Dueling Pianos and Other Stuff

Okay, so as promised, here are some details to some of the things I mentioned in the last post.

First of all, let me put up these pictures of these sweet babies. This is about a month old, and kids grow and change so fast. But here are Desiree and Emily :).




Have I mentioned that Emily growls? It is the most hilarious thing! It's amazing how I miss these babies when I don't see them for a while.

Okay, so onto the dueling pianos. So Robin (my boss) had purchased a table for 10 at this Dueling Pianos function. Then he forgot about it, until the day of the event. So he was trying to find 10 people to fill those 10 slots. Well, loser that I am... I didn't have anything else going on :). Hahaha, kidding. There were a million things I could have done. But this seemed like a pretty cool thing. So I said I could go. In the end, the table was Robin, me, John, Bob and his wife, Mary and her husband, Sean, and Ken and his wife. The food was really expensive, so I didn't order anything there. I just enjoyed the entertainment and sang... really loudly! In fact, Sean and Mary and I are discussing planning a karaoke night! Woohoo!! That would be a blast. I wonder if I have the guts to get up and sing, alone, in front of everyone! At least at dueling pianos, everyone was singing loudly :). Anyway, we could request any song we wanted. I requested one of my all-time favorites: The Safety Dance. (I don't know why this is one of my favs, but it is...). I have to give the guy and gal who were playing credit. They actually attempted the song. I don't think the song is really conducive to piano-playing. But they at least tried it :). So that was cool. They played all sorts of stuff. And Mary and I sang our hearts out. So did Sean, actually. Which is why we are thinking of karaoke in the near future. That will be a blast. Anyway, it was a great time. We all cut out about 10:30, since both Mary and I had to work the next day. And yeah, so we were tired. But it was so fun! And we laughed about the possibility of me losing my voice and having to answer the phone that way the next day. And how dignified that would be ;). So here are a couple of pics:

That's me and Robin


This is Sean and Mary on the side.


And here are me and Mary... A.K.A. the 80s music divas of the night :).

The animals of the serengeti conversation.... Ah yes. Now that one was priceless and, really, you had to have been there. But let's just say it started with one lady at work telling a guy at work that, in order to help his back, he should do kegels. And somehow it ended up with us saying we were discussing animals of the serengeti. And it wasn't a lie. Hahahahaha.... PRICELESS. I swear I wish we could tape some of our work conversations. Needless to say, we were busting a gut laughing. My mom was laughing so hard her face was red. It was a great day. We had another hilarious conversation today, but I don't even remember all of it. I just know that when you leave me, my mom, Sue, and Mary together for long, it's going to be a great conversation. We laugh so much at work.

Oh, I started volunteering this week. I spent 3 hours at the high school on Monday. Right now, I am updating their book lists. And finding books I want to read. Not good. Since I can't keep up with the list of books I have to read as it is!!! I'm still working on Deja Dead, and I'm not even halfway through. But that's what I get when I decide to blog instead of read!!!

Anyway, so I guess that's about it for now. I think I'll have a busy several days here as I get ready for my trip to the South. Woohoo! I'm totally excited :).

Upcoming...

I don't feel like blogging right now, other than to say a few things. I will divulge more information later...

But... This past week I:

1. chopped off 3 inches of my hair -- or rather, I had my mom do it

2. had a work conversation about animals of the serengeti

3. went to an AWESOME Enrichment meeting

4. went to a really great dinner and Relief Society broadcast

5. sung my voice (almost) out along with Mary and a few others at a dueling pianos function

6. drove to the high school where I will start volunteering tomorrow and met the librarian there

7. submitted a job application for a public library job

8. went visiting teaching

9. got and got over a minor cold

10. pondered why sometimes life is so complicated

Details to come on at least a couple of these -- with pictures guaranteed for number 5.

Hila-Lights

Okay, so I'm a lame blogger. I have no excuses. But let me apologize to Jessica, who guessed the movie quote correctly last week, but I never acknowledged it, because I never even logged in to Blogger... So, I'm leaving the movie quote up for another week. It's only one of the greatest movie quotes of all time :).

So, from recent weeks, these are the highlights -- or the Hila-lights :).

*I got pulled over for the first time ever. My luck finally ran out on that whole "my back right brakelight and blinker aren't working" thing. I'd say I had a good run, since I'd been driving my car (a lot) over the past year like that. I know, I know... So irresponsible of me. The good news is that John fixed it and it cost me a total of $25. And since the Buick dealership was quoting me $200 for a whole new light assembly, I'm thinking I got a really, really great deal on that.

*I am going to start volunteering at a high school library about 20 minutes from here. This may lead to a job down the road, but then again, it may not. Either way, it's something to do that will get me back into the world of libraries.

*I spent last Tuesday with Christina, Desiree, and Emily. Emily has learned a new game: pass around. And because we are such big suckers, we think it is absolutely adorable when she holds her little arms out, so we play along.

*Samuel is in kindergarten this year and loving it. And Saria is doing well in 2nd grade. I cannot believe how big these kids are getting. Benjamin is still at home all the time, but he is talking more and more and is more intelligible.

*My grandfather has been put on Hospice, so a lot is changing in the house.

*I am walking still, but it isn't doing me any good. But then, neither is the fact that people always bring treats to share at work...

*I went and saw The Time Traveler's Wife and Post-Grad the other night. I liked them both, though the former is not one I'd own, simply because it was a little bittersweet. The second one I don't know if I'd own either, but it was pretty funny. I didn't even know what it was about. I mostly went so I could see The Time Traveler's Wife. I'm going to read the book soon... After I finish Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs.

*I'm getting ready for my 4th and final trip to the South this year for April's wedding!! I'm very excited. It's coming up fast.

*I'm applying for a part-time librarian position in the area. Not getting my hopes up, but giving it a shot anyway. Either way, I'm still liking my job, so I can't really complain.

*I wish I was more motivated to write. I've been wanting to write a book for a while now. I have ideas all through my crazy head. I just need to get motivated. Part of it is I want to get a laptop. I need to start saving toward that. I need to put that on a list :). Hahaha...

Well, I guess those are some good high-lights for now. There are probably tons more I could write, but I can't think of them at the moment.

100 Things About Me - Part 10 of 10

Okay, so I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since my last blog post. I mean, I can, but I can't. I'm not even sure where the time goes. But go it does. So, I am choosing to try to finish that list of things about me that I started over a year ago. Coincidentally, in the two weeks that have passed since my last blog post, my 1-year in Washington anniversary came and went. It's pretty hard to believe I've been here a year. The year feels like it has zoomed past. But anyway, to the list!

91. I need quiet and dark to sleep. There are those people who can drift off in nearly any situation and get a restful sleep. Alas, I am not one of those. I can remember a few times when I spent the night at Julie's, and the radio was on for background noise, and all I could do was lay there and stare at the ceiling, because I couldn't sleep. One specific memory comes to mind from 1999. WOOF FM was playing very quietly, and this song by Heart came on. Funny the things you remember...

92. I also need quiet to read. I am not good at blocking out noise. Even at work when I'm working on my files. I hear all the conversations going on in the background. So for pleasure reading, I have to isolate myself away from noise. Perhaps blocking out the noise is something you learn to do when you are a mother, because you are used to having lots of noise going on. All I know is that, for now, I need silence to read and actually focus on what I'm reading :).

93. The more I've gotten to know myself, I have found out interesting things. I've heard of this book called The Five Languages of Love or something like that. Anyway, it talks about how some people show love by saying nice things while others show it by doing nice things (like washing dishes), etc. I've realized that, for me, I feel appreciated most when others say nice things to me. Having someone do my dishes wouldn't make me feel as appreciated as someone saying my dinner was really good. How interesting it is that everyone's personality is so different and how important it is to know yourself and what makes you feel appreciated or loved so you can convey that to the people in your life. Hahaha.

94. My sister pops nearly every bone in her body. Ick. I can't stand it. Actually, my older brother does the same. Me -- I pop but one knuckle: my index finger on my right hand. And the funny thing about this is that if I ever hear anyone pop any of their bones, I immediately feel a need to bend that one finger to see if it needs to pop! I'm a weirdo. Anyway, so Christina and I always laugh when she pops her fingers and then a minute passes and she hears me pop my one knuckle. Hahahaha.

95. Several months ago, I referred to the way I eat pie (from the crust to the tip). I also eat sandwiches in a specific way. I eat all the way around the crust so that the middle is left at the end. This applies to regular grilled cheese sandwiches or even hamburgers from McDonalds. I'm not sure why I do this. Perhaps because I think the middle has the most "stuff" and is therefore the "best" part. But, this is what I do.

96. When I was a kid in Panama, my parents signed us up to learn archery one summer. We did this in Diablo. I could point out the place where we were and everything. It was behind the building that used to be a school where we would go to get passport pictures and that also had the coolest bathrooms that were always really really cold. Anyway, I sliced up my fingers more than once that summer, because I couldn't get the timing right on lifting my index finger before the little feathers at the end of the arrow came and sliced it open at high speed. That was painful.

97. I love crossword puzzles. I go in cycles, I guess. I will get out of the habit of doing them for a while, and I will forget how much I enjoy them. Then one day, I will start working them again, and I remember how much I like them. Currently, Bob (alligator Bob) from work and I do the puzzle pretty much daily.

98. I love a great deal. As in a bargain, not that I love a lot :). I've started scouring the grocery ads and clipping coupons. I've become accustomed to prices in Washington and to knowing what a good deal is out here. And I love doing this :). Although obviously not a necessary thing, I actually got Seasons 1 & 2 of Everybody Loves Raymond (which I love) for a total of $15.00 the other week at Target. Considering you usually pay $20 per season, I think paying $7.50 per season was a phenomenal deal. And I think I'll be watching a few episodes here shortly.

99. I love to cook. I'm looking forward to a day when I have my own place and can invite people over to entertain and to cook for them. I miss my cookbooks and recipes that are all piled in the dark recesses of the garage.

100. Sometimes I draw a blank. And so this is my number 100 :).