The Prom that wasn't

Loralee has asked for prom stories. I would just leave my story in her comments but I haven't been able to think of much to blog lately so I decided to post it here.

You might not think I have a story because I was home schooled and didn't actually go to a prom. But I did get asked. Kinda. Well, someone, who for his own sake I will call "boy," didn't actually ask me. His mom asked my mom to ask me to go to prom with him. Lame. I told my mom to tell his mom that I "wasn't that into prom" because I didn't want to hurt his feelings but I did have some self respect.

Later on I was hanging out with a friend and her boyfriend who were going to the prom. She was telling me all about her dress and their plans, etc. She was talking about who else was going and who they were going out to eat with and somehow or another she mentioned "boy" so I asked if he was going. The boyfriend piped up and said "not likely." I was beginning feel a tad bit guilty that this sad boy didn't have a date when he continued. Apparently, boy had told boyfriend that he wouldn't go with anyone "unless she is willing to put out" and that he wasn't going to "spend good money on a tux and a corsage unless he would be getting laid that night." So I then told them the whole story along with the comment that it's a good thing I said no because he might have ended up really disappointed at the end of the night.

Now, to tell you the truth, I don't know if he asked his mom to ask my mom to ask me (which would make him lame) or if his mom just worried that he wouldn't have a date so she asked my mom to ask me (which would mean his mom thought he was lame) so I can't judge him (well, maybe I can) based on that part. But I do know that he didn't end up going to the prom. I guess he couldn't find anyone to fit his "high standards."

I ended up watching movies with another girl friend and making her fabulous coconut cookie recipe. All together, I am happy with what I got at the end of the night - that recipe, which I will have to post because they really are great, and I don't even like coconut.

My just cuz jacket

Look familiar? Maybe this will jog your memory. Yep, it's the same one. Did I give into peer pressure and buy myself this coat. Nope. Craig got it for me as a surprise. For my birthday? No. For our anniversary? No. Just cuz. Or maybe I should say just cuz he wuvs me. And I love it. And it has a real cute lining. See.

Who Needs Editors?

Can you spot the mistake here? (Note: it was made twice, click to enlarge.)


When you're done, click the link to see if they've fixed it yet.

WFMW: One Smart Noodle

I've been trying to improve the way we eat around here, mostly by making easy subtle changes. Switching from regular sugary peanut butter to the all natural stuff, making sure we buy 100% whole wheat bread, not just honey wheat, etc. I tried switching to wheat pasta but it just doesn't taste good. But we eat spaghetti about once a week, and I use spaghetti in stir fry if I don't have time to cook rice. That is a lot of empty carbs if we were to stick with the regular stuff and it had me worrying.

But then I found this, Ronzini Smart Pasta. It has 3 times the fiber of regular pasta (6 grams per two oz serving) and quite a bit of calcium. I am not diabetic but I have heard it doesn't effect your blood sugar as much as regular pasta does. Best of all, it doesn't taste like cardboard! I don't really taste any difference, and more importantly, Craig doesn't either. It is a tad bit more expensive but I have seen a number of coupons out there and even without them, I don't mind spending $0.20 for a healthier meal so smarter pasta works for me.

Stuff growing on me

No, I'm not talking about any recent bouts of fungal infections. I'm talking about things I didn't used to like but now have not only learned to tolerate but actually enjoy.

1. Scrubs. I used to hate Scrubs. I found it weird and annoying and it was even worse because everyone else found it soooo funny. But then I watched a couple episodes and I have to admit, it's funny. The mean janitor, mean Dr. Cox, mean Dr. Kelso, they are just so funnily unfriendly. Enough that I might actually watch the show's new episodes, whenever there are new episodes.

2. Pearls Before Swine. Craig has always found this comic highly amusing and I have not. But after we got married, he showed it to me every morning so that I could laugh. And after a couple weeks, I actually started to laugh. It is weird and I'm pretty sure it requires both a knowledge of the characters and a quirky sense of humor before you can get it, but once you do, it can be laugh out loud funny. Enough so that I was okay with him naming our feline friend after it.

3. People. Yep, I tend not to like people at first. Doesn't really matter who that person is, when I first meet someone, I will probably not like them. I think it is because I am shy and don't like new things, situations, etc. But almost all the time, I learn to like them. I really like most people I know so I don't know why I have such a hatred for people I don't know. At least I am aware of it, so that way I don't hold it against someone if I dislike them at first. I always give them a second chance, cause I'm nice like that. :-) It's kinda nice to meet blogger people online first because I don't dislike them that way, then if I meet them in real life I like them from the start. If only I could meet all new acquaintances this way.

So there you have it, I am learning to grow and learn to like new things, of all sorts, superficial and no so superficial.

Hook 'Em, Obama?

Something you Aggie Democrats (a rare breed, indeed) may want to consider before voting in the Democratic primary:


Of course, I did vote for this guy:

Checking in with the History Channel

There was a pretty good show on the History Channel on Friday night. It was called Hillbilly: The Real Story. It covered the history of our Appalachian friends, from coal miner union wars to moonshine to NASCAR to snake-handling churches. I'm sure there was much more, but I missed the first hour*. But the best part of the show? The host:

That's right! They were able to get Billy Ray Cyrus to take a few hours away from using his daughter to resurrect his career to narrate their show. What a great choice!

*I missed the first hour because I was watching the end of Forrest Gump. Now I own that movie, but when I saw it was on TV, I watched in anyway, commercials and all. Do you ever watch on TV a movie that you own?

New Feature!!!

I would like to introduce a new feature on our blog - Craig's Swear Jar. It is located to your right, below the archives.

For some time now, Craig has had a figurative "swear jar." When he swears, I either add a quarter or a dime to his running toll, depending on the severity of the word. When it hits $7, he has to take me out to see a girly movie since that is the ridiculous cost of a movie theater ticket nowadays. He thought it might be fun for you to keep track of it as well. Also, he always forgets what he is at and I think he thinks this will curb any cheating I might be tempted to do. But I don't cheat so this is unnecessary.

Either way, it had been reset relatively recently so be sure to keep track. When we hit $7, you can probably be expecting me to ask for recommendations or give you a movie review. I can't wait.

Compromising Christianity

When I opened up the newspaper today and found my favorite section (you know the one with the comics and such) I saw a certain article that made me go "Gag." And yes, I literally said "Gag" out loud. That article was "The Great Debate" and it talked about how our local Episcopalian church is celebrating Evolution Weekend. Stupid stupid Episcopalians. (I feel I can say that because I was an Episcopalian for 22/23 of my life.)

But I'm not one to criticize something without cause so I tried to give the article a chance. It started by saying that the local Episcopalian minister, Ruth Eller, talked about how she believes that the truths of the Bible and science can co-exist. Well, I can agree with that. Obviously that is the case as I am both a Christian and a scientist (not to be confused with a Christian Scientist). I either picked the wrong religion or the wrong career if I can't reconcile the two. For me, science backs up my faith. Everything I learn, everything I see, points me to the idea of a Designer. The world is too structured, organized and intricate for it to just have worked out that way by chance. Every part of the human body is so complicated and fits together just perfectly. It's amazing. I love science and I love how studying the world is another way I can learn about it's Maker.

But that is about the end of what the article says that I can agree with. The worst part of the whole thing was when she talked about how Jesus agreed with the ideas of evolution when He said that "no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above" and how that relates to the Big Bang theory and how we were all "born from above" when we evolved out of space dust. I'm not going to waste any time arguing with that because it has no biblical basis at all.

But there is another, more legitimate, science/God question I want to address. I have often been asked by Christian friends why I don't think God could have created the world through evolution by just creating the initial material and then guiding the process of evolution to create everything.

I do think he could have created the world that way. But the Bible doesn't say He did that, so I'm not going to say that. He said He created the world in 6 days so I say He created the world in 6 days. If He had said He had created the world by evolution than I would be okay with that.

Also, on a more theological note which I don't really want to get into here because I am trying to write about science but I just can't leave it out so I will say anyway - if one thinks that the creation story is just an allegory and Adam and Eve weren't the first people then the whole concept of original sin and the fall of man wouldn't make sense. Hence the need for a savior to save man from his original sin wouldn't be necessary. The literal story of Adam and Eve and their fall (and consequently mankind's fall) is fundamental to the Christian faith. Okay, now back to science-y stuff.

Since I believe the Bible is true, I think that the scientific evidence I see around me should point out that truth. I am not worried that science will disprove the Bible. I don't think, like someone in the article states, that I take the bible literally because it is easier, it isn't. It would be much easier for me to go along with evolution, rather than be thought of as a "closed minded bigot" as Eller insinuates I am.

As for Eller's insistence that we "adapt our faith to assimilate new knowledge," I say nope. I don't need to edit my Bible to keep up with science because it isn't a story that I have created to make me feel good, it is a recording of what happened and the facts will show that. Christians don't need to be afraid of "real science". And by "real science" I mean facts.

The problem is that people don't recognize the difference between facts and what a large segment of the modern scientific community agree upon. Yes, Christian scientists believe in something (that there was a Creator) and form a hypothesis that fits the facts and backs that up. Maybe that makes them biased. Not necessarily wrong, but maybe biased. But evolutionary scientists also believe in something (that there was not a Creator) and form a hypothesis that fits the facts and that makes them just as biased. An example - I was watching a show on PBS about the differences between humans and apes and how humans can teach but apes can only imitate (yes, I am a big dork). In it they mentioned similarities in DNA, not just between humans and apes but between all animals. The person then said how this is one of the strongest indicators of everything having a common ancestor that we all evolved from. Now, if I didn't believe in a Creator, that would fit well with my idea of how the world might have evolved. But I don't see that as great proof of evolution. I see it as great proof of a Creator who designed all those animals. Why create an entirely new blueprint for each creation when you can just tweak what you already have (and it obviously worked pretty well)? Makes sense to me. I see things like that a lot, "evidence" for evolution that is only evidence because they are fitting it to a already existing theory.

Another problem I have with evolutionists is that they aren't open to debate. As soon as they say "Oh, you can't argue with Evolution, it's science," I get so frustrated. Since when can't you argue with science! That is what you are supposed to do with science. Never take anything as a fact, continue to investigate, keep questioning. That is how we progress. Except when it comes to evolution, or global warming. Then any question is just showing your ignorance.

It's annoying to see that so often in the secular world but I can't say I am ever surprised by it. The world isn't supposed to understand Christ's ways because they don't know Christ. But more and more I see the church watering down God's truth and caving into the pressure of the world. Makes me think of a certain bible verse and no, it's not from Genesis.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
Matthew 5:13

Conversation I really hope was not overheard because it could potentially be misunderstood.

The scene:

Craig and I are in Michael's looking at wooden letters for a craft projects. Actually, I am looking for letters, Craig is looking at the ceiling waiting for me to be finished. I wanted to spell out L-O-V-E and decorate the letters for our wall (with plans to add FAITH and HOPE later). But things aren't working out how I planned.

Craig: Are you about ready?

Me: No, and I'm frustrated.

C: Why?

Me: Because they are out of Os. Stupid store, what am I supposed to do now?

C: Is there something else you can use?

M: (louder) No, You can't make love without an O!

C: (chuckling) I think it has been done before.

M: What? (face turning red) Oh...that's not what I meant.

Blogging Blues (and yahs!)

My work has decided to be stinky and start blocking me from writing posts on blogger. I can sign in but anything after that is apparently now off limits. Sometimes it lets me look at comments, sometimes not. And it won't always let me comment on things, but I haven't figured out the trend of why it's okay sometimes and not other times, I might be able to get around it once I do. It stinks.

My lunch break is was my main blogging time and it is going to be frustrating when I can't write then. I pretty much have to take a longish (45 min to an hour) lunch. Well, I have to be there at 8 and I need to stay till 5 so I could just work extra for fun but no thanks. And except for bloggity lunches I always pack my lunch and use that time to read my favorite blogs, write posts and catch up with my bible study/devotional. It's very relaxing and I really do think it helps me be more productive in the afternoon. And now, thanks to the new filter, I can't do my routine.

I guess it is their prerogative to block whatever sites they want but I don't do it during my working hours, I'm rarely even at my desk. And it's not like I want to put up pictures of naked people or write posts on how to kill puppies or eat babies or anything questionable like that. But even with the hardship of having to write at a different time, I will try to keep up with writing my non-puppy killing posts.

On another more positive blogging related note, my friend Amanda has finally started a blog! I have been bugging her about it for a while since she is so witty and I miss her and know that all sorts of things have happened in her life that I don't know about but want to. I waited until she posted a couple times before mentioning it so that now when you go, you can really get a feel for how fun she is. So go read it. Putting down roots has also been added to our Banter Buddies list so you can visit her whenever you like.

Texas Time

Now that Obama and McCain have won Wisconsin (Hawaii results aren't in yet), it's on to Texas and Ohio (as well as Rhode Island and Vermont) on March 4th. There are a few Texans that visit this site regularly, and I'm interested in how y'all are going to vote, especially you Republicans. As I understand it, you can just show up at the polls on March 4 and request either a Democratic or Republican ballot, depending on your preference. Since McCain has the GOP nomination more or less wrapped up, are you thinking about voting in the Democratic primary? If so, what is your approach? Is it:

a) Vote for Clinton, because she'd be easier for McCain to beat in November, or
b) Vote for Obama, because you're willing to take the risk of him winning in exchange for stopping Clinton?

My approach would be the latter. Of course, you could still vote in the GOP primary, to either help get rid of Huckabee, help put McCain over the top, or support your man, Ron Paul.

So what are your plans, Texans of both parties? Also, if you non-Texans have any advice for them, you may submit it as well.

Skiing and Skirts

This weekend was nice and calm. Saturday we just hung out around the house. Craig yelled and the tv because the Aggie's weren't living up to their basketball potential. I yelled at my sewing machine because it wasn't letting me live up to my potential. And poor Zeeba didn't know what to do with all the yelling. But that really was all confined to about 30 minutes and the rest of the time was scream free.

I did manage to complete my first article of clothing though. Isn't it cute?

It's linen and the polka dots are chocolate and ivory. I love polka dots. The pattern instructions were good for the most part and I even got the zipper sewed in but there was one point where
the instructions just kinda gave up or something and I had to work though it on my own. There are a couple issues but I'm trying not to be a perfectionist and just appreciate it for my first try. I actually wore it to church yesterday even though it was a tad cold for linen.

Now I am excited to try making some other stuff. I have a number of weddings coming up this summer so I want to make a summery dress to wear to them. I also want to make a more winter/spring friendly skirt. I love the online community and all the inspiration I can find there.
My main goal in learning to sew is just to have fun and be able to make things that I can't find - like skirts that hit at the right spot and maybe, years from now, pants. I can never find pants that fit. And someday, cute things like these and these. So cute! Now I just needs some kids to put in them.

After freezing in church, we headed up to Beaver to go skiing with some friends from church. I hadn't been since 9th grade and I forgot how much I love it. Considering how much I hate the cold, I must really like it to be outside for almost 4 hours. But I did.

I was a little nervous when I got to the top of the hill for the first time. But it all came back as I started down. I didn't fall down once. I am so excited to go again!

Ships with our Names

I was reading my book the other day (Body of Secrets by James Bamford, a history of the NSA) and it mentioned the USS Craig. I thought that was pretty cool, but then on the next page, it mentioned the USS MacKenzie. I figured that was a coincidence worthy of a post. There have actually been two USS Craig's, but here's the one in question:


There have been four USS MacKenzie's, but again, here's the one mentioned in the book:


As you can see, they are quite similar. They were both Gearing class destroyers commissioned at the tail end of WWII that were 390 feet long. However, mine had more 40- and 20-mm anti-aircraft guns. Hers had more torpedo tubes, so I think between the two ships, we had things covered pretty well. Her ship was sunk (on purpose, as a target) in 1976, but mine lasted until 1980. In all, I think my ship was better.

Is there a ship with your name on it?

Our Belated Valentine's Day

To bounce off of MacKenzie's Valentine's Day post from the other day, I'd like to publicly thank her for allowing me to push our celebration of that holiday back one day, to the 15th. What a money-saving move that is! A dozen roses that were $19 on the 14th were $8 the next day, and boxes of candy could be found for as low as $1. If we had chose to go out to a restaurant, it undoubtedly would have been much easier to find a reservation. However, we usually buy fancy food at cook at home. This year, we had steak and lobster tails. Good stuff, indeed. I would recommend this move to any of you men out there.

Cold Weather Comfort

For those of you that are dealing with snow and cold, this article should put things in perspective. It lists the coldest places in the world. How would you like to live in Yakutsk?

Yakutsk, capital of the Yakutia region in Siberia claims to be the coldest city on earth. Considering it has a population of 200,000 people, that may be so. In January, daily high temperatures average around -58°F (-50°C). Residents often leave their cars running all day long to ensure they can get home. You are warned not to wear glasses outside, as they will freeze to your face and tear the flesh when you try to remove them.

I often drive through towns that are in the middle of nowhere, and I wonder what the people there do for a living. I can't imagine what 200,000 people do in this city in Siberia, besides shovel snow.

My Valentine's Day rant

Valentine's Day. Those two little words seem to bring such fear and loathing to so many people. Single people feel left out. Men worry about what to get their wives or girlfriends. Women analyze their gifts to death or feel disappointed because the day wasn't special enough or they didn't get what they wanted. And everyone complains that it is just a holiday made up by the greeting card and chocolate industry. I have to tell ya, I don't get all the whining.

I have always liked Valentine's day. My mom always gave us a nice card. Nothing fancy but it was sincere and talked about what she loved and appreciated about us. If I was lucky I would get socks with hearts or x and o on them (and I do love cute socks). We learned about the origins of Valentine's day. How Saint Valentine supposedly married young couples even though the Roman emperor had banned marriages in an attempt to build a better army. And when Valentine was in jail awaiting his death, he became friends with the jailers daughter and sent her a note signed from your Valentine. Cute, isn't it? So for a long time, V-day was nothing but a source of joy for me.

Then I got to college and saw all the girls in my dorm moping about the whole week leading up to the big day. Every other holiday all the doors in the dorm hallways would be covered with cute signs and posters and pictures but not Valentine's day. Well, there would be a couple doors that belonged to recently engaged woman who would decorate but the rest would be blank or covered in anti-valentine's day propaganda. (And really, who did those girls think they were kidding)

I didn't get it. And it wasn't like I ever had any hot valentine's day plans, mind you. In fact, I had never even gone on a date on Valentine's day until I was married but I still didn't have the despair that I saw in some of my girlfriends. (Craig and I had our first "DTR talk" on Valentine's day but we didn't even see each other in person and the next year he was out of the country). I think the problem is people think about themselves too much. And I don't do this at Valentine's day, but I do understand the lure of self pity and how easy it is to think everyone's life is better than your own. I guess the heart is always redder on the other side of the dorm hall. The cure - begin to focus on others instead.

A perfect example is what our college group did this year. I can't take any credit because I didn't plan it and really only went at first because we were in need of some social interaction but we made cookies and cards for members of our church and residents of a local nursing home. But it ended up being so nice to know you were letting someone know you cared about them. You could also send notes or cards to friends you might thing be suffering from the Singles Awareness Day blues to let them know they are loved.

And yes, Valentine's day is over commercialized now but you whiners only have yourselves to blame. The stores wouldn't offer all that stuff if people didn't buy it. It is like the people who complain about all the Christmas stuff but then have their tree up two months early and buy hundreds of dollars worth of presents for their kids who are still young enough to appreciate a cardboard box.

I don't really know what my point in this is, I just had to complain about all those Valentine day complainers, which I guess makes me one too. Oh, well. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Cartoon Solidarity

You may recall two years ago when that Danish newspaper published those Mohammed cartoons that set of a bunch of riots by members of the "Religion of Peace." Well, yesterday Danish authorities arrested some people for allegedly plotting to kill the cartoonist, demonstrating how radical Islam is not compatible with Western ideals. In response, newspapers across Europe have reprinted one of the cartoons to show solidarity with the Danish newspaper and cartoonist.

The US media has generally refused to print these cartoons, for reasons of "tolerance" or cowardice or something. The blog Captain's Quarters was not afraid to reprint them, though, and he has encouraged other bloggers to do so. He says:

Perhaps bloggers can take up some of the slack, and provide some leadership for our media outlets here in the US. At the very least, we can do so to salute the courage of the Danes on the front lines for free speech. It's easy to defend free speech when it doesn't cost anyone anything. The Danes have manned the barricades when it counts.

I thought I'd participate, too, so here you go:

Attention men!

As you hopefully know, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. For those of you living in the valley who don't know what to get your wife, here is a great option. Horlacher's Deli is having a "Valentine Meal Special." For only 14.95 you get 2 lbs of French Dip, BBQ Beef, or BBQ Pork, 1 Lb Potato Salad, 1 Lb Macaroni Salad, and 8 dinner rolls. It even comes with a rose! Because nothing says love like 2 lbs of meat.

WFWM - Coconut Oil

Works for me Wednesday is a little different this week. The usual host Shannon is out of the country for a Compassion International Blog thing. (It's hard to describe, just go read about her amazing experiences). Don't Try This At Home is hosting in her place - same great ideas, different location. I don't like change, but even I can deal with this.

Okay, on to my tip. Coconut oil is great stuff. It's a little weird because it's melting point is in the 70s (76?) so in our house it is a solid in the winter and a liquid in the summer. But once you get past that quirk, you can find tons of uses for it. Here are three ways I consistently use it.

1. Moisturizer: Just rub a little of it on your dry skin. It is oil so don't use a ton or you will look like you want to be a body builder but it works well even here. And you know if the air is dry enough to make my hair look good, it's dry enough to make my skin NOT look good. (I need a climate where it is humid until about 5 feet off the ground, then it becomes dry, does that exist anywhere?) I will warn you though, you may or may not like the smell. I don't like coconut scented products but I do like the smell of the oil. Craig doesn't really like it because he thinks it makes me smell like popcorn and that makes him hungry. So use it, but make sure you have snacks on hand for your husband.

2. Pets: We feed a little bit to our cat Zeeba everyday. Her long hair is so silky smooth now and the oil helps keep things a' movin, if ya know what I mean. We have had a few problems with in the past and a little oil every day is much much better than trying to cram a bunch of laxatives down a cat and listen to her moaning for several days till they kick in. Not fun, for her or us. Plus, she really likes the taste of it. And that says something because she is the pickiest eater ever, have you ever met a cat that wouldn't eat any meat? Not chicken, not turkey, not even a piece of salmon that I had dropped on the floor! When she sees me bring out the jar so comes over and hops in my lap (even if I was only planning on cooking something with it). Which brings me to the obvious one .

3. Cooking: I used it last week to make wheat bread last week because my mom makes the best bread and I remember her using coconut oil. In the winter you might have to microwave it for a few seconds to get it to oil form but it works and it is relatively inexpensive for oils. It is also frequently used to pop popcorn (hence the smell) and I have heard that it is good for frying things too.

Hillary's Giuliani Strategy?

Word on the street is that Obama is going to win every Democratic primary this month. That includes MD, VA, DC, WI, and HI (and some other states, I suppose). Hillary is said to be counting on Ohio and Texas, which take place March 4 (they're calling those states her "firewall," the newest lame political term).

To me, though, this sounds like Rudy Giuliani's Florida strategy. Hang around for a while, bypass the early states, and win big in Florida to get back in the race. It didn't work for him, though, because the race passed him by. The same thing could happen to Hillary, if Obama is able to build a lot of momentum between now and then, turning into an unstoppable liberal force.

Of course, I think the Clintons still have a few tricks (and fake tears) up their sleeves.

Hair today

I feel the need to talk about something really deep - my hair. My whole life my hair has been one of the banes of my existence. Can one have more than one bane or is it it like "the worst" and their can be only one? Well, it's my blog and I say I can have more than one bane.

Anyways, back to my hair. From about the age of 7 until I was about my late high school years, I wore my hair in a ponytail every single day. Some may think I am exaggerating but believe me, I had friends that had known me for years and had never seen my hair down. It's not really that awful, I just have a lot of it and didn't know how to work with it. But that is okay, in high school I just consoled myself with thoughts of my nice skin. I managed to scrape through my teen years with only the occasional period zit. And if my hair had done what I wanted, I still would probably be looking back ten years from now wondering why I followed that stupid trend. So in hindsight, it worked out in the end.

But then I tried hard in college to work with it and half the time it was okay, half the time I had a big poodle on my head. I guess it was good enough to snag a guy so it couldn't have been that bad, or maybe he just had low hair standards.

Here in Utah I have learned that I am easily swayed by Craig and his many ideas for my hair. Dye it red, cut it short, grow it long, dye it black (didn't listen to that one, ugh). I wanted to grow it out then I got impatient and planned on cutting it back to my short length (just about shoulder). But I have also been lazy lately and didn't even get around to it. And thank goodness I didn't because I have discovered something. Utah in the winter is like paradise for my hair. I love it. I hate everything else about the winter and the snow and the dry air which makes me itch. But my hair, it is like silky strands of gold. I can just wash it and dry it, or not. That's right, I don't even have to blow dry it! It's great.

Now I don't want you to think this post is me bragging. But that's isn't the case, my hair isn't great because of anything I do. It's just the air. And I just wanted to give any of you struggling with hair issues hope. Someday your Utah will come. Hopefully, it won't involve you actually having to come to Utah [unless you're visiting me :-)] but either way, I hope it happens for you.

Peep of the Week

Loralee has started giving out a "Peep of the Week" award for her favorite comment of that week. Guess who won this week!?! Craig, that's who. Check out her site to see what his award winning comment was, I will admit it was funny.
She is also giving people a chance to give out their own "Peep of the Week" award with accompanying button o'cuteness. Which leaves me with the difficult decision of picking my favorite comment of the week. However, when looking back on our reactions, it really is most obvious who my choice should be. It made me laugh out loud for a good minute while simultaneously making Craig's jaw drop face turn red. All signs of a good comment. Without further ado, I award my Peep of the Week award to my mother for this

Oh, and about that Victoria's Secret stuff, I know I'm your Mom, but YOU GO GIRL! :)

My week

I haven't written much this week. I guess cause nothing crazy exciting happened. Not that it was a bad week, the opposite really. It was one of those great, slow and steady, practically perfect weeks. I'll give you a brief outline.

Monday - Went by really fast at work, which I believe is the perfect way to spend 8-5 on a Monday. Then I went to my women's bible study, drank mint hot chocolate and talked with some other ladies about the ridiculousness of our study saying David was 8 years old when he battled Goliath. We also thought it was kinda reading a lot into the story to say that because he was 6 cubits tall and had a shield of 660 shekels that somehow that means he was connected to Satan. Goliath = bad guy, doesn't need to have a 666 connection to see that. Young David with only stones and sling killing big bad Goliath with lots of weapons and shields = miracle, don't need David to be 8 for that to be true. Silly study = lots of laughs.

Tuesday - Super Fat Tuesday. Craig liked the super part because politics gives him energy. I liked the fat part because carbs give me energy. Especially when those pancakes are made by other people and I don't have to do dishes.

Wednesday - Craig went to play Quizzo which meant I had the whole evening of quiet time to read and write letters and just veg. It was great.

Thursday - Bloggity luncheon at the Owl (one of the few bars in Logan). It was my first time there and I must say they do make a mean hamburger. And the salads others ordered looked pretty tasty too. I will admit when they first ordered them I laughed, who orders a Cobb salad at a bar? But it didn't look too shabby.

Friday - Made valentines day cards for some of the more seasoned of our congregation with some others from church. Well, the girls made cute cards and we put the boys in charge of the heart cookies for the packages. I really enjoyed watching Craig determine the perfect shade of pink for his frosting. It was like the pink frosting on my heart shaped week.

Cat Pics

Voting Note

In case you were wondering, I was indeed one of the 93% of Cache County Republican voters (and 90% of Utah GOP voters) that went for Mitt Romney on Tuesday.

WFMW - Online Shopping

This week's WFMW theme is online shopping. Luckily I have just found a cute store to share with y'all because most of the online shopping we do at my house is from amazon or ebay which isn't really news to most people.

It's Christa Taylor and they sell women's clothing, that is modest but stylish. They also donate part of the proceeds to an orphanage in Cambodia. I found them by randomly following links and I think I ended up at her sister's blog but I honestly can't really remember, I was sick and killing time until the drugs kicked in a knocked me out. I've gotten a couple things from them:


This shirt was only $15. And I love that it looks like a shirt with a vest but it's not so I don't have to worry about my shirt bunching underneath. I hate that. Especially when I am at work in a cleanroom, wearing a bunny suit so I can't fix it. But you probably don't have that problem.

I also got two other shirts but they were also clearance items and now they are gone. I didn't, but wish I needed a coat so I could, buy this:

Especially since it is on sale for only $60.99. Which I believe is quite the bargain for a wool coat.

Oh, and I also like online shopping at Victoria Secrets. I am on their email list and they send good coupon codes quite frequently. They aren't know for their modest clothing or sending money to starving children, just starving women in the modeling industry, but Valentines day is coming up and not everything you own has to be modest. That's all I'm saying.

To whom it may concern

To whom it may concern:

I really don't appreciate receiving your "Spring " catalogs when I have to stand in two feet of snow to open my mailbox. I don't want to look at picture of happy people frolicking on boat docks while wearing sandals or capri pants or anything in a pastel color. Honestly people, it is February and there is snow on the ground in a good percentage of the country. You're being cruel, truly cruel. So stop before I boycott your company for good...or at least until you have a really good sale.

Sincerely,

Primary Eve

Well, tomorrow's the big primary day here in Utah, as well as in many other states. I've already voted for Mitt Romney (I like early voting). When this whole thing started many moons ago, I never thought I'd end up voting for him, but when your 1st and 2nd choices drop out, and it comes down to 3 (Romney) vs. 4 (McCain), you do what you have to do. I considered changing my registration and voting for Obama in the Democratic primary, since that one is actually competitive here, but on the day of the deadline I had no transportation to get to the clerk's office, so I left it alone. It may not matter though. Here is the current polling data for Utah:

• Romney 84 - McCain 4
• Obama 53 - Clinton 29

Yes, that says 84. The Mormons will come out in force for Brother Mitt. That's more or less how he won the Nevada caucus, too.

People told me that if I want a Republican to win in November, I be better served voting for Hillary instead of Obama. That's probably true, but my innate sense of what is pure, right, and just in the world does not allow me to support the Clintons and their gutter politics.

As for the GOP race, I tend to think Romney is not as finished as the media is making it seem. Of course, I tend towards irrational optimism. But if he wins California, and pulls off another upset or two (Georgia?), he will have every reason to hang around for the next few primaries. If that smarmy populist Mike Huckabee would drop out, it would help Romney a lot, but he's hoping for the VP slot, so he's hanging around to help McCain, whom you'll notice he never says a negative word about. They don't call him "Suckupabee" for nothing. Of course, if McCain does win, and picks Huckabee, he can kiss many conservative votes goodbye. I'll vote for McCain if I have to, but I won't vote for McCain-Huckabee.

I'm not too thrilled about the idea of McCain as the GOP nominee. His sins against conservatism are many, and he seems to just love to poke Republicans in the eye. Many on my side fear that, once he clinches the nomination, his recent spate of harsh attacks will end, and he'll begin a 9-month long love fest with Hillary, culminating in his defeat. I know that if we end up with a Clinton-McCain race, I'll be quite irritated. I'm sick of both of them. As Mark Steyn says, if it gets to that, it's a shame one of them has to win.

A good argument

Shannon, from WFMW fame, has written a great post for BlogHer, and I'm not just saying that because I pretty much agree with everything she said. Do be sure to read the comments, it's like the complete opposite of the herald journal over there, with all the civility and logical reasonings behind one's arguments.

Window-Related Weather Woes

This is what my car window looks like today:


The towel is there to cover the window that is stuck open (these are power windows, of course).

The window was originally stuck open only a couple of inches. We opened it a crack for some reason, and it didn't go back up. This is in addition to our rear passenger window, which drops down a couple of inches every few days, requiring us to manually lift it back up. We are unable to do so with this window. When it was open a couple of inches, it wasn't soooo bad, in terms of noise, cold, and snow. But when MacKenzie took the car to Jiffy Lube to get a safety inspection, so that we could renew our 4-months-expired registration (oops!), some fool there opened up the window to its current level, where it stays. Of course, in one of the cruel coincidences that so often mark life, it has snowed approximately 15 inches in the two days since the Jiffy Lube incident. Hence the towel, which also serves as an anti-theft device (although I assume that any thief would prefer to steal a car with functioning windows). Here's what our parking lot looked like this morning:

Having taken in our car to get an estimate of the cost of fixing the broken rear window, I've learned that the window motor is the likely culprit, and that replacing it costs upwards of $300. It's not worth that much to fix the rear window, but the front window is another story. How will I get my Big Macs or give my license and registration to police officers without a functioning driver's side window? Since it's the weekend, though, and I figured it would be a few days before I would be able to get it fixed, I thought I'd try to take the door panel off and see if I could somehow get the window into a closed position. I was also hoping that maybe there was an octopus in the door, or some other obvious, easily fixable problem. That was not the case.

First, I took the window switch unit off. Here's what it looks like, and here's the backside, in case you're interested:


After taking the inside panel off, which required me to buy a new socket for my wrench, I was still unable to get the window to move. But I figure that there's no reason to fully fasten the panel back on, or replace the switch unit, if the mechanic is just going to take them off again. So I didn't. Hopefully I can get this fixed soon. Of course, it' s not supposed to stop snowing anytime soon. You can blame my car for that.

Great minds write alike

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. Yesterday was actually an awful day and I will probably write about it soon but some of the awfulness is still occurring and the others parts are still too fresh in my mind so for now I will simply move on to something completely unrelated.

I have mentioned my obsession with Ree's blog before and have always secretly known that we were like two peas in a pod, except I don't have any punks, and don't live on a farm, and can do maybe 10% of what she can with a camera and Photoshop. But today, in her latest chapter of "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels," the highly addictive story of her and Marlboro Man's history, she mentioned trucks and those girls that sit in the middle. Some of you may remember my confession from last summer. That proves it, we are kindred spirits indeed.