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.