A Winter Wonderland

Well, all here in Utah is well and very white. Both being native Arizonans,   snow was a new experience for me and Johnathan. As snow begins to fall Johnathan begins to shovel snow, because heaven knows I'm not going to shovel it. Below is a picture of Johnathan shoveling away and taking pride in the fruits of his work.

Despite snow shoveling, we have also been enjoying the picaresque scenery as a result of the snow.  Take a look for yourself.

Infamous, Infamous beard card that I know all of you have been waiting to hear about

Mustaches are out 

(no offense to the mustacher crowd but have you ever though of just going for the whole deal.  You can offer  the rest of your face the security it needs by growing a full beard and not just flattering your upper lip.  Your face will thank you.).

Hello, this is the first post that I am making so I hope that you can feel the joy of what I am about to write as much as I can.  From the beginning of time when I was a young child and had, for the first time, witnessed my dad shaving his face I had aspired to be like him and shave.  He even bought me a little plastic razor and shaving cream so that I could practice.  I watched his every movement and trying to mimic his exact movements, watching him take be come the master of the blade was electrifying.  I wanted to become the master of the blade.  I practiced and practiced day and night my techniques for I was determined to never cut myself like so many people do.  I would have that plastic razor enshrined in my living room if the razor had not have molded.  You see I would shave 3-5 times a day with this plastic razor and you know that it would never be able to fully dry in-between shavings an so mold began to grow.  But I loved that razor and would still use it until the day that the mold had taken over and I could not even see the fake plastic blade any more.  So I tossed it.  Yet I longed to be able to shave.  Then the time came during my time at junior high, I believe it is referred to as puberty by some.  I was so excited I began to shave the few straggly hairs that began to bloom on my face.  It was great and I never cut myself (thanks dad).  Then in High School I got even more facial hair and wanted to shave that too but it was a little harder and sometimes I had to trim the hair before I could shave.  It became a monotonous process that I was quickly finding out that I did not actually like it.  It became to much.  It would haunt me in my dreams.  So I stopped shaving and a peace had come over me telling me that "You are to be bearded my son"  It was great. I then got a beard trimmer to more fully embrace my conversion.  I do not look down upon the shaved they are good people.  Well since I started at BYU there is a dress code and you can't have a beard.  So I shaved and it was inconvenient and it hurt(physically), it really hurt(emotionally).  I then found out that there were beard wavers available and so I did some investigatory sloothing.  I found out that I could set up an appointment with one of the doctors on campus to see if I qualify for a waiver.  Well to make this long post a little shorter(by the way I hope you are enjoying my story) I ended up receiving a beard waiver.  Now I will be able to become fully converted to the beard but only for a year cause then I have to renew the waiver.  Well that is some exciting news for a man who was once an avid shaver converted to beardism to be able to grow a beard again.  Thank you for your time.  

Johnathan Kingsley

A Very Merry Unbirthday to You!

I know this is a few weeks late but Johnathan had his 24th birthday on the 7th of this month. So, happy birthday Johnathan! We went to the Sizzler, birthday boy's choice. I think he mostly wanted to go there because he loves the quote from "Heavyweights" when Josh says, "I went to the sizzler, got the all you can eat meal, closed the place." In Arizona there aren't many, if any, Sizzler's around. So, we took advantage. Then, we celebrated at home with Johnathan's favorite dessert, chocolate gooey cookies. Below is a picture of Johnathan on his big day.

 

I'm Back Baby

In case anyone was wondering if I still participated in the blogging world, I do. My apologizies (especially to Kelsey) for not posting anything for a month. But don't worry, I'm back. About a month ago I was tagged. Not in the literal sense, but rather virtually. I have been tagged by Kelsey Brown to report the following. Read the following post to learn a little something more about Alex Kingsley. Here goes nothing. . .

3 Joys:

1. Disneyland. I truly do believe that Disneyland is the greatest place on Earth. I am the happiest when I am walking leisurely around Fantasy Land.

2. Shopping for cleaning supplies. I love shopping for cleaning supplies because the aisle produces a haunting aroma. If only I enjoyed using those supplies just as much.

3. Clinton from "What Not to Wear." I know if I am picking a person to put in my joy category it should be my husband. Although I love Johnathan and he brings me much joy, I can't help by LOVE Clinton and his sassy remarks and wonderful fashion sense.

3 Fears/Dislikes:

1. Spiders. Ron Weasley and I have something in common, what do you know.

2. Horror films. I hate scary movies because they give me nightmares and cause insomnia due to fear. So, horror films are out.

3. Getting in a fist fight. I fear this because I know for a fact I would loose. I never exercise or work out, plus I am a wimp. Those combined don't equal a good fighter.

3 Goals:

1. Surf on lava. Actually, that is not my goal but a French volcanologist who is now deceased. However, I would love to see a volcano.

2. Run through a field of poppies. Every time I watch "The Wizard of Oz" I can't help but envy Dorothy for running through a field of poppies. I looks so lovely and mystifying. 

3. Travel the world. I have a strong desire to culture myself by traveling. It was also add some excitement to my life

3 Random Facts:

1. I saw "The Princess Diaries" in theaters 7 + times. In my defense, I was in 9th grade and had a lot babysitting money on my hands. Plus, I just love that darn movie so much.

2. I can't whistle. As hard as I try, I have never been able to whistle.

3. I hate cucumbers but love pickles. Nothing makes me want to vomit more than the smell of cucumbers. However, I could eat pickles all the day long. Strange, I know.

3 Guilty Pleasures:

1. Reading captions on romance novels. I could spend my whole evening reading tag lines on romance novels. Reading things like "He was her lover and her killer" entertain me all night long. Honestly, nothing makes me happier, except maybe Disneyland.

2. "America's Next Top Model":

I love this show. I know it's a reality tv show hosted by Tyra Banks which doesn't say wonderful, but I'm hooked. 

3. Ease Dropping:

Frown upon as you may, but I love listening to people's conversations. If you don't participate in such activities you should, it provides the top most entertainment. For example, a couple weeks ago I overheard a conversation between two people who were declaring their hatred for institute but their love for drinking alcohol. Need I say more?

I tag Kara S and McKaye H. Fell free to report on the above things. Or not.

The Tale of Two Sweaters

Last week I was at Target and I decided to buy Johnathan and I new winter sweaters.

Alex's Sweater: 

A couple of years ago my friend Kelsey and I were shopping at Target on the very same quest, buying sweaters. I bought a green cardigan sweater and Kelsey bought a navy blue cardigan. Although my sweater was to my liking, I couldn't help but  long for Kelsey's sweater. After all, it was a great color and it was adorable, more so than the sweater I bought. I have to admit that since that winter I have searched store after store in a quest to find a navy blue sweater. Through the years, I either failed to find the sweater or found ones that just weren't good enough. But, I am happy to say that I stand before you today a woman who finally owns a navy blue cardigan sweater. It might not be as cute as Kelsey's, but, I have to say, I am quite satisfied. Below is a picture of my long awaited purchase.

Johnathan's Sweater:

When Johnathan and I got married he told me I could be in charge of buying his clothes. Naturally, this thrilled me because what could be more exciting than dressing a man in classy outfits. As a matter of fact, in high school one of the main reasons I wanted a boyfriend was so I could dress him. Now that I have myself man, I can do all the dressing I want. While at Target I went on a search to buy Johnathan winter apparel. As I searched the store I found nothing to my liking. But just as I was about to give up I spotted a wonderful cardigan sweater. The only thing better than dressing a man is dressing him in a cardigan. When a man wears a cardigan sweater it says, "I am sophisticated and dress like a gentleman." For that reason I bought the sweater, and good thing, because Johnathan has never looked better. See for yourself

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins

Seeing that it is the Halloween and fall season, Johnathan and I paid a visit to a pumpkin patch. We first arrived at the patch with no cash. So we asked the gentleman in charge, Mr. Dibbs, how much the pumpkins were so we knew how much to go get. He preceded to tell us we could pick some pumpkins and pay him back at our earliest convenience. Wow, talk about being neighborly. Below is a picture of Johnathan and I picking our pumpkins.

We picked our pumpkins and Mr. Dibbs told us we could get all of this for $5.00 (once again, that we could pay at our earliest convenience.)

May your Halloween be happy!

When Photographing Snails. . .

Last Saturday Johnathan  picked me up from work and I noticed his hair was wet and his moccasin slippers were soaked. This wasn't that odd seeing that it was raining. However, I wondered why he would be out in the rain without an umbrella. I will proceed to explain the mystery behind Johnathan's moist head and wet slippers. . .

1 Hour Prior: Because it was raining, the snails in our complex were coming out of their shells, if you pardon the pun. Like any normal person, Johnathan found interest in these snails. Thinking it would be a great idea to take a picture of these snails, Johnathan grabbed his camera and went outside. He then grabbed a snail from the rain and moved it to a dryer area to photograph. This summer a snail lived on our door for about week. His name was Henry and one day he disappeared. We have the suspicion that a young child saw him and grabbed him off our door in a violent manner. Who knows where Henry is today. Anyways, Johnathan tried to recreate this by attempting to put a snail on the door. It wasn't working very well, so, without thinking, he shut the door, forgetting that our door locks automatically. Being locked out of the house, he went to our CA who has the master key. As luck would have it, they were not home. So he went to alternate person who held another master key. Unfortunate for Johnathan, they live up the hill from us, which requires an amount of walking. Hence the wet hair and shoes. Let's just say our friend Johnathan learned a valuable lesson that day: when photographing snails, don't forget your keys.

By the way, even though Henry was stolen from us, a new snail has become attracted to our premisses (specifically the corner of our door and the adjacent wall.) We shall call her Henrietta. Below is a picture of our new friend.

 

A Few Grievances

We once enjoyed driving, then we moved to Utah. We have lived in Provo since June and we have had problems with people on the road ever since. 

Grievance #1: Left Turn Lanes 

drivers here seem to have a misconceived notion that one needs to get into the left turn lane ridiculously early. For example, most, if not all, Utah drivers enter the left turn lane a good 30- 40 yards before the left lane opening. As you can see, this would cause problems with typical drivers who enter lanes at appropriate times. Many times, Johnathan and I have almost been hit by Utah drivers cruising down the suicide lane as if it were an additional lane of traffic. Bless the man who invented the rear view mirror.

Grievance #2: Turning Right

As eager as Utah drivers are to get into the suicide lane, it appears that they can care less about getting into the right turn lane. When turning right, a typical Utah driver fails to fully enter the right turn lane before turning right. Let us explain this grievance more fully. Lets say you are driving behind a person who is planning to turn right. Instead of that person easing into the right turn lane, they slow down to an almost complete stop and practically turn from the the ongoing traffic lane. Being the person behind this driver is both frustrating and dangerous. And us Kingsleys view safety as a number one priority on the road.

Grievance #3: Don't Pedestrians Have The Right Away?

It is not uncommon in Provo to see people walking in a crosswalk and see a car turing and coming way too close to hitting many people. I have both seen this situation and experienced it first hand. One time I was riding my bike and the light said to cross. So, naturally I started crossing the road. While crossing, someone started to turn left and practically killed me. The only way I could defend myself was to give the driver a much deserved dirty look and swerve out of the way. One time I saw a group of 10-15 people crossing the street and a man proceeded to turn left anyways. People were running and jumping out of the way like their life depended on it, which it did. I felt these poor pedestrians deserved to be defended, so, once again, I brought out the dirty look and even shook my head at the man driving. Lets just say if you are ever in Provo crossing a crosswalk, keep your eyes open for pedestrian killers. 

Grievance #4: Left Turn Lanes, Part II

We have found ourselves on many occasions where we are first in the left turn lane waiting for the green turn arrow.  While we wait, cars from the cross traffic turn left passing us by, or more like skimming or clipping or basically almost hitting us.  I don't understand it, it's not like a Corolla is invisible right? I mean the car is white, which is a complete contrast to the black asphalt making it more visible right?  I would think that a person driving would try to avoid us.  I'm glad that we haven't been hit yet. (In this picture we would be the red car)

In conclusion, the horn has been used more in the past few months here than all of last year in AZ.  Also, these phenomena only seem to happen with cars endowed with Utah plates. Coincidence? We think not!  We are happy to say, that we will be keeping our Arizona plates and driving techniques while we are here.

Thankfully still alive in Provo,

Johnathan and Alex

Once You Go Mac, You Can't Go Back

Being a PC user my entire life, I never knew or understood the magical world of Macintosh (this may help: Mac tour). About a month ago Johnathan and I decided to take the plunge and buy a Mac. Experiencing frustration with our PC's ability to move as slowly as possible about drove us mental. And so, the result of our frustration brought a Mac to the family. Let me tell you, Johnathan and I couldn't have been more happy with our purchase. The computer has lightning speed, superb features, and technologically advance applications. So, if anyone is in the market looking for a new computer, I highly suggest investing in a Mac. After all, it's all Veronica Mars uses, what more reason do you need?

Welcome To Our Life

Being a first time blogger, I am not quite sure what I am supposed to say. Johnathan and I don't live adventurous lives, we don't own fancy cars, and we don't travel to exotic places. Nonetheless, we feel compelled to share our simple lives with our family and close friends. A few months ago Johnathan and I made a move from Arizona to Utah in order for Johnathan to attend Brigham Young University. Johnathan started his first semester at BYU a few weeks ago. Besides the fact that studying takes up most, if not all, of his spare time, I think he is enjoying furthering his education at such a fine institution. As for me, I started a new job at APX Alarms a few weeks ago in the scheduling department. Johnathan also works at APX, but in the tech support department. However, Johnathan will soon be looking for employment as a physical therapy aide to begin his exciting adventure into the world of physical therapy. As of right now, we don't have much to report, but don't you worry, we plan on keeping you posted. After all, we have joined the world of blogging.