From Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale

People disappear when they die. Their voices, their laughter, the warmth of their breath. Their flesh. Eventually their bones. All living mempry of them ceases. This is both dreadful and natural. Yet for some there is an exception to this annihilation. For in the books they write they continut to exist. We can rediscover them. Their humour, their tone of voice, their moods. Through the written word they can anger you or make you happy. They can comfort you. They can perplex you. They can alter you. All this, even though they are dead. Like flies in amber, like corpses frozen in ice, that which according to the laws of nature should pass away is, by the miracle of ink on paper, preserved. It is a kind of magic.

--Diane Setterfield



Monday, July 28, 2008

I have slept on a wide variety of pillows and positions in my life.

I got to the point that I really liked sleeping on a flat surface, ie no pillow, and I remember seeing commercials for mattresses and the actress would be curled up and using the actors arm as a pillow. It looked SO uncomfortable.

Then I moved on to big pillows. I would sleep on my side and have lots of support. Now when I watched those commercials, I could see how that would be comfortable. Granted all the actors had huge biceps. Mmm.

Then I got married. Um, Scott is fit, but not bulky like those actors. I was kinda worried to tell the truth!

But as cliche as it sounds, he fit's just right.

BUT now I have to sleep practically Upright. Now I can't use my human pillow. Nap times are nice, after church or whatever, because I don't get to a deep enough sleep to not breathe. So I can cuddle then.

Friday, July 25, 2008

what a wonderful feeling!

Janika and Mike *forced* me to read Twilight.

Yesterday i was musing over how I felt about the book on my way to book club. I figured that since I didn't read the book for book club, I should at least think about A book on my way.

This is the summation of my musing:

I love it! I enjoy the books (it's a series of four, the fourth book will come out next month)more than I have enjoyed a book since 7th grade.

In 7th grade Becca Suter lent me a book she was reading. I loved this book so much I went out and bought it for myself. Twice. The book is "Beauty" by Robin McKinley. ( for years I didn't know she wrote other books... but last year when I did find out, I gobbled up a lot of them. So far my other favorite is Deerskin.)

I'm not SURE what makes these books so precious to me, but for years and years (until I was married actually)"Beauty" was my most favorite book. I could go on and on about what happened and why it was not so ... enchanting to me, but I'm cooking mac and cheese and I only have a hour break for lunch... Somehow after I was married, the magic fell out. I could read it, but I was not discovering a new facet of the story each time I did. It was like th book suddenly went 2-D.... that's the best explanation I can give right now.

But these "Twilight" books have that magic that "Beauty" once had. It's AMAZING! I didn't realize HOW MUCH I missed that magic. It's the kind that doesn't leave when I put the book down... the kind that stays with me and keeps me dreamy all day. It's such a release. My other favorite books are favorites for different reasons. "Jane Eyre" is a favorite because It actually made me laugh out loud and cry out loud as I was reading it. Amazing. I've never done that before.

I do remember a Sesamie Street episode where Maria and elmo are reading library books and laughing and crying because of the pictures. I thought they were wierd, but after reading "jane Eyre" I feel right on the level with a three year old monster and a much older actress. :P

notes to self: Please come back and edit this!

Read that book club book and the one about food and where it comes from... Allison Seer has the titles.

I wonder...

if people assume that because I'm not bossy, that I can't take care of things. That would explain a lot!!!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Belly pictures - 15 weeks




Straight on... it's hard to tell because of the many layers and sweats.. but I'm not showing much.




From the side, just standing normal.




From the side, "pushing out"



From the side, flexing / sucking in.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

I'm having a really really hard time taking my prenatals. My ObGyn gave me some really good ones. I take one in the morning and one at night. They taste like vanilla and although they are horse pills... It's just two pills a day ( I had been taking 8 horse pills a day before Dr. Maxi intervened...)But I can't seem to do it. I was really good with other medications. I know how important these are.

Here is an example: I sat at the computer with a fruit bar and my pills. I pipped a pill out and ate it with a bite of fruit bar... My throat is dry and sticky from sinus drainage and is ever worse in the morning... so it stuck a little going down, but I just took another bite of frozen fruit and let it melt until it had all gone to my hungry little tummy. Then I finished with the computer and went to pick up me trash and clean or somethig... but the pill was still there!! I had never eaten it!

This is getting insane! Does anyone have a suggestion?!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

more, unlabed, pictures from Seattle















This time you get to tag yourself!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.
It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

New Job... Yea!

I have the opportunity to move upstairs and work for the ROC (Regional Operations Center)... and I'm excited. Hopefully I will be a thousand times less stressed!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

vacation pictures

Day five (we're going backwards)was a busy day. In the morning was Greyson's 7th birthday party. His actual birthday is on the 16th. Then we went to the Market and visited the bug museum. It was SO COOL!! I will have to post more pictures of the bugs and spiders. They practically had to drag me out. Then we took a 'cruise' around the sound.






Day four we went crabbing. Twice. During the day we didn't catch anything but we did FEED A WILD SEAL!!!! We came back that night and caught a 5" crab... so we had to throw it back. We fed seagulls and I got some fun videos of that, but I'm doing pictures this go round. Not videos.



Day three we went to see a juggler in the park in the morning and then spent the rest of the day with the Hanson's. Pictures is Jacob, their cute little tyke.



Day two at the Zoo. In the Butterfly Exhibit we watched live butterflies and moths hatch from their crystalists!! Greyson and I saw the black bears, and pulled apart a flower to see what it looked like before it opens. It was a science-y day and I loved it! After, we went to Dick's burger place and ate at that cool park made from an old factory.

Day one at the Bowling Alley. Aidan and I made quite the team. I threw balls into the gutter with gusto when he was not holding my hand... my center of gravity was off by about 3.5 years.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Seattle

We've spent almost a full working week in Seattle now, and the weather could not have been more perfect. I'm almost disappointed. I was hoping to get some famous Seattle misty foggy stuff. All well. I hear that it's usually beautiful in the summer and I'm just s.o.l. unless I come during the winter. I guess we'll just have to come back. :P

It's been nice to visit family. I was totally sick with worry that the boys would not remember me, or they would not like me (from everything I've heard Alicia is so awesome, I thought I'd been replaced as the cool person...) or something.

To my relief they remembered me, but they do seem to like Alicia better. I guess that is what happens when they never see or hear from me and they see and hear from her all the time. (It still sucks!!) To her credit, Alicia is a very fun person and seems to be a wonderful girlfriend for James. We played Taboo last night and watched Transformers on the trampoline. I had a very fun time! And her enchiladas are VERRRY yummmmy!! Hopefully next time we can get more time just the adults to get to know each other better.

On another positive note, we visited with Mav and Maris and Jacob and Andrew. I gave them the web address so they could peek in and see what is oing on in our lives... and so knowing full well that they might read this: THEY ARE SO FREAKING AWESOME!! Man, Scott and I both can't get over how much fun we had with them. We ate lunch and played for eight hours. I'm still in the first trimester and therefore perma-exhausted and Maris just had Andrew (the poor little guy was circumcised on Tuesday). She looked FABULOUS. Maris is a bee-a-utiful person to begin with, but I was amazed. (Maris, if you are reading this and you have not caught on already... I think you are pretty.) The time we spent with them seemed to fly, and they seemed to actually not get bored with us. Amazing. When I saw my face in a mirror later, I was amazed to see how tired I looked. Sure I felt tired, but that's nothing new. I had so much fun that even when I'd get a bout of the sleepies, I didn't want to leave. But In addition to that, I totally felt welcome and connected like I had know them both for years. I guess technically I have.. hmm... well I felt like I had ... um... lived near them, and SEEN them for years (this was the first time I have met Maris in person and the second time I've seen Mav).

I'll be uploading pictures and stories of all our adventures, but for now I'm blogging while th big boys play volleyball. I forgot where we were for a minute, even church ball is the same no matter where you go, until someone gave Scott a sorry look when they found out he is from Texas. :)

Greyson's birthday party is tomorrow morning, and I need to go find a bookstore to get his present from. Wish me luck!