Seth ‘n Jill dotCom

So, S and I have been driving our Toyota Tacoma our married life thus far – a one car family. The dumbfounded looks about that fact interestingly enough have recently turned into knowing nods as we all cry ourselves to sleep at night over gas prices.
However, in order to avoid jail time, we decided to purchase a car that can actually fit our new addition and along with the rest of America, went searching for a vehicle that gets more than the 20 mpg (the mileage of our beloved Black Bear).
And…here is what we came up with:

It’s a Camry – in pretty good shape and has been driven for the past few years by a 94 year old man who did plenty of joy riding in it…all the way up to 35,000 miles. Sweet!! His daughters decided it was finally time for him to stop driving, further evidenced by the fact of the two small dings on the passenger side where he ran into a fence. I really don’t have a leg to stand on though as I , in my pregnancy brain and state, backed into a car not 2 months ago. There’s probably a traffic school out there somewhere committed solely to the education of older men and pregnant women.

Anyways, we’ll strap in the carseat this week in anticipation – hold onto your knickers.

They really don’t. The sun always rises and sets. Or the burnt taste my Starbucks coffee always has. Scripture never changes – that’s a good one. And the fact that I always want to spend much more on cosmetics and shampoo than I can actually really afford – sigh…

Take this stationary bike for instance. This ugly old stationary bike that has been sitting outside my apartment for the whole of the 5 years we have been living here. Doesn’t it kind of depress you to look at it? Is it mine? No. Is it actually ever used? No. Our neighbor just can’t seem to bring himself to get rid of it apparently. I’ve tried to think of ways to bring up the subject tactfully but how do you say, “Hey Jeronimo, how bout we toss this nasty eyesore I have to greet every morning?” The right words just don’t come to mind. Is it earth shattering that it continues to sit there?…no…

So I guess, there are just some things you can pretty much always count on. 

Some things do change, however, like my growing tummy or as my husband S likes to call it, The Baby Hut. I am now in my 31st week of pregnancy. I am not totally uncomfortable yet, but there are days I wish I hadn’t eaten so much in one sitting. The baby is moving a ton now, especially when I am trying to sleep. It is the oddest sensation sometimes, I’ll be honest.

Here are some pics of Seth and I in Zion National Park a couple of weeks ago. Some of my favorite photos are of me and Seth in this blue hat. I can tell we are getting a little older because we would rather look like goobers than get our heads burned. I mean, honestly, the one of me sitting on the rock? Geez…

Zion is basically one big sandstone canyon that has split down the middle with time by the Virgin River. The red rock is just really gorgeous and there is really no other place like it. The elevation and the water that escapes the rock with time causes a lot more green vegetation that you would think for it being in the middle of the desert. There is a shuttle that takes you up and down the canyon and several stops with hikes you can do, short and long. We opted for the short ones, given the fact that I am now officially heading into the orca stage of my pregnancy. We camped for a couple of nights and I was a little worried about my back but the thing that actually kept me up a little up at night was the fact that it didn’t dip below 80 degrees until after 11 pm – whoops. That and the fact that our next door camping neighbors really liked beer…and felt OK drinking it all hours – this woman’s constant cackle will forever haunt my dreams.

But I highly recommend visiting this park if you have a chance. Be sure to bring your hat…

Ah yes, it is May 2nd and spring has finally decided to grace us with its presence here in Salt Lake, although I am not about to throw a parade because the day started out at 32 degrees and will probably barely get into the 50’s today – not record breaking weather by any stretch of the imagination. According to my husband’s bitter diatribe this morning, we probably won’t have much of a spring this season, heading from freezing cold to really hot weather. I don’t care though – I am ready to say good-bye to the cold, cold, cold winter we had. Goodbye freezing hands and feet, goodbye winter coat that really didn’t cut the mustard this February, so long frozen nose hairs!!

These pics are taken from my garden and front yard…oh wait, not really. But they are pics from around my neighborhood. They make me happy I must say and although spring is not my absolute favorite season of the year, it certainly ranks up there. Speaking of things blooming, I’m in my 23rd week of pregnancy. Like my self portrait? I realized it’s a little hard to take a shot of your own stomach…

This is a picture of my sister E and I at a wedding over a year ago. I kind of look like a goober next to her I think. It’s like me trying to look cool but…failing. Maybe it’s the sunglasses and silver necklace with the knitted white cardigan (which no offense to my friend who I borrowed that from). It just reminds me of when I put my collar up on a Jordache jacket in junior high and somebody made a point of telling me I looked stupid. Ah yes. In my defense, E is seven years younger than I and has great dimples and a little bit of a tan. But a lot of times my batting average with fashion and/or hair choices and/or makeup choices is definitely less than 300. I know…I know…shouldn’t be so hard on myself…it’s not my fault that my skin is a pasty pasty white and you can fit ALL of my hair into a very small rubber band. What do you do? My sis probably wouldn’t agree with this post but why do I make this point? Probably for the same reason that Howie Long is leaning away from me in this pic yet why he smiled at E when we both passed by where he was sitting. I assured him that my HUSBAND was going to be so very excited about this picture, lest he think I would make some outrageous claim. He still was not very glad to see me and felt a little cornered in the very small SLC terminal we happened to be in (on our way to that same wedding). Maybe I should have reminded him that I am a rock star in training.

Since we have moved to Salt Lake City, my hubby and I have been going to a Presbyterian Church. Attending a denominational church has produced mixed feelings in me sometimes as committees are formed to decided things like the new paint color for the women’s bathroom. The “Book of Order” they also use for church policy and decision making rivals the Bible in length, no joke.

Having said that, something that has brought me some amusing times and good stories is the deacon position I agreed to take on for awhile. Sounds so formal but it’s basically a care ministry in which I check in with specific families/individuals from time and time to make sure they are doing well, haven’t fallen in their apartment and are waiting to be discovered, things like that. This picture is of a guy named Landon – one of my peeps. He is a freshman in college and is still trying to decide if he wants to major in philosophy or computer science – a guy with many interests. He always comes up to me at service to say hi which makes me feel like a semi-cool 32 year old. So adorable, like you want to bring him home, give him some cocoa, and ask him who he likes. It’s good for me, reminding me again that the church is a group of people, not a building or an institution.

I have been reading a book called “Life Together” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, not by my own inclination, but because I am reading it for a book club. In the book, he talks about the “ministry of holding your tongue” and refers to scripture in James. Now, I know that it might be ironic that I am talking about the idea of holding your tongue in my BLOG, but it made me think of the fact that it is very hard for me to do this, and even harder to speak positively of people sometimes (and I am not talking about “Wow, those jeans make your butt look really good – where can I find them?”) – true admiration of a character trait someone possesses.

Here – let’s practice. One thing I admire about my friend Shelley B is that she narry has a negative thing to say about anybody, no matter how juicy it may be. She simply chooses to focus on other things – a very good thing to be around. What is something you admire about someone you know?

I found this You Tube video kind of interesting – about a woman who takes artistic photos of herself in dressing rooms wearing designer clothes. A little edgy – but different:

So, this is a new favorite brand of mine because:

a) Pretty much everything is $1.

b) You can log in and give the computer info about your complexion and it will give you suggestions about what you should buy. You have to give them an email address but I found it worth it.

c) use the code CAROLINA and it will give you $10 off your $20 purchase (I am hoping this still works – it did 3 weeks ago)

It has been fun to fool with the stuff I got because it is so cheap and it is actually good makeup. Plus, you don’t have to roll the dice at Walmart or have someone hovering over you at a department store to buy a $20 tube of lipstick that you then of course HAVE to wear every day because you spent $20 in it. It’s cheap, so you can buy several things and play with them. So far I like the Plumping Lip Glaze (people really like elf lip stuff), the Mascara Duo and my eyeliner in “Ash” the best.

Here is the website: https://www.eyeslipsface.com

Seriously, where is my advertising mons for this??

Halloween in Salt Lake City is absolutely outrageous. I am not “anti-Halloween” or anything. In fact, Seth was saying today that he can’t wait until he dresses up his future kid is some big fluffy bee outfit or something like that. But the sheer volume of lawn ornamentation in this town is totally out of control and rather creepy … I wish I had a picture of the “corpse” hanging from my neighbor’s porch last year in front of the actual grave in his yard he brought in a ton of dirt to build, but these pics (all in my neighborhood) will have to suffice:

The picture below on the left is one of my favorite houses because this lady decorates her arch with tiny little lights for every occasion possible, including easter eggs and Santa heads. It’s special…

And drumroll please…..

The Haunted House just down the street complete with a headless horseman out front. Who said Salt Lake wasn’t classy?