Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Try Saying That 10 Times Fast!

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Reverend Lady Sariah the Festive of Biggleswade by Biscuit
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Winter Guard

I was thinking that most of you guys don't actually know what a winter guard is. Because it is my job right now, and I'm bound to be talking about it a lot, I wanted to share with you what it is I'll be doing. It's a lot of fun. Definitely a lot of hard work, but a lot of fun, too. I'm lucky to be working with a great group of kids. There is no drama (yet) and they are all hard workers.

This video that I'm sharing is of a really talented group out of Florida. Their name is Paradigm. They aren't a high school group, rather a community group that uses kids from the area. This was their 2005 show. I LOVE this show. Hope you guys enjoy it, too.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Random Friday

I love it when it rains. Which it is doing right now. It's light outside, but not too bright. Some may say it's dark and gloomy, but I like it this way. The temperature has dropped a little. It's not cold, but it's definitely cool. I changed back into my soft pajama pants, so I'm very comfortable right now. I'm wearing a light-weight, long-sleeved shirt, and it feels perfect. As I listen to the sound of the rain hitting pavement, the window, and the roof, I sit here with a cup of warm hot chocolate. Parker is asleep, Aiden is at school, Ches is at work, and Dallin is watching "Go Diego, Go!". It is very relaxing right now. I wish it could stay exactly like this forever!

*****

I'm sure that we all know I can't sew, right? I come by it honestly, growing up with a mother that very often, and very proudly, stated "Sew is not in my vocabulary!" I have tried to learn to sew. I had visions of making my own dresses for prom, doing my own alterations, making clothes for my kids someday, making pillows and quilts and stuffed animals and curtains and pot holders... whatever I could think of.

I seem to have some kind of sewing machine deficiency, however. If I have "adult supervision", I do just fine. Whenever I'm alone with a machine, however, problems happen. On every single machine I have ever tried to use. I break the needle. The tension is wrong and my fabric is puckering. The thread wraps around the bobbin casing. My fabric gets sucked into the machine as if it wants to join the bobbin.

I get frustrated and end up yelling at both the machine and myself. It's not a pretty sight.

Mr. Universe has had some clothes that he needed mending. I would laugh and say, "Put it in the mending box!" I would laugh because whenever my mom said that to us as we grew up, we knew we would never again see that article of clothing. They never got mended. (Well, if we had a hole in the knee of our jeans, we got patches. But they were iron-on patches, so I don't think that really counts!)

Mr. Universe has been asking me and asking me to mend his clothes. He wants to wear the two hoodies! Those are his favorite school pants! So on Monday I pulled out the sewing machine and said "I can do this."

After about 45 minutes of frustration and hitting the table and yelling (no swearing because I do have young children nearby. Although yes, I got in trouble from Aiden for saying "stupid" a lot), I did it. I conquered my sewing machine and was able to fix his clothes!! I feel like a rock star!!

Now, if I can just figure out how to get the stain out of his favorite dress shirt...

*****

Wednesday was Winter Guard rehearsal. I was meeting most of the kids for the first time. Things were going great. We had worked out a bit and done some yoga. We were about to start on some flag fundamentals, but I wanted to lay down some ground rules and talk about our schedule for the season. The kids were all sitting on the floor and I was in a chair (I felt like it was story time and I was going to read to them). Just as I started talking about stuff, I shifted my weight and... I farted. Not too loudly, but loud enough.

I. Was. So. Mortified. Seriously.

The kids all laughed (as did I) and kept saying it's no big deal, but I know my face went really, really red. What a way to make a first impression, huh? Oh well. We now consider ourselves quite bonded.

*****

Speaking of embarassing...

Yesterday I was chatting online with Lo and we were playing Literati. Just as she put up her "superstar" word, waft, I fell off my chair. Seriously. I just fell. I mean, I was shifting my weight again (I'm starting to think this is a bad thing for me to do!) when I lost my balance and there I went.

Mr. Universe came home just a few minutes later. I told him what happened, and he started to laugh. "Only you," he said. "Only you."

*****

I just finished reading The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. (She wrote the Confessions of a Shopoholic books that I loved so much). This was another delightful story. Light reading, but not so light you feel like you're wasting your brain by reading it. Chick lit, yes, but I seem to be into that these days.

The story is about this young, high-powered, London lawyer named Samanatha who makes a mistake and essentially freaks out. She gets on a train, and when she gets off she is in this small villiage she has never heard of before. Sam goes to the closest house to get directions, but somehow is mistaken for an interviewee for a housekeeping job. She is offered the job, and she takes it. The biggest problem is... she has NO clue about housework or cooking. I mean, seriously no clue. So she has to figure it out. In the meantime, Sam discovers what it is to have a life, and of course she falls in love.

I didn't find this chatacter as engaging as Becky (the Shopoholic), but I still loved her and felt for her. I could identify with her, too, as I'm not exactly a domestic goddess myself (you've all heard my cooking and baking stories, and many of you have seen the state of cleanliness I keep my house). I give this book my Official Sariah Stamp of Approval.

*****

I am currently reading Echoes by Maeve Binchey. It's one that is on my bookshelf, and I have read it several tmes already. It's been a little while, though, so it's the right time to read it again.

Dallin is currently really into Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberly (Aiden got the book for Christmas from Santa because it was his favorite book to check out of the library in Nevada). Dallin really likes the "sharp white teeth" and getting to yell "Go away!"

*****

The word of the day is seriously. I say it's the word of the day because I have found myself using it a lot lately. Here is the official definition from dictionary.com:

se·ri·ous·ly [seer-ee-uhs-lee] –adverb
1. in a serious manner: He shook his head seriously.
2. to an alarmingly grave extent: seriously ill.
3. with genuine, earnest intent; sincerely: Seriously, kids, we have to get home before dark.

Monday, January 15, 2007

First, Give Up That Daily Latte

Mr. Universe was given lots of great Christmas gifts from his students this year. He got cool Christmas ornaments, a homemade heating pad (you know, the kind you stick in the microwave? The mom even made a seperate, washable cover. Ches loves it!), gift cards to Barnes and Nobles, cookies and candy, hot chocolate, and a bajillion gift cards to Starbucks. The Starbuck cards are worth (all together, of course) more than $50.

Now, you all know we don't drink coffee. Not only is it against our religion, but neither Ches nor I even like the smell of the stuff. (It used to crack me up going to college in a largely LDS town and seeing all these Mormon kids standing in the coffee aisle of the supermarket just to smell the coffee. Funny kids.) I'm sure the gift cards for coffee would be great for most people, but not so much for Mr. Universe!

Thank goodness for hot chocolate. Starbucks has very yummy hot chocolate. And lots of yummy foods. VERY yummy. You can't go wrong getting some crumb cake or a cinnamon roll or a granola bar. It's almost like heaven!!

I also think it's nice that Mr. Universe has these cards because I know there is at least one Starbucks close to where he works, and if he needs a little snack or something before or after that long commute, he can use a card and get something.

Starbucks, however, is extremely overpriced! Oh. My. Gosh. No wonder whenever you are watching some Dr. Phil or Oprah like talk show and there is this nice couple that is trying their darndest to get out of debt, the first thing they are told is "make your coffee at home. Give up that daily latte." You see, let's say this is something we actually did. Let's say Ches stopped at Starbucks every morning on his way to school and bought himself a $3 drink. He would be spending around $90 a month... just for a quick pick-me-up!!! What if he decided on something else? Say a yummy and satisfying $5 hot drink. We're talking $150 that month!! OH MY HECK!! Now, of course not everyone works 7 days a week, so maybe we're aiming a little high, but how many people stop at just a drink? Not when it smells sooooo good and the breakfast sweets are looking sooooo bright and big and you find a little spot of drool on your collar... every now and then you are going to "splurge" and get yourself a piece of blueberry coffee cake for $3.50, right? Heck yes you are! And it tastes so good, why regret it, right?

Because $150 a month can pay off credit cards a lot faster than $45 or $80 a month. I always hated hearing the whole "Give up your daily latte" spiel because we don't buy a latte every day and I could never figure out what little thing like that we should give up that would add up. Because we DON'T go out and get a coffee every day. Or pizza and ice cream every week. Or see a movie in the theatre. Or even rent movies. Those activities have become such a rarity I don't think I can even count it as once a month!! Okay, maybe once a month or for special occasions (like the kids being sick the whole week before Christmas. So I rented a ton of movies just so we wouldn't be watching the same Wiggles DVD for 6 hours straight while they lay on the couch like their dying and whine about their noses and tummies hurting).

I'm still trying to figure out what my daily latte sacrifice is, but until then, Mr. Universe and I are going to enjoy using his gift cards for some really yummy hot chocolate.

Let's Talk About Sex

Don't worry, everyone. I'm not going to talk about anything graphic. I just have some things I've been thinking about that I would like some opnions on because I'm curious about what others think.

How many of you watch "Desperate Housewives"? I don't think most of you do. I love the show. It cracks me up most of the time. Anyway, there is a little story line going on right now about the daughter of one of the "housewives". The daughter, Julie, has started dating the resident Bad Boy (I'll call him BB because I can't remember the character's actual name). Being teenagers, they are "in love" and making out a lot, and of course he is pressuring her to have sex. In the last episode, she was saying "No, I don't think I'm ready yet" and he was saying to her "That's fine, but you can't blame me for trying" and stuff like that.

Julie then goes to her friend (can't remember her name, either, so we'll call her Neighbor Girl, or NG) and is talking about this dilemna. Neighbor Girl says if you aren't ready, don't do it (and she says she should know because basically she is a slut and she knows that, too). Julie is a little worried about the pressure, and Neighbor Girl's brother walks in and interjects with the whole idea that if Bad Boy isn't getting sex from Julie, he's getting it from somewhere else. Julie insists that BB is a "gentleman", and NG insists that not all guys are that bad, but the brother insists that it's just the way guys are.

Julie worries some more and decides to have sex with Bad Boy. The end of the episode shows us that BB is indeed sleeping with someone else... you see him in bed with a girl (can't see her face yet) and he says, "I don't think we should be doing this anymore." Of course, who sits up? Neighbor Girl. She replies, "Just because Julie slept with you doesn't mean we can't keep having fun."

Yes, we all know NG is a slut. That isn't the point of all this.

In tonight's episode, there is a whole ordeal with Julie and Bad Boy about birth control and how they are "in love" and want to be responsible. Julie's mom (Susan) finds Julie's pack of birth control pills, freaks out, finds out that Bad Boy's aunt (Edie) is the one who helped Julie get them, and confronts Edie. As Susan and Edie are arguing and walk into Edie's house, who do they find going at it on the couch? Bad Boy and Neighbor Girl. At the end of the episode Susan breaks the news to Julie, who is of course heartbroken. It's her first love, you know. Who can blame her?

Anyway... this is what I'm wondering about:

Are guys (especially sexually active guys) really that shallow? Or is it just a few of them? I know that most of us are married to guys that were either not sexually active until we married them, or I don't think they were that kind of scum to sleep with two girls at the same time. But I wonder about a lot of these guys.

I wonder because I remember being in high school, dating a guy who did not share the same set of standards that I did. I really liked this guy a LOT (okay, I admit it... it was my first love, but I was 17. What did I know about love back then??). Yes, the guy was Jerk Faced Liar. Jerk Faced Liar had been sexually active before we dated, and I knew that. I made it clear that I was not willing to have sex until I married. In the time that we dated, the pressure to have sex grew and grew.

(Side note to Mom... if you are reading this, and I'm sure you are... I know that you know that pressure was there, so you don't have to talk about it, okay? I also know you were scared to death for what I may or may not have been doing because I remember the night I came in after a date and woke you up. I was sobbing and couldn't talk and you were trying to comfort me and saying things like "It's okay. Whatever it is, it's okay." and it dawned on me "Oh my gosh, my mom thinks I'm pregnant!" and when I told you why I was crying, I could see the complete relief on your face!!)

I sometimes wondered this when I was dating Jerk Faced Liar, but I was blinded by how much I cared for him and didn't think it would be possible. Every now and then the thought came into my head that after another date and another time of no sex, did he go to someone else after taking me home? Was he getting sex from someone else? It was never more than a fleeting thought at the time, and was NEVER anything to make me think I had to sleep with him to keep him, but the thought did cross my mind a few times.

In the years after we broke up, Jerk Faced Liar admitted lying to me about several things while we were dating... the two biggest things being that he never believed in my church and only joined to make me happy (you wouldn't believe the discussions we had about how important it was to both of us to not change religion for someone else, but for our individual self only) and that he had never actually quit smoking when we had this big bet going on about it and I "lost" the bet when he didn't smoke (turns out he smoked whenever I wasn't around and would try to cover it up... all our friends knew but me. Boy, do I still feel like such an idiot for trusting him!!).

After Jerk Faced Liar admitted these things to me, I started to wonder again whether or not he "cheated" while we were dating, but I never asked. I'm not in contact with him now, and I'm not about to get in contact with him (yes, I do know how to find him if I need to) just to have this question answered.

Do I really want to know the answer? If the answer is yes, he did cheat, then what does that accomplish? More hurt and pain for me. I would feel stupid all over again for trusting someone like that. I would hate myself all over again for even dating someone that I KNEW didn't share my beliefs and values, no matter how many interests we shared. If the answer is no, will that change my opinion on Jerk Faced Liar and how he treated me? Not hardly. He still lied about so many other things and treated me horribly after we broke up (he kissed a so-called friend the DAY AFTER we broke up! And we only broke up to make it "official" or something because I was leaving to go to college 2000 miles away 2 weeks later!! He was still kissing me! Anyway...)

I talked about it a little with Mr. Universe. I asked his opinion: Are guys really like that? He said he doesn't think so, but then again maybe there are a bunch out there that do think that way because the "world" says casual sex is okay. To us, sex is sacred and special, and I don't want to have sex with anyone else... ever. Just him. I don't want him to have sex with anyone else but me. I can't even THINK about if one of us has shared that experience with someone other than each other because it is such a special thing, and I don't like that so many people treat sex as such a casual thing. It should be special! Not just something fun to do. Not just something that feels good at the time. Casual sex just cheapens what I have with my husband.

My opinion, of course. (And it's what I tell my "girls" when they start talking about sex and want my opinion about stuff. Heh)

So basically, I want to know your opinion... other than those "straight-arrow" kind of guys (you know, the LDS returned missionaries and such, for the most part), are guys just really that needy for sex that they would jeopardize a great relationship with one girl that he shares interests and love but not sex just to satisfy his so-called needs with another girl (friend or otherwise)?

Like I said, it's not something that I HAVE to know about in my own past, but I am curious as to what is really out there. Am I in such a bubble or that naive to think that most guys really are going to be "gentlemen" and listen when their girlfriend says "No, I'm not ready for that kind of a relationship"???

Friday, January 12, 2007

The Return... Maybe

I got a bill from the hospital last week. Just for me, just for being in the hospital (no doctor's fees or anesthesiologists fees or assistants fees, etc) is $12,000.

Gulp.

No, I don't quite know what the next step is. Those of you have been following our billing woes will know that we were already pretty stressed about getting stuff paid for, but this just blows it all out of the water.

Pray for us. We need it.

*****

Aiden's preschool has a field trip this month. We get to go to a dinosaur museum!! It's going to be so much fun! Aiden has been asking if this is the day we get to go every day this week. We don't go for a few more weeks yet. We're pretty excited, and by we I mean Aiden!

*****

Did I tell you guys I got the winter guard gig I was hoping for?? If not.. well, uh, I got the winter guard gig at the high school nearest our house. I'm really excited. They seem like a good group of kids, and there shouldn't be a lot of drama going on.

I have an assistant, too. It can be a really good thing, but sometimes it's annoying. I kind of have to remind her I'm in charge, I think. For example, *I* should have the set of keys, not her. *I* get the final say on what music we're doing. And *I* set the schedule and call extra rehersals. So, yeah.

*****

Mr. Universe has his music educator's conference this weekend. It's nice that it's essentially here in town because I will still see him. Sort of. He still leaves before I get up (or want to, anyway) and he won't be home until late, but he's close if I need him and we don't have to pay for a hotel or anything for him.

It feels kind of odd to not go to the conference with him. I didn't go when we were in Nevada, either. But technically it is my career, too. I may not be teaching, but I'm still interested in all the clinics and concerts they have. It just costs too much for me to go, and besides, I don't want to have to get a sitter, especially since Parker is refusing to take any formula and my breast pump is totally dead now, so I have to be at his beck and call.

Anyway, I hope Mr. Universe comes home with lots of cool information to share. I'm interested in the Body Mapping class, but I don't know if he will go to that one.

*****

You know those Yahoo! Avitars? Laural and I were complaining to each other several months back that they didn't have any avitars with pregnant bellies. Well, now they do! They are cute, too. Of course, I'm not pregnant any more, and neither is Laural. But they do have a couple where you can be holding a baby, or there is a toddler that goes across the screen in a walker, or you can even have a baby in a stroller. So I chose to be holding a baby. If you want to see it, I guess you'll just have to see my Yahoo 360 page or talk to me Yahoo IM. I can't see a way to show my avitar here (I'm sure there's a way, but when you are so technologically challenged, as i am, you just don't know how to do this kind of stuff).

*****

While in Idaho, I got three new shirts from Old Navy. One shirt is so cool. It says, "I put the R in RAD."

Ches just laughed and said, "Who says 'rad' anymore?" I don't know, but I like it anyway. So there. Oh, and I heard someone on TV say it the other day, and it wasn't some old show from the 80's or anything either.

When I first started at Ricks College, I was very surprised to hear people using the word "rad". I mean, it was 1995, for heaven's sake! Who says rad??? It was such an 80's, Southern California word to me. (It helped that I lived in Southern California for most of the 80's, I'm sure) To hear what I thought were fairly intelligent people use this outdated word just made me laugh... a lot. And then one day, I used the word "rad". I was now one of them!!

It was kind of like living in the South. I did not want to ever use the word "fixin'". I have no problems with words like "y'all", but "fixin'" was just too much for this "Yankee" (why in the world they called me a Yankee... that's another subject.). One day, it just popped out of my mouth like it was the most natural thing in the world: "I'm fixin' to get ready for work. I'll call you later, 'kay?"

I never did use either word all that much, but they became a part of my vocabulary for a while there.

*****

Aiden wants me to turn on a movie for him, so he is standing here, next to the computer, saying, "Can you come now? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?" He wants to watch The Incredibles, and then he asked me to type it. I said, "In just a minute, Aiden" and he said, "C'mon! Type it!" He is so going to be the one in his group of friends that talks everyone else into doing things:

"C'mon! It's okay! You can do it. What's the problem?"

This kid is trouble, I tell ya.

*****

Aiden's preschool teacher told me today how smart he is because of his knowledge of space. She said how impressed she is. She also said we must work with him a lot. We're doing a great job, and it shows.

Well, I don't know that we actually work with him a lot, but it made me feel good anyway. And I am extremely proud of my smart son.

*****

Taking bets on whether or not I do Random Friday again next week. Any takers??

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Grumble Grumble Growl Grrr Argh

Okay, y'all.I'm sorry to switch things up again, but I'm trying to keep an open mind about this whole New Blogger businessand I'm trying to figure out all these new, supposedly cool and easy-to-use features. So I was stupid and ended up losing all of my links. I've pretty much got them back, and for those of you who have moved to Wordpress, I think I've got you in the right place. Be patient with me, everyone, as I try to update myself. If I somehow missed putting you on my blogroll, please let me know so I can add you!! Or if there was a link on my "Other Sites" list that I had but don't anymore, let me know of that, too.

Oh, and sad news: I have decided to let The Poetry Reading die. I still just don't feel in the mood to deal with it, and no one has been that active for quite a while. Thank you, Julia, for putting in so much effort. If you would like to revive it yourself, go for it! But it's time to let this one go, I think. I don't have it linked right now, but I won't cut it completely off yet, in case there was something there you guys wrote and may want to keep. Go get it! I'll shut it completely down in probably two weeks or so.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Home Again

I had a wonderful time in Idaho. Lo and family were awesome. Lo's daughter, A., was such a cutie!! She can tell a story like you wouldn't believe. It was actually hard to believe some of the stories, too (like when she said they brought a jaguar to her school and someone had to fight the jaguar. Do you know who they picked? A.! And she is the youngest in the whole school!! That was quite a story right there.). KeeJay said he wanted to come home with me. I asked him if he thought he'd fit in my (overstuffed) suitcase, and he smiled and said, "Yes!!" Parker did really well on the plane, bothing coming and going. He stayed pretty happy the whole trip, but you could tell he was excited to be home with his daddy and brothers.

I did miss Aiden and Dallin a lot. I know they missed me, and the hugs and cuddles I got from them when I got home were wonderful. Aiden was quite emotional on Sunday in church without me there, but he's getting back to normal now. Yesterday he didn't want to go to school. I made him go anyway. His teacher told me he was pretty good, but kept saying how tired he was and he needed a nap. At one point he started asking them to call me because his "lips hurt". I said, "Okay, Napolean! Just because you were born in Preston doesn't mean you have to act out the movie!" What's really funny is that I don't think Aiden has actually seen the movie. The lips hurting business was just something he came up with. Crazy kid.
One of the best parts of my trip was being able to go to my old ward in Preston. It felt like coming home. Everyone was so excited to see me and soooooo many people asked if we had moved back. They were pretty disappointed when I said no. I sat with a family that we often sat near, and it was just like old times. The mom and I sat next to each other in Relief Society, too, and we just whispered together like we did 3 years ago. It was so fun. I enjoyed seeing some of my young women again. They are all so grown up now! One in particular (who is part of the family I was sitting with) really just surprised me. When I was you YW leader, I knew she had a testimony of the Church and everything. I had heard her bear her testimoney at Girl's Camp and she would make really good comments in class on Sundays. This week though, I could see something so different. She is a freshman at BYU and you can see the excitement about what she is learning (not just in her secular classes, but in her religion classes, too). She just glowed from head to foot. She bore her testimony during sacrament meeting, and shared comments and observations during Relief Society. Her testimoney of the Church has grown by leaps and bounds. I couldn't be more proud of her! It really does sound so cliche', but she has truely grown into a beautiful young lady.

Lo and I took her family to Rexburg on Saturday and we went to our old stomping grounds at the Snow Building (the Fine Arts building). This picture is of Laural and me with Eliza R. Snow. Eliza took care of us while we were there as students, so we just HAD to see her again! :) All of you alumni would be soooo surprised at the changes in the Snow building! They have recently added 3600 square feet to the building. There is a very large rehearsal room (it's niiiiiiiice!), new instrument lockers, new bathrooms, a percussion "suite" (small ensemble rehearsal room, storage rooms, and Bro. Taylor's new office), new classrooms and practice rooms, a black box theatre, costume shop, ticket booth, and I can't remember what else for the theatre department (sorry Lura. But you know us musicians tended to ignore you theatre freaks as much as possible. heh). It was really cool to see the new stuff in the building as well as the old stuff.

We drove up on the hill and saw the Rexburg Temple. It's still being built, but when it's done it is just going to be gorgeous!! I think I was expecting to see one of the regular "small" temple designs, but the architecture is nothing like that.
The wierdest thing about being in Rexburg was when I got out of the car into the wind and snow. Now, I remembered that it was super cold there during the winter. I remembered that it was windy. There were many reasons why the town was nicknamed "Iceburg" by the students. However, my memory had faltered. I stepped out of the van and I'm telling you, the cold wind reached up and bit me. It was soooo cold! I can't even describe it! I said to Laural, "How did we live in this climate and walk everywhere??? This is miserable!" I loved my time at Ricks College, and I still try to encourage everyone I know to attend BYU-Idaho, but my goodness, I don't know if I could ever live in that winter again!
I had a great time with Laural. She's not my BFF for nothing! We had a whole afternoon of eating and shopping in Logan where we got to have lots of girl talk. Oh! And of course we stopped at the Pepperidge Farms factory and bought big bags of "seconds" from the Thrift Store. Mmmmmm, Milanos. Anyway, I miss hanging out with Lo. I hope you can come visit us soon!! And I really hope we are able to come up there this summer, too. It was not enough time. It never is.

THANKS FOR THE FUN AND RELAXING VACATION, LO! YOU'RE THE BEST!!!!!

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Ice Cream


We went to Dairy Queen tonight for dessert. It was a real treat for all of us, as we rarely go out for anything anymore. Aiden got a vanilla ice cream cone (he says vanilla is his faaaaavorite ice cream in the whoooooooole world). He was very content with what he had, and even let Dallin have a taste. Then, Aiden offered Parker a taste. I told Aiden that Parker is still too little and he doesn't even know what ice cream is. Aiden's face lit up as he explained:

"Ice cream is a tasty, cold treat that is delightful and it tastes awesome and is delicious."

Who could come up with a better explanation than that??

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Here We Have Idaho

Tomorrow night at this time I will be in IDAHO!!!!! WOOT!! Laural (Music Mom) gave me the BEST present ever for Christmas and my birthday: a vacation. I fly out tomorrow night to Salt Lake, then up to Preston until Sunday night.

I am so freakin' excited.

Preston is not the most exciting town (you've all seen Napolean Dynamite, right??), but I actually love it. Now that I don't live there anymore. It's not the place for me to live. But I love to visit. I have lots of friends and family there now. I have lots of good memories there. It's where Aiden was born. It's where Ches had his first job. It's where I got to party with Laural after the Festival of Lights parades every year. It's where the kids all called Ches "Mr. Sharp" and called me "Sariah". It's where the entire town saw me run across a football field right before the band performed at pregame when I was 9 months pregnant, It's one of the closest things I have to a hometown right now.

Laural and I have big plans, mainly involving our two favorite men: Ben & Jerry.

Heh. You thought I was going to say Ches and Jody, huh? WRONG!! We love our hubbies, but this is GIRL time. Ches is staying home with Aiden and Dallin, so I truely get a vacation. Isn't he great? We had the option of haivng Laural come here, and Ches would have loved that because Laural and Ches have been friends longer than Ches and I have known each other (about the same amount of time that Laural and I have been friends), but everyone agreed that I need some pampering, so I get to go to Idaho.

I'm madly doing laundry right now. I don't fly out until tomorrow evening, so I still have all day to get packed. Which is good. I seriously didn't do ANY laundry yesterday. Why jinx anything?

I'm going to miss Ches and the two younglings here at home. I look forward to time off, but it will take me a whole 20 minutes to miss them, I'm sure.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Ches will be just fine at home by himself with the kids. He's a very good dad, and very competent. I've had more people ask me if he can handle it. I've had so many people express surprise that I would leave Ches for that many days with the kids. Someone said to Ches, "So, you guys will have lots of mac and cheese, huh?" Uh, no.

Believe it or not, Ches is an awesome cook. And he's very organized and neat. Whenever I have gone away for a few days (happened once when Aiden was almost two and once when Aiden was three and Dallin was almost 7 months old) I came back to a cleaner, more organized house, two happy, healthy, well-fed, and clean kids, and Ches has even been able to do some school work, some trumpet practice, deep-clean some areas of the house, and flowers on the table for me.

He totally shows me up. But he misses me and loves me. It's okay.

So you won't hear from me for a few days because I'll be freezing in the snow of southern Idaho. I couldn't be happier about it though!!

Monday, January 01, 2007

Welcome 2007

Here it is! My first post of 2007. It's funny that as a kid, 2007 seemed so far away. So far into the future that IF I were alive then, I would be old and gray. Well, I do have gray hair, but I'm certainly not old. Okay, so as a kid 30 seemed really old, so maybe I'm just living up to my childhood expectations. Anyrate...

I was reading a bunch of traditions and superstitions that have to do with the New Year. I made the mistake of reading them a couple of days ago, and while I'm not normally a superstitious person, I have to say some of the stuff freaked me out a little. Like how you shouldn't do laundry on the first day of the year because then someone will be "washed away" this year, meaning they will die.

Well, duh Sariah! People die. That's the Circle of Life and all that.

You know how irrational I can be, right? Well, I read that and my mind starts going mad and my imagination kicks in overdrive and suddenly one of my kids is dead in my head. It's horrible.

I didn't do any laundry today. Even though I should have done some because I'm going out of town on Wednesday and I don't want to be stuck doing nothing but laundry all day tomorrow and Wednesday morning. I still didn't do laundry. Blame the imagination, the crazy way my mind works, the OCD, or the anxiety. I just didn't want to risk it.

Welcome, 2007! I followed at least one of the rules... Please don't punish me. I want this to be a great year! I want this to be the year that we get out of debt (or at least mostly out of debt), the year that I become Skinny Sariah again, the year that I am finally a contestant on The Amazing Race, the year that I grow spiritually and intellectually through my own personal study.

I didn't make those as resolutions, by the way. Why depress myself when I don't achieve something? New Year's resolutions never work out. I've usually forgotten about them by February 1st (and haven't been doing anything about them since January 15th!). Instead, I'm just trying to refocus my attention to things I've been working on a little bit the past few years anyway and making my focus that much stronger.

It's January 1st... Ready... Set... GO!!! My mind is refocusing right now. How about yours? Are you refocusing or making resolutions or not changing a thing?