Ode to January

Perhaps twas you that tried to kill us off
But we are made of much more tougher stuff
We will not cry when mold we find upon the walls
Bathroom, bedroom, front room or halls
Nor will we weep when squishing bedroom furniture
Into our cozy kitchen, that's for sure
And we will stare you eye to eye
As you throw us sickness, fever oh-so-high

No we will not fall, we will not stumble
We will not even complain or mumble
(Well, maybe just a tiny little bit
But can you blame us? This month's been . . . really hard)

What? Did you actually think I'd say that???

Crunch Time!

That's right ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of the year again . . . finals! Two things are better about this this year than last year: 1) I'm not taking any. Hooray for graduating! Terry however, has 7 finals. Sad. 2) I'm not in the midst of planning my wedding for the day after finals. This has been a tremendous relief.

Lucky for me though, I get to help Terry study for said finals. To make this more exciting we invented a game last night. I would quiz him and for every question he got right, he got a penny. If he got 5 right in a row he could exchange a penny for a dime. When he had earned a dollar, he could eat a peanut butter cookie I had just finished making. Simple, yet extremely effective.

The Fashion Files

So the other day as I was wandering around Barnes and Noble (a favorite pastime of mine) I stumbled across the book Fashion File: Advice, Tips, and Inspiration from the Costume Designer of MAD MEN. I took it with me to the back of the store so I could sit down and look through the rather large stack of books I'd collected - not really expecting to spend much time with this particular book. However, 2 hours later I had read the whole thing.

Now, I'm not really one to be super fashionable or trendy. But I do try to look nice. And I feel like that's really more what this book was about. It was about finding your own style, loving your body, and respecting yourself. It got me thinking a lot about all of that. It also got me thinking I need to update a few items in my wardrobe. Specifically dresses.

I really don't own that many dresses. Lots of skirts, but maybe only one or two dresses I actually wear. And one of them recently got a pen stain on it (oops). Lucky for me, I ran across this yesterday and discovered that Shabby Apple, most beautiful and modest of all beautiful and modest dresses, is having a trunk show! Hooray! At last I can actually try on the dresses I've been drooling over for the last year! And in a shameless attempt to win a free dress from them, I'm posting about the event on my blog. Here are the details:

What: A Shabby Apple trunk show
When: Friday, November 19th from 1 to 6 p.m. and Saturday, November 20th from 10 to 3 p.m.
Where: The old Jaylynn Studio, 3689 Highland Drive, Salt Lake City
Why: Whyever not?!

Come try on dresses with me and feel fabulous.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

So I spend all day teaching children about safety. Here are some of the highlights:

Me: Can you think of a time you've felt the uh-oh feeling?
1st Grade Girl: One time I stuck my finger in a pencil sharpener!

Me: Who's in charge of keeping your body safe? (I'm looking for the answer "me" in this question.
Anxious Kindgergarten Boy: Heavenly Father!
Me: He helps, but who else?
Another Anxious Boy: Oh I know! It's Jesus!

Me: What are some safety rules that you guys already know?
Little Boy: If there's a buffalo, run. And if he looks like he's about to charge, hide.

Me: When is a time you've felt the uh-oh feeling?
Tiny Little Kindergarten Girl: Um, well, my family is going to Hawaii next week.
Me: . . .

Me: Who is someone you could tell if you had a bad secret?
Precocious Kindergarten Girl: Well one time ... (launches into a long story and during a deep breath I interject)
Me: Yes but who is someone you could tell if you had a bad secret?
PKG: (in a sassy little voice) I'm not done talking yet!

Let's Play Catch-Up, Shall We?

Ok, ok so I've been a bad blogger. No biggie cuz hardly anyone reads this anyways. I want you to know that I thought about blogging many, many times. But the longer I waited, the bigger the task and I just had better things to do with my time. So here are the haps of the Jacobs clan since June. We'll keep it short and sweet and then move on to bigger and better blogging. (Bytheway I just accidentally deleted the lovely paragraph you just read. My friend suggested I try "Ctrl Z". Worked like a charm).

July - we went to the Jacobs Family Reunion at Pismo Beach, California. Tons of amazing food, sun and sand, novels galore, and just generally hanging with the fam. Excellent trip.

August - I GRADAUTED! Hooray for me! Check that off the list of major life accomplishments. Graduation week was filled with all sorts of family, food, and fun.

Also in August, I got a job! Can I get a boo-yah, baby?!I work for a non-profit where basically I go around to schools as a guest speaker and teach kids about safety topics like child abuse prevention, bully prevention, shaken baby syndrome, etc. I love it - the kids crack me up and they're so fun to work with. More details to follow in a later post.

September - Terry got to quit his job! No more late nights sitting at home by myself watching Gilmore Girls and waiting for him to come home! . . .Oh wait. No there are still a lot of those nights, thank you BYU baksetball. But they're fewer at least. And he started school again (which he's, shall we say, less than thrilled about but I think is just peachy).

I hurt my foot on what was supposed to be my very last long run before my marathon. The injury only lasted about a week and a half but sadly that made it so I couldn't even try to run. I limped and moped around for about a week, it was sad. I hope I have it in me to train for another marathon - now that I know how much work it really takes it'll take a lot more motivation to actually do it.

October - I won tickets to Frightmares from the radio! This was pretty much the thrill of a lifetime for me. Winning I mean, not actually going. Going to Frightmares was a blast too, it just isn't as up there as the winning part. There was a hypnotist there though. I wanted to be hypnotized so badly, but I hadn't ever seen a hypnotist so I opted for just watching the show this time around.

Still in October, Dayna came out to visit. Always fun - she came to the basketball game with me even though I was wearing a poodle skirt (for Halloween of course) and she came with me to get my books signed by SCOTT WESTERFELD!!! How on earth did the Provo Library convince him to come??? So thrilling.

And the ward choir sang their first song since I've been director - they sounded amazing, I was so proud.

November - I went on my first ever business trip. That's right folks I packed my bags and traveled to the far far away land of . . . Layton Utah. We were putting on a conference there for three days so they got me a hotel room. My favorite part was the hot tub. Perhaps I'll post more about the conference later.

Terry and I have been working hard at researching grad schools. For now it looks like he'll be getting his Masters while I work. Hopefully sometime in the future I can go back to school too - we'll see. It's fun to see all the places we could maybe end up at next year. Hopefully somewhere awesome. And warm would be nice.

Well that's all folks! Tune in next week, same time same place for another exciting episode of "Life As We Know It".

A is for Artichoke

Artichoke
Really hard work for not a lot of vegetable
Terry made it - it was great
Interesting shape
Coupled with mayonnaise? Really? Butter was way better.
How come I never ate this as a child?
Ohhhhh, you don't actually eat the leaves? Ok that makes it way easier.
K - I can't think of anything that has to do with an artichoke that starts with a K. Sorry folks.
Exciting to try something new!

Whilst Training

So I'm training for the St. George Marathon. It's hard. Really hard. I usually run in the evenings while Terry's at work so by the time I get to my run I've already had a full day. But I've been pretty good about either going to the gym or hitting the streets, depending on the weather and the amount of light outside.

And while I've been a "runner" (meaning, I run - not fast, not consistently, and not usually in anything official) for several years, there are still things that I'm discovering about me and my body during my runs. For example:

- Being able to run 7 miles without breathing heavily does not equate to being able to cycle. At all. Terry and I tried mountain biking the other day and it turns out I'm a wimp. I seriously had to stop every 12 seconds or so because I could feel my heart beating in my neck. Not cool.

- Sunburn + sweat = tiny little blisters all over your skin which don't hurt to pop, but make it easier to peel off your already peeling skin.

- Endorphins truly do rock. I can start out feeling grumpy and gross but I always end feel like everything's right in my life. I still feel gross though. All that sweat and stuff you know.

- Hills hurt. My thighs are still burning from last week's hill workout. Hopefully this means they'll be getting smaller??? ;)

- The more I run, the more I crave healthy food. I bought a package of Oreos today - my favorite cookie - and they really didn't even taste that good. I had carrots instead.

I'm still feeling nervous for the actual marathon but I think by then I'll be well prepared. Or at least, I hope so. And while I'm talking about running, I have to give a shout out to my always-wonderful husband. He's been so supportive of me - he pushes me out the door when he knows I'm supposed to run and he even accompanied me on a 6 mile run the other day. What a catch. :)

Highlights of the last month or so . . .

Ok so it's been over a month since I've written on here and I'm promising now to do better. Here's what's been going on in our lives since last time:

- School ended! Hooray!!! Terry and I are so excited to be done with school for a while. I finished up my last final with a bang - it was a French oral and I was sooo scared, but let me tell you, I rocked it! Bien fait!

- I started my internship at the March of Dimes. So far I don't feel like I've done a lot, but I think that should be changing soon.

- Terry started working full-time at the MTC as an athletic trainer. Basically this means he just plays basketball or soccer all day. Lucky boy.

- We bought a telescope using my birthday money. Sadly, Utah hasn't realized yet that it's spring and so it's been too cloudy to use it yet. But we're looking forward to star-gazing soon.

- We attended several wedding receptions and re-gifted I think all of the presents we had left from our wedding that we didn't want and couldn't return.

- Trip to California!!!! This was the grand tour folks - we hit up LA to San Fransisco and a bunch of stuff in between. Some highlights: Hollywood, Disneyland - including a cameo by Melinda, karaoke night at Caitlin and Brad's, a beautiful drive up the coast, a quick stop on the beach, Wicked!, a quick stay at Terry's aunt's house, the Salinas Valley fair - complete with rodeo, Terry's fabulous parents, delicious cookies that Dayna made and I inhaled, the Monterey Bay aquarium, and an entire season of 24 (Nina - how could you?!?!). Pictures to follow I promise.

- I made it into the St. George Marathon! I'm terrified . . .

I shall now reveal how nerdy I truly am . . .

Ok folks, summer is coming up and you know what that means! Books! Lots and lots of books! I've taken the last couple of weeks to come up with my summer book list. And while I realize that this is quite a long list, it's a place to start at least. I'm anticipating that it really will take me much longer than just the summer to read all of these. Anyways, without further ado, here is my 2010 Summer Book List (in no particular order):

- The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
- Things I've Kept Silent About by Azar Nafisi
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (I know, I know. I'm a sinner for not having read this one yet)
- Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
- Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (aka Karen Blixen)
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
- Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
- The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
- Still Alice by Lisa Genova
- The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard
- Hormonal Chaos by Sheldon Krimsky
- Extras by Scott Westerfeld
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

April Fools!

Phone conversation between me and Terry at approximately 8pm last night:

T: Hey honey! Why is it so loud over there?

C: Oh I'm at the gym. How are you? Why are you calling? Aren't you at work?

T: Yeah I am. Listen, I just thought I should call ahead and warn you, I got jacked in the face playing ball like 40 minutes ago and I might need stitches.

C: (Oh right, like I'm buying that. It's April Fools, he can't get me that easy!) Oh no! Are you ok?

T: Yeah I've just put some steri-strips on it for now and that's holding it together pretty good. I can't decide if I need stitches or not.

C: (unable to hold it in any longer) Ha! Right! I so don't believe you - it's April Fools Day man! And I'm no fool!

T: Oh. I had totally forgotten it was April Fools. I really did cut my head.

C: I don't believe you.

T: If this were an April Fools joke Caitlin, I would have just told you that I was in the Emergency Room already.

(long pause with only the sound of treadmills in the background)

C: Wait, are you being serious???

And yes folks, he was. We decided not to go for the stitches and just kept it taped up. He thinks he was a little bit concussed too, which actually should work as a great excuse in case he fails the take-home test he took this morning. Definitely not how I thought my night would go last night.

What's in a Name?

Part of getting married has meant changing my last name. And while this sounds easy enough, believe me, it is not. First I had to change my name at the social security office before I could file taxes. Then I had to change my name at my new bank - I barely had time to activate my new debit card before I received an even newer one with my new name on it. I still need to activate that one. One step at a time. And the sneaky man at the bank pulled a few strings for us so we wouldn't have to get a whole new set of checks as soon as I came in to change my name - so the checks came with Jacobs on them to begin with.

I also had to go get new a student ID. Of course, I had to wait until I had a new social security card to do that, so I didn't end up switching my name with the school until a good ways into the new semester. I've been putting "Caitlin (Bishop) Jacobs" on all my papers so that teachers would find it easier to keep straight who I am. Apparently it didn't work. I had a teacher tell me yesterday that he didn't have a grade for me for the only assignment we've turned in. I informed him that it was probably due to my last name changing and proceeded to show him the assignment he had given back to me weeks earlier (I want my 96% thank you very much).

Same thing happened with a test I'm trying to take in April. I'm taking this test to become a Certified Health Education Specialist - which basically just means I get to put the letters "CHES" after my name and feel really important and smart. But I received an email yesterday informing me that they were missing a letter from my advisor and if they didn't get it by today, I wouldn't be able to take my test until October. Panicking, I called Tanya in Pennsylvania to straighten it out. I explained again that my last name had changed, and was it possible that this was the cause of the missing letter that I know was sent in over a month ago.

And so I echo the immortal words of Juliet - "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet". Or, we could go the opposite direction and quote Proctor from the Crucible as he cries out "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" I think I'll side with Proctor on this one- I like my new name. Leave it to me.

Such a Strange Little Town

Today Terry and I wanted to go to the International Cinema to see Slumdog Millionaire. Now, I just wanted to see it because I'd heard it was such a good movie, but since I don't watch R-rated films, I hadn't ever seen it. The university edits films and shows them for free in one of the buildings on campus, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to see a film I wouldn't otherwise watch. There were two showings - one at 1pm and one at 8pm. We showed up to the afternoon viewing only to be sadly turned away because the theater was full. Thinking that we were being very clever, we showed up to the 8 o'clock showing just after 7. By the time we got there, the line wound all the way through the building, out the door, and several hundred feet past that. Seriously?! Other campuses boycott things like censored movies! It's something people abhor, and yet we encourage and embrace it. And the funny thing is, people actually waited in this line. We waited in it because we were just outside the building and thought we might actually have a small chance at getting into the theater, which holds about 300 people. But the hundreds of people behind us must have known that they weren't getting in.

The line finally started moving when the movie they showed just before it finished. We didn't make it.

And just a word to those who were saving seats while dozens of people were standing in the aisles, demanding that they be given the seats since they were actually there in person, or even waving money around and offering to pay for a seat to the FREE movie - rude. Very rude. Take a look at the situation, realize that the people standing in front of you actually waited in line, while the friend you're saving the seat for obviously didn't, and give up the seat. Ok rant over.

I've decided that if I really want to see the movie that badly, I can borrow it from my dad and take it to my mom's house and watch it on her clearplay. But the odds of me going through both of my parents to watch this movie are extremely thin. I suppose I shall just forever live in curiosity over what this movie really is about. Really, how much can I be missing?

Cast Out the Hairy Men!

I did it! I finally did it! I turned away a man who clearly hadn't shaved in a million years from taking a test in the testing center where I work. It's sometimes a ridiculous rule that they have to be clean shaven in order to take a test, but it's my job to enforce even the ridiculous rules.

There have been many men who have come in with, shall we say, questionably scruffy faces and so far I've been too timid to deny any of them entry. I finally did get up the guts the other day to ask one of them when the last time he'd shaved was. When he answered that he had shaved that morning, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief that I wouldn't be required to disappoint the scruffy man, and let him take his test.

But this man today could have passed as a mountain man. Or a Jewish rabbi. Or Dumbledore even! Ok not really, but for the amount of guys you see walking around here with facial hair, he really stuck out. I politely (I hope) informed him that he needed to be clean shaven before he would be allowed to take a test. He looked shocked and demanded to know how long that had been the policy - ummmmm forever???? It's part of the school honor code buddy. It shouldn't be a shock to you. He slunk out of the lab without another word as I looked at my co-worker who offered me a proud and approving wink.

Home Sweet Home

I have to say, I rather love where I live. It's small and really old, but I think its little quirks give it character. Like how there's not a light switch anywhere convenient in the kitchen. In order to turn on the light, you have to reach your hand behind the side of the fridge. This means you can't be holding anything in your hand, or your fist will be too big to fit behind it. I still forget that the light switch is going to be right where it should be - on the side of the wall when you walk into the kitchen. But as many times as I put my hand up there to flip it on, it's never there.

There's also a lack of convenient power outlets. Anywhere. Return again to the kitchen, for example, and you'll find that the main power outlet is to the side of the counter. This is where we keep our microwave. Now, the counter is really tiny so the microwave takes up a good chunk of the counter. This means that in order to plug in anything else - say, a toaster, the waffle iron, a griddle, the rice cooker, or one of our two crockpots - you have to move the knife block out of the way in order to turn the microwave to the side,so that there's room to put said appliance on the counter. Needless to say,this has become too much of a bother and I've taken to plugging a power cord into the wall on the other side of the kitchen and putting the appliance on the table while I work.

There's also a conspicuous lack of power outlets in the bathroom. In order to plug in my flat iron, I plug it in in my bedroom, pull it around the corner, and snake the cord under the bathroom door. This means that when I'm straigtening the left side of my hair I have to sort of lean to one side to be close enough.

Oh and everything drips. And I mean everything. The kitchen sink, the bathroom sink,the pipes under the kitchen sink. Sometime between the time we bought the apartment and the time we got back from our honeymoon, the ceiling in the kitchen leaked, leaving a large brown stain on our floor. And from time to time we've found water gracing the window sills in our bedroom. This dripping of course, comes with the harmonious sound of "drip, drip, drip". And while this noise doesn't bother very much, Terry's not such a fan of it. He'll quietly get up and grab a paper towel, fold it, and stuff it in the drain in the sink to stop the sound. Supposedly, our landlord is coming in today to fix it.

Like I said, I like these little quirks. I love having a place to decorate and take care of and have fun in. And in the immortal words of a girl with excellent taste in shoes, "there's no place like home!"

These Are the Moments

I don't think life is about one grand event or a single accomplishment. In fact, I think it's just the opposite. I think it's all the little times, strung together, that make life so great. So here's a list of my most favorite moments as of late - moments that are making my life awesome.

-I leaned over to Terry in the middle of Sunday School to tell him how an episode of 24 we recently watched related to the plan of salvation. All I had to say was "it's like when President Taylor" and he knew which one I was talking about and how it related.

-We stayed in our pajamas till 1 in the afternoon, watching the last few episodes of Gilmore Girls. Terry sings along with me every time the opening song comes on.

-I was walking across campus to go grab something from our car and I looked up and saw Terry in the street next to me, driving a golf cart with PowerAde on the back. We smiled and waved.

-Terry got an electric guitar for his birthday. He'll start playing it and ask what he should sing about. Usually I say me, but once I said he should write a song about 24. He did and it's so good!

-We went to the dollar theater to see the movie 2012. It was so over the top and completely absurd that we were both cracking up during the parts that were supposed to be really intense. We were the only ones in the theater laughing.

-I often fall asleep on the couch before I actually want to. Terry wakes me back up when it's time to go to bed. Apparently I become even more hilarious than usual in this state between sleep and wake. One night, I actually stayed awake all the way until it was time for bed. As we were going to sleep, Terry said he was going to wake me back up in 20 minutes just to hear what I was going to say.

I have to say, my life's pretty great. I have so much to be grateful for and so much to look forward to. To end, I'd like to share a quote I once heard in one of my classes:

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming, 'Wow, what a ride!!!'"

One Month and Counting

Today is our one month anniversary. Hooray! We decided to celebrate by going out to Cafe Rio. This was doubly delicious since it meant that I not only got a pork salad, but that I didn't have to make dinner when I got home. We had a great time. Then when we got home, I walked into the kitchen to find half a dozen red roses sitting in a vase on the table for me!Obviously, I got the best guy out there. And to add to that, Terry's currently breaking down and throwing away all of the big boxes from the beautiful bookshelf we bought yesterday. World's Best Husband Award? I think so. :)

How to Dye Your Nostril Hairs

1. Decide that the old paint job on the stove looks hideous and that it needs a new one.

2. Go to Home Depot to pick up heat-resistant appliance paint. If you have trouble deciding between white and almond, flip a coin. Best out of three.

3. On a lazy afternoon in the middle of unpacking more of your stuff, decide it's time to get around to repainting the stove.

4. Take almost no precautions in your preparations to paint. Disregard the instructions on the back of the spray paint can that say to only paint in a well-ventilated area, such as a garage. You may move the stove out of its spot so that you can get to all four sides, but you do not unplug it.

5. Cover up the handles and buttons on the stove with newspaper and athletic tape. Do not cover up anything else in the kitchen.

6. Begin spraying.

7. When your wife insists that you at least lay newspaper down around the stove, do so.

8. Resume spraying while your wife quickly covers the table and chairs with old sheets.

9. Open every window and door so you can keep on breathing, even though it's winter outside.

10. When you have finished spraypainting, there will be a sort of residual paint dust that will linger in the air in your house for hours. Simply continue breathing and - voila! Your nostril hairs will now be a lovely shade of almond.

Of Washing Machines and Water

After having shamefully neglected our laundry for several weeks, Terry and I decided to take it to his grandparents' house to wash it. We figured this would give us free laundry services, clean clothes, and several hours to watch 24 while we waited. Sounds great right? But nothing could have prepared us for what was about to come.

We loaded all of our white clothing into the washer, sprinkled on a liberal amount of detergent, closed the lid and hit the button. But something didn't sound quite right. All we heard was a tiny little drip . . . drip . . . drip. We opened it back up to investigate. Our clothes were now wet enough that we didn't want to move them, but not wet enough to wash them. None of the sinks would turn on either. After numerous phone calls to Terry's parents, we discovered that a neighbor had seen the sprinklers on in the lawn that morning and had called the fire department to turn off the water. AH!

What other option did we have? We solemnly clasped hands, looked each other in the eye, and swore that we would turn the water back on or die trying. Ok not really. But we did want the water back on. We were under the impression that we had to turn some faucet thing that was located outside somewhere. So we grabbed a few flashlights and started following the freshest tracks in the snow, hoping they would lead us to something. And they did! They led us to all sorts of things - the air conditioner, the internet hookup, and all kinds of electrical boxes. But no water.

At this point, we decided to make a quick trip to Macey's to pick up a prescription before they closed. On our way into the parking lot, I spotted a big red fire truck in the adjacent lot. "Terry! The firemen are at Macey's!" I yelled. "They were the ones who turned off the water! We should find them and ask how to turn it back on!" I was so proud of my idea - what better way to contact the firemen than to run into them at the grocery store? Terry just laughed until he saw the firemen walking out of the store back to their truck. Then he rolled down the window and called the firemen over. He explained our predicament and asked if they knew how to turn on the water. They told us that there was a circular plate somewhere in the yard that said "WATER" on it. All we had to do was lift that up, and turn something under it. When we asked if we needed any special tools the guy said "Nope. Just a wrench. Oh and long arms." Um, long arms????

Upon returning to the house, we were quickly able to locate this elusive source-of-all-water. So, grabbing a wrench and the flashlights, we headed out to turn this thing. How long could this take, right? I mean really. All we had to do was turn something. Again, how very wrong we were.

When we got the plate off the ground, we discovered why the fireman had said we would need long arms. Under the plate was a large hole in the ground - probably about the length of an arm. In the middle of it were several pipes. And all around the pipes was dark, dirty, icy water. Sigh. Terry, being the wonderful, brave, and handsome guy that he is, rolled up his shirt sleeve and plunged his arm, holding the wrench, into the water. He tried for a few seconds to turn the little piece that looked like it could be turned, but pretty soon his whole arm was too cold and numb to continue.

Then our brains kicked in and we realized that we should first get the water out of the hole. Duh. So we grabbed a pot and bailed. It was so cold we could hear the water freezing moments after it hit the street. But it helped to have the water out and after another 10 minutes of pulling, prying, twisting, and pushing, Terry got the dang thing to turn.

At the happy sound of gurgling water beneath our feet, we both let out a victorious yell and breathed a sigh of relief. This victory was short-lived however, as we heard the tell-tale sound of a sprinkler, inches from where we were both standing.

Ya know, sometimes life just plays you a hard hand. Sometimes your favorite ice cream is out at the store, or you get to the dollar theater too late to get tickets to your movie, or your luggage on your honeymoon gets sent to New Jersey instead of Cancun. And sometimes you just can't turn off the dang sprinklers. Sometimes they stay on even if you unplug the system and turn it to off. Sometimes you have to leave them on for hours while you do (half of) your laundry. And sometimes the only way to get them to turn off is to turn off all the water again. This was one of those times.

We thought turning off the water would be even worse than turning it on because by now, the sprinklers were running and would fill up the hole in the ground with water faster than we could bail it out. And true, this meant Terry had to do the whole thing while lying flat on his stomach in the snow, with his arm in ice cold water. That part was worse I'm sure. But the universe threw us a bone and this time, it only took a few seconds to turn the faucet back to off.

And so, with freezing hands and clean clothes (or at least, half of them were clean), we returned home, swearing to never do laundry again. JK. But next time, we're going to MY grandparents' house.

Terry's space

This is space for Terry to post whatever his twisted mind wants.