Happy Birthday, Brad!

Today is my brother-in-law, Brad's birthday. He is the big 2-6! And this, ladies and gentlemen (all three of you who read my blog), is his birthday tribute.

Brad joined our family at the end of December 2007 via marrying my sister Molly. I remember when she and I first met Brad (we met him at the same time) at a lame stake dance at BYU. Since his entrance into the family clan, I have observed the following skills/talents that make up Brad:

1) He can imitate a dog and a bird well.
2) He's quick at making up cheesy puns.
3) He's a great photographer.
4) He's a smarty pants- he's excelling in dental school as I type!
5) He's good at practicing dentistry in obscure places and positions. (See below)



When I visited Molly and Brad in August, Brad was willing to give my teeth a much needed cleaning right in his living room. Oh, the life of a poor college student...

Happy birthday, Brad! Hope you have a good one! Don't eat too much Bowl of Cake...

23.5

Today is my half birthday! (Jordan already told me that he "half-cares" about it.) Still, I think it is exciting. The first half of being 23 has been wonderful! I graduated, got married, went on a honeymoon, moved to Tulsa, started grad school, visited all my family, and went to Graceland! Let's see what the second half of 23 brings...

I love Priceline!

I would like to bear my testimony of the wonder that is priceline.com! It's the greatest website EV-ER, eSPECially when you need cheap plane tickets!

I've always been a Southwest Airlines gal. They're cheap, and you can check two bags for free! Plus, they always had a ton of flights going back and forth from Seattle to Salt Lake. Now that I live in the far away land of Tulsa, flights aren't as cheap as they used to be; neither are they as bountiful through Southwest.

Between Jordan's PA school interviews, a friend's wedding, and Christmas we have had to buy alot of plane tickets lately. I tried out priceline.com and found CHEAP tickets with other airlines! priceline also tells you how much the total will be, tax and everything, right under the flight's price so you know exactly how much you are buying your ticket for. I calculated the baggage fees into our ticket and they all ended being the same price or cheaper than the Southwest tickets,There were also SO many times to choose from, unlike Southwest that had a whopping two choices.

Plus, nothing -I mean NOTHING- drives me crazier than stupid people who do not understand Southwest's ABC seating lines. AUGH!!!! I's the easiest thing in the world! DON'T try to stay in line ahead of me if you have A47 and I have A42! Or if you have A41, PLEASE get in front of me like you are supposed to do. That's why I'm leaving this big gap in front of me!!... I could seriously rant about this for three blood boiling pages. Buuuuut on other airlines, I won't have to worry about it!

In conclusion, priceline.com is simply awesome. I recommend it to anyone who needs to fly. (I also recommend buying one way tickets to and form your destination, because then you can use two different airlines and most likely save a little money!!)

Twisted Compliments...

Last night Jordan so sweetly told me that I remind him of a certain "cute" cartoon character.

Not this one...



Or this one...


But THIS:
Yeah, that's right. The HIDEOUS fat, bugged eyed, bucked toothed, scraggly, prehistoric squirrel from Ice Age.

I think I'm going to cry.

Happy Birthday, Troy!

Today is my brother Troy's birthday. I have the hardest time finding good e-greetings, and I'm always too late to send a card via paper mail (did you know people are still doing that??) so I thought a glorified "Ode to Troy" on my blog would suffice. Plus, this would allow me to find out if he is actually reading his little sister's blog....hmmmm?

This is Troy:
He's turning the big 3-0! Although Troy and I are 6 1/2 years apart, he was always a very good brother to me. For example....

1) He taught me how to surf (kinda) and wakeboard.
2) He would let me paint his toe nails... and then he would leave them painted. (Jordan will NOT let me do this to him, no matter how many times I say, "but TROY let meeee")
3) He let me hang out with him and his wife Nancee alot when they lived in Provo.
4) He helped me to come visit him and his family in Tuscan.
5) He was the first person to explain to me "tr" sounds like "ch" (I still remember this conversation).
6) He took a major part in reproducing an adorable niece for me.

Troy also had a huge impact on my beliefs as a child. When I was little, I stopped believing in Santa and the Tooth Fairy at normal ages....but I really struggle letting go of the Easter Bunny. Although the Easter Bunny is obviously the most unlikely to be real of the three, I believed in him the most. Why? Because Troy convinced ME that I saw the Easter Bunny! He made up an elaborate story that I woke up early one morning and saw him right when he was leaving. I just didn't remember it really well because I was little. I held onto that story like gold. I was so proud that I saw the Easter Bunny. I bragged to friends about it. I believed it so much that I began picturing it with perfect clarity. Imagine my utter confusion when I found out that he was in fact not real and that my memory was completely nonexistent. "But....I SAW him...right Troy?"

Troy also impacted my paranoia on my own genetics. When I was learning about shaving my legs, I noticed that Troy's legs were exceptionally hairy. Here's what went down.

Me: Troy, do you shave your legs?
Troy: Oh, yeah. I shave them everyday.
Me: You DO?
Troy: Yeah and the next day they look like this. In fact, I can feel the hair growing when I am in bad at night.

That totally freaked me out for a while. I was petrified that whatever weird gene Troy was carrying was bound to effect my legs. Thank goodness it was just older brother sarcasm!

So here is to you, Troy! You are super smart, crazy talented at every board sport imaginable, you can build pretty much anything you want, and you are really funny! Thanks for being such a great brother!

Easy food

Sometimes it is hard to find good food. Especially easy good food. Before you resort yourself to eating fecal covered bunnies, here are some recipes. Both of these recipe take ten minutes or less to prepare (before baking.) Best of all, they are both "really, really, ridiculously good tasting."




Lemon Sqeezies (They are cookies. I don't know why they are called that, but I like the name)
1 box lemon cake mix
1 egg
1/4 cup margarine/butter
1/4 cup sour cream
Optional: 1-2 cups rice crispies or oatmeal (I like the oatmeal)

Beat all ingredients EXCEPT cereal/oatmeal in a bowl until it turns into a sticky dough. Then stir in the cereal/oatmeal if it tickles your fancy. (The original recipe said rice crispies but we didn't have any. I tried oatmeal for kicks and loved it! Gave them a nice texture. I used about 1 cup). Spoon them on a greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes, or until edges are golden.

These cookies are BOMB! I've made them twice within three days. Sooo addicting and so friggin easy! They are good out of the over, but for some reason the taste best the next day, so try your darndest not to eat them all at once.

adapted from skinnybovineskitchen.blogspot.com


Quiche
4 eggs
1 cup crumbly Parmesan cheese (the kind from the can)
About 1o ounces chopped broccoli
Meat (however much you want. the recipe called for 1/2 a cup for "cubed ham". I just used three strips of bacon cut up)
About a cup of cheddar cheese
2/3 cup biscuit mix
2 cups milk
1/4 cup margarine/butter softened

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 10" pie pan (other pan will probably be fine, just not as pretty)
Beat together eggs, Parmesan cheese, biscuit mix, milk, and butter until a little lumpy. Stir in broccoli, meat, and cheddar cheese. Pour in pan and cook for 50 minutes or until golden brown on top.

This quiche so downright tasty. Jordan was a little apprehensive when I told him that a quiche was like an omelet pie, but after eating he said it was his favorite thing I've cooked so far!

So put down that dead rabbit and make some easy food!

Diggin' Marriage!

Today is our four month anniversay. FOUR MONTHS! Where the heck did the summer go? I still feel as though we have been married for four WEEKS! And with our completely cluttered spare room and unfinished (and barely started) wedding album, it sometimes seems even shorter than that!

Yesterday Jordan and I were eating dinner when he said out of the blue, "I really like being married." I automatically responded, "Yeah, me too!" I stopped and thought about it some more and thought, Yeah. I actually do like this.

Our first two months were so not what I was expecting. I thought we would be giggly, swoony, bubbly and every other annoying adjective. Instead, I was completely overwhelmed. I think it was a mix of having so many changes at once. Within a month, I had a new husband, a new family, a new home state, a new school, and a new last name. I also had to get used to listening to someone else about how to spend money. I was also a little freaked out by all the differences between us that I discovered. Nothing major- just little things like how we like to shop for groceries, how we sleep, who cleans what, what we think is ok to watch on Sunday, etc. All this stress made me feel incredibly guilty because I would hear so many people talk about how much they loved marriage, how much better it was than single life, and all I could think is "what did I get myself into?"

Now, being four months into this enternal journey, I feel sooooo much better. I can actually remember where alot of things are in Tulsa, I'm making friends at my new school, and I do all the grocery shopping myself :). Even though Jordan and I will still debate about things, I'm not as thrown off by his differences as I was a few months ago. I have also learned not to compare myself to other people (a life long lesson. blah.) because you never really know the whole story about anyone or any couple. I honestly really like being married!

So here is to four months! Jordan and I have much more married time ahead of us, and I am happy about that.
Happy Fourth Month Anniversary, Jordan!

Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

We go together 'cause op-posites attract.

In my single days, I always wanted to marry someone JUST like me. It would weird me out to see people who were really different marry each other. My mom explained it to me saying, "They COMPLEMENT each other". I didn't buy it. But now that I am old and married, I can see that sometimes opposites do attract. (Amazing, Paula Abdul was right about something.) Here is written proof that it is true when it comes to the Hintzes:

1) Jordan is on the "tall side" being 6'2'', and weighing 205 lbs. I am on the "short side" being 5'0'' and weighing...well, significantly less than 205 lbs.

2) Jordan is totally anal about sanitation. I don't think he has ever missed a day of showering, and sometimes will take two a day. He washes his hands before eating anything, washes his hands after eating, and washes his hands before touching his face. I, on the other hand, am perfectly fine with missing a day of showering. It just means I'll wear a ponytail that day. Whatever. I wash my hands after using the restroom and before preparing dinner....that's about it. Despite my lack of hand wash obsession, my fingers can always be located inside my mouth- biting my nails. (After writing this, I feel a little sick. Yuck!)

3) I am a total night owl. It's rare for me to get tired before midnight, and I can usually last alot longer than that. Jordan? Not a night owl. If we start a movie before 8:30, I can guarantee I will be finishing it alone. He is always asleep by 10:30 pm. This was a hard thing to get used to, but its all good. Now I just use the late night to hog our computer all to myself.

4) Here's another sleeping one: Jordan LOVES naps and can take one anywhere at any time of the day. When he wakes up from one he feels refreshed and energized. Naps are extremely rare for me to take, usually because I don't have the patience to wait to fall asleep. When I do take a nap, the results are not good. I wake up cranky and lathargic. I feel as though I am drunk for a good 40 minutes after the nap is over. I try to avoid them as much as I can.

5) Jordan is right handed; I'm a lefty.

6) Jordan has an INCREDIBLE sense of direction. It blows my mind. He can remember where anything is after being there once. He always knows which way is north, south, east and west. He's even good at finding places he's never been to. SO opposite from me. I have to drive somewhere at least three times before I can get there without directions. And if it has been a few months, I will forget how to get there. I NEVER know where north is, and I often mix up left and right (I got that from my dad). It is very difficult for me to remember how to get places if I haven't driven there myself. For example, we have been going to the same church building since June. It's two miles from our apartment. Do I know where it is? Only sorta.

7) Football. Let's just say we have very different opinions on whether or not it's enjoyable. Verrrrrrry different.

8) Our body temperatures our hardly ever in sync. I frequently switch off the A/C when Jordan is in the other room.

9) I wear my emotions on my sleeves. I cry all the time- even when I really really do not want to. I cry when I get angry. I cry when I feel the spirit. I cry when my feelings get hurt. I cry when I have to confront someone. I cry when I am scrared, overwhelmed, sad, in alot of pain, or watching a movie where an animal dies. Since Jordan and I began dating a year and a half ago, I have seen him cry twice. That's. It.

10) Though our senses of humor are very similar, we have some differences in the category. Jordan looooooves practical jokes. Nothing makes him giddier than prank calls or pretending to be German. That kind of stuff never really appealed to me. On the other hand, pictures of cats that ask if they "can has cheezeburger" crack me up, but leave Jordan a little bewildered.


So there you have it. We are a bit different. There are other ways too, but 10 seemed like a nice number to stop at. What are big differences between you and your spouse?

Short people got no reason to live.

Being short has a couple ups but some serious downs.

UPS
1) I can be comfortable sleeping in many different types of beds. Nothing is too short for me.

2) I can put my feet up comfortably in movie theaters (and it drives me crazy when someone sits in front of me, meaning I have to keep my feet down for the movie. I just recently learned that not everyone likes doing this.)

3) I can comfortably put my feet up on our dashboard while sitting shotgun in the car.

Basically, the best part about being short is the comfort that comes with it.

DOWNS
1) The world honestly forgets about you! Our apartment spyhole in our door is up too high. I can't look through it without getting on my tippy toes. No one thought about a 5 foot tall resident living here, did they? Or maybe it is an underlying message that I am not welcome here. Discrimination law suit, here I come!

2) Grocery stores place things up too high. I always feel stupid when I am stretching for something on the top shelf with all my might, only to not be able to reach it. I always feel more stupid when I have to ask a stranger to get something off the top shelf for me. Blah.

3) Severe lack of shoes. SOOOO many stores start their women's sizes at size 6. Why, WHY? Why can't you start at size 5? It's a nice number. Payless used to be my source of size 5 shoes, but it seems as though each time I enter the store their size 5 section shrunk since the time before. But of course, the size 8 section is 3X the size. No joke.

4) Playing water games is not very fun. While everyone else splashes and stands in the 5 ft deep water, I has to tread or cling to the side of the pool. Blah.

5) Don't......get me started.......on PANTS! It is a rare, rare occassion when I go from buying a pair of jeans to wearing them without the dreaded middle step of getting them hemmed. And if a blessed pair of jeans are short to wear, they still end up with tears and holes in the bottom by the heel from catching on my shoes. And if it is raining my pants get crazy wet, we're talking all the way up to the mid calf.

In conclusion, being short is not that great. If anyone would like to spare of few unwated inches, I would happily take them.