CAN SOMEBODY CALL THE WHAAMBULANCE?


It all started when I woke up late. The night before, I set my alarm in a tired haze for the time I was supposed to meet my friend, Claire, to go running instead of allotting myself fifteen minutes to get ready and get there. So of course, I'm hustling my buns and after I brush my teeth, I pop my contact on my finger only to realize I still had some toothpaste there that got on my contact. That doesn't feel good. And I didn't have time to mess with such nonsense, so I thought to myself glasses it is. However, as I'm driving there, I'm thinking how much I hate how my glasses bob up and down on my nose while I'm running, so I thought that I'd do without the glasses completely. I mean, how bad could it be, right? It's not like I'm driving or need to see what my kids are doing. I can just calmly jog along side of Claire (who will tell me if I'm about to hit something) and enjoy the early morning ambiance made from the cool breeze and the amazing firework-like images only a combination hideous vision and head lights can provide. No problem.

As we get going, I find it's already proving to be harder than I thought to run without my glasses. Claire keeps getting cornered as I keep insisting we should turn at the end of each block because since I can't see what's at the end of the street, I just figure there isn't one. Thus, we should turn. At this point in our run we're cutting through a parking lot. I notice a little downward slope and grateful to be getting any help from gravity that I can, I slightly increase my speed. I believe, I was thinking something along the lines as ooooh, a little hill! Well, every hill has a bottom and at the bottom of this one was a gutter, to which I rolled my ankle, heard some funky tearing sound, rolled like a tumbleweed and laid there on my back holding my weak, noise-making ankle as I kept yelling/crying over and over, "Oh, it hurts, oh it's bad. Oh, it hurts, oh, it's bad." Claire patiently sat there with comforting comments as I told her to give me a minute to bawl. Which, I did. After that, I managed to stand up and to my utter relief a lot of the pain from the initial...roll, had subsided. Needless, to say that was the end of our run for the day. I know, I know, always trying to think of something to end the workout a little short.

I got home and reluctantly took off my shoe to watch my ankle slowly swell to the size of a golf ball. With Phil busy as a bee, I had no choice but to figure out mommyhood with a sprained ankle. It wasn't too bad. I found a way to gently walk on my foot without it hurting and managed quite nicely--until...

Ryder flooded the toilet.

I had actually just put him down for a nap and was fifteen minutes away from putting Penny down for hers. Finally, a nice solid break to elevate my foot. I go into the bathroom and notice an ample amount of TP in the toilet bowl. Knowing Phil is a stickler when it comes to wasting toilet paper, I knew it could have only been one other person. Not certain if it would clog the toilet or not, I thought I would give it a little flush. ~Sigh~ To make a long story short. It was clogged and (according to what my dad tells me) the flapper didn't close down, so not only did it overflow-but it kept running. And running.  Oh, but I fixed it. After exhausting every possible option, I finally got one of the many ways to stop an overflowing toilet to work.

And to top everything off. I had to get a root canal today. I mean, I'm not the type of person to have anxiety attacks or anything over going to the dentist, but I do hate it enough that I have a pit in my stomach for the two days leading up to the procedure.

So here I sit, with a fat face and a fat ankle and right after I have some cheese to go with my whine, I'd like to issue the following statements:

  1. I apologize to Claire for having to watch me dramatically, writhe in pain atop the cold black asphalt at 6:30 in the morning.
  2. I'd like to thank Claire, for making me promise to never run without my glasses or contacts again.
  3. I'd like to thank the towels, for being great in number and nearby.
  4. And, yes, I'd like to thank Ryder, for only filling the toilet with TP and nothing else.
  5. I apologize to my Phil and my dad for the voice mails of me freaking out over my toilet flooding and me mumbling in, again, a dramatic manner, over and over. "I just don't know what to do." (That wouldn't have had to happen if one of you would have answered your phone--just sayin')
  6. And well, Mr. Endodontist, even though I'm very grateful none of those hair-like files you used broke off in my tooth, I think you should be grateful to me too because with you, I was actually quite brave.

ME...IN A NUTSHELL

So I was called into YW as an advisor this last Sunday and for our activity tomorrow night we're having a get-to-know your new leaders activity to which our President asked us if we'd list 10 thing about ourselves. Here are mine.

1. I hate the dentist and I have to get a root canal on Thursday.
2. I wish that in college I would have majored in interior design or graphic design instead of public relations
3. Both of my children were born on the ****. (Too much personal info for the 'ol blog--ya know what I'm sayin')
4. I have an uber crush on my husband who occasionally uses his boyish charm get out of trouble.
5. I'm related to Marilyn Monroe thru my mom's paternal side. Distantly--but still--I'm related!
6. I would be lying if I haven't daydreamed a time or two about being a totally awesome (and of course, famous) rockstar.
7. I LOVE milk. Milk and rootbeer are my favorite beverages. But not at the same time or together. Gross.
8. I wish I would have taken piano lessons and learned how to sew while growing up.
9. I once had to go to the doctor because I was applying some store bought, acrylic (fake) nails and the glue squirted out of the side of the bottle and into my eye. I had to wear a patch over said eye for an entire day.
10. I love my home. I love the people in it and I love making it a place where they love to be.

JUST ME AND MY DAD

One of Phil and Ryder's favorite books to read together is "Just Me and My Dad" by Mercer Mayer from The Little Critter Series. In short it tells a story from a sons perspective about a camping trip with his dad.

So when the ward was having a father and son camp out, there was a father/son duo in this house very excited to go.

Fortunately, the book was a very good informant for Ryder on how a father/son camping trip should work.

Daddy drove the car because Ryder was too little.

Ryder helped setting up the tent.

They ate their picnic dinner from mommy (that's me).

They roasted marshmallows by the fire.

Ryder got to run around with a flashlight in the dark with a bunch of other little tykes.

They read stories.

And they got to sleep in a tent together all night long.



The next morning they even went on a little hike.



However, thanks to the book, Phil did have to do some smart talking when they didn't go on a canoe ride and that they got to watch people fish instead of went fishing themselves :)

With this walking around, I just might have to tag along next time!


LOVE IT

I don't pretend to know a lot about the particulars of interior design. I don't even profess to know a lot about (whatever the opposite of particulars is). However, I do know what I love. Time and time again, I'll see a certain style and think, I am totally going to make that my style.

It never works.

Why? Because I am ardently loyal to the mediums (colors, furniture, accessories) I love. Not you, not them, not the designer in the magazine--me. And by "ardently loyal" I mean what I love right now because in 5 years it could totally be out of style. Or as is my case right now, I'm "ardently loyal" to what I have to work with on a student budget with an old grandpa house as my canvas. It's a loose term, but you know what I'm saying.

I speak of being loyal to what I love because I am sometimes surprised by how first-sight, no questions asked, can't-quit-thinking-about-it smitten I can get with a piece. And that is why I love this game.

The first time this happened to me was with these babies. I got them from estate sale on Craigslist. I believe I got them both for $40. I didn't know until after purchasing them, what solid, well-made pieces of furniture they were. I know it's weird to love night stands with all of my heart, but I shall take them with me where ever I go.

I had similar heart-felt moment the other day. This time with a rug (featured above). I was perusing Caitlin Creer's blog and came across this entry aimed to help you spice up your college dorm/apartment. I thought, forget dorm! How about my future living room! I liked so many many of her ideas in this post (I'm seriously thinking of flirting with the navy/cream damask chair)--but, I loved the rug.

It is the quintessential solution and inspiration piece to the battle I have with loving color vs. not wanting my living room to look like Salma Heyak and Matthew Perry's house in the movie "Fools Rush In". Plus, I love the print. Isn't it beautiful. Dang you Anthropologie! Like any real college freshmen would ever have a $400 rug. I mean really. Maybe I could afford the 2 x 3...but you can bet no one would be wiping their feet on that welcome mat.

PHASE: INSPIRED

 I call this photo: Contemplating within a messy bedroom

I feel so inspired lately. I feel inspired to get organized. I feel inspired to be creative. I feel inspired to be a better mom. I feel inspired to make my house beautiful. I feel inspired to be a better missionary.  (I mean, look at that hyperlinking!)

I think a lot of it has to do with being home. Nothing brings me more joy than being in and making my home. There is something about it that brings me great peace, and therefore, hope and joy. All of which allow me to feel motivated and inspired to be my best self.

But I don't know if I would currently be infused with such inspiration had it not been for our crazy travels these past few months. I saw a lot of things. Things I wanted and things I didn't want. All things I could categorize from incredibly superficial to highly spiritual and everything in-between.

But now, I'm home*. I am in my fortress. And feel as though I can start putting those things into action.

Pros: I love feeling hopeful and inspired. It gives me the motivation to get things crossed off my list. Besides myself, I like to think my family and those I love benefit from these lofty aspirations I set for myself. Another motivational factor :)

Cons: I often feel very overwhelmed by the person I hope to be some day and a little frustrated with who I am now and the long journey I have before I'm able to reach my goals. Do you ever feel that way?

Here are some of the goals I hope to channel said inspriation into this week:
1. Go to lds.org and renew my Ensign subscription (conference is coming, people) add on the Friend for Ryder (at what age did you start getting the Friend for your children?) and a FHE manual (I'm hoping this make me better at having FHE. I hear it has magical powers), oh and of course, some unders for good measure. Who doesn't feel like conquering the world with fresh unders?
2. Practice my guitar. Something that goes so easy to the bottom of my priority list. But it's something that makes me very happy and a whatever talent I do have in it, I would really like to keep it.
3. Get my babies better. This week my best girl got the stomach flu and my best boy got a cold. And now they've decided to switch, or rather, they both have both now...nice. Please tell me by this time next week they'll both be as good as new.
4. Get on the computer less while my kids are awake. Wait. Does it matter how much I'm on while they're asleep? Baby steps, people, baby steps. This one was inspired by a talk given by Sis. Beck at our multi-huge stake conference today. She's not afraid to tell it like it is. Love her.
5. Go to bed. Now.

I know. You thought it was going to be more exciting than that. But hey, we've all got to start somewhere.

*I know "home" is wherever your loved ones are or whereever you hang your hat, yada-yada, but I'm talking about the home that I know we'll be in for more than 12 weeks, the home with my THINGS, my son's toys, my daughter's cute nursery, my bed! for heaven's sake! Call me superficial, but I have my space and I have a routine built for that space and that is that.

GETTING SETTLED

 1. Ryder and Phil on our Labor Day picnic up Provo Canyon. 2. Ryder and Penny like to bounce together.

We've been home (and have stayed here) for a little over a week now and for some reason it has taken a lot more work than I thought to get settled back in.  If your curious, here are all of the things we've been up to, that have taken me a lot longer than had hoped to get back into the swing of things...

  • Getting unpacked. I really didn't think we had taken that much stuff to NY. But man, it took me days to find everything it's right place--and after I did put something away in a closet or drawer, it somehow magically made that said closet or drawer an chaotic mess. Really, it was magic.
  • Files and paperwork. Still working on getting 3 months of mail and paperwork organized. I did buy myself a new file storage container. Such things make me happy therefore has given me the necessary motivation to do such a mundane, but rather necessary task. 
  • Taking care of Penelope after she got sick with a number of ailments.
  • Taking care of Ryder and myself after we both caught a throat virus (fever and sore throats). I have a theory. Have you ever had periods of your life that you're  are crazy busy where you're going, going, going, and then the second things calm down, you get sick. I call "After the crazy sickness". That's totally what happened to us.
  • Getting my exercise regiment planned out. This takes a bit of effort if you know the only way you'll work out is if it's with someone else.
  • Getting Penny's sleeping schedule figured out. She is doing so good! Yay, Penelope!
  • Figuring out our budget for the upcoming school year. A personal favorite. 
  • Organizing and switching out Ryder and Penny's summer and fall clothes.

 
The one good thing about getting sore throats together? Eating ice cream together!

Have I bored you to tears yet. Talk about not fun. But still needed done. Sigh. And maybe now I've got a few of those things under control, I can start doing the funner items on my list:
  • Buying Penny and Ryder some new fall items :)
  • Get a couple of Halloween decoration crafts going
  • Decorate my new files container bin. Just kidding...maybe...
  • Watch movies. (Now that Penelope goes to bed the same time Ryder does, I can do that)
  • Read books. I just finished "The Help" (so good) and have a long list of books I can't wait to dig into.
  • Work on my RS lesson. Super happy about getting that calling again after we were away for the summer.
  • Have fun watching and helping with Ryder's little preschool group. It's just a little group that some MBA wives put together for our little 3 year or almost-3-year-olds, so nothing fancy, just fun.
  • Oh yeah, update my blog.


Oh, that little girl...

(She is actually wearing Phil's old cowboy boots that he wore when he was little. Can we say vintage? I'm hoping to get her in 'em in a few shots of our family photos we're taking in a couple of weeks)