I sent out this smilebox as a "Christmas Card" to a whole bunch of people we don't get to see very much anymore. I'm posting it here to catch anyone I missed. If I did miss you, and I'm sure I did miss someone, I'm sorry, and we do love you! (I also may not have your email address).
But also for those who do get to see us, just in case you are interested ;), because we love you too!!!!
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Meridy's take on Church Ball:
Takes a long time to play. Children are hard to put to bed by oneself.
Nathan's take on Church Ball:
"Takes a long time to play." ???? Are you kidding me? 6 minute quarters and a 5 minute halftime. I am sorry Meridy had to put the kids to bed by herself (I was astounded she was able to tame the Wild Ones alone), but the game started at 9:00.
Moreover, furthermore and while we're on the subject. I made the comment to Richard Hirschi that church basketball is the most intense sport. He said wrestling is more intense. I said that church wrestling would be the most intense sport. He agreed. Church basketball is cRaaaZy. It is a bad mix of call-your-own-fouls and refereeing. I didn't hear any swearing tonight. That was good, but there was much murmuring about fouls/violations or, alternatively, the lack thereof. The referees had stripy shirts on, so they looked pretty official. I think that helped a little.
Meridy's Take:
Church Wrestling is a BAD idea and not supported by the wives of the Elders' Quorum. Not only will this take more time away from bedtime stories, but it will take DAYS away spent in the ER. And who gets to change the diapers day AND night? The wife. If you are lucky, your oldest daughter. So, now wives and daughters are against Church Wrestling.
Nathan's Take:
The good news is that we won. It took a third quarter buzzer beater from beyond half-court (by Skyler Spendlove) and clutch free throw shooting on my part, but we got the job done. Ok, those are my thoughts on Church Ball.
Meridy's Take:
No, the REAL good news is that Nate came home, uninjured. AND we ate pumpkin frozen dairy dessert, which has half of the fat of regular ice cream, AND it tastes BETTER then unpumpkined regular ice cream.
****Meridy and Nathan love to hear from their readers. You can leave them a comment in their designated commenting section.
Well I have some good news and some bad news and some really bad news. The good news is that three of you answered the first question correctly (answer: a). The bad news is that all of you answered the last question incorrectly (answer: a). The really bad news is that all of you are dead. Hopefully the rest of us can learn from your mistakes so that we can have the glory of winning, being alive, and being socially competent. So here's to you and your noble efforts. Way to take one for the team. Stiff upper lip and all that.
Wait. What does that say above the title in small print? Does that say Dec 6th? Really? I could have sworn it was still the 4th.... Sort of takes the "officialness" out of the game doesn't it? Oh well, here we go:
The survivors are:
Anna
Shella
Lori
Sheri
Zach
Your Next Challenge: The dating scene!!! To stir things up you must answer the next 2 questions correctly to stay in.
Question 1:
How to greet your daughter's first date
(a) Shake hands and stare for an uncomfortably long time. If he breaks off and looks away, that's good. You've established dominance. If he stares back, you're in trouble.
(b) Open the door wearing a dirty t-shirt and offer him a beer. If he takes it, you're in trouble.
(c) Ask him point blank if he has ever killed anyone. If he says yes, that's good. He's got a great sense of humor.
(d) Open the door and act like you've never heard of whomever he asks for. If he laughs at the prank, that's a good sign.
Question 2:
How to walk through a revolving door on a date
(a) The man goes first, pushing the revolving door to get it started.
(b) Regardless of the type of door, the lady always goes first!
(c) The man goes in first to get the door revolving, exits the door, allows the lady to enter and then follows behind her.
(d) Look first for a handicapped entrance to the side of the revolving door. If there is one, avoid the trouble of the revolving door altogether. The man opens the door for the lady. If there is no side entrance, turn around and go eat somewhere else.
The survivors will be regally announced on the Ninth Day of December, Two Thousand and Nine, as the clock strikes twelve pm. Really. They will.
....just in case anyone is interested.
Check out my shop at www.themoderncottage.etsy.com
The answer to the first question was a. The answer to the second question was b. The survivors are:
Lori
Anna
Sheri
LeAnn
Shella
Zach (He answered the first question and grace question correctly so I had to let him back in. *sigh* Just kidding Zach, I'm glad you're back. :) )
From here on out there is no more mercy. So read the questions carefully and thoroughly before choosing your answer. Please make sure to fill in the coordinating bubble to your answer on the scantron fully with your number two pencil to ensure your personally safety.
The question:
What to do when kidnappers are tying you up:
a) Make your body go limp.
b) When the perpetrator is behind you, tying up your wrists, throw your head back into his/her nose.
c) Take a deep breath, puff out your chest and flex your wrists against the bonds.
d) Hide a piece of broken glass in your hand and use it to saw through the bonds.
On December 4, at 5pmish (maybe), we will reveal how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop and who is still alive.
Thanks to all of you who answered the first question. Sorry for the delay. The answer was number b. The survivors are:
Anna
LeAnn
Sheri
Lori
Shella
Ashley
Your next question, should you choose to answer it, and I would answer it if I were you because otherwise you're toast, is:
How to survive on bugs:
a) Maggots can be eaten raw or cooked.
b) Centipedes can be eaten only when cooked and are considered a delicacy.
c) Crickets contain high concentrations of the poison belladonna and should never be eaten.
d) Go find some natives, hope that they aren't head hunters, and barter the bugs for their roast boar.
IF YOU MISSED THE FIRST QUESTION BECAUSE YOU WERE PASSED OUT AFTER EATING TOO MUCH TURKEY AND WANT TO STILL PLAY, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE. BUT YOU MUST:
Answer the question above correctly AND the question below correctly. (Please remember to specify which answer goes with which question in your comment).
(Previous Players do not answer this question.)
How to clip your baby's nails:
a)While your partner holds the baby's arms down to avoid injury, trim his/her nails.
b)Wait until the baby is asleep after his/her bath, then trim his/her nails.
c)Wait until the baby is feeding, then trim his/her nails.
d)Take the baby to your mother's and ask her to do the job.
At five o'clockish on Dec. 1, We will reveal who is right and who is dead.
This episode: "How to flee a forest fire."
a) Head away from the fire, toward higher ground.
b) Head downhill, away from the fire.
c) Head away from fire, toward flat ground.
d) Find Smokey Bear and ask him what to do.
Please give your answers in the comments section of this post. The winners, survive. The losers, in this case, burn and die. If you don't answer, the fire caught you unawares and you are a goner. We will post the correct answer and indicate the survivors for this question by Nov. 29 at 5pm-ish. We will continue our little game until there is one survivor standing! The survivor gets the glory of winning, being alive, and being socially competent.
(DISCLAIMER: The answers come from a very official source, that I swear I did not make up. I did not arbitrarily choose the correct answer. If you complain to me that your answer is the correct one, instead of the one that I said was correct, I'll just say, "I know! I thought so too! But the reliable source CLEARLY indicated that mine was the correct answer by typing that choice in bold font. There's just no accounting for it!")
PS. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TOMORROW!!
Gosh, I think I am like my dad....(actually, come to think of it, probably a lot of people are this way)..... Anyway, he has so many interests. He will really be into something for awhile and he loves it so much that it consumes his personal free time. After awhile, if he is like me, he burns himself out on it, and he finds another hobby to love. After a little while, especially if something new and intriguing about it sparks his interest, he will pick up on the old "something". And so he goes through phases of MANY different things. Let us compare this to my blogging and other pursuits. I tell myself that I will try to be better at blogging (how do you spell "blogging"?) again, but to be honest I think I've moved on for a little while. Don't despair kind readers! I will be back, I'm just not in blogging phase right now, just to let you know. Right now I am on a crafting phase. I've learned how to make Scrabble tile charms. They are so fun! You glue cute paper, pictures, jewels, etc on the back side of the tile and make charms out of them. You can use them wherever you want. I'm thinking about making a bunch and selling them in my Etsy shop. They make for inexpensive gifts. I'll let you know about that if it happens. I'm also in a scrapbook phase. I'm scrapbooking for my SIL, Emily, and having a good time. And then there's the sewing phase, the book writing phase, the "children STEALING my computer for their own uses" phase, the reading phase, the getting ready for Christmas phase, etc.
So the last post was pretty sad. I was pretty sad when I wrote it, but I think the silence from us after that post may be giving of the wrong impression that we are in mourning. This is not true. We have been quite happy, and doing fun things. We've been having fun living at Grammy's and visiting my family. We went to my Mom's for Halloween. It was fun to dress up the kids and take them door to door. They were really good at saying "trick or treat" and "thank you". I was also impressed with how far they were able to walk. I made a fascinator hair clip for Ellie's hair because she was a fairy princess and I didn't have a crown. I thought this would be really natural and fairylike. Annjilla, I thought of you and knew you would be proud (There's a pic of it in the Halloween Smilebox below). And my other favorite thing was that Will's dinosaur tail wagged as he walked! It was simply, just so cute! There were so many photos that I wanted to post, that I decided to just make a couple of smileboxes for your quick enjoyment should you desire.
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Nate didn't pass the Nevada Bar. He took the news well. I guess I still don't believe it. But he is signed up to take the Utah Bar and we have high hopes for that one.
Okay, the title is actually overdramatic, but it helps to illustrate what I've been feeling, in as much as it describes the push and pull of my life right now. It's been difficult to want to write because of this, but I think it is about time that I do because I feel discontected from people. I read your blogs at least once a week (even if I don't comment--except Jenny I still need your blog, could you email me again? I promise that I'll get it taken care of this time!), and I feel like I still know you, but that you don't know me because I'm not sharing--I miss my friends, but I love Hurricane and being with family. I want to know right now if Nate passed the bar so he can FINALLY be a lawyer of his own right, but he has a job working for a lawyer in town and got a paycheck with his law degree. (happy day!) I'm so happy that we have a wonderful place to live here with Cheryl, but I am patiently (I hope) waiting for a house of our own in Toquerville. To be happy about living in a place I love and with family I love, makes me feel guilty for not mourning the loss of such great friends more than I already do. To miss my friends makes me feel like I'm beytraying my family. To complain about the downside makes me feel like I am betraying those on the upside. So to sum up I've been really happy and really sad.........I know! Why don't all you Vegas people move to Hurricane?? We have the happy small town atmosphere, grass, desert, trees, mountains, fields, Zion National Park, Wal-Mart, the quilt shop, with St. George and the DI not too far away!
I woke up chuckling and quite proud of myself. My dream was another crazy one. I was chasing a guy around chewing up his legal documents. He offered me a motion to dismiss or something like that, and I cleverly said, "I'd better not--I might get motion sickness."
Yup, that was a pretty good one.
Just keepin' it real.
Like Inigo Montoya, I've been starting conversations in strange ways of late. "Let me see your hand. Hold it up like this. Let's see..." Then I compare the respective lengths of index fingers and ring fingers. After I have aroused sufficient curiosity, I refer to this article.
I think I have been mixing up the diagnoses. The short index finger has nothing to do with Alzheimer's. Sorry to those of you who may have sustained irreparable emotional damage through my small talk.
Sorry, I just thought we should post SOMETHING.
Imagine my joy today as William pulls out all of the videos and tosses them on the floor. Then imagine my ultimate delight as he pulls out Gumby. Yes, I am being sarcastic. I have already posted a while ago that I do not like Gumby. (Please forgive me if Gumby is your hero!) I was groaning on the inside. I tried to get Will to choose another show, and I almost had him. However, my supreme dedication to my son's happiness prevented me from preventing his enjoyment of the show. (And I didn't want to admit to myself that the reason I wouldn't let him watch it is because I have a Gumby phobia.) I quickly ran to my laptop after I pressed the play button, put on my earphones, and cursed my playlist for not starting quickly enough. I didn't even want to hear Gumby playing! I don't even want to post his picture and taint my blog!
I looked up "fear of Gumby" on the Internet. I recommend not doing this. While I saw many eye opening and even unpleasant views on Gumby, it seems no one else on the world wide web is afraid of Gumby. It seems I am alone in the universe. Who will go to therapy with me??? I have decided that you will now be in my therapy session. I'm going out on a limb here, sharing a deep inter part of my soul.......
Hi. My name is Meridy.
(Hi Meridy.)
I am afraid of that little green claymation figure named Gumby. In fact, I am afraid of all early claymation.
(Really? Why do you think Gumby has this affect on you?)
I think it is because it seems unnatural to me that objects, that look almost humanesc, but not human enough, are moving in strange environs, doing strange things, and having strange things happen to them. I imagine it is similar to how it would feel to see a zombie mother grocery shopping with her children one morning--strange and disconcerting, but not enough so that it causes absolute terror as it would if zombies were coming after you at night.
Actually, I've never been to therapy....what happens after the confession?
Be careful, it could happen to you.
More information on a sloding head syndrome.
It's a good thing I don't have too much mental capacity to begin with because I have certainly been overtaxing my poor brain of late. The last three days of my life have been especially mind-blowing. The bar exam is no picnic, so I wouldn't recommend that anyone take it...unless you want to be admitted to the bar...in which case you may have to take it. I hear the Utah bar exam is less demanding. I'm going to try that one next.
Another thing, why can't they tell us our dang MBE scores? 1/3 of the test is a multiple choice exam called the Multistate Bar Exam. We're talking fill-in-the-bubble here. It would take 2 seconds (give or take) to put it through a little machine, but we have to wait until October 22 to know how we did on it.
I'm just going to assume that I passed. That will make the next 2.5 months more enjoyable. Anyway, it's over now.
I haven't blogged in ages.
Obviously.
I don't know if I even know how to write a blog anymore. Nonetheless, I march onward and my fingers continue to to strike the letters on the keyboard. Often they strike the wrong ones, and I have to go back and erase a few letters, and type the proper ones in. I have never been that outstanding as a typist. And then I go back and reread what I've already written. Type a little bit more and then reread again. Then after I post it, I reread it again and try to fix all the mistakes I made, that I should have caught the first few hundred times, before anyone in the outside world can read them. It takes me a long time to type a good post.
I'm feeling contemplative. I think it is because we've had cloud cover all day, and because I just read a really interesting book. It's called The Guernsey Literary and Potato-Peel Pie Society. (I got a $22 hardback book for $1!! It was a steal!) Except for some swearing, it is one of the best books I have ever read. It is thought provoking and has heart wrenching moments, but has enough humor and good feeling to make the book completely enjoyable. Very thought provoking, insightful, great characters. But I don't want write a book review. Sorry.
We have been really busy. We have been going to dance class, getting ready to move, visiting old friends, visiting family, having birthday parties, winning medals, attending funerals (Zach's mother Krysti, and Nate's Grandpa Reeve passed away recently. Two wonderful people who will be missed!), getting ready for a wedding, getting ready for the blankity, blank, blank BAR exam, getting bit by a horse in the face (A horse bit Will, but don't worry he's fine. That horse is just ornery.), and playing "Grassy, Grass, Go Away" in which you think of grassy things to do. The last person to think of a fun thing to do in the grass wins. (Ellie made this game up, with help from Nate.) Here are some pictures. They are by no means all inclusive, but it is the best I have to work with right now.
Gary, Tristin, and Will.
Ellie about to go to dance class.First, really quick, my friend Annjilla is trying to find someone. She is looking for a database, or a resource like unto it, or really anything, to find someone who rented a house next door to her when she was a little girl. If you have any advice or help for her please leave a comment on her blog post, click: HERE. This is really important to her. Thanks!
Three thoughts, two directly from the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, one as a derivative thought.
Mike Teavee
Willy Wonka says, "You. You're Mike Teavee. You're the little devil who cracked the system."
Mike Teavea says, "All you had to do, is track the manufacturing dates, offset by weather and the derivative of the Nikkei index. A retard could figure it out."
and, "Die! Die! Die! In the end, I only had to buy one candy bar."
The fact that he doesn't like chocolate only makes me more impressed by him.
Ok, he has some rough edges. From appearances, he hasn't been brought up very well, but the kid is busting with potential. He's a genius who should be snatched up by the CIA who could turn his powers for the good against various crime cells and terrorist organizations.
Anyway, my point is that Mike is portrayed as a villian who cheated to get the ticket. In my mind, he is the only one who earned it.
So, Meridy tried to help me understand. She said people might think he cheated because he wasn't the "lucky winner" the contest envisioned. This leads us to the lucky lotto winner...
Charlie
Willy Wonka says, "And you, well you're just lucky to be here, aren't you?"
Charlie says......well, I couldn't find any good quotes from him. He did share his birthday chocolate with his family. That is commendable.
But my point with Charlie has to do with his economic mishaps. He is a poverty sticken boy whose father, the family's only breadwinner, is out of work. So he wins the lottery. He gets a Golden Ticket, and he squanders it.
Now you are, no doubt, in an uproar about me saying he squandered his golden ticket. Hear me out. This Golden Ticket has a dollar value on the market. You'll see, if you watch the videos, that he is offered $500 by someone who is trying to sucker him. I'm pretty sure a lot of people would be willing to pay millions of dollars for that ticket. Let's put a price tag on it, say, 2 million dollars. He could sell that ticket, buy a real house for his family out in the country where his grandparents' failing health could improve. He could set up an annuity to support his family for years. He could set up a college fund (for self-actualization purposes if nothing else) for himself and pay for his father to get some training so he could be more valuable in the workforce. Does he do it? No. He spends that 2 million dollars and a trip to a chocolate factory. Talk about fiscal irresponsibility. This leads us to the unlucky lotto victims.
I was listening to NPR the other day --ok, once in a while I listen to NPR, sorry. Anyway, they were discussing whether or not Nevada should implement a state lottery to help pay for education. One guy called in and said that's what the progressive jackpots at the casinos are. I think he's right, but the commentators all wanted a lottery. I wanted to call in and say, "I have never heard anyone put forth this argument against having a lottery, and I think people should hear it. A lottery is like a tax on the poor."
In the name of education, state governments are miseducating the poor. Maybe my expectations of the gov. are too high.
Here is a quote from an article that says what I'm talking about,
"studies show that the heaviest lottery players -- the 20% of players who contribute 82% of lottery revenue -- disproportionately are low-income, minority men who have less than a college education. That has fueled a vociferous anti-lottery movement. "It really is government undercutting what government's role should be," which is encouraging people in financial straits to be responsible with their money, says Tom Grey of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03MuzHC-mWA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJuTx3CTXeI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xad7iOBfI2c&feature=related
http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=lottery+and+poverty
In a few hours I'll be graduating from law school. I'm not going to lie to you--this has been the hardest 3 years of my life. I have been pushed to my limits, held there until I burned out and then kept in the fire to see how long I could keep going when I had nothing left to burn. But what I smell now is not the scent of charcoaled soul. I smell deliverance! Come, rejoice with me! On this day, I close a chapter of my life and prepare to move on.
Before we start the celebration, I should really thank the people who sustained me and made this day a reality.
Meridy: How can I tell you how much you mean to me? After God, no one will ever take precedence over you. Thank you for being with me through all the hard times, encouraging me, keeping me on task and loving me. I knew you were cool when I started hanging out with you. I liked you more the more I explored you. I have come to know you so well, and sometimes you still blow me away. You learn new tricks every day. I am so glad I chose you. Your rock-solid faith and companionship keep my soul alive.
Family, specifically Mom and Dad: Thank you for supporting us in every way. The older I get, the smarter you guys get. I respect your counsel, and I'm so thankful for your example. Should a 27-year old man with a wife and two kids still be running to his parents for help in every crisis? Thank you for financing all our adventures to hospitals, mechanic's shops, and Knott's Berry Farm. We'll pay back the money, but we can never repay you for the help you constantly offer us.
Friends, specifically Peter: Thank you for the fierce frienship, fierce discussions, and fierce loyalty. I'm just glad to call you ally and not enemy. You helped me keep it real, and I look forward to having you in the trenches with me in the future.
God: Thou hast sent me here. Thou hast preserved me. I have come to know thee better in my extremities, and I thank thee for the lessons. I'm sorry for complaining so much. I wish I had taken my medicine with more grace. I will continue to trust in thee. I thank thee for providing me with family and friends to see me through.
Will has inherited his own host of nicknames, Wilbo Joe being on of them. Couple of quick stories for your amusement...I'll keep them short so that you don't get unamused.
The other day Ellie was watching Sleeping Beauty, and Will was desperate for her to be finished. So I tried to get him excited about the upcoming dragon scene. "Ooohh! William, there is going to be dragon! It's like a dinosaur! It says RAR!" The moment the dragon appeared, Will's eyes were glued to the TV. He loved it. Then sadly, as you know, the dragon dies. Will sounded a bit concerned, "Rar? Rar?" What a sick mom am I? I didn't really have the heart to explain it to him.
Will is an interesting character. He likes to wear gold sparkly shoes and headbutt people. He inherited the same head that my brothers did as children. Seriously, he could beat me in a headbutting contest, I wouldn't have a prayer. Thankfully, Will is a kindly Viking, but a Viking nonetheless. We should have named him Ivan, liked we originally planned. If we name the next boy Ivan, we better watch out!
I was playing doctor with Ellie today. She was listening to her unicorn's heartbeat. She asked the unicorn if she had gone to the temple because she could hear temple music in her heart. Then she did that test where you hit the little hammer against the knee. (Do doctors do that anymore?) And she told the unicorn what was in each knee. One had stickers, and chocolate, and all sorts of fun things. The next knee had bugs in it. She proceeded to do this for the other knees.
First of all (I've been meaning to do this awhile), my friend Sarah started a website for the Mormon Mom. It offers great tips for all moms (you don't even have to be Mormon :) This site also features Marvelous Meals. A meal program that you can sign up for $5 a month to gain access to the special marvelous meal website. (click the button below)
Now onto family updates. I am going to do this backwards--most recent working back towards the first of the month.
Perhaps the most shocking thing I did this month is change my hair color 180 degrees. Are you ready for the photos?
I liked it a lot at first. Then the next day I still liked it, but I was in a little shock. Now I'm enjoying it. It's fun to try something new. Thanks Monica!
We had a really nice Easter. We had been teaching Ellie about the Resurrection for a few days before Easter, so hopefully nothing at church was too new for her. We had an Easter egg hunt on Saturday at the Baillio's and then a nice Easter dinner with the Adam's on Sunday. Pretty laid back. Thanks for the fun time guys!
Will is wearing two shirts because he didn't want to change out of the first one into something warmer so I told him that we would put a "jacket" over it. He liked the idea.
Ellie and Anwen.
Ellie and Jane.
Ellie, Will, and Garry.
Our trip to Knott's Berry Farm was really fun! Thanks to the Baillio's for meeting us there! Sorry my kids were a little bit grouchy, by the way. Over all it was a great time though! We also went to the Garment District in LA. That was an interesting experience--we got really close to Skid Row! But other than that close call, I enjoyed it. I purchased some awesome material and a bag. I would post it, but blogger is too tired to comply.
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The title means: "I am awe inspiring, but kind at heart."
和平
peace
喜
happiness
晴海
deep love
Pretty much, I can type in Chinese! I'm doing invitations for a YW/YM activity with a Chinese theme. I wanted to use some real Chinese characters. I downloaded a Chinese font and got my computer to speak Chinese. And with the help of this awesome website (click here), I can write words in Chinese!!! I'm still geeking out about it! I could do this all day. Too bad I don't know the rules of grammar in this language.....
And too bad for you if your computer doesn't speak Chinese. The characters will look like funky rectangles with weird number and letter things. Sorry. If you really want me to teach your computer Chinese I would be happy to. :)
For my rhetoric class, I did a paper and a presentation on the Book of Job. The book is an exposition on the problem of pain. My thesis is that Job has become such a favored piece of literature because of its ethos arguments. Job argues with his friends for a long time about whether or not he deserved his "punishment," but their arguments don't satisfy. Ultimately God comes and settles the matter, but he doesn't explain himself, he simply introduces himself. The idea is that the best answer to the problem of pain is putting faith in God--accepting his ethos. Essentially, having faith is the same as accepting God's ethos arguments.
Logos=appeal to reason, logic
Pathos=appeal to emotion, passion
Ethos=appeal to personal authority, essence or character of the speaker
If none of this makes sense, just smile and nod so I'll feel better. For my class presentation, I put together a slideshow to introduce the problem of pain:
If God is good, he will want to prevent suffering
If God is omnipotent, he has the ability to prevent suffering
Therefore, God is either not good, or not all powerful
This issue gives a lot of people real problems. They have a hard time accepting religion because of all the suffering in the world. Religious scholars have argued back and forth about this problem for centuries, but like I said, I think the real answer lies in the issue of faith--accepting God's ethos. This life gives us opportunities to test our faith.
WARNING: THIS SLIDESHOW IS HEAVY, SOME MATERIAL MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN. WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK...
...I'M NOT JOKING
Imagine waking in the middle of the night with the knowledge that something is wrong, very wrong with your arm. But you can't find it. So you have to use your other arm to find it. And that arm reaches over and finds a limp lifeless arm in it's hand. Suddenly the brain registers the feeling, "EEeeeAAH!"
Such thing happened to me last night. I had to frantically use my left hand to help my right arm once again obtain a state where blood circulation is possible. This hasn't happened to me in quite awhile. When it happens, and my arm is that limp, I often wonder if I'll even be able to revive it. It kind of scares me actually. It took awhile to work my arm back awake. When I did try to use it, felt like it was floating. It was so wobbly, it was as if it was drunk. The drama of it had me laughing as I went back to sleep again. Perhaps it's strange to laugh at your own horror, but that's what I did. I often find the overstated and understated terribly funny, so at least I'm consistent.
This experience gave me cause to think of how wonderful the human body is. Isn't it kind of your body to warn you when your arm is dead? "Uh...Meridy, your arm is dying. Stop cutting off your own circulation you moron. WAKE UP and revive it!" Can you imagine if you lost your arm because your body lacked this warning mechanism?
On the other hand, why is the body often so self defeating? Let's say, for example, that there is this great piece of chocolate silk pie.... The arteries are desperately trying to communicate, "NO! Don't eat it! Think of the future!! We don't want to be clogged up...." Unfortunately our body's red tape doesn't allow us to hear their thoughts. What we are stuck with is the stomach and the brain. The stomach is chanting, "eat it! Eat it! EAT it! EAT IT!" The brain is a bit more confused. One part of it is chanting, "sugar. Sugar! SUgar!! SUGAR!!!" The other part of it is saying, "How much chocolate silk pie can I eat with out causing lasting damage?....Okay that was really good! Oh! Look! There is still more pie left! It looks goooood. And I should know, I just had some. But I already ate a huge slice and I just don't know if it will be healthy....."
And so man must struggle to survive with himself. But hey, at least we get to have some chocolate silk pie while we're doing it!
William sleeps through the night now (knock on wood). The end.
ps. Say by John Mayer is a good song. It used to annoy me actually, because the words are so repetitive. But I finally started listening to the thing as a whole. There are some great chords and instrumentation in there.
pps. Problem Girl by Rob Thomas is also awesome song. Great melody and chords too! And LOVE the lyrics!! Pretty much I think you should scroll down to the bottomish of my first playlist and listen to it.
So I've created a little bloggy thing. It's a music review blog. I want many, many contributors to....contribute. So give me yer email and get on there and tell us what music we should be listening to. I've set the example by posting the first album review.
You can find it here: http://whatsthescore-nate.blogspot.com/
Also, you can now listen to two songs off Chickenfoot's album. I'm a little disappointed in the lyrics. I was hoping for something more like the lyrics on Van Halen's Balance. Instead, it looks more like a mix between rowdy roadhouse blues lyrics and party rock lyrics ala Lynch Mob. I hope the other songs wax a bit more profound, or at least respectable. This is one of the foreseeable problems with Joe Satriani joining a normal band. I normally don't have to worry about his song lyrics...cuz he aint got none.
We were up late. Meridy had just read some sad story involving drawing and quartering, so we decided to write a happy story. Then it got weird. We had a good laugh though. And now, without further ado, here is the classic story of a man and his beef:
Once upon a time, there was a happy world. It ended happily. The end.
Then came the rain. Luckily, there was no drawing and quartering in this story. The townspeople didn’t like violence. They lived in peace with all the vegetables. They ate dirt. Dirt has no soul, so it’s ok to eat it. They all suffered from scurvy, until one day, one man came up with a way to add vitamin c to the dirt. It improved the flavor and their health. And the peasants rejoiced.
But then--there arose a man who refused to eat his dirt. “I won’t do it,” he said, putting down his spade and folding his arms across his chest. Then he spied Old Betsy in the field. His eyes glazed over, he smiled slyly and picked up his spade. He began whistling cheerily as he approached the cow from behind.
Some hours later, another villager commented to his neighbor, “My, somfin’ smells gooood.....” “We aint had nothin’ to eat but maggoty old dirt for three stinkin’ years! [Except they didn’t eat the maggots. Because those wriggling things obviously had souls. Not to mention their unseemly texture.] Let’s saddle up Old Betsy and see what’s cookin’.” Much to his dismay, the villager could not find Old Betsy anywhere.
“Betsy!” he called. “Old Betsy!” Twas then our hero became nervous. “This can’t end well,” he said as he filled his suitcase with personal belongings and hamburgers and fillet mignons etc.
“I must spread my beef everywhere,” said Johnny–for Johnny was his name. “I’ll plant beef trees all along this wilderness frontier!” Sadly, Johnny’s trees never grew. When he got hungry enough, he decided that dirt looked pretty good. “It’s really not that bad after all,” he said to himself as he crunched a savory bite of sediment.
Some weeks later, a curious thing happened to Johnny. He was peacefully munching mud, when a shimmering blob appeared before him. And then the blob spoke. “I am the soul of dirt,” said the blob. Johnny was flabbergasted, exceedingly so. “You mean the soil of dirt, don’t you? Everyone knows dirt has no soul.” “No,” corrected the blob, “I am indeed the soul of dirt. I have come to admonish you to please stop eating me. I do not wish to be digested, I wish to be treated like dirt. I was meant to be trodden upon, but your people desecrate me.” “What can we do? We will starve without dirt. Whatever shall we eat?” Johnny was distraught, exceedingly so. Then the blob spoke yet again. Quoth the blob, “You shall eat cows, and vegetables. Thus shall they fulfill the measure of their creation. You shall combine the cows and the vegetables in a mighty stew, and you shall call it–Beef Stew.” Johnny’s eyes were wide, horror mirrored in his simple expression, “You mean I could have been eating cows this whole time!? I’ve been eating dirt!” Quoth the blob, “Yea, verily yea.”
Soon thereafter, Johnny tracked down another heifer. He chose a nice field, with dark, rich earth, and there he planted the cow. “Mooooo!” the cow protested. Johnny admonished the cow, “Quiet you! You are doing a great service to mankind. You shall spread your beefy goodness over all the earth.” Suddenly, the guiding voice of the soul of dirt came into Johnny’s mind, “No, no, no! You do not plant cows as you would plant a rutabaga. You must form a cattle ranch.” “Oh,” said Johnny.
Fame of Johnny’s marvelous cattle ranch soon spread across the land. In truth, the people were sick of eating dirt. It didn’t take much convincing for them to abandon the vain and foolish traditions of their fathers and to embrace beef stew. The true order of nature was restored, and they lived happily ever after.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Johnny cooly appraised a passing hen....
We're looking for a few good crazy people to accompany us on our trip to Knott's Berry Farm. You see, Knott's is extending their crazy-good promotion to March 15th. Read all about it here:
Twogether is Better at Knott's
http://www.knotts.com/hot/index.asp
That's right friends, $50 gets you AND one friend of your choice into the park. I'm choosing Meridy for my friend. Whom will YOU choose?
Other fun things we might do while in California (if you go with us, you'll get to give us your ideas and input of course):
--visit the famed garment district
--the beach
--swap meet
--correct the speeding ticket I got on our Disneyland trip
--what else is there?
We're planning on leaving early Thursday afternoon. We could do Knott's Friday or Saturday. If you choose to come join the festivities, we could meet you there or drive down with you. It would be fun fun fun.
As a parting thought, we're taking our kids with us. If you come, you may be called upon to watch them while we go on a couple rides. We will gladly return the favor for you. If you want to go with us (it would be so fun) give us a call or an email or a comment or SOMETHING.
One last note--we are deathly serious. I'm not even joking.
I like to read the works of C.S. Lewis...usually. I can't say I enjoyed every chapter of his Narnia series, but a lot of that was good. If any of you want to catch some more of his science fiction/fantasy books, he has a trilogy for "grown-up" readers. Here is a link for those of you interested in looking into it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransom_Trilogy
I was drawn to the series through Iron Maiden. Yes, that Iron Maiden. They actually do a lot of songs about great works of literature. One of those songs I particularly like is Out of the Silent Planet. I figured I might just like the book too. While researching it, I learned that it was part of a trilogy. True to form, for those who know me, I decided to read the last book of the series first. The last book is called, That Hideous Strength.
I liked a lot of things about it. I'd probably give it an 8.5 out of 10. Some of the science in it was cheesy, and the ending is pretty weird. In some instances, I thought the author was going for that The Man Who Was Thursday feel without really attaining it. Other than that though, it was a good read.
It has a lot of insights into good vs. evil, secret societies, and human nature.
So, I know you all have been wondering what happened to me. "Where did she go?", I'm sure has been your first thought before bed and your last thought before waking up. I assure you that I've been here, in my house.....doing junk.....quite happily most of the the time...
To answer a request, I shall now post pictures of what I've been doing, and I do this at the risk of revealing that I like to read YA fiction, fairytales, and sometimes books that are a *tiny* bit cheesy:
This book was awesome, not cheesy, and mostly clean. It's great book for young adults and older adults alike. 4 and 1/2 stars out of five. In other words: I think you should read this book.
This is actually a children's book, but really very good for what it was. I enjoyed it.
One of my favorite Lori Wick books of all time. Perhaps unrealistic in a few ways, and maybe even cheesy sounding, but good. It's about an arranged marriage that works out--Another weakness of mine is books about arranged marriages that work out.
I've also been reading various other books, but not all of them worth mentioning so moving on....
Nate and I have been obsessed with this two player card game:
I've been working on blog designs for various people, here is one example:
I've been working on belated birthday cards which I will NOT post because it will give away the long awaited punch line to the the three of you who have been waiting for them.
I've slowly begun a few sewing projects which are not completed, and therefore impossible to post pictures of.
We had Abigail and Peyton come over to play and I captured this video, delightfully illustrating that kids are funny even when they aren't really funny at all:
OKAY, actually it won't load! Blankity, blank, blank. (I mean....ah shucks!) So I will just have to tell you: The kids were telling knock-knock jokes that weren't funny, but then that in actual fact made them funny, if you know what I mean. You'll have to come to my house to watch it, or check back later.
And, we had fantabulous Valentine's Day where I gave Nate (and me) this:
And I gave the kids this, plastic bags of chocolate chips (yes, somewhat pathetic but they enjoyed it):
Nate and I went out to lunch on Friday AND Saturday. Very delicious and fun. Nate found a Gautemalan restaurant that is very good, and I got a Gyro sandwich from another restaurant that is obviously NOT Gautemalan but Greek. I don't get those often because Nate doesn't like Greek food or baklava that much for that matter. And then we got root beer floats, which we thought were only going to be 99 cents each. But if you want to to have them in the Frosty mug they are $2.19. And, I mean, what is an A&W rootbeer float without the frosty mug?!?! Hello.
And now for all of you that are still with us and awake, you must be dying to know what the title "Word Verification" means. "What is the significance of the title?", you ask? Well I'll tell you: almost nothing....except for the fact that while I've been trying to catch up on your blogs and post comments, I've noticed that my sweet computer has been trying to help me accomplish the tricky task of "word verification". For example, your blog requests that I type in the letters: "blaqdn". Then, I type in the letter "b" and my poor sad computer, so willing to help, gives me a list of "word verification" tasks previously entered in such as: bksljf, buijaiiun, banpli, etc. Little does the computer know that it is missing the point entirely. And so in order to help it maintain it's self esteem, I say to it (in my head): "Good job computer! That's great work!"
