Aaron & Marianne Gary

i like how the 'always' is in capitals...

2012-01-19T09:55:00.001-08:00

Why men will ALWAYS pick 'curvy' Scarlett Johansson over 'size zero' Victoria Beckham

Last updated at 12:06 PM on 28th October 2009

It's a good reason to ditch that diet and celebrate with a piece of cake.

A study has found that men really do prefer ‘normal’-sized women with a few curves to those who are fashionably thin.

They find a body like Scarlett Johansson’s or Kate Winslet’s more attractive than the angular frames of Posh Spice and Paris Hilton.

'Normal-sized' women like Scarlett Johansson were rated more attractive than super-slim ladies like Victoria Beckham in the study

The results will be welcomed by the millions of British ladies who are a perfectly healthy size but believe they would be more popular with men if they were thinner.

The research from St Andrews University, published in the journal Perception, involved a group of male students.

Researchers asked them to rate photographs of female faces for attractiveness.

The women in the ‘normal’ weight range were rated as better looking

than the skinny ones. Researcher Professor David Perrett said: ‘This sends out a strong message to all the girls out there who believe you have to be underweight to be attractive.

Not everyone's cup of tea: Actress Keira Knightley and the famously curvy J.Lo

‘The people making judgments in our study were all between the ages of 18 and 26 and they did not rate the underweight girls most attractive. They preferred normal-weight girls.’

Overweight women were also rated as being less attractive, and judged to be in poorer health. This perception of their health was backed up by asking them about their medical history.

Lead researcher Vinet Coetzee said: ‘Those students that were rated as more overweight reported more frequent and longer-lasting cold and flu bouts, used antibiotics more frequently and had higher blood pressure than those students considered normal weight.

'Even at this young age, their health was already suffering because they were overweight and what is more, other people can spot this in their face.’

Obesity is linked to a host of other health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, some cancers and fertility problems.

Women who weigh too little risk problems with vitality, mental health and fertility and are more likely to die at any given point than someone of normal weight.

Professor Perrett said: ‘A take-home message for young people is that maintaining normal weight benefits current health and will improve good looks.’

remember...

2012-01-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Remember, rich-white-people, it is MLK day and you should celebrate in some helpful way. Don't go skiing, and please teach your children something about Civil Rights.

(I never would have guessed that people use today to go skiing- until I saw some white person post all their skiing pics from this day... it seems impolite and clueless.)

As for our family, we will be helping Haily understand how to pronounce 'Martin Luther King, Jr., instead of what she called him this morning, 'King Luther'.

"yes, eunice"

2012-01-13T19:36:00.000-08:00

We are watching this with the girls right now. So great! What a fun screwball comedy! The girls loved it when Eunice tried to get into the musicologist reception with the hostess grabbing her legs. And I noticed this time around that all the Hotel Bristol wallpaper has come back into fashion. Thank you, Peter Bogdanovich!

Soulful Christmas Dance Video 2011

2011-12-27T17:42:00.001-08:00

girl christmas party!

2011-12-20T12:06:00.001-08:00

pretty glow

2011-12-18T21:01:00.000-08:00

Although this tree fell down as I was putting the lights on, I readily forgive it. It has got to be the prettiest, Christmas tree we have ever had! Thank you Alpine Tree farm!

family pictures by auntie meikel

2011-12-16T10:07:00.000-08:00

So- I have in my possession absolutely no pictures of myself with my husband and all three children- and- my cousin, Meikel, got a brand new camera that shoots on film, so, we scheduled a time and finally got me in a pic with my sweet, little family! Huzzah!

...and by this time Josy was done. But anyway- Meikel did a great job and I am so happy to have these!

let that pendulum swing!!

2011-12-11T18:59:00.001-08:00

(This last shot is my attempt for Zoolander's 'Blue Steel')

Swing back to the days where a girl with curves was the model for beauty and desired proportion! Swing back to being robust over skeletal, hourglass over emaciated! It has taken two decades of my life to realize that my tall frame and predominantly endomorphic tissue make up are actually lovely.

For two decades my eyes have roved over magazine ads, glossy pictures, TV shows and movies where tiny, skinny women with the figures of prepubescent boys (no hips, no breasts) have been held aloft as the beacons for what is considered pretty or desirable. No thank you! No more! I am done worrying about 'skinny' and dare others to do the same. Muscles- yes, health- yes, curves- yes, yes, yes!

uncle/elder scott

2011-12-11T18:48:00.001-08:00

Waiting...

waiting...

There he is in a purple tie! Uncle Scott, I mean, Elder Nelson! Oh Happy Day! My baby brother Scott served a faithful LDS mission in Minnesota and got to stop over in Utah for four days before heading home to my parents in Cali.

Big brother and little brother. Sweet.

Aunt Melodee was there too- and after the airport she fed us a lovely lunch at her house in SLC.

Scott is quite the musician and so it wasn't strange to see him traveling with a little ukulele. I bet he can't wait to get a hold of his collection of guitars at home. He stayed with us over the weekend, attended our open house in his honor and then flew home to Sacramento Sunday morning. Love you Scotty!

thanksgiving in mapleton

2011-12-11T18:33:00.001-08:00

Our family was invited to the Mapleton Lamberts' home for Thanksgiving. And this was a treat because my Aunt and Uncle truly know how to entertain. Everything you eat there is perfection, the company is cheerful and their log cabin style home is cozy and warm. We had a lovely time!

This is cutie Charlie with his Momma Annie.

There were two of these smoked turkeys- both stuffed with apples and onions, and fresh herbs. Delicious.

These pewter cups and pouring jug are something I would like to get myself- they keep cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot.

Everything is handmade. These are my Aunt Becky's rolls and they are divine.

My other Auntie, Lisa, brought down the house with her coconut cream pie that got eaten by everyone in about 5 minutes flat as soon as it was topped with fresh sweet cream!

Thank you to my relatives for creating such a wonderful holiday for me and my family!

sharlene and manly

2011-12-11T16:06:00.000-08:00

Here is Sharlene (Haily) and Manly (Myka). I don't quite know how it all began, but I know that everytime the girls get dressed up this way the laughter lasts for hours and hours. Haily is particualrly good at staying in her character of 'Sharlene' and looks hilarious as she tries to walk in my heels. Myka is Manly, Shalene's husband who has the bottom half of a big bummed goat. ? ? ?

warm and cozy

2011-12-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

Warm and cozy dress coats for freezy winter temperatures! Old Navy had a great sale and I found exactly what I wanted for half the price! (And here is Aaron with a bit of a beard- which of course he was only growing so that he could shave and then leave a stache for 'Movember'... mustache + Novemeber--- you get it. And I had never really wanted to see him in a beard- but he actually looked good!

gross surgery pic

2011-12-11T15:12:00.000-08:00

Aaron had oral surgery two weeks ago. His endodontist had to do a bone graft below his sinuses and above his upper front teeth. Everything has healed fine despite the ugly looking stitches shown here. Yuck.

i like

2011-12-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

I have one Racounters song on my playlist, 'Steady As She Goes' and I don't know how it got there, but I really like it. So, now I am off to find more music from this group- and am excited because Jack White heads this group up and I loved all the White Stripes stuff. (and then all their images online have them looking uberindierocktrash with long locks- and then I remember that I llllllllllllloooooovvvvvveeeeee it when men grow long hair----!)

josy by meikel

2011-12-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

Auntie Meikel took our family pics. This is a lovely shot of my baby Josy.

elder nelson vuelve de su mision!

2011-12-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

1st place reflections winner!

2011-11-26T11:51:00.000-08:00

Hooray for Myka! Our eight year old artist! She won first place in her school's Reflections visual art category. As you can see- she drew a diverse group of dragons displaying unique colors and designs. Congratulations Myka!

three darling trick or treaters!

2011-11-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

(blurry- but it's the only one!!)

Hooray for Halloween! It has got to be my kids favorite holiday- they spend more than the month of October designing their costumes and decorating the house with spooky pictures. Little Josy was a sparkle- fluff princess, Haily was 'Aisling' from Secret of Kells and of course, Myka wanted to be Hermione, the bright and studious heroine from the Harry Potter books.

2 yr old 'yoshi'

2011-10-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Gush! How can we love our little 'Yoshi' any more than we do? She is soft, cuddly, warm and cheerful! Josy turned two and is growing and learning in so many ways. What a lovely blessing in our lives. Beautiful, blonde, Josette. We love you.

tripoli

2011-10-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

Meet Tripoli Silverlight Gary- the girls' new kitten. She is seven weeks old today and loves to chase our feet as we walk about the house- although we will transition her to be more of an outdoor cat here soon enough. Myka, Haily and Josy each love her passionately- except little Josy hasn't quite figured out how not to squeeze her to death!

myka's hp b*day party

2011-09-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

(Now that it is two months passed her birthday- I am ready to have the party!)

We took several pics of Myka as Hermione. This was my choice, but she prefered the top pic- so that is what we went with for the invites.

byu children's dance

2011-09-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Myka and Haily took children's creative dance this summer with the BYU program. They met my friend's daughter there- her name is Isabella. Both of my girls are lovely dancers (although Myka is not that interested in continuing into the fall- she wants to swim and do drama classes).

'chim-chutes'

2011-09-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

Here are Myka and Haily with their favorite girlfriend these days- Eva! And they are in their 'chim-chutes'. That is how Josy requests to wear swim wear all hours of the day and all days of the week, "Chim-chute mamma, peese?"

myka in white

2011-07-31T18:29:00.000-07:00

Myka is getting baptized on Saturday. All family and friends are welcome. We are happy that she is learning and growing, especially at this unique time where she can recognize her spiritual side and commit to the covenant of baptism.

(side note: there is the baptism dress I pieced together from lace and slips. It was a chore and a half for me- the undomestic goddess. None the less, Myka looks lovely in it for her special day!)

eight years ago...

2011-07-20T22:20:00.001-07:00

...my little first baby was born! Oh how my world was turned upside down- in a good way. Myka was such a sweet and darling baby. This image is from a video camera, so it's not the best, but just look at her little self! Love!

noncampers

2011-06-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

Not that we wouldn't like to be good at camping- we just haven't ever made a point of becoming so.

Myka requested a camping trip and so we made it happen. And I won't bore you with the details- but Mom, Haily and Josy went home after the first night, leaving Myka and her Dad to brave it on their own the second night...

The important thing is that the kids had fun and met friends and so...that is that!

psych grad pics

2011-06-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

Uncle Ryan Andrew Nelson graduated from BYU this year! Way to go little brother!

moving music

2011-06-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

Put the soundtrack for Amelie on in your house. Get out
fluffy dresses or flowy skirts for your little girl(s) to wear. And just see what happens...

josy @ 20 months

2011-06-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

Here is my Josette who was rather hard to photograph. She wanted to walk around and invest-
igate things instead of look into the lens with her jewel blue eyes and smile her fantastic smile.
oh well...still cute

josyspongerollers

2011-06-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

short hair cut

2011-06-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

I chopped off my long, shiny blonde hair about a month ago and I had a retarded, emotional fallout over it. And I wish I hadn't been so attached to it- or relied so heavily on it to feel pretty...

I am still a little perplexed as to how I let myself be so... so...I can't think of the right word right now, not 'shallow', something else..

So- what is this idea of women wanting long hair to feel attractive? Or of men prefering long hair on women...

(I guess not everybody does- but you know- how many lingerie catalogue models have short hair? Barely any because somehow long hair is romantic, womanly and sexy- can I type the word 'sexy' on my family blog?)

Well, I looked up, 'Do men prefer long hair?', on google, and an article entitled, "10 Politically Incorrect Truths About Human Nature", from Psychology Today popped up first.

And aside from learning alot of other things about why men prefer what they do, I learned why long hair carries the weight it does in terms of attractiveness to men.

Subconsciously, before our modern day, when men were looking for a potential mating partner, healthy, shiny, shoulder-legnth hair was a physical proclamation of good health. It said, "I have been healthy for this long...".

Aha! That makes a little sense. Aaron has admitted he prefers long hair on most women and me in particular. And perhaps I was too caught up having long hair in an effort to extend supposed 'fecundity' (a new word for me). But maybe I just liked to hide behind my long hair...I don't know!

(All the other items I learned about mens' physical preferences in a mate, like breast to waist to hip ratio, color of hair and color of eyes, link back to the ultimate goal of successful procreation, survival of the species. The article does state that the preferences are politicaly incorrect, nevertheless, 'are what they are.' It was interesting.----by the way---pic of Barbie is not to represent me- but the male physical preference specifications pointed out in the article...)

haily @ ballet

2011-05-31T09:04:00.000-07:00

Haily has worked hard since January in ballet class with Miss Jennie. Josy and I got to watch her class demonstrate their skills last week. It was great to see Haily really concentrating and focusing on her technique. I would recommend this studio to those interested and in the Provo area.

reading

2011-05-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

So far this book is hitting all the right marks for me. I have only started glimpsing at it and the ideas inside seem sound. I am interested in making peace with food and dropping the perpetual dieter mentality- especially since I can sense that my food issues may start to interfere with my kids' natural relationship with food. I am glad to have found this.

lazy sunday

2011-05-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

After church our family of five put chairs and blankets on the grass outside to lay around chatting, playing and eating strawberry and mint creamies. It was a lovely way to spend a sunny, Sunday afternoon.

redheads for myka

2011-05-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

Myka asked the other day if redheads with fair skin can be beautiful. Uhh, 'Yes!', I said. And then looked in her room to see her and Haily playing with their blonde and tan barbies.

(I actually don't think we ever purhased these- many have been birthday party gifts- but I am not sure how playing with a doll that looks like a fully developed woman is helpful for little girls...hmmm)

Anyhoo- I looked up these redheads for Myka- and of course we'll talk about how there are other things to be besides beautiful, but you know, I wanted her to see. (although Rupert Grint may not fall under the 'beautiful' category...)

haily's b*day pics by meikel

2011-05-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

Haily's Auntie Meikel took great pictures at her suprise birthday party in March.
She has a whole post full on her blog, http://lukeandmeikel.blogspot.com/.

hailyballerina

2011-05-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

Here is our dancing girl. Haily has been attending ballet classes
at the Classical Ballet Academy with Jennie Creer King. Saturday
she performed on the Covey Arts Center stage as part of a Daddy
Daughter dance with Aaron. (Camera was misbehaving for pics with Aaron-
we'll have to have a separate photo shoot).

2 mile fun run

2011-05-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

Myka and her Dad ran her school's two mile fun run on Friday. Our long legged girl actually runs very well, yet she has this funny hang up on competition- she hates it. It took some persuading, but she finally agreed to run with a good attitude- and she did great! (The run was for everyone 1st through 6th grade. And a fifth grader took first place, coming in way ahead of everyone- it happened to be a grandson of the Ed Pinegar Family).

my post to susan boyle

2011-05-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Susan Boyle,

I have watched you take down the house at Britain's Got Talent a few
times now on Youtube and each time I watch it I get choked up.

Before you begin to sing, people are laughing at you; they think you are funny looking, they think you are old and overweight, they can't possibly imagine that you are something more than your external appearance.

And then you sing- and you win it all.

How do I express my admiration?  When I can't even bring myself to get in a swimsuit in the summer to swim with my kids due to such displaced value on physical beauty and the correct body 'size'.

I dream for such guts and fearlessness as you. My life is governed by way too much emphasis placed on the temporal facade of physical appearance. I think I have actually wasted time and resources persuing beauty at the cost of being more helpful to those in the life that surrounds me.

There is nothing better than when you stand there and shake your head at the laughing audience- signaling to them that you aren't concerned with their shallow opinion...and then they are blown away by your talent.

Thank you-
Marianne Gary

byu cheer skirts!

2011-04-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

It is theme basket time at the girl's elementary. Haily's class is taking donations for their 'True Blue' BYU theme basket. So She and I decided twin BYU cheer skirts would be fun. I made two navy blue and white striped twirl skirts that I think will send two little girls off happily to any BYU sporting event.

birthday boy

2011-04-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

OK, 'Birthday Man'. When I met Aaron he was 21 years old and he looked like he was about 16. Last week he turned 36-oh my heck he looks maybe 26- maybe! Yes, I am bragging about my husband who I love. He deserves a great pile of presents and to be waited upon hand a foot for all the things he does and sacrfices for our family. Happy Birthday Aaron!

Myself and Aaron- I am having physical appearance issues- so this is all there is...

(...and thank you to Lube Docs of Orem for their verticle brickwork and cool paint design.)

sunny day pics

2011-04-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

(so i didn't love this edit of josy in color splash as much as i thought i would- but if i don't try different stuff then i won't know...)

just wait...

2011-04-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

There are a ton of awesome bday pics from the party- it will take me a little time to
get them up- but thanks to Meikel there are pictures. This is a great one of Haily's 6' 5 Uncle Luke.

haily dancer swimsuit

2011-04-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

I have a whole set of these sunny swimsuit pics, but Josy is crying at my feet and so she comes first...

three hundred and one

2011-04-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

This book "Old Possum's Guide to Practical Cats' by T. S. Eliot is officially brings my kids' childrens book library count to three hundred and one. I grew up with tons of books in my room and so have made it a point to fill my girls' bookcases with books. Haily is about to graduate from kindergarten and has become quite the reader!

'remark, the cat....that hesitates before you'

2011-04-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

This, 'Remark, the Cat' line from the musical Cats is stuck in my mind, as is the solo by Elaine Paige, Memory. What a beautiful and melancholy song with a haunting melody and tender lyrics!

And, as with each time our household is taken over with a great musical, the songs and images swirl around in my mind at all times of the day, even in my dreams at night. I love how there can be music, theater, film, and all kinds of art forms that take me to a new plane of living and seeing the world around me. I am certain the fine arts are a gift to humans, given to enrich our thoughts and perceptions.

Ok! So! Myka loves Rumpleteazer and Haily loves Victoria the White Cat. Spring break is a perfect time for them to work on designing their own cat costume, right? Off to the fabric store we go...

Grizabella the Glamour Cat- Elaine Paige

Rumpleteazer

Victoria- dancing her solo adagio

photos for sugarbone

2011-04-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

My little brother, Ryan and his bandmates asked me to take some shots of them for their flyer announcing an upcoming concert. Ryan plays the bass, Kevin-with the curly hair-plays drums and Chris-in the beanie-sings and plays lead guitar.

bathtime photos by myka

2011-04-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

'yo jb!'

2011-04-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

500,000,000!

You pronounce it 'FIVE HUNDRED MILLION'. That is how many hits Justin Beiber has for his 'Baby-featuring Ludacris' music video on Youtube. !Holy-non-dropped-male-voice, Batman!

Myka and Haily got Justin Beiber's first CD about a year ago- and it probably sounds funny for a mother of three to be saying, but ...i like it! I like him, and I love that he uses dance in tons of his videos.

I secretly wish I could direct a music video for him- I would put him wifh some modern/hip hop dancers and then create some 'contact improv' stuff to an awesome beat. Hmmm...maybe there's a contest I could win or something...hmmm...

Anyway- I just barely saw the video for "Somebody to Love'. It rocks- with lots of breakdancing, hip hop and even some chinese fan dancing. (Now to go practice my 'helicopter').

creme brulee for jake and a cute new baby

2011-04-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

After about two trial and errors and then reading tons about making this dessert online- Aaron and I made a pretty good set of creme brulee!

When we moved back to Provo, Aaron met his friend Jake at church and they found they both commute to work. Jake is a lawyer whose firm resides in Sandy- and Aaron is at IHC's new headquarters in Murray. So every morning at about 6:20, Jake swings by and they both catch the bus at the University Mall.

I wanted to thank Jake for the ride and so I found out that his favorite dessert is this rather high end custard from France (or Cambridge if you want to argue about it). We used Alton Brown's recipe and it was very good- once we got it right!

Speaking of getting things 'wright'- we went to see our friends, the Wrights (like my transition?) and we brought a batch of creme brulee to share. Geoff and Leah have a new house and a new baby girl who I got to hold and coo over Friday night. It was lovely. Here is a photo by Leah of new little Kate Naomi:

(Leah owns her own design and photography business, check it out @ http://leahnaomi.com/ she is awesome.)

uh oh...

2011-04-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

I have two daughters who are obsessed with cats of all kinds. House cats, leopards, cheetahs, cougars-anything cats.

And this has gone on for at least two years. I am embarrassed to say that tonight my brain just barely remembered that there is a musical with dancing and singing cats, aptly named Cats, with music by Andrew Lloyd Weber.

I told the girls about it and showed them 'Jellicle Cats' on You Tube and...uh oh...

They are hooked and now must see the whole thing and have the soundtrack and read TS Eliot's Old Possum's Guide to Practical Cats. And Myka has now changed her halloween costume form 'Toothless' to the cute tabby cat from the show. Oh my heavens!

(The last time we brought an Andrew Lloyd Weber musical into our lives -Joseph- the girls played the music and watched the DVD of the musical until, until...I don't even know how to describe the obsession...you would have to have been there-! )

s.t. designs

2011-03-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

This is Sarah Tyau. She is a massively popular DIY blogger (1,500 followers and counting). She designs new fashions and restyles old clothing. And she does it all right over my head.

Sarah and her husband Jay are our landlords and live above our basement apartment. They are great- so are their cute daughters. Follow her evolution as a clothing designer online @ http://jaynsarah.blogspot.com/.

(In this picture Sarah is modeling her dress that won Shabby Apple's design contest. She made it out of one of her mom's temple skirts from the 70's. It will be available in their Spring Collection. Go Sarah!)

pop and slide

2011-03-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

(I am thinking I would like to do a series of paintings based off this one-but!-in oil- which will let the colors pop and slide with more impact...hmmm).

awake within a dream- by maria pace-wynters

2011-03-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

(This is beautiful and splendid and I want it for my increasingly imaginative and artistic daughter, Myka Krystianna- who has flowing red hair down to her bum.)

etsy ideas for myka's dress

2011-03-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am crazy and want to try to make a beautiful baptism dress for my soon to be eight-year-old daughter. Sewing can be addicting- and Etsy makes finding ideas really easy. So, of course, whatever dress I copy will be changed for a young girl's body and have sleeves of some sort, or a bolero style shrug- and it will be white or light ivory.

(I had Myka come sit by me the other night and choose her favorite style- she was not impressed with any except this last lacey, tiered one. And she did like both sparkly rhinestone headbands.)

thigh-high-leather-boot-strutting-around-provo-costco-lady

2011-03-24T13:47:00.000-07:00

As I stood in line for some photo enlargements at the Provo Costco the other day, I heard the loud 'clickity click' of high heels behind me so I turned around to behold the most sinteresting thing... it was a knockout of a platinum-blonde woman strutting black, leather, thigh-high boots with coordinating black stretch pants and buckled leather jacket.

This woman was in her late thirties, yet had the curves and waistline that only occur in nature never. (I mean how does one achieve 2% body fat yet work a heavy bustline and j.lo-esque backside?) If I sound jealous it's because I sound jealous. She was turning heads and getting double and tripple takes all over the place- mostly from men- even obviously Mormon men- even men whose wives would never guess they ever let their eyes wander.

I am guessing that 'thigh-high-strutting-Provo-Costco-lady' knew exactly what she was doing in the morning when she squoze into her clothes and then went shopping at the Provo Costco. She wanted to attract attention and knew what would work. Part of me is suprised by how many heads she turned, but then not suprised because I was looking too- but not in that way--

And so I am still figuring out how I feel about thigh boot lady and the amount of endowed attention she was getting.

(Aaron and I discovered some years ago that just because you marry someone- it doesn't mean you never, ever again in your whole life think another human being is attractive. And so when I tease him at the mall or wherever there may be other beautiful women we see, he tells me, 'a gentleman only looks once'. But then he didn't see boot lady... I wonder where she is in Provo shopping today....)

girl ball

2011-03-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Young Women Basketball! Go girls! I do have a handful of blogreaders who can remember the days when girls were not invited to play sports at church or school or even recreationally. Thank goodness we are way passed that! I got to coach our ward's YW this year- (with Aaron's constant help cause I don't play basketball). These girls were energetic, fearless and had awesome sports(wo)manship. I loved that I got to be a part of their team.

keep it secret

2011-03-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

auntie meikel

2011-03-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

I remember first seeing my baby cousin in 1983 asleep on my aunt's bed in the bay area. She was about six months old and I thought she was so wonderful. She turned 28 the other day and I must say it is a beautiful number on her- she is a lovely mother and wife and one of my best friends in the world. Check out her photography at her blog http://lukeandmeikel.blogspot.com/

me and my girls

2011-03-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

(every once in a while i have to remember to take a picture with myself in it)

byu vs csu!

2011-02-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

Game night with Dad! The girls went to their first of many BYU sporting events with Aaron tonight-yeehoo! All three had a grand time watching Jimmer Ferdette lead the Cougars to victory over Colorado State.

(off they go! they walked cause it's so close- and it's a pain trying to drive in pre-game traffic!)

crazy hair day

2011-02-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

Crazy hair day at school for Spirit Week! Here Haily is sandwiched by the twins in her class. These two also take ballet with Haily in Provo with Jenny Creer-King. So cute!

(oh no! haily turned blue! my girls love to go on photoshop and mess around with the color controls..)

"i wish i was a little bit taller..."

2011-02-23T19:46:00.000-08:00

"...I wish I was a 'baller', I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her..."- that is Skee Low as the ring tone on Aaron's cell these days.

He loves to play basketball and he is fun to watch. We have been going to his games lately and his church team made it into the tournament! I couldn't get the best shots with my little Josette by my side the whole evening-dang it!

valentine lipshtick

2011-02-15T12:58:00.000-08:00

(I have got more of these- but my photoshop is down and they need editing- stay tuned g'ma and g'pa)

'oh l'amour...'

2011-02-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

Aaron's eyes worked great for me practicing catchlight shots. (We will be together for our fourteenth Valentine's Day on Monday...and that look in his eyes still sends me to the outer limits...)

catchlight practice

2011-02-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

trying to learn to photograph with awesome 'catch light' in the eyes

self obsession

2011-02-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

I ran into a girlfriend from high school today at church. She had visited our blog and for a moment during our conversation I felt a little sheepish of my posts- they tend to be all about me and how wonderful my family is...

And earlier this week I was visiting a very popular mormon blog and got the same feeling from that one- that each post is to describe in detail how awesome the blogger's life is...and it got a little old.

It is one thing to post pictures of the kids for out-of-state grandparents and relatives but it's another to post and post in an effort to trump other bloggers' extraordinary lives. And it may be just me having a realization for myself, but conceitedness is not a characteristic I admire in others and in turn do not want to seem that way- blogwise. So pardon this little reflection on mine and others self obsession- it is a 'thing that must go'.

reading

2011-02-06T20:33:00.000-08:00

Marianne- 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' by Victor Hugo

Aaron- 'Dune' by Frank Herbert

Aaron- 'Catcher In The Rye' by JD Salinger

Marianne-'The Fellowship of the Ring' by J.R.R. Tolkien

home building resazearch

2011-01-31T13:10:00.000-08:00

Can you tell what kind of home I am interested in building? Or should I find more pics of brick colonials? I have recently visited two girlfriends who have helped design and then had new homes built. It is an interesting process that involves a designer/builder and lots of money! And we are not quite ready to do this but it really appeals to me to pick and choose details of the home in which we want to raise the girls. Something to work towards...

first!

2011-01-31T12:58:00.000-08:00

These little cotton calico print nightgowns are the first items I have sewn that I actually like. There are tons of mistakes on them and I have yet to learn how to custom fit the garment to my daughters, but now after about 18 months of trying, I finally like something I made!

awesomeoverheadapartmentlighting

2011-01-31T12:35:00.000-08:00

dear blogger uploader- you suck lots- at no time during the posting of this was i able to control how i wanted my pics to go!!!! become user friendly with quickness...now i have to wait for my computer genius husband to get home to fix this- i am not being sarcastic aaron actually is a computer genius.

mini girl night

2011-01-20T10:34:00.000-08:00

We have such limited space these days that we needed to have a mini version of our traditionally crowded- with-little-girls 'Girl Night'. The girls invited Sarah and Eva from church and had a lovely time.

myka*art

2011-01-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

Myka really excells in drawing. She sat Haily down and drew her portrait. And per Haily's request Myka drew her as a Russian princess, 'Halinska'.

(And this is Halinska's nutcracker sidekick. I forgot to ask his name.)

gingersnaps w/ g'pa eric

2011-01-16T16:02:00.000-08:00

Every Christmastime my girls look forward to baking cookies with my Dad, Grandpa Eric. Gingersnaps are such a Christmas-ey cookie with the cloves and ginger spice. Both girls got some special time to help and even tried baking some in their new EasyBake oven! Thanks Grandpa- you are the best.

swiffer sleepers

2011-01-12T14:44:00.001-08:00

These one piece sleepers have provided hours of cozy fun for the girls, not to mention the free floor polishing I get while they play.

christmas pictures @ the library

2010-12-27T13:10:00.000-08:00

christmas dance video 2010

2010-12-15T21:33:00.000-08:00

animal hats

2010-12-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

These bright, fun winter hats are from Aunt Melodee- thank you Auntie! I could not catch Josy in a still moment. (There actually was one Josy shot that worked but it got censored by her Dad).

aspen lane salon

2010-12-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

My talented cousin, Holly Lambert, opened her own hair salon this summer after her family moved into their brand new home in Mapleton, Utah. The salon is attached to her kitchen and is THE poshest home salon I have seen! Haily and Grandma Carol had appointments Friday morning- what stylish fun! (And I wasn't sneaky enough to get a shot of Holly herself- she was forbidding me- yet she is one of the most bodaciously gorgeous women I know!)

polka dot baby blanket

2010-12-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

Our friends, Matt and Bridget Taylor, (Matt was Aaron's 'best man') have a new little someone in their family. She is teeny weeny at 5 lbs with soft brown hair. Her name is Julia and we are traveling to her blessing tomorrow in Lehi.

heather telford photography

2010-11-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

Oh preciousness in a pure form! My cousin's darling, tiny family- the Reeces. That little Hudson is my love- although he doesn't know it yet. Whenever I go to visit he looks at me with the funniest crusty face- I am still fairly new to him. These pics were taken by Heather Telford (heathertelfordphotography.blogspot.com).

autumntime girl

2010-11-14T20:57:00.000-08:00

grant elementary

2010-11-12T19:48:00.000-08:00

One of the few things I will miss about Tacoma, Washington, is Grant Elementary, school for learning through the expressive arts. Myka and Haily had dance, art, theater and music classes all as a part of their education. They also made wonderful friends that we will miss dearly!

Haily and her homies...take note of Keiffer on the way left...Haily's kindergarten love... She's just a bit taller than the other five-year-olds- sheesh! We have created amazon children over here in the house of Gary!

Isabella, Madeleine and Myka.

Ally and Haily Jane.

tacoma trunk or treat

2010-11-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

Here we have Tigress and Viper from Kung Fu Panda. And Baby Josy was a little skeleton. This was all as we were packing the Uhaul and getting the house ready for our renters... exhausting to say the least! Thank you to our friends and family who helped and who came to say goodbye before we all left Washington the next morning.

ymca apprentice circle

2010-11-07T21:02:00.001-08:00

Macro shot by Amberly

I got to teach a digital photography class for the YMCA pilot program, The Apprentice Circle. The YMCA is implementing teen and preteen arts programs and I was glad to be a part of their initial class trials. I taught eight teens who were interested in learning to take photos- and we focused on different ways to take pictures as well as the editing process. Here are some of their pics.

Portraiture shot of Teana

Self portrait -in reflective surfaces- byAmber

Self Portrait by Teiya

Perspective shot by Zak

Taking portraits of children- shot by Blayne

Macro shot by Blayne

Shadow and Light shot by Amber

My shot showing color splash for editing process

karate island

2010-10-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Haily invited Denisha over to play. . . and the fun ensued.

josy

2010-10-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

My one-year-old is walking and talking. She likes Elmo, the trampoline and most of all- her sisters. Here is her current vocabulary:

Ma
Dada
dat- 'that'
mo- 'Elmo'
hi
no
sheh-'shoe'
nana-'banana'

atreyu broom or edward broom

2010-10-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

Friday evening at the Garys:

Myka: No Haily! I am not going to be the boy! I want to be Tigress Cheetah Princess... Momma, Haily is telling me I have to be the prince and I told her I don't want to and-

Me: Oh my gosh girls! Haily- Myka can be whoever she wants to be- she doesn't have to be the boy, OK? OK?

(Haily stands silent looking out the front window with her back to me.)

Me: Myka, just be Tigress or maybe you guys should take a break from playing together-

Haily: I need her to be the prince! I am the snow princess and I have to dance with the prince!

....
....

Me: Here, Haily- use the broom.

Haily: No!

Me: Look it's Edward (I taped the Twilight cover to the top of the broom)

Me as Edward: Snow Princess, please will you dance with me?

Haily: I don't want to dance with a broom!

Edward Broom: (falls to the ground with a smack)

Me: Oh Haily! You've broken Edward's heart! He's dead on the floor!

Myka: (Mom, Haily likes Atreyu, not Edward)

Me: OK well I don't have a picture of Atreyu...

Me as Atreyu: Snow Princess, It is I, Atreyu, The Warrior, will you do me the honor of dancing with me?

Haily: Slowly turning around with a teeny smile...'Yes, Atreyu."

Do I get mom points? Or what!!!!

mehavingmymidlifecrisis

2010-10-16T22:54:00.000-07:00

(And don't think it won't happen to you- younger humans- it will.)

So- this September I turned 34 and had a midlife crisis. I mean I went through and am still going through this phase of wondering about all my choices in life and worrying over wrinkles and leftover pregnancy pounds and uhhhhhhhh....

...so then I go to Office Depot with my SD card and I know there are pictures on there somewhere that I need printed for a YMCA photo project and this young, polite, teenage boy employee is helping me load and look through the thumbnails and of course the first one that pops open in full size is this one.

Yep. It's me, taking-'am I still attractive?' shots to reassure the superficial and vain side of myself. And this isn't actually the full picture the poor lad saw- I mean I'm clothed! but I was just 'busting out' all over the frame.

I was horrified of course and apologized left and right to this young man who laughed a bit and was really nice about it- but then had to ask if there were any more shots like this he would need to worry about...I just died.

I won't be going back to Office Depot anytime soon.

jumppics

2010-10-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

First in a set

"movin' on up"

2010-09-09T10:22:00.001-07:00

Movin' up in altitude that is- Aaron landed a great new job with Intermountain Healthcare headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah! His salary for software developing is going up as well- ye$$- and I get to move back to the mountains and to where I feel it will be best to raise our beautiful girls. (Aaron conceded to applying in Utah with the condition of buying a boat -?- and I was like, 'hey, whatever floats your...boat, honey')

And so although I am bragging about new jobs and more money, there is this one huge thing that isn't so fun to deal with- our house- here in Tacoma- that is under value currently with hope for an economic recovery two years away...grumble...

baby polka dot

2010-08-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

(Just had to capture that little red polka dot onesie.)

st.bernard puppies

2010-08-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

Uncle Ryan keeps scoring major points for my girls while we are here in California. His buddy from work, Dave, and his girlfriend helped rescure two abandoned St. Bernard dogs they found in a foreclosed house in their neighborhood. The dogs are male and female and they thought they had kept them apart during the female's fertile days of the month...but alas, she became pregnant and had eight tiny puppies! Ryan scheduled a visit for the girls and it was just the funnest little scene! (Those puppies are light! Lots of fluff, but they weighed barely anything).

thriftstorejunkee

2010-08-06T22:38:00.000-07:00

I can't pass a thrift store and not go in. And Stockton has got, like, ten different ones! I'm terrible, like Murial. It's too much fun to find tutus and costume stuff for the girls' dress up chest. This last trip I found Myka a full cheetah body suit- she loves to be a cheetah these days- and it cost me a whopping $1.97 (insert wildcat growl here).

12pm @ the sacramento airport

2010-08-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

(waiting....waiting...)

There he is! At 12pm this past Wednesday, my little brother, Jeff, descended the escalator at the Sacramento Airport and came home safe and sound from his LDS mission to Canada.

Yay! Uncle Jeff is finally home!

baby & mamma

2010-08-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

Josy is 11 months old. She likes to stand by herself and to crawl after her big sisters, wherever they may go. Her soft baby skin is so wonderful to kiss and squeeze- especially her many rolls. I am grateful for this little chub chub in our lives!

sunday best

2010-08-02T15:31:00.000-07:00

There is something that I love about getting all dressed up on Sunday morning to attend church. It is traditional and perhaps old fashioned but I really like seeing my girls all shiny clean and in their dresses. And then after church they are all set for pictures...perfect!

hot pink pettiskirt

2010-08-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

to plant a rose garden

2010-07-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

These are from my Grandma Carol's rose garden. What a wonderful thing to have every morning during blooming season. Huge, fragrant, gorgeous roses bunched in a simple vase on your breakfast table. (Now to read up on planting and managing my own little rose patch.)

uncle ryan, the actor

2010-07-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

My brother, Ryan, has recently been in a slew of plays at Delta College and the Stockton Civic Threater. And tonight he is currently attending the Civic Theater's awards banquet where he has been nominated for a 'Willie' (William Shakespeare) for his role in Barefoot in the Park as Paul Bratter. Good luck Uncle 'Rynee'!