Feb 29

Nap time - or not

This is what we're struggling with these days. She really fights taking a nap. Its pretty much pointless to even force an afternoon nap. The problem is, she still kinda needs one. If she doesn't have one, by 5:00 she's grumpy as all get out until I put her to bed at 7:30. But, I work for my brother in law 4 days a week and it involves me driving around town for 30-45 minutes every day. She almost always falls asleep in the car on these little trips. Sometimes she is really out, too. We bring her in onto the couch and she'll sleep until 5 - and then be up until 9:30 or 10:00.

Pros of napping: quiet time in the afternoon. With the baby coming, I know I'll need a nap throughout the day.

Pros of not napping: She goes to bed really early (7:30) and still sleeps until 8:30 or 9. That's a lot of time in the evening to just relax.

So its a struggle. What bothers me most is that there isn't really a schedule for the day. But I guess thats what will have to happen until I'm not working anymore.

So, that's the gallbladder?

This picture isn't great but it's pretty good. Something like this is what I was watching on Tuesday morning. We went to Rupert and I got to observe a surgery - gallbladder removal. I don't know what I was expecting from the laparoscopic surgery but it was pretty cool. The image on the tv the doctor used when operating was great quality. There was another guy there observing the nurse anesthetist that passed out when the surgery started. I was glad I was the one getting blankets to put under his head instead of passing out. It was quite a bit cooler and much less gross than I had thought it might be. I don't think general surgery will be what I want to do but it was a great experience. I even saw a few people I knew from my home ward and high school while I was there.

More info on job situation to come...

I have a ton of homework right now.

Do you live in Idaho?

For all us Idaho residents (and former Idaho residents)

FORGET REDNECKS, THIS IS WHAT JEFF FOXWORTHY HAD TO SAY ABOUT IDAHOANS:

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Idaho.

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Idaho. (I've been really tempted to a few days this winter. And I wear my chacos in the snow.)

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Idaho. (I'm pretty sure my mom has.)

If 'vacation' means going anywhere south of Salt Lake City for the weekend, you live in Idaho. (Dang, SLC would be a vacation. Going to Rupert is a vacation.)

If you measure distance in hours, you live in Idaho. (yep)

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Idaho.

If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' and back again in the same day, you live in Idaho. (Done that. A lot)

If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both unlocked, you live in Idaho.

If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Idaho. (Only a slight exaggeration.)

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live in Idaho. (yep)

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80, and everyone is still passing you, you live in Idaho.

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Idaho. (Now that the snow is melting, the potholes are awful!)

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Idaho. (This is very true)

If you find 10 degrees 'a little chilly' you live in Idaho. (True again. At 30 degrees, I leave my coat at home.)

(I definitely live in Idaho.)

Pillow Talk

My sister has asked that I make her some throw pillows for her living room. I'm really excited for this new sewing project, but I need some advice/direction.

What kind of fabric is best for home decor? What's a good price per yard? How big is a standard throw? Is piping essential?

So, any help from my blogging buddies out there would be great. Or just point me in the direction of some great websites or patterns. Dark green is her basic color, and I kinda want to mix and match, with different sizes/shapes and maybe piece the front of some. What do ya'll think?

"Laura"

Our friend Laura always wants to hear Ana saying her name but when Ana gets near her she won't say it. That's why we took this video from our regular still-picture camera. It was a night when Ana really wanted to go see Laura.



Ana is cute.

on our minds

As graduation for Dave approaches, a lot of things are on our minds. Mostly its all the unknown stuff, up-in-the air stuff. So, what's our plan?

*Dave wants to go to Medical School. Back in August he was planning on being an eye-doctor and did phenomonal on the admissions test. He probably could have entered any school he wanted. But Med school requires a different test and a different school and slightly different requirements. So, though he's graduating in April, he'll be applying this summer to enter in Fall 2009.

*It looks like he has a job opportunity in Rupert right after graduation, even though he'll only be around for 15 months. We really want to live in Rupert to be closer to family for a little while before going to med school. The job doesn't pay quite as well as we had hoped.

*We want to be able to buy a bigger (trail blazer) car by the end of the in between year. We're not sure if we can do that with this job.

*Med school is another issue entirely. They are expensive and hard to get in to, especially for white males. He'll have to take the MCAT pretty soon, too. We're in the process of deciding what schools to apply to, and we could end up anywhere, really. Our top choices are U of Washington and Utah, but there is one in Texas and a few others that might be good for us too.

So, I guess that's it. A lot on our minds. I've had a pretty cushy life so far, so probably we're about to take on a few more challanges in the next few years.

Things I can't have now

Here is a list of expensive things I want but can't have for a long time. They are in no particular order:

-A nice SLR digital camera
-A good road bike
-A new computer (maybe an iMac)
-Trailblazer (probably around 2001 year)
-I really want a drum set. - One thing that makes this really expensive is that we will probably have to be living in a HOUSE before this is possible.

That's all I can think of for now.

Gaggies

Dave made the best no bake-cookies the other day. We call them "Gaggies." They were perfectly smooth and oh so yummy! He's getting "gaggie cookie" duty from now on. When I make them the cocoa and peanut butter is always a little grainy. Of course, I have official "chocolate chip cookie" duty. We'll follow the exact same recipe and mine will turn out beautiful and his are flat and crispy. I never feel as guilty eating gaggies since they have oatmeal and peanut butter. I mean, they are practically good for you, right?

Erin the hippie

When I got back from volunteering at the hospital today I was greeted by a smiling hippie. For sharing time last week Erin had one of the kids dressed up like Nephi or someone like that with a little piece of material tied around their head. She was cleaning stuff up today while I was gone, found it, put it on her head and forgot about it. She was standing right by the front door when I came in and was smiling really big because I had almost hit her with the door. I thought she was smiling because she looked like a hippie and she knew it.


Anyway, Ana really wanted us to get out the guitar for a while and when Erin was playing I couldn't resist the picture opportunity.

It's not just me right? She does look like a hippie.

To the Temple

Dave's been using the computer for a paper the last couple days, so I have a couple different posts today.

On Tuesday, Dave and I went to the Temple. It felt so good there! It had been too long since we've been to the Temple. We tried to go last month in IF, but we got down there and it was closed. We got all the way down and up to the door, even. (Funny thing was I had talked to my Mom, Dad and my sister and none of them remembered it was gonna be closed. My sister lives in IF and even was watching Ana for us!)

Anyway, the Temple was more beautiful than I remembered, both physically and spiritually. It really renewed my Spirit and brought me and Dave closer together the last few days. What a blessing it is to live so close! It took longer to go pick up the babysitter than to get to the Temple. Even though we won't be here much longer, I am glad we have this opportunity to live so near it. There will always be a special place in my heart for this Temple and this city. We're doing sealings with our ward on Friday and I'm excited to be able to go again so soon.

A few minutes amusment

I guess the lid wasn't tight on the flour container the other day. While I was making dinner Ana found it and decided it was a fun toy! There wasn't much flour left in it, and the few minutes without her pulling on my leg while I cooked was worth the 5 minutes it took to clean it up.

Bike Ride

This is what it said on weather.com on Monday.

This is what we decided to do that day.

I was just going to go for a little ride because it was sunny and the roads were actually pretty cleared off but Ana really, really, wanted to go on a bike ride with me. Since she was going, Erin decided to come too. We dressed warm and didn't stay out too long. Ana was actually really warm and cozy inside the bike trailer. Way more warm than us. It was really fun.

Quick Thought

Apparently "zygosity" is a real word. I bet you've always wondered. Any guesses to what it means?

Mmmm...

I love this ice cream. I never even knew it existed until just yesterday. While at the store with Erin I realized that some of the ice cream that usually costs about 50 dollars was on sale for the same price as the cheap stuff. Anyway, I chose this stuff and it is way good. It tastes just like the fried ice cream we had for dessert at Garcia's in IF.

On this day in history...

Dave proposed! 3 years ago. We had decided we wanted to get married, and even had the Temple date set. (We got married in SL so it had to be done fast.) But he told me we had to go to Utah that weekend to pick my ring up because he got it from a jeweler down there. The night before we were supposed to leave he proposed. That I was surprised about. I smacked him on the arm, said, "What!?! You have it already?" and put it on myself. Kinda funny. I still love my ring, and the person who gave it to me. I really like the size of my ring. It looks dainty, I think. This pic is from our wedding day.

On an unrelated note, Ana helped me with the dishes tonight. It took a little bit longer.

Job situation +

So, in the middle of last semester I stopped working at Melaleuca. I had recently been offered a couple different jobs at the time that I couldn't take but I was very confident I could find another job soon. I didn't really think about the fact that this is my last semester. NOBODY will hire a student during his last semester, what was I thinking? After a while I just gave up on finding a job for the semester and changed my focus to getting a job lined up as quickly after graduation as possible.

Around here (eastern Idaho) I could find a job for $15-20 an hour with a psych degree. We would really like to live in or near Rupert for this year and a half between graduation and going to med school. It would be nice to have family close by for a while because who knows where we will be for then next 7-8 years after that.

I am talking to a couple places in Rupert right now trying to see if I can work there. I have had a hard time getting much feedback from one that pays better but it sounds like I can pretty much count on a job at a different place (if I take it) that doesn't pay quite as well and would only give me 30 hrs a week until the end of May when I could get 40 hrs a week easy.

Anyway, that's a little bit of what has been going on in my head the last few days. There is also another place in I.F. where a friend of mine works that I could maybe get into if nothing works out in Rupert. It will be nice to get this all worked out so we can get ready and enjoy our time away from homework and the like. Hopefully we can end up in Rupert and make some decent money. If you know anyone in Rupert who wants to give me lots of money let me know.

As a small tribute to the place I grew up I am posting this picture. For some reason this sight has always come to mind when I think of Rupert. This particular picture makes Rupert seem like a pretty big place because of the extra lights and people walking around. There is even a sign that says "Historic District". Only big cities have historic districts right?



So, maybe this will be a long post and get way off the original topic but seeing that picture of Rupert made me remember the time my nephew Kris and I went around town and tried to figure out what kind of things missionaries in Rupert would take pictures of. Here are a couple pictures I found from that day.

This picture is funny. It was in the older part of town, I wonder why they chose to paint their garage that way. I look wierd in this picture too. Oh well, I don't usually look like that.



Some old demolition derby car sitting behind a business. Also near a trailer park.



This one is probably my favorite. Good ol' Prince Rupert. They made this around the year 2000 I think. Some people tell stories about Rupert being named like it is because of some guy's name on a mail bag. I personally go with the story that attributes the name 'Rupert' to a royal circus bear of the same name who fell out of the train as it passed by what is now the city. The search and rescue team set up camp and never left.

Mystery Photo - MRI edition

Today I have been making up research hours that I missed during the week. After about four hours of seeing pictures like this I thought you might like to see one too. Here is a random MRI image I pulled off the internet. It is a t2 weighted axial slice. See if you can identify the structure circled in red.

Come on, just give it a guess. It will be good for you.

Here come the 1-2-3s

Here I sit, blogging away while Ana was playing and watching They Might Be Giants "Here Come the 1-2-3s." I glanced over at her, and this is what I saw. I had to grab the camera and take a picture. When she heard the camera go off, she looked at me and grinned really big. So cute!

Yum!

I've been on an Italian food kick lately. I think it started with Papa Murphy's chicken, bacon and artichoke deLite pizza. I have to say that is a yummy pizza! Everyone should try it. We've already bought 2 this month.

On Sunday, I made these chicken spirals, and they were really yummy! They have cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach wrapped in a chicken strip with Italian seasoning sprinkled on them. Yum!

Then last night, I made up an Italian noodle dish with, again, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach and chicken. It was pretty yummy! I love Italian food!

Valentine's Date

Last night, Dave and I went on our "Valentine's Day" date. The Vienna Choir Boys, one of the most famous choirs in the world. It was really good! The concert was at the school so it only cost us $10 to go. It was pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I was so glad we went. Those boys are amazing! I kinda thought that it would sound like a women's choir, but it didn't. Their voices were so clear. They sang a lot of classical songs that I remember singing in high school, but they also sang some "American" songs, other international songs, and some Austrian songs. It was a neat opportunity.

This obviously isn't from last night, but it gives you an idea.



It was really nice to go on a date, too. We don't go out very often and its nice to remember that we like eachother. Afterward we went out for milk shakes, which is our V-day tradition. It was great!

cute things

I got a bunch of maternity clothes from my sister today. I was out in the front room trying a few on this afternoon. When Ana saw me in one of them she said, "oooh, cute" and then sighed. A few minutes later she tried putting one on too. She smiled at us and said, "I cute," then pointed at the shirt and said, "pretty." What a girl! I was getting ready to leave to the store tonight and when Ana saw me put on my coat, she said, "bye-bye." Then she ran over to me to give me a hug and added, "I love you" (which sounded more like, "I looloo" but I knew what she meant. It was the first time she really said it voluntarily, and it was touching. Then she decided that she wanted to go with me, so she ran to Dave and gave him kisses. So cute!

She didn't win the beautiful baby contest, but I still think she's the cutest!

Wii game review - Blazing Angels

Our game rental from last month was Blazing Angels - Squadrons of WWII.

We decided on this game because we were going to see Erin's dad over the weekend for his birthday. He was a pilot in the air force so we thought he might like it. It was the closest to a flight simulator we could find on the Wii. He liked it a lot. A couple enemy planes flew by while he was playing and he said, "There goes a ______" (I can't remember what it was). He recognized all the planes and I think that part of it made it more enjoyable for him.

It was fun but I had mixed feelings about it. It was really fun, especially at first, to control the airplane by tilting/moving the nunchuck, but at times it was still a little hard to get the plane to move like I wanted.

Some of the missions had an incredible amount of things going on in them. There were so many other planes in the air at times it was pretty crazy, but not overdone.

The other complaint that I had deals with learning to use new equipment in the game. In one of the missions you launch torpedoes from your plane and the only instructions you get on how to do it show up for about 20-30 seconds while the level is loading. After that, there is no way to see the instructions again unless you quit the level and start over again completely. It was that way learning to use the camera on a recon mission as well.

Overall -
It was fun. There isn't much multiplayer to speak of. The controls were pretty good but not great. At times the graphics were pretty impressive, but on a game like this I care a lot less about the graphics than most gamers (Real reviews said the scenery was flat and boring. I don't agree.) It was worth trying once but isn't one I would consider buying. There's got to be a better airplane game for the Wii pretty soon.

Rating-
3.5/5

Here is a little video of the game for your enjoyment.

"Fortuosity"

So, I love this movie. I grew up watching it. In fact, I grew up singing the opening song "Fortuosity" while wearing this ugly green jacket thing we had and carrying around a briefcase. I know most of the words to the the songs, and could probably quote a majority of the movie. We really liked musicals in my house and this has always been a family and personal favorite.

Anyway, so, the other night I was reminded of the song "I'll always be Irish" from this movie. I got it stuck in my head so at about 10:00 I had to watch just that scene. I ended up watching most of the rest of the movie. Dave interjected his comments of mockery at the movie, but nevertheless he sat and watched it with me. In all its cheesiness, it is such a great family film. I'd recommend it to everyone!

On another note, we also have a reason to feel very "fortuitious." Last week we rented a Wii video game from Hollywood video. When it came time to return it, we couldn't find it anywhere. We searched high and low. Finally, we resigned ourselves to having to replace it (which really stinks since those games cost 50 bucks). When we went in to Hollywood tonight, we were told that the game had been returned a few days late, and we are only accountable for the 3 dollar late fee. Thanks to whoever returned it for us! And we're grateful for the Lord's little blessings.

MMmmm.... Chicken

I hope this looks good to you.

This is one of the chicken wraps Erin made for dinner last night. I don't think the picture really does it justice. It is a thin piece of chicken wraped up with cream cheese and a little spinach, then baked. It looked like something from a really nice Italian restaurant. It tasted even better. Usually, if I hear about something like that with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes I don't think it sounds that great, but this was. Isn't Erin cool?

Thoughts

I guess this week I've been in a little more of a reflective mood. I've found myself wanting my space a little bit more, and just wanting to think about things. Allow me to share some of my personal thoughts.

First of all, I've thought a lot about the passing of President Hinckley. I was 11 when he was called, and so he's really the only Prophet I've known. Surprisingly, I haven't been as sad as I thought I would be. More often, I found myself wondering, Why now? What work did he just complete? Its caused me to think about the timing of the Lord. When listening to his funeral, I was touched by what his daughter said regarding President Hinckley following the death of his wife. She mentioned how truly sorrowful and that he spent much time on his knees for comfort. She said his compassion and dependence on the Lord increased, and with those he put on his shoes and went to work serving others. I loved that example of how we should be. Even in times of sorrow, we turn to the Lord and as we depend on Him our capacity to lift others increases.

This past week, there was a day when Ana fell asleep in the car as I was running around town. When we got back home, before I woke her up, I sat in the silence of the car. I didn't really think about much, but I just could not break the quiet and peace of the car. A few days later I was driving by myself, and I turned off the music and ignored my phone and just drove in peace and quiet. I felt like it had been so long since I felt quiet and peaceful.

Today was the Rexburg Temple dedication. I feel such a part of this community and have witnessed the strength and excitement while awaiting this Temple. It was neat to be able to be here. Presiden Monson gave an incredible address on the importance of families and temples and I really felt the Spirit. More than anything though, I realized why I hadn't had peace and quiet in so long. It has been too long since I went to the Temple and felt and experienced the peace and quiet that it brings. How important that House is for the sanity of a wife and mother! A place where we can set aside the demands of today and focus on eternity in quiet and reverance. I need that more than I recognize most days.

losing momentum

I remember when I first started running a few years ago. I had tried running for exercise on and off, and never really loved it. But in the fall of 2003, I really started running consistantly. I don't think I would have stuck with it, except for the friends I had that I'd run with. I rarely ran alone. These friends kept me motivated to keep up (speed) and to keep going (endurance). It wasn't until I could run about 3 or 5 miles that I started running by myself just because I liked it and how I felt afterward. And I eventually ran 13 miles, just because I wanted to.

The other thing I found with running is that once I could run 3 miles, it wasn't too hard to run a couple more. 5 was no big adjustment once I hit 3. And once I could run 5, I could run 8, then 10, then 13. The hardest part was getting to the 3 mile point.

That's how I am with a lot of goals that I set for myself. I need a little extra motivation, and a friend right beside me to really keep going in the beginning. But eventually, I come to realize the benefits I'm getting and I can do it all by myself.

I feel like I'm losing momentum with the goals I set for myself this year. I wonder if it isn't because I'm working alone, and I still haven't reached the "3 mile" point. I'm still in the hard part. The part where, like running, I don't quite feel the benefits enough to keep going. But I don't really have someone working beside me, telling me to keep up and to keep going. Though Dave is supportive, he's not "running" right beside me. He has different responsibilities to take care of. But I'm losing momentum. I'm letting dishes and laundry pile up more, and I'm wasting more time throughout the day. I need to get recommitted to my goal, so I don't just stop. I just don't know quite what to do for that.

taking a break

On Monday afternoon Dave and I drove up to Island Park to meet his nephew Josh and family. It was a lot of fun. He wrote a bit about it HERE, but I'd like to write some different stuff. On Monday night we went swimming at the pool. I love being in the water. I'm not great at swimming, but I love the water.



Tuesday morning we took Ana out for a ride in the snowmobile's trailer. She was pretty expressionless most of the time, but once in a while we would catch her smiling.

Tuesday afternoon Dave and I went for a ride on the snowmoblies - just us. We left Ana back at the room. It was kinda like a mini-date and it was fun. We just followed a main trail, but there was one open meadow up in the trees that we rode around for a little bit. I got stuck, but it wasn't too bad. It was a lot of fun! It was my first time. I really like Jet-skiing, and I thought it was a lot like that. I'd probably say I like jet-skiing more, but thats just because I like summer and water and not having to be so bundled up. But it was still a lot of fun. I wanted to go some more! I even got up to 50 miles per hour. There was so much snow up there! There was probably 4 or 5 feet on the roof tops. Later that night we went swimming again. Ana was being really cute. She would stand on the edge and say, "1-2-3" (which sounds more like 2-2-3) and then crouch down like she was gonna jump, and then step off the edge. (We'd catch her of course.) It was funny. She loved the water, too. The whole mini-vacation was fun. We were glad we got to go!

One thing I thought while Dave and I were out on the snowmobiles is how important it is to take breaks some times. Especially one on one dates. Dave and I rarely go on a date, and when we do its usually just dinner or a movie. It was neat to get to do something fun like that. It was fun for me to watch him play around in the powder - to watch him really enjoying himself. It made me remember how cute I think he is and how much we both like being outdoors. We sure don't do it enough!

Mini-vacation

We took a mini-vacation Monday night and all day Tuesday. We got to go up to Island Park Village with Josh - my nephew 2 years older than me. It was great fun. I used to go up there every year with my parents to either go fishing at Henry's Lake or go snowmobiling. I remember we were up there when princess Diana died and I found out about it by seeing a newspaper at the little store they have there.

It's a pretty nice place. They have a clubhouse with a pool, sauna, hot tubs, and other stuff. Ana and Erin really enjoyed swimming. Here is a picture of what one of the units look like from the outside. The only difference is that there was about 5 feet of snow on top of all of them when we were there.


Here is a picture of one of the family/living rooms just like the one we had.

Ana just saw that last picture and said "Fire!" It actually sounded a bit more like "Filer" but we get the idea. She liked watching the fire in the fireplace.

We had a good time. Erin rode a snowmobile for the first time and only got stuck once. There was some good snow and I remembered how much I liked snowmobiling. Now I have to get back to the reality of homework and tests...

Just a little random...

*My oldest sister just had their 6th little girl on Saturday. Our little straggler in June will make the 6th grandbaby born in less than a year. (That's all the married kids in my family having a baby, too.) This little girl is the 12th granddaughter. Our boy will be the 9th grandson. (On my side of the family.) Congrats, sis!

*Yesterday was my dad's 60th birthday. Remember when you were young and 60 seemed so old? Well, looking at my dad, I don't think its that old any more. We drove down and made dinner and a cake for him since my mom is out of town with the new baby. Happy Birthday, Dad! I love you.

*Today we are going up to Island Park with Dave's nephew and his family. (His nephew is a couple years older than him. He has 2 kids.) I'm excited, mostly because where we are staying has an indoor pool. I love going swimming!

*Its been snowing like crazy up here. We have at least a foot everywhere, plus there are some really tall drifts in other places. I say, if its gonna ge cold, I'm glad its snowy too.

*I have a lot to do before we leave, so I better get going!

Funny

I thought this was kind of funny. Hopefully no one is offended.

I've never seen the snakes but the guy in the white suit healing the man in green I have seen a few times.

So, now we know...

that we're having a BOY. We're really excited. I thought for sure we were having another girl. Almost all my siblings thought it was gonna be a girl, too. I was all ready to get out Ana's pretty little dresses. So now I've had to totally adjust. (But thats why its so great to find out now instead of waiting.) We went to Wal-Mart yesterday and bought a little boy onesie that we like. I like to have Ana say hi to the "baby in mommy's tummy." She comes over and rests her head on my stomach and says, "hi, baby." Today I've been pushing "hi, brother." Its cute when she says it. She doesn't really get it though. She has also done it to my hand. I think she just thinks its a fun game. But now it'll be fun to pick a name, find some cute clothes and all that fun stuff to get ready for our little man to come. Yeah!

Resolution

The mystery photo was, of course, a ultrasound of our new little BOY we will be having. I actually feel a little more anticipation now, not just because it's a boy. I think it's because we can now stop saying "it" when talking about the baby and start talking/thinking about a little boy instead. He is becoming more of a little person instead of a mass of cells in the uterus that makes Erin throw up. Anyway, it will be fun to have a boy. It will be a bit different but still fun.

As far as what I expected from Lost...

It was pretty good but I am so impatient I just want more. I must confess that all the promos for this season premier had a clip where one of the "rescue" people came and said something about what their primary objective was... not rescuing everyone. I had just assumed that the first episode would reach that point in the story. I was wrong. How quickly I forget the ways of Lost.