Natural Sceptre

Sooo….It’s been a long week in which I posted NADA. Not that I didn’t think about it, it’s just been tough to find the time. Let’s go back to the beginning and review…

Monday night John decided and I went to Babies ‘r Us and bought a Snoogle. I had been resistant because of the cost associated with this noodle shaped pillow….but my aching back and restless nights made me realize that it would almost most definitely be worth it. We ended up getting the Snoogle and then a cover to go with it (rip offffff) because I couldn’t fathom having a pillow with no cover. Especially a pillow I pay more than 10 bucks for at WalMart. There are quite a lot of thoughts I have about the Snoogle, so I will list them below:

-The cover had a tag that said, “The Original Replacement Cover.” What the crap does that mean?

-The Snoogle, while helping me sleep like a little baby rock in a cocoon, has some unpleasant side-affects. For example, it makes me a supreme cover stealer. Also, it makes it seem like I haven’t “seen” John all night. I know that seems silly. But that’s how I feel.

-I wish other manufacturers would take up the Snoogle business, break up the monopoly a bit and cheapen the price.

-Snoogle has now become a replacement verb for napping. I now “Snoogle” instead of take a nap.

And finally…

-In a way, it feels like the Snoogle has become another part of the family. Not sure how to splain. So I won’t.

But that’s enough about THAT.

I also started at Westminster this week. John and I have driven up there 3 nights this week, first for orientation on Tuesday, and then for class on Wednesday and Thursday. I know I know…WHY, you ask, does my husband have to drive me to school? Well, there are a few reasons. First of all, he seems to want to. He hangs out in SLC and gets homework done. He even made a new friend at the bookstore and played Go. A game that I’m not familiar with, but he seems to like it. The drive with him is nice….we can chat and actually spend some time together instead of just seeing each other on the way in/out. I will be more independent as he has other things he has to do, but for now…I’m happy with the company and not having to park and knowing that I won’t get lost on the way home.

Classes were good. I’m taking two- Intro to Teaching to Writing and Effective Presentations. The first is only a month long, but the second will last until the end of August. I think I’ll really enjoy my Intro course…it seems interesting and will be over before I know it. EP…on the other hand….well, let’s just say I have high standards for a presentations teacher. My Dad has taught a similar course at different companies through the years, and his opinions combined with my training in Scranton have actually taught me how things should go. From what I saw last night the class may be a bit tedious…but at least I’ll get some time presenting to different people, which is always good to keep up. Even if I don’t feel like the instruction will be particularly helpful…practice is ALWAYS good. And it’s credit, right?

It was funny introducing myself around at school. I felt rather shy, actually. And it’s weird being pregnant there. At BYU every other person you see is pregnant, but Westminster is quite different. I’m actually glad to have found a school with a more “typical” student body. I’ll be able to learn how to act around normal people again, haha.

It seems that no matter where I go- whether it’s BYU or Westminster or Scranton or even my mission- I always find a way to make sure I don’t completely fit in. This time, it’s my Little Camper. But I’m glad to have him there with me, even if it differentiates me from my peers. I definitely felt him kick on my HAND last night during class. It was like he was my little ally saying, “Whoa Mom, this is LAME.” Haha. I was so excited, I’ve felt fluttering before, but never a good solid love-tap. There I was in the middle of class experiencing something just amazing, and unable to share it with anyone. More than sad, it made it feel like kind of a special secret.

When I was at orientation one of the students said, “So, you’re working full-time, going to school, AND pregnant?” She said that I was brave. I don’t feel brave- more than anything I feel like I want to be able to tell Little Camper that any time he can make room in his life for education, he should. At almost any cost. No better way to teach him that ideal than to bring him to school with me, I guess! I’ve realized this past week how important it really is to me. Although I’m SO TIRED at night because of all the travel and anticipate quite a lot of work that I might not feel like I have the energy to do- I need to make room for it. It makes everything in my life feel more vibrant and…well, worthy. Work makes sense when I’m going to school, living in Utah makes sense when I’m going to school, being tired makes sense when I’m going to school. Just one more goal to work toward. It feels good. But I’ll probably still whine about it, just to warn you. Haha.

All I have to do is get through May- and then I’ll have just ONE class a week. That will probably be nice as I get bigger and more waddley. Or would that be waddlier? Have to look that one up….

Hello Saturday world.  How’s it going?  Things around here are the usual.  Sleeping in llaattee (every book/magazine I read encourages me to savor sleeping in, or sleeping at all, pre-baby-exit-event.  NOT a problem) and then getting up and cleaning up a bit.  Jonathan is moving out tomorrow, so I’ll wait until we get him settled to clean the office, do laundry (machines in the office) and vacuum out the stairwell.  But other than that, we’ve been doing some good tidying around here this morning/afternoon.

Last night I drove all over creation trying to think of something for us to do, and we ended up at, BIG SURPRISE, the bookstore.  I read Glamour and Mommy Magazines and had some really good hot chocolate while John went and made a pile of “I wish” books and went through them.  One day we will be able to spend RECKLESSLY, HA ha ha ha….or, well, just at least buy books and things when we desire them.  For the moment though, we are on a serious budget.  The budget is called, “Holy crap we’re going to have a baby and we’re trying to go to school and although we have a pretty cheap living situation, whoa….this is gonna cost a LOT.”  So, aside from little things here and there….we’re lookers, and not buyers.

Another interesting side-affect of “the budget” is that we haven’t gone out to a movie in a LONG time.  I’ve come to realise that we’ve probably spent a crapload of money on STUPID movies that were almost too painful to sit through. As I’ve tried to find a movie that we could go out and see just because it’d be nice to have a treat…I can’t justify ANY of them.  I find myself saying, “We can rent that when it comes out.”  And we have, that’s how I finally saw Dan in Real Life.  VERY worth seeing, by the way.  But others that I would have just rushed out to see before (like..Atonement, or In the Land of Women) turned out to be hardly worth the 3 bucks we spent to have them around for a week.  It’s an interesting realization.

So what will we do today?  Well, we have to run to the store to pick up a couple of things.  I think I’m going to make a crockpot of chicken soup tomorrow.  It’s ALWAYS good and I can eat it all day long. Yum.  We need sundry grocery items and couple of things here and there, and we’re pretty good at pretending like Harmon’s is a “date,” so I think we’re set.  Tonight we’ll probably sit around with the little brother and watch him pack…perhaps rent a movie, MAYBE?  I do want to rent 27 dresses, and there was another one floating around that I desired to see….So we’ll see if we can get our paws on something interesting enough.  But that’s about it.  A boring post for a relaxing day.

In other news- I start school this week.  I’ll be going up to Sugar House Tuesday, Wednesday, AND Thursday for orientations and my first two classes.  It should be PRETTY busy on top of work and all.  But at least payroll is done Monday.  So sweeet, bring it on.

New pregnancy symptoms: The absolute nausea seems to have passed, but now my body has started to hurt.  Kind of feels like I’ve been exercising a lot.  Funny how that works, huh?  But at least I’ve got a bit more energy.

I’m planning on putting together my own mixes for lullabies, by the way, so if you have any favorite songs that work as nice baby soothers, let me know.  I’d be interested to check ‘em out.  Also- let me know if you’re interested in the final product.  I don’t mind sharing!

So- I’ve decided to move on from the song title thing. Mostly- they were only amusing- or even made sense- to me. So I think I’ll give it up for awhile.

So, this morning we slept in (Saturday, soooo nice) then got up and proceeded to do the house cleaning we do each week. We then went on a “date,” meaning….Taco Bell, the carwash, and Walmart. Haha. We got a TON of cleaning products- and one pair of weeee pantalones for our impending baby. I think I’m finding out that I’m loving the whole “frog prince” baby thing. The pants I found were on $3 and had teeny little frogs and turtles on them. I think $3 is great for something Little Camper will probably be able to wear for what, like, two weeks? before he starts putting on weight and popping out of the newborn clothes. To be honest, I’m not sure how that works. I guess I’ll find out.

But I DO have a question- so there are all these “green” cleaning products in WalMart that advertise all natural products, safety on cooking services, etc. My only issue is, they don’t say antibacterial. I’m a big fan of antibacterial….but is it really necessary? So tell me, have you gone green? And if so, do they clean as well? And if not, are these bleach products going to poison Little Camper’s little body?

So, then…on the way home…John and I started into a conversation that we actually have quite often. It is a continuation of conversations in which we have figured out that a) he can’t read my mind and b) he won’t notice (by nature of his boy-ness…or just his particular disposition) when it’s time to move the laundry to the laundry room, or do the dishes, etc. What we’ve decided in the past is that I just need to ASK him to do things. I was cool with this- until it started to go one of two ways. Either I figured I shouldn’t ASK him to do something I can just do ( I mean, how lazy is THAT?) or I did ask him, but apparently in a way that made it sound like he needed to drop what he was doing and do what I asked him to do. The funny thing was, I was taking EXTRA CARE not to sound like that, and in all my trying and question preparation time, I was actually just setting him up to be annoyed…somehow…which is turn, was setting me up to be frustrated. Finally, at the end of the conversation when I had decided that I just couldn’t win I sarcastically said, “Fine, what do you want me to do? Make a list of all the things that need to be done and just stick your name next to half the stuff and write when it needs to be done?”

His answer:

“Yes, yes actually. That would work out really well.”

I started laughing. Turns out, in trying to treat him in a way that I thought I was being super nice and polite, I was actually just being annoying. (At least to him.) One more adventure that teaches us that sometimes we just have to figure out the best way to communicate, and not expect the best way to be the way we think it’s going to be. The one thing that I thought would be demeaning and/or a throwback to the living with roommates days might actually be exactly what he wants. It’ll be a clear, consistent expectation that we don’t have to “talk about” all the time. Sweet. I’ll keep you posted. It seriously cracked me up.

So….the little brother has been with us since Tuesday. It’s been pretty good. It’s nice to actually see him, although I rather not see him at 7am walking through my bedroom in his underwear (the bathroom is through our bedroom). But I like having him around. Gives me time to check up on him and see what he’s up to. His girlfriend is nice- and doesn’t seem to mind hanging around with us, which is a good thing. He works a LOT, so he’s not around enough for me to get bugged. Haha, oh little brothers.

Last night- as well, we went and registered for some baby stuff at Babies ‘R’ Us. It was harder than I thought it would be, that’s for sure! There are so MANY things to think about….and they gave us lists and reading materials to figure out what’s what…so once I go through that I’ll probably get online and revise the things John scanned. We’ve got a few months to get it all figured out, but I love registries because it let’s you feel like you’re shopping without spending money prematurely or filling your house with stuff you don’t need yet.

My biggest questions right now are

a) what kind of bottles do you think baby would like? We’re planning on a mixture of breast and bottle feeding that will allow Little Camper to get super amounts of super nutrients but also give me some freedom. So while your thinking about it….what do you think of pumping? Cause that scares me to DEATH.

and

b) Is it cool to wait for stuff like a high chair and a circle thing with the toys and the teetering (I don’t know what those are called) because really…he won’t be able to hang out in those for awhile.

Yeah….this whole experience has been rather enlightening. First of all, I realised that there is a good chance that I’ll be pumping breast milk like…at work…at school….in PUBLIC. Which I didn’t realise. Cause if I was home, I could just feed the kid directly, right? Apparently John already knew that…or had realised it somewhere between the isle for the breast pumps and the “naturally” shaped bottles that allow Little Camper to go back and forth between the two without getting all confused. I DID educate him on one issue, however, in a discussion in which I told why we should definitely circumcise Little Camper. John was apparently thinking either way would work…but I informed him that we’re definitely going for it, because otherwise we’ll have to teach him some hygiene tips that are altogether avoided with a timely snip snip after birth. I mean….I know boys and the effort they like to put into “self-care.” It’s best if everything is as easily cleanable as possible. I know people who would disagree with me, but just check out this article and the interesting, yet clinical word “smegma” to know what I mean. Seriously. Smegma.

And yes, this is now what we talk about on Friday nights. Fun, huh?
Ok- time to switch the laundry and then go wash MY car. I heart Saturdays.

So the big news:

I PASSED!! I have completely and utterly passed my online science class. Nothing left to do…nothing left to study. And THAT means- I’m done with my undergraduate coursework. I will, in all actuality, graduate this April. This, of course, comes with a butt load of non-student type responsibilities…but I’m hoping that I can stay in the game with grad school, which I start on May 8th. I just hope I get the classes I need. I feel relieved, I think I knew it was going to be ok this time…(although don’t ask John about that because he will attest to the fact that I was a crying miserable mess of BYU-directed anger the night before the final) but you know. You never know. Come April I will be a college graduate.

Today I took a long lunch to go to the doctor. This was the final test- I really needed to figure out how I felt about her. She came in and although she was still in a hurry, I was just a little more assertive about what I needed. I made a list of questions I needed to ask, and when she was done with what she had to do I said I had a couple of things to ask her. She stopped, and listened, and answered. Also- she ordered a blood test to check my thyroid. I know this might sound stupid…but I told her that my heart rate seemed elevated (as it always kind of has) and she said we should get it checked. So there. She did something. With regard to my health. Good job her. Also- Monday morning we have our next ultrasound! We will probably/maybe be able to find out if our baby is a boy or girl. We’ll keep ya posted.

So my brother came over tonight. He had to pick up his pants. He did laundry here on Sunday afternoon and ended up leaving all of his jeans in my dryer for a couple of days, and so he showed up in mesh shorts. That, however, is not what I noticed. What I REALLY noticed were his shoes. He had one brown one with white detail (think DC skater shoes) and one white one with brown detail. Hmmm. I said, “Jonathan, are you wearing two different shoes?” “Yes.” “Why?” “Well, you told me to get more than just one pair.” I DID, actually, tell him to get more than one pair of shoes….but I did not mean that he should get similar shoes and then just wear the pairs interchangeably. But that’s my little brother. I won’t even tell you about the rest of our conversation tonight…but I will tell you that it started with him asking about the feasibility of “selling” a testicle for a certain amount of money. Sigh. Oh brother. Moving on…

Actually. I think that’s about it. More later.

So payroll is over.  My life actually, literally stops during payroll.  As in- I stop doing laundry, dishes, visiting others, or anything but payroll, sleeping, and eating.  This time, it was kind of hellish.  Not going to lie.  It seemed like everyone had forgotten or neglected to do the basic prep work that allows me to do my rather complicated job.  When people don’t do a few little things, my life becomes rather panicky.  What’s interesting- though- is that my bosses are amazing.  They recognize the things that get in my way and do what they can, and then just understand when I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off.   It’s a pretty good working environment.

Also- I’m reading a book with my manager.  We’re going to talk about it once a week- all in an effort to work on management skills together.  Right now we’re reading “Coping With Difficult People.” I was dreading the reading assignment- because I’m trying to enjoy not being in school right now.  But as I started reading I was…well, I don’t know the word.  Energized, maybe?  As I read through the first few descriptions of the different people and how they can make you feel, my memory was flooded with names of people who acted like and treated me in similar ways.  I’ve learned my own little ways to cope with difficult people- but this book just lays it out.  I’m excited to read it and think through what it has to offer.  I’ll probably write more specific thoughts as I go along.

In other news- we’re babysitting Emily and Jared’s girls this weekend.  I’m excited to spend some time with them- especially since I feel better these days.  Last time we went up there it was just to stop in for a few- and I was still not up to par.  So hopefully Cadence will think I’m more fun this time

Hmmm…new baby symptoms.  Well- my belly has been really really itchy lately.  And I’m insanely hungry again.  And you know what else?  I’ve decided to GET OVER what everyone in the WORLD thinks I should do.  I’m so sick of hearing that I shouldn’t wash the toilet or eat a hot dog (yeah, those seem gross when combined in the same sentence, but I think you get it) or ride a bike or go swimming.  I think I’m going to listen to 2 things: my doctor, and my common sense.  There are a hundred foods that they say not to eat- and you know what?  Aside from the obvious really bad ones, I’m not going to worry about it too much.  And as for the vitamins- I’ve discovered that they are the reason my “morning sickness” lingers on so.  So back to a Flintstone and a Folic Acid.  Oh yeah- and my Vitamin E and C for the study.  It’s just started to drive me crazy. When did everyone in the world become an OBGYN?  So I declare pregnancy freedom.  Phew.  It feels good. I can have lunch meat and (oh my gosh) maybe even a coke.  One day…when the thought doesn’t make me want to puke.  It’s not something I’ve been wanting that much lately.

Ok- it’s time for me to start some laundry.  So I can wear pants tomorrow.  And not nothing- which would be bad.  And HR would probably object.

As we speak (or, as I write) my husband is off buying me ice cream.  Because I had an undeniable craving.  He’s been quite the independent grocery shopper lately.  Among the list of other things he’s run off to get me includes biscuits from KFC, red Cool Aid, Spaghettio’s, Sour Patch Kids, and…well…there have to be other things.  Before I was pregnant I used to think the cravings were “cute,” but now I realise it’s not a pleasant “Oh I want that so much” type feeling,  it’s much more of a “I’m going to puke and the only thing that might stop me, MAYBE, is _______.”

Ok, he’s back.  This is going to require bigger pants, brb.

Ok, back.  John is now busily making some biscuits.   He’s been surfing recipe websites and getting inspired to do something about it lately.  It’s actually kind of a good sign.  When I met the boy- the only things he ate were chips and food from cans.  Very occasionally he would cook something for the both of us- but the best meals he got when we were dating involved chili from Wendy’s.  I’ve tried to cook more as we’ve been married- and for a couple of months when he was working nights- I think we were actually getting all the food groups in regularly.   Granted, we ate at about 11pm…but we ate.   Since I’ve been pregnant- it’s gone downhill.  For awhile I didn’t have the energy to cook- then I didn’t have the stomach for it.  The past few weeks it’s been better- we’ve taken turns, I made some AWESOME soup awhile ago…some rice and meat tonight.  But anyWAY- back to my point- I think he’s finally beginning to realise how much he can eat- even with Celiac disease, and that food is sometimes worth the effort.  Plus- he’s pretty good at the cooking thing when he puts his mind to it- if only we had a dishwasher.

I had a long chat with my Mom today.  There’s a possibility we might be able to fly out east for a few days in June.  I can’t tell you how much I would love that- LOVE that.  I miss home so much sometimes- and when I say home, I don’t necessarily mean Orchard Rd, I mean New England.  I also miss my family.  I’ve felt a little left out as I’ve heard about parties and get-togethers in Connecticut.  The wedding just made me miss my aunts, uncles and cousins more.  My cousin Sara is pregnant- due in May- and I wish I could see her belly.  I would settle for meeting her baby, though!

In our baby news- we may know the sex on the 14th.  Yup- two weeks!  It’s our next ultrasound, and we’ve been told that it’s “likely” the doctor will be able to know what the baby will be then.  Now- the girl who sits behind me at work is about 19 weeks and couldn’t tell when she went, so I’m nervous to get my hopes up.  But who knows.  We’ll see As for our stance on “telling people,” we will let you know if it’s a boy or girl when we know, most likely…but as for names, that’s going to be kept under wraps for awhile.  We’ve come up with some ideas- in the broadest sense of the word, but we’re both big believers in actually seeing the child before bestowing upon it it’s name.  I mean- I was born Jamie Lee.  That didn’t stick- so we’ll see.

We will definitely see.

So yes- it’s been a weekend. Friday night we went up to Kelly’s to get my hairs done. Ever since I dyed my hair I’ve been worried about getting roots- and in an effort to avoid them I decided to get my hair dyed back to it’s natural color. Well, come to find out that I’ve had roots for quite some time, they’ve just been barely noticeable because the dye I put in faded and my hair has gotten darker. Who knew? My Mom said her hair got darker when she got pregnant- so I guess I just jumped the gun a few months ago with a box of Clairol. Kelly and I decided on some highlights to brighten me up without having to worry about it growing out, and I got a trim. It’s nice to get things taken care of…I should really get up earlier in the morning so I can DO something with myself instead of barely drying my hair and running out the door. We’ll see.

Saturday we woke up late, but not too late, and ended up doing stuff around the house and running some errands. The errands included throwing all of John’s socks away and replacing them (consequence of me finding out that some of them have been with him since just after his mission. Seriously. Not kidding.) I finally found the time to vacuum out the breezeway and clean it up for the new, warm weather. I like to keep the doors open when it gets nice outside, and sure enough, as soon as I get rid of all the leaves and mess from the winter in preparation for spring—it snows. All night, all morning, and most of the afternoon. Yuck. Ew. Whatever. Before ending the day we ran out to Blockbuster in search of a couple of movies- most especially Dan in Real Life. When we got there around 5 there weren’t any copies left, but I asked the guy and the girl at the desk to keep an eye out and hide one for me if it came in. Admittedly, I tried to flirt with the guy- and as a girl who’s carrying around an extra person, found out I can’t do that anymore. Even though John gets flirted with in WalMart all the time. Yup. There’s a story for you. Moving on- When we got up to the front they HAD INDEED gotten a copy for us! Yay! We also rented Enchanted and In the Land of Women. The latter two were wastes of time- but Dan in Real Life was good. It had a Family Stone quality that I really enjoyed- it might be one to own one of these days.

Today we woke up, went to church, and then commenced to laze about. Although I HAVE been inspired to pluck my eyebrows and paint my toenails- because after my haircut I’m inspired to spiff up a bit. Although I have to live life as a blotation device, I don’t need to feel too frumpy. I told John today that I lived about 10 years of my life complaining about being chubby and nauseous….and I was an idiot. I was a flat-stomached, energetic-type girl who could function on small amounts of sleep and eat anything covered with cheese at any time of night or day. And now…oh I wish I had enjoyed it. Will I ever get that back?

(Oh, and by the way Auntie- I found a stand up routine where Bill Cosby called them Salad Tongs! Funny, funny man.)

So. I said I would write more, and I didn’t. Sorry. Still working on that.

This week flew by. It was payroll at work- and, since I’m the payroll person, I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off making sure I got everyone’s commissions, time off, hours and overtime, la la la la la. It was pretty tiring, but I’m still enjoying the people and the days don’t go too slowly. My evenings were mostly filled with laying around, studying for my science final, and well….trying to force myself to eat something. And yes, I’ve TAKEN the final. Finally! I had a slight (ok, major) freak out on Thursday night when I realized that although I am able to retake the final if I don’t do well enough, but don’t have enough time for it to be graded and take it before the graduation is long gone…..that I really needed to do well. I felt under-prepared and trapped ONCE AGAIN by BYU and their invisible ploys to keep 20-something’s attached to campus. I mean, with so many people fasting for admittance across the nation, you think they’d help a girl out trying to get out. But maybe not. But I took it. Friday night- and I don’t think (knock on wood) that it went too badly. I felt fine going through it- and except for the weird feelings I had standing in the line waiting for my exam with my baby bump…and the fact that the testing center does NOT cater to pregnancy with their super long exams with no bathroom breaks…and the air conditioning right on my head….I’m somewhat confident that I’m done with this class. Which means I’m done with my undergraduate education. Granted, I could be delusional, and my uterus pressing on my bladder could have blurred my judgment, but I’m hoping I’m done.

I was talked to Alicia about graduation- and I guess she’s going to walk. I feel so ridiculous at this point- having prolonged my graduation as long as humanly possible, missing deadlines, etc…that I don’t feel like it’s worth it. It’s also just more money and a long ceremony that I will most definitely either feel nauseous through or have to pee during. And although I don’t really WANT to walk, necessarily, I don’t know. I just remember thinking about graduation in Scranton and feeling excited to go through that with my friends. I even still have the tassels (somewhere) from my honor society that I never wore. I gave that up, and for a good reason. I still have wonderful friends, but not that memory. I’m glad that I went on a mission, but I’m learning that the sacrifices you make to do something like that last longer than 18 months. There are things I’ll never get back- and I don’t think walking at BYU will get it for me. Of course, I know for a fact that I would not in ANY way be the same person that I am today with my experience in England. I mean, there was living in the UK- which was an experience in itself. Then there were the people, who are amazing friends. Finally, I learned a lot about God and a lot about my relationship with Him as a real, caring, and personal being. I don’t regret going. But the things that are sacrificed are gone- and I hope I can just remember how glad I am for what I traded them for.

I remember and playing “college” with my cousin Melissa (going from room to room with my girl scout books, pretending to have “classes”) and how I would dream about graduating. Yes- some girls would play house, and I would play college. Granted, quite a lot of the time I’d have a baby that I brought with me to classes, I had to work in the dolls somehow. Funny how true to life things turn out later…But college was it for me. I had no idea what might come afterwards…only that it would start with an aptly named commencement. Maybe we’ll find some way to celebrate. And maybe, once again, I’m counting my diplomas before they’re printed. Stupid physical science requirement.

Today was pretty good. Some sleeping in- we went to IKEA to get some little bear pictures we’d seen there about a hundred times and never found a reason to get. But a baby is a perfect reason to get some little bear pictures. Plus, John loves bears.

Afterwards we went to to Harmon’s and Walmart and got some necessities we’ve been needing as of late. Little tip- don’t go shopping on the day before Easter. Lots of people feeling overly entitled about being cheap and in the way. But we got through it and we’re home now. It’s getting late, and as I’ve been exhausted today…I’m not sure how cleaning is meant to get done. It might just have to wait…because I still have to finish preparing my primary lesson for tomorrow. I’ve read through it a couple of times, but want to put some scriptures in some plastic eggs. I know- amazing technique. We’ll see if the girls fight over them.

So- what will I do with all my extra time now that I’m not doing the course online? Well…I have an HTML book John bought me that I’ll start going through. We put it away until I was done with the course. Also- as long as all goes well, I’ll be starting Westminster in May. They haven’t been too helpful through the registration process, so I’ll have to tell you what I’m taking when I can actually take a look at it. But yes…I’ll have plenty to do.

And now I’m nauseous and need food…so off I go to try and find something yummy.

More later….

It’s me!  Internet, do you remember me?  Hmph.  I know I’ve been gone for so long- but give me one more chance.  I’ll try to make it up to you.

So….this week….it’s been pretty good.  A little slow at work- in between payrolls, and I’m becoming more and more efficient at the daily reports I have to do, which results in less time to do them, which gives me more time with which to do other things.  It can definitely be fun- but it can also be slow.  There are days when I go in and have a million things to do.  Then other days when I’m just chillin- asking, “So, any checks needing to be cut?” or “how about I clean out the mini-fridge?”  But it’s all good.  I should be learning a couple new things soon which will help me be more productive, and there are ALWAYS things to do.  Some days it’s just a little more exciting than others, I guess.

The science class has majorly progressed this week.  I have one exam left: the final.  There are 80 multiple choice questions and 8 essay questions.  I need a 60 to get a C in the class.  In a perfect world, I’d review rather well and do just fine on it.  In the real world I’d just wing it, and have a chance of not even passing.  Which would mean taking it again. (The test, not the course.) We’ll see-  I really just need to concentrate one evening to make sure I get through it rather well.  And then I will be free, FREE of undergraduate requirements…and on to graduate ones.  Should be good.  I’m kind of excited to go to Westminster- a new experience…of course…more work, but it’ll probably feel good by then.  I hope so anyway.

Today wasn’t too bad.  It was quite nice, actually.  We got out of bed pretty late, I’ve finally begun being able to sleep in again.  Much needed sleep, I might add!  We got up, I started some chili in the crockpot, we cleaned house and then went up to Salt Lake.  We visited with Jared, Emily and the girls for about an hour- just catching up a bit, and then instead of going to IKEA like we had planned, we stopped off to get some gas at Costco and ended up looking at some Hondas.  They didn’t really have anything we were looking for- and while the first salesperson was tolerable, his manager was not.  He kept saying things like, “Well, if money is an issue, you don’t need to worry about that today.” Ok, sure!  Sounds great!  Let’s show up at 6pm, look around a bit, then drive off with a new car, down payment pending…and hope the insurance covers it within the month!”  What do we look like, idiots? Him saying, “You don’t need to worry about this today,” was right…because I’d worry about it for the next 30 days.  The first guy had taken us on a test drive, gotten a list of cars and years of cars we were looking for, and said he’d call us back if they got one in.  That is completely acceptable.  The second guy had no clue what we wanted and that they didn’t even have any on the lot.  I wonder what, exactly, he was planning on us driving away in.  Hopes and dreams for 16 k?  I don’t think so.  He wanted us to test drive a brand new accord, even though we said we didn’t want anything new (not worth the taxes or depreciation at the moment), and when we said it was getting late, he pressured us to stay.  It was lame.  But we looked at stuff.  Then we came home.

Now we’re watching Casino Royale…doing some laundry.  Looking forward to an early night perhaps.  I can watch my husband compulsively look at cars online while I try to catch up with my adoring readers.  I’ve been trying to think of some interesting things to blog about…one thing that came to mind was naming 3 random books we have in our apartment every week.  That doesn’t sound to interesting, but I’m still finding out what we have around here (as the books are mainly John’s as mine are still in MA) and the other day I found one called “How to Hypnotize Yourself and Others.”  Hmmmm…I’ll think about it.  Oh yes, and one more thought, in honor of Dame Judi Dench, who is perhaps the classiest, coolest, smartest (in the English sense) women I’ve ever come across, I’m thinking that Dame would be a great name for the potentially little lady I’m growing.  John doesn’t agree.  What do YOU think?

So.  My primary class today.  For any who need catching up, I teach 8 year old girls at church.  I noticed they were all looking at me a little funny- and then towards the end on particuarly boisterous little girl said:

“Are you pregnant?”

Before I could even say yes, the little girl to her left opened her eyes wide and informed her:

“You NEVER, never, never, never ask a woman if she’s pregnant.  She could just be putting on weight.”

The first little girl answered back,

“But it’s just in her belly, not in her butt!”

Good to know girls.  Good to know.

But the conversation didn’t stop there.  The little girl who insisted that you NEVER ask someone if they are pregnant (actually a good rule, I informed her) went on to ask:

“Are you having a girl, or a boy?”  (without waiting for an answer) “You know, if you get a boy first, you should ask for a girl next.  But if you get a girl first, you should ask for a boy next.  But if you get TWO boys in a row, it’s you’re husband’s fault.”

Third girl interjects:

“Why is it the Dad’s fault?”

Other girl continues:

“Well, you see.  The Dad gives the Mom a sperm.  If it’s a boy sperm, then it’s a boy baby!  If it’s a girl sperm, it’s a girl baby!  It’s not like he gets to choose really, but it’s still his fault.  My Mom told me that.”

Another one pipes up:

“What’s a sperm?”

And at that point, I ended the conversation and made them go to their next class….hoping that I don’t get a phone call later.