Monday, May 30, 2011
My Little Leaper
Ruby did some new tricks yesterday--she jumped on top of some books on the book shelf and crawled across the top of them, she balanced precariously on a box that wasn't quite flat (because it had a ball inside it), and she did a running leap into my lap! Usually when Ruby and I play, I'll sit on the floor and read; she'll explore things in the spare room, and she'll run behind my back (she especially likes it if I'm wearing something that gives her room to hide in the sags and bags), and she'll sniff around me and then hop into my lap. But yesterday, three times, she came running across the room and jumped straight into my lap, like there was nothing more exciting than jumping up to sit with me! It was super cute...and I don't know how I'm going to go out of town without her for 2 days.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Ruby Pictures
It's hard to tell from these pictures, I think, but little Ruby isn't quite so little anymore!
Taking a little rest
Hiding by the books
Our little family
Ruby's leash...which she doesn't like because it makes it harder for her to get into those places that it's hard for us to get her out of.
Big!
An apple the size of my hand
A strawberry the size of an apple
A chip the size of a hamburger
A pepper the size of my head
A strawberry the size of an apple
A chip the size of a hamburger
A pepper the size of my head
Monday, May 2, 2011
Two Moments
Moment One:
It was nearly ten years ago that the World Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon were bombed--and while my memories of some things are fuzzy, I do remember my roommate mentioning it before I left for class that morning, and just not knowing what to think. I went to a history class, my prof made a comment about it and then added, "Makes you glad the Olympics are in SLC this year, huh?" and then went on with class. My second class of the day was much more somber; by then all three buildings had been hit and my professor was clearly emotional. After that, I headed to the Marriott Center, because every Tuesday, BYU has a devotional. Instead of having our regularly scheduled devotional, we had a prayer meeting that day. I've been in that arena for numerous devotionals, firesides, sporting events, etc., but I've rarely seen more people in there than I did that day. After that I went home and was glued to the TV, shocked that this had happened. And for the past (almost) ten years, we've lived under the shadow of Osama bin Ladin. Granted, I haven't thought about him every day of my life, I haven't spent every day in fear that he will blow me up, but our world changed that day, because of that man, and I don't know that it will ever change back.
Moment Two:
My brother-in-law texted us last night to tell us bin Ladin was dead--and it took a minute for that to sink in. Then we instantly pulled it up on the Internet, eagerly awaiting the president's official announcement. As I was waiting, I realized that I had to make sure my sister and her husband, who was wounded in Afghanistan, knew what was going on--they didn't, so I got to break the news. And maybe telling someone that someone died shouldn't be so exciting, but I couldn't help but imagine that Dustin and all his fellow servicemen and servicewomen might be rejoicing more than anyone. Some of the shadow of the past ten years has lifted. We may still have terror alerts and intense airport security--I doubt those things will go away--but today, I can't help but feel happier. I truly believe that Osama bin Ladin was working not for Allah as he may have claimed but for Satan, and today, there is one less of Satan's minions in this world--and that makes me happy.
It was nearly ten years ago that the World Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon were bombed--and while my memories of some things are fuzzy, I do remember my roommate mentioning it before I left for class that morning, and just not knowing what to think. I went to a history class, my prof made a comment about it and then added, "Makes you glad the Olympics are in SLC this year, huh?" and then went on with class. My second class of the day was much more somber; by then all three buildings had been hit and my professor was clearly emotional. After that, I headed to the Marriott Center, because every Tuesday, BYU has a devotional. Instead of having our regularly scheduled devotional, we had a prayer meeting that day. I've been in that arena for numerous devotionals, firesides, sporting events, etc., but I've rarely seen more people in there than I did that day. After that I went home and was glued to the TV, shocked that this had happened. And for the past (almost) ten years, we've lived under the shadow of Osama bin Ladin. Granted, I haven't thought about him every day of my life, I haven't spent every day in fear that he will blow me up, but our world changed that day, because of that man, and I don't know that it will ever change back.
Moment Two:
My brother-in-law texted us last night to tell us bin Ladin was dead--and it took a minute for that to sink in. Then we instantly pulled it up on the Internet, eagerly awaiting the president's official announcement. As I was waiting, I realized that I had to make sure my sister and her husband, who was wounded in Afghanistan, knew what was going on--they didn't, so I got to break the news. And maybe telling someone that someone died shouldn't be so exciting, but I couldn't help but imagine that Dustin and all his fellow servicemen and servicewomen might be rejoicing more than anyone. Some of the shadow of the past ten years has lifted. We may still have terror alerts and intense airport security--I doubt those things will go away--but today, I can't help but feel happier. I truly believe that Osama bin Ladin was working not for Allah as he may have claimed but for Satan, and today, there is one less of Satan's minions in this world--and that makes me happy.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Ruby!
So, we've had Ruby for just over a week now, and she is adorable and hilarious!
The first day we had her, she was very timid--she would stay in the corner of her box or right next to me. However, since then she has slowly started figuring things out and getting braver; when we take her to a new environment--like a new room in the house or the backyard, she will sniff things out a little bit, then come back to me for some reassurance, then go back out, until she gets brave enough to leave me behind. When she reaches the point where she is ready to explore without coming back to me, it makes me a little sad, but it's also fun to watch her.
The other night, I got home from work and asked Adam how Ruby was ("Good") and then stepped into the living room to see her. Well, she was on the floor, and she and I startled each other; I said to Adam, "Oh, you should have told me she was out!" to which he replied, "I didn't let her out." Turns out, our little Ruby has decided to take running leaps in the box and succeeded in getting out on her own!! So, we've had to tape the box sides up a little higher and keep a closer eye on her. She gets a little riled up in there sometimes and tries to jump out...which is good indication that she needs the chance to run around. But yeah, my shy little rabbit isn't so shy anymore :)
cuddling
licking my hand
rubbing her paws on her face (I'm not entirely sure what the point is, but it's cute)
cutest Easter bunny ever
The first day we had her, she was very timid--she would stay in the corner of her box or right next to me. However, since then she has slowly started figuring things out and getting braver; when we take her to a new environment--like a new room in the house or the backyard, she will sniff things out a little bit, then come back to me for some reassurance, then go back out, until she gets brave enough to leave me behind. When she reaches the point where she is ready to explore without coming back to me, it makes me a little sad, but it's also fun to watch her.
The other night, I got home from work and asked Adam how Ruby was ("Good") and then stepped into the living room to see her. Well, she was on the floor, and she and I startled each other; I said to Adam, "Oh, you should have told me she was out!" to which he replied, "I didn't let her out." Turns out, our little Ruby has decided to take running leaps in the box and succeeded in getting out on her own!! So, we've had to tape the box sides up a little higher and keep a closer eye on her. She gets a little riled up in there sometimes and tries to jump out...which is good indication that she needs the chance to run around. But yeah, my shy little rabbit isn't so shy anymore :)
rubbing her ear
cuddling
licking my hand
rubbing her paws on her face (I'm not entirely sure what the point is, but it's cute)
cutest Easter bunny ever
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Changes
On Tuesday, we closed on our house; on Thursday, we received the keys and started moving in! It's an older home and needs a little TLC, but overall, we're very happy with it. And the people in the neighborhood seem nice; the Relief Society president stopped by on Thursday and the ward's membership clerk stopped by on Friday. He told me the neighbors' names (which I forgot) and when trash day is and stuff like that. Everyone seems very friendly so far. (And, to my single friends, I haven't seen him yet, but I've been told one of our next door neighbors is a single guy...)
So, come take a photo tour of our house:
front room
bedroom
bathroom
spare room (which is being used as a library/craft room/music room/exercise room)
kitchen/dining room
stairs down to the basement (it's not finished so I didn't bother taking pictures down there)
We also decided it's time to expand our family, so...meet Ruby:
Ruby is our tiny little rabbit, and she's adorable and funny. When she's in her box, she stays in one corner, and yesterday when I took her out, she was pretty content to stay in one place as well. However, today, she has already become braver; she will run all over the house, sniffing everything. And she realized that she can jump over some things (like my legs) and squeeze under others, so she has set off exploring everything.
So, come take a photo tour of our house:
Front of house (obviously)
front room
bedroom
bathroom
spare room (which is being used as a library/craft room/music room/exercise room)
kitchen/dining room
stairs down to the basement (it's not finished so I didn't bother taking pictures down there)
We also decided it's time to expand our family, so...meet Ruby:
Ruby is our tiny little rabbit, and she's adorable and funny. When she's in her box, she stays in one corner, and yesterday when I took her out, she was pretty content to stay in one place as well. However, today, she has already become braver; she will run all over the house, sniffing everything. And she realized that she can jump over some things (like my legs) and squeeze under others, so she has set off exploring everything.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Great Day!
Okay, it's been slightly more than 1 day but...these are all things that have happened recently that make me super happy:
4/2-4/3: General Conference! Loved it, loved it, loved it! And it's gotten me all recharged spiritually and I've been getting more out of my scripture study and prayers, and that just makes life great.
4/4: Adam and I decided to put an offer in on a house; this was the third offer we'd put it, and we didn't really expect much because we were the third offer. (Plus, we didn't get the paperwork back to our realtor 'til about 8 p.m.). So, you can imagine our surprise when less than 24 hours later, the realtor told us our offer had been accepted!!! So, providing all goes well with the inspection and what not, in less than 1 month, we'll be in OUR HOUSE!!
4/6: I found pants that fit me and look good (always difficult; I hate shopping for pants)--and it gets better: it was the ONLY pair I tried on, they were on sale, and I got to use not one but TWO coupons...and spent a grand total of $9.40 for my awesome pants.
To make things even better, I won a book through a blog giveaway, and a work assignment I've been dreading is not quite as bad as I thought. Right now, there are 4 of us who are trying to get sponsors for the library's Summer Reading Program. Well, I couldn't even sell Girl Scout cookies or raise money for my senior trip (by the way, thanks, Karolyn...do you remember raising all my money for that?), so you can imagine I'm intimidated by this assignment. But yesterday, I got some prizes from one local business, and when I stopped by the IFA store in Provo to pick up a donation from them, Dennis (my awesome father-in-law) told the manager he should throw in a cuddly fleece blanket, too. So I got 2 donations instead of 1, which puts me a little closer to my goal of 75. And another local business committed to donate...so I might survive this assignment after all.
All week: extra time with Adam. Normally I have to close a couple nights a week at work, but since I'm working on this project, I've been able to work earlier hours and get to spend the evenings with Adam. Yay!
4/2-4/3: General Conference! Loved it, loved it, loved it! And it's gotten me all recharged spiritually and I've been getting more out of my scripture study and prayers, and that just makes life great.
4/4: Adam and I decided to put an offer in on a house; this was the third offer we'd put it, and we didn't really expect much because we were the third offer. (Plus, we didn't get the paperwork back to our realtor 'til about 8 p.m.). So, you can imagine our surprise when less than 24 hours later, the realtor told us our offer had been accepted!!! So, providing all goes well with the inspection and what not, in less than 1 month, we'll be in OUR HOUSE!!
4/6: I found pants that fit me and look good (always difficult; I hate shopping for pants)--and it gets better: it was the ONLY pair I tried on, they were on sale, and I got to use not one but TWO coupons...and spent a grand total of $9.40 for my awesome pants.
To make things even better, I won a book through a blog giveaway, and a work assignment I've been dreading is not quite as bad as I thought. Right now, there are 4 of us who are trying to get sponsors for the library's Summer Reading Program. Well, I couldn't even sell Girl Scout cookies or raise money for my senior trip (by the way, thanks, Karolyn...do you remember raising all my money for that?), so you can imagine I'm intimidated by this assignment. But yesterday, I got some prizes from one local business, and when I stopped by the IFA store in Provo to pick up a donation from them, Dennis (my awesome father-in-law) told the manager he should throw in a cuddly fleece blanket, too. So I got 2 donations instead of 1, which puts me a little closer to my goal of 75. And another local business committed to donate...so I might survive this assignment after all.
All week: extra time with Adam. Normally I have to close a couple nights a week at work, but since I'm working on this project, I've been able to work earlier hours and get to spend the evenings with Adam. Yay!