Thoughts For Thursday

Sometimes something happens that makes me realize the things I do have and have had in life that I know I definitely take for granted. Tuesday at the library, I was brought into a situation because I can speak Spanish. And in that time, I witnessed courage and love -- and I experienced humility. A young boy wanted to get a library card. He wasn't super young, but he is a minor and therefore had to have a parent sign for him. He filled out the whole card application on his own, because he was so excited to be able to get a card. He spoke English very well. His mother, though, did not. In fact, his mother can't even sign her name. I was involved because I was asked to have her spell her name to me and I would write it. She could not do that. She told me her name, but my boss said that wasn't sufficient, that she had to spell it for me to write so we had it correct. She asked if her son could sign her name for her. I explained that he could not. Finally she said she could write her name. And what followed was something I think was courageous and full of love, in that she wanted to do what it took for her son to be able to get his card that day. She wrote her name, slowly, meticulously. And some of the letters were backwards and upside down. But she wrote it. And I realized in that moment that there are people who don't know how to read or write. Not just English, but at all. And I realized how blessed I am that I was born into a situation where I had the opportunity to not only learn to read and write English, but also Spanish. And I know I take that for granted. It's not something I think about, because it's so easy for me. But as I watched this mother muster the courage to write her name in the best way she knew how in front of her son and complete strangers, I recognized what I have. And I admired her for the fact that she is trying, because her son explained later that they are working with her at home and trying to teach her. I hope I will remember this experience. I hope I will always appreciate the blessings I have that allow me to write this blog post.

In a less "deep" thought... My garden is continuing to come along. I have 6 more cucumbers I believe I will be picking this weekend. I'll be sharing. I am not going to eat all 6 of them. Also, I have over 30 tomatoes now! Almost all my plants have at least one little tomato growing. I'm amazed! And excited about them :). My squash plants are ginormous. They are practically taking over! they look like a small forest. If I'd have known they were going to do that, I'd have definitely spaced them out more!!! But you live and learn... And I will remember these lessons for next year :). Only next year I won't be planting so many tomatoes. I want to branch out and plant lots of different things! Maybe some lettuce, since Brad and Tarylyn are having luck with that. Then I'd practically have a whole salad!

The Fruits (and Vegetables) of My Labor

Sometimes life can get pretty busy! That has been true of the past few days for me. I had to work the late shift at the library on both Wednesday and Thursday. It was not my favorite thing. I'm glad that is over! And so, by Friday, it was finally a chance for Lea and I to work together! And so it was fun. Since we live close to each other and have to drive 20 minutes to work at the library, I usually drive if we are both working the same shift. Because there's no sense in us both using our gas. So we decided to make our shift fun, and we did. Wooohooo! Then it was back to the funeral home where it was quite busy. I stayed until 6 to watch the reception desk, and then I came home, changed clothes, watered my garden, and headed to Lea's to walk. And so we walked. And since it was hot, we sweated a lot. Gross. We are not outdoorsy types of girls, either. ;). And then we ate hamburgers for dinner and sat around and talked for a while. But eventually I had to go, since it was getting late and I had to work the next morning.

Saturday I worked in the morning at the library. Then I went and ran errands. Lots of fruits are on sale this week. So I hit up a couple of grocery stores. Then home to work in the garden. And you know that paper stuff I put down around the tomatoes (which was a huge chore) that was supposed to keep weeds and grass from growing? Yeah well that didn't work at all. So I finally pulled it all up. And had about 6 inches of grass (if not higher) to hoe. And due to the squatting stance one must employ to hoe, I now have sore hamstrings! And it was hotter yesterday (well, and today) -- at 87 degrees. And I ran out of steam about halfway through. Bummer. But it is looking better. Just have to make sure to do the other half this upcoming weekend. That's what I get for trying to take the easy way out... But exciting news!!! I have 10 tomatoes in various stages of development!!! Here's a picture of 3 of the 4 biggest!
Lea had the late shift at work, so after work, she and I texted back and forth a bit and I told her about my garden. Because I'm so very excited about it ;). And so she brought me a surprise: a 7/11 Slushee. She and Chuck (her husband) had gotten themselves one and they got me one too, since I'd been out working in the garden in the heat. So I took them to the back yard and showed them the garden. It's nice when a friend just surprises you with something nice like that. I have a ton of awesome friends who do that for me. Sometimes they come in the mail (since so many of my wonderful friends are thousands of miles away). Just sitting here thinking of them all makes me realize how blessed I am... You guys are, in a word, awesome. Anyway, so then I jumped on facebook, and Tarylyn invited me to go over and hang with them, since Brad had to work at 2 in the morning and they couldn't go to sleep anyway. So I did. And took snackies for the kids and we watched My Musical (one of the best Scrubs episodes ever), and several episodes of Arrested Development. I love to laugh with my brother at these things. And here is a picture of Saria and Benjamin. Saria was carrying my purse and the bag of goodies, and Samuel said, "She looks like you Aunt Hila!" So I snapped a picture of my mini-me. And Benjamin was just being a ninja, apparently. I never did get a picture of Samuel last night. I will have to rectify that soon.Today I woke up and had breakfast. Then I checked my garden again. And then I got ready for choir practice. Then I went and picked up Christina's girls, since we have started taking them to church most Sundays. It's an adventure, really, for someone who has never had children and never had to juggle a 1 year old, a 5 year old, a diaper bag, a purse, and a bag full of Sunday School stuff. Always an adventure. But Desiree and Emily are quite good, and it is a joy to spend the time with them. Although when I took Emily to nursery today, she broke my heart just a little when she followed me as I was leaving and her little face just crumpled into a cry. She usually does really well with it. Today she was just a bit needy. But thank goodness for awesome nursery workers who know how to distract a 19-month old. She did fine. And Desiree always does well. When I was driving them home today, I asked Desiree what they learned today in Primary. She said, "About being shareful and reverent... again." How I love that girl. Shareful. I like that word. Anyway, so then I came home and Sue and I decided not to walk, since it's so stinking hot here. So I watered my garden again -- have to keep it watered on these hot days -- and then went to Wendy's to pick up her key since I'm house-sitting again. This time I am also house-sitting the dog that peed on my foot last month. Yay. Hahahaha. It's all good, as long as she doesn't pee on my foot again! And after I got back, I went out and picked my very first cucumber!!! Okay, this is so exciting to me. I know I'm a dork. And I accept it. I even embrace it. And you can enjoy my dorkiness in a series of pictures. Because, yes, I took several as I used the cucumber for the pasta salad (couresty of Julie's mom) that I made to take to Lea's tomorrow for our bbq after she and I walk (I'm also taking Kira's chocolate toffee bars -- easily one of the best recipes in this world, because it's easy and tastes phenomenal!). And so, enjoy. The fruits (and vegetables) of my labors!!So you can see the process from garden to table ;). Usually I use the twistie pasta for this recipe, but I just used what we had in the pantry. It's weird looking, but it works :).

Also, we tried something new that Lea suggested. Strawberries (they were 10 for $10 at the grocery store, so I got 2 boxes) dipped in sour cream and then in brown sugar. I know it sounds weird. But it's actually quite good. I don't even like sour cream much. It's different. I can't describe it. But I liked it. So if you are feeling adventurous (and I rarely do when it comes to food), give it a try! My mom, my grandmother, and I wiped out one of my boxes of strawberries trying this out.

Eclipse Take 2!

So Christina and I made plans to go see Eclipse. After comparing schedules, it was determined that Tuesday night would be the day. Or night. And because it played at 7:30 p.m. last week, I was betting it would be the same this week. Good thing I don't put money on my bets sometimes. Because I'd have lost big time! I got home from work and checked my garden -- the usual routine -- and then remembered to check the movie times. And, well... Turns out they had changed the time. The movie was only playing at 6:30 and 9:30. And for the record, it was 6:15. Yeah. There was no way we were making the 6:30 showing. And after much deliberation (because we are old now, and we don't do the whole out til midnight up and at work by 8 the next morning thing all that easily ;)), we decided to go to the 9:30 showing. So I ended up picking up Christina around 8:15 and we went to Target. To get our nachos. Because, remember, I told you I would not be buying movie nachos again! And let me tell you... Target nachos and soda were a much better deal! We paid $2.50 plus tax for both "combos." And then we sat in Target and ate our nachos and drank our drink and we resurrected the Scruffer Game. This game was created in 1999 when Brad was a bag-boy at WinnDixie in Dothan. Christina and I would go pick him up from work, and sometimes he would take a while to get off work, so we'd have to sit and wait in the parking lot. And so we made a game. We would watch the people go in and out of the store and if it was a guy, we would take turns saying the next guy was my guy or Christina's guy. Okay, it probably sounds like a stupid game. But it was hilarious. And one time, the guy who came out on Christina's turn looked really rough. And for some reason, we started calling him the Scruffer. Hence the game name. So yeah, we sat in Target and played that game. Highlights of that event were as follows: Christina got all the old guys and I got a dude wearing a bright red doo-rag on his head and the tightest turquoise pants I have ever seen a man wear. We had a grand time. We laughed and laughed and laughed. And then we went next door to the movie. We enjoyed it a lot. And yes, we made it until the end of the movie ;). I got home about 12:15 and pretty much went right to bed.

And because no post these days is complete without some sort of mention of my garden... Here are a couple of pictures. I have 3 tomatoes on one plant and one starting on another plant. My biggest cucumber is about 8 inches long now, and I will probably be picking it in the next day or two. Plus I have several others, two of which are pretty big themselves. The pepper plants are still growing, but have yet to produce a pepper. And the strawberries have not been stolen by birds, thanks to the netting. But something is still getting to them and taking bites. And I ate an apple from the tree. Possibly an unripened one. It was small and very tart. But the keep falling off, so I figured that was a sign they are ready? Maybe not. But what do I know? Hahaha.

Down... Like a Roller Coaster

I grew up on this song. I know a lot of the "oldies." And I love them. So have a listen. And enjoy.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: life really is like a roller coaster with its ups and downs.

I sometimes ponder a lot of things. And recently, I have pondered the idea that there must be opposition in all things. It makes sense, really. Because could we really know the good without the bad? Or the happy without the sad? The automatic response is, "Yes." But when I have pondered it, I have realized that the answer is no. Without the existence of sadness or anger, we might experience happiness -- but I don't think we would actually be able to identify it as such. We would just be in whatever state we were in. Like robots. How interesting to note that all these things will give me experience and be for my good. Not just the good things. Not just the bad things. But all of these things. Because I need them all to grow and to learn and to experience. Even if it's not the most pleasant of times.

Yes, life is like a roller coaster. Full of ups and downs. And sometimes it's exciting and fun.

But sometimes it makes me want to hurl.

Swing Batter, Batter

So Thursday I had training and had to drive an hour to work. I arrived in time. I only took a wrong turn once, well okay twice. But both times I was just following my google maps directions. And I didn't like what I was seeing either time, so I turned around and went my own way. The training wasn't really all that bad, I have to admit. It was nice to do something different. The worst part was probably when we had to experience -- through an acitivity -- the idea that everyone has a different idea of where personal space begins. It is not cool to have someone I don't know coming into my personal space. And pretty much all of us felt this way, because we were all giggling nervously and looking anywhere other than in the eye of the person who was either invading our space or we were invading theirs. It was awkward, to say the least. Makes me think of a movie line, though. Bonus cool points if you can name the movie :). "This is your dance space." Classic.

So my mom called me on Friday while I was at work to tell me that I have a tomato! One little tomato! I'm excited. I took a picture, but it's so small that when I zoomed in it got all blurry, and you can't really tell. So we wait until it gets bigger and more ready for its close-up ;). But i have one. Yippee! And I have at least 21 cucumbers from my last count. And some are getting large. And the plants themselves are growing out of control! I have included pictures.

On Friday, after my day of work, I walked with Lea and Morgan (Lea's daughter) and then we had empanaditas and taco salad for dinner. And then we all talked and laughed. And then we watched one episode of Glee.

I really should have hoed my garden and pulled weeds today. But I didn't.

Instead I went to work at the library -- which, for now, is pretty unavoidable, since I have exactly one month left for my "probation" period. But I'm closing in on the end of that. And I've already got time scheduled to be off. It's time. And after working at the library (which was hideously slow today), I drove to Lea's and hopped in their car and we all went to her daughter's softball tournament. So I was there from about 2:30 to 8:30. And it was a sunny day. I got burnt. Not bad. But I can feel it. One nice thing? The temperature never got over 75. So you can bask in the sun without sweating like a stuck pig. Which is gross. Oh, and ballpark nachos are better and cheaper than theatre nachos. I'm just sayin'. So we had fun. But I am tired. The Air Force was also having an air show nearby, so we got to see some of that, withouth the inconvenience of trying to get on base. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera ready at any of the cool air show moments like when 3 plans flew overhead and expelled red, white, and blue exhaust. That was cool. On the way back home, we stopped at 7-11 and got slushees. And then we just laughed the whole way back. So it was a great day all around. Just tiring. By the end of the evening, my left eye was being all wonky. That's my squintier eye. And it's more noticeable when I'm really tired. Hahahah. So on that note, I'm off to bed. And I'm totally sleeping in tomorrow.

Golden Nuggets

I had a song title all worked out. Until I remembered that I used it for a lunar eclipse back in my Tuscaloosa days. Oh well. If I think of something before the end of the post, I'll use it. If not, I'll have to still come up with a title -- song title or not.

What a day! I'm tired. And I'm dreading having to leave the house no later than 7:30 to drive to where I have to go for PREPARE training. Which is just a way of saying "giving you ammunition against difficult patrons." So that'll be my tomorrow. Yay! But my today was pretty darn fun.

Yes, I did the regular stuff like going to both jobs and working. Nothing new and exciting in either case. After work, I went out and took a picture of my biggest cucumber! I know it doesn't look that big, but it's growing like gangbusters! And it's exciting in my little world :). I also took a picture of my netting that is now covering my strawberries so that I might actually get to enjoy at least one :).

Then I came in and got a shower and then headed over to Lea's to pick her up. Because she and I went to see Eclipse. For the first time. I know so many of you have already seen it in the multiples. But I let the crowds die down :). It was fun and we enjoyed the movie. I still prefer Jacob's character over Edward's. I just do. Sorry Stacy ;).

So Lea and I get to the theatre and we get our tickets. We go inside, and Lea has old gift cards for the movie theatre, and we have decided we are going to have nachos for dinner. Well, apparently I haven't bought movie theatre food in ages. Because it almost knocked me over what the prices were! YIKES!!! In the end, we each got nachos and a white cherry slushee. And our grand total was $24.00. I mean, for real? For chips, cheese, and flavored ice!?! Then the cashier lady was like, "Do you want any candy with it?" I wonder if my facial expression was enough to answer her question. I'm cheap, people. I don't believe in paying more for chips, cheese, and flavored ice than what it cost for the movie. Hahahaha. We discussed this all the way into the theatre. And I took a picture of what $24 looks like, just for your benefit. I told Lea, "This is going on the blog!" The theatre was completely empty when we got in there. So we got some good seats right smack dab in the middle. And then we chronicled our girlie night with a photo shoot of sorts. None of the attempts were charming. But we'll go with the last one. It was fun, though. We just giggled and laughed. Way fun. And then someone else finally came in there. But seriously... On a Wednesday night about 3 weeks or so after the movie first came out, there wasn't a big crowd. There were seats everywhere. And then this couple comes in and plops themselves down at the end of our row -- two seats away from us. Lea and I looked at each other and muttered the same thing: "It's not like they didn't have the whole theatre to choose from." And then we laughed, and I said, "This is why we are friends: we think the same mean thoughts." Hahaha. But seriously. Empty theatre, and you're going to opt to sit 2 seats away from strangers? Weirdos! So we laughed at the girls who clapped in the movie. And on the way home, I told Lea that I better be pooping gold from the price of those nachos! Hahaha... Gives a whole knew meaning to the idea of panning for gold, doesn't it (hence my title, which I just thought up and is making me laugh way more than any song title post could. I'm twisted) ;)? Hahahaha. Lea laughed when I said that and she said, "I think that slushee was too much sugar for you!" So enjoy our pictures (including the $24 nachos -- yes, I still can't get over it). On the up-side, neither of us actually paid for those nachos. Some kind person who gave her kids gift cards that they never used paid for them. But next time I'm just driving up the road a bit further, having Target's $2.00 nachos, and then going in to see the movie. 'Cuz I'm cheap like that.

Not Dishwasher Friendly

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have come to really love the fabulous invention known as the dishwasher. I view dishes the way I view clothes (which is that if they are the kind of fabric that needs to be ironed, I don't buy them). I don't care to buy or use dishes that aren't dishwasher safe. Lazy? Yeah, probably. But since my mom thinks it's funny to say that she had four dishwashers (ie me, Ben, Brad, and Christina), I think I've done my share of dishes by hand. And so I love to utilize the wonderful dishwasher. And I usually don't give a lot of thought to things that aren't dishwasher safe these days. I know I melted a plastic plate in a dishwasher once. And what a smell that caused to go through our little townhouse on Denton Road. Ick! But I have not had any mishaps since that I can recall. Until Saturday night. I had my water bottle I'd gotten from work and was using due to the extreme heat (which, thank goodness, it has returned to much more reasonable temperatures -- like 60s during the day ;)). I put it in the dishwasher on Saturday and when I went upstairs on Sunday, it was laying on the counter looking like this:

Probably the picture doesn't really do it justice, but hopefully you realize that it's probably shrunk by half it's original size. You can see my hand in relation to this water bottle, and I don't know of too many water bottles that are made to fit nicely in the palm of one's hand. I mean, what would be the point? It'd be a water bottle made for the munchkins on The Wizard of Oz. "We represent... the lollipop kids!" (I can hear that in my head in a particularly hilarious voice at the moment). So, there went my water bottle. Boo. Lesson learned. Probably should have hand-washed that one.

And I love when I find a new song that I love. And by new, I mean new to me. As it was pointed out to me by Alysha via Julie, this is an old song (from 2009). But I love it. It makes me want to dance ;). And since I don't have a 14 year old to keep me up on the cool songs of the day (since a lot of them are junk, so I quit listening to the new stuff...), I have to find them when they are "old" ;). So have a listen here to Hey Soul Sister by Train. Funny tidbit: my friend Lea's family loves the song also, but she doesn't because she doesn't like the "untrimmed chest" part. Hahaha.

Toe or Finger?

It makes me laugh every time. Gotta love youtube. And Scrubs. Gotta love 'em.

FYI -- today was still hot in Washington. Cooler than yesterday. But still hot.

I bought nylon netting and tented my strawberries. Let's see how that works out as far as keeping the birds away. I bought a large constructable tomato cage and constructed it around my leafy tomato plant. And I counted 14 cucumbers so far. I think I may need to start looking up cucumber recipes!

I only had to work until 11:30 at the library today, because I have to drive to the service center on Thursday for training. Boo for training at the service center (not looking forward to the hour drive and having to get up early to get there by 9). But yay for getting off early today!

And check out the cover of this weeks The Economist magazine. I laughed when I saw this at the library! And if you've ever seen the movie French Kiss, you will understand why. And if you haven't seen it, you definitely should. It's got a million great lines you can quote. "Oh, this problem!" Hahahaha.

Pepino Cantador!

Believe it or not, this is a song title post. Of sorts. You will enjoy it, I just know it. So take a listen here. And think I'm crazy, go ahead. But this is a throw-back to about 10 years ago. And I believe I watched this at Julie's parent's house with Julie and Alysha -- back in the day. And yes, it does relate to my blog post. I'm not that random :).

Well I'm sitting around with a temporary crown these days. And I'm not talking about a tiara on my head. I went to the dentist today and they took off my old porcelain crown. Now I have a plastic one in. And in three weeks I'll get my other new porcelain crown. That should be made of gold with what I'm paying. Hahaha. Dental work is soooo expensive. But it will be done. They numbed me up today, since they were going to be working under the gum line. I hate the shot the most. That is the worst part for me. Once that is over, I'm pretty good to go. Except, inevitably, I alwyas feel like I have to swallow at the moments when I can't. Isn't that the worst feeling? I think it's psychological -- like I only want it because I know I can't do it at that moment. But they were really quick with everything. I was surprised how quickly it was all said and done. Right now I'm mostly just sore where they injected me. And maybe my gums around that molar are a bit tender. But no massive pain. I did learn that it is really really weird to try to eat anything or drink anything out of a can when half your mouth is numb. I mean, I've had dental work before where I've been numbed up, but I guess I never ate anything until after the numbness wore off. So it was kind of funny today. I had a salad for lunch, and it was like I couldn't tell there was anything in one side of my mouth. Weird feeling. Also couldn't tell if I was getting the lettuce into my mouth on the left side. Hahaha. I bet it would have funny to be watching me eat today... Also why it is unwise to eat when numb: you bite your lip and don't really know it. So you bite it again.

Lea and I did not walk today. When I went to the dentist, I saw a digital display that said the temperature was 93 degrees outside. And that was at 11:30. Disgusting! So I texted Lea after she got off work and told her I was game if she was, but that it wouldn't hurt my feelings if we skipped it! Hahaha. And so we didn't walk. Which was fine. I came home and watered my plants. I have done a lot of watering this week, because of the heat. And here is where my title comes in :). So I'm out there checking all my plants before I start watering. This is an almost-daily ritual! I still see no tomatoes. Lots and lots of buds. Especially on my big leafy one. Which is becoming hugely massive, so I need to buy a cage for it that I can construct around it, because it's entirely too big to put a round tomato thing over. But then I went to look at the cucumbers and noticed for the first time that I had yellow blossoms! I was stoked! I figured that meant there'd be cucumbers before long. And then I looked closer... The cucumbers are already there!!! They are tiny, it's true. But they are there! So here's a picture of two of my cucumbers. I'm sure they will continue to grow. Almost all of my cucumber plants have at least 1 cucumber growing. It's so exciting!!!

And since this cucumber bit came to mind... I will share my memory about pepino cantador (singing cucumber for those of you who didn't watch the clip). About 10 or 11 years ago, Veggie Tales were pretty big and popular. Heath and I were dating and we had gone to Wal-Mart. We went down the toy aisle. I don't know why. But we did. And there were these Veggie Tale toys where you could press the toy and it would talk. Well, there was Larry the Cucumber. And when you pressed him, he said: "I'm not a pickle, I'm a cucumber." And I laughed so hard the first time I heard that. Because the voice was just so full of disappointment that people thought it was a pickle. I know it sounds dumb, but it was sooo funny to me. It made me laugh! And perhaps it was Julie who started calling Heath pepino cantador because of his green striped polo shirt. I can't remember if that was before the Wal-Mart incident or after. But she always referred to it as his pepino cantador shirt. Ah, good times. I love random memories that just pop up because of new experiences. It's fun to remember sometimes ;).

So there you go. I'm very excited about my cucumbers. Although, if they do sing, I'm either going to run in sheer terror or try to become rich.

Blasphemy, I Tell You!

For the record... Temperatures in the 90s in Washington State (at least the part I'm in) is blasphemy! Today, while waiting to pee in a cup for my random drug test for the funeral home (how fun is that sentence?), I heard over the radio that we shattered the high temperature for this date, which was, up until today, 87 degrees set in 1985. Today we hit 91 in some places. I saw billboards that said it was 93. Whatever. The numbers were ugly. Ew.

Also, peeing in a cup is not a lot of fun. And they are so precise: you must rinse your hands before you pee, but you cannot use soap at that point. You may put your purse in that white box and lock it, and you can hold on to the key. Okay people, I'm wishing I'd have thought that one through a bit. After my experience of peeing in the cup and not being allowed to wash my hands until I leave the bathroom and they tell me I can, I'm thinking that stupid lockbox key is probably not the cleanest thing in the world. Ick. Gag. Gross. What was particularly funny to me was that they had posted on the walls ways for males and females to collect their urine specimens. Anyway, that is done. Hopefully I won't be getting another one of those any time soon.

Tomorrow I will be enjoying some time in the dentist chair. Okay, so perhas "enjoying" is a bit of a lie. But at any rate, I get to go and start the process of getting a new crown on my one tooth. Yay!

My mom and I have started planning our trip down the Oregon Coast. Now that I am almost out of my 6-month probation period at the library, I can take leave time. And so I am. We are going to definitely hit Astoria, OR. And for all of you 80s fans out there... That is where they filmed a lot of The Goonies!!! Also Short Circuit and Kindergarten Cop. And while those are cool movies as well... Well, The Goonies just tops them 100%. I will be looking for landmarks from the movie on the internet. If anyone finds any, let me know :). I'm pretty excited about it. We also plan to hit Tillamook, OR where we will go to the Tillamook Dairy Plant or whatever. All I know is that they are rumored to have an amazing grilled cheese sandwich. And we all know my affinity for cheese...

Well that's that. Tomorrow is supposed to start cooling down. And so hopefully Lea and I will walk.

The Fourth and Prior and Subsequent Days

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed a nice holiday weekend. I know I did. And today we in Washington State are officially welcoming summer. Today is the hottest day we've had this year (supposed to have a high somewhere in the 80s). And there are rumors that we could hit the 90s later this week. I, personally, am hoping that bit about hitting the 90s is just a vicious lie. But I guess I can't complain either way ;). Here it is July 6, and we've mostly been no higher than the 70s. Ahhhh. It's refreshing for the Nilla. Right now the view of Mt. Rainier is phenomenal. This is a gorgeous area -- especially on the clear days. But I digress.

I will back up a bit and tell of my weekend. Thursday night I went to Wendy's house along with Heidi and we had a fun girls' night. Wendy had made homemade macaroni and cheese (some of which she sent home with us, and I just finished off for lunch today). Very delish. I took the fixin's for a salad as well as sparkling grape juice, because I wanted something fun that wasn't soda, but I didn't have time to come up with some cutesie non-alcoholic beverage. And then I thoguht of sparkling grape juice. Perfect. And Heidi took some health-ified mini chocolate cheesecakes. And it was yummy. All of it. And we sat and talked a bit and watched Angels & Demons. Which meant I didn't have to wait to get it from the library. Decent movie, but I felt it didn't follow the book very well, and there was so much more in the book that was important that was pretty much just left out of the movie. But oh well.
Friday I worked and then went to Lea's at 6:30 for her son's birthday dinner. We ate chili dogs and strawberry shortcake. And then we watched the first 3 episodes of Glee, because that's what he got for his birthday, and I hadn't seen any of them, so they were trying to get me caught up. I so love this song all the time, and here it is performed on the show :). I left there around 10:30 and headed home.

Saturday was more work at the library and then shopping. Mostly just shopped to get the stuff for Monday, which was our family get-together for the 4th as well as my mom's birthday.

Sunday was choir practice and then church. After that, I walked with Sue and then watered my garden. Then we ate dinner and watched 1776. That is a wonderful movie. I have seen it many times over the years, because my mom has owned it on VHS and now DVD and we watched it a lot growing up. I know all the music (except that one dark song I don't like and I always leave when it plays). And I don't know how historically accurate it is, and I don't claim to be a history buff, because I'm definitely not one. But that movie has given me an interest in some of the characters of that time -- the people involved with the Declaration of Independence. And hearing some of the stuff in the movie makes me realize that this is, in fact, a chosen land. That God had His hand in the forming of it. The odds were against us, and yet we won. Gives me goosebumps to think of it. I also baked my mom's cake and started the application process for another job. One I doubt I'll get, but one for which I will apply anyway. After all that, I went down to my room and started watching the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I got tired, so I didn't finish it. But I laughed. It is hilarious.

Monday I woke up around 9:30 and started getting things ready to go to the state park. That is where we decided to have our bbq family thing. We pretty much all got there to the park around 11. We decided to grill near the playground so the kids could play and we could see them. It was chilly in the morning, but warmed up a bit as the day wore on. We weren't there for long, because Ben had to work. But it was really enjoyable. The kids are adorable as always. They had a lot of fun playing on the playground stuff. Emily is walking like crazy, though she wasn't so sure about the loose pebbles that were the ground for the playground. She also decided to feed me some chips. And there's no telling how many germs I ingested, since I know she's not particularly choosy about where she puts her hands (like in aforementioned pebbles) ;). But how do you say no to such cuteness? Saria is just getting more and more beautiful by the day. She is really growing up. Desiree is just super-sweet and enjoys playing with her cousins. Samuel and Benjamin had a great time too. Benjamin still kind of floats around doing his own thing and nothing much gets to him. Samuel likes when things go his way. (Maybe we share the same genes ;)?). So yeah, it was a lot of fun and neat for my mom to get to see all her kids and grand-kids on her birthday.
After that, my mom and I went home and I mowed the lawn and pulled weeds in my garden. Then, when I thought I was done, I went out front and saw my mom weeding one of the flower beds! So I helped her. And that one needed it! The weeds were choking out the roses. I don't know how those weeds grew so fast! We still have the other half of the yard to do, but at least we got half of it done. Then, just as I was getting ready to relax, Lea texted me to say she was ready to walk if I still wanted to. Phew... And so I did. I needed to walk, but man oh man I was tired from a long day ;). But it was a good walk, and then she invited me to stay for dinner and so I was there until 9:30 and even watched a hot-dog eating contest on tv courtesy of her husband. That was pretty disgusting, just fyi... Oh, so here are a couple of garden pictures, along with one of me after all the yardwork -- still smiling ;)! My tallest tomato plant is now up to my belly-button. And the birds keep eating my strawberries before they can ripen. Dumb birds. And I did include a picture of my headless flamingo support ;).

After I got home from Lea's and got a shower, I finished watching the movie from the night before and then I got ready for bed. And this morning it was back to the ol' rat race. But that's about it, in a nutshell. So for now, so long and thanks for all the fish ;)!

Musical Memories

I find it so amazing how music really stays with us. I don't know about you, but I remember lyrics for songs I haven't heard in 10 years or more. And then I hear it one day and I can sing it word for word. Music is a powerful thing. Not only to do I remember song lyrics, but whenever I hear certain songs, they remind me of a time, a place, or a person. I have very clear memories attached to some songs. So for kicks I have a list of dates. The dates link to a song and represent the year that is attached to that song in my memory. And perhaps that song will be significant to you too. Enjoy a partial soundtrack of the Nilla Life.

1992

1993

1995

1995

1998

1999

1999

1999

2002

2003

2006

2007

2008

2008