Home Sweet Disaster

Yesterday we officially moved everything out of our old house and into our new house. Well, we actually had a lot of help. We had about 10 people help us transfer the boxes onto the truck and about 9 different people help us unpack them. We have some wondeful friends. Not to mention my friend Alacey who watched my two kids, so I could be involved.

You know how it goes...now that everything is out of our old place, we had to scrub and clean it like crazy to get our deposit back. Today another friend, Melissa, watched my kids so that I could clean dirt, hair, grease, crusty old food and who knows what else off of every surface of our home. The Arizona sun is so intense that my white blinds that were not in direct contact with the sun are still white, while the portion of the blinds that was exposed to the sun is actually more of a yellowy color. Are they cheap blinds? Of course, nothing but quality for renters.

While cleaning, I sliced two different fingers open and blood started gushing everywhere. Of course there is no band-aid in the house because those are all at our new home. I also think that I am officially too old to be on my knees scrubbing tile for extended periods of time. Ouch! The best part though, or as Mastercard would say, the "priceless" part was being able to clean with Derek.

Most people think that Derek is a pretty grounded, serious guy. I admit that I didn't even know he had a goofy side until after we were married. (We didn't date for very long, I'll blog more on that after I get moved in.) His family were all shocked that I didn't realize he could be goofy, but most people don't see his crazy side. Well, let me tell you that the entire time he cleaned, he was singing songs. I usually get one song in my head and it annoys me all day. Typically that song is, "Robin Hood and Little John running through the forest. Catching...." from Disney's Robin Hood which is rather strange since we don't own the video. I think Derek whistles the tune all the time and then I'm stuck with it. But today, he was all across the board with his music selection. If I would've had our digital camera, I would've taken video, but guess where it was? That's right! Our new house. So, here's a sampling of what I heard:

"Oh I guess it would be nice, if I could touch your body, I know not everybody, has got a body like you." He was not singing this to me people. We were cleaning!

"Too hot to handle, too cold to hold. They call the Ghostbusters. Got it in control." My husband always says that I used to listen to a lot of "booty music" as he calls it. This is about as "booty music" as he gets.

"76 Trombones lead the big parade!" This is from growing up in a house where they listen almost exclusively to musicals.

"A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief..." I'm telling you, there is no radio station that can switch musical genres like this man's mind.

There was a lot more, but my mind is about fried at this point. Tomorrow we begin unpacking this mess you see pictured. Wish me luck!

What addiction?

Okay, so my husband likes to notice my quirky issues, at least they are quirky to him. I think he's got his own set of quirks himself, but he seems to feel completely justified in those issues, so we won't discuss them.

Anyway, I do realize my personality tends to lend itself to addictive behavior such as chocolate and well, sweets and sugar in general. If any of you know me very well, you will realize that I have a serious sweet tooth for the usual ice cream, chocolate, homemade desserts (usually containing chocolate), etc. My addictions usually involve only food thanks to some serious medications I'm taking--that's a joke and if any of you believed that for one second, I would ask you to no longer read my blog because what if I really am taking medications and you were sitting there judging me? Now we have a problem. Back to the issue at hand.

You know those little dessert pie things that you can buy? They've been around since I was a kid, but I don't know their exact name, anyway, I've never tried one of them. This is not because I haven't had the chance. I have intentionally avoided them because I recognize that they are a dessert and I have a dessert addiction and if I try one, I may like it. If I like it, I may start being tempted to buy it and eat it. It's a bit like sin, I'm avoiding it at all costs. I did this for years with Snickers bars too. I think I gave in one night when I had to have something chocolatey and it was the only option in the house due to someone else...not sure who...eating all the other chocolatey options.

I really do think that there's something dangerously addictive to this blogging thing. Why? Because I refuse to subscribe to any of my friends' blogs because I want to be excited to visit each and every one of your sites each day to see if by chance you've posted something new. I realize that I could receive some sort of email update, but where's the fun in that? I want to let you know I care and feed my addiction simultaneously by visiting your sites on a daily, sometimes multi-daily basis.

I find myself now going about my day thinking, "How would I write about this in a blog?" "Could I possibly take a picture of this and post it with my blog thoughts?" "How many comments would it draw?" "What creative title could I tag with it?" "Do you think someone I don't even know has found my blog and is going to comment today?" "Where would she live?" (I chose the feminine pronoun here because my husband swears my blog is a...what did he call it? "estrogen fest" or something like that.)

As you know from the previous post, we just bought a house and needed to turn on the utilities and I was left to decide if we could or could not afford internet. Well, everyone knows you don't let addicts make decisions for themselves. They're never going to choose the best option, only the most self-interested option. My husband may not know of my addiction yet, well, until he reads this blog entry because like any good addict, I'm hiding it well.

Memories of renting....

When Derek and I were engaged to be married, we were living in Euless, Texas. It's what I like to call the armpit of the Dalls/Ft. Worth area. Seriously, it's pretty ghetto. Anyway, we were there because Derek was selling pest control door-to-door to earn money for school expenses that up-coming fall. Since he was making more money than I was as a server at a local restaurant, it fell to me to locate our first married housing.

At this time, BYU's married housing had a wait list of about two years, so that option was immediately out. I scoured the paper (can you believe I actually used a newspaper instead of the internet?!!?--shows how long we've been married) for our future dwelling.

Let me tell you, in Provo, Utah, you can find some pretty crazy set ups. I've gone hunting with my cousin before and we found one apartment that looked like a bunch of hippies must've lived there because the bathtub was tye-dyed. Really, I kid you not. I found another place that I was ready to move into until my cousin wisely pointed out that there was a door on every single wall, therefore, necessitating placing my bed in the middle of the room. Another apartment was directly below a yummy, local restaurant (La Carreta) and was so small, I wouldn't have been able to place a couch against any one wall. I've seen a lot. I've lived in basements, apartments, condos and houses and now, it's finally time to move to our very first house.

We're supposed to close this Tuesday and I can hardly wait. Our house is chaotic with half of our stuff in boxes and the essentials still waiting to be packed up. I'm going to miss the people in our ward. It has been so wonderful to live in one place for three years and build some wonderful friendships. I realize that I'll still be able to be in contact, but I won't be able to see them in church anymore. A lot of you have already moved out of this ward and I already don't see you. It's sad to go, but it's also so exciting to think of the future.

Me, Ben & Jerry

Are any of you fellow ice cream lovers aware that Ben & Jerry's has released one of the yummiest new flavors I've ever had? Don't be concerned, my first love--Chubby Hubby--is still near and dear to my heart, but my goodness, have you tried their Cinnamon Buns? I tried it at one of their stores for the first time last summer and was very excited. I tried to find it in the grocery store afterward and was unsuccessful until this last, wonderful Tuesday.

Cinnamon Buns as described by the container is: "Caramel Ice Cream with Cinnamon Bun Dough and a Caramel Streusel Swirl." Okay, okay, like Jerry McGuire's wife, "You had me at Cinnamon Bun."

I was also enthused to see on their website they are also offering another new flavor--Creme Brulee which has me intrigued. There are several other flavors as well--Raspberry Chocolate Chunk (which is light!!!!), Peach Cobbler, Mint Chocolate Chunk, etc. etc.

My mom has always been a devotee of their Cherry Garcia which is okay for me. I usually prefer ice cream with something in the title such as, "Chocolate ice cream covered in chocolate sauce, swirled with chunks of chocolate," but that's my own personal addiction. I was wondering, what are your favorite Ben & Jerry flavors?

Seriously????

Last night Derek and I were watching Law & Order. I'm a bit of an addict of that show. Me and TNT have a very special relationship thanks to their dedication to keeping this show alive and well in reruns. It kind of intrigues me in the same way a good book does--the characters you love to hate, the passion, the way the law has to work a certain way, etc. Normally, I won't change the channel for any other show, but last night during a commercial surf, I saw something that grabbed my attention.
Did any of you see Primetime on ABC last night? If you didn't, you really need to read this story:

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=2925021&page=1

It's a bit scary to me. There is a man who is saying that he is the resurrected Christ. He claims it was a vision he had several years ago where two angels came to him and told him he was Jesus. Now, I don't doubt that there are several people out there saying the same thing, but I wonder if they are gathering the following this guy is. (Estimates put his following at one million members.)
His followers have the numbers 666 tattooed on their bodies because of their disdain for organized religion. He also preaches that there's no need for prayer because Jesus (this man) is alive and living in Houston, Texas. This man teaches them that there is no such thing as sin. What about murder or stealing you say? He says there is such thing as crime and that is punished while we're here on earth, but there's no need to worry about heaven, we're all guaranteed a spot.
This man openly drinks, smokes and has a criminal record. And the biggest draw for his followers seems to be that idea that you live however you want to live without any need of fear. He says that's one of his main reasons for opposing organized religion is the fear it engenders in people.
While I was watching this with my mind reeling, I was so glad that the leaders of my own church don't resemble this man in any way. Seriously, almost the entire time he was speaking to the news reporter, he seemed to have a crazy grin on his face that said, "Can you believe that other people actually believe me? That they follow me and give me money to live like this?" And his supporters do dish out the money too. One man and his wife have given him $2 million in the last couple of years. His people are supposed to pay a 10% tithe, but it's not required.
I guess I just don't get it in so many ways. He's completely against organized religion, yet isn't that exactly what he's created? The woman that is his public relations organizer walks around scantily clad and when the reporter asks her about it, she said, "This is just my body. I worship with my mind. What does it matter what I wear?"
I remember hearing when I was younger that people would mark themselves with the mark of the beast and I thought, "Who would honestly do that? That must be symbolic in some way." Apparently not completely symbolic. I was always taught that my body is a temple and that what I wear and how I present myself is an open reflection of what I believe and what's going on in my mind and yet this woman is telling me the two are completely separate.
I guess I really feel like if you do believe what he's teaching, why do you need to go to his church? He's telling you to live however you want, so you definitely don't need to have someone teaching you. He's made himself obsolete by the words from his own mouth.

Just settled down for a long night's CHAT?

One of my favorite things to do is to eat out. I absolutely love it. We usually only do it once a week to be frugal and it's probably better for my figure that way anyway, but it's still one of my favorite things. Now, what goes better with good food than good conversation? I'm not talking about my typical dinner conversation which usually goes like this:

Me: "Ryanna, please eat. If you're not going to eat your food when we go out, I'm going to have you eat before we leave home. Owen, please stop screaming. Derek, please help me deal with the kids."

Ryanna: "Mom, I need to go to the bathroom."

Me: "What? I asked you to go before we left the house." At this point my food is barely warm enough to eat anyway.

Derek: "Owen, stop throwing food all over the floor."

It goes on like this ad nauseum when it's a family night on the town. However, when it's just me and Derek, I love to chat. I get really excited about having an uniterrupted conversation. Any of you with children old enough to speak are shaking your heads in understanding here. So, why is it that when we go to eat, sometimes I'm left with nothing to say? I don't know, I can't quite figure it out sometimes, but I did discover the best place to create a longer conversation than you'll ever want to have--your bed.
Seriously, can any of you relate to this? Derek and I crawled into bed last night sometime before 10 pm and we didn't go to sleep until about midnight. For some reason, we get really philosophical as well as goal oriented when everything else in the house is silent.
Why does this happen? Why can't these amazing conversations happen at restaurants? What is it about the time right before I drift off to sleep that I start to remember all of these random stories and ideas I couldn't recall until then?

Total Eclipse of the Heart...or NOT

So, I just finished reading Stephenie Meyer's latest installment of her vampire series. Two of my closest friends are a bit obsessed with this series and they chose it for our book this month and I read the other two books, so I felt a bit obligated to get it done. That being said, it was not my favorite of the three. Several reasons why:
1. Could Bella be any more immature as she gets older??? I think her immaturity and confusion increases with her age. I think I have heard her state at least 5 billion times how much she loves Edward and would rather die than live without him and then she goes ahead and makes out with her friend Jacob and convinces herself she's in love with him too.
2. Stephenie Meyer likes to pride herself on the idea that her books are great for young adults because they are so morally clean. Why then does she have her main character's boyfriend stay in her room where she sleeps every night? Why did she think it was a good idea to have Bella and Edward arrange a night where they would stay at Edward's house completely alone--with Bella going with the express intention of getting her way with her man if you know what I mean!
3. I'm sorry but there is no man on this planet, vampire or not, that is going to go for his girlfriend or wife having another male be her best friend. Sorry, doesn't work, not now--not ever. How can the author try and even make this work in the story? I think it ruined the book for me that Bella constantly confessed her dying love of Edward while trying to constantly spend every second with Jacob.
4. What exactly is holding Edward and Bella's relationship together at this point? Let's see, the fact that he spends every second guarding her from evil she usually brings on herself and...wait, all those other interests they have in common such as...? Sorry, but physical attraction will only last while you're a teenager, wait! that's what she is, but she's planning on getting married any second! It's spiraling out of control for me!!!!
Okay, there are many other things that bugged me about this book, but I should probably stop ranting now.
I like books with characters that may be flawed, but still draw you in. I want to empathize or loathe or root for characters. For example, I read The Lovely Bones not long ago and that book is chock full of characters that you feel strongly about--the main character, the dad who tries to love everyone the best he can, definitely the mom makes you angry, the grandma who is a drunk, but has the best heart. I want my book to make me see the world in a new light, to be grateful for what I do or don't have. Jodi Picoult novels do that. Her characters are always going through incredible trials, but they are real people you would meet. Her latest book Nineteen Minutes left me thinking, literally, for days. I thought about that book for hours and hours after I read it. I felt guilt, sorrow, anger, vengeful, hopeful, a whole spectrum of emotions.
With Eclipse I simply felt annoyed most of the time. Sorry Stephenie, your latest is my least favorite.

Sea World & Mission Beach

Before I let eveyone view me in my cold sore grossness, I thought I should post some pics from our recent vacation to Sea World, San Diego. It was so fun to go to Sea World again. They are running a two for one special on admission meaning that we bought two visits for the price of one. So, we need to go back to San Diego sometime before December 26, 2007. I have to say that Sea World is impressive in their technology. They scan your fingerprint and link it to your ticket, so you can't give it to anyone else. Of course, if you've ever seen Gattaca, you know this technology isn't fail proof!
This was our first night of arrival, that's why no one is in their suits.

This picture could've been so much better if my shadow wasn't involved!

Derek was certain Owen would eat the sand, but he just let it run through his fingers in amazement. Although he did throw some of it on his head for good measure.

Ryanna was so excited to take a picture with this penguin.

You can pet the dolphins now. I haven't been to Sea World since I was about six I think. This was news to me. I did get to swim with a dolphin when I went to Florida with my family, so I knew what they felt like, but Derek was so excited. Ryanna wouldn't even touch them.

Did I mention she wouldn't pet the dolphins but she reached right in to pet the sting rays. What? I think dolphins look a bit more friendly myself, but whatever...

Owen is always so happy to be a part of the crowd and on the go!

We tried desperately to get Ryanna soaked by sitting in the notorious "Soak Zone" at several shows, but to no avail until the final show of the night Shamu Rocks where we all got a little bit of a splash.

The pond with the star fish and sea cucumbers was by far Ryanna's favorite attraction. We went back three times to hold the starfish. Notice my face doesn't even look burned and the day is more than halfway over!

It looks as though Owen is standing at the brink of some edge, but he's really leaning against heavy aquarium glass. Notice my neck and face are showing signs of the impending burn. Look out lips!

Who envies Angelina Jolie?

So, our little family went for an incredibly short vacation to Sea World this last week. We did pack sunscreen, but forgot it at our hotel. We thought about buying some while we were at the park, but I was certain we wouldn't need it since we live in The Valley of the Sun!!!

Apparently my confidence was not justified because on Friday night, while we were eating dinner at the Hamblin's house, my lip started to tingle. I know this tingly sensation very well because I have had a cold sore a couple of times before. I don't get them very often, the first time in my life was after our wedding. The stress did me in. I made it 23 years without a sign of one and poof! on the flight to our honeymoon vacation it reared its ugly head (ha, ha)!

As soon as we got home from dinner, I ran for the medicine cabinet to slather on the abreva which helped before. The next day I religiously reapplied the stuff and tried my best to not touch my lips or allow my lips to touch my little kiddos. Which as a sidenote I'm realizing how much I love to kiss my kids. I hate not being able to kiss them.

Now, those of you who know me realize that I have lips that are uber-plump. Don't ask me where this incredible gene came from. Just luck I guess. My mom's lips are bigger, but let's just say that my lips have always been a BIG part of my life! So when I tell you that my upper lip is double the size it normally is, you can only imagine how bad it is. Not only is my lip completely swollen, but it has that crusty cold sore grossness on top of it. I have avoided being seen in public as much as possible.

Last night I went to sleep dreading the idea of going to church looking such a disgusting mess. Derek was hopeful that the swelling would go down. When I woke-up this morning, I ran to the bathroom mirror and peered in only to discover my lip had swollen even bigger!!!!! It was at this point I determined I was no longer dealing with a cold sore, this was some war being waged on my lip. Realizing that it had only been two days of swelling and I was almost to the point that you reach at the dentist where you know that saliva is drooling out of your mouth, but you're unable to stop it, I determined a trip to urgent care was in my very near future.

I was greeted with the looks I expected at the Urgent Care facility. My doctor looked to be Jewish, he had a long beard, but no skull cap. He was great, very knowledgable and very concerned that I didn't take anything that would hurt Owen. When I was walking out of the door at the facility, I heard this comment, "Did you see her lips!!??" and I don't think it was said in envy.

So, now I'm taking an antibiotic for the bacterial infection that I apparently have as well as some steroids to return my lip to its normal, which is big anyway, size.