home renovation

Chad and I have been married for more than three years now. In those three years of marriage, we have only spent one Thanksgiving together. Our first Thanksgiving I spent in North Carolina, while Chad sat aboard a plane bound for Utah, so he'd be back to work at Best Buy on Black Friday. This year, was reversed. Chad stayed in North Carolina, because he hasn't been working long enough to have accumulated any time off, and I few out to Utah to spend a few days with my family. It's beginning to feel like Thanksgiving isn't a real holiday, since we never spend it together. Anyway, my trip to Utah left me with a series of questions:

Question One - Why is it that around the Holidays I begin to eat just for the sake of eating?

Not hungry? No problem. Consume massive amounts of calories anyway. Thanksgiving dinner was amazing, but that wasn't the only calorie fest I indulged in on the trip. There were episodes involving spinach and artichoke dip, my mom and dad's amazing chicken salad that no one else can make just right, about a dozen Costco poppy seed muffins, Stephen's peppermint hot chocolate smothered in whipped cream, Cafe Rio (oh how my heart had missed thee!), and at least an entire jar full of chocolate/macadamia nut/caramel clusters (I want to personally meet the person who created these and not only shake her hand, but give her a hug), and much more.

This is our pretty Thanksgiving table, although I never got a picture with all the food on it . . . sad day, but it was yummy:

Here's my dad carving the turkey:

Question Two - Does every family have those relatives who are just crazies?

These are two of mine. I love them dearly, but I affectionately refer to them as the crazies:

During dinner I had a laughing fit that I had to try to conceal when crazy on the left decided to begin impersonating her dog. Yes, she was barking at the Thanksgiving dinner table. Luckily, I wasn't sitting across from Jared this year. The last time this happened, I wasn't able to control myself because every time I'd look at him it would set off the laughter again. She also had some interesting comments to make about the school where I teach . . . but that's a story for another time.

Question Three - Why doesn't my family live closer?

Spending time with my Mom, Dad, Bryan, and Jared was wonderful. I love them all so much, and it is very hard being so far away. We had a great time, though.

Jared can always make me laugh. This kid has the best sense of humor, and he always has cool, new music to share.

Even though this picture is terrible of me, I have to post it, because this so sums up the fact that brothers will always torment sisters, no matter how old they get. Constantly trying to pester, but out of love. I am going to miss Bryan so much when he leaves for Iraq after the new year.

It was so much fun to have time to spend with my mom. She didn't have to work the entire time I was there, so we had a lot of time to be together. Best of all, we got to exercise our traditional, yearly, eight hours of insanity: shopping on Black Friday. I think the lady who scowled at all us suckers, waiting in line at Kohl's, put it best: "Nothing in this store is worth waiting in THAT line for." You were right lady. But wait we did. Why? Because it's just wrong not to.

Question Four - Isn't it amazing how some friendships are made to last a lifetime?

I've known Callie since the sixth grade, when she forced me to jump off the rope swing at Lybbert's Pond. I've known Crystal since the seventh, when Callie introduced us. We've made a lot of fun memories together over the years. From school dances, to dancing the night away in Mexico, I always smile when I think of these two. It's always fun to get together to catch up. It's even more fun now that she has two adorable daughters. It was great to play with Aubrey and Olivia. I feel so blessed to have such good friends!

Question Five - Why is it, when I WANT it to snow in Utah, it doesn't?

Because North Carolina is my home now, I've adjusted to the fact that my days of white Christmases are pretty much over. There might be one fluke Christmas where I luck out and see a dusting of white, but chances are slim. As much as I complained about the snow in Utah, I do like a white Christmas. Since I won't have one of those, I was hoping for some Thanksgiving flurries. I got nothing. Nada. It wasn't even COLD while I was there. What's with that?

Question Six - How awesome is my husband to let me leave for a week to see my family?

Question Seven - How much more awesome is it that he missed me while I was gone?

As much as I loved spending time with family and friends in Utah, I really missed my husband. It was pretty hard to fall asleep without him beside me, not to mention the fact that I just enjoy having him around. I was so happy to see him again when he picked me up from the airport. I figured he would probably have enjoyed bachelorhood a little too much while I was away, but by some miracle he missed me too! I am so thankful for him and all he does for me.

It feels like my Thanksgiving trip just ended, and already we are getting geared up for Christmas. Time sure does fly! I know I've slacked as a blogger lately, but with Christmas approaching, that means there's a new year just around the corner. One of my resolutions? More blogging!

I should have known when I left for work this morning that things were just not going to go my way. The sky looked gray and solemn, so I figured we were due for some rain. It proceeded to begin snowing. Which made me want to vomit, because it forced me to recall some horrific driving experiences in Utah. (Luckily, it didn't stick . . . much to my students' dismay, and my extreme pleasure.)

After work today, I went to the DMV to get my driver's license.

That was the plan.

Chad took the test yesterday. He passed it with flying colors. 100%. Not a single question missed. His exact words were, "That test was a joke!"

I failed the test.

Yes, that's right. Failed it.

I am completely mortified.

You could only miss five questions, and I missed six. It felt like an out of body experience. I am not the kind of girl who fails tests. I'm not the kind of girl who doesn't do well on tests. I thought I was going to cry.

It reminded me of my freshman year at BYU, when I took my first Physical Science test. I remember waiting at the bottom of the stairs in the testing center, watching for my student number to pop up on the screen with my test score. When I found my number, and saw my corresponding score, I thought, "Oh, I must not have the right number." Yea. A quick look at my ID card confirmed that, yes, I did have the right number, and, yes, I was a loser who had bombed her first test.

As I drove away from the DMV, I wondered if it was criminal for me to be driving at all. I mean, clearly if I can't pass a simple driving test I have no business being on the road.

Oh, well. Life will go on. The only problem is, I still have to get a North Carolina driver's license. What happens if I fail the test a second time? I don't know if I can live that down!

It's been too long, my friends. Things have been so crazy, I haven't known where to start with blogging, and so it's been pushed to the wayside. But, since this is supposed to be a kind of pseudo-journal for me, I figure I best sketch out what's been going on. Sorry it is picture-less . . . if you choose not to read this, I forgive you.

The House.

The improvements are continuing. The house is full of surprises. Some surprises are good, like finding a silver tea set in a closet we didn't know existed. Some surprises are bad, like finding out there is no wall behind the mirrors in the bathrooms. Regardless, we are trying to get more of the many projects finished. The electrical work is now completed. Our laundry area has been framed. The plumber has been frequenting our future residence over the past couple of weeks. The popcorn is now off the ceilings (aside from two rooms that have decided to be impossible). That, in itself should have been a post of its own. I would like to find the person who decided to spray that on my ceilings and hurt them. Even though I've hated every moment of working on them, it has made such a difference. We wore masks, so don't worry, we shouldn't end up with cancer. Even though the ceilings aren't completely finished, they look so much more modern without the cottage cheese effect. The wall paper is all down (aside from the bathroom that makes we shake my head every time I walk into it). I have told Chad no matter how much I beg and plead, he is NEVER to allow me to put wall paper up ANYWHERE in my house. I hate it with such a passion, I can't even express the loathing I feel. I can't wait until we get to start painting and doing things that really make the house look different. So much of what we've been doing is prep work so it's messy and doesn't feel very rewarding. I'm ready to move in!

The Car.

We bought our first car together! We now own a 2009 black, shiny, NEW, Mazda 3. We knew this was the car for us after first test driving one in the Spring. We've been looking at every car imaginable since, but nothing was as fun to drive. I've been having a great time driving it back and forth to work, and we've both loving the fact that the gas mileage is amazing. We still love Mr. Four-Runner, but he won't be getting as much road time now that we have a fuel-efficient vehicle. Ask us how much we love the Mazda after we get our first car payment . . . hmmmm. We still need a name for our new, black beauty, so if you have any suggestions, they'd be much appreciated.

Laryngitis.

We're both sick, and I pretty much lost my voice on Friday. I try to speak and no noise comes out. Try teaching high school students without being able to raise your voice. Or really talk at all. Yea. We spent today trying to recover, and didn't work on the house at all as a result. Hopefully we'll be well soon, and we have Veteran's Day off on Tuesday, which will be spent working to try to make up lost time. Wish us luck. I'm going to take a sick day on Monday, so hopefully by Wednesday I'll be able to actually talk to my students.

My Fellow Bloggers,

I need your advice and expertise. As you know, Chad and I recently purchased a house. Well, the home improvement projects are up and running (a post and photos of the progress to follow) which means the decorating wheels are already turning for me. We need to choose a room color for the guest room, which I would like to coordinate with the main bathroom in the house, since this will also serve as the guest bath when company comes. After looking at paint colors, I've finally decided I need to choose the bedspread first, and then go from there. So, after looking through a couple catalogs tonight, I've narrowed it down to two, affordable, and beautiful, options. I need your help deciding which I should go with.

After spotting these two gems, I realized color choices were no longer going to be my main problem. The bigger issue was going to be what feel I wanted for the room. What emotions did I want to spark in the hearts and minds of my company?

The first bedspread's description boasted that it would "bring home the beauty of nature," but the second one's promise that it would "capture the spirit of adventure" was also tempting . . . either way, there is no disputing that each of them features a "stunning panorama" which "exudes a cozy lodge feel."

Choice A:

The advantage to selecting this one, is I already know someone willing to part with some decorative wall art that will coordinate perfectly. (Does your offer still stand, Wendi?)

Choice B:

At first, I was so struck by the fact that Choice A actually existed, that I overlooked this one. On closer inspection, I didn't know how I could have missed it! How charming to think that each time I walk past my spare bedroom, I could envision scenes from The Man From Snowy River. Maybe I could even store a copy of the film on DVD in the room, so guests could enjoy it before dozing off, and basking in the "adventurous" dreams this decor is sure to inspire. I'm not sure what wall art I could incorporate, although I'm sure my "My Little Pony" collection is still buried in a box somewhere at my parents' house.

So, please, dear readers, take part in my poll. I just CAN NOT choose between these two enchanting room themes. After laughing over this together, I think I have convinced my sister-in-law, Lauren, to buy whichever one I don't. That way, we can swap whenever we are craving a change.

Sadly, someone must purchase these . . . the catalog also included a bear scene of "Playful cubs romping in an alpine meadow as mother bears look on" and a scenic lake scene which portrays a "picturesque lakefront cabin" creating "a cozy rustic retreat." Wow. Kitsch at its best.

Conversation that goes like this:

One of my kids - "Mrs. Reese, do you have any kids?"

Me - "No."

One of my kids - "Do you want any?"

Me - "Yes, I definitely do, someday."

Kid - "Well . . . GO FOR IT!"

Followed by raucous laughter from the class and myself.

Sometimes, I love my life. My students are so funny.

Today is my madre's birthday. If I still lived in the same state she does, Chad and I would be driving to her house for dinner and German chocolate cake with homemade icing. (Mom, I hope Dad made you a cake.) Because I not only no longer live in the same state, but now live across the country, that is not possible. Instead, I will call her on the phone tonight and give her my birthday wishes long distance.