Such great parentsies

Mom recently got a new job in Provo somewhat near where Geoff's office is. Today she bought this huge box of bagels and shmear (including the seasonal pumpkin flavor) and took it to Geoff's work for him and his coworkers. (So nice!) Except Geoff had come home for the day not feeling well, so she brought it up to our house. I was home on lunch break at the time bringing some chicken soup for Geoff. So it was a really nice surprise and soooo thoughtful of my mom! She's so sweet.

And I don't think I've written about this yet but Geoff's dad sent us a huge package from Emergency Essentials - like seriously this huge box of stuff, which is in our kitchen right now. It has everything in it that you would ever need in an emergency. And I'm betting it was expensive because it's pretty hard to not spend $50 each time you go in there. So thoughtful of him too! We have such great parentsies they take such good care of us!!

Dopey Mopey Utah Drivers

This week is crazy!!

AND WE HAVE SNOW!! On the mountains. The leaves just barely started to turn last weekend, how can there be evil snow already. Oh well.

You know, early last week, there was a traffic boo-boo made by - I assume - UDOT, on the highway I use to get to work.

• Boo-boo#1: No warning. Normally they'll have signs warning you there will be construction on such and such days and from when to when. Not this time.
• Boo-boo#2: reducing a two-lane plus turning-lane highway to one lane, for a two-mile stretch of highway that wasn't even being worked on.
• Boo-boo#3: Not having a turning lane for a busy intersection, causing a backup of cars upon cars - most of which needed to go straight - to have to wait for the few that needed to turn left. Hence making everyone have to wait for approximately one light cycle per every three cars.
• Boo-boo#4: They did this in RUSH HOUR.

Lucky for me, I'd left for work 20 minutes earlier than normal that day, and only got to work ten minutes late. I've been using the freeway ever since.

Since the experience, I think I've come to realize the difference between Utah traffic and the little bit of southern California traffic I experienced while there. Why Utah drivers and California drivers each think the other is the worst ever.

In California, there was no real speed limit, only "The Flow." And "The Flow" was usually about 10 mph faster than the posted speed limit. Go any slower than The Flow and prepare to be honked at, flipped off, cut-off, screamed at, or something similar. Conclusion - California drivers are openly aggressive. In Utah, honking and flipping off are 98% unheard of, but Utah drivers are passive aggressive. Tailgaiting, slowing down to bother the tailgaiters, refusing to move for motorcyclers, not allowing someone to merge, and positioning your car's butt just over far enough that no one can squeeze by you are all very common.

Maybe, Utah drivers are not being passive aggressive but they're just downright dopey. I often have a hard time figuring out if a driver is really trying to piss me off or if they're just a frickin' moron. That's right, I said MORON. As in, HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET A DRIVER'S LICENSE YOU HAVE NO CLUE HOW TO DRIVE! Ha ha. Maybe I belong in California. I have a co-worker who drives the same highway and has the same anger-tendencies toward traffic and we gripe about it all the time to each other. Her son teases her, "Mom, they have pills for that kind of thing."

But how would you react if this happened to you: You're driving a one-lane highway, and a tractor pulls out two cars ahead of you. The speed limit is 50 and you need to get to work, but the guy driving the tractor mopes along at about 20 mph. You are the third car behind the tractor, but pretty soon you see a line of cars behind you going a mile back, at least. Wouldn't the polite thing for the tractor to do be to pull over and let people pass? Nope! Not this guy. He's off in la-la land, not a care in the world. Finally you reach a point where you can pass, and you see everyone behind you honking their horns and flipping him off as they pass him. (It must've been part of the 2%). What would you do? Where's a cop when you need one. If I were a cop I'd be pulling his butt over so fast. 30 over the speed limit is considered reckless driving, what is 30 under the speed limit, huh?

Happy Birthday mom!

This morning I went to a baby shower that Staci had at her house for Kayt (the friend who just adopted.) It was fun to see them again. I knew most of the people there from the ward, although there were also some family and co-workers of Kayt's. Her little baby Addi is so cute. Kayt kept saying, "I'm so obsessed with her." She's such a cute mommy. It was funny at times there would be three or four different conversations going on, and I mostly just sat there and listened, because they were talking about their kids. It was interesting because I heard lots and lots of pregnancy stories, childbirth, newborn, and all kinds of poop, pee, and vomit stories, and Kayt's seriously adorable mother in law kept turning to me saying, "this is what you have to look forward to." Ha ha. It was a little overwhelming just thinking of "that" life, but fun. I loved the hustle and bustle of Staci's house, and I really do want my own big family someday, but boy I am just not ready to start that committment just yet. But I'm glad I went. One thing I really noticed was just how much my friend Kayt is able to draw in people around her - all different kinds of people and personalities - and make them feel loved and accepted and happy. She really is such a wonderful person, and I will miss them so much when they move to Florida in a month. (Her husband will be working down there.)

Then we cleaned house, our weekend activity, a task that never seems done, ha ha. (Oh, house smells good by the way.) Mom and dad came for a few minutes for some cake and ice cream - it's my mom's birthday! We chatted and watched a little football and ate cake and opened presents. They are going up to Snowbird to spend the evening with their friends. My parents are cute. Happy Birthday mom! We love you!

Shoulda named him Stinky

I know it's gross. But once in awhile, when I walk into our house, it stinks. Partially, it's our house-cleaning. Though Geoff is pretty good about keeping up with the dishes, and often laundry. I clean the bathroom every couple of weeks. But MOSTLY, I blame the cat. For example:

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A couple of weekends ago, Geoff and I rolled up our sleeves and went to work - he cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom, I scrubbed the bathroom squeaky clean, we did all of the laundry, took out all of the garbages, even the litter box was changed. There was nothing to speak of that could cause a stink. In a good mood, I plugged in the candle warmer and dropped a Wassail-scented wax nugget in it, and popped some cookies in the oven. Not only did our house not stink, it smelled heavenly.

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For about ten minutes.

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It was at that particular moment that Wally decided to take a dump in his litter box, which we realized as soon as it hit our nostrils. Being that our house is so small, the truly horrendous odor quickly filled the entire house, overpowering any and every good smell we had going. I was so pissed! You know, nevermind that everyone (or every animal) has to poop now and then, and that he was using his designated toilet area, and that he doesn't know any better and can't help it. The smell was so completely intrusive that I got mad at him. And, sadly, this sort of thing happens all the time. All the time. Sometimes I wonder why I agreed to get a cat. And I keep saying to myself that after Wally dies, we aren't getting another animal until our house is big enough that we can have a good spot for a litter box, like a backyard.

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But I also love the fat little furball. Hence, my love-hate relationship with the cute animal. I took these pictures last night. It's a typical night in the life of Walter Sylvestersmith.

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Not too happy that I interrupted his grooming session for a picture:

If looks could kill. I think he thinks I'm a moron.

The philosophical pose: "He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened."

We worked out a litter-box cleaning system now, too. So hopefully that will help.

Wish I had a river

I've still got a little homework tonight, but instead I went shopping and am now making a big ol' giant playlist for when Alison comes home next April. (I know a little premature, I'm just excited). It contains all the hits that've come out in the past year, that are on our itunes. Browsing music is fun. The homework can be done on my lunch tomorrow.

I keep waking up at night all sick to my stomach. (No! I am not pregnant - this has been verified) I kept getting all sick and dizzy - so bad I had to come home from class one night. I did a little reading and thought, the nasal spray's making me dizzy. So I found all my nasal sprays and chucked 'em in the garbage and bought some sudafed to help with the sinuses. Had to sign something saying I would not make meth with my Sudafed. (Like I'm gonna! Just coming off a nasal spray addiction is bad enough, I will never get hooked on real drugs!) Then after a couple of days I read that Sudafed makes you dizzy. Grrr! So, no Sudafed today, and I'm hoping I can make it through the night without waking up sick. I drank lots of water today to try and rule out dehydration too, if that's what it is.

It is Wednesday! This week is taking forever! (sorry for all the whining)

To ten million fireflies

Today on the radio I heard some stuff I liked...

I get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs

Picture from here. I liked his pictures.

Love my hubby

I got out of class at seven and stayed at a computer lab to do that project. It only took two hours, that was it! So if you caught a glimpse of the ranting post (which I deleted soon after writing) then you know I completely freaked out for nothing. It makes me happy. And the exam for a different class which was supposed to be on Thursday got an extended deadline, so the pressure is mostly off for the week. (mostly.) There was even time to come home and watch the Biggest Loser with my hubby. Okay going to bed now.

Yay! I am happy.

Oh tender mercy, someone up there loves me. I ran down to the school on my lunch break and walked into the classroom where I left my CD. Thankfully the room was empty except for a few students. I walked right up to the computer where I'd sat and opened the CD drive, and there it was!! Never thought I'd be so happy to see a piece of sample auditing software. My nice friend said he was happy to share his CD with me, but that would've only worked in the short term. So even though I'm grateful to him, I'm soooo relieved to have found my own. I'm hoping to plug through the entire project tonight, even if it means staying up late!

Earth to me, earth to me

Well, the airhead has made her appearance again. The IDEA software that we're supposed to be working on, it comes with a CD and an instruction manual, and my goal today was to spend at least a couple of hours on it. So, I read through the manual, go to insert the CD, and it's not there. Then I realize that I must've left it in the drive back at school. This is not good. Not only is the project due on Thursday, but it will be expensive to replace. Well, here's just hoping that no one else has used the CD-ROM on that particular computer since last Monday night. hoping hoping hoping. I'll be running down there on my lunch break to check on it, and hopefully there's not a class at that time. Oh I am such an idiot. I feel like crap. I could've sworn I took it back out. Apparently not.

Well, yesterday I spent 8 straight hours on homework stuffs, so I guess there's nothing left to do today.

I went to mom & dad's earlier today and Erik looked at my brakes. They were squeaky and I thought maybe the brake pads needed to be changed, but they're just a little dusty. So Erik took em apart and cleaned em. He's such a sweet little brother. And brilliant mechanic. He took it for a drive and said there's no warping and my alignment's good, and it appears my car's in pretty good shape for having the miles it does. I'm so thankful he did that for me. If I'd taken it to a repair place they probably would've charged a ton and told me I needed new brakes.

Today Geoff made chicken stroganoff & rice for dinner. He's such a good cook. And he cleaned the house and did laundry. Sigh. I think everyone has it together here but me, but I am so thankful for them.

Leading the revolution against irresponsible shoppers

So we're on our way home from Coney's and we're listening to "Who Asked You" on KSL. (A random-caller-driven gripe session) Geoff says he's going to call in so he gets his phone out and dials. We pull into the parking lot and I run to the radio in the bathroom while Geoff waits in the kitchen, still on hold. Finally, I hear him come on the radio. The radio guys say, "We're going to Geoff in Orem, Geoff, Who asked you?" Geoff replies, "You know I've called about this before, but it's something I feel very passionately about so I'm gonna continue to call, but I am sick and tired of people leaving their shopping carts all over the parking lot. I think it's disrespectful, selfish, and rude, and I'm prepared to lead the revolution against irresponsible shoppers, are you guys with me?" I am laughing my head off in the bathroom and Geoff comes in just in time to hear them laugh and agree that they're with him, then they go on to talk about some kid in the Macey's parking lot in Spanish Fork who he saw heave a shopping cart into a car with all his might. And that's the end.

Wordle

This is a wordle. As Ashlee says, it's a toy for generating "word clouds" from text that you provide. The text for this one was taken from my blog. It supposedly gives more prominence to the words you use more often.

I mostly think it's really hilarious that the word thing is the biggest one there.

Needs a nap

I think it's a good thing this is my last semester. I'm not freaking out like back in January, but it's taking a toll. This final year of school has been kind of a trial, for sure. Geoff suggested I just focus on finishing the semester, and then I can worry about grad school and think about what will happen after that. I think that sounds fine.

I plan to spend literally all day Saturday working on homework. I'm a little behind in one of my classes, and I've got a project to do for another, in addition to the normal homework. So that will be fun. I'll wear my slippers, order pizza, throw some tunes on, and get to work.

There are a few minutes left of lunch break, so I'm going to nap now. Like Wally.

"Live Untied"

Project Read has a website/blog. Find out more about it here.

United Way (Utah County)'s website is here.

My grandma is on facebook

Yes, that's right, my grandma. Along with wearing levi's and reading blogs. And if you talk to her about it, she's been known to say, "Well, I don't live in cave!" I love her to bits. She is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world.

It almost makes me miss facebook. And now my grandma is there. I might have to re-open it.

One of my very favorite people in the whole entire wide world teaching one of my other very favorite people how to can peaches.

Dig in

I've been posting a lot. Got a lot of stuff rollin' around in my head, I guess. Tonight in class we were introduced to IDEA software, used for analyzing data, to look for fraud, my guess. We have a workbook that is supposed to walk us through the different steps. I didn't really do well with Microsoft Access last spring, and looking at this stuff brought flash backs of Excel tutorials and wanting to commit suicide. (Okay, kidding on the suicide part. Mostly.) But I was a little overwhelmed as I walked out to my car. Again, flashbacks of being a total basketcase last winter. There's nothing to worry about, just the best thing to do is dig in and DO IT.

Okay, this is not the most uplifting of posts. But thinking about the whole damn prerequisite thing is getting me kind of depressed. Almost everyone I've asked about University of Phoenix has said they would go elsewhere, especially when they hear how much it costs. I think they're probably right. I should probably keep looking for something else. So, the next thing to do is see if any of the schools around here (BYU, UofU, and if the Utah State program is still offered at UVU by next year) offer a Macc or MBA with Accounting emphasis degrees, during the nights/weekends or online. If so, then I'll need to find a way to take those prereq's. Need to ask them if they can be taken at those schools, or if the e-learners website classes are acceptable, and if so, how do I take them. Two of the three classes I need are offered by the Univ. of Phoenix through E-learners, ha ha. The irony.

Another little caveat to this whole thing is that the tuition-reimbursement program I've been using through my work stipulates that you continue to work for the company for at least one year after completing your degree or your last day of class, and I intend to honor it. So, if my only other option is to quit working and go to school during the day, I'll have to wait one year after finishing to begin again. Maybe that won't be such a bad thing to take a break though. I'd hate to have to quit though. I really love my job and the company. Especially when jobs are in short supply, it would be a real shame to give it up.

DUDE. I love music. It has a calming affect. About a year ago, my dad gave me a Jesse McCartney CD. He'd bought it thinking maybe the guy was related to Paul McCartney and that it might have some good stuff. Nope. Not to him anyways - it's really more dancy-poppy-hip hoppy... more my thing. I popped it in today and listened for the first time, and recognized eight of the twelve tracks as hits I've been listening to all along. It's the current fav.

Geoff is in the front room clapping whooping and yelling "TOUCHDOWN!!" and other things. He's so cute.

Well, gotta quit blogging if I'm gonna dig in and do it. Bye.

Adoption

It's my lunch break. Do I nap? Or blog? Nap? Blog. Nap? Hmm it seems blog is winning so far anyway. So last week, it was summer, with temperatures in the high 80's. This week, it's fall, the leaves are starting to turn. I would perfectly happy if we could have spring, then summer, then fall, then exactly one day of winter, because that's about how long its charm lasts. You rarely hear people complaining at the end of summer, but at the end of winter, we are fed up with the snow and coldness and darkness.

I was reading this person's blog about some stuff that is happening with their adoption. I don't know this family at all, I followed the link at the urging of the author of this blog. But it got me thinking. (I know this is a super sensitive subject for some! I'm a little scared of hurting people's feelings by blogging about it. But it is my blog.) It seems I know more people who struggle with infertility than people who don't, and I know it's very possible we will face the same thing. We've talked about adoption, and agreed that we will be happy to adopt if needed. Having your own children is very special, but I really feel that adopting is very special in its own right too. In fact, we've talked about eventually adopting even if we don't "need" to, per se.

Even though I've never been through the adoption process and don't know the legalities, I'm very surprised at the situation that person is going through to keep their baby. Maybe they were just fostering and are now trying to make it permanent? I don't know. But anyway, somehow, the biological father of the baby now wants him back, even though the birth mother sides with the adoptive parents. They are having to go through court and everything. Seems this birthfather never gave a hoot about his kid until now. Why he wants him now is strange to me. I pray for the family though. Also, reading on, it seems that the second time they tried to go through the adoption process, they were picked by someone who wasn't really pregnant, who was just pretending. She kept changing her mind on the couple over and over, and finally told them she was about to give birth and had chosen another family, who was there at the hospital with her. Then they got a call a few weeks later from someone who said her cousin was about to have a baby and they'd been picked. Turns out it was that same girl playing a joke on them again, seemingly because she wanted attention. Who does that? A psychopath, that's who. You'd think there would be a way to verify with the adoption agency that the person you are attempting to build a relationship with is, in fact, pregnant, and that they are, in fact, registered. It scares me a little. All in all, I don't think that is the norm. I would like to research it though.

Quotes

Geoff and I were asked to read a couple of quotes in sunday school today. I couldn't manage to read mine loud enough for everyone to hear. :( But I liked it a lot, so I'm posting it as one of two quotes today. The second one, by Gordon B. Hinckley, I had glued into the binding of my scriptures way back in high school and is one of my favorites! I just happened to think of it today.

#1

Elder M. Russell Ballard:

"Life isn't always easy. At some point in our journey we may feel much as the pioneers did as they crossed Iowa - up to our knees in mud, forced to bury some of our dreams along the way. We all face rocky ridges, with the wind in our face and winter coming on too soon. Sometimes it seems as though there is no end to the dust that stings our eyes and clouds our vision. Sharp edges of despair and discouragement jut out of the terrain to slow our passage... Occasionally we reach the top of one summit in life, just as the pioneers did, only to see more mountain peaks ahead, higher and more challenging than the one we have just traversed. Tapping unseen reservoirs of faith and endurance, we, as did our forbears, inch ever forward toward that day when our voices can join with those of all pioneers who have endured in faith, singing, 'All is well! All is well!'" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1997, 82; or Ensign, May 1997, 61)

#2

"Love is the very essence of life. It is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yet it is not found only at the end of the rainbow. Love is at the beginning also, and from it springs the beauty that arched across the sky on a stormy day. Love is the security for which children weep, the yearning of youth, the adhesive that binds marriage, and the lubricant that prevents devastating friction in the home; it is the peace of old age, the sunlight of hope shining through death. How rich are those who enjoy it in their associations with family, friends, and neighbors! Love, like faith, is a gift of God. It is also the most enduring and most powerful virtue." - Gordon B. Hinckley

Love!

Also, while we were at church, sitting in the back of the cultural hall, I looked behind us and saw an open doorway with a staircase leading upwards. Wanting to find out where it went, we followed it. It lead up a full flight and into a room we'd never seen before or known was there, and then back down another flight of stairs to the back of the stage. NEAT! I've said before how our church building is such an old hodge-podge mix of hallways, rooms, and staircases. It's like they kept adding on and adding on randomly. I had this terrible thought that it would be the perfect setting for a cat-and-mouse horror/thriller movie, but that may be a little sacreligious. It's a church. It has so much personality though.

And I watched some previews for Twilight - New Moon, coming out in November! I can't wait to see it! It looks so good. One of my co-workers rented out a theater on opening night and is selling tickets to friends and family. I would go but the movie is at 12:54 a.m. on a Thursday night! I can't stay awake past midnight anymore. But I'm excited to see it.

Spelling Bee

This morning we went to a fund-raiser spelling bee for Geoff's work, hosted by Project Read. When I was a kid, I was in a few spelling bees, so I thought I was a good speller. I was wrong. The words they had were so hard! I'd never even heard about 90% of the words they used. But it was all in good fun. They had five rounds, and Geoff was in round 4 with his coworkers.

Then we came home to watch the BYU game - well actually I fell asleep and took a nap - but BYU won. Then we took cookies and a baby gift to Kayt and Brian, but they weren't home. :( I really wanted to see Addi, but I'll see her eventually. Now we're just hanging out watching the tube.

What I meant to do today was finish the housecleaning, laundry, and do homework, and none of those things got done, ha ha. Well, there's tomorrow. I so love spending weekends with my hubby. I love just relaxing together.

Need caffeine

Oh today was so looooooong. There just wasn't much to do today, and the hours just draaaagged. Geoff helped break it up though by taking me to lunch. :) Tonight we cleaned house again then watched Confessions of a Shopaholic. Two hours of our lives we will never get back. But Geoff stuck it out even though he clearly wasn't interested, what a sweetie he is. I think I owe him a zombie movie or something.

Woke up around four in the morning last night, and laid awake for about two hours. The last time I remembered seeing the clock it was 5:57, then I fell asleep, then the alarm went off promptly at 6:03. Maybe another reason why the day dragged. I'm going to try to make it to midnight tonight without passing out.

After work we did watch a program on 9-11. I get really emotional every time I see one of those programs or think about that horrible event. It makes me so grateful for my family and to be here with my sweet husband.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

When we were first married, Geoff had this job. It was a pretty good job, but google shut them down which took away about 90% of their business, which caused a massive downsize, wherein Geoff was laid off. The good thing about it was that they were given about six weeks notice and a decent severage. Geoff had a new job lined up before his old one even ended.

Geoff had a coworker, however, who decided to take it easy and claim unemployment. Unemployment is a great program, but this person decided to take advantage of it by skirting by on minimum requirements and purposely staying unemployed. This went on for months until someone turned him in. I share this story as a lead-in for a discussion that I had with my friend on the way home from California. I hope I can put it into words well and that it makes sense and isn't just a buch of jumble.

Now, I believe strongly in the idea of striving for self-suffiency. Geoff and I were pretty lucky with him having a good-paying job in the first couple years of our marriage; it got us off to a great start. We've been very extremely blessed, but we've also worked hard for what we have. We seriously pinched and saved for a long time to be able to put a decent down-payment on our condo. (I will give this credit to Geoff - he was the tough saver, gosh-love-him. I probably would've spent more of it.) We could've taken out a much bigger loan than we did, but we were set on staying within our means. (And it turned out to be a good thing too when he lost that job and I eventually became the one with the full-time job). We've done what we can to get out of debt, such as paying off the cars - and we plan to drive them until they're dead - and avoiding credit card problems. We've sacrificed a lot of time and energy in getting through school, because we know, or at least hope, that it will better enable to us to support ourselves and have the quality of life we want.

Does that mean we don't take advantage of available resources? Heck no. We've used employer tuition-reimbursement, taken out student loans as we needed them, and applied for tribal grants. So although I think self-sufficiency is a goal that everyone who can do, should do, I also think that anyone who truly needs help, be it unemployment, medicaid, food stamps, disability, anything, should definitely be able to recieve it. That's why those things are there, so that people don't have to go without. I certainly hope that when we need help, help will be there. I know that not all people come from the same walk of life, and circumstances vary, and there is a real need for help for many.

Sadly, I think there will always be people who take advantage of government programs - like Geoff's old coworker - but does that mean we shouldn't provide them? Absolutely not. I think so-called "socialist" programs do have their place, and in some situations, there is a need for them. In the case of the health-care reform, it could be a very good thing, it's just necessary that a change as big as that be done right. It needs to be argued over and molded and remolded after taking into consideration all points of view. It's not something that should be done quickly or hastily.

About socialism. People often use socialism and communism in the same sentence, but are they really the same thing? Is it possible to have a capitalistic society with socialist ideals? A capitalist society that still provides for the poor? Because I believe very strongly that capitalism is the best vehicle for growth. My friend cited China, saying that if it's the next world power, then communism can't be bad. I think China's rising power relates to the fact that they've been slowly integrating capitalism into their society. Communism in it's purest intention should be a utopia right? Everyone is equal, no one goes without. But there are several reason why communism fails. (If you want you can google it, I won't go into it here.) Capitalism - competition and the opportunity for gain - are the driving forces behind economic growth, and it serves as a check-and-balance to itself. Laws and regulations imposed by the government are still absolutely necessary, but they should not intend to dictate or control the direction of business.

I've been thinking this over with a real-life situation, and have some questions. Take the mortgage-lenders. There probably should've been a line drawn in the mortgage lending standards - such as don't lend to people who can't repay their loan. But some wanted the poor to be able to afford housing, resulting in the large number of sub-prime mortgages, which as we know, contributed to the meltdown. Now the large companies (even including some that are seperate from the mortgage lenders) are controlled by the government. We are weighing capitalism with socialist ideals, where is the balance? Should we have let our mistake of not regulating the industry correct itself by failing, instead of bailing it out? (Probably not because it would've had huge consequences, and therein lies a conundrum.)

Anyway, all in all, I believe that self-sufficiency, independence, and the prospect of a free market, or the opportunity and the ability to be a self-made man (in my opinion, this is what "the pursuit of happiness" means) were a part of what drove America to be what it is. America was founded on those principles, among others. And those principles were set in place with the idea that we could be free, have the opportunity to prosper, and that our people would not want. I think we do have a responsibility to see to it that our citizens are not for want.

What does that make me. Republican or Democrat? A little of both?

Anyway. Politics and ideals. I'm not an expert in this stuff, which is why I never put it out there, and I may come under fire, but I welcome comments. My conversation with my friend was an eye-opener for me and helped me realize some of my own beliefs, so I'd be happy to read others' comments too.

more schooliosis

We did a presentation in my fraud class tonight. It went very well, and it's over, whew. That makes one down, two to go.

I talked with our CPA today about school. He agreed that University of Phoenix is expensive and that I should just do an MBA with accounting emphasis at the Utah State program they have here. It's held at UVU every Friday night and Saturday morning. That was the initial route I had wanted to follow, but it has those dang prerequisites that I can't take at UVU. Also, UVU is starting their own MBA program next fall which is offered every Friday night and Saturday morning. I don't know why they did that; maybe they're trying to push Utah State out of the way and take the students that had planned on doing that. Anyway. It's just the dang prerequisites.

Loving the online idea

Good news! Well, two things I guess. One, we got a new camera. One with a memory card, and that plugs straight into the computer where you can either import or copy and paste. Geoff said he could use it for work tomorrow, but I'm excited just to have it. Expect to see lots more pictures!

Two, I talked with a guy at University of Phoenix, and am pretty excited about the program. He was soooo nice and helpful. Some of the things I found out that will be helpful in the decision making are:

1) The don't have a MAcc, they have an MSA. I'll need to research what the difference is, if it matters, and how much.

2) Because I'm already an accounting major, there are no prerequisites for the program. MAJOR PLUS. But, if I want to take some of the classes I couldn't take at UVU, they are available. Another MAJOR PLUS. What I'd probably do is just read some books that have to do with the classes I don't have so that I'm not totally in the dark when starting up again. I've no problem with doing that.

3) Taking the GMAT is not required. Another major plus. He said this is partly because they are an online program and there isn't as much of a need to limit enrollment.

4) Being employed is actually a requirement. Ha ha, imagine. A requirement and not just an impediment to being a stinking "student first." I love it.

5) The classes are run one at a time, allowing six weeks for each course. Another plus. I love the seven-week summer sessions at UVU because of their shortness. And taking one Univ. of Phoenix class at a time for six weeks can't be any worse than taking three UVU classes at a time for seven weeks. Sounds do-able to me.

6) You are not required to be online at any specific times. There are deadlines for the course, but you do not have to have an "online presence" at any specific time. I love the prospect of flexibility.

Sounds pretty good so far. Here's the kicker though, the one that made me catch my breath -

7) There are twelve classes, and each class costs a whopping $2,070. That includes books, but is still about three times as expensive as UVU here. They do offer financial aid of up to about $20,000 per year. I won't say how much I make, but $20,000 would definately take enough chunk out that we'd need to have financial aid. Don't know if I relish the thought of having that much more in student loans to pay back, but it is an option.

So, now I have to really think about if it's what I want to do. I was told to wait until the bachelor's was official before applying, so I've got some time. I also spoke with someone else at - I think Stetson University - who said that there are prerequisistes for their school and they aren't offered by their school. I'd have to take them through the AICPA or Elearners website before enrolling. And they do have the GMAT requirement. So those are some differences. I need to find out how much some of the other schools cost. There are still a few things to look into, but the ball is rolling.

The movies

Sometimes I just feel like, I'm weird. And I know it. And that's that.

We saw All About Steve this last weekend and it was pretty funny. Although I should say I hope I've never stalked anyone, I found I was identifying with the character a little bit. I'm a little bit misfitted sometimes. But, the message of the movie concerning misfits was great. And I heart Sandra Bullock. Even more than Bradley Cooper, although we both agreed he's a good-lookin' fella.

We also watched Surf's Up again, the surfing penuins movie. It's pretty funny, even for adults. I recommend it if you want some good clean entertainment. (Voices of Shia Lebouf, The Dude, John Heder, Zooey Deschanel, and Jethro from the Beverly Hillbillies movie.)

We also watched Burn After Reading finally, which was okay. The thing that made it enjoyable at all were the performances by Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, and John Malkovich. We're so used to seeing Brad Pitt in the Benjamin Button/Meet Joe Black/Interview with a Vampire roles, and this role was the total opposite of those (meaning animated, he played an airhead, really) and he was so funny.

Still want to see Julie and Julia.

But who ever said flooding the kitchen was a bad thing?

Today = work then school then group meeting then home. I came inside and it smelled strongly of cooking onions (yumm). Geoff is making a crock-pot quiche for breakfast tomorrow. He's such a cutie. My cutie.

Now = homework!!!!!!!!!

This reminds me of the time we had been back from our honeymoon maybe two days. We were renting a basement apartment that shared a vent system with the people upstairs. I was making lunch to take to Geoff at work - macaroni and cheese - and he had asked me to cook up some onions and put the onions in the mac & cheese. Somewhere in translation, "onions" became "peppers," and the only peppers we had were a jar of jalapenos. Never having fried jalapenos before, I didn't know they would cause such an odiferous, eye-watering, heave-inducing smell. I had to open the door (there were no windows) to air the apartment out, and when I walked up the outside stairs to the driveway, I noticed the upstairs people had their front door open too, as well as all the windows. OOPS. I think the goddess of domesticity forgot to kiss my forehead. Well, Geoff probably should've known what was coming from that time I put the wrong kind of dishwashing liquid in the dishwasher in my provo apartment and flooded the kitchen with suds. (Geoff was the one who came to help clean up - we only knew each other about a week at that time. Why oh why did he continue dating me?) I guess I could take comfort in the fact that at least I've never burned a hole in our clothes with the iron. I guess it does help that I don't actually iron our clothes.

And that Geoff knows how to cook for himself. Poor guy. Someday, I will be the cook.

Okay, now really. Homework.

Hey Mostly-Probably! I flood my kitchens, you set yours on fire. I bet if we were roommates we would balance each other out pretty well. Hehe

Baby names

So the topic of baby names has been something that Geoff and I have always talked about - even when we only first met. (Funny story - I'll share in a minute). Anyways, we were talking about it today again and I think we finally found a girl name we like! Camille. It never struck me as especially special before, but the more I think about it the more I LOVE it. And our first boy will be named Malcom, so Alison can rest easy we will not steal her Marty name. Probably. We do like Marty. Anyway, she'll probably have kids first. Heck, she'll probably say she was already planning on using Malcom. But Al, Erik, and Danielle, if any of you take our names just know we're still naming our kids that.

I can't remember if I've blogged about this before and I don't want to search through the entire past two years of entries, so if you've read it before you can skip. (Yes, you have my permission) :P

We were at a midnight dinner-date at the Denny's near my apartment; we'd known each other about two weeks. We were talking about our future kids - not OUR kids, just our kids. (you get it). Geoff was saying how he thought it would be fun to play sports with them, and said something along the lines of, "but when it comes to girls, I'm clueless about helping them." And without missing a beat, without even thinking, I said, "Oh I'll be there for 'em." And only a moment later realized the implications of my words and gave a low, "Oh." and looked down at my plate, soooo embarrassed. Geoff just laughed. I guess we must've known right from the start. Did I mention that the waitress approached and asked if we were married? (no) Cousins or something? (no) "Oh, well you just like you go together." ha ha.

This morning we went to the mall. Geoff got some levi's at Macey's and I spent my Maurices gift card on two cute cardigans and a white winter coat (so cute), and some earrings. We came home and relaxed for a few hours then attacked the beastly housecleaning monster while watching the football game. BYU just won against Oklahoma, which is what we call an "upset." Like I said BYU blows dirt but I do enjoy football season. And I started putting up fall decorations!

Toxins, my favorite

So today I am feeling great except for some dizziness; I keep stumbling around. I asked Ang it if was because of the toxins released during the massage and she said to just keep drinking water... and eat some cookies. (She brought homemade ones). "Put those toxins right back in your body," she said, to which I replied, "Mmmmmmmmm toxins," and stumbled out the door. I mean, I will eat any toxins that Ang brings to work, she could seriously open her own store and be very successful.

Geoff and I are meeting for lunch at Apple Spice, so I can show him how delicious the chicken salad sandwich on 13-grain bread is. Mmmmmmmmmm!!

We're the safety kids, the safety kids

Ken came over tonight after I got home from class and did another massage. (Geoff was there, but he didn't want one). I asked him just do my back and neck, and focus on the part where the neck muscle meets the skull, cuz that's where I have so much pain. He did something called sacrocranial and structural. He pushed sooooo hard and it was amazing. He is the first massage therapist that actually listened to what I wanted then did it. I was actually instantly sick to my stomach the second I stood up when it was over, (google said it's because the release of toxins and to drink lots of water), but it's passed now and my neck feels great. No head-turning pain, at all. If anyone wants Ken's number, let me know.

We just watched a thing about that guy that kidnapped an eleven-year old girl and kept her in his backyard for 18 years, brainwashing and raping and fathering her two children. This whole thing makes me seriously ill, what evil must be in a man's heart. That poor poor girl, I just feel so bad for her and her kids, there aren't words. (I could go on, but I'm sure we all know and feel the same). The end of the show emphasized teaching your children that they should feel that if anything were ever to happen to them, that they should feel they can tell you anything, and to teach them how to scare away menacing strangers by yelling. This reminded me of something I had as a child, called the "Safety Kids," it was a book and a tape that told the story, and had songs. I remembered -

Sometimes you just gotta yell and scream

Sometimes it's the only thing to do

Noisy as a fire truck

You just gotta open up

And get the crowd's attention turned to you

Haven't thought about that in years, but screaming to get attention was as common knowledge to me as stop drop and roll. Thankfully I never had reason to do it, but it's a good thing for a kid to know. I hope I can find the Safety Kids when I have kids of my own.

We're all gonna die soon anyway

Well, according to some stuff my dad read, the world is going to end in late 2012. I am not happy about this. We are working our butts off so we can one day make a comfortable living, at least. I'll be so pissed if we slaved away over school and wasted precious time sitting in a classroom, and then the world ends before we can see the real fruits of our labors. You know, we could be spending time together, going to baseball games, hanging out, being relaxed, enjoying life. Maybe How to Profit From the Coming Rapture really does contain all I need to know. Maybe I should quit school and just study that. Anyway, that's all about that.

I'm so very tired and still need to go back to work and finish the day, then to class. I'll have to make a stop at the gas station for some caffeine.

There's lots I really want to write about some stuff. But it will take awhile and now is not the time. Maybe this weekend. Bye.