EDUCATED

Just a few things I've learned recently:

Dusting the tops of ceiling fans is best done when the ceiling fans are off.

There are big, thick cement pillars between some of the parking spaces in the Park City parking garages.

Making the Necessary necessary is not a good time to get necessary paper work.

Bath and Body Works body splash does not, in fact, work like air-freshener when it is sprayed in the air. It, instead, falls like more-stuff-to-be-washed on your wood floors.

Eight-year-old boys are not cute or smart when they read the last page of Harry Potter out-loud to you before you are finished with the book.

Milk will, in fact, go bad before it's expiration date, and before you pour it on your favorite cereal.

Dog hair does not taste good. Neither does milk that's gone bad.

Teen-age boys can consume the entire block of cheese you were going to use for 3 dinners this week, in making 1 snack.

Blogging is a good way to share your education with others. Enjoy!

EMBARRASSED!

I just went to the gym wearing two different shoes! It's almost as embarrassing as the time I went to the gym and realized, half-way through my aerobics class, that my T-shirt was on backwards. Yes, embarrassing.

I wore this same combination of shoes the day we traveled to Florida last October. I didn't realize my fashion faux pas until we all had to take our shoes off at the security gate. Lucky me, I got to wear these shoes all week long as we visited the theme parks. I would like to say that I am cool enough to have started a new trend in shoe-wearing...but I'm not. I am, however, duly and truly embarrassed.

As if that weren't enough of a view into my personal life, here are a few more answers to the "Journaling Jar." I meant to do this yesterday, but got a little bit caught up in reading Harry Potter 7...I'm not quite done yet, so please don't spoil the ending for me! Michael already has, in his own innocent way, by telling me that he guessed the ending and someone who has read the book confirmed it. Since he has not read a single page of a single Harry Potter book, it dismays me to think that the ending is that guess-able.

Anyway, on to even more trivial things...

Question #1:
"List each of your Aunts and Uncles, and tell one thing about each of them."
Nope. Not even going to try.
My mom is one of seven children, and my dad is one of 12. All of them are married, which doubles the number, so nope. Not gonna' do it.

Question #2:
"Describe your yard as a child. Did you help your parents with yard work?"
Considering the fact that I never even learned to turn on a lawn mower until just last month, and based on my general dislike of being outside, one can surmise that I did not help my parents with yard work, nor would I be able to describe any of our yards beyond saying that there was some grass growing. I know because I've seen pictures.
I do have one memory of helping in the yard. We were living in Colorado Springs at the time, and my dad was putting in some sort of terracing in the back yard. I remember placing stones with him. I also remember a snake, which may be where my dislike for outside things began.
My only other yard-memory is of my friends and me putting on a show in our backyard. The cement porch was our stage, and we had invited all the neighbors to come sit and watch us perform in our underwear, tights, and white sheets for costumes.

Question #3:
"Do you have a favorite brother/sister? What makes them so special?
Duh. Not going to answer that one either. YOU'RE ALL MY FAVORITE, OKAY?!

Question #4:
"Describe the downtown of your childhood at Christmas time."
Only one clear memory comes to mind: driving down the streets and seeing the big decorations attached to the street lamps--bells, wreaths, reindeer, presents, etc.
At some point my eyesight began going bad and I thought it was so beautiful at Christmas time because all the lights were just blurs of color. I still like to take off my glasses and see the lights like that.

Question #5:
"What was your favorite Saturday activity as a child?"
Watching "Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island" while my mom put pink sponge curlers in my sisters' hair. "De plane! De plane!"

De end. Harry is calling.

IMPRESSED

And PROUD!
This afternoon we went to see Lane and Evan perform in their first showing (two more to go next week) of "High School Musical." This is the culmination of three weeks of rehearsal and participation in a youth theater camp in Park City.

I have never actually seen the show (with the exception of the last five minutes where my friend Thayne is the dancing nerd), but I have noticed how popular it is to put on around here. Well, this afternoon's production was a great initiation into the "High School Musical" world. They did a fantastic job. It was a marvelous production--well rehearsed, well performed, and well sung; one for which I am proud to have given a standing ovation.

The show also had some really great lines. Here are a few of my favorites:

"We need to save our production from people who don't know the difference between Tony Soprano and a Tony award" Ha!

"I didn't lie. I just improvised." That is so reminiscent of Evan who used to say things like, "I didn't throw the ball. I was just rolling it through the air," and "I didn't kick his legos over. My foot just went out and the legos went into it," and "I didn't push him. My arms were just out and his back moved into them..." It was much funnier to hear such a line in a play than in real life.

"I feel so demeritorious."
"Me, too. I think." Demeritorious! Ha!

"I would rather suck the mucous from a dog's nostrils until it's skull caves in." That's a great summation of my feelings for just about any outside activity, any sports activity requiring my involvement, and any food dish consisting largely of eggs.

Finally, a personal favorite:

"It's just a musical, anyway."
"Just a musical?!" There is truly no such thing.

DISAPPOINTED.

Anyone who knows me is aware that I like eyeshadow. I particularly like MAC eyeshadow.

Anyone who knows me is aware that I like to shop on EBay.

So, finding MAC eyeshadow on EBay (selling at less than half the retail price, at that!), was really a highpoint of my money-spending life. Needless to say, I bought it.

Then I waited for it to come; it was being shipped to me all the way from Thailand. And I waited. And I waited.

Eventually the happy day arrived, as did my package.

As you may be able to guess, all was not well once I opened the box. Three of the eye shadows are completely different than what was posted on EBay, one is a mystery color, and the rest are just adequate. I am going through EBay's dispute resolution to get things fixed, but I am also going through severe disappointment. This doesn't mean, however, that I will quit shopping EBay. Sorry, honey. Now you are suffering from disappointment, too.

Then...this morning I took the personality test posted on my sister Lindsay's blog. Again, severe disappointment. I found out that I don't have a personality, or at least not the one I wanted.

The Giver

You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed.
Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections.
Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down.
You find the most energy and comfort in social situations ... where you shine.

In love, you are very protective and supporting.
However, you do need to "feel special" - and it's quite easy for you to get jealous.

At work, you are a natural leader. You can help people discover their greatest potential.
You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist.

How you see yourself: Trusting, idealistic, and expressive

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Bossy, inappropriate, and loud.

Nope. No way. Not me.

Actually, I thought the questions the test asked were rather interesting. I had a hard time choosing how to answer some of them. Apparently I answered some of the questions WRONG, because I don't think the results are very representative of me. Either that, or I am just too complex a person for this test. Lindsay's results, however, seemed dead on (not that you're not a complex person, too, Lin). Maybe I'm just disappointed because this test proved, once again, that I'm really not like my sister in all the ways I wish I were. Or, maybe I really don't have a personality, after all?

Nah. I'm too good at wearing eyeshadow to think that's true!

RED NECK!

We just returned home from Kamas, Utah (a little farming community near Park City) where we spent the evening at the annual Fiesta Days Demolition Derby.

I wanted to enter the van in the Powder Puff heat, but we needed a way to get home.

It was, I must admit, a very exciting night. There were fights, fires, cars up on the embankment, mud flinging from tires into the crowd, car parts laying on the ground, car parts flying through the air, engine smoke galore, and a minor explosion. As Joshua said to me, "There was fire, and a roll over! What more could you want?"

Yes, indeedy, what more?

JOURNALING

So I thought I would stay in the swing of things and add a post tonight...but what to write about? I should do something rather spiritually minded, it being Sunday and all (and I am always very spiritually minded on Sundays!), but that is my Mom's handle, and I wouldn't want to take anything away from her (HA!). Still and all, it is the Sabbath, and the Spirit moved me to pull out the "journaling jar" that someone, somewhere, sometime gave me for some reason. That could be my inspiration! So here goes...First question:
"What were you doing the day John F. Kennedy was shot?"
I was singing with the heavenly choirs above, since I wasn't born yet. Remember, I am a spring chicken.
Question #2:
"What are some of your favorite smells?"
Hmmm...other people's laundry in the dryer, the bottom of the Froot Loops bag, and the wet wipes at Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Question #3:
"Where did you live as a child (country, city)?"
United States for the country and Provo, Orem, Lindon, and Ft. Collins for the city/ies. Okay, that was boring. I also should answer that I lived in books and make believe, because that's where I spent most of my time. Trixie Belden and Honey should have been my best friends (the Trixie Belden mystery series), my mother should have named at least one of my sisters Austine (Ramona and Beezus series), and I was just sure that I was the "Little Princess" who was bound to find a "Secret Garden" at any moment, if only I didn't have such mean parents who made me turn my flashlight off and stop reading in bed. If I did stop reading long enough to actually play with real people, my friends and I would make up wonderful stories with our dolls and act those out for weeks on end in the houses that we created for them out of old boxes and such. Those were the places I really lived.
Question #4:
"What special things did you do with your father?"
Plenty. But the thing that comes immediately to mind were the once a month Sunday interviews that my dad would have with me (and, I would assume, the other kids, too, but I certainly didn't think about any of them at the time). He would start out by asking me how I was doing, and I would respond by breaking down into tears and share whatever my current sob story was with him. Interviews during my teenage years most assuredly moved their way into blaming all of my life's problems on my very mean mom. Then my dad would end our session with a great big hug and by telling me that he loved my mother and that she would always come first to him. That sure bugged me at the time, since he was obviously blind to everything I was telling him, but I am immensely grateful to him now for those great gifts: time with my father, an unconditionally open and loving listener, and someone who has always loved my mother best. Thanks, Dad.

TWENTY YEARS OLDER!

I recently traveled home (home will forever be Ft. Collins, Colorado, regardless of the fact that I have not lived there for nearly two decades!) for a Slade family gathering (and some Slade sister shopping, and some Slade parents' cooking, and some Slade cousin playing, and some Slade summer swimming--Jeremy, you rock!). If I were any good at this computer/blog stuff, I would put a link here to my mom and/or my sister's blog, where you could see lots of pictures from the visit (I'm giving it a try...). But, as of yet, I'm not so good.
Anyway, while I was in Ft. Fun I got to visit with some old friends. And, considering that some of them were there for their 20 year high school reunion, they really are OLD! I, on the other hand, don't have my 20 year reunion until NEXT year, so I am still a veritable spring chicken!
The above pictures are of one of my dearest chicky-babe friends, Jalyn, and me--then, and now. We had a great time catching up during my visit, and I am always reminded how lucky I am to have such low start-up costs to our friendship. Thanks, Jalyn. I am grateful. And I am absolutely blessed to have been surrounded by such good people all my life. My dad always said, "Associate with winners," and I think I have been 100% obedient to that one! So here's to twenty years of friendship, experience, living, and learning. It's a great place to be.

RECOMMENDED!

I have always loved that line (from the Keri Lotion commercials, for those of you who don't keep up on my trademark name...) and choose to use it whenever the opportunity presents itself. So, here I am, making the opportunity to use my name present itself, and becoming a blogger.
Don't get too excited just yet. In my lifetime I have had plans to become a lot of things: dancer, singer, teacher, seamstress, skinny person, smart person, good cook, etc., etc. So far I have only managed any of these things part way. Based on my track record, I may only blog half way, as well. We'll see what happens. But my recommendation? Keep reading! Maybe I'll keep writing. It is, after all, recommended.