A very cousins Christmas!

Since we all live so close to each other (relatively) and so seldom see one another, I decided to steal a Seawright family tradition: the cousins' Christmas party.
The concept is pretty self explanatory, everyone shows up at my house this Sunday, 16 December 5:30pm with something to eat (we are doing this potluck style). We can play games and do pretty much anything you want.
Leave a comment with what you will be bringing!
See you soon!
(of course your children are welcome)
If you need directions you can call or email me.

This just in:
We will be doing a white elephant gift exchange so bring a wrapped item that you found in your home or costs less than $3.00 in order for this to work everyone has to have a present (so that everyone can participate) so that includes kids (not babies though) if you have any questions again, call or email Nancy or myself.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Nancy made a post asking what we're all thankful for- I had to dedicate a post to what I am most thankful for right now...

After being inspired by Lou's Hawaiian medical study adventures I thought I would make like to make a few hundred dollars myself but I didn't know how to go about it.
Yesterday evening, while shopping with my sweet sweet mother-in-law she told me about a company that is currently doing a few studies, she found out about it through a friend who got paid to get some bunions removed. I don't have bunions, but I do have wisdom teeth (three of them). Turns out they are doing a study on pain medication for wisdom tooth extraction. I called today, answered a few questions and made an appointment for 18 December. I think I'm going to use the money to pay for my new retainer.

Scirex, I am thankful for you!

Baby Name

In case you were curious the baby's name is going to be Brooke Madison

Right VS. Left brain

So apparently if you see this moving counter clockwise you're left-brained (more logical) if you see it moving clockwise, you're primarily right-brained (creative).

This thing is, the first time I did this I saw it only going left which I found strange because that's not very much my personality, except now if I look away for awhile I'll see it going the other way. So I'm curious to know how you all see it:




I thought it was fake but I had a friend look at it at the same time as me and we both saw it going two different ways at the same time.

this can also be found on my blog that you don't read.

Deelishiz, originally uploaded by bettyburger.

The Donkey and his wife came over for dinner tonight with their cute cute kids. We invited them in hopes that Christopher's "vegan week" could end on a high note (due to poor planning he starved himself and subsisted on apples and Oreos).
Overall it went off without a hitch, although the boys were disappointed Max shaved off his mustache. (not to worry, Tommy found it in the bathroom)
I made coconut rice and jerk seitan from Vegan with a Vengeance with sauteed collard greens and baked sweet potatoes. For dessert we had rich chocolate cake from The PPK with german chocolate cake frosting and Soy Delicious ice cream. Wish you were here!

Friends`

Maybe I'm just dumb or something, but how do you add blog "friends"?

IT'S A GIRL!

Wedding

I got some wedding pictures, still waiting to get the rest from Elizabeth but I thought I'd put up some of Jack and I.








Thanks to everyone who came it was so nice to see you all!

much love
<3april

exciting news

I'm sure many of you have heard through the grape vine, but in case you haven't heard...I'm pregnant! The due date is Feb. 24th...I'm just hoping that the baby doesn't go late and ends up being born on the 29th.

Mike and I find out in three weeks whether it's a boy or a girl - but I thought it would be fun if everyone cast a vote on what they think it will be, we could do a pool, or if you're right you'll just be entitled to bragging rights.

This is cool:

Did you guys know you could upload blog posts from your cell phone? I think it's pretty neat considering I'm a text-a-holic.

You just text your first entry to go@blogspot.com and then it sets up a mobile blog. Once you log-in from a computer you can switch it to upload to an existing blog or keep the separate mobile one.

Neat. :)

Well I've been fairly busy with things lately but I have made a lot of progress. I finally got my wedding dress, I'm so excited!! And Jack and I took our engagement pictures yesterday. We're still having trouble with a reception site though. Not very many places are willing to let us bring in our own food and there is one place but we need a catering license. Jack's sister-in-law Aimee has connections through her sister who is the head caterer at Mountainland Applied Technology and teaches a catering school on the premises. However, she doesn't have an off-site caterer's license and so apparently it's not good enough. Which is slightly discouraging because I really thought it would all work out. We won't give up though.
On a happier note, I've lost about 17 pounds and I feel great. I'm fairly happy with my weight now and feel comfortable and healthy enough at this point, but I'm still shooting to lose about 5 more if possible.
Living with Elizabeth has proven to be a very nice experience. Jack and I joined her and her friends for a vegan dinner one night and we both had a really great time. I actually enjoy the company and having my own room!! Having roommates was fun, but it's nice to have my own space, with a door, and a closet, and my own bathroom.
I finally finished my math class which was a relief. The final was quite a traumatic experience. The final was at 5-6:40 pm and I had an appointment scheduled with a florist for 7:30 (plenty of time right?) Well I got to the final and began taking the test. I thought the first page was particularly difficult and there was one question I was just having an awful time with. By 7:15 I had finished the rest of the test except for that one question. By 7:30 I was the only person still there. I had an answer which I knew I devised correctly, but I kept checking it and it wasn't working. Finally, with tears in my eyes, my teacher asked to see my paper. She looked at the question I was struggling with looked up at me and said, "this is right! Go home!" I just started crying. It was certaintly quite an experience. She continued to go through the first page and telling me they were all right. With relief and anxiety, I thanked her and left already late for my appointment. That is not an experience I hope to have again.
I guess the wedding planning is causing me some stress but I must admit, the fact that I don't have a job right now is nice. I don't have to worry about scheduling, etc., I can just get some rest, do the planning, and relax.
I am still looking for a job though because not having money is also a stressor.

So anyway, that's what's been going on over here. I start the next semester on the 22nd of August, which I'm not much looking forward to but it will be nice to finish school as quickly as possible.

I made a wedding website for Jack and I in case any of you are interested: Here.
Let me know what you think, it's still a work in progress though.

Much love,

April

this one's for grandma

I posted this on my own blog here but I wasn't sure that you (or anyone else) would ever come across it so I'm reposting it here.
I thought you would appreciate the majesty, since you are the biggest Garfield fan I know. I came across this picture in a magazine just over a year ago and recently found these exact same sweaters on Ebay. I will post pictures of Max and I wearing them as soon as I can.

Soy menso y gOne FIsHinG... aND i gOts mE a wHopP3r!!!

Well not that I am as photogenic as some of the members of the family, I figured I might as well put something up that has some "eye candy" to it. Yes to ease your minds and hearts, she is Mexican, and she is my #1 fan. Although I must say that is not an entirely bad photograph of me, there are noticeable family traits I wish that hadn't been passed down to me. If I look a bit tired to you guys, I was, and very slightly inebriated.

I think I'm jumping ahead of myself and not giving a proper introduction here... excuse me. The lovely lady next to me is Elena, she appeared in the picture being of sound body and mind and also was not paid too much to pose with me. I first laid eyes upon her in Oct. of 2005, while applying to work at one of the most corrupt enterprises in the world; Office Max. I wouldn't say it was love at first sight, but seeing her there would really make the day's go by more quickly. After getting the run around at the store for about two months, I was finally hired at the pay rate of a drunken monkey in Dec. of that same year. Working my tail off, no pun intended, I proceeded to prove my worth and gain more hours and the trust of my managers and coworkers.

June, 6 months down the road, and I finally have the testicular fortitude to ask her out for dinner. Unknowingly to me, she thought that I was a homosexual and would be a nice friend to go shopping with!! Different sides of the tracks doesn't even compare to what we are. Since coming to America 10 years ago, she has befriended many people of her like culture. In other words, a white guy that wasn't Catholic, Spanish speaking, and straight was extreme foreign territory. So I did what any guy would do in my shoes, I took her to a Mexican restaurant.

Then I spent the next 6 months just spending time with her, getting to know how her mind works, what part of Mexico she came from (Durango) and doing anything else that would show interest in a heterosexual way. She quickly became my best friend and someone that I couldn't wait to spend time with, even if it was doing nothing at all, it was time well spent. Sometime around Christmas, I started to get a feeling that there was a real emotional connection coming to pass. Being the fool that I am, I asked her if she felt something towards me, and she looked at me straight in the eyes and said, "I feel I can get a green card out of you." !!?!?!?! Are all that came to mind at that moment. When I realized that she was joking and my heart wasn't really shattered into a thousand and one pieces, she told me that her parents are going to be really confused. Not understanding what she meant by that, I asked and all she replied was that their heads are going to spin because she wanted to give us a shot.

2007 came with a bang, I think, I was stuck on the phone trying to dial her New Years night for 40 minutes into the new year, while attempting to stay laid on the grass because the world was spinning way too fast for me to jump up and down and light fireworks and kiss my very manly woman friend. At least that's what I told her (sorry Liberty) there was no way I was ushering in the New year with a woman that as Ms. Swan would put it, "She looka like-a man!"

Sorry, sorry I got a little sidetracked... where was I? Well I'm not sure what to say at this point. There's so much love and great stories that I could be writing a whole book on this year alone. I can say that I met her parents in May, and her mother really likes me. Dad I can't really tell, their lack of English skills and his apparent lack of body language has kept me guessing. I can say that Luz (Elena) is the favourite daughter! So out of four girls, I pick daddy's little querida!! Oh dios mio. What really melted mom's heart in my favour was when I went to the wildly packed as hell Mexican neighbourhood in San Jose to pick up a pastel de tres leches. That would be a 3 milk cake to you peoples that don't watch Univision. That was late June, so we've just been spending almost every available moment together... scary, and to think I've actually considered proposing! We shall see, I think that after... oh that's her calling, gotta run bye.

I'll keep you all updated, much love and what not.

Mucho Amor
Auf Wiedersehen mit vielen Liebe,
Jeremy

Slummin' in Style

Lost in a sea of thought
I suppose I'll just write myself around these pictures and let you guys take in the breathtaking beauty yourselves. A few pictures of the beach which should bring envy to the hearts of those fortunate enough to have eyesight good enough to see the details of the tiny pictures, and yet also have the hindsight to know that it's not a good idea to move to California. Following pictures underneath these texty teasing tasty treats of literary genius, are two pictures of Carmel/Pebble beach. It was such a lovely day, I'm just so glad that I got to spend it with a person of such merit.

Two Pictures at Santa Cruz

Picture above and below these words of wisdom are the all too familiar Santa Cruz beach boardwalk. Taken during the Eddie Money concert (rOcK'N 80's!), not sure who took them now, but as you can clearly see, it's a moot point. I can now say with much pride that I have two tickets to paradise.

Our Goings On

Losts happening. My first couple of months as stake clerk were pretty uneventful and I thought this may be about the easiest calling I've had. Then we had a number of special projects come up. I am now spending many hours at the stake office or at home working on things. There is light at the end of the tunnel since I am almost done with them. We started the process of calling assistant clerks, but I'll be through the worst of it before we get anyone called. We do have a financial clerk, so I don't have to worry about that.

My job is terribly boring. I've been doing very little in the last two months, but I am supposed to be getting a project this week that should keep me pretty busy.

Lisa is doing cub scouts and teaching relief society once a month. She is doing well at both, but they obviously keep her pretty busy. Good thing she doesn't have hardly anything to do around the house :-)

Wes is doing pretty well. He is bussing at Olive Garden and saving money for a mission. He was called as a ward missionary last week, so that should help him prepare well. Our goal is to get him out in January, but we'll see. We may have to wait some months depending of finances and other things.

Jeremy is doing pretty well. He is moving up in the retail business and has a serious girl friend. Hopefully he will get on and share more. David is working and fishing mostly.

Nate and Matt are enjoying their summer off. They finished baseball. They do a little golfing and Matt will be starting Karate at some point. Nate starts tackle football in the fall and he is very excited. I just assume he stick with basketball and baseball.

Getting Started

Hi everyone. In this world of not so ordinary people, I salute. So glad to see the spell checker in this window--old brain cells aren't what they used to be. We are limping along here literally and figuratively. We have started to listen to the new Harry Potter, but I am traveling less this week so it will take me quite a while to get through it. I only listen when in the car. Visual distortion makes reading too difficult right now. How long will it be before books are obsolete, we ask ourselves. Keep all important books, they will likely become collector's items.

Harry Potter

Who has finished reading The Deathly Hallows?

What's Up?

Hey all, haven't spoken to you in awhile.

Maybe my dad told you all but I'm engaged as of a couple weeks ago and very very excited! His name is Jack and he lives here in Orem (goes to BYU).
I've been doing well, just bought a new car (a 2004 Honda Civic LX) and have been going to classes at UVSC- which is sometimes a drag but I get by.
I'm working full time at Mountain West Pest Control, which is a good job. I get paid very well and drive the company truck so gas money is on them.
I'm planning to get my degree by next year and hope to transfer to the Y. I'll be in Orem until Jack finishes school at least and we're not really sure where we will end up settling down after that.

Sorry my life is so boring, I wish I had more to write but I can't think of much.

Love,

april

where's libby?

Look hard enough and you may find me!
...also, if you go to any movies in the Provo/Orem area let me know if you see me in those silly ads before the trailers.

Click to Enlarge

The Cult of Potter

I was informed last night (by Maxipedia, a very reliable source)that J.K. Rowling is the first author to achieve billionaire status. I have no trouble believing this (other than hearing it from Max)because I was in the trenches selling books last night. You may be thinking, "Elizabeth hates working at Borders! Why hasn't she quit yet?" To answer your question, for a few reasons:

1. Borders Group Inc. has stores all over the country- Max and I can go wherever we want for grad school (when the time comes) and I will always have a job!
2. 3 1/2 years is a long time to commit to something, if I've put this much time in already I may as well stick it out for the long haul.
3. I really like some of the people I work with
4. The discount (33%). Duh.

For the record I only work at Borders every now and again, and the majority of my wage slaving is done at Orem Public Library- more about that some other time- but basically, it is the job of my dreams.

Back to the topic at hand! As I'm sure you all know
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows made it's debut on the world literature (this applies loosely) scene this morning at 12:01. For those of you who were not fortunate enough to have waited in line to get your copy, let me fill you in on what you missed. Borders Store 0250 hosted a "Grand Hallows Ball" featuring face painting, wand decorating, fortune telling, a costume contest and wizard rock by a local band, "Potter and the Lightning Bolts".
The store was WAY beyond approved capacity and if the fire marshal had shown up would have given us a hefty fine.
Sadly I did not get to enjoy the fun as I spent the night at the cash registers. A normal sales goal for a day is $12,000-16,000 yesterday we did $46,000. That is kind of insane. Not only were thousands of Potter books sold, but so were hundreds of magazines and (ugh) mass market paperbacks- perfect reading material for waiting in line.

Some magical moments from the evening:

- The girl at the register next to me was asked by many customers if they could take pictures of her handing them the book. (most likely for their blogs/scrapbooks)

- I asked a little girl if she wanted to know what happens at the end (Maxipedia provided me with leaked info) she looked at me incredulously. "If I don't like the ending can I return it?" I mirrored her expression. I told her she could write a letter to J.K. Rowling and complain. Philistine that I am I pronounced it "rowling" as in rhymes with "growling", this benevolent young lady (8ish?) informed me that it is pronounced "rolling"- "At least that's how they say it in Britain" (in a bad fake accent, complete with eye roll and hair flip)

- A customer came in asking to exchange her books because she and her fiance were assaulted in the store parking lot...apparently some people accused them of cutting in line and were pretty mad about it even AFTER getting their books. They people who were 'wronged' waited in the parking lot until they saw the cutters, threw drinks at them and then proceeded to hit them until someone got head butted. I wish I could have seen it! Max said when he came to pick me up that there were police and EMTs there with someone who appeared to have a broken nose. It may have been the fiance, because the girl came in to exchange the books without him. Lucky jerks got a dry Harry Potter and an autographed copy of some book by a local author they had purchased also.

looking back at this post it turns out I had a pretty boring night and I'm sorry this is so long.

A New Way to Keep in Touch

The Bevington Blog is up and running!

Here is a great way for all of us to share photos, updates, stories, and more!

If you see your name on the "Blog Members" list on the right, you are set to go! Just click "new post" at the top right corner of the page, and write a quick message. If you don't see your name on the list, you still need to sign up as a blog author. You should have gotten an email from me, with a link and directions for signing up. Let me know if you need me to re-send the invitation, or if you are having trouble getting set up.

Have fun!