So pretty

So most women run into the issue of dragging their spouse, boyfriend, or brother with them to the mall to find some new cute clothes. I don't have this problem (not because Fielding doesn't want to go). Instead I'm just going to make sure that I go with Colin and Kaylene in the future.

Colin is by far the best shopping man I've ever been with. Seriously, check out the photo.
See!?! He's got amazing style and good taste. Oh, did I mention that he was an amazing help on Kaylene and I's shopping trip? I picked out a gray pencil skirt and was asking Kaylene what she thought of it. In pipes Colin (without any prompting), "So pretty". See perfect advice. Even as I shifted through the skirts trying to find my size (sorry, not a 0.), Colin kept assuring me, 'so pretty'.

And I understand that some of you might be doubting his skills thinking that 'so pretty' was his answer to everything, that was not the case. He was certain to point out what was ugly. (He also kept assuring Kaylene and I that he was being good and he wanted to ride the train.) He also pointed out two other pairs of pants and a shirt that was cute. Sadly, I couldn't find the pants in my size, but I got a new cute shirt to boot thanks to his help (and because I wanted it). So if you ever need the pint sized (3 year old) opinion of the cutest, most studly little stylist, just let me know. I'll see if his mom will be willing to let him help you pick out some new clothes.

And in case you've missed his adorableness, here's another picture (which I stole from Kaylene's fb since she took the pictures). =) See!?! so cute and such great help on finding something pretty.

Merry Christmas!

Not too shabby thanks to my sister, Kaylene, and our freaking awesome fuzzy hats! =)

Because it really did make me lol

So I've always thought Fielding is a bit weird when he is sitting at the computer all by himself and I hear him laughing from the other room. But thanks to one of my friends, Danny, I found myself Loling tonight because of this link. Seriously I thought it was funny.

So for any of you who click on this and don't laugh, I'm sorry. Oh, also a heads up that it's about cats so if you're not fond you probably won't find it very amusing.

Oh and the semester is finally over. Failed one class, but got a B, C, and C-. Not my best work, but I'll take it. Sadly, school and work aren't really conducive for Jennifer's getting super great grades.

1 Down 3 to go

So I've pretty much finished one class completely (all I have left is one test). And from what I can tell, it should be a good grade too.Sweet!

So two tests and one 17 page research paper left (why do they have to be SO long? ) then I'm done for the semester. Hooray! (Just wish it were easier to see where I stand instead of having to wait two weeks until they post grades.)

(Sadly, it starts all over again on January 3rd.)

Happy Thanksgiving!!! My Family Rocks!

I don't think that there has ever been a year that I can't remember spending Thanksgiving with all of my family. I don't mean just my immediate family, but all of my extended family too. It's a tradition that started once upon a time (because I really can't remember its origin) and has happened every year without fail.

And yes, I'll have you all know that MY family's Thanksgiving food is by far the best I've ever had. There is always the turkey and stuffing (seriously SO much better than the bread crap) that my Grandma makes. The green been casserole with toasted almonds on top (one of my favorites) that my mom makes. The assortment of delicious salads and rolls from my aunts (and uncles, but we know who really made them). And yes, in particular, my Aunt Kay made the best orange rolls EVER. (Seriously, I don't know a single person who's had them that could say any differently.) And the pies. All of it an absolute feast for us to enjoy. (Making through the line once was never quiet enough.)

The last couple of years and this one have been a bit different with the passing of my Grandpa and my Aunt Kay this year, but it is still one of my favorite holidays of the year.
I think the other part of it that has always been fun is 'confessional'. Something my sister and cousin made up to 'get the dirt' on each other. I don't know how it is that we made it years without Heather seeming to realize that she was the only one who ever had anything to confess.

But this year we inducted some of our other siblings into the confessional. ( I mean lets face it, how many of us DON'T have an opinion of everything?) It was a lot of fun to get the chance to catch up with my younger siblings who have grown up without me even really realizing it. Some of them are up at college and others are just trying to figure out what int the world they're supposed to be doing in life. But mostly, I think it's just nice to get a chance to all get together and see how everyone is doing. It gives us a chance to laugh and know that we're loved not matter how crazy our lives get.

My family really is the best and I'm glad that I've got so many great memories that have them in it. (Not to mention the great stories I know get to hear about some of their kids.) As Heather said 'The Elders have spoken' or at least until next year. =)

Grateful

A) It's really odd to think that I might actually have a moment to myself since the holidays have gotten here.

B) It's amazing to me to look back at the last year and realize how grateful I am for where I am now.

I'm grateful for Fielding and the fact that he loves me even on my worst days. He's willing to put up with my three crazy cats because he knows I love them. And he's just fantastic. His dorkiness is one of the greatest things I appreciate. (Just recently, he told me a new book at B&N was even more amazing because it was written in iambic pentameter. Really!?! Who wouldn't find that cute?) He's amazing and I'm so glad that I have him.

I'm also grateful that I have the opportunity to go to school. I know some people can't wait for it to be over, but life really does start to get more complicated when you start growing up. Suddenly you have bills to pay, a job to work, and a limited number of hours in which to fit all of the extras you still want to do. So I'm glad I have the opportunity to still go after something I enjoy.

I think overall though (besides Fielding 'cause he's #1 on my list), I'm grateful for the people that have been there when Fielding and I needed it. Life is full of twists and turns and death defying adventures. Things you can't make it through alone and things that mean more in the end because of who was there with you. Sometimes just remembering to offer a helping hand or a nice cold fountain Dew can remind people there are people who care.

-Oh, and I'm grateful for my loud crazy family. They really are spectacular.

Halloween

I love Halloween. It's one of the only days that it's acceptable for an adult to dress up in a costume or a style that is more often than not unacceptable in society. Not necessarily because it's scandalous, but more so because it just doesn't jive with what society expects in certain atmospheres.

I mean how many of us can show up in period dress one day for work and goth the next? Pretty much no one.


But dressing up is my guilty pleasure. It's my rebellion against 'the man', society, and whomever else it needs to be that day. It's my chance to be a little bit crazy, but not be permanently condemned for it.

This year was a bit different than previous years though. I didn't have a costume. But not only didn't I have a costume, I didn't even have an idea for a costume. It was horrible.

Luckily, my lovely husband wouldn't let me forgo the day and instead convinced me to go with him to DI to see what odds and ends we could find for a costume. (Seriously, I wanted to skip the day entirely. If I could participate then it wasn't going to happen.) I had found, decided, and implemented my plan within 5 minutes of being in the store. Pretty much everything I needed. Yes! Flashy crazy skirt (which I really do like), silky top, outrageous belt. Perfection. Gypsy costume complete. Fielding also was willing to go along with my idea and found a swarthy (Mostly I just like saying the word and don't pay any attention to applicability.) red shirt with black buttons for him. Sadly, we couldn't locate a silk type scarf for him though. Oh well.

(Not too mention that getting the chance to try some crazy makeup is always a plus.)

Once again it was great fun dressing up and I can't wait to do it again next year.

Niece =)

Okay, so part of me considered complaining or writing about the paper I just wrote for one of my classes. (I'm just not really good at writing edu papers. *sigh*) But instead I decided I needed a smile and hopefully I won't get in trouble for this. =)

These are pictures of my niece, Ella. (Kelli and Aaron's daughter) I don't know why, but every time I see her cute squishy face I smile. She's just so freaking cute! I think I might try to steal her, but I'm pretty sure her parents would hunt me down.
(I'd consider stealing some other nieces or nephews, but their parent's might hunt me down too.)

The first two pictures were taken when she was about two weeks old by my sister, Kaylene. Definitely not shabby for wiggly, squiggly babies. The last one was taken by Kelli.

Careful, she's a drooler.

I think she might be a flower child.

While she makes a cute modern pumpkin, Kelli and I were cute pumpkins as kids too. lol.

Family Pic

Family pictures are SO not my favorite thing to try and pull off. We had to try and coordinate 24 people in a single effort of posing and smiling at the same time. Really!?! Have you met my family? Not to mention the fact that 9 of those people are under the age of 8 and are related to us. Oh well, I guess we gave it our best shot. =)

Funny thing is, I think this picture is more true to who we really are than any 'normal' picture.

See 'normal' picture of the siblings and I just don't know that I believe it.

Do smiles get any better than a kids?

If I'd only been taller this might have worked out better. =(

Guess for now this will be as good as it gets.

At least until the next time we have to do family pictures. And since two of my sisters are pregnant, that means by next Summer they'll be out of date again.

Holy Carp

Okay, so I know it's a lame title, but in a time crunch that is what I came up with.

I didn't realize how long it's been since I last posted anything. Plus, let's face it. Blogs are always more fun with pictures and sadly I just don't really have that many pictures. (It's hard to take pictures of yourself while holding the camera.) But if this weekend goes as planned (even if I'm not really looking forward to it). I should have a new up to date family picture. Hooray for the picture. Boo for the time to take said picture.

Anyhow, lets see how every thing is going...

School is crazy. Seriously, I re realized that I suck at writing papers. I just can't seem to get the words to come out in an interesting way that all makes sense and is wonderful to read. (For some odd reason my brain says that is how it HAS to be.)

Work is crazy. We're implementing a new QMS (Quality Management System). It's a complete overhaul is taking up any spare minute I might have to blink.

Life is good. I've gotten to see two movie recently with Megan. (Easy A and Secretariat) Easy A was worth a matinee. Not bad, but not great. I loved Secretariat though. It made me want to go watch a horse race, buy a big hat, and race a horse. (I'll have to see how many of those I can do.) Spent time with the family.

Outside of that I turned another year older and seem to be pretty on track with where I want to be in life. I know it's weird, but I really never wanted or saw myself getting married before I was 25. And I wanted to graduate from college before having kids. (I know weird for someone from Utah.) So as far as I can tell, I got married early (21), am still working on school (3 semesters hopefully to go), and am on track to having/adopting/buying/stealing/borrowing kids in the next few years. (Lol) So yeah. All in all life is right about where it should be.

Oh, and just as a side note, if you ever get the chance to bedazzle anything you should do it. It's always guaranteed to be a lot of fun. Fielding and I bedazzled the heck out of a pair of plastic flamingos for his parents. It was a lot of fun. (Okay, so they weren't really sparkly enough for me. I wanted them to shine like a disco ball, but no dice. Oh well, it was still fun.)

Tell me why I'm hot

Fielding confirmed something for me once again yesterday.

Deep down, he's a hard core (granted to say hot) GEEK! Seriously. I remember watching Beauty and Geek with him and he ALWAYS understood what the geeks were saying (including the jokes).

I asked him to tell me why I was hot yesterday and the first response was about how genes and proteins and...(Okay, I seriously can't even remember the rest. I don't even know if I got those parts right.) I said, 'No, tell me why I'm physically hot'. (I was feeling a bit dumpy.)

The next comments what did it though. He told me I had a hot phenotype. (Really!?!) I just burst out laughing. I was looking for you have a rocking body. I love your hair. All those normal compliments, but no my super hot, geeky husband tells me I have a hot phenotype.

Babe, you rock and your phenotype pretty hot too. Lub you.

Not cool.

You know what isn't fun? Waking up about 30 minutes earlier than you normally do to drive 45 minutes up to campus to take a test. You know what makes it worse? When you get to campus only to find out that the testing lab doesn't actually open until 7:30.
Man. 30 minutes of waiting...

And after that 30 minutes of waiting, I actually have a class to attend. That means I don't have time to take my test and have to figure out a different time to deal with it all.

Oy!

Achievement: Handy Husband

I have to tell the world that I love my husband. Seriously, the past two weeks have been SO stressful. (I know none of you know why. Let me enlighten you.)

Fielding and I bought a house that was originally built about 1935 or something like that. I love that it's a cute small house with the coolest (church) door ever, but there are a few things we are finding that we're not such fans of.

Currently only the top floor is finished which means we live in about 700 square feet. Not to bad, but we're hoping to one day get around to finishing the basement. In the meantime, we're finding little things that are driving us crazy. Some of the plugs are sporadic in functionality and plumbing drips.

About two weeks ago, the plumbing got really bad though. After taking a shower, we found that the water did NOT want to get properly turned off. There was literally enough water leaking out to fill the tub within and hour. And to make things better, the water was HOT. (Seriously, I never heard of hot water leaking before.) We made due and a couple of days later the water leakage was back to normal. That week it got worse again. I looked up a few fixes and emailed them to Fielding to see if he thought we should try any of them.

Finally, the weekend got there and I couldn't take it anymore. Whoever thought running water is peaceful has never had to listen to a leaking faucet. It was driving me crazy. I asked Fielding if we could fix it on Monday (Labor Day) because otherwise I was going to lose it. He agreed and Monday morning (okay, afternoon) we turned off the water to the house and got to work. Fielding got to be an artist and a plumber in one day because the last people to remodel the bathroom put the tile OVER the sockets and didn't cut the holes big enough to access them. So he chiseled at the tile and got the valves out. Then off we went to Lowe's to find a replacement. We couldn't find the exact size we needed, but we found and good fit and Fielding got them installed without too much fuss.

Seriously, I love him. I can't tell you how nice it is to have a tub that no longer leaks. Great job babe! You have now earned the Handy Husband achievement.

Brain overload

So for most people school doesn't start for another week or so, but I had a seminar that started this last week. It consisted of 3 days (8 hours each day) of lectures. I signed up for the seminar at the advice of one of my favorite professors.

Overall the seminar was really interesting, but it was packed full of information and required A LOT of thinking. The seminar was titled 20th Century U.S. Leaders (sounds interesting, right?). I wasn't really certain what to expect because this if the first seminar class I've ever attended. I figured lots of lecture, movies, and a bit of Q&A. I was wrong. The majority of the class consisted of a dialogue between the presenter and the class. Lots of deep thinking analysis about the foreign aid policy following the Cold War (1945-1989).

I seriously left the class each day thinking about all of the stuff we learned in class that day and how ill informed I am about the state of America and our government. Did you know that we have a National Security Plan (essentially a strategy plan) that is available online to the public?

I didn't. I thought that that was part of the reason why we voted on the President. (I know this is just showing how ignorant I've been.) I figured they decided these things and we'd only find out about them after the fact.

Also, do you know why we're at war? (Yes, this was covered extensively in the seminar and yes, the presenter is a hard core Democrat.) My only point in this is how many of us have really thought about this and looked into finding out an answer to this or do we ignore it and let others worry about it. (Wow, can I tell you how...political I feel right now?)

(SOAPBOX below, but hopefully it's short and to the point)
I guess overall what I got out of the class is how much more I need to do as an American citizen. I need to learn more about where we're at, what the government is doing, and MAKE DECISIONS about where I want to go. We should become more educated about our country. We can't hope others will keep our interest at heart if we're not willing to take the time to tell them what we think. That's the other part. THINK. We need to start thinking. Use our minds to find out what we think. Even if we don't all agree (cause we know that rarely happens). Learn to speak with people of differing opinions without belittling them or their ideas. Instead learn. Learn why they think what they do. Maybe they are aware of something you aren't.

Okay, I think the soapbox is over. lol. I guess I can go now that my brain is once again hurting. Overall, I'm going to read more political books and articles. I'm going to learn more about policy and start thinking more about it too. (Maybe then, I'll feel better about having political conversations.)

(And as a side note, women in the early church were VERY active in politics.)

Summer Days

Wow! Why is it when summer comes around I seem to lose track of the time since I last wrote a post?

This last month has been crazy busy, but in all the best kinds of ways. Let's see. Where to start...
I 'volunteered' Fielding and I to help out at one of my coworker's houses. She and her husband just bought their house a few months ago and they've been busy making improvements to their yard. We helped them move some rocks, finish a chain link fence, and clear a flowerbed. Mostly my goal was to get Fielding and I out to do something, but Fielding became ambitious.

The next thing I knew Fielding started working heavily on our yard and coming up with plans for what he wants to do in the future. We now have 1.75 weeded flower beds, a smattering of mint, and one raspberry cut we may voluntarily give up if we can steal some cuts from the neighbor. They have Bear Lake raspberries and Fielding even likes them. (That's saying something 'cause Fielding HATES raspberries.) Fielding also bought a hedge trimmer, but with how prickly the hedge is it's just terrible work. He also took the time to thatch (rake all the dead stuff out) the grass so he could seed it for new grass. And from what I can tell, the thatching and water is working because we have baby grass. I actually excited to see how it all works out. Hopefully this ambition will last through the rest of summer and we can move on to bigger projects for next year.

Outside of that, Fielding and I have been spending a lot of the weekends down in Herriman with his family. We have hit up the new reservoir pretty much every weekend. I love it. It's like going to the beach without having to drive 12 hours to get there. Last time we invited my youngest sister and her son, Colin, and my youngest brother. It was great times. Though all of the Roe's seemed to go home with sunburns. (I know it's bad, but we all hate sunscreen.) I also (unfortunately) promised Fielding's dad that I would go paddle boarding the next time we're out. I still don't know how I feel about this, but I hope it goes as well in real life as my mind thinks it can. Doubtful, but I guess I can dream.

But the reservoir isn't the only reason to go visit his family, outside of good conversation they always seem to have delicious food. There are the raspberry bushes for a quick treat and when you have the time Ray (Fielding's dad) always seems to be able to cook up delicious food. He's got grilling and dutch oven down to an art. And I'm always a fan of delicious food.

Beyond that mostly I've just been sitting around waiting for people to pop. Jeniece had her daughter in June and my sister just had her Buddha baby yesterday. Now all I have to do is sit around waiting to hear when the next sibling will pop. Oh well, I guess I'll just stay away from the water. =)

Hooray for fabulous friends!

It's amazing to me how much one person can influence your life and how much you can miss them while their gone. Back in January, Megan joined the National Guard and was shipped off to basic and the after basic training.

It was terrible. I'm not even going to try to sugar coat it. A) I was a horrible pen pal. Which was a necessity during the first three months while she was at basic. It also didn't help that there were special rules you had to follow in sending a letter. (I didn't want her to get pushups because of me.) and B) five and half months is a really freaking long time to go without having a friend you see or hear from at least 3 times a week, when they're out of town.

I did okay for the first 3 months. Granted to say I didn't write nearly as much as I had hoped I would, but getting out the occasional letter was okay. That and I remember thinking the time would fly by so quickly. Then she graduated from basic. Hooray!

Okay, not so hooray because then she started her second leg of training and that's when I really started to miss her. Even while she was at basic I missed her at least twice, enough that I wished she was already home. During her second leg of training, I don't think I went a few days let alone a week wishing she was already home.

I don't know why I missed her so much, but I did. I think it has to do with me not really being a nonface chatter. I'd much rather go out with a friend or group of friends and just talk. A movie is not even required, though delicious food is always a plus. I even enjoy the occasional email, but I LOVE seeing friends in person.

Megan's not the only person I've missed though. Since I first went to school at Weber (the armpit of Utah), that is where I've found a lot of my friends. Friends I still love hearing from and seeing when I can. I always try to email Maryland Mike (I know original. Names Mike. He's from Maryland.) and catch up with Friend Shaun (again original. Love friend Shaun.) That's not to say I also don't miss my friend Danny, but sometimes people get busy in their lives. All of them have had crazy amazing adventures in life.

Maryland Mike has gone to school graduated, had all sorts of jobs, lived in England and New York, and is just amazing. Funny to think that my first impression of him was so off from who he really is. I blame part of it on poor translation and the other part on him being from the East Coast. (I know not really an excuse, but it's true.) I've met a couple people from the East Coast and their personalities and how they interact is just different from people in Utah (though I don't know that I really fit into that crowd either). I love talking to him because he's great at giving me bits of advice when I need it and reassuring me that the world is still as crazy as it has always been.

Friend Shaun on the other hand is realistic zen. I kid you not. He's one of my favorite people because he's a lot of the things I wish I could be. He originally grew up in South Africa and moved here to the states when he was about 12. He's the friend I talked to about all the deep thoughts and ideas. (We'd fit in well at a really hip, cool coffee joint. Though I don't think either of us drink coffee. I may have to ask him.) He helps balance me out a lot because that is what he's all about. Both of us love Asia (though I'm starting to think mine's more of a idealistic love. *sigh*) and the culture that comes from there. This is helpful for Shaun because he's into martial arts and a lot of the Asian religions. He's been over to Korea, Japan, and is working on going to Taiwan next. So maybe I also live a bit vicariously through him. (Either that or I'm just helping support my tour guide.)

I can't forget Mandi though. She's pretty much been there through thick and thin for me. But she's not just a friend from Weber. She and I were friends in high school too. She is incredible. She has SO much energy it's sometimes frightening and she's incredibly smart. You can ask her to find information on almost anything and within a few minutes she's got all of the information you need and more. This does not even begin to describe her insane planning skills. I don't know why, but I just kind of gave up on planning things for the most part because it always went arie. So now Mandi helps with all the planning and we always have a fabulous time. Not to mention she's planning to complete her Masters as we speak. (Well, starting it which is still MUCH better than my incomplete Bachelors. Three semesters to go.)

Anyhow, I think I've gone on enough about my friends (as limited as they are). It's funny to me because I love getting to know people and I know a million fabulous people, but for some odd reason I'm more reserved about who I consider friends. It's almost as difficult as differentiating between animals and Animals in the book Wicked. (Really I wonder why the difference, but it doesn't seem to change the facts that there is one.)

p.s. I know I missed Danny, but he's amazing too. One day I'll track him down so he won't have to worry so much about all the variables of getting down here to visit. (That's how sneaky I am. lol.)

Party People

I love a party. Especially when I get to go and hang out with my family. This weekend Meg and I (and pretty much all my other sisters), threw my sister, Kelli, a baby shower. She's pregnant with her first baby and it's a little girl.
The party was a blast. We had good food, good games, and great company. I don't think it can get any better than that. (though next time I'll need to remember how rigorous prep can be.)
Meg was our investor, truly every party should have an investor as great as Meg. She was there when we needed her and was willing to back us up with whatever we needed.
My older sister, Kim, took care of the side dishes (veggies and fruit), drink, and thank you cards. I think I liked her drink the most though. She made it especially for Kelli, though Kelli wasn't aware of it before...well, you know. =) It was called 'Safe Sex on the Beach'. Personally, I would have thrown in some Sprite or something, but I like fizzy drinks.
My younger sister, Jamie, took care of the chicken salad sandwiches even though she wasn't able to attend the party. They were really good. I even stole a few of the leftovers because I love chicken salad sandwiches.
Kristy, another sister (I know some of you are wondering how many I have. 5, that's how many.), made sure we had cute balloons, flowers, and decorations. I thought they turned out really great. Maybe in a few days the white flowers will finish absorbing the food coloring. lol. Thank goodness they didn't absorb the pink. (I don't like pink.)
Kaylene and I though had the craziest, best job ever though, I think. Kaylene is the chef in the family. If there is something fancy and delicious looking, I'm pretty sure she either has the recipe or will find it so she can make it. We debated for weeks on what to make for dessert (mostly because we kept finding things that looked delicious. I have a weakness for delicious looking food.) But we kept coming back to the chocolate covered cheesecake. That's pretty much when the madness took over. I then brought up the idea of making a few different flavors. We finally narrowed it down to three flavors: original, raspberry, and blackberry. They took a while to make, but I thought they were delicious. A bit tedious to had dip the cheesecake though (especially since we tripled the recipe). We dipped cheesecake for almost 3 hours. Seriously, delicious, but next time we will make one pan and worry about flavors for one batch only. (They turned out really good though. I think raspberry was the best.)
All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good party. Even if we are a bit loud. (Okay, we're pretty much just loud.)

Fielding on the other hand got to try out a D&D party (dungeons and dragons). He said had a lot of fun. And though it is a weird game (or so I've heard), I'm sure it had more to do with the fact that the people he hung out with were a lot of fun. We'll see how it goes the next time around.

hmmm...surgery for you today

Fielding woke up on Cinco de Mayo with a stomach ache about 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning. And me, being the sympathetic wife I am, asked what was wrong. He said his stomach was hurting really bad on the right hand side. I told him I thought that was the appendicitis side and asked him if there was anything I could do for him. I told him that if he was still hurting in the morning we would go in to the doctor's office. Until then, I had to get back to sleep because I had work that day. 6 o'clock rolls around and I wake up to the sound of dry heaving. (never a good sound. I'm always afraid I'll have something gross to clean up.) I holler out of the room and ask if Fielding is okay. He says he is, but that his stomach is still hurting and he wants to go see the doctor. So I get out of bed, get dressed, call the doctor's office (they don't open until 7.), and finish preparing the stuff I'm supposed to take to my work party. Call the doctor's office again and set up an appointment. Call my boss to let him know I'll be in late, and drop off the party stuff.
Once we're at the hospital, they run Fielding through all of the basic check-in. Our doctor comes in and the first words out of her mouth are 'oh, it's never a good sign when they're hunched over like that'. She checks his back from any pain. None there. She then picked up his foot and hit the heel of it with her hand. Well that certainly got a reaction. Who would have thought hitting the bottom of the foot would be a medical technique. Next thing I know they're calling an ambulance, putting an iv in him for fluids, and telling him he gets to go into emergency surgery.
Seriously!?! Not exactly what I had planned for the day and not really something I was too keen on dealing with. (I'm not a fan of hospitals or needles. They freak me out.) I can't tell you how ... I can't think of the word, but it's definitely not something I'll ever forget. Not to mention my doctor's advice, if you're going to follow the ambulance don't get freaked out if they flip the lights and sirens. (No problem. I didn't plan on following that closely anyhow. That wouldn't help my mentality.)
The next tasks were letting work know I wouldn't be in for a couple of days, finding out what I needed to do for insurance stuff, notifying his parent's, and not freaking out.
You'd think that when you go in for emergency surgery it would happen really quickly, but since Fielding wasn't too bad there was a lot of waiting and clearance that happened before he went in for surgery. Two hours to confirm the diagnosis with a doctor and a surgeon, another hour in pre op., and another hour or two in actual surgery and recovery.
Luckily, everything went really well and there were no additional problems. There were a few things I learned though. My husband doesn't like the initial feel of morphine. He isn't crazy weird like most people on drugs, but he does talk a lot. He also makes the funniest smiling face when told to smile post op. (He blames it on how dry his lips were.) The great part was how awesome University Hospital was. They did a great job and took care of a lot of the basic so I didn't have to. (I have to give Fielding's parents kudos for sitting there from about 11 in the morning until about 4 in the afternoon.) Oh, I also learned I don't like waiting around in a hospital. There are definitely a million other things I could fill the time with.
So far Fielding is recovery really well. He was up the night of the surgery and has been getting better since. He has now been cleared to mow the lawn so hopefully the city will leave us alone. Outside of that he still has to wait another 4-6 weeks before he's considered fully recovered.

Hooray for insurance and fast recoveries! I guess that will teach me to think my life is boring.

Life is life is life

I can't believe it has been so long since I had something to say. (okay, let's face it I don't think that will ever really happen.) My life has just been crazy with vacation, school, and work.
In March, Fielding and I went to Las Vegas with our friends, Mandi and Jason. It was great fun to get out and not have to worry about going to work for a few days. Though in the long run, Fielding and I learned that Vegas just isn't for us. Except for the delicious buffet at the Rio and the roller coaster at the New Yorker.
School was a mad dash. I completed two courses I had taken I's in last fall. Luckily, I got an A in my Ancient Russian History class and I'm still waiting to hear on the other one. Hopefully it will go well and I can work on finishing up the rest of my classes. If I do well and ever get around to passing that blasted Math class, I'll be graduating in 3 semesters. I just can't believe how close I'm getting. Hooray!
Fielding on the other hand looked at his transcript and realized that he is about a semester or two away from graduating with his Associates in a few different areas. He's then thinking about pharmacology up at the U. I'm excited for him and hope he gets to those classes. At least he has finished the dumb math class I'm stuck on.
Outside of that my life has been pretty full of work. Most of the time that means I'm in the office, but I got the chance to go out on a senior portrait photo shoot. It was a lot of fun and I was shocked at how different Chelsie looked from one shot to the next. Luckily, a lot of the pictures turned out really cool, even with the harsh sunlight.

Hopefully Kaylene and I will be lucky enough to get some good pictures with Kelli too.

New and Exciting

Over the weekend Fielding and I had two firsts and both of them were amazing.

We went to Chickfila and Alice and Wonderland. They were amazing.

Chickfila was great, but I wasn't quite sure what to order. The menu seemed so different from all of the other 'quick food' places. (It's not officially called 'fast food'.) It had all of these chicken meals, but all of the sides were different. They were fruits and healthy (or at least seemed it) stuff. I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself. But since Fielding and I were headed to a movie, I ordered chicken nuggets. Delicious. I definitely have a new place to get chicken nuggets from. Fielding ordered the chicken strips and thought they were pretty good. It was funny because I would almost go so far as to say we ordered the same thing, just different sizes.

After getting our food and eating it in less than 4 minutes, we headed over to the theater to see Alice in Wonderland. I think it is one of my new favorite movies. It was incredible and I think everyone should go see it. It tells the story of Alice, but seems more real. I don't think it destroys Disney's original Alice in Wonderland. I instead think it is another rendition that can stand on its own. The costumes, character development, and environment were so well coordinated that it drew me in. After the movie was over, I just wanted to be able to sit down and have a conversation with the Mad Hatter or the Queen of Hearts. (though she's probably just want me beheaded.)

In addition to being a visual masterpiece, it was also thought provoking. From the beginning of the film, you start to draw associations between some of the characters and by the end you feel like it's a puzzle that begs for understanding. Okay, so I think I wanted to be able to unravel it a bit more. (I'm sure Fielding is chuckling about that statement.)

Anyhow, I think if you had thought not to see it you should go see it. Even before the movie ended, I added it to the list of movies I want to own.

Outside of those two exciting things, there isn't a whole lot more to tell. Though Fielding was REALLY excited to get Final Fantasy XIII the other night. I don't know that he's come to bed before one for the past couple of nights.

Whirlwinds and such

What can I say life is a whirlwind and when it has you in it's grasp you just don't have time to catch your breath let alone worry about the last time you posted anything.

Hmm...let's see where to start.

Megan joined the National Guard and headed off to basic for about the next four to six months the last week of January. From the random bits of information I hear, it's not nearly as terrible as everyone thought it was going to be. She's holding tough though. After all she is a Bartlett and as stubborn as they come.

Tried to pull together a Girls Night to go see a chickflick, but it fell through. Sadly, I went to go see the movie anyway. Bad choice! It was horrid. I can appreciate a chickflick with the best of them and even terribly cliche circumstances, but it was terrible. I think the only thing that was good in the whole movie was the clothes and shoes. Oh well, I guess I can give it up and run blindly towards a new movie. Alice in Wonderland is coming out next week!

Oh I also found out that there are way too many people I know having kids. I'm thinking about joining a convent or at least hibernating until it's passed. And Fielding won't even let me joke about getting another pet. He has told me in no uncertain terms that if I bring another one home at least two will have to go. Oh well, I'm sure I can console myself be reading a bunch cheesy novels and watching ridiculous movies.

And so that Fielding and I can get in shape we're going to be following the P90X program. A few people I know have recommended it, but that in no way means I'm excited about it. Well rather, I'm not excited to feel the pain. I'm more than okay working out. I'm just afraid it's going to kick my trash.

That's pretty much all of the crazy madness that been going on. At least around work and school. Just give me another month and I'm sure I can come up with some more terribly connected random thoughts. I guess it must be a sign that I need to go to bed.

Drama

I don't know why, but watching tv shows makes my life feel to...simple. Every show I ever see focuses on a crazy life. There are always problems or parties or issues that need solving.
My life on the other hand is just...normal. (or at least what I call normal.) I go to work and to school. Then I come home. Fielding and I either make something for dinner or go out for dinner. See a normal life.

So why is it that everyone seems to be caught up in wanting drama in their life? It's almost like society has made it a requirement to feeling normal.

It's even dragged me into it. I can't tell you how many times I've actually told people my life is better than a soap opera. (Having 7 siblings helps with all the excitement.) I love my family and care about what happens to them. I want them to be happy, but I also want to try to help if I can.

But the truth of the matter is that no matter what advice you give to a person it is their decision in the end. And advice can be a double edged sword. You have to be careful to say the right things, at the right time. Because what you say can destroy the relationship you have. It's our job to love them and to let them know we love them.

Hopefully, I'll be able to let go of all the drama and enjoy the normal. Enjoy the happiness and memories we create every day.

Fuzzy Hats!!!

I don't know why, but I just couldn't seem to squish what we got for Christmas into my previous post. They just didn't seem to go well together.

Fielding and I always seem to have a tough time shopping for each other. Each of us don't really need anything and there isn't typically a whole lot of stuff I want (except another pair of cute shoes). And as per almost tradition (the past two years), Mandi and I went out Black Friday shopping. There wasn't anything in particular I was looking for. I figured if there was it would slap me in the face with a name tag that read "for: Fielding". Nothing did that either though. But I did spot a bread maker that looked pretty cool. (Fielding has mentioned one for two year now.) So I got it. I also got a food processor. (I'm convinced that one was for me though.) =)

After those two gifts though I still had some money to burn and caved before some madness. I've been trying to expand Fielding's dress wardrobe from basic white shirts to some color, but he's barely budged to a gray shirt. I got him two dress shirts with two new ties. One set (gray) I think he'll keep. I'm not sure on the other yet though. (I left them with Mandi so he still hasn't seen them yet and it's almost two weeks past Christmas.)

After that I was pretty much done shopping except for one thing. Mandi's cousin was in Russia on his LDS mission and due home right before the holidays. Luckily his mom asked me if I wanted anything. YES! I don't know why, but I wanted a fuzzy hat and figured Fielding one probably like one too. So I asked her to ask him to get me two fuzzy hats. I was SO excited.

He brought them home with him and they are PERFECT!!! Mine is black and white bunny, while Fielding's is wolf. (He looks like a crazy mountain man.) We wear them everywhere and I think they are the best hats we will ever own. They look freaking awesome and keep our heads warm. Seriously, I don't think it can get any better than that. I'll even get a picture up soon of how freaking cool we look in our fuzzy hats. (Let's just face it fuzzy hats are awesome to see, say, and wear. )

Hooray Fuzzy Hats!!! =)

~Christmas Crazy~

I typically know that Christmas is around the corner about a week or two before Thanksgiving. Sadly, the reason I know is because of the stress due to my thinking brain. I start thinking about Thanksgiving all of the delicious food and all of the family that is going to be there. Since I never really cook much, I stress about what I might have to bring. (This I think is because I LOVE delicious food and my food is never as delicious as the food I eat.)
Following Thanksgiving is Black Friday. I go to hang out with friends and to see if I will ever truly understand the madness that causes people to push/shove and be mean to strangers for no reason other than a material object. I typically find something to buy, but never really go out hunting for anything in particular. I typically think about stuff Fielding might like or the family names we have for Christmas.
The family names are another stress for me. I don't like buying people the generic gift of a gift card. I don't know why exactly, but I like getting people a tangible gift they will love and use. (This doesn't count for books though.) It gives me the chance to get to know them a bit better or show that who they are matters to me.
The last kicker for me is seeing our families. We haven't figured out the family visiting schedule so each year seems to get crazier than the last. (especially since we like spending time with both.) This year we went to my family's Christmas Eve party and then headed over to Fielding's parent's to spend the night. The next morning we woke up and ate breakfast and then headed back over to my parent's about noon for brunch. After that we stuck around until three when we headed back to Fielding's parent's for dinner. After dinner we came home to a broken fridge.
It's funny because every year I seem to promise myself that I won't participate in the madness. I refuse to get stuck running around with my head cut off, but without fail each year I join the fray. I guess there is just some madness we can't get rid of. maybe it's genetic.