Clayton's Corner

What a shocker!!

2009-11-10T11:50:00.004-07:00

We got a phone call last Monday night from Paul's sister informing us that their dad would be getting married...on Friday. We were pretty surprised. We knew he was dating someone but we didn't think it was this serious. Well the wedding was nice but it was held at a Mormon church and Paul's Catholic family wanted to party after the wedding. His brother invited everyone over to party in his newly finished basement. The alcohol flowed and dancing began. I snuck a couple shots of Paul dancing with his sister. It was a pretty fun night that ended very late.

Happy Belated Halloween

2009-11-10T11:46:00.002-07:00

I know Halloween was like 2 weeks ago but I'm just getting around to updating things. We found some super discounted costumes at PetSmart right before Halloween and we couldn't pass them up. We think our little kitties are pretty cute!!

Vegas Baby!!

2009-11-10T11:15:00.011-07:00

Ok so this post is a couple of week late but oh well. We took Paul's sister Carla to Vegas for her 21st birthday. Karri came with us. It was a really fun trip. We left Friday afternoon around 2:30, stopped and got Karri then hit the road. We got to Vegas around 8:30 or so and got checked into our room. We stayed at the Tropicana. It was ok. Not too fancy but not gross either. We looked through the information book and saw a special for the buffet at the Tropicana that let us eat there as many times as we could/wanted to within 24 hours for only 24 bucks. So we headed over for dinner. They had some pretty good stuff. We got really full. Right outside of the buffet area there was a karaoke lounge. The guy that was singing over and over during dinner was so horrible. At one point the bartender that was close by said he'd give a free drink for anyone else to sing. After dinner Paul and Carla wanted to go to a haunted house and Karri and I didn't want to so we sat down in the karaoke lounge. We picked out two songs and got up there and did our best. We pretty much rocked the first song and the second song was a little rough. But we were so much better than the guy that had been singing. Then we decided to walk over to the MGM Grand and wandered around. We were looking for our favorite StarWars slot machines. We found a new version that was no good so we wandered around some more. In our wanderings we found some Survivor slots. We played them for a little while and then moved on to find the CBS store. When we got there they had already closed so we wandered back through the casino and headed outside. We thought about heading down the strip but decided that we weren't going to gamble anymore (that night) and all the stores would be closed so we headed back to our room and I pulled out my knitting and Karri busted out her cross-stitch. We worked on that stuff til Paul and Carla got back. They called us when they got back to the Tropicana and I met them for Carla's first (legal) drink. Then we all headed to bed. I love not being woken up by an alarm clock. Karri and I were the first ones up about 9. She jumped in the shower first and I got in after her. When I got out I pulled open the curtains so Paul and Carla would have to wake up. When we were all ready we headed over to the buffet for breakfast. We didn't have to pay this time because of the cool deal we found. So we got stuffed for breakfast and then started walking down the strip. We wanted Carla to see the fountains at the Bellagio. When we got there a lady told us that there was a wedding taking place and that they wouldn't be having shows for a while. We were about to leave when Karri noticed the jets stick out of the water. They did three shows right together and it was awesome. I got some pretty cool pictures with my phone. After the water shows we took her in to see the Bellagio seasonally themed gardens. Paul had never seen them before either. It was really beautiful. We made our way over to Cesears Palace and wandered through the mall. We headed back to the MGM to go to the CBS store. We decided to do a preview screening for a new tv show that might be released soon. They gave us a discount coupon for the store so Karri was able to get a shirt and I got a survivor shot glass. Its so awesome. After that we headed back to the buffet where we didn't have to pay to eat again. (So three meals for 24 bucks. Not bad at all.) Paul and Carla wanted to go to a night club which Karri and I didn't want to do so we bought tickets to see a show. After dinner we went to our show and they headed to the club. After our show we played a few slots before we headed back to our hotel. We wandered back over to the karaoke lounge and I decided to sing a song with out Karri. We had a pretty good time. There were definitely some characters there. One guy was really good. The karaoke lasted til 1:00 AM and afterwards we played a few more slots. We headed back to our room and text Paul to see when they were coming back. Karri and I had both fallen asleep before they got back. The next morning I was the first one up. I wanted to make sure our day got started with enough time to visit the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. We got checked out and had some breakfast then headed to the Shark Reef. It really is so cool. There were a lot of people this time. After the shark reef we were on the open road. We stopped in St. George for gas and then we didn't stop again til Nephi because Carla wanted to use the bathroom and we decided to eat. It was a really great trip!!

3 Months!!

2009-11-10T10:58:00.003-07:00

Yesterday marked 3 months til Kylie is done with her mission. I unfortunately will not get to see her til she gets home a week later with my parents but that's not that much longer. (I can't believe I'm saying that... that week will feel like an eternity!!)

So the entire time that Kylie has been gone I have had dreams about her on a regular basis. When she first left I would dream that I was a missionary again and we were on a mission together. Sometimes we were in Mexico and I was showing her around and sometimes we were other places. Lately I have been having dreams that she is home. Two nights ago I dreamt she was home and we were hanging out. A about a week or so before that I dreamt that I was sitting in church waiting for her to give her homecoming talk. The weirdest part about that dream is that when she walked into the chapel it was the first time I had seen her since she got home. I don't really know how to interpret these dreams other than to say I really miss my sister and I can't wait for her to get home.

Disneyland or bust

2009-09-28T15:24:00.002-06:00

Paul, Karri and I leave for Disneyland on Thursday afternoon. We are very excited. We have tickets to a special trick or treat event on Friday night and we are dressing up as Wendy, John and Michael from Peter Pan. It is also Gay Days Anaheim this weekend and we are participating in a special Scavanger Hunt on Saturday. I wish today was Thursday.

Brothers and Sisters

2009-09-28T15:20:00.003-06:00

Last night was the season premier of Brothers and Sisters on ABC. If you aren't already watching the show you should rent the first 3 seasons on DVD and get caught up. This show is the definition of disfunctional family. I love the chaos that ensues every week. Plus one of the brothers is gay. His husband is the most level headed pacient man and I love them together. Watch this show!

Just because I'm obsessed

2009-09-28T15:11:00.004-06:00

So because Paul bought so many Halloween decorations he tried to smooth things over by buying me the two newest sets of Mr. Potato Head. The first one is Tubby Tater. There are holes in his hat so you can scoop up the water and it will drain out. The other set is called Spud Bud Pets. There is a little doggie and a little kitty along with a little spud bud. I love them all.

Time for Halloween

2009-09-28T15:04:00.002-06:00

Paul's favorite holiday is Halloween. So as soon as the decorations start appearing in the stores we have to look at all of them. Over the weekend we bought these two...plus few more. And I think Paul plans on buying some more. These two came from Target. They have a lot of really great stuff.

Survivor Samoa

2009-09-24T14:57:00.001-06:00

Don't forget to watch!!

Cougartown

2009-09-24T14:49:00.002-06:00

Cougartown also premiered last night on ABC right after Modern Family. I've never seen Courtney Cox in a better role. She is hilarious as a 40 year-old divorcee trying to have a little fun now that she is single again and she does an excellent job of embarrassing the hell out of her teenage son. To make matters worse her neighbor across the street, a 40 year-old man, is bringing home a different girl every night and is receiving praise from his buddies. (The term they use is Samurai. As in, "Way to go Samurai!") They show is totally hilarious and full of inappropriate out-bursts. I laughed the whole way through.

Modern Family

2009-09-24T14:38:00.003-06:00

Modern Family is a new show that premiered on ABC last night. It was GREAT!! The show is about 3 families that are actually one really big family. Ed O'Neill is great as the father of the whole family with a much younger hispanic wife. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who in my eyes can do no wrong, plays O'Neill's gay son who just adopted a baby from Vietnam with his partner. Julie Bowen, from Ed, plays O'Neill's daughter who is married to a man and has 3 kids. I am really looking forward to what's ahead for this Modern Family.

Rainbow Duck

2009-09-22T11:00:00.001-06:00

I earned myself a little prize last week at work. This awesome rubber ducky from the Kimpton brand of hotels. I can not get over how cute it is!!

GLEE!!!

2009-09-22T10:52:00.002-06:00

If you haven't started watching Glee you need to. I would have to rank it up there with my favorite shows. The characters are great, the songs are fun and a few of the guys aren't bad to look at. Ok lets be honest they are hot! Karri gave me a poster that I hung above my computer at work. I love that they look down at me throughout the day. Everyone out there needs to start watching Glee!!

My kitty is so cute

2009-09-22T10:49:00.003-06:00

I mentioned in a post last week that Rosie has become a lot more cuddly. Well last week she stretched out on her back right on my lap and took a nap. Then later in the week she curled up on my chest and did the same thing. I don't mind, I think she is adorable.

Any suggestions

2009-09-14T13:10:00.003-06:00

When we first moved into our new apartment, before we had the chance to hang a picture the kitties tipped it over and broke the glass. I kept promising Paul that I would take it apart so we could save the frame. Now we have a huge frame and I'm not totally sure what to do with it. I'd love to hear some suggestions.

6 months old

2009-09-14T12:58:00.009-06:00

Rupee and Rosie are now 6 months old. We got them when they were two months old in May. We do love them but they have been quite the handfull. They love playing in the laundry basket whether its full or empty. Our closet has sliding doors and they like to push the doors open and sleep in the laundry while we are at work. Their other favorite place to nap is on top of our dresser. That means no decorations there. They also love to stare out the window and play with anything they can get their little paws on. Sometimes we feel like they are getting so big so fast and then at other times they still seem like little kittens.

They like to sleep on the couch while we are watching tv. The other day while Rosie was enjoying her nap Rupee climbed right on top of her and settled in. It didn't last very long (just long enough to snap a few photos) and Rosie moved out from under her sister. Rosie has become very cuddly. She used to always go sleep on a dining chair while we were home. Lately she likes to curl up on my chest and rest her head on my arm or shoulder. She is so cute. I love her!!

My sincerest apologies

2009-09-14T12:53:00.002-06:00

It was recently brought to my attention by a dear friend that I need to update my blog a little more often. I will strive to be better. I just haven't had that much of anything interesting to blog about. I guess the solution to that is to do something worth mentioning or at least think more highly of what I have done. I guess that's a good place to restart.

Pocket Protector...really?

2009-07-29T09:18:00.001-06:00

This is what I looked at on my train ride in to work this morning. And old guy taking up the entire seat sporting a pocket protector. Oh and this is the samy guy that busted out his nail clippers and started clipping away. I love public tranist.

2 YEARS AND COUNTING!!

2009-07-28T15:15:00.002-06:00

So today is our 2 year anniversary!! It doesn't seem possible that we have been together for 2 years already. Last year at this time my family had just started accepting Paul and including him in family functions, Kylie hadn't left on a mission yet and we were in an different apartment. Not a lot has changed since then, except that Kylie is on her mission now and we are in a new apartment that we are loving (pictures coming soon I promise). We still love each other but I think we love each other more now than we did back then. I love you Niño!

July Family Party

2009-07-27T15:22:00.002-06:00

Every month my family gets together to celebrate birthdays for the month. In July we celebrate my cousin Todd's, my cousin's daughter Taysie's (her birthday is really the end of June but since she is always with her dad on Father's Day when we have the party in June we count her in July) and mine. This year we had an addition with my cousin having a baby in July and adding Bryden Lillie-June Payne to the mix. She is so tiny and cute. We are happy to have her in July with us.

Vertical Horizon

2009-07-14T12:22:00.002-06:00

Paul and I went to a special VIP performance by the lead singer of Vertical Horizon on Thursday night at The Puck in West Valley. It was a really fun night and he signed passes and took photos with everyone who wanted to. Thanks My 99.5 FM.

Rupee's new favorite position

2009-06-30T16:08:00.002-06:00

The kitties like to jump up on to the bar stools and relax. Lately Rupee decided that she likes to lay with her back legs just hanging off. She kind of grips the front with her claws but eventually she always slides off. Oh the crazy things kitties do.

Family picture

2009-06-30T16:01:00.002-06:00

Last summer while we were in St. George we took a family picture. I would argue that we shouldn't call it that considering Paul isn't in the picture but I won't push that issue right now. Also missing from the picture is the newest addition of Atlee but she was just barely on her way when the picture was taken. My awesome sister-in-law set the camera and then ran to join my brother on the front row. She did great and made all of us look normal. Good work Kimi!!

Security Breach!!

2009-06-29T10:26:00.002-06:00

I have added a new post to Kylie's blog today. I received an email from a woman over-concerned with Kylie's safety. I will be setting Kylie's blog to private at the end of July. If you would still like to have access to her blog please send me an email by clicking here.

Attention Siblings!!

2009-06-19T11:20:00.003-06:00

Calling all of my siblings! It seems you have all forgotten where your home is. I included a map so you would remember. Please report back home immediately! I don't like feeling like an only child. Family dinners aren't the same when I'm the only sibling at the table. If you all insist on living out of state atleast update your blogs more regularly so I know what is happening in your lives. For now I will continue to represent the siblings at Family Parties, Baby Showers, Family Reunions and Birthday Dinners for our parents.