"Christmas is coming..."

"...the goose is getting fat

Please put a penny in the old man's hat

If you haven't got a penny, then a hay-penny will do

If you haven't got a hay-penny, then God bless you"

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I can't help singing that little tune lately. I'm starting to get excited for Christmas-time! I was planning on getting out all our decorations today, but I got out of rehearsal much later than I anticipated. Maybe I can decorate tomorrow. I really love decorating...a part of me still debates on going into interior design.

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It started snowing tonight...perfect for the first day of December. I knew the snow was coming; these past few days I could just feel it coming soon. Hopefully it doesn't snow too much. Last year we got stranded at our house because our car just doesn't do well in the snow. At least now we have chains if it gets really bad again. I just don't like how cold it's getting!!!

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My play goes on next week, and I'm not feeling like we're ready yet (set, props, costumes, etc.). We're doing "An Ideal Husband" by Oscar Wilde (same guy who wrote "The Importance of Being Ernest") You should all go rent the movie; it's pretty cute and funny, and has a fun cast (Rupert Everett, Cate Blanchett, Minnie Driver, Julianne Moore, and Jeremy Northern). I play the main guy's wife (once again, Robin, I'm a character played by Cate Blanchett--first Galadriel and now Gertrude!!!) and I get to wear pretty dresses! That's one of the best things about doing this play!!!

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We watched the third "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie last night (it comes out this Tuesday) and I enjoyed it. It was a little confusing at first (lots of stuff going on and new characters), so we might watch it again on Monday. It totally refreshed my crush on Orlando Bloom (but not so much on Johnny Depp); I'd kind of gotten over my crush from high school, but there's a shot of him towards the end that just made me go "mmmm!"

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Not much else to add. My house is cold and it makes me just want to bundle up and sit and drink hot chocolate, but I know this is probably the only day I'll have to get some work done. So I guess I should just crank up the Christmas music and get working!

Florida

I don't really feel like doing anything right now, so I decided it would be a good excuse to share some pictures from our Thanksgiving. Yes, that's right...we went to FLORIDA for Thanksgiving!!! We went and visited Stephen's brother Matt and his wife and little girl. It was so gorgeous and warm! But it was really weird to think that it was November and people were wearing shorts and tanktops. It just doesn't feel right to be hot and sweaty and sunny and to see Christmas decorations up. If nothing else, it made me realize I don't want to live somewhere that is warm all year (I used to think I would love that, but now I don't think I could get used to it). I want to settle somewhere that actually goes through all 4 seasons.

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I wish now that I'd gotten the camera out more on the trip, but I only ended up taking pictures at the beach.

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I love this one of Stevo:

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And here I am:

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The two brothers:

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Me, Areo (aka Kristi), and a wet Serenity:

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We hadn't been planning on swimming or anything (since it was late afternoon), but Serenity just wanted to get right in the water, so she had to make do with just the diaper!

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Digging with half a sandollar:

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Serenity after she got all dried off and warm:

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I really like this one too! The standard foot shot:

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We just happened to get there right before the sun went down, so we got to watch a beautiful sunset over the Gulf of Mexico!!! I couldn't have asked for a more special moment!

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We had a good time and loved just hanging out with Matt and Areo (and playing with Serie of course). Stephen got me to play with the wii (I'm a little chicken when it comes to trying new things I may not be very good at), and it was a blast! I woke up the next morning with super sore arms and shoulders, though! Never thought I could get a workout from a video game :)

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It is so exhausting to fly across the country; it honestly takes all day! On our flight over to Florida we didn't have to change planes at all. This sounded like a good perk, but what we didn't realize was that we wouldn't be getting off the plane at all when it had to stop, which meant we couldn't get anything to eat all day!!! They just stuffed us full of peanuts and soda! To add to the already long day, we ended up having to turn around and make an emergency landing in Memphis because there was a very sick little girl they needed to get to the hospital. I still don't really know what happened (just that she had a really high fever, and I think maybe was throwing up or had a ceizure or something), but when we landed an ambulance, firetruck, and police cars were there waiting to meet us. It was such a crazy and rare experience...I mean, really, how often does that happen!?!?

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I'm glad to be home now, though. It feels good to get back into the normal routine and get back on a pacific time sleep schedule (I had a lot of trouble adjusting to the time change over our trip). I'm getting all caught up on school too; it's nice to see the end in sight...just one more Soc. test, one more Psych. test, a Chem. final, and one more Chem. lab report to finish (and maybe one more small Soc. paper). Not too bad!!! The lab report is actually the reason I'm here blogging...there's nothing like a little blogger procrastination when there's homework I could be doing :)

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Ok, well I guess this is probably getting a little long for one post. And I really should get something done before Stephen gets off work (7 hours is a long time to not do anything)!!! I just really don't want to do my lab report. Maybe I'll do some research for my play instead :)

Especially for Robin...

bought it on vhs for about 2 bucks. so we watched it yesterday. songs brought back the memories...

singing along. andrew pulling off the maniac, high-pitched laugh. grape crush...from 6-packs of bottles...

and the piles of sunflower seeds in the middle of the floor...looked gross but were delish...

and of course the 3-card...over and over again

so many good memories. happy times. but then remembering the sadness we each went through with those two. i don't regret anything though. the memories are worth it.

crazy to see where life has brought us now. totally different situations and people than at that time. don't think either of us thought this is the life we'd have then. but we were so young.

know what...i wouldn't change any of it. love this life i have...love my boy...and feel so excited for the life you're heading into. really learned to appreciate what we've been through and what we have now.

I'm still here...

Yep, I'm around...just haven't been in the mood to blog lately. We were gone on vacation at the beginning of the month, and I guess I kind of got thrown out of the habit of blogging. Tonight I have the evening to myself while Stephen works, and it's been some good "me" time. I've felt more motivated to clean tonight than I've felt in weeks (and hence, I've gotten lots done), and I finally felt in the mood to get writing again here. So, yes, I'm back.

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We had a nice time in Fallon/Tahoe for the wedding. We got to visit with my family for a night, and Stephen got to hang out with Kevin while we were in Fallon (he luckily was able to come the same weekend as us). That was quite possibly Stephen's best night of the trip...to be reunited with the one and only Kevo!!!

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The rest of the trip was spent staying at Stephen's grandparent's cabin at Lake Tahoe. I really love it there...I could totally be happy living there (I'd even be willing to put up with all the snow in the winter)!!! We got to spend some really enjoyable time with Bob and Paula (Stephen's parents) and had fun helping to take care of Serenity (I'll have to get some pictures of her off Stephen's phone later--we don't have any of her on the camera). It was really fun to see all of Stephen's relatives again, and I got to meet some new ones.

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Stephen and I at the Lake

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Matt and Areo's (aka: Kristi) wedding was gorgeous and fun. It felt good to help and be involved. Paula took Areo, one of her bridesmaids, me, and herself to get our hair and makeup professionally done that morning...and I must say I felt beautiful! I loved my hair...it was done all curly and volumous, sort of the vintage, Marilyn Monroe look!!! It was so cute! The makeup, especially the lipstick, was a bit too much for me, though, but it was still fun. Overall, it was a really fun and relaxing trip. Weddings are always very busy, but we still had lots of time to just relax so it felt like a real vacation.

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The Happy Couple

Kristi and Matt

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Stephen has been growing a small potted herb "garden." We have a pot with some basil and chives (we'll plant them separately next time so they'll grow better), and a pot of catnip. While we were gone in July, Shadow managed to get into the laundry room (aka: laudry closet) and knocked over/ate the catnip, so it got destroyed. Amazingly, though, a few little sprouts are growing back. The basil got so big while we were gone, so Stephen cut a bunch and made some homemade pesto! It was delicious!!! I was surprised at how much work it was to make, and how little we ended up with even though we cut a pretty big amount of basil. It was a fun adventure for Stevo.

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The basil before

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The pesto after

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After we got back I was called as 2nd counselor in the Primary Presidency at church. I was surprised but excited, and I'm definitely excited to not have to prepare lessons each week and teach a class anymore. I finally went shopping with my birthday giftcard. Stephen is such a good sport to always go shopping with me...and he even helps me pick things out! I'm not a big fan of clothes shopping (I like having new clothes, but I get nervous shopping), so Stephen helps me stay confident and calm.

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Last week, I went to a double baby shower for Jenny and Jan (another girl from my church)...they're due only 2 days apart. I had fun being out of the house and having a girlie night. Plus, I LOVE shopping for baby stuff!!! Both of them already have lots of clothes, so it was a fun challenge to find something different. This weekend, I'll be going to another shower for Jenny (thrown by someone different), so I get to spoil her with two presents! I'm so excited for Jenny and Clay, and they're both getting really anxious for their little boy to come (only about 2 more weeks!).

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Last weekend we went to the county fair with Jenny and Clay. We all happened to have the night off, so we wanted to do something together. It probably wasn't worth the $7.50 each it cost just to get in (where you had to pay more to do anything inside), but we had a fun night together. A lady from our ward has a pottery painting business, so Jenny and I each painted a mug. (the way it works is you pay for a pre-made ceramic piece, pick whatever colors you want, paint it, and then the lady takes it home and fires it, then you pick it up your finished piece a week later) It was a good time!!

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Well...that pretty much sums things up. We really haven't had much going on lately and we've been getting kind of bored. I think I'm getting tired of watching so many movies...it seems like that's all we ever do for fun! So we keep trying to find new things to do together. Ok, I'd better get off now...Stephen's bored and wanting some attention from me :)

This Week

Not much to report...I exercised more this week, and it feels so good to be slightly active. I know I haven't lost any weight but I do feel like I'm skinnier and better-looking now, and I just feel a lot healthier.

We go back to Fallon again in a few days...another wedding!!! I'm excited to see Matt, Areo, and Serenity again (brother-in-law, soon to be sister-in-law, and adorable niece), and to spend time with all of Stephen's relatives. It'll be busy again, but should be fun!

My life feels pretty boring right now, though. I've just been working, taking care of the house, and watching movies with Stephen. I wish I had something more exciting to share...but oh well, I'd rather be boring than have all the stress I'm used to.

Oh...Stephen and I went and watched the college's summer play (each summer they do a Shakespeare adaptation and perform outdoors)--it was Macbeth. The adaptation was a little different and not really my taste, but they did ok...not great, but good. Stephen and I couldn't do it this year because we knew we'd have to be gone to the wedding during the performance dates. It was certainly different to not be involved this time, but I've really enjoyed the break. This is the first time since we moved here that I haven't been in whatever play is going on at the school--it's crazy to realize that! I've felt so much less stressed, though, not being involved this time. Even my boss noticed...the other day she told me how she'd been thinking I seemed really "rested" and relaxed, and she thought to herself "I'll bet she's not in the play." Funny how people can know us so well :)

Well...that's about all I have to say for tonight. Have a great rest of your Sunday evenings!

ugh...

migraine today...yuck! I've been laying around with all the lights off, but it's not helping much. I barely made it through all of work and then I made myself walk home (instead of the bus) because I needed to get my exercise in for the day...probably shouldn't have. I'm just bored and lonely and hurting. I guess I'll go lay back down.

Exercise

Little by little, I'm working on it. Yesterday I got up and did some yoga (and MAN, am I feeling it today!!) and today I walked home from work instead of taking the bus. Tomorrow I'll have to make sure I get up early and do another exercise video, probably yoga again (thanks to Janet for letting me borrow some videos!). It makes me feel better inside...more alive, more active, and much more optimistic and happy!!

Today was another day where I haven't gotten to see much of Stephen, just a little bit this morning and during his dinner break tonight. I worked all afternoon, and he's working all night...I hate these days, but I'm just grateful we both have such good jobs right now.

I guess that's about it...maybe I'll get up and vacuum the house before Stevo comes home :)

"Home Again, Home Again Jiggety-Jig"

(that's part of a cute little children's rhyme I remember)

It's good to be home again. We got back late Monday night, and it's taken me all week to get back into to swing of life and feel ready to get blogging again. It was sort of weird...I got home and totally felt no stress. I kept feeling like there must be things I needed to do, but then I started realizing that there really weren't. I don't need to stress!! It was a very liberating feeling (unfortunately I'm starting to feel it wearing off)! I'll just have to keep reminding myself that I'm not busy and there's nothing to be getting stressed out about (I tend to find things to worry and stress over when I don't need to).

We had a great visit back in Fallon. I loved getting to be with all my family again, and it gave Stephen a chance to get to know everyone better and grow more comfortable as a part of the family. I just LOVE family!!! I love my old Bake family, I love my new Achurra family, and I love my own little family with Stephen, Nellie, and Shadow. It's just so happy to be a part of families!

Anyway...this trip was very exciting and special because Nathan is the last one of my siblings to get married, so it's the first time everyone was together. My sister-in-law Heather was able to come too this time (she hasn't been able to come visit for several years), so she got to meet Stephen, Levi (a brother-in-law), Jackie (newest sister-in-law), and all the grandkids for the first time. It was so good to see her again, and get to know her better as an adult (most of my relationship with Heather was from when I was a young girl). Unfortunately, I just realized tonight that I don't have any pictures with her. All the pictures we took with everyone were by the photographer since, obviously, no one could use my camera and be in the picture at the same time. Bummer! I just have a few pics from when either Stephen or myself could use the camera. I'll share a few of my favs:

(me and cutie-pie Sarah)

(the happy couple)

(our camera accidentally got switced to a lower resolution for this one...bummer, because it's a good one of us)

(me and my sisters)

(after cleaning up, some of the boys and my dad tried to take care of some of the leftover lemonade)

(Stephen and John were the only ones who finished!! And Stephen probably drank the most...that's my Thirsty Boy!)

We spent most of our time with my family and just visited a little bit with Stephen's because it was busy wedding time for my family. But we'll be going back to Fallon in a week and a half for Stephen's brother's wedding, so we'll spend our time with Stephen's family then. It was very busy with the wedding and reception and whatnot, but I got in lots of nice relaxing time and some nice piano playing time. I really miss having a piano around to sit down and play whenever I felt like it. It was always such a soothing thing for me!


I helped my mom decorate for the reception, which I LOVE to do! It's so fun to figure out how to make spaces look beautiful and work well. Part of me still wants to go into interior design. I got to hang out with Robin at the reception (when she wasn't taking pictures for us) which was the best...I've been missing her! I also got to sit and hang out with good old Jo Horne (it was sooooo exciting to see him), and a little time with Mark Hubbard and a few of Nathan's old friends from high school (the boys of my freshman year!) Lots of fun!!!


As a brief complaint...it was SO HOT!!! I've been so spoiled up here with our perfect medium climate that I forgot how incredibly hot and nasty it gets down in Nevada. We spent a lovely afternoon in a little pool with the kiddies, but it didn't help too much. I was so relieved to come home to my Washington rain (I haven't seen the sun all week)!! I read a book this weekend...started it Thursday and just kept reading until I finished last night. I really love lazying around reading and reading (another relaxation like playing the piano). It was another Michael Crichton book ("Timeline") and now I'm all caught up on reading and owning all his novels!! It was loads of fun...and now I think I'm going to start reading all the Harry Potter books (believe it or not, I haven't read any of them...but I like the movies). That's enough for tonight, I suppose...have a great week everyone!

Continuing On...

The last post and its pictures were driving me crazy!!! I just can't get them to sit where I want them to, and I keep ending up with unnecessary space. So I gave up and figured I'd just keep talking in a new post.

So yeah, the 4th of July was a blast! Stephen had work off on Friday and I only had to work until noon, so after work we decided to drive to Silverdale and go to the mall and other shopping places...just for fun! We didn't buy anything, but we had fun browsing and walking around (especially in Barnes and Noble). Unfortunately I was a bit sick that day, so I wasn't in the very best of spirits.

Today I finished Sarah's blanket...I think it's one of my favorites I've made so far. I let Shadow have the leftover yarn to play with, but he wasn't nearly as exctied about it as I'd hoped. He played with it, but not much. I was able to snap a few shots of him with his mess, though...

FIREWORKS!!!

It's been a really good week and a bad week. That sounds a little strange, but there were things that were really great and some not so great.

Let's just get the bad out of the way...so, believe it or not, I got sick AGAIN!!! I'm so tired of getting sick! I've noticed I've been getting sick a lot and it just doesn't seem fair. This time was especially frustrating because there was no reason for me to be getting sick. I'm not stressed or busy like I was during school, I've cut down on my eating-out habits and I've been trying to fix good, healthy meals here at home, plus I've been drinking bottles and bottles of water each day which has drastically cut down on my soda intake. So WHY am I still getting sick!?! At least it wasn't too bad this time...just an icky head cold that only lasted 3-ish days. I guess I must just have a really weak immune system. My mom pointed out that I've been prone to getting sick my whole life. Why must I be so weak!?

Besides that, I had fun this week. We had a great 4th of July!!! Stephen and I slept in late and then just sort of hung out and drove around town until he had to go to work (he only had to work a couple hours because they decided to close early). On the spur of the moment, Jenny and Clay and Stephen and I decided we wanted to hang out that night, so we had a last-minute barbecue. Jenny and I went shopping for items of food we didn't have (and lots of candy!) while Stephen and Clay worked at the store together. The food was delicious (and the candy, even yummier!). There is an empty little grassy area at the end of the street here (just a couple blocks away) that sits on the bluff and overlooks the water where the fireworks were going to be, so we had planned on taking blankets down there and playing games until it was dark. But it took longer to barbecue than we'd expected, so we just had to hurry over there in time for fireworks. We thought it wasn't a well-known place (we thought it'd be our little secret) because we'd checked it periodically and there wasn't anyone saving spots or anything, however by the time we got over there it was PACKED!! Luckily we found a little space to lay down a couple blankets and enjoy the short fireworks show.

Afterwards, we came back to our house and Clay shot off all the fireworks they'd bought. Us girls just watched and Stephen took some pictures and video clips. All in all, it was a fun night!


This one's just really cool!!! We have some cool video clips of the fireworks we set off, but I don't think I can put them in here.

Here's Clay the Pyro!!!

This was one of my favorites of the firecrackers. It was a little thing that spin around and around on the ground, and then at the end the top popped up into this cute little Chinese tower!!

And here's Jenny (with her baby belly!) and I watching from the sidelines.

So Close

I'm so frustrated!!! I'm trying to finish up the blanket I'm making for my niece Sarah, but I ran out of yarn (again!). I was soooo close!!! Just a few more inches would have been enough.

All I had left were two more of the little ripple things on the border--2 or 3 inches total. So this means I'll have to pull out the whole border and redo it differently so that it doesn't take as much. I already pulled the border out and took out a couple rows of blanket to give myself more yarn...I thought I'd gotten enough extra, but I guess not! And of course I'm too cheap to just go buy more yarn, plus I don't want to buy a whole skein of yarn just to use a tiny bit of it. I hate having extra yarn laying around. I was just hoping to finish it tonight, but now I'm too frustrated to do it. I just can't get over how incredibly close I was!

Here are some other pictures I took of it tonight. I realized I've made so many beautiful blankets and things and given them away without ever taking any pictures, so I'm trying to make up for that.

My favorite part of this pattern is the cool little ripply border. I think it turns out so cute!! This is the second time I've used this pattern.

You can't really tell in the pictures, but the color is so gorgeous! It's this really bright pinkish-red (more red than pink). I guess it's sort of like a neon red...and I love it!!! I get so tired of the usual pastel pinks and blues for babies, so I try to branch out a bit more. And this color just seemed to fit Sarah...she seems like a red type of girl, not a pink. Here are some pictures of cute little Sarah...she just turned one year old last week (and actually, I think that little dress she's wearing is the same color as the blanket):

Just Another Day

I love summer!!! I love the fact that I can work all day and come home without any homework hanging over my head. I can just come home and relax, or do house work, or whatever I feel like. It just feels so free and so much less stressful.

I've been putting in lots of hours at work, which isn't very fun for me but is very good for our bank account! The big bummer, though, is that I work all day and then Stephen works all night. Today, for example, I got to see him for about 15 minutes this morning, less than a half hour at lunch, and then another 15 minutes after I got home. Now he's working until they close tonight. Oh well...it gives me lots of time to clean without any pleasant distractions or temptations to do something else :) So I guess that means I'd better get to cleaning!!

Lately I've been putting Stephen's box of photos into an album (putting them in order, etc.). That was the project I decided to take on from my last post. I had all the pictures done and put in chronological order and whatnot, and then I showed it to Stephen and he decided he wanted it done differently. He wanted a bunch of the pictures taken out and put in another album, and then the rest to be separated into 2 sections in the album. It has turned out to be a lot more work than I expected, but I enjoy it and I've been having fun!!

I've also been trying to be healthier...I've been making myself drink 4 bottles of water each day (I think that's about the recommended 8 cups), compared to my usual daily swallow or two of water. I've been doing great sticking to it, but tonight I'm a little behind...I still have 2 bottles to go. Needless to say...I've had to go to the bathroom A LOT!

We have one little problem here on the homefront...our lawnmower broke down. We can't get it to start or if it does it just putters weakly and then stops. Stephen has checked everything he can think of and replaced various parts, but to no avail. I think it's out of our hands now and we'll have to take it somewhere to be fixed. Another lovely expense :( We haven't been able to mow the lawn for a few weeks because of the rain, so it's already getting super long. Now we have to wait longer!

Other than that, things are going pretty well. We both did really well in our classes: all A's for me, and one A and two B's for Stephen (the B's were in the hardest classes he's taken; and we were just hoping he'd pass)!!! We celebrated by going out to lunch at Sergio's (our favorite Mexican restaurant here) with the cash we got from selling back some of our books. The last time we went, we started talking to the waiter/host guy in Spanish out of habit (because we both took Spanish this year). This time, he remembered us and just came up and started asking us our orders and everything in Spanish! It was so much fun, and it was kind of cool to realize that I understand a lot more than I thought I did...at least enough to communicate pretty well!

Ok, I'd better feed Shadow and give Nellie some lettuce and then get back to my dishes!

unmotivated...

i'm feeling so unmotivated today/tonight...so unmotivated that i don't even feel like using capital letters. i'm just not feeling very good...i'm a little sick to my stomach and just feeling a little depressed overall--not for any specific reason and not really anything serious, just a little down tonight. i don't want to do anything but lay on the couch or putz around on the computer. i have a bunch of dishes to wash and it's taken me hours to even get myself to start them (i'm happy to say i have made some progress...very little, but some). i called my mom earlier to cheer myself up and possibly find some motivation, and that helped some (that's what finally got me to work on the dishes and tidy up the house).

the cat has been really needy tonight and has kept crying for me to hold/pet him...i guess he's a little down tonight too. he's my little baby!

ok, let's change topics...no more dwelling on it all. today was the last day of school! YAY!!!!!! stephen and i have been very busy these last few weeks with papers and tests and finishing everything up. actually i was pretty much done with all my stressful stuff last week, but all stephen's stress came this week. it's nice to be done for the summer! no more homework and classes and plays to deal with, just work. i was glad and relieved to find out that my office has some budget money to pay me with this summer. i get paid through work-study during school, and i was afraid they wouldn't have enough money to keep me working during the summer when i don't get work-study. but it turns out they'll just find a way to squeeze enough out of the budget to let me keep working (which means i don't have to worry about finding a different job!). and to add to the good news, they've been scheduling me for more hours than usual, so i'll be making more money than usual. stephen's getting lots more hours at his job too, so we should be able to save up some moolah over summer!

i'm excited to be going down to fallon in a few weeks! stephen and i have two weddings this summer--my brother nathan in july, and stephen's brother matt in august. i can't wait!!!! not much else to say here...i've been working on organizing/filing papers and things, and i have all sorts of little projects/goals waiting for me:

• a box full of important things to scrapbook (including all our wedding memory stuff)
• a box of pictures stephen took years ago to put in a photo album (i LOVE putting together photo albums, but i've been restraining myself until school got out)
• finish reading "macbeth" again (that's the play the college is doing this summer--we can't this time because we'll be gone to matt's wedding during performances--so i wanted to refresh my memory)
• finish crocheting a baby blanket for sarah (my littlest niece)
• start a blanket for the new niece/nephew on the way
• come up with a meal plan
• work on dieting and exercising (i think i've gained another 10 lbs; making susan a total of 20-25 lbs heavier than she was in high school...yuck!! ugh!!)
• and, as always, clean the house

wow...i actually feel a lot better now! i love the healing power of writing!!! i am so excited for summer and the chance to work on all these things i haven't had time for. i just want to improve myself and relax and make my home a nicer place to be.

i now feel so incredibly...motivated!

My Taco Bar

This way you'll all be able to understand what I was talking about.

Catching Up

It's been awhile...I've wanted to post, but I just haven't felt like taking the time to sit down and do it. (I've been on here lots, though, checking everyone else's blogs) I had a wonderful birthday on the 9th, probably one of my favorite birthdays I've had! We didn't do much of anything exciting and didn't do much for presents, but it was just a really nice day and Stephen made it very special for me (plus the sun came out and made a beautiful, warm day...just for me!).

I had to work for a couple hours in the morning but Stevo talked me into skipping classes so that we'd have more time to play. I asked him if he would tidy up the living room for me while I was at work so that it would at least feel somewhat clean. I came home to find that he had not only done what I'd asked, but also vacuumed, mopped the kitchen, picked some of our lilacs and put them on the table, and wrapped and set out all the presents and cards I'd received!! It was such a surprise and really sweet of him. I opened up presents, including one from Shadow and Nellie (supposedly) that was a 6-pack of bottled grape soda--my "alcohol" for my 21st birthday :)

Also when I came home, Stephen told me he was going to take me to the bar that night (which sort of freaked me out) and told me to open up the fridge. Inside was a container with a sticky note that said "The Bar"; and then inside was another sticky note that said "The Taco Bar." While I was at work, he had gotten part of dinner ready; I'd requested tacos...my favorite. He'd chopped up all the toppings and put them in our compartmented container so that all he'd have to do would be to cook the meat that night. It was funny and sweet and a nice surprise.
After presents, we drove over to Sequim, had lunch at Burger King and went to Dairy Queen to pick up an ice-cream cake. I've never had one for my own birthday, so Stephen specifically wanted to get me one (we had to go to Sequim because our Dairy Queen doesn't have cakes). We had to go to play practice, so that was a little crummy, but then the rest of the day was nice. He took me over to Star Video to rent some movies (we get the brand new releases for free before they go out on the shelves, plus he can rent 2 a day of any movies except the new ones for free, plus you get a free rental of anything if it's your birthday) and we stocked up on a bunch...all for free!!!! (Robin, don't you wish you were here!?!) We spent the evening watching movies (some good, some not so good), eating tacos, getting "wasted" on soda, and relaxing. It was such a great day...I felt so special and loved all day!!! It really was one of the best birthdays I've ever had and it was all so simple and inexpensive...I guess it doesn't take much to please me!

Lately we've been super busy and I'm feeling all the stress on me. I've had lots of homework, tests, car problems (we found we had a flat tire, which we got fixed for free, but then the mechanic told us that our brakes are almost shot...they'll only last a couple more weeks), money stress, some medical concern, and I had to prepare and give a talk in church today. I guess it was too much stress for my body to handle because I got sick...again. I feel pretty crummy right now...sore throat, fever chills, body aches, stuffy head...you get the idea. I guess I just have a really weak immune system or something because it sure seems like I've been getting sick a lot. I was like that in high school too, though...if I had a lot of homework and other business to do I'd end up getting sick. My body just can't handle it.

Well I suppose that's enough of an update. Despite all the stress, we're doing pretty good. We just keep on truckin'.

Just Relaxing

I love Saturdays!!! I just feel so relaxed and happy right now. I'm not stressed or tired or worried...just calm. I love having Stephen home with me!! Unfortunately he's a good excuse to keep me from getting my house-cleaning done :) He does have to work later tonight, so that will give me some time to get work done...and if I don't get everything perfectly cleaned, oh well, it's not the end of the world...at least our home is happy!

dos mil dolares

Do you ever just have certain phrases go through your head all day? It's like having a song stuck in your head, but instead it's just a phrase. Actually for me it's not even a phrase, just a random collection of words. And today's winner is: "dos mil dolares"

I've been saying that in my head all evening. I have no idea why...it doesn't even really make sense. It's nothing we used in Spanish any time lately (or maybe never, at least not in that combination). Sometimes my phrases are in English and sometimes they're in French and sometimes they're in Spanish. I guess I just find combinations of words that sound nice together or that have a musical quality in my head, so I repeat them over and over. dos mil dolares.

Procrastination

I just want to go to bed...

I don't want to do the rest of my homework; I don't want to take care of my house, or clean Nellie's cage, or anything...I just want to sleep. I got sick last week, and I'm still working on getting over it, and the only thing that sounds good right now is to sleep. I wish I could use that as an excuse to not do my homework, but that's not possible...it has to get done before I get anymore behind than I already am. Actually, it's really only my Art History papers that are a problem. I'm dominating in Math and Spanish!! I'm dominating in Art History too, but I just have trouble wanting to do the papers. We have weekly short papers that are basically just busy work to show our teacher that we're learning something and to give him something besides the quizzes to base our grades on. They're no big deal and he even lets us turn them in late because he wants us to get the points, but I often use that as an excuse to not get them done (I keep telling myself "Oh, I'll just turn it in on Thursday") and then they pile up (sort of like the dishes!!!) So I have two to do tonight instead of just the one, and I don't feel like working on them :(

Right now Stephen and Shadow are taking a nap together on the couch and I really want to join them!

Enough of my whining...I'll just have to buck up and face the work. On a more fun note: I've been drawing floor plans and making up designs for houses. It's all just for fun but I love it!!! I spent hours this week drawing and fixing and figuring how it would all lay out. Floor plans have been a fettish of mine for awhile (I sometimes spend an hour or two looking through various websites), and so I finally decided to pull the ideas I've been holding in my imagination out and actually put them all together into whole houses. I know...I'm a little strange! I think it'd be fun sometime to take some architecture classes...we'll see!

Friends and Weirdness

Last night Stephen and I went over to Jan and Jon's (another married couple we're becoming friends with) house for dinner. It was a good time and Stephen finally had someone to talk "guitar" to; today I found Stevo had gotten his guitar out and started playing again, big surprise! It's good that they both had each other to inspire them to start playing more often. Jan and Jon are older (late 20's or 30ish, I'm not sure) but they don't have kids yet (one on the way), so it was still comfortable and fun to have some friends to hang out with. We went to another couple's house (Ashley and Phil) for dinner a few weeks ago with Jenny and Clay and we all stayed way later than any of us should have!! We need to have Jenny and Clay over again sometime soon for games...it's been way too long. But maybe this time we'll invite some of the other couples over too. There's also my friend Mandy who went to school here until she got married and moved to California; she's living back here with her mom while Josh (her husband) is in Iraq. I've been meaning to contact her to see if she wants to hang out sometime...I'm sure she could use some funtime!

I had another weird dream last night. I dreamed I had a baby (I'm not pregnant though, nobody worry)! It was an absolutely painless delivery that took about five minutes and then I just had this tiny, I think premature, baby that I didn't know what to do with. I was with my mom and siblings (for some reason Stevo wasn't there or my dad), but we were at my old church and no one would help me know what to do, and I didn't have any diapers or blankets or anything (besides what the baby was handed to me with). And I kept trying to find somewhere to be alone with my baby boy but there were people everywhere, including Calvin Winder who was actually helping me the most (by the way for Alyssa and Amy, he's getting married). Weird stuff! I think it was just from being around Jan last night; they were going to get to find out what they're having today, and we were talking about Jenny and Clay finding out what they're having (Jenny and Jan are due one day apart!!). But I've been weirded out about that dream all day!

The Days Roll On...

I just feel kind of blah today. I can usually judge what kind of mood I'm in by what I decide to wear in the morning. Well today I started off with a cute outfit that I look good in and the whole she-bang; I even did my hair and left it down. I change a few times and ended up leaving the house in a t-shirt, jeans, and my comfy/grungy/unattractive gray hoodie--with no intention of ever taking it off, I might add. If I opt to wear my sweatshirt, we know it's not a great day!! Despite my choice of attire, my day hasn't been too bad...but Stephen and I both haven't been feeling very well.

We had a nice weekend, though. The first weekend in a long time that Stephen didn't have to work (besides when we've gone on trips and whatnot), so we just relaxed at home. Stevo mowed the lawn for the first time of this season (it was probably close to a foot long in the backyard) and now it looks beautiful!! The bushes are blooming, the trees are blossoming, and we even found a few tulips hiding in the back...including a couple RED ones :) Stephen cut one and brought it in to me as a surprise. Here are some other flowers he brought me:

You can't see how pretty they are here, but I like the lighting in this picture

And this is a view I enjoy when I sit on our front steps--I love looking through our willow tree to see our neighbor's old "classic" car across the street

Computer Issues

Yeah, so the computer has been giving us some trouble. It hadn't been running very well for quite a while, so Stephen reinstalled and fixed and cleaned things up. But then I couldn't get Blogger to work for me, so I haven't been able to post anything for a few weeks. I think we've got it figured out now, so hopefully I can post a little more regularly.

Stephen started his new job last week and seems to enjoy it, and he had his last day at the hotel yesterday!! He was super excited to be done there :) It'll be really different and nice to have him home for the next few weekends, but I think that will make it a little bit harder to get my Saturday cleaning done now.

Today there are auditions for the spring plays (these are student written/directed short plays). I may or may not audition; I'm still not sure. Stephen may or may not be interested too; he's not sure either. He'll be working today so he'll miss auditions, but there's the chance some of the directors could ask him to come to callbacks tomorrow if they're interested in casting him.

Not much else happening here. It's still raining...I'm aching for some sunny days! But at least the tulips are blooming now. I love tulips, especially the red ones...they are one of my favorite types of flowers!! Yesterday was my nephew Benjamin's birthday...4 years old. I called him and it was so fun to talk to him; he's such a little cutie! He wanted me to sing "Happy Birthday" to him, and he was so excited to tell me that he got to have "two birthdays" (a birthday party with his little friends on Saturday, and cake/presents with my family on Sunday).

That's about it...have a great Monday!

Boredom Montage

I always feel like I have nothing to share. Nothing new or interesting going on, just the same old stuff. I wish I had pictures to share or something important to write about, but life just isn't usually that exciting. My house is fairly clean right now (that's what spring break is good for) so that makes me feel good. Stephen is working and I'm bored here at home.

Shadow is in a fiesty and restless mood right now...getting into lots of trouble! He usually gets this way around this time of night. He's been sleeping all afternoon and evening so now he's waking up and getting crazy. I should probably feed him; that might calm him down some..........Ok, I took care of the cat!

I just don't feel like doing anything right now...I just want to sit and play computer games. I'm homesick for Fallon and both my families there. And I'm missing my sisters (that includes my Robin-sister)! Springtime always seems to make me miss home...or maybe it's just the amount of time between visits (we were there in December and I'm already for another visit...I'm so pathetic!). Actually I really just want someone to come visit us here; I enjoy showing my family and friends our beautiful area here.

My daffodils outside still haven't all bloomed. A few have, but most of them haven't gotten enough sun to open up (they've sure had plenty of water!). Last night I went to WalMart and just browsed (I know WalMart isn't the most exciting, but it's the best we have here)!! It was so relaxing and fun. Stephen was at work so I just had some alone time and looked at anything and everything that interested me. I almost brought home a fish for Stephen, but I thought I'd better talk to him first. I love having pets :) I just can't help it! But if we did get a fish, we'd probably have to keep it in the bedroom so Shadow wouldn't eat it.

Well, I suppose I've rambled on a bit too long for a post of random boredom. Maybe I'll play a game. Oh...and a very happy birthday to Janet tomorrow!!!

Things Are Looking Up

Yesterday was a really nice day. It was Stephen's first day off for spring break, after working 6 nights in a row. It was also the first day we've had off together in a really long time...I work and we go to school during the week and then he works on the weekends, so we never have time off together. We enjoyed just relaxing together at home.

We were able to check our grades online yesterday and...we both got 4.0's in ALL our classes!! It was really exciting and a little bit unexpected (I thought we'd do well, but not that well).

To top it all off...Stephen got a new job! He has been getting really tired of his current job (hasn't been getting many hours, and isn't being offered more hours even though someone is leaving and Stephen is the most senior one there) and wanting to quit and find a better job. Our married-couple-friends, Jenny and Clay, work at one of the video stores here and let us know that the store would be needed to hire quite a few new people. They suggested Stephen apply and they would introduce him to the owner and whatnot. So he did on Monday and when we stopped by yesterday to rent some movies, Jenny was working (she's one of the managers) and had some paperwork for Stephen to fill out...he's gotten the job!! It was so quick and effortless...I guess that's what happens when you have a connection. So we're pretty excited and Stephen is anxious to give work his two-weeks notice. This job should be much better for him: it'll pay about the same, but he'll get to work more hours and better hours (not so much of the weekend).

So yesterday was a very good day for us!! Today we went out to breakfast with Clay and Jenny and then hung around at home watching movies. I love lazy, sunny days!

Feeling Sorry for Myself

I feel so lousy right now...I think I'm getting sick :( I woke up this morning with a sore throat and feeling super achy (I didn't want to move), and now I'm feeling really shaky and dizzy and sick to my stomach. What a bummer way to spend Spring Break! And I don't even have Stephen here to take care of me. He'll be working til 11 tonight and by then he'll probably be too tired to do anything. I know I should probably just lay down, but there's so much I need to do...I really need to clean the house some and I just feel bad about sitting around doing nothing. I already sat and watched a movie; I don't want to waste any more time. Well...we'll see if I can at least finish up the dishes and clean Nellie's cage, then I'll at least feel like I accomplished something today (I haven't even gotten myself to shower today...eewwww).

On a happier note...I got to spend some wonderful time last night talking to Robin. We were on the phone for a really long time, and it was great just to chat and reminisce like in the old days! I went to bed feeling very pleased.

Dreams and Nightmares

One night I dreamed of people from high school--all the kids from the a.p. chem. and honors eng. and math classes. Everyone came back from various colleges for the summer and we were all enrolled in some weird chem or science class with Mr. Johnson. I specifically remember Meghan, Leilani (for some strange reason she was with our age group), Cathy, Genea, and Megan Herrin (but I think her name was Faye in my dream), but I know everyone was there...the class was huge. Don't really know what any of it means!

Then a few nights later I had a nightmare...a real nightmare like in the movies. The dream itself was more weird than scary (it involved a turtle continually biting my guinea pig Nellie's paw), but the effect it had on me was so crazy. I woke up tossing and turning, shaking uncontrollably, and calling/crying out. Stephen had to hold me to calm me down and get me to stop saying weird things about turtles. I don't think I've ever had a nightmare that's done that to me... even when I was little the most I'd do would be to wake up with a gasp and then fall back asleep. Usually I just have scary dreams, but this was really a nightmare. Maybe I ate something I shouldn't have before bed!?! Anyone have any thoughts?

A Few Pics

So here's a picture of me in one of my costumes for the play. It was set in the 1980's and I was supposed to be in my 30's, so that sort of explains my look. I had a ton of different costumes to change into between scenes (nothing more stressful than quick costume changes!!!), and I sort of wish I had pictures of them all. Oh well. I really enjoyed my costumes (everything but the shoulder pads!). It's surprising how beautiful I could feel in funny-looking 80's clothes! There was this one really soft and fuzzy sweater that I loved, but I only got to wear it in one short scene. It reminded me of something that my mom would've worn back in the day!

And this is me at home after our last show. I love getting all dolled up and having people do my hair and makeup. I'm such a girl!

Hair

The before.

The after.

Oh the sacrifices we'll make for our art!! I've been working on growing out my hair for quite awhile, but last week I had to cut it off for the play. The look Matt wanted for my character wasn't going to work with my longish hair, so I agreed to cut it shorter (we lopped off several inches). Stephen cut it for me, so that we'd have time to practice the look during dress rehearsals, so it's sort of just a temporary cut. Sometime soon we'll go to a salon and get it layered and whatnot.

It was kind of a bummer to have to cut my hair. Normally when I try to grow it out I get impatient and chop it off, but this time I was actually content with letting it grow. This was the first time I wasn't ready to cut it! Oh well, the play was more important to me.

The Theatre

Sorry to everyone that I haven't been very good about writing lately. Last week we did our play, so things were just a little bit busy for me. The play, "The Real Thing," went really well and I got a lot of great compliments about the acting. It always makes me feel so good to know that I did well and that people enjoyed my performance or were impressed by it. I'm really starting to realize how much I really love acting! I felt so happy after every performance (which is surprising considering the seriousness and depressive emotions I had to pull out in the play). Stephen and I would come home and talk endlessly about the show. There are few things in life that make me happier than being on the stage. With something I'm so passionate about, how can I not pursue it further in life? It's just such a scary and uncertain road to go down, and it's probably not the most logical choice. But how could I spend my life not acting? So many people don't know what they would enjoy doing or end up in a career that doesn't make them happy, that I feel like I'd be stupid to not take advantage of the fact that I've found something I love--something I would be thrilled to do for years and years. I don't know; I'll have to do a bit more thinking on the subject of theatre as a career choice.

Well I have some pictures of me from the play that I'll post later today (right now I'm at the school), and I should be getting more from Matt (our director) that are more action shots, so eventually I'll post some of those.

Also, just a quick happy birthday shout-out to my nephew Tyler and niece Serenity!! Both turned 1 year old on the 18th and today (respectively).

Spring is in the Air

I love the spring!! I get so excited and cheerful when I start to see the crocuses blooming. They are always the first to poke their little faces up through the ground. Port Angeles if great when it comes to flowers. The businesses and homes all around town are landscaped with lovely blooms, but my favorite spot is a stretch of the main road right as you're coming into town...along both sides of the ride for a few hundred feet are some flower beds that are just covered with flowers. Right now only the crocuses are bloomed, but I can't wait for the daffodils and tulips to open up! It's the best part of spring here (along with seeing the sun again after months of rain!).

The other day I was walking out on the side of our house and I noticed a bunch of flowers poking up! They haven't bloomed yet, but I can't wait to see them. We also have one tiny crocus all by itself in the front lawn. I smile at it every time I go out to the car (I cheated on the photo; those flowers aren't any of ours). I had no idea any of these flowers were there because we hadn't moved in here yet this time last year (we didn't move in until May). Our yard has given us so many surprises--three beautiful rose bushes, a blackberry bush, lilacs, daisies, a wild raspberry plant, wild sweet peas, along with all the other trees and bushes that weren't hiding. It's nice, but we aren't really able to cultivate the yard like we should.

I just love how happy springtime makes me! I get so motivated to be creative. (My blog had been in reds and yellows, but I changed the colors to be more spring-ish!) Friday was such a nice, sunny day and all I wanted to do was relax and create something or do something artistic. I wanted to do everything--draw, crochet, scrapbook, plant flowers, work at a florist shop, work at a pet store, write in my journal, play the piano, sing, do some pottery, act, and on and on! I wanted to do anything, even things I can't do or don't know how to do.

Unfortunately I have a bunch of homework hanging over my head, so I didn't do any of the things I wanted to. And of course, I still haven't gotten it all done. Just two weeks left until the end of the quarter and then we get two weeks off for spring break! I can't wait!!! I just need to catch up on my papers for Art History (I have five of them) and then I'll pretty much be all set in my classes. I wanted to finish the papers this weekend, but I had trouble feeling motivated. Sometimes all I want to do is sit at the computer or take a nap on the couch. I just have to get it done...no more wasting time.

The First

And so it begins...
I have become a new fan of the blogging idea. I've realized how enjoyable it is to read what someone is doing each day. So if I like it that much, I figure I might as well create one myself.

Today was a Professional Development Day for the faculty, so we didn't have classes. It was a much needed break! Unfortunately, my office stayed open (even though there were no students on campus to be advised) so I had to work a little this morning. It was such a dead day for the office! We had hardly any appointments scheduled, and most of the ones that were scheduled were no-shows. It was nice to not have a million things to do or the phone ringing like mad, but sometimes that can be sort of boring. Luckily I had a little project that Jan needed me to work on.

Today Stephen has been helping to build the set for our next play. He's been doing the electrical wiring on it so that we can have actual built in lights that I can turn on and off like a real house. It's helpful that Stephen had a little electrical experience from when he worked in Fallon. He had to figure all the wiring and everything out on his own. (I'm pretty proud of how smart he is, if you couldn't tell!)

I've spent the afternoon doing our laundry. We were gone to an acting conference all last week, and had a lot of work to catch up on when we got back. I did laundry before we left but we weren't home last Saturday, which is normally laundry day, so I didn't get to wash our clothes from the trip. I had no time during the week and I didn't want to get on a weird washing schedule, so needless to say, there was A LOT of laundry to do today. I don't mind too much though; laundry is one of the chores I like to do (dishes and cooking are another story).

Well, I should go put clothes away and maybe go up to the school to help out Stephen and the others if I can. There's nothing hotter than a girl with a power tool!! Unfortunately, I'm not very talented with that!