Our Hie to Moab

Coming into Moab.

Crossing the Colorado River.

Restaurant on the hill in Moab.

We borrowed Stone's car for the trip because our
ancient vehicle would never had made it.
Thanks, Stone!! It was an amazingly comfortable ride.

Into the Arches National Park (before our feast).

Looking up at Delicate Arch.

Posing for me like obedient kids do.
(Delicate Arch in the background.)

Balanced Rock. (What is grandma doing???)

Grandma drove us around in her fabulous van.
The only way to see Arches!

The Three Gossips (the rock formation on the left).
Teens (the human formations in the center).

Kids climbing on the Petrified Sand Dunes.

The Three Stooges mugging for the camera.

AJ helps prepare the feast.

CC shows grandma her many bracelets.

Pay no attention to the chunky person with the black vest.
(Too many layers; trying to stay warm.)
(Or maybe just too many "layers" of something else....)

Remember the homemade rolls? Ooooooooohhhhhhhhh.

Stuffing and gravy from scratch.

The family carving knife.

Hey, where'd the black olives go???

Brandon, Rachel and Emma came to visit later in the evening.

The Birthing Rock petroglyphs.
Does that really look like a woman "dropping" a baby
on the far upper left???

Cave homes along the roadside.

Happy TurkEday

Can you say TowTruck?

Another day, another breakdown.


Stuck at school yesterday. The car wouldn't turn over. Starter cranked and cranked but wouldn't catch.


Towtruck. A very LONG ride to the shop.


Upshot: "not getting any spark". New distributor cap=$500.

Looking for a "used" one.


Gimme strength.

Part II:


NO internet signal at my house all weekend.


Let me just say that library computers are icky.

Starting Again

$275 later....

(NO, THIS IS NOT MINE! I WISH MINE LOOKED THIS GOOD!)

Here's a pic of how most of the students in one of my classes view the world:

Notice how there's no Africa?

Yep yep yep!

Pioneer Stock of Things

Next?

Got in the car to hurry off to school. Got it out of the driveway and onto the road. The car died at the end of the driveway.

Really? Is this how I'm supposed to live? Crisis to crisis?

I know that I'm not a pioneer woman crossing the plains; with crying babies strapped to my legs; wearing wet and ragged clothes; with cloth rags tied on my feet; pulling a handcart in the blizzard; hoping the coyotes don't devour my dead husband's carcass behind me on the trail; starving and frozen.....

But, come on!

This Just In.

She's mobile.

He's rockin' pit.

Revealed

A man approached the love of his life and explained that he had received revelation that they two should be married. He said, "We promised each other in heaven that we would find each other and marry."

The woman gazed into the man's eyes and replied, "That may have been true once, but I've learned a lot since then. The answer is no."

My Favorite Spartan

Not Called, But Chosen.

The bishop called me out of Sunday School today and I was told today that I'm not to say anything about knowing who the new RS pres will be. The current pres let it slip to me and the other RS counselor but the bishop is worried that news will get around the ward before the new pres is called or even has a chance to select her counselors. So, I won't say. However, we will soon need a new choir director and RS teacher to take her place... Just so ya know....

And it's not like I can even enjoy the idea of being released, now can I?! Nope. As soon as my soul filled with joy at the prospect, I was told that the possibility of being RE-Called as a counselor still exists. Not only that, but in the event that I actually do attain release-hood, it follows (as the night follows the day) that I will be called into another position post haste.

See??? I tried to enjoy the news, but NO!!!!!!

Anyway,

I was building the blog posting for our RS Super Saturday and I uploaded a LOAD of photos of the day. When I think about it, the turn out was meager as has been the attendance of most of the events we plan these days. Some say that people just don't know about things and therefore they can't plan to be present. I say Horse Hockey! This time I made personal visits to ALL sisters and issued personal invites! [And let's not forget that fabulous blog that has all of the facts and dates on it too.]

The fact is, as I see it, that we are all running as fast as we can and that it just isn't prudent to run faster. Know what I mean? Think about it. The economy is stressing everyone out, people are overscheduling themselves and their children, down time is at a premium and people just don't want yet another "thing" that they have to go to. I'm there. I get it. But, we continue to hold these events as we are instructed to do by the leaders of the Church and we go home afterwards knowing that we were obedient and keeping our covenants. Right? Of course right.

You know, if I were to aspire to a calling at all I think I'd enjoy being a secretary. Just a plain ol' secretary in the RS or Primary or wherever. I'd put my artistic and organizational skills to work and really shine as a secretary. There would be no decisions to make for anyone, no lessons to prepare, no blank stares to endure. Just take the roll, pass out flyers, smile and nod. Yeah, that's the ticket!

So, let's take a poll. Where do you think I'll be called to serve next?

Sweet Release

I MIGHT BE RELEASED BEFORE CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Fingers crossed, everyone!

WAAS UP?

Yep, it's true. I know about WAAS and GPS now. Lock your doors, tuck the kids into bed.

Today I went on a virtual cruise. The ship was amazing. The water was crystal. There was a lot of walking involved. Pirates? Oh, and don't forget gaping graves. The Lorenzo Snow marker was amazing though. This is one trip I enjoyed very much. My sis LL sent me a CD filled with delicious photos of her recent cruise and I gobbled it all up!!! My feet must touch those beaches!One day, LL, one day...

Hey, what's the deal with all the PC baloney anyway?? Shazzbaatt! A psychiatrist goes beserk (and Muslim), shoots to kill, gets shot himself and then the cops have to give him CPR! The dude was just shooting at the cops 30 seconds earlier and then they have to try to save this nutjob's life? Did you hear that fellow psychiatrists that served with him thought he was psychotic but it wasn't "PC" to pursue investigating the dude because he was "Radical Muslim". What?????? That's exactly why they MUST investigate these whackos, man. The crazies are running the asylum, man. Anybody got some Sensitivity Training tapes I can borrow? I got yer sensitivity right here, baby!

The adversary is laughing his butt off at the retarded humans being fooled by his garbage buffet. Worship rats. Kill people. Stand back and watch the bad guy beat the crap out of a helpless victim. Call everyone a Hate-Monger that doesn't do what you want them to do. Follow the mindless because everyone else does. Slobber after anyone who promises you what you want to hear. "Good will be called evil and evil will be called good..." But why not? It's all free, right? Belly up to the buffet, folks. It's all free. [Or as Facebook likes to say, "Obama says...."] I mean, we can't even watch the Brer Rabbit video in this country without somebody wetting their pants! Born and bred in a briar patch. What's everybody so afraid of?

Know what ticked me off today? Not one tribute to veterans was held on campus. NOT ONE. I saw some uniforms, a few maybe. One of the guys in my GIS class is ROTC so of course I expected him to wear his fatigues or class A's to school. Nope. I asked him why and he said he didn't feel like it. Wow. Thanks for that.

Whatever. I can't control anyone else (unless there was a memo that I didn't get). I'm a die-hard (get it?) true-blue American with all that it used to mean! No matter what happens, no matter whether you like it or not, I Love This Country. America. That's right. That is the name of this country. AMERICA. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Illegal is illegal. Sin is sin. Evil is evil. No whitewash. (Dare I say we speak ENGLISH?)

On a lighter note,

Dog the Bounty Hunter is losing it's appeal. The "PC" virus has hit them too. Yeah, I liked the show but now.....it lacks the edge it used to have. Is that what happens to reality tv personalities? They just conform too much and lose their uniqueness? The grit is missing. (Don't chickens need grit to digest their food?)

What about The Office? They have turned to the off-colored side so much that we can't watch them now. Why? (Don't answer that.)

I'm into re-runs of Medium now. I think Alison Dubois is cool. Her husband Joe ain't bad either, if you know what I mean. In fact, he has my full attention! (That's what she said...)

The awesome randomness of me. Where did I put those powdered donettes?

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Ever feel like pulling the pin?

Stupid Teacher Tricks

Ridiculous exam questions of the week:

1. Which of the following 6 choices IS NOT one of the things an angel can do, according to Islam?

2. Which country in West Asia has not fully explored their oil reserves?

3. Of the all of the nations in West Asia that traffick in women and children for sale, which nation does their trafficking through Russia first and then to the United Arab Emerits?

4. Of all the nations that deal in sales of arms and weapons, which one is listed as number 5?

I kid you not. This is the stuff that is "essential" data for me to memorize!?!?!?

Chyah...right.

Lazy teachers or disconnected trivia masters? BOTH, I've decided.

Hey, there's a reason these things are on Wikipedia: They Don't Matter!!! (Unless you live in West Asia and want to avoid being sold into prostitution in Russia, or you have a hankering to search for oil in the West Asian deserts, or you happen to run into an Islamic Angel, or need to know how to bargain shop for ICBMs...)

Grades don't matter.....grades don't matter.....grades don't matter.....

New subject.

I know I don't really know WJ's girls very well but I do know that when the news began to announce the recent shootings at Ft. Hood, Texas, they were my first thought! They both have been stationed there at Ft. Hood. But the word came quickly that they were both out of harm's way and I was relieved. I was relieved for my brother too. Those are his babies!!! Psycho's do more harm than they probably think. What a waste.

Tonight I talked with LL about everything and nothing. (Typical for us.) She was telling me about her recent trip to D.C. and as she mentioned the sites she visited I flashed to the time she was a toddler and our family visited D.C. together years ago. Now,to hear her speak about her walking the grounds and monuments and museums as an adult, it was sort of Twilightish for me.

"Doo-doo doo-doo doo-doo doo-doo...."

I have a question: Why don't people stand still with respect when the national anthem is played? When I was subbing on Tuesday, the Star Spangled Banner came on over the P.A. system and the kids and I stood, faced the flag and held our hands over our hearts as we sang along. Two teachers who were standing at the door talking KEPT RIGHT ON TALKING AND LAUGHING and got louder and louder because of that pesky music coming over the speakers! I looked at them with my death ray a couple of times but they were oblivious. What the crap?!!

Oh, and did I mention that the class I was subbing in was the Special Needs class? Wow.

What a sad commentary on those ignorant "teachers".

America is the greatest nation on the planet! BAR NONE!! Get used to it, people.

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got TIL IT's GONE.... (See Moroni for further explanation.)

Neurotic News

So, where was I...

Oh, yes.

Here's are some of the things I have learned this semester:
1. You can never eat enough rats.
2. Chad is the end all and be all of sub-saharan Africa.
3. I can digitize Helamans Halls and the connecting sidewalks.
4. Cold air gives me a bloody nose.
5. There is never enough...of anything.

Well, I got signed up for next semester. Funny that there were only four classes that are required for my major offered for winter semester so my choices were essentially made for me. The tragedy is that it forced me to take a class I don't really want to take from a professor that I don't care for. Yeah, I could wait for another semester and hope for the other professor, but that would kick me out of full-time status and I'd lose my scholarships. So, yea. Sheesh.

I try to look at school as a bunch of hoops that I must jump through to get to the end of the contest. Problem is, the hoops are on fire and keep moving! My mantra: grades don't matter....grades don't matter....grades don't matter.

For Halloween, I stayed home and gave out ancient candy to those brave enough to knock. One group of boys came to the door and held out their bags for some. I told the ones in costumes they looked great but the ones who did not have costumes on caught my attention. I asked them what they were trying to be for Halloween. "We're Mexicans!" they said and they grinned wide grins. Ask a stupid question...

Is it wrong for me to get up and move to another seat in the chapel before Sacrament meeting begins? There is a particular family that has loud kids and even louder parents that often sit near me on Sundays. Inevitably, I don't hear a thing of the meeting, only this family's carrying ons. Today, they came in late, took the bench in front of me and then their son began hacking up a lung. No. No. No. This was not going to happen. I got up, climbed over CC, told her I was moving and to come with me. We went to the back, sat on cold folding chairs and heard every word of the meeting. Later, our friends who were in the bench behind where we had originally sat, asked if they had done something to offend. Once I began to say that I couldn't take the noise or the hacking cough of the LOUDS family, they nodded their heads in complete understanding. Was this a bad thing? Nah. Life rewards action.

Tonight's dinner: baked spaghetti-type-lasagne. A concoction of spaghetti, sauce, cheeses and oven that turned out surprisingly well. AJ disagreed, as he so often does, and was quick to note that it was disgusting and inedible. Choice. CC scarfed it. It was her idea. She loves pasta in its many forms. AJ, not so much.

Have I already told you that I am SO looking forward to a pet-free home one day? This fur is a pestilence of epic proportions. Enough already. Chance even got a little passive-aggressive last week when he got locked in my room for the day by accident. He left me a damp message right on top of my bed. SICK, huh? It goes without saying that he is banished from my room. He's frankly lucky to be alive, to be honest.

Tracey is in a world of his own. The neurosis is escalating now. He hides under my desk and slinks out when we demand it. The only animation we see from him is when he has got to answer nature's call. Then he dances, jumps, breathes his foul breath at us and chatters his teeth. Once the call has been answered, he comes inside and returns to the dark recesses and waits for a call to eat.

NO MORE PETS, people. NO MORE!

Why am I telling you all of this? I wish I knew.