Weekly Update & big news!

Nothing too interesting has been happening at the Spencer household. Patrick got a Temp position at SOS staffing and will be working at Nuskin for the next 3 weeks boxing various items. He says it's been hurting his back because he has been standing for 8 hours at a time. But he says he'll get used to it. Matthew Garner, Amy's husband has been working the same shift and Patrick has enjoyed talking to someone he knows. He said it makes the day go faster when he's talking with him.

On Monday Nuskin posted that a Tech position is available. The same position Patrick worked at 2 and a half years ago. He went ahead and applied for the position and has an interview with the HR rep, Natalie, on Thursday. He's hoping he gets it.

Well, I might as well announce it. No, I am not pregnant. But, Patrick is considering going to Law School. So there is a chance that in one year from now we'll be gone to grad school. He's thinking he wants to go to Michigan States Law program since they offer a degree in government law and he's really interested in returning to the Detroit area. (yes, Michigan State is in East Lansing, but maybe we'll end up moving the 2 hours to the Detroit area.) I'm a little excited about this new adventure. We don't know if it's going to happen, yet. but at least we're thinking about it.

So news with Audrey. She FINALLY DID IT! She is potty trained....well mostly. But she goes pee pee in the potty all on her own. I don't have to remind her, I don't have to ask if she needs to go. She can go an entire day being dry. Except for anytime she is napping. Poop is another story...but she is trying.
This morning, when I was getting her ready for school and had her sitting on the potty. She said to me, the potty is for babies and the toilet is for big girls and ran to the toilet and sat down. Maybe the potty chair will be gone in the near future. WooHoo! no more dumping pee and poo into the toilet and then cleaning the chair. (I'm super excited about that) Seriously, If I've not explained it before I'll explain it again. I HATE POTTY TRAINING.

Patrick talked to Audreys teacher ( think it was traci, I can't remember) at Adventure Time, the daycare she is at. Apparently every time she has to go potty she smiles, winks at the teacher. The teacher then asks Audrey if she is ready and Audrey responds that she's ready and runs off and goes potty all by herself. She refuses to have the teacher help her. I'm so proud of my little one.

SEPTEMBER PEOPLE! We've been working on this since SEPTEMBER! I am ecstatic about this.

A few weeks ago Patricks mom, Karen, took Audrey to see Toy Story 3 and bought audrey this adorable mini Jessie doll.

We've been looking at the Disney Store to see if we could find a matching Bullseye and Woody doll, we just couldn't track one down. 2 nights ago we were at the Store, looking again, and I found them. We got the last Bullseye and the the 2nd to last woody. Audrey was so excited and ran around the store having woody ride on Bullseyes back. She slept with all three that night.

She loves these characters so much, and believes that they are so real that yesterday when we were getting in the car Audrey wouldn't let me leave until woody was buckled up in his own seat.

Calendar

I thought that I would be good and keep you updated about the assignments we have to do in the graphic computer applications class, but there have been some horrible...horrible assignments and I was really only doing the bear minimum. I ended up just giving up on updating about the class. However, this week we had to make a calendar. And I thought I did a fairly good job and wanted to post it.

The two months are printed on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of cardstock then cut in half.

I think Novembers quote is my favorite...it may not be nice but it's pretty funny

here is an idea of how it would look on the wall. note: it's not spiral bound. 

In the office we are going to print and spiral bound these for our students. They'll have the dates of the workshops and activities the department is putting on as well as detailed info about all events on the back of the calendar. I'm pretty excited. We are going to stop at december but my OCD-ness took over and I couldn't have december all alone on the page.

Pictures

I was going through my pictures and I noticed that I have a few pictures that I did not upload. Mainly I want to upload them now because I really think they are amazing- okay so not amazing...but fun.

In the photography class I took in the spring. We had a studio day and a guy came in who is an expert at low light photography. He talked about the low light technique. I thought it was pretty much amazing.

Here is the shot of the set up. You might have to click on it to get a better idea.

As you can see he has a soft box in front on the right, then a reflector on the left, a harsh open light is right behind her and another one is to the back and to the right. Then you have the light fabric draped around so that all the light is reflecting around. 

You open your F-stop as High as possible and shot at about 1/125.  I had to use my Telephoto since so many people were in the room and I couldn't get real close. The ideal lens would be a 50mm and being right in the persons face. I think they really turned out awesome. 

take note that I've not put any of these pictures in photoshop. I've not played with the contrast and I've not cropped them. They are all straight from the camera. 

 

Then that night we went up to Tucano's at the gateway and I decided to test the technique in the restaurant. it was a little dark...I bet it would work much better in a house with all the lights on and all the windows open. 

These are of audrey on the way up. Yes they are washed out. I thought it was a cute look for her. Made the little monster look like an angel. 

These are at the restaurant- yes it's grainy...but what am I going to do about it. I was testing the low light thing. 

 

BEST VIDEO EVER!

This is awesome...done by BYU film students

Movies, Movies, Movies

As most of you know I love a good movie. But I hate the movie theater. So we don't go very often. In the past few weeks we've seen two amazing movies, in the theater, that I want to post about.

Toy Story 3 & How to Train Your Dragon.

Honestly Patrick was the one who really wanted to see the two. He wanted to see Toy Story 3 so bad that we saw it opening weekend even though the free movie tickets we got for purchasing Toy Story and Toy Story 2 where not valid that weekend. And then we saw it again about a week and a half later. He says it's his favorite of the 3. Spanish Buzz, I have to admit, is pretty funny.

I really like How to Train Your Dragon, but again Patrick was the one who suggested we see it again. We saw it when it first came out with Lindsey and Brice. It's now at the Dollar Theater and he couldn't wait. I think he talked about if for a week before we drove down and bought tickets for the next showing. But goodness was the theater full. We saw it on Saturday at 2:30. So many people. I wasn't planning on showing up until the movie pretty much started but Patrick wanted to get there at 2. Good thing we did we would have been on the first row. Seriously it was packed.

Audrey is getting better at potty training. She finally is telling us she needs to go. And unfortunately for me she decided she needed to go right before the best part of the movie, when hiccup fly's toothless for the first time. I was extremely disappointed when I got back...but was happy she told us she needed to go. I'm so proud of her. FINALLY after 9 months of trying to get her to understand this. UGH!

Anyway I just wanted to let you know about these two amazing movies that we had the opprotunity to see these past few weeks.

Device helps blind guests better enjoy Disney World and Disneyland

I have to do a 10 minute presentation about Accessibility in my corporate issues class. I think what Disney has done here is incredible.

Complaint

I figure at the same time I really want to say what I'm going to say, I know I shouldn't. But if I don't I know that it's going to fester and boil all day and eventually I'll explode at Patrick or Audrey. That's just not fair to them so I'm going to be unfair to someone else.

In less then a month an old friend is getting married. Old as in 7th grade old, room mate old, and bridesmaid old. I'm pretty sure the majority of you know who I am referring to. This past weekend I received her invitation in the mail and wasn't invited to the ceremony. Honestly it hurt a lot when I opened it and all i received was an invite to her reception. I feel like the only reason she wants me there is because she wants a wedding present.

I actually feel like that's the only reason I get invited to a lot of weddings. I once received a wedding invitation, in the mail, the day after their wedding. That proves to me that they sent it out at the last minute wanting another gift. Whatever. 

For the past few years we've really not been that close. She's been living in salt lake and doing who knows what and I've been in Orem with a little girl. It also has something to do with Michelle and her having a falling out. In turn, I think, she thinks we've fallen out.

Everyone knows that I'm not much of a party goer. I don't think I've ever held an event at my apartment. Mainly because it's too small. But she holds things all the time, and invites me to them on facebook but the events are mainly bonfires or singles parties. Yeah, like I can go to a midnight bonfire with a 3 year old or a singles party. I still found it sweet that she invited me and would always tell her sorry for not being able to come.

Once in a while we'll send a message in facebook and we'll ask about how one another is doing and try to find the time to get together for lunch. But most of the time the plans fail since I don't have my own car and we're trying to meet in the middle so one of us doesn't have to travel as far.

When I got the facebook invite, to the wedding,  I was really excited for her and sent her a message telling her how excited I was for her. I didn't receive a reply for weeks. I don't think it was until I mentioned it to another friend who in turn mentioned it to her. A few weeks later she messages asking for my address, she wanted to make sure I got an invite. I really thought that she was going to send a ceremony invite because of that. Was I way off on assuming that? Apparently.

Anyway I really just don't want to go. I know I should be the bigger person and go, but I don't want to be. I want to be the 5 year old who holds the grunge. I feel like it really wouldn't matter to her. I do think that any chance of us becoming true friends again is out the window. I really am that annoyed and pissed off about the situation.

Now I don't want any comments about oh, you should go...blah blah blah. Patrick's going to make me go and make me be the bigger person, but i'll do it kicking and screaming.

added later: so Carrie brought up a good point, that there might not me much room in the sealing room. So it is understandable but I am still annoyed.

Audrey watching a movie

So we are sitting and watching The Incredibles. Patrick and I are sitting on the couch and Audrey on the floor. We're all enjoying the movie and then Patrick and I begin to talk about some thing. As we're talking Audrey turns around, at us, and yells " shhhhhhhh! QUIET!" then turns back around and mumbles "I'm watching the movie." It was pretty funny.

I just love that she's beginning to talk so well and forming sentences with complex words.