Tagg & Katie

About that change...

2010-07-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened in the past 8 months. We haven't updated much; a point so eloquently pointed out by Holly in her last comment to us about how much she loves that we're already getting into the Christmas feeling by putting up a festive title & picture. I didn't have the heart to tell her that, although we love Christmas, the "Merry Christmas" title of our blog was, sadly, from 2009 (I've taken it down, probably in time to put up a new one at the rate I'm going). But here we are, almost to Christmas 2010, and a lot has happened and we haven't had the ability to update for a while. Sorry. Somehow I know your heart has gone on. Ours have. :)

So we moved. Get over it. We moved from Ogden to Logan after I was offered a job at my Alma Mater, Utah State University. I'm still a recruiter but having a much better time at it and I feel I'm not lying to students when they ask me if I like it where I work. :) We moved into my brothers empty house in Smithfield, just north of Logan. The house has been on the market for a while but hasn't sold, so we get to live there and help stage the house for potential buyers. So we grudgingly decided to move in. It's a 3-story, 5 bedroom, 4 bath, on 1 acre house next to a golf course with nothing but mountain by us. Feel bad for us. But seriously, we have been very spoiled to live there but may have to move if the house sells, which is very plausible after a family began to make preparations to buy it. So now we get to pack up (YEAH!!!) and move again. After this place, we're going to have a hard time finding a place to top it.

My office, whilst on road trip to our Distance Education Sites.

Oh, and Katie's pregnant. Sorry we didn't tell you, but if you keep up with us on Facebook this isn't a big surprise. (P.S. Is blogging dead? Discuss.) After being told we probably weren't going to be able to have kids, we were surprised to find this:

After three tests to be sure, we took a picture for future proof. :)

And this is how Katie told me she was pregnant.

I hadn't seen her in two weeks and she found out while going to Disneyland. So she had to sit on that little secret for two weeks until I went down to Vegas to recruit. We are SO excited for the little one to join us AND we found out three weeks ago that we're having a little boy.

1st Ultrasound

2nd Ultrasound. Katie was POSITIVE it was a girl. Nope!

However, after being told by the doctor that we wouldn't have any kids, Katie and I got into a major funk and tried to figure out what we should do about our family. This was our immediate answer:

Yep, a little pug named Lilly! We picked her up on Katie's birthday in January and now she thinks she owns the place. Such a cute little doggie who, at first, was very mindful and quiet. Now, she's a very.... um.... sassy (?) dog who talks back and doesn't understand why she can't eat whatever you're eating. WHATEVER you're eating. Hot dogs, chicken, slurpee, root beer, gummi worms, chips, fruit; you name it, she wants it. Including the wrapper in the trash: it's fair game. And now, apparently, lollipop sticks.

Like I said, she'll eat anything that we do and don't.

When I tell her to sit she usually talks back before doing it too, which is FANTASTIC! It's like having a 16 year old already. She also likes to run away from me gleefully when I take her to go outside, especially when I don't have any socks or shoes on or just wearing a garment top on as a shirt. SO FUN! Lilly adores Katie, but Lilly and I have a love/hate relationship. I tend to win.

She's starting to hate the car.

So now our little, cute pug is sort of a terror. She does mind when she wants to or if you give her a treat. When Katie's out of town I usually go through a jar of peanut butter (her favorite) to bribe her to leave me alone so I can get some quality time in with the Xbox. Of course, about a month after we got Lilly we also found out that we'll have a little guy in the house too, so we hope dog and kid get along. If not, anyone want a trash-talking pug?

We also found out that our new Suzuki didn't have a ton of room. By "ton of room", I mean "room for a car seat". So we sadly had to trade her in. Good little car, but I always felt like I was driving a Geo Metro because (I don't know if you've noticed) I'm sort-of a bigger guy. So I wasn't sad for long because now we're driving in style in this:

LOVE IT!!!! So fun! Its a 2003 Nissan Murano (fully loaded, mind you) and it cost the same as our Suzuki so our payments only went up a little. We've nick-named it Murry (think Flight of the Conchords...it even has ginger colored leather). But tons more space and way more fun to drive, not to mention the leather seats and the Bose system makes the drive to Vegas a ton better.

So that's about it! We love Logan and love where we're at in life right now. Katie's doing well with the pregnancy, the kid is about 7 inches now and we're about halfway through the 2nd trimester, which reminds me, I don't know how to be a dad yet, so I better start reading up on that. I have just 15 credits left in my masters program and then I'm thinking of a PhD, but have NO idea what I want to get it in. Any ideas?

Change is coming

2009-12-16T18:29:00.000-08:00

January 7th, 2010

"A" is for Archibald!!!

I Love My Beautiful Wife

2009-12-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

My wife is so amazing. I won't go into too much detail, but she is one of the most loving, compassionate, and strongest woman I have ever known. She makes waking up everyday worth it. How lucky can a guy get!

We went on "Vacation"

2009-11-11T16:11:00.000-08:00

Katie & I have been busy. Brief recap about our life:
School
Work
Car shopping
School
Work
Sleep

Pretty much sums it up right there. We spent the better part of a month trying out new cars to retire my truck under the "Cash for Clunkers" program. But before y'all get fiesty that we spent tax payer money, two things: (1) I'm pretty sure I've been taxed the $3500 I would have received for the truck from the government, so I am "reinvesting" it and (B) we didn't end up using the program anyways. They just gave us $3500 as a trade. DONE & DONE!

We got a Suzuki SX4 crossover. It's a small car, but it gets good gas mileage and has optional all-wheel drive, GPS system, and bluetooth capabilities. Got it for a steal too. We affectionatly call her Suki, and have deemed she's a Decepticon to the Element's (Ellie) Autobot.

However we did get to go on a "Vacation". The reason "vacation" is put in parentheses (I meant in Quotes... love finding a typo a month later) is because (A) it was for work and (2) we're so friggin tired. But we still had a good time and that's all that mattered.

Katie's mom, Denise, really wanted to go to Disneyland with all of her kids because the last time she was able to go was about 5 years ago before most of the grandkids started arriving. We were excited to go and it coordinated with a recruiting trip to Vegas so all the better. So while I stayed in Vegas, Katie went to Disneyland with her mom and family and then I joined up later that week with them. We had a great time and really enjoyed being with everyone. The next week I had a conference in Newport Beach (I know right?) so we stayed down there and went to Disneyland just by our selves for a few days, which was a first. So here are some pictures from our "vacation" (I really did have to work during 80% of it... honest).

BEST. SITE. EVER.

2009-09-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

Alright, it's been a while blah, blah, blah and we have a lot of updates for you, which we'll have to get to later. But I just found this and I think it's my new favorite site. Click on the logo and you'll see why!

It's so great! I love it! Oh, and about the post below. Yes, I'm a nerd. But in my defense, I just heard about this new game and I wanted to check it out. It's not like I'm a hard core Trekkie...I just own all 10 movies and at least half of the last 15 years worth of Star Trek Hallmark Keepsake ornaments. It's not that bad, but I blame my dad and Jake Packer. Hey, if I'm coming out of the Trekkie closet I'm taking you guys too.

P.S. I really do own a vast majority of Star Trek Hallmark Keepsake ornaments... don't judge.

The computer. . . .

2009-07-23T02:03:00.000-07:00

So Tagg is a fan of when we have guests over, which is not that often to my dismay, he likes to get on the internet and surf around, check facebook and whatever else he may. Well today we had dear Susie Q over, for whom we haven't seen in a month and he keeps getting on, to which I keep on Tagg please come talk with us.
So he finally decides to get off and come chat with us, we had a fun time(and GREAT dinner if I might say so myself. . . stuffing stuffed chicken with mashed potatoes and a nice chcken gravy) and Susie goes on her merry way.
Tagg goes upstairs to change and I need to check my e-mail, so I get on and what do I find that he was looking at that could not wait till after Susie left, I promise I don't think I have a good enough imagination to come up with this myself nor would I know what it means, but he was looking at the Kobayashi Maru. . . for those of you who do not have husbands that have been to star trek conventionS it is the test that captn Kirk cheated while in training:) I laugh still, nerly 6 hour later!

This made me laugh...out loud... so "LOL"

2009-04-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

So I was in class last night....

2009-03-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

... not understanding a word Helen was saying. Love my basic editing class and the teacher, but I don't understand what sentence patterns, intransitive verbs, adverbial clauses, adjectival prepositions are (the list goes on). So instead of asking questions and trying to figure out, I start stumbling around the internet thanks to the amazing Stumble website that Nate told me about.
So I'm stumbling for a good 45 minutes when I run into these gems. I started lol-ing without the "ol" so hard that I thought I was actually going to "OL" in the middle of my masters class. Somehow I was able to control myself. These are some of my favorites that I found:

Erin, this one is for you, Dave, and Jack.
And finally, I found this one this morning and really did LOL. So OL that my office was looking through my windows seeing if I was L-ing or C-ing (crying). Katie and I were thinking the same thing when we watched the below event.

New Year

2009-02-14T00:49:00.000-08:00

Wow has it only been uh never since I wrote on this blog? i guess that's what you get for "surfing the web" at 2 o'clock in the morning(i don't know any cool sites so surfing consists of my gmail and that's about it). Well there is a lot of catching up to do...Tagg is in his second semester of his masters program and doing GREAT! He is working hard at Weber and getting good grades all at the same time. He is taking an English class that is pretty much re-teaching him the English language and how messed up it is, and one Saturday class that lasts a month. I started classes at Weber and am trying to get an associates so that when we move the next time I can get a bachelors:) Things are great and life is SO good. I started at a salon recently, Urban Roots, and it is fantastic and the poeple are nice and I am very happy Tagg talked me into it.

I have such an amazing husband who recently let me spend my birthday at Disneyland with my fam...well some that is...its weird when you go to Disneyland for so long with the kids and then go without them, you almost feel like you have to rent one at the door....ok does this one come with a stroller? I kid of course...but it was weird not to blame the kids for wanting to ride Peter Pan or Dumbo 7 times in a row. I of course have pictures...but seeing as I am "gifted"(literally) when it comes to computers...I guess I will let Tagg handle that. While celebrating my birthday I got to have a most spectacular time with the family and an even BETTER time when I got home! Tagg surprised me with flowers and a game that we are pretty obsessed over and....the ENTIRE Avatar the Last Airbender series...which I am ALMOST (but not fully) ashamed to admit that I think i have watched the ENTIRE series about 5 times. I have the best husband EVER!

We have been trying to re-kindle our "friend relations", I am bad at using the phone(sorry for anyone I have to talk to on the phone...I am trying to work on it) and we are trying to get together with friends twice a month. I know what your thinking...you have friends? That's is a good question and mainly they are friends that Tagg has known for a long time that we are getting closer in distance to hang out.

Oh the adventures we have, I promise we will be writing more...I know there are some out there that live through our awesome adventures...watching Avatar and our many trips down to Vegas...so until next time we love and miss you all!

Update

2008-12-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

Still busy.

However I just finished my first semester of classes in my grad program at Westminster. I love it there but I'm glad I'm done for the next few weeks. I just finished my term paper, which was a 15 pager on "The Philosophy of Calvin & Hobbes: 'Deep' Philosophy in Arts 'Simplest' Form". It was fun to write, but a headache in the end. And I ended up designing for another class a new business card and letterhead for Katie along with a CD cover for The Dandy Warhols. I'll try to attach them below, but I'm going to censor the contact info. If you want to get a hold of her to do hair, just let me know. 7 credits kicked my trash.
I'm still at WSU, trying to figure out this school and it's transfer articulation. I know it's surprising to hear I'm still at the same job because we move so much, but we're moving slowly "up" so thats good.

Katie is doing her thing here in Ogden. She's busy building her clientele (again...sorry about that babe!) and is loving having our own townhome with no neighbors below us or above us. She's also been back and forth from Vegas to do a wedding and for a sisters baby shower, so she's been on the road a lot lately too. She's going to start back up at school this semester at Weber and get her associates in general education and she's really excited about that.

Besides that everythings great! Sorry we haven't had more time lately, but in case we don't post anything else we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Front:

Back:

Letterhead:
CD Cover:

CD Back:

We've been busy

2008-10-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

To say the least. We've moved to Ogden, UT, started a new job, and are loving our new place. We'll post pictures of it soon, but I've been on the road for the the past two weeks and Katie has been busy unpacking and going on road trips with me.
But we just wanted y'all to know, we're doing great and we're SO GLAD we moved!
More to come!

The Flight of the Gypsies

2008-09-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

Katie's dad commented on the family Christmas newsletter in 2006 that he considered us the gypsies of the family; always on the move and always moving. Well, we hate to disappoint, we decided that being in one place for nearly a year is too constraining, we hate becoming familiar with an area, and we were actually starting to make friends.
What's that translate into?
That's right. We're moving. Again.

I got a job at Weber State University in Ogden, UT as the Transfer Articulation Coordinator. It incorporates my current job responsibilities at UVU (recruitment, advising) with new responsibilities (articulation, supervisor, transfer credits). Some things I'm looking forward to include a higher salary, an actual office, walls that reach from the floor ALL THE WAY to the ceiling, supervisory experience, and working for a new staff and office. I've loved my time at UVU but some of it was getting a little tiring and so a change is what we need.

Katie is excited about it as well. She's had to drop her classes but is excited about working for a salon in the SLC area and finding a place that we can actually put pictures up and move her piano into. We've committed to actually staying there for two years until I'm done with my masters degree. We're still trying to decide WHERE to move to. Any suggestions? She's also trying to get everything figured out for the Disneyland event this October when we go with my younger brother and his wife. We're definitely still excited about that.

My job starts September 29th.

So all we do now is pack. Cause that's what gypsies do. Someday, one day, we'd like to stay in one place for longer than a year (see below).

Tagg since 18:
1998- Rexburg, ID
1999-2001- Florida (mission) moved 6 times
2001- Dallas (intern)
2001 - Rexburg, ID
2002 - Denver and Cleveland (one summer...stupid alarm sales)
2002- Logan, UT (2 different apartments)
2004- Alaska (tour guide)
2004- Logan, UT (new place)
2005- Rancho Cucamonga, CA (pest control office manager)
2005- Logan, UT (New place)
2006- Las Vegas, NV (Teacher)
2007- Orem UT (Recruiter)
2008- ????? (Transfer Coordinator)

We're students again!

2008-09-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

Katie and I started school this last week, Katie at UVU and I'm at Westminster. Katie had her first private guitar lesson and loves her group piano 2 class on Thursday. Both her and I are also taking weight lifting (I know right, time to get BUFF!) and an automotive class. We get the classes for free and Katie just wanted to take some classes. Next semester she's taking her math and english classes, but she couldn't fit them into her work schedule this semester.

I had my first class last night at Westminster and, I've got to be honest, it was slightly... long. At three hours long I was having a hard time keeping focused on Plato's Allegory of the Cave towards the end, even though I enjoyed the subject. It looks to be VERY writing intensive, so I may ask some of you to help me with my skills in grammer.

These pictures though are us with our new school clothes and gear! Katie got me a red backpack with all new supplies and I got Katie a Disney Princess's (Princii?) lunchbox full of pens, highlighters, and other fun stuff.

Katie on her first day, bringing back the "peace" sign.

Me doing my impression of a back to school catalog photo.

Good times, good times. We look forward to being educated.

Leave a message after the beep

2008-08-27T13:36:00.001-07:00

If you've tried to get a hold of us over the last month, that's probably what you've heard when you called us. Work has picked up for Tagg, Katie is working more and more, Tagg is getting ready for the big day on Tuesday when he becomes a student again, and Katie has begun her classes at UVU, which is a first for her, she's never been a college student. With all of this going on we've been able to do some fun things during our "down-time":

Katie has been busy with this:

Tagg's has had time to squeeze in a few of these (that's Tagg with the big hammer
and that's Adam in the Warthog going off the cliff... love X-Box live)

Tagg & Katie got to meet Tagg's new niece Kensey (sp?):

Play with Arch and nieces and nephews at Discovery Zone:

And even managed to get in some play time at Discovery Zone in downtown SLC:

We haven't seen Randy, Shaunie, Camille, & Arch since the wedding and this was the first time meeting Drake & Kensey. Such cute kids.

Camille giving Katie bunny-ears. Notice the new shade Katie's sporting.

Below are some other things we've been up to!

2 YEARS

2008-08-27T13:15:00.000-07:00

Katie and I also celebrated our two year anniversary. She got back at 1:30 a.m. from Missouri on the day of our anniversary, which worked out pretty well for us. It's been an amazing two years!

I decided to make Katie some flowers out of her favorite candy.
They didn't welt, but we did hear the staples give way during the night
as pieces of Laffy Taffy fell down and smack the table.

Headed out for another tradition on our anniversary, eating at a Brazilian Grill.
Damn my wife is hot!

We tried a new place and had the whole place to ourselves because we got
there at 9 p.m. Here's our review:

And finally, Katie's gift to me was the Jack Johnson Concert,
which was amazing until our camera died after this picture :(
It didn't even make it past the warm-up bands.

My gift to Katie was the Dave Matthews Band concert,
but because a band mate had died the concert was canceled.
And yes, I spelled "canceled" wrong

All in all it was an amazing anniversary and we look forward to being this much in love for... well, ever.

Missouri Loves Company

2008-08-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Katie had the amazing opportunity to go to Missouri to visit her grandparent with her sisters and her mom. Her grandparents are currently serving an LDS service mission in Adam-ondi-Ahmen and will be going home back to Vegas at the end of September. So this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for Katie to go out and get a "behind the scenes" tour of the place.
She had a great time though over the four days! She also visited Kansas City and an Amish community, which was her favorite.

The usual lawn decorations in Missouri

The twins decide to take a cute picture on the tire swing... but found they got stuck instead.

The cemetery in Adam-ondi-Ahmen where no one can be buried in anymore.

Adam-ondi-Ahmen

The Girls with the Grandparents. They do the matching
shirts thing every vacation. It's a tradition.
I act like I don't know them and look at them weird.

The infamous speakers rock in the valley.

Dez being really excited about driving in between a herd of cows.

The local parade. Yes, parade. Notice the golf cart.
Katie said 3/4's of the town was involved in the parade.

"Katie, why do you want to take a picture right next to this.....KATIE!!!"

The World War I Museum in Kansas City.
Tagg was VERY jealous.

Katie & co. on top of the memorial.

LLAMA FEST!!!

2008-08-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Katie and I went to the Llama fest south of Spanish Fork in July. Katie LOVED it! But it was so packed (for a llama fest, i know) that it reminded me of Wal-Mart in Florida the day after Dale Earnhardt died (they were looking for emergency supplies, Earnhardt paraphernalia, and spray paint to paint a memorial on the back of their trucks...no joke). However the Kirshna temple was pretty freaking cool (I hope I got the right diety, there's only 3 million of them).
Here's some pictures from this momentous occasion.

For Heather & Kristi

2008-07-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

Heather and Kristi, this ones for you:For everyone else's benefit, Katie's grandma is infamous for trying to drop "subtle" hints on her grand daughters. The U.S. used subtly when we used the A-bomb on Japan to try to tell them we wanted to end the war. Grandma Ranck uses similar tactics.

For years, Grandma has been telling Heather & Kristi that the BEST way (aka, the only way) to find a husband is to move to Utah, attend BYU, and most importantly, work at The Creamery. The Creamery is the key she says, people just go there and get married almost instantly. It's become a running joke in the family. Dez even made up a story that involves her husband and how she met him while he was moping the floors at the Creamery and crying out "More Leche, more Leche!!!" (He's Cuban, so the story had to involve spanish and manual labor). If you know Dez and Archie, you know why thats so funny.

And the best part, Grandma Ranck tells them, they have to do it before "Their windows close". According to her, Heathers is closing rapidly whilst Kristi's is slammed shut. So in reaction to that family joke, Katie took the following picture while at the Creamery:

Katie is keeping her hand in there for you Heather, so your window won't shut. You better get a move on it.

Happy Fourth of July... Three Weeks Later

2008-07-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

We love the 4th of July. Especially when its on a weekend. Especially when its on a weekend and we get to go up to Idaho. Especially when it's the weekend, in Idaho, at Tagg's 10 year High School Reunion. Ok, scratch that last part about the reunion, it was rather lame, but we did have a great time in Idaho... for the 4th... for the weekend. On Friday night we got up to Idaho in time for the yearly Archibald Spectacular Dinner which involved 2 pans of ribs, a plethora of baked beans, a literal vegetable patch of salads and a keg of Mountain Dew. Did I say a Keg? I meant THREE kegs of Mountain Dew in ASSORTED FLAVORS! I think there was even Diet CAFFIENE FREE Mountain Dew... you know, for Grandma Archibald who wants to kick back and party with the flavor but doesn't want to pay for it later that night.

After dinner we chit-chatted with my cousins ("So Chase, how's the sniper rifle collection going? Oh really?! I didn't know you could make your own rifles."), helped my mom climb a tree, listen to Grandma scream at my uncle for pruning the tree, helped my mom get down from a tree, and argued with Grandma when we said we're going to get a drink before the Fireworks ("Taggart there are three types of Mountain Dew INSIDE!!!"). P.S. My Grandma is an amazing woman, she's really not mean/crazy, it just makes for better reading. However the best part of the night had to be with my Uncle Larry, who is a far, far-right conservative Republican and has subscriptions to "Guns Monthly" and "Liberals are Evil Quarterly" and someone I like to have fun with. I brought up in casual conversation with Uncle Creed that I was really confused about who to vote for after Hilary Clinton had lost the primaries and was concerned that, without her in charge, I feared for the rights of abortionists and the future of gay marriage. I have never seen a mans face turn more red and sit up faster then my uncle. Creed, who picked up what I was throwing down, asked why I wasn't wearing my "Obama; Change we can believe in" T-shirt that I told him about. More confusion and rage in Uncle Larry's face. I kindly told Creed that it was in the wash after the Anti-War Rally. Ten minutes later, we had bandaged up everyone, collected the pieces of broken furniture together along with the shattered glass, re-hung the chandelier, cleaned up the fallen kegs, and finally convinced my uncle that I was joking. "You almost had me Tagg" was his response. I couldn't find Chase, who I suspected ran home to grab his guns (plural).

We decided to go to the Snake River water front to watch the Idaho Falls 4th of July Firework Spectacular. Now Katie is from Vegas and I have to be honest; Vegas blows when it comes to 4th of July. It always ticked me off because I love watching fireworks and I've never understood why Vegas spends billions on New Years fireworks but nothing on 4th of July. But anyways Katie has never really seen a good 4th of July firework show. Until this year. Thirty minutes of non-stop fireworks assaulted her at the Idaho Falls show. It seriously has to be one of the best shows in the western-Idaho region, nay, even in all of The Idaho.

Ten minutes into it she had to have started to wonder a couple things (1) "How is it that this small town can produce a 30 minute firework bonanza but yet can't figure out how stoplights work" (2) "How can there be so many rednecks in one place?" (3) "The whole state of Idaho must be here to watch this as there are thousands of people here" (4) "When will this couple directly in front of us stop making out" and (5) "what is that smell?"
The whole time I was thinking (1) "I'm really afraid of my cousin Chase and his homemade sniper rifle...I wonder where he is right now."

(The video isn't ours and it's only 2 minutes of the 30 minutes.)

The best part of the weekend was hanging out with the folks. We went and saw Wall-E and got there 30 minutes early and just enjoyed talking with my parents. We loved the movie and would highly recommend it and afterwards my dad told us about the new and controversial windmill farms in Idaho Falls. Seeing as how we were a "short drive" away we decided to go see them. Twenty minutes, three "over this last hill"'s, and half of my Coke later we got there and were impressed by how many there were. It's not California big, but it was impressive for Idaho.

Later that night I got Katie addicted to the original "The Thin Man" movies from the 40's and then the next day we grilled corn, chicken, and artichoke's for the parents for dinner which has become our new favorite meal. We had a great time and look forward to our next trip in September for the Eastern Idaho State Fair (be excited, be very excited) and loved every minute of our 4th of July... weekend... in Idaho.

Another AMAZING Weekend

2008-06-23T18:08:00.001-07:00

We have been extremely blessed lately and we are very thankful for what's been happening in our lives. We know that sounds funny coming from a couple that has a picture of Larry Bird below suggesting he has a secret (it still cracks us up) but we have had a lot of great things happen over the last couple of weeks and we are just loving life and realizing how lucky we are.
First and most important, we saw Katie's sisters, nieces, and mom, Denise, again and hung out with them over the weekend. We had such a good time with the kids when they spent the night Thursday. Tagg got out the new tent ($50!!!) and set it up in the backyard. The thing we love about the new tent is it has a screen all the way up to the top so we can stargaze while camping and Tagg can stand up in it. Katie's nieces, Danielle and Rachael, had never slept out before but they were quickly chatting with Katie about "the greatest lovestory ever", "their first camping", and "Jilian, Rachaels playground boyfriend" (don't worry Susanne, your 6 year old daughter confided in us she hasn't even held hands yet).

We also went to Strawberry Days in Pleasant Grove with them... to celebrate...Strawberries??? But the carnival was in town and the girls had snow cones, corn dogs, fresh lemonade and yes, strawberries and cream. Watching the girls enjoy the carni-rides got us excited for another event coming up, the Eastern Idaho State Fair (EISF!!!). But it was hilarious to watch the girls run around with snow cone all over them.

And to cap it off, we had a BBQ that night (Tagg grilled the crap out of those dogs, didn't know what hit em) followed by fireworks at Grandma Denise's. We had such a great time and we're happy to see family whenever we get a chance.

We also got to play quarters with them before the left on Sunday. We got the game from our favorite show, The Office, and decided to play it. Notice Rachael's game face to show she doesn't have the quarter:

Secondly, we're extremely happy because Tagg GOT INTO GRAD SCHOOL! Katie GRADUATES THIS WEEK!!! We're so excited to be done with one school and starting another! Tagg is going to Westminster College in SLC this fall and is going to get a Masters in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and Marketing. Katie will start soon at a salon and is excited to build up more work experience and clientèle.

Finally, here's a picture of Tagg's beautiful wife, Katie, who he is madly in love with and can't get enough of. We can't believe its coming up on two years.

I Love Larry

2008-06-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

Let me just say this, right off the bat, I love the Celtics. I am no fair-weather fan. I've been a fan since the 90's, also known as the decade of embarrassing photos, and some people, who shall remain nameless Erin Brown, have accused Celtics fans as only being fans when they're winning. I am shocked and appalled. I am dismayed and hurt. I am (thesaurus) stunned and traumatamatized. As a past President and acting alumni of the Friends of Larry Club-Blackfoot High School Chapter its my responsibility to make sure that the reputation of Celtics fans are upheld in the highest regard.
Let me ask you this, has there been a movie made about Lakers fans? Or Bulls fans? I think not. However there was a movie made about CELTICS fans and how dedicated they are even when their team enters a 15 year slump of no wins. Celtic Pride was a movie made in 1996 and is often seen as the movie that destroyed Dan Aykroyd's career because it was so bad BUT the point is, there was a MOVIE based on how dedicated Celtics fans are and what they'll do for the team.
My roots for being fan go deeper than most know. As a high school student I became affiliated with a little known terrorist group at BHS known as the "Friends of Larry" Club. The Friends of Larry (or the "I Love Larry" club, as it was sometimes called) was a small club of die hard Larry Bird fans that wanted to celebrate the life of the NBA's best player EVER (Michael Who?) by getting a school excused day off to travel to the FOL Convention; i.e. the Jazz vs. Celtics at the Delta Center. I was the only freshman allowed into the group because I knew what Larry (we're on a first name basis) did before he entered college (garbage man) AND because my mom made my older brother take me on this "silly fieldtrip" which she thought of as a waste of time. On that trip to the convention we did things that Larry would approve of; My brother mooned at least 15 cars including Coach Kress, our advisor, who upon seeing the full white moon almost careened into the interstate median; and Keith got at least 33 people to flip him off, which was in honor of Larry (his jersey number is 33). I also believe that Spence scarred a woman for life when she saw him preparing to moon Kress but instead of seeing the "show" she got a sneak preview of the goods, if you will.
But I digress. Two years later I became President of the club and as our club was becoming more popular we had to instigate tougher restrictions. Membership in the club was nearing 33 male students (no girls were allowed, even Amber Ogden) so we made a mandatory test of 33 questions. We also sponsored a dance, operated concessions at several home games and even got our club picture in the yearbook (we formed ourselves in the shape of an "L"). We were a proud and honorable group and prided ourselves on (a) getting kicked out of the Delta Center every year (b) getting on ESPN at least twice and (33) eating at Maddox on the way down to the convention...every year.
But the highlight for me was when we got to go to TWO conventions in one year; the Jazz vs Celtics and the Pacers vs. Jazz. Larry was coaching the Pacers during his last year as coach and we saved enough money and got the principal to excuse us from two days of school that year to go see the Pacers vs. Jazz. We all showed up at the Pacers game not in Pacers attire (sacrilege!) but in the green & white. Sure we got weird looks, but 33 guys with Bird jerseys is nothing to trifle with. During Half-time Clint, Jake and I noticed that many seats near the floor were unused, so we did what any clear thinking obsessed fan would do; we put on heavy coats and walked down to the seats acting the whole time like they were ours. Jake got careless when he went to get nachos and got picked off by the ushers, but Clint & I made it. We found two seats that looked "dusty" and sat down, but the dumb Jazz fans were on to us, probably cause of the heavy Columbian ski coats and I was sweating so ferociously it was becoming a health hazard to all around me. Just as the ushers were making their way down to us to take us away, a miracle occurred. A sight that was more beautiful than the noon-day sun; Larry Bird appeared no more than 20 feet more. In the flesh. Clint and I tore off our coats showing Clints store-bought family passed-down Bird jersey and my home-made-green-t-shirt-cut-off-jersey with a white painted 33 Bird on it and we whooped and hollered that we love Larry and that he is our hero. Because he is. Still today. We then broke out into "Happy Birthday"(it was his birthday- Dec 7th) as the ushers carried us off. In the silence we could hear 31 of our brothers cheering for us in the nosebleeds and out of the corner of my eye I could see Larry looking at us shaking his head... and smiling. I cry now as I think of that glorious smile. He saw us... and we saw him. Clint was crying like a girl at a New Kids on the Block Concert and I was slipping on my own sweat and tears, and as the ushers pinned us to the wall we looked at each other smiling, knowing that we had seen a god like unto Zeus, Mars, and Red Auerbach. And we made him smile.
As we finished the night at Taco Time on State Street (also a tradition, mainly because they had motion sensors on the garbage bins) we basked in the glory that had befallen us. Me in my sweat drenched home-made-green-t-shirt-cut-off-jersey and my friends in they're Bird jerseys, we ate our crispy bean burritos knowing that nothing could top that night. That home-made-green-t-shirt-cut-off-jersey still hangs in the closet in Blackfoot, kept there in honor of that night, not even being thrown away by my mother, who still shakes her head, but understands the honor.
Long Live Larry, Long Live the Celtics.

Soooo... it's been a while. Awkward

2008-06-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Yeah, its been a little busy for us lately with a lot of different things going on. We've been out of town a lot, we've been sick (again...good night!), and in general trying not to declare bankruptcy every time I fill up the Tacoma. So, in order to get you "caught up" here's some things that we've been up to lately:

1) Katie quit her job as a preschool teacher to go back to school and finish up her hours, which I'm still a little peeved about. Why should she have to go back to cosmetology school after she's graduated in Vegas with 1800 hours AND taught at a cosmetology school for over a year just to meet the demands of Utah's ridiculous requirements of 2000 hours, the most of any state in the nation? Inconceivable! I firmly believe it's because of all the big hair in Utah, but regardless she's back in school for another 200 hours so she can start doing what she really wants to do and I totally support that. She had a working interview with a salon here in Orem on Monday and she said she did a great job, so we'll find out Friday if she got the job!

2) Tagg went back to Florida back in April for a work convention. I served my mission in Florida so it was really fun to go back there and see some people. I did get back up to Leesburg where I spent 9 months of my mission and I even went to church there and got to have Easter dinner with one of my favorite families, the Seymore's. SO FUN to see them after almost 7 years and even though a lot has changed (i got lost several times) things also seemed to be the same.
My co-workers got to go to DisneyWorld and Universal, but I decided to wait til Katie and I could go together, which we're planning on doing after my masters program. Some pic's from the trip are below.

3)Katie's family has been very busy lately and we've been able to go to Vegas at least 3 times in the last two months and I went with some co-workers for a recruitment event. With all the traveling to Vegas and Idaho, our over-obsessive BYU-Married ward went psycho on us and started over-doing it on phone calls, stop-by's, drive-by's, and I even got a visit AT WORK from the bishop. TOO MUCH! We explained we're sick a lot, we love to visit family, and we love to travel, which means we're not at home most weekends (case in point, fathers day in Vegas this weekend) so we decided to switch wards. As soon as we said that BAM! they stopped calling and bugging us. I guess once you're not "dragging" the numbers down, they don't care, that's how BYU works..We weren't a fan of the BYU (I HATE BYU anyways, so its all good for me: )wards anyways, so we switched to a family ward a block away instead of 5 miles away. It just makes sense. Our phone rings less, we have less people "in the neighborhood" and, in general, are happy with the decision.

4)Tagg applied to Westminster's Communication Graduate School this month and I should hear by mid-July if I got in. (Sorry about the changing of tenses, I'm even confusing myself right now). If I get in, I won't see Katie for about two years, but in the end it's worth it. Better pay, better jobs, and Katie can stay home with the kids and work in her own mini-salon. We're excited for it.

That's about it. The main point is: We're happy and still in love. We have no money and too many bills but we couldn't be happier.

Yes, this picture is right-side-up. Its the building thats upside down. Seriously.

I missed Katie and this guy was going around making balloon animals, sooo.....

Our freaking hotel. The largest Marriott in the world

And some random artsy pics I took

Pictures Part II

2008-04-29T08:40:00.001-07:00

We also went to the Fablehaven 3 Launch Party last weekend up in SLC. We've become fans of the books and Katie LOVED the whole night and got to meet a lot of the characters and author. We'd recommend the whole series. We did however get a lot of weird looks, as we were the only adults in the audience without any children...

...except Tagg, who acted like a kid when he pretended Katie had cut off his hand via glow-stick. The kids around me seemed to have thought it was funny though.

And just for fun, here's the pictures from my weekend in Idaho with the family while Katie was in California. It was great seeing Adam and Amanda again and my amazing grandmother (aka Nanny) who has more energy than the rest of us.

No Comment.

Pictures...we're too lazy to write.

2008-04-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

Just as an update, here are some of the things we've been up to... but not in words, but in art. We're too lazy to write anything. So here you go...

Katie went to Disneyland with her sisters for spring break. I love the picture above by the way and it shows why I love my wife so much. Every time I go to Disneyland I bitch about how little I see Chip & Dale characters and paraphernalia because I grew up loving the two little chipmunks and hate how they're not apart of anything anymore (I have issues). So Katie saw Chip this last time and got a picture with him knowing it'd make my day. It did, not only because it contains my two loves, but because it also contains a random Mexican girl, which just adds so much to the picture.

Erin's Blog--- FTW!!!

2008-04-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

So we've decided to do a "FTW" segment, like unto a "crazy news story of the week" that local news casters like to do about cats that find their paternal grandparents after treking through the Canadian Tundra. For those of you who don't speak "cool", "FTW" means "For the Win", which has become the new acronym amongst college students. I also like "quotation marks", but thats "beside the point".

FTW reminds me of the days us Archibald boys would be playing Horse in the shed behind the house in Blackfoot, and by shed I mean the large white structure that could easily viewed from space. Anytime someone felt they were about to hit an amazing shot through the rafters, off the old bookcase, ricochet off the 1994 EISF float, and into the hoop they'd say "OH!!! For the win!" followed by a groan when it bricked *hard* off the rim... or off the Blackfoot Community Players triangular set designs that had been in there for the better part of the decade. But I digress.

The FTW of the week is Erin's blog. I've copied and pasted her blog because you can't see it unless your friends with her, but her comments are HYSTERICAL!!! We love it!

"Remember Olan Mills?

I LOVE my Chamberlain side of the family! My cousin Brianne sent me an email containing the following...

There were more, these are just my favorites.

Enjoy - and laugh!

Those glasses came free with a purchase of Brut cologne.

Thoughtful Lance. Mirthful Lance. Two sides of a delightful coin.

Cletus won Best Senior Mullet by a landslide.

The Purvis family made several stops along the Oregon Trail to document their six-month journey. This photo was taken just two weeks before the dysentery took Momma to Jesus.

It's called a leisure suit, ladies and germs, and if you didn't have one in the early 70s, you were a big fat loser. Mine was teal. I wore it with a silk floral shirt and a long necklace with a football player pendant that we all got at that year's team banquet. I was THE MAN.

Olan Mills backdrop #4: Bucolic Meadow with Split Rail Fence. Is that an animal carcass behind her?

Bobbi isn't the first waitress to fall for her manager, but she and Dale both got fired from Shoney's.

Just a typical afternoon down on the plantation. In a business suit. Y'know, for a budget meeting with the slaves.

The Library might be more believable if the shelves weren't sloping downhill. Olan Mills is all about versatility.

Patrick broke ranks and chose drag over the bow tie."

Absolutely ingenious Erin. A+

What the...? I feel like I'm taking Crazy Pills!

2008-04-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

Katie & I are just wondering... what is going on with this world? Recent events have made us come to the conclusion that the apocalypse is nye(?) and we hesitate to bring a child into this world that is on the brink of doom. Consider, if you will, these few examples:

#1: The Return of New Kids on the Block, or NKOTB, if you will ("I WILL").
Why, for the love of all thats holy, are they having a reunion? They're not even "kids" anymore, they should be called "Mid-Life Crisis Men Close to Foreclosure" or MLCMCTF, if you will. Ridiculous, I'm only buying their first new album, BUT NOTHING MORE!!!

#2 90210 Returns: Again, What? Why? The writer went from "Veronica Mars" to this??? How is this different from the other crap on TV now? I had to live through the 90210 years once and I don't want my kids to have to live through it too. Bring back a good, quality show like Bionic Woma... Or Knight Ride... Dragnet... American Gladi...Star Tre...

#3 Kathy Lee Gifford; The Devil Herself. Coming back for the Today show. Really. Do we need anymore proof the end of the world is coming?

These are scary times my friends... be vigilant.

SUSHI!!!

2008-04-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

Katie came home the other day from work visually VERY excited about something that she had just purchased. She was jumping up and down, clapping her hands together and giggling like a school girl.
Let me preface with a little recent history. Katie & I have recently discovered the joy of Sushi and actually really like to eat it when we feel like something lighter but not in the mood for salads. So we've been trying a bunch of different places in Provo (not exactly the sushi capitol of the world, we know) but like the sushi at Azuka in Provo near the Olive Garden. We ate it for the first time on Valentines Day with friends from work, and have probably had it about ten times since. Yeah, you could say we've gotten attached to it.
So anyways Katie went to the store on her way back from work and found sticky rice, seaweed sheets, rolled crab, and avacado. You can already see why she was so excited; that's right! HOME MADE SUSHI!!! (Note: We did not make the sushi above. The Archibald Sushi is pictured below. Prepared to be amazed)

Now, we didn't have a bamboo roller, so we used "quick-release" tin foil to roll it, and we chilled the rice before we rolled it, so it would be "stickier". We did everything that we could think of, BUT we couldn't figure out how to get a CLEAN cut!!! So we kept trying and, even though it doesn't look so pretty, this was the finished product:

Here's a video of Katie eating our FIRST HOME MADE SUSHI!!!

Yeah... it kept falling apart, the crab was crap, and the seaweed was TOO sea-ey. All in all, we'll stick to the stuff at the restaurant!

Happy St. Patricks Day ramblings!!!

2008-03-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

Little known fact; St. Patrick is the Irish patron saint who was a slave at one time in his life for six years. He also banished snakes from Iceland (true story, though there were never any snakes on the island... clever) and invented alcohol... with Chuck Norris.

But I digress, lets get to the real cool stuff... like the NICKEL ARCADE!!!

We went with David & Erin and had a blast. For all you non-believers out there who thought it was too ghetto... you were right! But we had a good time anyway.

Except they wouldn't let me in at first

But once I got in there was no stopping me.

Katie relived her pro-skeeball days
While I remembered how hot April O'Neil was.
Check her out... seriously.

Erin & David duked it out to the death on the motorcycle game.

Then Katie & Erin tried the motorcycle game... Katie won, so hot right now.
And this is what we won with all of our 72 tickets!
But this is what we wanted to win : (
It was a GLORIOUS DAY!!!

Whatever

2008-03-07T09:28:00.000-08:00

Fine, I'll play your little game Amanda, see if I care. My sister-in-law sent this too me and "tagged" me (I'm laughing...really).

Tagged!!

1.What time did you get up this morning? 7:00

2.What do you usually have for breakfast? toast, unless its a weekend then I cook breakfast

3.What is your favorite CD at the moment? Michael Jackson's Thriller. What? If it was cool 25 years ago, its cool now. Actually the new Jack Johnson CD

4.What kind of car do you drive? I try to drive my Toyota Tacoma, but succeed at driving my wifes Element

5.Favorite Sandwich? Quizno's Mesquite Chicken

6.Favorite item of clothing? The reversible blue & red wrestling singlet that Spence got me for my birthday last year.

7.If you could go anywhere on a vacation, where would you go? Alaska, New Zealand, Australia, and the European countries.

8.What color is your bathroom? This is a dumb question, ask my wife. But I think it's Tope, which is a very soothing color.

9.Where would you retire? Alaska for the summer, tropical island for the winter.

10.Most memorable birthday? Katie's birthday this year was amazing, and I had one on my mission where a family got me Star Wars action figures; Qui-Gonn, Obi Wan, and Darth Maul... yes I remember and no, that isn't sad.

11.Favorite sport to watch? College Basketball or tennis

12.Are you a morning or night person? Morning now, but I was a night person in college.

13.What is your shoe size? 13, well technically a 12 1/2

14.Pets? None, but I want a boxer something fierce (is that saying still hip?)

15.What did you want to be when you were little? X-wing fighter pilot, although I was a little worried that I would have a short life span, so then I changed to Jedi.

16.What are you today? Jedi

17.What is your favorite candy? Twix or Reese's

18.Your favorite flower? This question is totally asinine... but pansies.

19.What is a day on the calendar that you are looking forward to? This question threw me off, I was expecting "What lunar phase do you think best sets your mood?" instead.

20.What are you listening to right now? Jack Johnson and the pitter patter of keyboards in my office.

21.What is the last thing you ate? Holy Stalker, Batman. A Ritz okay!

22.Do you wish on stars? Why did you DO THIS TOO ME AMANDA!!!???

23.What faith are you? Faith Hill I guess, thats another weird one.

24.Who was the last person you spoke with on the phone? Chavo, he wanted to play halo.

25.Hair color? Um, Scalp I guess.

26.Name your favorite school teachers? Mr. Archibald and Mrs. Wever. They were bitchin'

27.Chocolate or vanilla? This question is Racist and I will not stand for that.

28.When was the last time you cried? Last night when Chavo quit playing Halo cause he didn't like the map.

29.What is under your bed? What a coincidence, I also have plastic containers with art supplies like Amanda. That and my "Arrow of Light" award from cub scouts.

30.What did you do last night? We actually went to a scholarship banquet and had some sort of chicken plate. Pretty tasty really, that and the green "Sour Apple" beverage.

31.Favorite smells? Katie and green "sour apple" beverages

32.What are you afraid of? Green "sour apple" beverages... and carnies.

33.How many towns have you lived in? 23? No seriously 23. I liked to move when I was in college during the summer. Then the mission.

34.Do you make friends easily? No, thanks for making me feel awkward.

35.How many kids do you want? 2 kids and one Ewok.

36. 3 bad habits? Too loving I guess. Giving away too much to charitable donations maybe. And I dunno, too modest? Oh, and I'm still trying to Save Darfur.

37. 5 things you need to accomplish today? I'm at work... so nothing.

38. If I were a billionarie I would?? Make sure no one ever makes another questionaire like this... oh and I would save darfur too.

39. 1 goal in life? See above.

40. A few things your friends might not know about you? I constantly wish I was a member of the team known as "X-men", one of the cool ones though, no one lame. I am the reason why Waldo is hiding. My wife is the most amazing person ever, but I think they know that. Oh and I have third nipple... okay I don't but I think that would be awesome, kinda like Marky Mark.

Katie's Birthday Cake

2008-02-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

So I actually got a picture of Katie's birthday cake from June while down in Vegas this weekend, which was a great time, and I still have to laugh about this amazing cake.

On the night of the party we were running a little late and we were on the way to the party when I realized I hadn't picked up a cake for my beautiful wife. So we go to Albertsons to pick up some "supplies" and I run in and tell the girl at the counter, "I need a Birthday cake that says 'Happy Birthday Katie'". Now she looks normal enough; a nice, white Mormon girl who is probably in high school, however she looks at me as if I just spoke Klingon to her. I repeat slowly, " I need that cake". She finally picks up what I'm throwing down and gets the cake that I was pointing at out of the case. By now its been five minutes since I left the car.

She starts to put it in a box and I ask again, "Can you put 'Happy Birthday Katie' on it?" She looks confused again and looks at the cake, then to me, then back to the cake. She says she can try, which makes my confidence in her abilities start to wane. She asks how to spell 'Katie'. By this time I'm having flashbacks to my students last year at academically challenged Durango High and the time I was asked if Columbo was the same person as Columbus or the time that a student turned in a project entitled "Pearl HABOR" which involved tanks and hand-to-hand combat, but no ships or bombers.

I politely answer and await the result. 10 minutes later, after I've perused the birthday candles, sugar decorations and an assortment of baked goods, she's returned with the following cake and asks, in her valley, cheerleader tone, "I think I got it all, is this alright?"

I glare at the obvious omission, but smile seeing a silver-lining in seeing Katie's face when she sees the cake and imagining how hard she'll laugh.
"Perfect" I say, "Couldn't have asked for better."

Vegas Baby!

2008-02-15T08:56:00.000-08:00

Yep! We're headed to Vegas for the weekend! We're going to see Katie's family AND...

1)See the flower show at the Bellagio, as it has definitely become one of our favorite traditions.

2) Eat at Buffalo Wild Wings. We never thought we would plan a trip around where we wanted to eat, but Utah's wings are the worst we've ever had, and Katie and I are going through some serious withdraws.

3) Play the Wii at Katie's brothers place. Thats right Nate, we're pulling an all-nighter at your place so we can remain competitive.

4) Neon Bone-Yard. I have always wanted to check this place out and try to get some fun pictures of the neon signs that use to light up Old Vegas. Hopefully we'll be able to check it out and learn more about Sin City.

5) Speaking of sin, I'm seriously thinking of playing some Blackjack... if no blackjack, then a serious game of Nertz (NEMITZ!, NERF! NA-NA!) with Katie's family.

Wish List

2008-02-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

What Katie wants:

What Tagg wants:

The Big 2-4!

2008-01-31T15:34:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to Katie!!!Katie experienced a milestone the other day, turning the ripe old age of 24. I do have to say, she has her stuff together. When I turned 24 I started panicking that I hadn't done anything, so I moved up to Alaska for the summer with only $100 to my name and slept on the side of the road in a '90 Honda, in Canada, eating nothing but Canadian "WonderBars". Ahh, those were the times.

She, on the other hand, has a successful career, a nice road-trip worthy car, and a good-looking husband. She was a little worried about spending her first birthday away from her family and friends. Thats why she was so surprised when they came to her.

They came up and surprised her the Friday night at 2 a.m. and yes, thank you, it was very hard to keep it a secret. I told her she needed to experience a Beto's Mexican Food run, but convinced her that Beto's was only good at 3 a.m. And anyone that has ever experienced Beto's at this time of the morning can affirm that the above statement is true. Hmmm, Carne Asada fries... But I digress. She had no clue until I started freaking out at a friends home and said (after getting a text from Kristi that they were at Spanish Fork), during the middle of an amazing conversation I might add, "UM!!! WE GOTTA GO! NOW!"

Luckily the friends were in on it (kinda) but Katie was stunned. I think her exact words were "Tagg, just use their bathroom!!!" But, seeing as how I'm a master actor and she's amazing,
we went home just in time for them to surprise her. I know, what I sacrifice for my beautiful wife right? Now my friends think I have a bladder control problem AND a fear of their toilet.

Katie's friend also came up for the weekend for the party at Jennicas house.

Victoria's kid was having a bad hair day after spending 7 hours in the car...

She also didn't like how some dude had the same hair style as she did...

But eventually she became the life of the party by pulling faces like this...

All in all, it was an amazing weekend! Katie's family was so much fun with all the shopping and hanging out we did. (4 Hours of Shopping... Good night!)

I caught Katie's dad, Randy, actually shopping...

And I now have proof that our inflatable bed does NOT totally deflate during the night. Chew on this Heather...

Katie loved the weekend! The whole weekend she just kept geeking out that her family had come up to see her and that she got to pick what to do, where to eat, and where to shop. She said it was the best birthday ever, even better than the time that Rainbow Bright visited her 4th birthday party.

AND I'll have to post a picture of the birthday cake later. All time best story!

My Birthday!!!

2008-01-23T18:04:00.001-08:00

Hey this is my first blog! Everything that you have seen so far has been posted by my wonderfully talented and handsome husband. It is my birthday on Sunday the 27th and i am going to be missing my family! This is the first birthday away from home but the adventure has been fun. My wonderful husband has been so caring and supportive and has assured me of a kick a birthday present! We love you all!!!

Fresh World

2008-01-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to this
6 and 1/2 inches of snow. The snow enclosed the cars and you couldn't even see where the sidewalk was. It took twenty minutes to dig out the car and take the snow off the walk. I love it.

Katie on the other hand is still very sick. She has a very sore throat and has been in bed or on the couch for two days, not saying a thing. Tea, orange juice, and antibotics still haven't worked yet and it makes me a little frustrated that there is nothing that I can do for her. She is the love of my life and I hate seeing her weak and sick. But at least she's not alone while I'm at work... "Edward" is with her. She's re-reading Twilight right now and so at least she has something to do while she can't sleep, and the last season of 24 is coming soon so she can watch that. Thats probably what will make her better... Jack Bauer. He can do anything. So can his phone.

Chuck Norris is a demi-god

2008-01-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

So the other day we had friends over and, as it often does, Chuck Norris comes up in conversation. Not only did Chuck Norris come up in conversation, he round-housed the conversation. For hours we listened as we passed around the computer and read Chuck Norris Fun Facts off of the internet. Here are just a few of our favorites:

* Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.
* Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird.
* Chuck Norris has counted to infinity - - twice.
* Did you know Chuck Norris eats lightning and farts thunder?
* There is no chin underneath Chuck Norris' beard, just another fist.
* When Chuck Norris does a push up, he isn't pushing himself up, he's pushing the world down.
* A Chuck Norris roundhouse-kick is the preferred method of execution in 16 states.
* Chuck Norris and Mr. T walked into a bar. The bar was instantly destroyed, as that level of awesome cannot be contained in one building.
*Did you know Chuck Norris invented the C-Section when he roundhouse kicked his way out of his mother's womb?
*Chuck Norris once ate an entire bottle of sleeping pills. They made him blink.
*Chuck Norris invented the bolt-action rifle, liquor, sex, and football-- in that order.

And Tagg's personal favorite,
* Chuck Norris has the greatest Poker-Face of all time. He won the 1983 World Series of Poker, despite holding only a Joker, a Get out of Jail Free Monopoloy card, a 2 of clubs, 7 of spades and a green #4 card from the game UNO.

Afterwards we played Guitar Hero. Jennica became the "Little Emo Girl" while Hali said she would rather play the keyboard in our new band. We all took turns like good boys and girls...

... until David and Jennica took over, then we watched them play because they wouldn't take turns.

They played while we played Nerts til about 1 a.m. then we taught them how to play Egyptian Rat Screw, which proved to be a bad mistake cause we tend to get really excited and yell... which frightens the children downstairs.

Stockings-R-Us

2008-01-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Yeah I know its January, but better late than never.
Katie and I were talking about how blessed we were during our many
hours on the road this last month.
We had an amazing time with my parents in Idaho,
with me trying to fix the parents DVD player, playing with nephews,
Katie's first snow cookies in the truck, working on the puzzle, and
watching the traditional "Christmas Story".

In Vegas we had to find our stockings again.
I swear Randy has it out for me.
Last year my stocking was in the kitchen table... IN the kitchen table.
This year it was underneath a 100 pound potted plant.
Katie had it easy, hers was in the piano....IN THE PIANO!
However none of us came in last. It was either Archie (inside a light fixture in the laundry room) or Nate, who had to search through the
DVD collection and found his in "The Lonesome Dove" Box set.
It was such a blast though.
We also got to experiment with our new camera and Heathers Cricut machine...
I don't get it, and neither does Katie, but it sure did put a smile on Heathers face.
Also notice the 24 Game in the background.

Then finally in Spanish Fork with Katie's mom and sisters
we pulled glass flowers at Thanksgiving Point

Went Shopping. Then we opened presents... back in Spanish Fork

Went Shopping. Then went to dinner... in Salt Lake City.
At The Pie. All in one day.

But needless to say we had an amazing Christmas with Family
and a great New Years with Friends.
We are truly happy and blessed to have such great people in our lives.

G-Houses

2007-12-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

Katie and I went to Las Vegas over the weekend to spend some time with her family. We had a great time and really enjoyed seeing all of them again. There were many highlights but doing the Old-Time photos at Circus Circus and doing the gingerbread houses on saturday night were my favorite activities. Here are the pics from this amazing event.

Katie always got us in trouble if we took some candy but apparently its okay if she has some.

June & Randy adding some "personal" touches to his Ghetto Village. It's all a part of this joke for Katie's sister Dez who is terrified of all things Ghetto.

Scott's Condo's. Really impressive how he made little rooms and how he got the texture to be just perfect. I don't know how he did it, all I know is he walked outside with his house, powdered sugar, and a can of hairspray. When he came back in the house looked like this and Scott looked like the powdered sugar had fought back.

Katie and her sister Heather made home made caramel apples for the evening. I tell you what, Katie is really enjoying learning how to make treats for everyone and was up all last night trying to perfect a recipe that Dawn gave her. She's getting really good at it to.

June's amazing house. Notice the tree made of marshmallows and how you can even see the little "pizza table" from a pizza box in there.

The finished product of Randy's Ghetto Village. Classic. Notice the brightly colored houses, the Candy Caned collapsed house, the wild animal cookie outside, and Dez's red car in front of the red collapsed house. This one was a fan favorite.

Katie's finished house. This one impressed me, not only because my wife made it, but because of the attention to detail. She took brown M&M's, sucked off the color, let them dry, then applied it to the house to add a stone look. She even made the tail lights from the car glow as its warming up. I felt rather bad though because I'm sure she spent most of the time on my house/university building.

The infrastructure of "Old Main". Notice the inside graham crackers designed to support the walls, the pretzels used to support the lower roof, and the sucker that was thrown in at the last minute to maximize structural integrity. The sucker later failed to provide support and had to be re-applied.

The tower has been applied to Old Main. Notice the reapplied structure has been added. The tower consisted of broken graham crackers from my 18 attempts to make a hollow tower. Finally I just started to stack them on top of each other and then put whole ones around the outside. Genius.

Finished Old Main. Total construction time: 6 hours. Swear words uttered under breath: Too many to count.

This is what I was actually going for... it turned out alright I suppose.

The final product. It was defiantly a fun night and we hope to make this a tradition with the Ranck family.

Let's start this puppy back up.

2007-12-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been thinking of starting this blog back up to help us keep in touch with family and friends that we have moved away from or even moved closer to. I don't know if you know this, but this is Katie's first time away from her family (and her families first time away from her) so I think this could be a good way of helping her family and friends see what we're up. So welcome back to the blog eh!

Katie's Bridals

2006-08-06T16:44:00.000-07:00

About Tagg & Katie

2006-07-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

Katie

Katie was born in Reno, NV and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is the youngest girl of seven children and loves to spend time with her brothers and sisters. She graduated from Chapparal High School in Las Vegas in 2002 where she was active in choir and student government, and then from Euphoria School of Cosmetology in September of 2005. She is currently employed at Challenger Private School where she teaches music to preschoolers in the mornings and apprentices at Roni Josef Hair Salon in the afternoons.

Katie is an avid fan of horror films (which Tagg can't stand), music, camping, her friends, and The Office, 24, and Lost. She is becoming quite the enthusiast of the X-box as well, even being a threat at Need for Speed against Tagg, who she is completely in love with.

Tagg

Tagg was born and raised in Blackfoot, Idaho. He is number 7 of 8 in his family (all boys) and endured all the bruises and humiliations that come with living in a house with all boys. Tagg graduated from Blackfoot High School in 1998, served a mission in Orlando, Florida (1999-2001), graduated from BYU-I in 2002, and most recently from Utah State University in 2006 with his bachelors in History Education. While at USU he was a Vice President for the student body for two years, helped organize a national fraternity on campus (Sigma Phi Epsilon), and was a finalist for the Man of the Year Robins Award.

Tagg is currently employed at Eyes On Las Vegas and Durango High School, where he is preparing to teach world history to sophomores.

Tagg enjoys making fun of horror movies (which Katie hates), camping, Halo with the boys, anything outdoors, and catching up with old friends. He's also an avid fan of The Office and 24 and anything that Katie does.

They met in May of 2005 through Tagg's brother and have been dating long distance since July 2005. Both are very happy and glad to be in the same city for once!

More Pictures

2006-07-18T12:56:00.000-07:00