We're Off!

Well, actually I'm off. For a week. Yesterday the kids and I drove down to Las Vegas to my parents' house, and then today we're going down to California to spend next week camping by the beach. The campground has WiFi, but I decided not to bring the laptop and just enjoy myself as much as I can. Mr. Fob was unable to make it because he doesn't have vacation time yet, but the truth is he probably got the better end of the deal. Hopefully today's drive will not be as arduous as yesterday; I think that having S-Boogie ride with grandma will make everyone a lot happier (except her little brother). And that's the best thing about this week: not only do I get to spend time with my family but my kids do too. I'll let you know how it goes on Saturday.

Things that made me cry today

Just so you know, when I pregnant or otherwise hormonally impaired I am a crier. Good things, bad things, stupidly sappy things that I know are just emotionally manipulative. Like today I was reading a stupid picture book about a dog named "Santa Paws" and I started tearing up. That was lame. But some things aren't:

First of all, I actually won a random blog giveaway. And not just any giveaway, but a really awesome one. I don't read Seriously, so blessed! very often, but I decided to stop in the other day for some laughs. There was a giveaway and I decided to enter, assuming I wouldn't win. Not only did I win, but I got the biggest prize, which is a certificate for a getaway at the Homestead in Midway. Mr. Fob and I usually try to do something special for our anniversary and have often been able to spend a night away. This year we decided to move it up a little because late November won't be a great time for me to be far from home and I don't think I'll be feeling very romantic by then. We just made plans to stay in Salt Lake the night before we go to Sunstone in August, but it was going to be a little overnight at the Best Western or something like that. I'd been considering a bed and breakfast but was hesitant about spending the money since we need funds to pay for the baby. So, long story short, we finally get to stay overnight in the kind of place I've always dreamed about. We aren't golfers but are planning on visiting the spa. Now we just have to figure out a good weekend, hopefully sometime in September.

Secondly I had my first checkup today at the doctor's office. While there were some things that made me cry in a not-so-happy way (um, pap smear), everything else went really well. And I was surprised when they decided to do a quick ultrasound to double check dates and everything. Suddenly there it was: I'm definitely having a baby. A cute little baby with squirmy arms and legs and everything. Totally unreal. How does everyone feel about Groundhog Day for a birthday? Yay or nay?

Thirdly, a good friend dropped off some extra produce from her CSA for me. Even better, she also emailed me to find out if I'd like to go pick some raspberries with her. I've been craving raspberry jam for a few weeks now and I'm delighted to have found a way to make it possible. Thank you.

Perhaps today was such a wonderful day because our air conditioning got fixed yesterday and my house is now a balmy 78 degrees instead of 88. That makes everything better, right?

Like a Frog in a Pot

Tuesday night I was baking some naan to go with our curried garbanzos. I noticed that the kitchen was feeling rather warm, but that wasn't surprising given the oven temperature at the time. Surprisingly, however, the next morning the house was still hot. It was hot on Wednesday too. Then Thursday morning we woke up sweating and I finally started wondering if the air conditioning was really working. We've never lived in a place with air conditioning before, so it took me a few days to get around to realizing that the puny stream of lukewarm air coming from our vents was not normal. We finally got in touch with our landlord, but no one came out to look at it until Friday night. Turns out that the compressor motor is shot. The good news is that we don't own the house and don't have to pay for it. The bad news is that they won't be installing the new motor until Monday.

So we took a little mini-vacation to Mr. Fob's sister's house in Saratoga Springs for the weekend. We had already planned to sleep over Friday night because she was watching the kids while we partied with friends in Salt Lake. We ate yummy Greek food and then watched the new Harry Potter movie (surprisingly good, I thought). Saturday morning we were pleasantly surprised by sleeping in late. Then we had a nice barbecue with some of my former roommates. It was great to see some of them after many years. Saturday night we headed back out to my sister-in-law's, but not before stopping off for a fund raising dinner by the Spanish-speaking ward in her stake. That was one of my favorite fund raising dinners ever; not your usual spaghetti at all. The food was abundant and the music was loud. We enjoyed empanadas, pupusas, and our absolute favorite from Peru: papa a la huancaina. Today we hung out all day in her cool house, and she even made us chocolate cake for dessert after dinner. Thankfully this weekend ended up being fun and relaxing after all and hopefully by tomorrow night things will be comfortable in our home again.

Foxy Needs Her Groove Back

I realized today that my blog has become rather boring lately. In theory I have more free time because I no longer have school. In practice, we have a lot of things going on this summer and I'm afraid that moving has thrown my brain off-balance. It's so frustrating that something positive and generally good has to seem so awful in my mind. Stupid brain. Hopefully things will settle soon and I'll feel more cheery. I'm also hopeful that my digestive system will figure itself out soon; lately I've been obsessing over the fact that my gallbladder seems to be failing and I don't have time or money for surgery.

In better news, the kids are spending lots of time in the swimming pool and loving every minute of it. My sister-in-law is getting married soon (and my dress even fits her), and in a few weeks I get to go camping at the beach for a week with my parents. Mr. Fob has a job, we have a home, and I'm still pregnant.

I also don't think it's too late to link to this:
MADSEN Cargo Bikes

And, last but not least, if you're looking for some great Christmas presents, stock up now at Zarahemla Books. I especially recommend On the Road to Heaven and Long After Dark.

Practicing Spontaneity

I've never been a very spontaneous person; usually I like to plan things out exactly and follow my plan without deviation. Although I've graduated from writing out lists of my planned outfits for trips I still generally plan ahead as much as I can. But then this weekend we drove down to Saint George for a family reunion with Mr. Fob's family. I woke up in Saint George on Saturday morning and realized that we were quite close to my parents' house in Las Vegas and that the kids haven't been there for nearly a year. So despite the fact that I only packed clothes and diapers for two days the kids and I drove down there on Sunday morning (after a trip to Target for church clothes and extra diapers on Saturday evening). It turned out to be a great idea and we had a relaxing few days involving lots of swimming, fresh basil pesto from the garden, and Grandpa spoiling the kids with a trip to the Shark Reef complete with souvenirs. The drive back today by myself was less than wonderful, but I only had to pull the car over once to threaten the children. The rest of our summer is booked pretty solid so I won't be taking any more spontaneous trips like that. Unless someone wants to buy me tickets to Hawaii.

Reading Roundup: June 2009

Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith

I first discovered Lee Smith a few years ago through her novel Oral History, which I fell in love with as soon as I read it. Then I found this book on my shelf, unread, and decided to give it a go. I liked it even more than the first book by Smith that I had read; the voice in it is so strong and vivid that closing it feels like walking away from a new friend. It's an epistolary novel that spans the life of the protagonist, and while that may be a formula that doesn't always work, it is perfect here.

Before the Dawn by Dean Hughes

I know I can always count on Dean Hughes to tell good stories and tell them well. This book did not disappoint; all of the characters are vividly drawn and their stories are compelling. My only complaint with it was that I struggled to like the main character, but I believe that detail was intentional and it only made her moments of growth more fulfilling for me as a reader.

Amsterdam by Ian McEwan

As an example of the craft of writing, this book is a masterpiece. Like most of McEwan's other works that I've read, his attention to detail and his ability to form sentences is amazing. But the plot and the characters were really not interesting to me and ultimately the book fell flat to me in the end. The ending was brilliant and unexpected, but I just didn't care that much.

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

After reading Angle of Repose last year, and now this book, I think I'm officially a fan of Stegner and plan to read more of his books soon. At the same time, I have a hard time pinning down exactly what I like about his writing. It's subtle and stunning at the same time. He writes about small, simple things and manages to make them compelling and important.

Coming Home to Eat: The Pleasures and Politics of Local Food by Gary Paul Nabhan

I picked up this book from the library because I like books about food and I'm interested in the idea of eating more local and fresh foods. The book certainly covered those areas, but I still didn't enjoy it as much as similar books that I've read. The author is obviously a scientist and not a writer, and so the quality of writing was really uneven. In the end I thought some parts were interesting, but the book as a whole just didn't do much to convince me of anything.

Movies

The Namesake

I think this could have been a good movie, but it tried to hard to incorporate everything from the book and ended up feeling like a slow march from one major event to another without much connecting the threads together. It mostly just made me want to go read the book again.

Were the World Mine

This movie is a fun concept that was poorly executed. There were a few scenes that were not meant to be funny and yet ended up being so unintentionally. Generally we liked it, but it could certainly use some polishing up and some better acting.