Digiscrapping with Erin

Happy birthday to me!

2009-06-26T10:43:00.000-06:00

It has never rained before on my birthday, so that must make this one extra special. Today I turn 29. I really don’t want to get older, but I’m really excited for 29. Certain events were set in motion a year ago, and looking back, this has been the most crazy/joyous/tearful/eventful year of my life. It’s always a good thing to be able to look back a year and say “I’ve come along way!”

Waiting for germination nearly kills me

2009-06-01T19:40:00.002-06:00

Note** Mom, I don’t show pictures of your grandchild in this post, so there’s really no need for you to read it. I was going to post about all the fun we had sailing this past weekend, but Marilyn woke up with croup on Saturday morning, so we did other fun things like visit the instacare.

Now on with my post… I’m a nut for planting seeds. Watching a little itty bitty sprout come out of the ground is just pure magic to me, and I think it always has been. I planted a garden last weekend (memorial day), so things are finally starting to pop up. This is the most excitement I’ve had all year!

Now since I live in an apartment complex, space is a bit of an issue. I went with the square foot garden approach though, and I have planted just a few crops: corn, carrots, sugar snap peas, and watermelon. Hopefully everything grows to it’s full potential and I don’t kill anything. In a few months, I might have quite the little harvest.

Here’s my garden:

a little itty bitty corn plant:

a carrot:

and some peas:

And no garden is complete without a weed. Did you know those cottonwood seeds actually grow!

our hike today

2009-04-19T16:51:00.003-06:00

I joined an online hiking group a year ago, and although I rarely go hiking with them, I always have a ton of fun when I do. Today we went up to a waterfall in Ogden. Marilyn was, of course, Miss High Energy, and she did really well. I had to carry her on my back for part of the way, but she actually did most of the 3 mile hike on her own. It was steep too!

random thoughts from a coffee shop

2009-04-18T11:57:00.003-06:00

Today is my first whole weekend off in, like, forever. I was really tempted to go on a little mini vacation, but that just seemed like a lot of work, so instead we're doing stuff at home. We've got a hike planned for tomorrow, and today I think we'll tackle some laundry and housework. Bike riding in the park will probably happen too at some point. I love warm weather. Love it.

I think I may take Marilyn in for a hair cut as well. She cut her own hair a month or so again, and I think it's time to get it evened out. Maybe even some bangs since she pretty much gave herself some. Because her hair is so curly, her "cut" really wasn't so noticeable, but its starting to show a little more now.

At the moment we're hanging out at the Bad Ass coffee place. Every time we drive by Marilyn asks to come here. I guess there's just something about a giant cartoon "horsey" that draws in the children. This place has a nice vacation feel to it that a Starbucks doesn't have, so I think we'll make a switch. She really likes hanging out in coffee shops. They've also got free wifi here which is nice because my wifi isn't working at home, and I wanted to figure out if it was my computer or my router. Working fine here, so it must be the router. I really wish things would just work. I guess if things always worked though, I would take them for granted.

a layout

2009-03-10T19:11:00.002-06:00

Here's a layout I started a long time ago, and I finally got around to finishing this week.

I'm bound and determined not to be a damsel in distress, but it isn't working

2009-03-05T19:08:00.004-07:00

So this morning on the way to work my car started doing this funky slipping thing. On the way home it started doing the same thing, but I didn't realize how urgent this little situation was. I stopped by a little corner service station though to check my fluid levels and all looked good. The technician even drove it around the block, told me all was fine, and sent me on my way. I picked Marilyn up from the babysitter, and we started on our way home. Six blocks later my car started sputtering and died.

After the freak-out call to my dad that follows these types of things, I called AAA, and they were on their way. Now there were several highlights to this experience: the first was Marilyn's description of the car problems to my dad. If there is anything in the past year I wish I had on video, it was that phone call. Basically she told him the car was dying, and it was making a naughty noise, we were out of gas (which I promise I wasn't), and it was all because her fingers were sticky. Sometime soon after this call or course she also announced she needed to go potty really bad.

Once the AAA guys arrived with the tow truck we pulled the car seat out of the back and grabbed our other stuff. Just as I was about to shut the door, one of the guys told me to leave the keys in the ignition, which I did. Unfortunately, I had already locked the door, and I locked the keys in the car. I didn't realize what had happened until they tried to open the door and discovered the problem. Now you'd think with AAA already on the scene this wouldn't be a problem, but that wasn't he case. I guess there are several different classes of tow trucks. My tow truck was one that had the capability to transport me and my carseated child. Other tow trucks handle the lock-outs and passenger-less towing situations apparently, and they were soon called to the scene.

Marilyn is what kept me going through this whole ordeal honestly. She was in a great mood, and was easily entertained with my ipod. We explored my music selection and she learned how to navigate to different albums using the cover flow. After about 20 minutes they finally broke into my car, and started loading my car onto the truck. It was one of those flatbed tow trucks, and the second highlight of this experience was Marilyn's excitement in regard to my car getting positioned. I guess there's just something really cool to a kid about a car riding in the back--seats and all.

We drove to the repair shop, and as we were at the red light across the street, we watched the mechanics pull out of the front gate and lock it up. Now normally the tow truck drivers have a key to these gates, but my driver was also having a somewhat off day and forgot his keys. In addition, he had accidentally locked someone else's keys in their car that morning, only adding to the humor of the day. Luckily, his brother just happened to be driving by in another tow truck and stopped to let us in. After parking my car inside the gates, I ran Marilyn to the potty at a nearby restaurant, and they were kind enough to drive me home.

update on ME

2009-02-27T18:40:00.002-07:00

It's all about me. I'm really tired all of a sudden, but I've actually been doing really well today. I'm pretty sure my child has just poured herself a bowl of cereal in the kitchen, including milk, and I'm not sure I care yet. Give me five minutes.

Anyway, so today I think I'm just as redundant as I was yesterday, except I'm noticing a little more. That's good I guess. I feel like I've lost about a million pounds of stress, and I'm craving summer now. That really doesn't have anything to do with how I'm feeling though, does it. I feel like I'm pregnant in that I can't really bend over. I don't want to crease my stomach where my little incisions are, so I'm doing those broad bends like one does when they're with child. My sore throat from the breathing tube has gone away, for which I'm very grateful. The gas pains come and go in my shoulders, but not that bad. I kinda just feel like I've been to the gym I guess. Except I'm not really checking myself out as much as I would.

So that's it. Exciting stuff. Now Marilyn has taken the car seat into the kitchen too. Time to take a little look.

I'm home

2009-02-26T18:01:00.002-07:00

So my dad has taken Marilyn to the park, and I'm home alone. My options were to sleep, watch TV, or play on the internet. I just love the internet I guess. I'm really not tired which kinda surprises me. Surgery went well. They were able to remove the iud, and all went well. The day was actually pretty interesting.

I had to be at the hospital at 10am, and then I started the registration process. Well, I actually preregistered in the car on the way to the hospital, but I'm not going to count that. First I had to tell a computer I was there and grab a buzzer, just like the kind they give you at restaurants. Then I registered with a person, and filled out one of those health questionnaire. I swear they put some questions on there just to make sure you're paying attention. The questionnaire asked if I had ever experienced the listed items during my lifetime, and one of them was nausea. Has anyone on this planet not felt sick to their stomach at one point or another? Eventually they took me to a room where I put on my little gown, gave blood samples, and got my iv. I was in that room for an hour and a half, just waiting. I think one of their goals must be to make the patient as nervous as possible, but I listened to relaxation podcasts and managed to keep my cool. I'm way into podcasts lately by the way.

Eventually the transport specialist wheeled me down the hall to the operating wing. I was nervous enough at this point that everything was really funny and I couldn't shut up. At one point while I was being wheeled down the hall, my transport specialist had to back me up. I made actual back-up noises during this process. Apparently I turn into a little comedian. Then they parked me in the hall for a while. Now this was absolutely hilarious. They had actual cutouts in the walls to park beds. I'm sure the first hospitals didn't have these cutouts, and they probably tried their best not to leave beds in the halls. It was probably just inevitable though, and I'm sure it caused traffic problems. In modern hospitals I guess they've embraced the patients lined up along the hallways though, and they built in parking stalls. I think that's awesome.

Surgery was fun I guess. Don't really remember it, which is good. Afterward I just really wanted to get home. My shoulder was really the only place that hurt at first, which was odd, and people were talking, and I remember talking to them, but I really don't remember any details. Except I kept hearing about people being admitted, and I was really hoping they weren't talking about me. Apparently they weren't because I'm home. They wheeled me back to a post-op room, and I watched some cash cab. I was so proud of myself for doing well. I knew a lot of the questions, and almost all of the ones I thought I should know. For the life of me could not remember the answer "Juan Peron" though. I can't remember the question now, but all I could think of was Madonna played his wife in a movie I've never seen. At one point I twittered about this, but I honestly don't remember that at all.

Eventually I was released. I felt okay except one incision kinda hurt and my throat was sore too. We had to go pick-up Marilyn from the babysitter though, and the long car ride was not a good thing. When they operate on you, they fill you up with some CO2, and this is what causes a bit of pain. During the ride I felt like all this air was collecting under my sternum, and I started getting pretty nauseous. I made it home though and into bed. Marilyn is out at the park with my dad, and I'm supposed to be resting. I'm just not tired though, so I figured I'd blog a bit and play on the internet.

the morning of...

2009-02-26T07:44:00.002-07:00

So my more serious fears of things like dying, things going wrong and having to stay in the hospital for months or days, and not being able to care for my child have been replaced with more trivial fears. I'm taking this as a good sign.

Really though-- Who is going to dress me, or at least help me dress myself after this surgery? No offence to my dad, but I really don't want him seeing me naked. And then if it is some nurse who has the honor, what kind of panties are appropriate? I guess that still applies if my dad gets to help too. Next issue is hunger. I don't remember the last time I ate breakfast, but I'm currently starving. I'm sure it's only because I can't eat. I have a mild headache building in the background too, and of course I can't take anything because I can't swallow anything. I'm thinking after my surgery this isn't going to be important.

Anyway, I'm good. I was just going to twitter blog about the panties thing, because for some reason that's a big issue right now, but I just set up my twitter to automatically update my facebook page, and I really didn't want "panties" in my facebook status. And I know I just blogged about it, but who reads this blog anyway ;)

mirena removal surgery tomorrow

2009-02-25T20:36:00.003-07:00

My surgery is tomorrow. I've been kinda freaked out all day, but I'm tired now and ready to get it all done. I was going to tell the whole story, but I'm not really in the mood at the moment. I'll update tomorrow, or the next day I suppose. I should twitter at least.

I just had to kiss her sleeping toes

2009-02-22T10:48:00.002-07:00

Marilyn just came to me in tears because her toes hurt. She had been sitting in a chair for a while watching TV, so I figured they were probably just asleep. Explaining to a 3 year old why feet fall asleep, and why they hurt when they do, is a little tough. Anyway, I had to kiss them better, but it didn't really work because the pain was on the inside. I thought it was pretty cute.

Yesterday we went swimming. We drove up to Centerville with James because there's a really cool pool there by his parent's house. Of course when we got there I discovered I didn't have my swimming suit. Marilyn and I drove to Kohl's and picked one up, but of course I lost my keys somewhere in the store. I figured the most likely place was in the dressing room, but when we went back, there no keys were to be found. I searched frantically around the swimming suit racks, but nothing. Now usually when I really loose my keys, I never find them again, ever. I'm pretty sure there has been a set of Honda Prelude keys in Logan Cave since 2000. This isn't a common problem for me, but worst case scenarios were going through my head as I was searching the store for the next five minutes. I finally checked with customer service, and some kind soul had turned them in.

Marilyn was in heaven at the pool, and I'm doing a much better job of turning off the swimming teacher in me. She doesn't really listen to a thing as far as actual swimming instruction goes, and I've accepted that I'll probably need to get her into swimming lessons with a stranger for her to learn. She's much too interested in her own agenda. Once again, I've got no pictures. Seriously though, I didn't even bring a swimming suit, so this shouldn't be a big surprise. The pool had some small water slides for kids, as well as a larger one. She wasn't a fan of the big yellow one though because "it put bubbles in her eyes". She asked to go on the green one again and again though.

When it was time to leave she did a pretty good job. We've been working on the concept of being a good "leaver". I've tried to explain to her that it's great to have fun, and the best way to show mom that you want to come back is be grateful and cooperative when it's time to leave. We've had some pretty major tantrums leaving fun behind. This is a hard one for me. On one hand her tantrums make me want to avoid anything that will bring them on, like fun in the first place. On the other hand though, I know this is something she needs to practice, which would mean she needs more ultra fun activities to leave. I guess it's all about balance.

Just returned from Nana's house

2009-02-15T21:58:00.002-07:00

I think trips to Nana's house bring out my lazy side. I really do enjoy doing a bit of nothing though, and letting other people spoil my kid. Nana took Marilyn shopping one day for some clothes, and Marilyn had the best time. She's very into fashion at the moment, and she changes her clothes about 80 times a day. Luckily her clothes are small so the laundry situation isn't completely out of control. It's just mildly out of control I guess. I've decided that from now on Marilyn will get to pick her wardrobe for the most part because she is so particular with styles and colors.

Uncle Dylan did perhaps the most spoiling out of everyone though, and we even have an interview style video of the two of them conversing about such issues as best friends and other topics that have totally slipped my mind. Maybe he'll post it on you tube and I'll link it up. **hint hint**

This is probably where I should post a picture or something, but I didn't take any, so there goes that idea. I do have a cute picture of when Marilyn colored her face with a green marker though that's really cute. Back in January I traded my sister memory cards though because her 4gig card wasn't working on her computer, but it was working on mine. I didn't even think that it wouldn't work with my desktop computer. So now I have a card that will only work on my laptop, but it's nice because it holds a lot of stuff, but I don't have my laptop started up, and it takes for ever to start up because it's running vista, so that's why we don't have a cute picture of my daughter with a green beard posted here.

If pain au chocolate isn't available in heaven, I pretty much don't want to go there

2009-02-11T16:11:00.002-07:00

Pain au chocolate (translates to "chocolate bread") is a reason in itself to get on a plane and fly to France. I'll never forget the first time I tried it. I was 13 years old, in the south of France, with a bunch of kids from school. We stopped by a patisserie that morning, and my friend Maggie ordered one. Even though chocolate bread seemed a little odd to me, I ordered one as well. When I first bit into the pastry, I was delighted by the contrast of the flaky croissant bread and the firm but not hard chocolate inside. The taste of the butter blended perfectly with the bittersweet of the chocolate, and I was hooked from that moment on.

This tasty treat is practically impossible to find here, and when one does happen to find a bakery that sells it, it's ridiculously expensive. While making my croissants the other day I was inspired to try to make them myself.

Basically I just followed the recipe for croissants, but in the end I wrapped up some slices of a semisweet chocolate bar in the dough. (The next time I make it I'll take some pictures of the process and post them.) This is basically as close as you come to authentic, and sooo worth the effort.

an interesting phase

2009-02-10T21:35:00.001-07:00

I can relate to this song a little too much right now. I think this is just a phase, and hopefully it will pass soon.

I'm pretty sure I've got nothing to write, so don't feel you need to read this one

2009-02-08T14:28:00.003-07:00

Seriously. I've got nothing, but I'm sitting at my computer doing something else, so I figured it would be a great time to blog. In the background I'm making croissants. We'll see how that goes.

**side note** On my blackberry, if I type words like theyre or wel or im or dont, it will automatically insert the apostrophe, and now I'm having the hardest time ever putting them in myself.

You may ask why I decided to make croissants, and I'll tell you. They've always been one of my favorite foods, and I figured I should just learn how to make them. I'm following this croissant recipe. So far I've just mixed the dough, although I had to add a lot more flour to get it to the right consistency. We're now rising, and sometime tomorrow I'll have a finished product. Good thing I bought some at the store so I can have my instant gratification too.

a couple of layouts

2009-02-07T13:07:00.003-07:00

I scrapbooked with Nicole last night for a while, and I finished a couple of layouts. Not my best work, but hey, they're pictures on a page with some words. They get the job done!

this is one I did about about a month ago that I kinda like

holy cuteness

2009-02-02T17:33:00.003-07:00

So I downloaded Tinkerbell from apple the other day, and as I clicked on my "movies" tab in itunes to see if it was in there, I found a whole lot of other movies in there. And I nearly died from a cute attack. I can't believe this was 3 years ago. February 2006 was a big big month for my little girl.

She went from getting around like this: (kinda lame and boring video)

To this: (major milestone, but still kinda boring)

And finally to this: (funny)

Then just to contrast... Feb 2007 (hilarious)

An interview with myself

2009-02-01T15:44:00.001-07:00

I’ve failed in the regular blogging category. I’m sure for the most part it’s just due to me not having an internet connection at home; however, I’ve been connected for the past week, and this is my first attempt at blogging, so I don’t think that is the only reason. After much thought, I’ve decided that it’s because there’s nothing else I’m supposed to be doing at the computer. Like homework. School was great for my blog.

I’m also at an overwhelming point in this blog. Do I try to catch up on what I haven’t blogged about, or do I just start at today, and maybe try a little harder to go forward. While the second option is more tempting, the past few months have been full of noteworthy (at least for me) stuff. I don’t have a clue where to start, so I’m just going to go for a random free-write interview with myself.

Me: So what have you been up to?
Self: Nothing much.
Me: Oh really. Didn’t you move a little while back?
Self: Well, yes, there was that. But that seems like such a long time ago.
Me: So how do you like your new place?
Self: I love it. Absolutely love it. It’s decked out in lots of pink. I have a couch that’s kind of ugly, but it was free from a guy I work with (except for that beer I still need to get him, bad me). I’ve had fun. I’ve got big bookshelves in the living room, a toy shelf, regular house stuff. I have lots of pictures up too. I’m taking my time with the decorating, and trying to figure out what’s inspiring me.
Me: Just out of curiosity, what on earth are we listening to?
Self: Oh, Last.fm. I’m kind of addicted to it, but this song isn’t so good, so let’s skip it.
Me: Thanks, I was a little distracted. So what else is new?
Self: Nothing really.
Me: Okay then.
Self: Well what do you want me to say? I got a Le Crueset wannabe dutch oven by Cuisinart last week that I’m cooking some chili in right now. I’m enjoying my cookware. I have a Calphalon skillet too that has made me a much better cook. I’ve had a lot of fun cooking lately, which is odd because I used to dread cooking every night.
Me: Interesting. So with this new found love of food have you gained any weight?
Self: Of course. That’s okay though, according to the charts I was a little skinny anyway.
Me: So is there anyone “special” in your life these days?
Self: (blushes)
Me: So there is!
Self: Kinda. James and I were friends at SUU back in 1998. He found me on myspace a few years ago, and this fall we started hanging out a bit.
Me: Well that’s cool then.
Self: Yep.
Me: So… How’s Marilyn?
Self: She’s still the cutest thing ever. She’s learned a lot of computer skills lately, and her artwork is getting more and more detailed. She’s really into changing her clothes too, which of course has led to an extreme amount of laundry.
Me: I bet! So what else is she into?
Self: Anything strawberry shortcake for sure. And paper, scissors, stickers, googly eyes, ducks—that kind of thing.
Me: She sounds like quite the handful!
Self: She is, and we have a lot of fun together.
Me: So what is her schedule like?
Self: Her dad picks her up on Sunday nights, and I pick her up on Wednesday.
Me: Is it hard to spend so much time away from her?
Self: It is, but I think this schedule forces me to savor her more. Also, it allows me to have some “me” time too.
Me: So what have you been doing for fun these days during your “me” time?
Self: Random stuff. Mostly I've just been hanging out at home. I went running and swimming this weekend though. James wants to do a triathlon, so I’m trying to steal some of his motivation.
Me: Is it working?
Self: Well I’m really sore today, so I must have done something.
Me: And what else? Scrapbooking?
Self: Not really. I’ve worked on a couple of pages recently, but I haven’t finished anything noteworthy yet though. I bought some product a couple of weeks ago when I was visiting my sister in Las Vegas though.
Me: Oh, how was that?
Self: It was really good to see her. Can you believe I haven’t ever been to her house? I haven’t been down there since she got married in 2001.
Me: Wow, you’re a bad sister!
Self: I know, I know. She still loves me though
Me: So why did you make this trip?
Self: She had another baby in November, so I went to help her out a bit, and see my nephews.
Me: Another baby! How many is that?
Self: Four boys.
Me: And how’s she doing?
Self: She’s hanging in there. Her newborn, Cole, is pretty fussy, but she’s doing well.
Me: That’s good. New babies are tough.
Self: Yep, but she’s a really good mom.
Me: So did I heard something about you needing surgery?
Self: Oh yes, it’s completely ridiculous too. Kind-of a long story, but my Mirena IUD perforated my uterus, and it’s just hanging out in my body cavity.
Me: Wow! That’s crazy!
Self: I know. I guess it’s more common if you’re breastfeeding, but it’s still pretty rare.
Me: So this happened a while ago?
Self: Probably in 2005 right after I had it put it. I had some problems then, but the ultrasounds looked normal. I went in a month ago, and my doctor wasn’t able to remove it. After an ultrasound and an x-ray they found it. I’m going in for surgery on the 26th.
Me: Good luck with that.
Self: Thanks, I’ll need it.
Me: So other than that, has life been good?
Self: Very good actually. Sure I have my ups and downs like everyone, but I’m an incredibly lucky person. I’ve got a great daughter, a job I like for the most part, fantastic friends, and good health.
Me: Well, I’m glad to hear it.

Somewhere between real blogging and twitter blogging is blackberry blogging

2008-11-24T10:18:00.001-07:00

I really miss blogging, so I decided that I'm going to give it another shot. For the time being, my only readily available internet is my blackberry. So writing a blog post is going to be as efficient as texting, but hey, short is good, right?

I'm loving life lately. I'm feeling settled in my new place, and I think Marilyn is too. She's getting used to the routine, and I think she's developed a new appreciation for her mother. I think its a little hard for her not to have all her friends around. She did make a new one yesterday though. She and another girl were out on the balconies tossing bread to the ducks. We all went down and collected pretty leaves together for a bit.

I scrapbooked a page this weekend too. I'll post it eventually. I've got to transfer it to my phone I guess. Actually I probably won't because that sounds like a lot of work. The important thing is I actually scrapped! I was actually inspired too.

I'm missing all of my friends because I feel like I haven't seen anyone forever. One of these saturdays I'm going to plan something. A little holiday get together would be nice...

another laundry day, another blog post

2008-11-04T18:35:00.002-07:00

It seems that laundry day has become my official internet time. Tonight I wasn't really expecting to have time for laundry because I was planning on spending the evening voting. When I got home from work I grabbed a camp chair and a book and headed for the polls. I was shocked there wasn't even a little line, so my evening quickly opened up.

I tend to jam pack all my not-so-fun-to-do-with-a-kid activities into my Marilyn free days, so they're always really busy. Laundry is at the top of the list because waiting around for clothes to dry just isn't her idea of fun.

Let's see... this week Marilyn and I had some good halloween fun. We both went as kitty cats-- her idea. We carved pumpkins (well I carved them and Marilyn hacked at the cut-outs with her little knife), and on Friday I got to take her to my work for trick or treating.

Hi, I'm still alive

2008-10-14T16:21:00.002-06:00

I decided it's time to be frugal, so I don't have internet in my new home. Tragic I know. Most of the time I'm too busy to miss it, and I do have it on my phone, but I feel so incredibly out of touch with EVERYTHING. Today I was going a little nuts and decided it was time for a good quality internet fix.

Anyway, I moved out at the end of September, so I'm officially on my own and I love it. Sharing Marilyn with Bill is a little hard, but so far I've been so busy with things on the days I don't have her that the time flies by. I also think the break helps me be a little more fresh for her and we've been having a great time together. For the most part I think she has adjusted well. For the first week she was acting a little funny, and the concept of having a "mommy's house" and a "daddy's house" was a little difficult. My place also doesn't feel like too much of a home yet because I still haven't found a couch I love enough to buy, and there's still boxes everywhere too. On Sunday when it was time for her to leave though, she threw a fit about it, and I'm taking that as a sign she's starting to like my place too.

Anyway, I miss everyone, but I'll come out of my little cave soon and be social again. :)

almost there

2008-09-21T19:01:00.003-06:00

Bill took Marilyn for the day so I finally was able to make some real progress. For now I'm out of boxes though, but I'm almost done. There's something about putting all of your possessions in boxes along a wall that really makes you realize how much stuff you have. I've tried to get rid of as much stuff as possible while packing, but it all just adds up.

Winds of Change

2008-09-20T14:00:00.006-06:00

It seems like forever since I’ve blogged. I know part of the reason is because I’ve just been busy with everything, but part is also because I’ve been avoiding a certain topic because I just didn’t know what to say about it; for the most part I still don't which is very apparent by the number of times I've edited this post...

Anyway, on Friday I will be moving out. I feel like I’ve been packing forever because I’ve spent the past month doing a few boxes here and there. The apartment I’m moving into is also really small, so I’ve had to downsize a lot, and Marilyn seems to always get into trouble or want to go outside when I get started too. I’m almost finished though (I think) and I’m excited to unpack and make myself at home in my new place.

on vacation

2008-08-10T14:02:00.002-06:00

Every year my family stays at Bear Lake for a week, and so I'm up here for a couple of days with them. Not only does this place bring back all sorts of wonderful childhood memories, but I'm having a lot of fun sharing them with Marilyn now. As a kid I don't know how many hours I spent playing on the beach here, building sand castles or finding sea shells. I was allowed to be independent and do pretty much whatever I wanted, and I'm enjoying giving Marilyn just a taste of that same freedom. She's off riding her bike and I'm watching her from a distance. Every once in a while she'll go a little further than she's supposed too, but she'll come riding by and say hi. She's a very fun kid to watch.

Here's my latest layouts of her...

sailing again

2008-07-27T13:50:00.002-06:00

We went sailing again yesterday at Bear Lake. Good times were had by all, especially because we won the race.

Marilyn fell asleep right after the race. She slept while the rest of us swam and played for a bit, and she woke up right as we finished getting the boat cleaned up after the race. I just love taking pictures of Marilyn sleeping; she holds still!