PSS: Opening Pandora's Box...

"We all have our pet peeves that drive us nuts.. give us a few of yours".

People who laugh at their own jokes. Unless it's me, and in that case I am laughing to remind you to laugh.

When the garbage can is full, STOP PUTTING GARBAGE IN IT!! Geez Louise! Are we trying to build the next Tower of Babel? Seriously, am I the only one who can take it outside? It is a fairly simple task. I will gladly show you how to do it. Maybe draw up some diagrams and flow charts to help you figure it out.

People who think there is a difference between your adopted kids and your biological kids. I have both, there is no difference. I know. You don't have both. You don't know. You speak out of ignorance and stupidity. Mostly stupidity.

People who check the dryer when it is running to see if the clothes are dry and if the clothes aren't dry they don't restart it. How are they ever suppose to get dry?

Cleavage sweat.

Big, nasty, almost ready to pop zits. Just squeeze the sucker all ready. I like to pop zits, and they don't have to be mine. There is something so gross yet satisfying to see those suckers pop.

Marcus reading my blog posts over my shoulder while I am typing them. hint...hint.

People who think I don't have a real job. I personally handle all the administrative work for a corporation that will easily gross over a million dollars this year. That is a real job. Just because I can do it in my underwear if I so choose doesn't mean it's not real.

Cats. I don't mind cats in general, but they have some characteristics that I find down right disturbing. People who let their cats climb all over the counters and then prepare their food on the same counter. Gross! Why is it that there is a rule that you can only have two dogs but you can have all the cats you want? Gross, hairy critters.

People who screw with my closet. I have certain spaces between each hanger, all white hangers and my clothes sorted a certain way. Don't move a short sleeve shirt from it's home and put it with my sweaters. I'll know. Don't move any of my hangers...even an inch. I will be like the Princess and the Pea and I'll know there is something wrong.

Employees who forget to clock in or out and then complain to me when their paychecks aren't right.

Judgmental people.

Electric guitar solos.

People who make fun of where I come from. There is nothing wrong with Vernal.

People from Vernal.

Ungrateful people.

Being compared to other people.

People who don't use blinkers or won't let others merge. Be nice. Arrive Alive.

People who judge a whole group based on the actions of one person.

Wedgies.

Smearing peoples' names to make yourself look better. People who run for office do this all the time. It drives me crazy. I won't vote for you if you have to put others down or dig up dirt on others to make yourself feel or look better. (Go Obama!)

People who can't let past mistakes go. Stop living in the past and move on.

People who think their opinions are the only right ones. Agree to disagree is what I say.

People who ramble on and on about all the things that bother them. Shut the freak up already, no body cares.

A Camping We Will Go...

With the 24th of July holiday here in Utah, we wanted to do something fun. We decided we would get the girls from their mom a day early and go camping. We don't get the chance to go camping very often even though we live so close to the mountains. I have to admit, I was hesitant about going. I didn't want to have to chase Christian and Emma around all weekend, and I didn't think it would be as relaxing as Marcus kept trying to convince me it would be. One of Marcus' friend's and his family went with us. Marcus' mom even came and stayed a night with us. We really roughed it this trip. We slept in the mountains, we were attacked by bears, sharks and other sea creatures, were exposed to horrible noise, and forced to eat things we don't normally eat. It was an awesome adventure.

WELCOME...here is the door to our tent.


Here is the outside of our tent...


and the inside.



These were the bears that attacked us....



"Who ate all my Oreos???"




and the sharks and other sea creatures.







This is the horrible noise we, okay, I had to endure...


I swear, this game follows me everywhere. I hear it in my sleep. Marcus' mom even played the drums. It was nice.

We ate some really good food. Chicken, Homemade pizza, Dutch oven peach cobbler...it was all really yummy.

We did go camping, really. My definition of camping anyway. We had every intention of going camping and taking our trailer and sleeping in it with the whole family and going potty in outhouses and eating hotdogs for every meal and yah, doesn't that sound great?! I think Marcus got tired of my whining, so we rented a cabin instead. Instead of getting really dirty and having to cook over a fire, I got to shower everyday and use a kitchen to cook in. I even had the chance to sit and make some homemade cards. I don't remember the last time I got to sit and do something crafty like that. I even got to take a nap!! It was super duper nice. I can't wait to do it again.

Maybe My Chakra is Out of Whack...

Today after church we went up to Marcus' Mom's house for a visit. She had a little project for Christian and Emma to do. Before I explain the project or show pictures, there are a few things you need to know. First off, Jean is the nicest, kindest person I have ever met. In the almost eight years I have known her, I have never heard her say one negative thing about another person. She just has this calm to her that I can't explain. But she is crazy...downright certifiably loony. I love her to death, don't get me wrong, but she is a special spirit.
She has a tee-pee and a labyrinth in her backyard. (When I was pregnant with Emma, she tried to convince me if I walked the labyrinth with the right attitude, I would go into labor...yah, didn't work.) She has this whole posse that come and do drum circles and walk the labyrinth and worship crystals and trees...or something. She has these big stepping stones that lead you to the labyrinth. We did this as a family before Christian and Emma were a part of our family. Jean really wanted to get the two little ones their own stones. So we took the little ones up there and they did their stones to add to the collection. They both had fun playing in the cement and then hanging out in the tee pee eating Raspberry Floats.
I love Jean's house and yard. There is something about being there that is so relaxing and calming. She lives up by Logan in the canyon and has a big yard. I can be full of energy and wide awake, but the minute I get to her house, I am so ready to just sit, relax and fall asleep. It's also not bad that she gives the best foot message in the world and loves playing with the kids so I don't have to chase them around. The kids love it up there and maybe one of these times I can get more in tune with my Chakra Energy...or something.

Christian making his stepping stone.

Emma making her stepping stone...with help.

The finished products.


These are the stones we made in 2005.


This is the famous tee-pee and labyrinth. If you mention to anyone who drives to Logan a lot, almost everyone of them knows about the tee-pee. I do believe Jean is referred to as the "tee-pee lady" around her town.

Hi! I'm Monica...It's Nice To Meet You

So the last few months I have been spending more time away from Christian and Emma than I have their whole lives it seems. I'm not just leaving them for the sake of leaving them. We have had a lot of photo shoots and work to be done. I'm learning doing errands and grocery shopping without the two of them is much easier. I have had appointments and meetings and church obligations that are taking me away from my little ones. They go to daycare every Monday so I can get paperwork and Charley's stuff done. Any other time I leave them, it is with a babysitter that is very good and very nice. I have no concerns or hesitations about her being in charge of my children.
For the most part, I felt guilty about how much time I was spending apart from Christian and Emma. We used to be together 24/7. I felt like a bad mom leaving them at daycare for five hours one day and then with a babysitter two or three more times that same week. However, now I am realizing that being a part from them has actually been a good thing. I actually get things accomplished, I get to do things I want to do, I get to spend time with adults, and the best part--when I am with Christian and Emma, I treasure that time more. I am more patient with them and enjoy playing and laughing with them more. I am learning that yes, first and most importantly, I am a wife and mother. But, I am also Monica..the crazy OCD freak who likes to shop too much, scrub toilets at midnight, eat ice cream right from the carton, play the drums on Rockband with my husband until wee hours of the morning, read books that don't require too much thinking, go running while listening to my lame taste of music on my Ipod, likes to think about all the cute ideas I could do scrapbooking but never actually scrapbook, likes to hang out with those two or three friends who don't make me feel like I have to put on a show, won't sing in front of anybody to save my life, would rather be in labor than get dental work done, changes my hair color more often then some people change their underwear,worries too much about pleasing every single person in my life, likes to pop other peoples' zits,loves Grey's Anatomy more than what is probably considered healthy, would marry Patrick Dempsey if I wanted to be a polygamist, tries to solve everyone's problems, drinks too much Dr. Pepper, is afraid of mice and rats and bunnies and birds, enjoys the rare days when I can sleep in, loves the sound of Christian's and Emma's giggles, misses my sister and niece daily, treasures my family beyond anything else in the world...That person actually still exists. It's really nice to meet her again. Maybe she can come out and play more often.

Anyone Interested?

Here is a copy of an email I sent out to friends and people in my ward. Unfortunately, I don't have many email addresses of people who I know read this one. If there is anyone interested in doing this, please feel free to contact me. I would love to have lots of contributions.

Hey ladies!
I have an idea I want to bounce off everyone. I want to set up a blog where all of us can go and contribute. This is what I imagine:
we share recipes, craft projects, craft ideas, parenting tips, relationship advice, decorating ideas, good deals we find while we are out and about, ideas and activities for kids, ideas for date nights, play dates, family home evening ideas, exercise ideas, motivational thoughts, advice, ideas, thoughts, opinions, etc, etc.
Anyone and everyone can participate as little or as much as they would like. Feel free to invite anyone you would like to add material. Most of the email addresses I have are from my ward, but the blog will not be church related. (I don't wanna get in trouble with the big guys!) :) I think it would be fun to share all these ideas and with everyone having such busy, crazy lives, this would be a good way to help each other out and keep in touch. I am also hoping that this will help the more reserved ones feel comfortable sharing thoughts and ideas.
Let me know if anyone is interested in contributing. I can set up the blog and add whoever would like to contribute as a blog team member. No pressure and no commitment from anyone.
Thanks!
Monica

PSS...Duh!

Shane asked: Tell us about the last time you did something really stupid.

The last really stupid thing I did was admit to the world that I didn't know you could drive to Alaska until recently.

PSS...I Was Drugged and Couldn't Think of Anything Better

From my almost death bed...or so it felt at the time..I asked..or rather, had my sister ask: "Think back to when MTV actually played music videos. Tell us about 3 of your favorite videos."

A-Ha. Take on Me
Van Halen. Right Now
Foo Fighters. Big Me

More recent Honorable Mention goes to Weezer for their Pork and Beans video.

PSS...Zoom Zoom

Amy asked a few weeks ago: In honor of the upcoming summer season and considering the high price of gas, most of us won't be taking road trips for a while. So pretend that gas is $2.00 a gallon and describe your ideal U.S. road trip (or one you had in the past that was a favorite).

Just getting back from a trip to Vernal with five kids, including one who hates being in her car seat, maybe now isn't the best time to answer this question. All of my road trips have been with Marcus. We have gone to California a few times, Vegas a couple times, Idaho a time or two, but my favorite road trip is when we drove back to Navuoo to see the temple and go to the temple open house. It took us about a week to get there and get back. We stopped a lot of places between here and there. It was a lot of fun. Marcus drove most of the time; I hate driving in unfamiliar areas.



If I could go on a road trip of my choice, I would like to go along the west coast. I haven't ever been up to Oregon or Washington, and I would love to drive along the coast.

I do need to get out and explore the country a bit more...it was only a few years ago that I painfully learned you can actually drive to Alaska. Who knew it wasn't really a little island in the Gulf of Mexico like all the maps in school make it out to be?! Now that I know those other states aren't really islands, I can't wait to start planning our road trip to Hawaii!!! :)

The New Me...For Now

I am going through a midlife crisis of some sorts. Maybe not midlife...maybe more of a quarter life crisis. I feel like I am stuck in a rut. I am trying to make changes in my life of things that I can control, which at the moment, doesn't feel like a whole lot. I have had the same hair cut for as long as I can remember. I have played with color but was too afraid to make a drastic change with a cut. When I was pregnant with Emma my hair finally grew and I had the longest hair I have ever had. I kept that hair for over a year. Today I went in to get my hair colored. I went blonde a few months ago but I can't do the upkeep or stand the roots. I went darker and closer to my natural color...whatever that may be. Then I made a quick decision and chopped my hair...I'm talking had to have my neck shaved because my hair is so short. I have never had my neck shaved before...it was kinda creepy. When I left the salon, I didn't cry...yes, that means a lot. I think I might actually like it. It'll take some getting used to, but I don't think I regret it....yet.

So we go from this......



to this....





What do ya think?

My next step in Operation: Regain Identity is a trip to the University Mall on Thursday to spend some hard earned cash on some new clothes. I also ordered a new exercise DVD that I have heard great things about. I hope it gets here soon. I am so pathetic; I keep thinking when the DVD gets here, I'll start eating healthy and exercising....there is always a "when this happens, then I will lose weight" thought in my head. I can make anything make sense too...it's ridiculous. When will I realize that all I have to do is get off my lazy butt, put away the Dr. Pepper and cut back on the cheeseburgers. Last time I got all healthy and lost weight, I got pregnant...let's not have that happen again...yet. I have started to run again..okay, I have gone once since my half marathon and that once was last week...but hey, it's better than nothing. I mean to start running again, but life is so crazy finding the time is next to impossible.

Third step in Operation: Regain Identity-Anyone know how much cankle reduction surgery runs now days?