You look like a monkey....

In about four hours it will be official, I will have been on this earth for 38 years (I was born at 4:55 a.m.). There is one thing I have always been grateful for when it comes to birthdays.....my brother Paul has always been older. For some reason this little fact pleases me and makes any pain at getting old kind of disappate. Plus, if you are going to have a birthday on a holiday, pick Halloween. It feels like the whole world parties with me. I will be dressing in my usual costume, the one I have been using year after year for about 26 years now, I am dressing as.....drum roll please.....the birthday girl. This costume comes in very handy because essentially I can pick any outfit I want and when people ask what I am dressed as I tell them "I'm the Birthday Girl" and they, with a smile, wish me a happy birthday. When it comes down to it, I enjoy a day that is all about me. Who cares about the dumb candy anyway, I get birthday cake. So what if people dress up? I get presents. So what if the doorbell rings all night? I get tacos for dinner. So what if teenagers who are way too old and whose parents should be laying down the law are out trick-or-treating? If they are older than 12 I make them sing Happy Birthday to me before I hand over the Kit Kat. All in all, I love my birthday and I don't care if I am 38 or 78 I am going to live it up and have a grand time.

P.S. One little bummer? I am skipping two classes to attend the Halloween parade at the kids' school. I wouldn't care normally but I am getting a test back in History and a paper back in an English class. Dang, I am desperate for those grades but it will have to wait because the little kiddie parade is the highlight of my day/year. I get to watch the best looking Hannah Montana and the cutest little pirate parade past me. [Happy sigh]

Remind you of anyone?

Sorry I don't know how to import video into my blog, until I figure it out, this will have to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W95Y8hNQiH8

Indignities

Harold and I just got back from SLC where I had a follow-up appointment at the Huntsman Center. We had to wait for two hours to see the doctor and another hour to get a chest x-ray. I realize that doctors and hospitals are busy, and that there are people there who are very sick and require more attention than I do, but I was very, very disappointed in the wait. One of those hours was spent half undressed with a sheet on an exam table.

We had planned on carving pumpkins tonight with friends. We were home two hours later than planned and I had to call a friend to take the kids because I was worried about them being home alone and I had to cancel the pumpkin carving as well.

Then when we arrived home our daughter was thinking we would still have the pumpkin carving activity and when she discovered that was not the case she was livid. She pouted, crossing her arms defiantly across her chest, her head bowed down with a frown on her face that would scare the living daylights out of anyone. I restrained myself. I actually thought of throwing things and screaming, telling her that my day hadn't been all the fun, and that her poor father not only had to wait all that time with me, he had to drive for two hours to get me to the doctor and back. I kept my mouth shut and waited. Eventually Harold addressed the bad attitude and he and I calmly explained that our day hadn't been all that exciting and that we were disappointed too. I think it was much more effective this way than if I had thrown the coffee table, cereal bowls and all, into the air, screaming as I went.

Okay, in an effort at full disclosure, I gave the RS lesson yesterday on Elder Holland's talk entitled, The Tongue of Angels. This is an area in which I need some serious help. But, the talk really helped me tonight and we avoided a major scene that would have escalated and become very ugly.

Today I am grateful for inspired leaders who know what we need and when we need it.

The top 38 reasons I love Harold (the birthday boy)!

1. His love of the gospel.
2. His hands, so strong.
3. His work ethic.
4. He tells me I am beautiful.
5. His infectious laugh.
6. His sense of humor, even if he does laugh at British comedy.
7. He laughs at my jokes.
8. He gave me Savannah.
9. He gave me Mackson.
10. He loves people.
11. He is the sole caretaker of our yard.
12. He makes me feel special.
13. He doesn't watch sports. (This one is HUGE! for me.)
14. He goes to the temple every week.
15. He plays the organ with UMPH!
16. He holds FHE.
17. He brings us together for family prayer and scripture study.
18. He is kind.
19. He is gentle.
20. He is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. (Wait, does Harold do that?)
21. He appreciates a clean house and works hard to make sure it gets clean every week.
22. I NEVER have to ask him to clean or do yard work. (He asks me, but that's another story.)
23. He appreciates a home-cooked meal.
24. When I make a Sunday meal he gets right up and does the dishes.
25. He encourages me to do my best (school, gospel)
26. He loves the Savior.
27. He can make others laugh, just by his presence, he has a joy about him.
28. He takes pride in what we own, even if I call it white trash (i.e. the Geo)
29. He can find a common ground with anyone.
30. He got an education and by doing so set a great example for our children.
31. If I get to Heaven, it will be because of him.
32. He never, ever gets after me for going astray from Weight Watchers.
33. He values our time together as a couple and takes me on dates every week.
34. Whenever he hears a jet engine he looks up, even if he is driving. Although this scares me, I love that he has a passion for something so amazing.
35. When I break down, he lifts me up.
36. He likes to play so we get out of the house do DO THINGS. He NEVER sits around.
37. He listens to me, no matter what I want to talk about.
38. He promised me when we got married that we would spend our 75th anniversary together when we are 100. It may not happen, but I know he feels the same today as he felt then, even more so.

All my love to my forever friend and handsome husband. Happy Birthday Lima!

Love, p.

Who is The Real Me?

I couldn't help it, this was fun.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car): Scooter Villager
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie): Peanut Butter Panic Cinnamon Oatmeal
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name): J-Nic
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal): Red Monkey
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born): Marie Santa Clara
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first): Nicje
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink): The Green Pepsi
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers): Floyd Grant
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Coconut Lime Twix
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ): Jeanne Edward
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Namba Nampa
12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Fall Tulip
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”): Peachie
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Brownie Maple
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”): The Reading Wind Tour

State of Mind

What do you call the phenomenon where you are tired but for some reason you stay up late and watch episodes of Lost downloaded for $1.99 from Apple.com and then peruse the web for another hour beyond that. I wouldn't call it insomnia, maybe hysteria? No that isn't right either, at least according to wikipedia.org. How about insanity, meaning behavior influenced by mental instability. That could work. Or stupidity-as in lacking intelligence as opposed to being ignorant or ill educated. I don't like that one either.

Ooo,ooo, I found it. Addiction: a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity, despite harmful consequences to the individuals health, mental state or social life.

Yep, that's it. Hi, my name is Jeanna and I am in internet addict. Hello Jeanna!

Next thing you know I am going to have to take a sledge hammer to my laptop to rid myself of the terrible chains that are dragging me down. I think I would rather hide in my closet and secretly surf the internet for websites and blogs, as long as I can access my neighbor's WiFi.

It is 1:13 a.m. and I would prefer not to be held responsible for what I say, but at 1:17 I am hitting the hay. Nighty night.

The Rules of Engagement

This post is in honor of Dane and Bridget. (For those of you reading this from the Johnson/McGiven clan, please see the Smith Family Blog link to your right.)

Thirteen years ago this week Harold and I got engaged. I say "this week" because neither Harold nor I can remember the exact date. Here is what we do know. On October 21, 1994 we attended the wedding of our friends Karen and Travis. We went to the Manti Temple, the luncheon, and the reception. We even remember that Harold got stopped by a policeman (the only reason I didn't use 'cop' was because of my Uncle Gary and my respect for policemen everywhere). Harold was able to talk his way out of a ticket for a moving violation (running a red light) by telling the officer that his birthday was only 5 days away and he was turning 25 and about to get his insurance rates dropped, so please, please, please have mercy. And the officer did.

So then, the next very concrete event we can remember was October 26, which is Harold's birthday.

Somewhere in between the 21st and the 26th we were engaged. This leaves Oct 22, 23, 24 and 25. I know it wasn't the 22nd because that would have been a Sunday and we got engaged at a restaurant so the 22nd is out. It wasn't the 25th because I distinctly remember telling someone that I had better make Harold's birthday decent on the 26th because he had given me the ultimate gift "a couple of days ago." So that narrows things down to the 23rd and 24th.

If I was forced at gunpoint to choose a date I would pick the 24th because it was a Tuesday, I had skipped class (my bad habits run deep) that night and I don't think they have night classes at BYU on Mondays, but I could be wrong. So there you go. Nothing too definite.

As for celebrating the day we got engaged, if it is today, Harold is currently sitting in his underwear eating a homemade sandwich and salt and vinegar chips while I sniff at it because I have already eaten my points for the day and can't have anything to eat right now.

If the blessed event is to be celebrated tomorrow I will be at quilt night with the ladies while Harold spends "quality" time with the kids.

Either way, I have no regrets. I would say yes all over again.