A Holiday Christmas Card

Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year!



This past year was a crazy one for this Cutler family! We've moved three different times, and we're happy to say that we are now in a lovely basement apartment, and plan to be here until Cam heads to law school.

This next year, Cam and Haley will be entering their second- and next-to-last semesters in school. We both anticipate to graduate in Spring 2011. Cam is still working at Wilson Motor Co. as the janitor, but he will also be a Teaching Assistant for one USU class, and will be working as a undergrad research assistant, studying international piracy laws, for a law professor on campus. Haley continues to work as a Shift Supervisor for Iron Gate Grill, and will be starting a marketing internship at the restaurant this year.


**Cam's family is so good at sending out family Christmas cards, and I am not. So here's my version of our "holiday card."

The Grinch

"Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, liked Christmas a lot. But the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, did not."

This said mean one, Mr. Grinch, is attempting to steal my Christmas. Ever since before Thanksgiving, I was anxiously anticipating decorating my Christmas tree (which my mom generously allowed us to set up downstairs). Luckily, the Grinch didn't get a hold of the tree. That was set up with lights for a few days, inviting me to trim it with stars and glitter and ribbons and ornaments.

That was before the Grinch.

Sometime between September and last Saturday, that naughty green monster (or is he a mutant Who???) snuck down the chimney and stole all of our Christmas ornaments and stockings, for they are NOWHERE to be found! And trust me, we have looked in every nook and cranny. We didn't even find a crumb small enough for a mouse.

I am trying so very hard to have a Cindy Lou Who attitude about this whole thing, but I don't feel too inclined to go sing "Fa-foo fore, Da-voo dores" in the streets quite yet.

Hope the singing comes soon. :)

Methinks Someone's Lookin' Out For Us...

I am sure, two months ago, people thought we were mad. We agreed to move out of our cozy, subsidized condo and then move into Chase and Carolyn's house, which was for sale. Yes, we were going to be paying more rent. Yes, it could sell at any minute. Yes, it seemed crazy to uproot our lives less than a week after we agreed to it.

**But it felt like we were doing the right thing.**

Two weeks later, when Carolyn showed the house to a couple twice in one week, I got nervous.
A week after that, when they looked at it again, I got queasy and started missing said cozy, subsidized condo.
A total of four weeks after we moved in to that little house, another couple decided they wanted to buy it.

To quote Charlie Brown, "Argh!"

But my wonderful mom agreed to let us move into their cozy, free house while we figured out what we were going to do. We like it here, we enjoy having a full kitchen, and we've lost weight from not eating out so much. And I'm not sure why, but we never even considered looking for an apartment, we just decided that shackin' up with the 'rents was the best option.

**Not sure why, but we felt like we were doing the right thing.**

I love, love, LOVE being back in my old ward. I forgot how warm and kind the people are. I forgot how much I loved the sisters. And they were so welcoming to my sweet husband. After being in our last ward for only 4 weeks, we really wanted to stay in this ward for a while. We accepted a calling last Sunday to be Primary teachers... we teach the little 5 year olds. (After being in nursery for seven months, we'll take anything :)!!)

This last Sunday, we found out that a sweet lady, who is a neighbor of my mom's, was looking for renters to live in her basement apartment. Her very NICE basement apartment, that was originally meant for her parents, who found Utah winters unbearable.

She wanted a young married couple.
She was asking for a very generously low monthly rent.
And she was ready for us to move in as soon as we're ready.

**We know we're doing the right thing.**

I'm not one to really share my warm fuzzy feelings on this blog, but all of the events that happened in the last 24 hours have been overwhelming. My husband's favorite quote is "Faith is stepping out into the dark and knowing one of two things will happen... You will step on a stone, or you will learn how to fly"

We weren't sure where we were going to end up, or why exactly we were doing things that didn't make sense, but I know that the Lord was always looking out for us, and always had our needs in mind. It may seem like a little thing, but it's these small tender mercies that make me feel so grateful for this gospel.

So we'll be moving into that apartment the week after Christmas, and we are NOT planning on moving again until we're headed to law school in Summer '11 [knock on wood]!!

Once Upon A Time

There was a couple of high school sweethearts who dreamed of getting married.


Four years later, and a year ago this time, they decided it was a good plan.




Happy Anniversary, my love. Can't wait for the many, many more to come!



In other, not quite so exciting, but ironic, news- The house we were currently renting SOLD. So, we are in the process of moving again. We are moving in with my mom for the holidays and to save some money, and are planning on moving back out into our own place in about January. Mind you, this is not the first time this has happened. When my parents were trying to sell their old house (before we got married), they were having some trouble selling it, so we were going to rent it from them. The day after we agreed to move in, the house sold.

Anyways, if you know of any rentals that will be opening up about that time, give me a call. OR if you are trying to sell your house, let us move in and I almost guarantee you'll have an offer within four weeks. :)

We've Moved!!

To add to our craziness of life, we decided last week that we were moving. But that wasn't enough craziness, we had to move within the next 72 hours!!

We found a cute little house to rent on 3rd North and 5th West, and we jumped on it so we didn't have to pay for another month of rent at our old place! We were living in The Springs, a government subsidized community with a ridiculously long waiting list, and we felt very strongly that another little family needed that place more than we did.

However, with all of the crazy quickness that was involved, I was forced to work almost 20 hours that weekend, and therefore was no big help. Here are some things I've learned from that:

1) It is ten times worse moving when you have to quit halfway through.
2) You will never have enough trucks.
3) Your mom is your best moving buddy.
4) Do NOT move three days later. The stress is unbelievable.

But things are better, we're all settled in and ready for visitors!

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Haley Wilson Cutler, I was a student at Logan High School from August 2003 to June 2007. In that time, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a number different extracurricular activities including Chauntaires, Crimson Colony, musicals (both Good News in Nov. '05 and 42nd Street in Nov. '06), cheerleading, and seminary council, as well as take a number of concurrent classes and AP English. I was recently made aware of Pat Hansen's and the school district's decision in no longer allowing students to participate in musical and either the drill team or spirit squad.

Limiting a student's participation in extracurricular activities is a huge mistake. I understand the difficulty that the district must be feeling with new state requirements for graduation, with even more time now required in core classes such as English, math, and science, and it must be difficult for students to fit in any kind of electives. However, just setting the problem to the side and not completely addressing student's benefits from extra curricular activities is not the best way to handle it.

To not allow your girls to participate in both musical and spirit squad or drill team is not only limiting these young girl's talent, but if you don't set the same requirements on boy student athletes, it is also sexist. I suspect you must realize that if you set the same requirements on the football team or on the band members, you'd end up leading an all-girl cast, as boys are less likely to choose musical over football. How many girls are you forcing to make a very difficult decision, one that they shouldn't even have to make? Those girls put in just as much time as football players, they attend every game, and invest just as much physical and emotional energy into their sport as the football players. If you are going to limit our state competitive hi-los, you should also set limits on our state competitive Grizzly football.

Ever since I watched my sister perform in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Nov. '98, I knew that Logan High School, Mitzi Mecham, and Randy Smith set a high standard to produce top-quality musicals, something that I consider a great tradition at LHS. I ask you to consider the quality of past musicals- The Wizard of Oz, South Pacific, Anything Goes, and 42nd Street. One thing that made those performances so great was that they were open for everyone to participate in. What kind of quality shows will be produced now? Will it be honoring the great tradition that Logan High held for ten years?

Participating in a number of extracurricular activities has made me feel like a more well-rounded person. I take great pride in all that I was able to accomplish in my short four years. I always looked forward to my daughter one day experiencing all that I did. As a future concerned parent, as someone who enjoys both dancing and singing, as a Grizzly, I beg you to reconsider your decision sooner than later, and find a solution that can benefit everyone involved.


** This is an email that was sent to both the school district and Pat Hansen. If you feel strong enough to voice your opinion on the matter, here are the email addresses.

Pat Hansen: patricia.hansen@loganschools.org
School District: marshal.garrett@loganschools.org

Memo to Self...

When you decide to make a Potato-Bacon Torte courtesy of Melissa d'Arabian...

A) Make sure you actually have a PIE PAN. (Hope that cake pan works out!) :)
B) Make sure you have a big enough food processor so that when you attempt to make pastry dough, there's room for all of it!
C) Instead of praying that you weren't supposed to spray the pan, just spray it to make sure.
D) Don't start it when you're starving. It takes too long. Just order a pizza and try it tomorrow.
E) Check to make sure you have a full cup of butter, so you don't have to substitute eight butter chips for one stick.

I have approximately 30 minutes left until I pull my first torte out of the oven... I started the day make pastry dough, which I felt was successful and I was feeling like Wonder Woman. Now... well, now, my pinkies are crossed. Hope it works out!

It's Been a Month? Really?!

'Sup, peeps?

Sorry it's been a while, but I have to be honest, nothing too new or exciting to report in our lives. :) This is about the time of the summer that both Cam and I start counting down the days until school starts again. Yes, we're those kind of people. We like having busy schedules and feeling that rush from having a hundred things to do.

We did head down to Sandy/Draper/Orem to hang out with Cam's family this weekend, and it was a much-needed break! I always enjoy spending time with his family, and I consider it such a wonderful blessing to feel so loved and accepted by the whole Cutler fam.

I also hit a personal record... I attended Lagoon two times in as many weeks. :) I'm sure that's not huge for a lot of people, but it's kind of a big deal to me. I really do not enjoy roller coasters in the slightest, so Lagoon has never really appealed to me. The first week was extremely fun, but the second week... it was SO HOT and we had spent the first half of the day in Lagoon-A-Beach, so the name of the game was dehydration. Not so much fun, but I was in good comp'ny. AND Cam had (and still has) my hand imprinted into his arm from when I set it there with a layer of sunblock underneath it. (Ask him to show you, it's still there.)

Other than that, though... we're kind of boring people.

So if any of ya' are interested in meeting up for lunch/dinner or need a place to stay in Logan, give us Coot-lee-ays a call!

Hopefully I'll have more interesting things to report in the next post.

MEMORANDUM

TO: The World
FROM: Cam and Haley
DATE: June 14, 2009
SUBJECT: The Flu

It sucks.

Playhouse Disney is taking over my life.

Confession: I think that Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is awesome.
Confession: I know the "hot dog" dance.
Confession: I really thought about putting "We've got ears, say cheers" on my facebook status.

(I also really like Handy Manny and Backyardigans... but that's including Nick Jr.)

I actually turn it on so I can watch it when I'm nannying nine-month-old Bella. :)

Wow.

This is what happens when you're around kids a lot during the week.

Birthday Wishes and Dentist Visits

Happy birthday to my favorite nephew who lives in Michigan! He's one year old today!

I love you, Linc and I can't wait to see you!!


On a different note....

Ok, peeps. I know that your dentist probably tells you this all the time, but DOOOOD floss your teeth every NIGHT.

Or else you'll end up like me... with six cavities is pairs of two. This happens when you don't floss as often as you should and then the decay spreads to both teeth.

Am I making you sick, yet?

I now have fillings where the middles and backs of my teeth used to be, my poor dentist had to drill away so much. And I am now in pain.

However... silver lining of the cloud... no more disgusting decay.

And I now floss diligently.

Say What?

So I was looking at blogs today, as I usually do on Friday mornings, and I started thinking about this one server that Cam and I had at Olive Garden on Valentine's Day. *sidenote: I work as a server at Iron Gate Grill in Providence, so I usually pay closer attention to people who serve me than most other people do*

This guy was delightful and a hoot and, frankly, kind of goofy.

First off, this was on Valentine's Day, right? The day that every couple and their dog goes out to eat. (Not really the dogs, though.)

He comes up and says, "Welcome to the Olive Garden. I'm Zac, and I'll be taking care of you this fine day. So, are we rekindling a lost flame tonight?"

"Uh...."

I didn't know after four months of marriage the flame had to be rekindled.

He proceeded to give us the specials, which were all "top notch" and did the "OK" sign when he said it.

We all know that servers with personality are refreshing and enjoyable. (It also at times results in a lovely tip.) But the fact of the matter is, this person at your table is a performer. It's like being back in high school, a la Mean Girls when you're sitting across from Regina George and you're trying to get her to like you. Except in this case, the customer is the person deciding how enjoyable work is going to be for the next forty-five minutes.

This memory of Zac caused me to reflect on some of the funny things I've said to tables. For the most part, I'd like to think of myself as a clear, articulate speaker. But the auto-pilot things that I say are when I get in some trouble.

For example, whenever people tell me "thank you," I always say, "you're welcome." This is fine, but there are some days when I find myself telling people they're welcome before they've thanked me. They then mumble a thank you, as if I was teaching them proper etiquette.

After a couple hours serving and running up and down stairs, my auto-pilot speech starts to slurrrr together and I start clipping my words. It starts to sound like this:

"How are we doing tonight? I'mHaleyandI'lbetakingcareofya' today. Can I start you off with something to drink? We've got Pepsiproductsraspberrystrawberrypeach lemonade, as well as a beer and wine list."

Sometimes, it'll also sound like this:

"How are you folks doin' tonight? Can I start you off with something to drink? [At this point, I realize I haven't introduced myself yet] I'm Haley, by the way, we've got Pepsi products, raspberry...." You get the idea.

The hardest thing is when there are young kids at the table. I like to make an effort to create communication with them, but the fact of the matter is, a lot of these kids are super shy when speaking with strangers.

This had led me to resort to calling kids really, really, really stupid names such as,

"What can I get for this little cutie?" Also can be replaced with sweetheart, sweet girl, etc.

"How're those chicken strips, tiger?" Yes, this one REALLY did happen *cringe* and my brother laughed at me from the next table *double cringe*.

Also, I sometimes talk really, really loud at tables. Or sometimes I'll talk really, really soft if they're in the middle of meetings. To the point where they can't hear me. And then they just stare at me.

So, I guess the point of this post is to explain that sometimes, your servers are going to say really stupid and goofy things.

Doooood.

I am, unfortunately, not tech-savvy enough to upload a video to my blog, although I did figure out how to create a web page this semester. (Go figure.)

ANYWHO.

You MUST at this very minute go to www.jonschmidt.com and check out the Love Story/Viva La Vida arrangement he put together. It will change your life. And to all of those who were on that line between good and great in playing the piano when they quit (like me) this will make you immediately want to visit ksl.com and start looking for the cheapest piano available (like me) so you can start playing more often.

Also, note how strong his forearms are and how loose and quick his fingers are.

(Did I just cross a line into creepy???)

Do it now.

It has been commanded.

Thhhheeee Sun'll Come Out!

I'm sure you're all relieved to be done with the weepy, whiny, sobby posts of yesteryore. *apologies*

Now something Happy!!

We have a beautiful, new 20" iMac in our family, and we could NOT be happier. Worth every penny!

Also... the promise of only three more crappy semesters of school has placed me in the best of moods. And the hubby and I are not quite sure what to do with this freedom called summer, but we're sure looking forward to it!!

Catch ya' on the flipside!!

Update...

My knot is bigger.

Little CJ!

Our newest little nephew, CJ, was born on April 14!! He is so cute and we can't wait to meet him!

Congrats, Cliff, Amber and Sydney!

I have a knot in my stomach...

I've been bragging about how simple and lovely my classes were this whole semester. Sure, they were a little challenging, but all of the assignments were always spread out enough to where I rarely felt any crunch, but now I realize that all my teachers were holding off to crunch... until NOW. Let the crunching begin.

Dear Laptop,
Why did you crash a week before I had to compile two portfolios (one of them in Dreamweaver, which is like the Captain of Crunch) of documents that you are holding?? That wasn't very nice.
Sincerely, Haley

Also... to add to the crunch, with two servers quitting this week and one other server getting married, I am working like crazy, thus sucking most of my freetime whilst I was planning on using that time to alleviate crunching.

And my father in law is coming up, AND I am dying to go meet to new nephew. Anyone know how to add more hours to my day?

So that's where I am.

Tagged...

I'm mostly just doing this because my dear friend Niki finally updated her blog after (ahem...) a few months. Here ya go, Nik!

Go to your photos, find the sixth picture in your sixth folder. :)



This is mine.

This is EFY between my freshman and sophomore year... Notice my EFY counseler? She was in my student ward after I graduated (Weird).

Cam also wants to note that this was when he first started to like me. (Although, at the end of this week he said we would hang out when I got back, he took off to a MLB game.) ;-)

Funds for the poor...

Since I'm sure NONE of you are aware of the economic troubles (since there are NONE...) :) and you all have lots a money to give away, I'm going to give you a place to put all of that!!! Stay tuned...



Set aside your feelings on the Mac-PC debate, this is purely about a Journalism student and a Professional Writing student obtaining a computer.

The Wicked Witch (aka my 2-year-old laptop) has fallen victim to several viruses and nasty files over the years and has been nothing but trouble since we got married. The most recent problem is so awful that it won't even turn on completely. The temporary solution is that I just do everything I need to on my assigned laptop, but I can't take it out of RWST 101.

So... if you have funds lying around, feel free to give them to us. :) We can't really give you anything, except ask for blessings on you and your family.

**This post is purely to vent, and if anyone actually sends us money, I will return the check. :)

Our Summer Project:

By announcing this, it is YOUR job to make sure we really do! The TOU isn't until September 19, but training starts NOW. We're really excited to be doing this, and especially to be doing it together!!! Yay.

A Couple Things....

I'm flying by the seat of my pants here, but I would be mad if I didn't make this announcement...

SPRING BOUTIQUE!!!

My cute sis-in-law is putting on a way awesome boutique this Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 in Quailbluff. I hesitate to put the address here, (mostly because I don't know it off the top of my head) but it's at my mother-in-law's house so text me if you want the address :)

Featured: Pampered Chef, Lia Sophia, Scentsy, Modbe, home decor, baby products, growth charts and super awesome faux-chenille blankies (done by yours truly)!

Now, due to the fact that I will be in Boise on Friday, my blankets MAY NOT be there until Saturday. Also, if you miss out and you'd like to check them out, any that I don't sell will be posted on here afterwards!

It's going to be fun!!!

Also... Go Aggies!!!

Peace out, boy scout.

Like Those Credit Card Commercials...

You know those days where you woke up that morning completely happy because you had absolutely no school/work/commitments that you had to attend, and then through the day little things add up to result in you tossing and turning in your bed later that night??

Oh yeah, I'm there.

It's crazy how one piece of news can send your whole to awry. I heard one bit of information I wasn't pleased about, and all of the sudden I'm driving home with my sweet [poor] hubby as I vent about all of these crazy little things. The worst part- I have no control over most of them.

I'm sure we've all been at our blog at one in the morning talking about this feeling.

Thanks to Daylight Savings, my body tells me it's only midnight.

The silly one (yes, I know it's silly and I'm NOT looking for compliments or encouragement, etc.) has to do with Pickleville. I was in Thoroughly Modern Millie last year and I loved it. I've always loved performing and I love singing and dancing. It's almost the same feeling as going for a long run, it just feels good. Anyway, I've been pretty sure about auditioning again this year and then I noticed that they're holding auditions at BYU this year.

Heart sinking, fear rising.

The fear of failure (we're all familiar with it) is the nasty, red monster, not to be confused with a nasty, green monster. Going up against incredibly talented people like that? No, senor.

But... I'll still do it. Mostly because now if I don't I run the risk of having angry bloggers coming after me, and who wants that????

Take THAT you nasty, red monster.

Dear Person Who Shall Remain Nameless,

I'm sorry I deleted your comment, rather than posting it. Even though your argument was well thought out and made me feel stupid for my letter, because of the heated discussion it created in my Professional Writing class, I chose to not publish it.

This letter to Stew was to be taken lightly, not to spark a serious discussion as to what is wrong with the Aggies. I'm sorry that I hit a tender area, and that you felt obligated to comment with a rebuttal.

This is all I shall say on the matter.

-Haley

ps. Go Aggies!

The Happs

The "happs" or happenings of us Cutlers...

School: Both of us are enjoying our classes, Cam probably more than me, honestly. I still can't exactly find my niche, but maybe the fact that I haven't stuck with a major really long enough to give it a chance. The style of writing and the emphasis on technology is killing me, but I do like the fact that I'll be done in three semesters if I pursue this. Cam loves his journalism classes, and is doing very well in them! Personally, I think he should consider being a sports writer.

Church: We were called as nursery leaders a couple weeks ago [enter your personal birth control joke here]. The little children are good for the most part, but yesterday my patience did wear thin. There must've been something in the water- pushing, hitting and pulling hair suddenly became ok. We pulled out a timeout chair and that seemed to make a difference. On a separate note: all of the girls love Cam's "fuzzy hair" and "fuzzy chin."

Bracketbuster: Has anyone else noticed a pattern with the Aggies and important games? They choke. Don't get me wrong, I am a big Aggie fan. I've been going to the games since I was a youngin', but I am sick of the Aggies being right on the edge of being a nationally recognized team and then throwing it away. The big problem is the fact that they do not play big teams. They don't know how to play St. Mary's, they don't know how to play teams in the NCAA tournament, and they don't know how to execute in big games when it counts.
Dear Stew Morrill,
You have a very young, very talented team on your hands.
Spend some time playing big teams like Duke and Oklahoma and Kansas.
Yes, you will lose the games.
But... your players will become more competitive and skilled.
And eventually, you will win Bracketbusters and conference tournaments with great ease.
You're still awesome, Stew.
-Haley

Random things: We are doing great and loving life still. We can't wait for spring break!

I apologize for the lack of pictures on this blog... I lost my camera input cord in the move and, to be honest, I am not a picture-takin' kind of gal. I'm going to fix that, though.

Pre-Valentine's Gift

Last night, dinner was a success.

Steak, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, salad and chocolate pie.

And it was EASY.

Thank you, Pioneer Woman.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Good news- Our internet is back on.

Bad news- We saw the worst movie ever.

Lakeview Terrace has won my nomination for most cliches, worst theme/subtheme, worst acting, worst turnout EVER.
(Because of the movie, Cam's refusing to be affiliated with this post. So, from here on out, he will be referred to as "He Who Shall Not Be Named." This is also because he makes fun of my Harry Potter fandom.)
I won't go into details, because some topics could become controversial, but really, guys.... WORST MOVIE EVER.

example: Guy says to his beautiful wife, "Who are you? I don't even recognize you anymore."

I can't believe they missed out on the Oscar nomination.

Most movies we've rented from Redbox (aka- the best invention in the world) have been so awesome that we've wanted to watch again the next night.

As a certain Elder Tomlinson would say, "You win some, you lose some."

Also... He Who Shall Not Be Named claims that all Dan Brown novels are the same. "Oh no, you di'nt!"

And he hates Harry Potter.

And he says Star Wars is for nerds.

Ladies and gentlemen, my husband. :)

**ps- I love you, He Who Must Not Be Named.

Surprises and Tech Support

(Not that kind of surprise, sorry.)

I nearly had a panic attack this morning when I realized that I haven't made a payment on my American Eagle credit card in quite some time. It was bothering me so much I couldn't concentrate in class, I knew I had to get my hands on a computer. Eagerly, I got my hands on a computer to look at my account online and... nothing. Confused, I checked my activity and discovered that I had paid off my whole bill in September.

Silly me.

But what a lovely discovery.

(Had to share, it was so delightful)

Also... for those of you not familiar with our living situation, Cam and I have no cable. We have two TVs, both borrowed from various family members and friends, but there is no digital cable out in our parts, only satellite, and we aren't really financially set to have channels yet.

So, we had 2 TVs, a Playstation 2, and the internet, so that I could watch my shows the day after they air. This system worked beautifully for three months.

Only now, my laptop refuses to pick up our internet.

So... we have TVs, a Playstation 2 and the following DVDs: The Office, seasons 1,2,3 and 4, chick flicks, The Best Two Years and two church DVDs. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm SICK of The Office. I'm sick of Serendipity. I'm sick of Drillbit Taylor. I'm even sick of Cinderella.

We're contemplating renting complete seasons of TV shows, but we're not sure what to get. Any suggestions??

Join us in our prayers to the tech gods to solve this problem.

Stupid Curse.

They say that you're most likely to gain weight right after you're married. We were so sure that we would be different and avoid it- and, for the most part, we have... however, we have difficulty finding time to work out. When I was in high school, I thought that it would be easy to stay loose and flexible, I never thought that at the age of 20, I would already lose the skill of holding my leg up to my head- I can now stretch my leg to be parallel with my hip. BLAST.

So... I am starting to stretch every night before bed. I'm also contemplating making a sacrifice to the weather gods for warm weather and inversion-free atmosphere so I don't worry about damaging my lungs. Join me if you'd like.

We were also getting worried that our bad eating habits would catch up with us, so we are avoiding our beloved Little Ceasar's pizza and Casper's ice cream, and have filled our fridge with fruits, veggies, water bottles, Nutri-Grain bars and yogurt.

(We have chocolate ice cream in the freezer. I'm testing out my will power and I'm abstaining from it. I'm also trying to cut back on the blessed Diet Coke. If it comes down to the two, though, the Diet Coke is IN.)

In other news, we are both much happier with our courses this semester. Cam is enjoying all of his media and PR classes, and I am back with all of my fellow grammar geeks, where I belong!

Update on the bomb threat situation-which was a bogus call from some stupid kid- between the cost of food and loss of business, Iron Gate lost nearly $20,000 that night. BUT- good, honest people have been coming back and paying for their bills. That is the final lift for the story.

Also- we learned that white sheets are not the best thing. Especially when your husband has a cut on his elbow that bleeds often.

Threat Level Midnight

It was a New Year's Eve that will not be forgotten.

Work (Iron Gate Grill) was CRAZY last night. We were incredibly busy and I got behind pretty early on, so I was going insane playing catch up. It got to the point to where I was wondering if we could all just walk out and call it good, when a police officer came back into the kitchen wondering where a manager was, and asked me what we would be doing about all the people who haven't paid yet.

I said to myself, "There are people walking out without paying? Are we THAT busy and THAT poor on service?"

I went and told the owner that there was a police officer upstairs requesting to talk to her. When she didn't seemed surprised by it, I knew something was up.

When she told the officer that she would deal with it "later," my suspicion grew.

When the officer started evacuating all of our customers, I got it.

There was a bomb threat made on the restaurant, so everyone had to leave. And he meant EVERYONE.

RANDOM.

Of all the places to make a bomb threat, why this restaurant? The Spectrum was FULL of people last night. If someone had been calling it in for kicks and giggles, wouldn't it have been more entertaining to watch 10,000 people get evacuated?

More likely it was a disgruntled employee.

Thanks a lot. (That is sarcastic)

All of the food is still out on the tables, all of the drinks, EVERYTHING. Right now, as I'm writing this.

Crazy, crazy night.

Happy 2009!

***The term "Threat Level Midnight" comes from a movie that Michael Scott writes in The Office- a spy thriller featuring Agent Michael Scarn. It's not meant to be dramatic, but I thought it was fitting.