So here we are. It is Lucy's due date today. She's sleeping on my chest after a busy day of eating, sleeping, watching mommy and daddy play Mario Kart, and 2 photo shoots. I dressed her up and held her up to the window of my old primary class and let the kids see her. Then I went in and shared a bit of our journey. It's so surreal to relive it. I was just trying to survive school, and then I'd relax and enjoy my pregnancy. It's funny, the week I went into labor, I started to write a blog post about how much pregnancy sucked. Swelling, heartburn, and that stress induced heart problem that's just a distant memory. I was not looking forward to getting even bigger (I'd already gained 32 pounds), and knew that the stretch marks would be setting in soon. That all seems so unimportant now. I was celebrating my stretch marks when they finally came in, because it meant she was growing! And every extra day of pregnancy was a blessing. I've barely started to process this whole thing. As amazing as this is, I had always pictured it going so incredibly differently. I was talking to my friend today, and she brought up how if I'd gone full term, I'd be just getting a primary sub, and probably feeling pretty lame and huge, but instead I have a 9 week old. Then she said that most people only get their tiny tiny baby for a few days, and then the newborn stage is over. And I love babies so much, and I get my tiny baby for so much longer than other people. That's really the greatest blessing I could imagine. I've waited so long for this little love, and it took so much to get her here. My house isn't clean, and my hair doesn't get washed as often as it should, and we're eating a little too much Wendy's, but whenever people say "enjoy this time, it goes so fast", Matt and I have decided that we couldn't possibly be enjoying it more. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go stare at my daughter's hands for an hour. Happy due date dear Lucy. We love you very very very very very very very much.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Due date
So here we are. It is Lucy's due date today. She's sleeping on my chest after a busy day of eating, sleeping, watching mommy and daddy play Mario Kart, and 2 photo shoots. I dressed her up and held her up to the window of my old primary class and let the kids see her. Then I went in and shared a bit of our journey. It's so surreal to relive it. I was just trying to survive school, and then I'd relax and enjoy my pregnancy. It's funny, the week I went into labor, I started to write a blog post about how much pregnancy sucked. Swelling, heartburn, and that stress induced heart problem that's just a distant memory. I was not looking forward to getting even bigger (I'd already gained 32 pounds), and knew that the stretch marks would be setting in soon. That all seems so unimportant now. I was celebrating my stretch marks when they finally came in, because it meant she was growing! And every extra day of pregnancy was a blessing. I've barely started to process this whole thing. As amazing as this is, I had always pictured it going so incredibly differently. I was talking to my friend today, and she brought up how if I'd gone full term, I'd be just getting a primary sub, and probably feeling pretty lame and huge, but instead I have a 9 week old. Then she said that most people only get their tiny tiny baby for a few days, and then the newborn stage is over. And I love babies so much, and I get my tiny baby for so much longer than other people. That's really the greatest blessing I could imagine. I've waited so long for this little love, and it took so much to get her here. My house isn't clean, and my hair doesn't get washed as often as it should, and we're eating a little too much Wendy's, but whenever people say "enjoy this time, it goes so fast", Matt and I have decided that we couldn't possibly be enjoying it more. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go stare at my daughter's hands for an hour. Happy due date dear Lucy. We love you very very very very very very very much.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
McDonalds is so pointless
So today, we needed to get Matt fed lunch and off to work quickly, and he requested McDonalds. We normally don't eat there much, but he's redeveloped a palate for it after living with a picky co-worker for almost 3 months. And their chicken nuggets are the best around.
So we went and ordered, and had a good giggle when Matt asked for "That sweet and spicy sauce that you have" and the girl listed off EVERY OTHER SAUCE (ranch, BBQ, spicy mustard, every other sauce that couldn't possibly be it), and finally, after all of us scratching our heads in confusion, her asking "Sweet chili sauce?". Then, when he got his nuggets, it was being advertised RIGHT ON THE CARTON!!
There's more though. Sometimes there's nothing better than a McDonalds cheeseburger. Sodium filled badforyou-ness. Matt got their regular double cheeseburger. I ordered a quarter pounder with cheese, because my guilty pleasure sandwich at Wendy's is a quarter pound single with cheese, and it is sooooo good. And guess what we discovered? Matt's sandwich was 440 calories, 1050 mg of sodium, 23 g of fat, all of that good stuff. It came with onions, pickles, ketchup, two patties, a bun, 2 slices of cheese... $1.69? It was good too, I had to have a bite. My sandwich was 520 calories, 1100 mg of sodium, 26 g of fat, it came with onions, pickles, ketchup, a single patty, a (sesame seed) bun, and 2 slices of cheese. $3.99?!????!!!!!!! WHAT THE HECK MCDONALDS?! Am I REALLY paying over double for SESAME SEEDS??!?!?! My sandwich was not even good!! It was dry and stupid and I had wanted tomatoes and lettuce and mayo, and all of the other good things that go on $3.99 burgers. So I'm mad. Mad at McDonalds for being so stupid, and yet being the largest fast food corporation in the U.S. Mad that I had a stupid lunch. Mad that I wasted over 250 calories (I could only stomach half and decided I would eat lunch at home) and $4 on a pointless burger when I could've had the same thing only better for less than half the price.
Stupid McDonalds. Stick to making crack-filled breakfast sandwiches that are half of our caloric intake for the day (Sausage egg and cheese McGriddle, just thinking about it gives me heartburn).
On another note, I discovered Subway mayo this week, and I think they should sell it in little packets that I can just squirt into my mouth. I might pull of a heist where the only thing I steal is their mayo. Ok, that was a gross mental image, but... seriously. It's so good.
So we went and ordered, and had a good giggle when Matt asked for "That sweet and spicy sauce that you have" and the girl listed off EVERY OTHER SAUCE (ranch, BBQ, spicy mustard, every other sauce that couldn't possibly be it), and finally, after all of us scratching our heads in confusion, her asking "Sweet chili sauce?". Then, when he got his nuggets, it was being advertised RIGHT ON THE CARTON!!
There's more though. Sometimes there's nothing better than a McDonalds cheeseburger. Sodium filled badforyou-ness. Matt got their regular double cheeseburger. I ordered a quarter pounder with cheese, because my guilty pleasure sandwich at Wendy's is a quarter pound single with cheese, and it is sooooo good. And guess what we discovered? Matt's sandwich was 440 calories, 1050 mg of sodium, 23 g of fat, all of that good stuff. It came with onions, pickles, ketchup, two patties, a bun, 2 slices of cheese... $1.69? It was good too, I had to have a bite. My sandwich was 520 calories, 1100 mg of sodium, 26 g of fat, it came with onions, pickles, ketchup, a single patty, a (sesame seed) bun, and 2 slices of cheese. $3.99?!????!!!!!!! WHAT THE HECK MCDONALDS?! Am I REALLY paying over double for SESAME SEEDS??!?!?! My sandwich was not even good!! It was dry and stupid and I had wanted tomatoes and lettuce and mayo, and all of the other good things that go on $3.99 burgers. So I'm mad. Mad at McDonalds for being so stupid, and yet being the largest fast food corporation in the U.S. Mad that I had a stupid lunch. Mad that I wasted over 250 calories (I could only stomach half and decided I would eat lunch at home) and $4 on a pointless burger when I could've had the same thing only better for less than half the price.
Stupid McDonalds. Stick to making crack-filled breakfast sandwiches that are half of our caloric intake for the day (Sausage egg and cheese McGriddle, just thinking about it gives me heartburn).
On another note, I discovered Subway mayo this week, and I think they should sell it in little packets that I can just squirt into my mouth. I might pull of a heist where the only thing I steal is their mayo. Ok, that was a gross mental image, but... seriously. It's so good.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Cutest experience on the planet.
So... We had an experience that will go down for the record books as being the cutest thing that's ever happened thus far in our life.
It's about time that I should start feeling baby. If I press on my stomach, I can tell where baby is, and feel heartbeats (probably the placenta?), but I hadn't felt any little wiggles or anything. Then Tuesday, Matt was pressing on my stomach, and felt two very distinct wiggles/kicks/dance moves. I didn't feel anything except his hand, and I was a little disappointed, but he was over the moon and it was so cute that he got to feel the first wiggles. There probably aren't many daddys who can say that. Then last night, I was going to bed, and I wiggled into my initial position, because I always sleep on my belly first (not flat, one leg propped up so that I don't squish anyone). A couple minutes after I got settled, I felt the EXACT SAME THING happen in my stomach!! It felt like a stretch, a turn, and then some settling. I was so excited!!! Matt came in and we decided that baby couldn't go to sleep yet, so he got his phone out, and we played baby's first song, which we decided would have to be "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles. We thought it would just wake baby back up, but we started dying laughing at the lyrics "C'monc'monc'monc'mon baby now"!!! Then we danced on top of the bed to it, holding it as close to baby as possible, and then settled down (on my stomach again, so that gravity could help) and felt baby's dance moves.
So the very first Wright Baby Dance Party has been held, and it was amazing.
Also, I found these at our local second hand store today. Not enough adjectives to describe how cute they are. They're both 0-3 months. And they were 50 cents each.
Also, I love second hand stores. I went to every single store in town today, looking for maternity clothes, or even just things I could use as maternity wear. There was NOTHING. I found a maxi dress, and a couple of sweaters on clearance, for post-baby wear. Then I went to the second hand store, and found 8 maternity items (5 tops, 3 pants) that all fit me perfectly (and are pre-shrunk) for $20!!! The awesome part is was that I wiped out about half the maternity section. It's like they were set aside just for me. I will be needing more in the near future, but this will keep me from living in yoga pants for a few weeks.
And now, Liverpool's own...
It's about time that I should start feeling baby. If I press on my stomach, I can tell where baby is, and feel heartbeats (probably the placenta?), but I hadn't felt any little wiggles or anything. Then Tuesday, Matt was pressing on my stomach, and felt two very distinct wiggles/kicks/dance moves. I didn't feel anything except his hand, and I was a little disappointed, but he was over the moon and it was so cute that he got to feel the first wiggles. There probably aren't many daddys who can say that. Then last night, I was going to bed, and I wiggled into my initial position, because I always sleep on my belly first (not flat, one leg propped up so that I don't squish anyone). A couple minutes after I got settled, I felt the EXACT SAME THING happen in my stomach!! It felt like a stretch, a turn, and then some settling. I was so excited!!! Matt came in and we decided that baby couldn't go to sleep yet, so he got his phone out, and we played baby's first song, which we decided would have to be "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles. We thought it would just wake baby back up, but we started dying laughing at the lyrics "C'monc'monc'monc'mon baby now"!!! Then we danced on top of the bed to it, holding it as close to baby as possible, and then settled down (on my stomach again, so that gravity could help) and felt baby's dance moves.
So the very first Wright Baby Dance Party has been held, and it was amazing.
Also, I found these at our local second hand store today. Not enough adjectives to describe how cute they are. They're both 0-3 months. And they were 50 cents each.
Also, I love second hand stores. I went to every single store in town today, looking for maternity clothes, or even just things I could use as maternity wear. There was NOTHING. I found a maxi dress, and a couple of sweaters on clearance, for post-baby wear. Then I went to the second hand store, and found 8 maternity items (5 tops, 3 pants) that all fit me perfectly (and are pre-shrunk) for $20!!! The awesome part is was that I wiped out about half the maternity section. It's like they were set aside just for me. I will be needing more in the near future, but this will keep me from living in yoga pants for a few weeks.
And now, Liverpool's own...
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
More weird pregnancy stuff....
Ok, did anyone else have a completely stuffed up nose during pregnancy? I blow my nose every time I go to the bathroom, so approximately 1,567 times per day. My poor little nose is as dry as the Sahara. It's not allergies, because it started in January, and I'm currently on Claritin, and it's not a cold, because it started in January and I take about 8 times the daily recommendation of Vitamin C. I asked my doctor about it and he just looked at me like I was crazy, and told me it was a cold or allergies. I've read about a couple of things like this on the internet, but I'm learning not to trust the internet (*gasp*!), because they always leave out the "While this is a sign your baby is dying, it only occurs in .000000075% of pregnancies."
Also, I am struggling with a craving. A massive, mind melting craving where I have literally had to sit on my hands to keep from giving in to. I want coffee. I am no stranger to the nutty, rich goodness of a nice cup of coffee. My dad drank coffee growing up, and I liked to take sips of it to be like him (totally a daddy's girl). In high school, my friends and I used to go out for TCBY in the summer, and coffee in the winter (equal parts french vanilla and hazelnut creamer, YUM!!!). When I joined the LDS church, I gave up a few things, like cleavage-y, midriff showing shirts (aka 3/4 of my wardrobe), swearing like a sailor, and coffee. I've never really missed coffee until now. Now, I could French kiss a stranger to get a fix. Also, it doesn't help that my best friend is a coffee fanatic, and gets the REALLY good kinds of coffee, and her house smells like it a lot of the time. And before you suggest tiramisu, mocha flavored ice cream, or other such nonsense, let me just say that those all sound terrible, and the craving is really only for nice, warm, liquid goodness. *Sigh*. Baby, your mama is fighting a WAR for you.
In other news... I started my last semester of school. 6 weeks to fit in what we normally do in 16. It's going to be a doozy, but I will survive (I am scared, I am petrified, I've now got that song stuck in my head, but I'm alive). AND it's going to be my LAST SEMESTER!!!!! I'm hesitant to put ever, because you never know what craziness life will bring, so I'm just going to say LAST ONE FOR A LONG TIME!!!!!!!!!
That is all. I'm starting to get loopy. Like Apple Jacks. And Cheerios. Coincidentally, I bought both of those today, because cereal is awesome and I like it and baby likes it. Mmmm, gonna go get me a bowl of Apple Jacks. Over and out.
Also, I am struggling with a craving. A massive, mind melting craving where I have literally had to sit on my hands to keep from giving in to. I want coffee. I am no stranger to the nutty, rich goodness of a nice cup of coffee. My dad drank coffee growing up, and I liked to take sips of it to be like him (totally a daddy's girl). In high school, my friends and I used to go out for TCBY in the summer, and coffee in the winter (equal parts french vanilla and hazelnut creamer, YUM!!!). When I joined the LDS church, I gave up a few things, like cleavage-y, midriff showing shirts (aka 3/4 of my wardrobe), swearing like a sailor, and coffee. I've never really missed coffee until now. Now, I could French kiss a stranger to get a fix. Also, it doesn't help that my best friend is a coffee fanatic, and gets the REALLY good kinds of coffee, and her house smells like it a lot of the time. And before you suggest tiramisu, mocha flavored ice cream, or other such nonsense, let me just say that those all sound terrible, and the craving is really only for nice, warm, liquid goodness. *Sigh*. Baby, your mama is fighting a WAR for you.
In other news... I started my last semester of school. 6 weeks to fit in what we normally do in 16. It's going to be a doozy, but I will survive (I am scared, I am petrified, I've now got that song stuck in my head, but I'm alive). AND it's going to be my LAST SEMESTER!!!!! I'm hesitant to put ever, because you never know what craziness life will bring, so I'm just going to say LAST ONE FOR A LONG TIME!!!!!!!!!
This is me, laughing in the face of last semesters. Apparently they're on the ground.
Actually, it's an outtake from a recent "just for fun" photo shoot with my awesome (even if she drinks coffee in front of me) friend. I encourage you all to try something new (in my case, modeling) and laugh like an old lady (in an old lady outfit) at the results, good or bad.
That is all. I'm starting to get loopy. Like Apple Jacks. And Cheerios. Coincidentally, I bought both of those today, because cereal is awesome and I like it and baby likes it. Mmmm, gonna go get me a bowl of Apple Jacks. Over and out.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Thuper Thecret Potht....
If you're one of the seven people who checks this on a regular occasion (oxymoron?), then you get to be privy to a little (like 4" long) secret... We're PREGNANT!!!!!! And if these past 5.5 years have taught me anything, it's that pregnant women can be obscenely obnoxious on Facebook. Well, they're just following their natural urges, but to those of us who don't "wash our underwear together and get pregnant"... it's obnoxious. So. I am going to be as obnoxious as I want on my blog. Because then it's a choice to follow my story.
We're 15 weeks tomorrow, whoo hoo!!! The first trimester hasn't been peachy... seven ultrasounds in eight weeks. For some reason, I kept bleeding. It started off small, and I'd rush to the doctor (who, btw, has been awesome in reassuring me, they've never treated me like I'm crazy or paranoid, because by this point, everyone knows I'm not), and we'd do an ultrasound and see a heartbeat, and kicks, and wiggles, and be all reassured and happy, and they'd say "don't do XYZ" so I wouldn't do XYZ, and a few days later, I'd bleed more. That's how it went. Three of those ultrasounds were routine, and four were preceded by hysteria. So the doctor is keeping a close eye on me. I go in for a check-up every two weeks (which the doctor wants to maintain throughout the pregnancy, yay!!), I was on Progesterone until 13 weeks, and we have lots of cute, grainy little pictures to reassure us. I've gotten to the point that I don't really believe my baby is still there unless we're in the middle of an ultrasound or a Doppler screening. Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to feeling wiggles someday.
Anyways, I've gotten some pretty fantastic pregnancy brain and cravings. The first trimester, I couldn't get enough fruit. This is a picture of a typical grocery cart...
Happy wiggles!!! P.S. Right after I took this photo (today, officially in a maternity skirt!), Matt was like "Wow, you're going to get huge if that's how much you're showing already!" Silly boy. He also HATES anything with an empire waistline, saying it looks too "maternity". But he turned to me a couple of weeks ago and said that he was probably going to start LOVING maternity wear on me, because of the implications. He really is the sweetest person, and soooo very excited to be a daddy. And who could ask for a more fantastic daddy?!
We're 15 weeks tomorrow, whoo hoo!!! The first trimester hasn't been peachy... seven ultrasounds in eight weeks. For some reason, I kept bleeding. It started off small, and I'd rush to the doctor (who, btw, has been awesome in reassuring me, they've never treated me like I'm crazy or paranoid, because by this point, everyone knows I'm not), and we'd do an ultrasound and see a heartbeat, and kicks, and wiggles, and be all reassured and happy, and they'd say "don't do XYZ" so I wouldn't do XYZ, and a few days later, I'd bleed more. That's how it went. Three of those ultrasounds were routine, and four were preceded by hysteria. So the doctor is keeping a close eye on me. I go in for a check-up every two weeks (which the doctor wants to maintain throughout the pregnancy, yay!!), I was on Progesterone until 13 weeks, and we have lots of cute, grainy little pictures to reassure us. I've gotten to the point that I don't really believe my baby is still there unless we're in the middle of an ultrasound or a Doppler screening. Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to feeling wiggles someday.
Anyways, I've gotten some pretty fantastic pregnancy brain and cravings. The first trimester, I couldn't get enough fruit. This is a picture of a typical grocery cart...
After this though, veggies got pretty gross. Luckily, Amy gave me her old juicer so I could chug some celery-carrot-apple juice down.
Then, it turned to PIZZAAAAAA!!!!!! Matt did not want to go to our ward party just because they were serving pizza. I had seven pieces of pizza on my plate, and everyone who knew thought that was hilarious. It was pretty bad. I was going to write an "Ode to Pizza" post, but thought that might be a little obvious.
These days... the weirdness has started. I was DYING for an American cheese grilled sandwich. Processed, non-cheesy disgustingness. So I bought a little 12 pack of preservative slices, and it has been amazing. And jalapenos. I cannot get enough. Normally, I like a little spice occasionally, but this is beyond anything I've ever known. Taco Bell Lava Nachos, Spicy Hula pizza, Subway sandwiches with extra jalapenos... I'm drooling.
Also, a couple of instances of pregnancy brain... the other day, I brought home a case of toilet paper, and proceeded to put it in the fridge. Then, I was holding a really really newborn baby (I resisted the urge to steal her), and was asking her mother how many kids she had. She said eight, and I said "Oh.... is she the eighth?".... because maybe some people don't start counting the kids until they're a year old. That was my thought process. Oh dear. How am I going to survive the last semester of school?!
Happy wiggles!!! P.S. Right after I took this photo (today, officially in a maternity skirt!), Matt was like "Wow, you're going to get huge if that's how much you're showing already!" Silly boy. He also HATES anything with an empire waistline, saying it looks too "maternity". But he turned to me a couple of weeks ago and said that he was probably going to start LOVING maternity wear on me, because of the implications. He really is the sweetest person, and soooo very excited to be a daddy. And who could ask for a more fantastic daddy?!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Oh mother, who art thou...
I just had a really funny experience involving my mother. My mother is a long story, but let's just say, in all most ways we are polar opposites. So anyway, last fall my mother's GED program that she worked for lost it's funding, and she had to be let go. This started a sad time in her life when she had to work at McDonald's, and couldn't buy birthday presents for her children (we are alike in that we love buying presents for people). I knew she felt terribly guilty about this, and today she came to make amends. Matt's birthday was recently, and she got him a present (long-burning candles and stormproof matches, she and her boyfriend are conspiracy theorists... like I said, long story), and she said there was another part to his present. So when she said today "I have a present for you" I figured it was this mysterious second part. She showed up with two gift bags full of purses, and said that one of them was for me. I spotted a pink lacy one and a zebra striped one, and silently prayed that the lacy one was for me. Turns out, it WAS!!
It's not my favorite ever, but I'll definitely wear it in public! (Unlike several other things she's bought for me *ahem* purple Crocs?!) Here's the punchline... My mom was delighted that I liked it, and then explained how she picked it out. She asked herself "Which of these is the ugliest one, that's probably the one Bronwyn will like"!!!!! I'm so glad she's finally figured that out.
To demonstrate that this was probably the only purse in that store I would even remotely consider, I give you... the purses selected for my sisters.
Moriah likes purple, so she gets this classy little eyesore that made me want to die.
I couldn't find a picture that resembled Keirwyth's purse (it's black with silver horses and too much bling) so here is a purse taken off of the store's Facebook page, demonstrating the level of taste.
This one is for Onnah. I tried to hint as hard as I could that I thought Onnah might enjoy something a bit more feminine...
So there it is. How disappointingly un-blingified mine is in retrospect.
P.S. My mother's current purse is a patchwork number with sequined butterflies and purple horses.
Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure my sisters' taste levels are more similar to mine, they're just much less vocal about it than I am.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Going crazy...
Matt and I have been house hunting since last fall. Not in any hurry, just thought that since he has an awesome job and we can afford to, we should stop renting. We ran across one little number and made an offer, and it got bought out from under us :-( After not having any offers for six months, another offer comes in the week we want it, of course. In the past couple of weeks we've come across a couple that we would've loved, but they were already under contract.
BUT today, we may be going crazy. Check this bad boy out.
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/117-W-Adams-Ave_Riverton_WY_82501_M85340-59711?row=85
There are approximately 8 different types of flooring, including 2 awful 1970's carpet shades
3 different types of hardwood
Mini tile in half the entryway, old wood floor in the other half, "transitions" to newer hardwood in the first living room....
There's snakeskinish laminate in the bathroom.
There's a BLUE bedroom. Even the ceiling is blue. (This is the other carpet. Classy!!)
It's yellow on the outside (I LOVE yellow, just not for houses). AND it's two doors down from the detox center (where our resident alcoholic population can go to get meals and sober up and have a safe, warm place to sleep). The back yard is tiny, and made of dirt. The landscaping is bushes running rampant. The basement is too short for a Matt Wright to stand up in. And we LOOOVE IT!!!!!! Both of us have this insane draw to it. I saw it online and immediately made an appointment to see it. Matt got there first, and called me to say "No. No way. Not even.". And then we walked through it, and it's quirky, and it's fun, and all of the problems are cosmetic, and the kitchen is awesome,
The floor plan is wacky, but so are we. It's on a through street, and next to some lots that are zoned commercial, but who cares!! If we live there for 5 years, we might have a bike rider, and there's a bike path right before the detox center. (Plus, don't tell the rural development people, but there's a little house in the back that we could fix up and rent out. It's so darling, and would be so fun!). Our realtor was laughing at us, and telling us she was worried about us, but when it's right it's right!! We shall pray about it, and keep y'all posted.
BUT today, we may be going crazy. Check this bad boy out.
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/117-W-Adams-Ave_Riverton_WY_82501_M85340-59711?row=85
There are approximately 8 different types of flooring, including 2 awful 1970's carpet shades
3 different types of hardwood
Brand new
Not so brand new (and check out the faux wood siding!)
Possibly original (house built in 1917)
Mini tile in half the entryway, old wood floor in the other half, "transitions" to newer hardwood in the first living room....
There's snakeskinish laminate in the bathroom.
There's a BLUE bedroom. Even the ceiling is blue. (This is the other carpet. Classy!!)
It's yellow on the outside (I LOVE yellow, just not for houses). AND it's two doors down from the detox center (where our resident alcoholic population can go to get meals and sober up and have a safe, warm place to sleep). The back yard is tiny, and made of dirt. The landscaping is bushes running rampant. The basement is too short for a Matt Wright to stand up in. And we LOOOVE IT!!!!!! Both of us have this insane draw to it. I saw it online and immediately made an appointment to see it. Matt got there first, and called me to say "No. No way. Not even.". And then we walked through it, and it's quirky, and it's fun, and all of the problems are cosmetic, and the kitchen is awesome,
The floor plan is wacky, but so are we. It's on a through street, and next to some lots that are zoned commercial, but who cares!! If we live there for 5 years, we might have a bike rider, and there's a bike path right before the detox center. (Plus, don't tell the rural development people, but there's a little house in the back that we could fix up and rent out. It's so darling, and would be so fun!). Our realtor was laughing at us, and telling us she was worried about us, but when it's right it's right!! We shall pray about it, and keep y'all posted.
Monday, February 18, 2013
A humerus post...
A little Anatomy pun for you there.
So, this semester, I'm taking Anatomy. And it is AWESOME!!! Well... we haven't gotten to the dissecting kitties part, and there was a fetal skull... but so far it's been cool. There hasn't been a single mention of interest rates, or the stock market... it's just refreshing. I am in love with how the human body fits together. Think of the ribcage. It keeps all of the super super super important stuff like heart and lung protected, while it stops just short enough so that we can bend over and twist and move our trunks around. And fingerprints? Those are developed in utero, by the baby running it's super pliable skin up and down it's mommy's insides in a totally unique pattern, forming little, permanent ridges. Ridiculously cool. Did you know that bones have blood vessels running through them, so that when you break a bone hard enough, it actually bleeds? Or that bones are just as dynamic as skin, just on a much slower scale. Your femur is completely replaced every 6-10 years.
Anyways. I thought I'd get back to blogging. Not that there's anything exciting happening in our lives. But looking back, it's good to have ANYTHING documented. So I will just add that I have been in a deep depression for the past year, that my good doctors have kindly fixed for me. Just have to speak up and let people know how much you're hurting sometimes. I highly recommend it.
Also, here's a picture of the humerus. Look at how awesome the elbow joint is!! It's specifically built so that your arm can fully extend, and then bend almost completely in half.
So, this semester, I'm taking Anatomy. And it is AWESOME!!! Well... we haven't gotten to the dissecting kitties part, and there was a fetal skull... but so far it's been cool. There hasn't been a single mention of interest rates, or the stock market... it's just refreshing. I am in love with how the human body fits together. Think of the ribcage. It keeps all of the super super super important stuff like heart and lung protected, while it stops just short enough so that we can bend over and twist and move our trunks around. And fingerprints? Those are developed in utero, by the baby running it's super pliable skin up and down it's mommy's insides in a totally unique pattern, forming little, permanent ridges. Ridiculously cool. Did you know that bones have blood vessels running through them, so that when you break a bone hard enough, it actually bleeds? Or that bones are just as dynamic as skin, just on a much slower scale. Your femur is completely replaced every 6-10 years.
Anyways. I thought I'd get back to blogging. Not that there's anything exciting happening in our lives. But looking back, it's good to have ANYTHING documented. So I will just add that I have been in a deep depression for the past year, that my good doctors have kindly fixed for me. Just have to speak up and let people know how much you're hurting sometimes. I highly recommend it.
Also, here's a picture of the humerus. Look at how awesome the elbow joint is!! It's specifically built so that your arm can fully extend, and then bend almost completely in half.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
AAAAAHHHH!!!!
I found another one!! And it's with a ZEBRA!!!! Zebras were my favorite animals for, like, 10 years. I so needed this little bit of smiley happiness fun right now. Thanks Universe!!!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
William Shakespeare ROCKS.
So. Most of you don't know this, but I am in a play. Since I quit my job and have been helping Matt, I have a LOT more free time. I decided to fill this time by doing things like family history, teaching myself how to sew, scrapbook, blog (sarcastic laugh), and make my home more efficient. I've also willingly and enthusiastically helped Matt on projects that I would've dragged my feet about previously (hey, it's hard to pick out audio clips after 8 hours at another job). Anyways, one of my friends told me that they were doing A Midsummer Night's Dream at the college, and auditions were that night. After some debate, and some ego-reining in (I know that I should always be the star, but the rest of the world may not have heard), I decided to audition because A) I love the stage and haven't been on it for a while and B) THIS PLAY ROCKS!!! When I was 15, I was the understudy to Puck for the Wyoming Shakespeare Company's production, so I know this play REALLY well, and just love it. I mean, I sat at rehearsals every afternoon for like 2 months, never once got to go on stage, and still went to most of the performances! Now, I bring an iPod and pretend that I'm not a total nerd, but I really could watch this play every day for a long time (it's been 6 weeks already) and never get sick of it. It's an illness, I tell ya. Maybe Oberon hit me with a shot of his love juice and the next thing I saw was A Midsummer Night's Dream... hmmm.... Anyways, to find out the plot, I suggest reading it, watching the Michelle Pfeiffer movie, or come see it performed, starting November 11th! And what part did I get you ask? Helena, the jilted lover? Puck, the mischievous sprite? Beautiful Titania, the Fairy Queen? No, I'm FOXGLOVE THE FAIRY!!! (Crickets as you consult the cast list and do not see this fairy name listed) Ok, so it's a totally made up part, but still, I get to do everything that I wanted. I get to sing (solos even), dance (which after Nazi fairy dance camp tonight, I feel like I'm not very good at...), and I get an AWESOME costume depicting my connection to the flower that shares my name (more crickets as you Google Image a Foxglove flower and discover that this flower is in fact, purple, which you are probably well aware is my absolute least favorite color). Well guess what, I DON'T CARE. My costume is rockin, and I wasn't about to whine and throw a diva fit that it couldn't be that color. Plus, it's not the bad shade of purple, it's more lavender and aubergine, both of which I am pretty okay with. Plus, I'm quite possibly maturing, and not as into sharing the things I loathe as I used to be (insert anti-Nicolas Cage rant here. Did you know he bought an island this year instead of paying his taxes? ). So yeah, I'm in a play. Matt is totally supportive, even went with me to tryouts, and loves how much fun I'm having, but I haven't been able to convert him into a true fan yet. I think it's the magic aspect that bugs him, but I haven't given up yet, and he hasn't seen the whole thing yet! And I am surrounded by theater majors, who are some of the weirdest and some of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. I am caught in between egos and love triangles and glitter and props, and I love it. So my advice would be to quit your job and avoid all responsibility and go do something that you love (okay okay, maybe just the last thing). So- goodnight unto you all. Give me your hands if we be friends. And Robin shall restore amends.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Vagueness
Something life altering is going down at the Matt and B household. I can’t share the details with cyberspace, but I can share how I’m feeling. I’m one part overjoyed. One part heartbroken. One part scared to death, and one part so relieved. And about ten parts devastated that it’s gone down the way it has. But I think it’s Heavenly Father’s way of saying “Hey, you guys are getting WAY too comfortable down there! You’re the one who’s been bugging me to make progress, and obviously that ain’t happenin’, so…”. So that’s the way I’m handling it. It’s what needed to happen, and I think all involved are coming to peace with it. So that’s my vague life story right now.
Friday, July 1, 2011
What B's been watching, end of May and June edition
It's been a long month and lots of lonely evenings. Maybe not the best one to start this new section out with, but at least I'm cutting out the last couple of days :-). My movie taste is sporadic and varied, and I like it that way. I've been trying to not let my brain rot, and watch some documentary type movies, but I've also been trying to watch as many classics and expand my movie-knowledge as quickly as possible. And Matt was gone, so I got to watch whatever I wanted. Just some background. Here goes.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. (1954, probably PG).
This movie is a lot of fun. Lumberjacks dancing ballet, seven brothers getting makeovers, and a lot of good music. It won an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture. Some of the brothers were borrowed from the New York City Ballet. The plot is that the eldest brother, Adam, goes into town from his home in the woods looking for a good strong wife to take care of him and his 6 brothers, Benjamin, Caleb, Daniel, Ephraim, Frankincense and Gideon. He finds a strong, awesome girl who agrees to marry him, and looks forward to the simple life of less work, being in charge of one man and one house (she'd been working in an inn). He "neglects" to tell her that it won't be just him, which she is not happy about when they return to the house. But she tames the brothers, and finds them all girls, and gets her own husband to not think of women as property... and it's all fun and good. I recommend this if you like fun and cheesy musicals set in the days of yore.
Here's a really long trailer that gives a little taste.
North by Northwest. (1959, maybe PG-13 because of the train scene).
Awesome classic movie about mistaken identity. Cary Grant's a great actor. Eva Marie Saint reminds me of Scarlett Johanssen. It was very tense and made me so frustrated at how far he had to go to get his name cleared, but so very very worth it. My favorite scene would probably be the auction scene. Brilliant.
Scrubs. (TV series, 2001 TV-14).
I started at the beginning on Netflix and have been greatly enjoying myself. I've only watched the first 5 episodes, but Dr. Cox is definitely my favorite character. My brain is foggy right now and I can't remember too many details, but I loved the episode with the "butt" box.
Jane Eyre. (2006 TV mini-series version).
I just finished reading the book and LOVED the book, so this was fun to watch soon after that. My favorite scene was definitely the one when they admit to one another that they're in love. The first half was painfully slow, but once it picked up, it grew on me. I'm not a massive fan of the girl who played Jane, but Rochester was pretty dang good. He was a little too sauve for me, I pictured him as more awkward and with more mood swings, and without that charming of a smile. But it's just such a good story that I will forgive them. I hope the new version coming out doesn't let me down too bad, but I have it on good authority that the guy who plays Rochester decided not to be "brooding" and that just won't do. Anyways, if you haven't read the book, it's so very very worth it, and watch the movie if you want to.
Sid and Nancy. (1986, R).
As wife of a punk rocker, I find it important to learn the history of the genre, and what better way to do it than through film? This movie is based around the story of the bass player of the Sex Pistols (highly influential British punk band), Sid Vicious, and his downward spiral with his junkie girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, ending with him stabbing her. First off, it is frustrating to watch almost two hours of heroin addiction. Second, awesome music. Third, say no to drugs. There were a few BIZARRE scenes in the movie, completely out of place and just random. And it was looong for the amount of sober dialogue there was, but it was a very good depiction of how fully and terribly drugs can take over lives, and just a weird, endearing little love story. Sort of a modern Romeo and Juliet meet The Thenardiers on drugs. I wouldn't highly recommend it unless you love punk rock, and I probably won't ever watch it again, but it was worth it to learn that whole story.
The Rescuers. (1977, G).
I totally wanted to be Miss Bianca when I was little. I was more of a Rescuers Down Under fan, but this first one does have it's moments and it's fun. I was a little shocked at the amount of alcohol consumed by Luke the swamp mouse, but I guess kids don't pay much attention to that (at least I didn't when I was little, they were just like some of Daddy's friends). Anyways, Miss Bianca is kind, and adventurous, and can talk anyone into anything, never loses her cool, and has the cutest accent on earth. Madame Medusa is just terrifying. Someone tell her to get a dang bra on and wear half the makeup. Oh, and don't lower children into holes that fill with water. Sheesh. It was fun to re-watch a classic kids movie on a lazy saturday morning with Allison.
Les Miserables, 25th anniversary concert.
Goose bump central, can't stop listening to the soundtrack, SUCH A GOOD STORY/MUSICAL. But can I mention how LAME I found it that they let Nick Jonas play Marius, ESPECIALLY for the 25th anniversary concert?!?! Come on, he is a dumb teeny-bopper pop trained singer who can't support a note to save his life. It doesn't help that the guy who played Enjolras was phenomenal, but still. It makes me upset every time I think about it. I guess I've listened to the original soundtrack too many times, but I found him to be an impassionate twit who was concentrating too hard on trying to keep his voice from cracking to care about what he was singing.
Listen from 3:00 to 3:40, BLECH!!!!
Four weddings and a funeral. (1994, R).
Meh. Was not impressed with this movie. There were some entertaining parts, but all in all, Hugh Grant was just as astonished and messy haired as always, and I didn't like the Andie MacDowell character much at all. I loved Gareth and Matthew, and (spoiler) was very sad that Gareth was the funeral. It's the story of a group of friends who wonder if they'll ever find love and marry, and the title explains most of the rest of it. I liked the re-occuring story of Henrietta, and thought that it ended just the way it should. I also liked how Hugh Grant was always late for every important occasion. Reminded me of my own life :-) Don't rent this unless Hugh Grant's rumpled hair and astonished expression makes you feel better about yourself and you don't mind Andie MacDowell playing a less than perfect character. Ooh, but I was in love with her hair.
Easy A. (2010, PG-13)
I'm thinking that someone did a review of this on the blog, but I can't seem to find it. Anyways, I loved it. I thought it was clever, and refreshing, and that Emma Stone is a really good actress. It's a kind of modern version of the Scarlett Letter, where a girl pretends to lost her virginity over the weekend so that her friend won't be offended that she didn't want to go camping, then she pretends to sleep with her gay friend so that he'll stop getting beat up... and then her reputation starts to tank as she does "favors" for lots of other people. I thought Amanda Bynes was finally cast in a deserving role as a condescending judgemental preachy new age christian (she bugs me so bad, it was just perfect). I REALLY liked the parents of Olive (main character), and was just a fan of how it all played out. Also, as someone who was wrongfully accused of being slutty in high school, I could relate a bit. So I completely recommend this if you like good movies and aren't scandalized by the plot line.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. (1954, probably PG).
This movie is a lot of fun. Lumberjacks dancing ballet, seven brothers getting makeovers, and a lot of good music. It won an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture. Some of the brothers were borrowed from the New York City Ballet. The plot is that the eldest brother, Adam, goes into town from his home in the woods looking for a good strong wife to take care of him and his 6 brothers, Benjamin, Caleb, Daniel, Ephraim, Frankincense and Gideon. He finds a strong, awesome girl who agrees to marry him, and looks forward to the simple life of less work, being in charge of one man and one house (she'd been working in an inn). He "neglects" to tell her that it won't be just him, which she is not happy about when they return to the house. But she tames the brothers, and finds them all girls, and gets her own husband to not think of women as property... and it's all fun and good. I recommend this if you like fun and cheesy musicals set in the days of yore.
Here's a really long trailer that gives a little taste.
North by Northwest. (1959, maybe PG-13 because of the train scene).
Awesome classic movie about mistaken identity. Cary Grant's a great actor. Eva Marie Saint reminds me of Scarlett Johanssen. It was very tense and made me so frustrated at how far he had to go to get his name cleared, but so very very worth it. My favorite scene would probably be the auction scene. Brilliant.
Scrubs. (TV series, 2001 TV-14).
I started at the beginning on Netflix and have been greatly enjoying myself. I've only watched the first 5 episodes, but Dr. Cox is definitely my favorite character. My brain is foggy right now and I can't remember too many details, but I loved the episode with the "butt" box.
Jane Eyre. (2006 TV mini-series version).
I just finished reading the book and LOVED the book, so this was fun to watch soon after that. My favorite scene was definitely the one when they admit to one another that they're in love. The first half was painfully slow, but once it picked up, it grew on me. I'm not a massive fan of the girl who played Jane, but Rochester was pretty dang good. He was a little too sauve for me, I pictured him as more awkward and with more mood swings, and without that charming of a smile. But it's just such a good story that I will forgive them. I hope the new version coming out doesn't let me down too bad, but I have it on good authority that the guy who plays Rochester decided not to be "brooding" and that just won't do. Anyways, if you haven't read the book, it's so very very worth it, and watch the movie if you want to.
Sid and Nancy. (1986, R).
As wife of a punk rocker, I find it important to learn the history of the genre, and what better way to do it than through film? This movie is based around the story of the bass player of the Sex Pistols (highly influential British punk band), Sid Vicious, and his downward spiral with his junkie girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, ending with him stabbing her. First off, it is frustrating to watch almost two hours of heroin addiction. Second, awesome music. Third, say no to drugs. There were a few BIZARRE scenes in the movie, completely out of place and just random. And it was looong for the amount of sober dialogue there was, but it was a very good depiction of how fully and terribly drugs can take over lives, and just a weird, endearing little love story. Sort of a modern Romeo and Juliet meet The Thenardiers on drugs. I wouldn't highly recommend it unless you love punk rock, and I probably won't ever watch it again, but it was worth it to learn that whole story.
The Rescuers. (1977, G).
I totally wanted to be Miss Bianca when I was little. I was more of a Rescuers Down Under fan, but this first one does have it's moments and it's fun. I was a little shocked at the amount of alcohol consumed by Luke the swamp mouse, but I guess kids don't pay much attention to that (at least I didn't when I was little, they were just like some of Daddy's friends). Anyways, Miss Bianca is kind, and adventurous, and can talk anyone into anything, never loses her cool, and has the cutest accent on earth. Madame Medusa is just terrifying. Someone tell her to get a dang bra on and wear half the makeup. Oh, and don't lower children into holes that fill with water. Sheesh. It was fun to re-watch a classic kids movie on a lazy saturday morning with Allison.
Les Miserables, 25th anniversary concert.
Goose bump central, can't stop listening to the soundtrack, SUCH A GOOD STORY/MUSICAL. But can I mention how LAME I found it that they let Nick Jonas play Marius, ESPECIALLY for the 25th anniversary concert?!?! Come on, he is a dumb teeny-bopper pop trained singer who can't support a note to save his life. It doesn't help that the guy who played Enjolras was phenomenal, but still. It makes me upset every time I think about it. I guess I've listened to the original soundtrack too many times, but I found him to be an impassionate twit who was concentrating too hard on trying to keep his voice from cracking to care about what he was singing.
Listen from 3:00 to 3:40, BLECH!!!!
Four weddings and a funeral. (1994, R).
Meh. Was not impressed with this movie. There were some entertaining parts, but all in all, Hugh Grant was just as astonished and messy haired as always, and I didn't like the Andie MacDowell character much at all. I loved Gareth and Matthew, and (spoiler) was very sad that Gareth was the funeral. It's the story of a group of friends who wonder if they'll ever find love and marry, and the title explains most of the rest of it. I liked the re-occuring story of Henrietta, and thought that it ended just the way it should. I also liked how Hugh Grant was always late for every important occasion. Reminded me of my own life :-) Don't rent this unless Hugh Grant's rumpled hair and astonished expression makes you feel better about yourself and you don't mind Andie MacDowell playing a less than perfect character. Ooh, but I was in love with her hair.
Easy A. (2010, PG-13)
I'm thinking that someone did a review of this on the blog, but I can't seem to find it. Anyways, I loved it. I thought it was clever, and refreshing, and that Emma Stone is a really good actress. It's a kind of modern version of the Scarlett Letter, where a girl pretends to lost her virginity over the weekend so that her friend won't be offended that she didn't want to go camping, then she pretends to sleep with her gay friend so that he'll stop getting beat up... and then her reputation starts to tank as she does "favors" for lots of other people. I thought Amanda Bynes was finally cast in a deserving role as a condescending judgemental preachy new age christian (she bugs me so bad, it was just perfect). I REALLY liked the parents of Olive (main character), and was just a fan of how it all played out. Also, as someone who was wrongfully accused of being slutty in high school, I could relate a bit. So I completely recommend this if you like good movies and aren't scandalized by the plot line.
Lie to me (2009 TV Series, TV-14)
An awesome show about universal body language and picking up on microexpressions to solve crimes. I'm pretty fascinated by this subject, so I've really like this show. I've only watched the first five episodes, and heard that it turns into more of a regular drama later in, but it is pretty fascinating to watch. I've been trying to study old footage of known liars like they do in the show (i.e. Bill Clinton's speech, etc.), and it has proven that I definitely don't have a natural talent for it, but that doesn't mean I can't pick up on some things!!! Like my co-worker who constantly thrusts her jaw out in a show of superiority. Anyways, good show!! I have a documentary to watch on it (body language). I'll let you know how that goes.
Growing Op. (2008, NR)
I ripped this description off of Netflix because I've been writing a lot and this movie was strange. "After years of being home-schooled by his earnest, post-hippie, pot-growing parents, Quinn decides to jump from the nest and give himself a normal high school experience. He quickly learns, however, that there's nothing normal about high school. When the teen falls for a beautiful blonde neighbor, he realizes he'll have to make some compromises to get what he wants -- once he's sure what that is." Lots of pot in this movie. It was one that Matt had just started watching when I got home from work (the why is a little more complicated), and... it was definitely a pro-marijuana film. Interesting statement at the end, but kind of endearing. And as a formerly homeschooled child of one pot smoking and one non-pot smoking hippie parent (s(most awkward sentence ever written? Possibly)) I definitely understood the quest for normality. So, if your parents used to home school you and were hippies, and you think we should ban alcohol and legalize marijuana, this is an interesting movie to watch.
The Switch. (2010, PG-13).
In my defense, my mother likes obscure chick flicks, and we were having a movie night at her house so I rented this. We didn't end up watching it then, but I had it for five days (go Jiffy!) and was bored one night, so I watched it. It was far fetched, and kind of terrible. It had a pretty good cast of Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Juliette Lewis, Jeff Goldblum, and this really cute neurotic kid. That didn't help. Jennifer Aniston decides to have a baby by IVF, but her neurotic male best friend freaks out, gets drunk, and switches the sperm in a very "yeah right" scene. That's all you need to know. The kid and Jason Bateman have an adorable relationship when they finally meet, and the rest of the movie wasn't worth paying attention too.
Singin' in the Rain (1952, PA for Pure Awesomeness)
I hadn't seen this movie since I was tiny, and didn't remember much except that there was a scene where someone sang in the rain :-D Oh my goodness, now I'm in love. I watched it twice in one week and keep going back to my favorite scenes on YouTube. I wish I could've lived in that era. Matt and I have both had all of the songs stuck in our head (all of them, every single one). So fun to see such amazingly talented people!!!! Cosmo Brown, the sidekick, was definitely my favorite character. See this, see this, see this. If you don't like this (Goldmember voice) den dere ish no pleashing you.
My favorite scene:
From Prada to Nada (2011, PG-13)
What can I say? Sometimes I watch attrociously bad chick flicks. And what I learned from this one is: With enough spray tanning and a dialogue coach, anyone can look Mexican!! Which is what they tried to do here. I actually looked it up ( I was dying of boredom, ok) and both of the female leads have hispanic blood, but not enough to make them not terrible at playing Mexicans. I appreciate that there was an attempt at a multi-cultural chick flick, and some of the storyline played out well, but... It was so weirdly written that I couldn't predict the ending, and most of the time I'm really good at that. So... don't see this. Unless you're really in the mood for some terrible acting in English and Spanish. (OH MY BIP FRIGGIN SAUCE, I just read the IMDB liner and it said that it's a Latina spin on Sense and Sensibility. As a fan of Jane Austen and someone who has recently read the book and watched the film.... I had no idea. I guess I can see that now, kind of... Ai Caramba!!! I didn't think anyone would attempt that!!! I guess they were jealous of how much I liked Easy A, so they decided to try it with some other well known literature. Well guess what you guys, it didn't work so good. Well anyways, the girl who plays Elinor (or NORA in this version) is the scandalous movie-ruiner here, so Em, stay away. Stay far far away).
The Hereafter (2010, PG 13)
Very interesting, slightly supernatural film. It follows the paths of a psychic, a woman who died and was brought back to life, and a young boy who loses his twin. It was very well done, the psychic (Matt Damon) was not cheesy at all, and all three stories, which took place in LA, Paris and London, were all interesting and flowed along together nicely. It's a cool story about people who are touched by death and how it affects the living, and other things that would be spoilers if I shared them on here. There wasn't much dialogue, which I found refreshing, and the plot was mostly not spoon-fed to you. So I'd recommend this if you're in the mood for something a little dark and edgy, but in a very nice way (that was the most nauseating commentary I've ever done, but it really was just something you just have to see for yourself.)
Super 8 (2011, PG 13)
SUCH a good movie!!!! Despite having an alien (not a fan of alien movies), it was kind of... enchanting? It had an awesome cast of great young actors (I just read that the little blonde girl in it is Dakota Fanning's little sister), and it was this awesome, scary adventure. The dialogue was good, the scary was just scary enough, the acting was good, the plot-line was good... just go see the dang movie!! And the kids are filming a zombie movie during this whole thing that is just brilliant. So go see this movie, it's so worth it.
Ok, I have watched 3 other movies (not counting the Voice, SNL and The Glee Project that I've been watching on Hulu. OH and I need to catch up on Project Runway, drat!), but I am over blogging right now, and they all involve lots of death, so I'm going to leave this how it is, and maybe start doing this bi-weekly. But then again, Matt is back, which drastically cuts back on the amount of terrible movies I'm allowed to watch :-)
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Joyeux Jeudi Deux
Who knew that you could have more than a quadruple bypass surgery?! George-Dad-Grandpa, AKA Pops McGavin, AKA Duncan's Dad, Octo Dad, etc... my father in law, had two of those today. Yeah, a double quadruple. How come? Because, he's like the Grinch, without the whole "Two sizes too small" present stealing part. Just kidding. They said his heart has more arteries than normal, which I like to believe is because he's so loving. Anyways. He had some persistent heartburn on Saturday that started to radiate down his left arm, and after a little encouragement, he went to the hospital, only to discover that there had been a minor heart attack. They decided he needed to go to Casper, the nearest cardiology center whatsit, and put him on an ambulance that night. The next day, after some bloodwork and laproscoping and such, they concluded that there were some arteries to his kidneys that needed some help too, and put some stints in there to keep those functioning, and then they hit us all with the news. He had eight (8!!!) arteries with blockage that needed to be bypassed. That would require open heart surgery. So, long story short, he wasn't in any immediate danger, but they wanted to operate as soon as possible. Surgery happened this morning, and all updates have been super positive. His heart is beating on it's own, which is great. He's not out from anesthesia yet, and he's in for a long recovery, but after a little wrestling, here are our conclusions.
-There was only a small amount of damage done to his heart, which should heal nicely.
-This very easily could have been a massive heart attack. We are so thankful that it was just a small one to alert us of the problem and get it taken care of.
-Due to his mostly healthy lifestyle, he has very very good odds of making a full recovery, and even being better off than he used to be!! With his heart functioning better, and getting more oxygen around to everything, he should be less fatigued and ready to keep us entertained with his cute little dances and mannerisms all of the time. Although, we may be getting a few less sleeping pictures...
There are many, many more where those came from...
-Even if this had been "The One", and George went and took "A Dirt Nap" (his words), he has had an absolutely amazing 74 years. I've only known him for about 5 years now, but he quickly became one of my favorite people (after we realized that he's deaf and I'm quiet, we got things straightened out and started communicating). He is one of the most kind, faithful, fun-loving guys EVER. He has an amazing story for every situation, and while he is a man of few words, when he does speak, it's normally either profound, or completely hilarious.
So Pops, we are sooo happy to have you around. You're not totally out of the woods (you're not even awake yet... but I'm posting it anyways and sending all of this positivity out into the universe). We love you, I love you, and you're the best father to your children, and father in law to us adoptees (he will read this, because he's the most technology savvy almost 74 year old around... he'll probably see this on his iPad). We dig your act.
If this is a little scatterbrained, it's because, well, it's been a rough week.
Love you, kisses!!!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
A few things that made my day.
1: I was sorting my recycling and putting it in all the correct bins when this guy with a backpack walks up and hands me a $1,000,000 bill. He just said "Here you go" and walked away. I kind of squeaked out a thanks between wondering if he was a rapist and trying to figure out if it was real money (just briefly, massive amounts of common sense set in after that). The front was pretty normal looking (except that it read $1,000,000), but it didn't have grains, watermarks or raised ink (see, all of that forgery training WAS helpful). The back had a message (in teensy tiny print) that talked about how if we've ever committed a sin, we're going to hell. But then it talked about how if we access the atonement we can have eternal life (not in so many words). I thought it was a cute little object lesson about how that really is what it's like to be able to repent.
2: Much less serious. I was dropping some stuff off at the secondhand store outside drop-off, and spotted this amazing treasure.
Well, I probably should prepare my Primary lesson now. I keep forgetting that that has to happen every bippin week. *Sigh*. 4.5 more days sans Matt.
2: Much less serious. I was dropping some stuff off at the secondhand store outside drop-off, and spotted this amazing treasure.
In case you can't believe your eyes, it is an inflated blowfish with googly eyes (tackseedermists r us), suspended in a bird cage. I love it so much, I was tempted to steal it and use it in my new bathroom decor. But then, someone is going to pay good money for that, and that would be like taking food from the mouths of children. But I still have two questiosns; WHO?!?!?! and WHY??????!!!!!!
3: I was shopping today for my new bathroom (shush, I wanted an excuse to redecorate anyways), and got a little obsessed with green. I thought about putting a fake plant in my bathroom, but I'm not a huge fan of fake plants. Then I thought about putting a REAL plant in my bathroom, but I knew that I'd have to get one that does REALLY well in shade, or I'd have to be neurotic, and only put it in the bathroom when company comes over. Anyways, I wandered over to the plant section, and looked for a things that didn't require much sunlight. I found a cute little plant that I thought would just be fun to have in my kitchen. So I went and I found a little pot for it. The pot was really little, but it still would need some potting soil in order to let my plant grow to its full potential. So I found a bigger pot, and then I thought that it'd be kind of lame to buy an entire bag of potting soil for just this little plant and its little pot, and hey, I've been wanting to grow some kind of garden! I might as well start something useful and practice. So I found a cheap plastic planter box, and got a cilantro plant, a tomato plant, and a basil plant (salsa and pesto, yay!!!). I got them home, and wanted to get them into the sunlight so that I don't kill them on their first day, but I was going to a friend's house soon, and couldn't find the drill to drill the box onto our little railing thing outside of our door. So, I dug down deep to my "Let's make it practical, who cares if it's pretty" roots, and here is the result.
Which you can't see at all. Argh! It's taped on. I would have used duct tape because that would've been so much funnier, but I couldn't find THAT either. But I had a good giggle about how proud of me my mom would be.
4: Last, I spent the evening with two awesome couples, and one of the awesome couple's awesome kids. They've been so good to me for the past couple of months that we've been hanging out, and especially while Matt's been gone. Well awesome child #1, Izacc, is slightly dramatic at times, and tonight was no exception (he's four). We'd walked to a playground after dinner, where the adults digested while the boys played, and just for setup/contrast, Izacc's little brother just turned two, and is wearing some T4 clothes already. He's kind of a beast, and literally ran head first into a couch tonight and it didn't even phase him. He tries so hard to talk, and his parents can understand most of it and he tries so hard to mimic what everyone says. He will sing his entire ABC's and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and it's mainly "a ee ee ee ee ee agh, fa fa ee af ah ah ah". He tries so hard and it's ADORABLE. Anyways, Ian is a beast, Izacc is dramatic (but normally very articulate). Izacc went down one slide that went kind of fast, and couldn't catch himself in time, so he hit the gravel butt first and started BAWLING. Ian did the same thing a couple of minutes later, and just looked a little surprised, but then got totally proud of himself, and started yelling for everyone to watch him do it again. The funny part was when Ian came running over smiling and happy saying "Bug, bug!" and pointing to a slide, where Izacc was completely spread-eagle screaming "BUG BUG BUG BUG" and trying to spit on and yell at the bugs. Awesome 8.5 month preggo mom went to go save him, and reported back that there were three tiny bugs on the slide that she'd rescued him from. So funny.
Well, I probably should prepare my Primary lesson now. I keep forgetting that that has to happen every bippin week. *Sigh*. 4.5 more days sans Matt.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Joyeaux Jeudi
I got the idea from my lovely friend Stephanie (thanks Steph) to make a Thankful Thursday post. It was partially because hers was all about her husband, and I bippin miss Matt Wright right now. And, ya know, it just seemed like a good idea. SO. A whole bunch of reasons I'm thankful for Matt.
Oh, and not only is he adorable...
He also looks good in plaid (and, ya know, plays like a shredding hessian)...
- Matt is kind of the funniest person on the planet. He is forever making me laugh, and making every person around him laugh, and making his entire family hysterical. Sometimes people don't understand, or want him to be "more mature" or something boring like that, but life with Matt is never boring.
- On our wedding day, (totally true story) Matt's lawyer told me that no two days with him would be the same. That has proven to be completely true. I am not a huge fan of boredom, or same old same old stuff, so this is a wonderful trait to me. Most of the time :-D
- Matt really honestly truly cares for people. He is never fake, or indifferent, or two faced. He is such a sweet person, and can befriend and support people who I find insufferable. He is constantly teaching me about being a kinder person without saying anything.
- Matt is a talented guy. He really gets into things, to the point that he can't leave it alone until he's satisfied with the way it's done. And not like "I want to learn how to paint flowers better, so I'm going to practice for an hour each day until I'm happy with how they look." He is like "Umm, why do I need to eat/sleep/shower? I am learning how to play the guitar." He went from not being able to play a note, to being able to play almost any chord in less than a year. He would play until his fingers got so raw that they started peeling and interfered with the chords. I am kind of the opposite in this, and get kind of "eh" with just about anything after a while. I really hope our kids are more like him in this.
- There are so many more reasons, so maybe this is "To be continued..." but Matt is my best friend ever, and makes me feel like I'm the most normal, intelligent, beautiful girl in the world. We have the best time together, and we have reached a point where, when we fight, neither of us want the other's feelings to be hurt, so we both work really hard to make it better, which just makes everything better. I can't believe that I get to be married to Matt Wright. It makes me so dang happy.
Oh, and not only is he adorable...
He also looks good in plaid (and, ya know, plays like a shredding hessian)...
Is adorable with children...
AND makes me laugh!!!!!
Monday, May 23, 2011
B's career
I got a new-ish job. Same people, different work. It's tolerable, but nowhere near as fun as being a nanny. We couldn't afford me being a nanny anymore, Dallin goes to school in the fall, and we needed benefits, so I had to quit :-( I'm over the new job, which has led me to contemplate "Things that would actually make money that B wouldn't mind doing on a regular basis". The job itself is ok. I'm the "Super helper" which basically means anyone can boss me around at any time, and I get paid lots of money to do it. There was a riff last week because one employee was hogging me. *sigh*. It's also micro-management central. But I'm really just over working lame jobs. So that has brought me to trying to realistically dream about the future. We've had tiny glimpses of our business being able to make enough money to support us, but for the time being, I am not putting all of my eggs in that basket. So here's what I would love/tolerate for the future.
-If money and age were not a problem, I would be a dancer. Since that is not looking viable, I took a Zumba class this semester, and it was amazing. My Zumba instructor, who I semi-worship, told me I should become an instructor. And don't worry, I wouldn't be a very good "Traditional Zumba" instructor. It'd be more like semi-choreographed Matt and B dance party moves. But that's not really a career in these parts, more like just a way to get paid to work out. So that would be a side job. And I will never do it in a neon sports bra with hoop earrings to Latin Techno. More like plaid leg warmers and a Flashdance style sweatshirt to Flogging Molly.
-This is just funny/sad. I recently got bullied into becoming a Mary Kay consultant. BEFORE YOU JUDGE ME, hear me out. My skin had hit rock bottom. It depressed me every time I looked in the mirror. It was distracting to Matt. Everything I tried wasn't working, and I tried SO MANY things. Matt and I decided that I could invest in some good skin care stuff, and my friend, the consultant, called me to tell me Mary Kay was half off, so I decided to try their stuff. It worked, and has continued to work. But she wasn't happy with just selling me stuff, and I'm terrible at saying "Back off!!". So, many details omitted later, it turns out that in April the starter kit was $50 instead of $100, and it had a few hundred dollars worth of "product" in it, including the entire skin care line I've been using, some nice mascara/foundation, etc. I went for it, nicely told her to get off my back, and have since been giving away all of the extra product (Bronze #5 anyone?) and throwing away the startling amount of propaganda that they've been sending me. I will never ever ever go forward with this because the very thought of being pushy makes me want to curl up in a corner and die. I'm much more of a Ben than a Dan :-)
Oh, this is also funny/sad. I've been measuring all of my future careers based on 2 things; Would my mother want to do it, and will it be a useful skill when the end of the world comes. Really great benchmarks, I know. If my mother would like it, it's out of the question. That's why the two at the top of the list are interior design (which my mother would hate, it's too impractical) and accounting (the one form of math that I'm good at and my mother hates). I would love to make everything more beautiful and efficient, but really, how useful is that going to be in a post-apocolyptic world? And accounting, I really wouldn't mind as long as I didn't have to work with too many stupid people. That's another benchmark; How many stupid people would I have to deal with on a regular basis.
-I still have a scholarship that I could activate in order to attend the University of Wyoming for close to nothing, and I looked and there is an accounting program online, whereas all of the interior design stuff is far away/expensive. I've already missed the registration deadline for the fall, but for the time being (i.e. the next 2 weeks) I am going to go forward with hopes of getting a degree in accounting.
That felt good to get out of my head.
-If money and age were not a problem, I would be a dancer. Since that is not looking viable, I took a Zumba class this semester, and it was amazing. My Zumba instructor, who I semi-worship, told me I should become an instructor. And don't worry, I wouldn't be a very good "Traditional Zumba" instructor. It'd be more like semi-choreographed Matt and B dance party moves. But that's not really a career in these parts, more like just a way to get paid to work out. So that would be a side job. And I will never do it in a neon sports bra with hoop earrings to Latin Techno. More like plaid leg warmers and a Flashdance style sweatshirt to Flogging Molly.
-This is just funny/sad. I recently got bullied into becoming a Mary Kay consultant. BEFORE YOU JUDGE ME, hear me out. My skin had hit rock bottom. It depressed me every time I looked in the mirror. It was distracting to Matt. Everything I tried wasn't working, and I tried SO MANY things. Matt and I decided that I could invest in some good skin care stuff, and my friend, the consultant, called me to tell me Mary Kay was half off, so I decided to try their stuff. It worked, and has continued to work. But she wasn't happy with just selling me stuff, and I'm terrible at saying "Back off!!". So, many details omitted later, it turns out that in April the starter kit was $50 instead of $100, and it had a few hundred dollars worth of "product" in it, including the entire skin care line I've been using, some nice mascara/foundation, etc. I went for it, nicely told her to get off my back, and have since been giving away all of the extra product (Bronze #5 anyone?) and throwing away the startling amount of propaganda that they've been sending me. I will never ever ever go forward with this because the very thought of being pushy makes me want to curl up in a corner and die. I'm much more of a Ben than a Dan :-)
Oh, this is also funny/sad. I've been measuring all of my future careers based on 2 things; Would my mother want to do it, and will it be a useful skill when the end of the world comes. Really great benchmarks, I know. If my mother would like it, it's out of the question. That's why the two at the top of the list are interior design (which my mother would hate, it's too impractical) and accounting (the one form of math that I'm good at and my mother hates). I would love to make everything more beautiful and efficient, but really, how useful is that going to be in a post-apocolyptic world? And accounting, I really wouldn't mind as long as I didn't have to work with too many stupid people. That's another benchmark; How many stupid people would I have to deal with on a regular basis.
-I still have a scholarship that I could activate in order to attend the University of Wyoming for close to nothing, and I looked and there is an accounting program online, whereas all of the interior design stuff is far away/expensive. I've already missed the registration deadline for the fall, but for the time being (i.e. the next 2 weeks) I am going to go forward with hopes of getting a degree in accounting.
That felt good to get out of my head.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Food superblog!!!
All right, I am just going to knock this bipper out because it's been a while since we ate some of these, and there are so many good ones!!
Wraps!
Wraps!
These wraps are just refreshing and yummy. Tortillas, hummus, cukes and guac. Also good with lettuce and tomatoes. Here's a super easy hummus recipe.
Just blend together in a food processor or blender. If it needs more liquid, add the garbanzo bean juice. It's a little bland, and a little garlicky, so I've started buying organic hummus, which is super good and creamy. But this works in a pinch!
Another good wrap (that I don't have a picture for) is this.
Corn tortillas
Black beans, mashed and heated up with cumin, chili powder and cilantro
Green peppers
Sour cream
Guacomole
Salsa or tomatoes
SO GOOD!
Blueberry cornmeal pancakes, dedicated to all of the pancake loving babies out there.
This is probably the best recipe I've found so far. They're pretty dense, and stick with you, and just have such good texture and flavor! I use frozen blueberries, and then buy the ugly bananas at the store and freeze them, they're perfect for this. I just thaw them in the microwave.
1/3 C. yellow cornmeal
2/3 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. frozen blueberries (I add lots more because I LOVE bluebabies!)
1/2 C. milk
1 mashed ripe banana
1 egg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
More milk if too thick
Don't mix too much!
Pita pockets! Such good flavor!
Pita bread
Hummus
Filling (chop everything pretty small)
10-12 Kalamati olives (I bet regular olives work just fine)
3-4 leaves Romaine lettuce
1/2 green pepper
1/3 cucumber
3-4 slices of pickled beets
1-2 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
This is wonderful, but a TON of food for 2 people. The cornbread was a little overdone, so I'd cook it shorter at first. Also, slice the sweet potato really small because it doesn't break up very much in the cooking process. Also, I have this buttermilk powder that saves my bacon because it's always called for so randomly, and sometimes I don't get a recipe done when I want to :-) One more thing... greek yogurt doesn't seem like much more than snobby sour cream.
First of all, a good swiss cheese is a substitute for the gruyere which is MASSIVELY EXPENSIVE!!
Second, you can substitute some milk for some half and half to make it a little less fattening.
Third, add more veggies and take out some of the egg mixture to make it healthier. I used a different crust recipe. It was a little tough, but pretty dang good. This makes an EXCELLENT breakfast!!
Last, but certainly not least, are our snacks! Courtesy of greenereating.com (thanks for the tip Em). These are vegan recipes, which I de-veganify by just using eggs and milk, etc. The cherry chocolate chip snack bars freeze well, and are very filling, and good for my sweet tooth. I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to add the water that goes along with the egg replacer, so I added it, and they were pretty dang moist, which we both liked.
The "CRUNCHY BANANA EOUNEGNI PPLESAUCE MUFFINS" (see Matt's GoPro test video on YouTube or Facebook) are a new FAVORITE!!!! Even DALLIN the pickiest eater on EARTH enjoys these. They're nothing too special, but they have just the right amount of all the good stuff, and I love the oat-ey texture. Again, I just microwave the frozen brown bananas, and otherwise I have all of the ingredients on hand. I'm not sure if these freeze well or not because between the Fab family and Matt and I, we've eaten 3 dozen since last week. They're a perfect quick breakfast, pre-Zumba snack, mid-morning snack, B'sexperimentingwithanewrecipeandit'stakingalongtime snack, etc.
These are definitely all recipes we want to repeat, and some that we have repeated quite a few times!
Bon Appetit!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)