THEY FIT

For the last two weeks I have risen, on work days, at 5:15 am to work out.  Some days I even worked out twice.  There were no days off, not even Sunday.  All for the goal of fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes.  I'm not the type of person that has to lose weight.  I don't really care how much I weigh as long as I look good in my clothes.  And let me tell you, I didn't look so good in my clothes after Baby came along.  In fact, it was depressing.  Not so much because of my vanity, but because of my pocketbook.  I have spent a lot of time, energy, and money on building my wardrobe and I hate wasting time, I really hate expending energy for no reason, and I REALLY REALLY HATE wasting money. 

It has all paid off, at least almost.  I fit into my tightest pair of jeans today!  Woo-hoo.  I love those jeans.  They are low rise with a flare leg.  They have rips all over and on the back pocket is a stitched rainbow.  They sound ugly by my description but they are all ME.  They make me feel good and they make me look good.  I figure I still have two inches to come off of my waist to make them fit like they did before.  But hey, I can button them and in the female world, that is all that matters.

P.S.  My 16 year-old six pack is returning--I didn't even think that was possible.  You'll have to tune in to see if, when I lose the two inches, I post a picture.  BTW, it's the six-pack I only had as a sixteen year-old.   

Utah

There's a few things that set the state of Utah apart from other states:

1.  Pioneer Day, today

This is a holiday that is only celebrated here in Utah.  A day to celebrate the travails of Utah founders (that is the white settlers).  The American Indians, the Utes as one example, 'founded' Utah long before.  I spent my Pioneer Day shopping with Baby.  I had the bright idea to run errands but everywhere I needed to go was closed...I don't know about you, but I have a hard time enjoying a mid-week holiday as a holiday should be enjoyed.  The anticipation of having to go back to work tomorrow squeezes the fun right out of it.  It was nice to have an FMLA-like day with Baby though.  Since he is older we could do more things like work out, be out of the house for a whole four hours, etc.  I think he liked having me home.

2.  The Seagull is the state bird.

For those of you non-Utahns out there, here's why. When the Pioneers (those I am commemorating today) arrived in the Salt Lake Valley it was quite miserable including marsh-like conditions, mosquitos, and other sorts of nuisances everyone hates when they move into a new home...

That first planting season an unfortunate even occurred:  locusts came by the millions and began eating the crops to nothing.  The Pioneers, being a faithful people, prayed that God would spare their crops.  A miracle happened.  Seagulls came and at all of the locusts saving the settler's crops.  There is a monument at Temple Square now which depicts the miracle.

3.  The Loads of Mormons

Do I need to say anything more about that?  

But, as a result of the numerous Mormons there are funny things about Utah:

4.  The State the Consumes the Most Jello 

compared to all of the other states.  In fact, though I'm not sure how official this is, Jello is the state food.

5.  The Largest Organ in the world

lives in the Tabernacle at Temple Square (Salt Lake City).  Apparently some of the pipes are so big an adult man can stand comfortably inside.  Although, I'm not sure how comfortable a nearly 200 year old pipe could really be.

6. The Golden Spike

which it seems every business in Weber Co. was named after.  The Golden Spike was where the Union Pacific and the Trans-Atlantic railroads met creating a glorious moment in history for consumerism and capitalism.  

7.  The Salt Lake

My dad would go to Utah from time to time when I was a kid and I remember thinking (being born and raised in Oregon and having never stepped foot in Utah until I was 17) the Salt Lake was probably the most beautiful lake on earth.  Well, in all reality (not to let down others' childhood fantasies) the Salt Lake is one of the ugliest and grossest lakes on earth.  It stinks.  I live approximately four miles from the north eastern shoreline and oh boy when the wind blows right (or wrong) it smells like someone let out a SBD; this can last for days.  

L and I had our engagement pictures at Antelope Island which is one of many islands in the Great Salt Lake and they turned out fab but we had to endure the elements:  the stink, the millions and millions of bugs--which in the pictures look like a cool photographer trick to make the bottom of the picture hazy...that's how many there actually was, the blazing hot sun because there is zero natural shade--nothing grows naturally because of the salt, the brine shrimping boats--not like Bubba Gump shrimping boats (brine shrimp feed your pet fish), etc.

8.  Narcissistic Drivers

I was listening to a radio show the other day with a Truck Driver as a guest and he said there are places that actually are worse than Utah when it comes to bad driving--he said St. Louise is really bad.

9.  The Best Snow on Earth

So proclaims the Utah license plate.  L is an avid skier and I of course am not.  I didn't think there could be much difference in snow but apparently I was wrong...a girl I used to work with had moved to Utah from NYC and I asked her one day how she liked the severe and jarring difference in culture and she said it doesn't bother her much.  When I showed my surprise she said, "Everything I deal with culturally is worth it because Utah has the best snow on earth."  She then went to on to say she has skied all over the world, including the Alps, and she said that Utah's snow is by far the best and that is the ENTIRE reason she moved and has stayed.  

I did some research...Utah's snow is so good because of the Great Salt Lake (so it is good for something).  When the lake evaporates there is some salt in the evaporation and when it condenses into snow it creates a very light and fluffy snow--good for skiing and falling (mostly why I now appreciate it).  This is unlike the heavy and wet snow Oregon gets.

9.  Salt

Because of the wealth of salt, Utah salts their freeways and roads instead of sanding them during snow storms.  Salt drops the freezing temperature which allows my place of employment demand I show up on time no matter how snowy it is.

10.  Crappy Roads and Crappy Cars

As a result of all of the snow and salt.  The salt eats the pavement and eats car paint.  The underbelly of a Utah car (and sadly the top part of our Hon.da) are usually rusty.

11.  Temples

In Utah there is a plethora of Mormon Temples which are magnificent buildings.  If you are standing at one point on I215, or standing at one place in the SLC airport you can see two temples at once--the Salt Lake Temple (probably the most famous one, the one that looks like a castle) to the east and the Bountiful Temple to the north.  I bet you could actually see three or almost four (as one is being constructed right now) if you stood on one of the Western Mountains.  

12.  You Always Know Where You Are

which is one of my favorite things about Utah.  The big mountains are on the East and so you can always gauge which direction you are going.  Plus, Utah cities have been built on a grid system which makes finding anything a breeze.  

That is not the only reason you always know where you are.  It is just as hard to forget you're in Utah as it is to forget you are in Venice.  Different reasons, Utah culture just screams from every nook and cranny...

13.  Big Hair

Utahns seem to have large and in charge hair.  I'm not sure the cultural roots of this phenomenon but I have a snide/sarcastic guess:  Utahns are a traditional people and maybe they have not altogether let go of the pompodeor (My spell check didn't offer me any other spellings for that word). 

14.  BYU

My alma-mater.  The institution that brought me to Utah.  BYU is a beautiful school--you should go there sometime just to appreciate how nice it is.  BUT, I didn't always appreciate my time there for reasons that would necessitate a separate blog entry.  Any-hoo, BYU is the most efficient and busy school in the world.  I read, in my BYU magazine, that BYU has something going on in nearly every building on campus every single day of every single year.   And I complain about my electric bill!

15.  Swamp Coolers

Because it is arid here we can use these contraptions to cool our house that are not A/C.  And they actually work.  Except if you have ever been to my house in the summer you are thinking to yourself, "Uh, yours doesn't work."  You are correct.  Our sucks.  It has a 1 horse power engine, which is huge if you think that sounds small.  Sometimes I imagine it is a real horse up there driving my swamp cooler engine and I wish I had a jockey with a whip to get that thing going...so that my house actually cools down.

Anyway, this is how they work:  It is a box that holds pads on the walls of the box.  Inside the engine turns a fan while water is sprayed from a shower-type thing onto the pads (cooling them).  The fan catches the cool air and blows it into the house.  Along with all sorts of unwanted things like bugs, allergens, dirt, oil (from the 1 horse engine)--and you know how I feel about my white carpet, rain (it sits on the roof), lightening (unfortunately for a friend of mine), and noise.

This is where I will end because I am going to celebrate the Pioneers more by watching family members blow things up.  Feel free to add your own observations about Utah...

ALTHOUGH I DON'T EXPECT MUCH SINCE MY READERS DON'T EVER COMMENT...

Quirks

Something L said the other day made me think about his quirkiness which led me to think about my quirkiness and then Baby's quirkiness. Here are a few about us you might find funny and/or interesting...or maybe it's just me who thinks they are funny and/or interesting

L:

-You know that "Tic Toc" Madonna and JT song? It really bothers him that a) there is only four minutes to save the world. He says that is just not enough time. Hasn't he seen any James Bond movies? and b) that the song does not delineate what exactly is destroying the world.

-He will use no other toilet paper than Char.min Ult.ra, the most expensive.

-He does not throw away trash, bring things in, or spot clean his car (all taking but a few seconds or minutes) but he will spend hours and hours detailing it.

-He will all out clean the kitchen floor but will not put the mop and bucket away.

-He used to refuse to wear white shirts to church, calling them lame but now he wears nothing other than white shirts to church while all of his other ones we bought over the years collect dust.

-His morality cannot handle the following: cigarette smoking and tattoos. Just reading this will start him on a soliloquy about them.

-He always thinks he has food poisoning.

-He cannot turn down free food.

-He thinks all free food is good food, even when it makes him sick, even though he worries about food poisoning.

-He wants his birthday celebrated for the entire month, and he thinks everyone that has ever met him should attend a mass celebration to express their gratitude he was born.

-He always "Knows a Guy" who will "Hook Him Up."

-He calls his classic Camaro his "weekend car" although he only drives it in the summer, rarely on weekends.

-He LOVES soy milk

M:

-I will not wear white shoes, white pants, or a white skirt after labor day or before Easter. But off-white is acceptable and so is a white dress.

-I do not wear any other color but white socks, and on the occasion I do, I stress out all day about it.

-No matter how much I try, I cannot spell 'occasion' correctly.

-I refuse to use the word "Binkie". I have caved on the others.

-I hate being late but love leaving early

-'Gift shops' at museums and or theme parks really annoy me, except the one at Tillamook Cheese Factory.

-I can't stop eating Che.x Party Mix until I become physically ill and even that does not avert me to later Che.x Party Mix binges.

-I have allowed my Cilantro to die for the third summer in a row even though I totally know how not to kill it.

-I love Hip Hop music but I am not a teenager, nor did I grow up in Urban America.

-I could spend all day, every day watching Fo.od Net.work.

-I like living in Utah.  I'm not sure when this happened and I can't believe I am admitting it!

-I pick my nose in the car and I think is funny when I get caught.

-I named my cat Damnit and I have no intention of changing her name for Baby's sake.  (Side Story:  the other day she ran off while we were outside and we began a frantic search through the neighbor's--aka the RS President--yard yelling Damnit's name at the top of our lungs!)

-I am an Eagle Eye, much to L's dismay.

-I can yo-yo like nobody's business and sometimes when I have a no-show at work I yo-yo in my office.

-My sense of smell is so sensitive I have gone to great lengths to avoid smells I know I don't like including refusing to take classes in one of the BYU buildings.

-I can type 100 words a minute and was the apple of my high school keyboarding teacher's eye (her name was Ms. Hag and boy did she live up to her name, but I secretly loved her).

-I once wrote a professional letter that simply said, "Boo-ya."

Baby:

-He laughs only once per week, on average.

-He always gets hiccups after he laughs, which is probably why he only laughs once a week.

-He fake sleeps at bedtime (it is really cute and funny).

-He will only nap, well, in a swing.

-His favorite toy is this plush female (it's name on the tag is Lily) frog.

-When hysterical he will not calm down for Mommy or Daddy, but will for Usher without fail.

-He loves Hip Hop music even though he is not a teenager, nor does he live in Urban America.

-When he is pooping he pushes so loud it attracts crowds and/or snickering glances in public.

-His transitional item is a cloth diaper spit rag.

-He LOVES soy milk.

Please feel free to list your quirks...

A Week of Firsts

Baby has had many firsts this week:

His first 4th of July which is my favorite holiday--by far, hands down, no questions asked.

And with the 4th of July came his first parade! Which he LOVED. He cried at the first siren but after that he squealed with delight at the sirens and the horses. Despite the parade being through his morning nap, he was in an excellent mood.  Look how intent his face is while he is watching the parade.

Baby had his first fit of diarrhea this week.  It was incredibly messy.  In my wildest baby nightmares (pre-baby) I never imagined there would be poop all over my house.   Sometimes reality hits when you least expect it to.  The doctor recommended Pedia.lite. Why?  Babies hate Pedia.lite--no matter what the flavor.  Baby is a good eater and even likes and gobbles down and cries for more medicine including gas drops, Baby Tylen.ol, and Prev.acid for his acid reflux

He had his first trip to L's family land in Idaho too. He had a hard time sleeping with so many people around but he enjoyed his first bonfire, his first camping trip, and his first road trip. Did he cry? Yes he did. BUT, he has started playing with his car seat toys and that really helped occupy him when he wasn't sleeping.

Yesterday was his first day in daycare, babysitting. She is a friend of a co-worker who babysits their child as well. We met her a few weeks ago and Baby was taken with her two year-old. And this morning when I dropped him off I watched him follow the two year-old with his eyes for several minutes.  My friend dropped his son off later in the day then came to work and reported that his and the babysitter's sons were dancing around Baby chanting his name.  Isn't that cute?  

I surprised myself and haven't totally obsessed about babysitting-gone-wrong-nightmare scenarios either day.  Both days when I picked him up he was happily sleeping in the swing. Plus, her little boy apparently vigilantly makes sure that the swing is rocking and the toys are moving for him at all times.  She said he took four--that's right--four naps.  I think her house is magic because my friend's son refuses to talk and eat at home but will both talk and eat at the babysitter's.  Baby refuses to nap at home and he naps at her house.  To make things even better, he transitioned home very easily and slept well through the night.  Incredible. 

Commuting

Today was my first day to work as a nurse. All we did is orientation, which I think I slept through about 2 of the 8 hrs worth of lecture. Pretty boring. I have been wanting to take the train to work since it is paid for by the university. I have not been able to though as a tech because I had to be to work before the train get get me to work so I had to drive. I have to say that it is really awesome. I am actually writing  this blog on the train. They have free wi-fi which is so cool. What will be really great is I will be able to finish all of my didactic work form the internship on the train. Not to mention saving around $10 in fuel a day. So far mass transit rocks.