Book Review-Which Brings Me to You

Which Brings Me to You: A Novel in Confessions by Steve Almond

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was so funny. In that PG-13 Steve Almond sort of way. It's a series of letters between 2 people who meet at a wedding. They almost jump in the sack with one another at the wedding, but at the last moment they decide to stop and get to know one another first. But because one lives in Philadelphia and one lives in NY they decide to do this by letters. They are "confessional" letters, and they have promised each other they will tell each other the whole truth.

And tell they do. About past loves, their families and their most impacting relationships. It's a very honest book. It's inspired me to be more honest with myself and with what I expect out of life and my marriage. The book is written for people who don't mind total upfront in your face graphic truth about nasty (and great) relationships and what makes them so.

What I really liked about this book was that it was written by 2 different people. So you really got the two voices of the individuals. I've become accustomed to the words and writing styles of Steve A. but the other author, this JENNIFER person is great. I really like her writing.

This book made me laugh out loud at times and I wished the characters tons of happiness. My wishes were mostly granted.


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Book Review-Beautiful Boy

Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Meth Addiction by David Sheff

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book connected with me on so many levels. It's about a father living in the Bay Area of California who's son has a very strong addiction to Meth. I've never been addicted to meth personally, but I still connected with this book. I think it's because my brother Jacob has has such a rough time for the past 4-5 years with drugs and alcohol.

One thing that really REALLY upsets me is when they call drug abuse or alcoholism a "disease." To me, a disease is something that you got through no fault of your own. Like a cold or cancer. But then the author makes a good point. Lots of the diseases we get ARE due to our own faults. Like cancer of the lung from smoking. Or syphilis from. . .well. . . you know. If you look at it that way, yeah, I guess many of my diseases are due to mistakes I personally have made. The author goes on to say that LIKE these other diseases you do all you can to fight it, but the ironic and twisted thing about drug abuse is that one of the symptoms of it is that you deny you have it and won't seek treatment.

The book is really a very good in depth look into the actual drug of meth. Why it was created, who makes it now, who uses it now, and how they use it. It also talks about what it does to your brain. One very scary thing it said is that it destroys the neural pathways in your brain and at a MINIMUM those take 2 years to repair. Until that happens, you are literally brain damaged and your desire and craving for meth is super strong. That is why meth has such a high relapse rate. Another factor is that there are no drugs like methadone (used to fight the cravings and withdrawals of heroin) that are for meth. And it has taken lawmakers WAAAY too long to accept that meth really is the demon drug everyone has been saying it is.

Finally, (wow, this is a long review, but I obviously really liked the book) the point of the book is that there are no easy answers. There is no magic wand that will make your kids impervious to drugs. There is no quick fix. It's just every day, every moment, fighting. I can really REALLY understand that as I work hard to lose weight right now. There is no fast answer, just me not eating crap and exercising. It seems simple right? The same way that it seems simple to everyone who isn't a drug addict: if you don't want to be an addict, then DON'T DO DRUGS!! Simple right? This book has really knocked me off my high horse when it comes to my feeling we are all untouchable by drugs. No one is out of it's grasp.

Basically, this book scared the S#*T out of me.


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Poutine

I know that I have gushed about my TiVo on more than one occasion. It makes me so happy when it find shows for me that I end up loving. That's how I found "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "South Sydney Story." But Marcelo and my new favorite is "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" on the Travel Channel.

Tony (we are on a first name basis these days) goes to different places all over the world and tries the local cuisine and talks to the people and just generally has a good time. He's mot afraid to eat or drink anything and he gets to try some of the best foods from all over the world.

And I think he just found my personal favorite. It's called poutine and it's from Quebec, Canada. Let me just lay this out for you: A bed of fries, covered with cheese curds. That would be enough for me right there. But then they put GRAVY on the top. Tony when he heard about this he was like "oh, wow, that does NOT sound good" and I actually said out loud back to the TV: YES IT DOES. Here is a picture of this lovely delicacy.

Lets start with the fries. They don't look like regular American fries. I'm imagining that they are extra crispy because they have a coating on them. Or that they are cooked extra long so they are not soggy at all but are kinda borderline burnt. Fries will ALWAYS be my go-to comfort food. I seriously have to stay away from them if I want to lose weight.

Next. The cheese curds. Is there anything more delicious than a nice melty cheese curd on top a crispy fry? Or just a cheese curd independent? Cold right from the fridge, they sqeak on your teeth and have a good substantial bite to them. BYU has GREAT cheese curds. They are the squeakiest curds I have ever come upon in my life. And believe you me, I have eaten my share of curds.

And finally, the gravy. This looks like special "Quebec" gravy. Not as fatty as traditional American gravy. I imagine that it's really just slightly thicker Au Juis sauce and it has a nice salty flavor but not the greasy film that clings to the top of your mouth. It melts the curds and makes it very nice to pick up a curd, fry and sauce all together.

Sadly, I am not French Canadian. Nor do I think I will ever go to Quebec. So then, how will I ever try this food that so obviously has been made from Satan's loins because the thought of it makes my skin bubble up in joy?

I need to try this "poutine"!! Does anyone know where I can find it?

I Get Karma Points for My Childhood

My brother Jeff sent out this email with a bunch of pictures on it from my childhood. He had some pretty good ones and so of COURSE I must share them with you.

Exhibit #1:

This is a picture of my family at our family reunion in Eureka one year. I would suspect I was about 11 or 12. (1991 or 1992) Please notice the braces. Please notice the "heart shirt" I am wearing. My mother was (and still is) obsessed with hearts. Heart patch, heart blankets, hearts.

I think it also makes Jeff happy to see two of his siblings in University of Utah stuff. He actually bought ALL of us shirts from the U. He wanted us to wear them all the time. Oh, and please notice Sarah's hair. I think that's a perm/natural curl combo. My mom was always giving us perms. My perm has evidently grown out, and my natural curl hasn't arrived yet. Now you know why it took so long for me to realize I had curly hair: I had perm brainwashing all the years growing up.

Exhibit #2:

This is a picture of us, showing some of the effects of that constant perming.
So we are in the center of the picture. My mom is in that blue dress with Julie on her lap. Nate is sitting next to her and Sarah is on the other side. I'm the only one looking at the camera, but I'm almost all the way obscured. And of course, my father: Mr. Happy Pants. I think we were at some sort of Scouting event. But look at my mom's hair. You should know she has stick straight hair, so that is ALL PERM baby.

Exhibit #3:

A classic Halloween. This is Nate and Jake.
Basically we had 2 choices for costumes: Ninja and cheerleader. Thanks to Tina giving us all her old cheer outfits, we could wear them for years. (I'll try to get some pictures of those cheer costumes for future embarrassing posts). Anyway point simple, the boys were ninjas every year.

Exhibit #4:

Remember how I missed my calling as a ballerina? Well, after looking at this picture I don't think I was wrong in finding something else to do with my life.

That's me front and center with my arms open wide. My sister is the farthest one on the right standing up. Note the chiffon. Note the flowers in the hair. Please note the fact that I thought I was hot stuff. Commence mockery.

Exhibit #5:

Some cute kids.
On the left is Jake and Julie. You can always tell Jules in every picture because she has those red patches under her eyes. She's had them since birth and still has them to this day. Oh!! That dress she's wearing on the left was like her FAVORITE dress. One day we came home from one of Sarah's Jr. High basketball games and noticed that she was wearing that dress but not any underwear. Ahh, we were such raggamuffins.

And then in the picutre on the right, I belive that is Jules and Nate on one of our most beloved go-carts. We ran those things into the ground, but they were so SO awesome. So, I'm not 100% sure that's Julie, (it might be me on the cart) but just looking at the size of Nate tells me it is probably Julie.

The other reason I think that's a picture of Julie on the right is the fact that these are pictures that belong to Jeff. And Jeff was obsessed with Julie. She was HIS child, and he obviously preferred her to all the other kids. And with reason: he was there for her birth. He called her "Julie Bear" up until he met his wife who he then started calling "Tina Bear". But Julie went with him everywhere. He would take her on dates with him and all that jazz. I still harbor seething jealous resentment from it. Obviously.

Furthermore, the person on the go-cart is wearing boots and I NEVER owned any boots despite my begging and begging my mom to buy me some. We weren't rich enough to get more then 1 pair of shoes a year, and they had to be SCHOOL shoes. So white boots used primarily for fashion were out of the question. Anyway I'm pretty sure that's Jules on the Go-cart.

And finally, the culmination of all your hopes and dreams, what you have all been waiting around reading this lame post to see, here it is. . .

Exhibit #6

The Headgear. Oh the blessed blessed headgear. A pictures says a thousand words, so here, take a look at it.


I'm obviously on the far right. I had a pretty severe under bite and when my mom took me too the orthodontist in 1988, this was what they suggested I wear. You can see it's a metal frame with a plastic chin cup.

Let me just explain that chin cup: It was not fun. AZ is hot year round. Especially for a kid that runs around all the time, which is what I was. So That cup would sit on my chin and get all hot and sweaty and make my chin all hot and sweaty and break out in a horrible rash. Every day. Red chin EVERY DAY.

I don't remember too many people mocking me for the red chin, though. I think they all pitied me. And I had to wear it 24 hours for months, and then I got to just wear it at night. So by the time they saw me WITHOUT it (and just the red chin) they knew what it was from and it wasn't anything strange to them. But I need to find a picture of myself without the headgear on so you can see the effects of a suffocated chin.

There was also a little rectangle that attached to the top that was to sit on my forehead. But I got smart after a few months and got rid of it. So instead of having a square of red skin, I had a red line/scab because that thin little bar would dig into my skin.

So there you go. Those are a few pictures showing the horror that was growing up in my family. Aren't you thanking the heavens right now for your family? I thought so.

Reading Roundup

As I previously told ya'll, I've been reading a lot these days. Here are the reviews of the books I've read recently:

Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America by Steve Almond

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Do you ever watch "Unwrapped" on Food Network? This book is like a mini version of that show. The author takes you through several candy factories throughout America all the while talking about his own love of candy and what it means to him on a personal level. He's one of my favorite authors, so I really like his writing style and he continues it on here.

I like how he talks about how small candy producers are dying and the "big three" are taking over. (Hershey's, Nestle and Mars) And how he wishes that everyone loved candy as much as he does so that he can always be assured that his favorite candy bars are around forever.

If you (like me) are a candy FREAK, you will see WAAAAY too much of yourself in his writings.And that's what the purpose of this book was: for the author to discover if he was alone in his candy freaky-ness or if others were just as crazy as he. Turns out, lots are.

This book was fun, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to know a little about the history of candy and candy making in America. Or if they just love candy.


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The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow. That's all I can say. I don't know if you know anything about this book, but it's the memoir of Jeannette Walls and her family as they lived and learned about life growing up penniless and homeless most of the time. The book kind of angered me, because it seemed like no one ever called their parent on their crap. They never said, "Hey, you are horrible people, you need to get it together or you will lose your kids." They eventually do lose their kids, but not in the way you are thinking.

Some of the things that happen in this book are horrific. Jeannette being on fire, the father's alcoholism, their home in West Virginia and the fact that abuse is all around them waiting to pounce. However, the kids in this book are brilliant and it's easy to see why they are gong to "make it" in the world. For such a horrible person, their father really did teach them what they would need to survive. By doing it he both exposed them to danger at every turn, and also gave them the resources they needed to save themselves.

And the kid love their parents. STILL!! They are easily duped by them, and they put up with them so they must love them. And they do put up with a lot. I think this book was a way for Jeannette and her siblings to release their demons. And she does in a matter of fact way that is so amazing. Like she just puts it out there and is like "This is what happened. It is what it is." I don't think I could be that reserved and calm when going back and reliving all the things that had happened to me in a horrible childhood like hers.

This was a quick read. 1 day for me. I would recommend it to anyone.


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The Host: A Novel by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I actually liked this book more then I thought I would. I thought I would be dragging through it hating the fact that I picked it up because now I have to finish it. But I really did like it.

I liked how there was lots of talk about us as humans and what we do to each other and are we better off being FORCED to live a certain way. In that way, it seems like the author was exploring the idea of what would've happened if Lucifer had his way. Yes everything would've been "great" but we would've just been shells of ourselves, never achieving the potential we are capable of.

Did I like the way it ended? I'm not sure yet. I think I did, but then again sometimes when I think back on it, it was a little too "happily ever after" for me. Very Disney ending. Sort of.

I was very surprised at how much I liked this book. I think that Stephanie Meyer gets a lot of crap for writing "fluff" books, but I really admire her ability to have a story and then translate that story into a great book. She really is talented at what she does.

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The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was really good. And REALLY sad at the same time. My mom had her first baby right around the time this book starts, and she's told me a lot about that experience. So I can understand the mentality of the doctor to try to get rid of his second baby as soon as she's born. My mom was not a fan of 1960's medicine and baby practices, and so when she had her second, she swore it would be different. And it was.

But this book was so happy and sad at the same time. And I think what it was trying to tell us is that your life and the lives of people around you can be altered and changed forever in just one second, with just one decision. So what I got from it was that I need to slow down and make my decisions be better.

But I really noticed how the little girl in this book was loved by so many. Once thought to be put away, shoved aside to make room for the "better good" of everyone, in the end she gets the most love from all.


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The Shack by William P. Young

My review

rating: 1 of 5 stars
I stopped reading about page 100. I figure if I'm going to read about God, I would rather read something from my own religion, or at least something that's true. Rather then some fictionalized experience dreamed up by an author.

If you did read through it all and think I should finish, please let me know why.


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So that's it. I'm still reading other things and I'll let you know how they go too. . . as if you even cared.

I'll make a Dill with you

Last Sunday, when I was festering in my anger from in my nursery classroom, I overheard a lurking parent say the following, "I'll make a dill with you. . ." A dill? How do you make a dill with someone? A dill pickle? or a dill like "your kid is being a total dill today"? That kind of dill?

And then she continued on: "I'll make a dill with you, You stay here and play games and I'll read you 3 stories when I get home." It then hit me that she was going to make a DEAL with her child.

And then on the radio, I heard they were advertising some sort of cheap airline trip that you could take with the hosts of the show. They said, "This is a great dill, so you won't want to miss out". Again I had to stop and think about why they would say "this is a great dill." I thought those TV and radio people were supposed to be trained to make sure they got rid of most of their accents. Oh well, I just laughed and moved on.

I still haven't gotten over the strange accent I hear around here. The funny thing is that I'll catch myself saying fill instead of feel and I'll stop, go back and correct myself. So I'm aware of it, and yet I still do it myself.

Eric Snider found this funny story about this same thing that happened right here in Utah. You can find it here. Go read it. it's short. I'll wait for you here. Isn't that funny? I told my mom that story and she laughed right out loud.

Anyway, so as to be an equal employing mocker, I'm going to tell a funny story about Marcelo. On Sunday I told him that I nursed Evi to sleep, but I was worried she wouldn't stay asleep. And he said, "Oh, she didn't Furbp?" I said, what did you just say? Say that word again. And he said, "Furbp". Ohh, the hilarity. Obviously he was trying to say BURP, but the past 4 and a half years he's heard me say it, he thought I was always sayin furbp. I do love my husband

Shout Out

My freshman college roommate Mindy W. Burns has started a scrapbooking blog for digital scrapbooking. I personally don't digitally scrapbook for the same reasons I stopped paper scrapbooking: no money and no time.

But Mindy worked hard and has this great page where you can submit your own pages, win prizes and see what others are doing. If you have any interest in scrapbooking (digital AND/OR "original" paper style) you should check out her website.

Click here to go to the page and add her to your reader.

Let's get scrapin'!

Taking the New Toy Out For a Spin

So because I was sans computer this week, I forgot to blog about Evi's newest acquisition. . . . .a TOOTH. That's right, Tuesday morning about 2 am that little bugger came poking through. Then Tuesday and Wednesday night it decided to "lay low" in preparation for last night's BIG SHOW.

Oh, aren't those "teething nights" just the best? Good times. No. . .wait. . . GREAT TIMES!! I love a screaming child inconsolable by food, rocking and toys. That's my idea of paradise.

And how is she commemorating the occasion? By eating Raya's food, of course. AWESOME!!! See, she has no interest in putting any human food in her mouth at all. Rice puffs? Nope, they stay in her hand. Eggs? Nope, she just whips them around her tray smearing them everywhere. But dog food? STRAIGHT TO THE MOUTH!! So fast so that by the time I turn around, she's already in the kitchen, dumped the food on the ground, has a piece of food in each hand, has already put one piece in her mouth and has already pulled it out to examine it once again. She's a fast little bugger.

Man, I'm so in love with this girl I don't even know what to do with myself.

The Eyes Have It

There was this Elder in my mission from Bolivia named Elder Mendoza. Besides the fact that he was totally in love with me, he was just fun to be around. But my favorite part about him was his eyes. He had the most clear blue intense beautifully shaped eyes with the worlds longest lashes attached. They were really something to behold. My mission readers will have to back me up on this.

I told another one of my companions (who was also from Bolivia) that I would marry Elder Mendoza just so our kids could have his eyes. She told me that he was from Santa Cruz, Boliva and compared to all the smokin' hotties there, he was downright ugly. I told her she was full of crap, but she assured me that he would only score a 2 out of 10 in Santa Cruz. It made me want to go to Santa Cruz RIGHT THEN.

Anyway, I never did marry Elder Mendoza. Obviously. (Not like he didn't try, though) Nor did I ever get to see the supposedly gorgeous men of Santa Cruz. But the point of my rambling is that I don't know where my daughter gets her beautiful eyes!

Marcelo says they are all from him. But his eyes look nothing like his! He says they are the same as his sister and I'm inclined to believe him for now espeically becuase I haven't seen his sister in over 5 years and he grew up seeing her every day. But I'll let you know after I come back from Ecuador if that's really true.

Point of story: Even though I didn't marry Elder Mendoza, I did get a child with beautiful eyes and perfectly curly lush eyelashes. AWESOME!!

So Judd, I have a question for you: Based on beautiful-ness of eyes, would you rather be trapped in an elevator for 8 hours with Elder Mendoza or Elder Bermeo while the entire CD of Baladas Forever INCLUDING "Hotel California" played nonstop?

The Nursery

Marcelo and I are going to be booted from the Nursery. I already know this. We've been told that we will only be in the calling for around 6 months, but I don't think that we will make it that long. I think we will be asked to resign long long before that. We are the General Patton's of the Nursery.

Our complaint list is long and our demands are many. I'm sure many parents will ask to switch their kids into one of the other 2 nurseries in our ward. Here is just a partial list of our many complaints and things that we will be implementing during our reign of terror. . . er, I mean during our time in this calling:

Exhibit 1: Snotty nosed and sick kids. We will not put up with it. We will be returning kids to their parents if we hear more then 2 coughs per a 15 minute period. Also, if there is persistent muckage from the nose, I'll give your kid 10 minutes for it to dry up, and then I'm pullin' the plug. It's better that you don't drop your kid off if they are sick or are thinking about getting sick. It's just rude.

Exhibit 2: Child retrieval tardiness. The first counselor of the bishopric made an announcement last Sunday that it is very important that you come pick up your Junior Primary kids PROMPTLY. Not only do the teachers need their sanity after entertaining 6-10 wiggly kids after 2 hours, but there is another ward coming in that needs the room. Quit picking your nose, come pick up your kids. Despite what you may think, Primary isn't free daycare. We will not be here forever. We have lives too, so pick up your kid and let us out of our prison.

Exhibit 3: Lurking Parents. Drop your kid off and move on. Cut the cord. Maybe it's time that you set some boundaries and limits. I don't need you coddling your kid for 2 hours. I promise I won't smack your kid in the face, no matter how many times he throws pretzels at me. Nor will I spank him, no matter how much he deserves it. We had FOUR lurkers today. FOOOUUURRRR!! Not doing anything, just sitting in a chair as their kid played happily. I really think I know the reason your kid cries when you leave: Because you are teaching them! Boundaries, people.

Exhibit 4: Kids that don't belong there. The beginning of the year is hard for ALL primary kids. They ALL have to leave their teachers that they have become attached to for the past 12 months. They all have to move up a level and face the fact that maybe there won't be goldfish crackers and crates of toys at church. Maybe they will have to use the reverence skills that YOU as parents were supposed to teach them and sit and listen to a lesson. Change is good, and necessary. Primary it's not all bad, though. There are some songs to be song, maybe a crafts project. It's not Nazi Germany, after all.

What I DON'T want is for you get frustrated that your emotionally and socially stunted child isn't adapting well to Sunbeams and so you dump him in my Nursery class telling me that I can bring him back to his class in 45 minutes. And then when I go and drop him off at said Sunbeam class and try to leave him you only bring him back 5 minutes later because he isn't behaving well in his class. Guess what? If he can't behave well in Sunbeams, chances are he won't behave well in Nursery.

And that's just what happened. Your snot-nosed kid was grabbing things out of kids hands, running around screaming and demanding more cheese when it was all gone. And 1/2 of my kids followed his lead. Thanks but no thanks. If your kid isn't on my roll list, he isn't welcome. End of story.

So what do you think? Does this post make me officially going to hell? Most of the kids in my class I like. There are a few exceptions, of course. And one BIG exception with the kid that's not supposed to be there. I think I'm going to post this blog on the door of our classroom and see how parents react.

I think we will be released very very soon.

I'm Back Ya'll

Marcelo and I have been having computer problems. Serious computer problems. I only know enough computer stuff to get myself into trouble. Which is what I did Monday after our laptop when kaput. Even when the laptop is gone, we have a desktop!! So I got on the desktop and I tried to download a driver for the printer and ended up deleting the driver for the wireless card. How did I do that? I don't know. Like I said, I only know enough to get myself into trouble. I couldn't get it to work again. So we ended up buying a whole new computer.

Just kidding, sort of. We DID buy a new computer, but it was mostly because Marcelo needed a bigger fast computer to run his drafting programs. So for VERY cheep, we were able to get a brand new super computer. It's so fast, it gives me whiplash just booting up.

So I'm back. And now I can finish the post I started on Sunday, and write this other post that came to me in the shower just now. I bet you are all dying of anticipation, aren't you? Well, you'll just have to wait. You have to experience just a little bit of what I went through for the past 4 days.

I'm back!! Commence rejoicing!!

My Style of Reading

I love reading. I read all the time. However, sometimes when I get into a REALLY good book, I will put off reading it because I don't want ti to be over. Do you do that?

With the last Harry Potter book, I really didn't want it to end. Because I knew it would be the last book ever, and I just didn't want it to be final. So I would put it down and then pick it up and put it down and fight with myself and then pick it up. It's so weird.

I'm currently doing that with the book I'm reading.

What are some other weird quirks of mine? I love long showers. I could stay in the shower for hours. Just standing under the hot water and staying warm. That's what I love. I like showers more than baths, because baths sometimes make me light-headed when I stand up after being in them too long.

Also, I never buy myself new clothes. Marcelo has SO many clothes. Probably twice or 3 times the amount of clothes I have. He has much nicer shoes then me, and much nicer everything. I don't know why I don't just get myself some new clothes.

Weird quirk: I think that my baby looks like the alien baby from Men in Black. The first one. This is the only picture I can find to remind you what I'm talking about.


I'm sure you remember now what I'm talking about. But especially when I'm holding her and rocking her in the night, her dark eyes have EXACTLY the same shape as this little alien baby and it really reminds me of her. Is that weird that I compare my child to an animatronic baby from a movie? Hummm

Ok, and now for your viewing pleasure, a short movie of Evi standing up and then almost whacking Marcelo in the goods. Enjoy!



(Does any one know how to turn videos on their side?)

Oh, and it REALLY pisses me off that the name "Evelyn" is moving up in popularity. According to the Social Security Administration (who has records of every name of every child born in the US since around 1900) Evelyn is moving up in popularity. It was #65 in 2006 and then #55 in 2007. Results aren't in for 2008. I'm not happy about that. Grrrr

Sheer Terror

This is a list of things Evi has perfected over the last week:

Crawling
Pushing herself to a sit while she's on her belly or in the middle of a crawl
Pulling herself using ANYTHING she can get her hands on
Standing up unaided by us or anything else
Cruising

Yes, you read that correctly. My 7 month old is freaking cruising. I thought I would have months and months to cradle and love my baby. Apparently my baby has an expiration date of 7 months. She is now a "little woman" and prefers to be referred to as such.

And as a little lady, she's let us know that she only needs to sleep 1 hour and 30 minutes TOTAL during the day. So her first nap is 1 hour and her second nap is only 30 minutes. Yeah, mom's life is SO much fun right now. Because if she's awake, Evi wants to be pulling herself up on things and banging her head on things. Mom loves that.

You wanted some pictures? Of course you do!

Here she is looking surly. I think she thinks we are going to try to take this away from her.

And here she is so tired she fell asleep in her bouncy chair.

















Looking coy and then instantly becoming that little hellion we all know her to be:















This picture below just makes me laugh. I don't know who taught her that face. But it's hilarious. And then standing by herself. Doing what she loves to do.















Personally speaking, I'm kind of in a reading zone right now. I'm on my 3rd book this week. I get to read after Evi goes to sleep. For some reason, I don't want to post the books that I'm reading. I feel like I should be reading Silvia Path or something, and because I'm not I'm embarrassed to tell you what I'm reading. So I'll keep my books a secret.

In a totally unrelated note, we got Evi's birth certificate and passport pictures taken today. Did you know the price of tickets to Ecuador has dropped $90? We are waiting to see if they go under $675. If they do, we will buy instantly. Don't you wish you could go to Ecuador with us?

Home again, Home again. Jiggity Jig

Mar and I just got back last night from Texas. That's right, we had a REAL Texas Christmas. It was so great to be with my family and to just all get together. And of course to see Julie get married. I don't want to do a full time-line or day by day play back for you. It would just take too long. So here are some of the highlights:

* Santa found the house!! He came and brought presents to both Jeff & Tina's kids AND Sarah's kids. Christmas morning was so much fun and we had several beloved presents that classified as "room leavers" i.e. they made the kid so excited to open it he had to leave the room to show someone else in another room and/or put the beloved present in it's new home

*Even with all the pregnancy scares everyone was able to make it. We weren't sure Clarin would be there, her doctor might've grounded her. But she made it and it was a full belly bonanza. Seriously, so many pregnant woman. We were a sight walking down the streets of Six Flags. And so many ready to pop!! It made me realize how close these girls all are!!

* The gift exchange between siblings was so much fun. I don't think we'll ever do it again. Maybe we will. We'll have to see if we are all still into it. I got new luggage!! It was JUST what I needed and it was perfect. Marcelo got a video game. Great.

* Julie's wedding was beautiful and perfect and there was minimal mom/dad drama. The sealer said a great quote by President Hinckley that I cannot find. But he said that if we couldn't remember the quote (smart sealer, knowing we would forget almost all of the ceremony) we should remember these 1o short little words: If it is to be, it is up to me. Marcelo and I decided we want that phrase up somewhere in our house.

* Christmas day while we were eating and playing with our toys and did I mention eating? Well, while we were eating and playing and waiting for the rest of my family to arrive, my brother Jeff, My brother in law Chad and various random cousins decided to prepare and shoot off some rockets. They make them themselves and they usually have parachutes on them. They are just basically really cool. They took them over to the field next to their kids' elementary school. They set off the first rocket and they were looking at pictures on Jeff's camera and then Chad said, "do you smell burning?" Yup, they set a field on fire. They stamped it out and were THISCLOSE to calling the fire department. But they had enough people to stamp it out so they kept it under control. But many new shoes had to be bought.

* The day after Christmas (the day BEFORE the wedding) we all went to Six Flags together. The temperature was really good and we got really REALLY discounted tickets. It was NOT fun going with a baby. Don't try ever going with someone under 36 inches. There are absolutely NO "family" rides. But my sister (who is 6 weeks away from her due date) watched my baby so I could go on 2 rides with Marcelo. It wasn't SO devastating because more then half the rides were closed for the Christmas season. So of the few rides that were open, we went on the only 2 rides we wanted to go on anyway.

We did get to go on the Titan. This coaster climbs and climbs and climbs and then drops STRAIGHT down. As it just kept climbing and climbing, I thought to myself "I totally regret this decision". But it was really fun. Just so you know, Marcelo refused to go on it. He's such a scaredy cat.

* The wedding day went quite smoothly. We were there early, pictures were quick, and the torrential downpour that was taking place as we walked into the temple had cleared up by the time we left the temple. Almost like someone in the temple prayed for that to happen!!

* The night before the wedding my mom got sick. Up vomiting 6-8 times. Sarah was so apologetic because her kids had had it the week before. But my mom pushed through. The day of the wedding she was running on no sleep and no food. But she was such a trooper.

* It hit me the night of the wedding. I was 24 hours behind my mom but I had it all. The vomiting over and over again. Your body just wants EVERYTHING out. And it doesn't care if there is nothing in there, it will convulse until you get SOMETHING up, dang it! Well, remember how I sometimes pass out when I puke? At my 2:30 puke session, the last thing I remember is running to the toilet as fast as I could because the retching had already started. I think I collapsed when I was almost there, because I woke up with my back against the tub (which is next to the toilet) my head on the wall and vomit in my mouth. It was scary because my head was hanging back and the puke was still coming up even as I was passed out. I very quickly realized that I could've choked on it and died. There was puke all around me, on my clothes, on the wall, on the floor but not a drop in the toilet. No sir, that toilet was nice and clean.

And I think when I fell down was when I woke up my niece who was sleeping on just the other side of the door (it was a "Jack and Jill" style bathroom). Poor girl, I think I scared her. I know I scared myself!! I recuperated for the next 3 days and I was still puking the night before we flew home. It was a full 3 days of pukedom. Or as Kim refers to it "Puke Fest '08"

* Marcelo and I went to a nice Texas Steakhouse the night before we left. Sarah watched the Pesi and we had a good time. Well, he had a good time, but I was realizing that I most likely would be puking in a few hours time. My joy was a lot more muted. But the food was amazing. I'm definitely going back there the next time I'm in Texas. And this time I'm going to keep it down.

* And finally, did you know the tap water in Texas by my sister's house smells and tastes like dirt? I don't know how else to describe it. You smell it and it's very "earthy" and it smells just like damp earth. ("It has an oaky afterbirth." Ha!!) Kidding. But not all Texas water is this way. The farther south closer to Dallas you get the better it is. But her water is VERY strong. My mom was the biggest whiner about it. Most of us just drank the filtered Brita water, but mom went and bought big jugs of bottled water. I actually really appreciated it when I was sick. For some reason, while sick I had a really strong aversion to the water, even though I had been drinking it for the whole first part of the week with no problem. Strange.

I had a great time with my family and I wish that we could do this every year. I wish I had pictures to post here, but Marcelo left a bag at Sarah's house and it has our camera in it. I'll try to post some later, so please come back for pictures.

I've never been so happy to be back in Utah. I love being with my family, and I love traveling. But there is just something about being in your own space that makes you sane once again. Whenever I leave, I'm so thankful to be at home, wherever that home may be.