Thanks Nina

http://overheardlines.blogspot.com/2006/10/new-yorker-trying-to-grasp-geography.html

Courtesy of my fellow oklahoman friend, Nina, thanks!

Well, today was a huge build-up to my audition. My stomach was so tight, I was really stressing over it all. I got in there and sang my heart out. And I was really pleased/satisfied/thinking "I rock" when it was all over. Then my sweet accompanist left and they had me listen to a sequence of 5 notes and then repeat them. I did fairly well on that. Next was the rhythm test. Don't ask me why I was more nervous on that one than the previous ones, but I was. It's like I couldn't clap a rhythm to save my life. Sad, I know. But after my short visit to the hallway, they came out to say that I had been admitted to the department of music. Hooray!

Now I needed to get enrolled. The advisor over the music performance degree said to come back to her office at 4pm to enroll. No problem. I went home/changed/ate lunch/drove back at 4pm. I entered her office where there were 2 very young girls, freshmen, getting their classes figured out. At 4:45pm, they left and I began looking over my classes with the advisor. I thought it was great that I didn't need to take any gen ed courses--but we discovered that there aren't enough music classes to equal 12 credits, so I would either need to add another class (non music) or not be full-time. The advisor said I should definitely take another class to be full-time, but I'm not sure. We found 7 classes that did work, but only equaled 9 credits--that's a music degree for you--but another snag was that one of those classes (opera) is on MWF from 4-6pm. Ummmm, Anna's out of school then and Tyler is going to be doing his MBA classes this next quarter from monday through thursday...big problem. One of the main reasons I was going back to school is because I could attend class while Anna was in school....So, I don't know what we're going to do about that. If I don't take that class, I'll be 2 credits less--and I really really want to take it. So, we'll have to figure something out...by the time we had the classes I was going to do--it was after 5pm, therefore the registrar was closed. I was aggravated because I was there ON TIME---WHEN she asked me to be, but she double booked herself, so those cute freshmen girls had plenty of time to get enrolled whereas I couldn't and school starts on the first day that I could go to the registrar. GRRR. I was very upset/frustrated with the lack of organization on her part.

The Neel family came over and brought chinese food for us all for dinner--YUM! Then we played carcassonne & 5 player hearts. It was really fun. My dad & co are currently enroute to see us. They should arrive tomorrow morning sometime...it's almost my birthday!!!! You didn't forget, did you?

Can I get a substitute?

I have found a way to be less nervous about my audition tomorrow...do you think I could get Anna Netrebko to stand in my place??



I love that song. Someday I would like to sing it. I have this funky feeling like it wouldn't be a good "fit" for my voice, but I hope to prove that wrong. Please think of me tomorrow at 2pm (EST) during my audition. I feel/hope that it will go well. I have had several people assure me that it'll be "just fine," yet I have major butterflies at the moment. In less than 24 hours it'll all be over and life will go on. (right?)

Today I did some scrapbooking. Are you in shock? Yes, I finally allowed myself to forget other things that could be done and work on my scrapbook of my childhood. It seems to be going a lot faster than my other scrapbook. I'm not sure why.

Soap

I took Anna & Laura to school and then went for a walk around my neighborhood, then went VT to two ladies, followed by other errands, which included a pedicure with my friend, Angela. We go together every 3 months to get our toes done. My toenails are now the color of "glowing orange." Doesn't that just sound nice? Well, I don't normally ever read magazines, but there happened to be a STAR magazine around while I was sitting in my oh-so-relaxing massage chair. I read how Jennifer Aniston has a new beau named Bradley who was just the most wonderful guy and that they were already falling in love, etc. I picked up another magazine, dated the same time as the STAR magazine and the cover story was Jennifer Aniston: LONELY. So...if anyone really knows Jen, perhaps you'd like to share (with all of us here) her current relationship status, since apparently the magazines have NO clue.

My friend told me about Bath & Body Works having a sale of 5 soaps for $15. I can honestly say that I've never bought soap from bath & body works before. But, whenever I've gone to someone's house and they have B&BW soap in their bathroom, I somehow feel a higher sense of "class" present versus a bar of soap. Do you know what I mean? So, because of the sale and my birthday and the fact that I actually have money (see how many nice excuses I have???) I walked into that wondrous store and bought 5 soaps: Honeysuckle, Pineapple, Sweet Pea, Tropical Passionfruit, & Cucumber Melon. So, whenever you stop by to see me, perhaps you will be in awe of my possession of classy soap.

New Glasses

Try to glean my somewhat recent haircut in these photos (it's the end of the day, therefore not as cute as in the morning--take that into consideration) and I got 2 pairs of glasses: brown & black. Which do you like better?

Quando, quando, quando...

I love that song by Michael Bublé. It's such a great song...



Tyler is currently out helping with the relief effort in OHIO--I guess thousands of houses are flooded in Ohio from a river overflowing. My husband is such a nice guy, always wanting to help others. I know that if my house was flooded that I would appreciate some help. What a wonderful church we have.

Around noon I made it out to the library on-base, the post office (half.com sale), the credit union, the commissary, the optical place (to pick up my new glasses, I'll try to post pictures soon), JC Penney's portrait studio (to take back the 2nd set of reorders that had a hole in the picture-sigh), to Ritters for some frozen custard, then directly to VT a sister in my ward--all within 2 hours. Yeah, I was BUSY! And for some reason...I was feeling really cool...I had this song blaring on my radio:



The words really rang true with me today: I am the way that I am. It's a way of being happy with who I am. Plus the rhythm is AWESOME! It's from my favorite bollywood movie: VEER ZAARA. Go on, rent it, you'll be glad you did!

I want to scrapbook today, but I just can't seem to get myself to do it--not sure why, I'm easily distracted with everything else that I could be doing...

And thus we see that...

One of my favorite quotes from the Book of Mormon. It applies to my weight report this week: I gained 1/2 a pound this week, putting me at 314 1/2 lbs. A little over a week ago I hurt my knee playing volleyball and so I have been really taking it easy, ie, not exercising at all for the whole week. I'm sure that applied to my gain---plus this past week I have been working through some traumatic issues from my past, therefore some comfort food was applied--& even though I stayed on the SBD rules: no sugar, only whole wheat flour, etc, I baked some things and didn't control how many servings per day and didn't pay attention to my protein intake. Therefore, I gained. I am, however, completely fine with this--because I know it's not a permanent thing. I walked around the track for 30 minutes this morning and my knee seems to be doing all right. So this week I will (hopefully) be able to exercise 5x and I'm working to up my protein and down my wheat flour goods. I will be sure to report back next week. However, it will be on labor day, so I don't know if the YMCA will be open or not. Plus my birthday will have occurred before then--but I am planning to stay on the SBD despite my birthday.

I practiced my audition pieces with Cherie and then she showed me around her garden--wow, does she know a lot about gardening! She kept talking about all these various plants/flowers/bushes/trees...and I was completely lost, not knowing what she was pointing at or anything. But it was fun. Gardening is something that I can see myself getting into and it's fun to talk with others who enjoy it. (just like you, Kathey!)

We had Cari & James and their 2 boys over for FHE tonight. It was fun getting to know them--they're new in the ward. Tyler & I are going to play a game now! Hooray!

Who makes the rules?

Daddy: Who's the boss, Anna?

Anna: You are.

Daddy: Who's the daddy?

Anna: You are.

Daddy: Who makes the rules?

Anna: Mama does.

Laughter ensues...as Tyler's point is gone.

This morning we had an interested Sacrament meeting. A family of 6 was baptized yesterday, so they were confirmed today + there was a baby to be blessed + a special musical number by the RS. There were 2 speakers scheduled for today, but only one spoke--and it was for 5 minutes. Crazy! I'm amazed that every time I hear someone confirmed a member of the church--the Spirit hits me so strongly when I hear this phrase: Receive the Holy Ghost. I get chills all over and usually cry. Well, times that by the 6 people today and then I totally cried when I heard the baby being blessed. I thought, when will I ever get to see a baby of mine being blessed?? Will it ever happen again?? I know/feel that it will--but I still have these emotions/thoughts, especially right now when I'm going back to school for 2-3 years now.

I baked some pumpkin zucchini bread = YUM. Then I made some homemade salsa, my first time ever. It smelled good. I didn't try any--you eat salsa with chips, mainly, and I can't have chips. Oh well. Tyler liked it & that's all that matters.

FCH went really well. They're plugging away and we've almost learned every song now. Very exciting.

Neat pictures

http://www.johnlarsonphotography.com/james_e_faust/index.html

Another reason to watch Miss Teen USA...

Courtesy of my good friend. Enjoy.

This morning we went to a great baptism--a family of 7! 6 of them were baptized and it was just amazing to be there. Afterwards, Tyler went to play in the stake softball tournament. Anna's friend, Madison, came over to play. I worked on my recipe book and practiced my audition pieces...then made a FANTASTIC chocolate zucchini cake. (really, it's tasty) Our good friends came over to eat dinner and play some Settlers. Way fun day...

Recipe Book

This morning I practiced some music with my friend, Deena. Then I went to visit Michelle who recently had surgery--she's such a spunky gal. Then Tyler & I went to do a sealings session at the Temple. It was wonderful to be there. We picked up Anna from Jenn's house and then had dinner quickly at home before Anna had to be at a birthday party for a girl from her class at school. That was a 2 hour long party. I think she fell asleep fairly quickly after going to bed. (no surprise there) I have now successfully entered all of my recipes into the computer. Now I'm in the process of printing them off and compiling just ONE recipe book instead of THREE--which is what I have had up until now. It will be nice to grab the cookbook instead of trying to remember which one has that chicken recipe...Anyone have a fetish for organization like me? In what area(s)?

Bad Llama

Have you ever seen The Emperor's New Groove? I'm a bad llama. Let's just say that I encouraged my husband to spend some time at home today when he should have been "working." Not good. I was feeling especially needy today and wanted his company. He went in for half of a day, and that felt better than keeping him home the whole day. So can I take credit in sending him to work for the latter half of the day or am I just a bad llama all the way because I kept him home for the morning??

I have $50 burning a hole in my pocket. As you may know, my birthday is coming up. You know, the birthday that most women have and then stay that age every consecutive year: 29 years old. That will be me on September 1st. That means I was born in 1978. Anyhow, my sweet, loving Grandma sent me $50 for my birthday and I can't seem to figure out what to spend it on. Here's some items on my wish list:

Watch
Breadmaker
Bathroom shower curtain/matching rug for our bathroom upstairs
cell phone (I'm not sure if I really want a new one, though...)
waterfall machine (those ones that are relaxing to hear...I'd really like an outdoor one, but indoor would be nice too)
Cloth napkins (for dinnertime, especially for holidays)
Queen-size bed sheets (any autumn color: orange, green, khaki, etc)
leather couches (how nice would they be for $50?)
Office chair & pad
Kitchen whisks
Vacuum packer (for bulk foods)
Food processor (because mine died a tragic death)
A cool clock like Melisa has--it's MOVES and plays music...too bad they're like $300

So, what do you vote that I should spend my $50 on? Or do you have suggestions on something else that I should want? Do share.

Productive

This morning Tyler got to stay home, which was wonderful. He had a commander's call/picnic on-base which we attended at 11am. It was nice, except the lunch consisted of hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, potato chips, beans, & a variety of cookies. I can't have bread, potatoes or cookies. I had a hamburger in a lettuce leaf and some of the beans. It wasn't the greatest--but it worked. Then Tyler & I played a game of Carcassonne at home. It's such a fun game.

I'm so thrilled to have my husband. Let me brag to you about him. His last day of the quarter (MBA program) was yesterday and he has 3 weeks off before the next one begins. What did he do today? Instead of relaxing he took down the swimming pool, organized our food storage boxes and is organizing the closets upstairs--not to mention all the outdoor work on the garden/yard that he does so willingly--in fact he says he enjoys it. I am blessed to have a husband who will roll up his sleeves and go to work. He is such a hard worker, I have learned to work harder because of him. He's so awesome. :)

I hope they will find her soon...

http://www.howgreatthouart.co.uk/maddie.htm

Scrapbooking Day

I went to take the girls to school and then swam laps at the YMCA. It was rainy when I got there--not what you want when you're about to swim. Somehow the idea of swimming (even if it is inside) doesn't mesh with wet weather outside. I came home and read scrippys, practiced the piano & my audition pieces plus a lovely song by Sally Deford that I'm working on called For Me Alone. It's a wonderful song, I'm looking forward to singing it soon. Because of all of my cleaning efforts yesterday--I promised myself that I'd scrapbook today, and I did. I'm working on a scrapbook of my childhood. It's weird scrapbooking for myself as opposed to Anna, but I enjoy seeing pictures of when I was little and comparing them to what Anna looks like now. We definitely don't look the same, but there are some similarities. So much for cookie cutter kids! Speaking of my adorable little girl, she asked me how to snap today. That's not an easy thing to teach and she quickly became frustrated by not doing it on her first try. Also, she has discovered her modesty. She tells me that I must close my eyes when she gets dressed. Very cute. She has her own ideas on things and is quite opinionated. While going through some journal entries that my mom made about me--I don't think Anna could escape being an independent thinker, she can't escape her genes.

This old man

I went to the YMCA this morning to exercise. As I pulled in a parking spot, I saw an old man pulling in the parking lot and he was staring at me. I don't know why, but this man gives me the creeps. Last week when I was walking around the track at the Y he was also there. We were the only ones and it was 8am. I just didn't get a good vibe with him there. So when I went inside the Y today & saw him head for the track, I opted to do the treadmill. It's frustrating, though, because I prefer the track--but I wish he wasn't in there. *sigh* But I weighed in today and lost another 3 pounds! That totals 16 pounds that I've lost in 8 weeks. HOORAY! I now weigh 314 pounds--just 5 pounds away from when I became pregnant with Anna. There will be some huge celebrating once I pass that weight and go below 300 pounds--someplace I haven't been since 2000.

I was a cleaning machine today. I did 5 loads of laundry (& put them away, too), vacummed the downstairs, did dishes, cleaned the kitchen, + swept & mopped the kitchen floor. Wow, I was busy. Then I took a quick power nap (20 minutes) and practiced the piano, read scrippys, & went over my audition pieces. The music department called & said I'd be the first person to audition on aug 31st at 2pm. I hope it will go well.

We had FHE on eternal families and Anna had her first homework assignment: to write her name. She has been writing her name for over a year now, but they're wanting her to hold the pencil "correctly" as she does it. My own experience with writing "correctly" included my teacher forcing me to write with those little plastic triangles that you put on the end of the pencil. Try as I might & frustrating my teacher to no end-I ended up writing a different way. It's hard to describe-next time you see me, just ask to see me write something--then you'll know. :)

I bought this on eBay a month ago and it cost $76. When I received the phones I was so excited about them and charged them for 2 days before trying one out--it didn't work. I tried the other 3 phones-2 had batteries but they didn't work, the other 2 didn't even have batteries. So I contacted the seller and he sent me 4 new batteries--except they were the WRONG SIZE. Grrr. So I emailed him again--no response. I sent several emails over the next 2 weeks. No response. So I escalated it to a claim with paypal. Through paypal he says that he'll offer me a partial refund of $30 to settle the claim. Hello?! I paid $76. I'm not going to settle for less than half?!! Then I got an email from him asking what the problem was with the phones...*sigh* I hope to get my refund SOON so I can just go to SAM'S CLUB and buy brand new phones for less and at least have a guarantee that they'll work. Phooey.

Long live the MUPPETS

Make new friends, but keep the old...

Have you ever had a friend who wanted a friendship with you but you just weren't interested? I have a friend who emails me or ims me on the computer frequently. It makes me uncomfortable because I don't have much in common with her and she tends to have a negative view on life. So I feel bad because I'm not interested in the friendship with her. This situation is ironic because there was a girl I knew in OK with whom I tried to pursue a friendship--but she wasn't interested in me. I really want for everyone to like me, but logically I know that it isn't possible...have you experienced this before? How do you deal with it? I need your wisdom.

Another wonderful Sunday...

Sacrament meeting was wonderful today. The topic was on strengthening marriage. I especially enjoyed the talks and the wonderful special musical number. It was nice to be in RS again after subbing in the primary for almost the past 3 months. I've missed those wonderful women and their insight. The topic of the lesson was on keeping the Sabbath day holy. I wore a purple dress today. I love this color of purple--a lovely autumn purple. I had lots of compliments from people in the ward. One lady, Kaye, said she can tell that I'm losing weight. :) After church Anna asked for waffles, so I made homemade whole wheat waffles (the whole wheat flour is from the white wheat in our food storage). Then I worked on choir stuff until choir practice. We had a good attendance. I hope that it will all come together for the performance. :)

27 boxes

This morning I slept in until (gasp) 8:30am. Normally that wouldn't be considered "sleeping in" but because we now get up at 6:30am during the week--I greatly appreciated the 2 extra hours this morning! I went out & got a haircut, and it's pretty cute. I like it. I taught 2 voice lessons and then we drove to Columbus to the cannery. We canned white wheat, sugar, rolled oats, & quick oats. Then we packed up some of the previously packed cans of white beans, black beans, pinto beans, refried beans, fruit drink, apple slices, & dehydrated onions totalling 27 boxes in our truck. Our home teachers arrived soon afterwards and helped us carry the boxes inside--YAY for home teachers!

General education courses

Last night my knee was hurting, so this morning I took a break from exercising at the YMCA. I'm wondering if my knee pain is from playing volleyball...because it has been hurting since I started playing last month; it makes me sad because I really love playing volleyball--but my knees are more important, so I might have to take a break from it for a little while. :(

I went and chose some new glasses today. I looked around for an Eyemart Express--but they don't have it in OH. :( So I went on-base and they had a special where you could buy one pair of frames + lenses & a second set of frames for free. So I paid for 2 pairs of lenses and 1 pair of frames. It was over $200, but I'm happy with them. I got one black pair & one brown pair--both plastic. They should be done on August 27th. I'll be sure to post some pictures when I get them. I can't wait! And I only took over an hour to choose which frames I wanted...

I came home to a phone message from the liberal arts department at my college and they said that my transfer credits fulfilled ALL of the gen-eds requirements for my degree---so I only have to take music classes to get my music performance degree! HOORAY!!!! Next week I hope to meet with an advisor in the music department to choose some classes for the fall. I must say-I'm very excited about going back to study music! My audition is on August 31st. The college here has you apply to the college, then to the department of your major, and if it's music-then you have to audition to determine if you're talented enough for them to admit you as a music major and then you can enroll in classes. Bizarre. So, apparently, after my audition they will tell me yea or nay and then I can enroll. That's the plan--stay tuned for more info!

I made some no-bake cookies today with splenda. They're not bad either. :) Anna finished her first week of kindergarten and she got to go to the library today. She is just beaming when she comes home from school. She L.O.V.E.S. it.

I have some tomatoes from my garden and thought I'd make some salsa. Are there any yummy salsa recipes out there? Do share!

Germs, followers, and a compliment from a boy...

Tyler & I went swimming at the YMCA. It was really nice and refreshing! Afterwards we went to a quaint little eyeglasses place about 30 minutes away. My glasses are rimless and made from some type of metal--we bought them in Taiwan, so I really have no clue what metal it is--however, it must have some nickel in it because I am having an allergic reaction to it from the temples (the arms of the glasses) along my face. Currently my temples are wrapped in tape, which will become popular someday, I'm sure. Anyhow, they wanted me to pay $80-$90 just for the temples...plus I would have to drop them off in the morning & come get them in the afternoon...so I would drive another 30 minutes to drop them off, but I can't see without them so I couldn't leave...not really a great option for me. But I have a question--isn't there some type of optical place around that sells 2 frames for $100? We can't seem to remember what that place is...

I had an eye exam this evening--it appears that I now have a small astigmatism in both of my eyes--good thing I got them examined, right? Apparently they have a certain type of lense that helps you see better with an astigmatism. (am I spelling that right??) So while waiting to take my eye exam, I went to check out the styles of frames they had in the store. If you wear glasses, you can laugh along with me when you think about the process of choosing new glasses: You take off your glasses and then try on a pair, but you can't see because they're not your prescription--so how do you really know if they look that great on you???

I am now admitted to college. Next week I will meet with an advisor to see how many of the credits from my first undergraduate degree will transfer (please let all the science & math classes transfer...PLEASE!)

When Anna got home from school she said that a boy spit on her hair. Trying to be sympathetic, I asked her to tell me more about what happened. She said he spit on her hair which means he has germs. She continued and said that her "followers" then told him to leave her alone. I can just imagine a gang of female kindergarteners standing up for Anna to this boy with germs. Then on her ride home with Laura, Michael (Laura's younger brother) told his Mom how pretty Anna is...awww, isn't that sweet?

We had 5 people turn out for volleyball tonight. *sigh* I even called about 15 people last night to remind them...I wonder if we'll ever get more than 5 people to come, that's 3 weeks in a row now...

Chinese missionary meal

This morning Tyler & I took a brisk walk after Tyler took Anna & Laura to school. It was nice to reconnect with him while we walked around our cozy neighborhood. He went to work and I cleaned the house. My friend, Cherie, came over to practice some music. She is going to accompany me for my music audition on august 31st. She's such an amazing accompanist-she played Repentir so effortlessly. I went to wal-mart to buy some fish. Not just fish filets--but whole tilapia. We had the missionaries over tonight & felt like some chinese food. We made steamed tilapia, steamed whole shrimp (with the eyes, legs, etc), steamed buns, & lo mein (my first time to make friend noodles). Our missionaries arrived and it was clear that one of them wasn't into the seafood. I felt bad since that included half of the meal. He managed to fill up on noodles & steamed buns while his adventurous companion ate everything including a fish eyeball. (I know, gross) We had some watermelon for dessert, which was good. I haven't had watermelon in over 2 months. I had a small piece...What's the most ethic food you've ever eaten?

Books on the piano

This morning we were all up at 6:30am. (that's 2 days in a row) Tyler had pt (physical training) so I took Anna & Laura to school. I was able to meet Anna's kindergarten teacher-who is very nice. Then I set off to the Y to exercise. After 15 minutes of walking around the track, my left knee began to hurt. Uh-oh. So I quit the track and went & did arm/upper body weights. I try to be very sensitive to my body, especially when pain is involved. Despite my weight troubles--I feel like I listen to my body fairly well. Make sense to anyone?

I posted a new poll about bath & body works. Seriously, this store is the best! Who wouldn't love a gift card from b&bw? I know I would. The only problem would be deciding what to get...post your favorite scent on the poll. :)

I practiced FCH with Jessica. She's really talented on the piano. I am in awe of those people who can play difficult music while I struggle learning the hymns. I am improving, though. I thought you all should know that at this very moment there are several books on the piano--and not just for looks, mind you! I have been practicing every day-something I should have been doing my whole life and if I had been then, who knows, maybe I would be playing difficult music now. Oh well. Better late than not at all.

I started Anna's bedtime routine at 6pm-she had her bath, then I braided her hair, read stories, brushed teeth, said prayers and she was in bed by 7pm. Not bad. It's still daylight outside and I'm downstairs, relaxing, wondering what I should spend my precious "alone time" doing. Any thoughts?

Identity Theft

First day of kindergarten

Well, it has begun. Anna had her first day of kindergarten today. She was so excited about it, even when I woke her up at 6:30am. We had breakfast, read scriptures and then Tyler took her to school. I snapped these pictures on her way out. Notice how the backpack is practically as big as she is...





Because no photo shoot with Anna is complete without a silly picture...

After they left, I went to the YMCA and walked for 30 minutes around the track. My knee has been giving me trouble lately, so I thought walking would be better than the elliptical machine. I did some leg weights afterwards. I weighed in at 317--I lost 1 pound last week which = a total of 13 pounds in 7 weeks. I'm excited about it! Only 9 more pounds until pre-pregnancy weight-hooray!

I came home, showered, read my scriptures & practiced the piano. I promised myself that I would scrapbook today-and I plan to scrapbook pictures of my childhood from birth to when Tyler & I were sealed. I somehow thought I would be able to dive right in & actually scrapbook. Not so. I went through all of my photo albums (3 large, 3 small) and then tried to arrange them in order of age. That took 3 hours. Then I taught a voice lesson, by the time that I was almost able to do my first page--Anna was home and I was excited to hear about her day. So, my positive view of this is that tomorrow I will be ready to scrapbook!

The rest of the day was slow-going. Getting up at 6:30am caught up to me around 3:30pm...and I've been dragging ever since. Tyler made a wonderful recipe for baked salmon. Do you like salmon? I'm sad to say that I don't like it--it looks/tastes like tuna to me, which I also do not like. Anna, on the other hand, LOVES tuna--so I told her that it tasted like tuna and she quickly ate some. Tyler will eat just about anything and I'm happy to see that Anna is the same way. I, on the other hand, ate one bite of salmon & then forced myself to eat another bite because I know it's very high in protein. *sigh*

It begins

Tomorrow we are beginning our school routine, which includes getting up at 6:30am. To make tomorrow's morning somewhat easier, we got up at 7:30am this morning. I must admit, it was like a whole different world in our house this morning. There was no rush, just a relaxed sunday morning. I hope it will feel that way tomorrow morning at 6:30am. We want to read scriptures & pray as a family and then get Anna ready for school. She has to be out the door at 7:25am. I'm looking forward to our new schedule. It will be difficult to be in bed by 10pm, though. It's a work in progress?

Church was W O N D E R F U L! I felt the Spirit so strongly today. The Stake presidency came & spoke to us. Plus we had beautiful violin prelude and a lovely duet for the special musical number. Just wonderful.

Choir practice was a bit frustrating--it seemed like they didn't remember the first song when we had practiced it so many times. But after some practicing, it went better. All in all, it's going to be great. It's wonderful to be supported by so many choir members. I really appreciate all their hard work.

Anna playing t-ball

Video of Anna and "bugs"

2 more days

Anna begins kindergarten on Monday. (can you believe it?!?) Today I went out & bought her some capri suns (juice boxes that Coulter introduced to Anna during his stay & of course she loves them because they're loaded with sugar) and some star crunches to start things off on the right foot, or at least make her kindergarten school lunches fun for the first week. :)

Today was busy. We went to Anna's last t-ball game. I'm going to try and post some video that we captured on here, which means I'll most likely be calling Melisa begging for help...ha ha. After t-ball, Tyler helped a family move into the ward. Then a guy from the ward came over to take our massive pile of wood away (he heats his home solely with their fireplace in the winter, a romantic idea that we'd like to someday do as well). Then we went to lowe's, followed by going to the church to clean, followed by Tyler going out with the missionaries to teach a new family.

Then we had dinner and I went to the dollar store to buy the aforementioned items. Now Tyler is putting Anna to bed...I have a question. How do you teach a 5 year-old girl that being bossy/snobby to other kids isn't good? A year ago, Anna was described to me by other moms as a very respectful and well-mannered girl. About 3 months ago when I first noticed her bossy behavior, I thought (read: hoped) that it was just a phase, but she continues to exhibit this type of behavior. Thoughts? Comments?

Stomanache

This morning we hit the YMCA, then wal-mart, then hobby lobby, then home for lunch and then to the library on-base, the bank & the pharmacy (synthroid). CRAZY busy. It feels good, though, to accomplish so many things. Tyler came home a bit early and we had dinner then we all went to SAM'S to stock up on our bulk items. On the way home, Anna ate too many cashews and said she had a "stomanache." Too cute.

Missing 'em

So Coulter left early this morning, 5:30am to be exact. Poor Anna is sad because she didn't get to say goodbye to her uncle. :( The whole visit has made me homesick-something that surprised me. Of course I miss my family back in OK, but I didn't know how much I missed them until one of them came to visit me...december can't come soon enough!

Today was recovery day: tidying the house, doing some more laundry...went to the YMCA. I put in my "notice" for the end of August. Once school begins, Anna will be gone most of the day & I can go workout on-base for FREE. I will miss my YMCA workout buddies, though. *sniff sniff* Perhaps I can persuade them to join me on-base??

I purchased some more clothes for Anna's school. They wear uniforms there, well not actual uniforms, but close. There is a certain style, color, & length they must abide to in their attire. I, for one, am quite happy with it. It helps everyone look uniform (no kidding) and doesn't separate you from the other kids with money. (how it was for me growing up)

I went to VB tonight. Only 5 people showed up...kind of discouraging because you can't really PLAY with only 5 people. I hope more will show up next week. I even volunteered to call some people next wed to remind them.

I practiced the piano today--it felt good to play. I also warmed up my singing voice--up to a high C and coincidentally down to a low C = 3 octave range. I guess that's good. Anyone know?

Last day to play

This morning we had breakfast and then while I took a short trip out of the house, Tyler did 3 loads of laundry, did the dishes, plus swept & mopped the floor--by hand, mind you--all within 2 hours. When I came home I was so surprised. He is very good to me. :)

Coulter, Tyler, & I played a game of settlers while Anna's friend, Alivia, came over to play with her. It's been a while since Anna has had a friend over--she was thrilled! Currently, Tyler is on a date with Anna and Coulter is eating out with a friend of his, which oddly enough is driving through the area on his way up to NY. I did some dishes and am baking whole wheat banana bread.

Coulter is leaving tomorrow morning. Since he has come to visit, I have missed Oklahoma all the more. I didn't realize how much I missed it until he came--Coulter was our most regular visitor to our home from my family while we lived in OK. I miss his easy going attitude and love for playing games. We are planning to go to OK for Christmas this year, and I can't wait! My sister, Jennifer, will be off of her mission; my sister, Heather, will have had her first baby; my mom will be back from UT (she's leaving this week to move there, crazy); my sister, Ashley, will be back from going to school in UT. It'll be fun.

Heat wave

So Ohio is apparantly going through a heat wave. It's hard to understand since I come from Oklahoma where a heat wave involved temperatures around 110 degrees...Anna's t-ball game was cancelled from the so-called heat wave today. Even though it's not as hot as OK during the summer, I'd rather stay inside with my nice air conditioning...

Please note that I have posted another poll on the left side of my blog. I will probably change the polls each week, just for fun. I also have a new mascot picture. How do you like my warrior? I sense strength when I look at that picture. It buoys me up.

This morning we went to Anna's screening at her school. For some reason I thought that the teachers were going to screen us, her parents--not so, they took Anna around and showed her the school while Tyler & I waited by the office. She cannot wait for school to start next week...we went to the Air Force museum and then to Ritter's for some frozen custard. Tasty! The rest of the day was just lounging around...watching Frasier and now playing games...good times...

Pulling teeth

This morning we hit the YMCA for some exercise. I am sorry that I have not been updating you more on my SBD and dieting/losing weight efforts. Be assured, I am still very much on the SBD and have now lost 12 pounds putting me at 318 pounds. It's hard to believe that in another 9 pounds down I will be at the weight where I became pregnant with Anna almost 6 years ago. I'm excited to get back there (and below it, naturally). I hope to be close to it by my birthday, September 1st. :) (FYI, I like small, wrapped gifts)


I went to have a tooth pulled today. If you haven't had a tooth pulled before--you're really missing out. The dentist that I went to was seriously the nicest physician I've ever met in the dentistry arena. He looked like how I would have imagined Clark Howard to look like--short, nerdy, big glasses, quite skinny with squinty little eyes. He was super nice and kept apologizing when anything hurt--so, if you ever have to have a tooth pulled, come to OH--because this guy had my tooth out within 3 minutes. He rocks. Plus I should get some serious tooth fairy money under my pillow tonight...


I taught a voice lesson today. Then when Tyler came home we all 4 went to my favorite chinese buffet and then bowling on-base. My goal in bowling is to make it above 100 points. Today I scored 101! Awesome! Then Tyler & Coulter played some pool. Here are some pictures:

Coulter playing pool.

Tyler playing pool. Fun bit of trivia--I met Tyler playing pool at our institute building...

My brother, Coulter, & my husband, Tyler

Uncle Coulter & "Little Anna." Coulter is a great Uncle to Anna, which I greatly appreciate...

Coulter has some awesome bowling moves...

My daugther bowls like I do--throwing the ball down!
Because Anna insists on "silly pictures"
And on taking more than just one silly picture...

Mark Chapter 14

It was nice not having choir practice at 9am this morning. I relished in the fact that I could relax and enjoy my Sunday morning at home. Church was wonderful, I love fast Sundays. After church we had a wonderful potroast from the crockpot with potatoes, carrots(from our garden), & green beans (from the farmer up the road). It was so tasty! I love this recipe because it makes its own gravy. Put a roast in the crock pot and put 1 package lipton onion soup mix and 2 cans cream of chicken soup over it. You can add the other veggies, too, but Tyler prefers mashed potatoes which are wonderful with the gravy. Ah, sunday dinner memories...

We had our choir practice this evening and all I can say is: "Wow." It went wonderfully. We learned 2 songs instead of just one. We had about 20 people there. It was fantastic! Everyone worked hard and we had fun as well. I was so worried about it, but it went well. I'm so relieved.

This evening we were reading in Mark Chapter 14. Tyler or I will read a scripture and have Anna repeat each phrase after us. Tonight it was hard to keep a straight face when I said the word "passover" and Anna replied with the word "pacifier."

Ratatouille

So, how much fun can you fit into one day? We attempted to find that out today. We began with Anna's t-ball game, followed by the YMCA, followed by lunch at home, then we went to see Ratatouille on-base, then the mall so we could pick up our family portraits (only to have 2 of the 3 bent, so we had them send them back, *sigh*) then we came home b/c Tyler was tired (read: cranky) and forewent the bowling & a trip to Ritter's frozen custard...now we're unwinding and about to begin a rousing game of settlers of catan (with seafarers & cities and knights expansions, oh yeah).

My Pioneer Baby

Our ward primary had a pioneer activity. Isn't she sweet??

Time stands still

When I'm on vacation or have company over, I find myself wishing that time could just stand still. My brother, Coulter, is here & we're having such a great time. Today we've been playing games and chatting away. Coulter requested a chocolate chip cheesecake (his favorite dessert, not to mention it being one of Tyler's as well) so I'm going to make that tonight. Tyler went to see if he could buy some stevia to replace the sugar--but the health food store was closed. Maybe next time...I will be making some refreshments for choir practice this Sunday and here are the four treats I'm debating on. Since I can't eat them because I'm on the SBD, please comment your vote for which looks the best:

A. No-bake cookies (you know, the oatmeal, chocolate, pb, coconut ones)
B. Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
C. Banana chocolate chip bread
D. Pumpkin-banana bread

Kindergarten Open House

I made my baby brother a nice breakfast of sausage, eggs, & hash browns. It's fun to have someone to make breakfast for--since Tyler is always gone before I even wake up...of course I could get up before him & make breakfast for him and I'm sure he'd appreciate it but then I'd have to go to bed earlier, which is a problem. Anyhow, after breakfast we set off for the Y to exercise, then hit wal-mart to purchase all of Anna's school supplies. The only thing I didn't get was an index card binder. Does anyone know what that is? I've never heard of an index card binder, nor could I find anything at wal-mart labeled as such. Help me out here, people.

I did laundry while Coulter did some work on the computer while snuggling with Anna who was watching Spongebob Squarepants--which, incidentally, was introduced to Anna by her Uncle Coulter. I heard them both laughing as they watched it--pretty cute.

Cute phrase alert: Whenever we are driving to or from somewhere, Anna announces that we are "On the open road." Cute.

So I took Anna & her school supplies to her Open House. When we arrived we were directed to the kindergarten classroom hallway. I peeked my head into the first classroom and asked how I would determine which teacher Anna would have. The teacher said that none of the kindergarten children would be assigned to a teacher until the end of next week. HUH? Then what is the point of having an open house? She said that I could meet all of the K teachers and then wait until next week to learn who it would be. How crazy is that? So we just left and went to the post office. My baby's first Open House and we don't know who her teacher will be...that's just plain WRONG.

So we went to play Volleyball at the church---the highlight of my week! Last week VB was cancelled due to a priesthood meeting. The previous week we had 16 people show up! So I was really anticipating a similar turnout tonight. Not so. We had a grand total of 5 people. (6 including Anna). I tried to have a good time anyways, but I lost all motivation to play well. I ended up leaving early. Oh well. Hopefully more will show next week.

Did I mention that I now have my new PDA??!?!?!? YES! It's here and I'm busily trying to input all the info from my regular planner into my digital one. It will take time, but I can already tell how much more organized I will be!!!!!!! YAY!

He looks so grown up

My brother Coulter is here. And he looks SO much older than that last time I saw him. Yes, I realize that it was only a year ago, and he's now 22 instead of 21, but he looks just older. Make sense? Today was spent preparing for him to be here and now he is--so I'm off to spend time with him!