Can I offer you some....salad dressing?

Or any other condiment for that matter? I have a confession. I haven't been grocery shopping for over a year. Here and there we'll go by the store and buy whatever we need or just the basic carton of milk but actual grocery shopping? Nope. David and I went through the fridge last Sunday. I went through it not that long ago but this time David was involved and he was ruthless. We threw away 2 garbage sacks worth of old and expired food. (3 if you count the freezer) Afterwords our fridge looked like this...
Yep. Whats the point of having a huge fridge if we're not going to fill it, you might ask? Well, maybe someday we'll fill it. Dream big people. The drawers look like they're full but let me tell you...in the left drawer those are apples that dear Kateka left at our house. In the right drawer those are my brother in law Jacob's carrots and a sack of potatoes that my mother in law Kelly brought up from her garden. The eggs are leftover from the Burger Bar. The crescent rolls on top are my brother in laws. However, the Pepto? All mine baby. Help yourself. I guess all I can offer is some ice cold water and my great company. Come over anytime :]

Camille's wedding

In Young Women's I had a leader named Camille. She's a fun, loving, bright individual who I.....clashed with. You expected me to say loved didn't you? Tricked ya. The truth is that I was a loud and obnoxious girl who totally got in the way of her personal progress activities. Well we didn't clash for long. I learned to be a little quieter and she learned how to "handle" me. :] Soon my friend Catherine and I were visiting her house once a week to eat her food and talk about our teenage lives. She always listened to our incessant babble and even loved our stories. (or at least pretended to) We would screen the guys she was thinking about dating and weed out the ones we thought weren't good enough for her. There were a lot that weren't good enough for her, let me tell you. She supported us through all our marriages and just on Friday got married herself! She asked the old gang if we'd help at her reception. Of course we were there! The reception was at my old ward building. I'll try to explain how darling her reception was. She had old barn wood boxes that acted like your tray for your food. Inside we stuffed the lyrics to- A Bushel and a Heap-and you put your pie plate in there as well. You had to watch for slivers but I loved the style of it. There were 5 kinds of pies and they were all delicious! The pie was on these darling china plates that Camille had found at vintage and thrift shops from all over so they were different patterns. I loved them. So her style. We scooped pie out all night like it was no ones business. I had so much fun with the old crew of girls. We were missing Catherine though and it was kinda heartbreaking she couldn't make it. Camille has deserved everything she has now for years and I'm so glad she's with a wonderful guy who loves her and realizes what a catch she is. She's got a light inside her that is unmatchable and I love her. Here are some fun pictures from the night.

Beautiful Camille and the girls. Camille is the one not wearing the apron ;]

Gorg Nicole and me

Erin and me showing off the pie we spent all our time with. Aren't we cute :]

Blonde Moments

I have blonde moments every once in a while. Yesterday I had a couple...

I team teach primary. Yesterday at church we were practicing our primary program so both teachers needed to be there. I hadn't been there the week before so I wasn't sure how everything was going to go. I saw my team teacher and thought I'd just ask her. The convo went like this--
Liz: Hello sister Nelson, how are you?
Sister NORMAN: Norman
Liz: Mormon?
Sister Norman: NORman
Liz: Sister Norman. Did I say Nelson?

Haha I died. I could have sworn her name was Sister Nelson. Then I could have sworn she said Mormon. I was like "No way, me too. Imagine that, since we're at church together."I was wrong on both accounts. We don't talk very often since we alternate weeks and don't see each other so can you really blame me? Still not one of my finest moments.

Later at David's Nana's house I was in the back office looking at Popi's retirement poster while David and his Nana were outside putting in her mailbox. She has an exercise bike and exercise ball right next to the wall with the poster. As I was reading the sweet things people had written to Popi I had my knee on the exercise ball and my hand on the bike handle. I put too much weight on my knee and the ball went flying out from underneath me. My face swung rapidly toward the ground. Luckily I had my hand on the bike handle so right before I did a standing flip I caught myself. It was a close one and I learned you should never try to balance all your weight on a exercise ball. Another positive in this situation was no one was inside to see me...but I'm telling you now so obviously I'm not that embarrassed about it.

Lets get one thing straight

I don't have any children. I just thought you might be confused since I have so many pictures of me holding babies. Recently we've had several friends and family members have babies and of course, I've been all over that. Warning: The 2 stories I'm about to tell include pics of me with babies.

Owen's Baby Blessing

Last week we went to Abby and Garron's house for little Owen's baby blessing. It was so great to see everyone and be there for that. Owen is the spitting image of Olivea as a baby. Its crazy. I know how some people feel about calling anyone but the actual family members aunt and uncle but my personal feeling on the matter is that the more people that love my kids the better. As a sign of love towards them, call them auntie or uncle. Some of my friends feel that way too. (or I've just pushed it and they go along with it, haha) I'm lucky enough to be Auntie Liz to Abby's kids. I love them. Here are some pics from that day..

Thanks for ruining this shot Garron.And somehow this shot too...I look a little drunk but its the only shot I have of me and Owen

Date Night at the Garden of Olives

I have these 2 great friends. Kellee and Jared. They're so great. The other night we went to Olive Garden with them and their new little nugget Zinni. Jared was holding the door for everyone going in and out while we waited for our table. He's pretty friendly so he was chatting everyone up and they were loving it. When we got to our table he asked our server if he could get a name badge. After all he was probably the reason people were tipping so well that night. They told him they couldn't until he filled out an application and was hired. Well as we were leaving they presented him with a badge of his very own...it was beautiful and he was obviously stoked about it.

I'm Auntie Liz to this little girl too, however they didn't have a choice because it was in our APX contract that their unborn child would call me and David Aunt and Uncle. FAVORITE moment ever. I could have laid like this forever...or until Zinni got hungry and then I'd have to give her back to her mom.

The point is, I don't have any children yet but I love getting to be a part of these kids lives.

Danny

Growing up I had a love for dance unlike anything else. It was my favorite thing to do. I could put every emotion I was feeling into my movement and it was the best release ever. I had a dance teacher named Danny who meant the world to me. He was full of energy and spunk. He made me laugh, he inspired me to dance harder, better, and to push myself daily. He had a light that I haven't seen matched in anyone else. He died on Oct 11, 2004. His life was cut so short and I find myself missing him from time to time wondering what he'd be doing if he was still here. One thing I know for sure is he'd be dancing.

Some of my favorite memories of Danny include....

Laughing at his hair plugs and having him tell us "Its a long story, stop staring at them!"

Driving next to him on the way home one night and him looking over at the carpool of girls I was with and lifting a huge dumbbell up in his front seat just casually without changing his facial expression.

The rewinding sounds he would make if he wanted us to go back to the beginning of a dance.

Him losing the keys to the rental van is Disneyland. What was he doing? Cartwheels down main street.

Him getting me a second audition for the Olympics because my blood sugar was so low in my first he said I looked like a ghost. He was the only reason I was in the opening and closing ceremonies.

Singing at his funeral, surrounded by all the dancers lives he had touched. "The wind beneath my wings"

Danny, I miss you all the time. I know you are teaching dance where ever you are. Love you.

Daniel Booth Thompson 1964 ~ 2004 On June 26, 1964 , Joseph M. And Colleen Booth Thompson brought the world a gift of love, laughter and light. He suddenly left our lives on October 11, 2004, due to complications following an auto accident. Danny was a consummate entertainer on and off the stage. His talents were many! Like no other, he genuinely touched the lives of all who knew him. Danny attended Orem schools, graduating from Orem High School in 1982. He served an LDS mission to Paris, France. He married his dear friend, Catherine Smith, of Roy, Utah, later divorced. Danny will be deeply missed. His vibrant spirit will never be replaced. Dan loved without condition, accepted without judgment and cared without hesitation. Danny was a gifted teacher, leader and choreographer. His profession, Thompson Lane Entertainment, was his passion. Danny and our family would like to express gratitude and love to his students and our friends for the love, memories and joy that we have shared together. You'll always be in our hearts. He is survived by his daughters, Lindsea, Caitlyn and Chloe, who were the loves of his life. Brothers: Craig, Michael (Penny), Joseph (Marianne) Sisters: Cathy (Chris) Bassett, Sheri (Dennis) Hogue, Terri Thompson-Lewis. And many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents and one younger brother, Steven. Funeral services will be held Saturday, October 16, 2004, at 11:00 a.m.


Here is what I wrote in his online guest book right after he passed....

October 15, 2004
Dear Roz, Josie, Kaycee, Brooke, the MANY students of Danny past and present, and Danny's family,
Danny influenced my life so much and he will truly be missed by anyone that ever heard him laugh or saw his smile. He gave me the inspiration I needed in my life and pushed me with my dancing. He will always be loved and he is always with us. Feel free to e-mail me if you need anything!
Liz

People continued to write in this book for years and here is what I wrote in 2008.....

May 15, 2008
Today I have been completely overcome with emotion. I think about Danny very often but today I have this overwhelming ache of missing him. His smile and laugh. His jokes and funny sounds he would make while we were dancing. He was responsible for making me smile everytime I was at Thompson Lane. He encouraged my love and passion for dance everyday. He means so much to me. I love him dearly. What an honor it was to be a part of his life. When we meet again Danny I expect I will meet the amazing dancers you have taught in heaven. You have inspired me to make the most out of life. I got married last year and not being able to share that with you and dance with you killed me but I know you were there. I love you forever and ever!
Liz

The Burger Bar

David and I finally decided to have a house warming party! Its about time right? We went up the canyon to bbq not that long ago with a group of friends. It was a lot of fun and we decided we should get everyone together again at our house. Not really a house warming but we called it that since a few people that came still hadn't seen our house. David came up with the "Burger Bar" idea a few weeks ago. He's been obsessed with it since that point. Randomly he'd just yell at me new ideas. Like "Liz! We have to have pineapple! That will be so great." Ok, calm down. I have to admit though it was great idea. We invited 4 couples and divided all the burger sides so everyone brought several different options. When David first sent me the email telling me the breakdown of who should bring what, I was like I can't ask people to bring that. How random. "Carly, will you please bring a can of chili, Monterey Jack cheese slices, and drinks? Sahar, will you bring 3 onions, 1 head of lettuce, 1 can pineapple slices, 1 avocado, and a clove of garlic?" Texting these lists out to everyone was ridiculous. The normal bbq=please bring some chips to share with everyone. Our bbq=Kellee, please bring eggs, Swiss cheese slices, and potatoes. Surprisingly no one acted like I was weird. That's why I love these people. Kateka got the most normal out of them all by just bringing brownies and ice cream. Kateka, can I just say, those brownies were KILLER! We got small buns and divided the meat so they were sliders. That way you could try a couple different kinds and see what you liked the best. We made battered fries that were pretty out of this world. Sahar and I got the frying down to a science. 3 minutes, no more then 13 fries in at a time or they would stick together. Put them in individually while the basket was already in the oil. Trust me there were a couple causalities at the beginning but by the end we were killing it.
After dinner a couple people left. You know who you are. The rest of us watched a movie and bantered the night away. David and I have learned that its impossible for us to hang out with anyone without getting into some bantering war. Girls on one team boys on the other. Nothing ever gets resolved it is just hilarious to insult each other and scream your point over and over again. So great. It was a great night and we decided we'll have to get this group together more often :]

Follow up to...Lonley...

So the night went like this...

So David's plane got in late because of some broken engine thing. Pssssh that doesn't sound THAT important, just push through it and get my husband home. K thanks. Then David was in the crankiest of moods after a grueling 2 days on his feet. I was in the crankiest mood because of my worst day ever yesterday (ok, I'm exaggerating a little) and the WORST drive home of my life. (not exaggerating about that at all) Right after I had left work I got a bloody nose. I've been blowing it a ton lately getting over the stupid cold so I guess it was a little worn out. I still had a 40 minute drive ahead of me and I had nothing in the car that I could clean it up with. So I drove with my head tilted almost all the way up to keep the blood from dripping down my face. Of course it still did a little. So I'm driving with dried blood on my face and my hand from when I didn't know it was a bloody nose and just thought my nose was dripping. Not.Cute. The road I normally take home had some sign on it that said there was construction starting on Tuesday the 5th and to take an alternate route. So being the trusting of road signs kind, I figured I'd take another street home. The other street I picked has been under construction since the week after we moved into our house (a year and a half ago) but normally it still moves pretty quickly. Well it was down to one lane almost the entire way up and it was dead stopped. I wasn't moving hardly at all and I had blood all over my face. So sick. I let some car in from a little shopping center off the road and he waved thank you at me. I'm pretty sure all he was looking at was why this girl that was letting him in had a bloody face. We were next to each other for a long time after I let him in, I should have just gotten out and explained. So my 40 minutes from the time I got my bloody nose turned into 1 hour. It was so terrible. I had the busiest day at work and so much was wrong on the accounts that I had to fix a ton. We had a transfer from another hospital that we had no info for and they were already in our OR when I was calling dad to get consent. Dad said he had already talked to someone else last week and we should have this information already. Then he hung up on me. Not before telling me that the childs date of birth was wrong. Perf, we're operating on a child with the wrong birthday. NBD. Anyways the point of all this was I was so excited to see David and just relax. Well with both our crankiness the night didn't go quite as planned. We watched a couple of the shows we had on our Tivo but after realizing we weren't even laughing at Modern Family (its impossible not to laugh at that show) we just went to bed. Despite the cranky night I'm so glad he's home.

Lonley...

David gets home tonight from a business trip to Vegas. I have been alone at my house and in all the time I've had to think I've come to the conclusion that I hate being alone. They say you're either an extrovert or an introvert. I think I'm a little of both. I love the time I have alone when I get off work but spending the entire night alone...NOT for me! I watched Mean Girls last night to make me laugh and help me forget that I was in a quiet, dark house alone. Then I only panicked for a few minutes before going to bed. Pam was my only company and I don't know what a wreck I would have been without her! I can't wait til he gets home. Its been a hot mess of a day and I just want to watch the shows on our Tivo including: House, Modern Family and Running Wilde with the greatest guy in the world. Unfortunately, it looks like this business trip thing might become a little more common. Looks like I should work on being alone and being ok with it...any pointers?

TGIF/Liv's wedding

Can I just say, Thank Goodness its Friday! I have had a cold all this last week. Its been miserable. This weekend David and I have nothing planned. A relaxing weekend? Sold. Modern Family season 1 marathon? Yes please. Conference on Saturday/Sunday? Absolutely. I am very excited.

Last Friday we were at this gorgeous girls weddingHer dress was out. of. control beautiful. Totally perfect for her. I loved it.

Here I am with my good sport of a husband who has dealt with all these weddings extremely well :](I'm not sure what my face is doing here. I apologize.)

Here are the girls I have spent so much time with this summer. (minus Kellee, because getting food with her husband was more important) I love that I still have my high school friends and we're going through the same things right now.

Happy 1st day of Oct. What a great month. Now, if only Fall would make an appearance. I've been waiting for that great fall weather for weeks now and it still hasn't shown its face. I'm feeling like Oct might be the lucky month it shows up in.

Happy Birthday Gench! I miss your face in SDS everyday. I miss being able to talk to you at the earliest hours because I knew you were suffering the same way I was with those early mornings. I miss our Starbucks trips. I miss discussing the wonderful coma naps that were calling our names. I hope leaving me was worth it ;]. At least I'll always have these memories..

I don't even know what that first picture is all about, but it makes me pee so it made the cut. The second one is a classic hair cowlick pic. (and is that a cheese ball in the back ground?) The third one of us with our bright shirts that Shelli was outraged we'd wear in winter. And the fourth one will always be one of my absolute favorites. Great memories bonding. Gench, I love you and you need to come home to SDS. I'll talk to Derek to get that started.