While the Moon Drifts in the Skies. Stay Awake, Don't Close Your Eyes

With Drek away on a business trip, our daily schedule becomes very...loose. An hour after her normal bedtime I finally have Ash in her jammies and ready for bed. We crawl under the covers. Acouchi nestles up by our heads and closes her eyes. I sing Ash a lullaby and close my eyes to set an example.

Ash gets her foot tangles in my hair and starts kicking. I reach out and tickle her under arms, making her giggle. Her giggle makes me giggle. She realizes she made me giggle so she starts fake-laughing, and before you know it we're in a silly-noise-contest which turns into an all-out tickle-fight. Acouchi places her paw on my nose and gives me a look that clearly states: "Now, now. Calm down, children. It's bed time."

At least one of us a responsible adult.

That's No Moon. It's a Space Station

Ah! October! I love October! I think I love October because it houses one of the only 100% obligation and guilt free holidays. Halloween is totally optional. Want to spend it with your family? Great! Want to spend it alone at a massive party? Great! Want to throw a party? Great! Want to sleep through it? Great! No obligation to anyone, no vital traditions, no day of reflection. It's just fun. I love that.

How much do I love it? A few weeks ago I attended a Relief Society Activity. Since I've only been in the ward two months, I didn't know a lot of the women. I was talking about Halloween with someone and this women said "Oh, yeah. Your husband said Halloween was your favorite Holiday." I looked at her and blinked. "Um. Yes. It is. So...Who are you?" I had never met her. It turns out Drek Home Teaches her family, and the subject came up for some reason. Odd.

I've already started on our costumes. The idea is good, now it all comes down to design... Of course, as all great Halloween costumes should be, it's a surprise. I'll unveil it when it's done.

I'm on the Ward Activity's Committee and we're planning a Ward Halloween party that I am thrilled to be a (small) part of. Better Yet, Mandy is also throwing a Halloween Party and let me plan some of the games. Sqee! I can't wait for that party.

This Halloween will be have another activity. Are you ready for this awesomeness? Krisling and I are meeting in DISNEYLAND!! In OCTOBER!!!! Do you know what that means? Well, besides a day of crazy fun filled rides and such. It means the Haunted Mansion will be turned into Halloween Town!!!! I'm so excited!!!!! (As I'm sure you could tell from the over-use of the exclamation mark)

Yesterday Ash and I went shopping for pumpkins. For Family Home Evening last night we painted them. I think they turned out great:

Ash's first pumpkin!!
My creation. I call it "Pharaoh Pumpkinahmen."
And finally, the one you are excited to see, Drek's creation:

That's Twice This Month You've Slipped Deadly Nightshade into My Tea and Run Off

And it's crunch time.

The marathon I had my sights set on running is in four weeks. Minus one week for the easy run to warm up for the big day, and I am left with three weeks to get my miles up to twenty six. What am I at? Well, I was at fourteen four weeks ago. Meaning, I haven't been running in four weeks. So, I'm at zero I guess.

My big excuse is that I've been sick. Besides that, I just don't have time! Getting up early enough in the morning that I can work out for an hour before Drek has to go to work is hard enough when I'm not getting enough sleep at night (and let's face, I'm just not a morning person) but finding three to five extra hours on Saturday, the only day Drek and I have to play together, just isn't happening.

And so I need to make a decision. I need to figure out what my goal is with regards to running. Is my goal to check of my New Years Resolution to run a marathon? Then I need to buck up, train like mad for the next three weeks, and finish that marathon even if I have to crawl. It's only three Saturdays I'm sacrificing, and after that I'll never have to run again.

But I'm not sure that's my goal. Is my goal to be a long distance runner or to enjoy running? Then I should forget this marathon, start back at six miles, and work on my speed as well as my miles, so my Saturday long runs are squeezed into a time that only increases by a few minutes. I'll still have to get up early on weekdays and find time on Saturdays, but not nearly as much time, and I should be going slow enough that I can spend the rest of the Saturday playing instead of sleeping. I should focus on a schedule that fits me, and only when I'm ready should I look for a marathon that fits into my schedule.

Or is my goal to run to lose weight or stay healthy? In that case, forget the marathon altogether and just do forty five minutes of sprints on Saturdays (in addition to my hour runs during the week). That's the easiest solution.

I'm leaning more and more away from running this marathon. It's not just the training, it's the fact that it's three hours away, so we'd have to get a hotel, and I just don't want to spend the money. The Marathon registration fee isn't cheap, you know. I really don't want to pour all that money into it if I'm going to be crawling across the finish line.

So what do I want? Well, I do love running. I want to run, and I want to keep it fun. I want to run barefoot, because I love running barefoot. I want to see progress, not just pounds lost, but in miles gained. I want to see myself go faster and farther. I want run a marathon barefoot, and I want to enjoy it.

I guess all that points to option two: work on speed and distance, don't worry about a marathon until I'm running twenty miles every Saturday.

Thanks, blogging. Another problem solved thanks to you.

At This Point Some of You May be Thinking, That’s All Very Fine and Good, But What Does It Have to do With Flying an Airplane?

I've always loved General Conference, even as a child. I've found that more and more, I need General Conference. The talks are so important to my everyday life, especially now that I'm a mother. I've found that General Conference is vital. Even still, I've always had a hard time sitting through four two-hour sessions and then attending the Young Women or Relief Society Broadcast and reading the Priesthood session.

Thus, I really liked the idea of turning on every radio in the house, so no matter what room you were in you could hear the talks, and so were free to wander. I made it a sort of tradition that General Conference was my cue to deep-clean everything. The only disadvantage to this was that I absorbing all I could from Conference, but at least I was listening to every session, and I got the idea of most talks.

Last October after General Conference I decided to take full advantage of the LDS General Conference website. Every day (or almost everyday) I would listen to a conference talk in English, then replay it in Spanish for both my benefit and Ash's benefit. I don't understand all that's being said in Spanish, but it does give me an ear for how Spanish sounds. I think it helps my learning process, and by letting Ash listen at such a young age, I know she'll be able to pick up Spanish easily.

After we listen to the talk in Spanish, I listen to it again in Japanese. Well, I don't really listen, but I make sure Ash listens. I have no hope of ever speaking Japanese but I expect Ash to be fluent.

Besides boosting our language skills, this has the benefit of bringing these wonderful talks into the my home everyday. They bring with them this wonderful peace and hope that I love. It also has the added scholarly benefit that instead of me saying things like "I remember in conference sometime, this one guy said something about..." I can say things like "In the last October Conference, David Bednar gave a talk on being More Diligent and Concerned at Home in which he said..."

In April, when the next General Conference occurred I was even more diligent about listening to the talks. In fact, I zipped through the April conference so fast that I listed to it three times before diving back into older conferences. I've been excited about this session because it will give me new material. It's the first time I've been anxiously awaiting General Conference. I've been looking forward to it as much as I was the release of the Mockingjay book (which I got from the Library the day of our flight. I read it two days. I'm only a month behind everyone else).

Sadly, the circumstances were not ideal. First, we were not home; We were in HomeTown. We went there for Drek's Brother's marriage. This meant I could not clean, I could not turn on all the radios, and I could not move around. This also meant that I was antsy: I was only in HomeTown for the weekend! I had things I wanted to, people I wanted to see! I didn't want to be doing something I could be doing at home.

And then we got sick. Very sick. Ash was throwing up all over the place, Drek became deathly ill and so did Drek's siblings. Gross. I got sick right as we got home.

Also, I discovered that since I knew I would be listening to the talks several times over the next six months, I discovered it made my restlessness worse.

I think I absorbed less of this Conference than any other Conference, ever. I suppose that's an exaggeration, but still. I'm so grateful to have that website at my disposal. The talks are already up an waiting for me. The anticipation is still there, and I am very excited to start listening to them today. I need that peace and hope after such a horrible weekend.

This is Yet Another Example of the Late Neoclassic Baroque Period. And, As I Always Say, "If It's Not Baroque, Don't Fix It!"

We are trying to buy a house. In order to do this, we have to first look at a lot of houses. I'm not going to try and pretend this is a chore. I LOVE looking at houses. I love looking through photos of houses online, mapping them on gmaps to see what parks are closest, and looking at virtual tours. The best part is when I can actually physically walk through a house. Nothing inspires my imagination like a floor plan. I know, I'm weird.

This week my wonderful friend, Mandy, arranged for a bunch of us moms to take our kids on a tour or the fire station. The group consisted of four moms who had two boys each, and also me and my daughter. It was comical.

The fireman were super nice and took us on a tour of the dorms, the office, the classroom and then...

The kitchen. The wall you can't see is nothing but shelves and shelves of dishes, cookware, silverware. There is also a pantry. The other wall you can't see has four brand-new, top-of-the-line refrigerators.

I really must spend too much time viewing prospective places to living because this was my first thought went I saw the kitchen; "I'll take it. This is the perfect house."

Of course, it's not a house. It's a fire station. But, come on! A great location next to a park, A nice entryway, six small bedrooms, a huge family room, a dream kitchen and dining room, and a nice (very nice) garage. It's just what I'm looking for! Well, I'm not really looking for a house with six bedrooms, or a gigantic garage, or a kitchen with four refrigerators, but still.

The fireman explained that when you're a fireman and start your shift, you come in, do chores (including sweeping, mopping, taking out the trash...) and if you didn't bring your own dinner, you chip in $5 for one fireman to buy groceries and cook everyone a meal. You sleep in your little dorm, you play in the "family room" with it's huge flat screen, it's easy chairs and it's hundreds of games and DVDs and you occasionally save some lives.

I want to be a fireman. Alas, I'm not sure I'd look in the required uniform.

It's a little terrifying.

Hey, We Said No Powers!

Sure, you've played Frisbee before, but have you played by yourself? Throw, run and catch?

With three frisbees at a time?

Doing trick catches?

While hovering several inches off the ground?

They Will If You Set Up That the Dog is Evil. All You Do is Have to Show Him Doing This

We went for a walk down a very long pier. About halfway down, we spotted this;
I didn't zoom the camera in, nor did I crop this photo. I really did get that close to the bird. I think it would have let me touch it, but I really didn't want to touch it, so I didn't try. That bird wasn't afraid of anything.

After I took the photo, we kept walking down the pier. We saw some dolphins jumping out of the water. We watched them for a bit. When the dolphins went away we turned around and saw that same bird, right there, staring right at us.

We kept walking. At the end of the pier, the bird was waiting. He watched us as we reached the end, then he followed us as we walked around the end, and then proceeded to follow us as we walked back to the start of the pier. Sometimes he flew ahead, other times he walked on the wood rails with us.

It was a little creepy. Is that how he begs for food? Did he want compensation for us taking his picture? Was he a homeless bird that wanted to be our pet? Was he an alien taking the form of a bird sent to protect us from the evil invaders from Dimension Twelve? What in the world makes a seagull do that? I wish he could have lowered his eyebrows and looked around all with shifty eyes, then it would be clear that the seagull was, in fact, evil, and the mystery would be solved.

Everywhere we went, that bird was like this;

(Okay, I cropped that last one for dramatic effect)

Well, What Do You Think of It? Why, It... It's a Very Unusual Cake, Isn't It?

My dad's favorite cake is called "Tunnel of Fudge Cake." My mother has tried to make it for him on his birthday, but it's a tricky cake, and it never turned out quite right.

Three years ago I decided I would try my hand it. Knowing nothing about the cake I looked over the ingredient's list and decided to leave out the nuts, because my dad doesn't like to mix chocolate with nuts. Only after I made the cake did I learn that the nuts are important to the cake chemistry. The cake wasn't horrible, but it wasn't a tunnel of fudge cake either.

The next year I tried again. This time I underestimated how many nuts were needed, and I only put in one cup instead of two. Once again, I learned that the exact amount of nuts is vital. Once again it was edible, but not a tunnel of fudge cake.

My mom and dad flew out to Sunland today and the plan was to celebrate my dad's birthday today so I decided to try the cake again. I bought a bundt pan. I bought nuts in bulk. I bought organic butter and cage-free eggs. I was so ready for this cake! I read and re-read the recipe. I was meticulous about following it to the letter. Everything looked perfect. I poured it onto the pan and slid it into the oven with my finger's crossed. An hour later the cake came out of the oven looking and smelling amazing. As it was cooling I began to clean up the mess I created. I reached for the bag of flour and stopped cold. A startling realization hit me all at once; I forgot to add flour. I blinked and thought it out in my mind. There was no doubt; I forgot to add the two cups of flour. I forgot to add flour. To a cake. What was I thinking?

As you can imagine, the cake was more pudding than cake. I turned it out into a plate (and remember, it came out of a bundt pan, so it's got hole in the middle) and added the birthday candles. It looked awful. it did not resemble a cake. It resembled a lumpy circle of gooey mess.

But, there was no time to make another cake. My dad carried the plate of not-cake over to the hotel where they are staying. As we walked across the parking lot, three older women started cooing at Ash, who charmed them all immediately. We all packed into the elevator and the women noticed the "Happy Birthday!" candles on the lump of not-cake.

"Is it the baby's birthday?" One of the women asked, assuming the not-cake was made out of baby food.

"No." I groaned. "It's his birthday, I just suck at making cakes."

"You make good babies, though." The other woman replied. I laughed. What a wonderful thing for her to say. And then the three women laughed at the not-cake because it truly did look awful.

It tasted good though. In fact, it tasted amazing. If I had left in in the pan, it would have looked a lot better. Had I made it in a non-bundt pan, it would have looked even better. Huh. Have I just invented a delicious, gluten-free dessert? Because it was really, really delicious. I wonder if I could win some sort of cook-off with my new recipe...

And there is always next year for the tunnel of fudge cake.

Sir, I Think You Have a Problem With Your Brain Being Missing

Twenty minutes down the highway is a park with an old locomotion train that rides around a railroad park on actual rails and stops at an old fashioned train station. Not knowing lots about trains I can't really give specifics, but it's one of those parks little boys go crazy about.

Saturday that park had a huge Rendezvous and set up teepees and saloons and homesteads and such. People dressed up in civil war uniforms and marched to fifes and drums or dressed up as mountain men and told stories, or dressed up as prospectors and taught people how to pan for gold.

It was great. There were lots of activities and lots to see. Drek turned out to be very successful at prospecting (both in using a pan in using that washboard-looking thing)and I turned out to be a very successful gambler (at a game called Faro played in a saloon). What an honest and hard working couple we would have been.

The very first thing we did was take a ride on the train. We were lucky enough to be on the ride that became a part of the entertainment for the rest of the park. That is to say, we were robbed; A train job.

As out train passed an open field a gang of outlaws stopped the train and demanded the sheriff hand over the army's pay-roll. From the train we watched as a the whole scene unfolded; the sheriff handed over the money, but the outlaws began fighting amongst themselves and ended up shooting each other. Only the leader and the sheriff were left alive and during the shootout the sheriff grabbed a gun and in the end the leader was left with no payroll and no gang. The people on the train cheered as the sheriff climbed back aboard the train with a line like "justice and truth always prevail!" and we continued on to the station.

Later in the day we saw several army men getting on the train so we went to the field where the drama was staged to see what would happen this time. Once again the outlaws (magically resurrected) held up the train and demanded the payroll, but this time they had the army to defend it. The shoot-out was between the army and the outlaws and, of course, all the outlaws were killed while the the army men emerged unscathed. A true miracle.

The best part was when I noticed there was a new edition to the outlaw gang. "Hey, Drek." I said pointing to the new guy. "Isn't that the sheriff?" Indeed it was. He had taken off his badge, but everything else was the same. I guess his speech about truth and justice wasn't enough to resist the lure of a life of crime.

Down Here All the Fish is Happy, As Off to the Waves They Roll

Labor Day was a wonderful day for us. We drove forty minutes to a beach, despite warnings that it would be cold, windy, and the water would be freezing. We got there and met my wonderful friend, Bon, and her son (my baby!) Jord, who is fifteen years old. We also met up with a friend of Bon's who owns a Kayak, which was the reason we were there.

It was, indeed, cold and windy and the water was frigid. Jord was smart enough to wear a wet suit, but Drek and I were shivering in our swim suits. Jord and I went out on the kayak first. and over my swimsuit I had a life jacket to keep me warm (hah). Once I started paddling I warmed up and was grateful for the cool breeze, although I tried hard not to get splashed by the cold water. As it turns out, it was actually the perfect day to go Kayaking. The waves were fairly small and once we got out far enough the water was as smooth as glass. We kayaked down the beach to a group of caves and were stunned to see that the water was so clear we could see the coral and fish below! It was so beautiful! We also got to go into one of the caves and marveled at the pink rocks and the beautiful formation. Once we came out of the cave we noticed we were next to a few seals! Alas, I couldn't take out camera out on the ocean for fear of it meeting its death, so I didn't get any pictures. However, it was still a perfect ocean Kayak trip!

We made it back to shore and maneuvered the kayak onto the beach without tipping over. We climbed out and Drek and Jord took off. Alas, they had a lot more trouble than I did; The seat came loose and they spent a long time trying to figure out how to fix it. Once they got going again they were approached by a policeman on a jet ski who said witnesses had sworn they were fishing. Poor Drek and Jord had to let the kayak be searched before the policeman would let them go. After that, their time was up so they had to come back to shore and Drek never did get to see the caves or the seals.

When he got back to shore we watched the son of the couple that owned the kayak while they went out together. Drek and I played on Frisbee on the beach, had a picnic and took lots of pictures of Ash. We had so much fun!

That night we had a wonderful dinner with Drek's co-workers. We ate out on their deck which is on top of an apartment building so the view was wonderful. We had such a great time with wonderful friends and the most delicious food.

Happy Labor Day!

Oh You Mean This Gate Key

Drek and I spent Friday night babysitting a passel of children at a friend's house. Among them was our niece, who is almost four. A few days before she had locked herself in the bathroom. Friday night she locked herself in the same bathroom again.

I was very worried and tried to calm her down by sweet talking her to open the door; "It's okay, honey. I'm right here. You need to unlock the door, okay? That way we can get you out and you can come out and we can play a game! Do you want to play a game with me? Great! I want to play a game with you! Just come over to the door. See the handle? Can you turn the knob on the handle? I know you can do it!"

She informed me she couldn't get to the door because there was a spider on the stool. "Do you see a bath toy? Can you squish the tiny spider with a big bath toy?" But she informed she was afraid of spiders. Actually, at that point I was very impressed with her composure. If I was stuck in a small room with a spider, I would be in hysterics.

So I tried a different route. "Can you push the stool over by the bathtub? Great job! I knew you could do it! You are amazing! Now, come stand by the door! Are you by the door! Great! Now touch the handle! Don't worry, you are doing great! We'll get you out in just a little bit!" After about five minutes of sweet talking and gentle coaxing, we were no closer to getting her out. Drek walked over to the door and said in a stern/angry voice "If you don't unlock that door right now you'll be stuck in there forever."

Two seconds later I heard the door click and our niece walked out.

'Course, That Ain't Exactly Plan A.

I am very lucky that Drek's whole company moved here to Sunland the same time we did. I was a little afraid to move out here to Sunland because I wouldn't know anyone. I planned on spending a lot of time with Bonnies and Jord and Jes, but other than them I really didn't know what I was going to do.

One of Drek's co-workers live a few blocks away from us and his wife and I have become friends since we're in the same ward and are both new to the area. Her name is Jen. She is wonderful. She loves to plan activities for our kids, for just us girls, and for both our families. Anna moved here a few weeks after we did and it is wonderful to have her and her family here.

There are many parks here in Sunland. Jen and I started taking our kids around to a few different ones. While there, we made some new friends who are also SAHMs. Last night Jen planned an girls night out for us. It was so much fun! We ate bananas and strawberries dipped in chocolate, chips and guacamole and crackers and a yummy pesto sauce. We talked about things we wanted to do while we were in Sunland, and then Anna got out her buckets of craft stuff and showed us how to make these cute little fabric flower-hair-things. I made two for Ash and they turned out so cute! I'm very proud of my crafty self. A new friend from the parks came over and told us about all the great free and cheap stuff to do in the area for children. She's lived here for four years so she's like our guide.

As I drove home from our little party, I felt so energized. I loved having the girl's night out, but more than that, I had so much to look forward to! We have all these activities planned. Activities we can do on weekends and activities for the kids that we can do while the boys are working.

I love that I've not even been here two months and already have a little group to party with. Hooray!

You Have an Appealing Coiffure. What is Your Grooming Regimen? You're Asking Me What I do With My Hair?

I've been asked by several different people what to clarify the whole "giving up shampoo" thing. I decided to blog about it, since I don't really know I didn't just do that in the first place.

My routine for my hair was to wash it with Suave shampoo and conditioner once a day. Since my hair is long and thick, I went through those bottles really fast. I bought new bottles every one to two week. That worked for a few years, but last year I noticed my hair was damaged. VERY damaged. And I had flakes, split ends, and all around damaged hair. But why? I don’t blow-dry. I don’t use a curling iron or a straightener, I just shampoo, condition, dry with towel, spray in detangler, brush and go. Why was my hair so damaged?

So I tried using different products. The only one that seems to help the damage is Pureology, and those are insanely expensive. It would cost me around $50 a month just for shampoo and conditioner. And it wouldn’t solve my flake problem.
The product that works for my flake problem is the Neutrogena stuff that comes in a green bottle…I can’t remember what it’s called. It costs me about $20 a month. It does not solve my damage problem.

So I turned to the Internet. The Internet tells me my problem might lie within commercial hair products. Apparently, my hair has been stripped of all it needs to be healthy. That’s what commercial shampoo does. It’s a detergent and it strips your hair of what it needs. Conditioner is designed to put artificial good stuff back in your hair. It’s not as good as the original good stuff so you have to wash your hair more often, and therefore strip your hair more often, and in some cases your hair just ends up stripped-out. I think this is what happened to my hair. Not only that, but after reading more, I discovered that some of the chemicals in your shampoo are really toxic! Every time you shower, you are poisoning yourself. All the products I was using was cruelly and pointlessly tested on animals, and every time I bough new bottles I was contributing to the landfills.

So! I made my own shampoo. I looked at several recipes and came up with my own. I was warned that there was a fourteen to thirty day "transitions" in which your hair is all oily and gross, because it needs to learn to regulate itself, but then it's all better.

I didn't really like making my own shampoo. It was fun to make, but when I washed my hair is was a mess and horrible to brush and felt oily and blec. The best way to describe my hair during that time is flat. No volume, no nothing, just flat. It looked like I had gone a day or two without washing it (I was pregnant at the time so I just used that as an excuse).

After thirty days of that I came across the concept of "no poo" which is where you use baking soda as shampoo and vinegar and conditioner. Again, I was warned there is a fourteen to thirty day "transition" where you hair must adjust to regulating its own oils. However, the very first time I did it, My hair was AWESOME! I attribute that to the fact that I had already gone through transition and my hair was already used to regulating its own oils.

It's so easy. Baking soda + water = shampoo and Apple Cider Vinegar + water = conditioner.

I take about 1 tbsp (but really, I just eyeball it. I'm not going to stand in the shower with a measuring spoon)  of baking soda and mix it with one cup water. You can put that into a spray bottle or in a cup, whatever works for you. When I take a shower I wet my hair, then either spray or dump the stuff onto my scalp and massage it into my roots. I really don't worry about the rest of my hair. After a lot of massaging I rinse it out and then use conditioner;

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 2 cups water in a cup. Mix and dump over your hair. I've had a few people telll me they skipped the Apple Cider Vinegar step because they don't like the small. DO NOT skip this step. It's like shampooing your hair and not conditioning it; your hair will be tangled and yucky. If you don't like the small you can add a tsp of honey and vanilla.

The conditioner also works as a detangler to my hair is like silk when I try to comb it. I keep my hair long and it is full, shiny, clean and healthy. It always looks like I just washed it, even though I only wash it maybe twice a week, sometimes only once a week.

My hair is A LOT healthier. A LOT. I love it. No split ends, no damage, no flakes. It grows faster (because of all the massaging) and it looks and feels great.

And now you know. It worked for me, it was the best choice for me, but I can't say it will work for you. This is just my experience.

A Way Of Life That Hasn't Changed For Years? Why Should It? Species That Don't Change Die

August is always a fun month for me. I like to think of August as a sort of New Year, but in reverse. For my New Year resolutions I like to make goals so I can improve and expand. In August I like to make a goal giving up something. I have a record of permanently giving something up in August.

Seven years ago, in August, I gave up meat. Seven years ago I sat in Sizzler, eating a steak and I thought to myself "This will be the last meat I ever eat." And it was.

Five years ago I gave up a another habit that I will not detail. Five years! That's a long time!

Last year I gave up Shampoo. My hair has not touched shampoo or conditioner for an entire year. I use baking soda for shampoo and apple cider vinegar, honey and vanilla for conditioner. It works great, I don't have to deal with all those chemicals, I know my products aren't tested on animals and I've saved an estimated $51.49, and that's only if I bought the $0.99 stuff. Last July I was spending $24 for a small bottle of shampoo and conditioner.

This year I think I will give up High Fructose Corn Syrup and Red Dye 40. Both these things will kill you. In the process of making these chemicals...well, bad things happen. Red Dye 40 is a form of petroleum which we need to stop using and HFCS comes from number two corn, which is a MAJOR problem for everyone; the farmers who grow it, the environment, and our health. Not to mention Red Dye 40 is already banned in Europe because is causes major temporary and permanent behavioral problems in children. I'm giving them up with hopes that everyone gives them up and they stop making them. Thus, saving the world.

Most my goals stem from saving the world. If everyone gave up meat, slaughterhouses would cease to exist and the world would be saved (from toxic waste, animal cruelty, antibiotic-resistant germs, carbon emissions and wasting out food on stock instead of ending world hunger) If everyone gave up shampoo, well, the world would be slightly improved (by stopping animal testing, the production of lots of little plastic bottles and keeping those toxic chemicals out of our water system). Mostly I did it to save my hair and a lot of money.

Wherever We Want To Go, We'll Go...What a Ship Is...What the Black Pearl Really Is...Is Freedom

I am not an impulsive spender. I hate spending money. If it's junk and free, I will take it in a second, but if it has value and costs money, I'll think about it, research it, decide if I can live without it, and then, more often than not, save my money.

As you can imagine, this is a great way to miss good sales. If I ever decide it is worth the money and I can't live without it, the sale is over. Alas, by this time I've done so much research that I've decided I REALLY NEED this product, so I end up paying the higher price. I hate when that happens. That happened with high chairs just last week. I ended up paying $18 instead of $9.99. Nothing gets under my skin like that.

Anyway, a few days ago I became aware of Jet Blue's second ever "All You Can Jet" special, which meant for $500 you could buy a golden ticket to fly anywhere, anytime, on a Jet Blue jet in the month of September.

As soon as I heard about this, it dominated my thoughts. Every few seconds I would think about it again, asking myself: "Can I do this? Is it worth the money? Do I have the time? Is it worth the effort?"

I talked to Drek; he told me to go for it. My goodness, I love that man. But just because he likes to spoil me, doesn't mean we could afford it, we are trying to save up for a house, after all. So I thought about it some more. After much consideration, I talked to a friend, who told me is probably wasn't worth taking a one-year-old on an airplane over and over again. I thought about this, and decided that actually, Ash loved the airplane, and everyone on the airplane loved her. We would be traveling a lot, but with her on my lap, with me giving her all my attention. Actually, I thought, this would be a great experience for both of us.

I decided to do it. I got online, got to the part where I have to pay for it and called my mother to tell her to cancel her trip out here because I was coming to her.

She brought up a good point; if I came to her, Drek wouldn't be there for Ash's first birthday. Oh. Right. Huh.

So I logged off, slept on it, and thought about it all day the next day. I decided that I would just be home for that week, which would take a week out of traveling. Was it worth it then? I called Krisling and told her if she did it, I would do it, hoping she would say yes and in a burst of impulsiveness we would both take the risk and just spend the money. Alas, she gave the appropriate grown-up responsible answer; "I want to, but I have to make sure I can."

So I waited, wondering once again, if I could. And then, I decided: YES! I CAN! I WILL! I found my credit card, logged on and...

They are sold out. Three days after the sale stared, they are all gone.

Curse me and my stupid, overly-cautious, frugal self. Even if they have the sale next year, Ash will be too old to get on the plane for free. I have missed out on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Lesson learned; Be more impulsive.

He Represents Everything I Hate In LIfe. I Hate Him, I Always Have Hated Him, I Always Will Hate Him. I Hate Happy The Clam

In preparation for the second ever Laundry party, I looked up a recipe I posted on my blog a while ago for Thai kabobs. In searching, I discovered a few things;

1) Google's Search-Website program does not work
2) I need to organize my blog a lot better. I created it before tags and once tags were available I didn't use them because I never had used them, but something needs to change.
3) My blog used to be about crazy adventures, parties, and wild antics. Now it's about laundry parties.

This last part really hit me. My life is so boring. What do I have to look forward to? Nothing. What do I have to write about? Also nothing. What is this post about? Nothing.

Let's Just Go Straight to Exhibit F - the Kidnapper's Vehicle Was Seen Fleeing in This Direction. Hey, How do you Spell F-B-I?

Drek on and I got out our new driver's licences in the mail yesterday. I have to admit, I really didn't think they would ever arrive. I was sure there would be another computer failure. Seriously, three trips to the DMV to get a driver's licence? And every time we went a different computer system was down statewide? That has to be some sort of record. Still no car title, though. I am less than hopeful on that front.

Yesterday we decided to celebrate our new driver's licences by driving up to the the big city. Drek's parents had flown in to attend a few classes and were leaving today, so we drove the two hours up there to have dinner with them. Actually, it wasn't to celebrate the driver's licences. It was to to give them Jo so they could take him back to Hometown so he could see his parents. After having him for two months and two days, I was sent a mass email last week that in a single sentence announced Drek's parent's would pick him up and take him back to hometown. That was it. I have no idea when, if ever, we'll get him back. And that was that. I am not happy about giving him up. There was serious thought given to driving to Mexico instead, where we could buy a house and live happily ever after as fugitive kidnappers. Drek said no.

Drek's parent's got us a hotel for the night. The two babies and Drek and I stayed up until midnight, watching TV and cuddling. The babies slept great that night. We had a delicious breakfast in the morning and then Drek's parents took Jo to the airport. I bought chocolate to drown my sorrows. It's not working.

If You Don't Like Something, Change It. If You Can't Change It, Change Your Attitude

I tried doing laundry in my bathtub. As predicted, the washing went well but the drying did not go so well. Everything I drip-dried had a sour smell, like old rags. Blec. After two weeks of only doing laundry in the tub I decided to try a new approach.

And that new approach is: Laundry party!

In our apartment complex, the laundry room is right next to the pool area. The pool area has a pool, a hot-tub, tables, chairs, counters, and two gas barbecues. Once a week we will have a laundry party, which means that once Drek gets home from work we will all go do laundry and while we are waiting for it to finish we will go to the pool area and cook dinner on the gas barbecues, eat dinner on the tables, and then swim and lounge. Not only will this get the laundry done effectively, but it will give us a chance to use the pool, get out of the house to enjoy this awesome weather, and to have one meal a week that is completely barbecued! Sounds good to me!

Of course, we still have to pay for laundry, which really irks me, but it's better than any alternative I can concoct. Besides, doing laundry in a laundry room has three advantages;

One, you can do all your laundry at once: You plop your basket down and sort the clothes right into the machines; this machine is for whites, this machine is for towels...and all the washing is done in thirty minutes. It's great.

Two, I'm not paying for the water.

Three, you get to meet a lot of other people, who so far have all been really nice.

We had our very first laundry party yesterday. it went great. We had grilled pineapple, grilled corn-on-the-cob, and little mini pizzas that were made out of sourdough English muffins, and do-it-yourself toppings, grilled on the top rack of the barbecue. It was delicious! Especially the pineapple, I could have grilled pineapple everyday.

I think next week we will have grilled pineapple and kabobs. Hooray!

I Could No Sooner Choose a Favorite Star in the Heavens

Libraries, oh how I love you.

So, I admit, I cheated, just a little. When we moved to SunLand I couldn't send myself a postcard because we had no address since we didn't know where we were going to live. For that same reason, we forwarded our mail to Drek's work address. When we finally found an apartment and got an address, it was in the city next to the city where Drek works.

I wanted to go to the library, but I didn't have any mail with my name on it addressed to our apartment. I did have mail with my name on it addressed to Drek's work. So I went to that city's library and got a library card. Right away, I was VERY impressed with that library: The children's section was huge, they had hundreds of Spanish books, hundreds of books on CD, and the librarians were all really helpful and oohed and awed over my two babies.

A few days ago I FINALLY got mail with my name on it addressed to our apartment, so I went in to our city's library and got a card. Right away I was very un-impressed. It was small, the catalog was very messed up (The book The Help was too difficult for it to find because it had the word "the" in it. Sad) and the librarians were very grumpy. So grumpy, I would dare to call them mean.

When I got home, I looked up our city's online website and found a few reviews. Every single review mentions how not un-helpful, snappy, or rude the librarians are. Wow. Talk about a customer service problem.

But then I looked up the other Library and found that it has a wonderful catalog. I input my "to-read" list and out of twenty nine books, this library has all but two. That is amazing. I am in love with this library. And since it's only a few blocks away from Drek's work, I think I will visit it often. In fact, I think I will go there today, since four of the books I put on hold are already available for me to pick up.

How Was It Possible That Men Did Not See Whither They Were Going, and Went On, in Blindness and Cowardice, to Their Fate

Day One

We wake early, wake the babies and hurriedly get dressed. We made sure all our papers are in order before setting off on our journey. We find the building and arrive ten minutes before it openes. To our astonishment, dozens of others are already waiting. Others like us, with dreams and a very short amount of time to make those dream come true. The line of people is so long it wraps around the building. We sigh and take the babies out of the car to stand in line; still tired from a restless night cut too short. After ten minutes the line slowly begins to move: the building has opened! We smile and make a few jokes. The line stops moving, then moves, then stops. Fifteen minutes later we are still outside in the gray morning air; we haven't even turned the first corner. A uniform comes out and demands attention: The building's computer are down. The problem is statewide. We all have to leave. A few people leave, most wait around, waiting for more news. There is no more news to give. After a short discussion we turn our backs on our dreams and pack the babies back in the car. Our dreams will have to wait until tomorrow.

Day Two

The next morning our alarm blares even earlier than the day before. Drearily we wake the babies and pack into the car. There isn't time to eat anything; we want to make it to the building before the line forms. We arrive thirty minutes before the building opens, but we are not the only ones came so early; the line is shorter than the day before, but not by much, and more people arrive every minute. We stand in line again, trying not to fall asleep, wishing that a breakfast shop would open up next door to feed all the hungry people. The babies are angry; they want to get down and play, but there is no playground, no grass, only cold, hard cement and a few clumps of dirt mixed with cigarette butts. I stake my place in line then leave to follow the people to the front of the building. Uniforms are pushing a cart filled with papers and pens. They ask the people in line to fill out the forms so once the building opens the process can speed along. I go back to my place in line and wait. Thirty minutes later the building opens. Once again I leave my place to make sure the computers are working. The uniform I ask tells me that so far the computers are up, and they have not crashed...yet. We wait in line. We wait and wait and wait. Finally we are inside the building. Aghast we look around; the line inside is just as long as the line outside. It curves and winds around ropes. Still, we are inside. The line is moving. We are hopeful enough to give each other weak smiles, afraid that anything more will somehow cause the computers to crash and out dreams to tumble down on our heads.

After a long time we make it to the front of the line. We explain that we want identification cards and papers for our vehicle. The uniform frowns and gives us a form to fill out. She tells us we can get the papers for our vehicle, but the computers for identification papers are down statewide and we'll have to come back a different day. We try to protest but she glares at us and points to another line. It's then we realize that the desk at the front of the line, the desk we waited over an hour to reach, the desk we are located, is simply the replacement of the cart; it gives you the form to fill out and tells you which line you need to stand in next. Wearily, we stand in the next line and wait.

Finally it's our turn. We show the proper papers, sign the proper forms and pay the proper amount. We wait in line to have our vehicle inspected, then wait in line to show that our vehicle is inspected. At long last it seems we are done. Our vehicle papers will arrive in the mail in a few weeks. We ask the clerk about papers for us, and she points us to another line, where we can make an appointment. We wait in line and miraculously, make an appointment to come back in a week to get our identification papers.

Day Three

A letter arrives in the mail. It does not contain our new vehicle papers, but a notice, saying there was a clerical error and we must pay an extra fee to get out vehicle papers. In order to pay the fee we must mail the form back along with the money. We do as we are instructed.

Day Four

It's the of day our appointment. Our appointment is in the afternoon. It interrupts nap schedules and work days, but we attend anyway. As we approach the building we see a sign on the front steps with a handwritten message proclaiming that the monetary machines are down statewide and only cash will be accepted. With heavy hearts we share sorrowful glances; we didn't bring enough cash. Still, we've come to far to be deterred. The line still overflows from the front doors and winds down the side of the building, but having an appointment means we skip the first line and go straight to the first desk, where we fill out a form and are told which line to wait in next. Instead of waiting, I leave the babies with him and run back outside, hop in the vehicle and drive to nearest store where I buy a candy bar and withdraw cash. I take the currency back to the building and discover that there is no room for my vehicle. I drive around for several minutes until I follow a person exiting the building back to their vehicle and occupy the same spot they vacate.

I rush inside and find that my number was called just minutes before. The forms are all filled out so I simply hand them to the uniform. We show the proper papers, sign the proper forms and pay the proper amount. We are directed to another line. We wait to get our picture taken, or signature scanned and out thumbprint immortalized in their network. We are then handed a test. It's no simple feat to juggle two babies while trying to concentrate on a test, but we manage somehow and stand in line to have our tests graded.

His process is simple; he passed the test and would have his identification papers mailed to him. I am not so lucky; I passed the test but long ago I lost my identification paper, thus why I wanted new ones so very much, but without them they could only treat me as a teenager. I need to make an appointment to take a driving test, pay a large fine and come back later. I refuse. I've come too far to leave now and I didn't withdraw enough cash to cover the large fine. The uniform gives me a number to call and tells me to step out of line. I do as I am told. I call, but the uniform on the other end of line is much worse than any uniform in the building; no faxing, no mailing, to emailing. I was instructed to obtain a form, fill it out, have it notorized, and mail it along with a substantial fee to another building and then wait for several months. This, too, is not an option. Defeated only for a moment, we walk back out to our vehicle. I look through my bags and search the vehicle until I find it; a copy of my very first identification paper. I return inside, wait in the line and present my find at the desk. The uniform nods; it will work. I sign more papers and the uniform informs me my identification papers will be mailed to me.

We will see.