Kristin & Craig

MIA

2009-05-11T11:17:00.003-06:00

Sorry, my posts have been lacking as of late. I've been working until 2 in the morning every night (even Saturdays and Sundays), posting when I have the energy on mostlyhappenchance and you know, just trying to survive. I promise when I get back from the show, I will try and post once more.

Some fun stuff:

1. We got our couch back and it looks amazing. Who knew our 20-year-old Mario flower couch could look so good? Our house is beginning to have the semblance of something real. I'll post pics soon.

2. In my "spare time," here are some wedding invites I've designed. Eva, who hand-drew many of the beautiful details did an amazing job printing them. She is so talented and a huge part of my inspiration to go the the National Stationery Show. If all goes well, thanks, Eva. If it's a total bust, thanks for nothing. :)

3. I leave for New York in 3 days!!! I will be posting here everyday about our adventures on my work blog. Hopefully, we'll have some good news to report. Cross your fingers for me!

The Never-Ending Story

2009-04-15T23:24:00.002-06:00

A PLOT SUMMARY:

Two best friends start a stationery company, despite knowing little about such things as "invoices" or "money." Although the odds are long, these underdogs openly defy them and take the industry by storm with their impeccable style and strangely catchy vocal mannerisms. After being declared paper goods moguls, they retire to a luxe life of endless supplies of Bugles, long lunches and "America's Next Top Model."

No, this isn't the script for the next Hanna Montana movie. This is real life, people. Or at least we hope it will be.

As many of you know, we (Kristin and Amy) have been working for the last several months on a stationery line called Junky Heirloom. We got accepted to the National Stationery Show in New York in May and are busting our faces to be ready. We are going to be getting the initial run of our line back from the printers soon and we wanted to share it with you. We also wanted to document the whole story of our experience starting our own company and going out on a limb for our dreams. So we decided to start a new blog.

You can go to it here: mostlyhappenchance.blogspot.com

We are going to be posting on this blog every day before the Stationery Show to tell you what we're doing and show you all of the different aspects of our preparation. We hope you'll tune in with us and follow along. It should be interesting at the very least. We are also going to try to use the blog to help generate awareness of our company before the show, so if you want to tell your friends about it, we would love the support. If you have any suggestions, we welcome those as well.

Here goes nothing!

Kristin and Amy

All grown up... sort of

2009-04-13T23:44:00.005-06:00

I've been talking about it for months and months. (I apologize to those of you who have been hearing me talk about it incessantly.) But, lucky for all you of you, we finally did it; we took the leap and purchased our first real furniture. Good-bye couch with a sheet! So long Ikea chairs! See ya later make-shift table! And hello "real" stuff.

First of all, I have to thank Heather for helping Craig and I put together a budget and focus on the task at hand. Plus, she has really taught me how to bargain shop. I HAVE been emailing her at least ten times a day and so far, she is still friends with me. Craig did tell me yesterday that I have to stop stalking her after I called her 3 times within the hour.

(Heath, I promise it will stop soon!)

After deliberating for a few days, Craig and I have decided to go with an eclectic look of modern and vintage.

Things we have purchased so far:

* Dark gray velvet to recover Craig's childhood Camelback-shaped couch
* 2 chairs- one Victorian and one arm chair
* Fabric to cover those chairs- a dove gray velvet and a graphic black and white print
* A table that uses reclaimed wood from asia (who said we weren't green?)
* These dining room chairs
* 2 lamps from DI (nothing a little spray paint can't fix)

And we are thinking about pulling the trigger on two of these ottoamans

We are doing loads of other stuff, too, including redecorating my workspace and finishing off the upstairs. I can't wait. Pictures to come in the next few weeks!

Where my girls at?

2009-03-13T16:39:00.005-06:00

Last weekend, I went to Phoenix for a girls' trip. Now, this wasn't any ordinary girls' trip. See exhibit A:

This is my friend, Heather, looking hot as always. The entire trip was devised around a date for her... so you KNOW it was good. Needless to say, this trip had a lot to live up to.

Not to mention, some of the moms had never even left their kids overnight, so that was kind of a big deal. We wanted to go to Phoenix, so that we could lay by the pool, shop, eat and talk about girl stuff... believe you me. You don't want me to go into detail.

Here are the girls: Andy, Amy, Holly, Jenna, Jen, and me. (Note: Heather not pictured because she was on her date. Boo yeah! Our plan totally worked!)

We ate AMAZING food at the restaurant behind us (cornbread croutons? WHAT?) and even though we missed Heather, it was worth it because we got to hear all the juicy date details. Us marrieds were living vicariously through her.

Here we are at the Mondrian, where we stayed. It was perfect!

My top 5 favorite parts of the trip:

1. Calvin. Need I say more?

2. Jenna taking us out to eat.. and believe me, she knows her food. Plus, we ate at Grimaldis! That was our favorite pizza place in NYC and the nephew started one in Scottsdale. It wasn't exactly the same, but it was pretty close.

3. Heather wanting to kill the baby sitting behind her on the plane ride over.

4. Laying by the pool.... in March!

5. Staying up every night until at least 2 am talking.

And one more for good measure and because I can't resist.

6. Show and tell.

Thanks, girls! I had so much fun. Who needs kids when you have me? (See Andy below.)

Love you, sluts!

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

2009-03-09T12:17:00.004-06:00

My little brother turned 24 yesterday and my aunt wrote the most amazing birthday post. Check it out; everything she says is so true! I thought that I would follow suit and let Tyler know how much I love him; always have and always will. Hope this year will bring you luck and love. xoxo.

Aren't you embarrassed?

2009-02-10T16:13:00.003-07:00

Craig and I were at Wal-mart the other day. It's a long story, but needless to say, we weren't happy about it. Our worst fears were confirmed when we saw this car parked in front of us.

Oh wait... what is that library book in the window?

Oh, good. It's "Succubus on Top." I totally agree with Vicki- no other succubus will do!

PS Love the outfit.

Wallpaper

2009-02-06T15:03:00.003-07:00

I love wallpaper. When Craig and I buy a house, I want to put really cool paper up but have been pretty intimidated about the actual "putting it up" part. So, I did a test run here in my apartment. There's a little nook in my studio and I thought it would look perfect with a busy wallpaper. Since we are renting, I found pre-pasted, easy- remove paper thanks to the apartment therapy blog. Then, I did what all smart people do. I googled how to put up wallpaper. I was pretty nervous because this wall paper has a very distinct pattern so has to be matched up perfectly. But, I have to say, I am impressed with my skills. I love how it turned out. What I didn't love is that is took me about 4 hours just to do this nook. Hopefully, I'll get faster with practice?

Now I just need to find something to put on that table. Maybe a great lamp?

Rockband: Friend or Foe?

2009-02-04T15:40:00.006-07:00

As many of you may know, I've been against video games since, oh I don't know, the beginning of time. Then, this Christmas happened. We had some Christmas money to spend (thanks Gary and Mignon!) and Craig decided that we should use it for a "blu ray player" otherwise known as a PS3. After much debate, I agreed under some strict guidelines- no more than 1 hour a week. Well, that has been shot to hell, which on most days, makes me hate my life.

But then days like this happen:

(I've been meaning to post this for month. Sorry for being so slow.)

Holly's perfect score on vocals:

Is is really 4 in the morning?

Obviously, it is.

So, sometimes, the PS3 isn't all that bad.

Holiday recap

2009-01-09T10:02:00.006-07:00

I love the holidays:

1. You eat and eat and eat. (New Year's Resolution: starve, starve, starve.)

2. You get to see old friends that reconverge on Zion (That's one perk about living in Utah. It was so fun to see the the Winkels, the Linds, the Bowens, the Thomases and the Perrys. We miss you guys!)

3. You don't have to work (I KNOW my Christmas was good because I stayed in my pajamas for 3 days straight. No joke. Gretchen called me out.)

We had the best time.

First, I went to CA to visit my family.

We went to Brookstone. Why do they sell this here? So you can practice bull-riding from the comfort of your own home?

The boys rocked the family Christmas Pageant initiated years ago by the Stone-von-traps.

We watched a ton of good movies.

And got in the Christmas spirit. (Jordan and Tyler DID wear this hat outside.)

Then, I came back to Utah Christmas Eve to be with Criag. I wrapped presents all day. I love doing it. I know, it's weird.

We invited ourselves over to Marc and Gretchen's for Christmas morning because what's Christmas without kids going crazy and opening presents?

These guys are so cute. Thanks Marc and Gretchen for letting us crash!

Then, we headed up to Craig's parent's house where we were greeted with a white Christmas. It was beautiful. This is the view from the the front porch.

I'm glad I have my new iphone or else Christmas wouldn't have even been documented. Hope you all had a great Christmas, too!

Self Defense?

2009-01-02T12:38:00.009-07:00

Sometimes I worry about Kristin walking to her car by herself at night. I mentioned this to a friend and he told me that he had heard something about people using crazy bright flashlights as a crime deterrent. I googled it and I don't know if I'm just living right or what but this is what I found. I didn't buy either of these but based on the cover I think I have a working understanding of the techniques.

Phil's technique relies almost entirely on confusing the potential attacker with your unexplained use of a flashlight in broad daylight. Though somewhat effective Phil found there were some situations where normally non-violent people punched him simply because he was shining a flashlight at them in the middle of the day.

"Light Him Up!" had more parenting advice then I was looking for. Steve uses the flashlight as a tool to squelch Steve Jr's rebellions. Since Steve started disciplining with the flashlight Steve Jr. is back wearing the family t-shirt and haircut, but he's still not happy about it.

I think I'll buy her some pepper spray.

Early New Year's Resolution

2008-12-14T15:34:00.005-07:00

So I'm ahead of the game on holiday pounds this year if having already gained more then last year is ahead or if the game is called "get really fat".

Luckily I've already found my solution:

I've got to get this book because I’m pretty sure at least one of those hands belongs to a woman (even if she is 80).

More to Fear Than Creepy Robotic Animals...

2008-12-10T12:35:00.007-07:00

There was an article in the WSJ today about violence at Chuck E. Cheese's. I've always thought that place felt a little dicey. Apparently I should just be counting my blessings that no one ever pepper sprayed me because I played a game too many times.

Here are a few highlights (I think Michigan takes it):

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122878081364889613.html

It's Not Just The Economy...

2008-11-25T18:23:00.008-07:00

Something's wrong. I've always liked Brooks Brothers' shirts but now that I've seen these little tootsies I may have to rethink some stuff, and yes I already double checked to make sure I was in Men's.

Lest some misguided chap try to justify his way into a pair. They're referred to as a "pump" so you know where you stand.

These could also be yours for $1,998. Not $1,999- rich people are way too smart for that.

Spread Christmas Cheer

2008-11-20T08:06:00.007-07:00

Do you like Christmas? And Nie? Good because if you don't, you're a bad person. Since most of you aren't, I have a really cool thing for you.

My friend, Emily, an amazingly talented designer, has decided to use her skills for good this Christmas season. She has done a line of Christmas cards and 100% of the profits go straight to Nie. (Emily is the best like that.) Here are a few of my favorites:

If none of these catch your eye, she has done a TON of different styles to suit everyone's taste.

If you were already planning on buying Christmas cards this season, why not buy these and help out Nie? I know that a lot of you care about Nie and have been trying to figure out a way to help- maybe this is it!

To see more or buy these great Christmas cards, go here.

Squatters' rights

2008-11-12T14:27:00.004-07:00

I got this off Wikipedia (so you KNOW it's true).

In common law, adverse possession is the process by which title to another's real property is acquired without compensation. Adverse possession is sometimes called "squatters' rights".

Exhibit A:

My old apartment. Everything is nearly moved out and in our new place.

Exhibit B:

The new tenant. She's moved in with all her essentials- cereal in a bag, fuzzy blanket, red sippy cup, and computer. Her new motto: "Hell no, I won't go!"

Moving Woes

2008-11-11T14:21:00.006-07:00

So it finally feels like winter here in Salt Lake. It's cold.... like 45 degrees cold. (And to us Californians, that is NOT good.)

Well, Craig and I moved last Sat into our new loft and unfortunately, no one told us that we had to turn the gas on. And of course, no one was working on Saturday or Sunday. So, last weekend we froze. I might have had to wear this to sleep:

I was one pissed ninja.

Today, the gas got turned on, so things are looking up.

Run in with the law

2008-11-07T12:28:00.007-07:00

In the past week, I have had not one but TWO run ins with the law. Now, I am normally a law abiding citizen, so why have I received TWO tickets in the past week? Because monkeys could do a better job running the DMV. The DMV has allegedly sent out our vehicle registration twice and we haven't received it (although we have paid for it.) It is infuriating. And now I have two tickets to show for it.

Which leads me to my next problem. My car has been out for a total of 1.5 hours this whole week. What are these cops doing? Paroling the streets for their biggest offenders- the dirty scoundrels with month-old registration? Don't they have anything better to do?

Craig reminded me that this type of behavior was a lot like my last run in with "those" kind of cops in '06. Setting: the times square subway stop. I was trying to go through the turnstyle and my unlimited card wouldn't scan in the machine. I was with a group of people who were waiting for me, I hear the train coming, so I decided to go underneath the turnstyle.

This lady was using the rookie over-the-turnstyle approach but being only 5'2 and low to the ground, I crawled under it.

Next thing I know, I have 3 cops on my A. I am surrounded and the very intimidating lady cop flashed her badge at me for intimidation. She could tell I meant business. When I showed them (right then!) that I had actually paid for the subway ride I was about to take because I had an unlimited ride pass, they didn't care- even though it wasn't MY fault that their dumb scanner didn't work. After a lot of yelling, a tickets, TWO trips to the brooklyn court (where I DID see a teen mom slap her child accross the face) and $200 later, the infraction was resolved.

Hopefully, these latest tickets won't come to that.

Happy Birthday, Craigster!

2008-10-21T23:37:00.010-06:00

Today is Craig's 32nd birthday. I know, I know. Some of you are thinking, "I thought that Craig was already 32." Well, that's because I have been saying he's 32 for at least 6 months. In other words, I've been rounding up. But the good news is, now Craig can thank me because turning 32 isn't going to be that big of a deal; he's already used to it. You're welcome, Craig.

Unfortunately, I am working in Phoenix all week (making me the WORST wife ever) so I wanted to wish Craig a happy birthday all the way from Arizona. I love you like crazy and hope that our kids will have as awesome of a mullet as you did.

Hopefully, someone (anyone? anyone?) will make you a cake so you can then maul it....

I love you, Old Man Mills!

Speek

2008-10-13T14:27:00.008-06:00

As many of you know, I have dropped off the face of the earth the last couple of months because I have been working my brains out. It's fun because I'm actually starting to have stuff to show for it. And here is the first installment:

Speek.

Our company's site has finally gone live! Check it out here.

It's really exciting because we have been working tirelessly over the last few months to make it happen. (For those of you who don't know about the company, Speek takes the money that advertisers spend to reach consumers and gives it back to the consumer and the causes they care about.)

But that isn't even the best news. As many of you may know, Stephanie Nielsen and her husband were involved in a plane crash earlier this year and we have partnered with them to raise money for Nie.

If any of you are interested in helping raise money, just sign up and select Nie Recovery as your beneficiary. Then, Nie and her family will get money for every ad you view. By just viewing a few ads a day (and only spending a few minutes of your time) you can help. Pass it along to any friends who may want to help, too. I really love this part of my job because it's the first time that I feel like a company I work for is actually helping people I care about. (No knock on TSG- we were totally helping the world by selling more chimichangas at Bajio.)

Hope you like the site!

More projects coming soon .....

(In case you want to put the Nie badge on your blog, go here and click on the Nie web badge and the html code will pop up.)

Thoughts at 1:15 am

2008-10-07T01:00:00.005-06:00

These days, I am feeling a little overwhelmed. Why do I always take on more than I can handle? I think I have a problem, but I'll leave that for another post. Instead, let's break it down.

I am loving
...............................................................

Birthday cake
Paul Jacobsen and the Madison Arm
Friends that visit from New York
Covering my nuts
Water
Tickets to Hawaii
Heroes
Craig's cooking
Conference
Emailing old friends
Lunch
Looking forward to Oct 18
Focusing on the guys
Senior Financial Analysts
Halloween parties
Good phone calls
Carbs

I am hating
...............................................................

Still being up
Working too much
Moths
(Some) programmers
Saying yes when I mean no
Not exercising
Misunderstandings

It helps me to think of things this way. There are always more pros than cons.*

Sneak Peek

2008-09-29T19:55:00.003-06:00

Since I have been working all the time, I thought I would give you all a sneek peak of what's to come. Stay tuned...

All Work and No Play...

2008-09-17T12:17:00.007-06:00

With very few exceptions it's been all work around these parts. Kristin is working like mad to stay on top of mountains of work as her company gets ready to launch next week. Her daily work calls with lady cohorts Amy and Jenna are the only things keeping her sane. With Kristin working all of the time I've been feverishly trying to catch up on the CPE credits that I've been strategically putting off for two years. Let the good times roll!

Reconciliation

2008-09-09T20:33:00.005-06:00

A major wedge was removed from our marriage this week when after 4 years of convincing Kristin finally tried and acknowledged that the Cafe Rio Barbacoa Pork tastes like it was made by angels.

(While this photo is totally unrelated to the Cafe Rio Restaurant, I think we can both agree that it was the right choice.)

Four and Counting

2008-09-04T19:26:00.005-06:00

Kristin and I have been married for four years yesterday. We decided to mix things up and celebrate separately this year. I celebrated by playing tennis with Paul, and Kristin and Amy shared a celebratory high five at work in Phoenix. Needless to say romantic text messages were exchanged.

This is our engagement photo. I was 15 and Kristin was 13. Love you babe. Although my celebration with Paul was pretty awesome I might have some tricks up my sleeve when you come home.

Lake Powell

2008-08-27T21:38:00.008-06:00

Last week was the family Lake Powell trip. Here are some of the highlights:

Tucker was ready for action.

Then slowed a bit.

And he's out.

Ivan broke the record for smallest skier (note the slack in the rope).

All of the kids including Tucker rode the banana.

Sarah got up on two skis and then learned to ski on one.

We saw some great water (go Marc).

Things got a little crazy at night. Apparently my nieces and nephews missed this talk:

"They go by the name of Rave, r-a-v-e...with flashing lights and noisy music...What does it all lead to? Nowhere. It is a dead end." -President Hinckley.

Joel and Marc taught us how to wake surf. Kristin popped right up and caught the wave a few times. Unfortunately her photo was removed by our censors.

We had a great time. Thanks to everyone, especially Mom and Dad for doing all of the planning.

Carpe Reunion

2008-08-13T14:40:00.013-06:00

Last weekend, we had a big 4-day reunion with all of my friends from college. Everyone left their kids (except nursing babies) and were ready to party. Our friends, Liz and Mike, have an awesome house right next to the Hotel Del on Coronado, so all 17 of us moochers crashed their house for the whole weekend and had the best time. (That picture was taken on the beach right in front of their house. Amazing!)

People who were there:

Jack, Mindy, Ashley and Chase

Todd, looking as good as ever....

and jeff (featuring jack)

Craig and I

Jamie and Jon all the way from Georgia

Jeno and Adam

Karisa and Mckay

Liz and Mike, the best hosts ever.

Grant and Chels

and last but not least, Hil.

The highlights:

1
..................................
Being on the beach.
All day long.

2.
..................................
Watching the Beijing Opeining ceremonies, complete with a Chinese-themed meal. Liz is amazing like that.

3.
..................................
The buttercream gang.
We didn't have enough cars, so the boys rode to the restaurant on these:

The girls loved riding them, too, and I have to say we looked a little less, well, gay.

Craig here: Buttercream gang? Let me add some additional photos.

Look at McKay. He's got the look that says, "Ya it's a kid seat. Look away for one second and me and your kid will be half way to Mexico."

And how about Mike? Nothing is more intimidating than a low rider.

Kristin my mom has a framed copy of this somewhere. Don't make me put it back up.

4.
..................................
"Cruising"

5.
..................................
Watching Chase eat sand.

(And Ashley wasn't even fazed. That's what being a mom of 3 boys will do to you. Ashley said her oldest was pooping sand for 3 months even after they moved to Boston. )

6.
..................................
These awesome shades.
(PS They velcroed in the back. what, what!)

7.
..................................
Ashley's awesome game called "It's a sad and solemn occassion. UUUUUUUhhhhhh, HUHHHHHH"
(That's really how it's spelled.)

8.
..................................
All the guys got along. They boys occupied each other the whole trip. At the beach, I didn't even have to pretend to like frisbee, football or going in the water. It was awesome.

Thanks again Liz and Mike for letting us crash and thanks to everyone else who came and made the trip so fun. See you suckas in two years!

The (Sick and) Amazing Race

2008-08-06T10:46:00.007-06:00

Last Friday, my company participated in our very own amazing race. The whole company was split up into teams of four.

My team: Andy Yorkin, Ryan Wood and Paul Gadd (aka the Dream Team.) Fittingly, we decided to name ourselves:

3 bros and a ho

We even got t-shirts.

On the day of the race, we all were given clues and based on what we were given we had to run all over Salt Lake via TRAX or on foot. We ran to the Gateway, we went to the Huntsman Basketball Stadium, we went down to the IHC hospital, we went to an archery range (where I wasn't even able to hit one bullseye. In an apocalyptic world, I would starve). The clincher: we were sprinting around like crazy in 100 degree heat, each team carrying two HUGE watermelons. We must have run at least 5 miles.

Not to mention this challenge happened:

Kristin: Wait, what do we have to eat?

Worms? Are you kidding me?

OK. Here I go.....

Oh no. Here it goes.....

That actually happened. (For the people that are really sick, you can click on the picture to enlarge it and actually see the barf coming out of my mouth. Yuck.)

Even though I was exhausted and sick, it was actually pretty fun. (It was better than work, right?) Plus, my team got 2nd place. Go 3 bros and a ho!

If you want to see video, check out this link. We were on the news!

Friday Night Cry

2008-08-01T11:20:00.007-06:00

Am I the only one that finds Friday Night Lights really depressing? The ratio of sad to non-sad is somewhere around 12:1. Given we've only watched three episodes, and I'm sure there will be some tearfully joyous moments to cap off season one but come on.

Kristin also asked me in bed last night (in a very concerned voice) if I thought the paralyzed guy would ever walk again.

Ch-Ch-changes

2008-07-25T17:31:00.006-06:00

This week has brought about quite a few changes in my life.

1. Our TIVO is officially up and running.
(I know we keep talking about that, but it's a big deal. I now have a season pass for: So You Think You Can Dance, The Office, Ellen, Oprah and Hopkins. Obviously, Craig didn't get much of a say. I can't wait till fall TV season....)

2. I have internet at home
(And yes, I know it is 2008.)

3. I bought my very first iMac.

4. I now "office" in 2 cities.
(I accepted an new job in Phoenix, but mainly I will be working remotely. What does that mean? Instead of being a bi-city exec who wears pants suits and pantyhose, I get to wear sweat pants. Brilliant.)

5. I cried watching a teen drama
(Friday Night Lights, man. It's really good and really sad.)

6. I hated So You Think You Can Dance
(There was no WAY Will deserved to be voted off. I was super pissed, to say the least.)

7. I got tired of Ikea.
(Even for an avid shopper like me, I was tired walking around in that maze asking myself, "Should we go with the metal or the birch?")

I'm really mixing things up. At the rate I'm going, next week I'll have a ying-yang tattoo, convert to Judaism and have a baby.

Time to Say Goodbye

2008-07-16T12:38:00.003-06:00

vs.

As some of you know I've been forcing Kristin to record her favorite shows via VCR this past year. I bought our outdated little friend on Craig's list for $10, and in addition to saving us money, I think having it has been a character building experience for Kristin. She really feels like she's been driving around town in a horse and buggy the last year.

Well, Kristin's repeated pleas along with the Wimbledon Final debacle of '08 have given the Tivo movement traction. Our Tivo should be in a full swing by next Wed.

I'm torn on the future of our VCR. I feel guilty needlessly adding it to the land fill, but what am I supposed to do, list it on Craig's list for $5? I'm definitely not willing to drive it anywhere.

Happy 4th!

2008-07-08T21:22:00.008-06:00

This year, Craig and I went up to his parents' house for the 4th. This is the view from their front porch. I mean, really? That's what I said when I got there.

When some parents have all their kids out of the house, they get lonely. Not Gary and Mignon. Can you blame them? The moose keep them company.

Below is what we in Mills family like to call a pickle pancake. Yum yum (Kaden said he loved pickles on anything so Craig attempted to call his bluff. Ivan added the two blueberries for good measure).

Kaden wasn't afraid of taming this beast.

Gretchen and her new baby, Cooper.

Sunny and her new baby, Lincoln. These babies are the cutest.

Here are all the nieces and nephews on the Brighton parade float (which may or may not have been blasting Neil Diamond's "Coming to America.").

I guess Felicity was too cool for the hat. Clever girl.

As usual, we had a great time up the canyon. Thanks Gary and Mignon for a great 4th!

Go Rafa!

2008-07-07T10:13:00.010-06:00

Our favorite Spaniard pulled it off yesterday after two rain delays and in the longest Wimbledon final in recent history (notice it's dark in the photo). I don't know if anyone else watched this match but we we're exhausted afterwards.

*** Kristin here. Craig failed to mention one very important point of the match. Imagine: The biggest final in a long time. Nadal and Federer each have 2 sets. It's 3 all in the 5th set and then... black. Why does our TV go black? Because we are living in 1987 and our VCR tape ends. I was hating my life. Damn that rain delay. But don't worry, two good things came out of it: One, Craig's sister Melissa bailed us out because she had the rest of the match recorded and two, we ARE getting TIVO. Case closed.

Craig again: Don't bad talk 1987. '87 brought us Robocop, Three Men and a Baby, Michael Jackson's "Bad", and the emergence of acid washed jeans.

Modeling

2008-06-30T15:44:00.007-06:00

More than once I've referred to modeling with statements like, "We focused more on accounting, they had another group doing the modeling" or "I should probably take a modeling class to brush up" and was met with awkward silence followed by an abrupt conversation change. In most cases I'd realize the error and explain that I was talking about financial modeling.

If I've learned anything from these conversations it's that many of my friends don't want to see me succeed as a model. Well that all changed a few months ago when Zachary asked me to pose for a painting. My modeling career is officially on. Here is the result. Nice work Zac.

I am now officially an adult

2008-06-27T10:13:00.003-06:00

As some of you know, I recently joined a book club. This has plunged me into the world of real adulthood and I have to say I am loving it. My friend, Kellie, moved back to Utah a couple of months ago and organized this whole thing. Which leads us to our next point. The name of our Book Club:

The Kellie Bacon Book Club

Books we have read:
East of Eden (now one of my top 5 favorite books)
Everything is Illuminated (Foer's writing blows my mind)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (beautiful)
Molokai (Good. I have read two books in the past year on leprosy. What's up with that?)
Firefly Lane (Lame, but hey, we needed to lighten things up a bit)

Books we will read:
The Book Thief
Team of Rivals

Although the books are amazing, my favorite part of the the book club is the girls: Amy, Heather, Andy, Alix, Monica, Kellie, Sherrelyn, Erin, Camille, Jamie, Jill.... and Holly (our newest member.)

Stats
Married: 11
Single: 2
Kids: 8
Working: 7
Hypochondriacs: 2

A fly on the wall watching our book club might just hear these lines:

"Molesters should commit suicide."
"I have AIDS."
"Don't say my baby is cute. Look at him. He's not."
"That rape was not hard core enough."
Oh yeah, and us talking about books.

My book club is the best.

Be A Decent Human Being

2008-06-27T09:52:00.005-06:00

Here are some pictures of the cards that Amy and I did for our friend, Eva, who owns Sycamore Street Press. Thanks all who went out to the Renegade Fair!

I expect a thank you note for this thank you note.

Great job on that thing you did. Really super.

Happy birthday to the nephew who's turning 37. (Or whoever you are.)

Happy Birthday, _________.*
*When it's someone else's birthday, just erase your name and pass it on.

Spoiler alert. Someone got you a toaster.

Bag with the logo I designed.

Oh, barf

2008-06-18T17:14:00.002-06:00

You want to know what sucks? Lying on the floor in your bathroom at 5 am using a towel for a pillow. And then having to go to work.

I have had the flu for the past 2 days and am pretty grumpy about it. I am feeling better today, but unfortunately, I have passed on the love to Craig. Sorry, babe. I feel your pain.

Renegade Craft Fair

2008-06-12T16:46:00.003-06:00

Amy and I did a line of funny greeting cards called "Be A Decent Human Being" for my friend Eva, of Sycamore Street Press. Amy did all the writing and I did the design. (Pics to come soon.)

Sycamore Street Press is going to have a booth at the Brooklyn Renegade Fair, so you can go there and check our stuff out as well as all of Eva's work. She is amazingly talented, so you won't be disappointed. (If you don't believe me, check her out here.) She letterpresses beautiful hand-drawn and hand-lettered cards. I mean, I really wish I could so what she does!

Brooklyn Renegade Craft Fair
June 14 and 15th
11 am- & pm
McCarren Park Pool

Zions/St. George

2008-06-02T11:20:00.012-06:00

We had a great trip with Jon, Amy, Emily, Tim, and Claire this weekend. Unfortunately for us our camera battery was dead so we were reduced to taking photos with my blackberry. Surprisingly they don't look that bad.

The golf was amazing. Tim finagled a discount at The Ledges and although no one at the course confirmed it, I may have set a new course record for highest score.

We were a little late coming back from golfing, and because we hadn't been getting cell phone service, we weren't able to call until we were back in St. George. Apparently the girls were complaining a little about our being late for babysitting duty (didn't Claire deserve a pedicure too?), and one of the classier nail girls picked up on it. She explained to our wives that:

A: We were clearly lying about not getting cell service, and

B: Her man knew how to treat a woman. He was always knowing which flavor of Monster Energy drink to surprise her with, and as the girls were getting their nails done he even brought her a diet Pepsi being held by a stuffed koala. Touche'.

Claire still feeling a little angry she didn't get her nails done.

Pre-hike planning meeting prior to hiking Emerald Gardens

"Beautiful" Emerald Pools (I'm not great on colors but is that Emerald?).

Kristin who as many of you know is afraid of heights, made it up Angel's Landing along with Amy and I (and in record time). She got a little nervous but really pushed through it. The hike climbs 1500 ft over 2.5 miles and gets pretty airy toward the end where you have to hold on to chains. She was pretty excited to have made it to the top. I was proud of her.

On top we met a young couple from Germany (not pictured). They told us all about their trip to Vegas. Kristin taught them the word skanky as they were trying to describe some girls they saw at a club. That's my little diplomat.

Lodging: $150

Park Admission: $25

Having your zipper down in your "top of the mountain photograph" on top of Angel's Landing: priceless.

I heart Hatch, NM

2008-05-23T13:42:00.003-06:00

When our Subway client from Albuquerque brought fresh Hatch green chiles for our TV shoot, I snagged the left overs. I somewhat felt like I was stealing the mini shampoo bottle out of a hotel room, but hey, my job doesn't have many perks, so I got to take what I can get. Craig has been hating his life since because I have been obsessed with creating our week-long dinner plan around these stupid chiles. But, as Amy can attest, my single-minded thinking led to some good.

Here is the recipe (for Amy).

Green Chile Fettuccine Alfredo

Alfredo sauce (I used this recipe from Cooking Light- to make the dish somewhat healthy)
Walnuts, toasted and chopped
A bunch of fresh green chiles (I probably used 1/3 cup. I think you can buy these at Rico)
Fresh fettuccine

When I was sauteeing the garlic, I also sauteed the green chiles with it. Then, I followed the recipe and topped the dish with toasted walnuts, freshly ground black pepper, and parmesan reggiano.

I know Fettuccine Alfredo is pretty old school, but this version was really spicy, delicious and easy to make. Long live the 90s!

Making a difference

2008-05-21T16:09:00.006-06:00

Can you change the world with a job like advertising? Some naysayers may say that advertising "doesn't really matter" but I beg to differ.

Amy and I came up with the concept of having a live turkey promote Albuquerque's new turkey sandwich (don't ask). We thought it was funny but even funnier when our client said yes. Next thing we know, we are looking far and wide to find a turkey wrangler with a tame turkey. We posted an ad on craigslist, called the zoo, tried to track down that one lady in Tooele that always drives around with a turkey in her car. No luck. And then we found Billy Joe Bob.

Billy Joe Bob on our New Mexico set.

Amy making friends.

The crew.

The best part: Billy Joe Bob's handler said that since Billy was a star and got paid for the shoot, she might not kill him.

The moral of the story?

I saved a life today. I saved a life.

San Francisco

2008-05-13T14:01:00.013-06:00

This weekend we went to SF to see Karin and Bobby get married, spend Mother's Day with Nikki, and to see Jordan on his 18th birthday.

Outside the Oakland Temple waiting for Karin and Bobby to emerge.

Our boredom led to Tyler and Ashley learning some new tie tricks.

Karin and Bobby making their debut.

Then it was photo time.

On to the ring ceremony

Grandma and Grandpa Robbins had great seats.

The Anderson boys (middle three) agreed it wasn't a good idea to mess with Bobby's best man.

The next morning Perry treated us at the Top of the Mark for brunch to celebrate Mother's Day and Jordan's birthday.

We all tried the "famous bread pudding" and agreed its fame was justified.

After desert Jordan started feeling a little bored

He seemed a little happier after opening his new computer.

Kristin made sure Jordan's present didn't look too girly (note: the computer wasn't from us).

We gave Nikki a decoration for her classroom. Lucky for us the decoration was pretty strong because I dropped it at the airport.

The restaurant had a great view of the bridge.

Another notable part of the trip was when one of Kristin's friends from junior high school recognized her only by her voice in a big crowd of people. Wow.

Tough Competition

2008-05-08T10:12:00.009-06:00

So as many of you have already discovered Kristin has been having some phone issues. She's been trying to hold out on getting a new phone so she can leave Verizon and switch to AT&T (so she can get an IPhone). This means she's had the same old Verizon phone for years.

Problem one: these phones are designed to fall apart after a year. As a result, as of late last week Kristin's phone would no longer ring. It vibrates but won't ring. A few days later her phone disappears, so she now has no phone. Kristin has lost her phone before but this time seems permanent, so I suggest she get a phone on EBay to get her through the last few months of her contract. Being a nice husband I find a decent phone on EBay and email her a link so she can bid on it. I never hear back from her, so I bid on the phone for her. After a few hours I notice some jerk seems determined to out bid me on this phone. The idiot obviously had set a pretty high automatic bid so I keep bidding thinking I no longer even want the phone, but at least I'll make them pay more for it. That'll teach'em. As planned I lose the bid but force the jerk to pay more than they would have.

So last night Kristin and I are talking and I'm complaining about how she didn't respond to my email. She tells me that she did respond to my email (I never got it), and good news, she had won the bid for the phone.

Karin's Wedding

2008-05-06T13:44:00.005-06:00

My cousin, Karin, is getting married this Saturday which means two things. One, Craig and I get to go to San Francisco this weekend. Hooray! And two, I am hand-making my gift. I have started designing this cook book with all of my favorite recipes. If anyone has any goods ones (and I know you do), I would love you to post them so I can include them with my own.

(The side benefit- I get to have them, too!)

And no, Craig, that does not include posting how to heat up SpaghettiO's.

Happy 50th, Mom!

2008-04-30T09:13:00.026-06:00

Last Saturday, my mom turned 50. So my family all knew we had to make this one good. We had a lot of stuff up our sleeve. First, I flew to CA for the weekend to be with my mom (in my opinion, the best present that she got.)

Next, we threw a big family party for her. Everyone who was anyone was there.

Grandma and Grandpa Blake came from Villa Park.

Grandma and Grandpa Robbins came from Palm Desert.

Heather and Matt came from Riverside. (Who knows where my fake baby came from.)

Tyler and Ashley came from Echo Park.

My dad even flew all the way from Boston. Very impressive.

Jordan came from his bedroom upstairs. Not as impressive.

(Kelly and Cameron came too but convienently avoided photos so they wouldn't be exploited on the blog.)

I made a delicious dinner with the help of Ashley and Jordan. (Thanks guys!) We had Thai-style halibut in coconut curry, wasabi mashed potatoes, citrus ginger scallops, sesame green beans, Asian salad, fortune cookies and homemade carrot cake compliments of Grandma Robbins.

(I know some people wanted the recipes, so the only thing I changed was instead of using 4 parts chicken broth, one part light coconut milk for the fish, I used 4 parts full-fat coconut milk, one part chicken broth. It made it really creamy and delicious.)

Next, we opened presents. To surprise my mom, I had everyone write her a letter and I put it together in a book. I printed the pages on Crane's paper, made the cover from hand-made Japanese paper, french-folded the pages and sewed it up the side with white thread.

Then, we watched a slide show that Jordan put together with great pics like these and Tyler remixed and sang "Stand By Me" to go behind the photos.

Then best of all, my dad revealed the biggest trick he had up his sleeve.

I thought that only happened on Lexus commercials. Turns out, if you're the best wife ever, it can happen to you for real. (Hint, hint Craig.)

We all had the best time ever. Thanks to all who came. Happy birthday, Mom!

What the...?

2008-04-29T13:55:00.004-06:00

Some how our post on Lost ended up here (4th one down):

http://www.spoilersnews.com/spoilers/lost-spoilers?page=1

Haters to the Left

2008-04-29T12:49:00.009-06:00

One of the first tennis matches Kristin and I watched together was James Blake's suprising defeat of Rafa Nadal in the third round of the 2005 US Open. It was all to easy to cheer for Blake and against Nadal. Blake was the American, he was on the come back trail, and Nadal had some problems:

1-Man-capris and a muscle shirt

2-Wedgie problems

3-He is continually messing with his socks (not pictured)

This match resulted in a year or two of heckling Nadal. But now with three years of tennis watching under my belt I've progressed in my views. What started as occasional cheering for Nadal in order to cheer against Federer, has transformed into fandom.

I won't be rocking the man capris anytime soon (don't worry Paul) but I have to say I really like Nadal. He is either a crazy nice guy or has everyone duped (respect- either way), and I like his chances of continuing his streak at the French Open and possibly winning Wimbledon. Plus his new muscle shirts are way looser.

Back On Their Game (Minor Lost Spoiler Alert)

2008-04-25T09:37:00.006-06:00

The last few months/year in my opinion the "Lost" writers have lost the thread (no pun intended). The show had evolved to a point where it seemed disjointed, and as my mental list of unreconciled loose ends grew I was getting to a point where it was hard to watch.

I went into last night's episode with low expectations and I have to say my mind got blown. Maybe it was the trifecta of dramatic screams coming from Holly, Kristin, and SJ (in unison). Maybe it was that coffee ice cream dessert Holly made, but I loved last night's episode, and never dreamed I would feel empathetic toward Ben. It was the first time I've felt glad that they were extending the show for a few more seasons. Given it wasn't without it's hiccups. As Nathan pointed out the cgi on the smoke monster didn't look so great, and there were some other small issues, but overall if felt like a return to the old days. Here's hoping they can keep it going.

Sycamore Street Press

2008-04-23T17:50:00.006-06:00

Recently, I designed these business cards for my friend, Eva, who is starting her own letterpressing company. She sent me this photo yesterday of how they came out. I thought she pressed them beautifully. Plus, I am jealous because she can work at home in her pajamas. She has realized the dream.

Check out her Etsy site here. She has some amazing artwork and hand-lettered greeting cards.

RIP Diet Coke

2008-04-23T16:16:00.002-06:00

So, I have officially been off Diet Coke for 3 months now. I know, I know. This might be blowing some of your minds. I have mixed feelings because I feel like a part of me is missing, but I guess drinking 6-12 a day was kind of getting out of hand.

At least this guy is still enjoying my baby.

Wait Just A Minute....

2008-04-23T14:34:00.004-06:00

I wouldn't usually poach off my sister's blog but come on. Gretchen says:

"Tonight we decided to try and ignore Tucker as he opened and shut the door at bedtime. This is how we found him. I didn't think I would have a picture of one of my boys like this until they were on their mission."

Good News

2008-04-23T13:34:00.005-06:00

Our blog may be moving from what Paul correctly identifies as, "Craig's Bi-annual Skiing Blog" to something that Kristin participates in. So far she has redesigned it...more to come.

2008 Xterra 8K

2008-03-17T14:16:00.007-06:00

As one of the photos suggests I took second place in my division in the Xterra 8k. Less apparent is the fact that most of the guys in my division did the 12k as a prep race for next week's Black Diamond Powder Keg, and by most I mean all except 5 (of which 3 did not finish the race). For those not quick with math: I took both second place and last place in my division.

Also pictured Matt Haney who did the 12k.

Fun Underwater

2008-03-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ashley we now have these really freaky looking underwater photos. The one of Tyler is a real peach. The thing about underwater photos is no one really seems to know anything or feel very sure of themselves.

Powder Keg 2007

2007-03-21T09:52:00.001-06:00

Powderkeg 2007

2007-03-21T09:47:00.000-06:00

Matt Haney and I raced in the Blackdiamond Powderkeg, and by "raced", I mean barely finished and nearly died in the process (me not Matt). The course was really icy and made for some pretty intense moments on the decents, but all in all we had a great time. The race is just under 6 miles and climbs about 3800 ft.