The Unadventures of Tracie

Several years ago Austin and I bought several kinds of gummy bears in an attempt to discover which gummy bears were the best. We rated them in different categories, and it was a lot of fun. I’ve been wanting to do something like that again. And then this weekend, the perfect opportunity presented itself. We were at Sprouts shopping, and they had a wide assortment of apples on sale for $0.88/lb. This was too good to pass up. So I went crazy and bought 14 varieties of apples. Most we only bought 1 or 2 apples, but some we bought more. (We bought 10 Ambrosia apples because they’re awesome and they’re not widely available.) I wanted this to be the ultimate apple taste test. So, today we cut up and prepared the apples. We put them on paper plates and divided them up and labeled them. In retrospect, I wish we had taken pictures of the whole process. (Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda.) We then decided on categories; we rated the apples on Overall Taste, Juiciness, Sweetness, Tartness, and Har...

Hi peeps! (otherwise known as the handful of friends and family that read this) I know, I know. I've already failed at my goal. But don't worry. I'm going to try to make up for it this weekend by posting lots of totally cool stuff that you'll just love for all sorts of reasons. As a warning, this post won't be that cool. I need to just write and let myself ramble on about stuff because that's how I roll yo. I had a sleep relapse last night. Bad Tracie. But the good news is I went almost two weeks at going to bed at a more decent hour (which many of you would consider "late"). And the other good news is I regretted it so much because it became extra clear to me how sucky it is to be so tired. So no more! I WILL get better at this. Dude, there's nothing I can't do when I set my mind to it. Because, yeah, I'm that awesome. I've been thinking a lot lately about a lot of things. About my life, my passions, my desires, my ambitions, my fe...

This is a reply-turned-post. My coworker and friend Amanda R. asked on her blog " Why reproduce ?" She wanted to know people's personal reasons for having kids. I replied and decided to post it on my blog. I ended up commenting more on general reasons than personal reasons for having kids, but here is my reply anyway: Why Reproduce? It's definitely not a decision to be made lightly. It's a HUGE commitment. And spending one-on-time with children, like [another commenter suggested], is a great help. Though really there is no comparison when it's your own offspring. Why reproduce? Because my son is the greatest joy I have ever known. I don't say that lightly either as I haven't fallen in love with motherhood as my other friends did. I'm not the "traditional Mormon woman." I wanted to be a mom but it wasn't the all-out only burning passion or ambition of my life. (There are MANY things I want to do besides being a mother.) [ Discla...

I didn't blog at all in October? Dang. Oh well, that's all to be changing as I'm taking a challenge this month to blog every day. It will be quite a challenge since I rarely blog anymore. I actually have tons of stuff I want to write about but haven't been because a.  I'm not sure it's appropriate for this blog (i.e., I really want to write lots of stuff about birth, pregnancy, feminism, breastfeeding, religion, etc. In other words, the causes I'm really passionate about. Seriously, just talk to me for 5 minutes and see if one of these topics doesn't come up.) b.  I don't really have a lot of time c.  I'm lazy d.  I worry about what people will think about what I have to say. I don't worry about what they'll think of ME per se. I just worry that expressing my opinion on the things that matter to me will somehow offend them. And I hate people thinking that I think things about them that aren't true. So what have I been up to? I...

The votes are in! I will be cutting Morgan's hair soon. I'll do a post when I actually get around to doing it. The votes were evenly divided between trimming, cutting, and waiting. I waited anyway (mostly out of laziness). Only one person thought we should let Morgan grow a mullet. It's starting to head that way, but sorry, we won't be keeping it like that. Stay tuned for pictures and a post on cutting Morgan's hair! Ooo Fun Stuff. My life is so boring. (More exciting...Morgan is almost 1!)

For our anniversary this year Austin and I went out to dinner while his mom watched Morgan. We were gone about an hour. It was good to have some time to ourselves. I can't believe it's been three years already. This year of marriage will be very different from the rest as we start this year as a larger family. Husband & Wife First New Family Photo I'm so happy to be married to Austin. He's always been a wonderful husband and now he's a wonderful father as well. I'm so lucky to be married to my best friend. He really is my perfect match. I'm looking forward to spending this year learning how to be parents together. I'm so grateful to have Austin as my partner in our new life together. Happy Anniversary sweetheart!

So I'm pregnant. And my feet are huge and swollen. And shoes are uncomfortable. So I decided to buy my first pair of Crocs (or at least imitation brand of them). I've shunned these shoes for several years now. Everyone had told me they were comfortable, but let's face it, they're not the cutest footwear. They used to be everywhere and on everyone. So now that I had finally decided to get a pair, they are NOWHERE to be found. Seriously. I have now looked at Walmart, Target, and Payless. I can find some for men and tons for kids, but NONE for women. I somehow missed the craze. So now that I NEED these shoes, I can't find a single pair. I don't know if the search is worth since I only have a few weeks till the baby anyway; however, I have heard that your feet can swell postpartum as well. So can anyone tell me where I can find a pair of these shoes?

But I did burn the bread. I have now become my mother's daughter. My whole life growing up my mom has been pretty much incapable of NOT burning garlic bread, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc. We've always, good-naturedly, teased her for this. About a month ago Austin was craving garlic bread. I make excellent garlic bread. Butter, real garlic, spices, and crispy crust. We were both looking forward to the bread. However, due to my pregnant scatterbrainedness, I promptly forgot about the bread. I jumped up when I smelled smoke coming from the oven. To our despair, I had burned the bread almost beyond edibility. But I didn't let this stop me. Wanting to salvage the bread, I scooped out the middle of the pieces and savored what precious little there was to eat. Mom, I will no longer tease you for burning the bread.

This is going to be a lot of random things in a single post. Because I said so. First of all, here was our Christmas tree. Yes, I know it's the end of January. But here it is anyway. Admire it. Next, look at this gorgeous sunset I was lucky enough to get a picture of: (This was sometime in December.) And now a funny picture of Austin trying to deflate the air mattress in Texas: (it would've been funnier if I could've gotten my camera out sooner) Next, here is pictures of me and my haircut: (Note: I am not photogenic. It looks better in person.) (Thanks again Hay for cutting it. I love it.) Okay, stay tuned. I'm going to post about New Years and my resolutions. (Better late than never as I always say.)

Got this off Jen's blog. :) Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz... You Are a Marilyn! You are a Marilyn -- "I am affectionate and skeptical." Marilyns are responsible, trustworthy, and value loyalty to family, friends, groups, and causes. Their personalities range broadly from reserved and timid to outspoken and confrontative. How to Get Along with Me * Be direct and clear * Listen to me carefully * Don't judge me for my anxiety * Work things through with me * Reassure me that everything is OK between us * Laugh and make jokes with me * Gently push me toward new experiences * Try not to overreact to my overreacting. What I Like About Being a Marilyn * being committed and faithful to family and friends * being responsible and hardworking * being compassionate toward others * having intellect and wit * being a nonconformist * confronting danger bravely * being direct a...

A few days ago Austin and I were taking a shower when all of the sudden the shower head goes shooting off! A hydrant-like spray of water then hit us with full force. It was pretty funny and shocking. Austin kept trying to fix it but it kept shooting off, causing me to squelch like a junior high girl several times. We kept trying to fix it until the rubber washer washed down the drain after another of its high-force attacks. Austin called our landlord and we got to take baths for a few days while we waited for it to get fixed. It was kinda fun (and annoying) taking a bath. It made me feel like I was living in the good ole days again when there were no massage showerheads and when the longer you're in the tub, the dirtier you got. Fortunately, our landlord got back to us and we have a new massage showerhead, which we didn't have before. (It's actually really fortunate that this happened as we've hated our showerhead since we've moved in as it leaked everywhere, causin...

I have a few things to say. One: I'm working on a post about American Idol. It's going to be good and long. Expect it soon. Two: Poll results: The majority of you either like your job or like it depending on the day. Three of you said “Meh. It could be worse.” Two people hate their job with the passion of a burning sun. Two people like their job only because it pays them. Two people like their job and look forward to each day. One of you likes your job as much as any job could be liked. One of you sometimes likes your job. And not one person said flat-out that they didn’t like their job. Okay, on to my third thing. Three: My best friend had her baby! Since she has her own blog, I’ll let her post about it. I was very happy to hear the news. I am going through the strangest feelings. I’m so happy and touched, I almost want to cry. I can’t believe her baby is finally here! I’m so happy for her. Though I’ve had siblings have babies and I have a few friends who have babies, it seem...

Hello. Just wanted to briefly update. I did end up going to the interview in Orem. I didn't feel it was right, so I turned it down. I'm keeping the job up in Murray. I start next Monday. Hooray! I'm really nervous about starting a new, "real" job. I haven't worked full-time in a while, but I'm sure I'll adjust within a couple of weeks. I'll be happier being extra busy then I was being extra bored. I know it'll be such a good thing for Austin and I, and not just the monetary part. (Though that part will be awesome!) I'm nervous about being an editor. I know it's what I learned to do and what I loved to do, but everywhere you go it's different. I'm worried that I won't measure up to their expectations. What if it's difficult? What if I'm lousy at it? What if it's boring? I'm mostly worried about not being good at it and not being able to do what they want me to do. I'm sure once I get the...