Friday, May 23, 2008
That's More Like It
Yesterday I returned to the grocery store. I put my cart away after unloading my groceries. And it seemed to me that everyone was smiling at me as I drove away. (Insert sigh of relief.)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
I'm Shmuck. Nice to Meet You.
I am one of those crazy moms who braves the grocery store with all kids in tow. And yes, I'm WELL aware that there are many moms who have MORE kids than I, or maybe you even have TWINS to deal with. Doesn't make MY trip to the grocery store any easier.
I have the little one who sits up front facing me and chews on the unbelievably filthy handrail during our whole trip -- unless I dare to give him something we plan on buying; in which case he decides that his shopping trip must consist of dropping it on the floor every five seconds, while chewing through any sort of packaging it has. (Hey, maybe I should just give HIM those annoying toy or electronic or makeup packages that take me 38 minutes to rip through. He might have the item out of there in 38 SECONDS flat!)
Then I have DC, who simply must touch EVERY THING SHE SEES. Seriously. I think she thinks she will die if she doesn't touch everything in the store. Besides that, she runs through the store either screaming or growling like bear ... for 45 minutes. But I remain calm, thinking to myself, "Well, she's not hurting anybody. And I do(at least) go during the week and middle of the day so it's not completely busy. And maybe if I ignore her she'll stop. Maybe. Probably not, but maybe."
And last but not least there's Miss Priss, who prances through her life as if she's on stage performing The Nutcracker. But not the regular Nutcracker. The musical. It's the musical where she's gotten to make up a song that never ends, about a girl who's lost and very sad and tries to find some friends to play with but there's nobody to be found until she comes across a terrible monster who scares her away and she runs through the forest to narrowly escape her death only to find that her prince is sick and SHE must save him before he dies so that they can fall in love and have true love's first kiss and get married. It's a good song, really, but after the first ten minutes just about anybody would get the jist, and she could end it right there and we'd all be impressed. But for some reason she thinks it needs to go on and on. And on. And on.
I'm also one of those mom's who tries to usually put the cart away where it belongs after unloading my groceries into my car. It's the least I can do, after subjecting the store's employees to my traveling circus act. But today was different. I was tired. I was hot. I was just plain lazy. And there happened to be no car parked in the spot next to me. Would it really be so bad to just leave the cart there for one of the bag boys to take back to the store? I mean, I certainly wouldn't be the ONLY one doing it that day, right? I'm probably one of only a very few people (with kids) that usually puts it back anyway. Not rationalizing, of course, just stating the facts.
So after I close up my car, I put the cart in the spot next to mine and let it go. Now, I'm no pro at leaving my cart just anywhere, so I didn't watch it to see where it would land. I just figured it would coast down the parking spot until it hit the concrete block in front. I hopped in my car and started it up. As I looked up, I noticed that there was a couple in a car in the next row over (that faces us). Not directly in front of me; they were in front of the empty space. The space that today I decided was reserved for my empty shopping cart. I saw them watching the cart. I saw them looking at me. And I felt so lame. But for all I know, they are the kind of people who let their cart soar down the parking lot EVERY time they go to the store. Maybe they couldn't care less that I dumped my cart convieniently next to my car instead of it's little cart corral further down the isle. So I just ignored them.
As I backed out of my spot, I then noticed a nice black BMW parked in the next spot over from my cart's parking spot. And I noticed there was someone inside. And they started to back out, but just a couple of inches, and then stopped. When I saw my very own little shopping cart smacked right up against their fender, I wanted to slink down in my seat and hide. Through two sets of tinted windows (his and mine), I could FEEL his eyes glaring at me, staring me down. And I kept on backing out. As I slowly drove past him on my way out of our isle, I was seriously expecting someone to jump out of that cute little car and scream at me. I thought maybe I should stop, get out, apologize and take my cart to it's home where it belonged. But instead I just left, feeling like a total idiot.
Yes, I have a name, but you can just call me shmuck.
I have the little one who sits up front facing me and chews on the unbelievably filthy handrail during our whole trip -- unless I dare to give him something we plan on buying; in which case he decides that his shopping trip must consist of dropping it on the floor every five seconds, while chewing through any sort of packaging it has. (Hey, maybe I should just give HIM those annoying toy or electronic or makeup packages that take me 38 minutes to rip through. He might have the item out of there in 38 SECONDS flat!)
Then I have DC, who simply must touch EVERY THING SHE SEES. Seriously. I think she thinks she will die if she doesn't touch everything in the store. Besides that, she runs through the store either screaming or growling like bear ... for 45 minutes. But I remain calm, thinking to myself, "Well, she's not hurting anybody. And I do(at least) go during the week and middle of the day so it's not completely busy. And maybe if I ignore her she'll stop. Maybe. Probably not, but maybe."
And last but not least there's Miss Priss, who prances through her life as if she's on stage performing The Nutcracker. But not the regular Nutcracker. The musical. It's the musical where she's gotten to make up a song that never ends, about a girl who's lost and very sad and tries to find some friends to play with but there's nobody to be found until she comes across a terrible monster who scares her away and she runs through the forest to narrowly escape her death only to find that her prince is sick and SHE must save him before he dies so that they can fall in love and have true love's first kiss and get married. It's a good song, really, but after the first ten minutes just about anybody would get the jist, and she could end it right there and we'd all be impressed. But for some reason she thinks it needs to go on and on. And on. And on.
I'm also one of those mom's who tries to usually put the cart away where it belongs after unloading my groceries into my car. It's the least I can do, after subjecting the store's employees to my traveling circus act. But today was different. I was tired. I was hot. I was just plain lazy. And there happened to be no car parked in the spot next to me. Would it really be so bad to just leave the cart there for one of the bag boys to take back to the store? I mean, I certainly wouldn't be the ONLY one doing it that day, right? I'm probably one of only a very few people (with kids) that usually puts it back anyway. Not rationalizing, of course, just stating the facts.
So after I close up my car, I put the cart in the spot next to mine and let it go. Now, I'm no pro at leaving my cart just anywhere, so I didn't watch it to see where it would land. I just figured it would coast down the parking spot until it hit the concrete block in front. I hopped in my car and started it up. As I looked up, I noticed that there was a couple in a car in the next row over (that faces us). Not directly in front of me; they were in front of the empty space. The space that today I decided was reserved for my empty shopping cart. I saw them watching the cart. I saw them looking at me. And I felt so lame. But for all I know, they are the kind of people who let their cart soar down the parking lot EVERY time they go to the store. Maybe they couldn't care less that I dumped my cart convieniently next to my car instead of it's little cart corral further down the isle. So I just ignored them.
As I backed out of my spot, I then noticed a nice black BMW parked in the next spot over from my cart's parking spot. And I noticed there was someone inside. And they started to back out, but just a couple of inches, and then stopped. When I saw my very own little shopping cart smacked right up against their fender, I wanted to slink down in my seat and hide. Through two sets of tinted windows (his and mine), I could FEEL his eyes glaring at me, staring me down. And I kept on backing out. As I slowly drove past him on my way out of our isle, I was seriously expecting someone to jump out of that cute little car and scream at me. I thought maybe I should stop, get out, apologize and take my cart to it's home where it belonged. But instead I just left, feeling like a total idiot.
Yes, I have a name, but you can just call me shmuck.
Friday, May 09, 2008
A Season of Firsts
In my brief -- and I use the term "brief" loosely -- hiatus from the blogging world, our family has been experiencing a lot of firsts. For the FIRST time, DC took a tap and ballet class. To say she was excited about her clickety, clackety tap shoes would be the understatement of the year ...
'nuff said.
Miss Priss started her FIRST season of soccer.
If we post video of any practices or games, it will not be hard to see why we've also decided that this is probably her LAST season of soccer.
And little Mini Man also experienced a FIRST ... crawling!!! We have all been so ecstatic to see him on the move. I haven't gotten any real good video of it yet because he stops whatever he is doing the second he sees a camera on him. I'll have to try sneaking around from behind tomorrow. It took him 13 and a half months, but to us it's nothing short of a miracle. There's been a whole lot of clapping, cheering, and high pitched screams of "Yeah! What a good boy!" goin' on around here. And he LOVES the attention. Shoot, if everyone cheered for me every time I got up and moved around, I'd feel like a rock star too.
All tuckered out after a day on the run.
'nuff said.
Miss Priss started her FIRST season of soccer.
If we post video of any practices or games, it will not be hard to see why we've also decided that this is probably her LAST season of soccer. And little Mini Man also experienced a FIRST ... crawling!!! We have all been so ecstatic to see him on the move. I haven't gotten any real good video of it yet because he stops whatever he is doing the second he sees a camera on him. I'll have to try sneaking around from behind tomorrow. It took him 13 and a half months, but to us it's nothing short of a miracle. There's been a whole lot of clapping, cheering, and high pitched screams of "Yeah! What a good boy!" goin' on around here. And he LOVES the attention. Shoot, if everyone cheered for me every time I got up and moved around, I'd feel like a rock star too.
All tuckered out after a day on the run.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Dealing
Because there are some of you that I don't have current email addresses for, and also because this blog is used as a type of journal for my family, I decided to post my email message from yesterday here.
Thank you to all who have already responded; for your kind words, the offerring of prayers, fasting and temple trips, and the love and support we feel from you. We are so blessed to have you all in our lives.
Hello to all our family and friends,
We hope that each of you is healthy, happy, and having fun together. We're sending this message out hoping that you will all help our family by offerring some extra prayers in behalf of our little Mini Man. Not to worry, he is just fine, but we received some concerning information at our last doctor's appointment.
Mini Man went in a week and a half ago for his 12 month well check. Not much fun at all ... four shots. As is typical, his pediatrician asked, "Is he doing anything new? Is he walking yet?" When I replied that he was not even crawling, let alone walking, she started in with a bunch of different questions about what he IS doing, and at what age he started doing them. Long story short, we ended up with a referral to a clinic called Early Intervention, where they will observe him and decide if he needs occupational or physical therapy. We also were given a referral to a local neurologist, where Jack will have a CAT scan done to determine if he has Cerebral Palsy.
Just as a brief background, CP is in the brain, and can be caused by a myriad of things. In Mini Man's case, the most likely would be certain circumstances surrounding his birth. (If you read that first link, the end of the story can be found here.) He was not a premie, but only weighed 4 and a half pounds. He had to be recussitated immediately after delivery, and only scored a 1 on his APGAR. His breathing was complicated at first, but after only a couple days in the NICU, he was fine and sent home. He has always done fine since we brought him home, aside from some issues with going to the bathroom. We do not know if possible intestinal issues are related or not. He learned to sit on his own at 8 months old, and did not roll over until almost 10 months. One of the biggest symptoms/signs is the fact that he is ALWAYS on his tippy-toes. He will not (or cannot - we don't know which yet) stand flat footed on his own. We can force his feet down flat, but as soon as we take our hands off, he's back up on his toes. Even when holding him in our arms, his legs are straight and toes pointed. He does not wrap his legs around us to hold on. Now, these are things that COULD be considered normal, but were cause enough for his doctor to want him checked out.
Yes, we were confused. Yes, we were worried. And yes, I was sad. My first thought (as lame as it may have been) was that I wanted my son to have a great life. I want him to be "normal." I want girls to like him. I want him to go to his senior prom. If he were in a wheelchair, would it ruin his life? I've since come to my senses, reality and logic have set in, and I am at peace. I am at peace because it does not matter. If he has CP it does not matter. If he doesn't have CP, it does not matter. He is still the same baby, and he will still have a "normal" life. What kid EVER thinks their life is "normal" anyway?
So he will go into the Early Intervention Clinic on June 3rd for observation. We are still waiting on our appointment date with the neurologist. And that's the one that is the most important right now. That's the appointment that will tell us for sure. After letting this all sink in, we originally decided to keep this to ourselves until after his appointment with the neurologist and we knew for sure. We thought there was no reason making everyone worry about it when there was every concievable chance that he was just fine. And then the thought came to my mind, "What would it hurt to have everyone - not just us, but EVERYONE praying for him?" Now, I don't think that prayers will take this away from him, if it is part of Heavenly Father's plan for him. But I KNOW that there is power in prayer. And I know that it can only help Mini Man. It can only help our family.
So we just wanted to let you know that we would really appreciate it if you would keep Mini Man in your prayers at this time. And we want to tell you all how much you mean to us. And that we have faith that our Heavenly Father will be there for us, no matter the outcome of these tests. We know that Mini Man is important; that he is a child of God, and that he has a special purpose here on earth. We thank you all for your love and support, and we'll keep everyone updated as we learn more.
Love to all,
The Man, The Woman, and family.
Thank you to all who have already responded; for your kind words, the offerring of prayers, fasting and temple trips, and the love and support we feel from you. We are so blessed to have you all in our lives.
Hello to all our family and friends,
We hope that each of you is healthy, happy, and having fun together. We're sending this message out hoping that you will all help our family by offerring some extra prayers in behalf of our little Mini Man. Not to worry, he is just fine, but we received some concerning information at our last doctor's appointment.
Mini Man went in a week and a half ago for his 12 month well check. Not much fun at all ... four shots. As is typical, his pediatrician asked, "Is he doing anything new? Is he walking yet?" When I replied that he was not even crawling, let alone walking, she started in with a bunch of different questions about what he IS doing, and at what age he started doing them. Long story short, we ended up with a referral to a clinic called Early Intervention, where they will observe him and decide if he needs occupational or physical therapy. We also were given a referral to a local neurologist, where Jack will have a CAT scan done to determine if he has Cerebral Palsy.
Just as a brief background, CP is in the brain, and can be caused by a myriad of things. In Mini Man's case, the most likely would be certain circumstances surrounding his birth. (If you read that first link, the end of the story can be found here.) He was not a premie, but only weighed 4 and a half pounds. He had to be recussitated immediately after delivery, and only scored a 1 on his APGAR. His breathing was complicated at first, but after only a couple days in the NICU, he was fine and sent home. He has always done fine since we brought him home, aside from some issues with going to the bathroom. We do not know if possible intestinal issues are related or not. He learned to sit on his own at 8 months old, and did not roll over until almost 10 months. One of the biggest symptoms/signs is the fact that he is ALWAYS on his tippy-toes. He will not (or cannot - we don't know which yet) stand flat footed on his own. We can force his feet down flat, but as soon as we take our hands off, he's back up on his toes. Even when holding him in our arms, his legs are straight and toes pointed. He does not wrap his legs around us to hold on. Now, these are things that COULD be considered normal, but were cause enough for his doctor to want him checked out.
Yes, we were confused. Yes, we were worried. And yes, I was sad. My first thought (as lame as it may have been) was that I wanted my son to have a great life. I want him to be "normal." I want girls to like him. I want him to go to his senior prom. If he were in a wheelchair, would it ruin his life? I've since come to my senses, reality and logic have set in, and I am at peace. I am at peace because it does not matter. If he has CP it does not matter. If he doesn't have CP, it does not matter. He is still the same baby, and he will still have a "normal" life. What kid EVER thinks their life is "normal" anyway?
So he will go into the Early Intervention Clinic on June 3rd for observation. We are still waiting on our appointment date with the neurologist. And that's the one that is the most important right now. That's the appointment that will tell us for sure. After letting this all sink in, we originally decided to keep this to ourselves until after his appointment with the neurologist and we knew for sure. We thought there was no reason making everyone worry about it when there was every concievable chance that he was just fine. And then the thought came to my mind, "What would it hurt to have everyone - not just us, but EVERYONE praying for him?" Now, I don't think that prayers will take this away from him, if it is part of Heavenly Father's plan for him. But I KNOW that there is power in prayer. And I know that it can only help Mini Man. It can only help our family.
So we just wanted to let you know that we would really appreciate it if you would keep Mini Man in your prayers at this time. And we want to tell you all how much you mean to us. And that we have faith that our Heavenly Father will be there for us, no matter the outcome of these tests. We know that Mini Man is important; that he is a child of God, and that he has a special purpose here on earth. We thank you all for your love and support, and we'll keep everyone updated as we learn more.
Love to all,
The Man, The Woman, and family.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
While I've Been Sleeping...
Okay, so I haven't LITERALLY been sleeping, but I certainly have been slacking when it comes to my blogging time. I've actually been trying to figure out the whole video downloading process so I can share some clips with everyone. Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but when you've got a kid like my Devil Child, videos are priceless. So once I learn how to get the videos from my camera to the computer, figure out how to edit out some of the "extra" stuff, and then manage to get it from there to my blog, we'll be in business.
Until then, I'll share some of our Easter photos with everyone. We had a "Garmon" Family Easter over at my sister's house on the other side of town. It was a lot of fun. Dinner took a while, so the big easter egg hunt didn't happen until it was already dark outside! No one seemed to mind. Candy makes everything better.
The girls looked beautiful in their new Easter dresses, and Mini Man was a doll in his new white shirt and tie. They sure are cute, if I do say so myself.
Until then, I'll share some of our Easter photos with everyone. We had a "Garmon" Family Easter over at my sister's house on the other side of town. It was a lot of fun. Dinner took a while, so the big easter egg hunt didn't happen until it was already dark outside! No one seemed to mind. Candy makes everything better.
The girls looked beautiful in their new Easter dresses, and Mini Man was a doll in his new white shirt and tie. They sure are cute, if I do say so myself.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Home Sweet Home
Lots to say ... zero energy to say it. Mini Man and I caught the flu during our trip up to UT, and I have literally not been out of bed (or off the couch) since we got home Sunday night, other than to feed my kids. I'm finally starting to feel the beginnings of "feeling better," so hopefully by Monday I'll be up to blogging again. But first I need to find the strength to unpack.
Until then ...
P.S. Shawna, I am SO incredibly sorry that we passed this on to you. I know how miserable you feel! I won't blame you if you never want us to stay at your house again. ;)
Until then ...
P.S. Shawna, I am SO incredibly sorry that we passed this on to you. I know how miserable you feel! I won't blame you if you never want us to stay at your house again. ;)
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Calling All Bloggin' Sistas!
This Friday and Saturday is the Successful Mothering tradeshow in SLC. The Man's company is participating as a vendor, and the kids and I thought we'd tag along. So we will be in town for a quick weekend trip, and I want to do a girls' night out with all you bloggers up there that I hardly ever get to see!
I want EVERYONE to come! So if you blog (or if you just stalk), I want to see you! Leave a comment with a suggestion of where you'd like to eat, and hopefully I'll be able to pick somewhere in the middle for everyone. I can't wait for you all to meet each other! So mark it on your calendars for Saturday night, and I'll see you soon!
I want EVERYONE to come! So if you blog (or if you just stalk), I want to see you! Leave a comment with a suggestion of where you'd like to eat, and hopefully I'll be able to pick somewhere in the middle for everyone. I can't wait for you all to meet each other! So mark it on your calendars for Saturday night, and I'll see you soon!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
What a Night!!!
Okay, brainiacs. Were you able to figure it out??? My Man took me to see
The Phantom of the Opera.
And it was unbelievable! I loved every minute of it. I have always been a fan of musicals, and seeing this one in person has made it my favorite. I saw it years ago in Salt Lake, but I was really excited to see it here. It's been getting rave reviews since it came a few years ago.
The stage was amazing ...
What a night it was! My sister and her husband came along with us. We ate at Valentino's, which was fantastic and VERY fancy! It took us almost a half an hour just to figure out the menu. But the food was delicious, and we enjoyed pretending to be rich.
Thanks, Love, for a night I'll not soon forget! You're the best. And ...
SHMILY
The Phantom of the Opera.
And it was unbelievable! I loved every minute of it. I have always been a fan of musicals, and seeing this one in person has made it my favorite. I saw it years ago in Salt Lake, but I was really excited to see it here. It's been getting rave reviews since it came a few years ago.
The stage was amazing ...
What a night it was! My sister and her husband came along with us. We ate at Valentino's, which was fantastic and VERY fancy! It took us almost a half an hour just to figure out the menu. But the food was delicious, and we enjoyed pretending to be rich.
Thanks, Love, for a night I'll not soon forget! You're the best. And ...
SHMILY
Monday, February 25, 2008
We Now Return ... With No Further Interruptions
So sorry for those of you who have found yourselves checking every day, WAITING for the exciting conclusion of the hunt. But seriously, I HAVE A LIFE!!! Blogging is something I only do in my spare time. In an effort to avoid more phone calls, emails, and messages asking me for no more cliffhangers, I'll finish today. Well, mostly ...
... The next morning I found two books tied together with string on the kitchen table. The first, the complete works of William Shakespeare; and the second, The Da Vinci Code. The envelope inside the front cover had two papers, both with many blank lines, and a small key with the number 26 on it. The paper directed me to The Da Vinci Code book first to fill in the blanks. It looked like this:
1 - P446; L2; W4 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2 - P43; L2; W5 _ _ _ _ _
3 - P417; L1; W7 _ _ _ _ _
4 - P36; L6; W5 _ _ _ _
5 - P109; L37; W3 _ _ _ _ _
6 - P227; L21; W10 _ _ _ _ _ _
8 - P111; L37; W6 _ _ _ _
10 - P21; L11; W7 _ _ _ _
11 - P7; L13; W7 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
12 - P89; L6; W13 _ _ _ _ _ _
13 - P314; L11; W8 _ _ _ _ _
14 - P361; L38; W3 _ _
16 - P156; L3; W6 _ _ _ _ _
18 - P438; L29; W7 _ _ _ _ _
19 - P127; L23; W7 _ _ _ _ _ _
20 - P209; L11; W7 _ _ _
Then I was to use William Shakespeare:
7 - P1011; C1; L1; Letters 5, 14, 2, 1, 9, 2 _ _ _ _ _ _
9 - P1014; C1; L19; Letters 8, 21, 18, 3, 36, 2 _ _ _ _ _ _
15 - P1022; C2; L53; W2 _ _ _ _
17 - P1013; C2; L53; W6 _ _ _ _
21 - P1039; C2; L2, W3 _ _ _ _
22 - P1017; C1; L16; Letters 19, 3, 16, 33, 10, 22, 36 _ _ _ _ _ _ _
I took the papers and the books upstairs and "deciphered" the code in the bathroom while the girls played in the tub. In the Da Vinci Code (for No. 1) I went to page 446, line 2, word 4, and found the word "building." I filled it in and continued to do the rest. For William Shakespeare (for No. 7) I went to page 1011, column 1, line 1, and then picked out the letters listed and came us with "losers." When I finished them all, this was my list of words.
The Da Vinci Code
1 - building
2 - floor
3 - cares
4 - folk
5 - still
6 - stairs
8 - ones
10 - goes
11 - nickname
12 - should
13 - cause
14 - go
16 - you're
18 - waits
19 - inside
20 - box
William Shakespeare
7 - losers
9 - admire
15 - mine
17 - miss
21 - Jack
22 - nemesis
Then I had to take those words and transfer them to the second sheet where there were missing words to find out where to go next...
This building has one single floor
But no one ever cares;
For many folk come to this place,
And still they use the stairs.
Here the losers are the ones
The rest seem to admire.
It also goes by Jame's nickname,
And should cause you to perspire.
But go to yours and not to mine,
Or else you're sure to miss,
The thing that waits inside the box
Of Jack Sparrow's nemesis.
I quickly finished getting the kids ready, changed into my workout clothes, and headed right for locker #26 at my gym. I couldn't get there fast enough. But when I finally made it and opened it up, this is what I found ...
Hmmm, a Dora the Explorer puzzle and another envelope. I opened up the envelope and read my next clue:
1. At the dinosaur park in Aliante, go to destination "A" as shown on the map. There must be daylight outside.
2. At destination "A," and while facing south (towards the water), find the cluster of giant rocks boardering the pond.
3. Now find the single river rock that sits between the giant rocks.
4. Under this river rock you'll find a string that is tied to a tent stake.
5. Untie the string and, while looking out over the surface of the water, release it.
6. Go to destination "B" and find the second river rock.
7. Under the second river rock is another string. Grab it and REEL IT IN!!!
I put the clue and the puzzle in my car and headed back in for my workout. Since Sarah was with me, I just HAD to tell her what was going on. I knew I was breaking the rules, but I was just so excited, I couldn't help myself. I made her promise she wouldn't tell her husband (who I knew would tell my husband) just in case he took the rules a little more seriously than I did. I didn't want him to call the whole thing off just because I couldn't keep my yapper shut. I knew he really wouldn't, but just to be safe, I decided to make her swear she wouldn't tell, and then after all was said and done, I could confess to The Man that I had kinda, sorta cheated ... a little. Anyway, when I told her what was going on, and that my next stop was the pond out at the park she said, "Oh, I am SO going with you!"
When we finished up, I told her I'd call her when we were ready to go to the park. As soon as we got home, the girls and I put the puzzle together to find our map. They put it together (Dora side up, of course), and then we flipped it over to find what I was really looking for...
I showered, fed everyone lunch, dropped Miss Priss off at school, called Sarah, and we all went out to the park. We followed our map down to the pond by the pavillion, and started looking for the rocks. We found them quickly, and then saw the one river rock that looked out of place. Underneath, there was the tent stake planted into the ground. I pulled it up and untied the attached string. Before letting it go, we double checked our instructions. I was afraid if I let it go and THEN discovered I wasn't supposed to, I could end up scuba diving in that nasty pond trying to find my treasure. Our next step was to let the string go "while looking out over the surface of the water." We laughed as I obediently followed the directions. We both thought it funny, and a little dramatic, that he instructed me to be looking out over the water. But then, as soon as the string disappeared into the water, up popped a bottle out in the middle of the pond, with a message inside!!! We were both amazed at how in the world he was able to make that happen. Evil genious.
We ran to the other side of the pond to search for another rock. Devil Child found this one, and underneath we found another stake with a string. We all helped pull the bottle in, and after I opened it up, I read my message:
Congratulations, Woman, you made it!!!
Your treasure awaits you in the case of:
a home of a tenth prophet
(solve this anagram)
I had to unscramble the letters to find the answer. I knew the number of words would have nothing to do with it, and that the actual saying "a home of a tenth prophet" didn't mean anything, either. And I knew this would take me some time. So we all went home to think. I went straight to the computer, googled "anagrams," and tried to find some site that would unscramble this for me. Hey, I may be smart, but the computer is smarter.
The only sites I could find were coming up with lists and lists of bizarre words that could be found using those letters, but nothing was making sense. But then we came across one particular word that really stood out. Sarah saw it first. And then we knew. We checked off each of the letters. And then we checked them off again to make sure. AH-HA! I was so dang excited, I emailed the SHMILY messenger immediately to tell him I finished.
He said he was shocked. I said, "Considering how smart I am, you shouldn't be so surprised." After a couple minutes of talking, though, we realized I wasn't completely finished. I did have the answer, but I didn't check inside the case. I went out to our family room, found the case, and looked inside. And then the "treasure" was in my hands. I was thrilled!
After two days of hunting, I got my Valentine's Day gift. It was SO worth the wait. And I had been waiting for this for a LONG time. Thanks, honey, for the best Valentine's Day I've ever had. I love you so much!!!
Let me know when you all figure it out! And for those of you who can't get it, you'll just have to wait (again) until I decide to post it. Just kidding. I'll post it tomorrow.
... The next morning I found two books tied together with string on the kitchen table. The first, the complete works of William Shakespeare; and the second, The Da Vinci Code. The envelope inside the front cover had two papers, both with many blank lines, and a small key with the number 26 on it. The paper directed me to The Da Vinci Code book first to fill in the blanks. It looked like this:
1 - P446; L2; W4 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2 - P43; L2; W5 _ _ _ _ _
3 - P417; L1; W7 _ _ _ _ _
4 - P36; L6; W5 _ _ _ _
5 - P109; L37; W3 _ _ _ _ _
6 - P227; L21; W10 _ _ _ _ _ _
8 - P111; L37; W6 _ _ _ _
10 - P21; L11; W7 _ _ _ _
11 - P7; L13; W7 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
12 - P89; L6; W13 _ _ _ _ _ _
13 - P314; L11; W8 _ _ _ _ _
14 - P361; L38; W3 _ _
16 - P156; L3; W6 _ _ _ _ _
18 - P438; L29; W7 _ _ _ _ _
19 - P127; L23; W7 _ _ _ _ _ _
20 - P209; L11; W7 _ _ _
Then I was to use William Shakespeare:
7 - P1011; C1; L1; Letters 5, 14, 2, 1, 9, 2 _ _ _ _ _ _
9 - P1014; C1; L19; Letters 8, 21, 18, 3, 36, 2 _ _ _ _ _ _
15 - P1022; C2; L53; W2 _ _ _ _
17 - P1013; C2; L53; W6 _ _ _ _
21 - P1039; C2; L2, W3 _ _ _ _
22 - P1017; C1; L16; Letters 19, 3, 16, 33, 10, 22, 36 _ _ _ _ _ _ _
I took the papers and the books upstairs and "deciphered" the code in the bathroom while the girls played in the tub. In the Da Vinci Code (for No. 1) I went to page 446, line 2, word 4, and found the word "building." I filled it in and continued to do the rest. For William Shakespeare (for No. 7) I went to page 1011, column 1, line 1, and then picked out the letters listed and came us with "losers." When I finished them all, this was my list of words.
The Da Vinci Code
1 - building
2 - floor
3 - cares
4 - folk
5 - still
6 - stairs
8 - ones
10 - goes
11 - nickname
12 - should
13 - cause
14 - go
16 - you're
18 - waits
19 - inside
20 - box
William Shakespeare
7 - losers
9 - admire
15 - mine
17 - miss
21 - Jack
22 - nemesis
Then I had to take those words and transfer them to the second sheet where there were missing words to find out where to go next...
This building has one single floor
But no one ever cares;
For many folk come to this place,
And still they use the stairs.
Here the losers are the ones
The rest seem to admire.
It also goes by Jame's nickname,
And should cause you to perspire.
But go to yours and not to mine,
Or else you're sure to miss,
The thing that waits inside the box
Of Jack Sparrow's nemesis.
I quickly finished getting the kids ready, changed into my workout clothes, and headed right for locker #26 at my gym. I couldn't get there fast enough. But when I finally made it and opened it up, this is what I found ...
Hmmm, a Dora the Explorer puzzle and another envelope. I opened up the envelope and read my next clue:
1. At the dinosaur park in Aliante, go to destination "A" as shown on the map. There must be daylight outside.
2. At destination "A," and while facing south (towards the water), find the cluster of giant rocks boardering the pond.
3. Now find the single river rock that sits between the giant rocks.
4. Under this river rock you'll find a string that is tied to a tent stake.
5. Untie the string and, while looking out over the surface of the water, release it.
6. Go to destination "B" and find the second river rock.
7. Under the second river rock is another string. Grab it and REEL IT IN!!!
I put the clue and the puzzle in my car and headed back in for my workout. Since Sarah was with me, I just HAD to tell her what was going on. I knew I was breaking the rules, but I was just so excited, I couldn't help myself. I made her promise she wouldn't tell her husband (who I knew would tell my husband) just in case he took the rules a little more seriously than I did. I didn't want him to call the whole thing off just because I couldn't keep my yapper shut. I knew he really wouldn't, but just to be safe, I decided to make her swear she wouldn't tell, and then after all was said and done, I could confess to The Man that I had kinda, sorta cheated ... a little. Anyway, when I told her what was going on, and that my next stop was the pond out at the park she said, "Oh, I am SO going with you!"
When we finished up, I told her I'd call her when we were ready to go to the park. As soon as we got home, the girls and I put the puzzle together to find our map. They put it together (Dora side up, of course), and then we flipped it over to find what I was really looking for...
I showered, fed everyone lunch, dropped Miss Priss off at school, called Sarah, and we all went out to the park. We followed our map down to the pond by the pavillion, and started looking for the rocks. We found them quickly, and then saw the one river rock that looked out of place. Underneath, there was the tent stake planted into the ground. I pulled it up and untied the attached string. Before letting it go, we double checked our instructions. I was afraid if I let it go and THEN discovered I wasn't supposed to, I could end up scuba diving in that nasty pond trying to find my treasure. Our next step was to let the string go "while looking out over the surface of the water." We laughed as I obediently followed the directions. We both thought it funny, and a little dramatic, that he instructed me to be looking out over the water. But then, as soon as the string disappeared into the water, up popped a bottle out in the middle of the pond, with a message inside!!! We were both amazed at how in the world he was able to make that happen. Evil genious.
We ran to the other side of the pond to search for another rock. Devil Child found this one, and underneath we found another stake with a string. We all helped pull the bottle in, and after I opened it up, I read my message:
Congratulations, Woman, you made it!!!
Your treasure awaits you in the case of:
a home of a tenth prophet
(solve this anagram)
I had to unscramble the letters to find the answer. I knew the number of words would have nothing to do with it, and that the actual saying "a home of a tenth prophet" didn't mean anything, either. And I knew this would take me some time. So we all went home to think. I went straight to the computer, googled "anagrams," and tried to find some site that would unscramble this for me. Hey, I may be smart, but the computer is smarter.
The only sites I could find were coming up with lists and lists of bizarre words that could be found using those letters, but nothing was making sense. But then we came across one particular word that really stood out. Sarah saw it first. And then we knew. We checked off each of the letters. And then we checked them off again to make sure. AH-HA! I was so dang excited, I emailed the SHMILY messenger immediately to tell him I finished.
He said he was shocked. I said, "Considering how smart I am, you shouldn't be so surprised." After a couple minutes of talking, though, we realized I wasn't completely finished. I did have the answer, but I didn't check inside the case. I went out to our family room, found the case, and looked inside. And then the "treasure" was in my hands. I was thrilled!
After two days of hunting, I got my Valentine's Day gift. It was SO worth the wait. And I had been waiting for this for a LONG time. Thanks, honey, for the best Valentine's Day I've ever had. I love you so much!!!
Let me know when you all figure it out! And for those of you who can't get it, you'll just have to wait (again) until I decide to post it. Just kidding. I'll post it tomorrow.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The Hunt Continues ...
I'm excited to finally find some time to keep this treasure hunt going. Congratulations to Sylvia and Vicki, my two faithful readers (who, by the way, NEVER comment and have NEVER started their own blogs, much to my dismay) who figured out the answer to the first riddle!!! For those of you who didn't, the "man of art" I was looking for was identified by the three words PAINTER OF LIGHT. And for anyone who knows his work, that was enough to know who he was. But if you can't get his name from that, all you'd have to do is google painter of light to find the answer ... THOMAS KINKADE.
I immediately went to our Kinkade hanging in our dining room. It took just a slight touch of the frame for an envelope to fall to the ground from behind. On the front was a red sticker with SHMILY CODE written on it. I opened it up and found this ...
Impressive, Woman, you solved this one,
'Twas not an easy clue.
You can't stop now, though, Smarty Pants,
You have more left to do.
A gadget, next, is what you seek
It makes the world seem small,
By making folks accessible,
From anywhere at all.
Normally you button-push
Or hold it to your ear.
But this time there's no text on screen,
Nor dial tone to hear.
True, your message is inside
Not by dialing, though.
You'll get a charge out of this one, too,
And see where next to go.
This one was easy. I knew exactly what I was looking for, I just wasn't sure if it was mine, or one of the gazillion toy phones we have up in the playroom. In the hopes of saving time, I decided to check mine first. If I found nothing, I'd then go hunting through the toybox and look through each of those, one by one.
Because of the word charge, I knew to look in the back where the battery was. And sure enough, as soon as I took the back off of my phone, a tiny slip of paper fell out. It's message said ...
Call this number right now
XXX-XXXX
So I did. A guy answered with my name, not a hello. I just started laughing. I had to try and stop myself, though, because he immediately spouted off my next instructions.
"You are to go to the library located at blah, blah, blah Deer Springs. Go up to the checkout counter and give them your name. They will give you books that are waiting for you." Click.
He was gone. I was still laughing. I immediately wanted to know who I was talking to, since I didn't recognize the number, and I wasn't sure if I recognized the voice or not. So I went to whitpages.com and plugged in the number. It came up saying that it was a registered cell phone, and that the records were available for purchase. Obviously I wasn't THAT desperate to find a name. But did you know that you can look up a cell number on whitepages.com, and they'll give you a map and point out where that cell phone is right at that moment??? Weird. Even that didn't help me out much, though, so I gave up on that.
It wasn't until much later in the afternoon that I was able to get up to the library. I let the girls wander the children's section while I went up to the desk. I told them that there were supposed to be some books waiting for me. He asked for my library card. Oops! I left my wallet out in the car. He asked my for my ID. Um, that would be with my library card in my wallet that I left out in the car. Then he asked when "we" (the libary) called to let me know my books were in. I explained that "they" didn't call me. Someone else set it up so that I was to come in here, give my name, and get my books. He wasn't understanding me. After going back and forth for a while, I tried to make the situation sound as normal as possible.
"Okay. My husband came and picked out some books for me. He told someone here to set them aside for me so that when I came in, I could just give you my name, and you would have the books for me."
He still didn't get it. He said he had nothing there for someone by my name. Idiot. I wanted to shout at him, "YOU ARE RUINING MY VALENTINES DAY, YOU DORK!!!" Instead I calmly told him I would just talk to my husband about it, and left. And then I remembered that I wasn't allowed to talk to him about it. But I did have the SHMILY Messenger that I was allowed to email. So I planned to go home and send him a message to let him know what happened, and see what he had to say. I loaded the kiddos up in the car, packed the stroller in the back, and hopped in the front seat to head home for the computer.
Keys. Where are my keys??? I know I had them a minute ago ... literally. I unlocked the car with them. So I retrace my steps of helping each child into their seats and buckles, folding up the stroller to put it away. I'm searching, searching, and searching. Nothing. I ask the girls if they can see them. Nope. In your seats? No. In the baby's seat? Not there either. I spent the next HALF AN HOUR looking for those freakin' keys. (I know I'm trying to stop saying that, but in this case, I certainly deserved it.) On top of that, I had forgotten my cell phone, so I couldn't call anyone. And without my phone or power to the car, I had no idea what time it was. At one point I gave up and just sat in my seat doing nothing.
And then Miss Priss started to cry. "Mom! How are we going to get home? Can we walk home?" No, Devil Child refused to bring a coat when we left, and it's too cold outside. "I think we should pray." I was so ticked off, all I could say was, "You go ahead and do that."
After about eight prayers and a carload of little girls' tears, I found them. On the floor between the center console and the front passenger seat. What, did I open up the car and throw them to the other side or something?!?!? Sheesh. I started the car and saw that it was 5:58 pm. My "messenger" would only be at work for two more minutes. Could I make it home in time to email him and let him know I couldn't get the books? I wasn't sure, but I'd give it my best shot.
I made it home and flew inside to the computer screen. His IM (instant message) light was green, which meant he was still logged in. So I typed away ...
Are you still there? I've got to talk to you before you leave.
I'm here.
I couldn't get the books from the libary. The people there are RETARDED!
What did they tell you?
I explained what happened at the library to him, and he said,
I'm very sorry. I'll take care of it. Good night.
And that was all I could do. I knew when The Man came home, not a single word about the whole thing would be said. So I had to wait until the next day. And so will you ....
I immediately went to our Kinkade hanging in our dining room. It took just a slight touch of the frame for an envelope to fall to the ground from behind. On the front was a red sticker with SHMILY CODE written on it. I opened it up and found this ...
Impressive, Woman, you solved this one,
'Twas not an easy clue.
You can't stop now, though, Smarty Pants,
You have more left to do.
A gadget, next, is what you seek
It makes the world seem small,
By making folks accessible,
From anywhere at all.
Normally you button-push
Or hold it to your ear.
But this time there's no text on screen,
Nor dial tone to hear.
True, your message is inside
Not by dialing, though.
You'll get a charge out of this one, too,
And see where next to go.
This one was easy. I knew exactly what I was looking for, I just wasn't sure if it was mine, or one of the gazillion toy phones we have up in the playroom. In the hopes of saving time, I decided to check mine first. If I found nothing, I'd then go hunting through the toybox and look through each of those, one by one.
Because of the word charge, I knew to look in the back where the battery was. And sure enough, as soon as I took the back off of my phone, a tiny slip of paper fell out. It's message said ...
Call this number right now
XXX-XXXX
So I did. A guy answered with my name, not a hello. I just started laughing. I had to try and stop myself, though, because he immediately spouted off my next instructions.
"You are to go to the library located at blah, blah, blah Deer Springs. Go up to the checkout counter and give them your name. They will give you books that are waiting for you." Click.
He was gone. I was still laughing. I immediately wanted to know who I was talking to, since I didn't recognize the number, and I wasn't sure if I recognized the voice or not. So I went to whitpages.com and plugged in the number. It came up saying that it was a registered cell phone, and that the records were available for purchase. Obviously I wasn't THAT desperate to find a name. But did you know that you can look up a cell number on whitepages.com, and they'll give you a map and point out where that cell phone is right at that moment??? Weird. Even that didn't help me out much, though, so I gave up on that.
It wasn't until much later in the afternoon that I was able to get up to the library. I let the girls wander the children's section while I went up to the desk. I told them that there were supposed to be some books waiting for me. He asked for my library card. Oops! I left my wallet out in the car. He asked my for my ID. Um, that would be with my library card in my wallet that I left out in the car. Then he asked when "we" (the libary) called to let me know my books were in. I explained that "they" didn't call me. Someone else set it up so that I was to come in here, give my name, and get my books. He wasn't understanding me. After going back and forth for a while, I tried to make the situation sound as normal as possible.
"Okay. My husband came and picked out some books for me. He told someone here to set them aside for me so that when I came in, I could just give you my name, and you would have the books for me."
He still didn't get it. He said he had nothing there for someone by my name. Idiot. I wanted to shout at him, "YOU ARE RUINING MY VALENTINES DAY, YOU DORK!!!" Instead I calmly told him I would just talk to my husband about it, and left. And then I remembered that I wasn't allowed to talk to him about it. But I did have the SHMILY Messenger that I was allowed to email. So I planned to go home and send him a message to let him know what happened, and see what he had to say. I loaded the kiddos up in the car, packed the stroller in the back, and hopped in the front seat to head home for the computer.
Keys. Where are my keys??? I know I had them a minute ago ... literally. I unlocked the car with them. So I retrace my steps of helping each child into their seats and buckles, folding up the stroller to put it away. I'm searching, searching, and searching. Nothing. I ask the girls if they can see them. Nope. In your seats? No. In the baby's seat? Not there either. I spent the next HALF AN HOUR looking for those freakin' keys. (I know I'm trying to stop saying that, but in this case, I certainly deserved it.) On top of that, I had forgotten my cell phone, so I couldn't call anyone. And without my phone or power to the car, I had no idea what time it was. At one point I gave up and just sat in my seat doing nothing.
And then Miss Priss started to cry. "Mom! How are we going to get home? Can we walk home?" No, Devil Child refused to bring a coat when we left, and it's too cold outside. "I think we should pray." I was so ticked off, all I could say was, "You go ahead and do that."
After about eight prayers and a carload of little girls' tears, I found them. On the floor between the center console and the front passenger seat. What, did I open up the car and throw them to the other side or something?!?!? Sheesh. I started the car and saw that it was 5:58 pm. My "messenger" would only be at work for two more minutes. Could I make it home in time to email him and let him know I couldn't get the books? I wasn't sure, but I'd give it my best shot.
I made it home and flew inside to the computer screen. His IM (instant message) light was green, which meant he was still logged in. So I typed away ...
Are you still there? I've got to talk to you before you leave.
I'm here.
I couldn't get the books from the libary. The people there are RETARDED!
What did they tell you?
I explained what happened at the library to him, and he said,
I'm very sorry. I'll take care of it. Good night.
And that was all I could do. I knew when The Man came home, not a single word about the whole thing would be said. So I had to wait until the next day. And so will you ....
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Up for the Challenge?
I know it's taken me a few days to post about Valentine's Day, but I have a very good reason. My Valentine's gift "began" Thursday morning, and it's not over yet!!! I'm anxious to post all about it, since this was by far the best Valentine's Day I've ever had, but first I must begin with a little background info.
When The Man and I were dating, he came across a story about an old couple who played a "game" with each other throughout their entire marriage. The game was called S.H.M.I.L.Y. It stood for See How Much I Love You. The game was easy, it didn't take much time or preparation. All they had to do was leave the word SHMILY somewhere for the other person to find. A note in a car, drawn in the flour jar to be discovered the next time the wife baked, written on the bathroom mirror after a shower so that the next person to take a shower and steam up the room would see it, etc., etc. When one person was done, it was the other's turn to leave the word to be found.
We thought it was a very sweet story, and we decided it was something that we wanted to do for each other. So we began leaving each other little notes, sending cards and so on, each time including the word SHMILY. We even had it engraved on the inside of our wedding rings. Over the years The Man has given me more SHMILY's than I can count, but this Valentine's Day takes the cake. Now, for all you romantics, scavengers, and lovers of 'The Da Vinci Code' out there, I've decided to invite you all to accompany me on my quest for my Valentine's Gift. I'll begin by telling you about Thursday morning....
I awoke to the cries of my handsome little baby boy, and hopped out of bed to rescue him. I opened my bedroom door and saw a card taped to the door frame right in front of me. I thought, "Oh, very sweet. That was a nice way to make sure I got my card first thing in the morning." I took the card off the door and, without opening it, went to get the baby and the girls. We headed downstairs to make breakfast, but before I was in the kitchen, I heard the girls talking excitedly about something on the table. They had discovered their valentines from daddy. Each slip of paper that made up the hearts said something else that he loved about them. And in the middle ... what else ... chocolates! I let them each eat one before breakfast.
While everyone was happily filling their tummies, I decided to open my card. The handwritten message said to check my email immediately, and to have a good day. I smiled as I went to the office to turn on the computer. I opened up my email, and discovered an "urgent message" from someone called "The SHMILY Messenger." And this is what he said ...
Follow these instructions very carefully:
1- Highlight the following encrypted message and copy it to your clipboard (Control + C)
2- Open a session of Microsoft Word
3- Paste the encrypted message into the Word Document (Control + V)
4- In Microsoft Word, select (highlight) the entire encrypted message
5- While still selected (highlighted), change the font of the encrypted text to "Arial" font
Then there were lines and lines of symbols that I was to convert into letters. After following the instructions, it translated into this ...
The sensitive nature of this note
Requires I speak in code;
For a secret message waits for you,
In cloak and dagger mode.
First go to the World Wide Web,
Where clients find my art
Not the place of children's things,
But where it's graphic-smart.
Now push a button on the right,
The third one from the top
If you were studying up on me,
This is where you'd stop.
However somewhere on this page,
There waits a hidden clue
To find it simply click a word,
Where first it mentions YOU!
- The SHMILY Messanger
This is where it gets fun. I hope everyone wants to play along. It is one of the greatest treasure hunts ever! I'm still blown away at all the time he put into this for me. I will help with some information that I know no one else will have, but I want to see how many people can follow along and figure out the clues. Please don't post the answers in your comments, but feel free to email them to me, and I'll give you the next clue.
To start you off (in case you didn't get it from the clue), I was directed to go to his website and click on the "about the artist" link. Then find on that page where he mentions me, and click. Good luck to you all, and I hope you have as much fun as I did!!!
P.S. For those of you who aren't interested or can't find the time, you can still check out the clues, and I'll take everyone one step further each day until we've found the treasure!!! Happy hunting!
When The Man and I were dating, he came across a story about an old couple who played a "game" with each other throughout their entire marriage. The game was called S.H.M.I.L.Y. It stood for See How Much I Love You. The game was easy, it didn't take much time or preparation. All they had to do was leave the word SHMILY somewhere for the other person to find. A note in a car, drawn in the flour jar to be discovered the next time the wife baked, written on the bathroom mirror after a shower so that the next person to take a shower and steam up the room would see it, etc., etc. When one person was done, it was the other's turn to leave the word to be found.
We thought it was a very sweet story, and we decided it was something that we wanted to do for each other. So we began leaving each other little notes, sending cards and so on, each time including the word SHMILY. We even had it engraved on the inside of our wedding rings. Over the years The Man has given me more SHMILY's than I can count, but this Valentine's Day takes the cake. Now, for all you romantics, scavengers, and lovers of 'The Da Vinci Code' out there, I've decided to invite you all to accompany me on my quest for my Valentine's Gift. I'll begin by telling you about Thursday morning....
I awoke to the cries of my handsome little baby boy, and hopped out of bed to rescue him. I opened my bedroom door and saw a card taped to the door frame right in front of me. I thought, "Oh, very sweet. That was a nice way to make sure I got my card first thing in the morning." I took the card off the door and, without opening it, went to get the baby and the girls. We headed downstairs to make breakfast, but before I was in the kitchen, I heard the girls talking excitedly about something on the table. They had discovered their valentines from daddy. Each slip of paper that made up the hearts said something else that he loved about them. And in the middle ... what else ... chocolates! I let them each eat one before breakfast.
While everyone was happily filling their tummies, I decided to open my card. The handwritten message said to check my email immediately, and to have a good day. I smiled as I went to the office to turn on the computer. I opened up my email, and discovered an "urgent message" from someone called "The SHMILY Messenger." And this is what he said ...
Follow these instructions very carefully:
1- Highlight the following encrypted message and copy it to your clipboard (Control + C)
2- Open a session of Microsoft Word
3- Paste the encrypted message into the Word Document (Control + V)
4- In Microsoft Word, select (highlight) the entire encrypted message
5- While still selected (highlighted), change the font of the encrypted text to "Arial" font
Then there were lines and lines of symbols that I was to convert into letters. After following the instructions, it translated into this ...
The sensitive nature of this note
Requires I speak in code;
For a secret message waits for you,
In cloak and dagger mode.
First go to the World Wide Web,
Where clients find my art
Not the place of children's things,
But where it's graphic-smart.
Now push a button on the right,
The third one from the top
If you were studying up on me,
This is where you'd stop.
However somewhere on this page,
There waits a hidden clue
To find it simply click a word,
Where first it mentions YOU!
- The SHMILY Messanger
This is where it gets fun. I hope everyone wants to play along. It is one of the greatest treasure hunts ever! I'm still blown away at all the time he put into this for me. I will help with some information that I know no one else will have, but I want to see how many people can follow along and figure out the clues. Please don't post the answers in your comments, but feel free to email them to me, and I'll give you the next clue.
To start you off (in case you didn't get it from the clue), I was directed to go to his website and click on the "about the artist" link. Then find on that page where he mentions me, and click. Good luck to you all, and I hope you have as much fun as I did!!!
P.S. For those of you who aren't interested or can't find the time, you can still check out the clues, and I'll take everyone one step further each day until we've found the treasure!!! Happy hunting!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Me & The Man
Okay, Amanda, here's mine. You all might actually be a little surprised at a couple of my answers. Or maybe not.
MY VALENTINE----
What is his name? Tyler to me, his mom, and his friend Rob. Ty to EVERYONE else.
How long have you been together? Married for 7 years. Dated (on and off) two years.
How old is he? 31 (man, he's old!!! haha)
Who eats more? Seriously? He beats me at every meal. Well, unless we go out for mexican food. Not Taco Bell. REAL mexican food.
Who said I love you first? I'm sad to report I don't recall the specific occassion (don't hate me for that, honey), but I'm POSITIVE it was him.
Who is taller? He is. Thank goodness.
Who sings better? He does. Ironically, I'm the only one that ever sings out loud.
Who does the laundry? That's all me. Although he will fold if I ask him to. I HATE asking him to.
Who pays the bills? He does. I tried to take over that responsibility once, in hopes of relieving some stress, but he just could NOT let go of that. I swear, make a few late payments when you're 18, it ends up on your credit report, and he'll NEVER let you live it down!!! I'm not bitter.
Who sleeps on the right side? If you're in the bed, me. If you're looking at the bed, him.
Who mows the lawn? He does. And he can keep that one.
Who cooks? I do. But he makes a mean lasagna. And he's King of the Grill.
Who drives? He does. Even on really long trips, you'll rarely see me behind the wheel. Fall asleep at the wheel one time and wreck your parents' car, and he'll NEVER let you live it down. Still not bitter.
Who is more stubborn? That has got to be a tie.
Who kissed who first? I kissed him first. But he wanted it SO bad.
Who has more friends? I guess I'd say me, since I consider just about everyone I know my friend.
Who has more siblings? My six siblings beat him by one.
Who wears the pants? Like every married couple should, we share the pants around here.
Three random things about me ...
1. I want Botox for my "mean" lines between my eyes.
2. I regret cutting my hair super short. It's taking FOREVER to grow back.
3. If you really want to know more lame things about me, click here.
Now I tag Sarah G., Mel, and Erica
MY VALENTINE----
What is his name? Tyler to me, his mom, and his friend Rob. Ty to EVERYONE else.
How long have you been together? Married for 7 years. Dated (on and off) two years.
How old is he? 31 (man, he's old!!! haha)
Who eats more? Seriously? He beats me at every meal. Well, unless we go out for mexican food. Not Taco Bell. REAL mexican food.
Who said I love you first? I'm sad to report I don't recall the specific occassion (don't hate me for that, honey), but I'm POSITIVE it was him.
Who is taller? He is. Thank goodness.
Who sings better? He does. Ironically, I'm the only one that ever sings out loud.
Who does the laundry? That's all me. Although he will fold if I ask him to. I HATE asking him to.
Who pays the bills? He does. I tried to take over that responsibility once, in hopes of relieving some stress, but he just could NOT let go of that. I swear, make a few late payments when you're 18, it ends up on your credit report, and he'll NEVER let you live it down!!! I'm not bitter.
Who sleeps on the right side? If you're in the bed, me. If you're looking at the bed, him.
Who mows the lawn? He does. And he can keep that one.
Who cooks? I do. But he makes a mean lasagna. And he's King of the Grill.
Who drives? He does. Even on really long trips, you'll rarely see me behind the wheel. Fall asleep at the wheel one time and wreck your parents' car, and he'll NEVER let you live it down. Still not bitter.
Who is more stubborn? That has got to be a tie.
Who kissed who first? I kissed him first. But he wanted it SO bad.
Who has more friends? I guess I'd say me, since I consider just about everyone I know my friend.
Who has more siblings? My six siblings beat him by one.
Who wears the pants? Like every married couple should, we share the pants around here.
Three random things about me ...
1. I want Botox for my "mean" lines between my eyes.
2. I regret cutting my hair super short. It's taking FOREVER to grow back.
3. If you really want to know more lame things about me, click here.
Now I tag Sarah G., Mel, and Erica
Monday, February 04, 2008
It's the Little Things
The girls came home with a new cd from Primary a couple weeks ago. As many Primary presidencies do, ours had put all of the songs for this year's Primary program onto a cd for the children to listen to, in hopes that they will be learning these songs at home and not just on Sundays in Primary. I think this is such a great idea, as music is a HUGE part of our lives in this home. We have all been enjoying listening to these songs while we are doing our daily chores, and each day during lunch. We've also been using these particular songs for our opening and closing songs for Family Home Evening on Monday nights.
In just a few short weeks, my girls have learned two complete songs and the sign language for I Love to See the Temple. What a blessing this simple cd has been for me lately. It brings such a sweet spirit into our (sometimes) hectic home. It has truly helped me to have a happy attitude and a more gentle way with my kids. That is not to say that I am now a perfected parent. I still have my moments (like yesterday when I braved church on my own with all three kids), but I find it pretty difficult to yell at them while we are all hearing If the Savior Stood Beside Me. I especially love that after the songs are over, the music plays again with no words. It's wonderful to hear my girls' beautiful voices singing these songs with no help ... even if the words aren't always correct.
So I'm sending my gazillion thanks to Tara, Tani, Tashina, and Amy for blessing my home with this sweet gift, and for all you do for my two girls, who I cherish and love with all that is in me. You'll never know what a great work you are doing. We love you tons and tons.
In just a few short weeks, my girls have learned two complete songs and the sign language for I Love to See the Temple. What a blessing this simple cd has been for me lately. It brings such a sweet spirit into our (sometimes) hectic home. It has truly helped me to have a happy attitude and a more gentle way with my kids. That is not to say that I am now a perfected parent. I still have my moments (like yesterday when I braved church on my own with all three kids), but I find it pretty difficult to yell at them while we are all hearing If the Savior Stood Beside Me. I especially love that after the songs are over, the music plays again with no words. It's wonderful to hear my girls' beautiful voices singing these songs with no help ... even if the words aren't always correct.
So I'm sending my gazillion thanks to Tara, Tani, Tashina, and Amy for blessing my home with this sweet gift, and for all you do for my two girls, who I cherish and love with all that is in me. You'll never know what a great work you are doing. We love you tons and tons.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The Light Is On, But No One's Home
I am officially retarded. I just spent TWO HOURS trying to give this lame blog a fabulous makeover. Did you notice nothing has changed???? That's because as soon as I put a fancy shmancy new background on, NONE of my text was showing up. Just pictures. Oh, and all my links were .......... G-O-N-E!!! So half that time was spent wracking my brain trying to remember the URLs to ANYONE'S blog, so that I could get the links to everyone else. Thankfully I was smart enough to save a copy of my old template, so I was able to get my posts back. But I had to put my slideshow back on and all of my side page elements.
Lesson learned: I will never again attempt to make this thing any better looking without professional help. And by professional I mean help from any of you who already have super cute templates and your own pictures for a header.
Seriously. How the crap are you guys doing that????
P.S. Mel, I think yours is the only page I can't get back. I have no other link to you. PLEASE send me your address. If anyone else is missing from my links, sorry I forgot about you, and please give me your address even though you hate me right now for forgetting you. And to the newby's on my links, yes, I've been "stalking" your blogs for a while, and I figured since I was putting everyone else back on, I'd add you in and let you know that I'M WATCHING .... You're welcome.
Lesson learned: I will never again attempt to make this thing any better looking without professional help. And by professional I mean help from any of you who already have super cute templates and your own pictures for a header.
Seriously. How the crap are you guys doing that????
P.S. Mel, I think yours is the only page I can't get back. I have no other link to you. PLEASE send me your address. If anyone else is missing from my links, sorry I forgot about you, and please give me your address even though you hate me right now for forgetting you. And to the newby's on my links, yes, I've been "stalking" your blogs for a while, and I figured since I was putting everyone else back on, I'd add you in and let you know that I'M WATCHING .... You're welcome.
Monday, January 28, 2008
One More Reason ...
I have really bad knees. REALLY bad. They don't hurt much, but they sound awful when I'm going up and down stairs. I have no doubt that someday I'll need some sort of surgery. Hopefully it will be many years down the road. I usually don't even notice them at all, unless it happens to be pretty quiet, and I happen to be walking up stairs with someone next to me. It's kind of embarrassing when I see their eyes widen and they say, "Oh, my gosh! That sounds painful!" I hate when people make a big deal out of it.
I absolutely dread going up the stairs at the temple after you're done in the waiting chapel and you're on your way to the session. There's people in front, people behind, and complete and utter ... SILENCE.
My Man holds my hand and walks next to me with a smile, while he pretends to cough quietly, sniff, and clear his throat the whole way up those stairs ... and no one ever hears my knees.
I absolutely dread going up the stairs at the temple after you're done in the waiting chapel and you're on your way to the session. There's people in front, people behind, and complete and utter ... SILENCE.
My Man holds my hand and walks next to me with a smile, while he pretends to cough quietly, sniff, and clear his throat the whole way up those stairs ... and no one ever hears my knees.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Can You Say SPOILED?!?!?
"Mom, remember on your birthday when we did breakfast in bed?"
"Yep, I sure do."
"How come I don't have breakfast in bed? I ALWAYS wanted breakfast in bed, and I NEVER had it. You have never done breakfast in bed for us."
"Well, you're always OUT of bed before I get up. How can I do breakfast in bed if you're not IN bed???"
This conversation happened about a week ago. I'm sure you can guess what happened the next morning. I woke up and heard Mini Man making a ruckus in his crib, but nothing heard else. Usually the girls are playing in the playroom or banging on my door for breakfast. Nothing. As I walked down the hall, though, I could certainly hear their voices. They were awake, all right, but didn't dare get out of bed. Apparently they weren't about to give me another reason to get away with no breakfast in bed. No sooner than I rounded the corner, they began shouting their request to be served. Lucky for them I woke up in a good mood.
On a side note, this morning while lying on the couch, I noticed Mini Man had a runny nose. He's teething. So I asked Miss Priss to run to the bathroom for a tissue. She returned momentarily and handed over the tissue, but not without asking, "Mom, why are you acting like a princess?" Huh? Yeah, cuz everything about me in the morning just screams royalty. She then proceeded to tell me that being a princess means you don't do anything and that you make everyone else do everything for you. "So you're acting like a princess."
Well, I DID tell my mother once that I could not wait to have kids so that I could have my own slaves just like she did.
"Yep, I sure do."
"How come I don't have breakfast in bed? I ALWAYS wanted breakfast in bed, and I NEVER had it. You have never done breakfast in bed for us."
"Well, you're always OUT of bed before I get up. How can I do breakfast in bed if you're not IN bed???"
This conversation happened about a week ago. I'm sure you can guess what happened the next morning. I woke up and heard Mini Man making a ruckus in his crib, but nothing heard else. Usually the girls are playing in the playroom or banging on my door for breakfast. Nothing. As I walked down the hall, though, I could certainly hear their voices. They were awake, all right, but didn't dare get out of bed. Apparently they weren't about to give me another reason to get away with no breakfast in bed. No sooner than I rounded the corner, they began shouting their request to be served. Lucky for them I woke up in a good mood.
On a side note, this morning while lying on the couch, I noticed Mini Man had a runny nose. He's teething. So I asked Miss Priss to run to the bathroom for a tissue. She returned momentarily and handed over the tissue, but not without asking, "Mom, why are you acting like a princess?" Huh? Yeah, cuz everything about me in the morning just screams royalty. She then proceeded to tell me that being a princess means you don't do anything and that you make everyone else do everything for you. "So you're acting like a princess."
Well, I DID tell my mother once that I could not wait to have kids so that I could have my own slaves just like she did.
Friday, January 18, 2008
SOOOOO Not Ready for This
The other day while driving home I pulled into a left-hand turn lane behind a big green truck. The girl in the driver's seat opened up the door and waived her arm to signal me around her. Oooh, stuck right in the turning lane. Poor thing. I pulled up next to her, and while waiting for my arrow, I rolled down my window and asked if she needed help. She couldn't have been more than 20 years old. I can only imagine how she was feeling ... stranded. She said no, that her boyfriend just bought this truck from some guy, and it broke down right on the way home. He had driven right back to the guy's house to work it out. (She used a bit of more, shall I say, colorful language than I would, but I was hoping my three copycats in the back didn't hear.) My light turned, and I drove off for home.
Miss Priss watched her as we drove away, confused as to why she wasn't going anywhere. I told her the truck was broken and that she couldn't go until someone could help her move the car.
"Can we help her, mom?"
"No. She has a friend coming back to help her in just a minute."
"Oh. I hope she's going to be okay."
Then Devil Child added her helpful suggestion ...
"Maybe THAT truck can help her, mom," pointing at another truck in front of us.
And Miss Priss replied, "No, that truck doesn't have a hooker."
"A hooker?" Devil Child asked.
"Yeah. Mom, tell her what a hooker is."
Seriously. Three and five. And asking about "hookers."
But in case you were wondering like I was, THIS is what she was talking about. Oh, how I LOVE childhood innocence.
Miss Priss watched her as we drove away, confused as to why she wasn't going anywhere. I told her the truck was broken and that she couldn't go until someone could help her move the car.
"Can we help her, mom?"
"No. She has a friend coming back to help her in just a minute."
"Oh. I hope she's going to be okay."
Then Devil Child added her helpful suggestion ...
"Maybe THAT truck can help her, mom," pointing at another truck in front of us.
And Miss Priss replied, "No, that truck doesn't have a hooker."
"A hooker?" Devil Child asked.
"Yeah. Mom, tell her what a hooker is."
Seriously. Three and five. And asking about "hookers."
But in case you were wondering like I was, THIS is what she was talking about. Oh, how I LOVE childhood innocence.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Remember When?
Have you ever spent a half an hour writing a huge post, gotten to the end of your "story," and then decided it wasn't the best idea to post, JUST IN CASE a certain someone might possibly happen upon your blog? I just did. Now logically, chances are probably like one in a million this person would come across my blog and read that post. And it wasn't even anything bad, I promise. But it could easily have been misconstrued, and somehow, with my "good fortune" I wouldn't be shocked if she clicked on a link of a friend's blog that took her to another friend's blog that took her to another friend's blog that took her to her sister's blog and then to her friend's sister's blog, and that blog took her to mine. So just to be safe, that post is now in the garbage. And don't worry, if you're a regular reader, no, it wasn't about you.
So instead I'll leave you with a story that I've been debating about putting on my blog for quite some time. It's something that I don't want to forget, and seeing as this is my only journal for now - shameful, I know - I figure I'd better get it down in writing before it's long gone from my mind.
Miss Priss was around three years old at the time, and was just about the funniest little thing ever. I could have written a book with all the things she'd come up with. I've always been comfortable leaving my room open when I'm showering. I don't mind the girls coming in and out. In fact, it's quite a rare occassion when I have a shower with no one bugging me the entire 10 minutes. But like I said, I don't mind. I'd rather know what's going on than worry the whole time I'm in there that someone is getting hurt or in trouble.
So this one morning I was feeling sick (it was that wonderful time of the month), and after I got out of the shower I felt like I was seriously going to pass out. Miss Priss had wandered into my bedroom to find me lying down on the bathroom floor ... naked. She first asked if I was okay, and I said I wasn't feeling very good, but that I was fine, hoping she would just leave me there. But as she looked at me, she got a strange look on her face and aksed, "Mom? You got a rope in your bum?" I immediately started waving my hands to shoo her away and told her to leave the room. Nice.
A few weeks later I was on the couch in the middle of the afternoon, just resting. She woke up from her nap and came out to find me. She asked, "Mom? You not feeling good?" I said, "No, I'm fine. I'm just tired so I was resting." She squeezed in next to me and very sympathetically asked, "oh, you got a rope in your bum?"
So instead I'll leave you with a story that I've been debating about putting on my blog for quite some time. It's something that I don't want to forget, and seeing as this is my only journal for now - shameful, I know - I figure I'd better get it down in writing before it's long gone from my mind.
Miss Priss was around three years old at the time, and was just about the funniest little thing ever. I could have written a book with all the things she'd come up with. I've always been comfortable leaving my room open when I'm showering. I don't mind the girls coming in and out. In fact, it's quite a rare occassion when I have a shower with no one bugging me the entire 10 minutes. But like I said, I don't mind. I'd rather know what's going on than worry the whole time I'm in there that someone is getting hurt or in trouble.
So this one morning I was feeling sick (it was that wonderful time of the month), and after I got out of the shower I felt like I was seriously going to pass out. Miss Priss had wandered into my bedroom to find me lying down on the bathroom floor ... naked. She first asked if I was okay, and I said I wasn't feeling very good, but that I was fine, hoping she would just leave me there. But as she looked at me, she got a strange look on her face and aksed, "Mom? You got a rope in your bum?" I immediately started waving my hands to shoo her away and told her to leave the room. Nice.
A few weeks later I was on the couch in the middle of the afternoon, just resting. She woke up from her nap and came out to find me. She asked, "Mom? You not feeling good?" I said, "No, I'm fine. I'm just tired so I was resting." She squeezed in next to me and very sympathetically asked, "oh, you got a rope in your bum?"
Saturday, December 22, 2007
You Look Mah-vah-lous
We have a morning schedule around here that rarely ever changes. Baby wakes mom up; mom gets him out of his crib and heads downstairs for bottle #1. Devil Child is either up and roaming the house, or, upon hearing mom rescue baby, she is following downstairs. She sits close to mom and baby during bottle feeding and pleads, "I NEED breakfast!!!" about ten times as mom replies, "As soon as the baby is done, I'll make breakfast." Miss Priss soon follows downstairs to await breakfast. Baby is done with bottle and goes into swing. Mom "makes" breakfast (not sure you can consider it "making" breakfast when 90% of the time it's cold cereal), and either lies down on the couch for a couple minutes of closed eyes (notice I did NOT say "sleep"), or if she is feeling motivated, runs upstairs to quickly shower before girls finish breakfast.
After dishes are cleared we all head upstairs for the bathtub. Once everyone is squeaky clean, girls enter bedroom for an attempt to dress themselves. After baby is dressed mom follows girls to re-dress in something appropriate. Then it's back to the bathroom for teeth and hair brushing. Devil Child is first on the stool for mom to brush teeth and put pretties in her hair, while Miss Priss combs through her own mop. Then we switch and Miss Priss hops up for her 'do and shiny teeth. Mom slathers little faces with lotion and lips with chapstick. Now baby is ready and girls are beautified, and mom can finish getting herself ready while girls make beds. Hooray! We're ready for the day! Unfortunately it's usually 11:00 by now, and half that day is gone. Baby is beyond ready for a nap, and girls have begun asking for lunch. Such is life with three little ones that don't get ready by themselves yet.
Why do I take the time to share this otherwise uninteresting routine with you, you ask? Well, lately Miss Priss has added a new "grooming technique" to her routine that I find a little -- um -- humorous. Once she's all done; bathed, dressed, teeth brushed, hair up, and face and lips moisturized, she now looks herself in the mirror, licks both of her pointer fingers, and "straightens" out her eyebrows. Sometimes it's just once, other times it takes two or three tries to get them to look "just right." No idea where this came from.
The first time she did it she looked at me afterwards and said, "Mom, do I still look great if I do this?" With a smile that hid a giggle I said, "Of course you do, honey. You look great no matter what."
After dishes are cleared we all head upstairs for the bathtub. Once everyone is squeaky clean, girls enter bedroom for an attempt to dress themselves. After baby is dressed mom follows girls to re-dress in something appropriate. Then it's back to the bathroom for teeth and hair brushing. Devil Child is first on the stool for mom to brush teeth and put pretties in her hair, while Miss Priss combs through her own mop. Then we switch and Miss Priss hops up for her 'do and shiny teeth. Mom slathers little faces with lotion and lips with chapstick. Now baby is ready and girls are beautified, and mom can finish getting herself ready while girls make beds. Hooray! We're ready for the day! Unfortunately it's usually 11:00 by now, and half that day is gone. Baby is beyond ready for a nap, and girls have begun asking for lunch. Such is life with three little ones that don't get ready by themselves yet.
Why do I take the time to share this otherwise uninteresting routine with you, you ask? Well, lately Miss Priss has added a new "grooming technique" to her routine that I find a little -- um -- humorous. Once she's all done; bathed, dressed, teeth brushed, hair up, and face and lips moisturized, she now looks herself in the mirror, licks both of her pointer fingers, and "straightens" out her eyebrows. Sometimes it's just once, other times it takes two or three tries to get them to look "just right." No idea where this came from.
The first time she did it she looked at me afterwards and said, "Mom, do I still look great if I do this?" With a smile that hid a giggle I said, "Of course you do, honey. You look great no matter what."
Friday, December 14, 2007
I'm a Slacker ... So Sue Me
Okay, okay. I'll admit I no longer have the right to EVER ask anyone to put up a new post again. I'm seriously lacking the motivation for blogging lately. I'll not waste time on trying to update the last two months; sufficeth to say we are all still alive. The girls have come down with strep and have been "homebound" this week. From what I've heard, babies under 2 yrs. or 12 months (depending on who you talk to) can't get it, but my Little Man had a fever yesterday and has spent all of today throwing up everything I've tried to feed him. Can't get a good look in his throat, obviously, so who knows.
The Christmas countdown is on, and Miss Priss reminds me each day how many days are left. She's like my own personal talking to-do list that lets me know every day that I'm not ready. Gone are the days where I was completely done Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving weekend. I'm now one of those crazy ladies who spends Christmas Eve running to the last few stores still open at 9pm trying to figure out what the heck I'm going to put in these stockings.
But the best part of our week HAD to be the snowstorm. It was so exciting for us, since we had been cooped up for days. Not to mention that we live in the desert and that snow is just about unheard of for us. What's that, you say? You heard nothing of it on the news? Hmmm. I'm not sure why; it was quite an event here.
It started out as just a little flury ...
And then it really started coming down ...
The girls got to make snow angels ...
And Mini Man just had to get in on the action ...
It was so beautiful and amazing!!! And now we have no need to be jealous of all our family that has had snow for weeks now. I got my "snow fix" ... sans all the scarves, hats, coats, mittens and boots. Just the way I like it.
Thanks, Grandpa and Grandma Darlin', for sending down our very own early White Christmas (and for the presents, too!!!). Our snow day was something desperately needed in this house full of sickies.
The Christmas countdown is on, and Miss Priss reminds me each day how many days are left. She's like my own personal talking to-do list that lets me know every day that I'm not ready. Gone are the days where I was completely done Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving weekend. I'm now one of those crazy ladies who spends Christmas Eve running to the last few stores still open at 9pm trying to figure out what the heck I'm going to put in these stockings.
But the best part of our week HAD to be the snowstorm. It was so exciting for us, since we had been cooped up for days. Not to mention that we live in the desert and that snow is just about unheard of for us. What's that, you say? You heard nothing of it on the news? Hmmm. I'm not sure why; it was quite an event here.
It started out as just a little flury ...
And then it really started coming down ...
The girls got to make snow angels ...
And Mini Man just had to get in on the action ...
It was so beautiful and amazing!!! And now we have no need to be jealous of all our family that has had snow for weeks now. I got my "snow fix" ... sans all the scarves, hats, coats, mittens and boots. Just the way I like it.
Thanks, Grandpa and Grandma Darlin', for sending down our very own early White Christmas (and for the presents, too!!!). Our snow day was something desperately needed in this house full of sickies.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)