Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.
Yep, I was an INTJ the last time I took this kind of test too. Hmmm...me and Snape? I can live with that. :)
Friday, December 07, 2007
Which Harry Potter Character are YOU?
Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.
Yep, I was an INTJ the last time I took this kind of test too. Hmmm...me and Snape? I can live with that. :)
Friday, November 16, 2007
Twilight and Vampires
After hearing my sisters-in-law and various other mormon sources rave about the "Twilight" series by Stehenie Meyer I decided to see what all of the fuss was about and bought the first book in the series last Saturday. Just like Christine, I then had to run to the store on Monday to purchase the other two books in the series. I just finished the third (after a couple of 3am nights up reading) and I'm glad for the experience. I was reluctant to read these books at first since all of the excerpts available on Amazon made them seem very juvenile.
SPOILER WARNING
If you do not want to spoil the plot of these books stop reading this post right now and suffice it to say that I enjoyed them and they're worth reading....you can scroll to the bottom for a list of other vampire-themed books/series that I would recommend if you're interested.
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If you do not want to spoil the plot of these books stop reading this post right now and suffice it to say that I enjoyed them and they're worth reading....you can scroll to the bottom for a list of other vampire-themed books/series that I would recommend if you're interested.
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Okay...as I was saying they seemed very juvenile. The protagonist, Bella, is in highschool. Now this isn't a deal breaker in and of itself as I really really like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and she was in highscool for the first three seasons in that show. My concern was that the vampires were also in highschool. Now vampire lore varies depending on the author and I had read books in which, while you can make someone a vampire through biting and other methods, some vampires are born that way. They are born as infants with superhuman strength/speed/ etc...and a craving for blood. They continue to age until they are ready to become a full vampire and "die". After this they live solely on blood (before they ate food and stuff) have even greater super strength etc, and can no longer go out in the sun. So I was concerned that the 17 year old vampire love interest was actually only 17 years old. This made the books seem incredibly less interesting to me, age-ist that I am. However, rest assured that though Edward and his "siblings" attend highscool, they are not actually teenagers (ie, he became a vamp in 1918) and have a good reason for going to highschool when they don't technically have to. Also while the first half of the first book is greatly concerned with silly things like science, calculus, the lunch room and dances, the rest of the book (and series) does not dwell on these issues at all.
One issue I had with the books was the author making the vampires all so young. I know, I know, it's supposed to be a Young Adult book, but you could have made them in their mid-twenties or at least looking like they were in their mid-twenties or so (you know if the issue was people died younger back then...they also seemed to age faster as I recall...30 looked like 50 in some places). I didn't like how Bella had only been with Edward a few days before she suddenly wants to be a vampire too. I realize that the issue is that Edward looks so young and she didn't want to look like his mom by the time she turned, which is why I think it was dumb to make him so young, but still! You'd think she'd give it a little more thought...no more of her favorite foods for one thing...that would be hard to give up. On Buffy, Angel could pass for anything from 22-36 if he wanted. So if she wanted to join him in the ranks of the undead (which wouldn't happen in Buffy-land since vamps there are inherently evil) she would have ten plus years to decide and to live her life without worrying about looking too old. I also didn't like how Bella doesn't seem to see the need for college. So let's say he makes you a vamp after graduation...then what? You'll just go "be a vampire" for the next century? Don't you think his multiple degrees and your lack of knowledge would get on your nerves after awhile? This is like people I knew in highschool that just wanted to get married...and that was why they went to college at all. Then once they snagged a husband they dropped out. Yeah, so you're married, but what are you going to do now? Sit around "being married?" The kids will only occupy your time for so many years and then what? Get a hobby? I don't know, I guess I have strong opinions about college. Okay, moving on.
What I find absolutely hilarious is the Mormon following that these books have. There was even an article about them in Meridian magazine today. This is greatly due to the fact (I'm assuming) that the author is LDS and attended BYU. This also had me concerned about reading the books as I've met several mormons who have very strong opinions about this genre of literature and I wasn't sure how the author would handle the whole blood/killing/living forever/ soul v. no soul issues that are inherent when dealing with vampires. It's been my experience that when an author is mormon members of the church assume that the book will then of course be up to church standards in dress, language, sexuality, etc. So I was very interested to see exactly what kind of vampire series this would turn out to be were that the case here. Now I'm not saying that it isn't...the main characters never have sex or dress overly provocative (that they said anyway) and I think there were maybe two or three swear words in the entire series, which was pretty remarkable for books these days...but it's not that different from many, many other vampire books I've read.
The whole werewolf/vampire/human love triangle thing is explored in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter (by Laurell K. Hamilton) series (and many others I'm sure). Anita does not have sex with her vamp/wolf boyfriend(s) and must choose between them. However this only lasts for the first six books...but after that the sex isn't too explicit and she only has sex with whoever she has decided on at the time (it changes later)...but by books ten/eleven the series has completely degenerated into something closer to porn literature loosely held together by a very thin plot...so my recommendation is to stop after six if you don't like the sex, and after ten if you actually want to read an entertaining, non porno story. (I went through eleven, bought twelve and have never made it past the first 40 pages though I've had it for years...I think there are 14-15 books in the series now).
The whole non-human blood drinking thing, the soul v. no soul, idea of a vampire counsel, "imprinting/soulmates", mind reading, "special abilities", etc...is also explored in many other books I've read. So really the only unique aspect of this series is the way in which it has led normally vampire resistant mormons into the growing culture of "vampire chic lit." I have heard of ward members passing the books between each other, holding twilight themed parties, and waxing rhapsodic about the intrigue, mystery and romance these books hold. Again...I liked them. I bought the series, I would probably read them again. However as a 13+ year fan of the genre I say if you're looking for something new and uniquely mormon, look elsewhere. If you like this type of book, then this is a good series to explore. There are some plot holes that the author has yet to fill, but she is still writing (next book released in Fall 2008) and will hopefully answer these questions in subsequent books.
I was going to write a list of vamp books along with a short synopsis of how they differ from the Twilight series, but I'll try to keep it short. So here is a list of vamp books I like and/or would recommend. I'll try to post mormon-type warnings if you are interested in other books like Twilight etc.. but are leary of the genre. Okay so here they are:
"Women of the Otherwold" series by Kelley Armstrong: Not necessarily 'vampire' books, but do have vampires and werewolves and such. Some sex and strong language, but very very low key...(no incredibly graphic, goes on for pages sex scenes) I don't remember exessive bad language either. One of the characters is a witch, so if you are offended by paganism, then maybe skip those parts.
Undead and Unemployed(wed,appreciated, etc...) series by Mary Janice Davidson: These are a very light hearted series about a ditzy blond who becomes a vampire on her 30th birthday and finds she's immune to the things that normally hurt other vamps; holy water, sun, etc.. They're funny but do have explicit sex. I don't remember the language being that bad though I'm not sure the average mormon would appreciate these.
Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice: I read these when I was 14 and very into vampires and death and such. They seemed prolific to me and any serious vampire fan should probably read at least the first three. However, that said I have never been able to re-read these. Rice's version of God/ the universe/etc...is very different then mine and I found it a little harder to get through as I got older. However I don't remember any bad language (or very little at least) or explicit sex in the first three books. However I later heard a theory that all of Rices' vamps are bisexual, but I did not get this vibe while I was reading the series.
Blood (debt, pact, lines, etc..) series by Tanya Huff. The protagonist in this series is a human P.I. that discovers vampires exist on a case she's working. She soon has a whole love triangle thing going between Henry Fitzroy (a vamp, the bastard son of Henry VIII (?) who writes romance novels for a living) and her former partner (I think), human investigator Mike Cellucci. I enjoyed these books and don't remember any explicit sex...more the type to fade into the darkness and then the next day get out of bed together then describe the act sex. I think they've actually made this into a tv show on Lifetime, but we don't get that channel.
Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn. Protagonist is a werewolf, but there are vamps in here. Very little, if any, sex that I remember. Some language...but not too much.
Urban Shaman series by C.E. Murphy: These aren't really vampire books, but have the same feel as some of the other series I've listed. The protagonist discovers that she is a shaman and has to go save the world and such.
The Hollows series by Kim Harrison: Protagonist is a witch, but her BF is a vamp. It's a world in which fairytale creatures have come out after half of the human population was wiped out by a supervirus in the 50's. Otherwise it's not a fantasy world or anything. Some sex, violence, language...I think maybe the sex would be the most worrisome thing, but she only sleeps with her boyfriend...and I think they only describe it once in the five books I've read, which is pretty good.
Laws of the Blood by Susan Sizemore...not to be confused with her vamp romance series which I haven't read. Again little to no sex, some language and violence. Protagonist changes from book to book, but all in the same world.
Diana Tregarde series by Mercedes Lackey: there's a vamp in the first book, not so much the other two, but still good. I don't remember any sex, but I think there was some language.
Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris: I really enjoyed these books, has vamps, weres, telepaths, etc.. But there is sex and language in these...however they are not the main plot, but may be too much for some. I think they're making this into a series on HBO.
Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton: Like I said above, these are good to a point. No sex until the sixth book, but lots of language. Wouldn't recommend at all past book ten.
Garnet Lacey books by Tate Hallaway: Protagonist is a witch, vampire boyfriend. Some sex/language, but okay.
Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Biggs: Protagonist is a 'skinwalker' (ie changes into a coyote) raised by werewolves has some vamp friends. No sex, some language. These are very good.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley: Protagonist is a human with 'talent.' Kind of falls for a vampire...kind of. No sex or language that I remember. This is a stand alone book as far as I know, but the author could totally make a series out of it if she wanted to.
Okay so that was like the longest post ever, but I thought I'd let the mormon twilight fans know of these other series. Sorry if you got bored halfway through and had to stop. ;)
PS: Christine; you were Jane and Brian was Jacob at the party am I right?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
For Our Anniversary....
This one is all about Patrick (stolen from his sisters blogs).
What is his name? Patrick Russell Thaden
How long have you been together? Let's see from first date on March 6, 2003 to now....four years, seven months, and eleven days. Four years of which married.
How long did you date? Four months and ten days before he proposed and then an almost exactly three month engagement. (July 16th-Oct. 17th)
How old is he? 31...but he'll be 32 in January...he's old, poor guy. ;)
Who eats more? At a given mealtime I'd say he does, but over the course of a day I do as I'm home with the food and he's not.
Who said I love you first? He did. I was about to go in and confront my psycho roommates after telling them that I was moving out and he told me not to worry about them because he "thought he was falling in love with me." This made my sardonic brain go,'you THINK? what's that supposed to mean?' especially since he said it in a sing song, shy voice. But I didn't say that out loud....I think I just kissed him or something. I didn't say I love you back for a couple of days because I didn't want him to think I just said it because he did. But I distinctly remember looking at him and thinking "I love you" in April....though he didn't say it until June 16th.
Who is taller? He is by barely two inches....unless he's in boots and I'm barefoot, then it's like 4 which is fun. ;)
Who sings better? I'd say me only because I can actually carry a tune while the song is not playing. He can sing pretty well if it's a song he knows and it's playing at the time, but he would never sing alone...believe me I've tried to make him.
Who is smarter? When it comes to technical and business stuff...and "real world" type stuff he is. But when it comes to writing papers and jumping through hoops to get A's I am.
Who does the laundry? I do. We used to just do it whenever, but now that I'm home all the time this made me feel bad since he ALWAYS needs clothes before I do, so now I do it every Monday.
Who does the dishes? During the day I do, but Patrick tends to do the dinner dishes.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? From the laying in bed perspective I do.
Who pays the bills? I do. If they were left to Patrick they'd only get paid when the companies started calling and threatening to shut off or cancel our stuff.
Who mows the lawn? Patrick does...he's worried that since I'm so allergic to everything, grass included, I'll break out in a rash from the flying debris. Which is probably true. ;)
Who cooks dinner? I think I'm slightly more likely to cook dinner than Patrick, especially lately, but it's been a toss up in the past.
Who drives when you're together? He does. I've driven a couple of times when I'm dropping him off somewhere, but that's it. Which is funny because he ALWAYS says when we go on vacation that he's going to have me help drive because it's easier to switch off. This has never happened.
Who is more stubborn? I think it depends on the situation, but generally I'd say me. I'm unreasonably stubborn at times.
Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Patrick. I tend to go to a place in my head where I hold whole conversations about the issue, but never voice them....making myself more upset. Patrick is always the one to give in first and talk things out, including admitting when he was wrong.
Who kissed who first? Patrick kissed me first. I would never kiss a boy first, I would always assume that if he hasn't shown any inclination to kissing me then he wouldn't welcome me kissing him. But after Patrick kissed me first, the door was open and I kissed him just as often as he kissed me. ;)
Who asked who out? Patrick asked me out to dinner and the museum....supposedly to ensure I wasn't crazy before we went on our road trip to New Orleans. I would never ask a boy out first....see reasons above.
Who proposed? Patrick at a restaurant in Flower Mound. He said he wasn't planning to do it there, but the waiter knew he was going to ask and kept walking by looking at my hand, so he felt pressured. Consequently there was no build up, no flowery speech, no getting down on one knee....he just said; "So, I have a question...." and when I looked he had the ring out (in his hand, not the box) "will you marry me?" Later when I explained what I wanted, he proposed many, many more times. My favorite being in the ruins of a castle in Germany in the rain. He said that's the proposal he would have liked to have given. It was very nice...
Who is more sensitive? In general I'd say me, but when it comes to hurting each others feelings it's a toss up.
Who has more friends? Hmm...depends on how you classify friends. If it's people they've known and been in touch with for years, then him. People you actually hang out with and do stuff, me. People you interact with on a daily basis, him.
Who has more siblings? Him. He as six sisters (total of seven kids). I have one sister and three brothers (total of five).
Who wears the pants in the family? I'd say we're pretty equal. Although I generally acknowledge that he has final say in many big things. This is comforting to me to have a big strong manly type as head of the household since my mom was in charge at ours growing up. I hate being in charge....although I'm sure Patrick would say different.
Okay that's it. Maybe more people will comment on this than they did on the food quiz. *hint hint* :)
What is his name? Patrick Russell Thaden
How long have you been together? Let's see from first date on March 6, 2003 to now....four years, seven months, and eleven days. Four years of which married.
How long did you date? Four months and ten days before he proposed and then an almost exactly three month engagement. (July 16th-Oct. 17th)
How old is he? 31...but he'll be 32 in January...he's old, poor guy. ;)
Who eats more? At a given mealtime I'd say he does, but over the course of a day I do as I'm home with the food and he's not.
Who said I love you first? He did. I was about to go in and confront my psycho roommates after telling them that I was moving out and he told me not to worry about them because he "thought he was falling in love with me." This made my sardonic brain go,'you THINK? what's that supposed to mean?' especially since he said it in a sing song, shy voice. But I didn't say that out loud....I think I just kissed him or something. I didn't say I love you back for a couple of days because I didn't want him to think I just said it because he did. But I distinctly remember looking at him and thinking "I love you" in April....though he didn't say it until June 16th.
Who is taller? He is by barely two inches....unless he's in boots and I'm barefoot, then it's like 4 which is fun. ;)
Who sings better? I'd say me only because I can actually carry a tune while the song is not playing. He can sing pretty well if it's a song he knows and it's playing at the time, but he would never sing alone...believe me I've tried to make him.
Who is smarter? When it comes to technical and business stuff...and "real world" type stuff he is. But when it comes to writing papers and jumping through hoops to get A's I am.
Who does the laundry? I do. We used to just do it whenever, but now that I'm home all the time this made me feel bad since he ALWAYS needs clothes before I do, so now I do it every Monday.
Who does the dishes? During the day I do, but Patrick tends to do the dinner dishes.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? From the laying in bed perspective I do.
Who pays the bills? I do. If they were left to Patrick they'd only get paid when the companies started calling and threatening to shut off or cancel our stuff.
Who mows the lawn? Patrick does...he's worried that since I'm so allergic to everything, grass included, I'll break out in a rash from the flying debris. Which is probably true. ;)
Who cooks dinner? I think I'm slightly more likely to cook dinner than Patrick, especially lately, but it's been a toss up in the past.
Who drives when you're together? He does. I've driven a couple of times when I'm dropping him off somewhere, but that's it. Which is funny because he ALWAYS says when we go on vacation that he's going to have me help drive because it's easier to switch off. This has never happened.
Who is more stubborn? I think it depends on the situation, but generally I'd say me. I'm unreasonably stubborn at times.
Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Patrick. I tend to go to a place in my head where I hold whole conversations about the issue, but never voice them....making myself more upset. Patrick is always the one to give in first and talk things out, including admitting when he was wrong.
Who kissed who first? Patrick kissed me first. I would never kiss a boy first, I would always assume that if he hasn't shown any inclination to kissing me then he wouldn't welcome me kissing him. But after Patrick kissed me first, the door was open and I kissed him just as often as he kissed me. ;)
Who asked who out? Patrick asked me out to dinner and the museum....supposedly to ensure I wasn't crazy before we went on our road trip to New Orleans. I would never ask a boy out first....see reasons above.
Who proposed? Patrick at a restaurant in Flower Mound. He said he wasn't planning to do it there, but the waiter knew he was going to ask and kept walking by looking at my hand, so he felt pressured. Consequently there was no build up, no flowery speech, no getting down on one knee....he just said; "So, I have a question...." and when I looked he had the ring out (in his hand, not the box) "will you marry me?" Later when I explained what I wanted, he proposed many, many more times. My favorite being in the ruins of a castle in Germany in the rain. He said that's the proposal he would have liked to have given. It was very nice...
Who is more sensitive? In general I'd say me, but when it comes to hurting each others feelings it's a toss up.
Who has more friends? Hmm...depends on how you classify friends. If it's people they've known and been in touch with for years, then him. People you actually hang out with and do stuff, me. People you interact with on a daily basis, him.
Who has more siblings? Him. He as six sisters (total of seven kids). I have one sister and three brothers (total of five).
Who wears the pants in the family? I'd say we're pretty equal. Although I generally acknowledge that he has final say in many big things. This is comforting to me to have a big strong manly type as head of the household since my mom was in charge at ours growing up. I hate being in charge....although I'm sure Patrick would say different.
Okay that's it. Maybe more people will comment on this than they did on the food quiz. *hint hint* :)
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Food Quiz
My sister-in-law Heidi tagged me to do this food quiz. The Thadens seem to have an easy time of it, but I really had to stretch to think of some of these. :)
1) How do you like your eggs?
Hmm....I don't really like eggs...they tend to make me nauseous. But when I do have them I guess it's scrambled with ketchup on top.
2)How do you take your coffee/tea?
Don't drink coffee or tea. I hate walking down that aisle at the grocery store too, 'cuz I think it stinks.
3) Favorite breakfast foods? Like the eggs in #1, most breakfast foods tend to make me nauseous, including sausage, eggs, bacon, hot chocolate, ham, oatmeal, etc... I do like cold cereal though...and pancakes sometimes.
4) Peanut Butter: Crunchy or Creamy? It was crunchy for several years, but the last year or two I've been wanting creamy...probably an overload of crunchy or something.
5) What kind of dressing do you like on your salad? Depends on the day. Mostly I like Ranch, Thousand Island or French.....although I like Ceasar on Ceasar salad.
6) Coke or Pepsi? Yuck! I HATE cola!!! (and I think they both taste the same)
7) You're feeling lazy, what do you make? For a snack or dinner? For dinner I'd make pasta, it's really easy, especially when you buy the sauce in a bottle like we do.
8) You're feeling REALLY lazy, what pizza do you order? Chicken and pineapple...with mushrooms and tomatoes if we're splurging.
9) You feel like cooking, what do you make? Hmmm...I guess it would depend on what kind of food I was in the mood for. Maybe homemade chicken pot pie, that's really good....or lasagna, that's good too. I'm way more likely to bake something though....like brownies, apple/peach crisp, or pies.
10) Do any food bring back good memories? Yes, my mom's candy cane shaped bread with crushed candy cane frosting make me think of Christmas at home. Turkey and stuffing = Thanksgiving, Candy corn = Halloween, Pumpkin pie = Home, White chocolate raspberry cheesecake - dates with Patrick back when we ordered dessert. My dad's bbq pork ribs with fried potatoes with bacon makes me think of fall evenings at home around the dinner table.
11) Do any foods bring back bad memories? Lemon bars- remind me of when I bit into an eggshell in one. Special K with strawberries - getting sick the day before I had Isabelle and throwing up a whole bowl full a few minutes after I ate it. I can't think of anything else...I have a tendency to block bad memories, which makes them hard to recall if the food or whatever isn't actually there.
12) Do any foods remind you of someone? Umm..yes? Let's see...uh...corned beef and cabbage reminds me of my friend Eden as I had that at her house once. She was shocked that I was Irish and had never had it before (they eat it every St. Patrick's day). Those candy cane bread things make me think of my mom. Chicken florentine makes me think of Patrick as he orders that every single time we go to Bari's.
13) Is there any food you refuse to eat? I agree with Heidi and Christine about the faces thing....I don't like to be able to identify the animal I'm eating just by looking at it. I had fried calamari once....it was whole mini squid just fried. They tasted okay, but I kept gagging 'cuz I was ripping apart it's body with my teeth....same thing with shrimp....excluding small breaded 'popcorn' shrimp. Though I won't "refuse" to eat it, I really, really don't like oatmeal as it looks and feels like a big bowl of mucus.
14) What was your favorite food as a child? My mom's homemade pizza....I hated store/restaurant pizza, but loved hers.
15) Is there any food you hated as a child, but like now? Cheesecake. I don't know how I ever disliked that....and the pizza thing, I'll eat most any pizza now.
16) Is there a food you liked as a child, but hate now? Lemon bars, see #11.
17) Favorite fruit and vegetable? Hmm....grapes, strawberries, pineapple, oranges, bananas, corn, broccoli, yellow squash, green beans, spinach, tomatoes.
18) Favorite junk food? Depends on the day....brownies, ice cream, coffee cake, almond joys, cheesecake....
19) Favorite in between meal snack? Popsicles, made with real juice, cheese and crackers, grapes, pancakes with chocolate chips and marshmallows on top, yogurt (yoplait strawberry).
20) Do you have any wierd food habits? Hmm...I don't think so...if anyone has noticed any, feel free to tell me.
21) You're on a diet, what do you fill up on? Carrot sticks and applesauce....and special k cereal bars.
22) You're off your diet, now what would you eat? Umm...real food? Sandwiches, taquitos, cereal, crackers, etc...
23) How spicy to you order your Indian/Thai? Not intentionally, but I notice most of the stuff I order from these menus have the spicy sign next to them....whatever that means.
24) Can I get you a drink? Water, lemonade or cranapple please.
25) Favorite dessert? Brownies, cheesecake, ice cream.
Okay...that seemed to go on forever....I guess I'm not as intimately aquainted with food as some of the Thadens, but that's okay. Now I tag Tearese and Margie.
1) How do you like your eggs?
Hmm....I don't really like eggs...they tend to make me nauseous. But when I do have them I guess it's scrambled with ketchup on top.
2)How do you take your coffee/tea?
Don't drink coffee or tea. I hate walking down that aisle at the grocery store too, 'cuz I think it stinks.
3) Favorite breakfast foods? Like the eggs in #1, most breakfast foods tend to make me nauseous, including sausage, eggs, bacon, hot chocolate, ham, oatmeal, etc... I do like cold cereal though...and pancakes sometimes.
4) Peanut Butter: Crunchy or Creamy? It was crunchy for several years, but the last year or two I've been wanting creamy...probably an overload of crunchy or something.
5) What kind of dressing do you like on your salad? Depends on the day. Mostly I like Ranch, Thousand Island or French.....although I like Ceasar on Ceasar salad.
6) Coke or Pepsi? Yuck! I HATE cola!!! (and I think they both taste the same)
7) You're feeling lazy, what do you make? For a snack or dinner? For dinner I'd make pasta, it's really easy, especially when you buy the sauce in a bottle like we do.
8) You're feeling REALLY lazy, what pizza do you order? Chicken and pineapple...with mushrooms and tomatoes if we're splurging.
9) You feel like cooking, what do you make? Hmmm...I guess it would depend on what kind of food I was in the mood for. Maybe homemade chicken pot pie, that's really good....or lasagna, that's good too. I'm way more likely to bake something though....like brownies, apple/peach crisp, or pies.
10) Do any food bring back good memories? Yes, my mom's candy cane shaped bread with crushed candy cane frosting make me think of Christmas at home. Turkey and stuffing = Thanksgiving, Candy corn = Halloween, Pumpkin pie = Home, White chocolate raspberry cheesecake - dates with Patrick back when we ordered dessert. My dad's bbq pork ribs with fried potatoes with bacon makes me think of fall evenings at home around the dinner table.
11) Do any foods bring back bad memories? Lemon bars- remind me of when I bit into an eggshell in one. Special K with strawberries - getting sick the day before I had Isabelle and throwing up a whole bowl full a few minutes after I ate it. I can't think of anything else...I have a tendency to block bad memories, which makes them hard to recall if the food or whatever isn't actually there.
12) Do any foods remind you of someone? Umm..yes? Let's see...uh...corned beef and cabbage reminds me of my friend Eden as I had that at her house once. She was shocked that I was Irish and had never had it before (they eat it every St. Patrick's day). Those candy cane bread things make me think of my mom. Chicken florentine makes me think of Patrick as he orders that every single time we go to Bari's.
13) Is there any food you refuse to eat? I agree with Heidi and Christine about the faces thing....I don't like to be able to identify the animal I'm eating just by looking at it. I had fried calamari once....it was whole mini squid just fried. They tasted okay, but I kept gagging 'cuz I was ripping apart it's body with my teeth....same thing with shrimp....excluding small breaded 'popcorn' shrimp. Though I won't "refuse" to eat it, I really, really don't like oatmeal as it looks and feels like a big bowl of mucus.
14) What was your favorite food as a child? My mom's homemade pizza....I hated store/restaurant pizza, but loved hers.
15) Is there any food you hated as a child, but like now? Cheesecake. I don't know how I ever disliked that....and the pizza thing, I'll eat most any pizza now.
16) Is there a food you liked as a child, but hate now? Lemon bars, see #11.
17) Favorite fruit and vegetable? Hmm....grapes, strawberries, pineapple, oranges, bananas, corn, broccoli, yellow squash, green beans, spinach, tomatoes.
18) Favorite junk food? Depends on the day....brownies, ice cream, coffee cake, almond joys, cheesecake....
19) Favorite in between meal snack? Popsicles, made with real juice, cheese and crackers, grapes, pancakes with chocolate chips and marshmallows on top, yogurt (yoplait strawberry).
20) Do you have any wierd food habits? Hmm...I don't think so...if anyone has noticed any, feel free to tell me.
21) You're on a diet, what do you fill up on? Carrot sticks and applesauce....and special k cereal bars.
22) You're off your diet, now what would you eat? Umm...real food? Sandwiches, taquitos, cereal, crackers, etc...
23) How spicy to you order your Indian/Thai? Not intentionally, but I notice most of the stuff I order from these menus have the spicy sign next to them....whatever that means.
24) Can I get you a drink? Water, lemonade or cranapple please.
25) Favorite dessert? Brownies, cheesecake, ice cream.
Okay...that seemed to go on forever....I guess I'm not as intimately aquainted with food as some of the Thadens, but that's okay. Now I tag Tearese and Margie.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
21 wks and counting...
I'm sure those of you who read my blog already know this, but we just found out we're having a boy!
I was sure it was a girl, so we had a bunch of girl names ready. Now I'm not sure what we'll name it. Right now we like William or James (middle name Patrick is a given), but I've been known to change my mind. Any suggestions from the peanut gallery?
Tomorrow (Oct 3rd) I'll be 21 weeks along. For those of you keeping track of my expanding waistline, here's a new picture:
People at church have finally started asking, and the RS is putting me in the newsletter for this month so soon everyone will know. I'm fine with that. I think it's totally obvious, but people that find out are shocked. They say things like; "But you're so little!! There's no way you could be that far along!" I don't know if they're serious or just being nice because I am way bigger than I was last time at this point. I'm also much more uncomfortable than I was last time. I don't remember feeling huge and awkward until the last trimester last time but I already feel gargantuan. I'm not sure if that's a boy/girl thing or a second pregnancy thing. I'm thinking the latter.
The state of my pregancy wardrobe is sad. I have two t-shirts, and two sweater type shirts that are too hot to wear yet. I have plenty of pants and skirts, but the shirts are seriously lacking. I have asked a few people where they bought their cute pregnancy clothes and have lots of suggestions that I'm ready to use as soon as we have money. Unfortunately this probably won't be until after I've had the baby. Luckily my mom took pity on me and bought be a shirt or two (I think...they're in the mail). Hopefully they fit and aren't too off from my own taste. But even if they aren't anything I'd buy, I'll still wear them 'cuz it's better than nothing.
The solo thing I did went well, except for the fact that my guitar was out of tune (oops!). Luckily the way the mic's were set up it didn't pick up my guitar as much as it should have so maybe no one noticed?
What else...hmm...I went through all of my baby clothes today in search of non gender specific clothes for the new baby. I was happily surprised to find that I had alot more boyish clothes than I thought I did. I got alot from Patrick's sister Tammy that were yellow/green that I made Isabelle wear, but used to belong to Tammy's boys. They're still in mostly good condition, so I'm not so worried about not having any boy things for the baby. I also found like 6 bags worth of stuff for Jenny that I probably wouldn't have kept even if the baby was a girl, but it's nice to share. I know I really appreciated it when we got so many clothes donations from people. Now we just need new crib stuff...the bumper, skirt, and sheets we have are all girly with flowers and such. Again, hopefully we'll have money sometime before the baby comes to get some new boyish stuff. Okay, I think that's a long enough post.
Oh, Tearese/Christine; how do you get the map thing to stay on your page? Mine just came up as a post.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
5 Things Meme
Okay so my sister Tearese tagged me with this and I really like these sorts of things so here we go.
5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Getting my hair layered for the first time. This has since become my staple hair cut that I always revert to when trying new things doesn't work out.
2. Alternately hoping/dreading that my friend David would ask me out. He was the first male friend I had and I fluctuated between just liking him and "liking" him.
3. I was in my Junior year at Cedar High School...the first year following the split with the newly built Canyon View High School.
4. Playing first clarinet in the Symphonic Band.
5. Looking into and touring various college campuses in anticipation of my graduation the following year.
5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Laundry - this is the only household chore I do consistently every week.
2. Allergy shots - another weekly task that happens to fall on Monday.
3. Clean the living room - this I only do sometimes, but my feet have started crunching things into the carpet so I decided it's probably time to vacuum.
4. Go walking with Margie and Josh
5. Put gas in the car.
5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Strawberry Cheesecake - I guess that's more of a dessert then a snack, but if we have it I'll sure snack on it!
2. Crackers and Cheese - and grapes/apples if we have them....or bread if there's no crackers...
3. Brownies
4. Toast with raspberry jam
5. Strawberry yogurt - Yoplait is the best
5 songs I know the lyrics to:
1. Most any U2 song
2. American Pie - Don McLean
3. Most Disney movie songs
4. Most Oldies because my dad worked at an oldies station and made tapes for our vacations.
5. Sweet Child of Mine - Guns 'n Roses
5 things I would do if I were a Millionaire:
1. Pay off all of our debt
2. Buy my mom a house
3. Invest/hire someone to help me know what to invest in so we'd never have to work again.
4. Buy a new house or 'fix'(ie. completely rebuild from the ground up) ours
5. Buy Patrick a new shop
5 Bad Habits:
1. Not spending enough time playing with my child(ren)
2. Not cleaning the house on a regular basis
3. Spending money on frivolous things like books or ice cream when we should be paying our bills.
4. Taking naps when Isabelle does instead of getting things done.
5. Complaining about our big ward
5 things I'd never wear again:
1. Off the shoulder sweatshirts...for one thing they'd look pretty funny with my big 'ol mormon underwear.
2. Short skirts - see above
3. Those little hoops to tie up one corner of a long t-shirt into a knot.
4. Midriff baring shirts - even w/o my underwear issue, I don't think anyone really wants to see my stretch marks.
5. Bright pink boots with black fur trim.
5 Favorite Toys:
1. Blair, my stuffed dragon
2. My "Birthday Bear" (carebear) I got when I was four.
3. My E.T. doll
4. My stuffed dog named "Whitepaw" my dad got me for my birthday one year.
5. The purple "pound puppy" my mom made me.
Okay I guess that's it. I'm tagging Margie, Christine, and Emily if they want to do this....and assuming they're still reading my blog to know they've been tagged. ;)
5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Getting my hair layered for the first time. This has since become my staple hair cut that I always revert to when trying new things doesn't work out.
2. Alternately hoping/dreading that my friend David would ask me out. He was the first male friend I had and I fluctuated between just liking him and "liking" him.
3. I was in my Junior year at Cedar High School...the first year following the split with the newly built Canyon View High School.
4. Playing first clarinet in the Symphonic Band.
5. Looking into and touring various college campuses in anticipation of my graduation the following year.
5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Laundry - this is the only household chore I do consistently every week.
2. Allergy shots - another weekly task that happens to fall on Monday.
3. Clean the living room - this I only do sometimes, but my feet have started crunching things into the carpet so I decided it's probably time to vacuum.
4. Go walking with Margie and Josh
5. Put gas in the car.
5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Strawberry Cheesecake - I guess that's more of a dessert then a snack, but if we have it I'll sure snack on it!
2. Crackers and Cheese - and grapes/apples if we have them....or bread if there's no crackers...
3. Brownies
4. Toast with raspberry jam
5. Strawberry yogurt - Yoplait is the best
5 songs I know the lyrics to:
1. Most any U2 song
2. American Pie - Don McLean
3. Most Disney movie songs
4. Most Oldies because my dad worked at an oldies station and made tapes for our vacations.
5. Sweet Child of Mine - Guns 'n Roses
5 things I would do if I were a Millionaire:
1. Pay off all of our debt
2. Buy my mom a house
3. Invest/hire someone to help me know what to invest in so we'd never have to work again.
4. Buy a new house or 'fix'(ie. completely rebuild from the ground up) ours
5. Buy Patrick a new shop
5 Bad Habits:
1. Not spending enough time playing with my child(ren)
2. Not cleaning the house on a regular basis
3. Spending money on frivolous things like books or ice cream when we should be paying our bills.
4. Taking naps when Isabelle does instead of getting things done.
5. Complaining about our big ward
5 things I'd never wear again:
1. Off the shoulder sweatshirts...for one thing they'd look pretty funny with my big 'ol mormon underwear.
2. Short skirts - see above
3. Those little hoops to tie up one corner of a long t-shirt into a knot.
4. Midriff baring shirts - even w/o my underwear issue, I don't think anyone really wants to see my stretch marks.
5. Bright pink boots with black fur trim.
5 Favorite Toys:
1. Blair, my stuffed dragon
2. My "Birthday Bear" (carebear) I got when I was four.
3. My E.T. doll
4. My stuffed dog named "Whitepaw" my dad got me for my birthday one year.
5. The purple "pound puppy" my mom made me.
Okay I guess that's it. I'm tagging Margie, Christine, and Emily if they want to do this....and assuming they're still reading my blog to know they've been tagged. ;)
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Pregnancy, church, babies, etc...
That is a very descriptive and eye catching title don't you think? Yeah me neither. I just thought I should update before I lose the interest of all of my hoardes of new readers. ;) Let's see...pregnancy: Yesterday we went to my doctors appt. While we were waiting to see her, which seems to take forever now that they're at their new and improved office building, Isabelle was playing with a cute chubby baby. He was 11 months old and one of the fatest babies I've seen...not grotesque or anything just really, really chunky...or what my sister and I would call a 'chubalub'. He was cute. Anyway Isabelle kept going over and saying hi to him. His family (both parents were there) finally moved over closer to us...whether to be closer to Isabelle or the door I don't know. Anyway, they were very nice to let Isabelle play with the babies toys and such. After the mom went in to her appt, she left the dad with what looked like a bottle of straight apple juice for their kid (maybe why he's so big?). The baby soon lost interest and was playing with magazines. Here's the point of the story; Isabelle goes over to the baby and puts his pacifier in his mouth. She's delighted that he seems to like this and proceeds to take it out and put it back into his mouth repeatedly. (I tried to stop her from touching the sucking part, but the dad said it was okay so I left her alone) After doing this for a bit, she noticed the abandoned juice bottle over by their chairs. She went and got it and then proceeded to feed the baby. It was so funny 'cuz the baby was really enjoying it. She was so proud of herself. The dad asked me if she had any little brothers or sisters and I said no, apparently she just knows what to do. So that was cute. Other pregnancy things....
I'm still pregnant, so that's good. ;) I'm about a month bigger than I was at this point last time. I've started wearing my pregnancy clothes to church, which to me is an open invitation to come up to me and ask if I'm pregnant. No one has. This makes me a little annoyed after trying so hard to hide it forever and now that I'm finally open and announcing it to the world as it were, no one says anything. I got myself all worked up about it until I decided that maybe since I'm not really close to anyone in the ward no one wants to just come up and ask me on the off chance that I'm just fat. So I guess that's okay...but I came out and told a few church ladies I saw this week, so maybe they'll spread the word. Last time I didn't have to tell anyone they just asked, but I guess I knew those people better as I had callings with them. I've been in this ward for 9 months now and still haven't had a calling...not that I'm complaining too much....if I did I'm sure they'd put me in nursery or cub scouts, the two callings I DO NOT want to do. But without one I don't really talk to anyone but my VT companion and the sisters we see...and I've already posted about that.
Speaking of church, our ward is too big. They split the wards at the beginning of this year, so you'd think that all of the new wards would be in nice manageable sizes. Nope. Our ward fills up half the gym every single week. Most of the ward is from Sanger and since they have to drive 15 + minutes to get to church they all get there very early. So those of us who live in town and are used to coming ten minutes before the meeting starts (or leaving our house then anyway) never get a seat. Although after actually getting a bench once or twice I've decided it's better in the back with the soft folding chairs as they try to cram as many people as they possibly can onto the pews. If we had a few more kids we could probably stake out a whole side row for ourselves, but since we've just the one the self-appointed ushers think they can squish 4-5 more people onto the bench with us. I was also annoyed when we first came to this ward as relief society was really really full....enrichment (the one I went to) had over 60 sisters there...just from our ward. Anyway I had since gotten over this, but then they moved us into the chapel instead of the RS room...to accomodate all of us I'm sure. I don't like this at all. First of all I hate being in the same room for all three hours, but more I hate not being 'forced' to mingle with the other sisters as you find a seat, wait for the door to open and make small talk with whoever is next to you. In the chapel you get up, move to a different part of the bench and still don't sit by or talk to anyone. (Yes I know I could go and purposely sit by and talk to someone, but I don't want to bother people if they're actually waiting for their friends...or talk to someone that will latch onto me forever after that and be annoying...man I sound like a jerk...anyway...) I'm also annoyed 'cuz the sister teaching next week asked me to play my guitar and sing for her lesson. This in itself is not a big deal, but would be so much easier in the RS room where all I'd need was a chair at the front. In the chapel I need to either move the chalk board so I can sit up by the choir seats where people could see me, or sit in front where none but the first two rows can, I also need a microphone either my own on stand, which I'd then have to arrange and hope it picks up both my voice and the guitar, or the teachers' clip on mic that I'd worry would get too much guitar or get banged into or something...and I don't want to be in charge of all that. In my head I think I counted more problems with singing in the chapel, but I can't think of them now.
What else....we get to find out what the baby is (human or otherwise) in two weeks (oct 1). Isabelle thinks we'll have a girl (probably because she can say girl and not boy), but if you ask her she'd much rather we have a doggy. ;) Okay I was going to write more about clothes and hospitals, but I think I'll save that for next time. :)
I'm still pregnant, so that's good. ;) I'm about a month bigger than I was at this point last time. I've started wearing my pregnancy clothes to church, which to me is an open invitation to come up to me and ask if I'm pregnant. No one has. This makes me a little annoyed after trying so hard to hide it forever and now that I'm finally open and announcing it to the world as it were, no one says anything. I got myself all worked up about it until I decided that maybe since I'm not really close to anyone in the ward no one wants to just come up and ask me on the off chance that I'm just fat. So I guess that's okay...but I came out and told a few church ladies I saw this week, so maybe they'll spread the word. Last time I didn't have to tell anyone they just asked, but I guess I knew those people better as I had callings with them. I've been in this ward for 9 months now and still haven't had a calling...not that I'm complaining too much....if I did I'm sure they'd put me in nursery or cub scouts, the two callings I DO NOT want to do. But without one I don't really talk to anyone but my VT companion and the sisters we see...and I've already posted about that.
Speaking of church, our ward is too big. They split the wards at the beginning of this year, so you'd think that all of the new wards would be in nice manageable sizes. Nope. Our ward fills up half the gym every single week. Most of the ward is from Sanger and since they have to drive 15 + minutes to get to church they all get there very early. So those of us who live in town and are used to coming ten minutes before the meeting starts (or leaving our house then anyway) never get a seat. Although after actually getting a bench once or twice I've decided it's better in the back with the soft folding chairs as they try to cram as many people as they possibly can onto the pews. If we had a few more kids we could probably stake out a whole side row for ourselves, but since we've just the one the self-appointed ushers think they can squish 4-5 more people onto the bench with us. I was also annoyed when we first came to this ward as relief society was really really full....enrichment (the one I went to) had over 60 sisters there...just from our ward. Anyway I had since gotten over this, but then they moved us into the chapel instead of the RS room...to accomodate all of us I'm sure. I don't like this at all. First of all I hate being in the same room for all three hours, but more I hate not being 'forced' to mingle with the other sisters as you find a seat, wait for the door to open and make small talk with whoever is next to you. In the chapel you get up, move to a different part of the bench and still don't sit by or talk to anyone. (Yes I know I could go and purposely sit by and talk to someone, but I don't want to bother people if they're actually waiting for their friends...or talk to someone that will latch onto me forever after that and be annoying...man I sound like a jerk...anyway...) I'm also annoyed 'cuz the sister teaching next week asked me to play my guitar and sing for her lesson. This in itself is not a big deal, but would be so much easier in the RS room where all I'd need was a chair at the front. In the chapel I need to either move the chalk board so I can sit up by the choir seats where people could see me, or sit in front where none but the first two rows can, I also need a microphone either my own on stand, which I'd then have to arrange and hope it picks up both my voice and the guitar, or the teachers' clip on mic that I'd worry would get too much guitar or get banged into or something...and I don't want to be in charge of all that. In my head I think I counted more problems with singing in the chapel, but I can't think of them now.
What else....we get to find out what the baby is (human or otherwise) in two weeks (oct 1). Isabelle thinks we'll have a girl (probably because she can say girl and not boy), but if you ask her she'd much rather we have a doggy. ;) Okay I was going to write more about clothes and hospitals, but I think I'll save that for next time. :)
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Not so disgruntled ramblings....
So I feel really bad about my last post now that more of Patricks sisters have blogs and seem to be reading mine. I'm not really that negative in real life. Like I said, I just tend to blog when I'm in a bad mood and my writing style tends towards depicting more 'extreme' emotions than I'm actually meaning to convey. So that said, I'm now going to try and write a more positive and interesting blog. We'll see how it goes. ;)
As you all know I'm pregnant...about 16.5 weeks now. A lady at church last week asked if I was expecting and I told her that yes I was, but to please not tell anyone for at least another week. This is because our Relief Society prints the names, due dates, and baby gender of all the expectant mothers in the ward. Now personally I really like this feature of the newsletter because I'm very nosy about other peoples reproductive habits, but not social enough to try and befriend these people to ask them about it. So it's nice for me to be able to just peruse the monthly newsletter and see who is expecting. However, as a pregnant person myself, I have made it my goal to go as long as possible without letting people at church know we're expecting and thus see how long I can go before they put me in the newsletter. I know I won't make it past October, but I'm hoping I'll at least miss the cut off for the September issue...thus the waiting one more week before telling anyone. Don't ask me why I do this, I don't really know. I think it might have started with my first pregnancy when we thought it would be funny to see how long we could go with no one noticing. Our ultimate and, quite admitedly, unrealistic goal being we would just show up in church one day with a baby and no one would have noticed I was pregnant...which actually did happen with one girl, but she was really wrapped up in her own newborn at the time and thus oblivious to what was going on around her as there was no mistaking my pregnancy towards the end...but it was still funny...anyway.. So I wanted to go as long as I could with no one noticing and as I had several sizes up of 'normal' clothes left over from my heavier days I thus was able to pull off looking not pregnant for longer than I might have otherwise. I made it until a little after 20 wks before someone (the same lady as this time curiously enough) asked if I was expecting...very hesitantly too, which was nice. When I admitted that I was and told her (and others in the following weeks) how far along I was they were all very impressed that I had made it so far without 'really' showing. I thought it was great fun from that point on to compare myself sizewise to other pregnant women in the ward. Now I know it's not good to compare yourself to others, but growing up I was always one of the bigger girls in any situation so to find myself as one of the smallest was a great novelty that I thoroughly enjoyed. This time around does not appear to be the case. I heard that you 'pop' sooner with your second and subsequent babies, and I suppose weighing ten lbs more starting out than I did last time doesn't help, but I really didn't think I'd get big so soon. Not that I"m huge or anything, but I'm already as big at 16 wks as I was at 22'ish weeks last time. So I guess that's what I get for comparing myself with others. As long as it all comes off after the baby though, I guess it's okay.
We got Isabelle a potty training book the other day. I'm not going to try and start her going until after her birthday and probably not until the baby comes, since I heard children often revert after a new baby, but I thought it would be good to familiarize her with the whole process beforehand so that she's prepared. It's really funny though because the last page of the book has the little girl smiling and pointing to herself with her thumbs saying "I'm so proud of me!" Ever since we read that page Isabelle has been going around the house saying ME! It's really cute. Also the same day (I think) we watched Finding Nemo and I showed Isabelle how to say "Mine! Mine! Mine!" like the seagulls. It's pretty funny, though I'm sure I'll regret it once she realizes what that really means. But until then it's fun to get her going with both of us saying "mine, mine, mine". She thinks it's funny too, so that's good.
I've been really wierd about dinner lately. I'm usually pretty good about making dinner for the family when Patrick comes home and being inventive when our food supply is running short and we can't go to the store just yet. But the past two days I've had a craving for pizza. We don't have the stuff to make pizza or the money to buy it so we've had to have something else for dinner. But the problem is I can't get myself to work up the enthusiasm for anything else. Everything we have sounds nasty to me and not worth the effort. Consequently we've been eating much later then usual as I can't decide on anything and Patrick finally has to just make whatever he wants. He has been nice enough to make me whatever I eventually, and very grudgingly, concede might be edible enough for me to stomach (I don't say it like that, in case you think I'm rude), but I know it annoys him. I feel bad, but still when dinner time rolls around I find myself in the same funk. I really should plan menus for the week or something so that there's no decision to be made...so maybe I'll do that sometime. ;)
We're going to try and go see Pirates of the Carribean 3 tonight at the dollar theater. We're taking Isabelle with us as I'd feel bad leaving her with anyone for three and a half hours during dinner time (for us) and bedtime for their kids. I really wanted to see this movie at the theater for the first time rather than on video. This is because the last one wasn't very good, but the effect of watching it on a big screen with surround sound made it better than it would have been otherwise. So just in case this one is kinda sucky too I wanted to at least get the full effect before judging it.
Okay so that's about it for this post. Hopefully it was a little more uplifting than the last one. If not, then blame my writing style which tends to inadvertantly offend people. :)
As you all know I'm pregnant...about 16.5 weeks now. A lady at church last week asked if I was expecting and I told her that yes I was, but to please not tell anyone for at least another week. This is because our Relief Society prints the names, due dates, and baby gender of all the expectant mothers in the ward. Now personally I really like this feature of the newsletter because I'm very nosy about other peoples reproductive habits, but not social enough to try and befriend these people to ask them about it. So it's nice for me to be able to just peruse the monthly newsletter and see who is expecting. However, as a pregnant person myself, I have made it my goal to go as long as possible without letting people at church know we're expecting and thus see how long I can go before they put me in the newsletter. I know I won't make it past October, but I'm hoping I'll at least miss the cut off for the September issue...thus the waiting one more week before telling anyone. Don't ask me why I do this, I don't really know. I think it might have started with my first pregnancy when we thought it would be funny to see how long we could go with no one noticing. Our ultimate and, quite admitedly, unrealistic goal being we would just show up in church one day with a baby and no one would have noticed I was pregnant...which actually did happen with one girl, but she was really wrapped up in her own newborn at the time and thus oblivious to what was going on around her as there was no mistaking my pregnancy towards the end...but it was still funny...anyway.. So I wanted to go as long as I could with no one noticing and as I had several sizes up of 'normal' clothes left over from my heavier days I thus was able to pull off looking not pregnant for longer than I might have otherwise. I made it until a little after 20 wks before someone (the same lady as this time curiously enough) asked if I was expecting...very hesitantly too, which was nice. When I admitted that I was and told her (and others in the following weeks) how far along I was they were all very impressed that I had made it so far without 'really' showing. I thought it was great fun from that point on to compare myself sizewise to other pregnant women in the ward. Now I know it's not good to compare yourself to others, but growing up I was always one of the bigger girls in any situation so to find myself as one of the smallest was a great novelty that I thoroughly enjoyed. This time around does not appear to be the case. I heard that you 'pop' sooner with your second and subsequent babies, and I suppose weighing ten lbs more starting out than I did last time doesn't help, but I really didn't think I'd get big so soon. Not that I"m huge or anything, but I'm already as big at 16 wks as I was at 22'ish weeks last time. So I guess that's what I get for comparing myself with others. As long as it all comes off after the baby though, I guess it's okay.
We got Isabelle a potty training book the other day. I'm not going to try and start her going until after her birthday and probably not until the baby comes, since I heard children often revert after a new baby, but I thought it would be good to familiarize her with the whole process beforehand so that she's prepared. It's really funny though because the last page of the book has the little girl smiling and pointing to herself with her thumbs saying "I'm so proud of me!" Ever since we read that page Isabelle has been going around the house saying ME! It's really cute. Also the same day (I think) we watched Finding Nemo and I showed Isabelle how to say "Mine! Mine! Mine!" like the seagulls. It's pretty funny, though I'm sure I'll regret it once she realizes what that really means. But until then it's fun to get her going with both of us saying "mine, mine, mine". She thinks it's funny too, so that's good.
I've been really wierd about dinner lately. I'm usually pretty good about making dinner for the family when Patrick comes home and being inventive when our food supply is running short and we can't go to the store just yet. But the past two days I've had a craving for pizza. We don't have the stuff to make pizza or the money to buy it so we've had to have something else for dinner. But the problem is I can't get myself to work up the enthusiasm for anything else. Everything we have sounds nasty to me and not worth the effort. Consequently we've been eating much later then usual as I can't decide on anything and Patrick finally has to just make whatever he wants. He has been nice enough to make me whatever I eventually, and very grudgingly, concede might be edible enough for me to stomach (I don't say it like that, in case you think I'm rude), but I know it annoys him. I feel bad, but still when dinner time rolls around I find myself in the same funk. I really should plan menus for the week or something so that there's no decision to be made...so maybe I'll do that sometime. ;)
We're going to try and go see Pirates of the Carribean 3 tonight at the dollar theater. We're taking Isabelle with us as I'd feel bad leaving her with anyone for three and a half hours during dinner time (for us) and bedtime for their kids. I really wanted to see this movie at the theater for the first time rather than on video. This is because the last one wasn't very good, but the effect of watching it on a big screen with surround sound made it better than it would have been otherwise. So just in case this one is kinda sucky too I wanted to at least get the full effect before judging it.
Okay so that's about it for this post. Hopefully it was a little more uplifting than the last one. If not, then blame my writing style which tends to inadvertantly offend people. :)
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Disgruntled ramblings...
So having babies sucks. They cry, they whine, they make a mess, they always want you to hold them, you have to change their diapers, feed them even when they don't want to eat, pay attention to them when you would much rather be doing anything else, etc.., etc..
Isabelle has been frustrating today, if you can't tell. It's not like she was doing anything out of the ordinary...other than being a little more fussy than usual. But I've come to the realization (as I have many times in the past) that having babies sucks. They demand all of your time and attention and they are really freaking annoying. Patrick and I never get to go anywhere or do anything anymore because we can't take Isabelle with us....or taking her makes the event such a big ordeal that it is no longer worth it. We also don't have any money(...and Patrick works until nearly 10pm six nights a week and promptly falls asleep on the couch as soon as we've eaten...) But even if we did, it's not like we can go anywhere. We haven't been on vacation in forever and probably won't for the forseeable future. Patrick is settling in to his new business location and I'm getting more depressed at the prospect of living here FOREVER. I mean don't get me wrong, I like Texas most days, but it's so stinking hot in the summer....and there are no real trees or mountains anywhere. The "beautiful" scenery is mainly pasture land with a light sprinkling of scrubby looking trees. I don't really like being able to see from horizon to horizon...it's ugly. I want some variation. My sister is moving this week from Everett, WA to Logan, UT. Not that I want to live in Utah, but its depressing because all of my family is pretty centrally located there. I have one aunt in California and one in Minneapolis and then us in Texas. Everyone else is within 8 hours of each other. We're 22 hours away from my parents house. My parents also live in a somewhat isolated town that only has one plane that comes in twice a day. As they are the only airline flying into Cedar they can charge whatever they want...and they do. So flying in to visit is most generally not an option...especially now that we'll have to be buying Isabelle her own seat soon. Driving in to visit wasn't so bad, but now with Isabelle it suddenly becomes much more of an ordeal...we have to stop, we have to get a hotel, etc... So that sucks.
Oh yeah so babies....then right when they start to get old enough that you think maybe they'll be okay and actually enjoy it if you left them with someone, boom, out pops another one...and your available funds drop by that much more...it's a seemingly endless cycle...and since we plan on having 4-5 kids I honestly don't see us getting out to do anything for the next several years. I'm stuck at home watching them (when there is a 'them' right now it's just a 'her') bored out of my mind. I can't get a job because any money I made would just go to pay for daycare and having someone else raise my kids. I don't like that idea as there are a bunch of messed up people with screwy ideas about what a child needs...plus then she/they probably wouldn't get the one on one time they need to develop. But it's not like I spend all of my time devoted to playing with my baby and teaching her things. I mostly try to ignore her unless she gets in my way or screams to the point of distraction. Anyway, she's sleeping now, so this is my "free" time. Two hours out of every day...but there's nothing on tv, nothing on the internet, no movie worth watching or book worth reading so I'm left with twiddling my thumbs or taking a nap. Guess which one I choose.
Isabelle has been frustrating today, if you can't tell. It's not like she was doing anything out of the ordinary...other than being a little more fussy than usual. But I've come to the realization (as I have many times in the past) that having babies sucks. They demand all of your time and attention and they are really freaking annoying. Patrick and I never get to go anywhere or do anything anymore because we can't take Isabelle with us....or taking her makes the event such a big ordeal that it is no longer worth it. We also don't have any money(...and Patrick works until nearly 10pm six nights a week and promptly falls asleep on the couch as soon as we've eaten...) But even if we did, it's not like we can go anywhere. We haven't been on vacation in forever and probably won't for the forseeable future. Patrick is settling in to his new business location and I'm getting more depressed at the prospect of living here FOREVER. I mean don't get me wrong, I like Texas most days, but it's so stinking hot in the summer....and there are no real trees or mountains anywhere. The "beautiful" scenery is mainly pasture land with a light sprinkling of scrubby looking trees. I don't really like being able to see from horizon to horizon...it's ugly. I want some variation. My sister is moving this week from Everett, WA to Logan, UT. Not that I want to live in Utah, but its depressing because all of my family is pretty centrally located there. I have one aunt in California and one in Minneapolis and then us in Texas. Everyone else is within 8 hours of each other. We're 22 hours away from my parents house. My parents also live in a somewhat isolated town that only has one plane that comes in twice a day. As they are the only airline flying into Cedar they can charge whatever they want...and they do. So flying in to visit is most generally not an option...especially now that we'll have to be buying Isabelle her own seat soon. Driving in to visit wasn't so bad, but now with Isabelle it suddenly becomes much more of an ordeal...we have to stop, we have to get a hotel, etc... So that sucks.
Oh yeah so babies....then right when they start to get old enough that you think maybe they'll be okay and actually enjoy it if you left them with someone, boom, out pops another one...and your available funds drop by that much more...it's a seemingly endless cycle...and since we plan on having 4-5 kids I honestly don't see us getting out to do anything for the next several years. I'm stuck at home watching them (when there is a 'them' right now it's just a 'her') bored out of my mind. I can't get a job because any money I made would just go to pay for daycare and having someone else raise my kids. I don't like that idea as there are a bunch of messed up people with screwy ideas about what a child needs...plus then she/they probably wouldn't get the one on one time they need to develop. But it's not like I spend all of my time devoted to playing with my baby and teaching her things. I mostly try to ignore her unless she gets in my way or screams to the point of distraction. Anyway, she's sleeping now, so this is my "free" time. Two hours out of every day...but there's nothing on tv, nothing on the internet, no movie worth watching or book worth reading so I'm left with twiddling my thumbs or taking a nap. Guess which one I choose.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Boredom with blogging runs rampant...
So apparently nearly every single person whose blog I attempt to read on a regular basis has become bored with blogging. How do I know this? People who used to update nearly everyday, or at least twice a week, have suddenly stopped. No pictures, no news, no updates on their daily lives, nothing. So everyday I go to their pages in the hopes that something will have changed, but alas nothing has. I myself have of course fallen victim to this problem long ago. As you can see by scrolling down, my last update was over three months ago. But I rationalize it by saying; well it's not like anyone reads my blog anyway. Or; what do I have to write about? My life is so boring no one will want to read it. But that is no excuse for anyone else! ;) Your loyal readers need you! How else are we to live vicariously through you?
For those of you who wish to live vicariously through me, (haha) here's a snippet of my daily routine....what you're missing. Everyday (unless I have to be somewhere or my visiting teachers are coming) I sleep in until approximately 11/11:30 or sometimes later. I then go into the living room, turn on the ceiling fan, the standing fan and the window unit and open the blinds. I sit at the computer and search my standard blogs in vain for updates....I also check my email and such. I then get Isabelle out of bed as she is usually yelling at me from her room at this point (hey! hey! hey!), change her and plop her in her highchair. For the next twenty + minutes I try to feed her. This used to take maybe five, but she has recently developed an aversion to the babyfood rice/oatmeal I usually feed her. So I either take thirty/forty minutes trying to get her to eat it (with much screaming and head turning) or I try to feed her real cereal or something...which also seems to take like thirty minutes as she is a very slow chewer. We then head into the bedroom where we arrange ourselves on the bed with some of her toys, her sippy cup, and the remote controls. We watch "Between the Lions" (sometimes, depending on how long it took to do everything else), "Jay Jay the Jet Plane", and Magnum P.I.. During this time, well when Magnum started anyway (1pm), I used to walk on my treadmill and do various floor exercises. I have stopped this in recent weeks as I can't seem to work up the motivation...or I'm feeling nauseous from the new baby, and because last week I started working out three days a week with my friends, which of course gives me an excuse in my head not to work out anywhere/time else. Anyway, we used to follow this up by watching an hour of "A Different World", but the show has now cycled through twice and I've seen every episode, and can't seem to get myself excited to watch it for the third time. During this Isabelle will usually play on the bed for the first 30-45 minutes, after which she alternately plays around the room and pushes buttons she's not supposed to on the VCR, which gets her put back on the bed. When we're done I eat something (or this has become the habit as I have to eat every couple of hours to avoid feeling sick), and take a shower....assuming I've exercised that is. We then have an hour to kill before I have to feed Isabelle again. This is quite often the longest hour in the day. I sometimes watch the Cosby Show, sometimes get online again, go check the mail, try to play with Isabelle, call my mom, my sister, my husband, anyone I can think of to talk to...When 4 o'clock rolls around I take Isabelle into the kitchen where we repeat our search for food she will eat quickly...By 4:30/5, I clean her up and put her down for a nap. I then have two hours with which to do whatever I want...recently I've spent them reading and napping. I never used to nap as I thought I slept in enough, but I've started to recently...whether that's the result of being pregnant and tired or bored with nothing better to do I don't know. By 6:30/7 (depending on when she went down), I get Isabelle and plunk myself down on the couch for the next three hours or so. Sometimes there are shows on I actually want to watch, but generally I flip channels. Sometimes I put in a movie that I think Isabelle might like...By 9:30/10 Patrick usually comes home. I make dinner and we eat sometime between 10 and 11pm. I then watch tv some more while Patrick gets on the computer to do business stuff. Every once in a while we both sit down and can watch a Buffy ep or something. By 11:30 it's time for Isabelle to sleep. I change her, brush her teeth, we say goodnight to daddy and I put her to bed. When I come out I clean up her toys and we watch tv....Patrick usually falls asleep at any point during this process...including when he's on the computer in the middle of typing an email. I leave him asleep on the couch while I watch Craig, the news, Will and Grace, sometimes Frasier, or if it's the weekend CSI:Miami and Without a Trace. He eventually gets up and hobbles to bed, I watch/record "The Nanny" at 1am and am usually in bed about 2am.
So that is an exciting day in the life of me. Aren't you so glad I shared? Don't you just feel uplifted that you were able to share this experience with me? Have you felt yourselves gain 20lbs just by reading this tale of sloth?
A "funny" thing that you all already know about. We got a sonogram the other day and I sent pics to all my family, both on Patricks side and mine. Several people interpretted my email as saying we were having a girl...even though I was only 11 weeks along and you couldn't tell that early. I then had to send an email explaining the joke I was attempting to make and assure everyone that we still didn't know what we were having...so that was mildly embarassing. Oh well.
I have to go visiting teaching tomorrow. I am not looking forward to it. My partner/visiting teachees and I have nothing in common. Inevitably she (my partner) spends the whole time (which ends up being at least an hour per) talking about stuff I have absolutley NOTHING to add to (ie sports, having too much money, sending the kids to stay with the parents, going on cruises, etc..). I end up feeling not included and bored/irritated. No one ever asks anything about me, which could be another conversation....when I attempt to relate they don't hear me, it's just like highschool or something. Also most of our people are in Sanger which is way far away (to little 'ol non-Texan me that is) to drive to and it sucks....and she always wants to go at like 11 am. I usually am not ready for the day until like 3. Granted this is a totally not normal schedule and I shouldn't expect people to cater to me, but it still annoys me to throw off both mine and Isabelles day. Okay I'm done now. I hope you enjoyed this update and that it inspires you to update your own blog with what I'm sure are far more interesting tales. :)
For those of you who wish to live vicariously through me, (haha) here's a snippet of my daily routine....what you're missing. Everyday (unless I have to be somewhere or my visiting teachers are coming) I sleep in until approximately 11/11:30 or sometimes later. I then go into the living room, turn on the ceiling fan, the standing fan and the window unit and open the blinds. I sit at the computer and search my standard blogs in vain for updates....I also check my email and such. I then get Isabelle out of bed as she is usually yelling at me from her room at this point (hey! hey! hey!), change her and plop her in her highchair. For the next twenty + minutes I try to feed her. This used to take maybe five, but she has recently developed an aversion to the babyfood rice/oatmeal I usually feed her. So I either take thirty/forty minutes trying to get her to eat it (with much screaming and head turning) or I try to feed her real cereal or something...which also seems to take like thirty minutes as she is a very slow chewer. We then head into the bedroom where we arrange ourselves on the bed with some of her toys, her sippy cup, and the remote controls. We watch "Between the Lions" (sometimes, depending on how long it took to do everything else), "Jay Jay the Jet Plane", and Magnum P.I.. During this time, well when Magnum started anyway (1pm), I used to walk on my treadmill and do various floor exercises. I have stopped this in recent weeks as I can't seem to work up the motivation...or I'm feeling nauseous from the new baby, and because last week I started working out three days a week with my friends, which of course gives me an excuse in my head not to work out anywhere/time else. Anyway, we used to follow this up by watching an hour of "A Different World", but the show has now cycled through twice and I've seen every episode, and can't seem to get myself excited to watch it for the third time. During this Isabelle will usually play on the bed for the first 30-45 minutes, after which she alternately plays around the room and pushes buttons she's not supposed to on the VCR, which gets her put back on the bed. When we're done I eat something (or this has become the habit as I have to eat every couple of hours to avoid feeling sick), and take a shower....assuming I've exercised that is. We then have an hour to kill before I have to feed Isabelle again. This is quite often the longest hour in the day. I sometimes watch the Cosby Show, sometimes get online again, go check the mail, try to play with Isabelle, call my mom, my sister, my husband, anyone I can think of to talk to...When 4 o'clock rolls around I take Isabelle into the kitchen where we repeat our search for food she will eat quickly...By 4:30/5, I clean her up and put her down for a nap. I then have two hours with which to do whatever I want...recently I've spent them reading and napping. I never used to nap as I thought I slept in enough, but I've started to recently...whether that's the result of being pregnant and tired or bored with nothing better to do I don't know. By 6:30/7 (depending on when she went down), I get Isabelle and plunk myself down on the couch for the next three hours or so. Sometimes there are shows on I actually want to watch, but generally I flip channels. Sometimes I put in a movie that I think Isabelle might like...By 9:30/10 Patrick usually comes home. I make dinner and we eat sometime between 10 and 11pm. I then watch tv some more while Patrick gets on the computer to do business stuff. Every once in a while we both sit down and can watch a Buffy ep or something. By 11:30 it's time for Isabelle to sleep. I change her, brush her teeth, we say goodnight to daddy and I put her to bed. When I come out I clean up her toys and we watch tv....Patrick usually falls asleep at any point during this process...including when he's on the computer in the middle of typing an email. I leave him asleep on the couch while I watch Craig, the news, Will and Grace, sometimes Frasier, or if it's the weekend CSI:Miami and Without a Trace. He eventually gets up and hobbles to bed, I watch/record "The Nanny" at 1am and am usually in bed about 2am.
So that is an exciting day in the life of me. Aren't you so glad I shared? Don't you just feel uplifted that you were able to share this experience with me? Have you felt yourselves gain 20lbs just by reading this tale of sloth?
A "funny" thing that you all already know about. We got a sonogram the other day and I sent pics to all my family, both on Patricks side and mine. Several people interpretted my email as saying we were having a girl...even though I was only 11 weeks along and you couldn't tell that early. I then had to send an email explaining the joke I was attempting to make and assure everyone that we still didn't know what we were having...so that was mildly embarassing. Oh well.
I have to go visiting teaching tomorrow. I am not looking forward to it. My partner/visiting teachees and I have nothing in common. Inevitably she (my partner) spends the whole time (which ends up being at least an hour per) talking about stuff I have absolutley NOTHING to add to (ie sports, having too much money, sending the kids to stay with the parents, going on cruises, etc..). I end up feeling not included and bored/irritated. No one ever asks anything about me, which could be another conversation....when I attempt to relate they don't hear me, it's just like highschool or something. Also most of our people are in Sanger which is way far away (to little 'ol non-Texan me that is) to drive to and it sucks....and she always wants to go at like 11 am. I usually am not ready for the day until like 3. Granted this is a totally not normal schedule and I shouldn't expect people to cater to me, but it still annoys me to throw off both mine and Isabelles day. Okay I'm done now. I hope you enjoyed this update and that it inspires you to update your own blog with what I'm sure are far more interesting tales. :)
Thursday, April 26, 2007
March 7 - Feast of Saints Perpetua and Felicitas, patron saint of married women
So I guess you're supposed to tag people to do this, so Margie and Josh you're it!.
Three historical events that occurred on March 7:
1.In the year 161 Roman Emperor Antonius Pilus dies and is succeeded by co-emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucious Verus, an unprecedented political arrangement in the Roman Empire.
2. In the year 1876 Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for an invention he calls the "telephone." (pantent #174,464)
3. In the year 1911 Revolution broke out in Mexico.
Besides me, three people who were born on March 7:
1. 1687 Jean LeBeuf - French Historian
2. 1946 Peter Woolfe - American Musician
3. 1971 Rachel Wiesz - British Actress
Two significant deaths on March 7:
1. 322 B.C. Aristotle
2. 1274 Thomas Aquinus
Two March 7 holidays or observances:
In Albania, "Teachers Day"
In San Fransisco, unofficially "Metallica Day"
*All information obtained from answers.com
Three historical events that occurred on March 7:
1.In the year 161 Roman Emperor Antonius Pilus dies and is succeeded by co-emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucious Verus, an unprecedented political arrangement in the Roman Empire.
2. In the year 1876 Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for an invention he calls the "telephone." (pantent #174,464)
3. In the year 1911 Revolution broke out in Mexico.
Besides me, three people who were born on March 7:
1. 1687 Jean LeBeuf - French Historian
2. 1946 Peter Woolfe - American Musician
3. 1971 Rachel Wiesz - British Actress
Two significant deaths on March 7:
1. 322 B.C. Aristotle
2. 1274 Thomas Aquinus
Two March 7 holidays or observances:
In Albania, "Teachers Day"
In San Fransisco, unofficially "Metallica Day"
*All information obtained from answers.com
Monday, March 12, 2007
Monday, January 08, 2007
Dreamers often lie....
So I guess I've been tagged. I would have known sooner, but apparently I've been reading the wrong blogs. ;) Okay, so I'm supposed to tell five interesting things about myself. Four being true and one being a mere figment of my imagination. Let me see if you can guess:
1. When I was about three my older sister pushed me off the side of our stairs in the basement six feet down onto a concrete floor. I broke my foot and had to get a caste.
2. About three days after getting said caste I shoved a hairclip (in the shape of a white poodle) down the side and couldn't get it out again. The doctor then had to remove the caste and put on a new one. My mother was not pleased.
3. In all of our travels my husband and I have been to: Ireland, France, Scotland, Germany, and Turkey.
4. I'm secretly a fan of the 80's show Magnum P.I.. After you get past the amazing amount of short shorts he wears, Tom Selleck is kinda hot.
5. Once when I was riding my bike home from my Grandpa's house I hit a rock, locking up the wheel and causing the bike to flip up and forward. Luckily I landed on my head. ;)
Okay, which is the lie? Also Tearese you have been tagged. :)
1. When I was about three my older sister pushed me off the side of our stairs in the basement six feet down onto a concrete floor. I broke my foot and had to get a caste.
2. About three days after getting said caste I shoved a hairclip (in the shape of a white poodle) down the side and couldn't get it out again. The doctor then had to remove the caste and put on a new one. My mother was not pleased.
3. In all of our travels my husband and I have been to: Ireland, France, Scotland, Germany, and Turkey.
4. I'm secretly a fan of the 80's show Magnum P.I.. After you get past the amazing amount of short shorts he wears, Tom Selleck is kinda hot.
5. Once when I was riding my bike home from my Grandpa's house I hit a rock, locking up the wheel and causing the bike to flip up and forward. Luckily I landed on my head. ;)
Okay, which is the lie? Also Tearese you have been tagged. :)
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