Football !

So it's football time. Yay. No really though, I have never been more interested. My husband calls me a Giants fan now although I don't consider myself that dedicated. (in his family fan leans more towards fan-atic) I watch with him because I could read a book snuggled with him on the couch while he cheered and yelled. Last year I actually started watching though. I wanted to understand what was so fascinating. That meant I had to learn the rules. I stopped him from teaching me the actual plays because I just don't want to care that much. But the rules were fine, then I could know why he was cheering or yelling. So I started rooting for the Giants one week they were playing the Cowboys. Mostly because my husband hates the Cowboys, not because I particularly liked them Then I just kinda stayed rooting for them. I'm not sure why. Maybe because they seemed like an underdog. Maybe because Eli was Peyton's little brother and all little brothers should get a chance to shine. Anyway - just kept rooting for them, and hey, they won. That was fun. So yay for football, something we can watch together.


But now, I have signed up both my sons to play football. This is something I struggled against for a very very long time. I thought it was too rough, would teach them to be mean jerks, make them more violent, coaches would be mean, I hate cocky jocks etc. etc. Then I realized that I have seen way too many football movies, and I don't live in Texas so I am probably ok. Josh who is now finally 8 and can play sports in leagues is loving it. I think it's pretty cute to see these kids in pads running around, practicing catching and stuff. They are just starting and learning and it looks fun. I don't know what will happen when they actually have to play a game and can't just randomly tackle people but it should be amusing.


Curtis however is definitely a teen. The 13th birthday just made it official. Anything that takes effort and isn't electronic just isn't fun. And let's face it -- football is hard! He has 2 hours of practice 6 days a week,(which since I go to all of these have to ask myself -- what was I thinking??) running, learning etc. He is the only one on his team who has never played before so he is doing double catch up. But you know, apart from some grumbling in the beginning about how I was forcing him against his will, it has been amazing to watch. He hurt his ankle the second week so we had to ice and soak it all week after practice but he just kept going out there and doing it. He never asked to quit. He told me he had to prove to my us and himself he could do it. And he is.In 3 weeks he is 10 times better than he was. He goes out and always listens to his coach (who is marvelous and teaches exactly the way Curtis learns)and does what he is asked, changes what he is told to change, and doesn't quit. Is this my kid??? Well yes as soon as we get home the teenager comes back. No - actually he is better at doing what I ask him to do and doesn't argue as much. Holy cow. This is great! If this does nothing else but teach him self-confidence then it is worth all the ungodly amount of money we have put into this. So then I listed all the good things this could teach him - play as a team, work together, listen to your leaders/teachers/parents, follow directions, not to mention the benefits of being physically fit, and that life outside of video games is good too.


So now I am an official fan of football. Even if it means my schedule is now full from now until November.

Book Clubs -- Can I take one and beat you with it???

I don't know about anyone else but I love books. (I think this is not a surprise to anyone who knows me.) Mostly I love sci-fi/fantasy (Orson Soctt Card and Anne Mccaffery are my two favorite) but I am certainly not limited to it. I generally don't read romance because I consider it porn for women. There are a few notable exceptions though such as; Victoria Holt, Madeleine Brent, Dorothy Keddington and I'm sure a few I cant remember and will kick myself for later. Also, Kathleen Woodiwiss who is pretty explicit sometimes but the stories themselves are so fantastic that those spots are not distracting, and certainly not the basis for the book.

So, of course I found an interest in book clubs. I had no idea that it would be so difficult to find one I liked. And that the trick is really finding one with people that you like, and that those people like the books that you like. There is one that I go to now where I think most of the people are nice. I do. But the last time I went I wanted to strangle them. I have no idea how people can live in such a narrow world sometimes.

I admit -- I found it through church so maybe that should have prepared me, but still. Can you seriously read nothing but self-help books and scriptures? Not that I am knocking self-help books. I have a mind/body bridging one at home that is really helping me sleep. However, let me relate my last experience. I went to the first meeting in December where we all got to pick a book. Mine was April's. For January we read a book called The History Of Love by Nicole Krauss. Its just a general fiction book and not what I would normally pick up. But I loved it!! I thought, cool, this might work out great. Then I go to the meeting, and everybody hates it. For almost the same reasons I love it. So....crap. But sometimes I just like to argue. So I go back. I missed February and March for illness reasons but man I was excited for April!

I picked Enchantment by Orson Scott Card. Yes it's fantasy, but its not complicated and really easy to read. It is the story of Sleeping Beauty, starting with the kiss. Also, because it's Orson, it has a twist. He (Ivan-the hero) is from 1970ish (it doesn't say but that's the impression you get) and she(Katerina-the sleeping princess) is from 900 something. But of course the place in the woods she is trapped in sleep until kissed is magical and not really a part of time so of course that kind of thing can happen. Anyway, I love it. It's one of my favorites. I was so excited to talk about it. So I go to the meeting and guess what? They changed the book to The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. What???? Then they talked all about how its so spiritual and just like God. You pray, and he helps you. What?? I couldn't help it. I told them what I thought. I said I thought that it was full of crap and it was harmful by giving people a false sense of entitlement and made everyone lazy. After all, you dont have to plan anything do anything, work for anything etc.. you just have to want it and its yours. I was always taught that slothfulness was a sin and God helped those who helped themselves kind of thing. They didn't like that. So I talked about my book anyway.
One other person read it too and said how upset they were with it. After all Orson is LDS and there were a couple swear words and they were naked. I said what?? First off, Orson is LDS and an author. That does not automatically make him an LDS author. He doesn't write just church books. (He has a couple about bible characters but thats all compared to the very great many sci-fi/fantasy ones where bad guys actually do and say bad things. wow- what a concept) The swearing were little words and the nakedness was nothing sexual. When you shifted through time - your clothes didn't get to go too. Like on the Terminator right? Then they just looked at me a little offended and said how could you watch something like the Terminator? That's it. I'm done. Ok, so LDS or not there are far far too many great and wonderful books, people,music, and movies out there that I would be sorry to miss out on and feel as I was cheating myself by missing just because they are not G rated and sung in Primary!

Dreams

Ok so this picture has nothing to do with I am talking about but that's all right because it's cool. Well maybe it does. You know those dreams where you are being chased and you just can't get away? Either because your legs don't work, all the sudden you feel like you are running in sand or water or something? Well I think this picture is kinda like that. How fast can you paddle?

Well I have discovered a couple of things. First: not everyone dreams like me. Second: I have really really strange dreams. I have really vivid colorful dreams. Sometimes they fade in an hour or so, sometimes they stay with me for a couple of days. I have one dream I had in 8th grade that I can still remember like I just had it. It's one of those really truly strange dreams. The nazi's were invading and they had these house size lunchboxes that would open and killer Hi-C fruit drink boxes would come out and kill people. But the rebels (including me of course) had these robots that would turn into pizza's so we could deliver them the nazi's then they would turn back into robots and kill them. We also had these bombs that when you shot them into the air they would come down screaming neener neener neener.
You see what I mean? There are lots of times, most times I think where I am not even in my dreams, I'm just watching like its a tv show and sometimes I'm one of the charachters. Or I have dreams that I have had before, and while I'm dreaming I know that I have had this one before and think "oh man - a rerun" but I still can't change them. Or new dreams where you know you are dreaming so you think that you should be able to do cool stuff since its a dream like fly, or will your pants back on after you realize you went to school naked. But its a dream so you should be able to make your clothes come back or at least make it so that no one notices. But no - you still can't. Knowing it's a dream or not. That really bites.
Then you have the roller coaster dreams -- not where you are on one but where everything changes every 30 seconds. Or seems to anyway. For example last night I was on an island but the sun started to explode so we rode over the lava in a pirate ship but it got stuck on the lawn of my parents house where we were filming a movie (and I was no longer me) in the desert etc etc. I know what you are thinking but no I am not crazy just strange.
So it was really interesting to learn that lots of people don't remember ever having dreams. Ever. Or just a couple here and there. Lots of people dream in black and white. Some people remember them for a while, some forget them before they are all the way awake. They know they dreamed but can't catch it anymore after the alarm goes off. Huh. Interesting. So am I just really weird then? I don't know. But if so, thats ok.

Books!

So my mother and I have been consumed with a new book series. Along with many many others I am sure. We try to get everyone we know to read them. It is the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyers. Yes, its about vampires. But they are so good! Even if you don't read that kind of book, you will most likely still like it. I am counting down the days until Breaking Dawn (book 4) comes out in August!! They are so easy to read but they suck you in. One of the coolest things I have learned from the authors website StephenieMeyers.com is that all of her places are real. Forks is a real town in Washington. La Push is a real indian reservation and the Quileutes are a real tribe. With the exception of the vampires (of course) the legends she tells of them are true. Thats so cool to me. I was debating if I should review them on here or not but I don't think I will. But I just had to add my blurb about them. When I was going camping with my family I put it on to listen to for the four hour drive. And instead of whining about it they listened. And liked it! This from an 8 yr old, 12 yr old and 31 yr old. I had to burn it on to CD's from my MP3 player so they could finish the story when they got home. The movie is coming out in December and Josh (the 8 yr old) says we have to go see it for his birthday. I said yes sir!

Oh crap

This was so funny I couldn't help but add it.

So i realize that I am so bad at this. I started out ok, but then you know life gets busy and I don't actually spend much time on the internet so of course I don't write. It's like your journal you know? When stuff is actually happening you don't write, then when you do write you have 6 months or so to catch up on. Or be like me and have 2 years to catch up on. Oh well. So April was ok. I had my birthday. I worked did laundry etc. Just another day. And one more year past 30. That's still young right? But I did get to go to the Five Alls for dinner. I love that place. The food is awesome, the atmosphere is awesome, it's all awesome.
Then came May. We were told our baby hopes are simply not going to happen. I apparently have no good eggs anymore. I'm not sure how they know this but somehow they can test for it. So that sucks. A lot. I had a really hard time with it. It's diffficult to go from 4 years of trying to suddenly be told you can't and your new treatment we suggest gives you all the same symptoms as menopause. WHAT? No, I don't think so. Then my grandfather passes away. I didn't feel bad for him. I didn't cry for him. He was 82 and had a marvelous life. He was the greatest man I have ever known. Ever. If I could only live up to 1/8, or a 1/16 of him I would be set. No, I didn't feel bad for him. I felt bad my dad, I felt bad for my grandma, for my cousin Jennifer, for my uncle clem, for everyone else left here without him. For all of who will miss him. I cried for my dad, for my family, and those left behind.But it was the coolest funeral I have ever been to. My hisband said it was by far the healthiest. My father made the coffin. My mom and my sister in law helped make the lining. It was beautiful. Made of Thousand Lake wood and cedar. With old iron pipes for the handles. They let my uncle drive him down to freemont in the back of his suburban. My dad dug the grave with my grandpas backhoe (one of his favorite toys in life) with the help of the male grandkids evening it out. We all wrote on the coffin any little messages we wanted to say with sharpies and then put him into the ground ourselves and buried him. They had to cut off the handles with a saw at the gravesite because it wouldn't fit. I know my grandpa was in heaven laughing at us. I know he loved it all and thought it was perfect.
So now June is almost over. And now my year is almost half over. And what have I done? Not near what I wanted to. I lost 4 pounds by starting to get up at 5 am and go walking with the super cool Kimber. But it's only really been 3 weeks. Ok 4. Instead of 6 months like it was supposed to be. But hey, better late than never huh?