UNBLOGGER

"Hubby" here. Ouch...did I say that? Funny how 'maybe she writes about interesting stuff' ended up meaning 'you write about lame stuff.' Now, to your credit Staci, at least you got me to respond!

Which brings me to your comment about being COOL. I just cannot get into this blogging thing. It’s obviously the IN thing to do and this is my first ever blog entry. In fact, I only recently learned (from Staci) that ‘blog’ stands for 'web log.' WOW say ‘web log’ three times fast and its easy to see why they changed it to 'blog.'

Let me justify my lame UNBLOGGER attitude. Here are some reasons why I don’t blog.

1) I’m an antagonist. If everyone else is doing it, then that is just one more reason not to do it.
2) A web log sounds too much like a journal. I already have a hard enough time with that. Also, I’m not crazy about publishing my thoughts to the whole world. I will keep working on the idea of having my children read my journal, then I will slowly work towards blogging. Is slow synonymous with uncool?
3) I would be too concerned that my blogs would offend. I already have to be careful of how I word things all day long. That is just the mode I get into when I write. Lets just say that it is much easier for me to think before I write than it is to think before I speak. Speaking is much more liberating and enlightening.
4) Writing is too biased and permanent. Take the ‘maybe she writes about interesting stuff’ comment. First of all, I’m not totally sure that I really said those words (although I do remember the conversation). Second, tone and emotion can be totally misunderstood in written communication. Now, don’t get me wrong…I love to read and even write, but written communication is a bit limited for some situations.
5) I can’t wait a day or days for someone to respond to my thoughts. I am a here and now kind of person.
6) Luckily Staci lets me bend her ear. I can philosophize, debate, and keep myself sane all without making a fool of myself to the world and misspelling my whole way through it.

Well now that I got that out of my system maybe I’ll probably start blogging regularly.

Rambling . . . again

So, I have a few thoughts for today. Number one is my realization that I am no longer cool. You probably never knew that I was cool but I sort of thought I was there for awhile. Until my 4 year old informed me of my error.

The other day, I was trying to help him get dressed and pulled out my favorite pair of jeans (very proud that there was something freshly laundered to wear) and he said , "oh man, I hate jeans."
I replied, "But jeans are cool."
"No they're not mom. No one wears jeans. I want something cool."
"What's cool?"
"You know cool. Sporty. Not jeans."
So, I went to the store and looked and sure enough, there were lot of pants that were not jeans. Khakis, cargos, sportys were all highlighted and the jeans were relegated to the far wall tucked into a corner. Well, he's wearing the jeans.

Ok, item number 2. How does rabidrunner have 17 comments on one blog post? Thinking out loud, I said that she must have a lot of friends who read her blog. But hubby replied, "maybe she writes interesting stuff." Thanks.

Item number 3. Have they already shown the finale for season 4 project runway? I am so confused because I never know if I am watching reruns or what. I just really want to see the final collections. Season 4 is the one with Kara Saun and Wendy Pepper. (PS I don't know how I got sucked into this show but I LOVE IT).

Thanksgiving, of course

The family gathered together for last week's holiday (well, except for the family that DIDN'T gather together) and we enjoyed our time and turkey. We stayed at grandma and grandpa's house for five days and really infiltrated. Life is a little more chaotic like that but you gotta love it. So, I decided to post some grandparent boastings lest you think that I am the only one who thinks my kids are amazing. These come from an email to my missionary brother.

From Grandma:
Nicolas is getting so big! He slept in your bed. He was so cute. (Now you need to remember he now lives in Santa Clara). When I tucked him in the one night I put him to bed he said, "How come Uncle David has so many blankets on his bed?". Not wanting to burst his bubble that it was me who had decided how many blankets were on the bed I simply said, "It's because it's getting so cold outside now." Nicolas is especially fond of Grandpa and they have games that Nicolas has made up that dad is willing to play.
Alisa is a crack-up. She is lots of fun. She loves her "baby" and her blanket (which is very pink). Her little legs spend a lot of time running, but she's also enjoys sitting on laps - which I love the best. She too loves grandpa and often walks about calling "ganpa". She is very busy often opening and shutting cupboards and can navigate a full flight of stairs carrying her "baby" (doll).

From Grandpa:
I also really enjoyed having Staci, Diego, Nicolas and Alisa here this week. What a blast! The kids are very cute and very fun. I love being Grandpa. As Mom said, Alisa ("Ali") walks around the house yelling "Ganpa" . . . just for the fun of it. Of course, I love it and make her laugh every time she does it.
Nicolas is getting so mature in his attitude about life. He and I went on hike on Friday afternoon, after I got back from work. We went up the Giles Ranch trial to sheepherder's flat. (Well we actually made it to the Fourth creek crossing, but he was too tired to go on.) It was cold and the creek had ice on portions of it. There was also snow in the higher mountains, so it was very pretty. On the way back, he was tired so I carried him on my shoulders until we got to the ambulance (my Bronco). We talked the whole time. Sometimes it was typical 4 year old stuff like about monsters, but other times it was very interesting to see how he understands and REMEMBERS things that are going on around him. For example, we were talking about his new house in Santa Clara and he said: "The green house (their first house in Santa Clara) was very old and not much fun, but we were only renting it before my Mom and Dad bought the new house in Santa Clara." Yes, a four year old said that. No kidding. I am not even sure I knew was renting was when I was four.

Hope no one minds me sharing with the world. Oh also, last night for the first time in my life, Nicolas liked something that I made for dinner. I'm not kidding! It was those chicken/cream cheese croquettes. His comment was "oh, this is soooo good that I can't even TRY my rice and peas." Wait a minute . . . . was it a ploy?

Blogger Help!

Does anyone know how to fix my picture to the right? And yes, I did already try the "shrink to fit." Anyone . . . anyone . . .

Halloween in So. Utah

Just downloaded these Halloween pictures to share. Alisa was very afraid of our neighbor boy's painted face. It was very warm here. The kids didn't even have to wear jackets.

Grievances

A blog isn't anything if it isn't my own personal gripe session.

Grievance #1 Gasoline
I have figured out part of the world's fixation with gasoline prices. (Besides, middle-eastern control, save the world blah, blah, blah) This week I filled up my aforementioned Toyota Sienna for the first time. I have been driving around for two weeks revving that beautiful engine and it was finally time to fill 'er up. I pulled into the gas station, swiped my credit card, and started filling. I was merrily humming my favorite bee-bop as I watched money being drained from my card . . . penny . . . by . . . penny. Suddenly I was standing there transfixed. I could not avert my eyes. It looked exactly like those calculators that follow the national debt. It just kept going and going and going. It wasn't necessarily that the total was $50 but that I had to watch every cent deducted from my checking account.

Grievance #2 Voting
I really, really, hate it when people talk and complain about gov'ment but then don't vote. I swear to you, at 29 I am always 20 years younger than everyone else at the polls. Please friends, take the time to vote. (I guess I should have said that last week, eh?)

Grievance #3 What I do is undone
All the work that I put into my children and house becomes undone in much less time than it takes to get it done. Do they really need to eat that often? I can't even get the dishes done before people are asking me for more food.

Five Things About Me

So I have been asked to create a "5 things" list. I love these things as we all learn so much about each other (in my case that is more than you ever wanted to know.) But I am a little slow on the uptake as Rachael gave me this idea more than two weeks ago. Here we go, oh boy.

5 things I was doing ten years ago:
1. Starting sophomore year at BYU
2. Running my very first step (which is a big deal to me considering I have run nearly every day since then--minus the second half of two pregnancies)
3. Wondering what to do with my life
4. Working at my dad's law firm as the court gopher (to rabidrunner: that's where I met Running Bruce's wife)
5. Still living with my parents!

5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Take a shower and do my hair (no really, that's on the list)
2. Do the laundry
3. Not yell at Nicolas (can a "not do" be on a "do" list?)
4. Buy Alisa some shoes
5. Finally talk to AG who I have been playing phone tag with for almost a week.
Incidentally, the only thing accomplished on this list was number one. Hey, at least I'm hygenic.

5 things I would do if I had a million dollars:
1. Pay off JRV's school debt
2. Pay for VC's schooling
3. A shopping spree for clothes (for myself only)
4. Buy something for the bare walls in my house . . . and maybe something that didn't come from TJ Maxx
5. Pay for a cleaning service for my house for ten years. That is, until I no longer have little kids
Would a million dollars even cover all that?

5 thing I will never wear again:
Whoa never say never--I'm not sure I can do this one.
1. Size 6 jeans
2. big hair-sprayed bangs
3. puffy-paint shirts
4. black and flourescent pink biker shorts (excluding maybe really for biking instead of fash-i-on)
5. ballet pointe shoes