Halloween Party

I had LSU football withdrawals on Saturday because they didn't have a game this weekend. I kept myself busy getting our costumes ready for a Halloween party that night, though. We skipped our ward trunk-or-treat to go to an adult-only party at the Emerson's house.

Jared dressed up as an attack dog trainer (the badge on his shirt says "Critt's Attack Dog School" and we actually pinned the dog to his shirt sleeve for the party so it looked like it was attacking him):I used the Statue of Liberty costume I made a few years ago (found it in the move) and decided I'd use it again since I'm in a whole new state. :)
My parents were Shrek and Fiona:

My parents won 1st prize and I won 3rd for best costume. The party was fun. There was lots of great food and company--mostly people from the Hammond ward (Emersons, Bourgeois, Fletchers, Littells, Sis. Bounds, R. Calmes, Garbers, Rendines).

We played a story-making game where everyone says a sentence or two then the next person has to take it from there; it was pretty funny. I didn't like being put on the spot but it turned out funny. Jared said something about a pink hand grabbing a guy, then I added that the hand wasn't attached to a body, then somehow the pink hand ended belonging to Uniqua (from the Backyardigans). It was hilarious. We also played a written version of that game; we got to see the last person's part and had to write a couple of sentences based just on that. It ended up with Pooh Bear (my mom's doing) being stuck in Rabbit's hole and being scared by a heffalump (I ended it). Needless to say, it turned out to be a very weird story but very amusing! We also played Taboo and tried to guess how many M&Ms were in a jar--my dad won! It was such a fun party!

Catching up

Since it's been over a week since I've posted, I now have to catch up a little. In the past week, I've been to the temple, then out to eat to celebrate a church sister's 95th birthday! She is the cutest ever and still going strong.

I play volleyball for a couple of hours every Friday morning and some of us in the volleyball group had a small potluck, then went to the LSU women's volleyball game Friday night. It was really fun! We were making jokes about making it a rule to wear the same kind of shorts the LSU players wear--we decided most of us would stop coming and we'd scare too many people away, anyway! Here's a pic of the game:

Saturday, Jared and I went and bought a big-screen TV--50", baby! We got it set up just in time for the the LSU vs. Auburn game. You can't believe the difference it makes. Since I couldn't go to the game, watching it on the new TV was the next best thing. And boy, was that ever a game! I seriously just about had a heart attack!! We were down by one point and got the winning touchdown with one second to go on the clock. ONE SECOND!!! If we hadn't made the touchdown, we would have kicked a field goal and won but I sure held my breathe when I saw that football headed for the end zone. Holy smokes! I'm embarrassed to admit that I was jumping up and down like a spaz and screaming my head off, then I proceeded to get on the twin bed in our TV room and jump up and down on it! Ha ha, funny to picture myself doing that now! Oh, we are now up to #3 since we won that game and South Florida lost. Praying that we win out the rest of the season so we have a shot at the national championship!!

Sunday, I got a second churchcalling--assistant ward activities committee director. So now I get to help plan ward activities. Funny thing--one of my volleyball friends and I were just talking Friday night about how our ward doesn't do enough activities and I was telling her how my ward in Utah had both a potluck and breakfast every single month. As soon as sacrament meeting was over, she was like "did you know about this calling when we were talking?!" I didn't--Bishop didn't extend the calling to me until right before church on Sunday. Funny, huh?

I had the privilege of watching my niece all day yesterday while my SIL went to the dr. We had fun together. Here's a pic of her gobbling up some candy corn:

Then I went with her and my SIL and brother to Chuck E. Cheese. We had fun playing games and Belle certainly had a blast riding all the littles rides and stuff. When we left, she was saying, "I want more Chuck E. Cheese!" She LOVED watching the musical show--she was enthralled:

She played a game of Skee-ball--I'm sure this is against the rules, though :) :

It was great to see her have such a good time. Oh! The best part--beating Ben at Skee-ball. Bwahahahaha!!!!!!!!!

Ben's 30!!!

My brother, Ben, turned 30 on Sunday. Here he is with the present I got him (a wooden football carved with the LSU 2003 Nat'l Championship date and score on one side and the 2003 schedule and scores on the other side):We had a "surprise" party for him at his in-laws house. We had BBQ'd steaks, deer sausage, artichoke casserole, salad, baked beans, potato salad, and rolls. Here's Belle eating her yummy meal after waking up from her nap:

And, of course we had cake and sang "Happy Birthday" to him--Belle really enjoyed singing to her daddy--SO CUTE!!!!:
The cake was seriously my favorite birthday cake ever! It was 2 layers of chocolate cake with almond flavoring, with a thick layer of chocolate mousse in between. YUUUUUUUMMMMMMMM!!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! :)

And here are my parents (Maw-maw and Paw-paw to Belle, Judson, and Carma):

My dad is laughing because he was just making "bunny ears" behind my mom's head--what he does in every picture I try to take of him with someone else. He thinks it's hilarious--probably mostly because I get aggravated. ha ha!

It was a fun get-together, even though Jared wasn't able to go because he had to go into work. I think Ben had a great birthday. We finished the night by playing Apples to Apples. Welcome to the 30's club, Ben! Ha ha ha!

Sad Saturday 10.13.07

I drove to my parents' house for an LSU game-watching party. It started out fun--Mom made Dorito pie, we had chips and salsa, cheese dip and Fritos, even boudin and BBQ'd sausage. And LSU was in the lead most of the game...




until the last few minutes when Kentucky tied the game with a field goal. Then, we lost in the third overtime--just couldn't get it done. So disappointing and heart-breaking. We went from #1 to #5 and may have given up the opportunity to play for the national championship (unless a couple of the top 4 teams lose a game before the season is up).


At least Belle was cute in her LSU cheerleading uniform, which is getting too small so she looked like one of the real cheerleaders, ha ha!
So, now we have to win the rest of our games and pray for other teams to lose (which I hate to have to do but whatever helps my Tigers! :) ).

New album for Belle photos

For those of you who didn't want to have to join Snapfish to view the pictures of Belle, try http://picasaweb.google.com/danamariecritt/BellePortraits?authkey=XjXhCRGez_Y.

More pics from the game

Tim and I right after the game ended:

The team and staff after the game, gathered to sing the LSU Alma Mater with the student section:

Tim doing the "gator chomp" (in jest, rubbing it in a little, hee hee!).

It was seriously the best game I've ever been to. Great talent and coaching on both sides. I have to give kudos to the Florida team for giving us a run for our money! But our guys showed a heck of a lot of hear last night and I'm proud of them. I'm excited for the rest of the season and, hopefully, the National Championship! GEAUX TIGERS!!!

LSU vs. Florida

My brother got a ticket for me in the student section at the game last night. The game was insane! The crowd was so pumped up and you could literally feel the electricity in the air. It was SO FREAKING LOUD in the stadium--especially in the student section. We pulled out the win with a touchdown in the last minute and nine seconds. What a great game! We are now 6-0, have the longest winning streak in the nation, and are the undisputed #1. WOOHOO! GEAUX TIGERS!!!

We saw these two cool dogs on the way to the stadium:

This was the first game that our new tiger, Mike VI, was brought out on the field for a football game (Mike V died of old age this past May); Mike VI is two years old and weighs ~300 lbs. (may reach 700 lbs. as an adult):

The Golden Band from Tigerland in the Pre-game performance. I marched in the band for 5 years and seeing them perform always brings back great memories (even though my first time marching in pre-game I thought I was gonna pee my pants!):

Belle photos

I put a lot of the photos from my session with Belle onto Snapfish.com. I added cool borders to a few of them and used a PhotoShop filter on all of them to make them more soft and dreamy (also have a version of most of them without the filter). If you'd like to look at them, try this link: Belle on Snapfish.
If anyone has problems with that link, please let me know. I know I still have a LOT to learn about photography but I like these photos for the most part and Belle is such a doll! Let me know what you think--any constructive criticism is welcome.

LSU vs. South Carolina

My brother, Tim, and I got to go the game this past Sat. It rained through most of it, we were drenched before the game even started, but it was so much fun. LSU beat them 28-16. The best part--the tickets were free! A lady that Tim tutors gave them to him. We had a great time at the game. Here are some pics:

The LSU band, after marching down the hill and playing for the crowd--the drum major, Mr. Wicks (the band director, who was there when I was in the band), and the Golden Girls:

The band during Pre-game:

The football team running onto the field through the band tunnel:

Me and Tim (you can't really tell just how drenched we were in this pic but we were!):

Photo session with Belle

I did a photo session with my niece a couple of Fridays ago. Here's a few of the shots (she's 2 1/2):

More to come later...

Lovebugs

I hate 'em! While I lived in Utah, I forgot just how annoying these pests are but now I remember all too well! They are EVERYWHERE!!! They cover our entryway, as well as the back door, they get inside when we walk in or out (I am constantly having to sweep the floors), they are all across the top of the water of our raised fish pond, and our cars are covered in them. YUCKY! They don't bite or anything, they're just a complete nuisance.

If you've never lived in the south and don't know what they are, here's a picture (they're called lovebugs because they are constantly mating, even fly around stuck together, eeeew!):

I remember having to deal with these nasty little bugs during practices when I marched in band and in drum corps. They would be flying all around and land all over you. Blech!!! We had a more naughty name for them when I was in high school and college.

Here's what our entry looks like because of them:

And our raised pond:
I can't wait for these things to go away!!!

Good to be home!

No matter how much fun I had in Utah, 3 weeks was too long to be away from my sweetie. We were very happy to see each other. We got home from the airport in time to see the LSU vs. VT football game kick-off Sat. night. I'm delighted to say that we kicked their butts 48-7; they were #9, we are #2. Geaux Tigers!

At church Sunday morning the kids in my class (Sunbeams, ages 3-4) were SO cute, saying they missed me. Our ward is great; so many people came up to me and said they were glad I'm back. We went to my parents' house straight from church for dinner; my brother, SIL, and niece were also there. It was nice to spend the afternoon with them all and, of course, Belle was as cute as ever. I spent most of yesterday just resting, as I'm still trying to get over this sinus/cough thing but I do feel much better today--I finally unpacked my suitcases!

Oh, Jared surprised me with a little present Sat. night:

I also surprised him with a BYU t-shirt and hat that I bought in Utah. I don't think I'd ever bought another team's gear before! :)

Disneyland

This is a LONG post with lots of pics (and these are just my absolute faves). Here's how the trip to DL went down:

We left Sat. morning ~7:30. We stopped at a dinosaur museum--lots of real dinosaur tracks found and preserved here in Utah just off i-15. Once we got to the hotel, we went swimming for a bit in the pool.

Sunday, we headed to the beach. It was beautiful:And the kids had fun:We went swimming in the hotel pool that night, too.

Monday morning, Kiki ran in the Disney 1/2 marathon. WTG, Kiki!!! Hope she doesn't kill me for posting this pic but I'm proud of her for completing it--way more than I could do!

We waited for Kiki to get back to the hotel, then we all headed to Disneyland. We decided to hit California adventure, first. It was so much fun but OH SO FREAKIN HOT!!! It was 108-110 degrees on Monday! The hottest it's been all summer there, OF COURSE! But it was still fun. We first watched the Muppets 3D movie (so cute!) Here's Carma in the 3D glasses:

Then, we rode the Monsters, Inc. ride (Carma LOVED it!):

I went on the Tower of Terror with Judson and Michael (BIL), then went on Monsters, Inc. again with Kiki and Carma. We then went and saw "Turtle Talk with Crush", which was really cute and funny; it's real-time animation and he talks to the audience and answers questions. Really cool!

Next, we headed of to A Bug's Land, where Carma and Judson cooled off in the fountains by the P.T. Flea Market:

Then, Kiki, Judson, and I rode the Tuck and Roll's Drive 'Em Buggies (bumper cars):

Kiki was tired (who can blame her!) and Carma really needed a nap, so Michael went with them back to the hotel room and Judson and I stayed and played. We went on Flik's Flyers

and got a cherry Slushie--the best Slushie I've ever had! :) We then went and rode the Grizzly River Run (got a little wet, weee!).Next was Soarin' Over California, a simulated hang glider over beautiful lanscapes and landmarks in Cali. Then, I let Judson run through the Redwood Creek Challenge; we walked through the rope bridges and a stream, he slid down slides, did a little rock climbing, and swung on a zip-line swing. Then, Kiki, Michael and Carma picked us up for dinner. Judson ended up throwing up in the restaurant, so Michael dropped off me and Kiki back at DL and he brought the kids to the hotel room.

Kiki and I rode the Soarin' Over California, the Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, and Pirate of the Caribbean. Here's Disney Main Street at night:

We headed back to the hotel and hit the sack!

Tuesday, all of us went to DL. It was still hot but not nearly as hot as Monday. Here's Kiki and I near the castle:

Michael, Judson, and I rode the Matterhorn Bobsleds while Kiki and Carma rode Alice in Wonderland. Then, we all rode the King Arthur Carrousel:

Kiki, Carma and I waited in line to take pics with Ariel while Judson and Michael went on Autotopia. We thought she would love Ariel because she always talks about all the princesses, including Ariel but she ended up being scared and freaking out:

Kiki, Judson and I went to ride on Space Mountain but, after we walked up and got in line, Judson said his tummy hurt, so they turned back and I rode it alone. Still fun! We watched the Jedi Training Academy for a few minutes then all went on the Jungle Cruise. I watched Carma so Kiki and Michael could take Judson on Indiana Jones Adventure, then we all went on Pirates of the Caribbean. As we were walking to find a place to eat lunch, Alice and the Mad Hatter stopped us and had the kids play musical chairs. It was so cute!

Alice had to help Carma, since all she wanted to do was dance in place, not go around the circle, hee hee!

We ate lunch in Downtown Disney (shrimp po-boys of all things, ha ha!), then we headed back over to California Adventure. I got this cute pic of Juddy with Mater and Lightning:

I watched Carma, who was sleeping, while K,M, & J went on Soarin' Calif., then we went and saw Turtle Talk with Crush again. We then stopped to watch the Block Party for a bit--characters from Monsters, Inc., the Incredibles, and A Bug's Life dance and sing. Then, Judson and I rushed over to ride the Sun Wheel before the park closed:

Calif. Adv. closed at 6pm, while DL closed at 8pm, so we were headed towards DL but TONS of other people had the same idea and we just didn't feel like waiting in line to get in, then waiting in long lines to ride rides once we got in. We were all extremely pooped from the heat and all the walking (not to mention sore, getting blisters, etc.) so we decided to just head back to the hotel. We went swimming for a bit, then went and got dinner.

We headed back home Wed. morning. I started feeling sick on the ride home, nose running the whole way. When I woke up Thurs. morning (yesterday), I could barely talk from a sore throat (Jared called and said I sounded horrible), my sinuses were killing me, and I was coughing a little. I rested all day and had to cancel plans to see a couple of friends (sorry again, Amiee and Jamie!). SO sad about that. I feel better today--most of my voice is back and my sinuses feel much better. Still not totally better, though. Sucks to be sick my last 2 days in Utah!!!

Not sure what we're doing tonight. Kiki and Michael have a softball game, which I may go to and even see if my other sister wants to go. I'll be headed back home in the morning and will be SO HAPPY to see my DH! I miss him sooo much! The first LSU home game is tomorrow night, too. A huge game against Virginia Tech. We're #2 and they're #9. Will be a great game that I really hope they win!!! I'll get home just in time to watch it, yay! Can't wait to get home! Three weeks is a long time to be away from Jared, no matter how much fun I'm having!