The Red Bull Disaster

I just returned from a wonderful trip to Arizona for Emily's wedding. It was fun to see cousins and aunts and uncles that I don't get to see on a regular basis. It was a hot reunion/wedding but it was well worth it. Lots of driving, lots of screaming babies but to trump the negatives there was lots of air conditioning, lots of swimming, lots of good food, family, and laughs. I was able to float the Salt River with Diane, Phil, Zack, Sheridan, Hannah, Caleb, Julie, Clark, Emily, Mike & Company. I was also able to do baptisms with Clark, Julie, Hannah, Caleb, and Uncle Tom in the Mesa temple. It was an all-around good time.

Tomorrow it is back to work. Back to ear plugs, gloves, grass, and weed whackers. The best part of my job though is my coworkers. I really enjoy everyone I work with. I enjoyed my coworkers last summer too but it took me a little while to feel comfortable with everyone. Since the majority of the people I work with were there last summer I had no problems fittin' right in. On the first day I remember lookin' over everyone and wondering how this summer was going to go. I scoped out the new males: looked for rings, checked out smiles, and listened to language. I found one boy in particular, Martin*, that caught my eye and I thought to myself, "I think I need to get to know that one better."

As the first week of work progressed I realized we would be working on different crews all summer, he on irrigation and me on mowing. "BUMMER! Hopefully I will get to open bathrooms with him one Saturday. That'll be at least two hours of conversation; a good ice-breaker opportunity" I thought to myself.

Friday rolled around and my boss called me into his office. "I need you to open bathrooms on Saturday." FABULOUS! "Not a problem. Who am I opening with?" I waited in anticipation and when the name Martin rolled off his lips I almost died with excitement. This is too good to be true! My boss called Martin into his office and told him we'd be opening bathrooms together the next morning. "See you at 6:30, Martin" I said. "6:30?! That's so early! You better bring treats! Or better yet, bring me a Red Bull!" We laughed and I thought to myself, "This'll be the best unlocking of bathrooms I've ever experienced."

My alarm went off on Saturday and I headed to Albertson's. I'm going to play it smooth. I bought a Red Bull, a couple of doughnuts, and a Diet Mt. Dew for myself. When I got to the Service Center I climbed into the truck and put the Red Bull in Martin's cup holder. When he saw it he exclaimed, "You really bought me a Red Bull? I was just kidding! Now I feel bad!" "Oh, not a problem. It really isn't a big deal. I was getting some stuff for myself so I thought, 'why not?'" I smoothly replied. "It's even one of the big ones. Those are expensive. I definitely owe you." "It was on sale if that makes you feel any better. It really isn't a big deal." I was starting to feel a little embarrassed about it. Luckily he just cracked it open and started drinking.

We started on the south end of town making friendly chit-chat about school and work and our interests. Conversation was easy and this guy was pretty witty. I was feeling pretty darn good about the way things were looking. We were about half-way done and on our way up Logan Canyon when I decided it was time to ask the golden question. "So you datin' anyone?" Here it comes. He's totally got a girlfriend. All the good ones are taken. "Actually, I'm married." "REALLY?!?!?! I had no idea...how long have you been married?" With a huge grin on his face he said, "Two years. We're expecting our first baby, a little girl, in October." "Awesome. That's really cool." Silence. Silence. More silence. We got to Second Dam and I went to unlock the women's restroom. I was completely baffled! I had no idea! There was not a ring on his finger and he never mentioned anything about a wife. I continued kicking myself in disbelief. Not only do I feel dumb for being so friendly and chatty but I just bought a married man a drink!

As I walked out of the bathroom I had to give myself a little pep-talk. "Ok. So that was weird. That really sucks; but you have to be smooth. Don't be awkward, don't be awkward. If he hasn't figured it out already being awkward will totally give it away. Be smooth!" We got back in the car and I continued chanting "Don't be awkward. Don't be awkward." and I asked him how he met his wife. We eventually eased back into comfortable conversation.

Weeks later we're all sitting in the break room eating lunch and one of guys asks, "Martin, what's that you wear around your neck?" "Oh, it's my wedding ring. I was only able to wear it for a few months before my fingers got too fat." Wedding rings belong on the ring finger for a reason, dude!

Although I was mortified, it makes for a good story. And I am sure he and his wife had quite a good laugh when he got home. I'm always happy to provide the entertainment.

I guess this just goes to show that it's true: all the good ones are taken.

*Name changed in order to save face

Justy Wusty

Happy Birthday, Justin! It's a few days early (actual birthday is June 29) because of the family reunion/wedding in Arizona this week. Here's something for Justin that he probably doesn't know:

I have always looked up to Justin. Growing up I tried to do things that would please him and that would make him think I was a pretty dang cool little sister. He always wrestled with Kim to the point that she would be in tears and run in circles around Mom while trying to get away. I laughed and laughed and acted glad that it wasn't me; but inside I was secretly hoping for that kind of attention. The most I got was a "box out!" while I was standing in a corner in the kitchen. Or a "Wanna box?" as he started lightly punching me in the arms.

As we got older Justin and Kim had a certain bond as they attended the same high school and knew the same people. Justin and I didn't really have a relationship as brother and sister until he returned from Brazil. It was after his experience away that our relationship blossomed. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I was so close to Ashley.

Today I still look up to Justin. I love listening to him talk about politics and sports and movies. His point of view makes me think and helps me to form opinions of my own. He's a thinker and a good example of doing what he believes or knows to be right even when it differs from everyone else.

His passion for sports is something I really admire. Some may scowl or shrug and call his passion a ridiculous obsession-but I LOVE it! It is one of the things that I love most about him. I think it's funny that his feet sweat during a tense game, or that he has binders full of basketball cards, or shoe boxes full of starting line-ups. He's taught me the importance of passion.

I swear Justin actually glowed on his wedding day. Something about Ashley completed him and it was evident in his eyes and in his aura. He's an amazing father and takes good care of his little boys. I have seen levels of patience I didn't know existed until Taylor and Braxton were born.

My favorite thing about Justin though is that he respects me. He respects me as a woman, a sister, an aunt, and a human being. For that I am most thankful.

Justin turns 26 on Sunday; 22 years of being my older brother. Happy birthday, Justin. Keep up the good work!

The End

I finished my online special education class today! I took my final at 4:00. I missed five points out of fifty and I didn't review anything prior to the exam. It feels so nice to not have to worry about due dates or assignments and it feels even better to know that I can do something without feeling like I am procrastinating. I have two weeks of no homework, no tests, no readings, etc. Two weeks of freedom from school! My summer courses are half over and it feels nice. Two weeks of actual summer. Part of that time will be spent working and the other part will be spent in Arizona for Emily's wedding.

Online classes aren't my favorite, especially when they are structured online classes. Structure makes procrastination really difficult. I took the class online thinking it would be self-paced and I could sit down and do it all and be done-not the case with this course. But it's over and I'm free!

Woot woot! Woot woot! Woot woot!

The Love of My Life

Don't get too excited-it's not a boy. Don't worry either-it's not a girl. This is the love of my life:

A Stihl FS 80R

Weird? Let me explain. I like control. I like power. I like the smell of gasoline. I like being outside. I love instant results. This beautiful creation satisfies all of those things for me.

I absolutely love my job. I really enjoy my coworkers. I love feeling the summer sun all day long. And I love being in control of a weed whacker. I worked for Logan City last summer and I really enjoyed it. That was my first summer trimming and push mowing. I loved it so much I came back for more.

When I lived at home I told my dad I wanted to try mowing the lawn. He said "Okay. Mow from here to there." I took over and thought I was doing pretty good. When I finished the strip he said with love and patience, "Alright. That was crooked. You're done." So the only time I touched a lawn mower after that was to help Clark load it into the back of his truck.

Logan City decided to give me a second chance. After many crooked lines and a few lessons on weed whacking, I now have the practice down pat. I can whack a straight line rather quickly and I enjoy every minute of it.

Last week they decided to train me on the riding mower a.k.a. the Toro or technically the Groundsmaster 325-D (it's an odd picture but that most accurate of all of the results)

Mowing with a riding mower isn't hard. However, there are so many things that can go wrong that I get nervous every time I climb on. I felt pretty good about my semi-straight lines last week. I didn't run the mower off the trailer, I didn't destroy any trees, and I didn't even come close to crashing.

I showed up for work on Monday just a wee bit late. My boss and supervisor asked, "So how you feelin' with the Toro?" To which I responded, "Okay, I guess." They followed up with "Did you have any problems? Would you like to mow again?" I excitedly replied, "No problems. You bet I'd like to mow again!" Then the big question: "How would you feel about mowing a difficult park? It's not too bad. Just lots of trees and roots and chain link fences." I hesitated and then, "I would feel okay about it if I was under close supervision." They laughed and said "How about no supervision?" And I gave a timid, "S-s-s-sure." So off I went. I mowed for two days straight and I really enjoyed it. I leave work feeling like I haven't done anything but sit around all day. So I think I'm ready to get back to weed whacking. I have a hard time feeling as powerful with a riding mower as I do with my weed whacker. The mower can throw me off and run into the pond whereas I can throw my trimmer into the pond. I feel much better being in control.

A couple of guys I work with have actually named their trimmers. I have yet to cross the line from weird-love to personifying-my-weird-love. Just remember, there are stranger things than loving to whack weeds.

The Play List

In honor of Father's Day I have created a CD for Dad. Each song is a memory, a favorite of his, or a song I think he would enjoy. I decided to post the play list of the "Happy Father's Day" CD.

1. Everything I Own (Bread): Dad's favorite Bread song and the song is all about Bread's father so of course it belongs on a Father's Day CD.
2. Encarnacion (Nacho Libre): Dad's favorite movie. We laugh about and sing this song often.
3. Big Girls Don't Cry (Fergie): I don't particularly enjoy this song and I don't know if Dad does either, but we laugh about it because the words are so dumb "I miss you like a child misses its blanket..."
4. Kansas City (Oklahoma): Dad knows all of the words to this song. As soon as I start singing it he joins right in and fills in all of my blanks.
5. Chiquitita (Abba): When I was little I would dance with Dad to this song. Our dance consisted of bouncing up and down in a circle with our arms to our sides and our hands pointed straight out.
6. Outbound Plane (Suzy Boggus): Dad was the one that got me hooked on Suzy Bogguss and this was the first song on her album. We listened to her often when we lived in Moses Lake.
7. Point of Light (Randy Travis): We listened to a lot of Randy Travis. I loved him as a little girl and I was sure I was going to marry him. We listened to Randy on road trips. When we got this album and this song began to play, Dad took his hands off the wheel and waved his arms back and forth to the beat of the chorus. It became a family favorite/joke really quick.
8. Tequila Sunrise (The Eagles): Dad's favorite song by the Eagles. I think about him every time I hear it.
9. The Music of the Night (The Phantom of the Opera): We listened to a lot of The Phantom of the Opera on our road trips. I don't know which song is his favorite, but I really enjoy this one.
10. Forever and Ever Amen (Randy Travis): I was convinced that I would marry Randy Travis when I got older. We listened to a lot of Randy Travis in Pocatello and Moses Lake. And let's face it, I'm going to love Dad forever and ever.
11. Diary (Bread): I never really listened to the words of this song until Dad pointed them out to me. Now I think about him when I hear it.
12. Thank Goodness (Wicked): Dad's favorite song from the musical, Wicked.
13. Dream Big (Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band): This is a song I think Dad would enjoy. It's got good lyrics and the blue grass sound Dad enjoys.
14. Invisible (Taylor Swift): Dad's and my favorite song from this album.
15. Somewhere in my Broken Heart (Randy Travis): Again with Randy. I cried when I found out he got married. Kim and I loved this song. We listened to Randy during road trips. When the song ended we would chirp "Again!" and Dad would have to rewind the tape for us.
16. Finale (Les Miserables): We also listened to Les Miserables on road trips but also on Saturday mornings while cooking breakfast. I don't know his favorite song from this musical so I picked one that I love.
17. Lyin' Eyes (The Eagles): This is my favorite Eagles' song and I wouldn't have fallen in love with it if Dad hadn't introduced me to the Eagles.
18. Go the Distance (Hercules): Dad used this song/video clip for a seminary lesson when he taught in California. I think of him when I see/hear this song.
19. Ah-Ha (Rigoletto): This song isn't really called Ah-Ha but that's how I refer to it. There's a part in the song where someone repeatedly sings "Ah-Ha Ah-Ha Ah-Ha..." I didn't enjoy opera until Dad introduced me to Rigoletto. I remember that this song stood out in my mind because of all of the ah-has and I was intrigued. When he put on opera I didn't fight it. I listened to it and I fell in love.
20. For Good (Wicked): This is one of my favorites from the soundtrack because it's the way I feel all the time about the people I meet in my life. Because of Dad, I have been changed for good.

Thanks for 22 years of talks, laughs, drives, fires, moves, camping trips, hikes, meals, jokes, and music. Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Together Again

Ray and Cassie drove up this weekend to meet up with Rory, Colette, and myself. We had planned on having a friendly camping reunion but it was too cold and rainy on Friday afternoon. Everything was wet and setting up camp would have been absolutely miserable. Instead of camping we built a fire in my awesome backyard. We roasted hot dogs over the fire (which I am pretty sure I had never done before), made s'mores, and lit a few firecrackers. We spent the rest of the evening playing our own version of "Tip of the Tongue"; a fun game I had never played before. The questions are really easy and the answers are supposed to come quickly but sometimes hard to get out because the answer is on the tip of your tongue (hence the name of the game). We enjoyed ourselves and I think Rory and Ray saw a side of me they've never seen before. It was late and I was tired and I had quite a few blond moments. Let's just say I definitely provided some entertainment.

We woke up on Saturday trying to decide what to do with our day. Colette's knee was too sore to hike and Rory was too lazy so we sat around my house for a few hours attempting to make a decision. Ray finally decided that we should go shooting so we grabbed some delicious sandwiches from Old Grist Mill and headed up Providence Canyon.

It's a beautiful canyon and we enjoyed our lunch. Ray and Colette shot a little and the rest of us opted out.

This particular gun was a new addition to Rory's growing collection and it looked a little too intimidating for me so I just watched. After Ray and CoCo had their fun, I explored a wee bit in the creek.

The water was FREEZING!

We drove farther up the canyon and it was a beautiful drive. Rory handled the rough terrain well. The drive was gorgeous, the music loud, and the company entertaining.

We continued the day with going to see "Made of Honor" which was a total mistake in my opinion. We ended the day with beef enchiladas, corn bread, and "Matchstick Men".

The weekend didn't go as planned but it was a wonderful little reunion. We quoted lots of movies, shared a variety of stories, had a couple of good debates, and just enjoyed being together again.

"Look Who's Back From the Dead"

I am alive. I have survived. Life will go on. But I dare say it felt pretty touch-and-go from Saturday evening until Monday morning. I went out to dinner with some friends on Saturday night and attributed the tummy ache to overeating. The funny thing was that I really hadn't eaten a whole lot at dinner. Around 8:00 I felt like I was going to explode so I went for a walk with some girlfriends. Throughout the walk my tummy rumbled and about halfway through I received an urgent alert from the cellar...but no bathroom in sight. I clenched and continued and the alert went away. We turned around and headed home.

About half a block from my house I received a cry from my stomach. I started getting the sweaty palms and the extra saliva production in my buccal cavity. Luckily, it too went away. The cellar screamed out again and I ran into my house and straight to the bathroom. "Whew. Let's hope that solved things," I thought as I greeted Colette and Cassie at the door. My neighbor, Ben, came up to borrow a movie and while we were chatting I felt the sweaty palms and the extra saliva. I politely excused myself, went into the bathroom, and hurled everything I had eaten in what felt like my entire life. I brushed my teeth and returned to continued my conversation with Ben. Once Ben left I said to my roommates, "Surely that's the end of it."

About fifteen minutes into a movie the squirts were back. I ran in, did my business, and walked out. I turned around and walked back in and threw up. I wiped my mouth and walked out. I turned around and walked back in and squirted some more. I surrendered to the couch feeling like death, not knowing the worst was yet to come. After about five or six times of sitting on the toilet, I decided my tooshy was way too sore to keep going like this so I clenched with all of my might for the rest of the night. It wasn't possible to keep my mouth shut; believe me, I tried. I went to bed with a garbage can, a box of Kleenex, and a throw-up bowl.

I woke up once every hour (sometimes twice) grabbed the bowl, dry heaved, removed the matted hair from my forehead, wiped my mouth, trashed the Kleenex, replaced the bowl, and collapsed on my mattress wondering when it would end. Around 4:30 I was so dehydrated and wanting water but knew I should wait to see if I had finished throwing up. I called Dad for comfort only to discover that he and Julie were experiencing the same rotten death bed as myself.

About 8:30 Sunday morning the retching stopped and the diarrhea sensations slowed down. I planted myself in front of the couch and was in and out of sleep for the greater part of the day. I did feel well enough around 12:00 to hold an Activities Committee meeting, which lasted about fifteen minutes, at my house. I spent the rest of the day feeling trampled by elephants and wondering how I could ever bring myself to eat another deli-meat sandwich. I went to bed with out optimistic thoughts of attending work the next day.

I skipped work on Monday because my tummy was still a little unhappy with me and my bowels were too loose for comfort. Because of the ailing tummy I didn't eat a whole lot on Monday resulting in skipping work on Tuesday due to lack of energy. After a hearty potato bar for dinner last night, I felt energized and ready to get back to life. Kim had e-mailed to inform us of the Salmonella outbreak. After matching every symptom listed in the e-mail, I was convinced that I was an innocent victim of Salmonella from tomatoes. (I don't even EAT tomatoes! That's how innocent I was/am!)

Today was my first day back to work. I forgot to set my alarm for 5:45 but woke up at 6:11, still giving me enough time to get to work only a few minutes late. I shared my horrible experience with interested co-workers, welcomed their sympathies, and moved right along with my day. I completed a full day of work, taught two piano lessons, and even did the lowest level aerobic workout. My tummy still feels a little out of whack; it hurts occasionally, isn't quite ready for all of the food I enjoy oh-so-much (which is probably okay) and the insurmountable amount of air that gurgles through my intestines is a wee bit uncomfortable at times, but overall I'm feeling better.

The best news of the day/week (so far): I had my first solid poop since Saturday afternoon! This is improvement. This is a good thing. Who wouldda thunk I'd ever be so excited about such a thing?

Celebrating 24 Years of Life

Happy Birthday, Kim! As tribute to your birthday I have made a list of 24 random nicknames, games, and sayings we have exchanged in honor of your 24 years of life.

1. "Hey Crazy" I would say. Kim would respond with "Hey Beautiful"

2. Kimbo the Bimbo

3. Travel Agent-that was a fun game

4. We'd fight and Kim would end it with "The best two years of my life were the two years before you were born!"

5. Church Material Center-if I remember correctly this is a game we only played once and it sure didn't last long. We set everything up and actually played for about five minutes before Kim said "I'm bored. Let's clean up."

6. We played restaurant all the time

7. We built forts under the ping pong table and played house

8. Playing Barbies-we played this one a lot and neither of us ever wanted to be the mom so we would always say our parents had died

9. "It's tradition"-I won't elaborate on this one, but Kim knows what I'm talking about

10. Taking inventory-at our condo in Hawaii Kim rolled over and hit the closet and when I asked what she were doing over there she said "I'm taking inventory"

11. Cucumber Melon-the scent of Hawaii. Neither of us liked the scent, but Kim used it throughout our Hawaii trip

12. Add-On/Telephone/Tricks-we spent tons of time playing this game on the tramp

13. "I love what you do for me, Toyota!"

14. Dancing with the Hertz Dance Company-"It's a beautiful life! oh oh oh", "I scream you scream we all scream for ice cream", "We go together", "This is the moment", "One brick at a time", "Shenanigans, that's me!"

15. Stop! In the name of love-I still remember that trampoline dance, we were pretty darn creative

16. Croquet-days upon days were spent playing this game in Moses Lake and in Danville, it was a good way to spend the summer days

17. "The Haunting"-probably my first really scary movie and Adam Dubrow tried to hold Kim's hand!

18. No Bake Cookies-we attempted to make them once when Mom was gone and we ruined them, she made us throw them out (it was all crummy; forming cookies was impossible!)

19. Cooking Shows-Mom even let us pre-measure the ingredients one time

20. I loved that Kim's birthdays were before mine because then I could ask for everything she got so I wouldn't have to borrow hers anymore (example: moon shoes)

21. Climbing trees in the park across the street in Moses Lake and getting sap all over our hands

22. Entertaining each other on our many road trips-"Open/Close", "Bicycle", "Car"

23. Setting Kim up on the worst blind date EVER-sorry about that!

24. Waking up in the morning, doing workbooks, putting on our bathing suits and playing outside in our bathing suits until it was time to take a bath that evening. We were the tannest little girls I've ever seen