Thirty Days of Us: Day Seventeen

Day Thirty: Someone You Would Want to Switch Lives With for One Day and Why

I think I'd want to switch days with Cooper. I'd like to see what goes on in his head and how busy he is at work. I mean, I KNOW that Cooper is busy at work and has lots of things on his plate. I think that switching a day with him would make me appreciate it more and help me not get upset when he wants to watch a show instead of take out the trash... Plus it would be nice for him to have to clean the house and have Marcus talk his ear off all day and worry about dinner and groceries and things!

(hmmm.... maybe I don't need to switch days with him to try harder at this anyway...?)

Thirty Days of us, day 16

Day 16. a picture of me

Personally I believe the first thing I need to do, and sadly its the first post I've made on our blog, is to apologize. Today's post is supposed to be a picture of me, and sadly (for you, the reader, at least) instead of a picture of my beautiful wife, you are stuck with me. I mean, it's not all bad. You could be stuck looking at a picture of a pimply faced grease covered teen who makes Steve Erkel seem like a dream boat hidden behind a nerdy facade (see what I did there?) Or you could be stuck looking at some dude who happens to be a snorlax in human guise.

Fortunately for you I have found a picture of me that does not actually show me, but my beautiful wife Melanie. It also happens to be one of my favorite pictures from our wedding nearly 4 years ago. 4 years! HOLY CRAP it's already been nearly 4 years, which is almost five which is half of ten which can be rounded up to twenty which is 2/3rds of 30 which means we can round up to our 50th wedding anniversary already! Anyone know what the gift is for the 50th?

Don't worry if my math is a little skewampis, that tends to happen. Anyways, after this lazily written and lackadaisically designed post I feel the urge to do something productive, like play some legos with Marcus.

Thirty Days of Us: Day Fifteen

Day Fifteen: Put your iPod on Shuffle and Record the First 10 Songs that Play

...Speaking of Music.

You may be wondering why Arlo Gunthrie's "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" is playing during this month of November...Well, growing up for as long as I can remember, we listened to this twenty minute song EVERY Thanksgiving at Noon. It is a tradition. It is one of the "family traditions" that I have tried to keep every Thanksgiving.

Just in case you don't want to listen, or you are enjoying this little piece of "Melanie History" on an iPhone where you simply cannot hear this song, I'll give you the summary of it from the awesome wikipedia.com...

""Alice's Restaurant Massacree" (commonly referred to simply as "Alice's Restaurant") is one of the singer-songwriter Arlo Gunthrie's most prominent works, a musical monologue based on a true story that began on Thanksgiving Day 1965, and which inspired a 1969 movie of the same name. In an interview for All Things Considered, Gunthrie said the song points out that any American citizen who was convicted of a crime, no matter how minor, (in his case, it was littering), could avoid being conscripted to fight in the Vietnam War."

Needless to day, if you are facing being drafted, just walk into the psychiatrist's office and say, "Shrink, you can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant." And walk out.

Anyway... back to the "Thirty Days of Us".... Here are the lists...

Melanie's iPhone:

1. Black Eyed Peas, "Now Generation", The E.N.D.

2. Mairi Campbell &Dave Francis, "Auld Lang Syne", Sex and the City (Original Motion Picture)

3. Fergie, "London Bridge" , The Duchess

4. Gwen Stefani, "What You Waiting For?", Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

5. Air, "Cemetary Party", The Virgin Suicides (Soundtrack)

6. Meryl Streep, "Mamma Mia", Mamma Mia! (The Movie Soundtrack)

7. Dave Matthews, "Baby", Some Devil

8. Dave Matthews, "Dodo", Some Devil

9. Camelot, "I Loved You Once in Silence", Original Broadway Cast

10. Black Eyed Peas, "Boom Boom Pow", The E.N.D.

Cooper's iPhone:

1. Gorillaz, "Tomorrow Comes Today", Gorillaz

2. Big Boi Featuring Sleepy Brown, "The Way You Move", Speakerboxxx

3. Santana, "Maria Maria", Supernatural

4. KoppZ, "Final Fantasy 6: Kefka Goes West"

5. Charles Blachly, "Mega Man 2 The Doctor Named Wily OC"

6. Black Eyed Peas, "Ring-a-Ling", The E.N.D.

7. Sephfire, "Kingodm Hearts Above The Rising Falls"

8. bLiNd, "Starfox Meteorave OC Remix"

9. Mazedude, "Slalom Slalomicide OC Remix"

10. McVaffe, "Super Mario Bros. Dancehall Ragga OC Remix"

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

...you can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant.

Thirty Days of Us: Day Fourteen

Day Fourteen: A Picture of You and Your Family

This one is easy! :) This is Christmas last year for our Christmas Card... I thought it was quite festive for the upcoming Holidays...

Thirty Days of Us: Day Thirteen

WOWZERS I've been slacking! Okay... I'm snowed in for a few days, so I'll take advantage of it and blog daily! :)

Day Thirteen-A Letter to Someone Who Has Hurt You Recently

Honestly, there isn't someONE who has hurt me recently... but there is someTHING that just sucks. So here is my letter.

Dear Cancer.

Eff. You. I would rejoice in a thousand happy songs if you fell of the face of the earth and died out forever. You are horrible. You pick on undeserving people and it's not fair. YOU SUCK. Please Die.

Love,

Melanie

How was that...?

Thirty Days of Us: Day Twelve

Day 12- How You Found out About Blogging and Why You Have One

I don't remember HOW I found out about blogging, but I can tell you WHY. I think having a blog is a great way for people to see what you are up to. Many of my family members and my far-away (and not so far-away) friends read this to see what our little family is doing. It's a great way to keep in touch, and also to share pictures and memories. I have attempted to make one various times before, but I could never really stick with it. This one, especially because of jump starting it with "Thirty Days of Us" has helped me be a more regular blogger.

I also keep a Recipe Blog called Faux Pas(ta). It's a collection of low-carb recipes. When Cooper and I first started eating low-carb, I found that the recipes available on many sites were not so delicious, and many were just forms of meat and cheese. I mean, c'mon people. That's gross. SO, I decided to create my own low-carb recipes by modifying the recipes that we already enjoy into some low-carb versions.

Thirty Days of Us: Day Eleven

Day 11- Another Picture of You and Your Friends

Cooper always makes fun of me for my "online friends". We have a private bulletin board that a handful of us all get on and talk about everything and anything. Now, they are not all just "online friends" because I've met a good majority of them! Here are a few pictures!

Kate and her two little girls Charlotte and Victoria, Jenna and her daughter Audrey, Melanie and Marcus, and Brittney and her daughter Maddy all at the Hogle Zoo Early in 2008.

Juls, Katie and Melanie (With Milo Soaking Up the Attention!) during Katie's Salt Lake City Visit March 2010

Melanie, Juls, Katie and Lacey at Katie's Wedding June 2010

Katie, Melanie and Kate at a Fun Sunday Lunch at Kate's House this Past Summer.

Thirty Days of Us: Day Ten

Day 10- Songs you Listen to When You are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad.

Hmmm... This one is really hard! Especially since this is a family blog and Cooper and I do not have the same music preferences! Plus, my music changes all the time! Hmmmm... I guess I'll just do mine.

Happy:

Right now I'm loving "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz. It's just such a great song and you just have to smile while you are singing along. It is especially great when the Today Show reporters are singing it! I also LOVE "You Make Me Feel Like Dancin" by Leo Sayer, "Somebody to Love" by Queen, and "Walking on Sunshine".

Sad:

I love songs that Lift You Up while you are down... I LOVE "More Beautiful You" By Johnny Diaz. It always makes me feel better. So does "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real.

Bored:

Hmmm... If I'm bored, such as a long drive or something, I'll probably be singing show tunes....Camelot (gotta love C'est Moi), Chicago (We Both Reached for the Gun), Wicked (Dancing Though Life), RENT (I'll Cover You), Mamma Mia! (Does Your Mother Know), etc... all awesome.

Hyped:

Ummm....I guess all the stuff you can dance and move to..."I Gotta Feeling" and "Boom Boom Pow" by The Black Eyed Peas, "Party In the U.S.A." Miley Cyrus, "It's Not Just Make Believe" by Kari Kimmel.

Thirty Days of Us: Day Nine

Day Nine- Something You are Proud of From the Last Few Days

Hmmm...Let me think...

I am proud of Marcus. Recently, Cooper's office has been busy, busy, busy, filling orders from all over the world. I have come in the past few days and have been helping fill the orders by putting labels on packets and boxes. Anyway, Marcus has been such a trooper because we have been at Burn Free for the past few days. Marcus has been playing and having lots of fun and keeping out of trouble while I have been working. It's been really great!

Thirty Days of Us: Day Eight

Day Eight- Short Term Goals for this Month and Why.

Really? This is a dumb one! Um.... Considering it's November, I guess our short term goal for this month would be to NOT gain a thousand pounds on stuffing? That IS why they call it stuffing after all, because you are stuffed like a big, fat teddy bear after you eat it all up... yum!

(Okay, who are we kidding... getting stuffed on stuffing when you have not had it in a calendar year is pretty dang awesome. I can't wait!)

Thirty Days of Us: Day Seven

Day 7- A Picture of Someone/Something that has the Biggest Impact on You.

Okay, it is SO hard to choose a single person who has had the biggest impact on us... so here is a big huge group... our family...(prepare for another picture overload!) ...Now, I know that I have missed A BUNCH of pictures of people in our families who have really have supported and loved us and in doing so has touched our lives so much. (It just means we need some good pictures of you!)

We love you.

Great-Grandpa John

Grandpa John

Uncle Jimmy (and their doggie, I)

Aunt Laurel

Grandma Hazel

Aunt Terry

Aunt Lisa

Devry

Grandma Kate

Great Grandpa Don and Great Grandma Charlene

Great Grandpa Bill And Great Grandma Nancy

Grandpa M

Cody

Grandma S

Maddi

Jeremy, Jessica, Tyler, Lindsay, Aunt Traci, Uncle Doug, Johnny, Lindsay, Kristal and Chris

We love you all.

...So So So Much.

Thirty Days of Us: Day Six

Day Six: What is Your Favorite Super Hero and Why?

Well, in this house...

IronMan

We think that IronMan is pretty darn awesome. He wasn't born with any special abilities, (except his super smart brain, and lets face it, it's REALLY good to be smart!) he didn't get bitten by a radioactive spider, nor did he fall into a vat of toxic waste... He was smart enough to make his own super suit! How many superheroes can say THAT...?!

Thirty Days of Us: Day Five

Day 5- A Picture of Somewhere You've Been to

Maui, Hawaii

Cooper and I have been to Hawaii Twice. Cooper and I went in 2006 for the 2007 New Year with his family, And Marcus went to Hawaii once when he was itty bitty in 2007 (almost three months old). These are pictures of both of our trips. (Prepare for a picture overload...)

Thirty Days of Us: Day Four

Bad habits. We all have them....

Day Four: A Habit That You Wish You Didn't Have

Okay, this isn't really an "us" post... It's more of a me post, because I cannot comment on what Cooper or Marcus' bad habits that they think they might have... so here is my list, I'm sure it is just a portion, because I have plenty of them....

...I don't update my blog(s) as often as I should...I say "like". Like, a lot...I pick at my acne...I don't read my scriptures nearly enough as I should...I play with my tongue against my teeth quite often...I always am checking my phone like I'm waiting for an important phone call. All. The. Time...I sometimes forget to take my medicine and my vitamins on a daily basis...I say, "Sorry" too much, even for things that I shouldn't really care about...I'm really bad at putting my clothes away after I wash them...I almost always forget to floss, and forget about using mouthwash...I talk during movies...I'm really bad at taking pictures of important things...

Now, this isn't a part of the "30 Days of Me Challenge", but... I'm adding it anyway. Because I prefer not to end on a bad note, so here are some really good habits that I have...

...I always tell my family that I love them all the time. No matter what...I always say "bless you" when I hear people sneeze (even if I don't know them)...I hold doors open for people...I say "please" and "thank you"...I write thank you notes...Our family prays together...I sing in the car...

Thirty Days of Us: Day Three

Day Three: A Picture of You and Your Friends

We don't have many pictures of "us" and our friends...so, here are some pictures of some of our good friends (in now particular order) that we see on a regular basis...

Travis and Kat (or, KaTravis, like we like to call them!)

Brook and Kim:

Paul, Annie, and Baby Connor:

Ben and Susan:

Thirty Days of Us: Day Two

Okay, back again! Yeah! Two days in a row. I swear this is a record in my family blogging history!

Day Two: The Meaning Behind Your Blog Name

Well, our blog name is pretty simple:

Jenson:

Our last name. Cooper Jenson, Melanie Jenson, and Marcus Jenson.

Jaunts:

According to Merriam-Webster online, "Jaunt" is "to make a usually short journey for pleasure." (Also, the origin is unknown, but the first known use was in 1575! Amazing what you can learn online!) We take quite a few trips, some for the weekend, some for a week, some for an hour. We love our outings and take them frequently together. Also, life is short people! Enjoy it all the time. We are sure taking pleasure in our short time here.

You should too...

Thirty Days of Us: Day One

Enjoy the Thirty Days of Us! Come back every day to see more!

Day One: Add a Recent Picture of yourself and 15 interesting facts about yourself.

1. Even though we live in Utah, we have annual passes to Disneyland and go at least twice every visit to California.

2. Cooper and Melanie have been married for almost four years.

3. Marcus just turned three.

4. We love watching the detective type shows... NCIS, NCIS: LA, CSI, CSI: NY, CSI: Miami....Pretty much all of those letters shows!

5. Cooper got Melanie watching (and addicted to) Top Gear a super funny British Car-type show. Look it up it's awesome.

6. Spiders give all three of us the heebie-jeebies.

7. Melanie is allergic to Aloe Vera.

8. We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (Yep. The Mormons.)

9. Both Cooper and Melanie's parents live in different states than we do, Melanie's are in Colorado and North California and Cooper's live in South California.

10. Cooper's favorite color is Red, Melanie's is White, and Marcus' is Blue.

11. Melanie and Cooper are four years apart. Melanie is also the same age (well, two months younger) than Cooper's little sister.

12. Cooper served an LDS mission in Hong Kong, and speaks Cantonese.

13. We are a texting family. We text all day long to each other.

14. We are hoping to be leaving Utah in the near future... Hopefully to Orange County, California.

15. Cooper works for a company called Burn Free that specializes in a great burn care gel. It's the best for sunburns and we even used it on Marcus' diaper rash when he was a baby!

We are up and running!

As many of you may know, I am a family blog slacker. My Recipe blog is okay, I update it pretty regularly, but my family blog... um. No. Not so much. I have come to make amends my dear readers. And to kick start this right, I am going to post a "Thirty Days of Us". Come back every day for a new post!

See you soon!