The difference between men and women

Devin and I are currently babysitting his sister Mesha's four boys in Pleasant Grove while she and her husband are on a four day get-a-way. Last night, we decided to rent a movie after the boys had gone to bed and we were sitting together in a big rocking chair that they have enjoying the show when we had the following conversation:

me: "Do you remember the last time we sat in this chair together like this?"

Devin: "Yeah, we watched the movie, 'Coach Carter'"

me: "Oh, we did? I don't remember that. Do you remember anything else?"

Devin: "ummm...no, why?"

me: "Well, that was the first time that we ever talked about getting married." (which conversation, I might add, lasted a good few hours after the movie)

Devin: "Oh, it was?"

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the difference between men and women.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Shirt

Yep, you heard me right, the shirt. In high school, my friends and I were a little crazy and a little funny, I have to admit. It was at this time that the book series, "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" became popular and one of us read them, got everyone else to read them, and we were hooked. We decided that we could not sit idly by after reading such entertaining books, no, we needed to form our own sisterhood. Instead of pants, because there is no way we would have all fit into the same pair of pants, we picked up this handy shirt for a couple of bucks, and wah-lah...the sisterhood of the traveling shirt. Anneka so kindly sewed our initials into it, just so we all knew who was "in". We sent the shirt from person to person along with a traveling journal of our adventures while wearing it. I can't say that I have the journal and I don't know who does, but it's a shame, because I am sure it is highly entertaining. While our "sisterhood" has since died, I have remained close friends with all the girls that were once a part of the group. These friends were what helped me through really hard times in high school and were always there for me. I learned so much from them and have so many memories of hilarious as well as spiritual times we had together. Though we have all gone our seperate directions, gotten married, some of us are having babies or have kids, etc., I know I can still count on them and their friendships are important to me.

So here's a shoutout to the original members of the sisterhood!!

Abby: Abster is living in Texas with her husband Paxton. She is one of the funniest girls I know and I have always admired her ability to be herself without worrying what other people think. Abby is beautiful and her positive attitude and constant smile made a big difference to me in high school. We always laughed that Abby didn't even need to be told where a party was, she had an automatic radar and could detect anything fun. That's true of her, she is totally fun-loving, yet dedicated and persistent in accomplishing her goals.

Camille: (don't worry, I am totally not ashamed to post embarrassing pictures). Camille has been one of my best friends since the 6th grade, though I have to admit, I spent a good portion of my teen years being jealous of her because she is not only beautiful and charismatic, but she is good at EVERYTHING, including tennis, piano, watersports, and being incredibly smart. Well, I am happy to report that I got over my own insecurities and Camille and I have become inseperable since. We became roommates our freshman year at BYU and lived together through when I got married. Love this girl. She is finishing her last semester at BYU now and doing student teaching in elementary ed.

Kylee: Kylee has been one of my favorite people since I met her my sophomore year. She went to another junior high, so I didn't have the privledge of knowing her prior to then. We became instant friends when we met sophomore year and became locker partners. Kylee is random, crazy, and fun, not to mention LOUD. Because she has been through the divorce of her parents too, I clung to her while my parents divorced. She has been a rock in my life and someone I have always counted on. Ky, who is more often known as Bills or Billsey, has one year left of dental hygiene school at Idaho State University.

Haylee: I have always claimed Hay to be my best friend, whether she likes it or not. Though we were quite different too, we grew up in the same ward and eventually became very close. She was the popular one who always had a boyfriend and was loved by all. I was the sidekick who rarely dated and couldn't quite figure out who I was. However, I knew I could always count on her for a sympathetic ear and she always made me feel good about myself. We enjoyed countless hours together in her bed talking and laughing, eating, and hanging out. We have way too many memories to even recount, but Haylee has always been one of my greatest support systems. She just moved with her husband Justin and baby son Jackson to Tennessee to start a new adventure as her husband starts grad school there.

Anneka: While I claim Anneka to be one of my best friends as well, we started calling each other "forever friends" because we are cousins as well. It was because of Anneka that I met Camille. The two of them had been best friends since they were three and I joined the party when I moved to Idaho Falls in elementary school. Anneka is the most kind, genuine person I know and someone I constantly relied and still rely upon to for a listening ear and good advice. She is well-rounded and wise beyond her years. She knows how to diffuse any situation and is definitely one of the most loyal, caring people I know. Don't let that description fool you though, Anneka also knows how to have fun. She is hilarious in her own way and was constantly coming up with wild things for us to do to keep entertained in high school. She is currently living in Washington with her husband Jonny and her two kids, Addalyn, and brand new baby Hyrum.

(Ann is the second from the right...here with Kylee and some of their BYU-I friends).

While I wish everyone could have been there, Kylee, Camille, and I went to see the 2nd Sisterhood movie this weekend. I love their company and we had a fantabulous time. Here we are....in front of the theater.

Don't worry, whenever we have funny face pictures, Camille ALWAYS does that face, now I guess Kylee has adopted it too. Yikes!

Bag Tag

My cousin Che' Lyn tagged me and so I must post the contents of my purse. I think this is funny since what people have in their purses might just tell you a little bit about them. For example, Che' had a vest in her purse. What that says about her, I do not know, but it's funny. I have no vests, but I do have the following:

• checkbook


• Purel lotion for pregnancy (free sample, it came in the mail. How friendly)


• camera


• wallet


• massive keys on massive lanyard that I have had FOREVER. I get this bad habit from my grandma who has always had her keys on ugly red and green ribbons so that she can find them at the bottom of her purse (also known as the "national bank"). It's not cute, but it sure is handy


• Vantage Point lanyard with my photo id badge thinger on it.


• A letter for Che' that I opened and read (with her permission) that I need to return to her house


• cow lotion in an un-identified bottle


• sunglasses


• Two cd's (Baby Lullabies from the Children's Songbook and Yoga for Kids) so kindly burned for me by my friend Erin who works at VP with me. I have them in there because I took them to work at LDS with me to listen to them and so far they have not made it out yet


• mini planner (my life these days)


• two pictures


• a pen


• an applesauce cup (you never know when I might get hungry)


• two cell phones (one is my personal one and the other my LDSFS one)


• carmex


• chapstick


• tweezers


• two batteries


• chewed gum in a wrapper
  
• a bobby pin
  
• a bunch of crums

Now that I have pulled everything out of the purse to sort through it, I will proceed to clean it all out! This post has now served a dual purpose. You can learn about what I carry around with me and I have been inspired to clean out the purse!

PS. Thanks for those of you who gave me such grand advice about the Rhogam shot. I am happy to report that I had the shot yesterday and it was about the easiest thing I have ever done. I am such a useless worrier (Devin will attest to that!). I made him go with me for moral support and it was kinda hilarious that he was even there. The needle was tiny and it didn't go into my rear end at all...it went into my hip so I just had to pull my shirt up slightly and my pants down slightly. No big deal! It didn't even hurt. HAHAHAH. All that worrying for nothing. So...Rhogam Shmogam. If you have to have one, don't even worry.

Rhogam shot?

Ok, so there has to be someone under the sound of my voice (aka blog) who has had a Rhogam shot before. My mom passed her negative blood onto me and Devin has positive blood, therefore, I must have this shot in order to stop my body from fighting off the baby if she has positive blood as well (something like that). For some strange reason, I am just paranoid about this shot. Despite me having a billion different medical procedures done to me in my lifetime (and some of them not so pretty), I am kinda nervous about this shot. To make it worse, I mentioned to my pregnant nursing-student friend that I have to have it, just in case she has to have it too and she would be able to sympathize with me (she doesn't-darn her) and she casually mentioned that it goes into your behind. WHAT?! I didn't sign up for that! So, anyone who has had this lovely shot....tell me about it. All about it. Before I go in there next week and blame you for not warning me.

Chores I Hate

How about cleaning the bathroom? Anyone love that? I sure don't. I finally broke down and cleaned it today, despite it needing it for much longer. Yikes. I think I am scarred from my childhood when my mom would stick her head clear in the toilet to make sure it was clean enough. Yep, we were also the deprived children who did not get toilet brushes or gloves, we just stuck our hands (or toothbrushes, depending on the level of dirtiness) straight in the bowl. In fact, I didn't even know a toilet brush existed until I was in high school or something terrible like that. My sister and I finally got smart and decided to start paying the neighbor boy to clean our bathrooms. He was a clean freak and my mom loved the work he did, so it worked out nicely for all of us.

Also, can you tell I am bored? Cleaning the bathroom, then posting about it. A new low.

A fascinating glimpse into my 11 year old mind

I came across a book of poetry that I had written in 5th grade last night as Devin and I were just sitting around. So I thought it would be fun to read some of my fabulous work aloud. It did not take me long to realize that I was nothing short of bizarre! Where these thoughts came from, I have no idea. Please, allow me to share.

Tape

by Kim

Tape feels like glue, stuck to a new book

It smells like freshly made sticks of rubber

When tape rips, it sounds like my brother Michael when he whistles really loud

Tape tastes like rusty rootbeer because the rootbeer is two months old!

(and then I drew a nice picture of a roll of tape)

Self Portrait

by Kim

My hair feels like a bumpy, rocky road

My eyes look like the earth moving around

My ears are snails sticking onto our round aquariums

My nose is like a slide, when you get to the bottom you land in a gutter

My heart holds hapiness* that is red as lipstick

I live in a pencil and eat eraser dust

*spelling original

My Mom

by Kim

My mom is nice

and she will help me do my work

my mom helps me feel better

when someone is acting like a jerk

My mom also likes to sew

and she will sew me lots of things

she likes to bike, make crafts, and talk

but she never sings

But, my mom can also get very mad

when I hurry through my jobs

and do them really bad

she makes me go back and get all the knobs

My mom also like* being around her family

and that's just fine with me

becuase I like being around them just as much

cause with them we are full of glee

But, I love my mom

She is really cool

We do fun things

and believe me, she is no fool!

*Original grammar

(And the winner of the most bizarre....)

If I were A...

By Kim

If I were a tube of chapstick

I'd eat small potatoes

I'd be smashed in a smelly pocket

and always be compared to ugly, grubby fingers

I'd wait to be mailed to all the cutsie little granny's

who live in Idaho

'cause then instead of small potatoes,

I would get very huge ones!

(then I drew a picture of a tube of chapstick and a potato. The correlation? I have no idea...)

And just for good measure, here is a picture from around that time. Yep, still sitting on Santa's lap with my cousin Che' Lyn. Annual tradition. Of course I am wearing overalls, I pretty much lived in those for years. Don't ask me why.

Well, I think that is enough exposure to my weirdness for one day.

Horrifying, Really

As most of you know, I have spent the past few months working at LDS Family Services as an adoption caseworker. I feel like I am finally getting into the swing of things as there is a LOT to learn and very LITTLE training. Friday I had a packed afternoon planned as I had to do a home study first in Payson at 2 and then be back in Provo by 4 to do a "supervisory" for a family who has received a baby and is now waiting to finalize the adoption at the 6 month mark (that's the law).



The agency has a car that is up for use by whoever, you just simply sign up on the calendar for the day that you want to take the car and the times. Well, the car is a hybrid, which makes it a little different than most cars that I am used to driving. It looks like this:

Instead of using a key like a normal car, you just push a power button to start it up. As long as the keys are in the vicinity, it runs. I had no problems getting to Payson. I was with the family there for about 45 minutes and then I went to leave. The whole family was standing on the porch to see me off and the 1 year old decided that she wanted to play in the grass, so her dad took her out on the grass to play while I headed to the car. Little did I know, the car was going to decide not to start! It powered up alright, but it would only go into park and neutral, not reverse or drive. I started feeling frantic after a few minutes of trying over and over again. I kept thinking to myself, "I must be a real idiot. I got here okay, so how come I can't get the car to go now?" The dash was telling me that the emergency brake was on, even though it was not. I was feeling especially dumb since the family was probably wondering what in the heck I was still doing there...but luckily the little girl lost interest in being outside fairly quickly and then went back inside. I started to get more panicky thinking I was going to be there all afternoon and miss my 4 o'clock visit, which was really important because we were already behind with them. I finally called my supervisor who informed me that she was in SLC but would be down to get me as soon as possible!! (that would take at least an hour and a half!!). In the meantime, she said to call the office and see if anyone knew anything about the car. Well being a Friday afternoon, the place was pretty much cleared out, but I did get a hold of the director there, Nathan, who talked me through all sorts of things that I had already tried, to no avail. Finally, after I turned the radio off, the car decided to go!!! Why, I have no idea. So I was off to Provo.

Fast forward to a few hours later as I am leaving the 4 o'clock appointment. Yep, you guessed it...the same thing happened! This time, I was convinced that if I just turned off the radio and tried again, it would start, since that is what happened the last time. Well, no, no such luck this time. I was getting so frustrated and it was so hot outside I thought I was going to die! The car wouldn't even begin to start unless I had the door shut and it was over 100 degrees that day. I kept opening the door to cool off and then trying again, and again, and again. I tried to call back to the office and no one was there. So I called my supervisor again after about 20 minutes of trying. She said she was back at home in Orem and that she would be right down to pick me up. So I trudged back up the walkway to the house of the people and knocked on the door. I am sure they were so excited to see me standing there. I let them know of the situation and asked if it was okay if we just kept the car there for the weekend. They assured me that that was fine and then asked me to come in while I waited. I felt extremely awkward as it was obvious that they were getting ready to leave...they had the baby all strapped into the carseat, were packing the diaper bag, etc. I told them I could just wait outside but they insisted that I stay in there.

25 minutes of chit-chat later, my supervisor arrived to save me! I waved goodbye to the family, relieved to be getting out of their hair and making sure one more time that it was okay that we leave the car there. Well, I went to get into my supervisor's car and she says, "why don't we try the car just one more time?" Yeah, I thought, that's not going to make any difference! I just sat and played with it for almost a half hour. It won't start! But, I tried it anyway. And IT STARTED! So then I was completely embarrassed at making her drive all the way down there to get me and plus the family is now going to wonder if I am just clueless as the car isn't sitting there for the rest of the weekend.

Moral of the story....well there isn't one....but all I have to say is that I will NOT be driving that car for quite some time! It definitely has the upper hand on me. Good job car.