Tahoe Trip- the quite literal crap storm

SO... made it in to Tahoe quite quickly, with no problems. Had a little Taco Bell on the road, settled in to the condo, relaxed all night.

And then...

I woke at 3am with a rumbly in my tumbly.
Taco Bell came back to visit and had to make a quick getaway.
I was on the bathroom floor all morning.
I spent all of Saturday trying to recoup so I could visit my family at their vacation rental as they came into town. Gosh, why did I post pictures of bliss? Have I learned nothing?!

Tahoe Trip- Calm Before the Storm

So here's a picture of me blissfully putting my feet up with some strawberries imported from the Napa Valley, a good book and no knowledge of what's on the horizon:

Little did I know what was coming for me...

Father's (hotter's) Day

Happy Father's Day to Jimmy!
Because I love you sooo much, I think it might be nice to get you something extra special for this extra special day!
Let's start by making sure I'm completely exhausted and useless because I just returned from girls' camp. For a little special surprise, I'm going to forget to buy you something. And then, because my heart beats only for you- I'm going special order an over one hundred degree day. But, wait! there's more! The air conditioner will break so it's completely unbearable in our house to the tune of one hundred and eleven degrees (triple same digits, make a wish!). It looks like your wish came true! We hauled everything down to the church to have dinner and the power went out, making their a/c useless as well.
Looks like this swell day brought you everything you had ever hoped for, Sweetie.
I love you!

Sacrament Talk (again)

Well, the kitchen staff faced a lot of adversity this year. Instead of giving you a list of all the things that went wrong due to unforeseen circumstances, I’d like to share a tiny little miracle that happened. While the missionaries serving at the camp were changing my flat tire, I was called down to the kitchen due to another emergency and left the missionaries to tend to my car. When they finished changing my tire, the car was brought down to the kitchen while the wheel lock was still attached to one of the bolts that fastens the tire to the car. Without this wheel lock, or key, my tires could not be changed again. The road from upper camp to the kitchen is a winding, bumpy one and the wheel lock fell off the tire somewhere between point A and B. Of course, I had no idea any of that had happened. It was only when someone came up to me the following day, wheel lock in hand, that I knew it had even been lost in the first place. A tiny wheel lock when compared to the vast wilderness of camp is minute- nearly invisible. But somehow, someway- that tiny key made it back into my hands. It was incredibly busy in the kitchen when this tiny piece was returned to me, so I pocketed it and kept working. But upon inspection in a quiet moment, turning that wheel lock over and over in my hands, I was struck with what felt like lightning. Heavenly Father loved me. Heavenly Father LOVES me.

Dieter F. Uctdorf states, "The more we learn about the universe, the more we understand- at least in a small part- what Moses knew. The universe is so large, mysterious and glorious that it is incomprehensible to the human mind. 'Worlds without number have I created,' God said to Moses. The wonders of the night sky are a beautiful testimony of that truth. My dear brothers and sisters, it may be true that man is nothing in comparison to the greatness of the universe. At times it may even feel insignificant, invisible, alone or forgotten. But always remember- you matter to Him! No matter where you live, no matter how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance, or how little your calling in the church may appear to you, you are not invisible to your heavenly father. He loves you. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness. Together, they form a lasting testimony of your fidelity and faith."

I am just a tiny little key in a vast human population. Really, I am inconsequential. Or so it seems. But I- like the wheel lock- am the only one that can do the job I was sent here to do. I am the only one like me. You are the only one like you. You and I are the keys that make the world turning possible.

I am incredibly grateful for the many lessons I learned at camp this year. My gratitude for the blessings I received in the face of adversity is boundless. There are no coincidences- you are not here by accident. We each a have a purpose. A name. A place in Heavenly Father’s kingdom. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  

CupKate

Kate is so sweet. Without even knowing how hard things were in the camp kitchen, she showed up to camp with cupcakes baked just for us. Upon finding out how difficult things were, she wrote us a kind letter. And then, when she discovered that one staff member was blinded and we weren't sure if she would be okay, Kate had her whole unit praying for the kitchen staff. It felt really nice knowing someone was backing us up. 

Foreshadowing

I got home from Girls' Camp today.
Already, it was a wild time trying to get out of the house. Last night, I fortuitously finished packing very early in the evening and was able to start downloading a massive play list to listen to whilst cooking for the next week. While I was doing that, the phone rang just before midnight. We were on call for the receiving center (a place set up for foster children to wait between being removed from the home and being placed in foster care)  and it was being activated. Argh! So, Jimmy had to leave for the evening while my carefully laid plans had to be shifted around to accommodate the morning that would no longer involve Jimmy's help.

I suppose that's our life, though... The chaos and unexpected seems to follow us wherever we go.
I should have remembered that when things started to go awry in my whole camp experience. If this were a science experiment and I were to present with you with proof that my life is Cray to the Z, I would present such evidence now:
1) before leaving for camp Jimmy was called away unexpectedly, causing me to rearrange any and all plans I had made to have a smooth transition.
2) while saying a prayer to help along the way I was prompted to pray if there was any contention, that my friend, Kelly, and I would be able to battle it with strength, courage and kindness (Kelly seemed perplexed and asked why I prayed for that since we had never had a disagreement in our whole friendship. Of course, I was prompted because of #3)
3) at Costco, we met every rude employee in the whole building. Drawn to us like a moth to a flame, they were. After six unsavory interactions, we both extended a prayer of gratitude unto heaven for the preparation. Seriously, though. We met some doozies... a cashier that was totally offended that I told her the amount of an item I had in the cart so she wouldn't have to count. The worker that snapped at us because we wanted to take boxes. A packer that was totally put out that we might want to help pack the cart. Guys, the list goes on. Yet, Kelly and I were in similitude of skipping through a field of daisies because we had such a fortuitous prayer.
4) we were met with contention among the staff because we changed the camp menu. Like, serious hissy fit-ism. Sriously? We played the petty card and put up a fake menu (think frog legs with lavendar cream and braised sweet breads) I know, I know- we're punks.
5) the walk in fridge broke on the first night we had girls. THE FRIDGE BROKE.
6) we stayed up late into the night to move the items out of the fridge to places all over camp.
7) the following morning, we could not find the items we needed to serve an early breakfast and pack lunches.
8) to help us out that morning, a non-kitchen staff filled the water cooler with water and promptly forgot to turn the water OFF. Yep. That happened. Flood Zone Central.
9) one staff member was blinded by a laser pointer and could not work in the kitchen. Not even joking, you can't make this stuff up. WHich brings us to...
10) another kitchen staff emember had to go into town to get medication because she a crippling illness. (Town is almost two hours away, in case you were wondering)
11) fridge fixed! Moved everything back into the walk in fridge*
12) drove down the hill to the kitchen following morning and got a flat tire. While changing the tire a kitchen staffer ran up the hill to tell me...
13) *the fridge broke again overnight. Yay!
14) move everything out into other fridges again.
15) someone tells us as we are serving lunch that day that they wished the old kitchen staff was there instead of us because we didn't serve enough cookies.
16) over cook the rice, lost the bacon, burned the chicken. You now, just a host of mishaps. One after another, in fast succession.
17) someone pulled us aside to complain there was no lemonade, not knowing it was in the freezer and we couldn't defrost it because the fridge was broken and all...

I looked at my staff during one of our meetings and said, "I am so sorry guys, this is all my fault." After their protests of why it wasn't, I knew the truth. Chaos just follows me. I am well versed in it. The time I had to make soup for 400 people the day the kitchen sink broke, check.
Trying to run a committee after our internet AND phone line called kaputz, check.
Making an entire dinner for someone only to have it spill on their doorstep, check.
Just a few examples off the top of my head of things going wrong in the exact right way- how harmoniously frustrating is that??
Can I tell you what I do about it now? Just laugh. And find the good.
I may have had a rough time at camp and felt like I was racing myself in my own misfortune but, this week was miraculous.
I was witness to a miracle in the face of adversity. I watched every mishap get slaughtered by a laugh, a smile, a joke, a prayer. I watched testimonies grow in this heaven on earth. The people I worked with were resilient and kind. We continued to have faith that everything would work out. It did. By the grace of God did it all work out. All the weight we bore in the week did not prevent us from soaring. I am happy to report that regardless of the evidence posted above, the week at camp was not a disaster. And that is why I am so happy and optimistic about life. I have had so many curveballs thrown my way, but I have always been okay. I have always stood up, dusted myself off and forged on. Heavenly Father has given me a great gift in being able to see the good through the bad. And to laugh, always to laugh...


(P.S.- thought you ought to know that I have sat down to blog a ton in my tiny little window of time and the internet stopped working. SO INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING. I'll let you know when I find this funny)

Vivy is THREE!!!

Our Little Miss Vivy is three years old today. Three. THREE!
I cannot believe we have had this crazy, rambunctious, wild, tender and happy little gal with us for only three years. It feels like it's been forever. I don't know how we ever lived without that one.

Busy Mama Life Hack

There's this awesome thing I've been doing for quite some time now that I feel needs to be shared. Gotta help a friend out, am I right?

Every time I have a need for an invitation for a party, I do the cheapest thing ever. EVER. Well, except for evites... but I'm not a huge fan of electronically sent invites for events that aren't too casual. I am literally older than the internet so I refuse the right to be cranky about the lack of human interaction via gmail. But I digress. Here's the tip:
- choose a custom invite on Etsy.com 

- pay the small fee for the great service (usually about $10)

- go to the local copy shop and have them print it on heavy duty cardstock and buy matching envelopes. 

Sooooo cheap! Because of the size I choose, each invite costs less than $1, including the stamp. Guys, I'm smart.

So there's this band...

I've always loved attending concerts and have done so since I was a teenager. My first ever concert was with my dad to see The Monkeys. They performed from a revolving stage and it was magical. Just magical... Speaking of magic, have I told you about the band I am sooo in to right now?!?! You know the one, Magic Giant? (see what I did there?)

Plan for this to be a moderately lengthy read because I am hard pressed to say enough awesome things about this stellar band. I will start you off in the infancy of my love for them.
The moment Kate turned 13 years old and was deemed a teenager, I was stoked. No, I am not smoking anything- I really do love teenagers.  I just have always felt like one of the rites of being a teenager is to attend concerts. Because of my history, I could.not.wait. to start bringing Kate to concerts! After much anticipation, I had finally planned her first concert date. I basically planned it the way I would an epic first date. Japanese hot pot restaurant, VIP tickets, new outfit, fabulous makeup. Seriously guys, this was a big deal. Upon opening her gift, Kate was less than jazzed. Being the optimist I am, I persisted. True that I am an optimist, I am also an extrovert (surprise, surprise- ammaright?)Kate is neither of those things. That would you lead you to believe that she may not like a group full of sweaty people pushing in on her personal space, loud music that prevent any type of quiet reflection and huge room where the fire exit is only a suggestion. Well folks, you would be right. She may have had a shock to the system on this first go round, but this was most definitely the concert to cut her teeth on.
We went to see Eric Hutchinson, one of our very favorite singers. He was amazing. his talent is off the charts. The band playing before him was one I had never heard of called (here it comes...) Magic Giant. Watching them run their equipment check made me awfully nervous.
You see, they were full on hipster.
Like, FULL ON.
Man buns, check.
Ponchos that looked like navajo blankets, check.
Tight, tight, tight jeans, check.
Faux fur, check (because hipsters are very into the environment).
Upcycled merch table, check.
It is my duty as a mother to protect my children from hipsters. And then, guys... they played. I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing their show was! AMAZING. Freaking amazing. I have been to so many concerts in my life time. But the experience with this band was the best audience experience I have ever lived. The band was engaged and energetic. And happy.  And their music was GOOD. In the church I attend, there's a job called 'Primary Music Leader'. Their job is to get all the kids singing and happy to be there. They have skills that get even the most grumpy kid to participate in singing about popcorn growing on fruit trees. Primary Music Leaders have special powers. The lead singer of Magic Giant has those same special powers. He had us dancing to his count, singing background and stooping to the ground at a whisper while slowly rising as the music got louder. It really was like I was personally participating in this performance. Even though I love Eric Hutchinson, I was sad when he came on because Magic Giant had vacated the stage. Eric Hutchinson is so musically talented. But he did not have a banjo, harmonica, fiddle, huge bass drums and a CELLO ON A GUITAR STRAP that was played while running around the stage. I am telling you, it was pretty epic. And it has been my personal mission to share the good news of this fabulous band since that fateful evening. I have since seen a concert in Santa Cruz and have tickets to one in Napa.  Excitement is too small a word for the emotion I feel.
Now, yes, the music is pretty incredible, but the way the music came about is the real artistry. This band recorded their debut album from a travelling solar powered shuttle bus turned recording studio. Some songs were performed on an airstrip in a field of daisies. One song was recorded inside a redwood tree. You read that right, INSIDE a redwood tree. An underground bunker was used to capture the perfect sound of drums. And a two and a half mile long tunnel helped with the reverb. I'll be honest, I'm starting to really dig hipsters. Because Magic Giant also planted a tree for every album they have sold. One of the members of the band was hit by a car as a young teen and fell into a coma only to awake with the musical brilliance he still carries. The lead singer starting composing music when he was 11 years old. And one member of the band is an accomplished salsa dancer and son of Persian refugees. Those are only small blurbs about the intricate and passionate lives the band members choose to live. I know I am a grown woman and mother. The way I am gushing sounds so stalkeresque. I am not a stalker. I promise. It is so incredibly rare to find real music being made these days. Music with meaning, passion, depth. My daughter has grown up in a generation with some pretty questionable singers and songs. Here is a band I can let her listen to when I'm not in the room that is not that embarrassing KidzBop crap. When I am driving all the teenagers around, we roll down the windows, open the sunroof and sing at the top of our lungs. That they and I both like the music being blasted? Now, that's real magic.

Disneyland Pictures!

Disneyland was a total success!
Vivy loved the characters!
Kate was a blast!
We ate a churro and Dole Whip!
I have a ton to show you!

Sacrament Meeting Talk

Jimmy and I have been married for almost 16 years, we have 2 children- it used to be 6, but our foster children were recently reunited with their parents. I love hiking, playing tourist in our town, a good garden tomato and going to concerts. I hate green bell peppers with a passion and just like everyone else here, my life is hard.

Even though we can all agree on the fact that our lives are hard, and may even participate in venting sessions with friends proving this fact, we have not been left alone in our difficulties. True that it is a remarkable time we live in, but an extremely challenging time as well.  No one is immune from the influences of the world. The Lord’s counsel keeps us on guard. Throughout the scriptures there are many passages to warn, guide and direct us. Think of some of those warnings now, “Take heed, watch and pray” “Beware lest ye be deceived” “Be watchful and careful”

The road of discipleship is not for the faint of heart. Regardless of how we choose to live our lives, there are difficulties on each path. What I always say to my teenaged daughter, “Pick your hard.” You can be righteous and faithful. The path of righteousness is not an easy one. Or, you can choose the path of unrighteousness. This path is also a difficult one. The difference between these two paths are the end result. What do you want in the end? What is the end goal? What kind of hard are you willing to endure? Pick your hard.

When I was preparing for this talk, of course I was prayerful. The very first time I knelt in prayer to choose a topic, I was struck with a feeling to share the things I have learned in the addiction recovery program provided by the church, also known as the 12 step program.  I literally said out loud while kneeling bedside, “Really, Heavenly Father? You want me to talk about that??” Rather than heed the answer I had received, I went about my day trying to find a topic on which to speak. I listened to conference talks and sang hymns. I kept waiting for a different answer than I had already so strongly received. After days of this unfruitful pattern, I picked my daughter up from school while listening to a conference talk in the car. She asked about what I was listening to (because it is a longstanding habit of mine to listen to conference talks while driving). I answered with my struggle to find the proper topic to address you today. She stated, “Why don’t you speak about the addiction recovery meetings?” And so, here it is.

Let me tell you a little about my journey. Many years ago, when the 12 step program was first adapted to an LDS  format, the missionaries assigned to lead the discussion group toured our stake to speak in sacrament meeting about this inspired program. When I heard the benefits associated with the program, I was all in. Learn more about the atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ? Sure, I’m in! Learn how to apply this atonement in my daily life? Yes, I’ll do that! I love self improvement classes. So, imagine my surprise when I tried to recruit friends to join me at this meeting and had many responses in the negative. It seems that this 12 step program has a pretty strong stigma. No one actually wants to admit that they are not perfect. I am hard pressed to find someone shouting from the rooftops, “I need help!!!”  So, even though I was more than willing to join this discussion group, I was too much of wimp to participate because I had no one to go with me. You know us girls, we go to the bathroom in packs. And because I have already shared with you how busy our life can be, I forgot about the program and moved on with my regularly scheduled life. I continued to struggle through addictions that I had no idea even existed.  

We all have something. We all have a back story. A struggle that is real. A temptation that seems to take on it’s own persona and sometimes is so great that it feels like a literal person standing next to us. For some it is substance related. For others, this temptation is cerebral. Some are codependent. Some are helicopter parents. Some refuse to forgive their shortcomings. Some choose to take offense easily. As David A. Bednar once stated.  (quote) Offense comes in many costumes and continually finds it’s way on stage. “People we believe in disappoint us. We have unanticipated difficulties. Our life doesn’t turn out exactly the way we were expecting. We make mistakes, feel unworthy, and worry about being forgiven. We wonder about a doctrinal issue. We learn of something spoken from a church pulpit 150 years ago that bothers us. Our children are treated unfairly. We are ignored or underappreciated. It could be a hundred things, each very real to us at the time.” (unquote)

When I was a young teenager, my parents got divorced. We had recently moved from California to Rhode Island and my mom chose to move back to California while the rest of the family stayed on the east coast. The feeling of abandonment that came with her choice scarred all of us. It took many years for me to forgive my mother for leaving us, for not being there when I was a teenage girl in a house full of boys. I thought that I was really good at forgiving. I easily forgave others of their misdeeds towards me. The reason I found ease in forgiveness to others was because I was holding on so dearly to the hurt inflicted in my adolescence. I could brush off the harm done because I let the hate buried deep inside me to fester. On the outside, I was happy and optimistic and hardships evaded me like a water to a duck’s back. My heart was aching. There was a disease eating through it because I couldn’t forgive my mother for leaving me. My brothers and I all held this position. The damage worsened as I became a mother. I looked on my precious new  baby and could not fathom how a mother could ever leave her children. As the love for my growing child deepened, so did the cavern in my heart that could only be healed by forgiveness. I did not see the toll holding on to the anger had taken. When one aspect of my life had come unmanageable, I finally realized the canker that was halting my progress. It took much prayer and study to finally approach forgiveness where it really mattered. My mom was staying at our home for the holidays and I stayed late into the night talking to her by the light of the Christmas tree. I finally gained the courage to bring up her decision to leave our family. She explained her side of the story, which I had never heard in all the years since the initial blow. Her reasoning was real. I may not have agreed with it, but that’s not what forgiveness is about. I listened with an open and soft heart. I used the atonement of Jesus Christ in a very real way that night when I looked at her and said, “I forgive you.” I meant it. I still mean it. That moment was a springboard to the rest of my life. Because when I uttered those words, the sense of relief was indescribable. I did not realize the heavy burden I was carrying until it was lifted. By holding onto my anger, I was in a weakened state. As Neil Anderson states, (quote) “In our weakened moments, the adversary seeks to steal our spiritual promises. If we are not watchful, our injured, childlike spirit will retreat back into the cold, dark crust of our former bloated ego, leaving behind the warm, healing light of the Savior” (unquote)

Because my spirit was injured and childlike, just as Elder Anderson described, I had let the anger control me by way of  addiction. When I forgave my mother, the anger was gone. I had released it. And thus, I became spiritually strong which led me to master my addiction. It wasn’t until fairly recently I actually realized the addiction even existed. And it was like all the pieces leading up to my first meeting fell into place. I talked openly about wanting to attend meetings resulting in many encouraging responses, “What a great idea. You should do that! I should go with you!”  This went on for months. I never attended a meeting. And once again, my life fell into busyness and I returned to my regularly scheduled life. And then when my soul was ripe for progression, a friend approached me and asked to join her in the meetings. I answered yes so quickly that she was actually startled. We attended our first meeting together where I learned an incredible amount about the love my Savior has for me. I have grown up in the church. I have been to countless classes, firesides, devotionals and sacrament meetings. I have relearned Lehi’s dream so many times that I could probably recite it from scripture word for word. But I have so. Much. to. Learn. Attending the addiction recovery program has taught me so much about the atonement of Jesus Christ. It feels like a Sunday School class geared towards using the Atonement in our lives. Who doesn’t need that? Who is too good for the Savior of the world? Addiction recovery meetings had become a regular part of my week when we had the missionaries over for dinner one night before said meeting. We love our missionaries and have them over often. We are thrilled to participate in the missionary program and do anything we can to helps the missionaries succeed in our ward. I think they feel our love for them and see us as helpmeets to their goals. I think they may admire us as much as we do them. Imagine their surprise when they attended a meeting and saw Sister Graham walk in the door. It took all the courage I had to attend that meeting. You see, we had spent the evening with them. The missionaries left our house, I left our house. I arrived at the church first and was sitting in the parking lot catching up on social media. (don’t judge, we all do it) The missionaries arrived and saw me sitting in the parking lot and thought I was there for a different church related meeting. We chatted it up and I let them go into the church. This Sister Graham sat in the car and had an internal conflict so intense, it started to come out in an actual outloud conversation with myself. The verdict reached between the two parties was this: practice what you preach. Be humble. Put on your big girl panties and do this thing.  

You guys- I walked into that meeting. It was so hard and incredibly humbling. The humility required to progress can come in two ways. Choosing to humble yourself before the Lord or being compelled to humility. I prefer the former to the latter. I know. I have experienced both.

Ether 12:27 reads, “And if men come unto me I will show them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble. For if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”

Simply living life can be and is often a humbling experience. Accident and illness, the death of loved ones, problems in relationships, even financial reversals can bring us to our knees. Whether these difficult experiences come through no fault of our own or through bad decisions and poor judgement, these trials are humbling. If we choose to be spiritually attuned and remain humble and teachable, our prayers become more earnest and faith and testimony will grow as we overcome the tribulations of mortal existence. Spencer W. Kimball says, “How does one get humble? To me, one must constantly be reminded of his dependence. On whom dependent? On the Lord. How remind one’s self? By real, constant, worshipful, grateful prayer.”  I feel like I could give a whole talk on that last sentence. Prayer that is:

Real.

Prayer that is Constant.

Prayer that is Worshipful.

Prayer that is Grateful.

When our prayer reflects those four attributes, that is when true humility occurs. And what is the result of true humility? Growth. Progression. Knowledge. Power. If you really think about it, the most powerful people are also the most humble. Jesus Christ led through humble example. He did not force anyone to follow Him. Natural leaders carry with them humility that needs no coercement to gain followers. In the book of Helaman, Nephi was troubled because of the wickedness of the people. He prayed and pondered what to do. Nephi heard a voice saying, “Thou hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will. And now, because thou hast done this, I will bless thee forever, and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed. Yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.” (Helaman 10:4-7) The rest of the story teaches us that Nephi asked a famine to come upon the people to bring them to humility. It sure takes a lot of power to produce a famine throughout the land. So we see here that Nephi’s great humility brought great power.

Just think what you would be able to accomplish if you completely submitted to the Lord’s will. Who would you call? (You're not allowed to answer ghostbusters) How would you speak to your coworkers? Your family? Your friends? What would you post on social media? How would you choose to spend your spare time? If you chose to be humble enough to listen to the Lord, what would He say?

I don’t know if I could ever adequately express my gratitude for my Father in Heaven. I love Him. Because He gave me life, the tools to grant me success, amazing blessings and His beautiful son. Heavenly Father sacrificed so much for my joy. I want to return to Him someday. I want to look up at His face and confess in all honesty that I did my very best. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Good company

Jimmy and I went on a much needed date tonight. It was just so wonderful. We laughed and laughed.
We tried a new place called Ciccio. Oh my. The best pizza I think I've ever eaten. And the worst broccolini and I have ever tasted. Quite possibly one of the worst things I ever put in my mouth. Ever.
When the waitress brought the plate to our table, it looked gorgeous. I took the first bite. And for the very first time in my life I held a strong poker face. The bitterness was so awful, I nearly lost my breath. But I wanted to see Jimmy's reaction. So I slyly pushed the plate over to my sweet husband and said, "try some", with nearly no intonation. I wanted to watch his face. If this was the only time I were ever use a successful poker face in my whole life, I am glad it was then. Because the very second Jimmy put the foul food in his mouth- all of my hard work paid off. It would have been even sweeter if I had gotten a picture of his reaction. I'm still new at using a poker face, forgive me.
The tables at this particular restaurant are very close to one another. Meaning that we could not prevent overhearing the neighboring diners order the same broccolini. But, we were done with our meal! How were we to know if theirs was as awful?! Our curiosity caused us to ignore our stuffed bellies and order dessert. For the sole purpose of spying on the table next to us. We are weirdos, I know. But we're fun weirdos. Our gelato arrived well before the couple's broccolini- so we ate very slowly. Fortunately our patience paid off. We  got to side glance the poor victims and witness their first bite. It was hilarious! The wait was worth it. I am glad to be married to someone that is willing to be weird with me.

In the smart house

It's been a difficult transition for me to have two toddlers.
They are both such bright girls.
Which makes things very difficult.
It reminds me of someone telling me all about how their Jack Russell Terrier made a mess whenever they left the house. Because the dog was smart. It got bored easily...
If I am to use that as a basis for my toddlers' IQ, then they are borderline geniuses.
Cleaning one thing or room multiple times a day every single day is starting to wear on my nerves. And so it is today that I chose to post this ad on Facebook:

Two children for sale.
3 year old- sassy pants with her knickers in a bunch. Comes with fresh tantrums and a custom eye roll package.
20 month old- face that refuses to stay clean as well as mud soaked outfit. Only one shoe because the other is still stuck in the mud puddle, but still good.
Serious inquiries only.

Kate is a smart girl too. She clearly sees my resistance growing weaker. In fact, it has been so crazy lately, she has been hiding in her room. Literally. The toddlers have almost defeated us all.
But Kate ushered in one last ounce of strength and chose to use it to bring me breakfast in bed. Isn't that sweet? And the note read:

Upon delivery, she returned promptly to her room and I haven't seen her all day. The kind gesture has made me let her hide out in peace. Because she deserves it after doing so great for me. Hey, wait a minute...
Maybe I have three borderline geniuses...

Let them eat (lots of) cake!

At the group I get to together with every Tuesday night, there have been many birthdays. And birthday celebrations require cake. I have been letting baking things start to grow on me. Baking cake is now quite a joy to me. Which is saying something...
Well, at one such birthday celebration, I made a flourless chocolate cake with passion fruit caramel and coconut whipped cream, coincidentally on the very same night we planned on going to see the movie, "Brooklyn".
Well, rather than try to keep these things separate- we brought the cake into the movie theater.
Where I drizzled the caramel in between previews and dolloped the cream during the opening credits. And because I want my food to be thoroughly enjoyed, it must be served on real plates with real silverware.
Which tends to bother other movie theater patrons.
Just a tad.
Not enough to feel guilty because eating the rich cake brought the guilt on all by itself.

And it was delicious.

Meeting Charlotte

My friend Lauren (amazing, beautiful, funny, brilliant and then some) just had a sweet baby girl and I got to visit in the hospital! I think the part about seeing brand new life on this earth might be one of my favorites.