Surprise, Jess!

Nobody loves surpises more than I do, and last night the surprise was on me. Dad and Grandma K. flew into visit. How wonderful it will be to have them here for the next few days, taking part in our routine; something I've missed very much. It's great to have gone out to dinner with them last night, to buy groceries with Grandma last night, to have them sit in my living room, these little things that I've missed sharing with my family.

There' more fun to have. They will be able to attend Maddie and Isaac's last soccer games on Saturday, and get to see them rehearse for the Primary Program on Sunday; more of the little things, more of our routine, more of our life away from our REAL life back home in CA.

and so it begins

You wouldn't believe it if I told you. Or maybe you would. After all, it is Montana.

No friends, this isn't from last winter. I just took this picture less than an hour ago.

Somewhere under there are my mums.

They say that we will climb back up to the 60s by the weekend.

I'm just now ready to take on fall(let alone winter). But already Maddie and Isaac are wearing their fancy board jackets from the GAP that I scored for $13 each.

So now that the weather outside is frightful, and since inside it's so delightful, we have to bring the outside in:

Today she decided to add to her list of ruins (the box of my winter sweaters, the insulation from the basement, etc). I get to break the news to her out-of-town daddy that today she ripped the screen off of the sliding glass door and (as if that didn't satisfy the satan inside of her) then shredded it.

The question of the day: how long until spring?

That's Joincidence With a C

Isn’t irony fun? But even as I type this and Maddie read it over my shoulder, I couldn’t come up with an example of irony. I couldn’t tell her the one about the guy who recently showed up to his wife’s doctor appointment after she had served him divorce papers and then he stabbed her to death. I found it ironic that he worked as a criminal statistics person and his first name was Wisdom. Some people think that the word ironic is overused, and that coincidence might be a more appropriate description (that’s jo-incidence with a C Pheobes). I found more irony tonight here in Montana. Those who know me might recall that I have a deep love for Girl Scout cookies. Not because I ever was a Girl Scout, but because of the tradition and well, I love cookies. Nothing fancy, my favorites are Shortbread and Thin Mints. Love, love, love the Thin Mints. Tonight was the parent meeting for Maddie’s Brownie Troup. This is a first for us, neither one of us have ever participated in the Girl Scouts program. I am excited for her, though I didn’t seek out this opportunity. It was by luck that our wonderful daycare provider is one of the Brownie Troup Leaders and recruited Maddie. Nonetheless, I am thrilled to be apart of Brownies. You can never have enough ‘Girl Time’. So at this parent meeting tonight, held at the home of one of the parents, I was put in charge of the cookie sales. I am the Cookie Manager. The tasks are what you might expect: collecting and submitting orders, picking up the (literally) carloads of cookies, storing the cookies at my home, and collecting and submitting money. As long as it’s not during business hours, I can handle it. As you can imagine, none of the other moms were jumping up and down in excitement over this position. I think there was an element of relief that the ‘new girl’ stepped in. So while there is a bit of irony in the fact that I love Girl Scout cookies and am now the Girl Scout Cookie Manager, or that we just joined Brownies and the cookie sale starts this Saturday, this is the irony I found in tonight’s events: to participate as the Cookie Manager for Girl Scouts, I had to pay them. I had to pay them for me to organize, collect, use my gas and my time, etc. I had to pay them $10 for my registration fee and $3 for my background check. This after paying Maddie’s registration fee. I am not bitter. I am not angered. I do find it a bit ironic that I am paying them to work for them. Even now as I am exhausted from work and soccer practice and the no-dinner and the Brownie parent meeting, I feel a little bit important, a little more needed, and even excited to be the Cookie Manager. How simple my life must be, one might think, to be excited about being the Cookie Manager. Maybe. But I’m not going to trade places with them.

Francis Scott Key's Other Lyrics

I may have already mentioned that Isaac recently learned The Star-Spangled Banner at school. He went around the house for two weeks singing it and was so impressed that his mom could play it on the piano. So this morning, when we were getting ready for church I had one of those wish-I-had-a-hidden-camera moments. A hidden tape recorder would have done just fine. Isaac was kneeling at the side of my bed with two Lego characters. Putting this in writing will not do it justice, but I have to share! He was playing pirates with these characters, and singing (not acting) the scene out to our National Anthem's melody. Starting the tune at 'O're the ramparts we watched': "The children were lost, and the captain was dead. When they asked them for food, all they brought them was bread." Then "The prisoners escaped, and they chopped off their hands..." This went on for 10 minutes, and I tried to burn the whole song into my brain without success. This is all I could remember. This guy is a genius. I know it's not a reverent or patriotic rendition of The Star-Spangle Banner, but it was absolutely priceless.

T.G.I.F.O.: Thank Goodness it's Finally Over

Has anyone else out there had a long week?

This week has been long for me.

On Monday and Tuesday we had our big once-a-year meeting that our customers fly in for. It's a pretty big deal, as a matter of fact: planning has already begun for next year.

This big Customer Thing kept me at work late Monday night, and then decorating all day Tuesday for the big 'Luau' (as much of a luau as you can do in Montana). I should mention that much, much alcohol was consumed (mostly by our own employees). Monday night I wandered around to all three of the bars set up in our office in search of something alcohol-free. Finally, bartender number three had a Pepsi.

The week continued with a couple of soccer practices, open house at school (complete with the Book Fair that always robs us blind), and wouldn't you know: Friday finally arrived. As an added bonus for surviving, I got my bangs to do the swoop-y thing AND I took the afternoon off (finally getting MT plates for my car).

One might think that a girl like me would make the most of having such a precious afternoon free. Catching up on house work, errands, etc. I did and I will. But better than that: I slept. And with it not even 4:30 yet, I've still got time to do the other crap.

PS Why does it bother me that Maddie just ran in here and got her $4 to buy the other kids treats from the ice cream man? I should be proud, but something rotten in me wanted to tell the other kids to get their own.

Is Gunther In the House?

I wrote a little bit before about the guy at work that would remind you so much of Phoebe's gym-shorts-wearing boyfriend that Gunther had to tell "put the mouse back in the house".

I just don't get this guy. He wears these short shorts that are tight and often made with thin material. There's no dress code at work, so even though he's a team leader, no one minds that he wears these virtual Daisy-Dukes with a grungy T-shirt.

Tuesday morning we had a meeting with me (still the new girl), our boss and two team leaders. Score: Guys=3 Girls=1, just me.

In comes Mr. Skimpy Shorts in usual garb. He gets ready to take the seat next to me, but first has to do this exagerated "foot up on the desk to tie the shoe". Like he couldn't modestly tie his shoe from his seat?

I had mentioned recently that he likes to stand and talk to the person sitting next to me with his foot resting on the desk. It's almost like he's trying to put himself on display.

Seated next to me, he has both feet up on the boss' desk throughout our meeting. He did the whole tipping back in his chair thing that all second graders know not to do. No, he didn't fall, but he was sure asking for it.

This guys arrogance blows me away. How professional is it to prance around the office like you're at the gym with the guys?

In case you're wondering, he's not all that. He is tall and has a descent build, but not much beyond that. Honestly, I'm so repulsed by the way he dresses and carries himself to make a fair judgement.

I just wish Gunther was around to remind him to put his mouse back in the house.

This Week in Montana

With our internet being up and down and down and down and up, posting isn't often possible. So then I end up puking it all out at once. Here goes.

Isaac and Maddy broke up. His dad told him that it's good; now he can play the field. Men suck.

There's no dress code at my new job. Remember the episode of F*R*I*E*N*D*S when Phoebe's boyfriend was athletic and wore shorts that exposed his parts? One of the "team leaders" at work wears skimpy man shorts (some are made of T-shirt fabric). He's a tall guy, and likes to rest his foot on the desk of the person sitting next to me while they talk. I have not witnessed any exposure, but I will continue to stare at my computer screen until my eyes burn each time he comes by.

I met my parents in Utah last weekend. Though my kids were sick, mom was under the weather, and I made the long drive without David, it was totally worth it and I was thrilled to have had the opportunity to be with them.

While in Utah, we took in the BYU vs. Boston football game. Fun time, though their quarterback isn't all that. We bumped in to my cousin who has season tickets to the BYU football games. He lives in San Diego but will commute on his buddy's private plane. Whatever.

Said cousin can commute from San Diego to Utah for many of the Saturday's this fall, but can't show up to a family event. I'm not bitter.

Tomorrow will be our first soccer games: Isaac and I at 8:30, Maddie at 10am. I am very excited. The weather doesn't seem to want to co-operate.

Many obnoxious soccer pictures to follow.