I Might Be Seeing Someone

When I was a sophomore in High School, I was totally lost in my geometry class. Luckily, my teacher was an older man with a penchant for high school girls. I picked up on this early and would simply go up to his desk 5, 6, 7 times during the class and bend over and giggle and ask for help and he would basically do all of my problems. I cringe even as I write this. I got an A in the class. The story gets worse. When Sam and I moved to our current ward, we went to church on our first Sunday and he was in our new ward! It had been 9 years but he totally remembered me.

I'm older now but apparently, still none the wiser because I'm now doing the same thing...only this time it is for free rock-chip repair.

A few months ago, I was driving on the freeway and a rock came flying off the truck in front of me and hit my windshield. The dent became a crack within days. I took it to a car wash/rock chip repair place near me where a high-energy man named Rhett repaired the crack. He was wearing a neon green tee and fanny pack. He had the voice of Ty Pennington and the face of Mr. Clean.

I didn't think another thing of it until I took my kids to the McDonald's next to the car wash for breakfast about a week later and Rhett came over to say hello. I was in sweaty workout clothes enjoying a hash brown. We made small talk and said good-bye.

Later that week, I was driving on the freeway again and took another rock to the windshield. I can't make this stuff up folks.

A couple days later, shamefully, I was back at McDonald's with my kids having lunch. I would post a picture but if I post one more pic of my baby eating fast food, DCFS is going to take him away.

Once again, I had my sexy on. I was wearing a hat with no make-up. Strangely enough, Rhett appeared and we chatted for a moment. Once again, he was wearing the neon green tee. That's when the light bulb went off in my head--free rock-chip repair! I told him about my latest incident on the freeway. He suggested we go outside and take a look. After examining it, he looked at me and said, "You're a real nice lady--so I'm going to fix it for free--can you come over right now?" Of course I said yes and we headed over.

My kids and I watched from inside the car wash as Rhett fixed the windshield. That's when I got the brilliant idea to take a picture of Rhett for my blog. I snuck around the back of the building and took the picture from behind a tree. He totally turned and saw me! What's worse, is he got a big smile on his face. Finally, I mosied over to where he was working on the windshield. He told me he was done and that he would fix my windshield for free anytime. I feel like I'm back in high school--gotta pay the piper. I'm going to have to start wearing lipstick to McDonald's.

Sun Valley 2009

We took a road trip to Sun Valley, ID about 3 weeks ago. When we returned, I wrote 10 Rules for a Successful Road Trip with kids. You can find them here.

Sun Valley has a special place in my heart. Sam and I figured that we have been there 9 times in the last 11 years. We usually go each July for the Utah Bar Conference. What I love about Sun Valley is that we always do the same things, eat at the same places, and see the same people.

The first evening there is always a BBQ/opening social put on by the Bar.

Sammie and her little friend Halle stole rolls from the BBQ to feed the ducks. It isn't obvious is it?

Here are the kids feeding the ducks:

I had my first "celebrity" moment when this cute girl named Jenn came up and told me she reads my blog. I've done this to other people so this made my day.


The highlight of the first evening for my kids is the ice-skating. Sam literally drags them around the rink until his back is ready to give out. I get to sit on the side and laugh at him.



As the week goes on, we do a lot of bike riding:


We even take one long ride to Hailey, ID where the little ones ride in the trailer. They look pretty squished but they both fell asleep within minutes.


Luke was a trooper and rode on a "tag-a-long" bike on the back of mine. The picture of the two of us on that bike is too heinous for me to post so you get this one of us looking at the scenery.


We also did a lot of swimming (notice the matching trunks--what can I say, I have a problem):


Luke loved showing off his skills from swimming lessons:


Here he is with his little girlfriend Halle. I love this picture:


My kids always get out and warm themselves on the cement. Do you remember doing that?


Once again, I love this trip because while Sam is doing this:


I'm doing this with my friend Brandi:


This group of young men were in the pool right in front of us. They kept yelling to Ryan "Hey Gordo!"


Here is my little "Gordo" (translation: fatty) in his swimsuit. Rude huh?


They may have been referring to me. I'm praying they were talking about Ryan.

Mutten Dressed as Lamb

I bought my first pair of skinny jeans tonight. They are not in a "skinny" size, though I do think Gap and Old Navy are vanity sizing these days. My friend Jaime was wearing skinny jeans when she came to visit this summer from NYC and she looked so cute in her pair, I wanted to give them a try. While she was here, Jaime also introduced me to Strike Gold, a miracle product. Check it out! I'm a big-time follower so basically, I had to go get me a pair.

When the 16-year-old boy opened my dressing room, he said, "here you go ma'am." Ma'am? It was then that I wondered if I should really be stuffing my trash into skinny jeans. I'm 32. Am I too old? Do I just need to resign myself to a nice pair of bootcut with tummy control?

While we are on the subject of being too old for certain things--What is your take on hair? Is there an age when women should cut their hair? We all know how bad long hair can be on an older woman:

I wouldn't want to go any longer than this:

But is there a magic age when women should move into a graceful bob?

And then it's only a matter of time before we will all end up like this?

Sad to think about.

I digress. Back to the jeans. What do you think?

Oh, and is Luke too old for velcro shoes? Be honest.
Is it time I taught him to tie shoelaces? I did manage to talk him out of the ones that light up!

Hooray for Ed!

Tonight was the much anticipated (at least for me) finale of the bachelorette. It was a wild ride and when the show ended, I was emotionally spent.

Let's start at the beginning. I thought both guys did a great job with Jillian's family. Kiptyn came across as more free-spirited and fun, while Ed made his feelings about Jillian perfectly clear to her family--He was in love with her. Glenn obviously liked Ed more and what dad wouldn't? Ed said outright that he loved her and asked for her hand. Kiptyn kept saying "he was falling for her" and he "could see himself with her." I think in the end, that was the difference maker for Jillian too. She knew that Ed was just more in love with her.


Her final date with Kiptyn was a little boring. I have to say that Kiptyn has an amazing body and he knows it. Jillian looked pretty good too. When they were on the beach eating, I was laughing to myself thinking about what I was wearing on the beach--cut off sweats and a hoodie over my swimsuit with a hat. I could tell Jillian was cold but there was no way she was covering up that white bikini.

Her date with Ed was more romantic. I wish someone would have told him to spring for a new pair of trunks. Jillian had a different swimsuit in every shot. This has got to be the fourth time we've seen Ed in those tiny green shorts and ugly tank top. I like Ed though. He is real and most of the time he wears big cargo shorts and manly clothes. One thing I hated about Kiptyn was his little designer jeans and metro tops all the time. Be a man! Finally, I totally had to laugh when they showed the lights go out at the end of Jillian and Ed's date and then the volcano erupted. Did they really have to spell that out for us?


I have to admit, I loved seeing Kiptyn get his heart broken--not because I don't like him, but because he is always so polished and perfect. He has never been dumped until now. Everyone needs to have their heart broken at least once. I really wanted to see a tear but he never gave in. Kiptyn reminded me of Jason Mesnic when he was at the final rose ceremony with Deanna. Just like Jason, Kiptyn looked surprised that it wasn't him. He almost seemed more surprised than hurt. But rumor has it that he is the next bachelor so I'm not crying for him.


Finally, what in the world are the producers doing bringing back Reid in the middle of the final rose ceremony? I know it was done for dramatic effect but it really screwed Reid over. They should have had him come back to her earlier in the show. There was no way she was going to pick him at that point (even though I was shocked at how long she waffled!) I will always have a special place in my heart for Reid but seriously dude--deck shoes with a suit? C'mon. I did love the line where she asked Reid if he knew "what was going on here." And he said something like "yes, but what's going on here shouldn't be happening without me." Personally, I would rather see Reid as the next bachelor.

Let's get to the really important stuff--did you like the ring Ed picked out for Jillian? I'm not really a fan of the pear shaped diamond. There were some other gorgeous choices and I was pleading with Ed through the tv not to choose that one.

So--that's that. Are you watching "After the final rose" tomorrow night? Did you want Jillian to pick Reid? Are you happy with the outcome? Will they last? and did you think the ring was ugly? Please weigh in.

My All-Time Favorite Salad

I love being asked to bring a salad to an event because I know this one will always be a hit. I'm posting it on my blog so I don't have to keep emailing the recipe to people.

Red leaf lettuce and spinach
8 oz pkg slivered or sliced almonds--glaze with 2/3 cup sugar (I'll explain below)
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese cubed small
1 1b bacon cooked in microwave, shredded
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dried onion

I always prepare the almonds ahead of time. You just put the sugar in a pan on the stove and melt into a glaze. Dump the almonds in and toss around quickly. Pour them onto wax paper to cool. They burn quickly so you have to move fast.

I like to cook the bacon in the microwave on paper towels almost to the point of burning it because who wants to eat soggy bacon in a salad?

Enjoy!

*Special thanks to my cousin Liz for hosting us at a yummy BBQ with fireworks yesterday for the 24th of July. My kids were in Heaven. The "white-trash chicken" they grilled was divine. The marinade is one part soy sauce, one part vegetable oil to two parts Sprite. I will be making the chicken this week!

Sweet Victory

Gymboree is reborn. Since my last post, I have spoken with the store manager of the Fashion Place Gymboree, the District Manager and someone at Corporate. I have been issued Gymboree and Crazy 8 coupons and received countless apologies and gratitude for my patience. The employee is being reprimanded.

Some of you have expressed interest in what happened. Skip the next two paragraphs if you're bored already. I purchased a swimsuit for Sammie online using gymbucks. I received the swimsuit. It didn't fit. I attempted to exchange it for something else, all within the gymbucks redemption period.


At the register, the salesperson only wanted to give me 11.00 credit toward the new item even though the swimsuit still retails at $22.50. Basically, I wanted to keep the value of my gymbucks and get the full $22.50 toward the new item (a full price pair of pants for Luke.) The salesgirl told me no, I expressed my dissatisfaction with the policy and asked what else I could do. She told me I could return the item without a receipt. So I said, "Okay, I'd like to return the item without a receipt." She then called me dishonest and asked me to return to the store when another employee was working who did not know I had the receipt. I couldn't believe it. She went on to call me dishonest several more times in a store full of customers and more importantly, in front of my children.

My whole beef with the situation was not the store policy--ridiculous as it is--it was with how the employee handled the situation and the name-calling she engaged in. Wanna know the kicker? When I spoke with the district manager, he actually told me I was right about the policy--during gymbucks redemption time, you do get the full price of the item toward something else on an exchange.

Vindicated!

Men Tell All

I saw that the "Bachelorette--Men Tell All" was 2 hours and I swore I wouldn't watch. Then I realized I had a ton of laundry to fold, and let's be honest--I've invested this much--of course I'm going to watch it and you did too.

I will not even waste my precious blog space giving you the blow-by-blow. I am so tired of hearing about "man-code" and guys ripping on each other. Dave did himself no favors. He is a creep and I dare say he is worse than Wes.


Speaking of Wes, a dear blogging friend sent me an i-tunes gift certificate for Wes' new song and it is catchy. Hate the game, not the player.

I still cringe every time Jake opens his mouth but I think the guy is sincere and classy. I thought it was funny that the guys were giving him a hard time about "pulling a Mesnick" (crying over the balcony!)

Reid is coming back. We knew it. She doesn't pick him even though I wish she would. I still have feelings for Ed and I'm rooting for him now. What were your thoughts on the "Men Tell All?" Did anyone out there even watch it?