This morning at 3:15 the alarm clock on my cell phone was the last thing that I wanted to hear. I laid there for a little bit longer before Sterling finally made me get out of bed. At this point many questions were running through my mind. Why did we choose the morning shift? Were we thinking when we accepted the calling? Is this real or am I dreaming? Am I really awake at 3:15 am? Will Sterling hate me at the end of the day because I am so crotchety?
Well I couldn't sit and ask questions all day I had to get for our first day as ordinance workers in the Nauvoo Temple. Our first experiences were wonderful and I finally feel like I am using my brain again. We can already see what a blessing this is going to be in our lives and we are looking forward to the next year of service.
I loved interacting with the elderly ordinance workers and I have made a few friends already; I was always better at interacting and making friends with people older than me. One of my new found friends has even invited us to stay with her whenever we would like so that we don't have to wake up so early. Our immediate bonding can be attributed to the fact that she lived in Hawaii for 30 years, married a Tongan man and misses Hawaii dearly, however I like to think it is because I am just that charming.
So as I said before we enjoyed our first week and we look forward to the upcoming year of service and sacrifice. So even though the our experiences will be of a sacred nature and we may not be able to share much, we will do our best to share what we can.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
When You're the Best of Friends
I was once told that some of the best and truest friends I would ever have would be the members of my family. I was young when I received this counsel and at that point I couldn't imagine how true that statement would be.
As I have progressed from child to teenager and teenager to adult my parents and siblings have been faithful, committed friends. They forgive my weaknesses, correct my faults, laugh with me at my mistakes and love me no matter what. Perhaps it is because we are family and therefore we are stuck with each other but I like to think it is because we are the best of friends and that is what friends do.
As I have progressed from child to teenager and teenager to adult my parents and siblings have been faithful, committed friends. They forgive my weaknesses, correct my faults, laugh with me at my mistakes and love me no matter what. Perhaps it is because we are family and therefore we are stuck with each other but I like to think it is because we are the best of friends and that is what friends do.
My Best Friends
Angels Among Us
This is a picture of my paternal grandmother, Grandma Bina, Granny, Bina-Bina or Mom. Ninety-four years ago the world was blessed with one of the most amazing people that I have ever known. She is a person that possesses and exemplifies qualities such as kindness, patience, humility, purity of heart and mind and above all unconditional love.When I think of my grandma I generally think of the words to a song by Alabama.
"Oh I believe there are angels among us. Sent down to us from somewhere up above. They come to you and me in our darkest hours. To show us how to live, to teach us how to give. To guide us with a light of love.
When life held troubled times, and had me down on my knees. There's always been someone there to come along and comfort me. A kind word from a stranger, to lend a helping hand. A phone call from a friend, just to say I understand. And ain't it kind of funny that at the dark end of the road. Someone lights the way with just a single ray of hope."
One more than one occasion I am sure that Grandma Bina has been the stranger that lends a helping hand, the friend that calls with words of comfort and she is always the ray of hope that people like you and I need in this life. So today I thought I would list ten of the many reasons that I love my Grandma Bina so dearly.
1. Grandma is a wonderful cook.
2. Grandma has a keen sense of humor.
3. Grandma gives great hugs.
4. Grandma was an exceptional wife and mother.
5. Grandma is an amazing teacher because she teaches by example.
6. Grandma's challenges in life make her better, not bitter.
7. Grandma always sacrifices her own wants and needs.
8. Grandma loves the Lord.
9. Grandma loves her family.
10. Grandma loves unconditionally.
These are only a few of the reasons that my grandma holds such a special place in my heart. If I end being half of the woman that she is, I will call my life a success!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
We are Family
I just wanted to post a picture of our wonderful family. This is the Whining Wisniewski Traveling Troop in all of its glory. I can't believe how much we have changed over the years in terms of size because I kid you not that when it comes to traveling together or just being together for that matter we are all still a bunch of whiners.
This is the whole fam damily minus Samantha and Sharli.
This is the whole fam damily minus Samantha and Sharli.Day Spa Gone Awry
We recently went home for Jaycia's wedding and Uncle Sterling and I were awarded a free trip to the children's day spa. Sterling is extremely popular with the nieces and nephews because of his patience and his inability to say no while I am only popular because I happen to be his wife.
Anyway, the day spa was conveniently located on the stage in the cultural hall so that while the adults were visiting the children could play. There also happened to be two big rolls of carpet that make an excellent spa bed for the customers while still providing equal customer access for all aspiring employees.
At the day spa you can get pedicures, manicures, massages, you can have your beard washed with wipes and on occasion you can even have your entire head waxed if you so desire. I was the first customer and I received a pedicure and foot massage which was a combination of actual foot massaging and stabbing forks into the bottom of my feet. Sterling was the second customer and as you can see he received a variety of services that were not available to me.
Anyway, the day spa was conveniently located on the stage in the cultural hall so that while the adults were visiting the children could play. There also happened to be two big rolls of carpet that make an excellent spa bed for the customers while still providing equal customer access for all aspiring employees.
At the day spa you can get pedicures, manicures, massages, you can have your beard washed with wipes and on occasion you can even have your entire head waxed if you so desire. I was the first customer and I received a pedicure and foot massage which was a combination of actual foot massaging and stabbing forks into the bottom of my feet. Sterling was the second customer and as you can see he received a variety of services that were not available to me.
Sterling enjoyed most his time at the spa and though the children are not licensed they are quite thorough. After ten minutes behind the curtains of the day spa, my dear husband approaches me to show off his new and rejuvenated self. His beard was clean, his arm hair was brushed and in place, his eyebrows were waxed and the top of his head was bleeding from the head waxing.
I guess the star employee Michaelee was waxing what hair he has left on his head with a fork, a new tool used in spas, when Sterling asked if he was bleeding. She said "No," took one more stroke with the fork and then said, "...but you are now." At this point the day spa appointment came to an abrupt halt and Sterling was wiping the blood from his head with the same wipe that cleaned his beard minutes earlier.
I didn't get a great picture of the damage that his head sustained but here is the picture that I took. He wiped away the blood a few seconds before I took the picture so it doesn't look that bad.
The moral of the story...don't go to a spa where the employees are not licensed; especially if they are children with forks, spoons and knives.
Gifts that Keep on Giving
This post is long overdue considering the fact that the gifts I am talking about are gifts that Sterling bought me for my birthday. For any of you that know when my birthday is, you are aware that it is two months to the day.
Sterling really went above and beyond this year for my birthday. I had been asking for a lot of things and he delivered on most if not all of them. So I will start by listing everything that my dear husband gave to me this year.
1. Electric Keyboard Piano
2. Bread Machine
3. Jack Johnson CD
4. Ice Age and The Jungle Book
The two gifts that I want to write about are the keyboard piano and the bread machine. They both continue to give and add to our lives but in very different ways.
About five months ago we were in church and one of my favorite little girls in the ward was having a really rough time. Her mom was teaching the Sunday School lesson and her dad was doing everything in his power to calm her down. Neither food nor toys could console the heartbreaking fact that her mom was not going to be sitting by them during Sunday School. All of a sudden her dad picked her up, sat down at the piano, started playing "A Child's Prayer" and singing to her. She immediately stopped crying.
I decided then that I needed to be able to do something like that with my children someday. I wanted to be able to console them with music if nothing else was working. Quickly it was brought to my mind that I do not possess a single musical talent and if I wanted to do something of the sort I would have to soon acquire one talent or multiple talents.
Considering the fact that I took piano lessons for a few months in junior high I decided I would begin there. I began begging for either a piano or a keyboard. I would obsessively search the Internet for good deals on one or the other and I started doing research into what is the best for starters.
Sterling and I decided that we would start with a lower end keyboard because if my desire to play the piano now lasted as long as it did in junior high then there is no reason to spend so much money and then have it wasted. This is the reason for the keyboard.
How does the keyboard bless our home? Well I don't know if I would call it a blessing, it is more annoying than anything. I sit in the spare bedroom, sometimes for an hour at a time, plunking away at hymns in the "Hymns Made Easy" book and then when I start to get proud I move on to the hymnal only to be humbled again. My talents have not increased exponentially by any means but I can now play "Come Follow Me" and "God Speed the Right." Please do not go directly to the hymnal to check out the difficulty of either hymn as I had strategically chosen them based on simplicity.
This gift, I hope, will continue to give in the future. The development of my ability to play the piano will bless our family as I play the hymns in our home and teach our children a love of music.
The bread machine has been the gift which has given back the most at this time. We bought it because we ate at the Sheffield's (Abe and Erin) home one day and they made some of the most delicious dinner rolls that my taste buds have ever known. We asked how they made them and they confessed that they used their bread machine.
I am sure that Sterling saw the excitement on my face at the thought of having a machine produce such goodness. Of course, just like the keyboard, I began searching the Internet for bread machines and reviews on each machine. I looked at the really expensive ones and at the not so expensive ones and tried to justify why I need the biggest and the best one on the market. Though I didn't think that I could live with one of the cheaper bread machines, ours has proven me wrong. We have made pizza, cinnamon rolls, bread and of course the delicious dinner rolls.
Look and behold the goodness!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Weekend in the "Windy City"
Cylynn's sister (Chelsy) and her family made a trip out to Chicago one weekend in July. They asked us to come out and join them and since Chicago is only four hours drive from Coralville we decided to make the trip. The drive was quite boring; we saw mostly corn. We met our brother-in-law and nephew at the Midway airport around dinner time. Then the traveling problems began.
Chelsy's plane from Las Vegas could not pressurize after taking off. They were forced to fly in circles for a half-hour to use up fuel in order to lose some weight for landing. When the plane landed the brakes were damaged and they were forced to switch planes. Meanwhile, we, the group in Chicago, went to dinner and ate some real Chicago style pizza. If you haven't had any real Chicago style pizza you are truly missing out. It is not very similar to regular pizza but I really liked it.
As we finished dinner we received a call from Chelsy that her plane would be delayed even more due to the weather in Chicago. We decided to head to the hotel and come back to pick her up. We made the mistake of not taking the freeway to the hotel. We drove the entire way to downtown on Archer Avenue, an experience we will never forget. When we finally reached downtown we received three different sets of directions from three different cab drivers to find our hotel. We finally found the place and had our car parked.
As we were unpacking our luggage our brother-in-law (Wags) found a surprise. He grabbed the wrong bag at the airport. The bag was exactly the same except it was missing the pink string Chelsy had tied to the handle. Well, needless to say we had our car returned and we drove back to the airport. We took the freeway this time and were able to find the correct bag and return the wrong bag to the airport. We then waited and picked up Chelsy and returned to the hotel around 1:30 am to finally get some sleep.
The next day, Friday, was the Cubs game. We were able to purchase tickets to the game for an obscene amount of money. This was my first time to attend a major league baseball game. I must admit that baseball is not my favorite sport to play or watch. I tend to become bored by the end of the game. I did enjoy the experience of Wrigley field though. I loved the live organ playing during the breaks and before the game. Here are a couple of pictures from the game (one of Cylynn and I and the other a hilarious picture of our nephew Landon):
Chelsy's plane from Las Vegas could not pressurize after taking off. They were forced to fly in circles for a half-hour to use up fuel in order to lose some weight for landing. When the plane landed the brakes were damaged and they were forced to switch planes. Meanwhile, we, the group in Chicago, went to dinner and ate some real Chicago style pizza. If you haven't had any real Chicago style pizza you are truly missing out. It is not very similar to regular pizza but I really liked it.
As we finished dinner we received a call from Chelsy that her plane would be delayed even more due to the weather in Chicago. We decided to head to the hotel and come back to pick her up. We made the mistake of not taking the freeway to the hotel. We drove the entire way to downtown on Archer Avenue, an experience we will never forget. When we finally reached downtown we received three different sets of directions from three different cab drivers to find our hotel. We finally found the place and had our car parked.
As we were unpacking our luggage our brother-in-law (Wags) found a surprise. He grabbed the wrong bag at the airport. The bag was exactly the same except it was missing the pink string Chelsy had tied to the handle. Well, needless to say we had our car returned and we drove back to the airport. We took the freeway this time and were able to find the correct bag and return the wrong bag to the airport. We then waited and picked up Chelsy and returned to the hotel around 1:30 am to finally get some sleep.
The next day, Friday, was the Cubs game. We were able to purchase tickets to the game for an obscene amount of money. This was my first time to attend a major league baseball game. I must admit that baseball is not my favorite sport to play or watch. I tend to become bored by the end of the game. I did enjoy the experience of Wrigley field though. I loved the live organ playing during the breaks and before the game. Here are a couple of pictures from the game (one of Cylynn and I and the other a hilarious picture of our nephew Landon):
Part of the experience of Chicago was riding on the subway and elevated train system they have there. Now many of you may be thinking that this is either an insignificant or undesired part of Chicago. I, on the other hand, realized how much I had missed riding on trains and buses since I was in Germany. I enjoy observing and listening to all of the interesting people around you. It is much more entertaining than driving in a car.Back to the story. The next day we visited the Shed Aquarium and Field Museum in Chicago. The Shed aquarium was one of the best organized aquariums we have ever been too. They organized it in rivers or areas of the ocean specifically instead of by continents. We saw many interesting fish and watched a dolphin show to cap it all off. The dolphin show wasn't very impressive for those of you who ever visit the aquarium. Here are some pictures:
Note: the top three pictures were taken in an artificial egg at a barnyard zoo we went too with Landon. I bet you would not believe I could fit in something that small. Cylynn and I had to get in first in order to convince Landon that it was not too dangerous or scary.
Following the Shed Aquarium we visited the Field Museum there. It is famous for the lions of Tsavo (which you have heard of if you have seen the movie The Ghost and the Darkness). These were two killer lions who killed for the joy and the blood rather than food and had somehow become addicted to human blood. Anyway, we looked at the lions and got a couple of pictures with Sue the T-Rex. She is the most complete T-Rex skeleton in the U.S. found in South Dakota in the 1990's. You can see in the pictures that Cylynn and I have arms pretty comparable to the length of a T-Rex arm.
The last night of our trip was spent on Navy Pier on the shore of Lake Michigan near our hotel. Anyone who knows much about Chicago has probably heard of Navy Pier. Many of the cruise ship and tour boats take off from this sight. There are a number of restaurants as well, as some carnival rides to enjoy. Chelsy, Wags and Landon took a ride on the Ferris wheel and Cylynn took Landon on a ride on the Carousel. We had some dinner and ice cream and watched a human chandelier show to top it off. The chandelier had a number of people playing instruments and completing acrobatic stunts while a hundred feet in the air held up by a crane. Here are some final pictures and a video of the chandelier show. The sound turned out much better than I would have expected.
We were so happy to spend a weekend with family. That last picture of Landon has got to be one of the best pictures ever taken. Backing up to the title. Cylynn and I both loved Chicago so much we decided we would not mind living there. It was beautiful, but ironically not very windy.
Eternal Blessings
Cylynn was blessed with the opportunity to attend her sister Josie's sealing to Shane in Phoenix Arizona in the Mesa Temple over the July 4 weekend. They were sealed on Saturday, July, 5. Cylynn should probably be making a post detailing all that happened there but I wanted to put in a few comments about what happened here and my thoughts.
I was blessed, or cursed whichever you prefer, to stay home while Cylynn made this trip. She was able to see her parents, brother and his kids, and two of her sisters including Josie. She reported that she had a great time and I was sad to miss it.
I was able to finally organize our house as Cylynn was in Arizona leaving me bored out of my mind. I also attended the Coralville fireworks show on the night of the fourth. I must report, and some of you may have experienced this and I sympathize if you have and pray that those who haven't never endure the experience, that watching fireworks is miserably boring alone. I received no joy from the experience and almost regret having gone at all. On the other hand, it did help me to feel what I was missing. This weekend without Cylynn was miserable. It was the second time that we have been separated since marriage, the first being a year previous and for approximately the same duration.
Ironically, as Cylynn was taking part in a sealing of a family for time and all eternity I was contemplating the blessing of eternal families. This weekend I had a small taste of what eternity would be without my family, wife, parents and siblings. I can attest that for me that eternity like that would be the essence of hell. On the other hand, I also contemplated eternity with my family and all its constituents. That for me would be the ultimate joy. Therefore, I would like to thank my Heavenly Father for the blessing of eternal families and the knowledge I have of this doctrine. It is truly a blessing. I have included some family pictures from Arizona (and other) below.
Home at Last
I must apologize as we are behind on our blogging. I have no excuses worth mentioning, but I am going to strive to catch us back up today as I have little else to do.
On June 28th (notice that is before our last post) we were able to move back into our apartment. All in all we were only out of our apartment for 15 days. We were very blessed by the Lord as the damage our apartment sustained was minimal. In fact, our apartment was only flooded with one inch of ground water. Try and remember back to all your geology classes in high school and college to remember what ground water is (that means you Swaag and Tote). In other words, we had no bacteria nor fecal matter that filled the water most of the people dealt with in the flooding; therefore, rather than smelling like the rest of the street which induced severe vomiting for many, our apartment smelled as sweet as honey. Furthermore, since we only had ONE inch of ground water the sheet rock in the apartment was placed high enough that it was not touched. Hence, no molding occurred in the apartment and all that needed to be replaced was the carpet. The first of the Lord's blessings.
Lest you think that the Lord's goodness ended there I will relate more of the flood story to you. The owner of our building just happens to own a carpet business. As you can imagine after severe flooding like Iowa sustained here in the last month the carpet businesses that were not under water were kept relatively busy. However, the Lord provided us with carpet from the owner of the building and it was laid within four days of the water exiting our apartment. All in all we were able to move back in within two weeks after we moved out and within five days of the water receding out of our apartment.
We also did not have to pay a cent for our lodgings while we were away due to the kindness of those around us. It was incredible to me to see the love and sacrifice those around us were willing to show us in our time of need. The night we moved out we received multiple phone calls from the ward members, my friends at school, and Cylynn's friends at work offering places to stay and help to move. I may be repeating some of the remarks Cylynn made in previous posts but I want to show my gratitude.
I am grateful for the Lord's blessings in our lives. Unfortunately, even though we were able to move into our apartment so quickly I cannot claim that we arranged our apartment back to the way it was nearly as quickly. It remained in the state you can see below for far too long. I did enjoy my new computer though, as you can see.
On June 28th (notice that is before our last post) we were able to move back into our apartment. All in all we were only out of our apartment for 15 days. We were very blessed by the Lord as the damage our apartment sustained was minimal. In fact, our apartment was only flooded with one inch of ground water. Try and remember back to all your geology classes in high school and college to remember what ground water is (that means you Swaag and Tote). In other words, we had no bacteria nor fecal matter that filled the water most of the people dealt with in the flooding; therefore, rather than smelling like the rest of the street which induced severe vomiting for many, our apartment smelled as sweet as honey. Furthermore, since we only had ONE inch of ground water the sheet rock in the apartment was placed high enough that it was not touched. Hence, no molding occurred in the apartment and all that needed to be replaced was the carpet. The first of the Lord's blessings.
Lest you think that the Lord's goodness ended there I will relate more of the flood story to you. The owner of our building just happens to own a carpet business. As you can imagine after severe flooding like Iowa sustained here in the last month the carpet businesses that were not under water were kept relatively busy. However, the Lord provided us with carpet from the owner of the building and it was laid within four days of the water exiting our apartment. All in all we were able to move back in within two weeks after we moved out and within five days of the water receding out of our apartment.
We also did not have to pay a cent for our lodgings while we were away due to the kindness of those around us. It was incredible to me to see the love and sacrifice those around us were willing to show us in our time of need. The night we moved out we received multiple phone calls from the ward members, my friends at school, and Cylynn's friends at work offering places to stay and help to move. I may be repeating some of the remarks Cylynn made in previous posts but I want to show my gratitude.
I am grateful for the Lord's blessings in our lives. Unfortunately, even though we were able to move into our apartment so quickly I cannot claim that we arranged our apartment back to the way it was nearly as quickly. It remained in the state you can see below for far too long. I did enjoy my new computer though, as you can see.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Shyla's Accusations
For those of you that do not read the comments at the end of each post let me display Shyla's comment for you. The following is a direct quote.
“I sure am sorry to hear about all the problems you have had. I'm glad you are okay though. Nonetheless, I have an extremely serious concern. I couldn't help but immediately notice that in the picture of the belongings you left in the apt to possibly be flooded, was your plant. Was that Jade? Wasn't she your practice child? I mean, what I'm seeing here is that when your life was in danger you left anything that was holding you back and apparently that is the category Jade fell into. She was right next to the trash can! I now have even more misgivings than I did before about you being responsible for a real child. Please explain yourself--if you can.”
A few words on our behalf. Yes it is in fact Jade in the picture. However what you don't know is that we took the picture the night before we moved all of our stuff and therefore it only appears that Jade is going to remain behind. We took her from household to household and though we were worried about her going into shock because of the many different environments in which we lived, she survived.
She was a real trooper and we are so proud of her. I have to say that even after all of the moving she is standing a little taller, growing a little bigger and loving her new family more and more every day.
So Shyla, please do not worry about our ability to parent we are doing a wonderful job. We feed her once a week, talk to her at least twice a week and the best part is that we never have to clean up after her. If this is what parenting is like I say...BRING ON THE CHILDREN!
If you are having misgivings about our ability to raise a practice child just reminisce a little about our time together in Arizona and how well I took care of you. Don't make me list the ways in which I raised you to be a contributing citizen to society.
“I sure am sorry to hear about all the problems you have had. I'm glad you are okay though. Nonetheless, I have an extremely serious concern. I couldn't help but immediately notice that in the picture of the belongings you left in the apt to possibly be flooded, was your plant. Was that Jade? Wasn't she your practice child? I mean, what I'm seeing here is that when your life was in danger you left anything that was holding you back and apparently that is the category Jade fell into. She was right next to the trash can! I now have even more misgivings than I did before about you being responsible for a real child. Please explain yourself--if you can.”
A few words on our behalf. Yes it is in fact Jade in the picture. However what you don't know is that we took the picture the night before we moved all of our stuff and therefore it only appears that Jade is going to remain behind. We took her from household to household and though we were worried about her going into shock because of the many different environments in which we lived, she survived.
She was a real trooper and we are so proud of her. I have to say that even after all of the moving she is standing a little taller, growing a little bigger and loving her new family more and more every day.
So Shyla, please do not worry about our ability to parent we are doing a wonderful job. We feed her once a week, talk to her at least twice a week and the best part is that we never have to clean up after her. If this is what parenting is like I say...BRING ON THE CHILDREN!
If you are having misgivings about our ability to raise a practice child just reminisce a little about our time together in Arizona and how well I took care of you. Don't make me list the ways in which I raised you to be a contributing citizen to society.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up
Here are a few photographs from our flood experience. First we have a picture of our home when we decided to evacuate. The unfortunate fact that Sterling does not possess any ark building skills forced us to stack things on our counter top or pack them up and move them out.
Next we have an illustration of what happens if you don't move your car before the road is closed. We were lucky enough to get the car to safety literally minutes before the road closed. Had we not moved the car we might have been forced to swim to school and work.
Here we have a picture of a man trying to save his refrigerator. I think his efforts were in vain and by the way who would want to save a refrigerator that is floating in poo infested waters? Not me! Anyway, this was taken right in front of our house the day we decided to move. Imagine going to bed when the water is level with the top of the curb and waking up to waist deep water in the street.
In this picture we tried to show just how close the water was to our apartment when we finally finished moving everything. To Sterling's right what used to be our street but is now a river and to his left is the front of our apartment building. Luckily we live in the back of the building and the it is built on a slight incline. The front two apartments sustained a majority of the damage for which we are saddened and a little grateful. We are sad because some of our neighbors lost quite a few of their belongings and yet we are grateful because our home was spared and we don't have to be homeless any longer. We moved home today (6/28/08)!
And finally at least these little guys enjoyed the water levels. This is the apartment two days after we moved. As you can see the water is only being held back by the sandbags that some kind citizens stacked around the building. The sandbags were not able to stop the flood waters from reaching our complex entirely but they sure helped to minimize the damage that could have occurred.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Morton Salt Had It Right!
So the Morton Salt slogan is "When it rains, it pours[.]" and that is exactly what we have had to live through for the past few weeks.
If you don't know already, Iowa has experienced some extreme flooding and Sterling and I have been able to enjoy it firsthand. On June 13th Sterling and I evacuated our apartment and literally headed for higher ground.
The Iowa River (one block east of our apartment complex) and Clear Creek (one block south of our apartment complex) were both rising quickly causing a little anxiety for Sterling. I, on the other hand, remained calm and tried to ease his anxieties by attempting to convince him that it was not going to affect us and if it did we shouldn't worry because none of our possessions were all that precious. My efforts were in vain because Sterling knew that there was a reason to worry and I was living in denial.
As the flooding continued it was apparent that our apartment and our belongings were in danger. When Sterling came home from work that day our street was almost completely filled with water and as far as we could tell the city would be denying access to our street sooner than later. At about 7:30 pm we went outside to check on the flooding and decided that it would be wise if we moved our car to an apartment complex behind us which is set on a hill. Within minutes of our decision to move the car to a safe location our road was closed.
This would make it difficult (but not impossible) to evacuate if needed. We went back into the apartment and immediately started packing our belongings and discussing what we would save if it came to an immediate evacuation. We moved everything to the counter tops or to the highest shelf possible in each of the rooms. Sterling was making telephone calls to people in the ward in order to find help with moving our couches and beds which were not going to fit on the counter top. By the time Sterling had made arrangements to move our larger pieces of furniture the drizzling rain had turned into torrential downpour and all of his efforts had been foiled. We would have to wait until the morning to move.
It is amazing how quickly we packed up our home. We started packing at 8:30 pm and by 12:30 am we were finished. Please note that at least one half hour was designated to Sterling trying to console me during my breakdown when the reality of the situation set in. It turns out that I am a little more attached to our belongings than I thought. I was trying to save so many things that I am sure Sterling considered ridiculous but he never complained or laughed at me and I am grateful for that.
The next morning the moving crew (Steve Courtright and Ben Robbins) arrived at 8:30 and the evacuation began. We had carry everything to a parking lot behind our complex. It made moving less pleasurable than most moving experiences (which aren't fun to begin with) but well worth it. At first we were just going to move our couches and beds but in the end we moved almost everything we own. All of it isn't worth much monetarily but the memories associated with our belongings are priceless.
Since the evacuation we have moved three different times. In fact our friend Ben saw us moving the other day and said, "Hurry grab the next available apartment before the music stops." Musical apartments is not as fun as it sounds. It consists of living out of a suitcase, carrying all of your dirty laundry in the one laundry basket you decided to bring along, transporting your "necessary" foods from refrigerator to refrigerator, doing laundry whenever the five outfits you packed are soiled and sleeping on the couch or the floor depending on whether or not the both of you are home at the same time.
All in all our experience seems like a vacation gone horribly wrong. We get the pleasure of living out of suitcases but we still have to go to work.
If you don't know already, Iowa has experienced some extreme flooding and Sterling and I have been able to enjoy it firsthand. On June 13th Sterling and I evacuated our apartment and literally headed for higher ground.
The Iowa River (one block east of our apartment complex) and Clear Creek (one block south of our apartment complex) were both rising quickly causing a little anxiety for Sterling. I, on the other hand, remained calm and tried to ease his anxieties by attempting to convince him that it was not going to affect us and if it did we shouldn't worry because none of our possessions were all that precious. My efforts were in vain because Sterling knew that there was a reason to worry and I was living in denial.
As the flooding continued it was apparent that our apartment and our belongings were in danger. When Sterling came home from work that day our street was almost completely filled with water and as far as we could tell the city would be denying access to our street sooner than later. At about 7:30 pm we went outside to check on the flooding and decided that it would be wise if we moved our car to an apartment complex behind us which is set on a hill. Within minutes of our decision to move the car to a safe location our road was closed.
This would make it difficult (but not impossible) to evacuate if needed. We went back into the apartment and immediately started packing our belongings and discussing what we would save if it came to an immediate evacuation. We moved everything to the counter tops or to the highest shelf possible in each of the rooms. Sterling was making telephone calls to people in the ward in order to find help with moving our couches and beds which were not going to fit on the counter top. By the time Sterling had made arrangements to move our larger pieces of furniture the drizzling rain had turned into torrential downpour and all of his efforts had been foiled. We would have to wait until the morning to move.
It is amazing how quickly we packed up our home. We started packing at 8:30 pm and by 12:30 am we were finished. Please note that at least one half hour was designated to Sterling trying to console me during my breakdown when the reality of the situation set in. It turns out that I am a little more attached to our belongings than I thought. I was trying to save so many things that I am sure Sterling considered ridiculous but he never complained or laughed at me and I am grateful for that.
The next morning the moving crew (Steve Courtright and Ben Robbins) arrived at 8:30 and the evacuation began. We had carry everything to a parking lot behind our complex. It made moving less pleasurable than most moving experiences (which aren't fun to begin with) but well worth it. At first we were just going to move our couches and beds but in the end we moved almost everything we own. All of it isn't worth much monetarily but the memories associated with our belongings are priceless.
Since the evacuation we have moved three different times. In fact our friend Ben saw us moving the other day and said, "Hurry grab the next available apartment before the music stops." Musical apartments is not as fun as it sounds. It consists of living out of a suitcase, carrying all of your dirty laundry in the one laundry basket you decided to bring along, transporting your "necessary" foods from refrigerator to refrigerator, doing laundry whenever the five outfits you packed are soiled and sleeping on the couch or the floor depending on whether or not the both of you are home at the same time.
All in all our experience seems like a vacation gone horribly wrong. We get the pleasure of living out of suitcases but we still have to go to work.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Starting a Family
This past weekend Sterling and I did some redecorating. One of our generous neighbors was doing some down-sizing and put some shelving and a small cabinet out by the garbage. On my way to get Sterling from work I noticed the cute little cabinet and decided that we could use some more furniture to make our home look more like a home and less like a mere living space.
The shelving is a corner shelf and provides a delightful place to display our wedding album. The cabinet serves as a bookshelf and storage for our past Ensign and Liahona magazines. The color scheme of the new furniture (red and purple) doesn't exactly match the brown couches, carpet and coffee table that we have in the living room but it adds a nice little touch to our mundane life.
So now that our apartment looks more like a home we have decided that it is time for us to put our parenting skills to the test. We have saved up and we are ready for the challenge. We have decided on the name Jade.
Now don't get your hopes up. The addition to our family is a plant. We still aren't prepared for a real family and we don't want animals so we decided that the best way to test our abilities as nurturers, parents and providers was to buy a plant. We decided on the name Jade because that is the type of plant that we bought.
We are already struggling to take care of our plant. In fact Sterling called mom to ask for suggestions and I spoke to Jaycia three different times to find out how to tell if a plant is an indoor or outdoor plant, what we need to do in order to replant our little baby and how often do we feed it. Hopefully when we finally decide to have children it won't be this difficult.
Like most proud parents, we will post pictures soon.
The shelving is a corner shelf and provides a delightful place to display our wedding album. The cabinet serves as a bookshelf and storage for our past Ensign and Liahona magazines. The color scheme of the new furniture (red and purple) doesn't exactly match the brown couches, carpet and coffee table that we have in the living room but it adds a nice little touch to our mundane life.
So now that our apartment looks more like a home we have decided that it is time for us to put our parenting skills to the test. We have saved up and we are ready for the challenge. We have decided on the name Jade.
Now don't get your hopes up. The addition to our family is a plant. We still aren't prepared for a real family and we don't want animals so we decided that the best way to test our abilities as nurturers, parents and providers was to buy a plant. We decided on the name Jade because that is the type of plant that we bought.
We are already struggling to take care of our plant. In fact Sterling called mom to ask for suggestions and I spoke to Jaycia three different times to find out how to tell if a plant is an indoor or outdoor plant, what we need to do in order to replant our little baby and how often do we feed it. Hopefully when we finally decide to have children it won't be this difficult.
Like most proud parents, we will post pictures soon.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Sweet Memories
Earlier this month Sterling and I were able to attend the sealing of one of my very best friends. We were privileged to travel to Nauvoo and witness the eternal union of Gina Valenti and Mat Brox.
Gina was one of my college roommates. It is both interesting and entertaining to look back on my time spent in Arizona and reminisce about the good and bad experiences with which I was blessed. I owe a great deal of thanks to those with whom I lived for their influence during those years.
Imagine six girls, all from different backgrounds, most of them only briefly acquainted with each other and managing to live together under one roof. Gina came to live with us when one of our roommates finished her final semester of school. I still remember the day that Gina came to look at the house and see if it was going to be a good fit for her.
Shyla, Erin and I were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast while Kristen showed her the house. When Gina left we each took turns stating the reasons why we thought Gina would fit in with us and then stating our concerns. I don't think we could have imagined what great friends we would become and how perfect she was for all of us at that time.
All of that was about five years ago. Since then we have all moved out of the house, most of us are married and very few of us still live in Arizona. Although we are separated by many miles and we have not lived together for many years, the memories made at 1237 W. Hermosa Drive still live on.
I am as grateful to Gina for the memories that were made during our time together in Arizona as I am for the sweet memory of her sealing. It is such a blessing to see how the strengths and weaknesses of each of the six girls has blessed our lives in a variety of ways. Though we are not bound together by the walls we call home we will forever be bound together by the memories made within the walls of that home.
So to Josie, Shyla, Erin, Jordan and Gina I want to say thank you for your love, support, friendship and especially for the sweet memories.
Gina was one of my college roommates. It is both interesting and entertaining to look back on my time spent in Arizona and reminisce about the good and bad experiences with which I was blessed. I owe a great deal of thanks to those with whom I lived for their influence during those years.
Imagine six girls, all from different backgrounds, most of them only briefly acquainted with each other and managing to live together under one roof. Gina came to live with us when one of our roommates finished her final semester of school. I still remember the day that Gina came to look at the house and see if it was going to be a good fit for her.
Shyla, Erin and I were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast while Kristen showed her the house. When Gina left we each took turns stating the reasons why we thought Gina would fit in with us and then stating our concerns. I don't think we could have imagined what great friends we would become and how perfect she was for all of us at that time.
All of that was about five years ago. Since then we have all moved out of the house, most of us are married and very few of us still live in Arizona. Although we are separated by many miles and we have not lived together for many years, the memories made at 1237 W. Hermosa Drive still live on.
I am as grateful to Gina for the memories that were made during our time together in Arizona as I am for the sweet memory of her sealing. It is such a blessing to see how the strengths and weaknesses of each of the six girls has blessed our lives in a variety of ways. Though we are not bound together by the walls we call home we will forever be bound together by the memories made within the walls of that home.
So to Josie, Shyla, Erin, Jordan and Gina I want to say thank you for your love, support, friendship and especially for the sweet memories.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Bella Pella
Due to the insufficient insertion of phone into pocket Sterling was without a phone Sunday night. Monday morning we called some friends to find out if it was in their car because Sterling had already checked everywhere for it.
Luckily it was safe in the front seat of their car and they said we could come and get it at any time during the day. The wife would be home all day and all night so whenever we showed up she would be there. Initially I thought of how convenient this was for us because Sterling had to be at the hospital Monday morning so that he could sit in on a cochlear implant surgery. However the more I thought about it I started to feel badly for her.
NOTE: In order to prevent confusion I will let you know that this post is not about Sterling's phone but is in fact about me. I have to tell the story of the phone so that I can talk about my thoughts which will then lead us to the actual reason for this post.
On with the story. After the thoughts of gratitude for her being home all day I started to worry about what it would be like to be a stay-at-home mom. I began to convince myself that having children was more of a restriction than a blessing and so I voiced my thoughts to Sterling. I told him that I couldn't imagine sitting in our house all day with our children and doing nothing else. I told him that I was pretty sure that I would need to work or occupy my time with something other than our children all day every day. I then started asking a bunch of rhetorical questions regarding staying at home and though they were rhetorical Sterling answered almost every single one of them.
The answer that leads to why I am posting today was, "Well Cylynn, why do you think so many of the people in the ward have so many posts on their blog? It's because they stay home all day and have a lot of time. Just think of how our blog would be if you stayed home all day. You could post all the time."
I replied, "I don't want to post all the time. Honey why do you think we have very few posts on our blog? It's because one post is enough to make me not want to write for at least a few weeks. If I stayed home all day our blog would look the same, as it does now."
So long story longer, I am writing today as a result of the above stated events. I want all of you to be updated on the fun and exciting things happening in our lives. Unfortunately the most exciting things at this time is our trip to Pella and our boring conversations that lead me to making boring posts. But I decided that if I don't take the time now to post the final picture collage from Pella then I might not get around to it ever.
So now a brief description of the post. The title of this post, though incorrect, means beautiful Pella.
The festival was fun and the flowers were absolutely beautiful. I have selected a few pictures of floats from the parades, pictures of tulips and the enormous windmill to share with all of you. Although you cannot comprehend nor imagine how beautiful it really was by simply viewing my amateur photographs, I hope you enjoy it just the same.
Stay tuned for more uneventful updates on our life in Iowa.
Luckily it was safe in the front seat of their car and they said we could come and get it at any time during the day. The wife would be home all day and all night so whenever we showed up she would be there. Initially I thought of how convenient this was for us because Sterling had to be at the hospital Monday morning so that he could sit in on a cochlear implant surgery. However the more I thought about it I started to feel badly for her.
NOTE: In order to prevent confusion I will let you know that this post is not about Sterling's phone but is in fact about me. I have to tell the story of the phone so that I can talk about my thoughts which will then lead us to the actual reason for this post.
On with the story. After the thoughts of gratitude for her being home all day I started to worry about what it would be like to be a stay-at-home mom. I began to convince myself that having children was more of a restriction than a blessing and so I voiced my thoughts to Sterling. I told him that I couldn't imagine sitting in our house all day with our children and doing nothing else. I told him that I was pretty sure that I would need to work or occupy my time with something other than our children all day every day. I then started asking a bunch of rhetorical questions regarding staying at home and though they were rhetorical Sterling answered almost every single one of them.
The answer that leads to why I am posting today was, "Well Cylynn, why do you think so many of the people in the ward have so many posts on their blog? It's because they stay home all day and have a lot of time. Just think of how our blog would be if you stayed home all day. You could post all the time."
I replied, "I don't want to post all the time. Honey why do you think we have very few posts on our blog? It's because one post is enough to make me not want to write for at least a few weeks. If I stayed home all day our blog would look the same, as it does now."
So long story longer, I am writing today as a result of the above stated events. I want all of you to be updated on the fun and exciting things happening in our lives. Unfortunately the most exciting things at this time is our trip to Pella and our boring conversations that lead me to making boring posts. But I decided that if I don't take the time now to post the final picture collage from Pella then I might not get around to it ever.So now a brief description of the post. The title of this post, though incorrect, means beautiful Pella.
The festival was fun and the flowers were absolutely beautiful. I have selected a few pictures of floats from the parades, pictures of tulips and the enormous windmill to share with all of you. Although you cannot comprehend nor imagine how beautiful it really was by simply viewing my amateur photographs, I hope you enjoy it just the same.
Stay tuned for more uneventful updates on our life in Iowa.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Tulip Festival or Two-Lip Festival...
that is the question. I didn't think I needed to explain what kind of festival it was, after all I did tell him that tulips are my favorite "flower." Let me explain where the confusion started. I will need to back up to our arrival at the bed and breakfast but I think that is the best place to start.We arrived at the bed and breakfast at the precise hour that we indicated when making the reservation. We had made some pretty strict plans as to when we wanted to be to the festival on Friday since we wouldn't be there all day Saturday and many of the evening events were re-runs, if you will. This would make it possible for us to see everything we had in mind if we kept to our schedule. For example there was a lighted parade both nights, there was a tractor rodeo both nights, there was an opera both nights and well I think you get the idea.
In order to arrive home at a decent hour on Saturday we needed to catch the tractor rodeo, opera and lighted parade on Friday night thus our on-time arrival at the bed and breakfast was critical (at least in my mind). So up to this point we are on schedule and so I invite you to come along and enjoy the festival through my eyes.
Event #1: The Opera/Musical
At 6:20 pm Sterling and I arrived at the Pella Opera House for Shakespeare's forgotten musical! A rollicking musical based very loosely on the 1956 sci-fi film Forbidden Planet, itself a take off on William Shakespeare's The Tempest. Presented by the Central College Theatre and Music Departments which, I am sad to say, was very hard to tell whether or not some of actors/actresses participated in either theatre or music. That said, it was both fun and funny. They sang a variety of songs that Sterling and I have been singing for days now. Sadly my musical talent is no better but my delivery is phenomenal.
After the musical we meandered the streets of Pella looking in shops, checked out the goodies that we might want to buy from the bakery, ogled the delicious food that we would taste on the morrow, marked our territory for the parade (Note: our territory marking was not done in the same fashion as a dog marks his territory. Instead we simply made a mental note as to where we might like to sit) and finally we settled for a cup of hot chocolate because my attire was insufficient protection from the bitter weather that evening.
Event #2: The Parade
I would like to say that we sipped our cocoa all the way to our parade post but I think it is honest to say that I chugged that baby! Details, details.
Our parade post consisted of a tree that we could lean up against while we waited for the parade to start. It didn't seem too crowded around our post so we thought we had done well for ourselves, you know being first time Pella Lighted Parade attendees, but we soon found out that we actually picked the last street where the parade would tour. Not only was it the last street but it was in a location where you couldn't hear the emcee as he explained each of the floats. Our parade post was bad for the following reasons.
- I guzzled my hot chocolate in a few seconds and that was about 20-30 minutes before the parade would begin.
- Did I mention that my clothing was not suitable for 30 0r 40 degree weather ?
- Does anyone know how long it takes for a parade to reach the last street when the floats and marching bands are going about 1 mph!
- Our blanket that we take on trips for emergencies happened to be in the car, not at the emergency aka MY COLD BODY!
- Sterling got himself into quite the predicament.
The fifth reason may not seem to relate the the other four, but you will see why it made the list. Stand with me on the curb as the floats pass and you will understand.
Do you see all of the creative floats? "Ooh, that one is neat." "I like that one." "Interesting." Oh honey, look those ladies are giving out tulips."
Event #3: The Tulip for Two-Lips
The girl and I make eye contact and she approaches us. Here is the conversation that takes place.
Girl: Would you like to buy a tulip?
Sterling: How much does it cost?
Girl: A kiss on the cheek.
Sterling: Really?
Girl: Yep.
Sterling: ... ... ...He said nothing. I think it caught him off guard and since she was already standing at the curb waiting for her "curbside service" he kissed her on the cheek. As a direct result, I was the proud recipient of a yellow tulip.
One weekend out on the town and Sterling is kissing girls. Good thing I was with him to explain that it was a Tulip festival not a Two-Lip festival or he may have gone crazy giving out kisses for free!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Corn, Cows and Country Lanes
The bed and breakfast that we stayed at was in fact on a farm. Though this may not sound appealing to many of you Sterling and I found our stay quite pleasurable. It was extremely relaxing and it provided a nice break from the monotony of our daily lives. The farm was out in the middle of nowhere, as most farms are, and we could see rolling hills in every direction, corn fields as far as we could see and an occasional home if we were lucky. On the farm there were ducks, sheep, a "real" sheep dog that watches over the flock, cows, peacocks, a llama, goats and of course cats.
There was a small fire ring out in front of our bunkhouse where we roasted hot dogs and made s'mores on Friday night. We weren't sure that we were going to be able to have a fire because the weather had been so poor throughout the week and the forecast predicted rain showers all day. But with a little bit of luck the weather allowed us to have a campfire and enjoy the heat for a little while before turning in for the night.
Rise and Shine, that is what you do on a farm right? Saturday was the day dedicated mostly to the festival and though we were looking forward to it, we may have more excited about a nice big breakfast. Dwight and Arlene delivered!At 8:00 Saturday morning we went to the main house for breakfast with the three other couples staying there. We had pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, fruit salad, grapes, juice and a small dessert cake. Though I wanted to continue feasting forever my stomach couldn't take it.
The bed was good, the breakfast was great and thus we have concluded that a bed and breakfast is the way to go, even if it is a bunkhouse.
Who Wants to Attend a Tulip Festival...
evidently a lot of people.
You might ask yourself what is there to do in Iowa? We have asked ourselves and others that same question since we moved to Iowa. Finally this past week I got a response from one of my colleagues and she said..."You could always attend the Tulip Festival." I think she was being extremely sarcastic when she recommended the festival but we started doing some investigating and decided that we would attend.
Our decision was based on two things. One, tulips are my favorite flower. Two, we have been couped up in our house for the past 7 months and needed to get out.
So we started doing some research on the Internet and thought that it might be a good idea to try and get a hotel room for the weekend. Unfortunately my colleague didn't tell me that all hotels within 50 miles of the festival are booked at least one year in advance. We searched the Internet for a motel, bed and breakfast and camping ground for availability but our searches returned the same results, "No Availability." However I was determined to find a place to stay so at about 7:00 am on April 25th I started calling a few bed and breakfasts in the area in complete desperation. Nobody answered the phone at the first three I called, which I found quite ironic considering that fact that they should have been awake making breakfast for any visitors staying there.
Anyway don't worry I had success on the fourth call. I almost couldn't believe that someone answered. Initially Dwight, that is the name of the owner, told me that they had no availability. I then asked if he had any recommendations as to where we might be able to find a place to stay for the weekend of the festival and I broke him with my persistence. Under pressure he admitted that they did have a small bunkhouse on the property that we could stay at for the weekend. Wait, wait, the kicker...it doesn't have a bathroom because it is used for people that are hunting or fishing in the area but there is a game room about 20 yards away that has a full bathroom that we could use for all of our bathroom needs.
How do you refuse an offer like that? So we said we would take it. I then asked if he wanted our last name and his response was, "Well right now I am out haying the cows and so I won't be able to get it from you. Can you call back at 8:00? I should be back at the house then and you can give me your name and number for the reservation." I kindly agreed (mostly because he was our only option) and said that I would talk to him soon.
Out "haying" the cows...what is this some sort of farm? I didn't actually say that but I was thinking it as he spoke. But we were desperate and we needed a place to stay if we were going to attend the festival. I should have known though that it was a farm because what is there in Iowa? Corn, cows and well that equals farms.
So without making this too lengthy I will just say that we ended up getting the bunkhouse for the weekend and it turned out to be a good time.
Check back in the near future for pictures of the festival and the farm.
You might ask yourself what is there to do in Iowa? We have asked ourselves and others that same question since we moved to Iowa. Finally this past week I got a response from one of my colleagues and she said..."You could always attend the Tulip Festival." I think she was being extremely sarcastic when she recommended the festival but we started doing some investigating and decided that we would attend.
Our decision was based on two things. One, tulips are my favorite flower. Two, we have been couped up in our house for the past 7 months and needed to get out.
So we started doing some research on the Internet and thought that it might be a good idea to try and get a hotel room for the weekend. Unfortunately my colleague didn't tell me that all hotels within 50 miles of the festival are booked at least one year in advance. We searched the Internet for a motel, bed and breakfast and camping ground for availability but our searches returned the same results, "No Availability." However I was determined to find a place to stay so at about 7:00 am on April 25th I started calling a few bed and breakfasts in the area in complete desperation. Nobody answered the phone at the first three I called, which I found quite ironic considering that fact that they should have been awake making breakfast for any visitors staying there.
Anyway don't worry I had success on the fourth call. I almost couldn't believe that someone answered. Initially Dwight, that is the name of the owner, told me that they had no availability. I then asked if he had any recommendations as to where we might be able to find a place to stay for the weekend of the festival and I broke him with my persistence. Under pressure he admitted that they did have a small bunkhouse on the property that we could stay at for the weekend. Wait, wait, the kicker...it doesn't have a bathroom because it is used for people that are hunting or fishing in the area but there is a game room about 20 yards away that has a full bathroom that we could use for all of our bathroom needs.
How do you refuse an offer like that? So we said we would take it. I then asked if he wanted our last name and his response was, "Well right now I am out haying the cows and so I won't be able to get it from you. Can you call back at 8:00? I should be back at the house then and you can give me your name and number for the reservation." I kindly agreed (mostly because he was our only option) and said that I would talk to him soon.
Out "haying" the cows...what is this some sort of farm? I didn't actually say that but I was thinking it as he spoke. But we were desperate and we needed a place to stay if we were going to attend the festival. I should have known though that it was a farm because what is there in Iowa? Corn, cows and well that equals farms.
So without making this too lengthy I will just say that we ended up getting the bunkhouse for the weekend and it turned out to be a good time.
Check back in the near future for pictures of the festival and the farm.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Time Marches On
Well today is two years since Sterling and I met. I remember it so vividly. We were sitting directly across from each other at the breakfast table at the Ross' wedding breakfast. Steve Hatch was to my right, Bukran was to the left of Sterling and Lauren was in between Bukran and I.
After short introductions and mild excitement about working in Albuquerque together for the summer Steve made a comment that provided for one of the most awkward moments of my life. However that same comment would turn out to be completely true. He said, "I bet Sterling and Cylynn hook up this summer."
Now just imagine Sterling and I looking in a million different directions without making eye contact with each other and now imagine everyone else at the table looking at us for some sort of reaction. The best reaction Sterling or I could offer was to sit there with our teeth in our mouths and hope that someone else said something to break the awkward tension. Unfortunately nobody said anything for a while and so we were left to our own means of coping with the awkward setting that Steve had so kindly created.
Throughout the day Lauren and I would laugh about the comment but even then whenever I saw Sterling things were just plain strange. In fact I can remember one time when he sat down to talk to me about the summer (I think he talked to me mostly out of duty because he was going to be my boss) and small chit-chat things that it seems like we, as people, always tend to talk about when we are trying to either make conversation or get to know someone. Luckily, in my mind, he was quickly called away for wedding pictures and so our conversation didn't last long.
At another point in the day one of my mission companions tried to get me to flirt with Sterling but I was having none of that. I figured that he would be my boss for the summer and then we would never see each other again.
Oh how wrong I was. Two years later I am so happy to have been put in such an awkward situation at the breakfast table. That breakfast conversation has lead to many laughs as we look back on our two "awkward" years of happiness. I love you Sterling!
After short introductions and mild excitement about working in Albuquerque together for the summer Steve made a comment that provided for one of the most awkward moments of my life. However that same comment would turn out to be completely true. He said, "I bet Sterling and Cylynn hook up this summer."
Now just imagine Sterling and I looking in a million different directions without making eye contact with each other and now imagine everyone else at the table looking at us for some sort of reaction. The best reaction Sterling or I could offer was to sit there with our teeth in our mouths and hope that someone else said something to break the awkward tension. Unfortunately nobody said anything for a while and so we were left to our own means of coping with the awkward setting that Steve had so kindly created.
Throughout the day Lauren and I would laugh about the comment but even then whenever I saw Sterling things were just plain strange. In fact I can remember one time when he sat down to talk to me about the summer (I think he talked to me mostly out of duty because he was going to be my boss) and small chit-chat things that it seems like we, as people, always tend to talk about when we are trying to either make conversation or get to know someone. Luckily, in my mind, he was quickly called away for wedding pictures and so our conversation didn't last long.
At another point in the day one of my mission companions tried to get me to flirt with Sterling but I was having none of that. I figured that he would be my boss for the summer and then we would never see each other again.
Oh how wrong I was. Two years later I am so happy to have been put in such an awkward situation at the breakfast table. That breakfast conversation has lead to many laughs as we look back on our two "awkward" years of happiness. I love you Sterling!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
sNOw fun
For any of you that know me will also know that I hate cold weather. In fact I have even given up one of my favorite hobbies, snowboarding, because cold weather makes me want to die. Perhaps I can attribute this to the fact that while living in Arizona I chose to basque in the sun for hours on end. I didn't necessarily sun bathe if that is what you want to call it. I would sit in my car, with the windows rolled up, in the middle of summer and enjoy every minute of it. I loved being out in the hot air loving every minute of it.
After adjusting to the wonderful heat for many years trying to go back to a colder climate has been miserable. People will often ask me how I managed to grow up in Wyoming if I hate the cold weather so much. I have no reasons or explanations as to how I did it but thankfully I am not there any longer. The sad reality however is that I managed to move to a state where the humidity only adds to the fun. The summer is unbearable because the minute you walk outside you are sweating your face off and in the winter it is just plain cold, and bitter at that.
Anyway, enough of my complaining. I just thought I would post some of the rare pictures of me in the snow. These pictures are from our Christmas vacation where we spent time with both of our families. Sterling managed to talk me into playing in the snow two different times.
The first time was when Kaili decided that making an entire snow family was the best idea her little mind had ever conceived. We didn't make an entire family because the snow was not cooperating but we did manage to make one snowman and one snow dog.
Sterling and I were in charge of making the snow dog and though it looks more like a snow turtle, you will be pleased to know that Kaili absolutely loved it. And from the pictures you will also note that Joseph loved it as well.
The second time that Sterling convinced me to play in the snow was so that we could go sledding with his family. I have some pretty sweet videos of Sterling, Rachel and Mary Jane going off of two jumps but unfortunately I recorded with my camera turned 180 degrees and unfortunately you cannot rotate a video to post it properly. So the pictures of us on the tubes will have to suffice.
Perhaps next year I will not be such a big baby and do a little more. After all when it was all said and done we did have a rather enjoyable time. Maybe Sterling will buy me some hand and feet warmers so that I don't have to complain so much. Or even better I could just commit to not complaining....no thanks, I'll take the warmers.
After adjusting to the wonderful heat for many years trying to go back to a colder climate has been miserable. People will often ask me how I managed to grow up in Wyoming if I hate the cold weather so much. I have no reasons or explanations as to how I did it but thankfully I am not there any longer. The sad reality however is that I managed to move to a state where the humidity only adds to the fun. The summer is unbearable because the minute you walk outside you are sweating your face off and in the winter it is just plain cold, and bitter at that.
Anyway, enough of my complaining. I just thought I would post some of the rare pictures of me in the snow. These pictures are from our Christmas vacation where we spent time with both of our families. Sterling managed to talk me into playing in the snow two different times.
The first time was when Kaili decided that making an entire snow family was the best idea her little mind had ever conceived. We didn't make an entire family because the snow was not cooperating but we did manage to make one snowman and one snow dog.Sterling and I were in charge of making the snow dog and though it looks more like a snow turtle, you will be pleased to know that Kaili absolutely loved it. And from the pictures you will also note that Joseph loved it as well.
The second time that Sterling convinced me to play in the snow was so that we could go sledding with his family. I have some pretty sweet videos of Sterling, Rachel and Mary Jane going off of two jumps but unfortunately I recorded with my camera turned 180 degrees and unfortunately you cannot rotate a video to post it properly. So the pictures of us on the tubes will have to suffice.
Perhaps next year I will not be such a big baby and do a little more. After all when it was all said and done we did have a rather enjoyable time. Maybe Sterling will buy me some hand and feet warmers so that I don't have to complain so much. Or even better I could just commit to not complaining....no thanks, I'll take the warmers.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Harder than I ever imagined
So if any of you view(ed) this blog on a regular basis, I am sure you have been discouraged from doing so at this point. Not because I don't post anything really interesting but because I simply do not post.
I have decided, again, that I am going to try and do a better job of updating our blog so that people know what is happening in our lives. Perhaps I have said this before, but my biggest problem is that I feel like posting without pictures is boring. At this point my problems are compounding because I also don't really like to take pictures. Given the previously stated circumstances the end result can only be failure.
When we first decided to set up a blog I thought I would be amazing at it. I just assumed that I would be as good at blogging as I am at most other things. Well I wasn't far off on that assumption because as with most other aspects of my life I am only mediocre. I must have been delusional the day I decided to make a family blog and thought I would be a diligent at posting.
The only thing I can do at this point is to do things that are interesting enough to post, carry the camera wherever we go and do my best to post at least once a week, perhaps on my days off.
I have decided, again, that I am going to try and do a better job of updating our blog so that people know what is happening in our lives. Perhaps I have said this before, but my biggest problem is that I feel like posting without pictures is boring. At this point my problems are compounding because I also don't really like to take pictures. Given the previously stated circumstances the end result can only be failure.
When we first decided to set up a blog I thought I would be amazing at it. I just assumed that I would be as good at blogging as I am at most other things. Well I wasn't far off on that assumption because as with most other aspects of my life I am only mediocre. I must have been delusional the day I decided to make a family blog and thought I would be a diligent at posting.
The only thing I can do at this point is to do things that are interesting enough to post, carry the camera wherever we go and do my best to post at least once a week, perhaps on my days off.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Hell Froze Over
So I am sure that we have all heard the phrase "...when hell freezes over."
When we first moved to Iowa I remember unloading our moving truck, sweating my guts out and thinking that somehow Sterling and I had just arrived in hell. Sterling had to keep drinking water or Gatorade in order to keep himself hydrated and alive. As for me, I had to simply keep moving in order to keep myself from either sitting down in the apartment and refusing Sterling further help or from getting in that truck and driving back to a dry climate.
It took a good five months before Iowa froze over and I do mean this literally.
I kept hearing rumors of horrible ice storms that knocked down power lines leaving people without power for up to a week. I couldn't imagine what the Iowans were talking about but I had to trust their stories until I could witness it for myself. Well I didn't have to wait long before our first ice storm was announced and found out that the rumors were actually true.
On December 1, 2007 at 7:45 am Sterling and I headed out to do some shopping and other errands for the day. It didn't seem like the ice storm was going to be too bad since at that time there was no ice falling from the sky nor was it raining both of which I thought necessary for a proper ice storm. I soon came to understand that it doesn't take more than a few minutes in the grocery store for an ice storm to go from non-existent to full-on ice storm.
Once we got home from our morning errands we didn't leave the house for the rest of the day and though the ice was outside I could feel it chilling my bones even while I was inside.
So when someone says "...when hell freezes over[.]" you can actually tell the person that it has basically happened and I am living proof that Iowa, on occasion, freezes over.
So if you are wondering what the first picture on the page is of then let me explain. The picture is taken from the passenger seat of the car. I rolled down the window and the sheet of ice remained in place while the window willing rolled down. You can't just scrape off 1/4" sheet of ice that happens to form on the car during a "mild" ice storm.
Supposedly the storms will worsen right before spring and so we would ask each of you to enjoy the weather that you experience because it could be worse, you could live in Iowa.
When we first moved to Iowa I remember unloading our moving truck, sweating my guts out and thinking that somehow Sterling and I had just arrived in hell. Sterling had to keep drinking water or Gatorade in order to keep himself hydrated and alive. As for me, I had to simply keep moving in order to keep myself from either sitting down in the apartment and refusing Sterling further help or from getting in that truck and driving back to a dry climate.
It took a good five months before Iowa froze over and I do mean this literally.
I kept hearing rumors of horrible ice storms that knocked down power lines leaving people without power for up to a week. I couldn't imagine what the Iowans were talking about but I had to trust their stories until I could witness it for myself. Well I didn't have to wait long before our first ice storm was announced and found out that the rumors were actually true.On December 1, 2007 at 7:45 am Sterling and I headed out to do some shopping and other errands for the day. It didn't seem like the ice storm was going to be too bad since at that time there was no ice falling from the sky nor was it raining both of which I thought necessary for a proper ice storm. I soon came to understand that it doesn't take more than a few minutes in the grocery store for an ice storm to go from non-existent to full-on ice storm.
Once we got home from our morning errands we didn't leave the house for the rest of the day and though the ice was outside I could feel it chilling my bones even while I was inside.
So when someone says "...when hell freezes over[.]" you can actually tell the person that it has basically happened and I am living proof that Iowa, on occasion, freezes over.
So if you are wondering what the first picture on the page is of then let me explain. The picture is taken from the passenger seat of the car. I rolled down the window and the sheet of ice remained in place while the window willing rolled down. You can't just scrape off 1/4" sheet of ice that happens to form on the car during a "mild" ice storm.
Supposedly the storms will worsen right before spring and so we would ask each of you to enjoy the weather that you experience because it could be worse, you could live in Iowa.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY STERLING
November 29th was Sterling's 24th birthday and I wanted to do something special for him. When your income is limited something really special is a little far fetched so I had to rack my brain to think of something. I figured that maybe something with his classmates would be fun since they are the people with whom Sterling spends the most time. So I hacked into his email account, sent an email to all of his classmates and some other friends and invited them over for a little surprise birthday party.I did a pretty good job of keeping the party a secret until the night of the party when I was talking to Sterling about the house being clean and asked him if he thought everyone would mind a couple of dishes that were still drying on the counter. Luckily Sterling bought some story that I made up on the spot and let the comment go without further investigation.
Sterling went to donate plasma and I stayed home to finish the final preparations for the big night. I made a cake, brownies, bought the fixin's for banana splits and rootbeer for floats. Finally all of his friends started to arrive, about 15 minutes before he should have arrived at home, and he called to tell me that he got started late and wouldn't be home for at least another 1/2 hour. His classmates had a big project due the next day so I am sure most of them had to get back to the school and get to work so I started feeling badly. However they were nice enough to stick it out and wait for him to get home.
I talked everyone into singing Happy Birthday the way that Sterling's family does which includes an additional first where you sing the words, "many more birthdays" in the place of "Happy Birthday."
When Sterling walked in the door I think he was really surprised but he was really surprised when his classmates and friends broke out the second verse of Happy Birthday as performed by the Sheffield's on every birthday occasion.
We had a lot of fun and it turned out better than I could have imagined. I hope that Sterling knows how much I love him and that I want to be able to give him everything he ever needs. He is the best husband for me and I hope that I can spend the rest of eternity making him happy.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The First Sheffield Thanksgiving
Our first Thanksgiving together as a married couple wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. I remembered all of the Thanksgiving Days that I had spent with my family as a child and it seems like it was an all day event that involved family, friends, food and fun. The problem we ran into was that we didn't have any family to celebrate with, we don't have any friends, cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for two is not really worth all of the work (according to me) and it was freezing here which limited the fun that we could have.
We talked about the fact that Thanksgiving day is a day to spend time with family and watch a lot of football and decided that someday we will have that. As for now we would have to make do with what we have. We considered eating a non-traditional dinner which included steak and crab, making a small turkey breast and some traditional side dishes or going to a restaurant. The restaurant idea sounded the best since I didn't have to do any cooking and Sterling didn't have to do any cleaning up afterwards.
So on Thanksgiving we woke up to our first day of snow in Iowa and though I was devastated about the snow I was still excited for the glutton-fest that would take place later in the day. The snow didn't stop Sterling from going out and playing football with some guys from the ward and though he extended the invitation for me to go and watch, I kindly declined and stayed home where I could stay warm. 
Luckily the restaurant that would be serving Sterling and I our first Thanksgiving dinner was a block away so that we could walk there and roll back. The dinner was a buffet style dinner with lots of food and desserts to choose from. I don't think either of us ended up eating the turkey but we did enjoy some ham, mashed potatoes, yams, pasta, fruit, salad, rolls and riblets. The food was decent but it just can't compare to a mother's Thanksgiving feast.
Perhaps next year we will put a little more effort into it. Or maybe I could talk my mom into coming out here and celebrating Thanksgiving with us so that she can cook and maybe teach me a thing or two. If I don't learn anything than at least I was able to enjoy Thanksgiving the way that it should be!
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