This morning I had the scariest driving experience of my entire life. I've done some stupid things while driving, more than I'd care to admit actually, but this was BY FAR the stupidest.
To get to our house we have to cross like 10 gajillion sets of train tracks. OK, maybe it's only 4, but it feels closer to 10 gajillion. The first 3 sets all have arms that come down when a train is coming (which is surprisingly often). The set farthest West (and thereby closest to our house) has no arm - just a measly "Railroad Crossing" sign.
For the first few weeks we did the drive, we whined about the trains – I swear they ONLY came when we were trying to get through. Now I kindof count on them, so I can finish putting on my makeup in the car while I wait for them to come (bad I know…) A couple of weeks ago, I realized that there is 1 set of tracks that has no arms, no lights, no warnings if there is a train coming. Thinking that was odd – I asked Josh what the law is in that situation.
“Well, you should probably look both ways before you cross.”
“Is that the law though?” I asked.
“I don’t know, school buses stop.” As if that answered my question – just because a school bus does it, doesn’t mean it’s the law. Seriously, if I stopped on every residential corner and put a bunch of kids in my vehicle, I’d be charged with kidnapping. If we all did things just because the school bus does, we’d be in a lot of trouble. But, being the kind, generous, forgiving, non-condemning person that I am, I accepted that as an answer. For 2 whole trips we both stopped (or at least slowed) before crossing the tracks. That got old – fast. Now we both just drive right through them.
This morning as we approached the tracks, we were listening to the Book of Mormon and I was enthralled by the story of the Brother of Jared (what a fantastic story! Sometimes I forget that reading is different than telling yourself the story you’ve heard since primary). I also happened to be the one driving. I heard a loud horn, looked in my rearview mirror to see who was honking at me and saw no-one - until I was almost on top of the train tracks. There was a train, RIGHT THERE! And it was moving! Fast!
My foot hesitated over the break, before I quickly changed my mind knowing I couldn’t stop in time. We sailed across the tracks and crossed safely by a fraction of a second.
How on earth we weren’t both killed is beyond me. When I looked up, the train couldn’t have been more than 2 yards away, honking like crazy (duh!) and that was before I had crossed! Josh hadn’t seen the train, I hadn’t seen the train, there was no possible way I could have stopped, and had I gotten there just a second later, we would have been hit. Hard.
I’m sure the people behind me thought I was a complete idiot (“didn’t her mama tell her not to race the trains?” “Being late for work is no excuse for driving like an idiot!”) and they were right, but I truly didn’t see it! I was shaking the rest of the drive in to work. I have to say I got un-enthralled with the Brother of Jared, and re-enthralled with driving.
I’d love to petition the train people to put arms on every intersection. In our situation they could just move the arm out 20 feet and it would include this other track. It seems insane to me that there was literally nothing, absolutely nothing to warn me of the oncoming train. Well, with the exception of the horn – but I couldn’t hear that until I was too close, and couldn’t tell where it was coming from until too late! And why do people even move stuff by train anymore – haven’t they heard of airplanes? Trains are not efficient, and I’m sure it’s bad for the environment, so trains shouldn’t be allowed to run on “red days” in this state anyway. I blame the inventor of the train! And the inventor of stupid Railroad signs that don’t do anything! And the inventor of red days! Until something changes though, I’m going to strive to be more like a school bus – lock up your children.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Mr. Fixit
Ever since we bought our new beautiful house, I keep enjoying and relishing in the beauties of my kitchen. This week I was grateful for my disposal. Unfortunately I got a little over-zealous in appreciating it, and put a bunch of potato peels down it. Little did I know, you're not supposed to do that. Fortunately Josh is handy and capable and was able to fix it for me. He loves me and I'm truly thankful that he is so capable of fixing all the stuff I break.
Yes, he took apart the entire under-the-sink part. The whole thing.
That's the gross potato water that came out of it - you can't see the big pile of potato guts at the bottom. Mmmm yummy.
Yay! the water is going DOWN the hole!
Because We Sing
On Saturday night Josh's Dad and little brother were singing at the assembly hall in this group called "Because We Sing" it was quite the concert. I wish I had pictures of the actual concert, but I didn't take any pictures until afterwards. The concert was awesome, they sang some beautiful songs ("Bring Him Home") some gospel songs ("He ain't heavy he's my brother") and some hilarious songs ("Oompah Loompah"). I really like men's choirs, so it was quite fun for us. PLUS we got to go downtown together, and wander around temple square afterward. I miss it so much - when I lived there we'd walk around on temple square all the time, we'd hang out and look at the beauty of the temple in the nighttime and just enjoy the peace and calm that is there. I sometimes forget how much I love it there, so it's always nice to go back and be reminded.
Josh and I were taking pictures of our faces while we sat looking at the temple. I busted out the camera and he groaned.
"Smile!" I laughed when I saw that we were both sticking out our tongues.
Josh and I were taking pictures of our faces while we sat looking at the temple. I busted out the camera and he groaned.
"Smile!" I laughed when I saw that we were both sticking out our tongues.
"Fine - don't smile, be a dork" and we both smile.
"K that one was ugly, this time really smile and be serious."
Yeah, there's no hope for us. :) But that's OK, at least we're both dorks and we both love it.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Midway
This weekend we went to Midway. Oh man we had fun. The first day we went to Soldier Hollow to go tubing. My neice and nephew aren't old enough to go on the big hill with the rest of us, but there was a little baby hill we threw them down and they loved it! It was fantastic.
This is us waiting in line to get up. Even waiting in the line was fun. That's a sign of good company.
After we got back we went out onto the golf course and found another hill to sled down. The sled was only fun with at least 2 people (or so my daddy said) so this is Josh and Dad's turn.
Saturday night we played a lot of games. Then Sunday after church, Randy had scheduled a big ol' game of 6 player Risk. Yes that's right - 6 players. Randy wound up winning, but I put up a good fight - it came down to the 2 of us. :) We played a lot of Set and a bunch of other games. Quite the party.
This is the boring-EST part of the whole vacation, and it lasted like 10 whole minutes and it was only cuz they were posing for the camera.
The last day we built this killer snow cave. We should have done it earlier so the little boys could play with us. And so we could sleep in it. This is the only time Randy (my brother-in-law) sat down - that kid can DIG!
They're a good family. Ryann actually liked it.
This is all who dug crammed into the cave.
Seriously, big cave.
In all it was a much needed vacation. I love that the more I spend time with my family, the more I like them. We had a ton of fun and we were definitely not ready to come home - I could have stayed for another few days...but no such luck. We survived our first day back at work so I guess we'll be OK with normal life again.
This is us waiting in line to get up. Even waiting in the line was fun. That's a sign of good company.
After we got back we went out onto the golf course and found another hill to sled down. The sled was only fun with at least 2 people (or so my daddy said) so this is Josh and Dad's turn.
Saturday night we played a lot of games. Then Sunday after church, Randy had scheduled a big ol' game of 6 player Risk. Yes that's right - 6 players. Randy wound up winning, but I put up a good fight - it came down to the 2 of us. :) We played a lot of Set and a bunch of other games. Quite the party.
This is the boring-EST part of the whole vacation, and it lasted like 10 whole minutes and it was only cuz they were posing for the camera.
The last day we built this killer snow cave. We should have done it earlier so the little boys could play with us. And so we could sleep in it. This is the only time Randy (my brother-in-law) sat down - that kid can DIG!
They're a good family. Ryann actually liked it.
This is all who dug crammed into the cave.
Seriously, big cave.
Friday, February 15, 2008
SAD Part II
OK So I used to hate Single Awareness Day. But, it turns out my husband is terribly romantic. He showed up to pick me up from work with these BEAUTIFUL flowers.
Maybe I like V-day after all.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Single Awareness Day (SAD)
Growing up I always loathed this day. And when I say I loathed I really mean it. I never had a real live boyfriend, and I SWEAR every other girl in the entire school did. Every last one of them. OK maybe not all of them, but at least all of the ones I knew. OK maybe not even all of the ones I knew, but judging by how many flowers and suckers and chocolates were floating around my school, every girl should have had 2 of each. Instead it seems like 12 girls got 144 of each. Now by my math, and by the law of consecration – that isn’t fair.
I do feel obligated to mention that I did have one unbelievably over the top celebrated Valentine’s Day in Jr. High (roses, chocolate kisses, mixed CD’s, decorated locker, the whole 9 yards). And that did make me feel incredibly important, special, and even well liked. Every other Valentine’s Day, however, I got nothing and felt stupid about it.
Maybe it’s because I despised the holiday when I was alone and haven’t grown out of it yet; maybe it’s because I won’t see Josh for more than 10 minutes tonight and I’m denying that that’s abnormal; maybe it’s just the fact that I’m a grown up, I’m in a real relationship, and Valentine’s Day doesn’t make that relationship any more real than it already is; or maybe it’s because all holidays are boring without kids. Maybe it’s another reason all together, but this year it’s really not a big deal. I couldn’t care less if I don’t get flowers. I’m fine with not getting a card. In fact, I’d really be OK if nobody even mentioned the Holiday of Love. Today I know I love my husband. And I know he loves me. And today I am happy to be in love. I guess that is the point of Valentine’s Day so maybe I AM celebrating!
I do feel obligated to mention that I did have one unbelievably over the top celebrated Valentine’s Day in Jr. High (roses, chocolate kisses, mixed CD’s, decorated locker, the whole 9 yards). And that did make me feel incredibly important, special, and even well liked. Every other Valentine’s Day, however, I got nothing and felt stupid about it.
Maybe it’s because I despised the holiday when I was alone and haven’t grown out of it yet; maybe it’s because I won’t see Josh for more than 10 minutes tonight and I’m denying that that’s abnormal; maybe it’s just the fact that I’m a grown up, I’m in a real relationship, and Valentine’s Day doesn’t make that relationship any more real than it already is; or maybe it’s because all holidays are boring without kids. Maybe it’s another reason all together, but this year it’s really not a big deal. I couldn’t care less if I don’t get flowers. I’m fine with not getting a card. In fact, I’d really be OK if nobody even mentioned the Holiday of Love. Today I know I love my husband. And I know he loves me. And today I am happy to be in love. I guess that is the point of Valentine’s Day so maybe I AM celebrating!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Dear Winter,
I give in, I'll go do something fun already! I know I've been threatening to do something wintery for the past....4 months when it first snowed. I know I talk big like I love the snow and the winter and playing in it; but rarely take advantage of living in this beautiful season. I know I bought tubes last year and have yet to use them. I know the closest I've come to ice-skating is walking down my driveway (which by the way is pretty dang close!). I know I don't have much longer before spring (and apparently Easter which is right around the corner). And I know if I don't take advantage of this beautiful snow before it's gone, I'll be wishing for it again all too soon. I recognize all of those things, and I promise, this will be the weekend of outdoor fun in the snow.
But please, pretty please, just for me, can you NOT snow on my commute one more day? Please can I drive home more than 2 days in a row without dead traffic lights and cars backed up 10 miles to get on the freeway? Please don't force me to look at any more car accidents and please oh please don't let me be the object of one.
I know it's your job to make it beautiful in Utah from September to April; and you're very good at that, but if you could limit your working hours to 9-4 (hey call it a government job!) and even nights (after 12 and before 6) that would really help me out.
If you can grant these wishes for me, I promise to take advantage of your slippery slopes, your majestic hills, and your icy rinks. I promise to enjoy every second of it, just as long as I make it home safely tonight.
With gratitude, love and respect,
Amy
But please, pretty please, just for me, can you NOT snow on my commute one more day? Please can I drive home more than 2 days in a row without dead traffic lights and cars backed up 10 miles to get on the freeway? Please don't force me to look at any more car accidents and please oh please don't let me be the object of one.
I know it's your job to make it beautiful in Utah from September to April; and you're very good at that, but if you could limit your working hours to 9-4 (hey call it a government job!) and even nights (after 12 and before 6) that would really help me out.
If you can grant these wishes for me, I promise to take advantage of your slippery slopes, your majestic hills, and your icy rinks. I promise to enjoy every second of it, just as long as I make it home safely tonight.
With gratitude, love and respect,
Amy
Sicky (the 8th dwarf) and his wife, Grumpy
My husband.....wow. This thing he has is seriously horrible. I sure hope nobody else gets it, I'm amazed at how sick he can be.
It hit hard on Sunday, with fever, chills, body aches, etc. Monday it turned to exhaustion, more fever, add headache, tight chest, and restlessness (meaning neither of us have slept worth anything in the past 3 days. Tuesday we remove most of the fever and chills, keep the body ache, head ache and tight chest. Add all cold symptoms. This is the recipe for a looong week and a grumpy wife.
Maybe it's just that I'm sleep deprived, but I'm relatively certain that I am the world's most impatient wife. The first day I was really attentive, I babied him and took care of him, waiting to see what else he needed. Monday I was equally good - only I was at work so it was easier. Tuesday we decided to go to the Dr. who told us that he didn't feel good (thank you for sharing your expertise! I seriously doubt we ever could have figured that out.) and that he shouldn't go to school. Today, I think I've had it. He stayed home all day long yesterday and I could tell he was really starting to feel better. He watched movies. He paid attention to things. He wasn't completely delirious. He whined more.
He could use full sentences, so instead of “uughhhh water?” it was “hey, would you please bring me some water?” and “uughhhhh cold” followed by shaking and moaning changed to “it’s freezing in here, do we have any other blankets?” Don’t get me wrong, the kid is still sick, he can’t breath, he’s coughing like crazy, his throat hurts, he’s tired, he aches, etc. But, the improvement is so obvious that I seem to forget all of that and just notice that he’s better than he was. And I started getting impatient.
Since he was so miserable Sunday night neither of slept very well. Monday he didn’t realize it, but he was up all night coughing and hacking and wheezing and moaning. He slept through a lot of that because I gave him some Tylenol PM. I didn’t sleep through any of that, because I got no drugs. Last night he fell asleep at like 8:30 and slept until 1:00 – I was still working doing laundry, cleaning up dinner, and watching American Idol. I went to bed at about 1:00 when he woke up again needing some more drugs. I kindly got stuff for him and sent him back to bed. He slept until 7:00, and for the most part he slept soundly – I on the other hand did not. I was still tossing and turning, too hot, then too cold. He’d cough and wake me up, I’d roll over and realize I wasn’t in bed anymore (seriously, I fell out of bed last night) and before the alarm even went off I was up at 5:30 this morning. Josh couldn’t decide if he was going to work or not today, which means I was really late to work waiting for him to decide. Today I am grumpy. I don’t want to do anything but go home and sleep. And watch American Idol. Those are my goals for the day. Hopefully I’m less grumpy tomorrow.
It hit hard on Sunday, with fever, chills, body aches, etc. Monday it turned to exhaustion, more fever, add headache, tight chest, and restlessness (meaning neither of us have slept worth anything in the past 3 days. Tuesday we remove most of the fever and chills, keep the body ache, head ache and tight chest. Add all cold symptoms. This is the recipe for a looong week and a grumpy wife.
Maybe it's just that I'm sleep deprived, but I'm relatively certain that I am the world's most impatient wife. The first day I was really attentive, I babied him and took care of him, waiting to see what else he needed. Monday I was equally good - only I was at work so it was easier. Tuesday we decided to go to the Dr. who told us that he didn't feel good (thank you for sharing your expertise! I seriously doubt we ever could have figured that out.) and that he shouldn't go to school. Today, I think I've had it. He stayed home all day long yesterday and I could tell he was really starting to feel better. He watched movies. He paid attention to things. He wasn't completely delirious. He whined more.
He could use full sentences, so instead of “uughhhh water?” it was “hey, would you please bring me some water?” and “uughhhhh cold” followed by shaking and moaning changed to “it’s freezing in here, do we have any other blankets?” Don’t get me wrong, the kid is still sick, he can’t breath, he’s coughing like crazy, his throat hurts, he’s tired, he aches, etc. But, the improvement is so obvious that I seem to forget all of that and just notice that he’s better than he was. And I started getting impatient.
Since he was so miserable Sunday night neither of slept very well. Monday he didn’t realize it, but he was up all night coughing and hacking and wheezing and moaning. He slept through a lot of that because I gave him some Tylenol PM. I didn’t sleep through any of that, because I got no drugs. Last night he fell asleep at like 8:30 and slept until 1:00 – I was still working doing laundry, cleaning up dinner, and watching American Idol. I went to bed at about 1:00 when he woke up again needing some more drugs. I kindly got stuff for him and sent him back to bed. He slept until 7:00, and for the most part he slept soundly – I on the other hand did not. I was still tossing and turning, too hot, then too cold. He’d cough and wake me up, I’d roll over and realize I wasn’t in bed anymore (seriously, I fell out of bed last night) and before the alarm even went off I was up at 5:30 this morning. Josh couldn’t decide if he was going to work or not today, which means I was really late to work waiting for him to decide. Today I am grumpy. I don’t want to do anything but go home and sleep. And watch American Idol. Those are my goals for the day. Hopefully I’m less grumpy tomorrow.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Josh had a hard week...
It's been a bit of a tough week for Josh. Earlier in the week we were heading to work and he tackled me - when he took me down, my wedding ring gouged the back of his head and he bled for about half an hour. OUCH! he even said he was feeling a little light headed, but we put a cold cloth on it and it stopped eventually. Josh always jokes that he gave me a weapon not a ring, and I guess this is why.
On Sunday during church he suddenly realized that he didn't feel well at all. By the time we got out of church he was feeling awful and while we walked to our car he kept saying he was FREEZING. Sunday happened to be an extraordinarily warm day. It was beautiful outside, I was ready to go on a picnic, but he wanted to go home and bundle up. He started sounding really bad, he was losing his voice, and coughing a lot. By about 2 or 3 he had a fever of 101. He had cold chills and he was freezing and sweating and miserable. He started feeling better by about 10:00, but I had to drug him to get him to sleep at all. It was a long night. I hope it's not the "real flu" or strep or something, because he keeps getting worse and worse. He called in sick to school today - which he NEVER does. I always feel so helpless, what am I supposed to do? He's just so miserable, and can't have enough blankets on him, and it's HOT in my house. There are not enough cups of tea, warm baths, big blankets, or hot bean bags in the world to keep him warm, even though he's burning up! Here's hoping for a better night tonight.
Signs I'm getting old.
I seriously think I'm getting old. Here are a few reasons.
1. I hang out with "old friends I went to high school with" and I enjoy it. Josh and I went to hang out with Aubrey Shaw, Courtney Clement and Dan Argyle (and their spouses) on Saturday night. I haven't seen any of these people in at least 2 years, and we had a fantastic time. Just the phrase "friends I went to high school with" sounds like an old person phrase to me. The fact that it's been so long since I saw them made it even older - but also REALLY fun. It's so funny to see who everyone is married, and SOO perfect for each of them! I love it. We played Catch Phrase (which girl rock at by the way) and Loaded Questions which was awesome. You have to answer random questions about yourself, and then 1 person guesses who answered what. Which brings me to reason #2.
2. Asparagus on pizza sounds REALLY good. The question was "what should be a pizza topping?". There were some other funny answers, but someone said asparagus, and I seriously can't get that out of my head. Mmmm. Asparagus, with ham, and peppers and maybe pineapple on half. I seriously can't wait to try it, that's going to be on the menu sometime soon, and I'll report on how fantastic it is. My mom always ate asparagus in the summertime, and it was the ultimate icky-grownup-food to me. Now I love it. I don't have it as often as she did, but just the fact that I like it means I'm old.
3. My knees hurt. Josh and I were walking out of the temple, and all of a sudden my knees like buckled under me. They hurt sooo bad. I made it to the car, but it seriously felt like every time I bent my knees there was bone grinding on bone - which is a bad thing. Anyway, joint pain of any kind automatically makes you old.
4. In church on Sunday I had a really hard time paying attention during Sacrament meeting. I was really fidgety and uncomfortable and couldn't figure out why. When we went to Sunday School I figured out it was because hard chairs are uncomfortable. I used to be a floor sitter, but now I feel like that old person that the young people offer their chair to. That's bad. I'm seriously considering starting to sit on the floor at home (even when there are other options) just to get used to it again. At least then I won't have to be old enough to go to church early to get a seat in the benches - that's ages me like another 10 years!
1. I hang out with "old friends I went to high school with" and I enjoy it. Josh and I went to hang out with Aubrey Shaw, Courtney Clement and Dan Argyle (and their spouses) on Saturday night. I haven't seen any of these people in at least 2 years, and we had a fantastic time. Just the phrase "friends I went to high school with" sounds like an old person phrase to me. The fact that it's been so long since I saw them made it even older - but also REALLY fun. It's so funny to see who everyone is married, and SOO perfect for each of them! I love it. We played Catch Phrase (which girl rock at by the way) and Loaded Questions which was awesome. You have to answer random questions about yourself, and then 1 person guesses who answered what. Which brings me to reason #2.
2. Asparagus on pizza sounds REALLY good. The question was "what should be a pizza topping?". There were some other funny answers, but someone said asparagus, and I seriously can't get that out of my head. Mmmm. Asparagus, with ham, and peppers and maybe pineapple on half. I seriously can't wait to try it, that's going to be on the menu sometime soon, and I'll report on how fantastic it is. My mom always ate asparagus in the summertime, and it was the ultimate icky-grownup-food to me. Now I love it. I don't have it as often as she did, but just the fact that I like it means I'm old.
3. My knees hurt. Josh and I were walking out of the temple, and all of a sudden my knees like buckled under me. They hurt sooo bad. I made it to the car, but it seriously felt like every time I bent my knees there was bone grinding on bone - which is a bad thing. Anyway, joint pain of any kind automatically makes you old.
4. In church on Sunday I had a really hard time paying attention during Sacrament meeting. I was really fidgety and uncomfortable and couldn't figure out why. When we went to Sunday School I figured out it was because hard chairs are uncomfortable. I used to be a floor sitter, but now I feel like that old person that the young people offer their chair to. That's bad. I'm seriously considering starting to sit on the floor at home (even when there are other options) just to get used to it again. At least then I won't have to be old enough to go to church early to get a seat in the benches - that's ages me like another 10 years!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Easing into it.
I open a lot of bills during the day. In fact, sometimes I really get bugged at how many bills I have to open and avoid doing it at home because I'm still bugged from work. Once in a while though, it's kindof nice to open a zillion bills and know I don't have to pay even 1 of them.
"$6,495 for landscaping. OK. $5,345 for architectural drawings. OK. $945 power bill?!?!?! OK. $12.32 to South Ogden City, AND they give me this cute little newsleteter about new officials and events going on in the city? Definitely OK."
Today has been a little slow so I glanced through the South Ogden City Newsletter. There was the normal typical stuff. "Snow Removal FAQ's: Why is my street always the last one plowed? How come there's no sand on the road? etc"
Then, on the back page, I saw this picture of an easter bunny. Surrounded by Easter eggs. Wow! It's already Easter time! Maybe it's the fact that it still snows 2 feet every other day, or the fact that I haven't done 1 fun winter outdoor activity yet this season, but I'm just not ready for Easter! I'm shocked. Truly shocked. It had all of these pastel spring-y colors all over it and they looked SO out of place! No snowflakes, Christmas trees, or even heart and cupids! Straight to Easter - they aren't wasting any time this year!
"$6,495 for landscaping. OK. $5,345 for architectural drawings. OK. $945 power bill?!?!?! OK. $12.32 to South Ogden City, AND they give me this cute little newsleteter about new officials and events going on in the city? Definitely OK."
Today has been a little slow so I glanced through the South Ogden City Newsletter. There was the normal typical stuff. "Snow Removal FAQ's: Why is my street always the last one plowed? How come there's no sand on the road? etc"
Then, on the back page, I saw this picture of an easter bunny. Surrounded by Easter eggs. Wow! It's already Easter time! Maybe it's the fact that it still snows 2 feet every other day, or the fact that I haven't done 1 fun winter outdoor activity yet this season, but I'm just not ready for Easter! I'm shocked. Truly shocked. It had all of these pastel spring-y colors all over it and they looked SO out of place! No snowflakes, Christmas trees, or even heart and cupids! Straight to Easter - they aren't wasting any time this year!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
New Car
Josh called and Redbox finally told him that they're going to give him a car. They've been dangling it for a long time and we've been holding off buying a new car because of it. They let him know they were thinking about it - then Josh killed Steve (his old truck). Then they told him that they would make a decision by December 1st. Then they didn't. Then 2 weeks ago they said they'd decide by the first of February. So we've been patiently waiting and sharing a car (which isn't so bad most of the time...) until we know what, if anything, they are going to give him.
Today he called me and told me that they decided to give him one. This is seriously a huge blessing because we've been doing the 1 car thing and trying really hard not to go into debt to buy another car, but really feeling like we need to just do it. I'm tired of sharing rides everywhere, I wish he could go to school and I could go grocery shopping at the same time. I have days that I really feel the need to get out of the office, but I can't because I'm stranded. It's been good for a lot of reasons (not having a car payment being the primary good reason) but it's also been making me crazy. So I'm truly very thankful that they're doing this. Who wouldn't be thankful to get a company car?
He told me it would either be a Dodge Caliber (see below)
Or an HHR. When Josh and I talk I always am in front of my comptuer and often look up things we're talking about as we discus them, so as soon as he said "HHR" I googled it and here is the first picture that popped up.
I laughed. Really hard. I couldn't stop laughing. He laughed at my laugh, then said "they told me that was the sucky car and I should hope for the caliber. What does it look like?" "you have to drive a hurse!" I blurted out as I wiped the tears from my eyes. Oh man, I think it would be HILLARIOUS if he got that car. I will tease him until the day he dies. He laughed too - even thought of opening a hurse business on the side....
Today he called me and told me that they decided to give him one. This is seriously a huge blessing because we've been doing the 1 car thing and trying really hard not to go into debt to buy another car, but really feeling like we need to just do it. I'm tired of sharing rides everywhere, I wish he could go to school and I could go grocery shopping at the same time. I have days that I really feel the need to get out of the office, but I can't because I'm stranded. It's been good for a lot of reasons (not having a car payment being the primary good reason) but it's also been making me crazy. So I'm truly very thankful that they're doing this. Who wouldn't be thankful to get a company car?
He told me it would either be a Dodge Caliber (see below)
Or an HHR. When Josh and I talk I always am in front of my comptuer and often look up things we're talking about as we discus them, so as soon as he said "HHR" I googled it and here is the first picture that popped up.
I laughed. Really hard. I couldn't stop laughing. He laughed at my laugh, then said "they told me that was the sucky car and I should hope for the caliber. What does it look like?" "you have to drive a hurse!" I blurted out as I wiped the tears from my eyes. Oh man, I think it would be HILLARIOUS if he got that car. I will tease him until the day he dies. He laughed too - even thought of opening a hurse business on the side....
Monday, February 4, 2008
It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a snowflake!
Josh and I both grew up in Utah. We've both lived here for more than 20 years of our lives. We both love to be outside, love the winter, and the snow.
When we were first dating we would go on drives in the canyon all the time. He loved to go up at least twice a month, and I loved it too. It was soo nice to get out and breathe real air and enjoy the beauty. We'd hike and walk and enjoy each other's company. We're terribly romantic like that.
In September we went up and it started to snow while we were there. We drove further and further and it just got better and better. Finally Josh pulled over and I jumped out of the car and nailed him with a snowball before he even knew what had happened. He proceeded to tackle me and white wash my face, but to this day I am very proud of the fact that I threw the first snowball of our relationship. Every season since then, he's gotten me first, but I try to keep up.
We've had some grand adventures in the snow. (pictures coming shortly)
Tubing with Jamie and Cameron.
When we were first dating we would go on drives in the canyon all the time. He loved to go up at least twice a month, and I loved it too. It was soo nice to get out and breathe real air and enjoy the beauty. We'd hike and walk and enjoy each other's company. We're terribly romantic like that.
In September we went up and it started to snow while we were there. We drove further and further and it just got better and better. Finally Josh pulled over and I jumped out of the car and nailed him with a snowball before he even knew what had happened. He proceeded to tackle me and white wash my face, but to this day I am very proud of the fact that I threw the first snowball of our relationship. Every season since then, he's gotten me first, but I try to keep up.
We've had some grand adventures in the snow. (pictures coming shortly)
Tubing with Jamie and Cameron.
Building a snowman in our old house.
Going up the canyon to find the first snow of the year (this has become a sort of tradition for us).
So you can say we are good at snow. We like it. It likes us. Makes us happy! You would think we're familiar with the stuff, but this morning I kinda had to wonder.
We started to drive to work, and turned on the Book of Mormon (we've found we're really consistent if we listen to it during the drive in, specific time and place, all that jazz). Josh paused it for a moment.
"Wow. That's a lot of snow." he commented. unpausing.
I paused it. "Yep. Driving in the snow always reminds me of Star Wars - I think this is what it looks like to fly through outer space." Unpause.
Pause. "What?!?!" Patiently waiting.
"This is probably what it's like to fly through outer space." I repeated (is he deaf?) unpause.
Pause. "Why?" I breifly explained my theory based on a really old nintendo game.
"These things look a lot like snowflakes." He observed.
"Really?......like because they are snowflakes?"
"Well...today they look like snowflakes." He's thought a lot about this obviously. Unpause.
I guess I can see where he's coming from - some days the snow doesn't looks like snowflakes but today it sure did. Big beautiful snowflakes. It's just a funny comment that "today they look like snowflakes" when it's been snowing A LOT every other day since Christmas! You'd think we were used to what snowflakes look like now, but we're not. I guess they'd (this is that almighty powerful 'they' I like to use when I'm not really referring to anybody in particular...or maybe it's the weatherman.....I'm not really sure who this 'they' is.) better keep it coming until we know what snoflakes look like.
Super Bowl 2008
I don't really care about football. Josh doesn't really care about football. We do care about an excuse to have our friends over to play games and eat food. :) That's why we're so cool.
When we heard about how horribly snowy it was everywhere last night (my mom called and told us they were praying hard enough that they got church cancelled for the Super Bowl), we bailed on Egbert dinner because we just don't have the money or desire to wreck and fix our car again. So, we called and cancelled (sorry guys, we'll catch you later this month!) and made Jamie and Cameron come to us. The weather wasn't bad in Salt Lake, just down South, so we figured they could come and visit us safely.
We've been working on meal planning at our house, so the last time we went to the store we bought groceries based on specific meals that I planned to make. We did a surprisingly good job, but it means we didn't have a ton of food just hanging around. This is a good thing because it usually just gets wasted. But it was bad because we should have gone shopping again on Saturday, but decided to put it off till today and we had no groceries. Ooops. That meant Sunday dinner was going to be hard to come up with.
Fortunately I have a Bosch, and a few frozen bag dinners from Costco. So, last night it was yummy vegetabley chickeny pasta stuff with homemade breadsticks a salad and cinnamon rolls. You'd never know that just 1 hour before we were both searching our whole house finding NOTHING to eat on fast Sunday. It's a good thing we invited Jamie and Cameron over or we would have had popcorn for dinner. Yes, we're really that pathetic.
They came, we played games (Spades which Jamie and I still win every time, and Attika) and since Cameron likes football we had the game on in the background. I have to say I've never enjoyed football so much! I didn't watch the game, nor did I understand what was happening. BUT I did know what games we were playing, AND Cameron was kind enough to explain to me why we wanted each team to win. (One team would have a perfect season which hasn't happened since 1970-somthing, and the other one meant that the brother of one of the guys on the team that won last year would win - family legacy and all that.) That's one of the good things about Cameron - he really can find good in any situation. "Well, if the red guys win.....But if the blue guys win...... so really either way it's a good thing."
So, our Super Bowl Party 2008 was a good one. Games, food, football that was really just background noise. We might have to make this a tradition. Invite people over, as long as they promise to be more interested in us than the game. :) I think that's fair, right?
When we heard about how horribly snowy it was everywhere last night (my mom called and told us they were praying hard enough that they got church cancelled for the Super Bowl), we bailed on Egbert dinner because we just don't have the money or desire to wreck and fix our car again. So, we called and cancelled (sorry guys, we'll catch you later this month!) and made Jamie and Cameron come to us. The weather wasn't bad in Salt Lake, just down South, so we figured they could come and visit us safely.
We've been working on meal planning at our house, so the last time we went to the store we bought groceries based on specific meals that I planned to make. We did a surprisingly good job, but it means we didn't have a ton of food just hanging around. This is a good thing because it usually just gets wasted. But it was bad because we should have gone shopping again on Saturday, but decided to put it off till today and we had no groceries. Ooops. That meant Sunday dinner was going to be hard to come up with.
Fortunately I have a Bosch, and a few frozen bag dinners from Costco. So, last night it was yummy vegetabley chickeny pasta stuff with homemade breadsticks a salad and cinnamon rolls. You'd never know that just 1 hour before we were both searching our whole house finding NOTHING to eat on fast Sunday. It's a good thing we invited Jamie and Cameron over or we would have had popcorn for dinner. Yes, we're really that pathetic.
They came, we played games (Spades which Jamie and I still win every time, and Attika) and since Cameron likes football we had the game on in the background. I have to say I've never enjoyed football so much! I didn't watch the game, nor did I understand what was happening. BUT I did know what games we were playing, AND Cameron was kind enough to explain to me why we wanted each team to win. (One team would have a perfect season which hasn't happened since 1970-somthing, and the other one meant that the brother of one of the guys on the team that won last year would win - family legacy and all that.) That's one of the good things about Cameron - he really can find good in any situation. "Well, if the red guys win.....But if the blue guys win...... so really either way it's a good thing."
So, our Super Bowl Party 2008 was a good one. Games, food, football that was really just background noise. We might have to make this a tradition. Invite people over, as long as they promise to be more interested in us than the game. :) I think that's fair, right?
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
When I grow up.
There's this old song that we used to sing when we were little kids about being a mom.
"When I grow up, I want to be a mooo-ther, have a family
One little, two little, three little babies of my own."
I'm sure there is more to the song than that, but that's the only part I remember knowing. It would get a little out of hand because when the song gets stuck in your head, pretty soon you're saying "10 little, 11 little, 12 little babies of my own." and it doesn't take long to get there. Anyway, I've always wanted to be a mom. But I've also always liked working. And right now I have "no little babies of my own", so I'm exploring my professional future.
When I graduated from high school I went to college, because that's what you're supposed to do. I didn't really know what I wanted to study, there were a lot of things that interested me and I didn't really know what I'd do with any of them. There was always some aspect of whatever vocation that wasn't really appealing.
I'd go into Accounting - but I don't really want to do taxes, and that's all Accountants do.
I'd go into Psychology - but could I really handle dealing with other people's problems empathetically on a consistent basis? Realistically I'm probably not mentally/emotionally stable enough to keep myself sane, much less other people.
I'd study Business - except what are you supposed to do with that?!?! The classes you take for business are EASILY the most applicable to real life of any other degree, but you don't really do anything with it. "Hi, I'm Amy and I have a business degree - would you like me to be the CEO of a company I know nothing about? I could do it because I have a business degree." While you learn a zillion very helpful, pertinent things, it seems like you still have to study something else to make your Business Degree valuable to someone else.
Since I couldn't find anything I really loved, I figured being an assistant lets me help other people do what they love, and that's good while I wait for something to come to me.
Today, I think the solution came. I'm not quite sure how to make it happen, but it involves all of my interests. Here's my plan - tell me what you think:
I will be a "financial counselor" (aka money shrink). A friend of mine asked me for some help in his financial world. He went to his regular shrink and found that he's been feeling really anxious and up tight lately. It's because he's worried about money. I know this guy (let's call him John), and he spends money faster than anybody I know. I know a lot about his personal finances because I see a lot of his bills. He had a horrible childhood and some pretty traumatic experiences, he moved out of his druggie parents' house when he was 15 years old, got a job and an apartment (fully furnished with milk crate furniture) and finished high school. Now most 15 year olds get a job at a fast food restaurant and spend their money on dates, movies, fast food, electronics, music, etc. Instead, he spent his money on rent, utilities, and groceries with very little left over. Since he had to be a grown up (financially) when he was 15, I think that now (he's in his early 30's) he's ready to have the financial freedom and be stupid about his money. He spends it on stupid stuff, and gives a lot of money away. He makes a ton, but manages it very poorly. What he needs is to develop a healthy relationship with money and build wealth for his future. He recognizes this and asked me to help him make a budget and figure out how to get him out of debt.
I'm SOO excited for this! I'm fascinated by his attitudes and habits. I want to learn not only why he spends like a maniac but how he can still feel like he's living comfortably without being stupid. I want to examine every aspect of this relationship with money, and it's making me look at myself as well! Why do I spend money on the things I do? What about the people around me? What can I do better and what can I learn from him?
So, if he needs it, and I need, I think other people probably need it too. So, why don't I become a money shrink? I'm sure there are tons of people who need help learning about money (a lot of parents just never bother to teach their kids basic principles) and not only learning how to manage it in a way that makes sense (numbers-wise) but that also meets their emotional/mental needs.
I read a book once where the lady talked about needing to feel rich. She went to the store and picked 1 thing that she thought only rich people could afford (for her it was fancy olives) and bought it. She felt rich. She wound up getting rich, but more importantly, it met her emotional need of feeling like she had enough. So many people go through life thinking there will never be enough money and when they think that, there usually isn't. BUT the people who live comfortably always feel like there is enough.
Obviously there are limitations, and restrictions must be set, but I truly believe that everybody is capable of feeling wealthy. I've felt wealthy making $6/hour before. I really think it's possible.
People just need a coach. A cheerleader. A club. Something to help them stay motivated and keep their goals. It'll be like AA, group therapy, and weight watchers but with money! Why isn't there something like this already? I'd love to get a degree in money-shrinking, but I'm pretty sure they don't offer that - so I'll have to build it myself. Now if I can just figure out how to get started.....
"When I grow up, I want to be a mooo-ther, have a family
One little, two little, three little babies of my own."
I'm sure there is more to the song than that, but that's the only part I remember knowing. It would get a little out of hand because when the song gets stuck in your head, pretty soon you're saying "10 little, 11 little, 12 little babies of my own." and it doesn't take long to get there. Anyway, I've always wanted to be a mom. But I've also always liked working. And right now I have "no little babies of my own", so I'm exploring my professional future.
When I graduated from high school I went to college, because that's what you're supposed to do. I didn't really know what I wanted to study, there were a lot of things that interested me and I didn't really know what I'd do with any of them. There was always some aspect of whatever vocation that wasn't really appealing.
I'd go into Accounting - but I don't really want to do taxes, and that's all Accountants do.
I'd go into Psychology - but could I really handle dealing with other people's problems empathetically on a consistent basis? Realistically I'm probably not mentally/emotionally stable enough to keep myself sane, much less other people.
I'd study Business - except what are you supposed to do with that?!?! The classes you take for business are EASILY the most applicable to real life of any other degree, but you don't really do anything with it. "Hi, I'm Amy and I have a business degree - would you like me to be the CEO of a company I know nothing about? I could do it because I have a business degree." While you learn a zillion very helpful, pertinent things, it seems like you still have to study something else to make your Business Degree valuable to someone else.
Since I couldn't find anything I really loved, I figured being an assistant lets me help other people do what they love, and that's good while I wait for something to come to me.
Today, I think the solution came. I'm not quite sure how to make it happen, but it involves all of my interests. Here's my plan - tell me what you think:
I will be a "financial counselor" (aka money shrink). A friend of mine asked me for some help in his financial world. He went to his regular shrink and found that he's been feeling really anxious and up tight lately. It's because he's worried about money. I know this guy (let's call him John), and he spends money faster than anybody I know. I know a lot about his personal finances because I see a lot of his bills. He had a horrible childhood and some pretty traumatic experiences, he moved out of his druggie parents' house when he was 15 years old, got a job and an apartment (fully furnished with milk crate furniture) and finished high school. Now most 15 year olds get a job at a fast food restaurant and spend their money on dates, movies, fast food, electronics, music, etc. Instead, he spent his money on rent, utilities, and groceries with very little left over. Since he had to be a grown up (financially) when he was 15, I think that now (he's in his early 30's) he's ready to have the financial freedom and be stupid about his money. He spends it on stupid stuff, and gives a lot of money away. He makes a ton, but manages it very poorly. What he needs is to develop a healthy relationship with money and build wealth for his future. He recognizes this and asked me to help him make a budget and figure out how to get him out of debt.
I'm SOO excited for this! I'm fascinated by his attitudes and habits. I want to learn not only why he spends like a maniac but how he can still feel like he's living comfortably without being stupid. I want to examine every aspect of this relationship with money, and it's making me look at myself as well! Why do I spend money on the things I do? What about the people around me? What can I do better and what can I learn from him?
So, if he needs it, and I need, I think other people probably need it too. So, why don't I become a money shrink? I'm sure there are tons of people who need help learning about money (a lot of parents just never bother to teach their kids basic principles) and not only learning how to manage it in a way that makes sense (numbers-wise) but that also meets their emotional/mental needs.
I read a book once where the lady talked about needing to feel rich. She went to the store and picked 1 thing that she thought only rich people could afford (for her it was fancy olives) and bought it. She felt rich. She wound up getting rich, but more importantly, it met her emotional need of feeling like she had enough. So many people go through life thinking there will never be enough money and when they think that, there usually isn't. BUT the people who live comfortably always feel like there is enough.
Obviously there are limitations, and restrictions must be set, but I truly believe that everybody is capable of feeling wealthy. I've felt wealthy making $6/hour before. I really think it's possible.
People just need a coach. A cheerleader. A club. Something to help them stay motivated and keep their goals. It'll be like AA, group therapy, and weight watchers but with money! Why isn't there something like this already? I'd love to get a degree in money-shrinking, but I'm pretty sure they don't offer that - so I'll have to build it myself. Now if I can just figure out how to get started.....
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The gender of objects
You know how some things just have genders? Like when you refer to a boat, it's a girl "she's real pretty on the water". Or cars which are always either male or female, even if you don't name it, it has a gender "she's such a pansy, she can barely make it up the hill." but "my big man truck could drag himself and the 3 pansy cars we passed on the way up that hill." My red Bosch is definitely a girl. The ugly green couch was definitely a man. Most electronics are male, except cute little things like cell phones, pink iPods (which are clearly female) and watches with ribbons as the band. Drills, hammers, and saws are male, while pillows, doilies, 'knick-knacks' and bedspreads are female.
Then of course there are those items that, like cars, can go either way. Different cars, select tools, (my cute clean tape measure is a girl, but Josh's manly big dirty tape measure is a boy and therefore lives in the garage), furniture (rocking chairs vs. lazy boys), and maybe even food/snacks.
I never really realized it until this morning. I opened our center console in Suzy (my VERY female car, doesn't go uphill, doesn't do 4 WD, but plays all media types, has radio buttons on the steering wheel, cup holders, a spot for your sunglasses, and trash compartments, and was made for cruisin' with the windows down, not to mention she's a little PMSy every now and again) and saw this very sleek package of gum. It was clearly man-gum.
"Can I have a piece of your manly gum please?" I asked Josh.
"You want a piece of my what?" He responded confused.
"Your manly gum."
"Sure, but why is it manly?"
"You want a piece of my what?" He responded confused.
"Your manly gum."
"Sure, but why is it manly?"
Somehow he failed to see the clearly man features of this gum. It wasn't pink, it wasn't fruit flavored, it had no pictures of people or bubbles or food on the front of it. It was just gum. Very simple, dark packaging. Shaped like it fits in your back pocket as opposed to fitting in your purse. Everything about this gum screams "man" to me and he just doesn't see it. Back me up in this! Tell me that this is man gum!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
My job will NEVER be done.
I just figured out why so many moms are so sad, worn down, tired, feeling behind, discouraged, feeling inadequate, etc. I know this won't be a shock to many of you, especially those of you who are moms, but the general mom-jobs (cleaning, cooking, etc) are truly never complete. You never get the satisfaction of knowing you did a great job.
I spent all night long on Thursday doing laundry. There was not a dirty article of clothing anywhere in my entire house. This is rare for me because I usually do one or two batches a night and am just in a constant cycle. Not this time. I was bound and determined that everything in my home would be clean. I did 8 batches of laundry, including sheets, towels, cleaning rags, along with the regulars. Not only did I wash them all, I also had them all put away. Then my husband came home. He got ready for bed, and took off the clothes he was wearing to trade for pajamas. I'm not kidding when I tell you he wore, in 1 day an ENTIRE full batch of darks! I was already a batch behind and I had only been done for 5 minutes! That's not even counting the clothes I was wearing, or the pajamas we were now both wearing! What am I supposed to do with that?
No matter how many batches of laundry I do, we'll both be wearing something and I won't be finished. No matter how many meals I cook - my husband will have gotten hungry in the time it took me to clean up what he just ate, and I'll be behind again. The dishes will always be dirty, the bed will always become un-made within 24 hours, I will never ever ever be caught up at any wife/mom jobs! That is a depressing thought.
The worst part is that I have it easy! There are a lot of moms with much more mundane tasks than mine. Most moms do more of these things than I do, and I'm already whining and complaining about it. That's a bad sign.
I like going to work, I like finishing a project and taking it off my to do list. I hate looking at the same tasks over and over again knowing that it should have been done a year ago, but I love the feeling of finishing a year long task! I love being able to finally say "it's done!". I think though, that I'm going to have to go get over that, because at home my jobs never change. I create the same to-do list every single week, and it's boring. "grocery shopping, laundry, exercise, cook, dishes, clean bathrooms, vacuum, pay bills, put that recipe in my recipe book" that's a boring list. It's time consuming, it fills my evenings alone, and before I have the time to check off one thing, it's added back on. I think I need to stop listing things to do because it's discouraging and disheartening and that doesn't make me feel happy so I'm officially done with to-do lists that never change.
From now on, I'm going to make cool to-do lists. In fact, I don't even care if I do anything on those lists, I'm going to make the lists and take stuff off even if it's not done. "Sky-diving, tubing, snowshoeing, shopping (not for groceries, for anything I want), go to France, eat out, read a good book" this is my official to do list for the day.
I spent all night long on Thursday doing laundry. There was not a dirty article of clothing anywhere in my entire house. This is rare for me because I usually do one or two batches a night and am just in a constant cycle. Not this time. I was bound and determined that everything in my home would be clean. I did 8 batches of laundry, including sheets, towels, cleaning rags, along with the regulars. Not only did I wash them all, I also had them all put away. Then my husband came home. He got ready for bed, and took off the clothes he was wearing to trade for pajamas. I'm not kidding when I tell you he wore, in 1 day an ENTIRE full batch of darks! I was already a batch behind and I had only been done for 5 minutes! That's not even counting the clothes I was wearing, or the pajamas we were now both wearing! What am I supposed to do with that?
No matter how many batches of laundry I do, we'll both be wearing something and I won't be finished. No matter how many meals I cook - my husband will have gotten hungry in the time it took me to clean up what he just ate, and I'll be behind again. The dishes will always be dirty, the bed will always become un-made within 24 hours, I will never ever ever be caught up at any wife/mom jobs! That is a depressing thought.
The worst part is that I have it easy! There are a lot of moms with much more mundane tasks than mine. Most moms do more of these things than I do, and I'm already whining and complaining about it. That's a bad sign.
I like going to work, I like finishing a project and taking it off my to do list. I hate looking at the same tasks over and over again knowing that it should have been done a year ago, but I love the feeling of finishing a year long task! I love being able to finally say "it's done!". I think though, that I'm going to have to go get over that, because at home my jobs never change. I create the same to-do list every single week, and it's boring. "grocery shopping, laundry, exercise, cook, dishes, clean bathrooms, vacuum, pay bills, put that recipe in my recipe book" that's a boring list. It's time consuming, it fills my evenings alone, and before I have the time to check off one thing, it's added back on. I think I need to stop listing things to do because it's discouraging and disheartening and that doesn't make me feel happy so I'm officially done with to-do lists that never change.
From now on, I'm going to make cool to-do lists. In fact, I don't even care if I do anything on those lists, I'm going to make the lists and take stuff off even if it's not done. "Sky-diving, tubing, snowshoeing, shopping (not for groceries, for anything I want), go to France, eat out, read a good book" this is my official to do list for the day.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Temples shall dot the earth
Last night I drove to American Fork so my sister could dye my hair (thanks Sarah!) for free. I have to say I believe it is well worth it because every time I go to a salon I get grumpy. One time when I lived with Chelsea at the Business College we went to fancy place in the mall to get our hair cut because she knew somebody who worked there and it was going to be super-cheap and we were poor. We went to this place, and the girl that cut our hair was just getting back from doing a live makeover on the news. She was all pumped and "LOVING" the makeover she just did.
I am a generally easy person to get along with, and I'm really not over-protective of my hair. Usually when the hair stylist asks what I want I say "it's just gross on the end, so just a trim, maybe some layers, whatever works." and then they use their creative genius and I look beautiful (using the term loosely) at the end of it. So, this time when she asked I did the same thing. "I don't really care, it's just long and gross and needs to be cut." Keep in mind I look like....well...me. I'm pretty sure I was wearing a skirt (I had to go straight to work), and a sweater and I looked like a nice little relief society lady. This girl has SHORT (like boy-short) blond (white) hair with some hot pink streaks in it and a nose ring. Now I'm not one to judge a book by it's cover, but I should've thought this through.
"Ooooh....this will be fun! I just gave this really cute haircut live on TV and it was amazing, and she looked like a rock star after! It's amazing and you have perfect hair for it. Can we try something new?"
"sure." I responded, I'm not one to disagree or argue unnecessarily, and truthfully I could probably use a little more "rock star" in my life. So I went with it.
Little did I know that "rock star" in her book was "mullet" in mine! This woman seriously gave me a mullet! She cut this top layer really short, and left me with a long ugly tail - then styled it with bangs coming all to one side (I believe she used the term "swooping"). Oh it was ugly. SOOO ugly. And she put lard in my hair (read: palmade) and it was so gross I wanted to vomit. Anyway, Chelsea got a haircut that wasn't quite as extreme as the mullet, but she wasn't really pleased either. So much for our fancy salon experience! I went to work and pulled it up (as much as possible, but the short part of the mullet wasn't long enough to tie up - so I had a mullet in a pony tail) until I got home. At which point I made Chels cut it off with kitchen scissors. I felt much better, it was still mullet-y, but much better. Since then I've learned my lesson - it's better to have an untrained roommate/sister you trust do your hair than a trained psychopath rock star. Thus the trip to American Fork.
Since I was so close to my parents house, I stopped by for a quick visit and to drop off some stuff. On my way home. I realized that driving from my parent's house in Lindon to my house in North Salt Lake, I see 4 existing temples (Mt. Timp, Jordan River, Salt Lake, Bountiful) on the way. That is only a 40 minute drive! That means that there is a temple roughly every 10 minutes along I-15! If that isn't dotting the earth (or at least dotting Utah) I don't know what is. With the 2 in Draper/South Jordan under construction we'll have 6 that close together. And it's not like you have to drive far to get to others.
Last night happened to be creepy and nasty and the air was smoggy and red and weird - but on a clear night, you see every one of those temples from the freeway. It's not like this is news, or anything, but it kinda hit me last night that we live in the last days, and we are incredibly blessed to live in Utah in the last days. It's just not like that everywhere.....Yet.
I am a generally easy person to get along with, and I'm really not over-protective of my hair. Usually when the hair stylist asks what I want I say "it's just gross on the end, so just a trim, maybe some layers, whatever works." and then they use their creative genius and I look beautiful (using the term loosely) at the end of it. So, this time when she asked I did the same thing. "I don't really care, it's just long and gross and needs to be cut." Keep in mind I look like....well...me. I'm pretty sure I was wearing a skirt (I had to go straight to work), and a sweater and I looked like a nice little relief society lady. This girl has SHORT (like boy-short) blond (white) hair with some hot pink streaks in it and a nose ring. Now I'm not one to judge a book by it's cover, but I should've thought this through.
"Ooooh....this will be fun! I just gave this really cute haircut live on TV and it was amazing, and she looked like a rock star after! It's amazing and you have perfect hair for it. Can we try something new?"
"sure." I responded, I'm not one to disagree or argue unnecessarily, and truthfully I could probably use a little more "rock star" in my life. So I went with it.
Little did I know that "rock star" in her book was "mullet" in mine! This woman seriously gave me a mullet! She cut this top layer really short, and left me with a long ugly tail - then styled it with bangs coming all to one side (I believe she used the term "swooping"). Oh it was ugly. SOOO ugly. And she put lard in my hair (read: palmade) and it was so gross I wanted to vomit. Anyway, Chelsea got a haircut that wasn't quite as extreme as the mullet, but she wasn't really pleased either. So much for our fancy salon experience! I went to work and pulled it up (as much as possible, but the short part of the mullet wasn't long enough to tie up - so I had a mullet in a pony tail) until I got home. At which point I made Chels cut it off with kitchen scissors. I felt much better, it was still mullet-y, but much better. Since then I've learned my lesson - it's better to have an untrained roommate/sister you trust do your hair than a trained psychopath rock star. Thus the trip to American Fork.
Since I was so close to my parents house, I stopped by for a quick visit and to drop off some stuff. On my way home. I realized that driving from my parent's house in Lindon to my house in North Salt Lake, I see 4 existing temples (Mt. Timp, Jordan River, Salt Lake, Bountiful) on the way. That is only a 40 minute drive! That means that there is a temple roughly every 10 minutes along I-15! If that isn't dotting the earth (or at least dotting Utah) I don't know what is. With the 2 in Draper/South Jordan under construction we'll have 6 that close together. And it's not like you have to drive far to get to others.
Last night happened to be creepy and nasty and the air was smoggy and red and weird - but on a clear night, you see every one of those temples from the freeway. It's not like this is news, or anything, but it kinda hit me last night that we live in the last days, and we are incredibly blessed to live in Utah in the last days. It's just not like that everywhere.....Yet.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Just one easy payment of $39.95*
Josh and I have developed this really bad habit of watching tv before we go to bed after he gets home from school. Usually the night goes like this:
doo do do to do dooo do do dodododo.....dododododo (that's the Simpson's music in the background)
"Hey, how was boring old school?"
"So cool because today we learned about _____" (insert something I don't understand here)
"That's nice dear. Would you like to practice on me?"
"No. I'm too tired. Maybe tomorrow." He answers in his "yeah right, maybe after I've graduated and have spare time but probably not even then unless you pay me" voice.
"OK I'm tired, you ready for bed?"
"Yeah sure." He says as he flops down next to me on the love sac. He immediately changes to channel to something unbearably boring, and wiggles around making me uncomfortable (which I thought was impossible on a love sac - I want my money back!) and cold.
Pretty much every night he turns it to the movie channel that plays some surprisingly good flicks, or this History channel. Last night he didn't even make it past the infomercial channel. All of these are like a whole new world to us because neither of us has ever had TV before. We've done speaker wire with tin-foil on the end, but no real tv channels before - so having more than 5 channels makes us feel rich. He got sucked into whatever the REALLY cheesy guy was selling and I immediately fell asleep. The next thing I know I hear him talking to himself.
"Josh."
"Egbert."
"Yes, I'm interested in this book, but I'd like to hear a little more about it first. Can you tell me what kind of cures I can find?"
Prolonged silence.
As I slowly come out of my deep deep sleep I realize he's not talking to himself, he's on the phone! With the infomercial people! He has full blown muted the TV - watching some old guy mouth the words "one easy payment of $39.95 - but that's not all!" The screen slams a big big down in front of it like it's a big deal. "for a limited time only" appears at the bottom of the screen and I suddenly realize that he's on the phone so he can BUY this thing!
Now you should understand 2 things:
1. I'm a sucker for advertising. I drive down the road, see a McDonald's sign and immediately want a big mac. The next sign is for hang gliding and I feel the need to jump off a cliff. Driving home from work is an emotional thing for me because I go from being a "mom meth addict" to an "experienced tax accountant" all the while craving 8 different fast foods, and needing to hear 23 artists' concerts. If I bought everything that I truly believed I needed when I thought I needed it....well I'd be in a lot of debt.
2. Josh doesn't spend money. He doesn't buy anything, he takes time to consider everything before purchasing, and after he bring it home he considers it some more deciding if he should take it back or not. (Seriously, the man returns rotten produce to the grocery store to get money back....he's insane.)
So, for me waking up to him wasting money on a book seems unbelievable. I look at him like he's crazy and tell him we don't need it. Even if it cures cancer (which I doubt) we don't need it because we don't have cancer. While I'm mouthing this to him he's still talking to this girl on the other line!
"mmmmhmmm. Now what about asthma, does it have a cure of asthma?" he asks her attentively
"Josh hang up that phone! If you spend $40 on a book we can buy online for cheaper, I will beat you till you cry!" I'm fully awake now. I know very well what he is doing and he knows very well he's in big trouble.
He hangs up with the girl and looks at me like he's hurt. I proceed to look on amazon and ebay for the book as well as read some reviews of it online. We find version 1 of the book for $5 on Amazon and reviews saying the book is useless and frustrating. I make him lie next to me and kiss his forehead so he knows I still love him. We turned off the tv and go quickly to bed before either one of us gets sucked into anything else. The problem is that when I was looking for the book online I saw the website and started reading about it trying to figure out why my otherwise intelligent husband would ever even dream of wasting his money on something like this. I quickly learned.
I mean, this book is literally 576 pages of incredible medical miracles discovered by very credible human beings. The audience is full of people who have used these cures and it saved their lives! How can I say I don't need that? This thing promises to cure diabetes, help with weight loss, Alzheimer's, how to prevent a stroke, fighting cancer, lowering blood sugar, flu-proofing your home, the list goes on. What person doesn't need that? Why did I stop my husband from having that sent to my house? PLUS it comes with 3 bonus gifts*! *a $149 value absolutely free!
I suppose it's probably a good thing I was asleep the first time the ad was on and now Josh is thinking clearly, so we side-stepped getting sucked into this useless purchase - but I think I need to have the infomercial channel blocked from our tv. I have no doubt that he would've bought it if I didn't stop him, and I have no doubt that there's something equally enticing just waiting for us tonight. It's time for a new bedtime routine if you ask me.
doo do do to do dooo do do dodododo.....dododododo (that's the Simpson's music in the background)
"Hey, how was boring old school?"
"So cool because today we learned about _____" (insert something I don't understand here)
"That's nice dear. Would you like to practice on me?"
"No. I'm too tired. Maybe tomorrow." He answers in his "yeah right, maybe after I've graduated and have spare time but probably not even then unless you pay me" voice.
"OK I'm tired, you ready for bed?"
"Yeah sure." He says as he flops down next to me on the love sac. He immediately changes to channel to something unbearably boring, and wiggles around making me uncomfortable (which I thought was impossible on a love sac - I want my money back!) and cold.
Pretty much every night he turns it to the movie channel that plays some surprisingly good flicks, or this History channel. Last night he didn't even make it past the infomercial channel. All of these are like a whole new world to us because neither of us has ever had TV before. We've done speaker wire with tin-foil on the end, but no real tv channels before - so having more than 5 channels makes us feel rich. He got sucked into whatever the REALLY cheesy guy was selling and I immediately fell asleep. The next thing I know I hear him talking to himself.
"Josh."
"Egbert."
"Yes, I'm interested in this book, but I'd like to hear a little more about it first. Can you tell me what kind of cures I can find?"
Prolonged silence.
As I slowly come out of my deep deep sleep I realize he's not talking to himself, he's on the phone! With the infomercial people! He has full blown muted the TV - watching some old guy mouth the words "one easy payment of $39.95 - but that's not all!" The screen slams a big big down in front of it like it's a big deal. "for a limited time only" appears at the bottom of the screen and I suddenly realize that he's on the phone so he can BUY this thing!
Now you should understand 2 things:
1. I'm a sucker for advertising. I drive down the road, see a McDonald's sign and immediately want a big mac. The next sign is for hang gliding and I feel the need to jump off a cliff. Driving home from work is an emotional thing for me because I go from being a "mom meth addict" to an "experienced tax accountant" all the while craving 8 different fast foods, and needing to hear 23 artists' concerts. If I bought everything that I truly believed I needed when I thought I needed it....well I'd be in a lot of debt.
2. Josh doesn't spend money. He doesn't buy anything, he takes time to consider everything before purchasing, and after he bring it home he considers it some more deciding if he should take it back or not. (Seriously, the man returns rotten produce to the grocery store to get money back....he's insane.)
So, for me waking up to him wasting money on a book seems unbelievable. I look at him like he's crazy and tell him we don't need it. Even if it cures cancer (which I doubt) we don't need it because we don't have cancer. While I'm mouthing this to him he's still talking to this girl on the other line!
"mmmmhmmm. Now what about asthma, does it have a cure of asthma?" he asks her attentively
"Josh hang up that phone! If you spend $40 on a book we can buy online for cheaper, I will beat you till you cry!" I'm fully awake now. I know very well what he is doing and he knows very well he's in big trouble.
He hangs up with the girl and looks at me like he's hurt. I proceed to look on amazon and ebay for the book as well as read some reviews of it online. We find version 1 of the book for $5 on Amazon and reviews saying the book is useless and frustrating. I make him lie next to me and kiss his forehead so he knows I still love him. We turned off the tv and go quickly to bed before either one of us gets sucked into anything else. The problem is that when I was looking for the book online I saw the website and started reading about it trying to figure out why my otherwise intelligent husband would ever even dream of wasting his money on something like this. I quickly learned.
I mean, this book is literally 576 pages of incredible medical miracles discovered by very credible human beings. The audience is full of people who have used these cures and it saved their lives! How can I say I don't need that? This thing promises to cure diabetes, help with weight loss, Alzheimer's, how to prevent a stroke, fighting cancer, lowering blood sugar, flu-proofing your home, the list goes on. What person doesn't need that? Why did I stop my husband from having that sent to my house? PLUS it comes with 3 bonus gifts*! *a $149 value absolutely free!
I suppose it's probably a good thing I was asleep the first time the ad was on and now Josh is thinking clearly, so we side-stepped getting sucked into this useless purchase - but I think I need to have the infomercial channel blocked from our tv. I have no doubt that he would've bought it if I didn't stop him, and I have no doubt that there's something equally enticing just waiting for us tonight. It's time for a new bedtime routine if you ask me.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
How many people do you know?
Josh and I went to Josh's mom's house for dinner today and it was quite fun. Always is. We took Imaginiff with us to play and hadn't ever played it before. So, we learned with them and it was really fun. It's a hilarious game, and I lost REALLY bad both times because I don't get his family. For example:
The question is: "imaginiff Amy were an emotion. Would it be: 1. Glee 2. Smug 3. Paranoid 4. Dread" (there are really 6 but I can't remember the others) then everybody votes and whichever words gets the most votes wins (each player voting that word moves forward on the board). I, thinking this is a game about honesty and forgetting I'm playing with my inlaws say Paranoid. Which I think is fairly accurate. Josh will attest to that. But everybody else says Glee because they are trying not to hurt my feelings! Ridiculous. I lose points. The next round is Megan (Josh's little sister who is easily the rebellious one in the family) and the question is about kisses on a first date. "Where would she plant it? 1. lips 2. cheek 3. hand 4. tonsils (and the others I can't remember)" I (now understanding that we're nice in the game) debate between lips and cheek, and finally decide lips is OK because the table talk going around is that "I guess we're being honest right?" Everybody else picked tonsils. I lose again. I just don't know the family rules that well! They're nice on some subjects, not on others, but only to some people! I definitely want a rematch in 10 years.
On the way home we talked about the game and thought it would be fun to play with another group of people too (that way I wouldn't lose so bad). We suggested Jamie and Cameron, but when we tried to think of 4 other "subjects" we both know, it was rough. If you don't have 8 people playing, you make up other subjects like famous people, other common friends, fictional characters, etc. We thought we could do batman and optimus prime, but then we ran out.
When we got home we talked about it more and I suggested that we play just with 2 of us.
"Who else would we put on the board?" Josh asked, laughing.
"Jamie, Cameron, and Batman." I quickly responded - that'll show him! We totally have friends!
"And....." he waited
"umm.....that's only 5 huh?"
We both started laughing when we realized that we only know 5 people including ourselves and Batman. It took a while to realize we both know our families, but excluding our families, we seriously don't know 6 other humans. Not even well enough to play an imaginary game and imaginary circumstances. That's pretty sad. Maybe now that we're in a new ward we'll be brave enough to make some new friends, but I doubt it. Maybe we can convince Jamie and Cameron to play with us even though they have a new baby now.
The question is: "imaginiff Amy were an emotion. Would it be: 1. Glee 2. Smug 3. Paranoid 4. Dread" (there are really 6 but I can't remember the others) then everybody votes and whichever words gets the most votes wins (each player voting that word moves forward on the board). I, thinking this is a game about honesty and forgetting I'm playing with my inlaws say Paranoid. Which I think is fairly accurate. Josh will attest to that. But everybody else says Glee because they are trying not to hurt my feelings! Ridiculous. I lose points. The next round is Megan (Josh's little sister who is easily the rebellious one in the family) and the question is about kisses on a first date. "Where would she plant it? 1. lips 2. cheek 3. hand 4. tonsils (and the others I can't remember)" I (now understanding that we're nice in the game) debate between lips and cheek, and finally decide lips is OK because the table talk going around is that "I guess we're being honest right?" Everybody else picked tonsils. I lose again. I just don't know the family rules that well! They're nice on some subjects, not on others, but only to some people! I definitely want a rematch in 10 years.
On the way home we talked about the game and thought it would be fun to play with another group of people too (that way I wouldn't lose so bad). We suggested Jamie and Cameron, but when we tried to think of 4 other "subjects" we both know, it was rough. If you don't have 8 people playing, you make up other subjects like famous people, other common friends, fictional characters, etc. We thought we could do batman and optimus prime, but then we ran out.
When we got home we talked about it more and I suggested that we play just with 2 of us.
"Who else would we put on the board?" Josh asked, laughing.
"Jamie, Cameron, and Batman." I quickly responded - that'll show him! We totally have friends!
"And....." he waited
"umm.....that's only 5 huh?"
We both started laughing when we realized that we only know 5 people including ourselves and Batman. It took a while to realize we both know our families, but excluding our families, we seriously don't know 6 other humans. Not even well enough to play an imaginary game and imaginary circumstances. That's pretty sad. Maybe now that we're in a new ward we'll be brave enough to make some new friends, but I doubt it. Maybe we can convince Jamie and Cameron to play with us even though they have a new baby now.
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