I QUIT

Literally, I quit my job today! Many know that I've been courted recently by the IT department at a local (and quite monopolizing) health care organization to join their ranks. Well, after several interviews and several weeks of deliberating and my hard bargaining skills they finally came up with an offer that I couldn't refuse. I gave my notice at the bank this morning and took my pre-employment pee in a cup this afternoon at the pre-employment lab. Now I will have to give up my Blackberry to don a pager; swap the HP laptop for a Dell; give up 2-weeks-at-at time on call shifts for 3-hours-at-a-time per week on a rotating schedule; and go from knowing everything to knowing nothing. It seems like a daunting task and while I look forward to the newness and the fabulous opportunity it is with sadness that I leave behind what I have built and the friendships that I have fostered. Three years seem to have flown by as I am sure the next three will as well. (Annie, look out - I just might be on the other line if you ever have to call for support!) Au revuoir and thanks for the memories!

Motocross - neighbor style

Last night we headed out to Deseret Peak to watch motocross - the last race of the season - and cheer for the neighbor kids, Kylee and Trevor. It was a wild race against the clock to get off work early, pick up Bouncer (Dad's dog) who's staying the weekend, pick Erin up from Amber and collect Brynlee and McKade, rush home, change clothes, load chairs and snacks and finally hit the road so we could be in Tooele for the start of the races by 6pm. Of course it is a motocross scene and it was no real surprise that they were still practicing when we got there at 6:15 and racing didn't start until after 7pm. It gave us time to be silly in the stands and eat concession food before the racing started.





Kylee and Trevor have been racing all season and doing so good! Kylee ended up taking second place in her race and Trevor took third - I think - because Trevor's real action was his crash when another rider came down on his bike and they both went flying. I've never seen his mom, Jeri, move so fast! Luckily both kids were OK and went on to finish the race. I got photos of Kylee and her lead between the 3rd place rider. Go Kylee! And Trevor's very professional-looking move in the corner where he checked where his fellow rider was. Nice move Trevor! I thought the one with his name and number reflected in the camera flash was very cool...




When those we came to watch were on the track, Erin and cousins Brynlee and McKade were cheering so loud and chanting their names. It was doubtful that they could be heard over the noise of the racing bikes on the track and the fact that we were halfway up the stands but dang it was cute to watch from where we were sitting!



Of course the night would not have been complete without the inevitable question from Clint: "Hey honey, should I come out of retirement and show them how it's done?" Um... no honey! I had enough stress watching you as a younger man and worried you would get hurt every week for years and don't really miss those days much... Sorry!

After the sun went down everyone got cold and started vying for spots on laps to stay warm.





Fun times were had by all and the kids were still full of energy when we loaded in the car to head for home. That might have had more to do with all the sugar and junk food they ate, though! I thought it was funny that Erin and McKade said they weren't tired and Brynlee said she was as we headed out. Guess who was awake and chattering my ear off while her seatmates were snoozing all the way home? Yep, Brynlee! Of course that was after the 10 minutes of "she's touching me"... "no, he's touching me" that reminded me of my own childhood...


The long ride home made for an early night for the sleepover but I was the only one not complaining since it made the morning much easier to handle for me! Thanks, Drury's for inviting us out to watch the races!!


Erin, what was your favorite part? When we got to go up on the fence!

Four Peas in a Pod

Did you ever wonder if there could possibly be another couple out there just like you? And by "just like you", I mean JUST like you! Our next door neighbors, the Hummels, literally are just like us - like 4 peas in a pod. Well, maybe two of us per pod? Like sometimes it's a little creepy even... Clint and Bryce are the same quick-witted b.s.'ers who (trust us!) you never really want to get started on a roll. And once started, they feed off of each other until the frenzy of one-liners are way out of control... Which would normally bug me but Adrian and I are equally matched with our not sharing and love of reading and crazy husbands that we sort of don't really notice it when we are together.

After 15 years of marriage, a bit of Clint's sarcasm and humor has rubbed off on me and I had THE memorable line from tonight's outing with the Hummels. As Adrian and I watched our men, sitting together on the bleachers, from across a motocross track, ready to go home, and trying to call on the phone to tell them so - and getting Bryce's voicemail! - this was my perfectly delivered one-liner: "Hi, This is Bryce and I can't take your call right now because I'm with my boyfriend, Clint... but please leave a message!" I think Clint might have been annoyed that I got the best line of the night?

This is us... me and Ace and Clint and Bryce - the 4 peas... in a pod.

Case in point: I got home from tonight's festivities together and went to blog about it and Adrian has already posted an entry on HER blog. Insanity!! And as Bryce was helping Clint unload rocks and bushes from the truck he told me in a voice filled with incredulity that she had already blogged and I replied "I know, I've already seen it!" I believe his muttered response was "damn bloggers...." We love you guys and are SO glad you're our neighbors!!

Musical Fortune

I got this off a blog I read and thought it was pretty cool. The idea is that you can tell lots of things about a person by the music they listen to. Kind of had a fun time doing it while I took a little break from the daily grind today for some random silliness...

1. Put Your iPod/iTunes/music player/cd player/radio on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. Write that song name down. (of course, I added some comments as well!)

WHAT BEST DESCRIBES YOUR PERSONALITY?
Good Times Roll – The Cars
Oh, wow, off to a really good start! I’m all about that!

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
I Don’t Want Your Love – Duran Duran
That’s because I’m already taken by the best guy on the PLANET!

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Rescue Me - Madonna
Oh yeah, today is definitely one of those days…

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
God Help the Outcast – Little Mermaid Soundtrack
Look – the tree-hugger and environmental activist in me is vindicated!

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Disenchanted – My Chemical Romance
How can my iPod know this about me? I wouldn’t call it my motto though…

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Private Investigations – Dire Straits
What does that mean?!? And more importantly, when did Dire Straits get in here?

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Next 2 You - Buckcherry
This is a new addition to the library and I have to admit I had to play it to see if it fit. Kinda does!

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT FREQUENTLY?
Every Minute Every Day - Scorpions
Hmmm… alluding to my OCD perhaps?

WHAT IS 2+2?
The Greater Good – Nine Inch Nails
No comment.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Crown of Thorns – Corrosion of Conformity
Hmmm… I don’t think I agree.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Whores – Jane’s Addiction
What is this, a high school quiz? I’m married already!

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
When I See You Smile – Bad English
“Sometimes I wonder how I’d make it through… But then I see you smile and Everything’s all right“ pretty dang fitting!

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Born To Move – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Just as long as we are talking “move your body” or “move a Nation” and not physically move my residence! I’m done with that insanity.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
We’re Forgiven – The Calling
“Well I’d like to think the world hasn’t seen that all the best is still to come” Oh yeah, watch out world, Clint and I will surprise you!!

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Man of the Hour – Pearl Jam
I always KNEW I was the favorite child!! : )

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING Anniversary?
You Can Do It – No Doubt
More like what I’ll be saying to Clint to get him to dance!

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Been It – The Cardigans
Yeah, the rate I’m going…

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
A classical piano track performed by Charles Rosen
I do love classical piano and miss playing… but not very accurate right now

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Got The Life - Korn
Shhhh, don’t tell anyone!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Serenade #10 in B Flat - Mozart
Aww… Pretty!

Mornings...

OK, everyone knows I am NOT a morning person. And turns out neither is my daughter! She is a mini-me after all so who is surprised? Doesn't matter how early I get her to bed, mornings around our house suck. Erin's current bed time is 8:30pm on school nights and most of the time she is asleep about then being exhausted by dance or gymnastics. Knowing how much I appreciate the same thing, I let her sleep until the very last second possible before waking her. Inevitably her first words are a groan and a roll over mumbling, "mooommmmy, I'm sleeeeepy!" and tries to go back to sleep. Now school starts at 8:30-ish and we have to be ready to leave the house by 8:15 to avoid the idiot parents who don't know how to manage to successfully navigate a DROP OFF zone at the elementary school... but that's a topic for another day! Most mornings we are running for the door after my uttering the words "HURRY!!" about a hundred times. We even have baths at night to avoid added time in the mornings. And most of the time I'm stuck feeding the dog on my way out to work after having dropped Erin off because I'm not ready to leave when she is because I've spent all my morning prep time managing her morning routine. You see a pattern, don't you? Anyway, here's the kicker.... School days Erin wakes up at 7:15am and fights it tooth and nail. YET... last weekend she was not in bed before 11pm either night and was up ON HER OWN and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed BEFORE 8 AM the following mornings!! Of course on those days it is Erin waking Mommy up with what has become her mantra lately... "Mommy, I'm HUNGRY!" Is it simply payback to ruin my weekend sleep-in mornings because she hates that I have to wake her up on the weekdays? I just can't win and mornings will always suck.

The weekend of dirt...

We got a dump truck full of dirt delivered to our driveway yesterday morning. AT 7:30AM! Sorry to all the neighbors who were probably rudely awakened. It was scheduled to arrive at 8:00 but apparently the schedule wasn't really exact science... Now Clint is moving the dirt to strategic locations that we've only had our imaginations to picture as raised flowerbeds until now. Notice the difference on each side of the rock behind Sasha in the one photo... I get all a twitter that the front yard landscape project might be coming to an end after 2 years!



Speaking of Sasha, she has found her official look-out spot. Whenever she is out front with us, she sits in the same spot of grass on the park strip - with her legs crossed like the lady she is - and watches the goings-ons and life in the neighborhood. What a crazy Elkhound....



Erin had a much better week this week and I'm getting better at juggling the homework and managing bedtime so she has a better and more rested experience. Ya for Mom finally getting her shit together?!? I snapped a photo with my camera phone (read as "poor quality") when I picked her up at dance. (She has a couple of little friends already and they look so dang cute in their dance uniforms!) I swear, if I hear "MOMMY, I'M HUUUUNGRY!!" one more time I might just scream... I think Erin has a bottomless pit instead of a stomach just like her Daddy. It will probably not show up under x-ray but I know it is there!! The kid is constantly eating.



Tuesday I had book club (read the book review on my "other" blog if you're interested here http://dontyouwishyouhadacrystalball.blogspot.com/2008/09/screwtape-letters.html) and Friday night I went to dinner and margarita's with the girls from work. I came home to an impromptu fire in the backyard with our fabulous neighbors - who we also watched the Utes spank Air Force to remain undefeated with on Saturday. Take note, Clint WILL suspend landscape work for a good football game but not much else....

As the weekend of dirt heads for a close, I look forward with much anticipation to posting "after" photos when the landscape is finally done!!

Dinosaurs!! 9/13/08

Last weekend my sister was on babysitting duty while our brother and his wife were on a little holiday... So, we loaded their minivan up with all 5 - yes, five!! - kids on Saturday and headed to the Dinosaur Museum. Of course, Aunt Denice thought it would be really fun to get slushies at the Sonic before heading out to keep the kids happy on the drive to the next city south. We had to stop because Harlee needed lunch so why not, right? Here we are, the wild bunch in the car with Auntie at the wheel. Notice how large the cups are that all the children are holding? We will pay for that later, mark my words! But, Harlee was happy with her fries and chicken so it was well worth the stop. At one point when Harlee was double-fisting fries and wanting more faster than I could hand them to her, I thought she could be Erin's sister - she eats like her uncle Clint!

The museum is actually called the Museum of Ancient Life and is pretty cool because it is a hands-on learning museum. They have exhibits under glass and behind glass like all the other museums I've been to but they also have ones that you can touch and interact with and yes, even climb on! Of course the kids wanted to just run from each exhibit to the next and if we hadn't slowed them down for some photo ops we would have been done in about 40 minutes! Ironically, Denice and I had been discussing museum habits on the drive down and how we are kind of in the middle of the road between "I have to read everything at every exhibit" and "I just walk through and look at everything". Once inside with our crowd we found we wanted to read everything at all the exhibits and the kids were dragging US along.

The two favorites for the kids were the two places where they could REALLY get hands-on....

First at the erosion table where you can put on these lovely and stylish blue rubbery aprons and build stuff in the sand and water. They were really getting into it when the slushies from the drive down decided to rear their heads (again) and everyone had to rush for the restrooms. Of course, Bryn had been telling aunt Denice since we got inside that she had to 'go' even though we had hit the restroom after buying our tickets and before entering but we didn't really believe her. And it turns out we should have listened. Bryn, you have THE smallest bladder on the planet!!

After the detour we ran through the rest of the museum to end at the second favorite place... the Quarry! We spent quite a bit of time here and even Harlee got down and dirty in the sand after her stroller ride through the museum. It gave Denice and I a few minutes to catch our breath while the children were corralled like cattle and not interested in running in 4 different directions at once. There were two sand areas to dig bones in and at one point we thought it might be less crowded in the other one. Um... when you have five in your group and you take that group to the other side, then the other side is simply the crowded one now. It took us a minute to figure out that WE were the crowd and unless the kids split up they would just have to deal with it. Of course they are inseparable so that wasn't happening...

Here we are at the end... having conquered the "Dinosaur Museum"!

Another "First"

Growing up can be summed up by a string of "Firsts" that begin with the first smile and follow to first words and first steps and first teeth and first day of school and on and on and on. I suspect that even as we grow old we will continue to measure life by "Firsts". First gray hair, first aches and pains, first time we forget something, first time we don't make it to the toilet, first time we need help feeding ourselves and on and on until the very end. At least one hopes for that long road instead of a tragic and sudden end. (Wow, that thought just took a radical turn from where it began, didn't it?) On that very philosophical note, how I do digress. (Must be the full moon!)

Erin has recently begun the new phase of life called "chores and allowance". In other words, I as her mother can now bribe her to help me pick up after her by giving her money once a week to spend as she pleases. And might I say it has been working splendidly so far. It started at the beginning of the summer with a dollar a week to keep her bed made and pick up all the toys from her rooms at least once a week. Then I started thinking, wait a minute - that's stuff she should have to do in a normal course of daily life and shouldn't amount to my having to pay her cold hard cash! So, we added dusting the living room. Of course she loved the whole idea of using the coveted feather duster "like a real life maid, Mommy!" and didn't complain a bit. That lasted a couple of months and now she thinks there's something called inflation that causes her to need $2 a week instead of our original $1. (Tell me, WHAT does a 6-year old need with $2 a week??!) She doesn't know the term inflation but it amounts to the same thing, right? So, we now have a chore jar with random chores that she is capable of doing and which SOMEONE has to do on a weekly basis to keep the house looking like civilized people actually live here and not a troop of gypsies. She pulls one out twice a week and that accounts for the increase of allowance. She's gotten a bit confused at times on how the whole thing works and wants the money before she does the chores. We have to discuss how I don't PRE-pay for services. She looks at me like I just don't understand how the Universe works and I shake my head and say "I'm the Mommy and that's the way it is - take it or leave it". Which luckily still works!

Last Friday the ice cream man made his slow crawl through our neighborhood and Erin got to buy an ice cream with her VERY OWN MONEY, MOM!! You would have thought she had just invented the cure for the cold or got to see Matchbox Twenty at the grocery store. (Or that the ice cream was made of gold instead of high fructose corn syrup!) This is her with the coveted "first ice cream bought with my own money". Notice Sasha knows that most of the ice cream will still end up on the cement and she is sticking to Erin like stink on... well, white on rice! Our baby is growing up one "first" after another and this is no exception!

Random mutterings, catching up, and the week in recap

Here I sit, at my office away from work, vanilla chai spice latte in hand, wondering just how another week has gone by and I haven't had a single chance to blog. Wait... I remember! First week of dance, first week of gymnastics, first week of daily homework requirements... and it suddenly comes rushing back to me! Erin already had a bit of a tough time adjusting to the first couple of weeks of all-day-long school and add 4 hours of after-school activities plus what averages out to an hour a night of homework and you get the picture. Doesn't help that pretty much she thinks it sucks to have to go to bed so early anyway because "it isn't even dark outside, Mommy!". I'll be glad when it gets dark at a time that more reasonably corresponds with bed-time even though I will lament the loss of long daylight hours to enjoy outdoors.

The week wasn't all bad...

Erin absolutely LOVES dance and while it was pretty rough on her to come home at 7:30, snarf down some dinner and cram in homework before 8:30 bedtime she didn't complain a single word. She loves that her cousin Brynlee is in dance with her - although Bryn is in the younger class and only goes for an hour, they get to see each other and every other week Amber will take them both. A recap of the first day is in order simply for the hilarity factor... I left work early to come home in time to take her since I've been doing a ton of early morning changes lately. She had just gotten home from school and was finishing off a yogurt as her after-school snack. Because I knew she was staring down the length of a 3-hour dance class before dinner, I had her also eat half a PB&J and some cheese and crackers. Then we headed off to dance. It was AMAZING for Clint and I to have 3 hours of alone time. We went to dinner together and had we thought ahead more would have caught a movie as well (maybe next week!). When I picked Erin up at 7:30, the first words out of her mouth were "Mommy, I'm HUNGRY". While I am used to Clint eating like a horse, it is becoming apparent that Erin also has his metabolism and ravenous appetite as well. (Gawd help us!) We hit Wendy's for a cheeseburger on the way home and she wanted chicken nuggets as well. Like I said, ravenous appetite. When we got home and did homework, I put her in bed to do the 20-minutes of required reading and it was all she could do to stay awake for it all.

Tumbling class was equally as exciting because Erin and Bryn are actually in the same class. TOTAL EXCITEMENT. Homework on the other hand pretty much every night included crying on Erin's part. She says it is hard and just wants to give up. Then I tell her she can't quit until we are done which is about when she starts crying. I remember one night telling her that she had 12 years of homework ahead of her before she was out of school (at least!) and she just better get used to it. The shock on her face was pretty funny but looking back it might have not been the nicest thing for mommy to say at the time. Sometimes brutal honesty with a 6 year old isn't the best choice? I think the worst night of homework was Thursday when Kylee came over when we had just started homework and wanted to play. When we were done with homework, Kylee had to go inside to have a bath before bed so they couldn't play. Erin was devastated... even though they had played together for 3 hours after school before I got home from work. How quickly they forget and Mom is the most horrible person on earth, huh?

Work this week was CRAZY. Our Disaster Recovery site is located in Houston. As in "right in the path of Hurricane Ike" so this week we've been busy tracking the storm and making sure that staff in Houston are going to be safe and NOT at work, etc. I have good friends in Houston who were boarding up their BRAND NEW house and evacuating to a hotel hoping that the storm wouldn't destroy everything. K - hope you, C and R are safe and cozy!!

I also realize I have several holidays and events of photos that I haven't blogged about and have no time for entries. So, I'm going to take Kerstin's idea of posting a bunch of un-related photos all together in one blog entry instead of letting too much time go by without posting them. :)

Labor Day weekend was a drab and rainy affair this year and we only got a quick dutch-oven cook out in on Saturday at my brother's place. The kids got to jump on the trampoline with the sprinklers going underneath for a while before it got cold and we headed inside to play the Wii. Trevin and I pretty much agree that we don't play well together (maybe we are just too much alike?!) but McKade and I teamed up and kicked butt together at Tennis.

I also had the pleasure a couple of weeks ago of doing a little babysitting. Brett's been away for a month in training and Amber brought the girls to me one night so she could get away for dinner with some friends while the boys had a sleepover. Erin and Bryn had fun and Harlee kept getting trapped behind the couch with nowhere to go. Finally I found her some books and she was much happier. (Aw, girl after my own heart!) General silliness and lots of TV-land mesmerizing abounded...

Oh, and I decided I'm going to write a novel... In November! I've been saying that someday I'm going to write a book since I was in 9th grade. I think it is finally time? See my entry on my "other" blog for more details. (For those who didn't know, yes, I have a personal blog as well. If you want undiluted Terra ... uh, really, like this is filtered? You have no idea... check out the link "View from the Crystal Ball" under blogs I like to read...)

Laundry calls, the latte is long gone, and we are heading for the Dinosaur Museum but I need a shower still! And what the hell is with my poor punctuation? I don't even do double spaces at the ends of sentences anymore and it takes forever to get my OCD in check and edit the posts before sending.... I blame text messaging and my d@&* Blackberry! Or maybe I type to fast for the keyboard to recognize two taps on the spacebar? Hmmm... I might go with that one! Or is it the blogging software!? AAAGGHHH!!!

Daycare Reunion 9/7/08

Before Erin started school we had the best daycare providers ON THE PLANET. Dayna and Scott (or Dayna Darlin' and Handsome Scott as they were known to the kids) were heaven-sent for the two years we had Erin with them after moving back to the valley and trying a daycare center that ... well... left much to be desired. I found them on a website for state licenced providers and at the time they were just around the corner from the rental we were living in while we decided if we were going to stay in Utah or move away to find me a good IT job again. Two years later they were like family and Erin never once had a tantrum about staying there or being left. About 8 months after we moved on to bigger and better school days, Dayna decided to retire. Can't say as I blame her, I think she said it had been like 25 years she'd been doing daycare in her home. They had a reunion for all the kids (and their parents) last weekend and man was it fun.

Erin loved seeing Bryson T. and Kaylee who were all there together the entire time she was with Dayna. It took her months and months to stop asking about them after we stopped taking her there. The kids were all a couple of years older and the younger kids - who were babies when we left - were now toddlers. Dayna and Scott fired up the grills and laid out tables for our feasting and potluck items. The men all gathered around the grill while the "Moms" all sat around lamenting about how hard it has been to replace Dayna with dependable daycare providers. Some of them are on their 3rd or 4th place in the last 8 months trying to find someone half as good as Dayna was. I sure am glad that Erin is in school and I don't have to find suitable daycare. Dayna and Scott sure are a tough act to follow! Clint even made the comment that we'd consider having another baby but only if Dayna would come out of retirement. LOL

It was a lovely end of summer night in the backyard. The kids ran around playing and blowing bubbles until it was dark while the parents socialized. They even went inside to look at the fish. Erin said to me early in the evening, "Mommy, I don't remember what it looks like inside!" But then when she had to use the restroom and went in, it all came back to her quickly.

Thanks Dayna Darlin' and Handsome Scott - both for the the BBQ and for the great memories and services you have given us. Erin is a smart little cookie and was totally ready for Kindergarten last year because of all the things that you did for her at pre-school. We miss you guys!

This week Erin has had a daily running commentary on how the mylar balloon we got at the party is "still up". She has it attached to her bedpost and practically daily says "I can't believe that it still has air in it". All the cheesy balloons she is always collecting seem to lose the helium overnight and it makes her so sad. Not this one - it is a long-time keeper and she couldn't be more thrilled.