Second Helping of Upheaval

Today was our Very Special fast & testimony meeting wherein new ward boundaries were announced, finally quieting months of rumbling and rampant speculation.

There are two new English speaking wards. We stayed in McAllen 1st ward and we have a new bishop and counselors. But damn near everyone I was close to or hung out with outside of church--gone. Including my friend, Minerva (mom of the wasp-stung Stephanie) and my former employer, Mary. :(

In addition, every auxiliary lost key people--the RS president, members of the Primary, YW, YM, EQ and SS presidencies. We also lost all our competent pianists and organists.

And, to be honest, there are some people I'm not sad to see go: the hardass RS teacher whose lesson on chastity last week began with us reading the catalogue of sexual sins in the manual--and her asking us to DEFINE EACH ONE. It left me feeling dirty.

Nor am I especially sad that the blowhard/always right SS president, an authority-focused stake leader and the least imaginative/manual only gospel doctrine teacher are gone, too.

Mike called me via Skype (he's in Japan) and I filled him in on all the changes. As I mentioned the gospel doctrine vacancy, I had a sinking feeling that I would be the replacement. Is the still, small voice accompanied by nausea and fear?

The SP was adamant that the old ward boundaries are history and need to be forgotten. On one hand, that doesn't seem realistic. Unless this would get us out of cleaning the meetinghouse in October. (What cleaning assignment? That guy isn't our bishop anymore). I can feel the selective amnesia settling in already...

Party Foul

Our RS has two new counselors and the Enrichment counselor is going gangbusters on home & family preparedness, food storage and gardening. We have two workshops a month--one on a Thursday evening, one on a Saturday morning--and a food storage item of the month that is featured as the refreshments.

This morning, I hosted a workshop on composting, complete with full color handout with all the info an aspiring composter needed.

We had 9 people total. I had wrapped up most of the overview when Minerva showed up with her kids. The rest of the ladies were eating refreshments Monica brought--crisp tortilla rounds, cheese, lettuce and cooked beans, this month's starring food storage item.

Two women had to leave early, so I took them outside to see my compost bin in action. Minerva and her 3 girls came outside with us. They'd been to our house before and headed straight for the backyard swings.

I had just shown everyone the compost bin's innards when the screaming started. I looked to see which kid was screaming and why. To my everlasting horror, I saw there was a wasp nest under the swing Stephanie had been on and she'd gotten stung.

The wasps were buzzing angrily near their disturbed nest, so we walked the screaming, crying Stephanie back to the house. She had three stings: two on her arm and one on the corner of her mouth (which explained why she'd been screaming into her closed hands). Minerva called her pediatrician to ask what to do.

I wrapped some ice cubes in wet paper towels to help kill the pain. One mom had Benadryl, so we had her take one. Minerva had children's Tylenol at home, so she packed up the girls' things and headed out. Stephanie was somewhat calmer by then but still obviously in pain. After that, everyone else packed it in, too.

Hard not to feel like the world's worst host after something like that.

Monday Surprise

After innumerable redesigns and months of waiting, our office move became a reality. This morning. Of course, I dressed up today--skirt, slinky V-neck top, heels. Not an outfit geared for box schlepping.

The move was supposed to happen Tuesday. But the movers showed up this morning and with the whole campus gearing up for HESTEC next week, we figured we better grab 'em while we could.

HESTEC = the Hispanic Engineering, Science & Technology week, complete with a star-studded lineup of politicians, CEOs, company presidents and vice presidents and entertainment. Nancy Pelosi is speaking. I'm all over THAT. More info here.

Anyway, I'm excited to have my own office after sitting at a corner desk in the back of the graduate office with little work or storage space. I finally have my own phone line and this means I will shortly have business cards--they were on hold until the move. Now I have to retrain everyone to send reports to my new location.

Since my office had the only extra network port, I get to live with the color printer; it blows warm air into an otherwise frigid space, so I'm OK with it.

Adios, Last Vestige of Independence

Today--if I actually do have all the correct paperwork--I am selling my Pathfinder.

It's only the second car I've owned. My first was a 1980 orange Dodge Colt that I drove during college. The Pathfinder was my BYU graduation present. It has hauled me and my gear around since the fall of 1992. Put 164,023 miles on that baby.

I'm finding I'm much more attached than I thought, which is expressing as general hostility as the day of reckoning/relinquishing neared. It feels like I'm selling off the last vestige of my old, single, independent life--so much of which has been obliterated by the changes of the past year. The Pathfinder seems like the last relic of that era. It compares to the uncomfortable feeling I get seeing my childhood playthings tagged for mom's next garage sale.

We'd talked about loaning the Pathfinder to 17 for her senior year, but the offer was rebuffed. I casually mentioned to a co-worker that we were trying to sell one of our three cars. The Pathfinder was the obvious choice while it still had some value.

The co-worker was interested in the Pathfinder for her stepson, so we began making arrangements. Had their mechanic check it out. We wanted to get a Nissan expert to check out one thing their mechanic had noted, but the Nissan dealership here won't look at any car older than 10 years--their policy. (Whatever).

So now the day is here. The buyer just walked over to my desk to say we can go over to the court house whenever I'm emotionally ready. I guess I should rip off the bandage already.

Which relegates me to being a permanent minivan driver. Sigh.

This Guy

was one of the actors on our flight from Burbank to Dallas. Thanks, Hevans for connecting the dots!



Haven't been able to place the other actor. I'm sure I'll be watching some random movie rerun someday, see him and gasp "THAT'S THE OTHER GUY from our flight!"

Mike will just look at me and ask "How do you KNOW all these people?!?" Which is usually what he asks (or some variant) when I come up with an actor's name he can't remember or say oh, they were in such and such movie, too. (Like Shirley Henderson who played Jude in Bridget Jones' Diary and was also in his video, Einstein's Big Idea).

Soooo far behind

The long weekend in LA was Grrreat!

We arrive Friday night , picked up the rental car and headed to Saladang for Thai food--had their amazing smoked salmon/ginger/lime/toasted coconut/red onion/roasted peanuts appetizer wrapped in a curly lettuce leaf and served with a golden sweet sauce. Mmmmm. Caught up with mom & dad before retiring to the air mattress in my old bedroom turned storage unit.

Saturday, I visit the chiropractor (ahhhh), and Mike and I pick up some fresh raspberries & boysenberries and luscious tomatoes at the Pasadena Farmer's Market. Off then to visit David the Hair God. He's running late, so we make our first of several trips to Trader Joe's.

When David gets to the salon, he's sporting a flesh-colored bandage on the end of his nose. Has he ventured Beyond Botox? The story is this: David's been hanging out with a woman who wasn't quite divorced (he knew the husband and hung out with them both pre-divorce). David is over at her place on New Year's Eve. The not-quite-ex husband shows up, beats the shit out of David and BITES OFF THE END OF HIS NOSE. He wins for worst New Year's ever.

He's still got it with the scissors and gives me a much improved (if shorter) haircut. We pop by home to drop off produce and change clothes before going to Angela's 40th birthday tea.

All the usual living room furniture is gone. Five tables are set up with iced tea, lemonade, finger sandwiches, scones and Devonshire cream--a sumptuous repast. For mementos, we make charm bracelets with various teapot/teacup charms. So cute! We do a round of introductions, as several areas of Angela's life are represented and we don't all know each other. We contribute to the group gift--dental work for Angela's incarcerated pen pal. We linger and chat until it's time to leave for dinner.

Dinner at Yazmin, an amazing Malaysian restaurant in Alhambra. Meet h.s. pal Wendy there, with others straggling in later. We eat and dish and Angela reads palms. Afterward, we head home to finish reading through "As You Like It" in preparation for Sunday night's Shakespeare reading.

Sunday morning, we head to church in the beloved Pasadena Ward, where there are insightful lessons, dear friends, political allies and hymns played at the correct tempo. Sigh. We want to visit cousin Rowan after church, but he's not feeling up to having visitors. We pop into TJ's and head home to get ready for the potluck/reading. More friends there, excellent food and a reading that went quite well by all accounts. Mike and I had the leads, so it was a bit more pressure than in readings past. Kudos to Mark and Angela for putting it together!

Monday we slept in. Tried to see "Sicko," but it was sold out. Went shopping at Vroman's Bookstore, Coldwater Creek, Trader Joe's (yes, again) and Bed, Bath and Beyond where I scored a drapery panel to match the one I bought last year (note to self: buy in pairs next time).

Arrived home in time for dinner with mom, dad, brother John and GF Cristina. Noshed on potato salad, baked beans, Honeybaked ham and mail-order ribs. Was nice to hang out with them after almost a year!

Oh, yeah, we got accused of bringing the triple-digit heat wave with us to So Cal. Geez, you get married on a bloody hot day and no one ever lets you forget it. :)

Monday, we pop my finished editing job in the mail and head to the airport. Of course, it wouldn't be a trip to LA without a celebrity sighting, right? We had not one but two character actors sitting in first class to Dallas. One guy was middle aged, reddish blondish hair, glasses--the actor you know you've seen in something but you just can't place him.

The other guy is more of an on-the-rise dude. He was in that suspense/horror TV show on the WB where some kind of aliens landed in the town's lake and were taking over peoples' bodies? I believe he played the horsey-looking/high foreheaded sheriff with the blond wife-turned-alien. I think. I only saw the previews. If someone can name that show and put me out of the brain-wracking misery so I can look him up on IMDB, I'd appreciate it!

Coming back to Texas after the delights of family, friends and So Cal has, quite frankly, sucked. The End.

Catch up, Ketchup, Catsup

The past three weeks have been a blur. The lapping waters of Lake Powell are a faint memory, replaced by the near daily thunderstorms of South Texas.

It's fiscal year end at work. The Powers want the Summer certification to get turned around in 2 business days--that's IF the data is ready on schedule. So far, it's not.

We have not moved to our new office space. The secretary to my right has made it clear she's ready for us to clear out, asking in an ingratiating yet transparently self-interested way as if she ever gave a toot about whether I have sufficient desk space.

There was a shakeup in the RS presidency while I was gone. The remaining counselor moved away and I found this out via the answering machine when we got home from Powell. The RS pres got snappish when I asked if I had to wait until the new counselors were sustained to find out who they were. And she wanted their input (not mine) on filing other vacancies. We were able to iron it out, but it left me with less enthusiasm (is that possible?) for the job.

Looking forward to visiting LA, seeing family, hanging with friends, celebrating Angela's 40th, and filling up on Thai food. Oh, and getting a decent haircut from David the Hair God (although lately people have been saying the current 'do is looking good. I haven't cut it since July, hoping to give David plenty to work with).

Hoping I'll have time to finish posting on the end of the Utah trip & Sunstone while we're in Cali. I hear they're having a heat wave; not quite as hot as the wedding last year, but close. It's after midnight and I still have to pack. Argh!

More Powell Fun & Frolic

The vacation part was like a bug drifting lazily on the breeze; coming home was like hitting a windshield. Readjusting to Real Life again ain't fun. So here's some more vacation reminiscing/euphoric recall.

Saturday August 4

Mike and I joined Kelly and Shawn on a boat ride back to the marina to get gas & groceries. Browsed in the marina gift shop. Returned in time for lunch and an afternoon excursion to a cliff diving spot. I jumped twice (from not very high) which was all I needed to prove I wasn't a complete wuss. Kelly has pics of me and Mike jumping together (which I hope she'll send, hint, hint).

Most of the kids who came with us defected to the Malibu. Me, Mike, Kelly, Nicole and Little Brad did some sightseeing and fishing. We took turns using the two fishing poles on hand. Nicole caught the first striper; LB caught a catfish, then I caught a striper (~7 lbs.) We took home 5 striper in all. Raced against falling darkness back to the houseboat. Twas our night to cook dinner; MIL Sue kindly put our lasagnas in the oven and we did garlic bread and green beans. Another rainy, electric night made the kids all sleep inside.

Sunday August 5

Got up at dawn for another fishing trip. Woke Kelly, Little Brad and Joey at 6:15 am to head out. Tiptoed around prone sleepers. Tried two spots unsuccessfully--fish were too deep. Third spot was a little round cove; we drifted in circles until Kelly dropped anchor to keep us near the fish. Little Brad caught the first fish, then Kelly, Joey, and finally me. My first striper was medium, then I caught a really big one (that Joey kept trying to pass off as his).

It was hot by the time we ran out of bait, so we all went swimming. The boys climbed some rocks and begged me to grab a lizard carcass they were too short to reach. (I did). After a leisurely swim, we piled back in the boat to head back.

We were halfway back when we met Jill & Steve in the Malibu. They'd been out looking for us because it was 1:00 pm and we'd been gone SIX HOURS. We had No Idea. It caused some uproar because the houseboat was due back at the marina to meet some more cousins/grandkids at 3:00 pm. Scrambling and quick fish filleting ensued.

We took our kids plus Little Brad & Alexis T-shirt shopping. Mike had to mediate a meltdown between Jackie & Jessica. We planned to have dinner in Page, but a torrential rain/lightening storm after we docked changed the venue to the marina restaurant (now party of 23). After dinner, we collected belongings and packed and turned in. We had a long drive ahead Monday to Idaho Falls to hang out with Uncle Matt, Aunt Cathy and the other cousins. More on that later...

Me enjoying baklava-esque rocks.

Quatro hermano/as.

Life jacketless daredevil.

Nicole's first catch.

Now for the words and a few more pictures

Tuesday July 31
Departure from McAllen. Met Brad & Nicole in Dallas. Flew to SLC together. Piled into rented minivan that barely contained all our luggage. Star sighting at Crown Burger. Checked into hotel. Kids all fell asleep; Mike and I went to DI, REI, Sundance outlet, and Mel's to see her new house and new Scottie, Dash. Reconvened at hotel w/kids and recently arrived Aunt Cathy and numbersome cousins. Chatted, ate pizza and had a sock fight with Parker & little Brad. Readied for bed, slept.

Wednesday August 1
Big Brad's sore throat worse. Mike takes him to urgent care. We rouse girls and pack up. MIL Sue and cousin Tyler meet us at hotel. Cathy heads back to ID with two cousins; two cousins (little Brad and Alexis) come with us. We pick up Big Brad up--no strep, but he's miserable--and the 10 of us caravan to brunch. Finally get on the road to Powell. Torrential rain through Parowan. Running late to meet SIL Jill, BIL Steve & family (party of 19). Spend 3 hours at Fiesta Mexican in Page, AZ (2 hours waiting, 1 hour eating). Decamped to the Super Evil Store (W-M) for groceries. We blew $400 on food/water for 6 people for FOUR days. Drove to marina, unloaded vehicles/loaded golf carts and headed for the house boat. Orientation: Learned which faucets dispense potable water or gray water, toilet etiquette, keeping doors CLOSED and where to store our groceries. Mike and I get a bunk, kids sleep up top.

Thursday August 2
The Caspian sets sail! We gas up and start our 15 mph chug onto the lake. Power boat and SIL Kelly/BIL Shawn's boat run ahead to scope out a houseboat parking spot. I feel seasick through the channels, but am OK. Boat is parked/anchored. Some kids go out on powerboat (the Malibu); other kids get left behind. :( Mike and I jet ski and swim off by ourselves and came back for spaghetti dinner, watching movie "New York Doll," and playing rousing cards games before everyone konked out. Major lightning storm and some fireworks.

Friday August 3
Leisurely wake up and breakfast. Fishing over side of houseboat. Campaign to get the left-behinds on the Malibu (successfully); forgot how much encouragement some teens need to participate in things. Mike & I take out Kelly's boat (the same boat the Stevens clan grew up taking to Powell every summer since it opened) and Mike teaches Jessica and little Brad to water ski. Nicole & Jackie try, too. After some vehicle swapping between boats and jet skis, Alexis, Jackie & I try wake boarding--but the rope is too long for any of us to get up. :( Back to houseboat for dinner and a movie. While we're watching "The Other Side of Heaven," a BAT flies into the houseboat. We laugh our asses off while realizing Someone Left a Door Open (gasp) and trying to chase the poor creature outdoors. More lightning and rain.

To be continued... but a few last pictures.

Little Brad & Tyler on the jet ski.

Take the picture; I'm holding a sharp fish!

Brad wake surfing.

Jeff showing us how an Aussie does it.

It's a Matriarchy

Hmmm. We're not as photogenic at the lake. Is it the not showering?

MIL/Grandma Sue.
SILs Jill and Kelly.
Nicole and Jessica getting their squint on.
Jackie with similar expression.

Pictures tonight, words tomorrow

In order below:

Mike and me with one of the four striper I caught.
Crazy cliff diving kids.
Mike trying to do a shore start from the back of the houseboat (unsuccessfully).
Obligatory Lake Powell scenery.

Going with the flow

I'm still getting used to the logistics of belonging to a big family. Thinking in terms of six people when me, Mike and the kids are all together. And thinking in terms of two dozen +/- when the whole clan of sibs, their kids and grandma Sue are together. It's always a little crazy. Like when we were trying to figure out which of the three hotel rooms Mike and I would be sleeping in and with which roommates last night.

So I'm trying to go with the flow--something that I'm not very good at. I'm a planner. That doesn't always work well, whether it's the large group of people or the things that come up unexpectedly--something seems to gum up the plans one way or another.

So I'm practicing this flow thing. The flow currently has Mike taking Brad to an urgent care clinic to get his raging sore throat looked at, me having to roust the girls out of bed and have them ready by checkout time, and hoping that Mike and Brad get back before noon with the car so we have a place to put our 13 bags and the waterski. Oh, and figure out what we're doing for breakfast, now that the hotel's complimentary breakfast is shut down and there's only one place within walking distance.

Yup, the fun starts as soon as I'm out of the shower.

I Spy Chris Sligh

Actually, 17 and 14 saw the Season 6 American Idol contestant in a booth at Crown Burger in SLC this afternoon. It was 17's first Star Sighting. We teased them to ask for his autograph or ask him to serenade our table, but they didn't want to.

Since lunch for all six of us took three trays to deliver, we all walked by several times and peeked at him some more. Must be weird to have all these strangers looky-looing while you're trying to eat lunch.

After that excitement, we checked into our hotel and 20, 18, 17 and 14 all promptly fell asleep. Mike is in an adjoining room grading papers. I'm checking email and catching up on blogging; when I'm done, 14 (now awake) wants to use the computer. Then whoever is game will head to DI and REI with us to pick up some last-minute stuff and some throat soothing stuff for 18, who's feeling poorly.

Before that, however, yours truly is in need of a nap herself. With a tummy full of bacon cheese Crown Burger, fries and fry sauce, sleep won't be hard to chase down. Waking up again, that will be the bitch.

Skip the parting gifts, please!

We're gearing up to leave town. I have to pack still. Mike's revising a journal submission which I will proofread when he's finished. The cat sitter had her orientation tonight and (bless her) says she'll come twice a day (!) because we're on her way to work and why not keep the kitties on their regular feeding schedule?

Cosby was dropped off at the Pet Motel. He's been cornering PK and jumping him lately, so we couldn't leave them alone together.

The girls went into their room tonight and 14 discovered that one of the cats (probably Belita) had pooped in her duffel bag and there was a puddle of pee on top of a plastic bag on the floor. Last visit, we recommended they keep their bedroom door shut and didn't remind them this time. Plenty of access and opportunity.

All I can say is I'm DAMN glad we found it tonight--in time to wash everything that was sullied. 14 was grossed out, but a good sport, considering. Add several loads of laundry to the To Do list tonight and keep those bedroom doors closed!

Eleventh Hour Update

One more day in TX and we're off on holiday to Utard.

The haircut is sucking less. Almost everyone who's seen it has told me it's cute; can that many people be wrong? I bumped into Santos the other night while doing my Valley Girl column and he gave me a big old hug and I thought to myself, "Yeah, I've almost forgiven you."

I hung out with the stepdaughters 14 & 17 while Mike taught his weekend seminar. Saturday the girls slept until well after noon. When I got back from running errands for the trip, I took us out to get pedicures. Figured if our feet were going to be visible, why not have them look good?

After that, we trekked over to the outlet mall and met my friend, Minerva, there. I picked up 2 long sleeved T-shirts for Powell coverups and a pair of Sketchers I've been coveting that finally went on sale.

We went out for Mexican food one night and I made chicken pot pie another to use up most of the leftovers. Caught The Simpsons movie. Totally fun. Loved Homer's comments on the way into church and when disaster strikes, the folks at the church running into the bar and vice versa.

I have one more day to tie up loose ends at the office, get something together for the Sunstone session I'm moderating, orient the new cat/house sitter, and oh, PACK. Which I haven't begun to do yet.

WOn't have cell coverage or Internet access the first week we're gone--so it will be a true vacation. Hoping to do some fun reading and play in the sun without getting burned as red as the Lake Powell rocks. Wish me luck.

Valley of Bad Haircuts

Saturday, I get a bee in my bonnet for a haircut before we go to Lake Powell. I had scoped out a salon/stylist who seemed like a good bet--takes time to chat with each client, works with their hair's natural tendencies and is all for low-maintenance, stylish cuts. I called and there was an opening Saturday afternoon.

I took a seat in the cramped waiting area and grabbed a couple of magazines. Initially, I was looking for a more stylish bob than the shoulder-length one I had on, but I also found a cute shorter cut I liked.

When Santos sat me down for the pre-cut consultation, I showed him the bobs first and the shorter cut--maybe for down the road. He showed me another cut that was between the bob and the shorter cut. He was all excited about this chin length cut--I have the face shape for it, it would look great, etc. So I agreed to go for the shorter cut thinking it was more medium than short.

Well, guess what? On my first go with a new stylist, I should have gone with my original intentions to just update the bob.

This is what it looked like when I left the salon yesterday:




And this is what it looked like today, sans product and me NOT blow drying it for an HOUR.




It's low maintenance, but it's almost as bad as the stupid Chachi haircut I got in 1999 when I couldn't get in to see David the Hair God.

Which begs the question: Will I have to go back to Cali EVERY TIME I want a decent haircut?

Week In Review

We started off the week with a thunder/lightening/rain storm Monday. The storm parked over central McAllen and dumped 4-5 inches of rain just in time for the morning commute.

We took the Pathfinder instead of the lower-slung Honda and Toyota minivan and drove it through two massively flooded intersections before cutting over to another northbound road. Two SUVs had skidded off the road into a church marquee, but otherwise the route was clear and without flooding. A mile or so west of us, a tornado kicked ass on some buildings, ripping off roofs and facades for a couple of blocks.

Tuesday is kind of a blank. More rain. I sent out my second run of reports Wednesday, which will be due the week after I get back from vacation and will give me one week to make sure all the corrections have been made. Awkward timing, but it couldn't be helped.Wednesday evening brought another torrent just after we pulled into the driveway after work.

All this rain is even cooling things down. Into the 80s, that is. I'm not accustomed to summer rainstorms and keep getting caught at work sans umbrella and with weather inappropriate footwear.

Thursday night, the book group came over and we picked some upcoming selections more demanding than this month's Harriet the Spy. (I love Harriet, but I could really go for something more challenging). As with previous months, I coordinated the refreshments with the book, which left me with the options of cake and milk or tomato sandwiches. I opted for bruschetta and a sun dried tomato and feta spread instead.

Today was an improvement over last Friday. Mike got caught up in a long conference call, so I walked laps around his building and talked to his mom. She filled me in on some Lake Powell details that were helpful.

We came home for a quick bite then went to Barnes & Noble. On the night before/of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release. Whoops. It was a madhouse--in-store promotions, photo ops with characters, crafts, adults, kids dressed in character garb and a teenage boy with shoulder length red hair who looked like he could easily be a Weasley.

I saw one girl with an irreverent Harry hearts Ron T shirt on. Underneath it read "Roommates for 7 years. It was bound to happen." That's one alternative ending I haven't heard bandied around before.

My copy of HP should arrive via UPS tomorrow--the perfect present for our paper anniversary on Sunday! Yup, a whole year of married life under our belts. Doesn't seem like that long.

Friday the 13th

Typically, no hiccups. But today? A different story.

Twas the Day of Unpleasant Discoveries at work. Painfully slow computer. Compliance officer suggests a process change for updating my database. I CANNOT wrap my head around what he's asking me to do or why the new method is preferable to what I'm doing.

Accounting director is out today. Labor Distribution/Correction Goddess is taking a late lunch. I took a walk w/my supervisor (who saw I was distressed) and we tried to figure out the data runs and how we can get accounting people to verify the changes are made in Oracle. Instead of ME.

By then, I was Too Far Gone to be of much use. And while my day is imploding over corrections to fall's reports, I'm supposed to be prepping to run Spring reports to distribute next week. Gah. Supervisor shoos me home, so I gratefully grab my keys and leave.

I pull into the driveway, grab my stuff and check the mailbox. Out of the corner of my eye, I see something flying toward me. A bee. I wave it away with Mike's bank statement (successfully, I think) but it regroups, flies back at me and lands on my back.

I run into the garage and try to use the reflection in the Pathfinder's windows to scrape it off me. I twitch and wiggle and realize: I don't want to be IN the garage with an angry bee,do I? So I drop my bags and run back outside to check the bee in the mini van's windows. The little bugger is STILL ATTACHED to my shoulder and making progress toward my bare neck.

Of course, I completely lose it.

The meltdown I'd been trying to fight back all afternoon can no longer be contained. I shut the garage door because I don't want anyone to SEE me in full-on hysterics. I tear down the hall to the bathroom to see if the bee is still on me. I don't see it, but I'm so wound up I can't stop wailing.

I strip and hope the bee isn't in my tangled hair. I blow my nose and take a few deep breaths. Feed the cats who have been pacing hungrily since my contorted, shrieking arrival. And go to bed for a few hours.

And wake up to blog about it.

My First 39th Birthday

I hear thousands of couples got married on my birthday, thinking the luck imparted by marrying on 7/7 would bolster their love and commitment. If nothing else, it makes their anniversary easy to remember.

The girls were here for a week, so they came along on all the birthday fun, which included:

• First shift at the ward service project, painting Peggy's house inside and out
• Surprising me with batches of cupcakes and milk and rounding up all the toilers to sing Happy Birthday
• A quick lunch at Subway while we were sweaty and paint-covered
• Cleaning up so we could go to dinner at the good Chinese buffet
• Catching a performance of The Fantasticks--my all time favorite play--at the university
• Heading home for cake, ice cream and presents

We also had a celebration at the office Friday. My supervisor and I have the same birthday, and three other women in the office have birthdays within a few days of each other. So we went to lunch (Mexican buffet) and had strawberry tres leches cake (totally snagged the recipe).

I wasn't sure what to expect my first birthday away from home and family, but it pretty well rocked. Friends sent cards and lovely gifts.

Mom sent me a sumptuously decorated jewelry box and the original setting to my grandmother's wedding ring, thinking I could have it refashioned into a wedding band. I'm a sentimental boob, so I'm thinking of getting it set with another stone so I can wear it and think of Grammy.

Coming soon: highlights from the step kids' visit

Let's go on an Update!

It's Tuesday. We had a second day of thunderstorms and torrential rain midday. Coming from So Cal, I'm not used to summer rainstorms or being mindful of whether I've chosen weather appropriate footwear.

Thankfully, it cleared up by the time we had to drive to Harlingen to pick up the girls. Seventeen and 14 are here for a week's visit. They arrived hungry, so we drove around trying to find a pizza place.

I'm not that familiar with Harlingen and ended up driving the wrong way on a one-way street. When I realized there were nothing but headlights coming at me, I dropped the F-bomb and pulled over until the traffic cleared and I could turn around and beat it out of there.

Mike started calling me a potty mouth (thanks, kettle). I'm afraid it will be one of Those Moments I Will Never Live Down, like going to a choir rehearsal with curlers in my hair so I could change in the bathroom and drive to Claremont for graduation. Eight years later, I still have people reminding me about that.

After the world's slowest service at Pizza Hut (and sitting next to a mom who made me want to call CPS), we drove home. The new kitties trotted out to greet us. Cosby and Belita are a big hit with the girls--cuddly whereas PK is not. We still had to break out the squirt bottle for a few dust-ups between Bel & Cos, but overall the family felines are getting along better.

We also bought a couple of new gummy hands to replace the one Cosby chewed to bits. The green one lasted less than two hours after installation. The pink one we put up tonight has fared better--but only because Cosby is locked up for the night.

The rain brought an influx of winged antlike insects in the guest bathroom. If they're termites (entirely possible), this would rearrange our home improvement priorities for the summer. Reupholstering the clashing flowered wing chairs will have to wait.