Life's Little Laughs

Ok, none of the following really go together except that they are all silly stories...


CHRISTMAS GIFT FIASCO
Present #1:
When I opened the mailbox one evening after work and pulled out a BYU package my first thought was, "It's that BYU-I bookstore gift I asked for for Christmas!" I considered not investigating the markings on the package to try to confirm my suspicion but that really would be asking too much of me. So, I looked at the BYU seal and was sad not to see the word Idaho included. "It must be a school thing for AJ," I concluded.

When I got home I handed the package to AJ, who I believed to be the owner. As soon as he took it from me and saw it he exclaimed, "Oh no! Now, you saw your present." Needless to say, that gave Present #1 away.

Present #2:
I was cleaning and found the "hiding place" where two presents were being stashed. Present #1 I had already discovered and Present #2, a pearl necklace, I could only assume was a Christmas present for me.

Present #3:
AJ was expecting a number of non-Christmas present packages as well as one more gift he ordered for me. One day a smallish-medium package arrived. AJ took it to be the last Christmas gift he ordered and we put it under the tree. I shook and rattled the package without a clue in the world of what it could be.

A few days later I was home from work and AJ was on campus studying for a test. I discovered that we received another package. I wanted to open it because I figured this was one of the non-Christmas packages AJ ordered. But I wanted to be sure, so I called AJ and let him know we got a package and asked if I'd be I safe to open it. He gave me the go-ahead.

I opened it to find a sage green micro-suede down comforter (with matching shams!) and was so excited. I wished it was for me but thought it must have been delivered by mistake. When AJ came home I wanted to show him the comforter so I tried to take him into the other room but he resisted and I knew it was the last present he'd been waiting for. But if the comforter was the last present, then what was in the other box? It was a power supply for a computer AJ and his dad were fixing up!


WEDDING LUNCHEON MISTAKE
AJ and I were excited to learn that his mission buddy's wedding date was on the Friday before we were leaving to Arizona for Christmas. We planned that I would go to work early and take a break at 1pm to go with AJ to his friend's wedding luncheon in Lehi. Neither of us brought a lunch to work and we were excited to eat and see his friend on his wedding day.

The time came for us to drive to the luncheon. When AJ drives I am the designated navigator and while we were headed for the Lehi Main Street exit I noticed that the address of the church building was not Lehi but Eagle Mountain. Lehi is about 10 minutes from our work offices, while Eagle Mountain is more like 45 minutes from our Orem offices. We drew near to our destination a little late. As we pulled into the church we found on our first try (our sense of direction isn't very strong) something seemed a little off. There were no cars in the parking lot. At this point it was more of a hope than a logical assumption that there would be cars on the other side of the building. So, we circled around to the other side and confirmed our fears that the parking lot was completely empty.

Frantically, I pulled out the wedding invitation...the time was right...ok what else? What is today...12/21? Yes. What date does the invitation list? Thursday, December 20th?!

LESSON LEARNED: Read invitations thoroughly before going anywhere!
Pam from The Office has something to say about this:






CHRISTMAS


This isn't really a funny story, but more of an account of our Christmas in AZ at my parent's home. We had great driving conditions there and back. When leaving Phoenix we saw six hot air ballons leaving the ground! Monica and John brought their Wii, which to my surprise, everyone played multiple times. My grandparents spent the holiday with us too. They also enjoyed the Wii, so much so they bought one from AJ.




Grandma was a stellar bowler! We had a tournament and in the first match Grandma bowled a 195! I was honored to accept the title of "Winner" for the entire match, going up against Grandma and Dad, both formidable opponents! I sure like to win!


We had some Karma Chocolates as we call them (homemade chocolates AJ's mom makes). We did not have them right away, only after few nights into our stay did my Mom relinquish her guard post and lower her gun. These chocolates are so good! My favorite is the carmel and pecan in milk chocolate. I love to watch everyone eat them especially my Mom. She gets a look of perfect contentment on her face.

We had a delicious turkey dinner Christmas Eve and afterward my Dad gave a great FHE lesson on trials and giving our will to Christ. We sat and talked for some time about trials and family and all sorts of things. We used to do that growing up and those family discussions are some of my most cherished memories.

Before we went to bed, my Mom reminded us to not wake up too early. I woke up at 6am Christmas morning so I laid in bed for a while and woke up again at 8am. When we were all ready to go my Mom said, "What took you so long! I've been up since 6am!" Mom, I'm getting mixed signals here! I guess we need to qualify "early."


SNOWMAN
Lastly, before any of the above events took place it snowed and AJ and I made a snowman. I don't remember what day it was but I think it was in early December. It had just finished snowing and our backyard was picture perfect! I had a huge urge to make my mark in the snow, not by urine, but by footprint of course! So AJ and I rolled out 3 big snow balls and made a snowman.

But some mean neighbor knocked it down not 3 hours after it was created! So the next day, Sunday, when Erika, Marcus, and Olivia came to visit, AJ and Marcus took the largest snowball from our wreckage and rolled it in front of our neighbor's back stairs to avenge the fallen snowman. That's a little too mean I think but it melted soon enough.

Our little Sunbeams as lambs in the Christmas Nativity at our ward Christmas Party.



A group shot at the family Christmas party.

The BEST Surprise...EVER!

WHAT HE DID...
December 27, 2007 was our 2 year anniversary. AJ and I got off work early at 3pm so we could have a little party. We were going to pig out on peanut M&Ms and pizza while watching Stardust. We were borrowing Monica and John's Wii to have a big competition. To document our party, we video taped us explaining how we were going to celebrate. Afterward, AJ said he had a surprise for me because my Christmas was spoiled (I inadvertantly discovered my Christmas presents early).

He turned the video camera back on and pulled out a big box...actually he pulled out his night table which happens to be a big Dell box (we're high class!) and told me to open it.

My mind was blank while I thought about what it could be. Nothing came to mind! I recalled the last time AJ announced he had a surprise. He called me excited while I was at the store. When I got home I found the surprise was a Jason's Deli coupon, which was great but maybe didn't quite deserve the level of enthusiasm he displayed. So, as I pulled open the box flaps I was COMPLETELY surprised to see a beautifully packaged Wii staring up at me!


WHY THIS WAS THE BEST SURPRISE OF MY LIFE...
I suppose it started this summer when we first played the Nintendo Wii together at our neighbors' Jason and Kristy's home. The moment I beat AJ in boxing I was sold! I never beat AJ at any video game!

Later this fall, during a routine trip to Costco, we were standing in a check out line and a pallet piled high with Wiis lay directly in front of us. We were seconds from purchasing it, but We are not impulse buyers and even though we both wanted it I think we were both relieved to have walked out of Costco without it in our cart. That relief quickly turned to regret.

After AJ's coworker Chase and his wife Becky invited us over for Sunday dinner and a Wii tournament we began feverishly searching for the Wii. But by this time it was already December and Wiis were out of stock everywhere. The base console that retails for $250 was going for $400 on ebay. And stores were keeping shipping dates secret from employees so it was a mystery when the small shipments would come in.

After a few feeble attempts to win a Wii on ebay before the holidays, I resigned. I faced the facts: the Wii was UNOBTAINABLE (stamped in big red letters).


HOW HE DID IT...
AJ learned that his friend, Michael, had an uncle who was the manager of the Orem Costco. While most all the Costco employees were not privy to Wii shipping information, Michael's uncle was.

On Thursday morning, December 20th, AJ got word that a shipment of 50 Wiis had arrived at Costco. His friend Michael stood in line at 9am waiting for Costco to open. But AJ worked on Thursday morning and he couldn't get off work. It was against policy to take off time without notice.

Luckily, the supervisor on guard had been pursuing the same wild goose chase. He and his wife drove to California for Thanksgiving and called every store along the way looking for the Wii. They did not find a single store with Wiis in stock. So, this supervisor let AJ run to Costco.

AJ was hoping to get 3 Wiis so we could sell 2 on ebay, but Costco would only sell one Wii per membership number. Michael bought one on his membership, AJ bought one, and our neighbor Dallan took time out of his day to come buy one for us.

When AJ got back to work with 3 Wiis he sold one (at cost) to his supervisor as a thank you for letting him go. And while we were in Arizona for Christmas, my Grandparents enjoyed it so much that they bought the 3rd one from him (at cost). I'm proud of my husband for being honorable and putting people ahead of money.


WII THANK EVERYONE WHO HELPED...
All in all there were about 11 people who helped AJ get the Wii and several people including friends, siblings, parents, and grandparents who kept the secret so that AJ could give this fun surprise. Thank you!

We'll have a picture and video to follow soon!

Edward is Cast!

They chose an Edward for Stephenie Meyer's Twilight movie! It's none other than Harry Potter's own Cedric Diggery (aka: Robert Pattinson). I think he fits the bill!

You may want to check out the press release on Stephenie Meyer's website:

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/

:) Laughing

I hate the cold and dark. From this information, can you guess which isn't my favorite season? I detest winter. It is the culmination of all things uncomfortable to me. (Except sweaters, I love sweaters.) In the winter I lose hope of feeling again the bright sun, green grass, warm breeze, and colorful flowers. It seems like spring will never come again.

This year I have decided to remind myself to laugh often. I once watched an interview with Natalie Portman. The interviewer asked her what her five favorite sounds are. My two favorite sounds are:
1) When AJ is sleeping and I haven't fallen asleep yet sometimes I tickle his back. He doesn't know what is going on but he lets out a little sigh of comfort anyway.
2) Olivia's giggle, it's like the way "Magic" might sound if you could bottle it up.

My favorite things to laugh about are parodies. So I have posted some of my favorite parodies and clips for everyone to enjoy.

Jay Leno's Headlines

Dog Tickling Baby


Mitch Hedberg on Letterman


Mad TV Parody of Ashlee Simpson "L.O.V.E"


Mad TV Parody of Beyonce


Alanis Morissette Parody of Black Eyed Peas "My Humps"


Mad TV Parody of Shakira "Whenever, Wherever"


Mad TV Parofy of Shakira "Objection Tango"


Family Guy Parody of Aliens


Direct TV Aliens Ad


The Simpson's Parody of Mr. & Mrs. Smith


The Simpson's Parody of American Idol



More...

Mad TV Parody of Rachel Ray "30 Minute Meals" #1


Mad TV Parody of Rachel Ray "30 Minute Meals" #2

Babysitting Plus Some

Last Saturday we got to babysit! AJ and I arrived at Erika and Marcus' apartment at about 10am. The drive was a little scary because it was snowing hard. Olivia had a bit of a delayed reaction when she saw us come in: blank stare and then a couple minutes later a big smile!

We started out with blocks and socks. While Olivia played with her colorful blocks I flipped socks at her. I love how she can stay so focused on playing even through a sock barrage. After I finished my lunch, AJ and I took her for a walk in the snow. It had been snowing all morning and I was a little sad I took so long to eat because by the time I was done the snow had stopped falling.

We bundled Olivia up tight and tried out her hat and gloves. She didn't like the gloves very much so we left those home afterall. We got her all buckled up and snugglely with her green elephant blanky in her stroller and started our walk. The problem is AJ had been playing Need for Speed before we left and he had the idea that the stroller was a stunt car. The stroller quickly became a (controlled and safe) speedster drifting around corners and sliding through slosh. I'm not sure Olivia appreciated the imaginary race car ride as much as AJ did.

Occasionally, we took a pit stop from our wild racing. I would pick up some snow in my hand and release Olivia's hand from under her blanket. My suspicions were correct: she took some snow from my hand and put it right to her mouth! And I did the same! I love the taste of snow!

As we passed by some neighborhood kids, one shouted, "You have a cute baby!"

"Thank you!" I said pleased but not willing to admit she wasn't really my own. I am a proud aunt Jessi!

After our short winter wonderland adventure we settled down for a game of giggles. For some reason all Olivia wants to do when she's with me lately is stand up. So I sat on the couch with my feet up on the coffee table and I stood her up against my knees. Then I would knock her down into the pile of blankets and pillows next to me and growl and eat her tummy. She was full of laughing and smiling.

When Erika and Marcus got home we decided to get a Christmas tree, go to dinner, and then go to the Festival of Trees. We found a tree and quickly moved on to dinner plans. I wanted to to try the Cheesecake Factory and so did everyone else in Utah! At 5pm they told us the wait would be 3 hours! So, we went to Applebee's. We all ordered the same thing too! How strange. Then we went to the Festival of Trees. I was so surprised to see so many things sold. In fact, I didn't see anything that wasn't sold! We weren't able to look at all the trees but there were a lot of good ones, including Gavin's tree! His was the best of all. Erika took our picture with his tree and gave it to me but I lost it. :( I will post it when I find it.

AJ and I ran into our high school friend Natalie there. That was cool too. It was a fun day!

Thanksgiving 2007

We spent Thanksgiving with AJ's family this year. We drove up to Centerville after work and school on Wednesday, November 21st and slept over at AJ's parents' home. Karma and I spent the evening watching one of those Santa Clause movies with Tim Allen. There are as many of those as there are Land Before Time sequels now and I can't keep them straight.

The next morning we drove to Howell, a little town in northern Utah by Treemonton, all the while pouring over Black Friday ads. Yes, I still love looking at ads! We visited with Granny for a little while before having our Thanksgiving dinner. We had dinner in a family's garage. At first I was mortified when I learned we'd be eating in a garage, I was sure I would freeze. But when we walked in I saw and felt the two heaters that were on full blast.

We had a delicious meal and they even made extra mashed potatoes because they knew AJ was coming. He loves his potatoes. It was an enjoyable Thanksgiving.

Wilcox Wedding Day

Thursday Nov 15, 2007

Kate and Steve met at work and Nov 15 of 2006 marked the beginning of their friendship. Who could have guessed that a year later they would be married?! I had the pleasure of getting to know my brother-in-law Steve better as we worked together for a while and then seeing his friendship with Kate grow and blossom into more.

Their wedding day was perfect: a little chilly but quite sunny. I had never visited the Salt Lake temple before and I was excited to come to the temple where my parents had been sealed many years earlier. The sealing was performed by Kate's grandfather and there was a sweet spirit.

The reception was fun because there were so many people from work that came. Also, we had set up a slideshow that AJ put together for Kate and Steve. And my father in law Steve built a large framed projector screen onto which we shined the projected slide show.

Catch Up Time

HALLOWEEN in the OFFICE!

We had Halloween in the office on Oct 31st. I dressed up as a pirate to honor my beloved St. Thomas pirate shirt, lovingly purchased during my family vacation in August. ....oh those were the days!!! My friend at work, Maria, informed me that I couldn't be a pirate unless I donned an eye patch. I faithfully followed her instructions and also added a dagger from Morocco and a machete from Bolivia. Ashlee won best overall costume!

Ashlee, Maria, and Me.

A whole bunch of us.

TEMPLE TIME
AJ got to surprise a friend of his from Ukraine on Wed, Nov 7th! His friend Sasha (short for Alexander) has come to the Provo UT MTC to prepare to serve a mission. Normally, missionaries from Ukraine are trained at the Moscow MTC, but it is closed right now. Sasha was hoping AJ could be his escort and AJ hoped he could at least join Sasha for his first time through the temple. When He got to the temple, they asked AJ if he would help Sasha through as his escort! AJ said YES! and when Sasha saw AJ there he was happy too. AJ got to translate for Sasha and other Russian speaking missionaries. He loved this experience.

TEMPLE TIME...again!
Steve Jr's fiance Kate got to go through the temple for the first time on Saturday, Nov 10th. AJ and I joined her and other family who came to share the day together. Karma made a fantastic roast lunch afterward. Then we packed up the moving van and helped Kate and Steve Jr. move their stuff down to their new Provo apartment.

When we arrived at the apartment, both keys they were given didn't work! I think we all had to take a turn trying the keys until we were all convinced. Finally, AJ tried opening a window and he found one unlocked! He crawled through and unlocked the front door. Then we were cooking! AJ and I are lucky because they'll live right down the street from us.

Gavin James Bailey

Sunday morning I was trying to get my primary lesson together for my little Sunbeams when I got a call from my Mom. This was a call that changed many things. She told me that my cousin Lindsay and Jason Bailey's little son Gavin had returned to his Heavenly Father at just over 13 weeks of life. He had some health struggles since birth and was moved from his Las Vegas hospital to Primary Children's here in SLC. Because of this move AJ and I had the chance to see him the weekend of Monica's shower. He had a sweet and peaceful spirit about him.

Cindy, Lindsay's mom, would send out email updates daily to let family and friends know how Gavin was doing. These were special to me and I always felt Heavenly Father's hand in things and His love when I read them.

AJ and I went to a Memorial Service the Bailey's had for him yesterday evening. They displayed big beautiful pictures of Gavin, some of his toys and clothing, and a little video slide show playing. It was good to meet with family and talk about this little one. He truly was a gift for the Baileys and all those around him. I was only an observer but I feel impacted by him. I feel awakened to the wonders God gives to us. I am thankful for his short but very meaningful life.

Here are a couple pictures that I stole from Lindsay's blog.

Twilight Poll #2

Don't forget to take my newest vampire poll! Who's it gunna be? Edward or Jake?

Vacuum: A Success Story

I've never understood why the word vacuum is spelled with two U's. It seems like it's more in need of two C's. It's the same with the words desert and dessert. Desert should mean goodies and treats because of the way the first E is pronounced.

Anyway, more about vacuums. On Wednesday last week I decided to vacuum. I knew that my heater vents were notorious for spewing dirt when the heat is on and I also knew I had Bounce dryer sheets I could use to thwart the dirt upchuck. So I set out to filter my bedroom vent and vacuum any dirt that managed to be blown out. I attended to this vent first because I had left it unfiltered last winter. I had supposed it wouldn't need it since it was only under the bed.
(Looking back I see that my though process didn't really make sense).

When I pushed the bed out of the way I found a sandbox. Ok, so it wasn't a foot deep like a real sand box, but it was probably 1/4 inch thick in a 4 foot by 2 foot rectangle just under the head of my bed. Ugh! No wonder I had a cold for several months last year always while the heat was on.
So I made that vacuum work hard. The problem was, it kept overheating on me. Every time I would use it in the past 6 months, it would overheat. I would have to do speed vacuuming. I think I must have looked like June Cleaver in fast forward.

Well, this time when I used my vacuum on my sand box was no different. There was so much dust, I think the vacuum was more successful in blowing it into the air than sucking it up. I had to give up the fight for a time because I had a book club meeting. But I quickly resumed my battle once home again.

This time I was determined to get to the root of why the vacuum kept overheating. I went to the source of all guidance: the Bissell Vacuum Manual. It didn't take long to find the bright yellow folded insert in the manual booklet. On the back of the electric insert I discovered that there are actually 3 filters on my vacuum! Ding! Once I figured out how to access them I cleaned them all thoroughly. These filters are the sponge kind that you can rinse and reuse. They, like my bedroom floor were completely saturated with dust! There was a whole layer to scrape off before I could even rinse them.

Now, I am proud to say my vacuum sucks! It is now powerfully luring yucky dirt things into it's non-bagged interior.

Family Things and Monica's Shower

Saturday day on 10/13/2007 was a busy day! Like I posted, I went to AJ's 5K dash. Then we drove up to Primary Children's Hospital and saw Gavin Bailey for the 1st time. He is so sweet and I loved to play with his hair. He wiggled his little lags quite a bit!

Then we went out to eat at Lizta's Pizza with my Mom, AJ, Erika, Marcus, Olivia, Monica, John, Cindy, Lindsay, and Jason! My mom and Cindy used to eat at Lizta's Pizza all growing up. We also got to drink some Hire's root beer.

Next we got to stop at Wasatch Memorial Lawn cemetery to visit my Grandma Marie's grave site. I only have one memory of visiting the cemetery a long time ago and I wanted to visit it again while I lived in Utah. I took a video on my camera so that I could find it more easily the next time I visit.

After this visit we went to Target to get ready for Monica's shower! She had a camping theme! Erika and I went in on some camping gear and got the veggies needed for the food. We hurriedly went back to Erika's to wrap the presents and prepare the food. At the shower we had haystacks which seemed more like Chicken over Rice plus more. It was really good. There was also so great punch my aunt Chris made. Someone made this "pumpkin dessert" It was like pumpkin pie and something else put together. It was yummy!

My Mays cousins! Claire and Ali.

After the shower, we came back to Erika's and Olivia had a bath. Mommy combed her hair into a fo-hawk! What a sweetheart! I am as proud as an aunt could be!

5K Run

Saturday morning Oct 13, 2007 AJ and his friend Dallan ran a 5K sponsored by an accounting firm called Delloite. As has been the case with the last 5 Saturdays it was cloudy and drizzly. So, I stood under the awning as they grabbed head and wrist bands and bright green t-shirts. They got to start out in front. And they came in together around 25 mins 55 secs.

AJ and Dallan arriving at the meet.

Look at what hot green men we are.

This is my game face!

Whew! We did it!

Milk Chocolate Lava Cake

Since our anticipation for Lava Cake on the cruise was disappointed (it wasn't on any of the dessert menus) I had an idea. I was in Smith's grocery shopping and I saw it. A Duncan Hines Lava Cake mix. It was $4.00. I got it for my mom declaring to my husband, "I will surprise her, I promise I won't tell her what it is until she comes!" After purchasing the coveted item I immediately called and told her I had a surprise and I would tell her what it was...until I got a stern look from AJ. "You promised!" He reminded. That was back in early September. I had to wait until Friday, Oct 12, 2007! But I did not tell her.

She and my Grandparents drove here from Las Vegas. My mom dropped them off with my aunt Julia and then picked up my aunt Cindy and Erika, Marcus, and Olivia. We went out to eat in Orem and came back to my apartment after where I presented her with the prize! Then we made the prize and ate it. Except for, I forgot to make it all pretty with powdered sugar like the picture showed. It's my only regret.

Mom trying her little cake.

AJ playing songs to Olivia

Our little party

Snoozing and Staplers

Today really hasn’t been the most successful day so far. It started off by me waking up at 9:25am and wondering what happened to my alarm. It went off at 8am and I pushed the snooze that never came. Next, while in the office talking to Maria and Marianna, I stapled my finger. I don’t know why. This particular stapler does not latch closed, as I have come to find out, so I was trying to latch it when I felt a staple being driven into my finger. Not to worry, it barely pierced my skin.

Anyway, the point of this is that I had to leave the office late because I came in late, (which is always a punishment but is never on the forefront of my groggy mind as I fumble for the snooze button in the not-so-early morning). I will be using a non-snooze alarm from now on and I will be in the office by 8:30am. This is my goal!

The Toilet Series Notification

While you may have predicted the following to be related to the bathroom, you were mistaken. The "Toilet Series" aka the "Twilight Series" was mistaken for such by my friend Maria. One day while mulling over the wonders known only to Vampires and Werewolves with my co-workers, my friend Maria incredulously asked, "Toilet? You're reading a book called Toilet?" Ha!

Today I bought all three books for my very own. I partly did it so Erika can hurry up and read the 2nd book. She was number 613 on the library waiting list for crying out loud!

But what this blog entry is really about is that all you who are into the series you better hurry up and finish book 2 "New Moon" (hmmm that title would take on a whole new meaning if the series really were called the Toilet Series). I am going to put a little poll on my blog but it is no use doing it before anyone's read the first 2 books. Hmmm that gives me an idea. I will put a pre-poll on to see how many people read the series.

Ok guys look out for my poll and take it!

Families Rock!

A couple weekends ago AJ and I went up to Logan, UT with my parents-in-law Karma and Steve and my brother-in-law Steve Jr and his soon-to-be wife Kate. Every year in September we celebrate the life of Karma's father by visiting the temple.

I noticed the scenery as we travelled from Centerville, UT to Logan. The leaves in the canyon were really pretty. I think my favorite phase of leaf changing is when there is still green. Then you have the contrast of green and red and it is just more intense.

Since I have many pictures of my side of the family (we're big into visual documentation) I made sure to bring my camera. I love my family! I think I might be biased but I think I have the best family in ever!

Take a gander at a portion of my best family!

From left to right: Kate, Steve Jr., Karma, Steve, Granny Ella, AJ, and Jessica.

Karma and Steve! The best in-laws ever!

Kate and Steve Jr. Awe! How cute!

You already know these ones!

All of us at a favorite Chinese restaraunt in Centerville, UT.

More on Love Sagas...and Camping Adventures

OK, I reluctantly admit as much as I want to puke all over Bella (or rather Stephanie Meyers) for being so mushy sometimes, I have to say I relate a little. I have been in denial all Twilight and I am near the end of New Moon and I can finally admit this a little.

My friend told me back when I borrowed Twilight that I would wish my husband was a vampire. I have to say it isn't true for me. I am pleased with the magic of my very ordinary days. No husband trying to restrain himself from eating me, no cold, stony hand to hold. No, instead I'll take my warm, soft AJ. I think he's a little more like Jacob than Edward.


But enough of love sagas, this weekend we went CAMPING! It was my first time in something like 7 years. It was a ward campout. We went with our neighbors who have become our evening running buddies. We found a great spot to set up the tent. We really had minimal trouble setting up the tent. This was something thay had been weighing on my mind. I had no idea how to set up a tent and heck if I knew if AJ did. But it really was no trouble. Afterwards, we quickly found that the tent door would not close. The zipper was broken. So we gots to view the stars and see the sunrise whether we wanted to or not.

Also, we forgot our pillows. This is a big "No No" for me. I am a picky sleeper and if I don't follow my normal routine I have a much harder time falling to sleep. I have to lay a certain way then roll over and face toward the edge of the bed...I'm not an insomniac or anything I am just dependent on habit and routine.

Here is our injured tent. It looks turquios but it is really green.

I don't know why, but I look a little awkward.

There were cute little flowers by our tent. I need to take a picture of them.

The Mountains were gorgeous! The leaves were starting to turn and there were yellow, orange, and red patches all over. It was so beautiful right against the green.

There was a little brook and the sun was setting with pastel pink blinking off the water.

Mormon Vampire Love Sagas

So I got this pamphlet in the mail for Seagull Book a couple months back. It had all those mini descriptions of the books pictured. A couple caught my eye. One was Twilight and the other was some Mormon fiction novel.

Well, I read AJ the description for the Mormon fiction novel. It went something like, "A widower is called into his stake president's office and is called to be the Bishop. He must meet, fall in love, and marry in 3 weeks!" Then I read AJ the description of Twilight, "a vampire love saga."

Somehow AJ did not realize I was reading the synopses for 2 different books, but rather thought I was reading the description for 1 book! "A vampire widower must meet a new wife in only 3 weeks?" Now that is quality Mormon fiction right there. Yikes.

But for reals, I read Twilight and it is pretty good. I will read the next one in the series.

Hooray for AJ!

I got this email from AJ while I was at work today:

From: AJ Wilcox
Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 11:32 AM
To: Jessica Wilcox
Subject: Hey Sweetheart - Good news!

I just got asked by my supervisor to be a trainer here! It involves a raise so that is cool! Just wanted to let you know! Love you!
A.J.

The CRUISE!!!

The Cruise. Let me just start by saying "Wahoo!"

We started our adventure Friday night Aug 24th with a giant sleep over at Erika and Marcus's apartment. I didn't sleep very well because of anticipation (and I have a very ridged sleeping routine that if disrupted I can't fall asleep as easily. For example, I like it to be pitch black, I like a fan on, I me and AJ to sleep in PJs. If either of us sleep in our clothes I don't sleep well.) I woke up with 2 lines from "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers. Those 2 lines were:

You know you got to help me out, Yeah, Yeah
Oh don't you put me on the backburner, Yeah, Yeah

I was absolutely certain I would somehow lose mine or AJ's passport. I had a dream several months before we left that I got to San Juan and realized I didn't have either of our passports. I was stuck because I couldn't fly back there wasn't time or money and I couldn't get out of the airport. They wouldn't let me leave without my passport. So, Saturday I checked my backpack repeatedly to be sure the passports didn't somehow disappear. *NOTE: I didn't lose either passport, it's a happy ending!

Saturday Aug 25th was a long travel day. Olivia was so well behaved the entire flight. She put the other babies to shame. She put me to shame. I had my fair share of crying. I had a really bad pressure headache on the whole right side of my face and it made my eye water like crazy. Ok, and yes, I did cry a little too because it hurt. I will admit it. We made it into San Juan and got to the hotel very hungry. We found a little restaurant open 24 hours a day and had hamburgers and fries at midnight.

Sunday Aug 26th we got to go to church! It was in Spanish and it was still true. We sang "Dear to the Heart of the Shepard" and "All Creatures of Our God and King" in Spanish. I could only pick out words here and there. AJ helped translate phrases and ideas. It was really neat to go.

Here is a list of the different things we did:


SAILING ITINERARY

Sunday Aug 26th Leave San Juan
Monday Aug 27th Day at Sea
Tuesday Aug 28th Barbados
Wednesday Aug 29th St. Lucia
Thursday Aug 30th Antigua
Friday Aug 31th St. Maarten (or St. Martin)
Saturday Sept 1st St. Thomas
Sunday Sept 2nd Return to San Juan


BOAT ACTIVITIES

Ice Show
Swing Dance Class
Sky-high Ice Cream Cones
Ice Skating
Mini Golf
In-Line Skating
Rock Wall Climbing
Dinner
Games and Hangning Out: Imagine Iff and Pass the Pigs - Laughing, Laughing, Laughing

SHORE EXCURSIONS

~Barbados Catamaran Sailing and Snorkeling

My dad chartered a catamaran and they took us snorkeling to see a shipwreck. There were bright blue, orange, green, yellow and other colored fish. Their colors were heightened by the sun shining down through the water. The water was so clear you could see the fish and wreckage so detailed.

Then we sailed to another spot were we got to snorkel with turtles and we saw really big fish, like 5ft long. I think maybe they were sea bass or barracuda?? The sailing was not to be overlooked. The wind was gentle and the waves calm. There was a net at the bow that we could sit on to let the waves splash us but the waves weren't high enough to reach us. The water was spectacular: greens, blue, aqua marine, turquoise, tan sand color.

~St. Lucia Art and History Tour (Cancelled)

Instead of the tour we went into town. The town was rudimentary. People were very insistent on us purchasing taxi rides and souvenirs. It was a little uncomfortable but I found a neat candle stick that had 3 different kinds of woods in a checkered pattern. There was a bigger more beautiful vase but it was more expensive and I didn't want to pay.









~Antigua Kayak and Snorkel Adventure

We started out with a bus drive to the dock then a motorboat drove us around a series of islands giving a small tour of the waters. There is Rabbit Island where all the Pelicans nest. Again, the water was amazing.

We reached a little beach and climbed up a hill to a look out point. It was beautiful, small islands sparkling water, reefs. We then were able to snorkel. I didn't like this snorkeling as much. I should have followed my dad, he found the money spot with a giant school of bright fish. We saw some pink jelly fish about 14" in diameter. The guides picked up the jellies and didn't get hurt at all but they did say they would give us a mild sting.

We had a little time to enjoy the beach. Marcus and I found a small hermit crab. I picked it up and pinched me so I dropped it. After the breach we headed to another small ring of islands where the kayaks were stored. The guide led us around giving us a little tour. He found us a starfish! We got to hold it and it was huge! It was like 10" in diameter. It was peach colored and spiny on the top side. On the underside there were little teeth intertwined the way fingers look when hands are folded. But the teeth weren't that long. the teeth line ran down the middle of each arm like spokes of a wheel until they all met in the middle. At the end of the Kayak tour we had a race and Monica and Johnny won!

On the way back from the excursion AJ saw a steel-pan drum vendor. The vendor happened to be right where the van dropped us off. After an episode of "The Office" where Michael visits Jamaca and returns with a steel drum, AJ just knew he had to have one. He loves music and instruments. He had been searching all the islands and couldn't find a drum for less than $60. But the drum on Antigua (or as the natives pronounce it: Antiga) was $35 and he talked him down to $28. He can now proudly play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and a couple other songs.

~St. Maarten Lotery Treetop Tour

We took a bus ride through Dutch St. Maarten into French St. Martin. There were cacti all over the hills. It was strange, it looked out of place. The guide said if you wanted to call someone on the Dutch side while you were on the French side of the island it would be an international call. It is cheaper to have 2 cell phones. The tour was in the Lotery Tree Farm, a preserved rain forest. The tour was a ropes course. 32 platforms, 9 zip lines. There were Tarzan ropes, bridges, rope loops, tight ropes...There were lizards everywhere on all the trees. I also saw a humming bird.

My mom did this with us and she was so brave. She wanted to broaden her horizons and try something new. And she did a great job. She loved the zip lines.

There was a cocoa nut smoothie shop right before the entrance to the ship pier. A lady stood by giving away samples and since it was non-alcoholic I ventured a sip. It was so creamy! The best you could imagine. I passed by a second time later and got another sample. By my third passing I couldn't go on without buying a glass. It was a dream. The best money I ever spent.






~ St. Thomas

My parents had a para sailing excursion and AJ and I documented that for them as we weren't going and it was another new thing my mom was trying. By this island there were pirate t-shirts and other memorabilia. I really thought all the boys needed to get pirate shirts. I started to realize that I was the one that wanted the pirate shirt so I bought myself one. It was the best one in the whole chain of islands! It is very stylized with old english type face and the phrase "A pirates life for me". I am waiting in earnest for Friday when I can where it to work for casual day.

On our way back to the ship we rode a little tram that had to stop in the middle of the road to accommodate 2 crossing iguanas. We ended up seeing a total of 6 on the way to the ship!