Goldie's Demise

So i decided to finish my Christmas shopping last Tuesday after having dinner with the Duchess and Athena. I was trying to go to Layton when this happened:






I hit a patch of ice, a snowbank, a railroad bridge, did a couple of 360s, and ended up in the outside lane of oncoming traffic. (This shot is face-on from the front of the car.)





See the bump right below the black hose? Yep, I bent the frame.











And what happened to my hood you may ask? Well, I just learned today that the found it somewhere on the side of the road. Apparently something though it looked tasty and took a bite out of it. (My bet is on the bridge)

Luckily I walked away with some bruises and sore muscles and nothing worse. I've wondered for a little while now if i have a vehicular guardian angel and this plus the look on the body shop guy's face when I told him I wasn't seriously injured pretty much secured that opinion. Thanks to all of the nameless people who stopped to help me, and will everyone please drive safely tonight?

Huh?

Can you imagine my surprise when I noticed this out of my office window? Did I mention that I'm on the 3rd floor?

July

So it's been a busy July. I've been a slacker and haven't kept up on all of the details, but here are some pics of what I've been up to. Enjoy!



The Clearfield 4th of July parade



Clearfield Fireworks



The Obon Festival 2009



Scrapbooking with the girls (Eris is out of the shot watching Clue)

Grow Baby Grow!

I've recently acquired a wonderful little Canon Powershot camera that I'm enjoying fully. I've also just decided to try to improve my black thumb (poor unsuspecting plants!) and as a result have discovered the wonders of micro-sprinklers. Here are some photos of the plants that, if nothing else, will serve as proof that they were once healthy.



Hooray for hostas in the shade




but wait, there's more...



I've decided that this plant is the drama queen of the bed--I came home this evening and found the flowers plastered to the dirt, little hands thrown dramatically over their eyes crying "Water... I must have water!" 20 minutes later they were back to their perky selves. Leave it to me to find needy violets. sigh.

Justifying the Blog

So this exciting glimpse into my life has been around since 2007. I've periodically ignored it, but I've done pretty well in the last 6 months or so. And I've decided that it's kind of exciting in a cheesy way. I was looking over some old posts and saw that people actually commented! It's kind of sad that this was the highlight of my day so far, but hey. I's only 8:30 am, so there's hope still, right?

Ch-ch-ch-changes

This week has pretty much kicked my trash. It all started a week ago Saturday... (insert Wayne & Garth with their cheesy 80s flashback wavy lines and "sound effects" here.) The 'rents decided to buy a car and came home with two. That's a whole different story for another day, but come Monday I decided to check into getting pre-approved for a car loan. On Wednesday Bob, Noelle and I all hit Hertz with a vengeance. Thursday I was bidding a fond farewell to the Dude and a great big hello to a yet-to-be-named '04 Oldsmobile Alero. (Suggestions, anyone?) I can now hear myself think as I drive down the road and no longer wonder at what point the car will blow up around me. On a side note--I think that the wonderful Hertz guy must have channeled the lecture he gave me after he drove the Dude from the college to the dealership straight from my father! Anyway, so hooray I'm a grown-up again.

So, the next eventful moment came when I was a witness to a car wreck in Centerville. I was on my way home from some forsaken part of the southern Salt Lake valley--yet another side story for another day. All I can say is that I'm grateful for car seats, seat belts, a clean record, that I rarely if ever drive a vehicle without a bra, and for hot police officers. Thankfully everyone was okay and my new car wasn't involved, but I've been even more of a gigantic grandma driver ever since!

But wait! there's more. Monday was our yearly cemetery trek to Idaho for Memorial Day. This event has been a source of much stress and angst since about 2001. The phrase "bad blood" was pretty relevant, but that's probably the longest side story that I really try to avoid telling. Anyway, the reason that this year was even more eventful was that we (Bob, My Brother, and I) stopped to talk with some family that we haven't seen since 2001. It was an experience that I've feared and dreaded for so long that it still hasn't sunk in that it actually happened. It was much less scary than I had imagined, but I'm still trying to process two days later. It'll be interesting to see how this changes life.

So all in all, even though the martians didn't invade I've had a pretty eventful week.

My Ripped off List of Things that are Awesome

After being inspired by Eris' post, I decided to make my own list:

1. Popsicles--the wonderful treat that I love even though I know that I'm destined to wear at least one each summer.

2. The smell of summer rain--It's only that sweet when I know it's temporary

3. The bird's nest I can see out of my bathroom window--A constant reminder that everything starts out helpless and kind of ugly.

What do you think?

random pics

Two posts in one day even! Noelle must be rubbing off on me... Here are a couple of cute pics of Isaac and Logan that I've been meaning to post for a while:


Isaac ran his nose into a chair, and this was the "bandaid" that his mom used. He kept asking to "take it off."


This is my favorite pic of the two boys together so far. Gotta love the glazed look on both of their faces!

fertile friends

I've decided that I have very fertile friends. There will be four new ones within about a six month period. Six months sounds like a long time, but it feels really short! That means that I'll have had at least one friend who was pregnant for a year and a half. I'm starting to worry about drinking the water at parties...


probably fake, but scary none the less...

The Expo

Friday afternoon I went to the Scrapbook USA Expo with some girlfriends. This bi-annual event, otherwise known as The Expo (capitols fully intended!), is an excuse to shop, chit chat, shop, eat horribly over priced food, shop, and scrap a little. It's always exciting and usually expensive, but I spent less than $30 this time. I did have a great discussion about music with the Duchess. That reminds me--I've got to go burn a CD...

Holy purple batman!

I may have suffered a brief moment of insanity today. I've always wanted to do something truly crazy with my hair a la Empire Records and today I came pretty close. And then I saw the back. Yes folks, I went with permanent color. No sissy Kool-Aid for me.

The Dude Abides... Sort of

Everyone cross your fingers for me, please. Tomorrow I throw myself on the altar of the safety inspection gods. I've learned that the wheel well on my Accord has to be removed in order to fix the windshield washer fluid reservoir. So that whole "do it yourself" aspect just flew right out the window. Since my temporary permit expires on Friday and state offices only work a four day week I'll be conducting a social experiment after work tomorrow. Wish me luck at the DMV!