17 years ago
5.27.2010
5.22.2010
Words of Wisdom.
As I chronicled here, I have spent the last nine months working at Jordan Valley School, a school for kids with disabilities severe enough that they won't succeed in a typical classroom. This last week, the school sponsored a bike fair and got all of the kids in the school to participate by drawing posters with safety tips. Then, the posters were plastered all up and down the halls of the school. They are AWESOME! So I thought I'd share some of the posters with all their words of wisdom. (Not all of it relates to bikes, as you'll see.)
5.16.2010
"The Fringe Benefits of Failure."
Without going into detail, let it be said that Randy and I have not had the easiest go of this whole "life" debacle in the past few years. While I'm enormously grateful for him and for our family and the blessings of a roof over our heads and food to eat, we have also been facing "failure" full in the face and trying to come to grips with what that means about us personally. It's not a fun process.
Today, I watched this video on a whim, and I am starting to realize that failure does not comment on what I am but rather what I have the opportunity to become.
Best quote: "Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena where I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."
So three cheers for rock bottom...and the fact that I refuse to be here for long.
Today, I watched this video on a whim, and I am starting to realize that failure does not comment on what I am but rather what I have the opportunity to become.
J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.
Best quote: "Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena where I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."
So three cheers for rock bottom...and the fact that I refuse to be here for long.
5.12.2010
Bizarre Rainbows.
Today, Carter and I were driving home from the preschool when I looked up and saw this:
...a straight rainbow! I've never seen anything like it. It stretched in a straight line across part of the sky--not in a bow like a traditional rainbow or in a circle like a circle around the sun. And it SHIMMERED...I'll swear it on my life.
To myself I muttered, "What IS that?? It's so bizarre!"
To which Carter replied, "Some rainbows are just bizarre, Mom." Like it was the most normal thing in the world.
In other news, I got this in the mail today:
It's official.
Bizarre rainbows, indeed.
...a straight rainbow! I've never seen anything like it. It stretched in a straight line across part of the sky--not in a bow like a traditional rainbow or in a circle like a circle around the sun. And it SHIMMERED...I'll swear it on my life.
To myself I muttered, "What IS that?? It's so bizarre!"
To which Carter replied, "Some rainbows are just bizarre, Mom." Like it was the most normal thing in the world.
In other news, I got this in the mail today:
It's official.
Bizarre rainbows, indeed.
5.09.2010
The Best Mother's Day.
Yesterday, Randy treated me to a morning of pampering as my Mother's Day gift. He took Carter to work with him for the morning while I attended two appointments--one for a hot stone massage (PERFECTION) and one for a hot-towel facial (TO DIE FOR). That, combined with cards from Carter and Randy this morning, made me think my day was complete.
And then Carter said the blessing over breakfast this morning.
"Heavenly Father, I'm thankful for my mom and that she's so good to me. Bless Daddy's headache that it will feel better. We're thankful for our food and our house and our family. Bless them to be strong. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
I helped raise that sweet, earnest, compassionate kid! And with all my mistakes and blunders and the trials of being a mom, in that moment I felt deeply and eternally honored and blessed.
May your Mother's Day be as wonderful as mine has been!
PS--I LOVE YOU, MOM!
And then Carter said the blessing over breakfast this morning.
"Heavenly Father, I'm thankful for my mom and that she's so good to me. Bless Daddy's headache that it will feel better. We're thankful for our food and our house and our family. Bless them to be strong. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
I helped raise that sweet, earnest, compassionate kid! And with all my mistakes and blunders and the trials of being a mom, in that moment I felt deeply and eternally honored and blessed.
May your Mother's Day be as wonderful as mine has been!
PS--I LOVE YOU, MOM!
5.06.2010
The Chaos Theory
Here's my theory about Chaos: Chaos happens because the Forces of the Universe combine to bring the various people and interests in your life together in a nebulous, swirling cloud. And then said Forces, chuckling to themselves mirthlessly, drop said nebulous swirling cloud into one short week of one month of one year of your little, supposedly important life. Behold: CHAOS.
OK, that description could be a little overdramatic. And to be honest, I like a little chaos every now and then just to shake things up. But I think the Forces went a little overboard a couple of weeks ago.
This is my sister Kiirstin.
Isn't she pretty? She's even prettier when you consider that this picture was taken mere hours after she gave birth to my new nephew Henry on April 17. (And yes, she might kill me for posting this photo.)
And thus began my Week of Chaos. Lovely chaos, because many good things came of that week. But boy-howdy, I was EXHAUSTED at the end of it. So here is the rundown, with explanations and pictures. I warn you: reading this super-long post is going to take some concentration. If you suffer from ADHD, stop reading now.
Friday, April 16, 5:30 pm
A very nice receptionist from the city of Cottonwood Heights called me and asked if I would be interested in having an interview with the city manager and HR director regarding the Public Relations Specialist position I had applied for the previous week. I calmly accepted, scheduled the interview for the following Monday, thanked her, then hung up the phone and proceeded to have a mini-anxiety attack. (Did I tell you I suffer from a mild anxiety disorder? Hmm. Well, that will play a part in the week to come. Stay tuned.) Kiirsti and her daughter, who had spent most of the day with me after she had a doctor's appointment to strip her membranes (ladies, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout), went home soon after that.
Friday, April 16, 9:50 pm
My brother-in-law Kurt called and very sweetly asked if I would be willing to stay the night at their house with Kinsley that night since they were going to the hospital to "have Kiirsti checked." Yeah right, Kurt. They don't "check" full-term pregnant ladies whose contractions are four to five minutes apart! I packed a bag and made it to their house in record time, then sent them on their way.
Saturday, April 17, 7:30 am
No baby yet. So I packed up Kinsley and took her to my house where Saturday festivities were in full swing. (Saturday festivities = everyone in their pajamas watching TV).
Saturday, April 17, 9:16 am
My parents, on the second to last leg of their journey from Minnesota to Utah to see the new baby, are chatting with me on the phone about when we think Kiirsti will have her baby. My dad gets pulled over by a cop. After laughing loudly at him, I hang up. Kiirsti chooses this exact moment to give birth to Henry Gerald Meng. Happy Birthday, little Henry! Hopefully you don't grow up to be a criminal like your grandpa!
Saturday, April 17, 11:15 am
We ate...
....so that Carter can be on time to his 12:00 soccer game--the first of the season and the one in which mom and coach messed up and didn't get him his jersey.
At least we remembered shin guards.
Saturday, April 17, 5:00 pm
I sent the family to Brendan's football fundraiser dinner--a luau. I then took Kinsley to meet her new baby brother and see Mommy and Daddy.
Then, I took Kinsley home with me to stay the night with us.
Sunday, April 18, 1:00 pm
After sleeping in and generally being lazy, I took Kinsley to the hospital again to see Kurt, Kiirstin, and Henry and to meet up with my parents, who then took Kinsley with them to my brother Cameron's house in Eagle Mountain. (Sadly, Kurt's uncle had passed away only a few days before, and since the funeral was on Monday, they were expecting to have houseguests through Monday night. With everything else going on, Mom and Dad took Kinsley with them to make things a little easier on Kurt while Kiirsti was in the hospital.)
Monday, April 19
I dropped Carter off at my friend Renae's house and went to work at the preschool. I took a change of clothes and then tried to keep my hair and makeup nice through four hours of playing so that I could look professional for my job interview with Liane Stillman and Linda Dunlavy at 1:45. The interview went well. However, my anxiety reared its ugly head again. I had already received many calls and texts and emails of reassurance from family and friends, but the minute I walked into the room my hands went from being sweaty to being ice cold. My underarms were soaked. I know I must have maintained a calm exterior, but in my brain I just tried to control my breathing enough to answer their questions.
After the interview, I drove home kicking myself for everything I thought I'd done wrong and vowed to bury myself in food. I did this by cooking dinner for my parents and my sister and her family and spent the evening with them--still stressing out over the interview.
Wednesday, April 21
My brother Cameron and his daughter Leah met my parents and me at a Trax station, and we headed downtown to the Church History Library to meet with....
...Marlin K. Jensen, member of the Quorum of the Seventy and lead historian for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My mom donated some documents that had belonged to my grandfather, who had worked closely with the leadership of the Church during his career with the Genealogical Society. Elder Jensen was very kind and very interesting. (He's also shorter in person than he is on TV during general conference. But...everyone's short to me, I guess.) It was a great visit--and probably the last time I'll EVER see the fourth floor of the Church History Library.
Thursday, April 22
This is pretty much all we did when hanging out with my parents that week:
Grandpa tickled the kids, took them for walks to look at birds with the binoculars, and fed them candy while Mom cooked and cuddled the babies and bestowed liberal amounts of chocolate pudding. And then, in the midst of all this family togetherness, Linda called from Cottonwood Heights to ask if I would kindly come to city council meeting the following Tuesday in order to be INTERVIEWED BY THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL. Granted, I have met all of the city council members many times before, but this did not stop my little friend, Anxiety, from becoming my constant companion for the next five days.
Friday, April 23
Carter and I attended Kindergarten orientation at the neighborhood school. Carter ate cookies and colored pictures in his new classroom while I was made to realize what an ineffective mother I am for not having Carter's immunizations up to date, nor his vision and hearing screenings and Kindergarten checkup finished. The family barbecue made up for it, though. We ate lots of food and cuddled babies. And then we watched Nacho Libre. It was a good night.
Saturday, April 24
More soccer.
But the highlight of the day was lunch with one of my absolute favorite people in the whole world, my friend Jen Davis. She was in town with her dad, Mark, to see her brother Jordan graduate from BYU.
We ate at Bajio, talked for two hours, and had a great time. I love my Jencita so much, and I hate that she lives so far away!
Sunday, April 25
My parents left. :(
Tuesday, April 27, 9:00 pm
My interview. The Thing I had been dreading and anticipating for five days. Before I left home, I texted Randy and asked him to give me some words of encouragement. Then I put on my game face and left to face my doom.
On my way to the city offices, I received these texts from Randy:
"John F. Kennedy once said, 'When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters: one represents danger and the other represents opportunity.'"
"And to quote one of your favorite authors, Henry David Thoreau, 'Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.'"
And then this:
"And another brilliant man, Randy, said, 'I love you and you are the perfect person for this position. The council is not interviewing you to find reasons not to hire you...only looking for confirmation that you are the right person for the job. You'll do great.'"
I nailed the interview. The next afternoon, they offered me the job and I accepted. I start my new job on June 3.
So--I present to you all of the above evidence that my definition of the chaos theory is completely true. But I'll take a Week of Chaos anytime if it means I and my family will be blessed because of it. Now, looking back, I wouldn't trade that week for anything.
OK, that description could be a little overdramatic. And to be honest, I like a little chaos every now and then just to shake things up. But I think the Forces went a little overboard a couple of weeks ago.
This is my sister Kiirstin.
Isn't she pretty? She's even prettier when you consider that this picture was taken mere hours after she gave birth to my new nephew Henry on April 17. (And yes, she might kill me for posting this photo.)
And thus began my Week of Chaos. Lovely chaos, because many good things came of that week. But boy-howdy, I was EXHAUSTED at the end of it. So here is the rundown, with explanations and pictures. I warn you: reading this super-long post is going to take some concentration. If you suffer from ADHD, stop reading now.
Friday, April 16, 5:30 pm
A very nice receptionist from the city of Cottonwood Heights called me and asked if I would be interested in having an interview with the city manager and HR director regarding the Public Relations Specialist position I had applied for the previous week. I calmly accepted, scheduled the interview for the following Monday, thanked her, then hung up the phone and proceeded to have a mini-anxiety attack. (Did I tell you I suffer from a mild anxiety disorder? Hmm. Well, that will play a part in the week to come. Stay tuned.) Kiirsti and her daughter, who had spent most of the day with me after she had a doctor's appointment to strip her membranes (ladies, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout), went home soon after that.
Friday, April 16, 9:50 pm
My brother-in-law Kurt called and very sweetly asked if I would be willing to stay the night at their house with Kinsley that night since they were going to the hospital to "have Kiirsti checked." Yeah right, Kurt. They don't "check" full-term pregnant ladies whose contractions are four to five minutes apart! I packed a bag and made it to their house in record time, then sent them on their way.
Saturday, April 17, 7:30 am
No baby yet. So I packed up Kinsley and took her to my house where Saturday festivities were in full swing. (Saturday festivities = everyone in their pajamas watching TV).
Saturday, April 17, 9:16 am
My parents, on the second to last leg of their journey from Minnesota to Utah to see the new baby, are chatting with me on the phone about when we think Kiirsti will have her baby. My dad gets pulled over by a cop. After laughing loudly at him, I hang up. Kiirsti chooses this exact moment to give birth to Henry Gerald Meng. Happy Birthday, little Henry! Hopefully you don't grow up to be a criminal like your grandpa!
Saturday, April 17, 11:15 am
We ate...
....so that Carter can be on time to his 12:00 soccer game--the first of the season and the one in which mom and coach messed up and didn't get him his jersey.
At least we remembered shin guards.
Saturday, April 17, 5:00 pm
I sent the family to Brendan's football fundraiser dinner--a luau. I then took Kinsley to meet her new baby brother and see Mommy and Daddy.
Then, I took Kinsley home with me to stay the night with us.
Sunday, April 18, 1:00 pm
After sleeping in and generally being lazy, I took Kinsley to the hospital again to see Kurt, Kiirstin, and Henry and to meet up with my parents, who then took Kinsley with them to my brother Cameron's house in Eagle Mountain. (Sadly, Kurt's uncle had passed away only a few days before, and since the funeral was on Monday, they were expecting to have houseguests through Monday night. With everything else going on, Mom and Dad took Kinsley with them to make things a little easier on Kurt while Kiirsti was in the hospital.)
Monday, April 19
I dropped Carter off at my friend Renae's house and went to work at the preschool. I took a change of clothes and then tried to keep my hair and makeup nice through four hours of playing so that I could look professional for my job interview with Liane Stillman and Linda Dunlavy at 1:45. The interview went well. However, my anxiety reared its ugly head again. I had already received many calls and texts and emails of reassurance from family and friends, but the minute I walked into the room my hands went from being sweaty to being ice cold. My underarms were soaked. I know I must have maintained a calm exterior, but in my brain I just tried to control my breathing enough to answer their questions.
After the interview, I drove home kicking myself for everything I thought I'd done wrong and vowed to bury myself in food. I did this by cooking dinner for my parents and my sister and her family and spent the evening with them--still stressing out over the interview.
Wednesday, April 21
My brother Cameron and his daughter Leah met my parents and me at a Trax station, and we headed downtown to the Church History Library to meet with....
...Marlin K. Jensen, member of the Quorum of the Seventy and lead historian for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My mom donated some documents that had belonged to my grandfather, who had worked closely with the leadership of the Church during his career with the Genealogical Society. Elder Jensen was very kind and very interesting. (He's also shorter in person than he is on TV during general conference. But...everyone's short to me, I guess.) It was a great visit--and probably the last time I'll EVER see the fourth floor of the Church History Library.
Thursday, April 22
This is pretty much all we did when hanging out with my parents that week:
Grandpa tickled the kids, took them for walks to look at birds with the binoculars, and fed them candy while Mom cooked and cuddled the babies and bestowed liberal amounts of chocolate pudding. And then, in the midst of all this family togetherness, Linda called from Cottonwood Heights to ask if I would kindly come to city council meeting the following Tuesday in order to be INTERVIEWED BY THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL. Granted, I have met all of the city council members many times before, but this did not stop my little friend, Anxiety, from becoming my constant companion for the next five days.
Friday, April 23
Carter and I attended Kindergarten orientation at the neighborhood school. Carter ate cookies and colored pictures in his new classroom while I was made to realize what an ineffective mother I am for not having Carter's immunizations up to date, nor his vision and hearing screenings and Kindergarten checkup finished. The family barbecue made up for it, though. We ate lots of food and cuddled babies. And then we watched Nacho Libre. It was a good night.
Saturday, April 24
More soccer.
But the highlight of the day was lunch with one of my absolute favorite people in the whole world, my friend Jen Davis. She was in town with her dad, Mark, to see her brother Jordan graduate from BYU.
We ate at Bajio, talked for two hours, and had a great time. I love my Jencita so much, and I hate that she lives so far away!
Sunday, April 25
My parents left. :(
Tuesday, April 27, 9:00 pm
My interview. The Thing I had been dreading and anticipating for five days. Before I left home, I texted Randy and asked him to give me some words of encouragement. Then I put on my game face and left to face my doom.
On my way to the city offices, I received these texts from Randy:
"John F. Kennedy once said, 'When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters: one represents danger and the other represents opportunity.'"
"And to quote one of your favorite authors, Henry David Thoreau, 'Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.'"
And then this:
"And another brilliant man, Randy, said, 'I love you and you are the perfect person for this position. The council is not interviewing you to find reasons not to hire you...only looking for confirmation that you are the right person for the job. You'll do great.'"
I nailed the interview. The next afternoon, they offered me the job and I accepted. I start my new job on June 3.
So--I present to you all of the above evidence that my definition of the chaos theory is completely true. But I'll take a Week of Chaos anytime if it means I and my family will be blessed because of it. Now, looking back, I wouldn't trade that week for anything.
4.15.2010
Ketchup.
Ok, so it's been a while. A little over a month, to be exact. Yes, I admit my gloomy week turned into an extended hiatus from blogging, but not because there was nothing happening. So let's play "ketchup," shall we?
--We have decided to use part of our tax return to finish a room downstairs for Brendan. Right now, his room looks like this:
It gets darn cold down there in the winter, although it's quite nice in the summer. And before you call child protective services, please understand that I've invited Brendan to move back upstairs numerous times and he refuses. He's just not too keen on having to share a room with little Carter and be bound by his bed/nap times and such. I can't say I blame him.
--We also used a little bit of our tax return to get some much-needed clothing for our kids. You see, when in the midst of a financial crisis (or financial cri-SES), things like clothing and shoes and such utter nonsense get placed quite hastily on the backburner of our lives. And so, with a little money in our pockets, we indulged the kids. And then,
--Randy indulged ME by inviting a business friend of his to our house to evaluate my closet and take me shopping.
This is Sarah. She's an image consultant and jewelry designer who is also part of Randy's small business networking group. As a surprise, he gave her some money with which to buy me some clothes, invited her to the house, took the kids, and left. And I was alone with....her. Any woman like me (one with issues. I mean SERIOUS issues.) would have reacted the way I did in the face of her cool sophistication, fashionable breeziness and shopping savvy--I started to get sweaty, I had a hard time looking her in the eye, and I began to think over all the clothing in my wardrobe and immediately decided it was all frumpy and I hated it. EVERY. SINGLE. PIECE.
And then 20 minutes later we were best buddies, heading to the mall to try on millions of outfits and be brutally honest with each other. We (or I, at least!) had a blast. Sarah helped me choose some good solid wardrobe staples and made me try on some things I NEVER would have tried on myself, which was good for me. All in all, I was completely happy with our session.
So, men (or sneaky wives who need some pampering and are good at dropping hints), go to her websites and see what she has to offer. She's AMAZING. (And thanks to my sweet husband for putting it all together!)
Cable Car Couture
Blue Bijou
--Carter has a new favorite game. It's called Cash Cab.
(I'm totally attracted to this guy in a "You seem really nice and funny, but there's something in your eyes that makes me think you could rob someone at knifepoint in a dark alley" kind of way. It's one of my issues.)
On the TV show, you get in a cab, answer trivia questions, and many people walk away with a couple of thousand dollars. In Carter's version, he climbs into my mom-taxi and then begins grilling me with questions like, "What is your middle name?" and "What street do you live on?" and "When is my birthday?" It doesn't seem like it would be that funny, but I'm telling you, the kid knows how to work it. He has his TV gameshow hosting duties down to a T. So, dear reader, next time you ride in my car, I'm putting YOU on the hot seat.
--I applied for YET ANOTHER job. (I know, I know, enough with the "trying to find your destiny" crap, Stephanie.) But this is the one job that I promised myself I would apply for if it ever came up.
Until three months ago, I worked for a small community newspaper called the Valley Journals covering Cottonwood Heights' city government. Two weeks ago, the city opened a job for a part-time Public Relations Specialist. My heart just about dropped through my feet, and I applied the following Tuesday. I would LOVE this job, the salary is phenomenal, and I would be able to spend more time home with Carter than I am now. So we've got our fingers crossed that it works out. I'll keep you posted.
Anyway, that's about it for now. On my honor, I will be better at updating the blog. Now, don't you wish you had a nice hot dog to go with all that ketchup?
--We have decided to use part of our tax return to finish a room downstairs for Brendan. Right now, his room looks like this:
It gets darn cold down there in the winter, although it's quite nice in the summer. And before you call child protective services, please understand that I've invited Brendan to move back upstairs numerous times and he refuses. He's just not too keen on having to share a room with little Carter and be bound by his bed/nap times and such. I can't say I blame him.
--We also used a little bit of our tax return to get some much-needed clothing for our kids. You see, when in the midst of a financial crisis (or financial cri-SES), things like clothing and shoes and such utter nonsense get placed quite hastily on the backburner of our lives. And so, with a little money in our pockets, we indulged the kids. And then,
--Randy indulged ME by inviting a business friend of his to our house to evaluate my closet and take me shopping.
This is Sarah. She's an image consultant and jewelry designer who is also part of Randy's small business networking group. As a surprise, he gave her some money with which to buy me some clothes, invited her to the house, took the kids, and left. And I was alone with....her. Any woman like me (one with issues. I mean SERIOUS issues.) would have reacted the way I did in the face of her cool sophistication, fashionable breeziness and shopping savvy--I started to get sweaty, I had a hard time looking her in the eye, and I began to think over all the clothing in my wardrobe and immediately decided it was all frumpy and I hated it. EVERY. SINGLE. PIECE.
And then 20 minutes later we were best buddies, heading to the mall to try on millions of outfits and be brutally honest with each other. We (or I, at least!) had a blast. Sarah helped me choose some good solid wardrobe staples and made me try on some things I NEVER would have tried on myself, which was good for me. All in all, I was completely happy with our session.
So, men (or sneaky wives who need some pampering and are good at dropping hints), go to her websites and see what she has to offer. She's AMAZING. (And thanks to my sweet husband for putting it all together!)
Cable Car Couture
Blue Bijou
--Carter has a new favorite game. It's called Cash Cab.
(I'm totally attracted to this guy in a "You seem really nice and funny, but there's something in your eyes that makes me think you could rob someone at knifepoint in a dark alley" kind of way. It's one of my issues.)
On the TV show, you get in a cab, answer trivia questions, and many people walk away with a couple of thousand dollars. In Carter's version, he climbs into my mom-taxi and then begins grilling me with questions like, "What is your middle name?" and "What street do you live on?" and "When is my birthday?" It doesn't seem like it would be that funny, but I'm telling you, the kid knows how to work it. He has his TV gameshow hosting duties down to a T. So, dear reader, next time you ride in my car, I'm putting YOU on the hot seat.
--I applied for YET ANOTHER job. (I know, I know, enough with the "trying to find your destiny" crap, Stephanie.) But this is the one job that I promised myself I would apply for if it ever came up.
Until three months ago, I worked for a small community newspaper called the Valley Journals covering Cottonwood Heights' city government. Two weeks ago, the city opened a job for a part-time Public Relations Specialist. My heart just about dropped through my feet, and I applied the following Tuesday. I would LOVE this job, the salary is phenomenal, and I would be able to spend more time home with Carter than I am now. So we've got our fingers crossed that it works out. I'll keep you posted.
Anyway, that's about it for now. On my honor, I will be better at updating the blog. Now, don't you wish you had a nice hot dog to go with all that ketchup?
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