applause for all of you who support EVERYONE in their pursuit of happiness

yes, honey, yours will too

Eliza and I went for a quick swim the other night before bedtime. It was pretty cool out, surprisingly. So, we started with the hot tub. Eliza likes to sit in the bubbly until we are roastin' and then go jump into the big cool pool. The other night she didn't feel like doing front flips into the deep end, so we hopped on the steps until we were in. She calls it "the bobbing method," because when we get into the pool we bob around to get a little warmer before jetting back to the hot tub.

On each step, we face each other and hop up and down a few times before going to the deeper step. The second time of the "jumping method" portion of the "bobbing method," Eliza said, "They're bouncing." I said, "What?" "They are bouncing." "OOOH." So, I held "them" while jumping and was stopped with, "Don't hold 'em, it looks cool!" "OK." [Pause] "Will mine do that when I get some?" "Yes, honey, yours will too."

all hallow's eve

I had too much school work, so Joe took Miss Eliza trick-or-treating on this evening of haunting. Eliza was a witch. Grandma Claudia miraculously made this costume just after moving to Seattle. Joe, Eliza, and I all love Halloween. Each Halloween we make caramel apples, carve pumpkins, and roast the pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin carving has never before involved the power tools. After they got back from Trick-or-Treating, we watched a marathon of Goosebumps movies from in our fort. Eliza ate maybe 3 pieces of Halloween candy, some popcorn, and a few sips of a slushee before crashing mid-movie.


[Click the witch to see all of the Halloween pictures.]

night in at the spa

I am not sure why I am taking the time to post when I am so overwhelmed I want to throw my laptop on the floor, stomp on it, put my head down, and cry myself into a nap. BUT, this was such a fabulous time!
Eliza wanted to have a spa treatment evening. Joe was working late, and while my friends were all out for 'the day after Halloween' mayhem, Eliza and I had an utterly perfect night in at the spa. You are probably wondering what slimy goop is on our faces. It's not puke-- it's a homemade banana and honey mask (yummy). Eliza is sure this made her face much softer. Eliza's feet are in a pan of warm water with lavender salts. We massaged each-other's feet and hands after they soaked in a sugar lotion concoction we made. We are just a fabulous pair.

just a bit a london fog

I was a big Shirley Temple fan when I was a little girl. Those bouncy curls! Tap dancing and singing! How could you resist?

One of her movies, (A Little Princess, perhaps?), she is sad and sitting on a front porch step. Someone comes up and asks her what's wrong, or why she's crying and she wipes her tear away and says, "It's just a bit a London fog." That's how I remember the scene at least. It's gray and wet outside and the entire scene is so pathetically sad.

That little line pops into my head, still, as an adult. When I was little and upset I would think it. Today I was upset and thought to myself, if someone asks me if I was crying I just might say, "It's just a bit a London fog."

I miss my friends in Utah. I miss the seasons. I miss my family.

I already miss snowboarding, even though we wouldn't be going yet. I miss talking over coffee. or a cocktail.

I miss Eliza being able to see her Mom. She's breaking my heart.

I miss Joe barbecuing with friends.

I miss Kristen more than ever. I used to think living in Logan might have made it more difficult. Going into the canyon to run was impossible for a long time. Driving past the old crummy house we shared. Certain spots on campus.

Living away from all of those painful reminders is overwhelmingly worse. Suddenly, the sight of one of her pictures wrenches my insides. Just my hair getting longer brings on the tears. I look in the mirror and my hair looks more like hers. I miss being reminded of her everywhere I went, every day. Every road I drove down would make me smile and now, all I have are pictures.