Pet Peeve #1

Unlike most people, I like Mondays. For me, I have been refreshed by the weekend and work goes by really fast. For whatever reason, they have a bad rap. I thought it would be appropriate to use Mondays to talk about my personal pet peeves...

Pet Peeve #1 - Grocery Shopping

I like to grocery shop. I like to plan my weekly menu, write a list of items and do the actual shopping. I like to have food in my house, with healthy snacks for my kids to eat. I like to cook. What I don't like, my pet peeve for today, is getting home and realizing that I forgot the one essential item to prepare the meal for that night's dinner. If you are anything like me, I crave certain foods. I can see and smell dinner. I don't like changing dinner plans since I have given it some serious thought during the day. Today was one of those days. I had to make a special trip back to the grocery store for one lone item... Arg!

Sour Patch Kid

I took an integrated science class at USU with my brother Matt. The professor used to give us a pop quiz every week. It was only one question. One week, the question was, "What are Saturn's rings made of?". My answer was, "Gas & rocks."

I remember picking Jill, who was 4 years old at the time, up from daycare afterward and told her that I had a pop quiz in class. I told her about the quiz, both the question and the answer. Jill said, "Mom, the right answer is ice. You got it wrong."

I laughed because I was confident I was right and after all, she was only 4 years old. SHE WAS RIGHT... The first of many times my daughter has proven to me that I don't know as much as I think I do.

Something New Saturday #1 - Shaun the Sheep

For those of you with kids or grandkids (or you are just a kid at heart), you ought to check out "Shaun the Sheep". Jace received the movie from his grandma this year for his birthday. Too funny.

I first saw Shaun in one of the Wallace and Gromit episodes and until this week, I hadn't seen him in any of his own videos. It is really amazing how the makers put these films together. Lots of hard work and patience! I have now seen 4 of the 40 episodes with a plan to collect them all. Here is a clip for your viewing pleasure...

Photo Friday #1 - Tip of the Iceberg

I have been sitting here for some time tonight trying to think of something interesting and entertaining to blog about. I finished a blog about cereal - lame. I finished a blog about books and reading - lame. I finished a blog about work - lame. I think by Friday I have usually run out of brainergy; this is the night that I have the most trouble with writing. To solve my problem for now and future Fridays, I will designate Friday's post to a picture. It may be of family, something funny, or something I think is thought provoking. Let it begin...

The Essence of Imagination

"What we can easily see is only a small percentage of what is possible.
Imagination is having the vision to see what is just below the surface;
to picture that which is essential, but invisible to the eye."

I first saw this motivational poster in the training building at Convergys. I was immediately captivated by the picture and the message. At some point I would like to have a nice copy of this hanging in my computer room. Even though I know it is not a "real" picture, it sure puts into perspective how much more there can be of something even though you can't see it. While this poster talks of imagination I like to apply it to people; like what you see on the surface is only a small percentage of what is really there.

Band

Many of you will be surprised to find out that I played a few instruments when I was in Jr. High. I played the oboe, bassoon, clarinet and bass clarinet.

The bass clarinet was the instrument I loved to play, was the instrument that I played the best and was the best looking of them all.

Rich, deep, earthy tone.

Bigger than a normal clarinet.

In 9th grade (this was 3 years into playing) I was given a short, solo part in one of the pieces that we were playing in a concert. Since I typically sat in the back row, next to the tuba player (my best buddy) the teacher decided to put a microphone in front of me so that the audience could hear me.

I remember being so nervous, which was odd because I had played the lead in a few school drama productions. My hands were clammy and I had cotton mouth. This was very bad for a bass clarinet player because the reed on the clarinet had to be kept moist. We were going along just fine and I felt my nerves were calming. When my part in the number came up, I blew... it! I had nothing, I couldn't play, I just froze up. All eyes on me (so I thought) and this horrible, awkward silence.
Boy did I feel like a dumb !

I really felt like I had let the whole band down. My teacher didn't say anything to me and my parents and friends didn't say anything to me. I didn't take another year of band...

It still bugs me to this day when I think about it, even though I laugh when I tell the story.

Jace Cristian Olsen

My baby turned 2 today!

Jace was a welcome surprise to our family. When Dax was about 2 years old, I told Justin that I would not have any more children after I turned 40, this didn't leave much time and I honestly didn't think it would happen anyway.

I won't go into too much detail about the pregnancy because it wasn't fun (like my others were) and I won't go into too much detail about his birth because it was no picnic either. All I will say is this, don't think because your other kids were born relatively easy does not mean all your kids will come that way (and vice versa I suppose)! I have but one regret and that is that I didn't wait for true labor to start before I went in to have him. I went in because I was miserable and ended up having my baby spend his first couple of days in ICU...

Jace was born at Logan Regional Hospital at 12:48 pm on Sunday, January 6th, 2008... just 8 months shy of my 40th birthday. Apparently God knew I wasn't joking! He weighed 6lbs, 12 oz and was 18.5" long. He had dark, curly hair and was just beautiful.

Jace was a great baby. Ate, slept and pooped in his easy-going kind of way.

This is about as upset as he got.

Learned "blue steel" at an early age.

Nothing but cute at a year.

He is still an easy-going, relaxed boy. Nothing bugs him too much and he is pretty pleasant and quiet most of the time. He is cuddly and sweet. He loves his mom. He loves to look at books and his vocabulary these past couple of months has grown enormously. He babbles in his own language like he knows exactly what he is saying. These are a couple of things he says that are cute:

• bob, bob, pants (spongebob square pants)
• matman (batman)
• gude (good)
• meek boo (peek a boo)
• no means yes (usually)
• you do it? I do it!
  

Jace loves to play with cars and he loves to follow Dax around and tries to do whatever Dax does. They have a great relationship. Jace loves his blankets, he has 2 that he will NOT sleep without. He also loves his stuffed dogs and a Grover puppet that he got for Christmas. He likes to play Matman and Star Wars with his brother and I will even catch him at the dinner table flying his imaginary spaceships around and making flying noises.

Jace is an adorable little boy with lots of dark brown, curly hair. He also has my big, dark brown eyes. He is so smart and funny to listen to and is such a joy in my life. Like a friend of my mom-in-laws said, "I could just eat him up!"

I love this little boy of mine...

Favorite Albums (in no particular order)

Here are the albums that I could not live without.
From one end of the musical spectrum to another...

U2-The Joshua Tree

SEAL-Human Being



DEPECHE MODE-Violator



BEATLES-Red Album/Blue Album



OMD-Liberation



THE PRODIGY-Fat of the Land



ALPHAVILLE-Forever Young



ABBA-Gold



APOPTYGMA BERSERK-Welcome to Earth



WHITE ZOMBIE-Astro Creep



ELTON JOHN-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road



PRINCE-Purple Rain



I like all types of music. You already know that Beethoven is my favorite musician and I would definitely have to add him to my "can't do without" collection. I would also have to add my favorite Christmas album, Christmas with Bony M. Maybe a little country like Garth Brooks, Dierks Bentley or some Aaron Tippin.