Gaming

It's no secret that Josh and I love to play games. Our most recent favorite has been Ticket To Ride. Which is a blast. But, every once in a while you have to take a break from the "thinking games" and just play a little uno.

Sunday we went to the Egberts for dinner and had a great time. Josh's Ron-dad is doing remarkably well. He's even to the point that he can take a few steps by himself, and he gets himself out of his chair. It's great to see him doing so well. After a lovely visit and dinner we headed out for a walk around Daybreak. It was just starting to get dark, and the view from their home is stunning. We went around one of the paths and took some pictures of the view, it really doesn't do it justice, but it's still pretty. The sky was incredible, the clouds overhead were dark and threatening.

After our short walk, we went back to say our farewells to the Egbert family and headed home. We had to stop by the Reilley household to say hi and pick up Josh's "box-o-swords" and somehow got sucked into staying for a visit.

I love the Reilley house. Mom-Reilley has her fall decorations out, and it smelled some something yummy and fall like. Caleb was making cookies, Braden and Cami were playing go fish, and Mom was just soaking in the Sunday goodness. You know how some people were just born to be mothers. They love every minute of it and they are really really good at it? That's Mom-Reilley. I don't think I've ever met someone who truly enjoyed their children so much. Even when they're horrible, she loves it. You can tell her life revolves around her kids, and she wants nothing more. She's so content to just see them and be a part of their lives. I love that about her.

So we came in, sat down, got in a couple of Go Fish games (turns I out I had no idea how to play that game, and I'm not so good at it....) then got out Uno attack. The Reilley's had never played it before so after a crash-course in the rules and special cards, the game began.

Caleb won the first round in about 2 minutes flat, which is impressive since we were playing with 7 people. So we played for second place. After that got over, and we all had the hang of the game, we started again. This time I'm convinced we hold the world record for the longest game of Uno. All the niceties were lost and we all played to win. It was hilarious. At one point 3 or 4 of the players had HAND FULLS of cards, and had for so long that there was nothing to shuffle. So, we made everyone with more than 20 cards (3 people) put half of them back. We all quickly got back up to that, and we played that game for an hour and a half. Even with the mercy acts and letting people put back bunches of cards, there was no end in sight. The kids needed to get to bed, and we needed to get on our way home, so we were all relieved when Braden (or Tato as we call him) finally rid himself of his last card.

I "heart" Utah

Here's the crazy thing. We were going to have a barbecue and play outside on Saturday, and then it rained all day long. We still ate summer food though. Sometimes I get my seasons mixed up and can't tell the difference between summer and winter. But I NEVER get as mixed up as mother nature this week. It was HOT last week, unbearably, blast the a/c, can't touch the metal in your car hot. Then it snowed. I love snow. I love winter. I love it when it comes early. I love to play in it. And mostly I love that my dear sweet husband loves it too.

After a fun-filled weekend, we went for a drive yesterday. Every winter that we've been together we catch the "first snow" of the season. Even if we have to drive to it because it didn't technically snow where we live. So, yesterday we went up little cottonwood - or maybe it was big cottonwood....to be honest they seem like they're both the same size anyway - to find the snow. And we sure did find it! As we drove up it was beautiful because of all the fall colors. And then we all of a sudden hit the snow line. It was AMAZING because some of those trees just have snow halfway down them, and then it stops. Sooo beautiful! I guess that's one of the reasons that I love Utah. The crazy weather keeps you on your toes. The very first time we went up to the mountains to "find the snow" I got out of the car and immediately threw a snowball and Josh. He laughed and we had a great snowball fight. Now, I get bragging rights for throwing the first snowball of our relationship. Pretty lucky for me. However, he pulled into the lead this year and he's thrown the first snowball of the season twice now. Next year I'll be sure to get him first. But for now, I'll let him have his moment of glory. I got him better than he got me anyway. I guess that's just part of being married, sometimes you have to let your husband win so you don't hurt his pride. But beware Josh - you're GOIN' DOWN!!!

I got an interview!!!

Score! I got an interview, first step to getting hired is interviewing. :) Now I have something new to be worried about - interviewing is scary. Someone is literally looking at your personality and judging it based on the few minutes the spend with you...that's intimidating to me. How do you prove you're a nice, upstanding person who they'll want to work with in that short of time?

I watched a funny show last night about "beauty and the geek" and they have 9 ultra-geeky boys with no people skills, and 9 ultra-beautiful girls with no brains. Then they all learn from each other how to become more of whatever they're not.

As they interview tons of people all over the place to decide who gets to be on the show, they ask boys social questions:
"When was the last time you went on a date?" "umm....uh.... never." "what do you do on a typical Friday night" Now they get excited. "We stayed up all night long! It was crazy, we got like 6 people playing this ultimate game of Risk and we didn't start until late, like 10:00 and we played until 4 in the morning, it was so awesome!"
Then ask the girls brainy questions:
"What's you're IQ?" "um. slightly over not too dumb." "who wrote Beethoven's 5th Symphony?" "giggle giggle. I don't read books. I'm sorry, I only read magazines. giggle giggle."

The sad thing is none of these people know how pathetic they look to the other side. I guess interviewing makes me nervous for that reason. The person asking the questions has a clear idea of what the "right" answer is, and once in a while you just don't get it right.

Earlier this week in my interview the lady asked me what my "personal policy is for answering phones". My response? "um. Well, I guess that depends on what you mean. Like I believe you should answer the phone if it rings....." (Oh my gosh, did I just say that out loud? throw me a bone here! What are you looking for? Do you want to know what I'd say when I answer the phone? how often I should do it? If I think you should hang up on people who are dumb? give me a real question! I don't have a personal policy on answering phones! I just do it!) "For example, Brother Johnson believes that a phone should be answered within the first 3 rings. What do you think about that?" "Oh yeah, that's definitely reasonable. Obviously whoever is calling needs to talk to somebody and they should be taken care of. " (I hope she doesn't find out that I never answer my own phone unless I know who it is or why they're calling....)

Last night after my missionary meeting I spent 45 minutes discussing working, jobs, kids, cars, and other life decisions with one of the other wives-of-a-ward-mission-leader in my stake. She's an incredibly nice person, and she works for the church in the history department. She's going back to school just because she wants to learn, and she really doesn't need a degree by any means, but she's doing school because she likes it.

I asked about her experience working when she had kids, she said that sometimes she did work and sometimes she didn't, but she never worked more than full time, and she would leave work at work. She gave 100% at work, and 100% at home and she felt good about it. She did say that if you can stay home, it's well worth it, but she was tired of "poverty" (to use her word; they certainly aren't hurting for money now, but maybe they were then...) and she went back to work and loves her job. She's a very nice lady, and thinks highly of the people in CES Physical Facilities, as do I. Turns out she knows a lot of people who work for/in the church, and has done a lot of different jobs there. She said that since she'd worked for the church before, it was easy to leave to have a baby and come back when her babies were all in school, so that was kindof encouraging. If I ever have a baby, and if I ever decide to work post-baby I totally could. I guess we'll just have to see what happens.

I did decide that I'm thankful for the people around me, and the things I can learn from them. I love talking to people about their experiences making the same decisions that I'll have to make. It's helpful to know I'm not the only one that is in the situation. It's nice to have a vote of confidence, even if it's from someone I don't know well.

It's good to be taken care of.

Job hunt

Deep breaths. I'm the bravest girl in the world! I had a job interview with the mormons earlier this week, only it was out at the printing press that's on 1700 S and 2000 W. That doesn't solve my commute/bus problem, and it didn't pay as much as I wanted. But, I went to the interview, and the lady loved me and wanted me to come back again, and introduce me to everyone in the world and "spread my name around" so people could start getting to know me. I called her back and left her a message politely declining because I felt like it wasn't right for us because of the location. That kinda broke my heart, but at the same time, it makes me feel good that I'm qualified and that people would want to hire me.

The more I talk to Jamie the more I want the position that is opening up next week. I'm nervous that I won't get it, and scared that I'll curse myself, but really love the thought of working there. So, here are my thoughts of pros and cons:

Pros:
Working for good people
working WITH good people (that's you Jamie)
cafeteria (sounds dumb, but it's nice to have a near-by option for lunch every day)
40 hours a week = 40 hours a week
take the bus to work
wearing skirts on a regular basis
not being sued for making a mistake (I'm scared of David Allen)
being "in" at the COB
advancement opportunities
they'll be happy if I leave to have a baby
doing what I love
regular "seminary" class
no more ridiculous requests
Cons:
Leaving Kim high and dry
giving up overtime when I want more money
nylons
fear of killing mormon plants
wearing skirts every day
David Allen coming after me
less variety

I think you'll agree after reading my list that the pros outweigh and I do want the job. Now we just have to wait and see how it goes.

Fortunately, Kim, my nice boss, was very supportive when I told her that this job might available and I had to apply. She understood and was actually thankful that I told her before anything happened so she could be prepared. Sigh. Changing jobs is still scary, but I think we're tough and I can do it. I'm brave enough.

Wish me luck when I submit my resume!

Running

OK remember how I hate running? Well, I've been doing it anyway, like 3 times a week.

Last week, Josh let me buy running shoes because when I whined to my mom and sister about my shins hurting when I ran, they told me that was stupid and I just needed better shoes. So, last week Josh let me get some good running shoes. Yesterday was my first chance to use them for a "real" run instead of just walking around the neighborhood.

I went to Liberty Park and ran a half mile before I even wanted to stop! I was so proud of myself! So, I speed walked a little bit, and then ran more, and walked the last bit to cool down. It was so great! I was so proud of myself, and I didn't hate it, and it didn't take that long, and it didn't hurt that bad. Maybe I'll be converted to this whole running scene yet...never can tell.

I do know that I want to be able to run a full mile, and then walk a mile to cool down instead of having to break it up - and I think I'll get there. I know it's sad that my goals are not that hard, but I'm still proud of me, and I'm excited to keep getting better and better.

Job Interview

On Monday I got a call for Meryl (the first clue that she was Mormon was her name) who wanted to set up an interview for me for the position out at the distribution center. I set it up for yesterday at 3:30 and left work with plenty of time to be there on time. So, I got there on time, and then waited. Then waited some more. Then waited some more. And then it was 4:00 and Meryl said that the lady interviewing me should be right out. And then I waited 5 more minutes and she came. Fortunately I was waiting at the distribution center, so there was a set of scriptures to read on the waiting room table. I love the Mormons.

She came and got me, and we had a quick 15 minute interview, she liked me, she wanted me to meet the higher ups. She was nice. I'm qualified, blah blah blah. Only problem is, that the job is way out West, I don't get to work at the COB, and the pay is less than I wanted. So....that was a little disappointing. But, it was good interview practice. Anyway, they want to bring me back for another interview, but I think I'll politely decline and thank them for their time.

On the other side, Jamie's boss's are hiring a replacement secretary because the current two secretaries (Jamie and Janet) are having babies. So they're going to combine the jobs, and hire someone in October. They'll accept applications starting next week, and then interview, and then have someone starting mid-end of October hopefully. So, I decided that I'm qualified for that job, I'd work at the COB, which is great b/c I could ride the bus to work, be on temple square, eat at the cafeteria, and have plenty of opportunity for advancement. So, I'm going to try for Jamie's job. And, since Jamie likes me, and has been talking to her boss's about how cool I am, I'm hoping to get that position.

The only thing left to do is tell Kim, my boss. I decided last night that I think I'm going to tell her today that I may have my dream job offered to me, and if I do, I'll take it. That way she kind of has a heads up, but I haven't quit. So, hopefully that will go well. Wish me luck with both of those things!

Sealing

On Saturday morning one of Josh's friends was sealed in the temple to her husband and two children. What an amazing experience. She invited us to the temple ceremony, which was incredible. She has a 2-ish year old boy, and then she married her husband, Jake, and together they have a brand new baby girl. So, on their one-year anniversary they were all sealed together. They did the normal advice for married couples thing, which was wonderful and made me think about things I should do better to make our marriage stronger. Then they invited in the kids. That little boy was so incredibly handsome. He had been waiting out in the hall and walked in wearing white, with a little vest and tie and everything. He was folding his arms and looks so calm, peaceful and reverent. It was incredible. He ran up to his new dad, and gave him a big hug, and wouldn't stop holding his hand. They brought in this beautiful baby girl, and together they walked to the alter. The little boy knelt down as close to his dad as he could get, and he put his hand on top of theirs. He could barely reach, but reverently did it. And they were sealed as a family for time and all eternity. The sealer talked about how being born in the covenant was one of the greatest blessings any child could have, and that now they were sealed together as though these children had been born in the covenant. He commended Ashley and Jake for making the choices necessary to be in the temple that day. He talked about what a wonderful blessing it is to have a family, and it was such an amazing thing to see them all together. Those children were perfect and happy and peaceful. After the ceremony, Jake (the dad) picked up the little boy and told him to look in the mirrors. He did and said "wow" and had a big 'ol grin on his face. I'm so happy for them, and can't wait to have my own babies that will be born in the covenant and have those same blessings. What an amazing blessing it is to have family, and to want family. I can't wait to be a mom.

Why to marry an RM

There are plenty of advantages to marrying a returned missionary: he knows how to do some essential household chores, laundry and cooking Ramen; he has a testimony; he can teach me stuff, how to talk to strangers, why we read Issiah, what Oregon looks like in the rain; he has reasonably good manners; but most importantly I inherited his Sunday music collection.

We've been married over a year and there are still Sunday CDs that are unknown to me. So, this morning I thought I'd broaden my horizons and listen to some new ones. I throw in Michael McLean and track 4 turns out to be "Homeless" from the Forgotten Carols. That was officially the beginning of this Christmas Season.

That's right, it's September 16, and I am full on listening to Christmas music now. It's official, the season has started and I am lovin' every minute of it. Josh had a companion on the mission that only listened to Christmas Sunday music, so he's OK with starting Christmas in September. And I'm glad because today I'm ready for it.

I just barely cleaned the canned snow off my front window from last year (thanks for noticing Jamie!) and I'm ready to put it back up. Mom-Reilley has started asking what we want for Christmas, and the Fugals already drew names. So it's on. I'm not holding back anymore, I'll have the "light of the world" tree up by Thanksgiving. That's for sure!

Happy Holidays everybody!

Hiking pictures

Proof that it's fall time. :) I love it when they're just starting to change.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.....and I.....

Everyone kept getting grumpy that I was taking so many pictures....I liked it anyway.

For the full album click here.

Confessions

So, it turns out that my husband loves me. He asked me last night what time I needed to leave for work and got up early early today so he could do all of his computer/home stuff before taking me to work and going to work himself. He's a real nice fella. He totally got me to work on time, and it was kinda nice to be able to talk to him on the way. I think I realized that I was missing that. As strange as it sounds, I'm secretly glad that we share now. I look forward to mandatory bondage.

I hate my job. I decided that I don't like it anymore. My boss is quite unreasonable, and it takes over my life, and I don't want it to. I'm tired of working nights and weekends, and I just want to have a job that I can leave at work.

I also don't like that I spend so much time doing things that are good for one person, but are really bad for so many others. I feel like I spend my whole day squashing people that shouldn't be squashed. I hate that feeling.

So, I submitted a couple of job applications at the church for secretarial positions. And Jamie's department is hiring soon, and I'll submit when they do it too. I'm ready to work for a good company. I want that now. So, there's my secret. I didn't dare tell anybody because I'll feel dumb if I don't get it, but, Sarah pointed out that if I can't tell anybody about my failures, nobody is my friend anyway, so why do I care? So, here it is. I'm applying for other jobs and I'm scared out of my mind.

I'm also terrified to quit here, I don't want to bring the wrath of David on myself, and I feel a little guilty about abandoning Kim, but I decided that I have to do what's best for me. And if I get a job offer that sounds/feels better, I'll do it, and if not I'll be a grown up and keep working for people I'm scared of.

Sigh. Wish me luck!

CRASH!

Wow. What a day THIS has been! Wow wow wow.

Josh called me today while I was at work and told me he got in a car accident, he said it was bad, and it was his fault, and he'd call me back. I hate those kinds of phone calls, but I guess I'm glad I had some warning to calm down before I really talked to him. Turns out he was fine, and the other person was fine, but Steve - our truck is not fine. It leaked a lot of fluid, bashed in the hood, the bumper and the passenger door wouldn't open. It doesn't look that bad, but it is. It definitely is. We both decided we weren't going to dump a lot of money into the truck again, and that the next time it needed major repair we'd just get a new vehicle. SOOO, new vehicle here we come.

Josh is scared because he drives for work, and he's not sure what an accident will mean for his job, but I'm sure it will all work out, it's stressful, and he feels icky, but it'll be OK because it always is. In the mean time, we're back to sharing a vehicle. We've stopped leaving our house at the same time in the morning, I usually leave before Josh does, so I'm hoping that we can have smooth mornings. You never can tell what kinds of things that'll do for a couple. Sure hope it helps us get along more better instead of fighting. We shared a car when we first got married, so I don't think it'll be too difficult, but we'll see how I feel in a week or so. :) Wish us luck!

Kokopelli

Kokopelli is the native American fertility god. My mother in law is the regular old American fertility goddess. She's so baby hungry and SOOO excited for grand babies, and I have to say I think she'll be a GREAT grandmother, and I really really hope that we get to have the first grand baby on his side because our baby will be spoiled beyond belief and they'll be VERY happy with us for having a kid. :)

So the Reilley's went to Yellowstone a couple of weeks ago and all the kids brought back souvenirs for us (the Reilley's are good at the love language of gifts) so we got pooping cow key chains, and Cami got me a really cute necklace, and then Mom Reilley said she had something special for us. It's a kokopelli statue in front of an arch, and it's really pretty. I laughed, and she told me that it didn't mean that they were pressuring us, just that they wanted us to have nothing but good energy when the time came. :) I love my family and I love it when they "encourage" us.

Hiking

On Saturday we woke up and Josh was completely done with Redbox. That's right 100%. Not a "one more machine to run to real quick" not ANYTHING. That was pretty exciting for me, as I'm sure you can imagine. So, we got up, and made breakfast. Mmmm....breakfast. And decided we wanted to go hike Timp Cave. Only by the time we got there, we couldn't really hike to the cave because we didn't have time, BUT we did hike up in Tibble Fork which was beautiful. We tricked Kate & Rand and Mom & Dad into coming with us, which was really fun.


It was beautiful, and you could already see the fall colors, which I can't WAIT for. I'll put up some pictures as soon as I find my camera.....I hate losing stuff.


Here's the exciting part, that means it's almost fall, which means it's almost winter, which means it's Christmas. Yes, that's right, Christmas. I can't wait.


On Sunday we went over to the Reilley's for dinner, which is always an adventure. Mom Reilley has already started her Christmas shopping and it's only September! But it got me thinking, I should do the same thing, so I'm going to start shopping for Christmas. I'll find great toys, and stuff, but I think our main Christmas will be going to Oregon. And possibly buying a house, depending on where we think we'll live for eternity......I'm not quite ready to be a grown up and decide where we're going to live forever.

Poor circulation

I decided to diagnose myself with "poor circulation" last night. I went running (a new hobby I guess....I only intend to maintain said hobby while I'm trying to listen to Deception Point because I can't listen to it any other time, once it's over, I QUIT) last night, and did my regular run-until-I-don't-feel-like-it-anymore-and-then-walk-some-more-until-I-feel-like-a-pansy-enough-to-run-some-more routine and about half way around the track my leg started going numb. Then it did that tingly thing (like you've been sitting on it wrong too long) for a little while, and then it totally fell asleep. I walked the rest of the way around the track, and felt bad for myself, and ruled out a heart attack (that's left arm, not right leg right?) and started to hit it. Yes, right there in the middle of liberty park I started beating on my leg to see if I could feel it. Nothing. I really couldn't feel it at all. So I just went home. As I was doing dishes, folding laundry and listening to "*just one more chapter" of my book my arms started falling asleep. I really couldn't feel either one of them. They kindof came in and out of numbness for the rest of the night, which is irritating. I have come to 3 conclusions from these observations. 1) I need more massages in my life....Josh didn't really agree.... 2) Running is bad for you. See? Told you so! 3) I have poor circulation. Anybody know the cure? I'm open to suggestion.

*I think the phrase "just one more chapter" started for me when I was in elementary school reading the book about the frog in times square. Thanks to my mom for teaching me to love to read. I still get addicted to the point of staying up way past my bedtime to read "just one more chapter"

Salesmen....they'll getcha every time.

On Saturday Josh and I were in Orem doing some redbox (surprise surprise) and decided to go to the mall to buy a game from Games People Play. Josh was doing the potty-dance in the store, so after we decided what we wanted, I told him to go find a bathroom and he could call me and we'd find each other in the mall after. Anyone who has ever done this, should be laughing right now.

I walk out of the game store and get bombarded by a very hairy Italian man. He asks to look at my nails. Since I have a couple of minutes, I tell him he's more than welcome to look at my nails. He does, and then compliments me (this is the beginning of the sales pitch). Then asks if he can show me something. Again, I have a few minutes to kill, so I say yes. He sits me down and starts talking fast, and I can't understand what he's saying because he has a ridiculous accent, something about the healing properties of the dead sea. He files my one nail, and buffs it, and shines it, and then it looks SO MUCH prettier than the others. And he tells me that I can have this nail buffer block, WITH a bottle of lotion AND cuticle oil for the small price of $39.95. I tell him no. He asks if I'd use it if he gave it to me. I say yes, and observes that money is the only issue. I say something about how that's the story of my life and let him continue his sales pitch as I start to look around for my husband. He makes me smell all of his lotions (which stink!) and tells me that it really would be good for me to use this nail buffing system.

Good for me? What is that supposed to mean? No thank you. I tell him I wouldn't pay him a penny for it, and he lets me leave. I hate salesmen, I hate feeling like I'm being sold. I hate being told what I need, I just want to get what I need and leave.

I go to grab my cell phone from my purse as I'm walking away, and realize that my cell phone is in the car.....and so are my keys. Josh has his phone, and his keys, and I have NOTHING. Except my new game. I figure worst case scenario I can just set up the game in the middle of the mall, and eventually he'll find me. So, I sit and wait. Nothing. I walk around a bit, and wait some more. I think of boy scouts and how they are supposed to sit in the same spot, and then decide to go out to my car. Nothing. I walk back in, and wait. And wait. And then I start to feel like a sad, lost puppy dog. All alone, nobody to take care of me. Just me and my game. And then I see Josh, he's down the hall holding the phone up to his head, looking around. Clearly looking for me. As soon as I walk up to him he starts the sales pitch.

And it can fold to be any size you want it to be. Plus it's like the sturdiest ladder in the world. See? Look how cheap! We're now standing right by the nail guy's kiosk, and looking at "dude gifts galore" or something. They sell love sacs, knives, camping stuff, and most importantly little giant ladders. Apparently Josh has been in this store salivating over the ladders while I've been down the hall lost and lonely. I tell him that he has that much in his jar and of course he can get it today if he wants to. His eyes light up like it's Christmas. Only better. LOL. He's a cute kid. So, we purchase the ladder and go to my parents to show it off.

Fortunately the slip-n-slide was out, so we did get to have some fun with that. Good times slip-n-slidin'. Now we're saving for something new in our jar, and I'm excited because I think it's going to be something for our house....a kitchen table.....a bed.......a couch........something exciting, that's for sure. Certainly not a $40 nail buffer.

I have to say his sales tactics worked, in part. He only buffed one of my nails, and you really can tell a difference, which means my nails were all sorts of lopsided. In a fit of rage I went to walmart and bought a non-dead-sea nail buffing block (for $1.88) and buffed the rest of my nails so now they all match the beautiful dead-sea-hairy-italian-man shine. :)

Harry Potter

I finally finished Harry Potter. Hats of to good ol' J.K. That was a really fun series, and I have to admit, I'll kinda miss Harry.

As I read I kept getting excited, and scared, and nervous, and anxious, and happy, and relieved, and scared again, for Harry and his posse (I just decided that they were a posse). Josh kept laughing at me, and when I'd offer to tell him what was happening, he calmly refused with the same response every time "I'll just wait for the movie."

"The movie?!?! That's not for YEARS!"
"I know, but it's better if you don't know what happens."

Ew. I can't imagine having to wait for the movie, why does he care if I tell him that Harry is the Horcrux and has to die? Why does he care if I ruin the ending? He's going to forget by then anyway. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait to enjoy it with him in a couple years when the movies finally catch up to the books.