Kenzie's TAG

10 years ago I:
Was starting my junior year of high school, which was actually my freshman year of college, since I was a "Running Start" sellout, and got my AA and HS diploma at the same time. I vaguely remember early mornings driving to GRCC in Kristina's VW, taking a horrific 8:00am history class (sitting in darkness trying to keep my mind focused on the endless supply of transparencies and monotone lectures that our instructor had). I had also just said goodbye to my missionary boyfriend, to whom I wrote faithfully for a while, and then took full advantage of his advice that I date lots of guys while he was gone.
5 things on today's "to do" list:
1. Practice for the duet I'm singing with Amy in church this Sunday
2. Get a facial (haven't had one in years, and although pore extractions make me cry, they are so necessary)
3. Take a nap since Chad doesn't work 'til 4pm
4. Make phone calls related to RS pres duties
5. Go to Walmart for fun, since there's not much else to do in Globe on a Friday night
5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Popcorn--I should eat only Smart Pop, but my fave is pan-popped in Butter Crisco
2. Cheese and crackers
3. Pretty much anything chocolate that I happen to have
4. Yoplait Smooth and Creamy Light yogurt, any flavor
5. Fruit--apples and peaches mostly, sometimes canned pears
5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Build my dream house somewhere with perfect weather
2. Build a house for all my parents to live nearby (close, but not too close)
3. Fund medical research
4. Buy Chad a boat, a truck of his own, and a separate computer, so he'll stop asking.
5. Visit somewhere out of this country (Ensenada doesn't really count, does it?), or even just the East Coast, or Florida would do fine
5 places I have lived:
1. Auburn, WA
2. Las Vegas, NV
3. North Las Vegas, NV (yes, it's a separate town, but only technically)
4. Redington, AZ (this is not actually a town)
5. Globe, AZ
Five jobs I have had:
1. "Fit Technician" at an athletic shoe store (read: sales person with the extra bonus of actually putting the shoe on your foot and lacing it up)
2. "College" intern (remember Running Start?) working for the same investment company my dad did, doing computer stuff like data entry and cleanup, and some basic beta testing of programs; $10 an hour was a lot of money for a high-school kid!
3. Live-in nanny (very similar to "Nanny Diaries" minus the sluttiness)
4. Pawn shop attendant (sat behind the bullet proof glass and everything)
5. Collections agent, as in *rrring*, "Hello sir, this is an attempt to collect a debt"
(I ran out of room to put RN, but that wasn't as exciting as those other things)
I tag: whomever. I know a few people read my blog, so if you participate, it will prove to me your devotion! Just answer the above questions, and be as embarrassingly honest as I have.

Just for an hour...

On days like today (season premiere of The Office), I kinda wish I had cable/sattelite TV. I'm a little bummed that I'll have to wait until tomorrow to watch it online. Of course, there would be draw-backs to watching it tonight, like: poor reception on our rabbit-ears antennae (if the input to the TV wasn't broken--so sad), crying and complaining from my children who would much rather be watching Mickey or Pooh, and pesky commercials. So, maybe it's a blessing in disguise, because all those draw-backs would inevitably add up to one cranky/frustrated yours truly. Is it lame that I take my Office watching so seriously? ...Nah.

Look at my pretty kitchen!

It's finally happened! After living in this house for 2 1/2 years, I finally have a new kitchen sink and countertop! The previous counter was yellowish with green and sparkly gold undertones; and it had a big chunk cut out of it so the dishwasher could slide under. Hideous. The sink was tiny, chipped, and had no garbage disposal (a fact that a friend of mine discovered after shoving a handful of zucchini peelings down my drain). Well, Monday my wish of over two years was granted--Chad and my dad took out the old, and put in the new. Chad and I put the finishing touches on Tuesday, (thank you sweetheart for all that time you spent cramped under that sink!) and voila! I love my kitchen! I thought I had taken better “before” pics, but this shows you what it looked like when we bought the house. Thank goodness for a handy husband (his skills are endless: carpentry, plumbing, electrical, you name it!) and super-helpful parents, who not only came to help Monday, but took the kids home to stay this week. Chad and I got a lot done around the house, and have REALLY enjoyed our alone time! Thanks Mom and Dad!

It's Official!

Mason has actually been sort of crawling for over a month now, but I just took this video a few days ago. He started scooting around on his knees a little at 6 1/2 months, which graduated to a half-crawl where one of his legs got the message and the other didn't. He's still working out the kinks, but he's very mobile--pulling himself up on everything he can reach.

Three days and counting

Okay, maybe I shouldn't say anything, or else I'll jinx it, but the big news at our house is that Bree is on her third day of dry underpants! Woohoo! I was beginning to lose hope, but decided to risk my carpets and upholstery by way of a diaper-free trial. Well, there were a few accidents, but nothing major for a few days. But I think she's finally gotten the picture, and I am so excited to only have one kid to diaper now. She seems like such a big girl now. Plus, those summer shorts that were getting too snug suddenly have more space thanks to a lack of tush-padding diapers! Money saved all around. Win-win-win! The only draw-back is that apparently I should have sprung for the silk underwear, because the cheapo-Fruit of the Loom cotton variety seem to be chafing her sensitive behind. Ok, maybe that was too much info. But every time I help her in the bathroom or rub thick lotion on her tush, she says, "Oh, my poor bum."

Poor me

I got sick this weekend. Chad says it's because I've been working so hard, which is true. I'm desperately trying to get the house ready to paint. Saturday I worked all morning, and then went back out after lunch. At one point I stepped off the ladder to take a breather from caulking trim (while simultaneously dodging a bee that had apparently made a home in a crack near there), when I thought, "I don't feel so good". I was getting kind of wheezy, and thought maybe I'd inhaled some lead-poisoned paint in the endless scraping process. Not to mention, I didn't have that energetic zeal that normally keeps me going (I can work for quite a while when I picture the beautiful end result in my mind). So I went inside, showered, and then I was sick. By that night I had almost completely lost my voice, and my throat was raw and sore. The next morning dawned with phlegm and a voice that would attract bullfrogs. So I stayed home from church while Chad went to teach his lesson (in all honesty, I thought it was perfect timing, since our church time just changed to 9:00 am this week!). I shirked my motherly and home maker duties, and was amazed to see how dirty the house (and children) can become in only a day and a half of neglect. Luckily, Chad had yesterday off, and he took care of us, and cleaned up the mess.

In the midst of my sickness, my sore throat was craving some hot chocolate, so I pulled out my beloved Cocoa-Motion. We didn't have any cocoa mix, so I tried the recipe on the side of the Hershey cocoa tin. Well, first of all, to my dismay, my Cocoa-Motion was broken. The motor wasn't working, and would therefore not mix or froth. Second of all, when I used a pot on the stove, the experimental recipe did not turn out well at all. So my sweet husband made a trip to the store just for Nestle cocoa mix. Even though I had to make it in the microwave by hand, it tasted delicious! Cocoa is one major reason I can't wait for fall weather. So, thanks to my illness, I was able to have an excuse to drink cocoa when it was 95 degrees outside. And, not to worry, the wonderful people in the Sunbeam appliances warranty division are sending me a replacement Cocoa-Motion very soon. Soon, I will be well again, and all will be right with the world. In the meantime, this is all the excitement I have to blog about!

The good, the bad, the great day.

Yesterday Chad and I went to Mesa to get some stuff accomplished that has been long overdue. Here are the hilights:

The good:

• Home Depot-- a new kitchen sink, sink fixtures, a garbage disposal, patio stones for a new walkway next to our too-narrow drive, exterior trim, and a few other things.
• Super-helpful HD employee Mike, who answered all our plumbing questions!
• 12 months no payments/interest on our HD card.
• I love shopping at home improvement stores!
• Delicious/affordable lunch at Olive Garden (soup/salad/breadsticks for me, and never-ending pasta bowl for Chad).

The bad:

• Our Lowe's experience; we had to go to two locations to find the countertop I was looking for.
• Chad hates shopping at home improvement stores.

The great:

• Our visit to the temple. I got to take family names that I found myself--a first for me, and very cool. Chad and I did baptisms and confirmations for 10 of Chad's male ancestors, and 15 of his female ancestors. I haven't done baptisms in like 10 years, so it was very awesome.
• Quiet couple time.
• My friend Julie, who watched our two kids from 10am to 7:15 for free! She said she really wanted to, and her kids love mine, so I jumped at the chance to get away. Thank you!!!

So now we have all the supplies to update our kitchen, finish prepping our house for the big paint job (you wouldn't believe the hours I have spent scraping, priming, and sanding!), and lay a nice patio-walkway. Chad is taking a week off work this month for what he calls a "working vacation" to get everything done. We've got our work cut out for us!