Summer Projects

This is what I painted at "Color Me Mine." I'm not crafty very often, so I was pretty pleased.

This is what Dave built back in June. It's way cooler than mine.

Deep Thoughts (by Jack Handy)

The last two are dedicated to my sisters Mary and Laura. I love you two crazy kids.

"Broken promises don't upset me. I just think, why did they believe me?"

"Consider the daffodil. And while you're doing that, I'll be over here, looking through your stuff."

"When this girl at the museum asked me whom I liked better, Monet or Manet, I said, "I like mayonnaise." She just stared at me, so I said it again, louder. Then she left. I guess she went to try to find some mayonnaise for me."

"Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean ? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind."

You say it's your birthday...

Tuesday, August 5, 2008, Amanda Bateman turned...30!! That's right folks, I'm not as young as I look...or act, maybe. 30 seems like such a significant number, and it used to sound old to me when I was a teenager. And although it is odd that I am actually 30 and an official grown up, I'm not freaked out by it...that's what I keep telling myself...=).

To celebrate, Dave took me to Park City for two nights without Spencer. It was fabulous! We ate good food, slept in, saw a movie, and Dave was sweet and patient while I shopped at the outlet stores for 3 1/2 hours (this is a feat, as he is not a shopper) - he even did some shopping of his own. And while, of course, I missed Spencer, and thought about him constantly, it was so nice to do something that was just the two of us. Thanks Dave!


This is at the Olypmic Park.



"Hi! It's my birthday, and there's a double rainbow behind me!" (I know I look like a dork, but it's endearing, right? Plus, you can't tell very well in the pic, but there IS a double rainbow behind me.)

30 for 30

I am copying my good friend Stacy on this one...she always has good ideas!

I wanted to share 30 things about myself in light of my new age. Random tidbits you may or may not know. Here they are in no particular order =):


1. I do not like taxidermy, it gives me the heebie-jeebies. I used to not even be able to be in the same room with taxidermy…but I’m doing better lately.

2. I enjoy hip-hop music, and probably look like the whitest girl in the world when I “jam” to it.

3. My eyelashes are stick straight, and I have been curling them since the 6th grade.

4. I can raise each eyebrow, one at a time.

5. I am pretty much always 5 minutes late to everything.

6. My husband proposed to me twice – once on the Tower Bridge in London (where I said “ask again later”) and again on a small wood bridge at Sundance (where I said “YES!)

7. Growing up, my family went on a number of backpacking trips in the Redwoods, which I very much enjoyed. Recently, I don’t love camping so much...particularly when my child does not sleep well in a tent. Dave teases me that I lied to him about loving all the camping I did growing up - to woo him.

8. I was 3rd Runner up in the 1995 Miss Gold Nugget Pagent in Paradise, CA.

9. I LOVE THE BEATLES. My Beatle’s song title nickname among my family is “The Fool on the Hill.” Don’t worry, I made it up myself.

10. My celebrity crushes are James Marsden and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson…that last one is a little embarrassing to admit.

11. Family is the very most important thing to me. I am lucky that my family members are my best friends (immediate, extended, and in-laws).

12. I enjoy TP-ing (toilet papering), and used to say that I would never stop TP-ing. I said I would TP the room next to mine at the rest home when I’m 90. I haven’t been in a LONG time…I think I’m overdue.

13. Now that I’m 30 I must finally be growing up because just this last year I’ve decided I like pickles, peppers, and fish. Not necessarily all together...

14. I love Girls Camp – as a girl, and as a leader. I still sing the camp songs, and Spencer really likes them!

15. I am a Ricks College graduate – class of 1998 baby!

16. I like the smell of wet pavement.

17. I LOVE Disneyland…it is the happiest place on earth, after all.

18. I love anything chocolate and caramel together.

19. People say I look like my mom. That's a good thing.

20. I love shopping…is that wrong??

21. I am not crafty or scrapbooky. Maybe someday I will be.

22. When I was young, my best friend Jill and I had dreams of starting a candy store, and the name we came up with for it was “Jimanda’s Candies”…I think it has a nice ring to it.

23. Contrary to popular belief (ie, my husband), I am good at Math…or at least I was in school.

24. I love to perform in Musicals…but haven’t been in one since high school.

25. I think Hawaii is the most beautiful place on earth that I have seen so far.

26. In 6th grade, I could not understand why anyone wouldn’t peg their pants.

27. I took dance classes for 8 years while growing up.

28. I would like to visit Japan someday.

29. I have such a hard time going to bed early…early means before midnight.

30. The name “Amanda” means, Loveable.

Now you know more about me than you ever wanted to. But I like these kinds of things...I like learning new things about my friends. So if any of you get the urge to make your own list, I will thoroughly enjoy reading it!

I am a Child of God

Here is an interesting rendition of "I am a Child of God," but it's pretty much my favorite rendition now =). Listen for the part about "with parents kind and dear" as it has been changed to "with parents like daddy." What a gyp! Oh also, he is trying to speed through it so he can hold the camera and watch himself =).

I also have the BEST video of him dancing in the hot tub, but for some reason it won't download. It is on my facebook page, so if you haven't already seen it, you should check it out, 'cause it's awesome.

Copycat

If you ever want to know what you sound like, just listen to your 2, almost 3, year old. Yesterday I saw Spencer with my cell phone up to his ear and he said: "Hello? Howa you? Uh-huh. Yes. Yes. Uh-huh. Talk t'you latah. Bye!" Then he hung up the phone. I guess that's pretty much the gist of some of my phone conversations!

You'd think it was GQ

In some exciting news from the Bateman's world...Dave is on the cover of another magazine! How crazy is that? "Entrepreneur" magazine featured Property Solutions (Dave's software business) in an article about raising capital for their August 2008 issue. Dave was interviewed for the article, and then he and his cohorts, aka business partners - John Hanna, and Ben Zimmer - were asked to participate in a little photo shoot...but they had no idea they'd end up on the cover! Plus, his part of the article is so short, they were surprised to have their pictures taken at all.

This makes a total of 2 magazine covers for Dave and Ben. They were featured in "Fortune Small Business" in October 2003 for winning the magazine's national MBA business plan competition.

When will I be on the cover of a magazine? I am assuming the answer to that is, never. Oh well... I was in a commercial for the Chico Mall once (barely), and in a Seminary movie...that's a little bit cool...or something...maybe? But I am very proud and thrilled about this, and about the success that Property Solutions is having. These guys have certainly worked hard enough to deserve it.


Cover shot. This picture is actually only on the cover of copies that are sent out to subscribers...you won't see it on the newsstands...but it's still pretty darn awesome.

This is the inside cover...from their poses, you'd think it was a photo shoot for GQ or something.

This is the cover of Fortune Small Business from 2003. It's a horrible picture, I know. It's a picture I took of our copy, and I'm a horrible photographer - sorry!