Punkadoodle-doo

Thankful

2011-11-25T00:14:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Things I am grateful for:

My dear husband who puts up with me and my crazy mood swings

The fact that in a few short months we will be bringing home our sweet baby girl!

My wonderful parents

My siblings

Grandparents

The opportunity I have to be studying accounting at one of the best programs in the country.

Jobs for both of us

Our spacious (kind of) apartment

Baby, baby baby, I know I'm not alone... (literally! haha)

2011-11-04T23:25:00.003-04:00

So, it's been forever. I guess we'll do a quick update.

First, I'm pregnant. That's kind of big I guess.

I'm due March 8 and it's a GIRL! I'm so excited! Baby was a surprise, and will have impeccable timing, arriving mid semester 2 of the Junior Core. That's the other news- I started BYU's accounting program in August. It's killing me. But it's the best for a reason, I suppose. It's hard to really stay focused when I'm thinking about baby and everything that I have to do in the next few months, and then trying to plan for everything AFTER baby gets here...but I'm trying to take it one day at a time!

Anyway, I stole a little survey thing from my sister in law's blog. I thought it was a cute idea, so I'll do it once in a while... (I hope!!)

How far along? 22 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: around 12 lbs

How big is baby? According to the Bump, baby girl is the size of a papaya now!

Maternity clothes? I can still wear some of my lower normal jeans...but I am wearing a few pairs of stretchy tops ones b/c they are more comfortable :)

Stretch Marks? Not yet... :S Desperately hoping to avoid those!

Sleep: What's that!? I sleep petty well (minus getting up like 3 times a night to pee!) when I have the time...but I am only getting around 6 hours a night b/c I have too much to do!

Best moment this week: Finishing my midterms today. Pathetic, I know, but they were killer.

Movement: I'm starting to feel baby girl move some...still not a ton, but definitely once in a while!

Food Cravings: No strong cravings, really...

Gender: Baby GIRL!

Labor Signs: no...

Belly Button in or out? In...

What I'm looking forward to: Thanksgiving break and not having classes...and then CHRISTMAS in NY...

Molly

2011-03-20T00:41:00.005-04:00

Today a sweet angel joined our Heavenly Father. My dear cousin Molly passed away early this morning. She was a beautiful, lively, happy 16 year old. She was my little sister's closest, best friend in the whole world, and like a little sister to us. She had her whole life ahead of her, and so quickly it was taken away.

I pray that she is happy and watching down on us and that she can feel our overwhelming love for her.

Just days ago Molly was fine...and suddenly she was in the hospital with an infection that had reached her brain. A parent should never have to see a child pass away...a grandparent should never have to say goodbye to a granddaughter. My heart is aching.

Oh how life is fragile and precious and short. Tell your family often that you love them...hug and kiss your loved ones. Life is too short to wait until tomorrow...

Please keep Molly and our family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time...

Holes and grilled cheese

2011-01-19T01:07:00.002-05:00

All I want to do lately is crawl into a hole and hide for about five years while life goes on without me...even better if I could get a clone to do everything I need to do. I just want to cry.

To make matters worse, I just made myself a grilled cheese- and it was disgusting. How, may you ask, could a grilled cheese go wrong? It's because I bought nasty cheap American cheese at the store because it was 99 cents rather than $2.50. Sad :(

Life...or something like it...

2010-09-09T23:43:00.004-04:00

I'm not sure why I even have a blog anymore...I haven't written since November- I guess I don't have very much to say. So I guess to try and get back in the swing of things, I will just do a brief update of life.

I started classes at BYU the end of April and have been in school since. I got a 4.0 in my first two classes (which were pre-reqs to the accounting program). I was quite proud! I'm taking the last two pre-reqs this semester and will apply to the program after finals. We'll see what happens- I figure if I don't get in, I give up and will quite school once and for all! Other than school, I'm just working and keeping busy trying to be a good wife :) I fail quite frequently in terms of good, healthy dinners, maintaining a clean house etc... but I try!

So I guess other than that, life is the same...I miss NY...and I miss Brasil...it seems I can never be 100% completely satisfied with where I am at. When I was in Brasil I was dying to come back to the US...when I was in NY I thought UT would be a good option...now that I'm in UT I desperately miss NY and Brasil...I wonder what it would be like to live somewhere and feel 100% satisfied...I'm afraid I will never know!

2009-11-13T00:55:00.003-05:00

I'm getting excited for Christmas! Can you tell?!?!

So what has been going on lately....not really anything overly exciting. Lots of school and some work, although things have been so very very slow lately. Which stinks because I need hours!!!

Last week Rapha and I flew out to Denver to visit my grandpa who was very ill and in the hospital. We were all very worried. He went in for a routine colonoscopy, during which his colon was perforated. 48 hours later he was in surgery a

nd had 10 inches of his intestine removed. He had internal bleeding for a few days, as well as an infection in his abdomen from all the lovely bacteria which got out through the perforated colon. Luckily, and thanks to many prayers and fasting, he is doing much better, and will be leaving the hospital tomorrow to go to a rehabilitation center for 6 days so he can continue taking his intravenous antibiotics. Funny, but insurance won't pay for said antibiotics unless he is at a facility- not at home. Unfortunately, those antibiotics cost nearly 20 thousand dollars, so needless to say, he won't be coming home until he is off the antibiotics. Wouldn't you think the insurance company would rather save $ and have him take the meds at home, rather than stay at a facility where they have to pay for his accomodations, food etc? Oh well, n

o one ever said insurance companies were smart...

So I have been in Denver since Saturday. Rapha, dad, Kelly and Travis all came as well but left on Mon and Tues, so I have been here for the last few days keeping my avo (brazilian grama) company while gramps is in the hospital. He doesn't love our visits and after ab

out 30 minutes tells us it's time to leave hahaha. he is tired...and grumpy but that means he is doing better!! So we have been shopping, and out to eat, and just hanging out. While Dad and Rapha were still here we went to Red Rocks and Black Hawk, a small las vegas in the rocky mountains. We played the slots and Rapha won some $$! It was really fun!!! So, this has been a nice trip, considering we came super worried, we are all much relieved and have been able to enjoy ourselves and each other's company!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-10-13T21:35:00.003-04:00

In Canada :) Yes, we went to Niagara Falls yesterday, and spent the afternoon in Canada! Only when we got back to the US side and the immigration guard asked if it was busy "over there" did we remember it was Thanksgiving in Canada!! We had a great time!!!

Letter from a Marine who happens to be my brother

2009-09-06T20:57:00.002-04:00

Dear Mom (next of kin)

I am writing to you another mandated letter regarding my safety and status on this great adventure, the 22nd Marine Expiditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). Some retard in my unit sent the last letter out to his parents with a blank piece of paper in it. His parents contacted the chain of command, because they are also idiots and thought he was kidnapped (we could only be so lucky). So this is the 4th letter I am sending to you, although we have email and I prefer to talk that way anyway. I don't even write Lauren letters. So here is what they are making me say:

I am safe.

I am ok.

I will be training for a few weeks (but by the time you get this I will be back from it)

Love,

Adam

Tastes like honey

2009-08-25T20:20:00.002-04:00

I got stung by a bee on Sunday...on my BUTT!!!

It really hurt, a lot!!! And it stung me through my JEANS! What a persistent sucker! My only comfort was that the bee died on contact!!!

CPA

2009-08-23T22:38:00.003-04:00

So on September 8th, I start school again. I'm super nervous, but excited as well! I will be studying "business administration" at a community college (focusing on accounting) then after 2 semesters I plan on transferring to a university, to get my bachelor's in accounting, and then (since it is now a requirement for the state of NY) a master's in accounting so I can sit for the CPA exam. My goal is to do this all by the time I am 29 (this gives me a little over 4 years which I hope will be more than enogh! I would prefer 3 years, but with the masters and the 4-part CPA exam, it will more likely be 4) So that is my plan! It feels so good to finally have a plan and some direction! Although I never though I would ever in my life become a CPA...!!!!!!! It feels good!

Pictures from our sealing

2009-07-31T16:28:00.006-04:00

We finally got our official pictures from our FABULOUS photographer Susie Campbell Photography. So here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure :)

A ride through the Mountains

2009-06-14T20:53:00.006-04:00

This weekend Rapha and I went to the Adirondack Mts with my dad to be his "crew" as he participated in a 140 mile ride through the mountains! We had a fun time following my dad and getting him water and his protein bars! hehe We saw a lot of beautiful places and enjoyed nature. It was a beautiful place. And my dad rode really well. He finished the ride in a little over 9 hours (it was a lot of uphill climbing in the mts) and was so tired! But he did great!! Here are a couple pics from the trip!!

Tax credits can be a great thing!!

2009-06-11T19:25:00.004-04:00

There is a new tax credit this year for first time homebuyers. (As long as you don't make more than 75 thou if you are single, or 150 thou if you are married filing joint) The tax credit is $8,000. Thats a pretty nice credit come tax time. I found a house we want to buy. It's tiny-918 square feet, but it is kind of cute. It has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, living room and kitchen and almost no yard as it sits on a mere .09 acre. BUT, here is the appealing part- it is only $25,000!! So take that and the tax credit, and you have yourself a very cheap, $17,000 house! Pretty cool, huh?! Now if only we had 25 grand... :) Oh, here is a picture of the house, a little work around the yard and it would be a pretty great starter house!

As a side note, I haven't been in it, so I don't even know what kind of shape it is in. I just got excited about the possibility of buying a house for 17 grand! ;)

Hair today, gone tomorrow....

2009-06-08T22:45:00.002-04:00

Two days ago mu husbund slept with a dark haired brunette, last night with a yellow ontop turning into orange, and then red at the ends, and tonight he is going to sleep with a redhead. HAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAH I have NOT had good luck dying my hair, it was a REALLY bad idea to try and stip the color out of my hair at home and then put color on top- now i know why salons charge more than 100 bucks a hit to color difficult people's hair, like my own. Thats what I get for being cheap and wanting to save like 70 bucks. Gr. I may just end up putting black all over it again. How annoying. I hate hair, maybe i will just shave it all off!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMORE!

2009-06-03T14:38:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday Amor!!!!!!!! I meant to do this on Monday, but I was just enjoying the day so much that I didn't end up doing it! So here I am, wishing my amazing husbund a super Happy Birthday (2 days late) on my blog. This was Rapha's first birthday in the US and it was great!! We had dinner the night before with my grandparents and family, played with a fun toy helicopter I got him, and just had a fun, relaxing night! Then on Monday we just enjoyed the day together, went to see the Hill Cumorah, opened presents, went out to dinner with my family etc. It was great!! I'm SO lucky to have such a wonderful man as my husbund, and I look forward SO MUCH to have tons more birthdays, anniversaries, christmases, holidays, etc together! So here's to the many more future celebrations we will share! Feliz Aniversario amor!!

A Birthday ode to Kate

2009-05-23T20:13:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Tater Tot! (Kate couldn't say her T's when she was a child...so she was tate- hence tater tot)

Today my little baby sister turned 14!! She's so big now! And so hormonal! AH! hahhaha. I still remember when my momma was expecting her, I was SO excited to have a little sister! I remember the cute outfits I folded over and over, placing them in her dresser drawers, so they would be perfect when she arrived! And then she did! And she was loud! And spit up a lot! But, nevertheless, I loved her!! And I still do, even though she is a crazy teenager! And she is not so little anymore. She is as tall as me and getting taller every day! It's crazy how they grow up so fast! Well Kate, I hope your birthday was wonderful, I love you lots!!

Yanni Voices

2009-05-14T13:27:00.004-04:00

I've always liked Yanni- ever since the long haired Greecian (is that right) on the cover of the Live at the Acropolis CD appeared in our house some 10 years ago. He has a unique sound and when I was 15 I definitely had a huge crush on him. haha New Yanni CDs have hence appeared in our home as soon as they were released and we spent many family vacations listening to him and Enya at our beach rental in NC. So, needless to say, Yanni was a part of my upbringing. He was always around! Dinners, cleaning the house, car rides etc. My sister is not such a fan of his music- I am not sure if it is more of a conscious effort NOT to like him, or if she is traumatized after she broke her foot when she was 16 while dancing around the living room to his latest release. Never the less, I have always like him. And last night my parents took me and Rapha to his new concert- Yanni Voices, in which he adds lyrics to his music. He had 4 vocalists with him- 3 of which I really liked, the other one- not as much. What I really liked about the concert however, was the variety of musicians and instruments. Yanni would highlight certain instruments throughtout his music, and sometimes there would be "battles of the strongest" competitions between the two viola players, or the drummer and Yanni on the piano, or the two drummers, etc. The harpist (from Paraguay) was incredible and did a solo number during one of the songs, the guitarist was Brazilian and played really well, the drummer was AMAZING and was hilarious, anyway you get my point. It was great. I have a huge appreciation for his music, even more so after seeing him in concert! I highly reccomend going to see him if you have the chance- he's far better than most rock bands, (minus U2, of course!) and puts on a great show as he talks to the audience and interacts with his orchestra. Go to yanni.com for tour information and to see if YOU will have the lucky opportunity to see him live! :)

Sealing

2009-05-07T20:19:00.003-04:00

So here is a a picture from our sealing at the Palmyra, NY temple. It was a beautiful spring day, and the weather could not have been more cooperative. It really was perfect! We are very happy and life is just great! :)

update

2009-03-06T22:37:00.002-05:00

So I haven't posted in about 2 months, as life has been crazy! So here are some updates. Rapha and I FINALLY got to the US! YAY! It was such an ordeal but it finally happened which is great! We've been here about 2 weeks and things are going well. Its so nice to be near my family again, I missed them so much! Our last few weeks in Brazil were mad chaotic between quitting my job, moving out, selling our things and moving to another country! Whoever has had the experience of moving, knows how much of a pain it is, multiply that by 100 and you'll understand what it is like moving from another country and trying to decide what to bring and leave, and how on earth you are going to fit your life (well in my case, the past few years) into 2 suitcases each!!! But we are here so that is what is important. So far I think Rapha likes it. He doesnt seem to mind the cold weather that much, I actually get much colder than he does! He just doesn't like the wind when its cold. He thinks his ears will literally fall off. And who knows, they just might. So I am working with my dad at his CPA firm and helping to prepare 1040s for the fabulous tax season. I'm not sure whats going to happen once tax season is over though. We are making plans for our sealing in the Palmyra temple for probably the 25th of april with a reception after since none of my family attended our wedding in Brasil. And I an FINALLY going to get to use my wedding dress! I am very excited!!! So please send me your addresses if you would like an invitation. I realize that unfortunately many of my dear friends and fam probably won't be able to come due to the timing, distance and money...but I would love it if some of you could come and be a part of our special day :) Well I guess this is all for now....

RIO DE JANEIRO

2009-01-10T18:13:00.002-05:00

HELLO FROM RIO DE JANEIRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's like 90 degrees avery day and sunny!! The beach - COPACABANA- was fabulous today (although the water was somewhat dirty so we didn't enjoy that as much)

More to come later!
TCHAU!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2008-12-24T11:10:00.002-05:00

Except....it's really not :( It's like 95 degrees, sunny and humid. Ahhhhh is it too much to ask for a freak blizzard today as a sign of some magical Christmas bliss?! PLEASEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Well, I am sure that won't happen, and it really doesn't feel like christmas without the snow and dreary NY skies. I MISS IT! I miss the Christmas carols, the yummy smells of my momma's baking (although I did just make cinnamon rolls so our house does smell pretty good, too) all the obnoxious family, the laughter, etc. Christmas is just NOT the same in Brasil. I know the reason is the same, so I'm not being blasphemous, it's just that the feeling is different!

Anyway, I wish you all a very merry Christmas! With lots of family, love, happiness, good food etc ;)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2008-12-16T20:29:00.003-05:00

Drum roll please. Here is the cake I made for my sister in law's wedding. It didn't turn out as beautiful as I had imagined. But, that's what happen when you make it the night before and run out of frosting and your beaters break so you can't make more. I had a meltdown that night and cried because I thought it was so ugly. But after sticking over a dozen gerber daisies in it, it ended up being ok. And it tasted delicious! And I made the flower arrangements as well. All in all, it didn't look too shabby!

Let's all throw shoes!

2008-12-15T13:14:00.002-05:00

So, did Bush really deserve to get SHOES thrown at him in Iraq?? You don't have to like him, most Americans don't. Heck, you don't even have to respect his politics...but throw SHOES at him? That's just ridiculous. And pathetic. And it's even more pathetic that people think it was awesome. C'mone peopl! Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. What do YOU think?

I don't know what to write here....

2008-12-13T20:12:00.002-05:00

Yay for a new christmas layout! Ok, I am finally starting to mess around with the different blog options and I think I have changed my background like 5 different times in the past hour! Anyway, it's fun. So here's the new blog, I'll keep adding new things...or rather, I'll try!

My sister in law got married today! It was so nice, very simple but happy! I made the cake...it turned out really ugly but delicious! I'll put pics up later cause I am soooo tired and don't feel like uploading tons of pictures now.

beijos e boa noite!

updates

2008-12-10T06:59:00.005-05:00

Well, it's time for an update. I have been really bad about blogging but interesting things really are happening!

First and foremost, December 1st, Rapha and I celebrated our first anniversary! That's right, it's already been one whole year!! A busy, stressful but wonderful year! And so here's to many more years, hopefully less stressful, with more money and even more happiness hahaha.

Secondly and almost as important, we FINALLY have our visa interview scheduled and so January 9th we will be heading to Rio de Janeiro to make Rapha a permanent resident of the USA. I can't wait. We have been working on getting this visa for almost a year, so it's about time! Soon after we will make our way up North to the US! I am so excited. Living in Brazil has been an AMAZING experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have learned lots and had a fun time in general, but I'm ready to be back in the red white and blue. Our plans? Depends. I may work with my dad during tax season, then we'll mor elikely than not head out west for some intensve english classes, and so I can go back to school. I'm seriously considering accounting as a life career, so we'll see how that goes. I'm just so excited about it all! Rapha is starting to get nervous though haha.

In other less important news, we have our Christmas tree up and it looks beautiful. My little nice is adorable and geting bigger every day. My sister in law is getting married this weekend, and I offered to make the cake, which I am super nervous about now haha I don't know what I was thinking! I went to see my grandparents this weekend in Araraquara! I love when they are here in Brazil. We had a nice relaxing weekend full of barbeques and good conversation. I love spending time with my grandpa. I am so grateful for it and definitely try to take full advantage! He is a riot though!

Well, I'll wrap it up here for now. More to come later........... :)

Kelly's Turn!

2008-11-30T07:57:00.005-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SMELL!!!! Today is Kelly's 26th b-day! She´s getting so old ;) So I thought I would make an ode to her here! Kelly is super wonderful and so here are some of the things I love about her!
1- She is super ridiculously smart. I wish I was half as smart!
2- She speaks like 10 different languages, well, not all fluently, but heck, she's studied a ton!
3- She probably has the best nose in our family. Hands down. (no offense anyone else ;) )
4- She is always willing to listen to me whine and complain and cry and talk about myself without getting too annoyed at me for being so self absorbed (i'm working on it!!!)
5- She gives me GREAT advice.
6- She is my best friend!
7-She has BEAUTIFUL blonde hair! (I always wished I was blone, too!)
8- She would play Barbies with me when we were little even though i KNOW she hated it most of the time!
9- She always lets e borrow her super cute clothes, even though I have wrecked countless items. (SORRY!!)
10- She's fun and crazy and doesnt care (too much) what people think.
11- She is a FAB cook. I cant wait to go home and eat some of her scrumptious concoctions!
12- One time when I moved out to provo all alone and had minimal money, she felt bad for me and surprised me with a whole buch of yummy goodies for my apartement! And thereafter she invited me over for dinner LOTS. Thanks sister for taking good care of me!!!
13- She plays the piano REALLY well! (She plays a MEAN Turkish march!!)

Well, those are just a few things. But I really do have a wonderful sister! A wonderful family in general and I miss them all so much. Smell, I hope that you have a FABULOUS day! I love you tons!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR FAUTIE!!!

2008-11-29T13:17:00.006-05:00

Today is my dad's 49th Birthday! And so this is a whole post just for him, and to show you all how wonderful he is!!! So here we go, here are some fabulous things about my dad! ( in no particular order)
1- He is very sensitive!! I love seeing sensitive guys! He always would send my mom flowers and cards for no specefic reason! I loved seeing that!
2- He always took us kids out on daddy-daughter (in my case) dates! Just the two of us, we could pick WHEREVER we wanted to go! That was so fun! Some of the things dad and I did together on our dates- golfing (remember we went driving at that range in Newark!?! so fun!!!) the mall (of course! Thanks for putting up with that dad!!!), movies (mainly chick flicks hahahah), ice cream, ice skating, swimming at the HS pool!, out to dinner at the restaurant of my choice!, etc etc etc! I have great memories with my dad on our dates!!
3- He read individual books to each of us kids, at least once a week! Any book we wanted- some of my favorites- Little House on the Prarie books, (ALL OF THEM! Way to go dad for putting up with those!!!) The Work and the Glory and the Tennis shoes books! I had a great time reading with dad! He would even do the different voices sometimes! hehe
4- He has always supported us and encouraged us with things we wanted to do!
5- He came to all our chorus and band concerts, volleyball games etc!
6-He gives wonderful hugs!! And always tells us how much he loves us!
7- He is super smart! He knows pretty much everything, no joke.
8- He's a huge softie! He would always let us out of our punishment (grounding) days before it was supposed to end! hehehe
9- He came up with the coolest EVER nickname for me! PUNKADOODLE!!!!
10- One time when we were at the grocery store buying Skecial K, the cereal, he said it was special KRISTI! I LOVED IT!
Well, I could definitely go on, but we'll leave it at this for now!

Dad, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! I HOPE YOU HAVE A FABULOUS DAY! Wish I was home to celebrate with you but I am thinking of you!!!! LOVE YOU TONS!

Birthdays

2008-10-23T06:42:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to me! haahahah
Today I am 24 years old. :) Thanks to my wonderful family who has put up with me for all these years! Good luck to my husbund who will continue putting up with me for many more!!
Oh, and I got breakfast in bed this morning, my husbund rocks!!!
:)
I would put up some pics of my early childhood birthdays but unfortunately, I am at work and don't have any with me :) But they were wonderful. I got carebear cakes and fabulous presents and parties. Fabulous dinners at home with the fam and fun dinners out to wherever I wanted as well! Mom and dad always made my day super special! So thank you!!!!

I've also had some great bday with friends, college roomates etc! Surprise parties with delicious cheescakes! So fun!

Thanks everyone for the wonderful birthdays!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!!!!

2008-10-16T08:22:00.002-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!!
Today my mom turns 50. HOORAY! And hooray for not looking a day over 40, mom!!!!
I really think my mom seriously earns best mom in the world award. Why do you ask? Because she is simply the best! But to convince you even MORE, I will make a list to highlight some of the MANY wonderful things about my mom!

1. She gives the BEST hugs ever. Its not one of those week hugs that only last a milisecond. Its a full on momma hug that is comforting and caring!!! I've gotten some great hugs from my mom. They ALWAYS make me feel better!!

2. She makes delicious homade bread and rolls, and always let us eat and play with the dough! And then when it was warm we ate it with delicious butter and honey. YUM!

3. She always makes cheesy broccoli soup and bread bowls for me cause she knows they are my favorite!!!

4. She made me do my laundry and dishes when I was a kid! Okay, so that one was a blessing in disguise, but today, I know how to do both! And I've known how to do them forever!

5. She has the most BEAUTIFUL gardens! She really makes our house in NY look so special and beautiful!

6. She tucks me in bed til this very day! When I am home visiting she always come and "tucks me in" which while its not the same thing it was when I was a kid (I dont really need anyone to pull my covers up for me anymore) its a really nice time that I can spend with my momma! She comes in and says goodnight and we often chat a little, and she turns the light off and closes the door for me! Doesn't get any better than that! :D

7. She always listens to me cry and complain, and (almost) always sympathizes with me, and then lovingly tells me what I may be doing wrong and gives me good advice!!!

8. She always puts up with me, even though I am a pain in the butt!

Well, the list could go on, but I wouldn't want to make anyone TOO jelaous out there ;)

Momma, I hope you have a WONDERFUL birthday! You deserve it! I wish I was home to celebrate with you!!!! Thank you for all the love and caring you have given to us kids over the years and continue providing today! You are turly the best mom anyone could ask for!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE YOU MOMMA!!!!!!!!!!!

MY NEW NIECE!!!

2008-10-10T11:15:00.002-04:00

This is Ana Beatriz! I have to say, I think she is absolutely beautiful! I don't usually think newborns are that cute...but she is! And I am not just saying that cause she's my niece!!!!

Au revoir!!!!

2008-10-08T15:40:00.002-04:00

I think I am going to stop posting and perhaps even delete my blog, since no one comments on ANYTHING anymore, and perhaps, no one even reads.

Fun weekends!

2008-10-05T20:08:00.006-04:00

Last weekend was a busy but FUN weekend! We went to the São Paulo Zoo with the stake YM and YW, which was SO fun but stressful, trying to make sure our youth didn't run away with the monkeys!!! But we had a great time! Here are some pictures!

Here is a lovely picture of a giraffe sticking his tongue in his nose...nasty!!!

A picture of us in front of some bird cages...

Raph and Luan with the camels...

On Sunday, Rapha and Luan made a kite ( I helped a little)! Then we went over to his parents' house and flew it from the patio out back! It was fun and flew really well! It went SO high, and there was so much pressure that when we reeled it in, it had ripped! But it was really fun!!

Raph, flying his kite!!

The proud owner/maker of a really cool kite! My husbund rocks!!!

Needless to say, it was an enjoyable weekend! They should all be this fun! :)

IN or AT

2008-10-01T08:41:00.001-04:00

Take my poll on the left...I'm having a debate with a coworker about which is right. So tell, me, what do YOU think!?

I'm IN the park.
OR
I'm AT the park.

The world is ending.

2008-09-30T07:34:00.002-04:00

Is anyone else worried about the NOT passing of the bailout bill? Does anyone else find it strange that the DOW dropped over 700 points as soon as the bill was NOT passed? Ironic? I don't think so. I think, that shows that American citizens WANTED the bill to be passed. Is it perfect? Of course not. Is it the 100% absolute answer? no way. But is it better than doing NOTHING? DUH! And shouldn't it say something to us that the EU passed a similar bailout OVERNIGHT? That's over 20 governments agreeing on a bill (granted not nearly as much as the proposed 700 billion in the US) overnight! Because they know its VITAL to avoid a complete total spin out! We are screwed!!!!! The WHOLE world. The BOVESPA in Brazil fell 10%. In Hong Kong it fell 4%. ETC ETC ETC. This is really frustrating. Why would a bill like this NOT be passed. People really must be dumb. dumb dumb dumb.

Meet Bono

2008-09-23T20:40:00.005-04:00

So, I have a puppy. And his name is Bono. Really, I've had him for like 6 months...and I am just getting around to posting a couple pictures. Rapha gave him to me and I think he really regrets it now! He is a lot of work! But, he is a fun dog. He poops and pees WAY too much. Especially when he is excited. I do NOT love coming home to a dog waiting at the door that is covered in pee from excitement. But, nevertheless, I do love him :)

These picture were a while ago. So that means he is bigger and my hair is better :)

Kite Bandits

2008-08-14T15:17:00.007-04:00

The other day a friend of ours came over with a little kite to give to Rapha’s son. It was a small one made out of thin paper with spiderman on it. It was really cool actually. So we got to talking about kites. I told Rapha about the big plastic kites we used to buy, with cool pictures on them of Barbie, or My little ponies. And we would fly them in the fields around the house. But how it was always a bummer when they ripped and we couldn’t use them anymore.

Then Rapha told me about his kite experiences as a child. Basically, my husband was the kite guru. He LOVED kites. And he stole them from other kids!!!! What a bully!! haha. What he and his friends would do, is first they would make their kites. Yes, they MADE them - out of bamboo and silk paper etc. Then they would take them out to fly. But the key was, they would make a paste/glue out of flour, water, and SMASED up glass, and then put it on the string. Once they had their kites flying, they would maneuver them next to another kid’s kite, and circle it, and then skillfully cut the other kid’s string with their own (since it had that glass glue on it ). Then they would run and take the kite! Kite bandits!! Anyway, I guess its not that bad, everyone did it. It was more of a game. Oh, and today this glass glue on kites is illegal. It can actually be deadly if for example, a motorcyclist runs into a tight string with that glue on it. It can kill him. And I guess that has happened a few times. So now its illegal. But I thought it was so cool to hear Raph’s story about his kite-stealing-competitive days haha. And even when he was talking about it now, his eyes started sparkling and he got so excited telling us about it. How fun. Why didn’t I do anything like that when I was a kid?!

Death and Taxes

2008-08-12T13:09:00.006-04:00

So I never really have anything exciting to write about here, but I try to make stuff up once and a while. I figure that today I will update all of my loyal readers...(all what- 3 of you?!) on our moving to the US process. Things are going pretty well from what I can tell. Our lawyer has sent all the paperwork in, the visa was approved at the USCIS dept. and now we are waiting for the consulate here to get in touch with us to schedeule our interview! We are aiming to be in the US by mid to end of september! Our interview will be in Rio de Janeiro, so we'll definitely take advantage of that to hang out on the beach after waiting all morning for some annoying person to ask us about our intimate relationship, why we want to go to the US, etc. We'll deserve some good beach time after that! Anyway, that's about it...

We are still up in the air about what we are going to do when we get to the US. NY for now, but maybe Provo for Rapha to study English and so I can finish school. I am currently toying with the idea of studying accounting since my daddy's a CPA and could hook me up with a secure job while studying and after graduating. I just don't know if I would love accounting. I am sure I wouldn't...BUT i hear all these horror stories of people graduating and not finding decent jobs because they want to work in their area, anything from sociology to animal biology etc. So, at least I know accounting will be around forever. The only 2 sure things in life- death and taxes, right??? What do you all think? CPA Kristi Hill Lopes? Scary.........

ME MOSAIC!

2008-07-30T10:39:00.002-04:00

I saw this on a friend's blog and I thought it was cool. It works like this: You type in your answers to the questions below into google image search and you pick a picture from the first page that comes up then paste the url into the mosaic maker at http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.phpHere is mine:

Here are the questions:

What is your first name? Kristi (The pic is the bracelet - all the others were trashy!!)

What is your favorite food? chocolate!!!!!!!

What high school did you attend? Palmyra- Macedon High school

What is your favorite color? blueeeeeee

Who is your celebrity crush? Bono :D

Favorite drink? non alcoholic strawberry daiquiris

Dream vacation? Tahiti

Favorite dessert? Currently...petit gateau yummm

What do you want to be when you grow up? A mommy! Work is boring haha (and YES its not JUST a mom, its the HOTTEST mom hahahaha)

What do you love most in life? Family

One word to describe you? ME!

Your nickname? Krustyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy hahaha

poll

2008-06-18T09:26:00.000-04:00

look at Kelly's blog (like on right) and vote in her poll...I need advice....

my boss

2008-06-17T19:40:00.001-04:00

Rich people disgust me. Especially when they are hipocryts. Especially when they are hipocryts AND mormons. That's the worst. Even worse is when they are your bosses.

MY VERY LEGITIMATE RANT

2008-06-06T10:07:00.005-04:00

Brazil Disgusts Me.

As I was getting ready to go to work this morning, the tv was on. One of the main networks, GLOBO, was sharing all the exciting Brazilian news. One of the top stories was that now people who want a sex change can get it for FREE. Brazil is all screwed up. First off. Their public health system already sucks. And now they want to let people get FREE sex changes?? (And its NOT a cheap, easy surgery!!!) While there are TONS of people who have been waiting for liver transplants, or back operations for months or years????? Maybe, with all the money they will spend on sex changes, they could speed things up again for people who really are ILL! What a novelty! Second, instead of taking tax money to pay for a wierdo's sex change, maybe they should invest in education, seeing as their public education also leaves a lot to desire. And I mean a TON.

Why should people who make like 380 reais (or even those who make 10,000) a month have to get even MORE taxes taken out to pay for some transvestites's pervese desire to be the opposite sex? Whats even WORSE, is that the majority of the people (men) who want sex changes are HOOKERS!!!! You should see how many transvestite hookers I pass on the way to church!!! Its ridiculous! And, now there will be MORE! Because now its FREE! So let's encourage even MORE prostitution! And heck, for those of you who are looking for a legitimate FEMALE hooker, be careful! You just may not know what you are REALLY getting! FernandA may actually have once been FernandO!!

Some will try and argue that they were born in the "wrong" body. That they feel like a female but are stuck in a man's body. That's just TOO bad! If you REALLY feel like that, maybe we can convince the government's FREE health care to cover your SHRINK sessions! And help you DEAL with you FEELINGS! No one OWES you anything! If you REALLY want a sex change, save up your own damn pennies! I sure as hell shouldn't have to pay for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I had always dreamed of spending FOREVER in Brazil (which I haven't) this would be motive enough for me to get the hell outta here ASAP.......... CRAZY IDIOTS ...........

..........

2008-06-05T11:40:00.005-04:00

My list of "things I miss in the US" is getting bigger. :) Today I added washing machines because I don't have one because they are super expensive. So I get to wash my clothes by hand. I hate it. I realy don't think my clothes get clean when I wash them... :( Not cool.

I also added Jamba Juice. I am craving one now. Yum. (It's lunch time and my tummy is rumbling) I miss being on BYU campus and when the craving hit, I could just make my way to the Wilk and buy one. I don't even remember which one I liked the best- some wierd tropical one. Oh - so - goooood.

AND.....Hershey Nuggets - you know, the ones with toffee and almonds. Momma sent a bag the other day and they are almost gone :(

Can't wait to go BACK to the good ole US of A..................

2 months? Maybe 3 and We'll be BACK (hopefully)

Favelas

2008-06-03T10:40:00.008-04:00

So, It's been a while so I figured that while I have very few readers- okay only 1 faithful reader (3 if you count my parents only AFTER I let them know I have a new post) - I would write a new one.

So, this is basically for you, Kell.

On Saturday I went with Rapha to a reinauguration of a Wizard school that he re-sold in Itapecerica da Serra (I have a REALLY hard time saying that!!!) Its about an hour and a half or so from Campinas and like 20 min. from the city of São Paulo. It's considered a "periphery" (is that right???) city of São Paulo. Meaning that its close enough to commute to São Paulo, but not actually PART of São Paulo. Its pretty much a ghetto. Well, the areas around it are at least. The city itself isn't horrid. It could actually be a really nice city seeing as it is located in the high hills surrounding São Paulo. But it's old and not well taken care of. At least the parts I saw. I am sure there are some wealthy, well taken care of parts. But they are few and fare to come by.

The scenery would have been great if it weren't for the slums. For about 15 minutes straight, all I saw were FAVELAS - slums, thrown up on the sides of steep hills. Houses semi-finished made of stole bricks. Roofless 5-story houses. The just keep building out as far as they can and then up ...and never stop.

Ironic was the only word I could think of as we passed a huge favela and then like 20 feet away was a closed condominium of MANSIONS being built. Seriously HUGE beautiful houses. And the rich people complain when they get assaulted or robbed? Let's think. I'm poor. RIDICULOUSLY POOR. I get up at 3 am to walk to my bus stop on the highway (20 -30 minute walk?) I take a bus into the CITY of São Paulo (which with the traffic and depending on where I am going, could take hours). Then I work for 10-12 hours. Then I go home, which takes a couple hours. I do this 6 or even 7 days a week and I make about 380 reais for the month. Then one day I see HUGE mansions being built. I may or may not be a thief at heart. But suddenly it HITS me! I could get rich by robbing this place! Why not? I'll feed my family, move to a better neighborhood. Etc. OR maybe I am just a PUNK who lives in the favela, and am pissed off that I was born into a poor family, living in the favela, and didn't go to school, or whatever. And so I go and take my anger out on my rich neighbor. Whatever the case. Building a HUGE mansion next to a HUGE slum- NOT a good idea!!! Its actually just PURE stupidity! So, I don't feel that sorry for you when you get robbed. Sorry!

One piece of paper

2008-04-09T20:31:00.002-04:00

So I thought this was really cool...there was a contest at the Hirshon Modern Art Gallery. The rule was simple. Each artist could only use one single piece of people. These are some of my favorites....

Why I want winter

2008-04-09T19:13:00.002-04:00

I want winter. I want cold weather where I can see my breath in the early morning air. I want frost on the windows and ground. Heck, I even could take little snow right now! Not more than a foot though. Just a nice even covering and I want it to stay on the trees ALL day for more than one day. Why do I want this? Beacause I am SICK of the heat. I am sick of wearing sanadals, and having to paint my nails all the time. I am tired of wearing ugly boring short sleeved shirts. I am ick of seeing people in ugly tank tops that show their nasty flabby bellys, back arms etc. I want to wear curdoroys and sweaters. I want to wear long coats and high boots! I want to wear clothes-NICE clothes. I want to wear leather gloves and my newsie-style hat. And scarves of course. I love winter clothes. I am tired of smelly people who sweat in the nasty humidity. I am tired of getting sweaty when I leave my airconditioned office for 5 minutes. I am tired of walking to lunch in the heat and feeling gross when I get back to work. I am tired of having to wear sunglasses and my nose getting oily. I am tired of getting sunburnt as I walk to lunch. I would love a couple weeks of nice cold weather.

I miss.....

2008-04-02T18:24:00.004-04:00

To the right you will find my list of things I miss in the United States. It is a small list (but I probably could add about a thousand more things), and it is ever-growing as everyday I realize I miss something else that I can`t find here, or something that is really expensive here but is cheap in the US. Like veet!! I totally miss veet. It leaves my legs so nice and smooth! So that could go on my list as well. And I really miss good sidewalks! I can't stand walking in Brazil anymore. Especially in heels!! I about kill myself whenever I walk on the stupid "Paralelipipedo" sidewalks!

(As seen in above foto) Don't, however be fooled by the pretty design and beautiful scenery. These sidewalks are accidents in the making. When one of those nice pretty little stones comes loose, and you just happen to be walking and not looking down, you are bound to twist or even BREAK your ankle!! I am always afraid that I am going to trip on one of the loose stones, and fall into the street where a crazy driver (not watching where he is going, or caring whether he hits something or better yet someONE) will clobber me with his nasty beat up 1965 "fusca" (aka VW beetle) What else do I miss? Good service, a larger middle class, not seeing so many travestites, citcoms not novelas, cheap yet good quality clothing, comfortable shoes, SWEETCORN (I swear the stuff they eat here is what my grandpa feeds his cows...) wireless internet wherever you go, houses without walls around them, etc etc etc.............

This is my first-ever blog...

2008-04-02T16:08:00.000-04:00

See above. Anyway, I couldn't think of a blog name, so I decided to call it punkadoodle-doo in homenagem to my fautie (dad) who gave me this fun nickname :)