Face Time

I've been on hiatus from Facebook. It started when we were on vacation, it was just too hard to read status updates on Bryan's Blackberry. Then when we got back I never logged in because I was focused on reading all the blog posts I'd missed. (I've still have 260 to go.) Then I was doing other things in the evenings like weeding the garden and unpacking from Texas. Now I'm just afraid to go back.

Here's my dilema: I want to make sure that I keep up with everyone on there, but I don't have the time to sit for hours reading the status updates, quiz results, and comments that those on my friends list post. While I want to know the important stuff that's going on in their lives (marriages, births, graduations) I'm not so interested in the little things that often make their way onto Facebook (endless quiz results, pictures of pets, invitations to join virtual mafia organizations). Also, I'm kind of afraid that I'll get sucked back in and sit in my big red chair every night thinking that I should be folding the laundry or cleaning the kitchen, but updating Facebook one more time to see what's new.

See, I've discovered that I don't really like being on the computer for long periods of time. When Cooper was nursing it was a great way to pass the hours and not fall asleep. But now that Cooper is done nursing I have nothing tying me down to the computer. I'd much rather read a book or talk to my husband.

I may go back, I may not. I figure that I'll get an email notification if anyone sends me a message or writes on my wall, so I don't really need to be on there myself.

How do you limit your time on the computer but still stay update-to-date on your various forms of communication?

Bow-dacious

We spent allllllll day yesterday doing wedding stuff for Bryan's cousin Tricia. It was a beautiful sealing and a fun reception, but we are still tired. When we got to Bryan's aunt's house (the reception location) we asked what we could do to help. We were promptly put on bow duty.

Bows had been tied onto lanterns lining the driveway the day before, but those bows were looking rather sad and droopy. Now, the reason we were given this particular assignment was because my mother-in-law Shari is a pro bow maker. I am not. She had to show me what to do approximately twelve times. Even then I was nervous and had trouble making my hands fold the ribbon the right way. But then I got it. And so I did another one. And another one. And another one. You know what? I make a mean bow now.

Check it out, I have cutesy skills:

Fashion Statement

Bryan is into free stuff. We have a small but growing pile of free samples that have come in the mail addressed to Resident At, Bryan's moniker of choice. He has at least one free magazine subscription for himself and found a free 12-month run of Parents magazine for me. I also like free stuff and read every issue of Parents that I get.

A few months ago another free magazine showed up. I've read the two issues that I received and have cracked the spine on the third, but I have to tell you, it's totally outside my realm of experience. I'm still not sure why Bryan signed me up for it, and I'm not sure he knows why either. What title has me scratching my head? Elle.

This is a seriously girly magazine. It's all about fashion and, um, well, it's pretty much just about fashion. There are short interviews with actors and writers and book and movie reviews, but it's mostly ads. Did you know that the picnic look was popular in April? You know, gingham patterns, picnic baskets, ant accersories, that kind of thing. Also, denim made a big comeback, including denim fedoras and denim espadrilles.

I read each issue with the timid fascination of an outsider. Do people really dress like this? How can they afford it? How long does any of this stay trendy?

And the most important question: do I really care?

Deep in the Heart of Texas

I'm going to take a cue from Beth and talk about our trip to Texas in list form. Are you ready?

The Awesome:

• We got to spend a week with Bryan's family, which was fabulous. We even stayed at their house, which meant lots of time with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, and Uncles.
• Bryan's youngest sister is eleven and Bryan's parents have kept many of her toys. The boys now think that the attic is a magical place because that's where many of the toys came from. Both boys played happily with a toy kitchen, a dollhouse, and a Barbie cash register. They also drove cars around, so I figure it all balanced out.
• Did you know there are camels in Texas? I don't mean in a zoo, I mean camels just roaming around. We saw a herd of them it west Texas. Seriously, camels.
• We went to the aquarium in Dallas (which is a misnomer because it's really more of an aviary) and a bird landed on my father-in-law's shoulder while he was holding Peter. Peter was both fascinated and totally freaked out.
• We watched cowboys wrangle long-horned cattle. I know that it was just for the viewing pleasure of the tourists, but it was still entertaining.
• We saw signs like this one:
  
• Peter got lots of bonding time with his Aunt Lorna.
  
• We watched Bryan's youngest brother Spencer graduate from high school.
• 
• Oklahoma is gorgeous! I had no idea. Also, Wyoming is really beautiful. Granted, there weren't a ton of people in either state, but the trees and the landscapes were very pretty.
• The boys both discovered their inner cowboy.
  
  

  

The Not So Awesome:

• I really don't love tornado warnings. No, that's not right. I'm thankful for the warning, it's the tornado I don't dig. Earthquakes don't scare me, but giant swirling vortexes of air and debris do. Go fig.
• Cooper can climb up stairs.
• Cooper loves to climb up stairs.
• Cooper also loves to throw himself backward off of the stairs, which meant that we either had to block his path to the stairs, hold him the whole time, or follow him very closely as he crawled up the stairs, giggling as he went.
• New Mexico makes me sad. Sorry to those of you from New Mexico or who have recently moved to New Mexico, but it's true. Maybe I went through the wrong parts. Albuquerque was nice, but the small towns we drove through looked as if no one there cared about keeping anything in good repair.
• Freaky scary hailstorms that last for twenty minutes and, at times, limit your visibility to zero are not fun.

The Stuff We Learned:

• Fort Worth and Dallas have some fun things to do as a family.
  
  
• If we can drive to and from Texas and stay sane, then driving to California will be cake.
• Watching a movie on the laptop in our little car doesn't work so well.
• Listening to audiobooks makes up for the lack of movies.
• Texas has the best rest stops. Except for the big sign that said "Watch Out For Snakes", the rest stop we had lunch at was great. It had clean bathrooms and a huge, fully-fenced playground.
• If you need a restroom while on a road trip, and you're not near a Texas rest stop, stop at McDonald's. With the exception of a slightly sad McDonald's in eastern Colorado, they were all very clean.
• Sleep makes everything better.
  

The End.

Begin Your Celebration Early

I was all set to write about our trip to Texas... until Bryan sent this to me. Although it has been a week of cop-out posts, I promise that this does not fall into that category. It's about seven minutes long, but worth it.



So to my dad,

Bryan's dad,

and Peter and Cooper's dad,

thank you for honoring your Priesthood and loving your families so much.

Happy Father's Day.

P.I.

Watch this:



And then watch this:



Nice.

Who Stole the Cookie From the Cookie Jar?

This is what happens when you put off unpacking your bag of snacks from a long road trip and leave the bag on the floor. I was pleased he went for the graham crackers because there were also Red Vines and a handful of Swedish Fish in there.

Turning off the flash on my camera equals a blurry, but still very cute picture.

Incommunicado

We got back from Texas on Sunday night. It's so nice to sleep in my own bed. Not that the beds we slept in were bad, but there's nothing quite like your own. We chose to road trip, which was both great and crazy. It was two days down with five people (two of them in car seats) in a Toyota Camry and two days back with four. I have been composing a humorous (to me) blog post about our journey, so I'll save the details for that.

Mostly, this is a post to say that I have no idea what any of you are doing, at least those of you with blogs. Those of you without blogs, I probably have no idea what you're doing anyway. You see, I didn't keep up with my Google Reader while on vacation. There was one day that I logged on using Bryan's Blackberry, but it was only for twenty minutes or so.

That means that over the next week I'll slowly chip away at the posts that have built up. But not right now. Don't worry, I'll catch-up soon. And if any comments I leave are days behind everyone else, now you know why.

Bowling - Peter Style

Peter said he wanted to go bowling while we were at Nana Shari and Papa Ron's house, so we did. This was the only way we could get Peter's ball all the way down to the pins. Otherwise it would stop about halfway and a young man that worked at the bowling alley would come and retrieve it for us. Also, Peter got more points than I did.

I'm Sorry, Where You Flirting With Me?

Last Sunday, while visiting Bryan's parents' ward, I picked Peter up from Sunbeams. This is the conversation that took place:

Teacher: Peter, your mom is here.

Me: Hi Peter!

Little Girl in Sunbeam Class: Bye Peter (Bats eyes and makes kissing sounds.)

Teacher: Macie said that Peter is so cute she wants to kiss him.

Little Girl in Sunbeam Class, aka Macie: You're so cute Peter. I want to kiss you.

Me: He is cute. Peter, say bye.

Peter: (Totally oblivious to little girl flirting with him) Bye.

The funny thing is that two little girls have already kissed him. I hope he doesn't catch on to the fact that he's adorable for say, the next twenty years. But even if he stays blissfully unaware, I'll still have to worry about Cooper. He spent most of Sacrament Meeting making eyes at the eight-year-old girl sitting behind us.