March 2007 Journal (Updated!)
March 29, 2007
We went to Gatlinburg, TN, last weekend, and it was lots of fun! The weather was beautiful, although a little hot for me. Adam and I have been wanting to go somewhere with Jason and Sabrina before kids come along. I just wish it could’ve been a little longer of a trip. We left Friday morning and returned Sunday afternoon. Jason and Sabrina drove separately, because they wanted to leave Saturday night to get back in time for church. We also didn’t get to stay in the same hotel. Stinky!
Friday we went to Ripley’s Aquarium and a 4-D movie ride. The aquarium was really cool. It was a lot like the one we went to at Myrtle Beach, but the underwater tunnel was longer. The movie ride was ridiculously stupid. Don’t waste your money! For dinner we went to the Dixie Stampede. It’s a lot like Medieval Times, except for the show of course. The food was really good. Unfortunately, we didn’t have money for a tip. I felt really bad about that, but Sabrina wrote a nice note on her napkin.
Saturday we went horseback riding. I rode Blaze, Adam rode Skippy, Sabrina rode Cadillac, and Jason rode Gunsmoke. We were in the back of a line of about eight people, with Jason in the rear. His horse was really old and slow. He didn’t respond to anything Jason did to try to make him go faster. At first it wasn’t much of an adventure, but then something crazy happened! Jason was holding a water bottle and accidentally squeezed it, making a crackling sound. The horse totally freaked out! The horse started galloping; Jason lost his footing and ended up in the woods. I was in front of Jason, and my horse started to gallop as well as Sabrina’s horse. Blaze started to veer into the woods. I thought I was going to die! However, I was able to pull on the reigns and get him to stop. I was really shaken up after the whole ordeal. Jason got some cuts on his arm, and his shoulder’s sore, but he ended up being ok. It definitely turned into an adventure!
Afterwards we ate lunch at a mexican place and went to Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. We went to one in Niagara Falls, and it was pretty much the same. Later that day Jason, Adam, and I went up to Clingman’s Dome…or at least we’d planned to. When we got to the entrance, the road was closed! It opens April 1…go figure! I wasn’t too bummed, because I didn’t really want to hike. Instead we went to Newfound Gap, which was right down the road from Clingman’s Dome. We got some lovely nature shots. Afterwards we prepared for the big event: Jim Gaffigan! For those of you who don’t know, Jim Gaffigan is a comedian who regularly visits the Conan O’Brien Show. He does a cartoon called Pale Force and makes fun of Hot Pockets. He’s very hilarious! The show didn’t start until 10 p.m. It was in Knoxville, which was an hour from Gatlinburg. I thought it would be wise to drive to Knoxville and find a place to eat dinner when we got there. Unfortunately, the event was downtown, and there wasn’t a restaurant in sight (except for a super ritzy one with a long wait). As we walked up to the theater, we noticed a restaurant right next door. We went inside and were seated immediately. The food was great, too. How lucky could we get?! Once we got some food in our stomachs, we were feeling pretty good. Jim was very funny, definitely funnier in person. After the show, Adam and I stayed to meet him, get his autograph, and take a pic with him. Jason and Sabrina headed home. We didn’t get back to the hotel until after 1 a.m., and I was really tired the next morning. We had a nice drive back on Sunday and arrived before 3 p.m.
I’m glad I had a great weekend, because when I got to work on Monday it was insane! We had 12 death calls over the weekend. To make matters worse, Lee, the lady who helps me with death certificates, was working the furniture market all week. So I’ve had a ton of work to do this week. In a way it was nice, because I always had something to do. There’s just one day left to the week, and it’s period end. The bulk of the work is finished, so I’m not stressed. I’m just looking forward to Girls’ Night Out tomorrow night. Pastabilities, here we come!
Check out the photos from our trip: www.amlewis2003.blogspot.com. Have a good one!
March 18, 2007
Things have been a little crazy at work this week. Well, things were mainly crazy on Friday. We had eight funerals in one day! I don't think that's ever happened since I started working there over two years ago. Somehow I was able to get everything finished, including running errands. I didn't leave until 6 p.m., though. Needless to say, I slept a lot this weekend.
Tuesday we went to my dad's to finish our taxes. We e-filed them, and it's all good to go. Hopefully we didn't make any mistakes this year. Afterall, we did use software this time instead of doing it ourselves. We definitely weren't going to H&R Block again, considering they basically robbed us last year. No need for that! We're planning on using the refunds toward the Civic and the computer. It'll be great when we're debt free!
Thursday I went to Enrichment Night at church. It's the second one I've been to since Adam and I moved into the apartment. I blame nursery for not going much before, because I was never really aware when activities were held. Hopefully I'll start going more often.
Catie was in town this weekend. She hasn't been home since Christmas. I suppose it makes sense, since it's her last semester of school. We were a little alarmed last week, because we found out she wasn't doing too well in one of her required classes. The department at school worked it out so she'll still walk across the stage in May, but she'll have to take a class during the summer before she gets her diploma. Anywho, she, Chris, Meredith and I went to Burlington Coat Factory on Saturday. She wanted to find some clothes for herself, but she just ended up getting some ties for Colby Howard...go figure! We were hoping to go to my mom's later today and watch a movie, but she's sick. Hopefully Catie will be able to see her a little bit before she goes back to school.
Adam and I are looking forward to our mini vacation to Gatlinburg, TN, this coming weekend. Jason and Sabrina will be joining us. We're driving separately, though, because they want to come back Saturday night. We'll be staying through Sunday morning. The weather looks like it'll be nice, so we should have a great time.
I also got a call from Miranda on Wednesday. She and Matt will be coming down April 13-16. It'll be so good to see them! This will be the first time people have stayed over at our apartment for a few days at a time. We'll definitely have to clean a lot, especially since they're both allergic to cats. I think it'll be fine. I'm really looking forward to seeing them again!
I took some really great pics this week, so enjoy them! www.amlewis2003.blogspot.com.
March 11, 2007
Sorry it’s been so long! I’m trying to think about what’s happened in the past two weeks.
Let’s see…Adam made chili for my work’s Chili Cook-off on Feb. 28. It tied with three other chilies for second place. There was a tie-breaker, and it ended up getting third place. There were ten entries, which is a lot more than last time. My assumption is that not everyone tried all of the chilies. The first chili got first place, and Adam’s was number seven. Don’t worry, we’re not bitter! J
Last Friday I discovered my second set of ear piercings were still pierced. I got them pierced probably 12 or so years ago and then took them out about five or six years ago. I assumed they had grown in. Since last Saturday I've been wearing earrings in them. I don't know if it's a rebellious side of me or me just trying to go back in time and be "young" again. My 27th birthday is coming up, so maybe that has something to do with it. I'm so used to having one set of earrings that I think they look odd. We'll see how long I keep the earrings in them.
Adam’s been growing his hair out for quite some time now. Last Saturday we went to Great Clips in order to shape it up a bit. I would’ve done it myself if I knew how. Unfortunately, he had to fork out $12 plus a tip. That’s why I get mine cut only once a year. After the haircut, we ate dinner at Panera Bread. Adam was trying to get in touch with Jonathan, because his parents were in D.C. for a few days. He answered the phone, but apparently Panera Bread isn’t the place to make a cell phone call, because Jonathan couldn’t hear Adam and visa versa. Adam tried calling him later and on Sunday, but he could never get in touch with him. Well, it turned out Jonathan went on a ski trip with one of his friends and didn’t bother to tell anybody. He could’ve been dead in a ditch somewhere for all we knew. Apparently he told his sister Amy, but something got mixed up in the translation. He came back Sunday night, and I haven’t heard anything about it since. At least he was safe!
Adam was on Spring Break this week, and it was good to come home to him. Granted, he only has classes two nights a week, but it was still good to spend time with him every evening. I didn’t get to see him this past Friday, though, because I went to the temple with my mom and Meredith. Colfax Ward was having a temple trip (although they, Carol Hamilton, and Peter Lindsay were the only members there). Going to the temple right after work made for a very long day. It was neat to see the temple all lit up at night. I wish I’d brought my camera. Anywho, I managed to get home before midnight, but I was very tired. It’s pretty cool that I’ve tripled my temple attendance in the past two weeks. I hope I’ll be able to go much more often!
Yesterday we went to my dad’s to start on our taxes. He has a software program, so we thought we’d give it a try. We definitely weren’t going to H&R Block again so they could take all of our money. We ended up forgetting to bring our stuff from last year, so we’ll have to go back to finish. I hope we do everything right this time!
Jasmine was cuter than ever, of course. She has almost a full set of teeth, and she’s learning to talk. She’s eighteen months old and is now able to go to nursery at church. My dad hasn’t been to church at all this year because of Jasmine. Mayeth and Marielou have started working full-time on Sundays. He can’t imagine taking care of her and doing his calling. Jasmine’s been under the weather the past couple of weeks, so he wasn’t able to go to church today, either. Hopefully things will be back to normal next week.
Daylight Savings Time happened last night. I didn't have to change any important clocks. I wake up using my cell phone, and it automatically changes. Our DVR also automatically changes. The other clocks aren't too important. When my cell phone went off this morning, I wasn't ready to wake up. Somehow I managed, and we got to church on time. I did end up taking a nap today, so even though it's after 11 p.m., I'm not ready to go to sleep. That'll bite me in the booty tomorrow.
Oh, I almost forgot! Miranda and Matt are having a girl! Her name is Jenna Rae. Miranda sent me an email the other day and said she felt Jenna kick for the first time while she was writing the email. How cool! Miranda and Matt are planning to come down here sometime in April. They haven’t been able to visit me since my wedding, so I’m very excited about that! Catie and I are planning to go to Ohio in May for Miranda’s baby shower, which will be a lot of fun. It’s all very exciting!
Anywho, have a great week, and check out the pics on www.amlewis2003.blogspot.com!