time, and as usual, half of Utah was there so we ran into friends everywhere we went!

Tawni, Nikki, me, Laura

Lake Powell

Last minute I decided to join my friends and head down to Lake powell for BroStock '09 (wakeboarding competition). There were 25 of us or so on the houseboat so it was a little tight but turned out to be one of the best weekends! There were about 15 houseboats lined up on our beach and the competition actually took place in front of us all. Tons of sponsers were down there giving away free stuff and people from all over the world were there to participate in one way or another. The weather was amazing, not too hot but warm enough to enjoy the water and get a good tan.

Up in the helicopter

BroStock camp

Lava Hot Springs

Another random weekend trip, I went to Idaho, to Lava hot springs, with some friends. It was so cold i would've been happy cutting the trip short. But I stuck it out! We got down there late friday night, luckily we got the tents set up before the rain started. Saturday morning we made the guys cook up breakfast, pancake, eggs, and bacon. Then headed to the river. I was very hesitant because, well lets face it, im a whimp! The girls opted for the 4 person tube so we couldnt flip, best decision of the weekend! The first few sets of rapids were crazy!!!! The guys wouldnt let us see the first rapid until we were all ready in the tube and there was no backing out. Marley the dog even ventured down the river with us, first time he swam the whole way...2nd time he ran along the shore! So yes, I bravely did it twice, there was no sun, the wind was blowing, and it would randomly start raining on us. It was COLD! Then to the hot springs, which we ended up going back to 3 times that day.

Next time I do that trip, I want sun and a scortching hot day.

Before:

After:

funny little boy

James got a new toy the other day that I put together out in the backyard. After I finished James was so excited to try out his new "batter, batter, baseball". Well once he was in full swing I finally took a good look at the kid. I guess that morning after his Mom pulled out his clothes, he had insisted on dressing himself.

Do you notice anything wrong with his pants???

After playing baseball for a bit he went to the sand pit to play. Maybe I am evil for leaving his clothes that way but I know my darling little James and if I had said anything he would've yelled and cried. Dont worry he eventually came to me for help when his pants kept falling off. Such a stinker but oh so cute!!!

Lake Powell

I went down to Lake Powell for the weekend. There was a huge wakebaording competition and a ton of people. Im still trying to catch up on sleep and get my life back in order. Here is a picture, taken by my amazing friend Matt West, of the houseboat I spent most of my time on.

Yes, that is a helicopter about to land on top of the houseboat! I got to take an amazing ride and see the side of Powell you only see in pictures. I will update this soon with more pictures and stories from the trip

So I have been MIA for 2 weeks now and I still don't have anything to say. Im just really good at stressing myself out :)

But I did take a quick break and enjoyed my little Lola!

And while I was with her, I was totally calm

Be back as soon as I catch up on some sleep and finally think straight again

Here are some photos from the shoot with Lola

Lola Hutch Henrie

I really can't even begin to organize my thoughts. I cant seem to stop crying, they are a mix of happy and sad tears.

My darling little Lola has finally been born. 6lbs 7 oz, 21 inches. With dark wavy hair and according to her mother, she looks like my Hutchie!

I can't help but be sad because Hutch should be there. He should get to hold his baby girl and they should be a happy little family.

But I know he sent her down to us. I know he kissed her goodbye and told her to come and bless this family. And I know he can see the joy that she will bring.

Hutch, I promise...She will be spoiled. She will be looked after. And she will be the most loved little girl ever to be brought into this world.

As soon as I get to the hospital I will post LOTS and LOTS of pictures.

be warned: She is my new obsession :)

**UPDATE**
I just got home from the hospital, where I got to meet Miss Lola :)

Yes, I am beaming with Pride

No matter how hard we tried the sleepy little girl would not wake up!

Kara looks beautiful! Such a proud mother and a beautiful family.

Kara and Lola, I Love you!!!!!

More pictures of Lola from the Hospital

The Color PINK

For as long as I can remember I have been in love with the color pink. I would go as far as saying I am a bit obsessed with the color. So whenever I think of my "someday" kitchen, the color pink was always included. I even asked a guy I was dating if he would let me get a pink kitchen aid!

Well the more I thought about it, the more I realized pink is a dangerous color. Go overboard and I might as well own all things floral, add about 8 more cats to my collection, and call it good! So with the help of one of my other obsessions I have decided I won't have a pink kitchen but instead it will be an Anthropologie Kitchen. Now I can keep me pink but add in lots of other colors and not be the crazy cat lady, doomed to be single for time and all eternity!

What do you think?

I'm obsessed

Sometimes I wonder if Im a typical girl...or maybe I should've been born as a boy. But I am in LOVE with NBA basketball. It gives me a thrill that I cant even begin to describe.

I still have the biggest grin on my face from watching this



Aren't you excited for Playoffs??? (And yes, my future Husband is in this and he looks GOOD!)

Weekend Home for Easter

The best thing about being at home with my family is seeing the Budge Family. These girls just light up my life! They were so cute on Sunday in their little Easter dresses

This time home however was a tripped to be marked in the history books. In the 25 years that my parents have lived in our PV house we have never once had a heated pool. Basically we had a pool that could be used maybe 1 month total out of the whole year. Well this Easter weekend we all put our swimsuits on and headed out to the backyard. Yup, that's right! The hammond family got in the water. Ok, so it wasnt in the pool, that is still FREEZING but...we have a hot tub!!!! It was amazing. I used it 3 times on saturday and I was in heaven

Strawberry season

Oh how great would it be to be tasting something as yummy as Strawberries for the first time?!

Story of my life

At the end of the day I am covered with these two things: Drool and boogers!

But I have to say it is worth it

Culinary excellence

It sure does feel good to know that at least one person enjoys what I bake

I looked out my window and what did I see

**SNOW**

And I am not happy about it!

I miss the days when Spring meant warm sun, flowers, knowing that if I had a sweater or light jacket on I would not be cold. But sadly I havent had that in many years!

It is a cruel trick Utah plays on my mind and my spirit when we have a few nice days, Maybe even some sun tanning temperatures, and then BAM! You wake up and its a total white landscape.

It is beautiful. I have no problem acknowledging that.

But I want a warm sun so I can take the kids for a walk. I want to leave my sliding glass door open and breath the fresh air without it hurting my lungs!!!

I want to say BYE BYE snow!

For now, I stay bundled in my Blankets, with my cat curled against me. And like always I will leave my winter coats out til June when I know it is finally safe to say It is officially summer

Oh Edward!

This week has been packed with date nights. My new bf and I have seen eachother every night and to be honest, I'm still not sick of him :)

Now if only I could find a real life version of my Vampire lover!!! Oh, I am pathetic

Frustrated

This is what I was trying to make

This is what I got

Sure they dont look too bad, but then I tried fitting them onto a cake box and they got all smashed and ugly. Everytime I try to be creative/crafty/do something different, I FAIL! This was no exception. But now what? It is my friends birthday and I was planning on dropping them off in the morning.

Im so annoyed with myself for thinking I could do this and have them turn out looking professional.

It is 2 am and im still so mad I could scream

Job hunt

Have you ever gone in for a job interview and gotten the job? of course! Now have you ever had the interview, been told you got the job, then gotten a follow-up call saying "sorry! we filled the position!"
Well that's what happened to me and it has put me in a foul mood. Before I went to Hawaii I had a job interview with Xpose photography. In a follow up interview I told them about Hawaii and they happily told me to go and they would let me know about the job. So a few days before I left for Hawaii, they called and told me I had the job and to enjoy Hawaii. AWESOME! New job plus a vacation right before starting.
They tricked me!
I got a Voicemail the other day giving me what they thought was "good news and bad news", I took it as bad news and just plan news. They apparently filled the position in the one week since they told me I had the job. My joy was shattered! I really wanted this job and I thought I could be good at it. My mom keeps saying there must be something out there better for me, but for now I'm angry and a little sick to my stomach. What am I going to do??? I am scraping by at the moment and now I definitely don't see that improving anytime soon. I really don't think I have ever wanted a job as much as I wanted this one.
Oh and their "good news", They want to discuss the future of my modeling career...um...all I have to say is hahahahahahahahahaha

Know anyone looking to hire?!?

Bye bye Hawaii

Another vacation has come and gone and I am in a state of depression

Hawaii was amazing. Just what I needed

After my icky monday things got better. We still had a few lows, like baby Austin having a double ear infection with a fever of 103.5, but a quick trip to insta-care and we were good to go again! The girls tried snorkeling. Sophia LOVED it, Haley lasted about 3 minutes before the tears started.

James was a daddy's boy the whole week, so unless forced, he had nothing to do with me! Which was a nice change for him I am sure, he is afterall, stuck with me everyday of the week!

I got free time to lay out on the beach, shop, swim, and just relax!

I love the family I work for and I really had a great time with them, but when I had free time I realized, being alone in a beautiful place isnt all that exciting!

All in all I had a great time and feel so blessed to have gotten to go. The Taylor's were so sweet and did everything they could to make sure I had fun. Thanks Hill!!!

Now I just have to stay strong waiting for the snow to hit :(

Sand tastes oh so good!!!

Hawaii update

Oh how I love Hawaii...or maybe I love the idea of it! Don't get me wrong, I am loving being out of Utah and I love the beautiful island but this trip has had its ups and downs! My room is perfect, I even discovered today that I have a separate AC unit in my room...and I am blasting it cold, just how daddy likes it!

We got in Saturday evening and everything was great. We kept the kids up as late as possible

baby woke up at 4 am

the rest of the kids woke up at 5:30

I like to sleep in

No such luck

We get ready for church and I discovered I am in love with Hawaii wards. In fact I want to move here just because of the spirit I felt in that ward building. But after church we face a problem

How do you distract 3 kids from wanting to swim??

Solution: lets go for a drive!

Well this idea was a mistake!

A fun one but still not the best idea

We end up on the Hana highway

And let me say YUCK!!! Curviest rode i have ever been on. We stopped in the rain forest and saw so many beautiful things.

We should have turned around there

But no...we went all the way to Hana

Everyone was car sick and we were lucky no one threw up. I ha both girls curled up next to me with their heads in my lap.

I'm such a good pillow :)

Well later that night Haley comes out crying, and i smell throw up! ICKY

So we get her all cleaned up and she soon falls asleep on the couch. Well the next morning i wake up and feel sick to my stomach. After Violin practice we head to the pool. I am out there maybe an hour when I can't take it anymore. I bring Austin up for his morning nap and before I know it I have made a comfy spot on the bathroom floor and I have a new best friend! So all day Monday was spent in bed or in the bathroom! Not how I wanted my Hawaii trip to go.

But the sun came out today and I felt so good! I went for a jog, got some sun. Everything seemed on the up and up!

Then I got a call

Hillary had to take James to Insta-care, he had a fever of 103

Did I forget to mention that he started coughing on Sunday???

It is the worst cough I have ever heard from such a tiny man.

Well turns out he has a sinus infection!

His face was totally swollen and the sunburn was making him look worse! (while I was sick on Monday so was Hillary. She felt the same without the throwing up! So no one was really on top of the sunscreen!)

But we have medicine now and they had an amazing night of swimming and watching American idol.

Now by no means am I complaining about being out of Utah on a BEAUTIFUL island. But it sure hasn't been without incident. Now that things can only get better I cant wait for the rest of the trip!

This picture is from the first night. My little bugs all snug on Sophie's bed.

It's official

I leave saturday for Maui

Im in heaven!

Well I haven't been yet, but I am so excited to try out a new french style cafe. My biggest gripe about utah is the lack of any "real" sandwhich. Now I'm sorry but subway and all those other deli's do not count in my book as being "real". Soft rolls dont make for a good sandwich! But thanks to one of my FAVORITE blogs, Your heart out, I discovered this new place right down the road.

Les Madeleines Patisserie & Cafe

They even have one of my favorite sandwhich's of all time

Caprese: Slow-roasted Roma Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil on a baguette.

If it wasnt 9:30 pm I would drive myself over there right now! Guess my new discovery will have to wait. Now all I need is someone to take me or go with me.

My Valentine's Day

Valentine's day is just another day in my book. Maybe because I am always single on the actual day, but I dont care for it very much! Its not that I have anything against it or those who celebrate but it has never been a big deal to me. I do however always have a great valentine from my parents! This year I got cards from each of them, a Target gift card (thank you thank you!) and a new bottle of my favorite perfume (Mine was stolen from my car). My good friend Riley took me out for a late lunch/early dinner. He works nights so it was fun to hang out and get some yummy food.

And later that night one of my best friends, Elijah, and I went dancing with some friends.

All in all I guess i had a really good Valentine's day.

To my friends and Family:

Love you all so much and in my heart you are all my Valentine!

Let's Monkey Around...

It's Valentine's day!!!

I got my first Valentine in the mail today. My darling little P who I will love always and forever (even if she is a blonde now!)

Thank you for my sweet heart and Valentine, they are already up on my fridge and will not be taken down anytime soon.

I love you Presley!!!!

I can't stop laughing!

Tonight, I miss him a lot

(Hutch and his beautiful wife Kara)
Tonight I find myself unable to control my thoughts. And all I can think about is my Hutchie...and how I want him back.

And here we go...

I got my photos back today. Some definately turned out better then others. I dont think my modeling career will be taking off anytime soon but at least I had some fun with it

Diet coke

I am a diet coke fan.
LOVE IT!
Most people order popcorn when they go to the movie, but me...no no! I get a large diet coke!!!!
And I am a happy woman
So why do I love these pepsi ads SOOO much?!

Xpose Photography

Yesterday was my photo shoot, and I have to admit. It was fun! I was really uncomfortable when I got there and it didn't help watching the girl before me do her whole shoot. She was so cute and totally at ease (apparently she had dated her photographer at some point so they already had chemistry!) I had Tawni come with me to help ease me into it and by the end I felt right at home. It was cool having someone else do my hair and make up, made me feel kind of special! I get to go back in on Friday and look at the 300+ images Jason took. I'm excited/nervous...it will be funny to see them, hopefully a few turn out!

Now onto the best part. The best part is I got a job interview out of it. I went in today to talk to them about being the assistant to the model director. It would only be part time but I would be working in a really cool/relaxed environment. And I would be working with photographers so while I may not be doing anything hands on with a camera I get to observe and get a taste for a whole different side to it. I really hope I get the job but we will have to wait and see. Even if it is only a few days a week or for a short stint at least I'm getting into the field a bit more. And I can learn more about the whole photography world from both sides of the camera. What could be better then that?!

Boys will be boys

My good friend Justin called me the other day and after a few minutes of talking, I realized he wasn't his cheerful energetic self. When I asked why, he referred me to a video similar to this one.




It amazes me what guys will do in the name of competition. I have to say, even after watching this, I'm not sure I can eat a buffalo wing for awhile, can you imagine eating over 50 wings in a sitting???? GROSS

Wasatch Back

I am lucky enough to have today off, and as I cuddle up with my cat and hide from the cold under layers of blankets I find I have no motivation to work out, to make my body move. I have to laugh at my current location and the fact that I am about to post about the Wasatch Back and how we really want to do it this summer. After you read the main part of this post, please tell me, Have I lost my mind???

June 19th-20th
180 miles divided between 12 runners, the run is broken up into levels of difficulty so anyone from the novice(that's me!) to the most expert of runners can be on the same team and enjoy the difficulties and beauty of this run. Our team would be considered "Open Mixed" (meaning we have at least one runner under 30 and we need 6 or more females)

Since I am not sure who would in fact want to join in on this adventure I decided I would blog about it and give all details on here. That way it is open for all to see and all to comment!

This is what we need:
12 runners, at least 6 have to be female and it costs about $85 a person
3 volunteers to help along the trek, the Wasatch back committee will be giving out the assignments to these people
2 van drivers to get our team around, cheer on the runners, and support the team (might be able to use team members for this)

This is from the website explaining "how it works"
"It's really quite simple. Get a bunch of friends together (or we can help you find team members who'll quickly become your friends) and start running. Okay, there's a little more to it. Your relay team will consist of 12 members. During the relay, each team member runs three legs, each leg ranging between 3 - 8 miles and varying in difficulty. So, from the elite runner down to the novice jogger, it's the perfect relay race for anyone.
Each team is responsible for providing two support vehicles, with six runners in each vehicle. The first vehicle will drop off the first runner, drive ahead a few miles, cheer the runner on, and provide them with water, snacks, and plenty of love. That vehicle will then drive ahead to the first exchange point to drop off the second runner, and pick up the first runner when that leg is complete. They will repeat this pattern for six legs until they hand off to their second vehicle. This leapfrogging pattern will continue all the way to the finish line. "

If anyone is interested let me know! We need to register soon but before I pay I would like an idea if it is at all possible to get a team going this year.

It also says for the novice runner training should start next Monday, so uh...if i wanna make it according to them, I gotta get my body movin!!!

Bush Twins to Obama girls

I found this letter from the Bush twins to the Obama daughters to be very touching. Can you imagine the gravity of being daughters of the president of the united states? There is so much pressure and so much to take in. These girls are a part of history, but they are so young and still little girls.

The twins of course highlight all the fun of being a child in the white house but at the end they touch on what I find most moving. President Bush is their father, and no matter what people say about him, they know who he is, and what he has been through. Such sweet advice to give to Malia and Sasha. Remember, no matter what the people of this country say about your father, he is always and forever your dad.

Im depressed...

I really want to go to Mammoth for the weekend

But I really cant afford to take a day off work.
And if I take a day off work I really cant afford the plane ticket.
But I could really use a vacation. Sure a sunny one would be better then another snowy town.
New people and new scenery is very tempting...
So now I'm depressed which caused me to eat a package of Oreo's (one bag from the Costco pack!)

Which breaks my diet...which adds to the depression. Its a vicious cycle!

Fix it!!!!

I am a proud baby bear

Today was a proud day for me.

Today I felt like I had accomplished something.

Today My mother made her first post on her blog.

Now this might seem weird that I take pride in a moment like this. But what you need to understand is my mother had me create a blog for her months ago and she had not posted a darn thing until today. Sure I may have talked her through it, step by step over the phone. But she is learning and it sure feels good to know that an old dog can learn new tricks! (sorry mommy, you really aren't old, but the saying fits!)

Don't give her all the credit. I set the background and the font but she is learning one step at a time.

At the end of our phone conversation she did say "That was fun! I could really get addicted to this!"

Today I am proud to make another person addicted to blogging!

Happy Birthday!!!

How awesome is my dad?!

Happy Birthday to my amazing father. Thank you for being such an example in

every aspect of life. I love you!!!!

And of course Happy Birthday to my Uncle Phil! My dad would not be complete without his twin brother. Thank you for loving my father and being an amazing uncle throughout the years. I love you and your family so very much. If only we all lived closer together.

Today is also my Cousin Holly's Birthday. Holly is one of the most amazing women I know. She is so very beautiful. She has strength, composure, and a love for everyone and everything. Holly, if you read this. Know I love you and I would do anything for you. You are the best cousin a girl could ask for!!!