jasheen

Jordan's at BYU

2006-09-13T20:31:00.000-05:00

No more community college for Jordan. We took some pictures around BYU so when he's done with school we can do a before/after scrapbook page.
Jordan's first day of school!!! Sporting his cool new lap-top backpack.

So lately, when I try to put jonah to bed he rolls over to his tummy and plays with the pictures on his sheet. On this occasion he somehow managed to get under the blanket and I couldn't resist taking a picture even though I didn't want to encourage the behavior. I love that kid.

09.01.06

2006-09-01T17:37:00.000-05:00

1. Our son woke up last night screaming. It wasn't really screaming until he knew we were close, but none the less making enough noise that we couldn't ignore him. Amelia sent me downstairs to find the Tylenol. I start looking around and she's asking me from upstairs, "Have you found it yet?" "No. I can't find any pricelist I mean, tylenol." A few moments later she asks me again, "Have you found the Tylenol?" "No, I can't see any pricelists?!" Apparently, I was half awake and dreaming about work...

2. One time, shortly after Amelia and I had been married, we went to target and bought some goodies for a friday night. I bought soda, Jones Soda. I opened the first can and Amelia said, "Is there caffinee in that?" I perused the label, and to my disappointment there was. I downed the can anyway just so I could be satisfied. Later, I took the 12 pack of soda, and put it outside next to the car with a piece of paper that said, "FREE".

We're In

2006-08-27T14:47:00.000-05:00

We completed another move yesterday. And as successful and painless as it was, I would say it was almost as efficient as our last move. We woke up early and had the ball rollin by 8am. Then, we were pretty much done by 3pm. In between it all, we used the UHAUL to help a friend move out of his apartment. That added a little bit of stress for me but it was a good deed and that seemed to remove any cares.

All of that is pretty amazing when you consider that 2 weeks ago, we had no idea we were moving. Early this year when were making plans we said, "we'll move into Wymount, then look for cheaper housing." Well, when we got up here all of a sudden it seemed as if we were content being where we were. We liked the ward, our neighbors, and the location. The only concerns we had were that rent was increasing, our income would decrease when school would start, and we didn't know if we would break even on our moneys by the end of the year.

Amelia had been looking for cheaper and better housing, and when we got a call that something was available through Provo City Housing, it was as if we had this flood of good luck. All of a sudden money started coming out of the wood work, we found an apartment (the one we're in) that was just dazzling. So we acted on it all. It wasn't until a few days ago when I remembered how carefully we had planned out the year and felt good about it all. It's amazing when you make a plan with the Lord, forget about it, and then it still comes to pass 6 to 8 months later...

VOIP

2006-08-19T09:39:00.000-05:00

We are now Vonage users. I'm sure you've seen the horrible commercials on TV about Vonage, and how there's already a million users. "Wooo hooo woo hoo hooo."

Vonage is a phone service, but it's used over your internet connection. They are sending us a unique router that has phone jacks on it. We plug our phone into the router, and our router into the internet, then we get phone service. Some of the perks are:

Unlimited local and long distance calling
All the features you could ever ask for with a phone. ie: Caller ID, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, Voice Mail.
Access to your voicemail on-line.
Change your area code or phone number.

Those are pretty good perks considering it's only 24.99 a month.

There is a downside. Some of the potential problems include, but are not limited to:

If the power goes out, no phone.
If the internet goes out, no phone.
If the power goes out, no 911 access.
If you have a slow internet connection, not much bandwidth left for you.

With #4 in mind, we decided that we had to get the best connection possbile that was also available at a reasonable price. Qwest offered DSL (without phone) for 36.99, which was only $3 short of getting fiber optic internet. So we're doing that.

Enough!

We're Moving

2006-08-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

We found super cheap housing and we're moving. I love moving. I get so excited about rearranging and starting over. Even if it is in the same town. Hopefully we can get out of our current contract in 30 days instead of 60 so we don't double up on rent. Oh yeah, the place is huge. It feels like it is twice the size of the place we're in now.

Film Review: Everything is Illuminated (2005)

2006-08-12T12:47:00.000-05:00

1. This movie starts out really funny.
2. Then it gets serious.
3. Then it ends serious.
4. There were some underlying themes that I gave up trying to think about.

That pretty much sums up how I feel about this movie. Now, that's a really shallow overview, but I don't know that this film did a good job of explaining the themes associated with each of the characters.

(SPOILER WARNING, DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU THINK YOU'LL WATCH THIs ANY TIME SOON)

For instance, I really don't get the point in the collecting habits, or should I say disorder, that 'Jonafen' has. I know that it comes up a few times, and it's thoroughly spoken of that he just does it for something to do. But that simply can't be the only reason.

Another thing I didn't understand was everything that had to do with this "Augustine" character. How the heck did she save Jonafen's grandfather during the holocaust?
Probably my biggest beef with it all was the change of heart in the grandpa. I didn't get how he went from being a super grouch to happy to dead.

On the positive side, there were some lines from this that were so memorable they just might top what everyone thought was funny in Napolean Dyanmite. The film is well worth seeing simply to hear Aleksander use off the wall english synonyms.

Meatballs

2006-08-10T21:51:00.000-05:00

I have been craving a meat ball sandwich. I even wrote on the dry-erase board "JORDY WANTS MEATBALLS!"

I didn't get my mid morning nap today. Well, I tried, but I was interrupted twice by Jonah, and once or twice by Amelia. When the alarm went off and I had to get in the shower, I was feeling pretty grumpy. I got dressed, ate lunch and headed out the door. I was exhausted.

I talked to Amelia twice from work, and both times she seemed like the day wasn't going very well for her. On the 2nd call 15 minutes before I left work, she said, "So are we going to eat left-overs tonight?" "Yea, sure" was my response. I didn't really care what we ate, and I didn't expect anything nice.

It was quite a surprise when I got home to find out that there were some meatballs in sauce simmering on the stove, and the "red plate" on the table. Amelia had managed to call her sister and get her to drop off a pound of beef, just so she could make me a meal I had been craving and one that she didn't want to eat!

There is nothing better than marriage... and meatballs.

My Baby

2006-08-09T13:32:00.000-05:00

Jonah has started to stick his toosh up in the air. I think he is trying to propel himself forward but it doesn't work all that well.

This was a difficult change. I think I went through 3 diapers and he managed to not only pee all over but poop all over too. Notice the pretty stains.

08.08.06

2006-08-08T15:23:00.000-05:00

1. I wore a shirt to work that has paint stains on it. (I work in an office witha business casual dress code). It is possibly my favorite shirt for the past 3 1/2 years.

Scouting the Library

2006-08-02T18:39:00.000-05:00

If the manager that works at the library ever reads this, I would probably lose my job. He's pretty anal, and nothing like my supervisor. To demonstate what I mean, last week I heard a story that the manager, D, goes outside and scrapes away at gum on the sidewalk. Have you ever seen anyone do that before?

I mentioned that what I'm writing here is potentially hazardous, really it's not. But here's how it goes.

I've seen from the basement to the 6th floor of the library, but I haven't seen the roof. It's the one thing that would really make me feel like I've seen it all, even if I haven't. So today, I decided to find my way to it.

Everyone on my crew has access to a book of floor maps for the HBLL. Around 8:00 when I finished my usual chores, I headed up to see the maps. After examining the book and figuring out what room I needed to find, I took the elevators up to the 6th floor and started walking around. I kept a brisk pace to keep myself from looking like I was trying to find the roof. (Nobody stops people who look like they know where they're going)

The stairwell to the roof is next to a staff elevator on the 6th floor. I used my maintenane key and opened the door. There was hardly any light in the room but I could see stairs. I started up the stairs, and as I went the light kept getting dimmer and dimmer, until the only light I could see was coming from the cracks around the door. I was literally feeling my way around. I tried both of the keys I had to see if they could open the door, but nothing worked. It was frustrating to hear the wind blowing over the top of the building, and not being able to out on it.

So tomorrow I'm bringing a hanger.

Almost (au)GUS(t)

2006-07-31T18:03:00.000-05:00

1. I have been getting a huge kick out of watching my co-workers slowly walk up to the candy bowl only to see that it's empty. Dan and I escalated our fun by dumping in some bbq flavored sun flower seeds, half a stick of Black Jack chewing gum, some really old star bursts, and a salt and pepper shaker. How would you feel if you were anticipating a few piece of chocolate only to find the above mentioned items? THIS IS AWESOME!

2. On Saturday, I chipped a tooth when I was eating a Big Hunk candy bar. (Serves me right in a way. What I mean by that is it's about time I felt some damage from eating too much candy. Thankfully it wasn't diabetes.) It was kind of weird how it happened. Amelia broke off a piece and handed it to me. I threw it in, chomped on it a few times, and then sent it down the chute. Well, afterwards I thought some of the taffy might have gotten stuck on my teeth. It didn't take long before I felt a small nick on a lateral incisor. A part of me has been lost.

The Ultimate Party Wagon

2006-07-28T16:20:00.000-05:00

The Jordy & Bedelia dream camper.

Tunnels Under BYU

2006-07-28T14:13:00.000-05:00

This morning I got a complete tour of the basement of the Harold B. Lee Library. It took well over 30 minutes to walk through. It's an immense work of pipes, fan rooms, and electrical work that spans from the elevators at the north of the building all the way to what I believe is an entrance to the basement of the ASB. I found a door that I think would have gotten us into the ASB, but someone had written on the side of the door, "ALARMED DOOR". At one point, we went through a door and entered some concrete hallway that was completely black. My supervisor said, "Go ahead and walk down there and tell me when you get to the end." I started walking after I saw K go, but he stopped then scared the beejeebee's out of me. Since I have to visit part of the basement every day, I'm going to bring a camera in on Monday and get some pictures.

This is blues power!

2006-07-25T19:01:00.000-05:00

Talked to a guy I work with about his philosophy on life. I don’t buy philosophy for a number of reasons. 1. It seems like philosophy questions way too much, because it is constantly questioning everything! 2. I couldn’t be happy that way; I don’t know how anyone can. 3. Do I exist?
Never sit on the front row in the Provo temple unless you’re ready to tilt your head all the way back during the film.
August is almost here. That’s like February for the second half of the year.
I started reading Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I’ve attempted it a couple of times and I’ve never gotten through it. This may take me 2 months to get through, but I'm optimistic about the outcome it can have.

Book Report: The Prestige

2006-07-24T10:13:00.002-05:00

I picked this book up just for the shear fact that it is being made into a movie by Christopher Nolan. I loved Batman Begins, and I thought that if Nolan could build upon a creation like Batman, he ought to be able to do that with this book.

It’s been a long time since I read a book that kept my attention the majority of the time. I admit there are some slow parts, but I trudged through them to find out the answers to all the questions posed by the author. Luckily it’s not too long before things start picking up. The last 50 pages could not be read without a break.

I’ll give a brief synopsis, simply because you won’t get this kind anywhere else.

Andrew Westley has always felt as if he had a twin brother, somehow separated from him at birth. His situation is peculiar however, in that he feels he can communicate with his twin brother by almost telepathic means. The messages are never in words, only impressions. One day Westley receives a book written by a man named Alfred Borden, an ancestor of his from a family line that put him up for adoption at the age of 3. At the time he receives this book, which detail the illusions of his great grandfather, he is on assignment to cover a story of apparent spectral apparitions in a convent outside of Derbyshire, England. There, with a book detailing the intricacies of magic written by a great grandfather, and an acquaintance he’s never met, he begins to open doors that lead him to answer the greatest question he’s ever had.

Rating: 9/10

Odds and Ends

2006-07-20T17:14:00.000-05:00

1. I've been eating lots of bbq flavored sunflower seeds.
2. I forgot that I have Otterpops in the fridge at work.
3. I was told that I shouldn't use the word "hate" by the production director of 570 KLIF. This was in reference to my use of the word in this e-mail:

I'm so glad Dr. Laura isn't on 570 Klif anymore. I hated her show. Thanks for making this station much better.

-Jordan

4. I'm not even in Texas, but I can stream the station on the internet.
5. Jonah is eating rice cereal. We're wondering whether or not he's allergic to it.
6. Does anyone else besides me watch 'The Office'?
7. I have to go get some Otter Pops.

Trying to Evacuate by E-Mail

2006-07-18T18:12:00.000-05:00

The U.S Embassy is trying to help evacuate Americans out of Lebanon, but some of the people are running into problems... like this guy:

Jonathan Chakhtoura, a 19-year-old Lebanese-American student, said he registered electronically with the U.S. Embassy to be evacuated, but he has not heard back for three days, except for an e-mail acknowledging his registration. (Dallas Morning News)

It says he registered electronically to evacuate. If you were in a war zone, would you do that?

The Gut

2006-07-17T18:50:00.000-05:00

It's awkward having your physical defects pointed out.

This morning, at the library, one of my co-workers asked, "What's the belly from?" Kind of shocked that that was a real question, I said, "It's runs in my family". He then went on to say, "I was just curious because not many people have them here". Then pointing to his own flat stomach he says, "most people have flat stomachs". All I could really say was that most people here run for fun, but I don't do that. I'm just fat.

Worky, Ready, No Bloggy

2006-07-14T18:52:00.000-05:00

There'a few reasons why I haven't written a blog in well over a month. They're all pretty solid reasons; meaning they've led to me being more productive than I would have been struggling all day to figure out what to post.

I picked up a second job at the Harold B. Lee Library. I get up at 4:30am, and am at work by 5am. It's just doing custodial work. I like it. Our crew cleans 5 bathrooms then we each do our respective jobs. Mine is on the "big vac". I haven't used a pedometer yet, but walking for 2 hours in the Periodicals and Social Sciences rooms probably racks up a mile or two.

I've also started reading a book called "The Prestige". Reading for fun is something I rarely do, so that means this books is extremely interesting to me. It's being turned into a film which comes out in October. You can see the trailer at www.apple.com/quicktime/trailers/. I'd hate to ruin anything about the book, so if you want to spoil it for yourself, check wikipedia.

Blog Template=Broke

2006-07-13T17:49:00.000-05:00

I don't know why the blog templates aren't working. I'll mess with this later.

Guess Who?

2006-06-29T10:55:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's Jordan wearing slippers, black dress socks and pirate shorts. Did I marry a hottie or what?

babblings.

2006-06-29T00:05:00.000-05:00

Today, Jonah finally saw a doctor here. He has reflux and thrush...still. We got some new meds and I can't believe how cool his doctor is. This guy was great. Tonight we had Elizabeth and Chad and Logan over for dinner and watermelon. Yum.

Jonah lounging around.

Logan...I mean Batman sucking on his paci.

Daddy playing with Jonah.

Momma sucking her finger?!?!

The Great Outdoors

2006-06-04T09:48:00.000-05:00

Jonah hates being inside. If he starts to scream, we go outside and he stops. We've been doing a lot of things outside as a result. Tiring him out so as soon as he is inside he's out like a light.

Jordan and Jonah hiking around in Rock Canyon.

Jonah's first picnic. This was up Provo Canyon by Bridal Veil Falls.

Bridal Veil Falls, Jonah and AmeliaWhat will we find to do this next week?

Sink Plugs

2006-05-24T17:17:00.000-05:00

Well, we've made it into our home and I'd say we are 75% unpacked and since no one unpacks everything because you suddenly realize how much junk you keep carrying around, I'd say we are basically done. I like it here, but there are a few bad things about our apartment:

1. We have no couch but I'm sure DI has some nice "clean" couches. And now I'd like to dispel a myth that I've believed--that places like DI clean the items they receive. Today as I looked at some jeans I heard a crinkle. Apparently, I'm greedy because I thought, "Hmmm, maybe, it's money." I checked and only found a Wal-mart receipt from 11-09-05. I replaced the receipt to the pants. Then my sister wondered over to me and as proceeded to dispel the myth for her I thought, "Maybe, I'll just check the other pockets for money." I made $7.00.
2. Since we live in a cinder block home, we are only allowed 4 holes in the wall per room. This limits my decorating skills and prevents the ability to hide the fact that we live in a cinder block home. However, we do have our lovely aerial picture of BYU circa 1976 hanging as our most prominent living room picture. Maybe it should be the proclamation to the family but hey, we're cougars and that's really where our loyalties lie...or is it lay.
3. We have no dishwasher. Unless you count Jordan and I don't because I'm anal and unless I wash something I think that it is contaminated and must be re-washed. However, we do have some lovely kitchen sinks that are quite deep and well, the only thing missing is sink stoppers which they don't provide...I asked. You'd think that was the least they could do since they don't even have a dishwasher.
4. There is no under sink storage in the bathroom which isn't really that bad except things like extra toilet paper, feminine hygiene products aka pads, tampons are either left out in the open or in a hall closet that provides no easy access in case of emergency.
5. We have no microwave. I didn't think this would be too bad. However just last night my sister was over and tried to make instant oatmeal for her son. Didn't happen. Well, it kind of did. She mixed the water and oats, hesitated and said, "You don't have a microwave."
I said, "We could cook it in a pan."
She said, "Well, he's never had it before he won't know the difference."
Then she proceeded to feed him some really liquidy instant oatmeal. And she was right; he didn't care. Now I've started to think about defrosting things and re-heating leftovers and I'm gonna call Melissa and take her up on her offer of a free microwave.

All in all, I like our little abode and I'm excited that Jonah finally has his own room. And despite all the weird things I'm excited to feel like a grown-up again, seperated from parents who feed you, hand you extra cash on you way out and despite your age will always be a kid to them. I'm excited for mountains and running and new jobs and new friends and new wards and playmates for jonah and my sister 5 mins away. Now I gotta go start a microwave-less dinner and feed jonah at the same time.

2006-05-22T20:43:00.000-05:00

Fellow bloggers... I got nothing. But, you can read a pretty good story by looking at our pictures.

Half way there...

2006-05-14T05:56:00.000-05:00

That title might make you think this is a story about a mishap driving from Texas to Utah, but it's not. Just a quick notice that we are now homeless! Yesterday we got our apartment emptied and the place cleaned and locked by 2pm. Without all the help we had, we probably would have been there twice as long.

My Dad showed up around 11:30-45 with a truck he borrowed from work. He packed that thing so full of stuff and so high that he again looked like He-Man in the eyes of his son. (I know this is Mother's Day, but I just have to tell all this so you know how amazing he is) With the truck he took a load of dead foiliage to the dump, two loads of our stuff from Irving to Lewisville, then he took the couch we used back over to Brant's in Little Elm (north of the Colony), and brought a chair back for my mom. That's at least 250 miles, all from 8am, until about 3:30.

Moving out of that apartment was a real chore with a baby. Another thing we had going was the fact that Amelia has been working on Mother's Day Books when she gets some free time. With this last week as my finals week the only free time she really had was from 9:30-12 or thereabouts. Amelia has really proved with this books that she is the best. There's no other way around it.Jonah has been pretty good through the whole thing, so really... I guess it hasn't been too much of a chore with him.

Well, tangent to what I've been writing about is this paper my little brother wrote for his english class. It's pretty funny, so I'm posting it here:

DMS
Brackeen MWF 9 AM

Definition of My Best Friend

I have the best best friend available. He is incredible in so many different ways. Not only is he sharp, smart, charismatic, caring, talented, kind, witty, good looking, and completely humble, but he is also a faithful friend. My best friend’s most valuable qualities can be grouped into three qualities: how he understands me, is my greatest fan, and has always been there for me.

One of my greatest desires is to be understood. Being misunderstood means looking like an imbecile in public; having my ideas and opinions criticized as immature and unimportant. My best friend has always understood me. First, he knows who I am. He knows my circumstance, my upbringing, my religious beliefs, and respects all of those crucial factors that make up who I am. My best friend can make my wildest dreams sound like feasible realities. He makes my opinions sound brilliant. He can even make my jokes sound funny. My friend’s ability to help me feel understood supplies me with a great sense of self-confidence to share my opinions.

Being an aspiring musician as I am, it is crucial to have a solid fan base. Though many have accepted and later rejected my music and other artistic attempts throughout the years, my best friend has been the most loyal of fans. Whenever I have created a new song, played at a concert, or tried to record an album, he has been right by my side to encourage me. Perhaps his greatest contribution has been his constructive criticism. I do not acquiesce well with those that freely give deconstructive criticism. My friend has always been one to tell me if something I create does not make sense, but always follows up with ideas and suggestions on how to improve. He makes my songs sound like they should be on every radio station in the world, and he makes my live performances into unforgettable events for all who attend. Indeed, my best friend is my biggest fan.

Finally, my best friend is qualified to be termed as such because he has always been a constant companion. As far back as I can remember he has been by my side. He has been with me for my childhood, my first dates and break-ups, during my two-year mission, and, most recently, throughout the beginning of my college career. He has been such a valuable constant in my life, always willing to listen to my ranting and to offer his crucial, all-knowing wisdom when I have needed it most.

I wish that everyone could have a best friend as incredible as mine. The guy is absolutely the best person I have ever met. Just as well as he knows me, I know everything about him. To some it might sound egotistical, to others it might just sound crazy, but the reason my friend and I know so much about each other is because we are literally inseparable. After all, my best friend is me.

Early Morning T.V

2006-05-07T10:37:00.000-05:00

In the past month or so, I've taken up the early morning feeds with Jonah. I usually don't hold him very close so that I can read my scriptures or turn on the tv. On Saturday around 6am, I turned the tv on to PBS (Channel 13 in the DFW Metroplex). This is what I saw on "Farmers Almanac TV"...

COMBINE DERBY DEMOLITION!

Free Chicken

2006-05-05T13:07:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been approached by girl scouts, or D.A.R.E, or some other organization trying to sell you something on your way out of a store? Every now and then I get a targeted for something like that, and I never spend my time on it. If I had a 10 foot pole, it would be between me and them on my to my car.

Yesterday we went to Sam's. Jonah and Amelia were in the car so I headed in on my own. I picked up our pictures and on my way out saw an employee from the deli with a tray full of rotissere cooked chickens. I thought, "Man... this guy's going to try and sell a chicken to me on my way out of the store. I have to come up with something to bat him off." As I approaced the lady who checks receipts, the guy looks at me and says, "Do you want a chicken? They're free." I immediately started rubbing my stomach and and in a true cop-out voice said, "Ohhh... No man, I'm so full! Thanks anyway." Then I realized he said it was free... My contenance changed, I stopped faking it and said, "Wait! Did you say that was free?" He replied kind shocked that I was trying to be so fake, "Yea, it's free!" "Ok," I said, "I'll take one!". After the lady finished with my receipt I said, "I was going to have some fun but it was free!"

Oh yea, we waited in line behind this guy at wal-mart that price matched almost everything he bought. We got in line just after 7, and didn't get out until 7:40. One good thing about it was watching his crazy kids. I feel proud that I got them singing 'No More Monkeys Jumping On The Bed'.

House, M.D.

2006-05-04T14:46:00.000-05:00

So last night, I woke up around 5:30 from a nightmare. I usually don't have nightmares; especially nightmares with Freddy Krueger, one of my childhood nemeses. I got out of bed, went into the living room and read my scriptures. It helped me to block out any forces trying to keep me up. So I finished Alma 55, and went back to bed. Needless to say that even after I had read my scriptures and gone back to bed, I still didn't get a very good nights rest.

Last night, after Amelia squirted contact solution on my hand, I impersonated House M.D. (Why did she do that? I don't know, sometimes Amelia gets out of control.) I thought it was so funny that I tried to do something similar in my lab this morning with Chelsie and Luke. As I started to go into a hypothesis like House would, I started to realize that their interest was fading fast. I tried to keep up my enthusiasm, but it got quiet. I just stopped half way through, and stared at the chalkboard. "I'm done. I'm not going to say anything else," I said. They both looked at my kind of stunned, probably wondering if they had offended me... but no, It was a direct result of my mental functions being too inept without breakfast.

Moving Boxes

2006-05-03T12:43:00.000-05:00

I love moving. I love packing. I love organizing. I love throwing things away. I love remembering. I love new places. I love new people. I can't wait to get to Utah. My only worry is a 20hr drive with a 2.5 month old cute little boy. I still can't wait though. I can't wait to go on a roadtrip to Idaho and see Grandma Sheen...err...Great Grandma Sheen and Great Uncle Max and my sister Ruthanne and Larry and Alex and Ella. Plus all the peeps in Utah. 15 days till the road trip starts.

A Size 2 or 1/4 of an inch.

2006-05-01T16:46:00.000-05:00

There's something nice about not having to go to a barber shop to get my hair cut. It's probably the fact that it's cheap, and that if it gets messed up, you get what you paid for. I've had the luxury of cutting (the majority of) my own hair since I've been married. Amelia can help spot check it and make sure I didn't miss anything. However, I know not everyone has the ability to move their arms clear around their head and have someone help witht he process.

I've only seen a few haircuts in my life that I thought were really bad. On Sunday, I think I saw the one that tops them all off. We got to church just a few minutes before Sacrament meeting started and had to sit in the overflow. A couple in electric wheel chairs came over and asked us to move back. "No problem!" The gentlemen passed out the programs, and they situated themselves right in front of us.

I got a nice long look at the back of his head. It had recently been shaved on a size 2 with hairclippers. There was a long piece of hair right near his crown, and a big bush of hair just to the front of his ear, almost like a miniature side burn. The more I stared, the more imperfections I saw (kind of ironic... I think we all do that). I just wanted to reach over and say, "Hey, I'll come over and cut your hair for free!", but I didn't... probably because I don't know how cool 'in-home hair cutting' is with the male population.

Right now I'm formatting Amelia's laptop... SHHHHH! Don't tell her!

Pits of the Arms

2006-04-26T13:12:00.000-05:00

We went to bed at 10pm on Monday, and I was so excited to wake up refreshed and ready to conquer the world. I fell fast asleep. When I woke up it was to feed Jonah around 5am. I got him out of bed and fed him 5oz. in 30 minutes flat. After a couple of good burps, I changed his diaper and had him back in bed, cooing himself to sleep at 6am. Then I jumped back into bed.

The next thing I remembered was the alarm going off around 6:43, or whatever I set it for. I hit a couple of buttons, thought it was good and passed out. At 7:47, I cracked my eyes open, saw the time and said, "Crap! I have to be in my biology class in 13 minutes!" I moved around trying to get out of bed. While I was doing that, Amelia was saying something to me. All I caught from her was, "Wipe your arm pits with a wet wipe before you leave". I had no idea what that meant. All I knew is that this cave man was on his way to the shower with aching ankles (something I've become accustomed to since I've started an exercise routine).

It wasn't until 11am or so that I found out what Amelia had meant. She meant for me to just take off, but I had made the decision to shower before I heard what she said. Oh, miscommunication...

Marathons

2006-04-25T12:09:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been wanting to run a marathon since November of 2004. That's long time. I would have run the Cowtown Marathon in February of 2005 but I got strep twice right before and couldn't maintain the level of training I needed. And I figured, "There's always next year." However, I got married and well I was 8.5 months pregnant at the time of the Cowtown Marathon of 2006. I decided, "Being in labor for 12 hrs and then getting my guts cut open for a c-section and then trying to take care of a newborn is a marathon in itself." However, 2007 is going to be my 26.2 mile marathon year. I figure its gonna take a while for me to get back in shape. Now I just have to figure out when I'm gonna be running around while I've got jonah to look after. I'm thinking my sister is going to be a great babysitter once I get up to Utah though. Or I've got to get me one of those jogging strollers. I'm sure Jonah will love seeing the miles fly by as I train for my next marathon.

Adventures in Sheenia!

2006-04-23T08:48:00.000-05:00

Since I was released from working at the temple to play with family and get ready to move, we thought it was appropriate to do something fun this weekend. On Friday, Amelia sent me am email about the Bluebonnet festival in Ennis. It sounded like a great idea. The only problem was that we needed to catch up on sleep, and figure out when the best time to go was according to Jonah's schedule. Luckily, we took off right after a feed and got down in time to enjoy some beauty and a hoe down... in down town... far from roun'... Irving!

Texas Summers

2006-04-21T15:40:00.000-05:00

I've lived in 3 states in my life. 1/6 in Idaho, 1/12 in Ohio, and the other 3/4 in Texas. With all there is to complain about Texas you'd think I would appreciate leaving for the mountain west. There you have stuff to do, and it's not so humid you have to change your shirt half way through the day. I can complain about many of the aspects of living in Texas, but I'm missing Texas and I haven't even left yet.

One thing that I'm going to miss, even though it sounds crazy, is the heat and the summers. I recall one experience that displays the intensity of the summers, and the intensity of how stupid dehydration can make me.

Our ward used to help the town of Flower Mound on 4th of July by putting hot dogs in buns at the parade. On one such occasion, it was so hot that I couldn't stand being there anymore. I can't remember why, but for some reason my parents weren't going to leave or they already had. This left me on my own to walk home.

I started up a bike trail that went from my elementary school to my middle school. I could get home from there in what I thought was roughly a 20-30 minute walk. Once I got to the end of the trail, I was beat. It was so flippin hot, and I was so flippin' thirsty that I decided to take a detour into the nearest neighborhood to ask some members for some water. When I got there, there was no answer.

"Crap!" I thought. I was stuck walking under the sun getting more sun burned by the minute, and sweating buckets. I tried to think of someone else who might live nearby that I could stop at and ask for some water. Then I remembered Amy Keifer/Goad. (Amy keifer/Goad was in my 5th grade class, and I hadn't talked to her in years. Now you have an idea of how awkward this could get.) I didn't really know if she lived at the house I was going to go by, but it was my only hope.

I walked around the corner to the house, and knocked on the door. This took some guts, but I figured since I still looked young enough to knock on doors and ask kids to play, I was young enough to ask for water from a stranger. When I knocked on the door, a lady opened. "Hi, my name is Jordan. Is Amy around? Can I have some water?" I ask. "Amy's not here. I'll get you some." She walked off into the house. I wanted to go in so bad to feel some air conditioning, but I stayed put. She came back and I drank the water.

I realized walking home just how strange what I had done was. I had asked a completely random person for water. She could have given me a mickey, tied me up, and cut my guts out. If I had been outside a few hours more, she could have made beef jerky out of me.

Again. I don't know how to end this.

Pearls Before Swine

2006-04-20T15:51:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to help someone, but it didn't seem like the right thing to do? Rather it seemed better to let the person just plow through their own problems? I have.

I'm sitting in the computer lab this morning, when 3 people come up to use the two computers next to me. The girl plops down and drops her keys on the table. Her key chain, loaded with trinkets, reminded me the girls in 3rd grade who collected gobs of Ann Frank pencils and erasers.

They started talking about a history test they had taken. I saw the book they were using, heard their derision of the instructor and assumed they had the instructor I did-Dr. Romero. I didn't really want to talk to them. The girl sitting next to me sounded like she was just having a temper tantrum, but out of pity for how hard the class was I asked her, "What class are ya'll in?"

"History with docta Romero", replies the girl next to me.
"1301?", I ask.
The girl looks back at me with a sort of appreciation and says, "Yeaaa". I then gave them my condolences and said it was hard for me too. She replied, "Yeaa, we got a 56 on our last test. Now we find out she's pullin' queshtions from tha webbsite. That's bull honky!" (I inserted honky. She said something else.)

She went on this rant about how her group had been jipped on their grade, not because they didn't know about the website but because Dr. Romero pulled questions from the online quizzes. What I got from her personality was that she was going to complain about the class no matter what the bad grade was she got, or she was going to flaunt good grades in other people's faces. Doesn't make sense does it.

I wanted to help them. I checked my gmail to make sure I still had my lectures notes in that class. I found them and looked over them, enjoying the pristine work I had completed almost a year ago. I wanted to share it with them, but as the girl kept going on about not knowing about the website and cursing the teacher my desire to help wandered off. It felt like casting my pearls before swine (Matt 7:6). The idea to not share my notes solidified when I heard her whisper to her buddies not to share the knowledge they had of the online quizzes with anyone else. I ended up not talking to them anymore, and hoping they failed the class anyway.

Sorry. That's how this blog ends.

Only In Tejas

2006-04-19T22:08:00.000-05:00

So this past weekend, Jordan and I drove out to my parents house in Ft. Worth. They live in the city. Well, they are 5-10 miles from downtown Ft. Worth. Ft. Worth is a pretty major city. So I ask you, "Why would you see a horse tied up in someone's front yard?" The house is only a block or two from my parent's home so I had already discovered the residents to be hicks. If you hadn't noticed there is 50 gallon barrel suspended in the air next to the horse. They use that to practice riding bulls or bucking horses...I'm not sure which. Its been there for a while but the horse was new and I had wanted to get a picture of the barrel so I thought having a picture of a horse next to it would be even better.

Job Hunting

2006-04-13T16:32:00.000-05:00

I'm a natural planner. It's a quality that couples itself with my "ruthless practicality". With a big change taking place soon, it's expected that I would take to my inate habits and start forecasting what kind of employment is available in Utah County. It's been disappointing; not because of the type of work, or the pay, or even the schedules. Job hunting just womps.

I have plenty of ideas for why I don't like job hunting. Here's a list:

I have to sell myself (figuratively speaking)
Finding a job is like working a full time job without pay
My new wage is likely to be lower than your previous one
I have to wear knit shirts
I have to wear knit shirts w/ khakis or slacks
It's all hype
Do you ever really know what you're getting into?

With all that said, it's enough to warrant that I won't get a job because of my attitude. Well, job hunting is all the more reason to exercise faith. It's an opportunity to push through troubles and fears, and ask the Lord for some help.

Cartoons

2006-04-12T14:46:00.000-05:00

I'm kind of embarassed to be writing about this, but it needs to be told.

Sonya, a lady that sits in the cubicle over, buys the Dallas Morning News every day. And every day it ends up on my desk. However, lately she's kept the Lifestyle section to do the Wonderword. It leaves me without the only important part of the paper-the comics.

Yesterday I took the lifestyle section from her desk and walked away with it to the bathroom. I figured she had finished the Wonderword and was done with the paper. I read it in the bathroom, and left it in the box that holds the toilet seat covers. I didn't think I would need it, so I left it for someone else to use.

Shortly before 4pm, Sonya came over asking for the newspaper. I looked at her, put the best puzzled look on my face possible, and started moving around my desk saying things like, "uhh, I don't know." She kept repeating herself, "Jordan! Jordan! Where's tha paper man?!" I didn't want to tell her. I realized I was lying so I just fessed up, "It's in the bathroom." It was tainted, and now so am I.

Pimp My Name

2006-04-10T16:25:00.000-05:00

Everyone needs to do this.

Jonah's Blessing

2006-04-09T20:57:00.000-05:00

Today we had Jonah recieve his name and blessing at church. We had a ton of family come out (approximately 3 and 1/2 pues.) It was a great day.

The Earthquake of 1906

2006-04-07T15:34:00.000-05:00

Recently there was an article on newsnet about writing the crazy things down that you hear your professors say. Usually I skip writing down all my geology professor's crazy stories, and just tell them to Amelia. But on wednesday he put something up there that I couldn't resist writing down.

During our discussion on earthquakes, Dr. Kubicek brought up the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, and said that there were over 900 deaths as a result. However, he mentioned that it was unusual so many died because it occurred at 5:30am in the morning. I thought, "ok, big deal." Then he said, "Only half of them were caused by the earthquake. I'll give you 20 guesses, and bet you won't guess it." So we started shooting stuff out there.

"Fire?"
"no."
"Bad water?"
"no."
"Disease?"
"no."

Then, to all of our astonishment, he writes this on the chalkboard:

THE NATIONAL GUARD KILLED THEM!!!

Really? Yes, really.

New Deal

2006-04-07T13:25:00.000-05:00

Every time I tried to change something on the other template, I jacked everything up. So, I decided to just change it to something I knew I could dilly dally with. Here you have it.

2006-04-04T15:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I spent a ton of money. Money is a taboo topic, and often makes the one who mentions it seem juvenile. But, I do have application to all of this... it was liberating. Here are the biggies:

1. We paid off Amelia's credit card
2. We paid our last full rent for this apartment
3. We bought a AAA membership

Getting out of debt is great. We're going to be putting our payment for the moving pod on it, but it still feels great right now. The apartment feels about the same way. As a man, having these major expenses out of the way while we get ready to move brings a lot of relief. We've probably always had the money to do it, but Amelia had said, "lets just pay it off, and the put the moving costs on it". Brilliant, and it's a great way to build up some credit. The triple A membership is sort of insurance. You see, in 6 weeks we are going to be driving from Texas to Utah in a car like this:

It has 144,000 miles, a new transmission, new belts, and new tires, but it's still questionable driving it long distances.

In november/december of 2004, Amelia was driving from Oregon to Utah. After making her way through a blizzard, driving on patches of ice, and maintaining her sanity for a few hours, she finally got out of it onto dry road. Shortly thereafter the car died. She was stranded and the only way she made it out was that her parents called AAA and had them drive out to pick her up. She was a couple of hours away from Roy, UT. And so our purchase occurred.

I had more fun buying a AAA membership yesterday than I did buying clothes.

E.R

2006-04-02T13:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was quite eventful. I woke up early in the morning hearing the loud sounds of Amelia throwing up. I rushed to the bathroom and helped her out. This scene occurred several times that morning. Around 10 or 11, Amelia called a nurse's hotline to see if what medications she could take to help with the stomach flu. The nurse asked Amelia question after question about the cold chills, the incision from the c-section, and then said, "Well, I'm not even going to ask about the vomitting. You need to go to the E.R... Now." So, after the first 3 talks of conference we were on our way to the hospital.

I have never waited in an emergency room. There are a few things you should know about the waiting room at the E.R if you've never been.

1. After registration, you'll probably wait anywhere from 4 to 6 hours to finally see a physician (at least at Irving's Baylor hospital. I heard someone say yesterday it takes anywhere from 12-16 hours to be admitted at Dallas' Parkland hospital.)
2. There is lots of crazy things to behold. I've never had a harder time minding my own business.
3. On Saturdays, TV Land plays episode after episode of Bonanza. They're all worth watching.

Needless to say, our E.R experience was probably like many others who get told to go in, who probably don't need to. I'm becoming more and more skeptical of doctors.

PS: Our visit would not have been as easy without the help of Amelia's parents coming in and watching Jonah. He was pretty good himself, but they all managed to exhibit extreme amounts of patience; for which I will be ever grateful.

I looked out the window...

2006-03-29T18:54:00.000-06:00

And what did I see? A peeping tom...
Well, not really it was a tree climbing, branch cutting, chainsaw baring kid hanging out in the tree outside my 2nd floor balcony. That would be a sweet job. I mean who wouldn't want to climb trees all day with a chainsaw. Every day you could come home and say I saw the coolest thing. Today, he probably said, "There was this crazy lady in a moo-moo trying to subtly take pictures of me through her window, but it wasn't all that subtle." Anyways, if my full-time job wasn't being a mom, I would want to be a tree-climber. Maybe when all the kids are grown up, I can be the old lady tree climber and all the young guys can affectionally call me "Grandma Chainsaw."

A continution of the thought I mentioned on Ryan's blog...

2006-03-28T21:35:00.000-06:00

You know... I thought about it at work when I read it, and I thought about it on my 20 minute drive home, and I came to the conclusion that I could write way too much on the subject, and not be sure if it was all true. So, I'm just going to tell you what I think right here.

Malachi's prophesy seems to me to have a two way deal. Children turn to their fathers, and the fathers turn to their children. We rightly assume that "children to their fathers" means baptism for the dead, but what is meant by the fathers to the children? Does it simply mean our ancestors say "Hey! Thanks for doing my work!" I don't think so.

I'm trying not to be light minded talking about this, but we all hear some people mention experiences where they felt some ancestor was close. And what were they close for? To help with the pain and mourn with those that mourn. Hearing of those experiences is enough evidence for me to believe that the dead, who posthumously recieved their saving ordinances, are as Joseph Smith said; "Enveloped in flaming fire... not far from us.. know and understand our thoughts, feelings, and motions, and are often pained therewith" (Teachings, p. 326).

I'm sure they are pleased sometimes too.

DNA and God

2006-03-28T13:28:00.000-06:00

In my biology lecture we started talking about cell reproduction. This means we start with DNA replication, and RNA translation and transcription; pretty much all the stuff that takes place when you get a new cell, proteins, etc. DNA is made up of a nitrogen base, a sugar (deoxyribose, or ribose), and a phosphate group. There are 4 nitrogen bases that make up DNA. They are adenine, cystosine, thymine, and guanine. Adenine attaches to thymine, and each cystosine attaches to a guanine making something like unto this:

...and so on.

The phosphates hold each sugar together, but the organization of everything made me ask my professor, "I understand that all these nitrogen bases have to match up, but why does it matter how everything else matches up vertically?" I had already run through the processes and came to the conclusion that everyone has to sort of have the same DNA, or that DNA had to have an origin, but I needed to hear my professor explain it. She said that DNA make up has to have been around for a long time. DNA make up, like above, doesn't just occur randomly since DNA is always replicated with an orginal piece. Sure there are adjustments that define how we look, but as far as each individual having 2 eyes, 10 toes, and a butt... that's been around forever.

My conclusion from all of this thinking, was that something so complex had to have a starting point. There had to be a point where the DNA for humans was introduced and man began. If it's so complex, why not?

Chicken Primavera

2006-03-27T20:51:00.000-06:00

This recipe is great...

Chicken Primavera

2 Chicken Breasts
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp of salt
dash of garlic
1 12oz can of evaporated milk
1/2 cup of milk
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 medium onion
1/4 cup of butter
8oz. (usually half a package) of pasta

In a skillet brown cut chicken. After that's done, empty and set them aside. Saute red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion, garlic, and butter. Add milks, basil, salt, and chicken. Cook and stir until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Serve over cooked pasta.

This is the version that we use. My sister's recipe calls for mushrooms, but those aren't allowed in our house. Another thing is that the original recipe calls for 2 cups of whipping cream, but we didn't have any of that so we substituted the evaporated milk. Look for it on the baking aisle. Also, if this seems like a lot of vegetables, it is. Slice everything up, and freeze half of it for when you make this recipe next week. I know you won't be able to withstand yourself.

I'll come up with a real blog in a few days...

Meant for each other

2006-03-23T16:18:00.000-06:00

Well, there are things you probably shouldn't do...like cut your own hair. Tuesday, I decided to cut my hair. It turned out ok. I wasn't really satisfied though. So wednesday, I had Jordan cut my hair. I think it turned out suprisingly well. In fact, today, I went ahead and added some highlights. This is what I was thinking though. Jordan and I are perfect for each other. I don't know many women that would let there husbands cut their hair. And I definetly don't know many men willing to risk cutting their wives hair. We had a good time chopping away at my hair last night, and frankly, why spend a ton a money when you've got scissors and a comb at home.
So you be the judge, should Jordan be my new sylist? Or do I look like a boy? Or just a girl with a really bad cut?

The Hazards of Parenting

2006-03-20T20:06:00.000-06:00

Dad with puke.
Lucky mommy gets the poop.

2006-03-20T06:41:00.000-06:00

On my mission, I knew an elder who was incredibly good at making everyone laugh while retaining his so-cal style. (He was actually from St. George) One way that he did it was by practicing adult humor. Adult humor, as he defined it, were jokes that only adults would laught at. It was captivating to watch him humorize some of the most stone cold members, all while eating a casserole or drinking kool-aid.

I've found myself lately telling lots of adult type jokes. Not only telling, but laughing at and enjoying as well. I don't think "man that was stupid". I now think more along the lines of, "WOW! Who can I tell that too?". I'm stepping into the adult zone... and I like it.

Contamination

2006-03-19T13:26:00.000-06:00

Well, Jonah has been having a hard time getting back up to his birth weight so I keep having to take him into the doctor for weigh-ins. Friday, Jordan was working so my mom took me up. The little guy got hungry sitting in the lobby so I started to feed him and sure enough they call us back 5 mins later. So I'm already kind of awkward but mom helps me be modest and make it back. Then we get to our little room and I have to stop feeding him and take his clothes off for the weigh -in. He was 9'2'. Yeah. He's pretty ticked as is cause his meals been interupted but we decided to change him while his clothes were off. Of course, he starts screaming even louder because his unit is getting cold. So while I'm starting to pull out the essentials of diapering, mom pulls off his diaper. She was too quick and jonah saw his chance pee went shooting everywhere. The poor kid got it all over himself, his chest, his face. Then when we thought he had stopped...he started all over again. The little table was soaked. My mom and I laughed hysterically and removed the little paper covering to hide the evidence. So the doctor takes forever to get in there which was good cause I finished feeding Jonah. Then I pass him off to mom to quickly burp him. What does Jonah do? He pukes all over the floor. The practically needed a haz-mat team in there after Jonah. My favorite thing about the whole trip though was when the doctor checked his ear. Without thinking I said, "There might be pee in that one." She responded, "Well, I've never heard that before." Over all it was one of my favorite trips to the doctor ever.

Messin' with Rubbish

2006-03-15T16:04:00.000-06:00

Wow. I just woke up from the best nap ever. Wow. Amelia just woke up from the best nap ever. Wow. Jonah just woke up from a nap without crying. It makes taking the day off of work worth every cent I didn't make just to get some decent sleep.

Yes, the first couple of weeks of having a newborn have been hard. I'd like to say that our little burrito has been real easy to handle, but he hasn't. I'm sure he's had just as hard a time trying to understand us as we have him. Sometimes I'm startled by how much of a life long affair it is having kids. This morning I took Jonah to the outpatient testing center for the rest of his PKU testing to take place. The nurse who was going to "suck his blood" was a very sweet little old latin lady. She said she had 3 kids and all grown. I thought "Wow, I can't wait to say something like that". Raising kids and helping them learn how to be independent is the whole point. Well independent from the world, but more dependent on God. For now though... he needs someone to change his nappys.

A 24 hour wail

2006-03-10T14:25:00.000-06:00

When Amelia woke up yesterday one of the first things she said to me was, "I'm hungry." I asked her what she wanted and she said something like graham crackers sounded good. But she had eaten all of those so I had to go through the cupboard to find something suitable for her taste. Reeses' Puffs Cereal was the only thing I could find that I thought fit the description. I brought it to her in a cup and she ate a little bit.

Throughout the day Jonah just cried his head off. Amelia told me that he would cry, poop, sleep for 10 minutes, wake up, cry, poop, and sleep for 10 minutes. The process repeated itself over and over until 12:30 or 1am this morning.

We didn't know what it was and tried everything to find out. Nothing seemed to work. It wasn't until about 11 last night that Amelia had an idea. She said, "Jordy. I think it was the Reeses' Puffs. They have chocolate in them." REESES' PUFFS? I had heard that nursing moms aren't supposed to eat chocolate, and if that was really the cause of Jonah's discomfort then I know why nursing mom's can't eat chocolate. Some might say it was something else, but really that's the only thing that makes sense.

Some people say that if you don't know why your baby is crying, then they are "colicky". All that means is that the parent hasn't been able to determine the cause of the screaming. I'm not much of a believer in the idea that kids, especially infants, scream just for fun. There is a reason for everything.

Introducing...

2006-03-04T08:42:00.000-06:00

The arrival of our son Jonah was quite an ordeal. I think Amelia and myself can testify that each of us faced some of the greatest struggles of our lives. But the Lord has his time-table, and he showed us that he had been mindful of us long before February 28th.

On Monday, Amelia's water broke naturally. It was exciting running around the house throwing stuff in my pockets, and filling our labor bags with the final necessities. When we got the hospital the nurses called Dr. Domonique and told us Dr. Domonique requested Amelia be put on pictocin since she was only dilated to a 1 1/2. That was tough, especially since after 10 or 11 hours she had only dilated 4 1/2 cm.

Around 7:30, Dr. Domonique came in and told us that Jonah's presentation was off, and that if Amelia pushed him out, he would come out looking like a boxer. (He was coming out eyes and nose first, not by crown). Then she told us that she highly recommended doing a c-section. After a prayer, we made the decision to have the c-section done. Within an hour, Jonah was born and Amelia was on her way to recovery.

We're so happy to have Jonah in our home. We always hear in the church that having children, and raising them properly will bring the most joy to the home. I never really thought that was that great until now.

Have kids. You won't regret the decision.

8.5

2006-02-24T11:54:00.000-06:00

Another appointment has come and gone. My doctor actually freaked me out this time. Usually, I blow her off because I think she's drug happy. However, today she started talking about how the baby is 8.5 lbs already, and how he might be too big to come out if we don't induce. She talked about c-sections. She plans on having me go to the hospital Sunday night and start the induction process. I however, don't know that I'll be there Sunday night. I told her that and she set it up so that I have to call if I'm not going to be there. I'm hoping, praying I start having contractions so that I don't have to worry anymore about what is the right thing to do.

I should have planned better for this...

2006-02-23T12:38:00.000-06:00

While we wait for Jonah to be born, I often think about the eternities and my new responsibilities concerning them. Having kids is a "life" situation, not a death one. And so it makes me think about everything. But drawing my thoughts around this merry event seems to leave out all the day to day things that make life roll smoothly.

For example, lunches. Yesterday we spent a solid half hour in wal-mart working out a car seat situation. I knew we were running low on decent breakfast food so we bought some cereal. This morning, before I scarrfed my Reese's Puffs, I realized that we had hardly anything to eat with a lunch. PB&J, tortilla chips, and fruit snacks. We had no left overs, and no fruit (a commodity I usually have on hand). After breakfast I started making my lunch, and all I ended up with was this: a packet of instant peach flavored oatmeal, pb&j sandwich, fruit snacks, and a frozen corn dog. Suffice it to say, my accountant type personality put my costs before my health and made me eat everything I brought to work. It was sick.

Hopefully, when you're about to have your kids you're able to concentrate on everything you have on your plate. Otherwise, you might be scronging around at the last minute to meet your needs.

boredom

2006-02-21T15:32:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I realized that I'm chronically bored. People tell me to make sure I get my rest but I think I'm getting too much. Since we only have one car, I don't get out much because Jordan has it for work and school. Pretty much, I sit around watching day-time tv. Yesterday, Jordan got home early because he doesn't work mondays and his class got out early. As he studied, I complained about being bored. He suggested lots of stuff to do around the house. Then he suggested we go to my parent's house. I was so excited to get out of the house I started to cry. Anyways, I can't wait to have this kid because at least I won't be bored anymore. I keep telling him to listen to his mother and come out but he's not been very obedient. Oh well, I guess it'll happen soon enough.

Dads

2006-02-18T09:25:00.000-06:00

So the past week or so has been busy, primarily because I've made it so. Example: Thursday was the day after the dr's reported due date. It made me frantic, so I tried getting everything done possible that I could. Homework, tests in the testing center, etc... it's kind of like the last minute rush before Christmas. You just want to be prepared and have something good for the person you love; in this case, Jonah. However, you never know when "christmas" is, so you expend all your energy trying to get ready for this untimed event. I don't know if any of you go through what I go through on Christmas eve. You go to bed, but you just never seem to fall asleep because you're so anxious. It's like that right now that we're this close to the end.

Post Due date and Counting

2006-02-16T10:40:00.000-06:00

Well, the doctor said, "when do you want to induce?" I was surprised by this because she never asked if I wanted to be induced. As I reacted slowly she continued her onslaught of questions. "What day do you want to do it?" "We can't do it on a weekend?" "How about monday at 6?" Finally, I was able to spit out, "I don't want to be induced." Since I plan to do this birthing thing all natural, I'm continuing to find it difficult to like my doctor who is so drug-happy, I wonder if she should be on the streets and not a doctor. The thing I find most disturbing is that everyone that sees her will most likely end up drug happy too. Drugs aren't bad but the lady doesn't even give me the option. I don't even think I'm due until the 17...I know its only 2 days but on top of that from my research, I've found that the first-baby is usually later than the due date. On top of that, all of my sisters and my mom have said most of their babies were later than due date from a day or two up to 10 days. Anyways, I AM ready to get this kid out but I'm willing to let a higher authority decide when, and not some doctor who doesn't care a lick if I'm drugged to high heaven.

A Valentine Haiku For My Lovely Bride

2006-02-14T16:06:00.000-06:00

Heart Shaped Cookies,Yum!

Just with you I make a sum.

Love Your Valentine!

Creepy Old Guyz

2006-02-09T16:13:00.000-06:00

When my family moved to Texas my mom picked up a job throwing newspapers from her car in the middle of the night. She would get a call anywhere from 10 to 2am, telling her that papers were ready to pick up in town. After getting the call, she would leave the house without a sound and return before sun rise.

In the summer of 2000, I took up her paper route for a week or two while she went somewhere I can't remember. One night during the week, around 3 am, I slowly turn onto a street where I see an old guy standing in his yard wearing p.j's. I thought, "Wow, this guy must really want his paper." I never saw the guy move. Was he sleep walking? Was he crazy? I never found out. I told my mom about it and she said she had seen him out there all the time.

Anyway, watch out for old guys who stand in their yard in the middle of the night.

The Library

2006-02-06T16:40:00.000-06:00

Jordan is looking at a kit of sample rocks for his geology class and I'm dinking around on the internet. This is the most uncomfortable seat ever. I'm starting to get hungry and out of the 50 rocks, it only looks like he has notes written on 10...we've been here an hour. Maybe I'll have to find a vending machine.

Elevator Issues

2006-02-02T09:45:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I went to the doc. (No news. I've still got 2 weeks left.) I walk in the front doors and can see the elevators directly in front of me. I see that a girl pushes the up button and almost immediately the doors open. She got on and I sped up my waddle to get there in time. The door didn't even start to close before I got there. But there are 2 doctors in the back of the elevator, and a hispanic family of three in the front. I kind of squeeze in between the girl that just got on and the family to get to the middle of the elevator...it was a big one so it could fit a hospital bed/ gurney if need be. So the hispanic lady mumbles under her breath something tacky about how many more people need to get on the elevator and starts furiously pushing at the buttons trying to get the door to close. I'm kind of staring at her in shock plus she has the lowest cut shirt on ever and cleavage is just falling out. She knows it too, because she keeps tugging at it. (Her son and husband are looking bashful and staring at the floor.) Apparently and luckily, I wasn't the only one staring in a state of shock. The girl that got on right before me was too. The lady looks and her and with a load of attitude says, "What?" The elevator beeped and opened right about then and the girl said something like, "sorry you're having such a bad day." The boobie lady hollers back, "It wasn't bad until I saw you." I wanted to holler at the lady, "First of all, put on a shirt that covers your boobs. And maybe next time, you should take the stairs. And pushing the button 2o times in a row doesn't make it go any faster." Needless to say, I was glad to get off that elevator.

2 Weeks Left

2006-02-01T16:40:00.000-06:00

Jonah will be born any time within the next month. We'll make sure we notify the blogging world after the delivery, and post plenty of pictures.

Today I had the opportunity to sit outside my school library on a bench for a solid hour. At one point I saw a girl wearing these pants and smoking. She was giving someone directions and for a moment, I pictured her wearing some sort of business casual clothing helping people out at some sort of semi-important job, and doing very well at it. It was like I saw a vision of this person fulfilling their potential instead of growing old in hot topic fashion. Sorry that was so anti-climatic. It was just an observation.

Limbo

2006-01-26T21:05:00.000-06:00

With only 3 weeks left until the baby's due, we're really close to reaching the crest of parenthood. Now that we are this far it feels like I'm an old man. (In fact, I took a real age test a couple weeks ago that said I'm actually 30 years old not 23.) It's kind of traumatic how much life changes with a child in the picture. There's plenty of things that change... here's a couple of things on my mind:

No temple trips for Amelia until Jonah's feedings are at least 4 hours apart.
Diapers
Having another person around the house to communicate with.
Having to teach that new person EVERYTHING they need to know about the gospel.
Family Home Evening finally becomes family home evening. (maybe not for a few more years, but it will be different)

I'm sure there's plenty more, but those are probably the most foremost in my mind.

top ten things I miss

2006-01-25T12:48:00.000-06:00

Well with only 3 weeks left to go, I've started thinking about all the things I miss.

Top Ten things Pregnant Amelia misses
10. Sleeping without peeing every other hour.
9. The ability to roll over in bed.
8. Not having to tuck a pillow under my belly so I'm comfortable.
7. Small boobs. (What's wrong with those women who get enlargements? Big boobs suck.)
6. A flat stomach.
5. No stomach problems...I have the worst indigestion. I eat a gazillion tums every day.
4. Tying my own shoes.
3. Being able to breath normally and not getting winded when I walk 3 lousy feet.
2. Feeling satisfied after eating, not like I'm gonna hurl.
1. Cuddling with my husband without having a 3rd person between us.

Grumpy Old Men

2006-01-23T09:37:00.000-06:00

Last night I went to make a visit with my Elder's Quorum President. It was just a normal home teaching visit with lots of chatter and discussion about every day life. One of our subjects was about the drought. I thought about this man's job as an employee with the Flower Mound parks department, and I said, "What do you do in the parks department when there's no rain?"

He replied, "Well... we mow the grass even though there isn't any. We fix fences, and we clean poop off of playgrounds."

"You clean poop off of playgrounds," was my response. It seemed like it didn't fit his job description.

He said, "Yea, there's this old guy who has a playground by his house. He's mad because they built this playground right next to his home. So everyday when he walks his dog he takes the dog poop and smears it all over the playground so the little kids won't want to play on it. His neighbor caught him doing it and called us."

It seems really immature for a grumpy old man to be doing something like that. Don't you think?

01.20.06

2006-01-20T15:12:00.000-06:00

Pregnancies are dangerous things. Luckily there are plenty of people that want to help men cope with the stresses and bruises that come with the transition from husband to father. It's probably really hard for some men to believe this but there are books that can tell you in a few simple sentences what to do with your wife when she's completely rabid. One book is The Baby Whisperer. Amelia shared some things with me from it last night, and I thought, "Wow, that's so true."

I started school this week. It's my 4th full time semester, 5th semester total. On Wednesday I went into my geology class and recognized a girl from my previous stake. Last time I saw her she was in high school. It was another attestation that the majority of my class mates are under 20. Maybe I should appreciate that more, but I don't. It only makes me want to get to the university faster. On a brighter note, when I drove up to school today there were cops, maintence people, and what looked like old ladies putting up barricades. I thought, "I guess I'll drive to the other side." So I did. When I got there I saw that there were more barricades and cops. I drove home and found out school was cancelled because a water main broke. I haven't even been in school a week and I already had some time off.

Hospital Tour

2006-01-17T12:39:00.000-06:00

Last night Jordan and I went on a tour of the hospital where I'll be delivering. I should have foreseen the lack of intelligence on this tour before I even set out. They sent a letter to confirm your attendance that told all about how to get to birthing classes. I had to call find out where to go. And I still was unsure when I got there. Upon the arrival of the tour guide, I thought to myself "what an overly sweet kind of out-of-it" lady. She said, "We'll start at the beginning." Then we went to the baby nursery. I'm not sure how delivering a baby starts with the baby nursery but whatever. As we progressed through the tour, I realized she was failing to answer anyone's questions. At one point, Jordan asked, "So when we come to the hospital, where do we go first?" I can't remember her response because it had nothing to do with the question but I do remember thinking, "why is Jordan asking her a question?" Later he told me I even looked at him funny. When people asked questions specific to the hospital like, "do you have squat bars for birthing?" She responded saying, "Ask your doctor about positions for labor and delivery." Anyways, so we are briefly viewing a 2nd birthing room, and she says, "You'll have to excuse my awkwardness, I just had back surgery, and I have to wear this huge back brace." Then a lightbulb went off in my head. She must have been on some pain drugs or something
because she wasn't making a lick of sense. To make a long story short, we do know where to go but it was more because we figured it out than the "overly sweet definitely out-of-it on pain medication" tour lady.

NZ

2006-01-16T13:48:00.000-06:00

My friend Geoff took a pretty big jump at the new year. After working like a dog for 6 months, he packed up everything he could take and moved to New Zealand. I thought I'd share part of an email I got from him. He shared a ton of information just by writing out a list... here are some interesting statements he made about "middle earth" since he's been there:

The airline lost the bags that contained my clothes and power adapters.
I wore the same shirt of three days. It was not pleasant.
Then got tired of smelling and was forced to buy a couple ofStussy shirts because they are so cheap here.
The crosswalks make really funny noises here.
I sleep in a room with three other people who are from either A.The UK or B. Germany and don't like that I snore so loud.
There are about one zillion cute girls here. None of them are "hot"per se, but all are more Geoff type cute, which is good. Also, theyall have funny accents.
I have a psuedo-date with a gal named Sophia who is trying out to beon the New Zealand sailing team.

I think that managing to get a date after you've been in a foreign country for a few days is a pretty good thing. Unless she's some psycho like what you see in the movies who ends up stealing all of his money, and leaves him naked somewhere remote. Or worse in Geoff's case, a sailboat.

Cougardom Doth Grow

2006-01-13T09:47:00.000-06:00

My brother D-Rock finished his application for BYZOO a few weeks ago. I told him that if he logged in to Route Y, he might see some new additions if he had been admitted. He called me the other day and said, "there's stuff on there I haven't seen before." I replied, with a kind of nervous pause, "Send me your login and I'll tell you if I find anything". In a few moments I was logged in and checking out his stuff. Under the personal information section I saw "admitted undergraduate - Fall 2006". I called him back and told him he was in.

It's pretty exciting to know I'll have a brother up there with me. Even though Amelia has family in Provo, I would still have to work on the whole BRT thing. I've already done that with Derrick, and spent the better part of 17 years doing it. He knows my blanky was red with soccer players, and I know his was light blue with cuddly bears. It's nice knowing I'll have a buddy close who shares those kinds of bonds.

Family

2006-01-12T13:30:00.000-06:00

My sister, Ruthanne and her family have been in town from Oregon for almost 2 weeks now. When we were growing up and even when we lived together as roomies for a year in Provo, we fought all the time. Its amazing how things work out though. We get along great when we don't live together. In fact, I think my other two sisters have kind of paired off in a suportive sisterly relationship keeping in close contact and enjoying sisterly conversation. I must say I feel a special bond with Ruthanne that I never would have imagined having. Her son is the 2nd from the right and I must say he is the cutest. My sister is a great mom. I have a ton of respect for her. I'm also really excited because as soon as she leaves here, she is going to pack up her home in Vancouver and move to Boise. She'll only be a few hours from me in Provo and I'm so excited. I have a place to go for holidays that will have the same traditions that I have. The other kids are great too and my sister Ginney is a great mom too. I'm just feeling especially attached to Ruthanne since I haven't seen her in over a year. Anyways, families are amazing especially sisters...actually, my brothers...well I'lll write one about them another day.

Desperation

2006-01-10T08:25:00.000-06:00

Last time I posted, I made note that I haven't been doing anything at work lately. I usually find that this is the time to pick up a good book and read it straight through. But it doesn't seem to work out that way. It's real easy when you find a stopping point in your reading to say, "I think I'm going to check out this blog", or "I think I'm going to play pool". I even found myself wanting to type a story, although I had no ideas for one in my head. If that doesn't display my desperation to make some use of this machine, then maybe saying that I sat here and hugged the monitor will.

School starts next week. Among my classes is a 3 hour block for PHED 1119... Beginning Weight Training. It's enough to scare me thinking about working out every day. I don't really feel that way. It's probably because I like working out when I have a schedule for it. If I don't, you'll only see a J-dog with a gut and big butt.

Before and After

2006-01-06T14:20:00.000-06:00

I decided today that an increasing belly makes it feel like your arms are gettting shorter. The belly is placed evenly with all work surfaces so that you are too far from the table when eating. Too far from the sink when brushing your teeth. Too far from the counter with cutting potatoes. Too far from the desk so you can hardly type. Too far from the kitchen sink when washing dishes. I can barely reach the knobs. No wonder pregnant women have back problems we're always having to bend around funny. Anyways, I hope that it is my belly and not that my arms are truly getting shorter.

Afronomics

2006-01-05T10:37:00.000-06:00

All but 1 one of my coworkers were laid off yesterday. One thing that really stinks about telemarketing is how unexpectedly it can turn over. Next month we might have a completely new team, but for now I'm stuck dilly dallying on the internet.

I have to make a note about one topic I read about today at wikipedia.org, and that is african economics. I've been turned off from the subject because it gets so much attention by music celebrities trying to make it the cool thing to do. I don't know what changed in me today, but I finally had some curious interest in it. So here's what I learned. Africa has a long history of detrimental acts which crippled individual countries until it spread throughout the whole continent. It's the only place in the world that gets poorer every year. That's kind of depressing if you think about it. It would have to get rid of despotism (what we call tryannical governments), wide spread disease, famine, violence, and debt to better its chances. It would also need huge developments to improve transporting goods from one end to the other. It's future is glorious if the right things happen.

Quitting

2006-01-03T20:28:00.000-06:00

I quit my job today and I feel like a million bucks. I've decided that quitting a job is the best thing in the world. Every job I've had, after quitting, I feel euphoric. I love it. My excuse for quitting was that I'm just too tired to work anymore. I say excuse but really, during the holidays when I wasn't busy I slept for 12 hours. Normally, I get 8 and I'm exhausted constantly. I am so excited because next week, I get as much sleep as I can stand. On top of it all, I only gave 4 days notice and my boss still gave me her card and told me that anytime I ever need a reccomendation to giver her a call. She pretty much told me I was amazing. Its nice to be appreciated. the end.

01.01.06 "Ought Six"

2006-01-01T20:29:00.000-06:00

Last night we slept in a camper. One day when I have grandkids that come over, I hope I have a camper that they can sleep in. My grandparents used to have one on the back of an old Chevy Silverado. I spent a few cold nights in there. That one didn't have a toilet like Dad A's does.

This morning we woke up and hung out with the Horton's. I'm really amazed at my sister-in-law's and her husbands parenting. It baffles me how prematurely mature their 2 year old son is. The kid can communicate better than most 3, almost 4 year olds.

"Ought Six" is going to be a busy one. A son. A new school. A new city, and a new state. My parents will mostly likely be in a new house soon. My little brother Derrick will find out whether he's going to school in Idaho or Utah. Lots of things in the mix. Stay tuned.

(new photos are up from the funeral as well as some birthday action. http://www.flickr.com/photos/fjsheen/)

The Countdown has begun...

2005-12-30T11:36:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of pregnancy you count up...10 weeks, 12 weeks, 28 weeks...but when you get to a certain point you start counting down again. I've got 5 weeks left until I'm a deliverable week count. It will probably be another 2 weeks after that before I actually deliver, but still, I've begun my countdown. I went to the sonographer today. I got to see the little guy. When the sonographer showed us the male anatomy, my husband said, "Ohhh, it's big." What a man thing to say! Anyways, despite the fact I keep saying "she", I suppose it is a "he." I really want a boy but since I keep saying "she" I'm afraid my mother's intuition is telling me its a girl and the docs are all wrong and we got a lot of boy clothes that we don't really need. So...the baby's healthy. I'm healthy. And I'm afraid 5 weeks are going to seem like 20 weeks and only one day all at the same time. I didn't ever know that something could be too fast and too slow all at the same time...hmmm, pregnancy really does make you crazy, huh?

Josephine Rose

2005-12-27T11:23:00.000-06:00

I went to the funeral of my grandmother today. I hate funerals. I don't like seeing dead bodies. It doesn't remind me of the good times...it reminds me of the fact that she's gone. I've decided when I die. I want a closed casket and lots of pictures of me. Pictures from my birth, my youth, my mothering years and my grandmothering years...and if I make it long enough my great-grandmothering years. Fun pictures.
What I remember most about my grandmother is her potpurri. I remember that she had a beautiful flower garden with herbs amongst the flowers. She would carefully select the more fragrant varieties. After drying out the petals and various plant pieces, we, the grandkids, got to help her. She would put a huge pile on a sheet. We would each grab a corner and she would gently tap in a drop or two of magic smell and we would toss and wiggle those petals around by tugging at our respective corners. That's what I remember about Grandma...her smell. When we visited her house in the piney woods, I would bring extra clothes in my bag so that when I got home I had an outfit to wear that smelt of Grandma's house. I'm glad that after 10 years of alzheimer's, Grandma is finally in a place where she can have a garden again. I can't wait to see it...in 70 years or so.

12.26.05

2005-12-26T21:46:00.000-06:00

Tonight has been a very relaxed evening. We spent the day out at my parent's house and enjoyed a little "birthday party for Jesus". My Dad can come up with some odd stuff, but it turned out to be a very good and memorable experience. I dinked around for quite a while and played, while Amelia chatted with the women. Playing so much there is something I need to get over. We left around 4 or 5 and got home in time to eat some food and then have FHE. Goals were our subject. I came up with a few really specific ones and Amelia came up with some good goals for her to work with. I may have gave her a hard time about it at first, but then I looked at the quote I put on our goal sheet from President Kimball. It said that goals should be set by the individual, and not someone else for them. I believe that. Tonight I cleaned the apartment and got the Christmas stuff put away. It gave me a lot of time to reflect on this holiday and the peace I feel. For Christmas, my Dad presented a history he had written of the past 10 years of our family's life and called it, "The Third Decade". Every paragraph reminds me of a vivid and happy memory. I can only hope that my life is filled with as many memories.

Testing...

2005-12-24T19:35:00.000-06:00

here we go...the chronicles of the sheen family.