Yin

I made another blog on blogspot- more for pictures and my whole little family. So if you want to check it out- all 2 posts. It is 5centbums.blogspot.com.

Things are getting better. Thanks for the comments and emails! I appreciate it. I went to the beach with the kids today and it was just what the doctor ordered. (If I had a doctor)

For those of you who knew and those of you who didn’t- I found out the end of May I was pregnant. Well, this past week I hit my 10 week mark. I started spotting on Tuesday- that night I knew something was going wrong- went to the ER Wednesday night- had an ultrasound and they couldn’t see the baby. They said my uterus and my hormone levels were right at 6 weeks. Anyway- yesterday morning at 4:30 the worst was confirmed. I had a miscarriage. It was awful. I didn’t want to wake up Jeebs, who was sleeping in Cagey’s room, because he’d only been asleep about 3 hours. So I just flushed everything and got back in bed and cried. Soooo- if I don’t call you back or answer the phone- please don’t be offended- I just want to hide out in my house and not talk about any of it. This has just made me infinitely more thankful for the 2 babies I do have.

On this Independence Day oh-eight, we’re awaiting our country’s new fate.

will we choose Barack or will we choose McCain? Doesn’t really matter, either way it’s the same

Taxes will go up and my fuel gauge will go down, I can’t believe there aren’t more people around

who see these clowns for who they really are, to go from liberal to commie isn’t that far

so on this independence day oh-eight, while we’re awaiting our country’s eventual fate

I can only hope that this won’t be the last, cuz by this time next year we’ll be out of gas

and all kinds of fireworks will be outlawed, cuz the tree hugging hippies will say that they’re flawed.

Independence will be a thing we all miss, cuz we give up our rights and our guns and our bliss

all because we think we can claim, free health care and favors and more of the same

so on this independence day oh-eight, even with $4 gas things are great

because I still have my rights and some of my money, and I still have my kids and my beautiful honey.

By: Jeebs

HAPPY Independence DAy!!! Enjoy it while we still can!!

I started this blog for my sister and since I haven’t posted very many memories lately I’m forcing myself to do one tonight. I’ve been thinking a lot about all the musical numbers we used to do in our ward. I think the best one was probably when we performed Pachelbel’s Canon.  I played the piano and she played the flute. I never minded (too much) playing the accompaniment, but there were a couple of times I got roped in to singing. The first time I remember singing- I was really little- too little to realize how bad I probably sounded- I was fighting for the microphone. I don’t think I really wanted to be heard- I just wanted to hear myself in the microphone- always loved a stinkin’ microphone. To this day, if someone got me a microphone for a present- a real one, not one of those crappy radio or echo microphones- I would be in hog heaven. There’s just something about a microphone. Anyway- the last time we performed together was for Christmas. We sang a duet arrangement of “What Child is This?”. I really don’t sing well- my sister sang really well- she’d taken a singing class at BYU and really developed her voice. SOOOO- since she wanted to sing and it was a duet- oh guess who had to sing with her? Yep- that’s right. I can’t even tell you how I didn’t want to do it, but when Yang wants you to do something, you don’t really have a choice. Our mom played the piano and I would’ve given anything to have been behind the piano when it was our time to get up and sing. I really hate singing in front of people- Amazingly enough- my nerves (or my prayers) gave more fullness to my voice so it turned out not too bad.

Now- I live in North Carolina. I have no family here and no partner in crime. Even though musical numbers always made me sick to have to perform- I really do miss being a part of adding beautiful music to Sacrament meeting. And, I really do miss having my sister to perform with, even if it was under duress.

One of the most memorable musical numbers I’ve heard was in one of my BYU wards. It was 3 sisters singing The First Noel to Pachabel’s Canon accompanied by their mother. It was beautiful. I will get the music and maybe bribe someone into performing it

I’ve always thought college was a cruel and unhappy place for the chubby girl. What is college all about? Food and boys right? So- how do these things fit in with chubby girls? Well, this is my theory: How much fun is it in school to order pizza and soda pop with the roommates, stay up late, eat until you’re sick and talk about boys? Well that was pretty much what you did- or you went out to lunch or went shopping which is another point to my theory. Okay- so if you’re me or . . .  me- eating junk not only makes you sick, but makes you a chunk. So what do you do when your roommates want to go for pizza and soda? You go to subway and get a 6 inch sub (ok really a foot long, but who’s counting)  and a water. Which still will probably pack on the weight because of the bread but at least to the rest of the world you look like you’re trying. So after going out to lunch you go shopping for clothes right? Who doesn’t love shopping for a new dress or sweater or jeans? So as your roommates go one way for the size 4’s and 6’s you go the other way for the 10’s and 12’s. Yeah sucks to your asthmar!  Okay being this size presents another problem and roadblock in your college experience. Where I went to school, boys wanted rails- not being of the rail variety- probably because I chose the footlong instead of the 6 inch- dangit- dates were well, ummmm, scarce, and most of the time non-existent. It didn’t really matter if you looked liked you’d fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every limb on the way down- (unless those limbs left bumps on your hips, gut and thighs) you would get dates. While those of us of the chubby variety sat at home- eating rice, eggs, and stealing Dr. Pepper from our roommates, because the calories didn’t count if the DP didn’t belong to you right?

Well now- chubbiness rears it’s ugly head. I love to do fun things with my family. Here in the south- summer sports include something involving water or something involving ice cream. Going for ice cream is one of those fun little adventures you do with your kids- it makes them happy- you’re happy because they’re happy and yada yada. Well, I can’t really eat sweets- they give me heartburn and swelling of the stomach, face and thighs. Even though I’ve gotten where I’ve replace my footlong sandwich with a salad- the weight packs on when I deviate from my diet. It sucks- I don’t drink sugary soda pop anymore. I don’t eat candy. I rarely eat sweets. They’re not really a temptation- just a pipe dream. I want to be a fun mom that gives my children a happy fun childhood- and I’m a foodie – fun and food go hand in hand. So without food- the fun for me has gone out the window. My only guilty pleasure I allow myself every day are my 60% cacao ghiradelli chocolate chips. So tasty- and not a WHOLE lot of sugar hehehehehe.

Okay- I have to give talk on sunday and this was my last act of procrastination- I may check everybody’s blogs one more time. . .

We’re back and we survived. I was raised in the boonies. Not quite the same boonies as it is now. There are always interesting animals around our home. I remember one morning we were eating breakfast and a horse ran by the back window. That was tame compared to what we have now. In the past few years we’ve had a goat, a donkey and an emu move into the ‘neighborhood’. The emu is another story for another day. I think the goat is gone because it kept getting out and eating stuff in everybody’s yard. The donkey is still there without a doubt- it makes a terrible noise. This trip there were some new editions to the menagerie. There was an acrobatic squirrel, a very brave, very large raccoon and oddly enough a ferret. I don’t know who’s ferret it was, but it was a stinking ferret.

Anyway- today the trip home was also interesting. We were driving through Alabama- I was looking down reading- and I hear a loud pop. It was like something hit the car and I heard Jeebs say “OH MY GOSH” and he was looking back. Oh- it was a gunshot. There was a policeman on the other side of the interstate- an old beater car stopped and apparently they were trying to get away. I looked back just in time to see one cop hurrying back to the passenger side of the car and the cop car getting back on the highway with his lights on. Anyway- what are the odds? interesting day. interesting trip.

I was outside watering yesterday- and a large dog poop log was staring me in the face. Instead of getting a bag and picking up the said poop I just looked at it and marveled at how many flies could fit on one single log of poop. I tore my eyes away from it for just a bit to look at my sprinkler and make sure it was getting the most amount of grass coverage in a single pass. I then looked over at the car that was parked in front of our house and hoped the sprinkler was hitting it too. If you’re gonna park your dang car in front of my house instead of in front of the house you’re visiting than you better believe I’m gonna get it with my sprinkler if possible. Anyway- as I pondered over the water and the grass and the stupid car, I remembered the poo. I got up to turn the water off and happened to glance over at the large log of poo still covered in flies, but this time there was something different about it. No joke, I think it was standing on it’s end. It really looked like all those flies had lifted the thing up on it’s end. Why they would do this or how- I have no idea. Maybe to get more surface area on which to eat- fly pole vaulting- raising their colors for a specific poo involved event- there is a lot of poo in our yard. Or merely showing off for the girl who kills so many of them every summer. Should I be afraid? Are they going to fling poo at me and the raising on it’s end was only a beginning? I don’t know- but I will continue to smack the crap out of them if they get in my house.

(and 1200 miles down the road) to grandmother’s house we go. Yes, we are going back to Texas. HOoray- the food is like none other and oh the massages from my brother. In case any of you didn’t know my brother graduated from Utah College of Massage Therapy and he is excellent at what he does. Oh and we’re going to visit my momma and daddy too hehehehehe. I just really dread the drive. It really does sucketh. The drive from New Bern to the interstate makes you want to shoot yourself in the face. Then once you get to the interstate, you don’t get off until you get to the exit for Longview in East Texas. BLAGHHHH. OH yeah- a word to the wise- never stop in Atlanta. The place is jacked up. Jeebs wants to drive straight through, but I don’t know if my body will be able to take it. Not to mention the children strapped into their seats for 18 hours  straight. I made chocolate chip cookies, granola, and hope to get some bread made- we’ll see. I’ve just about made myself sick tasting the granola and testing the cookie dough:) I have to quit making things. !!

The weather has been so annoying lately. We’ve been under head advisories almost the whole week and yesterday and today we’ve been under a flippin’ smoke advisory. WTF!?!? It’s misery. I really long for cool, dry, clean air, but no escape in site. I emailed our realtor to see if the market has picked up at all- oh, haven’t heard anything back from her. Looks like it’s time to find a new realtor. If we could sell our house and just come out even at this point we’d count our blessings. SO, if anybody out there wants to move to New Bern, NC or have  a beach house 45 min. from the beach let us know!! The shopping and restaurant selections are dismal, but it is fun for a little while.  And I”M OUT BEATRICE!

This is our last trip to the beach which was May 3rd!! It’s been way too long!  Here’s a pic of Jeebs digging a tunnel for tates. Thought it was cute- even though he is almost totally gray!!

Lately going outside has been comparable to auditioning for fear factor. The kids sit inside all day and watch TV or play computer games. So ridiculous!! We finally gave in last night and went to Target and got a swimming pool. It’s not big, but it’ll do for right now- it’s big enough for Jeeb’s and I to lay down in it, so we’re good. Believe me you don’t want to go out in this heat unless there is some kind of water involved. So, we get home and it took for freaking ever to blow it up- it was about 8:15 when we gave up so the kids could get in it just a little bit before they go to bed. We forced them out at 8:45 and sent them to bed. They both woke up this morning with snotty noses. I hope they don’t get what I have because I feel like a warmed over pile of poo.

Anyway, I am soooooooooooooooooooooo thankful for a/c and ceiling fans. Speaking of hellish heat- I got this email from my mom and brother. apparently there is a guy in my brother’s ward in Orem that doesn’t like Obama- and since this blog is part of the stop Obama expressway- here’s what he had to say…

Obama has said that he will not continue spending on unsure or untried military projects. We know he does not believe that Americans have enough sense and responsibility to defend themselves.

We know the Book of Mormon was written to us for out time. The stories selected were to help us in our time.

The Lamanites under leadership of the leadership of Nephites that were traitors and had committed high treason attacked the Nephites. For what reason? It is clearly stated. Because they were Christians. The Nephite religion was the target. Are there groups today that would wipe out all Christians if possible? Yes. Not only fanatic and extreme Muslim groups but also agnostic and atheist groups.

Alma 46

10 Yea, we see that Amalickiah, because he was a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, or which blessing God had sent upon the face of the land for the righteous’ sake.

13 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land—

14 For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church.

16 And therefore, at this time, Moroni prayed that the cause of the Christians, and the freedom of the land might be favored.

Alma 48

10 And thus he was preparing to support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God, and that they might maintain that which was called by their enemies the cause of Christians.

As for self defense, it is a command of God.

Alma 43

47 And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion.

And finally, it is a commandment of God to the leaders of free people to prepare their defense:

Alma 49

27 …and this because Moroni had kept the commandments of God in preparing for the safety of his people.

I fear this election will expose a great rift in the members of the church!

Geoff