The skinny skinny

For my own personal remembrance, and for those of you who I didn't meet until I already had three chins. . . . I just want to clarify that I used to be skinny : )

The Hiding Place

So, I am reading The Bible. Never read it before (head hanging in shame). I always felt like I should, and I have read parts, but I am going to read it cover to cover. Well, I am starting in the New Testament, so I guess I will read it middle to cover and cover to middle :). If you lack the motivation to read the Bible, which I apparently always have, I recommend you read "The Hiding Place". This woman was amazing, and her strength it seems to me, came from reading the Bible. So if you are looking for a good book to inspire you to read "The" Good Book, look no further.

Ode to Laurie

Blaine and I went on a fun date night on Saturday (thank you thank you THANK YOU Brian and Ralphie!). It was our first date since February and will likely be our last for a little while (due to the upcoming arrival of Miguel Bassett--keep those name suggestions coming). We had a nice dinner at TGIFridays and enjoyed watching Oceans 13 at the dollar movie theater (alright the $2 theater). We had a really fun conversation over dinner, talking about turning points and random things that have happened that have changed our lives.

I would have to say the biggest one of these in my life was getting my seventh grade locker partner, Laurie. We had to choose locker partners based on our 1st period classes and Laurie was the only person I knew, and even then I didn't know her, but I recognized her vaguely. Anyway, not sure how it all happened from there, but before I knew it we were on the Math and Science Academic Team together(yes, we wore sweaters), then the English Social Studies Academic Team, then the Newspaper Staff (Note: I am a nerd, that may not have been made clear in my other posts, but it is true, very nerdy, especially in Jr. High). We both had massive, massive crushes on Bryce Catten, and it was okay. We knew our place, we were the nerds, he was the unattainable dream guy-- neither one of us would ever get him, so why not dream together? In fact, I am pretty sure his locker was next to, or very close to ours, my heart flutters just thinking about it (ha!). Here is a good example of how we tormented Bryce Catten, for valentines day-- oh this is a painfully embarrassing remembrance-- we decorated his locker with Lion King valentines (Lion King had just come out by the way), and wrote on it "You are such a mighty king, oh how we wish we were your queens". Oh my gosh, were we really that bad, I am crying from laughing so hard about that one.

We spent our summers traveling through West Valley on one bicycle. One of ours was always broken, so we had it figured out how to make due with one bike between the both of us. We went on vacations together, worked the same jobs, joined the same clubs, and even protested the Olympics together (eh, it wasn't an official protest, just us marching up and down showing our opposition).

The other cool thing about Laurie was that her older brother was crazy too, just like mine! I was having a really really hard time with life, especially in regards to my brother. He scared the devil out of me. I was pretty sure he was in a gang. I hated it when I came home to find him there, etc. So Laurie and I had a pretty sweet system. If we got home from school and her brother was home, we would go to my house, if we got home from school and my brother was home, we would go to hers. And we helped each other through the stresses of having brothers who were crazy (both of our brothers are doing much better these days).

I was there for her when we were at Raging Waters and her lip got stuck in her braces. She was there for me when Blaine kissed "the man stealer". I was there for her when she thought her house was being invaded by a chainsaw murderer (turned out to be someone cutting down a tree next door) and she was there for me . . . . always!

So it was, Laurie and Kristi BFF for sure. I don't know if she realizes how big the influence that she had on me was. And though I thought I recognized before the significant role she played in my life I have to say that I realized it more on Saturday as Blaine and I played the game of "if Laurie had missed the first day of Jr. High, where would Kristi be now?" (we had some pretty good scenarios!)

Laurs, thanks for everything, I am so glad that we were locker partners and all the fun things it brought through the next 12 years!

P.S. I wish SO bad that there had been digital cameras back in the day because putting a picture of the 7th grade Laurie and I up on here would be the cause of a great many laughs!

Good News for those of you who like bad news. . .

So, it's official, death by childbirth is on the rise (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20427256/). Guess how excited I was to see that as a top story when I checked msnbc this morning. On a much happier note, maybe I will be able to spend the next month tying up loose ends, taking out life insurance policies and repenting instead of complaining about my aching back and expanding wasteline.

Just in case I don't make it (yikes!), I love you all!

Pieces

I am not wasting my time pondering over Swiper and Boots' logic anymore, there is no point. I have reached the conclusion that they are functioning without brains. They are sweet, cuddly, brainless dogs. Yet they continue to teach me little life lessons daily.

So they sleep inside in our guest bathroom (don't be afraid potential guests, you can use the upstairs bathroom). They are good, we have finally trained them to refrain from going to the bathroom in the bathroom.

Sidenote: I wonder if this is why I have such a hard time potty training Gwen. I spend half of my time lecturing the dogs to not pee in the bathroom and then try to convince Gwen that she should go potty in the bathroom. I can see how that might be confusing.

Anyway. . . we have figured out that it is a mistake to have anything, ANYTHING, in the bathroom with them while they sleep. This includes toilet paper (hence the real guests needing to use the upstairs bathroom). There have been many a mornings spent cleaning up shredded rolls of TP from their bathroom. I figured they were just out to get us humans; to rip up our shoes and toys and our precious bathroom tissue. This morning, however, we opened their bathroom door to find that they had ripped their own bed to smithereens. Their BED. Who could that hurt but themselves. I am under no obligation to buy them another one, they can sleep on the cold hard floor for all I care. They really brought this on themselves.

I wish I could let them have the roam of the downstairs at night, you know so they could protect us and not feel all cooped up. On one hand I think it might be good for them and they could exhaust their energy running in circles. On the other hand I am afraid we would wake up one morning to find they had devoured our staircase and we would have no way to get down and punish them.

Anyway, another life lesson learned. Listen to your parents. At first it may seem like they are chastising you for simple things, but eventually if you keep chewing on things you are going to rip up your own bed, and then they won't feel sorry for you. Not one bit.

Pinwheel pinwheel spinning around. . .

I remember hearing a little "bit" of one of Jerry Seinfeld's routines one time. He was talking about how the older you are the more similar you are to the very young. He mentioned birthday parties in particular . . . in both cases your family will sit you down and say "these are your friends, they are here to celebrate with you!".

Anyway, I was thinking about how similar the old and the young are in regard to lawn ornaments. Our neighbor is the queen of lawn ornaments. She has frogs, cats, butterflies all made out of metal and marbles and things that sparkle. They plaster their flower beds. I remember the horror of when my own parents started getting in to lawn ornaments. It was right in high school. How could I make my friends see that my parents were really cool if they insisted on decorating the lawn with spinning flamingos and such. Luckily my parents were nice enough to keep their little wonderland in the backyard.

Anyway, Gwen LOVES the lawn ornaments. If we are having a dull day we just go and look at our neighbors lawn ornaments and an easy hour will pass us by. It makes me want to go and take her to my parents backyard, because I am sure she would love it there too.

I don't know when you cross the age where lawn ornmanents become a mockery instead of something really fascinating and beautiful, but I think the old and the young definitely have the better way. Seeing beauty all around and what not.

Still don't know if I will be getting lawn ornaments anytime soon (before age 70), but maybe I should take a little extra time to admire the little things, including Sandy's ornaments :)

You know you haven't bathed your child in a while when. . . .

You find a Lucky Charms Marshmallow stuck in their hair. Ew. When was the last time we had Lucky Charms? (Alright, it was Marshmallow Matey's and it was this morning, but it is still yucky!)