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 :).

It Was a Quack-Up

Yes, yes, I have not blogged in a while. But I have spent the last week blissfully house-sitting and cat-sitting for someone at church. To say it has been awesome would be an understatement. I love the constant me-space. It's moments like those when I think I should just become the weird old cat lady who lives in the corner house all by herself ;). Hahahaha... Not really. But sometimes...

Anyway, so I have a few grand things to report. Some are hilarious and fall under the category of: "How the heck does this stuff happen to me?" So why not start with the other stuff and leave that one for last :).

So, before I went to Julie's in May -- knowing we were going to do an 80s party -- I attempted to find some Booberry cereal. All of you children of the 80s will probably recognize this cereal and appreciate the greatness of it. Now, I had no real reason to think I'd be successful in my endeavors, except that my brother Brad had told me a few months prior that he and Tarylyn had found a box at Grocey Outlet for like 99 cents. I was stoked. I went to Grocery Outlet. I went to Wal-Mart. I went down the cereal aisles of every grocery store in my vicinity. Nothing. I was bummed. But life went on. Then, when we had our 80s party at work, I did the same thing. I even drove about 30 minutes to the nearest Super Wal-Mart (because, tragically, the Wal-Mart here isn't a Super one), to check out their cereals. Because I'd read on some 80s food site online that Wal-mart has them. No luck. Yeah, I was bummed. But the 80s party was a hit anyway, and the lack of Booberry treats (like rice krispie treats, only with booberry -- it's something I want to try), was not the end of the fun. So imagine my surprise when I get a text message from John the other day, this is what is included, with a note that said, "Want it or not?"

Um, and I sent back a resounding YES!!! So he got me 2 boxes of each kind. And it's grand, because it only cost $1.65 a box, and, more importantly, because we're going to have a decades party at work soon, so this will work out well :). I'm thinking fondue (a la 70s) and booberry and frankenberry treats (a la 80s). And we'll hash out the rest of it later :)!!!

Also related to our upcoming decades party... Mary and I hung out last Friday after work. We had eaten a late (and large) lunch -- though I can't even remember what it was, so we weren't feeling particularly hungry. So, we shot on down to one of my favorite haunts here -- a thrift store. That place is awesome. Well, they had their Halloween costumes out. So, though I didn't go with intentions of getting anything other than a purse (since my strap had broken that day), I ended up walking out of there with a very, very bright 60s-ish outfit. Pictures will be forthcoming, after the party. Which we hope to pull off here in the next 2 to 3 weeks.

Okay, so here's the great story. And the reason for my title. So, Tuesday last week, my boss had paid for 2 lunches at the local Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Due to various circumstances, I ended up being the person who went with him. How does the file lady end up going to something like this? I am not entirely sure. I'm pretty low on the totem-pole as far as being in the public eye in my opinion. But anyway, I was looking pretty craptastic that day, so I made him swing by the house so I could pick up my make-up. And I'm oh-so-glad I did. So, on the way there, I was attempting to appear presentable. We go to the place -- a bar no less -- and went inside. Well, they had a basket for business cards, and my boss thought he'd forgotten his, but went to see if he had any in his car. Lucky for him, he did (not so sure this was lucky for me, though... you be the judge). So he put one in, and then asked me if I'd like to use one of his cards to put in the basket with my name on it. I'm figuring this is going to be something from which the funeral home can benefit. So, I take one of his cards, cross out his name, and write in mine; drop it in the basket, and forget about it. And then we eat. I had a very fatty pulled-pork sandwich (ewwww. I don't like fat on my meat, so I didn't eat most of it). And we listened to the people talking about the city and money and such. And by the end, they started doing door-prize drawings. Which turns out, that's where the business cards in the basket come in. So they had some cool stuff to give away. Things like a beach umbrella or a kiddie backpack filled with macaroni and cheese (and anyone who knows me knows I love some mac and cheese). They even had a meal for 4 up to $60 value prepared by a private chef. So, yeah, they are giving away some pretty nifty stuff. So then they have a duck to give away. An Aflac duck, to be more precise. And the comment gets made that whoever wins that prize, they know what they have to do. And then the lady with the microphone says, "I'm not sure how to pronounce this... Is it Hila or Heela?" OH MY GOSH. I swung my head around and glared at Robin for just a moment -- it was, after all, HIS card in there with MY name on it. And then I was up, telling them, with a smile on my face, how to pronounce my name. And then they give me the microphone because, remember, I'm supposed to do something special for the duck. And so, I quack into the microphone and hand it back. But oh no! I wasn't supposed to quack! (Too bad that didn't occur to me before I did, though), I was supposed to say "AFLAC!" And so they handed the mic back to me, and I had to do it again. So, that was the day I quacked -- and AFLACed -- in front of the whole area chamber of commerce. Classic. And Robin was just a-laughin'. The lady sitting across from me said, "You are a good sport! And you didn't even turn 37 shades of red!" I think I probably turned at least 36 shades. But whatever. It's a hilarious memory. And it turns out the duck actually says AFLAC when you squeeze it. Had I known that, I'd have cheated and squeezed it into the microphone :). So here I am, with my "winnings":

Never Say Never

We've had a busy week here lately. My grandfather's health has gotten worse, and things aren't looking good. He spent a week in the hospital and was able to come home on Wednesday. My Aunt Sue has been up for the week, and my Aunt Hila is coming in Tuesday. As life goes on, I find that I ponder many things these days. Perspective changes. People change. That was something I had a hard time accepting once, but I've come to see that it is true. People change. I know I have. It is hard to believe that this time last year, I was in Panama. I fully anticipated having a good librarian job here very quickly. I thought I knew why I was coming here to Washington. At this point, I'm not so sure that I am here for the reasons I thought I was. Do I know why I'm here? No, not really. But I've had a few insights as to possibilities. And none of them are the reasons I originally had in my head a year ago. I find that I've had opportunities I would never have if I wasn't here. And though I know I haven't been all that I should be for her, my mom tells me I've helped her by being here -- that I've given her someone to talk to. And so maybe that's why I've been here and why I've not found the jobs I thought I'd find that would take me away from here. So life is interesting. The more I live, the more I learn the truth in the addage: Life is what happens when we're busy making other plans. Interesting that John Lennon has been credited with that quote -- I just looked it up. And so, as I have pondered these things and the way my life has twisted and turned over the past year... or three ;), I have realized the wisdom in a song that says "never say never." And so you should listen to it here :).

So these are just some of the things I once said never to, and which I've done. And so, I shall eat crow. And I will try my best to never utter the word never (oops! failed already!) again :).

Twilight: I swore I'd never read the books. But I did. And I liked them. And I went and saw the movie in the theatre, and then I bought the movie. And I will be seeing the next one.

Facebook: I was so against it. I saw all the bad things that can come of it. But I do have facebook. I don't use it all the time or do any of the games on it, but I have an account, and I have found really great things about facebook -- like finding people from 10 or even 16 years ago.

Texting: Ah yes, texting. How critical I was of texters who use "ur" and "c u later" or whatever. I couldn't understand the thrill of the text. But since I've become a texter (and even got a phone to make it easier), I see the benefit of text-messaging. And so, I've become such an avid texter, I had to move to unlimited texting on our family share plan. Which is beneficial for me, Christina, and even my mom, who, yes, is also texting sometimes too :). Oh, and here's my new phone:


And here's the phone opened up for texting (look, Julie, it's purple!):


Okay, so I know those aren't heavy things that I said I'd never do that I did. But you get the idea :). So, I wonder what else I will end up doing that I said I'd never do? Of course, there are things I won't do, because they aren't silly little frivolous things, like those above. Some things are legitimate things that I won't do.

And, do end up on a fun picture-note... Here are cute pictures from last Sunday's picnic at the State Park. Isn't my sister beautiful? And aren't the kids so adorable?!? They are all growing up so fast! And look at that Emily. She's crawling now. And such a good baby. And of course, there's Brad, the grill master :).

I [Felt] My Temperature Rising

I figure with the infrequency that I blog these days, I can easily do a song-title post for each one :). So here you go -- the song for today's post :).

What a week it was... a hot week. And that is why I included that song. We hit high temperatures of about 104. Which is insane and unheard of. You know that philosophy called "The grass is always greener..."? Hahaha... Well, the grass was definitely greener in Alabama last week, because at least in Alabama they expect that kind of heat every summer, so they have air conditioning!!! Most places around here don't have any kind of a/c. Yeah, it was craptastic. YUCK. The day my heart really sank was when I heard them explaining the meaning of "heat index" on the news. If they have to explain it, it means they don't have a reason to know what it means usually... And I already knew from 10 years of experience in Alabama. So, I got blamed for the heat. My boss told me that I obviously brought it with me, because it hasn't been this way before. Well, you know me. I think on my feet. I told him, "Hey, there's a price to pay for the presence of fabulousness." And so that quote made its way around the office, and good old Bob made me another sign and stuck it over my work station :). Hahaha... Always fun. Also, it hasn't rained in over a month here. Also a rarity. I'm looking forward to the return of the rain.

So anyway, we survived the heat. It's still been warm, but not unbearable. We even had a family picnic yesterday at a State Park here. It was quite beautiful and not really hot there, because of all the shade. We played Apples to Apples and grilled out, and it was great! The kids had a blast too. It had been a while since we'd done a family thing, so it was nice to do this. And now we know that we don't have to pay to use the facilities, so maybe we can do it again before long :).

As usual, I've stayed pretty busy. I taught the lesson in Relief Society yesterday, and then I also got asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting next Sunday. So I need to prepare a talk. Phew!

Oh! And I got my new phone today! It came to the funeral home via FedEx :). I haven't actually set it up yet. But I have it. And I got it for free, since I signed on for 2 more years with Verizon. And I got a full texting keyboard! Yippee!!! I'm hoping its battery life is better than the one I've had for the past almost 2 years.

And blackberry season is here again. I don't know what my obsession is with picking blackberries. We still had 4 frozen quarts of blackberries from last year, and yet I am compelled to go pick more! Something about free food that grows without a whole lot of tending. Hahaha... I need to make some jam or something out of them. We made blackberry pie and blackberry lemonade with some of them for our family picnic yesterday, and both were very good :).

Well, I don't have much else to say for now. So have a great week!!!

[Nilla] Likes to Party All the Time

Good grief! Another week has come and gone. I don't even know where the time goes. But it's been another busy week full of lack of sleep and non-vanilla-ness.

Last Monday I got to see Christina and the babies :). I love the girls. They are so fun. They joined us for our Monday evening walk with my mom and Heidi. Then Christina and I went by St. Vinny's to see if we could find the 2nd Kathy Reichs book, since Christina is far ahead of me in her reading!!! We were unsuccessful, but we found a bunch of other good books :). Then we went to the dollar store and got some goodies, and then to a grocery store for Christina to go in and pick up formula. I just waited in the car with the girls while Christina ran in, because it's rough getting a 4 1/2 year old and a 7 1/2 month old in and out of the car a million times. Then we headed to Christina's and had some dinner and watched Clue while downloading songs and playing with the kiddos. I left there at about 12:45 Tuesday morning.

Tuesday and Wednesday were good days. Just went to work, went to a presidency meeting for Relief Society. At work we were getting all the preparations finished for our awesome 80s party that was to take place later that week :). Oh, and plus on Wednesday night, my mom and I made oreo truffles for the 80s party.

On Thursday, I went to work and had my normal day of work up until about 3:45 when we left to go to Seattle for the quarterly Rewards and Recognition Banquet. We were able to dress down, so I was in jeans :). Only 7 of us went from our location, but we used 3 different vehicles. But we all went on the ferry on the way over. Those of us who went: Robin, my mom, me, Danielle, Sue, John, and Doug. We had a tad bit of trouble finding the place (Seattle traffic and streets are nutso!), but we got there and got to eating. We had grilled food, and everything was yummy. They were handing out water guns, so we all got one, and then my mom, Sue, and I snuck up on Robin and doused him. It was hilarious. He got us back eventually, but in the end, we were all pretty wet. Who knew it could be that much fun to spray water guns when you are 28 years old??? Also, I learned a lesson: don't put a loaded water gun in your pocket and then lean over. Because chances are good you will cause the gun to spray inside your pocket and it will look like you peed your pants. That's just a word to the wise :). Anyway, here we are (minus Doug) right before we were getting ready to leave:

And yeah, so we got lost on the way back home and ended up somewhere really weird. I don't even know where we were. I think it was the industrial section -- or the commercial shipping area. Apparently that happens all the time, because a gate guard provided us with directions. Hahaha... Oh, and I was navigating. I'm awesome. Of course, my mom was also navigating from the back seat, and she seemed to know where she was going, so I kind of had quit navigating. And so that wasn't brilliant either. Ah, such is life. Just be cautious if you ever find yourself on the viaduct in Seattle. But no worries... We had plenty of time to find our way back to the ferry and catch it. We talked on the way back and we laughed so hard!!! It's awesome to tell stories and just laugh together as a group :). We got back to the funeral home a bit after 10 and then headed home. I ended up being up until about 2 in the morning working on food labels for the 80s party.

Friday was the day of the big 80s party!!! Woohoo!!! We were all very excited. I worked until about 3, and then I headed off to get the rest of the ingredients I needed for the cheeseball I was taking for the party. Then I had to get home and shower and get all 80s-ed up :). And I did. And since I can't make myself have big hair, I just side-ponytailed it. And I went into Rite Aid (because I had forgotten crackers) looking quite interesting, I'm sure :). So, enjoy all the lovely pictures of the 80s party. It was radically awesome, and we had a decent turnout. And we had so much fun with the food (due to lack of interest in looking at each individual dish, I have not embedded each food picture here... So, click on the picture, and it will take you to the rest :))!!!










Thank goodness for Pam having the exact same 2 80s games that I have: Name That Tune 80s Edition and Trivial Pursuit 80s Edition. Mine are all packed in boxes still :(. And Pam also had cassette tapes to bring for decor :)!! And of course we had 80s music to listen to :). It was way fun. Here was everyone who attended:


And here are me and Mary, two rockin' 80s babes :)


By this time, it was time to dig into the food. And it was all very yummy! Several people had to leave after the food part, but those of us who stayed split into 2 teams and played both 80s games. This brought back lots of memories. We used to play Name that Tune 80s all the time with Jon and Julie. And all I remember is that there is one video on there that came up all the time -- I think it was Rock the Casbah.


My team consisted of me, Mary, and my mom. And we won both games!!! My mom was awesome at the Headlines and the Wild Card questions. We sure couldn't have won without her!!! And seriously, we didn't just win, we whipped some 80s bootie! And okay, so she wasn't so helpful at the Name That Tune game. But she was hilarious! At one point we had to watch a video clip and guess the group. So the video was China Girl by David Bowie, and Mary and I both knew it. My mom goes, "Oh! That's Jim Bowie (pronounced Boo-ie)!" That was hilarious. And we can't forget that Pam said, "Wasn't his name Captain?" about Captain Stubing on The Love Boat. Hahahaha.... You had to have been there, but it was hilarious. Captain Captain. Hahahaha....


So here are the three of us who dressed up who actually work at the funeral home:


And here are all of us who dressed up:

The other two people and the baby were guests of Pam.

We got everything cleaned up by 9 and then left. And then, Mary texted me on her way home to tell me that she forgot she had to stop for gas, and that she was really appreciating her outfit right about then. Oh I laughed sooooo hard. I bet she got some stares :). And then, of course, Saturday was work day for me and Mary. But at least we had a ton of leftovers :). Saturday evening I went grocery shopping with my mom. And then today was church. And so that has been my life lately. And yes, I sure do like to party all the time :). Thank you, Eddie Murphy, for providing me with a great song title post :). And what's more, thanks for doing this song in the 80s so it's even more fitting :). I am a NERD.

Burning the Candle at Both Ends

Yeah, that's what I feel like I've been doing. I'm tired! And it feels like I'm always on the go. I had quite a busy week.

I babysat one evening for a friend from church. She had an obligation with her 9-year old son, so I watched her 1 and 2 year olds. They are funny kids, and very well-behaved. It was an easy time, and it was fun. We even watched some Inspector Gadget cartoon episodes (from the 80s) from NetFlix.

I walked 3 days this week, and two of those days, I walked 2 miles! Yippeee!!! I'm trying to stay motivated.

I had a rather odd dream about my filing at the funeral home. Or should I say nightmare? Because, in the dream, my filing system wasn't working!!! I was horrified, and I was telling my boss, "I just don't know what to do! All of this (and I motioned to all the index cards I'd made up so far) has just been a waste!" And at one point, I even started pulling random index cards and handing them out to people who work there and telling them to try to locate what was on the card with the new filing system. And only one person was able to locate theirs. And it was a magazine article. And the lot card (the index card) actually had the magazine article listed on it, rather than anything that has to do with a funeral home(more like periodicals in a library). Hahahaha... I guess I was mixing up my work history. I am, after all, a funeral home librarian ;). Hahaha...

I made jam with some ladies from church on Tuesday night. We made three types to give away at Enrichment Meeting on Thursday night: blueberry rhubarb, strawberry rhubarb, and raspberry rhubarb. I have to say the strawberry is my favorite, but they are all really good. And then Enrichment went really well last night. We learned how to be more consumer-aware and how to make healthier choices at the grocery store.

We're in the middle of planning an 80s party for the funeral home. It is scheduled for next Friday, and it's going to be way awesome. In addition to the 80s menu I posted previously, we've also come up with other items. Mary came up with "Breakfast Club Sandwich" and I thought of "Where's the Beef" and Onion Cheeseball with "Putting on the Ritz" crackers :). And hopefully my sister will read this blog post so she can see that I linked that song just for her :). Anyway, so you know I'll be taking pictures. I'm pretty excited about it :). I even made up a flier that has gotten a few chuckles.

And I'm also starting the search for my next plane tickets. I'm looking at schedules and prices and getting excited about going to see April get married in October! Woohoo!

So, I guess my life doesn't seem so on-the-go when I put it in writing. But, it sure feels like it is! My days start early (well, okay, 8:00 is early to me :)), and end late -- like midnight or later. So I feel pretty darn tired. But it's fun, and so I'm not complaining :).