The End

Dear Blogging World,

Sorry I have been such a slacker lately. Life has been a little bit crazy in the Longstocking house lately.

I've been trying to figure out how to do a year end wrap-up, but I just don't know how to go about it. There have been some big things going on for us this year, but also a whole lot of nothing new. Anyone who reads this blog regularly is going to know about the big stuff, but I'll recap just for something to write about.

Big news number one was when we found out we were pregnant back in May. The first trimester was rough, and working nights didn't help, but I managed to hang onto my sanity (if not my lunch). I'm sure there were times that Curious George wanted to throw me out the window because I was being overly-emotional, ridiculous, or any number of other things. However, he managed to hold back and we've both survived to almost the bitter end.

Big news number two was buying our house in August. We've been so happy here, but are still working on finding out where we fit in our ward/neighborhood. Curious George is working with the priest quorum and I'm the personal progress advisor for the young women. I've got my work cut out for me in the new year with those girls... PP has not been a priority in this ward for awhile.

We are both so grateful to have jobs in this crazy economy. We are grateful for a beautiful home to live in. We are grateful for the opportunity we will have to be parents in a few short weeks. We are grateful to have our families close by and so supportive. We are so grateful for all of the many blessings we receive on a daily basis.

We hope the holidays have treated you well, and wish you health and happiness in the year to come!

The Great Christmas Surprise of 2010

So, I'm pretty much the coolest wife ever (no, I'm not feeling terribly humble right now, thanks for asking). Let me explain:

About a month ago I started pumping Curious George for information on what he wants for Christmas. We generally just do one big gift for each other, and then donate to a Sub for Santa, Angel Tree, etc. Anyway, his list this year was pretty short (and so NOT fun!). It consisted of three things: an air compressor, a new concealed carry gun, or a jack and some workbench space for the garage. Yawn!

So, I was seriously considering getting him the air compressor, except for a few small logistical issues... I'm 9 months pregnant. How the heck would I move it? Also, how could I ever pick the one that he really wanted?

Then I considered getting him the jack and the workbench space. Except, seriously? Boring!

I was completely, 100%, absolutely certain I WAS NOT going to get him the gun. I do not, nor will I ever, think that a firearm is an appropriate gift. Plus, who wraps up a gun and puts it under the Christmas tree? I was not shy about giving him these reasons, either. But then I got thinking... he'd never expect it. He'd be SO excited. And it would pretty much make me the coolest wife ever in his book, especially since I told him if he wanted a new gun he'd have to get rid of one of his others (yes, we're THOSE kind of people).

So, I started doing a little shopping. I checked on KSL. I went to a few gun shops. And I bought him this thing he'd been wanting for months. I wrapped it up in a very sneaky way and put it under the Christmas tree. Yes, I'm a hypocrite. Yes, I am also pretty much the coolest wife ever.

This is where the story gets really good... or is it bad? The following day (yep, as in I bought the gun on Wednesday, and he went out on Thursday) he decided to do a little shopping of his own. He went to the gun shop, and decided to try out this little thing and see if it really was what he wanted. Our conversation went a little something like this:

CG: So, I went to Doug's today.

Me: Oh yeah?

CG: Yep. I wanted to check out the Keltec and see if I really liked it or not.

Me: Oh, ok.

CG: Yeah, I held it. I dry fired it. I really didn't like it. I felt like my finger rubbed on the finger guard weird.

Me: Well, that sucks.

CG: Nah, not a big deal. I'll figure out which one I really want.

Me: No, you don't understand. This really, REALLY sucks. (cue bursting into tears now)

So, needless to say I had to tell him why I was crying. And then he felt bad and tried to backpedal. And then he decided that maybe he was excited about it after all. And now I'm stuck with trying to decide whether to return the gun and get him something else, or just let him know what his present is and deal with it after the holidays.

I'm still a pretty awesome wife, though.

Lists are fun

So, I've been feeling a bit unmotivated to blog lately. It's not for lack of things occuring in my world. Maybe it's because there's so much going on that I just feel I can't keep up. So, just for the sake of having something to post, a few recent happenings of my life:

~I'm currently 31 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I had an appointment with the midwives again yesterday, I'm still underweight for how much I should have gained by now... and yet I'm measuring 2-3 weeks bigger than I should. I feel that this should warrant bumping my due date up by 17 days. Yes, I would like this baby to be born in 2010. Really, though, not going to happen. Other than that, things are going well. Sharky and I are both healthy, happy, and growing right along.

~Little Brother came home from his mission in October. Things were a little crazy getting ready for his grand arrival (read: Maddie and I attempting to put contact paper on his giant welcome home banner at 11 at night.), but we pulled through and gave him a pretty good welcome, minus Ma and Pops who were on their way home from St. George.

~The house is great. We're very happy in our neighborhood, and are finally starting to meet a few people. It's been a tough transition into the new ward because our last one was so outstanding, but we're finding our niche. I am pretty excited that there are like 5-6 babies due between now and May, so Sharky will have lots of little dudes and dudettes to play with. Curious George and I both got callings this last week working with the youth. He'll be the priest quorum advisor and I'm in charge of Personal Progress for the young women. I must say, I'm a little discouraged by the state of the personal progress program in this ward (1 girl out of 20 actually working on it), but I'll whip them into shape in no time.

~Work is, well, work. We recently went through a little dry spell, which is rough when you're trying to save your paid time off hours for maternity leave, but we're filling right back up. I'm thinking maternity leave is going to come at a good time for me. I've been running short on patience lately so the break will be nice.

~I still have a million and one projects in the works. My most recent ones have been for the Harry Potter release party I'm attending tonight (thanks to the fabulous Jill). I've also got a couple of things I need to get done for the house. Curious George's mom gave me her old rocking chair from when her boys were babies. I'm pretty excited about this, I love having something that we can pass down through the family. However, the chair needs some TLC and I've had to scrap the cushions completely. I'm in the process of finding a company that can strip the old finish off the chair so I can repaint it before the Shark-man gets here. Also, if anyone knows of a good piano moving company, please share.

Oh, and with Thanksgiving coming up, a few things I'm grateful for this week:
~Indoor plumbing
~Zantac
~Feeling the Sharkster move, even though it doesn't always feel good
~Harry Potter parties
~Pomegranate 7-up

A Little Whodunnit...

Was it Mrs. Peacock in the hall with the revolver?

Was it Mrs. White in the dining room with the candlestick?

Was it Professor Plum in the conservatory with the wrench?

Was it Mr. Green in the bedroom with the knife?

Was it Colonel Mustard in the bathroom with the rope?

Or was it Ms. Scarlet in the kitchen with the lead pipe?

There's no mystery here... Col. Mustard did it.

The world may never know who killed Mr. Body.

Does anyone have a Clue?

Cast of Characters:

Ms. Scarlet--Pippi Longstocking
Colonel Mustard--Curious George
Mrs. Peacock--Madison Hatch (My little sister)
Mrs. White--Brianna Barnett (My Cousin)
Professor Plum--Greg Barnett (Another Cousin)
Mr. Green--Andrew Barnett (A Third Cousin)

Oh, how I love Halloween!

A Little Halloween Cheer

So, I mentioned in a previous post how much I LOVE Halloween. Well, I've been crafting and sewing up a storm over here. (It's true, my house has burlap, glitter, and mod podge EVERYWHERE!) Anyway, as promised, a few pictures of what I've been working on:
So this sweet little burlap number is now hanging on the inside of my back door. I'm pretty much in love with it!

And the start on my Halloween costume:
I've got the basic dress form sewn, I just need to finish the neck, arm holes, hem it, and add the petticoat layers underneath. Ms. Scarlet, here I come!

Happy Haunting!

P.S.- Due to the insane amount of dreams I've been having about sharks, we've all taken to calling Little Critter by a new nickname: Sharky. So, that's what I'm changing his blog name to. He will henceforth be known as Sharky.

Save the Drama

Real life drama makes me uncomfortable. It always has.

I can watch it on tv with no problem. In fact, some of my favorite shows are dramatic too a fault (stop wreaking havoc on my whacked-out-hormonal-emotions, Grey's!), and I eat them up with a spoon. But drama in my own life? Ugh. No thank you.

Maybe it's the confrontations. I don't like being forced to confront other people. I'm a girl, so of course I'd rather talk it over with my girlfriends, cry a little, and then plot revenge that I'll never take. But, if someone gets in my face about something I freeze. For example, last week at work I had a family member of a patient confront me about how he feels some aspects of his wife's care are absolutely unacceptable. What did I do? I passed his concerns on to my manager and hoped the whole thing would blow over.

And in my life, I equate controversy with drama. I don't like controversy. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I choose to stand where I choose to stand, and I don't like someone telling me I should choose otherwise. On this note, I would like to take a moment to share my feelings on what has become a very hot-button issue this week. You all know what's coming... President Packer's general conference talk.

It saddens me to see the amount of anti-Mormon talk, tweet, blog, what-have-you that has come about because of this. I would like to remind you all that President Packer was not speaking on a new topic. The proclamation to the family was released 15 years ago, and this has been an issue addressed many times before and since then.

I believe fully that our prophets and apostles are men of God, chosen by God to serve in his place on this earth. I believe that they very prayerfully, and carefully, prepare the talks that they will give to us at conference time. We live in a world of turmoil. We live in a world where everything we know is being changed. I believe this talk was meant as a warning to us: change is not always for the best.

Our gospel is not a gospel of hate. Hating any group of people because they are different, in whatever way, is not Heavenly Father's way. It is Satan's way. We are all entitled to our own feelings on any particular subject, but I feel that spreading hate is not an effective way to share your cause. Hate will just breed more hate.

So, believe what you will. Practice what you will. Even hate what you will. I know where I stand on this subject, and I ask you, for the sake of our friendship, to please keep your controversial feelings to yourself.

Halloween Craft-aholic

So, it's happened. I've caught the bug that's going around. No, not the nasty cold/flu bug that's going around. The Halloween craft bug.
I love, Love, LOVE Halloween. It's always been my favorite time of year and my favorite holiday. I remember years when I actually wore multiple costumes to different parties. I know, a little bit intense. Anyway, now that I'm (sort of) a grown up with a home of my own I've really fallen in love with decorating for Halloween. I've also become more than a little bit addicted to craft blogs. So, long story short: I have about a bazillion great craft ideas that I want to make for my house this year. It's a good thing I have multiple doors, too, because a few of them are wreaths.
I've already started a little bit of Halloween decorating, even though I usually wait until October 1st to get that going. It's just a baby step, though... I keep an apothecary jar on my kitchen table full of seasonal-type candies. Shopko had their different flavored candy corns on sale for $1 a pack, so I bought one of each and mixed them all up in the jar. At the rate I've been snacking on them, though, I'm not sure there will be any left come Halloween.
So, until I actually get going on these crafts I'm just going to tease a little bit with a shopping list of things I'm going to need for crafts:
~Glitter
~Black burlap
~Ribbon... lots and lots of ribbon!
~Black lace
~Twine
~Scrapbook paper, Halloween style
~Modpodge

Now, to figure out how to make my Halloween costume work... Any suggestions on where to find a Ms. Scarlet dress that'll fit my round pregnant body?

Update-a-licious

Whew, it's been awhile since my last little tell-all! We finally got the internet at our new house this week, so hopefully things will pick up on the blogging front. For now, I'll just update you on a few things... and maybe throw in a random fact about myself here and there just for fun.

The house: It's coming along. I've got furniture pretty much put where I want it, pictures hung on most of my walls, and things pretty well organized. I still have some work to do in the basement, but I'll get there. Little Critter's crib and changing table came this week, so I got those all put together and I've started doing some work in his room. We're thinking that we're probably going to go with "transportation"-style decorations in there. Should be pretty darn cute.

The pregnancy/baby: We had another ultrasound this week and he WOULD NOT hold still. I had one 4 weeks ago and they couldn't get a good picture of his heart, so they asked me to come back. Well, he made it tough this time around, too. The poor ultrasound tech was getting so frustrated because he kept somersaulting from one side of my body to the other. They finally got the picture of his heart they wanted, though, and everything looks good. He's about 11 inches long and weighs in at a whopping 1 lb 4 oz. I'm feeling him move more and more, and Curious George is excited to be able to feel him move from the outside.

Random fact #327: When using a public restroom, it bothers me to use one of the stalls on the end of the row. I prefer to go somewhere in the middle.

I'm pretty excited that it's starting to cool down into fall. Autumn is by far my favorite season for so many reasons. I've already started thinking through my Halloween costume, it should be a good one this year. However, fall also means that my fruit trees in the back yard are dropping fruit like crazy! So, if you want pears, apples, or apple-pears let me know, I've got a TON. We had about a dozen peaches grow on our tree, but they all had bird or worm holes in them so I had to throw them out.

Random fact #21: I am anti-white socks. I hate them. In fact, my patients often comment on my stripes, polka dots, or argyle.

Well, I think that's about everything for now. What's new with you?

On friendship...

"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend."

~William Blake

I have a tendency to be a bad friend. It's true, and it's something I've accepted about myself. I've tried hard to work on it, but old habits die hard. Anyway, I was feeling a little reminiscent about life today (while I couldn't sleep because Joe was active) and let me tell you exactly why I'm a bad friend:

1. I gossip. I'm a woman, I'm a nurse, and once you get me going this mouth doesn't stop moving for much. I know a woman who has a policy that she doesn't talk about anyone who isn't physically in her presence at the time of the conversation. Wow, that's dedication. I don't know if I'll ever get to that point, but I would like to try harder to not backbite. It's a horrible, nasty habit, and one I should get rid of.

2. I'm a bit of a "one-upper". If you tell a story, I will probably try and tell one bigger and better. If something weird happened to you, I can come up with a time something weirder happened to me. Again, another bad habit, and one I should break. I need to learn to let other people have their moment.

3. I'm selfish. I use the "I" word... a lot. I like to talk about myself. This one is a strange phenomenon for me, though, because it doesn't happen in the presence of casual acquaintances or strangers. I only get this way around people I consider friends. Without meaning to, I will turn almost any conversation back around to myself.

4. I don't think before I act. I do dumb stuff. A lot of dumb stuff. I generally don't consider other people's feelings before I do dumb stuff, either. As an adult, I look back at a lot of things I did and said to my friends in high school and college, and I could kick myself for it. I'm sure I made a lot of people really uncomfortable with my actions.

5. I like to be in the limelight. This is sort of the wrap up of all of the above. I like to be the center of attention sometimes. If I help with a party, it's probably because I want something out of it. If I do you a favor, I'm usually going to find some way to let it benefit me. I struggle with selfless service.

6. I have no follow through. I never call when I say I will. I rarely plan things that I should plan. You really can't rely on me for much of anything. And in the process of not following through, I'll make up excuses for why I didn't do whatever I was supposed to.

7. My feelings get hurt easily. I may not always let you know it, but if I'm not involved it stings. I like to know your secrets. If you have a club, I want to be a part of it. If you're throwing a party, I want an invitation. If I feel left out, my feelings get hurt... and I just won't tell you that they're hurt.

So, let me just finish with saying this: if my actions in any of the before-mentioned categories have affected you in any way, I apologize. And I promise I'm going to work on being a better friend.

A short list

Well, we've been REALLY busy the last week or so, so I'm just going to make a list of everything that's going on.
~Baby Jo(e) is a boy! Names we are considering: Milo, Jonah, Collin, William (Liam), and Franklin. For the sake of "book names" on the blog though, we will refer to him from now on as Little Critter. At the ultrasound appointment the tech and the doctor were both frustrated that he wouldn't hold still for any good pictures... except to prove that he was a boy. My midwife also told me that because I'm tall my measurements will probably be off. Basically, I'm just going to look fat until like month 7.
~We moved! Hooray! Thanks again for everyone that helped with the big day. I'm almost all unpacked and get to start hanging pictures on the wall tomorrow.
~I don't, however, have internet in the new house. I may not for awhile. Be prepared for incredibly sporadic blogging.
~We closed on the above mentioned house. It was a big ordeal, but the papers are signed. Hallelujah. Now we get to spend the next 30 years paying it off. Think we can stay put that long?
~Coming back to work- Curious George and I both came back to work today. It was nice to spend the whole weekend together, but we had to get back to the grind eventually.

Next projects on the list:
~My backyard
~Curtains for the dining room
~Decoration Little Critter's nursery.

"There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction."

~Winston Churchill

Lately it seems like the only constant in my life is change. I'm not generally a big fan of change, to be complete honest. I think it's highly overrated. And yet... it seems like lately it can't happen fast enough for me.

I've been moving a bunch of our stuff out to the new house. I'm ready to close on it and be done for good. I still need to buy blinds, finish up some stuff in the yard, find a piano, and see if I can con Curious George into building me some shelves for the garage. All in all, though, it's coming a long. It's a little bit surreal to walk into that house and see all of my stuff sitting inside of it. I feel amazingly calm and completely at peace with this particular change. It's where we're supposed to go, and now is the time.

Another source of change is going on in my body. (I know, ew, more pregnancy talk!) Anyway, this one also doesn't seem to be changing quick enough for me. I have my 18 week ultrasound on Wednesday. Oh, don't forget to vote in my poll to the right. I want to know your opinions on the sex of Jo(e). The cute little chinese lady (who is, apparently, 95% right in her predictions) told me without any hesitation that Jo(e) is a girl. Next time I get a craving for Mountain City Chinese food I'll have to go back and tell her whether her prediction is right or not. I feel like the baby is girl, too, and my mom has claimed girl right from the start. I'll be completely honest, though, I don't care. I'm excited to find out so I can stop referring to the baby as "it", but beyond that the sex really doesn't matter to me.

It was Curious George's birthday this week. He turned the big 31. Yet another change... my husband is not just 30, but he's in his 30's. He's actually taking it rather well. I think he's finally warming up to the idea of being a daddy, and is starting to get excited instead of just being terrified. I know he's excited about the house and the prospect of having his very own workshop for the first time ever.

Those are just a few of the things changing in my world, what's new in yours?

I Know a Place...

This is Camp Brighton, we welcome you here.
We're glad you can linger awhile.
We know you'll be touched by the spirit of God,
and you'll leave with a tear and a smile.

Some of you may already know that I spent the summer before my Senior year of high school living away from home. It was one of the best and worst summers of my life, all rolled up into one. It was the summer when I really went from being a kid to a grown up, the summer when I laughed (and cried) more than any other, and the first time in my life I truly gained a testimony.

This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to return to my home away from home, and Heavenly Father's summer home, Brighton LDS Girls Camp. I have been anticipating this weekend for months. I wasn't able to attend the last reunion in 2005, so this was a big deal for me. It had been eight years since I'd seen a lot of my friends, sung a lot of the songs, and spent the night at Brighton.

The theme of the reunion was "Rekindle: Friendship, Faith, and Fun." And rekindle I did! There were many memories shared, stories told, pictures taken, and tender moments. I was reminded over and over again why I fell in love with my "mountain home" in the first place. It was amazing to me how returning to Brighton made me feel 17 again (no, not like the Zac Efron movie). I felt energetic, young, a little nervous, and so excited to be there. I reconnected with many old friends, and made a few new ones.

While back at my beloved Brighton I fell in love all over again. I fell in love with the mountains, I fell in love with the spirit felt there, and I fell in love with Home. Not only did I leave with a sunburn and a few mosquito bites, but I truly did leave with a tear and a smile.

Whine, Whine, Whine

Let me just start this post off by saying that the fetus in my creepy fetus widget looks like Mr. Burns from the Simpsons.

Anyway, I feel like I've been in a bit of a funk lately. There are a lot of big things happening in my life, but for some reason I just feel a little blah. I think this is partly due to the feeling sick thing, partly due to the heat, and partly due to who knows what.

The first big problem: I feel fat. I know, I'm pregnant, I'm supposed to be fat. However, I don't look pregnant yet. I'm too big for my regular clothes, and too small for maternity clothes. I'm stuck in some middle-land of just looking like I've porked up for hibernation or something. And really, who hibernates in July?

The heat: Oh my, the heat. I seem to have no tolerance for it at all this summer. I wake up in the morning and our apartment is already at 79 degrees with the air conditioner running. Our air conditioning unit can't seem to keep up with the demand of our little apartment. It runs pretty much 24/7 just to keep the house slightly below 80. Needless to say, between the heat intolerance and the fat thing, I sit around in my underwear a lot. It's probably best if you don't drop by my house un-announced.

Moving: I really, really, really hate moving. I'm so excited and happy to be getting a house (especially one we can stay in for potentially a decade or more), but all I can think about is having to box up all of my stuff and cart it over there. With Curious George's bizarre work schedule, I'm going to end up doing most of the moving (of the small stuff, anyway) myself. Plus, he and I have already discussed that his idea of moving, and my idea of moving, are two VERY different ideas. Ok, so sometimes I'm a little bit of an organization nazi. Can I help it if I want to know where in the house a box belongs before I open it?

The sickness: I don't know if I just drew the pregnancy short straw, or if it's the heat, or working nights, or what, but I still feel sick at least 2 days a week. I'm almost 15 weeks, so I'm hoping that my pregnancy sickness shows itself out shortly, but for now I'm not coping so well. I've become best friends with my Zofran prescription, probably not a good thing.

The dreams: I've always had bizarre dreams, but really? This is getting a bit ridiculous. I dream like once a week that Curious George is leaving me, or has died, or whatever. I also keep dreaming about earthquakes. Which, for lack of a better term, freaks me the hell out. I hate earthquakes, and I really hate waking up in a panic that Curious George isn't home and won't be able to make it home because of the quake.

I do have a few fun things coming up to look forward to, though. Next week is my Brighton Staff Reunion, which should be a blast. I'll get to see a lot of women I haven't seen in a long time. My first big ultrasound is on August 18th, so we'll get to see if everything looks ok with Baby Jo(e), and we'll get to find out what we're having. I keep dreaming that the baby is a girl, so we'll see if I'm right. Curious George says he has a hunch it's a girl, too.

I know, I know... I should probably just go get some cheese to have with my whine. :)

The Price of Privacy

So, we're getting a house. Phew. We're getting a house. If I say it enough times will it seem real?

Anyway, the house is gorgeous, completely remodeled, and is generally fantastic. However, it has a downfall. No blinds. Yikes. We might want to remedy that situation before we move in.

While we're on the subject of the blinds, let me share a few things with you: our house has 11 windows. Only four of the 11 are the same size. The rest? Different, unusual sizes. Insert lengthy sigh here. Have you ever priced out blinds? The cheap ones will cost me $500 for the whole house. But, I can't just settle for the cheap ones, can I? No, I can't.

Oh, and we'll be losing a little more privacy (and some shade) after I get my way and yank out all the fruit trees. Oh, yeah, they are ALL coming out.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that privacy doesn't come cheap... prepare accordingly.

Weekend Report

So, it's 5:30 in the morning, and I'm blogging to keep myself from wanting to throw up. True story.

Anyway, it was definitely time for an update. There are lots of big things happening in the Borges' household right now.

I had another appointment with the midwives last week. Everything looks good. The midwife could hear Baby Jo(e)'s heartbeat, but Steve and I weren't able to, so she did another early ultrasound. It's so weird to me to be able to look at that fetus on the screen and know it's growing inside me. I ate (drank?) a slurpee right before my appointment so, Baby Jo(e) was pretty active. I'll have to remember that for next time when we get to find out the gender (sex? I never know which term is PC anymore). My weight gain has also slowed, which is a relief, and I ended up gaining about 7 pounds in my first trimester. Not too shabby. Oh, and yes, I added a creepy fetus widget to my sidebar. It seemed like the easiest way to track how many days without making a paper chain. Although I still might make a paper chain.

The other big news is that we're getting a house. Hooray! It's an adorable split entry in Taylorsville, in the neighborhood that a lot of my friends grew up in. We move in sometime in mid-August. The whole house has been completely remodeled, so we won't have to do a single thing to it. The yard, on the other hand, is going to need some work. There about 5 or 6 fruit trees between the front and back yard (and I don't do fruit trees). So, all of those are going to have to come out over the next little while. But, it's got space out back for a little garden, and maybe a dog somewhere down the road. I've already started shopping for blinds (it has a TON of windows!), a fridge (kind of necessary), a big comfy couch for the basement, and maybe a piano. I'm thinking the vacation we were going to take this fall is actually going to be spent moving and the money spent purchasing house stuff.
So, it's looking like August is going to be a pretty busy month for us: our 2nd anniversary on the 5th, Curious George's birthday on the 11th, moving sometime between the 9th and 15th, and The Big Ultrasound on the 18th.

Sheesh... can the blog keep up?

10 Things I Love About Summer

1. Pedicures and flip flops
2. Skirts
3. Sleeping with the windows open
4. Field trips
5. Ponytails
6. Really good people watching
7. The Zoo
8. Summer movies
9. Being able to walk places
10. The smell on Van Winkle Expressway at night. (Trust me, drive down Van Winkle after dark with your windows down. You won't regret it.)

Life's a Jungle

I love the zoo. I've loved it since I was a little kid. It was always my favorite field trip when I was in school, and it's still my favorite field trip now!
Anyway, today I had the chance to go to the zoo with some friends from the ward and their cute kiddos. We checked out the animals, ate some snacks, watched a wolf eat lunch, and had an all around grand time. Unfortunately, this tired gal had to get home for a nap, so we didn't get to ride the train, but it was still a blast.
I think from now on I'm going to go to the zoo in the morning. The animals were so much more active! We were watching the bird show, and at one point they have you look up past the orangutan enclosure and the little orangutan totally stole the show. She was climbing all over, swinging, and just having a lovely old time.
I was a little sad that the giraffes weren't outside, they're my favorite, but it was probably just too darn hot. So, thanks Joss, Kelly, Heather, Codye, and kids for the great time today! And now a few pictures to share:

The Story of Baby Jo(e)

So, for any of you who don't follow me on facebook I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Curious George and I are going to have a baby. I'm almost 11 weeks, so I figured it was time to let the cat out of the bag. Plus, it was getting pretty hard to hide it with how sick I've been. And I mean SICK!
We're super excited (how could we not be, it's a BABY!). As of right now I'm due January 16th, which means if Baby Jo(e) comes early or ontime I'll be 25 when he/she is born. If Baby Jo(e) is even the tiniest bit late I'll be 26, since my birthday is January 17th.
In case you hadn't figured it out, we're calling it Baby Jo(e) for now, because we like Androgeny Jo(e) better than Androgeny Pat. It's more modern, or something.
Anyway, because the baby is due in January, I've been labeled the newest disobedient child in my parents home. My dad made one request: that I wait until he was 50 to make him a grandparent. Well, sorry Pops, it's going to be a few months early. Come on, this is Utah, nobody waits until they're 50 to be a grandparent!
So, there you have it, the newest update in my life. I'm going to try and keep this from becoming a purely pregnancy blog, but since that's about the only thing changing you'll probably get a lot of Baby Jo(e) stories.

Fiasco

I'm not easily angered. I'll get annoyed, bugged, or a little testy from time to time, but to really get me MAD it takes some work (or you just have to know how to push my buttons). Well, this week, I got MAD. To the point that I yelled at someone.
Now, I'll admit, it started with me doing a dumb thing. I take full ownership of that. Who made a dumb-shark move? Oh yeah, that'd be me, over here. That being said, my glimmer of idiocy is but a drop in the bucket. What is this dumb thing I did, let me tell you, so you can think I'm an idiot too: I paid my rent in cash.
I don't usually do this. Really, what it came down to was the following scenario: I was out of checks. Literally, did not have one in my possession. The new ones weren't going to arrive until after rent was due. In hindsight, I should've done a cashier's check or a money order, but I honestly didn't even think of those options. Didn't even cross my mind, mostly because I don't really use either of them. Ever.
Anyway, our apartment manager, in a misguided attempt at being helpful, returned my cash. The problem is, we're not sure who she returned it to. She claims it was our apartment, and that she gave it to the girl who answered the door. Now wait a second, let me check the rest of the 1000 square feet I can't see: Nope, no other girls here. So, June 7th rolls around and our manager's manager is getting ready to make the deposit. Only wait, she doesn't have ours.
So, Curious George gets a phone call, kindly requesting our rent money. He calls me, wondering what-the-h-e-double-hockeysticks is going on. I call the management. Our conversation went a little something like this:

Me: Hi, Brooke, this is Pippi from Such-and-such apartment. Um, I just got a call from my husband saying that you don't have our rent money.
Brooke: Right, Lindsay returned it to you and you brought her back a money order. Well, we have half of the money order here, but we can't do anything about it without the rest.
Me: Yeah, about that, I don't know who she returned it to, but I've never bought a money order in my life. I have no idea where that came from.
Brooke: Oh, well, do you want to come pick it up and you can take it back to the company and see if they'll print you a new one?
Me (getting rather irate at this point): How can I take it back? I don't know where it came from.
Brooke: Well, Lindsay is sure she took it to apartment --- and she gave it to the girl who answered the door.
Me: I work nights. I've been home everyday this week and I haven't seen her. Did she ask for a name before she handed over my 800 bucks?

Anyway, long story short: The management has no idea who they gave our rent money to. They have no idea where the subsequent money order came from. They've put in paperwork to try and figure it out, but it'll take 2 weeks to hear anything back. In the meantime, they're considering our rent paid (because as far as I'm concerned, it is). What it all boils down to is this:

Can we really stay here another year?

This may be the final straw for 2 years worth of dealing with this incompetence.

No News

I really don't have much to blog about. We're still waiting to hear about the house. Our jobs are going well. Life is about the same as always. So, purely for the sake of an update, enjoy some pictures. :)

A Little Bit of Controversy

This week I had a piece featured on Mormon Mommy Blogs. Apparently, without meaning to, I sparked quite a controversy. You see, I wrote about my plans to be a working mom. My thoughts and feelings on the subject seem to have hurt some feelings, unwittingly offended some fellow readers, raised a bit of ire in my general direction. This was not my intent. In the comments on said blog piece I have read everything from "thank you", to "I feel like I have to defend myself for being a stay at home mom", to "the prophets have counseled the women to be in the home". Apparently, by choosing to have a career as well as children, I am directly disobeying the prophet.

Let me just interject for a moment the following: if you are a stay at home mom, I applaud you. I understand that it is a full time job, and not for the faint of heart. You wear many hats and it takes a strong woman to hold her head high through that many costume changes. I have nothing against stay at home moms, and if that's what works for you family, fantastic! It was not my intent to belittle, attack, or in any way make light of the job you do. I have many close friends who have made the choice to stay at home, and I respect that a great deal.

However, I feel as though I need to explain myself a bit. (I know, anybody who disliked my piece that much isn't going to come read my personal blog, but I'll feel better). So, a few items of note:

1. I am a college educated woman. The skills that I have (and paid good money for) will not only assist me in the home, but they allow me to help others. I improve other people's lives. I did not go to college to get married. I went to college to better myself and to gain the knowledge to have a succesful nursing career.

2. I love my husband dearly, but it is not likely that any of his career choices will ever be able to solely support our family. And, rather than choosing to have me at home and him working multiple jobs, we've chosen to share the duties both in the home and in the workforce. At this point in time, we couldn't survive on his income as just the two of us, there's no way we could support a family on it.

3. My own personal sanity dictates that I need time outside the four walls of my home. Home is a haven, it's my favorite place to be, but even I get a little stir crazy if I don't get to see any other place. It is important for my own well-being as a person to experience adult interaction.

4. I don't feel like a bad member of the church for choosing to have a career. It is not a decision I have made lightly. I follow economical trends, I watch the housing market, and I keep a very tight budget for my husband and myself. The decision for me to keep a career is one that we have thought about, prayed about, and studied. We have discussed our choice with our families, church leaders, and asked for counself from our bishop.

All of that being said, let me apologize for any hurt feelings I may have cause. Again, this was not my intent. I simply ask that I be given the same courtesy I am extending to you. Judge not, lest ye be judged.

A Little Hypocrisy

I'm a hypocrite.

In my work as a nurse I get the opportunity to tell people to buck up. What they're going through is not the end of the world. There's always someone out there who has it worse.

Yet, when I'm sick, I turn into the world's biggest whiner. I get lazy, grumpy, and sometimes just plain mean.

This past week I've been a slug. I do nothing but lay around. I make myself get up and do the necessary things, but it's a struggle. I don't feel like eating, and consequently cooking, so Curious George has sort of been fending for himself. My throat hurts, my sinuses are full to the point of exploding, and all of the nastiness going on in my body is making me nauseous. Yeah, I'm whining. It's my blog, so what.

Anyway, back to being a hypocrite: Curious George told me to buck up. He told me that my life was not ending. It was just a sinus infection and I would get through it. And you know what I did? I cried. I broke down and bawled like a baby. Let me tell you, it didn't help the congestion any. So, most of the time I'm pretty mellow and even. I don't get riled up about much. So, when I break down like that it scares him a little bit. He quickly began to backpedal.

I reassured him that I was fine, I was just being a baby. And then I realized what a hypocrite I am. How can I expect to tell people with life-changing health problems to buck up when I melt down over a sinus infection?

But you know what? I still look something like this:

so I'm going to milk it for all it's worth!

Surprise!

I don't like surprises.

I can handle small things like Christmas, birthdays, etc, but if it's something big I don't like to be surprised. For example, if Curious George were to surprise me with a trip somewhere I would be bugged. Instead of thinking about how fun it would be to go on said surprise trip, I would be thinking about all of the things I need to do before we can go. I would think about asking for time off work, whether we needed new tires for the car before we went, etc.

However, I love to surprise Curious George with things. For his 30th birthday last year I threw him a surprise party. I love to get him little gifts that he doesn't know are coming. I love to surprise him.

Anyway, I was thinking last week that we've never been on a "real" vacation together. We've been fishing with the family, we went hiking in Zion for our honeymoon, and we've been on little local-ish trips. But, when I went to New York I went with the girls. It's been ages since either of us has been to Disneyland. It's been a decade since I sent to Europe, and neither of us has been on a cruise.

So, I've decided that for his birthday I want to surprise him with a trip somewhere. Hawaii is out, mostly cause we can't afford it, and also because Little Brother is there. There's no way we can do Europe. So, I'm thinking maybe San Diego. We could drive there, spend a day at Sea World, go to the zoo, and maybe spend a little time at the beach. Or we could do Disneyland. I haven't been since I was 18, he hasn't been since he was 7 (yeah, it's been 23 years since he saw Disneyland). Or maybe a short cruise. Who knows where we'll end up.

So, where would you take your significant other on a surprise vacation?

Learning Something New

Today I bring you an educational blog. We will be discussing the rules of frisbee golf, from a distant observers point of view.

1. The Dress Code: Clothing inhibits your throw, so less is definitely more. For women, shorty shorts and a tube top seem to be the best option. For men, just go shirtless. That seems to be the norm. However, boys, should you choose to wear a shirt it is encouraged that it either be a wife-beater tank top or contain a picture of one of the following: Bob Marley, a pot leaf, the Insane Clown Posse, or some sort of animal with antlers.

2. Bringing Baby: This is a game for the whole family. If you have a baby or a dog, bring them along! However, this game makes it clear, pushing the baby stroller is the woman's job. Also, I would recommend putting a leash on your dog (or your baby, if that's how you roll) so it can't chase down and mangle your vast collection of frisbees.

3. The Gear: If you plan on playing often I would recommend spending a large sum of money on frisbees of different weights, sizes, and colors. In fact, I would buy two of each, because it is inevitable that one will end up in the middle of the road and run over by a car. It is also important that you get the proper bag to carry all of your new overpriced plastic dinner plates. This way, they are organized and you can always claim that you can't push the stroller because you have to carry your murse.

4. Practice Makes Perfect: Since this "sport" seems so popular you will almost always end up waiting to start your turn through the course. While waiting it is customary to practice your throw. In fact, it is encouraged. However, one very strict rule is that you must use your playing companion as a target. Trust me, they like it.

5. The Casual Observer: This one is mostly for the women. If you're not going to play, you don't have a stroller to push, or a dog to control, it is recommended that you stand sullenly to one side, complain about how bored you are, twirl your hair, and pick your fingernails.

So, there you have the rules of frisbee golf according to a distant observer. Come on, it's fun to learn new things!

Disclaimer: This is meant to be a humorous blog post and does not in any way actually teach the game of frisbee golf.