Welcome back to Sanity! May I take your coat?

I have finally returned to my sanity and find the view marvelous. For those not in the 'know', I had planned a summer filled with 3 condensed calculus courses, one after the next...(starting to understand the sanity quip now?). Well, that plan lasted about three days. It crumbled when I sat down to study for the first of four midterms and realized that I did not understand half the material covered in the preceding lectures...not good. So, needless to say, I had a nervous breakdown (Hobby-style). I love the material, and I know that I can do it, but definitely not while it's in the super-condensed soup version (I need the watered-down broth version). I have also realized that I haven't taken trig previous to now, which would help a lot and is incidentally, a prereq to the calculus.

So, I had my first trig class today, dropped the condensed calcs, and signed up for a term length calc with a short term english course that doesn't start til the second half. Life is good. Instead of sweating about a midterm today that I was completely unprepared for, I am sitting, taking a breath, and untying the knots in my brain that the last few days have caused. I contribute this rearrangement to God and His infinite wisdom and love in His guidance of my life. He knows me best and knows what's best. He makes it happen for us and I am so appreciative cause, without Him in my life, I'm like a hiker without a compass....a cadillac without a navigation map....a commuter without mapquest....you get the idea (I hope).

You know, I realized yesterday that I know a ton of people that are having babies this fall. Five people in my family (NO, I'm not pregnant, Londolls!) and at least one best friend are all pregnant. It's amazing. There hasn't been a baby in so long and now all at once. And in the spirit of my habit of making commitments that I will likely procrastinate, I have decided to make them all baby quilts for each baby. I will use a pattern that is my own design and make each different in some way within the design. My brother actually doesn't want to know the sex of the baby even though everyone else knows. Don't worry, Chris,....I won't reveal it. If you are on a baby watch in my direction, you can take about a 3-5 year break from your sentry...it ain't happening for a while. I'm enjoying the kiddos I have and am in no rush.

Well, I will close for now but am quite proud of myself for actually posting this much. Love to all from Sanity Land and Tranquility Island!

We now bring you back to your regularly scheduled...

I know, I know...it's been too long since my last post. Sue me, tax me, hang me by the toes from the rafters. I'm on break now from school for almost two weeks and am loving it. It took a couple days of recuperating and I'm better. I'm still not nearly ready for all the calculus I'm about to take though. Fun, fun.

We just got back from an open house for Hobby's graduation. I got a bit depressed the other day when I realized that she accomplished a degree at the age of almost 20 that I've been working on for almost 8 years now. A bit of a downer, but it's cool. At least the end is now somewhat in sight though. I'm so proud of her...graduating with honors and soon to head off to Europe for her Masters. *tear* Her open house was really fun, with lots of food and good laughs.

Our other LonDoll, Mody, is on her way to South America tomorrow for a month for fun and to bone up on her Spanish. I'm going to miss her, but she'll be converting to the U in the fall....YAY! I had a dream the other night that I was worried that my ordered textbook wouldn't arrive before I went on my next study abroad. And then I remembered that I'm going to be stuck here taking math classes and not on a study abroad. Kind of a bummer realization, but oh well.

I've actually managed to receive a stream of A's on my final assignments and if that wouldn't cheer a person up, I don't know what would.

Well, I would continue on with much still to tell, but the hour chimes and the bed beckons. Adieu!

A good week

Well, my parents left today to go back home. They were visiting us for a week and I was really sad to see them go. I didn't realize how sad until we were leaving the airport and I couldn't stop crying. I really miss my family. I DO love SLC, but having my parents here made it hit hard how much I miss them and don't realize it.

We got really spoiled this week. They helped us purchase a lot of things for our home and make it more comfortable. The kids got some new clothes, shoes, and toys. And unlimited love from their Mamaw and Papaw. I'm going to miss them. I don't think we'll be able to make it back home until the end of summer or Christmas. It was excellent having them here. My house has never been this clean!

I also read in a friend's blog today and that her friend/coworker died in a car accident this last week. It was really sad. It made me think about how life can end any day without notice. I have so much I want to do and experience with my family. I want to travel with my children all over the world. Learn two more languages. Graduate college and walk across that stage after perservering through almost 11 years of school. I want to teach, and do it well. I want to see my children happy, educated, successful, and enjoying life each day (the good and the bad). I guess I want it all. I hope I make it to see it all. I hope we all do.

Things I Hate

Following the example set forth by the lovely something mcsomethingkins, I will try to make a list of things that tick me off to no end, bother me, drive me bananas, etc. Here follows:

Junk mail-what a waste of paper and ink and money on paper and ink...wasteful.

Litterbugs-I can't stand it! How hard is it really to hold something until you find a trashcan. It shows a total disrespect for your city, your earth, and your neighbors.

Finding a parking spot-This mainly pertains to the university parking lots. I finally broke down and bought a parking permit. Fat lot of good it did me, I may as well have bought stock in Enron for all the use I'm getting out of it. It's ridiculous. Even if you get there early you have to wait for a spot to open up, which only happens between classes. Then there is the lovely breed of commuters that will park in the lane and wait for someone to come along and back out. So, you not only have to weave around them but I have the common courtesy to not steal a spot that's being waited on.

Product packaging-Mainly the hard plastic that is sealed all around and requires a heavy duty razor blade.

Writing assignments-I think that required writing stifles creativity and true talent. (wish my profs would buy into that)

People that drive the speed limit when they could easily go 5 over-Nuff said!

More drivers-Those people who pull up beside your car to turn the opposite way you are turning and block your view of the traffic, causing you to have to wait until they get out of the way to see again. Especially the SUVs.

Spiders-Eewww, nuff said.

Thongs-I'll leave it at that.

Dirty dishes, toilets, and running out of toilet paper.

Movies with sad endings-a total waste of time

Traffic

Overhead lighting-the enemy to all women

Preteens wearing almost nothing in public-grrr.

That whole Brangelina thing.

Women you have ten kids and not one stretch mark!

Well, I will add to this list for sure soon. Hope you enjoyed it.

Creative Writing Musings

Here is a sample of some of my writings. Enjoy and please comment on them!

Success withers in front of the television wearing three-day old underwear. His only pathetic worry is the TV Guide.


Beauty Is...

Beauty is a long-haired girl with a perfect complexion and zero body fat staring at you seductively from a magazine. It is a bare-chested man sweating from his bleached hair onto his chocolate tan. It is definitely toned body parts draped in thin material, leaving nothing to ponder but sex. Beauty is glossy, split-end free hair. It is brand name makeup, boho jewelry, rippled abs, liposuction, tummy tucks, a clutch purse, and that pulse-quickening bikini on a pink beach with blue water.
All that is what we’re told is beauty. But we have seen and experienced otherwise. Beauty is a hand on the feverish forehead of a child while they sleep. It is the pink clouds frosted in the blue sky as the sun retires. A father is ambushed at the door after work by two children with so much to tell him about their day. I have seen the reflection of Big Ben on the River Thames. The regal Cliffs of Moher were draped in infinite Irish carpets of green.
Beauty is the soft, warm breath of an infant dizzyingly intoxicated with its mother’s milk. It is the miniscule white tree blossoms after a cold snow melts away. It is the face-consuming smile and body-shaking laughter of a child. It is a Mother’s day card with more glitter and tacky glue than the construction paper can structurally hold and the words “I luv u” or some other misspelled version on the inside. It is a child’s school picture, no matter how disheveled the clothes and crooked the smile.
Beauty is also, ironically, those pregnancy stretch marks we try hard to hide but we know were worth it. It is the catcalls from my husband after many years and children. It is the snow falling from the sky, illuminated by the full moon. It is the fragrances of lavender, baby soap, and laundry detergent. It is the swollen belly of a mother-to-be. It is the rough, calloused hands of a father. It does not come in a “one size fit all” description.


Lydia

Lydia was an educated, successful woman. At 35, she had already graduated from NYU with a Masters in English, secured her position as Editor-in-Chief at a top magazine company, and had successfully remained completely unattached romantically. Her brain was in charge and her heart in reserve. She slowly applied the lipstick to her pouty lips…”Mystic Red” to match her deep red Hermes scarf and bag. With her face painted and each strand of her wavy black hair in place, she headed out the door. Michael, her driver, was waiting on the curb.
“Good morning, Miss Salas,” he greeted.
“Good morning. How was your weekend?” Lydia asked.
“Oh, you know, the usual. Jetting off to the Bahamas, wild parties, and back to work on Monday.”
“Ah ha. So, you got stuck watching “Barney” 500 times again?” she smiled.
“You know it.”
He closed the door behind her and they began to drive through the maze of traffic to Manhattan. Lydia read off her itinerary for the day while he logged in into his memory. 10 a.m. presentations with a large jewelry company, fashion shoot at 11:30, business lunch at the Waldorf at 1, meetings and deadlines until 5 p.m., business dinner at 6, home at 9 p.m.
“No date tonight?” Michael asked slyly.
“No date any night. Who has the time to date?” she asked.
Before he could push the subject further, Lydia’s phone rang for the first of many times that day. It was Julia, her assistant.
“What’s your ETA?” she asked.
“About ten minutes. Make sure the notes and slides are ready for the 10:00 meeting. I’m going to need you to mail out a few packages, RSVP for three parties on Friday and Saturday, and baby-sit the fashion shoot if it runs late,” she instructed.
“Fine, no problem. But I want to know what happened last night.”
“Last night? I got in at 10, watched “The Big Easy”, and almost fell asleep in the tub. Why?” she asked.
“Because you were supposed to meet us at the club. Jeremy’s friend was looking forward to meeting you.”
“You know, as well as I do, that I’m not about to go on a blind date. I have more important things to do,” Lydia stated.
“Oh, you mean the TV and a bubble bath? Sounds awful lonely to me.”
“Well, that’s how I prefer it,” she proclaimed. “I’ll see you in five.”She hung up and looked out at NY. I’m not wrong, she told herself, and I’m not lonely. She wondered how many more times this self-assurance would work.


Beginning of a short story (latest work)

They were running late again. She rushed Todd out of the front door with his backpack in one hand and his lunch under her arm.

“If he would only get up when I asked him to, we’d be on time,” she muttered in her mind.

But it was no use, he didn’t listen to her early morning urgings even when she said them out loud. Todd sat in the passenger seat, eyes half open with a pop-tart crumbling more in his lap than in his mouth. She was pretty sure that his clothes were the same ones that he wore yesterday, but at least he was dressed and out the door. They sat in silence, her maneuvering through their suburb and him mumbling cranky thoughts in his own mind.

The only sounds were the pounding of the rain and the rhythmic swiping of the windshield wipers. Back and forth. Everything seemed to be harder after Steve left. Sara couldn’t get enough sleep, she was always late, and Todd seemed to be losing interest in everything. She could handle losing a husband to another woman, but seeing Todd slip away behind an emotional wall was more than she could handle.

“I’m getting off early today and I thought you and I could catch a movie. I know you’ve been wanting to see that new alien movie.” She smiled a hopeful smile his way and waited for him to swallow the last of his pop-tart.

“Sounds okay,” he said after a long pause. “But I pick the seats, and I require something with sugar in it.”

“Fine by me. It’s a date then.”

She pulled around the corner from the school to let him out. As a rule, teenagers are not supposed to be seen being dropped off by their parents in a minivan. The exception is when the parent is driving a car that you would see a model or a rapper in, like a Hummer or an Aston Martin. Sara remembered the day that Todd came home and shared how Tony Coleman’s dad got a brand new Hummer with chrome wheels and a killer sound system. He talked of nothing else for an hour and begged Steve to buy one or something equally as cool. Instead of simply saying no fifty times, Steve bluntly stated that Tony’s father was a divorcee with a lot of debt that only bought the car to compensate for the failures in his life. That’s how Steve was…blunt and rarely empathetic.

Random Update

Well, hello my dears. It's been a while since my last post. I am still working on the bathroom that I had hoped to finish two weeks ago during spring break. It's coming along good though. Hubby wants to put a tile mosaic on one part of the ceiling that is inclined. Not too sure about this but he needs his creativity too, right?! Finally got our tax return...YAY! That will come in handy.

And it is also T-minus 14 days until my parents come up for a week. I'm pretty excited about that considering they've never been to this neck of the woods (the country being the woods and our city being the neck, however that works out). I also realized that the week they will be here is also my finals week for school. Ouch! At least they can help with the kids when I have to confine myself to a room and a straight jacket in order to actually study. Studying seems to get harder the longer you're in school...you think it would be the other way around.

I need to figure out how to post music on this site cause it would be nice to have some tunes every once in a while. Oh well.

It's General Conference this weekend and there were some good talks today. Is it just me or does it always seem like they are talking directly to you, like they had you specifically in mind when they prepared their talks? I love that.

When I started this blog, I said that I would post some of my writings and have not done so yet. Well, the time has come. If you feel the need to comment on my work, please do so and be very honest because that is the only way a real writer can better themselves. Thank you and I hope you enjoy the following works to be posted after this.

Back to school

I'm very much not ready to go back to school on Monday. I didn't accomplish my whole list of things to do, but I definitely got a lot done and even a little relaxation squeezed in between. I probably should have also squeezed in some homework. ;) All in good time.

I really want to see the new movie, "She's the Man". Not just because it looks funny, but also because it is based on "Twelfth Night" by William Shakespeare. Should be good for a laugh.

Well, I'm mainly just posting to do a little update on life. Not much to report, just working on the house and prepping for school. Sorry for the lack of wit, but I'm a mom...I'm entitled to some portion of dullness.

Beer and Architecture

This is an advertisement we saw on one of the trains around London and I loved it. It's hard to see around the glare but here's what it says:

"Beer.
It's inspired Britain's best architecture."

Just something interesting!

This is an interesting sight in London. This is near the Thames and is constructed from various appliances. It is meant to show us how many appliances an average person uses up in their lifetime. This sucker is tall. If you look at the middle you can see the stovetop of an oven and that will give you an idea of how big it is.

Moms Gone Wild: My plans for spring break

So, spring break is upon us and I'm loving it. This is the only week in the semester that I have to catch up on all that I have neglected and blamed on school.

On my TO DO list:
finish painting the front hall
organize my hubby's office (call and make sure it doesn't consume me, will ya girls?)
file our taxes
refile my FAFSA
clean every room in the house spotless and yell at anyone that lets in the tiniest speck of dirt (like a real mom would do)
paint my downstairs bathroom
clear off my back porch
organize my house better
try to acquire some more furniture for my sparse living room
find a little "me" time
and continue in the neverending battle against the forces of evil (it's a part-time job but the hubby likes the costume)

I, of course, will not accomplish all this but it's worth a try. I would also love to sleep in but will still need to get up to get the kiddos off to school. Speaking of, we took the kids and their friend to Brighton yesterday and it was the first time that I went along. I must tell you that there is nothing quite like seeing your little ones navigating the slopes on a snowboard like a pro. My girl even rode the lift by herself for the first time. That was pretty scary for a mom, but I soon saw that she knew what she was doing and I didn't need to fear.

New stuff with me:
I am in the middle of reading The Chronicles of Narnia and I'm loving them. I'm on the second book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I didn't know if they were going to be too ambitious of a read, but it is written for a younger audience and is pretty enjoyable. They made me want to see that movie that they made about it.

I also had to change one of my classes to an audit because the stress of a full load was not helped by the fact that this particular class is completely dull, difficult, and taught by a professor that is somewhat dry. No offense, but I've been in college for almost 8 years and I think I have some knowledge on the subject.

Well, that will be all for now. You may all proceed with your lives until I have something else of significance to share. Love ya!

London Underground and Flapjacks

Had to share another fav pic from London. This is the tube in the London Underground. (Yes, like the ones that were bombed recently.) A gal from school went to London recently and brought back me and Hobby some flapjacks. For those not in the know, they are sort of like small oatmeal bars in different flavors that have almost a full day's worth of calories and carbs. They can replace a full meal by themselves. I love them but somehow, my family wasn't that impressed with them. I don't think they were sweet enough or big enough for them. But when we were in London (land of few condiments) we thought they were "the most". YUM...right along with Hobnobs and McVities. YEAH!

A Saturday Full of Love

Well, I have finally found a movie that Colin Firth is in where I don't care for his character. I'm not saying that his acting was bad, it just made me dislike him...unheard of for the YUMMY Colin Firth. Can you guess what it is? Shakespeare in Love. I've only seen bits of it before and had the honor tonight of watching it in its entirety. I LOVE that movie. Not for the love story so much, but for the story of the theater and the play being put together. It made me love Romeo and Juliet. I love when they finally act it out for an audience and you see what the real audiences reactions may have been like when Romeo and Juliet was presented for the first time. The longing, the love, the tears. Amazing! It inspires me to write. And you, the readers of my blog, get to reap the fruits of that inspiration. Lucky you, eh?

We saw another movie tonight at the dollar theater...Fun with Dick and Jane. I know, I know...not the best movie in the world, but I enjoyed it a lot. I know it doesn't have the theatrics and emotion of Memoirs of a Geisha or Shawshank Redemption. But hey, sometimes you just want to laugh and who better to make you than Jim Carrey. Fun for the whole family.

I went crazy today at Savers. It's the most awesome thrift store...besides Pib's Xchange, but that's just clothes. I ended up spending $55 and more than an hour in there. I only stopped cause the kids were looking a little ragged. However, they got they're choice of toys and I got some new(ish) curtains, a purse, and clothes. I wore one of the new shirts to the theater tonight and it wasn't until I sat down to the computer just now that I noticed that the cuffs of this shirt looked a bit long. Low and behold, they're supposed to be folded. Oh well, I had my kids with me when I wore it and everyone knows that if a mom makes it out of the house fully clothed then she's got her stuff together. If she matches, then she's a genius. There's awards for those who come out in something clean. I haven't gotten the call for that one yet. Oh well.

My daughter has taken up snowboarding and expresses her desire to go every free moment. Thankfully, she has a wonderful father who will take her when she wants because her mother has yet to sit on a ski lift or strap on anything to go down a mountain. My son has also done some snowboarding but seems to want to try out skiing too. After a snowboarding trip, my husband and his brothers regale me with the stories of their falls, trips, and close calls coming down the mountain face first. They then look at me and say, "You got to try it!" I'm sure that I will join in on the fun sooner or later, but for now I remain on the sidelines of that adventure.

Cell Phones and Mailmen

First, I have to say that I am a lover of cell phones. They enhance our lives and communication. However, when they start to hinder your progress (such as driving) or the progress of others (driving again), then they become a pain. I was on the train yesterday headed home and a man next to me was on his phone. I assumed that he was a real estate agent by the bits of conversation I heard. It became a bother though when the conversation was carried on for more than ten minutes and a little louder than needed. At the end of his conversation, he summed it up by telling the other person that he would call someone and take care of something. At that point, however, he realized that the call had been disconnected when he received no answer from the other person. This made me wonder...how long was he talking to himself? Did the other person have such a small part of the conversation that he actually carried on with himself for a while? I found this quite amusing and a punishment in itself for the hinderance on those around him.

Now, for mailmen. I don't know if you've heard on the news recently, but the city is going to start issuing parking tickets to any car parked within ten feet of a mailbox. I don't know about other people, but my whole curb is only about fifteen feet long with a mailbox in the middle. We are also having repair work done on our house (see previous post about insurance). My brother-in-law has been hired to do the work and therefore, we are in need of an extra spot to park. Because of this, our mail is not being delivered everyday. When it does come, there is a message written on it that it had not been delivered previously because of a car by the box. I am confused by this. Isn't their motto like "in sleet, or snow, or storm of night..." or something like that? But they can't step out of their little truck, take two steps, and put my mail in the box? It seems that they become diva-like when they get promoted from walking the block to driving it. I see a mailman near my son's school that parks his truck and walks many blocks delivering the mail, dodging dogs, going through gates, and walking up driveways. Is my mailman defective? Has he forgotten how to walk? It's not that inconvenient either considering they are on the right side of the truck anyway. Next, they'll be wanting us to be waiting at the curb with our hand held out to catch the mail while they speed by. As a side note, the price of stamps has risen again...don't you think that would buy me a little walking from the mailman?! I do.

Thank you for your business!!!

I saw the funniest thing this morning. One of our neighbors is moving and it is known by many that they participate in "shady" activity (of the pharmaceutical kind). Anyway, on our way to church, we noticed that there was a sign posted on their gate. It is a sign you usually see on businesses that are closing. It thanked their customers for their business and that they appreciated their patronage!!! Now, it didn't say outright "Thanks to all our druggie patrons and we've appreciated supplying you with said drugs" but the message was pretty clear. I don't know if "bold" is the right word to use, but we got a laugh out of it.

Insurance, Never Leave Home Without It

Well, another Saturday has passed with not much accomplished. Hubby took the kids snowboarding today. The kids seem to really like it and will be sticking with it. I decided to stay home. I was supposed to do homework, seeing as how I've let myself get behind in that. However, the allure of a free day by myself somehow led me to Pib's Xchange, trying on jeans. For those unfamiliar with this store, it is in Sugarhouse and is a second-hand clothing store that always has great stuff. I've bought my last 4 pairs of jeans there. As enjoyable as this was, my happiness was hampered by the fact that my jean size has increased. I surmised that it is an evil conspiracy by the jean manufacturers to make us worry about our size and force us to kill ourselves exercising until we look like Barbie. Well, I'm onto them and I'm not giving in...I bought the larger size. I will not say what size it was though because no matter what size it is there is always someone that one scoffs as if I just said that I was a size 0 and am the fattest thing in the world. Just cause I'm not bulging out of a size 20 does not mean that I can't feel like I need to lose a few pounds. So there!

Enough of that rant. My friend in Colorado sent me some pics from her trip to Europe last April. She went to Austria, Berlin, and Slovakia among others. She visits Rome a lot too. I wouldn't mind doing some more traveling in Europe. I yearn for London at least every other day.

Oh, a word of advice. Check the little tube that connects at the back of your toilet to make sure that it is tight and secure. Weird, I know, but you'll thank me. While we were at church the other day, that tube on our upstairs toilet came undone and wreaked havoc. It must have been spraying the bathroom for about two hours cause that little hose did some major damage. We walked in to a waterfall on our stairs, dripping in the main hallway, and another waterfall from our downstairs bathroom light fixture. We had to pull out the hall carpets, dry some of the bedroom and living room carpet, pull out the light fixture, and vacuum a lot of water. Did I mention that we just bought this house last month? Well, thankfully, we have insurance and it will be covered. Our poor house is in some shambles though and it's depressing to see. Hard to believe it's because of a little toilet tube. We are thankful that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. At least it was water and not anything additional. So, remember to check that hose!!! Oh, and have insurance just in case.

LONDON

Just wanted to share a fav pic from my trip to London last summer. Enjoy!

the start of dreaming

I have no idea what I'm doing putting up a blog. I figured this was the closest I would ever get to keeping a journal and doing my creative writing homework at the same time. A friend of mine from London has her own blog which I look to often for a good laugh. Maybe I'm hoping such cleverness will rub off on me. I will try to post some creative writings to keep the masses entertained and update on my life as a whole. Laters!