Wednesday Dave and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. What a great time we have had together. Within this year we will hit the mark where I have spent more time with Dave in my life than I did without him, counting our time dating. He definately improves my life.
We went out to PF Chang's for dinner. We tried new dishes and were really quite disappointed with Dave's selection. On the way out we asked for fortune cookies and mine was quite accurate: You are always delightful and entertaining company. Dave's said something about focusing on his best talents, not an easy choice when you have so very many to choose from.
After dinner we went up to see Bryan Regan perform in the Thanksgiving Point amphithearer. We gave ourselves an extra hour to make the 20 minute trip and we used all 80 minutes to get there and into the amphitheater. As is turns out, Bryan Regan was caught in the same traffic, his traffic, and so we didn't miss a thing.
Lestelle and Stephen met us there and we all laughed at some of our favorite jokes and new ones as well. He really is such a funny and clean comedian. And the bonus of seeing it with Dave is that you can have instant replays on demand. Bryan Regan made a series of jokes about NICE neighbors driving them to move with their tinkling wind chimes. This week when the wind picked up, Dave took our chimes down. Perhaps we'll keep our neighbors longer now.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
August 14 Look, Ma: Bangs!
Aleah decided to cut a curl off last week. She can't exactly tell me why. At least she kept the scissors far enough away from the root and picked a good spot so now Aleah has bangs!
Actually she looks so adorable, I have no regrets. Elise likes the improvement so much she is considering bangs as well. Stay tuned.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Riley in his Element
Dave was visiting with folks exiting the chapel after sacrament meeting and overheard a conversation between two visitors there for a baby blessing. One was describing to the other how at scout camp last week, there was this scout who did the funniest skit - one about Arnold Schwartzenegger telling kids nursery rhymes which all ended with, "and blew up!" Dave kept to himself that they were talking about RILEY who did the skit at Mapledell last week since Dave wasn't there Thursday night. Riley had even brought the prop mother goose book up for the occasion and enlisted help from scouts and leaders to get "pumped up."
Riley had a great time at camp. It took him a day to accept that there was structure to the camp; he thought he could just run free and come back to camp when he was hungry. But he has been entertaining us with songs, stories, skits, and games. He's already planning which merit badges to work on next year.
Behold the Parish in his natural habitat.
Riley had a great time at camp. It took him a day to accept that there was structure to the camp; he thought he could just run free and come back to camp when he was hungry. But he has been entertaining us with songs, stories, skits, and games. He's already planning which merit badges to work on next year.
Behold the Parish in his natural habitat.
Painfully Vain
I had a lapse of myself. I'm not really sure what brought this on, but having a gift card to spend at an online store, I'm afraid I had a moment of vanity and spent it all on things to enhance my appearance. All of the improvements are painful!
I bought an epilator which pulls unwanted hair out at the root. Well, duh. That is no joke.
Then I bought two exercise videos in an attempt to rid myself of the 10 pounds gained in the first five weeks home from India. The weight went on so suddenly that I kept thinking it must be water and would fall off any minute. Well it appears I was wrong and have decided to take it seriously three months later.
At the Parish reunion in July, Heidi was talking up how tough Jillian Michael's workouts were, so I bought one: 30 day shred. Well, duh. It is no joke.
I have completed two weeks and I have not lost much weight, but I have lost inches and feel stronger and leaner. I really like that it just kills for 20 minutes and then I don't have to think about it again for a day.
As for the epilator... razors just aren't that big of a nuisance.
I bought an epilator which pulls unwanted hair out at the root. Well, duh. That is no joke.
Then I bought two exercise videos in an attempt to rid myself of the 10 pounds gained in the first five weeks home from India. The weight went on so suddenly that I kept thinking it must be water and would fall off any minute. Well it appears I was wrong and have decided to take it seriously three months later.
At the Parish reunion in July, Heidi was talking up how tough Jillian Michael's workouts were, so I bought one: 30 day shred. Well, duh. It is no joke.
I have completed two weeks and I have not lost much weight, but I have lost inches and feel stronger and leaner. I really like that it just kills for 20 minutes and then I don't have to think about it again for a day.
As for the epilator... razors just aren't that big of a nuisance.
August 6 Nervously Nutritious
As I said before, I had been asked to teach a class again at a Relief Society enrichment activity. They had rather unexciting class topics like food storage, exercise, CPR, and nutrition (me), though they did have one fun class: making smoothies. So they combined the obligatory with a nice outdoor bar-be-que and ran the classes round-robin style.
I started my lesson with the fact that crocadiles eat just one meal a year. When I learned that, I thought, "God could have made us differently." I concluded our three-meal-a-day design allows us to learn lessons about constant nourishment and reaping large effects over long periods compiled of little decisions. I focused the bulk of my lesson on choosing more nutrient-dense foods.
My mom and sister have sprouter machines: a new want for sure! And my mom had just made sprout bread. So she sent me with her bread sample and some sprouts and Lestelle gave me some of her bread from my recipe. I thought my classes went mostly pretty well. The weather was blustery and rained for about a half hour, but we just accomodated and people seemed receptive.
Only when I got home that night and found the note that began, "I forgive you..." did I pause to consider it might not have gone so well. This note is probably the fourth I've received from this person over several years, in addition to calls in the same vein, so I don't really think it's about me or what I say or even do. Still I can't help but think that I didn't ask to teach the class, and my life would have been a whole lot more simple last week if I hadn't.
And then today Dave was conducting in sacrament meeting and hadn't realized that the person assigned to give the closing prayer hadn't attended. So after the closing song, the void being realized, he looked down at me and called me up to say the prayer. I'll probably end up apologizing for that as well. I just feel like an unrequested spotlight is on me this last week (I bore my testimony last week, a member of the stake presidency got up and referenced my testimony, I was asked to say the closing prayer in RS since I was there instead of nursery for once, the nutrition class, and now the closing prayer) and I feel conspicuous. And nervous.
But nutritious!
I started my lesson with the fact that crocadiles eat just one meal a year. When I learned that, I thought, "God could have made us differently." I concluded our three-meal-a-day design allows us to learn lessons about constant nourishment and reaping large effects over long periods compiled of little decisions. I focused the bulk of my lesson on choosing more nutrient-dense foods.
My mom and sister have sprouter machines: a new want for sure! And my mom had just made sprout bread. So she sent me with her bread sample and some sprouts and Lestelle gave me some of her bread from my recipe. I thought my classes went mostly pretty well. The weather was blustery and rained for about a half hour, but we just accomodated and people seemed receptive.
Only when I got home that night and found the note that began, "I forgive you..." did I pause to consider it might not have gone so well. This note is probably the fourth I've received from this person over several years, in addition to calls in the same vein, so I don't really think it's about me or what I say or even do. Still I can't help but think that I didn't ask to teach the class, and my life would have been a whole lot more simple last week if I hadn't.
And then today Dave was conducting in sacrament meeting and hadn't realized that the person assigned to give the closing prayer hadn't attended. So after the closing song, the void being realized, he looked down at me and called me up to say the prayer. I'll probably end up apologizing for that as well. I just feel like an unrequested spotlight is on me this last week (I bore my testimony last week, a member of the stake presidency got up and referenced my testimony, I was asked to say the closing prayer in RS since I was there instead of nursery for once, the nutrition class, and now the closing prayer) and I feel conspicuous. And nervous.
But nutritious!
August 4 - 9 Reunion Therapy
My twin brother Ben is a naturopathic doctor who helps keep us all straight. He has had good experience treating fibromyalgia with a nutritional IV's and thought it was worth the try. I went up to my mom's on Monday and began my treatments that night.
Dave and Riley were down at scout camp, so they missed this one, but we had such a good time. I did have to run back home Wednesday, making it in time for the Purdy swim party (cool picture of the party swiped from a cousin's blog) and then I taught a lesson on nutrition at a Relief Society enrichment evening.
Thursday I made it back up by mid afternoon and Nanette and Ben took us all to the Tree House Museum in Ogden. Since they have a membership there, we all got in as guests. There was much fun to be had with all the hands-on exhibits. At the end of the evening, they did a little play having kids as actors. Parker was papa bear, Cambry was mama bear, and Audrey was goldilocks. They all did a marvelous job -- I think Parker may have found his calling.
Friday Eric, Marie, and Liesel came up to complete the party. Ben and his family came to dinner and Ben doctored us most of the time; much appreciated. Saturday we had to finally call the party quits, but not without pledging to do this again sometime. It was a nice break.
Dave and Riley were down at scout camp, so they missed this one, but we had such a good time. I did have to run back home Wednesday, making it in time for the Purdy swim party (cool picture of the party swiped from a cousin's blog) and then I taught a lesson on nutrition at a Relief Society enrichment evening.
Thursday I made it back up by mid afternoon and Nanette and Ben took us all to the Tree House Museum in Ogden. Since they have a membership there, we all got in as guests. There was much fun to be had with all the hands-on exhibits. At the end of the evening, they did a little play having kids as actors. Parker was papa bear, Cambry was mama bear, and Audrey was goldilocks. They all did a marvelous job -- I think Parker may have found his calling.
Friday Eric, Marie, and Liesel came up to complete the party. Ben and his family came to dinner and Ben doctored us most of the time; much appreciated. Saturday we had to finally call the party quits, but not without pledging to do this again sometime. It was a nice break.
August 3 and 6 Purdy Reunion
The theme to this summer has definately been reunion! We went last week to meet with the Purdy family reunion in Park City. They had sandwiched an informal open house for Deanna and her new husband Lance with the reunion. We enjoyed a video of their wedding day. It is always so enjoyable to catch up and renew acquaintances.
As a bonus, we were invited to a pool party that the Purdys were having later in the week at a private pool in Kristie's neighborhood. What a treat! I only wish I weren't in such a rush that afternoon and could have stayed longer; I didn't get all the kids placed and named and it will be two years before I get another chance.
The pool was awesome! They had a big tube water slide and a rock cliff ledge for jumping. There were tubes and floaters and lifejackets to help the kids feel secure. I was surprised and pleased that Elise repeatedly jumped off the ledge, probably an 8 feet drop, with a life jacket on.
And Kristie gave me some good pointers for the enrichment class I taught later that night.
As a bonus, we were invited to a pool party that the Purdys were having later in the week at a private pool in Kristie's neighborhood. What a treat! I only wish I weren't in such a rush that afternoon and could have stayed longer; I didn't get all the kids placed and named and it will be two years before I get another chance.
The pool was awesome! They had a big tube water slide and a rock cliff ledge for jumping. There were tubes and floaters and lifejackets to help the kids feel secure. I was surprised and pleased that Elise repeatedly jumped off the ledge, probably an 8 feet drop, with a life jacket on.
And Kristie gave me some good pointers for the enrichment class I taught later that night.