Holy Colee!

I love driving home in the fall. To get from Salt Lake to Dingle you go thru 2 canyons. Which 2 canyons you get depend on your chosen route, but my 2 canyons are Sardine and Emmigration. As I was driving thru Sardine, I was confused as to why there were so many people stopped on the side of the road. Finally I slowed down enough to see what they were doing. They were taking pictures. The canyon was sooo red this weekend. It was absolutely amazing. If I had a better camera, you would have a better picture, but instead I chose to take mine while I was driving, with my camera phone. So, excuse the bugs, but it was too beautiful not to share. Emmigration was yellow this weekend, my favorite photo shot is driving south, so if I remember I'll take it on my way back.

Another thing I love about being home, is that people sleep here. I sat down (aka fell asleep) with the little kids last night to watch a movie about 8:30 PM. I quickly fell asleep. I managed to get them in bed a bit after that, and then the next thing I knew it was 8:30 AM. Yes, I really slept for 12 hours. I have been so tired for weeks now, but there have been other things to do so sleeping took a back burner. The best part was it was good, solid, restful sleep. Now, some might think, "what loser goes to bed at 8:30 on a Friday night?" To them I would say, "this loser."

Today we spent the day listening to General Conference. I even managed to get the lawn mowed between sessions. It was a good day. I think tomorrow I will bake :)

I love institute. I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again. It just makes me happy. Today was Brother Anderson's semi annual pre General Conference excitement lesson. I love that he is SOOOOO excited about hearing the Lord's prophet speak. It can't help but rub off a little. It should be a good weekend. Hopefully I can manage to learn a little.

Other than that today was pretty uneventful. I am conducting interviews for a position in Baton Rouge, if anyone thinks they want to deal with scheduling 700 people, leave it in the comments ;)

The next step in the ownership process was taken today. I applied for the biggest loan of my life thus far. Wow. It didn't take very long, but it was still a little scary. It is all becoming very very real. It can't help it when you see numbers like that on a page with your signature on it.

Tonight was the season premiere of Gilmore Girls. My roommates have me hooked. Fortunately it comes on a noncable station :) If you ever need to sit and listen to people talk way to fast about the chaos that goes thru girls' heads, this is the perfect show. Really, complete chaos :)

Ok, sorry, but it is too late for me to think of something funny tonight. Perhaps soon... perhaps.

Because I know you were all a little worried about my "canyon" experience Friday night, it didn't happen. They had the party at a church pavillion instead. Good times. It was fun to see people I hadn't seen for a year or so, and we mostly spent the night harassing Spencer for being "old" so it was great really.

Today, after being awakened by the roofers pounding on the top of our house, I spent the day visiting my grandparents. I tell you what, there is no better ego boost than visiting the people who think you are the most wonderful, talented, amazing, beautiful, smart person in the world. I really should visit more often ;)

So my real news for the day is that my counteroffer was accepted:) I am one big step closer to owning my own condo :D:D:D:D:D:D YAY :D:D:D:D:D:D

My miracle for the day is that my mom was actually able to find my W2s. I know my filing system and what a mess it is, but she must have been inspired, because she found them! This all might actually work out, afterall.

So, I've managed to do a very adult thing this week, even though I am not completely sure I have any desire to be an adult yet. Wednesday I put an offer on a condo. Yesterday they counteroffered and today I have to decide if I want to accept that or try something different. I've also spent the week shopping for interest rates. As much as I like to shop, this has been a very interesting process. And the thing about it is... EVERYONE has advice for me, and very rarely does any of the advice actually coincide.

Last night my friend Chris had a little "finish the duplex so people can move in in 2 days" party. Things were going along swimmingly. The bathroom got finished except for the things that needed longer screws. The bedroom blinds got hung. We cleaned a years worth of ICKINESS from the fridge and oven. Things were getting cleaned up and Brian showed up to help finish the little bit of carpentry that needed to get done. So, we just had the kitchen and living room blinds to hang before we called it a night and went to dinner. Well..... the kitchen blinds are above the kitchen sink. There wasn't really a way to ge to them with out standing on the counter. Which would have been fine, however the person hanging the blinds stepped onto the sink instead. CRASH!!!!! The next thing we know is that he is standing half way in the hole where the sink used to be. Fortunately no one was hurt and the sink is fine. But, let's just say Chris has a little bit more carpentry to finish in the kitchen. I must admit he reacted the best way possible. Mostly with a little awe and disbelief and you know, look at the bright side, now the new fixtures should be SUPER easy to install.

Anyway, today I am going to Logan for a birthday party. It's supposed to be up in the canyon, but since it's been raining for the past 3 days, I really hope they have a backup plan.

Last night we got invited to go see Nacho Libre. I must admit, I have been a bit hesitant to see this show. I have heard many pros and cons, and I just wasn't sure if it could live up to it's predecessor. But hey, the boys that invited us were cute, and let's face it, I have a weakness. The show was great. It was a very different type of humor than I was expecting, but very very mockable and once I see it again, I am sure, very quoteable. My favorite line is when Jack Black is explaining to the children how great it is to be a monk and he tells them "I get to lay in my bed all by myself for the rest of my life. It's fantastic!"
It's at the dollar theaters now, so if you need a cheap date, or you know, just an excuse to get out of the house, it's worth a watch. If for nothing else, once you see Jack Black in stretchy pants, you can't help feeling better about yourself.

I spent Friday night very amused. We ended up having a girl's night out to dinner and then we missed the party we were supposed to be at, so we went home and watched Gilmore Girls episodes. The amusing part was the text messages I kept getting from the boy that the rumors say I am dating. He is hamming it up just enough.

Saturday Barry called to see if I still wanted to go to the USU v Utah game, which I did. Even though I knew it would mean watching my team get POUNDED, which they did. 48-0. OUCH. It's the first time I have ever seen my boys lose, which if you know their record means I haven't been to all that many games. Afterwards we met Spencer for dinner. Again, a very entertaining night.

Today we had regional conference. It was a good meeting. After church we came home had a little nap and a little cheesecake and Chris and Barry came over for a chat, well, the cheesecake mostly, but we can pretend it was to chat. Then tonight we went to a birthday party for a boy in our new ward named Jake. I really really like our new ward. The people are super friendly and they are always doing something. This will be a good situation for me to be in until I find a somewhere new to live. :)

This week is the Utah State Fair. 3 words - WHITE TRASH FEST. I love the fair, the food, the giant alligator, the rides, the butter cow... but wow. It draws people out of the woodwork, for sure. I must admit, there were a few times I forgot to look at the exhibits because the people were far more entertaining.

We went up the canyon for a hotdog roast on Tuesday. Sadly, I think our canyon time is quickly drawing to a close. If the weather turns as they say it will this weekend, there will be "snow in them thar hills." So, until there is enough to go sledding, I will probably stay out of them.

Last night I went house shopping again. I've pretty much decided to go the condo route, but every time I say that, someone pipes in with what a bad idea it is. I have got to stop listening to other people so much. We found 2 places that I liked - ALOT. The space was good, and in neither community did I feel like I might be murdered in my sleep. One of them is a little toooo close to work - as in I can see the office from the garage close, but I like the other one better anyway, so it's all good.

My roommates met my friend Clark last night. They said they now understand why I enjoy house shopping ;) Now lets face it, they're right, but I promise it's not the only reason.

After bowling last night, we managed to pull off a surprise party for Bethany. Unless she is lying, she actually didn't know. We had a great turn out and a lot of fun. People left about 1 this morning, and I must admit, I am a little tired. It was totally worth it.

If it doesn't rain tonight I think we're headed back to the fair... crossing fingers

I'm having a girl power day - I love this selection

In All Ways A Woman

In my young years I took pride in the fact that luck was called a lady. In fact, there were so few public acknowledgments of the female presence that I felt personally honored whenever nature and large ships were referred to as feminine. But as I matured, I began to resent being considered a sister to a changeling as fickle as luck, as aloof as an ocean, and as frivolous as nature. The phrase "A woman always has the right to change her mind" played so aptly into the negative image of the female that I made myself a victim to an unwavering decision. Even if I made an inane and stupid choice, I stuck by it rather than "be like a woman and change my mind."

Being a woman is hard work. Not without joy and even ecstasy, but still relentless, unending work. Becoming an old female may require only being born with certain genitalia, inheriting long-living genes and the fortune not to be run over by an out-of-control truck, but to become and remain a woman command the existence and employment of genius.

The woman who survives intact and happy must be at once tender and tough. She must have convinced herself, or be in the unending process of convincing herself, that she, her values, and her choices are important. In a time a nd world where males hold sway and control, the pressure upon women to yield their rights-of-way is tremendous. And it is under those very circumstances that the woman's toughness must be in evidence.

She must resist considering herself a lesser version of her male counterpart. She is not a sculptress, poetess, authoress, Jewess, Negress, or even (now rare) in university parlance a rectoress. If she is the thing, then for her own sense of self and for the education of the ill-informed she must insist with rectitude in being the thing and in being called the thing.

A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but a woman called by a devaluing name will only be weakened by the misnomer. She will need to prize her tenderness and be able to display it at appropriate times in order to prevent toughness from gaining total authority and to avoid becoming a mirror image of those men who value power above life, and control over love.

It is imperative that a woman keep her sense of humor intact and at the ready. She must see, even if only in secret, that she is the funniest, looniest woman in her world, which she should also see as being the most absurd world of all times. It has been said that laughter is therapeutic and amiability lengthens the life span. Women should be tough, tender, laugh as much as possible, and live long lives. The struggle for equality continues unabated, and the woman warrior who is armed with wit and courage will be among the first to celebrate victory.

Today was a good day. This morning we went to a new member breakfast. There seem to be a gazillion new people in this ward. I found out that one of the gals is friends with my Logan friends. Her name is Melanie and she was in choir with my boys. Also, there is another girl who's family lives in Dingle in my ward. I don't think she actually gets to claim Dingle, as her family is relatively new and she hasn't lived there more than a couple of months at a time... but anyway, what are the odds?

After breakfast was church. The new ward is going to be awesome. They seem really friendly and that is good, cuz I am a little shy, believe it or not. It does appear that the girls outnumber the boys pretty solidly, but at least there are not 2 Relief Societies like my last ward. We had a mingle and got to meet a few more people there.

After church Barry made dinner. He's a good kid. For all the times we've had them over, he's the only one who's actually returned the favor. Kudos to him. After dinner we went to the CES fireside to hear an apostle of the Lord speak. President Eyring spoke about having the gift of the Holy Ghost and how we live our lives to be able to have that companionship.

After the fireside we had Family Home Evening at one of the bishopbric's homes. It was an amazing home. He's a dentist, and apparently it pays well. We got to meet lots of new people there. I am pretty excited about the new ward. I think it's going to be a good thing, even if I don't really plan on being there long. Who knows? Maybe the new house will be in the boundaries.....

Today started like most Saturdays. I slept in. We had a late night with one of VeAnn's friends who she hadn't seen for the last couple of years, since he has been in Iraq and all. It was a fun night, but I took Barry home around 1, and then still had to go to the store and finish some things I had been working on. Even sleeping til 1030 meant I got only 7 hours of sleep. I know, I know.. boo hoo whine... ANYWAY
Then I decided to be useful, so I mopped the kitchen floor on my hands and knees. The dirt in this linoleum has been there so long it has become one. After I scrubbed I put a new finish on it. It is sooo pretty. Yes, my life is so exciting I am telling you about how shiny my kitchen floor looks.

Ok, so that was about all the useful I had in me. I watched 2 movies and then got ready and went to a party. It was a great time actually. Lots of people I will not be seeing much of once I get moved into my new ward tomorrow and of course just some people I love in general. The highlight of the evening for me was learning how to blow fire using a mouthful of cornstarch and a tiki torch. Yes, really, it was awesome. I was not all that good at it, but Chris and Robin were, as well as a few others. It also works with powdered sugar, which is the route I would recommend based on nothing except the aftertaste.

Well, I hear tell there is a ward breakfast in the morning, so I do believe I should probably crash soon. Happy Saturday!!!

For once in my life, I really don't have all that much to say. Life is good, but it has been pretty uneventful this week. I spent Tuesday working until midnight. Wednesday was institute, which was good, but nothing new. Last night was bowling. I got a 99 and 104.

Life is so uneventful this week that I actually had a dream about tomato paste. Really. And it wasn't even alien paste trying to take over the world, it was just me trying to figure out if it needed to be refrigerated or not. I haven't even been in the kitchen this week, so I am not sure where tomato paste even came from.

Anyway... now you know. Sometimes it's better for all of us if I just don't say anything ;)

I love long weekends. We spent Saturday getting stuff done around the house and yard, in the afternoon we had a hot dog roast and Saturday night we had a party. Sunday was a good quiet church day and then I got to spend the afternoon at my father's house with my little sisters. It was fun. We colored and read stories and jumped on the trampoline. Monday we put up salsa and lazed around the house watching movies. Really - a perfect weekend. My nephew lost his first 2 teeth, I got to hang out with my fam, and well... yeah, perfect.
Monday night there was a miracle - I had a date. Since I got a text from CA asking how long I had been dating him, we figured we should at least give the rumor something to substantiate on. It was a good time :) As spending time with Spencer always is. Now if only he felt like driving south a little more often ;)

Fall is in the air today. It was 23 degrees in Dingle this morning. I missed it, but if tonight is an indicator, tomorrow should be about the same. The day was beautiful though, as fall days are. The drive was completely quiet, which is a good way for drives to go, considering the alternative. I didn't get anything done today except interviews for a position we have open in Texas. Other than I spent the day hanging out with my fam... I love quiet days at home.