Sneak attack--it snowed last night. It turned to rain throughout the day but it's still messy outside. I guess you can't expect March to really REALLY be spring.
Wednesday, March 28
dangit.
Sneak attack--it snowed last night. It turned to rain throughout the day but it's still messy outside. I guess you can't expect March to really REALLY be spring.
Sunday, March 25
day de driving
Saturday was a fun day. Full of a lot of driving, but fun. I headed up early to Salt Lake to attend the wedding of my friend Sarah Schoendorfer (her new last name is Huckstep. I consider it a step towards simplicity). She's a D-town friend, and it was so good to see a bunch of Pennsylvania people. Sarah looked great and her sealing was really beautiful. We took some pictures on the steps of the temple, but I'm happy to report I didn't puke on them this time.
Afterwards I went up to Bountiful to see Grandpa. To my delight Aunt Cathy was there and we got a good visit while Grandpa ate some weird-looking nursing home food. He's such a champ. He's been falling a lot, so they've made him start wearing this censor clipped to the back of his shirt that goes off when he falls. He really hates it, but he had me take it off so he could show me how it works. He made it go off for a sec, and I told him he was a rebel because he was going to freak them out. Then he wouldn't let me put it back on him! I kept insisting saying he needed to, but he wouldn't let me. I was laughing pretty hard. When the nurse came I tattle-told saying he wasn't wearing his censor, and Grandpa just smiled kinda smug, so proud that he fooled me into taking it off. No matter his fraile state--the man is still tricky!
Later that night Doug and I went up to Park City for Sarah's reception. It was at the groom's parents' house, and it's safe to say their income is ridiculously high. But that income made for great refreshments. Doug and I then ran to the outlet mall and literally ran store to store because we only had 45 minutes until closing time. We left empty-handed, but I'm not discouraged--it just means we need to go to Park City again soon. And the drive was gorgeous.
Beautiful drive to Park City.
A horse trailer that mocked us on the windy, one-lane highways for many many miles. It had an interstate sign on the back, and we decided they thought they WERE the interstate, thus ruling the world.
Heather Olson-now-Davis's little girl, Riley. Cute to the max.
Jackie, Sarah ("bride"), Heather
Afterwards I went up to Bountiful to see Grandpa. To my delight Aunt Cathy was there and we got a good visit while Grandpa ate some weird-looking nursing home food. He's such a champ. He's been falling a lot, so they've made him start wearing this censor clipped to the back of his shirt that goes off when he falls. He really hates it, but he had me take it off so he could show me how it works. He made it go off for a sec, and I told him he was a rebel because he was going to freak them out. Then he wouldn't let me put it back on him! I kept insisting saying he needed to, but he wouldn't let me. I was laughing pretty hard. When the nurse came I tattle-told saying he wasn't wearing his censor, and Grandpa just smiled kinda smug, so proud that he fooled me into taking it off. No matter his fraile state--the man is still tricky!
Later that night Doug and I went up to Park City for Sarah's reception. It was at the groom's parents' house, and it's safe to say their income is ridiculously high. But that income made for great refreshments. Doug and I then ran to the outlet mall and literally ran store to store because we only had 45 minutes until closing time. We left empty-handed, but I'm not discouraged--it just means we need to go to Park City again soon. And the drive was gorgeous.
Beautiful drive to Park City.
A horse trailer that mocked us on the windy, one-lane highways for many many miles. It had an interstate sign on the back, and we decided they thought they WERE the interstate, thus ruling the world.
Heather Olson-now-Davis's little girl, Riley. Cute to the max.
Jackie, Sarah ("bride"), Heather
Wednesday, March 21
a good scratch
I was having a rough morning (got up late, hair was stupid, clothes weren’t cooperating, semi trucks were driving me off the road, and so on). Everything turned around, however, when right before I got to work I passed a cow in a field scratching its head on a pole. There’s just something about the satisfaction of a good scratch that really brightened my morning.
Saturday, March 17
Spring has sprung!
Jim Dunlop, great literary poet and father of mine, is sure to say every year, “Spring has sprung, the grass has ris, I wonder where all the flowers is?” (And you wonder where I get my passion for literature). But I’m pleased to announce: SPRING HAS SPRUNG!
I’m relieved. Our winter really wasn’t so bad, but the warm weather has made me realize just how ready I was to thaw out. This entire week has been in the 60s or higher, and we’ve living it up with important spring activities such as playing tennis and turning the heat down. We even have some tulips coming up right by our front porch. Heaven bless the kind soul who planted those months ago, even if they chose to do it in a grassy, rock infested part near the foundation of our building. There’s something poetic about flowers coming up in spots like that. Even if the garden hose that’s been there all winter is winding through them. Grow, little tulips, grow.
We’re even seeing some plant growth inside! No, no, not mildew—a house plant! It’s a peace lily left over from my single years that we recently replanted into a larger pot. We fondly refer to her as “Encarnación.” (You can thank the movie Nacho Libre for inspiring the name.) We decided to get crazy while replanting her and put some of her smaller shoots in a new pot. Thus making “Re-encarnación.” We had no idea if the little one would make it, but my mom said, “Uh, just don’t give it too much water. Or too little.” So we followed her strict guidelines and she’s doing great. It’s really so so satisfying to see her grow. High fives for the hope of new life, and thank goodness for spring.
I’m relieved. Our winter really wasn’t so bad, but the warm weather has made me realize just how ready I was to thaw out. This entire week has been in the 60s or higher, and we’ve living it up with important spring activities such as playing tennis and turning the heat down. We even have some tulips coming up right by our front porch. Heaven bless the kind soul who planted those months ago, even if they chose to do it in a grassy, rock infested part near the foundation of our building. There’s something poetic about flowers coming up in spots like that. Even if the garden hose that’s been there all winter is winding through them. Grow, little tulips, grow.
We’re even seeing some plant growth inside! No, no, not mildew—a house plant! It’s a peace lily left over from my single years that we recently replanted into a larger pot. We fondly refer to her as “Encarnación.” (You can thank the movie Nacho Libre for inspiring the name.) We decided to get crazy while replanting her and put some of her smaller shoots in a new pot. Thus making “Re-encarnación.” We had no idea if the little one would make it, but my mom said, “Uh, just don’t give it too much water. Or too little.” So we followed her strict guidelines and she’s doing great. It’s really so so satisfying to see her grow. High fives for the hope of new life, and thank goodness for spring.
Tuesday, March 13
100 Things About Me
Alrighty, Alicia inspired me to put together a list of 100 things about me (me meaning Jackie of course) (Doug only looks at our blog when I guilt him into it).
A list like this really goes to show how much time I have on my hands for trivial tasks. Oh well, enjoy!
1. I like to make lists. :)
2. I’m a Sagittarius
3. I drive a Honda Accord
4. I have a scar on my head from when a cat bit me and I had to get stitches—ha!
5. I’m a copywriter and proofreader a/k/a I get paid to be annoyingly detailed
6. I love marshmallows
7. I adore ice cream
8. My body suddenly decided to be lactose intolerant my sophomore year of college. My love for ice cream now mocks me.
9. I love singing when I drive alone in the car, especially at the tops of my lungs.
10. I graduated from BYU
11. I love seeing Doug in blue
12. I eat dill pickles only in survival situations
13. I wish I liked to go running, but I just don’t.
14. Nothing grosses me out more than veins… looking at them, thinking about them, you name it. Sick!
15. A close grossed out second is snakes.
16. I refuse to even touch pictures of snakes.
17. I dream a lot and almost always I remember my dreams
18. I was born in Salt Lake City, UT
19. I didn’t like living in Georgia very much, but it’s probably because we were there at the peak of my awkward years.
20. I love hanging out with my family
21. I was amazed at how comfortable I felt with Doug when we first started dating
22. I miss doing yard work
23. I quote my dad all the time
24. I have a dream of walking down the street and then suddenly everyone around me breaking out into a choreographed dance.
25. I love chatting with my mom on the phone—she makes me laugh
26. I was captain of the volleyball team in high school—go Patriots!
27. I served a mission in San Fernando, CA
28. I have always loved that my full first name has a letter Q in it
29. I dread using public restrooms if someone else is in there
30. I’m terrible at cleaning showers
31. I like to visit NYC (a big step from the days when I used to be afraid of it!)
32. I’ve thrown up on the steps of the Salt Lake Temple
33. To tell you the truth, I throw up a lot.
34. I finally learned how to make gravy last year. It’s been a long, hard road.
35. I can’t roll my Rs. And yes, I speak Spanish.
36. I want to go to Italy one day.
37. I’ve recently decided that I like to cook, but I panic if I cook for anyone besides Doug.
38. National Geographic is my favorite magazine
39. I live for natural light. Our current apartment is tiny, but it’s rich in natural light.
40. I hate blowing my nose in public.
41. We have two plants. I worry about them.
42. I need to wash my car more often
43. I hiked Mt. Timpanogas once and would love to do it again.
44. I don’t think there’s any reason to have the roll of toilet paper come from underneath. Let’s just let it come over the top.
45. I’m probably allergic to cats and dogs. I’m in denial of this.
46. I aspire to be a multi-tasker extraordinaire like my mom. She deserves some sort of trophy for her abilities.
47. I’ve flown first class once and I’ll never be the same
48. I’m overly paranoid about wearing black and brown inappropriately together
49. I had a speech impediment until I was six or seven. I loved my friend Cawtoh (Carter) Cassidy and I loved to count to twee-teen (thirteen).
50. I hate it when people act disappointed if I don’t know how to spell a word. I was an English major, not a genius.
51. I love it when Doug makes me cry from laughing so hard.
52. I’ve never given blood. And I’m really scared to ever try it.
53. I had braces in middle school. Eesh.
54. I’m addicted to cnn.com
55. I didn’t vote in the last presidential election. I was on my mission, but I could have done an absentee ballot. I feel like a terrible citizen.
56. I went to London last summer with just my mom.
57. I didn’t make the softball team in middle school—fools!
58. It takes a lot of time and effort for me to get a tan.
59. I used to be blonde as can be as a little girl
60. I have four nieces and seven nephews.
61. I’m right handed.
62. I received four W2s for 2006: MTC, Tahitian Noni, Temp Agency, and Provo Craft
63. I hate that I care about the lives of celebrities, but I do. I read People magazine every time I’m in a doctor’s office. Every time.
64. I love TLC’s “What Not to Wear”
65. My first concert ever was Dave Matthews Band.
66. The girls I went with wanted to stay after and drink in the parking lot. Mom, aren’t you glad I made sure we went home?
67. I have an extremely hard time eating shrimp
68. Plucking my eyebrows is a way for me to wind down
69. I thought Doug was breaking up with me the day he first said he wanted to marry me
70. I love crossword puzzles
71. Between serving a mission and working at the MTC, I wore nylons almost every day for three years. Sick!
72. I really do enjoy grammar and editing and all that jazz. Strange but true.
73. The movie “Waiting for Guffman” rocks my world
74. Most of my friendships today can be traced back to the dorms or Liberty Square. Not much progression since then.
75. I think it’s always funny to tell people my parents live in RI because who knows anybody from RI?!
76. I think Target is a wonderful, wonderful place.
77. I used to be painfully shy as a kid. I can unexpectedly resort back to this at any time. It’s frustrating.
78. When I was little I wanted to be a paleontologist. I had dinosaur sheets and everything.
79. I wear reading glasses. Well, at least I should.
80. I can only raise my left eyebrow
81. I love going to the beach
82. I broke my leg on my first birthday
83. I like doing family history. No, I’m not 75 years old.
84. I’d love to see the northern lights in Alaska
85. I miss teaching
86. Until were got married, I didn’t have a middle name
87. I definitely have a Dunlop nose
88. These days I just adore polka dots!
89. I was in the delivery room when my sister Jenn had her daughter. One of the coolest/scariest experiences of my life.
90. I’d like to have dinner with President Gordon B. Hinckley. And Henry David Thoreau.
91. I like my eyes
92. I’m in the middle of reading 1776 right now, and I’m a little concerned the Americans just aren’t going to win.
93. I miss camping—I hardly ever go anymore
94. When I was little I told my oldest sister, “Who died and left you boss?!” Such a sweet child…
95. I love pockets. I used to keep everything in my pockets until a certain incident during the 2002 Holiday Season when I lost $50.00. My sisters are still mad at me.
96. I played the clarinet in middle school, I wish I hadn’t stopped playing the piano in 4th grade, and my singing voice hasn’t improved since the 10th grade.
97. Sometimes at the end of the day I just want to shave all my hair off. It drives me nuts!
98. I love my new last name.
99. I have my own tool set.
100. Phew… I’m amazed I could think of 100 things to say! And I’m even more amazed you read through them all. :)
A list like this really goes to show how much time I have on my hands for trivial tasks. Oh well, enjoy!
1. I like to make lists. :)
2. I’m a Sagittarius
3. I drive a Honda Accord
4. I have a scar on my head from when a cat bit me and I had to get stitches—ha!
5. I’m a copywriter and proofreader a/k/a I get paid to be annoyingly detailed
6. I love marshmallows
7. I adore ice cream
8. My body suddenly decided to be lactose intolerant my sophomore year of college. My love for ice cream now mocks me.
9. I love singing when I drive alone in the car, especially at the tops of my lungs.
10. I graduated from BYU
11. I love seeing Doug in blue
12. I eat dill pickles only in survival situations
13. I wish I liked to go running, but I just don’t.
14. Nothing grosses me out more than veins… looking at them, thinking about them, you name it. Sick!
15. A close grossed out second is snakes.
16. I refuse to even touch pictures of snakes.
17. I dream a lot and almost always I remember my dreams
18. I was born in Salt Lake City, UT
19. I didn’t like living in Georgia very much, but it’s probably because we were there at the peak of my awkward years.
20. I love hanging out with my family
21. I was amazed at how comfortable I felt with Doug when we first started dating
22. I miss doing yard work
23. I quote my dad all the time
24. I have a dream of walking down the street and then suddenly everyone around me breaking out into a choreographed dance.
25. I love chatting with my mom on the phone—she makes me laugh
26. I was captain of the volleyball team in high school—go Patriots!
27. I served a mission in San Fernando, CA
28. I have always loved that my full first name has a letter Q in it
29. I dread using public restrooms if someone else is in there
30. I’m terrible at cleaning showers
31. I like to visit NYC (a big step from the days when I used to be afraid of it!)
32. I’ve thrown up on the steps of the Salt Lake Temple
33. To tell you the truth, I throw up a lot.
34. I finally learned how to make gravy last year. It’s been a long, hard road.
35. I can’t roll my Rs. And yes, I speak Spanish.
36. I want to go to Italy one day.
37. I’ve recently decided that I like to cook, but I panic if I cook for anyone besides Doug.
38. National Geographic is my favorite magazine
39. I live for natural light. Our current apartment is tiny, but it’s rich in natural light.
40. I hate blowing my nose in public.
41. We have two plants. I worry about them.
42. I need to wash my car more often
43. I hiked Mt. Timpanogas once and would love to do it again.
44. I don’t think there’s any reason to have the roll of toilet paper come from underneath. Let’s just let it come over the top.
45. I’m probably allergic to cats and dogs. I’m in denial of this.
46. I aspire to be a multi-tasker extraordinaire like my mom. She deserves some sort of trophy for her abilities.
47. I’ve flown first class once and I’ll never be the same
48. I’m overly paranoid about wearing black and brown inappropriately together
49. I had a speech impediment until I was six or seven. I loved my friend Cawtoh (Carter) Cassidy and I loved to count to twee-teen (thirteen).
50. I hate it when people act disappointed if I don’t know how to spell a word. I was an English major, not a genius.
51. I love it when Doug makes me cry from laughing so hard.
52. I’ve never given blood. And I’m really scared to ever try it.
53. I had braces in middle school. Eesh.
54. I’m addicted to cnn.com
55. I didn’t vote in the last presidential election. I was on my mission, but I could have done an absentee ballot. I feel like a terrible citizen.
56. I went to London last summer with just my mom.
57. I didn’t make the softball team in middle school—fools!
58. It takes a lot of time and effort for me to get a tan.
59. I used to be blonde as can be as a little girl
60. I have four nieces and seven nephews.
61. I’m right handed.
62. I received four W2s for 2006: MTC, Tahitian Noni, Temp Agency, and Provo Craft
63. I hate that I care about the lives of celebrities, but I do. I read People magazine every time I’m in a doctor’s office. Every time.
64. I love TLC’s “What Not to Wear”
65. My first concert ever was Dave Matthews Band.
66. The girls I went with wanted to stay after and drink in the parking lot. Mom, aren’t you glad I made sure we went home?
67. I have an extremely hard time eating shrimp
68. Plucking my eyebrows is a way for me to wind down
69. I thought Doug was breaking up with me the day he first said he wanted to marry me
70. I love crossword puzzles
71. Between serving a mission and working at the MTC, I wore nylons almost every day for three years. Sick!
72. I really do enjoy grammar and editing and all that jazz. Strange but true.
73. The movie “Waiting for Guffman” rocks my world
74. Most of my friendships today can be traced back to the dorms or Liberty Square. Not much progression since then.
75. I think it’s always funny to tell people my parents live in RI because who knows anybody from RI?!
76. I think Target is a wonderful, wonderful place.
77. I used to be painfully shy as a kid. I can unexpectedly resort back to this at any time. It’s frustrating.
78. When I was little I wanted to be a paleontologist. I had dinosaur sheets and everything.
79. I wear reading glasses. Well, at least I should.
80. I can only raise my left eyebrow
81. I love going to the beach
82. I broke my leg on my first birthday
83. I like doing family history. No, I’m not 75 years old.
84. I’d love to see the northern lights in Alaska
85. I miss teaching
86. Until were got married, I didn’t have a middle name
87. I definitely have a Dunlop nose
88. These days I just adore polka dots!
89. I was in the delivery room when my sister Jenn had her daughter. One of the coolest/scariest experiences of my life.
90. I’d like to have dinner with President Gordon B. Hinckley. And Henry David Thoreau.
91. I like my eyes
92. I’m in the middle of reading 1776 right now, and I’m a little concerned the Americans just aren’t going to win.
93. I miss camping—I hardly ever go anymore
94. When I was little I told my oldest sister, “Who died and left you boss?!” Such a sweet child…
95. I love pockets. I used to keep everything in my pockets until a certain incident during the 2002 Holiday Season when I lost $50.00. My sisters are still mad at me.
96. I played the clarinet in middle school, I wish I hadn’t stopped playing the piano in 4th grade, and my singing voice hasn’t improved since the 10th grade.
97. Sometimes at the end of the day I just want to shave all my hair off. It drives me nuts!
98. I love my new last name.
99. I have my own tool set.
100. Phew… I’m amazed I could think of 100 things to say! And I’m even more amazed you read through them all. :)
Thursday, March 8
Me + Common Cold=Stupid
I’ve spent the majority of the week being stupid. I’m blaming it on a cold that’s been plaguing me. I’ve been repeating a lot what’s already been said, making dumb typos which (surprise, surprise) really bugs me (partially because I know other people are thinking, “wait, isn’t she supposed to be an editor?”), and I even accidentally sent a dorky smiley face in an email I sent to my boss. Dangit.
I went to the DMV earlier this week to change the name on my drivers license and the worker kept looking at me oddly—looking back, it makes me wonder if I was saying odd things like I had been all week or if I just looked like I was on drugs. Perhaps both. On a side note, I nearly failed the eye exam when I couldn’t read the far right letters on the first line. I read what I thought were the letters, and she said, “Uh, what was that?” and I panicked and had to really concentrate when I looked again. Apparently C and N look a lot like Q and D. Darn you failing right eye!
Doug, on the other hand, has been very on the ball doing brave things such as donating blood and tackling our taxes. He’s playing intramural football again and couldn’t be happier. He’s so busy with school and work that we both crash by the end of the night. Actually, I couldn’t sleep the other night because I was so congested and I was kinda being a baby (Doug might remove the “kinda” from that sentence). He offered to sit up with me (literally sitting up because of the before mentioned dreadful congestion) to watch a movie. Remarkably I fell asleep in the first four seconds of the movie, so he patiently put me to bed and finally went to sleep himself. He’s a kind soul.
We really are doing well, despite my day to day drama. Hope you're all healthy, wealthy, and wise!
I went to the DMV earlier this week to change the name on my drivers license and the worker kept looking at me oddly—looking back, it makes me wonder if I was saying odd things like I had been all week or if I just looked like I was on drugs. Perhaps both. On a side note, I nearly failed the eye exam when I couldn’t read the far right letters on the first line. I read what I thought were the letters, and she said, “Uh, what was that?” and I panicked and had to really concentrate when I looked again. Apparently C and N look a lot like Q and D. Darn you failing right eye!
Doug, on the other hand, has been very on the ball doing brave things such as donating blood and tackling our taxes. He’s playing intramural football again and couldn’t be happier. He’s so busy with school and work that we both crash by the end of the night. Actually, I couldn’t sleep the other night because I was so congested and I was kinda being a baby (Doug might remove the “kinda” from that sentence). He offered to sit up with me (literally sitting up because of the before mentioned dreadful congestion) to watch a movie. Remarkably I fell asleep in the first four seconds of the movie, so he patiently put me to bed and finally went to sleep himself. He’s a kind soul.
We really are doing well, despite my day to day drama. Hope you're all healthy, wealthy, and wise!
Friday, March 2
Scrap happy?
In literally a matter of days I’ve developed a sudden fondness for scrapbooking. This is interesting to me, primarily because I’ve never really cared about it before. I had a phase when I was 14 when I managed to scrapbook a good two or three albums. Looking back, they were the days of white paper and patterned scissors so it’s probably good that I stopped.
But this week I’m feeling crafty. Go figure. The funny thing is that I spend much of my work day trying to appeal to the crafty type, and I often feel like I come up short. I often complain that I have a hard time relating to these creative women that are really passionate about something I only do at enrichment nights or when I’m with my intimidatingly talented mom and sisters. Yet here I am on a Friday night scheming of ways to organize my pictures and get started. I even stopped at a craft store on the way home from work to buy cardstock. I almost wanted to tell the girl at the checkout that I never do this, just so she’d appreciate the sell.
I think this sudden urge comes from an almost desperate need I feel to be close to my family and to properly record my memories of them. I just can’t get enough of family lately, and it’s borderline unstable—you know when you cry during “Finding Nemo” that something is up. I’m also testing out a craft tool from work and to my surprise I kinda like it. Today at work I found myself calculating how I could use the tool to do a cute page for our honeymoon. What is going on?!
But despite my reservations, I’m going with the feeling. Perhaps this all will pass and I’ll be left with a brand new pile of cardstock to put in our closet. Or maybe I’ll actually follow through and make something I’ll be too embarrassed to show all my real scrapbooking friends. Who knows.
P.S. Since I’m on such a family kick, here are some pics from our recent visit with the Dunlops:
But this week I’m feeling crafty. Go figure. The funny thing is that I spend much of my work day trying to appeal to the crafty type, and I often feel like I come up short. I often complain that I have a hard time relating to these creative women that are really passionate about something I only do at enrichment nights or when I’m with my intimidatingly talented mom and sisters. Yet here I am on a Friday night scheming of ways to organize my pictures and get started. I even stopped at a craft store on the way home from work to buy cardstock. I almost wanted to tell the girl at the checkout that I never do this, just so she’d appreciate the sell.
I think this sudden urge comes from an almost desperate need I feel to be close to my family and to properly record my memories of them. I just can’t get enough of family lately, and it’s borderline unstable—you know when you cry during “Finding Nemo” that something is up. I’m also testing out a craft tool from work and to my surprise I kinda like it. Today at work I found myself calculating how I could use the tool to do a cute page for our honeymoon. What is going on?!
But despite my reservations, I’m going with the feeling. Perhaps this all will pass and I’ll be left with a brand new pile of cardstock to put in our closet. Or maybe I’ll actually follow through and make something I’ll be too embarrassed to show all my real scrapbooking friends. Who knows.
P.S. Since I’m on such a family kick, here are some pics from our recent visit with the Dunlops:
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