Friday and a missing roommate

I had a crazy day at work on Friday. On the usual Friday before new employee orientation, Joee and I would usually make sure all the paperwork was in order and call everyone to remind them about their 9 am meeting time. This Friday was quite a different story. Joee was on a business trip to Idaho, so I had to prepare for orientation alone. The owner of the company came to the HR department and said that eight new people would be starting on Monday; eight salespeople who had never filled out paperwork or had their background checks done. I had to go in and give a small speech about the paperwork. After a very long day at work, I went up to Salt Lake for dinner at Chili's with Ryan, John, Curtis, and lawyer Ryan. For Ryan's birthday, which was the next day, I got him a movie and card. Afterwards, we all went to Ryan and Bryan's house to meet with friends. I had a great conversation with bald Ryan about life and death and missing people. When I got home, Sarah was just starting to pack for her trip to Europe. Camille was out with Dave. At this point, I hadn't seen her for a day or two. I went to bed and read a little more of my book, Bel Canto. Jen recommended it to me. So far, it is really interesting. The next morning, I awoke at 6:15 am to take Sarah over to her parents house so that they could go to the airport. Diane and Larry gave me last minute instructions on how to care for Dexter, their old boxer. Apparently, his health is not good. He has a thyroid condition and liver problems. He has lost a lot of hair on his back. For the next two week it is my job to keep him fed, watered, and active. Thus started my Saturday. I miss Sarah already.

Work

I have to say that work can be very interesting at times. Last week was interesting because one of my HR coworkers was on vacation and another one was sick. That left me, the head of HR, and a PR girl named Candra in the Human Resources department. Yesterday was Candra's last day. Today my immediate boss, Joee, is in Idaho for a three-day business trip. That leaves me, Tamara (who's last day is Friday), and the head of HR. For a person who has only been here for three weeks, this is an interesting situation. While I am enjoying working at my own pace and have plenty to do, I do occasionally have questions. When the head of HR is in a meeting, which is frequently, I don't really have anyone to ask. Information in the HR department is of a highly sensitive nature, so I cannot just go ask a random person outside of the department. It can be frustrating at times. At the end of Mr. Marrot,s meetings, I inevitably almost run him over so that I can ask him questions before his next meeting starts. Overall, I am enjoying this job. I am kept very busy and have already been given quite a bit of trust with sensitive information. I am learning new computer programs, new HR protocol, and how to deal with all sorts of situations. I hope I am doing a good job and am a benefit to the department.
Right now I am sitting at the receptionists desk, typing because I have nothing else that I can do. The receptionist is at lunch and there was no one to replace her today. My mountain of work is sitting at my desk in the HR department, but I am not allowed to bring some of that sensitive information out into the open area. I don't have access to my work e-mail or other programs that I could work on. So I sit, waiting for her return so that I may go to lunch myself and then race back to my own work. Even as I type, I am making mental lists of what I will tackle first and what needs to be completed by the end of work today. Hopefully my loyal readers will not have been too annoyed by this impromptu post.

A garden

This week was crazy. My boss, Joee, was sick on Thursday and gone from work on Friday. Because another coworker was already gone on vacation, I was alone most of the time in my cubicle/office. It was a lonely and busy time. I was so tired on Friday that I didn't really go out. Today, Sarah and I decided that it was time to plant. Well, actually I thought that it was time and she agreed to buy the plants. We bought two tomato plants, which I planted in pots in the back yard. I hate tomatoes but Sarah loves them. For the front patch, I bought flowers. I bought some Verbena, Gazania, two Osteospermum

, and a big Begonia on the end. I got to rip out all the old plants from the flower bed, dig up some horrible roots, then plant these beautiful flowers. I am so glad that Mom and Dad taught me how to garden. I hope they flourish. The picture of the metal iris was taken at the greenhouse. I just thought it was very cool. Tonight we are watching a movie and I will probably make some cookies later.

Grrrr! Sunday can be hard.

On Sunday morning, I awoke to a slight chill in the air. After my morning ritual of face washing, I went downstairs to get the paper and eat breakfast. As I came down the stairs I noticed that the front door was open two feet. I thought that perhaps Camille had stepped out to retrieve the newspaper. I stuck my head out and called for her but she wasn't outside. I went upstairs to ask her why she left the door open and found her asleep. As near as we can tell, when Dave left he didn't close the door tightly enough. The deadbolt wasn't used so the door slowly opened. It was open for at least six hours. Luckily nothing was taken, and as far as we can tell, no one entered. The computer, tv, dvds, etc. had remained in their respective spots. I was unhappy about the situation, to say the least. I guess I should be happy that neither of us were molested in our beds or robbed in the wee hours of the morning. After getting over the shock of the open door, we both got ready for church.
I took all the my visual aides and quotes and mentally prepared myself to face a room of nice, but not well known people. Before Relief Society started, I approached one of the counselors in the RS presidency. She was confused when I said that I would be filling in for Sarah, especially since Sarah wasn't supposed to teach until next week. I was dismayed knowing that I had prepared a lesson that I would never teach. At first I was mad, but then I saw it as a growing experience. I learned a lot while I preparing the lesson. Elder Holland's talk is amazing. The idea that harsh words can cut as badly as a whip can be a startling revelation. Plus, I will always have Sarah double check the date of a lesson when she asks me to fill in for her.
It was so cold when Camille and I got home from church, I finally turned on the furnace. I went visiting teaching to see Cassie and then came home to make dinner. At 8:30 I went to ward prayer while Camille went over to Dave's house. Ward prayer was fun. Keri, Jake, and I spent over a half an hour talking about life and the possibility of people from the ward getting together for a trip to the Shakespearean Festival. By the end of Sunday, I was exhausted. I was in bed early to prepare for my early Monday shift at work. Because of new employee orientation, I went to work early to help my boss set up.
Thus ends this blog. I am exhausted after a long day of work, grocery shopping, going to the library, writing blog entries, and going to Family Home Evening. Goodnight dear readers.

A visit to Tahitian Noni

On Saturday afternoon I had the opportunity to go to a wedding shower for Christine, a fiancee of my cousin. They will be married in May. I must admit that I spent most of the time playing with my darling niece and nephew. Sidney and Isaac kept me busy. I most magical moment was when the three of us went outside to visit a dog. Dexter would bark and then Sidney would bark back. Then Isaac would laugh. A baby's laugh is the most magical of all sounds. After the shower, a bunch of the Roberts Clan went to dinner at the Tahitian Noni Cafe. The food was pretty good and Sidney loved the purple rolls. The greatest part about the meal was the garden tour after the meal. While Grandpa and Grandma sat for a while, Diane, Larry, Nancy, Mom, Dad, Sidney and I walked around. Sidney and I had a great time exploring. The streams and ponds were beautiful, and ran around hiding from Mom and Dad. When it was time to leave, Sidney and I threw some pennies into the fountain in the foyer of the building. She made a wish for her little brother and her parents. It was darling. I miss spending time with my nieces and nephews. When I got home I decided to finish preparing my Relief Society lesson. Sarah was supposed to teach part of the RS lesson on Sunday but wouldn't be back from Arizona in time. She asked me to fill in so I spent my Saturday night preparing an excellent lesson on Elder Holland's Conference talk. Camille and Dave came home and I went to bed to the sounds of their voices.

Birthday party

On Friday night I headed up to Salt Lake City to attend a birthday party. First, Ryan and I went to dinner at Paradise Bakery. May I suggest this wonderful place to anyone who is in the Sugarhouse area. It is on 21st south. I had a great sandwich/salad combo and an amazing brownie for dessert. After dinner we stopped by Wes' house to wish him a happy birthday (I don't know him that well.) Afterwards we went over to Brian's house where Ryan P. was celebrating his 30th birthday. I got him a DVD of older cartoons and a lovely card. The following pictures are of Ryan R., my best friend, with Dozer the dog in the foreground, and Ryan P. and Curtis talking about some interesting subject. I ended up staying much longer than I should have. I didn't get home until 1:15 am, where I was met by Dave and Camille watching tv. Sarah is still on a business trip. I miss her.

Home Evening

Family Home Evening is always fun in a singles ward. This week we met at the Barney house. After the lesson, we played in the basement. The fun included fuzeball, an arcade game, billiards, a dart board, plenty of popcorn and candy.

It was a lot of fun. I think the picture of Cassie, Angela, and Sarah is very cute.

Work

It occurs to me that my faithful blog readers are unaware that I am now an employed woman. I registered with a temp agency because I was tired of answering newspaper ads. So, I went to a temp agency and within a week, was contacted to go to Prosper Inc. I have been working there for four days and am an assistant to an HR manager. I like it and hope that it will turn into something more permanent.

Weekend report

The weekend report includes the following: a wonderful dinner at Cafe Trio, playing with my darling niece and nephew on Saturday, dinner with the family, church, and ward prayer. My weekend started off with my getting off work at 5pm. I drove to Salt Lake for some fun with friends. Dinner was at a lovely cafe called Cafe Trio. The food was wonderful. I had the baked penne with the rosemary flat bread for an appetizer. Afterwards, Ryan and I went to an Internet cafe and hung out while talking, listen to music, and reading. I was home by 1 am, where I found Camille and a date on the couch watching a movie. On Saturday morning I drove to Bountiful to help clean up Grandma's yard. I ended up taking Lauren on a walk, where she proceeded become very annoyed with me when I wouldn't let her eat a pine cone. When we returned, Alison and Isaac joined the group. Dad, Mom, John, Jen, and Josh had worked hard so we all decided to go to dinner at Plates and Palates. So Mom, Dad, Jen, John, Lauren, Josh, Brooke, Tanner, Alison, Isaac, and I ate a wonderful dinner payed for by our dear father (or father-in-law.) Afterwards, we all went our separate way. Mom and Dad went to see Grandma J, who is in the hospital, and I drove home. I was so tired that I didn't go out to play.

Church was wonderful as always. Thus ends the report; not very poetic, but still completed.

Sarah paints

Here are some picture of some paintings that my roommate, Sarah, has painted in the last couple of days.

She did them for a project at work, but I think they are great. She faded the colors and then painted the designs over them. The pictures were taken before the green one was finished. It ended up looking kind of like a green lotus flower. I can't decide which one is my favorite. What do all you think?

Red devil and the tow truck

On Sunday morning, my car wouldn't start. When I turned the key, not one cough came from my red devil. I walked to church. I enlisted the help of Aunt Diane and Uncle Larry. On Monday night, they came over and looked at the car. Just in case it was the battery, we let it charge overnight. The next day, my car still persisted in being annoying. Aunt Diane drove me and my battery over to an auto parts store for testing. The battery was fine. We then had a brief conference around the kitchen table where it was decided that I should have my car towed to a repair shop that Larry recommended. On Wednesday morning, Aunt Diane came over and we had my car towed to a local repair shop. She graciously let me use one of her free tows from AAA and then drove me to the shop. I called mom for advise and to let her know what was going on. Three hours, and $323 later, my car was fixed. The starter had worn out and had to be replaced. All in all, it was a trying experience. The only bright points were Uncle Larry, Aunt Diane, and Mom (with her small loan.) I am so grateful for all the help these three individuals gave me. I am very glad to have a working vehicle again.

Book reviews

In the last week and a half, I have gotten a lot of reading done. Along with looking for a job, I am trying to keep my mind active so that when I return to school I will still be able to form complete sentences. Thus follows my book reviews for your reading pleasure:

The Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen is a cute picture book. I have a special spot in my heart for children's books that take place in libraries. This one is worth reading. The illustrations by Kevin Hawkes are also worth a look. Double Helix by Nancy Werlin is a science fiction book about the use of cloning and genetic engineering by todays scientists. While the main character, a teenage boy, is well written, the book does not stand out as anything to shout about. It was also strange for the writer to put a teenage romance in the middle of science fiction mystery. It seemed a little out of place and made me wonder if most non-LDS teenagers sleep around as much as this character. While an adequate book, I wouldn't really recommend it.

Two books about genetic engineering I would recommend are both by James Patterson. When the wind blows and Maximum Ride: the angel experiment are both well written with levels of suspense and thoughtfulness. Both have some language but are well worth the read. When the wind blows was written first and is told from multiple points of view. In fact, the only problem I had with this book is that it may have too many points of view. It tells the story of a veterinarian, an FBI agent, a group of evil scientists, and several genetically engineered children who can fly. This book, while not connected by characters, brought about Maximum Ride: the angel experiment. The preface of Maximum... explains that there are no characters in common with When the wind blows even though they both have children who can fly and a main character with the name of Max. Maximum Ride: the angel experiment and its sequel are both books that I would highly recommend. There is an occasional swear word in both but the plot is tightly written, the characters real and accessible, and the action intense. For those of you who like science fiction mixed with scientists run amok and government intrigue, I would advise you to read this book. As a person who has always dreamed of having wings, I really liked this book.

Jenna Starborn by Sharon Shinn is a futuristic retelling of Jane Eyre. Since I have read Jane Eyre twice, I thought I would give it a try. It was well written although I could see what was going to happen because it so closely paralleled Jane Eyre. I am always fascinated by the retelling of classic stories, especially fairy tales. This was an excellent read and anyone who liked Jane Eyre will appreciate this book as a science fiction companion piece. One piece of caution though, Jenna seemed to be in more mortal danger than Jane ever was. Jenna comes close to death several times. If you are the type that gets very attached to your characters, your heart might beat a little faster than normal during these brief but trying times.

I would like to thank Jen for recommending The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig. This book meanders through the childhood recollections of a boy as he grew up in Montana during the first decade of the 1900's. The stories of his family, new housekeeper, and one room schoolhouse were charming. My only complaint is that four or five times during the story, he referenced his current status as narrator in the book. His childhood stories were great but his mention of being superintendent of the school system were distracting. Doig's characters were so well drawn that a reader could see the mean trapper, the honorable father/farmer, and the exuberant younger brothers of the narrator. The prose is sometimes a bit poetic, especially when describing nature, but is worth reading so that it can bounce around in your head when you are taking a walk through the park later. Although slow in serious action or suspense, this book was a good study of farming life and the ties that bind.

The next book I plan to read is Beast by Donna Napoli, who is a master at the retelling of fairy tales. It should be good. Thus ends this former librarian's review.

Clothesline Project

On Friday, before I got a horrible headache, I went over to the UVSC campus because of a newspaper article. The article talked about the Clothesline Project. It is a way to combat and bring attention to violence of all different kinds. The project at UVSC seemed to be focused on rape and domestic abuse against women and children. There were so many horrible stories on these t-shirts, but there were also stories of hope for the future and overcoming pain. The picture included show just a few of these shirts. There were tables where, if you had a story or something to say, you could make a t-shirt.

Each color of t-shirt stood for something different. The following are the colors and what they stand for: white for those who died because of the violence, yellow for survivors of physical assault, red for survivors of rape or sexual assault, blue or green for survivors of incest or childhood sexual assault, purple for attacks based on sexual orientation, black for those physically disabled because of violence, and grey or brown for survivors of emotional or verbal abuse. It made me sick how many white, red, and blue shirts there were. How can people hurt those who they are supposed to love? There were two rows of clotheslines inside, then ten under a tent outside. So many shirts. I left sobered and sad, but glad that people were talking about this problem.

Thursday update

I went on a date last night. Brian and I went to dinner at Cafe Rio, and then to the end of a jazz concert (he thought it started at 7:30, when it started at 6:30.) Afterwards we walked through the BYU art exhibit until the museum closed. It was a fun date even though there was no spark between us. By the end of the date, I think both of us felt like we were on a date with a cousin or something like that. Oh well, it was still fun to get to know someone new.
I read a cute children's book entitled Not a Box by A. Portis. It reminded me of stories that Mom has told me about her childhood. Grandpa used to bring home cardboard boxes that his children would play with. This book is about a cute little rabbit that has a similar experience.
If any of you are interested, I did not get the job at the library on the BYU campus. I am disappointed, but am sure there is a good reason that I didn't get it. Life continues in my little apartment. Sarah, Camille, and I are going to try to cook an Easter dinner together. I am not sure what it will be but I will probably plan the menu today.

Seven Wonders

Seven wonders of the natural world
1. Grand Canyon
2. Amazon River
3. Himalayas
4. Niagara Falls
5. Ayres Rock
6. Sahara Desert
7. Great Barrier Reef

Seven wonders of the Ancient World
1. Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) at Giza
2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
3. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
4. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
5. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
6. The Colossus of Rhodes
7. The Pharos of Alexandria

Seven wonders of our family
1. Sidney
2. Caleb
3. Wyatt
4. Lauren
5. Isaac
6. Tanner
7. That we all love each other and get along

April birthdays

This weekend, along with being Conference weekend, was the family celebration of three birthdays. Wyatt turned one years old and Brooke and Alison became a year older as well. (It has always been my opinion that once you hit 25, your age doesn't really matter that much.) I went over to Wyatt's house on Sunday afternoon to see Wyatt eat his cake. His parents had a small celebration that included Britnie's parents, brother, and his wife and son. We sang "Happy Birthday" to a confused Wyatt and then he was able to dive into his own cake, which he soon demolished. It was so cute to see him approach the cake, lick it a few times, then figure out that he could eat it. After a quick bath, he was able to open his many presents. My parents, Alison, Isaac and I left soon afterwards to catch the afternoon session on conference. At 5 pm on Sunday night, the whole family, with the exception of Jen, John, and Lauren, came over for dinner.

It was another good meal by Mom and afterwards we had ice cream cake. Alison and Brooke opened their presents, as did Wyatt. It is so nice to get together with family. Moving down to Orem has been fun, but I will admit that the hardest thing is being away from my family. Everyone else lives within a half an hour drive to Mom and Dad's house. But I guess an hour and fifteen minutes isn't so bad. I was the last to leave. On my way home, I talked to a new friend of mine, Brian. Because we celebrated Brooke and Alison's birthdays early, I would like to wish them a happy birthday for this coming week.

Conference and Ice Cream

General Conference was this weekend.

(For any readers unfamiliar, this is when the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints get together and give talks to the church as a whole on doctrine and other important things.) Saturday morning I watched the session with Camille and Sarah. I especially liked the talk by Elder Holland on speaking kind words to other people. After the morning session, we went to get some ice cream at Leatherby's, an ice cream parlour that I haven't been to in years. We were met by Aunt Diane, Amy, Heather, Taylor, and Easton. Most people had real food while I had fries and an amazing ice cream sundae with melted peanut butter and chocolate on top. For the afternoon session, I was driving up to my parent's house. President Hinckley dedicated the refurbished Tabernacle. I then watched and listened to the Sunday sessions up in Kaysville.
Other than Elder Hollands talk, two other talks have immediately struck me. They are Pres. Faust's talk on forgiveness which mentioned the Amish, and Pres. Hinckley's testimony. I enjoyed all the talks and look forward to reading all of them in the next issue of the Ensign.

The appendix

My roommate Camille has been feeling sick for a while now. Dizzy for a month and sick to her stomach for a week. It got worse every time she ate. After harassment from me, she went to the doctor's office. He sent her to get an Ultrasound. So yesterday, Monday, I took her to the hospital. She had to fast and drink water an hour before the scan. Afterwards, the Ultrasound tech immediately set up an appointment for a CAT scan. An hour later she was lying in a big circular machine. She looks happy in the picture but is actually starving. After a long test, the doctor said she needed to get an immediate appendectomy. She was sent to the lab for blood work. At this point, she was getting a little nervous. Luckily, I have had experience with hospitals. After Grandpa, Grandma, and Caleb, I know how hospital visits work. I took Camille home to take out her contacts, get a change of clothes, toothbrush, hairbrush

, and a book. I then drove her to the hospital and we checked into the surgery ward. To pass the time, I read Camille facts from The Encyclopedia of the Bizarre. A nurse started an IV, as you can see from the picture, and took vitals. Sarah came after work and brought one of our Home Teachers, Nate, and another friend, Scottie. They gave Camille a blessing. By 7pm, Camille was taken into surgery. I called Camille's parents with another update and Sarah and I finally got dinner. She was out of surgery by 9pm.

Tuesday morning, after my interview at a doctor's office, I went to see her. Camille was in fairly good spirits considering her trying night. After visiting a while, I came home to do dishes, laundry, and vacuuming. I went back at 4 and we left the hospital by 5. Off to the pharmacy and grocery store we went. She is now safely on the couch where she, Sarah, and I are watching Eragon. (I'll review it later for my faithful blog readers.) Such a Monday. It's been a while since so much excitement has happened in two days. Hopefully Camile will mend soon. Her mom is coming down tomorrow to visit. (I'm glad I cleaned part of the apartment today.)

foot update

This is my foot, a few days after the sprain. Along with ice and heat, I have kept it in a bandage as much as possible. The brown/purple that you see is bruising. It is along the bottom of my foot and across my toes. Gross but true. This picture was taken by my roomate. Right now I have only a slight limp.

Cold feet on the Sabbath

On Saturday I had the opportunity to babysit Lauren. I was up in Salt Lake by 12:15 pm to meet Jen, John, Mom and Dad. We ate lunch at the Citrus Grill. While the rest of the group went to see a play, Lauren and I sat on the grass of her front yard. First we watched cars, then the neighbors had their lawn aerated. This was a fascinating event. She held onto a piece of grass and watched with barely a blink of her long eyelashes. The postman commented on her adorable face while handing off the mail. At long last, Lauren and I both decided that it was time for her nap. After a diaper change and a quick story, I put her to bed. Two cries later, she couldn't have been awakened by the four horsemen armed with thunderbolts. I read, watched tv for five minutes, and then decided on a quick nap. I was awakened by my family returning from the play. Apparently, it had some bad language and a mean grandma. I headed home, stopping at the video store along the way. I ended up with episodes of CSI: NY. My foot, the sprained one, was throbbing. I came home to find Sarah hanging pictures and dusting and Camille asleep. After having a dinner of pizza, I worked on my journal and pictures.
Saturday morning began with me leaving early for church. As ward librarian, I have to go early so I can print off the program for Sacrament meeting. Sarah joined my for the rest of church. One of the most interesting parts of church was the Relief Society lesson. The lesson was on the life of Pres. Hinckley and pioneers. At one point, the teacher asked us to all write our names on a piece of paper. She collected them, then invited two elders and one sister into the room. She had them stick their feet in a buckets of water filled with ice. They were really cold. As we all stood, she would read off three names for every thirty seconds the two men and one woman kept their feet completely submerged in the buckets of ice water. After five minutes, you could really tell that they were getting really cold and their feet hurt. As the names were read off, we were saved on our trek through life. The cold feet in ice were to represent the three young men who carried saints across the Sweetwater River. It was a very good lesson. After Sarah and I came home, I made a double batch of cornbread to take to Break the Fast. It was fun to get together and eat with ward members. Jake, Melissa, and Keri sat by us and were very entertaining. Afterwards, Sarah went on a walk while I worked on my blanket. Thus ends the Sabbath Day.

Sprained ankle and Friday night

On Thursday, a bunch of people went to a place called Power Tumbling in Provo. It is a place where gymnasts can practice. It is full of trampolines, bouncy runways, and large foam pits. We placed around, and in the end, we broke into teams to participate in an obstacle course. Just as we were going to begin, I jumped on the edge of a trampoline wrong. Yes, dear readers, I sprained my ankle. It hurt like the dickens. I got light-headed. I limped off and sat down to watch everyone else have fun. When I got home I took some pain medication and put ice on. After a break, I then used a heating pad. I didn't sleep well that night because my ankle kept throbbing. I was awakened by Camille on Friday. She wanted me to take her the doctor's office. I limped there and then stopped by Target on our way back to pick up an ankle wrap. Luckily, the Internet showed me how to wrap an ankle. It took me forever to shower and get ready for my Friday night. Limping along, I drove up to Salt Lake. Ryan and I ended up at Mikey's house. A group of us spent the night watching clips on Youtube. We were watching the openings of old shows like Today's Special, Gummie Bears, Transformers, GI Joe, and other shows. It was a lot of fun and I got to spend time with my foot up on a table/pillow. I didn't get home until 1:30 am.

Strange facts

Before I go to bed each night I try to read something to get my brain to focus and calm down. I generally don't read works of prose because I get too involved, causing me to stay up until the wee hours of the morning. Right now I'm reading Ripley's believe it or not! Encyclopedia of the Bizarre. There are many odd and amusing facts in this book, including the following:

-The average human body contains enough potassium to fire a small canon and enough carbon to fill nine hundred pencils.
-Denna Sayles, of Fairfield, California, has four kidneys.
-Tongue prints are as unique as fingerprints.
-Fingernails grow faster than toenails.
-The human brain can produce enough electricity to power a toy train.
-When Vera Czermak learned that her husband had betrayed her, she jumped out her third-story window. She survived, but she landed on her husband, who was killed.

One can assume that the editors of this book checked the facts before printing them, but I didn't find a statement in the book attesting to their vigilance.

Fun this weekend

I had some fun this weekend. On Friday night I went bowling with the young single adults. Six of us girls were on one lane with some very fun neighbors. I was taking pictures and turned around to see Cassi, Tiffany, and Camille taking or looking at pictures they had taken. I ended up getting a 55. Sad, but I was excited to break 50. Afterwards, Sarah, Camille, and I watched The Holiday. It was a good movie although there was too much bad language.

On Saturday I rushed home from my parent's house to find Sarah putting together a cabinet for the bathroom. After she was finished, we decided to go have some fun. We called Jake and Amy, and then went to Trafalga for mini golf, racing around the slick track, and cups of dippin' dots. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards, Sarah, Jake, and I talked for a while. At 1 am we decided to call it a night.

New blanket; much easier than quilting

This is the blanket I am working on. It isn't done yet but I am not sure what to do next. I am kind of making up the pattern as I go along.

The fear of quilting

On Saturday morning I went up to Mom and Dad's for quilting.

It was decided a few weeks ago that Alison was going to teach us how to make a quilt square. Having never pieced a quilt in my life, this was a daunting idea indeed. I chose my fabric on Friday and forgot to throw it in the washer. I got to Kaysville by 10:15 am. I played with Isaac and Lauren while we were getting set up. After cutting out my fabric, I took a quick break and went to the hair salon. After returning, I held Tanner. He got his first cast on to fix his club foot. Saturday was the first time I had really gotten the chance to hold this sweet boy. He slept the whole time but it was completely wonderful. Isaac and Lauren were darling as usual, although Lauren refused to take a nap. It was great to see everyone. Thankfully, Sarah has a sewing machine that I can use since I didn't get much sewing done. Everyone managed to finish. Because of my trip to the hair salon and a baby shower, I am horribly behind. Such is life. (By the way, I still am scared of quilting.)

Camille, the library, and the museum

Yesterday I decided to be the happy chef. I made a pot roast, baked potatoes, and carrots for dinner. It was my first time cooking a roast all on my own. It turned out really good. Camille liked it and praised my cooking skills. I did laundry and cleaned most of the upstairs bathroom. At 4pm I heard the shower turn on. Since I thought I was alone, I was a little alarmed. It turns out that Camille had been asleep all day. So, with waking up twice for bathroom breaks, Camille had slept for 14 hours. She hasn't been feeling well lately. Along with being tired all the time, she is dizzy most of the time. Sometimes it is so bad that she can't get out of bed. I took her to the doctor's office last week but the blood tests came back ok. Now if I could just convince her to go see an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor. I am worried about her. Anyway, enough about Camille.
I have two interviews tomorrow so I would appreciate positive thoughts from any readers of this blog. The first interview is with a law firm. The other is with the Lee Library on the BYU campus. It would be a wonderful job. I am hopeful but am not getting my hopes up. After Camille and I ate dinner last night, she showed me where the library was. We went inside to find the office where my interview will be and I ended up looking around. What a wonderful building. In the basement there is a small exhibit about World War II. What I found fascinating was several journals. They were all open to various pages. I couldn't help but sit and read everything on those open pages. According to the notes accompanying the books, they have not been published. They were all on loan to the library from the families. What I wouldn't give to be able to read the whole journals. One particular journal caught my eye. As a POW, one man was given the duty, from his LDS group, to be a record keeper. He sketched pictures and wrote daily reports on what was happening in the POW camp. What a fascinating record. Anyway, after we left the library we stopped by the art museum. There is a wonderful exhibit about Christ. We would have stayed for the Impressionist exhibit but it was getting late and Camille and I were getting tired. I plan to get back to the museum this week, probably before or after my interview tomorrow.

Isaac, Hillary Hahn, Ryan, and church

On Friday morning, Jordan and Alison dropped Isaac off at my apartment. It was my job to watch and play with him while Jordan and Alison went to the viewing and funeral of her grandfather. For over two hours, we talked, laughed, and played. He especially liked to talk to, and about, some plastic dinosaurs that we keep at the apartment for just such occasions. We also had fun getting the mail out of the mailbox. It made a lot of noise when Isaac repeatedly hit it. Jordan came and picked him up at about 12:30. I then took a shower, did some housework, and wrote part of a short story. At 4:30 pm I picked up Camille from work and we both got ready to go into Salt Lake City. Camille had found out about a concert at Symphony Hall. Hillary Hahn is a thirty-something violinist who has an amazing talent. Along with the orchestra led by Keith Lockhart, Ms. Hahn played music composed by Jean Sibelius. The music was dark, moving, and passionate. It was a great evening, and Camille's brother drove down from BYU-Idaho to join us. Even after stopping to shop on our way home, we still beat Sarah home.
On Saturday, I took Camille to the mall to get her ears pierced. Afterwards we went to the library, then home to watch a video based on a book by L.M. Montgomery titled Jane of Lantern Hill. I started a new blanket while we watched. At night, Ryan came down from Davis County and we went to dinner and hung out for a while. It was nice to see him since it had been a couple of weeks since we had seen each other. He didn't stay too long though; I had a headache and he was tired.
On Sunday morning, Camille and I got up and ate breakfast. As I was getting ready I happened to look at my cell phone. While my alarm clock read 10:15 am, my cell phone read 11:15 am. That's right, we both forgot about the time change for daylight savings. This means that I was late to church (which starts at 11 am.) Camille stayed home because she wasn't feeling well. Sarah left this morning for a business trip to Las Vegas. It will be strange to have her gone for a week. The part of church I was there for was excellent. I received a new calling: ward librarian. The Relief Society lesson was about repentance and forgiveness. After church, one of our home teachers came over to give Camille a blessing. The three of us ended up talking for almost two hours. Joe is a nice, well-spoken man who I can see becoming a good friend to both Camille and I.
Thus ends my weekend update. I hope all who read this update are doing well. Another week stretches out in front of me. Who knows what interesting things will happened this week.

Update from a stir-crazy girl

I have noticed that I am going stir-crazy. Because I am still in the interview phase of job searching, I have most of my days free. Luckily, I have found some things to do. The first is dishes. I am doing my best to make sure that no dish spends more than a couple of hours in the sink. I have also visited the Orem Library almost every day. I walk there. Yesterday I took the long way, which involved walking up to 4th east, across to 2nd north, then back to Center and State where the library is. I stayed there about an hour and I ran into Aunt Diane. She was going to a zoning meeting. After the library, I walked home by way of State. Aunt Diane stopped by to drop off some stuff from Grandma Roberts. She graciously sent Sarah and I some bowels, towels, and a few kitchen utensils. Aunt Diane and I had a good talk. After dinner, Camille and I went to the UVSC library for an art exhibit. We were pretty disappointed in it. We beat Sarah home by about 5 minutes.
Yesterday was a more interesting day than Tuesday, when Camille and I spent two and a half hours in the doctor's office. Camille hasn't been feeling well lately so she went in for a blood test and check up. Luckily I took a book, which I finished, and a book of Sudoku puzzles. I also made friends in the waiting room. Two sets of missionaries came in along with some nice girls, one who admitted to me that she had cheated on a test. (It will never cease to amaze me what people tell me, especially people I have just me.)
Today I plan to do some laundry, clean the kitchen floor, and work on a short story. I think I finally figured out what is going on with one of my main characters. I figured out on my walk yesterday. Anyway, I will try to keep busy.

Visiting family

This week I was able to see my loving family. On Thursday Alison, Jordan, and Isaac came to visit. Alison and Jordan came down to see her Grandfather and they let me babysit Isaac. The cute boy charmed Sarah and Camille. I was amazed how close to crawling he is. I also was amazed how sharp his new two teeth are. Sadly, my joy at seeing my nephew was lessened by the fact that Alison's grandpa is so sick.
On Friday, my roommates and I took some pictures. Included in this blog are pictures of Sarah cooking and Camille and I. Friday was quiet because I wasn't feeling well. After hearing something upsetting, I had an upset stomach for a few days. On Sunday I drove up to see my parents and the rest of family. We celebrated John's birthday. Mom made a great meal of ribs, potato salad, fruit, and wonderful chocolate trifle for dessert. It was great to see everyone. John and Jen's kitchen is coming along. Lauren now has seven teeth. Amazing!
Josh and Brooke are doing well in their roles of new parents. Tanner is growing although his sleeping schedule is a little off. Jordan and Alison both looked a little tired. Alison's grandfather died and his funeral is on Friday. I still remember when Grandpa Johnsen died and how hard it was. I wish her whole family the best. Jeremy and Britnie are both doing well. Wyatt is apparently teething and Sidney is as full of energy as ever. Mom and Dad are doing well. It was so nice to see everyone and I was home by 10:30 pm.
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