Another Tag

So I am a posting fool... but don't worry Kathleen I could never beat you! wink But seriously check out the kids' cute costumes in my previous post.

My good MC friend, Tam, tagged me. So here goes:

1. Where did you meet your husband?
We officially met at the University of Wyoming LDS Institute building. He helped me sharpen a knife. However, we grew up in the same town and crossed paths many times without actually meeting.

2. How long did you date before you got married?
We met on January 24th, 1998, we got engaged on March 5, 1998 and got married August 27, 1998--so 7 months

3. How long have you been married?
For those mathematically challenged, we've been married ten years (refer to my 10th anniversary post here).

4. What does he do that surprises you?

He still surprises me with his sense of humor. Sometimes he is just so funny!

5. What is your favorite feature of his?

Physical feature has to be his eyes, no wait his smile, no wait his slightly graying hair, no wait...

6. What is his best quality?

He loves me more than anything!

7. Does he have a nickname for you?

No, in fact he rarely refers to me in any name. I wouldn't be surprised if he called me "Amy" twice in a year. I think he talks so rarely that when he is talking, I just assume it is to me. I guess sometimes when I'm in trouble he says, "Honey" in a really low, disapproving voice... but it's been so long since I've heard that.

8. What is his favorite food?

Anything I cook--- and I'm not making that up, ask him.

9. What is his favorite sport?

Playing Sports: None (Wait he played ultimate Frisbee once)
TV Watching Sports: None
Live Sports: He claims to like Duke Basketball, but I'm not convinced.

10. When and where did you first kiss?

In my dorm room.

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?

Clean version: Watching TV or going out to dinner or a movie.
Other version: I'll plead the 5th

12. Do you have any children?

Yes, and if you claim to read my blog, I shouldn't even have to answer this. We have two, Abby (6) and Iris (1.5)

13. Does he have any hidden talents?
Nate, hide things? No!

14. How old is he?

31

15. Who said 'I love you' first?

He did! Are you surprised?

16. What is his favorite music?

He loves Sirius Satellite

17. What do you admire most about him?

If there is a job to do, he'll do it.

18. What is his favorite color?

Blue (or is that my favorite color on him? What's the difference?)

19. Will he read this?

Probably, but I won't know it.

20. Who do you tag?

Who didn't I tag last time? Kathleen then Jeff (MUUHAAAAAAAW), I owe Ruth one, Lindsay might be fun with this one, DHNL needs a blog distraction, and I haven't heard from Lori in a while.

Field Trips and Costume Parties

Abby had her first field trip this week. Her class and the other 1st grade classes at her school went to the West Point on the Eno Park. I went as a chaperon (I just want you to know that I really want to spell this with an e at the end, but firefox is telling me that is wrong). It was fun. The kids learned about Early American Life. Apparently people lived there and farmed 250 years ago. The park guides asked the kids what they would have seen back then. The kids agreed that they would have seen dirt but no Kroger's Grocery. They are pretty smart for 1st graders! It was a great opportunity to see Abby's teacher in action since I haven't spent any time at the school yet this year. I really like her teacher. She is very gentle when needed, but also very stern when needed. And she wasn't afraid to call out a student even if their parent was there. That's my kind of teacher! So, back to the field trip... Abby learned about washing clothes in a bucket. She had to help her classmates gather water from the creek to do it. Then they learned about making a fire with steel and a rock. The spark was supposed to land on charred cotton and then put in cedar bark. Pretty awesome stuff. Then they learned how to play games with sticks. The guides told the kids that 250 years ago kids didn't have toys, just sticks. I remember those days... Then they made butter and chanted a song that goes "something something, Abby waiting at the gate something, something for her butter cake, turn butter turn." Or something like that. But they made butter and ate it on saltines (I can't be sure if these crackers were from 250 years ago, but the kids liked them). Then they learned about shucking and grinding corn and the grain mill. Good times. All I know is I was born in the right time. No thanks on the fire starting, butter making or corn grinding. I'll take my 21st century luxuries, thank you! Here are some picture for you to make the experience more real.

Abby washing some 250 year old exercise pants-- Abby was convinced these were from back then.



Making Butter-- Notice that Abby is shaking it so hard it is blurry... way to go Abby!


"All I want for Christmas is a stick and ring, a stick and ring, a stick and ring..."



"Let me get this straight, you want me to pluck this corn off, grind it up and then eat it? I think NOT!"



Tonight our HOA had a Halloween Party with a costume contest. For those of you who have memorized every post of mine will remember that Abby won 2nd place in the costume contest last year. This year she won 1st place as a Spider Witch (contest for 6 years+). She won gooey toys, lots of candy and an I-tunes gift card. Too bad we don't have an I-pod. I guess it will just have to go in our pile of I-tunes gift cards... SIGH! (And yes we have a pile of them and we are holding on to them just to spite Apple.) Unfortunately, Iris didn't win a prize (contest for 2 and under). She came in 4th out of 4, but she didn't care. She's only 18 months after all. And I'm not bitter... WHAT? I'm not! Of course I think she was way cuter than the pumpkin and lion which won above her, but I'm not bitter. Although I just don't see how anyone could not judge her cuter than the others. She has really cute, curly hair and big blue eyes! What more do they want in a kitty for crying out loud! And I know what you are thinking and I'm NOT bitter, just, um, surprised... ya and disappointed... ya but not bitter. The first place went to our friend's little girl. She was batman. In an ironic note, the pumpkin won a prize that was recommended for children 3+... he was only 1.

Here are my Halloween Treats:

1st Prize Spider Witch with her Spoils


Honorable mention Kitty with her consolation sucker


So it's been a pretty exciting week. I did an extra load of laundry yesterday so that's pretty eventful. I'll be washing Iris' kitty suit on Monday since I gave her a big sticky sucker! Even with cute sticky sucker dripping all over her costume she still didn't win (roll eyes). Okay, I swear I'm not bitter. I cried like a baby at book group (we read A Grief Observed by CS Lewis) then I sent an apology email to the group leader but accidentally sent it to everyone, so that was embarrassing. Oh and I vacuumed out the van. Soooooo exciting! I'm glad Abby won at the costume party or else my life would seem boring! Thank goodness I can live vicariously through her. Oh and her costume we bought off of Craiglist and picked it up last night... not bad. Iris' I just bought the kitty accessories and black onesie... apparently I should have dipped it in gold or something!

Until my next post may you have great Halloween celebrations and eat lots and lots of candy!

Outer Banks Fun!

We were invited to join some friends at the beach this weekend, so going against all my previous beliefs in non-communal living, we agreed. It's a good thing I am so flexible... we had a TON OF FUN! We went to Outer Banks, North Carolina (we've been there once before) and shared a beach house with our friends. My friend Audge graciously let us have the available master bedroom with a private bath, and I owe her big time! I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed it as much if we didn't have a private bathroom, but thankfully we'll never know.

Gracious Audge


There were so many things I loved about communal living. We only had to cook two meals, but ate lots of good food the whole time we were there (I actually ate pork at every meal while we were there... who knew so many people would love to eat pig as much as I do?) Abby was completely entertained with the plethora of other children running around. Iris had a couple of little friends too. We got to play games every night until way too late... pretending that we weren't too old to stay up past mid-night and get up at between 6 & 7 am to take care of the kids. Of course the numerous naps on the third day there proved that we are, in fact, too old for such things. I've never been crab hunting at night (well anytime, actually), so that was fun. It was barbaric and very sad for those poor crabs we tortured, but it was fun (more about this later). And the other great thing about it is no topic of conversation was off limits. We laughed about politics (and the politics of some friends.. wink wink), farting and pooping, Sarah Palin and Tina Fey, Nacho Libre, fabulous microwaves, sex, sports etc. So I think I could handle some communal living as long as I get a private bathroom and no restrictions on conversations!

So the crab hunting. I don't know who would think to go to the beach when it is nearly pitch black outside, armed only with flashlights, nets and buckets to face fast-moving, freaking-eyed, pincher-ready crabs, but who ever thought of it is pure entertainment genius! These poor little creatures endured being stunned by bright flashlights then were covered by either a net or bucket and then swooped into a bucket and carried around (sometime shook up) by screaming kids ready to add to their load. Make no mistake, there was plenty of adult screaming in the background. I thought I'd be brave and try to pick one up. It was smaller than some spiders I've seen here, but as I hovered over it, watching it squirm under the net, thinking of those tiny pinchers that couldn't damage more than tweezers could, I just couldn't do it. It freaked me out! But I did enjoy chasing around watching other brave people touch them. Abby was very eager to get a crab, until she actually got one in her bucket. Then, she wasn't so eager any more (apparently I lead by example). But once armed with a net, she went after those things like white on rice. She was catching 4 then 5 then 6. She was the fastest I've ever seen her, and her eyes were wild with excitement.

Only hunting defenseless crabs could make Abby this excited


Only a poor defenseless crab 6 inches away from her face would make Abby this freaked out


This one didn't have a chance


See what I mean about the freaking eyes?


I think this is one of the Turley kid's buckets. They are pro crab hunters


In the end, we let all the crabs go, as they wore out their usefulness. They weren't big enough to eat, and they kind of smelled and as mentioned before, their eyes are freaky. So although those crabs will soon die as to continue the circle of life, we will forever have our memories of night time crab hunting.

We also went to visit the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kitty Hawk. We went there last year, but it is always fun. The Wright Brothers were truly amazing. And it blows my mind to think what their little adventure in NC did for aviation in such a short period of time. I would love to give a dissertation on that, but I'm afraid that I'm very close to losing my faithful readers as it is with this long post. But I KNOW they will stick with me. My life is just too fascinating.

Okay so we are taking some liberties with the "Genius" portion of the memorial... AND?


Daredevil Iris on the wings of the Wrights' plane


This is what it would look like if we could go back in time and put Abby on Orville's back (or is it Wilbur? I don't remember)



Another fun thing we did was visit Jockey Ridge which are sand dunes. I actually stayed behind to watch the shoes, purses and Iris. But Nate braved the sand and took lots of fun videos and pictures. Abby had pockets full of sand when she was done. I'm still finding sand in her hair!

Just because I am anal and didn't want Iris to get all sandy, doesn't mean we couldn't have fun!



You can see just how big the dunes are (granted, Abby is a little girl, but still)


More of Abby playing in the sand


Probably my favorite part of the whole trip was when the kids went to bed and we stayed up playing games. I didn't win any games, but that's okay. I'm big enough to not let that ruin my fun. Nate played Blokus for the first time, and rocked. This is his kind of game. I was glad to be on his team. It is a game which mixes strategy with geometry (which is why I would suck at it). You have to put different shaped tiles down, they are only allowed to touch at the corners and the person with the least amount of tiles at the end wins. Nate won his very first game, and barely lost the next one. Yes, yes, it seems like that game was created with him in mind. If you ever saw him pack a box or a moving truck, you'd know what I was talking about.

Although the weather was quite cold while we were there, we didn't let rain and wind stop us from visiting the Currituck Lighthouse. Abby and I braved the many stair up to the top with aforementioned Audge and her family. It just went higher, and higher. And I'm not a big fan of climbing lots of stairs and then going outside in 40mph (this is a totally random, made up number, but it sounds good) winds with attacking rain in my face, but if I were a big fan, I would be in heaven. I did brave the loop around outside the lighthouse, but I didn't let Abby out there... she might have actually blown away. She was happy to oblige me and we made it safely back to the bottom of the stairs to get our prize... a sticker!

The view looking up



Brave Amy on the top


Classic postcard-type picture


I am happy to report that although Iris' clumsiness was entertaining, she survived the weekend without permanent injury. We drove back in relative peace while the girls watched videos on their DVD player (how any parent ever survived road trips without these is beyond me), I did crosswords, and Nate enjoyed not having to talk (this is a small pleasure I give him sometimes, when I'm being nice).

So if you get the chance to share a super cheap beach house with super fun people playing super fun games and eating lots of super fun junk food... and pork, please do it. And if you would like to start a new commune with me, please let me know! Thank you to the Coxes, for scoring the beach house and to the Turley's and Andersens for making the weekend fun! Hopefully they will remain our friends despite spending so much time with us!

Here are some random other pictures





And finally, last but not least. You will be seeing a countdown on my blog. And this is no ordinary countdown. One of my friends from MC has been taken in by the Twilight Series, and we were corresponding and off the cuff mentioned how crazy, but fun it would be if she flew out here to watch the movie with me. And because her DH is so awesome and my DH is tolerant of the plan, she is, in fact, flying from Arizona to see the movie with me! YAY! So my countdown will be dedicated to Darcy, my crazy, twilight fanatic friend. Please enjoy the excitement with us, will you?

Final Twilight Trailer

I think I'm breaking some kind of copyright law, but fear of prosecution can not keep me from hooking as many of my blog readers as I can onto the Twilight Phenomenon.

Welcome to my addiction:

My Quirks

I was tagged by my friend Ruth to name 6 unspectacular quirks. I told her I would share 6 quirks, but they'd have to be spectacular, since I'm spectacular. I guess you can be the judge.

Quirk #1
ZITS:
I hate zits and must squeeze/pop them. If they are on my face, they get poked, prodded, and squeezed until they pop. It is an obsession that I can't leave alone. Unfortunately, I'm 32 and still have acne, so this past time isn't in the past. But my compulsion for popping zits does not end with mine alone. If I see others with zits, it is only the complete restraint necessary in good society that keeps me from popping others' zits. It is difficult to control, but I have so far. Now you may think because I can't leave them alone that I do, in fact, love zits. But I can assure you I don't. I do get a sick satisfaction when they are scabbed over and ready to die, but make no mistake they are my one true nemesis.

Quirk #2
SHOES:
I can't wear closed toed shoes without socks or nylons. It completely appalls me. And my sister used to borrow my closed toed shoes and wore them without socks. This was worthy of corporal punishment when I lived at home. It bothers me now, even to let my kids wear closed toed shoes without socks. The reason I dislike this so much is because feet get all sweaty in there and then make the shoes stink... YUK! It bothers me when other people wear closed toed shoes without socks... it bothers me a lot!

Quirk #3
COVERS:
When I am sleeping, I must be covered all the way up to my chin, but not over my head. I hate having covers over my head. But I have to be covered in something. Even in the middle of the summer, when it is blazing hot, I have to at least be covered by a sheet. Along these lines... I can't sleep if the closet door is open. It used to be all open doors bothered me, but since I had kids, I can leave our bedroom door open, and since we've had houses with master bathrooms I can stand to have the bathroom door open a little, but the closet door must me shut.

Quirk #4
GARAGE DOOR:
Sometimes, when I leave the house, I'll drive backwards along my street to make sure I closed the garage door. I used to do this in Ridgecrest a lot too. It was easier there because I lived closer to the corner. Here I live on a cul-de-sac, and my house is almost at the end. It's pretty ridiculous because I've only ever ONCE left the garage door open, and it wasn't a time I drove backwards to check.

Quirk #5
COOKING:
I hate cooking in a dirty kitchen. If I'm going to be cooking or baking, I have to make sure the dishes are in the dishwasher, and that the counters are cleared and clean. I use almost all counter space to cook. I hate cooking in a dirty kitchen. Sometimes, I'll even sweep up the floor BEFORE I cook because I don't want to walk on crumbs while I work around the kitchen. And to go along with that... I have to rinse the dishes before I wash them, especially those washed in the sink. I HATE having things swimming around my fingers while I wash dishes... BLUK

Quirk #6
TONGUE:
I can touch my nose with my tongue. 'Nuff said.

I am tagging: Cami, Audge, Rachel K, Rachel R, and Rachel P

"Patience is a Virtue"

I'm forewarning you all that this is very wordy.

I was at Target today getting things for an activity at church, and I decided right then that I wanted some chocolate (I think it's menstrual-- sorry to any male readers including my husband, who is a male, so again, sorry to any male readers)... ANYWAY my favorite chocolate is Dove chocolates so I bought a bag. I got all the way through the check out and to the car before I opened them! And the following are the messages that they wrapped over this delectable treat(with my comments in italics):

Wrapper 1: "Share a chocolate moment with a friend"
I am my own best friend right now!

Wrapper 2: "Put your feet up and unwind"
I can't really do that since I'm driving... but that would be interesting!

Wrapper 3: "Patience is a Virtue"
If I had any patience, or self control for that matter, I wouldn't be on my third chocolate!

Wrapper 4: "Too much of a good thing is wonderful"
Okay... twist my arm!

Wrapper 5Come on... it said too much is a good thing: "Life is all about making memories"
The best way to memorialize these chocolate moments is to post them on my blog!

So there you have it, I ate 5 Dove chocolates today and they were GOOD! Now why I needed chocolates and why I'm not virtuous yet, but that much closer since I had to exercise extreme patience today. Today was the day to get Iris' Social Security Card. When your children are adopted, you have to apply for a new card AFTER you receive their birth certificate. We got this last week and today was the first day I could go. I HATE going to the SS office. Even if you get there when they open, there are a bunch of people ahead of you, they don't call you in order, and they almost ALWAYS tell you that you need more information.

I got there at 9:15am (they open at 9) and I had to check in. I had four options to choose (this is how they give you a number, it depends on why you are there). 1-- appointment--NOPE 2--Applying for SS benefits--NOPE 3--New SS card AND non-citizen--NOPE 4--All other matters. So I picked 4. And I waited... waited... waited. Iris was not cooperative. They won't allow drinks or snacks so she threw a fit when I denied her that. She wanted to read every pamphlet they had and eventually she fell off the chair and cut her lip. THAT WAS FUN! Have I mentioned before that Iris can SCREAM? Well she did and she just kept screaming and screaming and screaming. I cheated and offered her water. That helped. Eventually they called our number (like after an hour) and I found out I was waiting in the WRONG QUEUE. That's right. I pushed the wrong button. Don't know what I missed, but I missed something. So I go to a new window and she says, "I need another identifying document". UMMM NO YOU DON'T. Let me tell you by then I had had it. It was clear on their website information and the sheet she gave me they could take a birth certificate and adoption decree, but now she is saying because Iris is adopted they need something else. Luckily, I brought her blessing certificate. She tried to tell me that wouldn't work and I pointed out that their list says religious certificates. Guess who won?!? ME!! YAY and then they promptly (after sitting there for 15 minutes) processed the application.

THAT'S WHY I NEEDED CHOCOLATE!! IF I HAD TO GO HOME AND COME BACK I WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO EAT A WHOLE COW!

Now for promised updates:
Iris first. Iris falls down a lot. I can't explain it and no matter how hard I try, I can't prevent it. She walks on a straight, even floor and trips. She has bruises on her shins, arms, back, head, she's cut her lip numerous times and I just don't know what to do. My friend Rachel suggested a helmet. I'm not far from that plan. Just Tuesday as I was leaving a store, she would not take my hand so I walked ahead through the doors. My friend, Audge said, Oh no and I turned around to see Iris face plant between the sliding doors that were closing. Audge bravely stepped in front of the sensor before Iris got squished. Yep she got a nice goose egg bump on her eye from that one. I swear someone will report me for child abuse and there won't be enough Dove chocolate to make that go away!

In other Iris news, Iris has suffered 4-5 dislocated elbows on her left arm since the end of summer (this isn't helping our child abuse issues). So her doctor was concerned enough to refer us to an orthopedic doctor. We took her yesterday for X-rays, and she is just fine. He said it happens a lot at this age, and there isn't any damage to the joint or the bones that he can see. We just have to keep being careful not to pull her left arm and to hold her right hand. I don't even want to think about what that will cost, but I'm so glad she is okay and doesn't need more treatment. Iris also got sick a couple of weeks ago and has been doing breathing treatments. I suspect we will be doing these often as cold and flu season approaches. Thank goodness she is a good sport and actually enjoys doing her treatments. She is a big girl and holds the mask herself!

Abby news. Well there isn't much to update. She is still six, smart, sassy and squirrelly! She likes ballet and she is learning some moves. She just needs to remember to pay attention! She says she doesn't like her new school, but I think it is more that she doesn't like 1st grade. Who would? It isn't as fun as kindergarten and she actually has to LEARN stuff this year. But she goes every day and eats her lunch and does her homework and she is leaving sticks alone. Let me explain that last one. She got a bad behavior report sent home saying she was hitting a kid in the head with a stick (now I'm sure if the kid was a boy, he most likely deserved it, but I would NEVER say that to her). So she is NEVER allowed to play with sticks again and if she gets another bad behavior report sent home she loses her allowance.

Abby is doing her chores and just got paid for the first time. She's done pretty well with the responsibility and has the routine down to a quick science. Abby has lots of friends in the neighborhood and enjoys spending evenings outside playing with them. She also really loves her daddy's brownies.

Nate's news. Nate is still interviewing for a summer internship. He went to NY the other day (not top on my list, but an opportunity nonetheless). It was a quick trip up and back in one day. On the way home his plane was delayed for an hour while the President's plane landed. Here is a shot from Nate's window of Air Force One.



Nate is heading to SLC for interviews in a couple of weeks. He is planning on staying with his Grandpa Paulsen. Grandpa Paulsen isn't doing well right now and is having a colonoscopy today. Any prayers on his behalf and those of Nate's mom would be appreciated. He is a good man who is 92 and we all love him a lot.

My news. Well I ran 1.5 miles straight in 20 minutes a few weeks ago. Since I started teaching aerobics at the church, I've had a hard time getting up to run, but I've tried to do it at least twice a week. Yesterday I ran the 1.5 mile loop in my neighborhood in 18 minutes WOOHOO!! So that is quite an accomplishment. I also ended my 4 week sugar fast on September 15th. That was fun. I've enjoyed way too many sweets since then and I'm contemplating doing another one before Halloween, but I'm just not committed yet (at least not until the Dove is all gone). But all this attention to exercise and eating better has already paid off. I am, today, wearing a pair of pants I bought this summer that I could barely button. They are comfortably buttoned as I type this!

We are planning a trip to the beach with some friends in a couple of weeks. I am sooo looking forward to this even more so now that I know Nate will be interviewing most of the days before we leave. Abby is excited and Iris just doesn't know what to think. I'm sure when she has sand all up in her diaper parts, she'll have an opinion!

So here are some pictures for you to enjoy. There aren't many because I haven't taken many lately. I need to take more of Abby. She's sadly misrepresented... I'm the only one with less pictures of myself and that's because I'm taking them. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter in our saga of life. If just one person is entertained by our recent traumas, then it makes them almost worth it.. almost!

Iris giving herself a breathing treatment

Abby stepping in for a picture

Iris playing around at Lowe's

Iris visited the nursery on Sunday (she isn't quite 18 months, but with General and Stake Conferences coming up, I wanted to introduce her to the class)

I just wanted to give Nate the credit for taking the beautiful butterfly picture. This guy hung around a bush just off our back porch for a long time.

You know you need a vacation when...

Okay this is a quick one because I'm too lazy to upload pictures tonight. Someone on myMC message board started a thread that said, "You know you need a vacation when..." and everyone was supposed to put in examples of why they need a vacation. As I read the responses I was sad that I had nothing to contribute, as I really feel like I need a vacation, but their brain-dead type things just didn't apply to me. And then, today, it happened.

So, you know you need a vacation when you take one daughter to the doctor but put the other daughter's name on all the medical papers.

Yep, that happened to me today and all I could tell the nurse was that I needed more sleep. Thank goodness we are going to the beach in a couple of weeks!

I promise I will do a full, picture-laden update soon... you can trust me... remember my middle name (wink, wink).