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?