Today for the first time I worked with Jamie and Ben Eaton out in service. Ben got laid off from his electric company job a couple of weeks ago, so he's making the best of his time at home until he gets more work. (Incidentally, we passed one of his company's trucks in service today. It's called Amaya Electric. Is it just me, or could that totally be the name of a novel? Think about it, Abby, if you ever want to write a book about yourself).
Anyway, I don't know Ben very well and I've always thought of him as kind of a dork, starting from that day last summer when he wore the black nylons to the softball game. But today in service I realized that I need to give him more credit. I had a pretty good time today and he was pretty funny. Somehow, as we were driving around in the van, the subject of anniversaries came up. Becky Abuan (Aurel's wife), got a Slanket this year. The Slanket is like the Snuggie, namely a very large blanket with sleeves. (Apparently there are tons of commercials on TV for the Snuggie, but since I don't have TV, I've never seen them).
So Becky was describing this thing to Jason McOmber, how it's like, 7 feet long, and drags behind her when she walks. "Yesterday I totally cleaned all my bamboo floor with it. It's like the new tool for lazy Americans. You can sweep while you're on your way to the kitchen for a snack." I thought that was pretty funny, but maybe you had to be there. You have to be able to picture skinny little Becky wrapped in a 7-foot Slanket. "For our ten year anniversary, he got me a diamond and sapphire ring," she said, and then Jason kind of jokingly commiserated with her about how much the economy has gone down.
Then Jason asked Ben what he's getting for Jamie for their one-year anniversary. (Ben and Jamie got married a week after Zack and me). Ben got this clueless look on his face, and then Jason was like, "I think Jamie should just be glad she's got a guy like you, Ben." So they did the little knuckle bump and Ben goes, "You're beating a dead horse, man. I tell her that at least once a day. 'Just enjoy the fact that you get to be with me, honey. You don't understand how lucky you are. Marriage is a crapshoot, and you hit the jackpot." It was funny to me to hear him say that, because he was so obviously kind of making fun of himself. To me, that earned him some points.
Now I'm home, cleaning house and waiting for Zack to get home. We're doing Babylon The Great Has Fallen for our Family Worship Night, and last Friday I was able to borrow The Two Babylons, a source book they cite a lot, so we'll be reading out of that tonight as well. It should be pretty intriguing, I think.
There's dinner in the crock pot, Pongo's cage is all cleany clean, and I'm listening to Pandora while I work. My main stations on Pandora are Irish music and country. I never used to listen to country music before I lived in Eatonville. I'm still not a huge country fan, but there's a certain variety I really like, and so I have a few stations built around specific songs. It's cool to listen to those songs interspersed with ones from the Gaelic Storm station, and hear the ancestry of the country music in the Irish folk songs. I was thinking today about how you could take a lot of the Irish music, throw in some banjos, a steel guitar, and a Southern accent, and basically have something sounding a lot like Sammy Kershaw or Tim McGraw. That stuff is interesting to me.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Service, Micah, and Thoughts on Weddings
Today I really could not get out of bed. I was running so late, I completely missed the service meeting, but I did get there in time to find out that Andrew got a haircut. Ishi and Ed were running late also, so while I was waiting for them to show up, Art described to me what it's like to get an angiogram. Apparently, you can feel the tiny camera tickling around inside your heart! And then they release some dye to make the pictures show up better. He said it's very warm, and lets you feel how fast your blood circulates. First there's just a pool of warmth in your heart, and then, woosh, it floods through your whole body, all in a blink. "You should ask to have an angiogram sometime," he said. "It's pretty interesting." I said I would think about it.
So I worked with Ishi and Ed out in service. The main excitement of the day was that they were babysitting Micah, the baby from next door. He's six months old, he's teething, and has tummy trouble. Those factors all add up to a lot of fussing. We did a little territory, tons of calls, and stopped at one of those Mexican food trucks for lunch. I really like working with Ishi and Ed. They are pretty laid back, and funny. I think it's cool that they are pioneering together. I hope someday Zack can pioneer with me, too!
Well Ishi is having some drama this week. She and Trixy have a client named Tenley who is quite wealthy and has a big fancy old house down by Stadium High School. She's in Australia at the moment, so they're housesitting for her. Tenley said, "Why don't you guys have a cocktail party while I'm gone!" because she's really generous like that. She loves to entertain and has everything they could need for a really awesome party. So, after mulling it over, Ishi and Trixy offered to throw an engagement party for some friends of theirs. The friends were really excited about it. Then, because they had been wanting a super small, inexpensive, romantic wedding, they thought, hey - why not turn the engagement party into a surprise wedding? Ishi and Trixy said ok. They thought it would be low-key and super cool.
Then the groom's mother got involved. And she came in with a much longer guest list and a whole bunch of requests and suggestions for food, decorating, etc. Trixy and Ishi are getting really annoyed and fed up with her, because she expects to come into Tenley's house like it's hers start rearranging things and, like, sticking the three-foot-high glass candlesticks (super expensive, apparently) in the living room fireplace, taking down art off the walls and stacking it in a bedroom, and so on. Ishi is like, "We are not touching the art, no you can not put the candlesticks in the fireplace, no Trixy and I can not mess with the landscaping..." etc. It has pretty much turned into a headache, and listening to Ishi talk about it today, I was reminded of all the drama that came with planning my wedding, and how much I wish I could have just had it small and simple. It's so hard when you feel like you have to please the parents, and they want things totally different than how you want them. *Sigh*. Anyway. I need to just let it go. It's water under the bridge, now. It's just that sometimes I look back and feel so much regret. I wish I could have had a surprise wedding at Tenley's house with only twenty guests! It would have been awesome! But who knows, if I had done that, I probably would have ended up wishing I'd had something bigger. So there you go.
Anyway, our anniversary party is going to be just right. This Sunday evening we're going to get together with Ishi and Ed (who also have their anniversary in February) and do a little fondue party at Tenley's. It will be just the four of us, hanging out, eating and maybe playing some Rock Band. The other day Zack and I bought a box of chocolates from See's, and that's pretty much it as far as preparations go. Oh, and I got a cute new top to wear. I am pretty excited about it.
Before I go, here's a video of Micah that I took out in service today. By the time I got my camera out, I had missed all his really insane shrieks and laughter, but what I got is pretty darn cute. He was so in love with his red toy!
So I worked with Ishi and Ed out in service. The main excitement of the day was that they were babysitting Micah, the baby from next door. He's six months old, he's teething, and has tummy trouble. Those factors all add up to a lot of fussing. We did a little territory, tons of calls, and stopped at one of those Mexican food trucks for lunch. I really like working with Ishi and Ed. They are pretty laid back, and funny. I think it's cool that they are pioneering together. I hope someday Zack can pioneer with me, too!
Well Ishi is having some drama this week. She and Trixy have a client named Tenley who is quite wealthy and has a big fancy old house down by Stadium High School. She's in Australia at the moment, so they're housesitting for her. Tenley said, "Why don't you guys have a cocktail party while I'm gone!" because she's really generous like that. She loves to entertain and has everything they could need for a really awesome party. So, after mulling it over, Ishi and Trixy offered to throw an engagement party for some friends of theirs. The friends were really excited about it. Then, because they had been wanting a super small, inexpensive, romantic wedding, they thought, hey - why not turn the engagement party into a surprise wedding? Ishi and Trixy said ok. They thought it would be low-key and super cool.
Then the groom's mother got involved. And she came in with a much longer guest list and a whole bunch of requests and suggestions for food, decorating, etc. Trixy and Ishi are getting really annoyed and fed up with her, because she expects to come into Tenley's house like it's hers start rearranging things and, like, sticking the three-foot-high glass candlesticks (super expensive, apparently) in the living room fireplace, taking down art off the walls and stacking it in a bedroom, and so on. Ishi is like, "We are not touching the art, no you can not put the candlesticks in the fireplace, no Trixy and I can not mess with the landscaping..." etc. It has pretty much turned into a headache, and listening to Ishi talk about it today, I was reminded of all the drama that came with planning my wedding, and how much I wish I could have just had it small and simple. It's so hard when you feel like you have to please the parents, and they want things totally different than how you want them. *Sigh*. Anyway. I need to just let it go. It's water under the bridge, now. It's just that sometimes I look back and feel so much regret. I wish I could have had a surprise wedding at Tenley's house with only twenty guests! It would have been awesome! But who knows, if I had done that, I probably would have ended up wishing I'd had something bigger. So there you go.
Anyway, our anniversary party is going to be just right. This Sunday evening we're going to get together with Ishi and Ed (who also have their anniversary in February) and do a little fondue party at Tenley's. It will be just the four of us, hanging out, eating and maybe playing some Rock Band. The other day Zack and I bought a box of chocolates from See's, and that's pretty much it as far as preparations go. Oh, and I got a cute new top to wear. I am pretty excited about it.
Before I go, here's a video of Micah that I took out in service today. By the time I got my camera out, I had missed all his really insane shrieks and laughter, but what I got is pretty darn cute. He was so in love with his red toy!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
When Bobcats Attack!
Well, I just got back from service. It was an ok morning, although everyone got split up into two groups. One group was in the van, just doing return visits, and the other group was doing actual door-to-door. I wanted to be in the door-to-door group, since I'm running low on return visits, and need to get some more. We did like two streets the last time I was out, and out of those few doors I got a lady who was really nice and might take a Bible Teach book. So I really wanted to get some calls. Plus, that group had Marisella, Luke Galloway and Bronson Kim, who are all really fun to work with. So I volunteered to go with them, but Cal put me in the van with everybody else, and I ended up riding around all morning. I got out one time, on one of Darci's calls, and they weren't home.
So yeah, that was pretty boring and frustrating. Shirley was cracking me up all morning, though. I swear, she is a ditzy blonde at heart. She was going on an on about Cal and Leslie's dogs, Riley and Phoebe. (Shirley calls them her grandpuppies). "Riley takes after you so much, Cal, it's really funny!" she said. "And Phoebe is just like Leslie!" I swear, she thinks they're people.
I was sitting in the back with Carol Galloway, Luke's mom, who is pretty nice. She said she bought a boxed set of the BBC Sherlock Holmes series at Costco, and wants to invite me and Zack over next weekend to watch part of it. It's funny because I just ordered a (different) Sherlock Holmes series from Blockbuster, and watched the first episode yesterday. I was pretty happy about the invitation, but then she mentioned that they needed Zack to take a look at their computer, and my stomach sank a little. I felt like that was the real reason she was inviting us over, and not just to be friends. But oh well, I shouldn't be so negative. Carol works nights at a hospital and is tired all the time, and probably doesn't really do much socializing with anybody outside her own family. So it's not like she's having parties all the time and inviting everybody but us. And, on the bright side, it is cool to have a husband who is handy and who can help people out. When he's able to fix someone's computer, it always makes me feel proud of him.
Cal Eaton (our service group overseer) was driving. He called his wife, Leslie, who's on vacation at a spa down in Arizona, and then turned on the speaker phone and hung his cell from the rearview mirror. Leslie has been making plans to totally remodel her kitchen, picking out all new cabinets and appliances, granite for the countertops, etc. She is just in heaven, because she's lived in the same teen-tiny little house since, like, 1980 and never done a thing to it, and now Cal is finally letting her do something nice. She really deserves this, because she's pioneered as long as I've been alive, and given up a lot of things, including having kids. But Cal is kind of a penny-pincher and getting stomach aches over the amount of money she plans to spend on this kitchen. So it was funny hearing Leslie rave over the luxurious spa, and say how she's now thinking of doing a marble floor in her kitchen. "What?!" cried Cal. "Marble? I've got a can of marbles. I'll pour them on the kitchen floor for you, and that'll be your marble floor." Meanwhile, Shirley (Leslie's mom), was sitting behind Cal saying, "I think you should have a marble floor, Leslie. You deserve it and Cal knows you do." I was in the very back, just listening and laughing to myself as they all went back and forth.
Something exciting happened to Leslie yesterday! She was sitting outside in the jacuzzi, just relaxing, late in the afternoon. Nobody else was around. Suddenly, a guy came out with a stack of towels or something and got this shocked look on his face. "Ma'am! Ma'am!" he said, pointing to something behind Leslie. She turned and looked over her shoulder, sort of puzzled, only to see a huge bobcat rushing toward her in a crouch, with its ears back and its tail whipping back and forth. It was coming straight for the edge of the jacuzzi, and while she was staring at it in shock, not sure what to do, she saw a glimpse of another bobcat out of the corner of her eye, sneaking towards her from another direction. They had spotted her all alone in the jacuzzi, "and I didn't look very big," she said. "All they could see of me was my head, bobbing around," and so they decided to have her for lunch! It was like a scene straight out of Jurassic Park, with the velociraptors! Only this was no movie, it was very real wild animals. The pool guy didn't know what to do, so he called for help from inside the spa. Just as the first bobcat got to the edge of the jacuzzi, a guy came out and scared them both away. And so Leslie was safe.
So yeah, that was pretty boring and frustrating. Shirley was cracking me up all morning, though. I swear, she is a ditzy blonde at heart. She was going on an on about Cal and Leslie's dogs, Riley and Phoebe. (Shirley calls them her grandpuppies). "Riley takes after you so much, Cal, it's really funny!" she said. "And Phoebe is just like Leslie!" I swear, she thinks they're people.
I was sitting in the back with Carol Galloway, Luke's mom, who is pretty nice. She said she bought a boxed set of the BBC Sherlock Holmes series at Costco, and wants to invite me and Zack over next weekend to watch part of it. It's funny because I just ordered a (different) Sherlock Holmes series from Blockbuster, and watched the first episode yesterday. I was pretty happy about the invitation, but then she mentioned that they needed Zack to take a look at their computer, and my stomach sank a little. I felt like that was the real reason she was inviting us over, and not just to be friends. But oh well, I shouldn't be so negative. Carol works nights at a hospital and is tired all the time, and probably doesn't really do much socializing with anybody outside her own family. So it's not like she's having parties all the time and inviting everybody but us. And, on the bright side, it is cool to have a husband who is handy and who can help people out. When he's able to fix someone's computer, it always makes me feel proud of him.
Cal Eaton (our service group overseer) was driving. He called his wife, Leslie, who's on vacation at a spa down in Arizona, and then turned on the speaker phone and hung his cell from the rearview mirror. Leslie has been making plans to totally remodel her kitchen, picking out all new cabinets and appliances, granite for the countertops, etc. She is just in heaven, because she's lived in the same teen-tiny little house since, like, 1980 and never done a thing to it, and now Cal is finally letting her do something nice. She really deserves this, because she's pioneered as long as I've been alive, and given up a lot of things, including having kids. But Cal is kind of a penny-pincher and getting stomach aches over the amount of money she plans to spend on this kitchen. So it was funny hearing Leslie rave over the luxurious spa, and say how she's now thinking of doing a marble floor in her kitchen. "What?!" cried Cal. "Marble? I've got a can of marbles. I'll pour them on the kitchen floor for you, and that'll be your marble floor." Meanwhile, Shirley (Leslie's mom), was sitting behind Cal saying, "I think you should have a marble floor, Leslie. You deserve it and Cal knows you do." I was in the very back, just listening and laughing to myself as they all went back and forth.
Something exciting happened to Leslie yesterday! She was sitting outside in the jacuzzi, just relaxing, late in the afternoon. Nobody else was around. Suddenly, a guy came out with a stack of towels or something and got this shocked look on his face. "Ma'am! Ma'am!" he said, pointing to something behind Leslie. She turned and looked over her shoulder, sort of puzzled, only to see a huge bobcat rushing toward her in a crouch, with its ears back and its tail whipping back and forth. It was coming straight for the edge of the jacuzzi, and while she was staring at it in shock, not sure what to do, she saw a glimpse of another bobcat out of the corner of her eye, sneaking towards her from another direction. They had spotted her all alone in the jacuzzi, "and I didn't look very big," she said. "All they could see of me was my head, bobbing around," and so they decided to have her for lunch! It was like a scene straight out of Jurassic Park, with the velociraptors! Only this was no movie, it was very real wild animals. The pool guy didn't know what to do, so he called for help from inside the spa. Just as the first bobcat got to the edge of the jacuzzi, a guy came out and scared them both away. And so Leslie was safe.
Friday, January 23, 2009
I'm Going to New York!
I can't believe it! This is a dream come true! My sister called me yesterday morning and told me that she'd gotten a super good deal on airfare to New York in March, and had bought tickets for herself and Tate. Tate has never been to Bethel, and we have always wanted to take him. Now he's in his last year of college, and has the rest of his life ahead of him, and so it seems like the ideal time. I wasn't expecting my sister to just jump on the opportunity like that, though! She called me yesterday morning to let me know about the ticket deal, and asked if Zack and I could possibly come, too. I was kind of in shock, and my first thought was that there was no way that Zack and I could possibly afford it. Going to New York with my brother and sister has been a dream of mine for years, and I started crying after I hung up, thinking that I was going to miss out on it. I knew it would be something I would always regret.
I called Zack at work and explained the situation to him. He told me that he couldn't afford to take a week off from work, but when he heard how cheap the tickets were, he told me to go ahead and buy one for myself. He understood how much it would mean to me to be able to go, and he really wanted to make it happen for me. So after some hesitation, I went ahead and bought the ticket.
And so I'm going! For a week in March, with my brother and sister. We'll visit Bethel, Patterson, and the farm, do some sightseeing around the city, etc. I cannot believe this is happening. I have wanted to do this for so long, but ever since my sister got married, I never expected just the three of us to be taking a trip together. I am so excited, I can't even express it.
I really have the best husband in the entire world.
I called Zack at work and explained the situation to him. He told me that he couldn't afford to take a week off from work, but when he heard how cheap the tickets were, he told me to go ahead and buy one for myself. He understood how much it would mean to me to be able to go, and he really wanted to make it happen for me. So after some hesitation, I went ahead and bought the ticket.
And so I'm going! For a week in March, with my brother and sister. We'll visit Bethel, Patterson, and the farm, do some sightseeing around the city, etc. I cannot believe this is happening. I have wanted to do this for so long, but ever since my sister got married, I never expected just the three of us to be taking a trip together. I am so excited, I can't even express it.
I really have the best husband in the entire world.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
RAWR!!!
So I'm finishing up Sense and Sensibility. I began it with an open mind, perfectly willing to like it just as much as I like Emma Thompson's version. I didn't even want to compare the two, but it's kind of inevitable given that this entire film is such a rip-off! I've just gotten to the end, where Edward finally declares his love for Elinor, and got so angry I had to turn it off. I mean, I read a review, and apparently the screenwriter also did the version of Pride & Prejudice starring Colin Firth, the one that everybody loves. He's highly acclaimed and I would expect much better things of him than to recycle somebody else's work. And to do it so obviously! I mean, what is even the point of remaking a film if you're just going to copy somebody else's version almost scene for scene, but using inferior actors and cutting out every trace of comedy? It seems to me like this guy is just so full of himself that he thinks nobody else can adapt a Jane Austen novel as well as he can. As if he decided to remake Emma Thompson's film and add in some bits here and there to show her how he would have done it. I really can't see any other reason for its existence. I personally would be way too embarrassed to ever do such a thing. And Emma Thompson's version is so much better. To me, there doesn't seem any point in bringing in such a small, background character as Mr. Palmer, unless you're going to have Hugh Laurie play him and actually bring him to life and make him funny and memorable. This whole movie is washed-out and lifeless.
Rawr. I could go on and on, but Zack will be home soon and we're going to go out, so I'd better get ready. I've been in my pajamas all day.
Rawr. I could go on and on, but Zack will be home soon and we're going to go out, so I'd better get ready. I've been in my pajamas all day.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Art Delisle Is Dead
That was the big news this morning in service. I first heard about it from Leslie, as we were driving around in her van. Apparently it's been all over the news around here, but since I don't have TV and don't get the newspapers, I hadn't heard anything about it. Leslie found out from Cal, as they were on their way home from a shopping trip. "My heart completely sank," she said, recalling the shock she felt when she heard.
I was pretty stunned, too. Art Delisle, the ex-military spy, is Andrew's dad, and one of our early morning regulars. He's got a very bad heart, and travels down to Portland once a week for a round of special medicine as part of a clinical trial. His health problems never got him down, though. He's a funny guy, totally goofy, the kind of person who can strike up a conversation with anybody. He conducts Bible studies at laundry mats and bus stops.
I think everyone was pretty shocked by the news. But I doubt anyone was more shocked than Art himself, when he started getting emails, phone calls and text messages from anxious friends, saying, "Art!!! Please tell me you're alive!!!!" He picked up a newspaper and saw the headline, Art Delisle, 51, Dies in Argentina. He skimmed over the story, about a local mountain climber (definitely not our Art), who suffered a terrible mishap while on a solo climb in South America. And then he started having a field day with the whole thing. His face was lit up with glee this morning after the service meeting, as he told me his plans for opening a charity fund at his local bank, to cover the "funeral expenses," and aquiring a death certificate to send to all his bill collectors.
"I gotta take advantage of this," he said. "I mean, what are the odds?"
I agreed that such a golden opportunity to fake one's own death doesn't come around too often.
Crazy guy. I'm glad he's ok.
I was pretty stunned, too. Art Delisle, the ex-military spy, is Andrew's dad, and one of our early morning regulars. He's got a very bad heart, and travels down to Portland once a week for a round of special medicine as part of a clinical trial. His health problems never got him down, though. He's a funny guy, totally goofy, the kind of person who can strike up a conversation with anybody. He conducts Bible studies at laundry mats and bus stops.
I think everyone was pretty shocked by the news. But I doubt anyone was more shocked than Art himself, when he started getting emails, phone calls and text messages from anxious friends, saying, "Art!!! Please tell me you're alive!!!!" He picked up a newspaper and saw the headline, Art Delisle, 51, Dies in Argentina. He skimmed over the story, about a local mountain climber (definitely not our Art), who suffered a terrible mishap while on a solo climb in South America. And then he started having a field day with the whole thing. His face was lit up with glee this morning after the service meeting, as he told me his plans for opening a charity fund at his local bank, to cover the "funeral expenses," and aquiring a death certificate to send to all his bill collectors.
"I gotta take advantage of this," he said. "I mean, what are the odds?"
I agreed that such a golden opportunity to fake one's own death doesn't come around too often.
Crazy guy. I'm glad he's ok.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
<3 Eleven Months <3
Friday was our 11 month anniversary. I am happy and sad about it. It's been so special to be in the first year. When people ask how long you've been married, you count it in months. It seems so shining new that you really feel like newlyweds. A few weeks more, and we won't be counting in months anymore. On the other hand, I absolutely look forward to celebrating the 1 year mark. Every year makes a marriage so much more valuable. Zack and I were talking about what we've learned about each other that we didn't know 11 months ago, which was both interesting and fun. It was lots of little things, like being able to read each other's expressions better, and knowing how the other person likes their eggs. Out shopping yesterday, we stopped to have some keys made, and I knew without even asking just which keychain Zack would want the most. Little things like that make me happy, because I see us growing closer.
Yesterday morning in service, we worked with Luke. Ron, his Bible student (now baptized), was having an emotional morning. He'd had a heart-to-heart with his son a few days previously, about the truth, and as a result his son decided to move out. So Saturday was not a great day for him. He kept texting Luke about how he really, really needed to be picked up for service at 12:30, but no matter what Luke replied, Ron took the message as an insult and got upset. So then he said to forget it, he wasn't coming because he was too much of a mess and crying uncontrollably. (Ron is super needy with Luke, and can be a little bit of a drama queen). We were like, "He still wants you to pick him up, Luke. He just doesn't want to say it." And Luke was like, "I know." So he texted Ron back to be ready when we got there, because we were going to be picking him up anyway. It was kind of funny because Luke was sooo frustrated at Ron. He was like, "This behavior would totally be fine if it was coming from a girl. But it's coming from a 57-year-old man, and I can't handle it!"
Last night we watched the beginning of the BBC version of Sense and Sensibility. I wanted to see how it compared to the Emma Thompson version, which is one of my favorite movies ever. I must say, I think the writer plagiarized Emma Thompson's screenplay unforgiveably. A few of the initial scenes are so nearly identical, it's like watching the same movie with different actors. If I were Emma Thompson, I totally would have sued. Once the plot gets going though, the BBC version starts to stand on its own two feet. I really like the little girl who plays Meg. She's got just the right balance of cuteness and precocity. I detest Marianne. She's completely uninteresting. Elinor is good, but she seems a little too emotionless - I can't connect with her like I can with Emma Thompson's Elinor. The really weird thing, though, is that their voices are so alike, in places it almost sounds like Emma Thompson did a voiceover. Weird.
And about my rose - disaster! I used some potting soil that had been sitting out in our shed, and apparently it had gotten infested with pests. Yesterday morning I noticed a whole bunch of teeny tiny little wormy things squiggling around. I had pruned off some of the baby rose leaves that weren't thriving, and the wormy things were eating them! It was disgusting! So I had to do an emergency uprooting of my baby rosebush. I put it in a vase of water with some lavender soap to kill any wormy things that might have been on it. Zack went and bought fresh soil, and I'm going to repot it. I hope it survives! The baby leaves look ok still, but the grown up ones are terribly droopy.
Last but not least, I bought a new workout dvd! It's by Jillian Michaels, the terminatoresque trainer from The Biggest Loser. It's called the 30 Day Shred, and it's totally killer. I did level one today, and when it was over (after only 20 minutes), I felt like I might throw up. But at least I finished it. I'm very proud of myself.
Yesterday morning in service, we worked with Luke. Ron, his Bible student (now baptized), was having an emotional morning. He'd had a heart-to-heart with his son a few days previously, about the truth, and as a result his son decided to move out. So Saturday was not a great day for him. He kept texting Luke about how he really, really needed to be picked up for service at 12:30, but no matter what Luke replied, Ron took the message as an insult and got upset. So then he said to forget it, he wasn't coming because he was too much of a mess and crying uncontrollably. (Ron is super needy with Luke, and can be a little bit of a drama queen). We were like, "He still wants you to pick him up, Luke. He just doesn't want to say it." And Luke was like, "I know." So he texted Ron back to be ready when we got there, because we were going to be picking him up anyway. It was kind of funny because Luke was sooo frustrated at Ron. He was like, "This behavior would totally be fine if it was coming from a girl. But it's coming from a 57-year-old man, and I can't handle it!"
Last night we watched the beginning of the BBC version of Sense and Sensibility. I wanted to see how it compared to the Emma Thompson version, which is one of my favorite movies ever. I must say, I think the writer plagiarized Emma Thompson's screenplay unforgiveably. A few of the initial scenes are so nearly identical, it's like watching the same movie with different actors. If I were Emma Thompson, I totally would have sued. Once the plot gets going though, the BBC version starts to stand on its own two feet. I really like the little girl who plays Meg. She's got just the right balance of cuteness and precocity. I detest Marianne. She's completely uninteresting. Elinor is good, but she seems a little too emotionless - I can't connect with her like I can with Emma Thompson's Elinor. The really weird thing, though, is that their voices are so alike, in places it almost sounds like Emma Thompson did a voiceover. Weird.
And about my rose - disaster! I used some potting soil that had been sitting out in our shed, and apparently it had gotten infested with pests. Yesterday morning I noticed a whole bunch of teeny tiny little wormy things squiggling around. I had pruned off some of the baby rose leaves that weren't thriving, and the wormy things were eating them! It was disgusting! So I had to do an emergency uprooting of my baby rosebush. I put it in a vase of water with some lavender soap to kill any wormy things that might have been on it. Zack went and bought fresh soil, and I'm going to repot it. I hope it survives! The baby leaves look ok still, but the grown up ones are terribly droopy.
Last but not least, I bought a new workout dvd! It's by Jillian Michaels, the terminatoresque trainer from The Biggest Loser. It's called the 30 Day Shred, and it's totally killer. I did level one today, and when it was over (after only 20 minutes), I felt like I might throw up. But at least I finished it. I'm very proud of myself.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
This & That
My rose is growing! We planted it in a pot on Sunday, and it's been thriving ever since. It's putting out new leaves, and the stem is slowly changing from vibrant green to a more woody brown. I was worried this morning because some of the big leaves fell off during the night, and I'm not sure why. They're the ones making most of the food, so it needs really them. But it's still got three left, and they seem to be doing fine, so hopefully it will be ok. I'm so proud of my little baby rosebush! In summer time, if it's grown enough, I'll put it outside. (I'm still going to keep it in the pot, though).
Yesterday I was sooo tired that I just stayed home. We drove out to Graham on Monday night so Zack could get his haircut. As I walked through the door, Crystal said, "Oh, poor Anande, you're always so tired when you get here! Look, you're yawning already!" (Which was true). She asked me if I'm anemic, and I said I could be - I was when I was really young. So she told me to buy some blackstrap molasses and take a big spoonful every morning stirred into a cup of hot water. That's what I'm sipping on now, as I type this. It looks like very black coffee. I kind of like it.
The first episode of the new Biggest Loser is up on Hulu. I'm so excited! My plan is to try and lose 2 pounds a week, for the whole season. I think I can do it!
Yesterday I was sooo tired that I just stayed home. We drove out to Graham on Monday night so Zack could get his haircut. As I walked through the door, Crystal said, "Oh, poor Anande, you're always so tired when you get here! Look, you're yawning already!" (Which was true). She asked me if I'm anemic, and I said I could be - I was when I was really young. So she told me to buy some blackstrap molasses and take a big spoonful every morning stirred into a cup of hot water. That's what I'm sipping on now, as I type this. It looks like very black coffee. I kind of like it.
The first episode of the new Biggest Loser is up on Hulu. I'm so excited! My plan is to try and lose 2 pounds a week, for the whole season. I think I can do it!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Miss Callie
Long service day today. I was soooo tired. Again, I slept during the Starbucks break. Right after that I met Darci and we did calls until 4:00. We stopped at the Park Rose nursing home to see Callie Keeves. She is so cute, I am crazy about her. When we walked into the room, the other lady who shares the room had her TV on, and Callie was just lying in her bed, with her head turned to the side, watching the show. She looked tired and bored, like I probably would be if I spent all my time in a bed and couldn't read or listen to music or anything. Darci and I walked up to her bed, and instantly her face lit up in smiles. "Lord bless me, you came back!" she said.
We talked to her for a little while about the paradise. She has pretty severe dementia, and couldn't remember ever having heard about the paradise before. Her face lit up like a sunrise. "You mean I get to be there?" she asked. "I get to be in the paradise? What am I going to do there? I'm old! I can't even get out of this here bed." We told her she would be young again, and full of energy, and be able to run and climb trees just like when she was a kid. "Lord bless me, am I really going to be there?" she asked. "How long do I get to stay there?" We told her forever. I showed her the picture in the Bible Teach book of the people singing and playing music in the paradise, and she stared and stared at it, smiling. "When will it come?" she asked. "Tomorrow?" "We don't know when, but we know it will be soon," I answered. I told her to keep that picture of the paradise in her mind, and think about it until our next visit. "Will you come back?" she asked, and I promised I would. "And will you bring the book and read to me? I need to hear more about the paradise!" I promised to read her more out of the book.
Darci called her son, so that Callie could talk to him (she doesn't have a phone in her room. Also, because of her dementia, she forgets that he calls, and always thinks she hasn't spoken to him in months). She told him, "My friend came and told me all about the paradise! Oh, honey, it's going to be so beautiful, and I get to be young again and live forever. You need to be there, too!" It was so amazing to me, after having spent only a few minutes sharing good news with her, to hear her turn around and start witnessing at the first chance she got. I actually started getting tears in my eyes. It made me so sad to have to leave. I wanted to stay and keep her company. I hate the thought of her lying there day in and day out, doing nothing, and having nobody to talk to. She's afraid of the people who work there and won't take her medicine. It's too bad that she can't be taken care of by someone she knows and trusts.
We talked to her for a little while about the paradise. She has pretty severe dementia, and couldn't remember ever having heard about the paradise before. Her face lit up like a sunrise. "You mean I get to be there?" she asked. "I get to be in the paradise? What am I going to do there? I'm old! I can't even get out of this here bed." We told her she would be young again, and full of energy, and be able to run and climb trees just like when she was a kid. "Lord bless me, am I really going to be there?" she asked. "How long do I get to stay there?" We told her forever. I showed her the picture in the Bible Teach book of the people singing and playing music in the paradise, and she stared and stared at it, smiling. "When will it come?" she asked. "Tomorrow?" "We don't know when, but we know it will be soon," I answered. I told her to keep that picture of the paradise in her mind, and think about it until our next visit. "Will you come back?" she asked, and I promised I would. "And will you bring the book and read to me? I need to hear more about the paradise!" I promised to read her more out of the book.
Darci called her son, so that Callie could talk to him (she doesn't have a phone in her room. Also, because of her dementia, she forgets that he calls, and always thinks she hasn't spoken to him in months). She told him, "My friend came and told me all about the paradise! Oh, honey, it's going to be so beautiful, and I get to be young again and live forever. You need to be there, too!" It was so amazing to me, after having spent only a few minutes sharing good news with her, to hear her turn around and start witnessing at the first chance she got. I actually started getting tears in my eyes. It made me so sad to have to leave. I wanted to stay and keep her company. I hate the thought of her lying there day in and day out, doing nothing, and having nobody to talk to. She's afraid of the people who work there and won't take her medicine. It's too bad that she can't be taken care of by someone she knows and trusts.
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Stories
Nothing very interesting has happened today. I woke up around 5:00 and couldn't fall back asleep, so I got up and packed lunches for Zack and me. I had resolved not to spend any money at Starbucks today (mostly for the reason that I don't actually have any money to spend), so that meant taking a lunch and enough snacks to get me through the day. Zack's mom gave us a couple of really cool insulated cups, guaranteed to keep your drink hot for 4 hours - exactly what I need! I forgot to put the kettle on, though, and didn't think of it until I was running out the door. So, no tea for me :(. I could hardly stay awake in early morning service. It was gloomy and drizzly and dark, and I just wanted to be in bed. While everyone else was in Starbucks, I took a little nap and started dreaming and everything.
Zack and I both have a yucky tummy bug. He has it worse than me. Yesterday we both stayed home all day. This morning I made myself get up and go out, even though I would rather have slept. It's annoying because I feel crummy, but I don't have a fever, and I haven't actually thrown up or anything, so I'm just toughing it out. I would rather be really sick and stay home, or else be well. This in-between stuff is just dumb.
I talked to Andrew a little bit at the service meeting. We were both standing in the back, waiting for our car groups, and he looked exactly the way I felt - all droopy-eyed and sleepy, and like he wanted to be in bed. It's one of those days I guess.
Anyway, as to the stories from the pioneer party - now that I'm trying to think how to tell them, it seems like you had to just be there. The "cadaver room" stories were pretty gross. Bryson is a firefighter, and Luke is going to nursing school, so they've both taken anatomy/physiology, which includes studying actual corpses. So somehow the subject came up, and they were describing what it was like, and Bryson said that the flesh of the cadavers looks just like regular cooked meat - some of it light, some dark. I was like, "you mean, like turkey?" (we were having a turkey dinner), and he said, "yeah, just like that turkey you ate, that's sitting in your stomach right now." Which was a pretty disgusting thing to say, but funny.
I don't know if you've ever seen the old sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter, but one of the characters is this kid named Horshack. We were talking about the show, and I said he was my favorite character. Luke goes, "Did my parents ever tell you that they met him?" Apparently years ago, right after they got married, Jeff and Carol saw him do a standup show in New York. They were there with a friend who knew him personally, so they got to go back to his dressing room and meet him. And sadly, he turned out to be really creepy and spent the whole time ignoring Jeff and hitting on Carol.
I can't remember who brought up the vanishing sandwiches. I think we started discussing obesity because Luke had eaten so much and was so full. He and Bryson started relating stories they had heard of in their classes, about morbidly obese people with lots of rolls of excess flesh. Apparently, it is not uncommon for very large people to somehow lose a sandwich in amidst their belly rolls. Both Luke and Bryson have heard about this phenomena, where doctors will be examining their patients, and lift up a roll of flab, and find a forgotten sandwich. I swear I am not making that up. We were wondering how it could be possible not to notice that your sandwich had disappeared. Luke did a reenactment of someone making a sandwich, and somehow inadvertently stuffing it into a pocket of flesh. It was so gross but so hysterical.
Zack and I both have a yucky tummy bug. He has it worse than me. Yesterday we both stayed home all day. This morning I made myself get up and go out, even though I would rather have slept. It's annoying because I feel crummy, but I don't have a fever, and I haven't actually thrown up or anything, so I'm just toughing it out. I would rather be really sick and stay home, or else be well. This in-between stuff is just dumb.
I talked to Andrew a little bit at the service meeting. We were both standing in the back, waiting for our car groups, and he looked exactly the way I felt - all droopy-eyed and sleepy, and like he wanted to be in bed. It's one of those days I guess.
Anyway, as to the stories from the pioneer party - now that I'm trying to think how to tell them, it seems like you had to just be there. The "cadaver room" stories were pretty gross. Bryson is a firefighter, and Luke is going to nursing school, so they've both taken anatomy/physiology, which includes studying actual corpses. So somehow the subject came up, and they were describing what it was like, and Bryson said that the flesh of the cadavers looks just like regular cooked meat - some of it light, some dark. I was like, "you mean, like turkey?" (we were having a turkey dinner), and he said, "yeah, just like that turkey you ate, that's sitting in your stomach right now." Which was a pretty disgusting thing to say, but funny.
I don't know if you've ever seen the old sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter, but one of the characters is this kid named Horshack. We were talking about the show, and I said he was my favorite character. Luke goes, "Did my parents ever tell you that they met him?" Apparently years ago, right after they got married, Jeff and Carol saw him do a standup show in New York. They were there with a friend who knew him personally, so they got to go back to his dressing room and meet him. And sadly, he turned out to be really creepy and spent the whole time ignoring Jeff and hitting on Carol.
I can't remember who brought up the vanishing sandwiches. I think we started discussing obesity because Luke had eaten so much and was so full. He and Bryson started relating stories they had heard of in their classes, about morbidly obese people with lots of rolls of excess flesh. Apparently, it is not uncommon for very large people to somehow lose a sandwich in amidst their belly rolls. Both Luke and Bryson have heard about this phenomena, where doctors will be examining their patients, and lift up a roll of flab, and find a forgotten sandwich. I swear I am not making that up. We were wondering how it could be possible not to notice that your sandwich had disappeared. Luke did a reenactment of someone making a sandwich, and somehow inadvertently stuffing it into a pocket of flesh. It was so gross but so hysterical.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Service, Pioneer Meeting, After Party
Service was fun today. Zack and I met the early morning group at 7:30. Tanya Lewis brought her adorable puppy, Ebony, and later on we stopped to pick up Riley. So counting the service dogs, there were 7 of us out this morning. At 9:30, I went on in regular service, and Zack went out to visit his parents.
We went to Starbucks around 11:00, as usual. It seemed like half our congregation was there - the place was packed. It was pretty cool. Aurel was telling funny stories. One time, at Starbucks, when the barrista asked his name so she could write it on the cup, he didn't want to go through the whole ordeal of saying "Aurel" and having to re-pronounce it and tell her how to spell it. So he had decided ahead of time that when he got up to the counter, he would just call himself Tom. So the barrista asks his name, and when he says "Tom," she looks him in the eye and says, "That's not your real name, is it?" And he says, "No, it's not," and feels really ridiculous. I laughed so hard at that story because I can totally relate. Whenever barristas ask my name, I just say Anna. I can't believe she confronted him on it, though! That's just weird.
While I was in line to buy my cofee, I heard from Leslie that Brother Min woke up yesterday! He's been in a coma since December 29th. He opened his eyes and smiled, and everything. He's still paralyzed and can't speak, but this is really amazing progress and everyone is just overjoyed.
Anyway, at 1:00 was our pioneer meeting. It was all on the subject of why and how pioneers need to have insight. In the section on pioneer economics, Jason asked, "What are some ways pioneers can cut back on food and drink expenses?" Sister S said, "Well, eat less. I've lost twenty pounds." Good advice.
The meeting ran overtime, as usual. I got home around 3:15, and Zack was back from his parents'. He had brought tons of groceries from his mom, stuff we needed like pasta, fish, meat, canned goods, laundry soap, and on and on and on. There were also trinkets from Hawaii and a box of those delicious chocolate covered macadamias. I had to call Juanita right away, I was so amazed at everything she had given us. Not only that, but she gave Zack her old cell phone, which is exactly like his, except in perfect working order. He has a fully functioning 3 button again! All he had to do was go online and switch it over to his phone number. We were pretty happy about that.
Zack had an upset tummy, so we snuggled for a while and I read him the beginning of The White Mountain, which he liked. It's a pretty good book - the first time I read it, I couldn't put it down. Before we knew it, it was time to go to the pioneer dinner at the McOmbers. Zack was feeling pretty crummy, but he dragged himself out of bed to come with me. He is so sweet! I was really happy he came. We ended up having an awesome time. Abby Jolly was over there, helping Renee and Jason cook an over-the-top turkey dinner. We sat at long tables with real tablecloths, dishes and silverware, and they served us. It totally felt like a fancy version of pioneer school, and the food was awesome. All diet resolutions went out the window.
Zack and I were at the "kid's table," with Ben and Jamie, Bryson, and Luke. Many hilarious stories were told, and we laughed so much that at one point I saw Zack wiping away tears.
Besides laughing and eating a lot, I played with Ava and Elsie, drew on the chalkboard, and met the most enormous dog I have ever laid eyes on in real life. I have a ton of pictures to go through, and some to put up on Flickr. I will never forget the stories Luke and Bryson told about the "cadaver room," Horshack hitting on Luke's mom, and the vanishing sandwiches. I would tell them but this post is already long and I'm tired. Maybe tomorrow.
We went to Starbucks around 11:00, as usual. It seemed like half our congregation was there - the place was packed. It was pretty cool. Aurel was telling funny stories. One time, at Starbucks, when the barrista asked his name so she could write it on the cup, he didn't want to go through the whole ordeal of saying "Aurel" and having to re-pronounce it and tell her how to spell it. So he had decided ahead of time that when he got up to the counter, he would just call himself Tom. So the barrista asks his name, and when he says "Tom," she looks him in the eye and says, "That's not your real name, is it?" And he says, "No, it's not," and feels really ridiculous. I laughed so hard at that story because I can totally relate. Whenever barristas ask my name, I just say Anna. I can't believe she confronted him on it, though! That's just weird.
While I was in line to buy my cofee, I heard from Leslie that Brother Min woke up yesterday! He's been in a coma since December 29th. He opened his eyes and smiled, and everything. He's still paralyzed and can't speak, but this is really amazing progress and everyone is just overjoyed.
Anyway, at 1:00 was our pioneer meeting. It was all on the subject of why and how pioneers need to have insight. In the section on pioneer economics, Jason asked, "What are some ways pioneers can cut back on food and drink expenses?" Sister S said, "Well, eat less. I've lost twenty pounds." Good advice.
The meeting ran overtime, as usual. I got home around 3:15, and Zack was back from his parents'. He had brought tons of groceries from his mom, stuff we needed like pasta, fish, meat, canned goods, laundry soap, and on and on and on. There were also trinkets from Hawaii and a box of those delicious chocolate covered macadamias. I had to call Juanita right away, I was so amazed at everything she had given us. Not only that, but she gave Zack her old cell phone, which is exactly like his, except in perfect working order. He has a fully functioning 3 button again! All he had to do was go online and switch it over to his phone number. We were pretty happy about that.
Zack had an upset tummy, so we snuggled for a while and I read him the beginning of The White Mountain, which he liked. It's a pretty good book - the first time I read it, I couldn't put it down. Before we knew it, it was time to go to the pioneer dinner at the McOmbers. Zack was feeling pretty crummy, but he dragged himself out of bed to come with me. He is so sweet! I was really happy he came. We ended up having an awesome time. Abby Jolly was over there, helping Renee and Jason cook an over-the-top turkey dinner. We sat at long tables with real tablecloths, dishes and silverware, and they served us. It totally felt like a fancy version of pioneer school, and the food was awesome. All diet resolutions went out the window.
Zack and I were at the "kid's table," with Ben and Jamie, Bryson, and Luke. Many hilarious stories were told, and we laughed so much that at one point I saw Zack wiping away tears.
Besides laughing and eating a lot, I played with Ava and Elsie, drew on the chalkboard, and met the most enormous dog I have ever laid eyes on in real life. I have a ton of pictures to go through, and some to put up on Flickr. I will never forget the stories Luke and Bryson told about the "cadaver room," Horshack hitting on Luke's mom, and the vanishing sandwiches. I would tell them but this post is already long and I'm tired. Maybe tomorrow.
Friday, January 9, 2009
A Friday at Home
I found my wallet! Well, actually, I didn't, but someone else did. It was in the kingdom hall parking lot. Apparently it fell out of my purse in the dark when we came out of the meeting Tuesday night. It was there in the rain until Thursday morning when someone found it. Sadly, it got soaked in the rain and totally mildewy and ruined. But my driver's license, bank card, etc. are all safe and sound. And since I was wanting a new wallet anyway, and now have a reason to buy one, I'm calling it a very happy ending.
I stayed home all day today, which was great. I cleaned the house, did laundry, washed my hair, etc. Nothing super exciting, but it just felt good to get stuff done. When Zack came home he made us a yummy dinner of eggs, toast, and french fries. Now he's watching the last episode of Jericho: Season 2. He's very distressed that there will be no more episodes. Jericho is his new favorite show in the history of the world. We ordered season 2 from Blockbuster, and he is watching it on his laptop, using my pink earbuds. It's cute :)
We just finished our family study, out of the Babylon book. That book is so interesting, we learn something new every time.
In other news, my pink longstem rose that Zack bought me over a week ago likes its vase of water so much that it started sprouting and putting out roots. The stem is a beautiful glowy green, with brand new baby yellow leaves sprouting in four diffrent places. I decided to try potting it and see if I can get it to grow into a baby rosebush. That would be so awesome!
I stayed home all day today, which was great. I cleaned the house, did laundry, washed my hair, etc. Nothing super exciting, but it just felt good to get stuff done. When Zack came home he made us a yummy dinner of eggs, toast, and french fries. Now he's watching the last episode of Jericho: Season 2. He's very distressed that there will be no more episodes. Jericho is his new favorite show in the history of the world. We ordered season 2 from Blockbuster, and he is watching it on his laptop, using my pink earbuds. It's cute :)
We just finished our family study, out of the Babylon book. That book is so interesting, we learn something new every time.
In other news, my pink longstem rose that Zack bought me over a week ago likes its vase of water so much that it started sprouting and putting out roots. The stem is a beautiful glowy green, with brand new baby yellow leaves sprouting in four diffrent places. I decided to try potting it and see if I can get it to grow into a baby rosebush. That would be so awesome!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
A Long And Pretty Awesome Service Day
My wallet is lost! I have no idea what happened to it. I've looked everywhere - all over my house, in other people's cars, at the Starbucks where I last remember using it - but to no avail. It is nowhere to be found. I've been checking my bank records online, and so far no one's used my debit card. I moved all my money to a separate account, just in case. I really hope I find my wallet tomorrow - my last hope is that it might have fallen out of my purse at the kingdom hall. I'll check there in the morning.
Anyway, so my sister picked me up at 7:30 this morning. We started out our day by driving to Spanaway and picking up the son of one of her Bible students, who recently moved. The Bible student's car broke down, so we gave her little boy, Jonathan, a ride to kindergarten. On the way we talked to him a little bit about Jehovah. He was very shy at first, but when my sister got lost and couldn't find his school, he was able to direct her right to it. Smart kid! I wouldn't have been able to do that at five years old.
Last night at the meeting we learned about how Jesus put his ministry above everything else. He walked hundreds of miles preaching the good news, and taught people about the kingdom when he was tired, when he was hungry, when he needed some alone time, even while he was dying. He gave up a life of ease and material comfort in order to invest all his energy into teaching people the truth. It's a really inspiring example to follow.
I thought about that today, out in service. The rain was still pouring down nonstop, for the second day straight. It was gusty and cold and yucky outside, and I would have felt really proud of myself for being out on such a day, if it hadn't been for the fact that I spent the morning riding around in Jack's Mercedes, doing calls, and we stopped at Starbucks twice. (The first time was to check for my wallet, but still, I didn't come out without trying the new Apple Chai Infusion. Too Spicy). I felt just a tad guilty for being so comfortable, when Jesus probably spent days like that on foot.
The afternoon more than made up for it, though. I worked with Darci, which was great. We were able to track down one of her calls, an old lady name Carolina Keeves, who had been moved to a nursing home, unbeknownst to Darci. We drove from one end of town to the other and back again, and when I finally met Carolina (or Callie, as she likes to be called), I was so glad I got to be there. She is the cutest thing ever! Flat on her back in a nursing home for two months, and still the biggest smile, and so happy to see Darci. I just kind of stood by while they talked a mile a minute catching up, and Carolina would say the funniest things, and make me laugh. She was a ray of sunshine in my dreary, rainy day.
After that we went on a Bible study. Raquel is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. She's newly baptized, and still going over the God's Love book with Darci. She has a toddler named Leo who is a handful, let me tell you! During the study he went running into the kitchen. There was the sound of a drawer opening, and him rummaging around. Raquel ran in and said, "Leo, no! You can't play with the knives!" (I am not making this up). Later he went in his room, and when Raquel went to check on him, we heard, "No, Leo! Keep your fingers out of there! You're going to get electrocuted! E-lec-tro-cut-ed!"
All I could think was, I really, really hope I am not pregnant!
It was a fun study, though, and all in all I got in 9.5 hours today! Awesome! Came home, fixed chicken and french fries for dinner, watched part of a dumb reality show, and suddenly realized how late it was, and that I hadn't even written in my blog yet.
OK, bedtime for me. I hope I find my wallet tomorrow!!!!
Anyway, so my sister picked me up at 7:30 this morning. We started out our day by driving to Spanaway and picking up the son of one of her Bible students, who recently moved. The Bible student's car broke down, so we gave her little boy, Jonathan, a ride to kindergarten. On the way we talked to him a little bit about Jehovah. He was very shy at first, but when my sister got lost and couldn't find his school, he was able to direct her right to it. Smart kid! I wouldn't have been able to do that at five years old.
Last night at the meeting we learned about how Jesus put his ministry above everything else. He walked hundreds of miles preaching the good news, and taught people about the kingdom when he was tired, when he was hungry, when he needed some alone time, even while he was dying. He gave up a life of ease and material comfort in order to invest all his energy into teaching people the truth. It's a really inspiring example to follow.
I thought about that today, out in service. The rain was still pouring down nonstop, for the second day straight. It was gusty and cold and yucky outside, and I would have felt really proud of myself for being out on such a day, if it hadn't been for the fact that I spent the morning riding around in Jack's Mercedes, doing calls, and we stopped at Starbucks twice. (The first time was to check for my wallet, but still, I didn't come out without trying the new Apple Chai Infusion. Too Spicy). I felt just a tad guilty for being so comfortable, when Jesus probably spent days like that on foot.
The afternoon more than made up for it, though. I worked with Darci, which was great. We were able to track down one of her calls, an old lady name Carolina Keeves, who had been moved to a nursing home, unbeknownst to Darci. We drove from one end of town to the other and back again, and when I finally met Carolina (or Callie, as she likes to be called), I was so glad I got to be there. She is the cutest thing ever! Flat on her back in a nursing home for two months, and still the biggest smile, and so happy to see Darci. I just kind of stood by while they talked a mile a minute catching up, and Carolina would say the funniest things, and make me laugh. She was a ray of sunshine in my dreary, rainy day.
After that we went on a Bible study. Raquel is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. She's newly baptized, and still going over the God's Love book with Darci. She has a toddler named Leo who is a handful, let me tell you! During the study he went running into the kitchen. There was the sound of a drawer opening, and him rummaging around. Raquel ran in and said, "Leo, no! You can't play with the knives!" (I am not making this up). Later he went in his room, and when Raquel went to check on him, we heard, "No, Leo! Keep your fingers out of there! You're going to get electrocuted! E-lec-tro-cut-ed!"
All I could think was, I really, really hope I am not pregnant!
It was a fun study, though, and all in all I got in 9.5 hours today! Awesome! Came home, fixed chicken and french fries for dinner, watched part of a dumb reality show, and suddenly realized how late it was, and that I hadn't even written in my blog yet.
OK, bedtime for me. I hope I find my wallet tomorrow!!!!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
More Books!
OK, last post of the day. Zack had the Bible reading at meeting tonight. He did excellent! Renee McOmber came up to me after meeting and said that he has a very nice, flowing voice that's easy to listen to. I felt proud of him :)
Abby Jolly lent me books! I texted her before the meeting and asked her to bring some. I have been wanting something just light and fun to read. Here's what she gave me: Shopaholic and Sister and Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella, and three Jaine Austen Mysteries: Killer Blonde, Shoes to Die For, and Death by Pantyhose. Yay! I can't wait to read them!
Well, I'd better get to bed. I'm meeting my sister tomorrow at 7 am.
Abby Jolly lent me books! I texted her before the meeting and asked her to bring some. I have been wanting something just light and fun to read. Here's what she gave me: Shopaholic and Sister and Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella, and three Jaine Austen Mysteries: Killer Blonde, Shoes to Die For, and Death by Pantyhose. Yay! I can't wait to read them!
Well, I'd better get to bed. I'm meeting my sister tomorrow at 7 am.
Rain, Bath, Book
It's been raining all day, but it's getting worse as it gets later. A few minutes ago it sounded like a hurricane outside! Howling wind and lashing rain. I like those sounds, when I'm snug indoors.
I just did something I haven't done in ages: I took a bath and read a book. The books is one I picked up at a used book store months ago, and then forgot about. A Gathering of Days, by Joan Blos. It was published the year I was born, and won the Newberry Medal. I like it, so far.
I just did something I haven't done in ages: I took a bath and read a book. The books is one I picked up at a used book store months ago, and then forgot about. A Gathering of Days, by Joan Blos. It was published the year I was born, and won the Newberry Medal. I like it, so far.
I Am Just So Amused
I got a text back from Darci, offering to bring me anything I might need from the store. She says: "Don't hesitate to ask. It will give us something to do on this rainy day. However, if you're pregnant, we can't do much to help you there. :-)"
My Tummy = :p
I am supposed to be meeting Darci Kirk in an hour. Darci is a very cool pioneer, very fun to work with. I called her yesterday morning when I needed someone to meet up with. She couldn't meet me, but we made plans to get together this morning at 11:00. I was pretty happy about that. Only when I woke up this morning, I felt sick. Like, super sick. Tummy sick. Yucky.
I had Zack bring me a slice of bread around 5:30. Sometimes when I'm sick to my stomach, it's just acid, and a slice of bread will take care of it. I asked for another slice of bread around 8:30. At 9:30 I got up and walked around a little, hoping the yuckiness would go away. Nope. Instead, it got worse. So I called Darci and left a message telling her I was staying home. And now I feel icky and sad.
I will drink some peppermint tea and study for meeting.
I had Zack bring me a slice of bread around 5:30. Sometimes when I'm sick to my stomach, it's just acid, and a slice of bread will take care of it. I asked for another slice of bread around 8:30. At 9:30 I got up and walked around a little, hoping the yuckiness would go away. Nope. Instead, it got worse. So I called Darci and left a message telling her I was staying home. And now I feel icky and sad.
I will drink some peppermint tea and study for meeting.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Bleh
Just a quick post, because I'm very tired and I want to go to bed.
Today was a weird day. I got up later than usual, which I figured was ok since last night Leslie told me we were meeting at 9:30 for service, due to the snow. Well, unfortunately for me, the snow all actually melted during the night. I never actually looked out of my window while wearing my contacts, and so I had no idea that the roads were completely ice-free and that the weather was windy and warm-ish, like spring. And so while I was still getting ready to go, everybody else was meeting at the kingdom hall at the regular time, 9:00.
So when I got there, everyone else was already in service. I called Shirley, and she and Tanya came back to pick me up. Unfortunately, they were planning to go on a Bible study together at 10:30, which left me nobody to work with. I called around, and managed to make plans with some people from the Narrows congregation. I met up with them in a coffee shop parking lot, and spent the rest of the morning doing calls with Christa, Lindsey, and Tracy. It was a pretty fun morning. I had never officially met Tracy before and she turned out to be really fun to work with. Christa was complaining that now that she's no longer a Catholic (she was raised in a divided household and went to Catholic school up through 8th grade), she needs a gesture to replace crossing herself. You know how in the movies, somebody will be getting ready to jump off a building or something, hoping their parachute will work, and they will cross themself just before taking the leap? Christa wants a new, nonreligious gesture to use in those kinds of situations. (Not that she's in the habit of jumping off buildings, but I'm sure you know what I mean).
In the afternoon I worked with Shirley and Tanya again, and also Luke. We did more calls, until about 3:00. It was fun, but what with waiting around for people to show up, meeting up at the hall or elsewhere, and then needing to take bathroom & coffee breaks, I only ended up with about 3.5 hours of service for the entire day. Which was very frustrating, especially since I left my house at 9:25 and didn't get home until almost 3:30. When I got home I felt really tired and sort of achey, like I was coming down with a head cold. I didn't end up doing any of the things on my to-do list, such as cleaning out my car or finishing the laundry. Instead I curled up on the couch with a blanket and pillow and watched TV. I felt guilty but I didn't want to be tired again tomorrow. I really have to do 100 hours this month.
I hope it will be easier to get up tomorrow. But I don't feel too optimistic about that.
Today was a weird day. I got up later than usual, which I figured was ok since last night Leslie told me we were meeting at 9:30 for service, due to the snow. Well, unfortunately for me, the snow all actually melted during the night. I never actually looked out of my window while wearing my contacts, and so I had no idea that the roads were completely ice-free and that the weather was windy and warm-ish, like spring. And so while I was still getting ready to go, everybody else was meeting at the kingdom hall at the regular time, 9:00.
So when I got there, everyone else was already in service. I called Shirley, and she and Tanya came back to pick me up. Unfortunately, they were planning to go on a Bible study together at 10:30, which left me nobody to work with. I called around, and managed to make plans with some people from the Narrows congregation. I met up with them in a coffee shop parking lot, and spent the rest of the morning doing calls with Christa, Lindsey, and Tracy. It was a pretty fun morning. I had never officially met Tracy before and she turned out to be really fun to work with. Christa was complaining that now that she's no longer a Catholic (she was raised in a divided household and went to Catholic school up through 8th grade), she needs a gesture to replace crossing herself. You know how in the movies, somebody will be getting ready to jump off a building or something, hoping their parachute will work, and they will cross themself just before taking the leap? Christa wants a new, nonreligious gesture to use in those kinds of situations. (Not that she's in the habit of jumping off buildings, but I'm sure you know what I mean).
In the afternoon I worked with Shirley and Tanya again, and also Luke. We did more calls, until about 3:00. It was fun, but what with waiting around for people to show up, meeting up at the hall or elsewhere, and then needing to take bathroom & coffee breaks, I only ended up with about 3.5 hours of service for the entire day. Which was very frustrating, especially since I left my house at 9:25 and didn't get home until almost 3:30. When I got home I felt really tired and sort of achey, like I was coming down with a head cold. I didn't end up doing any of the things on my to-do list, such as cleaning out my car or finishing the laundry. Instead I curled up on the couch with a blanket and pillow and watched TV. I felt guilty but I didn't want to be tired again tomorrow. I really have to do 100 hours this month.
I hope it will be easier to get up tomorrow. But I don't feel too optimistic about that.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
A Party, Snow, And a Petite (But Treacherous) Daddy
Well, it's the first Sunday of January, and our meeting time changed to 10:00 am. I have to say I'm not too excited about this. Last year was sooo nice because we had the 4:00 meeting. 4:00 meeting, I miss you! We got to sleep in till 11:00 every Sunday, then have a nice leisurely brunch, study the Watchtower, and putter around the house or watch TV until 3:00, when we started getting ready for meeting.
For the next year, there will be no more sleeping in. On the other hand, we are done with meeting by 12:00 now, and have the rest of the day to do what we like. That's nice too. It's a trade-off.
Well, this evening we went to the auxiliary pioneer party at the Agues'. This was a party for all the members of our congregation who auxiliary pioneered in November. It was a coffee and hors d'oeuvres kind of thing, so Zack and I brought bagel bites. We were supposed to be there at 6:00, and when we looked out the window around 5, it was snowing! A lot! An hour later almost an inch had accumulated. We set out anyway, and pretty much slid down Center Street, which was super slippery. It's a very wet, slushy snow, and the streets are slick. It was pretty fun.
The McOmbers were at the party, with their two tiny girls, Ava and Elsie. Ava is three and a half, and Elsie is two. They have wispy, curly blonde hair and are seriously adorable. Tonight their mom was telling us how Ava is mastering the concept of opposites. "Ava, is Daddy big or little?" she asked. "Daddy is little," Ava answered. Everyone started laughing, of course, and teasing Jason, calling him petite. "Ava," he said, flexing his bicep, "is Daddy strong?" Ava shook her head,"No!" Jason tried to bribe her with treats into changing her answer, but she only laughed at him like he was the silliest person alive.
We didn't stay too late, since it was snowing the whole time. Our neighbor Valerie decided to follow us home, just to be safe, in case she got stuck. As we were brushing the snow off our cars, who should come running up but Jason McOmber. He had left his car idling in the street to come and throw snowballs at us! I was so shocked. I mean, he's our service overseer, and he totally ambushed us. It was pretty funny. I would have got him back, but he ducked at the very last second - I'm pretty sure my snowball brushed his shoulder, though.
And now we're home, and not sure whether the snow will stick around, or melt away by morning. Zack is hoping for a snow day, of course. I wouldn't mind having to stay home if he does, too. But if he goes to work then I want to be out in service. I need my time. I'm afraid to drive to our kingdom hall, though, if the roads are slippery. It's at the bottom of a pretty wicked hill, and I do not drive in snow. At all. So, we will see.
For the next year, there will be no more sleeping in. On the other hand, we are done with meeting by 12:00 now, and have the rest of the day to do what we like. That's nice too. It's a trade-off.
Well, this evening we went to the auxiliary pioneer party at the Agues'. This was a party for all the members of our congregation who auxiliary pioneered in November. It was a coffee and hors d'oeuvres kind of thing, so Zack and I brought bagel bites. We were supposed to be there at 6:00, and when we looked out the window around 5, it was snowing! A lot! An hour later almost an inch had accumulated. We set out anyway, and pretty much slid down Center Street, which was super slippery. It's a very wet, slushy snow, and the streets are slick. It was pretty fun.
The McOmbers were at the party, with their two tiny girls, Ava and Elsie. Ava is three and a half, and Elsie is two. They have wispy, curly blonde hair and are seriously adorable. Tonight their mom was telling us how Ava is mastering the concept of opposites. "Ava, is Daddy big or little?" she asked. "Daddy is little," Ava answered. Everyone started laughing, of course, and teasing Jason, calling him petite. "Ava," he said, flexing his bicep, "is Daddy strong?" Ava shook her head,"No!" Jason tried to bribe her with treats into changing her answer, but she only laughed at him like he was the silliest person alive.
We didn't stay too late, since it was snowing the whole time. Our neighbor Valerie decided to follow us home, just to be safe, in case she got stuck. As we were brushing the snow off our cars, who should come running up but Jason McOmber. He had left his car idling in the street to come and throw snowballs at us! I was so shocked. I mean, he's our service overseer, and he totally ambushed us. It was pretty funny. I would have got him back, but he ducked at the very last second - I'm pretty sure my snowball brushed his shoulder, though.
And now we're home, and not sure whether the snow will stick around, or melt away by morning. Zack is hoping for a snow day, of course. I wouldn't mind having to stay home if he does, too. But if he goes to work then I want to be out in service. I need my time. I'm afraid to drive to our kingdom hall, though, if the roads are slippery. It's at the bottom of a pretty wicked hill, and I do not drive in snow. At all. So, we will see.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Just A Quick Post
Not much happened today. I finally got caught up on sleep, did some writing, a little laundry, and spent time with Zack. We went for a walk, up and down the hill a couple of times, which I am happy about. I also did a little workout later on while watching an episode of House. I haven't started reading my new book yet. Why is that, I wonder? I was so excited about buying it, and now I'm putting off actually opening it up and reading it. Maybe it's because I know I'm going to be brought face to face with certain aspects of my personality that I don't really like. Such as, my tendency to be lazy and procrastinate.
Anyway, not much else to report. I leave you with this:
Anyway, not much else to report. I leave you with this:
Friday, January 2, 2009
Newsies: The Blueberry Yogurt Edition
Last night I dreamed that I was eating one of those little fruit-flavored yogurt cups, only in my dream, the yogurt was a movie, which played in my mind while I was eating. It was like renting a movie and eating at the same time. The movie was Newsies, and I was very excited in my dream because the blueberry yogurt edition had a deleted scene which I had never seen before. I really wanted my mom to see the scene, but the problem with yogurt movies is that you can't rewind. Once you've eaten through a scene, it's gone, obviously. I was extremely disappointed about that. It seemed like a complete waste of money.
In other news, we went to Borders tonight, and I got a new book. It's called People Are Idiots, And I Can Prove It. Oddly enough, this is a book written by a motivational speaker, and it's really funny and awesome. I had skimmed through it yesterday at the Borders in Southcenter, so I already knew I wanted to buy it. Now I can't wait to read it all the way through.
Devin met us at Borders, and we hung out in the cafe, catching up. That was pretty cool. Zack and Devin bought snacks - a lemon bar and an apple tart - but I was good and stuck with a few sips of Zack's soda (since I am determined to lose the weight I've gained since the wedding, post haste!!! ). We ended up talking about a whole lot of random things, like pagan symbols, the weirdness of Catholocism, time travel, and building half pipes (Devin is into skateboarding and Zack likes bmx biking). I like Devin because he's one of those people that I feel at ease with no matter how long it's been since I've seen them last. He's back in Tacoma now, so I guess we'll have to invite him over for poker sometime soon :)
In other news, we went to Borders tonight, and I got a new book. It's called People Are Idiots, And I Can Prove It. Oddly enough, this is a book written by a motivational speaker, and it's really funny and awesome. I had skimmed through it yesterday at the Borders in Southcenter, so I already knew I wanted to buy it. Now I can't wait to read it all the way through.
Devin met us at Borders, and we hung out in the cafe, catching up. That was pretty cool. Zack and Devin bought snacks - a lemon bar and an apple tart - but I was good and stuck with a few sips of Zack's soda (since I am determined to lose the weight I've gained since the wedding, post haste!!! ). We ended up talking about a whole lot of random things, like pagan symbols, the weirdness of Catholocism, time travel, and building half pipes (Devin is into skateboarding and Zack likes bmx biking). I like Devin because he's one of those people that I feel at ease with no matter how long it's been since I've seen them last. He's back in Tacoma now, so I guess we'll have to invite him over for poker sometime soon :)
Thursday, January 1, 2009
2009!
Well, it's 2009. I had a pretty long day today. It was the last day of Amaya's visit, so we decided to go up to Seattle for the day and hang out before we had to get her to the airport. Her flight wasn't until 9:00 pm, so that gave us the whole day to go sightseeing. That was the plan, anyway. The problem is, we hadn't realized that on New Year's Day, everything in Seattle is closed. I mean, everything. Even Starbucks. There were a few shops open down on the waterfront, but that was it. No Pike's Place, no nothing. Pioneer Square was dark and gloomy, and overrun with very scary-looking people who asked us for money. I wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. Zack wanted to take pictures of every dank and gloomy alleyway. I was seriously afraid we were going to get mugged.
Anyway, after wandering aimlessly for a while and getting very cold, we finally went back to our car and drove to the Southcenter Mall. I had never been there before. It's huge! I bought a couple of calendars on sale at the calendar booth. One Winnie the Pooh, (classic Pooh, not Disney Pooh), and one page-a-day by Thomas Kinkade, which is really pretty and has space on every page for writing notes. Amaya and I looked at lots of jewelry, scarves, and bags, Zack looked at camera equipment and electronics, we got sandwiches at Subway, and spent some time reading in the Borders Cafe. Then we took Amaya to the airport. I can't believe her visit is over already! It's been nice having her here, like having a little sister. I like having someone around to talk to, especially when Zack is at work or busy on his computer. I'm going to miss that.
Sometime in the past couple of weeks, Pongo learned to say "bye." He says it whenever we're getting ready to leave, and he sounds so sad that it makes us feel terrible for leaving him at home all alone. It's really, really cute though.
I can't believe it's 2009. This past year went by in the blink of an eye.
Haha, that rhymed.
Bye for now.
Anyway, after wandering aimlessly for a while and getting very cold, we finally went back to our car and drove to the Southcenter Mall. I had never been there before. It's huge! I bought a couple of calendars on sale at the calendar booth. One Winnie the Pooh, (classic Pooh, not Disney Pooh), and one page-a-day by Thomas Kinkade, which is really pretty and has space on every page for writing notes. Amaya and I looked at lots of jewelry, scarves, and bags, Zack looked at camera equipment and electronics, we got sandwiches at Subway, and spent some time reading in the Borders Cafe. Then we took Amaya to the airport. I can't believe her visit is over already! It's been nice having her here, like having a little sister. I like having someone around to talk to, especially when Zack is at work or busy on his computer. I'm going to miss that.
Sometime in the past couple of weeks, Pongo learned to say "bye." He says it whenever we're getting ready to leave, and he sounds so sad that it makes us feel terrible for leaving him at home all alone. It's really, really cute though.
I can't believe it's 2009. This past year went by in the blink of an eye.
Haha, that rhymed.
Bye for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)