tick tock tick tock

well, i have been away. we took a little trip to rexburg for the grandpa ashton surprise b-day party. i love hangin' with the ashtons.

i know all three of you are wondering what the 5th, 6th, and 7th days of christmas were.....well the 5th was a replaced windshield (very useful and very very much appreciated, but i didn't think many people would want a pic of that one. ha)

the 6th & 7th were days of mirrors....check it out....

The top three mirrors will eventually swivel out after i mount them.
neat huh.

by the way..if anyone ever reads this you should also check out my cousin Katie's Blog..
it's on the left under..katie jo designs. (as i am obviously too lazy to post a link here). she is so creative it makes me feel sheepish. ha.

4th day of christmas ....

day #4= hours of brainless enjoyment. as i never buy these for myself but like to take subtle looks waiting in line at the store, aaron gave me a year subscription to one of these gems. any opinions?

doesn't that look just say, "i know i'm getting lovin' for this tonight?" yes. yes it does.

should I be posting this?

I feel slightly vain and/or spoiled posting these..but maybe someone will get gift ideas? ha. I'll just tell myself that. Today aaron gave me this beautiful glass clock. It's blending in this pic but you get the idea. This is on my desk in my music studio. awesome.

my true love gave to me.

For the first day of christmas....yes that's pine bough in those flowers. yummm




For the second day of christmas my true love gave to me...this loverly music stand....


aaron just started with the 12 days of Christmas. what a nice guy huh? sometimes i wonder why i'm a hater...i've never done the 12 days of christmas and this is aaron's SECOND time doing it for me. sigh. it's nice to feel loved :) (although if your husband isn't doing this for you..don't feel unloved -BECCA, just know that my man is better than your man. ha. JUST KIDDING).

Carmen

Tonight I found out I was accepted into the chorus of Carmen for Utah Opera.

Woo Hoo!!!

So in January go and see Carmen...with me....probably being a somewhat skanky local.

Awesome.

Voice Lessons

Hey all...

so i've been crazy motivated this week and put together my teaching website. woo hoo! halloween pics to come shortly but if you know anyone interested in singing...check this out....

http://nataliecope.musicteachershelper.com/home

it would make me less poor. ha

old lady

i am an old lady. aaron bought me a heating blanket so that i could finally sleep. my feet and hands get SO cold at night that i can't relax. ha. and this is with two blankets on. so here it is...me under my old lady heating blanket. yes!!!

update on the mirror: it still looks gold even after staining it a slightly less vegas gold, but i'm loving it. is that weird? I think it might go in my music room! yes!

I also wanted to put three mirrors up in my bedroom. one in the middle, and two that bend in at the sides. like this.....
with a light above it? What do you think?

the mirror

Aaron and I found THE mirror at DI a few days ago. This is the before pic. I'm planning on taking it from scary sun god mirror to wow...was that your grandma's amazing indie mirror? YES!

Potting

So in my attempt to collect more hobbies I went to a potting class at Red Butte with my madre and aunt. It was great girl bonding time. Apparently in December Red Butte classes are making wreaths! I know you're excited. ha.

stuffed...

yesterday I made stuffed green peppers. they were divine. you should make them too.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
6 large green peppers
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes/ S&W ready cut tomatoes are excellent
1 lb. beef
1 large onion
1/2 cup water
3/4 long grain rice
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce (yes I had to google that spelling and then go get the bottle..amazing)
4 oz colby jack cheese

Brown meat and chopped onion
Add tomatoes, water, rice and sauce
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes
Then stir in cheese

Cut off lids of green peppers and boil peppers for 6 minutes

Fill peppers and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350

lame blog post? ah well

everyone's doing it....

Random information you probably don't care about....

this is a quiz from andrea..and then becca..so if you're in the cool club, maybe you'll do it too. 2 cool 2 be 4 gotten. yep. that's me.

♥ What are your middle names?

Lynne with an "e" people, and EDWARD. yes, vampire jokes are often swapped in the cope-ashton household.

♥How long have you been together?

O geez, too long? ha. We dated for about two years and have been married for a year and five months. woot

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?

Mmm not very long, a few weeks? I dated him and another boy at the same time ...kissed other boy...stopped dating aaron. Aaron dated other girl. We both broke up with "others" ..and dated again. phew. long story.

♥ Who asked who out?

Aaron apparently left orchestra to ask me out. I was practicing sight singing. His approach was "I'm going to take you to lunch." What could I say...he was so dang confident.

♥ Who made the first move?

MMM depends on what kind of "move." I was first at hugs etc., but he kissed me on his couch. He claims I was "begging for it." Yeah I'm pretty sure I was. What. You weren't?

♥ How old are each of you?

24 and 34. Yep 10 years apart. I had to explain who Beyonce was once. ha. Slight age gap at moments but usually in a good way.

♥ Did you go to the same school?

Yes. BYU HFAC dwellers.

♥ Are you from the same home town?

I always think that's slightly creepy marrying someone from the same town. No offense anyone. But No, I'm from Hooper..he's from Logan.

♥ Who is the smartest?

I've got practical knowledge..and maybe slightly more business minded but he's got the right-minded creative genius thing going on.

♥ Who majored in what?

Moi: Vocal Performance Him (how do you say "him" in french. crap, I should know that): Violin Performance

♥ Who is the most sensitive?

ME ME ME ME ME ME ME. I'm slightly crazy...most of the time. It's pretty awesome.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?

We don't really ever eat together. I know...but our schedules are so different. I would say..East Sea.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

Greece, Italy, France and Turkey. woot woot

♥ Who has the worst temper?

I get weepy..he gets angry. Pretty typical.

♥ How many children do you want?

As for the next five years. Zero..zip.....sorry mom.

♥ Who does the cooking?

We don't cook..but if necessary aaron makes a mean breakfast and I make pretty dang good stuffed green peppers.

♥ Who is more social?

That would be me. I need people. The bigger the crowd the better. It gives me energy and excitement. Love it.

♥ Who is the neat-freak?

Me. Yes I am slightly ocd. It really bothers me to have mail on the kitchen table. ahhhhhh

♥ Who is the most stubborn?

Aaron claims we're both an Alpha. This leads to many many power struggles. ha.

♥ Who wakes up earlier?

It depends on the job. I had to be at school around 7:15 last year so I was always up earlier. Times have changed so it's usually always aaron these days. He's a "morning person" gag.

♥ Where was your first date?

crap..Denny's? We had breakfast because my schedule was so crazy at the time. We did go river rafting later on...I think that's when the spark happened. ahhh.

♥ Who has the bigger family?

Aaron. Three brothers..One sister.

♥ Do you get flowers often?

As often as I care to get them. I don't really care about the flowers..it's the card or the affection that matters more.

♥ How do you spend the holidays?

Last year we did both families. We were stopped at a gas station on christmas day because it was snowing so badly. Good memories :) This year we're switching off.

♥ Who is more jealous?

Maybe me? He had a LOT of time to be crazy in his youth. ha I sometimes wish I would've let loose more often. Ah well.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?

A year? I was freaked out by marriage and we were a little on and off for awhile. I left for a study abroad for a couple of months...we broke up for awhile. Complicated mostly.

♥ Who eats more?

Aaron eats more breakfast..I eat more of everything else. ha.

♥ What do you do for a living?

I teach voice lessons/sing. Aaron is a studio musician. He loves it.

♥ Who does/did the laundry?

We each do our own. I don't think we've ever done a load together in a year and a half. Is that weird? O well. It works.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?

Aaron. I've learned Illustrator so I'm better at that program..but he's better with everything else...except maybe facebook.

♥ Who drives when you are together?

We switch off. Usually Aaron drives a little more.

♥ What is "your" song?

It's a coldplay song. We danced to it at our wedding. I know it as "import track #3." I think it's "I feel Safe" or something.

Okay. done and done. enjoy.

girl night

tonight my madre and i went to the gateway to hang out, where i promptly spent my b-day money buying this.....a good sale at anthropology is hard to find...but we did it. woot.





(with a gray cardigan). and coveting this (to the right)......ah cuteness. and it's called "delightfully askew blouse" (adorable huh). yes, i like fashion. this does not mean i'm a mindless barbie. although i bet barbie is pretty happy in her mindlessness. just sayin'. ha.




this week i finished rereading Les Miserables. i always love reading it. anyone have a new and exciting new book find? i'm in desperate need of good books as aaron is never home and we have no tv. ha yes!!!!

p r o c r a s t i n a t i o n

why hello. i need help. my big achievement of the day was getting my butt out of bed and making dinner. that's it. ha.

so i think i'm putting off looking for another job because i don't want to hate my life quite yet. yes, i still get a paycheck for the next three months (the benefit of being a school teacher) BUT, i get anxious after about a week. i must be active ALWAYS. so if any of you out there know of any music jobs give me a call.

anyone need a singer...anyone.....ANYONE? ha *eye twitch...slurp of vanilla zero. stare out window. sigh.

birfday

this goes out to bec...who i've always had to share everything with...even a birthday. ha.
the b-day started out with a trip to Spark lounge in provo, which was good i must say...good food and fun drinks. then we hung at bec's place before heading to dinner and lagoon. (o my, has anyone ever been on "wicked," the new ride? it was pretty dang scary, aaron has claw marks to prove it. what a fun and random day. woot to getting old and staying sexy. eh eh? validate me someone. here's some random pics....

showcase!

i've been slacking with the writing. i'll try a bit harder...maybe. ha. so recently i put on a "showcase" for my performing arts kids. it was so much work and so rewarding. aaron helped me with sound and my madre and sister(s) helped with the set. i've learned so much this year about teaching and patience. ha. also about putting up a good fight and working really hard for everything i want. (real life is harder than college). i'm now looking for another job in the arts. good luck to me in this economy! these are my kids. fun fun

aaron

this goes out to the new graduate. go aaron! you're a rock star....with uh a pink tassel. SWEET. gotta love being a music major :)

give me what i want

i officially yelled at the weatherman yesterday. aaron thought i was a little crazy but COME ON. i find it very irritating when fox 13 says weather NOW, news NOW, blah blah blah and then they string you on for an hour until they give you the 7 day forecast. oh, and right before they do they say something very mysterious like..."will it be more of the same this week, we'll tell you as soon as we get done with fifteen comercials and talking about a woman had 40 cats in her home and repeat news repeat news repeat news..and this was the temperature today" (as if we didn't look outside or leave the house ALL DAY). and usually the person giving it is so pleased with themselves that they actually predicted 7 DAYS OF COLD WEATHER. boo on you and boo and utah. i'm moving to hawaii and starting a music program. rant complete. i feel better. lighter. can i get an amen?

on a happier note. i was actually on Fox 13 news for cool school of the week. yup humiliating but fun.

bec

to bec;

ahem. those of you not bec, feel free to skip this post. i just wanted to let you know how fantastic you are at being a mom. whenever i watch you have eternal patience through bryant's hour(s) of screaming i am always amazed. i guess i never realized before how very difficult motherhood is. i have to say, i was a little skeptical of complaining mothers to their very tired full-time working husbands but oi it looks hard raising a kid. i can sleep whenever i want (okay, well mostly), i can be selfish most of the time and motherhood changes everything about that. so i guess long way of saying YOU ROCK. love ya

new me

chopped my hair off and i LOVE IT.  i told aaron last night that women with short hair are more successful. ha.  the new fawcet?  i think so....

cozy 97.9

as my monday/wednesday night routine of de-stresssing (i am ashamed to say this) i "sometimes" listen to cozy. tonight was especially cuddley. a brief description of the event follows..ahem...

Have you ever really ever...ever really ever loved a woman?
nat's thought process "well have you...men of the world ...have you"

Nat starts rockin' out and connecting spiritually with Bryan Adams

ah cue lyrics..

"To really love a woman, to understand her
You gotta know her deep inside
Hear every thought, see every dream
An' give her wings when she wants to fly
Then when you find yourself lyin' helpless in her arms
You know you really love a woman

When you love a woman
You tell her, that she's really wanted
When you love a woman you tell her that she's the one
'Cuz she needs somebody"

Nat lingers a little too long on "she's" (long note)

red light. nat stops the car.

looks left all clear.. looks right at an unusually rockin' steerwheel hit on long high note. man staring at natalie thinking she is ...um...listening to cozy...need i say more.

awesome. really, visit me anytime....

to twitter

what exactly is "twittering"? i keep hearing the word or phrase "so and so has updated their blog through twitter". what the... why the new technology and what does it mean. ah a deep mystery. someone clue me in.

oh and yes i finished "the Singing" if any of you are trying to find it go to barnes and noble and "pretend" to browse the history section. at this point make a subtle course for the "teen fantasy aisle" it should be right next to some twilight knockoff and a book about a dragon. amazing day with my book rendezvous. yes sweet release from daily gloom and doom.

i think we should try an experiment. if you are reading this blog. give a shout out. thanks bec. ha ha ha ha.

read me

listen to my playlist in a dark room. absorb it. love it. life changing.

today was beautiful. bec and i took a stroll by the provo river today. it was so warm! i can't believe how my mood changes with sunshine.

movie time. ciao

congrats

i want to give a shout out to the little simon. i'm so excited to see him! i hope he's doing great at home.

second thought: i took my high school kids to the marriage of figaro this past week. it rocked. i strongly recommend seeing it as Figaro was incredible. i laughed out loud in several sections (yes, i'm the opera nerd). does the period go after the ) ? i need to review my writing skills apparently.

low point: i watched AND enjoyed little house on the prairie yesterday. wow. laura was all grown up and married. sniffle. come visit me anytime :) ha

more to come on my adorable music room....

V day!!!

yes....the yellow truck...."bulldozer" get it? subtle.


























a w e s o m e.












My favorite truck of the night.

So instead of placing unrealistic romantic expectations on aaron this year i decided to plan valentines day. i think every wife/girlfriend should take over planning dates because it's harder than you think!!! aaron was amazed at how much time i spent planning. (i think it's good to set a high standard ha.)

so white trash date here we come.

the night began after I researched the best hamburger in salt lake...."the Garlic Burger" was the critic choice so we headed out to "the cotton bottom inn" i.e. bar. hilarious. imagine psycho....shower scene knife jabs...death music....and welcome to the good ol' cotton bottom.

being the awkward non-drinkers in the small dark creepy room, we order our diet cokes and pick the darkest corner in the shack. ha. then we jump into our burgers. ah long-lasting garlic breath isn't the most romantic idea in the world. stupid natalie. ha



next up. MONSTER TRUCK RACE!!!! yeah! too much testosterone. at first i was very confused on why anyone would want to spend money on this event...but that was before the monster truck "freestyle" uh huh. HUGE jumps, spinning, rolling, man shouting, air jabs, hand slap, YEAHHHHHHH. chest slap. phew. what a date.

i'll spare you details of our white trash "after party" ha. welp. love ye aaron.

cutie pie

yes i am eating conversation hearts. so i'm sitting here in the hospital watching my rock star sister sleep. she just had her new baby boy Bryant. he's now in the nicu (newborn intensive care unit) for some breathing complications. it all seems so unreal that my twin sister has a child. i'm hoping he's going to make it through today with no other problems, that they'll be able to find the problem so that bec and bry can reunite. i see how much she misses him already. to you mothers out there. way to go. that's the scariest thing i've ever seen!!! ha. i can't believe women put themselves through that! and those of you who don't have an epidural. wow. masochists? jokes

another heart.

I hope....

love you bec and bryant. i just want bec to have a room full of flowers and family with her little boy. i hope it happens!!!!

and to trav. you'll be the best dad of all time. no really

job hell

i had to give out grades today. i am horribly bad at giving out grades. what is the point of some stupid letter defining how smart a person is? well, i had lots of kids with lots of bad grades. (okay probably not THAT many but does that mean i suck as a teacher?) mmmmm don't think about it.

notice how much of a fine line there is between hope and holy crap my life is turning to crap? i choose hope. that's my message of the day. choose, because it's too easy to fall off the ledge.

i've been listening to tin hat trio...i strongly recommend it. even if it's just a one time go.

i like randomness. shall i try word association? black. black speaker. black like my decaying dark demented soul ha. soul. music. the thrill is gone. gone. sunlight. tan. swimming. st george. becca. laughter. baby. bec's baby. excited. aaron. car horn. aaron's home!

the end. love to all.

why hello

so i'm not a blogger. those of you who know me well....know this VERY well. BUT i'm making a change. mostly so that my niece will know my name. so here's a shout out to the ava. your aunt's name is NATALIE. (deb, this is where you practice....n a t a l i e). very good.

things of interest for today and/or thoughts of the day. aaron had me record some funny sounding vocals for some track he's putting together. it was incredibly fun and aaron was a very good vocal coach. his comments and I quote, "just put more air in it. stop supporting it. sound like a little girl." a betty boop visual was the key to unlocking my voice teacher's worst nightmare. ha. it was a pretty great diversion if nothing else.

Other thoughts. i'm rereading "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac. I read this book two years ago and thought it was ...well....not very captivating and scattered. BUT aaron claims it was a society changing book so i'm giving it a second chance. apparently he wrote the whole book on one long sheet of paper with no punctuation or paragraphs. so when I read it seems like a very very very very long road. ha. those intellectuals out there please forgive me, i'm trying!

well...another day of teaching tomorrow. i have two auditions coming up so we'll see how they go. keep an eye out for any events that need a singer. woot.