Becky, Daniel, and Baby Juliet.

Sometimes I wonder.

2012-02-07T21:50:00.001-07:00

Many different things pass through my mind, and sometimes the things really get me thinking. I decided to compile a list of my wonderings as of late.

Sometimes I wonder if people realize that the appropriateness of their statements depends on their audience.Things that could be perfectly fine in some situations, aren't really appropriate in other situations. Example: The myriad of people that tell me "We have to wait until we are done with school to have kids." That would be fine if you were talking to someone else, but to me, that translates into: "You and your husband aren't finished with school, and therefore should not have had your baby." I know they most likely don't mean that, but it's hard to not feel like they do.
Sometimes I wonder if anyone paid attention in health class. I overhear people talking about their new "healthy" diet plans, and want slap people in the face. Eating only vegetables, or eating protein bars instead of meals are not healthy alternatives. I have overheard those and many other crazy ideas. Some of the conversations I have overheard happened on Weber State's campus; that is just sad.
Sometimes I wonder why people think it is okay to post things online that they would never do/say in person. I don't mean things that are better translated to text; I post things of that caliber. Sometimes I am much better able to express my feelings through writing. That doesn't mean that it isn't something I wouldn't be perfectly comfortable talking about in person. Example: the bra color for breast cancer posts on Facebook a year or so ago. I honestly do not believe that most of the people who did these posts would be willing to discuss their bra color, in person, to everyone on their contact list.
Sometimes I wonder if blogging is even worth it. Specifically the food blog. I had a poll that 6 people voted on...6 people, and one of them was me. Does anyone even make the recipes? Well, besides my sisters? If they are the only ones, I could just give them recipes. All the good food blog have awesome pictures. I forget to take pictures a lot of the time. Even when I do take pictures, I don't have a fancy camera like everyone else...blah. I'll probably keep it up, I just wonder why at times.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm just blinded by mother love, or if Juliet is really the prettiest baby ever.(I thought I would end on a happy note) Considering I can't walk out the door without hearing "Her eyes are gorgeous!" or "She is so beautiful!", I'm going to say that it is at the very least a combination of the two. My friend Savanna was in town this past weekend (which was awesome!) and she even mentioned that the baby gets compliments everywhere we go. Maybe people compliment all babies...I don't know. Either way, I think she is pretty awesome.

My Food Philosphy

2012-01-24T14:39:00.002-07:00

Juliet had her 9 month appointment day. She is still quite small, less than 3rd percentile in weight. Because of this, the pediatrician told me to add butter to her food. Instead of going on a long rant about why I think that is a bad idea (which I originally planned and had typed out), I'm instead going to talk about why I feed my baby the way I do.

Juliet is small, but she is in no way underfed, she eats a lot of food (Three meals a day, consisting of two or three good sized bowls of food, plus 4-5 breast feedings, and occasional cheerio snacks). She eats all kinds of foods, fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, meat. There are, however, a lot of foods that I won't let her have (butter being one of them). I have taken several nutrition classes in college (a post is coming later about my new choice of major), one of them being prenatal and infant nutrition (conveniently taken when I was pregnant). I have learned about foods we should feed babies, and foods we should not. I fairly strictly adhere to the principles I have learned. At times, I even feel like a bad mother because of my rules. People offer things to Juliet, and I respectfully decline, only to have them give me appalled faces and choruses of "Why not!?". I have a more in depth knowledge of nutrition than most people have, and that definitely contributes, but there are deeper reasons for my food Nazi ways.

I have a history of eating disorders, and that will affect my children, specifically my girls. Not because I am a bad example (I work hard everyday to make sure I'm not a bad example), but because it is a disease that tends to run in families. Simply having me as mother, puts my children at a greater risk. I want to do everything in my power to prevent my children from developing eating disorders, and I believe the first step is building good nutrition stepping stones. From a young age I want my children to enjoy eating nutritious foods. I want them to learn to enjoy things without added salt, sugar, and butter. I want them to gain the knowledge they need to be healthy. I believe that I can start building that knowledge now, when my child is only 9 months old.

Don't get me wrong, I am not against cookies or crackers. I eat them, and Juliet will eat them...when she gets older. I want to teach her to like other kinds of foods, before I introduce her to more unhealthful options. I want her learn that eating healthy can be just as fun and enjoyable as eating cake and candy, so that when the time comes, she may very well pick an apple instead. I want her to not feel guilty about what she eats, not constantly worrying about calories and nit picking over her pants size. If I want that to happen, I have to teach her. I have to teach her to like nutritious foods. I have to teach her that eating right makes you feel good. That if you enjoy eating nutritious foods throughout the day, you don't feel guilty when you eat a brownie at the end of the night. I have to teach her, and I believe that I need to start now.

Juliet will have butter(and cake, candy, etc.), when the time comes. As for now, she is going to learn to enjoy other foods, as her first stepping stone towards good nutrition.

Disclaimer: This is what is right for me, and my family. You may choose differently for yours. I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty or tell them they are wrong. I just wanted to share why I feed my baby the way I do.

UPDATE: In case some of you are worried that Juliet isn't getting enough fat, fear not, I'm giving her fat, just in much healthier forms than butter, such as avocados and olives.

I think we should celebrate.

2012-01-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know, Today is *deep breath* Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday (Observed), better known as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is my absolute favorite holiday, and yes, I am serious. It seems like a strange holiday to be a favorite, I know. Really, not much happens, but kids get the day off school, and adults gets the day off of work...or as I found out today, some of them do. People have different opinions on whether today should be one that is taken off. Some say children should be school to learn about the great man that this holiday celebrates, others, like myself, take a completely different stand. Instead of trying to explain it to individuals, I thought I would explain it here, to everyone at the same time.

I believe children should learn about equality in school. I believe that they should learn what Martin Luther King Jr. did to push equality forward. I think they should be taught about his speech. I believe they should be taught about what happened after the speech. I think that children should learn about how far we have come, and far we still have to go. I do NOT think this learning needs to happen ON Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Children learn about Independence day, and they learn about Thanksgiving. These are both major events that happened in our country's history. They are important to learn, but does this mean children should be in school on those days to learn about them? I don't think so. We take those days off to celebrate. We celebrate their significance and how they have helped to form our great country. We light fireworks; we eat turkey. We spend time with our families. Why? Because they are worth celebrating. They are worth taking the time off to make them special, to help our children know that these days mean a lot. Why should Martin Luther King Jr. Day be any different? Shouldn't we take the time to make the day special and different?

Most people just take Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a Monday off. A day to stay in pajamas and watch TV. If that is how we are going to look at the day, of course children should be in school. You aren't making it special, you aren't showing them how important the day is. I think we should celebrate. We should spend time with family and friends. We should talk about how far our country has come. We should talk about what we can do to keep moving forward. We should eat multi-colored foods, we should watch movies that show equality. We should strive to make this a day our kids remember. A day they enjoy and want to know why we have it.

You have your opinions, and I have mine. As for me, I will be celebrating! In fact I've already made cookies:

P.S. I think other holidays are unappreciated too, but this being my favorite, I thought I would stand up for it.

Mirror Baby

2012-01-15T22:22:00.001-07:00

Juliet likes to sit in the sink and chat with the baby in the mirror while I get ready. Of course, she got distracted by other things when I tried to record it...but it's still cute, or at least I think so.

I hope she has my eyes.

2012-01-07T01:11:00.002-07:00

It's midnight and my mind is buzzing; it's time for a blog post!

When people imagine their children, they often picture how they will look and what sort of personality they will have. Most people expect their children to possess traits similar to their own. Good qualities are wished for and bad ones are wished against. I've been thinking about the traits I possess recently. Maybe it's because the new year gets us thinking about what we want to improve. Maybe it is simply because I have been quite reflective lately. Who knows. There are many traits I have that I would love my children to develop, and there are a good amount of traits I hope they aren't cursed with. Want to know what some of these things are? Read on!

Qualities I have that I would be glad to see my children possess:

Cooking skills- In the age of processed food, cooking is going to become more and more rare, and I find that sad.
Aspects of my OCD- Being organized is a good thing.
A decent grasp on grammar concepts- I refuse to 'chatspeak', 'textspeak', or any other concept of the sort. Real words are happy things.
Conversation skills- I can talk to people when needs be. Sometimes I have to push myself to do, such as over the phone, but I can be an interesting conversationalist, at least in my opinion.
A desire to to good- I just want to help people. I don't always do everything I should to help, but I would like to make a difference.
Honesty- I don't like to lie to people. Honestly is really the best policy.
Rule following- I don't put my hands up on roller coasters. I don't drive higher than the speed limit. Call me crazy, but I honestly believe we have rules for a reason.

Qualities I have that I hope I don't pass on to my children:

Aspects of my OCD- Yes, this is on both lists. Organized is good, but I can take things too far.
Yo-Yo self esteem- Sometimes I love myself, and sometimes I completely hate myself. I realize most people probably do this, but I'm seriously all over the place.
Intermittent shyness- I go through stages where I'm much more shy than I should be. I'm not naturally a shy person, but sometimes I make myself be shy...it's hard to explain.
Phobias- I would like to think of myself as fearless, but I'm definitely not. I have panic-attack inducing fears, not fun.
Bluntness-This goes hand in hand with the honesty on the other list, I'm sometimes a bit more frank than is desirable. At times it's good, at times it is very, very bad.
Cynicism- I tend to think everything is bad and evil. I should try to see more happy things in the world.

There are probably more qualities I didn't state, for both lists, but you get the point. I want my children to be like me...but not too much like me.

And, I do hope the next one has my eyes.

P.S. Juliet's first Christmas went well, but everyone blogs about Christmas.

I am Thankful

2011-11-17T16:15:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, and with it being one of my favorite holidays, a thankful post is much needed...Becky Style.

I am thankful for a husband that gets mad at me sometimes. A good friend once told me that while I am not a very emotional person (except when I was pregnant), I can be, what he called "hard to deal with". I am not about to deny that fact. I can get absolutely frantic, completely crazed...you get the idea. Often times what I need in these situations is a swift kick in the pants. Daniel is just the pants kicker I need, sensitive when needs be, but willing to be tell me when I need to knock it off.

I am thankful for a daughter that is very often cranky. She is a happy baby, if she has your constant attention. Trying to accomplish things can be, at the very least, frustrating. She constantly tests my patience. I am grateful for the patience I am gaining, but most of all I am glad that her crankiness helps me to keep my priorities straight. Family should come first, and when she screams as I try to do the laundry (or other things), it reminds me of that fact.

I am thankful for a best friend that lives nearly 200 miles away from me. Since Savanna and I became friends, she has lived both near and far. All over Utah, and several places in Idaho. At times we go long stretches without seeing one another. It is sad and I miss her often, but I am grateful that through the distance we remain close. The mileage just helps me realize what a great friendship we have. (She is, however, visiting this Saturday, and I am sooo excited!)

I am thankful that I am poor. Soon after finding out I was pregnant, I quit my job. I know many people thought I was crazy. Who quits a job right as you need more money? Money is tight at times, and sometimes it stresses me out, but I am so grateful that instead of working and having a cushion of money, I get to spend my days with a beautiful baby princess.

I am thankful that people don't always like me. I can, as I have mentioned, be hard to deal with. I can also be fairly blunt and opinionated. Not everyone gets along with me, and I am grateful for that. It makes me realize how many people I have in my life who love me, for me, personality flaws and all.

I am thankful that we must live with the consequences of our decisions. I know that our sins can be forgiven, because of the atonement, and I am so grateful for that, but I am also grateful that our consequences don't just go away. I have learned a lot of things from mistakes I have made. I am thankful I made those mistakes, and I am thankful for the lessons the consequences have taught me. I would not be who I am without every one of them.

I am thankful that my plans don't work out the way I want them to. I like to make plans. I am not one of those spur of the moment type of people. Even small changes can make me frantic. We all make plans for our life, and quite often those plans don't turn out. My life is nothing like I planned, and while plans being changed would normally throw me into a hissy fit, I am grateful. I know that this plan (God's plan), is better than mine could have ever been.

I am thankful for opposition. After all, isn't that what this whole post has been about? I am grateful and things aren't easy. I am thankful that I have trials. This is what life is about, working through the hard things. The tests which we will feel the best about passing, are the ones that really made us work. Life is a test, the greatest test of all. One, that if we pass, will bring us everlasting joy. I am grateful it is tough, it means the payout will be great. I am thankful for opposition, for if we can get through it, we can live with God again.

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder Day Saints. This post reflects my beliefs. If anyone who reads this would like to learn more, visit mormon.org.

All Hallows Eve

2011-11-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

Halloween has come and gone. :( I must say, I'm a little sad it's over. Since it was Juliet's first Halloween, we had to make sure she did all the normal Halloween traditions.

She decorated a pumpkin.

Yes, I did dip my six month old's hands in paint.

She wore Halloween clothes.

You've seen her like this before, but it's still cute.

She ate orange food.

Eating carrots for the first time on Halloween.

And she dressed up as a terrifying monster.

Cultist mommy and daddy with Cthulhu Juliet.

Cutest scary monster ever? It's quite possible. Everyone loved Juliet's costume. I'm sure most people had no clue who she was supposed to be, but she looked cute. I better start coming up with a creative idea for next year. I refuse to be run-of-the-mill when it comes to costumes. Until Juliet can say "I want to be a princess.", she plays by my rules. Some may say I'm crazy, but who else has an awesome Cthulhu baby? Until next year, Happy Halloween!

P.S. More pictures to come to Facebook.

Juliet has cereal

2011-10-17T13:06:00.000-06:00

I've been planning to start Juliet on cereal at 6 months. She has been quite interested in food for awhile now, reaching towards everything we eat, driving my family crazy (since we are currently living with them). I'm going to be pretty strict about giving my baby food, because of my many nutrition classes. I did, however, give in and let Juliet have cereal a whole SIX days earlier than I planned, mainly so Daniel could be there for her first time.

Juliet thought food was fantastically awesome. Pictures? Why yes, I do have pictures.

We weren't fast enough, so she tried to take over.

This is my favorite.

On a non-cereal related topic-My sister mentioned that she has more cute Juliet pictures on her blog than I do on mine, whoops. So here are some other random pics of my cutie.

I thought Juliet was ready to wake up for the day, apparently not.

Aren't those lips just so kissable?

Wishing Daddy's friend Trevor a Happy Birthday.

Starting new baby trends of only wearing one sleeve.

As of August 22, 2011...

2011-09-01T14:28:00.000-06:00

School started

AND

Juliet turned 4 months old!

We know that 4 months is a little young to start school, but in this day in age you have to start your kids out early if you want them to be a success.

Alright, Juliet isn't actually going to school; Daniel and I are. Daniel is a full time (12 credit hours) student/full time employee, because he is awesome. I am a full time mommy/part time (9 credit hours-online) student, because I get stressed out easily and didn't want to overload myself. I guess you could say that Juliet is going to school, since she watches my lectures with me, sits with while I'm reading my books, and gives me screams of encouragement during quizzes. School and a baby is going to prove to be most interesting. Though, I must say, I am extremely grateful for the online option. Juliet is so sweet, I would have a hard time leaving her. (A really hard time, the little stink won't take a bottle).

Speaking of Juliet, did you hear she is 4 months old now!? Crazy isn't it? She is still pretty little (11 pounds, exactly, at her appointment last Tuesday), but getting smarter and cuter all the time. She is ahead of the game as far as milestones go. The doctor was impressed by her amazing rolling skills. She reaches out to grab things now too, like the doctor's stethoscope that she grabbed and put in her mouth. That could possibly be the cause of her runny nose this week..who knows where that thing has been.

So, in case any of you are thinking: "Oh great, school started, the already neglected food blog will become even more neglected". To the contrary dear friends, I cook MORE when I'm stressed out.

Scrambled Thoughts

2011-08-10T21:54:00.000-06:00

Remember how I am on a Facebook fast? It's going well. I haven't even been tempted to cheat or anything. (I did log on once, for about 30 sec to cancel e-mail updates from a group, I had over 200 e-mails because of it; it was a necessary action). I do, however, have a few things floating in my mind that probably would have ended up on there had I not been fasting. Soooo, the thoughts get to end up on here instead.

Juliet has become a master rolling machine. For those of you who don't know, Juliet has HATED tummy time. She would scream like it was the worst possible thing I could ever do to her. Since she can roll now, it's no longer a problem. I put her on her tummy and she rolls over while giving me a look as if to say "ha ha mommy, I'm in control now!" She will even roll onto her stomach and be okay with it for a while. When she gets fed up, she just rolls over again. It is beautiful.

Today, as you can see above, Juliet rolled underneath the bouncy chair. That takes talent my friends.

An update about the honey burn: It's really just my thumb that is burnt, with a few tiny splash mark burns elsewhere. I have one large blister and 3 or 4 small ones. I think it's a combination of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree burns, mostly 1st. The 3rd degree is only a tiny portion on my knuckle where I don't have feeling anymore. It's is my left thumb, so I have been able to most everything normally. I'm hoping the scar looks cool and I am able to use it as a kitchen safety story in the future.

Juliet was blessed on Sunday. I made a pasta trio for the after party. I almost made a 4th pasta. It's a good thing I didn't. Daniel took the last of the leftover pasta to work today. There weren't a ton of leftovers, but enough for us to live off of for the past few days. It was delicious by the way, if you didn't come, you missed out.

I added Daniel as a contributor. Has anyone noticed that? Post comments encouraging him to write something awesome! It should prove to be most entertaining. (Especially after this post, which was pretty boring. Besides the cute baby picture, who could think that is boring!?)

It could have been way worse.

2011-08-08T14:07:00.000-06:00

I'm going on a Facebook fast this week. I've done it before, so I can do it again. It's just nice to take a break sometimes. Does that mean more blogging will happen? Yup, hopefully on both blogs.

Had I not been on a Facebook fast, I probably would have posted a status saying:
I just burnt my hand with boiling honey.

Since I am on a Facebook fast, you good people get the whole story instead.

Monday is my bread baking day. (Well, usually every other Monday). I started to make my honey whole wheat bread, but I didn't have very much honey. The honey I did have was crystallized. Honey is literally the only food that will never spoil. When it crystallizes, all you need to do is heat it up a little and you are good to go. I made a few mistakes heating my honey. I heated it too long, to the point that it was boiling, and then I tried to open the honey bottle...bad idea. Apparently boiling honey explodes everywhere when the top is open.

Boiling honey spewed all over me and my kitchen. I screamed (it was really freakin' hot), ran to the sink and washed my hand in cold water. I think I acted quick enough that the burn won't be too bad, though it is still a little early to tell. I thought my thumb had taken the brunt of the explosion, until I woke up Daniel.

I had started looking in my first aid kit for something to help burns. when I say (yell) to Daniel to wake up because I burnt my hand with honey. He looks at me concerned and says "Did you burn anything else?" "Uh, no." "Okay, good." He went and took care of the screaming baby while I found and applied some weird burn thing. I dropped something, so I looked down to get it and discovered I was completely covered in honey. No wonder Daniel thought I burnt more than just my hand.

I'm sitting here, typing one-handed while Daniel finishes the bread ( He didn't know how to knead, that was pretty funny), just being grateful that it wasn't any worse. Juliet was no where near the explosion, and even though my hand is burnt, the rest of me isn't, even though the honey was everywhere.

I wanted a boy, but I needed a girl.

2011-07-14T19:37:00.002-06:00

Reader Beware: this one is lengthy and revealing (not the naked kind of revealing, get your mind out of the gutter, sheesh) .

For as long as I can remember I have wanted my children to be boys. Strapping young men to help with the myriad of animals I wish to someday acquire . Some people might question why I would want boys over girls, but I have several reasons.

I grew up in a family of five. Three girls, and two boys. My two sisters are the eldest, followed by my two brothers. We aren't one of those " a kid every two years" families, so my sisters are approximately 11 and 13 years older than I am. My brothers however are only 5 and 3 years older than I. I love my sisters, but I mostly grew up with my brothers. You get used to being with what you grew up with, and I grew up with boys, so I wanted to have my own.

My eldest sister was married a few months before I turned 9, and they welcomed their first child, a boy, 13 months later. Two years later they had a second child, another boy. My first baby experiences were with those two little guys. Once again, you want what you know, so there's another point towards wanting boys.

I've never been great at comforting people...and well girls tend to be emotional. Need I say more?

There are probably more reasons, but I think you get the point. I have always wanted boys. Remember this post? I even thought Juliet was a boy. However, I am in no way disappointed that my first child is the opposite gender of what I have wanted for years. One reason for this being that the more I think about it, the more I realize that while I wanted a boy, God knew I needed a girl and let me tell you why.

Not too many years ago (though sometimes it feels like a lifetime) I had a bit of a mental breakdown. A breakdown that lasted far too long, for no real reason. I had terrible body image, terrible self worth and horrible depression. I fell into some pretty bad habits during this time, habits that are hard to shake. Many of you may know, and many of you may not, that an eating disorder was developed during this time. Eating disorders are not something that are easily taken care of, and many people who have them will tell you that they are a lifelong disease. Even when I am doing well, the thoughts still haunt me.

God knows all of our struggles, and he knew mine. He knew even though I had control of the monster (instead of it controlling me), that I needed a little push to keep me strong. Strong enough to be able to resist the little voice that comes calling telling me to put down the fork and walk away. God knew that best thing he could do for me was to have my first child be a daughter instead of a son.

I never want Juliet to feel the way I did. I want her to think highly of herself. I want her to be happy with herself. I never want her to think she needs to lose weight to be beautiful, or that she has to fit in a certain dress size before prom. In order for this to happen, I need to be her example. I need to not care about my pants size, or what weight I am at, as long as I am healthy.

God knew that a daughter was the one thing that would keep me constantly motivated to resist temptation. He knew I needed a girl as my first child so that I would stay strong post-pregnancy when I realized I would probably never fit in my pants again, because my body had changed. He knew a daughter would help me in ways I could never imagine.

I am so glad that God does not give us what we want, but instead gives us what he knows we need. I may have wanted a boy, but I know now that I needed a girl.

My baby is skinny.

2011-06-27T21:49:00.000-06:00

Juliet had her 2 month check-up today. It would have been last week, but our Doctor was on an Alaskan Cruise or something to the sort. Her stats were as follows:
Height 22 1/4 in-30th percentile
Weight: 9.75 lbs (9 lbs, 12 oz)-25th percentile
Head circumference: 38 cm-25th percentile

The only one that surprises me is the height, her legs seem so long. That must just be where all her height is, like me. Tiny torso. Her weight and head being a little on the small side seems right. She looks skinny. Doctor said her growth is great, she just happens to be on the smaller side of things, but have you seen Daniel? He is pretty skinny (and he complains he has a tiny head..).

This appointment was also our first set of shots (besides the one they gave her in the hospital). She has been a champ so far. I think she cried more because she was mad that she was naked than because of the actual shots. She did wake up from a nap screaming. I figure her legs hurt. It has totally got to be worse for the skinny babies whose little legs don't have as much fat for the giant needles to penetrate.

When the Doctor was checking her, she complimented Juliet's head shape, said she could tell we gave her plenty of tummy time. Other people have complimented her head shape too. I really think most of that is the fact that she was excised instead of pushed out.

It's hard to believe that my baby is over 2 months already. The doctor said that too. She knows us pretty well, since she was my pediatrician from the time I was about 5. Anyway, enjoy this picture of my pretty baby.

All ready for my cousin's wedding reception.

Like Mother like Daughter version 2.0

2011-06-16T00:41:00.000-06:00


Baby Burrito

Mommy Burrito

Daniel thought it would be fun to wrap me like he does the baby. I begrudgingly let him. The baby burrito is much more adorable, plus she actually likes it in there. Not having access to your arms and legs isn't fun for adults.

Without You

2011-06-06T23:31:00.000-06:00

Juliet has been a bit of a fussy girl the past few nights, because of that I was inspired to write this poem. Enjoy! (I know I did, I cried writing the last part, the good tears).

It’s six o’clock in the morning,
And I have been up with you since two,
Times like this I try to remember,
What life was like without you.

I got a shower nearly every day,
I would match my outfit with my shoes,
And my hair was almost always cute,
Since I had the time to lose.

My apartment was much more tidy,
Dinner was a much more extravagant faire,
I remembered to wear my apron,
And much less gunk ended up in my hair.

I spent less time in my pajamas,
I always took my time getting dressed,
Searching for that perfect top,
To compliment my then much smaller chest.

I did crazy things like skydive,
I spent much more time with friends,
I went shopping because it was relaxing,
Plus I had more money to spend.

Back then I had time to myself,
I even think I was more smart,
But I didn’t have those deep blue eyes,
That always melt my heart.

I didn’t have a mother’s love,
My heart was much more mean,
Because I hadn’t met the prettiest little girl,
That I have ever seen.

I didn’t have that toothless grin,
To warm me to my soul,
Or those perfect little baby cuddles,
For when I feel I’ve lost control.

I didn’t have that adoring face,
That can tell I’m her mom,
That beautiful little baby girl,
Who wants me when things go wrong.

It’s now six-thirty in the morning,
And I have been up with you since two,
Times like this I start to wonder,
How I ever lived without you.

Like Mother like Daughter

2011-05-18T12:00:00.004-06:00

Daniel took this picture of me sleeping the other day. Apparently I suck my lip in like that pretty often. I had no idea. This itself is not interesting.

The interesting part is this:

Juliet doing the exact same thing the same day. With how much I think she looks like her daddy, it's good to see she takes after me in something.

Daniel the Daddy

2011-05-17T19:49:00.000-06:00

Daniel is a great little daddy and he says some pretty cute things. I thought I would share a few.

After a long night of baby screaming he says to me "It's hard being a daddy...you wouldn't know, you're the mommy."

Yesterday I was waking up from a nap and heard the following "conversation"
"There you go little girl, I changed your diaper. Are you happy now?"
higher pitched voice "Why thank you, you are the best daddy in the whole world"
"Ah, I'm not the best in the WHOLE world"
higher pitched voice "Yes you are daddy!"
"Ah, well if you say so."

Hiccups

2011-04-30T12:17:00.000-06:00

This is Juliet's first case of hiccups. Maybe we are lame, but we think it's pretty cute. She has had them several times since then, but we just had to document the first time.

A few Pictures

2011-04-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

A Baby Story

2011-04-28T09:56:00.000-06:00

I'm sure you all know by now, that our baby is here! I thought I would share a few details of how our beautiful Juliet Noel Spencer came into the world.

Last Thursday my friend, Savanna, came over to hang out while her husband was at a class. She is moving to Idaho today and was really hoping the baby would be born before she moved. Savanna couched me through some "get the baby out" exercises. We did squats, a little bouncing around and some toe touches. It's not like we expected it to actually work, but hey, it was worth a shot.

I went to bed at about midnight that night not expecting anything to actually occur, after all I was only 38 weeks along. Either Savanna is an expert labor inducer, or it was a just a huge coincidence, but my water broke at around 4:30 that night (morning, whatever). I wasn't totally sure that was what actually happened, so I told Daniel, who then proceeded to tell me to Google it. The internet assured me that I probably hadn't just peed my pants, so we packed a bag (No, we hadn't packed yet, we are bad, I know), and headed to the hospital. Though we didn't go directly there. Daniel was pretty hungry, so we stopped and got him a Beto's burrito on our way. Don't worry, I told him he could.

When we got to the hospital, we checked in and took a seat. Two more ladies checked in right after me, both looking in way worse shape than I was in. It wasn't long before they took me back to a room and made sure I was leaking amniotic fluid and not some other strange liquid. Once that was confirmed they told me they would send Daniel to come be with me...half an hour later he showed up. They were really busy that morning and apparently forgot to tell him. Contractions had started getting pretty good at that point, so I was glad to see him.

The next few hours were a little bit of a blur. I was told that my Midwife was out of town and would have to have a different midwife attend to me, it was a bit of a bummer. Daniel called a bunch of people to let them know that it was baby day. My mom works at the hospital, and she was at work at the time. We asked the nurse how to contact her, and she came over to my room right after she got off work. Daniel's mom came up a little while after that. Apparently if your water breaks they like to make sure you give birth fairly soon, I was administered drugs to help me go faster and went fast they did. I got my epidural and not long after it was time to push. Both sets of our parents were at the hospital now, along with Daniel's brother and his wife. They all went out of the room to wait for what we thought would be about an hour. Well, I ended up pushing for over 2 hours with no avail. They tried everything they could think of to get the baby out, but nothing worked, not even the vacuum.

They decided the only way she was coming was going to be by C-section. I had not wanted to have a C-section, I mean who really does? I knew they were longer recoveries and can also make it harder to deliver normally in the future. At this point, however, them telling me I was going in for a C-section was music to my ears. They call it labor for a reason. I was exhausted. Daniel got to watch the whole thing, and he loved it. He likes watching surgeries and such. Being cut open isn't the most fun thing in the world, but I did find out I have nice abdomen muscles. The Doctor complimented me on them and asked if I did crunches, uh no, but thanks. Once they had cut through everything, they pulled the baby out and lifted her over the curtain that was blocking my view. I started to cry. She was here, and she was beautiful.

They cleaned up little Juliet and Daniel was able to hold her while the sewed me back up. We went back to my hospital room, and in my very drugged up state I was able to hold my baby for the first time. I was very groggy pretty much just falling asleep, but holding her was sublime. It was a long day, but for Juliet, I would gladly do it all again.

We spent the next few days in the hospital and were able to go home on Monday. We had some not so fun nights because of the bililights that Juliet had to be on for her Jaundice. She hated them with a passion, but she is doing great now. She no longer needs the lights and is much happier because of it.

Pictures don't want to post right, so I will put them on their own post. We think she is quite the cutie though.

The Importance of a Fully Stocked Pantry...

2011-03-07T20:14:00.001-07:00

Especially when you are pregnant.

We often hear church authorities tell us to build a 2 year supply of food storage. I think having food storage is an excellent idea. If tough times hit (a natural disaster, a loss of job, etc.), you will be able to survive because you have built up a food storage. That in itself is a wonderful reason to have a fully stocked pantry. Now, don't get me wrong, I have enough food that I could survive for awhile if I needed to. Not 2 years, but I'm young and still trying to build up my food storage. However, one important aspect of pantry stocking I realized this weekend is variety. You aren't going to want to eat the same foods over and over again even if you are in disaster, so it is good to have a variety of things. Okay, I'm sure you are all wondering where this wonderful post is going. I had to give a little background before I could start my story and let you know of another really important reason to keep your pantries fully stocked. That reason being..Pregnancy Cravings.

Friday night I had some cravings for Easter Sweettarts and a sharp cheddar cheeseball. Daniel had the car at work, so I didn't really have a way to obtain them. I contemplated walking to the store, alone, in the dark, to go buy some, but quickly realized that wasn't a good idea. My logical side was working pretty well that night and I told myself it was just a silly craving and would likely pass fairly soon. Even though I would still like to find some Easter Sweettarts, the immediate need for them passed within a few hours and I was fine. What happened on Saturday was a different story.

Once again, Daniel had the car at work. Even though I had cravings the night before, I didn't think much of it. Daniel couldn't ride the train Saturday nights since it doesn't run Sunday mornings when he gets off work. I haven't had too many cravings anyway, so striking two nights in a row would be rare. I thought I would be perfectly fine without the car.

About half an hour after Daniel left I started feeling like I wanted to bake something. I couldn't really put my finger on it for awhile, but then it hit me: Homemade Gingersnaps! I started to look up a recipe online when I came to sad realization. I had no ginger, and no molasses. I don't know why I don't have any ginger. I want to use it in things all the time. I often go to my spice rack while making Asian-inspired dishes looking for ginger, only to come out empty handed, wondering why I haven't bought any yet. Molasses is somewhat understandable. Not a whole ton of people have molasses, but still, variety people, variety. I was quite disappointed by my realizations and started to think of other cookies I could make.

NO other cookies sounded good, not a single one. I browsed recipes about an hour trying to find something that I would be okay with, but nothing. I text my brothers to see if they would bring me ginger and molasses (they will usually bring me things if I ask, they are great that way), but they were both busy. I thought maybe my friend Savanna would have them, but then I remembered that she was in the same position as me. Her husband was at work with the car. I didn't know what to do anymore, so I broke down crying. Not just little tears here and there, full blown sobs. My logical side wasn't really working for me at all that night. I kept browsing recipes, through my tears, hoping some other cookie, somewhere, would be good enough.

After I calmed down a little and I e-mailed Daniel about my predicament. His suggestions were everything I had already tried. Ask my brothers and Savanna for the ingredients. After telling him I had already tried. he told me to make another kind of cookie. I started crying again. I didn't want any other kind of cookie. Why couldn't anyone understand that? I moped around for a few hours waiting for a molasses miracle, but one never came. At this point I decided I might as well make another kind of cookie. It would at least be better than nothing. I asked Daniel what kind of cookies he would like and he suggested chocolate. I mournfully made some chocolate cookies. When they were done, I ate about 4, and I started to feel much better. Hmmm...maybe I should have just done that in the first place.

The moral of the story here is this: keep a fully stocked pantry. You never know when ginger and molasses will become (what seems to be at the time) a life or death situation. Needless to say, they are both on my grocery list for my next shopping trip.

There has been a bit of a delay..

2011-02-21T16:20:00.002-07:00

In case you haven't noticed, there has not been a recipe posted on the food blog yet. This is not an "I'm a slacker post" it's an "I really do have valid reasons" post. I was planning on making my butternut squash ravioli on Sunday, and then posting the recipe that night.

The first hitch in the plan happened Saturday night when it started to snow. I had gone to a birthday party for my brother-in-law, Sam. The snow was falling pretty heavy, and I opted just to stay at my parents house that night instead of making someone take me home. Daniel was headed to pick me Sunday morning, after he got off work. It was snowing again at that point and the roads were pretty bad. He ended up sliding off the road. He called me, let me know about the situation and said he would get me after the tow truck came and pulled him back onto the road. After the tow truck came, the weather was even worse. He told me to stay at my parents, and that he would teach primary by himself. (I'm not really sure how well that went..) I eventually made it home, but not until about 8:30 that night. Obviously, no pasta was going to be made, so I figured I would just make it today (Monday) instead.

I slept in this morning, and woke up about 10:30 (I didn't get a nap yesterday after all). I planned on roasting the squash nice and early; I was going to cube it up and stick it in the oven around noon. Life had a bit of a different plan for us today. About 11:30 I had one of my now fairly routine bathroom breaks. However, this time around was not routine in the fact that I found blood (and it was not coming for the hemorrhoid I had a few weeks ago, too much information? Maybe, but oh well). Panic ensued, especially as I realized that I hadn't felt the baby move that day. I yanked Daniel out of bed and we went to the hospital. I was doing pretty good at staying calm, until anyone asked me how far along I was. "30 weeks" I would mutter out trying my best to not have a complete break down.(For those of you that don't know, pregnancy is supposed to be 40 weeks, and they want you to make it to at least 37 before you give birth.) I got to ride in wheel chair and I waited for someone to take me back to a room.

The CNA/OB Tech was the person to get me and take me back. "Hello, my name is Hope" she said as she was wheeling me away. Hope? Are you serious, that was possibly the best name anyone could have at that moment in time. She brought be back to a room, talked to me a little about the hospital gown and peeing in a cup. She then asked the dreaded question "How far along are you?" I lost composure as I said "30 weeks". Hope: "Is it a boy or girl?" Me: "girl" Hope :"Aw, do have a name?" Me "Juliet." Hope "Well, I'm sure Juliet will be just fine. Let's get you changed and figure out what's going on. It's okay if you need to cry." This girl was really good at her job. She even called me pretty later on.

The nurse was the next person to journey into my room. She asked me a bunch of things like "Have you done illegal drugs?" and such that apparently Daniel wasn't allowed to hear, hence they wouldn't let him come in yet. She put a monitor on my belly (which the baby decided she didn't like, she was kicking it within a minute of it being on my stomach) to track the baby's heartbeat (which was perfect by the way, hallelujah) and asked if was cramping (uh, no) and check to see if I was dilating or still bleeding (nope again). They said they were going to monitor me for awhile and then call the midwife to see what we wanted to do. Well, my midwife is apparently not available today, go figure. They called another doctor from my center and had her consult with them instead. "Have you had sex in the past 48 hours?" Uh, no. I had been trapped at my parents house for the past 48 hours. Sex during pregnancy can make you bleed? Good to know I guess.

They watched me pretty carefully for a few hours (well, mostly they just monitored the baby, which was fine by me, that's who I was concerned about) and decided that I was good to go home. They said a number of things could have caused the bloody discharge, but everything looked good with me and baby. I'm supposed to monitor myself pretty closely today and take things easy. If anything seems out of the ordinary, I am to call, or if it seems really strange go back to the hospital. They ensured me I did the right thing by coming in, because there was no way to tell if everything was alright unless I had come in. Since Daniel works tonight, I'm heading up to my parents house again tonight, just in case something is off and I have to go the hospital again(we only have one car).

So, obviously no pasta is being made today either. I'm sure after reading all this this, that was by far the greatest concern on all your minds...just kidding, I really hope you didn't care that much. I have my normal appointment with Karen (my regular midwife) on Wednesday, so we will see what she says then. For now, I am just extremely grateful that all 3 of us (Daniel, the baby and I) have made it though the past few days alive and well. Maybe Daniel isn't completely well, he has to work tonight with virtually no sleep, poor guy. Luckily this is the end of his work week, so things should hopefully normalize in the next few days.

Now Introducing:

2011-02-17T23:16:00.000-07:00

http://beckystastyfood.blogspot.com/

The food blog has been launched! No recipes as of yet, but that will change soon.

The results are in!

2011-02-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

The results are in, and the score it tied...a lot of good that poll did me. Looks like it is all up to me now. So, look for the launch of a new food blog in the next few days. I will now take name suggestions for the food blog if you have any ideas.

Calling all readers.

2011-02-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me well, you likely know that I like to cook. If you are aware of this fact, you may also be aware of the fact I tend to be more of a recipe creator, or at the very least recipe modifier, than a recipe follower. One problem that comes with this is that I never write anything down. If I want to recreate something I have made previously, I have to rely on memory. This isn't so bad, because I can usually make my recreations pretty similar to the original product, but in an attempt to be a more organized cook I have thought of an interesting option: Start blogging my recipes.

If I start to blog recipes, I will be forced to start writing things down, helping me better recreate them in the future. What I am asking for from you, my blog readers (however many of you there may be) is to vote in the poll I created. Would you be interested in knowing my recipes? If so, how should I go about posting them? If your option is not in the poll, feel free to leave a comment on this post stating what you think would be the most viable option.

Just a little FYI, If recipes do begin to be posted, by whichever option, the first entry will be Butternut Squash Ravioli. I made it last month, and I am going to make it again this month, it was quite the hit with Daniel, and I never say no to squash.

Some Random Thoughts.

2011-01-10T12:34:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I feel inclined to write a blog post. When I have these inclinations I usually don't have a particular subject matter in mind, and therefore, no blog post gets written. Today I have an inclination, so instead of ignoring it and writing nothing, I bring to you a compilation of random things I have thought as of late.

The only downside I see to naming my daughter Juliet (which will very likely happen) is that when reading Romeo and Juliet in school, the poor girl will always have to read the part of Juliet.

It's good for me when people challenge if I can do something. For those of you who are not aware, I had a professor tell me to drop out of his class because I am pregnant, and it would be too hard. While my initial feelings were anger, I have now been overcome by extreme motivation.

I call my two pet mice "my girls". If I end up having another daughter after this one, it seems very likely that I will call them "my girls". In years from now I can just see two teenage girls telling their friends that their mother calls them the same thing she once called rodents.

It is a good thing I am not a vegetarian; I currently have about 40 pounds of beef in my freezer.

Have the parents of the Luna Lovegood doppelganger in my primary class read or seen Harry Potter? If they have, do they encourage her to act like that?

It's possible college students have never seen a pregnant person before, or so it would seem by the funny looks I get walking around campus.

Though french fries are not from France, their name makes perfect sense to me. The way in which they are cut is called frenching. French toast, however, does not make sense. If it did not orginate in France, why does it have this name?

While I believe the bikini(among other woman's fashions that do not make sense) was invented by a man; Maternity clothes were almost definitely invented by a woman. Most comfortable pants I have ever worn.

I hope have enjoyed this episode of Becky's Blog. Today's post was brought to you by the number 8 and the letter S.

Bring on the Pink!

2010-12-16T02:47:00.000-07:00

...just not too much of it.

In case you haven't heard:

My thought has always been boy. The midwife even said that the mom is right about 73 percent of the time. So, as you can guess, I am surprised my baby is a girl; I should obviously never gamble. I told Daniel I felt like I know more about boys, so this was going to be interesting. He looked at me with a puzzled face and said "but you are a girl!" Well, yes I am, but boys make more sense to me. I am excited though, I would have been excited either way, but now I know that I can buy things with sparkles on them! Girls clothes are way more fun(at this point I'm trying to convince Daniel to let me put her in a tutu).

Now we can really start thinking of names. My top two are currently Noel and Juliet. Noel is great because it's a built in Christmas card. Take a picture of the adorable baby with blocks that spell out Noel, slap it on a card and there you go! The TV show Psych was my inspiration for Juliet. My last name just makes it even more epic. Juliet Spencer, that's right, like if Jules married Sean. Fans of the show understand how awesome that makes it. I might find a name even more awesome later on though, who knows.

I'm looking forward to my little princess, so bring on the pink!(Just not too much of it, variety is the spice of life and little girls look cute in purple too! Not to mention all the colors of the rainbow)

My New Career Plan

2010-11-30T00:21:00.000-07:00

Throughout my life I have had many different plans for careers, as I think most people have.

When I was little I wanted to be this:

A Veterinarian. I feel I'm pretty good around animals, and most pet-loving children want to grow up to be Vets, am I right? This Career goal ended in about Junior High. I didn't want to be in school long enough to make that happen.

In Junior High my new Career Goal sprouted. It being this:

A Published Author. A Published Poet, to more exact. While I would still like to have some of my things published at some point, I realized this was not a solid career goal. To make it in this career you have to be very dedicated, forcing yourself to write every day, and I just don't have that kind of self-motivation.

High school classes helped me to narrow my search. I liked health, and I was pretty good at it, so that's where I started looking next. I knew I didn't want to be a nurse (yuck, poop), so I thought the following was a good idea:

Radiology Technologist. I kept this plan for quite some time. I have broken a lot of bones, so why not help people who have broken bones! It was after my first semester of college, and realizing basically no one gets into this program. It's very competitive, and I didn't want to have to apply 60 billion times.

For a brief time (while still having radiology on the back burner) I thought about doing this:

No, I did not want to be Alton Brown, just an awesome chef like him. I thought about going to culinary school instead of college to learn the tools of the trade. Much like the poetry dream, I would still like to live this one out a little. My eventual (Eventual meaning when I'm like 50 or so) goal is to open my own bakery.

I obviously went back to radiology considering I went to Weber State and not The Art Institute of America. So, after radiology seemed to be a bust, but still looking in the health field, I turned to this:

Respiratory Therapist. It is what I have classes for now, and will likely get my degree in.

Life isn't always simple however. What I have worked is this:

Which was not a bad job. It was pretty fun actually. People were often not so smart, and I had to work strange hours, but other than that I had a good time. However, I decided to abandon that for this:

Not a beautiful young doctor, but a person who serves the beautiful young doctors their food. I did not enjoy this job. I tried to, but I could not. Some days I would just sit and cry because I had to go to work (even before I was pregnant). So I decided to abandon that for this:

Oh wait, that's right, I quit without something else to do. I've been looking for something easy, temporary, and not very many hours to help me fill some time and help save for the creature growing in my stomach. It has been suggested that I go back to this:

That might not be such a bad idea, however, today I thought of a very different, easy, temporary, not very many hours career choice. Which brings us to the title of this post (I know you are all excited, since it's taken forever to get here), My new career plan:

I am going to get a monkey, and I am going to get an organ grinder. I will teach said monkey to play said organ grinder and we will sit on street corners where people will give us money. Plus, as an added bonus, I will teach the monkey to clap when people give us money, making all the people say "AWWWW" so they will want to give us more money! Seems pretty solid to me!

Okay, enough with the silliness. The past few months have really made me realize that all I really want to be is this:

No, I do not want to be a bride again. Once was enough for that. For this I am looking at the two beautiful women next to me (No Nicholle, you do not look like a Cardassian). I do not wish to be my sisters, though I do wish to be like them in one very distinctive way. I want to be good mother. My sisters are both wonderful examples of this, as is my own wonderful mother. If I can do that, be a good mom, then none of the rest of it really seems to matter much, does it?

Today is November 10th, NOT December 10th.

2010-11-10T19:20:00.001-07:00

I thought this needed to be clarified considering all the Christmas talk, and decoration and such I have seen lately. Christmas has never been my favorite holiday, maybe when I was quite little, but not for a very long time. I like the true meaning, celebrating Christ. I have a hard time with the pressure it puts on people, the kids that don't get presents, the whole commercialized crap pot it has become. A month of Christmas is plenty, go ahead, the day AFTER Thanksgiving and start dealing with Christmas, though I will likely still wait until December. No other holiday starts getting celebrated 2 months in advance, it's ridiculous. Don't tell me it's because this is the most important holiday or some other bull crap like that. Easter celebrates Christ too, the resurrection, which, to me, is equal or even more important than his birth. At least with Easter we wouldn't be cutting out another IMPORTANT holiday by trying to celebrate it early. (Granted if we celebrated early it could possibly overlap with Valentines Day, however I don't like that holiday either [though that is another post] and it is definitely not an important one).

Thanksgiving is an important holiday. It helps us to realize all the amazing things we have to be thankful for in our lives. We often forget how lucky and blessed we are, and Thanksgiving helps people all over the country remember. I know we should be thankful every day, and I try to be, but Thanksgiving is something that gets people really thinking about, thinking about giving thanks. It hasn't really lost it's meaning over the years, like Christmas has, it remains pretty much pure in it's meaning. Be Thankful! So why, when this holiday is so amazing, do we try to forget and start to shove in thoughts of Christmas (not true Christmas, it's never true Christmas, it's always the commercialized present giving super stressful fest Christmas) before Thanksgiving even happens? Really you find it necessary to listen to songs about reindeer, shop, and put up a tree instead of trying to be thankful? How selfish can you be? Some might say "Well I am thankful for songs about reindeer and shopping and putting up a tree." Okay, well good for you, but it's not really the same, is it? It gets you thinking about 'Santa' and presents and stuff like that. Does it get you thinking about true Christmas, Christ and the spirit of giving? I think not. You know what would get you thinking about Christ and the spirit of giving? Thanksgiving and celebrating it. I mean the words it is composed of is Thanks and Giving for crying out loud. A true fan of Christmas, and what it should really be, will take time to not skip Thanksgiving, to give it the time it deserves, because then, and only then will you be in the right set of mind to celebrate Christmas the right way.

Disagree if you want, but I am pregnant and crazy, so I think I can take you.

P.S. Nicholle and Minda,
Tim, Shawn and I made a deal, we are boycotting everything Christmas until Thanksgiving, so that message on facebook might remain unanswered for a bit.

Crazy Much?

2010-09-29T13:14:00.001-06:00

You know how sometimes when watching TV or a movie and some things are just so overexaggerated, that you are thinking "PUH-LEASE!" in your head the whole time? In the past I have had this thought about the way pregnant people are portrayed in the media. Now going through this I almost feel as though they have UNDERexaggerated how crazy the women act. I'm sure some woman stay relatively sane throughout their pregnancy. The hormones may not have as great as an effect on those women for some reason or another. Let me tell you right now, I am not one of those woman. During the few points in the day when I'm feeling fairly sane, such as right now, I realize how manic I am. I have threatened to kill Daniel at least a hundred times (I don't mean it, I promise, don't turn me into the police or anything). Bawled my eyes out over some of the most ridiculous things ever, and yet been perfectly okay with some things that should upset me. Yelling, Crying, Screaming, Laughing all within minutes of each other. I've thrown temper tantrums; I've thrown games pieces. No sane person should act like this. Daniel takes it all pretty well, occasionally I can tell he is a bit frustrated, but who wouldn't be when you are married to someone that could qualify to be in a nut house? Im grateful for him, and all the women who are willing to go through this, and much more, to bring children into the world.

The Parasite and The Penguin

2010-09-16T23:29:00.000-06:00

Parasite- n. An organism that grows, feeds, and is sheltered on or in a different organism while contributing nothing to the survival of its host.

Well, it looks like I have a parasite. Luckily after mine is due to exude itself approximately May 4th. In other words, I'm pregnant. Babies really are parasites though, most people just don't think of them that way.

While Daniel and I were on our honeymoon, we spent a day at Sea World. While we were there, we made a point to see the penguins, Daniel's favorite animal. It was there, at the penguin exhibit, that Daniel informed me he wanted one penguin for every child that we had. So, when I had my suspicious that I was pregnant, I came up with a plan. I stopped at Wal-Mart after work, bought a pregnancy test and large penguin toy (it resembles a giant Weebl, and has colorful plastic balls in it's stomach). I came home, hid the penguin in my trunk, and sneakily took the test. When it was positive I told Daniel to go find a surprise I had for him in my trunk. He claimed he was scared and made me walk out to the car with him. As he opened the trunk and saw the penguin, he got excited and started hugging the box. He was so exciting screaming "A penguin!" I then said to him "do you know why I got you a penguin?" With a slight confused face he told me no. It was then I broke the news, "It's because you want a penguin for every child we have." An even more excited look came on his face. He then proceeded to stop hugging the box and start hugging me.

The penguin is now happily living in our living room, and Daniel loves it. The fact that it is a baby toy is also pretty convenient.

It feels good...

2010-09-01T13:28:00.001-06:00

To write again! I used to write poetry all the time, but I've been in quite the writing slump lately. However, last week I wrote a poem, and it felt so awesome! I thought I would share.

Getting Back
By: Rebecca Spencer

I haven't been writing lately,
And I can't really tell you why,
But it feels good to get back to it,
Like filling holes from deep inside.

My poetry is a part of me,
And I almost let it slip away,
I'm not sure what inspired me,
But I am grateful anyway.

I may never be a master poet,
Only a few may read my words,
I'm happy just writing for myself,
Even if my rhymes remain unheard.

It's nice seeing scribbles on pages,
Where I have changed my mind,
Decided words just didn't fit,
Or thought of a better rhyme.

It's great just putting pen to paper,
Knowing this is a talent I possess,
It may not be beautiful or extravagant,
Though I still feel I've been blessed.

I have missed writing poetry,
It helps to keep me sane,
Express the things I'm feeling,
And helps me clean my brain.

I haven't been writing lately,
And I can't really tell you why,
But I'm not letting go this time,
Poetry is part of my life.

My Best Friend's Wedding!

2010-08-11T13:39:00.000-06:00

Savanna was married recently (July 31st, so this post is a little bit late), but before I write about the wedding, I would like to talk about the friendship between Savanna and I. This is going to be a long one.

The circumstances in which Savanna and I met are quite interesting. It was June 5th, 2006(My 16th birthday) at Plain City Stake Girls camp; I was giving a presentation on first aid, and Savanna was watching the presentation... when I passed out. After I came to, the presentation continued, and I took a seat next to 'some girl that my friend knew'. Our strong connection was quite apparent as we quickly plotted our way out of the hike that was planned later in the aftertoon. We spent much of this girl's camp hanging out and getting to know each other, and we have been best of friends ever since. One intersting tid-bit is that I nearly didn't go to girl's camp this year because of some interesting circumstances. I felt girl's camp is where I needed to be at the time; I believe one main reason I was inspired to go was so that I could meet Savanna.

Savanna and I's relationship has not really been a smooth and easy one. Granted we get along well and have lots of fun together, but we have had plenty of bickerings. We have had to work for our friendship, and that is what makes it such a strong one. We have been through a whole lot together the past 4 years. We have made each other cry, laugh, and scream all on multiple occasions, but no matter what has happened, no matter where we were living, or how crazy we were acting, we always knew the other one was there for us.

Savanna is so kind, and has a very unjudging nature about her. She met me at a low point in my life. When I was worried about losing friends, she became mine. She doesn't care about the mistakes I've made or stupid things I've done, she simply cares about me. She has lifted me up when I could no longer make it on my own (literally and figuruatively), and I can only hope I have been able to do the same for her. We have both come a long way in 4 years, a long way that led to beautiful temple marriages.

Savanna's wedding was the first temple marriage I have been able to attend othger than my own. It was a very special experience to see my best friend get married, and I bawled like baby. I didn't cry because I was sad, I cried because I was so freakin' happy. I love Savanna and I am proud of her for making this decision. I was also so happy I was able to be in attendance. If someone would have told me when Savanna and I met, that in 4 years we would both be sealed to wonderful men, I think I would have laughed at them. Needless to say it was a beatutiful ceremony, and at the reception, there were adorable puppies!

Congratulations Savanna! I couldn't ask for a better friend. Four years and we have been through boyfriends, fiances and now husbands, weight losses, weight gains, fights, craziness, high points, low points and everything in between, tears, laughs, bunches of hugs and probably at least 15 bags of puffy cheetos. I look forward to our continuing friendship. If we made it this far, we can last a lifetime, and hopefully into the Eternities as well.

Happy Birthday(s)

2010-06-12T19:56:00.000-06:00

Daniel and I both recently celebrated our birthdays. Though my birthday was spent with massive amounts of relatives then a well-behaved toddler, and Daniel's was spent with stool (and other) samples, we still managed to sneak in a little birthday fun for one another.

The day before my birthday, I came home from work to find this:

Massive amounts of balloons, all blown up by the man in the picture. It was super cute, I love balloons!!!(too bad they aren't biodegradable).

Then, the Monday after my birthday (stupid places closing on weekends), I woke up to see these on the table:

Very pretty. I got flowers or my birthday last year too, I'm starting to see a trend.

However, the best part of my birthday came a few days before my birthday even came. As a combined Christmas/Birthday present (for me, from Daniel) we stocked up on a ton of food and hygiene supplies from Costco and donated it all to St. Anne's homeless shelter. Best present ever.

Since it was Daniel's work week when his birthday came, I was determined to have something special waiting for him when he arrived home, at 7 am, on his birthday. My decision was a penguin cake. It's his favorite animal, and I thought it would be awesome. I was on a quest to find a penguin cake pan (or at least some penguin figurines). After many stores and absolutely no luck (besides Shawn telling me he saw a penguin cake out of a 3D bear cake pan), I figured I failed my quest and retired to my sister Nicholle's house to play games. Nicholle said she had a dinosaur cake pan that might work. We scoffed at her, but it ended up being the perfect thing! Over 4 hours, 3 board games, 2 driving trips and one frosting covered Becky later, I ended up with this:

I was going to make it cooler, and add a wing, and well, feet, but Daniel was going to be home soon so I called it good. It did have a whole face before...we just didn't get a picture before it was eaten.

For Daniel's birthday we also managed to go out to eat before he had to head to work again. His choice: Golden Coral. He had been looking forward to going to a buffet for awhile now.

In case you were wondering:

The balloon aftermath.

Thanks everyone for the other birthday presents and wishes. It was a good year for us both.

Flowers. Babies, and Gingerbread Men.

2010-05-29T03:36:00.000-06:00

For the past few months the theme on my iGoogle page has been a wedding theme, so a few weeks ago I decided since that was a bit outdated, I should change my theme to something new. I found an Anne Geddes flower theme and thought it was cute so I set it as my theme. If you don't know who Anne Geddes is, she is a famous baby photographer who takes pictures of babies, usually in costumes or interesting scenes.

I was on my iGoogle page one day and Daniel saw one of the flower babies and got super freaked out saying that it was creepy(it was not creepy, babies and flowers are not creepy). In hopes to prove that Anne Geddes' pictures were NOT creepy, I searched out more pictures to show to Daniel. After seeing more pictures, he was even more freaked out, claiming this lady was crazy because she "Stole newborn babies, washed them off and stuck them in a flower!" Most of the babies do look fairly young, but I'm sure she didn't steal them, and she probably had the doctor wash them off. I was determined to find a picture he thought was cute(the pumpkin babies fared pretty well), when I came across this:

That is an Asian baby, dressed as a gingerbread man!!!!! As many of you know, one of my life goals is to acquire an Asian baby, and after I saw this picture, I wanted one dressed as a gingerbread man. For days I have been bugging Daniel to bring me home an Asian gingerbread baby when he came home from work. To my dismay, the gingerbread baby never came.

Daniel and I sometimes e-mail each other while he is at work, since he can't really have his phone and he is at the computer a lot during his downtime. After sending him a picture of a pygmy marmoset (they are cute and I am random), he told me that he had something for me, and sent me this:

My very own Asian gingerbread baby! It made me laugh so hard I nearly forgot that I had requested a real one.

If you need a thank you so bad....

2010-05-25T22:52:00.000-06:00

You can have your present back!

Who came up with the concept of a thank you card anyway!? Granted we have thank you cards, cute ones at that, and we will send them at some point, but honestly I should not be pestered to get my thank you cards out! If you came to my reception, you saw me, I hugged you, I said thank you in person. We had a beautiful spread of food for you to eat. Is that not thanks enough? You want a cold meaningless piece of paper? Really? I don't think I will ever understand thank you cards, if it were up to me, I wouldn't send them at all. If you are so desperate for that meaningless piece of paper, really, you can have your present back. I'm appreciative, I already said that, and aren't the best presents the kind that you don't expect a thank you in return? Something you were happy to give and the knowledge that you helped someone should be thanks enough. Isn't that the point of gifts? To give and not receive? Apparently not, because I have a giant stack of cards that must mean otherwise. People annoy me. I'm done with my rant. Thank you.

Oh My Daniel.

2010-05-17T02:14:00.000-06:00

I'm sure most, if not all of you, have heard that Daniel hurt himself the other day. However, you have not all heard the whole story, which I intend to tell you now.

I was slicing potatoes with the mandolin for dinner, when Daniel insisted on helping. He always helps to cook and clean, but this time I felt his hidden motives. I'm a slow slicer when using a mandolin; they are great tools, but I know about 50 million people who have cut themselves on one. Daniel is a fast slicer. He had to work that night and wanted to eat before he left. He saw my slow slicing and I think it made him a bit insecure about the situation. I started working on another food item for the dinner, and after about 5 seconds of slicing I hear a fairly calm "oh crap". I turn to see my beautiful potatoes being contaminated by pinky blood. Daniel had just become the 50,000,001st person I know to cut themselves on one of those things! Contrary to popular belief, I did not freak out. Yelling "COME HERE! COME HERE!" While running to the bathroom and trying to rip open the never used, still in it's plastic first aid. Followed by "PUT PRESSURE ON IT! KEEP PRESSURE ON IT!" is not freaking out, it's simply handling the situation.

We wrapped the pinky up, in some gauze and bandaids, but it quickly bled through. We wrapped it up again and I finished dinner while Daniel sat on the couch. He had one hand in the air (you are supposed to keep bleeding things above your heart if possible), the other hand operating the PS3 controller while he finished the level he was working on before the hidden motives potato slicing had begun. We ate dinner (Yes, we still ate the potatoes, I threw out the bloody ones and cooked up the rest!), wrapped up the pinky one more time, really well this time, kept Daniel prepared with extra bandaids, and sent him to work.

I hadn't heard anything from Daniel in 5 hours. No news is good news right? I figured the bandaids worked out and everything was fine. I had asked Daniel for the parental permission code for our Wii, so I could try and connect to someone's internet so that my brother could send me my Mii, so when I got a text from "My Love" I figured he was just getting the code to me. Instead I read "I am in the ER". Um what!? Now, let's get a few things straight. It had been about 6 hours since the potato incident, that's a long time, I figured if he was going to go to the hospital for that, it would have been a few hours ago. Also, Daniel works in the Infectious Disease department and his lead is currently in quarantine for malaria. He could have easily (well, not easily, but much more easily than most people) gotten a disease on him. Lastly, This is Daniel we are talking about, he does weird, crazy stuff on a regular basis. I come to find out, he just hadn't stopped bleeding. Not as bad as something else happening, but I was still worried, for Daniel, and the emergency room bill we would soon be getting.

After Daniel went into see the Doctor, they tried to put pressure on it and hold it above his heart to see if it would stop bleeding on it's own(Really dude, it had been 7 hours by then! I don't think it's just going to stop). They finally gave in and decided to cauterize (there was a chunk missing, so there was no way they could stitch it). When they took a closer look, it was cut through a vein, so it wouldn't have stopped bleeding on it's own. He asked for the cauterized tool (pen, stick, pole?), but they wouldn't let him take it with him, so after a 3 hour ER excursion, he returned to work. On his return home in the morning, I found out that he had told me, and his two best friends he was in the ER, but not his mother. After convincing him that he should probably tell his mom, he sent her a text that read: "So, I was in the ER last night." Ah, that's my man.

Back to Blogging.

2010-05-16T23:47:00.000-06:00

I consider myself a fairly good story teller. Correct me if I am wrong, but I have been told I have the ability to take a fairly mundane circumstance and turn it into a interesting anecdote. That's what I originally created this blog for, talking about my fairly mundane life and and sharing it in a more exciting and entertaining way. For example, I am quite proud of my Journey's into Geekdom post awhile back. I, however have been ignoring my blog for one reason or another. I have decided I need to get back to my blogging, and share my mundane life with the world! (Or the 3 or 4 people that actually read this). Look for something interesting to come soon!

I was threated.....

2010-04-13T17:57:00.001-06:00

To post wedding pictures, so here are some of my favorites. Thanks very much to Daniel's cousin's Wendi and Kristie, who took and edited the photos.

I am Sad.

2010-02-22T00:16:00.000-07:00

What makes me even more sad than the temple changing, is the way people are reacting to my sadness. I love the Temple now, I think it is beautiful and I am sad to see it change. I'm not losing faith. I will not refuse to go to the Temple after it is renovated. I'm not upset that I have to travel to either Logan or Bountiful. I'm not saying that the Church is wrong for doing this. I am saying that I am sad to see something I love change. People are sad when Bishops or Stake Presidents change. People are sad when wards or stakes are rearranged. People are sad when old church buildings are torn down. People are sad when the Prophet dies and a new one is put in place. Things changing can be hard, and I feel it is okay to be sad. You can be sad when your Bishop or Stake President changes. You can be sad when ward boundaries change. I will not tell you to get over it, so please do not do that to me. I'm not offended the church is doing this to me. I am simply sad to see the Temple change. Nothing more.

The Ogden Temple is Beautiful...

2010-02-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

Now.! It's beautiful right now, before renovations. I never thought the Ogden Temple was in any way less beautiful than the other Temples. I'm getting married in the Ogden Temple, in just a few weeks, because I love the Ogden Temple. I'm very sad about the new renovations. When I have children, they are not even going to be able to recognize the Ogden Temple in my wedding pictures, because it will be completely different. Essentially the temple I get married in, won't even exist in a few years. What is even worse, my brother Tim, who loves the Ogden Temple just as much, if not more than I do, will likely not be able to get married in it at all. RIP old Ogden Temple. I always loved you.

Olympics!!!

2010-02-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know what happens in two days!?
While, of course you, it's the name of my blog post, duh.

I LOVE the Olympics. It is during the Olympics in which sports that you had no prior interest in suddenly become EXTREMELY fascinating.
Last Olympics inspired conversations such as this:
"You look tired."
"I am tired, I didn't go to bed until 5:00 in the morning."
"Why did you stay up until 5:00 in the morning!?"
"Men's speed-walking was on, and I couldn't miss it."

However, this year's Olympics (Winter, obviously), are being held in Vancouver, Canada. This time zone is much closer to ours than Beijing, China, where the last Olympics were held. This means a better sleep schedule. Well, Perhaps. While this may sound great, there is still an issue. Since the Olympics are during the day, it will be hard to find time to do anything else. Instead of conversations such as the previous one I imagine this Olympics will inspire conversations such as this:
"You look tired."
"I am tired, I didn't go to bed until 5:00 in the morning."
"Why did you stay up until 5:00 in the morning!?"
"I was doing homework and addressing wedding invitations."
"Why didn't you do that earlier in the day?"
"Women's speed-skating was on, and I couldn't miss it."

I hope you all enjoy the Olympics as much I as do. Happy watching.

Happy 2010!!

2010-01-02T02:24:00.008-07:00

Happy New Year Everyone. It's twenty-ten! Finally we have reached the decade in which we can say twenty-blank, instead of two-thousand and blank.

Let's look at some highlights of 2009, shall we?

I went to Disney-On-Ice with Savanna, Twice! Both times were awesome, despite Jeff, crying, and vendors assuming our bouncy balls were weapons.

I started college after taking an entire year off after high school. I think the break was much needed, but it was nice to go to school again, as weird as that may sound.I swept up what probably adds up to a ton of spilled popcorn. Okay, so this isn't really a highlight, but it happened a whole freakin' lot. The worst times being after children jumped in it...it's not a puddle.

I was hit on...A lot, mostly by creepy men. I don't know what it is about podium, but it draws weirdos to hit on you somehow. Little tip...When I say I'm engaged, it's probably a good time to back off.

Speaks for itself? I think so. On a fun side-note though: This picture was taken in a cemetery.

Coming Tomorrow (or really later today): New Years resolutions.

Savanna inspired me.

2009-09-24T12:47:00.002-06:00

My best friend Savanna recently posted a bunch of conversations and such she has had with her customers at Wal*Mart on her blog, this inspired me to write a list of questions I hear at my job on a regular basis.

Question: "Do you reuse the popcorn buckets?"
What I want to say: "Yes, we sanitize them and then bring them back to the kitchen."
What I actually say: "No, we just stack them so there is more room in the trash."

Question: "I can throw this in there?"
What I want to say: "No, you cannot throw your trash in the trash can; who does that?"
What I actually say: "Yep!"

Question: "Do we get to keep the glasses?"
What I want to say: "Yeah, if you give me 80 bucks for them!"
What I actually say: "No, sorry, we collect them at the end of the movie."

Question: "These are sanitized, right?"
What I want to say: "Naw, we just hand you your 3D glasses right after we snag them off some sweaty guy's head."
What I actually say: "Yup, all of them are washed and sanitized."

Question: "If I walk out, can I get back in?"
What I want to say: "No, we are extreme jerks, you are only allowed to pass the podium one time."
What I actually say: "You bet!"

Question: (Talking about the Pre-show) I can hear sound but I can't see anything(or visa-versa), can someone fix it?
What I want to say: "Why do you even want to watch the Pre-show? It sucks!"
What I actually say: "It's just the Pre-show, when your actual movie turns on, it is on a different system and it should be fine."

Question: "Where is theater _____?"
What I want to say: "Can you not read? There are 15 million signs, and the podium person told you are pointed where you should go. You really don't know?"
What I actually say "Oh, it's right over here." *points in that general direction*

There are more, but you get the point. The sad thing is that Daniel often uses the response I want to say, and he rarely gets in trouble, because people find him funny. Sigh, I would never get away with it.

Daniel's Side of The Story.

2009-08-25T20:34:00.004-06:00

We thought it would be a good idea for Daniel to tell his side of the story, so here it goes.

Daniels Side:

Ever since I met Becky I thought she was hot. So I of course had to be charming and funny - ALL THE TIME! It was pretty hard to do. After a few months of working together I had gotten to know Becky a bit. This is when I heard about Jail Bait. We had nicknamed her current boyfriend Jail Bait because he was under eighteen and she was over. So all of my hopes were dashed... There was no chance of me getting a date when she had a boyfriend. So, as you can imagine I was secretly very happy when I learned they had broken up. So I resumed flirting with Becky at every opportunity. Until one day when we were joking about the possibility of us going out she told me "You remind me of my brother." This was another setback. It was'nt until later that my friend Dave told me to keep trying that I continued my efforts.

Then one day after we went to the dinosaur park I was on the roof of the parking garage beating up on one of our friends with bamboo swords when I got a text from Becky saying "There is something I want to tell you, but i'm nervous." I trying to act cool said. "What is it?" When the next text came my heart jumped. "I like you." I guess I didn't answer fast enough cause she texted me again very quickly wondering why I hadn't responded yet. Then after the first akward date everything worked out perfectly. I couldn't ask for it to be any different.

Engaged!

2009-08-22T23:16:00.002-06:00

As many of you already know, I am now engaged! The date has not yet been set, but when it is I'm sure you will all be informed.

I will tell you all a little bit about Daniel and I. We met when I first started working at The Megaplex at the beginning of May last year. This job was really easy for me to get, and I always felt that there was a reason I was working there. I think Daniel might have even been there on my first day of work. He was sweet and charismatic since the day I met him. He was sarcastic and fun, and I had a good time working with him. We quickly became what you might call "work friends". We talked a lot when we worked together, shared fun stories and just got to know each other, there and at the occasional activity outside of work.

Daniel liked me the whole time; I was dating someone else. It was after that relationship ended that I realized I liked Daniel, and actually had for a long time, but was in denial. Even though I now admitted that I liked him, I in no way wanted to act upon this feeling. We worked together, and I didn't want things to be awkward if it didn't work out. After much convincing from my friends, and a text sent by my friend, Daniel knew I liked him, and he soon asked me out.

It was a very short time after we started dating that I knew he was the person that I was going to marry. He knew that I wanted to propose, and I did. I sent him a giant fortune cookie, and the fortune inside read "The future is now in your hands; Will you marry me?" I was there when he opened it, and he unreluctantly said yes. We decided to tell our families together, so we waited a bit and planned a BBQ. We ate, and after I prodded Daniel a bit he annouced we were engaged. Everyone pretty much all saw it coming, so it wasn't a huge surprise or anything. My dad did cry, but that was expected.

I will post pictures of my ring when I have it, it is currently being sized. I'm a bit nontraditional, so it is a ruby, not a diamond.

Thank you everyone for your love and support. I felt the background change was appropriate.

EFY

2009-06-29T10:19:00.005-06:00

A few months ago my branch president asked to talk to me during Sunday school. I thought something to the effect of "new calling". That thought was wrong, instead I was asked if I would like to be an EFY counselor for a week. Yeah, okay, why not. I went back to Sunday school. Tim says to me
"Did you get a new calling?"
"Nope, I'm going to be an EFY counselor."
Tim then burst into laughter...and so it began.

I received a few e-mails now and then telling me things like which session I was going to be in and when we would have meetings and such. I made sure I had those days all requested off work, but other than that, nothing happened until Sunday, June 14th. The counselors had a training meeting that day. I had no idea what to expect, and I was pretty nervous. I had never even been to EFY before, how the heck was I supposed to be a counselor?! Had a momentarily lost my mind when I agreed to this? Probably.

I felt a little more informed after training...but not a lot. The prayer given that asked to "calm our nerves" was certainly beneficial, but were they really going to just throw us into this so quickly? We could mess up these poor kids lives forever. I went home, looked over the lesson I had to teach the next day and tried to sleep. This was going to be an adventure.

Monday was check in day, though there was a new twist this year. With the swine flu having been in the MTC, we had to take precautions. Every participant had to fill out a questionnaire and have their temperature taken. Any participant with a temperature of 100 or more degrees had to be sent to "Quarantine". It was my privilege to be stationed in the quarantine room. At this point, if anyone was going to get sick, it was going to be me. Only eight kids came through with temperatures though, and none of them were actually sick.

I then met my girls. I was counselor over 8 wonderful girls, ages 16-18. I thought for sure that since I am only 19 myself I would have a younger group of girls, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Though our counselor spot was stolen, twice, and we had to resort to sitting in a foyer, I had a good time getting to know these girls. We had some fun family home evening games that night and I taught my first counselor devotional. I didn't think this would be too much pressure, until the session directors wife asked to sit in with us...crap. If I messed this up and sounded stupid not only would my girls know, but she would too. I'm so lucky that my girls were so willing to participate and the lesson went pretty smooth. We read scriptures, and Monday came to an end.

Tuesday morning I woke up thinking "I am so tired, it is only Tuesday, and there is no possible way I can make it through this entire week!" Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday all passed. I woke up Friday morning thinking "I am going to miss my girls, I can't believe it is already Friday, and I hope that I did a good enough job this week."

Despite my nerves and not knowing at all what I should expect, It was a really good week. Thursday was a a particularly great night when I got to hear all 8 of my girls bear there testimonies. They all did a wonderful job, and hearing from them definitely moved me. It was hard to say goodbye to my girls on Friday night, but it was really gratifying to have each of them hug me, tell me they had an amazing experience, and that they loved me. It was truely a great experience.

Here is a picture of me and my girls. From left to right. Kim, Karren, Allie, Brynn, Me, Clara, Tausha, Loni, and Madi.

My week without Facebook.

2009-05-01T10:14:00.002-06:00

While I was working last Thursday, the subject of Facebook came up. I admitted that I logged on to Facebook every day, sometimes several times a day. Someone then said "could you go without it?" I quickly responded with "Yeah, of course."
"Could you go without it for a week?"
"Yeah."
"Then do it."
"Starting today?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I will."

It's just a week, no big deal. I figured I would have no problem with it. Then later that day I got a text from Facebook mobile saying someone had commented on a photo of mine...crap. I desperatly wanted to know what picture had been commented on, but I couldn't check. This was seriously going to suck.

After a few days the Facebook mobile texts were starting to drive me crazy. It was like a huge "You aren't supposed to log onto Facebook" sign that kept getting rubbed in my face. Sigh. I wish I could turn those off, but then I would have to log onto Facebook. Maybe I was a little more addicted than I thought I was. I got so desperate at one point, I even convinced Shawn to try and help me find something while he was logged on to his account, and yes, I realize that sounds really pathetic.

Well, the week came and went, and in all honesty it wasn't that bad. I think it taught me something, and though I will probably log on more than once a week, I think I will start getting on a bit less. I guess I should thank my friend at work, who eerily reminds me of Shawn, for challenging me to do this.

By request...My Life Goals

2009-04-09T01:58:00.002-06:00

Just as it says, these are my life goals. It was suggested that I write them, so I am. My life goals are probably pretty different than most, but being unique is a good thing.

In no particular order:
-Visit New Zealand.
-Acquire an Asian child.
-Beat Shawn's Bejewled score on his palm pilot.
-Sleep through an entire day, without having sickness to assist me.
-Go through an entire week without getting a headache.
-Own a duck, snake, pig and tarantula.
-Meet Alton Brown.
-Get that awesome refrigerator that I saw in Sears once, and I fell in love with.
-Bungee Jump.
-Go to the Mall of America.
-Have one room in my house that is painted bright orange.

Wouldn't it be awesome!

2009-04-05T22:58:00.002-06:00

If I actually had any skill in the area, I would become an inventor. I come up with tons of good ideas for things that I think would be pretty nice. Maybe someday I'll hire someone to actually make the things I think of, but until then here are some of my ideas that I think would be awesome!

•Clothes that produce heat. (I actually came up with this when I was like in 4th grade, it's in my year book)
•Clothes that don't get dirty, including smell and everything. Then you will never have to do laundry, which totally sucks.
•A mind reading machine. One that only reads the thoughts that you want to hear. Such as "I wonder if they like me, better get out my mind reading machine." (Savanna gets some credit for this one)
•A cork-a spork, with added knife at the end, and possibly a straw. (Wendy helped me with this one)
•Diaper changing robot. I think this is pretty self explanatory.
•A pencil, where what you drew turned real, but changed to actually look normal. So if I draw a monkey, and it looks a little weird because I'm a bad artist, it turns into a real, normal looking monkey.
•Mascara you can sleep in without getting gross dark circles under your eyes.

Feel free to tell me things that you think would be awesome.

Adventures into Geekdom

2009-03-30T00:15:00.002-06:00

For those who know me well, you know that it is quite a normal occurrence for me to be up late at night. I usually waste my late nights watching TV or just doing pointless stuff on Facebook. However, the past few nights have been spent in a surprisingly different way. I have in fact been sucked into the geek vortex. My friend introduced me to Perfect World, it is a mmorpg(that's right I'm even learning to speak the geek language) or massive multiplayer online role playing game.

The first night I didn't think much of it. I created my character, and started to check out the game. I had no clue what I was doing, as I have never entered into these levels of geekery before, so my friend played the game with me to help me out (thanks Jonathan). I started to figure things out, kill the little bug like creatures and get prizes. Pretty simple. The more buggy things you kill, the more experience you get. I leveled up the very next day. That was so exciting. I had to keep playing so that I could level up more.

The next step for me was fulfilling quests. I was sent on little missions by different people to do certain things. Kill so many of the beetle kings, talk to apothecary and simple things like that. Finishing a quest is awesome though! Some quests are so awesome you can level up by just finishing one quest. The more you level up, the harder the quests get, but that's fine because the more you finish the powerful you become. Becoming more powerful is pretty much exhilarating. I'm already a level 7.

Needless to say, I have become slightly addicted to this game. I never understood how nerds could play games for hours and hours...but now I do. Of course some things in this game still confuse me, like why that jewel thing gave me a pumpkin head for a little while...and what good did the pumpkin head do me? I think I'll figure it out though, hopefully by the time I'm powerful enough to kill those creepy land mermaid things that scared the crap out of me. *twitch*

Tagged...already.

2009-03-26T11:40:00.000-06:00

Savanna tagged me. 4th picture from my 4th album. This was on my 17th birthday after we got home from the zoo.

I tag Tim, because everyone else has already done this, and maybe he will actually post something for once.

Getting Things Started

2009-03-24T19:37:00.001-06:00

A few days ago I decided to reread a list that I wrote about 3 or 4 years ago. The list consisted of two sections: "Stuff I like and/or are addicted to" and "Things that annoy and/or tick me off". I think that a great way to start my new blog will be posting an updated (and MUCH shorter) version of this list. So here it goes.

Let's start off on the positive side.

Here are some things I like:
♥Msn messenger. No one ever gets on anymore, but I have hopes it will come back into the spotlight.
♥When you think you are going to lose a game, and you end up winning! That is awesome.
♥Pigs. They have been my favorite animal for as long as I can remember.
♥Orange tic tacs. Those things are delicious. I eat them like candy.
♥People who can laugh at themselves. Too many people are way too serious.
♥Jon and Kate plus 8. It's like my new favorite show. Those kids are super cute.
♥Peanut butter and bacon sandwiches. It sounds gross, but don't knock it until you try it.

Now, here are some things I'm not so fond of:
•When someone steals your answer to a question. It's so not cool, either you have to come up with a new answer, or say nothing at all.
•Stupid questions. There is such a thing, thank you very much.
•People who pretend to be nice. I would much rather have you be mean than fake.
•Getting goo in your hair. I seriously hate that, especially if I just washed it.
•When you can't think of an instrument that start with F...and you play one. That happened to me during Scategories once.
•When people try to wake me up. I'm ferocious when tired. I do not recommend trying this.
•Nasty Jelly Belly flavors. Uh, chocolate? Are you kidding me? That should not be a jelly bean flavor, gross.

New Blog.

2009-03-24T18:41:00.001-06:00

Woo. I made a blog. I'll write something cool later.