Meet the new me

Yep, I now how glasses. I noticed about a month ago that signs, objects, people, etc. that were far away were looking a little more blurry than normal. Not a good sign. I have never had a problem with my eyes before. Teeth? yes. Nose? for sure. But now my eyes? I blame the genetics. My parent didn't need glasses until a few years ago, so I thought that I would be good until, oh, about age 50. Come to find out, I have grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins who all needed glasses around my age if not earlier. How did my parents get skipped over? Luckies.

Anyways, I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining because I am actually quite enjoying my glasses. I secretly wanted them when I was younger - not because I was wishing for eye problems by any means - I just thought that they would make me look smart and sophisticated. I think that they match my personality quite well. Now I actually look the part of the nerdy person that I am. (I do have a poster hanging in my room of the metabolic pathways of the body after all.)

Also, I decided to put up bright spring flowers as my background (I was never one for pastel colors) because despite the fact that it SNOWED yesterday, for now, the sun is shining. And although the calendar does not apply to southeastern Idaho, it does declare that spring officially started three days ago. So happy spring everyone! Here's to new beginnings, and a new look for me!

I'm an organ donee!

Ever since I started playing the organ, I have dreamed of having one in my own home some day. Now my dream is about to come true! This past weekend, my mom traveled to Cody, WY to help her boyfriend's family clean out his father's house and get it ready to sell. She told me that if there was anything the family was going to get rid of that I might like, she would let me keep it. I never imagined that there would be an organ in the house that NOBODY wanted. As soon as my mom confirmed to me that it did indeed work, I generously agreed to take it off of their hands. It might be a few months before they can bring it back with the trailer, but that's ok. I am getting my very own organ!! For FREE!!! Even if it is a teeny tiny one. Oh happy day!!

Playing catch up

We have no internet at my house, so I am taking this opportunity to catch everyone up on what I have been doing lately.

First off, we went skiing at Kelly Canyon. True, it's not Targhee, but I had an absolute blast!! If only the snow wasn't so dang cold, it would have been even more enjoyable. We had to take a few breaks to go inside the lodge and warm our hands and feet. I had not been skiing in four or five years and was happily surprised by how well I did. It's just like riding a bike . . . Tom was happy to see that I was a competent skier as well because instead of waiting for me to take an hour to scoot down the hill, we raced down to the bottom. I put up a good fight, but I think he won every time. I would like to go skiing at least one more time this season. After I go though, I would be ok if the snow just melted away. I think everyone around here is ready for winter to be over.

taken right before skiing - I look so tired, you'd think this was after we were done

For Valentine's Day Tom decided to cook dinner for me. (Keep in mind that Tom has never cooked a full meal for someone in his life except maybe macaroni & cheese.) It was so cute, and he did a great job! The pork chops were amazing. He even bought flowers and decorations to set up for our special candlelit dinner. So romantic.

The following weekend we braved the icy roads and bad weather to travel over to Jackson Hole to watch a hockey game. Yes, Jackson has a hockey team aka the Jackson Hole Moose. I had never been to a hockey game before. It was so much fun! The game is so intense and fast-paced. Sometimes it was hard to keep track of where the puck was. It got really exciting when someone would get pushed up against the edge of the rink. We were hoping to witness a fight (just a little one), but alas, that didn't happen. Maybe next time. We slaughtered the other team (12-2), and it came to a point where I was feeling bad every time the Moose would score. Poor goalie on the other team. I know how I would have felt being in his position. In between periods, we got to watch figure skating performances which was perhaps the highlight of the night. This one kid was awesome and had the crowd going wild! He's got the moves!

taken at the hockey game

Here is the moose mascot. Don't ask me what he is carrying.

Traditional silly faces. I think Tom's a little too good at this game.

I would even blog to say that I'm not blogging

Yes, I have been an extremely absent blogger as of late. I apologize to all seven of you who actually read this. I just don't have much of anything exciting to write about. I go to work, come home, fix dinner, do the dishes, go to Zumba or institute, and spend a little bit of time with Tom. Like I said, nothing too exciting. Does anybody really want to read about that kind of stuff?? I think back on my D.C. days when every day brought something new and exciting to write about. Unfortunately, I am not in D.C. anymore. I have been seriously craving to go back there lately and even started a separate savings account to save up for a trip there . . . someday. For lack of something special to write about, I guess I will tell you a bunch of nothings. So here we go . . .

It has been painfully cold this week. Like -30 degrees F painful. You don't even need to eat ice cream to get a brain freeze, just go outside. Because of this, my garage door froze shut three days in a row. I had to pour hot water over it to get it to open. Hence, I was late to work this week more than anyone ever should be. (And I used to think that I was a punctual person, ha.) But this week of all weeks was a bad time to be late because . . . I got a raise! Yay! A raise which my boss is probably reconsidering after my recent tardiness.

I was recently called to be the ward assistant organist which is exciting. About nine months ago, this was my dream calling. I wanted it so bad! But now that I have it, I realize how stressful it is for me. I think that it will get easier as time goes by though, and it definitely forces me to practice which I desperately need! And just as a side note, when you (the congregation) starts singing, please don't make it painfully slow, for your oragnist's sake. He/she will greatly appreciate it. Ok thanks.

In other news, and just for fun, here are some other probably-not-so-interesting facts that you didn't want to know about me. . .

Recent likes:

• Zumba! (of course) I even have Amber hooked on it now. I feel so proud of myself when I introduce someone to the world of exercise. I feel like I am making the world a happier/better place. :)
• Dove chocolates (my Valentine's Day indulgences are starting early this year)
• Scarves - I got one for Christmas and also stole another out of my mom's drawer to add to my collection. It is surprising how much warmer these things make you. And just in case you were wondering whether my mom is upset or even missing said scarf, just the other day she said, "That's a nice scarf. Where did you get it?" "Your drawer," I responded. Granted, she has been very sick this past week, so maybe she was a little out of it, but I think that I will go ahead and keep the scarf until she demands that I return it.
• Tom - I'm in love. The End.
  

second Christmas

Due to high airline prices during Christmastime, our California family decided to come out for a visit a few weeks after Christmas instead. While some traditions were not the same since it wasn't really Christmas, others we just couldn't do without. For example: the Rodrigues family Christmas is all about the pie. It seems like every year we try to out-do the last. And this year definitely took the cake pie. Nana made a total 17 pies. No, that is not a typo. Seventeen was definitely more than our typical one-pie-per-person rationing. Each one was different so you never got bored of trying new flavors. I even branched out a little and tried butterscotch. I do not like butterscotch at all. But throw it in a pie crust and add a nice brown-sugary taste and it's not half bad. Life is full of surprises.

Aside from eating our weight in pie, other activities included building "Alice in Wonderland" themed snow creatures (first inspired by a mushroom), finishing the most difficult and frustrating puzzle in the world, and playing lots of games like "Things," "Cribbage," "Wackee Six" and "Phase 10."

But I'd have to say that the best part of the reunion was our family talent show which is shown below. As you can hear in the background, I couldn't stop laughing. This was definitely a side of my dad that I had never seen before! The acts are listed below in order. . . Enjoy!!

We are so talented.

This is my 2010

Fishing. first time at the Playmill. Tom.
job hunting. becoming a notary public for the state of Idaho.
musical numbers in church.Madison YSA. Lagoon.
my first post-grad job.Idaho State Fair.
camping.the temple.trip to the Grand Canyon.
holidays. Disneyland. Zumba. Michelle.
4th of July in the Valley.Winter Olympics.visit from David.
baking more banana bread.family.church callings.
parties.car shopping.laughed my head off.
lots of new friends.amazing Halloween costume.
Institute.Sophie.General Conference.
blessings.challenges.love.

What we do best . . .

December 18th was my mom's birthday! On the way down to Idaho Falls where we watched The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (awesome movie!!) and ate dinner at Texas Roadhouse (yumm!!), we decided to get out the camera and do what we do best: make funny faces!

Happy Birthday Mom!