Mind Blank

I started to write an incredibly witty and funny post. I started to.... but then my mind went blank. I think it comes with turning 35. I find myself going into another room and wondering what the heck I am doing in there. This happens more and more frequently.

The other day, I found myself in the bathroom for no reason. I decided to use the facilities anyway since I was already there. About an hour or so later I remembered why I had gone to the bathroom, but when I went back, I couldn't remember what I was there for!

I recently colored my hair lighter, and added blond highlights. Maybe it's the blondness making me this way. I've often been told I have naturally blond roots. Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, I can't remember what I was going to blog about today, so I guess that's it. What was I saying?

How many people does it take to tile a bathroom?

Our basement bathroom is 25 square feet. Just big enough to sit on the potty without your knees hitting the wall, and to be able to bend over while toweling off. Anything more than that and you would probably get yourself into some trouble.

So, why, then, is it taking us an entire WEEK to tile the dang thing?! Oh, because my husband is a meticulous perfectionist, and I am a "get it done" girl who doesn't mind cutting corners, and together we are a lethal combination!

So, if you get this message, Help! I'm trapped in a tiny bathroom that will NEVER be done!!!!! EVER!!!!!!!! Ok, well, we're almost done. A few more days should do it. It will look nice when it's finished, that's certain. No, there will not be any more room than before. No, we won't even really be using it since it belongs to the renter in the basement.... but it'll be awesome!!!! And I guess we'll be better people for having learned some valuable home renovation skills. And I guess our marriage will be stronger having learned how to work through our differences.

So, the answer to the question posed at the beginning? At least 5 people per 25 square feet. (we've had a lot of help!)

I've got a big Orange Crush!!!!

Crushes. We've all had em. I've probably had more than my fair share, actually! Ok, I admit it.... I was the crush queen in high school.... ok, and even college. I still get little crushes on certain movie stars. (Don't worry, my hubby is confident in my love for him- he is my eternal crush- so he allows me my little harmless Hollywood crushes.) I think my crushes helped mold me into who I am today- for better or worse!

First crush, 3rd grade- Eddie Fisher. I was convinced he would like me if I incessantly and persistantly told every kid in our grade that I loved him. I will never forget the look on his face when, in front of the entire 3rd grade out on the baseball field, I screamed "Erin Fisher, Eddie Fisher and the baby Fishers!!!!" Yes, it seems incredibly stupid now.... No... he did NOT admit his love for me in return, but I Know deep inside he felt it! How could he not?

7th grade- Jr. High student body president.... don't remember his name. I was in love with him- he didn't know I existed. Ok, once I was selling cream puffs for a fund raiser and I gave him 2 free ones. He knew me as the cream puff girl after that- not something I wish to be remembered by.

9th grade- James Rowley. This was actually a crush in reverse. I had a crush on a set of twins, but James had a crush on me. He persisted, and it paid off. We were a "couple"- whatever that means! He even gave me his shell necklace. We were "together" for a few months- too young to go to homecoming dance together :(. I just couldn't shake my crush on those twins, and felt it wouldn't be fair to James, so one day I just casually said, "I can't be with you anymore". and just like that I was a free woman. He was devastated, and I still feel guilty about it to this day. Never did get with either of the twins. James.... wherever you are, you were really cute, and I did like you a lot, but it never would have worked with us!

11th and 12th grade- my seminary teacher. It's true, I had the cliche crush on a teacher. I won't say his name because this may be too embarrasing to him, but I was whipped! He was a drummer in a band if you can believe it! One night, my best friend and I didn't have dates to a dance, so he invited us to a concert he did, and then to his house to watch movies with his wife. Ya.... I couldn't figure out how to get rid of the wife, so I just went to college instead. *sigh*

Junior in College- My voice teacher. Kinda creepy- he wasn't attractive or anything, but an incredible singer! He would always call me into his office to try out a new song on me. I would get my own awesome concert, my bones rattling with his incredibly powerful tenor voice. I guess you could say my crush was more on his voice than anything, but what a voice! He, like my seminary teacher, told me if he was my age he would have totally gone out with me. Ya... nice consolation. Oh, my seminary teacher also said I was like the quarter in the bottom of the toilet: everyone knows it's there, but no one wants to take it out. Hmmmm....... why did I have a crush on him????

Current crushes: Matt Damon,
Patrick Dempsey... (a long time crush, since "Can't buy me love")
and Prince Caspian....
(yes, I know he's a lot younger than me, but I can still appreciate a nice face, can't I?)

Any of you have big crushes, ever? Come on... share!!!!

Rustics Clocks Rock!!!!

My awesomely crafty brother just started his own ETSY shop! It's called RUSTICS,(click on: rustics.etsy.com) and he sells cool, antiqued wooden clocks. He is awesome! He can make anything from anything! He made my mom a totally cool armoire that is HUGE! And he did it all from found wood!

So, if you get a chance, go check out RUSTICS and see how cute they are. He will get more posted, and I bet he'd take a custom order if you wanted one. He made me a clock I can never part with, I love it soooo much, and it works soooo well with my living room decor!

Yay, big brother, for being so cool!

I Heart Shoes!

I have always been of the mindset that your shoes say a lot about you. You can be wearing a very nicely pressed outfit, but if your shoes look shabby, it ruins the whole outfit. I bring this up because I happen to have a particular fettish for shoes. I just went through my collection of shoes and got rid of a bunch of them. Why? So I can buy more, silly!

Now, I have to find a way to break it to my hubby that I just bought a new pair of darling red shoes for our trip to Europe. Hmmm..... maybe if I just stick them on my shoe rack he'll never notice....

O.K. maybe not. I love them anyway, and I'm keeping them!!!!

Failure or Freedom?

*sigh* We have decided to cancel our gym membership and buy a treadmill, instead. I had a treadmill for several years, used it sporatically, but when it died we decided to get a gym membership. So, why does getting another treadmill feel like we are failures?

Buying a gym membership was a huge thing for me. I had a roommate that worked in a gym in college, and I'd go visit her sometimes. The key word is VISIT, meaning I never spent more than 10 minutes in a gym in my life up to that point. I felt like a fish out of water! The gym is for people who are thin, tight, firm, buff, motivated, type-A... you know. People who say, "I love working out! I love feeling the sweat pour down my body, my heart pounding in my chest...." Those people who do not speak the same language as me, the people who are not even from the same planet as me. (Sorry to my good friends who say this very thing... I admire you, really I do. I just don't understand you!)

My husband is one of these people. He will get on the treadmill and go and go and go. He will start to expound the virtues of exercise as he's going. He spews about the oxygen getting into your blood and pumping through your body, making you stronger and healthier. He exclaims how he "loves it!" and how good it feels. This is when I know without a doubt that men are from mars.

So, I got us gym memberships a few years ago for our anniversary. It was great. We went several times a week during Merritt's lunch hour, and even got a trainer who claimed quite confidently that he could whip our butts into shape in no time and have us looking like "muscle machines" or something like that. Well.... after a few months, I was a little stronger, but I could tell the trainer wasn't happy with the rate of my improvement. Apparently I wasn't cut out for the gym, I guess. I kept going, though. We got rid of the trainer, and tried it on our own. Of course, I stopped lifting weights. Why do something that is really hard and boring and monotonous? So, it was down to just the treadmill. (No, I didn't gain a ton of weight back or anything. You can't gain back what was never lost.)But it made us evaluate,why pay $50 a month to walk on a treadmill when we can buy one and have it here whenever we need it?

I will miss the gym. Yes, it's true. I never fit in there, but I will miss the "idea" of fitting in. Saying, "Ya, I go to the gym" sounds cooler than, "Ya, I get on my treadmill in my basement." And there's no cardio cinema in my basement like there is at the gym. Of course, I would always get so mad at the person next to me for talking on their cell during the movie.... it's never a good combination when you are exercising (which I hate to do) and getting all angry at someone, too. It makes me very volitile! They also don't give you popcorn in the cardio cinema at the gym. I guess I could flip on the television and eat popcorn at home while I walk on the treadmill- would it defeat the purpose?

Anyway, I guess I just need to come to terms with the fact that maybe I just wasn't cut out for the gym. I'll definitely tend to work out more if I don't have to get in my car and drive somewhere to do it. That's a plus, I guess. And I will be the best looking person working out in my gym! (No trying to keep up with the perky 21 year old next to me running for 50 minutes as a "warm up" to her workout!) So, this is a good thing, right? Also, I won't have to fend off hungry trainers looking for a juicy new morsel to sink their teeth into. I was so close to making a t-shirt that said, "No! I do NOT want a trainer, so BACK OFF!" So, I guess it's a good thing in the end. What is it that they say? "That which doesn't make you stronger kills you?" Well, something like that, anyway!

Happy Birthday to Moi!!!!

I survived turning 35. I wasn't sure I was going to, but I did. It helped that my hubby wrote me a rockin' birthday haiku, and performed it for me, with gestures and everything. (You'll understand why it was so entertaining when you read the haiku at the end of this post!) Then he gave me a bunch of money to go on a shopping spree for the whole day. Granted, it was by myself, but what better way is there to spend a day than buying new clothes for a trip to Europe?!

The shopping spree itself started out very depressing, though. I went to Target because they had a cute dress there- NOT ANYMORE! There was only one left, and it was a size 6- like I could fit into that! I'm not an elf! So then I headed up to the outlet stores in Park City. I can always find something cute there- WRONG! I don't know what is wrong with the rest of the world, but these 70's fashions are NOT flattering! Unless you're a toothpick with empty space where your tummy should be, you just look pregnant in these gathered, empire- waist, knit fashions. And what's with all the busy prints? I'm 5'3", for heaven's sake! If I wear those busy of prints I'll be overtaken by them!

So, sadly, I drove back down the canyon- albeit a beautiful day, and ventured over to Fashion Place mall. My luck changed when I found some darling new dresses- perfect for Europe! And a very cute skirt! In fact, I found so much stuff I had to limit it. I mean, I can't pack THAT many outfits, they only allow 1 suit case!

When Merritt got home, we went to Jordan Commons to buy tickets for Prince Caspian before going to dinner. We found out the movie wasn't playing as late as we thought, so we had to bag dinner. However, we hadn't eaten lunch that day, so we were all starving! So, we got the most expensive fast-food ever at the theaters, and ate it during the movie. This is a disaster waiting to happen if you know me at all. I can always be found with at least one spot on my boob from spilling. I am a complete clutz when I eat! So, sitting in a darkened theater, trying to focus on the move while eating fried rice and sweet and sour chicken with a tiny plastic fork is not only tricky, but downright dangerous! I can't tell you how much rice I found in my cleveland when I got home, or how many pieces of chicken rolled down and flew off my lap. Sadly, there was someone sitting in front of me who got the brunt of my dinner on his head! Happily, he had a 3 year old kid climbing all over him, so he had no idea it was my chicken hitting his head and not his kid!

The movie was awesome!!!! I mean, I cried at least twice! And that wasn't because I had lost another piece of my $10 dinner- it was a really good movie! Eason loved the action scenes, which is disturbing when he leans over and asks when there's going to be another war scene because he loves the swordfighting. If you get the chance, see it in a big, stadium theater! It was incredible!!!! Right up there with "Lord of the Rings"!

So, all in all, it was a great birthday. I almost forgot I am now mid 30-ish. I put on one of my new dresses so I can feel like it's still my birthday today. Thanks Merritt and Eason for another great birthday! And thank you C.S. Lewis for the great story made into a great movie to help me forget I am 1 year nearer the grave!
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Birthday Haiku

Sucked, squeezed, pushed, compressed
bulging, crowning... tugging- PULL....!!!
Woosh! wipe, snip, SMACK! Waaaaaaahhhhh!!!!

(note following haiku: I hope this birthday is better than your first!)