Twerd

Well now that I've outed myself as a "Twerd" (Twilight Nerd) I came across a freaking hilarious spoof and decided to share it with you good people. Enjoy!

Twilight

The first time I heard about Twilight I was going for a walk with Aubry Tuttle up the Canyon Park trail. We were pushing our strollers along and she started talking about Stephanie Meyer, an LDS author and this book that she's been reading. I asked her what it was about and she said "Vampires". I thought to myself "Oh boy, how original". I thought that this book was probably on par with the "Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites" I had heard about. I didn't think about it again until I went up to Nome, Alaska and visited my sister. She had a copy of the book and was about 1/2 way through. She kept picking it up and reading it and I couldn't figure out why this book could be so interesting that she would turn to it instead of me, her beloved sister that was visiting for only a few short weeks. As you all know, I am pretty awesome. I asked her again what it was about and she summarized how this Vampire boy falls in love with a human girl. I was skeptical and brought to her attention that this storyline had already been played out by Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I read the first chapter searching for things to tease my sister with and her silly obsession with a teenage love story. I didn't enjoy it at all.The movie was coming out and I received invitations to go and watch it with other friends who were also obsessed. I would hear other friends talking about the books and how much they loved it or I'd read about it on their blogs (Emily Alexander). I decided to give twilight one more try but this time with an open mind. I made the commitment that I would read the book before I saw the movie. My birthday was December 9th and Bret got me the copy of Twilight that I asked for. On the morning of December 10th I began reading and I could not stop. I had finished half the book that day and decided that if I finished the other half the next day (December 11th) then I would go to see it in the theater that night. Everything went according to plan.

I liked the movie, I thought they did a good job of staying close to the book as time would allow. I was so giddy in the movie theater. I had to cover my huge smile in case other people around me noticed and started thinking I was some weirdo. Some characters that I did not think were funny in the book came across funny in the movie like Jasper and Jess. I enjoyed that. I liked Edward. No, I love Edward.I had been telling Bret how much I was enjoying the book and the movie. It was all I could think about. In the early morning when Bret was getting ready for work (around 5am) I was still asleep in bed but woke up to someone whispering in my ear "Lynn, it's me, Edward" and then he kissed my neck. In my daze I said "You're not Edward! You're too warm. Edward is cold."

Of course when I was fully awake a few hours later all I could think about was getting my hands on the next book, New Moon. I went to Walmart and my heart just sank when I could only find Twilight and Breaking Dawn. Were there no 2nd and 3rd books in Cedar City? Would I be doomed to have to order it online and WAIT?! I drove to the next closest book store, Deseret Book. I searched for my beloved Twilight Series and started to doubt that this LDS bookstore would carry a novel about Vampires. Finally I found it! New Moon. It was beautiful. I held the book to my face and smelled the pages. Edward, I've found you. I was so happy. I bought the book and brought it home. I am currently reading it now.
It is hard to remember to eat sometimes because I become so involved. Taking showers and going grocery shopping are becoming annoyances that distract me from my life in Forks. I know that an obsession of this magnitude cannot be healthy. So go ahead Mary Sorensen, make fun of me. But I love Edward and I love Twilight and I will until I've finished reading the entire series and a few months go by until I forget and move on with my life. The End.

So Long, Farewell...

Well some not so great news... Country Homes, the place where I work, is going out of business and I am going to be out of a job at the end of the year. I really enjoyed my job because it was an office job where I could bring Kien with me to work. On top of my hourly wage I would get a commission on the homes I sold. The hours were pretty flexible and my boss has always been accommodating and understanding. It just worked out really well for our situation. I don't think I'll be getting another job because I doubt anyone would let me bring Kien to work with me and I don't want to leave him with a sitter. I just don't think anyone will be as invested in the well-being of my child as I am. The only place I could think of that would let you bring your kids with you is a day care center. But then I wouldn't be able to give Kien all the attention he needs and take him home for naps and stuff. Oh well.

Since we will have less of an income we have had to cut back on our expenses. We cut the internet and reduced our cable. Bret wasn't willing to completely part with the cable with Basketball season just starting. He was bummed that now he will only get to watch a third of the Jazz games but some is better than none. I think that these cut-backs will be good for us and perhaps open our eyes to other opportunities that we could spend our time on.

Here's a happy moment: Kien gave his cousin Hannah a kiss on Thanksgiving. Too cute! Truthfully, I think he was just trying to get her nose in his mouth because he always does that to Daddy.Well if anyone is looking for a cheap manufactured home, all of our lot models have been significantly reduced because the company is trying to dump them before they go out of business. Here is a link to the lot models: http://countryhomesofsu.blogspot.com/

Family Photos

Well we took some family pictures at the SUU campus. Chalise was so kind and willing to take them for us. I needed them by a certain date so that I could make Christmas cards out of them for free. I love free stuff! My mother-in-law gave me a promo code for Shutterfly.com where I got to make a Free Calendar, 1 free 11x14 Print, and 12 free cards. Plus I got 50 free prints and free shipping on everything. Then of course there was that free snapfish book from Oprah. (Thanks for the Hot Tip, Amy!). It is perfect timing with Christmas around the corner. Anyways, here are some of our pictures beside my favorite that is permanently at the top of our blog.
This would have been cute if Kien hadn't been so upset about sitting in the tree.

The Little Things

As Kien grows he gets funnier and funnier. He does these little things that make us laugh so hard. When he hears other people laughing he will start to laugh as if he's in on the joke. Our dog, Willow, is always hiding out under furniture. He recently noticed that she will sometimes go under his crib. This is now his new hang out. Here is a picture of him under there with dad poking his head in.
When you go to the bathroom and close the door, Kien misses you and will stick his little hand under the door until you say hello to him. Then he will find some random object to pass you under the door. One time he passed dad a scented wax thing that you melt and it makes the room smell good. Maybe he was giving Dad a hint. Here you can find Kien passing an ice cream scoop. Who wouldn't need an ice cream scoop while using the bathroom?
Here he is peeking under the bathroom door waiting for someone to come back out to play with him.
This behavior is cute at home but sometimes when we are in public places and I need to go to the bathroom, I'll take him in the stall with me but he will crawl out under the stalls and start exploring the bathroom. One time at SUU's gym while Bret was climbing he got away from me while I was washing my hands and he decided to wash his hands too... in the toilet. So gross.

Halloween

This Halloween was a lot of fun. It was the first time that Kien actually went out and participated and got dressed up. He was Frodo from Lord of the Rings and I was just some Middle Earth woman to fit in the theme. I borrowed the dress from a friend. I made Kien's cape and also his little bag to put his goodies in.
Some people thought he was Robin Hood but then I showed them the ring on his neck and gave them a second guess.
We went to the Trunk-or-Treat at the Institute building and loaded up on candy. Corbin Allred was there performing music. During one of his breaks I approached him and said "I know this is weird but can I get a picture of you holding my baby?" He was very nice and was willing to do it.
You may know him from the movie Saints and Soldiers. I really liked this movie. He's also been on ER, Bones, and CSI. Cool right? It's the first "Celeb" I've ever met.
We also went trick-or-treating at sunset ridge with the Mitchells. That was a lot of fun. Here is all of Kien's loot minus a few that Daddy ate.

Boulder This

Well Bret used to be big into bouldering. I mean BIG. He told me that if I wanted to marry him that I would have to accept this as being a huge part of our lives. I bought my own pair of Mad Rock shoes and went with him all the time when we were dating and engaged. He even climbed a V9 which is pretty impressive. For some reason, Bret stopped once we got married. I had nothing to do with it! Anyways, 3 years later SUU announced that they would hold a climbing competition. He decided to give it a shot even though he'd been out of the game for quite a while.
They would take the best of 5 climbs and total your score. Bret climbed in the Intermediate range (100-200 pts per climb) and averaged 175 pts per climb and flashed all 5 of his climbs. (Flashed= got it on his first try= extra 10%). Anyways, he got 5th place. I am really proud of him. He kicked himself though for not trying a little harder and going for climbs worth more points because then he could have ranked in the top 3. Anyways he had fun and got a t-shirt, pizza, and won a folding chair out of it so that's good. He has decided to get back into climbing and will really try to compete next year. Wish him luck!
Here is a picture I took of him climbing in Alaska way back when.

The Singles Ward

Well for those of you who don't know, Bret got called into the bishopric of a singles ward. He is the second counselor of the ward he used to be in before we got married. It has been a transition but I like it and so does Bret. Kien is the only kid so when he makes any type of noise during sacrament EVERYONE can hear it. He has been pretty well behaved so far though and the girls seem to like him which is nice. Bret was involved in 6 hours of "church" this last Sunday so he is even more busy now than before. I know that we'll be blessed for his service though so I'm grateful for the opportunity.

The Hobbit

This is Kien's Halloween costume. I found the shirt and vest at D.I., he already had the shorts, and then I made the cape! What an accomplishment.

"Oh no! I think there's a furry Orc behind me!"
"If you ask it of me, I will give you the one ring."
"I think it's time to become invisible so mom will stop taking my picture."

Blast from the Past

Well for those of you who don't know, I don't have much of a relationship with my father. He divorced my mother when I was about 6 after a long affair with another woman. It's a long messy story but he's just never really been a part of my life. Well, a few weeks ago he gave me a call and asked for my address because he wanted to send me a CD with some pictures on it. I just had a look at the old pictures. A bunch of them were from his childhood and I just thought they were so beautiful. Maybe because I just finished a book (The Stolen Child) about a boy who grew up in the 1950's. Here are some of my favorites:
Beverly and Vaughn (Vaughn is my Dad and Beverly is his sister)Beverly, Vaughn, and Sumner (their older Brother) in their dad's car.
My Absolute Favorite- Vaughn with his Dad (My Grandpa whom I've never met). Something about this picture just reminds me of a Norman Rockwell painting.
I don't know a lot about my Dad's life. I do know that his father died when he was young and his mother (Mary Viola Munn) remarried and he did not get along well with his step dad. I've never met anyone on my Dad's side of the family except for a cousin who moved to Nome. My Dad also sent me some pictures that he had of me. Here is one that he took of me at Serpentine Hot Springs up in Alaska. He took me and my brother and sister out here once when we were kids. It is one of the few memories I have of him as a child.
Here is a picture at my sister's wedding reception. Kim (my sister) is in the wedding dress, Thulan (my mom) is to her left, Tommy (my brother) is kneeling in the tux, and I'm next to him. Sean is my sister's husband and that's his family on his side. I was 15 at the time. Look how long my hair was!
Anyways, I thought these pictures were interesting to look at and figured I could share them on here. Who doesn't love old pictures?

Kien is Too Cute!

Well here is a video clip of Kien answering some questions with no coaching whatsoever.


On Thursdays a little girl named Sophie comes over and I watch the two of them together. It is so cute to see them play. Her dad, Sam, is actually Bret's boss at Sunshine Nutrition. Sam was teasing Bret saying that he figured out Bret's master plan to have Kien marry Sophie so that Bret could stake his claim in their family business. Pretty funny.
Kien is at the age where he likes to do whatever we are doing. Apparently we spend a lot of time at the computer so he will push the buttons on the keyboard any chance he gets. He is so funny and is always making us laugh. We just love the little guy.

Survey Says...

I got tagged!!!!!

What is your husbands name? Bret Thomas HickenHow long have you been married? 3 years
How long did you date? 2 years
How old is he? 26
Who eats more sweet? Bret does. I usually only eat sweets once a month when Aunt Flo comes to visit. Then I will consume anything with trace amounts of chocolate.
Who said I love you first? Oh darn, I did. But he said it right back. I knew he was feeling me.
Who is taller? Bret is exactly 1 foot taller than me.
Who is the better singer? I think I am but who knows.
Who is smarter? Bret is very intelligent. But I beat him at scrabble a lot.
Who does the laundry? We both do it.
Who pays the bills? Bret handles all of that. I do all the grocery shopping though.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me! Because it's the closest to the door and when Kien used to wake up in the night I had to go take care of him.
Who mows the lawn? Bret does. I don't think I've ever touched our lawn mower.
Who cooks the dinner? I do for the most part. Although Bret had spaghetti ready for me when I came home from work yesterday so that was very nice of him.
Who drives? When we are together Bret drives. He doesn't trust women drivers.
Who is the first to say they are wrong? We never admit that we're wrong.
Who kissed who first? Bret kissed me. It was in a parking lot in Vegas. He pulled over because he was so tired and thought he read a sign that said "Free Naps" when it was actually "Free Maps". He really thought the place had rooms where you could take a free nap.Who asked who out? We were just really good friends. I don't think there was an official asking out. We met up in Vegas with two other people from our mission (as seen in the photo above) and we ate at a breakfast buffet at Caesars Palace. Bret paid for me so I guess that could be considered our first date. The other couple got married too.
Who wears the pants? I don't know. We're pretty equal.
Tag??? I tag Mary Sorenson, Chalise Mitchell, Amy Payne, Sarah Pittard, Maria Holee, and Sarah Carter.

Sarah Through the Ages

I just got an email from the Stake RS Prez, Bev Anderson, with this picture. Seeing it made me decide to toss it in the blog. My calling in the ward is Stake Relief Society Representative. It sounds important but basically twice a year I help plan a big event/dinner/party with the Stake RS. This last one was themed "Sarah Through the Ages". I represented Abraham's Sarah or Sarai in the Old Testament. There was also Lehi's Sariah, a Pioneer Sarah, and a Modern day Sarah. An overhead recording was played with the narrative of each of these women and the struggles they faced. Following their husbands through the desert, wilderness, across the plains, and in college! It was neat to see that they all faced similar struggles and that the Lord was there to help them all! I had fun with it.
I was also in charge of the decorations. I decided to make the dinner tables a location (theme) where each of these Sarah's had traveled. It was fun, I made little signs that gave a little bit of insight to their lives. I think my favorite was the Egypt table where I made a pyramid and painted it gold and told the story of how Pharoah wanted to marry Sarai because she was so beautiful but she stayed true to Abram even though he was pretty poor at the time. Anyways, it was a lot of fun for me. I really enjoy serving in callings. I wish we did more than get together twice a year. Oh well!

I Love (Fill in the Blank) Party

So Bret has two cousin's, Brian and Brent, who are about the same age as him. They grew up together and are Best Friends Forever. Here is Bret and Brent when they were kids.Here is Brian, Chris (not a cousin), Bret, and Brent in High School.
Anyways, every once in a while we all get together, along with Brian's wife Amy and daughter Hannah (about the same age as Kien) and hangout or eat. A couple weeks ago Brian came up with the idea of an "I Love Asians" Party where we'd all bring Asian food and eat it. I made Vietnamese spring rolls. It's rice noodles, shrimp, pork, and lots of fresh veggies wrapped in rice paper and then dipped in peanut sauce or fish sauce. I love the peanut sauce but Bret loves the fish sauce so I usually have both on hand.
Brian and Amy brought Sushi and also a Japanese noodle dish. It was tasty!
Brent brought Garlic Bread and Tortilla Chips with a nacho cheese dip. Something tells me he's never been to Asia. About a week later Bret brought home a bunch of frozen Garden Burgers that he got free from work. He's always bringing home expired goods from the Nutrition Store. That gave me the idea of throwing an "I Love Vegetarians" Party, especially since Brian and Amy are 90% Vegetarian.
So we had free Garden Burgers, free corn on the cob from the ward garden, free zucchini patties made from zucchini given to me by Chalise Mitchell, and bread crumbs I made from the left over croutons from the Stake Relief Society Social that I took home. The lettuce for our burgers was also free from Sunshine Nutrition. I love free stuff. So anyways, I was trying to think of other clever little parties we could throw along the same lines. There's the obvious "I Love Mexicans" and "I Love Italians" but I want to be more clever than that. For example "I love Mermaids" and it would be seafood.
So post a comment with your idea for the next party: "I Love (Insert type of person here)" Party.

Kien's Portraits

Well here are the professional pictures I talked about. Isn't he just a cute little guy? I love him.

Trip to Salt Lake City

I went to SLC this past weekend for a wedding. It was for Shannon, my mission companion. We had so much fun together in Annapolis, MD. She just made working fun. I was so happy for her when I found out that she was getting married. I know she's been wanting to start a family for a while now and I'm so glad that she gets her chance. When I was in the Temple watching her be sealed to her husband I was reminded of when Bret and I were sealed. All the promise and hopes at the beginning of a marriage just reminded me of what is really important in this life and it helped me to refocus. It was a beautiful ceremony and I got emotional, I think I cried more than she did!
Here is a picture of Shannon at my own wedding along with Erin, Bret's sister.
Afterwards I went to the Olive Garden and met up with one of my roommates from BYU-Hawaii. Her name is Adrian. I hadn't seen her in years and it was so fun to catch up! We relived our old memories and all the boy drama we had to go through during our college days.
After lunch we called a couple of old friends from Hawaii to say hello. They were so thrilled to hear from us. I really do want a reunion of old friends but it's so hard to get everyone together since we are all in different places. This will just have to do for now. Here is Adrian and I in front of the SLC Temple.
Here is a picture of Adrian and I with our other roommate Jamie at Hanauma Bay in Hawaii, 2002.

Black Eyed Baby

Well Kien got his first black eye on Labor Day. We were in the yard playing when he went to inspect my bike that was leaning against a tree and then he started pulling on it and when he saw that it could move at his will he turned and looked at me and started laughing. I started walking towards him but before I could get to him he gave it one hard jerk and the bike fell on top of him.
Poor thing! On a lighter note, I high-lighted my hair. Get it? Lighter? Haha... I'm such a nerd. I also got it cut.