I have dreams. Big dreams.
Dreams so big that I usually don't realize that they're kind of ridiculous. But I like to think that my flamboyant dreams are what make me so darn lovable.
I grew up with my dad constantly telling me, "Moderation in all things." "Moderation, do you know what that means?" "Use moderation, Shelly."
But my ideas are so overwhelmingly amazing! .... I think.
I've begun clipping coupons. I get 3 Sunday papers so I can have multiple coupons. That in and of itself may sound stupid. But our cupboards have never been so full. We haven't been able to have much of a food storage. In fact, we've lived pay check to pay check for years. But I don't realize it's the week of payday based on the pantry. It's like a Christmas miracle. Or a Coupon miracle as it were.
But as wonderful as our beginning food storage is, I want more from the program. I'd love to be an extreme couponer.
I actually watched this entire show on TLC several weeks ago. I sat there watching it in awe, mouth agape. Then I realized that the show was in the line up of shows highlighting bizarre human behavior, including the woman who eats couch cushions.
But saving money is not crazy or psychotic. It's helped our family a lot over the last few months. Oh, but how I wish I could save more than my record 54% at the check out register.
Another of my big dreams....
I want to run around the block. It's a big, big block. 2 miles on each leg of the block, an 8 mile perimeter. I think there are about four or so LDS wards in that area. I said to Josh the other day, "Wouldn't it be cool to run that far?"
He looked at me like I'm a freaking idiot. Or maybe just a freak. I'm still not sure about that one.
But I'll forever stick to what I know. Dreaming big is my forte. And sometimes I achieve those dreams.
However, I can't even tell you how many times I've died trying.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
My Funny Valentine.... Date
I wanted to plan a nice date for Josh and me to have for Valentines Day this year. I've never planned our Valentines before. Yep. 12 Valentines together and this was the first one I planned.
I decided to take him somewhere we couldn't generally go with the kids. It was pretty obvious where we could go when I heard an ad on the radio for the Body Worlds exhibit at the Arizona Science Center. This exhibit had come to Denver in 2006, just before we had our membership to the museum. It was too far away and too expensive to justify going, I thought. But Josh really wanted to go. He even considered taking his brother with him, but with school schedules it just didn't pan out.
I've been a little nervous about going to this exhibit. I wanted to go because Josh has wanted to see it for five years. But when you explain it to people, it sounds like a lesson on being a psychotic serial killer. A scientist named Gunther von Hagens discovered a way to stop the decomposition of the human body, providing a real sample of the human body that can be studied repeatedly, not just in a one time instance like a typical cadaver.
Yeah, that's where the weirdness kind of comes in. The exhibit is a display of actual human bodies that have exposed muscles, bones and organs. But to walk through it is a whole different type of experience.
I was a little nervous that my sad mood from the previous day was going to be a problem, but I had a lot of fun being with Josh and seeing the wonder of the human body. After seeing, and I mean literally seeing, how incredible the body is, no one can ever convince me that we are on this Earth by chance.
There was even a little healing that happened. While looking at the displays of fetuses (feti?) I realized how there is so much that could go wrong in a baby's development. Much more than I knew. No wonder there are such horrible things as miscarriages. So much needs to come together just right. The complexities of the body are so difficult to comprehend.
And really, the displays of the people weren't really all that creepy. And I don't do creepy very well. Quite honestly I did get a little queasy at one point of the exhibit. But I had to disconnect myself from the reality of what I was looking at. I definitely think the exhibit is not for everyone, but was still pretty amazing to see. Josh seemed to enjoy it, and that was the whole point.
Probably the most amazing thing of the whole exhibit (beyond the fascination of the complexity of life) is the fact that all of the full bodies were permanently posed. There was one called the Diver. It was a woman on the edge of a diving board. The front part of her body came over her toes as if she was about to dive, her organs and center of her body stood up straight so you could see how they all fit within her body, and the back of her looked like it was leaning backward. The only things holding her in position were her two big toes that were secured onto the diving board. There were no strings, no cases, just this technique Dr von Hagens invented called Plastination where a polymer is infused into the cells. And the exhibit didn't smell, either.
If I hadn't experienced this myself and was just reading about it, I'd probably be a little sick to my stomach. After all, I nearly fainted a few months ago when I sliced my finger. But you have to see it to truly appreciate it.
Of course, there were also displays of things like the brain, heart, lungs, intestines, artificial joints, and other such things.
It really was an amazing thing to experience.
After the museum we decided to grab some lunch before heading home. So we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe. Josh and I have both been to the Cafe before, but in different cities and with different people. So this was our first visit together. And really, I think he agreed to go because he knew I'd enjoy it and we'd just spent a few hours at the museum. It was nice of him to agree. So we sat down and noticed that the display over our table was John Lennon's jacket. Hello! Awesome!
In the menu it explained that Eric Clapton asked his favorite restaurant, Hard Rock Cafe London, to mark his preferred table with a plaque with his name on it. They said, how about a guitar instead? He agreed and the rest is history. So I had to wonder.... if Clapton comes into the London Cafe and wants his table is it something where it's always vacant in case he comes in, or will the people eating there have to move? Josh told me it's probably the second, people would be asked to move.
Then he said, "If John Lennon came in here and wanted this table, don't you think you'd move?" I laughed and told him, "No. I'd say, 'No, John Lennon's ghost! You can't have my table I was here first!'" Really, I'd probably have to be removed by the staff because I'd have fainted and fallen on the ground. Then I'd buy a Hard Rock t-shirt and have him sign it and make a million dollars on E-bay. I'm guessing.
All in all, it was a great date. We're starting to realize the importance of doing activities it wouldn't be good to do with kids whenever we can. Otherwise, we'll never do them. There's no way the kids could've come to the Body Worlds with us and the Hard Rock is a little too expensive to buy food that may or may not be eaten. I loved being with Josh and laughing with him and having conversations about things other than what the kids are doing.
I'm even more excited for our vacation next month.
I decided to take him somewhere we couldn't generally go with the kids. It was pretty obvious where we could go when I heard an ad on the radio for the Body Worlds exhibit at the Arizona Science Center. This exhibit had come to Denver in 2006, just before we had our membership to the museum. It was too far away and too expensive to justify going, I thought. But Josh really wanted to go. He even considered taking his brother with him, but with school schedules it just didn't pan out.
I've been a little nervous about going to this exhibit. I wanted to go because Josh has wanted to see it for five years. But when you explain it to people, it sounds like a lesson on being a psychotic serial killer. A scientist named Gunther von Hagens discovered a way to stop the decomposition of the human body, providing a real sample of the human body that can be studied repeatedly, not just in a one time instance like a typical cadaver.
Yeah, that's where the weirdness kind of comes in. The exhibit is a display of actual human bodies that have exposed muscles, bones and organs. But to walk through it is a whole different type of experience.
I was a little nervous that my sad mood from the previous day was going to be a problem, but I had a lot of fun being with Josh and seeing the wonder of the human body. After seeing, and I mean literally seeing, how incredible the body is, no one can ever convince me that we are on this Earth by chance.
There was even a little healing that happened. While looking at the displays of fetuses (feti?) I realized how there is so much that could go wrong in a baby's development. Much more than I knew. No wonder there are such horrible things as miscarriages. So much needs to come together just right. The complexities of the body are so difficult to comprehend.
And really, the displays of the people weren't really all that creepy. And I don't do creepy very well. Quite honestly I did get a little queasy at one point of the exhibit. But I had to disconnect myself from the reality of what I was looking at. I definitely think the exhibit is not for everyone, but was still pretty amazing to see. Josh seemed to enjoy it, and that was the whole point.
Probably the most amazing thing of the whole exhibit (beyond the fascination of the complexity of life) is the fact that all of the full bodies were permanently posed. There was one called the Diver. It was a woman on the edge of a diving board. The front part of her body came over her toes as if she was about to dive, her organs and center of her body stood up straight so you could see how they all fit within her body, and the back of her looked like it was leaning backward. The only things holding her in position were her two big toes that were secured onto the diving board. There were no strings, no cases, just this technique Dr von Hagens invented called Plastination where a polymer is infused into the cells. And the exhibit didn't smell, either.
If I hadn't experienced this myself and was just reading about it, I'd probably be a little sick to my stomach. After all, I nearly fainted a few months ago when I sliced my finger. But you have to see it to truly appreciate it.
Of course, there were also displays of things like the brain, heart, lungs, intestines, artificial joints, and other such things.
It really was an amazing thing to experience.
After the museum we decided to grab some lunch before heading home. So we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe. Josh and I have both been to the Cafe before, but in different cities and with different people. So this was our first visit together. And really, I think he agreed to go because he knew I'd enjoy it and we'd just spent a few hours at the museum. It was nice of him to agree. So we sat down and noticed that the display over our table was John Lennon's jacket. Hello! Awesome!
In the menu it explained that Eric Clapton asked his favorite restaurant, Hard Rock Cafe London, to mark his preferred table with a plaque with his name on it. They said, how about a guitar instead? He agreed and the rest is history. So I had to wonder.... if Clapton comes into the London Cafe and wants his table is it something where it's always vacant in case he comes in, or will the people eating there have to move? Josh told me it's probably the second, people would be asked to move.
Then he said, "If John Lennon came in here and wanted this table, don't you think you'd move?" I laughed and told him, "No. I'd say, 'No, John Lennon's ghost! You can't have my table I was here first!'" Really, I'd probably have to be removed by the staff because I'd have fainted and fallen on the ground. Then I'd buy a Hard Rock t-shirt and have him sign it and make a million dollars on E-bay. I'm guessing.
All in all, it was a great date. We're starting to realize the importance of doing activities it wouldn't be good to do with kids whenever we can. Otherwise, we'll never do them. There's no way the kids could've come to the Body Worlds with us and the Hard Rock is a little too expensive to buy food that may or may not be eaten. I loved being with Josh and laughing with him and having conversations about things other than what the kids are doing.
I'm even more excited for our vacation next month.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Uncensored
When I avidly kept a journal (and I'm ashamed to say it was many years ago), I wrote in it often. But only when I wanted to complain, vent or do some other negative writing. I've tried really hard not to let my blogging become the same thing. Who the heck cares about only the depressing things in another person's life? A sadist. That's who.
But I've had a bit of a hard day and I feel the need to whine and complain. And since this blog is the closest thing I have to a journal, here I go.
Dribble died today. He was Emma's dear little tortoise that she got for Christmas. We have some theories on what happened, none of them that bring any peace. But I'm so sad that my little girl's pet, the one she begged for for so long, wasn't able to thrive. I didn't expect to love a tortoise, but I did. I think all of us did. It's just so sad to think of him gone and not getting to see him be big enough to wander the back yard or meander over to us to be pet on the head. These are things tortoises do and we looked forward to it. Little Dribble made me happy to have a pet. Granted, he was quiet, but I didn't expect to be so taken by a pet. We already miss him so much. It makes me want to cry just thinking about him.
I'm really trying not to be an awful person, but I'm having a hard time being happy for pregnant people right now. And several of my friends are in the motherly way. I want to be pregnant. And I definitely am not. It's really crappy to realize that I should be posting the gender of my baby and possible names. I should be scrambling to find all the pinks or blues. I should be wondering where I put this baby item and why did I give that one away. But I'm not. It's been three months of disappointment. Who knows how long it will take to have another baby. Maybe another month? Doubtful. Maybe another year? Probably. I don't have much faith in getting pregnant easily. That's not how it usually happens for me. I don't know that I can go another two years of constantly aching for the child I know is coming, but won't seem to just come. I hold Millie dear because it did take so long for her to be conceived, but I just don't know if I can go through that again. So if you're reading this, and you're pregnant, know that I love you. Deep down I'm happy for you. But right now it's really deep.
And the last thing I'm upset about today is that I've eaten all the calories for the day and I really want some Oreos. Like, 20 of them. Double Stuf. And some milk. But I'm going to go to bed instead.
And this is why I generally censor myself.
But I've had a bit of a hard day and I feel the need to whine and complain. And since this blog is the closest thing I have to a journal, here I go.
Dribble died today. He was Emma's dear little tortoise that she got for Christmas. We have some theories on what happened, none of them that bring any peace. But I'm so sad that my little girl's pet, the one she begged for for so long, wasn't able to thrive. I didn't expect to love a tortoise, but I did. I think all of us did. It's just so sad to think of him gone and not getting to see him be big enough to wander the back yard or meander over to us to be pet on the head. These are things tortoises do and we looked forward to it. Little Dribble made me happy to have a pet. Granted, he was quiet, but I didn't expect to be so taken by a pet. We already miss him so much. It makes me want to cry just thinking about him.
I'm really trying not to be an awful person, but I'm having a hard time being happy for pregnant people right now. And several of my friends are in the motherly way. I want to be pregnant. And I definitely am not. It's really crappy to realize that I should be posting the gender of my baby and possible names. I should be scrambling to find all the pinks or blues. I should be wondering where I put this baby item and why did I give that one away. But I'm not. It's been three months of disappointment. Who knows how long it will take to have another baby. Maybe another month? Doubtful. Maybe another year? Probably. I don't have much faith in getting pregnant easily. That's not how it usually happens for me. I don't know that I can go another two years of constantly aching for the child I know is coming, but won't seem to just come. I hold Millie dear because it did take so long for her to be conceived, but I just don't know if I can go through that again. So if you're reading this, and you're pregnant, know that I love you. Deep down I'm happy for you. But right now it's really deep.
And the last thing I'm upset about today is that I've eaten all the calories for the day and I really want some Oreos. Like, 20 of them. Double Stuf. And some milk. But I'm going to go to bed instead.
And this is why I generally censor myself.
Monday, February 7, 2011
My Cute Kids
Today we watched Millie and Matt play together outside.
I thought it was cute how Millie is sitting in this hole the kids (cousins included) have dug. The ground in that area was level with the bricks at one point in time.
Josh thought it was cute how Millie was digging on her right side and as she brought her shovel over to put the dirt in her bucket at her left, she was spilling dirt all over herself.
He had a point. It was cute.
And, yes, that is Matthew wearing his white school uniform shirt as he is digging in the dirt. And, no, that doesn't make me a bad mother. It makes me cool. And I gave him a cookie before dinner too. Okay, that last one was a lie, but I've had a few eyebrows raised at me lately as others have questioned my ability to run things. I may be pouting, but I still ascertain that I'm cool.
Anyway.
If you need any other pictures of how cute my children are, here's one of Abby and Millie from about a week ago.
Silly kids, but I do love them.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Adults-only Trip
I filed our taxes yesterday. Wham, bam, thank you Uncle Sam.
Really, this year was pretty simple. It may be because I've been doing my own (and eventually Josh's) taxes since 1996. Deductions are easy to figure out. We had one W-2 and we spent all of 2010 in Arizona, so only one state to file in. Easy. Plus, Josh didn't take all of the deductions allowed to him at work, so we knew we had overpaid our taxes and we'd be getting a refund.
So..... what to do, what to do?
First, good-bye credit cards. All of them. Luckily, we have a relatively low balance of them (much less than the national average of $15,788).
So now.... what to do, what to do?
I'll tell you what the heck to do. You take your husband and go away for a few days. Why? Because the last time you did it was less than 24 hours about 45 miles away from home. The time before that was about four days with your theatre group and you had to attend seminars and performances and not even sleep in the same room as each other. And the time before that you didn't have kids.
We tried to get Josh's schedule clear for the entire week of Spring Break, but it seems that everyone else had the same idea. We were originally going to visit family in Colorado, but since Josh has to work part of Spring Break, we had to downsize our plans.
Luckily my parents have accepted the invitation for the kids to stay with them for a few days. And then Josh and I will be off.
And so now..... where to go, where to go?
I have a feeling Southern California will be accepting us and our reservations in one way or another. I know you're dying to know more information. I'll happily share it as soon as I know it myself.
Really, this year was pretty simple. It may be because I've been doing my own (and eventually Josh's) taxes since 1996. Deductions are easy to figure out. We had one W-2 and we spent all of 2010 in Arizona, so only one state to file in. Easy. Plus, Josh didn't take all of the deductions allowed to him at work, so we knew we had overpaid our taxes and we'd be getting a refund.
So..... what to do, what to do?
First, good-bye credit cards. All of them. Luckily, we have a relatively low balance of them (much less than the national average of $15,788).
So now.... what to do, what to do?
I'll tell you what the heck to do. You take your husband and go away for a few days. Why? Because the last time you did it was less than 24 hours about 45 miles away from home. The time before that was about four days with your theatre group and you had to attend seminars and performances and not even sleep in the same room as each other. And the time before that you didn't have kids.
We tried to get Josh's schedule clear for the entire week of Spring Break, but it seems that everyone else had the same idea. We were originally going to visit family in Colorado, but since Josh has to work part of Spring Break, we had to downsize our plans.
Luckily my parents have accepted the invitation for the kids to stay with them for a few days. And then Josh and I will be off.
And so now..... where to go, where to go?
I have a feeling Southern California will be accepting us and our reservations in one way or another. I know you're dying to know more information. I'll happily share it as soon as I know it myself.
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