Mmmm... classy and antlery.
Apparently I am becoming more so. If you look outside our windows you see that the perimeter of our apartment complex is surrounded by a rather formidable gate. Perfect for keeping intruders out and that sense of safety in, right? WRONG!!! You see, the fence has proven to be a barrier to those who want to walk across the street to get to Walgreens and don't want to bother walking the 50 yards to the gate and they just won't stand for this. So it began with two of the bars simply being pried apart, however this only allowed for the most svelte of vandals to get through. It did, though, make some comical moments for me as I watched people whose mass was not as malleable as they thought try to push and pull themselves through. Not to be deterred, eventually one bar was completely removed from the fence. It looked fantastic. One day the management company came out and fixed the fence and straightened the bent bars. The next day was pure joy to me as I watched one after another of my neighbors walk up to the fence, look at it with pure confusion, and then pace back and forth in front of it, literally scratching their heads with befuddlement. Heaven. This weekend, though, when I got home I saw that necessity is truly the mother of invention.
Two bars removed, one bent, and the pièce de résistance - the shopping cart. I see now why our apartments are listed as luxury living!
And now, a phrase I never thought I would hear...
Nathan (watching the floor exercises of the women's gymnastics all-around final last night): I SWEAR THAT IF THEY GIVE SHAWN JOHNSON ANYTHING LESS THAN A 15.4 I AM KICKING SOME BUTT!
Yeah, it got intense.
This week has been jam-packed, so I hope you won't all mind a bit of a longer post. I promise to keep it as (t)witty as possible.
He was originally wearing pants, but the moment his mom left the room we stripped him down and made sure that his thighs were recorded for posterity and embarrassement with women in his future dating life. They are FANTASTIC!!! If only someone would feel the same way when my thighs get dimpled and puckered. Don't you just love the belt?
With Hank, it took a trip to the park to win him over. It didn't matter that it started to rain, he was one with the swing.
He also mysteriously became my best friend when I was pounding the fun-sized Snickers. I love a man who knows what he wants!
Another great treat this weekend was that my Aunt Lynn, Uncle Steve, and Cousin Brian (along with his lovely girlfriend Alicia) were in town so I got to see Brian before he enters the MTC to serve (this is true) Mandarin speaking in Paris, France. If anyone was going to get this call it would definetly be Brian. He is going to be great.
The reason we had all come together this weekend was to hear Simon give his homecoming talk. He did a wonderful job and I am so proud of him. It was also great to sing with him and Megan in the ward choir that my dad conducts. It took me back...
2. Megan says that if you want to see a cross-section of America, hang out in a gas station for awhile. I think she is on to something. Yesterday, though, I found another place to go for the same experience. I volunteered at the Marian House, a Catholic Charitites soup kitchen downtown. I went with one woman and four young women from my church and worked for about six hours. The first two hours were spent in preperation. We were in charge of making the sandwiches. Now, you have to understand that almost all of the food there is donated so you just have to make do with what you've got. This means that we got to know all the weird meat that has been injected with things that have no business being injected into meat, like olive loaf. Then when the kitchen opened I was in charge of taking the dishes from people who were done and scraping off all the food before giving it to the dishwashers. You wouldn't think this would be a tough job, but thank goodness I had an apron on because the food was flying! I also came to know a slop bucket quite intimately, something I never expected. I was insanely busy for about four hours, but it was a wonderful day. It was the most interesting combination of people - all ages, races, and apparent social circumstances. It seems that they have created a real family there where they are all rooting for each other. It was a great thing to see.
3. The other night I met the newest member of our family, Beckett Beagley.
Though technically he is my first cousin once removed, Mike has decided that Nate and I are his cosuncle and his cosaunt. He is the sweetest little thing and his family seems to be over the moon that he is finally here. So are we!
4. If the goal in golf is to score below par, why do we say when something is bad that it is sub-par?
As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have been working on getting more physically fit recently. I was in a really good groove, eating well and working out 4-5 times a week. Then we moved to Colorado and that went out the window. I can only blame altitude for so much. I can't use the excuse that I am waiting for the next "Biggest Loser" to inspire me again, and I can't direct all my anger at friends like these. I just have to admit that I am lazy. So last night I put a playlist together and swore that I would not do anything else with my day until I worked out. I am pleased to say that I made it through the workout without collapsing despite the fact that our gym has no air conditioner. I also have to say that I dig the mix I put together which is what I have now put on my jukebox here. So I was wondering, what is everyone's power song - the one that really gets you going? I would love to know so I could put together another playlist of songs for future workouts and possibly for this blog. Let me know and I will see what I can do.
