Brotherly Love

Today we went to town... and got stopped in road construction long enough to snap this photo.

Don't ask me how they can sleep like that, but they do look dang adorable.

Journaling vs. Blogging

I've been trying to take up journaling again. It was part of the stake's message at Girls Camp. They encouraged the girls to do four things everyday: read scriptures, pray, write in a journal and smile. I think it's from a talk by Sister Julie Beck. Anyway, I'm trying to be obedient, but my journaling and blogging seem to be at odds sometimes. The correct answer is that I SHOULD do both everyday, but that's easier said than done.

I've heard a lot of people say their blog is their journal. That doesn't work for me. There are things you record in your journal that are not public. We all have private struggles and trials and private answers to prayers. I don't think those things belong on a blog. And truly, my blog is less a record of our lives and more of a social commentary on our lives. I don't think that is the intended purpose of a journal. So, I am fully aware that I need to do both.

These days I take a new approach to journaling than I used to. I used to try to record everything about the things I was doing and how I felt about it. The problem was I never had time to finish. The last time I was in YW (seven years ago) I had one of the YW pocket journals. I dropped it into my purse and I would write a line or two when I was stuck waiting somewhere-- the doctor's office, in the car waiting for Nathan, stuck in road construction. Those are some of my favorite journal entries. One went something like this:

"I woke up with a headache. Yelled at Dylan (I didn't even record why). I feel like a complete failure today, and it's not even 8:00."

I must have written it when I arrived at school that morning before I started my teaching day. The hows and whys are long forgotten, but my small records remain. So, I've taken President Eyring's advice and I'm trying to write a few lines everyday, because consistency, it seems is more important than great content.

Eventually, I think I'll end up with great content anyway.

I Survived

Well, I survived Girls Camp with only a single mosquito bite and one major headache, which I actually got on the way home. I spent the day after camp nursing a monster headache, but I was well the entire time I was up there with the girls. I want to write about all the wonderfully inspired things that went on at camp, but the moment I stepped back into my chaos-filled life, all inspiration seemed to leave me, and I have other issues to deal with.

Ours was a medical themed camp, and all our shirts have a red cross and E.M.T on the fronts. The theme was Eternity Matters Today. Our ward was MED school (Making Eternal Decisions). There was a M.A.S.H unit, a cardiology unit and others. I can't remember all the rest. While I did have fun with the girls, probably the best thing for me being new in the stake was getting to know the Stake Young Women's Presidency.

I also learned that I'm not ever going to Girls Camp without my own car, because the Slip-N-Slide and the Lake are WAY far away from camp, and the girls have to be shuttled. Therefore, I never volunteered to be the leader that went to those places because I didn't want to get stuck down there with no way back. Our group was amazingly small (only ten girls) for this ward. One of our priesthood brethren said they used to take 90 youth from this ward on temple trips.

The hardest thing about Girls Camp was coming home and feeling like every day you're away, you have to pay for tenfold with your own family-- the chaos, the fighting, the not knowing where every one's clothes were for church, plus on top of that you're tired, and in my case, I had a huge headache.

Today, I'm supposed to be moving. I should be celebrating, but it's just one more thing for me to do, and I've been depressed all weekend at how bad our little house looks now. It wasn't in this condition when we left. I look at it and remember all the work we did on our other house, which was all for nothing. We can't even get our money out of it. So, it's hard to want to go through that whole process again.

This week, at least, I will have my own bed again. That makes me very happy!

Nervous

I'm feeling apprehensive today. Tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. I'm leaving for girls camp. It's my first visit to girls camp EVER, because I joined the church when I was 14 and by the next summer I'd turned 15. Back then, if you hadn't been to girls camp before, you had to start with the first years, so I would have had to go to camp with all the 12 year olds. I said, "No, thank you!" and didn't go. So now, I'm headed to my very first girls camp. I've been in the YW presidency for a whole week, so yeah, I'm very nervous.

P.S. The mosquitoes are especially bad this year-- UUUGH!

Literature Lesson for the Day

sat·ire (str) KEY

NOUN:

1. 1. A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit.
   2. The branch of literature constituting such works. See Synonyms at caricature.
2. Irony, sarcasm, or caustic wit used to attack or expose folly, vice, or stupidity.

Apparently my fellow bloggers are well able to be amused at satire, but my real-life friends are not. Tonight at Girls Night Out, I was repeatedly harassed for my unabashed negativity with regard to the facebook post. On the way home, I was seriously wondering if I ought to give up facebook and blogging all together. Nathan has always warned me that I'm too free with my opinions and personal information. I suppose this is one of those cases.

Facebook is one of those places where there is an excess of folly, vice or stupidity. I thought everyone would recognize the intended humor in the post, and honestly, I did give fair and proper warning that it wasn't going to be nice.

So, hate me. I'm mean and nasty and overly negative. Boo hoo.

Swift wasn't really a cannibal. When he wrote A Modest Proposal, he offended many who simply didn't understand that it was satire. At least I didn't suggest eating babies. Y'all can just simmer down.

Take a Look

My counter broke 5000! I'm so happy you all keep coming back. We should celebrate. But, oh yes, I'm still homeless. Now I'll have to think of two grand give-aways. Actually, make it three, because if I ever get a place of my own, that will be worthy of a give-away, too!!

Why Blogging is Better than Facebook

WARNING: If you are easily offended, stop reading now! I'm feeling ornery, and I'm likely to anger you. If you are a HUGE fan of facebook, I'm happy for you, now go away.

I warned you.

I don't want to hear about your hurt feelings.

Here goes:

I realized last night how much I dislike facebook, while I still love blogging. I thought I'd compile a list for you and rant away. I'm so good at ranting. When my life is stinking to new heights as it has recently, bitter sarcasm comes SOOOO easily. I don't know exactly how long this list will be, so I'll just start at one. Facebook, it seems, is high school all over again, with added dollops of vanity for careers and families.

Complaint #1- The loose definition of "friend."
There ought to be degrees to the friends you add on facebook. Yes, it's nice to send a little note to someone you haven't seen since high school, but I'm not sure if I want that same person snooping through all my photos. And admit it, the only reason you added half those friends on facebook was to see who got fat over the years and who still looks good. I keep wondering which of those categories I fit into these days. Most days I feel fat, even though I'm ten pounds lighter than I was last summer. I'm still not the slight 120 lbs I was in high school, so everyone who sees me on facebook can only say, "She doesn't look as good as she used to." But, I digress.

Complaint #2- Bragging about feats of Athleticism: Woohoo! I just ran five miles in less than forty minutes!

I'm so happy that someone is getting their sorry behind in shape. I wish I could get mine moving more. But, excuse me, I'm married to a runner, a very humble one. He runs because he loves it. He's miserable when he can't run. (Cursed knee!) That said, he has never bragged to me about his times, not even in races. Real runners don't need to brag, so I'm pretty sure all those braggers aren't real runners. Funny how no one brags about the days they DON'T run. "WooHOOO! Ten days without exercise. I think I'll go eat another half gallon of Ben & Jerry's!" I'd enjoy that facebook post more.

Complaint #3- Those consumed with their children's athletics: I'm so proud of Perfect Child tonight. He pitched four perfect innings and his team won the regional title!!!

Insert eye roll and a big yawn. Well, since you weren't a great athlete in high school, you can always brag about your kids' accomplishments on facebook, because, gee, we're all SOOOO interested. There are people I'm considering un-friending because I'm tired of hearing about their kids' sports--- especially if I know their rotten kids and that they aren't that great to begin with!

Complaint #4- Career Vanity: So exhausted. Just spent ten hours writing briefs and organizing for court tomorrow. Looking forward to an aggressive trial.

I really glad that people went on to be lawyers and salespeople and such, and don't mind hearing about what people are doing, but when they constantly facebook about work, it gets ridiculous, especially when they used language that is only understood in their particular career, showing the rest of us just how much smarter they are than the rest of the world. Believe it or not, I actually chose to be a stay-at-home mom. And here's some career vocabulary to chew on: patience, discipline, sleep-depravation, thankless, vacationless, unending. Shall I go on?

Complaint #5- Immaturity: Sufferin' a major hangover today. Shouldn't had so many at the pub last night.

Are you serious? I'm thirty-five, and hey, so are you. Haven't you grown out of that stage of life? Wake up people! There are good things in life to be had that you can't find in a pub. I would think you'd be embarrassed that at thirty-five, you're still stupid enough to have a hang-over.

Complaint #6- The Bikini Photo

Yes, you've still got it. You've got kids, and you still wear a bikini, so by golly, show the WHOLE world. Usually, one partner in the marriage looks considerably better in the bikini photo than the other. But, you know, we do see both, so there it is. When Nate and I both look like we belong on the cover of Sport's Illustrated, I might consider posting a beach photo. No, I take that back. I won't! And, don't you wonder how much photo shopping went into some of those before they were posted?

It's like a high school social on facebook. Everyone can put their best foot forward for a few sentences a day, but on a blog, eventually all the facades fade away and you get a real person and an honest life. Sure, people post brag photos of their kids, but it's not all they talk about. There are also life's trials and triumphs. No matter how you dice it, eventually someone's true self comes through their blog, to their admiration or detriment.

So, I'll keep using facebook as an email service. I might post a photo or two, I'll catch up with a few old friends I'd lost track of, but I'll still grumble about the status posts, and if you start seeing my friends list growing smaller, you'll know why.

Told you I was ornery today.

Eight is Enough

From Tif-do, who loves playing tag, I was tagged and didn't even notice right away. Then I was like, "Oh, that's me. I'm supposed to post." Sorry for being spacey about this one. This one is all about eights. Here goes:

8 Favorite Shows:
* I have to preface this with the fact that we have not had TV as a family since 2006, so we don't get to watch stuff unless it's readily available on the Internet or DVD. These are in no particular order.

8. Seinfeld
7. 24
6. Supernatural
5. Smallville
4. Damages (We bought this on Amazon VOD and LOVED both seasons.)
3. Anything HGTV- when we had Dish I watched the Home and Garden network all the time.
2. I Survived a Japanese Game Show- It's amazing what people will do for $
1. Hmmm. One more. I always liked Wheel of Fortune as a kid.

8 Things I did Yesterday:

8. Visited my mom
7. Took photos
6. Ate too much
5. Took a nap
4. Relaxed in the shade
3. Watched my kids jumping in and out of the kiddy pool
2. Saw and heard the neighbors' fireworks
1. Brought home left-over potato salad

8 Things I'm looking forward to:

8. Someday moving out of my in-laws' house.
7. A weekend away with my mom and sister
6. Visiting BT sometime before school starts
5. My new calling in YW
4. Home schooling my oldest son
3. A yet to be planned date with my husband
2. Catching up with two close friends from high school
1. Fresh apples, nectarines and sweet corn this summer

8 Favorite Restaurants:
8. Olive Garden
7. Ruby River Steakhouse
6. Texas Roadhouse
5. Maple Express (That was in Ogden, and they had great, ready to take-out Chinese.)
4. Tacos Del Mar
3. Casa Chapala
2. Taco Bell (Because they are one of the few fast food places that serve Pepsi instead of Coke.)
1. Red Robin

8 Things on My Wish List:

8. A place to live
7. A sold sign on my BT house
6. A sold sign on my BT house
5. A sold sign on my BT house
4. An agent for my novel
3. A publishing contract
2. A plot of land of our very own
1. Some good news for once.

8 People I tag: Well, I have to say, people aren't blogging much since it's summer, so some of you might not even see this tag, but here goes: Kelly, Tiffani, Joanna, Marci, Megan, Jill, Earlgirl, and Lisa-- provided she's still blogging, since I haven't heard from her in awhile.

Cause for Celebration

I failed to notice until today that my last post was my 200th! I realize this is cause for celebration, and possibly a give-away, but I'm not feeling witty or crafty at the moment. I'm homeless and my crafty stuff is all packed. So, consider this the official 200th give away rain-check. Someday I'll unpack my crafty stuff and we'll celebrate 200 together.

:)

Has it been a week?

It has. It's been a week since I posted. I'm currently abiding by Mother's, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." I've not felt inclined to emotionally dump on all of you.

I'm good if I can get through a day without crying.

Someday I will think that the future is bright again. Right now, I'm seeing lots of clouds.

I'm still homeless.

My unsold house two states away still has a hole in the roof.

I hate insurance companies.