Warped

This is a picture of me right after Lew and I got married in 1986 in front of our first basement aprartment in Provo. Check out the 80's do.



In our book club last month, we were discussing how the world perceives beauty and thinness as being so important. We also discussed how we perceive ourselves and how warped that perception usually is. I always considered myself to be a big fat tub of goo. Here is proof that I haven't always been. Since I thought it for so long I guess that is where I am now. I'm going to do some positive affirmations and change the tapes in my head. I am thin and lovely and of good report.

Civic Duty

Today I voted for a presidential candidate. I have very dear friends on both sides so I choose to keep my vote personal. I just did what I was told to do. I studied the issues and made the choice. Oh, yeah and then crossed my fingers.

Wander

I saw this great quote in a bookstore at the SLC airport. I wanted to remember it because it is very appropriate for me.

"Not all who wander are lost", J.R.R. Tolkein.

Prayer Rug

Since reading, The Life of Pi, and loving it, I have decided to take on some Hindu traditions. Don't freak out I think they are legal for Mormons. I took a colorful rug that was by my backdoor and made it my prayer rug. The Hindus pray five times a day and they face a certain direction (I forget which way). I am just going to face my bed because that is where I am going as soon as my prayer is over, maybe sooner. Don't worry I'm not going to roll up my rug and pack it to school with me and pray outside my trailer (portable). My bedroom is in the middle of a year long makeover and some of the carpet is gone so I kneeded (get it?) some padding for my knees.

I am also going to paint my bedroom orange which is the Hindu color of survival. Do Mormons have colors? Maybe beige?

Editors Note: I stand corrected. Apparently I am making up my own religion. Hindu/Muslim/Mormon. It is the Muslims who pray 5-7 times a day and they face towards Mecca. Sorry to all my Hindu friends.

One Step Closer

We started our kitchen remodel back in July. We knew it was going to take while but that was ok with us. I don't think the kitchen had been remodeled since the house was built in 1957. We found some nasty stuff.

Three weeks without running water in the kitchen was a long time. I had to do dishes the old fashioned way, in the tub. Just kidding. but I did do them in a bucket in the bathroom. We tried to eat out a lot but that gets old after a while. Notice the tile missing? Guess where our next remodel is? Not the bathroom, but it is on the list.

Stevie Wonder and his helper hard at work. Looks like Steve is doing all the work and Boy Wonder is observing.
The wire that tried to kill me.



Third time is a charm...We had to order the countertop three times from Lowe's. The first time it was wrongly measured. Kind of our fault, but kind of not. They ate the cost. They said they didn't have to but they would to keep our business. (I think everyone is desperate in this financial crisis.) The second time it came with a big gaping hole. The guy brought it out with his hand over it, like we wouldn't notice. Then he told Lew that he could fix it with a little epoxy, etc. Uh, no! They would take off $200. Uh, still no. Their fault. They reordered and said they would deliver it for free! Ok, we'll take that one. It was finally delivered Saturday and Stevie Wonder was able to install it. Isn't it beautiful? Makes me want to cry. Not really.

I had to clean it off already to take pictures for the blog. Four months without a countertop and I wanted to fill it up with STUFF right away. Next we have to put in the floor and then do a tile backsplash. Stay tuned.

All That Jazz

This morning was Jensen's first jazz band concert. We were lame parents and couldn't get a camera together to take pictures for this bloggable moment. This seems to be her passion, so I think we will have a plethora of opportunities.

I wasn't able to attend because I had my el-lame-o ESOL class. I'll try to think positive. We have a really fun group at our table. We all have about the same desire to be there and agree on the amount of effort to put into the assignments, which is minimal. I got in a good nap during the movie. We go to the Yalaha Bakery for lunch which is scrumptrulescent.

I finished reading "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls. It is a fascinating memoir of a deeply dysfunctional family. Personally, I thought it was a good read. A lot of it hit home, like the anarchist ideals of the father who would do the skedaddle when times got rough. If you are from dysfunction of any kind, then you will get a laugh or two out of the tale. If you are a crier you might cry. It has some strong yet, realistic language so I wouldn't recommend it for the younguns'

Tonight I signed up to be an indexer for familysearch.org maybe it will be my new addiction. It certainly won't hurt. I wonder if there is a 12-step program for people addicted to family history? Hmmmm.......

Parker is 17!

Who knew that Lew and I could produce such a beautiful child?

We thought our child might look like this

When Parker was born I remember thinking that if all babies were guaranteed to be this good, I would have a 100. (I'm glad they don't come with that guarantee.) I still would take a 100 Parkers. The things I like about Parker are: He's intelligent, he's an independant thinker, he makes me laugh, he's creative, he's athletic, and most important of all he's my baby boy.