Last Chance Harvey

I've had this in my Netflix queue for months. I added it because I like Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, but honestly didn't think it sounded all that interesting. Last night I finally decided to watch it, and, surprise, surprise, fell completely in love.

For such a quiet little story, it really caught my heartstrings. It made me happy, it made me sad, there were parts where I groaned or cheered out loud. Definitely a new favorite. If you watch it, have some tissues handy. And don't skip the ending credits ;).

A New Favorite!

"If you seek to understand nautical fiction, you must start with Frederick Marryat.


People the world over have thrilled to the fictional exploits of Horatio Hornblower, Jack Aubrey, Nicholas Ramage and others. But few know that these characters, along with the modern nautical fiction genre itself, can be traced in large part to the writings of one man—Frederick Marryat. Even fewer know that Marryat personally experienced many of the events he described..."

The above is quoted from a review of The Life of Captain Frederick Marryat, by David Hannay. I have recently discovered Marryat, and I am already totally in love with is adventurous sea stories. At present, I'm in the middle of listening to Percival Keene as narrated by William Sutherland. Let me tell you, this book is enthralling! It's the story of a boy who begins his naval career at the age of 13, as midshipman aboard a British naval ship. The vessel is captained by his biological father, a nobleman who has refused to acknowledge Percival, as he was born out of wedlock. Percival, a spirited boy with a penchant for playing pranks, gets into one scrape after another. I'm only sixteen chapters in (and it's quite a long book), but I've already laughed out loud more times that I can count. I can't help but root for Percival, and hope that he will end up winning his father's respect. According to the summary, this novel will include encounters with pirates and all sorts of derring-do, which I can't wait to get to. I am enjoying it more than I can say.

Busy Sunday

Yesterday was a looong day. Woke up, made oatmeal, studied my Watchtower. Zack was feeling down and depressed and wouldn't eat breakfast. We watched an episode of Top Gear on Netflix while I did the ironing. I have never, ever been a car person, but this show is fascinating and strangely addictive. It's got three presenters who are basically British teenagers trapped in old guys' bodies, doing goofy stuff and driving cars very fast. On yesterday's episode, they had to make limos out of ordinary cars, run the limos through a series of insane tests involving paintball guns and a water cannon, and then chauffeur celebrities to the Brit Awards in them. It cheered Zack up considerably. At one point he laughed so hard, he was close to crying.

At meeting we had a really lovely talk by Roy McOmber called Can You Live Forever? Will You? It was one of those ones full of really neat creation trivia type of stuff that gets you all excited for living in paradise and having the time to learn everything about everything.

After meeting it was just a bunch of random stuff. Then Zack had to go into work for a while. I hate going to sleep alone so I made myself stay up, just surfing around on the internet at first. Then I got on the phone with Abby and I got to drink a cup of tea while she read me two chapters of A Tale of Two Cities. That was really fun. I love being read to, and she is a great reader.

Today I have mountains of laundry to catch up on, bird cages to clean, meeting to study for, etc. etc. So I better get busy.

My New Mug

Today has been pretty good! Zack and I met with our  new service group for the first time this morning. We're now at the Galloways' home, and Neisha and the McOmbers go there too, so that should be pretty fun. I went on a return visit in Fircrest and had a really awesome mini doorstep study out of the Truth tract with a 9th grader named Elizabeth who could not be sweeter. She said she would find her Bible and read the tract and highlight things for next Saturday when I come back. I was like, "That sounds excellent!" And then I went on another doorstep study with Neisha, and that lady said she would like to start coming to the meetings. So we were both pretty happy.

At Starbucks, I finally found the Perfect Mug. I have been on a quest ever since I broke the Hello Cupcake mug months and months ago. I have a really cool Eddie Bauer mug that's yellow with a butterfly on it, but it can't go in the microwave. And I have the one we bought in a gift shop at the Grand Canyon on our honeymoon, but it has a crack in it and I really really don't want it to break. So I try not to use it much. I knew I needed a replacement, but since we don't have a lot of room in our cupboards for a huge mug collection, I have to be discriminating. I didn't want to buy just any old mug; it had to be The One. So I've had my eye out whenever I go shopping.

Today, on service break at Starbucks, I found it!  Here's a picture:

I really love the colors (it's a nice greeny-yellow inside), and because the design reminds me of picking blueberries. When my family first moved to this area from Spokane over ten years ago now, the apartment where we were living was right next to an ancient abandoned blueberry orchard. That fall, Tate and I went exploring down the tunnels between the bushes, which over the decades have grown up into trees. At one point, we got lost, and I remember running back and forth up and down the tunnels as the evening light faded, trying to find our way out. Over the next three weeks we picked buckets of blueberries which I made into pies, syrup, or jam, or sometimes we just ate them fresh. I remember Tate reading aloud to me one afternoon when he didn't feel like picking. The book was a biography of Louis Braille, and though I can remember very little of it now, I remember being fascinated by the story, and being glad that Tate wanted to read it to me, because it wasn't a book I'd likely have picked up on my own.

Over the years, I've missed a few blueberry seasons, but Tate and I have tried to go every September. I love the peacefulness of it down there in the shade, with the little birds rustling around and the wind blowing in the leaves. I know I'll think of it when I look at my new mug, and that makes me happy.

I Go Back to the House for a Book

  I turn around on the gravel and go back to the house for a book, something to read at the doctor's office, and while I am inside, running the finger of inquisition along a shelf, another me that did not bother to go back to the house for a book heads out on his own, rolls down the driveway, and swings left toward town, a ghost in his ghost car, another knot in the string of time, a good three minutes ahead of me — a spacing that will now continue for the rest of my life.
- Billy Collins

I was introduced to Billy Collins by this post on Ishi's blog. I looked for more of his poetry online, and found this one fascinating. I think about this sort of thing all the time - the tiny choices we make and the potential of vast, unimaginable repercussions.

I was thinking about it a few days ago, remembering a time out in service when i was walking door to door with a friend. We were giving out Memorial invitations, I think, covering territory after territory on a mild, sunny afternoon. This friend of mine, who has lived through tragedies I can't even imagine, was telling me her life story as we strolled along. 

I noticed as we walked into a culdisac that an older gentleman on the other side of the street had come out of his house and was preparing to get into his truck and drive away. I thought about crossing the road and saying hello, and handing him an invitation. But the thought made me a little nervous, so I decided not to bother. I'd just wait till we got around to his house, and if his wife was home, I'd leave it with her. Otherwise, I'd tuck it under the mat. 

When we eventually got around to his house, the front yard and patio were decorated with all sorts of little souvenirs from around the world. Little hanging signs and pieces of colorful outdoor art that told of trips to places like Germany, Portugal, and Argentina. Nobody was home, so my friend and I spent a couple of minutes looking at the souvenirs and talking about how we wished we could travel that much. I left an invitation under the mat, and wished I would have spoken to the man. He seemed like he was probably an interesting person.

A month or two later, I was back in that same cul-de-sac, this time on a return visit with another sister. She pulled into the driveway of that same house with something to leave with the woman who lived there. I immediately recognized the souvenirs on the patio. I must have said something about them, because the sister started telling me all about the couple, how they were in their 50s and loved to travel together. They had just taken their last vacation down to Mexico, and the husband had gone swimming in the ocean one afternoon, and had drowned.

I was stunned. I immediately flashed back to that afternoon when I saw him getting into his truck, and my decision not to walk across the road. I'd thought to myself that there would be other opportunities. I was reluctant to interrupt my friend and her story, and I was nervous about edging out of my comfort zone. So I let it go.

It's not like I think that If I'd handed him an invitation, things would have altered so much that he wouldn't have gone swimming that afternoon in dangerous water. But who knows? Who knows what else might have changed? That might have been the last time he had an opportunity to hear the good news.
I think about it sometimes, and I just feel terrible.

*Sigh of Relief*

Finally finished chapter 44, about five minutes ago. I can't believe how hard it was to write those last six or so pages. Writing is like any other exercise - if you let it slide, you lose your edge. I'm definitely not as quick as I used to be. Getting my thoughts in order today just felt so hard. I'm too tired right now to have any sort of perspective, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what I think of the finished product. But I pretty much got all the characters where I wanted them to be at this point in the story, so I'm happy with myself.

Ugh, I hate the feeling of sitting on the couch for hours, though. And I think - no, I know - I ate too much dinner. It was just too good, and my mind was elsewhere, split halfway between the episode of Outsourced we were watching and the chapter I had not yet finished.

I really love my characters. The longer I spend writing this book, the more they come to be like people I know. I'm going to miss them when the story ends. I'm leaving it open-ended for a sequel, but I think I might need to take a break in between, and write something else for a bit of a breather. Adventure stories are hard work, I tell you.

Zack is in the office, watching something on his computer and laughing and I want to go see what it is. So I guess that's all for now.

Hello Again, Blog

Today was pretty good. Bright and early (well, 9:30-ish) my brother came to visit me. We haven't hung out in a while, so it felt good to catch up. Originally the plan was to go out in service, but Zack has been sick with flu all week and I woke up not feeling all that well, so Tate and I ended up staying at home, which was relaxing and nice.

Zack had left some of his camera gear lying out on the coffee table. Tate picked it up, and I ended up giving him an impromptu photography lesson, which was quite fun. Afterward I heated up some vegetable soup for lunch, and then gave myself a facial, and talked Tate into getting one too! I love my brother - he is so easy going. He spent about half an hour showing me some of his favorite Youtube videos while wearing a pore cleansing mask.

Speaking of Youtube, the other day my mom and I went shopping for a video camera for my dad, who is soon to launch his own Youtube channel, telling stories about his life in Africa. We ended up getting him the latest Flip HD. My dad has been trying it out, but apparently it leaves something to be desired, so it looks like we'll be doing some more shopping. This does not bother me at all; I love shopping for electronics :)

After lunch, Tate posed for me while I did some sketches for an art project. We were listening to Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, Book 1, which was quite engrossing. I really love adventurous, imaginative stories like that. It makes me itch to get writing. I'm on chapter 44 of my current yet-to-be-titled novel. The end is in sight! I intend to finish the chapter tomorrow. I'd really love to do Nanowrimo this year, but since I haven't yet finished last year's novel, nor do I have any new plots up my sleeve, it seems pretty much like wishful thinking at this point. But Nanowrimo is soooo fun that I can't seem to resign myself to missing it. So I guess we'll see.

In other news, we got our first box of produce from Terra Organics today. I was so excited to open it, and was immediately intrigued by the goodies inside - bright yellow string beans, purple potatoes, thin hook-shaped eggplants, a container of "kiwi berries,"etc etc. I wanted to make something yummy for dinner, but didn't know where to begin. After browsing recipes online for a while, I decided to try the eggplant first. I roasted them in the oven with a light coating of olive oil, and when I took them out after twenty minutes, they smelled sooo good, I couldn't believe it. I've never been a fan of eggplant, but as I was peeling the skins off I couldn't stop bending over to inhale the steam. I chopped them and tossed them in a skillet with some caramelizing onions, then later added eggs and a little shredded cheese for a scramble. It was a hit - even Pongo loved it! For desert I made the honey-fried fig recipe that came in the newsletter. We ate them with vanilla yogurt, but I think they might have been better on their own.

So far, I have to say the produce is definitely worth the price. And it feels good to be supporting local family-owned organic farms. I'm sure I will have more to say about this in future posts, as it has been a topic of discussion around here of late.

After dinner, Family Worship. We took turns choosing articles from the current magazines to read and discuss. Very relaxing and enjoyable.

And now, Pilates. Then, bed.

Linda B., Healthy Food, etc.

Yesterday I went out in service from 7:30 to 2:30. I worked with Ishi; her congregation is doing their invitation campaign, which always promises a good time, so I helped with that. Linda B. was in our group. Linda is in her late forties (I'm guessing), one of those women who always look impeccable - makeup done, every blonde hair in place. I swear she must have one of those photographic minds. She reads voraciously and knows more than I do about every subject under the sun. She told me, and this is pretty cool, that there is only one molecule's difference between chlorophyll and hemoglobin. Hemoglobin has iron, which makes it red, while chlorophyll has magnesium, which makes it green. So it's no wonder we're supposed to eat our veggies! It also explains all those crazy people drinking wheat grass juice. I always thought it was some bizarre fad for vegans and health nuts, so they can feel superior to the rest of us. Apparently, though, it's a "blood builder."

I've never asked, but I think maybe it's Linda who started the healthy lunch fad in the Narrows congregation. For lunch yesterday she brought: a chicken and veggie wrap, a zip-lock bag of almonds, and one of fresh blueberries. My sister brought: lettuce wraps: tomato, avocado, and bacon. I brought: a gladlock box with a mix of brown rice, cubed skinless chicken breast, and Asian vegetable medley. We ate outside at the picnic bench, in the cool breeze and blinding sun. Linda complemented Ishi and me on our healthy choices, and I felt proud of myself. Just like in elementary school when my teacher would say something nice about how I always colored inside the lines.

Josie Dunn showed up and gave me a memento she picked up in California, at America's first-ever Punjabi Special Assembly Day. The memento is a glossy photo of a woodland with bluebells, and there's a scripture on it, "Keep watching your ministry, that you fulfill it." It's kind of like a giant post card. I don't know what I'm going to do with it, but I thought it was nice that she gave it to me. Josie is cool. She's white and black and Mexican, a mix which means she looks ambiguous enough to totally pass for Punjabi. In the gas stations where the Punjabis work, she can joke with them and it sounds pretty cool, although I have no idea what she's saying.

Today I am home, getting ready for our trip to Spokane. We leave tomorrow, one o' clock-ish. There's mountains of laundry, and since I want to leave the house spic-and-span, there's also floors to scrub, etc.

I tried to make this post somewhat interesting. Tried and failed, I fear. Agh.

:(

So today hasn't been very interesting yet. I went out in service this morning, which was ok. Kind of a ho-hum day. I talked to one man and he said please don't ever come back (or words to that effect - I'm giving the polite version), so I added him to the Do Not Call list. Not my favorite thing to do.

Now I'm home, and making roasted veggies and brown rice for lunch. I am so on-again/off-again with the healthy living that it is kind of frustrating at times. I want to be super good about it, one of those people who know 50 different tofu recipes and think carob brownies are just as good as the real thing. I want to be the kind of girl who does exercise first thing every morning just to enjoy the kick start to the day. I would like to lose weight, have more energy, and enjoy shopping for clothes. I would really like all of those things. If I could only get there.

Well. Roasted veggies and brown rice are a start.

I am kinda down today. I try to avoid the news usually, because it is so bad and always getting worse, but you can't help hearing about things, sometimes. Last week there was a shooting at Wal-Mart. My local Wal-Mart, where I just went in for an eye exam and bought some cute new glasses. Last Tuesday night after the meeting people were talking about it - Jamie Eaton works in a bank, and they had gone on lockdown that afternoon. Two men entered the store just as a Loomis driver was leaving with a bag of cash from the store office. One of the men shot the guard in the head, the other one grabbed the cash, and they ran off. The guard was killed instantly, and the same bullet hit another man who was carrying a small child. The other man is ok.

I am always appalled when something like this happens, but the fact that it was right here in my neighborhood really distresses me. The cruelty of it, the callous disregard for someone's life. They didn't even give the guy a chance to hand over the money. They just killed him. I read in the newspaper it was $60,000 in cash. The price of someone's life.

I was praying to Jehovah that the police would catch those guys, because I really wanted them to face justice for what they did. Thankfully, it didn't take long. The police caught up with them the following afternoon. They had been eating out at Red Lobster, shopping, and staying at a Motel 6. The police also arrested the driver of the getaway car, as well as a female Wal-Mart employee, one of the store managers who had planned the whole thing. It turns out, the guy who drove the car was one of Bryson's return visits. Bryson saw his name and photo in the newspaper and couldn't believe it. He said the guy had always been friendly, and had a bunch of kids.

I am just so sick over this. The police asked the guy with the gun how he would have felt if he'd gotten away with it. He said, "Sad, but I would have gotten over it because of the money." Well, he doesn't have the money now. So does that mean he'll never get over it? I wish that were true. I wish he would spend the rest of his life feeling sorry, not just because he got caught, but because of what he did.

Anyway I will stop now. I just wanted to get all that out. It's been bothering me for a while. We need the Kingdom so badly. I can't wait for the day when Jehovah will step in and put an end to crime, an end to murder. I really look forward to that day.

Blogger Guilt

I realized today that I have been avoiding my blog out of guilt. Guilt over never having done a write-up of my New York trip. And I also realized that I sometimes hate doing write-ups of vacations. I don't know why. I just don't like to do it. And then, of course, I feel guilty because I realize that my memory of the trip will lose all it's super sharp clarity, and it will slowy fade away to just a few shapshots in my mind, and so I feel guilt for not capturing it, and putting down every detail in writing, to remember forever.

But I just don't want to do it. I don't know why. But there you go.

And so I am now officially giving myself permission to go on with this blog, business as usual, and not feel hampered by the fact that I never really wrote about my New York trip. It was great, and I have lots more photos than the few I posted here, and those will just have to be enough.

The End

NY Trip Photos!

Here they are at long last, just a few highlights of the trip. I have meant to blog these for so long! I will do a nice recap of the trip asap. I meant to do that today, since I have the day off from service. However, what with wrapping up the Memorial campaign (I finished my last 2.5 territories yesterday, and came home and went to sleep until it was time to get ready), the house is a disaster and I really need to do laundry, dishes, clean Pongo's cage, etc.

Also, I have to get ready for my MYSTERY DATE tonight! Zack is taking me out and it is going to be a surprise. I am so excited to see what it is! I can't wait!

So now, without further delay, here are a few photos of the trip:

1) Ishi and Tate on the Brooklyn Bridge

2) An old book from a display case at Watchtower Farm

3) Ishi and Me with Bill Bellows, in the Art Department at Patterson. Those are some of his paintings in the background.

4) A Gilead Grad we met working in the kitchen at Patterson. He and his wife should have left for Nigeria last Sunday. It was so cool getting to talk to him!

5) "Working" behind the lobby desk @ Patterson

6) One of my favorite pictures from Times Square

Start Spreading the News...

I'm leaving today!
I want to beeee a part of it, New York, New York
If I can maaaake it there, I'll make it annnnny-

Oh, hi. I was just doing a little celebrating. I am 30 years old today and I'm going to New York for the first time in ten years! Two major milestones.

We just woke up to snow, and a phone call informing us that our meeting has been canceled. But since it is now raining steadily, I'm pretty positive that the snow will be gone long before tonight, when I leave for the airport.

I still have a little packing to do. And I'm going to clean up the house before I go. I don't know why, since it will undoubtedly be just as bad as it is now, if not worse, when I get back. But I just can't bear to leave it like this!

I am going to miss Zack so much. Leaving him behind is the fly in the ointment. Nevertheless, I am very excited. We have someone lined up to give us lunch in Brooklyn, a tour of the art department in Patterson, and morning worship at Walkill. So it should be pretty awesome. We fly out at midnight, arrive in Connecticut around 11:00 Monday morning, drive to our hotel in NJ, then do sightseeing in the city. Tuesday morning we tour, have lunch, then do more sightseeing, and after that I can't remember what the schedule is.

But anyway, I am so excited! I have my camera and two lenses packed and I'm using my camera bag as a purse, so i will have only one carry-on. I'm bringing my yearbook to read, and I loaded up the April magazines on my iPod, along with a audio version of Bleak House that i downloaded free from Librivox. Not only that, but Zack has been taking my favorite dvd's and nano-sizing them for me! So I've got Pride and Prejudice, Napoleon Dynamite, etc. to watch on the plane, if I want. Pretty cool.

I decided not to bring my laptop with me, so this will be my last post till I get back. I'm so excited!

:*(

Don't know what's wrong with me today. I feel totally good for nothing and on the verge of tears. I don't know why. Can't stand the thought of being around anybody. I feel overwhelmed, anxious, sad, depressed.

Ishi called about the trip. We leave Sunday night for New York. The airline charges $15 for your first checked bag. Wanted to know if we all wanted to store our good clothes in her giant suitcase/garment bag, and then just take a carry-on each. Honestly, I think that sounds like a headache. I'd rather just pay the stupid $15 and take my own suitcase. I didn't feel like discussing it though, so I may have told her or seeemed to tell her yes to the sharing thing. I can't remember what I said. I was trying not to cry.

I am in the dumps.

The Wrap Up

In other news, we had a pretty good meeting tonight. Luke had a couple of parts. One of them was a demonstration during the service meeting. He played a brother being confronted unexpectedly at lunch and having to explain to his workmates why he didn't attend the office holiday parties. so they start the demo, and Luke is saying a prayer before he eats. They obviously hadn't rehearsed much, because the other two brothers kept chatting away, while Luke kept his head bowed, waiting and waiting for his cue. He prayed, and he prayed. And he prayed. After a while his shoulders started shaking, and it looked like he was laughing. Then at last, it appeared that he'd heard the line he was waiting for and he finally opened his eyes. "Hey, Luke, you're back with us!" said Bro. Rigell. Everyone in the audience cracked up. It was great.

Zack is auxiliary pioneering, and his schedule is limited, so he's getting the guys together to do some more late nights. Not only that, but tonight after meeting Chase Correa invited us bowling. Zack has broken the friend barrier! I am so proud of him!

And now it is time for a very late dinner. Let the record show that tonight, March 10, 2009 Zachary Stevens Sjoden fixed us a veggie stir fry and brown rice. And it was HIS idea.

I totally love my life.

The Fitness Test

At the gym, Elizabeth (the owner, a really really sweet person who happens to look like Barbie), asked with a big smile as soon as I walked in the door if I wanted to take the Harvard Cardiovascular Fitness Test. They were offering it free as part of the grand opening of the gym! I instantly flashed back to junior highschool P.E., when we had to do those awful standardized tests, and i would hang from the pull-up bar, kicking my feet and swaying vainly back and forth until my minute was up, unable to chin myself even once.

I blinked out of the horrible flashback and saw Elizabeth/Barbie smiling at me in her friendly way, and although I really, really wanted to say no to the test, I heard myself answering, "Sure!" like it was no big deal. With enthusiasm, even. As if I'd come into the gym for no other purpose. "OK!" she said, picking up a stopwatch and clipboard. "Follow me!"

I wished I had stayed home sick.

The test wasn't bad, though. I had to step on and off an aerobic step, elevated pretty high, for three minutes, at a quick tempo set by Elizabeth/Barbie's stopwatch thing. At the end of the three minutes, I took my pulse. And discovered that, apparently, I have been taking my pulse WRONG all these years, because both my diastolic and systolic beats are so strong that it's hard to tell between them. So for all these years I've just thought I had a really, really fast heart. When I told Elizabeth my pulse rate, she thought I might be having a cardiac event. She had me walk around the gym slowly for a while, and went to consult with her associate. She came back and had me do the treadmill, frequently testing my heartrate on the little monitor thing. Eventually, she actually took my pulse herself, and discovered my mistake. I felt kind of dumb, but was very relieved to know there's nothing wrong with me. And, once she recalculated my pulse rate on the test, I actually scored in the "Excellent" range! So I was pretty happy about that.

A Pretty Great Day

Today was surprisingly fun, considering how much I was NOT looking forward to getting out of bed and going out in service. I think it was an aftereffect of the unexpected snow day: I had spent all of Monday in sweats, eating leftover anniversary Hershey's kisses straight from the bag, watching a probably unhealthy amount of television (including this creepily intriguing new reality show called Toddlers in Tiaras. A peek at the psychotic underbelly of the kiddie pageant universe).

So this morning I didn't feel particularly tired. I was incredibly relaxed, in fact, and not at all inclined to do anything responsible. But I forced myself to go out in service anyway (because the snow had melted and I really couldn't afford to take another day off). Let me say, I am SO glad I went. It was a bitterly cold, frosty morning, and the only other people from Fircrest who showed up for service were Leslie (my neighbor), and her mom Shirley (the inner blonde). We ended up having a great time doing calls and bus stops, and visiting an elderly sister in an adult care home. Also, I met a nice old black man at a bus stop and was able to read a scripture and place a tract. I didn't even realize until halfway through the conversation that he had someone on hold on his blue tooth, but he kindly told the woman on the other end to "hold on a minute, baby," so he could follow along as I read Revelation 21:4. I hope I run into him again :).

I spent half the afternoon working with Darci, one of our hardest-working pioneers. We talked about our dream jobs (me: novelist ; Darci: playing Christine in Phantom of the Opera). Darci is cool because she's very enthusiastic and kind of kooky. She always has a million things going on in her head and is not at all embarrassed to think out loud. At one point she said, half to herself, "I tell all my Bible students not to use euphemisms, and just now I said 'darn.' I shouldn't do that." I said I'd never really thought about darn being a euphemism before, and she then listed every alternative she could think of for curse words, i.e. dang, shoot, etc.

"So what do you say, Darci?" I asked. After a second's pause, she shouted, "CRAP!"

I thought that was pretty funny.

Snow!

It's snowing! It actually started yesterday morning, during meeting. We came out to a steady downpour of very wet snow. Around one o'clock, Zack and I went for a walk with our cameras. The weather kept alternating between snow and rain, so we got a lot wetter than we had expected to. We took a route we don't usually take, down 36th street to a pedestrian overpass that gives a view of a big industrial complex. It was not that compelling. Maybe in the evening, with lots of lights, we'd get some cool shots. It was a fun walk, though, and kind of cool to explore our neighborhood a little bit.

this morning it snowed a LOT, and so i am having a snow day :). i will stay home, catch up on things, do laundry, etc. i am pretty happy about that.

Update!

So, it's been a really busy week. Zack is auxiliary pioneering this month, so we're both on hectic schedules. Zack is doing most of his hours on the weekend, but adding early morning hours before work as well. I must say, it's pretty nice starting our day together in service. I think it puts us both in better moods.

Last night we had a new friend over, a girl named Neisha who is pretty cool and fun. She and Zack were born on the same day. We played poker (Egyptian, 5-Card Draw, Texas Hold 'Em), and watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Pongo took to Neisha immediately, and entertained us throughout the evening by begging to be a part of whatever we were doing. We eventually gave in and let him have his own poker chip to chew on. He selected blue (smart little guy), gave it a few experimental bites, and then dropped it into a pile of his own poo and ignored it for the rest of the night.

Today was a stay-home-all-day day, which I look forward to like an oasis of calm. I did laundry, cleaned the fridge, etc.

Also, I have my New York trip just around the corner. This is the most exciting thing that's happened to me since my honeymoon. I can't wait! I have not been to New York in ten years, and I know a lot has changed since then.

Anyway, just wanted to write a quick post to show I've not dropped off the face of the earth. I was feeling really guilty for days, every time I stopped by my blog. It was like I was hoping that a new post might have magically materialized all on its own. At any rate, I have now experienced the soothing power of Create a Post. Thank you, Create a Post. You are almost as good as Make a Success of Life. No, better!

Guys' Night Out

It is at least 80 minutes past my bedtime and I am feeling foggy in the head, so please excuse this post. I should be asleep right now, but to be quite honest, I'm afraid of the dark (I know, I know, the big 3-0 is coming, I should be all grown up by now. Shut up). So I'm trying to wait up for Zack. I am reading strangers' blogs and feeling thirsty because I am too lazy to get up and get some water. My sofa is so cozy, so cozy you see.

And just where is Zack? Long story. It started with Bryson and Chase Correa planning a caffeine-fueled all-night service oddyssey. Yesterday Chase was calling around, trying to sign up enough guys to fill a van. There was talk of blitzing the downtown streets, pouring out of the van like government agents, cornering homeless people in their cardboard boxes. The gloves come off during all-night service.

Fyi, Chase is Bryson's younger brother, and he's auxiliary pioneering this month. He needs a load more hours, as you always do at the end, when suddenly you realize that the 28th is bearing down on you and how silly it was to sign up to auxiliary during the shortest freaking month of the year. We regulars do not have that particular worry. We let things slide for months on end, and wait till the last sweltering weeks of August to pull our all-nighters. As I type this, I can already sense it looming on the horizon, the month of coffee and desperation, when I will be staggering around like a crazed victim of the zombie apocalypse.

But I digress. Back to Chase and Bryson's all-nighter. I lost no time in telling Zack about it. This seemed a golden opportunity to win friends and influence people. A few hours in a van, and they will be all charmed by his rapier wit.

So last night, Zack texted Chase and asked if there was room for him in the car group. Chase texted back asking, "Who is this?" (Apparently he never reads to the bottom of a text because Zack's name was RIGHT THERE). So he texted back, "Zack Sjoden." We had just sat down to dinner and a movie. About half an hour later, Zack was like, "Chase never texted me back." We both felt all deflated until Zack checked his phone, and in fact, there was a text waiting! His phone had never notified him. The reply was, "All right man, for sure there's room." I read it leaning over Zack's shoulder, and then we were both like, "Yes!!!" and we proceeded to bask in a glow of happiness. He was IN.

So he came home tonight, ate macaroni with me and watched the latest person get kicked off The Biggest Loser (Shannon, I can't say I will really miss you), and then took a shower, shaved, and put on his suit. It kind of messed with my head for me to be sitting on the couch in my pajamas, watching him get ready to go out in service without me.

I think he must be enjoying himself, because he just sent me a photo of Luke wearing Becky's Slanket. (Plus also, I texted, "Having fun?" and he answered "Yeah :)."

And so, mission accomplished.

Rain, Service, Lavender Tea, etc.

I stayed home today. This morning I just could not make myself get out of bed for the life of me. It's been a very busy week. I am quite proud of myself for finally creating and sticking to a morning routine. I've been getting up at 6:30 to brush teeth, etc. and fix breakfast. At 7:00 I wake up Zack, and we have a half hour of leisure time on the couch to eat breakfast, read the daily text, snuggle and talk. After that, Zack takes his shower while I wash up and pack our lunches for the day. At 8:00 I get the bathroom. Zack leaves around 8:15 (ideally), I get ready for service and walk out the door between 8:45 and 8:50. This gets me to the Kingdom Hall just on time.

I worked out the schedule in my head over the weekend, trying to give myself plenty of time, because I'm so sick of always feeling rushed in the morning. Monday we did a trial run, and it went just as smooth as could be. On my way to the hall that morning, I couldn't believe how good I felt. Zack and I had eaten together and read the text, I had had plenty of time to get ready, I'd left the house all tidy and clean, and I wasn't running late. I didn't feel stressed, I felt really good. It was amazing. I felt like I'd made this huge discovery, and wondered why it had taken me so long to get my act together and get organized.

Anyway, so we were able to keep the routine up pretty well Monday through Wednesday. It was great coming home, too, because I'd walk in to a tidy, clean house, no clothes or towels on the bathroom floor, no dirty dishes, the bed all made and everything. It made dragging myself up at 6:30 totally worth it.

Yesterday things didn't go quite as smoothly because I woke up feeling really sick to my stomach. Zack was very good to me, though, and helped out with cleaning up after breakfast so I could lie on the couch for a little while. I forced myself to get up and go out, and I'm really glad I did, I must say. It was a day of icy wind, with the weather constantly alternating between light rain, heavy rain, and sleet. We still managed to do some door-to-door however, working a couple of apartment territories. Of course we stopped at Starbucks twice over the course of the day, and the second time I tried the London Fog. It's flavored with lavender, which sounded intriguing, and I have to say loved it. It was a hot drink and aromatherapy all in one, the perfect cozy pick-me-up on a day when you walk in chilled and damp, with cold fingers and toes, needing to warm up.

In the afternoon, Connor Orino came out with us. Connor is twelve, but looks younger because he's so short for his age. He's very outgoing and talkative, and says funny things without knowing it. Yesterday he asked Luke very seriously if he (Connor) might be considered a "teenybopper." "Ive heard the term before," he said, "but I'm not quite sure what it means." Luke kept a straight face and told him it usually applies to young girls who are swept up in pop culture. A minute later, as we were stuck in traffic, some kind of vintage Mustang drove by in the other lane, and Connor gave this huge, agonized gasp and then started going, "Oh! Oh! Oh!" We thought he had ruptured his appendix or something, but he just pointed at the disappearing car, and said, "That's the blahblahblah (some car name), worth $78,000! It has 360 horsepower!" And then he proceeded to rattle off a list of specs which I didn't understand and don't remember now. The quintessential car-crazy kid. I was quite amused.

After service, I was feeling better, so I put in a solid hour at the gym. I was very proud of myself, needless to say. Tate came over for dinner and a movie (we had rented The Astronaut Farmer at his request). Zack's brand new driver's license had finally come in the mail, and so he and Tate went to get a couple of pizzas, and then hit a liquor store on the way home, to celebrate. Zack brought home a bottle of rum, and talked about how clean, brightly-lit, and well-organized the store was, with a couple of friendly old ladies at the cash registers. "It was totally not what I expected at all," he said. "I was expecting it to be dark and confusing, with a mean, gross, scary guy behind the counter, glaring at us like we were about to steal something."

All in all, a pretty good evening. I had a mojito, light on the rum, and a bowl of chicken soup, and was very proud of myself for only having one bite of pizza.

Today, though, I just couldn't get up and do the schedule all over again. I don't know if it's because I'm still fighting off a bug or what, but after a few days of the normal routine I get really tired and hit the wall. I'm learning to listen to my body, take it easy when I need to, and not stress out as much. I will get all my hours in somehow, and everything will work out fine.

The End