just a small request.

I’m sorry. Is there anything more uncomfortable then the bathroom small talk? You know, you’re both standing at your skink with a huge mirror in front of you and the person next to you starts to chat about something totally inane, “I tell you what, this water is lava hot.” What am I supposed to say to that beside, “Yep.”? Is it unreasonable to ask for the entire bathroom experience to be completed in peace? It’s already enough to ask me to share a bathroom with 85 co-workers I don’t know.

Sigh.

veronica mars is my hero

So recently I have gone through a few phases, most of them involve media entertainment but what can I say… there’s not a whole lot to do in Alton. My latest phase was watching Veronica Mars. Let me just tell you that my best friend Kristin and I mercilessly made fun of this show because the premise of a high school detective sounded too much like an Olsen twins movie gone horribly wrong. Unfortunately, three years later we learned we were the ones that had gone horribly wrong. Not only is this show incredibly awesome, but it’s incredibly awesome. Did I mention it’s incredibly awesome?

The title character, Veronica, is one hip detective chick. I only wish I could have been that ambitious and witty in high school, heck I only wish I could be that ambitious and witty right now. Her father is a private investigator (also ex-sheriff of their town) and she works in his office solving everything from murders to missing person cases. The high school drama portion of the show is far more interesting and realistic then anything else on television right now, and the pop-culture references are hilarious. I don’t even think the average teenager is old enough to pick up on everything.

So if you are looking for a new show to watch, tune in to the WB and catch the latest episode. Oh wait, you can’t. The WB cancelled one of it’s only respectable shows to make room for: The Pussycat Dolls Present. True story. Sometimes I don’t understand life. Anyway, so you’ll have to watch the three seasons of Veronica Mars on DVD. You won’t regret it. Well you might regret staying up until 4 am to finish one more episode. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

UPDATE: If you are already a veronica mars fan or want to know more go to this clever website that has compiled all things vmars. Check out the pop culture reference page, it's unreal how many references are listed.

Side Note: While I have been watching Veronica Mars, I got Brad sucked in to Lost. I've already seen the first two seasons so Brad keeps coming in to the kitchen to say things like "That Ethan guy is super creepy", and "When is Claire going to have her baby already?". It's great.

It's off to work I go...

So I started my first day of work on Monday. I really like the people I work with, and the company seems great. I swore I would never commute more than 20 minutes, and yet here I am working in South County St. Louis, Missouri – a mere 45 minutes from our apartment in Alton. I travel through downtown St. Louis and amazingly I don’t hit any traffic. Everyone seems to be going the opposite way so the drive is a breeze. The journey also feels very touristy. Everyday I pass within 20 feet of:

The arch.

Ram’s stadium.

Cardinal’s stadium.

Anheuser-Busch Brewery.

So if you come visit I know how to get to a couple of places, although I must admit the brewery might not be on the agenda. Contrary to the one major highway that Utah boasts, there are about twenty different major highways in St. Louis alone. I’m actually quite proud of myself for being able to navigate through downtown. Who knew a year ago I’d be working in St. Louis? Times, they are a changin.

a sad day

It's a wonder that Brad was never interested in going into veterinary science since he loves animals so much. Especially dogs. When he was 11 he picked out a little red fur ball that was half Siberian husky and half Lhapsa Apso. In a very Brad move he named her Tasha after a Star Trek character. Since Brad was the youngest of six kids and spent his middle school and high school years as a only child at home he was really close to Tasha. Whenever we went to Naperville the first thing he usually did was go to the back yard and check up on Tasha. When we went to Naperville last weekend Tasha, at 14 years old, actually chased down a skunk and gripped it in her mouth. Sadly she passed away yesterday. It's not too often that you lose a friend at our age, especially one that's so much a part of the family. So here's to the Tasha dog, you will be missed.

St. Louis Temple

Even though we aren't in Utah anymore Brad and I are still lucky enough to live within 45 minutes of a temple (even though thats 43 minutes longer then it took us to get to the temple in Provo...). We decided to do a session Saturday morning and made it just in time. The grounds and the temple itself are beautiful and like many cities you can see it right off the highway.

naperville

So we went to Naperville over the weekend to spend some time with Brad's family. His parents live in Naperville but his sister was down from Green Bay as well. We had a great time with Ginger's six kids (She's literally superwoman, I don't know how she does it). I'm bummed I didn't get any pictures of the new baby Ella, but trust me she's the cutest! We went swimming, picked apples and pears, ate lots of food, and had a great time overall.

Bryn and Spencer terrorizing their Uncle.

Brad getting the kids soaked at "The Beach" (A huge Naperville city pool constructed to look like a beach)

Brad and Grace smooshing cheeks.

By the end of the day Spencer was covered in sand from head to toe!

Grace lounging with Grandpa.