Kiersten’s Blog

I have 24 boxes of cereal.  They don’t all fit in my pantry so some of them have found a new home in the garage.  11 of those boxes are Rice Krispies.  And I bought them all on the same day.  They were a good deal.  How could I pass it up?  Plus, they have the codes on them to get free movie tickets.  I spent something like $15 on those 11 boxes of cereal and they will translate into two free movie tickets.  Plus I get to eat the cereal too!  I’m thinking I got a pretty good deal.  Then other cereal was on sale a week or two later at another store.  Again, the bargain was too good to pass up so I bought more.  Of course I made Rice Krispy treats the other day.  I think it’s time to make more.

We just got home today from vacation. We left exactly two weeks ago and drove. A lot. We went all the way to Portland and back. Needless to say, I’m tired, have a lot to do, and am very excited to sleep in my own bed. Updates to come…

I think the picture says it all.  Really.  You women have husbands!!!  And children!!!  And, by the way, Edward is not hot.  He’s funny looking.  What’s the other guy’s name?  James?  Jacob?  I think it’s Jacob.  I don’t even know what he looks like, but I’m sure he’s not hot either.  Now go home to your husbands and tell them that you love them more than Edward.  Or Jacob, if that’s even his name.

I got the pie.  And it was good.  I went back to get it and once again, asked for strawberry rhubarb.  The girl took one look at the shelf in the front and said, “let me see if we have any more in the back.”  Then I started to get really nervous and wonder what I would do if they ran out.  Luckily they had more in the back.  She rang me up and I opened my purse to take out my wallet to pay, and lo and behold, my wallet is missing!  Then I started to panic.  I wasn’t so worried about my wallet.  I was sure it was somewhere around.  Maybe I left it at home?  I didn’t know.  My biggest fear, though, was that I wouldn’t get that danged pie!  I knew they wouldn’t hold it for me.  I ran with my kids out to the car.  Luckily I found it there.  So we all breathed a sigh of relief, bought the pie, and picked up Taylor…late, of course.

After my super productive morning yesterday, I was hoping for a repeat today.   I was sorely disappointed, but at least I’m still in a good mood.  Taylor had somewhere he needed to be at 10 this morning so the kids and I dropped him off and headed over to Marie Calendars to buy his favorite: strawberry rhubarb pie.  When we got there, they didn’t have any.  They told me that it would be another half hour before they were done.  They wouldn’t put one on hold for me, even if I was to pay for it.  So I ran a few errands in the area and came back a half hour later.  I unloaded the kids and dragged them into the restaurant once again.  This time they told me that it would be another hour and a half until they were done.  Really?  A half hour previous, I was told a half hour.  Now another hour and a half.  Pretty annoying.  Now it’s almost time for me to go pick up Taylor and, once again, try for a pie.  I’ll be REALLY mad if they don’t have any left.

We planted our garden a couple of weeks ago.  Okay, we planted zucchini and a tomato plant a couple of weeks ago.  I wasn’t sure exactly how to plant the zucchini.  I’ve always seen it planted in a hill but that’s not what the directions said on the package of seeds we bought.  So I planted them in a short row right outside my dining room window.  I’m guessing I planted about 14 seeds in a row about 18 inches long.  I didn’t expect them all to germinate, but now I have 14 little zucchini plants that are really close together.  I guess I better thin them out pretty soon.  It’s exciting to see them growing!

I rode the trolley downtown today.  Sometimes I wish that I had some sort of camera attached to my eyes permanently so that I could take pictures of things that I see without being noticed.  Riding the trolley gives a person lots of opportunity to people watch.  Today was no exception.  In my observations, I have compiled a list of ways to fit in better on the trolley and to look like a seasoned rider, instead of a tourist.

1. If you are a man and have lost the hair on the top of your head, definitely grow out the rest and put it in a ponytail.  But don’t forget to put a ribbon around the ponytail before leaving home.

2. It’s always a good idea to carry strange objects onto the train, such as a large handful of wire hangers, a small dog in your jacket, or a bag of bottles or cans.

3. If you must sit down, make sure that there’s nobody sitting next to you or across from you facing you, so that you have your clean air and bench.  And don’t forget to wipe the seat off before sitting down.

4. Switch seats at every stop.  Again, don’t forget to wipe the seat off.

5. Whistling and conducting music in your head is okay to do.

6. It’s okay to wear all black (beanie, dark glasses, sweatshirt, pants, boots) as long as you have your American flag cape.

7. Since you can’t smoke on the train, put your cigarette out right before stepping inside, but keep it in your mouth, ready to go so as soon as you step off the train at your stop, you don’t miss a breath.

There you have it.  Don’t forget to HAVE FUN!

I spent the day today volunteering for CPR Saturday here in San Diego where over 2000 people were trained in CPR.  I left the kids home with Taylor and spent the day downtown.  I definitely got more out of it than I put in.  I heard about it through the Hands on Network, which is working with Disney this year to provide volunteer opportunities to people to receive their free Disney day.  I planned on doing this for a free ticket to Disneyland.  I kind of felt weird about it though.  I guess I felt a little sheepish saying that the only reason I was volunteering was to get a free ticket to Disneyland.  But let’s face it, most people were in the same boat as me.  It was such a worthwhile way for me to spend my Saturday that I don’t feel like I should get anything out of it.  Instead, I get a free ticket to the happiest place on earth and I’m now CPR certified.  That’s one thing I’ve wanted to do for a long time.  It’s nice to finally have it done.

I came home to a clean house and sleeping children.  I think I need to leave for the day more often.

It’s a good thing I’m sure that the church I belong to is true, because today might have been one of those days that would make me decide to not go anymore.  Wow.  Now that I see that in writing it looks kind of harsh.  Let’s just say that I was really annoyed at church today.  That shouldn’t be how I feel while I’m there.  I’m pretty sure I go to feel the Spirit and be uplifted.  I’m sure it was partly my attitude and my choosing to be annoyed, but that’s how I felt today.  Plus, if any of you have ever gone to church with a crazy 11 month old and an emotional 4 year old, you might have some sort of idea what I’m talking about.  But that’s just part of the problem.  My main annoyance is our new ward (congregation).  I really like everybody I have met, as individuals, but as a whole, I’m kind of struggling with the ward.  The main reason is, it’s SO big.  I don’t think we’ve ever been late, but every week, it’s a fight to find a seat.  We sat down on the back row today because that’s what was left, and an old man walked in and said, halfway joking, “Don’t you know that you have to be older than 70 to sit on the back row?”  I told him that we would be happy to move if he could find us another place to sit.  We moved anyway.  I also noticed a pew closer to the front that was empty.  I walked up there and, of course, somebody had left their jackets and scriptures there to save the seat.  It was still empty when the meeting started.  It bothers me that people do that.  If they want that seat, they need to be there, keeping it warm.  These scenarios happen week after week.  I know I need an attitude adjustment and none of these things are what the gospel is about at all.  They’re just small things that make this already difficult transition a little bit harder.

I don’t nap.  I don’t like the way I feel after a nap.  I’m always groggy and yucky feeling.  It’s especially bad if I decided to fall asleep with my contacts in.  Then my eyes are dry and irritated.  Furthermore, I feel like napping is a waste of precious daytime hours.  Today was different.  We got home mid-afternoon.  I put Ashton to bed.  Quiet time for London was a necessity, especially in light of the way she was acting all day.  Once the kids were down, I decided to lie down for a bit.  I took my contacts out because they were really bothering me and I just planned on resting for a minute.  I woke up a half hour later, rolled over, and fell asleep for another half hour!  It’s a good thing we had leftovers that we could have for dinner.  I was awakened by a baby, ready to eat.  It was nice to sleep, but I’ll have to say, that I’m still tired.  I can’t imagine I would be any more tired if I hadn’t slept.  The good news is, London slept too!  And she napped yesterday!  One day of napping for her is a miracle, but 2 days in a row?  I don’t even know how to explain how lucky I am!  Both days we have had to wake her up because we want her to go to bed at night.  And right now it’s 9:30 and she’s still not asleep, but she’s been in bed for an hour.  The bad news is, she wakes up from her naps really cranky.  Once she’s totally awake, she’s great, but by that time, it’s bed time again!  Then we start over with the grump in the morning.  Here’s to hoping tomorrow will be a better day.

On another sleep note, last Monday I woke up too late to go jogging before I took London to school, so I dropped her off and came home to go on my morning jog.  Of course, I had to push Ashton along in the stroller.  He had fallen asleep in the car on the way home from dropping off London, so I wasn’t sure how the jog would be.  On top of that, just as I was about to leave, it started to drizzle.  I grabbed a blanket to use to cover him so he wouldn’t get wet (if needed) and headed out anyway.  It drizzled a bit, the wind blew, then the sun poked through.  Through it all, Ashton slept.  Once we got home an hour later, I pushed the stroller into the house and showered and got ready, while he kept sleeping.  Amazingly enough, he woke up just in time to eat and get back in the car to go pick up London.  Somehow the stars were all aligned and I was able to make sleeping work in my favor that one morning.  It’s the little things that make me happy.