A whole summer's worth of updates.

Alright, since I'm horrible about updating the blog, I'm finally going to give you a breakdown of everything that has happened since June! Before we moved, we got to go to Boise and spend a weekend at Grandma and Grandpa Dodd's house with a lot of Chris's family. The ladies' brought a fun craft thing to do, but the guys ended up using the supplies for entertainment on the kids:Ry-fry cut her hair off and it is super cute! She looks about 18 years old now, though.We said goodbye to our first little apartment as a married couple, and I was so sad about it. Still am actually. Even though it smelled like mold, and when it rained, cats, I was so in love with our little basement! I got to take a few pictures before we left so I will never forget it:

This is me taking a shot of Logan as I'm driving and holding the camera out the window. And yes, I was crying.Chris and I are giving our little table an update. We started probably the first week in August, but still have not finished. I painted, he stained, and we just have the tiling left to do!

As maybe you know, Chris is randomly OCD about cleaning. Sometimes he gets in the mood to clean, and then you just get out of his way or you'll be knee deep in clorox. This was one of his targets. We're blaming Jeremy, as it is his territory. This was behind a couch we pulled away from the wall. Chris was covered head to foot in dust bunnies and he smelled like rubberbands.

Sam, Angie, Trudy, and I went to Fiddler on the Roof one night. It was Topol's last tour of the show and apparently a huge deal, as he is the original Tevya. So we scored free tickets from Sam and Angie's source and we went while Bob, Chris, and Spencer went to Jeremy's football game. Maybe I shouldn't mention that during the applause at the end of the show, Trudy yelled, "Take it off!" at Mr. Topol. I'll admit, he was quite handsome for being 247 years old.

These are a few pics of Jeremy's football games:

My cousin, Brooke, got married a couple weekends ago in Missoula, Montana. Jon and Alysen drove from Portland and picked us up so we could carpool with them the rest of the way. We had such a great time watching everyone dance! My mom and dad, Jon, Kris Bahr, Uncle Steve, Brooke's "fabulous" friend who looked like he should be dancing on top of a bar in a speedo, and a couple in their 80's who were dancing so exhuberantly that I was absolutely certain their hips weren't original.
#1 Alysen, my sis-in-law!

#2 Daddy. Don't let him fool you: Even though he had a late night the night before, he managed to cut a rug to my mom's request- My humps by the Black Eyed Peas.

#3 My adorable Mom!

#4 Jonny, my brother who always looks like this.

#5 Kris Bahr, my cousin/brother who enjoyed the carmeled apple favors immensely.

#6 Me and Beef-Cakes.

So those were some of the highlights! Chris is going to Gonzaga for his master's and is LOVING IT, coaching Spencer's AAU basketball team, The Little Zags, teaching a weights class, and an x-biking class, and playing basketball any hour of the day a pick-up game is going on. (Right this second, he is passed out next to me, mouth wide open, so you know he's a little tuckered out from all that physical activity!) I have two amazing jobs that I love! I job share with another girl (which means we split a full time position between the two of us) at a OB/GYN clinic, working as a receptionist. I love the people I work with (mostly) and I love how fast-paced it is! However, I've worked at a lot of offices, and these people are more high-strung than any other office I've worked at. I want to just tell them to R.E.L.A.X. They take life waaay too seriously. Hopefully a little of my laziness will rub off on them. Heaven knows they need it. I also work at a dance studio manning the front desk and teaching a couple of classes! I have 7-9 year old's hip-hop, and 4-5 year old's jazz! I love the other teachers and the studio owner, Lisa, is so great. Very down to earth and on top of everything, but still very chill. I am so happy to be back in the dancing world! Lisa has asked the other hip-hop teacher, Courtney, and I to start working on a hip-hop duo to compete with this spring in the adult catagory. She thinks that it will be good advertising for the studio and good morale for the girls we teach. I'm a little nervous, but of course I'm super excited!

So that's our life since we've moved up to Spokane! We're still staying with Bob and Trudy, but we're trying to save so we can get out of their hair soon.

Just be expecting more frequent updates from now on, as I will NEVER spend another hour in one space of time on this stupid blog.

Happy Father's Day!

Prologue: I wanted to put some pictures on this from our camping and such, but I lost the cord to plug our camera into the computer. sorry.

In church on Sunday, the young women spoke about their father's and how amazing they were. All their secrets and strengths and quarks were brought out and we laughed and cried. I thought of my own daddy and how much he means to me. He told me once how he went to my 3rd grade parent-teacher conference. A concerned Mr. Alder told him that I had loudly bragged in class once, "All I have to do is give my daddy a kiss and he'll give me anything I want!" Mr. Alder was taken back when dad said, "Ya? Do you have a problem with that?" Oh dear. No wonder I'm spoiled rotten. No, that's not why I love my daddy. It's because he is, in a word, extraordinary. He is strong, kind, silly, handsome, intelligent, intuitive, adored, beautiful, tough, spiritual, bubbly, fluffy-haired, and in my Aunt Kathy's case: worshipped. He is Sunshine. He can write things in an incredibly beautiful way that people can't even find words for in their mind. He is the best teacher I've ever had. He loves EVERYONE. And I mean every single person. He taught me that everyone has something special about them, everyone is beautiful, and everyone is a brother or sister. He is absolutely incredible. A lot of little girls say this, but it's true when I say it: My daddy is the best daddy in the whole entire universe!

I googled him to find a picture of him- as good as he looks here, I wanted to find one with his beard in it. No dice. He's so cute here, but in person he's absolutely adorable!

Now onto the future daddy in my life, Christopher! I couldn't help thinking this Father's day of him. It melts me to even think of the day when he becomes a daddy. This is how I see it in my mind. I'll be sitting in that hospital bed with a precious, tender, little gift in my arms. Chris will be sitting next to me in the bed, one arm around me and the other arm around mine, cradling our sweet little baby. I can't describe to you the look on his face, but I can see it. I can't tell you the feeling I'll have, but I can feel it a little now, imagining it. I'm overwhelmed. It feels like my heart is brimming and smoldering. Both of us will have tears streaming down our cheeks and I will feel like I want to shout and never speak again at the same time. Never will I want that feeling to go away and it will be like it's just us in the world. We are the center of the universe and everything else has stopped to give us our own moment to be in wonder. This is me only imagining and I am simply overwhelmed. It will be absolutely unreal when that day actually comes. Chris will step into his new role with easy grace. He might feel completely uncapable and unconfident, but from the outside you will know he was born to be this man. This child's world. And he will be. Just like my daddy is my sunshine, Chris will be the light for our child. And he'll cry his eyes out watching our little one singing with the other Primary Kids on Father's Day. I can't wait! Well, I CAN wait, but I'm excited :)

On another note, I'll tell you about our crazy weekend! Chris got down to Logan around 3 o'clock and we started getting everything ready to go camping! We loaded up the truck with pallets and candy mostly, then headed up to Porcupine Dam. Jamie and Derek, Mallory and Brady, Kelsey, Jade, Melissa, and about 5 other people met us up there. We had chili dogs for dinner and sat around the fire drinking pop and eating garbage until about midnight, when Chris deemed the rocks ready! That means the rocks he put in the fire 5 hours ago are hot enough for the "Sweat Lodge"! I don't know if you've ever heard of this, but w.o.w. It's a home-made sauna/torture chamber. Made of PVC pipe and tarps tied down, about 10 people can fit inside. You dig a pit in the middle of the "tent" and put the hot rocks in the pit. Then make sure any holes to the outside world are sat on so no cold air can come in, and the fun/torture begins. A few people have buckets of water and they splash the rocks. Hot steam spews and your eyes start burning. Then the sweat starts. My hair was soaked and my nose was literally a faucet on high. Mallory and I cheated- we lifted up the tarp enough to get a few breaths of blessed oxygen before the boys noticed the cold air coming in. When we thought we couldn't take it anymore, Chris passed out the ice cold Cream Soda's that tasted like clouds. Honestly, they were glorious. I've never tasted anything better. Then came the cries of "Do it!", "Man Up!", "GET IT!" and the buckets dumped everything they had left. It took about 4 seconds before everyone was moaning and screaming like they were on a slave ship. We ripped the tarp open and everyone (almost) made a mad dash to the lake. The "almost" was me. After everyone dried off a bit, we retired to sleep. Ha. Our tent was a "two-man". What a joke. Maybe if the two men in question were twelve year old girls. SO SMALL. We didn't sleep a wink. The next day consisted of 2 nap sessions, a trip to the new Beehive Grill (which was fabulous), and a midnight movie- The Proposal (also fabulous). Somewhere in there, we fit in Singing in the Rain, and five episodes of Entourage. Sunday consisted of church, breakfast for lunch (a Sunday tradition), another nap, finishing Entourage season 1, Rounders, and a walk. Such a good weekend. Even the Sweating Torture Lodge.

Am I really that ridiculous?

Yes. In fact, I AM. Drove to Blackfoot last night after work. I got there at 7:30 PM, and woke up at 5 AM to get to work on time. Total time spent in Blackfoot? 9 and 1/2 hours. Total driving time? 4 hours. Completely worth it. I picked up a pizza on my way there and stupidly, let Chris eat his own dinner in order to keep my arrival a surprise. Silly Annie. I won't do it in the future. We watched Game 3 and I was actually very much into it! I like Rafer Alston and Dwight Howard. They look like the only players in basketball who aren't crusty grouches. I know it's kind of silly to base my preference of players on how much they smile and look like they're enjoying themselves instead of on talent, but what can I say? I'm sick of these 7 foot tall, 250 pound guys gritching and moaning about EVERY LITTLE THING. They crash to the ground and clutch at their ankles when a breeze whispers through the stadium. When the ball goes out of bounds, it's NEVER their fault, and the ref's always favor the other team, of course. I've seen 5 year old girls who are tougher! Honestly fellas, grow a set. Oh and freaking Gasol is the worst! (He's on the Lakers and we hate them.) After the game, we watched Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino. Huh. He's a pretty ornery guy. All in all, a good movie. We made it to bed around 12:30, 1 ish and I slept like a rock for a few hours. Sang really loud on the way home to stay awake. I love me some Black Eyed Peas. As I am at work, I thought this was an accurate portrayal of what I feel like doing.

Our weekend.

I know you are all thinking, "Oh Annie! What did you and Chris do this weekend? I just can't live without knowing! I can't believe you would wait clear until Tuesday to even give us a hint!" Calm down, my friends. I know you live vicariously through our crazy, some may say extraordinary, lives, but we DO have things to do and sometimes I just don't have enough time in the day to keep up the blog for your entertainment. Ok, I'll cut the crap now. Wanna hear what we did this weekend? Too bad, I'm telling anyway. So, for our first week apart, I did ok- I thought. This first night I had nightmares and didn't sleep at all, but the rest I just had nightmares and slept great, so I think it will get better with time! I'm trying to be tough :) So when Chris got home Friday night, we rented a movie and ate all the garbage I baked for him and just enjoyed being together again. Saturday, we bought a camera!!! I would show you a pic, but how do you take a picture of your camera with the same camera? We took pictures all morning, at the house, at the temple, and some of Marilyn (his motorcycle).

I really hate taking pictures, but I wanted a camera, so I just tried to suck it up and put on my glamorously photogenic face :) So that night we went to dinner with my brother, Bo, and his wifey, Michelle. We ate at Noodles and Co. So dang good.After Noodles, Chris and Bo watched Game 6- i think Labron against Howard? Chell and I had our books out, but couldn't concentrate very well with the loud comments from the boys :) Then on Sunday, it was Stake Conference, so Chris and I skipped and decided to go for a hike! We drove the bike all the way (met up with about 40 bikers and rode with them through the canyon. I, personally, felt exceptionally cool to be in a biker gang for about 20 minutes) to Tony's Grove before the rain started- it felt like little bullets- so we turned around, leaving our new found friends and headed back to hike to the Wind Caves! I am the biggest baby kitty whiner. Poor Chris. This is me: I have a rock in my shoe. How long is this going to take? This gets my belly when I look over the edge. Don't make me stand by the ledge- I feel like it's going to reach up and pull me down! I don't want to climb that cliff! I'm scared, Chris! Wow, he had it bad. We made it home, with many mumblings under my breath, and got ready for game night at Mallory and Brady's! We played a game called Dirty Minds- it gives you dirty clues to guess a clean word. I won't give an example :) It was super fun except after awhile, my body started acting weird. I'm assuming the hike set it off, but we have some other theories too. It's happened before, but it hurt all over, way painful, and I wanted to go home. So we went home and I cried while Chris tried to distract me by reading me the Book of Mormon in Spanish. It really did distract me. It was so beautiful, and I felt the Spirit more than I ever had reading it in English. So now I'm going to make him read to me every weekend. So that was it! Very eventful and we had a great time together. I love being with him every minute, even those few seconds when he drives me up the wall :) Just kidding, boo. You are so perfect that you never drive me up the wall....wait......gum.

Holy Crow!

You guys! I'm so dang excited! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Ok, let me slow down for a New York Minute. For such a long time I've wanted to write a book. I love writting and I love books. What could be a more perfect thing for me? However, I've been struggling with WHAT to write about. Of course I have lots of personal stories that mean a lot to me, but how do you sell a book about a 21 year old mormon girl that's had a pretty much normal life? ZZzzzz... Ya... don't think that would be a best seller. So I had an "AHA!"

moment today while I was driving to work. I want something that will appeal to a large audience (think Twilight) and something I can tie in with my personal experiences, of course (makes for easier writting). So here is what I came up with in the car. A cute college girl falls in love with a handsome college boy. Big deal right? Here comes the twist.... He's an undercover secret agent for the government, posing as a student while trying to bust a ring of proffesors gone bad! BOOM!!

Did your brain just explode? I know, I know. I'm just good. It doesn't sound that crazy right now, but I promise, it will be so great. Here's what I want it to be: Romantic, suspensful, FUNNY, and somehow for it to develop into a series that women across the world will be skinning librarians to get their manicured hands on! Oh and don't you worry, kids. Each of you will get a personally signed copy. From your local bookstore. You silly! Did you really think I'd give out free books? Bah. If I gave them out to all my friends, who would buy them? Think about it.

Wow. An actual update fit for blogging!

This just in. After being together for 5 months, we're calling it quits. KIDDING! But Chris is moving to Blackfoot while I stay in Logan. There are absolutely no jobs in Logan, and after being layed-off and not finding work here, My Uncle Larry offered him a job in Pingree, ID! Woot Woot! And I have a good job here at the law firm, so I'm staying. It'll only be for 2 1/2 months and then we move to Spokane for grad school, so I think we can survive one summer! It's nothing like last year for example :) We'll be able to see each other every weekend, and this will be an awesome excuse to hang out with my mom all summer before I move 10 hours away from her and my fluffy haired daddy! :( But I think my mom and I are going to re-do their bedroom for a summer project! She gets bored of things pretty easily, like her hair cut, or old clothes, or her decorating. Hmm.. so that's where I got that! You can thank my mom for that, Chris. Anyway, the point is this: I'm going to be a very sad and lonely girl without my best friend here with me (see image above) so my Logan friends, let's do something fun and distracting maybe? Yes, sounds like a plan.

My U.A.

This happened about 2 months ago, and I can't believe I forgot about it until now (Thanks Tierra). So I get hired on as a receptionist at a really nice law firm. One of the conditions of going from being a temp to completely hired was that I take a drug test and it comes back clean. So begins our adventure. I drive to the local health department and walk in the lobby. With a name like "the health department" you would think the conditions wouldn't make you feel itchy, would you? hm... that's weird. So here I sit, well, really kind of squat above my chair, while they process my papers at about two miles an hour. Looking around, I feel slightly out of place. I might be the only one who doesn't have a sample of someone elses urine in a ziplock stuffed down their pants. Finally it's my turn. I'm escorted by a woman who is the size of a twelve year old to the "bathroom", which is more like a broom closet with a toilet. As the door clicks shut ominously behind her, I smell the cheese curds she horked down earlier on her breath as she says, "Have you ever had an observed U.A.?" ... A what? Observed did she say? This is when I notice the mirrors placed strategically around the toilet for maximum viewing pleasure, the fridge standing in the corner, waiting to welcome my bodily fluid into it's cold embrace, and the observer/child snapping on a pair of latex gloves. I don't think I was really planning on this today. I wish this was the point where it got interesting, but actually what happened was that I said, "I'm not really comfortable with you watching me pee." The woman-child left to talk to the front desk and returned to tell me I would be ok going potty on my own like a big girl. The ending is pretty anti-climactic, but at least I don't feel violated... from this experience. The End.

Just one reason

One of the things i love most about my suger momma is that she is trusting and confident in me. She is always building me up and keeping me going. She puts her confidence and continually tells me I'm good enough and that i can succeed at anything. Without her id be nowhere. the problem is that i cant tell her enough how much she means to me, i just cant find the words. so i failing try with my actions. I hope she will understand one day. love you baby

The Beginning of Our Story

I’m cute in a little sister kind of way. Catchy smile, freckles, HOT body. ;) Of course, it helps that I’ve been spending every day this summer working on my tan. But nothing that would stop you in your tracks and make you remember me for weeks kind of cute. So here I am at the pool, covered up in shorts and a tank, so as not to make people wonder what I’m thinking wearing that skimpy bikini. And I catch this guy looking at me. And he’s no ordinary guy, friends. He’s got that Abercrombie model meets Mr. America meets boy next door meets mysterious super hero thing going on. He’s got these mission impossible sunglasses on looking like he just stepped out of GQ while he’s casually lying on his blue blow up floaty boat. Oh, and his tan six pack is staring me right in the eyes. I’m sure he’s just loving how my jaw is lying on the ground while drool is slowly leaking out of the corner of my mouth. I’m hiding behind harry potter #4 as well as I can while not blocking my view of Secret Agent Man. I come to my senses as I figure his stare is probably due to some leftover frosting clinging to my face from my earlier secret snack session and return to my fantasy world where boys don’t break my heart. Cut to later that night. Still engrossed in Harry’s struggle with inner loneliness, there comes a knock at the door. I’m home alone, so of course I’m the one who prepares to fend off some home teachers. But don’t worry, here I am opening the door with no make up, bangs accidently trimmed to the quick about an hour earlier, in my pajamas, and with harry in hand and who is it? Only the gloriously tan James bond from the pool. I invite him in graciously and hope he doesn’t hear my heart beat echoing off the walls. We talk about music and birthdays and school and candles and roommates, until it’s 2 am. I mention that it’s late, giving him an excuse to escape without hurting my feelings and he thinks I’m trying to kick him out! I tell him that’s not what I meant and touch his arm, the first physical contact of the night. I just know my entire face is in flames and I get that anxious feeling. He sticks around, not just for my emotional benefit, but he really wants to stay. With me! He’s actually enjoying my company. About five minutes later, he’s making up a b.s. math equation that says it’s ok if we date, that I’m not too young for him and he’s not too old for me. I play along, flipping my hair and batting my eyes as I sit on the kitchen table. Let's just fast forward- we’re in my bedroom now. He’s laying down on my bed and I’m sitting up near his head, and he calls me chicken for not laying down with him. Oh- I’ll accept your dare Mr. Dodd. No one calls me a chicken and get’s away with it. Feeling a little like a scarlet woman, I lay down with a foot of space between us. That’s quite a feat when you’re in a twin size bed. I think I’m lying more on the wall than on the bed. For hours we’ve been talking and talking. There’s been no awkward pauses, not even a split second of silence. I’m sure I’ve already told him my life story, nasty family secrets and all, and none of it has made him cringe, or run away. He is listening and telling me what he is thinking and all the while staying so cool while I’ve been laughing like that crazy girl you knew in high school who had braces and wore a fanny pack and soaking my shirt through with nervous sweating. meanwhile I’m only getting the surface story from him. What his favorite music is, his major, how many siblings, hometown, favorite sports. And don’t worry, this whole night he’s been telling me how much I want to kiss him and that it will happen despite the fact that I’ve been telling him that I don’t kiss someone the first day I meet him. And suddenly I find him impossibly close. How did this happen and why do I have this stupid smile on my face while my stomach is doing flips? And I know I’m about to cave. You know you want me to kiss you he breathes onto my lips, staring straight in my eyes. Wow this kid is forward! Ask me if I love it. And now the lips I’ve been staring at all day and night are millimeters from mine ... And so begins a year of running and giving in and more running and finally caving. I do!!

What to call this one... Life? Good? Blessings?

Can I just tell you how amazingly blessed I am? I grew up with my best friends; my family. I could tell my parents anything and everything knowing that they would never judge me or love me any less. My brothers teased me mercilessly and I knew that was their way of saying I love you. I grew up knowing who I was, never doubting for a minute that my Heavenly Father loved me and believed in me. I fell in love with the man dreams are made of. My daddy raised me to settle for nothing less than being treated like a princess and that's precisely what Chris does. He's my best friend. I wish there was a stronger word than love. It seems too cliche for what I feel about him. Now, feeling how blessed I am, why me? When there are so many people out there who are scared of their fathers, or husbands, or making ends meet, or feeling so alone they wish they were anyone else. More than anything, I would love to help someone be happy they are who they are. I hope someday when I'm a mother, that I can raise my kids to be themselves. I want them to be comfortable with who they are. I want them to feel like they're loved every second of the day. I want them to be good people. And I want them to know that being good isn't hard. All you have to do is be kind. Smile, say sincerely nice things, always think the best of people, be optimistic. Be happy. Being good is being genuinely happy. And when you're happy, it's easy to be good. That's really all I want from life. Just to be good.

Hi my name is chris and im am a virgin blogger i just got accepted to Gonzaga University so i am very very excited!!! Fun whales make awesome lipstick... tuna casserole makes you strong.... and good sex goes a long way

I'm married to a Super Hero.

I shall dub him Captain LionSkull. And while we're on the subject, I might as well tell you why my blog even has lions involved and then we'll get back to the Hero thing. Ever since I met Chris, he has reminded me of a lion and I fondly call him this sometimes. I don't know why. It might be from reading too much Harry Potter. You know how they talk about Animagus' in there? Well after reading the series about 10 times, you start bluring the wizarding world with the real world. Well... I do anyway. So, Animagus' can turn into animals, but when they are in their human form, they sort of resemble the animal they can change into. This is my theory of my husband. Ok, back to the original topic. Yes, I am married to a Super-Hero, despite your doubts. I can't tell you what his costume looks like or else you'd know what Hero he was and his secret identity would be blown. But I can tell you that his powers are the following: Perpetual Allergies, an intense dislike for any green veggies, some serious dancing skills, the power to sleepwalk all night and wake up exhilaratingly refreshed (while I roll out of bed looking like some dirty animal you pulled out of your crawl space, with much snarling and gnashing of teeth), incredible cleaning powers, the ability to enjoy a really chicky flick, and horking down no-bake cookies at an inhuman rate, among others. Then there are all the other SuperPowers he has, like making my insides melt when he kisses me, but that's all too mushy for a blog. I'll spare you.

Here goes nothin'

So I'm not quite sure how this works...I'm new to blogging. Only seen the photography kind so we'll see how this goes! Hi my name is Annie and I'm an alcoholic... I mean.... I'm new to blogging. Yay! My first entry!