Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Giveaway!!!
My friend and former crit group buddy is having a massive giveaway over at her blog, Room on the Shelf. So go. Enter. Win books. then keep reading her blog because she is very insightful.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Random Thoughts, Er, Monday...
I know I usually do Random Thoughts on Thursdays, but since A.) This Thursday is going to be kind of busy, 2.) I have a lot on my mind, and D.)it's been 5 days since my last post, I'm posting my random thoughts now. But to make it more intense, each thought has multiple layers of random connectivity. See, it's different from my typical ramblings.
The Job Hunt:
Zac has interview #2 with Google on Thursday. It's still not really what he wants to be doing the rest of his life, but it's a job. A year-long contract job with pretty fantastic pay AND full benefits the day he starts. So it's something! He also was contacted by an indi game studio that likes some of his stuff and wants to talk with him about a project they are working on. That would also be friggin' sweet. And on the parental front, my dad had a job interview for groundskeeping in Fairport, so we're keeping our fingers crossed there, too. (See what I mean about connectivity? Same topic, 2 thoughts. I'm so deep right now.)
The Lack of Pictures:
Zac's sister, Liz, got married on Saturday. To her sister-in-law's brother. I love it. So we weren't there. Which was a bummer. But even more of a bummer is that no one has posted pictures yet. Where are all the pictures, people? We live in a digital age...there should have been pictures uploaded the second you were home from the reception! And on another note, I haven't posted many pictures lately. Turns out my camera battery charger was stolen by gremlins or something. I really need to find that.
Relief Society Birthday:
The women's organization in our church (Relief Society) has a birthday celebration every year. In our ward here in Sammamish, they have decided to have a "gift exchange" in which you provide a service to someone as your gift (like babysitting, a ride to the airport, etc). I was asking Zac what I should give as my service gift and he said, "Cooking dinner, obviously." Which is true, but I want it to be special, not "I'll bring you a casserole." So I think I'm going to offer a "Gourmet 3 Course Meal for 2," where I will cook (and clean up) in their kitchen, wearing my chef's coat and all that jazz. Fun for me, delicious for them. And hopefully I will get to know some people in the ward a little better! I was thinking my Chicken French as the main course, but what I really want to do is Creme Brulee for the dessert course. Which leads me to the second portion of this random thought...I really want a Creme Brulee set. You know, with the ramekins and the torch. Sure I can do it under the broiler which I've done in the past, but this would make it super-fancy.
Well, I have more thoughts, but I can't really connect them right now, so I guess that's all. Thanks for letting me ramble.
The Job Hunt:
Zac has interview #2 with Google on Thursday. It's still not really what he wants to be doing the rest of his life, but it's a job. A year-long contract job with pretty fantastic pay AND full benefits the day he starts. So it's something! He also was contacted by an indi game studio that likes some of his stuff and wants to talk with him about a project they are working on. That would also be friggin' sweet. And on the parental front, my dad had a job interview for groundskeeping in Fairport, so we're keeping our fingers crossed there, too. (See what I mean about connectivity? Same topic, 2 thoughts. I'm so deep right now.)
The Lack of Pictures:
Zac's sister, Liz, got married on Saturday. To her sister-in-law's brother. I love it. So we weren't there. Which was a bummer. But even more of a bummer is that no one has posted pictures yet. Where are all the pictures, people? We live in a digital age...there should have been pictures uploaded the second you were home from the reception! And on another note, I haven't posted many pictures lately. Turns out my camera battery charger was stolen by gremlins or something. I really need to find that.
Relief Society Birthday:
The women's organization in our church (Relief Society) has a birthday celebration every year. In our ward here in Sammamish, they have decided to have a "gift exchange" in which you provide a service to someone as your gift (like babysitting, a ride to the airport, etc). I was asking Zac what I should give as my service gift and he said, "Cooking dinner, obviously." Which is true, but I want it to be special, not "I'll bring you a casserole." So I think I'm going to offer a "Gourmet 3 Course Meal for 2," where I will cook (and clean up) in their kitchen, wearing my chef's coat and all that jazz. Fun for me, delicious for them. And hopefully I will get to know some people in the ward a little better! I was thinking my Chicken French as the main course, but what I really want to do is Creme Brulee for the dessert course. Which leads me to the second portion of this random thought...I really want a Creme Brulee set. You know, with the ramekins and the torch. Sure I can do it under the broiler which I've done in the past, but this would make it super-fancy.
Well, I have more thoughts, but I can't really connect them right now, so I guess that's all. Thanks for letting me ramble.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
A Heavenly Birthday...
Today is Uncle Gary’s birthday. His fifth in Heaven. I’m trying hard to imagine what a 54th birthday in heaven would be like, but I would guess it’s not too different from any other day. I mean, it’s Heaven. If they could do anything special to celebrate and improve your birthday, they would do it every day.
And I suppose, if it’s any sort of Heaven at all, Uncle Gary got to sleep in, as “The Waking Up Thing” was always rather difficult after a great night of “Bed Sleeping.” And you know the mattresses in Heaven are literally like sleeping on clouds, so it just has to be tough waking up from that. (Then again, maybe the spirits of the righteous dead don’t need sleep. In which case, maybe his birthday morning would start with the equivalent of breakfast.) I’m assuming that Uncle Gary’s birthday breakfast of choice would be a breakfast sandwich from Einstein Bros. Bagels. It became a fast favorite of his in Vegas, so it has to be equally as desirable when surrounded by pearly gates and lilting harps and such.
(Of course, being a spirit, Gary would only be eating a spirit bagel sandwich. And yet because he still occupies the same physical dimension as the spirit breakfast, I assume his spirit body eats the spirit breakfast with the same joy that his physical body took regular bagel sandwiches, densities of matter being equivalent and all that. But I digress.)
So, Gary wanders in, and is greeted by a chorus of angels singing “Happy Birthday” to him, orders his bagel, and is off to work. (Work in Heaven? Of course there is work in Heaven…but it's only the kind of work that you love and makes you eternally happy.) Naturally, you can request to have your birthday off, but Gary would never do that. Because his job is to compose and play beautiful music all day long. You know, contributing to that Heavenly atmosphere. Bringing peace and joy to all those who hear it. And if you knew Gary at all, you know he wouldn’t miss a day of that. Even on his birthday.
So after his shift at the celestial piano is over, I figure Gary would probably receive a note from a heavenly messenger saying that he was sent another one of those pesky balloons with a birthday card from his niece. Of course the Hosts of Heaven are too polite to say or do anything to prevent the balloon messages from being received into the eternities, but I’d imagine having a foreign object (like a balloon) wandering up through your cloud-bank floors at all times of the day would get a little distracting.
Gary tries not to get too emotional, but he can’t help it. Getting teary-eyed is still in his nature and he loves getting those cards on his birthday and Father’s Day. So he reads it and sets off on his “birthday mission,” as he started referring to it a few years back.
You see, in Heaven, I feel that you get one small wish or desire of your heart granted to you on your birthday. (That’s where the wishing on your candles thing came from.) So Gary sets out to talk with our Savior. And after waiting in line (it’s not just his birthday, after all) (and since time has a different meaning in Heaven than it does here, it’s not annoying to wait your turn), it’s his turn to petition the Lord.
Gary kneels down at the Lord’s feet; balloon and birthday card still in hand, and simply looks up. He doesn’t have to ask, as his wish is the same as it is every year…to see his family again. To be able to say “Goodbye.” Because nothing was more important to Gary in this life than his family.
“Now Gary,” the Lord says, taking Gary’s hand in His, “We’ve been over this. You can’t just go back. First, it would freak everybody out. Second, your body was in some serious trouble and you don’t want to go back to that painful state. Third, you’ll see them all again soon enough. And fourth, you have family here that would miss you just as much. So let’s settle on your alternative.”
Gary sighs. “Alright.”
And he’s not upset, because he knows the Lord is right. And when he arrives back at his heavenly mansion, he is thrilled when his Grandma Myrtle comes out of the kitchen with a spirit cake she baked from scratch. And his Grandpa Ray pats him on the back and wishes him a happy birthday. Which inevitably starts the endless hugs and kisses and birthday wishes from everyone from his Grandma Vivian, to his cousins, down to his great-nieces and great-nephews that we still haven't met, but who love and adore him as much as he does them.
And it’s then he realizes how grateful he is for the concept of eternal families and that we will all be together again eventually. So with a smile on his face and a room full of spirit friends and family, he sits at his piano and plays.
And knows that he is home.
And I suppose, if it’s any sort of Heaven at all, Uncle Gary got to sleep in, as “The Waking Up Thing” was always rather difficult after a great night of “Bed Sleeping.” And you know the mattresses in Heaven are literally like sleeping on clouds, so it just has to be tough waking up from that. (Then again, maybe the spirits of the righteous dead don’t need sleep. In which case, maybe his birthday morning would start with the equivalent of breakfast.) I’m assuming that Uncle Gary’s birthday breakfast of choice would be a breakfast sandwich from Einstein Bros. Bagels. It became a fast favorite of his in Vegas, so it has to be equally as desirable when surrounded by pearly gates and lilting harps and such.
(Of course, being a spirit, Gary would only be eating a spirit bagel sandwich. And yet because he still occupies the same physical dimension as the spirit breakfast, I assume his spirit body eats the spirit breakfast with the same joy that his physical body took regular bagel sandwiches, densities of matter being equivalent and all that. But I digress.)
So, Gary wanders in, and is greeted by a chorus of angels singing “Happy Birthday” to him, orders his bagel, and is off to work. (Work in Heaven? Of course there is work in Heaven…but it's only the kind of work that you love and makes you eternally happy.) Naturally, you can request to have your birthday off, but Gary would never do that. Because his job is to compose and play beautiful music all day long. You know, contributing to that Heavenly atmosphere. Bringing peace and joy to all those who hear it. And if you knew Gary at all, you know he wouldn’t miss a day of that. Even on his birthday.
So after his shift at the celestial piano is over, I figure Gary would probably receive a note from a heavenly messenger saying that he was sent another one of those pesky balloons with a birthday card from his niece. Of course the Hosts of Heaven are too polite to say or do anything to prevent the balloon messages from being received into the eternities, but I’d imagine having a foreign object (like a balloon) wandering up through your cloud-bank floors at all times of the day would get a little distracting.
Gary tries not to get too emotional, but he can’t help it. Getting teary-eyed is still in his nature and he loves getting those cards on his birthday and Father’s Day. So he reads it and sets off on his “birthday mission,” as he started referring to it a few years back.
You see, in Heaven, I feel that you get one small wish or desire of your heart granted to you on your birthday. (That’s where the wishing on your candles thing came from.) So Gary sets out to talk with our Savior. And after waiting in line (it’s not just his birthday, after all) (and since time has a different meaning in Heaven than it does here, it’s not annoying to wait your turn), it’s his turn to petition the Lord.
Gary kneels down at the Lord’s feet; balloon and birthday card still in hand, and simply looks up. He doesn’t have to ask, as his wish is the same as it is every year…to see his family again. To be able to say “Goodbye.” Because nothing was more important to Gary in this life than his family.
“Now Gary,” the Lord says, taking Gary’s hand in His, “We’ve been over this. You can’t just go back. First, it would freak everybody out. Second, your body was in some serious trouble and you don’t want to go back to that painful state. Third, you’ll see them all again soon enough. And fourth, you have family here that would miss you just as much. So let’s settle on your alternative.”
Gary sighs. “Alright.”
And he’s not upset, because he knows the Lord is right. And when he arrives back at his heavenly mansion, he is thrilled when his Grandma Myrtle comes out of the kitchen with a spirit cake she baked from scratch. And his Grandpa Ray pats him on the back and wishes him a happy birthday. Which inevitably starts the endless hugs and kisses and birthday wishes from everyone from his Grandma Vivian, to his cousins, down to his great-nieces and great-nephews that we still haven't met, but who love and adore him as much as he does them.
And it’s then he realizes how grateful he is for the concept of eternal families and that we will all be together again eventually. So with a smile on his face and a room full of spirit friends and family, he sits at his piano and plays.
And knows that he is home.
Monday, February 28, 2011
So Long, February...
As it's the last day of February, I give you 28 things that happened in the last little while (in no particular order):
1. Logan is 100%% potty trained. Even at night. Sooo glad that battle is over.
2. Kaylee is in the 10th percentile for height and weight. She's tiny.
3. Kaylee recently became obsessed with Baby Einstein. Took her long enough.
4. "Man vs. Food" came to Seattle recently. We now have 4 new restaurants we HAVE to go to.
5. St. Patty's Day is coming up, so I changed the blog background.
6. St. Patty's Day is coming up, I am excited for Shamrock Shakes.
7. My besty, Dani, got a new KitchenAid mixer. Equally as exciting for me as I already reaped the benefits of some delicious cookies.
8. My sister-in-law Liz is getting married on Saturday! She is wonderful and I hope her special day is everything she is hoping for. And I'm sad we won't be there.
9. It snowed here and stuck around for 4 whole days. Which I'm told is unusual. *crosses fingers*
10. We got our hefty tax refund!!!!!
11. In lieu of #10, Zac got me my very own Asus Netbook!!!!!!!!!! This deserves its own post.
12. I've been watching Desperate Housewives on Netflix and am a few episodes into season 3. It is sinfully delightful.
13. Logan went to a soccer clinic last weekend and learned a little bit about playing soccer.
14. I am looking into summer soccer programs for and 4 year olds.
15. I've been video chatting with some good friends as of late, now that I have my own computer with built-in camera.
16. Logan helped Kaylee out of her crib this morning and then they both came in and woke me up. Not sure how I feel about that.
17. I've been making friends in my ward, which has been good for me and good for Logan, as most of them have kids his age.
18. I finally got around to reading "Enna Burning," the second book in Shanon Hale's "Goose Girl" series. It was really good.
19. Still not sure how I feel about my bangs. Some days they look great and I like them so much better than no bangs at all, but then by the end of the day, I can't stand them and clip 'em back.
20. We've been taking long (like 2 hour long) walks as a family down by the lake. I mean, before it got cold and snowed.
21. It's been surprisingly difficult to find apartment manager jobs to apply for. Which is odd because we were applying to 3 or 4 a week before we moved here. I guess it's all in the timing.
22. My writer's group is still going strong, and they gave me some insights as to where my story line needs to go.
23. Zac has a job interview on Friday with a HUGE company. *crosses fingers again*
24. We are trying to plan a trip to Oregon again, but not sure when it will be convenient. But we miss family.
25. If everything works out with this job interview, we will be looking at apartments in and around Kirkland, Washington. EXCITING!
26. I've really already been browsing apartments online. It's kind of overwhelming when you expand your budget and know exactly what you can afford. Even without an apartment managing job. So many options...
27. I'm due for a cell phone upgrade. I really wanted the new iPhone, but now that I have my Netbook, I don't know if that's a necessity now. I'm sure there are cheaper options.
28. I'm still in love with Seattle and hope we can make it work here...it's hard to be so far away from family, but it's hard to think about leaving a place I've started to fall in love with. Just everything about it is so...well, Seattle. It's beautiful, culturally diverse (but not in a scary way...haha), it's exciting, it's where Grey's Anatomy takes place...the list goes on.
1. Logan is 100%% potty trained. Even at night. Sooo glad that battle is over.
2. Kaylee is in the 10th percentile for height and weight. She's tiny.
3. Kaylee recently became obsessed with Baby Einstein. Took her long enough.
4. "Man vs. Food" came to Seattle recently. We now have 4 new restaurants we HAVE to go to.
5. St. Patty's Day is coming up, so I changed the blog background.
6. St. Patty's Day is coming up, I am excited for Shamrock Shakes.
7. My besty, Dani, got a new KitchenAid mixer. Equally as exciting for me as I already reaped the benefits of some delicious cookies.
8. My sister-in-law Liz is getting married on Saturday! She is wonderful and I hope her special day is everything she is hoping for. And I'm sad we won't be there.
9. It snowed here and stuck around for 4 whole days. Which I'm told is unusual. *crosses fingers*
10. We got our hefty tax refund!!!!!
11. In lieu of #10, Zac got me my very own Asus Netbook!!!!!!!!!! This deserves its own post.
12. I've been watching Desperate Housewives on Netflix and am a few episodes into season 3. It is sinfully delightful.
13. Logan went to a soccer clinic last weekend and learned a little bit about playing soccer.
14. I am looking into summer soccer programs for and 4 year olds.
15. I've been video chatting with some good friends as of late, now that I have my own computer with built-in camera.
16. Logan helped Kaylee out of her crib this morning and then they both came in and woke me up. Not sure how I feel about that.
17. I've been making friends in my ward, which has been good for me and good for Logan, as most of them have kids his age.
18. I finally got around to reading "Enna Burning," the second book in Shanon Hale's "Goose Girl" series. It was really good.
19. Still not sure how I feel about my bangs. Some days they look great and I like them so much better than no bangs at all, but then by the end of the day, I can't stand them and clip 'em back.
20. We've been taking long (like 2 hour long) walks as a family down by the lake. I mean, before it got cold and snowed.
21. It's been surprisingly difficult to find apartment manager jobs to apply for. Which is odd because we were applying to 3 or 4 a week before we moved here. I guess it's all in the timing.
22. My writer's group is still going strong, and they gave me some insights as to where my story line needs to go.
23. Zac has a job interview on Friday with a HUGE company. *crosses fingers again*
24. We are trying to plan a trip to Oregon again, but not sure when it will be convenient. But we miss family.
25. If everything works out with this job interview, we will be looking at apartments in and around Kirkland, Washington. EXCITING!
26. I've really already been browsing apartments online. It's kind of overwhelming when you expand your budget and know exactly what you can afford. Even without an apartment managing job. So many options...
27. I'm due for a cell phone upgrade. I really wanted the new iPhone, but now that I have my Netbook, I don't know if that's a necessity now. I'm sure there are cheaper options.
28. I'm still in love with Seattle and hope we can make it work here...it's hard to be so far away from family, but it's hard to think about leaving a place I've started to fall in love with. Just everything about it is so...well, Seattle. It's beautiful, culturally diverse (but not in a scary way...haha), it's exciting, it's where Grey's Anatomy takes place...the list goes on.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday Snapshot...
Snuggling with Daddy on a Sunday afternoon. Can life get any better? I submit that it can not.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Curious Case Of The Southpaw...
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this yet or not, but my baby is a lefty. One hundred percent. Here's the proof. Is it genetic? I know my aunt and cousin are lefties...but I find it rather curious. Sweet, but curious.
How Do We Do New York? Let Me Count The Ways...
We do New York with Birthdays:
By rocking out in the car with Uncles:
In (indoor) pools with Grandma and Aunt Madi:
Finding plenty of uses for fuzzy blankets:
By rocking out in the car with Uncles:
In (indoor) pools with Grandma and Aunt Madi:
Finding plenty of uses for fuzzy blankets:
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Thursday's Random Thoughts...
On "Video Blogging..."
I have a few friends who, as of late, have started "video blogging." Instead of writing a post, they just video themselves and post the video. My first thought was "Hey that's a neat idea. And so easy to do...just talk and post." And then when I played out in my mind how it would go, my second thought was more like, "Duuuurrrrr...I wouldn't know what to say. I'm a writer, after all."
On Messes...
My brother-in-law, Remington, got a package in the mail yesterday. A large package. Full of packing peanuts. This happened:
At first, I was about to shriek, "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" But when I realized the damage was already done, playing commenced. Followed by clean-up. Lots and lots of clean-up.
On Illnesses...
We have all been sick or otherwise afflicted since visiting New York. My back has been killing me. K and Logan have had terrible colds and coughs. Logan's turned into an ear infection for which he is now on antibiotics. Zac had some terrible stomach pain which he is guessing might be a kidney stone. Yet we are still having a good time and managing to not be too grumpy about it all.
On Wearing Pants...
I do. My daughter prefers not to. Any chance she gets as of late, she takes her pants off. Most notably, when we were out to dinner at the Villager with my parents the other night. Or maybe when she was walking around on Grandma's kitchen table. Or at the florist's on Tuesday. Or while I was posting this (see below). The list goes on.
On Bangs...
I have them now. I haven't had bangs since I was in 3rd grade. That year was the year Stephanie Hayes grew hers out, so I did, too. But the other night, my sisters-in-law and I got a little crazy. We went to Sally's Beauty Supply, bought hair dye, and had a night of hair fun. My hair is now about 4 shades darker, 3 inches shorter, and I have bangs. Still not sure how I feel about them. One minute I love them, the next minute I don't know what to do with them so I clip them back. There is a picture on facebook if you're curious.
I have a few friends who, as of late, have started "video blogging." Instead of writing a post, they just video themselves and post the video. My first thought was "Hey that's a neat idea. And so easy to do...just talk and post." And then when I played out in my mind how it would go, my second thought was more like, "Duuuurrrrr...I wouldn't know what to say. I'm a writer, after all."
On Messes...
My brother-in-law, Remington, got a package in the mail yesterday. A large package. Full of packing peanuts. This happened:
At first, I was about to shriek, "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" But when I realized the damage was already done, playing commenced. Followed by clean-up. Lots and lots of clean-up.
On Illnesses...
We have all been sick or otherwise afflicted since visiting New York. My back has been killing me. K and Logan have had terrible colds and coughs. Logan's turned into an ear infection for which he is now on antibiotics. Zac had some terrible stomach pain which he is guessing might be a kidney stone. Yet we are still having a good time and managing to not be too grumpy about it all.
On Wearing Pants...
I do. My daughter prefers not to. Any chance she gets as of late, she takes her pants off. Most notably, when we were out to dinner at the Villager with my parents the other night. Or maybe when she was walking around on Grandma's kitchen table. Or at the florist's on Tuesday. Or while I was posting this (see below). The list goes on.
On Bangs...
I have them now. I haven't had bangs since I was in 3rd grade. That year was the year Stephanie Hayes grew hers out, so I did, too. But the other night, my sisters-in-law and I got a little crazy. We went to Sally's Beauty Supply, bought hair dye, and had a night of hair fun. My hair is now about 4 shades darker, 3 inches shorter, and I have bangs. Still not sure how I feel about them. One minute I love them, the next minute I don't know what to do with them so I clip them back. There is a picture on facebook if you're curious.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Ooohh, Shiny...
I like sparkly, shiny things. If you know me, you should know that by now. So I changed the blog background again. I certainly like this one. In other news, 2011 hasn't been awful yet. Great, no. But not awful either.
We have had some rather spectacular weather here in the northwest the last few days. It's been 50 and sunny all day. So Saturday, we decided to go be all touristy and roam around Elliott Bay and Pike Place Market. Little did we know it would be so dead on New Year's Day, but it was still fun. We even had fish and chips right on the water. We will definitely be going back when it gets warmer again.
We have had some rather spectacular weather here in the northwest the last few days. It's been 50 and sunny all day. So Saturday, we decided to go be all touristy and roam around Elliott Bay and Pike Place Market. Little did we know it would be so dead on New Year's Day, but it was still fun. We even had fish and chips right on the water. We will definitely be going back when it gets warmer again.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Auld Lang Syne...
I don't want this post to sound whiny, but it does. And I'm not looking for support or reassurance, I simply want to be able to reflect on this last year the way I do the first half of 2006...as a basis of comparison, and to remind myself of the low points and that things can only get better. You see, 2010 hasn't been good to us. In fact, 2010 has pretty much sucked. Looking back over the last year in blog posts, the few good things that happened can easily be seen in a negative light.
Like me getting a job and earning more money = hating my job, being tired and stressed all the time, and feeling guilty for the rest of my life that I was away from my kids so much for 9 long months.
Or like us getting the mini van = more car repairs than I care to think about.
Trip to LA = cost us a lot of money and didn't yield any results for jobs or even contacts for Zac.
Moving to Seattle and living with the Williams' = not having any friends or job offers and feeling like I'm in the way all the time.
See what I mean? I hate to be such a Debbie Downer about it all, but it's been rough. And that was the "good stuff" that happened. Forget all of the other crap that I don't want to go into detail about. Unemployment, deaths, fighting, unemployment, debt, computers breaking, did I mention unemployment? This year has pretty much been comparable to our first six months of marriage which were probably the worst six months of my life (not because of being married, mind you, but because of all of the other awful things that happened to me in those six months...deaths, unemployment, severe anemia, school issues, etc...all that other crap that I don't wish to think about).
So yeah. Here's to hoping for a better and brighter 2011.
And speaking of bright, here are some pictures of my beautiful kids in the bright sunshine. (These were taken a few weeks after moving to Seattle at our new favorite park that is right down the road.)
We'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Like me getting a job and earning more money = hating my job, being tired and stressed all the time, and feeling guilty for the rest of my life that I was away from my kids so much for 9 long months.
Or like us getting the mini van = more car repairs than I care to think about.
Trip to LA = cost us a lot of money and didn't yield any results for jobs or even contacts for Zac.
Moving to Seattle and living with the Williams' = not having any friends or job offers and feeling like I'm in the way all the time.
See what I mean? I hate to be such a Debbie Downer about it all, but it's been rough. And that was the "good stuff" that happened. Forget all of the other crap that I don't want to go into detail about. Unemployment, deaths, fighting, unemployment, debt, computers breaking, did I mention unemployment? This year has pretty much been comparable to our first six months of marriage which were probably the worst six months of my life (not because of being married, mind you, but because of all of the other awful things that happened to me in those six months...deaths, unemployment, severe anemia, school issues, etc...all that other crap that I don't wish to think about).
So yeah. Here's to hoping for a better and brighter 2011.
And speaking of bright, here are some pictures of my beautiful kids in the bright sunshine. (These were taken a few weeks after moving to Seattle at our new favorite park that is right down the road.)
We'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Belated Christmas Post...
So I tried taking pictures of the kids in order to send out Christmas cards this ear...then Zac's card reader wasn't working so I couldn't upload the pictures. And I didn't get a single decent picture of the kids together anyways, so whatever. But, these are some cute ones that did turn out and deserve recognition somewhere.
The girl:
The silly boy:
Christmas was great. Do I have pictures? No, because we were too busy web chatting all day with my parents, Zac's parents, and Zac's brothers and I just didn't take any pictures. Fail. I know. However, I feel it is safe to say that the kids LOVED every one of their presents...from shoes to games to toys to clothes, they couldn't be happier. Among Logan's favorites: the full-sized Buzz Lightyear ("Butt Laser," as he pronounces it), a wooden train set from Ikea, his new sneakers from my parents, and his fire-breathing dragon from Zac's parents. Kaylee LOVES her pink sneakers from my parents (she tries to put them on every chance she gets), her Little People dolls which seem to make the bath WAY more fun, her baby doll and bottle she got from us, and the stuffed puppy from Ikea that she got from us. She says "puppy" like "Ba-boo" for some reason and she sleeps with that puppy all the time. Bedtime and naptime have gotten much calmer...as long as she has her Ba-boo, she just snuggles it, rolls over, and goes to sleep.
I scored some good stuff...I am really falling in love with my faux fur pom pom slippers from Old Navy from Zac's mom. They are adorable and toasty warm. I also love the earrings my parents got for Kaylee, even though they aren't my gift. There are 3 pairs of 14K gold earrings...pink CZ, butterflies, and gold balls. They have safety backs which twist on and are rounded caps so the earring post doesn't poke her. They are beautiful!
So, we had a good Christmas. Not a white one, but a good one.
The girl:
The silly boy:
Christmas was great. Do I have pictures? No, because we were too busy web chatting all day with my parents, Zac's parents, and Zac's brothers and I just didn't take any pictures. Fail. I know. However, I feel it is safe to say that the kids LOVED every one of their presents...from shoes to games to toys to clothes, they couldn't be happier. Among Logan's favorites: the full-sized Buzz Lightyear ("Butt Laser," as he pronounces it), a wooden train set from Ikea, his new sneakers from my parents, and his fire-breathing dragon from Zac's parents. Kaylee LOVES her pink sneakers from my parents (she tries to put them on every chance she gets), her Little People dolls which seem to make the bath WAY more fun, her baby doll and bottle she got from us, and the stuffed puppy from Ikea that she got from us. She says "puppy" like "Ba-boo" for some reason and she sleeps with that puppy all the time. Bedtime and naptime have gotten much calmer...as long as she has her Ba-boo, she just snuggles it, rolls over, and goes to sleep.
I scored some good stuff...I am really falling in love with my faux fur pom pom slippers from Old Navy from Zac's mom. They are adorable and toasty warm. I also love the earrings my parents got for Kaylee, even though they aren't my gift. There are 3 pairs of 14K gold earrings...pink CZ, butterflies, and gold balls. They have safety backs which twist on and are rounded caps so the earring post doesn't poke her. They are beautiful!
So, we had a good Christmas. Not a white one, but a good one.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
All I Want For Christmas...
Well, not really ALL I want. But if you are wanting to get our little family a gift as a family gift, this is the one: $40 family pass to the Seattle Children's Museum. Just a thought.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
This Last Month (Scatter-brained Style)...
So I always put off blogging until I have time to make something funny, witty, pretty, etc. I tried to make a timeline in Photoshop of the last month with pictures and descriptions...it was very clever. Then the computer crashed. And now I'm getting to the point that it's been more than a month and it will be very hard to catch up on all of the events in that manner.
My second thought was to write a song to the tune of Billy Joel's, "We Didn't Start the Fire," since this last month+ has been hectic enough to warrant that. But again, I don't have the time or patience to do that.
Instead, you get a mismatched, unorganized series of events that I will just write down for future reference. Maybe, MAYBE, I'll get to a picture smattering of events later, too. So, deep breath. Here goes:
Early October:
General Conference. It was great.
Kaylee started walking more than crawling.
I bought myself some sparkly Converse sneakers. I love them.
We had an offer to move to Seattle and live with my best friend's in-laws.
We didn't want to take the offer because it was just so...uncertain. Other than we'd have a place to live as long as we needed it.
A few talks in Conference and some thoughtful prayers later, we decided we were moving to Seattle.
I put in my two-weeks notice at work.
I put in our 30-day move-out notice.
Found a new writer's group in the Seattle area.
Mid-October:
Started packing.
Zac's friend Brian Coller came and stayed with us for a few days.
I made chicken tortilla soup with black beans and fed it to Brian. His stomach doesn't do well with black beans. He spent a good day barfing.
We came up with a list of things to do before leaving Provo.
I broke my glasses beyond repair. They were still under warranty, but they only had black frames in stock (mine are brown). So I had to use black until they got mine in.
I used a spa gift certificate I had and got pedicures and "glitter toes" with my neighbor, Roxy.
Roxy talked me into going with her to her parent's houseboat on Lake Powell sans children.
Late October:
Went to Lake Powell with Roxy and left the kids home with Zac for three days.
Zac's best friend, Matt DiPerri, came out for a visit.
Had a hitch installed on our van so we could pull our Uhaul.
We finally made it up to the Salt Lake Temple. It was awesome.
Attended a good friend's baby's funeral. That makes two and I'd rather not have to do that ever again.
K started "talking" more. Actually distinguished between "yes" and "no" now. Before it was always "Nuh-uh."
Packed up most of the apartment.
Returned a bunch of stuff to people all over the city of Provo that didn't belong to us.
Broke my pinky toe on my left foot. I still can't wear my sparkly Converse sneakers.
Packed up the rest of our apartment, shoved it into a Uhaul trailer, and left the state of Utah.
Spent a few days in Idaho with the Ganoes.
Early November:
Made our way up north. I drove a lot. Pulling the Uhaul.
Spent a night in Somewhere, Washington at a hotel.
Finally made it to Sammamish where we are currently living. (Let me know if you need the address!)
Continued/continuing the job hunt (apartment managing, animation jobs for Zac, part-time writing gigs for me).
Went to the Costco in Kirkland...which is basically like going to Ikea in Sweden.
Got a GPS which is necessary when moving to a new state. I'm convinced.
Met with my new writing group for the first time (last night, actually). They are equally as fantastic as my Provo-based one. However, there was better parking for the one in Provo. And yet, meeting at a coffee shop in downtown Seattle is pretty darn hip.
Um. I think that's all. Now you know how my brain really works when I don't have time to process things. We are off to look at an apartment for a management position in a bit. They owner was nice and said "here's the address...go look at the building and see if you'd be interested in living there first. If so, call me back and we can set up an interview." I don't know what to take from that...potentially, it's really ghetto and we might hate it and may not even want to apply. But we shall see.
I'm out!
My second thought was to write a song to the tune of Billy Joel's, "We Didn't Start the Fire," since this last month+ has been hectic enough to warrant that. But again, I don't have the time or patience to do that.
Instead, you get a mismatched, unorganized series of events that I will just write down for future reference. Maybe, MAYBE, I'll get to a picture smattering of events later, too. So, deep breath. Here goes:
Early October:
General Conference. It was great.
Kaylee started walking more than crawling.
I bought myself some sparkly Converse sneakers. I love them.
We had an offer to move to Seattle and live with my best friend's in-laws.
We didn't want to take the offer because it was just so...uncertain. Other than we'd have a place to live as long as we needed it.
A few talks in Conference and some thoughtful prayers later, we decided we were moving to Seattle.
I put in my two-weeks notice at work.
I put in our 30-day move-out notice.
Found a new writer's group in the Seattle area.
Mid-October:
Started packing.
Zac's friend Brian Coller came and stayed with us for a few days.
I made chicken tortilla soup with black beans and fed it to Brian. His stomach doesn't do well with black beans. He spent a good day barfing.
We came up with a list of things to do before leaving Provo.
I broke my glasses beyond repair. They were still under warranty, but they only had black frames in stock (mine are brown). So I had to use black until they got mine in.
I used a spa gift certificate I had and got pedicures and "glitter toes" with my neighbor, Roxy.
Roxy talked me into going with her to her parent's houseboat on Lake Powell sans children.
Late October:
Went to Lake Powell with Roxy and left the kids home with Zac for three days.
Zac's best friend, Matt DiPerri, came out for a visit.
Had a hitch installed on our van so we could pull our Uhaul.
We finally made it up to the Salt Lake Temple. It was awesome.
Attended a good friend's baby's funeral. That makes two and I'd rather not have to do that ever again.
K started "talking" more. Actually distinguished between "yes" and "no" now. Before it was always "Nuh-uh."
Packed up most of the apartment.
Returned a bunch of stuff to people all over the city of Provo that didn't belong to us.
Broke my pinky toe on my left foot. I still can't wear my sparkly Converse sneakers.
Packed up the rest of our apartment, shoved it into a Uhaul trailer, and left the state of Utah.
Spent a few days in Idaho with the Ganoes.
Early November:
Made our way up north. I drove a lot. Pulling the Uhaul.
Spent a night in Somewhere, Washington at a hotel.
Finally made it to Sammamish where we are currently living. (Let me know if you need the address!)
Continued/continuing the job hunt (apartment managing, animation jobs for Zac, part-time writing gigs for me).
Went to the Costco in Kirkland...which is basically like going to Ikea in Sweden.
Got a GPS which is necessary when moving to a new state. I'm convinced.
Met with my new writing group for the first time (last night, actually). They are equally as fantastic as my Provo-based one. However, there was better parking for the one in Provo. And yet, meeting at a coffee shop in downtown Seattle is pretty darn hip.
Um. I think that's all. Now you know how my brain really works when I don't have time to process things. We are off to look at an apartment for a management position in a bit. They owner was nice and said "here's the address...go look at the building and see if you'd be interested in living there first. If so, call me back and we can set up an interview." I don't know what to take from that...potentially, it's really ghetto and we might hate it and may not even want to apply. But we shall see.
I'm out!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Punkin' Patch...
I know I still haven't said much about Seattle. I will. Until then, here are pictures from our pumpkin picking extravaganza yesterday:
And yes, that does happen to be the same shirt Zac wore at the same farm 2 years ago. Maybe it's time for a wardrobe overhaul...
I also enjoy the picture where the boys are sitting the same way on the hayride. Like father, like son, I suppose.
And yes, that does happen to be the same shirt Zac wore at the same farm 2 years ago. Maybe it's time for a wardrobe overhaul...
I also enjoy the picture where the boys are sitting the same way on the hayride. Like father, like son, I suppose.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Metaphor Continued...
(Courtesy of my Aunt Karen at Strapp Studio)
EEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Details where I spill all of the nitty-gritty are forthcoming. But for now, you should just know that the whole family couldn't be happier!!!!
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