Fall Weather

I love this time of year, too, when the temperature rarely gets over 100 during the day and might even drop to the 70's at night. Ahhhh...and the leaves on the palm trees change to that beautiful shade of...green? Oh, that's right - they don't change. The smell in the air...kind of smokey...like someone lit a fire...in California...ahhhh. I love pulling out my sweaters and looking at them...because it reminds me that if I were to wear one, I'd be yanking it off at noon to prevent roasting from within! Hot chocolate...yummy! It's best served over ice cream. Who says we don't have 4 seasons down here? It's like having quadruplets...all 4 are very similar, but there are very subtle differences. So the next time you are walking through beautiful autumn leaves, just remember, you could be breathing in air hot enough to scorch your lungs! So there....

Atlas Shrugged?

I heard a newsclip last week - something about casting for a movie version of this book. What? How is that possible? The most shocking thing is who they are considering for the female lead - Angelina Jolie! While I can see that she may be able to portray the character, she doesn't really seem to have the character for this part. Oh well, I guess that's why they call it acting. I just hope they don't try to cast Brad as John Galt! They should make a requirement that anyone in the movie has to read the book first. What are the chances? Anyway, thought it was interesting since Cathy and I have played this game for years - casting the movie of Atlas Shrugged.

Crikey...

Last night we watched the memorial service for The Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. Very touching, very moving. At the end, they had one of his guys pack up his truck and drive it out of the arena for the last time...so sad. It must be so wonderful for his family to have all the filmed memories of his life, but nothing can replace having him there. Interesting how he touched so many lives, and that his death has been felt so deeply.

Now, on to lighter topics: We had combined Mutual last night and played black light volleyball. It was kind of fun - but a little disorienting. We had 3 teams, so while 2 were playing, the other went into a classroom with one of the counselors in the bishopric and listened to a little lesson on "Light" - darkness is passive, light is active. You have to work to keep the light. We have good kids. They play together really well - everybody participates.

Alisha's baby shower is tomorrow night. She told Sarah that she has always wanted one of those "cakes" made with diapers, so Sarah has been working on that. Alisha looks so cute - she's one of those women who doesn't really look pregnant, except for the little bump in the front. She has a tall dancer's build - not fair!

We haven't seen the little girls for over a week! I don't know how that happened - well, I do, but it just seems like a long time. I'm sure they've grown a couple of inches.

I tried another flavor of Ben and Jerry's - Magic Brownies. It's vanilla ice cream with a ribbon of raspberry and a huger ribbon of fudgy brownie stuff. It's a bummer though if you get a carton with a smaller ribbon of brownie! That's what makes it all good. I also got Dublin Mudslide, but haven't tasted it yet. It's Irish Cream ice cream with cookie bits and a fudge ribbon, I think. Do you see the pattern?

Last Sunday afternoon, I had a teeny tiny nap on the couch in the basement. When I fell asleep, Becky was in her room, and Mom and Zack were upstairs, napping also, I suppose. The phone rang, I answered, it was Jennifer, asking for Mom. I called upstairs but nobody answered. So I hung up and ventured upstairs. Ross was on the couch watching TV, Jeanette was on one computer and Jeff was on the other. Zack was in his room, but Mom and Becky were nowhere to be found. I assumed they had gone Visiting Teaching. A few minutes later Jennifer called to let us know that Mom and Becky were at the emergency room. Becky had been fighting a mirgraine since the evening before. She had taken all the medication allowed, but it wasn't getting better. So she thought it best to go early in the evening to see what could be done so that she would be able to go to work on Monday. They got home a little after 10. She felt better - no migraine, but she said she felt a little goofy from the meds. She gets those about twice a month and usually she can treat it herself.

That's all for now. Better get back to work!

Peer Pressure?

Do you ever wonder if anyone knows who you are? I don't - not anymore. Blogging is an interesting study in human "interaction". Most of us are a little concerned that our lives are not "blogworthy". Nevertheless, we find the gems in our daily existence to share with others - and to our surprise, there are people out there that appreciate even the mundane. After all, it's not the "big events" that paint the true picture of our lives - it's the little things, the day to day living. We put those events out there to show others that we are not just robots. So I am not a robot, and I also have a day to day life. And I love knowing what is going on in the lives of my family, thus, I read their blogs everyday. I have been shamed into blogging more often. But I also want to tell you that my heart is full - seriously - knowing that I am missed, even if it's just a little.

So, here goes. I would like to apologize for the heavy nature of my last entry. You know that most of the time I am upbeat - but again, the blog shows what is happening in my life and that was how I felt that day. Last week I did things like show my house-for-sale to a friend who seems to be interested - if she can sell her condo, that is. It is imperative that I sell this house for so many reasons, but mainly so I don't have to spend any more $$ on it. I also went to Mutual on Tuesday. Have I mentioned before that I love the young women in my class? I also got my personalized licence plate. I won't tell you what it says, but hopefully I can post a photo of it. I think it's cute. Our Stake was split yesterday - an indication that there is still some growth going on in this area. We are now in the Chandler East Stake. There were some ward realignments in preparation for the Stake split and we were fearful that we would lose some of our people, but instead we gained - and we got 2 new Beehives in our class. With birthdays coming up, we will have 17 by the end of the year. Then we will start losing them to those Mia Maids!

I am busy working on a dark blue afghan for a certain very skillful dentist I know! It's huge! If I were smart, I'd put the afghan on the table and walk around the table as I crochet. I'm hoping that it won't be too cold too soon up in Calgary. I had to take a little break while I worked on a couple of pink ones for babies that are arriving. I'm also looking for the right shade of Crimson Red - haven't quite nailed that one yet. And I'm not sure what color I need for Colorado, but I have a little time for that! I love to crochet with a purpose - so I'll take orders. I cannot guarantee a completion date, but I promise to crochet with love! I saw a baby blanket at Deseret Book just like the ones I make and they were selling for $80! Are you serious? Hey, it's not that difficult. I should put little stickers on the blankets that say "Call me - I'll do it for half this price!" But then I'd be under so much pressure! And I don't need pressure.

So I'm watching Survivor - even with all the controversy! I'm just glad that it's only on 1 night each week. I watched Big Brother and it was on 3 times - that was way too much. I'm not really into the Dancing, but my mom is, so I'm sure I'll see it here and there. I decided that I really have to limit the Reality shows that I watch cause I could go nuts! I think I'll keep it to American Idol, Big Brother and Survivor. Now, if they decide to do another Bachelor, I may be in trouble. I don't really watch that much TV, but I do love CSI and Without A Trace.

I think it was under 100 degrees this weekend. The way we can tell if it's cooling off is by the evening temps. When it starts to be really nice in the evening, we know that relief from the heat is not far off. But we do use our AC a lot.

Haven't seen a movie lately, so no comment there. I should just tell you what movies look interesting to me - that's about as far as I get. Have you all read Zack's blog? I have a link so it's really easy. He has pictures from our Vegas adventure. He hasn't blogged the Idol Concert yet.

For now, adios. I guess if I blogged more often, I wouldn't write so much. Can I just say that one of the reasons is that our internet at home has been rather sluggish lately. Wish I knew a good geek with lots of skills!!!

The Day After 9/11

Can I say that I'm ready for all the 9/11 stuff to be over? I will always remember that day and what happened, but I do not want to re-live it so vividly. I have watched some of the 9/11 footage again, but I cannot bear to watch for long. I purposely avoided it these last few days. Some of the news people were so "heavy" with their delivery yesterday, even wearing black. My feeling - and I hope I can put it into words - is that we should always remember what happened and honor those who died, but it should motivate us in our resolve to defend our freedoms. I feel sorry for those who have to carry the burden of loss, I really do. But I wish that there was more positive energy involved instead of paralizing sorrow, like a heavy backpack that we are doomed to carry. Anyway, I remember.

When I got home yesterday, Mom said that Jeff was coming over because he wanted us to tell him again about being in Washington DC on 9/11/2001. I thought, oh great, I have avoided it all day, and now I have to dredge it up. So we talked about it, and wondered about the "what ifs" of that week. Mom and I were standing in line to tour the White House on that morning 5 years ago, so we were part of the herd that was cleared from the area once the attacks started. We saw the smoke from the Pentagon and saw fighter jets in the air. We didn't really know what was going on. Eventually we learned that a plane had crashed in Pennsylvania and the speculation was that it was headed for either the White House or the Capitol. And we learned from another conversation that we had later that week, that had the plane hit the White House, we would have been counted in the casualties of that day because of where we were standing. Personally, I think the Capitol was a more logical target. Nevertheless, the passengers on United 93 did not know that - they had only determined that they would defeat the hijackers plan. And they did. Jeff ended the discussion by saying that he was really sorry that people lost their lives when that plane crashed in Pennsylvania, but he felt that he owed them a debt of gratitude. Because of that plane crash, he expressed gratitude that the lives of his mother and sister were preserved. The sobering effects of that day have many layers and ripples.

I always wondered why my mother had a hard time watching movies or documentaries about WWII, and now I think I understand.