Happy Hilaween!!

Oh my what a busy week! I have spent every day helping Christina pack and clean and move. And I'm so sore! I have been doing a lot of heavy lifting. Thankfully I have a strong brother (named Bradymus) with a truck who also was there. Tomorrow is the final day, and we have to have everything done by noon. Phew! All that's left is a little bit more cleaning. I think moving is like having a baby (from what I understand). You forget how awful it is until you're doing it again. Because I seriously forget every time. And, for the record, I turn into a monster when I'm under stress and under a time crunch. Isn't that terrible?!? Ugh, I know I'm awful. I become the drill seargant my dad accuses me of being. On the plus side, the job get done :).

Although, you do get a lot of battle scars. Check out this one, which I got while pinching my arm in the door of my car repeatedly while trying to shut the door with my arms full of stuff:


Oh! And here's a story for you. Some days I wonder what the heck I'm doing in Washington, because there are a lot of crazies here. Take last night for example. All of us working our patoots off trying to get Christina and Nick moved kept us without dinner. So, on one run, I rode with Brad and we stopped by Pizza Hut to pick up a few pizzas for all of us to eat as we worked. So while Brad and I were sitting there waiting for our pizzas, Brad gets up to use the restroom because his contact was bothering him. Meanwhile, some guy comes in and orders pizza. The girl asks for his number. He makes this huge ordeal about the whole thing, saying everybody wants his number (which I doubt, he wasn't a great catch or anything) and that she doesn't need to get it and that if she wants to sell him a pizza, she'd better figure out how to do it without his number, because she doesn't need it. Good grief! So, in the end, she just said he was dining in and told him she'd put in a box. What a psycho. I hate to tell him, but I'm pretty sure if anyone wanted info on him bad enough, they could get it, whether he gives out his number to pizza hut or not. Anyway, so while this is occurring, a couple in their 50s or so is getting up to leave. The woman stops in front of me (remember, Brad is in the bathroom) and says, "Does your mother know you're out in practically bare feet and no sweater?!?" Ummmm.... "I'll be 28 tomorrow." Is what I was thinking. Also I was thinking, "I can't believe you just stopped and said that to a complete stranger." But, I smiled and politely said, "Oh, she probably assumes it. We pretty much grew up like this. See, my brother looks the same way." And I pointed at Brad, who was walking my way in flip flops and short sleeves. Weirdos. Besides, we weren't even the slight bit cold, what with all the moving we'd been doing! Plus, I think my body is acclimating well. It's been pretty chilly in the evenings and mornings here, so it was probably in the 50s last night when we were berated for our poor clothing choice, but I didn't notice the cold. Anyway, lots of weirdos. Hahahaha... A story for me and Brad to look back on in 10 years and laugh. More than we did already ;).

Today was my 28th birthday. Julie tried to convince me it was my 30th or 31st. I think not. 28. I'm stopping there, in case anyone is interested. Anyway, I made my list of things I had to take with me this morning, because I knew it would be a hectic day. Thank goodness for lists! I'd be lost without them :). I left the house about 9:30, much later than I had hoped to, but it was for a good cause. (Although sleep is a good cause, it was not the reason in this instance ;0)). Anyway, I picked Christina up at the new apartment (thank goodness we moved all the big stuff last night, since it was a rainy day today!). We headed over to the old apartment to get the smaller things I could fit in my car. And then Mom got there, though she has come down with a mild cold, so poor Mom, she's tired. Anyway, we all went to the new apartment once we'd loaded up the cars, so Mom got to see the new apartment. I really like it. It's cozy. I wanted to stay on the couch and never leave. But, that could be because I was tired with a capital T. But, I was on a time crunch (and starting to stress at this point). The food still had to be made! Ugh! I still had to buy some of the ingredients!!! Double-ugh! So, we all head back to Christina's and I help load Mom's car one more time. Pretty much everything but the cleaning supplies was moved. So yay! But, I left and went to Wal-Mart. Okay, so I have a new rule: If you are a Wal-Mart, but aren't a Super Wal-Mart, you shouldn't exist at all. Why? Because. I have spent 10 years learning that Wal-Mart is a one-stop shopping place. And I needed leggings for my costume, so I had to go to a place with more than groceries. Well, the Wal-Mart here isn't a Super. So, they didn't have pizza dough, olives, pizza sauce, produce, and several other things you'd think they would have. I was annoyed. Mostly because I was in a hurry. You can ask Julie. She called me when I was wandering around Safeway (grocery store) like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find the stuff I couldn't find at Wal-Mart. Also, neither store had food coloring. At least not as far as I could see. Question: what kind of grocery store doesn't have food coloring? Answer: the same kind that doesn't have Little Debbie's ;)!!! (That was for Julie :)). Good thing Tarylyn had some! Anyway, so I talked to Julie (who called for my birthday!) until my phone died. Then I headed to Brad's. And got busy helping them clean and cook! So, here are the yummies!!! We had a fabulous menu, though you need to know we did do a lot of learning for how to do things better (and more in advance) next year! So, start here with the decorations (the kids did a great job, didn't they?) and then take a look at the yummy food!


The whole family was present. Well, the whole family in Washington, of course. It was wonderful fun! And we took lots of pictures!!! Here's the break-down of costumes:
Grandma and Grandpa didn't come dressed up, but they both wore their brightly-colored vests, which were great! Mom came in her pajamas. Including slippers. Sean had vampire teeth and a sword, but beyond that, I don't know if he was anyone in particular. Tony was a 70s disco guy. Royce was a commando. I was an 80s chick (check out the leggings, the jean jacket and the jean skirt! I am pretty sure that skirt is mis-sized, because it says it's a size 10, and I have NEVER been that size, but hey... if it's going to be mis-sized, better that it say smaller than bigger! -- I got the jacket and skirt at the thrift store!) Brad was Indiana Jones, Saria was Tinkerbell, Samuel was also Indiana Jones, and Benjamin was a penguin. (Dad, Christina has a picture of both Indiana's... I'll send it to you when I get it from her). Christina was a witch (she used a costume I bought for a party in Dothan 2 years ago), and Desiree was Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). Anyway, this was tons of fun!!! Christina looked way cute in the witch's costume with her little pregnant tummy. She was self-conscious about it, and didn't want her picture taken, but I insisted. Like the good sister I am ;). Also, Christina supplied my lovely blue eyeshadow (that's right, I went all the way) and she did my hair as "big hair" as we could get it. Which wasn't very big. But, i didn't have mousse our gel, so we worked with what we had. Oh, and of course we can't forget the jelly shoes ;). Thanks again, Elka! Obviously you see I've been putting them to good use ;).

So, here are the pictures of the people!


And after everyone had left, I stayed to help clean up a little (Christina and Desiree too, since I was their ride), and I also opened my gifts:


Thank you Donna, for the card! Thank you Juliebean, for the movie (it's our next chick-flick to watch... and Virginia, here's my chick-flick suggestion for you!). I've been wanting this movie! And also, thank you for the friendship quote book ;). I feel the same way. Like I said... you are family to me! (Which is why you should be here in Washington ;)...). And, I also got a nice e-card from April and Courtney! Thanks guys!

Anyway, so 28 is going to be a great year. Just so you know ;). Ten years ago, I was celebrating my 18th birthday in a new place (Dothan). It's the same this year. And the ten years I spent in Alabama were great ones, in spite of trials. So, just imagine the great things that await me in this new place! Yee-haw!

Oh, and ps... For all reunion-ers out there reading this!!! T-shirts are in!!!! They look great!

Oh, and pps... It is now 11:42. So, officially I am 28. I was born only 18 minutes before midnight on October 30. So I wouldn't be a witch ;).

Another [Week] Bites the Dust!

So, another week is gone. If you are yearning to hear the song, now that it's in your head, click here :)..

My week was spent doing a lot of planning. For things like Hilaween parties and family reunions! I've been helping my mom (who has far fewer minutes of free time than I do) with collecting and typing up recipes for the family cookbook. Which will be awesome, if I do say so myself. Because I have seen some of the recipes that are going into it, and they are delicious! I say you can never have too many cookbooks with tried and true recipes from people you trust and know.

I also did babysitting. I watched Desiree 3 days this past week. That little girl cracks me up. She is so headstrong and independent. And smart. She's a lot like her mommy. She'll call me, and for some reason, I absentmindedly would say, "yeah babe?" And she'd start telling me what she wanted to say, and then it registered what I called her, so she'd stop and say, "No, I don't like babe." And so I said, "What am I supposed to call you then?" And she said, "Desiree or Chiquitica." And she's consistent with it. I have forgotten multiple times in the last week and called her babe, and she corrects me every time. So funny. We spent a few minutes on Wednesday making funny faces. She just makes me laugh.

Great news for Christina!!! They got the new apartment! It's closer to Brad and Tarylyn (probably about 5 minutes from them), and closer to Nick's work, although this means Christina will have to drive to work now.

I did a lot of phone-talking this week. I talked to my dad last night. I love talking to my dad. He is a great dad. I love to make him laugh :). I don't remember what I said last night that made him laugh, but it was something and he said, "Ah Hila, you crack me up."

I also talked to Juliebean on Thursday. We had a great conversation too! I miss talking to her and wish my cell phone minutes didn't limit how often I can talk to non-Verizon people. Because the 3 hour difference in time between here and Florida somehow makes it hard to talk to Julie at convenient times for one or both of us! Who knew?

And, I got 2 packages in the mail yesterday! What a surprise! Have I mentioned before that I have been blessed with wonderful, wonderful friends? One is from Juliebean! and it includes my birthday presents, which I have not opened. So, you can expect to see pictures of those next week (when I get all old(er) and turn 28...). My dad told me last night that I have no business being 28. I concur, Dad, I concur. So thank you in advance, Juliebean! It made me smile!!! And I'll thank you again in a few days, when I have my picture taken with them :).

The other I got to open and see what it was, so you can see too :). It was from April and Courtney!! Like I said, I was surprised! Anyway, so she called it a job-search survival kit. Because all you need is chocolate and a cute guy :). And Jim from The Office is definitely cute. And Twix is definitely chocolate :). Thanks April and Courtney!!


And, I love it when networks post full episodes of the latest episode online. It makes it easy for me to watch the latest CSI at midnight, since The Addams Family won out on the tv at CSI-time. Hahahah :). And it makes it easy for me to stay up-to-date with The Office.

So, if you don't hear from me before then, you'll definitely read something on Thursday or Friday. When I'm all old(er) and 28 ;). Ugh.

Oh, and ps... Don't store your oats in an enclosed container that also is storing any kind of bath soap. Turns out the cardboard container that oats are in will soak up the smell... and taste. And so will the oats. If you do this, you will have a slight soapy taste in your uncooked cookies. I, of course, would never do this. But I thought I'd warn you.

So, pps... If I'm foaming at the mouth, don't assume I'm rabid. Assume I'm soapid. (Is it a coincidence that that looks a lot like stupid? :))

100 Things About Me -- Part 7 of 10

Yeah, so it's been, what? Over 2.5 months since I did any of this list... So, let's just say that five of these fulfill my obligation to Kristy for five things about me. And the other five are just bonus. If I can even come up with that many!!! So, here it goes:

61. I talk with my hands. A lot. I just always have. I don't even notice that I'm doing it, unless I'm in a more formal setting. Like giving a talk in church. Or an interview. Then it becomes painfully obvious to me, but I can't seem to help it.
62. When I was a kid (about 4th grade), I wore shorts all the time. I didn't even own jeans. This lasted until I was in 7th grade or so. You want to know why? Because I thought I was too fat for jeans. I didn't think they made them in my size.
63. Now I don't ever wear shorts. Know why? Because even though I know they make them in my size (and bigger), I feel like I would look like a heifer in them. So, pants/jeans it is!
64. So, as you may imagine, I have really white legs. My dad called me "Snow White" one time in Panama (when I lived there, not the visit) because of my white legs. He was teasing me. I have to say, "Good one, Dad." I still remember it to this day. (Hey, at least he acknowledges that I'm a princess :) :) :) :) :) )
65. I eat pie backwards. From the crust to the pointy end. Because the crust is the least best part, so I eat that first :).
66. I can remember being in 8th grade and having to type a report for English. We didn't have a computer at the time, so my mom took me to the public library (on Ft. Clayton) to type on their computers. I had to hunt and peck. And I was positive there was no way I'd ever learn how to type without looking at the keyboard.
67. I learned how to type without looking at the keyboard when I took keyboarding in 9th grade. Now I'm a pro and a lot of people comment on my typing speed (including Loretta at UA, who knew I was there before she rounded the corner of my cube because she could hear me zooming away on the keyboard and would always comment on it.)
68. When taking a typing speed test, I lose time because I can't leave my mistakes. I have to correct them.
69. I type a lot faster when I'm just typing what I'm thinking rather than typing something set in front of me that I am typing verbatim. I think it's because I take the time to actually read what I'm typing, so I'm taking the time to register what the word says. I think I type word-for-word rather than letter-for-letter... if that makes sense.
70. I used to pass notes with a kid named Michael in my U.S. History class in 8th grade. Then we ended up in Physical Science class together in 9th grade, and ended up sitting caddy-corner to each other. So, we passed notes again. We also happened to have the same teacher for typing that year. He had that class 2nd period, and I had it 4th, and we had science together 3rd. So, we would take each other's floppy disk when we were done with our typing lessons and leave secret notes for eachother in a secret file on the disks. We were so stealth. Hahahaha... There's a good chance I still have the notes we passed in class. And I know for sure I still have all the long notes he wrote me after school and gave me the next day or between classes. And no, we weren't boyfriend/girlfriend. I never even had a crush on him, believe it or not.

Nilla Week in Review

So I'm finally getting around to posting. Basically my week has been more of the same. But the highlights are as follows:

*Institute is always good. I finally got to go back this past Wednesday. And it really does seem like lessons are directed at me, though I am sure others feel the same. I have not felt like the salt of the earth lately. I've actually been quite disappointed in my own inability to rise above the blues. So I'm thankful for new days and new opportunities to try again and to strive to be better, kinder, and more charitable.

*A surprise package from my Aunt Sue and Uncle Ernie that contained a bag of butterfingers and a bag of milky ways. You either get this and are laughing, or you don't. Just trust that it's hilarious. And it was a much-needed laugh for my as-of-late-jaded mood.

*BYU Ballroom Dancers. Thursday night, the BYU Ballroom dancers came here and performed to a packed auditorium. We weren't allowed to take pictures or video, which was a total bummer, since in the beginning they did a tribute to Fred Astaire, complete with costumes from his movies (like the fancy Ginger dresses). I thought of Tammy and Stacy the entire time and wanted so badly to be able to share a clip with them! But in spite of not getting to take pictures, the whole thing was great! Such talent. I would love to learn to dance like that. Also, if you ever get the chance to see this particular show they are doing now... The Galaxy one is awesome. I've never seen anything like it, but it was a huge hit. Very different from anything you'd expect. They hit the lights and used a black light. So you couldn't see the dancers' faces or anything. Just what was lit up by the black light. It was way cool.

*Garage Sales! And other great finds! So, my mom and I spent all of yesterday shopping. We hit a garage sale in the morning and found a lot of baby clothes (the little stuff for 0 to 12 months) for Christina. We got it all for $13.50. Nice stuff, like Gymboree and Carter's. And we got a lot of it, let me tell you. Soooo cute! Christina has a lot of the bigger clothes, from 12 months and up. But she doesn't have any of the baby baby clothes, so we are working on remedying that. We picked up Christina and Desiree and hit a couple more garage sales, but they didn't have any baby stuff. However, I did buy myself a 50 cent VHS tape of a Ninja Turtle cartoon I didn't have already. Don't laugh. I hope to one day share these with my kids. Oh, and it was TNMT from the 80s, not these new ones. The new ones aren't nearly as cool ;). At the end of the day, we also went to St. Vinny's here. We found Christina an infant carseat in great condition for $9.50!!! We were so happy! Because those are expensive brand new, but if you don't have one, you can't take the baby home from the hospital. So... Kind of a necessity. St. Vinny's is also where we found the loveseat and huge chair with ottoman. Mom and I pondered it. As we sat in it. Soooo comfortable. And then we decided we didn't know where we'd store it right now anyway (the garage is full). So we walked away. But, I kept thinking about it. And it really is a great deal. And it's in great condition. And did I mention comfortable??? So, when I take my grandparents back to look for a dark couch, if those are still there, I'm going to get them. We'll find a way to store them. They really are a great deal. So great that they probably won't be there when I get back. But, that's life.

*Family. I love my family. I love my mom for her laughter. And her support. I love my dad for his support and love and sacrifice. And even for his stubborn-streak, which is why he isn't here (I know you're reading this Dad ;)). I love my older brother who gave me a blessing of comfort in a difficult time when I know I'm here for a reason, but can't understand why things aren't falling into place. I love my younger brother for giving me a place to escape to when I need it and never making me feel like a burden. I love my sister for the same reasons, but also for her excitement to have me around. I love my SIL Michele for her preparedness and her knowledge and her willingness and excitement to share it! I love my SIL Tarylyn for her excitement about parties and her willingness to always let us use her house to have them! And of course, I love the kids who bring so much joy and laughter and so many smiles into my life. And I love Juliebean, who is like family to me. She is my best friend, and I miss our daily hour-long phone calls from back in the day. But I'm so glad we still talk just about once a week. And I'm glad she's coming to visit in the not-so-distant future ;).

So, there you have it. The week in review. I guess it mostly is a vaNilla Life :).

Lowering the Mean

So, yes, several days have passed since I last updated. I try to just accumulate several days' worth of information to make a good post. Gone are the days when I bore you with the mundane details daily. Well, maybe not forever gone, but definitely suspended :).

I noticed nobody has guessed the movie quote! That movie cracks me up. So, I'm giving you another week to see if anyone can guess it with two quotes from the movie :).

I am completely caught up with The Office. Thank you Bradymus for supplying Season 4. Because while I baby-sat Saria while the rest of them were somewhere north of Seattle, I pretty much finished up most of the episodes. And Saria and I had a lovely time together and she had a special treat of McDonald's, including a hot fudge sundae. Because Aunt Hilas are cool like that. And thank you NBC for putting up the 2 newest episodes online.

I am posting a picture of me and Socks. Or, as Desiree calls her, Socky Duckies (because we started calling her that as kids, my mom calls her that now, and Desiree picked it up from her Grandma). Socks is the cat we've had the absolute longest as a family. I remember when we first got her, 17 years ago. She was so small she could fit in my hand with plenty of room to spare. She is blind... She doesn't even have eyeballs. So she is a special kitty. She has moved with us from Panama to Dothan and now is here in Washington, where she has been for over 5 years now. She's well-traveled. But Socks is getting old. And she hasn't been eating much lately. My mom doesn't expect her to live much longer. And, since I don't have any recent pictures of me with this cat that used to sleep with on my bed when I was a teenager (and she would 'complain' if I disturbed her by moving...), I decided to take one, in case she goes before much longer. Poor Socks. We love her.


My mother has perfected the brownie recipe. Yum. She uses almond extract. She also uses vanilla and mint, it just depends on her mood. I, however, was in the mood for almond. So here's the picture. It's too bad I can't share the smell and the taste. Just trust that they are delicious.
And moist. And anyone who wants the recipe can email me :).

(P.S. I took this picture for the purposes of the family reunion cookbook. Remember to get Great-Aunt Hila's roll recipe, Elka!)

And, I went to my first concert last night. The irony of it is that instead of going to see the New Kids on the Block for my very first concert ever (which isn't actually until November 22, but I'm not earning an income currently, so I won't be spending money to see them...), I went to a concert where I lowered the mean. Age-wise. I looked about and saw a sea of gray and bald. I kid you not. I went to see The Golden Anniversary (which means 50 years, so that should tell you plenty right there!), celebrating 50 years of great music with the Kingston Trio and the Brothers Four. I'd tell you to youtube them (you can, they are there), but instead, I'm going to help you out by uploading parts of a couple of songs. Sadly, there is only one original guy out of both groups. But, it was neat to hear the music. I knew most of the songs. (I was tortured as a child...) Nah, totally kidding. I grew up listening to my parents' music, and this was some of it. And it is good music. I have eclectic taste :). I know and like music from the 1950s, 60s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s. And some 70s, but I kind of wasn't exposed to that much. Although I could probably still sing parts of a lot of songs that they put on those compilation CDs and then that they advertise on tv. I get sucked in to those kinds of commercials... I love music. Anyway, the concert was neat. These guys can sing (although I will say they sounded better in person than they do on the camera). And their talent and ability in playing the instruments! Too cool!

So, here is one from The Brothers Four (Disclaimer! That's my mom singing, not me!):

And here is one from The Kingston Trio. This one is called the MTA. They did Tom Dooley, but this one is so much cooler, if you ask me. Because this is one Brad and I laughed at as children. In fact, I sang this one to him since being at the concert, made him laugh, and got the song stuck in his head :). Ah, the memories :).

And finally, I also watched It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. If any of you have seen Rat Race, it's basically the same thing, only Rat Race was a re-make. The original is so much better. And so hilarious. I need to get myself a copy of that movie. I think I've been told I'm like the mother-in-law character with a big mouth and bossy. You be the judge ;). Click here.

Oh, and I also watched Made of Honor. A typical chick-flick. Cute enough. Not worth the 4.99 it cost to rent it (I have no idea why it was that expensive). And I don't think I'd own it either. But, something I'd wanted to see.

ABC Tag

My friend, Stacy, tagged me a little bit ago. Seeming as I have nothing particularly exciting to report, I figured it was a good time for doing this tag post :).

A is for your age: 27, but I'll be 28 in 3 short weeks. Almost to the minute!
B is for burger of choice: Oh, anything with cheese and mushrooms on it, like Wendy's special burger (right Julie!)
C is for the car you drive: Buick Skylark
D is for your dog's name: Don't have a dog. My grandparents do, but I won't claim him, thank you very much.
E is for essential item you use every day: toothpaste
F is for favorite TV show at the moment: Probably The Office, since I'm working on catching up
G is for favorite game: I like lots. I love Trivial Pursuit and other trivia games.
H is for home state: Alabama. But home country would be Panama :)
I is for instruments you play: Piano (kind of).
J is for favorite juice: I love orange juice (without pulp!) and also white grape peach and white grape cherry, and lots of others
K is for whose bum you'd like to kick: Nobody comes to mind at the moment
L is for last restaurant at which you ate: Pancake House with my grandparents
M is for your favorite Muppet: I don't really know. But I'll go with Gonzo :).
N is for number of piercings: One and a half in each ear? I had two in each, but I've stopped putting earrings into the second piercing. There's still a hole there, but I don't think it goes all the way through anymore.
O is for overnight hospital stays: None so far
P is for people you were with today: Christina, Desiree, Nick, Grandma, Grandpa, and Mom
Q is for what you do with your quiet time: Read
R is for biggest regret: More than I'd care to think about
S is for status: What is my status? It's "Cool" :). Hahahaha... I guess this is marital status. That would be single.
T is for time you woke up today: Ummmm I shouldn't admit to sleeping until 10, but I did. Although, I woke up at 6 something and couldn't go to sleep right away. Also, was up until almost 2 this morning as well.
U is for what you consider unique about yourself: That I have dual citizenship? I don't know. I can't think of anything interesting.
V is for vegetable you love: Cucumber
W is for worst habit: worrying. about everything. and finding something to worry about just to have something to worry about, apparently. Ugh.
X is for x-rays you've had: My foot when I jumped on glass. My pinky finger on my right hand when I fractured it during kick ball.
Y is for yummy food you ate today: jalapeno poppers and a twinkie. Yes, Christina and I had a healthy lunch. The baby in her tummy said she wanted these things. My excuse is that I was there :).
Z is for zodiac: Scorpio

I tag anyone interested.

Also, on a totally unrelated note... It's freakin' cold in Washington. I'm cool with it, though. But thought you'd like to know :). We're somewhere down in the low 40s at night, possibly into the 30s already. All I know is that I could see my breath outside all day today. That's how I gauge the coldness of the weather :). I know it's especially cold when I can see my nostril breath. Hahahaha... And, I could today. Just FYI.

Tent Cities and Freebies!

So, on Saturday, during the afternoon session of Conference, the kids were starting to get really rowdy. So, Tarylyn and I worked on calming them by building them a tent/fort in the house the way we used to. Alas, I did not have my cohorts with me (ie Brad and Christina), so it wasn't the best of tents. Plus it's been many many years since I've built one of these suckers. Hopefully the next attempt will be even more radical. But the kids loved it! Of course, this meant that Tarylyn and I only heard bits and pieces of Conference. But we had fun. In fact, I think I was a little more excited than the kids about building the fort. It really makes you use your brain and be creative, because you have to figure out how to attach the blankets. We used clothes pins, just as we always did when we were kids. This was Tarylyn's first time building a fort that way. I look forward to our next tent in which I've had more recent practice and perhaps new ideas :). (So Dad, the sheets we brought up have been going to great use as ceilings ;)).


The family meeting went really well, I think. So many great ideas! And so many resources as we pull together as a family. We women have decided to plan a day of canning each month. Even if there aren't any fruits in season that we can either pick for free or buy cheap, we can can stuff such as spaghetti sauce and soups with a pressure canner. Michele has one of those. Michele also told us some of the things you can use dried beans for, other than just boiling and eating! There's some cool stuff you can do with them! Including using them in cakes! How wild is that! Such great info! We had tons of fun laughing. I think we accomplished quite a bit. And I think we all have a way to contribute to the family as a whole. I'm excited we can pull together and do this together. I think we will grow closer as we do. Of course, lame-o me, I didn't remember to take any pictures while we were meeting and eating. So, the only picture I have of that night is of Samuel, Saria, and Desiree. Samuel and Desiree have recently gotten new haircuts, so they wanted to show them off.


But don't worry... We're having a Halloween party at the end of the month (only we're going to call it a Hilaween party, since we'll celebrate my birthday as well. And before you call me conceited (Brad), it was Mom's idea!). Anyway, it will give the kids a chance to wear their costumes an extra day. And we're coming up with gooey, gross Halloween finger food ideas. We've found some real doozies!!! So, I promise there will be tons of pictures from that. Including food pictures. Because you know me :).

And finally... Freebies are the coolest! So, my mom works as an office manager in a funeral home. I don't know the whys of it, but they aren't allowed to sell things they've purchased once they don't want them anymore. So, staff there can ask for them, and whoever asks first gets it. Well, they were getting rid of a curio cabinet. I've always always wanted a curio cabinet!!! I collected little ceramics for years. I have them packed in boxes (which they have been packed in since 2003... how sad is that? My life has always just been too temporary to unpack them!). Though I've always had shelves we attached to the wall to put them on display, since becoming an adult, I've always wanted a curio cabinet for that (helps them get less dusty, I would think ;)). So, my mom asked for it, and we got it!!! For free! And it's like brand new! No scuffs or anything I could see. So, now it is stored with all my other earthly belongings, in the garage. Notice the piano behind it. One of these days, these things will be in a living room :).


Oh, and I have such wonderful friends! I have talked to so many of them this past week! Virginia, Tammy, Stacy, Juliebean, April, and Stefanie. It has been a great week so far :).

One Word Tag

Okay, so I've been tagged. Actually, Mrs. S tagged me quite a while ago, and I'm just now getting around to it. Stacy has tagged me with a different one. I will do that tag later. I figure these tags will help me post more. I've managed to go from blog-stalker to blog-slacker. Sigh. So, here's something to post :).

1. Where is your cell phone? charging
2. Your significant other? future
3. Your hair? brown
4. Your mother? patient
5. Your father? sacrificing
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? strange
8. Your favorite drink? varies
9. Your dream/goal? exaltation (I like your answer, Mrs. S)
10. The room you’re in? bedroom
11. Your hobby? sewing
12. Your fear? alone
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? settled
14. What you’re not? settled
15. Muffins? yum
16. One of your wish list items? mp3
17. Where you grew up? Panama
18. The last thing you did? Conference
19. What are you wearing? PJs
20. Favorite gadget? camera
21. Your pets? none
22. Your computer? non-existant
23. Your mood? hopeful
24. Missing someone? lots
25. Your car? skylark
26. Something you’re not wearing? contacts
27. Favorite store? Walmart
28. Like someone? family
29. Your favorite color? forest
30. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
31. Last time you cried? yesterday

It's Even Harder Going Uphill

Well, I got an email yesterday from SPL telling me I'm not being considered further for employment there. So, I guess I didn't do so well in the interview. Or perhaps I just don't have enough experience as a professional librarian for them to feel I will make a good addition. It was kind of an ego-buster. Not that I have a huge ego. But it's like falling off a horse... (I did that numerous times). My body was not hurt nearly as much as my ego was at the embarassment of falling off the horse and therefore "failing." But, I always got back on the horse, so I will continue to search here. Seattle was by no means my dream job. In fact, I ended up applying there only after weeks of not having much action as far as job possibilities on this side of Puget Sound. So, I'm not particularly heartbroken about not working at SPL. It was a cool experience to go there and see the library, and it was good experience to be interviewed for my first professional position. I have a better idea of what that will be like in the future, and I can say I have one behind me and can get back into the groove of interviewing. Plus I proved to myself that I can function alone in a big city and figure out where I need to go and how to get there. So I did gain stuff from all of this. But of course, in that moment of rejection, it's hard to remember that, so it took a little bit of reflection. And an awesome session of General Conference this morning in which it seemed the majority of the talks were aimed directly at me. Pres. Uchtdorf's talk was about having hope and not allowing yourself to fall into despair. To overcome the temptation to give up. Heavenly Father does answer prayers, and He knows me. It is amazing. And such a blessing to be reminded at low points when it doesn't seem possible.

And, I am reminded of what my Aunt Hila told me in an email once: "Remember, if you are going uphill, you're on the right path." Thank you, Aunt Hila, for those wise words. They came into my mind today. And they were a boost. I also know that there will come a point when I can look back on all of this and understand why. I know this, because it has happened to me in the past. There was a job for which I applied in Homewood before I got the job at UA that I didn't get. And it turned out to be for the best. And once things were on track, I could look back and see how even not getting that job helped me to get on the path I needed to be on. So, perhaps that will be the case again here. Again, I'll keep you posted on that.

In other news, I am excited about our family meeting tonight at Brad and Tarylyn's. We are having a potluck-type dinner and we are going to discuss our preparedness. And, due to an epiphany I had earlier, I think I will also mention the idea of having a monthly girl party with the women in the family. And maybe, like on months when there isn't a holiday to celebrate as the theme of the party, we can do kind of like an Iron Chef America thing where we pick an ingredient and we all have to incorporate it into the food we bring. Not nearly as involved as Iron Chef American, though. You will not find ingredients like truffles (the mushroom kind -- #1, because they are expensive and #2 because I know Christina at least doesn't like them) or squid among our ingredients. But, you get the idea. For example, the thing I thought of was peanuts. And hopefully we can have a full meal, not just a bunch of sweets :). Anyway, I'll run it by the ladies tonight and get their feedback. I think it sounds fun, though. Oh, I'll also take some pictures tonight, since we'll all be together :).

It’s Hard to Walk Down a Steep Hill in Heels

That’s an FYI for any of you out there who might have wondered. Anyone as dumb as myself who gave it a try already knows this J. But, that all has to do with my Seattle pre-interview, which I will get to.

This week has been mostly more of the same. On Sunday I talked to Elka. Which is why the news flash is up there at the top of my blog as a new feature. I will update it weekly with a little tidbit, since I know I’ve gotten lousy at blogging much. But Elka totally admitted she loves Dwight. I told her we couldn’t be friends anymore. Unfortunately, I can’t dismiss her as my cousin. Blood runs thick and all that. :). Seriously am so excited she’s coming up in November!!! We’ve planned an Office marathon. But in addition to talking about the tv show, we had the most hilarious conversation. I love talking to her, because I just laugh so much. Elka, no butterfingers for you! Or dark chocolate milky ways for that matter :).

On Monday, I babysat Desiree. It was a beautiful day, though we weren’t expecting nice weather. So, I took Desiree to the little park in their apartment complex. She’s a cutie. I just figured it was such a nice day that it wouldn’t have been nice to keep her cooped up. She was very excited about it. We spent an hour there, and Christina called to tell me that night that Desiree had been telling her all about how she went to the park with Aunt Hila. I watched several episodes of Season 3 of The Office. And lost my battle with myself to have self-discipline and only watch 3 episodes. I watched the entire 3rd disc. I have issues. It’s how I would unwind downstairs cuddled under the covers all alone… watching the show on my mom’s computer until the wee hours of morning.



Tuesday I took Christina to have her blood drawn and to take her oh-so-fun glucose test. I spent pretty much the whole day with Christina, and we had a good time. We went to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things. I had my Temple Recommend interview with the Bishop and then I went home. And I finished off watching Season 3 of The Office. Oh yeah! And, I got a call to interview for a part-time paraprofessional position that is closer to here than Seattle. I want a full-time job, but that doesn't mean I won't take this if they offer it while I'm looking. Plus, it's a way to get my foot in the door in a library system around here :).

On Wednesday, I took my grandmother to have her hair permed and then took both my grandparents to Costco. And rode a motorized cart from the parking lot, because I was told to follow out an old couple to their car to get the cart. And spent 2 hours shopping. Elka, you should call me at your earliest convenience. I spent the rest of the night finishing up Stargirl. And wrote my booktalk at about midnight. And got to bed far later than I should have, since I had to get up and catch the ferry this morning.



Today… what a day! I’ll tell you, that was exhausting! I got up and got mostly-dolled up. I wore my tennis shoes and socks over my nylons, because I wasn’t walking the 6 city blocks to SPL in heels. (Somehow walking 6 city blocks from SPL didn’t seem nearly as silly…). I made it to the ferry dock and boarded the ferry. Free to go over to Seattle, you only have to pay to come back. First time in my life I’ve ever been on the ferry by myself. Not so much fun alone. I read quite a bit, but was feeling kind of tired, so I dozed a bit. I also talked with Juliebean a bit before my phone died on me completely in the middle of Puget Sound. Turns out you don’t get such great service out there in the middle of the Sound. “Can you hear me now?” Apparently not. I had plenty of time once I got to Seattle. So, I walked up to 1st Avenue… And you know what they say, “When in Seattle, do as the Seattle-ites.” So, I went into a coffee shop and ordered a white hot chocolate. Starbucks. Then I hiked (literally, I mean this was all uphill!!!) 3 blocks up to 4th Avenue, and then over 2 blocks. To Seattle Public Library. Oh my gosh. I’ve never seen anything like it that is a library. I will say I don’t really think it’s attractive. But, it’s definitely different. It’s all glass. There are no solid walls on the outside. They are all glass. I took a few pictures from inside to give you an idea. Oh, and 11 floors! And it takes up an entire city block! It’s unreal! And they have a security guard (or probably 10) that goes around and wakes people up if they are sleeping! Hahahaha… I sat and read while I was waiting for my interview time. That’s how I know. I didn’t fall asleep, though. Anyway, by this time I’d already been into the bathroom to touch up my make-up and take off my tennis shoes and put on my heels. So, my interview was at 2. Two women interviewed me. For about 2 hours. Okay, easily one of the most grueling 2 hours of my life. They ask you all these questions about, “What would you do if…?” Or, “Tell me of a time when you ...” That was some hard stuff! I hope it went well. I didn’t feel awful at the end of it, but I was so glad it was over. Hopefully I’ll hear about whether or not I qualified for any of the positions before too long. Of course, hopefully I at least qualified for one! I mean, that was seriously the most daunting thing I’ve ever done. Probably it was a cake walk to other people, but it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. They did give me a free bottle of water to drink while I was interviewing. Anyway, after it was over, I was happy to leave and head on my way back to the ferry, hoping to catch the 4:10. And this was all downhill. Which wouldn’t be so bad… if I hadn’t been in heels still. Ugh, my toes paid a price. And you have to go slower, because you have to carry yourself so as not to fall flat on your face. And it was getting-off work time for all the Seattle people, so there were lots of people around. So I really didn’t want to fall flat on my face :). I made the 4:10 ferry. I found a seat and started reading. We pushed away from the Seattle dock. And about 5 minutes later, the captain of the ferry came over the loud speaker and said we were having minor difficulties. I looked up. We weren’t even moving. Hahahaha… We were dead in the water, just floating. Now, Julie… I took lots of pictures for you of the ferry so you could see how big it is. I would leave this part out of the story, because I know it will disturb you, but it’s part of the day, so it has to go in. But trust me, this does not happen often. And also, I’m here writing this, so you know we must have survived J. Anyway, they start the engine up finally (never did find out what was going on), and we head on our merry little way. Until I hear the engine cut off again about 15 minutes later. And so now we’re in the middle of Puget Sound (where there isn’t really great cell service, remember), floating again. And again, the captain came across the speaker. Pretty quickly they got the ferry going again. I’m fine, as long as we’re still floating. When I got off the ferry, I looked at it, and you could tell it was a pretty old one. But seriously, this has never happened when I’ve been on a ferry before. So, don’t let this story ruin the chance to ride the ferry, Julie J. It’s a cool thing. And since you’re doing all these things (like riding motorcycles and stuff), you can handle the ferry! I got back to my car (after not remembering which way I came out of the parking lot, so I wasn’t sure which way to go back in to find my car! – I’m such a small-town girl). I drove home. I was sooooo exhausted! I didn’t do all that much (not including the hike), but I was so tired. And then Grandma sent my mom and me out to pick up dinner from Burger King. I so didn’t want to. I wanted to stay home, eat something quick (I was soooo hungry. All I’d eaten all day up to that point was cereal in the morning and the white hot chocolate. Plus I wanted to get out of the interview suit and into something comfortable. I kind of did. I totally went to Burger King in the suit and flip flops (no nylons). But anyway, here I am, at the end of a very long, kinda stressful day. And I’m tired. But, since I started writing this, I ended up finishing it. So, if you see something in there while you’re reading that makes you think I didn’t write this on Thursday, it’s because at first I wasn’t going to post it until Friday… But since I’m writing and I can’t shut-up!!!! I ended up telling all the stories J. So, let me finish uploading the photos.


P.S... if you find random "J's" in here, those are supposed to be smileys. I typed it up in MS Word. And apparently the smileys don't translate... not even to a colon and close paren. Who knew?

P.P.S... SPL has a revolving door to get in, Juliebean. I thought of you :).