The Beast is Back

I made a tuna casserole yesterday.

Tuna Casserole! You know, the kind we would barf over as kids and sneak to the dog.

When life events are chaotic I lose my appetite and nothing sounds good.

But it's back. Oh my heavens my appetite is back. Point to prove it: Tuna Casserole. Need I say more? It was downright tasty.

Last night I made fajitas at 10:30. They just sounded so good.

I eat SO MUCH FOOD in a day - and at times it's all I can think about. Here are some of the things I crave regularly and can't escape the craving until I've tasted it:

La Puente Smothered Burrito with cheese and onions
Los Hermanos shredded beef chimichanga
Betos Supreme Nachos
Chalupa Supreme from Taco Bell
Queso cheese dip from Cafe Rio
Fajitas
Bean Dip w/ Cheese & Salsa
Scrambled Eggs with Cheese

- basically anything with salty protein, cheese, and sour cream -

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (must be warm)
Oreos and milk

I have taken Adrie to restaurants, drive thru's, and stores in our pajamas for cooking ingredients. I hit up dollar menus and otherwise save my money for FOOD instead of the usual clothes and home decor.

I am like a person obsessed. Food is soooooo good. Mmmmm.

What do YOU crave?

Help me with Photo Spots!

This blog isn't supposed to be just a baby update. Alas, in my busy life, it's a good excuse to get documented things I'm not keeping in journal or scrapbook for Adrie.

But, here I go again:

Jogging! Dean bought this first-generation jogging stroller for TEN BUCKS at DI. Do you know how much these things usually cost!? So for the last few mornings we've set out on adventures.

Part of my "adventure" is looking for good photography settings. I love a new photography spot more than I can describe - it's like Christmas morning to create beautiful photos in gorgeous settings.

We bombed out on this morning's adventure to the American Fork boat dock, where nothing was very pretty at all. We then looked for a natural shoreline, and this was the best we could find - complete with nickel-sized blonde mosquitoes that really freaked me out. Yesterday's adventure to explore the abandoned house on State St. was downright scary, and not photographic at all.

Help? Please? Who of you Utah natives or dwellers could tell me where to find a good photo spot on the shores of the muck we call Utah Lake? Or ANY other spot, for that matter. Here's the deal: You give me a spot I might use in a real shoot, and I will do a free mini-shoot for YOU there. Come on, the more suggestions the better!

My Little Fish

Adrie has fallen in love with swimming. It only took three days of arm floaties before she was ready to be completely independent.

She figured out how much attention she got when waving to people and had a blast being a little performer tonight.

(see her waving again!?)


Without a doubt she has reached my favorite age sofar. Mark your calendars, folks, 21 months is bliss. She talks enough to communicate but not jabber my ear off.

Some of my favorites: documented here for history's sake as much for your entertainment

• She's started saying, "Bye. See-eee-ayy-ayyy!" Which took me awhile to figure out it's a no-consanant version of "See you later!" in the perfect pitch and intonation.
• "Momma's, Adrie's!" She points out Momma's drink, Adrie's drink, Momma's shirt, Adrie's shirt, etc.
• Repeating words - and actually remembering them! Today we took our inaugural jaunt in the jogging stroller and were singing, "We're running! We're running!" and then later in the grocery store as the cart was moving fast she started chanting it again - "Running! Running!"
• She is either a) LOVING being able to speak, or b) Showing off - or maybe both - because often she will name every single thing she sees and then expect my validation. Just on our way into Wal Mart she pointed out "Beep" (when a car honked), baby, momma, truck, bike, flowers, a Grandpa, shoes, and the color blue. My role is to say "Yeah, pretty flowers" or "Ooo, that IS blue!" before she'll move on to the next object.
• "What's that?" "What's that?" "What's that?" "What's that?" "What's that?" It's not so cute sometimes. She is insistent and will say it twelve times in a row until you answer to her satisfaction (and often it's hard to tell what she's pointing at.) The funniest is when she asks me something she already knows, and when I answer correctly she exclaims "Yeah!" like I am the smartest mom in the world.
• She answers me in totally unexpected ways at times - today I about died when she said "Oh, right." Her other funny ones are "Oh, cool" and "Oh-kay." I can't wait until she's speaking enough I can have a blog sidebar of all her latest funnies, because I tell you, I'm laughing already.

Worth a Thousand Words

Can you figure out what she's doing below? It was quite hilarious:

Happiness

I feel happier than I have felt in years. People comment quite regularly on how I am so upbeat with such turmoil in my life. My only answer is that I am blessed beyond measure, and it is power beyond my own that makes life so absolutely wonderful.

Each and every day in heartfelt prayer - both formal prayers, and those brief 'thought-like' prayers I utter (mostly in the car) - I am grateful for the sustaining and strengthening power of the Spirit in my life. As I try to live Christian principles and remember Him whose will I am striving to fulfill, my heart fills to overflowing every single day with how incredible my life is, and how I can possibly be blessed in so many marvelous ways.

In my favorite talk from October Conference, Elder Hilbig explains it better than I ever could:

"When we invite the Holy Ghost to fill our minds with light and knowledge, He...enlightens and enlivens the inner man or woman. As a result we notice a measurable difference in our soul. We feel strengthened, filled with peace and joy. We posess spiritual energy and enthusiasm, both of which enhance our natural abilities. We can accomplish more than we otherwise could do on our own." (emphasis added.)

I know without doubt, and strive to be grateful every day, for this indescribable strengthening and enlivening power. I have always tried to 'do the Lord's will', but as I have learned to commit myself fully to whatever He has in store for me, I have reached joy and happiness in new ways I never before imagined in mortality. What a marvelous blessing! I know I'm waxing poetic but amidst all of my silly life posts I would be remiss if I neglected to share my testimony regarding the power and companionship of the Holy Ghost and how I am unbelievably blessed with strength and power beyond my own.

Isolation

We have been in self-imposed isolation since Adrie is the most ill she has ever been, and I wouldn't wish this 102-degree raging fever with wet, raspy lungs on my worst enemy. Cheerful child that she is, she has taken these days of pure one-on-one time to remind me of what a charming personality she has!

* Every chance she gets, she runs in to sit on her 'potty chair.' She has not yet actually used it, but she loves to sit on it - especially naked - and then use a little square of toilet paper to blow her nose (she knows to use paper, but hasn't quite figure out what for...)

* She's really good at throwing things away. Especially things that should not be thrown away. I need to get in the habit of checking the garbage before I empty it, as I am missing a handful of things that I can only guess are now in a landfill...

* When changing her clothes she runs around singing "Adrie's naked, Adrie's naked, Adrie's naked"...

* She came up to me this morning saying "Neck, neck, neck" and then lifted her chin to tuck a froot loop under her chin - showing me a glimpse of the 3 others already hiding in there. HOW does she think of these things!?

* We have gotten all sorts of moving-in and house projects accomplished this week, and she follows me from room to room "helping." Yesterday she swept her bedroom carpet with a little broom. Today she tried on all sorts of clothes while we organized her closet. She chooses the most random outfits!

* And let's not forget the dancing. If she's in a dancing mood and music is not playing, she'll make up her own tune and sing "Nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh nuh nuh..."

I feel blessed to have such a happy little patient!

ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

I have developed it.

I can't focus on one thing long enough to save my life when it comes to my house and personal time.

I joked about the Family Circus cartoon of a trail circling the WHOLE town in relation to one simple errand... yup, it still fits. I start unpacking a box only to walk in the other room to put something away and get distracted by garbage or laundry or the computer (like right now instead of finishing up my closet, which started with unpacking my luggage, which started after making my bed and seeing said luggage... you get the idea.) I'll decide I've finally earned a break to read my book or rest for a minute, only to do x, y, z, and a, b, c before I can sit down (which rarely happens... I'm always on my feet until bedtime or computer time.)

Anyway. I spent a fun 28 hours traveling and in Los Angeles, rented a pretty sweet new Pontiac G6 with leather seats (ooo, heavenly, I shouldn't have had that privelege because now I'm calculating how long until I can buy a new car with leather seats (longer than I want)), didn't get lost on the freeways of LA, got to spend work's money to eat out for 3 meals, and quite enjoyed myself. I spoke for a conference of California parents and it went very well. I quite enjoy teaching.

I've written plenty of text-rich blogs lately so I'll stop there. I leave you with an Adrie list

• She frequently brings clothes out to try on (and ALWAYS starts with putting them on her legs before figuring out shirts go over her head).
• Apples are "Appies! Appies!"
• She puts her finger to her lips and shhhhh's whenever someone is sleeping or even laying down
• She says "I sad" when she really is.
• When you ask what her name is, she proudly says "Ay-dee!"
• She lets me do her hair willingly, and even brings me barettes sometimes. Yay!
• She hates actually brushing her teeth. She only likes sucking on toothepasted brushes.
• She says "Eat! Eat!" when she is hungry.

I love having a kid I can communicate with. It makes life SO much easier.

What I SHOULD be doing:

Going to bed. Thank you Blogger for erasing the blog I just spent 15 minutes I shouldn't have wasted in the first place. I can't justify doing it again when my body is crying out for bed - 24 hours of the stomach flu really mess with you.

So I will simply leave you with pictures of my new computer desk. I utilized the power drill and put 48 of the 49 steps together. I needed two hands for the last step.

Ikea is sending me the missing door they drilled wrong, please don't think I messed that one up.

Random Randomness

My computer had already gone to bed for the night when I decided I just couldn't resist jotting down some random life events and thoughts and miscellania. I am kneeling in the dark before my new computer desk to keep myself from being too long - I need to go to bed!

I love, love, love, love, love, LOVE, and am more in love than you can imagine with living all on ONE floor again. No more debating if it's worth going downstairs for that midnight snack, no more being afraid to creep down the dark stairs to change the laundry, no more 'upstairs-medicine-cabinet downstairs-medicine-cabinet' stuff. Hallelujah. I couldn't possibly tell you how much I'm loving it. Any of you considering purchasing two story homes, think long and hard. Especially if you spend a lot of nights alone.

My carpet is the silkiest, softest, most dream-like flooring imaginable (except right now, my knees are already hurting.) Vacuuming it is another treat entirely. If ANY of you need a ten-minute guaranteed-to-make-you-feel-productive-you-can-actually-see-the-results therapy session, come vacuum my floors anytime. It's the most gratifying thing ever. Except then I don't want to walk on all of the beautiful carpet lines I've made, so I grow pretty sedentary. I guess that's nice too.

Adrie is obsessed with "pee-pee." She will happily point out where her privates are any time the fancy strikes her. We (yes, "we", Kurt and I do lots of parenting things together and he's been great at helping me set up house) Anyway we bought Adrie a little toilet just to get her used to it, and she loves to go sit on it - fully clothed, in her swimsuit, naked, whatever. She also likes to stuff her doll inside of it and also see if both feet can fit in there. I'm in no hurry to potty train - I'm just going to wait for her to do it herself. But I am embarassed at all the people she tells about her "pee pee."

I am contemplating making my blog private. Not because I care to make an exclusive group of readers BUT because in the nature of the work I do (therapy/counseling) it's probably a better idea that when you google my name the top link that comes up doesn't connect you to my random thoughts and less-than-professional exploits. It probably needs to happen, any ideas on how I can let all those lurkers in whilst keeping them comfortable in their anonymity?

My hair is now shorter than Adrie's. I'm sure more will come on this, I have to get used to it first. Amazing haircut by Holly (seriously, the layers are AMAZING!), but shorter than I imagined, which is my own fault - I'm the one who not once but TWICE said "Eh, a little shorter. It grows, right?"

I am losing my memory. I'm just hoping it's stress etc. and not genuine dementia. Some of my latest: putting shredded cheese away in the pantry, putting my shoes in the guest bathroom closet, placing a bag of tortilla chips under the sink, completely LOSING a rented movie (hello $20 fee to Blockbuster) after only showing HALF of it to my girl's group - so now I've got to pay for the movie AND pay to rent it again!, leaving a full gallon of milk out on the counter when I left for work, and on and on. This isn't even mentioning the six zillion tasks I begin only to get sidetracked by another task. I think my life looks sort of like that Family Circus comic that shows the little boy's exploits via dotted black line criss-crossed all over the whole town when his mom just said "Go get ___ for me".

I saw a NUCCA chiropractor a couple of weeks ago, then again for a follow up, and I can't even tell you how different my life is. I feel like one of those quacks in a testimonial. Initial consultation determined my right leg was 1/2 inch shorter than my left because my hips were twisted as a result of my neck being out of whack and that's led to my recent back problems and ongoing SI joint problems... so a few little tap-tap-taps in my neckal area and voila! My neck bones are straight, as a result my spine is straight, my hips are in line, my posture feels unbelievably light (like I can float right up in the air, it's amazing!) and I have slept better than in months and months. Amazing. Any of you who are interested can look at http://www.jackstockwell.com/ but please don't think I'm crazy.

Did I mention how much I love living on one floor?

And can I say exploits one more time?