Rosetta Stone

dan's parents gave me Rosetta Stone Deutsch Level 1 a couple of years ago for Christmas. i was hoping to get through it before going to germany but then we got busy with moving and it got packed up.

i just found out today that dan has listed it on craigslist for $75. it costs $259 new. i have a really hard time selling things that cost a lot of money. he asked, "would you rather have $75 or this sitting on your shelf?" i would rather have it sitting on my shelf.

i was just wondering if any of you were interested in buying it.

or borrowing it.

Seriously So Blessed

do any of you read this? I've known about it for awhile but just recently started following it. funny stuff.

Joy and Pain

So there is a gaggle of lesbians (do lesbians come in gaggles? maybe it's a den of lesbians...) that lives in the buildings across from ours. There are 3 separate condos brimming with gay pride, including rainbow flags, rainbow wind-socks and rainbow bumper stickers on the doors and the cars. These are big girls with motor-cycle-riding lesbatude, and attending the church of the Lesbeterians. If I had to guess, I'd say they all answer to the name "coach".
So anyway, last week Tye and I were hanging on our front porch when a highly entertaining scene went down, involving lots of screaming, slamming doors, screeching tires, more yelling, some crying, and several instances of stomping away in a huff. We had a front row seat, y'all!
It reached a pinnacle when a mini-van full of big women pulled up in front of the building and one girl (who had done most of the huffy stomping) comes out of her front door screaming and crying that she "just wants her best friend back but I guess I can't have her." It was way sad, and I don't know why, but it was all I could do to not bust out laughing.
THEN, she keeps repeating the part about wanting her best friend back and each time she repeats it her voice gets higher and more shrill so eventually she is screaching "I can't have her! I can't have her!" and bashing herself on the head each time she says it. Usually I don't find so much pleasure from other peoples pain (oh wait. Yes, I do. Why else would I TiVo America's Funniest Videos?) but this whole week Tye and I just crack each other up constantly doing our reenactment of The Fight.
Then last night I saw this video of some sweet lezzie rockin out while the straight couple is fighting.

I wonder if that dancing lady went home later and cracked up her girlfriends by reenacting that girl bitching at her boyfriend. I hope so. That would restore balance to the universe.

HEATHER

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY!

hope you had a good one.

I went skimming yesterday!!!!

So remember Chris Hanks? He taught me to skim on the Virgin River and we had a ton of fun. Well, we're here in Maui with friends and we saw some kids out skimming on the beach. I got brave and asked if I could borrow a board and they turned me down so the next day we bought one. Well, for the first half hour I was asking myself and Danny, "Why didn't we just rent?" It was soooo hard. Anyway, after awhile we figured things out and had so much fun. If fact we couldn't end until we got hurt and had to go care our our wounds.
That night I thought about this blog cuz I learned to skim in the Virgin River (blog name rang a bell) and cuz this is the type of thing I think of you girls doing all the time. You probably don't but I feel like you do. So I feel like I have something to finally say on the blog that is Agro Schmagro. I don' t know who all of you are but if you're friends with Katie, you must be pretty cool.

By the way, about St. George, I'll have Danny drop me off Friday and then what's t he Wells B B Que all about? Are we all going? Who can't be to that? If we could all be together that day, it would be cool. Like I said, I have to teach a performing arts class Tuesday morning and my kids start swimming lessons Monday morning so the weekend would be way better for me and then Katie wouldn't have to come back. Thoughts?

more

for danika

this is not an official post. i'm just posting these pictures here so danika can get them. (click on them to get the big version, danika)

check out those knockers!

sooo... all you triathaloners or just big chested people in general: i am in a quandary. i am doing the utah summer games in june and i will still be nursing baby j. you may all be remembering my b-on-a-good-day high school boobs, but when i am nursing they are quite impressive. so, what's the secret to doing a triathlon with bathing suits and transitions in my current state? this is new territory for me... advice please.

Off Base

I've had something on my mind, so much so that it motivated me to blog. :) For the past 10 years I have called Shane on his birthday, weather we were dating or not, married, single etc. Two days ago I sent him a text saying happy birthday and asked when good time would be to get in touch. His reply, "my wife gets upset when I talk to you, but I think she'll be ok if we use facebook." My response, "sorry, I surely didn't mean to cause problems." At the time I felt like I understood, but now that a few days have passed I think it's super lame! Why can't we still catch up? Seriously what is the threat?
I've tried to look at it through his wife's eyes, but Im just not the jealous type. Last time Chad was in SLC he looked up on old girl friend, one that he hadn't talked to in years. Didn't bother me a bit, I guess because he was open and honest about it.
Is is asking to much to remain friends with your X's?

what's for dinner?

I am stuck in a food rut lately. I have 3 or 4 things that I can think of to eat for dinner and they're all boring or gross (soup, sandwich, burrito, chicken & rice) but I can't seem to come up with anything else. I'll make a shopping list and won't be able to think of any ingredients aside from my 4 standard meals. I'll spend $180 at the grocery store and get home and think, "We've still got nothing to eat."
I do nothing all day long but preparing one meal is beyond my capacity. Tye will get home and start looking for something to eat and ask if I had anything in mind for dinner. Inevitably I'll be like, 'Oh, uhhhhhh, I had a bowl of cereal like half an hour ago so I'm not really hungry.' Or he'll say 'Let's go out, I'll take you anywhere you want' but there is not a single place that sounds good enough to me to justify putting on shoes and a jacket. (ha, as i'm reading that part it sounds like a case of depression. probably a result of my life sentence.)
So maybe you can help me mix it up a bit. I need some food inspiration. What are the default meals you feed your family?

Crazy Face

Adan is one cute boy.  And a good kisser.

Quick update on me!!

I have been totally absent from blogging & thought I should explain. We moved into our new house last month & I've been busy with that. I have taken pictures but I don't have time to upload them right now.

Kb has been laid-off since January which has been a huge stress on us but luckily we saved money while living with his Mom! There is no work out here anymore & we are patiently waiting for the oil industry to pick back up but there's no telling what's going to happen now with our new government. So, we still don't have internet at our house until Kb gets work again. We are saving every dime we have right now.

Also, I had just finished my 1st trimester with my 4th baby but when I went in for the ultrasound last week there was no heartbeat. The baby made it to 11 weeks & was healthy so it's a mystery. I had to have a D&C last Friday & that has been really hard on me. We were so happy that we were expecting again but we will try again as soon as we can. I'm just really happy I didn't announce it to everyone but family because that would be really hard to have people constantly asking about it. Even though I'm posting it here I'm so grateful I didn't post on my other blog.

This has been without a doubt the worst 2 years of my life. I have never experienced so much stress! Things are getting better though & we are happy.

Long story short, I'm still here! Love you girls!

Observation Point 2.0

    

Good to catch up. You guys are really cool. For real.

comfy

Sweet Baby James

so... i should have posted sooner, but i did send out a classic email that i thought ya'all would get. apparently not even angie got it! oops. sweet by me... so here are some pics of baby james (not jim or jimmy) sometimes called jj or "rock-a-by baby" by his big bro's came in january, 6 lbs. 6 oz., tiny and so freakin cute. honestly, i wonder if i have ever loved like this before. everything went well and unlike last time the epideral actually worked and i got through the ordeal without screaming or passing out, vomiting, having a panic attack, and a bunch of other crap that happened with sam was born.

3 quick questions

#1 Sarah, when is your due date? It's gotta be any day now right? Or is #3 already here and I missed the memo?
#2 Heather or Danika or anyone who might know- I would like to do some sort of detox/cleanse. Preferably a 7 or 10 day. Anyone know of a good one? In the past I have done "7-day detox miracle" which was good but I'd like to do something a bit more powerful (bring on the mud-eating, sludge-drinking, clay-pooping types).
#3 This is a weird one maybe but someone please give me advice on what to wear to sleep in. Every night I get BLISTERING hot (even if I only use a sheet). I can't go naked (or G's only which to me is the same as naked) because my paranoia won't let me. All I can think is, "what if there is a fire in the middle of the night and I have to run outside?" Also, I'm a bit of a tornado so long-nightgowns or scrubs type pants or oversize shirts end up getting twisted around 100 times. Plus, too hot. What is the solution?

A Self-less Gift?

my friend told me the following story this weekend and i have been so disturbed by it.
her bro-in-law's sister, we'll call her amy, cannot have kids and has had at least one adoption fall through. amy's neice, we'll call her zola, said, 'i'm fertile and done having kids so i'll just get pregnant and give you the kid.' amy asks, 'you have 3 boys, what if it is a girl? will you change your mind?' zola says, 'no'. so zola and her husband concieve. not amy's eggs. not amy's husband's sperm. then they find out it is a girl. zola's husband says, 'but it is a girl, we don't have a girl. are you sure?' and zola says, 'i told her i would give it to her and i will.' so she delivers the baby and gives it to her aunt.
i think this story is SO WEIRD! being a surrogate mother is not weird at all to me. and giving your baby up for adoption because it was unplanned and you are not prepared to raise it, even to a family member is not weird to me. but i am so disturbed by this story. won't the birth mom always feel some sort of regret or at least wonder? and would the aunt feel a bit guilty? and how is the girl going to feel when she sees her biological family at reunions? will she feel like she is missing out? like she was taken/given away? will she long to be a part of her 'real' family? i think it is a bad idea. i hope it works out for them but i would never do it. not even if we were desperate to have a child.
what do you think?

Spiderman vs. Octomom--Who Will Win??

my spidey-senses are telling me something just might be a little off about this crazy beeotch.
She's a single, unemployed woman with 14 kids under age 7, who lived on welfare, disability and student loans so that she could spend her money on something important--like getting plastic surgery to look like Angelina Jolie.
Then, after having a giant stack of mutant babies from an unknown sperm donor, (whose last name she occasionally uses), she starts shopping a Today Show interview, a book and reality TV show (she denies this but she hired a Publicist. Not a nurse. or a Nanny. A PUBLICIST!) The State of California is paying for her hospital bills. I feel bad for those kids.
Clearly I'm not a fan of this chick--What is your take on the Octumom?

What is your ultimate luxury?

Because we've been poor for so stinkin long, Tye and I spend a lot of time dreaming about the day when we'll be filthy, bloody rich. And we play games to "help us plan" how we'll be spending all that filthy money.
One game we play is "Choose your Luxury". It's kind of like "Who Would You Do", a lovely game that perhaps none of you very pure and holy girls have ever played but it was introduced to me by my mission companion, foxy Roxy on those long, lonely days of tracting. hee hee. i wish i was joking.

So here's the game: you just name two totally kick-ass luxuries and then the other person has to choose only ONE of the two. Then that ONE has to go up against the next luxury...until you find your unbeatable, ultra-mega-dreamy luxury. Of course the game assumes that all of your necessities are covered and that you can afford one of the two things. (Just like "Who Would You Do" assumes you have the option of doing either Batman or Sawyer from Lost).

For example: (actual conversation)

Tye says: Chauffer or personal trainer?
Ang: Personal trainer.
Tye: Personal trainer or private chef?
Ang: Hmmm, does the chef do the grocery shopping and kitchen clean-up too?
Tye: No, just the cooking.
Ang: Chef anyway.
Tye: Chef or personal assistant?
Ang: Personal Assistant.
Tye: Personal assistant or maid?
Ang: Personal assistant.
Tye: Personal assistant or Lexus?
Ang: Well, what would I be driving if I choose personal assistant?
Tye: Like, a Toyota.
Ang: Personal Assistant.

It just kind of goes on and on like that. Eventually we find ourselves talking like we're actually actually getting the thing--like deciding how many days a week the maid should come in and stuff. It's funny. Then we check back in with reality. But it's fun to think about.

So my ultimate luxury is personal assistant. What is yours?

New Year's Resolutionary War

{just wanted to post a cute picture of my kids}

I haven't posted for a while so I thought I would write up somethin' somethin'. I've been working on my goals for the new year. This year I chose to do 3 big goals. They are going to take a lot of work and planning. I also have less difficult, obvious goals really, that I will work on throughout the year. You know, the churchy stuff. Anyway, I'll share with you two of the three goals I've set for myself.

1- Run 1000 miles
2- Send every member of my family a birthday card.

The first goal I stole from Travis. He did this goal last year and wasted it. I think he ended up with 1400 miles. Insane. I like the fact that it's a number and not "I will run 6 x a week". Most likely a goal like that would only last the first couple of months.
The second goal is big for me because my family is so LARGE I usually don't do much for any birthday. Sometimes they get a text:) I'll be sending out 70 cards this year. Adding money to my nieces and nephews.
I'm curious about the goals you guys are doing this year. Care to share? Pork for you this year, Ang?

Three Cups of Tea

This book is about a man named Greg Mortenson and his true story about building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He got lost on a failed attempt to summit K2. His porter found him and got him down safely. But Greg got lost one more time and ended up in this small town of Korphe where the people let him in and nursed him back to health. He promised them he would come back and build them a school. He lived out of his car and until he had saved enough money to go back and build a school. The story just gets better and better. It starts out I think in 1993 (before 9/11) and continues on until 2003. Amazing story!