Tomatoes and a Bit More

Time to do a tomato update!!! Woohoo! The first picture is from about 4 days ago. The other two I just took tonight. They have been growing for 31 days now. I learned a very important lesson yesterday when I came home from work and saw about 4 or 5 of the taller plants laying down. Poor babies. Turns out you have to increase how much water you give the tomato plants as they get bigger ;). Which yes, is probably very obvious. But still, I'm just learning... So I watered them as my mom suggested, and within an hour, they were all standing up and healthy again! And so now I will be watering them daily instead of every other day. I am very excited to see them continue to grow. It is amazing to think back to the first sprout and see how much they have grown since then. It's practically imperceptable from day to day, but over 4 1/2 weeks, it's just amazing how they have grown!

With the weather we had Monday, the cold settled back in. We even had icy windshields today. But today was clear and pretty, so that was nice. Though by the time Wendy and I walked, it was starting to get overcast again and the wind was really blowing! But we still got in about 6 or 7 laps and some fun conversation :).

My dad just got back from Panama, and he bought me platanitos while he was there, so I'm pretty excited about getting those! Woohoo!

I have a pretty dull life other than those things, though. I'm currently watching episodes of the 10th season of Frasier so I can turn this season in tomorrow. It was technically due today, but they will back-date it tomorrow when they check it in. This way I get to watch the whole season :). And then I have seasons 3 and 4 checked out too, so I will have to start on those, since they are due next week! And then I won't be borrowing anymore for a while. It's simply taking up too much of my time ;).

Rainy Days and Mondays

Ah yes, a song title post. A depressing one. Blah. Today was a Monday. And it was horribly rainy, even by Washington standards. So that's a double whammy according to this song! Yes, it was a Monday today. Mondays have a reputation, and today did not disappoint (well, it disappointed me, but not its reputation...)

It hailed in Washington. I don't think this is a frequent event here. I happened to be out eating lunch during this part of the storm. The temperature dropped considerably over night, and it was very windy all day. For the first time in a long time, I really wished I could've just stayed home in bed.

Several things rubbed me the wrong way at work today. But part of life is just letting go and moving on. So I put in my headphones for most of the day and attempted to do just that.

I was supposed to hang out with my sister and the girls tonight. It's been a few weeks since I've seen them, so we had planned to do this. Well, instead we got into an argument about an hour and a half before I was supposed to go over, so that whole plan got nixed.

I realized about halfway through the day that today would have been my 7th anniversary. It seems no matter how much you move on, sometimes things do still bring you back. And a realization such as that is one of them. That just seemed like the cherry on top of a rather cruddy day.

I realize that these short snippets don't seem all that bad. And it certainly wasn't the worst day I've ever had. But it wasn't one I'd put on my list to re-visit, if you know what I mean. And I'm sure I can attribute at least some of my mood to hormones. Darn hormones.

And because today wasn't a total bust, and I feel the need to find the blessings in the dark moments...

I walked with Sue today. Bob brought me those chocolate peanut butter bars from Little Debbie for dessert, just to be nice. Bob and I finished both cross-word puzzles in the paper! I've lost some weight. Nothing phenomenal, but my clothes are fitting nicer. My tomato plants are still growing nicely. And the day's almost over, and tomorrow is a new day. :). It will be better. Can't know the sweet without knowing the bitter, right?

A Life So Ordinary

So I have now completed the transplanting of my tomato plants. Actually I finished that project up on Friday evening with the help of my wonderful mom who is always willing to help me :). Turns out, in the end, I have 63 plants! Phew! So I've been telling all sorts of people about them and telling them if they want a couple to let me know, because I'm just giving them away :)! I figure I can keep and plant 10 of them and that will be plenty sufficient. If we have a huge surplus of tomatoes, we are going to make and can our own spaghetti sauce. It might be fun to do salsa too, since then we can have salsa for various recipes we use every so often. So that's my tomato news for you.

For the most part I have pretty much just been working. Sameold sameold :). However, there has been room for fun! I walked with Wendy a couple of times last week. We have very enjoyable conversations that really help the walks to go by quickly. Then Friday night I went to Heidi's and we enjoyed pizza and sodas while watching the very cute chick flick The Proposal. I'd been wanting to see that one, and she had it, so we watched that. Then we proceeded to gab for two hours until 11:30 when I finally said I had to leave, because I had to work the next morning.

Oh yeah, and now I'm a Sunday School teacher for 12 and 13 year olds. I haven't taught yet, my first lesson will be next week. I have never pictured myself as a teacher. I admire teachers who are able to grasp a class's attention and really teach. I hope I can do at least a little bit of that.

And I finally finished While My Pretty One Sleeps. And then I forgot the next book I was going to read at home, so I didn't have it with me to read on my break (and I hadn't started it yet), so I ended up checking out a different book I'd been wanting to try out. It's a re-telling of the Cinderella story. There is a YA author who has written several books all based on the the fairy tales, and I thought they looked neat. Plus if they are clean (and it seems they are) and a good read, it gives me another set of books to recommend to Alysha when she's looking for stuff to read. Of course, this doesn't bode well for whittling down my "to read" list ;). Hahahaha... The plight of the public librarian!

And so I shall close for now. I am tired. So I will work on reading a bit of Before Midnight and then get some sleep so I can start again tomorrow :).

A Partial Transplant

I have plenty to say. But in the interest of finishing that book I'm still reading sometime in this century, I am just going to post a couple of pictures and be on my merry little way. The story is that my tomato plants are growing like weeds. Well, most of them are. The ones that I transplanted don't seem to be doing the very best, but they aren't dead, so I guess that's good. The other ones, though. Man they were taking off! So, it was really time to transplant them all. They need more room to grow. So I went and did some shopping yesterday. I got soil and I got pots. I was going to original get plastic pots that I could re-use. Then I saw these biodegradable ones for cheap at Wal-Mart that you just plant with the plant in it when you go to put it in the garden. So, I'm going to try that route. If this works, I will just start with those next year, and then there will be no transplanting at all! I'm really concerned the transplants will not go well...

So tonight I transplanted about 1/3 of my plants. It ended up getting dark. I had run several errands after work, so I didn't have a lot of daylight left. I should be happy with what I did accomplish :). So here are a couple of pictures. And here's to hoping the other 2/3 will forgive my slacking and survive in their crowded space for one more day!

Transcontinental Prayers

I have about a kajillion things to blog about. Which is nice, since usually I am drawing a blank and just end up rambling on and on and on... My original intention was to blog much earlier in the evening. But then things changed. Like they always do. I did not accomplish most of what I had to accomplish tonight. And not that it was ultra-stellar or responsible things. I was going to hunker down and read While My Pretty One Sleeps so I could finish it in this lifetime and move on to another book. But then Em from church called. She had invited a bunch of gals over to her house for the release of Twilight's 2nd movie New Moon. Well, we were going to watch it. So there I was, in my comfy pajamas and taking pictures of my tomato plants (which will be included here) when I got a phone call on the house phone. Which never happens, by the way. I usually only get calls to my cell phone. And Em says, when I get on the phone, "What are you doing at home?" I did tell her I was taking pictures of my tomato plants. Which makes me sound ultra hip and cool and stuff. Like I have a life. But after a few minutes of deciding not to go, I felt kinda guilty about bailing on the party, and so I called her back, changed clothes, and headed over. And we had fun. We were a small group - only 5 of us. But we enjoyed good food and lots of laughter. And plenty of discussion over why in the world Robert Pattinson didn't either buff up for the movie (since he takes his shirt off in it) or just leave his shirt on. Because it ain't pretty. Now the actor who plays Jacob... That's another story. And other discussions took place too. Hilarious ones. That kept us there until after 11.

Of course, this isn't the only New Moon fun I had today. Because, you see, I have a group of very dear friends in the great state of Alabama who were also having a New Moon party. A party I was very sad to miss. So imagine my surprise when Kira called me at about 5:10 my time and asked me to be a part of the party by saying the blessing on the food via cell phone speakerphone. And okay, so it's a little unorthodox and different. But what a wonderful group of friends who think of me and want to include me in any way possible (and also because they were already totally giggling and couldn't get serious enough to say the prayer -- trust me, I remember last year's experience quite clearly: And please bless the food that it will be yummy; because let's get real. Like oreo truffles are going to nourish and strengthen our bodies ;)...). I know this party was a blast -- and I haven't even seen pictures yet. But I partied with these gals last year, so I know it was fun. And I really am sad I wasn't able to manage to show up. So, to Stacy, Kira, Kristy, and Tammy -- I miss you and love you all! I hope to make the next party and can't wait to see the pictures and read the stories :)! And thanks for including me today :).

I have to say I've been relishing my "me" time of late. I feel like there simply is not enough time in the day. So I enjoy being cuddled up in the warm bed, watching episodes of Frasier or reading or blogging. Oh, and I love my wireless mouse. It is far to complicated and takes forever to have to drag pictures around without one. I'm just saying...

I also have to say that my life is really changing. A lot. Tonight, while at the New Moon thing, I got called at Em's by the bishop. I'm being released from my calling. The whole Relief Society Presidency is going to be released tomorrow. I did not see this coming. I find it interesting that it coincides with so many other changes in my life. New thoughts, new situations. I wonder if, just as things all worked together for me to come here, that things are now going to work together to move me onto the next part of my life. And I don't know where that will take me, literally or figuratively. Perhaps nothing much will change. Perhaps everything will. Or maybe it will just be somewhere in the middle, with some changes, but not everything different. Some days I wish I could see the future. But then some days I see the wisdom in not being able to. Wendy, the girl I walk with, and I were talking about this concept. She told me about a tv show called Flash Foward that is along these lines -- of seeing one day of the future. And how when everyone woke up in real time, they started acting differently based on what they saw. I thought it sounds interesting. I saw the season of it for sale at Best Buy the other day. I didn't buy it. Turns out the show is based on a Science Fiction book by the same title. Know how I know that? I shelved it today at the library. I think I will add it to my ever expanding "to read" list. Which, by the way, is not getting any shorter, since I didn't read any of While My Pretty One Sleeps ;). So yeah... That's the Nilla Life for you at the moment.

And finally, my new favorite topic: my tomato plants! They are growing wonderfully! In fact, I had to transplant a few because they were getting crowded in their cubicles. And let me tell you... It was heart-wrenching to transplant, because you feel the roots tearing while you pull the plant out of the dirt. But amazingly, my little seedlings bucked up and took to their new homes. I have now transplanted a total of 4: 3 today and 1 a couple of days ago. I was explaining to my seedlings the lesson of life: that sometimes we have to endure pain so that we can be moved to where we can grow better. I'm telling you... there are lessons for life throughout nature. I'm amazed at the parallels I've gained in the last couple of months when I've really started to ponder it. And no, I'm not crazy for talking to my plants. :). I'm probably crazy, just for other reasons :). So, here are a couple of plant pictures. The picture of the 4 in the windowsill are the 4 I transplanted.

So, for general knowledge purposes... These are at 3 weeks. I can't transplant to outside for at least 3 more weeks, but I might wait 4 to be on the safe side.

[Life] is Like a Roller Coaster, Baby Baby

It's been a while since I have done a song title post. At least I think it has been.

Life really is like a roller coaster. Ups and downs. And ups and downs. Things haven't been bad. Mostly normal. But sometimes things are tougher than others. Sometimes we have to do things that are hard, because they are the right thing to do. Sometimes we have to accept that things happen that are beyond our control, and we just have to be thankful for what we have. For example, the economy is bad. I know this is no big surprise. It's been bad for about a year and a half now. But lately we've been feeling the pinch at the funeral home. And yesterday several people, including myself, got sent home without pay, because the power went out, and they can't justify paying everyone for sitting in the dark. There was talk of hours being cut for admin staff and a few others. As of today, we hear that, at least for now, that isn't going to happen. But it started me thinking... I have so very much to be grateful for. Even if my hours do eventually get cut, I now have a second job that will help make up the difference. And I also am in a situation where I won't find myself defaulting on a loan or not being able to afford rent or what have you. Is it what I dreamed of for my life? No, not really. But I know I will be okay. Worst case scenario, I have to wait a little longer to pay off my student loan -- but not much longer. But for now, everything is still on track, since our hours aren't getting cut as of right now. But the other thing I keep hearing as I work at the library is all these people coming in weekly to get online and search for jobs. I don't know these people. But I can honestly say my heart aches for them. And I realize how little I have to complain about. Because I have had the means to pay my bills and meet my obligations. And I have an even stronger testimony of tithing. I have had one since I decided to be a full tithe payer about 6 years ago. I have seen the blessings come. I realize it doesn't make logical sense to the world at large to say that, in "giving away" part of my income, I am actually surviving better. But I know that is the case. I have literally seen miracles. Even if they don't seem like miracles. I have seen my money stretch further, because the things I need have been on sale. Or because the amount I had budgeted for a bill was sufficient, even though I was sure I would probably go over that budgeted amount because of circumstance (like my heating bill in Tuscaloosa when I lived alone). Or because my car keeps running. Or because I don't get sick. These may not seem miraculous, but they are my miracles, and they have allowed me to have what I have and to make do with what I earn. I have no doubt that these instances -- and so many more -- are a direct fulfillment of the Lord's promise: that He will pour out the blessings of heaven when we pay our tithes and offerings.

Sorry, I didn't mean to get on a soapbox. I really just recognize that my success has not come through my efforts alone. I have blessings being poured out upon me. And I am so grateful for what I have. I need to remember that more often, especially as I see how hard it really is "out there" economically speaking. In my county alone over 10,000 people are without work. Times are so hard. It is heart-breaking.

But that's depressing. And I didn't mean to be depressing. So here's another miracle -- at least in my book ;)

These are my tomato plants! And they are even taller today! I showed these pictures to people at work and they were like, "Whoa!" It's looking like I will have to transplant into bigger pots before I transplant into the garden -- if that's what I choose to do. Who knew? Of 48 little cubicles, I only had 1 that didn't produce a plant. And some of them have more than one plant. This was partially because I couldn't believe that one tiny little tomato seed would produce a plant that would grow to produce a bunch. Turns out I was wrong. But, you live and learn. Now I know for next year! Anyway, I'm going to probably give a few seedlings to people at work. Goodness knows we can't eat that many tomatoes! I am just hopeful they will produce :). Both Mary and Buck suggested I sell the seedlings for a couple bucks each. But I'd rather give them away. Especially because I don't know if they will produce. I am, after all, a novice ;). But I am very excited with the progress of my little plants. I seriously never knew I could be that excited about a plant growing. So I am sorry to those of you who are tired of hearing about my plants. I fear you have a long way to go before you don't hear my blathering on about them anymore ;).

Oh, and other fun news... I'm posting this from the comfort of my bed. Wireless is working wonderfully. I'm loving my laptop. I'm loving laying in bed and blogging or emailing or -- like what I'm about to do, watching an episode of Frasier ;).

Some Days I Hate Technology

We are trying to go wireless at our house. It will be wonderfully convenient for me to be able to connect to the internet wirelessly with my laptop. Right now, for some reason, I can't even connect to the internet with the wire plugged in. Anyway, a friend gave us a router. We figured this was great, because then we wouldn't have to buy one. Yeah, that's not looking promising. We can't get it to install correctly or something. It's still "remembering" the old information, and so we have to have the old key to log-in to it. And though we have that key, it still isn't working. So I'm annoyed. And there are about a million wires involved in computers. And they all get tangled up. So my patience has pretty much worn out. I'm going to ask the person who gave us the router if we are keying in the key correctly (because we see that we have a signal and that the computers (both mine and my mom's) are recognizing the router), and if we are, then I guess the next step is to give up and buy one from scratch. Grrr. These things are supposed to be idiot-proof, so I'm thinking this must make me below the rank of idiot ;). So maybe dummer than dirt? Hahahaha... Okay, I'm done with that rant. I am seriously technologically challenged.

For the sake of laughter and irony, I'm not going to fix the spelling of "dummer". Yes, I seriously wrote it that way on accident. I was proof-reading it after I posted it and found that lovely mistake. But since I was describing myself as dumber than dirt, I think I'll leave it and bask in its irony.

Update: I continued working on it and finally read something that said I could re-set the factory settings on the router. And it told me how to do it. So I did. And voila! We had success! And so now, I am sitting upstairs at the dinner table, eating dinner, watching Frasier on DVD with my mom and Grandma, and updating my blog! Woohoo! I am way excited. I remain technologically stunted, but maybe I'm not quite "dummer" than dirt ;). Oh, and a huge thanks to Kira and Ben who always volunteer to help with computer questions and issues! You guys are awesome!