I am not a true California girl like so many of you are. I don't have the same fanatical feelings of the truth of the place like others do. I can, in fact, quite easily admit that there are other worthy places to live in this country. But still, I did live there for just over six years. That's the same length of time that I lived in Logan, and I claim to be FROM there.
I know that California is generally one of those places that people LOVE or people loathe. There are certainly good and bad things about it, and I consider myself to be more objective than you natives on this point because I can't truly claim it as my home. That said, the thing is, California is a place that is dear to me now, in a way no other place will ever be.
In California I:
1) Got to live by myself in a cute little apartment where I painted my first stripes.
2) Made truly amazing friends that I am counting on having for the rest of my life.
3) Met and married Tyler.
4) Had not one, but two dear little babies.
5) Fell in love with and bought our first little house that seriously, I miss as much as a real person sometimes. That house was a friend to me.
It's hard to describe the way events of life get entwined with the places they occurred. So many emotions and experiences come back to me when I think of one little sun drenched spot in the vast Inland Empire. I will always have a fondness for it. I will be one of those annoying parents who drive my children around the places of my past that will then be ghettos and run-down flop houses and tell them how idyllic all of these spots used to be and they will think I am crazy.
I may not have California in my blood, but I will always have California in my heart.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Say Cheese
It seems that at least half of the people I know are now photographers. I'm not sure if this is because photography is something more flexible that a mom can do to earn a bit of money, or if the scrapbooking trend has fueled the movement. All I know is that many of my friends take beautiful pictures that make everything their family does look like it came straight out of a magazine. This is not a skill that I have learned. I don't have a fancy camera. I haven't even bothered to learn all of the features on the simple one I have. Sadly, the pictures I take reflect this. This lack of photographic talent runs in the family I'm afraid. My mother is a notoriously poor photographer. My dad doesn't even try. I have one brother-in-law that is better, and he was in charge of taking all pictures at family gatherings for years.
I'm not terribly interested in learning how to be a great photographer, but I would love to have lots of pictures of my family that look like they came out of a magazine. If only some of these talented friends would just follow us around once a month or something, like our own little paparazzo. The friend would take splendid candid shots of us, with wonderful natural light and expressions of delight on all my childrens' faces as we do things like bake cookies, find ladybugs in the grass, and build sand castles at the beach. That would not only supply me with pictures I could never manage on my own, but also relieve the nagging feeling of guilt that passes over me frequently when the family is doing something and I think over and over again "I should be taking pictures of this".
Kids growing up these days are going to be absolutely inundated with a photographic record of their lives. Think of the task it will be for them to do something like make a retrospective slideshow for their weddings. I didn't have one personally, but if I had, it would have taken about fifteen minutes to go through the photographs of my life. Ten years from now it will literally take these kids hours to attempt that. I don't mind not having lots and lots of photos of me throughout my life. After all, they would mainly be taken by my mother (whom I love dearly and has many fabulous talents) and wouldn't be very good pictures anyway...
I'm not terribly interested in learning how to be a great photographer, but I would love to have lots of pictures of my family that look like they came out of a magazine. If only some of these talented friends would just follow us around once a month or something, like our own little paparazzo. The friend would take splendid candid shots of us, with wonderful natural light and expressions of delight on all my childrens' faces as we do things like bake cookies, find ladybugs in the grass, and build sand castles at the beach. That would not only supply me with pictures I could never manage on my own, but also relieve the nagging feeling of guilt that passes over me frequently when the family is doing something and I think over and over again "I should be taking pictures of this".
Kids growing up these days are going to be absolutely inundated with a photographic record of their lives. Think of the task it will be for them to do something like make a retrospective slideshow for their weddings. I didn't have one personally, but if I had, it would have taken about fifteen minutes to go through the photographs of my life. Ten years from now it will literally take these kids hours to attempt that. I don't mind not having lots and lots of photos of me throughout my life. After all, they would mainly be taken by my mother (whom I love dearly and has many fabulous talents) and wouldn't be very good pictures anyway...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
I Can't Stand It
There are some things that gross me out/make my skin crawl/fill me with a sense of dread when I face them. Among them are:
1) Sea Life. More specifically very large sea mammals. I'm dreading the day when our kids want to make the trek to Sea World San Antonio. I don't feel predisposed to take kindly to Shamu.
2) Opening a can of refrigerated crescents or biscuits. Seeing that label "press back of spoon here" causes me to feel quite panicky.
3) A plastic spoon scraping a styrofoam bowl. The one draw back to ice cream in a cup.
4) The stalactites of cheese left on aluminum foil after you bake a covered lasagna. So hideous looking.
5) Eating reheated meat. I will eat leftovers cold rather than have to taste pre-cooked meat that has been warmed over. Not tasty.
6) On the subject of food-warmth: cooked fruit. The only exception to this is apple pie, but even then I much prefer it the next day, cold, rather than warm out of the oven. Same with banana bread, blueberry muffins, and other baked goods with fruit - I enjoy them more cold than warm. Don't get me started on fruit in savory dishes,which is almost always an abomination, and yes, that includes pineapple on pizza.
7) Going to sleep in a bed that hasn't been made. I don't sleep well if the bed hasn't been made that day. I always make the bed. If something strange happens and I have to rush out of the house without making my bed and don't get home til night and face an unmade bed I will make the bed then, just to turn it down and get right in.
1) Sea Life. More specifically very large sea mammals. I'm dreading the day when our kids want to make the trek to Sea World San Antonio. I don't feel predisposed to take kindly to Shamu.
2) Opening a can of refrigerated crescents or biscuits. Seeing that label "press back of spoon here" causes me to feel quite panicky.
3) A plastic spoon scraping a styrofoam bowl. The one draw back to ice cream in a cup.
4) The stalactites of cheese left on aluminum foil after you bake a covered lasagna. So hideous looking.
5) Eating reheated meat. I will eat leftovers cold rather than have to taste pre-cooked meat that has been warmed over. Not tasty.
6) On the subject of food-warmth: cooked fruit. The only exception to this is apple pie, but even then I much prefer it the next day, cold, rather than warm out of the oven. Same with banana bread, blueberry muffins, and other baked goods with fruit - I enjoy them more cold than warm. Don't get me started on fruit in savory dishes,which is almost always an abomination, and yes, that includes pineapple on pizza.
7) Going to sleep in a bed that hasn't been made. I don't sleep well if the bed hasn't been made that day. I always make the bed. If something strange happens and I have to rush out of the house without making my bed and don't get home til night and face an unmade bed I will make the bed then, just to turn it down and get right in.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Georgia on My Mind
I feel the need to update my blog because I am always disappointed when other people don't have anything new for me to read on their blogs.
What's new here? you ask. Well, not much. Tyler and I did go on a trip last weekend for our anniversary. It was a week and a half early, but it's when my parents could come to stay with the kids, so we were flexible. We went to Savannah, Georgia. A location I picked. Which many people seem to view as a strange choice. I have just read many books with references to Savannah and it's beauty and charm. I've wanted to see it for myself for several years. That being said, I have not read THE BOOK that you must read (apparently)if you visit this city. It is one of the things that marred the visit. There were two main things that marred the visit:
1) Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. This is the NY Times bestseller based on a true Savannah murder. I haven't read it, but I have seen the cemetery where the characters drink champagne at midnight, the statue that was photographed for the book's cover, the home where the shooting took place, and enough souvenirs concerning The Book to take away any spark of interest I may have ever had about reading it for myself.
2) Paula Deen. I hadn't thought of Savannah as having anything to do with Paula Deen before we went - but I sure know now. What this woman has done to her image in Savannah is close to indecent. Her products are everywhere. Paula Deen Hoecake Mix, Paula Deen Peach Preserves, Paula's Deen Spiced Peanuts, and the list goes on...and on. Not only that but there is "Paula Deen Approved Captain Michael's Coffee" (Captain Michael is her husband). Not only is she selling herself at every possible turn, but she is selling other people with herself as well. I can sometimes be prone to exaggeration, but this time I am telling you straight that her face is on every single cookbook for sale in the city, no matter who wrote it - but chances are it is one of her's or her sons'. The restaurant that started it all and made her famous in the first place is in Savannah, but to eat there you have to line up at 7:30 in the morning, wait until 9:30 for someone to come take your name, and then come line up again at 11 to be seated at 12. Ridiculous. All the locals we asked about it said that the food isn't even very good anymore. She hasn't done the cooking for years, naturally. We didn't even bother trying to eat there. We left that experience for all the people who paid hundreds of dollars to go on the "Paula Deen Tour" of Savannah where you ride around in a trolley and see all the places she ever shopped or ate. I used to enjoy watching Paula Deen's cooking show every once in a while, but her commercial overtaking of Savannah has left me immune to her charms.
On the flip side, Savannah was beautiful, just like all the books said. We had the most perfect weather you are ever likely to have in Georgia. The best thing about Savannah is walking around the historic district looking at the amazing restored homes and the Live Oaks dripping with Spanish Moss. We could have taken a picture on every corner, but since we did that on our Honeymoon when we waked around the historic neighborhood of New Orleans, we restrained ourselves. We figured we didn't need dozens of pictures of one or the other of us standing in front of random beautiful homes. Although i guess it could have been a good source of comparitive materials, same pictures, five years apart.
So there you have it - something new to read!
What's new here? you ask. Well, not much. Tyler and I did go on a trip last weekend for our anniversary. It was a week and a half early, but it's when my parents could come to stay with the kids, so we were flexible. We went to Savannah, Georgia. A location I picked. Which many people seem to view as a strange choice. I have just read many books with references to Savannah and it's beauty and charm. I've wanted to see it for myself for several years. That being said, I have not read THE BOOK that you must read (apparently)if you visit this city. It is one of the things that marred the visit. There were two main things that marred the visit:
1) Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. This is the NY Times bestseller based on a true Savannah murder. I haven't read it, but I have seen the cemetery where the characters drink champagne at midnight, the statue that was photographed for the book's cover, the home where the shooting took place, and enough souvenirs concerning The Book to take away any spark of interest I may have ever had about reading it for myself.
2) Paula Deen. I hadn't thought of Savannah as having anything to do with Paula Deen before we went - but I sure know now. What this woman has done to her image in Savannah is close to indecent. Her products are everywhere. Paula Deen Hoecake Mix, Paula Deen Peach Preserves, Paula's Deen Spiced Peanuts, and the list goes on...and on. Not only that but there is "Paula Deen Approved Captain Michael's Coffee" (Captain Michael is her husband). Not only is she selling herself at every possible turn, but she is selling other people with herself as well. I can sometimes be prone to exaggeration, but this time I am telling you straight that her face is on every single cookbook for sale in the city, no matter who wrote it - but chances are it is one of her's or her sons'. The restaurant that started it all and made her famous in the first place is in Savannah, but to eat there you have to line up at 7:30 in the morning, wait until 9:30 for someone to come take your name, and then come line up again at 11 to be seated at 12. Ridiculous. All the locals we asked about it said that the food isn't even very good anymore. She hasn't done the cooking for years, naturally. We didn't even bother trying to eat there. We left that experience for all the people who paid hundreds of dollars to go on the "Paula Deen Tour" of Savannah where you ride around in a trolley and see all the places she ever shopped or ate. I used to enjoy watching Paula Deen's cooking show every once in a while, but her commercial overtaking of Savannah has left me immune to her charms.
On the flip side, Savannah was beautiful, just like all the books said. We had the most perfect weather you are ever likely to have in Georgia. The best thing about Savannah is walking around the historic district looking at the amazing restored homes and the Live Oaks dripping with Spanish Moss. We could have taken a picture on every corner, but since we did that on our Honeymoon when we waked around the historic neighborhood of New Orleans, we restrained ourselves. We figured we didn't need dozens of pictures of one or the other of us standing in front of random beautiful homes. Although i guess it could have been a good source of comparitive materials, same pictures, five years apart.
So there you have it - something new to read!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The Result
I don't have time to write much, but here are some pictures at least of The New Haircut. C.T. took these. Not bad for a four year old, eh?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Hair Dilemmas
Our Ward had a Valentine's Day Dinner and Dance on Saturday night. We decided to actually go this year. Our friends appointed themselves the unofficial ward photographers and went around taking pictures of each couple. She sent out the Kodak slideshow yesterday. Let's just say that now my new plans for this Saturday include getting my hair cut into something resembling a style. I'm generally anti-bangs - having had bad experiences viewing photos of myself from the late eighties and early nineties sporting the look my dad refers to as B.U.B.s (Big Utah Bangs). Still, since my forehead in the photo from Saturday night appears to be roughly half the size of my head, I've decided something must be done. I found a lovely picture of Jennifer Garner looking radiant in nice side-swept bangs and long layers. We all know that any attempt by a salon to match a picture ends up with you looking in the mirror and down at the picture you brought saying to yourself over and over again "What picture was SHE looking at?". But desperate times call for desperate measures, as they say. I will post the results this weekend (if I actually go through with it. If you have any encouragement for me, please leave a comment).
Here is the picture that started it all:
Here is the picture that started it all:
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Nothing from the sea, thanks.
As many of you know, I have a marine life phobia. Even my kids know this because there are whole groups of pages I refuse to read to them from their "Sharks and Whales" discovery book. My husband is certainly aware of the phobia. So imagine my surprise when I came to use the computer after him to find the browser open to Craig's List. It was a listing titled "Life Size Killer Whale Replica". Can you imagine if that showed up at our house? I mean, I had to walk into the other room at my nephew's preschool because they had a big paper-maiche blue whale hanging from the ceiling. I sincerely hope it is not on the short list for one of my birthday surprises.
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