Memoir Snippets

I am an aspiring writer, as you probably already know. So I've decided to post some of my writing on this blog. I thought it might be fun to share some of my memoir snippets. Here's the first installment:

Clouds and Earth

My husband and I are very different. Don't get me wrong, we have many things in common. We are both determined, hard-headed, and completely in love with each other. We enjoy being together as much as possible. When the world says, "Why?" we say, "Why not?" However, in many ways, we are polar opposites.

Nic is driven by 'how can I make money' or to be more accurate and give him credit, 'how can I provide for my family'. He is made of logic, reality, common sense, and steel determination.

I am driven by dreams. I am made of unicorn breath, stardust, and magic fluff.

Recently, I resigned from my career of teaching, a path I chose with dreams of changing the world and making a difference (did I get paid? No matter...), to become a full-time dreamer (I am raising our son and keeping the house some-what under control on the side). These are some of my dreams:

I dream of being a famous author. I want to walk up to J.K. Rowling, as old chums do, and say, "Hey, J.K.! What do you know?" I want to sign something other than credit card slips at Barnes & Noble. I want to tour the world reading excerpts from my novels to adoring fans. I want to cry with Oprah as I read one of my more poignant excerpts. I want movie producers to ask me my opinion on who should play the lead role in the movie being made that is based on my book. Or if they don't want my opinion, I want to criticize their choices on my blog followed by thousands.

I dream of having an apple stand at the local farmer's market where I would sell fresh apples, rich apple cider, gooey caramel apples, sweet apple turnovers, and slices of delicious apple pie.

"But you're not a farmer and don't grow apples!" My husband points out.

"But I might someday! Can't you just imagine how yummy it would be?"

"So do you want to do this to make money or for fun? Never mind, I already know the answer!"

I dream of opening my very own restaurant, 'Around the World in One Meal'. The tables would be painted to look like the world. The servers would wear costumes from various cultures, and they would learn a handful of phrases in different languages. We would serve Italian, Chinese, Mexican, and American with specific head chefs for each specialty. One weekends, we will have live performances--fire throwers, hula dancers, mariachi bands, Irish step-dancers...it will be amazing! Bring your family!

"And you're going to make money with this, right?" He hesitates to ask.

"Uh...sure...we'll charge people to eat there."

To give my husband credit, he is no dream squasher. He is my scientist designing a rocket to reach my stars; he is my architect building a tower to my clouds. When I say that I want to be a professional horseshoe competitor and travel the horse shoe circuit, he's out in the backyard measuring to build a horse shoe pit so that I can practice. Nevermind I haven't ever really played a true game of horse shoe!

We certainly are opposites. I am his clouds to shade him from the scorching sunshine of reality; he is my earth with his gravitational pull that keeps me from entirely floating away. We are clouds and earth together. And we make a good pair, my husband and me.

The REAL second day before Christmas...

On the Tuesday before Christmas, I went to a Relief Society activity and had a great time. There was good food and a super cute program. I was sitting at a table with friends, one of them being my friend, Jennifer. Let it be noted, that I have always looked up to Jennifer. She is so amazing in everything she does. I had the opportunity to serve with her as one of her counselors in the Primary presidency for a few years. She has to be one of the purest, kindest people out there. Currently, she is very pregnant with her fifth child. Let it also be noted that I love her family to death and if the church ever needed a poster family, this family would be it! Anyway, as I was sitting at the table socializing, I was also thinking how happy I was for her. Then, out of nowhere, the thought popped into my head, "I think I'm pregnant." I quickly dismissed the idea, but when I got home from the activity, I checked my calendar and started doing some counting. As luck would have it, I had not recorded the day of my last cycle, which is unusual because I generally know the exact date and have it marked on my calendar. (I know, I know--I'm obsessive! Old habits are hard to break...) Anyway, I counted from various possible dates and no matter what date I plugged in, I was late. I wasn't about to be pulled into this same-old trap, so I decided to wait until Thursday to do a pregnancy test. The time from Tuesday night to Thursday seemed to drag and was full of moments where I thought I was starting my period but was wrong. Wednesday night I told Nic that I needed to run to the store for some feminine hygiene products. He never asks questions when I use those terms! Thursday morning I did the test. Later that afternoon I did another test, and...I'M PREGNANT! Picture me doing triple axles/cart wheels/plies & swirls in the air. Can it be possible? I am in total shock! I have my first doctor appointment on January 10th. Here's how I told Nic: There was no way I was going to make it to Christmas with such news, so I asked Nic if I could give him a present early. He had no idea what was coming! I put the pregnancy test in a little gift box and then wrapped it. I think he was expecting/hoping for something sexy like lingerie or at least something for his Jeep. Boy, did I surprise him! I think he may have stopped breathing for a minute or two! Now we are both walking around in shock. I can't believe we are on this road again. I am so excited. Our very own Christmas miracle!

Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful day! Sam is not at the age of knowing that he has to get up at the crack of dawn to see what Santa brought, so we were able to sleep-in almost to 8:00 a.m. I think Sam was most excited that he woke up to find Nanny Man, Uncle J, daddy, and mommy all in the same room as him. That was his favorite Christmas present! Though don't let that deceive you that the little guy didn't get a ton of awesome presents. He made out like a bandit! He is one loved kid! Though I can't say I had a rough Christmas myself. Poor Nic. I kept ruining his best Christmas gift ideas (with winning the Kindle and all), but he managed to come up with a winner--a new video camera! Yay! I'm so excited to get those family movies rollin'! I surprised Nic with a couple of presents, including a scrapbook I made of Gimli. It had us all crying when Nic opened it. Such a good dog. We really miss him. It was fun to put the book together though and remember all the good times with good ol' Gimli.
We had so much fun with my family and then the fun continued with Nic's family. Pretty much I ate all day long which is okay on Christmas. I don't know that I'll ever be able to move again! Everything has been such a whirlwind of fun with family and friends. It's kind of sad to think that Christmas has now come and gone. But then again, it is also nice to think about getting back to routines again (though I don't think I'm very excited to dive into the get our house in order project).
Well, I'm ready for bed. Again, what a wonderful time of year! I love Christmas! I hope all my family and friends had a wonderful Christmas. Happy Birthday, Jesus!

On the first day before Christmas (a.k.a. Christmas Eve)

Well, the big man in red comes tonight. I can't believe Christmas is already here! Today has been a great day. We've been out and about pretty much all day. We started in the morning delivering goodies and presents. Then we had my extended family party. It was funny because Santa, being really busy tonight, wasn't able to make it to the party but he left a note asking if the person who is almost the same age as him (my dad) would be his helper. So my dad gave everyone their gifts. It was all good except for Santa's helper told me that I had gained some weight since last Christmas! Stinker! =) Afterward, we went to my Aunt Tina's house and my Uncle Jerry came to visit also. I just love how close my extended family is! I never realized that not all families are like mine where we are good friends and like to visit each other whenever we can. Then we crammed into my parent's mini-van and went driving around g-ville to look at the Christmas lights. Now we're just changing into our new pajamas that Santa left for us and heading to bed. It is about time...I'm exhausted! And tomorrow is going to be just as busy! I love this time of year!! Merry Christmas everyone!

On the second day before Christmas...

Tonight we are currently bowling with nic's family so once again I am blogging on his phone. Let's just say I'm not the world's best bowler. But it is fun to be with family. I think I'm actually tied with my six year old nephew (and that's only because I let Sam help me bowl)! Oh well, I guess I can't be good at everything...just kidding!

On the third day before Christmas...

Tonight for our Young Women's activity, the girls came over to my house, and we attempted to make faux gingerbread houses. I say 'faux' because we used graham crackers. I say 'attempted' because it is not as easy as it seems. Didn't we make graham cracker houses in elementary school? Why could I do it then and not now? It is a Christmas mystery!
I would post pictures of all of these amazing things that I'm blogging about but my computer is having some issues. My Mac has been having some issues (not because it is a Mac--I'm a Mac girl true blue--but because it has had a long, hard life). My Mac has played hard and worked hard for many years. Well, one of the things we needed to do was to update everything. Nic's phone wouldn't sync anymore, and he can't get his apps to work, so we decided updating my computer would be a Christmas present for him (kind of like Homer's bowling ball that had Homer written on it that he gave to Marge as a present). We decided to take the computer in to the Apple store (to me, Disneyland; to nic, the place of fire and brimstone) and just have them install and update everything. This was last Friday. Well, it turned out to be a little more of a challenge than anticipated. Problem #1: My memory is shot. How did I use up all of my memory, especially because I have most things saved on an external drive? I have video files that are 125 GB for one file. It is insanity! All of my little projects apparently take up a lot of room. I wonder if Spielberg has these problems?! Problem #2: Some things installed correctly. Some did not. Iphoto would be the not, and thus I can't upload pictures from my camera right now. I'll fix it in the morning. Oh, and I transferred my Itunes library over to my external drive and followed the instructions that the Mac guy gave me, but it isn't working like he said it would. I'll live--I just need to figure out everything on my computer again! Problem #3: My video card is dying. Apparently with Mac computers, everything is part of the motherboard, so if one thing goes, it all goes. Basically, the Mac guy told me that my computer doesn't have much longer to live. I almost cried in the store. The new $2000 Mac might cheer me up someday, but for now, I'm going to spend as much quality time with my good ol' Mac as I can. So there you have it--a very long explanation for why I have no pictures posted! =)

On the fourth day before Christmas...

Well, it's almost here--the big day! I'm really close to being ready, closer than I've ever been (though that's not saying much for a girl who is usually doing all of her shopping on Christmas Eve)! Today poor Nic has been sick. He's got a cold or flu or something. All I know is that he sounds like Darth Vader and looks a little like Yoda. =) Hopefully a little soup and OJ will get him back on his feet soon, and, even more hopefully, none of the rest of us will get the bug too!
I've noticed in other posts that I talk a lot about starting traditions, so I've decided that I should include some of my favorite Christmas traditions too.
First, here is a recap of some of the new traditions that I would like to keep going:
1. Making treats with my sister.
2. Going to the Messiah. (We went this year, and even Nic was inspired!)
3. Getting a new ornament every year for Sam that will hold a special memory for him.
4. Going to Temple Square to see the lights. I wouldn't say this is a new tradition, but we don't always make it. Christmas just isn't the same on the years.
5. Going to the Christmas sing-along.
6. I think I want to do something with Sam some day (and myself and Nic) where we take one of our gifts from Christmas and give it to someone in need. Or maybe after we make our Christmas list for Santa, Santa gets to choose one of the items that will go to someone in need. I'm still thinking on this one on how to make it work well to help Sam learn about giving.

Now, for some of my favorite traditions:
Every Christmas Eve we go to my side of the family's Christmas party. Afterward, we go to my parent's house and spend the night. One of our traditions is to pile into one car and drive around to look at Christmas lights. Nic mentioned this tradition the other night as one of his favorite memories when we were dating because it made him really feel like a part of the family (you couldn't feel otherwise when you have someones elbow in your nose and their rump crushing your leg to sleep!). On the outskirts of town, this family sets up hundreds of luminarias (candles in paper bags) and a nativity scene. It is awesome to drive through it!
Last year, none of us were really feeling like going. We were being lazy, and Nanny Man (our usual motivator in all things good) was on her mission. Well, just when we were about to cave in and not go to see the lights, Nic said, "Manda would have us go if she were here. Let's do it for the Man!" And we went. And we had a good time.
Another favorite memory that we love to bring up every year and laugh about was when Nic and I were either first married or about to get married. We were out looking at the lights, and my mom was driving the van. Well, as sometimes happens in a small, redneck town, someone had taken the reindeer at one of the houses and put them in inappropriate positions. Suddenly, my mom (who is apparently blind and shouldn't be driving) turns the car so the headlights are shining right on the naughty reindeer for all to see and shouts out, "Look at the cowboy! How cute!" We were all laughing too hard to really say anything. Finally, Nic was able to pull himself together enough to say, "Mom, you should go stand by the cowboy and we'll get your picture!" Unfortunately, she had figured things out by then and opted out of the picture!
Christmas Eve we all spend the night and all the kids and dogs squish into the same room. I remember one year Jason was all upset to wake up and find himself spooning with Gimli! We even did this last year with a newborn, Nic and Me, Jason, Tinkerbelle, Gimli, and Gus--all in the same room. We'll be happy to have Nanny Manda home this year and Gimli will be missed.
Santa always brings everyone new jammies, so we unwrap our jammies, change, and then do a modeling show.
Christmas morning we go sing to grandpa and grandma to wake them up and then open our presents. And then even though we're already tuckered out, the day has just begun and we head off to our other grandma and grandpa for more Christmas celebrations. Grandma J has continuous food for us all day, and we usually open presents and then watch/snooze through whatever new movies anyone has got for Christmas.
Usually the boys get some toy or other (like marshmallow guns, remote control cars, Nerf guns, etc.) that we have to play with. I remember one year, we had a major marshmallow war and grandma was still finding marshmallows in February!
We have so much fun each year. I'm excited to see how Sam does with everything now that he's a little older than a few weeks!

On the fifth day before Christmas...

So who makes a goal to post EVERYDAY this close to Christmas? What was I thinking? It has actually been nice to write about our comings and goings this busy holiday season; I've just found myself doing a lot of late night, drowsy blogging.
Tonight we went to the Christmas Sing-a-long that the Larry H. Miller family hosts at the Energy Solutions arena. It was actually really neat. It was almost a packed (that's a lot of people!), and everyone seemed in cheerful spirits. We went with Nic's family and had a good time together. There was an orchestra playing as we sang along. To hear an entire stadium singing Christmas songs together was really cool. We sang everything from Joy to the World to Frosty the Snowman. Jon Schmidt (?) also performed. It always amazes me to watch someone who is passionate about what they do perform. I think this would be another fun tradition to start to doing each year!
And now I am off to bed. I feel bad because I feel like this post sounds a little sub-par, but I'm tired, so it will have to do for now.

On the sixth day before Christmas...

Today I was asked to share at church a Christmas poem that I wrote, so I thought for my post today, I would just share that with you. Hope you enjoy!

Kissing The Face of God - © 2001 Morgan Weistling

Mary’s Prayer

Mary quietly watches her slumbering child;
She rests her face against His so mild.
She gently whispers against His cheek in love
And pleads for Him to her Father above,
“Father in Heaven, I pray to Thee tonight
To give thanks to Thee for all that is right,
To give thanks for this Child asleep in a manger;
Oh, how I thank Thee for this sweet little stranger.”
She softly leans over and kisses his brow,
“Dear Father, bless me to show Him how—
How to obey and Thy servant be,
And once He has learned, to help others to see.
Look at His feet and ten tiny toes!
Bless Him with kindness wherever He goes.
See how both of His small hands fit in mine;
Bless these hands to do Thy work divine.
His cheeks are so rosy, His eyes so bright;
Bless Him always with Thy guiding light.
See the sweet smile on His tender face;
Bless Him to teach others of Thy loving Grace.”
Mary pauses, a tear in her eye.
She cradles her baby and says with a sigh,
“Father, I know He will lead a hard life;
Already it is full of heartache and strife.
I don’t know what trials He will face,
But if I could I would take His place.
I can’t hold Him forever in these arms of mine,
But when I’m not there wilt Thou hold Him in thine?
When I’m not there to give Him my love,
Shine Thy love down from Thy courts above.
This dear babe is most precious to me,
But if Thou asketh, I give Him to Thee.”

On the seventh day before Christmas...

Busy morning preparations,
Football game with friends,
Big family party,
Tree decorating/tackling with family,
Laughing until my sides hurt,
Late night posting,
and off to bed for me!

Sorry for the short post. It has been a busy day. Better details later. For now, consider this a poetic post!

On the eighth day before Christmas...

Thoughts on parenting...
So every once-in-awhile I have these moments where I think, "I'm doing pretty good. I think I have this parenting thing down. We've made it this far and Sam is turning out pretty darn good..." These moments last for approximately five minutes at the most. Then along comes a new phase (current phase: screaming and tantrums), a new issue, a new tooth (molars)...you name it, and suddenly I find myself, once again, trying to get my head above the water in the sea of What-do-I-do-now-I-have-no-idea-what-I-am-doing. I am grateful for those brief moments of calm and assurance, and I am very grateful for parenting books and Google. (In all seriousness, I am very grateful for a patient and loving Heavenly Father. I can't imagine trying to figure all of this out without prayer and the Spirit!)

By the way, some day I am going to write a book entitled, Everything I Needed to Know about Parenting, I Learned at Obedience School. It will be a bestseller...

Sam's Santa Experience

Sam is a fairly friendly kid. He likes most everyone. We didn't think he would have a problem with Santa Claus, especially because Santa looks a lot like his Papa J. Picture Porter Rockwell, and you've got a good idea of what Sam's Papa J looks like. Well, apparently we were wrong with our assumptions. These pictures are from the ward Christmas party last weekend...
Instant Not-Happy...


Still not happy..."How could you do this to me?"


Not breathing...


Still not breathing...
And still not breathing...
Santa: "Perhaps you want to take your son before he passes out from lack of oxygen?"

I was laughing so hard. I will admit that there was a slight maternal instinct to save my baby, but this instinct was overridden by my laughing so hard my sides hurt.

On the ninth day before Christmas...

I almost forgot to do a post today. Good thing for husbands to keep a girl on track! Today has been a really fun day. My mom and my Aunt Tina have this tradition where they get together every year and make Christmas candy to send out to their brothers. So Manda and I decided that we want to start a tradition like that too. Well, except for the send the goodies out thing...we decided it would be fun to make yummy treats and EAT yummy treats! Maybe we'll share, but I wouldn't put money on it. We made Martha Washington Balls (a southern treat that is easy to make and ta-asty!), we attempted to make English toffee (not for beginners, even if the recipe says that it is super easy...), and sugar cookies. It was so much fun hanging out with my sister. We chatted for hours and laughed so hard. We're saying that Sam decorated the cookies...that's our story and we're sticking to it.
Also today, we had the opportunity to have dinner with six couples from our ward. The two older couples hosted the get-together and are just such gracious and welcoming people. We had a great time getting to know different people, and happily, Sam didn't destroy the house! For the wiggle worm that he is, he actually did a really good job. Everyone just loves that kid! Sometimes I think that if we could send babies out as missionaries, we would really get the gospel to people. I love how Sam just accepts people and gives them love without hesitation (well, except for Santa the other day; there was no love there).
After dinner tonight (which was delicious!), we shared some memorable Christmases with everyone. I remembered how after Grandma Medina passed away, that first Christmas without her, my Aunt Tina found this shoe box with a bunch of Christmas cards for all the grandkids. Each card had a little 'love you from Grandma Ida' and a two dollar bill. It was just what I needed that year--to know that grandma was still there for me. It reminded me of the really important things in life--family. I'm so grateful that the Savior came for us and made it possible for us to return to our Heavenly Father and to be with our families for forever!

On the tenth day before Christmas...

What?! There are only ten days until Christmas? Let the get-everything-done-run-around-like-a-headless-chicken frenzy begin! It is tradition, after all.
Tonight I went to visit widows and widowers for our mutual activity. We live in an older ward that includes a retirement community, so there are few youth but plenty of grandparents. We had over sixty people to visit tonight, so we broke into groups. My group consisted of two young women and one other leader. We had eleven people to visit and had a great time. Tonight's experience reminded me of two things:
1. There are so many AMAZING people all around me. I am constantly awed by the kindness, the wisdom, the accomplishments, the spirituality, and strength of the people in my ward. Our ward isn't perfect, but I feel truly blessed to be in this ward right now. One of the women we visited tonight used to be a federal judge in Washington D.C. Of the first 100 women to pass the bar exam in Utah, she was number forty. Every time I meet someone new and hear their stories, I am just amazed. And Sam is so lucky to have so many 'grandparents'. It really feels like we have a community of people who care for and love our son, and that is greatly needed to raise a child in today's world.
2. Christmas can be so hard if your heart is hurting. When you are alone or feel lonely, it seems like Christmas just seems to accentuate that hurt. (Let it be noted that I can hardly get through Mr. Kruger's Christmas. That show is heart wrenching to me!) I know Christmas is a time of cheer and joy, but it can also be a time of heart ache if what you want most doesn't fit under a Christmas tree or can't be wrapped in shiny paper with a bow on top. I also remember how hard it was when I was struggling with infertility...all those songs about baby Jesus and lullabies, and my heart would break that I would never have the opportunity to be a mother. It sounds silly to me now, but I remember some Christmas songs would break me down to tears. I hope that I can be more mindful, not just during this season, but throughout the year of the struggles and hurts of others. I think that remembering the real reason for the season, that because Jesus came to this earth in a stable, no crib for his bed, for us to have joy, then we can find hope and comfort in struggles and in holidays.

On the eleventh day before Christmas...

In order to keep my goal of posting every day for the twelve days before christmas, I am currently typing this post on my husband's I-phone. It is not as easy as it looks. :) Anyway, we are currently on our way to see the lights at temple square. I am so excited because sam has never been and hopefully this can be a tradition we continue.
...okay now we are on our way home. We had a great time with our friends clay, Jill, and Jill's kids. The lights were beautiful, the company was wonderful, and we topped it all off with a hot fudge sundae. I will try to add some pictures to this post tomorrow.

On the twelfth day before Christmas...

On the twelfth day before Christmas my true love gave to me...a kindle!! Yay!
Today I presented for the Jordan School District chapter of the International Reading Association. I did my presentation on Motivating the Unmotivated Reader that I've done at a couple of other conferences. One of my friends from the district office came to one of my presentations and asked if I would do it for the JCIRA, and I agreed. I actually enjoy presenting...it's like being a teacher again, and I get re-licensure points (I'm trying to keep my teaching licence up-to-date, just in case). Anyway, as part of an incentive to come to the workshop (as if hearing me present wasn't incentive enough! J.K.), they were raffling a Kindle and some books at the end of the workshop. Well, I had two tickets in the raffle and wasn't really expecting much because I NEVER win anything! Every raffle, lottery, gamble...no luck! I was just hoping for one of the picture books. So I was completely surprised when they called my name for the Kindle. I am so excited because I was sort of wanting one for Christmas. Granted, it will not replace or cure my addiction to purchasing books, but it will make reading on the go so much easier. I will no longer need to pack an extra suitcase of books! I really do take at least four or five books with me when I go on vacation (I have this fear of having some down time and no book). One person who was not as excited as me was my husband. Why? Because that it was he was planning to get for me for Christmas. He loves to spoil me, and it was part of big plan he had. He was going to get me a Nook. I told him to research and find out which is better and then give me the better of the two for Christmas, and it still totally counts as a present from him. I still can't believe it! I won a Kindle!!

Lessons on money management

So I gave the lesson today in Young Women's and the lesson was on being financially responsible. This is ironic for three reasons:
1. Money management is my most recent/never-ending stress. Just the other day I was having a slight money meltdown because I know the basic principles of money management, I think I understand the basic concepts, and yet I struggle to maintain a budget. I get so frustrated with myself. Sometimes I wonder if I should just take a class to learn Mandarin Chinese--it would be equally simple for my mind. Nic jokes that my bank statement is my kryptonite!
2. This goes along with #1--I have never been very good at money management. Again, I could give a lesson on basic conversation in Chinese that would equally tap into my expertise...
3. This is the second time I've given this lesson. It was about a year ago that I gave this exact lesson! Obviously, the Lord has us teach the lessons that we need to learn the most, and obviously, I haven't learned it yet!

A goal...

Coming soon...
For the 12 days of Christmas this year, I will post every single day. It will be amazing.
=)

Oh Shutterfly, oh Shutterfly, you're designs are oh so lovely...

Okay, most of you have heard me talk about Shutterfly. Well, let me say more...=)
First of all, it is that time of year when I should have already ordered my cards and sent them out as I resolved to do last year, but, as fate/habit has it every year, I will probably be sending out our Christmas cards on Christmas Eve...anyway, here's a preview of the amazing card that will soon (I hope, I hope) be hanging on your fridge:

Anyway, let me just put in a little plug for Shutterfly here. I have been working on a scrapbook on for Sam on Shutterfly and absolutely love it. They have tons of lay-outs and designs, and it has been really easy to maneuver through the process. Plus, it has been more cost-efficient and less time consuming than the crafty, scissors-fancy-paper-and-glue scrapbook. Here are some links to other products that I enjoy using:
Christmas photo cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo

holiday cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

· photo calendars to http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars

birthday card to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birthday-cards-stationery