One thing (or I guess I can say three things) that my brother inherited when he started house sitting my parents home while they are away, were my mothers three cats. Whatt, Pyewacket, and Winnie. As he likes to call them fatty, the chosen one, and dumb dumb. As far as I can tell he only puts up with their antics and overall annoyingness because he knows how much our mother loves them and would be heartbroken if anything happened to them. The funny thing is that now he is a young single man living in a household of female cats. It doesn't get much better than that.
To ease his feelings towards his new situation for Christmas he received a great guide, "Men Can Be Cat Ladies Too". Within its depths it gives him all the knowledge that he needs to be a "well adjusted" cat man. It includes question and answer sections, worksheets, and even pickup lines using your cat. I just hope that it helps.
(I'm secretly laughing long and hard over all of this)
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Monday, December 23, 2013
New Socks
Nothing is better than new socks. Crisp clean socks with no holes in them. The whiteness makes me feel like I am starting new and fresh myself. Thank you mom!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Adventures With Cars And Snow
The first adventure reminds me that I am watched over always. I am only still here by the grace of God and I am not ashamed to admit it.
As I drove up a snowy, black canyon Thursday I narrowly missed becoming a participant in a huge wreck.
The roads were dark and windy. I only knew where I was on the road because I could see the bright tale lights ahead of me to show me the way. The problem arose when the break lights of the car in front of me started to flash red on and off. Now, I am very familiar with the concept that when you are driving in the snow you should never just push in your brakes and expect to stop because you will start sliding like nothing else. You should always pump your breaks. This is what the car in front of me did. Little did I know that he wasn't just pumping his breaks to slow down, he was pumping his breaks to come to a complete stop. This surprised me because as I started to slow down because I had noticed his flashing break lights I wasn't slowing down enough to come to a complete stop. It suddenly stuck me that car in front of me was stopped. The realization came to me that I would need to move into the other lane to avoid slamming into the back of the now stopped car in front of me. I moved over to the next lane and I learned why the car had slowed down and stopped. Sparks started to show up on the road and a car a little further up from the vehicle I was initially following and had now avoided suddenly slammed into yet another vehicle that had slid and smashed into the side barrier on the road. With driving skills I do not possess and a presence of mind to use them that I am not practiced enough to have at my beck and call I turned back into the lane I had just vacated. Twisting my steering wheel so that my tires were going one way while my car moved another way because of the snow, I was able to avoid 1) the car in front of me, 2) the cars that were now participants in an accident, and 3) the barrier on the other side of the road.
I'm not sure I will ever fully grasp how I managed to avoid all the dangers that surrounded me that night, but I fully know that I was watched over.
The second adventure took me 8 men to help me escape.
After spending an enjoyable Thursday night with my parents it was time to leave and continue on in my chosen plans for the weekend. The only problem was that my parents (missionaries) are currently living in a cabin for the winter and the cabin in which they are staying resides down a little hill covered in snow. Can you guess what happened? If you are a deft thinker you probably have already come up with what occured to me. I got stuck. My cute little care couldn't for the life of it get up that small hill covered in snow.
I attempted the assent a couple of times on my own before admitting defeat. I had to call for backup. My mother went and recruited my father to direct me and help me make it up the hill. Too bad I do not the possess the driving skills of my father. He directed me over and over again on which direction to turn my wheel, how much speed I needed to have, and how much of a running start I would my car would need to have. It would all have been great if I hadn't of backed up too far over in one direction and stuck myself good in the snow. We then had to start all of the directing and tire spinning all over again with my father pushing on different sides of my car to get unstuck....needless to say, it didn't work.
In came more reinforcements. My mother after observing our efforts realized that we would need more help and her call was answered by the rest of the male senior missionaries on the mountain. Over the hill they came like the Elders of Israel to help. All of them took a side and with a little effort I was unstuck. My father then directed me out of the vehicle in which he took my spot and shamelessly showed me how it was done. Backing up to a good distance, he pushed down on the gas petal and gunned it up the hill. If only I had his talent. I guess I just need a couple more years of driving experience or I just need to always have 8 male senior missionaries available to me when I get stuck....one of the two.
The third and final adventure was just dumb.
While spending the weekend with my wonderful grandparents we woke up on Saturday morning with a fresh blanket of about 6 inches of snow. Out of the kindness of his heart a sweet neighbor came by and started to dig out my grandparents driveway with his four wheeler. It only made sense that I should move my car so that the entire driveway could be cleared.
I got into my car and drove it around the block so that I could come back and park it back on the driveway. As I pulled up to my grandparents house again I noticed that it wasn't quite done and that there were a couple of spots that I could help dig out before I moved my car back onto the driveway, so I jumped out of my car and started to help. Here comes the kicker, I left my keys in my car and my car "smartly" locked itself. Upon realizing this I knew that I was in a pickle. The snow plows were starting to come around and my extra key was in my apartment an entire state away. What now?
After unsuccessfully asking 2 separate neighbors for help, one of them a young man (who was no help), and trying to break into my vehicle myself (what are we teaching our youth if we cant break into our own cars with a coat hanger), and my grandfather trying to help the conclusion was drawn that a lock smith would have to be called. He arrived and 10 seconds later my car was open. I wish I made as much money as he does for as little work.
As I drove up a snowy, black canyon Thursday I narrowly missed becoming a participant in a huge wreck.
The roads were dark and windy. I only knew where I was on the road because I could see the bright tale lights ahead of me to show me the way. The problem arose when the break lights of the car in front of me started to flash red on and off. Now, I am very familiar with the concept that when you are driving in the snow you should never just push in your brakes and expect to stop because you will start sliding like nothing else. You should always pump your breaks. This is what the car in front of me did. Little did I know that he wasn't just pumping his breaks to slow down, he was pumping his breaks to come to a complete stop. This surprised me because as I started to slow down because I had noticed his flashing break lights I wasn't slowing down enough to come to a complete stop. It suddenly stuck me that car in front of me was stopped. The realization came to me that I would need to move into the other lane to avoid slamming into the back of the now stopped car in front of me. I moved over to the next lane and I learned why the car had slowed down and stopped. Sparks started to show up on the road and a car a little further up from the vehicle I was initially following and had now avoided suddenly slammed into yet another vehicle that had slid and smashed into the side barrier on the road. With driving skills I do not possess and a presence of mind to use them that I am not practiced enough to have at my beck and call I turned back into the lane I had just vacated. Twisting my steering wheel so that my tires were going one way while my car moved another way because of the snow, I was able to avoid 1) the car in front of me, 2) the cars that were now participants in an accident, and 3) the barrier on the other side of the road.
I'm not sure I will ever fully grasp how I managed to avoid all the dangers that surrounded me that night, but I fully know that I was watched over.
The second adventure took me 8 men to help me escape.
After spending an enjoyable Thursday night with my parents it was time to leave and continue on in my chosen plans for the weekend. The only problem was that my parents (missionaries) are currently living in a cabin for the winter and the cabin in which they are staying resides down a little hill covered in snow. Can you guess what happened? If you are a deft thinker you probably have already come up with what occured to me. I got stuck. My cute little care couldn't for the life of it get up that small hill covered in snow.
I attempted the assent a couple of times on my own before admitting defeat. I had to call for backup. My mother went and recruited my father to direct me and help me make it up the hill. Too bad I do not the possess the driving skills of my father. He directed me over and over again on which direction to turn my wheel, how much speed I needed to have, and how much of a running start I would my car would need to have. It would all have been great if I hadn't of backed up too far over in one direction and stuck myself good in the snow. We then had to start all of the directing and tire spinning all over again with my father pushing on different sides of my car to get unstuck....needless to say, it didn't work.
In came more reinforcements. My mother after observing our efforts realized that we would need more help and her call was answered by the rest of the male senior missionaries on the mountain. Over the hill they came like the Elders of Israel to help. All of them took a side and with a little effort I was unstuck. My father then directed me out of the vehicle in which he took my spot and shamelessly showed me how it was done. Backing up to a good distance, he pushed down on the gas petal and gunned it up the hill. If only I had his talent. I guess I just need a couple more years of driving experience or I just need to always have 8 male senior missionaries available to me when I get stuck....one of the two.
The third and final adventure was just dumb.
While spending the weekend with my wonderful grandparents we woke up on Saturday morning with a fresh blanket of about 6 inches of snow. Out of the kindness of his heart a sweet neighbor came by and started to dig out my grandparents driveway with his four wheeler. It only made sense that I should move my car so that the entire driveway could be cleared.
I got into my car and drove it around the block so that I could come back and park it back on the driveway. As I pulled up to my grandparents house again I noticed that it wasn't quite done and that there were a couple of spots that I could help dig out before I moved my car back onto the driveway, so I jumped out of my car and started to help. Here comes the kicker, I left my keys in my car and my car "smartly" locked itself. Upon realizing this I knew that I was in a pickle. The snow plows were starting to come around and my extra key was in my apartment an entire state away. What now?
After unsuccessfully asking 2 separate neighbors for help, one of them a young man (who was no help), and trying to break into my vehicle myself (what are we teaching our youth if we cant break into our own cars with a coat hanger), and my grandfather trying to help the conclusion was drawn that a lock smith would have to be called. He arrived and 10 seconds later my car was open. I wish I made as much money as he does for as little work.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Birds In The Winco
I received quite a surprise today as I accompanied my grandmother and mother to the grocery store today. As we deftly made our way through the crowded produce isles I heard a sound I would never have expected to hear while grocery shopping in the confines of an indoor store.....the high pitched churping of birds. Looking up I saw them. Three birds jumping and chirping happly up in the rafters. What a funny sight to see. Evidently these birds fly in when delivery trucks back up to the store and the large delivery doors are opened.
I didn't mind shary my grocery store with a few unexpected guests. I could see how others might object to them because of "health reasons", but it made a nice change to the normal hectic chore we were in the midst of completing.
I didn't mind shary my grocery store with a few unexpected guests. I could see how others might object to them because of "health reasons", but it made a nice change to the normal hectic chore we were in the midst of completing.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Teddy's Story Joint
The are 2 things that I absolutely love. Reading and laughing. I stumbled across this video while wasting time and it combined the two wonderfully so of course I was hooked. It also makes you think so that's a bonus.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
The Look Of Singleness
Like most others during this time of year I spent much of my Saturday Christmas shopping to find the perfect gifts for those on my list. As I walked out of one particular store an older Hispanic woman caught my attention. Through broken English, hand gestures, and repeated words for my sake of understanding she made her desire clear that she would like me to drive her across the busy center street nearby. Since there were so many cars on the road she felt it would be safer for someone to drive her than to walk.
Once I finally knew what I could do to help her out I was more than happy to give her a lift the short distance to the other side of the road.
As we drove taking a few U-turns and side streets to make it across the car cluttered road she continued to talk and ask me questions in her broken English. Most of them were the basics like if I had grown up in Utah or if I was Christmas shopping, but one of them struck me. She asked if I was single and when I assured her that I was she gave me a knowing look and said that she could tell because my face looked single. The way I presented my face let her know that I was not married. I wondered over her words and thought deeply about what in my face would let her know that I didn't have anyone special in my life. My normal thought would be that single girls try harder to look more ready in public by doing their hair and wearing make-up to look more attractive, but this Saturday I had done neither. I wore my hair in a ponytail and had not put make-up on. So what could it be about my face that would have told her that I was single?
While I thought on this a realization hit me and I thought about my sister. She has always been beautiful, but there was something that happened to her when she met her husband and was truly and wholly loved by him. She glowed and continues to glow to the point where she is gorgeous. Her face and eyes exude happiness and acceptance. I think that this was the look that the woman knew about when she saw my face. She knew what a face looks like when they are loved by someone.
Once I finally knew what I could do to help her out I was more than happy to give her a lift the short distance to the other side of the road.
As we drove taking a few U-turns and side streets to make it across the car cluttered road she continued to talk and ask me questions in her broken English. Most of them were the basics like if I had grown up in Utah or if I was Christmas shopping, but one of them struck me. She asked if I was single and when I assured her that I was she gave me a knowing look and said that she could tell because my face looked single. The way I presented my face let her know that I was not married. I wondered over her words and thought deeply about what in my face would let her know that I didn't have anyone special in my life. My normal thought would be that single girls try harder to look more ready in public by doing their hair and wearing make-up to look more attractive, but this Saturday I had done neither. I wore my hair in a ponytail and had not put make-up on. So what could it be about my face that would have told her that I was single?
While I thought on this a realization hit me and I thought about my sister. She has always been beautiful, but there was something that happened to her when she met her husband and was truly and wholly loved by him. She glowed and continues to glow to the point where she is gorgeous. Her face and eyes exude happiness and acceptance. I think that this was the look that the woman knew about when she saw my face. She knew what a face looks like when they are loved by someone.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
How The Other Half Lives
I spent the afternoon waking up and down Park City's Main Street window shopping and people watching. I was very much just window shopping because who could afford the things on sale! Below are just a few of the examples of things I found for sale there. The first was from an oil painting. The second and third were from photographs of the narrows in Zions National Park I believe. The last is from a mink fur coat.
As I was taking the pictures of the cost of the photographs (I didn't want to take pictures of the actual items because I was pretty sure I would have been reprimanded for doing so) the store associate asked if I was sending the price to my husband. I didn't want to burst her bubble by 1) letting her know I wasn't married and 2) that there was no way I would ever buy something so expensive (I was taking the picture from utter sticker shock) so I played along and informed her, "that there were only so many suggestions I could give my husband for Christmas gifts". It did kind of make me feel good that I could be mistaken for someone that was married and had a husband rich enough to buy me a $72000.00 photograph.
The store associate from the fur coat store also came up and asked if she could help me as I took a picture of the price of the fur coat, but I think she only did so because I was in the very back of the store and she was probably afraid that I was PETA or something and was going to mess up the coat.
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| $70,000.00 Oil Painting |
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| $72,000.00 Photograph |
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| $32,000.00 Photograph |
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| $23,995.00 Mink Coat Do you think the $5.00 off of $24,000.00 really helps people feel they are getting a bargain? |
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