Vaca pics, day 1

Balanced Rock, Arches National Park

Here's the rest of the album (keep in mind that I haven't really had the ability to edit them yet...sorry)

ENJOY!

Va-cay!!!

As I type this, my husband is mowing the lawn for the second time in a week. The grass grew a good 3 inches this week, and that is not one ounce of exaggeration. THAT IS HOW MUCH IT RAINED, PEOPLE! This was the rainiest June in the history of Manchester. Seriously, its in the record books.

Anyway, he is mowing now so that our yard doesn't look like a jungle when we get back from vacation. Ahh, vacation. Such a precious idea that has manifested itself into reality as of noon yesterday. We land in Vegas tonight at 11:12pm MDT. As I promised my mother, I will not blow it all on the slots. She did, however, tell me that as long as we had enough food and gas money to make it home, everything was fine. Vegas, here we come!!! Okay, truth be told, we are only spending enough time in Vegas to see the fountain at the Bellagio and sleep. We rented a car, so from Vegas, we have general ideas as to what we will be doing (visiting some pals in Boulder and then hit some National Parks) but as a whole, we're probably going to wing it. OH, THE POSSIBLITIES!

It is somewhat freeing to not know exactly where I will be 24 hours from now. I know that I will be the farthest west I have ever been, but other that that, Lord knows where I'll be. Freeing, I tell you. Freeing.

I'll be updating some from the road; pics, maybe videos...hang on to your seats, folks. Its gonna get crazy.


peace OUT.

thinking

if left to my own devices, I might live in a coffee house. which could be a bad idea.

Reality

This one is going to be heavy, so be prepared.

In the past week, I have had two good friends go through miscarriages. Since we have been married, I haven't had to deal with friends losing babies. This is the first time that I have been hit this hard by something like this. My heart BREAKS for these friends.

I think the reason it hits me so hard is that pregnancy is a very real situation for us now. It could happen any time no matter what precautions we do or don't take. I don't even like using terms such as precautions in regards to a pregnancy, like its swine flu or the common cold or AIDS. Those are things you take precautions against. Pregnancy is a gift, a child, a life. To lose a child, whether born or unborn, must be heart wrenching. My prayer is that these friends can live through the pain. I don't have many more words. I can't even begin to imagine...I just can't imagine anything. My prayer is comfort, peace, and closeness now more than ever.

It actually doesn't work like that...

No, ladies and gentlemen, the appointment schedule does not run on a point system. If you are early one day, you do not get points that can then be deducted when you are late. Your last doctor may have let you operate on this 'point system' back in 1645, but this is modern day America. We work on a day-by-day system; clean slate, if you will. Oh, except if you are late every day (WHICH YOU ARE.) Please show up at your designated time slot. Thank you for your time.

things I've learned this week:

1. There are some words that will always be funny, no matter how old I get.

2. If faced with the dilemma of giving up coffee, it would be a hard fight...even though I can't even finish ONE CUP.

4. Sometimes its fun to skip things. Even if it drives me crazy not to follow rules.

5. I might just have to put a 3 somewhere else so it doesn't feel left out.

6. I have a tendency to find myself in a rut. I just like doing the same things, and I'll be darned if you even try to introduce variety into my day. MAYBE I LIKE BEING BORING. sometimes.

7. I have discovered an affinity for using the caps lock key. Its fun, I promise. TRY IT.

3. The name of the news service Reuters is not pronounced 'rooters' or 'ruders' as in, "The rooters for the Yankees were severely disappointed this week when they were swept by the Red Sox," or "Those kids are so much ruder than your kids." Reuters is actually pronounced like 'roiders' as in one who takes steroids. (Oh, the things you learn while watching the West Wing with a smart husband.)

8. We rescued a very attached dog who does not like to cuddle, just pet and nuzzled. Oh, and she likes to pee when we leave. Oh, she also likes to poop in the special pen/kennel/area we crafted for her. Did I mention she likes to pee when we leave? We've had her for 2 years, but sometimes I want to kick the living...
I'll stop myself there.

(an hour and) seven minutes in (computer) heaven

On Tuesday, Apple announced their new line of MacBooks. So what, you say. Well the good news for anyone needing a new computer, like my husband and I, is that they also announced "end-of-life" price cuts for their old models. We had been looking at a mac for more than a year, but we just couldn't justify buying one when our other computer was getting us by. When Adam heard about this announcement from his friend Chase, we hastily made the decision to purchase one before the new model was shipped.

I drove about 30 minutes south down to the nearest Apple Store, got lost about 3 times on the way, and pulled up giddily to the mall. I wasn't sure what time the mall closed, so I begrudgingly stopped by Au Bon Pain to grab a delicious sandwich that I shoved down my throat pretty much whole while I twittered about the event. You will notice two Ahhhhhhhh!s. The first was an ahhh-why-must-i-have-the-urge-to-eat-at-a-time-such-as-this ahhh. The second was a revelation (i.e. ahhhh! i-am-about-to-buy-a-freaking-mac-ahhhh.) As I reflected on these events later that night, I wish I would have had more time to enjoy that sandwich. It could have been more delicious (romaine, tomato, cheddar, roasted red peppers, red pepper hummus all on whole grain bread.) It was one of those sandwiches that was über healthy and I kind of felt like a pretentious *ahem* eating it. Oh, it was fantastic...I think. But I digress. I finally get the whole thing down, and walk right on into the Apple Store. I have to say I felt kind of weird walking in there, never having had much experience with a Mac. Don't worry, I got over it quick. One of the things I love about Apple is their employees don't have to be straight edged. This guy named James with the biggest mohawk I have ever witnessed helped me out. He was super nice, and if you were supposed to tip your salesman, he would have gotten a big tip.

I ordered an upgrade to my memory and it took a while, so I browsed The World Wide InterWeb for a while, getting to know a Mac. Let me tell you, it was computer heaven. COMPUTER HEAVEN. Granted, it took them about an hour to finish upgrading, but I didn't mind so much except that I had to pee.

Now, as we speak, I am sitting at Starbucks, writing to you on a perfect, beautiful end-of-life MacBook Pro and computer life could only be a little better. Adam told me "Happy Birthday" when I got home. Happy birthday to me! I guess 24 isn't so bad after all.

Just had to brag a little. just a little.
Ok, I'm done.

why???

I didn't finish my coffee this morning. Although, that could be because THERE WERE CHUNKS IN MY COFFEE. It makes me really happy when there are chunks. And by happy, I mean ridiculously angry.

not in a week...

I haven't been able to finish a cup of coffee in a whole week, and it is becoming unnerving. I used to chug it down and be ready for the second cup within 15-20 minutes. Now, I'm like a little old lady who is scared to let it touch her lips for fear that it might jump out and scare the living poo out of her. You know the face; the squinty eyes, the tight lipped mouth, just waiting for it to reach out and rip my lips off. What is this morning ritual coming to???

In a couple weeks, I will turn the big 2-4. Useless age. The only thing you get with 24 is slightly more clout. I am getting old, as evidenced by the coffee experience. I get to say that in one year, I can rent a car. That's pretty much it.

Hopefully, I can finish a cup of coffee when I get older.

thought:

I can't chew a piece of gum for more than an hour and a half. just in case you were wondering.

Things I've learned this week

Wow, its almost been a week since I blogged. Yikes.
This hasn't been a particularly special week, but I learned and realized some things (shocking but true.)

1. When I want to type 'things,' it almost always comes out 'thinkgs' first.

2. When you are grossly overweight (i.e. 400 lbs, 5'11", 55.8 BMI) you cannot make fun of how fat or disgusting 'fat people' are. You are essentially making fun of yourself, but in an unintentional way.

3. When it comes time to procreate, I'm glad that Adam will be the father of my children. I cannot think of a more handsome, qualified, loving man to become a father, much less the father of my children.

4. There are certain things in life you cannot control. I feel like I've known this before, but there are times that it evades me.

5. Sometimes, the maturity of high school sophomores overwhelms me. Sometimes, the immaturity of sophomores overwhelms me, too.

6. Sushi with good friends is very expensive, but well worth it. (Yes, Adam had sushi. Shocking, but true.)

7. One day, I will replace my toddler's apple juice with pickle juice just to see the awesome reaction on that toddler face when he/she realizes something just isn't right.

8. I am created by God to love community, to need community, and to thrive inside of community. I feel like I've known this before, too, but there are times that it evades me as well.

9. I get emotionally attached to characters in television shows.

10. Apparently, I am the same way with TV on DVD as I am with cable, as described here (first paragraph only)

11. just kidding, I only learned 10 thinkgs this week.