A Week in Review

Hello, it’s late in the afternoon on Friday, and around this time there’s nothing I like to do more than reflect on the week and then bore people with every detail of it. Here’s a Week in Review.

For Whom the Bell Tolls
Some time ago I got an amusing email that asked “Why did the chicken cross the road?” and then listed answers from different famous people. Ernest Hemingway's was, “To die, alone, in the rain.” That’s a good summary for all of the Hemingway I’ve read so far, and yet I decided to jump into another one, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”. It’s considered his best.

There’s some unusual writing going on in this book. The main character’s name is Robert Jordan, and every time he’s referred to in the narrative Hemingway uses his full name, Robert Jordan. Every time. No Robert or Bob or “our leading man”, just Robert Jordan. Every time. I’ve never read a book that’s done that before. In fact at some point in the first chapter after the 15th “Robert Jordan” I thought, “Does he do this through the whole book?”, and then I looked ahead to the last half of the book and sure enough there it was, the full name. I’ve gotten used to it now, but at first it seemed like a lot of work to read a full name. I was thinking that maybe I would just read the Robert and skip the Jordan and save myself some time. But the full name feels natural now, almost necessary. Hemingway also has the characters talk to each other in very formal terms. They use a lot of “thee” and “thou”, which seems odd for a bunch of civil war guerrilla fighters who live in a cave. But that, too, has grown on me. And, in spite of all of this crazy wordiness, I’m enjoying the book. I was pulled into it from the beginning without knowing exactly why. I just know that I care very much about what happens to these people. Of course, given that it’s Hemingway, what happens will probably be a lonely death in the rain.

Shoes
I don’t like to have much, if anything, on my feet. I don’t know why. It’s not something that I’ve ever thought through or come to a conclusion on. In fact, I didn’t fully realize that this is the case until last week. I’ve been walking in some flimsy little things that didn’t give any support, and my feet hurt all of the time, so I decided that it was time to go shopping for some quality walking shoes. Melissa and I went to the outlet malls in Park City where I found good shoes on sale for only $20 at the Nike store. Nice.

I’ve had tennis shoes in the past, of course, but it’s been a long time since I’ve worn them. In fact I can’t remember the last time I put on a pair of shoes that had to be laced up. Everything I own is a slip-on with thin soles and very little over the top of my foot. My new shoes were very exciting, and I couldn’t wait to take a walk in them. On Tuesday I got them out of the box, tied them on and set out. I hadn’t gone very far from the COB when I thought, “Man these things are HEAVY!” I felt like I was wearing bricks. And those huge soles! I couldn’t lift my feet up high enough to clear the ground. I kept shuffling my feet, and then tripping up a little. And all of that shoe around the ankles is so constricting. For crying out loud! How do people walk in these things? My legs were getting tired from the heavy lifting. I didn’t walk near as far as usual before I called it good, turned around and went back to the office. It was like having giant canoe feet.

That’s when I started thinking about my feet and my shoe history. I guess there have been hints in the past – when I’d take my shoes off while sitting at my desk in elementary school, going barefoot all day every day during the summer, Melody pointing out “Angie shoes” when we’re in a department store together. But now I know for sure. I don’t like having anything on my feet, and my shoes have as little to them as possible.

I have kept walking in the tennis shoes, and it’s getting better. And, my feet don’t hurt anymore. I do like that.

Cheryl
And now I have a story that I’m almost hesitant to tell because I have very personal feelings about it, but here it goes. Last Wednesday Cheryl came up to me at work and said that she and her husband wanted to do something for me for Christmas, but she didn’t know what to pick out. She asked if I wanted to meet her at Kohl’s and she’d take me shopping. I was surprised, but said sure, that would be fun. Cheryl has brought me little Christmas and birthday presents in the past, so it’s not unusual for her to get me something. But this seemed more serious than “I’d like to take you to lunch.” She wanted to go shopping.

I got to Kohl’s first and looked around. I’m getting a new big-girl bed soon (more on that later!), and thought maybe a blanket or pillow would be nice. She had mentioned clothes, too, so I looked at some sweaters. When she got there she asked if I had found anything, so I showed her a sweater first. She agreed that it was very cute, picked it up off of the rack, and then asked about bedding. So we went to the blankets and again I showed her what I had looked at, and she grabbed the best of the blankets and then said, “Ok, pillows.” I said, “Well this is enough.” And she said, “No, come on now, I’m having fun.” I was beginning to realize at this point what she meant by shopping. I really wanted to protest, but I also felt sure that she really wanted to do this, and that I should let her. So we found a pillow that I could add to my new bed.

We walked around Kohl’s some more, and talked and then realized that there wasn’t anything more there that we wanted to shop for. I was at a loss as to what to look for, really. How do you say, “Ok, well why don’t you buy me this next”? You don’t. We checked out and left the store. While in the parking lot Cheryl pointed out the TJ Max close by and suggested that we go there next. Um, ok. We went in and started looking through the clothes racks, found two sweaters and then moved on to shoes, and found a great pair of brown dress shoes. She bought all of it. It was fun to spend that time with her. We talked and laughed and pointed out horrible shoes and skirts and laughed some more. But I’m sure you can understand why it was a little strange for me to have her buying me so much.

When we left the store I said, “Thank you Cheryl. I really don’t know what to say.” And she said, “Just say thank you.”

I got in my car, and that’s when the tears came. I felt what it was to be on the receiving end of genuine kindness. I was still a little uncomfortable with it all, but at the same time I was sure that Cheryl did this for me out of real friendship and because she wanted to.

Of course, that didn’t stop the other voices in my head later that evening. “I must look awful at work every day or else she wouldn’t have thought that I needed new clothes.” And, “Do I look like a charity case? Is my poverty so obvious?” Stupid, isn’t it, that a person can’t just accept generosity without questioning the intent, or beating herself up? Stupid, but natural I suppose. But then I thought of things that I do with my nieces and nephews, and that I do these things for them because I love them, and because I enjoy it, and because I want to. And then I thought maybe Cheryl’s reasons weren’t so different. It makes me all warm inside. It really does.

I’ve learned a lot over the last few months about the value of my relationships, including the one I have with you (each one of you). There are some wonderful people in this world, and I am lucky to have known a good number of them, and even luckier to have had their friendship. It’s beautiful.

Thanks, as always, for your continued greatness.
You are loved.

Some Nostalgia

Since attending The Pioneer Woman's signing I've taken some time to really look at her website, and I like it. The best part, in my opinion, is the photography. I love the pictures of the ranch with it's cattle and horses and gorgeous horizons. It reminds me of home.

We didn't work a cattle ranch, but we had some cattle, and two horses, and pigs, and chickens, geese, goats, cats and dogs. Sometimes the animals would escape from the corral, and then we had to chase them down and get them back in again. I remember Dad putting me by the corral gate so that when the cattle came that way I could guide them through it, and it scared me to death! I stood there with my heart pounding, watching a heard of cows coming right at me. I didn't think they would stop before hitting me. Why would they? I was one girl, and they were a heard of cattle. But they did stop. Dad knew they would. That's the funny thing about cows, they don't realize their own strength and so are complacent about being lead here and there. Maybe we're all a little too much like cattle. I suppose I am.

My brothers spent summer days out on the tractor cutting and baling hay, and then the whole family went out to pick the bales up off of the field and stack them. Marla and I worked with Mom in the garden, and shelled peas and cut green beans and the corn off of the cob. Mom canned a froze enough produce to last a full year. Remarkable.

I'm being nostalgic about it now. If I were completely honest I'd say that at the time I grumbled plenty about all of that work. But I've been a city girl for so long that sometimes I forget that I come from the country, and that it really is beautiful. There's serenity in the quiet fields and open sky. The horizon is a perfect line right along the ground, and the sun sets right there in front of you. It lights the whole sky on fire. You can see every star at night. And the air smells fresh. I used to stand outside after dark and breathe my lungs full of that air. It's so good.

If you're interested in the Pioneer Woman's cookbook, I found a good deal on Amazon, right here. It too if full of gorgeous photography. You might like it.

A Week in Review

Hello! It feels like it's been a long time since I've written this little feature. It's good to be back. Let's do A Week in Review.

Cosmetics!
I've found two new products that I love. The first is a mascara from CoverGirl, Lashblast Length. I am obsessively compulsively picky about mascara. It has to go on well, look good (no spiky lashes!) and then wear without smudging at all all day. This one does all three. It's a softer look, which is nice, more natural. I like it.

The second is from Sally Hansen - a French manicure pen. I really like the look of French manicures, but haven't wanted to get acrylic nails, so I've tried many times to do it myself. That usually ends in tears. And a lot of white nail polish all over my fingers. I found this pen at Target, and felt immediately that my life had

been changed forever. Course, that's not the first time that's happened at a Target. This pen lets you draw the line on your nails, like you would with a Sharpie. It's so much cleaner than working with a brush, and the color goes on in a nice thin layer. Eureka. Honestly, I'm excited about this.

Owney
I had some time with Jonah last week, and we were talking about school. I asked him what he was learning, and then I asked him if he liked history, stories of things that happened a long time ago. He said, "No. Oh! But we did learn about a dog who traveled all over the world. He rode on trains. They'd put him on the train, and he'd come back again with badges. And then he went on boats around the world. And then when he died they stuffed him."

He seemed very excited about the stamps Owney had (I thought they were stamps), so I told him that I have stamps from France and England in a little book (my passport), and maybe he'd like to see them? He said, "No. These were badges. He had badges on him." So much cooler than my stamps. The whole thing had me very interested, and I thought that I would look this dog up later and read about him. Jonah didn't remember his name at first, but then he shouted, "Owney! His name is Owney, with an O."

Today I did an internet search and sure enough, there was Owney, and he really did ride the US Postal trains back in the late 1800s. He became the official mascot of the postal service. His body in now on display at the National Postal Museum. I didn't know that there was a National Postal Museum, so interesting.

The Pioneer Woman
On Thursday Nicole and I went to a book signing for the Pioneer Woman's new cookbook. Some of you read her site, yes? I knew that a lot of people did, but I had no idea that this signing would be a mob of women the size of which one rarely sees. Wow. There's a picture of the event here, and a better description of it on Nicole's blog. I really was there just to see Nicole and her cute little Bridget, and it was time well spent. She's always great. The fact that there was a celebrity in the house (really who knew?) was just an extra.

TV
I'm going through a bit of a transition in my TV watching; it's a pivotal time in my life. I've really grabbed on to "Glee". Have you seen it? It's funny, and the music is good. There was one episode that was too "adult themed" for the people I know, and I agreed, and told myself that if that was going to be a common theme then I'd probably quit watching. But I'm happy to say that it's gotten better since then, and I'm a solid fan. If you haven't seen it, and can somehow watch the pilot episode (maybe online?), then I'd recommend doing so.

I have not watched "So You Think You Can Dance" this time around. We all know how much I've loved that show, but it's on Tuesday, and I'm at the bookstore on Tuesday, and I just haven't gotten up much enthusiasm for it. I think I'll just skip this round. I'm also on the fence about "Mad Men" this season. Actually, it runs on an off-season schedule, so they're about to wrap it up for the year. There's so much to love about this show, but there are also people making stupid mistakes that mess up their lives and make everyone miserable, and a person can be entertained by another person's misery for only so long. I'll see how this season ends before deciding that I'm done.

This is what I mean by going through a TV transition. Life moves in phases.

You know, if I may be philosophical for a moment, life does move in phases, and if you're lucky you'll have good people around to love the good times with and to help you through the bad. I have always been lucky with the people in my life, and that makes me pretty happy.

In closing, congratulations to the Salt Lake Real soccer team for moving through the first leg of the playoffs!

Thanks, as always, for your constant care.
You are Loved.

A Halloween Story

Hi, this is William. Angie is letting me use her blog to tell you about Halloween. She's nice. She always tells me when she puts pictures of me on the computer, so I figured she'd do it again. I asked if I could tell the story this time. She's actually doing the typing because my hands are very small, and the only computer I've ever used is a toy.

Here it is, my first Halloween!

Actually, I was alive for Halloween last year, but I was only 8 months old, and didn't really get it. We found this picture of me trick-or-treating a year ago.
I didn't know what I was missing.

Now I'm 20 months old, that's almost 2 years, and am definitely old enough for Halloween! Mom picked out my costume, and that's ok. I think that if I could have told her what I wanted to be, I would have gone with a pirate, because pirates are awesome, but I can't really say the word pirate, or any other words, so I had to go with what she bought me.

I was suppose to take a good afternoon nap so that I wouldn't be tired and crabby all night, but I'm not very good at sleeping, so that didn't happen. When mom was stuffing me into that lion suit I was a whiny. How was I suppose to know what was going on? It all seemed very strange. But after the suit was on I was ok with it. Mom and Dad took me outside for pictures. Then, this person in a black sheet showed up, and he really made me nervous. He kind of sounded like my brother Zac, and everyone was calling him Zac, but I wasn't sure. They had him hold me for a picture. Not cool.

Why do people do this to me?

But it all got much better after that. Jonah and his friend had already started trick-or-treating, so we ran to catch up. Being 7, Jonah is a good trick-or-treater. Mom, Angie and I followed him. "Zac" (I'm still not sure) came with us too, on the golf cart. He was there to give us rides when we got tired, or if someone had to go home to use the bathroom.

Jonah is in the Ninja Turtle costume. Angie was falling behind. I had to get her.

We went to a house, knocked on the door, and a very nice lady opened it up. She talked and laughed and said that I was a very cute lion. She had a bowl full of brightly wrapped pieces. Mom showed me how to take one and put it in my pumpkin, and then she said that it was candy. Candy?! Really?! I was kind of shy about taking anything, which made everyone laugh even more. I guess they thought it was adorable. Who knows? The nice lady closed the door, and Mom and I walked back to the sidewalk.

Wow, that was fun.

And then we got to do it all over again.

After a few houses I was loving trick-or-treating! I ran from house to house. Sometimes I had to stop to grab Mom or Angie's hands so they could keep up. Jonah was running, too, so really we were all just trying to keep up with him.

After a while that pumpkin got heavy, and it was hard to keep my balance. I kept falling over. Mom asked if she could carry it, and I didn't want her to at first, but let her after the second fall.

At almost every house there was a lady who wanted to talk to me. I'd take a piece of candy and put it in my bucket, and then go to take some more. Putting candy in the bucket was fun. Mom would try to stop me, but the ladies always laughed and said that it was ok.

But sometimes a boy would answer the door, and he'd let me take my candy, but he didn't talk to me. So I'd stand there and smile, and look at him, and wait. Where's the conversation? Then Mom would take my hand and lead me away from the house. Huh. It's more fun when nice ladies open the door.

We were out trick-or-treating for a long time. There were lots of other kids too, and that made it even more fun. By the time it got dark, I was very tired. Mom carried me from house to house until we came to my uncle's home, and that's where we stopped. It's a good thing Zac was there (and that the guy in the sheet was gone) with the golf cart because I couldn't walk home. Angie held me while Zac drove us. Mom stayed with Jonah to go to a few more houses. When we got home I found my dad, and he picked me up, and I laid my head on his shoulder and stayed there for a long time. I almost fell asleep. Trick-or-treating is very tiring. But so much fun!

The End.

Week in Review

Hello All. Due to a complete lack of anything to tell you, and some other projects that are begging for my time, I am delaying A Week in Review until Monday or Tuesday. In the mean time, here's a little Halloween scare from The Nightmare Before Christmas, with music from Panic at the Disco (that's for you Sierra).

Happy Halloween!
You are loved.



ps - My apologies for the AOL add.

Something Fun

From the Fun Theory

Pumpkins!

Years ago, when Sierra was maybe four years old, she and I were walking though a parking lot to the grocery store. She was holding my hand and skipping, and then she stopped dead and said, "Punkamins!" with all of the joy a 4-year old can hold. There were rows and rows of pumpkins on hay bales in front of the store, and they looked wonderful.

Last night I went to Marla's for an annual pumpkin carving. I say annual because it is for them, but I actually haven't done it for a few years. I'd forgotten how much fun pumpkin carving is.

The boys were pretty happy when they heard what we were doing that night, and as soon as dinner was done, they grabbed their chosen pumpkins, hunkered down and dove in. Side note - all of these pumpkins came from their garden.

William is a bit young to be let loose with sharp knives, so we just took a cute picture of him, and then took everything away. He seemed to be ok with that, and just went into the living room to play with his toys. Every now and then he'd come back and check on us, ask to be held, get a look at what we were doing, and then run off again.

Jonah took his pumpkin very seriously. I underestimated that kid. I really thought that either Marla or I would be doing most of the work for him, but he did the whole thing all by himself, even the gutting. Mike (Marla's husband) cut the tops off, and then Jonah dug in up to his elbows in goop and started pulling that stuff out with real gusto.

In the mean time I worked on my pumpkin, which went something like this, "Ick this stuff is slimy. I can't get it all out! Gah, there's all this stringy stuffy. My hands are a mess. Will someone get me a paper towel!" Marla took over for me. She dug in there with a spoon and got all of the string along with a thin layer of pumpkin leaving just the smooth inside. Amazing. Jonah, who was sitting right next to me, said very matter-of-factly that he's "really good" at gutting, and showed me his perfectly clean pumpkin. I was honestly impressed.

Jonah then went to work at carving a face. First he took a stick-like tool and made an outline in dots, and then he got a small knife and went to work.

Zac, who is now 14 and way too cool for pumpkins, still joined in, but did so with a good dose of sarcasm and attitude.

Actually, Zac is a very good kid, and fun, even with the sarcasm and attitude.

Meanwhile, William, exhausted by all of the activity, decided to stretch out on the kitchen floor. Pumpkin carving is too hard.

Josh, like Jonah, was a professional carver, and finished off two pumpkins. Good work. He's also good at making a silly face when you want to take his picture, which is fun for all of us. Oh, and before you think that Zac is a master carver, I should tell that what he's holding is a fake. It's a plastic decoration.

Josh, hard at work. I'm noticing all of the pop bottles around the kitchen. We're big drinkers. It's part of our Minnesota heritage. You shouldn't let go of your culture. By the end of the evening we had a good collection of jack-o-lanterns, and I should have taken a picture of them, but I didn't, so you'll have to trust me.

William was on his way to bed about the time that I left for home, and I got a very nice goodnight hug. He's so sweet, and a good cuddler. Cuddling is the best.

I'm going back over on Saturday for trick-or-treating. It was so fun last year, and the kids have good costumes, so I'm pretty excited about it.

Happy Halloween!