Tuesday, August 30, 2011

25 Things About Nick

I asked Nick to come up with a list of 25 things for me to put on my blog and he told me to just copy/paste the survey I once made him do on Facebook. So here it is. Some of you may have read it before, but it was a year and a half ago.

1. When I would walk home from school, I used to try to find math equations to fit the house numbers. For example if the house address was 123, I would think 1+2=3.

2. Despite my dislike for actors, I still would like to be in plays, especially musicals.

3. I don't think there's a person that would have been more perfect for me than my wife.

4. I'm not very good at video games even though I play them all the time and love them.

5. I once had plans to be a professional fooseball player.

6. I rarely "want" to go to church, but I rarely regret going.

7. I enjoy public speaking.

8. I build Excell spreadsheets for fun.

9. I've written two books in my life, one which I eventually plan to publish, one which I eventually plan to burn.

10. I've written seven movie scripts, none of which will ever be made into movies.

11. I've read more Sweet Valley High/Twins, Babysitters Club, Sleepover Friends books than most girls.

12. I took about six ballet classes the summer between my Junior and Senior year of high school.

13. I enjoyed the ballet classes and wonder if it was my true calling in life.

14. I get twitchy when I don't play volleyball regularly.

15. The day after we got Wedge, I had a thought about how much easier life would be if he got run over by a car. I repented of it immediately and love him more than just about anything but my wife and daughter now.

16. I used to reinact the final attack on the death star in Star Wars: A New Hope with my hot wheels cars as X-Wings and Tie Fighters.

17. I made two Britney Spears music videos. One Lego, one live action, both embarassing.

18. I've come to the realization that I'm not someone that people seek to hang out with, but I'll always be someone who can be counted on, even if it's for something stupid at 3 in the morning.

19. Hallmark stores make me cry. So does the National Anthem and Silent Night.

20. I attribute most of my movie tastes to Cory Robison, an old missionary companion.

21. One of my biggest regrets in life will always be not staying in better contact with people from my mission.

22. I once accidently forgot about a date with a girl.

23. I truly believe I have three superpowers. 1. Blending into crowds so that no one knows I'm there. 2. Perceiving people's thoughts and emotions. 3. Effecting other peoples feelings towards me with my touch when I want to.

24. I'm not insane. My mother had me tested.

25. I hate surveys, but I love my wife.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Nick: 597ish, Spiders: 0

I hurried to the gas station tonight because we were sitting on next to empty and we're going to Bountiful tomorrow and it'll be the Sabbath. When I got back there was a HUGE spider right by the door to go into the house. Now I know I say every spider is huge, but this one really was and I'm pretty sure it had a gun!

After standing there staring at it, trying to convince myself it won't attack me when I open the door; and then fearing the garage light will turn off before I actually open the door, I hurry in the house to get Nick. Being attacked by a giant spider while opening the door seemed a little less horrifying than being attacked by a giant spider in the dark while I opened the door.

Conversation with Nick goes as follows:

"Nick there's a really big spider."
"Is it just really big because you're really little?"
"No it really is big this time. I don't think your fingers can squish it!"
...He gets some toilet paper and steps out in the garage...
"Wow, that is a big one!" (no sarcasm, it really was.)
...me huffing, a little panicked...
...he looks at me (feeling a little panicked too), then squishes it really super fast...
Me shuttering, "You're so brave." (He laughs) "Gross, half it's body is still there."
"That's not it's body."
"Fine, it's guts."
...he throws it away and comes back in the house to greet me with a huge bear hug...
"My hero!"

The End.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Lesson Learned #1

Shasta and I have a routine where every morning she wakes up far earlier than I am ready for so I pull her into bed with me and feed her and we both go back to sleep. Then after a while I get up for the day and she continues to sleep. Shasta has always been a spitter so I've learned to keep a burp rag under her head. And then I learned a burp rag wasn't big enough so we started using receiving blankets.

Today I learned it doesn't matter what size spit rag I put under her, she will always find a way to launch spit up so that it still gets all over the sheets. What I haven't learned is to make sure I lay her on Nick's side of the bed after he gets up! I guess it's a good thing today's chore list included washing the sheets.The lesson here is no matter how clever I think I am Shasta will without a doubt find a way to outsmart me. I guess I better up my game. She's only 4 months and already giving me a run for my money. But the bright side to this story: it could have happened while I was still lying next to her! And that, my friends, makes me thankful I got up when I did!

University of Parenthood


When I became a Mother I was automatically enrolled as a student in the University of Parenthood. I currently have one professor and one student teacher; Shasta and Wedge. I can't tell you how excited I am to be attending this school. The campus feels like home and there's been this super cute boy named Nick in all of my classes who seems to be just as clueless as me!

So far spring and summer semesters have gone pretty well. It got off to a rocky start; 8 weeks undercooked, emergency c-section, NICU, post partum, but finally coming home, seeing her smile, and watching her learn and grow make up for it. Overall my GPA is relatively unscathed. Fall semester is quickly approaching and I'm a little nervous, but mostly excited about what my courses have in store for me; Halloween, solid foods (although that might not come until spring semester), shots, Doctor's appointments, sign language, rolling over, and much, much more. As a kid, I always looked forward to Christmas break, but I don't want any of my classes to pass me by too quickly.

My first homework assignment: as long as I'm enrolled in the University of Parenthood, I have to update my blog with posts about different lessons I've learned and the things my Professors and student teachers have taught me. I love fun assignments! I'm glad my teachers have been taking it easy on me so far, but I fear the day will come when things suddenly seem overwhelming and I can't keep up. I'm already anticipating a lesson on patience. Those ones never seem to be learned the first time. Stay tuned for Lesson Learned #1.

First day of school picture:

So Rude!

I planted a pot of Shasta Daisy seeds this summer and have been slowly watching them grow. I can’t remember exactly when I planted them, but it’s been at least a month, probably longer. I watered them right before I went to Oregon and when I stepped outside last week to water them THEY WERE GONE! Really? The entire pot was no longer on my doorstep. So I decided to investigate a little to see if maybe they were moved to a different place in the yard.
Sure enough somebody decided to tuck them in the corner and put a bag of potting soil in front of them to hide it (and completely block it from the sun). Seriously? Who does that? I can’t imagine the lawn guys would have done it because it wasn’t in the way of what they do. The only thing I can think of are those bratty girls that always knock on the door to play with Wedge!
I know it’s a silly thing to be mad over, but I almost feel violated; like someone deliberately did it to hurt me or something. I don’t even care other than now my flowers are dead and I’ve wasted my time watching them grow. Also, there have been a few times that the cover on the garage door code has been left up. I never leave it up; one of those pet peeves of mine, so now I feel like someone is trying to get in or something. Suddenly I feel it’s time to move. Too bad we have to live here at least another year.

Monday, August 22, 2011

25 Things...

... you may or may not know about me!
  1. I was born and raised in Arizona, but I've never been to the Grand Canyon
  2. I always try to keep the bathroom counter clear of clutter, but never put away my curling iron (because it's still hot). Bathrooms feel dirty enough without products all over the counter top.
  3. I only wear mascara, eyeliner, and blush. Occasionally I'll put on eye shadow, but mostly I'm just too lazy.
  4. I have to put eyeliner on my eyebrows because without it they're so blonde you can't see them
  5. I never get tired of telling people Nick is 9 years older than me.
  6. I'm up to 4 surgeries now. Twice on my arm as a kid (once to put 3 pins in, then again because one of the pins fell out), wisdom teeth (it counts as a surgery in my book because they put me under for it), and a c-section (if you want to see my scar just ask).
  7. The two surgeries on my arm were because I broke it in 3 places while jumping on the trampoline. Now my arm is slightly deformed looking, but I still have full use of it.
  8. I was engaged at 18 and got married two months after turning 19
  9. I can't stand long fingernails (on myself). I wish they wouldn't grow because sometimes clipping them is a real chore!
  10. I'm obsessed with the piano, but don't know how to play.
  11. When I'm alone at home or in the car I sing and sound exactly like whoever is playing on my iPOD, but as soon as someone else is around I sound like a dying cat.
  12. I love when Nick tells me I'm funny. I always feel like most people think my personality is dry and boring, but at least Nick knows I'm not that way!
  13. I hate the number 13 which is silly. Whenever I read a book I try not to pay attention to the page numbers and if I happen to notice I'm on page 13 (113, 213, etc) I try to read that page extra fast!
  14. I'm good at finances until Nick gets in the way
  15. I have an unrealistic fear of spiders. It takes a lot of convincing for me to be able to kill one if Nick isn't around. And every time Nick takes care of one for me I tell him he's so brave and he's my hero.
  16. I have a weird obsession with hands which could very well be the reason I love sign language, the piano, massage therapy, and chiropractic care. Maybe it's creepy, but I could watch someone do any one of those things all day long! My theory is I helped create hands in the preexistence and just like any artist; I love to stand back and observe my masterpiece!
  17. I love musicals. Almost all of them are a tie for my top favorite. Once Upon A Mattress, Annie, The Music Man, Newsies, Singin' in the Rain, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, Fiddler on the Roof; how could I ever pick just one to be my favorite?! They're all SO GOOD in their own way! By the way, Nick thinks it's weird that I like Fiddler on the Roof. He says it's a "man's musical".
  18. I want to pierce Shasta's ears, but Nick says no. I find it incredibly tempting to do it anyway and apologize for it later!
  19. Whether I'm comfortable in conversation or not, without fail my face will turn red at some point. I can't control it. It's a disease really, one without a cure!
  20. I love playing in the rain in the summer. I never feel the need to run to the car when I'm leaving the store and its pouring rain. But sadly, now that we have a baby, Nick will go get the car and pull to the front so she doesn't get all wet. L
  21. I get tired of being told I need to care more about politics. Caring about politics is stress I'm not interested in having.
  22. I hate being in the kitchen without shoes on and the stereotype has nothing to do with it.
  23. I never adventure outside of ranch dressing when eating salad. Ranch is safe and makes everything happy unless of course there's too much mayo and not enough flavor, in which case I'll eat my salad without any dressing at all. I also never pour my dressing on my salad. Instead I dip my fork in the dressing and then pick up some salad, that way I don't contaminate my salad with dressing that may not taste right and if I decide to take it home my salad isn't soggy later.
  24. I think commercials make tv worth watching. It's annoying to me when someone changes the channel during commercial break; granted I haven't had tv for 3 ½ years so maybe they aren't as clever as they used to be.
  25. Facebook has given me some pet peeves. It annoys me when people only ever click the "like" button and never leave a comment. Every time I see a spelling or grammar mistake I find myself wanting to leave a comment and use that word within my comment so I can indirectly correct it. It also bugs me when people say things like "seester" or use short-hand in all of their posts. It's Today, not 2day, Great, not gr8, and is it really that hard to put a D on the end of the word And? Then again it's hypocritical for me to be so annoyed by these things because I like using made up words like "twinsies" and "for realsies" and I always say cuz instead of because. Last pet peeve I'll mention, "repost this if you agree". Seriously? It gets SO OLD scrolling through the news feeds and seeing the same posts 12 times. Let's exercise our own creativity people! Every time I see one of those status updates I think of chain mail. People must feel like if they read a post about their religious beliefs and don't repost it they're denying what they believe in and will be punished for it. To each their own I guess, but know this, I rarely ever read a status that has the words "repost this" anywhere within it. I search for those words and if they're there I move on. Stepping off my soapbox now.

So here's a question: What's one thing you think I don't know about you?

Revamp!

It was time for a Blog Makeover! I decided to go with something simpler. I also added some buttons at the end of each post. The ever-so-popular-and-longed-for "dislike" button that Facebook DOESN'T offer is now offered here, on my blog! That's right, I'm cooler than Facebook! Although I'm a little worried that I might get a lot of "dislikes" to things I post as in "your blog is boring" or "thanks for wasting my time" in which case I may have to rethink having a negative button to choose from. For now we'll see how it goes. In the mean time, click away on the reactions provided for how you felt while reading my post. But please don't use them in place of leaving a comment. I like reading comments almost as much as I like licking the brownie batter bowl. Being deprived of that equals sadness to its highest degree. So PLEASE don't make me sad!!!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Surprise From Nick

Shasta and I got back from Oregon to find this note and game from Nick.
He said his dad once did something similar so he thought he’d follow suit.
It says: (Each bracket represents the candy bar)

Dear Family,

Welcome back from [Watchamacallit] Oregon. I’m glad you survived the [RockyRoad] and hanging out with all those [Air Heads]. I’ve missed my [Sugar Babies]. I spent all my time staring at the [Milkyway]. I’m upset that I missed my [BabyRuth] [Rolo]ver. [Twix] you and me, the video gave me [Snickers]. I hope she missed her [Sugar Daddy]. Not having you around made me realize I really [Skor]ed, like a [100 Grand] on [PayDay]. I’m excited to have the [3 Musketeers] and Shasta’s trusty steed back together.

Love and [Kisses]
Dad

Isn’t he the best?! I think my mom was the most impressed with it. She called my sister Lacey and read it to her. And I think Sally’s husband was the least impressed. He made fun of how “mushy” our relationship is. Really I think he’s just jealous he didn’t think of it first! It’s funny because on the drive back from Oregon we joked about how “mushy” Lacey and Cade’s relationship is in a newlywed kind of way and then we walk in the door to my house to find this note so now Jake thinks Nick and I are just as sappy. That’s okay though because the note totally made my day!

And the game is Settlers of America - Trails and Rails. We haven't played it yet, but it looks like Settlers of Catan. Can't wait to test it out!

Trip to Oregon

I’ll admit, I was really nervous to take Shasta to Oregon. 10 hours in the car is a LONG time for anyone, but for a baby it could be pretty miserable. I worried for nothing, as usual. She did SO well. She pretty much slept the whole way. We rode with Sally, Jake, and Carter until Boise where we picked up Lacey’s car and then we rode with her so she didn’t have to be alone.

We almost died twice as we were pulling into Pendleton. No joke. And they both happened one right after the other. The highway had two lanes and we were in the left one trying to go around a semi. We were about halfway up the length of the truck when it decided to move into our lane to go around the semi in front of him. It was pretty much a point of no return for the semi. He couldn’t swerve back into his own lane to avoid hitting us and his breaks were probably already hot from all the downhill driving out of the mountain. By the time Lacey and I realized what was happening there wasn’t much room for mistakes. She slammed on her breaks (and her horn!) and pulled to the side to keep from being hit. When I think about it there were so many things that could have gone wrong. When she pulled to the side she could have hit the gravel and we could have rolled down the hill, we obviously could have been hit by the semi altogether, there could have been a car behind us that when Lacey slammed on her breaks could have hit us from behind. The list goes on. We both feel so blessed that nothing bad happened. Then after we were clear of the semi and safely tucked back behind a flat bed truck, a huge bored flew off the COMPLETELY EMPTY truck right towards us. Luckily it bounced to the other side of the road instead of right at us. Seriously, talk about feeling like it’s your time to go and you still have a mission to complete all at the same time. I don’t think my heart could have handled anymore surprises!

Anyway, we made it to Lacey’s house safe and sound. I had never been to Oregon. I was surprised how much it felt like Arizona. I thought it would have been more like the Midwest since it rains all the time, but it’s pretty desert-y. Lacey has a really cute house. Be excited for her to post pictures! I would, but I didn’t take any. Our visit felt really short, but at the same time I was ready to get home to Nick. He didn’t get to come because he had to work. He spent a week with me in the hospital when I had Shasta and a week at home once I was finally released, then took nearly two weeks off when she finally came home from the NICU so he really doesn’t have any spare vacation time.

It was fun to get to spend so much time with my family and see Lacey’s new life in Oregon. I'm totally jealous that she gets to have so many new experiences!
I’ve decided she has a magical house because Shasta rolled from tummy to back TEN TIMES while we were there and Lacey’s baby started rolling from back to tummy which is something she's been waiting to see happen for a while now! Since we’ve been back home Shasta’s only rolled once. Nick still hasn't seen it. He’s only seen the video I sent him. He’ll see it soon enough! Can you even believe how high she's holding up her head? Completely new development. Before she barely hovered over the floor, then we get to Lacey's house and BAM! There must be something in the Oregon dust.

Stay tuned for the surprise we came home to from Nick!

Shasta's Blessing

Yay for finally blessing Shasta on August 7, 2011! Three and a half months is a long time to wait, but with my family coming from Arizona and Oregon we had a lot of schedules to work around to get as many as we could here. My parents and all of my siblings except my brother were able to come. I honestly didn’t think any of my family would be there so it was a nice surprise that most all of them were able to make it. And all but one stayed at my house! My little tiny townhome housed my parents, my sister Kiley, her husband and two kids (ages 12 and 7), my sister Lacey and her 9 month old baby, and Nick, Wedge, Shasta, and me! My sister Sally and her family stayed with her husband’s Aunt. It was fun having all of them at my house the whole weekend! It’s been a while since we’ve all been together.

Shasta looked beautiful. Nick’s incredibly talented Mother made her dress, shoes, and bonnet. It was Nick’s idea for the bonnet. I was skeptical at first, but she looked super cute and I thought it was fun because it’s not something you really see anymore (or ever?). My contribution was her bracelet. I wanted to make something for her, but I can’t sew to save my life and it’s August so a blanket would have been silly. A bracelet was perfect!

Nick gave her a beautiful blessing. Afterwards he told me he didn’t say half of what he wanted to, but that’s okay because what he did say was perfect for her. He also shared his testimony which was something I was looking forward to. The first fast Sunday after Shasta was born he promised me that he would share his testimony on her blessing day. I patiently waited for the day to finally come and it was well worth the wait. I love listening to Nick talk about the gospel and what he knows to be true. I didn’t share my testimony mostly because it seems to be some unspoken tradition among the LDS community so I decided to be different! Nick said he felt like the Bishop was giving him a stare-down to persuade me to take a turn and I told him I felt the same way which is why I didn’t make eye contact with him! Plus I would have talked about Shasta’s birth and how it affected my testimony and I feel like everyone’s already heard it from reading my blog so there it is. Maybe next month!

Afterwards we had lunch in the pavilion behind the church and served Mexican Haystacks, dessert, and Shasta drinks. Aww! Everything was delicious and even some of my neighbors got to share in the leftovers. There were THREE CROCKPOTS OF BEANS left after all was said and done. Holy have some beans! So three of my neighbors got some beans and salsa because the next day I was headed to Oregon for a few days and I didn’t want any of it to just sit in my fridge and go bad.

I’m glad everything went smoothly and I didn’t feel stressed about it. The Hendricks Bed and Breakfast (where we provide the bed and you provide the breakfast) is officially closed until next summer when I hopefully convince all of them to come and stay again! If they haven’t moved here already that is!