When I went home for lunch after writing the following, my astute and more date-oriented husband asked me if I had written about our wedding anniversary yesterday. Lost in my soliloquoy about fall and Halloween, I admitted that I had neglected to do that. So, here are the details of our second wedding anniversary.
David had school, but got work off so we could go do something in the evening. I went to work, because that's what I do now, and I ran to go get David his anniversary present before I headed home. The traditional second anniversary present is cotton, which seems like an incredibly boring gift (ie, "Happy anniversary, have some hand towels!" "Happy anniversary, here are some pocket handkerchiefs!" etc.) But David got creative. He thought of cotton in a more abstract way, like a "cotton-tail;" that's right, he got me a baby rabbit for our second anniversary. Her name is Elsa, and she's a gray Dwarf bunny. David has developed a recent love of wacky socks, so I got him four pairs of patterned socks -- three darker pairs that he could wear to work, and a pair of bright, printed Halloween socks, because Halloween is his favorite holiday.
After giving each other our respective presents (and playing with my present for a while), we went out to eat at the Training Table. We go there every year on our anniversary because it's where we had our first meal together as a married couple. After taking pictures with us around the temple following our wedding, my mom handed us $20 and said, "Go find some food; you're going to need it." And we picked Training Table. After dinner we went and got some supplies for the bunny. I think her previous owners fed her only pellets; she devoured about a cup of fresh vegetables yesterday. She's still very tentative about life; curious, but cautious. She bounds around our bedroom, pooping every few seconds/feet, stopping to get a few more bites to eat to give her a few more minutes of energy. The cats haven't seen her out of her cage yet. She's in our bedroom and we keep the door closed, which the cats don't like because they love to go lay on the bed. After I put her in her cage for the night, I let the cats come in to just look at her in her cage for a few seconds. I didn't let them in for very long, though, because rabbits are easily frightened; I didn't want Elsa to have a heart attack from the sight of the cats. So far she likes David the best, but that's probably because he's the one that brought her home and set up her cage. And he did fall asleep on our bedroom floor for about three hours while she ran around the room. I'm pretty tired; I might consider doing that myself when I get home from work.
So that was our second anniversary celebration: socks, a rabbit, and the Training Table. Here's to many future anniversaries!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
New Job and Other Musings
Man, I have got to update my blog more often. And with more pictures, too. Not that anything too exciting happens in our lives, but I suppose the purpose of blogs is not to write only about the highlights, but the everyday, mundane occurences of life. So here goes.
I found a full-time job around the middle of September; my first day of work was the 14th, actually. I am a teller at a bank called Washington Federal Savings; if you haven't heard of them either, don't worry -- they're an exceptionally low-profile bank. But I work at the Foothill Branch, which is about ten minutes from my house up Emigration Canyon. 8:30-5:00 with an hour for lunch, no weekends, no holidays. It's fabulous. I can't say I'm getting paid as much as I would like, and after they deduct money for my 401(K) contribution, health insurance, and dental insurance, I'm sure I won't even be making minimum wage. Welcome to life, I suppose.
David is still plugging away at school. We've been begging IZOD, where he works, to give him less hours for several weeks now, and only now as the company is facing the possibility of going under do they cut his hours. He still has to work 4-5 days a week, but now for just 4-5 hours at a time. David hates short shifts; he thinks they're a waste of time. He has a point, though, at least in this instance -- he has to drive half an hour to Park City and then half an hour back. It does seem like kind of a waste to drive an hour only to work for four hours. Oh well, whatever pays the bills. The good news with him working less is that school will be a little bit easier to manage. I wish he didn't have to work at all and could just focus on school. Maybe when he transfers to the U or to Westminster he can get some sort of scholarship that will take care of school and perhaps some of the income he would have to earn otherwise. But he wants to go to medical school, so perhaps we should be working as much and saving as much as humanly possible.
The trees are changing colors up the canyon, it's so beautiful! I'll make sure to take some pictures of the gorgeous colors and post them soon. I love living up the canyon, where it feels like fall when it's supposed to. Although it's supposed to be 40 degrees and snowing tomorrow in the mountains; it's much too early for snow. That's one of the disadvantages of living in Utah: all of the seasons come earlier than they're supposed to. There's snow by Halloween and there's still snow at the beginning of March when a certain someone wants to wear all her new spring clothes for her birthday. You learn quickly here as a child that you shouldn't set your heart on wearing any Halloween costume that you would object to covering with a winter coat. No Jasmine, no Ariel, no Tinkerbell, although I suppose all of those characters come either from tropical climates or tropical waters. Mulan knows how to handle snow and cold temperatures, but by the time that movie came around, I was a little too old to be dressing up as Disney leading ladies. I think Halloween improves as you age, however; now you don't have to worry about your costume being weather-appropriate -- you just throw an indoor party and stay inside and eat candy!
I found a full-time job around the middle of September; my first day of work was the 14th, actually. I am a teller at a bank called Washington Federal Savings; if you haven't heard of them either, don't worry -- they're an exceptionally low-profile bank. But I work at the Foothill Branch, which is about ten minutes from my house up Emigration Canyon. 8:30-5:00 with an hour for lunch, no weekends, no holidays. It's fabulous. I can't say I'm getting paid as much as I would like, and after they deduct money for my 401(K) contribution, health insurance, and dental insurance, I'm sure I won't even be making minimum wage. Welcome to life, I suppose.
David is still plugging away at school. We've been begging IZOD, where he works, to give him less hours for several weeks now, and only now as the company is facing the possibility of going under do they cut his hours. He still has to work 4-5 days a week, but now for just 4-5 hours at a time. David hates short shifts; he thinks they're a waste of time. He has a point, though, at least in this instance -- he has to drive half an hour to Park City and then half an hour back. It does seem like kind of a waste to drive an hour only to work for four hours. Oh well, whatever pays the bills. The good news with him working less is that school will be a little bit easier to manage. I wish he didn't have to work at all and could just focus on school. Maybe when he transfers to the U or to Westminster he can get some sort of scholarship that will take care of school and perhaps some of the income he would have to earn otherwise. But he wants to go to medical school, so perhaps we should be working as much and saving as much as humanly possible.
The trees are changing colors up the canyon, it's so beautiful! I'll make sure to take some pictures of the gorgeous colors and post them soon. I love living up the canyon, where it feels like fall when it's supposed to. Although it's supposed to be 40 degrees and snowing tomorrow in the mountains; it's much too early for snow. That's one of the disadvantages of living in Utah: all of the seasons come earlier than they're supposed to. There's snow by Halloween and there's still snow at the beginning of March when a certain someone wants to wear all her new spring clothes for her birthday. You learn quickly here as a child that you shouldn't set your heart on wearing any Halloween costume that you would object to covering with a winter coat. No Jasmine, no Ariel, no Tinkerbell, although I suppose all of those characters come either from tropical climates or tropical waters. Mulan knows how to handle snow and cold temperatures, but by the time that movie came around, I was a little too old to be dressing up as Disney leading ladies. I think Halloween improves as you age, however; now you don't have to worry about your costume being weather-appropriate -- you just throw an indoor party and stay inside and eat candy!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Yes, we're still alive
Judging from the tone of my last post, you might have thought that I had quit school/jumped off the top of the SWKT (the tallest building in Provo, on BYU campus, by the way). But no! Against all odds, I did in fact graduate from BYU on August 14th. Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles.
Now, the job hunt is on. And when they say that we're in the worst recession since the Great Depression, as far as employment is concerned, they're not kidding. I apply for 5-6 jobs a day, and have applied for at least 100 positions; I've had four interviews in two months. It's rough. It's also rough because I have a BA in Humanities (I love typing that!), and not many people know exactly what a Humanities degree entails. But, by the grace of God, I had two interviews today, and got a call today from one of the companies to come in for a second interview! So I now have a follow-up interview on Wednesday as well as another interview that day.
David started school at SLCC this past week. He's really enjoying that, because it means that he doesn't have to work as much, poor boy. He's taking U.S. Government and Politics, German, Humanities (guess who signed him up for that one), and Scuba Diving. I didn't realize the effect that two years of Provo in an academic environment and not in school would have on him. He called me after his first day at school to tell me in a much-too-excited voice that he was doing homework. The thought of being thrilled to do homework so soon after graduating makes me kind of sick to my stomach. But David's really motivated to do well in school, and more power to him.
Well, there you go. We're both alive and well, looking for employment and enjoying school, respectively.
Now, the job hunt is on. And when they say that we're in the worst recession since the Great Depression, as far as employment is concerned, they're not kidding. I apply for 5-6 jobs a day, and have applied for at least 100 positions; I've had four interviews in two months. It's rough. It's also rough because I have a BA in Humanities (I love typing that!), and not many people know exactly what a Humanities degree entails. But, by the grace of God, I had two interviews today, and got a call today from one of the companies to come in for a second interview! So I now have a follow-up interview on Wednesday as well as another interview that day.
David started school at SLCC this past week. He's really enjoying that, because it means that he doesn't have to work as much, poor boy. He's taking U.S. Government and Politics, German, Humanities (guess who signed him up for that one), and Scuba Diving. I didn't realize the effect that two years of Provo in an academic environment and not in school would have on him. He called me after his first day at school to tell me in a much-too-excited voice that he was doing homework. The thought of being thrilled to do homework so soon after graduating makes me kind of sick to my stomach. But David's really motivated to do well in school, and more power to him.
Well, there you go. We're both alive and well, looking for employment and enjoying school, respectively.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Since I generally try to ignore the Daily Universe paper these days, I don't have any new editorials or diatribes against ignorance to publish. So today, I guess I'll just do the normal blog thing and write a little bit about what's going on in my life. Where to start...school. I hate it. I can't stand it. I'm burned out and want to run away - far, far away. I tell people that I graduate in August, and they always say something like, "Wow, that's great! You can do it, you're almost there, there's light at the end of the tunnel, etc., etc., etc." It doesn't motivate me in the slightest. I am so beyond caring about school right now that I don't know if there's anything existing that could motivate me to "keep going, you're almost there" anymore.
David started work at Mt. Dell golf course today, and he's living up at our new place in Salt Lake right now while I'm still stuck in stinkin' Provo for another few weeks until the semester ends. Part of me wants it to be April 23rd already so school and finals will be over, but the other part of me counts the days between now and then and has a nigh-catatonic emotional breakdown over how much I have to do in that short, short amount of time. And yes, I am using that minute portion to write on my blog. Go figure.
At least the weather is starting to act like it's April. It's a little brisk, but sunny nonetheless. It's warmer today than it was yesterday, when my younger brother managed to get sunburned after doing some between-Conference-sessions tanning in the back yard, so I may have to pull on my swimsuit and try to put some color back into my ghostly visage.
I subscribe to another blog where the creator finds looks from J. Crew and other such expensive places and then manages to create about the same outfit for under $100. I don't want to rip off her idea, but I kind of do, actually. I like to be in style, but I'm on a married student budget where even Old Navy is stretching it. It would just be nice to know that a less expensive outfit is possible, if not yet monetarily attainable. Perhaps I'll start doing that. After I read several books and catch up on weeks-worth of reading and study for and take finals and pack the house and move to Salt Lake. Ugh.
David started work at Mt. Dell golf course today, and he's living up at our new place in Salt Lake right now while I'm still stuck in stinkin' Provo for another few weeks until the semester ends. Part of me wants it to be April 23rd already so school and finals will be over, but the other part of me counts the days between now and then and has a nigh-catatonic emotional breakdown over how much I have to do in that short, short amount of time. And yes, I am using that minute portion to write on my blog. Go figure.
At least the weather is starting to act like it's April. It's a little brisk, but sunny nonetheless. It's warmer today than it was yesterday, when my younger brother managed to get sunburned after doing some between-Conference-sessions tanning in the back yard, so I may have to pull on my swimsuit and try to put some color back into my ghostly visage.
I subscribe to another blog where the creator finds looks from J. Crew and other such expensive places and then manages to create about the same outfit for under $100. I don't want to rip off her idea, but I kind of do, actually. I like to be in style, but I'm on a married student budget where even Old Navy is stretching it. It would just be nice to know that a less expensive outfit is possible, if not yet monetarily attainable. Perhaps I'll start doing that. After I read several books and catch up on weeks-worth of reading and study for and take finals and pack the house and move to Salt Lake. Ugh.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Movie ratings furor
So the Daily Universe published a very well-written defense of the viewing of R-rated movies (which is generally frowned upon by LDS culture at large); naturally, there was considerable backlash, as people with access to lds.org scrambled to find any and all articles they could condemning the viewing of movies with such a rating. Here is my response (although I've pretty much been black-listed by the editors and therefore don't hold out much hope of it being published):
A quick thought about R-rated movies and the counsel given against them: some counsel given by Church leaders can become outdated. Bruce R. McConkie said that blacks would never have the priesthood; President Benson said that you can't be a Democrat and a faithful member of the Church. None of the addresses quoted by those opposed to watching R-rated movies - who base that opposition on such addresses - were given in the last ten years. Some counsel and admonition spans generations and holds meaning over a long period of time; other counsel is given for a specific reason at a specific time. We as Church members have to recognize this difference. R-rated movies can be infinitely more empowering, enlightening, and inspiring than PG-13 movies, the many of which are filled with senseless and idiotic behavior that appeals only to the basest in our natures. If the counsel against R-rated movies has been removed from the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet, it simply means that, as in everything else in our lives, we should let the Holy Spirit guide our decisions and remember that the revelation and inspiration we receive applies to us only.
If I could have made it longer, I would have pointed out that film and other liberal arts classes here at BYU routinely show R-rated movies as part of their curricula; either self-righteous people have to get a firmer grip on life, or I, along with other liberal arts majors, must be going straight to hell.
A quick thought about R-rated movies and the counsel given against them: some counsel given by Church leaders can become outdated. Bruce R. McConkie said that blacks would never have the priesthood; President Benson said that you can't be a Democrat and a faithful member of the Church. None of the addresses quoted by those opposed to watching R-rated movies - who base that opposition on such addresses - were given in the last ten years. Some counsel and admonition spans generations and holds meaning over a long period of time; other counsel is given for a specific reason at a specific time. We as Church members have to recognize this difference. R-rated movies can be infinitely more empowering, enlightening, and inspiring than PG-13 movies, the many of which are filled with senseless and idiotic behavior that appeals only to the basest in our natures. If the counsel against R-rated movies has been removed from the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet, it simply means that, as in everything else in our lives, we should let the Holy Spirit guide our decisions and remember that the revelation and inspiration we receive applies to us only.
If I could have made it longer, I would have pointed out that film and other liberal arts classes here at BYU routinely show R-rated movies as part of their curricula; either self-righteous people have to get a firmer grip on life, or I, along with other liberal arts majors, must be going straight to hell.
Monday, March 16, 2009
"Big Love" hype
I don't know how it is in the rest of the country, but in Utah, there has been a veritable Jules Verne-esque "War of the Worlds" going on here about the HBO series "Big Love," especially since the creators decided this past weekend to show an LDS temple endowment ceremony in the show. There are the outraged Mormons who, without having seen a single episode of the series, let alone the one in question, unequivocally denounce the show as essentially "casting pearls before swine." One misguided soul (unfortunately a columnist for the "Deseret News") even went to far as to stamp the show's presentation of the endowment ceremony as "religious pornography." Oh dear me. They're calling for a boycott of the show and of the network itself, again without having any knowledge whatsoever of the show's contents or its actual portrayal of the ceremony. There are two viewpoints on the other side of the argument: those who say it's about time the world at large (meaning those with cable TV) had a little more information about the "strange" rituals of the LDS church, and those who rightly but bitterly state that it's also about time the LDS church had their turn to be castigated by the media as every other religion has.
Where do I stand? Somewhere in the middle. No, I have not seen the episode in question, either; but from the summaries I have read of it, the series' creators presented the endowment ceremony in an uplifting and positive light; it was not a polygamous marriage ceremony, and it was necessary to show the struggles of one of the wives between her former religion and her current family. It was not the degrading, "Look how weird the Mormons are!" portrayal that many were expecting. On the other hand, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and having been through the endowment ceremony myself, I must say that it is a sacred ritual in which you gain knowledge and make covenants with God not available elsewhere. I have never felt closer to God and to my husband, who is also "endowed," than when I am in the temple. The stresses of life melt away and my vision becomes clearer. I am able to refocus my energies and attention on the important things in life and watch the superfluous melt away without regret. I make better decisions; I am kinder, more compassionate, more charitable; things that would normally bother me don't; and life simply goes better in general.
Although one of the covenants you make in the temple is to not reveal certain elements of the ceremony outside of it, the majority of what you learn and what is said in the temple can be found in the LDS Church's teachings and standard works. If you're curious as to what the interior of an LDS temple looks like, attend a temple open house. You can see all the rooms in the temple and ask questions to the well-informed tour guides there. Ask your LDS friends; they'll be eager to share what they believe and love. Contact the LDS missionaries, who will also be happy to answer your questions, even if you're not interested in joining the Church. The fundamentals of the temple are plainly declared in a children's song:
"I love to see the temple, I'm going there someday,
To feel the Holy Spirit, to listen and to pray.
For the temple is the house of God, a place of love and beauty,
I'll prepare myself while I am young; this is my sacred duty.
I love to see the temple, I'll go inside someday,
I'll covenant with my Father, I'll promise to obey.
For the temple is a holy place, where we are sealed together;
As a child of God, I've learned this truth: A family is forever."
So, to those of the LDS church who are still bothered by HBO's "Big Love," consider this from the Prophet Joseph Smith: "The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” Nothing HBO, or anybody else, for that matter, says or does will disrupt the work of God. Chill out. To those of you whose interest has been piqued by "Big Love," find a Mormon and ask them about the temple. And then do some research of your own. The Church website, www.lds.org, has a video about why we build temples as well as a statement on "Big Love." All will benefit from discovering that the practices and rituals of the LDS church are actually quite transparent and, in fact, invite inquiry of this kind.
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-publicity-dilemma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x_-TQivCx8
Where do I stand? Somewhere in the middle. No, I have not seen the episode in question, either; but from the summaries I have read of it, the series' creators presented the endowment ceremony in an uplifting and positive light; it was not a polygamous marriage ceremony, and it was necessary to show the struggles of one of the wives between her former religion and her current family. It was not the degrading, "Look how weird the Mormons are!" portrayal that many were expecting. On the other hand, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and having been through the endowment ceremony myself, I must say that it is a sacred ritual in which you gain knowledge and make covenants with God not available elsewhere. I have never felt closer to God and to my husband, who is also "endowed," than when I am in the temple. The stresses of life melt away and my vision becomes clearer. I am able to refocus my energies and attention on the important things in life and watch the superfluous melt away without regret. I make better decisions; I am kinder, more compassionate, more charitable; things that would normally bother me don't; and life simply goes better in general.
Although one of the covenants you make in the temple is to not reveal certain elements of the ceremony outside of it, the majority of what you learn and what is said in the temple can be found in the LDS Church's teachings and standard works. If you're curious as to what the interior of an LDS temple looks like, attend a temple open house. You can see all the rooms in the temple and ask questions to the well-informed tour guides there. Ask your LDS friends; they'll be eager to share what they believe and love. Contact the LDS missionaries, who will also be happy to answer your questions, even if you're not interested in joining the Church. The fundamentals of the temple are plainly declared in a children's song:
"I love to see the temple, I'm going there someday,
To feel the Holy Spirit, to listen and to pray.
For the temple is the house of God, a place of love and beauty,
I'll prepare myself while I am young; this is my sacred duty.
I love to see the temple, I'll go inside someday,
I'll covenant with my Father, I'll promise to obey.
For the temple is a holy place, where we are sealed together;
As a child of God, I've learned this truth: A family is forever."
So, to those of the LDS church who are still bothered by HBO's "Big Love," consider this from the Prophet Joseph Smith: "The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” Nothing HBO, or anybody else, for that matter, says or does will disrupt the work of God. Chill out. To those of you whose interest has been piqued by "Big Love," find a Mormon and ask them about the temple. And then do some research of your own. The Church website, www.lds.org, has a video about why we build temples as well as a statement on "Big Love." All will benefit from discovering that the practices and rituals of the LDS church are actually quite transparent and, in fact, invite inquiry of this kind.
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-publicity-dilemma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x_-TQivCx8
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Whatever
I am honestly not quite sure what to do with this blog, so I think I will make it a combination of a repository for my writing (academic or bitter diatribe) and something of an online journal. No one has, of yet, offended me today, so no type of the latter writing will appear in this post. I'll just update whomever on what's going on in my life.
David and I got a puppy. His name is Xavier, and he's a Great Dane, is 9 weeks old, and weighs 22 pounds; he's already as large as some breeds will ever get. When we took him to the vet, he said that Xavier already had "50-pound dog legs." It's true; his legs are already about as thick as my wrists (and I'm a toothpick). Xavier's hobbies include being good for David, and being bad for me, which includes anything from chasing and growling at the cats, peeing on the carpet, and chewing up my homework (no the last one is not a cliche exaggeration). I had a Young Women leader growing up that said that before you could have kids, you had to prove that you could take care of lower life forms. You started with plants, then moved to small animals - fish, hamster, bird, etc. If you could handle a dog, you could handle children. It sounded logical enough to me at the time. Now I completely understand. Only a child can compare in demand and attention to a puppy. He's therefore functioning as a great form of birth control - I think I would go insane if I had to take care of a puppy AND a child. The thought sends shivers of dread down my spine. Ugh.
As if acquiring an animal that will someday weigh as much as David and be as tall as him on its hind legs wasn't enough, we also bought a new car. Well, it's new to us, anyway. It's a 2008 Jeep Liberty in a bronze-y orange color. David will be starting work up at Mt. Dell Golf Course in Salt Lake soon, an he will need a way to get up there while I will need a way to get to school down here. I realize that we've kind of rushed through the "list of things to do once you get married" (i.e., car, dog, kids [not yet], etc.), but I've developed the attitude about it that I have toward college finals: I would rather take all of my finals as quickly as possible and get over the stress/anxiety/dread/terror/guilt in one go instead of spreading it over several days. I've found that stress only increases with duration of time anyway. Forgive the crude analogy, but it's kind of like throwing up: You feel really sick before, it's a horrible experience, but when it's over, you feel SOOOOO much better. That's how I view life right now. David and I are getting most of the big stresses out of the way early so we can enjoy life later on. However, I did find out once I got married that David had an undisclosed hobby of collecting cars - he's gone through 13 in six years. When we got this car, I sat in the passenger seat and glared at him to get my message across: "We are DONE with cars for at least ten years. DONE! NO MAS!" We now have two perfectly reliable 2008 cars - one great on gas mileage, the other great on storage and handling. There is no reason we need to get any more/different automobiles! I informed David he needed to find a cheaper hobby, like collecting stamps or buttons or vintage Barbies. He does collect coins, and has some pretty amazing ones, but he obviously has some void that cars fill. I'd be jealous if I didn't know he loves me more than anything else. And then there's the line in my favorite song "I cant believe you kiss your car good night / Now, come on, baby, tell me, you must be jokin' right?" that alerts him as to how I would feel about his relationship with a machine.
Anyway, those are my ramblings for today. I might ramble some more tomorrow, especially if there's nothing else to do at work.
David and I got a puppy. His name is Xavier, and he's a Great Dane, is 9 weeks old, and weighs 22 pounds; he's already as large as some breeds will ever get. When we took him to the vet, he said that Xavier already had "50-pound dog legs." It's true; his legs are already about as thick as my wrists (and I'm a toothpick). Xavier's hobbies include being good for David, and being bad for me, which includes anything from chasing and growling at the cats, peeing on the carpet, and chewing up my homework (no the last one is not a cliche exaggeration). I had a Young Women leader growing up that said that before you could have kids, you had to prove that you could take care of lower life forms. You started with plants, then moved to small animals - fish, hamster, bird, etc. If you could handle a dog, you could handle children. It sounded logical enough to me at the time. Now I completely understand. Only a child can compare in demand and attention to a puppy. He's therefore functioning as a great form of birth control - I think I would go insane if I had to take care of a puppy AND a child. The thought sends shivers of dread down my spine. Ugh.
As if acquiring an animal that will someday weigh as much as David and be as tall as him on its hind legs wasn't enough, we also bought a new car. Well, it's new to us, anyway. It's a 2008 Jeep Liberty in a bronze-y orange color. David will be starting work up at Mt. Dell Golf Course in Salt Lake soon, an he will need a way to get up there while I will need a way to get to school down here. I realize that we've kind of rushed through the "list of things to do once you get married" (i.e., car, dog, kids [not yet], etc.), but I've developed the attitude about it that I have toward college finals: I would rather take all of my finals as quickly as possible and get over the stress/anxiety/dread/terror/guilt in one go instead of spreading it over several days. I've found that stress only increases with duration of time anyway. Forgive the crude analogy, but it's kind of like throwing up: You feel really sick before, it's a horrible experience, but when it's over, you feel SOOOOO much better. That's how I view life right now. David and I are getting most of the big stresses out of the way early so we can enjoy life later on. However, I did find out once I got married that David had an undisclosed hobby of collecting cars - he's gone through 13 in six years. When we got this car, I sat in the passenger seat and glared at him to get my message across: "We are DONE with cars for at least ten years. DONE! NO MAS!" We now have two perfectly reliable 2008 cars - one great on gas mileage, the other great on storage and handling. There is no reason we need to get any more/different automobiles! I informed David he needed to find a cheaper hobby, like collecting stamps or buttons or vintage Barbies. He does collect coins, and has some pretty amazing ones, but he obviously has some void that cars fill. I'd be jealous if I didn't know he loves me more than anything else. And then there's the line in my favorite song "I cant believe you kiss your car good night / Now, come on, baby, tell me, you must be jokin' right?" that alerts him as to how I would feel about his relationship with a machine.
Anyway, those are my ramblings for today. I might ramble some more tomorrow, especially if there's nothing else to do at work.
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