BEEEEEEP! LOW BATTERY!

Last night, I'm cozy and snuggled up in bed beside my husband when I'm awoken by what I swear is a woman's voice. Groggy, I sit up in bed, heart pounding, holding my breath before there it is again! A loud "BEEEP" followed by a very distinct woman's voice coming over what sounds like a mega-phone. "MURRRABBERTY." (to my muffled-still asleep brain... I swear it was nothing more than a jumble of letters)

What? did I hear that right? Still incredibly nervous I tiptoe to our door, and notice that the power is out! No light in the house and our flashlights are downstairs. Still moving like a snail I make it to the stairs... "BEEEEEEP!!!" "LOW BATTERY!"

I jumped, easily a mile high and very nearly tumble down the stairs, but miraculously manage to stable myself before it all suddenly makes sense. Was that our smoke alarm? They -talk- now?! Sure enough, just as I get to the base of the stairs. "BEEEP!!" "LOW BATTERY!"

I dug out the flashlight and then managed to drag myself back upstairs to get my husband. He wasn't happy but after realizing how annoying it was he figured that it was worth a shot to attempt to fix it. With me holding the flashlight he managed to open up the battery slot only to see that it is a 9 volt... something that we definitely didn't have a replacement for. The nearest store doesn't open until 10:00AM it was 1:00AM. So what to do? Go back to bed apparently and attempt to shut out the stupid woman trilling at us from the base of our stairs.

Needless to say... it was a ROUGH night. With no end in sight, I'm heading back up to bed to try and catch up on a few hours of missed sleep. Why don't smoke alarms have volume buttons? And who on earth decided to teach them how to talk?

The SSS

The following conversation took place between 6:10-6:11 PM


"Hello?"

A lowered voice comes over the line.

"Meet us out back at 8:30."

"8:30? What--"

"Dress warm."

The following pictures were taken between 8:30 and 10:00 PM




















YEP! I'm officially a part of the Secret Sledding Society!

Tina, Jenny and I met out back while their kids slept or were watched by their dad. James even got in on the fun, though he was NOT dressed for it. We had a BLAST! I guess there is a bit of a bonus to all of the hills here in Washington. LET IT SNOW!

OH! THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL!

Well, winter is finally upon us and I have to say that people in Washington have -no- idea how to handle their roads! We were officially snowed in after just 2-4 inches of snow! The number of accidents on James's boat alone was astounding, and the fact that yesterday I was able to sit at the window and watch car after car after truck after tow truck slide backwards down my little hill tells me that they have some serious issues with their snow and ice control. The streets were starting to clear, but tonight we were told to expect anywhere from 6-24 inches! And winds up to 90 miles an hour. I'm preparing for the worst... So I have books, hot chocolate, candles, flashlights, water, blankets and my hubby. For some reason I think I'll be juuuuust fine. Who says that being snowed in is a bad thing? We've already been called and told that church is cancled, it's the second time -ever- that I've not had an obligation to head out early Sunday morning.

I guess it could be worse. :)


Above is the infamous hill that claimed many a driver yesterday. Can you believe that the roads were still this bad even though the storm ended 3 days ago? Only going to get worse from here!

The power of observation...

Tonight we had some surprise visitors! The missionaries stopped by because James had given them a referral and they wanted to know if they could teach him over at our house because he lives on Base. Of course we agreed, and then because it was P-day for the Missionaries, they hung out with us for some of the night for hot chocolate and good conversation. It was so fun to have them in our house!

After the other nights "Backpack" incident (see entry below) I felt that it would be unfair to James not to include this little morsel of humor given to us by one of the Elders, who shall remain last-nameless to protect his identity.

James and the Elder were sitting on the long couch (he was roughly in the same position as James in the picture below) and James asked about a cup I had out on the glass table.

"Honey? Why is this cup here?"

Me: "I was using it to water the tree."

The Elder, sitting quietly until this point starts looking around the room questioningly before asking.

"What tree?"

.........

It didn't take him long to figure out his mistake, though in all honesty I was laughing too hard to do anything other than point at our tree. And as an afterthought, I never really thought that anyone could turn that red.

Backpack

First person to spot the backpack gets a prize!

In this exact position James turns to me:

"Honey? Where did you put my backpack?"


Have you ever wondered what your spouse would do without you?

I have.

Bubbles Anyone?!

Last night after our tree finding fiasco, I had a bit of a meltdown. The house was a disaster because of left over dishes from the Ward Christmas dinner. Our living room was trashed with pine needles and garbage from the ornaments and I was having a breakdown about the amount of work that needed to get done before bedtime. After falling apart and snapping at my sweet husband he forced me to blog and went and cleaned the kitchen. It was exactly what I needed to unwind, but the part that made me smile the most was when I walked into the kitchen to find bubbles! Water and big frothy bubbles were happily seeping into every corner of my floor. Moral of the story? Make sure your husband knows that the soap on top of the counter doesn't go in the dishwasher.

Christmas lights and a new bow!

I got a new bow put on my tree because the other one had some serious issues (see below). So I went out and bought the ribbon and I made it myself! Isn't it pretty?! In the pictures it really looks like the purple of the ribbon clashes with the purple on the tree, but in reality it looks beautiful and I am the envy of all my neighbors. Not that that matters or anything... I mean, we all know that Christmas is the season of giving and such. ;) Ah what the heck, I'm going to enjoy my smugness while it lasts! Our tree is beautiful!

I also put some pictures of our place with the Christmas lights on it, though we couldn't get a good pic... at least you'll be able to see what the townhouse looks like.

O Christmas Tree!!

James and I finally decided to get into the Christmas spirit and went out to get a tree! We drove from WalMart to Home Depot to Lowe's and finally to -another- Lowe's before settling on the perfect tree! It may sound demanding but it was very necessary. It was a good way to find just the right tree. Oh... and the bow on top is only temporary. It will have a much better something on top whenever I get the chance to go to the store. Now time to settle down for a movie and a cup of hot chocolate. I love Christmas!

Airport Adventures

For Thanksgiving, James and I got to go to Utah to visit my family! We had a blast and were so grateful to be able to spend time with those we love during the holidays. It was nice, however, to return back home on the 3rd to enjoy the last day of his leave together. My friend Alyssa was kind enough to come pick us up from the airport. The following conversation ensued:

"Hey 'Lyss, yeah, we are just here at the Delta sign. So just follow around, I think it's the third to last one." (As a side note... I've done this bit a lot, thus why I have the airport memorized)

At about that time, I hang up the phone and an older Indian (from India) man approached in full turban and all and started asking us questions. I declined the taxi ride that I thought he was offering, only to meet his confused eyes. He asks his question again, slower.

"No. Do. You. Have. A. Cellular. Phone." Seems simple enough but in my defense he had a -really- heavy accent and I only figured it when he pronounced Cellular with almost 6 syllables.

"OH! Yeah.. ah... I have a phone..." I was a bit nervous at this point but I knew he had just seen me talking on it and would have felt bad lying.

"Caaan I maaake a caallll on eeeet? Mah daauugghhtah eees supposed too bee heah to get me." he inquired to which, after a moment of translative thought I tugged out my phone and asked her number. No way was I going to let him make some call to an India area code or something.

He told me the number and I punched it in, relieved to hear a Washington area code, and then... I handed over my phone. YEP! My precious phone to a complete stranger! His conversation was short and in a different language but he hung up and handed the phone back and aside from refusing to meet my eyes he was incredibly kind and a few minutes later I saw him pass back by with a lovely Indian woman.

It made me wonder though, just how many people he had to ask before someone would allow him to use their phone. It made me happy that I was able to help him... in spite of my misgivings about the situation.

ANYWAY, on to the funny stuff.

So after the Indian man left I turned back to James who was looking particularly contemplative.

"What is it honey?" I'm curious as always.

"Well... I was just noticing sweetie that there isn't a Delta sign anywheres (yes he said anywheres) near us."

I blink sweetly and casually look straight above our heads at the HUGE sign.

"Oh really? Really? There isn't one -anywhere- here?" He finally looks up and offers the adorably sheepish smile that I love so well.

"Ah.. Heh. Heh. This stays between us."

Apparently he had looked both backward and forward and, seeing no Delta on either of the signs surrounding us, assumed that I had been mistaken in our positioning. I found it charmingly adorable, and we both had a good laugh afterwards. And for the record, he eventually gave me permission to put it on my blog.

My first tag!

Bold Tag...

I saw this in Jennifer's blog, but it is in Lacy's too! I figured I would see just what I've done!


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3.Played in a band [I think singing counts]
4.Visited Hawaii
5.Watched a meteor shower
6.Given more than you can afford to charity
7.Been to Disneyland
8.Climbed a mountain
9.Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14.Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20.Slept on an overnight train
21.Had a pillow fight
22.Hitch hiked
23.Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24.Built a snow fort
25.Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors [Though it depends on how far back you wanna go... because I haven't been to Italy or anything..]
35. Seen an Amish community [From a distance]
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung Karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check [not on purpose]
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone [As long as dislocation counts]
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee


Anyone who wants to put this on their blog is welcome! TAG! You're it!