Con"grad"ulations to Ryan!

Monday was a special day. The day we've all been waiting for. One that seemed as though it would never arrive. Ryan graduated from Idaho State University's College of Pharmacy. It was a momentous occasion. One I am still trying to fully grasp. I won't let anybody pinch me because this is a dream I do not want to wake up from!
Ryan has been in school since I met him. That's ten consecutive years of college. He changed his mind about prospective professions a few times before settling on the idea of becoming a pharmacist. In the mean time he earned a Bachelor's degree at Boise State in Biochemistry. It was so exciting when he was accepted into the pharmacy program four years ago. There were over 500 applicants competing for one of 60 seats available that year. We had to move to Pocatello for two years, and then we had the option of finishing the remaining two years back in Boise, which we obviously took. That was the first time I'd ever lived away from Boise, so I was a bit scared, but also ready for something new. A week after we moved to Pocatello (technically Chubbuck), I was called as our ward's Relief Society President. The Bishop said he felt that I was the right one shortly after our family came into church our first Sunday there. I still don't know if that call was more inspiration or desperation on his part. I think he was kind of shocked when I said yes. :) Anyway, my point is I am really glad our life's path included a stay in Chubbuck, because I made some wonderful friends there and I wouldn't trade that time for anything.
Fast forward to earlier this week: GRADUATION NIGHT, 2010!

The ceremony was held at the Boise Center on the Grove. Ryan had to be there at 5:30, and rather than sending him off ahead of us, the kids and I went along with him even though it would mean an hour of waiting around downtown. Originally I thought that sounded fun, but for some reason I wore the most uncomfy shoes possible, and a skirt that kept riding up my legs as I walked, so I mostly just stayed in one spot while the kids goofed around by the fountain.

I love Ollie's squinty eyes and his hands resting on his back.


Cora takin' it easy.

I didn't want to go inside and find seats too early with the kids, but that turned out to be a bad idea. I waited until my parents arrived at shortly after 6:00 (half an hour before showtime) , then we went in to discover there were no seats to be had! I felt like such a numbskull. There were a few hundred more people than the set-up crew had anticipated. Pretty soon they started setting up more chairs, but they never did get enough for everyone. Luckily, we got seats, although we were separated from Ryan's parents and sister. :( Could I get any dumber? I guess maybe I should go to college so I can quit ruining things all the time! We were there an hour early, for Pete's sake! We could have gotten front row seats if I'd been wearing my thinking cap!



The ceremony didn't bother starting until 6:40. A few minutes later the band began playing "Pomp and Circumstance" (why the heck is it called that?) for the procession of the graduates, and I started getting a little emotional thinking of how far we'd come. Ryan looked so happy when he walked past. What a blessed moment. Somehow I was able to keep my composure. Didn't want to scare the kids. :)

Oliver was trying to be so good. He only tried to weasel his way out of the row a few times. He was getting a bit restless, but it could have been a lot worse. And he at least kept mostly calm until after Ryan crossed the stage to get his diploma case.


They told everyone to stay in their seats (and not have a chance of getting a decent photo of one's graduate) so I obediently sat in my chair and tried my darndest to capture the moment of interest, when his name was called and the pharmacy hood thingy was placed ceremoniously over his robe. That's him leaning over to make his neck accessible.

And him in the center of the photo walking off stage. Wish I could have seen the look on his face.


After the program had wrapped, we methodically made our exit into the lobby amid the slow-moving throngs of people. It took a few minutes to locate Ryan through the masses, but his height aided our search. Ryan's parents, Bob and Shirley; his younger sister, Bethany; his brother, Chad; and his wife, Stacey were already gathered around him. I kind of doubt I got all that punctuation right. Sometimes I think punctuation will be the death of me; it makes me fret so...

I have no idea what was going on in this shot! I don't recall singing at that point in time. I wasn't even in the manner of goofing around. So why in the world does it look like I'm mustering a my best impression of Mariah Carey in song (minus the abundant cleavage)? Why is my finger even pointing? This might be a good story line for an episode of Unsolved Mysteries,
if it were still in production. I miss that show.

Oliver checking out Dad's whacked out hat.


A few days before the big day, Ryan's mom sent me (with money) shopping to get something worth wearing to the event. She is one of the most thoughtful, generous women in the world! She's always trying to do nice things for people. Also, she probably noticed how boring my wardrobe selections are. So, I got a shiny blue blouse (finally I can be like Chloe on Smallville!) and the skirt shown. I didn't try walking around in it at the store, so I was a little annoyed that night when it bunched and rode as I strode. :/



Ryan and his Dad.


We moved outside for some better pictures.


Ryan's Mom told us to pose like this, so we humored her. Considering all she's done for us... :)
I need to learn how to stand properly when wearing a skirt.


Ollie's almost half Ryan's size!



Awww... He did such a good job in school...


And now onto another chapter in our life....

Another Grab Bag!

Ollie looking slightly like a Cabbage Patch Doll. He's standing at the top of a little hill behind our apartment. I like how his arms hang; he looks so soft and sweet. His long shorts combined with the socks and shoes made me smile.

Cousin Fletcher was over that day. They were sending Oliver's favorite red truck down the hill.


We got that truck at Savers several months ago, and he still plays with it almost every day! It's been through hell and back, that's for sure! He loves making it crash and burn, and he adds all his own sound effects.




Moist tulips at my parents' house. Have I made it clear how much I absolutely love spring?
The top pic I took with the car window rolled up, then I rolled it down for a clearer shot. Too bad the work trailer is in the background...



Oliver came out from his nap one day with lipstick all over half of his face.



Ryan brought me this pretty plant a couple weeks ago. He said he'd been thinking of me all day and couldn't focus on his work, so buying me flowers seemed like the logical thing to do. :) I'll take it!



Cora reading Who Were The Beatles? I got it for her at their school book fair. She really seemed to like it. She keeps wanting to listen to Abbey Road. I think I have her on the right track to Beatlemania. ;)


Seeing this never gets old. And I did not pose him. He fell asleep with the bear all on his own.



These flowering bushes (or trees?) are in front of each of the apartment buildings in our complex. The blossoms didn't last long enough, but they were so pretty and they smelled sweet as candy. I should have tried to eat one.



Oliver waving me forward in his usual manner. He loves going on walks. Since he can't pronounce an R yet, I can't tell whether he is saying rock or walk. He'd probably be satisfied with either option, but it gets a little confusing sometimes.


Peeping Oliver



Crazy Jane.



Cora got this Pooh Bear from Aunt Megan for her 2nd birthday. It's rather large and says heartwarming phrases when its tummy is squeezed, punched or stepped on. We'd had him for a few years, when one day he uttered a phrase we'd never heard him say before. I think it was "Will you be my forever friend?" Cora and I had heard his entire repertoire countless times, so when he added that to the mix it was startling indeed! Creepy old bear... It brought to mind the times as a child when I was sure my dolls and stuffed animals came alive at night while I slept.



Our vehicles have been good to us. I bought this 1996 Toyota Tercel when I was 18. I have never had any problems with it. It starts every time and takes us easily from point A to point B. It has under 90,000 miles on it, so I think it will last at least until Cora starts to drive. Oof! that's a scary thought. Not so much the idea of her driving, but of her getting old enough to.
The only problem with the car is its lack of A/C. Since it's red, in the summer it feels kind of like getting into a furnace. Before we got our lovely 1996 periwinkle minivan I'd give the kids ice packs and water to keep cool when we had to go anywhere in hot weather. We bought the van in about 2004 with our tax return that year. We chose it because of its sleek stylishness, awesome color and second-to-none aerodynamics. Well, those things and we wanted an economical, reliable ride with the coveted comfort of cool air. We checked online reviews on vehicles, and the Mercury Villager came highly recommended. We found a few options in the local classifieds, and after a test drive or three we made our choice. We don't really care about having neat-o cars. We're planning on driving these two into the ground before we'll consider getting an upgrade.

That's all for now, folks!

The Secret Life of My Hair.

My hair hates me. And the feeling's kind of mutual. We have a love-hate relationship, my locks and I. I love the fact that I have some hair to work with, but I hate the amount of work it takes to make it look presentable. If I wore it air-dried and without manipulation it would look like this. Craptacular. Now, it doesn't look completely stupid from the front, but from any other angle it does. I refuse to go out in public when it's in its natural state. Some days I don't want to deal with it and I'll pull it all into a ponytail when it's still damp. It looks fine until it's dry, but from that point it becomes frizzy and ill-proportioned and, for lack of a better term, butt-ugly. And to add insult to injury, I always get pony tail headaches. It's just not worth it. It's better to just fix it right the first time around.

I need a haircut. I was trying to grow it out. When I say "out", I don't mean "out of control". I think my days of good long hair ended when I started shedding after Cora was born. It used to be considerably thicker. That was also when it began its steady transformation into the wavy-in-a-bad-way mess it is today. I've found that having kids messes up most of a woman's body, including tresses. Or maybe it's just mine. My neighbor has the most beautiful, long, luxurious brown hair I have ever seen, and she has three kids. She must be doing something right. Or a lot of somethings. :)



This is a fine example of why I have to either curl or straighten my hair EVERY DAY if I want to maintain some shred of dignity.



After I took the flat iron to it. The back of my skull is the most stubborn area. It's super kinky. I get impatient for it to be done after the first few minutes. My poor hair, it's trashed. I know growing it out is a lost cause when my split ends' split ends have split ends! It's pointless to have long hair when it looks like straw. And it does.

See how happy my "after" picture is? Because I was finally done arranging my hair. (I got that term from some show out of the '50s, I think.) Actually, this picture wasn't intended as an "after" shot in the sequence. I forgot to take a front view pic, but this one was taken by Oliver that same day.

Now I'm just trying to figure out where and how to get my hair cut. Maybe I can donate it to "Locks of Hate". Ha, ha...

Progress (if one can call it that) Report

Remember that self-imposed "no shopping" challenge I started a while back? I do. And I think I mostly succeeded. I went an entire two months without buying anything extraneous for myself. No clothes, accessories, trinkets, decorations, shoes, anything. I did buy Easter candy (I said that was my exception) and sugar crystals (sprinkles) because I was running out of them and was making cookies... but I didn't buy any Easter decorations. I didn't really even look at any. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to keep my mitts off needless stuff.
I know I said I wouldn't get any clothes for the kids, and I truthfully only got shirts to go under the girls' Easter dresses (that I'd previously purchased), plus I got a shirt at Target for Jane (under $4) that says Candy Girl. And a cute orange shirt that says Awesome! for Cora on the outlet mall excursion (also $4). And Oliver a 6-dollar one. It's a blue and white checkered dress shirt. He'd outgrown all but one of his church shirts. Then the girls needed new sandals because they'd worn out or grown out of last year's. I love hearing myself attempt to justify my every move and every purchase. I didn't get any new stuff for me! Isn't that a pretty astonishing accomplishment?
I was surprised that the less I shopped, the less desire I had for it. I had to make myself stay out of Target on a few occasions. Near the beginning of my hiatus I would go in there to get some random household need, like TP, and wander around to make sure there was nothing I wanted. I was trying to test my willpower. But as time has gone on I thought that was too torturous a thing to do to myself. So I haven't been in there since a few days before Easter. I think that may be a personal record for me! I LOVE TARGET! It's odd what a completely different experience it is to walk into Target rather than Shopko, Kmart or Walmart. Not that I go to those stores very often. It's for a reason. They are so lifeless and drab and . . . unlike Target! I really had no intention of going off on a Target tangent. Who am I kidding? I am almost always on a tangent and I can often be overheard talking about Target (likely to myself).

A week before I could legally ease out of my spending freeze I was faced with a HUGE decision. My sisters got this crazy idea to go to GLEE LIVE! in Phoenix. The show is in 3 weeks! I love Glee. The characters . . . the singing . . . Sue Sylvester. . .
My older sister (Erin) is obsessed with the show. She knows all the behind the scenes stuff and seems to know where each of the cast members are and what they are doing at any given moment. ;) She and my little sister (Megan) were discussing the topic of getting tickets to the show. A few hours later the deal was as good as sealed. Megan called me to see if I wanted to come along. I was pretty sure it wasn't going to pan out for me. Just for kicks, I asked Ryan (in apologetic sentence fragments) what he thought about me going. He didn't think it was a realistic request. It was so out of the blue. I didn't even know there was such thing as a Glee Live Tour until that day. My 93-year-old Grandpa lives minutes away from Phoenix. It might be the last time in this lifetime we get to see him. Ryan and I debated (okay, argued) for a few minutes while Megan waited for me to call back. I had to make the decision right then or they'd get tickets without me. So finally Ryan told me if I could look at our bank accounts and consider all our expenses over the next month and we could afford it, then I could go. I did -- and we could! I called Meg back and she said they waited and figured I wasn't going to go so they bought the tickets 4 minutes earlier. Luckily she was joking me.
Want to hear all my reasoning behind deciding to go? I didn't want to miss out!
Ryan mentioned the next day that had I not restricted my spending for the last two months then I might have blown my chance to go! That makes it all worth it. =)
My next dilemma... now that I've spent at least several months worth of my discretionary money on a trip, I probably can't justify buying a new outfit to wear to the show! OR CAN I?

Cute Cousins

Earlier this month, Ryan's sister's little boy Ethan was staying with Ryan's mom for a couple of weeks so Ethan's mom could prepare to have a new baby. We went over to play with him a few times while he was here.

Ethan hitching a ride on top. I wish I had an adult-sized car just like that.



Royce (Ryan's sister Bethany's kid) and Ethan.


Oliver




Royce and Oliver







Ethan kept tackling poor Oliver.




I like how Ethan appears to be sitting in midair.



Cora loves playing with the boys. Unfortunately, she's not as willing when it's just Oliver.


It's fun how all three boys are blond/blue-eyed. They're the 3 youngest boys on Ryan's side of the family (well, in his immediate family).

Last Saturday Ethan's baby sister was born! Her name is Tomi (pronounced Tommy) Nicole. She weighed 5-1/2 lbs. Hmm... I just realized I didn't get the length. I'm guessing she's on the short side. She is in the hospital still, but they're hoping she'll get to go home with the proud parents this weekend. =)