Do You Really Want to Know?

I can't really say no to Nikki since she's probably one of the nicest people ever, so this is for her... and it helps that I like to "talk".

10 years ago... I was a Sophomore and was enjoying life (months before, I was still bitter my parents made me move and was determined to make them feel bad for making me miserable... it took thick-headed Anna about a year to realize it wouldn't change anything and I had the choice of being happy or miserable, I took happy). I wrote in my journal every day and it wasn't Leap Year 10 years ago, so there was no 29th of February. The days around it revealed I had mostly guy friends, Amy and I were inseperable, I wrote letters all the time and I was telling my journal not to think I was a bad person for kissing someone (if anyone mentions his name, I'll delete your comment and then I'll tell everyone who you were kissing). I loved school and loved boys. It seems that I was always writing letters to, talking to and hanging out with different guys. It's pretty funny (and Jason thought this only occurred while him and I were dating). :) I love reading my old journals, I just wish I hadn't stopped writing for so long, and during some very important times in my life.

5 things on my "to do" list today... 1. Take forms to KS to get signatures 2. Return stuff at Target 3. Post Office 4. Do the dishes and 5. Compile this post. I was actually going to do this a few days ago and I scanned in my to do list because almost everyday, I write down everything I need to do that day and I had LOTS to do... which is why this didn't get done any sooner.

5 snacks I enjoy... 1. Chips 2. Cookies 3. Vegetables and dip 4. Goldfish crackers and chocolate chips (the big ones I buy once a year) and 5. Candy

3 bad habits... 1. Always thinking I'm right, oh wait, I am, so that's not really a bad habit... j/k 1. Eating lots of sugar (see above for proof) 2. Staying up way too late and 3. Falling asleep before I get ready for bed. Why isn't this one five?

5 places I've lived... 1. Heaven 2. Mesa, AZ 3. Poway, CA 4. Snowflake, AZ and 5. Mesa, AZ. Apparently I need to get out more.

5 jobs I've had... 1. Waitress at Hunt's (I ate lunch there today and decided I miss being a waitress) 2. Receptionist/Secretary/Grunt at Sell & Assoc. 3. Too important for a title at KS (anyone that knows about KS knows that it might not even be considered a job it's such a fun place to work!) 4. Auditor at MHM (definitely a great learning experience and I miss it sometimes because sometimes it would make me feel smart having a "real" job. I also miss some of the people I used to work with) and 5. Accountant for KS (the best one yet... from home, best bosses, requires a little bit of brains to keep on top of everything but not always frustrating, etc.)

5 things people don't know about me... If I tell you, they won't be secrets... just kidding, but this is going to be hard because I pretty much don't hide much 1. I'm a totally paranoid person. When I worked for KS while I was still going to school, I was always worried Ryan and Court were following me to make sure I was going to the properties I was supposed to. I'm always worried my employers secretly can't stand my performance and talk about what a bad employee I am. After I prepare taxes, I review and re-do until the day they're due so paranoid that I've made a mistake. 2. My room is a complete and total disaster. I am a perfectionist in a sense that if I can't do something perfectly, it's hard for me to bother at all. I feel like my room can never be clean with all my work files, so it is a horrendous mess. It makes my head hurt and the sad thing is I don't know if it is possible to ever be at a point that I'd call it clean. The ironic part is that my room at my mom's was always spotless because I didn't have much stuff and I could get it spotless. Now, we have way too much in our room (boxes of my work files, our bed, two nightstands, book shelf, two desks, two printers, plastic drawers, Jason's computer, file cabinet, food storage and all the junk on the floor. Ugh, I get frustrated just thinking about it. 3. I think it's totally fascinating to watch bartenders mix drinks 4. I always wanted to be a cheerleader and went to a camp for pop warner cheer leading in California and then we moved and 5. I think I have great feet. In fact, that could be my favorite feature of my body. I'm proud of my long, skinny and bony feet.

So anyone related to me should do this, even if by marriage. :) Angela, you can be exempt since I got a prized SeeSaw Designs calendar.

Random Random Random Random Random Thoughts

Interpretation: five random thoughts. I had a great idea to add suspense to all of your lives. Instead of doing five happy things on Friday, I'm just doing five things. Topics will be determined weekly. Today's topic? Obviously, five random thoughts...

1. Jason and I talk about "when we're rich" or in other words, when we sell our Utah home. I laugh because even then, we won't be rich, we'll just make more than we spend. Most of my "When we're rich..." statements end with things involving food. Five places I look forward to are: T. Cooks, Durrant's (oh how I miss my sweet potato fries), Bandera's, Barrio Cafe (never eaten here but ever since Aaron, someone who really knows food, suggested it, I've been anxious to try it out) and somewhere that I can get the best steak ever.

2. Why isn't the US Postal Service considered a monopoly?

3. I shouldn't have eaten five pieces of pizza

4. I want to go to Disneyland

5. I want to hike more

Actually, I just changed my mind, I still want to list five things that make me happy:

1. Filing all my year-end stuff for my clients

2. Not having to do the bulletin (Stake Conference)

3. Making up words (tonight, the word is bunjo and if we ever have a dog, Bunjo will be the name-o)

4. Pretending I'm not putting off all the taxes I have to do

5. Wildflowers (this is from our hike with the Scouts Wednesday; they are everywhere)

Clara's five happies:

1. Pretty pink shoes from Jen

2. Her new toy from the people Jason home teaches

3. Daddy coming home from work (unfortunately she only got to witness such an event twice this week)

4. Pretending to put the book on the table when it's nap time then taking it away and laughing like she knows she's 'tricked' me

5. Smiling and waving at every old man in the grocery stores and at the cars that drive by while we're walking

Talk about the ADHD blogger... that's me!

Okay, quick story that just happened.

Jason decided to make lemonade. I was in the front room, he in the kitchen.

Jason: You have to put a lot of this powder in. 6 scoops for 16 oz? That's disgusting!

Anna: That's not right

Jason: Yes it is, I'll prove it

Anna: Let me see

Jason then shows me his cup that is nearly HALF-FULL of the powder at which time I begin laughing like crazy. I continue to tell him it's not right so he brings the can to show me that he's right. When I saw the label, I laughed harder. I guess it's difficult for engineers to understand what it means when it says "Number of servings (8 oz each)" Jason thought it was number of ounces, so he went to the line with 16, which was really number of 8 oz servings. Mmmm. Lemonade syrup is good. HA HA.

On another random note, literally, Rachel e-mailed me this awesome piano music (compose: Yiruma). I can't really play it, but I'm working on it and I love it. And Clara loves playing the piano too. Today she got mad when she was on my lap and I was trying to play while she was. She just kept pushing my hands away.

News that Isn't

I am now at liberty to share Jason's happy secret, but it has changed, so let me explain. Jason has worked at Wood Patel for a while and decided to explore some other options. For several reasons, most of which I have vented about on here previously, he decided to interview with another company. They offered him a job, at a lame rate, but accepted our counter-offer.

It was an exciting time and Jason was very happy, hence one of his five happies on Friday. His boss wasn't in on Thursday or Friday and looking at his schedule, Jason didn't think he'd see him on Monday so he planned to set up a meeting to put his two weeks notice in on Tuesday. On Friday, the company laid off five people just from the East Valley office (20%) so Jason figured him leaving might be a relief to them. His boss happened to be there late Monday evening so Jason sprung the news on him.

Obviously I wasn't there but it seems like they were totally shocked and on a mission to find out what they could do to keep Jason around. The next day, Tuesday, he had to make a decision: to leave or to stay. Both of us came up with our lists comparing the two options and after much prayer, we knew what the best thing to do was, and that was for Jason to stay with Wood Patel. Not only did I not get to reveal the surprise on Tuesday, but now it seems that there is really nothing to say since he's not leaving!

Actually though, I think the events have brought about some realizations for Jason's bosses that are very important for Jason. The head of his office admitted to overlooking Jason's "unique" situation (EIT plus years of Design experience), they realized that they were not currently supporting his career goals, they verbally told him he's respected for more than just the Design experience and they did not want him to go, eventhough they are a bit slow. They matched the other company's offer, which is actually even better because their health care is so much less. There were a few things I was leary about and wanted Jason to talk to his boss about, but before he had the chance, his boss addressed them with one of the head guys. That reassured me that he really was fighting for Jason to stay, but not just that, for him to be satisfied too.

While my news wasn't that of pregnancy or relief of real estate investments, it is good and exciting news for our family! It is a reminder that Jason is so close to being able to go forward with full force into his career. Wahoo!!

Let Down

I know you're all waiting. I regret to inform you that I may have made a big deal out of something that is not so much a big deal. Even worse, I still can't divulge at this time. And Jason thinks I'm indecisive... Soon enough my little dears.

Meanwhile, life's been good in our happy little home. Monday morning I went to my mom's to babysit Jack while my mom went to work. Then my mom babysat Clara while I went to my meeting. My mom tried to tell me she needed to trade babysitting with me and offered to watch Clara for five hours while I worked. Silly mom. First, aren't I allowed to do something for nothing in return? After all, that's what she spends most of her time doing. And second, Jack is not her child, so technically, we didn't trade. :)

I got the easy shift as Clara went down for her nap around 1030 am at which time Jack decided it was time to make some noise. I tried to divert his energy for a bit and then about 1045 am gave up and tried to put in his movie while he played. 45 minutes later he was passed out on the couch and slept there until I left for my meeting at 200 pm. After my meeting, Clara and I hung around my mom's until I realized being away from home all day doesn't justify neglecting my homemaking responsibilities. Last night I worked late and felt productive which made staying up late worth it.

I love my parent's green grass (and of course when Goose is in it).
My mom gave Clara a carrot from her garden and she loved it.
Clara, the carrot and the Anna Apple tree. It has pretty blossoms but you can't really tell with the lovely brick fence in the background.
Lily loves playing with the kids and Jack loves Lily.
Today I went walking with Marie and loved feeling like any second I'd be blown over. Strollers act much like a sail. I had a conference call for work at 1030 am, so I put Clara down for her nap and was still on the phone 1.5 hours later when she woke up. I went and got her and all she really wanted was the phone and my computer, the only two things I absolutely needed at that very second. Thankfully, my conversation hearts were within reach and for 20 minutes or so, she got little bits of conversation hearts to keep her quiet. Worked like a charm!


A few Clara updates... Last Monday she started walking away from the furniture she has pulled herself up on. Until then, she'd only walk if we stood her up to do so. A few weeks ago two top molars came in. I would be she'll wake up tomorrow with a new bottom tooth because every night a tooth breaks through, she's up every hour for the first three or four hours after she goes to bed and she's woken up three times in the last three hours. She throws more fits, but also minds more sometimes. She is very clever. Like today, I was eating macaroni salad with grapes in it. She only wanted the grapes and would not eat the macaroni. Until all the grapes were gone, then she didn't refuse the macaroni at all. She did this with both helpings I had. Clever little Goose. I realized another reason tonight I'm so reluctant to want a new baby anytime soon: because when the next one comes, Goose won't be my baby and that means she has to grow up. Oh this thing called life.

Disasters

Well, well, well... look who decided to update her blog. I know you can't wait to hear about my disasters, but let me just review the week, because it was a pleasant one. And really, we all know I can't go out of order.

Monday morning after we ate breakfast, I decided I needed to do something to get my energy level up. I decided to start walking again so off I went. I looked for a trail I'd heard about, but couldn't find it. That night Beka, Danny and the boys came over for dinner. When I have people over and I don't think much about it, things go well. When I worry about making sure it's the best meal ever, it never is. That is kind of how that meal went. I knew Danny was excited so of course, it was one of those "eh, it's okay" meals. Then, trying to impress, I made oreo truffles. They were on a pan in the fridge chilling when Jason went to get something out of the fridge. He grabbed the sour cream and my pan of dessert crashed to the floor. Luckily, none of us seemed to mind and their encounter with the floor didn't seem to diminish their great taste. Afterwards, we visited and laughed. Great family night.

Thursday night was class one of the sewing class I'm taking. This lady in my Ward is teaching it and I'm pretty excited. Fortunately, Jason was able to swing by her house and get Clara before we left for JoAnn's to get our fabric and pattern. I am excited to learn to sew but I found it interesting that after I get all the materials, I'm sure I'll have spent more than I do on an already made skirt. I guess it's all about learning to be self-reliant, right? I found some awesome material and as I was waiting to get it cut, a lady in the class said, "You shouldn't wear that color." A bit surprised I asked if she was into the whole color tones thing, to which she said she wasn't, but she watches What Not To Wear. I just laughed. It's a skirt, so it won't be near my face. Plus, I'd rather have a fabric I like that doesn't go with my face than a fabric I don't like. Bless that sweet woman, obviously she doesn't know that even when I do try to wear good colors, it never works out so I've given up on even trying.

On Friday, Amy took Cherie and me out to lunch at Cafe Rio for Cherie's birthday. I'm never disapointed with their food and good company doesn't get old either. Clara and I then went to my mom's to visit because Suzy was there. Suzanne had her baby on Thursday and things went really well, until Friday at about 1am, baby Ava started spitting up blood. After some tests and a scope of her stomach (to either confirm or reject the possibility of a double stomach) they concluded it was an ulcer. That was great news!! Jason met me at my mom's and took Clara home so I could go to the hospital. I went with Jack, Kristie, Suzy and my mom. Ohhhh my goodness, even all hooked up to her tubes, she was such a beautiful, sweet baby! Jason and I have been talking, okay, I alone have been talking to him about how I just want one kid (well, between one and ten) but that made me want a sweet little baby NOW!

Had time allowed me to blog on Friday, I would have had the following five things that make each specified person happy:

Clara

1. Jason ditching his classes Wednesday morning

2. Going on walks

3. Offloff - she ate more of it than I did!

4. Her sunglasses

5. Empty cupboards

Anna

1. Jason ditching his classes Wednesday morning

2. My velcro rollers (the only thing I've ever found that give my hair sufficient body for my liking)

3. Getting confirmation that when Jason passes the PE in October, he'll be official

4. Jason dunking mini oreos in milk, oh how I laughed.

5. Fireplaces

Jason (that's right, he made the cut this week)

1. Ditching classes Wednesday morning

2. Something I can't say until Tuesday

3. Girl Scout cookies (we bought two boxes... and Jason said, "I can't wait until we have a status change and we can buy three boxes." ha ha

4. Rocking Clara to sleep

5. My computer (he seems to take it with him more and more...)

And then came Saturday, which is basically when my pleasant little week came to an end, both the actual week and the pleasantness. I woke up with way too many things to do, but figured I could get them done with no problem if I stayed focus. Jason got ready for work and went to get Clara before he left and from her room said, "Honey, come here." I thought maybe she'd climbed out of her crib because she had been talking to herself for a few minutes. Jason told me she pooped and it went out her diaper and got all over. Well, the second I stepped into her room before seeing anything, my nose told me she'd thrown up, not pooped. Well, she did that too, but that wasn't what was all over her sheet, her pj's, the crib and in her hair. I decided it was best to give her a bath before I fed her so I wouldn't throw up smelling her. She loved her bath and acted fine so I figured she probably just ate too many crackers at my mom's. I got behind on my list from having to bathe her, rinse out her clothes and bedding and put more bedding on. Let's hear it for disaster one.

While Clara napped, I worked on the name tags for the Blue and Gold Banquet. For those of you that don't know (rare) and care (even more rare), Scouts have a Blue and Gold Banquet every year to celebrate the "birthday" of Scouting. This year's theme was the Chinese New Year. Back to the name tags... 63 people were coming and I made everyone a name tag with their name in Chinese (thanks to http://www.about.com/). I was trying to do it in Word (I know, big mistake) and that is when disaster two happened. I went to print them out and realized originally I set the margins to be able to fold the paper I printed on, so it was miniature. Argh, that meant one thing: I had to copy, paste and re-format ALL 61 name tags. This took an extra two hours or so, again, compliments of Word.

I was relieved Clara took a 2+ hour nap since on Saturdays and Sundays when the neighbors are out screaming, it's usually much shorter. I was not relieved when I went in to get her and smelled the awful smell of vomit. But without it, I wouldn't have had disaster three. Again, my poor little baby threw up all over her clothes, her bed and herself. So into the bath she went, off came the bedding and further behind I did fall on my chores. I called Jason and he agreed to leave work 30 minutes early.

I still had to buy stuff for the dessert, make the dessert, print and mount the name tags, pick up the rice, help set up and get myself ready. So I began making the dessert. Clever idea, but I can't take credit for it. I began attempting giant sugar cookies decorated like a Chinese checkerboard. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my sugar cookies, but Nylene and I agreed store-bought cookie dough mix would be best. It might have been best if I have cooked with it before. I mixed two batches, put them on my stones and put them in the oven. Roughly ten minutes later, disaster four occured. One of the cookies was completely overflowing from the stone, all over the edge, all over the bottom of my oven. The whole house filled with smoke when I opened the oven. I had to clean up the mess and tried to finish baking the cookies. One was raw and the other hard. I put the raw one in for a few more minutes, but it still fell apart when I attempted to slide it onto the cardboard. I put together the puzzle of cookies pieces I will call disaster five.

For the next cookie (I needed four) I thought I'd be smart. I put the cookie dough at least an inch away from the edge of the stone. Ten minutes later, I still had a pretty raw cookie. Five minutes later, disaster six. The others cooked for nearly twenty minutes. This one, 13 and it was not only burnt, but ALL over my oven. More burnt cookie, more stink and more smoke.

I put the fourth one in, leaving a good two inches from the edge of the stone and left Jason in charge. This, ended up being disaster seven. No, it didn't crawl off the edge and make a suicidal jump into the bottom of the oven, but it did get hard as a rock. I just laugh, I make yummy homemade sugar cookies but can't get cookie mix to turn out.

Meanwhile... I went to the Church to help set up. Happily, no disasters to report during the time I was there. Plus, I beggingly asked Edith to go pick up the rice for me. I thought the room turned out great! It was the year of the rat, which is why we have rats as our centerpieces. :) Nylene pretty much came up with all the great ideas. I love serving with her, everyone is always impressed. Ha ha.

Then, I sped off to Target to get gumballs. My indecisiveness and stress wasted more time when I couldn't find gumballs. No one sells gumballs which could be disaster eight. I thought oh, I'll get Gobstoppers. Then I thought, no, there's not enough colors. So I went and got jelly beans. Then I took them and the Gobstoppers to the check out and was going to open a package of Gobstoppers to double check which colors they came in. Nah, there were only five, I was sure, so I bought the jelly beans. Then I went to Albertson's to get frosting and look for gumballs. No such luck so I decided to get Gobstoppers and use Whoppers as the sixth color. Yes, this crossed my mind in Target, but I didn't do anything about it. Oh, but wait, they only had TWO boxes of Gobstoppers. Then I went to Michael's to get paper for the place cards. Then I decided to go back to Target and get the Gobstoppers because the thought of having objects not completely round was stressing me past my stress limit. I rushed home about 10 to five.

Enter Jason. After watching Clara while I did all that, knowing he'd have to get her dinner and take care of her while I went to the banquet he agreed to frost the cookies for me. :) We only did three because two were like cardboard and I was so embarassed, I didn't want to have two disgusting cookies. I went to print the names off and instead, printed off the beginning of disaster nine. It looked awful and I don't know if it was my low toner or the paper. I printed them on Jason's printer and they looked better. I showered in like three minutes and didn't even blow dry my hair. I looked charming, I'm sure. What a frazzled mess I was.

Sadly I didn't have time to do the name tags like I wanted, but oh well, I knew life would go on (PS, it did!). I loaded up the car and off I went, fifteen minutes late. As we were finishing up the last of the details, Edith revealed disaster number ten to me. She went to pick up the rice and they didn't have it. They said I probably called the Gilbert location (I didn't) and they had no record of me calling. Thank goodness the girl was still able to get it for her and was very polite about it. I was glad I wasn't there because I probably would have either started yelling or crying. There's no way I could've handled it.

I decorated the cookies in the kitchen and decided I liked it with just five colors. I figured no one would notice and no one would care! They were pretty cute I must say.

Wewsh. The boys did a Chinese dragon parade and got awards, but I missed that (I was bummed, but it was my own fault) because I was decorating the cookies. Then we played games in the Cultural Hall and had dinner in the Primary Room. We had rice, sweet and sour chicken that Nylene made, egg rolls and strawberries. We had a great turnout (55, I think) and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. I was sad when I realized I wouldn't be making it home before Clara went to bed, which would mean it was the third night in a row that Jason put her to sleep. I just wanted to get her out of bed and hold her, but Jason didn't think it was a good idea. I had seen her for just an hour or so since like 2pm.

Everyone stuck around and totally helped clean up. I told Jason other than the Gospel itself (obviously), one thing that I absolutely love the Church for is people's willingness to help. No one was even asked to do so, they just started taking care of everything. I was so grateful that we didn't have to do it because it would've taken at least twice as long.

Knowing people enjoyed themselves helped me feel like less of a failure. When I have days like today, I really feel like I can't do anything right. Everything I was responsible for went wrong. Even the game I planned for the Scouts was apparently not good. I thought it was okay considering where we were, until one of the moms said oh so sarcastically, "Well, that went well!" with a little chuckle. She's such a sweet lady, so I'm sure she meant nothing from it, but I just thought, man, I can't even do that right! I just think, I can't even do the simple callings, what is wrong with me?

I came home, read my book to relax and went to bed knowing the house was a mess and I'd have to clean it before our Home Teachers came. I am SO thankful for Jason's help. He didn't complain once, not even when I asked him to frost the cookies. He did give me several smart alec comments (biting into a piece of the cookie and saying "Mmmmm, hickory bbq" and "do you have a saw to cut these?" and was unusually hyper, but it kept me laughing. He had a great time with Clara and she took another two hour nap in the afternoon so he got time to get some stuff done then too. I always appreciate his help, but especially when I know he's putting off his homework knowing helping me will relieve some stress. Thanks honey!

It's always funny to me how things seem so catastrophic while they are happening (the nametags, the cookies) and then when it's over with, you realize there are normally no long-term implications from such a situation. I just may never be asked to have responsibilities, but maybe that isn't all bad. Just kidding. ;) Oh, and for those of you that like to notice every mistake in blog posts, this took me long enough to create so I'm not going to re-read it like I normally do, so forgive my typing errors!

Things

Something that made me laugh: Hearing a noise, worrying it was someone trying to get into my house, realizing it was Clara, opening her door and seeing her hand stuck between her crib slats opening the top of her kitchen and letting it slam down.

Something that annoyed me: Everyone thinking it was no big deal what Clinton did with women but making a HUGE deal about McCain. Don't like Clinton, don't like McCain and don't think any of their behaviors (if it's all true) is appropriate. BUT, why are certain behaviors okay for a President, but not a Presidential candidate?

Something that made me want to give a speech on public television: Completely reading into something someone said and coming to a conclusion on what it meant (the O'Reilly comment and the dumbos comments about it on MSNBC) then bluntly accusing the person of things that may or not be true.

Something that made me giddy with joy: Finding out Jason is more than likely eligible to take the PE in October and if he passes, eligible to get his stamp immediately. FYI, most prospective Engineers can't get their stamp for about four years after they graduate because in Arizona you have to have four years of experience plus your degree or eight years of experience.

Something that was super fun: Going to the firestation with the Scouts. The only problem was halfway through our tour and just before we got a ride on the truck, they got a call and had to leave. I get really emotional when I think about cops, firefighters, EMT's, etc. They just wait around to help people (I don't say that in a bad way). Literally about 45 seconds after their bell rang, they were driving away to go to a car accident. I have so much respect for these people knowing they respond to the calls as quick as they can and they are completely devoted to serving and helping. It makes me feel good that if I ever need help, I will get it. I guess accountants want to help people too, but it doesn't involve life or death situations. :)

Something that saves me time: Google Reader (thanks Angela!!).

Things I Wonder...

1. Why people think it's okay for them to drive 20mph under the speed limit as they look in their console for something
2. The point of organic kitchen towels (or clothes, or anything other than FOOD)
3. Why every furniture store has huge "sales" on President's Day
4. Why people think free range chickens have better eggs
5. Why the 8.8oz box of Cheerios was $3.29 but the 14.4oz box was $1.50
6. Why everyone assumes Clara is a boy if I don't have her in pink (are little boys always assumed girls too, or does everyone assume every baby is a boy unless proven otherwise?)
7. How something can be ugly one decade and be not only accepted, but raved about the next
8. How stores can sell things seemingly cheaper than the cost to make/produce it (i.e. my cans of tomato sauce that were ten cents)
9. Why 90% of infant shoes are ugly, 9% are too expensive and the remaining 1% don't come in the size you need
10. Why the little boy with his dog kept trying to open my locked front door for a minute or so, and only after I opened it and said hello did he realize he had the WRONG house.

If anyone could offer some insight on these important life mysteries, that would be grand.

Rachel Anne

Today is Rachel's birthday. I have always admired Rachel and been very proud to be her little sister. Some of the reasons I look up to Rachel are: her strong testimony, her deep and personal relationship with Christ, her intelligence (she's really smart), her parenting skills (I've always thought she does a very good job at how she parents her kids and as a result, she has some pretty good kids!), her beauty (I remember in Snowflake people would always assume I'd be good looking when I grew up because I was "Melzer's" little sister), her perfectly straight and white teeth, her creativity, her home decor style, her love of running and exercising, her passion for reading and her healthy eating habits. She's overcome so many things in her life that I know have created such a good role model for me and I hope she knows I love her. I couldn't find any pictures of just Rachel and me or just her, so you get the next best thing: my favorite picture of all my lovely sisters. By the way, this is Rachel two and a half months after she had her third baby and she looks better than I ever do!

V-Day Celebration & Beyond

On Valentine's Day, I had planned on watching my friend's kids while her and her husband went out and then she was going to watch Clara on Friday so Jason and I could go out. It was a really good idea, except that Clara got a little cold Thursday and my friend didn't want to take a risk. Maybe next year... Valentine's Day is fun because of all of the pink and admittedly, I like an excuse and perhaps a little extra encouragement to do something nice for Jason. This year I was most excited about the lipstick writings on his car windows that greeted him as he left for work. :) We had a Ward Adult Activity on Saturday, so I decided I'd mooch some time from Angela and Clint to watch Clara while we went to dinner and that activity on Saturday rather than having someone watch her Friday and Saturday.

Jason's parent's were down so we ended up going to dinner with them and two of his brothers. I was looking forward to having dinner with just Jason, since it doesn't happen often, but eventhough I couldn't make googley eyes at him and whisper sweet nothings in his ear, it was fun visiting with Jason's family. As can be noted from the picture, Jason's dad is being a total goofball. Not only does he have a bone hanging out of his mouth, but check out his expression. I told him I was going to post his elephant picture that I refrained from showing to the world and he said he din't mind... maybe for his birthday. :) I'm pretty sure my conviction that men never mature, regardless of age, will never be disproved.

After dinner, we rushed off to our activity and personally, I had a wonderful time. We were too late for the first game: Family Feud, but had just as good of a time watching. Jason almost won his Price-Is-Right round and I didn't come close. It was a bottle of dishsoap that was just over $2, I guessed $6 because I thought that's what the sign said. Serves me right for looking at the lady as she was taping the sign on! Plus, I don't think I have ever bought dishsoap at a store other than Costco so I had NO clue. The final game was Eternally Wed and Jason and I were one of the four couples that got picked to play. That was fun. First, they asked the guys to answer:

1. When your wife wakes up, would you describe her as a grizzly bear, a polar bear or a teddy bear? Last one, got it right

2. What aggrevates your wife the most: leaving the toilet seat up, leaving the cap off the toothpaste or leaving clothes on the floor? Last one, got it right

3. What was the name of the hotel you stayed at on your honeymoon? Hilton, got it right (barely :))

Then the women had the following:

1. Wife's favorite kitchen appliance? Bosch (right)

2. What fruit would your wife describe you as? Watermelon (right)

and then it all went downhill... ha ha...

3. What one thing would your wife say she wants most: spend more time with her, spend more time with the kids, help more around the house or be more romantic? I said ALL OF THE ABOVE because I'm always getting after Jason for all of these. I told him to think outside the box, but he guessed spend more time with me. If I had to pick ONE, that is probably the one I would have picked.

Bonus: What first attracted you to him? His eyes, but Jason guessed the way he treated me... I guess when I heard attracted I instantly thought of physical attraction (shallow, I know) and he thought more of in general.

We got third place and our prize was a "washer and dryer" aka a bucket and clothespins. LOL. The prizes were all really funny like that.

Afterwards we came home and visited with Angela and Clint and laughed some more. They are pretty funny people. I decided I'm happy to have Clint in our family. Not that I wasn't happy before, I just think the more I get to know him, the more I appreciate his personality and I'm glad Angela married him. I told Angela she's going to have so much free babysitting banked up by the time she has kids. I love knowing not only is Clara safe when they watch her, but that she's having a good time and is well loved.

Sunday was almost the normal day, except Steven is in town from Utah so he was at my mom's for dinner. I don't get to see him much so everytime I do, I'm sure to take pictures with him and of him and Clara. When we first got to my mom's Steven told me if he wasn't my brother he'd date me. Ha ha, gotta love little borhters. Little brothers are so fun. I love being in the middle of a big family and having older and younger brothers and sisters. I get to experience every part of being a sibling. I really enjoy being a big sister to little brothers and I like to pretend they care about the advice I give them. It's fun to give them big hugs, especially in front of the girls they like. As I was looking at these pictures of Steven I realized his eyes are SOOO blue. And Daniel rarely lets pictures of him be taken, so I'm pretty lucky he loves me enough to get in a picture with me.

A few other random things... my mom bought a swing for the tree and was holding it swinging the grandkids in it. It was funny. Then, there was a pair of big cheap sunglasses and when I put them on Clara to take a picture, she crawled away as fast as she could thinking she was hilarious. Okay, maybe I thought she was hilarious too!

Little Rascals

So anyone who's seen my backyard knows the neighbor boys throw their toys, trash and other things into it. I don't clean it up and one time, the mom saw it and made the older sister come gather them all up (maybe because I told the mom I was going to throw it away or throw it into the desert behind our hosue). Well, lately, the boys have thrown some really nice balls over and I heard them just now and peeking through my window, I saw them standing on something, looking into my backyard at their toys. Sorry boys, I'm not giving them back! They do not have much supervision and it's not the only annoying thing they've done. Plus, Clara never takes good naps on Saturday because they are outside screaming and yelling. Part of that is how close we are to their house, so I can't really blame them for that, but I'll be glad to be in a house that is quiet inside despite the neighbors.

Goose's Robin Egg

When Clara fell and bonked her head yesterday, she got her first real bump. I would call it her first goose egg, except that it's more the size of a robin egg. Poor little head.

Five on Friday

Clara had a rough morning and I thought I was going to have to put five times she hurt herself instead of five things that make her happy, but since she only fell and hit her head on the dishwasher, fell out of the pantry, dropped a glass lit on her foot and smashed her fingers in the cupboards I have rubberbanded together, she only made it to four. Luckily, she hasn't gotten hurt since then. (At this point, I stopped writing and am finishing the rest of this today, Saturday)

Clara's five happy thoughts:

1. Bubbles. Whenever I am doing dishes and she sees the bubbles she signs "please" so I will give her some to play with.

2. Balls

3. Shoes (she LOVES to play with her shoes). Sorry for the snot face, she's been a little snotty this week.

4. Getting on her bike all by herself... often she gets her leg stuck and most of the time she gets on it sitting backwards (she's not into taking pictures, if you haven't noticed) Apparently that's not the only thing she attempts to get on backwards.

5. Trying to bit her foam letters out of the bag in the tub. At first I couldn't figure out what she was doing, she was just shoving her face in the bag.

Anna's five happy thoughts:

1. Goose's trail in the sand from crawling2. Having a garage door opener, especially in the rain
3. The slobber that was on the window after Clara got to look outside and was really hyper4. PTO as in paid time off... I've been dreaming much lately about when Jason graduates and not only will he be able to hang out with us on Saturdays, but he'll be able to take days off and get paid for it... a luxury he doesn't have right now while he's part-time.

5. Clara's little belly sticks out SO far after she eats. She looks like she has this little mini pregnant belly. This picture doesn't do it justice but Jason and I just crack up at it all the time.

Of All the Fish in the Sea...

I'd pick Jason! Yes, we played with goldfish in our mouths (while we were dating) and even more immature, we took pictures of it. Good thing love is blind!! :)My sweet little Valentines last year.Sometimes, I wonder how my life would be different had I not married Jason. It's easier to let my mind wander down this path when things are not-so-great, yet not once have I come to the conclusion that I'd be any happier. Oh sure, some of the problems could be eliminated, but the good things are too plentiful. Our life is full of talking, joking, laughing, eating, playing, learning and smiling. And those combined create a life full of love. I love you Jason and Clara. "How sweet it is to be loved by you!"

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you too!

P.S. Along with LOVING Jason and Clara, I love Paint too and tonight I realized why Lily and James use it to make cards for everyone's birthdays every year. :)

I've Been Such a Good Girl

Last weekend as I dreaded, again, having to work Saturday night, I decided to develop a plan. I set a certain number of hours I wanted to work each day so that I didn't have to work on Saturday. At the end of day two, I am happy to report I have stayed on track and it feels good. When I'm working, I'm focused and then when I'm not working, I am enjoying myself and not feeling guilty with thoughts that I should be working. This has also resulted in me feeling like I work less, eventhough I'm working more because my non-working time is not consumed with work thoughts. Since I've been such a good girl, I get to blog, it's my reward. And now you know why I talk so much... I have thoughts such as these flooding my mind non-stop every day.

Saturday night I made pizza and had our neighbors over. I used to laugh at a certain someone (you know who you are) for always commenting on the absolute beauty of fruit and vegetables, until I started taking the time to notice them myself. I like to cook anyway, but if I can make something look pretty, it makes it that much more worth my time.Yesterday I had a meeting for work and decided to get my emissions tested "on the way". Online it said the wait time was 6 minutes. Thinking I was being oh so prepared and responsible, I allowed for about 30 minutes just in case. I'm not sure who I was fooling, but it took about 45 minutes. Once you get in and take a ticket, there's no escaping. Really, you're stuck. So I was late to my meeting, but I passed and that's what's important! Afterwards Clara and I went to my mom's to see the trucks lining their street. They are filming a movie in their neighborhood and every inch of their curb is occupied by a semi, truck or trailer. I have pictures, but they are at my mom's house. I also have another funny picture, but you'll just have to wait and see it when I get it from my mom. Oh, the suspense, I know it's driving you crazy.


Before our meeting, Clara was longingly gazing into the backyard wondering when daddy is going to plant her grass so she can play outside. She can't wait.
Note the shoes in the picture? Well, they are from Auntie Rachel. In fact, of Clara's shoes, I've purchased two pairs (one from a second hand store and the other for $5 at Target). All her others have been give to her. This is why I haven't found the secrets to discount infant shoe shopping yet; I haven't had to!

Imagine That

I have been looking for brown dressy shoes for Clara to wear with her brown dresses. I have found some cute shoes but none that I thought were worth $30 since I'm sure she won't be wearing them for long. And then I found the most darling pair... I might even pay $30 for them. Oh, except they were $89.95. Imagine that, my favorite pair are more than I'd pay for MY shoes. And I thought $10 at Target was bad... Is there a secret store hiding all the inexpensive but cute shoes? If you know where it is, let me know!! :)

Six on Saturday

As my punishment for not declaring my five on Friday, it has defaulted to six on Saturday... I have been pleasantly busy this last week, meaning busy, but not so busy I'm exhausted. I took it easy on work and it was certainly a much desirable way to go. Not realistic, but desirable. Thursday I made some bows for Suzanne's shower that was later that night. The shower was fun and Clara loved all the soda Grandma Melzer gave her ("Anna, I'm sorry, but she just wants this really bad" definitely a Grandma comment) and the treats she begged from everyone else. Friday night was Ward Temple Night and I really wanted to go. My mom couldn't babysit the whole time and Angela wasn't going to get home from work early enough, so we dropped Clara off at my mom's and Angela picked her up on her way home from work. Oh how grateful I am for people who'll sacrafice Friday nights for the poor. Then, Jason's parents stayed with us last night and we were up until about one visiting with them. I don't think they've stayed with us since before Clara was born and if they don't, we never get to visit much with them.

Without further procrastination... mine and Clara's six happy/funny things for the week:

1. The 10 cent Box Tops coupon on my $35 box of diapers. When I first saw it, I assumed it'd be more since it wasn't a $1 tube of biscuits, but no, 10 cents it was.

2. Jason sitting and watching YouTube videos with his parents on the loveseat. Funny that Jason's parents had all these videos they wanted to show him and funny that they squished on the couch together. How sweet. Okay, I also took a picture of Jason's dad in his "sleeping gear" but I don't think he wanted me to put it on my blog. That's really what number two was... it was funny. He has sleep apnea and has to wear this mask thing that has a tube forcing air into his mouth. It looks like an elephant mask to me. I don't know if I could ever get used to that thing!
3. Jason's dad coming to fix our wall... A few months ago I was in our room and from the bathroom Jason says, "Oh, I forgot to tell you..." He had accidentally ripped the towel rack completely off the wall, so there was a big hole in the sheetrock. Luckily, his dad is in construction and kindly fixed it for us this morning.
4. Microwave S'mores. Oh my... why didn't I think of this sooner? Earlier this week I was needing a treat and noticed marshmallows, chocolate chips and graham crackers all within the same vicinity. I tried to get Jason to cook the marshmallows on the stove with me, but he would have none of that childishness. So I put some marshmallows on a graham cracker and cooked it for about 10 seconds and then 10 more (next time, I just did 17 seconds all at once). Then I pressed chocolate chips into the marshmallows and cooked for another 10 seconds. YUMMY!! It make the graham cracker a little softer so it didn't crack all over the place when you bit into it. I've eaten at least a dozen of these this past week and will surely eat a dozen more in the next week. So good!
5. Jason putting on Clara's tights... no further explanation needed. 6. Goose. Before the shower on Thursday, I tried to get some pictures of her because I haven't taken "professional" pictures (courtesy of Ryan since Penny's was a joke) of her for her year mark yet. She's had a scratch on her chin so I was waiting, but I'm afraid if I keep waiting, it will never happen. Plus, her little pigtails don't make it through the car ride so I have to take pictures of them to remind myself that at some point, they do exist. Anyway, we had lots of fun and she would try to crawl away if I sat her down and if I stood her up, she'd try to walk away. It definitely is a two person job to get a picture, but I think some of them really captured her sweet face and her energetic personality.

Speaking of goose...

1. Raw zuchinni. Don't ask.

2. Sunglasses and beads.

3. Corners & beads. She will go stand in the corner, use the wall to stand up, then very slowly turn around and look around for praise for "standing" all by herself. One morning Jason went to get her out of her bed and she was standing in the corner of her bed.

4. Pantry and beads.5. Discovering she doesn't have to put the money in the piggy bank to make noise, she can just press the button inside of it.6. Having TWO phones. She especially loves my work phone because of the case that allows for ease in opening and shutting over and over and OVER.Notice a trend? Clara rediscovered her beads from the 4th of July parade and is in love. It is so funny to watch her try and put them on because often she'll simply lay them around her neck and not actually over her head. A few other funny things Clara does... she crawls into rooms and shuts the door behind her then cries because she can't get out. The other day she was playing with the TV remote and got static and it scared her so she started crying and crawling towards me in desperation. Oh, and I certainly can't get over how funny it is when she puts her head down to try and crawl faster. I think I got this on video, but I'm not positive. Whenever she gets a chance, she will lift up my shirt to tickle my stomach and side. She also tickles my feet and thinks it's hilarious. For the last three days, she's been so completely clingy and WHINEY and throwing fits over everything. I'm really hoping it's her second molar that I just noticed two nights ago (her first broke through about 8-10 days ago) because man she's fiesty!

Oh, this morning we celebrated Nylene's birthday at IHOP (our old Primary Presidency still gets together for each other's birthdays). They told me McCain is for same-sex marriage. I give up on all the candidates and that's all there is to it. We're moving to another country, anyone want to come? If everything I love about America is going downhill, why not at least enjoy some phenomenal history and breathtaking architecture?