Ah, yes. Fires. What a surprise.

Well, it looks like fire season has started early this year. Yippee. And this year, there are already two casualties among the heroes. *sigh*

There is a trade to living in California, with its sunshine, beaches, Disneyland, etc.

We, here in the Golden state, are grateful for our opportunities, but there are three major annoyances. (1) Expenses, (2)*whisper* the border "situation" *whisper*, and (3) the @#$% FIRES! I grew up in SoCal, and I remember fire season even then. But it didn't affect me as a kid like it does now because of 2 things: My asthmatic hubby & my two girls who desperately like to be outside, but the air quality is bad and it's just too darn hot.

For your viewing pleasure, I would like to include this photo from msn.com. Last year I included pix. of out actual view, but this time I haven't had a chance to take any because my camera battery is dead and I haven't' been very functional lately in this heat.... have I mentioned it yet? It's BOILING here!!!

Anyway - like I said, this picture isn't mine, but it looks almost exactly like what the view is outside of Malia's window on the north side of the house:


yikes.

God watch over the firefighters & their families.

The Aggressive Mall Kiosk Offender

Has anyone else ever noticed that there are two types of people who work at those kiosks down the center of the mall walkway? You have your iPod-listening-doesn't-even-blink-even-if-you-approach-their-kiosk-I-wonder-if-they-ever-get-items-stolen high school teenager. And then you have the generally foreign oh-no-you've-made-eye-contact-run-for-your-life!-or-else-you're-committed-to-spending-$50-on-complete-crap young adult types.

Even though the first is obviously less deserving of a paycheck, I admit, I prefer them.

When I was pregnant with Malia, I was strolling... ok, waddling... through the University Mall in Orem, Utah. I was about 8 months pregnant, it was the holiday season, and my arms were full of bags. Some dude from, I dunno, I think he said Persia (riiiiiiiiiight) approached me and grabbed my arm. Looking back, I should've called security. But I was too shocked to do anything but laugh nervously. He told me I looked like I needed his product.

It was some sort of Dead Sea Salt skin creme that was "incredibly difficult to come by." (sure) And it was grainy & black... and he was rubbing it all over my lower arm.

I consider myself a fairly forward, blunt, & aggressive person... but for some reason, I found myself standing there for almost 45 minutes with my edema-swollen footsies as this dude did who-knows-WHAT to my arm, and my back began to ache and Malia started doing Highland stepping on my bladder, and I just smiled politely with the occasional, "Oh really?" "You're right. That is soft." & "Only $120?!"

*cough! choke! seriously?!*

I don't remember how I got away. I think I mentioned something about needing to consult my husband, and he retorted with something about how I shouldn't have to answer to a man, and I was like, "NO THANK YOU!!!!!"

I probably looked pretty funny trying to get as far as I could as fast as possible at my awkward size. But, hey. This was Utah Valley. How many very pregnant women do you see doing too many things at a ridiculous pace?

A lot.

I have since grown to get really nervous whenever I walk past one of these things. And, sadly, I admit... if the person looks foreign, I get even more anxious. I stare at the floor and start to walk briskly, especially if I can't find any other way to detour away from the thing.

HOWEVER -

Last week, on my birthday, the girls and I were at the mall heading home for nap time, when I walked past some girl at a kiosk for taking old-fashioned, Dickens-Era-type pictures. I've seen them at a few malls, and I've always thought they were strange because it seems to me like they couldn't possibly make much money when there are larger, fancier, more well- known photo studios just down the way. But when I hear her say that it is $15 for one 11x17 with no other obligation, I found my legs slowing down, much to my head's chagrin.

Needless to say, I made the purchase. As well as a few other pictures, because, let's face it, my kids are freaking cute, and I'll even risk hanging out at a gosh-forbidden kiosk for 15 minutes for the sake of a picture or two of my baby girls "playing dress-up."

And don't tell me that by looking at these, it wasn't worth it?

Society Today is Lame

I am not much of a texter. I never have been. And I really don't like when people text in my presence. It's a pet peeve of mine. Especially if we're supposed to be having a decent, human conversation. I think it's rude. I mean, I think it actually takes away MORE of a person's focus than even a phone call.

When California made talking on the cell phone while driving illegal, I was very happy. But I couldn't understand why people were still texting. To me, that seemed like an even dumber thing to do. You're not even looking at what you're doing! I don't care if you can text without looking! Don't tell me you don't even glance to check your spelling. Please.

Fortunately, that's illegal now, too.

Truth? Nothing is that important that you can't wait 15-20 minutes until you stop the car or finish up a conversation or flush the toilet.

Nothing.

Even if someone is texting you about a death in the family, is it really important enough that you know about it at that exact moment? Harsh as this'll sound, they'll most likely still be passed on when you do get around to reading it. You won't be missing out. I've always been able to mourn over everyone I love even when I didn't find out about it until the next day just as much as if I found out about it the moment the doctor declares it. (Besides, who has the audacity to text at that moment? I mean, give that person's passing spirit a moment to leave this life without clouding it with technological crap). Honestly.

Just sayin'.

A friend of mine posted this up on her blog today. I'm sorry that this is the 2nd impersonal post in a row that I've posted... but occasionally, things are just that important. Even if you don't text, maybe you know someone who does so. In many cases, it seems some people are just addicted to doing it.

If you or someone you know has a tendency to think texting while driving (or, in my opinion, while they're supposed to be doing anything else) is no big deal, you need to check this out and get a reality check and (pardon my french) pull your head out of your behind.

Occasionally SPAM is Worth It

A friend of mine had this on her Facebook this morning, and it literally had me "LOL"ing. (Do we really mean we are laughing OUT LOUD when we write that)? Not always. But this time I was.

So, if you're looking for a chuckle, I don't doubt that this will make you a little bit happy. It's the kind of thing that, as you read it, you'll say, "TO-tally."

(I took a few of them out because they were about drinking and other things I have no clue about... i.e. this has been edited by a goody-goody).

WARNING: some mild language.

(I realize I just contradicted myself with the last 2 statements)

******************************************************

Random thoughts from people 25-35 years old...

-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like
check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-That's enough, Nickelback.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards
or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the F was going on when I first saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little
bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

- LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart," all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a **** from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

- I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu' to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."

-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

- Bad decisions make good stories

-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

-My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

-The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people
eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.

Utah Trip 2009!

I have finally come to a place in my life where I finally actually believe the idea that a little optimism goes a long way. I used to call myself a "realist." While going through therapy for my PPD, I learned I really was just a pessimist, trying to disguise it by calling it realism. I've worked on that.

So as we prepared for this recent road trip to Utah for a wedding, despite the knots of anxiety in my gut, anticipating 9+ hours each way of total chaos, I kept telling myself it was going to go well.

And you know what? It actually, kind of did!

WOOT!

So here goes the boring-slide-show-type-travelogue-that-is-more-for-the-sake-of-my-record-keeping-than-your-enjoyment-although-you-may-find-a-gem-in-here-somewhere post.

You still with me?

Below is the moment I realized that, once in a while, things go the way you hope. Cecily is not a car seat sleeper. She was, initially. But when I sleep-trained her at around 6 weeks of age, I said goodbye to portable naps. She takes 3 naps a day. One in the morning, a little over an hour long, a 2-hour mid-afternoon nap, and an evening catnap.

When it came time for her morning nap (just north of Barstow), I threw her bedtime blanket back at her... and about 1/2 an hour later, Malia makes eye contact with me in the rear view mirror and whispers, "CC is asleep." So David reached his phone over and snapped this treasure. I wanted proof. Ain't she sweet?!

Victory!


We stopped north of Vegas so that I could nurse Cecily and David & Malia could get some leg-stretching in a Fresh & Easy Market, and then we continued on to St. George, where David's father lives. Grandpa was pretty excited to see them. We then laid both girls down for naps as we chatted.


After Cecily's nap, she met Nana... Davey's paternal grandmother. 100% Italian. She had just fed us her homemade meatballs with spaghetti. YU-huh-huh-huh-HUM! Cecily is exploring Nana's face as she usually does with a new person... a la' Helen Keller.

Malia, on the other hand, was not in a friendly post-nap mood.


More driving. Malia watched more DVDs (seriously - how did the pioneers survive that trek withOUT one of those portable DVD players)?! And Cecily actually completed a perfect sleep day with catnap #3!

Malia was happy to have me join them in the backseat for the last leg of the drive up.

Cecily wasn't sure about it.

Novelty wore off... back to my movies.


That night we stayed at my sister's in Santaquin and attended Church with her family (& our new cousin Schaffer!). We then drove up to Salt Lake to our hotel. P.S. If you ever need someplace really cheap and, although, not a 5-star, but definitely worth the price, I recommend Sky Harbor Suites. It's really close to downtown and has a kitchen. It's an old apartment turned hotel. Malia had her own room and there was a walk-in closet to put Cecily in. I slept GOOD!

The next morning, I begged David to let me take the girls to Hogle Zoo so that the trip would be fun for them... and not just a bunch of new family members and driving. I wish I could find the picture I have of me doing just this at this exact drinking fountain when I was about 6.

Malia wanted to see the elephants more than anything.

Brief moment where Mommy actually gets in FRONT of the camera.


Quick obligatory sign picture as we race out of the zoo to make it back to the hotel for nap time. (Has anyone else noticed that zoos everywhere seem to have a ridiculous amount of hills that make it exhausting to get anywhere quickly... especially when pushing a stroller and wearing a Bjorn)?


After naps, I really wanted to go to Temple Square, so I took the girls while Davey waited back at the hotel for his brother, the groom-to-be.


As we were leaving, I passed this replica from the Nauvoo Monument to Women. I've actually been to the site in Nauvoo, when I was little. And back then, my favorite statue was the one of Joseph Smith & Emma. At different points in my life, different statues from that collection have struck me. As I walked passed this one on Temple Square, I realized that it was a frozen moment of my life, nearly as it is right now, and I got very emotional. So I took this picture. I considered trying to recreate it with my girls, but I didn't want to take from the experience I was having by causing possible chaos and tired tantrums. So, I just took this, and moved on, feeling overwhelmed and grateful for my girls. *sniff*


Next day was the wedding. David had been asked to be a witness, so he left early as I dealt with getting the girls ready. Malia took my camera as I got Cecily ready first... this is the result.


As Cecily took a brief nap, we had another photo shoot while relaxing on the couch before heading up to the wedding. Malia took that final one of me. She's not bad with a camera.


There they are! The happy couple & our reason for the trip! David's brother, Derek, and his bride Aubrie, as they leave the Bountiful Temple, having just been sealed for time & all eternity. YAY! It was a beautiful ceremony and it was so nice to be able to go and enjoy it while David's sister, Nicole, watched the girls on the grounds. (shout-out to Nicole: THANKS AGAIN)!


Genetic proof that more than physical traits run in a family. Weirdness does, too.

Coley's weirdness translates into cute, fortunately for her. David's, on the other hand...

Only picture I got of the girls in their matching dresses. Malia danced for over two hours at the reception and I didn't see Cecily the entire time as she was passed around from admirer to admirer. They were both troopers, up way past their bedtimes.


The next day, we drove back down to my sister's house. We had a brief visit with a friend from David's year in Vocal Point. And we were also able to meet up with Laurel, a dear forever friend from our BYU & USJ days.

We then went to Tina's Adoption Benefit Concert. I sang a couple of songs, but Malia was the star of the night! People adored her (I was, admittedly, very proud). First, she did a little dance that I had taught her a week before. Then she sang "I Am A Child of God." I have videos of both, but they're currently too huge and blogger hates them at the moment. So you'll have to accept these still shots for now.



Next day. Drive home. Started out good. Again - proof that Cecily was actually getting her naps in, even in the car. GAH! She is so cute, I can't stand it!

And Malia was pleasant and fairly content with her movies, some water, and her beloved "Blankie."

Until....

That was just outside of Cedar City, and Cecily was hungry and Malia had pretty much had it by this point. They were DONE being in the car (as was I). I recorded it as I drove because it gave me a chance to find the humor in it instead of raging & losing my mind.

Getting to St. George was very anticipated. And while the girls napped, I took these pictures of the view in my father-in-law's front yard. It's amazing in real life. Really dry & hot... but amazing.

I noticed these sunsets just north of Baker. I was DONE with the trip. We'd been stuck in Vegas traffic and then construction in C.A. that I swear has been there my entire life. I remember dealing with the one-lane bumper-to-bumper when I was like, 8 or something, and we'd make the trek to & from Provo every summer. The girls were both ridiculously fussy and irritable. I have no more pictures of the girls... because I didn't like them anymore. (ha!) But these sunsets gave me a little bit of "You're almost there. You made it." So I decided to document them as proof that I was alive. (how d'ya like my Fantasia Mickey antenna ball silhouette)?

And seriously? Even if you come home to it and it's a mess....? There really is no place like home.

GLEE... & me

As many of you may already be aware, FOX has a new show called "Glee."





And it's genius.

And how do I know it's genius? Because I see so much of my adolescence in this show. There's only been one episode... but I fell head over heels in love. 1) I relate to Matthew Morrison's character Will Schuester because I was once a starving choir teacher giving far too much of my time and personal money to high school kids, desperate to help them find the joy in music. And 2) even though part of me is a little bit ashamed to admit it, so much of who I was in high school I see in the annoying character of Rachel Berry (minus the gay dads & add in "overbearingly devout to religion").


I am really happy that it seems like this show is going to be popular... it already is, actually. But at the same time, I'm a little bit miffed at its popularity. Here's why.

I relate to this show. At my high school, we had "show choir." Now - in our little choir room, at choral competitions, and at our concerts, we were the coolest kids around. But in the general setting of everyday school, most of us were "losers." And even though some of the really popular kids at my school had once actually been good friends of mine and had, at one time, invited me to all of their slumber parties and told me all about their first loves (in the 5th grade) and shared with me the excitement of their first bra and/or kiss... once I had made two specific choices, a lot of those friendships crumbled. The two choices being: sticking strongly to my faith... and show choir.

What does this have to do with the popularity of this new show, you ask? Well - if so many people seem to like it in order for it to be picked up for an entire upcoming season.... WHERE WERE THESE PEOPLE WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL?! Now it's cool to applaud the singing kids?! Now it's ok to have an appreciation for the underdogs?! Now the girl with the big mouth, awkward confidence, and desperate passion for nothing but music, (*cough, cough* ME *cough*) is all that and more?!

GUH!

Apparently my timing was way off. More than 10 years off (don't do the math...).

Ok. I've ranted. And so I will post my two most favoritest :) moments from the very first episode. Enjoy!