Hope everyone had a great Christmas! We sure did. Here's a very brief overview of our Christmas holiday. Last weekend we went back to Utah for a few days to celebrate Christmas with Ashton's siblings and Dad. Steve and Gail let us stay with them and we had fun hanging out. It was great to see everyone again. It was a bit sad to leave again, especially when we're not sure when we'll get to visit again, but staying in Utah and only having 5 sets of clothes to wear for a while wasn't really a good option.
Christmas Eve, we went over to Aunt Marcia's to visit with them and everyone else that was over there (Becky and Bryce, Mandy and Andrew, and Jeff and Stephanie). It was a blast. There was never a dull moment, especially watching the kids play with the nativity set and when the games came out. Never a dull moment. While we were there, we watched a short movie about an exhibit called the "Reflections of Christ." This exhibit is by a man named Mark Magby and the whole exhibit is photographs that he took portraying different moments of Christ's life. We first watched how the photographs were taken and then we watched a 5 minute thing that showed some of the pictures set to music. It was rather impressive and the photos were well done and powerful.
On Christmas Day, we just stayed home. It was nice to just hang around the house all day and spend time together. We opened presents from each other, called some family to wish them a Merry Christmas, and played games. It was a relaxing day and it was great to not worry about applying for jobs, interviews, and so on for a day. We also watched "The Nativity Story" and we really enjoyed it. I was a bit skeptical about how it would portray the birth of the Savior since it wasn't done by the Church, but I thought the story was well done. I would recommend you watch it if you haven't already.
Well, it's a day late, but merry Christmas to all of you! We hope that you all had a great Christmas holiday and we wish you a happy New Year's!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
We are here, we are here, we are here!
Things have been a little crazy here since I last wrote and a lot has changed.
We successfully made the move from Utah to Colorado and it only took about 8 hours. Believe me, it felt a lot longer. Maybe that was because I was following Ashton who was driving the truck with the majority of our stuff. Wyoming apparently isn't as flat as I thought it was because on any sort of incline, it struggled to go past 50 mph. I was kind of embarrassed as I saw semis pass me in my car. Following someone is also kind of lulling in the sense that after a few hours of staring at the back of the truck, my eyes grew heavy. Usually I have Ashton to talk to during the whole trip, and we did have walkie talkies to use which was a good thing, but it's not the same as having someone in the same car to talk to. It was pretty boring to say the least. When I couldn't take it anymore, I told Ashton that I was going to lead for a while, passed him, and tried not to lose him. Unfortunately, we were going up a big hill at the time. We lost connection for a little while, but he caught up eventually as he tried to speed up and I tried to slow down. In any case, we made it!
Not all of our plans have worked out however. We didn't get the apartment or the job that we were hoping to, but thankfully, Paula (Ashton's mom) was willing to let us stay with her on fairly short notice. It's been nice to not have to live in a box.
So, right now, we're focusing our attention on getting a job, then working on finding a place to live. Ashton has an interview today that we're really hoping works out. No pressure or anything. It would make a very nice early Christmas present though.
So, when we were up here for the other job interview before we officially moved, we timed it right to be here when Nate and the girls arrived in Colorado for Thanksgiving. We had fun playing with the girls and here are some pictures.
Katelyn chasing a bubble.
Paula helping Sadie get some bubbles with her toes
Sadie
Katelyn took to getting the bubbles in different ways. First she just swatted them, then poked them, and then picked up a leaf (as in this picture) and catch them that way.
(By the way, by this time, I had come out to help Ashton take pictures.)
After she saw Ashton blowing a bubble to keep it up, Katelyn took to blowing on the bubbles.
After going inside and getting warm, I turned my camera to Katelyn and this is the face I got.
We successfully made the move from Utah to Colorado and it only took about 8 hours. Believe me, it felt a lot longer. Maybe that was because I was following Ashton who was driving the truck with the majority of our stuff. Wyoming apparently isn't as flat as I thought it was because on any sort of incline, it struggled to go past 50 mph. I was kind of embarrassed as I saw semis pass me in my car. Following someone is also kind of lulling in the sense that after a few hours of staring at the back of the truck, my eyes grew heavy. Usually I have Ashton to talk to during the whole trip, and we did have walkie talkies to use which was a good thing, but it's not the same as having someone in the same car to talk to. It was pretty boring to say the least. When I couldn't take it anymore, I told Ashton that I was going to lead for a while, passed him, and tried not to lose him. Unfortunately, we were going up a big hill at the time. We lost connection for a little while, but he caught up eventually as he tried to speed up and I tried to slow down. In any case, we made it!
Not all of our plans have worked out however. We didn't get the apartment or the job that we were hoping to, but thankfully, Paula (Ashton's mom) was willing to let us stay with her on fairly short notice. It's been nice to not have to live in a box.
So, right now, we're focusing our attention on getting a job, then working on finding a place to live. Ashton has an interview today that we're really hoping works out. No pressure or anything. It would make a very nice early Christmas present though.
So, when we were up here for the other job interview before we officially moved, we timed it right to be here when Nate and the girls arrived in Colorado for Thanksgiving. We had fun playing with the girls and here are some pictures.
A holiday treat for all: blowing bubbles in the snow (they used a bubble gun). Katelyn enjoyed blowing bubbles and then chasing them. After a while though, she wanted to just chase them. It then went to Ashton who was taking pictures, to blow bubbles in one hand and take pictures with the other. It was funny to watch.
Frozen bubbles on the snow
Katelyn chasing a bubble.
Paula helping Sadie get some bubbles with her toes
Sadie
Katelyn took to getting the bubbles in different ways. First she just swatted them, then poked them, and then picked up a leaf (as in this picture) and catch them that way.
(By the way, by this time, I had come out to help Ashton take pictures.)
After she saw Ashton blowing a bubble to keep it up, Katelyn took to blowing on the bubbles.
After going inside and getting warm, I turned my camera to Katelyn and this is the face I got.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
I Am Slowly Going Crazy
I keep trying to think of things to write about because I enjoy writing posts, but unfortunately, I don't feel like I have anything interesting to say. My time has been spent packing, trying to figure out we need to do to move, finding places to live, as well as other moving related things. It's been a crazy past couple of months.
I feel a bit ashamed that I haven't even taken any pictures of the few trees that have changed colors. Seeing trees change colors makes me miss Maine and the beautiful colors that never fail to appear there. There are more trees here in Pleasant Grove than in other places in Utah, like Provo, which is nice.
We do have some interesting things coming up. Ashton has an interview in Colorado next week, which we're happy about. We're both hoping that this opportunity will work out. We're not exactly sure yet what day his interview will be, but we should know soon. We're crossing our fingers that everything will work out.
On Saturday, I'll be teaching an organ workshop. I'm the ward organist and there aren't too many people in the ward who know how to play the organ. By not too many, I mean there is one other guy and he already has a calling. So, our Bishop was a bit sad when I told him that we'd be moving. I did think it was funny that I told him 15 minutes before Sacrament meeting, and while I was playing prelude, the entire Bishopric was talking about it, and the ward music coordinator knew sometime before Relief Society. However, when I first took the calling I said that I'd be willing to show others how to play the organ so that there would be more people should they need a substitute or anything. I'm a bit nervous about teaching this class because the only class I've taught is Sunbeams. Pretty different than teaching adults about how to play the organ. It'll probably be fine, I'm just a bit nervous about it although kind of excited, too.
I feel a bit ashamed that I haven't even taken any pictures of the few trees that have changed colors. Seeing trees change colors makes me miss Maine and the beautiful colors that never fail to appear there. There are more trees here in Pleasant Grove than in other places in Utah, like Provo, which is nice.
We do have some interesting things coming up. Ashton has an interview in Colorado next week, which we're happy about. We're both hoping that this opportunity will work out. We're not exactly sure yet what day his interview will be, but we should know soon. We're crossing our fingers that everything will work out.
On Saturday, I'll be teaching an organ workshop. I'm the ward organist and there aren't too many people in the ward who know how to play the organ. By not too many, I mean there is one other guy and he already has a calling. So, our Bishop was a bit sad when I told him that we'd be moving. I did think it was funny that I told him 15 minutes before Sacrament meeting, and while I was playing prelude, the entire Bishopric was talking about it, and the ward music coordinator knew sometime before Relief Society. However, when I first took the calling I said that I'd be willing to show others how to play the organ so that there would be more people should they need a substitute or anything. I'm a bit nervous about teaching this class because the only class I've taught is Sunbeams. Pretty different than teaching adults about how to play the organ. It'll probably be fine, I'm just a bit nervous about it although kind of excited, too.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Update
It's been a while since I wrote saying that we were looking for a new job and moving and I thought that maybe people would be wondering how that was going. Well, it's still going. We haven't found a job yet although we're still optimistic and still applying for more jobs. Sooner or later, though we'd obviously prefer sooner, something is bound to show up.
As far as moving is concerned, we're still moving even though we don't have a job. We'll be moving on the 28th of this month. Paula has been nice to enough to allow us to move in with her for a little while after we move. We also appreciate everyone else that offered to let us stay with them. We're so lucky to have you guys in our lives. So, we're moving to Colorado!
It's been kinda funny making plans to move. I've always been the planner in this relationship, wanting to nail down details in advance so I would know generally what to expect, especially if it required coordinating schedules. (I'm always up for spur of the moment things, like ice cream runs, but if something needs to happen or is going to happen, I need a plan and details.) In the past, my need to plan has driven Ashton a bit nuts. He must be getting used to it because we were able to plan not only what day we were moving, but when his last day of work was going to be, what day we were going to be all packed by, days we were going to clean, and so on. Not only that, but he wanted to make a packing order list, as in which rooms we can/should pack before other rooms. (We obviously wouldn't want to pack up the kitchen stuff until the end.) I must be rubbing off on him.
As far as moving is concerned, we're still moving even though we don't have a job. We'll be moving on the 28th of this month. Paula has been nice to enough to allow us to move in with her for a little while after we move. We also appreciate everyone else that offered to let us stay with them. We're so lucky to have you guys in our lives. So, we're moving to Colorado!
It's been kinda funny making plans to move. I've always been the planner in this relationship, wanting to nail down details in advance so I would know generally what to expect, especially if it required coordinating schedules. (I'm always up for spur of the moment things, like ice cream runs, but if something needs to happen or is going to happen, I need a plan and details.) In the past, my need to plan has driven Ashton a bit nuts. He must be getting used to it because we were able to plan not only what day we were moving, but when his last day of work was going to be, what day we were going to be all packed by, days we were going to clean, and so on. Not only that, but he wanted to make a packing order list, as in which rooms we can/should pack before other rooms. (We obviously wouldn't want to pack up the kitchen stuff until the end.) I must be rubbing off on him.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Really?
I found this article/video this morning about the swine flu and the latest updates. Now, I've never believed that the swine flu was a big deal. The symptoms and health concerns not being unlike your traditional flu. I still don't plan on getting the vaccine, even if they were to tell me I had swine flu, I wouldn't do it. I do realize, however, that some of you might be considering it. I think the government has blow this way out of proportion (let's not forget what happened with the whole bird flu thing).
I think it's shady that the government is pushing this so hard when there have only been 1,000 deaths that they have linked to swine flu, although the CDC is no longer testing people to confirm the H1N1 strain of the flu nor tracking down the cases. They haven't been doing this since August 30th. So really, there's no way to tell if these people actually died from swine flu. 1,000 deaths are still a lot, but there are 36,000 deaths a year from the seasonal flu to put this in prospective. These numbers are sure to sore since the CDC is now counting people with only flu-like symptoms. Doesn't mean you have to have the flu of any type, just the symptoms.
It's sad when the government tries to scare people into doing something. If they had the facts to back their story up, I'd listen, but I've heard nothing but scare tactics. I'd encourage you to check out this article/video. Both are really good and worth the time. The article also has other links to the CDC's website and other useful information.
http://articles.mercola.com/swine-flu-article/20091027.htm
I think it's shady that the government is pushing this so hard when there have only been 1,000 deaths that they have linked to swine flu, although the CDC is no longer testing people to confirm the H1N1 strain of the flu nor tracking down the cases. They haven't been doing this since August 30th. So really, there's no way to tell if these people actually died from swine flu. 1,000 deaths are still a lot, but there are 36,000 deaths a year from the seasonal flu to put this in prospective. These numbers are sure to sore since the CDC is now counting people with only flu-like symptoms. Doesn't mean you have to have the flu of any type, just the symptoms.
It's sad when the government tries to scare people into doing something. If they had the facts to back their story up, I'd listen, but I've heard nothing but scare tactics. I'd encourage you to check out this article/video. Both are really good and worth the time. The article also has other links to the CDC's website and other useful information.
http://articles.mercola.com/swine-flu-article/20091027.htm
Monday, October 19, 2009
Something Good Can Come Out of Getting Up Early
It's been cold here in Utah for the past few weeks, although the past few days have been actually fairly nice. This morning when I walked outside to go running, I was surprised that it was actually warm enough to not need a sweatshirt. Found out while I was running that there's a storm coming. I don't mind thunder and lightning for the most part, but I don't particularly like being out running in it. Thankfully there were only a couple flashes, two big drops of rain on my arm, and apparently that was it. Weird right?
In any case, as a result of some storm that's somewhere, there are cool clouds hovering over the mountains. It was too dark to really enjoy on my way home, but since Ashton's car needed to go into the shop this morning, I got to go back out and drive him to work. As we headed back down to Provo, I found myself wishing I had brought my camera because the sky looked amazing.
The drive back to Provo was much the same and I pleaded with the sky to just hold that pose until I could get my camera. Well, it changed a little bit, but stayed pretty much the same while I ran inside, grabbed my camera, and headed back out to get a better angle (there are fences that surround the entire apartment complex that are just a little too high for me to get a good shot). I headed out to a nearby business and took pictures in their parking lot. Since I took them at about 8:30 in the morning, it was still a little dark, but I'm still happy with how they turned out.
In any case, as a result of some storm that's somewhere, there are cool clouds hovering over the mountains. It was too dark to really enjoy on my way home, but since Ashton's car needed to go into the shop this morning, I got to go back out and drive him to work. As we headed back down to Provo, I found myself wishing I had brought my camera because the sky looked amazing.
The drive back to Provo was much the same and I pleaded with the sky to just hold that pose until I could get my camera. Well, it changed a little bit, but stayed pretty much the same while I ran inside, grabbed my camera, and headed back out to get a better angle (there are fences that surround the entire apartment complex that are just a little too high for me to get a good shot). I headed out to a nearby business and took pictures in their parking lot. Since I took them at about 8:30 in the morning, it was still a little dark, but I'm still happy with how they turned out.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
So Many Projects, So Little Time
As most of you know, I like crafts. I'm not always the most creative, but I like trying lots of new things and I like to be busy. It's little wonder then that I have a lot of projects going on.
These projects include: scrapbooking, crocheting, a few plaque projects that are almost done (just haven't bought the hooks to hang them), and somewhere there's a cross stitching project that I started several months ago. I like all of these things and want to finish them, but I think there's just something exciting about starting a new project.
I realized today that I'm starting to get that itch for a new project. This time, however, I'm determined not to actually start a new project until I've finished up some other ones. I did temporarily satisfy the itch by looking at some cool ideas for projects online. I think I've found what I'm making people for Christmas this year!
(By the way, we haven't heard back about any jobs yet, but I'll let you know when we do!)
These projects include: scrapbooking, crocheting, a few plaque projects that are almost done (just haven't bought the hooks to hang them), and somewhere there's a cross stitching project that I started several months ago. I like all of these things and want to finish them, but I think there's just something exciting about starting a new project.
I realized today that I'm starting to get that itch for a new project. This time, however, I'm determined not to actually start a new project until I've finished up some other ones. I did temporarily satisfy the itch by looking at some cool ideas for projects online. I think I've found what I'm making people for Christmas this year!
(By the way, we haven't heard back about any jobs yet, but I'll let you know when we do!)
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Diving into the Unknown
As many of you know, Ashton and I have been planning on moving out of Utah come November when our apartment lease is up. So, Ashton started looking at job options back in August and soon after started applying for jobs. Although we have a general idea of where we'd like to end up (he's got his favorites, I've got mine), but we applied for jobs in multiple states. Even States we don't really want to end up in. A job is a job.
Well, we've had no responses yet on the job front. Not one reply. It's been kind of discouraging and we started thinking that maybe we'd have to stay here. After talking to his boss, Ashton discovered last week that his job most likely won't be there for him after November. Not because they don't like him or anything, but because of a lack of funding (the company that he works for is funded by grants). I found out a couple days later. That news made things more stressful. Now we can't just sit back and think, well if Ashton doesn't get a new job, he's got a job already and we can just renew our lease or maybe try to find a new apartment. Ashton needs to find a new job by November.
The hardest part of this news came down mostly to what to do about our living situation. There were so many options to consider. Do we stay in our apartment and renew our lease for a few months? How long should we renew it for? Should we put in our 60 day notice and hope that Ashton gets a new job? What will we do if he doesn't get a new job? We spent a day or two talking about it. Discussing our different options, our first impressions on what should be done, thoughts, feelings, etc. Thankfully, we had been planning on going to the temple this week, which was just in time since we had to make a decision by today in order to put our 60 days in if that's what we decided.
I love the temple. There's no other place that's more peaceful. Although I was a bit stressed about getting an answer, as answers don't always come when we want them to, I was happy as I entered the temple. Fortunately, we did get an answer and thankfully we both got the same answer. We're putting in our 60 day notice and moving to some unknown location in November.
Although we both feel good about our decision and know that everything will work out, it's still scary. It almost feels like plunging into a dark room that you aren't familiar with. You don't know if there's going to be furniture in there, where it is, how tall it is, or even how big the room actually is. It's enough to make you move forward cautiously. Even moving around in a room you are familiar with is dangerous. I can't tell you how many times I've hit my head on the side of the closet door because it was open and I couldn't see it.
I'm also thankful that this decision has come right before General Conference. Hearing inspiring messages from the Lord's servants is a great way to soothe troubled feelings. I love General Conference. Such a great way to spend a weekend.
This may be the scariest decision we've made yet since we don't know how it's going to turn out. We have great support though and family that'd be willing to help if we needed it. For right now though, we're diving into the unknown.
Well, we've had no responses yet on the job front. Not one reply. It's been kind of discouraging and we started thinking that maybe we'd have to stay here. After talking to his boss, Ashton discovered last week that his job most likely won't be there for him after November. Not because they don't like him or anything, but because of a lack of funding (the company that he works for is funded by grants). I found out a couple days later. That news made things more stressful. Now we can't just sit back and think, well if Ashton doesn't get a new job, he's got a job already and we can just renew our lease or maybe try to find a new apartment. Ashton needs to find a new job by November.
The hardest part of this news came down mostly to what to do about our living situation. There were so many options to consider. Do we stay in our apartment and renew our lease for a few months? How long should we renew it for? Should we put in our 60 day notice and hope that Ashton gets a new job? What will we do if he doesn't get a new job? We spent a day or two talking about it. Discussing our different options, our first impressions on what should be done, thoughts, feelings, etc. Thankfully, we had been planning on going to the temple this week, which was just in time since we had to make a decision by today in order to put our 60 days in if that's what we decided.
I love the temple. There's no other place that's more peaceful. Although I was a bit stressed about getting an answer, as answers don't always come when we want them to, I was happy as I entered the temple. Fortunately, we did get an answer and thankfully we both got the same answer. We're putting in our 60 day notice and moving to some unknown location in November.
Although we both feel good about our decision and know that everything will work out, it's still scary. It almost feels like plunging into a dark room that you aren't familiar with. You don't know if there's going to be furniture in there, where it is, how tall it is, or even how big the room actually is. It's enough to make you move forward cautiously. Even moving around in a room you are familiar with is dangerous. I can't tell you how many times I've hit my head on the side of the closet door because it was open and I couldn't see it.
I'm also thankful that this decision has come right before General Conference. Hearing inspiring messages from the Lord's servants is a great way to soothe troubled feelings. I love General Conference. Such a great way to spend a weekend.
This may be the scariest decision we've made yet since we don't know how it's going to turn out. We have great support though and family that'd be willing to help if we needed it. For right now though, we're diving into the unknown.
Friday, September 25, 2009
What's in a Name?
Our Stake just started doing an adult institute class on Thursdays. The teacher is a former CES teacher, having taught seminary and such. Ashton saw it on the program this past Sunday and immediately asked if I had any interest. Well, when Ashton is interested enough to point it out to me and ask, it means that he really wants to do it. I thought that it could be a really good idea, so we made plans to go this week.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but we got a few surprises last night. We met the teacher out in the hallway as we were walking to the Relief Society room in the Stake Center. He introduced himself and asked what our names were. Now, he's an older man, probably in his 60's, or around there, so he repeated our names to make sure he heard them right. Well, Ashton said his name first and no problem there. Then came my turn. He repeated my name and I confirmed it. He looked slightly confused/surprised (not a name you normally hear) and asked me to spell my name. He repeated my name again after I spelled it. This is fairly typical of me introducing myself.
When we walked into the Relief Society room of our Stake Center, we saw that the room was full of older people, mostly women. (By older I mean there were a few probably in there 40's-50's and quite a few in there 60's-70's.)It kind of felt weird to be the youngest couple there. There was another sister there who was also younger, and another couple or two walked in, but for those few minutes, it felt slightly weird. Not in a bad way, just a little odd as I was expecting a few more younger couples since our stake is mostly comprised of younger couples. It made the dynamic of the class so funny though. Older people have such interesting insights.
Anyways, we found some seats right in the front and sat down. Then the class started and the teacher had those who were new introduce themselves (the class started last week, so some of the people there had attended before). Well, he came to us and he was standing right in front of us and when it came my turn, he told the class, "Now she's going to tell you her name and you have to remember it." He said this while putting his hand on my head and turning my head around for everyone to see my face. So, I said my name and immediately there was a general murmur of people repeating my name and some people saying how pretty it was and that they liked that. The teacher also repeated my name, trying to remember how to say it, and asked me if I went by "Z." I kinda laughed, a little surprised, and said that I have gone by "Z" before so, that was fine (Ashton was definitely getting a kick out of this, by the way). Well, that was that, or so I thought.
Then came time to read. We were taking turns reading verses and it came down to my turn, but this time the teacher called me, "Z," repeated my actual name, and then must have had a light bulb come on because then he said, "Hey! I can call you Zorro!" He sounded so happy to have made that connection. I couldn't help but laugh and then start reading. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I'd prefer any other nickname to Zorro. Ashton definitely thought it was funny because he laughed quietly to himself and nudged me.
After the class was over, and as we were leaving, I asked Ashton how many nicknames he thought I could acquire during this class. I'm thinking of keeping a running tally.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but we got a few surprises last night. We met the teacher out in the hallway as we were walking to the Relief Society room in the Stake Center. He introduced himself and asked what our names were. Now, he's an older man, probably in his 60's, or around there, so he repeated our names to make sure he heard them right. Well, Ashton said his name first and no problem there. Then came my turn. He repeated my name and I confirmed it. He looked slightly confused/surprised (not a name you normally hear) and asked me to spell my name. He repeated my name again after I spelled it. This is fairly typical of me introducing myself.
When we walked into the Relief Society room of our Stake Center, we saw that the room was full of older people, mostly women. (By older I mean there were a few probably in there 40's-50's and quite a few in there 60's-70's.)It kind of felt weird to be the youngest couple there. There was another sister there who was also younger, and another couple or two walked in, but for those few minutes, it felt slightly weird. Not in a bad way, just a little odd as I was expecting a few more younger couples since our stake is mostly comprised of younger couples. It made the dynamic of the class so funny though. Older people have such interesting insights.
Anyways, we found some seats right in the front and sat down. Then the class started and the teacher had those who were new introduce themselves (the class started last week, so some of the people there had attended before). Well, he came to us and he was standing right in front of us and when it came my turn, he told the class, "Now she's going to tell you her name and you have to remember it." He said this while putting his hand on my head and turning my head around for everyone to see my face. So, I said my name and immediately there was a general murmur of people repeating my name and some people saying how pretty it was and that they liked that. The teacher also repeated my name, trying to remember how to say it, and asked me if I went by "Z." I kinda laughed, a little surprised, and said that I have gone by "Z" before so, that was fine (Ashton was definitely getting a kick out of this, by the way). Well, that was that, or so I thought.
Then came time to read. We were taking turns reading verses and it came down to my turn, but this time the teacher called me, "Z," repeated my actual name, and then must have had a light bulb come on because then he said, "Hey! I can call you Zorro!" He sounded so happy to have made that connection. I couldn't help but laugh and then start reading. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I'd prefer any other nickname to Zorro. Ashton definitely thought it was funny because he laughed quietly to himself and nudged me.
After the class was over, and as we were leaving, I asked Ashton how many nicknames he thought I could acquire during this class. I'm thinking of keeping a running tally.
Monday, September 21, 2009
"Sometimes the Seagulls Don't Come!"
As we were walking into Gospel Doctrine class yesterday, I noticed the saying above on the chalkboard. It came from our teacher, who has the most interesting ways of saying things.
It was fitting then that we were talking about hardships, in particular the handcart companies. Not much to do with seagulls, which was fine. At the end of class, he brought up the miracle of the seagulls, but only to say that sometimes the seagulls don't come. He told a few stories including one about some latter day women who had gotten up in Sacrament meeting to tell beautiful stories of fasting, prayer, and receiving Priesthood blessings to cure their husbands of cancer and the miraculous blessing that was. While these sisters were telling their stories, there was one sister sitting on the bench. As the others, she too had fasted, prayed, and received Priesthood blessings, but unlike the others, her husband had died from his cancer. Sometimes the seagulls don't come.
I loved the saying from the moment I read it. I thought over my own life and the trials I've been through. Sometimes things don't work out the way I thought they would or hoped they would. I've come to realize that sometimes it doesn't have anything to do with righteousness or faith, or a lack thereof to obtain the desired blessing. Bad things happen to even those who have the greatest faith. I think the true test in those circumstances is not do we have enough faith to be healed or saved from that trial, but rather will our faith last even when there is no end in sight? Will we persevere through the hard times even when we've been praying for relief from the beginning and we haven't yet received an answer? Do we have enough faith in the Lord and His plan to give Him our will? For our will, as Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, is the one true gift that we can give Heavenly Father.
Sometimes, the seagulls don't come, and I find that it is those times that I gain the greatest strength. It is these moments that can either make us, or break us.
It was fitting then that we were talking about hardships, in particular the handcart companies. Not much to do with seagulls, which was fine. At the end of class, he brought up the miracle of the seagulls, but only to say that sometimes the seagulls don't come. He told a few stories including one about some latter day women who had gotten up in Sacrament meeting to tell beautiful stories of fasting, prayer, and receiving Priesthood blessings to cure their husbands of cancer and the miraculous blessing that was. While these sisters were telling their stories, there was one sister sitting on the bench. As the others, she too had fasted, prayed, and received Priesthood blessings, but unlike the others, her husband had died from his cancer. Sometimes the seagulls don't come.
I loved the saying from the moment I read it. I thought over my own life and the trials I've been through. Sometimes things don't work out the way I thought they would or hoped they would. I've come to realize that sometimes it doesn't have anything to do with righteousness or faith, or a lack thereof to obtain the desired blessing. Bad things happen to even those who have the greatest faith. I think the true test in those circumstances is not do we have enough faith to be healed or saved from that trial, but rather will our faith last even when there is no end in sight? Will we persevere through the hard times even when we've been praying for relief from the beginning and we haven't yet received an answer? Do we have enough faith in the Lord and His plan to give Him our will? For our will, as Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, is the one true gift that we can give Heavenly Father.
Sometimes, the seagulls don't come, and I find that it is those times that I gain the greatest strength. It is these moments that can either make us, or break us.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
A Dream Come True
Normally after coming home from Maine, I get bored within a few days, especially while Ashton is at work. Most of the boredom comes from not having a set schedule anymore. I do enjoy being able to have some time to myself, but there comes a point when too much alone time is just as bad as not having any. I've been fortunate this time that I only had to spend one day where I was sitting around wondering what I was going to do.
One of the first things I usually do when I get home is sleep in. It's easy to do when you don't have someone waking you up and when you're a bit jet lagged. Although it felt like sleeping in, considering the time difference, I actually got up at 7:30 the first morning. To some of you, this really is sleeping in, but when I'm home, I've been known to not get up until at least 8 - 8:30. I was a little worried how long it would take for me to go back to my old ways, but fortunately a solution was provided.
My friend Tiff got back into Provo a little while ago after serving a mission in Puerto Rico. We were talking and she was saying that she needed someone who would be willing to go running with her in the mornings. Well, I've been wanting to go running for a while now, but not having a running buddy hurt my motivation to get up and do it. I could see all kinds of light bulbs going off, arrows pointing straight at Tiff saying, "Helloooo running buddy!" So, I said that I'd go running with her. The catch: we go running at 6:00 in the morning. Now, this wouldn't be bad if we lived in the same town, but since I live a 15-20 minute drive away (if there was no traffic it'd take maybe 10 minutes), I get up at 5:30 to get to her house by 6. I'm actually quite proud of myself because I have been doing it. I find that if I get up right when the alarm goes off, I mumble a whole lot less. It makes the whole morning so much better. Not to mention, it feels nice to exercise. So, my goal of getting in shape and getting up in the morning is taken care of. I'm a little worried about what'll happen when it gets cold and snowy, but I'm also hoping that I won't have to worry about that for a while. Call it wishful thinking.
The other thing that I was worried about when I came home was having enough stuff to do during the day. Thanks again to Tiff I have a big project to accomplish. Like I said, Tiff just came home from her mission and she has a lot of pictures that she wanted to scrapbook, but neither had the time nor felt that she had the creativity to do it. Although she's creative enough to do it, she's entrusted me to scrapbook her mission experience. Like I said, this is a big job. There are about 500 pictures to go in this scrapbook so it'll take me a while to do, but I'm excited.
Another thing that I've been doing is a photo session with Lance and Stacy! They wanted to take some family pictures, but didn't want to spend too much money on them so they asked me if I'd take the pictures. Can I just say that I was thrilled about the idea! A tad nervous, but thrilled. I love taking pictures, if you couldn't tell, and I am happy that they trusted me to do them. So Saturday we found some cute places to take pictures and spent maybe an hour or so taking pictures. They were fun to photograph! I spent the next few days touching up pictures and playing around with them. I had so much fun! I would love to do this every day. I can't put all of them on here, no matter how proud I am of them, but here are a few!
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
One of the first things I usually do when I get home is sleep in. It's easy to do when you don't have someone waking you up and when you're a bit jet lagged. Although it felt like sleeping in, considering the time difference, I actually got up at 7:30 the first morning. To some of you, this really is sleeping in, but when I'm home, I've been known to not get up until at least 8 - 8:30. I was a little worried how long it would take for me to go back to my old ways, but fortunately a solution was provided.
My friend Tiff got back into Provo a little while ago after serving a mission in Puerto Rico. We were talking and she was saying that she needed someone who would be willing to go running with her in the mornings. Well, I've been wanting to go running for a while now, but not having a running buddy hurt my motivation to get up and do it. I could see all kinds of light bulbs going off, arrows pointing straight at Tiff saying, "Helloooo running buddy!" So, I said that I'd go running with her. The catch: we go running at 6:00 in the morning. Now, this wouldn't be bad if we lived in the same town, but since I live a 15-20 minute drive away (if there was no traffic it'd take maybe 10 minutes), I get up at 5:30 to get to her house by 6. I'm actually quite proud of myself because I have been doing it. I find that if I get up right when the alarm goes off, I mumble a whole lot less. It makes the whole morning so much better. Not to mention, it feels nice to exercise. So, my goal of getting in shape and getting up in the morning is taken care of. I'm a little worried about what'll happen when it gets cold and snowy, but I'm also hoping that I won't have to worry about that for a while. Call it wishful thinking.
The other thing that I was worried about when I came home was having enough stuff to do during the day. Thanks again to Tiff I have a big project to accomplish. Like I said, Tiff just came home from her mission and she has a lot of pictures that she wanted to scrapbook, but neither had the time nor felt that she had the creativity to do it. Although she's creative enough to do it, she's entrusted me to scrapbook her mission experience. Like I said, this is a big job. There are about 500 pictures to go in this scrapbook so it'll take me a while to do, but I'm excited.
Another thing that I've been doing is a photo session with Lance and Stacy! They wanted to take some family pictures, but didn't want to spend too much money on them so they asked me if I'd take the pictures. Can I just say that I was thrilled about the idea! A tad nervous, but thrilled. I love taking pictures, if you couldn't tell, and I am happy that they trusted me to do them. So Saturday we found some cute places to take pictures and spent maybe an hour or so taking pictures. They were fun to photograph! I spent the next few days touching up pictures and playing around with them. I had so much fun! I would love to do this every day. I can't put all of them on here, no matter how proud I am of them, but here are a few!
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Friday, August 21, 2009
A Vacation is Just Doing Something You Don't Normally Do
So I got to spend the last two weeks in Maine on "vacation." My vacation was actually a lot of fun. I got to spend it with Jacob and Heather helping them with their new baby girl and two other girls. Definitely stressful at times, especially when it's the end of the day. You're tired and they're tired, and it becomes a battle of the wills. However, it's always nice to "experiment" parenting on other people's kids. Sure, that's what anyone really does, even with their own kids, but it's nice to sort of get an idea of what to expect, even if it's vague at best.
I did do a lot of reading, they were mostly kids books though and the same few books over and over again because they were the favorites, which isn't a problem until you've read the same book ten times in one day. Even two to three times in ten minutes is pushing it. When I did try to read a grown-up book, I got told by Liliana to stop reading that book and read to her; either that she would try to negotiate telling me that I could read that book when Mommy woke up and I could play a game with her now. The nice thing is that she can now read and so I could sometimes get her to read to me!
The one thing that I really came to appreciate though is quiet time/nap time. Although I didn't usually take a nap, it was a time that everything was quiet. It would be just Liliana and me awake so, while Liliana would watch a movie, I could go check my email, read, or just relax with Liliana and watch whatever movie she had picked out. I now know why quiet time is so essential to mothers.
Jacob and Heather were nice enough to plan a trip down to Farmington to see more family, so I got to see more of my family while I was there. It was great to see everyone, even if it wasn't for very long. It's so hard to spend enough time with everyone to make it last until the next time I get to see.
As always, I took lots and lots of pictures. It's a good thing my camera can hold a lot of pictures because I definitely went overboard this time by taking over 300 pictures. Yeah, I might have an addiction or something. The truly hard thing about taking this many pictures is that so many of them are keepers and over an extended period of time that it makes choosing a few wicked hard. So, I'm going to pick a few of each of the girls.
Mattie chasing me.
Bumpa and Grammy bought Liliana and Mattie these cute little backpacks. Mattie loved hers.
Here she is awake.
Chilling in the pool.
Eating popsicles after painting themselves.
I did do a lot of reading, they were mostly kids books though and the same few books over and over again because they were the favorites, which isn't a problem until you've read the same book ten times in one day. Even two to three times in ten minutes is pushing it. When I did try to read a grown-up book, I got told by Liliana to stop reading that book and read to her; either that she would try to negotiate telling me that I could read that book when Mommy woke up and I could play a game with her now. The nice thing is that she can now read and so I could sometimes get her to read to me!
The one thing that I really came to appreciate though is quiet time/nap time. Although I didn't usually take a nap, it was a time that everything was quiet. It would be just Liliana and me awake so, while Liliana would watch a movie, I could go check my email, read, or just relax with Liliana and watch whatever movie she had picked out. I now know why quiet time is so essential to mothers.
Jacob and Heather were nice enough to plan a trip down to Farmington to see more family, so I got to see more of my family while I was there. It was great to see everyone, even if it wasn't for very long. It's so hard to spend enough time with everyone to make it last until the next time I get to see.
As always, I took lots and lots of pictures. It's a good thing my camera can hold a lot of pictures because I definitely went overboard this time by taking over 300 pictures. Yeah, I might have an addiction or something. The truly hard thing about taking this many pictures is that so many of them are keepers and over an extended period of time that it makes choosing a few wicked hard. So, I'm going to pick a few of each of the girls.
Liliana loves posing for the camera.
She did more poses for me, but this is my favorite.
She did more poses for me, but this is my favorite.
Being silly with her cousins.
Such a great big sister.
Mattie actually let me do her hair in pigtails this day.
They didn't stay in very long, but oh well!
They didn't stay in very long, but oh well!
Mattie chasing me.
Bumpa and Grammy bought Liliana and Mattie these cute little backpacks. Mattie loved hers.
My newest little niece Jane.
Here she is awake.
Chilling in the pool.
Eating popsicles after painting themselves.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Happy Birthday Ashton!
So, last Friday (the 24th) was Ashton's birthday. Although he wasn't all that excited to be a year older, we had a fun time celebrating. Unfortunately, he was one of the only people that had to go to work on his birthday. (For those of you who aren't familiar with Utah holidays, the 24th is also Pioneer Day and just about everything closes for it, and there are also fireworks.) It was good for me that he had to work because it gave me time to make his cake and blow up some balloons. The cheesecake actually turned out pretty good for my first attempt. It wasn't the prettiest thing ever, but it still tasted good!
After Ashton got home, we went out to eat at Olive Garden thanks to a gift card from Steve and Gail! The food was really good and it was nice to get out. The amazing part was that we walked in and they immediately sat us at a table. That has never happened before, especially on a Friday night. The best part came later when the server came to box up our food. These are the boxes we got:
(For those of you who can't see, the small box says "Olive Garden" and the other says "Red Lobster.") Apparently they ran out of bigger boxes that said "Olive Garden" so they went and borrowed some from Red Lobster, which is owned by the same company. Anyways, we found it funny and I had to take a picture when we got home.
Oh, and for those of you who are curious as to what I got Ashton for his birthday, I got him an English translation of "Les Miserables" and also the version of the movie "Les Miserables" that he likes. I'm excited to read the book although I'm trying to wait for him to start/finish it. It's a wicked big book so I may be waiting for a while.
Here are some more pictures:
It took a little while to get all the candles lit, but the pyro in me loved it!
After Ashton got home, we went out to eat at Olive Garden thanks to a gift card from Steve and Gail! The food was really good and it was nice to get out. The amazing part was that we walked in and they immediately sat us at a table. That has never happened before, especially on a Friday night. The best part came later when the server came to box up our food. These are the boxes we got:
(For those of you who can't see, the small box says "Olive Garden" and the other says "Red Lobster.") Apparently they ran out of bigger boxes that said "Olive Garden" so they went and borrowed some from Red Lobster, which is owned by the same company. Anyways, we found it funny and I had to take a picture when we got home.
Oh, and for those of you who are curious as to what I got Ashton for his birthday, I got him an English translation of "Les Miserables" and also the version of the movie "Les Miserables" that he likes. I'm excited to read the book although I'm trying to wait for him to start/finish it. It's a wicked big book so I may be waiting for a while.
Here are some more pictures:
It took a little while to get all the candles lit, but the pyro in me loved it!
Making a wish.
Probably wished I had left some candles off,
especially since he was stuffed from dinner.
Probably wished I had left some candles off,
especially since he was stuffed from dinner.
And he huffed and puffed and blew all the candles out. YAY!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Hooray For Broken Things Being Fixed!
We finally got our desktop computer fixed. The screen kept flickering and got so bad that we'd have to shut down the computer for a while if we wanted to play a game and even that didn't work. Eventually the computer wouldn't even turn on. Well, we figured out that it was the motherboard and since the computer was still under warranty, Dell sent someone to replace the part. He came, the part was replaced, and now we have our computer back! Thankfully, during this whole thing, we still had the laptop, but it's nice to have our other computer back.
Mandy, Andrew, and little Austin came into town last week along with Aunt Marcia. We haven't seen them in a long time so we got together with the whole family for dinner. Since we were all together, we celebrated Ashton and Gail's birthdays. We had a great time and I'm so glad that I had brought my camera.
We're excited to celebrate Ashton's birthday tomorrow! Ok, so I'm probably more excited than he is. I think he's just excited about the cake. He'll use any excuse for cake.
Us with Austin. We were so happy to finally meet him.
How many people does it take to light candles on a cake?
Gail and Ashton blowing out candles.
Andrew decided to try out the new look, too.
Mandy, Andrew, and little Austin came into town last week along with Aunt Marcia. We haven't seen them in a long time so we got together with the whole family for dinner. Since we were all together, we celebrated Ashton and Gail's birthdays. We had a great time and I'm so glad that I had brought my camera.
We're excited to celebrate Ashton's birthday tomorrow! Ok, so I'm probably more excited than he is. I think he's just excited about the cake. He'll use any excuse for cake.
"Music time" with toy dishes. Some people decided to wear the dishes rather than play them.
We got out the Boccie ball to play and Sadie decided that she wanted one of the balls.
Carrying the ball
Us with Austin. We were so happy to finally meet him.
How many people does it take to light candles on a cake?
Gail and Ashton blowing out candles.
The frosting made good lipstick. Looking good Mandy!
Andrew decided to try out the new look, too.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Something For Everyone
Ashton and I tend to read a lot of books. We plan on having an entire room dedicated to books when we actually get a house. The entire room is not just because we like books, but also because that's how much space we're going to need to store our books especially when we gather the rest of our books from the various parents' houses.
Although we both like to read, we enjoy different genres of books. I tend to have a more widely accepting range of genres. I enjoy history books just as much as classical and fantasy/adventure books, if not more. I am by no means a die-hard science fiction fan and usually steer away from, what I consider, the really weird stuff. I'm not big into aliens and the like. As it is with any genre, there are good writers and bad writers. The good writers can make just about anything interesting.
Ashton leans almost solely towards the sci-fi, adventure, and fantasy books. I think this fact became more apparent when I tried to get him to read "Eight Cousins" by Louisa May Alcott and, although it's a short book, he couldn't finish it. I probably should have known better than to recommend the book to him, but at the time it sounded like a good idea since we were talking about books I enjoyed when I was younger and "Eight Cousins" was one of my favorite stories. Live and learn.
In any case, I just finished a couple of books (I tend to read a couple at a time) that I thought that I would mention. The first book that I finished was a history called, "The Last Days of the Incas" by Kim MacQuarrie. The book is what you'd expect from the title, although it does cover the exploration of Inca ruins in more recent years. The author did an amazing job researching, going back to the Spanish chroniclers to gain information and does a good job presenting the facts, going so far as to mention discrepancies and present both sides. For anyone who is interested in Incan history or even in South American history, this is a really good book.
The second book that I just finished is "The Eye of the World" by Robert Jordan. This is the first book in a series called "The Wheel of Time." It's a fantasy/adventure book with the magic and mythical world involving humans and other creatures. Although it is fantasy, there are a lot of political strains as well as a good vs evil theme. I began reading this book because it was the book that really got Ashton interested in reading. So, being curious as to what about it made him interested in reading, I decided that I was going to read it for myself, much to his surprise.
Although I wasn't familiar with some of the things that they talked about, I enjoyed the book. The book is well-rounded in that there are good descriptions, which can be annoying when you just want to get to the action, but his characters are also well written. They have a depth and support about them that make them more real to the reader, which is important to a fantasy book I think. There is also a lot of suspense to the book and, although I can be a very nervous reader when there's suspense, it was fun to read.
I haven't decided yet whether I want to continue on in the series. Apparently the last book of the series hasn't come out yet and is being worked on by someone other than Jordan, as he (Jordan) is dead. I don't really want to start reading the series if I just have to wait for the next book to come out. However, given the fact that I tend to read multiple books at a time, it'll probably take me a little while to get through all the books, so the next one could be out before I get to it. We'll see.
By the way, if any of you have any books that you want to recommend, I'd like to hear!
Although we both like to read, we enjoy different genres of books. I tend to have a more widely accepting range of genres. I enjoy history books just as much as classical and fantasy/adventure books, if not more. I am by no means a die-hard science fiction fan and usually steer away from, what I consider, the really weird stuff. I'm not big into aliens and the like. As it is with any genre, there are good writers and bad writers. The good writers can make just about anything interesting.
Ashton leans almost solely towards the sci-fi, adventure, and fantasy books. I think this fact became more apparent when I tried to get him to read "Eight Cousins" by Louisa May Alcott and, although it's a short book, he couldn't finish it. I probably should have known better than to recommend the book to him, but at the time it sounded like a good idea since we were talking about books I enjoyed when I was younger and "Eight Cousins" was one of my favorite stories. Live and learn.
In any case, I just finished a couple of books (I tend to read a couple at a time) that I thought that I would mention. The first book that I finished was a history called, "The Last Days of the Incas" by Kim MacQuarrie. The book is what you'd expect from the title, although it does cover the exploration of Inca ruins in more recent years. The author did an amazing job researching, going back to the Spanish chroniclers to gain information and does a good job presenting the facts, going so far as to mention discrepancies and present both sides. For anyone who is interested in Incan history or even in South American history, this is a really good book.
The second book that I just finished is "The Eye of the World" by Robert Jordan. This is the first book in a series called "The Wheel of Time." It's a fantasy/adventure book with the magic and mythical world involving humans and other creatures. Although it is fantasy, there are a lot of political strains as well as a good vs evil theme. I began reading this book because it was the book that really got Ashton interested in reading. So, being curious as to what about it made him interested in reading, I decided that I was going to read it for myself, much to his surprise.
Although I wasn't familiar with some of the things that they talked about, I enjoyed the book. The book is well-rounded in that there are good descriptions, which can be annoying when you just want to get to the action, but his characters are also well written. They have a depth and support about them that make them more real to the reader, which is important to a fantasy book I think. There is also a lot of suspense to the book and, although I can be a very nervous reader when there's suspense, it was fun to read.
I haven't decided yet whether I want to continue on in the series. Apparently the last book of the series hasn't come out yet and is being worked on by someone other than Jordan, as he (Jordan) is dead. I don't really want to start reading the series if I just have to wait for the next book to come out. However, given the fact that I tend to read multiple books at a time, it'll probably take me a little while to get through all the books, so the next one could be out before I get to it. We'll see.
By the way, if any of you have any books that you want to recommend, I'd like to hear!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
What a Weekend
So, it's been a while and there are probably tons of stuff to catch everyone up on , even if it doesn't feel that way. However, I'm not going to try to catch up on everything we've done in the past few weeks. That would take a while and you'd be bored by the end...I'd be bored by the end. So I'll just talk about this weekend, or more specifically yesterday.
We had a rather busy Saturday, but we had a lot of fun. We first made a trip to Target to buy some things, but most importantly to buy a pan so I can make Ashton a birthday cake in a couple of weeks. He's requested cheesecake and having never made cheesecake, I didn't have a pan for it. So we bought one and now Ashton is dropping not-so-subtle hints about how I should do a trial run. I would do it except it seems that my first attempts to make something tend to turn out better than my second attempts. Maybe it's because I'm so careful the first time to do it right and follow instructions and, having done it once before, I'm not so cautious the second time. I really don't know, but we'll see.
We also got to got to Greg and Christa's open house to help them celebrate their upcoming wedding. We had a good time there and were also glad that Nate and Anjanette came as well.
To top off an already good day, I got to see my friend, and old roommate, Tiff. We spent a few hours hanging out and catching up. She just got back from her mission in Puerto Rico so it's been a while. It was great to see her again and we had a lot of fun talking to her. I've missed her and it's great to have her back!
We had a rather busy Saturday, but we had a lot of fun. We first made a trip to Target to buy some things, but most importantly to buy a pan so I can make Ashton a birthday cake in a couple of weeks. He's requested cheesecake and having never made cheesecake, I didn't have a pan for it. So we bought one and now Ashton is dropping not-so-subtle hints about how I should do a trial run. I would do it except it seems that my first attempts to make something tend to turn out better than my second attempts. Maybe it's because I'm so careful the first time to do it right and follow instructions and, having done it once before, I'm not so cautious the second time. I really don't know, but we'll see.
We also got to got to Greg and Christa's open house to help them celebrate their upcoming wedding. We had a good time there and were also glad that Nate and Anjanette came as well.
To top off an already good day, I got to see my friend, and old roommate, Tiff. We spent a few hours hanging out and catching up. She just got back from her mission in Puerto Rico so it's been a while. It was great to see her again and we had a lot of fun talking to her. I've missed her and it's great to have her back!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Call of Adventure
We like our adventures here well enough. They spice up life, especially the spur of the moment adventures that you don't know are coming. Well, we had one such moment a few days ago.
We were on our way to the airport to pick up Lance and Stacy. It seemed like a normal enough trip. Everything was going fine until we got on the freeway. We didn't even make it a full mile to the next exit when the car started making funny sounds. I thought it was another car at first and Ashton thought it was the engine. It was neither. We pulled over and to my surprise, and Ashton's relief, it was the tire. Oh, but the fun didn't stop there because it wasn't just a flat. It was a blowout. Where the side meets the round tread part was all coming apart. We did find a screw but it didn't seem like it was in the right part of the tire to cause that kind of damage. (Don't worry, I took pictures later when we got the tire off and in the trunk.)
We spent the next few minutes getting the tire off, which was exciting for me because I've never changed a tire in my life. I'm so glad that it didn't happen when I was driving by myself. That probably would have inspired a frantic, tearful call to Ashton to come fix the situation. We got that all taken care of, replacing the tire with the spare, which brings me to another interesting point. The spare tire was thinner than the others. Who thinks that it's a good idea to make the spare thinner than the rest of the tires? It just doesn't seem safe. Isn't the point of a spare to have an extra tire that can substitute for your regular tire in a pinch so you don't have to worry about driving unsafely? Who wants to get a spare on and still have to worry about being safe? In any case, because we didn't know if the spare would last, we drove back home and got Ashton's car. Later that day, we got a new tire put on. Hope this one lasts longer than its cousin.
Now, the funny part of all of this was that a little light had come on in the car. Apparently, the little light was to announce low tire pressure, but believe me, the symbol looked nothing like anything I'd expect to indicate that something's wrong with the tires. Who thought that a semicircle with a squiggly line on the bottom and an exclamation point would suggest a tire problem? I guess I could have looked it up in the manual, but I thought it had something to do with the oil. If you think you know what it is then there's no need to look it up right? Anyways, the light went off when the changed the tire to a regular tire. Thinking that was rather odd, I looked it up and discovered the true meaning of the light. Oops. Guess I'll know better next time.
Close up
Dinky spare tire
We were on our way to the airport to pick up Lance and Stacy. It seemed like a normal enough trip. Everything was going fine until we got on the freeway. We didn't even make it a full mile to the next exit when the car started making funny sounds. I thought it was another car at first and Ashton thought it was the engine. It was neither. We pulled over and to my surprise, and Ashton's relief, it was the tire. Oh, but the fun didn't stop there because it wasn't just a flat. It was a blowout. Where the side meets the round tread part was all coming apart. We did find a screw but it didn't seem like it was in the right part of the tire to cause that kind of damage. (Don't worry, I took pictures later when we got the tire off and in the trunk.)
We spent the next few minutes getting the tire off, which was exciting for me because I've never changed a tire in my life. I'm so glad that it didn't happen when I was driving by myself. That probably would have inspired a frantic, tearful call to Ashton to come fix the situation. We got that all taken care of, replacing the tire with the spare, which brings me to another interesting point. The spare tire was thinner than the others. Who thinks that it's a good idea to make the spare thinner than the rest of the tires? It just doesn't seem safe. Isn't the point of a spare to have an extra tire that can substitute for your regular tire in a pinch so you don't have to worry about driving unsafely? Who wants to get a spare on and still have to worry about being safe? In any case, because we didn't know if the spare would last, we drove back home and got Ashton's car. Later that day, we got a new tire put on. Hope this one lasts longer than its cousin.
Now, the funny part of all of this was that a little light had come on in the car. Apparently, the little light was to announce low tire pressure, but believe me, the symbol looked nothing like anything I'd expect to indicate that something's wrong with the tires. Who thought that a semicircle with a squiggly line on the bottom and an exclamation point would suggest a tire problem? I guess I could have looked it up in the manual, but I thought it had something to do with the oil. If you think you know what it is then there's no need to look it up right? Anyways, the light went off when the changed the tire to a regular tire. Thinking that was rather odd, I looked it up and discovered the true meaning of the light. Oops. Guess I'll know better next time.
This is the damage to the tire
Close up
Dinky spare tire
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Happy happy
Life always seems busy until I go to write about what we've been up to. Then it doesn't seem interesting enough to write about and so small. I mean the hardest decision I usually have to make during the day is what to eat (it's a toss-up though. Deciding whether to shower or not and what to do with my hair in the case that I did shower are also hard decisions).
In any case, we did have a fairly busy weekend of celebrations this past weekend. We celebrated my birthday on Friday, which was a blast. Anyone who knows me will be surprised when I tell you that Ashton bought me a set of kitchen knives that are pretty nice...and sharp. No worries, no one has lost any limbs yet. Haven't even broken skin. Overall, it was just a great day. Ashton even made me a cake.
The celebrations weren't over yet, though. We had our 2 year wedding anniversary on Monday, which we started celebrating Sunday with a nice dinner that I didn't have to cook. We didn't do really anything special, but it was just nice to spend time together.
Ashton took some pictures of me blowing out my candles and they're entertaining, but I don't have them on the computer yet. So, I thought instead, I'd put a picture up that I took a few weekends ago. It's Ashton's favorite from that bunch.
In any case, we did have a fairly busy weekend of celebrations this past weekend. We celebrated my birthday on Friday, which was a blast. Anyone who knows me will be surprised when I tell you that Ashton bought me a set of kitchen knives that are pretty nice...and sharp. No worries, no one has lost any limbs yet. Haven't even broken skin. Overall, it was just a great day. Ashton even made me a cake.
The celebrations weren't over yet, though. We had our 2 year wedding anniversary on Monday, which we started celebrating Sunday with a nice dinner that I didn't have to cook. We didn't do really anything special, but it was just nice to spend time together.
Ashton took some pictures of me blowing out my candles and they're entertaining, but I don't have them on the computer yet. So, I thought instead, I'd put a picture up that I took a few weekends ago. It's Ashton's favorite from that bunch.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)