Chocolate Phoenix

2007-02-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hello, all. I just wanted to let you know that I have moved on to a new blog. You can catch me at

www.chocolatephoenix.wordpress.com

I'll spare you the reasons why, as most of you already know I have moved. Change your links, because I have everything imported and it won't be long before I completely get rid of this blog. My Universe will be gone! :)

Thanks for the fun times, Blogger. It's time for me to move on and start something new.

This One's For You

2007-01-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

Create Your Glitter Text

Try Saying That 10 Times Fast!

2007-01-24T21:29:00.001-07:00

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

Winter Guard

2007-01-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

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.

Random Friday

2007-01-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

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.

First, Give Up That Daily Latte

2007-01-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

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

2007-01-15T00:48:00.000-07:00

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"???

The Return... Maybe

2007-01-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

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??

Grumble Grumble Growl Grrr Argh

2007-01-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

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.

Home Again

2007-01-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

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!!!!!

Ice Cream

2007-01-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

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??

Here We Have Idaho

2007-01-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

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!!

Welcome 2007

2007-01-01T22:16:00.000-07:00

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?

Our Own Blue Man

2006-12-28T23:03:00.000-07:00

Dallin is our troublemaker. He doesn't mean to cause trouble. He's just a very curious boy. And boy oh boy does he keep us on our toes.

Today Dallin got into the pantry and found the food coloring. That isn't necessarily a new thing, but today he actually opened the food coloring. Yellow and blue make green. In Dallin's case, a little bit of yellow and a whole lot of blue make a dark teal. Which he drank. And covered his hands in. I took him into the bathroom and immediately started the bathwater. I set Dallin on the toilet to take off his clothes. He turned, looked in the mirror, and started to laugh at himself. He pointed to his mouth and said "Mouth!!" I got him to stick out his tongue. He liked that, too. Ches got the camera and we got a few pictures, then threw him into the tub. The water immediately turned a very pretty blue color.

Food coloring doesn't just wash off. You can get some of with soap, water, and a bit of scrubbing, but with all the stuff Dallin had on his face and hands, it's just going to take some time. Until then, I will teach him to say "Mmmmm, Smurfs!" anytime someone comments on his new look.

Tell It Like It Is

2006-12-22T01:51:00.000-07:00

From Kris we get to "Tell it like it is" today. The point is to answer each question with a short answer... the first thing that comes to mind, I guess. You just tell it like it is!! Here goes:

Tell it like it is...parenting edition

1) On Discipline
Please do, so I don't have to do it for you when you come with your kids to my house.

2) On Potty Training
Don't stress about it. Don't let yourself get talked into doing it sooner than your kid is ready because everyone else "knows" what is best!

3) On Circumcision
It was my husband's decision. Doesn't matter to me. But I found out it is ridiculously expensive!!

4) On Buying XBoxes/PS/Gaming stuff
I don't play video games. But Ches does, so whatever.

5) On Bottlefeeding
I breastfeed exclusively at first, but you do what you have to do. We're about to start formula, I think, with the baby.

6) On TV watching
My kids watch too much. So do I.

7) On Elective C-sections
Stupid decision!! I've had three c-sections now (none were elective. One emergency, one required as a repeat, and the last was a pre-emptive move so we wouldn't have another emergency), and wish I could have a baby the "real" way. Again, do what you gotta do, though.

8) On Division of Labor for Parents
Have open communication on expectations, and both parents better stinkin' do their jobs (says the lazy, bad housewife!)

9) On How Many Kids
We have 3, hope for 1 more, and that is it for me. Some people are good with a ton of kids, some are only good with a very few.

10)On "Natural" Childbirth
Why would you purposefully put yourself in that kind of pain when you don't have to be?? I may have had c-sections, but I went into labor with all three, and let me tell you, I was asking for the epidural when I walked into the hospital!

Counting Down

2006-12-20T00:02:00.000-07:00

Hey folks... do you know what is coming up? No, not Christmas! I mean, yes, Christmas is coming up, but that isn't until Monday. Do you know what comes before that?? On Sunday??

MY BIRTHDAY!

Now, I know it's cutting it close if you haven't sent out gifts yet, so I will accept late entries. And if you have forgotten... chocolate is always a good gift. The darker the better. Or in liquid form. As in hot. Alright, so it's really a powder, but you get my meaning. Hot chocolate is great. One can never have too much dark chocolate or hot chocolate.

Oh, and in case you were wondering (and somehow didn't know)... I'll be 30. So I think the chocolate is needed. Besides, I've started working out (man, my abs hurt from Pilates!) and I need rewards. heh.

**note** You don't actually have to send me anything. This post is all in jest, in case you couldn't tell. I just had to make that clear. I'm not actually the kind of person who begs for presents. But I do like the attention you can get on your birthday. You know me... Little Miss Seeks Attention In All Forms!

Shut In

2006-12-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

The younglings and Mr. Universe have been sick. Luckily, I have not. I don't know how much more I can take of this, though! All day long I am dealing with runny noses and scary sounding coughs. Dallin is just plain miserable. Parker sounds like he can't breathe half the time. Aiden is actually doing well, now anyways. Ches has had a sore throat for what seems like forever, and he's just miserable most of the time, too.

At night, the kids wake up coughing and crying. Actually, more like screaming. I get up with them and calm them down, and put them back to sleep. They never wake up at the same time. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good part is that they aren't waking each other up, and I'm able to take care of whoever it is that wakes up without distraction. The bad part is that as soon as I get one kid back to sleep, another one wakes up.

I'm so tired of runny noses. I'm so tired of being puked on by kids who are coughing and crying so much all that's left for them to do is gag. I'm tired of kids being on a weird sleep schedule.

I'm just tired!!

When will it end?? They aren't sick enough to stay in bed and get better, but they are sick enough to have short tempers and be really needy and clingy.

At least I haven't caught anything. Yet. When I am sick, who will take care of me? No one. I'll still have to run the household (even if I already do a bad job of it!) and take care of the kids. Oh, well. Isn't this the life of a mother?

We've Got Ghosts!

2006-12-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went to the LDS Temple to see all the beautiful Christmas lights and to hear the outdoor concert of the evening (that night was a "flute choir", although I personally don't consider four flutists with no alto or bass flute a flute choir, but maybe that's just me. Oh, and they were sitting and playing. Since when do flute choirs sit and play? Sorry for the ramble.). Here is a good shot of the temple. Ches was trying to take a picture of Dallin, but then Aiden jumped on Ches' arm, and we got this crappy shot instead.

However, do you see that wierd white ball looking thingy? (Click on the picture to make it bigger so you can actually see what I'm talking about. Trust me.) It's a ghost!! Anytime on TV there are ghost hunters, on of the things they use as "evidence" is taking pictures and when there is an "orb" (and this is a really good orb here), they say it is a ghost. However, we were at the Temple, and since it is such a sacred place, I'm going to say it's an angel. Ha.

I don't know if I really believe that you can take pictures of ghosts or spirits. I do believe in ghosts, though. Anyway, I just thought the picture turned out kind of interesting. What do you think?? (Oh, and it is obvious that it's not a Christmas light because there aren't any right there and it's not a relflection of any, either. At least I don't think so.)

World Class High Jumping

2006-12-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

Last night was our ward Christmas party and talent show. Ches played a trumpet duet of several Christmas tunes (and they sounded awesome... even with Ches being so sick he looked like he was going to pass out!). There were several piano players, other instrumentalists, and a few singers. One family sang "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer", and another family did a little choreography to some music to lead up to all of them doing backflips. It was a great time.

And then there was Aiden. Aiden insisted I sign him up for the talent show, so I did. When it was his turn, he went on stage and I went to the mic to introduce him:

"When we were still living in Reno, Aiden's primary class had apparantly been learning about talents. When we got home from church that Sunday, we asked Aiden what his talents were, and he said, 'I'm really good at jumping.' Once he heard about tonight's talent show, he wanted to participate. We asked him what he wanted to do, and here he is. This is Aiden jumping really, really high!"

Aiden then crouched down, then jumped up. The audience went nuts! They clapped and cheered so loudly for him. Aiden had the biggest grin on his face and gave me a thumbs up, so of course I had to return it. Returning to our seat, lots of people stuck out their hands to Aiden for a high five. After the talent show, several people came to him and said, "You are such a good jumper, Aiden!"and then turned to Ches or me to tell us just how cute he is.

I'm very proud of my son for being able to get up in front of a very large group of people to share his talents. And yes, I think he is an awesome jumper, too!

To The Motherland

2006-12-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

I have made a decision. We're moving to England. I just want to, okay? I found several good reasons for doing it:

*England has so much more history than the US does. I mean, "old" here is anything more than 100 years old. In Europe, that's still very new. There old is like, 500 years or more.
*The general architecture is different there, and I find it so appealing.
*Very low taxes.
*Very low unemployment rate.
*Lower crime rate.
*Free health care (although I know it's not really free. It's more like socialized medicine or something).
*Tons of culture. Especially if we leave in or near London (which is what I want).
*Travel to other parts of Europe is less expensive and very accessable.
*More tolerance for people of other races and cultures.

And the most important reason we're moving to England...
Because I want to.

Now, if I can only convince Ches...

Christmas Ornaments

2006-12-05T23:28:00.000-07:00

Growing up, we had a certain Christmas tradition that I'm sure a lot of people have. However, it is one I always enjoyed, and when Ches and I married, I wanted us to keep this one up in our little family. Every year, we each get a new ornament for the Christmas tree. It can be something representative of the past year, something that has a special meaning to us, or just something we really like. Our tree doesn't have any sort of theme to it because of this mish-mash collection of ornaments, but it sure is fun to look at all the different things hanging on there. We have a glass ball from the Ohio State University, a "One Fish Two Fish" ornament (complete with a red fish and a blue fish!), Spiderman, Batman, Hermione Granger, a Santa driving an old car, a snowman holding an American Flag and wearing an Uncle Sam-like outfit, and so many more.

This year, the entire family has matching ornaments. They are different shapes, but all are made from beech wood. We got these ornaments from APO Industries, and you can find that link here. This company is a mom and daughter who wanted something that would make great gifts for parents or grandparents and would last. I think these ornaments really will. You get the ornaments in just their "natural" state: a nice, light wood, not painted. You have the option of painting them yourself, or leaving them as they are. I had a hard time deciding because I thought the ornaments look pretty good unpainted. Very simple and beautiful that way. I decided to make it a family project, however, so we painted them.

We received the "Jack" collection of ornaments: a tree, a bell, a star, and a rocking horse. We also received a special 2006 ornament of a dog sitting in front of a fireplace mantle. We left this one unpainted because I like it just the way it is.

The boys each picked which ornament they wanted, I handed them paint brushes, and set them free. When they were done, I added a couple of little "embellishments", and wrote their names and the year. Aiden got a hold of the paint marker (while I was busy washing paint off Dallin's stomach) and wrote his own name. Ches is still in the process of painting his.

Let me tell you why I like these ornaments so much. It made for a fun project for the kids. We just used craft paint, so I know it was safe and would wash off our skin easily (hey, I have boys. You think the paint is going to stay where it's supposed to??). They are so pretty. Did I mention the simplicity of them? You can get away from all the too-shiny stuff and have a beautiful tree with these ornaments. Not going to happen in our house of the Mis-matched Christmas Tree, but it was a nice idea. Anyway, back to the ornaments. They also smell so good! As soon as I took them out of the package, it smelled like fresh air, outdoors, the woods, and Christmas, all rolled into one.

I also think, because of their size and light weight, that the ornaments would make cool gift tags. Just paint on the name of the recipient. Add a nice little ribbon, and just tie it on to a gift basket or bag or whatever. Like I said, you don't have to paint them. Perhaps you like the gold or silver foil? Go for it! I was thinking that if I had some cool, shimmery paint I would try that. I'm definitely getting another collection next year, and maybe I'll buy some special paints for it.

The ornaments came in the mail really quickly, so you still have time to order them for this year! You can hang them on your own tree, or make them for Grandma and Grandpa who live far away. Seriously, check it out. I think you'll all like it a lot. I did.

**note** I have pictures, but Blogger is making things difficult again. Check out my Flickr account and they are there. I'll keep trying to post them here, though.

What I'm Doing Right Now

2006-12-01T22:55:00.000-07:00

I should be in bed, asleep. But I'm not. Instead, I'm sitting here, wasting time at the computer as I wait for the dryer to finish drying the blankets. I will then switch the load of darks from the washer into the dryer, and put a load of whites into the washer.

I'm sitting here at the computer, eating from a bag of chocolate chips, and listening to the song "Blue Moon" that is on the movie "Gross Anatomy" on the TV in my bedroom, across the hall from where I am sitting. Mr. Universe put the movie on, the turned on the sleep timer on the TV. Sure enough, he's totally out, but the movie is still going.

It's 10:58 pm, and I'm sitting here at the computer with a slight headache, wondering why Aiden is still awake. At least he's in bed now. Dallin went to bed hours and hours ago. He would. He woke up at 6 am. I didn't get up until 7. Thank goodness for a Wiggles DVD. Dallin took a nap in the morning, from 9:30 until noon. Usually he naps about 2 pm., so going to sleep before 7 pm wasn't a big shocker. I fell asleep on the couch this evening, cuddling with Parker, about 5 pm, and didn't wake up until after 8. Wow, that nap felt good! But now it's 11:01 pm and I'm not really all that tired. So it'll take me forever to go to sleep, I'll have a hard time waking up again in the morning, I'll be super tired all day and probably take a long nap and a wierd time, and will not be able to go to sleep tomorrow night until really stinkin' late. It's a vicious cycle.

At least I know that I'm not completely wasting my time because I have to get this laundry done. I need clean underwear for tomorrow, so this load of whites has to get in the dryer tonight. I would have done it sooner, but Mr. Universe was being an awesome husband by doing some laundry himself. He didn't realize, however, that I needed a load of whites done. Oh well.

And that is what I'm doing right now. Bet you're excited to have read this ery interesting post, huh?

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year... For Credit Card Companies!!

2006-12-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the commercials for Sam's Club lately? It shows all these different people with huge, goofy smiles on their faces and huge, often goofy purchases they have recently made. I can't remember what song is playing in the background as the go from one shot to the next. However, the commercial shows a shot of a woman standing on top of a man's back as he lays face down on a massage table. Then there is the shot of the sorority girl in a cheerleader's uniform with a large, pointing-arrow marquee that states, "Don't Mess With Muffy." The last shot shows a couple standing in front of their house with one of those insanely huge, blow-up snowglobes in the front yard. Then comes the big statement:

"Sam's Club now accepts Mastercard."

Mr. Universe and I have had memberships to Sam's Club for just over 4 years now. We really like buying certain things in bulk (hot chocolate!!), and you can get some good deals on other things, too. Previously, Sam's only accepted cash, check, or debit card. Or if you qualified for and got the Sam's Club credit card, you could use that.

It doesn't bother me that they now accept Mastercard. That's great. Whatever. I don't care about that. What I care about is the commercial that essentially says "Hey, we take credit cards now, so why don't you come in here and buy a whole bunch of crazy expensive stuff. You can put it on your credit card, so you can afford it! Sure, you'll just rack up a bunch of debt, but who cares? You'll be happy once you get that giant plasma screen TV, fake fireplace, pool table, and 25 pounds of chocolate chips."

We have a major problem in this county with debt. Most people live beyond their means. My generation does not know how to "make do" with what they've got until they can save up and buy it straight out. When I first got married, I knew a girl that worked at a bank. She was saying one day that her boss said you wouldn't believe how many 25 year olds are coming in to declare bankruptcy. They are coming in after they have bought a nice house, filled with new furniture and a giant TV, and they are driving these huge, expensive SUVs. They don't know how to budget or how to save.

I know that bankruptcy laws have changed, so it is actually harder to declare bankruptcy, and that's great. Too many people bought and bought, then when they couldn't find a way out, they took the "easy" way. I mean, heck. It's only on your credit report a few years, right? And we still get to keep the house, honey! Wo-hoo!

Yes, I'm happy that you can't be so irresponsible anymore. Or at least you can't get out of being irresponsible quite so easily. However, back to the Sam's Club commercial.

I am not a perfect person. Mr. Universe and I have big hopes for our family, but first we need to get out of debt. We have made some stupid decisions (who hasn't??), and we have moved a few too many times. We're kind of stuck right now, but we have a plan and we're working on it.

I am concerned about this commercial only because it encourages the irresponsible use of a credit card! It's ridiculous. The whole "Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die" bit just doesn't cut it. Sam's should be encouraging their customers with financing adn rewards for paying off big purchases early. That would be more likely to make me shop for the big items. I would still end up paying more for the product throught the interest in financing, but at least I won't have it sitting on my ridiculously high-interest-rate credit card and only paying minimum payments. Then I would only get it paid off after what? 40 years? And I will have paid for the item probably twice by then, but I haven't used or seen that item in at least 30 years.

Please, Sam's Club, let us encourage people to be financially smart, not irresponsible!!

The Backyard

2006-11-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have seen what my backyard looked like when we moved in, I wanted to show off what a little grass can do. I tried to find the picture of the backyard as it looked, but I guess we got rid of it. You only get the "after" shot. Sorry. I was also mainly testing out our new camera tripod. We just got it on Friday, and I love having it!!

We planted seed and faithfully watered everyday. We chased birds out of the yard because they were eating the seed. After only a week we saw green start to sprout up out of the ground. This picture is about 2 1/2 weeks after the initial seeding. You can see we left the some big areas surrounding the grass unseeded. I'm not quite sure what we are going to do with it yet. Our main concern was to get in some grass for the boys to play on. I want to plant some flowers and stuff, but we'll see. I also want to put in a firepit. I think we could have a lot of fun with that.

I love it! Now my boys have a grassy area to play in. They love it! Now Ches has something to mow. I'm not sure that he loves that, but you do what ya gotta do.

You Say Toe-may-toe, I Say Toe-mah-toe

2006-11-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about how differently we all pronounce certain words. (I don't know why. Just roll with me here) I often wonder why it is, really, that we DO pronounce them differently. Why is it that here in the US, when we want to apologize, we say "saw-ree" and you up in the north say "sore-ee"? We aren't all that different, are we?

Then you get people in the same country... take a certain kind of pie that (most) people seem to like. I pronounce it "pe-CAHN", whereas my friends down south pronounce it "PEE-can". Then there is the word pie: I say "pyee", and Southerners say "paaah".

Sometimes it doesn't seem to matter where you are from, you just pronounce it however your family does. Take the word creek. I am usually adament that it is pronounced "creek", not "crick" as many people will. However, when I am talking about a certain small community in southeastern Idaho, it is most definitely Mink Crick. Even if it is spelled Mink Creek.

The town I used to live in during my high school years has a nice name: El Dorado. A beautiful, Spanish sounding name, right? WRONG!!! In that town, it is not pronounced "Elle Doe-RAH-doe", as it is anywhere else in the world. Here it is "Elle Duh-RAY-doe".

When I lived in Maine, you knew who the tourists were because they would call our little city "Bang-urr". It is spelled Bangor, and it is pronounced "Bang-GORE". Or, if you had a really thick, Down East accent, it is "Bang-ah". Here in Arizona, the out-of-towners (or out-of-staters, really), pronounce Prescott wrong by saying "Press-SCOTT". When you come visit, you will sound knowledgeable because I am telling you it's actually pronounced "PRESS-kit".

In Nevada, we say "Ne-VEH-duh", NOT "Ne-VAH-duh". Just to make that clear. When we moved East, we had to constantly remind people it is "Ore-e-GUN", not "Ore-e-GONE", and I don't know why so many people can't understand that the "s" is silent in Illinois.

So, pretty much, I'm thinking of place names more than other words. Hmm. What common mispronounciations do you hear where you are? Or what major differences have you heard (with neither actually being "correct", just different) in your many travels?

Some Things I've Learned

2006-11-26T00:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some important things I have learned since becoming a mother:

1. A timer is everything. I should carry one in my diaper bag.
2. If you call it a reward rather than a bribe, then you are a good mommy.
3. Sometimes you have to talk to the toy to get answers from the 4 year old.
4. When going to the zoo, don't expect your child to be fascinated by all the "cool" animals (ie, lions, zebras, polar bears, monkeys, etc). Instead, be prepared to comment that yes, those ants crawling in the dirt really are special.
5. No matter how cool the toy is you bought for a birthday present, your child will still be happiest playing with the box, your makeup brushes, and a piece of tinfoil.
6. You really do turn into your mother because you have found yourself using phrases like, "Because I said so!" and "Look with your eyes, not your hands!!"
7. Your husband must really love you if he is still attracted to your saggy, stretched out, flabby, scarred body.
8. A child's sense of humor is amazing. I find myself laughing all the time.
9. Mealtimes are major affairs, not to be handled with delicacy. Going out requires research, a bag of stuff to do while waiting for the food, extra clothes (especially if you're planning on going somewhere after dinner), and plenty of cash for a good tip for the understanding server.
10. Mothers really do have super powers. They call it "intuition". I don't know what it really is, but I can tell exactly what my baby needs, can feel the emotions of a toddler as they feel them, and can move with super-human speed at the playground when it looks like someone is going to fall backwards.
11. I am tired, can't think straight, feel like the ugliest, fattest person ever, and just wish for a day of complete silence with the chance to do nothing but indulge myself, but I couldn't give up my children for anything in the world. Even in that wishfulfilled day, I would miss my kids after just five minutes. Okay, maybe more like 10.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

2006-11-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

To all of us in the States:

Happy Thanksgiving! May your turkey be delicious, your pumpkin pie perfect, and your after-dinner nap satisfying.

To everyone else:

Happy normal Thursday that really isn't different from any other day! May you enjoy Survivor and CSI on TV tonight, shopping for Christmas gifts, and going to bed at a normal time because you still have work and/or school tomorrow.

Close To Home

2006-11-21T17:29:00.000-07:00

An incident was reported on last night's news broadcast that an 8th grade student had written a "hit list" of other students' names on his notebook. These were students who had bullied the 8th grader. Also on his notebook was written a list of some students and teachers who would be spared because they had been nive to them. This incident happened last Friday, and it happened at the middle school that Mr. Universe teaches at.

Mr. Universe expressed surprise that it was reported on teh news because he didn't see it as a big deal. No one seems to believe the student would actually do anything. The student was suspended, and the principal has talked to the students involved (which included two of Mr. Universe's students) and to the parents. The principal was shown on TV to say that he is keeping an open mind in judgement on this, so this student may be allowed back in school. Mr. Universe said he doesn't know this kid, but he did hear about the incident on Friday.

I just about freaked out. As I'm watching this TV report and realizing where exactly this happened, I start to have a panic attack. Mr. Universe kept saying it's no big deal and not to worry about anything. The only thing that kept me from having a full-blown panic attack was that I was starting to get angry at Mr. Universe for not realizing that it was a big deal to me.

You see, I still vividly remember that day in April several years ago when I was home early from class. I flipped on the TV, and there were all these reports... on every station... images of kids in lines running out of a school with their hands on their heads... so many kids crying... kids and parents on cell phones...police cars with lights flashing... adults in full riot gear...

I think we all know what I'm refering to. Columbine. I was still a newlywed, and for the first time I really started to feel mortal. Worst of all, I realized my husband was mortal. We were both studying to become teachers, but we hoped to have a family one day. Once we had children, we both wanted me to stay home and be the full-time caretaker. Mr. Universe would be teaching.

I was horrified at what I was seeing on my television screen. How could two kids do this? How could they kill their fellow students? No matter how angry I was at other students for picking on me or my friends, it never occured to me that this kind of violence was an option. I believe most of us feel this way.

I called my mom. "Have you seen what's on TV?" I cried into the phone. My mother is a teacher. I wondered if she was ever afraid of students like this. Mom tried to calm me a bit, and that when I said to her what has stuck in my mind since that day.

Someday, some student may be depressed and angry, and that student is going to come to school with guns and bombs and who knows what else. That students isn't going to care what happens to anyone else, and my husband could be a teacher at that school, and my husband could get shot. I will never see my husband alive again because some kid is having a bad day.

I know that it is a silly, irrational fear, but a fear it is. When this incident happened on Friday, all those fears from 1999 came back. It hit just too close to home this time. I don't know if this student really would do anything. I'm sure many of us have made at least a mental hit list at one time or another, but would never act on such thoughts. It could be true of this student. He may just need some professional counseling and maybe some anger management courses. I don't know. This particular incident really may be just nothing. But it still scares me.

Time Waster

2006-11-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

If I'm not doing what I should be doing, it's because I went and got myself addicted to this. Pretty simple, but I keep playing anyway. What do you do when you are wasting time on one thing instead of doing what you should be doing?

Random Friday

2006-11-20T00:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I'm writing this on Sunday, and really it's only going to be Sunday for one more minute, so maybe this will show up as Monday. But that helps this become more of a Random Friday, right? Because it's random. You expected it on Friday, and instead you get it now. It's random.

Justification works sometimes.

*****

I am sending out Christmas cards this year. I don't get to it every year, but I'm bound and determined to do it this year. SO... email me your addresses, my friends. You are on my list. If you are family, well, 10 bucks says I already have your address. If I don't, I'll call you.

Included in the Christmas card may or may not be a family picture (depends on if I can get all of us to look decent and sit still long enough for the timer to go off on the camera!), and will most likely have the Dreaded Yearly Update Letter.

I know most people complain about these letters and how they just brag and brag. However, I actually enjoy reading them from other people. Yes, I do get a bit envious at other people's lives, but I enjoy knowing about the good things in their lives. I enjoy hearing that little Bobby Joe was on the honor roll for the third year in a row as well as achieving a record number of Boy Scout badges and winning the little elementary school track meet. Really I do. Because I know I am sending YOU a letter bragging about Aiden's amazing reading skills, Dallin's amazing verbal skills, and Parker's amazing head-lifting and smiling skills. We all take pride in our kids. It's allowed.

Of course, all of you already know what's been going on because you read this blog. So you can toss the letter and just enjoy the card and (maybe) the picture.

*****

When I was in college, I started dying my hair dark colors (because I think the natural color of my hair is just a plain, boring brown with nothing to it). Mostly I went with a dark auburn, but sometimes just a dark brown. I really like the red in my hair, but it doesn't look very natural on me if I go too carrot-y. So I stick with the auburn. I would often get compliments and, in the same breath, I was asked, "Is that your natural color?"

I wondered how much of a compliment it really is when people are questioning you on something as personal as your natural hair color. I could be wrong about that. It may not be personal at all.

Anyway, so they would compliment and ask, and I would answer with, "It's the color I was born with!"

Hey, it was honest! I was born with lots and lots of dark, auburn hair. When I was a preschooler it was bleach blonde. It went to a mousey brown in elementary school, and that's pretty much where it stayed. Although when I got my hair cut this summer and the blonde highlights were finally all cut out, I found my mousey brown hair had gotten darker. I like it darker. But it was still a boring brown.

Last week I got my hair trimmed a bit (got rid of most of the layers that were growing out horribly, so now it's slightly layered and more of a long-ish bob) and colored. It is a dark auburn again, and I love it.

Sure enough, I have gotten many compliments and questions: "I love your hair! It's so pretty! Is that your natural color?"

I'm back to my standby answer. "It's the color I was born with."

*****

Christmas is approaching. Which means... my birthday is coming! Do you know how old I'm gonna be this year? Thirty. That's right. The big 3-0. Will I now finally be treated more as an adult? Not some twenty-something punk who doesn't know what being an adult really is? Not some teenager who has yet to grow up? I doubt it. Because they are saying things about how people live longer, and 40 is the new 25 or something. Who is "they" anyway? Where do we get these things from?

So anyway, I guess I'm still just a kid. Or, as Ches likes to say, a spring chicken. Or maybe he says chick. I haven't heard him use the phrase in a few years, so I suddenly don't remember.

I should delete that last paragraph because that is just verbal vomit.

*****

I'm trying so hard to get Eragon read for the Book Club, but things just keep happening at our house! I pick up the book and seriously only read abouttwo paragraphs when Parker needs a diaper change. Or Aiden is screaming at Dallin to get off his bed and go away. Or the phone rings with a call for Haseem Muhommad yet again. I am normally a freakishly fast reader, but I just can't seem to get this thing read. Hopefully in the next couple of days it will get better. Because I'm actually starting to enjoy it. I wasn't sure what to expect because it's fantasy, and that isn't normally what I enjoy reading. That's Ches' thing. However, if it's a well-written, just plain good plot, I'll read anything.

*****

It got up to 88 degrees today. Yes, you read that right. 88. Eighty-freaking-eight. Thanksgiving is this week, and I'm still wearing shorts and sandals. Crazy go nuts.

*****

Parker is such a happy baby. He smiles a lot now. I mean, he smiles a LOT. And it's postitively adorable. My boys have inherited their father's extremely long and beautiful eyelashes (yes, you are allowed to complain about the fairness of all these males getting such great eyelashes). As babies, whenever they would smile I would notice the same thing that is happening now with Parker. I swear that when Parker smiles, his eyelashes grow an inch. It's just beautiful. Also, his whole face lights up, and you can't help but smile back at the wide open grin he has. I think he's going to have dimples, like his brothers. SO CUTE.

I have to say, Ches and I make the cutest, most adorable babies in the entire world, hands down.

*****

Quote of the day:
We are often mistaken about art. Art is not emotion. Art is the medium in which emotion is expressed.
--Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979)

Millions of Fingers! Millions of Thumbs!

2006-11-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

This month is Drum Month. I don't know why, or who says, except that on my newsletter from Cool Mom Picks it said November is Drum Month. So...

Dust off your Remo heads, my friends, and beat the heck out of something! When changing the tire on your vehicle, compare tightening the lugnuts to tightening the screws on a drum rather than the other way around. Dig out the cool black t-shirt that says Zildjian on it. Talk about the advances in musicianship that Ringo Starr brought to the Beatles through his visionary rhythms. Have a debate on whether there is a difference in sound quality when using traditional grip or match grip. Carry a stick bag on your shoulder, or just have a couple of sticks in the back pocket of your jeans. Find your felt and yarn and have a mallet wrapping party. There are so many things you can do during drum month.

Dum ditty dum ditty dum dum dum.

My Sunday I's (12 for the 12th)

2006-11-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

1. I love to take a Sunday nap for hours on end

2. I enjoy watching other people struggle with their kids a bit at church because it makes me feel like we're actually normal

3. I think I became the answer to someone's prayer today

4. I like the warm, fuzzy feeling that I have by being that answer

5. I am going to watch some kids after school next semester

6. I hope to make some money off of it, but if I don't, oh well

7. I need to reorganize my drawer in the filing cabinet

8. I have really wierd dreams sometimes

9. I wake up confused and can't tell the difference between reality and my dream

10. I made a wish list on Amazon.com titled "Stuff I Can't Afford"

11. I really can afford some of the stuff, but not all at once, and some of it just seems silly to go out and buy just for the heck of it

12. I love that the weather cooled down a bit today and yesterday

Gettin' My Vote On

2006-11-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

I voted on Tuesday. I'm quite proud of myself, but it was really stressful. I mean, how hard is it to make a few small decisions, right? Ha.

First of all, I have now voted in states and in three different ways. In Idaho I filled in a little circle (like a standardized test or something) with a pencil. In Nevada I pressed what looked like a button on an electronic screen, then reviewed all my choices before saving it, then got a little print-out verifying my votes. Here in Arizona I was given very large pieces of paper, given a "special" pen (seemed like a nice felt pen was all), and was told to connect the back line to the front arrow so it looked like one long arrow. I guess if I made a mistake, well, tough luck. No one ever told me what to do about that.

Second of all, I took all three kids with me to vote. I had meticulously gone through the sample ballot sent to me in the mail so I would know what proposition was what and I would be prepared. I had talked to Aiden about how blessed we are to live in a country that allows us, the people, to pick our own leaders, and this is how we get to pick them: we go vote for who we think is best and good and true and hope that everyone else feels the same way. I made sure I had my ID ready to show at the polls. I piled the kids in the van, and we were off. We made up a silly little song to sing about voting: "I get to vo-o-o-o-ote today! We're going to vo-o-o-o-ote today! Oh it's so fun to vo-o-o-o-ote!" Aiden and Parker were perfect during the voting. Well, Parker slept, so he really wasn't a problem. Dallin --my beautiful, innocent-looking devil child-- decided that this was the perfect place to run around, screaming and laughing very loudly. It took me forever to get the voting done because I had to keep chasing after Dallin! It was so embarrassing. I hope I voted for who and what I wanted. You never can tell when you have to leave the table 40twelve times to chase after the little monster.

Third of all, I really and truely tried to research the issues and the candidates, but it was really hard! There should really be a link on your sample ballot to a nonpartisan, completely objective and neutral website that says, "So and So is running for Blah Blah office. He believes this and this. Such and Such is the also running for Blah Blah office. She believes that and that. Proposition 10hundred is really saying la-dee-da and is supported by these High-falutin' groups." Wouldn't that make life just perfect? Which is why, of course, there is no such website. Maybe I could start working on one for the next presidential election. Uuuuhhhhh, NO!! Am I nuts?? (Don't actually answer that, please).

Fourth of all (good thing I wasn't counting on my hands, huh? 'cuz then I'd be a four-handed freak), I just plain stress out at the idea of voting for something and maybe I don't actually know who or what it stands for and I just helped vote in something I am completely against. And what about these measures that are like they are about one thing, but they have a million other hidden agendas in them?? That scares the heck outta me. I don't know if I just voted to raise the minimum wage or if I really voted to let someone come into my workplace and steal my identity!! (I don't know how those are connected, but there was some commercial about it).

Here are the good things about my voting:
1) I did my Civic Duty and now feel like an Upstanding Citizen
2) I am now allowed to complain about the state of affairs in this country because I voted. I just won't let you know if I voted for something that actually made it worse and I am now complaining about it
3) I got a cool sticker (they even gave me one each for Aiden and Dallin!) which I proudly wore the rest of the day

And now I'm ending with a gratuitous sentence so... well, Karen sounded better when she said it. Never mind.

Here We go Again

2006-11-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

Okay innernets... do you like this one better than the face with no nose? I do. Although I really liked the eyes on the last one. Anyrate...

Trying this out for size. I don't actually meditate or do yoga like the cool girl here does (I'm pretending she's me), but I should. I'm holding a contest, too. What do you think is going on in her (my) head? Come up with a good sentence or two, and it could be my next tagline!! :)

And Then The One Penguin Yelled To The Other... "Hot Chocolate!"

2006-11-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

I love hot chocolate. It's my favorite drink, I believe. Between my sister, Lura, and me, we keep the hot chocolate business from ever going under. Seriously. I mean, here I am, drinking a nice big mug of hot chocolate, and it's freakin' 90 degrees outside!! However, the last time I looked at a calendar, it said November on top. November means cool weather, warm sweaters, pretty red leaves falling from trees, and a very yummy mug of hot chocolate.

You got a problem with that? Doesn't matter. I'm the one overheating myself to enjoy the silky delight being poured down my throat. You can go drink your ice cold Coke or something. I'm keeping my hot chocolate.

Testing 1-2-3

2006-11-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm going for a new look. And figuring out how to personalize stuff, too. We'll see how it goes. So far, it's very slow-going, especially since I can only work on it for a couple of minutes before the kids go nuts... which they are right now.

So... what do you think? Is it me, or should I keep looking? I'm debating in my head.

Joke of the Day

2006-11-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

What is the difference between a large pizza with everything on it and a high school band director?

A large pizza really can feed a family of four.

Friday Friday Friday!!!

2006-11-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

Yes folks, it is Friday. I have gotten confused every single day this week as to what day it was, and even today I was unsure. But now that I have it in my head, I am SO hapy for it to be Friday! Friday means tomorrow is Saturday. Saturday means Mr. Universe doesn't have to go to work, so we get to hang out. Saturday means we get housework and yardwork done, and we get ready for Sunday. Sunday means after the stress of getting to church on time (which never happens anymore), we have a relaxing day of rest, peace, learning, and worship.

Then Sunday evening comes and we start to think about Monday, and I don't want to think about Monday yet, so I will stick to the issue at hand which is...

FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY!!!

*****

Driving home from Wal-Mart the other day I saw a school bus which looks a lot different than what I normally see. Usually I see the standard "Blue Bird" model. I remember when that was the "new" kind when I was in high school. We always wanted the Blue Birds for our band trips. They were bigger and roomier and just plain looked nicer. However, if the football team had something going on, you can believe we didn't get the Blue Birds. We got the old, crappy busses. Oh well. We had an awesome semi-trailer for band (named Big Bertha, pronounced Big Berfa) and the football team didn't have that. I wonder if I can find a picture of Big Bertha.

So anyway... this bus I saw the other day...

It looked like a huge, pimped out kind of bus. It had a fancy black top, looked like it sat higher than the Blue Bird, had a deeper yellow with black trim, and just plain looked awesome. Anyone else seen the tricked out school bus in their district?

*****

We went Trick-or-Treating Tuesday night, with just small success. Most houses in our neighborhood didn't have their lights on. It was pretty disapointing to be out walking for an hour and get so little candy.

The first house we went to (about three houses down from us) gave the kids cans of Pepsi. I drank Aiden's Pepsi yesterday, and I have to say that I don't like Pepsi. Yuck. I mean, I'm not a big pop drinker anyway, but colas just aren't that great to me. I can handle a Coke every now and then, but I prefer Dr. Pepper. Or Vanilla Coke. If I'm going to drink pop, it's usually Sprite or Dr. Pepper. I remember liking the Pepsi One when it came out while I was in college (some promo people were passing them out on campus, so I drank a few... I didn't hate Pepsi back then). I wonder what happened. Anyway... I don't like Pepsi anymore.

*****

Being the reality TV junkies that we are (okay, so actually I'm the one who watches all the crazy little reality shows like Laguna Beach or My Super Sweet Sixteen), we have been following Survivor quite religiously since the very first season. We only dropped out during the third season (Africa) because it was so flippin' aweful. B-o-r-i-n-g! We started up with Season 4 again.

This season there is a contestant name Parvati. Being a Harry Potter fan, I immediately recognized the name. However, in the wizarding world, the name is pronounced Par-VAH-tee, and on the Survivor island it is pronounced PAR-vuh-tee. It bugged me for the longest time, but now I'm used to it. Except every now and then it sounds like someone is calling her Poverty.

*****

Dallin is becoming quite a little talker. He is learning how to put sentences together. When we were at the park yesterday and on a walk today, he loved to point and say, "Look! Clouds." or "Look! A tree." I'm also impressed at his usage of the word "I". He uses it correctly! He says things like, "I cry" and "I fall". When he dumped a bunch of food off the tray of his booster seat, he said, "I mess." He is identifying more and more things, and you can tell he is proud to show off all the words he now knows. He's very good at pointing things out to us. A crayon. A bird. Grass. Aiden. Parker sleeping, sssssshhhhhhhh.

*****

I am currently reading Teacher Man by Frank McCourt (who also wrote Angela's Ashes and 'Tis). It's really good. It's all about his years teaching in New York City. I love how honest he is about everything. He acts as if he never had a clue of what to do and how to handle the kids. These were not easy kids he had to teach, either. This is a story about a teacher and his experience in the classroom, and it's real story. There's no real feel-good moment like in Mr. Holland's Opus or something (which yes, I know is a movie, but I'm making a comparison of the story, not the method in which the story is told). This is what it's really like to be a teacher in the city in the US. His narrative is like it's straight from his head, not a carefully planned out scripts of "and then she said...". I highly recommend this book... if you don't mind a bit of swearing. There's plenty of that.

*****

I downloaded a new Barenaked Ladies song yesterday. It's from their new album, Barenaked Ladies are Me. The song is called "Maybe You're Right". I like it a lot. This album in general seems more mellow and less, I don't know, "schizo" than past albums. I love their high energy songs, but this doesn't have that. It's being described as more mature, and I guess that it. Anyway, it seems like a good album over all.

Erica got to see BNL the other night. I'm insanely jealous. That was her second time to see them in concert, and it was her second concert of the semester (she got to see the Rolling Stones earlier this semester). I have neber been to a rock concert. Ever. I want to go! BNL will be here in December, but we don't have money to go. Erica said she is going to sell her plasma or blood or something and give me the $50 so Ches and I can go. Even though tickets start at $35. She said I'll just have to buy them form a sclaper, like she did. She got a $60 ticket for $20, she said. Lucky.

*****

I've decided to make myself a t-shirt with this slogan on it:

Yes, I have my hands full.

Thanks for noticing.

Is That A Mark On Your Forehead, Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

2006-11-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

It was Labor Day weekend, 1997. Ches had taken me to Calgary to meet his family. (Perhaps I should spell it Labour Day then??) We had been dating for about 6 months, and in that short time I knew I wanted to marry this man. So I wanted to make a good impression on what I hoped would be my future in-laws. Ches' mother was able to get us discount tickets so we went with Ches' parents, brother, Tim, Tim's then-girlfriend Alyson, and their little sister, Rachel to go up the Calgary Tower to the observation deck.

Previously in the summer, the extended family had their annual family reunion up in Calgary, and this was one of the places many people had visited.

It was quite a view up there. It was a perfect day, to be sure. You could see really far. We were having a great time together, all of us telling jokes and stories. Tim and Ches were telling us about the family reunion as we took in the view.

"Remember when we came up here in June? LaDawn leaned over and smacked her forehead right against the window! It was sooo funny!!"

It was at that moment that I leaned out a bit, and I smacked my forehead against the window. Ow.

"Yeah! Just like that!" Tim exclaimed. It took him (and Ches) a moment to realize I didn't do that on purpose. Everyone had a great time laughing at me.

The window was slanted out, and it's actually really hard to tell exactly where the window is! Honest!

Several minutes later, Tim and Alyson were talking about it, and Alyson smacked her forehead on the window! A few minutes after that, I did it again! Oh, the laughter. I was pretty embarrassed, but glad that Alyson did it, too. I didn't feel quite as stupid.

To be fair (to Alyson, LaDawn, and myself), there were a lot of marks on the windows. I doubt we are the only ones to smack our foreheads on the windows of the Calgary Tower.

*****

We were reminded of this story tonight as I was looking out the patio doors tonight. We have the sliding glass doors, and I was looking for a toy on the patio. Somehow, I leaned in and smacked my forehead on the door. Hard.

Ches laughed and said, "It's not even slanted! How did you do that?"

I can't believe I actually did that. And now I have a small headache.

Here's Lookin' At You, Kid

2006-10-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

I had promised Erica to write a post just for her, because I was "messing up" her "blog checking schedule." I'm supposed to write about her "awesomeness". Okay. Here goes.

Why My Little Sister, Erica, Is Awesome

1. She lives in Boston.
2. She now uses the word wicked, as in "Erica is wicked awesome."
3. She has naturally curly hair, which is something that those of us with board straight hair that barely holds a curl always wish we had.
4. She is a hockey goalie.
5. She can cook.
6. She sends cool stuff to her nephews.
7. She knows all sorts of wierd, random facts.
8. She has pretty good taste in music.
9. She plays (played??) the trombone.
10. She is an amazing writer.
11. While it drives me absolutely insane and I just want to kick her in the head, Erica is opinionated and sticks to her guns.
12. She is interested in all sorts of cool things.
13. She likes the color orange.
14. She has a cat named Fleury, who is apparantly a really great cat (I wouldn't know as I have never met Fleury, or his brother Todd. They live in Ohio with my parents and brother).

Erica, who's favorite number is 41 but her back up is 14, I bow down to you and your awesomeness!

Death Becomes Her

2006-10-31T12:16:00.000-07:00

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Prepare to Die Earth Scum... I'm Going to Make Sure They Put That On Your Tombstone!!

2006-10-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Halloween Meme

2006-10-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

Edit: Thanks, Kris, for pointing out that there was no #7. Somehow I skipped that! It's in there now.

Sariah in Vancouver tagged me, and while I seem to have taken forever to actually do this, it looked like fun. Here goes!

1. What's the scariest movie you've ever seen?
I actually scare very easily, so I tend to not watch scary movies. However, Scream freaked me out a bit (I didn't want to answer the phone for a few days), and The Blair Witch Project had me sleeping with the lights on for a week. Oh wait, no, I spent hours the next day online just making sure it wasn't real. What kept the lights on was, I believe, The Sixth Sense. I enjoy that there is closure in that movie, so it's not too bad. And I actually screamed in the movie theatre during What Lies Beneath. Oooooh, a very scary Harrison Ford!! I have never seen any of the Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, or Poltergeist movies, nor do I plan to.

2. What was your favorite Halloween Costume from childhood, and adulthood?
I remember being Maid Marian one year, and that was really fun. And I was a witch one year and I got to spray my hair black and wear really long fake nails. That was really exciting for this little 4th grader! As an adult, I always want to dress up, but don't have the cash. A few years ago I was Homestar Runner, and that was fun (even if only a select few teenagers knew who I was), and in college one year I just dressed normal so when anyone asked what I was, I replied, "I'm a serial killer. They look like the rest of us you know." It worked.

3. If you had an unlimited budget, what would your Fantasy Costume be for this Halloween?
I would go all out with a period costume... like Scarlett O'Hara or a Renaissance Princess or something. That'd be so fun. I've always wanted to be a pirate wench, but those costumes tend to be so slutty looking, and that is SO not what I want, so I would have someone make me a really cool costume with that theme. And I would make my family all dress up in the same themes as me.

4. When was the last time you went Trick Or Treating?
Wednesday night. It was the ward Halloween party! And we're going for real tomorrow night. But then again, that's not for me. It's for the kids. Last time I went and got candy for just me? I honestly don't remember.

5. What's your favorite Halloween Candy?
Anything chocolate!! (with no nuts) Once again, the darker the chocolate, the better. And candy corn (because that is a Halloween staple, right?).

6. Tell us about a scary nightmare you had.
I had one a couple years ago where someone had broken into our apartment and did something to me where I literally couldn't move (and also couldn't wake up from the nightmare, and when I did, I still couldn't move my body for several minutes for some reason) and I had to watch as they killed Ches and went after Aiden (I was pregnant with Dallin at the time). I couldn't even scream to Ches for help before he was killed.

7. What is your Supernatural Fear?
Anything to do with ghosts. I seriously believe in them, and they scare me more than anything. Oh, and I'm a little nervous about vampires (I've watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes waaaaaay too much to be healthy for me!).

8. What is your Creepy-Crawlie Fear?
Any bugs crawling on me and through my hair. EW!!! I had a cockroach actually do that once, and I'm still completely freaked out about it.

9. Tell us about a time when you saw a ghost, or heard something go Bump in the night.
Well, thankfully I haven't seen a ghost (that I remember), because that is one of my biggest fears. However, one summer Ches and I were driving from southern California to Utah, and we got to stay in a friend's condo in Mesquite, NV for the night. In the middle of the night I woke up, completely freaked out for some reason, and I couldn't settle down. I felt like either something was there or something really bad was going to happen. I finally woke Ches up and said, "We have to leave, now." He was so confused, but indulged me. We got some donuts and drove around for a little bit until I was calmed down, then went back to the condo. I felt fine, and we went back to sleep.

10. Would you ever stay in a real Haunted House overnight?
Heck no!! I've seen those programs on TV, and that scares me enough!

11. Are you a traditionalist (just a face) Jack O'Lantern Carver, or do you get really creative with your pumpkins?
Pretty much just a traditionalist, but I think next year we're gonna do all sorts of crazy stuff!! I really like Sariah in Vancouver's pumpkin from last year, and I'd like to try that out.

12. How much do you decorate your home for Halloween?
Not much... yet. We are slowly getting things, and someday I'll have the coolest house in the neighborhood. After we have our debts paid off.

13. What do you want on your Tombstone?
Beloved wife, mother, friend.

Okay, I tag Alyson, Dana, Kris, and Laural. I won't be hurt if you don't do it (since tomorrow is Halloween and all), but all y'all would sure be fun to read!!

How Beauty is Made

2006-10-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Wow. Check this out and let me know if you can think of anything to say besides "wow". (Guess I'm not the intelligent one in the group if that's all I can think of!! heh.)

Making Cookies

2006-10-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

I seem to have some kind of cookie deficiency. I mess them up almost every time. Today Aiden and I made chocolate chip cookies. Mmmmmm. I even added extra chocolate chips just for the heck of it. Heavenly! They turned out great... until the last batch. I forgot to set the timer, and I forgot I even put them in the oven. Luckily, I remembered before they turned into hockey pucks, but that is a rarity. Usually the last batch is always black and hard as a rock.

***

When Ches and I were first married (like a few weeks), one Sunday afternoon I felt like being all domestic and stuff, so I decided to make some cookies. Ches had gone to take a Sunday afternoon nap (aren't those the best??) and I opened the cookbook and started to pull out ingredients. Then I decided to go to the bathroom. When I was finished with my business, I returned to the kitchen for my cookie making. I was going down the list and following the instructions. I thought some of the ingredients a little odd for chocolate chip cookies... like, cinnamon. I didn't know you put cinnamon in chocolate chip cookies! But maybe this was a recipe I had never used before. So I kept going.

Then I got to "One can pumpkin." Wha--??? Pumpkin?? I looked around the cookbook, and that's when I realized I was not making chocolate chip cookies! I was making pumpkin bars!!! Somehow, while I was in the bathroom, the page had flipped in the cookbook, and I never checked the title of the recipe, assuming I was still in the same place as before.

HOW was I to fix this? I didn't have a can of pumpkin. It's May, for Heaven's sake! I can't go to the store to buy any because it's Sunday and A) I don't go shopping on Sunday for religious reasons, and 2) this is Rexburg, Idaho, and the stores aren't open on Sunday anyway (because just about everyone in town has the same religious beliefs and not only won't go shopping, but won't work on Sundays). What was I do DO??

I looked at the recipe some more, and saw that you could substitute the can of pumpkin for a jar of applesauce and make applesauce spice bars (although it turned out to be more of a cake than bars). Luckily, during my grocery shopping trip the day before I had bought a jar of applesauce.

I finished the applesauce cake and put it in the oven. I went into our bedroom and flopped face down on the bed. I was so MAD! I wanted chocolate chip cookies, after all, and I felt pretty stupid for the mistake. Ches woke up and said, "What's wrong?"

"I'm making chocolate chip cookies," I replied very angrily.

"And what's wrong with that?" my dear, new husband asked, quite puzzled (and understandably so!).

"You'll see in about 30 minutes."

The cake came out, and Ches said it was very good. It looked and smelled good. But I don't think I had a single bite. I was still angry at that cake for not being cookies.

I have made the applesauce cake several times since then, and enjoued it every time. We call it Sariah's Chocolate Chip Cookies.

***

My last year at Ricks College, I was on the Band Council. I helped plan the parties and such, and for one party we had assigned everyone to bring cookies or desserts or something. Treats to eat at the party. I decided to make Snickerdoodles. I don't know what I did wrong, but every single cookie was hard as a rock. I was runing late to the party and didn't have time to make new cookies or even go to the store and buy something (especially since I didn't have a car!!), so I brought my snickerdoodles anyway. I put them on the table and explained the problem, not expecting anyone to even try one. I figured we could find another use for the things. I mean, get a bunch of Mormon band nerds together, and who knows what could happen! We go crazy!! Seriously!

Candi Cannon, bless her heart (could I BE more southern?? heh), felt bad for me and proceeded to eat my snickerdoodles, claiming they weren't that bad! She ate several of them. She said "I like my cookies a little overdone."

She has always been close to my heart since then. I mean, I knew she was cool before, but this was the clincher. Candi is the coolest person I know. Or one of them, anyway! :)

p.s. check out the Recipe Exchange for the recipes for Sariah's Chocolate Chip Cookies and for Snickerdoodles. I made snickerdoodles a couple of weeks ago, and they were very yummy. Not a hockey puck among them.

Zufälligen Freitag

2006-10-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

We have termites. Blech! We discovered something weird growing from the ceiling in our bedroom. Ches took down the weird looking things, and discovered some gross bugs. He went online, and sure enough... termites!! This house had just been treated in January for termites, so we called the company and someone came out yesterday to have a look.

Turns out there's a lot I didn't know about termites. You see, these are subterrainian (?) termites, so while they are traveling up a beam in the back patio and into our ceiling, they have to return every 12 or 24 hours (I forget what he told me exactly) for food and water. When they sprayed the poison in back in January, it killed off the colony of termites. However, these little buggers leave a pheremone trail, and a new colony of termites moved in and followed the eaxact same path as the previous inhabitants. Luckily, the poison is still working, and this colony is dying off, too.

The things growing from our ceiling are their little tunnels that they build. Termites are really quick, and once you take one down they will immediately start to build another and you'll see it within a few hours... and it won't be just a little spec of a tunnel either. Our tunnels took them a while to rebuild after Ches took down the initial ones. Also, the termites keep their tunnels moist, and these were very dry. They almost turn to powder when touched, so we know the termites just aren't surviving. The termites have been crawling through this poison without knowing it and spreading it to one another, so now this second colony is almost gone. Yay!

So much I didn't know. I'm still so grossed out, though!

*****

There is this song on Noggin that the character "Moose" has been singing lately about Halloween. It talks about all the great things Moose likes about Halloween, but then he sings, "But I don't like candy corn." It's a really cute song, and Aiden has taken to singing along.

I think it's sad that Moose doesn't like candy corn. It's such a Halloween candy must-have! You knew it was fall and almost Halloween when you saw the bags of those delicious litle bits of orange and white. It seemed like you could only handle eating a few at a time, but would find yourself popping more and more in your mouth.

Now that candy corn comes in pastel colors at Easter and Christmas colors at Christmas, candy corn doesn't seem quite like the Halloween treat it once was. If I eat candy corn at other times of the year, I feel like I'm being unfaithful to Halloween. It's the same as Peeps. Peeps are for Easter, so why do they have them in different shapes and colors for other holidays now? Soon we'll be seeing candy canes in red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July, and maybe the red, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates that you get on Valentine's Day will turn to purple hearts for Veteren's Day. Okay, that's going too far. I sure hope that doesn't happen!!

*****

Last night I was awake about 1:30 am (any guesses why? Just kidding). We have turned off the air conditioner about a week ago and have a window fan in our bedroom window. It's quite nice and cool. The only problem with sleeping with your windows open and a fan bringing in the air is that it also brings in other smells from outside. Our neighbors were hanging out in their backyard, smoking. I'm pretty sure I smelled some pot, too, but then again I was half asleep, so what do I know? The cigarette smoke smell gave me a headache, but what can I do?

"Hi, I know you are in your yard and there is nothing illegal about smoking cigarettes, but could you stop? I really hate the smell. Thanks."

Yeah, I'm sure that'd go over well.

*****

Yesterday afternoon Aiden wanted to go check the mail, so I walked out with him. At the same time, a woman and her son (who looked to be about a year younger than Aiden, maybe) were out checking their mail two doors down from us. The little boy was wearing a full-on Batman costume. He was running around, swishing his cape, and making funny sounds, which I assume were swishing, Batman sounds. I chuckled to myself and thought, "Boy, does that look familiar!"

Aiden, of course, noticed Batman, and got kind of excited. We may have to make some cookies and meet them.

*****

The school year starts so early here (Aiden started Aug. 7th, Ches' kids started Aug. 16th) that in October the schools give a Fall Break. You know... like Spring Break, but in the fall, not the spring. (Can I state anything else more obvious for you??) Aiden's break was this week, and Ches gets a few days off at the end of next week.

Maybe Ches will have some time and we can do something about getting some grass in the backyard!

*****

You know what I hate about election time? It's not so much all the ugly signs everywhere saying thins like, "Vote YES on Prop. 103!" when you have no idea what Prop. 103 is (I figure that can't be too hard to look up). Well, it's kind of annoying, but I'll get over that.

No, I really hate all the ads on TV. None of the ads actually tell us anything about the candidate. The are all attack ads and rebuttal attack ads on the candidate's opponant. Everything is half-truths and statements taken out of context and/or twisted in so many ways. We aren't learning a thing about the candidate. It's no wonder so few people vote anymore. We're too confused about who stands for what.

*****

I want to see the movie "Man of the Year", starring Robin Williams. The idea of a comedien becoming the next President is highly amusing to me.

*****

Quote of the day:
You don't have good grammar when you type with your fists.
--C.F. Payne, as quoted in the October 2006 Reader's Digest

I Have Work Enough To Do

2006-10-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

If you didn't do the job you have now, what would you do instead? Or what are things you have seriously considered for jobs? Or maybe not seriously considered, but thought for a fleeting moment that it'd be cool? Here are some of my "dream jobs", or just "heh, that'd be fun" jobs:

1. English literature teacher in honors classes in high school
2. Sign language interpreter
3. Flight attendant
4. Undercover cop in a high school
5. Waitress at the Hard Rock Cafe
6. Famous columnist
7. A writer for the evening news
8. Studio musician for Disney
9. Broadway musical pit orchestra member
10. Conductor of the Boston Pops
11. Novelist
12. Extra on a movie set
13. Cake decorator
14. Wedding planner
15. Choreographer and instructor for a drum corps' color guard
16. Professional dancer
17. Model
18. Artist
19. Graphic design artist
20. Bass player in a really cool band

**Edit** Here are a few more that I forgot to put on here. Don't ask me why I forgot. I guess I needed a little memory jog and I got that from talking to some of you or reading your blogs and comments.

21. Studio photographer
22. Professional student
23. Something in a bookstore
24. Interior designer
25. Photo journalist

Bored?

2006-10-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Are you bored? I won't admit it if I am... I don't have time to be bored, what with three little boys to chase after and a house to clean. However, if I ever had the chance and might end up a little bored, I would check out this site. Lots of fun. (Not that I would know. I'm too busy to be bored!!)

More of The Wisdom of Aiden

2006-10-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

Aiden and Dallin were watching "Blue's Clues", and Aiden came to me with this observation:

"Mom, if this were in Spanish, it would be Azul's Clues. But it's not. It's Blue's Clues."

*****

Aiden had a bad dream the other night about two scary boys that took Grandma's birthday cake. Last night he was talking about the scary boys again, and Ches asked what the scary boys looked like:

"The scary boys look scary. And they have big, funny heads. And when they come to me I said, 'No! You're really scary!'"

*****

A local radio station is giving away $10,000 in cash, but you have to fine the "fugitive" that is holding the money. They said this fugitive took the van that was delivering the cash to the radio station, and when the van was later found, it was trashed but missing the money. The fugitive called the radio station and said he would call at certain times with clues. If you found him and asked him if he is the fugitive, you get the money. Aiden heard all this information on the radio, and was quite concerned:

"Mom, the man with the scary voice took the van and all the money! We have to chase him!"

Later, Aiden was a little worried for the sake of our family minivan:

"Will the man with the scary voice take our van and all our gas and all our money? We need our money. I'm going to go to college someday. When I'm grown up."

News Story

2006-10-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

I am so completely appalled by this news story that I don't think I can write an actual post about it. It just makes me so upset, and I can only say the tired cliche of Some People should never have children. Ever. I mean, honestly, does this woman have any kind of common sense, or does she even care for her child?? That baby is the same age as Parker. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the best mom (in fact, I left him in his carseat in the living room because he's asleep and i didn't want to deal with getting him out and probably waking him up and I wanted to eat lunch in peace... so he's still strapped into the carseat right now. At least I didn't leave him in the car, right???). However, as bad a mom that I think I am, I can't imagine using my own tiny, fragile baby as a physical weapon!! I hope this woman never gets to see this baby -- or the other 4 children taken out of the house -- ever again. I hope all five children will find people who truely love them and care for them and would never consider putting them in danger. That, my friends, is being a parent.

Rnodam Fidary

2006-10-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, so you know how I said I could have sworn there was another pack of diapers but I couldn't find them and then Mr. Universe showed just how awesome he is by going to the store for me? Well, there was another pack of diapers!! I found them yesterday. Sitting in my room. Just not where they belonged. I showed the pack to Ches, and all he said was, "And you blogged for nothing then." Hmph. I can blog about your awesomeness any stinkin' time I want, Mr. Universe. So there!! It wasn't for nothing!

*****

Aiden got this for his birthday. His cousins loved it, he loves it, his little brother loves it. Dallin knows how to turn it on now. He asks for it by saying "stars?!?!" and once you turn it on, he looks up with a huge smile and whispers "Wow!" This was a great present. The boys don't need a nightlight anymore and Aiden hasn't once asked us to leave the hall light on since he got this. It's a lot softer of a light than it looks in the picture. Once both boys are asleep, we turn the light off. I highly recommend this product to anyone with children.

*****

I haven't looked at Karen's gardening blog in a while, but I took a few minutes to look yesterday. I saw all the before and after pictures of your backyard, Karen, and now I'm wondering how much it'll set me back to have you fly out here and help us landscape our backyard! You did such a gorgeous job. I mean, I've seen pictures, just not quite all that you have on there. So I guess I'm saying I'm super impressed and I want to be Karen right now.

*****

Hey, so what every happened to the Weekly Anemesis (did I spell that right??). I never participated as a writer, but I enjoyed reading what my friends had written. It seems like all of a sudden it just stopped. Do you need a new prompt? Because I'll give you one. Like, uh...

First

Yeah, that's a good one. You have one week to write from the prompt word "First". Good luck, have fun, and all that jazz. Or, just ignore my prompt and let me know why you aren't writing these anymore. I'm just curious.

*****

Did you all hear about the Utah bride who was kidnapped by her parents last month right before her wedding so she wouldn't get married? Crazy stuff. ABQ and I were chatting about it the other day. Seems like her parents are a bit confused about things, especially if the reason they didn't want their daughter to get married had nothing to do with the groom. Oh, and I don't think the link I gave you mentions it, but the couple did get married on Aug. 8th, and they are already expecting their first baby in May. Talk about your honeymoon baby!! Wow.

*****

Does anyone know why my sidebar (with my picture, profile, and list of links, etc.) is now down at the bottom of the page? When I did my "Love Thursday" post a week or two ago, it suddenly changed where the sidebar went. I figured that since it put itself there, it may fix itself, but that hasn't happened, and I don't know how to do it. Yes, I am a computer dunce. So if you could let me know how to fix it in easy to understand instructions, I would appreciate it! :)

*****

I have gotten a little addicted to the show Project Runway. Wednesday night was their "reunion" show for season three (the finale is this coming Wednesday night on Bravo). There were some arguements and such, as there is in any of these reality show reunion episodes. There was also the regular joking around, and the cast was teasing Tim Gunn (this really talented fashion guy who helps the contestants here and there) about his use of language. They said he uses all these "big" words that no one understands. Now, not all of the words are ones I am familar with (faux bois), and one phrase he used (sturm and drang) I am only familiar with because of my music history courses, but for the most part they showed clips of Tim using these words that just confused everyone and I didn't think they were such odd words. Words like "mitigate". Or "caucus" (although I guess some people might get a little confused when it is not used in a strictly political sense). And "consternation". Hmmmm.

It seems that as a whole, our society does not use these "big" words anymore, and people just don't have a wide vocabulary. I'm not a good example of a large vocabulary, and I know that, but I understand a lot more than most people, I guess. I didn't think I did until I watched this and realized that no one had a clue what this intelligent man was actually saying. It's nuts!

*****

I just got the call from Laural... Congrats to Laural and family on their new baby girl, Sophia!!! I can't wait to see pictures!

*****

Quote of the day:
Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid.
--Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

I've Said It Before...

2006-10-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

And I'll say it again...

I have the best husband ever. Seriously.

I had to change Parker's diaper at 2 am, and that is when I discovered that we were out of diapers. I searched the house high and low (and without waking up another person!!) for a pack of diapers I could have sworn I had, but apparantly did not. I finally went to the diaper bag to steal one from there... and there was only one left. I changed Parker, hoping against hope that he could make it until morning and I could run to the store and get more diapers.

About 4 am, in the middle of feeding Parker, I heard that horrible sound coming form his bum, smelled that horrible smell, and knew I had to find another diaper. You know when your child has outgrown one size of diapers and you move them up to the next size, but forget to use up the one or two diapers buried in the bottom of the diaper bag? Well, I found a stack of diapers of various sizes, but there were no Newborn sizes. I found two Size 2 diapers, and one that wasn't labeled, but looked a little smaller than the 2s, so I thought perhaps this is a Size 1, and since that's just up from the Newborn size, I'll try it.

After I changed Parker into his way too big but clean and odor free diaper, I found my Post-it notes, wrote a message to Ches, and left it on the bathroom mirror for him to see when he got up an hour later. It read, "We are totally out of diapers for Parker. Please wake me up so I can run to the store for some more (after your shower, that is)."

A little after 6 am I awoke to the sound of the door to the carport opening. A minute later, there was Ches, handing me a pack of diapers, and saying, "I'll see you after school."

He wouldn't wake me to get the diapers because he knew I had been up several times during the night. Instead of waking me, he hurried through his shower and went to the store. He didn't get to spend time eating breakfast and making a lunch and getting ready for his school day because he wanted to let me sleep. While at the store, Ches bought some Pop Tarts so he could eat in the car on the way to school.

I love my husband. He lets me sleep.

Parker

2006-10-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

I kinda forgot to put a picture of just Parker up so you all can see him. Sorry! So here's a couple.

Our Weekend

2006-10-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, we had quite the full weekend this past weekend. My brother, Vince, came down from Idaho with his wife and daughter (Tanya and Chloe), and my sister, Lura, came out from San Diego with her husband and son (Jesse and Jago). My mom came back with Lura, and my father was even able to fly out from Boise. It was a really special weekend with Aiden's birthday on Friday, lots of fun family time on Saturday, and Parker's blessing (as well as my mom's birthday!) on Sunday. We took a lot of pictures, and I will share a few here (and hopefully get the rest on Flickr some time today). Here are some of the pictures to give an illustrated version of the weekend:

Uncle Jesse and Aiden

Aiden opening the last of his presents

Jago is such a cutie!!

Mmmmm! Dallin loves the birthday cake!

Grandpa, Jesse, Ches, Parker, Vince

Lura, Vince, Sariah

rAndOm frIdAY

2006-09-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th birthday, Aiden!

*****

Dallin got a hair cut again on Wednesday. He looks like a boy again, which is nice. I get tired of people saying how cute SHE is. Yes, because I would dress my little girl in total boy clothes... for church! Anyrate, I know that he is very pretty. He got his dad's beautiful dark brown eyes and long eyelashes. Combine that with long, soft hair (long for a baby, anyrate), and he looks like a girl. However, he is most definitely a boy!! So the haircut is nice.

*****

My favorite number is 3. I'm not sure why. When I was really young, I played soccer. My first year was on a team in Southern California, and we were called the Grape Apes (don't ask me why we chose that name. I don't really remember, but we liked it at the time. And we wore purple uniforms). We actually were a very good team... we got second place in our division. Or something. I don't remember how it works! When we got our uniforms, however, we were allowed to pick which number we wanted, and for some reason I felt I had to have number 3. When we moved to another state, I had to fight for it, but I got number 3 when I joined a new soccer league. If you make me guess a number, any number, between 1 and 10, I usually pick 3. It's my favorite number. Maybe because it's sacred in nature. Maybe because it symbolized the close relationship between my brother, sister, and me. Maybe because I couldn't count any higher (not really!!). I still like 3 the best of all.

*****

Why do some people feel it is necessary to play their car stereos so loud that you can clearly understand every single foul word coming from the rap song and you can feel the bass shake your house windows and even make your heart beat a little faster? And why does it usually happen in the middle of the night?

*****

I have family in town, so I can't spend a whole lot of time on the computer right now. So this is pretty much all you're getting for Random Friday today. Sorry. Stay tuned for next week... it might be better. Then again, it might not.

*****

Oh, no one told me any of their favorite songs that I should add to my Required Guitar Repertoire List (please see last Friday's RF post). So go back and read that little bit, then let me know what you think. And don't suggest "Stairway to Heaven". This is not an electic guitar. It's an acoustic. Well, a classical, but same difference.

*****

Quote of the Day:
The world is a difficult world, indeed,
And people are hard to suit,
And the man who plays on the violin
Is a bore to the man with the flute.
--Sir Thomas Beecham

A Short One

2006-09-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm constantly writing these really long posts. It's just like the way I talk. I can't shut up. I ramble.

However, I wanted to prove that I can, indeed, write a short post about something. So here it is.

I can write a short post, and I just did. So there.

The Hardest Job I've Ever Had

2006-09-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

Right after I turned 17 I decided that babysitting wasn't going to be a good enough income for my needs. I decided to get a job. My friend Ashley, who drove me home from school everyday, took me to the local Shoney's restaurant, and I filled out an application. The manager talked to me right then, and I was essentially hired on the spot.

The next week I started orientation. It seemed so silly, learning how to cut lemons and how to hold a tray, but I guess it was important to the company that their servers knew how to do these things. I was given my uniform, but since I was so small, they had to order a skirt for me. I would have to make do with what they had. I pinned about two inches on either side of my waist in and I never did get that smaller skirt. I looked like a little girl playing dress up.

I learned to have a great, fake smile, to flirt with people, and to act as if the customer was always right... all for a tip. I had to work weekend nights and several weekday nights. I didn't mind too much. It was my junior year of high school, and I felt abandoned by my friends who had graduated the year before. The only time it was really bad to work was the night of the Valentine's dance at school. A large group of students (who weren't really my friends because they were the popular kids, but I had classes with all of them) came in and guess who got to be their server? I had to endure watching everyone having fun with their dates and answer questions about why I didn't go to the dance and then get a lousy tip from them in the end.

As soon as I found another part-time job, I quit. I hated being a server. However, I can still hold a very full tray of food with the best of them.

*****

I have worked for two movie theatres. One was a small, family-owned theatre in our town. The owner's daughter and I had a mutual best friend, and the daughter and I became really close from that job. Of course, it helped that she was also in band, so we got to see each other a lot. I really liked working at that theatre. Everyone was friendly and like a family in many ways. We had a lot of fun at work, too. When Arkansas won the NCAA basketball tournament in 1994, we also happened to be showing the Flinstone's movie. We listened to the game on the radio, and when Arkansas won, we (like the rest of the state) were ecstatic! We talked to our boss, and someone ran to Wal-mart, bringing back red Arkansas Champions t-shirts with Fred Flinstone playing basketball on the front. We got to wear those to work for a while. Later, we talked the boss into letting us order polo shirts with the name of the movie theatre and our names embroidered on them. We had them dyed the same green as the new carpet. We all liked wearing those shirts rather than a white button-down shirt with a vest and bow-tie. I still have my shirt.

The second movie theatre I workd for was part of a very large chain. There were a lot more people that worked there, and we even had several managers. It was a bit different from the first theatre, but I still enjoyed it. I made friends quickly, and had lots of people to hang out with. It was the summer after my sophomore year at Ricks College... the summer I was living with my aunt... the summer where I was dating my future husband, but he was living in a completely different state and working, so I didn't see him for almost four months... the summer I took to really think about how I am and what I wanted. At the end of the summer, Mr. Universe came out to visit me. I still had to work for a few days, and I didn't want him to be totally bored. He got to come to the movie theatre and watch movie after movie... all for free. Usually I could only get people in for free movies if they were accompanying me. However, the managers had become good friends of mine, and after we were married and came back for visits, these guys still offered free movies to us. It was fun working there.

*****

I worked as an early-morning janitor my first fall semester at Ricks. I was assigned to the Hart Building, which was the physical education building. I could often be found sweeping the floors of the racketball courts, the dance studio, and the main gym. I worked from 4 am to 7 am, and my first class was at 8. I hated that job. I had blisters on my hands from the push brooms, which made my flute playing harder and learning the piano almost impossible. I was exhausted and falling asleep in my 10 am algebra class. After a few weeks of total misery, my mom and stepdad said I could quit my job and focus on my studies. My new job was simply to get good grades.

*****

After Mr. Universe and I had been married about 2 years, we spent a summer in Utah to find jobs. He had one from before we were married, and I found a job working for a telemarketing company. I was "Corporate Quality Assurance", which basically meant I listened to the recordings of the calls the telemarketers made and had to make sure they followed their script word for word. I had to write a report on every single call (actually, it was more of filling out a form), and we were expected to do a certain number of calls in an hour. We listened to the calls on fast speed. Let me tell you, even on this so-called "fast speed", some of the telemarketers would read sooooooooo slowly, it would take them forever to get through one simple sentence! I hated it! One day, as I was clearly frustrated and leaving after a day of listening to a bunch of idiots try and sell stuff to people who could care less, a manager asked me, "What do you think would make this job better?" I quickly answered, "Give reading tests to the telemarketers before they are hired!"

"Ummm, we already do that," the manager said quietly.

"Well, does it count for anything??" I quite that job and worked for a few weeks at a temp agency instead. I ended up working at a factory that makes bows and arrows. It was noisy, but satisfying. I liked that job so much better.

*****

After I graduated from university, we moved here to Arizona so Ches could do his student teaching. I was to find work. I ended up subbing for the Mesa School District, and I mostly loved it! I was a little scared to sub because it really hadn't been all that long since I was a student who would do things to subs. Okay, I didn't do things, but I didn't stop them, either. Anyway...

Shortly after I started working, I had a miscarriage. It was a really rough time for me, and a really rough time for our marriage as we dealt with our grief in totally different ways. One day I got the call to sub at a special school. This school is for pregnant and ntewly delivered teen mothers. I would be teaching English literature and history. I loved the subjects, but since I was still grieving I wasn't sure if I could handle seeing all these pregnant girls. I felt it so unfair that I was doing what I deemed "right", and yet I had lost a much wanted baby, and these stupid, irresponsible teenagers were not only able to get pregnant, but they were all keeping their babies. I was bitter at the situation. I was unsure about taking this job, but I needed to work. So I accepted and went to sub the next morning.

I loved it. These girls found out about the miscarriage and they were so kind. They were not stupid and irresponsible. They were smart girls who had made a "mistake", but were continuing to get their education and do the best they could for their new situation. I left a message at the front desk saying I would sub for this school anytime.

*****

I currently don't get paid for the job I have. I don't get vacations. I don't even get a lunch break. I am always on duty. I have to learn and do things I never thought I would do (mainly cooking!!), and I have to answer questions that I would never have thought of asking in the first place. I am exhausted constantly, and I have to take medication for depression. I'm constantly on the go. I don't have family near by to help out in a pinch. I am a mother, and parenting is the hardest job I've ever had. Facing hungry, angry customers is much easier than facing a 3-year-old pitching a huge fit in the middle of Target. Listening to a 20-year-old who can't read attempt to sell Disney books to a 75-year-old widower is much easier than watching the same Blue's Clues DVD 4 times in a row... everyday! Facing teen moms and trying not to take out my bitterness and grief on them is much easier than facing a two year old who has just colored all over your bedspread with permanent markers and then NOT beating them to a pulp.

Yes, all of my previous jobs had some really hard days, but you know what? I wouldn't trade my job right now for anything in the world. Parenting is hard, but there is nothing like raising these three boys and wondering what kind of men they will turn out to be. I love it.

Willekeurige vrijdag

2006-09-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

I had my two-week post-partum checkup yesterday. Everything looks good. I especially liked getting weighed, actually. While my weight is much higher than I would like it to be, it is looking good and I know it won't be too bad to work off. Heck, I just had a baby! I'm feeling great!!

*****

My mom has been here in town for the past week, visiting and helping. It has been pretty great. Normally I get sick of people after a week, so my mom arranged to go to my sister's in California. After I get rid of whoever was here helping me, I wish I had kept them here, so Mom will stay in CA for a week, then return here to my house for a little more than a week.It's all going to work out really well.

Like I said, I have enjoyed having my mom here. It's nice to talk and stuff. She, of course, is loving her time with three of her grandsons. I think Aiden is enjoying it the most. He hangs on Grandma's every word. They play "light saber pillow battle", Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Blue's Clue's Memory, and whatever else they can find in the game cupboard. She has taken him on walksand played in the backyard. She tells him stories and reads to him and he listens to every little bit of it. Grandma is completely worn out and will need a rest when she goes home!!

*****

I am rereading "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (the sixth Harry Potter book) again. I have only read it once, and I want to look for more clues of what is going on and what will happen, not only at the end of this book, but perhaps some foreshadowing for Book 7. It is going rather slowly because I read a couple of pages, then the baby needs to be fed, or Dallin wants to watch Blue's Clues, or the phone rings and I have to talk to more strangers about health care... you get the picture. I am enjoying the read, however, and remembering bits and pieces here and there.

*****

Speaking of Harry Potter... Happy 19th Birthday to Tom Felton!! (Tom is the actor who plays Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies).

*****

I have a guitar, and while I did take a class my freshman year at Ricks, I didn't really learn anything. I can play "Down In the Valley", and that's about it. However, I would like to really learn to play my guitar (you know, the cool classical one that Ches got me for Christmas last year??), and there are a few songs that I think should be on my own, personal, required repertoire list. This songs include:
Blackbird by Paul McCartney
Blowin' in the Wind by Joan Baez
I'm Sensitive by Jewel
Blister in the Sun by the Violent Femmes

Okay, actually that's about all I have on my required list right now. "Blackbird" because I have always loved that tune, and "Blowin' in the Wind" because whenever I pulled out my guitar to practice while at Ricks, my roommate (Jessica) would start singing very loudly, "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind. The answer is blowin' in the wind!" and would request that I play it for her. "I'm Sensitive" is also just beautiful, and I once heard a girl perform it during Guitars Unplugged while at Ricks and thought it was awesome. Oh, and "Blister in the Sun" just because that is THE road trip song, and I figure if we go camping and take our guitars along for singing around the fire, road trip songs are just as good as campfire songs, if not better.

Any suggestions for my required repertoire list?

*****

So Mr. Universe just brought in the mail for today. Apparantly AT&T over-charged our account (from when we were in Reno), so the sent us a refund check. For 13 cents.

What a waste. A waste of paper, of postage, of time. Just a waste.
*****

We were watching Survivor last night, and I have one question. A girl on the tribe of African-Americans said (when talking about if they have to lose another member of their tribe), "We're already at a disadvantage because we're all African-American."

What the heck did she mean? Because they are a minority group and African-American? I don't get it. There are two other tribes that are comprised of minority groups (one Hispanic or Latino, the other Asian-Americans), and you don't here them complaining of being at a disadvantage! I hope I'm blowing this out of proportion, but I seriously don't get the statement she made. Anyone willing to enlighten me (without being nasty to me or anyone else or any ethnic groups in general!!)??

*****

Speaking of Survivor... were you just as shocked at the declaration of "love at first sight" by Billy abnout Candace as we were? I loved Jeff Probst's expression. That was a classic face right there. I wish I had seen the cast-off Billy on CBS this morning because I'm sure they have asked him about it. I wonder what Candace thinks? When did she find out about this supposed love?? Oh, the drama... even the drama that probably isn't there at all.

*****

No offense to the rest of you moms and dads out there, but I swear that Mr, Universe and I make the cutest babies in the universe. Not just my Universe, either. The entire universe!!! Don't ttry to argue. You all have wonderfully cute children, but as this is MY Universe that you are visiting, I'm allowed to make such blanket statements without being accused of bias. So there.

*****

If I could have a million dollars (tax free, of course), what would I do with it? Of course first I'd be all responsible and pay off all our debts, buy a house, and put quite a bit in savings for us and each of the kids. But what irresponsible or just plain fun things would I do??? I don't know... get a tummy tuck and lazer surgery to get rid of all the nasty stretch marks; go on a year-long vacation around Europe; buy season tickets of the best seats for both the Chicago Cubs and tge Calgary Flames as well as plane tickets for all the games.

What irresponsible and/or just plain fun things would you do with a million (tax free) dollars??

*****

Quote of the day:
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery; The Little Prince

Love Thursday

2006-09-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

I just had to add a photo for this Love Thursday thing that everyone seems to be doing. I don't know about the link thing, so I'm just putting up the photo.

This is Mr. Universe and our first little star in December, 2004. Aiden wants to be just like his dad so much of the time, so when Ches was practicing his trumpet at home over Christmas break, Aiden found the trumpet ornament for the tree (that we typically use instead of a star or angel on the top) and had to play along. Ches was doing scales and arpeggios and such, and Aiden would just sing along. I love my trumpet players, and they sure love each other!!

Today is September 21st

2006-09-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to You, Madhatter!!

Happy Anniversary V&T!!!

Baby You Can Drive My Car

2006-09-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

I got my Arizona driver's license yesterday. The wait time actually wasn't that long, and I didn't have to take a test or anything. Just fill out a form, pay my $25, and turn in my Nevada license. I had fixed up my hair all special, but it was doing all sorts of strange flippy things... so it just looks ridiculous. I had put on my makeup and think I looked really nice, but those cameras aren't always the best, and my face looks a lot pinker than my neck. I had to change my shirt at the last minute before we left because I'm a klutz and I spilled pizza sauce on my shirt, so I ended up wearing a white t-shirt and white tends to make me look washed out (except that I have a pink face) and freaky. I made a face at my picture as soon as I saw it, and Mr. Universe just kind of laughed. He said, "Driver's license pictures are never supposed to look good." He's right, I know, but I tried anyway.

While filling out the form, it asked for my weight. HA! I just had a baby 11 days earlier! What is my weight? How should I know? I hope to get a lot smaller than this, but I put down 145.

*****

I got my first license at the age of 15. In Arkansas, at the time I don't know how it is now, of course), you had to take a written test before you could get a permit. Then you had to wait a certain period of time before you could take the driving test. I had to take the written test twice. That was pretty common. After three times of failing the written, you weren't allowed to take it again for another set period of time. Oh, and once you failed the first time, you had to wait I think a week before you caould take the test again.

Once I had my permit, I got to practice driving a lot. My mom taught me, mostly. At that time, in Arkansas, you weren't required to take driver's ed, and our particular insurance wasn't going to give any discounts or anything for it, so I didn't take it. I didn't have the time or the money anyway.

Anyway, after I passed my driving test (which the tester said I was an excellent driver, by the way), and my best friend, Susan, passed hers, my Mom took us over to the DMV to get our new licenses. I had a bad perm that was growing out, so my hair was kind of long, frizzy, and pretty much parted in the middle. I was wearing a long-sleaved denim shirt, and a cool necklace with turquoise beads on it. I wore my round framed glasses (very John Lennon, but bigger frames). I stood exactly where I was supposed to, and the woman said in a very bored voice, "Okay, on the count of three... One... Two... *click*!" The camera flashed and I was dumbfounded.

"What happened to three??" I looked around, but no one would answer my question. It was like a cruel joke. I wasn't smiling yet because I was waiting for three so I wouldn't look too forced!!

After about 10 minutes, I was handed my brand new, very first driver's license. I looked first at the picture. I looked like a hippy... a very unhappy hippy with crooked glasses. Not my best moment.

*****

I have held driver's licenses in several states since then... California, Idaho, Nevada... but nothing is as memorable as your first.

My new license is pretty cool. My picture does look a little freaky, but what can you expect? It has all the vital information on it. I am an organ donar. I am registered to vote (and I had a hard time deciding what to put down for a particular party! I finally wrote down Republican, but I don't know if I really consider myself that. I don't consider myself a Democrat, either, so I guess maybe I should have written "Independent". Ches left his blank because he can never remember which party is which). Oh, and you want to know the expiration date on my license?

12/24/2041

Today is September 20th

2006-09-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Richard!!!

Tilfeldig Fredag

2006-09-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

Parker is one week old today. What a week, huh?? Seems like it's been crazy for the whole world, not just me. That's good, because I don't really need to have all the attention. Just most of it.

*****

Parker means "keeper of the forest". I guess like park ranger or something. What's cool about that name is that one of the things Mr. Universe used to think he wanted to be when he grew up was a forest ranger. He's an outdoors-y kind of guy... He loves mountains and trees and camping and stuff. Too bad we don't get to do a whole lot of it. Anyrate, so while we just kind of came up with the name Parker Benjamin, it has meaning because even though Mr. Universe didn't become a forest ranger himself, now we have one of our own.

*****

Funny things my kid (and some others we know, too) have said lately:

"Mom, the law says I can't be in Time Out anymore."
--Aiden

When asked what day his birthday is: "It's on Friday. No, Saturday." No, Aiden, what is the date? September what? "The, uh, 39th."
--Aiden

During prayers: "Thank you, God, for the Aladdin soundtrack, the Lion King sountrack, the Pirates soundtrack, and uh, for meaning in life and then die."
--Kaely, age 3

Talking about another galaxy (not ours, nor the Star Wars galaxy... for once): "Can we go to the other galaxy?" No, it's too far away and we don't have a space ship to fly there. "Well, my dad can help me build one."
--Aiden

*****

I was just thinking today that Nike ought to change their slogan. We are all familiar with their "Just do it" campaign. It's been highly successful since it was first introduced (don't ask me when! Forever ago!). However, we are always seeing these health reports about obesity and that Americans just lead such sedentary lifestyles, so here is what Nike ought to change it's slogan to: "Just do something!" Think they'll go for it and pay me a ginormous amount of money for my idea? Yeah, me neither.

*****

Ches and I were watching the weather forecast last night and chuckling as they repeatedly stated we were going to have a cooler weekend. They said it would be cool and breezy. The high temperature?? 93 (F)!!! Maybe if the temperature stays closer to the projected low (71)...

*****

My mommy will be here tomorrow! Yay! I'm going to get so much sleep next week as she plays with her older two grandsons.

*****

Birthday season in our family has arrived. Tomorrow is my nephew Jago's first birthday. Next week starts the really big push... Tim, Richard, Allen, Aiden, Emily, and Mom all have birthdays. I think that's all. And, of course, throw in Vince and Tanya's wedding anniversary... I sure hope everyone doesn't expect gifts from us.

*****

I'm online chatting with ABQ, Proud Mum, and Laural (who I have decided that instead of typing her name, I will consistantly call her Lo. I have her permission. I think it's cute) right now, and we are discussing Halloween costumes for our kids, our husbands, and for us. Yes, it's still over a month away, but it's time to think about it folks! Especially if you're one of those great Mollys that can sew and do it for your family every year.

So I'm wondering... what are you going to be for Halloween?

*****

Quote of the day:
The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but you still have to mow it.
--Annonymous

He's Here!

2006-09-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow internets! Our baby has arrived! Yes, the guesses most of you made because of my absence were correct. Here is the story (with the vital information towards the bottom, if you want to skip the story, which is totally fine with me):

On Wednesday, Mr. Universe's car broke down. He couldn't start the darn thing, finally found someone to give him a boost, and he made it home. He turned off the car, then went to turn it on again, but nothing happened. He took the van, bought a new battery, and replaced the battery. The car was fine. Thursday morning, Mr. Universe took his own car (with the new battery, of course!), but when he was to come home that afternoon, the car wouldn't start again. Nothing was working. So I piled the kids in the van and drove the 45 minutes to his school, we tried to jump start the car, but all we got were sparks and smoke. We left Mr. Universe's car at work with the plan that we would figure it out the next day. HOWEVER...

I was having some contractions on the way home, but didn't think much about it. I've been having contractions all along, really. By the time we got home, they were starting to feel more intense, and getting a bit more regular. About 7 pm, they were less than 10 minutes apart, so I decided to start making plans in case we went to the hospital. I packed a bag for me and a bag for the boys. We made some phone calls and Mr. Universe and the boys ate some dinner (even though I was starving, I knew that if I really was in labor I would be having a c-section and they wouldn't want me to have eaten anything. The last time I ate was on the way home from the school, around 5 pm, and I only had a few yogurt-covered pretzels). We dropped the boys off at my visiting teacher's house about 9 pm, and my contractions had suddenly moved up to about 3 to 5 minutes apart, getting more and more intense.

We checked in to the hospital right at 9:30 pm. They checked me out, and talked to me about my options. The doctor was willing to let me try for a vaginal delivery, but he wanted me monitered for an hour to see how I progressed. After and hour, the nurse called the doctor, and he wasn't happy with how little progress I had made, but wanted me monitered for another hour. By the end of that hour, the contractions felt like they were killing me! I mean, I knew they could get worse, but they were pretty bad. I still hadn't progressed well, and since it seemed like I was following the same path as when I was in labor with Aiden, we(Mr. Universe, the doctor, and I) decided a c-section would be best. I was hoping for a vaginal delivery, but knew that a c-section would most likely happen. I was surprised when I even got a choice! Mentally, I was prepared.

We got more paperwork filled out, blood drawn, scrubs on Ches, and all the fun stuff that takes forever before you even enter the surgical room. It was after 1 am, and my surgery scheduled for 1:30. I was brought into the room (and Ches had to wait outside, of course), and given my spinal. Everything was going fine, and then I started having a bit of a panic attack. This happened with both of my previous c-sections, and I thought I'd be able to keep myself calm, but it didn't work. I was hyperventilating and just trying to breathe. I kept asking when they could bring Ches in. I just wanted him there to hold my hand and keep me calm! No one is as good as my husband! Finally, I calmed down enough, I was numb enough, they had the sheet up, and they brought in Mr. Universe.

Ches was able to sit right there and talk to me and I really did feel more calm with him there.

At 1:54 am, out came a beautiful little boy! They cleaned him up a little bit, then brought him to me and actually let me hold him for a couple of minutes. That was a first. Then Mr. Universe and the newest little star in the family went away while they finished cleaning me and sewing me back together. No staples this time!! Yay!

I was taken into the recovery room, and Ches was brought in right away. We were able to talk and joke around a bit as we waited for our new baby to come in (they were giving him a bath, they said). Then the moved me to my room. No, we still hadn't decided on a name.

I finally got to see the baby again about 3 am. We did try nursing, and he latched on right away!! That was a first. He is a great little eater (when he's awake enough to actually eat!). Ches went home about 5 to get a couple hours of sleep before he got the boys in the morning.

No, we had not picked a name yet. Ches and I could NOT decide on a name! We had this great list of names, and we wanted a family name in there (Aiden and Dallin have family names for their middle name), bt nothing seemed right. Finally, about lunch time, we came up with a name that we both liked and just felt right. So...

Parker Benjamin was born on Friday, September 8th, 2006 at 1:54 am. He weighed 7 lbs 4 oz and was 21 inches long. He has lots of fuzzy black hair, and really dark, blue eyes. He is absolutely perfect!

If you would like to see a picture of him from the day he was born, go to www.chandlerregional.com
Click on the maternity link, then the virtual nursery.

I will post pictures of him soon. He already looks a bit different, I think. Parker and I came home Sunday afternoon, and we are slowly but surely getting into the swing of things. Oh, and no one came up with the correct date, but Proud Mum was closest (guessing the 9th), so she get the prize of (drumroll, please)... cyber brownies! All you can eat! Literally no calories!! Enjoy, PM.

Talk to you all soon!!

Interest or Obsession??

2006-09-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched "Fever Pitch" on one of those movie channels. It stars Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon. It was a cute movie. Not as funny as I thought it would be, but I still liked it a lot. If you haven't seen it, let me tell you a little bit about the story. It's about this math teacher (Jimmy Fallon) who meets a young professional (Drew Barrymore), and they start dating. Her friends ask her what his deal is because he seems smart and funny and cute, so why is he 30-something and still single? His one big flaw? He is a Boston Red Socks fan. I'm not talking someone who loves to watch the games on TV and owns a couple of t-shirts and a hat. I'm talking full-on knowledge of every Red Sox game ever. He owns every book, every piece of memorabilia, and he inherited some of the best seats in Fenway Park. During baseball season, his life literally revolves around the Red Socks.

At first the girl is fine with his "interest", but realizes over time that it is more than an interest. It actually threatens their relationship quite a bit. Now, I don't want to spoil any of the movie for you (even though yes, it is quite predictable), so I'm going to stop talking about the movie now.

I have family members and friends who remind me of Jimmy Fallon's character. They get an interest, but then that interest grows and grows. Soon, it seems to be more of an obsession than an interest. Where do you draw the line? I don't feel that I have an obsessions. I show an interest in something (for example, let's say I think frogs are kind of cute), so I get a few things here and there (a pair of earrings, a stuffed animal), and the next thing I know everyone around me is giving me so much frog stuff that I feel like I married Kermit and we settled down in a swamp somewhere. I have t-shirts, magnents, decorative pins, glow-in-the-dark frogs, more stuffed animals, postcards, posters, books and bookmarks, quilts, baby clothes, planters... I am surrounded by frogs!!

Of course, that is only an example (*wink*). I don't do that to myself, of course. I don't feel the need to, especially if everyone is giving me all this stuff. I get sick of it, though, because I don't want to be known as "the frog lady" or something by the neighborhood children. I have a lot of interests, and I don't feel that there is one or two interests that take over everything else in my life. I like variety.

I just don't like obsessions. Obsessions take over everything, and I think you lose friends, too, because not everyone thinks whatever your obsession is is that great anyway. You know the saying... "variety is the spice of life!" If you have an obsession, think about taking it down a notch (or two, or twenty!) and making it an interest. And cultivate some other interests! Just a thought.

Library Time!!

2006-09-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

**note: I had pictures to go along with this post, I took some pictures, but Blogger is being a bugger. You can see the pictures (and a couple others) on Flickr, instead. Sorry about that.**

Last week, I took the boys to the local library so I could get a new card. We all know how much I love to read. Well, guess who else got to get his own card? That's right! Aiden! His first library card!

The library cards here are pretty cool, too. I got to pick from about 5 different pictures, and so I picked a nice feminine one (got to have that with all the testosterone around my house), and Aiden chose from about 4 different kids' card pictures. He is very proud of his library card.

To get to the children's section of the library, you have to go down a very large staircase and in through a large doorway. It's like a whole different world there. There is an area of about 10 tables with puzzles, a large area of toys on shelves and play toys on the floor (like small playhouses and such) and small tables and chairs, all surrounded in a circle by soft chairs for parents, rows and rows and rows of books, all seperated by reading levels, lots of computers, more soft chairs and benches, a kids' bathroom (with short sinks and everything!!), and a baby changing room with lots of counters, soft changing pads on the counters, and rocking chairs for nursing.

I love this library, and I haven't even been able to check out the adult section!

We are going to the library today to return the videos the kids checked out last week, and find some new books to read. I'm getting kind of tired or reading "Peek A Who" and "Can You Hop?" to Dallin over and over again, so we'll find something else that will bore me to tears for a few weeks, but will entertain him beyond belief. We'll get some easy reading books for Aiden, who has taken to reading all the signs on the streets and store fronts as we drive down the road (which is funny to me, because one of my few memories from about that age, when my parents were still married, is being in the car and reading all the street signs and store/restaurant signs out loud and my parents getting a little annoyed because I had to read every single word I saw!).

I need some suggestions for reading material for me. I like fiction, and stories that really draw me in to that world. I don't like really wordy authors because sometimes they take four pages to describe something as mundane as what the girl packed in her suitcase before a big trip. I do like "chick lit" (you know, like "Bridget Jones' Diary"), but that is often too short of a read for me. Too easy. I like to use my brain a bit, not just read for a couple hours of complete trashy pleasure or something. I don't want anything too challenging at this time, however (my mind is a little preoccupied!), so no Shakespeare or Homer.

Any suggestions?? You guys are the best!!

The Ideal Picture

2006-09-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was such a great holiday for me. In the late afternoon, Mr. Universe set out and filled up the wading pool for the boys. I got them in their swimming trunks, helped them find some water toys, and outside we went. I sat on the patio in a comfy "camping" chair, reading a book and watching the boys. Mr. Universe cooked up some steaks on the grill. Not long before the steaks were ready, I chased the boys around the yard with the hose, trying out the new spray nozzle and all it's features. We were all laughing a lot.

It was a perfect evening for all of us. I love having a backyard. I love having a grill. I love my family and having fun evenings like that most of all.

My Sunday I's...

2006-09-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

This is mainly for Kris, who I hasn't done this in a while, and I miss it. I always thought it looked kinda fun, so, here goes!!

1. I still don't know how to do my hair with it's new haircut.
2. I hope my hair grows out really fast so I'll feel normal again.
3. I wonder why when people have parties with lots of alcohol consumption, they always use those big, red plastic cups.
4. I mean, aren't there other kinds and colors of cups to use?
5. I don't mind the neighbors having a party every now and then, but two nights in a row is ridiculous.
6. I honestly think my son is one of the smartest kids his age, hands down.
7. I don't usually like to brag about his "smarts", but how many other kids do you know that is teaching himself to read and taught himself the names of the planets... in order... before he turned four?
8. I love taking a good Sunday afternoon nap.
9. I think my husband is the kindest man in the entire universe (and not just my universe, either).
10. I don't get dirty jokes.
11. I'm still pregnant.
12. I figure I have at least one more week, even though I'm due in just over 3.
13. I'm not quite ready for the baby to come, even though my mind and body thinks otherwise.
14. I was just told that The Amazing Race starts two weeks from today.
15. I love that show!
16. I need to go to the bathroom... again!!!

Random Friday

2006-09-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome, September. One of my favorite months. The nerd that I am, I loved the whole back-to-school season. Remember when we were kids and schools everywhere (not just in Canada and back East) started right after Labor Day? Anyway... September to me means Friday night football games, cooler, crisper air, the smell of sharpened pencils (like what they talk about in "You've Got Mail". I love that part. I felt it.), new beginnings (because of new classes and new teachers and new friends), and apples. September brings Fall. I love the fall. I love the leaves changing color. To really appreciate the many colors of fall, you have to have been to New England in the fall. I don't think any place else does fall nearly as well. I love wearing a sweater and jeans and not being too cold or too hot. This September will be so different from past Septembers. No Friday night football games. No big change in weather. No changing leaf colors. And school has already been in for almost a month. I'm trying not to let that get me down. This will just be a different kind of fall. I have to get used to it, that's all.

*****

How was that for a random paragraph??? ;)

*****

We had a pretty fun evening for Mr. Universe's birthday yesterday. He got home from school really, really early. He had looked some restaurants up online, and found a new one to try out. It is called Elephant Bar Restaurant. It was so fun! It's got kind of a safari-ish atomosphere, but it's not cheesey in any way. The food was pretty good, and our server was really nice. I ate the Miso Yaki Pork Loin Steaks. It came with yummy vegetables, mashed potatos (so light and fluffy! Mmmmm!) and spiced, baked apples. I was very pleased. Ches had some kind of combination plate. It had chicken (which he said was very good), ribs (which he said were okay. He expected more flavor), and shrimp (which he actually won't eat, so they substituted it with another chicken). I can't remember what sides he had, but he seemed pretty happy with it. They have a really good kids menu, and the boys both loved the restaurant , too.

After dinner, we took Ches to a nearby mall to get some new sunglasses. Many years ago, Ches and I paid a lot of money for each of us to have a pair of Oakleys. I purchased a pair of light blue Minutes, and Ches purchased a pair of silver framed, blue lensed XXs. We both love our Oakleys very much. While living in Preston, Ches' sunglasses were stolen from our car, and we figured we'd never see them again, so we bought him a brand new pair of the eact same sunglasses. After a few months, the kid (thief) was caught, he confessed, and many of the items he had stolen from around the neighborhood were returned. Ches now had two pairs of the exact same sunglasses. I can't remember what happened after that, but I do remember the last pair got lost just over a year ago (thanks to Aiden, but we won't blame him too much!). Ches has gone without any sunglasses since then.

We looked at some good stuff, including the tried and true Oakley XXs that Ches loves, but because of finances, he refused to pay that much. We ended up at a kisok in the mall that sells knock offs. He found a pair of "Nike" sunglasses that he really liked, and then because of the great offers (1 pair for 10.99, 2 for 15.99, 3 for 20.99), Ches insisted I get a pair of glasses, too. I was jokingly trying on some of the really stylish glasses that I just don't think of as me. However, I ended up with some pink, Dolce and Gabana knock-offs that make me feel like I should be some rich kid living in L.A. Or I'm Jennifer Lopez.

*****

Aiden and I went grovery shopping the other night, and he found the coolest rock ever in the cart (left by another child with similar interests, I'm sure). He brought the rock home and proudly showed it off to his dad.

After Aiden had been put in bed (about 30 times), he came to the living room and said the rock was sad. The rock wants to go home.

"Aiden, I don't know where the rock's home is!" I replied.

"But Mo-om! The rock needs his family." Aiden was quite concerned about the welfare of this rock.

"The rock is part of our family, now. He came home with you to be in our family." I thought that I had given a pretty good answer. We had adopted a rock before, so why not now? Apparantly Aiden saw it differently this time.

"Mom, rocks are not in our family. Rocks are in rock families. We only have people in our family. We are people! Not rocks!" All of this was said with that "Well, duh!!" tone of voice.

Excuse me. I didn't realize. Our family only has people, not rocks. I should have known better.

*****

25 official days left of my prengnacy. I'm taking bets on what day the baby will actually be born. Any takers??

*****

Quote of the day:
Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love, and to work, and to play and to look up at the stars.
--Henry van Dyke (1852-1933)

Sometimes, I Just Need an Outlet

2006-08-31T10:32:00.000-07:00

Today is one of those days where I just want to write and write, but I actually don't have anything of importance to say. I have had this need inside me for several days now, but I'm so involved in getting this medical assistance thing figured out and trying not to go into labor that I actually can't think of anything else.

The good news is that I got all my faxes sent. Hopefully the people who are supposed to fill out the forms and fax them back to the agency did that right away. I did add a note asking them to quickly do this for me.

You see? There it is, taking over my every thought process. I wonder what it is like to be a normal person who only has to worry about the upcoming birth and not about 5000 other things that are related to the upcoming birth, but that I shouldn't have to worry about at this stage. Hmmmm.

More good news... my new Visiting Teachers have asked to throw me a baby shower. I don't actually need anything (this is our third boy after all, and he's due just three days before Aiden's birthday. That should take care of everything), but I will never refuse free food and gifts. They asked me to make a list of what I would like or what I need. So the list is going to be nice and short: diapers, baby wipes, Diaper Genie refills, a Baby Bjorn, and a bassinette.

My mom called this morning with her flight info. I can't wait for her to get here. I just want someone here with me, helping me. I'm in so much pain and everything is such an effort, and I feel like I'm the worst mother to Aiden and Dallin right now because of it. My temper is very short and my energy low.

I really can't wait to be a normal human being again. Really. Just a few more months until I'll start feeling like a person. Bear with me folks. This is a hard journey for me.

Special Day Today

2006-08-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Mr. Universe!!

Just Another Manic Monday

2006-08-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

I had my appointment this morning. I found someone who not only could take both boys for me, but could drop Aiden off at preschool. I got a little lost, so I wasn't there 15 minutes early, like I should have been, but I found the office. I got there in time for my scheduled appointment. However, because I haven't yet been accpeted with medical assistance, I had to pay a huge amount of money for the visit. They reassured me that would be reimbursed when I am accepted. We shall see. I got all the paperwork filled out, and the nurse called me in. They hadn't gotten a hold of my doctor's office in Nevada yet, so they didn't have my records yet, so the nurse said the nurse practitioner thought it a good idea to just wait a week and reschedule. I have to have some kind of strep test done at 36 weeks. They said they don't want to do it too early, and they can't wait that long, either. However, since they'd just be doing a "how are you feeling" checkup, I already paid all that money, and I would have to come back next week and probably pay even more money (since I'm more than likely not going to get an acceptance letter for medical assistance yet), they suggested I not really have the appointment today and just reschedule for next week.

Fine, whatever. But I will be 36 weeks tomorrow, and I really, really think this baby is coming early! I would have at least like to have talked to the nurse practitioner about some of my birthing options and such, and I do know a lot of what's going on with my pregnancy, so why do you need all of my records right this second anyway? I know, I know. They need to look everything over and get it all straight, but still. What if the baby comes this week?? Mr. Universe's birthday is on Thursday. What a nice little present, right? Just kidding (mostly).

So I have all these faxes to send to different places and wait for responses and turn them in. Luckily the person who babysat for me this morning has a fax machine and has generously offered me to use it. Once Dallin wakes up from a nap, we shall do just that.

I'm so sick of this whole thing. I just want to be able to see a doctor, feel comfortable with that doctor, and have this baby already!! I'm sick of having to worry about money and where it is all going to come from and how much everything costs, especially the things you need (house, food, insurance... you get the picture).

The good news, however, is that I haven't had anymore "indications" of the baby coming. A couple of Braxton Hicks here and there, but nothing major. So the baby is still comfy and safe inside. While I may be completely miserable (and I can't believe how much I weigh! I have put on over 35 pounds for this pregnancy! My largest weight gain yet!! And I still have 4 more weeks!!), I know it's better for the baby to not be born yet. It's just not time. The baby will come when he's supposed to come, and I need to stop worrying!

Just a Quick Word...

2006-08-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

The baby is due in exactly ONE MONTH!!!

Just thought you'd all like to know. You may now return to your regular blogging.

Random Friday

2006-08-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

So I thought I was going into labor last night. It was not fun. I was in a lot of pain all over my body, having some really painful contractions, and feeling quite naseous. I was so scared because we aren't at all ready to have this baby yet. I told Ches I wanted a Priesthood Blessing, and he got a hold of a member of the bishopric. I was really comforted from the blessing, and I'm feeling a lot better. The Relief Society president called later and gave me a list of names to call either during the day, in the middle of the night, or whenever (she specified which) in case I DO go into labor. She had called around and got women who all live near me. Everyone is so helpful!! It made me feel a lot better, emotionally. I still think this baby is coming extra early, but I'd like him to wait a couple more weeks, if possible. Ches and I had just started to talk about what to do "if" the baby came early. We had no phone numbers for people to take the boys for us, no phone numbers for him to call in and get a sub at school... we don't even know what hospital we're going to yet! I have an appointment on Monday, and we'll see what the doctor (or rather, the nurse practioner) says then.

*****

I found Ovation here in the States!! Yay!! I've been craving those yummy dark chocolate covered mint sticks since I was pregnant with Dallin and it was Christmas time. Everytime we go to Calgary for Christmas, Ovation is one of our staples that buy right away. They taste so good, and make great logs and decorations in the family gingerbread house building competition (do you guys still do that? It's been a while since we've been up. Sorry).

Anyrate, we saw them with all the candy/chocolates in Wal-Mart, so of course I picked up a box. They taste like Christmas. It made me happy.

*****

So, Tom Cruise has been dumped by Paramount because of his crazy off-screen antics. I'm not a huge fan of Mr. Cruise anymore (I think he has gone a bit off the rocker!!), but that is just of him personally. I still love his acting. I love most of the movies he is in. Just because he's completely nuts isn't going to stop me from seeing Tom Cruise movies. Why exactly do people care???

It's kind of like the Mel Gibson thing, to me. I mean, people think he's gone a bit nuts himself, and this latest episode of drunk driving and anti-Semetic slurs certainly haven't helped the public views of him as a person, but he is still a great actor and movie-maker. Are people honestly going to suddenly stop seeing Mel Gibson movies because of stuff he said when he was completely smashed, and of which he has publicly apologized for on a number of occasions AND has gone into rehab? I won't stop seeing Mel Gibson movies.

There are stars our there who have done crazier things. Or more offensive things. No one seems to care. Major awards have been given to a man who alledgedly raped a girl, then he ran away to another country so he wouldn't have to face prosecution. He is still in "exhile", but he still makes movies, people love to see his movies, actors love to act in his movies, and he is given awards. Spike Lee is quite controversial, yet that doesn't stop people from going to his movies. He has made many racial remarks in anger, yet people just seem to blow it off (I personally think because he isn't white. White people make racist commentes, but people of color "never" do. Just a generalization here, folks. Don't jump down my throat, okay?).

When it comes down to it, what do people really care about an actor's personal life? If you are going to see a movie, you really don't care. You just want to see a good movie. Also, why am I even discussing this, if people don't care? What do I care???? Obviously, for some morbid reason that I can't explain, I do care. But I'm still gonna see Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson movies.

*****

When you are reading a book, do you actually read the dedications and acknowledgements? I do. It's so often just a list of names that mean nothing to me, the casual reader, but every now and then you get to read a really interesting line. I think my favorite is one that Maeve Binchey (author of "Circle of Friends", "Tara Road", and so, so many others) wrote about her husband in "Nights of Rain and Stars":

"For dear good Gordon, who has been such a supportive and kind person that nobody would believe it if I were to write him into a book! Thank you with all of my heart."

Now, if you are a big Maeve Binchey fan (like I am... I've read everything she has written... most of them several times!), you'll understand this comment. If not, well, I love this author, so I just want to encourage you to read some of her books and then you'll get it. I recommend all of her more recent novels ("Scarlet Feather", "Quentins", "Tara Road") as well as a couple of my favorite older ones ("Light a Penny Candle", "The "Copper Birch", "Circle of Friends"). Oh, and don't judge "Circle of Friends" by the movie. I like the movie (hello!! Chris O'Donnell! I love him!! Oh yeah, and Minnie Driver's pretty awesome, too), but the book is so, so much better. Has a different and much better ending, too.

*****

I think I'm going to spend Saturday morning pulling weeds out of our front yard. The front yard is all rocks and desert plants, but because of all the rain we have all these green patches of weeds. I hate that stigma that goes along with renters. You know it, right? You can tell who renters are by the state of their yard. Renters just don't care for their yards as much as homeowners do. Well, we may not own this house, but I still take pride in where and how I live. So I'm going to make it look like we own the place. So there.

*****

Aiden is at preschool and Dallin is taking a nap. I should be taking a nap. But my bed is covered in clean clothes that I should fold. I think I'll just go lie down on the couch and rest for a while. That would be good.

*****

Now I'm stretching to come up with good stuff to write. Am I turning into Karen??? Heck that wouldn't be such a bad thing, huh?

*****

Quote of the day:
I learned there are troubles
Of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead
and some come from behind.

But I've bought a big bat.
I'm all ready, you see.
Now my troubles are going
To have troubles with me!
--Dr. Suess (from "I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew")

The Act of Selflessness

2006-08-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

I have this friend that I have known since the 5th grade. I was the new kid, and she was put in line in front of me to help me find my way. She had on these really cool tie-dye, hightop, Converse shoes, so I complimented Sam on her shoes. We became best friends and within the week we were inseperable. I moved away as soon as school was out that year, but we have stayed in contact off and on over the years. We still email and IM every now and then.

Sam is now married with a stepson and two boys she has given birth to. She sounds very happy in her life and in her faith. Several months ago, when I was breaking the news of my surprise pregnancy, Sam let me know that she, too, was pregnant. I was soooo excited. Our boys are the same age (within months... except for the older stepson, but he's about the age of my nephew, I think), and I thought how cool that would be that we would continue to have kids the same age. However, she burst my bubble a little bit.

This wasn't her baby. She is being a surrogate mother for another woman she knows.

At first I was stunned. I had heard of surrogate pregnancies, but I never actually knew anyone to do that. After a moment of some confusion on my part, I got really excited again. You see, I know think Sam is the most selfless person I know.

Being pregnant, for me, is NO picnic. It isn't for most women. Sure, some say they feel best when they are pregnant, and maybe they do. If you are one of those women, well, good for you. I, however, hate being pregnant with every ounce of my being. I love having my kids, but I hate the 9 months leading up to the big event. Anyrate, back to my friend Sam.

Pregnancy is so hard on a woman's body, and yet Sam doesn't care. She is doing this for a friend. To have this little being inside of you for so long, this being that you can feel move around, that you hear a hearbeat, that you can see really clear pictures of their face, hands, feet, beating heart... to have all that and know that you are not taking home this little being. Wow. I always feel for those that give up their babies for adoption. That must be the most curageous thing in the world. And now Sam isn't just going through all of this to give the baby up to some stranger in another part of the country or something, but she is giving this baby to the rightful parents... close friends. How amazing is that?

I have gotten a couple of emails lately from Sam. Baby Kaitlyn (she already has a name!!) and Sam are doing great. Both are happy and healthy. There is only 9 more weeks until Baby Kaitlyn enters this world. That is the good news.

Kristin (Kaitlyn's mom) has cancer. Apparantly this isn't the first time, but it's not at all good timing. Kristin is about to go into surgery and have a hysterectomy to remove the cancer. The doctors are hoping to save Kristin's ovaries, but not really counting on it. They want the cancer removed completely.

I don't know Kristin, and I haven't seen Sam since we were 8th graders, but this is a hard time for them. They are asking for prayers for Kristin and for the continued good health of Baby Kaitlyn and of Sam. None of you have any connection to these people, but maybe you could pray for them, too? More prayers wouldn't hurt, that's for sure!

I am so proud to know Sam. I hope I can learn from her example of true friendship and selflessness. Sam is one of my heroes.

Pictures Uploaded

2006-08-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

I uploaded several pictures of the boys on Flickr today, for those of you who are my contacts or whatever. If you are not on my list and want to be, send me a quick email, and I'll add you! My boys are pretty dang cute, and there are some good photos. (No, I'm not a proud mama or anything!!)

Aiden Is Just Soooooo Punny!!

2006-08-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

Aiden's favorite subject of late has been space and the galaxy and all that goes with it (planets, stars, rockets, etc.). The other night we were at a friend's house for dinner and a swim in the pool. Aiden had me as the rocketship, and would say things like "Let's fly to Saturn!" He would hang onto my neck and I would swim to different parts of the pool with him.

At one point Aiden asked, "Mom, what's on the moon?"

"Moon rocks."

"Mom, and space rocks."

"Yes, Aiden, and space rocks."

"And space sand."

"Yes, Aiden, I'm sure there is space sand on the moon, too."

"Yeah, Mom. And the space sand is outta this world!!"

Random Friday

2006-08-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

That's right folks! It's the return of Random Friday. It's been a busy few weeks, so I apologize for not giving you what you want. Well, I don't know if you want it, but I'll give it anyway. It's my blog, dang it. I can write whatever I want. You don't like it, leave.

Wait. Don't leave. I like readers and comments!! Don't leave!!! I'm sure we can find something here that you would like to read! I promise!!

*****

Moving to a whole new city is hard. You have to figure out new gorcery stores, where the best bargains are, which street goes in which direction, and what radio stations are best to listen to.

When we lived here five years ago, I had one station that I loved so much, I never switched the radio. Not even during commercial breaks. I don't remember what that station was even called, and I haven't found it yet. Mr. Universe set all the stations in our van, and there are really only a couple that I really like. It's frustrating to me. I like one kind of music, he likes another. Of course, we have two little boys, begging for their own stuff. I'm surprised I even get to listen to the radio!!

*****

Last night we had an Enrichment Meeting. The theme was "Chocolate... Not just a breakfast food." We had "Chef Tara" come in and demonstrate how to make some really yummy chocolate treats, then of course we got to eat all the treats. It was soooooo good! We made chocolate cups with chocolate mousse and a chocolate ganache, which was poured over either pound cake or chocolate cake (I had mine with the chocolate cake). In the Great Cooking Spirit (Chef Tara's favorite phrase!!), Tara also showed us some different things you can do with the ganache, mousse, and the chocolate cups, and she showed us some "plateing" ideas. (That would be the fancy presentations that you are able to go to a fancy restaurant and have this dessert and pay an arm an a leg for.)

Chef Tara has a food blog, which you can find here. Check it out. She was really good, super nice, and a lot of fun.

*****

Julia's kids seem to take after her so well. Apparantly my kids feel that they shouldn't be outdone by the Goofy kids' antics, so we have a few episodes that make my boys look very abused.

The other day Aiden was playing on his bed as I changed Dallin's diaper. Aiden suck his pillow over his head and was jumping around, laughing the whole time, until he fell against the wall. His face struck the edge of the window sill, and right away I could see a long, purple line going down his cheek. After a bit of comforting, I noticed his cheek was starting to really swell, so he got to hold an ice pack on his face. The swelling went down without any problems, but he still has a huge bruise across his cheek. Each day it gets better, but Ches says that with his new buzz cut and the bruise combined, Aiden looks like a little bully.

This morning I was helping the kids out of the van. Normally Aiden grabs a hold of my arm and jumps out, but something happened and I didn't have him like I thought. My hands were too full. So Aiden thought he was secure and jumped. He landed face down on the concrete. Poor kid! His knee is completely black and blue, and luckily he only got one little scratch, so I put an all-magical Batman Band-Aid on his knee, gave him a cup of milk, and lots of hugs, kisses, and apologies. When I took him to preschool about a half hour later, he was totally fine.

So yes, we are trying to catch up to Julia's kids. I don't know why they feel the need of this competition! It's certainly not necessary, but competition happens, I guess.

*****

In our new ward (church congregation), the new rule is that you can't move in unless you are a musician. We have many musicians (of all ages) in the ward already, then we moved in. The next week we got a newlywed couple, and she is here to start her doctoral program in music ed. We have another guy I heard about that is also getting his doctorate in music, and he and his wife (who I guess teaches at BYU) split what weekends they spend where. Or something like that. So, yeah. The new "rule" is that you can't move into the ward unless you are a musician. Sounds fair to me! ;)

*****

Guess what? I only have like 4 weeks or something left until this baby comes. WO-HOOOOOO!!!!

I better get the house unpacked so we have a place to put the baby.

Oh, and still no names. Sorry. Although I keep calling him Rupert (sorry Mom, but I can't even use Xerxes as a joke. Too horrible). We'll tell you for sure once he comes.

*****

Dallin's newest favorite activity? Sweeping. He will find a broom and start sweeping the floor for us, saying in a high pitched voice, "Seep seep seep!!"

*****

Quote of the day:
It is never too late to give up your prejudices.
--Henry David Thoreau

2006-08-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

I gave Aiden a haircut today. For the first time. I don't know how to cut hair, actually, so this was a big deal.

Many years ago (in our first year of marriage), Mr. Universe thought it would be a good idea to buy a nice set of hair clippers and I would learn how to cut his hair. That way we could save a little money. Not much, but a little, anyway. The first time I tried to cut his hair, he kept telling me what I was doing wrong. I was getting frustrated, and I didn't want to give him an absolutely horrible haircut, so finally I gave up. I went to our neighbors and asked the wife if she knew how to cut hair.

"No way!" she replied. "I tried to cut Matt's hair and he got all upset so I won't do it. " We then enlisted Matt to come over and finish off the Mr. Universe's haircut. I have not attempted to cut his hair since. He doesn't mind getting the $8 cheap hair cut (most of the time!), so that's what we do instead.

About two years ago, when we had first moved to Reno, we decided that if we worked together, we could cut Aiden's hair. Aiden was always really good when we took him, but doing it by ourselves turned out to be a very traumatic experience. Ches and I ended up yelling at each other, the haircut was horrible, and we took Aiden to a "professional" to fix it. He likes going to the "hair cutting store" (as he calls it) and being a big boy. When he does well, they give him a balloon. He loves that. So I'll spend a few bucks to get that done.

Aiden's hair has been growing and growing, and he has really needed a haircut. Because of this heat, I thought he might like a nice buzz cut, and I know I can do that! Well, I'm pretty sure. I finally convinced Aiden to let me try, and if he didn't like it, I would take him to the hair cutting store to get it fixed.

This morning, Aiden asked for the hair cut. I buzzed his head. I was so nervous, but I couldn't let that show! Well, Aiden is very pleased with the new 'do, but I don't like it. I miss his longer hair already. He almost looks bald because all the darker, redder hair was cut off and he's back to being mainly a blonde. Combine that with his really light eyebrows and his pale skin, and I think he looks a little freaky. Oh well. It's only hair, and his grows fast!! In about a week or two it should be more normal looking.

Oh, and Ches doesn't yet know I did this. Boy is he going to be in for a shock when he gets home from work! I'm trying to decide if I dare to Dallin's hair now.

Note: I took some pictures, but the camera battery died. Once I find the other batteries, I will add the pictures to this post.

What's In A Name?

2006-08-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

Growing up, my parents were kind of formal people. In some ways. When it came to things like friends coming over... they were really relaxed and would let whoever come over whenever. In the types of friends and activities I was involved in... again, they were fine with whatever I chose, just as long as they knew who I was with and where and what time I'd be home.

In other ways, my parents were very formal. You could not call our house after 9 pm because my parents were asleep in bed, and if anyone called, it meant someone had died. We were allowed to go to or have sleepovers, but pretty much only on Friday nights. NEVER on a school night, and ALMOST NEVER before church. We were to dress a certain way (no looking sloppy, and definitely dress up for church!!), act a certain way (always polite), and talk a certain way (again, curteous and polite). The biggest way my parents were formal is what we, as kids, were allowed to call adults.

Obviously we called our parents Mom and Dad. Our grandparents were all Grandma So-and-do or whatever, and aunts and uncles were always Aunt Marisa and Uncle Tony. Never just Marisa or Tony. Our parents' closest friends were known to us as Aunt This or Uncle That. Our friends parents were to be called Mr. and Mrs. Whatever. At church, my Young Women leaders went by their first names to the other girls, but I still had to call them Sister Whatever. People from church were always Brother or Sister Whatever. No first names. It was considered inappropriate by my parents for children (even 18 year old "children") to address an adult by their first name.

In fact, I had to make sure to introduce my mom in such a way that my friends would know my parents' position on this: "This is my mom, Mrs. B----". She was never called Valerie by my friends. Sooooo not allowed.

I think my parents really liked it when we moved to the South and where people are a bit more formal in how they address adults. When you answered a question, it was "Yes, sir" and "No, ma'am". If there was an adult that you may have been more familiar with, we refered to them as "Miss Lucinda" (that was my color guard coach, in fact, which was wierd because her husband was my band teacher, so he was still Mr. C----, but she was Miss Lucinda, not Mrs. C-----).

When I got married, I didn't know what to call my in-laws for the longest time. I would avoid calling them anything. I felt uncomfortable calling them by their first names, but to call them Mr. and Mrs. S---- was just too formal! I already had two sets of parents, so Mom and Dad didn't seem like an option. It was probably in the second year or so before I could start calling my in-laws by their names. I'm still uncomfortable with it (thanks to this upbringing), but it gets easier each year.

To this day, I don't know what to call anyone who is significantly older than me. At church I use the old standby: "hello, Brother Smith! How are you today?" However, I get confused, especially with people Mr. Universe works with. They are collegues, so does that mean first names are okay? But the teacher in the next classroom is older than my mom, so I guess I'll stick with Mrs. Jones.

You see my dilemna? Maybe I'll just call everyone Bob, regardless of who they are. That way, there will be no problems in MY side of the arena.

Five More Minutes, Mom

2006-08-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

My kids have redone their sleeping and napping schedules since we've moved to Arizona. It's really not too bad. They're both in bed by 8:30 or 9 pm every night. I can now just put Dallin in his crib and he'll go to sleep (I used to rock him to sleep every night. Insane, yes, but I enjoy a little bit of cuddle time with my babies! Anyrate, the rocker doesn't fit in their new room, and the living room is too high-traffic to put him to sleep). Dallin has regular naps at 10 am every morning, and by about 2 or 3 in the afternoon both he and Aiden are ready to crash. So... what do I have to complain about??

They get up by 6 am. That's right. BY 6 am. Six-Freakin'-o'Clock in the bloody early morning.

Did you know that I am not a morning person?

In high school, I had my own alarm clock, but I was always pushing the snooze button. I had early-morning Seminary, and since my dad was the teacher, it wasn't like I could skip class or anything. I kinda had to be there (which is fine. I really enjoyed it... once I got to class that is). My mom often had to come in and get me up, and I'd immediately get in the shower, then fall asleep with my head leaned up against the shower wall. I did this every morning. That is why my showers were over 30 minutes long. Because I was sleeping in the shower.

In college I was able to get myself up (I had somehow learned a bit more responsibility), but I was grumpy as heck until I had fully woken up. I just don't like mornings.

After I got married, I specifically didn't take Percussion Techniques one semester because it was a 7:30 am class, and I didn't want anything earlier than my 8:30 am class. Ches took Percussion Tech that semester, however, and loved it. The next semester it was scheduled to be at 8:30, so I signed up (it was required for my major, after all!). The first day of class, the TA says to us, "We have a scheduling conflict with the other TA. So, are any of you busy at 7:30 in the morning?"

"Yes!" I replied probably a bit too emphatically, "I'm sleeping at that time!"

Needless to say, the class was changed to 7:30 am, and no one in the class could understand why I was constantly about 2 minutes late, grumpy, and just couldn't hit the crash cymbals like they wanted. Crash cymbals and 7:30 am just don't go together. Especially when you don't drink coffee (which people in that particular music department seemed to be highly addicted to! Another post for another time).

Weekends I reserve for sleeping in. Too bad no one else I have ever lived with agreed with this reservation. Back to living at home... if I slept in past 8 or 8:30, but dad would try several times to wake me up, finally just pulling all my blankets off the bed and tossing them across the room. I can't sleep without blankets on. I look back and think, why didn't I just start sleeping naked? That would have put a stop to that really quickly!! Oh well. When you're 16 and sleepy, you don't have a whole lot of rational thoughts.

Back to college... I had a roommate one summer who would wake up at (literally) the crack of dawn, singing in a loud, high-pitched voice, and throwing open every curtain and/or set of blinds in the apartment. I could have killed her. Don't ask me how I didn't. Maybe because it was a Church school, and I was "trying to be like Jesus" or something. One particular Sunday morning, all of us in the apartment were sick... except for her. We had spent the previous day at Lagoon (a kind of theme-park in Utah), but it had rained all stinkin' day long. So the five of us sick roommates said we were staying in bed and skipping church. Happy Crazy Singing Roommate of course was fine and went to church. When she came home at lunch time, she found the entire apartment still dark, and the five of us sleeping all over the living room (because, you know, misery loves company or something). She immediately opened the shades, started singing, then said, "Oh, and I invited some boys over for dinner. They'll be here in about 10 minutes."

It really was a struggle to not kill, or at least seriously maim, the girl right there on the spot. We all picked up our pillows and blankets, dragged our pajama-clad bodies into one of the bedrooms, locked the door, and slept the rest of the day in two twin beds.

I really don't like mornings. I understand you can get a lot more done if you just get up and go, but seriously... that's when I feel like sleeping! I can stay up all night and be fine, but once morning arrives, you'd better be nice to me. I hate mornings.

My kids have taken after Mr. Universe, however. They love mornings. Why do I have to be the oddball in the family??

Playing Catch-Up

2006-08-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

Hello, internets! I have missed you all so much, you don't even know. This is a major addiction for me.

Well, we are in Arizona and in our house. We are partially unpacked (I can't do a whole lot, and Mr. Universe is at work during the day, so it's a slow process). We were here for an entire week before we were able to get our phone and internet hooked up. We also just got the cable hooked up, so now I can watch the news and stuff ("Stuff" meaning "Treasure Hunters" and "Last Comic Standing", of course). I felt soooo cut off without a phone or internet, but it was also a nice, quiet week. We didn't have phone service for an entire hour before I got a nice telemarketing call: a recorded message for lazer hair removal. That was a new one on me.

I can't fill you all in on everything right now... and I don't know if I'll ever go into much detail about the whole experience. Let's just say I don't recommend moving a long distance when you are this pregnant. It was crazy go nuts the whole drive. We never made it to Proud Mum's house, and I'm still sad about that. I was really looking forward to meeting you, Mr. Mum, and Little Red!! However, we made it to our new home safely, and when we pulled up to the house, there were already a few people waiting to help us unload the truck. More people came within a few minutes. It was so nice!!

Aiden started preschool this past Monday and he loves it. I mean really loves it. He is so smart and well-behaved. I couldn't be more proud. He has tasks to learn each month, as well as several poems and nursery rhymes to memorize and then recite in front of the entire class. He did his first recitation yesterday morning, and he's still proud of himself. He's growing up so fast!!

Okay, we are going garage-saleing now, so I will be back to my normal, odd self shortly. And I'm trying to catch up on what everyone else has been up to this past week! Ahh, so much to do. ;)

Moving Update

2006-08-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Hello my friendly Bloggers...

We leave tomorrow morning (That would be Thursday morning) for Phoenix. We're taking a couple of days to get there, and then we won't have our internet hooked up until the 11th, so don't really expect to hear from me. Unless I take Ches' laptop and go to one of those places with free wireless or something.

Everything is going well. We pack the truck tonight! Yay! I will see Proud Mum tomorrow night! Woot!! I will be in a house in two days!! HOOOOOORAAAAAAYYYY!!!!!

See ya'll later!

Congratulations!!

2006-07-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

Sariah in Vancouver had her baby! Go check out the beautiful pictures and read about the birth. While you are reading about it, feel free to be a bit envious of Sariah. It seemed a little too easy to me! ;) Just kidding, Sariah! Anyrate, be envious at the gorgeous new little girl. She's a keeper, for sure.

News

2006-07-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

Mr. Universe got a job offer!!!!

That's right folks, we won't be jobless and homeless and starving in a month. Yay! He will be teaching at a middle school not too far from where we will be living, so it's a nice commute. He will only be teaching band (no guitar, strings, choir, general music, or music appreciation!!). There are some really good numbers to the bands already, so he's pretty excited. Oh, and the best part (besides that he is employed, of course!!) is because it's middle school, he will not have marching band. Because we are moving and I'm having the baby, I will not have marching band. This will be wierd!! No Friday nights taken up. We actually have every Saturday in October free. No marching band camp. No extra rehearsals after school. No pep band (no basketball band, either!!). I will actually SEE my husband. I won't be the band widow. It's gonna be so wierd!! I think we'll both miss marching band, but it will be nice to take a year off. Then next year, we're both hoping to get on with some high schools in the area, and it'll be back to no family life each fall.

Okay, I wrote more than I was going to, but I knew that everyone has been praying for us and thinking of us and worrying for us. Thank you all for the support and prayers! We are very happy right now. Yay!!

Random Friday

2006-07-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

I hate getting my "Friday Letter" from my university's Alumni Association. Every now and then there is something interesting in there, but most of the time it seems like they are just informing us of more ways to donate money for student atheletes. I'm all for scholorships and alumni donations, but dang it all! Don't'cha think other students need financial asisstance, too? Not just the atheletes? There are never that many music scholorships to go around, and the competition is tough. It seems like all you have to do is be able to throw around a ball a little, sit on the bench all season, and you're given scholorships, free tutoring, and clothing allowances. I get a bit frustrated at that. Stepping off my soap box now (for a moment or two, anyway).

*****

Ches has a phone interview this afternoon and another school just called to confirm some parts of his application and touch base. There is still hope. We will be in Arizona in one week, and it would be nice to have a job when we get there!! We are nervous, but still hopeful.

*****

Did you know that Jack Dempsey was Mormon? Yup, it's totally true. His name was actually William Harrison Dempsey, but he chose the name "Jack" because he said he wasn't a very faithful Mormon (from the term Jack Mormon, I'm guessing. Or did we get that term from him??? Hmmmm.)

You can find out about all the famous Mormons, infamous Mormons, and rumored-to-be-Mormons (but aren't) at this site. It's really interesting, and goes far beyond Donnie and Marie Osmond.

*****

Dallin say "thank you" now! That's right! I gave him a cup of milk the other day, and without any prompting he said "thank you" and walked away. It's so cute!!

Honestly, my kids are little monsters. I can't keep the house clean for anything and they are both climbing on everything and getting into everything. They run around and scream and yell just for the heck of it. However, I wouldn't trade them for the world. I think they are smart and adorable and polite and a lot of fun. So there.

*****

We saw a bunch of movies recently (loving Blockbuster online!!), and rather than giving you full-on reviews and links to every movie (I just don't feel like doing all that work today), I'm going to tell you what we saw and what we liked.

"Guess Who" with Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher. I have only wanted to see this because I loved the old "Guess Who is Coming for Dinner" with Katherine Hepburn and Sydney Poitier. I haven't seen it in years, but I loved that movie. The remake is almost nothing like the old one, but it was very, very enjoyable! We were quite surprised at how much we liked it and just how humorous it really was.

"Eight Below" with Paul Walker (another Mormon! Well, he was raised Mormon, anyway). Really good family movie, and if you like movies with animals as the stars, you'll love this. Aiden keeps asking to watch it more and more, and I have a feeling if we get a dog someday, it'll be named Maya or Old Jack. We all enjoyed it, and I didn't cry (although it was close a few times!)

"Nanny McPhee" with Colin Firth and Emma Thompson. This was really, really cute. Predictable in so many ways, but still cute. I liked it. I'm curious about the books that it comes from now. Oh, and Angela Lansbury has a part, too! (How can you not love Angela Lansbury??)

"Ice Princess" with Kim Cattrell, Joan Cusak, and Michelle Trachtenburg. I really only wanted to see this because of Michelle Trachtenburg (she played Dawn, Buffy's little sister on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", my favorite TV show). It was cute, and I think it's really good for tween girls. Aiden had no interest (other than "That sure is about ice skating!"), but it was still cute and not a total waste of my time to watch.

I'm pretty sure there were more, but I can't think of them now. We still have "De-Lovely" and "XXX - State of the Union" sitting on top of the entertainment center, waiting to be watched. I don't think either of those are appropriate for the kids, so we'll get them to bed early one night and Ches and I will watch them.

*****

Aiden has decided that he can tell jokes now. Except that they don't really make sense. It's usually Aiden just telling us something, like different things he likes to eat, then he throws in something else and starts laughing hysterically. Here's how it went last night:

"I like juice and fruit snacks and popcorn and oatmeal and milk. Hahahahahahahaha!! Get it?? Milk!!! Hahahahahahaha!!"

It's all about the words "get it?" He thinks that is what makes the joke and he is always asking if we get it. Which we don't.

*****

We went to a concert last Friday night. It was an outdoor concert by the Reno Philharmonic for the Silver Legacy's birthday (the Silver Legacy is a big casino downtown). They had a lot of fun music on the program, including a slot machine concerto (only in Nevada!! Heh.), and fireworks afterwards. Well, Mother Nature had something else in mind. We got a huge thunder and lightening storm. The Phil didn't even make it to the end of the first piece before the downpour started. We headed back to the van, which thankfully was parked in the Circus Circus parking garage. Just as we started driving home, we realized there was a very funny sound. One of our back wheels was completely flat. (Aiden even asked, "Is it flat as a pancake, Mom?") So Ches learned really quickly how to change to the spare tire in the van. I'm glad we were in the parking garage, even if it was hot and humid in there. At least we didn't get soaked because we were outside.

The wierd thing was that no one stopped to ask if we needed any help. I mean, lots of people drove or walked by and looked at us, but no one asked if there was anything they could do. I think I even saw two guys stop and stare (well, I did see them stop and stare), and they they were pointing and laughing in our direction. I'm hoping with everything I have they were pointing and laughing at something else. Two teenagers did walk by and offer help, but Ches was pretty much done by then, so he said thanks but no thanks.

Two teenagers. That's it? I was getting a bit upset at the lack of courtesy, but Ches said he probably wouldn't have stopped either. If it had been just me (big ol' pregnant lady with two kids in the minivan, screaming), then he would have absolutely stopped to help. However, there was clearly a guy there who had it under control, so why offer any help?

I see his point, but I still think the polite thing is to stop and see if you can be of any assistance. Just because there is a man there doesn't always mean that he can do it all. That's all.

*****

I got this in my August issue of Parenting Magazine, and just knew I had to share:

4 Dead Giveaways You're a Mom
1. You're swaying.
2. The Dora the Explorer bandage on your thumb.
3. Seven of your toenails are polished.
4. You're eating string cheese.

*****

I have been faithfully watching two TV shows this summer: Treasure Hunters and Last Comic Standing. At first, with Treasure Hunters, I didn't think there was any way I could be on that show because you have to think of so many things and solve all these clues that I just don't think would ever cross my mind. But then there are episodes like on Monday, where I think all the contestants are total idiots. For example, they find a clue that will lead them to a statue (they are in Paris, btw) of a famous Frenchman who was a friend to Washington and Americans. The clue was found in the catacombs under Paris, and is a plaque from the late 1700's. No one knew who they were looking for. These contestants are all Americans and I'm sure have studied American history at some point. It was so obvious to me that they were looking for Lafayette! Hello?? Anyone else think otherwise? But no, not one person realized who they were looking for until they got to the statue and saw that it was a statue of Lafayette. Oh, and they have laptops with wireless internet that they can use to look anything up on Ask.com. Sheesh. There was another part of the show about Benjamin Franklin in England as a spy, and it was another really obvious answer to me. They just didn't use their brains (or again, the laptops!!), so it took some people hours to figure out this clue.

I'm enjoying Last Coming Standing a lot. Go Josh Blue!! He just stinkin' cracks me up. I had to call a friend of mine in Georgia who's 4 year old son has cerebal palsey and say "You have to watch this show! Josh is amazing." He really shows that even people with disabilities can still do so much. He is funny, has good timing, and he is a great athelete (he plays soccer for the US Paralympic team). My friend really needed to hear about this guy because sometimes I think it gets really hard to have this amazing child who has a disability and can't do all these things that other kids his age can do. I know she gets frustrated and likes to see that yes, her son can grow up and succeed to something great, despite any disabilities he has. She was really excited to hear about Josh Blue. I hope he wins!!

*****

Quote of the day:
A champion is someone who gets up when he can't.
--Jack Dempsey

Yes Folks, This Is True Love

2006-07-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

Wanna know how I know my husband loves me deeply? I'll tell you (even if you don't care).

Mr Universe was wandering around Wal-Mart the other day, waiting for the tires to get fixed for the van, and he brought me home a treat. Not just any treat, mind you. A really good treat... and it's just for me. No one else. I can share if I want, but it's not for anyone else. Just me.

Mr. Universe bought me a frickin' huge back of dark chocolate MnMs.

Mmmmm. This is True Love.

Are You Sure About This??

2006-07-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not at all kidding when I say this is a really close replica of an election sign I saw the other day near my apartment. Hand painted and all.

Inheritance

2006-07-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

Without going into any details, there is something I'm learning right now. It's good to be poor. When you die, if you are poor, there will be no confusions and complications about money, assests, or possessions. You don't have anything of worth, so what does it matter???

Where Have All the Boy's Clothes Gone??

2006-07-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Dallin has been growing like a weed this summer. We are already on a new pair of sandals, up a diaper size, and buying all new clothes for him because everything else is stretched to the limits (he's kind of a skinny kid, but he's kind of long, too). The worst is pajamas. We are seriously stretching his little summer pajamas (they are a lot like rompers... one piece, short-sleeved, short-legged, with snaps at the bottome like a onesie for easy diaper changing access) as we try to snap them up. They pull at him, and it honestly doesn't look all that comfortable. I'd let him sleep in just a diaper (it is SO hot out!!), but I'm afraid of him taking the diaper off in the middle of the night or something. So on Friday, I piled the kids in the van and we headed out to find Dallin some new pajamas (and see what other clothes might be on sale.).

My first stop was Old Navy. When Aiden was a newborn up to about 2 years old, I think he was dressed in almost exclusively Old Navy. They had such good bargains, good regular prices, the clothes didn't wear out easily, and I could find anything I wanted and I liked everything they had.

Something has happened at Old Navy in the last few years, though. The quality of the clothing has deteriorated (I have several friends here in town that have said the same thing and won't buy Old Navy jeans for their boys anymore). The selection of boys clothing is the worst. I walked into the store to find that they had rearranged a bit. The entire back area was girls' clothing. The signs showed one corner that was for newborn to toddler boys, and really it was only about two small racks of clothing. The only pajamas I could find were pink (very definitely girl!!), there were no shoes, mainly the same t-shirts they have had since April, and a bunch of denim shorts. What happened??

We then went to the mall. I checked out Gap Kids and Baby Gap. Now, they were obviously renovating their store as there weren't even a whole lot of adult clothes in the store (all the Gap stores are in one place in our mall), but there was literally NO little boys' clothes. I went the the Children's Place, and while they still had more girls' clothes than boys, they still had a pretty good selection when it came to variety of styles, sales, and sizes. Because of the sales, I was able to get Dallin one pair of pajamas, a sleeveless romper, and some sandals for Aiden, and I only spent $10.17. I think I did well there. We headed over to Gymboree, and while they had a pretty good selection of boys' clothing (although yet again, the majority of the store was for girls!!), their prices are just too expensive for me. I'm sorry, but WHY would you pay $20 for a pair of pajamas that they will only wear for a few short months before A) the weather has completely changed and they need winter pajamas, and B) the kid will outgrow the pajamas anyway?!

After we got home, I went online and searched both OldNavy.com and Gap.com, but still found it lacking in boys' clothing. I don't understand. Do clothing manufacturers think boys only make up less than 1% of the population or something?

I understand that it is easier to come up with a variety of styles for girls, but honestly, most of those styles are ugly anyway! These little girls are now being dressed like their older, teenage sisters. Their teenage sisters are dressing like 20-something year old college students, and these college students are dressing like they are going clubbing rather than going to class or the grocery store! Toddler girls should NOT be wearing low-rise jeans and belly-baring shirts. Most adults really shouldn't either (I'm sorry, but your stomach isn't as pretty as you think it is.). And what is it with thongs for 8 year olds?? Completely inappropriate. I also hate all the little t-shirt slogans. It's bad enough to see a 21 year old with a t-shirt that says "b*tch" or "MILF in training", but to see it on younger girls? The "spoiled rotten" and "princess" t-shirts still send out the wrong message as far as I'm concerned. Oh, and I absolutely hate the ones that say things like, "Tell your boyfriend I said thank you". In some ways, I'm glad to have boys. I don't want these messages on their chests, or clothes that are only made to show off the body in completely inappropriate ways and make 12 year olds think they are sexy.

Which brings me back to boys clothing (the actual point of this post). Unless you want to see my boys running around naked (which may be okay at this age, but Aiden starts kindergarten in just a year, so I really need him going to school in something decent!), I need to see more merchandise for boys!! Until they get their standards of quality and quantity back, I don't think I'll be shopping at Old Navy anytime soon.

Happy Blirthday to Me!

2006-07-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my one year anniversary of being a blogger. I had this really great post all written up and I was just putting the finishing touches on it, when my Yahoo! browser decided enough was enough and it shut down on me. Yes, those screams you all heard last night came from Reno. I was so upset! It was really good! I was too tired to sit and try to do it all again, so now I'm a day late, but here goes anyway. I doubt it'll be as good, but I'll certainly try.

I have really enjoyed being a part of this blogging world. I have made new friendships and rekindled old. I have learned a lot about other people (including some people I thought I already knew really well!), and I hope that others have enjoyed reading me and maybe learned one thing. Even if it's just "Llamas eat grass." Although I guess that would actually come from Aiden, not me. Anyway...

I want to share a little something that I have learned from each of you this past year, so I'm just going straight down my links list. At the end, I will mention some other blogs I enjoy, but haven't linked to them (yet). Thanks for such a good first year everyone!!

Alyson -- I learned to never write in a moment of anger about your husband. Oh, and that our boys are most definitely related (the whole Star Wars thing clinched it for me).

April -- I learned that crayon on walls will bleed through paint, so you still have to scrub off the crayon. (This is advice I may need these next couple of weeks!)

Heather -- I learned to be proud of being a stay-at-home mom, a homemaker, and a housewife. It's a hard job, but it's completely worth it.

Jen the Mom -- I learned that I'm not the only one who is adept at blowing up a casserole dish full of the dinner that we were about to eat! Oh, and that it's good to think, no, to know that you are hot while pregnant.

Karen -- This is the hardest one, because I think I have learned the most from Karen! I have learned how to appreciate the flowers I see in people's gardens, found some good music to listen to, that it's okay to be an adult who loves Harry Potter as much as, if not more than, you own child, how to pick a good dry cleaner for my umbrella, and the difference between the words jealous and envy.

Erica -- I learned that as much as I loved being 17 and 18, I sure don't want to be in that stage of life again! Instead, I would rather live vicariously through Erica and hear of all her adventures and experiences.

TexAngel -- I learned that some friendships, no matter how old, will never die. We lead such different lives in many ways, but we are still friends. Yay! And it's good to be proud of you Southern heritage (although I guess I'm not really Southern. I just lived there for a few years and picked up a thing or two).

Dana -- I learned to never try to vaccuum up frozen corn that your kids have mashed into the carpet. It will just ruin the vaccuum! I also learned that I wish I had spent more time with you that year we were at Ricks together. You are so cool! Why didn't I see it then? My huge loss.

Cara -- I learned to 1) not take myself too seriously, 2) sometimes a mohawk may just be the way to go, 3) it's cool to get Naked in the grocery store, 4) sometimes you just need a break, and that's okay. It doesn't mean anything serious is going on, but you need a break, so take one! 5) pie is good and probably essential to total world denomination. I can NOT wait to hang out with you (or should I say harrass you??) when we are living in the same city! :)

Timber -- I learned how important it is to think eternally, rather than just for the here and now. The Gospel gives us such hope and puts so many things into perspective, Timber is able to be so positive all the time. I'm striving to be like her.

Sariah in Vancouver -- First of all, all Sariahs are just the coolest people ever! Actually, I pretty much knew that, but this Sariah has just helped reaffirm it. I learned not to be scared of meeting someone new, and that Mr. Universe isn't the only complete Lord of the Rings freak out there.

Kris -- I learned how to show total and complete love to my family, yet still be sarcastic with the world around me. Hee hee. Oh, and that Calgary isn't the perfect city to live in (although I still love Calgary. Sorry Kris! But then again, I just go to visit.)

Julia -- I learned that Julia and Paul are absolutely perfect for each other, that some people have goofier lives than I do, and that having a gaggle of girls doesn't necessarily mean that you are avoiding dirt and mud dragged in everywhere, rocks up noses, or loud, unexplained, sudden noises.

Lura -- I learned that Lura really can do it all: go to grad school, have a baby, entertain visitors while pregnant, have a husband in Iraq, and live with her mother-in-law. However, she can't post very regularly. Hmpf. ;)

Therese -- I learned that some people lead very funny lives. And if you ever get a call in the middle of the night from Canada and the girl sounds drunk, then she and her roommates have been havaing waaaay too much fun again. Offer her a cheeseburger and get off the phone. (This hasn't happened to me, but I have read her blog enough to know this is quite a common occurance!!)

Laural -- I learned that it's okay to get completely frustrated with the hard situation you're in and that it takes everything you've got not to kick someone in the head when they say "Everything will work out". Yes, I know everything will work out, but we sure get sick of hearing it!

Allrie -- I learned that even though I haven't lived at home in 11 years, my mom is still "collecting kids" by becoming friends with my friends.

Kenyon -- Ken is still very new to the blogging world, so I haven't had a chance to learn a whole lot yet. However... Kenyon has introduced me to some really cool music!! Thanks for letting us all listen to it on your blog.

And now a "shout out" (heh, could I be more '90s??) to the blogs I love to read, but haven't yet linked to on my sidebar: Perpetual Chocoholic, People Say Stupid Things, Post Secret, and Waiter Rant. Now, there are many other blogs that I visit here and there, and a lot of them are secondary blogs of a lot of you, so I'm not going to mention all of them. I just wanted to mention those four if you need some good reading.

Once again, thanks everyone, for a fun first year. I plan on doing this for a while, so I hope we'll all still be here for a while. Thank you for all the agreements, advice, arguements (discussions??), and laughter. And now, back to regular blogging.

3 Firsts and 1 I-Doubt-This-To-Be-The-Last

2006-07-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

1. Aiden escaped from us at the mall. We were all in the Disney Store, and Ches and I seperated a little bit (but not much. We were still within eyesight of each other). Next thing I knew, Aiden wasn't within eyesight. I asked Ches if he had Aiden. Nope. He thought I did. So we both started looking. Since we were at the back of the store, we each went down opposite sides, going to the front. I started to freak a little bit, but I wasn't screaming his name hysterically yet. I got to the front of the store, and I'm sure I looked a bit frantic because a woman said to me, "Are you looking for your little boy?" Aiden had left the store to play on the machines (you know, where you put in quarters to "ride" a car or something), but once he got out there he realized we weren't there, and he started crying. HARD. There were some moms out there trying to comfort him and ask him where his mom and dad were. Once he saw me, he ran to me and hugged me and wouldn't let go. He was so scared. Of course, so was I. I didn't really want to let him go, either. He is still talking about how scared he was, so we'll see how long it lasts until he tries to escape again.

2. Dallin escaped from the house. Aiden's imaginary friends have been coming over to play a lot lately. For example, Dash (from the Incredibles) has been spending quite a bit of time at our house. Aiden calls up InvisaGirl and asks if Dash can come over. A little while later, Aiden announces "mom, Dash is here!" and he runs to the front door to let Dash in. The other day, I heard the announcement, and then I heard Aiden open the door. I also heard him say, "Dallin, no!" The door shut, and I realized it had gotten very quiet in the house. I ran to the door, opened it, and there was Dallin, running to the front yard and the stairs leading to the parking lot! Aiden was chasing after him, yelling, "Dallin, come back!" Oh, and both boys were still in their pajamas.

3. Aiden stood up to pee. While we were running errands, we stopped at Barnes and Nobles to use a gift certificate we had (got "A Light in the Attic", btw). Of course, Aiden had refused to go potty before we left, so he got kind of desperate in the bookstore. Ches took Aiden to the Men's bathroom, but apparantly all the stalls were being used. Aiden really had to go, so Ches said, "Okay, Aiden, this is a urinal." Aiden had no problems, and was quite proud of himself. However, he didn't actually tell me about it. Ches said, "Did Aiden tell you he stood to pee?" I asked Aiden about it and praised him for being such a big boy, and he nonchalantly answers, "Yeah, I know.", like "It's really no big deal, Mom. Sheesh."

4. I ruined dinner last night. I was in a hurry, trying to get all of our stuff together because we were going to an outdoor concert with the Reno Jazz Orchestra (theme of the night was "Carribean Jazz". So fun.). I was gathering the cans of food to donate to the food bank, packing the diaper bag, filling water bottles, and making dinner to take all at the same time. The pasta that was boiling on the stove ended up burning and the house was filled with smoke. I had to leave right then to pick up Ches so we'd get to the concert on time, so I ended up calling him at work and having to leave a message. The guy laughed as I said, "Could you just tell him this is his wife and I ruined dinner, so I'm running late?" I was so embarrassed. I got most of the smoke out, ordered pizza, cheesy bread, and a two-litre of pop, got the kids in the van, picked up dinner, got Ches, and we still made it to the concert in time to get a good spot on the grass where it would get shady quickly (the sun was going down) and the band hadn't started playing yet. Whew.

I have to clean out the pot of burned, dried pasta still. I have successfully burned each and every one of our pots and pans at different times, set a few of them on fire (seriously... flames shooting up!!), and blown up several casserole dishes. This is why this one is not a First, but a I Doubt This To Be The Last. Ches laughed at me a lot last night. At least I'm entertaining.

Suppertime!

2006-07-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

Anybody know the song "Suppertime"? (Mom and Lura, you don't count. Don't answer). Just curious if you can tell me what it's from. Good song. Great play (musical, whatever... sorry Aiden.).

The actual purpose of this post is to put a huge question out there in blogworld. Please don't think me odd (even though I'm sure you already do), just understand that I'm bored out of my mind with this, and I need to know what other people do. So... here goes.

What is your dinner menu for this week? Or, if you don't make a menu for the week, what is your typical week like for dinner? I want to know it all... main dish, side dishes, desserts, whatever. If you go out for dinner, you don't have to give me all the details of that, but you do need to tell me if you went out or go out frequently so I can take that in account. I want to know what other people typically make for dinner in their own homes for their own families.

I get so bored of what we do for dinner, and I often think that we just aren't typical in how we eat for the most part. Seems like I have friends that make these really great, full-on meals, but I don't. I like easy and quick, and I run out of ideas so easily.

Okay, so you all have your assignment. Now... get crackin'!! I need to know this! (Yes, need. Please indulge the very big, hot, cranky, pregnant lady.)

Random Friday

2006-07-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

I once had a roommate that owned a Dave Barry desk calendar. Monday, October 23, had this written on it:

Music scholars divide orchestra instruments into five families:
*Instruments You Blow Into and Eventually Have to Get the Spit Out Of (tubas, whistles, cormorants, tribunes).
*Instruments You Hit (drums, triangles, rhomboids, homophones).
*Instruments That Are Easily Concealed (piccolos).
*Furniture (pianos).
*Instruments That Could Turn out to Be Worth a Million Skillion Dollars (violins).

*****

I am currently reading The Christmas Quilt by Thomas J. Davis. I'm really liking it. It takes place in the 40's in a small town called Smokey Hollow, which is in the mountains of Georgia. I feel like I get my southern accent back a bit after I've read it, but that just may be in my head. Anyrate, it's critics have compared it to Oral History by Lee Smith and Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Burns (neither of which I have read yet, but I keep trying to get Cold Sassy Tree from the library. It's always out.).

*****

Early one morning last week, Aiden came into our room and climbed into bed. Ches and I were both exhausted still, and I didn't feel like even opening my eyes to acknowledge the boy. Aiden asked for something to drink, and I said, "Yes, just a minute" hoping that he was also so tired he would just fall asleep while waiting and I wouldn't have to actually get up. He asked again, about 30 seconds later, and I gave the same answer.

Another 30 seconds or so passed, and he was climbing over me to get in between Ches and me. Ches asked Aiden, "What are you doing?" to which Aiden replied, "I'm trying to get my mom to get me something to drink!"

I got up and got him something to drink.

Ten minutes later, Aiden said to Ches, "Dad, will you play games with me?" (Remember, in Aiden speak that means he is asking to play on the XBox, not Candyland or something). Ches replied (in a very tired voice), "Eventually".

Aiden turned to me. "Mom, can Dad play games with me?"

"What did Dad say?"

"He said, 'Eventually'."

"Aiden, do you even know what eventually means?"

"Yes," he replied with all the confidence in the world, "it means 'yes' in Spanish."

Aiden just kept looking at us as we laughed, trying to figure out the joke.

*****

Sloths like to eat berries and leaves. Because they are slow. And that is good for sloths.

Thus saith Aiden.

*****

We went to see a couple of movies recently. While Ches was in Phoenix, I took the boys to see Over The Hedge. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked that movie! It was very funny and really well done. I highly recommend it for families with kids of all ages. And I do mean all ages. It's no Pixar movie (now they know how to entertain a family), but it was still so great.

This week Ches and I took the boys to see Cars. Of course Aiden loved it! We all did. Except for Dallin. He liked most of it, but the tractor tipping scene scared him (the sounds the tractors made was too scary, I guess), so anytime the tractors came on screen he would start to cry a bit. I think my favorite part of the movie was the scenes they show during the credits. Oh, and if you haven't seen it yet, stay all the way through the credits. There is another short little scene. It isn't sooooo important, like in X-Men III, but it's still a cute scene.

We also rented a couple of movies recently (and we have the Blockbuster Online thing, so we are always getting movies in the mail. I love it), so I thought I'd let you know about a couple of those.

First was The Wedding Date, with Debra Messing. It was cute. Nothing too special. It was good to see Debra Messing in a role other than Grace, and there was no Grace in this character, so that was fun. This was definitely a rental movie.

Second was Cassanova, with Heath Ledger. Now, I have to to make this very clear... I didn't have high hopes for this movie. I don't think it got the best reviews. I got it because I'm totally and completely in love with Heath Ledger (did you see The Patriot??? Mmmmmm, yummy), and it looked like it might be a cute movie. Ches had no interest in seeing this one, so I watched it by myself one afternoon. Surprise, surprise!! I loved it! It was quite enjoyable and funny! There were so many little things in it, and the whole time I was thinking, "Ches would love this!" So if you want to watch Cassanova but your husband doesn't... make him anyway. Trust me, you'll both enjoy it a lot.

*****

I cannot get my hair to go like what the girl did when I got it cut. It's very frustrating. It makes me hate my new haircut. I'm getting better at it, but it's just not the same. Oh well. Stuck with it now!

*****

Dallin has a new favorite game. He likes to push the buttons on the TV to see what it does: he changes the volume, he changes the channels (making everything fuzzy because we run the cable through the VCR), and he brings up the menu for the TV. His favorite, though, is to turn the TV off, turn and look at us with a puzzled expression, throw his hands out, and say, "Go?" He thinks it's hilarious. I'm getting a little annoyed by it (especially when I'm trying to watch Jeopardy and I don't know the answer but I want to find out and he turns it off right as the correct answer is about to be given!). Well, I may find it annoying, but it is also very cute. He is one adorable, funny kid.

*****

Quote of the day:
Tests of our faith are priceless opportunities to discover how deeply the Master cares about the welfare of our souls to help us endure to the end.
--Elder Robert D. Hales (of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

Claiming a Name

2006-07-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

I'm wondering what the "etiquette" is when you are picking out names for your baby. We don't want to use a name that is already being used by a close family member, and we don't want to use a name that has been "claimed" by a close family member, either.

Although sometimes I think that "claiming" a name is just wrong. If you have a baby before me, then use the name you love. But if I have a baby before you and I love that name, then I shouldn't feel guilty about using that name. I have a SIL that years ago stated loudly and often that no one in the family could use the name Caleb because she likes it and if she and her husband have a boy, it also goes well with their last name. A couple of years later, she "claimed" the name Brenden Riley for the same reasons. She was almost threatening in the way she would say, "I have claimed this name, so no one else can use them." Well, she is divorced now and it's not looking like she's going to have more kids, so does that mean I can use Caleb, Brenden, or Riley if I so desire?

The other thing I wonder about is when your close friends have kids. I have several friends have had babies recently, and I really like a few of the names they have picked out. So, do I scratch those names off my list? Many of the friends, while we are close in friendship, we are not close in geography and most likely never will be. Others we are close in geography, but since we're moving anyway, I don't think we'll stay in touch for very long. So which names to I keep on the list, and which do I cross off?

It's such a silly thing to worry about, I know. The world has much greater problems than this, but I'm really curious. What is the etiquette here? Does is really matter? What's your take on it??

Why My Sister, Lura, Is Awesome

2006-07-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

10. Lura is always nice. She almost always has a smile on her face and a kind word for everyone. No kidding.

9. She used to help me figure out how to sneak in an out of the house through the bathroom window. (Mom, you already know about this, so don't go acting all shocked and stuff)

8. Lura is so super talented!! She is getting her master's degree, and the program she is in is very competitive. The school she attends has one of the best programs in the nation, they only accept a couple of grad students a year, and her advisor is considered the guy. I had no idea my sister was this awesome until she started her master's program.

7. Lura is good about sacrificing. She just celebrated her second wedding anniversary, and in those two years she and Jesse have only been together about a quarter of that time while he was off with the military and in Iraq. Lura rarely complained about it. She just supports her husband fully and does what she can at home. She is proud to be a soldier's wife. Also, when I got married, she got up at 4:30 in the morning to help me do my hair. She helped me out with all these dumb little details for the whole day, and she looked absolutely beautiful and happy, too. And she took the brunt of criticism from family members when they were making remarks that they thought I didn't hear them make.

6. Lura always has a sympathetic ear for me. Even if I'm all crying about my own husband being gone for a couple of days, Lura never gets resentful to me. She is sympathetic and understanding and always there for me.

5. She gave birth to one of the most adorable little boys ever!! Jago is seriously a cutie (of course, I'm not going to say he's the most cute or anything, because that is reserved for my own kids). Lura is such a good mommy to Jago. I'm proud of her.

4. She gives us funny stories to tell for the rest of forever, even if they really aren't funny anymore. Hee hee: Boston Tea Ship!! Beep Baaaaah!!!! Hee hee hee. I'm seriously giggling here.

3. We've had to share a room most of our lives, and she was always really fun to room with. We would sit on our beds on opposite ends of the room and toss MnMs into each other's mouths. Of course, we hardly ever actually made it, but it was so fun anyway. We would listen to Disney tunes and pretend we were different characters and act out the songs. We were always rearranging the furniture to make things more interesting or give us more floor space or something (although that didn't always work).

2. Lura has to do everything I do. Heh. She played the flute in 5th grade because I already played the flute (but then again, she hated it and didn't play anymore after that). I always had long hair... she grew her hair out. Her favorite author is the same as mine. I love silver more than gold... so does she. I love a good cup of hot chocolate right before bed... she has to have one too. I get a surprise pregnancy while using protection... so does she!!

1. Lura is my little sister, so, uh, that's it. You can't get any more awesome than being Sariah's sister. ;)

The Waiting Game

2006-07-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

Still no news about a job, but the holiday was only yesterday. We expect to hear by the end of this week. So, we are waiting. Patiently.

Yes, patiently. Believe it or not, I can be patient. Sometimes. When forced.

We got a wonderful offer to rent a house from some friends. It's not too bad of a commute to where we want this one job, has three bedrooms and two baths, a yard with two citrus trees and a palm tree, includes all appliances (even the washer and dryer and the microwave), is close to schools and parks, has good, central a/c, and the roof is only like five years old. Oh, and it's totally within our price range.

The only drawback is that it's some friends that we were looking forward to hanging out with. She is also a flute player, so it would have been nice to have someone to play duets with again. Oh well. By the time they move back and want their house back, we should be in a position to buy our own. I told Mr. Universe that I don't even have to think about it. Let's do it. So now it's up to him. We can hang out with these friends when they move back.

I'm ready and willing to move. Wish we had some definite offer.

Still waiting. Patiently. Really.

Random Friday

2006-06-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

I just got back from getting my hair cut. It was wonderful. My very long, straight, boring hair is now very short, bouncy, still straight, and really fun. It's really light, and easy to manage. I love it!! Pictures on their way (once Ches gets home and can take a picture of me).

*****

One of the questions Ches was asked in an interview last week went like this: "I see you have a ring on your finger. Are you sure you can handle this job and be here from 6:30 am to 4 pm?"

I find the question highly offensive! I can't believe he was actually asked that! To top it off... that is an illegal question.

How would you have answered that question?

*****

Song of the day: Wonderwall by Oasis. Another song I haven't heard about in awhile, but I heard it on the radio and it made me happy to hear it. I love Oasis. I really love their "What's the Story (Morning glory)" album. Good stuff. It reminds me of my sophomore year of college. My roommates and I listened to that album all the time.

*****

Still no word on when and where we are moving. We should have some answers by the end of next week on the interviews. We are still planning on moving to the greater Phoenix area, but we aren't sure of exactly where yet. I'm hoping for Mesa (I love Mesa!!), but I will be happy just on that side of the valley: Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, or Gilbert.

*****

I am currently reading The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. It's about Mary Boleyn, who was the sister of Ann, Henry VIII's second wife. It's really well written, and I'm enjoying it a lot. I have some sort of weird fascination with the royal history of England, but don't ask me a lot of questions because I actually don't know all that much. I'm just so interested in it. Anyrate, this book is really good, but historically inaccurate, so if you read it, don't take it as "gospel truth" or anything.

Another really good book I have is called Kings, Queens, Bones, and Bastards by David Hilliam. The subtitle of this book is "Who's Who in the English Monarchy from Egbert to Elizabeth II". It's also a really interesting reference book. Easy to read with just enough information about each monarch, their consorts, their children (illegetimate or not), and where certain people are buried. I highly recommend it. I got this book as a gift from my stepdad several years ago, and I have read it cover to cover several times, as well as referred to it when I had a question about someone.

*****

Three more months and I should be done with this pregnancy. Yay! Actually less, since I'm due September 26th, and since my first two were born early I'm fully expecting this one to come early, too. All I know it I feel like I have been pregnant for the past two years (which, really, is kind of accurate, since we moved to Reno, got pregnant with Dallin almost right away, had Dallin, and got pregnant when he was what? Eight months old?). I hate pregnancy, so I'm excited to get this over with.

Besides, I get to have another little baby! How exciting is that? Yup, I've sure changed my view on this, haven't I? I still wish I had more time in between Dallin and this baby, but I'm not resentful at all anymore. I'm excited for this little boy to join our family.

Oh, still no names yet, so quit asking, people! We're a little busy with everything else and worried about that. We have plenty of time before he's born, so I'm not worried about a name. Besides, we do have a little list going, and we'll pick something out eventually. He won't be named Baby Boy Sharp.

*****

Quote of the day (In honor of tomorrow being Canada Day):
Canada is an interesting place - the rest of the world thinks so, even if Canadians don't.
--Terence Green

I'm So Glad...

2006-06-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

...When Ches comes home!! Today!!! WOOT!!!

Cell Phones

2006-06-28T00:38:00.000-07:00

Now here is something that I can really agree with. I don't even have to write a whole ranting post about it. Someone else did it for me!! Read on, my friends.