A List for Tuesday

Five Hilarious Things My Boys Say
(in no particular order)

1. "Phew, close one!" -Dane (age 2 1/2), every time we come home and he closes the door behind us
2. "I can't like that crazy talk." -Dutch (age 5), any time you say something he thinks is weird
3. "What's wrong with you, Mama?" -Dutch, every time I don't understand what the heck he's talking about
4. "Yee-haw, ride 'em cowboy hat!" -Dane, when asked what a cowboy says
5. "Accidents happen." and "Everybody makes mistakes." -both boys when they spill something

And that's why my boys are awesome.

A List for Tuesday

5 Things I Love About December
(in no particular order)

1. Snow. Now my official stance on snow is BOOO!, but I allow it and, perhaps, even love it in December.
2. Christmas. My boys are at a really fun age for Christmas magic and it makes the holiday that much more fun.
3. Glitter and red everywhere!
4. Scarves and coats and hats and boots. I love my accessories.
5. Hot chocolate and fireplaces.

What do you love about December?

An Ode to Heidi

My sister Heidi had her birthday yesterday and, because I love her, I am writing her an ode. I have only written odes to two other people, so she should feel really special and not mind at all that I forgot to mail her birthday card until today.

From Brown-Eyed Girl to Crimson and Clover,
We danced to oldies over and over.
When there's a quote to a movie that I just can't remember,
You're there to remind me from here 'til September.

Books and more books and suggestions galore,
Reading and re-reading until we fall into a snore.
My sister, I want you to know that you're awesome,
I'll say again, you're awesome like an opossum.


Happy birthday, Heidi! I love you bunches.

My Favorite Thanksgiving Moment

Dutch doesn't like to be dirty, so he is always washing his hands. Unfortunately, he doesn't like being wet either, so when he got his shirt wet yesterday he decided to take it off.

About an hour later someone asked Dutch if he was cold. At the time I was snuggled under a couple of blankets and told him that if he was cold he could snuggle me. He assured me he wasn't.

A few minutes later Dane, who had been fully clothed up to that point, came up to me not wearing a shirt and said, "I cold, I snuggle you!"

I explained to him that he didn't have to be cold to snuggle me and definitely didn't need to be half-naked. He shook his head and said something I didn't understand, but the gist seemed to be, "I totally absolutely do need to be cold and shirtless."

And that was my favorite Thanksgiving moment this year.

A List for Tuesday

5 Reasons Dane is Awesome
(in no particular order)

1. When I try to put him to bed he tells me, "I'm happy!" as if that should change my mind.
2. He says his "f's" with a "p" sound so "fishy" becomes "pishy"
3. "I want to hold you," he says when he wants me to pick him up.
4. He's constantly on the move, always running around or wiggling. He just can't keep still!
5. He loves to read! But he insists on reading to himself, if you try to read to him he'll yell at you.

Why do you think Dane is awesome?

A List for Tuesday

5 Reasons Why Dutch is Awesome

(in no particular order)

1. When you ask him how he's doing he says, "Doing great!"
2. He wants to be a firefighter when he grows up
3. He thinks kindergarten is "AWESOME!"
4. His favorite thing to do is play LEGO
5. Out of nowhere he'll come up to me and give me a hug and say, "I just love you, my mama."

Why do you think Dutch is awesome?

A List for Tuesday

5 Jobs That Would Be Awesome
(in no particular order)

1. Nail polish namer
2. Fashion designer (if I could draw or, you know, sew)
3. Interior designer
4. Greeting card writer
5. Life coach (because it would be so fun to boss someone else around all the time)

Any that I missed?

A List for Tuesday

5 Reasons It's Fun Having Ga-Ga and Pop-Pop Here:

1. Dane has decided that Pop-Pop is his best friend.
2. Pop-Pop will put Legos together for the boys.
3. Ga-Ga makes sure the boys are fed when I forget to.
4. Dane has given up naps and my misery is enjoying the company of others!
5. Every day is an adventure when Ga-Ga and Pop-Pop are here!

A List for Tuesday

Five Things I'm Looking Forward To
(in no particular order)

• Dutch's first day of kindergarten
• Mom and Dad coming to visit
• Our 10th anniversary
• Finishing the first draft of Rona and the Wolves
• Autumn

A List for Tuesday

5 Quotes That Have Really Resonated With Me Lately
(in no particular order)

• Nobody objects to a woman being a good writer or sculptor or geneticist if at the same time she manages to be a good wife, good mother, good-looking, good-tempered, well-groomed and unagressive. -Leslie M. McIntyre
• That's Venus, September thought. She was the goddess of love. It's nice that love comes on first thing in the evening, and goes out last in the morning. Love keeps the light on all night. Whoever thought to call it Venus ought to get full marks. -Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There
• When silence is a choice, it is an unnerving presence. When silence is imposed, it is censorship. -Terry Tempest Williams, When Women Were Birds
• She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom. -Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
• Take your life into your own hands and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame. -Erica Jong

What is your favorite quote right now?

A List for Tuesday

5 Songs I've Had Stuck in My Head Recently
(in no particular order)

• Almost Like Being in Love from Brigadoon
• Sway by Rosemary Clooney
• Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets) from Damn Yankees
• Serenade in Blue by Frank Sinatra
• Haven't Met You Yet by Michael Buble

What songs are stuck in your head?

When I Was 10...

I've been reading a lot of bios of different artists and writers that I admire. I've found that in almost every case they all came to the realization of what they wanted to be when they grow up when they were 10. When I was 10 I decided on three career choices:

1. Writer
2. Actress
3. Ballerina

In that exact order. Of course I "forgot" about my writing dreams for a while in my teens, but I came back to it. Always came back to it.

What did you want to be when you were 10?

A List for Tuesday

FIVE THINGS I WANT TO DO NOW THAT IT'S SUMMER

(in no particular order)

1. Read outside on my hammock (note to self: buy a hammock)
2. Go for walks
3. Teach Dutch how to fish (note to self: learn to fish)
4. Keep my flower garden alive
5. Run through the sprinklers with the boys

What are you going to do this summer?

My Baby is 2

A List for Tuesday

Trying to see the positive today, so here is a list of 10 Things I'm Grateful For That Aren't People (because that would take up all ten of the slots and that's dumb)

• Working internet.
• A car that runs well and gets me places.
• A silky blankie (even if mine is about two stitches from falling apart completely)
• Markers
• Cameras
• The ability to call my family whenever the mood strikes me.
• Books
• Comfortable couches
• Headphones
• The apps on my phone (specifically Pandora)

What are you grateful for?

Dane's 2nd Birthday Party

Here are my five favorite pictures from Dane's birthday party. The pictures were taken by my sister Heather, and they turned out amazing!

 The banner I made for Dane's party.

The font uses mustaches for every letter!

 Dane and Bah putting together his new Lego car.

 Aunt Amy helping Dane blow out his mustache candles.

 That is one good Oreo cupcake!

Like a sir!

The party was so much fun. Thank you to everyone who could come and we missed those of you who couldn't. More pictures and party details later this week!

A List for Tuesday

A Few Dane-isms

• He jibber-jabbers so much, the best is his little "Please!" followed by "Thank you, Dutch" whether it is Dutch who helped him or not.
• Me: What does a cowboy say?
  Dane: Yeeee-har.
  Me: What does a pirate say?
  Dane: Arrrr, matey. (Though sometimes the "matey" is merely implied.)
• Lego guys are the greatest invention of all time and must be used in every game he plays.
• When you ask him if he wants something he gives you this whispered, 'kay, instead of saying yes.
• Anytime he drops anything, or just wants a little extra attention, he says "Oh no!"
• He is the cutest, sassiest, cry-babiest, little boy in the entire world, and he's the sunshine of my life.

What's your favorite thing about Dane?

Midlife Crisis at 30

As I am writing this Dane is trying to fit his truck tire (that's the size of his head) in his mouth. Letting you know that just to give you some perspective on my life. ;)

The last few weeks I have been listless. Depressed, not in the clinical sense, but in spirit. I'm still happy, but I feel like I'm stagnant. The last time I had this feeling it led to me applying to graduate school, one of the best decisions I've ever made. Now I'm trying to figure out what the next big thing is for me. What is my path? Where am I going next?

So that's what I'm trying to figure out now. I've gotten a few books from the library and I've been thinking a lot about it. I guess that it's pretty common for women around my age to have a "midlife" crisis because there's quite a lot of information out there about it.

There you have it, this is me figuring it out.

A List for Tuesday

Five Things I Did Today That I Haven't Done in a Long Time
(in no particular order)

1. Went for a job interview not really caring whether or not I get the job.
2. Cried at a movie (the Emma mini-series, if you must know).
3. Bought a bladder buster at a gas station.
4. Didn't really know what to do with my hair.
5. Laid down to take a nap and then decided I wasn't tired. (I'm not sure that's EVER happened!

An Update

So it's been about two months since my last post. Time flies and all that. Here are a few things I neglected to blog about in the time I was out (in completely random order):

• Chris gave me a beautiful ring for Valentine's Day.
• Dutch is ready for kindergarten next year. I'm not sure I am.
• We adopted a new dog. A chocolate lab named Oso. He is 100% Chris's dog.
• Captain is not a huge fan of Oso, but they tolerate each other. Most of the time.
• I quit my job at Paper Source. It was a tough decision, but the right one, ultimately.
• One of my best friends, Julie, moved to Topeka Kansas. I miss her.
• Dane talks SO much! My two favorite things he says are "Thank you, Dutch" and "Hug!"
• My mom and dad are going on an LDS mission to Copenhagen, Denmark. They will leave in August and be gone for 18 months. Their mission will focus on records preservation and family history helping.
• I am knee-deep in a first draft of my science fiction re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood. Jenel and I still meet every week to work on our respective writing projects.
• My niece Bella turned 10. We love her so much.
• My cousin Sara is having a baby and will find out on Friday what she is having! I CAN'T WAIT! She's been "nannying" for me and the boys adore her. They've asked all week "Where's Aunt Sara?"
• Chris still loves his job.
• All is well at our house.

I hope this appeases my two or three loyal readers. I promise I will try to post more often. Heaven knows I can't really post less often. ;)

A List for Tuesday

This is a special-edition List for Tuesday because it's coming to you on Thursday! My friend Jenel recently posted a geek girl bucket list on her blog. It inspired me to write my own.

10 Totally Geeky Things I Would Love To Do Before I Die If They Were At All Possible
(in no particular order)
1. Ride in Wonder Woman's invisible plan.
2. Get my hair braided by ewoks. (Star Wars)
3. Have Mal teach me how to shoot a gun. (Firefly)
4. Write an episode for Doctor Who that I then get to be in.
5. Learn to sword-fight from Inigo. (The Princess Bride)
6. Kiss Jack Harkness. (Doctor Who) (Sorry Chris!)
7. Meet Sherlock Holmes and have him tell me all about myself. (Sherlock)
8. Ruffle Chuck's hair. (Chuck)
9. Get my own wand. (Harry Potter)
10. Spend some time in a hobbit hole. (Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit)

What's your geek bucket list?

First Date

10 years ago today Chris and I had our first date. It was after Family Home Evening at Snow College. Chris, being a  big spender, took me to the Malt Shop where he bought me a 25 cent ice cream cone. His friend Brandon tagged along and spent our time there talking about what an amazing feat of engineering an ice cream cone is.

Needless to say, with such an epic first date how could I not fall in love with this guy? 9 months later, to the day, we were married. And we've been trying to live happily ever after since.

A List for Tuesday

Since I missed last week there will be two bonus lists this week! Enjoy!

Chris turns 32 today, so this is Five Random Things I Love About My Husband
(in no particular order)

1. He's a really really good dad. So good, in fact, that both of my sons are daddy's boys through and through.
2. When I make him promise not to laugh before I tell him something, he tries really hard not to laugh.
3. When I buy yet another notebook he just smiles and nods.
4. He's one of the only two good-looking red-heads in the entire world.
5. Although he has no interest in YA fairy tales, he's very supportive of my writing career.

Five Things That Suck About Being 30

(in no particular order)

1. I feel old.
2. Because I feel old I notice "old" things about me, like the fact that my face is not as elastic as it once was, and there are hints of wrinkles soon to come.
3. I thought I would have done so much more with my life by now.
4. I had always hoped to be published before I was 30.
5. My back hurts. I don't know if that's because I turned 30 or not, but it's true nonetheless.

Five Things That Rock About Being 30

(in no particular order)

1. The other day someone told me I looked like I was 22. Maybe they were lying, but it was really sweet.
2. I feel like I'm growing into myself.
3. I've accomplished so much in my life!
4. There are so many great experiences coming ahead, and I'm getting more wise and mature by the day.
5. 30 is a lot younger than I thought it was.

Any tips for surviving in my new decade?

A List for Tuesday

5 Things I Don't Have Time to Write a Whole Blog Post About
(in no particular order)

1. I received a promotion at work! I'm going from Sales Associate to Key Holder. More money an hour, more hours a week, more responsibility all over.
2. I wish, as always, that my family lived closer. Especially when I'm looking for babysitters.
3. Chris's Grandpa Davis passed away just after Christmas. His funeral was really beautiful and Chris did a great job dedicating the grave.
4. Dane is 21 months. Terrible Twos here we come.
5. I'm going to start taking a picture of the boys every day to chronicle their changes over the year.

Sorry I don't have time (or the energy) to go more in-depth with all of these.

Being "Internet-Free" and What It Means to Me

For the month of December I went off-line. I use that term loosely, however, since I still used my computer, phone, and Kinldle Fire quite a bit during the month. Basically it was meant to be a break from mindless time spent on the computer on Facebook, on Pinterest, reading blogs, and playing games.

Here's what changed:

• Then: I would get on my computer first thing in the morning. I wouldn't do anything else until I checked Facebook, my email, Pinterest, my personal blogs, everyone else's blogs, and any other sites I was crazy about at the moment.
• Now: I didn't even think about getting on the computer today until well into the afternoon, and that was only because I had to check for an email I was expecting.
• Then: I would lose myself in x for hours on end.
• Now: Unless it's a movie/TV show, I'm on my computer for about 10 minutes at a time. Maybe.
• Then: Constantly behind my laptop screen.
• Now: Playing on the floor with my buddies.
• Then: Small panic attack if I didn't check x ever few hours.
• Now: I could go days without any of it and I wouldn't feel out of the loop at all.

All in all my month off helped put things back in perspective for me. In December I actually misplaced my computer for days and didn't notice until I needed to print something off. Dutch and I bonded over building Lego, especially when he realized I could look up the instructions on "the 'puter." Dane sat on my lap for almost an hour while we read books together. Chris and I spend more quality time together, instead of sitting side by side, but worlds away.

I would recommend "unplugging" to anyone who feels like technology has taken over their life.

A List for Tuesday

Today marks the end of my one-month hiatus from internet. I'll blog about that later. As this is the first Tuesday of the new year you are going to get some New Year Resolutions goodness. These are the goals I made last year. I must say that I did pretty well. 1 and 2 were both a complete bust; I totally rocked 3; didn't quite make 4; did pretty well on 5; blew 6 out of the water; 7 is still a work in progress, but I didn't ruin my life over any of them!

My New Year Resolutions for 2013
(in no particular order)

1. Read all the books on my shelves that I own but have never read.
2. Go to every temple in Utah.
3. Send Metta and the Moon-Witch to potential agents. I've given up on The Stone Flower for the time being (which has nothing to do with any rejections).
4. Lose some more weight.
5. Finish another book (this year I'm hoping to finish Rona and the Wolves).
6. Get my office organized.
7. Become a better photographer.
8. Write poetry again.
9. Journal more.

What are your resolutions?