.in which the bangs return.

Not since my early days in middle school have I had bangs. Back then I had bangs that started from the crown of my head and came down in a wide sweeping V that encompassed the entire front of my head. It was the early 90's so I don't think I can be held entirely accountable.

Last night I did it...I finally had bangs cut. Now perhaps to some of you I may look like a boy, but when it really comes down to it, I don't care, because I'm kinda diggin' the bangs.

.it hurts so good.

Last night I was learning some new skills, namely those of a lacrosse nature. It was a good night for 2 reasons.
First, I got to hang with Amanda, one of my awesome maimaids. She plays for the high school lacrosse team, and she is amazing! So who better to teach an armature such as myself than a pro of Amanda's nature. She kept saying that I was better than some of the girls on her team, even as I kept dropping the ball and scrambling around looking like an idiot. Thanks Amanda for building my confidence, even if you had to lie to me to do so.
Second, I got to see Roy in one of his finest moments. He came over later to "show us up" as it were. He was his usual sassy self, questioning Amanda's skills and reasoning of the game. In one such instance he claimed that he could run with the ball in the pocket of the stick without worrying about cradling the ball and that Amanda wouldn't be able to get it. Well of course Roy took off running with Amanda hot on his heels wanting to prove him wrong. In the next instant Roy is flat on the ground and soaked up to his waist in stinky canal water. Amanda and I were both on the ground crying with laughter, and Roy kept saying to Amanda, "why didn't you tell me there was water over here." Roy, of course in his discombobulated state, didn't reason that Amanda had only realized there was water there the instant Roy went down. I of course couldn't miss the opportunity to document Roy in his humiliation.

The backside was the worst, plus I love Amanda's face in the pic.

All in all it was a good night...at least for me. Thanks Amanda and Roy for the entertainment!

.crochity-ness and a coke.

I think I'm turning into a crotchety old bag way before my years. My patience with people's stupidity and annoyances has grown increasingly thin over the past few years. Case in point...this weekend Roy and I went to see Robin Hood. We don't go out to the movies as much as we once did seeing as the budget doesn't often allow for $8 movie tickets. Despite the horrendous box office prices we decided we deserved a night out. I love movies and I love going to them...except when those dearly paid for movies are interrupted by people who don't understand movie etiquette. This has happened on several occasions. We've had: the annoying teenagers that text and talk through the whole movie, the loud father who insists on telling his son the whole movie as it's happening, and the kid that kept yelling "get em' get em' "(but lets be honest the kid was mentally handicapped and it actually made the movie that much more entertaining). This last weekend we had the kid who 1) was on a date, and kept flirting with said date through the movie, 2) had some sort of skin condition and kept scratching himself and 3) must have been nervous because he kept moving around the whole movie. My fuse must be pretty short because I was completely irritated and bugged the whole time. When I mentioned it to Roy afterwards he looked at me strange, as if to say "you might be a little too sensitive". Am I becoming too sensitive? Is this too much to expect when I go to a movie? I don't want to be crotchety, and maybe I just need to suck it up, but maybe in an age of Netflix, movies on demand and home theaters I won't have to.

Ok my rant is over, besides I had more going on this weekend than becoming more crotchety...like being sick. Whoo Hoo! Sunday brought me a happy surprise of upset stomach. It hit me full force right in the middle of sacrament meeting, and I left directly after the choir sang. At dinner my brother in law Mike was coming up with kinds of clever alliterations, from which I will spare you. I finally caved in and went and bought one of these:

It's a time tested "motherly remedy", and the relief was almost instant, and for that I'm grateful!

I have to add that the highlight of the weekend is when we had Shawn and Kristin over for dinner on Sat. Roy had made up his hand burger with all his fixings and had taken a few bites out of it only later to discover that the weird texture of the burger was due to the fact that he forgot to remove the paper that had separated the cheese slices. CLASSIC!

.i want my lip back.

I noticed something this morning when Roy's HUGE head got stuck in his shirt. There is a massive canker looming in my mouth and, as with most canker's, it's a killer. It's making simple tasks such as smiling, eating, & talking very difficult. It's funny when you loose something how quickly you learn to appreciate it. This idea has been on my mind lately, but I haven't said anything for a lot of reasons that I don't want to get into here. All I have to really say is that I'm grateful that God takes things away because, for me at least, that's when I truly learn how much that something meant to me. Although, I must confess, I don't always find the value of what God is teaching me in the moment...instead it's easier to focus on the "why me" aspect, and fall into that awful pit of self misery. But somehow it all manages to come out in the end...kind of like this post. I don't know how I got from Roy's head to this, but I did. I guess all I have to add is that God's gifts can be mysterious things, but sometimes they can be as obvious as spending a night riding bikes with Jess.

Can I just say I love the Young Women!

.green things.

My mom is pretty much awesome.

You know why?

I'll tell you why.

She knows how much I love all things herbs.

Seriously, I'm obsessed with Basil and Rosemary.

But back to my point about why my mom is awesome.

She bought me these:

Just because!

Isn't that nice of her?

For all you plant novice's that is a Basil and Cilantro,

and they are SOOO good!

I figured since I had 2 plants, now was as good a time as any time to start a small herb garden.

So I added some Rosemary and Dill to the group,and there it is...my herb garden.

Already I've used the dill on my baked potatoes

and the cilantro on some taco salad.

And sadly enough I could dedicate an entire blog to herbs.

Isn't is great!

.walking.

I took another walk down at the Jordan Parkway again for lunch, and I've come to a few conclusions...

1- I really like walks! They're way more leisurely than runs, and I am someone who can appreciate "leisure-ness".

2-I like getting away from the office even for a half an hour. I get to be energized by the fresh air and sun, plus I get a chance to be away from a certain older gentleman who's loud voice (I'm sorry to say) grates on my nerves some days.

3- I love listening to the wind in the trees...it almost sounds like rushing water. Such a simple thing, but really very beautiful.

4- I want so badly to be able to take my own children on walks. Yesterday I saw so many moms and baby's out that I almost cried wanting so badly to be out there with my own lil' one. Timing is everything on this one, but that doesn't make it any easier on those days when the desire is so strong.

Wow I kind of ended on a sad note there. Not intended mind you, just something that consumed my thoughts while walking.

.if you can't take the heat.

I can cook, not amazingly mind you, but I do dabble now and then in the art of food. I love the idea of finding new and creative recipes for things I've never tried before, but too often life gets in the way, and to top it off Roy is not a food person. If he could he wouldn't eat, to him its just a waste of time and gets in the way of more important things like....exercise. So since I don't particularly like to cook for myself, cooking usually takes a back seat.

A few months ago I was telling Jill of my one Saturday effort to make a week's worth of meals. It was a great week because the food was already made and ready to go without me having to expend any more energy than throwing it in the microwave or the oven to re-heat. Of course that one Sat. was a very long day. However, it was decided that we could do it together and it would not only save us time and money, but it would be a lot healthier. So here is what a typical Monday looks like:

The car will be loaded with groceries and other household oddities that have been purchased.

Jill will don her latex gloves so as to not have food smelling hands for a week as she is usually cutting up onions, garlic, and de-boning something.

In this case...chicken

Recipes are laid out and tackled one by one (or sometimes two by four)

And than the cooking begins. (Roy was showing us his fancy new helmet)

Lots of grilling, saute'ing, and shredding

A break every now and than, but....

Then it's back to work.

This weeks selection included a cheesy chicken casserole

and a mystery meal we'd never tried before (Italian chicken pasta)

A weeks worth of meals stored and ready to be eaten

and a weeks worth of dishes ready to be washed.

It's exhausting work, but so worth it.