It's official

I officially suck at running. I went this morning with Bobie & Sheena to do a practice run in preparation for the 5k that we're doing on the 4th of July. I've only ever run on the treadmill. Never outside on a hard surface. We decided to run the track at Hunter High School. I made it around 1 1/2 times and then my feet cramped up and my toes started to tingle. What the heck? I actually couldn't even really feel the bottom of my feet or my toes. They were that numb and it hurt. That hasn't happened for months. It especially hasn't happened since I got my fancy new shoes. I know that I have a pretty high tolerance for pain and when I've been running on the treadmill it's hurt before, but I've been able to walk the cramps out. I can usually "fake" my way through anything. I didn't feel like I could even do that today. It was extremely frustrating. I mean, I've had 3 kids without any pain medicine and I've made it through that just fine. In fact, I didn't ever think that it was so bad that I couldn't take it. These foot cramps were very debilitating.

I have only been running on the treadmill and there have been times when I've had some cramping in my feet, but nothing that I couldn't deal with. Certainly, nothing this bad for months. I can go for a good 30+ minutes without any trouble. I will admit that for the past 3 weeks I've only run on an average of 3 times a week. I've let it slide since school let out. Today was just unexpected and very frustrating. I think that I should have done just fine. It's not like I'm at the beginning of all of this. This wasn't the first time I've ran. I feel like a real baby because I really do run and for a longer period of time than 7 minutes. I think that it's finally time for me to go to Salt Lake Running Co. and get them to assess me.

Stats

I finally decided to add a stat counter to my blog. You can set the counter at a much higher number to start out so that you can account for all of the previous visits. I decided to just start from scratch and go from "0". Here's to keeping track of how many visits I've had!

Me - YUCK

So, I was just looking at the picture of me playing with Peyton and I have to say YUCK yet again. I think that I am the very definition of fine lines and wrinkles. Oil of Olay is marketing directly to me. Perhaps it's time for me to pay attention and invest in some of their products. I look splotchy, wrinkly, I have dark circles and what are all of those spots? Also, what the blankety, blank is up with my neck? Has it always looked that weird?

Yes. Another one

I told you that I had seen a lot of these lately. They're obviously for entertainment purposes, because they all seem to come to different conclusions. Maybe I'm just a myth wrapped in a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery.



You Are Belle!

Intelligent and kind. Your beauty goes much further than your apperance. Also, you make judgements of people based on their personality and not their looks. Attaining all the knowledge that you can is one of your major goals in life, but you are also a person who can make things happen.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Another personality test

These things are everywhere. They're kind of fun and I just thought that I would post all of the ones that I have done lately.

I'm a Porsche 911!

You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite,and you know it.

Which Jane Austen heroine are you?

I love Jane Austen's novels. Pride and Prejudice is one of the books I accidentally "stole" from the library 9 years ago. I especially love Sense & Sensibility. What a coincidence that I "am" Marianne.

Take the Quiz here!

Oops!

I just noticed on my last post that I had a comment from someone I didn't want a comment from. I didn't mean to, but apparently I switched my preferences to allow anonymous comments. No. They're like spam email. Yuck.

Playing with Peyton

Peyton - Cute Me - Yuck

See! He can smile when he wants too

So Chill...

Peyton has finally had two teeth on the bottom start to break through. It's making him very ornery and very tired. He crashed on my bed last night after finishing a bottle. Too cute.

1st session of swimming lessons

Avery had some trust issues in the begining, but learned

to do what her teacher asked eventually. She could still use

some additional training.

Tyler's favorite thing to do is dive.

Cameron is hilarious to watch. He just moves in such a
funny way. Every year, he gets better and better.

On Friday, the kids finished their first session of swimming lessons. We're taking the next 2 weeks off and then Cameron & Avery will start another session. Tyler will be doing Beyond the Basics and therefore he won't have time for swimming. Yes. He's very mad about it and said, "NO FAIR!" Urggh. One of my pet peeves. Here are some pictures from the first go around.

I think I'm keeping Tylenol and Excedrin in business

I have been having some wicked headaches for the past 2-3 weeks. This happens from time to time. I'll suddenly start getting nasty ones every day and that will last for sometimes up to a month. I HATE it. No over the counter remedy really helps that much. They just take the edge off. I'm pretty sure that I have a high pain threshold, but even I have a breaking point. I'm getting really sick of these. I think the cause this time around is hormonal. I stopped taking the pill because I now have an IUD, I guess Mirena is an IUC, and it's not hormonal. I guess that my body will just have to adjust and adapt. The same thing has happened after having a baby. I did an extensive 2 minute Internet search and found that after having such high hormones during pregnancy and then a sudden drop after birth can cause headaches. Thankfully, things usually return back to normal after a relatively short amount of time. I'm experiencing a strong sense of deja vu. Have I written this before? Sorry if I have. The headaches can sometimes make me more loopy than normal. :0)

I'm easy like Sunday morning...

Sunday was our ward conference. The stake leaders from each auxiliary came and took care of things for each organization. They didn't teach the lessons in each class, but they did take care of singing and sharing time. We had an opening exercises and then everyone went to class for the first hour. I conducted the opening exercises and then I was supposed to be free to go to Sunday School, but I didn't do it. During the final hour, all of the adults attended a combined meeting. I'm sure it's the same in all ward conferences. It was a nice little break, but me being the kind of uptight control freak that I am, I kept having to peek in the doors to make sure all was going well. It wasn't that I couldn't stand that someone else was doing the singing and sharing time, I just wanted to make sure that everyone was being good. We have some stinkers and I didn't want them being crazy for the Stake leaders. It was a very nice conference. I enjoyed the lesson (well, what I heard because I had to take Peyton out) and it inspired and challenged me to better myself. I want to thank the Stake Primary Presidency as well. I appreciate the great things they did in primary and according to my kids, it was a lot of fun.

And so it begins...

Our stake has been selected to enter a float in the Pioneer Day Kids Parade. Our ward is part of the construction committee and me being the Primary President I'm "lucky" enough to be working on it. Two other wards designed it and now we have to make the dream a reality. I'm not really being sarcastic about it. I know that it will be fun, just a lot of work. Essentially, we will be working every Tuesday and Saturday and any extra days needed, up until July 18th. The parade is on the 19th. I went today with the Stake Primary President and the Primary President from the Oxford Ward to Modern Display. Modern Display is the only store in the valley that sells float making materials. You would think in a place where we have a big parade every summer, that there would be more places to buy the materials. Nope. Modern Display is it. We picked out the colors, bought the letters and the glitter to decorate them, and all the other bits and bobs. Hopefully it will all turn out well.

The 200 List

I just found this list on Rebecca Fellows blog. It was fun to read through hers and then think about what applied to myself. The things I have done are in Bold.

200 Have and Have nots!

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula (I've actually only touched one)
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (I will be in September)
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty (We have an 8 hour layover in New York in September. I'd like to try to go then.)
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (Well, I was only 2)
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (I do it practically everyday for my kids)
33. Adopted an accent for fun (I've tried and not really succeeded. I recently heard a little boy say "Hello. I like to speak in a British accent." He sounded like Pee Wee Herman being strangled. Very funny.)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving (I haven't actually gone scuba diving. I've tried snorkeling. Is that close enough? They both involve sticking your head underwater. I'm just way too claustrophobic to scuba dive.)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud (I did it all the time as a kid. I would make mud pies and then eat them. I like the feel of it on my teeth.)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report (I would say I actually really only understood a little more than half.)
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi (Salmon is my favorite)
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed some one's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions (Not actually fired, but pretty close to it)
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad (Parts of it for AP English)
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (A chicken)
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four (No way! I can't even stand the thought of touching them. It's the ribs. I hate the way they feel.)
106. Raked your carpet
107.Brought out the best in people (I'd like to think that I have)
108.Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112.Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114.Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116.Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird (No birds, but I have shot at jack rabbits. The only animals I've ever "hunted". It's not very fun. They scream when they're hurt. Creepy)
120. Gone to an arboretum
121.Tutored someone (The same happened to me that happened to Rebecca when I first read this. I thought that it said tortured someone. That would be yes. I love to tickle my kids until they can't stand it and scream. No one is allowed to touch me. Tutored, no.)
122.Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125.Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128.Pieced a quilt
129.Lived in an historic place
130.Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131.Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134.Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking (I think that Timpanogos cave counts)
144.Learned how to take a compliment
145.Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted (Does having your silhouette done at Disneyland count?)
148.Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss (Well, I do have kids)
154. Sat on a jury
155.Lied about your weight (Probably everyday since I was 15)
156.Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158.Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163.Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165.Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173.Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177.Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178.Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184.Been a cashier
185. Seen geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187.Donated blood or plasma (Absolutely not. I have a huge fear of needles. Especially when they're taking something out of me)
188.Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation (I've watched my 8 year old son, Tyler, do it many times)
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198.Found a long lost friend (Yes, but I've lost them again)
199. Helped solve a crime (Yes. If finding out who made a certain mess at my house counts)
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

In house slumber party

Lately, Tyler & Cameron have been wanting to sleep in the same room. Not just the same room, but in the same twin bed. It's pretty funny to see them crammed on there like sardines in a can. There's no room for movement. I let them do it a couple of times during the school year, but they would both wake up so ornery I had to put an end to it. They stay up late talking and playing Cameron's Gameboy.

I let them give it a try again this week. It hasn't been pretty. By about noon they are both ready for a nap. I guess it's ok if they don't get much sleep because they don't have to get up for school in the morning. I keep waiting for them to get sick of it, but it hasn't happened yet. They've also been asking if they can move into the same room again. No way. They would kill each other. There are days when they can't even be around each other for 5 minutes without their hands ending up around each other's throats. They would end up throwing each other through the walls if they were living together in the same room.

When I get bored...

OK. I admit it. I have become a blog stalker. If I have time on my hands, I end up looking at some one's blog, which leads me to another and then another and then another and then another and then another. This usually happens early in the morning before the kids wake up, late at night when I can't sleep, when Ryan's out of town or out late playing basketball. I guess it can happen at anytime. Ryan's in Idaho for the night so I've been stalking for a few reasons. It's late, I can't sleep and well, he's out of town. (You know, everything I've just said, but I usually don't ever need a reason to do it.) He's not here to tell me to go to sleep, so I've been stalking tonight. I know. It's kind of weird and voyeuristic, but I guess that is the nature of the blog.
So, if anyone is here for the same reasons I end up at other blogs (because you get bored and you just can't help it), feel free to leave me a comment. I find it highly entertaining to get to "meet" people from all walks of life.

Tyler's Talk

Tyler spoke in sacrament meeting today and did very well. I never doubted that he would be able to do it. He came up with all of the basic ideas for his talk. Last night I helped him expand them a little and fill in a bit here and there. He wasn't nervous about having to sit up on the stand. He went right up there and sat down as soon as we got there. His friend Zach also spoke, so he was able to sit next to him. I think that helped him to be less nervous. (Zach did a great job also.) He walked up to the pulpit when it was his turn, stepped up on the step stool, adjusted the mic and got right to it. He told Ryan that once he was standing in front of everyone at the pulpit, it did make him a little nervous, but as long as he kept his eyes on the paper he felt fine. He read through it easily and you could actually understand him. He even remembered to bear his testimony at the end. I would always speed read when I gave talks as a child. Kind of like the Micro Machine guy. My parents would always tell me that I needed to slow down, but I was always so nervous that I couldn't do it. Ryan and I were both very proud. It's hard not to be when you see your 8 year old child behaving in such a grown up way. I could tell that Ryan was very touched by what Tyler said. It was very sweet and you could really tell that Tyler meant everything he said. Like I said, all the ideas were his. I just helped him pull them all together.

Tuesday Night at the Temple

I've been pretty bad as of late about getting myself to the temple. It's been several months since the last time. I've had a nursing baby and with all of the other things that go along with a newborn, it's kind of hard to leave them for long periods of time. Now that he's weaned, I no longer have any excuses. So, Ryan arranged the babysitting and we went tonight. He took me out to dinner first. It was nice that I didn't have to cook. We went on a session at the Jordan River Temple. A stake from Herriman was having a special meeting and session tonight, so it was very crowded. I didn't mind. It was nice to have the feelings you only experience when you're there. It helped to clear my mind and relieve some stress and worries. Not big stuff. Just the everyday cares of life. I'm glad that we went and I WILL make it there more often.

Kinda, sorta better

I feel a little bit better today after my Sunday meetings than I did last week. Some solutions were presented in Ward Council and now it's up to the president of another organization to work some things out within his own group to try and free up individuals. It's an idea I've been throwing around for a long time. So, we'll see if it happens.

I did get a little mad at the teacher I was the most mad at last week. She decided to come up to me and apologize for being so "flaky lately". If by "flaky" she meant only being there around 25% of the time, 50% if we're lucky, and if by "lately" she meant since March 2007, I'd like to know what she would consider being active. She was very flippant about it and I could tell that she really wanted me to just brush it off and be ok with it. You know, just tell her everything was fine and not to worry about it. I didn't do any of that. I know she could tell I was NOT happy. However, there was someone else standing there at the time, so I didn't get the chance to tell her the things that really needed to be said. The things that I can and have the right to say being the Primary President. She will hear it soon.

Tyler and Cameron both gave talks today in opening exercises. Avery read the scripture. I wrote the talks for them. They approved them and then read them on their own. Yes, Cameron read his on his own. He only had a little trouble with a couple of words and he looked down at the paper the whole time, not speaking into the mic, but he did great. He's reading at around a third grade level and he's only starting 1st grade in the fall. Crazy. I've always said that I would probably have children who would be evil geniuses and would pass me up in the intelligence department.

Tyler is going to be speaking in Sacrament meeting on Father's Day. He's very excited. He was asked last week and as soon as he got home from church, he started working on it. We have a draft in progress. We'll work on it in the next couple of days and get everything finalized. I can't believe I have a son who is old enough to be speaking on his own in Sacrament meeting. Does that mean that I'm getting old?

Hairless pets! Weird!

Wednesday night, Emily Deyoung and I went to see Sadie Medina. She broke the femur in her right leg over Memorial Day weekend in a four wheeling accident. We got her a few things to pass the time while she's stuck in a cast. While we were sitting and chatting with Sadie, her sister Savannah, her grandma and her mom, a cat suddenly walked into the room. Not just any cat either. A disgusting, creepy, gross hairless one. I thought that it must be dead. It reminded me of the corpse of a cat. I immediately started to panic. It was kind of slinking around the room and I had a bit of a hard time keeping it in my sights. It disappeared for a second and suddenly it was on the couch walking behind Emily and approaching me. Oh, no. It came right up to me and started rubbing it's head on my arm. I almost started puking and hyperventilating at the same time. I think that I was practically falling off the couch leaning over the arm. I was trying to get as far away from it as I could. That only seemed to encourage it. All I could say was, "Oh, my. You're very friendly." My voice must have sounded panicked and Linda, Sadie's grandma, saw my distress and got up to get the cat away. She said that the stupid thing only did that to people who it could tell didn't like cats. Those who love them, it wasn't at all interested in. Oh, great. I was on edge for the entire rest of the visit and couldn't wait to get out of there.

I've been creeped out by it ever since. Last night, Ryan was telling my about how the Hancuff's cat rubbed its head up against him when he was at their house last night. We were laying in bed at the time. So, he didn't just tell me. He decided to demonstrate, using his own head. I screamed and gagged and had a panic attack. Mean husband.

Curly, straight. Curly, straight.

This picture of her from the back, kind of gives

you an idea of what I'm talking about. Curly on

the bottom, straight on top. It's actually kind

of tame here. It's usually much worse.

Avery has some crazy hair. It's very curly at the nape of her neck. In fact, it's curly all the way around her head, but just the bottom layer of hair. The top, overlay is stick straight. It can sometimes make her hair look like it's very tangled. Even if I've combed it only 1 minute before. Lately, she's decided that it's unnecessary to do anything with it. I try to get her to let me at least put a ponytail in it. She says, "No. That's not lovely. It's lovely just like this." Meaning crazy and tangled. I think she thinks if it's down and long, it looks more princessy. Sigh.

Today we spent the afternoon together doing girly stuff. (Peyton came along for the ride.) We went to have our nails done. She had her fingernails and toenails painted. She was right in her element and enjoyed every minute of it. In fact, when I suggested the outing stuff she said, "I can go to Sheena and get my hair colored too." No, not yet.

I had a pedicure. I've never had it done professionally. Sweet, merciful crap! I loved it. It's going to be hard to resist going at least once a week. I tend to carry a lot of tension and stress in my feet. It was amazing sticking them in the jetted spa and then having someone massage all of that out. I'll have to limit myself to once every 5-6 weeks like Bobie. I'm going to have to find a way to get one of those chairs/tubs for my house. I would soak my feet in it every night. Heaven!

Sweet & Sensitive Cameron

Cameron can be so sweet and sensitive. Today, Avery, Peyton & I walked over to the school to pick him up. He was standing on the grassy hill in the middle of the round about. I know that he saw us coming, but he didn't move. We got to the school sidewalk and I called to him. He finally came over to us and we turned right around to walk back home. I asked him how his day went, who his new teacher was, that sort of thing. He answered all the questions, but he seemed a little down. I asked what was wrong. He said that some girls in his class had cried because today was the last day. They were sad that they weren't going to be seeing Mrs. Schlappi anymore. I told him that was too bad, but it was good to move on and try new things. He said, "Yeah. I wanted to cry too. I felt like it, but I didn't do it." I'm so glad that he had such a great first school experience with Mrs. Schlappi. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher for Cameron. He's going to miss her, but he's excited to be moving on to bigger things.

No more teachers, no more books

The last day of school is upon us and I'm kind of glad. I say kind of because I am ready for a little break. For myself and for my kids. However, I am sure that once their swimming lessons are over in 2 weeks (they start June 9th) I will be ready for them to go back. (Yes, I really do love them.) Summer boredom is the pits. I guess I'll have to work hard to keep them occupied, but this is supposed to be a vacation for me too, right?

Another thing I'm not so glad about is having the entire neighborhood over here everyday. The kids from up the street showed up last summer, everyday at around 8:00. I can't ever get them to leave. If we would go somewhere, they would be hanging out in our front yard when we got home. They're constantly begging for food when they're here too. They don't have the most attentive parents. They don't have any idea where they are 99% of the time. One father called on Tuesday night this week at 8:45 p.m. wondering if his 9 year old son was at my house, or did I know where he was. No, I didn't know where he was. Isn't that supposed to be his job? At that time of the night, my kids have been in for hours and have had a bath and are ready for bed. I think I'm going to put my foot down this year and tell their mothers that there are restrictions on them being here. Only 30 minutes per day (yeah, right) and I won't be feeding them anything either. :0)

Tag! I'm it!

Bobie tagged me. So, I guess I can do this. I'm sure you've all noticed I'm not very good at doing the "chain" types of emails. You know, send this to 5 people and then send it back to me so I'll know you really like me. I don't know why. I just don't do it. I guess I'm willing to answer a few questions about Ryan. Just don't think I'll be making a habit of it or something. :0)

1. What is his name? Ryan Eric Hendriksen
2. How long have you been together? It will be 10 years on September 11th
3. How long did you date? 1 week. Yes, you read that right. From May 30th to June 6th when we got engaged.
4. Who eats more? It's hard to say. Ryan's kind of weird about food. He won't eat leftovers. He won't eat similar things too close together (like pizza for lunch and pasta for dinner) and if I tell him what I'm making for dinner, he might not want it. I guess he needs to be surprised. If I just make it and plop it down in front of him, he eats without complaining. I usually put more on his plate than mine and he usually eats all of it. So, I guess that means that he eats more.
5. Who said I love you first? We said it at the same time.
6. Who is taller? Ryan
7. Who sings better? Definitely Ryan. I have a theory that if I sing really loud, it makes me sound better. I try it every Sunday, but it hasn't made me improve.
8. Who is smarter? When it comes to remembering things, Ryan. Other than that I would like to say that we are pretty equally matched.
9. Who does the laundry? Me. Ryan doesn't even know which is the washer and which is the dryer. So, he wouldn't even know where to begin. Plus, I like things done the way I want them done.
10. Who does the dishes? 99% of the time, me. He surprises me every once in a while and will get them done while I'm out somewhere.
11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me
12. Who pays the bills? Me
13. Who mows the lawn? "Ryan" but remember when I said how I like things done the way I want them done. I also like things done when I want them done. Ryan's idea of doing it in a "timely" manner is a little different from mine. So, I usually beat him to it.
14. Who cooks dinner? Me. I've introduced him to both the microwave and the oven/stove. His idea of cooking would be to take the kids to KFC.
15. Who drives when you are together? Ryan
16. Who is more stubborn? It's equal. He would say that I am and I would say that he is. We both refuse to change our minds on this subject. That can make for some interesting times around our house.
17. Who kissed who first? I kissed him. He was way too shy. Once he got the idea, he became very enthusiastic.
18. Who asked who out first? Neither of us really asked. We just decided to "hang out" together on May 30, 1998 and we got engaged on June 6, 1998. Married on September 11, 1998.
19. Who proposed? Ryan. He didn't even have a ring with him at the time. He did happen to have one at home that he bought on a whim one day because it was on sale. (No. It was never meant for someone else.) Most know how I don't like to bother with things that I feel are tedious. I consider ring shopping to be tedious. I told him to bring the ring on over and I would look at it/try it on. It fit right out of the box. Done.
20. Who is more sensitive? What is that supposed to mean? Who is more sensitive! What a stupid question. Oh, I guess that would be me.
21. Who has more friends? I think that we both consider pretty much all of the same people friends. So, I guess it's a tie.
22. Who has more siblings? Ryan: 2 brothers, 4 sisters. Me: 2 brothers.
23. Who wears the pants in the family? Me, but Ryan still thinks that he can make me do things the way he wants me to do them. Never going to happen. Remember the stubborn thing. So, he would say that he wears them.

Lunch with Grandpa & Grandma

My kids like to go to lunch with their Grandpa & Grandma Mackay. They ask to go all the time, but I try to keep it to once every 1-2 weeks. I don't want to bombard them. For those that don't know, my parents both work at Marshall Industries with Ryan. Anyway, today we went in to see if they wanted to go for lunch. Ryan happened to be in the office at the time. He took Peyton from me and was walking around doing a few things before we were going to leave. When it came time to leave, we couldn't find them. I left to search and Cameron waited with my dad. Cameron wanted to know why we had to find Peyton. Couldn't he just stay? My dad told him that I had forgotten to bring a bottle for him, so Ryan wouldn't have any way to feed him. We had to find him or he would starve. He understood then and responded with, "Yeah, and he doesn't have boobs either."

'Tis the season for refrigerators to die

Old & Busted
New Hotness!

I think there's something going around affecting the refrigerators of the world. Ours just decided to kick the bucket. So, we've joined the new refrigerator club with the Tupou's. Ryan's brother, Darrell found ours for us when we were moving into our house. We didn't have one and didn't have the money to buy one at the time. We just figured that we would use it for as long as it lasted. It has served us well for the past 2 1/2 years, but yesterday it started making a strange noise. A noise that indicated that it wouldn't be much longer for this world. This morning things in the freezer were not as frozen as they should be. Things in the refrigerator were not as cold. We hoped that Darrell & Heather could find another free one for us. (I wasn't ready to buy my dream one yet.) Alas, it was not to be. So, this evening when we discovered that things were just kind of lukewarm, we headed off to Best Buy in Jordan Landing. Sean Nieley (can't remember the spelling of the last name) works there and he hooked us up with a deal. We now have a nice LG, stainless steel refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom. It's heavenly.

I think I finally like my background

One day while visiting Taylor Tales, I found that Robyn had given her blog a face lift. I finally asked Ryan to show me how to do the same. I'm a little dumb when it comes to all of this. You can beautify your own blog as well by going here: www.cutestblogontheblock.blogspot.com
Just don't ask me how to do it. I paid attention, but the way that I pay attention, which means I didn't really at all.

10 hours later

It's about 10 hours since my last post and YEP, I'm still mad. I know that being angry and resentful isn't going to do me, or the primary any good. I just have to work it out for myself. I forgot to mention that I happened to have a PSR with the bishop yesterday afternoon. So, he heard all about it and about all of my other frustrations. He's in total agreement on everything and we are working on changing and fixing the situation. He said he just doesn't know how someone can raise their hand to the square in sacrament or in the temple, agreeing to do something and then not do it. These are sacred covenants that we're talking about and not fulfilling your calling is breaking those covenants. Yes, when you accept a calling you are making a covenant. Raising your hand in sacrament meeting is every bit as important as doing it in the temple. He's told me this before, but I think that after what happened yesterday, he really gets it now. I feel some relief about that. I hope everything can be taken care of in a timely manner.