MY BABY IS 3 TODAY

We have come a long way.

Anika is such a good little buddy now. She doesn't nap anymore so we have some long days together wherein we simply hang out. Her favorite thing to do with me is have a pedicure. This takes at least an hour and will not be sustainable if I have more daughters. We soak our toes in the tub (Anika says 'smoke the toes'), file, paint, and then lay on our back and put our toes in the air while they dry. She likes to go hiking and on long stroller rides in Snow Canyon. This is starting to sound like a personal ad. I hope she likes to go to lunch and shopping and the movies when she grows up. Brandon has taught her how to fish and she can reel big ones in unassisted. She is obsessed with puzzles and going to the library every Saturday.

I love her.

I just cut the elsatic in my underpants...at work.

I am sitting at my desk contemplating my predicament. You see, I spontaneously broke the scissors out of my top drawer and in a mad dash, cut the elastic on my underpants. Never mind the fact that a student could have walked in at any minute. Add to the visual the fact that I am wearing a dress.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

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21 more days of school
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The Sweet Tooth Fairy is opening a shop in SGU!!!

All right FINE! I will break down and buy new underwear today after school.
Best to be prepared for all of the cupcakes to come.
Seriously, 25 main is great and everything, but I swear their cupcakes are so not as good as they used to be. Sweet Tooth Fairy is sure to satisfy.
At $3.00 a cupcake, who is ever going to admit it if they don't?

Williams - Herbie's and Grandma's Birthday

Lion Birthday! Complete with a homemade Lion Pinata.
Grandma is 58 not 1.

Lion Face Cake

My two favorite Lions

Lion King is 3!

Den of Lions

Williams - Shooting

We took Herbie shooting for his birthday. Herb wanted to try out his new 22 and Herbie loved it. All he wanted to do was shoot. He was hilarious. It was freezing, rainy, sunny, windy. All kinds of weather but we had a good time. Herb and his gun obession. Gotta love it:)

Spooky Night

Brandon awoke at 1 a.m. to my shadow crouched behind the curtain, peering outside. He called my name but I didn't answer. I was crouching low to get a glimpse of what phase the moon was in and listening closely to the birds chirping. I could not figure it out... birds chirping in the middle of the night? Something was just funky all day yesterday and for the record, I think we're going to have a big earthquake in the next few days.

More crazy...
Anika has had a few bad dreams in her life. They always involve her waking up and screaming something about Emmet taking her toys. She was shaking violently and wanted to go upstairs to see if her caterpillar book was here or if Emmet took it. I told her it was just a dream. She just recently grasped the concept of dreams. When she realized that's what it was, she went back to sleep. One of her bad dreams recently had her horrified... something about a fishing pole and hook and her stuffed doggy.

On my way back to bed, eyes not yet adjusted to the dark, I rounded the corner to our master bathroom to pee before I went back to bed. I just assumed Brandon was in bed. The bathroom was pitch dark. That's when I ran into a body! Sitting on the toilet! Imagine the horror... thinking you're about to sit on the pot and you run into another body you don't think is there. Ohhh, shudders all over.

Needless to say, B and I could not stop laughing... after the screaming stopped, of course.

Adding to the strange day yesterday was our owl encounter. We went on a little hike yesterday afternoon up by The Ledges, above Snow Canyon. A huge owl flew out of a bush, just barely clearing our heads. It was huge. I've never seen an owl that close in the wild, let alone stare right into its yellow eyes. It gave us all a good jump, especially Anika. So bizarre.

Why do I tell you all this? Because whenever I go to a blog on my regular read list and there is no new post, I want to kill somebody. I figure I'd better start blogging again so no one out there in blog land is cursing ME for not posting. Something is better than nothing, right? I'll try to get back on the meaningless post wagon.

Also of note:
Is anyone else watching the America, The Story of Us documentary series on the History channel? It started last night and will be on for five more Sundays. It was very well done. The rest of my sleep was lost last night to thinking about smallpox, thanks to that documentary. But again, it's very cool and you should watch it next week.

Love you all!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICOLE!

So, how does it feel? The thirty thing?

I'll never forget...

Sitting in my ninth grade seminary class. I was new and no one had spoken to me all day. That's when you turned to me and said hello, introducing yourself. If only we had known then all these years later we would still be friends. From fourteen to thirty, it's been great growing up with you. Have a great day and try not to cry yourself to sleep about the goodbye-twenty thing.

I want to be like her.

I have been looking online everywhere for the Nie Nie on Oprah episode and I finally found it. I don't know that there are many more people alive on the earth right now that are more inspiring than her.

Watch it with a tissue.

http://www.megavideo.com/?v=07RJ6OLI

I despise Ryan Secrest

I mean really, is there a bigger moron in the universe than Ryan Secrest? O.K. O.K., maybe Spencer Pratt.

Today is my last day of being 20-something.

AUTHOR VS AUTHOR PUT-DOWNS

here.

gave me a real belly laugh.

IDIOTS AND LUNATICS EXEMPT

THIS.

There is always something out there to make me laugh. Guess I won't be allowed to fight in the coming civil war. Bummer.

What I really teach my students:

So this week I had two heart-to-heart conversations with my students about real life lessons they should know... because let's face it: someone should tell them. No one told me and I really would have appreciated a heads up.

• Conversation 1): Sometimes all you have is looks so you better marry someone you are attracted to.

They asked me what I meant and I calmly informed them that there would be days when they absolutely loathed their spouse and the only thing getting them through the agony of frustration would be their spouse's good looks. They asked if that had ever happened to me and I simply asked them to look at a picture of Quinn and decide for themselves. I pointed out that he is tall, dark, and has a full head of hair he probably won't ever lose. I said these features were definitely not lost on me when I was selecting my eternal companion. They were shocked that I would say something so "mean." Not mean I told them, just practical. They asked if I was "living on Quinn's looks" at the moment. I said no. Mostly it had just been that baptism by fire first few years but that now we have more to go off of than looks and I actually really like him.

• Conversation 2): Prepare yourself, half of what you make you will never ever see.

I was brunt and frank with them on tax day about the reality of taxes. I broke the news to them that 40% of what they make will automatically be taken by the government and that if they are LDS like me, 10% more will go to tithing. Some of them were smart enough to do the math and figure that 1 out of every 2 dollars they'll make, they'll never keep. Do you still think I should get a raise? I asked them after we talked over some of the things their taxes will pay for. Many of them hesitated. The smart ones then made the jump to a national health care plan and in not so many words I let them stew over the cost/benefit analysis of increased welfare. There were some few souls who seemed not a bit taken back by these sharp and cutting numbers. When their friends asked them why they remained calm and unangered, they stated proudly, "My family doesn't pay taxes. I'm illegal."

Williams

Fishing. We took a fish home, although we didn't catch it. Some guy next to us caught one and asked if the kids wanted to reel it in so they did then he let them have it. They told everyone they caught a fish and they were going to take it home and cook it and eat it. But then they wouldn't even eat it after it was cooked.

Grandpa holding Nora the purple-people eater! What is he doing?

The fish we caught but didn't catch.

Columbia Gorge. Vista House. Isn't the view gorgeous.

Chew On This

1. In any conflict between two men (or two groups) who hold the same basic principles, it is the more consistent one who wins.

2. In any collaboration between two men (or two groups) who hold different basic principles, it is the more evil or irrational one who wins.

3. When opposite basic principles are clearly and openly defined, it works to the advantage of the rational side; when they are not clearly defined, but are hidden or evaded, it works to the advantage of the irrational side.


It has been a long time since something (those three rules) has shed such brilliant and immediate light on my view of existence. It was like flipping a switch. I will put it into context next time I blog, complete with a decade-in-making anecdote about a smelly, used book store and my future brother-in-law.

April 14th. Time to start doing my taxes.

Yep. I'm the one who waits until April 14th at 11 pm not only to begin filing, but to painfully rampage the house trying to find all of my forms. I ended up having to find most of them online. Ug. For my efforts, I think I should get to keep the refund this year. Seriously, why am I the designated tax spouse in the marriage? I have to admit I can't complain because upon year 1 of matrimonial pandemonium, I nominated Q to take care of all vehicle-related matters which is why he has to do the 3-month late Honda registration tomorrow so I can stop avoiding cops and driving 2 miles an hour to stay behind traffic patrols. OK- fair trade I suppose. I hate the way mechanics look at you like you're some dumb blond who doesn't deserve to look at a car let alone drive one. You know, that "pearls-before-swine" look of condescension. Maybe I'll tell Q about the refund but leave out the part about when I realized (doing taxes the RIGHT way this year) that I screwed up royally last year and cost us big $$$.

Fine. I'll settle for a luxury hair highlights appointment next week and call it even.

Love Always, -Gleek #1,987,356

Is anyone else so excited for Glee they can't stand it?

Other stuff that is making me a fan of life right now:

• Only 35 days left of school
• Q's big commission checks this last month
• Coupons to Down East Home and Furniture (so just bought Pottery Barn crib/chest set)
• Lake Powell season is right around the corner
• Alton Brown Carrot cake I am going to make for my BDay again (takes like 5 hours)
• So You Think You Can Dance is coming
• I finally broke down and watched New Moon on DVD last night and I am not addicted to thoughts of Edward today like I thought I would be!!! FREEDOM!
  

What about you? Anything making you smile lately?