Back to Work

Since we moved here, Alex and I have wanted to go in the Transamerica Building. Once, before we knew better, we walked inside and asked the guards if we could go up and they had to tell us it is secure so only people who work there and are cleared can enter. We obviously weren't aware of city building etiquette...oops.
Anyway, now that I am temping at admin/reception jobs, I got to work at an investment company here last week! I only made it to the 11th floor, but it was still cool to get my photo-sticker ID and be in the actual building. I am finished with that job, so who knows if I'll ever get in there again, maybe even closer to the top...?
Tomorrow I start at another firm for a few weeks. This is quite a change from the whole nanny thing, but it's going well and I needed it. However, at times, I do miss my previous amount of freedom. Gotta provide somehow....

Alex Got Tagged

It's been a while for one of these, but here you go...

What's his name? Blair Alexander Isom (aka Alex)
How long have you been together? just over 5 years, married 4 1/2
How long did you date? It was about 4 months
How old is he? 28, 2 months younger than me
Who eats more? He does, although I definitely eat more sweets:)
Who said I love you first? I'm pretty sure it was him, but it just came naturally so I don't really remember.
Who is taller? Oh man, he is but just barely, maybe by 1/3 of an inch...?
Who is smarter? Him for sure, I could never memorize all that medical/dental stuff.
Who does laundry? It's all me.
Who does the dishes? Me again.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me, so I don't have to climb over him to get to the bathroom!
Who pays the bills? Well, currently, we only have about 3 or 4, and I do it.
Who mows the lawn? What's that? I'm sure Alex will do our future lawn one day.
Who cooks dinner? Mostly me; every now and then on a Sunday Alex may contribute, but it's rare and always quite extravagant.
Who drives when you are together? Since we don't have a car anymore, we're just both usually the passengers....
Who is more stubborn? Me!
Who kissed who first? It was Alex, although it also came quite naturally.
Who asked out who first? He did, he invited Kelly and me over to his friend's to play a game one night, to see if he wanted to ask me out. Then, on the way home, he asked me. Our first date was to the Bellagio to watch the water show and then watched Rush Hour 2 at his house and ade brownies (I fell asleep!)
Who proposed? Alex did, up at Mt. Charleston looking at the stars.
Who has more siblings? I do, I have 4 and he has 3.
Who wears the pants in the family? Oh my, I think we share this one, since he doesn't really care if I make most decisions.

I tag everyone who wants to share!!

Our Beloved Prophet

As I am sure a lot of you already know, President Hinckley passed away this evening. I was on the phone with my mom when my brother in Rexberg beeped in and he gave us the news. To say the least, I was surprised and sad, although I am sure Pres. Hinckley is so happy to be reunited with his wife.
Elder Scott was here the past 2 days for Stake Conference and mentioned today how Pres. Hinckley may not have as much vigor as before, but still is in control of everything in the Church and continues to work hard and care for all the members. It is just so hard to believe that this same day he has died. He was such a wonderful man of the Gospel and we will miss him greatly.

Rain, Rain...

Sometimes I want it to go away, and sometimes I don't. It is cool to look out the window and watch the rain come down while I am cozy in our little apartment. However, it wasn't so cool on Friday when I was working downtown and my umbrella broke by being flipped inside out one too many times. We have been quite lucky the past year and a half out here as far as the weather is concerned. I remember when we first moved here, Heather M. told me about the previous spring and how it rained for at least a month straight. So, I was pleasantly surprised last year when that never happened! Now, it is starting to make up for it. Thankfully, Alex doesn't mind at all, which I am so gratful for, since ultimately, I would still love to end up back in WA for good:)

What Was One Person's Junk...

Has become my treasure! I was given these magazines by someone who had posted on SF Freecycle. It's a great network to use to get rid of things/receive things with a bit more security. Craigslist also has a free section, but it seems a lot more sketchy to me. You can subscribe to Freecycle through Yahoo! Groups-people in the city go on there and post anything they want to give away for free, and you just email them and set up all the details. This is the first time I've actually taken something from the site, although I enjoy reading what people have frequently. If you go to www.freecycle.org, you can get more info and all the cities that they have this group.
I am very excited to add these to my magazine addiction and eventually start to experiment with the recipes!

Mt. Tam

Yesterday afternoon, we went with the Rogers' to Marin to hike Mt. Tamalpais. It was such a gorgeous day and I am glad we were able to get out and explore. Alex and Paul especially had fun making a Survivor Man-type movie with Eryn & Paul's new camera. It is quite funny, I wish I could post it. We didn't figure out how to get to the top and ended up spending most of the time going around the mountain, it was nice and relaxing. Maybe next time we'll get a map!

Crazy Kabuki

After Alex and I got back from our week in Federal Way, we went over to the new Kabuki Theater with some friends to see Juno. Last year sometime, Robert Redford bought this theater that is in Japantown and about 2 blocks from our apartment. We hadn't been there since the change and let me tell you, it was a change. First of all, the general admission of $10.50 (no student discount) is the most I've seen out here. And then, on top of that, there is an amenities fee between $1.50-$3.00 per person, depending on when you see the movie. This wonderful fee is to pay for the ability to reserve tickets online (we bought them at the theater), to choose your assigned seat, and that it is a "green" theater. Also, if you want to sit in any of the balcony seats, you have to be at least 21 now since they serve alcohol up there. We didn't even like the reserved seat thing, since our best choice was the 3rd row.

Needless to say, I won't be returning here for two reasons. One, obviously, the unnecessary price increase. And two, I really hope that this idea of a theater doesn't catch on to the rest of the cinemas out here! Thankfully, the movie was quite good so that helped some:)

Christmas with the Isom's

Here is a basic summary of some of the things we got around to doing during our quick Christmas trip to Alex's hometown. The first day we were there, we did some shopping, of course, since we had done none of it before we left. That night, we saw Mystere at the TI.
It was quite an interesting show. The only other Cirque show I had seen to compare it to was Love at the Mirage, which I do have to say, I liked more than this one. It was good, just a bit strange, but I guess that is part of the appeal.

Sunday night was the first big family dinner. Shannon cooked a yummy meal and we got to meet most of Alex's new stepfamily. They are all very nice and we hope to get to know them better someday.

This is just another shot of the group at dinner.

On Monday, after more last-minute Christmas Eve shopping, we headed over to Tasha (Alex's sister) and Kade's new house for another big delicious dinner. Alex's dad made tons of cornish hens and there were a lot of great pies, too! Alex's older sis, Kirsten, happened to break a bone in her foot, so we had to take her to the office and do an x-ray later that night. Above is a picture of Bernie's family that was visiting from Argentina. They were so gracious and Alex loved being around them since it helped him feel closer to his mama.

Also that night, Alex's cousin Damon stopped by for a quick dinner. He is an emt and was on duty and let us explore his neat ambulance. That was my first time (and hopefully last:) in one of those, it was neat to look around and take a few pics. However, I was too scared to touch anything and didn't really want to spend much time in there.

This was Christmas morning at the Isom's. It was fun to watch the nephews get so excited over everything! We had to leave that night to get back to SF for Alex to finish up his externship. Next time we go, I really want to see the Bellagio decor, see friends and take more pictures!!

An Unexpected Toy

Whilst in Las Vegas, Alex happened upon this hazmat mask in his stepmom Shannon's car. Apparently, his dad bought it for her in case of a dirty bomb and thus, she could drive home from work and make it safely. Well, we got quite a kick out of this mask and headed down to the gun range in the house to take some appropriate photos....

Regardless of the entertainment we created for ourselves, it would probably be a good idea to get this, especially living in such a populated and well-known city. Too bad they cost so much and are extremely uncomfortable.