A Massage, a Sunburn, and Two Filet Mignons

What a weekend! R's firm does one weekend every year in the summer where everyone and their spouses are invited to get out of the valley and drive to stay at a pretty sweet hotel. Then you proceed to eat and drink and play games and swim and get spa treatments and take naps. And the best part is that the tab is on the firm. Hello free massage!

(We went 2 years ago when M was almost 1 (he stayed with Grandma) and it was a blast, but we didn't really know anyone (R was a summer clerk without a job offer yet). And last year we had moved to AZ after R's graduation only 3 days prior to the retreat, so we missed it. But this year M is more than old enough to be without us for 2 days, again with Grandma, and we have no babies currently, plus we know a lot more people that were there this year. It was so fun!)

We drove up to Sedona on Friday at about noon, and it's so beautiful up there. The temperatures are much more mild, and the red rocks are spectacular. We stayed at the Hilton, so we checked in, mingled in the hospitality suite for the afternoon as people arrived, ate snacks, and then lazed around the pool until dinner. Then we walked down the road to Cucina Rustica. Let's just say that it was the best filet mignon that I have EVER had, and they're always pretty good, right?! It was served with this Gorgonzola cream sauce and crispy potatoes and vegetables sauteed in butter...yum! So, dinner was great! Then I went to bed, but R stayed up to watch all the folks that were already drunk at dinner go back to the hospitality suite and keep on going. I'm sure it was quite entertaining, but I was sleepy :)

Saturday was the laziest day I've had in a while. We got up and hiked a little bit in the morning, but it was leisurely and slow. We saw Cathedral Rock, took a few pictures, and got breakfast at the Desert Flour bakery. We laid out with friends at the pool some more and proceeded to get sunburned in the shade and in about an hour (stupid elevation). Then, we ate lunch outside and drank (virgin) strawberry daiquiri's. Around then we put R down for a nap and I was off to the spa. I had my cucumber water, and my book and waited for my masseuse, who then pulverized my muscles for about and hour and a half. I walked back to our room in a daze, collapsed in a heap and then we were off to the hospitality suite again to snack and play cards until dinner. Dinner wasn't as good the second night, but I did have another filet mignon, and it was tasty. I went to bed early again, but R stayed up again, and there was much playing of ping pong and various shenanigans.

M was sorely missed, so we left the hotel as early as we could and sped home to see the little guy. He was jumping up and down when we came in and it melted my little heart! Back together at last :)

Environmental Working Group

I'm on my soapbox today, and it's my latest discovery thanks to a friend of mine. You might not care, but I shall ramble anyhow. I have discovered that my makeups, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, hair dyes, hand soaps, detergents, pots and pans, water bottles, baby soaps and lotions, wipers, sunscreens and the like have possible contaminants in them, depending on the brand. This lovely website lists them and helps you find the safer alternatives. (Hooray! I don't have to do any research!) The point is to have information and make better choices. It's not hard, and it's more of a process than an overnight retooling of life. For example, I haven't replaced any of my makeup, but I did replace my lotions and hair products. I changed M's baby soap and lotion and wipers (but not diapers and pull-ups). It's a gradual shift to a more informed lifestyle. I feel proud of myself :)

www.ewg.org is the main site
this is their database called Skin Deep (search for info on specific things in your house)

This website has given me a new appreciation of the simple life. No more millions of bath and body products, no more wondering if my shampoo has junk in it I shouldn't be using while pregnant or breastfeeding (and therefore, probably all the time, huh?), no more wondering if I'm being as safe as I can without any real information, besides a hunch. Now I have the information! I've suspected for a long time that maybe laundry detergent and baby lotion and hair products could have a few less than desirable ingredients. But I lacked the knowhow of how to find out. Other websites seemed to smack of conspiracy theories, so I didn't trust them. And even though I trusted other like-minded people, it was hard to take their information seriously when I heard from them, and they usually "heard it somewhere".

Now please don't either dismiss this outright, or read everything and freak out that it's too much. Start small and make some safer choices in the future. It's pretty easy to pick a few things and then feel like you're increasing your awareness and getting healthier.

If you think this is a bunch of overreacting, please read information on the website yourself. You can pick and choose what to read about, and then please let me know your thoughts. It covers chemicals and toxins in foods and also household products. I also just read about how plastic water bottles can leach chemicals into your your everyday water. They recommend getting stainless steel water bottles, or glass (I prefer the stainless steel). I think this might be a good place to buy one if you're interested. I'll probably get mine on amazon.com.

A list of things I switched to:

• For lotion I only use coconut oil, olive oil, Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion, Aquaphor, or Eucerin Calming Creme. The two oils are about as safe as you can get, and M thinks they're great!
  
• For shampoo I use Castile Soap from Trader Joe's, because it's cheaper than the real Castille Soap.
  
• For bar soap I use Kirk's Castile Soap, and I use it on my face too (no more Neutrogena face wash!).
  
• Conditioner is hard to find cheap, which may motivate me to cut my hair off again.
  
• For hand soap we use Castile Soap or Trader Joe's Orange Blossom Honey French Liquid Soap.
  
• For toothpaste I use a Trader Joe's brand of peppermint toothpaste that doesn't have any bad stuff in it except flouride, but my teeth suck so I need it I think.
• For dishwasher detergent we use the regular stuff, but we don't shut the little door to lock in the granules. According to the technician we asked, he recommends this anyways, since your dishes still get clean, but the soap is rinsed off twice.
• For laundry detergent we use the environmental one from Costco called Wintree. We also don't use any dryer sheets anymore (formaldehyde) and we avoid spray 'n' wash when possible.
  
• For sunscreen I splurged and bought a really overpriced $30 tube by UV Natural from Whole Foods. I later learned that there is a CVS brand that only has zinc oxide in it, so I'll look for that soon since the swimming season here in AZ has arrived.

So there you go. My big list of things that you might not ever even want to know! Things I was already doing before discovering the website include:

• washing fruits and veggies with produce wash: Fit spray (at the grocery store) or mild Dawn knockoffs like my "Ultra Dishmate" by Environmentally Friendly Products I found at the local Fresh 'n' Easy
• microwaving foods on paper towels or in glass/ceramic dishes, NOT plastic containers of any kind
• cooking with stainless steel pots and pans, baking sheets, etc. NOT teflon, non-stick coated things, or aluminum

So, again, there you go. Soapbox is finito :)

Sudoku and Quotable Quotes

So I love doing sudoku puzzles. Who knew? I flew to California a few weeks ago to see my cousin Lauren get sealed in the Oakland Temple. And to see my sisters and bro-in-law and cutest nephew ever! And also a lot more family and friends. But the point is that I tried my first sudoku puzzle and there's no going back. I now have 3 sudoku workbooks that I'm filling out. Book one is almost filled in. M calls them my number games and occasionally says things like "Mom, put a 6 right here." in perfect bossy-2-year-old fashion.

Can you believe that my child is nearly 3 years old? That he's going to be in preschool in September? That he's potty trained and sleeping in a big boy bed? That does all kinds of things by himself, including but not limited to: going potty, carrying bags, drawing and painting pictures, calling people on the phone, brushing his teeth, eating and drinking things (without help!), playing F-Zero and shutting his bedroom door at night before bed.That he wants a Jupiter cake and friends to come to his birthday party (last year he didn't know what a birthday was!)? I'm freaking out! But that brings me to my next subject: recent M quotes.

• I want to see the mobsters. (meaning lobsters at the grocery store)
• We live on Chandler Booger. (meaning Chandler Blvd.)
• Hi I'm M. I'm 2. On my birfday I'll be free. (meaning three.)

Ha! Anyways, I promise to write sooner next time. Not, say, skipping months at a time.

By the way, in case anyone thought I had lost the dancing bug about the same time I was getting sick of the BYU program, it's back! I went to rehearsal today and had a marvelous time with my pal S. Her choreography is sweet.

Two Movies and a Book

This week I've decided that I can't take any more excellent, yet violent and disturbing, movies. Don't get me wrong, I loved both movies I'm about to talk about. I just need a little less gravity and grittiness for a while. I don't really want any cotton candy movies either, just good movies with a different feel and tone.

On Monday R and I watched The Departed. It's a nearly perfect movie with amazing performances by all, most of all Leonardo DiCaprio, and Mark Wahlberg is hilarious. But still, it was a pretty raw movie, and I thought "that was worth it, but I need a break". Then Friday night rolled around and I really wanted to see There Will Be Blood. Daniel Day-Lewis was purported to be amazing, and I now confirm that he truly was. I could not rip my eyes off the screen. But again, pretty disturbing stuff. It's based off an Upton Sinclair novel called "Oil!", and as R and I talked afterwards he said that the point was probably to show the ultimate capitalist. I agree. It's pretty horrible. I've been thinking of it all day. Yikes. Anyways, see either of these movies if you 1) are breaking the R-rated movie rule and, 2) want to have the crap scared out of you.

As for my book, I did in fact finish Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, and it was great. Please read it. I'm even going to say: if you are Mormon, I think you have an obligation to know you history. Argue if you will, but I have said it. You don't have to read it now, just sometime. Think about it. If you aren't Mormon, but are so very curious about Joseph Smith, please read this history! Richard Lyman Bushman wrote it as a historian but also as a practicing Mormon, so take that for what it's worth. I am now reading Richard Lyman Bushman's diary from the publication of Rough Stone Rolling, which is also illuminating. So.

Alas, I must go and drive to ASU. I'm in my friends S's masters project to be performed in October. A-dancing I shall go. Please come see it in October. It's already well on it's way to be worth experiencing. I shall blog more on it as the date approaches.

P.S. Calling all women: I also just read a book called "Taking Charge of Your Fertility", and would recommend it to everyone. It's all about knowing your body and feeling like you know what's going on. It is for those both sexually active and not, trying to get pregnant and not, and
young and old. Please check it out. If you have a easily grossed-out husband, use caution with what you share from the book! I found this out the hard way, and am still getting teased on a daily basis whenever a talk to a female. (Are you talking about your cycles? etc. :))

P.P.S. Pardon the poor grammar and haphazard thoughts!

Juno

This is an excellent movie, and not just because it was nominated for some Academy Awards.

Here are the reasons I saw it: George Micheal (Micheal Cera) from Arrested Development is in it, Jennifer Garner is in it, Micheal (Jason Bateman) from Arrested Development is in it, and there was an indie rock element to it.

Here are the reasons I would see it again: the performances are excellent, as well as the movie as a whole, but it was also hilarious!

When R and I saw this with some friends a few weeks ago, we had a very entertaining moment during the film. You will probably only think this is funny if you get this premise: I don't know who of you out there (a) share my taste in music and (b) have also tried at some point to get into Sonic Youth, and then failed to see what all the hype was about. There's a line in the film where Juno yells that she "listened to Sonic Youth and it's just noise". R and I both had this same experience in our high school days and after laughing loudly realized that we were the only ones in a full theater who thought this was funny. Then we started giggling because of our conspicuous weirdness, not only to be the only ones laughing but also that we were obviously a certain type of high schooler grown up.

Anyways, go see it. Also, try out some Sonic Youth. Or not.

Gone with the Wind

I'm in love with this book. It's a huge monster book, but I am just plowing through it like it's nothing. Booyah! This definitely goes in the "can't put it down" category, FYI.

Also, I love www.goodreads.com! As I joined in the fun I promptly found lots of friends and book recommendations. I thank M and N for this nudge to join, finally.

I also just finished reading The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler. I would read it if I were you. After I was done with Tourist, I reread Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and the 3 books following it. It was at this point that I decided to embark on my Gone with the Wind journey. Now, as my mood for reading has obviously shifted to the "large, imposing-type books" category, and I feel quite confident in my amount of stamina, I think I'll tackle Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Who's with me?!! I really need a book club...

Another (fabulous) Book

I am reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy and have about 50 pages left. First of all, it's written in a larger print and has thick pages, which is always nice. I'm reading at an incredible rate! But second of all, I really can't put it down. I like books like this. I don't like, say, trying to read A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and feeling like I have to force myself to read more of it. I like to be excited that I have time to read, not feeling like "I really should be reading my book. Ho hum." (Did you like the ho hum part? I'm trying to bring it back.)

I haven't read Cormac McCarthy before, although R just finished the Border trilogy and liked it. I think I'd like to read No Country For Old Men, since I have no intention of seeing the film adaptation and to have nightmares for the rest of my life. (R saw the film with his brother and said it was one of the freakiest ones he's ever seen.) Plus, if it's anything like reading In Cold Blood by Truman Capote then I will be sufficiently freaked out without the help of visuals.

I would like recommendations for other books that are in the can't-put-it-down category. I don't always need that specific breed, but I'm having a phase people. Thank you, the end.

The Great Blogging Drought of '07

So sorry to all of you (especially B, who has given me quite a lot of crap for it) that I have been without internet connection for a couple of months. A lot has happened to yours truly since October 4th when I was fondly recalling all my Nintendo fun of years past.

I have read a great many books, the most recent of which was The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner and also The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler. I don't feel like reviewing them right this moment, so I will just say 1) that I couldn't put Tourist down and 2) that I also couldn't put Fury down, but was also very confused the whole time. I've also read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith on the recommendation of my sister T (liked it, but personally had a hard time with how sad it was), and The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (loved it, couldn't put it down, and was amazed that these things really happened).

I've also driven to Utah and California since October. R's brother and his wife had the biggest-cheeked baby I've ever seen, and we went up to Utah for her blessing. She's so cute! (We got her Weebles for Christmas.) Then we drove to California a few weeks later to my sister's house in San Ramon and had "the miracle, buh-buh-buh-buuuuh!, of Thanksgiving". My brother lives out that way, and my Utah-hair-school-attending other sister M flew in for the occasion too. So we were all together, with the exception of my littlest sister Cade. (We missed her :( and if you want the whole story about my f***ed up family, just ask.) My sister T made the most wonderful turkey and spread ever! Hooray for Italian Thanksgiving!

Another thing I've been up to is teaching the Sunbeams on Sunday. There are two teachers, so we get to trade off. If you're wondering if I was responsible with my new calling and remembered to call subs for the times I was gone to UT and CA, the answer is "no". Oops. My favorite quote so far from Sunbeam class is from a boy named Soren. After I helped him unbutton his pants to go potty he promptly told me to "now, get out". They aren't shy. They also ask us several times during class every week 1) Are we having goldfish? 2) Are we almost done with class? and 3) Did you bring cookies?. I'm glad they're gleaning so much wisdom from class.

In closing I'd like to say that I will write again soon, sooner than last time :)

Oldskool: A Postscript

Did you ever have a Game Genie for your NES? We only had that one, not the one for the super NES, but dude it was awesome! I know I know, the cheater in me keeps rearing it's ugly head. So. That's all.

Oldskool

I have been strangely nostalgic today. I busted out the old Super NES and played Super Mario All Stars with M. He mostly thought it was cool that someone else could jump as much as he usually does on a given day. So I battled Bowser only to find that the princess was in another castle, while M jumped around in front of me and I tried not to die.

I also found this list, which is fun. I'm compelled to mention that these are the games I loved playing: Super Mario World, All Stars (with the original Super Mario Bros. 1-3 including the Lost Levels), Mario Kart, Out of this World, Mortal Kombat, F-Zero, Peter Pan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Zoop, Toy Story, Aladdin, etc. I think most of my memories include my sister and my cousin. I remember driving all the way to Clovis to visit, and then S and I would just play video games the whole time. So fun!

On a related and earlier note, how about this list? How old was I when I played these games, like 9? Do you remember playing Duck Hunt on the original NES, with that plastic gun? How about Burgertime? And Bubble Bobble, Donkey Kong, Paperboy, Tetris, Dr. Mario, and Joe & Mac? Did you ever have a Power Pad and play World Class Track Meet? We used to always cheat on that one when it was time for the long jump. We'd just step off the pad and then tap our foot to land. So honest. I never played The Legend of Zelda, or Contra, but those are two of Ryan's favorites. I know I know, I missed out! I do remember playing Goonies II at my friend's house, and always getting stuck. Ah, the memories.

I haven't played anything much past the Super NES, although we did have a Nintendo 64 later on. I think the only game I played on there was Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64, (with the Rumble Pak), and Mario Kart 64. But since then I haven't played, or really even wanted to play. Until...I got hooked on Dance Dance Revolution at a friend's house! Now I'm thinking that a purchase might be in order. Should I get a Wii? Or an XBox 360? Maybe you all need to give me advice on the matter. Tell me what you think.

Conclusion? Clearly I have admitted how much I must've played Nintendo over the course of my 27 years. A simple list of games that I remember turned into this entire post. Yikes. I wonder how many hours total I spent in front of my own or somebody else's TV trying to beat games.

And seriously, I want your input about what to buy. Pronto.

In Rainbows

Radiohead has a new album coming out. You can get it either by download in October or physically in-your-hand in December. Check out this article that discusses how they're sticking it to the man.

Can I tell you how excited I am? No. Can I tell you how upset I will be if I don't finally see them live when they go on tour next year? Yes: Angry. So, I WILL be going. In fact, I'm little ashamed to publicly admit that I've never been to Radiohead live. I will feel less shame once I have my ticket in hand, and am wearing proper attire.

List of music you should be listening to if you value my opinion and feel like doing what I say.

• Wincing the Night Away by The Shins
• Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins
  
• Bloc Party by Bloc Party
• Funeral by Arcade Fire
• Misery is a Butterfly by Blonde Redhead
• Decemberunderground by AFI
• Final Straw by Snow Patrol
• Day is Done by Brad Mehldau
• Greatest Hits by The Cars
• OK Computer by Radiohead
• Hail to the Thief by Radiohead
• Orange Rhyming Dictionary by Jets to Brazil
• Sam's Town by The Killers
• Commit This to Memory by Motion City Soundtrack
• lots of Muse, Pat Metheny, Pink Floyd, more Radiohead, Sting, Tori Amos, Talking Heads, etc.

So there you go, another list that proves that I'm more interested in myself than writing anything that might actually be interesting for all of you. "Thai food, feminist prose, and angry girl music of the indie rock persuasion."

From H's Blog

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car): Sox Altima

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie): Vanilla Molasses Crinkles

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name): K-Mil

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal): Teal Cat

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born): Lyn Provo

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first): Milke

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink): The Orange Water

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers): Ray Dominic

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Shi Kit Kat

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ): Lyn Dominic

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Keck Kalamazoo

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Halloween Apple Blossom

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”): Blueberry Pantsy

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Banana Bread Cottonwood

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”): The Reading Thunderstorm Tour

So there you go. I hadn't heard most of these, but my favorite is "Blueberry Pantsy", by far.

2 thoughts

I had a Stepford moment today at the gym while ellipticalling (and rocking out to Arcade Fire), when I looked over at 5 or 6 other ellipticallers: all in a row, moving in unison and to the beat of my music on my iPod. Yikes. I think it doesn't say much about my sanity that I'm so easily scared. I imagine that things are breaking the laws of physics all the time, too. I see something out of the corner of my eye and think it's someone flying, like on Heroes. What am I thinking?

I'm breaking out the Halloween box today. Take that R! I don't have to wait until October 1st, I'm a fall birthday. So I get to blame my Halloween obsession on some type of intangible connection with my season of birth, and maybe on being a Virgo, if that applies. Regardless, a-decorating I shall go. I also shall make a trip to the Safeway for some canned pumpkin with which to make Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing, or Pumpkin Bread, or Pumpkin Cheesecake, or other delectable treats. It's time, people! I don't care if the high today is 98. It's fall. Let it be spoken, let it be done.

Heroes

Don't forget all you Heroes fans: season 2 starts Monday September 24 at 9pm! (cheesy announcer voice)

P. S. (I may or may not have gotten hooked on yet another show.)

Jesus Camp

R and I viewed the documentary "Jesus Camp" on Friday. There's a lot of things to think/talk about after seeing it, but I have to separate them into two sets of reactions: did I like it as a film, and what is my reaction to their beliefs?

As a FILM: It's a little sensationalistic with the scary music at times, but for the most part I really enjoyed it as a whole. What they do is very intriguing, and what they believe is very polarizing, so I was interested the whole time while watching it. However, the end result put a negative light on their beliefs, but if you watch the film with director's commentary the feel is different. They speak of the three main child characters with affection and a pretty unbiased interest in their zeal. But if that was their intent for the film without the commentary, then it was lost on me. It seemed that the point of the film was to show how very strange and very conservative these folks are.

There was a good dialogue going back and forth between Becky Fischer (a Pentecostal children's pastor who runs the camp in the movie) and Mike Papantonio (a Christian and a radio talk show host). I think this was one of the best decisions they could have made. The two sides, both of them believing Christians, made a nice clean framework for a complicated issue. In my opinion, this is the most well made documentary I've seen, along with Fahrenheit 9/11.

As a FAITH: The line between politics and religion seemed entirely blurred, both for the pastor and those in the congregation. In the Mormon church there is no official taking of political sides, even if the majority of members are conservatives. But here I found it a little unnerving to hear unflinching talk of abortion over the pulpit, praise of George W. Bush, etc. (Maybe it's because I've heard my share of conservative assumptions when people in the Church talk to each other. I'm not offended, and I've only had liberal views for a few years, but I always think to myself when someone assumes that I'm also a libertarian, "Um, have we ever even talked about anything more than 'how old is your kid' and 'oh, mine is 2'? Maybe we should get to know each other a little better." But this is another post entirely...) Anyways, it was a little hard to hear this type of thing again, mingled in with religion. I had to wonder if there were people in the Pentecostal faith who had liberal political views and struggled with their belief because of all the conservative folks.

On the other hand, I thought their commitment to their faith was admirable. The little girl who passed out fliers and approached a woman while she was bowling, was particularly interesting. But I had to wonder how much of it was that she was a child immersed in a very demanding culture. I worried less about her (because she was older and had more freedom to make her own decisions, and would find out sooner or later in life what she really believed) and more about the younger children. They are encouraged to speak in tongues and have revelatory trances, but what about their desire to please their pastor, or their parents? Did this play into their spiritual experiences when they are so young and less able to know what faith in Christ means?

On the other hand, it's definitely okay to teach your children what you believe to be true. So am I worried just because I believe the Mormon church to be true? I keep remembering one particular scene where the kids were listening to a sermon about abortion and then were waiting for red lengths of tape with "life" written on them so they could put them on their mouths. There was one little girl who must have been between 5-6, and she was touching her mouth while she watched other kids getting theirs. She just wanted a sticker! I found it a little disturbing.

So the bottom line is that it's a great film. It brings up all kinds of interesting questions about faith, reason, politics, freedom, and how to separate them or not separate them. I highly recommend it and welcome any and all comments about what people think after they see it. Happy viewing!

Hockety Pockety Wockety?

M and I are experiencing The Sword and the Stone together for the first time. Hooray for the library right across the street. Don't hold your breath for R to be taking a trip down memory lane with this movie though. He claims that this movie is lame and that he even thought so when he was a kid. I however love it! For some reason it just makes me happy. And silly. There are lots of silly things in this one. M, who is now getting a sense of humor of his own, is even giggling at things before I pave the way with my own giggles. Happy viewing any parents of 2-year-olds.

An Atypical Exchange

It is the third day of sickness at our house. The croup has struck M for the first time, and his cough sounds horrible! He's my little barking seal. I have to say that I'm glad he didn't get it when he was younger or I would've been more unnerved. His case isn't that bad though, and he seems to be running around like usual for the most part. We're basically running two humidifiers throughout the apartment 24/7.

Because of this ailment we haven't gone to the gym or most other places, since M starts coughing a lot in the air-conditioned, and therefore drier, car. So we've both had a little bit of cabin fever. This results in more-than-usual excitement over mundane things:

M, yelling at the top of his lungs: Bianins! (this means "vitamins")
me: Okay, let's get vitamins!
M, still yelling: Bianins! Bianins! 2 Bianins!
me, dispensing, well, vitamins: Yes, we have 2 vitamins.
M: 3 bianins?!
me: No, just 2 vitamins, here you go.
M, mouth full of vitamins: More bianins?
me: No, we just have 2 vitamins.
M runs off to play with his vacuum.

later that day...

M, saying a bunch of gibberish with real words at the end: gibber gibber blah, with cowors?!!! (the last word is "colors")
me: Do you want to take a bath with colors?
M: Naked a cowors?!!
me: Yes, we're naked in the bath, and we're taking a bath with colors.
M: Cowors!! Cowors!!

So there you go. Lots of enthusiasm for lots of things. This is what comes from having croup at the same time it's 111 degrees outside: you never leave the house and end up bouncing off the walls because of baths with colors in the water and some vitamins.

Finally, a virtual onramp to the information superhighway of my very own.

After much ado, there is now a cheap and slow internet connection available at the house. Remember when things used to actually plug into the wall? That's what this literal connection entails. It's just plain weird. Still, it's worth it to be able to do really productive things like how right now I should be sleeping, but instead I was playing Bejeweled 2 just for fun.

I'm going to a jewelry party tomorrow night at my sis-in-law's house. I've gotten a little carried away with my self-proclaimed catering of said event and made 5 kinds of cookies. They're from new recipes that I've been wanting to try, but haven't had the excuse to use yet. I also threw in a pan of cheesecake brownies for good measure.

In case there are any foodies out there this is the list: lime-glazed cookies, lemon-glazed cookies, cheesecake brownies, checkerboard cookies, linzer cookies, and two-tone peanut butter thins. I think it's a nice rounded out palette of flavors, thanks to my obsessing over the "menu".(However, the linzer cookies aren't very pretty after my poor attempt to roll them nicely this afternoon, so I'm thinking of trying another recipe instead called apricot almond ruglach. They mostly look like little crescent rolls, but they're cookies. These recipes are largely from a book by Nick Malgieri called Cookies Unlimited. I highly recommend it if you ever want some unique recipes for baking therapy.) In other cookie news, I tried some cookies at a small little bakery across the street from the gym. The best of them was some kind of pecan cinnamon-sugar shortbread yumminess that I'm dying to eat again. But anyways, that's enough of my baking nerdiness.

M and I went to the doctor today: he has croup! It's been over 110 degrees most days this week so I wasn't wild about having to go outside to get in the car. But if you heard the barking cough this kid had today, you would've braved the weather too. M did really well, and didn't even cry! It may have had something to do with how we talked all the way there about what would happen at the doctor's office. My poor little sensitive guy. He's got my genes after all, even if he does have blond hair. And blue eyes.

I started a new journal a few days ago. It's for Things M Says. As I think of all the funny things M does say and then admire him again at the end of the day while I write them, I realize that I'm quite baby hungry, but scared that I might irreversibly screw up my little people if I have another one too soon. I've snapped at M a few times in the last few days, and it feels terrible. It's a good thing that I can apologize and he's so accommodating at the forgiveness.

Lots of new things

A lot has happened in the almost month since I've written. It would seem that, as I indicated in my previous post, I still suck. But, amends are on their way, complete with all kinds of new life changes and digital pictures!

Firstly, R is done with the bar. Woohoo! I know that we don't know if he passed yet, but that's okay. At least he's not still studying and worrying. Also, there's a story to go along with the simple sentence that "the bar is over". I call it "The Stressed Out Days Before the Actual Stressful Two Days that R Actually Took the Bar":

It's the Thursday before the bar (which is the following Tuesday and Wednesday). We get the mail. One is from the Arizona Bar. They haven't received R's proof of graduation from U of M (who had assured him a month prior that they had it taken care of), and so his name was removed from the list of bar applicants and he is welcome to take the bar in February of 2008. They have been little helpers by already signing him up for the February bar. Thanks. We call the Arizona Bar people. We can't call Michigan because it's 7pm there. We call Michigan the next day, and they freak out and call Arizona a bunch of times, only to speak to voice mail. Michigan reassures R that they will fix it. Then they call and say they can't and they're really sorry. R and I cry, and M looks at us curiously as we explain that "we're sad".

We fast and pray that someone in AZ will soften their little heart and take pity on this poor R. In the meantime R checks his email to make sure he's not crazy, but that Michigan really did have his information and sent him an email telling him that they knew the bar application dates and would get his paperwork in. Once he finds it, he feels a little better, gets a little angry, and forwards his Michigan emails to Arizona and his Arizona emails to Michigan.

The weekend drags by, R studies a little bit, mostly out of fear that if he doesn't he'll have to take the bar unprepared and it will be just as awful as not taking the bar at all. Monday comes, we get a call. It's a 602 number! I freak out and run outside to give the phone to R. It's Emily from the Arizona Bar, calling because she read his forwarded email from Michigan and will allow them to fax the missing information and he can take the bar the next day. So basically we cry again because "we're happy", and R drives to Tucson. He takes the bar and comes home Wednesday night. At this point we figure that if he passes, great!, and if not he has the best excuse ever for not passing. Win-win.

So that's the bar story, someone's heart being softened can go a looong way.

Secondly, we have a new apartment. It's in AZ, close to a park and ride area for R, only 30 minutes from other family (a good distance), has 2 pools, 3 huge closets and one regular closet, a larger kitchen with more cabinets than I'm used to, is across the street from the library, and has a general feel of homeyness. It's also within minutes of Target, Walmart, Costco, the Chandler mall, a huge park, 3 grocery stores, and the church building. Church on Sunday, while at the most horrible time of 11-2 (guess what time M takes his nap?), was very fun. I'm hoping we'll like the ward so much that we'll stay even after we outgrow this apartment.

Thirdly, we have a new car. We really loved our little silver Hyundai Accent, but it got totaled. So then we got a check that was worth more than the car was and put it towards a new car that should last us a while, even with one more future child. It's a 2007 Nissan Altima in Dark Slate. It's a little bit fancy, but it looked so much better than the current Civics, Carollas, Accords and Camrys, and cost about the same, that we bought it. My favorite part of the fanciness is the Intelligent Key with pushbutton ignition. I never take my keys out of my purse anymore. The car knows. I can't lock my keys in the car or trunk, even if I tried. It's magic! Basically now we're super cool driving in our new car to our new apartment. Which brings me to...

Fourthly, I got a new phone. Is it hot pink? Yes. Does my new ringtone play "The Final Countdown" when I get a call? Yes. In case you aren't currently as cool as me and watch Arrested Development nonstop, "The Final Countdown" is a song by a Swedish band called Europe that Gob uses in his magic shows on AD.

So, bar, apartment, car, phone. And M is 2 years old (July 7) now and got lots of toys from two different parties, one in AZ and one in CA. The Snake Cake (below, cake courtesy of Ga/Grandma) was in Arizona, and there was a Bird Cake in California (which I drew myself, thank you very much). Hooray for summer! And new things! And cake! And more posts!