I Like My Oatmeal Chunky

My gallbladder, that I lovingly refer to as Gally, has been in serious need of removal for about three years. I remember the first time I was aware I had a gallbladder, it was October 2004. Our insurance was super stinky at the time, so I waited. I can't count the nights I've spent up in pain - downing ibuprofen, Pepto-Bismol, and water in hopes of some relief. I finally got a job and great insurance, but I was pregnant. Doctors don't like to operate on pregnant ladies. I'm no longer pregnant, Gally is still there, and my insurance goes away at the end of August. I have a referral for a surgeon, but I need to have an ultrasound done so they can see what they're dealing with, and so I wait...I've called my doctor to get a referral for an ultrasound...that was last Thursday...and yesterday again.

So in the meantime I eat oatmeal. Gallstones can be made up of cholesterol, and oatmeal is supposed to reduce it. My favorite flavor is Maple and Brown Sugar. I never put as much water as it says I need, I like it a little chunky.

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Bloggers in My Neighborhood

My friend Annie did this on her blog. I liked it.

Someone on my blogroll survived Girl's Camp at 32 weeks in the family way with her 6th baby

Someone on my blogroll lets her little boys do super cool things like art with chocolate pudding

Someone on my blogroll has a tickety tight backyard

Someone on my blogroll had a VBAC at home with a midwife

Someone on my blogroll is fighting for her life

Someone on my blogroll has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen

Someone on my blogroll got into a fight with a lawn mower when she was young. One time she said it won, but I think she did.

Someone on my blogroll is a new mom with an entrepreneur spirit.

Someone on my blogroll is my favorite example of woman and mother

Someone on my blogroll is always having fun

Someone on my blogroll is a friend I need to see more of

Someone on my blogroll graduated from Law School a few months ago and has the buffest husband ever.

Someone on my blogroll has five kiddos and finds time and motivation for spiritual strengthening

Someone on my blogroll was hit by a deer - yep - I still can't believe it.

Someone on my blogroll rocks pink hair way better than anyone else I've ever seen.

Someone on my blogroll is always having fun

Someone on my blogroll shares my affinity for Patty

Someone on my blogroll is kind of shy in the beginning, but after a bit of time she warms up and is full of interesting conversation

Someone on my blogroll just moved to Boston with her hubby and animals so he could attend seminary

Someone on my blogroll takes beautiful photographs

Someone on my blogroll was the first married woman to move into the ward who was younger than me

Someone on my blogroll always goes the extra mile - especially when it comes to people

Someone on my blogroll gets to know her kiddos in super cute ways

Someone on my blogroll is my weekly fun companion

Someone on my blogroll is about to go to college

Someone on my blogroll is a friend from elementary school who joined the LDS church somewhere between 7th grade and a few years ago.

Someone on my blogroll changed me forever when she said, "I don't feel like crying, I feel like rejoicing," even though I know it's probably much more difficult than that most of the time.

Someone on my blogroll is about to have her first baby

Someone on my blogroll is a guy I used to call Queeny in high school

Someone on my blogroll dresses up her dogs, and I love her even more for that ;)

Someone on my blogroll looks amazing with blonde hair

Everyone on my blogroll is someone who I love.


Try it. You'll like it, too.

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Admiration

Cora is growing so quickly. I just never realize how much bigger she is until I see someone else holding her. I think she's about to outgrow her 1-2 diapers. I remember thinking she'd never outgrow her preemie diapers.

She loves trees. Our neighborhood is old (our house was built in 1925), and it has parks that run through the middle of it with lots of big trees along the streets. When we go for our walks, she just stares up into the leaves and branches.

She talks to the wind. When we were in San Diego at the beginning of summer, she started cooing while we were at the beach. It only took a few times to realize she only did it when the wind would blow across her face.

Water is a good friend of hers. Whenever she is in any form of water she completely relaxes.

I call her my little nature girl.

She also loves books. "Are You My Mother" and "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" are two of her favorites.

She only rolls over her left side. I've seen her roll over to the right once or twice. I lay on her right side and try to coax her to come to me. She rolls over to her left and when she gets around she looks at me and smiles really big and then rolls to her left again This pattern repeats until I just can't help but scoop her up and give her kisses.

She likes to hang upside down. Not by her feet or anything, but she always puts her head backwards over my arm.

She can't sit through church. In fact, she only likes to sit if she's reading a book, playing, or watching TV.

She loves to dance with us and talk, and stare at the ceiling fan.

Her hair is fuzzy, and occasionally looks red.

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Bon Qui Qui

I love this sketch...

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A Mouse in our House...

Cora and I were playing with some toys on a blanket on our rug in front of the couch. She was talking a lot, so I called my mom so they could talk a little.

While we're on the phone, I look under the couch and see a mound of grey. It doesn't moves, but billows a little bit. I grab Cora as I'm jumping up and yell to my mom there's a mouse under the couch. Cora and I are on top of a chair at this point. My mom is asking if I'm sure it's a mouse, I'm not, so I get down to where I can see, and it's not there...it's even closer to the front of the couch...a baby mouse staring right at me. I jumped up and said I had to go and ran to our bedroom and got on the bed. All the while Cora is tucked under my arm. I call some people for some moral support (Thanks Vaughn, Angie and Ashleigh!) after leaving a message for Jake. I decided I was just going to go to OCU where Jake was until it was time for him to get off. I have Cora's car seat and diaper bag on our bed, and I'm just about to put her in her seat when Jake calls. He's on his way home. Phew. We both look under the couch and he sees it. We make a plan. We both get a broom and he's going to shoo it out. My role is to make sure it stays on course until it gets out the door. He moves the couch...the mouse is about to come into the light, and THERE IT IS!!!....a Gigantic dust bunny.

To my credit: It had two little black lints for eyes, and a piece of our shag rug for a tail. ;)

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Late Nights

Jake is playing for music camps this summer. There are three two-week camps. Tonight is the last night of camp number two. He gets home at 10:00 PM, if he gets out on time. This week he has been getting home after 11:00. We have been going to bed way past our bedtime. We like to spend a little time together...I didn't mention that he has to be there at 10:00AM...so we watch the news and then Frasier comes on at 10:30 - and again at 11:00. We're in bed between 12 and 1. Cora likes to eat somewhere in the 6:00 AM hour. ;) She starts talking and feeling our faces when she's ready ready to play with us. And deservedly, she usually goes to bed between 6:30 and 7:30.

Jake has two weeks left of getting home late. I love this summer job for him just not the schedule it requires. Cora is an amazing sleeper who sets her own schedule...we need to follow her example.

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My Friend, Patty

Patty Griffin is definitely my favorite singer/songwriter. She is also one of the best poets of our time. Her command of language always amazes me. She is the master of personification, rhyme (that isn't over the top), and my favorite of her traits, imagery. Her songs are familiar to me - they're most like my thoughts. Her songs are how I see the world. I've added my Patty Griffin playlist for your listening/thought provoking pleasure.

There are three songs that aren't on the playlist that are wonderful. Here are the Youtube links:

Making Pies
Kite Song
Mary

Mary is my all time favorite. I think the photo montage is a little cheesy in its over-sentimentality (you don't have to watch it, you can just listen to the song). If I made a photo montage it would be of several different statue Marys. There's a photo of a Mary statue in Cora's room that I took in Hawaii at the Painted Church. I'll tell you the story of the painted church someday.

The picture in Cora's room...

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A Throw Back

We went to San Diego at the beginning of June so Jake could research his thesis topic at UCSD. We stayed in a cute little hostel in Point Loma. We really loved San Diego. On our way across Imperial Valley (the really flat spot right before you go through the mountains that stand between the ocean and the hottest kind of heat), I had a thought. I suddenly felt a random sentimentality for high school...not wishing to go back, but just how different I am now. You have to understand that high school was my last bit of social life before getting married, as I was married at 18.

I was SO self-conscious in high school...about everything. It wasn't just in high school, it was in general. It was weird because I in no way secluded myself because of it, I was just terrified before everything I did. And I did everything! Let's start with my overall biggest debilitator - Sweaty Arm Pits...Okay, there's one before that - Acne. I didn't actually have acne in high school, but I started getting it in 5th grade - way before anybody did. It was horrible through the end of 8th grade. I had bangs to cover part of it (probably a big cause of it), but I never thought I was pretty because of it. Sweaty arm pits started in seventh grade...some girl made fun of me for it in home ec. So I never raised my arm all the way in high school, and I knew what colors and fabrics showed sweat the least. Grey cotton was my worst enemy.

In Track and Cross Country I was always afraid I was going to be last. I was far from it. I could run 400m in 60 seconds, and I ran state in cross country. In CC, I rarely came in under 10th place, but before every single race, I had to talk myself into not giving a million different reasons I had stored away for why I shouldn't run.

Then there was flag and show choir. That's obvious, I didn't want to sing a wrong note or drop my flag, and before anyone starts the flag jokes, we were the best in state my junior and senior year. I'm still terrified to sing in front of people. The fact that I ever auditioned for choir is a miracle. I'll always be glad for Mrs. Wharton filling in at the end of the school year - she wasn't so scary.

I never just wore my hair in a ponytail because I thought it looked too stringy. I was always myself around people, but not always true to myself around me. I dated a boy for way too long. When it was all over, I felt about 2 inches tall. I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. When we broke up I dropped down to 89 pounds. I just couldn't keep anything down. That was also the year my best friend died in a car accident. I slept a lot in class because I couldn't sleep at night. I was always smart, but my grades didn't show it anymore. Chemistry and Algebra III don't make a lot of sense when you're not awake.

I was always the "cute" one. Girls coveted my 23 inch waist, and I didn't want to be defined by my looks, or my ditzy front that was easy to put up to avoid anyone seeing the most important parts of me...the most important parts to me. I wanted to hold myself sacred even if I was afraid to show it to most people.

So we're driving through Imperial Valley, and I'm thinking all of these things in a flash, and I just had this peace sweep over me. I'm still the same, but I'm different...and I found Certain Dry 5 years ago, which is a miracle for sweaty armpits. It's amazing how I continue to grow more comfortable in my skin as time goes by.

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Random

I want a 1990 Volvo 240 Wagon.
I wonder if I could make it a hybrid...

And a Vespa (I've wanted one of these since high school)...

And a Beach Cruiser.
I can't decide if it should be orange, aqua, pink, or mint green...but it needs a super tricked out bike trailer behind it.

And finally....A trampoline.
Man I miss having one in the back yard.

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