Sunday is the best day of the week.

I remember as a kid how much I dreaded Sunday, though. It meant 3 hours of sitting still in church, no playing with friends and torturous rides in the ol' J Vanagon (a death trap for someone who got as carsick as I did.)

Now I finally understand that it is really a day to take a break from life. I've been fortunate to have most of my Sundays off of work this month. I come home from church (must say it's still somewhat difficult to sit for 3 hours) and quite literally proceed with my day of rest by taking a 3-4 hour nap. I've also enjoyed blogging on Sunday (I am terrible at remembering to write in my journal and have found that this has sort of become my outlet) and catching up on everyone else's blogs. Also, when S and I are both home he usually makes dinner. If he's not (such is the case tonight) it's leftover night. Tonight I intend to single-handedly eat half of a pizza waiting in our fridge.

So for someone who is always busy doing something, Sunday is the day I give myself permission to do absolutely nothing. And I love it!

~

I am amazed at how smoothly Christmas went this year. I vowed to simplify the whole gift-giving thing and just enjoy myself (in case you missed that sentiment in my two previous posts.)

I usually go nuts when it comes to presents for S. He does so much for me year-round that it is fun to spoil him when it comes to Christmas morning. This year he mentioned that my presents would be few in number due to their nature. I sort of took this to heart and tried to get him things that he would really need. It was so refreshing! I started his main gift in July but couldn't post its progress on here (for obvious reasons):

He needed a better blanket to take with him to the firestation and the one I made him several years ago would have gotten him laughed out of the station. This one is a little more masculine. Luckily he forgot to take it with him this morning so my afternoon nap was spent cuddled up in this thing and I must tell you that it is super-comfortable. I think I'm going to have to make one for myself now.

Thanks to this Christmas, my craft room received some great additions as well!

I've wanted to get some vinyl wall art to inspire my space so when I found this at Festival of Trees a few weeks ago, I knew it was perfect. I waited until Friday to put it up. I've never hung vinyl before. The instructions were sort of confusing but once I figured out that it was a giant rub-on, it was easy!

My parents fulfilled wish #3.1 from my 10/26 post: the ribbon organizer! This thing is huge! Non-crafters may not understand the elation I felt as I neatly organized all of my ribbon the day after Christmas. It was such a high! Although I am now aware at how many spools of ribbon I am lacking and am quite positive that I will be giving American Crafts a lot of business in the next few months.

And the creme de la creme:

We have this "tradition" on the J side of the family to see if we can make my mom cry when she opens her gift (success again this year, by the way.) Don't know why I'm admitting this, but I guess I'm turning into my mom. I've wanted a sewing machine for a really long time but I never expected anything this nice and am incredibly impressed that S picked it out without any help. I think as the tears started to well up in my eyes I choked out, "It's the one that Martha Stewart uses!"

So on my journey to domestication, my goal on my next week off is to pick up a very easy pattern and sew something that somewhat resembles the picture on the front of the pattern. I'm not sure what yet. Maybe a pillow case or something...

S has been at his new station for 8 weeks now.

In that short time he has managed to fight 3 real fires and see some pretty interesting medical calls. He's building a good reputation there and settling in quite nicely. I've even managed to see him while we've both been on the job (I love that our jobs overlap sometimes.)

Other than being concerned that he is happy there, I haven't thought much about it affecting my life. Until last night.

I missed dinner last night at work and decided to reheat some chicken S had made for dinner earlier that evening. He said that he'd take care of it and not to worry so I just went and relaxed on the couch. Pretty soon this incredible aroma filled our kitchen and my previously non-apparent empty stomach started to growl. A while later he brought me this piece of chicken smothered with cheese and some grilled pineapple on the side. I practically inhaled it, exclaiming every once in awhile (mouth full), "This is SOO good!" After I'd finished literally licking my plate and sat there and stared at it for awhile, I thought to ask, "So where do you come up with these ideas for meals?"

He told me that it was something Capt. W had made for them awhile back. You see, all of these delicious meals I've had lately (this wasn't the first) have been replicas of meals they have eaten at the firestation. (Sidenote: I decided awhile back after eating at the station with him one night that if anyone wants an incredible personal chef, they should just hire a firefighter. Better yet, marry one. These guys are pros.)

I have to admit I have been a skeptic about S doing much of the cooking in the past (sorry babe, but it's true.) I was fine owning up to my domestic duties and I like trying new recipes, so I would politely keep him out of the kitchen while I went to work. However, I think the egg-nog french toast he made a few weeks back changed my mind. At that point, I was willing to hang up my apron for good.

Anyway, back to last night. At his old station they mostly ate out so S came home with very few recipes. But at his new station they always make their own dinner. I realized last night that I am the sole beneficiary of it.

~

As if my previous post didn't indicate how much I was in the Christmas spirit, I think today's Primary program did me in. During sharing time, the kids reenacted the Christmas story. By the time the kids were each given their parts there were, like, 5 kids left in the audience and a handful of teachers. I guess the novelty was to be in the program, not necessarily act it out for anyone else. Anyway, I even had a part as a narrator. Here again, I'm not sure who I was speaking to, but it was fun to participate.

As the three wise men (wearing sparkly robes that were 3 sizes too big) knelt down to offer baby Jesus their gifts, we ended the program by singing Away in a Manger. I started to choke up as I was once again reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. These children so innocently portrayed what this special Day is all about and I was so grateful to begin this Christmas week with the true Christmas Spirit at heart. I hope that everyone is able to find a similar moment this week to reflect as well.


On behalf of S, We wish you all a Merry Christmas!!

I Fa La Love Christmas!

It has always been my favorite holiday. In fact, I think it's the season I love more than the day itself.

Most of my shopping is done and the presents are wrapped and under the tree. I have played through every Christmas CD I own for the last 3 weeks and am on the second cycle through. I have the DVR set to record every show with "Christmas" in the title or info. A little obsessed? Nah, I'm just making the most of the season while it lasts! I have felt in the Christmas spirit more this year than in the past several years. I love it!

Here's how we've decked our Halls this year!

(Yes, that is a sheep being rescued off of the top of one my nativity scenes. The hazards of being married to a firefigher.)

I hope everyone else is enjoying the season as much as we are!

What's in a Brand Name?

Apparently, not as much as I once thought.

Who knows what sparked this idea for a post (maybe the flurry of Christmas shopping), but somehow I've been reminiscing of the days when I had to have my Lucky brand jeans and Doc Martens, along with other brand-name items. My mom, who raised me to think more frugally-minded, couldn't understand the need for such expensive things that I would tire of by the next season. The jeans I couldn't really justify, but the shoes were easy. Doc Martens were known for their incredible durability and so, in fact, I was really saving money in the long run. However, I became disinterested with the $80 jeans in a year or so. I do in fact still have almost every single pair of Doc Martens I bought 10 years ago and they are all still in perfectly wearable condition. What I did not count on was that styles change and I might want new shoes every once in awhile. Now I am as frugally-minded as my mom and I can't justify throwing out a perfectly good pair of shoes. The DM's are in my closet, a few reserved mainly for work and the rest collecting dust.

I think I realized one day late in high-school that I could either blow my entire clothing allowance on one pair of jeans or, with some smart and savvy shopping, get an entire outfit.

Since then I have found that I am as discretionary with all of my shopping habits. I have no problem at all buying store brand food or products. I used to buy Charmin and now we buy Target brand and I'll tell you, I can't tell the difference! Their "Swiffer" knock-offs clean our floors just as well, their paper towels are just as absorbant, and the kitties seem to actually prefer the non-Purina cat food. So if I can save a few bucks, I'm going to do it!

There are a few things that I still buy name-brand simply because of trial and error. I occasionally buy brand name clothing, but only because I like how it looks and fits me. And there's the whole VW thing (although I blame that on genetics.) However, I love the department store purse I got for Christmas last year and I couldn't go anywhere without my non-Apple MP3 player.

It looks like Mom was right.

~

We had an adventure on Tuesday that started as this:

And ended with this:

For the past few years we have gone up just south of Evanston to cut down our own Christmas Tree. Such a fun outing and an incredibly cheap way to buy a tree (only $10 for a permit), we have adopted it as one of our favorite Christmas traditions.

I woke up that morning not feeling very well, but knew that it was probably our best opportunity to get a tree on my week off. I nervously watched this storm approach as we made our way to the mountains. We went to turn off the main highway and the dirt road we always take looked pretty decent. Only a few snowflakes were falling at that moment so I felt okay. We drove up further into the forest to our favorite spot. I quickly found this tree but S wanted to look and see if we could find anything better. We ultimately came back to the first tree I found:

By the time we cut it down, loaded it up and headed down the mountain it was really starting to snow. Being extra cautious (as we had seen a truck struggling earlier) we approached this part of the road that was a little tricky to navigate. S was going slow but as the truck started to slide he did what we later learned was the wrong thing: he hit the brakes and we gracefully yet quickly slid off the side of the road that had a 15 foot drop. S yelled for me to hold on. Bracing for the worst I held my breath until I was sure we had stopped moving. The next few seconds I think I sat in shock that we were still somewhat horizontal. We knew the only thing we could do was hike 3 miles to the nearby lodge and call for help (naturally our cell phones didn't work up there).

3 miles doesn't sound like much. I run that distance all of the time. But 3 miles on a sheet of ice covered with newly fallen snow is a different story. I wondered the next day if I was so sore from falling or from trying to keep myself from falling.

We actually made pretty good time, considering we were hobbling along like an old couple, arms linked. (By the way, that first picture of me walking is on the Christmas tree hunt, when the idea of walking through the snow-laiden woods was still somewhat poetic.) We were about 2 miles down when we saw a truck coming towards us. It was at this point I knew that the 100 or so silent prayers I'd just said were answered. It turns out this nice guy Joe actually lives year-round a few hundred feet from where we slid off. So I knew in the worst case scenerio, we'd have somewhere warm to stay the night. We were able to get back to the lodge and call someone up from Evanston to come help us out. This sweet lady even stayed at the lodge past closing time so we wouldn't have to wait outside in the cold.

The tow truck driver showed up just as it was getting dark. When he pulled up in this rickety old Ford 1 ton my first thought was, Great. Now there are going to be 2 trucks stuck on the mountain. When we climbed in and I saw this 70-year old bearded man my second thought was, He's going to pull our truck back up on the road?!?! We headed back into the mountains at a dangerously high speed as this guy was saying, "Yep, been up here before." S and I looked at each other and held on for dear life. As we were rounding this incredibly ice bend I realized I wasn't buckled in. Was it better at this point to be ejected from the truck before it goes over the cliff or go over the cliff inside the truck? Thankfully we made it back up there safely and, obviously, quickly.

I was incredibly humbled watching this old man go to work. Obvious now that he had done this many times in his life, he had the winch hooked up and the truck back on the road in a matter of minutes. S and I stood there in awe.

The only damage done to the truck was a small dent on the license plate. Grateful that the truck was even still operable, we crawled off the mountain with the tow truck nearby in case we had another accident. Once down safely, we paid the guy and he left in a hurry to go rescue someone else. We headed back home with the most expensive Christmas Tree we've ever had.

As we stopped at the grocery store on our way home that night we saw a beautiful tree in their small lot. S made a comment on the $35 fresh cut tree and we started to laugh.

When we got home we were pretty much sick of this tree and opted to let it sit in our garage for a few days. We finally put it up on Thursday and it is beautiful.

After telling a friend our story she suggested we embalm it. My mom suggested we guild it. I definately think we'll be going to one of our local Christmas tree lots next year :)

We've had a c'est la vie attitude about it (our insurance even picked up the cost of the tow), but when I've sat quietly to really think about it, I get this pit in my stomach as I realize how LUCKY we are to be alive and safe. We could have been in real trouble. S told me after we were towed out that all that was holding us up was a little sapling an inch and a half in diameter. We are so grateful for angels seen and unseen that came to our rescue that day.

This week I celebrated an anniversary of sorts.

Five years ago I was diagnosed with an incurable illness the day before Thanksgiving. While I don't necessarily want to go into technical details, this moment in my life has been on my mind a lot this week. It began with a day of numerous tests and doctors not being able to figure out what was going on. It ended that evening in a conference room sitting across from the table from someone who finally knew what was wrong with me. Whenever a doctor pulls you into a private room, it's never a good sign.

It was all such a blur that I don't remember specifically what happened after that, just being incredibly scared and thinking that life as I knew it was over. Going through the motions, I got the immediate problems under control in a matter of months and then was left to deal with my emotions.

Six Months later: The moment that changed everything was when S and I decided to go to this conference where they have guest speakers and doctors who talk to a group of people in the same situation. I remember being incredibly optimistic, thinking I would learn something new that would help me cope. What happened was entirely different.

Upon entering the auditorium, I was cut in front of in line by a lady who obviously was sick with the same illness. She was using canes and was very adament that her problems were more severe than the others. She went up to the registrar and declared, "I have such and such." S and I kind of looked at each other in bewilderment, like, Yeah, duh, of course you do or you wouldn't be here. The rest of the night was filled with a bunch of sob stories from people who wanted other people to feel sorry for them. Again, I was amazed that they didn't realize that every single person in that room had the same problems. S and I high-tailed it out of there as soon as possible. It's the last "conference" I went to.

At that moment I realized 2 things. (1) I can go through life feeling sorry for myself or (2) I can realize that none of us get through life without SOME sort of challenge, suck it up, and live to the fullest I can while I still can.

Fast forward 5 years: I had no idea on that Thanksgiving Eve that I would be sitting where I am today as happy as I am. In the spirit of this past week's Thanksgiving, I am grateful for so many things.

• I am grateful that I live in a time in this world where medicine is so advanced and doctors know so much.
• I am grateful that I had such understanding professors and mentors at school that were patient and accomodating of me enough so that I could graduate.
• I am grateful to live in an incredible world that provides so many opportunities to be happy.
• I am grateful for friends who make me laugh so hard I cry.
• I am grateful for my supportive parents and in-laws who are always so sweet to S and me (even in the wake of a tumultuous football game.)
• I am grateful to have been blessed to have such an incredible husband in my life. The last 6 years since we were married have had their multitude of challenges but they have only made our relationship stronger and my love for him deeper.
• I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who provides me with so many opportunites and blessings that I will never be able to efficiently express my gratitude in words.

It's really difficult for me to write about these sorts of things because I don't like dwelling on my problems. However, if there is anything I have learned that I would pass on to you the reader, is to express gratitude as often as you can, take advantages of the opportunities that you have in front of you right now and, on the inevitable bad day that we each have, find the positives that came out of that bad day and move on to life's next experience.

Y did U have to win?

THE football game marks a somewhat tense day in our household each year. Let me start by telling you a story which pretty much sums up why.

One of the first times I was around S's Grandpa H, he let me know (upon hearing that I was a student at BYU) that when S was a teenager (maybe a little younger) that he would never, ever consider even talking to any girl that went to the Y. A diehard UTE fan, S was opposed to anything blue. Fast-forward 10 years or so, it was quite hilarious to Grandpa H that S was now marrying a Cougar girl.

I, myself, have honestly not always been a diehard Coug fan. For a lot of years I simply did not care who won THE game. However, after devoting so many hours to one campus, it became difficult to not get caught up in the yearly festivities of the Holy War.

Which brings us to this years game...

Early in the season my Cougs were doing really well and I took every advantage to let S know so. It's my own fault really, but when they were slaughtered in the TCU game, the U vs. Y line in our house became very apparent and I started paying for every derogatory comment I made against the U. Even worse was when the U ended up beating TCU. I woke up the next morning to the U of U fight song blaring in my ears with S singing along in a somewhat tone-deaf yet very exuberant manner. At this point I put all my energy into hoping for a victory in THE game.

As I made plans to go to a family football party (sans S, he had to work) I was running late...as usual. When I went out to my car to leave, I saw this:

I exclaimed, "You've got to be kidding!" took some pictures (for insurance purposes), and washed it off enough to be illegible. Afterall, I couldn't drive around town in a blue car with a BYU Alum plate and wearing BYU clothing with this crap on my car...ironically when I got done sort-of-washing it off, it looked like a giant bird had done just that.

Watching the game with my ILs felt sort of like a slow death. Every time the Cougs would manage to do something well, the good people of the group attempted to cheer them on, but not to the extent that the other people cheered their team on. I also now see after watching the game with my FIL that S's extreme UTE fanaticism must be inherited. I was grateful every time the U scored that S was not there. (Although he tried to call a few times at the end of the game. I say tried because I hung up on him twice and my SIL M hung up on him the third.) Not a happy time...

It did get better though. I healed my bruised ego with some retail therapy at Michaels after the game. I also ran 2 1/2 miles when I got home (thanks for the motivation, B.) And S has actually been really, really nice considering he could be rubbing my face all in it right now.

I guess the best thing I can hope for now is National humiliation for the U at their precious BCS bowl game... :)

~

Onto more happy things, I mentioned a few weeks back that S got me a surprise for my birthday. Namely, one my my cool scrapbook gadgets on wish #3 in my 10/26 blog: the Slice! I apologize in advance for sounding like an info-mercial.

The Slice is possibly the coolest thing to hit the Scrapbook-world scene this year. It is a personal electronic die-cutting machine about the size of a large camera, so it's extremely portable. I've looked into other electronic die-cutters but never knew how I could work them into my space because they are SO big! So when I saw this cool little gadget I knew right away it was for me. I wasn't sure I would get it this year because (1) it would likely sell out for the Christmas season and (2) it's a little pricey. However, I guess the advantage of having a B-Day early in November is that the Christmas rush generally hasn't hit yet. Plus S is very generous.

I actually think S was as interested as I was to see it in action. He read through all of the instructions as I pulled it out of the box. You simply select the image you want cut out:

And voila!

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

S and I were driving down Bangerter last week when I exclaimed,

"Holy Cow!! A Phaeton!"

[Apparently I do this a lot, you know, cry out something in surprise while we are driving to which S has to calmly remind me that for all he knows something bad just happened (like he just blew a tire out or something) and that one day it might actually cause an accident.]

I had good reason to be excited though! Anyone who knows me well knows I tend to be a fan of any German engineered automobile. The Phaeton is a luxury car built by Volkswagen for only a couple of years. Too pricey for the typical VW follower, they only sold a few thousand and went out of production in 2006. (After all, if you're going to spend 80 Grand on a car, why not buy one of it's more prestigious cousins?) This is only the second one I've ever seen outside a dealership. It's a shame more of these beauties aren't on the road...

Not to fear though. Those brilliant Germans have just released the less-expensive, equally luxurious CC and will soon re-release the Scirocco . Now I just need to work on my timing when I first see one of these on the road...and hope that S isn't driving.

[Note: this portion of the blog is inpsired by my BIL's airplane blog. If he can blog about airplanes, I can blog about cars.]

~

I love random things in life that make me laugh. Here are a few from this week that I thought I would share:

The first is actually more ironic than funny, but as I was parking my car to come into work one day, I went for a spot only to realize that there wasn't enough room to fit my car because the SUV in the spot next to it had taken up a foot or so past its alotted space. (Not a biggie because there was a spot across from it that I took instead.) Now for the irony. This SUVs plate spelled out MOVEOVER (Minus a vowel or two.)

The second is a billboard I saw for a local piano store which is, apparently, having a large sale on pianos. I'm not sure who came up with this marketing campaign, but the slogan "EMERGENCY PIANO BAILOUT" might give the wrong impression. My first thought was the image of a piano falling towards the earth and landing on Wile E. Coyote.

The last is by far my favorite. I followed a car into work today with "NKOTB: Forever Fans" painted on it's rear window. Cute, maybe, except the driver and passenger were 30-somethings. I wonder what their husbands think...

~

On a more serious note, I've been thinking a lot lately about the topic of self-reliance. I think it is such a valuable lesson that our society is straying further and further from.

I am reminded of the stories I heard growing up where someone would stop to offer a homeless person an easy job to earn some money and the homeless person would turn them down. It was much easier to just sit on their corner all day and wait for a free handout. While this is a little extreme of an example, I believe that we as humans have the tendency to be lazy because, well, we like to take the easy road. This will eventually be our downfall, though.

While I don't like crazy, busy days, there is something so gratifying to be able to go home and know that I worked my hardest and made a difference in my life and maybe the life of another. Work is a valuable lesson I learned while growing up. While I never worked a demanding job throughout high school, my parents certainly taught me the value of hard work and doing my best. I believe that these lessons carried me through some challenging circumstances in college and still help me every day on the job.

I cannot understand the individual who is comfortable with him/her self always accepting handouts from family, neighbors, work and the government. Even if they are merely working the system they are certainly harming the people around them and, even more troubling, harming themselves. This isn't to say that I've never had to rely on someone else at a time in my life. We all have circumstances arise which are beyond our control (many are seeing such circumstances right now from the poor economy.) These are even a blessing in a way because it teaches us humility and provides the opportunity of service to others around us. The important thing, though, is that we need to stand on our own feet again as soon as it is possible, learn from the experience, and progress from there.

(Note 2: if you are an individual or you know someone who needs/wants help, the LDS Church has a great resource.)

Yesterday was my 27th Birthday.

I don't know for sure why this year's birthday was particularly hard to accept. It could be related to S's comment, "Wow, do you realize three years from now you will be turning 30?!" It could also be related to the expression on an orderly's face yesterday when I told him how old I was turning ("You're HOW old?! Really?!)

In an optimistic spirit, though, I have tried to go along with the adage, "Another year older, another year wiser." I feel this past year that I have become much more self-aware, especially when it comes to knowing how my actions (or moods, rather) have a direct effect on people. I also think that I have become a much harder, more dillegent worker. I am relatively healthy and have such a great support system. So really, I have a lot to be grateful for! If this next year is as good as the last has been, then Bring On 28!

[By the way, when I *gasped* at that orderly's comment, he followed it up with, "No, no, I just thought you were 21 or 22." That's more like it :) ]

~

As for the day itself, I really had no expectations. Both S and I were scheduled to work so I figured our celebration would be postponed. Needless to say, I was very touched by the dinner at work on Friday, surprise mini-party S and I had when I got home that night (and the surprise gift...more to come on this one), the well-wishes and phone calls, and surprise goodies, delivery and LUAU awaiting me at work the next day. I keep saying it, but (despite the less-than-stellar work day itself) it was really one of the best birthdays I've ever had. As for those that helped make the day so great? You all know who you are; thank you, thank you SO much!

Halloween is fast becoming one of my favorite holidays.

Truth be told, I'm not sure if it's the day itself that I like or the whole season. I have to discipline myself to wait until at least October 1st before I start hauling out all of the seasonal decorations. Once that date hits, though, out come the autumnal sprays, the bat-o-lanterns, glittered gourds and, of course, this guy... A few years ago I started making Halloween cookies patterned after the cookies my mom made while I was growing up. The best part is decorating them, of course! It only took me 12 hours to finish them this year. They taste as delicious as they look, too.

This year I hosted a party. Let it be known I was not the creative genius behind this party. This genius must have genetic disposition to party decorating and creative food concoctions. I was absolutely blown away! For 5 hours my table was spread with yummy treats like these.

Even S, who is to Halloween like the Grinch is to Christmas, stuck around for awhile. I even caught him playing Rock Band and SMILING :)

~

I forgot to mention last week that S actually sold his snowmobile within a week of me blogging about it. There was a guy who was asking for the exact engine in S's old sled. S talked him into buying the whole thing, broken and all. Best part is we got more than half of what we originally paid for it. S was then able to get this "new-to-him" sled.

He's going to keep busy tuning it up until the snow hits. Overall it's in great condition, though, so there's not much that needs to be done. And with today's weather as it is, I'm sure it's not going to be long until the snow starts piling up in the mountains.

~

This week marked the last week for S at his station. As probationary officers, they are required to move stations halfway through the year. At first it seemed like it would be a welcome change (where S has been has just not been that busy.) But as his last day approached, he realized how great it's been and is actually very sad to leave. I work 70 hour weeks at my job and it feels somewhat like a second home. I can't imagine how it feels for a firefighter. They eat, sleep, and clean the station as if it is a second home. It would be hard not to bond with these other firefighters, too.

He invited me to come that evening and take pictures of him and his crew. (P.S.--I was able to ride along on a call in this truck last month. Imagine me in the back wearing headphones and grinning as wide as my cheeks would let me. It was so AWESOME!)

I'm sure that he will have great experiences at his new station. Good luck, S!

I have a very fat cat.

One of Mally's favorite activities is to run across the living room and jump across the couch, beating me to the stairs. Well, Billy decided to follow her last night when I got home. Poor cat barely made it on top of the couch and then he toppled onto the floor.

If you ever see our two cats together, it's really quite funny. Billy is extra chubby and Mally is extra skinny. So if you put them together I guess I have two normal sized cats. It's not that Billy's excessive eating habits are starving Mally, either; whenever I feed them, he understands that Mally is his superior and he will wait until she goes in and sniffs the food. She is somewhat disinterested in food and hardly sticks around to eat. At this point, Billy will go in and eat his food. And then he will eat her food.

I have tried to come up with solutions which will stop Billy from eating so much and encourage Mally to eat more. The only thing I can think of is to shut Mally in the room with the food and to shut Billy out. The problem with this is that I am quite certain that Mally has taught herself to open doors, so she would let herself out of the room and Billy would come in. And then he would eat her food.

We've also tried the exercise thing with Billy. The best thing that works is to shine a laser light on the wall. He goes nuts...for about 5 minutes. And then he sits and stares at it, purrs for awhile, and falls asleep.

~

My cute SIL tagged me last week. I liked the idea of thinking of 8 things I wish for:

1. I wish that someday I will be able to play the piano part of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". (A Steinway would be nice to play it on, too.)

2. I wish that being a dance instructor/choreographer paid better. I often think that I gave up the best job I ever had to start my career.

3. I wish for some really cool scrapbook gadgets! Namely, the Ribbon Organizer by simply renee, the Slice, an Epson Stylus and my own laptop to do nothing but digital scrapbook on.

4. I wish for S to be able to get into medic school sooner than later and to FINALLY get that big fire on his shift & in his station's area.

5. I wish that I was more sure of myself. I am always doing things and second guessing myself. I talk myself out of things that I KNOW I can do all of the time.

6. I wish I wasn't such an angry driver. Let's face it: as many drivers as there are on the road, people are bound to do stupid things. I just don't need to get so worked up about it. I'm not an aggressive driver and I don't have [that bad of] road rage, but I do get ticked off fairly easily and take it personally when someone cuts me off. As I leave for work, S often says, "Have a good day, sweetie. I love you! Don't get mad at other drivers!" In that order. I'm not even joking.

7. I wish for less time at work and more time to travel.

8. I wish that someday I will be able to be a good mom. If I am even half the mom to my someday-kids that my mom was to me, they will be the luckiest kids in the whole world. I am really blessed to have been raised by such a great mom (and dad.)

~

I always enjoy Primary Program Sunday. This year I got to be a part of it! Sitting in the stands and watching the congregation was somewhat amusing. As each child stood up to recite their well-rehearsed line, I could tell which parents were theirs by how much they beamed over the rest of the crowd. I could also tell which mom belonged to the goof-ball Sunbeam who decided to shout all of the words to "I Love to See the Temple." Her look was best defined as, "You are in SO much trouble and we WILL be talking about this when we get home."

This has been a great week.

(The kind of week that gives "great week" its definition.)


It started with a trip to a local exhibit revealing human anatomy in plastic form. I like to call it plastic gore--kind of like House of Wax, but more educational. I went with a good friend who could appreciate comments like, "So that's why those transplants need so much blood," and likewise returned, "That's exactly what that person's humerus looked like coming out of their skin the other night." I left feeling slightly ill but definately more appreciative of the complexity of the human body. And amazed than any of us live to be 100.

~

After meeting up with some long-time school buddies for lunch on Wednesday, I came home prepared to spend the evening with my hubby who had the next day off of his other job for fall break. He'd suggested earlier in the week that we head up in the mountains to see some fabulous fall colors. I was game! We hopped in his truck and headed up the canyon. There was this particular place he wanted to go to take pictures on recommendation of a coworker, but we absolutely could not find this place. Assuming his coworker had given him lousy directions, I didn't know what the big deal was. He kept insisting, though, that we find this place.

FINALLY, we found this antiquated building surrounded by a lake and a mill. I started walking around but the husband said he'd feel more comfortable asking permission before we got too far. We went into this building and I realized it was some sort of lodge. When the hostess returned to her desk, assuming we were guests, asked if we were checking in. At the same time:

S: Yes.
E: No, we're jus...wait, what?

Apparently my sneaky (and very thoughtful) hubby had planned a much needed retreat to this luxurious Bed and Breakfast for some much needed R&R. Not only that, but he booked the nicest room that they had. We went to dinner nearby and rented a bunch of DVDs, vowing to stay up all night and sleep all the next day. A couple of lightweights, we barely made it through the first movie and were asleep by 10. It WAS the best night's sleep I've had in weeks, though.

A side view of our accomodations. Our room was the whole top floor (where the eaves are.)

A view out of our private balcony. We kept the door open for a bit that night. The next morning we read a notice suggesting that we keeps windows and doors closed as bats frequent the area.

Isn't this view incredible?

We went home via the scenic route. I can't believe we live so close to this! I see this mountain every morning from the other side.

~

One of the expectations of moving from one season to another is that we will lose our garden. Such was the case this week. I think it's a good thing that plants look so ugly once the first frost hits; it makes it much easier to rip out plants that way! As I was preparing to trim back our parsley plant, I lifted up the leaves and unearthed a nest of daddy-long legs. The events that succeeded this moment can best be defined as a major case of the "heeby-jeebies." Even my hubby who was in the kitchen making lunch (and couldn't understand why I was pounding on the door trying to get in) shuddered once I told him the story. Yuck.

I was going to plant some fall flowers but liked the look of our bare garden so much that I think I'm just going to go minimalist this year and enjoy the bulbs that grow in the spring.

Our small harvest this year.

I went to the parents this week where the focus was grapes! I can't even begin to describe the smell that fills their house once they start to juice these...

~

Proof that purple peppers exist. (Thought I was planting orange peppers. Imagine my surprise!)

~

Last winter my hubby rolled his snowmobile down this hill (which we affectionately named after him...see below). Luckily he was okay. His 'mobile? Not so much. All year it has been stowed away in our garage, booting his truck outside.

This week we moved it out onto our patio for the winter where three fates await it:

(a) It will be sold for parts.

(b) It will be sold as is.

(c) It will sit outside until next spring where it will be moved BACK into the garage and await fates (a) or (b).

So if you know anyone that is interested...

~

Speaking of spiders, we had an infestation this week. (The squeemish may want to skip the last picture altogether.)

I received an e-mail last week.

It was one of those forwarded petition e-mails asking everyone to sign their name on it and that if "x" number of signatures were received, a certain TV program would not be cancelled. First of all, I doubt that this program which has been running for decades would be cancelled. Secondly, I also doubt that a petition of e-signatures would stop a program from being cancelled. Thirdly, if you are the last of the required signatures, who would you send this e-mail to to make sure that this program remained on the air? I rolled my eyes, muttered "oh, brother" under my breath and deleted the e-mail.

These sorts of things bewilder me. Maybe it is the state of mind that our nation is in right now that has me aware of this, but it seems like people in general LIKE to be in a panic over different sorts of things. Not to say that the financial problems aren't very real for a lot of people; I'm sure that many people are facing hardships right now. But even people who are perfectly safe in these times are in a frenzy. It must just be human nature.

This, however, has turned me towards inner reflection. (This is where I get lengthy and philosophical.) I realize that, though I may not be too worried about things that the general public is, I certainly DO worry a lot. I find myself getting caught up in the "what if's" and living years ahead of myself instead of living in the present day. After finding a recent article in a magazine providing suggestions on overcoming worry, my mind was already turned towards ways I could just live in the moment and take life for what it is. Then came President Monson's conference address on Finding Joy in the Journey. It was absolutely what I needed to hear. I'm sure most of you heard it and, if you didn't, I would highly suggest listening to it (or even listening to it again if you did hear it). I've really tried to pay attention this past week to how I respond to different situations as they arise and to incorporate a better attitude when they do. Here are some examples:

-The first thing I noticed right off is that, when I am on my morning run, I generally look down at the ground. I don't know if this is just so I can concentrate or so that I don't trip on anything, but I rarely look up around me. This week, however, I made it a point to look at my surroundings and enjoy the autumn mornings. I felt blessed to live where I do and actually enjoyed myself vs. just going through the routine of exercise. And I didn't trip, either.

-After a particularly bad night at work (the kind of night that gives "Bad Night" its definition) I went through the normal "vent to everyone" process that I always do. Normally I would still be fuming. This time, though, I tried to think of the things that I learned in this situation and the positives that came out if it and what I need to know for next time. Honestly, when I think of the events of this particular night now, it doesn't even bother me.

-Whenever we have an early snow storm, it sort of puts me in a state of depression that winter is inevitable and that I'm stuck inside for the next several months. When learning that we would have snow this week, a friend said, "When God gives you snow...make a snowman or better yet a snowangel." She's absolutely right! After all, snow does eventually melt. Why not enjoy it while it lasts?

I'm not saying that I'm never going to have a bad day or suddenly part from all of my worrying/pessimistic ways, but if this week has been any indication, it's a lot easier to just live day to day and enjoy the moment as it is.

~

On a lighter note, my Fire Man responded on his first call that made the local news. Very exciting! It was dark so I couldn't see him very well, but an appearance is an appearance, right?

~

I had the following conversation on the phone with my husband last night while I was at work. We were talking after he'd gotten home from grocery shopping. While I can't remember specifics, it went something like this:

S: "Hmm, that's strange. I accidentally bought Vampire makeup."

E: "What?"

S: "There was this lady behind me buying Halloween stuff. This must have mistakenly ended up in our things."

E: "That's weird. Hope she doesn't miss it."

S: "Yeah, and I'm sure we'll find some use for it..." He pauses, then calls out to our cat in a sing-song voice, "Bi-lly!"

Poor cat.

~

Teaching Sunbeams has to be the absolute best calling I've ever had. One, those kids are so smart for that age! Two, they absolutely crack me up sometimes. Today during our lesson on How to be an Example, our teacher asked the children ways that Jesus was an example to them. One of the boys turned to me and, with a very serious expression, said, "You know, Santa's really counting on us." Why, yes he is.

It's Time to play Catch-up.

I am currently living about 20 miles southwest of where I grew up. We bought this cute house 3 1/2 years ago and thoroughly love it here:

~

I married this sweet guy 6 years ago:

It might sound cliche, but he absolutely is my best friend. He makes me laugh every day and has taught me to reach beyond myself. He challenges me to be a better person, whether it's something trivial like FINALLY having the courage to get behind a boat on a wake board or something important like being brave enough to finish school despite challenging circumstances. I am really lucky!

~

I graduated from BYU in 2005 and I am currently working at a medical center (ironically) across the street from where I went to high school. I work in the transfusion department which, as anyone who knows me well, is really funny because I hate the sight of blood and I hate even more seeing gross and gory things! Somehow, though, it is such a perfect job for me. I like challenges and this job certainly provides a lot of challenges! I have great coworkers, too.

~

My hubby is living his dream as a firefighter for a local fire department.

He got his badge in May (I'm pinning it on during the badge ceremony in the picture above) and has seen his share of chest pains and car accidents, but no REAL fires yet!

~

We are the proud caretakers of these two.

Billy, a slightly overweight narcoleptic purr-ball whom we adopted 3 years ago from a coworker of my husband's who was suffering from cat-related allergies. She originally found him as a stray 3-4 week old kitten wandering near her house:

And Mally (short for Mallassezia furfur, a type of fungus--hey, I'm a Microbiology major), a wiry tabby who suffers from chronic anxiety. She's the original kitty and she makes sure that we don't forget it. We adopted her 4 years ago from another one of my husband's coworkers whose parents took in a stray cat, only for it to have kittens a few days later. Sadly, the mom died when the kittens were only a few weeks old. Mally was one of those kittens:

They might "just be cats" but they provide us with hours of entertainment and affection. They really are a part of our family!

~

I LOVE to scrapbook. I always scrapbooked through high-school but somewhere amidst the countless papers and endless studying that comes with college, I got out of the habit. I have a very supportive husband who encouraged me to get back into the practice (he says it was because I had too many boxes of pictures just laying around). I tell him he created a monster! Now the question remains: do I love to scrapbook more or buy scrapbook supplies and organize them more?

Either way, it's too much fun turning this:

into this:

~

I also love to spend time outdoors and traveling with friends and family. Every year we go camping here:

(Note: I shouldn't question whether or not it is wise to put a firefighter in charge of the campfire, but that campfire got REALLY big and those trees behind us were REALLY dead.)

And we try to go camping/boating here (though our hectic lives don't always allow it):

And I NEVER get tired of going here! (I got back from trip #5 to Disney World 2 weeks ago):

(The hubby says that there are parts of the U.S. that exist outside of Florida. I don't believe him.)

~

And if I'm home, I spend as much time out here as I like:

Gardening is rewarding. It's GREAT being able to walk outside my back door and pick one of these babies for dinner:

This time of year is bittersweet. While fall is my favorite season of all, it is also sad to say goodbye to summer and spending time outside.

Okay.

This is it. I'm starting a blog. It is, afterall, a great way to keep in touch with friends and family and since I am terrible at keeping up via e-mail (and it's a really slow night at work), here you go!