This is what Becky calls fun...
2 months ago Becky invited me to do a family sprint triathlon with her sometime around July 23. She had access to the Air Base pool, with a place out back to transition to our bikes, a great perimeter road used for base triathlons, and to get the distance, a duck pond loop run with a last lap on the track. We meant to invite lots of family members and friends too.
However, feeling pregnant and less confident about July 23, she called me up beginning of last week and said let's do this thing Friday. Why not??? I then cornered John into joining us. Needless to say, it was a pregnant women, a fat lady, and an out-of-shape man who did the competition. What a sight. Was it really a competition??? At least we now know our abilities and the times for PRs.
Becky schooled us both on swimming, but she started having cramps on the bike so I caught up to her. By the end we both sped walked together. John got lost I think...
So as I see it, I am excited for having completed the distances. I learned how to spell triathlon, I re-learned free-style from Becky (not gonna mislead ya though--I had to breast and back stroke to get enough air) I biked a distance I had never tried before--and I liked it. I learned that the dismount onto noodle legs is a shock, and I have no stamina to run/jog a 5K. Ugh. How do people do it? I am so proud of my friends and family members who can compete in half marathons, marathons, triathlons, and bike across Canada. Kudos!
Becky tells me that the Air Base has a triathlon in October. I hope to beat my time by 20 minutes after I've learned to run.
(And, um, no, I'm not going to post times, thank you...)
You know, Becky might have something going. It really was fun.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Seeing the road better
One side foggy. One side done.
Have you ever thought the lights on your car were too dim? Perhaps its not the bulbs at all, but the scratches on the plexiglass and the yellow foggy UV damage. Last year John went to Jiffy Lube to have them polish up the glass on the headlights and for $40 they did a crappy job. John knew it could be done much better, and proved so today.
So here's what you can do. For only $25 dollars you can do it yourself and do it better than the sloppy Jiffy Lube of Tooele. (The kit lasts a long time). Before/After
Haniwa
In ancient Japan, haniwas were clay figures found on graves and represented the culture and the deceased. The clothing and animals represented in the haniwas reveal details of Japan during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th century AD). The assignment was to use the red terracotta clay and make a representation of myself living in Utah. I chose to represent the jewelry store I worked in for a while (neckbands) the stain glass shop I worked in (cut out and lamp), the frustration of living in Utah while single (the flames that come out of both arms--not shown). The blue represents the blue of lapiz which I love and the wrap represents the cortes of Guatemala where I served a mission. The choice to make this piece appear southwestern/mesoamerican also comes from studying mesoamerica while in Utah. I chose to make the figure fat initially because I find the girth charming, but I also shaped her to represent the lovely 30-60 lbs I gained in Utah (at different times). Her head is small for stylization and acts as a stopper for the kerosene lamp. The light bulb in the center also represents the new burning in the belly I have here in Utah after marrying John and starting art school.
Last Year in my 3D class we were challenged to come up with a unique shape. Design it in Adobe illustrator and then cut it out on a glossy paper in at least three different sizes. (We were allowed to use the shop's laser cutter thingy). Then I assembled my shapes with rubber cement afterwhich I came up with an arrangement and added electrical tape for black contrast. I like the movement in this piece and all the different sides that are interesting so much that next time I'd like to do this shape larger and sculpt it out of a smooth white plastic. I would add at least one other sister to create a series.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Invitation to Fast for Jared Garbett this Sunday.
This weekend Jared Garbett (our past Bisphop's 15 yr old son) had a freak accident. He was sparring with some friends and got knocked out to the cement. 911 was called and he was stabalized in St. George then life flighted to Las Vegas hospital. He was not expected to live. It is already a miracle that he is alive 36 hours later. We have been praying for him since day 1 and invite all to fast for him this Sunday. I have added his blogspot and its open for all to read.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Autumn says the darndest things
Last Monday, John watched Autumn and Luke play at the big Tree house in the University Mall while Amanda and I shopped. This is John's story.
Autumn, ever the fantastical fairy tale princess, chronically falls asleep and needs a prince to wake her up. Evidently Luke must be the prince that does the kissing trick, and that just wasn't good enough today. As John told Luke to be that prince and go wake up his sister princess, she looked around and saw a sweet two-year-old boy, pointed, and exclaimed in a commanding tone to uncle John, "No, I want that ONE!" (That's not what uncles are for Autumn...)
Later on we drove over to the ReStore, a second hand parts store operated by Habitat for Humanity. John and I had decided to make that the last stop of the day so that we wouldn't bore the kids. Basically we would part ways before going to the store. However, it turned out Amanda needed to guide us to the hidden store. Since they were there Amanda and Autumn went in and used the bathroom while John looked for pieces of molding. Somehow I must have told Autumn during the day that the last stop would be at a junk store, but I don't remembering saying that. When they came back out to leave, Autumn asked politely if she could go with me into John's Junk Club. Hee hee. Of course, John, you have a junk club! (And she liked it...perhaps she's got the makings of an artist in her...no doubt).
So that didn't end up being the last stop, we then went to Harbor Freight Tools and I waited in the car with the kids while Amanda and John ran once last errand. Amanda had purchased some nail polish that looked just like ice cream cones. Of course Autumn wanted to "see" them. But the kicker is I wanted to "see" them too. We both refrained from opening up the bottles in the car and painting nails.
During this time an old man with a full gray and white beard drove up and parked in the handicapped spot right next to us. I thought he looked like Santa Claus and because kids amuse me I asked Autumn, "do you think that man is Santa Claus? You should ask him". Not sure what she'd do with this suggestion, I watched. First, she started tapping on the interior window with the ice cream cone polish. I stopped it right away, no need for a broken window. But the man did not see her, nor was he getting out of his car. I didn't see how she was going to get his attention short of getting out of the car and tapping on his window, an option I wouldn't allow. I let the idea go.
He finally got out of the car. Quicker than I could think or realize, Autumn had the power window down, and politely asked, "Mister, are you Santa Claus?" It was so sincere and polite and the word MISTER? where did that come from? The man was pleasant and said that would be his secret. So she rolled up the window apparently to think about the answer. Then as soon as it was up, it came down again and with her you-really-gotta-tell-me voice declared, "You sure looked like Santa Claus, are you sure you aren't Santa Claus?..." I didn't hear the rest of the conversation that continued, because at that moment John and Amanda had returned. Thanks a lot guys. I was having fun.
Okay another day. The Espersens came out to our house for the Nativity Night we did on December 21, 2010. They were getting ready to go over to stay at great Grandma Blacks house for the night when she cornered John in the following conversation that I eavesdropped through a doorway and observed.
"Uncle John, can I borrow this (referring to a costume item from that night)"
NO
"I will bring it back, I only want to borrow it"
"NO Autumn its not mine to give."
It was my item and she had done a good job of convincing me, I would have capitulated, but this was John's conversation. Then she started pointing to other items asking the same question with similar intensity. Her plea continually met with a NO. I observed no whining, no crying, nor pouting. This was sheer negotiation. With her body erect and hands in a hip power position, she said, "Well, there's got to be something you don't want". At that moment John's mischievous wheels were turning as he matter-of-fact said there was something he didn't want.
Never to outguess John, I had to follow them to the patio where John was storing the remnants of that weekend's remodel project. He grabbed a long piece of metal electrical conduit and said, "you can have this, Autumn" (He thought he had her now).
Ever the creative girl and in full sincerity and excitement she exclaimed "WE CAN BUILD A TENT!" Luke realized the greatness of the find and hoisted the other end of the pole above his head and without hesitation she and he started toward the car. Never mind that the pole was not going to fit in the car, spatial relationships don't apply when you are given something great. John, had been bested.
Rest of the story. Obviously moms don't like Uncle John gifts, so John quickly took the conduit and told them he would store it at our house for them to play with. Fortunately, that worked.
Darling kids. So creative and optimistic.
Autumn, ever the fantastical fairy tale princess, chronically falls asleep and needs a prince to wake her up. Evidently Luke must be the prince that does the kissing trick, and that just wasn't good enough today. As John told Luke to be that prince and go wake up his sister princess, she looked around and saw a sweet two-year-old boy, pointed, and exclaimed in a commanding tone to uncle John, "No, I want that ONE!" (That's not what uncles are for Autumn...)
Later on we drove over to the ReStore, a second hand parts store operated by Habitat for Humanity. John and I had decided to make that the last stop of the day so that we wouldn't bore the kids. Basically we would part ways before going to the store. However, it turned out Amanda needed to guide us to the hidden store. Since they were there Amanda and Autumn went in and used the bathroom while John looked for pieces of molding. Somehow I must have told Autumn during the day that the last stop would be at a junk store, but I don't remembering saying that. When they came back out to leave, Autumn asked politely if she could go with me into John's Junk Club. Hee hee. Of course, John, you have a junk club! (And she liked it...perhaps she's got the makings of an artist in her...no doubt).
So that didn't end up being the last stop, we then went to Harbor Freight Tools and I waited in the car with the kids while Amanda and John ran once last errand. Amanda had purchased some nail polish that looked just like ice cream cones. Of course Autumn wanted to "see" them. But the kicker is I wanted to "see" them too. We both refrained from opening up the bottles in the car and painting nails.
During this time an old man with a full gray and white beard drove up and parked in the handicapped spot right next to us. I thought he looked like Santa Claus and because kids amuse me I asked Autumn, "do you think that man is Santa Claus? You should ask him". Not sure what she'd do with this suggestion, I watched. First, she started tapping on the interior window with the ice cream cone polish. I stopped it right away, no need for a broken window. But the man did not see her, nor was he getting out of his car. I didn't see how she was going to get his attention short of getting out of the car and tapping on his window, an option I wouldn't allow. I let the idea go.
He finally got out of the car. Quicker than I could think or realize, Autumn had the power window down, and politely asked, "Mister, are you Santa Claus?" It was so sincere and polite and the word MISTER? where did that come from? The man was pleasant and said that would be his secret. So she rolled up the window apparently to think about the answer. Then as soon as it was up, it came down again and with her you-really-gotta-tell-me voice declared, "You sure looked like Santa Claus, are you sure you aren't Santa Claus?..." I didn't hear the rest of the conversation that continued, because at that moment John and Amanda had returned. Thanks a lot guys. I was having fun.
Okay another day. The Espersens came out to our house for the Nativity Night we did on December 21, 2010. They were getting ready to go over to stay at great Grandma Blacks house for the night when she cornered John in the following conversation that I eavesdropped through a doorway and observed.
"Uncle John, can I borrow this (referring to a costume item from that night)"
NO
"I will bring it back, I only want to borrow it"
"NO Autumn its not mine to give."
It was my item and she had done a good job of convincing me, I would have capitulated, but this was John's conversation. Then she started pointing to other items asking the same question with similar intensity. Her plea continually met with a NO. I observed no whining, no crying, nor pouting. This was sheer negotiation. With her body erect and hands in a hip power position, she said, "Well, there's got to be something you don't want". At that moment John's mischievous wheels were turning as he matter-of-fact said there was something he didn't want.
Never to outguess John, I had to follow them to the patio where John was storing the remnants of that weekend's remodel project. He grabbed a long piece of metal electrical conduit and said, "you can have this, Autumn" (He thought he had her now).
Ever the creative girl and in full sincerity and excitement she exclaimed "WE CAN BUILD A TENT!" Luke realized the greatness of the find and hoisted the other end of the pole above his head and without hesitation she and he started toward the car. Never mind that the pole was not going to fit in the car, spatial relationships don't apply when you are given something great. John, had been bested.
Rest of the story. Obviously moms don't like Uncle John gifts, so John quickly took the conduit and told them he would store it at our house for them to play with. Fortunately, that worked.
Darling kids. So creative and optimistic.
Taking the bus
I cried this morning. No really, like a baby, or more like a two year old. When the watch alarm laughed me out of bed around 4:30am (John had tried to snuggle me out of bed at 4am, with zero success), I wailed. I can't do this! NO NO NO
John, just changed his class schedule to have a 7:30am class, which, when we do the calculations means he had to catch the 5:39am bus and NO later. I had enjoyed Monday and Tuesday catching the later 6:41 and 6:21 buses with John, but this was too much. 5:30 is usually when I get up, not catch a bus. NO NO NO
Aside from that, I still didn't have my class supplies in order. Somewhere in the house, there was paint thinner and gesso, my receipts, and a coupon for 30% off a regular priced art supply. How was I to get that all together...it was now 4:39am, John was in the shower and I was only tittering onto the wood floor. "Why John, do you have to retake Calculus I? Is this necessary, I whined, I don't want to be in school for another 3 years. Our school debt is compounding and I'm getting worried. Maybe if you are going to play this game, you can get a job and go to school too.? I whined and whined. I mean really...would you retake Calculus I if you got an A the first time. I told him the other classes would just build off of it and he would remember the stuff, but he's certain that he's got to have a very strong foundation and understand this stuff inside out. I told him it reminded me of learning Spanish. I don't understand it inside out, talk like a 4th grader, but still got employment as Spanish interpreter because I knew more then 90% of the people at work. I'm still whining (now at 4:24pm) and feel exhausted from that chipper chirping watch. I think John's been feeling the stress too and threathened? to quit school and go back to work...what? as a bus driver?
Let me tell you about buses. So I had to catch the bus all by myself. Not so pathetic, but I've been toting around my carrying on luggage to transport art supplies and the seats and overheads simply don't accommodate. I got to the bus stop and realized I had forgotten my gloves and the base I was going to use for my sculpture this morning. It was 2 minutes to bus time. I dashed back and forth with success! Really overall a good experience. But yesterday was harder. I had my carry on suitcase, two large portfolios and a lunch bag. Fortunately, I had John to drag my luggage. And fortunately, I only had one large portfolio to take back home. But unfortunately, as I got off of TRAX from my return commute from the University of Utah, the 451 Tooele Express bus pulled up to the bus stop right across the street from where I was at! What was I to do? This was downtown Salt Lake lots of traffic after work rush hour and I didn't have the light to cross the street. I screamed, but to no avail. Well, maybe all I said to about 10 construction workers waiting to cross the street to the park-n-ride was, HEY! THATS MY BUS. OH SHOOT. THATS MY BUS. ANOTHER ONE DOESNT COME FOR 40 minutes! So not a horror story exactly... But inconvenient enough to make me cry this morning to have to do it all again. Run, run, run. Wait wait wait. Fortunately, I sat on my luggage and used my large portfolio as my back to the chair. Not so bad, but 40, okay it was only 30, minutes in the cold caused me to get excited at the first bus I saw that I thought went to Tooele. The bus driver just looked at me with my bags and somehow knew I was headed the wrong direction. "Where are you going?" Tooele. "I just came from Tooele. If you want to catch the Tooele bus, its across the street". And I got off. Should I cross the street and just take the bus? Why had I subjected myself to sitting in the cold for the Express Bus? Well, it actually all ended well.
But today I had to catch the bus to buy more art supplies. Oh yeah, I had to print out the routes this morning before John left (yet another thing to do). Had to figure out bus stops when I got to school. So this is the flow. 11:30 get out of class. 11:36 bus comes. Takes me 15 minutes to get to bus stop so I didn't try that one. Next bus comes at 11:51. I think I'm on the right side of the street, but again, watch the bus drive away without me. I waited for another 10 minutes and started to get out my ID to take the bus. What! I didn't have my ID. I had left it in my locker. The 12:06 drives away without me. 11 minutes back to my locker. Get my ID. Try to get back but I know I won't be able to: the 12: 21 leaves without me. I wait another 15 minutes. Yeah, the 12:36 picks me up. I grab a schedule and give myself a scare when I read it wrong. My return bus wasn't going to come back until 1:53 and 3:31, but my next class was at 2! Panic, quick contingency planning, panic, about to make a fool of myself....and I saw it....the other schedule. Ok. Phew! I would be able to take the bus back at 1:20. That means, I calculated in my head, I've got 20 minutes to shop, check out, and catch a bus. Panic. But I'm amazed, kick me hard enough and this mule runs. I am going to be in shape this semester.
So far all is well. I'm in the library waiting for John to get out of class at 5:30 and then we will catch TRAX and the bus together. I imagine it'll be another adventure since its another route and time John nor I have tried before.
...
It was an adventure. I ended up waiting again for 1 hour in the cold before catching the slow bus which took over 80 minutes to get back to Tooele. But the next day was worse. John decided to try yet another route. We sprinted, I mean sprinted hard for one block from the Trax to the bus stop. We were yet again on the other side of a busy street when the 451 got stopped at the light. I started running across the street, but John yelled in a panic to "Stop" the light was almost green and cars were moving. I swear they weren't but he swears I was going to get hit. So we tried flagging the bus from across the busy street. He/She didn't she us. We waited another half hour. I hate hurry up and wait. And besides, it was a pollution red day and the air just made me sick. North DAkota air pleease.
John, just changed his class schedule to have a 7:30am class, which, when we do the calculations means he had to catch the 5:39am bus and NO later. I had enjoyed Monday and Tuesday catching the later 6:41 and 6:21 buses with John, but this was too much. 5:30 is usually when I get up, not catch a bus. NO NO NO
Aside from that, I still didn't have my class supplies in order. Somewhere in the house, there was paint thinner and gesso, my receipts, and a coupon for 30% off a regular priced art supply. How was I to get that all together...it was now 4:39am, John was in the shower and I was only tittering onto the wood floor. "Why John, do you have to retake Calculus I? Is this necessary, I whined, I don't want to be in school for another 3 years. Our school debt is compounding and I'm getting worried. Maybe if you are going to play this game, you can get a job and go to school too.? I whined and whined. I mean really...would you retake Calculus I if you got an A the first time. I told him the other classes would just build off of it and he would remember the stuff, but he's certain that he's got to have a very strong foundation and understand this stuff inside out. I told him it reminded me of learning Spanish. I don't understand it inside out, talk like a 4th grader, but still got employment as Spanish interpreter because I knew more then 90% of the people at work. I'm still whining (now at 4:24pm) and feel exhausted from that chipper chirping watch. I think John's been feeling the stress too and threathened? to quit school and go back to work...what? as a bus driver?
Let me tell you about buses. So I had to catch the bus all by myself. Not so pathetic, but I've been toting around my carrying on luggage to transport art supplies and the seats and overheads simply don't accommodate. I got to the bus stop and realized I had forgotten my gloves and the base I was going to use for my sculpture this morning. It was 2 minutes to bus time. I dashed back and forth with success! Really overall a good experience. But yesterday was harder. I had my carry on suitcase, two large portfolios and a lunch bag. Fortunately, I had John to drag my luggage. And fortunately, I only had one large portfolio to take back home. But unfortunately, as I got off of TRAX from my return commute from the University of Utah, the 451 Tooele Express bus pulled up to the bus stop right across the street from where I was at! What was I to do? This was downtown Salt Lake lots of traffic after work rush hour and I didn't have the light to cross the street. I screamed, but to no avail. Well, maybe all I said to about 10 construction workers waiting to cross the street to the park-n-ride was, HEY! THATS MY BUS. OH SHOOT. THATS MY BUS. ANOTHER ONE DOESNT COME FOR 40 minutes! So not a horror story exactly... But inconvenient enough to make me cry this morning to have to do it all again. Run, run, run. Wait wait wait. Fortunately, I sat on my luggage and used my large portfolio as my back to the chair. Not so bad, but 40, okay it was only 30, minutes in the cold caused me to get excited at the first bus I saw that I thought went to Tooele. The bus driver just looked at me with my bags and somehow knew I was headed the wrong direction. "Where are you going?" Tooele. "I just came from Tooele. If you want to catch the Tooele bus, its across the street". And I got off. Should I cross the street and just take the bus? Why had I subjected myself to sitting in the cold for the Express Bus? Well, it actually all ended well.
But today I had to catch the bus to buy more art supplies. Oh yeah, I had to print out the routes this morning before John left (yet another thing to do). Had to figure out bus stops when I got to school. So this is the flow. 11:30 get out of class. 11:36 bus comes. Takes me 15 minutes to get to bus stop so I didn't try that one. Next bus comes at 11:51. I think I'm on the right side of the street, but again, watch the bus drive away without me. I waited for another 10 minutes and started to get out my ID to take the bus. What! I didn't have my ID. I had left it in my locker. The 12:06 drives away without me. 11 minutes back to my locker. Get my ID. Try to get back but I know I won't be able to: the 12: 21 leaves without me. I wait another 15 minutes. Yeah, the 12:36 picks me up. I grab a schedule and give myself a scare when I read it wrong. My return bus wasn't going to come back until 1:53 and 3:31, but my next class was at 2! Panic, quick contingency planning, panic, about to make a fool of myself....and I saw it....the other schedule. Ok. Phew! I would be able to take the bus back at 1:20. That means, I calculated in my head, I've got 20 minutes to shop, check out, and catch a bus. Panic. But I'm amazed, kick me hard enough and this mule runs. I am going to be in shape this semester.
So far all is well. I'm in the library waiting for John to get out of class at 5:30 and then we will catch TRAX and the bus together. I imagine it'll be another adventure since its another route and time John nor I have tried before.
...
It was an adventure. I ended up waiting again for 1 hour in the cold before catching the slow bus which took over 80 minutes to get back to Tooele. But the next day was worse. John decided to try yet another route. We sprinted, I mean sprinted hard for one block from the Trax to the bus stop. We were yet again on the other side of a busy street when the 451 got stopped at the light. I started running across the street, but John yelled in a panic to "Stop" the light was almost green and cars were moving. I swear they weren't but he swears I was going to get hit. So we tried flagging the bus from across the busy street. He/She didn't she us. We waited another half hour. I hate hurry up and wait. And besides, it was a pollution red day and the air just made me sick. North DAkota air pleease.
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