Strange Bedfellows and 2 Other Things

1. Do you ever wake up in the morning, lift up your pillows, and realize you have slept with every portable electronic device you own? I always sleep with my phone cuz it's my alarm clock... and lately I've been sleeping with my laptop because I listen to books on tape before bed, but the latest book I downloaded from the library could only be transferred to an ipod.

Perhaps I need a bigger bed.

2. For breakfast, I've discovered the joys of hash browns and carrots. Emily and Mom taught me how to wash the grated potatoes so they don't stick together and now I throw in a carrot or two with my chives and/or onions. So pretty.

But be warned, although the carrots add some sweetness (and lets face it, anything tastes wonderful fried in butter), you can have too many carrots. The ratio definitely needs to be heavy on the potatoes. I love me some starch.

3. I've discovered that my attitude on the bike is inversely proportional to the elevation gain. Up it goes, down goes the attitude and visa versa. Of course, too much downhill or too much straight can get boring but too much uphill really takes the cake. Kinda like life.

Life Lesson brought to you by Melanie. Your welcome.

I'm off to spend Memorial weekend with Emily. I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday!

Birthday Presents

This whole month I've decided everything I buy is a birthday gift, to me! I'm so happy. (Movie Trivia)

That new DVD player? It's for my birthday. Even more new shirts? For my birthday. That lettuce? Birthday.

Of course, I don't bother wrapping those. But I did these! I told you I would make Melissa take pictures. She was kind enough to do candles and sing for me as well.
Then Dan, Melissa's husband, got the camera.

He kept taking pictures, looking at them, and then sniggering.

He was right to snigger on most of them. I'm only going to post the ones that aren't snigger worthy.
Oh my a new yellow work shirt! Who'd have thought? I needed new work shirts. I hate all the ones I have now.
Heavier weights! I needed those!
And of course, a new book.
That is why I didn't get anything more done that weekend.

Melissa gave me some homemade cards even though I told her I would bring all my own presents. She is so nice to me! I forgot to get my camera back and take a picture of the Bunn family. Sigh.

The next morning I got to experience the ultimate birthday pleasure. Pie for breakfast (and a breakfast burrito).
Pie and presents. Doesn't get much better than that.

Happy Birthday to ME! And my Mom.

Today is my birthday. Happy Birthday to me! And its my Mom's. Happy Birthday Mom! I was such a wonderful birthday gift to her.

Last week I bought myself a couple of presents and today I'm going to use some coupons and buy more. I love presents.

Don't worry, I'll make Melissa take pictures of me opening them. She's gonna make me dinner and Key Lime pie so as a reward she gets to watch me open presents I wrapped myself. I'm nice like that.

Last year around this time I was planning a family reunion. Ah.. such stress but now I look back and only remember how awesome it was. How awesome I was.
Last year on this day I was in a cast dreading surgery next week... and apparently texting and driving. (Emily took this the day I went back to work and she went back to Utah.. this was to help Mom feel better about her leaving me alone) (ignore the expression.. its hard work to text)
That Sunday Mitchell Bunn was blessed and I accidentally knocked him on his head with my cast while he was in his mother's arms. Then my Mother came, I had surgery (which I might or might not still have nightmares about) and now I'm basically all better.

I can't believe its been a whole year. One of the worst experiences of my life (I just might be unreasonable afraid of anything doctor related) and now its fading into the past like everything else. I just hope I can remember the love and care that was shown me by my family and friends (thank you!) while the other stuff fades... although it seems to want to be the other way around.

While up in Utah someone asked me how old I was and I said 36. Amy (SIL), who is just a few months older than me, looked at me very strangely. "Wait... aren't we 35?"

Apparently I've been thinking so much about being 35 that this year I decided to skip right over it. I had planned on reaching many of my life goals by this year. But alas, I have no cute black girl dressed in a yellow sun dress and instead of a gardening Emily as a housemate, I have the heat of Vegas.

Mm.. as Dave Ramsey says, the difference between a goal and a wish is a plan. Oh, I'm making plans... I'm always making plans. Planning is easy. Its the follow through that's hard.

All in all though, I'm going to have a wonderful Birthday day/week/month with my friends, family, and crocheting.

I didn't crash when I went biking last week (the day before my accident anniversary) so I've already made progress.

Happy birthday to Mom and ME!

PS. I know most of u who read this aren't in Vegas, but Melissa is putting on a run to help raise money for her sister and for the cancer institute. Its all there on the flyer. I'm such a wuss about circulating it at work that I thought I'd better at least put it on my blog

The Clark County Fair 2011

I know this was more than 3 weeks ago, but I still wanted to share. At least I need to post the cute pictures I took of my VT's daughter.

I was SO happy to be able to go! I didn't think I would be able to because I'd be in Seattle but things worked out just wonderfully.

First the preparation. This year I really wanted to win Best in Class but with only 2 weeks of preparation, the possibility was denied me (kinda forgot about how soon the fair is in the spring). Of course, after seeing what actually won I don't know that I would have been able to pull it off but we won't dwell on that.

I decided to finish a conference afghan (those afghans only attempted under the spiritual influence of conference and never picked up again) after I found 2 feet of it in my closet. Unfortunately the yarn had turned darker over the years, which I didn't discover until I went to buy more. I hoped against hope that there was enough in an ugly, short afghan I had made in New Mexico. (The new afghan in on the left)

I hoped in vain. The edging and top few rows are distinctly lighter where I used newer yarn. I tried washing/spraying/ironing ie everything I could think of but old yarn is old yarn.

So I finished my other objects and thought I would be happy with just a few blue ribbons.

Here is the results - While at the fair I never saw my booties so I didn't knowI had once again got 3rd best in class. Melissa had to tell me when she graciously picked up my fair stuff for me.

I actually thought the fair would be tired of booties by now. I would be, if I was a judge. I only turned them in because I had already finished them.

Pat's daughter (whom I convinced to enter something in the fair so that I would have someone to turn in my stuff while I was in Seattle) got third best in class in sewing as well as the Judges choice for Junior entries. I was somewhat ashamed of my very tiny jealously of a 10 year old before I learned I had also gotten a big ribbon. Phew. I can now share in her joy. Its all about the big ribbons in my book.

But what I really enjoyed was that my VT allowed two of her daughters to join me, Pat, and Pat's daughter for a Saturday afternoon at the fair. I hadn't been to the fair with kids before. They were so excited to see all the animals and eat the delicious food. (Its amazing how much one little six year old can tuck away)And this is the only picture I took of all that (I asked Emily if she wanted me to get her these goats). Me and my poor bloggings skills.

But then when the big girls wanted to ride the big girl rides, I got to take the little six year old to the rides she was interested in. She was determined to get ALL the rides she could out of 3 tickets.

First, the merry go round (posing). I just couldn't time the picture right.

Finally I just took a video (she's on an inside pony with a boy in black beside her).

(the 30 seconds was in reference to how long a video I can take on my cell phone)

She was then interested in a Bee ride but decided against it when it was TWO tickets.

"How many do I have left?"

"Two."

A motorcycle ride.

"How many tickets do I have left?"

"One."

A fish ride to finish it off.
The big girls had stood in line for a 3 ticket ride the whole time she was riding these rides (lets just say the lines weren't exactly long for a fish ride). But boy was she proud of telling those big girls that she had been on FOUR rides while they had been on only TWO.

I'm planning on taking kids with me every year. If urs are available, let me know.

And next year, I really am going to win that blue ribbon. I have so many plans. I'll probably start on them tomorrow.