I Say It Best When I Say Nothing At All (but that's not gonna stop me from saying it anyway!)...

*I have a little crush on Leonard Hofstadter from The Big Bang Theory. Don't ask, I don't quite understand it myself. (As Brent so eloquently put it, "He's like 5 feet tall. Like a particularly large hobbit.") Whatever,though. I have a mini crush on a mini nerd.

*It turns out that maybe I don't hate sewing as much as I've professed over the years. Seriously. Jami helped me make a super cute apron for my mama last week. (Don't worry, I'm not ruining her Mother's Day surprise by blogging about it; I gave it to her when I went to Utah last weekend, since I won't get to see her until after Mother's Day. Love you, Mom!) Anyhoo...I'm not saying that I'm all gung-ho about sewing, and I certainly don't want to take on any big and/or complex sewing projects, but I was surprised to discover I didn't actually hate sewing the apron. I even enjoyed it!

*Is it just me, or has this April seemed to drag on and on and on...? Don't get me wrong, I've had some really stellar days, but I swear, this April has lasted what's felt like 60 days or something like unto it. Yes? Maybe it's the two funerals, or all the cancellations/no-shows at work, or maybe all the cold, dreary days...I don't know. It's just seems to be lasting very-nearly-forever.

*On a positive note, it's Keri's birthday! Happy birthday, Keri! Love you to pieces!

And now: pictures!

keri's birthday cake
it was lemon-raspberry, and it was delicious
(thanks a mil, jami!)

a picture of emmett that i stole from janel's blog
(i just want to devour this little muffin,
in all his rotund glory!!!)

the apron (happy mother's day, ma!)


progress on the BC temple
(as of this afternoon)

Over and out.

Eight Days...

It's been a full eight days since my last post. Lots has happened, honestly, which is why I've been so...absent. Seriously, I've been a very busy girl.

Yet...I really don't have much I want to write about.

Last weekend I made a quick trip to Utah to meet up with a couple of my old college buddies; Jamie and Joey had a beautiful baby girl, Chloe, on April 15...and their sweet little Chloe passed away on April 20. I pretty much adore Jamie (so many memories!), and her husband Joey is pretty awesome himself, as is their cute little boy, Miles. Unfortunate circumstances brought us together once again this past Saturday, but I am so glad I was there for the sweet little graveside service for Chloe Mae. I needed for Jamie to know that even though I live far-ish from her, and we don't get to see each other often, she is still one of my favorite people, and I'll always be there for her. (ALWAYS!)

It was also wonderful to see Jamie's family. I love that clan a whole bunch!

Aaaand it was stellar to spend a bit of time with Julia too. Julia, Jamie and I were roommates together at USU for a couple of years, and I love those girls to pieces.

Julia pointed out that when she and I are together, silliness overtakes her, that she doesn't act that silly with anyone besides me. (So sad that not many people have had the pleasure of hearing her "grandpa laugh!")

Actually, it seems that I bring the silly out in a lot of people. I'm not quite sure if it's a good thing or bad...

As you can see, just on the ride to Logan and back, Julia and I toed the line of ridiculous:

Looking at this picture, one might wonder if
Julia is the sillier of the two of us...

It's not true, of course...
I win that contest, hands down.

Aaaand here's our rendition of "normal"

I took about a dozen pictures with my iPod touch, and was forced to delete most of them. ("Ridiculous" isn't even kind of the right adjective. "Sickly" seems more appropriate...)

Today I'm fighting a rotten mood, which is strange, because today is Tuesday. Rotten moods are supposed to land on Mondays by default; but yesterday was remarkably excellent for a Monday.

I'm blaming the weather. Behold:

The sky of Southeast Idaho...

The ground of Southeast Idaho...

It's the end of April, folks, which means that May is upon us. I love May!

But it's so darn dreary here lately that...yeah. Blaming my mood on the weather seems logical.

But guess what? We had a few glorious days last week. Well...two. Two GLORIOUS days. In Idaho!

I-15 to Utah last Friday...
(I call this one "Spring Happened One Time in Idaho")

Isn't it exactly what you might picture
a highway in Idaho to look like?

The other loveliest of days was Easter Sunday. So technically, we had one beautiful day last week, and one beautiful day this week. So far. I'm still hoping for spring to find us. Officially.

Anyway, kind of random, scattered thoughts, I know. I'll find something stupendous to blog about sooner than later. Perchance...

Love to you all (especially Jamie, Joey, Miles, et al; my thoughts and prayers are continuously with you!)

15 Years Later...

Mm-kay, so I was in BC last week for a funeral. As it turns out, the funeral was on my best friend's birthday. Heather and her cute family moved back to BC just last month, so I texted her to see if she could get together for a bit in the morning. She totally said yes.

Can I just say? I love Heather! We pretty much started out our friendship laughing, and when we're able to get together, it never stops (the laughter, I mean).

Holy crap, we've been friends for nearly 15 years!

Anyway, we had a good time catching up (it'd been about 7 months since we last bumped into each other); it was stellar. It always is.

Oh dear...so much has happened in the last 15 years,
yet our friendship remains steadfast and unchanged...

Yep. I love her to bits.

I also spent a bit of time with Vance and Jane on Thursday evening/Friday morning. (Also, I saw a bit of Goose & Gaggle, but didn't get any pictures, dang it!)

Janie had a fun time swinging...

Holy cow, I love this little girl...

In Loving Memory...

On Tuesday morning, I learned that a dear sweet friend passed away. Honestly, I was kind of expecting it; she was an older lady who has been rather unwell for the past few years, it seems. My dad's kind of been bracing me for it the past several times I've gone to Utah to visit the fam.

Doris moved into the neighborhood when I was in high school; I took a liking to her, what with her sweet nature and her awesome Scottish accent (authentic!). But I didn't really get to know her until I left home and went off to college.

When I was attending Ricks College/BYU-Idaho, I took a Phonetics class. One of my assignments was to record 3 people with different accents reading the same passage in a book of my choosing, and then transcribe it in the phonetic alphabet, complete with diacritic markings. I came home that weekend and asked Doris if she'd help me out; she was happy to oblige. (Can I just say? I could listen to that lady read all day long! I loved her accent!)

Ever since then, Doris seemed to take an interest in me and my life. We kept in touch as I came home to visit for holidays, or during summer breaks. She was especially excited when I told her I was transferring to USU. (Doris was a professor there for a while, you see, back in the day.)

As I finished my schooling and moved back to Idaho, we still kept track of each other.

And then: I planned my trip to Scotland. Doris was born and raised in Scotland, and I asked her if she'd mind chatting with Carrie and me about what to do while there. We set up a time to discuss the beauties and enchantments of Scotland; the three of us talked for hours, and only now am I realizing that maybe we overstayed our welcome? But she never let us know that; Doris loved Scotland, and was thrilled that we had chosen her native land as our vacation destination. She pointed us in the right directions, and we had an amazing trip.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

When we returned, I brought back some canned haggis and shortbread cookies for her, as an expressing of gratitude and love. I had printed off some pictures, and I told her all about our trip; she sat in rapt interest and ate every word up.

That was nearly four years ago. As time went on, as it always does, Doris's health went south, and she wasn't able to attend church. I made sure to walk around the block to visit whenever I came to town and time would permit.

Because we had more in common than Scotland, you see (although that is a bond that can never be broken). Doris was my friend. We talked about books and travel (that lady has been almost everywhere!) and life in general.

I loved that Doris! She was a little thing, but she was a big example, and for that I will be forever grateful. She was a woman of great faith. She was smart, cultured, charming, funny, and, as my dad put it, she had "refined spunk." I certainly hope some of her goodness has rubbed onto me...

Today was Doris's funeral, and although I'm sad that I can't walk around the block to visit her any more, I'm so happy for her that she's well and healthy again, and that she's back with her beloved husband, John (whom I never met). I held it together quite well (for the most part) until I got to the cemetery and heard the bagpipes playing. (Can I just say? "Amazing Grace" and "Come Thou Fount" on the bag pipes are...well, they're awesome.)

Anyway, here's to you, Doris! I love you lots, and am so grateful to have had you in my life!

Lovely flowers from the lovely Jami...

Forever!

went to Utah again this past weekend for a very special event: Marshall was sealed to his parents in the Bountiful Temple! Goose has been going through the process of adopting Marshall for months, and it was all finalized sometime in, I think, February. And now, after the sealing today, Marshall is ours for forever!!! I love that little guy, and I'm so happy for him and his parents! (Congrats, guys!)

I didn't really get any pictures (left my camera in the car), so I swiped a few from Janel's blog (hope she doesn't mind!).

Marshall was so excited for this day!
(Oh my goodness, he's such a handsome boy!)

Together forever!!!

(Yep; that's a grundle of snow. In April.
Welcome to Zion...)

After the sealing, Kaylee and I were twinners in green.
Don't you kind of want to eat her?

I got into town on Friday morning; I hung out with Vance and Jane until Abby got home from work--then I hung out with all three of them. It was quite stellar. :) Abby and I decided to have a Girls Night In, so we invited Janel (and Kaylee) over for dinner and a chick flick (Clueless). It was such a good time; I love my sisters-in-law so much!

Unfortunately, I didn't really get any pictures of the evening, except for when Jane and Kaylee were being especially darling.

While hanging out with Vance & Jane on Friday
we played with Janie's tone-deaf piano.
It made me laugh. Hard.

Jane dancing with her daddy...


Sometimes, Kaylee likes to blow raspberries
when she eats...
Such a mess, but I couldn't stop laughing!

It really was a fantastic weekend. I love my family!

Are You My Subconscious?

Yesterday, I had this feeling deep within my soul.

It started promptly at 6:30am when my alarm went off; I hated the idea of waking up, and I had to fight the inner demon to get myself out of bed. -And getting out of bed didn't help matters. At all. I sat by the heater and contemplated the day ahead. (Yes, turning the heater on was necessary. It's Springtime in Idaho.) When I was finally warm enough to step away from the heater, I just stood there in front of my closet, staring blankly, completely unable to make a simple choice as to what on earth I ought to wear.

I was fully aware that the whole dragging-of-my-feet-to-get-ready thing had something to do with my subconscious wanting to stay in my pajamas all the livelong day.

But do you know what? Responsibility won out. I chose some clothing at random, got ready for the day, and went to work.

And honestly, my morning was fantastic. I sure do love my clients!

Then it was lunchtime! I love lunchtime!

...Then "after lunch" happened, and I had holes in my day. All afternoon. No-shows and cancellations spread around at random. It made me cranky.

I guess I should have listened to my subconscious, eh? I vowed last night that I'd listen next time my subconscious put up a fight.

Today, the ol' subconscious remained silent. I took that as a good sign.

My first two clients of the morning no-showed. And throughout my day (towards the end of it), I landed myself 2 more no-shows and one cancellation.

It's all been very frustrating unto me.

Moving on to pleasanter subjects. Such as The Weekend Past!

I ended up in Utah with the familia for the weekend (albeit something like 18 hours later than originally intended), and it was fantastic!

Highlights:
*picnicking with the goslings
*chilling with Vance, Abby and Jane
*watching General Conference
*going to the Saturday afternoon session of GC
*seeing Uncle Shawn & Co at the Conference Center
*bumping into Brandi and Kylee in SLC
*spending a bit of time with Seth and Marshall
*going on a walk with Janel to take pictures of
the progress of the BC Temple
*other stuff, I'm sure

And now...pictures:

Don't you just want to kiss that face?

Goose and Kaylee at the picnic

Janie drinking her bathwater

Grandma folded Marshall up and he loved it

The Temple so far

Lovely, lonely flower

Marshall and Seth enthralled
watching Goose play Angry Birds

Me and my Sethington!

I'm headed back to Utah again tomorrow to chill with the fam, and to see Marshall sealed to his family on Saturday! Hooray!!!

PS A very happy birthday to my brother Goose! Love you!

he's baaaaack...

Good news on Handsome Rob: It wasn't the head gasket! I'm still not sure what it was, but I've got him back and he seems to be doing alright. (I'm getting a copy of Handsome Rob's charts for future reference, though.)

Oh, and did I call it, or what? The Chrysler 300 was not available for me to rent for the weekend. Instead I drove a Chevy Impala--and although it was several very important steps up from that silly Aveo, it left me missing Handsome Rob.

So it's really a good thing the 300 wasn't available.

My ride for the weekend

I've got to say, I typically handle stress fairly well. It's not that I love it or look for it, and sometimes I freak out for a minute and have a good cry. But usually, I can take it all in stride: work-related stress, break-ups, grad school (which was self-inflicted), etc. But do you know what causes this Ginabean the greatest turmoil?

Car issues.

Car issues bring out the worst in me; I find myself fighting the grump that hovers about me when I have car issues. And I think it's because I don't know cars. At all. In fact, in talking cars with boys, they use words that I swear they're making up just to see exactly how gullible I am. For example: when Goose texted, "You may have blown a gasket," I thought, "Yeah, I'm stressed out, but I think that's a bit of an overstatement." He then went on to talk of a head gasket. Which is a real thing in cars, folks. (I want to say it's somehow connected to the...radiator? Somewhere near it?)

Anyway, my retention for all these car-talk words is something like 9 seconds. Unless I write it down. (Even then, my retention ain't great; I still have to refer to what's written before I start actually talking about it.)

But I digress.

I picked up Handsome Rob yesterday afternoon and requested that the guy show me the coolant reservoir (had to chant that phrase to myself all the way to Eaton where Handsome Rob was staying for the weekend); I had him show me so that I know what to check if my car has issues overheating again. (Coolant reservoir=Merrill's idea. Keeping an eye the temperature gauge for the rest of my life=Goose's idea.)

So now I can look under the hood and not be completely lost! (Just mostly lost, I suppose...)

So glad to have Handsome Rob back! Here's wishing him a long and healthy life from here on out!!!

april fools...

...the joke's on ME.

Yesterday, I headed to Utah right after work to spend the weekend with my awesome family. As I was driving down I-15 past Blackfoot, I noticed my "check engine" light was on. I thought to myself, "Well, I'm headed to Utah, where Goose can take a look at it..." and that's just about as far as my thoughts were allowed to go, because something started smoking under the hood of my car.

This is a real story, folks.

I pulled over, put on my hazard lights, and opened the hood, only to stare blankly at all those parts. I noticed that some sort of liquid had exploded out of...some roundish part at the back of the hood on the passenger's side.

I can handle stress, my friends; but perhaps I don't handle it all that well when it deals with cars. (Okay, there's no "maybe" about it; I hate car stress.)

I immediately texted my brother Goose and another friend who knows cars (shout-out to Mr. Merrill!) to get their feedback...but both of them were busy and unable to respond for a bit.

I started wondering if this had anything to do with Handsome Rob's accident from nearly 2 months ago; I only got Handsome Rob back a month ago (March 1), and this is the first time I had driven him on the freeway since his return.

So I called Dad. It happened at something like 6:02, and I knew my agent would not be in her office, but I called Allstate anyway. Of course she was out of her office, so I called the 800 number to see what the heck I should do (mostly because I was concerned that this might have something to do with Handsome Rob's previous claim from February.)

Now I don't want to give Allstate a bad rap, because they are typically fantastic to work with. Typically. The two guys I talked to yesterday were ridiculously...unhelpful. I told them (both) my situation, explaining from the very start, "I'm not sure what the devil is going on, etc., etc.," and the second guy (who was supposed to be more helpful than the first) said, "Well where did the liquid come from? Your radiator?"

Umm...really? I. Have. No. Idea. I could go on about the unhelpfulness of this fellow, but I won't...

Anway, to make a long story a little less long, I'll just have you know that I called a tow truck (thanks, once again, Eaton Towing!), who will diagnose Handsome Rob first thing this morning. And I called Jami to come bail me out of trouble 25 miles down the freeway. (She is a saint. No, really.) Then we went to Jeff's place where he shared some fruit pizza from his birthday.

Then I came home and had a nice conversation with Mr. Merrill.

I'm still considering my predicament. My uncle Shawn called me last night. (He was one of the first people I called, as he is local, and he is family; but he, too, was unavailable at 6:02.) He offered to drive me down to Utah, as he and his family are headed that way this afternoon anyway. (I told you my family is fantastic. All of them.) So...I'm wondering if I'll wait and hitch a ride with Shawn & Co., or if I ought to just rent a car for the weekend.

And if I do rent a car, you can bet your sweet bippy that it will NOT be an Aveo. I refuse to drive that car ever again. No, no, if I rent a car, it'll be the Chrysler 300, because I know they have one. Of course, it being April Fools Day, that car is probably already rented out...

Anyway, positive thoughts on Handsome Rob's behalf would be fantastic. I've talked to a few guys, and the consensus is that, although it could be number of things, it's likely either the head gasket (expensive!), or it could be something to do with the thermostat (inexpensive!). I guess we'll find out here in a few hours.