Monday, May 4, 2009

Utahnized


Kegan's mouth is a heart. Isn't that adorable?
I'll put up more wedding pics in a few days.
Uncle Kim and Aunt Yvonne. They drove 4 hours to be at the wedding, and then drove back right afterwards. They're probably the cutest people on this planet (except the hot guy at the bottom of this stack, and the girl just above). Below you'll see my dad with Uncle Kim and two of his cousins. The cousin on the right is Julie, Dad's childhood BFF. If I haven't told you before, my dad's from Virgin, UT, population 90. About half Spendloves, if you don't count the in-laws.

After my week long trip, I'm pretty sure I can say I'm an expert on Utah. Not "In" Utah, but On.
People from Utah are always apologizing for things. I heard many apologies that sounded like this:
"So you take 5th East-- that's 500 East, actually, we just say 5th. Sorry, it's kind of messed up."
Apparently an amazing genius came to Utah and said, "We shall name all the streets in the 100's, except for some randomly placed streets in between the hundreds in suburby areas, and those shall all be in inconsistent increments of 20's. And we shall start all of the streets from a zero-zero point that no one but a city planner will be able to discern and then count upwards from there, in every direction, naming each street East, West, North, and South. Yet in our addresses and directions, we shall explain the direction of the directions, and then the direction the street is called. Therefore, you shall take East 500 South and stop on the corner of the cross street, West 700 West. Then for good measure, we will throw in a diagonal street of East 200 West. Just so ye do not lose thy way."
Now, I totally understand the genius of this system. I especially understand how every single city in Utah (at least the 6 I've been in) has this system. So not only is there a 300 South in Orem, there is also a 300 South in Provo, Cedar Hills, Draper, Pleasant Grove, Salt Lake City and Spanish Fork.
I asked someone how I was supposed to remember which of the various 100 streets each direction points, and someone said, apologetically, "The mountains are East. Except for those mountains, which are South. And those way way mountains, those are West. Just remember to go South on 100 East, which is in the direction of those mountains, if you are facing the reflection of the mountains in the lake." You just can't get close to those way way mountains, because they will do an about face and become West mountains.
There were some apologies I did not hear, but I think we all understand a silent apology when we hear one.
For example, Super Walmart definitely is apologizing just for existing. I mean, you should totally NOT be able to buy shrink wrapped raw chicken breasts at the same store known for its discount prices. I really think there are a few things that just don't need a rollback.
The "G" on the hill over the valley apologized for not being a "P", because "Pleasant Grove" does not start with G, the last time I checked. I think that after the genius created his road system, he went down unto the valley and said, "We shall name this place 'Grove', which starts with G." Probably halfway through constructing this town the genius's assistant pointed out that Grove may be too generic, and it needed a strong adjective to help it survive.
I hold no ill-will towards Utah for being out of Sriracha sauce at 3 different stores, or for spelling Macy's with an 'e', with no clothes in sight, or for their near 7% sales tax. Or even for hogging all of the frozen yogurt locations in the U.S. or offering Mexican coke on tap. Or even for snowing on the last Sunday in May.
It's important to accept these apologies graciously, and forgive.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Stuff That's Hard

  • Being a parent in a dirty public bathroom.
  • Understanding why people go to chain semi-fast food restaurants, like "Chili's"
  • Not eating oreos after I've eaten dinner, second dinner, a snack, and some m&m's.
  • playing "Hello, hello" at junior and senior primary for the billionth sunday in a row
  • stopping yourself from watching the next episode of "24"
  • watching your daughter fake vomit in her mouth from eating a piece of zucchini
  • following through with your P90x workout
  • finding clothes for school in the dark
  • getting a 9th grader's attention and keeping it
  • Jake's muscles

I guess not everything that's hard is undesirable.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Listen

When Amaya woke up early this morning (as she has been ever since we broke her from her morning bottle-- Now she sleeps even less-- not even 9 hours at night),
Jake said, "Amaya, why are you so lame sometimes?"
Amaya answered, "No, I'm not lame. Spongebob is lame."
Jake told her this tidbit about spongebob about 3 months ago, once. A little later she remembered that The Lion King was also lame.

For breakfast she said, "Get me a napkin, please." When we didn't jump up right away she said, "Anyone....? Anyone?"

After breakfast she wanted a body tart. Which is apparently the same thing as a poptart. A strawberry one.

When I was in the bathroom she was very upset about being locked into the house and heard "Uncle" Buddy talking to Pam outside. She was trying to unlock the door herself and kept calling out to them. Then she got a key out of the key bowl and said, "Uncle Buddy! I have a key! Let me show you how to use it! I need to unlock the door!"

I used to think nothing sounded funny at 6 am.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Workin' Girl


I caught Amaya with her hands down in the toilet this evening.

My first reaction: FREAK OUT.

And not in the good dancing kind of way.

The, "What-ARE-you-DOING?!-That-IS-SOOOO-YUCKY!-You-are-so-weird!!!!" kind of way.

She turned her head to me, and said, "Mommy, I love you." And smiled so sweetly.

Oh. My.
My girl already knows how to work it.

She doesn't know how to read letters or numbers, but she's fluent in people.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Poem

I'm having a hard time with the title.

I thought I would post this here, because I have some amazing students. And these amazing students actually helped me edit this poem.
Usually I'm really irritated with my students (every year) because they have a hard time being critical of writing. SO, I gave them something they couldn't wait to tear apart. My own poem.

I was surprised to find that they did a good job. Not because they don't write well. Because I actually made this into a way better poem because of them.
It still needs some tweaking, but I like how it's turning out.
They didn't like the word "crackling." But I couldn't find a suitable replacement. Poet's license I guess. Everything I came up with made it sound more and more like cereal.

Poem

When we argue in the car,
soon we fall into a silence
backlit by wheels spinning over concrete
~
~
~
air slips around our encased contention
the tunnel cuts the radio transmission
into a tune of electric chafe

Your head is facing the angle of the windshield.
You are watching the lines in the road
making their paths out of the dark.

I wonder if the direction of your face
Means you are waiting for my reply,

Being alone, together, crackles in my ears.

We’ve had this moment before
In many pieces

~ We’re standing in a wind, cliff side,
the waves cresting white over rocky pieces

~ hiking ahead of you,
clouds heavy in my rasping breath

~ our running soles scraping concrete,
a lopsided beat, at night

the static
scratches
my thinking.