300...

This is my 300th post. What do you think of that? I think it's pretty spectacular. Just so you know...

Getting on with the 300...

I'm in Zion this week. I decided it was high time I took a week-long sabbatical from real life. And so far I'm loving it.

I pulled into the BC Sunday just after 5:00pm, which means that The Game (you know the one of which I speak: The Superbowl Game?) was on. Which means that Dad and Goose were boring for the majority of the afternoon and into the evening. But it was okay, because Mom, Janel and Marshall provided me with the entertainment that The Game lacked. (Sorry, people, but even the commercials were a bit of a let-down, and The Who doesn't quite do it for me. Plus, I lost count of how many times I saw the fleshy belly of the guitarist. "Dear The Who: Please either tuck in your shirt, or else wear an undershirt. Thanks a mill. The Ginabean") Anyway, I had myself a good time chatting with Ma & Janel, and playing with Marsh. Good. Times.

Me and Marsh

Yesterday was pretty great too. Really, really great. Here's why: I got to cuddle baby Jane to my heart's content. I got to relish in the deliciousness of a bucket-of-Slurpee, Coke flavored. (Just so you know, a Coke Slurpee is not a cheat; my resolution clearly states that soda is what I'm quitting: no carbonation. Judge not, people!) Also, I got to visit with my good friend Jules and her two boys, Thing One and Thing Two. It kinda sucks that I hardly ever see Jules & Co. Julia was my roommate at USU for 2 years, and we've been good friends ever since then. (Can I just say? I still love that girl to bits, and I'm super happy that she married such a stellar feller, and that they have created such outstanding offspring. Just sayin'.) Also, the weather is more mild here in Zion, and the skies are blue! Blue skies do something to alleviate stress for this Ginabean! Vance and Abby came over for dinner yesterday, which was another great part of my yesterday. Then we had a nice lesson for FHE and then watched HP and the Half-Blood Prince.

TANGENT (feel free to skip this next paragraph):

Concerning HP and the HBP...This is totally my favorite book of the HP series, and this is why: I've always loved Snape. Always. Through it all, I've always known there was more to Snape than what we were being told outright. I always liked Snape, even when so many people were out for his blood. (And although Alan Rickman plays the perfect Severus Snape--and I love that Alan Rickman with his deep, British voice--I loved Snape even before Alan Rickman's portrayal of him in the movies.) This book expanded on my beloved Severus. Plus it was just well-written and interesting. I love this book for so many reasons. As for the movie...well...I never like the movies as well as the books (except for Mr. Rickman, of course). They always take a lot of creative liberties and leave out lots of important and interesting stuff. Having said that, I still liked HP and the HBP movie quite a bit. But here's my main beef: EVERYTHING between Ginny and Harry was so awkward it was almost physically painful for me to watch. Specifically, Ginny feeding Harry some sort of Christmas crumpet, and Ginny tying Harry's shoe. Those two scenes, I swear, lasted like 8 minutes each. UGH, you know?! UGH!!!

Thing One and the Slurpee Bucket

Thing Two

(whose cheeks I kissed into oblivion)

JanieBug

/Blue skies/Smiling at me/Nothing but blue skies/Do I see/

Wanna hear about my Today? Okay, here goes...Aaron discovered my stresses of 2010 and thought he'd help a girl out by getting me a massage. Isn't that awesome of him?! That Joleen Cullen of Layton, she knows what she's doing. I practically floated out of that massage appointment, I did.

After the massage, I went to visit Aaron, Amy and Boys to say thanks and chat for a few minutes. After about 20 minutes or so, I announced I was leaving and Seth said, "Don't go! Stay here with me!" (My heart melted; how on earth could I possibly say no to such a request?) So I took Mr Sethington on a little date. We drove to a local supermarket and I told Seth to pick out a treat. We walked around that market; I found the cookies and crackers aisle and asked if he wanted either of those. He said "No." I asked if he wanted a Little Debbie cake or brownie. He said "No." He found what he was looking for next to Little Debbie. He chose Tang, of all things. I told him, "Let's keep looking." After several more minutes of walking around the store, we ended up buying Chocolate Twizzlers. It made him smile. And that made me smile.

I'm enjoying another bucket of slurpee this evening. I'm sharing it with Ma and Marshall 'cause 52oz is too much for this Ginabean all by herself. I've been visiting with Janel whilst making homemade apple-cinnamon muffins. She just left for a meeting, and Abby and Jane are on their way over. It seems like it's gonna be a good night, huh?

Action Jackson

Mr. Sethington

One more thing. Ever since publicizing my resolution to quit drinking pop, it seems that everywhere I look, there it is: Coke. It's not making the whole Quitting Thang any easier...

Pa thinks it's funny to buy Coke for himself when I can't partake...
I take comfort in the fact that it's Diet he drinks.
Always. Diet. (Way to go, diabetes...)

This stared me in the face as I did laundry yesterday...

In Vance and Abby's frigerator...

I swear, I deserve an award for my will of iron...