A Mysterious Message

This evening I was just sitting on my couch working on my laptop when I thought I heard the gate open outside. Bandit started going crazy and barking like a maniac. I waited for a second but there was no knock on the door. I even looked out the window but no one was there. It was an incredibly windy evening. It must be the wind, right?

A little while later I opened the door to let Bandit out and I spied this taped to my door...

 It was a mysterious note addressed to Britt and Braden. Packaged very lovely too, don't you think?

Here is what it said...

It is a few lines from Poe's "The Raven" and some instructions to meet at Cafe Rio on April 2. And we have to wear costumes.  

At the bottom it reads: H2 will be here soon.... watch for more. 

Mysterious, no? I haven't the foggiest idea who it is from. Although I should also mention the other notes that have come before. 

Back in October, we received a similar note in our mailbox with the first stanza of the Raven and a message to look for more clues... behind the chamber door. We checked every door in the house and we could never find anything. I called a few suspects but no one had any idea what I was talking about. We gave up and forgot about it. 

Fast forward to Christmas Day. I'm sitting there opening presents with my cousins and my aunt pops in this DVD that she found that said simply: PLAY ME. Come to find out, all of my cousins had gotten messages in October too. It was this video very similar to the one in the movie "The Ring." It was just a bunch of random creepy images and the message at the end about meeting at Cafe Rio in April. 

I am completely baffled by this mystery and I have no idea what to expect. Costumes in April?? WEEEEEEIRD! What could we possibly be doing? April 2nd could very well be the day that I die. 

What do you think, friends? Any master sleuths out there that can solve this mystery? I'll keep you updated if I find out anything else.

Britt

My bump on the head made me do it

So due to a splitting headache from an extremely clumsy fall mentioned in my last post, I missed posting this week's Weird Wedding Wednesday yesterday. It's kind of ok though because this week's wedding didn't really happen.

I got a call from my manager early in the morning on this fateful day. "Don't worry about coming in this evening," she said. Oh? Why not? Apparently the groom was in love with someone else and had run off with this individual. Needless to say, the wedding was canceled.

Here's the kicker: The someone else actually turned out to be... the best man, his best friend.

Yeah. Awkward!

On a happier note, I am shooting a newborn session tomorrow! Sooo excited! Now I just have to do my best not to get baby hungry. Here's an image from my the last time I photographed a newborn which almost sent me over the edge:

Isn't she completely gorgeous? And her head smelled like heaven itself. My favorite image of the day, however, turned out to be one of her big sister:

She was looking down at her new little sister with the sweetest expression on her face. My heart melted. I have a feeling I'll be cleaning up a heart-shaped puddle tomorrow too. Wish me luck!
Britt

What makes Thursdays special

It's Awkward and Awesome Thursday! The show where you find out things about my life that probably no one should ever be subjected to. That's why it's fun.

Awkward:
- I was crazy mad at my sister because she started dating this guy and they were engaged after a week! A WEEK! And I haven't even had the chance to meet this guy and sign off on him or anything! Then I finally met him and he turned out to be a total douche. Total. The awkward part is that this was, in fact, a dream. Sorry, sis!
- I slipped on Bandit's blanket yesterday and somehow hit my head on the kitchen table, a chair and the pantry door on the way down. Clumsy much? Sheesh!
- I found out some nerd in China married his video game girlfriend. Legally married her. And I don't mean some girl he plays video games with. I mean she was an actual video game character.
- Today on campus I saw a girl emptying her purse looking for something. She pulled out a live plant, an extra pair of pants, two sets of walkie talkies and a strand of Christmas lights before she found what she was looking for. And I thought I had some strange things in my purse.
- Husband had to wear a ladies' mink fur coat to see the Ice Castles cause he forgot his own. Add that to the walking stick and you've got a certifiable pimp.
- I've started training for the marathon I'm running next year. If you've seen me run, you'll know why this is under this category. If you read awkward list item #2 you can probably picture it.

Awesome:
- Today I found out that my professor once threw a pie at her Stake President. In church.
- I thought it might be fun to do a photo shoot with husbandman dressed up as Waldo from "Where's Waldo?". I was looking for the costume today and I couldn't find it anywhere. Touche, Waldo.
- While husband was at work, I saw a spider. It was huge and I was too freaked out to kill it. So I named him Jason and every time he came out of the corner I yelled at him and he went back in the corner. This made him seem much less frightening.
- I found out my birthday this year falls on National "Fight the Filthy Fly" Day as well as National "Accordian Awareness" Day.
- I was reaching for a bottle of water but I didn't want to get off the couch to get it. I pointed at it and shouted, "Accio!" Bandit was startled so he bumped into the TV tray and knocked the water down and within my reach. I have actual magical powers.
-Today I saw a quote, "Jacob Black drives a motorcycle and turns into a giant dog? How original"-- Sirius Black.
- In keeping with the Harry Potter theme, this week I was wandering around the LNCO building at school looking for a bathroom. I have all of my classes in this building so I know it pretty well, but I came across a bathroom I had never seen before. When I went back later to try and find it again, it was nowhere to be found. I think I may have found the Room of Requirement.  
- This weeks photo shoot is courtesy of my Documentary Photography professor this semester. It should be under "awkward" because I had to photograph a complete stranger. This is Melissa. She's a friend of a friend. This is sunset window light. It's my true love (after the hubbs...maybe). What do you think?

Have a happy week!
Britt

Chillin'

Daytime:

Nighttime:

These are the Midway Ice Castles. They are A-MAZING! We went to see them on Monday (no school!) instead of doing housework. I thought this was a much better plan. Husband forgot to bring a coat so he had to wear the ladies' mink coat we had in the car. He looked like a pimp. Especially with the walking sticks they had for us to use.

We also swam in the big crater at the Homestead in Midway. It's basically a volcano and we went swimming inside of it! It was extremely warm (naturally heated) and extremely creepy (foggy and dark), but it was also super cool.

I can't explain this one. 

No Boys Allowed

Why yes, I did have a splendid time on our girls-only trip this past weekend! Thanks for asking. We lounged around and played in the sand and basked in the wonderful sunlight.  I want summer to be here. Like now. Below are some photos from our trip. Yes, the sand in St. George really is that red.

I love hangin' with the girls sometimes.
XOXO Ladies!
P.S. Here's a little video I made of us playin' in the sand and sun. It was total bliss. Enjoy!

Heaven on Earth

“Dance like there's nobody watching,

Love like you'll never be hurt.

Sing like there's nobody listening,

And live like it's heaven on earth.”

- William W. Purkey

Bye Now!

I'm off for a road trip this weekend with my favorite mother-in-law, sis-in-law, Grandma O and my mom too! It's been forever since we've hung out, just us girls. We're heading south for the winter towards those beautiful red rocks of southern Utah. Hopefully the hubbs will remember to feed himself. Stay warm while I'm gone!

He's Got a Love Like "Ow!"

Today's Weird Wedding Wednesday is a little on the bloody side. Yes, you read that right. Blood. If any of you get sick at the sight of blood.... well you'll be fine because you're only reading about it.

One enchanted evening, a bride and groom were celebrating their wedding with a big party. They decided to have a bar to make their celebration even more fun for their guests. So the best man brought the groom a drink. And another drink. And another one. And another. By the time the cake cutting rolled around, he was pretty tipsy. I did my very best to show him and the bride the proper way to hold the cake knife and the exact place to cut for the perfect bite-size, feeding-each-other-worthy piece.

Now, I know what you're thinking. No, he didn't cut himself or her with the cake knife. Those things shouldn't even be real knives. They're not in the least bit sharp. They're the pansies of the knife world. But they are better-looking than most knives so they have that going for them.

The cake slice was cut without incident. Then the groom went to feed her a bite. I can only assume his intention was to playfully smear her face with the frosting, but being a little sloshed as he was, he misjudged his strength a little. The "playful smear" turned into a boxer's punch right in the face. He somehow managed to bloody her nose and knock her onto the floor in one quick movement. Oh-holy-guacamole!

I rushed her to the bride's room with my hand cupped under her chin to avoid getting any blood on her dress. That, I can assure you, would never come out. Being a wedding coordinator ain't no walk in the park, people! Luckily at this point my nursing training kicked in and I sat her down in front of the sink and pinched her nose to control the bleeding. Did you know you shouldn't put your head back to stop a nose bleed? The best thing to do is pinch it at the base and put your chin down so the blood can drain into the sink. True story.

I know you were all very worried, but she was fine. She took a pain pill for her back and lied down for a few minutes and then she was able to rejoin the party. The groom was very VERY sorry. I can imagine she will be enjoying groveling with presents, breakfast in bed and foot massages included for quite some time. ;)

So what did we learn from this, kids?

You figure it out. I'm gonna go relax by the pond:

Oh wait, I can't. It's zero frackin degrees outside. Pretty though huh?
Have a happy week free of bloody noses, mmk?
Britt

Death by Coolness

Husbandman found this song the other day. I wish I could play it. Or any human for that matter. But if I could play it, I think I would probably have to die right then and there. Because I would be too cool for this world.

An Experimental Florist

Biggest brother went to a dance this past weekend (Sweetheart's I think) and he asked me to make a boutonniere for him and a corsage for his date. Now I have only minorly dabbled in flowers. I have made a couple of bridal bouquets and I did the flowers for my sister-in-law's wedding as a favor. Here are a couple pictures of her bouquets:

Sidenote: Isn't she completely gorgeous?? I hope my future kiddos get those genes of hers from husband's side. While fresh flowers like that are great, I felt like brother and his date needed something different. His date is a bit on the edgier side. Also, since this was a semi-formal dance, I thought it called for some experimentation on my part.

This is what I came up with:

These are made entirely out of paper, ribbon and glue. And some pearl embellishments for her.

I was pretty happy with how they turned out, especially since they were happy. Doesn't bro look awesome in his white suspenders? Loooove them! Sorry about the crappy picture quality. Especially the colors (his shirt is black). I was a big dummy and forgot my camera so I had to use Grandpa's old, dinosaur camera.

So that's what I made this week! I also made this headband for me to wear on Valentine's Day. I wanted something festive. Be gentle in your crits. I am still a newbie crafter. ;)

P.S. I'm linking this up for Talent Tuesday over at Vintage Wanna Be. Check it out!

Hugs and Kisses for the Mr. and Mrs.

Once upon a time, there was a husbandman who plum forgot to make dinner reservations for a Valentine's Day date night with his lady love. It was one of her favorite days of the whole year and he wanted to make it extra special. So he called every restaurant within 100 miles and finally found one that would seat the lovebirds at 5:00 that evening. He was instantly forgiven for his lil' blunder at the sight of all the deliciousness that was brought to the table for two...

The wifey was extra happy because this was the only day of the year that the husbandman would let her call him "Honey Bunches of Oats" five times in a row. 

She was so happy that she even gave him a present complete with paper flowers she made herself...

It was some cool buckles for him to wear on his belt.

Then he thought, "Oh gee! I'd darn better get her a present too!" 

He was super proud of his mad wrapping skills. It was the best present he had ever wrapped. Presents he had wrapped in the past mostly looked like a car had run over them. 

It was a cool new gadget for the wifey's camera to play with! What a thoughtful gift. 

What a happy holiday of LOVE. <3

XOXO

Be My Valentine?

Magic Lamp

As promised, here are some of the photos from the start of my fairy-tale photo series. It's kind of become an obsession. I've always loved fairy tales and it's be so fun to come up with my own interpretation for them.

This shoot was at a Hindu temple in the suburbs at the south end of the Salt Lake valley. I still can't believe I found it there. Enjoy!

Awkward and Awesome Thursday!

I'm watching Matilda right now as I write this. Don't you love that movie? It's definitely on the awesome list. Even husbandman thinks it's a really good movie.

Awkward:
- My sister has a class this semester to learn to teach music to elementary school students. She's really happy to be spending hundreds of dollars to run around the classroom squawking loudly and flapping her arms like a bird. She's pretty sure her professor thinks her students are in elementary school.
- I went to school today with two different earrings in. Whaaa?
- Today I spotted an unfortunate woman with the back of her skirt tucked into her belt. I couldn't in good conscience let her walk around like that so I went to tell her. She didn't speak English and apparently my insane gesturing was ineffective. She got fed up and walked away with her bum still hanging out.
- I fell up the stairs today and said something extremely awkward like, "Ha ha! I'm having one of those days!" to the guy behind me. He was talking on his phone, and he gave me a disgusted look and stepped over me and kept walking! Yep. Chivalry really is dead.

Awesome:
- We finally figured out a foolproof method for getting my brothers to exercise. Just Dance 2 for the Wii. Huge breakthrough.
- I am signing up to run the Walt Disney World marathon next year! It's on my Mighty Life List. Oh my dang, I must have lost my mind. Watching me run is laughable.
- Modern Family. We just watched the Valentine's Day episode from season 1. "Maybe I'll be Reginald Applebee, and English gentleman in town for a polo match." Ha ha! I die.
- Today hubbs and I made a rule. Whenever a telemarketer calls, we have to sing.
- I was eating a fortune cookie. Did you know you're supposed to add "in bed" to the end of your fortune? Mine read: Accept new people and you may be surprised... in bed.
- I was shopping for nerf guns online for the hubbs and I found that they had age categories that ranged from toddler to 18 or older. I'm glad it is understood that you're never too old for a Nerf gun battle.
- The Festival of Colors! It's coming up on March 26th and I am totally stoked! Here's what we'll look like after: 

It takes place at a Hindu temple down in Utah County. Wanna come with?


Speaking of Hindu temples, I found one in the middle of the suburbs. It was weird, but kinda cool. I used it for my Jasmine fairy-tale shoot. I'll show you that one tomorrow. 
Did anything awkward or awesome happen to you this week?

A Rat in the Pond

Today's Weird Wedding Wednesday is gross. It talks about death and rodents all in the same post. I won't blame you if you stop reading now. I wouldn't blame you if you never read my blog again. Although, if you made it through the Zombie Walk post, you're probably a pretty brave lil' soul.

On to the story. One fine day I was busy at work making a wedding magical for a beautiful couple who was madly in love.  So on this fine, magical day, I was meandering out by the fish pond checking on the state of the gardens when I saw it.

There was a dead rat floating in the pond next to the lily pads.

I may have gagged. I can't quite recall. I was definitely not pleased. So then I start having a debate with myself. I said, "Self, what should be done in this situation? Do I remove the deceased from the area now and risk making a scene during the wedding, or do I remove it in secret at the end and risk someone seeing it later?" What a conundrum. I decided to let it be for now.

A few minutes later...
Random guest: My son just told me there's a dead rat in the pond outside.
Me: *inward groan* Thank you for letting me know we'll take care of it.

A few minutes later...
A different random guest: Some of the kids are outside and they're saying there's a dead rat in the pond.
Me: We are aware of the situation. We'll take care of it. Thank you.

So much for not making a scene. I ran back into the kitchen to speak with the building manager.
Me: There's a dead rat in the pond outside. A couple people have mentioned it.
Manager: Just leave it there until the end of the event. We don't want to be trailing a dead rat around through the wedding.
Me: That's what I thought.

A total of seventeen more guests felt it was their civic duty to inform me about the rat problem. At one point, there were about thirty people gathered around the pond staring at it. I wanted to get on the microphone and be like, "Oh Mylanta, people! We are aware of the situation with the dead rodent. Can we please peel our eyeballs away from the corpse now and get back to the elegant celebration??"

In case you were wondering, I was the chosen one that got to dispose of the thing. And this time I did gag. For sure. Are you having anything yummy for dinner? :)

Since I've been told a post without a picture is morally repugnant, feast your eyes on the cuteness:

He likes to stick his face in the snow. Weirdo.

A Gift From the Heart

Today I am to capture something my spouse has given me. All I can say about this one is this: my man takes care of me.

Here he is scraping off my car before school this morning. It was practically encased in ice. He was out there freezing his bum off and I was inside the car all toasty warm.

Gosh I love him.

Taken on my phone. Sidenote: look how beautiful the sky is today! That beautiful blue totally made me happy. I'm solar-powered. 

Day 4: What They Wear

Here's husbandman looking a little creeper in his favorite hat. I really wish I could explain this photo is further detail. But there are no words.

All Dogs Go to Heaven

I took this picture of my puppy late in the afternoon when the sun was starting to set. His fur looked so pretty backlit with the sun shining through. Isn't he a cutie? Sorry, but you can't have him. :)

This also marks the start of my 365 project. It's on my Mighty Life List to finish one. I've always wanted to do one. I have no idea why I haven't. Well, I do know, but none of my reasons are good ones. So I shall proceed.
Britt