My Bad Girl Days...

I KNOW I promised this story a while back, and though I got a very small response from people interested in hearing the story, who am I to withhold my best story from those that ARE interested just because I didn't get a lot of comments. Maybe I'll get lots of comments AFTER I post it! :)

MY THREE TICKETS:

I was 17 when I finally got my drivers license. Due to my wonderful older sisters and their horrible driving records my mother made it quite clear to me that if I so much as get a SINGLE ticket she would take my license away until I moved out. Needless to say I was a pretty careful driver. SO there was this bridge that connected my hometown to a slightly bigger city, and on either side of the bridge was well, NOTHING. The teeny tiny airport was off on one side but otherwise there was absolutely nothing but a small stream and lots of over grown plants and fields... The speed limit was 45 across the bridge. Most drivers went around 60. It was January 1st, and I had been out running errands for my mom. I had my two younger brothers in one of the back seats of my moms 12 SEATER VAN (We called her Vanna White- as in Van of White...). SO here I am, 5'4" about 95 pounds behind the wheel of a HUGE white van that was probably hanging pretty close to the ground seeing as how I was carrying a load of fire wood in the back. We had removed all but one seat to fit all the wood in. Talk about a kickin' new year, huh? Hauling wood and little brothers all over town. YAY. Well, I hit this bridge going well under the expected 60, but over the posted 45. And though I was not the fastest moving vehicle on the road, I WAS the one that the cop pulled over. When he stopped me he asked me if I knew why I was pulled over. I prolly should have said, No. But I didn't. I said, "I was speeding?" He said, "Yeah. You were going 52 in a 45." And of course in my head I am like, "WHAT? You pulled me over for 7 MPH!? Are ya kidding?!" Then he says, "BUT- thats not really why I pulled you over. Your tags are expired."
"Really, when did they expire?" I ask.
"December."
(In my head, "WHAT!? YESTERDAY?!")
"Oh." I respond.
"License and registration please."

So of course I pull out my license. But for the life of me I can't find any proof that I am insured. I had only had my license for a few weeks, and though I did show proof of my MOM'S insurance, OBVIOUSLY that wasn't enough. So the jerk wrote me three tickets.
1) Speeding (7 MPH over the limit)
2) Expired Tags (BY A DAY!)
3) No (proof of) insurance

I head on my way home, and am trying REALLY HARD not to cry. I just KNOW mom is gonna take my license away. Sure enough, when I got home I grabbed my mail on the way in and what do I find in the box? The new tags and proof that I am insured! This was just too much for me. I break down crying to my mom and tell her my sad story. She just laughed. OF course it wasn't my fault that the tags and insurance weren't updated yet, so she let me keep my license. Even though I did get the speeding ticket, she figured spending ALL DAY in traffic school was punishment enough. UGH! Hope that cop met his quota for January!

MY TWO WARRANTS

Joe and I were married in December of 2000. I was still 19 (for a couple months). When we got back from our honeymoon I went and got a new license with my married name. I had moved from my home state of California to here about 6 months before, but had held off getting a new license cause I knew I was getting married and figured I would wait for that. So thats what I did! I got my license (in UT back in the day, they printed the license up, right on the spot) complete with awful picture and new name. Well, a month or so later Joe and I went to State Farm to get car insurance on our "new" vehicle (Joe's dad gave us one of his cars). While I was at work Joe went to set up the insurance. The State Farm office happened to be located across the street from my work. So, Joe shows up at work, and says. "Um, we can't get insurance yet."
"Why?" I ask.
"Um, because there is a warrant out for your arrest..."
"WHAT?! Why? What for?!"
"They wouldn't say- they just said to call DMV."

So I did! Turns out that when I got my new license they didn't charge me enough for it, and they had sent me the remaining bill in the mail. I never got it. Seems our apartment complex FREQUENTLY doesn't get mail from DMV. When I didn't pay up in time, they put a warrant out for me. Yeah- so I cleared it up and paid over the phone. When I asked how much I owed, they answered, "5 dollars."

!?!?!?!?

About a week later I got a big bundle of mail from back home in CA. When I moved out of my moms house, she started collecting my mail for me and would occasionally put it all in a big envelope and mail it off to me in UT. This was one of those times. I started riffling through all the junk mail when I came across a very official piece of mail that most people DREAD. It was a jury summons. UCK! Luckily, here I was in UT and had a great excuse for not going to jury duty! So I opened it up and thats when I noticed that the summons was 3 MONTHS OLD! I was like, "Awww, CRAP!" So I get on the phone and call the courthouse back in my hometown. I explained that I had moved to UT around 7 months earlier and had just gotten my forwarded mail. The lady I talked to kinda laughed and said, "Its a good thing you called! I'll clear up the warrant for your arrest!"

Poor Joe had no idea he was marrying a wanted woman! :)


(A picture of me about a year after the tickets, but about a year before I got the warrants)

It's been a while!

Boy how the summer flies by! This last month has been pretty busy for us. I haven't been to church in almost a month, and sadly, today will be no different. Fathers Day was great... I got Joe the game Acquire (its a favorite of his- one of the few he is even kind of interested in owning... he LOVED it!) and a tie with the girls pictures on it. It was so easy to make! I used THIS WEBSITE and just uploaded the pictures I wanted on the tie and VIOLA! Joe loves his tie! I missed church that day cause Lil had thrown up once the night before. Now she does this randomly every now and then... WE are thinking its a food reaction or allergy, but have yet to figure out what is causing it. Anyway- since church is at 9 in the morning, I didn't feel comfortable taking her to church until I KNEW whether she was REALLY sick and throwing up constantly or if it was another isolated incident where she empties her belly and then is fine. Turns out it was the latter. She was totally fine after she threw up. No fever, no yucky tummy ache, nothing. So we decided to go up and visit Grandpa (Joe's Dad) and wish him a Happy Fathers Day. Well, Joe and I really paid the price for that decision. All of his family had gotten together at his Dad's house, and everyone brought desserts to share. And, ANYONE who touched the peach pie got FOOD POISONING two days later! Joe had a full slice, I took a single bite of his pie... And sure enough, we both found ourselves wishing for a quick and painless death come Tuesday.

Now- to add to this, we were supposed to be leaving for vacation Wednesday! Not the best timing for food poisoning to rear its ugly head... We decided that if we felt well enough to NOT throw up or stop at every bathroom along the way we would still make the long drive to CA the next morning. Also, in case it was the flu (which I was CONVINCED it wasn't- ya never forget what food poisoning feels like) we wouldn't leave if either of the girls got sick. Well- Wednesday morning rolls around, and neither of us are interested in ever eating again, but we were holding down crackers and Gatorade just fine. SO- off to California we went! The good thing about traveling with food poisoning is that we saved a TON of money by NOT eating fast food! We packed food for the girls to eat, but neither of us were remotely interested in eating greasy hamburgers. I INSISTED that we stop at Jack In The Box around dinner time (Utah doesn't have Jack In The Box- so very sad!!!), but instead of my usual Sourdough Jack, I got a side salad :S It took us another 3 days before our appetites finally returned. But- at least we weren't nauseated anymore!

We had a ton of fun in CA. We took Lil to San Francisco (I guess we took Lacey too0 but she won't remember it...) She got to see some seals off the piers. She had a waffle cone of strawberry ice cream from Pier 39. We then headed up to Family Reunion to camp on the Russian River near Monte Rio. It was nice weather, and the camp ground was very well shaded. The girls did well in a tent, though Lacey was running a fever every night we were up there. She would be fine during the day, but for whatever reason, she would run a fever while she slept. :S Unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot we could do about it. We gave her Baby Motrin (which I always have on hand) but its not like I could just head on home, seeing as how HOME was 15 hours away... My kids are the queens of one symptom illnesses! She wasn't acting sick, she wasn't even fussy- just feverish at night...

(That first picture was a picture of my family at Reunion back when I was Lacey's age...)

Of course I took my camera on this trip, but didn't take ANY pictures. DOPE! Well, I did take a couple pictures of Lil in San Francisco. I just haven't gotten them out of the camera yet... Lil got to play in the ocean, she got to play in a river full of otters. She got REALLY REALLY dirty playing with my cousins kids... I wish I HAD taken a picture of her covered in dirt that first day- it was impressive! She looked like a raccoon! She had a blast, and was pretty well behaved for the drive too! (Thank goodness for portable DVD players!)

(And THIS second one is my family at Reunion when I was roughly Lil's age...)

Once we got home from the trip things got back to normal fairly quick. Last week I went swimming at my cousins with my two girls. And I learned an unbelievably scary lesson. The inner tubes with a seat sewn in are not necessarily safe. In fact they CAN be more dangerous than not having a floating device at all! Lil flipped over in her inner tube and got stuck under the water. I had Lacey in my arms, so I couldn't get to her very quickly. Luckily Julie managed to get to her and flip her back over. Lil was somewhat traumatized by the whole ordeal. As was I. I know its important for her to go back to the pool. I don't want her to be petrified of water, but at the same time I don't want to take her back! It really had me freaked out. I also know its important for her to talk it out, which I do encourage her to do, but its hard for me to listen to it knowing that me being inattentive for such a short period of time could have killed her! I assumed the inner tube would keep her safe, OBVIOUSLY I was VERY wrong. And I will say this, that inner tube is no longer in existence in this house! I am just very grateful that she is okay. Since the incident, she has mentioned time and again how Julie saved her (thank goodness!) and how Julie is her best friend (mine too!). She is such a great kid, and I am so thankful that I still have her here with me.

So I sit here writing this while missing yet another week of church. :( I currently have sinus issues, a cold, AND possibly pink eye. My eyes don't itch but they are awfully pink and I woke up this morning unable to open them. Yuck. I miss church :(

All in all, this month has been pretty eventful, and next month is shaping up to be pretty busy as well! Including a recipe exchange at my house on Wednesday night... Here's to a busy summer!

(You know- looking back at this post, it seems we have had a decent amount of illness this last month. Here is to hoping for a healthy remainder of the summer!)

Sun SHMUN!

I have been spending more and more time out in the sun this last few weeks. As the weather has FINALLY warmed up, I have spent a great deal more time outside with my girls. It has been VERY nice to get out of the house. BUT- I have noticed that every time I spend a significant amount of time outside (meaning, more than the time it takes to grab the newspaper and mail) I end up with hives!

I am totally at a loss as to WHY I am covered in hives, but after talking to my mother I have come to some conclusions... It seems my father was photosensitive when he was about my age. Just all of a sudden, he would break out in hives every time he spent too much time out in the sun! The only real difference between my hives and his are that his would go away in a couple hours, and mine don't seem to be leaving. SO- either I recently have become allergic to the sun OR there is something blowing around in the air that I am allergic to. :S Oh JOY! This is gonna be a L-O-N-G Summer if I don't get these hives under control!

When I grow up...

So what do you do when your child gives up before she even sets a goal? Lilia was watching a show on TV when a commercial came on and asked the viewers what they wanted to be when they grew up! So I posed the question to her again, "Lil! What do you want to be when you grow up?" Her response?

"Hmmm, when I grow up? Well, I wanna be... Um, when I grow up I want to be... Mom, I just want to grow up."

I eventually got her to tell me she wants to be a police man and a daddy when she grows up. SO the question is, which is worse? Not having a plan, or planning on a sex change?

Fathers Day ideas?

So Fathers Day is approaching. Has anyone ever noticed that our poor husbands and fathers get nowhere NEAR the attention that us moms get? Its kinda not really fair! I mean, Joe is awesome! Much more so than I am! He deserves all kinds of attention! Did you know that Mothers Day is a flag holiday? (They suggest you fly your flags on certain holidays, and though Mothers Day is on that list, Fathers Day ISN'T!!)

Anyway- I am looking to get him an AWESOME Fathers Day gift, but am short on ideas. I already have half a gift for him. Its something I know he has been wanting, but it has been out of print for the last few years. I caught wind that it was becoming available next Saturday so I pre-ordered it and will be getting it here in about a week! BUT- the problem is that what I got him (which will no doubt make his day) cost me a grand total of about 30 bucks. His gift to me was totally amazing, and worth so much more than his gift is costing me. I want to do MORE for him, but don't know what I want... So my plea is that you may be able to help! Any suggestions for good, thoughtful, gifts for guys?

(OH, and the reason for not telling what the gift is on here is that Joe IS aware of this blog, and though he has NEVER checked it out YET, it would be just my luck that he would check it and see this blog before Fathers Day. I will let ya'll know what I bought him AFTER he has gotten it.)


What say you? Any suggestions?

Hmmm...

Have you ever noticed that most people don't blog about being in a funk? I mean, unless they can put some sort of comical or positive spin on it, or have a point to make (like the post about being a mom) you don't read blogs about people who just aren't having the best of days...

Well that has been me as of late. My baby has been sick, and quite honestly, I am thinking I am dealing more with depression again. Ugh! Never a whole lot of fun where that is concerned. I am finding things bothering me and hurting my feelings easier than they used to. Then again, I have had a fall out with a certain old friend of mine, so maybe that has something to do with it all. All I know is that I am not feeling all that good lately, thus I haven't been doing my normal blogging. Sorry to keep all you loyal readers (all 3 of you!!) in the dark with whats up with me!

So yesterday we went swimming at my best friend and cousin's house. I didn't bring my camera, but she got a few good pictures of Lacey... she even blogged them. Go check it out HERE.

Lil has been a good girl lately. She has been so patient with not being able to go play at the park. It has been hard to tell her she can't go play because her sister was sick, but she took it well and stayed home without too much complaint. The good news is that Lacey is finally over her illness, and so we can spend more time outside again.

Lacey is growing up so fast. I miss the little baby, though I don't miss the separation anxiety! She seems to be outgrowing the need to be with mom constantly. Sunday, when given the choice between coming to me and going to Grandma, she chose Grandma to the sheer amazement of both me AND my mother!

Joe and I are doing well adjusting to his new job. He works pretty awesome hours, and he likes the job and the people. We are in the process of making a lot of changes in our finances... we may be refinancing our house, and we are cutting back on luxuries that we don't really need. We both feel this urgent need to be saving more money and getting our retirement in order. Its nice to finally be in a position where we can focus on it.

Hope everything is good with you all. I LOVE Google Reader! It makes keeping up on all your blogs so much easier! If you don't have it yet, go check it out!