Just to Catch-Up

So, since my last post, Uncle Roger did pass away on Feb. 20, 2009. My parents flew out to Utah this week to be there for the funeral services and to be with family. I'm just glad that he's not suffering anymore because the cancer was really making him miserable. I'm still keeping his family in my prayers because I don't get to talk to them much as we never get to see each other, but everyone can use a prayer every now and then.

But on a lighter note, Mark has found an internship for the summer that will be significantly closer to home than the one he found earlier. He will be working at the DA's office for Middlesex County instead of for the Cape and Islands District that he was going to work for. This means that he will be spending at most 1 hour commuting, not at least 1.5 hours each way. He says it's practically the same job, so I'm happy for him. It is another unpaid internship, but it's still exciting that he will be able to get some good experience this summer, and he won't have to GO AWAY to find it. Believe it or not, I did NOT want another summer with him gone. YAY!!

Also, another little exciting bit for him is that Mark is going to New Orleans with a group from school for a pro-bono trip during Spring Break. He's going to be gone the whole week. I don't get to go with him, but I'm still going to have some fun. I'm planning a visit with a high school friend who now lives in Maryland. I figured that we've been so far apart for so long (me in Utah, her in places like Delaware, or Philadelphia) that now that we're within a day's drive, we ought to make an effort to be able to see one another...at least ONCE while I'm here in New England. So, this is it, and to tell you the truth, I'm getting pretty excited to see Theresa and get to know her little girl. I'm expecting it to be a blast! I'll be sure to post more fun pictures and details about that after the fact.

This bit may actually be just for the sake of adding pictures. :)

I'm thinking about dying my hair again just before Cory's wedding in early May, so which red do you think I should go for? Leave a comment and place your vote! (Hopefully you'll be able to enlarge the pictures to be able to get a closer view of #3.)

#1 #2

This first picture is only a day or two before this second picture, but I like the way that it faded.

#3

This seemed to be a more subtle way to go, and I can still try to have some blonde highlights in it...or I can go like #4.

#4

This is a week or so after the original dye job, but it was pretty fire-engine red, with blonde highlights. I thought it was really fun, but when I look at pictures of it, I think, "Whoa! Is that what I looked like?" I think this might still be fun if I add it as highlights only, and not have most of it dyed.

A Night IN with My Valentine!

Valentine's Day weekend was not necessarily spent reveling in romance, but it was pretty fun. The J. Reuben Clark Law Student Society was having its annual conference, this year hosted by Harvard Law School. So there were several people flying in from all over country to attend. We hosted two girls, one coming from Seattle and the other from Salt Lake, so they wouldn't have to pay for a hotel. We offered to provide housing for up to two because we have a bed in our spare room and an extra air mattress to place in the living room. Mark was attending the conference anyway, so he was able to drive them to and from the conference, which turned out to be quite convenient for them. The conference actually went through lunch of Valentines' Day.

Since Mark and I weren't planning on actually getting gifts for V-Day, I decided that I can still do something sweet for him to show that I love him without spending money. I had considered doing this for his birthday, but I knew that it was really bothering him...so I did it for V-Day. I dropped Mark and the girls off at the conference so that they wouldn't have to worry about parking. On the way, Mark was trying to guess what I was planning on doing that day, but I was trying to keep it a surprise. (Gifts are more fun when they don't know what they're getting!) After I got back home is when I cleaned out the car! It took me about 3 hours, but I cleaned out the little crevices, spot treated the upholstery, vacuumed, and cleaned all the inside surfaces and glass. It would've been more fun if it weren't so cold, but I can't change the season of V-Day. Oh well, at least it was warmer than it could have been. My hands were so cold by the end of it though. When I picked them up from the conference, Mark asked me what I had done the whole time they were gone, and I just said, "You haven't noticed yet?" The girls in the back were trying to figure it out too because they noticed that I didn't change my hair or anything. After about 2 seconds Mark declared, "Oh, you cleaned the car!" He told me a few times throughout the rest of the day that he really appreciated what I had done. He's a sucker for service as a sign of love. I think he was happy with it.

As for me, I got to NOT make dinner that night. Mark could have cooked dinner, but he figured that I'd rather have something good to eat...ha ha! So we ordered in pizza from Uno's because we never tried their pizza yet. I was shocked to see how small it was, but then I was baffled to find that we had left-overs when we were done. Their deep-dish pizza was really filling for its size. We were pleasantly surprised! We ate and watched a few episodes of King Of Queens because our neighbors lent us the 1st season. We just had a quiet night at home. I would say just the two of us, but one of the girls we hosted wasn't feeling well, so she was home and in the second bedroom the whole time. It was a nice calm V-Day, and I think we were both satisfied with the time we got to spend together. No big hassles (except for the whole cleaning the car bit, but who's counting that?), just a relaxing time together.

It was also a long weekend for me because my work was closed for Presidents' Day; so it was great to just be able to spend 3 days in a row with my hubby. Honestly, it doesn't really get much better than that!

More Than Just the Lunch Bully

Something I found to be rather amusing happened to me today. I hope it at least brings a smile to your face!

At my work the guys like to all eat lunch together. One in particular usually brings his lunch from home, but eats when the rest of the guys bring back whatever they bought. Today, as they were all gathering for lunch, I realized that I was hungry too, so I went to the kitchen to heat up my lunch. Lo and behold, my lunch was not there in the fridge drawer where I had placed it that morning. I went to where the guys were eating, and I spotted the culprit. One of my co-workers was eating my lunch! I heard of bullies stealing lunch money in elementary school, but this???

(For the sake of not embarrassing the poor man any further, I will not name names, but know that it was obvious to me who it was!) In his defense, he thought that it was the lunch that his wife had prepared for him because it was a casserole, much like what she always prepares for him. However, on that particular morning, the poor guy forgot that his lunch was not in the bag that he brought to work. So, in the morning when he went to the fridge to get a beverage, he spotted a plastic container in the fridge. He mistakenly assumed that it was the lunch that his wife had him pack. However, when lunchtime came, he got a load of embarrassment. He apologized profusely and offered to buy me lunch. He wanted to give it back to me, but I figured he should just finish it if he liked it enough. Since he was already going to be buying my lunch, I didn't see the need for him to buy his lunch too. I wasn't upset with him at all, but I was laughing inside for quite a long time.

Now to give you a few updates on whatever random things I can come up with:

-Not that it affects any of you, but Mark and I got new phones a couple weeks ago. Since AT&T lets you get a new phone for free when you upgrade after a certain amount of time, I was excited to get a phone that I like and is not falling apart. We've been having fun playing with the music capabilities of these new gadgets...even though I don't like that I need to buy accessories like headphones in order to listen to them. If you ever need to buy stuff like that, I suggest looking at Amazon.com first. I found good deals on exactly what I needed, and I wished I had gone there before going to the AT&T store.

-Mark and I (ok, maybe it's just me) are getting excited for our trip to Utah for Cory's wedding. I'm sad to know that the day I meet his bride will be the day of the wedding, and then they're leaving for a honeymoon the very next day. I guess I just won't get the chance to really get to know her for quite a long time. Oh well! At least there are so many of the family who approve of her and are happy that she's joining the family.

-On a more sad note, there has been a lot of bad health going on in my family. My sister's mother-in-law just passed away this past week. She had a long hard battle with cancer, and now they are making arrangements for the funeral. My dad's brother, Uncle Roger, has been battling a cancer for a few years now. He was given 2 months left to live, but that was about 2 years ago. However, last week they've made another prediction of less than a week. So far he is still here, but he is really not doing well at all. He doesn't talk much, but he did recognize his brother when John went to visit him. My dad's sister, Aunt Loretta, has also been having a hard time lately. As a Downs Syndrome adult in her 40's, she's showing signs of old age. (The life expectancy of Downs is about 20-30 years, so according to that, she is really old!) I'm not particularly upset about any of these, but I do pray that those who are more closely involved with these individuals will have the peace of the Hold Spirit with them through these trials.

-Mark seems to be doing alright with school. He does have one unpaid internship lined up for the summer, but I think he still wants another internship to give him a little bit more experience, especially if he can find one that will be closer. As it is, he will be commuting 1 1/2 hours each way, so if he can find something closer, that will be really good for him.

- Oh, and yes I'm still baby-hungry! Very, very baby-hungry! It's not easy to watch people ALL around you- in the ward, my friends I see through Facebook and on blogs, and even in my own family- get pregnant and have new children...especially those who have been married shorter than we have been. However, NO! I don't have any pregnancy announcements to make!