Sunday Drive

Sunday we went for a little drive to explore the area. We drove out to Deception Pass, had a picnic, played by the ocean, and then took the ferry home from Whidby island back to Everett.



Sam's favorite parts were throwing rocks into the water, finding the bunny, and the ride home on the big boat. It was a fun afternoon!

Taiwan's Super Idol

I just realized that I keep blogging about all the American Idol copycats around the world, and I don't even watch the real American Idol (...very much. I just like to know who gets kicked off even though I don't watch them sing).

So this may only be interesting to a couple of my sisters or high school friends who actually know Benji. We went to a year of jr. high and all of high school together. I wouldn't say we were friends...mostly just friendly acquaintances. But now we are Facebook and blogging friends, and I enjoy watching his progress on Taiwan's Super Idol. Here's a clip of him on the show:



I don't understand most of what is being said (I do understand "thank you", but that's it), but it's fun watching him every week. He always posts a link to his performances on his Facebook page, so go be his friend if you want to follow along.

The Real Reason People Read this Blog

Most people read this blog for one reason: Sam. For our many friends and family who live far away, here are some pictures of our cute little man. He's growing up so fast!We were so sad the other day when he finally starting saying "alligator" instead of "evigator." We miss all the old ways he used to pronounce words, like these ones, for example:

• wan-gun-gun (motorcycle)
• kun (car)
• snuggin (snuggle)
• teet (tweet)
  

We like to tease him and ask, "Sam, will you snuggin with me?" And he always says, "No Mom, snuggle."

He is growing so fast. Many of his new clothes he got for Christmas are already getting sort of small on him. His fat little brick feet are too big for his sandals and church shoes. He's tall enough to climb onto the counters and get into cupboards, or to reach all the cookies and muffins at work.
He loves to play pretend. His favorite things to be are race cars (specifically Lightening McQueen), a dog, a baby fish(when he's in the bath, I have to go "fishing" to get Sam out of the tub), and a bird. Sometimes when I wake him up in the middle of the night to use the potty, half asleep in his little tired voice, he says "tweet tweet." He also likes to get under the covers on "the big bed" and pretend to fly an airplane. His favorite destinations are to Grandma's house, Dad's work, and Paris.

And speaking of Paris, it's been so fun teaching him bits of French. Our neighbor across the hall is from France, and it melts her heart when Sam says "bonjour" or "au revoir" to her. His counting is great! And when he sees snails, he calls them escargots. And especially when he doesn't want something he'll say "non merci." So fun!

Here are some of his favorite things:

• Food: hotdogs and cheerios
• Blanket: his green blanket that is falling apart. The blue one my mom got him as a spare for her house is in second place
• Book: Winnie the Pooh
• Toys: his 3 favorite cars: Lightening McQueen, Doc, and Mr. The King
• Song: The Wise Man and the Foolish Man
• Game: running away from the invisible alligators and baseball
  

About a week and a half ago, the fire alarm went off at our apartment complex. We had already put Sam to bed, so we had to get him up, put on some warm clothes, and go outside. The fire trucks and fire fighters came, and Sam thought it was the coolest thing ever. He still randomly jabbers off about that whole night. I think he dreams about it too because that'll be the first thing he talks about when he wakes up.

I love his prayers. We get him up twice each night to use the potty, and every time we put him back down, we have to say a prayer. He prays for Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, the missionaries, the other missionary (we think that's his Uncle Jordan he's talking about), Tigger, Piglet, McQueen, fire fighters, airplanes, birds, rocks, his blankets... Sundays we usually get to church a little early so I can prepare stuff I need for singing time in Primary. Sam likes to get up to the podium in the primary room and give talks. They always start out "Brothers and sisters..." and end "In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." After sacrament meeting he often runs up to the stand and gives some more talks. Maybe he'll be weird like me and actually enjoy public speaking.

We love our little man! He's such a sweet and happy boy. It's so fun to watch is little mind at work. What a joy it is to have him in our family!

Keep Pete in Your Prayers

This was my sister's husband. Please keep him in your prayers. And always remember to wear your helmet!

Keep em coming Susan

If you thought she was good in the last post, check out this one.

Britain's Got Talent

Click here for an amazing video. I think it speaks for itself!

Happy Easter!

Blogging in My Sleep

Hopefully I'm not the only one who does this--maybe I'm just crazy. When something interesting is going on in my life, I spend time thinking about how I will blog about it. I come up with a title, and then start thinking about exactly how I will explain my story. I eventually try to actually type it all out after I have it all outlined in my head, though many times it never gets written. I don't blog all that often compared to some people, but I sure do it a lot in my mind.

The other night I was dreaming about something exciting--I don't have a clue what it was about, but I do remember that it was exciting enough to be blog-worthy because I started outlining it in my mind in my sleep. I have been known to sleep talk and sleep walk on occasion; that would be really interesting to read how my sleep blogging would turn out.

No More Diapers!

Several weeks ago we were coming to the end of the package of Pull-Ups, and we had two options: buy a new package that we would likely only use a portion of, or just stop using them cold-turkey. We're on a pretty strict budget, so we decided that occasionally doing laundry was cheaper than paying for Pull-Ups. He's been staying dry during the day and during his naps for months; it was just going through the night that we were worried about. So we are waking Sam up once around 11pm, and then again when Chris goes to work at 3:45am, and we've only had a couple accidents! He's such a rockstar--a totally potty-trained rockstar!

We witnessed proof that Sam is listening to us! While watching one of our friends' kids the other day, Sam was getting after the little boy when he was doing things he wasn't supposed to be doing, like pushing the buttons on the TV, opening the fridge, and throwing the ball in the house. Now if Sam would just listen AND obey, that would be fantastic!

And speaking of Sam and pushing buttons, the other day Sam was pushing buttons on our remote and somehow ordered the movie Twilight from the On-Demand menu! He cost us $5.00! He is no longer allowed to touch the remote.

Happy Anniversary!

Be Loose, Have Fun, Give Generously to Others, Bake Phenomenal Bread, Run Fast to Help Customers

That is our motto at Great Harvest. We're working hard to meet each one of those points. We're trying to get creative with our marketing to help the community realize how yummy our food is and how good it is for your health. We just wish the economy would turn around already, but realize that it can't change overnight.

We broke down and finally fired one of our employees yesterday with whom we had been having issues since we hired her a couple months ago. We hope her performance didn't deter too many customers. In our time as owners, we have only had to fire one other person. We still have three employees who have been with the bakery since the previous owners, and two girls we hired who are doing great.

April 1st was our one year anniversary of owning our business. The time has flown by so quickly! We have learned so much, and are starting to feel like we actually know what we're doing. I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again: this has been such a huge learning experience!

This was the little gift our cute employees gave us for our 1 year anniversary.

Parade of Homes--Everett Style

I've been working as a leasing consultant at our apartment complex for about four months now. It's a good job, pays OK, and the best thing about it is once my workday is over, I don't have to think about it anymore (unlike teaching or owning a business which require constant thought and effort). I enjoy interacting with our residents and meeting new people.

A few weeks ago we did our annual all-apartment inspections to make sure there were no major maintenance issues that have gone unnoticed or unmentioned. I was excited to go inside each apartment and see how people have decided to decorate their little homes. It was going to be like the Parade of Homes, or something. Well, it didn't quite turn out the way I had imagined...and how really could it have been? We're just in small apartments where all the walls are white and the floor plans and appliances are basically the same. Yes, there were some with nice furniture, but I was surprised how sloppy and messy many people are! Also it was interesting to smell how different each apartment and each floor was. For a few I had to hold my breath because it either smelled like tobacco or alcohol, or even worse, cat litter. One apartment was so bad that we ended up kicking the guy out: there was poo from his cat, vomit in the bathroom, and junk and trash all over the apartment. In another, we could hardly walk because the counters and floors were piled up with trash with a narrow path throughout the apartment. We had to ask them to clean it up so we could come back and do the maintenance checks.

Something I have realized since working here is just how grateful I am that I haven't ever done anything stupid to screw up my life. We get so many people applying that have evictions, really bad credit, or criminal issues in their past that keep them from getting approved. Being dumb and irresponsible will follow you and limit your options for basically your whole life, and it's pretty much impossible to get stuff like that off your record. So everyone out there in blog-land, be smart and play it safe. Like the hymn says, "Keep the commandments, in this there is safety and peace."

One more thing I've realized since working at my job is that I have no self-control. OK, really I've known that for a long time, but it's still a problem I'm trying to overcome. I figured that since I would no longer be working at the bakery regularly that I would lose a few pounds since I wouldn't be surrounded by so many tasty treats. Well, now every time I drop Sam off at the bakery with Chris, I grab all my old favorite treats. And then I go to work, and there is a candy jar that sits on my desk, and a plate of cookies near the front door. I can't help myself! The candy isn't even my favorite stuff (until recently when our manager bought some of the Reese's Easter candies...I'm in big trouble!), and the cookies are dry and hard--nothing compared to our Great Harvest cookies! Yet I still eat them. If it's in front of me, I eat it. For dinner the other night we had tacos, and I accidentally put on way too much hot sauce. It was killing me, but I ate it all anyway because it was in front of me! I think the reason I've never in my life been offered drugs, alcohol, or tobacco is because if I tried it, I wouldn't be able to resist it. Ah jeeze, I have a problem!

So there you have it: a pretty random update about me and my job. Stay tuned to an update about our bakery!

Sixth Picture Tag

OK, I know most people have already done this, but I'm just a little slow. So here's my 6th picture from my 6th folder:I believe this was after Caleb's baptism, and a bunch of us went bowling. Eliza and I had the pregnant-lady-power and beat everyone else (if I remember right). Good times!

Open Invitation

Attention all friends of ours living in Washington!

Now that we have cable, it is much easier to watch General Conference (last time our internet connection wasn't very good and we missed a lot of it). So we invite anyone who wants a place to watch it to come on over! Kids are welcome to play with Sam in his room if they get bored. Just give us a call if you're interested.

My Thoughts on the Economy and the Lessons We've Learned

Becca sent Chris and I a link to this picture today. We thought it was pretty funny, but true. We've joked around with the idea of pulling on people's heartstrings by putting pictures of Sam around the bakery with signs that say, "buy our bread or this little boy will starve!"

It's a crazy time right now. A year ago Chris and I were getting our business started, and we were so excited about this adventure we were about to begin. We felt like we were guided to this opportunity and that it was the right move for our family. Little did we know how bad the economy was going to get. What a rotten time to take over a business, right?! We knew it would be hard, and that we would have a lot to learn.

At my other job at the apartment complex, I had my 90 day review where normally I would be offered a raise if I were doing well. Well, I received a really great review, but the wages and salaries for all employees in the whole company are frozen, so no one will be getting a raise for the time being. Instead, I got a $25 gift card for the movie theater for which I am grateful because Chris and I NEVER go out But still, a raise would have been nice too.

At work I talk to so many people who are out of jobs, can't pay their bills, can't find a place to live because they have lost their house or have declared bankruptcy. I hear friends and neighbors who work for Boeing who are at risk of losing their jobs while they are continually laying people off every month. I don't like to watch the news anymore because it is just so depressing.

So what are we doing here? We know we are where we are supposed to be. We felt inspired to take on this challenge. We are working hard to make things work. We figure if we can weather this storm, than we can make it; only the strong will make it.

In the meantime, we're asking God what we are supposed to be learning from these experiences; we're trying to understand what wisdom we can gain. Well, for one, our family has learned how to be frugal. We have realized that we can live on a whole lot less than we thought. There are so many little costs that we have managed to reduce or eliminate. We have learned to be better at making and keeping a budget. We've learned to enjoy playing the coupon game. If only we had been this frugal from day one of our marriage! We could have been rich!

We have learned how to run a business. We've learned about marketing, branding, bookkeeping, interacting with and training employees, customer service, hard work, and so much more. In addition to that, we have learned to work together--Chris and I make a good team. We're happy to announce that working together has only brought us closer. Being away from our families, we have learned to rely on each other and help each other out more than ever. Our little family of three is closer and stronger than ever before.

We have learned that debt is an ugly ugly thing, and it should be avoided at all costs. I never want to be in debt ever again!

One of the biggest lessons we have learned is just how much we are loved and supported, and how much people want to see us succeed. From that support, we have also learned the wonderful gift of generosity. We have received so many kind and generous acts--you know who you are. We hope to one day be in a position financially to help out other family members, friends, and strangers. The previous owners have taught us that money is just money, but what is the most important are the people you love and who love you. They are the most caring and generous people I have ever met, and I hope to be just like them one day.

Life has been throwing us big juicy lemons, but we are trying hard to make a delicious lemonade. We are looking for the good and trying to help others in any way possible. We realize we are not the only ones feeling the affects of this economic situation. There are a lot of people who are in a lot worse shape than we are. I think we can all learn a little from where we're at right now.

Snow Day in Everett

Monday morning I had some training for work down in downtown Seattle. On the way down, the radio started listing the school districts with late starts or school buses cancellations because of the snow. I thought it was so funny because it hadn't even started snowing yet! What wimps! (Before I move on with my story, can I just say how much I dislike driving to Seattle. I always get lost! I took my exit about 40 minutes before the training was supposed to start, somehow I ended back on the freeway, got off again, wandered around the Space Needle area, found the freeway again, and arrived at my meeting at 9am exactly. Grrr... Unfortunately I have to venture down there again next week. I'm hoping to catch a ride with someone) Anyway, on the way back to my meeting, the snow had still not started yet. I passed a sign that said Lynnwood 8 minutes, Everett 39 minutes--normally it takes about 10-15 minutes between the two. I figured the sign just hadn't been changed from the morning traffic. Boy was I wrong. As I was passing through Lynnwood, the snow started dumping which haulted freeway traffic to about 5 mph. It took me forever to get home.

Back in Everett, the snow was coming down like crazy. There were cars stuck off the side of the road, right on the road, everywhere. It was like going through a maze passing around all the stuck cars just trying to drive home. I generally don't mind the snow, but when it effects sales at the bakery when everyone is too scared to drive, I get really frustrated. It's also hard when our employees call in saying they can't get to work because of the snow. Since Mondays are our slowest day at the bakery and the snow wasn't helping, we decided to close the store early. I went back to work downstairs at the apartment complex, and Sam and Chris walked to the bakery to help close the store for the rest of the day. Chris sent everyone home, but then the sun came out, and the store started getting busy again, so he and Sam manned the store.

Chris was trying to help a customer when Sam started yelling, "Dad! Poop! I need to go poop!" So he had to ask the customer to wait a minute while he ran and sat Sam on the potty. Chris came back up to finish ringing the guy up when Sam waddled up to the front of the store with his pants and underwear around his ankles. Luckily the customer was a regular and just laughed. I would have been mortified if that was a new customer's first impression of our bakery! After that Chris called me and asked what we should do. I left work early so I could go help Chris wrangle Sam and help out at the bakery. Washingtonians aren't afraid of driving in a little bit of rain, but freak out in the snow! We're hoping that was the last snow day of the year.

Books We've Read

I am responsible for making our apartment complex's monthly newsletter. I was reading through some pre-written articles that the newsletter company provides, and I found one about the top 100 most beloved books. This list was compiled from sources such as Time Magazine, Random House publishers, as well as readers' favorites as listed on the internet. I'll provide the list and mark which ones Christopher and I have read. Keep in mind these are books have read and completed; they do not include any books read to us or movies we've seen of the books.

1. “The Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane. Cruelty of war tests young man.
2. “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy. How the world looks after nuclear war.
3. “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe. Lessons learned on a remote island.
4. “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Adventures of a Puritan woman. Chris/Camilla
   
5. “A Separate Peace” by John Knowles. Boys who come of age around World War II. Chris/Camilla
   
6. “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut. Aliens, World War II and time travel.
7. “The Sound and the Fury” by William Faulkner. Once-proud family encounters hardship.
8. “The Stand” by Stephen King. Portrays an end-of-the-world scenario.
9. “Sybil” by Benjamin Disraeli. Daughter of poor man in working-class England.
10. “The Swiss Family Robinson” by Johann David Wyss. How to survive a shipwreck.
11. “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens. Civil unrest in France. Chris
    
12. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Lawyer fights, among other things, prejudice. Camilla
    
13. “Tropic of Cancer” by Henry Miller. A world of freedom and eroticism.
14. “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer. Love and a vampire. Camilla
    
15. “Undaunted Courage” by Stephen Ambrose. Trailblazers open the American west.
16. “Three Men in a Boat” by Jerome K. Jerome. Misadventures of young Englishmen.
17. “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells. Ponders life in the distant future.
18. “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson. Adventure features pirates and gold.
19. “Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Verne. Vessels encounter a mystery.
20. “Ulysses” by James Joyce. An early 1900s look at working class in Dublin.
21. “Vanity Fair” by William Makepeace Thackeray. Greed and deception in 19th century.
22. “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau. The solitary life and its lessons.
23. “Watership Down” by Richard Adams. A fantasy about rabbits developing their own culture. Chris
    
24. “The World According to Garp” by John Irving. Life is not always black or white.
25. “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte. The negative aspects of love. Chris
    
26. “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte. Romance thriller includes secrets and good versus evil. Chris/Camilla
    
27. “King Solomon’s Mines” by H. Rider Haggard. Explorers seek African treasures.
28. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. A headless horseman on the hunt.
29. “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis. Fantasy in which animals talk. Chris
    
30. “Little Women” by Louisa M. Alcott. Sisters grow up while father is at war.
31. “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov. A tale of doomed passion.
32. “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry. Cattle drive adventure includes outlaws.
33. “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding. Boys face life on a deserted island.
34. “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien. Yarn of power and adventure.
35. “Loving” by Henry Green. Life in an Irish country house during World War II.
36. “The Maltese Falcon” by Dashiell Hammett. Detective on trail of bird figurine.
37. “Moby-Dick” by Herman Melville. Adventures of a sailor and a large whale.
38. “The Naked and the Dead” by Norman Mailer. Soldiers and their superiors in World WarII.
39. “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. Migrant laborers harbor big dreams.
40. “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway. Aging fisherman battles a marlin. Chris/Camilla
    
41. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by Ken Kesey. Life in a mental institution.
42. “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder. Daily doings in a New Hampshire town.
43. “Pale Fire” by Vladimir Nabokov. Intrigue and murder in a never-ending maze.
44. “Paradise Lost” by John Milton. Think sin, death and heaven.
45. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde. Man’s portrait ages, but he doesn’t.
46. “Pigs in Heaven” by Barbara Kingsolver. American Indian child discovers life.
47. “Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan. Dragons, dangers and spiritual lessons.
48. “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” by James Joyce. Man seeks answers in Ireland.
49. “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen. The search for love and faithfulness. Chris
    
50. “The Princess Bride” by William Goldman. Renaissance era tale of romance, adventure. Chris/Camilla
    
51. “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes. All that glitters may not be gold. Chris
    
52. “Dracula” by Bram Stoker. Horror in Eastern Europe features a vampire.
53. “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson. Dual life of good and evil.
54. “Dune” by Frank Herbert. Empire of the future and forces who want to rule it.
55. “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck. How good can triumph over evil.
56. “Emma” by Jane Austen. English girl on self-discovery journey. Chris
    
57. “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card. Youth learns to battle potential world disaster. Chris
    
58. “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury. A future in which reading is considered criminal.
59. “A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway. Love and disillusionment during war.
60. “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Ernest Hemingway. The prospect of death.
61. “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand. Architect battles the pressure to conform.
62. “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley. What can happen when science goes awry. Chris/Camilla
    
63. “Gone With the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell. Love and war in the South.
64. “The Good Earth” by Pearl S. Buck. View of farmer’s struggles in China.
65. “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck. Family hardship in the Great Depression.
66. “Gravity’s Rainbow” by Thomas Pynchon. How technology can impact society.
67. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Pitfalls of the American Dream. Chris/Camilla
    
68. “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift. Fantastic voyages loaded with illusions.
69. “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” by Carson McCullers. Deaf mute acts as a confidante.
70. “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien. How to handle the prospects of power.
71. “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. A self-help guide.
72. “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” by Victor Hugo. A gypsy in Paris has an admirer.
73. “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison. Social issues facing a Southern-based youth.
74. “The Island of Dr. Moreau” by H.G. Wells. Half-human animals on a remote isle.
75. “James and the Giant Peach” by Roald Dahl. A boy finds new life inside a real big peach Chris/Camilla
    
76. “1984” by George Orwell. Be careful who is watching ... and listening.
77. “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain. Youths go on a raft journey. Chris/Camilla
    
78. “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. A boy leaves his home in search of treasure.
79. “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque. War’s horrors. Chris
    
80. “Animal Farm” by George Orwell. Life under a totalitarian umbrella. Camilla
    
81. “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy. A woman married but miserable.
82. “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand. Self-interest becomes the “in” thing.
83. “Battlefield Earth” by L. Ron Hubbard. Thriller set in the year 3000.
84. “The Black Sheep” by Honore de Balzac. Napoleon’s France as viewed by two boys.
85. “The Boys of Summer” by Roger Kahn. The Dodgers, before they went to L.A.
86. “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley. A futuristic look at humans and technology.
87. “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London. Drastic changes for domestic dog. Chris
    
88. “Cannery Row” by John Steinbeck. Depression-era fishery laborers toil in California.
89. “Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer. Tall tales in the 14th century.
90. “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller. Airmen face tough situation in World War II.
91. “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. Play by the rules—or not. Chris
    
92. “Cat’s Cradle” by Kurt Vonnegut. An arms race for a dangerous substance.
93. “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. Old man learns it is never too late to change. Chris/Camilla
    
94. “Clarissa” by Samuel Richardson. A girl who wants to stay true to her heart.
95. “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess. Attempt to reform a troubled teen.
96. “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas. Tale of betrayal and revenge. Chris
    
97. “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Poverty and the search for redemption. Chris/Camilla
    
98. “Cyrano de Bergerac” by Edmond Rostand. Poet-swordsman with a long nose.
99. “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens. Greed, love and a really powerful storm.
100. “Darkness at Noon” by Arthur Koestler. A Russian cannot condone the regime.
     

Chris has read 23/100, and I've read 14/100. Yikes, my score is not very good. I have started several of these books and just never finished. In my defense, my degree was basically a French Literature major, so if this had been a French list, I would have tons more marked off.

I've seen other lists floating around Facebook of a different set of 100 books you should read. According to one I saw, the BBC says that the average person has only read 6 of those books. From that list I had only read 10. I'm always so leery of staring a new book because I get sucked into them so easily, and all my other responsibilities get neglected until I have finished the book. Many of the books from the two lists we actually own and are just sitting on our bookshelves. This has strengthened my resolve to read more. Any suggestions on which one I should read first.
Chris has read 23/100, and I've read 14/100. Yikes, my score is not very good. I have started several of these books and just never finished. In my defense, my degree was basically a French Literature major, so if this had been a French list, I would have tons more marked off.

I've seen other lists floating around Facebook of a different set of 100 books you should read. According to one I saw, the BBC says that the average person has only read 6 of those books. From that list I had only read 13. I'm always so leary of staring a new book because I get sucked into them so easily, and all my other responsibilities get neglected until I have finished the book. Many of the books from the two lists we actually own and are just sitting on our bookshelves. This has strengthened my resolve to read more. Any suggestions on which one I should read first.

A Scenerio Likely Never Found in Bountiful

Last night we went to Subway for dinner, and while we were eating, a woman wandered in the store. She was loud and friendly, telling everyone in the store that she loved them. She was all buddy-buddy with all the employees so I figured she was a regular. On her way out, she saw us eating our food, and in particular wanted to say hi to Sam, so she came over to talk to us. She asked Sam a few questions and then told him to give "Grandma" a hug. She informed us that she had a handful of great-grandchildren and loved kids. She was very friendly, but I think more than anything, she was a little tipsy from one too many drinks--we think she had come from the bar a couple stores down from the Subway. She was wearing a low-cut shirt showing off her boobies and her lovely tattoo that was fairly low on her boob. Whether it was put there or has sunk down with time we weren't sure. She kept leaning over to give Sam hugs, and Sam just kept staring at her chest. I think she kept leaning over to show herself off to Chris. She left, and then came back a few minutes later with a gift for Sam: a chicken stuffed animal. It's really cute, but it smells like cigarette smoke. She told Sam she loved him in her boisterous voice, gave him lots more hugs, and made her way back to the bar. It made for an interesting dinner. I think we should probably wash the chicken before Sam plays with it.

Language Lessons

I apologize to all Planet Cleverly readers for re-posting this video, but I can't get my videos to upload to Blogger, and I'm trying to figure out how to upload videos on YouTube.

In any case, I wanted to share a cute video of Sam practicing his French. Click here, and hopefully that will take you to the video.

The Gift

I was going through some of my old stuff, and I found this story that my cute sisters Mary and Eliza had written for me probably between 2000-2002--after high school and before my mission. I think it's hilarious, but probably only my immediate family will get it. The text written in Red was written by Eliza, and the text in blue was Mary. Enjoy!

The Gift
by Eliza and Mary

There once was a girl named Camilla. And it was her birthday eve. She was so sad because she wasn't going to be in Utah with her twin Eliza on her birthday. She then decided she would stuff her twin in her backpack and take her as carry on. However this made the girl's little sister (Slow-Ma-Hoe-D'ditz) very sad and feeling left out. So Milla decided that since you are allowed two carry-ons that she would take SMHDD too!

But her mom thought it was a secret plot against their fat tootsie-roll of a dog Noite. It was going to be Noite's birthday soon--at least we thought, maybe...she is really Milla's twin sister's black sister who was a spy inside a tootsie-roll's body. All along it had been a lie. She was a dog "Noite" or otherwise known as Sheila Fee Fee, the spy from the London headquarters. Her whole plot was to make her get on the WRONG flight. Camilla wasn't going to Hawaii anymore. Sheila Fee Fee was sending her to Quebec (dun, dun, dun) to get Elder D (name withheld to protect the innocent) and MARRY HIM! (dun, dun dun!!).

This was against the church rules, but Evil Elder D was with the Quebec Headquarters and knew Sheila Fee Fee. So when Camilla got to the airport and on the plane she didn't have a clue this was gonna happen. Then she looked around and noticed nobody else was on the plane. That's not all she noticed either. The lights were pink and the carpet had hearts. This was no ordinary plane--it was the jet-of-love--and Camilla was trapped! Then she thought "like me pink." Slowly the jet-of-love was brain washing her. She shook her head realizing what was happening. There must be a way out off the jet-of-love. But the door was glued shut with chocolate. She was slowly getting dizzy and then she remembered the move that would save her life. So watching Power Rangers had payed off. She did a triple back flip kick at the door, but she fell over in pain. That was TV, not real life jet-of-love trapped victims. But she wouldn't give up, no not without a fight.

But nobody was even on the plane. She decided to go look in the captain's cockpit. When she got there she saw the captain laying on the floor. The plane was on auto pilot and about to take off. Then she saw it--this would help her get off the jet-of-love! A role of duct tape! Camilla knew duct tape was an amazing invention, so she put it to use. She grabbed the roll, taped the captain's mouth shut and ran to the back of the plane. She taped up the propellers and then got to the most important part. She wrote a Dear John on the tape and left it on the window. Then she taped the tape around her waist and lowered herself down into the engine off the jet-of-love. While there, she opened the engine door and stepped out.

Now, all she had to do was run as far away from the jet-of-love as possible. She reached the gates of the airport and paused to look back at the jet. Should she have stayed and married Evil Elder D? Then coming back to reality she told herself "ick, ick, icky!" As she said this, she saw Evil Elder D himself. "Come back, mon petit chou!" he shouted. Then Camilla mustered all her courage and yelled "You sicky, icky, kisser! I'm not a vegetable and I don't like you, so go back to Canada and get to work. Ick, ick icky!!"

But she ran on after still, then someone swooped Camilla in their arms. She turned to see their face--it was Elder Pinto!! "We've been waiting for you!" Camilla said with a relieved tired smile. "We thought you were in the bathroom with Elder Companion...and we didn't know if you'd ever get here on time for your flight!" So Elder Pinto carried Camilla into the airport and put her down next to her twin.

When she went to talk to Liza, she saw her giving her strange looks. So she looked down and noticed she was wearing a pink bunny rabbit suit. "I'm a little worried about you, Camilla," her mom said not even realizing she had been taken captive. Camilla's dad began to ask in a sad puppy like voice, "Eliza, why is there..."

"Dad," Eliza said, " Interstate 50 does not exist because..."

"No!" her dad cut her off. "Why is there a pink bunny suit on Camilla?"

"That's obvious," Eliza explained. "It's because of her summer job at Northern Exposure. Dad, I thought you knew!"

"Oh yeah, I just forgot!"

"Silly Poptart!" Eliza said.

"But Eliza, my favorite child, why is the sisterhood ring only on you?"

"Because Dad, I'm the coolest, but I guess I'll give it to Camilla because it is her birthday eve after all." So she did, but she could hear Mary in the background, "Ha ha! Now you can't ever be a sister again!" Mary laughed. But Camilla and Liza looked at each other and laughed, "It's all good. We're not sisters, we're twins!"

The End

We're still alive and kicking!

We have been informed that we need to post more on our blog. I guess it has been awhile since our last post. We've had a pretty stressful past couple months both in and out of the bakery, but we're here and still breathing, and closer as a couple because of it all. We won't go into the details on here. Instead, we'll focus on the daily things in life that have kept us laughing.

• So as you are all aware if you read our last post, Sam is potty-trained...kind of. He does great if we remind him every 45 minutes or so, but he rarely tells us on his own if he needs to go. The other night we were at Old Navy doing some birthday shopping, and all of a sudden we notice a miniature lake surrounding Sam's feet. And of course we weren't prepared with anything--no extra underwear, no extra pants, nothing! And since we had walked to the mall from our house, we didn't want to make Sam walk home with soaking pants in the cold. So with Chris' birthday money, Sam got a new pair of underwear and new pants. They didn't have any underwear in his size, so he got the smallest size they had. And they're boxer-briefs! With baseballs! He looks so cute in them even though they're huge on him. So the morale of the story: never leave the house with the diaper bag!

• Sam normally enjoys bathtime, but the other day he got soap in his eyes, and he has not wanted to take a bath again. So the other day he was needing a bath really bad. His face was gross, and he smelled like pee (I cannot find any diapers or pull-ups that can keep Sam dry at night. I think he's just a power-pee-er. Should I be waking him up at night to go potty?). It was a struggle to take off all his clothes, and even more of a fight to get him in the bath. He was flailing his strong little body all over the place yelling that he didn't want his eyes to get owies. And then he started yelling, "Non, merci, mom! Non merci!" It made me laugh so hard! I just love it when he uses his little French phrases! At least he was being polite.
• We received a Wii for Christmas, and Sam enjoys playing the games on it. He does pretty well with tennis and baseball, but his favorite is boxing. We should have been better parents realizing that his boxing skills would likely transfer to hitting things and people outside of the game. Oops! Sam isn't allowed to play boxing anymore.
  
• My secret is out: I play the organ, and now our ward knows it. A bunch of weeks ago the regular organist was gone, and there was no one playing the prelude. I went up to the bishopbric and asked if they needed me to fill in for the day. Since then I have filled in quite a few times, and have now officially been called as the assistant ward organist in addition to being the Primary chorister. I don't mind. I enjoy playing. I just need to reaquaint myself with the organ since it has been more than nine years since I played and was taking lessons. I just wish my legs were a little longer so I could feel more comfortable using the pedals.
  
• We had a nice Valentine's Day. I worked all day and came home to a Pizza Hut pizza (my favorite!). Chris and Sam had brought home a bouquet of balloons, and after dinner I was told to pop them all. I hate popping balloons. With each pop came a loud scream. I'm so jumpy! Inside each balloon was part of a puzzle which in the end made a little love note. It was a sweet small gift that meant so much. It was probably the best Valentine's Day I've ever had.
• And one more thing: Chris and I are having a contest on who can get more friends on Facebook. Currently I have 277, and he has 283. It's a tight race!
  

So there you have it--a brief update on us. Maybe next time you'll get pictures and videos. There's a cute video from Christmas I've been trying to post for a long time now, but it isn't working. Anyway, we hope everyone has a great Sunday!