Monkey Portraits

Last week I read, or rather looked at, an awesome book. It is called Monkey Portraits by Jill Greenberg. Jill, a photographer, decided to take portraits of various primates. Many of the monkey's that are used in her book have also been featured in movies or tv. Other than the foreward, there is very little text in the book. I was struck not only by the clarity and lighting in the pictures but by the humanistic expressions on the monkeys. If you get a chance, I would highly recommend taking a look at this book.

Poll results and a thought

First, I would like to thank everyone for voting. Here are the results:

Book reviews: 8
Stories from work: 3
Memes: 1
Stores from my life: 13
Pictures: 12
Polls: 2

From this I can assume that people are actually interested in my life and that I need to take more pictures. While I am still reading, it didn't really occurr to me to discuss the books and what I like about them. I will endeavour to do as my readers wish (but I can't promise anything.)

On another note, I was thinking about what makes me special recently. (No, it wasn't an exercise in ego-boosting.) Someone posed the question of what would be interesting about a biography about me. I think there are two things that make me interesting: my dreams and my personality. My dreams tend to be vivid and I usually remember one or two a night. Personality wise, I think my blunt honesty and quirky humor is something to be loved (or at least something to smile and shake your head at.) While my personality is fused into my blog entries, my dreams are not. I'm wondering if my readers would be interested in occasionally reading what I'm dreaming about. What do you think?

Seeing family (and a museum)

Today I got the chance to spend some time with Alison, Aaron, and Isaac at the Springville Museum of Art. To be honest, I found out that Alison and her Mom were coming down to Utah County by accident and managed to invite myself along. I'm not proud of it, but it remains a fact. After a quick trip to the library, I drove to Springville. Isaac and I spent quality time in the gift shop looking at fake ice cream magnets. It was pretty funny to see him making a joke about licking a plastic ice cream cone. He so enjoyed my laughter that he laughed himself, and then made the joke five or six more times. Isaac and I also entered a drawing to win a free quilt. (As a side note, I also entered a few of my family members into the drawing as well. If anyone gets a call saying they won a quilt from the Springville Museum of Art, it's my fault.) I wrote on the papers and folded them and Isaac put the papers in the container. Isaac was full of energy today. His zest for life is astounding and his ability to constantly move makes me jealous. As usual, Aaron was as cute as ever. He is quite the wiggle-bug.

The museum was having an exhibit on quilts. They were pretty impressive. I did notice that two quilts were made by a neighbor of my parents. I always knew that Mary Tibbitts was a quilter, but I had no idea the true talent she possessed. I spent two glorious hours in the presence of beloved family members. It ended with Issac showing us the statue of St. Francis of Assisi outside. In fact, he even sat in the statue's lap and put something in his hand for him to read. It was pretty cute.

It seems like forever since I've spent time with any of my siblings or nieces and nephews. It's only been a month since I've seen everyone but I miss them. I'm so glad that Alison and her mom let me tag along for the afternoon.

Dirtball of doom

When we turned the air conditioner on, I noticed something in one of the front room ceiling vents. Sarah and I took the vent cover off and the following dropped onto the floor:

Frightening? Yes. It freaked me out a little so the next night I started prying other vents open. All the vents in the ceilings and walls of our place are painted over so I used a razor blade, screwdriver, and a hammer. They were all pretty gross inside but there were no other dirtballs. I can't help but wonder what else is in our vents that I can't reach. I plan to take the vent in my bedroom off next and then the one in the bathroom.

Anyway, just in case everyone thinks that I am exagerating at the size, here is a picture of it next to a pair of sissors.

A poll

So, like my brother, I am interested in what people think. I have a poll on my blog so that I might better serve my readers. If you would be so kind as to participate, I will do my best to be considerate of the wants and needs of others. On another note, the air conditioning is working at my place again. The only problem is that I think we need to clean the ducts. Both Sarah and I woke up with horrible allergies this morning. When I slept with the window open and the wind blowing, I wasn't as stuffed up. One night of running the air conditioning drove my nose and lungs crazy. Hmmm, I think I need to take all the vents out and vacuum.

A hasty heart and wet lungs

Yesterday was not a good day for me at work. It started out well but ended in a mess. I was given a spreadsheet of some missing paperwork by a member of the Executive Committee. Being the proactive person that I am, I immediately started e-mailing managers and directors for the missing paperwork. Sadly, most of the managers and directors that I e-mailed had no idea what I was talking about. I got seven e-mails, three phone calls, and a personal visit from a confused manager. It turns out that my zealous nature had not given some Executive Committee members time to talk to their directors and managers about what needed to be done. I was concerned about what the person who originally had given me the project would think since some of the managers were pretty unhappy with me and was kind of freaking out by the end of the day.

When I arrived home, I told Sarah the problems of the day. Until late in the day, I had forgotten that I had tickets to a play the The Hale Centre Theater in Orem. Sarah and I went and had a pretty good time. Actually, Sarah enjoyed the whole play while I enjoyed it until half way through the second half.

First, a brief explanation of the play: The Hasty Heart takes place in 1945 in a British military hospital in Burma. There was a wide variety of accents including Scottish, Irish, English, Australian, Georgian (as in the state,) and a New Zealander. It reminded me a little of MASH but sweeter. It was a good play and I would highly recommend it. I plan to rent the movie from the library as soon as it comes in.

Now that the play has been explained, let me continue with my story. I bought a bottle of water during the intermission. Halfway through the second act I took a big swig of water just as a very funny line was said. I started to laugh, tried to stop, and proceeded to spit half the water out while swallowing the other half (although it helps to swallow water into your stomach and not your lungs.) I immediately gagged and coughed. Being the ever polite person I am, I tried to do so quietly. For a minute, I couldn't breathe and panicked. At every audience laugh, I coughed loudly so I could clear my lungs. I then coughed most of the night and didn't get much sleep. By the time I awoke from a very interrupted sleep, my throat and chest hurt. I wouldn't recommend trying to drown yourself buy inhaling water at a play.

At work today, I continued my coughing spree. At this point it hurts to breathe, but I seem to be coughing less and am hopeful for a complete recovery by tomorrow morning. I'm told that breathing dry, warm air will help. That, at least, can be done in my house since the air conditioning is still at a standstill. The parts have been ordered though, and it isn't as bad as I might lead my readers to believe. I also watched the news last night and the trusty weatherman assured both Sarah and I that this weekend would be cooler than this past week. Anyway, thus end the story.

Warning: a religious post

In regards to the title, I thought I should give a warning to any blog readers that have no desire to read about religion. This is about what happened at church today. In Sacrament Meeting, Jerica talked about making sacrifices for the Lord. It was an interesting talk since I watched the movie Legacy last night. While I am not asked to cross a prairie like the main character in Legacy, I am asked to have a contrite spirit and obey the Lord's commandments. I have to wonder which is harder, to physically endure or to resist temptation and choose the right in this modern age. There was a beautiful flute/piano duet, followed by a member of the high counsel who spoke on testimonies.

In Sunday school, our class had a discussion about the Millennium. For those who are unaware, the Millennium is the period of time after Christ returns to the Earth. It can be hard to discuss something that is going to happen in the future. The general idea is there, but the specifics are not. For example, we are taught that once the Millennium begins, disease will not plague the human race. Does this mean that those who are suffering from disease, even terminal ones, will be automatically cured when Christ comes? Also, in Doctrine and Covenants 101:29, it says that we will have no sorrow. But we are taught that without sorrow, we can't really experience joy. Hmm; it's an interesting dilemma. Luckily, I don't have to worry about the details of Millennium. I know that once I die, my questions can be answered.

Anyway, the Relief Society lesson was a hard one. It was #14 in the Joseph Smith manual which is entitled "Words of hope and consolation at the time of death." I was ok until the teacher began talking about children who have died. I couldn't sit and listen with memories of Caleb pressing against my skull. While the pain lessens through the years, I don't think I will every be able to hear a lesson like that without feeling a little pain. I took a little walk to clear my head and then returned to Relief Society.

All in all, I really like going to church. When I was younger, I will admit that I went because my parents took me. But I go now for myself. Even when Sarah isn't here and no one would judge me, I still go because it make me feel good. What I learn at church makes me a better person. Thus ends my little soapbox sermon for the day. I wish you all a good Sunday.

Hello from the center of the sun

Ok, so it hasn't been quite that hot in my house lately, but it's been a little warmer than usual. While Sarah and I were watching the Olympics on Tuesday night, the air conditioning went off. We could hear the motor running but no cool air was coming out of the vents. Sarah turned down the temperature but nothing happened. After a call to her parents, she checked the air filter. It was almost a solid mass. It isn't surprising since we had many fans in here two weeks ago to dry off the from the flood. Sarah changed the filter but still, the cursed monster gave no reply. After another call to her parents, it was hypothesised that it had frozen up and we had to wait for it to thaw. (For those of you who know anything about air conditioners, you will know what I mean. I don't have the technical terms to describe it.) Sarah went to sleep at her parents house and I stayed to guard the home front. It actually hasn't been so bad. I just open my bedroom window and Sarah's and let the cross breeze do it's thing. Between that and the fan, I actually got cold last night.
Aunt Diane and Uncle Larry came over last night to take a look. It turns out that there is probably something wrong with the motor and it will have to wait until at least Monday. Luckily, the weathermen say that it won't get above 85 this weekend so I am sitting pretty. Sarah will be staying at her parent's house so I will get to walk around in any state that strikes my fancy. Oh wait, did I say that? Whoops. ;)

On another subject, I am feeling almost 100% and work is going pretty well. I hope my few readers are also feeling well.

Olympic (and health) update

The last few days have been pretty good for Olympic watching. Between swimming, diving, and gymnastics, I'm probably not getting enough sleep. Sarah and I were both incredibly excited when the USA men won the Mens 4x100 relay in swimming. After all the trash talk from the French, it was awesome when we won. The US is killing it in the swimming events in this Olympics. The last time I checked, Michael Phelps has 3 goals and is in position for a few more. While I'm sure he is sick of the comparison, he really reminds me of watching Thorpe swim for Australia.
We also could barely take our eyes off the Men's Gymnastics team as they won the Bronze medal last night. We stayed up until almost midnight. After the loss of the Hamm brothers, a lot of people didn't expect the US to win a medal at all in this sport. I thought they were especially impressive on the high bar. While I love the US, I have to say the male Chinese gymnasts were amazing. On another note, we took all the medals in women's fencing.
As to my health, I'm feeling ok. My cough is almost gone and my runny nose is slowing down for now. I'm tired; but that could be because I stayed up watching the Olympics. Right now, Sarah and I are watching the Women's Synchro diving.

Watching the Olympics while sneezing (or not)

Right now I am watching the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. I always love the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I try to watch it every two years (both winter and summer.) Right now I have stopped sneezing. For the last week I have had a bad cold. It was so bad that I have been going into work late this week and leaving at a decent hour. I may get close to 40 hours instead of my usual 45-55. In fact, there's a chance that I may have only worked 39 hours. I can only hope that I feel much better tomorrow. If I don't, I won't be able to go up for the family dinner on Sunday to celebrate Jen's birthday. I plan to go to bed early, drink a lot of water and orange juice, and watch the Olympics tonight and tomorrow. I already feel better than I did yesterday and the day before.

I am really looking forward to the Olympics this year. While I like the actual sporting events, I am far more interested in the political and cultural coverage. The running of the Olympic torch alone has been fraught with controversy so it should be interesting. China is so different from the United States when it comes to politics, culture, and even ways of thinking. For the next 17 days, the west will meet the east. Who else is excited?

Sidney's baptism

On Saturday morning I arose early so I could drive up to Sidney's baptism. It makes me feel so old to know that I have a niece that is old enough to be getting baptized. Anyway, I drove up North and had a great time. Sidney looked beautiful and I couldn't have been more proud of her. I couldn't help but remember when she was born and how small she was. I loved babysitting her, singing to her, and making her laugh. Anyway, I teared up twice and made an attempt at giving a short talk on the Holy Ghost. Sidney was baptized first of the three kids there for the occasion. After the two boys were baptized it was time for Sidney to be confirmed. It was wonderful; luckily, the fire alarm didn't go off until after her confirmation. Apparently a small child not related to us pulled the alarm.
After the confusion, we all went to Sidney's house for food. All the kids ran around and the adults watched the chaos. After the party, Sid, Wyatt, Taylor, and Easton went to the Treehouse Museum. I was so exhausted that I didn't join them. Instead, I went to my parents house to rest. Two hours later I got a phone call from a friend and headed down to Orem. By the time I got to Lehi, my plans were canceled. I spent the night shopping, cleaning, reading, and surfing the Internet. All in all, it was a good day (the best part being Sidney of course.)

Carpet padding

Yeah! We now have carpet padding and our front room is back to normal. Now if I could just get over my deep nagging feeling that I need to shampoo the carpets

Giving my all (a post for those not faint of heart)

There are people who accuse me of giving my heart and soul to my work, but who knew that I would also be giving bodily fluids. On Monday, my boss let us know that there would be a random drug test on Wednesday (today.) On Tuesday we had a meeting to discuss what would happen. Thus it was that the HR team split up on Wednesday morning to help round up the participants in three different offices. Sadly, it turns out that I was on the list of people to be tested. I spent an hour in the conference room waiting with 16 other people until it was my turn (I was second to last to get tested.) So, for my company, I was able to give a urine sample. This was not the end of the giving though. Oh no; how could the giving stop there? Wednesday was also the day that the blood drive for the Provo Office was scheduled. I had signed up before I knew about the drug testing. So at 3pm, I went out to the bloodmobile and gave in behalf of my company. Needless to say, I didn't get all the things I wanted to get accomplished today done. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

On another note, I just noticed that this is my 250th post. Who would have thought that my blogging would have continued so long? (Oh wait, probably anyone who knows that I enjoy writing and expressing my opinions on every topic under the sun.) Have a good night dear readers. I look forward to another 250 posts in the future.

A lesson

I taught in Relief Society today. All week I have been looking over the three talks that I was supposed to speak on and then mulling over how to tie them together. Last night I got an idea for an object lesson. I brought a blown-up balloon, a bottle of water, and some crackers to church with me. The comparison came when I compared prayer to air, the scriptures to water, and obeying the commandments to food. It went something like this:

How long can you go without air? A few minutes; maybe 10 if you've trained for a long time? Since we are supposed to have a prayer in our hearts all the time, it can be like air. We should always want to be communicating with our Heavenly Father. How long can you go without water? You might be able to do it for a week before you died. Usually, people don't go an entire day without something to drink. It should be the same with the scriptures. You shouldn't be able to go a day without at least reading one verse. How long can you go without food? I don't know that you can more than a month; I personally wouldn't want to go more than a day or two. That is how often you should make sure you are obeying the commandments of God.

Anyway, all week I've been praying that my lesson would help at least one person. I learned a lot but I hoped that in some small way I could benefit someone else. On Sunday morning, my ideas didn't seem to be gelling or connecting to each other. I ended the lesson a few minutes early and felt horrible. I felt like I had failed in my objective of helping another member of my Relief Society. After my lesson, a member of the Relief Society came up to me and said "that was exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you so much." I was shocked and so glad that I had been praying all week. Knowing that I had helped her made me so grateful that the Lord listens to prayers. In the parking lot another woman said almost the same thing. I almost teared up. Anyway, I don't normally get into spiritual things but I just wanted to share that experience with everyone.

Randy Pausch

When I got on the computer tonight, a headline on Sarah's homepage caught my eye: "Last Lecture professor dies at 47." I was suprised in a way, but shouldn't have been. For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, go to the ABC News website for more information. I first learned about Randy Pausch from Sarah, although she doesn't know it. I saw a CD on the kitchen hutch that said "Last Lecture-Randy Pausch." Being stubborn, I didn't ask Sarah about it. Instead, I turned to my trusty friend: the internet. I found his videos on Youtube and was amazed at what I saw. How could a man who had been diagnosed with cancer have such an attitude? It was amazing. I then went to his website and read more about his struggles, his passions, and his life. (As a side note, when I tried to connect to it this evening, it wasn't working.) I then went out and bought the book The Last Lecture and read it almost all in one sitting. It was inspiring and sad all at the same time. I raved about it to my coworkers the next day and even loaned my book to Emily, the payroll supervisor. (For those of you who know me, you realize how much it takes for me to loan a precious book out.) I have two quotes from the book on my whiteboard at work. The first is "Decide if you are a Tigger or an Eyore" and the other is "The brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things." I would encourage everyone to either watch the Youtube version of The Last Lecture or read the book. I only wish that I could live my life as well as Randy Pausch did. I extend my sincere condolences to his wife and children.

Sidney's Birthday

Sunday started out well as Jen, Lauren, and I went to church with Mom and Dad. Lauren was a little mischievous but all went fairly well. When we got home we started preparing for Sidney's birthday dinner. She had requested barbecue ribs (at the hinting of her grandfather,) cornbread, fruit, an Italian bread that I can't remember the name of, and angel food cake for dessert. It was a magnificent feast, as are all of my mother's meals. We had a lot of fun and the little kids loved being outside. I bought two books, Pippi Longstocking and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and some stickers for Sidney for her birthday. (The sticker's on account of Wyatt getting a hold of the last ones that I sent her.) I liked both of the books as a child and hope that she enjoys them as well. I can't believe that she is old enough to be baptised. It doesn't seem possible since I still remember the first time that Jeremy and Britnie ever let me babysit her. I held her the whole time and marveled at her little hands and feet. It is strange to remember that memory so clearly and realize that it is over seven years ago. (Wow, look at me waxing nostalgic; I must be getting old.) Anyway, after dinner we all went outside to play. Sidney and I kicked the ball around with Jordan, who realized that we weren't nearly as exciting to play soccer with as Josh is. All in all, it was a great time. I hated to go home and didn't get there until just past 11pm. I did, however, beat Sarah home from her parent's house. I am excited to see Sidney be baptised in a week and a half and have even been asked to give a short talk, which I have been pondering over when I'm not preparing my Relief Society lesson for this weekend. I hope all my readers, few that they are, are having a wonderful week and wish them all a happy 24th of July tomorrow. Unlike other Utahns, I will be working and will not be able to celebrate our pioneer heritage. Even though it is only 10:30pm, I think I will go to bed.

A flood, fights, and some fun

First, I make my apologies to any readers of my blog. I know it has been quite a while since my last post. Perhaps an explanation of my last week will somehow explain my lack of posting. Last weekend was one of little sleep. I can't really explain why, but I could not sleep worth a darn. On Friday night I was only able to get a few hours. On Saturday night, I managed to get four. I saw the sun start to rise before my eyes closed for sleep. On Sunday night, I luckily got six and so was able to go to work the next day. I was a little grump and had a very busy day. I had to work late to work in the team list and entering the new hires. I went home and did my best to get some sleep. On Tuesday I awoke from almost seven hours of sleep refreshed and alert. Little did I know that I was in for a fight. While I can't go into it, being the confidential HR issue that it was, I can say that I was extremely annoyed and let my annoyance show to my boss and co-workers. I'm afraid that no one at work could ever accuse me of being unopinionated or nonverbal. Anyway, by 6pm I was pretty tired.
A little after 6, Sarah called me to ask if I had noticed anything strange about the water that morning. I hadn't. I was then informed that we had a miniature flood at our house and Sarah was worried that the water heater had decided to become a water fountain. By the time I got home, the problem was discovered. Our next door neighbor's pipe and burst and had flooded both her townhouse and ours. Sarah used the wet vac and I used the mop and we cleaned up the best we could. The owner of the neighboring townhouse came by to say that he would be calling disaster clean-up and being paying for the whole mess. The kitchen, bathroom, hall, and over half of the front room was a wet disaster. We moved some furniture upstairs and to a neighbor's house (thanks Scotty for babysitting the chairs and a table.) At 8pm, I decided to finally sit down and have dinner. Just after my mom called, listened to my day, and then proceeded to give me some bad news. Since it is not my news to share, I won't. Needless to say, I was in tears and decided that this was a horrible, no good, very bad day. I fell into bed expecting immediate sleep but was kept awake by my concern for another. Finally I got to sleep at midnight. The next day I was tired, emotional, and not in the mood to talk. Sadly, the Facilities manager asked how my day was going and I, unfortunately, told him. The poor man looked at my tear-stained cheeks marred by the horrible bags under my eyes and promptly offered me chocolate and a listening ear. The rest of the day did not go well.
On Thursday, I had another strong disagreement with my superiors. Not to worry dear readers, I won't regale you with the sorry details and thus turn your brains to mush. By Friday, I had decided that the week couldn't get any worse. Luckily for me, I had decided to go home for the weekend to see my sister and her dear daughter. I left work at a decent hour and went shopping for Sidney's birthday gift. I got to Kaysville too late to see Lauren before she went to sleep but managed to have a good talk with my mom and sister. Jen and I talked a little more as we lay in in the dark in the twin beds downstairs. It kind of reminded me of when we were younger and I went to visit her house in Salt Lake before she was married.
On Saturday, we decided to go to a little water park in Ogden after Alison suggested it. Josh called to see if Dad wanted to go to the movie that afternoon and ended up being invited to the park so his son could play in the water. Sadly, Britnie wasn't feeling well so we didn't invite Wyatt and Sidney. Only later did I realize that I very easily could have gone and picked them up, leaving Britnie to rest in peace. (Honestly, I think my brain is working slower these days.) It was a lot of fun and we ended up at a little sandwich shop for lunch. Isaac is getting more and more adventurous and Tanner is walking quite quickly these days. After we went home, Lauren and I went down for a nap and then got up in time to play outside. Jen left for dinner with some friends and Poppy and I took Lauren for a walk. I then bathed her and Nana and I put her to bed. Lauren is getting very good at singing "Old McDonald" and "The ABC song," which I can only attribute to good genes and having a great mother. Thus ended my week. Luckily, I knew that the new week would start out well because we were going to be celebrating Sidney's birthday. Thus ends the horrible week.

An Owlz game

Tonight, I went to the Owlz game with Jen R, Angie, and Alisha. It was a lot of fun even though the Owlz lost. Afterwards we went to the Iceberg Drive-in.

Family

I haven't blogged about family recently so here goes:

In June we got together to celebrate June birthdays. I bought books for Lauren and Isaac and a meat thermometer for Dad for his Father's Day present. Aunt Linda was able to join us for our family dinner. It was finally warm enough for the kids to play outside, so we ate and played outside until everyone had to go home. I wish Linda could come out more often.

On June 28th, the Roberts clan came down to Orem for the yearly family reunion. We did it early this year so that it would be cooler but it was still pretty warm. Luckily, I spent over three hours in the pool with Sid, Wyatt, Brit, Jeremy, John, Jen, and Lauren. I forgot to reapply the sunscreen so ended up sunburned on my face, shoulders, and back. The food was good and I liked seeing all my extended family although I was really tired after swimming. Dad gave me advice about cars and I ended up reading off lists from Entertainment Weekly to a bunch of relatives.

On the morning of July 4th, I went up to my parent's house and we went to the Kaysville parade. It was great until the water part of the parade, when a boy fell off a float and got run over. He was taken by helicopter to the hospital. Luckily, the news said that he was doing fine. We then went to Allred's for lunch. Afterwards, we went home so that Isaac, Aaron, and Alison could take a nap. Josh and Brooke came and made dinner so I got to play with Tanner. We ate when Jordan came home from work at 7:30, then played "Time's Up" until nightfall. We then went outside to watch the fireworks. Mom, Josh, Brooke, Tanner, Jordan, Isaac, and Alison went down to the Allreds to watch the fireworks while Dad, Aaron, and I watched from my parent's house. Brooke, Josh, and Tanner stayed the night and I had fun playing with him the next morning. I have to say that I love spending time with my family. They are so great and I love spending time with my nieces and nephews.

EW's book list

At the family reunion yesterday, I read Entertainment Weekly's list of the top 100 classic books of the past 25 years. A few people asked me to post it, so here goes:

1. The Road - Cormac McCarthy, 2006
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling, 2000
3. Beloved - Toni Morrison, 1987
4. The Liars' Club - Mary Karr, 1995
5. American Pastoral - Philip Roth, 1997
6. Mystic River - Dennis Lehane, 2001
7. Maus - Art Spiegelman, 1986/1991
8. Selected Stories - Alice Munro, 1996
9. Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier, 1997
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami, 1997
11. Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer, 1997
12. Blindness - Jose Saramago, 1998
13. Watchmen - Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, 1986/1987
14. Black Water - Joyce Carol Oates, 1992
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers, 2000
16. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood, 1986
17. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1988
18. Rabbit at Rest - John Updike, 1990
19. On Beauty - Zadie Smith, 2005
20. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding, 1998
21. On Writing - Stephen King, 2000
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz, 2007
23. The Ghost Road - Pat Barker, 1996
24. Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry, 1985
25. The Joy Luck Club - Amy Tan, 1989
26. Neuromancer - William Gibson, 1984
27. Possession - A.S. Byatt, 1990
28. Naked - David Sedaris, 1997
29. Bel Canto - Anne Patchett, 2001
30. Case Histories - Kate Atkinson, 2004
31. The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien, 1990
32. Parting the Waters - Taylor Branch, 1988
33. The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion, 2005
34. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold, 2002
35. The Line of Beauty - Alan Hollinghurst, 2004
36. Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt, 1996
37. Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi, 2003
38. Birds of America - Lorrie Moore, 1998
39. Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri, 2000
40. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman, 1995-2000
41. The House on Mango Street - Sandra Cisneros, 1984
42. LaBrava - Elmore Leonard, 1983
43. Borrowed Time - Paul Monette, 1988
44. Praying for Sheetrock - Melissa Fay Greene, 1991
45. Eva Luna - Isabel Allende, 1988
46. Sandman - Neil Gaiman, 1988-1996
47. World's Fair - E.L. Doctorow, 1985
48. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver, 1998
49. Clockers - Richard Price, 1992
50. The Corrections - Jonathan Frazen, 2001

For numbers 51-100, please click on the link to Entertainment Weekly above. (Sorry, my fingers are getting tired.)

In over my head

On Monday night I got a phone call from a member of the Relief Society of my ward. She asked me to substitute for the teacher on Sunday. My lesson was based on three talks: Concern for the One by Elder Wirthlin, Opening Our Hearts by Bro. Lund, and And Who Is My Neighbor? by Bishop Burton. I, of course, didn't get through all of the talks. I especially liked Brother Lund's talk and his analogy of the fences. Right before I taught, a counselor of the bishopric pulled me aside and asked me to teach on a permanent basis. To say I feel overwhelmed and inadequate is an understatment. I can't say I'm particularly spiritual and I have been known to say more than one inappropriate thing in church. I can only hope that my unique persepective on life can assist in my teaching instead in hindering it. I have never had a teaching position so I would welcome any suggestions.

Little Women

Last night I took advantage of part of my Christmas present by going to see Little Women: the broadway musical at The Hale Center Theater in Orem. It was pretty good. I am familiar with the music since I have owned the soundtrack to this musical for over a year. I have read Little Women the book several times as well as seen several movie versions. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to see the play. I took a friend of mine, Angie. I was really impressed with the lead, Hailey Smith. Her voice was strong, clear, and she had excellent range. I also was very impressed the actor and actress who played Meg and Mr. Brooke (Courtney and Jeff Pew.) After reading the biographies, I realized their chemistry may be in part because they are married. They both had good voices and excellent acting skills. The actress who played Beth was a wonderful actress but didn't have a strong voice. The two male leads did admirably considering this was their first musical. Overall, I would recommend the play to anyone.

Perhaps a new car...

I had another car appointment today because my air conditioning stopped working. Since January I have spent about $500 on repairs for the car. Since the car I drive is a 1993, I think it's about time for me to buy a new car. Based on safety records, fuel efficiency, and reliability, I have narrowed the field. I am thinking of buying a Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, or a Toyota Corolla. I am planning to buy a 2005, 2006, or 2007 model. Does anyone have an opinion?

I've been tagged

I read my sister's blog today and realized that I'd been tagged. (See Jen's blog for more details.) Here goes:

3 Joys:
1. My nieces and nephews - never has a family been so blessed by such lovely, smart children.
2. A clean bathroom - it is so nice to shower in a clean shower with no hair in it, step on a clean floor, and look into a clean mirror above a clean counter. If I had time, I would have my bathroom cleaned every couple of days.
3. A good book - there is nothing like escaping into a different world or becoming a different person. It is also a great way to learn about other people, places, and ideas.

3 fears:
1. That another niece or nephew will die before me. While I know it isn't likely, it nearly killed me when Caleb died. I don't know that my heart could take another blow like that.
2. Snakes - it isn't natural for an animals to have no appendages. Even fish have fins; no wonder snakes are considered a cursed animal in most myths and stories.
3. Losing hope for the future.

3 goals:
1. Finishing school - yes, I know it need to make the time to finish. Really, I don't need to be reminded.
2. Consistently work less than 50 hours each week. I am working on this one with my manager.
3. Finish embroidering another skirt.

3 obsessions/collections:
1. Books - Even with three bookcases and books lining the back of my desk, I am still making piles of books on the floor of my bedroom. I've decided I just need to make floor to ceiling bookshelves in whatever place I live.
2. Doing a good job at work - even at home I think about ways to improve my performance at work. I have been this way at every job I've ever had. There are days I curse the work ethic instilled in me.
3. Reading the blogs of my siblings and other family members and reading my e-mail. Since I live the farthest from my parents, I love the fact that I can catch up on their lives and see the latest pictures of my nieces and nephews.

3 random or surprising facts:
1. I think fireworks are very romantic. I was reminded of this fact just tonight when I watched the fireworks at Summerfest. I really wished I had been in the arms of some cute guy.
2. I dislike change at home but actually don't mind it at work. I am not sure why there is this distinction in my brain.
3. I wish there was an empty room in a house where I could just paint strange murals on the walls.

I tag Sarah and Britnie.

Saturday with The Host

Ladies and Gentlemen, you are not being deceived. The time this blog entry was posted is correct. It is now past 3am on Sunday morning and I have still not gone to bed. "How can this be?" an astonished reader might ask. Well, it all started this morning when I went to my neighbor's house for brunch. My visiting teachers decided to invite their girls to brunch so that both bodies and souls could be fed. Luckily, the place where it was held was in a townhouse in the same row as the one I live in. I walked a few doors down and shared a wonderful meal with Angie, Missy, and Rebecca (I think that is her name; it is late after all.) I offered to take out their trash. When I went out their back door, I found a plot of dirt. Instead of the cement and rocks that are in my backyard, I found that it had cement and dirt. My mind raced with excitement. It had weeds that were almost as high as my waist and was app. 5ft x 12 ft. I went back in and almost begged to be able to weed and plant it. The weather was perfect and it had rained the night before, making the earth soft. Even though I was looked at as odd, they gave their permission. After talking for a while, I went home and changed into appropriate gardening clothes. I went and pulled all the weeds out. It took me about 2 hours. After a discussion with Angie about what she would like there, I ran to the greenhouse. I bought a tomato plant, acorn squash, and flowers. I went back, planted them all (using the techniques instilled in me by my parents) and was done by 4:45pm. It was exhilarating and exhausting. I came home and took a shower. I know that I'll be sore all day Sunday.
Earlier that day, Sarah had asked me if I wanted to read The Host by Stephanie Meyers and I said that I did. I enjoyed Twilight so I was willing to give it a chance, even though I have heard a few mixed reviews. (Some lovers of Twilight don't like it as well since it has a science fiction feel instead of her usual fantasy. The idea of aliens threw them off.) Well...get ready for a shock...I liked it better than Twilight. Before all of you start throwing stones at me or shunning me at parties, I would like a chance to explain. Unlike some fantasy readers, I enjoy the science fiction genre as well. I have always liked authors like Orson Scott Card, Sharon Shinn, and others. I liked the more mature characters and the serious inner conflict of Wanda/Wanderer/Melanie. It showed a depth and a moral struggle that I found to be engaging. Anyway, there it is. If you are interested in science fiction at all, I would highly suggest reading The Host. I started after I got out of the shower at 6:30 and couldn't put it down. I read all 624 pages in one sitting with only two bathroom breaks. I am now hungry, wide awake, and wish there were more to read. Oh well, such is life. Is it strange that I get this excited about books?

Lagoon

I must admit that I don't love huge crowds and I get motion-sickness fairly easily, but I had fun at Lagoon on Saturday. The biggest reason was the addition of my nieces and nephews. John and Jen brought Lauren, Alison brought Isaac and Aaron (Jordan had to work,) and Jeremy brought Sid and Wyatt (and Britnie joined us later.) Now that the "triplets" are able to walk and rides the rides, it was so much fun. Sidney was fun as usual as she got to go on some "big kid" rides with her parents and one with me. The first ride that Isaac and Lauren went on together was the boats. They both seemed a little shocked at the motion but were ok. Lauren hated the planes but was ok with the boats, cars, and merry-go-round. Wyatt didn't really like his first ride, the whales, but seemed to love the boats, planes, spaceships, and merry-go-round. Isaac went on everything and didn't want to leave. I believe the quote was as follows: "Isaac, lets go find Mommy and go home." Isaac: "No...plane, train, car." It was fun to see them run around on the grass and through Pioneer Village. Aaron was a little trooper. Despite the long day in the stroller, he was full of smiles for everyone. All in all, the little kids lasted much longer than I would have though. Isaac fell asleep on the 7 minute ride to Nana and Poppy's house.

I think Mom, Dad, and I had the most fun watching the little kids run around. Everyone enjoyed the train, which was ridden more than once, and even managed to eat a little at lunchtime. I am sure that Dad and Jeremy got some great pictures. (How can we convince them, especially Dad, to load them all on the flickr sight?) We didn't get home until after 9pm and I stayed and regaled my parents with stories from work until past 11pm. I got home around 12:30am and slept very well.

Anger at Iron Man

On Monday (Memorial Day) I decided to go see a movie. I had been at work for a little while and couldn't look at my computer a minute more. I had heard a lot of good things about Iron Man so I decided to see it. Fifteen minutes before the movie started, I left for the theater. I don't know what I was thinking when I went to a popular move on a holiday. I sat in the front row before the aisle and real front rows. I sat a seat away from a man and woman. Right before the movie started, a boy who looked to be 10 years in age came over. He was their son and he was holding a baby who looked to be around 1. He complained that he shouldn't have to hold the baby but his parents told him to go sit down in the front row. Over the next hour, the boy came back 7 times to complain and ask if he could have popcorn. After the first hour of the movie, the Dad left three times and the Mom left four times. After that the boy and his dad had a whispered argument about popcorn. About twenty minutes before the movie ended, the 1 year-old started crying. The parents sat there for a couple of minutes before one of them got up. I should have said something but I held my tongue. Each time one of the members of this family got up, they passed in front of me. By the end of the film, I was a little confused at who several of the characters were. I am going to see it again some other time and hope for normal people to sit by. Why someone would bring a 1 year-old to a loud, violent movie is beyond me. Are babysitters really so expensive these days that they couldn't afford one for 2 hours? Needless to say, I was a little annoyed.

Free Association Meme

Once upon a time I read a lot of Memes, which are helpful tools for bloggers as it gives them ideas on things to write about. I ran across an old Meme that I did while searching through my blog posts for the list of what I planted last year. I went to a Meme sight and this was the one they had for today:

"I say...and you think...?" For the following words, write the first word or phrase that comes to mind:
1. Red: favorite color
2. Book: read
3. Seven: members of my family
4. Gross: moldy Chinese food
5. Song: singing
6. Pen: black or blue
7. Apple: doctor
8. Sneakers: boys
9. Classic: books
10. Penguin: black and white

Gardening and Prince Caspian

On Saturday, after sleeping in and having some fun moving furniture around with Sarah, I decided to do some gardening. I planted Dahlias, Marigolds, Portulaca, Gazania, and Mimulus. Mimulus is a new ones for me but I have high hopes. Once again, I have to thank my parents, especially my mother, for teaching me how to garden. Just like last year, I also planted the front area of my neighbor's townhouse. I always seem to overbuy when it comes to flowers. I planted some in the pots in the backyard and planted my front garden, then knocked on the neighbor's door to ask for the use of her dirt. She gave her permission, then thanked me since she had been sick and wasn't sure if she would get flowers planted this spring. I plan to water and weed them so hopefully it will help her feel better all summer long. After I finished planting, Sarah and I went to eat at Cafe Rio. She went out with some friends and I decided to go see Iron Man but it was sold out. (I think that all the people who couldn't get in to see Indiana Jones went to Iron Man.) So I went to see The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. The story was pretty good although there were a few plot holes. It has more violence than the first movie, which is always good for me. I also could have used a little more back story on Prince Caspian, but such is life. (Wow, when did I get so critical of movies?) I would give it 3 stars out of 4.

Church was lovely today. There was a beautiful music number in Sacrament meeting by Tiffany and Rodney, a good lesson on the Book of Mormon in Sunday School, and a lesson about faith by Annie in Relief Society. My Visiting Teacher, Missy, came at 3:00 and my Home Teachers, Mike and Dave, came at 4:15pm. Overall, it has been a lovely day.

Grandpa's funeral

After the death of Grandpa, the funeral plans began. My aunts and uncle helped Grandma make the plans. As it turns out, all of Grandpa's children, grandchildren, and most of his great-grandchildren made it to Idaho for the funeral. Since most of the hotels were booked because of graduation, we had to scramble for places to stay. Dad, Mom, myself, Brit, Jeremy, Sid, and Wyatt stayed in the house of a friend of Grandma. The viewing was on Friday, May 9th. Even though the weather wasn't very nice, the turnout was. As a tribute to Grandpa, a great slide show was shown. There were also two tables of "memorabilia" type things such as Grandpa's draft card, tools, hats, and a bowl of lemon drops. The next day there was a viewing at the church followed by his funeral. Renee gave a great tribute to Grandpa. It was both touching and humorous. Uncle Doug gave a great talk about eternal life. The pall bearers were all the male grandchildren, which I found very touching. At the graveside, there were military honors. I had never seen a military funeral before Grandpa's. It was so touching. To see the men salute Grandpa's casket, the presentation of the flag to Grandma, and the gun salute was amazing. I have to wonder if my father will want military honors at his own funeral (which won't be for another 50 or so years.) Grandpa's casket passed great-grandma's grave, which is the first funeral I remember going to.
After the graveside service, we went back to the church for lunch. The little kids ran around and we ate food prepared by the Relief Society members of Grandma's ward. After we ate, the grandchildren of Harold and Glenna went outside and had their picture taken. Honesty, I can't remember the last time we were all together. Even though it was a sad occasion, it was nice to see everyone. After the lunch, John, Jen, Lauren, and I headed back to Utah. Since the next day was Mother's Day, our family decided to push back out Mother's Day celebration until the next weekend. I will include pictures in my next blog post.

Happy Birthday Caleb

On Sunday afternoon, after I had heard about Grandpa Roberts death, Jen, Lauren, and I stopped by to see Caleb. I knew that after taking off part of Friday from work, there was a good chance that I wouldn't be able to drive back up to Bountiful for Caleb's birthday celebration on Monday night. So, Jen, myself, and a very tired Lauren stopped by. Since Mom remained in Idaho, she asked Jen and I to pick some flowers to put by the grave. It is strange to think that Caleb is four and not visibly running around down here with all his cousins and siblings. I still miss him and always will, but it was a nice thought to think that he was holding Grandpa Roberts hand and showing him around heaven. Caleb has had time to find all the good walking trails, fresh mountain springs, and the flower-filled meadows where he can chases puppies and rabbits around. I am sure that he and Grandpa have taken a walk or two already and talked about all the family members that are still on earth. Happy Birthday sweet boy; Aunt Jess loves you.

Going to Idaho

Last weekend, May 2-4, I went to Idaho with my parents, my sister, and her daughter. My mom called me early in the week and asked if I wanted to join them in visiting her parents and I decided that I did. Mom said that Grandpa wasn't doing very well and that he probably wouldn't last much longer. Since I hadn't seen him since the fall, I felt I should go. I decided to work until 10:30am on Friday, then leave and go to my sister's house. I worked really hard all week so that I would be able to go. On Friday, after doing some last minute work and having birthday cake for my boss, I left the remaining work in the capable hands of my co-workers and took off. On my way there, I stopped by the bank and the distribution center to buy a hymn book. I drove to Jen's house and she, Lauren, and I went to Mom and Dad's house. Mom cooked us hamburgers and we left for Idaho. I sat in the front because of my motion-sickness and I wanted Dad's opinion on my emergency plans. Mom worked while Jen kept Lauren busy. When we got there, Mom made dinner and we all said hi to Grandpa. Grandpa has been bed-ridden for a while and slept most the time we were there. He did wake up for a while on Friday and we got a chance to talk to him.
Lauren kept us entertained most of the weekend. She was running around around, wrestling with Poppy, reading with Mommy, helping outside, and going on walks to see the doggies down the street. Lauren also had lots of fun playing with my silver bracelets, which I wore just for her. For some reasons, my neices and nephews seem like like these bangle bracelets. On Saturday, Mom and Jen took Grandma shopping for Mother's Day and Dad did household repairs. Jen and I also managed to get some weeding done in the flowerbeds while Dad mowed and edged the grass. I watched Lauren and Dad and I checked in on Grandpa. The clothes Grandma got were very cute. Mom made another great meal on Saturday and I made banana bread. Mom, Jen, and Grandma cooked the meal on Sunday afternoon. I really enjoyed both the salmon and chicken that Mom cooked. It never ceases to amaze me how wonderful my mom and sister are at cooking. On Sunday, Aunt Diane joined us. As lunchtime passed, it was time to go but Mom didn't want to leave. After some thought, she decided to stay.

On Sunday afternoon, I went in and said goodbye to Grandpa. I told him that it was ok for him to go and that we would take care of Grandma. I also told him that Caleb would be excited to see him and that he could teach Caleb all about trains and how to fix things. After a kiss on the forehead and a few tears, I left so Jen could say goodbye. A few minutes later, Dad, Jen, Lauren, and I left. Fifteen minutes later, Mom called and said that Grandpa had passed away. Jen and I called our siblings to tell them the news. While Grandpa's passing is very sad, it is a good thing. He was tired and ready to go. I think that once everyone, including Grandma, had accepted that he was dying, he decided it was time to go. I think it's nice that he was able to die at home with his wife and two of his daughters with him. Mom decided to stay the entire week and help Grandma with the preparations. I love Grandpa and will miss him. I will always remember him calling me "babe" and letting me have lemon drops or See's Candies. When I was young, I remember him always working on something or going to the Bishop's Storehouse to volunteer. Later on, I could always find him reading the newspaper or watching a sporting event. I will be eternally gratefull for the support and love that he always gave me mother. I love you Grandpa and will miss you.

Painting

I know that it has been too long since I last wrote so I'm going to try to catch you up. On Saturday, April 26th, I went downstairs to find a lot of plastic covering all the furniture in the front room and Sarah taping off the windows. She had decided to paint the top section of the front room. I ate breakfast and then met Happy coming down the stairs. She was moving home that day. I must admit that I don't enjoy change, so this day wasn't my best. However, Happy called John to help move the heavy stuff, Sarah's family took away the futon that had stayed on our back porch over the winter, and I made a run to the DI. Sarah and I then started painting and finished before the 10pm news came on. Sarah cut in the primer while I used the roller. Sarah had chosen a light tan color to replace the white. For the paint, I cut in while she used the roller. (Happy was nice enough to take a picture of us while she was moving stuff.) The next morning, when we saw the paint in the sun, we realized that we needed to put on another coat of paint. Since it was Sunday, and Sarah had thrown some of the painting plastic and tape away, we waited until Monday night. I was so late coming home from work that Sarah had the second coat over half way done by the time I got home. I think it turned out well.

Emergency plans and April birthdays

Some of you know that I have been taking an HR class every Tuesday night for the past few months. Two weeks ago we discussed safety. It made me realize that my company, along with many other companies, did not have an emergency action plan when it came to earthquakes, employee abduction, fire, etc. The facilities manager and I undertook the daunting task. I have been writing emergency action plans for all of the above mentioned catastrophes as well as some others. While businesses that manufacture things or deal with heavy equipment have many OSHA guidelines, there aren't many guidelines for white-collar working environments. I searched the Internet and books for references and suggestions, and eventually came up with first drafts of several emergency plans. Because of this project, along with several others, I worked 54 hours last week.

By the weekend I was really tired but I was energized by the idea that I would be able to see my family on Sunday. My parents, Grandma Johnsen, and all my siblings and their families gathered together to celebrate the birthdays of Brooke, Alison, and Wyatt. It was a lot of fun. As usual, the food was amazing. It was so funny to see all the kids together. Tanner is so close to taking his first unaided step. Lauren is starting to really assert herself; especially in regards to the wooden duck and sharing. Isaac is making an excellent older brother to Aaron (who had a cold.) Wyatt is starting to talk in phrases, which will soon become full-blown sentences. Sidney rules supreme when it comes to herding the little ones about and being helpful in many situations. All in all, it was a wonderful time (despite some grumpy moments by a niece and nephew who shall remain nameless.) I stayed a little later than I should.

I was driving home after 10:30pm and was anxious to get home when I was pulled over by Highway Patrol Officer Taylor as I was passing the city of American Fork. I was going over 75 in a 65 zone. I received a speeding ticket (my first) and have to wait more than 5 but no more than 14 days to visit the courthouse in Provo. I am planning on attending traffic school so that it won't damage the insurance rate (especially after the concussion in the car fiasco.) All in all, it was an eventful week. This week so far has been a busy one but I am going to try to best to work under 48 hours.

Utah in April

One of the things I like about Utah is that we have four seasons. Unfortunately, this can lead to some pretty weird weather. Take today: it rained, then snowed, then the snow melted, and then it came again in a hard sideways fashion. By 7:30 pm, the sun had come out and it was above 40 degrees. Here is a picture of my nice spring grass with its new covering.

I still read...really.

Even though I haven't written a book review since December, I still make time to read. Over the past couple of months, I have read the following books:

1. Paperquake by Reiss
2. A gracious plenty by Reynolds
3. Fairest of them all by Medeiros (I don't recommend it)
4. Lithium: what you should know by Eshom (informative yet slightly boring)
5. It happened in Utah by Wharton
6. Summers at Castle Auburn by Shinn (I like this fantasy author)
7. The Innocent's story by Singer
8. Austenland by Hale (Not as cute as I would have liked but, as a huge fan of Jane Austen, I still liked it)
9. Dream Chaser by Kenyon (interesting premise but had some smut-don't bother unless you can read sex scenes and not be bothered. I didn't make it all the way through.)
10. The night dance by Wayn
11. Fire study by Snyder (the third in a pretty good fantasy series)
12. A field guide to high school by Walsh (part of it is written in a diary format)
13. Over the moon at the Big Lizard Diner by Wingate (a cute, clean romance)
14. I'd tell you I love you, but then I'd have to kill you by Carter (fun teen spy novel)
15. Deep and dark and dangerous by Hahn (ok but no Wait Til Helen Comes)
16. Beauty by Wilson (I likes this story of a painter and a recluse disfigured by disease)
17. Feathers by Woodson
18. General Winston's daughter by Shinn
19. The Titan's Curse by Riordan (An interesting series that involves Greek Gods and heroes)
20. When Cricket's Cry by Martin (I would recommend it to almost any adult)
21. The Fire Rose by Lackey
22. The Quantum Rose by Asaro (would have been better without the romance)
23. Cross my heart and hope to spy by Carter (second in a series)
24. The Uses of Adversity by Broderick (very good spiritual book for any adult)
25. The arrival by Tan (excellent graphic novel with few words)
26. The Thirteenth tale by Setterfield (I would like to thank my sister Jen for recommending it.)

Since the list is fairly long, I will not give my usual 2-5 sentence review. If there is something particular that I wanted any reader of my blog to know, I have included it. I hope you all are still reading and can make time to escape into a good book.

Aaron's blessing

Aaron Wyler was officially blessed and named on the church records on March 30, 2008. I skipped out of my own church to drive up to Weber County to watch my younger brother bless his third son. It was a beautiful blessing with family and friends in attendance. I am very proud of my brother. After the blessing, we traveled to Mom and Dad's house for food and good conversation. It was great to see everyone and Jen managed to get a cute picture of Aaron and I. Enjoy the pictures:

Babysitting Lauren

On Thursday I went up to babysit Lauren. We had a great time. Lauren helped me take a picture of her mommy and I managed to get a pretty good picture of John, Lauren, and Dad. After wonderful meal made by Jennifer, all the other grown-ups left for the theater. Lauren and I took a walk around the block. We saw a dog, at which Lauren barked, and stopped to look at some rocks. Even though it was kind of cold, she wouldn't keep her mittens and hat on. Every time she ran, she said "fast." It started to get really cold so we went back home. Lauren and I then ate some bread, sang, played the piano, read books, and I chased her around. After a very messy diaper, I got her ready for bed. She now brushes her teeth (sort of.) She helped me read Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Gorilla, and The Going to Bed Book. She was pretty tired so it only took her about five minutes to fall asleep. I then had a hard time staying away. It was another wonderful night.

A Passport

Yesterday I went to the post office and applied for a passport. While I don't yet have a place to go, I realized that I couldn't just pick up and go if I wanted to. One of my co-workers got a great deal on tickets to France. He and his wife were able to go on a trip on a few weeks notice because they both had passports. Since a passport is good for ten years, why not get one now? It should arrive within three months and I can't wait to go someplace.

Last weekend (John's birthday dinner & other fun)

I think it's kind of sad that I am just writing about last weekend since I had so much fun. On Friday, my mom called and said that she could use some help with some work. So, on Saturday afternoon, I drove to K-town. I helped my mom with some work, then had a lot of fun with Isaac, who was spending the night. We colored and played. I sang to Isaac and read some books in order to put him to bed. I had forgotten how fun it can be to put a child to bed. After Isaac went to bed, I continued to help my mom and then completed my taxes. On Sunday, Mom, Dad, Isaac, and I went to church. Afterwards we got ready for John's birthday dinner. Isaac was a big help to his Poppy when he was wiping off chairs. Dinner was a lot of fun and it was wonderful seeing all my kids (and their parents.) Lauren, Isaac, and Sidney loved running around. The only sad part was the Britnie and Wyatt couldn't make the festivities because Wyatt had a fever. At least we were able to send ribs, beans, salad (both green and potato,) rolls and cake home with Jeremy so that Britnie could partake of some of the fun. I am constantly amazed at what an amazing cook my mother is. I have posted a few pictures of everyone and I can't wait to see everyone again next week when we get together for Aaron's blessing.

IT flow chart

At work, I have a pretty good relationship with the IT department. They are all nice guys. One day I noticed Jake had a flow chart on his white board. I thought it was so clever that I took a picture of it. Enjoy.

Five things you might not know about me

In a tribute to Jeremy's lists of five, I present five things you might not know about me:

1) I like whiteboards. I find them useful to map out stories, draw diagrams, keep lists on, and tape stuff on. I especially like whiteboards that you can use magnets on. I have a rather large one at work. If I had the money and permission from Sarah, I would put a 6x10 foot whiteboard on my bedroom wall.

2) I really dislike the mornings. Since I can remember, I have been a night person. I seem to do some of my best work at night. My perfect work schedule would be 12-9pm. It isn't that I don't like the sun, I just like sleeping in more.

3) I occasionally get the feeling that I wasn't supposed to live this long. It isn't that I want to end my life or that I dislike my life in any way, it's just that I feel like I was supposed to die before the age of 25. It's almost like I was supposed to get hit by a car but that it happened to someone else instead. Not to worry, I love my life despite my crazy work schedule, and don't care to leave this world anytime soon. Who else would spoil my nieces and nephews? (Try not to be too shocked.)

4) I frequently remember my dreams. I used to not think this was anything remarkable. Recently, while talking to others, I have realized that many people only remember one dream every week or two. I remember several each week. I am not sure why this is.

5) I would willingly walk in front of a bus for any of my nieces and nephews. While many of my family members know this, not many other people do. I would live or die for any of them.

She Loves Me

If any of you have the chance to see She Loves Me at the Hale Theater in Orem, I would highly recommend it. It has the same plotline of The Shop Around the Corner, of which She's Got Mail is based. She Loves Me, however, is a musical. This, of course, made me very happy. The female lead had an amazing range and such clarity. Most of the other actors did equally as well. I was very impressed. Scotty and I went to the play and then to Mimi's Cafe for food afterwards. I didn't get home until 11:30pm and didn't fall asleep until almost 1:30am. All in all, a wonderful night.

Meals with others

I will admit that sometimes I get so busy that I forget to eat. This week however, I have had the chance to eat two meals with people I love. The first one was Monday night. My friend, Jen, had a birthday. One of her roommates contacted a bunch of us and arranged for all of us to meet at Wingers to surprise her. When she rounded the corner, her face was priceless. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of it. I did, however, get a picture of her eating popcorn. We had good food and great conversation. It was fun. After dinner, we went to a great Gelato place on center street in Provo. I highly recommend it.
On Tuesday afternoon I was able to go to lunch with Jordan, Alison, Isaac, and Aaron. I had such a wonderful time. I wish all my lunches were so great. Usually I eat at my desk while I'm eating. On Tuesday I walked over to Macaroni Grill to meet everyone. Isaac drew on the table, talked up a storm, and was generally darling. I wrote his name on the table. After eat letter, he would look at me and say "more?" He also enjoyed sharing the whipped cream off my drink. Aaron slept, ate, cried, had a dirty diaper, and looked around. In an act of charity, they offered to walk me back to work. I held Aaron while Jordan held my purse, jacket, and food. (I think Jordan and Alison realized how much I love spending time with their sons.) Isaac got some of his wiggles out while walking on grass, crossing a bridge, and looking at a river. They came into my office. While Alison used the restroom, I introduced the boys to my co-workers. I gave Isaac an apple juice for the road. For the rest of the day, I had a smile on my face. Even my co-workers noticed the difference. I wish all my meals were so much fun. Speaking of fun, tomorrow night I will go to my first play at the Hale Center Theater in Orem. Thanks again Mom and Dad for the great Christmas present (the tickets.)

Lauren's Sudoku book and cat

On Thursday I got to leave work early and drive to Salt Lake. The occasion was my chance to babysit Lauren while Jen, John, and Dad went to the theater. I met them at John and Jen's house. We then went to The Bombay House, where Lauren proceeded to clean her mother's plate. She then tried to clean out my purse, draw on my place mat, and read my Sudoku book. It was so much fun. She now says Poppy and Nana in her cute little voice. After her parents and Dad left for the play, Lauren and I ran around. After a minor accident, we changed her clothes. Lauren cleaned out my purse; taking time to write in my Sudoku book. She and I also talked to her cat, Meow-meow, and read several books. I think it is funny that she has an attachment to that cat since it used to be mine. It was one of the few stuffed animals that I kept and I love the fact that she has nicknamed it and sleeps with it. She also said the word "Poppy" every time she saw my camera. (I couldn't help but laugh since Dad is known for his camera.) By 8:30am, she and I were worn out. She went to sleep fast. It was wonderful to see her. Although I didn't realize it at the time, Lauren kept my Sudoku book for herself. Jen found it the next day. It amazes me what can bring joy to a child. I plan to let her keep it. Why should I keep a book that cost me a few dollars when one of my nieces or nephews finds such joy in it?