Ten Pet Peeves

As part of my 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me series, I'm supposed to share ten of my pet peeves. Some come to mind immediately but it will take some work to think of ten. So here I go:

1. Things that stick to/ catch on my fingernails. I hate fabrics that do this. It doesn't bother him when his finger or toenails aren't cut perfectly rounded so they don't catch on things. I can't stand it though!

2. Dry Skin. I have never used so much lotion in my entire life as I have in the last three years since I've lived out west. Hate on humidity all you want, but I love what it does to my hair (it gives it a wave and some curl which is infinitely better than boring and flat) and I definitely prefer my skin moist and smooth. I would rather feel moist than be drying up like a prune.

3. Drama. Ugh, I can't stand it. Not even the word. I don't think I ever wished for sisters growing up because I just can't tolerate catty girl drama. There was enough drama just between my girl friends, which is probably why I had far more male friends than female. I always wanted to have just one daughter so I wouldn't have to endure the drama girls seem to love creating. (Now that I have one already, I would love more girls, but I can assure you that I will not allow drama in our house.)

4. Money. Why do we even need this stuff? I just hate it because I feel like way too much time is spent getting it just so it can be used, very often for pointless STUFF. I hate stressing about it and I hate how hard it is to feel secure unless you have it. To me, the primary benefit of having a lot of money would be that I could feel financially secure and as though we weren't going to lose everything just because we don't have enough paper. Money is paper. And far too many people think that it is the purpose of this life.

5. People that don't like the east. I'm an east coast girl through and through and when people complain about the east it takes all my self control not to get worked up. I don't know if I would feel the same if I were born elsewhere, but all I know is I think about New Hampshire every single day, missing the babbling brooks and rivers, still ponds, numerous blue lakes, and soft-sanded ocean beaches. I miss the color green, the tree-covered mountains, and clean air. I miss the dark, starry nights and rainy days and colorful falls. I didn't mean to get all poetic, but I'm kind of in love with the world over there and don't believe that anywhere else really compares.

6. Mean People. Why can't everyone just be kind to other people? I can't stand it when people feel the need to be mean to others for no reason. If someone is fat or unattractive why do we have to talk about it? We don't know their circumstances. Maybe it isn't their fault and they're a really great person. I just want people to be nice to others. 

7. Winter. Snow is pretty the first time it falls. And on Christmas. But (sorry to my skier brother, Donovan) I hate it. I hate being cold. January is my least favorite of all the months. Because Christmas is over and all we're left with is cold, gray, dirty snow, wind, and ice. Maybe I wouldn't mind it so much if winter was just one month long and temperatures never dropped below 32 degrees. But it isn't, and unfortunately Global Warming isn't real (if it were, then I want to know why it has been 1 degree outside the last two weeks...) so I'll just have to do as I always do and hibernate for three months and hope spring comes early.

8. People who are anti-Mormon. I mean, really, have you even met any Mormons? This is a fake statistic, but seriously 99 out of 100 Mormons are really nice! Maybe even annoyingly so. If you want to say something bad about my church, that just makes anyone who actually knows a Mormon think you must be really stupid. Mormons in general are happy, friendly, and glad to serve others. We stick to our beliefs. We dress modestly to show respect for our bodies and for God. We don't drink alcohol, coffee, or most teas because, frankly, they're bad for you. We don't do drugs, we don't swear, we don't view pornography, and we don't practice polygamy. We do believe in a modern day prophet named Thomas S. Monson who is probably one of the nicest men on this earth. Most importantly, we believe in Jesus Christ (and are therefore Christians) and try to be like Him. There's a saying that I've heard a few times that goes, "The Church is perfect, the people aren't." I definitely know that to be the case. If one member of the church offends you, you can't claim the whole church is bad. That would be pointless. Truly, we are just like everyone else, just doing our best in this life so we can be with our families forever. That is our primary goal.

9. When people leave a handful of cereal or snacks in a box, or just an ounce of juice and don't finish it or throw it away. Someone told me this is a western thing because everyone wants to be nice and not take the last bit for themselves. I think it's probably an all-America thing for the most part, but if there are two Oreos left, for heaven's sake, just TAKE THEM! No one wants to have that small a serving of that delicious cookie anyway! And same with drinks--you think anyone wants that last sip of backwash for themselves? No one will call you selfish if you finish something you were already eating. Seriously. Just finish things or throw them away.

10. The toilet paper goes OVER the roll not under. Why is this even a question?? Why would anyone even want it the other way? Thankfully, this was only a problem living at home or visiting the occasional friend's house because Dalin and I agree it goes over the roll, and more often than not, we don't take the time to put it on the roller anyway.

What are your pet peeves?
Do you have any of the same ones as me?

41 Weeks Pregnant (Blah!)

I'm a little miffed to say I did not think I would get to this point but here I am. The part that is slightly relieving (and slightly stressful) is that I've been scheduled to be induced for tomorrow Monday morning apparently at 6:30am! Umm, we were told to call and pick a time...obviously we would have chosen a more reasonable hour like 8 or 9am or something, but oh well. I guess she'll be here sooner than we thought! I'm slightly stressed because I did not want to be induced and it makes me anxious that we now know when we are going to the hospital and that after that we will have our baby girl here, but I am excited, too. I haven't been scared about the giving birth part for a while, but I am scared about being put on Pitocin since that is most likely what they'll do, and it bothers me knowing that almost everyone who is put on Pitocin needs an epidural because it brings the contractions on so suddenly and intensely. I really don't want one. I am not opposed to epidurals, but I do not want to pay for one. So my plan has been to try and go natural this whole time but I feel like that dream is slipping out the window. I'm really frustrated about that but I can't let myself get stressed out or I'll probably get emotional. My doctor told me I'd be in charge but the lady on the phone from the hospital didn't make it sound like she was taking requests. If I had it my way, I would have them first try using just Cervidil to see if that was enough to push me over from a 3 to a 4cm (it worked for my friend), and if that didn't work, put me on Pitocin for a short while--just enough to get me going.

I just learned that my mom was on Pitocin the whole time when she was induced with me and she still didn't get an epidural so I guess it's not impossible. That's slightly relieving. I hate that I'm getting induced because I hate that I have time to attempt to plan and worry about the situation. If I had just gone into labor in the middle of the night I would just be worried about getting the baby out, not about all the stupid drugs everyone is trying to give me. So frustrating.

Well I'm trying to stay positive and have courage because I am really excited for our little girl to be here. More likely than not, we'll have her by tomorrow!!!!! So unreal. She has been very much anticipated for practically a year. (I can't believe I've been pregnant for 41 out of the last 52 weeks of a year...that's such a long time!) Week 40 went by a little faster than week 39 because I took everyone's advice and kept as busy as possible. When I get the time, I will share what's been going on lately. It's been awesome having my mom here and I can't believe she leaves in 10 days. We have plans to go to New Hampshire in 15 days! Our little girl will be two weeks old! I guess August has kind of flown by even though I didn't think so the last two weeks. 

Dalin is so ready for her to be here. I catch him in her room pretending to change her diaper and sitting in the chair in there. He tells me he is going to just hang out in there while she's sleeping and watch her and read to her. He always gets so happy when we talk about her being here. I'm convinced he's going to be the cutest dad of all time (I'm sure every wife thinks that, but I know it's true for him:). I can also tell he's going to be the nicer parent of the two of us, but we'll talk about that another time...

Wish me luck for tomorrow! Thankfully I have Dalin who can give me a blessing beforehand. I'm so blessed to have him! 

One of the last times it will be just the two of us! I love our family! 

Just not my thing

Anyone who knows me well enough, knows that Utah is just not my thing. I do not really enjoy living here or much about this state in general because I was raised in a place that was simply so awesome, it's sad to even compare the two. My family isn't here, and I miss the landscape and greenness of New Hampshire. But, I will say, that today was a nice day here in Utah. Don't get me wrong, it was freezing rain out and deathly slippery, and the nasty smog was trapped around us, but it was nicer than it has been in a while in my humble opinion. I like the rain. I liked that 32 degrees felt kind of warm. I liked that I was able to stay inside most of the day because of my job and that I didn't have to expose my little one to the poor air quality by being outside. It was just a better day. 

At work, we had a discussion about Utah in comparison to New Hampshire. It sounds like the majority of people involved liked or even kind of liked Utah. This came as no surprise to me. But in my defense, I am brutally honest when it comes to my personal opinions. The conversation started out innocently enough: I was just suggesting that my favorite types of pizza are all New Hampshire types. I had not even realized that that was the case until that moment, but as I listed off Pizza Express, Gilford House of Pizza, and Papa Gino's, I thought, "What the heck--none of those are out here." When someone asked me why I dislike Utah so much, my first thought was the people. Then right away I felt bad about that because I have met some wonderful people from Utah. I certainly know they are not all bad. But the culture of the Church out here is tremendously different from what I had expected and from what I'm used to. I quickly discovered this as an innocent east-coast Mormon girl on my first visit to Utah when I was a Junior in high school. I had been so excited to come to a new place and be surrounded by members and feel like I was a part of a huge LDS community. I thought that I would get to see the best parts of the Church and feel empowered from the experience. Then I came out here and the people were not what I expected. They say the Church is true, the people aren't. That proved to be the case for me during my visit. The competition within the Church out here is something that truly bothers me. Who cares about whose house is bigger or nicer? Who cares about having nicer clothes than your neighbors? Who cares about having expensive things? Why do people judge each other on their Church attendance or calling? That stuff doesn't matter! 

I was raised in a small house in the east. When I was in middle school, I was embarrassed because our house was small. It was only one story. Yet for some reason, people always just wanted to come over to my house. I did not really understand why. Most of my school friends had way bigger houses than me. I wondered why they didn't mind that my house was small. It wasn't until high school that I realized that they probably could feel the Spirit within my home. My mother kept our house extremely clean and full of good books, beautiful paintings (some Church-related, some not), and full of things to do. It was around then too that I realized I loved my home. I loved it and wanted to have one just like it someday. I realized that no one cared about the stuff we owned. When I went to the homes of my friends who similarly had small homes, I didn't judge them. That was not an important part of my upbringing. My more wealthy friends didn't judge us either. It just wasn't a big deal. 

When I think of my home ward, I think of how wonderfully strange the people are out there. And how wonderfully black and white their "status" is. No one pretends to be doing all the right things and goes to Church to put on a facade of being righteous. More than half of my ward members live in humble homes. They manage their money and do not go into debt for a home or for expensive luxury items just for show. No one would be impressed by that. There are so many peculiar people who live such different lives than the people out here. I cannot imagine a person going out to bars and drinking and then going to Church the next day. If someone chooses not to live the standards of the Church, they just don't go. They don't fake it. I was so shocked when I saw how the youth dress out here. This is supposed to be a gathering place for the Saints! We were a little strange in our high schools because we did not wear immodest clothing and so we stood out. Many people in my high school asked me, "Why are you so happy all the time?" and "It is so cool that your family is religious. I wish I had that." They would ask me about what Mormons believe in and I had so many sweet opportunities to share my testimony and give a little insight into what Latter-day Saints are really like. I brought many friends to Church, efy, Girls' Camp, and Mutual activities. I loved those missionary opportunities. It felt so good to bring a little light into the lives of those who were surrounded by moral darkness. I love those non-members. I love how imperfect they are and how much they appreciate kindness and the good they see in others. 

Since I have lived in Utah for more than a year, my insights have changed. Just a little. Yes, Utah has cool mountains and some pretty cool parks. Yes, I love how there are dozens of temples here and knowing that the prophet is nearby. And as I said, I have met many wonderful people from Utah who are just as great as one would expect for a place where there are so many Latter-day Saints all together. I am still disappointed with how many of the members choose to live when my little tiny stake in the east lives in the midst of moral chaos and still manages to follow the standards of the gospel with careful diligence. We have hardly any examples around us except each other. It is something that I truly don't understand about the culture here but I am trying to. And I accept that I do not have to feel like a part of it and that it is okay if I don't want to be. I need to make sure that I do not make assumptions about all of Utah just because my experience here has not been very positive. I will not be here forever but while I am here I need to strive to set an example and not be guilty of the judging of others that bothers me so. I am not even close to perfect. But I am thankful for my upbringing which has given me a very clear perspective of people. I love the people of this world who are just looking for something greater. They live imperfectly but they are real. I miss that about my home. 

I am not sure what the purpose of this post is. It certainly was not intended to bash Utah or the people who live or love it here. But I do think the members should know that they have it pretty good out here, and so many do not even realize it. Practice what you preach. Do not judge others. And most of all, do not compare yourself to those around you. Like I said, it does not matter who has a nicer home or more Church members in their family or fewer family problems or what your economic status is. In the eyes of our Father in Heaven, we are all equal. We are born into different situations, but we can all be the type of people we ought to if we are trying hard enough. We had better start treating each other like we are all children of God, because I know--whether you believe me or not--that all of us are.  

Do you agree with me? Or do you completely disagree?

Do you think the culture of the Church is different in Utah? 

Or maybe just different than you expected?

Our Little Trip to Paradise...

Hello Blogging World, 

We have been somewhat lost to the cyber world for the majority of August. But for a good terrific reason--we've been in my lovely home state of New Hampshire! In past posts, I have not disguised my "dislike" for Utah so I will not sugarcoat things: I really really REALLY do not want to go back there.

But, that's life, and since my husband and I unfortunately both attend school there, we do not have too many options. Fortunately, my mother (and everyone else around me) persists in reminding me to enjoy college life and that we only have two years left. Two. Years. I am literally counting down.

(Okay not literally...but in the back of my head, I certainly am keeping track)

So here I am, sitting on my computer, in my parents' home (and mine too) in little Gilford, New Hampshire, pleasantly tired, but elated that I still have a few more days in this beautiful place. The past week has been wonderful. The eighth month of the year is wonderful. 

During the typically sweltering heat of August, my family celebrates many birthdays (my mom on the 3rd, myself on the 9th, Payson on the 22nd, Donovan on the 28th, and a few cousins and aunts and uncles in between). We often combine the cake portion of the parties, because four cakes in one month is a little excessive. Our days are mainly spent driving to Kittery, Maine, and Portsmouth, shopping and playing in the cold water of the Atlantic Ocean. With August being such an important month in our family, Dalin and I absolutely had to be a part of the festivities. Plus going a year without seeing my family was absolutely ridiculous and I would not do that ever again.

Therefore, Dalin and I came to New Hampshire! For two weeks! My mother purchased our tickets months and months in advance. I was counting down in April. Every day until I arrived was just painful. I could not be happier when we touched down in our Southwest airliner in the well-forested New Hampshire landscape. The mere thought of seeing my family--particularly my brother Donovan filled my eyes with tears. My joy was full.

Upon seeing my family waiting for me behind the glass in the Manchester Airport, I promptly started bawling. Even more so as I laid eyes on my twelve-year old brother, Donovan, who had grown tremendously and was now at my eye level. As I tearfully greeted my family, I could not help but notice that my crying (sobbing) was attracting curious stares from other airport-goers, but the moment was just so joyful for me that it did not matter at all. After collecting our luggage, we stepped into the muggy New Hampshire air, but the humidity felt wonderful. I had missed its soothing warmth and moisture, which for me was like a comforting blanket around me. At home, it being past three in the morning by then, I sneaked into my parents' bedroom and hugged my father hello and goodnight. He tiredly whispered "hello" back. That first night, I truly was incandescently happy--I was finally reunited with my loving family.

The days following our arrival have also been wonderful. I intend to write about them, but it's late here, and my hair is still soaking from my shower and now seeping through Dalin's sweatshirt, which I'm wearing to bed. I think it's the first time I've been able to wear a sweatshirt in months. Having A/C here at home is certainly preferable to the sweltering dry heat in our Utah apartment anyway.

Before I go to bed, I will just add that in other news, Dalin and I will begin celebrating our first anniversary on August 19th! How has it been a year already? I am sure every couple asks this question, but seriously. We just got married. Like last week.

Anyway, I will tell you more about this past year and our discoveries from being married at another time. For now, I need to go snuggle with my cute, scruffy (he's growing a beard while he has the chance--BYU rules...), and cozy husband. ;)

Rearranging. It's for the best.

Well, due to our utter failure at finding a decent place to live, we are currently at a standstill in our search. In other words, we are going to live at Wymount forever.

Thank heavens this is not really the case (I would die inside being trapped in Utah forever!), but for now it is our best option. Perhaps it has something to do with me being the Primary President and Dalin being Sunday School President. Our callings are fairly new still and though we had intended to get permission to continue attending our ward so that we might fulfill our callings, we obviously are just meant to stay here. For now, I emphasize. Someday we will be having a little baby joining us and let me tell you, we won't be living in this one-bedroom apartment when that happens. Partly because it's cramped and partly because it's not allowed.

Regardless, because of our poor luck, we (well I) decided that we needed a change. And what better change is there than rearranging the living room! I love disassembling rooms only to re-assemble them in a new way (which always seems dramatically better than before) in order to create a fresh atmosphere. It took some persuasion, and I had to make Dalin promise to help me, but we finally found an ideal arrangement for our living room. It feels twice as big, which is terrific. As a result of the change, I have had to reorganize our shelves which, to me, is SO much fun! I have a great deal of random antiques and possessions, and I always enjoy choosing new ones to spotlight in my home. My most recent alteration was developing a botany shelf...I am very fond of plants and flowers and as my collection has grown, it has become necessary to find a new location for my plants because the kitchen table was getting just a wee bit cramped. It really looks pretty and my pictures don't quite capture the effect but I am very excited about the change.

Continuing my discussion of decorating, I also have a slight obsession with antiques (particularly furniture and colored bottles) and always use them in my decorating. If I were to describe my style, I would have to say that I prefer orderly disorder. By that I mean that I love things that are so mismatched that they go together. I also am kind of a science nerd (I got this from my Grandpa French, a former seventh grade science teacher, as well as my Uncle Andy, who also loves science) and am very interested in natural art. I love the ocean and so my dream is to (like my uncle before me) fill my home with ocean rocks and driftwood and incorporate it into art. Driftwood has such a beautifully transformed structure and anything that reminds me of the ocean makes me happy. Also, this theme will fit perfectly within my dream home location of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. You pretty much just have to be there to understand why I am so in love with that area. 

Thankfully, my amazing husband loves it, too. I am a lucky girl. ;)

How do you like to decorate your home?

New Hampshire. It's the Greatest Place.

As I'm sure most of you know, Dalin and I currently live in Provo, Utah as we attend school at BYU and finish up getting our degrees. We have only been married and lived here just over ten months now, and already I am yearning to leave. Everyone who is older and has more life experience commands us to "enjoy these days" and "this time in our lives" because it is going to "fly by." Yeah, well, sometimes I kind of wish it would. As we are getting to know one another better as a couple, we are finding out more about who the other is as a person and what goals we share. I think one thing we can agree on is that we do not want to live in Utah. There is really no doubt about that. Even though I often suggest that I hate Utah, it's more that I just like everywhere else better...and by everywhere I mean the entire east coast, Idaho, and Arizona. Those are really the only places I can compare it to with my limited travel experience. I will admit that this state has SOME admirable qualities...I will name them so you know I am not too unkind a person:

It has nice mountains

The good stores are pretty close

It has BYU

The apostles and prophet are around here

It has Salt Lake, which is fun to visit

It has lots of temples close by

They have the Jazz

It has dollar theaters

It has Provo Canyon, which is where Dalin proposed to me

You can see the lights in the valley at night

Good people come here

These things are nice, but New Hampshire (where I am from) is just so exceptional a state that there really isn't much of a comparison. I'll tell you why:

My family is there. 

The trees. They make breathing easier.

The hundreds of lakes (Lake Winnipesaukee)

We have green (tree-covered) rolling hills
It is beautiful. We have the best views.

The many rivers that run throughout the woods
The air. It smells so clean. 

The natural water slides at the Kancamagus highway

Mount Washington (the highest peak in the Northeast)

You can drive across the state and into others (Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Canada--which is obviously not a state) in two hours. 

We have no income or sales tax--stuff actually costs what the price tag says!

We have lots of small towns

We have Gunstock! I grew up right behind it. 

We have the most beautiful Autumn you could ever imagine--it's so beautiful, people come just to see the trees

The humidity! I miss the moisture and not drying out like a raisin! 

We get rain! 

The weather is always perfect.

We really have no natural disasters...other than excessive snow...which I can live with. 

We have the ocean! Which is my favorite place!

Portsmouth. The town in which I have wanted to live for a very long time.

The amazing seafood...(it's great in all of New England, which goes without saying)

The interesting history (being close to Plymouth, Boston, etc.)

We are two hours from Boston and the temple

We got married there (Boston/reception in New Hampshire)

We are six hours from New York
We have real people

Our motto is "Live free or die."

We have the Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox (unquestionably the best in sports ;)

The Church is strong and we have ample opportunity to be missionaries

It is my home.

There are so many other things. There really is not much of a comparison. I miss New Hampshire. I miss my family, I miss my home, I miss my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I miss Buddy. I miss my bedroom, I miss the trees, the lakes, the ocean. I miss everything about it.

A little dream...

Someday, I hope we'll live there in an old Victorian home in Portsmouth with our little Mormon family. We'll go to the ocean every day and collect sand dollars and sea glass. I'll paint and paint in my studio and fill our home with my crazy art. Dalin will have his own dental practice and will be home often. I will edit books professionally while our children are at school, then, once they're home again, we'll play in the woods and go visit the shops downtown where we'll buy ice cream and visit the art galleries. We'll go camping and fishing frequently and have my parents visit every week. We'll have a guest room (or two or three ;) so that Dalin's family can stay with us as long as they'd like. Dalin and I will bring the kids to the public plays that are put on in the Portsmouth gardens. We will teach our children to play tennis and to love the taste of lobster. Our home will be a place of peace. We will invite others into our home often. We'll have picnics by the woods in our backyard and grow a vegetable garden. We will become a self-reliant and hardworking people. We will share the gospel with our friends and neighbors through our example and invitation. We will be far from perfect--making mistakes, having accidents and arguments, and struggling to remain sane--but ultimately we will find happiness as we turn to and rely on Heavenly Father and our little eternal family.

I cannot wait for that day.