Blonde Ambition

I got my hair done yesterday. It has been a LONG time since I did anything good with it, and my sister Sarah gave me a very thoughtful gift for my birthday--a gift certificate to her hairstylist.

 

Honestly, it doesn't look a lot different--but I needed something that would grow out nicely. I kept most of the length (but had the "frog fur" cut off). I got a lot of layers, texturizing, and gorgeous color. If you look closely, you can see the coppery red and blonde highlights.

 

Sorry--they aren't great pictures, but it's all I have time for before I leave for work. Thanks, Sar! You're the best!

It's Hard For Me To Say I'm Sorry

Yesterday was pretty rough. I spent most of the day cleaning and cooking for a family get-together, so I was already unhappy. We went to the Draper Temple open-house and came back to our apartment to have dinner and celebrate birthdays. I had attempted to make a cake earlier, but it didn't work, so on the way back, Allen and I stopped at Costco to get a cake. I know I had my phone with me when I left Costco, but it must have fallen out of my purse between the front door and the car. So when we got home, everyone else was already there, and they told me that my phone had been run over at Costco and was at their service desk. My knee-jerk reaction was to go get it then, because I couldn't do it this morning, and I really can't function without a phone. So I left the party I had put together, and my Mom was in her worst-case-scenario mode. Apparently Allen 'checked out,' and the party just deteriorated with sick kids and people who had to drive back to Logan, etc., etc. Most everyone left before I got back, although Dave, Lex, Noah and Sarah stuck around. Things seemed pretty calm by then, so I didn't know what really happened until I was messaging Rachael this morning. So I'm sorry for all the drama. I'll be getting a different phone; I don't know when or how, but it will all work out. Thanks for coming, everyone. I love you!

I Love Technology . . . Always and Forever

Benji loves it too. Yes, that's my child, standing on a laundry basket in front of a very large TV. I'm a terrible mother.

 

Isn't he cute?

 

He has been pretty grumpy with tooth #8 coming in; it's about to break through. Even so, he usually manages to ham it up for the camera.

 

Today is Allen's birthday. I have tried to be nice, and not ask him to do a lot of stuff; for example, I got up with Benji (and let Allen sleep until 11:30 a.m.--the one perk of having church start in the afternoon), fed him, put him down for a nap, got him up and dressed for church, kept him with me during church (which included a lot of squirming, peeing through his suit, and throwing up on me and the gym floor). I also made dinner, gave the boy a bath, brushed his teeth and put him to bed. I have also done a couple of loads of laundry . . . never ending. I don't know if he appreciates it! I really tried! This is his real birthday present, though: We finally dumped Sprint and went to T-Mobile. Yes, that's the G1. No, we can't really afford it, but he did really want it. He has put all of the scriptures and lesson manuals on it already, and he keeps telling me cool things it can do. I'm particularly fond of the "Shop Savvy" feature--it 'scans' a barcode (by taking a picture of it), then cross-references it with your location and stores close to you and gives you a list of prices at the different stores. How cool is that? It connects with the Google calendar (so he'll always know when I'm working, and everything else--as long as I keep it updated!), interwebs, it has a GPS, etc., etc. I'll admit I'm a bit jealous. I did get a BlackBerry Pearl Flip for myself. It's pretty cool, too. I'm not totally in love with it, probably because I didn't get the data plan to go with it. I'm trying to decide if I want something that's less BlackBerry and more phone. I probably just need to get used to it and its' lack of shortcuts. Oh well--it's definitely an upgrade! Bye, bye, fat phone! Big Blue, January 2006-February 2009. R.I.P.

It's Been One Week Since You Looked At Me

I have been really busy this last week, so I haven't done any posting. Sorry. I have been trying to work extra hours, because my benefits-eligible hours aren't up to full-time. They are counting the average over the past year, but they are starting before I came back from maternity leave last year. It's a big pain, and I don't know if it will even be worth the effort. Allen and I are talking about my going down to part-time anyway . . . we'll have to figure out what we are doing sooner than later. Allen and I will be meeting with our Stake President in the next week or two. Apparently he's getting some calling, but we don't know what. I don't even know who our Stake President is! We have only been here for two months, and between blessings and birthdays and being sick, we haven't even been to the ward for half of those. If it is a calling that will take up a lot of time, I won't be able to work in the evenings. On verra! Honestly, I thought I was more popular than this; I guess that's what I get for thinking people actually read my blog! I stole an idea/post from Peggy and set up a deal I called Five For Fighting, where I have offered my valuable and creative services to any who wanted to pay it forward. Only three people (including my mother) wanted to do it. So if there is anyone reading, I'll change the rules too. If you would like me to make you something, please comment here. If you want to do five, that's awesome. If not, I only ask that you do something nice for someone else. It doesn't need to be huge, just a good deed. That's all for now. More to come.

Love Is A Battlefield

I never liked Valen-death day, until my little man was born. Now, I have a built-in theme for all his birthdays! Sure, it will be pretty embarrassing when he's a teenager, but for now--it's super fun. Here are some of the results. The family all got together and Benji got some great presents. Benji made a pretty big mess . . . he's the only cousin so far to eat like the little piggies! We broke out the party hats a little later--Ella liked them! Can you believe how big he's getting? Crazy! Lily actually wore hers for quite a while. Noah wasn't such a fan. And here's the birthday boy with his daddy. Auntie Mach had a fun activity for the kiddos. Who doesn't love rice crispy treats? And here's Beck with Mia. It was a fun time, and I'm glad everyone could come (except for Lancy-cakes). I love our family!