"Topic of the Day"

Living where we do right now there aren't a whole lot of things to do. Kevin and I have to sit down practically every week and think of things that I can do to occupy my time other than watching television ALL DAY. So, during one of our weekly discussions, we came up with the idea that every morning, Kevin would give me a topic and I would research it throughout the day until I was satisfied with what I'd learned, then I would tell Kevin about it at the end of each day. This was fun, and lasted a whole 2 days. The first day was alright, I think I was assigned "the invention and progression of the cell phone", which I was actually kind of curious about. But, on day two I discovered that it wasn't such a good idea to ask Kevin to assign me the topics, because he assigned me "the invention and progression and function of engines". UGH! Really? Come on.

Now, I know Kevin really likes this stuff. I mean, he's been into cars and mechanics since he was a little kid, and now its his job, so it really is almost all he thinks about (so really I couldn't have expected him to be too creative). hehe. But I'm more into things like animals (dogs mostly, but all animals are interesting haha) and history and people and things like that. So, I've decided to ask all of YOU! If anyone has ideas, PLEASE let me know. And maybe give me your email if I don't already have it so that I can email you the information I find if you're interested at all. I know this may sound weird, but you really would be contributing to my sanity. =] THANK YOU!!!!!

Dune Living

So, I guess living at the dunes comes with the responsibility of knowing how to drive a quad in the sand, and this has always been something that really scares me. If you've ever driven in the sand, you can feel the bike sliding under you ALL the time and it's really scary!! At least it is for me.

Anyway, yesterday John had someone over and they wanted to go riding, so Kevin and I went with them. I didn't want to take my own four wheeler the whole time, so I just rode on the back of Kevin's, but for a little of the time he let me drive it.

Now, normally when I go to the dunes with the plan to learn how to ride better, I get SUPER stressed out and I stress out everyone around me, and the day usually ends in either a fight between me and someone, and/or me crying and pouting with frustration. Yesterday, however, I was determined to end the day on a good note! So when Kevin asked me if I wanted to drive, I said "sure!" and hopped willingly on the front and started the bike.

I'm already having second thoughts at this point, because I can just feel my calm slipping away, and my emotional sensitivity rising.

Stick with it Kaylynn! Is what I'm thinking, because I know how much Kevin likes it when I try new things and do them with an open mind. So I drove around slowly and got a little more comfortable as time went on, asked Kevin some questions when I had them, and ended up driving around for about 10 or 15 minutes. (I didn't go up and big hills, but i putted around calmly and didn't have any emotional breakdowns! yay, mission accomplished!) haha.

I know this sounds dumb and wussy, but I was proud of myself for not quitting! (well, eventually I let Kevin back on the front because we were facing a huge hill and I was scared, but I still drove!) :)

Next time maybe I'll be on my own bike the whole time! (if I can hold off a freak out session for that long) haha.

Some of my drawings

Here are a few of the drawings I've done. Some were sit down pieces that took a long time, others were just doodles done when I should have been doing something else. (in class, at church, during homework time, etc.) lol.

This one is.... hmm. actually i don't remember when i did this. lol

This one is a doodle. (left upper corner is a rough draft of what i gave to my uncle jeff, and the rest is just random.)
The one I sent to Ammon on his mission.
Art final senior year that my art teacher lost. all i have is a photo of it now. :(
Doodle. Not one of my favorites.

The one I gave to my uncle jeff. (this is when it was almost finished, not quite.)

Drawn from a book. Not from my head. haha.
Another doodle... i dont remember when i did it.

A long time ago.

Kevin and Sadie <3

In an earlier post, I mentioned how much Kevin loves Sadie. I didn't have any good pictures of them together at the time, so the one I posted was not very good. But today they were playin' around, and I couldn't resist the urge to snap a few pictures. So cute! :)

She likes to sleep on him. =] He's a good pillow. hehe.

Sometimes she nibbles at his nose... (she tries just to lick, but sometimes it turns into nibbling. lol. he must taste good or something.)
YAWN!!! haha.

Christmas 2009

This year for Christmas, Kevin and I went to Ashland and spent the holiday week with my family. We had tons of fun with all my cousins and aunts and uncles. (And of course we always love spending a few days at my parent's house!) :)

On Christmas Eve, Kevin and I organized a sledding trip (with Mom's help). We took a few of the boys (and Jasmine) to the mountain and had a great time.

The big Christmas Eve dinner was fun- a bit crowded, but fun-.

Christmas morning was tons of fun too! It brought back lots of childhood memories for me, and having Kevin there with my family made it even better. :)

Christmas night we had a couple of my aunts and their families come over to our house. We visited and laughed which was lots of fun, and I got to cut some hair! (I hope everyone liked theirs. lol) *That's not the finished product either... it looked awesome when it was finished.*

This holiday season was so much fun, and we loved seeing everyone!

After Christmas we went and visited Kevin's family for the next week and spent New Year's with them. :) Playing games with everyone is always super fun. Overall, this first holiday season of me and Kevin married was definitely one to remember! :)

A Cluff: Addicted to Vaseline at Birth?

This just in:

Recent studies are showing that the product Vaseline (100% Pure Petroleum Jelly) is addictive to not only the one who has sinfully discovered the relief only it can bring- the pure satisfaction of the protection and coverage it provides to even the driest of skin (particularly rashes and chapped lips)- but that it is also addictive to the posterity of the abuser. It is passed on!

While Vaseline may glide on your lips like your favorite pair of jeans glide onto your butt (without flattening it out like all the others), are the addictive properties of this product really worth the orgasmic relief from lips like these?

In her interview, 45 year loyal user of Vaseline, Diana Cluff, had no idea that her long-term affair with the petroleum jelly would effect her posterity. She had no idea that when she started slathering the stuff on her face at the age of 20 that it would create a life-long dependancy for not only her, but for her children and grandchildren as well.

"Its anti-aging properties have kept me young!" she insists, "I'm almost 70 and I get whistled at every day at Goodwill!" Then as a side-note she adds, "Well not 70, I'm only 65, but people tell me I look 40! They ask me why I have almost NO wrinkles at all, and I just tell them it's the Vaseline! I started with putting it under my eyes, then just figured why not the whole face?! And they compliment me about my outfits and ask me where I got such stylish clothes and I just say I picked them up at the Goodwill or Salvation Army! I get the whistles there too by the way... at Salvation Army, that is. And..."

(We were on a time crunch, so thats all we got in).

Her granddaughter, Kaylynn Cluff Muntifering, shakes her head in disbelief and anger as she listens to the recent discoveries of Vaseline properties along with her grandmother's story. Then she begins her confession:

"It was last week, maybe Friday night when I noticed some mild dryness on my lips. Nothing to worry about, just a bit of chap stick and its gone... but not this time. I put chap stick on before I went to bed, looking forward to waking up to smooth lips, but was sorely disappointed. When I woke up I had bumps all over my lips! They were itchy and chapped, and no matter how much chap stick I applied they just seemed to stay the same, if not get worse! My husband didn't even want to kiss me, they were so bad! I called my mother desperate for some advice to get rid of these chapped monsters, and after suggesting everything from chap stick to a home-made remedy from her father, she suggested Vaseline as sort of an afterthought.

"Now, when I hear the word "Vaseline" I always think of Grandma and her shimmery glow, and how I always get a sticky spot on the side of my face every time I give her a hug. Vaseline works on your lips? Well, anything to get rid of these flaps of rawhide I'm talking through! So I went to Wal-Mart the first chance I had and picked up a 13 ounce tub of petroleum jelly. When the time came for application, I dipped my finger in the tub and felt the slimy goodness. had only a moment of hesitation before succumbing to the promising moisture. As soon as the lather touched my lips, all my dreams came true. It was smooth. Gliding. Soaking in. Relieving! At last! I will be HEALED! And then I was hooked. All throughout that day I was reapplying over and over; as soon as I felt the slip fading, I would slather it on once again, thickening the layer of jelly on my lips. Why is the silky sludge so consuming? Its musty smell? Perhaps the beautifully slippery texture? I didn't know. And I didn't care. It was working, and it felt so wonderful.

"Now my lips are almost completely revived. Plumped up and moisturized, they feel better than ever; but the Vaseline remains. I'm still putting it on throughout the day to receive its glossy goodness. And speaking of glossy, it not only keeps my lips soft and revitalized, but it makes a great lip gloss, giving a perfect "nude lip" look. I think I just might use it forever.

"Now that I know that it does in fact have addictive properties, I can stop blaming myself for my guilty obsession. I have an excuse- 'it runs in the family'. And although I have not yet progressed to the point of slathering it all ever my face, I can feel it tapping me on the shoulder. It's coming. But I'm a Cluff, so it's ok... (It runs in the family). And if you're a Cluff, don't try to fight it. It's in your blood."

Puppy Love

Kevin's parents currently own a Great Dane named Maddy (Madison), and have a long history of owning Great Danes, labradors, pointers, and other large dogs. Because of this, every time Kevin and I would talk about getting a dog he was set on having a bigger dog. He had never owned a smaller dog, and he wasn't very fond of my parent's miniature pincher, Arrow (he thought she resembled a rat more than a dog... as I'm sure a lot of people do). Well, being where we are now in a tiny "make-shift" apartment with no fenced yard right next to a busy highway, getting a big dog that would need to be outside a lot was definitely a no-go, so I convinced Kevin to let me get a small dog ("As long as it's not a chihuahua" he said... and look what happened! haha).

However, now that we have our little Sadie, you would never believe that she isn't EXACTLY the dog that Kevin always wanted! He loves her almost more than I do! He's usually the one to get mad at her and get her in trouble, but her time-outs never last more than a few seconds, because he starts feeling guilty and loves on her even more! He lets her lick all over his face and jump all over him tongue flapping in excitement (something I won't even do)! It's pretty cute really, but sometimes it gets to the point where I feel like I should almost be getting a little jealous! He hugs and loves her and talks in his little high pitched puppy voice, and if I try to ask him a question or start a conversation during one of their little frenzies, he is completely absorbed in the dog and doesn't even hear me! (It's become a bit of a joke between us now). :)

So, my conclusion from all of this is that as much as men (or people in general) say they don't like small dogs, as soon as you get them one they'll fall in love. =] You can't help it!