Spencer & Allison

2009-03-26T22:05:00.004-06:00

I really thought my husband was joking when he casually mentioned he was going down the street to wash his truck with the neighborhood fire hydrant!

But he wasn't joking...I hope the neighbors got a kick out of watching Spencer drive back and forth to clean off our truck. Who can blame him though? These are tough economic times and when the city flushes out it's water supply--why let it go to waste?!!

2009-02-24T10:42:00.003-07:00

If you ever get a chance to go to Thanksgiving Point they have an incredible Dinosaur Museum worth touring! We forgot our camera but managed to get a few good shots on our phone-camera. Lori, Brooke and kids have been visiting the past week and Ali, Jill and Tevya all came along for the adventure. I will never remember even 1/2 the names of any of the dinosaurs because I spent the entire time wondering how I could get a job designing the displays, wall murals, children activities and overall museum lay-out. Is that Strange? Spencer sure seemed to think so. But I believe I found my dream job! Things to do before I die: Design a hands-on museum.

2009-02-15T20:40:00.002-07:00

Look--I don't have any excuses. Or maybe I have a million excuses but none of them are a good reason why I stopped blogging. I can't make any promises but I will try to update our blog more frequently than every 7 or 8 months. Most importantly, I don't blame any of you who have lost all hope in this blog! But we are all alive and kicking! Thankfully too, because our first trip to Moab Utah was a weekend to remember. We almost lost tucker over a cliff much like this one (you have to be a dog-owner to understand the fear and heart ache you experience seeing your little guy jump over the edge and disappear)! The only thing stopping him from falling over a thousand foot cliff was a small ledge sticking out which he landed on!
Lucky Tucky. And here we are stuck in the middle of February waiting for the snow to melt :)

2008-04-22T14:06:00.006-06:00

Saturday was one of my favorite days ever! Spencer planned a hike for us around the canyons of Alpine Utah and it was amazing! It looks like a cold place to be, but actually the weather was perfect for hiking. When we got to the top--we found a really quick way to get down:

I made him go first to make sure it was safe :)

(Tucker came of course, and loved it just as much--or even more than we did)

After a few hours hiking off the main trail we ended up at our destination--Horse Tail Falls (and no I'm not wearing a fanny pack...it's our camera case!)

2008-04-02T10:04:00.006-06:00

I'm sure everyone has already forgotten about Easter by now...but we are a bit behind--to sum up our day these pictures say it all:

2008-03-19T11:32:00.010-06:00

Three Years

Today we are celebrating our third anniversary! I can't believe I still haven't finished putting together our wedding album...(I am a master at starting projects and not finishing them) but anyway here are 5 reasons why I love being married to my best friend Spencer:

1-Spencer isn't picky! Even though I am still learning how to cook, and our dinners don't always turn out great...spencer will eat them and he doesn't complain!

2-Spencer is a morning person! Almost every morning he wakes up in a good mood! Although he might be tired, he still sings funny made-up songs and goofs around. It makes every day better.

3-Spencer is so smart! He can fix things around the house, he can build anything, and he knows the answer to every question I ask--or he makes up an answer that sounds so good I believe it!

4-Spencer cracks me up! I take life too seriously most of the time and he really doesn't--even though I complian and tell him to be more serious I do appreciate his humor and how much fun we can have on all of our adventures!

5-Spencer is such a hard worker! He will work all day and then come home and start on different projects! I am so proud of his business skills--I've watched him accomplish amazing things over the past few years. He never ceases to amaze me as a worker and a business man.

2008-03-16T18:56:00.005-06:00

It pays to strip

That's right, I've spent almost all of my free time this week stripping and loving it! I found this wire in conduits going to some little portable classrooms. I think the electrician may have ripped off the school district when he installed these because I haven't seen wire this big in buildings five times the size. when this stuff is stripped it's worth about $2.50 per foot at the recycling place. I found about one thousand pounds of this and to tell the truth I have started to think of myself as a pirate and I call this 'me copper booty'. I have to say that I can see why pirates liked plundering ships and things, it's awesome. All I need now is a fearsome name.

2008-02-27T10:48:00.002-07:00

Last year the big talk around Saratoga Springs was FIRE FIRE FIRE! This Year we are experiencing FLOODS! Our little city made headlines due to the amount of melting snow, combined with weekend rain, combined with poorly designed drainage. This picture from the Newspaper shows what a mess it has been (I actually drove past this car as they were getting it out) luckily we haven't had any more rain and the city is working on fixing the problem. Can't wait to see what is in store for next year!

2008-02-23T17:09:00.004-07:00

Hawaii Anyone?

All right, check this out, I am sick and tired of not going to Hawaii this year and I have tried to get Allison's family to go again but they won't, so I figured out that you can get round trip tickets (at least a month in advance) for just over $300, and if people want to come with us then we could rent a beach house for a week for about $800 per couple if there's only two, or $650 for three couples or $550 for four. I'm not even joking so let me know.

2008-02-19T22:28:00.002-07:00

Where did that come from?

The wierdest thing happened to me this week. I somehow turned into an uptight demanding old boss that I never liked and I don't know how to feel about myself any more. Today someone was complaining about things they were asked to do and I suddenly heard myself say 'this is what we're doing, just make it work!' I know that some of you are thinking 'this isn't any big deal, it happens all the time, as you get old you just start to sound like an old person'. Well, it's not o.k. and I even thought about quiting my job and moving to Hawaii and getting a job passing out lays at the beach.

2008-02-13T17:31:00.002-07:00

We got tagged!!

How long have you been together? We started dating 5 1/2 years ago and we've been married 3 years next month.
How old is he? 28 but if you ask... he'll say he doesn't know.
How old are you? 24
Who eats more? Spencer eats more at one sitting, I eat more often through out the day
Who said "I love you" first? Spencer
Who is taller? Spencer, but I thought we were the same height when we met because I have what he calls "height dementia"
Who sings better? Spencer has an amazing country voice but I usually sing in tune :)
Who is smarter? Spencer claims he's the one with all the "street smarts"
Who does the laundry? Allison
Who does the dishes? Allison--always always.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I make Spencer sleep closer to the window--just to be extra safe.
Who pays the bills? Allison, because Spencer does the money making.
Who mows the lawn? That's what we're trying to figure out!
Who cooks dinner? Allison, but Spencer is a good sport if I ask for help.
Who is more stubborn? We are a pretty equal match for each other there...
Who kissed who first? Spencer will only let me write "it takes two to tango"
Who asked who out? Spencer asked me on a date to a college class that started at 8:30 am
Who proposed? Spencer did the first couple times but then I did over the phone at which point I convinced him to propose once more so I could say yes!
Who is more sensitive? Allison
Who has more friends? Neither! (spencer shouts) A friend of yours is a friend of mine!
Who has more siblings? Neither! (spencer shouts again) A sibling of yours is a sibling of mine!
Who wears the pants in the relationship? Spencer has his areas of dominance and I have mine too :)
Who are you tagging? Audrey Ryan & Melissa Colin

2008-02-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

Bad days only get worse (but it's funny when it's not yours)

Today I had the rare opportunity of watching someone else's day go way, way down hill from a safe distance. I was working at a job right off university avenue in Provo and this guy driving by, realizing that he was going the wrong way, decides to back into the shoulder to turn around. I can't imagine how he thought that his truck was going to come right back out of the ditch where they had been plowing 3 lanes of snow into and, of course, he didn't. So I watched him for a minute just because I could and then I grabbed a tow rope and started driving over there in a trackhoe (weighing 60,000 lbs.) I gave the guy the tow rope and let him decide where to hook it to. I don't know why I assumed that he would make the best choice, I guess this was before I realized that people who have recently made one bad choice are about 5 to 6 times more likely to make a subsequent bad choice in conjunction with the first. So he hooks the tow strap around the steering connector rod right next to the wheel. I couldn't see this because I was in the trackhoe just assuming that he was making the best choice for him and his truck. He hooked the other end to my bucket and of course it was no big deal to pull him out, weighing literally 10 times as much as his truck. So that's it, good to go. Wrong! he put the hook so close to the tire that it popped it and at the same time it bent the rod that keeps his front wheels alligned, so they were now pointing in at each other quite obviously. At first I felt a little guilty because it was my tow strap and I was the one pulling on it but that only lasted a short while. I retreated to a safe distance and worked while he was changing the tire. I was just lucky enough to look over as he was pulling away and I remember thinking 'boy that couldn't have gone worse, I bet he's glad that's done with'. My thought was interupted by the tire that fell off his tail gate as he pulled out and rolled diagonally across university avenue in rush hour traffic. As if the whole thing wasn't embarassing enough, a cop was coming the other way and flipped on his lights as he swerved to miss the tire and then jumped from his car to apprehend the run away. I've just been thinking all night about how funny it is that when it rains it pours. Maybe ostriches are pretty smart to just stick their head in the sand so at least they don't make things worse.

2008-02-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

Where is Wickipedia when you really need it!

Yesterday Allison and I went to the Olive Garden for dinner. I was feeling especially generous since a large portion of our meal was covered by a gift card from my company and I decided to venture into the world of mediteranean delicacys for our appetizer. I had no idea what half of the things were but I just new that I had heard of calamari more than once but never been so fortunate as to try it. I know that you're probably thinking 'why wouldn't you just ask your waiter?' We explored this option but our waiter didn't understand English all that well and I shure as heck couldn't understand Abdulamu's half English-half congorean in that noisy restraunt. Seriously, every time he walked away from a nearby table we would just hear people say "what the heck or hell did he just say"? At least we knew we weren't the only ones. I don't have any particular problen with immigrants, so long as they are legal, but why in the world would anyone give a guy who can't even speek clearly a job as my waiter? I mean he was a nice guy and I am sure he would have been a fantastic busser or perhaps the guy who dreses in the lady liberty costume in front of liberty tax returns. I just think that sometimes the bar needs to be a little higher even if it does make some people feel inferior. The truth is that people are NOT equal in all ways. So anway, I ended up wasting nine dollars on what I later found out was fried octopuss. I never would have done that if I had only known, but I guess that's just what happens when you are a compulsive risk taker.

2008-02-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

While grocery shopping, I recently got stuck in the spice section looking for cinnamon. It was crowded and I'm one of those people who gets flustered when sharing the same section with other busy shoppers. I was in a hurry and cinnamon was the last item on my list. Another lady looking for something moved right into "my bubble". The fury I felt was like someone with terrible road-rage getting cut off and normally I would have just come back at a not so crowded time. Unexpectidly though, the lady asked what I was looking for, suggesting that another pair of eyes might help. (At that moment I felt slightly guilty for my fury.) After she found out I was looking for cinnamon she lit up and started raving about Saigon cinnamon and helped me find some. I don't know a lot about cooking, but I do know that I would highly recommend trying it if you like cinnamon! It smells and tastes more wonderful in my opinion. I'm probably the last to know about this little secret but if not--try it you'll love it. (I still don't like people moving in on my shopping bubble though.)

2008-01-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

I've been asked now a few times since Spencer made his list-- so here are 3 things you might not know about me:

I remember every dream I have.

It's been this way since I was little. Every morning I wake up and can recall usually 2-4 different dreams I had during the night. When I was eight, I kept a dream journal and wrote them all down. I don't record them anymore but I am interested in the theory that you can train yourself to control your own dreams.

I know American Sign Language.

I took classes for a couple of years in high school and college. Though after Napoleon Dynamite and the Happy Hands Club... I sort of feel silly signing. Right? I mean I'm not deaf and actually, I don't know anyone who is deaf.

If I could meet anyone from the past, it would be him.

Cary Grant was charming, sophisticated and talented. Not to mention startlingly handsome. I'm lucky Spencer deals so well with my infatuation for another man. Recently when I was having a particularly hard day he said "curl up on the couch and watch a Cary movie." Thank you Mr. Grant for being in movies so we can enjoy you even now that you're gone.

2008-01-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Three things you might not know about me

So I've been trying to figure out this whole blogging thing this week and I'm still not sure what this is for but I have been researching various blog styles (blog hopping) and I noticed that it is quite popular to make lists of things that people might not know about you. Well we haven't done that yet, so I'll just start there. Allison is really concerned right now because every time she says something personal lately I say "I'll blog about that and we can see what other people think". It's really funny you should try it. second thought, it probably won't work for everyone.

1. My right side is larger than my left. I know, your thinking, that's normal, not a big deal, but I mean really, dramatically. It's probably the thing that kept me out of the Mr. America pageant last year. Ever since I broke my left arm twice and shattered my knee cap into seven pieces my left side has just never been the same.

2. I love natural disasters, well, disasters of any kind really. My biggest complaint is that things are just too boring. I check the weather constantly, hoping for a severe storm warning like it was a bonus check. Actually it would be a big bonus check. Someone has to get rid of all those ruined houses.

3. I'm kind of ADHD so I gotta go do something else.

-Spencer

2008-01-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

I don't know what happened, I didn't mean to become obsessed. I guess I am though. Spencer told me yesterday he never wants to be a vampire and I was slightly disappointed.

2008-01-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

Does this make me gay?

I have only recently found out that blogging is the new tea and crumpets for the modern American housewife. My friends and I used to joke about a fictitious gossip Internet that kept all of the mothers up to date on exactly what kind of shenanigans their boys were into. I had no idea that it would actually exist for my wife! I guess I always have been somewhat similar to a prophet. So I don't really know why I am posting on this thing except that it seems to bring so much bliss into Allison's life that I had to try it. The truth is it does bring a certain inner peace to know that I am omnipresent on the world wide web. I do however feel somewhat gay. Allison assures me that it is OK for men to do this but I remain sceptical.
The real topic of my post is the awesomeness of 2008. I would like to note that if you turn the eight on its side it bears an uncanny resemblance to the symbol for infinity. I thought about this as the year rolled over and, rather than setting simple wimpy goals, I declared 2008 to be the year of infinite destruction. So far I could not be more pleased with the results of my proclamation. Last year I was lucky to destroy a house every other month, but this year I am falling behind if I don't smash one every other day! I don't say this to brag, but rather, more as a warning. I don't know what that means, but I hope that all of the millions of you reading this are starting a year as infinitely whatever as mine.

2008-01-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

I know people don't always love posts about other people's dogs, so this video clip is short I swear. We found there is no way to get our dog's energy out on foot so we resorted to our truck. Here we are rocking out to Jimmy Eat World, while Tucker runs up the snowy mountain for miles & miles and loves every minute of it. This has become a very frequent activity for us even though we still can't get all of his energy out.

2008-01-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

Recently Spencer came home with his jeans drenched in gasoline (don't ask) and like a big dummy, I added his jeans to the other jeans I was washing. Soon the smell of gas filled the whole house. I started the cycle over and added extra detergent. One hour later, still no luck. I started preparing myself to buy 5 new pairs of jeans--but I had a brilliant idea. I started the cycle over again and added even more detergent but this time I let everything soak over-night. I was pretty angry the next morning when I realized I wasn't brilliant and found that the jeans still reeked. Desperate, I did what I should have done in the beginning: I turned to the Internet. With in minutes I had the solution. The bad news was I had to start yet another wash. The good news was all I had to do was add vinegar and plenty of detergent. It worked like a miracle! And that is how the internet and one cup of vinegar saved us from buying 5 new pairs of jeans.

2008-01-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

2007: Wow what a year! We never got a Christmas card out so I decided to highlight what we would have put in one (had I only been ambitious enough). Month by month, here are some of the things we've done.

January We learned how to tile! Okay, one of us might have actually done more of the learning...but either way we solved our biggest problem: Mud in our carpet! If anyone had seen the amount of mud tracked in on a daily basis by having a dog and a husband who works outside year-round, then you could understand how thrilling tiling our entry way was for me.

February

Eight free flights to Hawaii? It was nothing exciting like winning a contest, the whole family got delayed in the Oakland airport for over twelve hours! I guess it takes losing a day of vacation and nearly wanting to kill yourself with boredom (have you ever seen the barren Oakland airport) to get free tickets. Was it worth it? Absolutely! When else would I get to see Spencer as a mermaid?

March+April+May

A new company! Most of this spring was spent merging Spencer's old company (Done Right Tree Removal) with a Utah Valley construction company. He created and now runs a new Demolition Division of C&A Construction. Look forward to numerous destructive photos and updates.

Watching the man you love destroy a house...there is nothing quite like it.

June

Stop, drop and roll!

This picture was taken from our back deck! I woke up in the middle of the night to find myself home alone. I almost died when I found out Spencer was up the mountain trying to fight the fire with our tractor! What a hero, I never knew I married a fire fighter! Our whole street was evacuated that night but no major damage was done. Just a blackened mountain. :(

The next day was Sunday and another fire broke out! Church was certainly distracting that day! Just about everybody had to go outside to check on the fire dozens of times during all 3 meetings. Again, luckily there was no major damage. We think the fires were started by lightening. What a dry summer!

July

We've been to Washington many times but I always seem to just miss the huckleberry picking season...until this year! I finally got to participate in the Miller family tradition. Here we are on Mt. Spokane with our first bag of berries, showing off our purple fingers!

2008-01-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

August ------------------------------Meg-Allison-Heather We learned everything by typing "how to train for a half marathon" into Google. I usually don't do things like this, I don't even branch out with ice cream flavors! But this picture was taken at the Park City Half Marathon finish line after running 13 miles straight (in just over 2 hours). We did it! Matching t-shirts next year girls, matching t-shirts.

September

Everyday does feel slightly like Ground hog's day when you are with seniors who have dementia/Alzheimer's but working at the Morgan Senior Center with my sister Heather was loads of fun (and laughs)! I don't know if it's illegal to post pictures of clients but I won't give any names--these are just some of the sweet ladies who fell asleep during the morning welcome hour!

October Sometime around Halloween we had our first year anniversary. Not of our marriage, but of Monday-Night-Dinners with this group of friends from our neighborhood! Each week, one couple takes a turn cooking dinner and dessert for everyone and invites the group over to their house. You can do the math, we all have 3 free dinners a month!

November

The Painted ladies of Alamo Square! Any Full House fans will know why this photo was included as a highlight of the year! (If only Spencer knew it's not a joke, I really wish we could have a picnic with the Tanner family...)

December

We have a new brother-in-law! The last great event of 2007 was traveling to Idaho for Jill and Tevya's wedding! They look great together! Congrats you two--we're so excited you're moving to Utah!

2007-12-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

A Christmas update:

We try so hard every year to get a decent family photo and every year we end up with a quick snap shot that always seems to be slightly blurry, with the lighting off, and we end up resolving once again to get a better family picture next year. I guess it's kind of a Davis family tradition.

Christmas morning I got to talk to Elder Davis (my darling little brother) who is serving a mission in Bulgaria! I loved hearing him speak the Bulgarian language-- he is a pro! It still fascinates me that you can talk to someone on the other side of the world and hear them perfectly, as if they were standing next to you. Thank you Alexander Graham Bell!

Here are 3 cds I got for Christmas that I am thrilled about! Good Morning Maxfield, Jimmy Eat World and Ingrid Michealson. Thanks a million Scott and Heather!

2007-12-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, the Christmas tree is ours...but the gifts aren't!! (I don't want to make this a teary-eyed post but I had to include this event). Our Relief Society presidency has been working on a "Giving Tree" project all month. We had about eleven families/sisters who needed help with Christmas this year, so our ward stepped in. This picture shows only half the boxes we filled with donated gifts from ward members! I felt the true spirit of Christmas today as we passed out the gift boxes to our neighbors and friends. It made the kids SO happy. I love this time of year and I feel so very blessed.

2007-12-20T11:19:00.001-07:00

The Scar every girl has. Maybe I'm wrong (I probably am, which makes this slightly embarrassing) but it seems every girl has gone through the classic scenario, right? You're getting ready for the day using your straightening iron, curling iron, or whatever it may be (perhaps even hot rollers) and you accidentally whack yourself leaving a severely painful burn. Ouch! Somehow I've managed to make it through life so far with a few minor slip-ups which quickly healed along with many very close calls....until this week. Sad but true while getting ready too quickly my straightening iron left it's mark on me forever. I've officially obtained my scar that every girl has.

2007-12-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

If I didn't have a front door peep-hole I would die. I really would. Sure they function well for avoiding pesky salesmen who are pushing super-carpet-cleaners and such. But the real reason I begged Spencer to install a peep-hole was because I have a terrible, awful fear of Christmas Carolers. I can think of nothing worse than standing in front of a group of people who are singing at me while the freezing cold air fills our house. Meanwhile I'm trying not to let the dog run out, I'm awkwardly smiling not sure if I should join in or not and secretly begging them to stop after the first verse but they never, never do.

For those who may think me cold-hearted I'm really not! I believe caroling can play a vital role in the holiday season. Caroling has many times warmed the hearts of patients in hospitals, elderly living in retirement centers and who can forget friendly groups who brighten our day on street corners and outside of Walmart?

So there you have it, my holiday secret revealed. I chronically check my peep-hole during the Christmas season and if you happen to be in an unsuspecting group who accidentally chooses to carol at our house...don't be offended if the porch light gets turned off and suddenly the Christmas lights go out "nobody is home" okay?

2007-12-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we got together with out great buddies Lacie and Jesse (& darling Elliot, not pictured) to make gingerbread houses! Or rather, graham cracker creations. My destructive-by-nature husband put his own twist on this season's celebrations:

2007-12-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

We started a new tradition last year: Digging up tree-starts to transplant at the Miller property! Last year our starts were only inches high but this year...well we had to out-do last years trees right?

2007-12-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

We had a grand time cooking our thanksgiving feast as you can see! It's amazing what can happen when you get together a few Miller girls and Tevya! (thanks also to our turkey carver and our pineapple slicer)

2007-12-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

For thanksgiving we took a very spontaneous vacation to San Fransisco California. We drove through all the western states (Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and back to Utah). Here are a few memories we have from our 3,000 mile journey.

The sea lions at Pier 39! What is it about these creatures that I love so much? They aren't really cute, and when they yell and bark it's actually sort of annoying. I don't understand it, but anyhow it was my favorite part of the day.

You can see the Golden Gate bridge in the background if you aren't distracted by thoughts of us falling down the slippery rocks in the sea ...I was smiling but I wasn't very happy. We walked across the GG bridge and were also able to spend time catching up with our friends (Nate&Leaa)

The Smiths were nice enough to let us stay with them and took us to Muir woods to explore some Redwood trees! (Spencer spent the afternoon looking for older weak trees he could push over and longing for his chainsaw.)

2007-11-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

Not a snowflake around but my "christmas-spirited-lumberjack" couldn't wait another day to chop down a Christmas tree! I'm not one to deny holiday cheer...(even if it comes a little early) so I jumped on board. Today we drove to Daniel's Summit, and spent an unexpectedly warm afternoon selecting our perfect tree. Yes our neighbors still have Halloween decor displayed...but we also have our Christmas lights up.

Go Cougars!

2007-09-23T19:19:00.000-06:00

Somehow Spencer and I ended up hauling the athletics department in the BYU homecoming parade! The whole thing ended up being a lot of fun but the best part was seeing Heather's surprised face in the crowd!

2007-09-23T19:09:00.001-06:00

Mom and Dad were also in the Parade! Dad received an Honored Alumni award and loved every minute of it. His only complaint? The color of the car they rode in was red...not cougar blue!

Sisters!

2007-09-21T14:06:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Allison's Blog!!