Music To My Ears

As I sit here, I have the pleasure of typing to the humming and swishing sounds of a washing machine. This may seem like a mundane thing for most of you, but around here it is a wonderful novelty! For the past four years (two of single college life and two of married college life) I have hauled my laundry to various locations. But no longer! After purchasing some used appliances from a neighbor, we are now in the business of laundering at our leisure. Soon enough, it will be time to move the load from the washer to the dryer. I can hardly wait.Oh, and a very special thanks goes out to Amber and Mom, who so willingly shared their appliances over the past four years. Without you, we would have been wearing dirty clothes . . . or we'd have put out a lot of quarters. Thanks!

Eye Level

Today I substitute-taught a kindergarten class. (What with about four more weeks of pregnancy and no job or school, I just singed up to sub. I have to pass the time somehow and I can only tidy my house, blog, read, or go shopping so many times a day!) The kids were darling and seemed to be very interested in my protruding tummy. Until I told them the baby was "asleep" and we should leave her that way, they were patting and hugging my tummy nonstop! It occurs to me that perhaps this fascination is partly due to the fact that those little kids are eye level with my tummy. It's the first thing they see! (And it probably looks a lot bigger from that angle?) Anyway, I thought they were funny and was happy to spend the morning with them.

Another small person who seems to be obsessed with my growing tummy is my niece Allyson. The other day she said, "Hey, I don't believe you really have a baby in there, let's see it . . . " and she commenced to lift up my shirt! Other times, she pokes her tummy out (and it resembles mine quite well!) and talks of her baby. She even told me I can have her baby when it comes out. Thanks for the offer, Ally, but I think this little girl will keep me busy enough for now.

6 and 1/2 hours later . . .

We spent most of our Saturday at a "Prenatal Seminar." I thought it would be good to get some info on having a baby since I have never done it before! Although the chairs were slightly uncomfortable, the time seemed to go by quickly as we learned the basics of labor, recovery, and how much this little girl is going to cost us. We know it will all be worth it. We feel a little more prepared and very excited to meet her very soon. (She is due exactly one month from today!) Jonny was a great "coach," although I think the instructor was slightly annoyed when he was making me laugh during the breathing and relaxation exercises. Hopefully he will do the same when it really counts!

Surprise Retaliation

Well, if you have visited Em's blog lately you will know that she gave me the surprise of my life last Thursday when she and KC showed up for the graduation festivities. Because she will be coming in June to see her new niece, I suspected no such visit. She and KC got us pretty good. (They didn't even let Jonny in on this one!) Since Em, an avid blogger, gave quite a full account of the haps, I will just put in a few details of my own. (Sorry, I just thought the picture on the left was hilarious. We all know it is not characteristic of them!)

Yes, at 7:15 AM I was still in bed (I have been enjoying sleeping in a little since I have completed my student teaching.) and did scream when she barged through the door. After hugging and nearly crying, I jumped on the bed. What would you have done!? As pictured on her blog, she made a delicious breakfast and the rest of the weekend only got better from there.It's funny. It doesn't really matter what we do, I just love it when Em and KC are here. I mean, we two cleaned out the closet and cupboards of the downstairs bathroom at Mom's house - and that was fun! It's just good to have her home every once in a while. Of course I wish it could be more often, but I savor the times we do get to spend together.

Well, I did end up graduating and all of that. Em was so unselfish to come sit through my boring convocation ceremony after what must have been one of the worst nights of her life. (Again, see her blog for more details.) I loved knowing she was up in the stands, supporting me just as she has all along. Thanks, Em!

Naturally I could write much more about the weekend, but suffice it to say that I have the best twin sister in the world. And I am so thankful she married a man who loves her as much as Jonny loves me. We are lucky girls and we know it.

THANKS for everything, Em and KC! We love you both and miss you like crazy. We three can't wait to see you, Em, in a few weeks!!!

Melody's Belated 100 Things

1. I like my fingernails short – just a little bit of white on the top.

2. I taught piano lessons to eight beginning students during high school. I had to quit, mainly to go to college, but also because I was afraid some of my students’ abilities would soon surpass mine.

3. I am SCUBA certified but I’ve yet to venture into the deep blue sea. I long for the day when I will enter an octopus’s garden and the like. (Jonny will most likely certify this summer—just so we’ll both be ready when the time comes. He says the acronym stands for “Self Conscious Underwater Breathing Apparatus.” Ha!)

4. I really love cereal, especially grape nuts and any kind of bran cereal. Unfortunately, my stomach doesn’t agree with a bowl of milk and cereal. I’ve tried soy milk, but I still feel funny. It’s a big and rather tragic mystery.

5. I’ve always loved to climb trees. I once hid in our apple tree during night games (perfect for “Beckon,” as the tramp is home base). But you can only hide there once.

6. When Jonny and I were dating, I climbed a tree on campus and found a bouquet of flowers he’d left there for me. I have been on the lookout for “tree flowers” ever since.

7. I remember a time Dad and I were driving down the church road. He told me about water towers and why we don’t have them in Utah. “Man,” I thought, “dad knows everything.”

8. I’ve always wanted red hair. When people comment that my hair looks red, I take it as quite the compliment.

9. I read Thomas Hardy books in the summer. To do such a thing in the dreary winter months would just be asking for trouble.

10. I loved it when Todd called us three girls “princess.”

11. After watching Jonny do it when we were dating, I now eat the whole apple—core and all. I haven’t sprouted a tree in my tummy yet.

12. I am very good at saying no to unnecessary things that I just don’t want to do. So don’t invite me to a Mary Kay party because I will politely decline.

13. I love writing poetry. But I’ve recently discovered that I also love teaching kids how to write poetry. Have you ever heard of a poem called a “Clerihew?” It’s a fun one.

14. I have made the same wish on birthday candles, crossing railroad tracks, and any other opportunity since as far back as I can remember.

15. I love hiking. It would be hard for me to live far away from the mountains.

16. I am quite daring, but I used to be ever more so. When Jonny and I were dating, we jumped off Baker’s Bridge in Durango, CO. It was about a 40 foot leap.

17. When a junior high boyfriend told me he would burn me a cd, I asked why he would want to set one on fire.

18. I had an imaginary TV show for a few summers. It was called “Mow a Story.” It usually aired Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, or whenever the grass was long. I think the stories were usually pretty dumb. But it kept my mind busy!

19. I love love love children’s books. I spent over $100 on books from a book order last fall. Happy Birthday to me?

20. Em, a few neighborhood friends, and I were always trying to make it into one of Mom’s newspaper columns. Once we chased around an ice-cream truck for hours, only to relay our story to Mom. Another time we tried to build a record-breaking snow fort. Neither made it in. Bummer.

21. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done was leaving Emily up at Utah State University. I cried all the way home.

22. I don’t get queasy very easily. Mom always thought I should be a nurse.

23. I nearly changed my major in college several times. Nurse? Editor? In the end I stuck with teaching. I am happy about my decision, but I am still jealous when someone tells me of their English major education.

24. I’ve never wanted to live in a big house. But I would love to have a big yard with trees. My dream house is a quaint white one with a red roof and a big porch.

25. I love that Jonny will dance with me anywhere—the kitchen, the grocery store, a street corner, or on top of a mountain.

26. I am a Yankees fan by marriage.

27. I think my parents and family are the greatest. They are my very best friends.

28. One time some friends and I stole a ski lift sign from a resort. (It was nearly unscrewed, what would you have done?) I have felt guilty about it ever since.

29. I love love love to ski. Bring on the black diamonds, baby.

30. A confession: I was converted to country music a little over a year ago. I told Jonny that would never happen. He told me to “wait and see.”

31. I’d rather not go to Walmart alone. I think it is a great store and very convenient, but I just seem to get confused and wander around when I am there solo.

32. I think the Cosby Show is hilarious. I have found that Jonny and Cliff share many funny mannerisms.

33. Jonny, KC, Matt, and I are responsible for the biggest birthday surprise ever. And sorry Mom, “Operation Trick Candle” just wouldn’t have gone through if we had let you in on it! For details, see Emily's post on the surprise (last October).

34. I think I won Jonny’s Dad over when he and I were the only ones to eat sauerkraut with the potato dumplings on Thanksgiving.

35. I once gutted a fish. That was interesting. I love dissecting things. In high school I dissected a frog. I put the eyeballs on Emily’s desk the next class period. I hope that wasn’t disrespectful to the frog who gave his life for science.

36. I loved cruising around Provo on our little Kymco People scooter. I’m bummed we are selling it.

37. I have always been a good test taker (probably because I study) but I did flunk one test in college. It was a midterm in a Doctrine and Covenants class.

38. I think striped tights are super cute. You can bet my little girl will wear them.

39. Jonny is the most unselfish person I have ever met.

40. Eleanor Rigby was the first song I learned to play on the guitar. Anyone else!?

41. I love being a twin.

42. I almost always have a pen stuck through my ponytail. It’s very convenient.

43. I played Brigitta in my high school production of The Sound of Music. I have had nightmares about it since. I thought it was fun and everything, but I just don’t think drama is really for me. Oh, plus I saw Waiting for Guffman for the first time right after I had auditioned. Yikes.

44. My chocolate-mint wedding cake was one of the best things I have ever tasted. Thanks again, Em!

45. The Beatles played a large role in Jonny’s and my courtship. I finally realized I loved him when “In My life” went through my mind one sunny afternoon.

46. I love to water-ski and wakeboard. I just wish I would do it more often.

47. Singing with my mom and sisters is one of my favorite things to do. Sometimes I miss it so much I cry.

48. I ate hummus for the first time at Uncle Mike’s apt. in NYC. I have loved and craved it ever since.

49. Jonny has very white teeth. I have to use Crest whitening strips to try to match his.

50. If my bed is made, I feel I can really take on the day.

51. I love camping and being dirty for a few days. I don’t mind if a little dirt gets into my food when I’m in the great outdoors. On one camping trip two summers ago, Jonny and I forgot utensils. We ate our lipton noodles and oatmeal with sticks and stones.

52. I feel like my hair is “done” when it is not in a ponytail. This is rare.

53. I have a borderline irrational fear of mice. Needless to say, Jonny has played very cruel April Fool’s jokes on me.

53. I won a trophy in a 5k last summer. Since, I have tried to throw it away and Jonny just won’t let me. I find it in strange locations, like the freezer.

54. I was once locked out of our Provo apartment. The apartment next door was uninhabited at the time and the door happened to be unlocked. Knowing the two apartments shared a water-heater closet, I successfully made it into my place by climbing over the water heaters. It was a little dusty, but I was home!

55. I played dolls religiously growing up. Yes, Ashley and I even “babysat” each other’s dolls when one of us was out of town. Still, that doesn’t compare to Amber’s dolls who had their own journals.

56. I cry every time I listen to BYU Women’s Chorus singing “Heart, We Will Forget Him.” It is on my MP3 player. I couldn’t hold the tears back as I walked around the track.

57. Recently, Dad, Jonny, and I each shined a pair of shoes together. As we did so, Dad said, “Well, this is going to be a nice little memory, isn’t it?” I guess it has become such!

58. Unfortunately, I am very good at the game MadGab. No one will play it with me. And no, I haven’t memorized the cards.

59. I have recently become a huge Rocky fan. I really like #2.

60. I try not to use superlatives. Are there many in this list?

61. One of my favorite college classes was about puppets. They are magic when it comes to kids and the classroom.

62. I love all kinds of food. I will try anything once. I was happy to sample many unique dishes in Poland. I now crave them all!

63. I like argyle socks. It’s fine with me if they don’t match my outfit.

64. Last summer I took a Children’s Literature course. I read and read and read. It was wonderful! One of my new favorites is Edward Eagar’s The Well Wishers.

65. A few years ago I made a New Year’s resolution to read my Patriarchal Blessing every Sunday. It is a resolution I have kept and loved through the years.

66. I can sing really high. But isn’t singing alto just so much more fun?

67. I once saw some local celebrities at the Creamery on campus. I asked one of them if he had plans for dating me. My roommates watched and giggled from afar.

68. As a kid, I thought going to a drive-in movie was the coolest.

69. I take pride in making a nicely-shaped loaf of bread.

70. I adore my nieces and nephews.

71. I have a hard time spelling a few words correctly. Some of them are: tomorrow, weird, surprise, and present. I think it would be really fun to go through my old journals and edit them. But I don’t think I will.

72. Drew and I together have broken a few hammocks in our day. We were just sitting on them!

73. The past two summers I worked as an aide in a home of now 10-year-old triplets. Two of them have severe cerebral palsy. I quickly fell in love with the darling kids. Jonny and I enjoyed babysitting them on Friday nights for over a year.

74. I love the hymns. “Jesus, The Very Thought of Thee” and “As Now We Take the Sacrament” are two of the most beautiful, in my opinion.

75. I am so grateful to be a member of the LDS church. My testimony of and relationship with my Heavenly Father and the Savior mean everything to me.

76. I married into a precarious last name. I understand why many of you still can’t spell it. But I know Grandpa committed it to memory upon meeting Jonny.

77. I think the Chronic(what)cles of Narnia are classic and wonderful. I told the story of Eustace and his dragon skin last week in my talk at church. I can’t wait to read the stories to my children.

78. I’m not very smart when it comes to geography. But I want to be! Thanks again for the amazing atlas, Mom and Dad.

79. I could watch the History Channel all day.

80. I loved high school. I think being a part of Student Council for two years played a large role in that.

81. One of the greatest luxuries is when my sweet Jonny surprises me by preparing my morning bowl of grapefruit. (He peels each segment, quite a time-consuming process.) Nothing tastes better in the morning.

82. I have always been grateful for my job at Amber’s preschool. I missed it this past year as I took time off to student-teach. I look forward to good times in the fall!

83. As a child, I was quite shy. I don’t know what caused the change, but in about ninth grade I became very outgoing. I hated being labeled as “shy” and was happy to abandon it.

84. In high school, I was involved in a full-on mud fight. Those khaki pants would never be the same.

85. I love to run. One of my favorite races was a Mothers’ Day one that Mom, Grandma, Amber, and I ran. We wore matching “I LOVE MOM” t-shirts from Old Navy.

86. This week I will graduate from BYU. As much as I am thankful for and have enjoyed my college years, I am very happy to be done.

87. I think Teva sandals are the most comfortable shoes in the world.

88. When stranded in Wakini, Kansas en route to Matt’s, Lili and I passed the time by making a documentary of the quaint “Christmas Town.” What kind of name is Wakini and why would any place be dubbed a “Christmas Town?” These questions, among others, are discussed in the film.

89. I was overjoyed when Jonny loved the A&E Pride and Prejudice just as much as I always have.

90. I am not so good with makeup. When Em moved, I had to start buying it on my own! Needless to say, I call her for advice every now and then.

91. Every once in a while I catch myself singing, “I was gonna call up the rec, but baby my mom was on the phone.”

92. I will confess that I did ask Jonny to “hang out” first. However, he is responsible for asking me out on our first official date. That should set the record straight.

93. I love Jonny more and more each day. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

94. I am very good at throwing things away. I love to de-junk my house and hope this habit stays with me throughout my life. Who wants to be bogged down by a bunch of stuff anyway?

95. Once Grandpa bought a pink pocket knife for me at a small airport (He bought a blue one for Drew and a green for Matt, I think). It is very dull, but I still have it and treasure it.

96. I want to have a big vegetable garden someday soon. I hope to learn a lot about this art from my mother-in-law.

97. I married into a family that I love and admire. I am happy to call them mine.

98. I really miss my family in Maryland. But thanks to these blogs, I feel a little more connected these days.

99. You will never see me without a water bottle or a glass of water handy. In Natalie Babbitt’s The Search for Delicious, the word delicious is finally defined as the taste of water. I couldn’t agree more.

100. I am the last one in my family to make my list of 100 things. Well, actually, I believe we are still waiting on Dad’s . . .

Beware the Jalapeno

I have worked with jalapeno peppers before. But last evening I went through one experience with the beautiful (but dangerous) vegetable that I don't want to relive. Thus, I will warn you all ...

I was simply making a fresh mango salsa, one of my favorite summertime snacks. Well, everything was going just fine. I had chopped and juiced various fruits and veggies by hand. But according to the recipe, I blended the seeded jalapeno and one mango. Pretty harmless you say? I wish it was so. A few minutes after seeding the jalapeno, a few fingers on each hand began to burn. I mean, I felt like they were on fire. Crying didn't help, and a cup of ice water only offered very temporary relief. Anyway, the burning went on all evening. In bed, I tossed and turned, at a loss as to how to relieve the fire in my fingers. Somehow I fell finally asleep. This morning I awoke and felt no burning. But now, a few hours later, it has returned. I just googled my dilemma, only to find that the only thing to do is wait out the pain. Oh, and wear gloves when working with jalapenos. (Too late for that.) Anyway, I just wanted to give you all a word of caution. Hopefully, you know well enough to wear gloves, unlike me. Well, you better believe I won't make that mistake again.

Yarning, as Todd says

Over the weekend, I finished the baby afghan I started over Christmas break. I had put it away for a month or so and it was fun to get it out and complete the project. The yarn is especially soft and I can't wait to snuggle our little girl in the blanket. (It's still too weird to think I will actually HAVE the baby. I have just recently gotten used to the idea of being pregnant!) Not only are we excited to meet our baby, but by her nearly constant somersaulting, I can tell she is anxious to get out here too!

Oh yeah, thanks to Amber for teaching me how to do the zig-zag crochet pattern. Also, the title is referring to Todd's term for crocheting. I laugh every time I think about how he and his highschool buddies had a "yarning club." And they really did get together and crochet afghans! Ask him about it sometime, he's got more great details.