Why I am old.

Well I guess I'm not a salesperson. It's a good thing I don't have to do Ryan's job. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to get some cowboy boots and a cowboy hat and pretend I'm a country fan just to go to this concert.

So I've been thinking lately that I'm old. Not because of my age, but how I act. Here are some examples:

I am kind of behind the times with technology. I only got my cell phone two years ago, and we just barely got an ipod. I am quite possibly the world's slowest texter.

I love going to the library and I love to read. If I could I would probably stay home and read most of the time. I think I'm the only person in my ward who is actually interested in having a book club.

The only magazines I subscribe to are Reader's Digest and the Ensign.

I'm scared of participating in organized team sports.

I'm cheap. But I have to say I'm not as bad as I used to be. Still, sometimes I don't want to spend money even on necessities ($9 for a pair of socks? No way!). I've only had two professional manicures and one professional pedicure, and even though I don't dislike them, I just can't spend that much on something that only looks good for one day.

Sometimes I am easily frustrated in simple situations. Not long ago I had to take the car to the carwash (which I've never done before- remember, I'm cheap) and I could not figure out where to pay, when to pay, I was supposed to get a discount on gas at the same place and I argued with the cashier that he hadn't given me enough of a discount (he had). Of course, I couldn't find anyone who spoke English but it shouldn't have been that big of a deal, right? Well I was almost in tears by the end of it and when I came home I told Ryan I'm never doing it again. And that's why I wash the car on the front lawn.

Well maybe these examples show that I'm not necessarily old, just weird. I guess that's okay. But now I'm off to my bridge group. We meet every Wednesday night and we watch Lawrence Welk while we knit orange and brown afghans.

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Well, I've tried ebay, I've tried craigslist, so I have no choice but to exploit my own blog. I have two tickets to Toby Keith on July 12th in San Bernadino and I am trying to sell them. They are very good seats, and I'm willing to negotiate on the price. I bought them for about $200 and we were planning on giving them to someone as a gift, but that person will be out of town. So, if you are a country fan or know of anyone who is, let me know!

And, uh . . .

Ryan's dad found this the other day. It's painful to watch.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67NIBVSyqS4



Ryan says this is probably a college class where the students are just thrown in front of the camera and expected to figure it out. We doubt that this was an actual broadcast, but still, it's bad. It reminded us of this one, which was an actual broadcast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W45DRy7M1no

Today while we were eating lunch Alex says:

"Mom, this is the life. "

When I asked him to explain what was so great at that moment, he said:

"It's because the yogurt is so good."

So, if you feel like your life is missing something, get yourself some strawberry flavored Kroger brand yogurt, and you can be living the good life too.

This is only a test

This is what the kids were doing when I got back from grocery shopping tonight. (Really I just wanted an excuse to see if I can figure out how to put some video on here.)

Puerto Rico

I could make some West Side Story joke here, but I won't. We just got back from a few days in Puerto Rico. Ryan qualified for a trip through his company. He only has one more week in his cast, which is kind of a bummer since he couldn't do anything too adventurous, but it was very relaxing and we spent a lot of time just sitting on the beach. We each read about two and a half books. My kind of vacation.

Hello white legs and stubby calves.

The only picture either of us would allow of ourselves:

Our hotel. With a huge tree right in the middle. I'm astounded by my photography skills.

Ryan was supposed to be in meetings so the company had arranged things for the spouses and families to do. I passed on the water aerobics, but I did go on a little tour of the El Yunque rain forest. The most entertaining thing about the tour was a lady who asked a million questions, including: What is the average life expectancy for a man in Puerto Rico? How old are you? How did you meet your wife? What does it take to buy land here? (And the tour guide's answer: Money.) Later on the drive back to the hotel I was sitting right behind her and noticed a tiny spider wandering around in her hair. I watched it for a while, then took it out without her noticing.

A banana tree

Each night there was a big company dinner with some pretty good buffets. One night was a fancy gala dinner, and Ryan managed to get on the dance floor on one foot. Impressive.

Here we are with a couple of the other agents from L.A.

The view from our room. There was too much light to get a clear shot.

There were iguanas wandering around the hotel grounds.

The last night was a carnival themed dinner, so there were a bunch of people wandering around on stilts, or wearing big fake heads, or playing trombones, or wearing big headdresses and skimpy outfits. I drank my first real coconut here.

It was fun and noisy and colorful. There was a booth where you could have your picture drawn, so we did. We think there's actually some resemblance, although Ryan looks like Jason Bateman and I look like an elf.

We were talking about our favorite parts from the week, and for both of us one of the most memorable was just the people watching. By the time it was over we had nicknames for a good percentage of the group. There was Leather Lady, Goof, Striped-Bikini Girl, and Baby Face just to name a few. A lot of the agents are from the East Coast, and I realized that it's hard for me to take people seriously with a northeast accent. It just seems fake to me since I haven't been around it much. I'm sure people had nicknames for us too since Ryan was so recognizable hobbling around. If you ever need an icebreaker, just get a cast and some crutches and everyone will tell you their history of personal injuries.

Puerto Rico is a gorgeous place, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We are so grateful to Ryan's parents for watching the kids. Ryan and I talk a lot about how we're both lucky to have great in-laws. The kids also love any excuse to hang out with Nana and Papa.

Now, back to real life.

End of school year

Here are some odds and ends from the end of the school year:

These are actually from April when Alex's class went on a field trip to a strawberry farm. The kids were so excited just to be able to ride on a school bus, and it was kind of cute to see them all bent over in the fields, picking their strawberries. It was fun, but I was worn out by the time we got home. (Now that I think about it, it was the same week as Ryan's surgery.) These four kids were the ones I got to chaperone.

This one is Alex's "community helper" project. Each kid got a small cereal box and had to decorate it like some kind of building that benefits the community. He chose a hospital. Ryan helped him make a helicopter and an ambulance.

Benjamin has been attending a Montessori preschool that a friend of ours does from her home. He's learned a lot of things like how to crack an egg, practicing using tongs, sewing a bead onto a piece of fabric, etc. They've also learned about a lot of different countries and cultures. I don't know how much he'll remember, but it was interesting to me.

Graduation day:
Throwing their caps into the air. (Benjamin's is the one way out front).

I just thought this picture was funny because he looks like such a gentleman. They were singing a song where one person goes and hides, and another person has to go find them and escort them back.

Ben and Ms. Judy.

Last night was the school talent show, and Alex recited a poem to showcase his talent of having a good memory. I didn't really want to push him to be in it, but he was interested and I thought we should take advantage of his enthusiasm while it lasts. I was so thrilled on the day of try outs. Alex isn't the most social kid so I didn't know how he'd react to standing in front of a group of people. He did great! I was almost more excited that he tried out than I was for the actual show. But he did a great job last night, too. I just wish I had some video of it. His poem was "Poemsicle" by Shel Silverstein.

Here he is taking his bow during the finale.

And, last but not least, I actually have pictures from Fathers and Sons. I'm very impressed that Ryan took any. He said it was only because no one else brought a camera, so he was the designated picture taker.

Here are the boys chowing down with their friend Eli.

Benjamin being a fire monster.

Alex and the pinata. I hear our kids were the quickest to grab all the candy that spilled out. Benjamin working on his golf swing.