Better than a Red Rider BB Gun!

It was a magical Christmas at our house this year as 3 of the wishes on our list were fulfilled!

* A dozen cakeballs - Mike's sister made cakeballs and brownie bits galore and we gorged on them for days on end as we spent a few days with her family as well as his brother's family who came down from Denver just for the cakeballs.

* A taste of Ireland - My sister gave us hot chocolate with Irish Cream, a homemade Irish candy she found on the internet, and the movie The Secret of Roan Inish. The movie was ok, the candy was pretty good, and I LOVED the hot chocolate (see here if you don't believe me).

* The performance of a song - this was a family event, although arranged by my sister. She had re-written the words of "The 12 Days of Christmas" and had everyone perform it together with actions. It went something like this :
(go ahead, sing it out loud)

On the 12th day of Christmas with the Groves Family (there were):

Twelve Noise Complaints
Eleven DP’s Gulping
Ten Decks a shuffling
Nine Attacking Marleys
Eight Shows Rehearsing
Seven Licks from Brindle
Six Missionaries
Five Poker Tournament Braclet Games!
Four Howling Werewolves
Three Allan Tanglers
Two Brothers in law
And
An Awesome song written by Elise

I hope everyone else had as wonderful a Christmas as we did!

Dear Santa

In case any of you were wondering what to get us for Christmas this year, we put together this nice list:

The Burgoyne Christmas Wish List:

The performance of a song
A book of original limericks written by you
An original Christmas Tale written by you
One 30 minute foot rub per person
Some goodwill towards men
A home-cooked meal
A ray of hope
A really good orange
A taste of Ireland
A bear hug
A pat on the back
A dozen cake balls
A lucky day
A newly invented game
A handcrafted decoration for our home

A very happy unbirthday

My husband loves being with these guys

and he loves these guys

So for an early birthday present we went here

Along with a couple thousand of these guys

and watched this

all because I love this guy

See

Y?

Recently I was part of organizing a multi-University event held on BYU Campus that my work was sponsoring.

Here are a few of the thoughts I had as I walked around campus and watched the event:

- I wonder if the people I walk past know that I'm here on serious business or do they think I'm a student? I better make as many important phone calls and send emails from my blackberry while they're looking just in case.

- It is so hard to explain to someone who just moved to Utah why it's normal for some young student to bring his wife and crying baby to a professional business school event. I guess you can say it's just a culture thing. Now that I think of it though, it is kinda weird, huh?

- Oh man do I love BYU chocolate milk. Even if I have to race up all three zillion stairs in the Tanner Building and almost lose it ... I still love BYU chocolate milk.

- I just wished a team from the U of U to win. That felt wierd.

- I have to admit that I like the feeling of telling students I work on the recruiting team and seeing the "better kiss up to her" looks

Every party needs a pooper...

Our Halloween Party this year was great! Even though what I cooked for dinner didn't really look like I wanted it to, didn't really taste that good, no one got our costume unless we explained it to them, and I didn't get around to posting the pictures until almost 2 weeks later. Oh well, gotta let other people shine once in a while too! Enjoy the show:

Bliss

When I first discovered this, I was hesitant to try it - afraid I would be disappointed.

I was not.

I was in heaven.

Thursday the 14th

It's 2 weeks before Halloween. My husband is out of town and I'm watching my niece and nephews. Soon the house is quiet as the kids are tucked into bed, and I've turned on my computer to dive into some overdue work. Suddenly, the power goes out. I look to the door - it sounds like someone is trying to get it in. I grab my phone, but the battery is dead. The door slowly creaks open....

True story - except that the power didn't go out, I always keep my phone charged, and the door was closed and locked the whole time.

But I'm watching the kids again next week, just days before Halloween...
Good thing I took that babysitting course as a beehive, I'm pretty sure they covered dealing with psycos, zombies, and vampires.

*P.S. I never have and never will watch the movie "Babysitter Wanted." My imagination has enough to feed off of as it is, thank you.

La Casa Burgoyne

Our adoring fans (Mike's Mom) have been asking for pictures of the inside of our house. So, here are a few highlights:




Front room - our rug passed my "pretty to the eyes" and Mike's "soft for the feet" tests, the couches need to be experienced in person.



Master bathroom - 2 sinks, in the words of Mike "sooo luxurious!



The fun bathroom


Grammy's room. She said other people can borrow it when she's not here.



Kitchen with built-in dishwasher!

Talk about timing

Yesterday my company announced they have agreed to be acquired by Adobe (the Acrobat, Illustrator, Reader people).

Shortly after the CEO made the announcement, and just minutes before a team meeting with our department to discuss the changes that will be taking place, this showed up on my computer:



*Click on the picture to get a bigger view.

Death Defying

While hiking The Narrows at Zions National Park


Mike decided to brave the deep and dangerous waters and forge ahead despite the obsticles:


In a fateful moment he lost his balance, and quickly tried to save himself from certain doom:


But the log proved to be too slippery, or his supplies or too heavy. No matter the reason, Mike just could not hold on any longer and plunged in to the icy, rushing,



Knee deep waters?

Our castle and our keep

Our house

In the middle of our street

If you want to see the inside you'll have to come visit us.

Family Fued

I thought our game nights were intense, but at least when we are sore losers we just go to another room and pout - nothing like this. Sheesh!


ksl.com - 2 men arrested following separate game incidents

Groves Family Mega Party

Right now would be the appropriate time to post the obligitory travel report from our family vacation last week with my extended family.
But we were too busy doing these things






that I forgot to take pictures. Do I feel bad? Nope.

Big Kids

Over the 4th of July we took a little weekend trip to see Mike's family. Besides eating lots of good food, eating lots of junk food, playing indoor games, and playing outdoor games - we decided it would be fun to take the kids (Mike's brother, sister, and her family were also visiting) to the Crayola Crayon Factory.

Turns out you don't actually get to see the factory, but you see a demonstration of how crayons are made and then spend the rest of the time walking around trying out all of Crayola's different products.

The "kids" had a great time with all of the art projects they made!

Take me to the Fair!

A few weeks ago we had our niece and nephews for the evening and decided to take them to our city's little carnival. They had so many adventures!

Flying a spaceship:

4 wheeling through the desert:


Riding on the back of a green lady bug (the landing is the hardest part and obviously takes lots of concentration):

The little one had to stay in the same ride the whole time, but he provided lots of moral support to the others.

Aren't these kids the cutest? We couldn't like them more than if they were our own (ok maybe a little bit more if they were ours, but not much)!

Summer Nights

In case any of you have been wondering why I haven't posted anything in the last month it's because we were busy working with my family and some friends on


Transforming this ...



into all of this...









(The show was Guys and Dolls)


And these pictures don't even show how all the moving doors, panels, and flaps worked together to make each new scene!

Needless to say there were hours upons hours of work (sometimes going until 3 or 4 in the morning) put into this. But, the show must go on! AND we got the stamp of approval from the toughest stage design critics in the state - Grandma and Grandpa Dodge.

We took a couple of weeks to catch up on sleep and spend some time with Mike's family back East (pitures to come soon) but ...

Planning/Construction on the next set starts Wednesday!
See you in September!

Handmade By Me!

I only do these sort of posts if I think they are really cool, and this one is:

OK! So this is how this works...The first 3 people to respond to this post will receive something made by me, just for you. Of course there are some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make! :)
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done some time within the next year.
4. You have no clue what it will be.
5. I will send it anywhere! It doesn't matter where you live!

The catch? The catch is that you must re-post this on your own blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on their blog. The first 3 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did will win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!!

(I was the first to sign up on my friend's blog, so now I'm doing my part...)

If you don't have a blog you can still comment and just make three things for whoever you'd like instead of waiting for them to sign up.

Be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

06/01

June 1st is an important day. To find out some reasons why go here:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do

and enter 6/1


Another reason it is an important day is because important people were born this day like the following:

Brigham Young
Marilyn Monroe
Morgan Freeman
Dr. Bill Burgoyne (my father-in-law)
and me

Now before you start judging me for selfishly blogging about my own birthday, just remember, if I hadn't been born you would have one less blog to waste your time reading. Just think about that.

In the criminal justice world

I don’t mean to dwell on the unpleasant, but I was thinking last night that if something horrible ever happened to me or someone I love I would like the following team assigned to the case:

Dr. Brennan and the Smithsonian crew heading up the forensics
Agent Booth and Detectives Green and Lupo on the investigation
The Lightman Group handling all of the interrogations
District Attorney Jack McCoy prosecuting the suspects (with ADA Connie just for Mike)

After I had carefully thought all of that out I also thought this:

Maybe I should make tomorrow a “no tv” night...

Hey Mom - look what I did!

Every summer growing up my mom would take my sisters and I to a craft or fabric store with the assignment to pick out a project that we would work on while we were out of school.

I picked a lot of projects, I started a lot projects, and now my mom has a box full of unfinished projects sitting her in basement.

This winter I decided it was time I finally saw a project through to the end - I made a baby blanket for one of my closest friends expecting a son in a few weeks.




There may be more than a few uneven stitches in it, and I spent a lot of time with the seam ripper, but hey - it's finished!

Road Rage

This morning driving to work I was patiently going 25 miles per hour (the posted and enforced speed limit) through the neighborhood when I white impala got behind me and impatiently rode my tail all the way to the main street.

I waited for traffic clear and found a moment of opportunity to safely turn left over the railroad tracks and onto the road. The impala did not wait but quickly screeched out into the road, giving the drivers in the oncoming lanes I'm sure a bit of a rush.

I approached the next intersection, which is a 4-way stop, at the regular speed limit preparing to turn right. The impala sped past me and as the driver also prepared to turn at the 4-way stop I noticed that he didn't even bother with a turn signal.

I thought "What a rude driver. Seriously." Then I pulled up behind him and noticed the license plate:

Government Vehicle - For Official Use Only


There has got be a good joke or analogy someone can make of this story.

Shopping Spree

I usually don't like to go shopping for myself, and I usually don't write mushy things about how wonderful Mike is on my blog.
But this weekend is an exception.

I thought I was going to a girls lunch out on Saturday. Really, that was just part of the plan to get me out of the house. As we were all leaving, I found out that Mike had arranged for the girls to "kidnap" me with specific instructions on how we were to spend our afternoon: shopping.

We all had envelopes of cash (provided by a work bonus, so not anything I was planning on) and had to spend our entire amount spoiling ourselves at the Park City outlets that day.

Mike had planned it well. There was no way I could get out of being practical with the money. My only option was to shut up and shop. So I did.

With a spending budget and a staff of personal fashion experts (my sisters) I actually had a great time shopping.

I love Mike for thinking of me and treating me to a worry-free self-indulgent day. He is such an awesome husband!

Roommate Reunion

This week the girls of Alta 312 were reunited for a few hours (we missed you Sarah and Brittany)!

This week the guys of WQ 6 also all got together for a few hours.


It's great to have friends that you know will be some of your favorite people in the world for the rest if your life.

Luck o' The Irish

St.Patrick's Day is one of our favorite holidays and Mike has some Irish blood in him. So in honor of the day and our heritage, here are some Irish thoughts for all of you:

May those that love us, love us.
And those that don’t love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if he doesn’t turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles,
So we’ll know them by their limping.

If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the kind of people He gives it to!

May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.

May you have food and raiment, a soft pillow for your head. May you be forty years in heaven before the devil knows you’re dead.

May you get all your wishes but one,
so that you will always have something to strive for!

Some Guinness was spilled on the barroom floor
when the pub was shut for the night.
Out of his hole crept a wee brown mouse
and stood in the pale moonlight.
He lapped up the frothy brew from the floor,
then back on his haunches he sat.
And all night long you could hear him roar,
'Bring on the cat!'

What are the Odds?

Mike and I took a short trip to the fabulous city of Las Vegas this weekend. While I am not ready to be regular bookie yet, I did learn a few things about numbers, chance, and luck while there.

2 for 1 - the deal we got on our hotel and all of our food since Mike was officially there on business.

10 to 6 - the ratio of advertisements for call girls and burlesque shows to advertisements for the Donny and Marie Osmond show. I never would have guessed I'd be seeing so much Donny and Marie in that city.

100 to 3 - people per square foot on "the strip" compared to "old downtown Vegas."

0 to 1 - the chance that we will ever buy the kind of car we rented, a Chevy HHR.

1,000 to 20 - the cash some people carelessly drop versus what we so tightly budgeted for as "fun" money.

1 to 3 - the chance of being asked to show ID when sitting down at any betting table.(or maybe we just look that old?)

1,000,000,000 to 1 - the odds of Mike convincing me to put all of our life savings on the roulette table.

Language Barriers

So the other week at church I saw a sign up list for people to volunteer at some ESL classes that the community has organized helping people who are trying to learn English.

It has been a while since I have volunteered for anything so I thought it wouldn't hurt to put my name down. I could step in for an hour here or there when needed, sure.

Well, I misunderstood the information I read and found out later that in putting my name down I had committed myself to TEACH the class EVERY Tuesday for the next 12 WEEKS!

Talk about a communication problem.

The Happiest Day of our Lives

On Sunday February 1st, 2009 Michael and Shaina celebrated an important milestone in their relationship and their future.

The couple chose to keep things simple, joined only by a few close friends and family:

They looked stunning in their formal wear:

The cake was as delicious as it was beautiful:

The traditional first slice:

In lieu of gifts, the couple kindly asks that all congratulations be sent in the form of cash donations.

Moving on Up (or South or whatever)

Basement Apartment rented in Pleasant Grove, Utah.

2 bedrooms (yes, 2) 1 bath
washer/dryer not included - but owning your own is kinda nice
utilities included: Internet, Direct TV, and DVR
Huge pantry in the kitchen
secret staircase to nowhere behind bookshelf

1st month's rent includes leaky drain that will soak the carpet in the master bedroom, but deposit covers game night with the great family that lives upstairs.

Perfect for a nice, incredibly good-looking couple relocating from Draper. Close to freeway, shopping, movies, and restaurants. 12 minute commute to popular offices in Orem.


I love the bathroom, weird I know but it's the only place where I am perfectly happy with the way it looks.



One more picture needs to be hung, but otherwise a comfortable and cozy home.

Pictures don't do it justice, this is one you must come see in person! Call immediately to make an appointment!

Have You Ever....

gone snowshoeing? Mike and I went this weekend with my cousin Rachel and Mike's brother Ben. Turns out, it's a lot of fun. If you get a chance, go.

Holiday Update

I figured I would finally get around to putting up some pictures from Christmas (like finally getting around to taking down the decorations from Christmas). The thing is, I didn't take very many pictures. But I will tell you that we had a great time with Mike's mom in town and all of the fun things my family had planned, and Mike's birthday.

2 days after Christmas we took on the airport craziness and went to PA for 8 days to see Mike's dad Bill and stepmom Sally. That was a nice week of mostly relaxing in front of the fire and sleeping in.

We did get away to New York City for a day and saw the Christmas tree at Rockafeller, ate at a trendy NY restaurant, and ran into a celebrity (Keith Olberman). Of course we "caught a show" on Broadway (a comedy called Alfred Hitchcock's 39 Steps), and it was too cold to walk around the city so we took the subway, which was fast, but smelled bad.

The best part of the holidays though was having the Burgoyne men (Mike, Bill, and Grandpa) together in Pittsburgh

And playing with Bill's woodworking power tools

Even I got into the fun (with adult supervision of course)