Happy Halloween!

These are the cupcakes I made for the Trunker Treat at church on Saturday. Actually, they were made for the cake walk, but you get the drift. The best part was having nephew Max come and to see his amazing Thomas the Tank Engine costume that the brother made. Somehow, I didn't get a picture though. I'm not sure how that happened. The brother will have to share a photo.

We also had yummy dinner together at my place on Sunday. With the parents and the other brother and family here, we had a housefull and a really nice time.

Ako Pa

Literal translation from Tagalog: "Still me."
Meaningful translation: "I'm the man!" (or woman as the case may be, as Tagalog has no gender specific pronouns- gotta love that.) or "I Rock!"

Megan wrote an Ako Pa blog with a list of all that she has accomplished, giving herself the proverbial pat on the back, and proclaiming, with pride, to the world Ako Pa! She then challenged readers to do the same.

Here’s mine:

• I learned to speak fluent German, in part by living in a language house where only German was spoken.
• I served a full-time mission to Switzerland for 18 months.
• I graduated from college with a BA in English and a minor in Music.
• I was certified to teach English and German in the state of Idaho.
• I successfully taught high school English and German for four years.
• I transitioned into a career in technical communication.
• I wrote three award-winning user manuals for HP products.
• I sang with the Opera Idaho chorus.
• I married a fabulous man who loves and respects me.

I’m feeling pretty good about myself right now!

Autumn "To Do" List

Autumn is by far my favorite season of the year. I'm not super fond of the heat and I love when the air starts to get crisp, the leaves change, and the days get shorter. It's this time of year that I get in the mood for projects of all kinds (that I don't always finish) and enjoy baking and cooking. Just like Annzy, it makes me think there are a few things I need to do to make this Autumn complete. This is my Autumn "to do" list, which must be completed by December 21st:

• Have a fire in the fireplace
• Buy fabric for more baby blankets
• Crochet around at least one baby blanket
• Make Evelyn's rolls
• Make homemade soup to go with the rolls
• Walk a half marathon
• Watch 42-Up and 49-Up documentaries
• Clean up the yard for Winter

I'm looking forward to it already. If you're really lucky, I might share some rolls with you!

Six Degrees and Pipe Dreams

Today, I was reading Annzy’s blog about things to accomplish in the Fall. (I’ll make my own list on that for later, but that’s not what this post is all about.) So, Annzy wrote her list after reading Erin’s blog on the topic of feeling “dark and twisty”. Erin’s blog was referring to Kim’s blog about Pipe Dreams (that apparently make her feel “dark and twisty”). Funny thing is, I had already read Kim’s post about Pipe Dreams after linking to if from Megan’s blog. Megan is in my ward and is a pretty cool gal that knits a lot. So, I know Ann and I know Megan and I read both their blogs and it was really funny to see that I could connect blogs with only five degrees of separation. I just had to share.

Now, for my pipe dreams. I have a few:

• I always thought I’d get married in my 20’s and have three kids. That was clearly a pipe dream. Getting married at 39 changes some dreams.
• I wanted to be an opera singer (but never wanted to work that hard at it). I love to sing, but never really jumped all the way into that pond.
• I love to teach and really thought I would go back after just a couple of years in the business world. Instead, I let my credentials lapse and have now spent almost ten years working for the man. Maybe going back to teaching isn’t 100% a pipe dream. It might still happen, but I don’t know when.
• Perhaps being a size 10 is a pipe dream too. Since I haven’t been that size since 7th grade, it might be a bit much to hope for.

So, anything you don't have a clear path for achieving sounds like a pipe dream to me. Maybe later I'll post on the dreams that I think might actually come true.

Ruminations...

Do you ever have one of those days where you just wonder how you got here? I have to say, I’m not really on the path that I thought I would be on. It’s a pretty good path – no complaint really – just not the one I expected.

Today at work, I have been dealing with spreadsheets, numbers, and vendors. My degree is in English with a minor in vocal performance. I planned to get married and stay home with kids. How did I fall into spreadsheet madness?!? Seriously, this is just freakish. My favorite thing about getting my degree at BYU was testing out of basic math and taking the foreign language option so I wouldn’t have to deal with numbers. It seems I can’t escape them though.

It does all make me wonder how much of my life is chance (or fate, or what have you) and how much is deliberate. And if it’s not deliberate, is it because I didn’t try hard enough or because life just doesn’t work that way?

That’s my philosophical question of the day.

Now back to the spreadsheets.

The Ol' Ball and Chain

Technically, I think I might be the ball and chain. Even if I am, I’m the best damn ball and chain the DH has ever had. Hands down. How’s that for confidence?

We celebrated our first anniversary last month. It was pretty cool. We went on a trip to Mt. Rainier and then to Sun Mountain Lodge near Winthrop, WA. It was beautiful on both trips and we had a great time. The food, the hikes, the scenery, and the hot tub were all great. We even had fun going to church in Twisp. They have a branch with less than 20 people. They bring in speakers from wards in the area and the second speaker was literally the worst sacrament meeting speaker I’ve every heard. It was hysterical.

I also had a first on the anniversary trip. On the way out of town, we bought a fishing rod and license for me. On Monday, we went fishing and I caught my first fish (in memory at least – sorry dad if you ever helped me catch a fish and I forgot). It was actually fairly entertaining and I’d do it again as long as I had a chair to hang out in instead of standing on the shore the whole time.

Good times! I highly recommend the anniversary.

Of festivities and fishing

Last weekend was the annual sister’s get-together. We invited the sisters-in-law as well, like we sometimes do. The middle sister moved this year and the younger sister is unemployed, so we decided to get together in Boise on the cheap instead of going somewhere else. Of course, the best time to get together in Boise is the weekend after Labor Day because that’s when you get Art in the Park.

We all showed up in Boise on Friday and then spend the better part of Saturday at the park looking at all kinds of arts and crafts made by vendors from all over the place. A lot of the vendors are the same from year to year. I always get a kick out of doggy designer clothing. It’s there every year without fail and has been as long as I can remember. Of course, the potters and jewelers are all there too.

This year, I decided I was going to purchase real art. I didn’t have a real budget, but I knew I wouldn’t spend more than a huge load of money. That’s fine, right? I was getting discouraged by most of what I saw, but finally found several things by one artist that I really liked. He’s Karl Pace out of Salt Lake City. The art is representational and hopefully looks good in my house. That would be the best part.

We all went to dinner at Cottonwood Grill and had wonderful, tasty appetizers, dinner, and dessert. Yum! Even the chocolate banana bread pudding was great. After dinner and a phone chat with the DH, I went back to Art in the Park to purchase my art. I bought a painting called “Low Bluff” that has nice hues of blue and tan with a touch of green. I think it looks pretty good and I really hope the DH loves it when he finally sees it in person.

Low Bluff


After dinner, we just hung out at the parent’s new house and chatted and had a nice evening. It was really great to just relax with such wonderful people. I’m lucky to have two great sisters and three wonderful sisters-in-law that were all together for the weekend. You can’t get much luckier than that.

On Sunday, we had my all-time favorite dinner of fried chicken, new potatoes, and gravy. My mom does the best job on this dinner. I love it! The only thing that could have made it better would have been to have the DH there as well.

The DH, on the other hand, spent his weekend fishing. It was the annual work fishing trip. He might have had fun, but of course he missed me too much to really enjoy himself.

Nauvoo

The last leg of the trip was to Nauvoo. We started with a wagon ride around the sites to see what was there. It was about 50 minutes and gave a nice overview of everything you could see. The church owns and maintains a lot of sites in Nauvoo, so it's a lot more than Palmyra or Kirtland.


After the wagon ride, we went to the Community of Christ sites. They own the Smith family home sites and the land where Joseph and Hyrum Smith are burried. One of the most interesting stories was regarding the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum. Emma Smith got their bodies and prepared them for burial after they were killed, but she was afraid that someone would come steal the bodies because there was still a $1,000 bounty on each of their heads, dead or alive, from Missouri. She first hid the bodies under the family home, but moved them from there when additional contruction was going to start on the home. She put them under the cold cellar outside the home and asked to be burried in a spot close to that. She kept the sites secret her whole life. The bodies were finally found in the 1920's when the RLDS church paid to have a dig to find them because of fears that the bodies would be lost with flooding on the Mississippi. When they were found, all three bodies (Joseph, Hyrum, and Emma) were burried together in the Smith family cemetary.


We had lunch at a small, sad deli and then did a session at the Nauvoo temple. That temple is amazing. I have not been in another temple, other than Salt Lake, that had more beautiful workmanship inside. It was awesome in the true sense of the word. After that, we took a nap. I was so tired this whole trip. In the evening we went to two shows. The first was called Sunset on the Mississippi. It was a fun variety show and we really enjoyed the fun. Then we went to the Palmyra Padgeant. It was basically the story of Nauvoo from the time it was settled until they left to go West. It was really well done and we thought it was great. I could recommend it to just about anyone.

On Friday, we went to several of the sites including the blacksmith shop, the print shop, the post office, and bunches of others. Except for the heat and humidity, it was really good. We also did some shopping before going off the beaten path. We went to a man's house outside town who has stones from the original Nauvoo temple. When the new temple was being built, the old rubble was dumped not too far from his house and he grabbed some of the stones and breaks them up and gives them to folks who stop by. We also went to a glass maker's studio where he showed us around and told us all about his shop and his work. We really loved those little side trips.


We also saw one last show that day, which was fairly entertaining, but not as good as the shows the day before. It was in an air conditioned building though, so we managed just fine. We also went to Keokuk, Iowa for dinner. The dinner was unremarkable, but the views of the Mississippi along the way, especially on the way home with the sun setting, were lovely.

On Saturday, we did some last-minute shopping, toured the Mason Hall, and headed for St. Louis so we could come home.

No matter how much fun the trip is, it's always so nice to get home and sleep in your own bed.

Kirtland

On Tuesday, we spent the day in Kirtland. I think I love that little town. We started at the visitor's center and historic Kirtland. The missionary that led our tour was so wonderful. She had a wealth of knowledge and was so sincere in her presentation that we all enjoyed her more than anyone else we heard in Palmyra or Kirtland.
We visited the K.N.Whitney store, the Whitney home, the saw mill and ashery, and an old hotel. We also heard about how the church acquired some of the property and got the road moved back behind the historic district.


After the historic town, we went on to the Kirtland temple.
The temple still stands as it was built and is owned by the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). The tour guide was great and he gave us a lot of information about the structure and history. He also told dad about a "behind the scenes" tour that you can get by special appointment if you come September through June. I'm betting on dad going back for that.

After visiting the temple, we had a great lunch at a diner reccomended by the temple tour guide. Who knew you could get such great food in Kirtland, OH? The food wasn't great in Palmyra, so we didn't have very high expectations.

After lunch, we went to another farm and heard about more of the history of the area. We had more interesting tour guides and enjoyed the experience.

All of the tours were so good that we ended up spending much more time than expected in Kirtland and so we weren't able to drive all the way to Chicago. We ended up spending the night in Ekhart, Indiana and driving to Chicago in the morning. We had a driving tour where we saw the apartment my parents lived in when dad was at Northwestern for grad school. We also saw the B'hai temple. It's quite an impressive structure.

After the driving tour,
we went to meet our friends Liz and Darrin Jensen for lunch at Giordano's for deep dish Chicago style pizza. We had a great time catching up and having yummy food.

After lunch, we drove on to Carthage, IL where we saw the jail where Joseph Smith was killed. It was a short tour, but pretty powerful.

Finally, we landed in Nauvoo, IL. More on that later!

Palmyra

After arriving in Rochester, my parents picked us up and we traveled to Palmyra where they have been volunteering during the Palmyra pageant. On the way from the airport, we went to the Martin Harris farm.


It's out of the way, so we didn't want to have to drive all the way back out there on Sunday. Later that evening, we went to the pageant and it rained on us more or less the entire time. Good times in the rain. It was pretty close to the Manti pageant that I saw a couple of times twenty years ago. We also enjoyed great BBQ at the pagaent. The Rotary Club in town makes food for sale and gives all the proceeds to several different charities. It was great to see them getting so many hungry customers and the food was great.

On Sunday, we went to church and then visited the historical sights in Palmyra. We went to the Johnson farm, the visitor's center, and the Smith Farm. The Smith Farm is where mom and dad were volunteering. We loved the presentation by the missionary at the log home. She was fabulous. We also enjoyed the walk through the grove out behind the buildings. After Saturday's rain, the weather was cooler and not so humid. We had a really nice time and chatted with a bunch of other people visiting the sights.

On Monday, we went into town and shopped for half an hour and then went to a temple session at the Palmyra temple. After that, we got in the car and drove to Kirtland, OH. It was only a few hours to our low-rent hotel. We really enjoyed Palmyra and would highly reccomend it.

I almost forgot to mention that we took a side trip to Niagra Falls after leaving Palmyra. I had never seen the falls and they were spectacular. We had a great view from the American side and had a nice walk around the park by the falls.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Last week, I got to go to Orlando for a conference for work. It was my first time in Florida and was not prepared for the humidity. Who knew my hair could be that curly (or frizzy, depending on your perspective)? Then when you go inside, it's always cold with the air conditioning. It was kind of odd to be wearing a jacket a good part of my stay in the state.

I got to go to Epcot center (but not really DisneyWorld) and watch fireworks and ride a few rides. It was great to soar over California, go on a mission to Mars, and test drive cars for GM. I only got a little motion sickness on the trip to Mars. Not bad for a beginner.

I also had a great time going to the town of Mount Dora and eating dinner at Pices Rising. Let's hear it for Andrew for picking the restaurant and Ray for driving us there. It really was fabulous food and great company.

Of course, nothing beats leaving a business trip and meeting up with the DH again. The Rochester airport was the best part of the trip.

Beautiful Music at the Winery

The DH and I had the most wonderful experience last night. We went to see Bruce Hornsby at Chateau Ste. Michelle winery out in Woodinville. The venue is beautiful, the weather was perfect, and the music was first rate.

I have to admit that the DH picked the music. I couldn't even tell you what Bruce Hornsby is known for (though a few of his songs, like The Way It Is and Gonna Be Some Changes Made, were familiar). What a great surprise to hear that he is an amazing pianist and plays with some wonderful musicians.

There was no opening band, so it was just two hours of lovely music from someone who can really play and arrange and sing.

We also enjoyed a really nice picnic and found many of the other concert-goers very entertaining. It's fun when the people-watching is almost as good as the music.

Now Taking Recommendations

The DH and I are quickly coming upon our first anniversary. It’s mere weeks away and we’re very excited to have made it through the “toughest year of marriage.” In anticipation of a fabulous anniversary, we’ve both taken time off work. Unfortunately, we haven’t done much else in the way of planning. The DH was given a recommendation for cabins in the Sun Lakes area, but, alas, they are all booked at the end of August.

So, here’s the deal-i-o. I’m putting it out there to all you great blog-reading friends to give us recommendations. Here is the criteria:

• No more than a 3-hour trip from home with no plane trips involved
• A place to stay for less than $150 per night (we have some class, but don’t want to blow our wad in one place)
• A few activities in the area that you would recommend

See, we’re not too picky. And maybe there can be a prize for whoever picks our anniversary destination. I’m sure I could come up with something worth your effort!

Turning 40 (ARGH!)

Well, I did it. I turned 40 on Tuesday. After spending the weekend with Granny, who just turned 90, I should feel young. Too bad it doesn't actually work that way. We had a great time seeing the entire family (except for Sean and his wife and kids, since he's stationed in Italy now). It was also nice to see how many people came to see Granny and wish her well. She really is well-loved and has a pretty amazing legacy. I could only hope for such a life.

After celebrating with Granny in Idaho Falls, we headed back to Boise to celebrate my birthday. We enjoyed pancakes at the sister's ward breakfast and then had cake and ice cream at Mom and Dad's house. It was yummy and fun. When the dh and I flew back to Seattle, we were no longer in a mood to BBQ, so we went out to dinner for the birthday. It was really nice to spend time with friends and family. Plus, the dh found me a fabulous pair of earrings in white gold with diamonds and rubies. They're divine and I LOVE them. Too bad I couldn't find a picture of them online to show you all.

Run for your life...

On Saturday, I ran in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. It was a 5K (3.12 mile) race, but I was just in it for the experience. I’m far from competitive in the foot race.

I’ve been working on being healthier lately and I think it’s working a little. I work out with a trainer three days a week and I’ve asked him to help me with running. It’s actually working. I ran the race in 39 minutes, which averages out to a 12.5-minute mile and average speed of 4.8 miles per hour.

This is not fast. This is pretty slow. But for me, this is fabulous. I actually ran a good part of the way. I was really tired after the race, but I felt great about what I had done.

It’s pretty amazing how one slow race can make you feel like you accomplished something great. It really was great for me. I think I’ll even do it again some time and see if I can shave a few minutes off that 39-minute race time.

Plumbing woes -- and I mean WOES

I’ve now realized that I take drains for granted. I just expect them to drain. No worries, no woes. I’m learning to appreciate a good drain now. After spending two weekends with plumbers in the house, I’m really ready to have it done.

Last Saturday I was cleaning the bathroom toilet and it just wouldn’t flush. (Thank heaven’s there was really nothing in there except clean water or this story would be much more colorful. Perhaps that a disappointment to you though.) As every good woman of independent thought and means, I got out the plunger and plunged. I didn’t work. I called in the DH. He plunged. After we had both plunged to no avail, we realized that water was seeping out from under the toilet every time we did anything. That’s a bad thing, if you were wondering.

Patrick has a plumber friend who happened to be at a party nearby with his plumbing truck. He came over and snaked, replaced the honeycomb seal, and put the toilet back in place. All was well – for a week.

On Friday, the woes came back even better than before. The toilet still flushed, but nothing else seemed to drain. The DH took a shower and I did laundry, and it was a bad combination. I’d noticed the sink in the bathroom not really draining, but that’s fairly common, so I didn’t think much of it. Then the DH took a shower and it didn’t drain at all. And my laundry bubbles started showing up in all the wrong places. We knew it was real drainage woes when that happened.

We called the plumber friend again and he recommended someone to call. For a measly $200, we got the big drain (from the outside) snaked with the really big (think anaconda) snake and now we know why plumbers get paid well. It was gross – not just a little gross, but make-you-want-to-hurl gross. He pulled up things people just shouldn’t have to see. No more details will be given, but I think you can use your imagination and get close enough.

When he was done the shower drained, the toilet flushed, and the washer drained. It was a beautiful thing. Now, two days later, the toilet flushes weird, the shower drains slow, and I’m worried that I get to see a plumber every Saturday for the rest of my life.

What a Wreck...

I meant to post on this earlier, but time just got away from me. Wednesday was kind of a bad day. I started from home right around 5:00 and SR520 was already super backed up. In a moment, I adjusted routes and headed for I-405. I seldom go that way, but it looked like I might get home faster and I needed to get gussied up for the opera that the DH and I had tickets for that night. 15 minutes can make all the difference there, you know.

As I was heading North, minding my business and feeling quite bored with the stop-and-go traffic, I stopped in one of those slow-downs, but the car behind me forgot to. The car rammed into me, pushing me into the car in front of me. The impact was enough to throw my glasses off my face and open covers and empty the two console cubbies of lipstick, dental floss, and sunglasses. It even knocked the phone book from under the seat.

The three of us made our way to the side of the road and traded vital information. I was quite shaken up and the man in the car in front of me was quite concerned. I thought I was coping quite well, but maybe not. It’s hard to keep the perspective in such a situation. I was grateful to the front driver as he drew a diagram of the accident, took down license numbers and car models, and collected our insurance information and phone numbers. We all had everything we needed.

I checked the damage to my car and saw that the bumpers, front and rear, were damaged. I didn’t discover the rest of the damage until I got home, but it’s mostly cosmetic. Except that the trunk won’t close now. It’s my Joad car now, I guess – at least for a little while.

Because it was rush hour and there were not injuries, we didn’t call the police. Don’t worry. My insurance agent said it was fine. They wouldn’t come out anyway. That’s who I called first, then found out that I should work with the instigator’s insurance agency unless they gave me grief.

So far it’s been quite a bother, but not much more than that. I called the instigator’s insurance company right after the accident and they’ve called me back every day with updates. It looks like it won’t be much of a problem to get taken care of, but it will take some time and a loaner car for me.

After getting home and getting a grip, I was really grateful that I wasn’t hurt and that the airbag didn’t deploy. Considering that it was on the freeway, it could have been much worse and I feel pretty good about having only the inconvenience. Of course, I could do without that too, but it’s minor in comparison to what could have happened.

Mas Que Nada

I love NPR just like Annzy does. I especially like it on the morning commute. It's kind of funny, because it's a 2-hour loop and I usually get in my car after the gym exactly two hours after leaving it to go into the gym. I just pick up right where I left off.

This morning, the story I heard arriving and leaving the gym was about Sergio Mendez. You may or may not know that he's a family favorite. We heard his work while driving to Burley, Salt Lake, San Francisco, L.A., Tucson, and everywhere else we ever drove as a family. It was one of the few things we all liked (and we only ever listened to anything that Dad liked, so this is saying a lot).

You can listen to the new album Timeless here. Somehow, I don't think my Dad would buy this one. I couldn't even recognize Mas Que Nada (which is one of my favorites from the Best Of album). E Menina is totally old school though. Maybe Dad would like three or four of the songs.

Blue, Blue, My Eyes are Blue

I think I can tell how old you are by whether or not you recognize the title of this post as song lyrics. Just a thought to start this post, but really not what it's all about.

It's really all about wasting time (even at work). If you haven't taken any of the Blogthings Quizzes, you're really missing out on a fabulous time waster. Today, I found out what color my eyes should be. Lucky for me, they should be blue. And they are. Coincidence? I think not! I was at the mercy of the quiz. Here's what it said...

Your Eyes Should Be Blue
Your eyes reflect: Innocence and sweetness
What's hidden behind your eyes: A calculating mind

Cool, huh? I have a calculating mind. Who would have known if I hadn't taken the quiz? Who needs a mirror or introspection when you have online quizzes?

You can take the quiz too. Even better, when you take that quiz, then you can chose from a variety of other time wasting quizzes to take. It's a thing of beauty. Take the quiz here: What Color Should Your Eyes Be?

Of Birthdays and Breakdowns

As you may have read in the previous post, it was the nephew's birthday. It was actually last week, but the family celebrated it on Sunday. My brother created a fine Bob the Builder cake. Of course, it was yellow cake baked in a bowl (trust me – it's the best cake you can have). He cut off the top inch of about half the cake to make Bob's face smaller than the hard hat. It seriously looked just like Bob. It was brilliant.

When we arrived, there was one whirling dervish nephew with dark circles under his eyes. At 3 years, the birthday joy was apparent and the kid was totally high on adrenaline and sugar. He ran, he hardly ate (except cake), he got excited about presents, he hated curling ribbon on packages, and he loved the huge Tonka dump truck he got. It even came with a hard hat. Now he has two hard hats, so his cousin could wear one too and they were ready to work.

The best part of the party was that the nephew, in spite of his energy and sleep deprivation, seemed to have a great time. He didn’t have a meltdown (while we were there at least – who knows what happened after we left). He didn’t cry. And, he shared his toys (mostly). I think he even liked the Cootie game I gave him, but who could tell after the Tonka truck arrived?

I, on the other hand, have been a bit sleep deprived for a few weeks now and had to have my own breakdown. I think I need to call in sick to work and just sleep all day.