Where the eagles fly, from the mountain high...

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we have arrived in Colorado Springs without incident - if you consider Nathan attempting a u-turn with a gigantic moving truck pulling a car and then rolling over an industrial sized garbage can "without incident". It was a nice trip except for the times when I was white-knuckling it watching the truck slow down to 35 mph chugging up the hills. I considered getting out and pushing but Nathan thought it would be less than effective. As if we didn't feel a warm enough welcome from Mike and Stephanie, who are so graciously putting up with us for a bit, President Bush and the Thunderbirds were also in town today to make sure we felt right at home. Apparently it worked out well because they were able to kill two birds with one stone by appearing at the Air Force Academy graduation as well. Now that is what I call great planning. The last two days Nathan and I have been looking at apartments all over town. My brain has turned to mush and all of the floor plans look the same to me. They have all melted into one mass that I will now refer to as "The Nothing". Fortunately, in the midst of all the stuccoed mazes, glimpses of the beautiful Front Range remind us of how excited we are to be here and how much we are looking forward to showing you all around when you visit. As soon as we get in a place I will make sure to post some pictures so you all can see our lovely mountain home.

Many thanks...

Thanks, Mom, for letting me come and hang out with you the last few days. I am so excited about the wonderful things happening in your life and the joy that you seem to have reclaimed. It's a good thing to see.

Thanks, Dad, for working so hard for your family. We love you very much.

Thanks, Derek and Emily, for creating this...

None of the pictures I took could even compare. He is a wonderful addition to our family. No one else can throw up down the inside of my shirt with as much aplomb as little Ethan... and LIVE!

Thanks, Elder McLaughlin, for decided that you will figure out how to make your mission the best. We have all been there and you are in our prayers.

Thanks, Nathan, for knowing how important my family is to me. Also, thanks for working so hard and for keeping the big picture in mind. I am so proud of you.

Thanks, Arizona, for being a wonderful surprise to me. We didn't get along very well at the beginning, but I will truly miss you now that it is time to go.

And last of all, thanks, University of Phoenix Colorado Springs, for seeing how incredible my husband is and offering him a job there. We are looking forward to getting to know your town and my cousins better. I think we are going to be good friends very soon...

Le Roi est mort.

1. Today should be a day of national mourning. A true hero, one who has changed the face of our country, has fallen and I will be dressing in black for the next year. "Irvine Robbins, who as co-founder of Baskin-Robbins brought Rocky Road, Pralines ’n Cream and other exotic ice cream concoctions to every corner of America, has died at age 90." I owe this man so much for the hundreds of hours of pure enjoyment and fifteen extra pounds of gadunk gadunk that I now carry as a tribute to one man's genius. I will be organizing a 31 gun salute today.
   
   
2. The other day Nathan had to tell a woman who is in training that she would have to leave the class and rejoin the next because she had missed three days due to illness. He was trying to be as kind as possible because this effectively meant that she was going to be without a paycheck for another month so he first asked her how she was doing. She explained to him that she was sorry that she had missed but after her recent battle with cancer when she had to have a shunt put in and the doctor accidentally nicked her lung, causing it to collapse, she has a propensity to lung issues - in this case pneumonia. As you can imagine, Nathan felt GREAT after hearing that. Yeah, Nathan is the guy who fired the cancer patient. Nice. He prefers to call her a "CANCER SURVIVOR, BETH! A CANCER SUR-VI-VOR!" My suggestion to him was to say, "Well, this is not going to be the worst news you've ever gotten!". I am on the hunt for some homeless children or recent widows whose dream he can crush as well.
   
   
3. Try humming the theme song to Star Wars and then immediately jump into the Superman theme song. Good luck! It seriously took me two days to do it. I think that John Williams was paid for the same song twice.

Let's Get Physical!

In my quest to drop a few lbs and get healthier, I have been going to the gym 3-4 times a week and eating healthier. Apparently the experts are right and it actually works! I am usually on the treadmill, rocking out on my ipod which gives me time to observe the other people who come in there. It seems that it is pretty much the same group of people everyday who have their own quirks and strange habits. Witness...

The Comrades - There are three middle-aged Eastern Europeans who come in the evenings. You can tell them not by the fact that they don't speak any English but by their dress. The first is a grey-haired man who tucks his t-shirt into his sweat pants and accessorizes with a large gold medallion that I am pretty sure Captain Jack is looking for to return to the mystical Incan chest. The other man wears shorts that would not need to be removed for a proctology exam (when he is not is his Speedos strutting out to the pool). Then there is the woman who was on the treadmill last night in a long sleeved shirt, a sweater over her shoulders, long pants, and high heels. If I ever had doubts about the evil of communism before, they are put to rest now.

The "Best of Intentions" Gang - Every once in awhile a guy will come in -and I do mean guy - who is wearing a sleeveless shirt, has a couple of tats, and is wearing a hat on backwards. He will have a jug of water and sweatbands on his forearms and will check himself out in the mirror for a few minutes before selecting the first machine that will have the honor of toning his muscles. He sits down, tests the weight, and then does two reps. I don't mean two sets, I mean reps. Then he will stop and just stare at his feet for about ten minutes before getting up, going to another machine and starting the process over again. He will do this three times, take a big drink as if he has done something, and leave having never broken a sweat. Here's my thought, if you aren't going to exercise why pretend that you are? Don't tease your basketball shorts and cutoff t-shirt that you got from your fraternity pool party into thinking you will actually allow them to fulfill their destiny. That ain't cool.

Her - When I go to the gym in the morning there is this really nice girl who usually is there as well. She is cute and fit, she always says hello and complimented me on my hair when I got it cut. I hate her. Let me explain why. We are always on the treadmills next to each other. If you were to look at the two of us together you would see that there is a huge contrast. As I said, she is cute and fit whereas I look like a sweaty sun burnt puffer fish. In the midst of her running she has the AUDACITY to answer phone calls and hold ten minute long conversations without slowing her pace at all. This is where I generally envision the scene from "Independence Day" where the alien holds the guy from Star Trek up to the window and says "DIE!!!". I sincerely hope that envy has no caloric value.

You wouldn't like me when I'm angry...

A lot has happened this week and I kept thinking that I should blog about it but I have been lazy. So, I will break it down to make this all the more palatable. Much of it involves TV. Shut up.

Last week - "The Office" returned and the world heaved a collective sigh of relief. We also had a great Ward party/bar-b-que where Nathan and I were in charge of three-legged races, gunny sack races, and making sure everyone had a good time. Nathan also made quite the showing at the egg toss where the inside of his hat ended up filled with slimy yolks that only came out after two times through the washer machine!

Monday - We had some friends over to watch "Hot Rod" and eat pazookis. Nathan and I have taken it upon ourselves to convert the world to one of the funniest, most ridiculous movies ever.

Tuesday - Who doesn't think that "The Biggest Loser" finale is one of the greatest achievements in the marvelous spectacle that is American media? I am going to miss the show for the reason that it is midway through it each week that I get that guilty feeling, change into my gym clothes, and get my rear in gear (it's a lower gear, but it definetly requires shifting!)

Wednesday - I babysat my neighbor's 14-month-old for three and a half hours so she and her husband could go to the temple. As I told Megan this morning, babysitting is a lot easier if it is Hank and I have a bag of M&Ms on hand! The little girl was great though and by the end of it she was playing with my hair and eating my chapstick. A good time was had by all.

Oh, and "Top Chef" was on. Food porn.

Thursday - There is another couple that lives in our apartment complex that we have befriended. They are very young and very newlywed, but cute as can be. They called last night to ask us if we wanted to play volleyball. I don't know if you all know how I feel about volleyball, but I LOVE it. I will pretty much play it anywhere with anyone. As it turns out, they had gotten enough friends to play on one side against a team of pilots who also live in the complex. So the game was touted as "The Mormons vs. The Pilots" and we kicked butt. Nathan came out of it with a big. bloody raspberry on his knee and I had my Lou Ferrigno moment.

What do you think? The similarities are astounding.

Everything was going really well until I went to lunge for a ball. I was wearing a brand new shirt that was made of a lighter material as I had not thought to change. In my very athletic prowess I dove for the ball and heard a pop that I couldn't really understand. It wasn't until I got home later and was changing into a t-shirt that I realized I had literrally ripped the shirt across my shoulders. I could not be contained! So now I, like David Banner, am doomed to wander the planet alone. It is the price I must pay for my overexposure to gamma radiation.

Also, I completed a job that was four years in the making.

That's right, Beagley women, I finally completed my memory board from Family Reunion 2004. It took me long enough, but I think it was worth it. It's hard to see here, but it is a green and brown striped material that matches my bedroom. I also used upholstery nails instead of buttons. I really like the way it turned out. It took me awhile, but I consider myself the Michaelangelo of memory boards, and no one complained that he worked slowly.

A la Rick Astley...

Thanks Ryan!

It's a cruel (cruel) cruel summer.

Now I am depressed...

I saw that it will hit 90 degrees this week, and it made me do this...