Another beautiful Fall day.

Larry and I went for a walk in the lower half of City Creek. It was an absolutely gorgeous day!

(Larry struggled with the focus on the "slow camera.")

(I had the aperture set for a brighter shot, so when Larry shot this, it came out dark. I adjusted, but it is still fuzzy).

A Failed Experiment

In June I decided to eliminate my Internet connection. I expected this to be an easy transition. After all, I lived without immediate access to everything for many years. The challenge was unsuccessful. Right off the bat, I struggled with not being able to email people back immediately. I wasn't able to look up information that had been easy to access with just a Google search. I couldn't look up movie times, make travel plans, or pay bills.

In order to do what I needed to do, I went around town to log on to different networks. I thought this would be easy. It was anything but. Going to Starbucks was okay, there are enough of them around, but you have to buy a membership to access the network, plus you have to buy food and/or drink to be able to sit down at the tables. When I realized this was not cost effective, I started using free networks provided by the City. I would go the library and spend hours there doing what I needed to do. Those hours were costing me $1.25 every half hour for the parking garage. So much for free. I also tried the park where the connection was extremely unreliable. Add to all of this the time in travel and gas expense just to go pay my bills.

Then things got worse when in August I started back at school. The pain really began to set in. All of my courses are web based, so if I needed to listen to a lecture or download notes, I had to leave and go somewhere to do it. It was fine going to the library, but again, not cost effective. Finally, the first of October I contacted the phone company and they offered me a good deal for Internet connection. I took their deal faster than you can say HTML. Now here I am again, typing away, listening to music, and feeling like that non linked up life was a decade ago.

I do kind of miss going to coffee shops. I chatted with others that were there for the same reason. One guy asked me out, and all though I turned him down (obviously), it was kind of flattering. There is a social enjoyment that I do miss now that I can hibernate in my house again. I will admit that if I wasn't in school, I probably would have made it without. I suppose if I was working where I had a computer connected, that would also make it more doable.
It was an interesting experiment. If anything, it showed me how truly dependent I am on the information superhighway. I'm not so sure if that is such a good thing.

Slow Speech

One characteristic of mine is that of being a fast talker. I speak fast, I read fast, and I type and write fast. When I type, my hands are moving a million miles a minute. I make a lot of mistakes. When I write, as I get more and more into what I am writing about, my script becomes chicken scratch. This something that has been pointed out to me by Larry, to whom I reply, "but that is as fast as I think." Actually it is slower than the speed at which my mind races. I sometimes feel restricted by arms, wrists, and fingers. My speedy tongue is usually more pronounced when I feel stressed or am being reviewed for something.

Now that I have decided to embark on this path which will eventually lead me to being a speech therapist, I have to learn what is called "slow speech" or "calm speech." I have been working on it around the house recently. I will pick an article out of the paper to read, and make myself read it out loud as slowly as possible. It is actually really hard for me. If Larry is around he usually tells me, "slower, your still to fast. I can't keep up with what you are saying." It frustrates me. I feel like I sound like an idiot whose voice is normally played at a 45 speed has to talk at a 35 speed (that is in record player speak....I guess I have just dated myself).
"Thhheee Gooovvverrrnorr ttoolld rreeepporrtteerrrs....." Arrgh! It's annoying.

I also notice I make more mistakes when I try to slow my out loud reading. My eyes are two words ahead and my mouth is struggling through words without my brain completely involved. I would have never thought that trying to speak more slowly and concisely would be such a challenge for me. I keep telling myself that it will all pay off. The last thing I want is a child or even an adult already struggling with speech to have to decipher what I am saying to them. As I learn, I hope to eventually become more calm in speaking situations. Where once I rumbled through, I will hope to produce clear, precise words and sentences even if getting there frustrates the hell out of me.

Making Adjustments

Larry has been home now for almost three weeks. That has been the longest stretch since September 2007. We have now finally gotten into a rhythm with each other. We are two fairly (some may say very) independent people, and spending one year alone makes our individual independence stronger. This can be both good and not so good. On the good side, Larry brought a lot of his "bachelor" living skills home. He does the dishes, makes breakfast, does the laundry before I have even thought about it, and even vacuumed without me asking for help. It's not that he was lazy before, not even close, but what has changed is his initiative in doing these chores. Before I used to feel like I had to "nag" him to get him to help out (I hate that word, but I can't think of another one). I find it a welcome change and even a bit sexy!

On the other side, our habits are our habits. We each have our quirks, and for the last year, our quirks weren't bothersome to anyone else. Larry likes to use the landing for a second shoe closet (see above), and uses the kitchen counter tops of an already small kitchen as a desk, garage workshop, mail collector, and a landing spot for just about anything else he carries through the kitchen. I get miffed about it, but then I think about the last year of not having him home and tell myself, "what does it matter? It's just stuff." I'm sure Larry could list a number of minor annoyances that he has had to put up from me; however, since this is my blog....... .

I had forgotten what it was like to have someone always around, someone to snuggle with at night, to talk to whenever I wanted, to hold hands with when we go for walks, to kiss with bad morning breath, and to laugh so hard with that I nearly pee my pants. I realize that my life is a half life without him. It lacks its radiance and its energy. I used to be the girl stuck in the "no, I'll do it myself," way of thinking, never letting myself see how doing everything with someone else is so much better.

Adjusting to life with him does come with acceptance. Accepting him and all his quirks without trying to make him conform to me is something I have to relearn. But with all that comes such joy and happiness that I don't want to spend another day, week, or year without him.

I love to bake

I love comfort foods. For me that is pretty much anything that can be baked. My nephew just started Air Force boot camp last week, so I decided to do the Auntie thing and bake him some yummy goodies.

I have learned that in Utah, one must add a lot of extra flour in order to get the right consistency, otherwise they just flatten out into a buttery mess.

Did I mention I am a messy baker? Larry calls me "the messy chef." Surprisingly, he cleaned up after me last night. What a guy!

The result:
Two trays of delicious chocolate chip heaven. I was good in only having three. Larry on the other hand, lost count. The rest are getting packed up and sent out today. I hope he likes them and shares them with his mates.

Adorability

Does anything get more adorable than this? I really don't think so.

I've Been Tagged

My recently renewed friendship with a high school friend, Keely, has produced a tagging. I now have to come up with 25 things about myself. Crap!

1. I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah
2. I have also lived in San Diego, CA and Pensacola, FL
3. I have a blind cat with an eating disorder
4. I love Science Fiction
5. I love to camp, hike, backpack, and generally anything that gets me outdoors
6. I have more interests than one life can accommodate
7. No matter how many personality tests I take, I am an INFP (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving)
8. I love making pies
9. I love eating pies
10. I have only two more continents to visit (Antarctica and South America)
11. I tend to have more than one book going at a time
12. I laugh loudly
13. I still drive the car that I bought in 1993 (I have attachment issues)
14. One of the strangest experiences I have had was while having a Hamam in Morocco. Any inhibitions I had were completely and mortifyingly eliminated.
15. For some reason my husband still thinks I am the cat's meow
16. I have to have music on when I clean the house. That way I can break into song while I am cleaning the toilet.
17. I can often be caught putting my p.j.'s on before 5 p.m. especially in the winter (yes they usually are flannel)!
18. I am nutty for animals.
19. I still love to dance. Been dancing since I was 3 years old.
20. I once spent 2 weeks out in the desert doing an Archaeological Dig. It was some of the hardest weeks of my life, but I loved every second of it.
21. I am still as curious as a child (ask my husband)
22. I want to learn to speak Spanish
23. I'm as stubborn as a mule; its genetic
24. I have tinnitus and hypothyroidism (one is being treated, the other is untreatable)
25. I picked Speech-Language Pathology as a career so that I can help people from birth to death. Makes for a lot of people and a lot of variety.

I was just reminded of another thing about myself, so this will be extra credit:
26. I tend to overreact to just about everything. I just had a bloody nose and spent an hour online trying to see what kind of tumor I might have.

In Remembrance

A girlfriend of mine just emailed me this, so I am passing it on....

A quick walk up City Creek

Larry and I went for a quick walk. It was quick because it was a bit colder than someone (who will not be named, but it wasn't me) thought it would be warmer than it actually was. We only did 2 miles before someone's exposed limbs starting getting numb.

I did manage a couple of quick pictures to go with our quick walk:
This mini-snowman was sitting on a picnic bench. I thought it was cute, so I had to take a picture of it.

A few more......

Changing Seasons

The last few weeks Larry and I have been enjoying the change of seasons. Hiking up Timpanogos and doing the Alpine Loop has produced some amazing beauty and picture finds. Last night and this morning, however, has suddenly thrust us into winter.
Last night Larry chopped up some wood and we made our first fire of the year.







This morning I awoke to this:



Fortunately, it appears this is temporary and our normal fall weather should be returning to us mid week.

I'm back

Hey all. I am back at Blogger, sort of. I decided to go back to writing on this blog for my own personal use, and turn my website into a site for us (me and Larry) to use for a family page. That way I can rant and rave all I want without tarnishing his good name (snicker).

I have finally put a profile on Facebook. I thought I might be able to network with other SLP's out there in the world, but as far as I can tell so far it is generally for hooking up with old friends. It has been fun hooking up with old classmates and friends.
My website, Planes and Sayings, link is on my profile page for those who may want to browse.

SEE YA!

This and That

Is it okay to admit I am jealous? I am jealous today because my husband is leaving on Friday for New Zealand. He is going for work, but I am still jealous. He has also been asked by his boss at his next reserve post to be the Pandemic Influenza Planning US Representative for the countries we work with in Oceania. Shocking I know, but our military does do a lot of diplomacy with many other countries and is working on really good programs with these countries. I am proud to say that my husband is a part of the policy making between the US and these countries and others around the world. His strength in diplomacy is impressive. He has an amazing intuition when talking with others about the many issues we are faced with today. So as much as I am jealous that he gets to go off to these foreign lands and work towards making a difference, I am also proud and happy for him.

I suppose I also feel insecure that someone like him is with me. I’m much too goofy, not to mention opinionated and stubborn. Somehow though, he apparently sees something in me that he loves. He even paid me a compliment while hiking last weekend. He said I was a lover of life and adventure. If it hadn't been for me telling him to go forth and live, he wouldn’t be doing what he is doing today. Wow! What a great thing to say. Sometimes it is just nice to hear that what you feel inside is actually being played out. I feel that I love life, but don’t always act on it, so it was nice for me to hear from someone who I admire and respect tell me that yes, my love of life is coming across. It also gives me some confirmation that I should continue on this path; that this path is right for me. I do get a sense that I am in the right place, but I love getting affirmations from him. Maybe that sounds pathetic; needing feedback, but everyone does, don’t they? Everyone needs to hear, “Good job! Your on the right track.” I think I am fairly open with my compliments to others, and unafraid to tell them that they are doing well. At least I hope I am.

The Week

It has been an amazing summer so far. I find I am enjoying myself so much. After returning from Hawaii, which required me to fly into LA and then catch a connecting flight to SLC after get zero sleep on the red eye flight, I got home, got caught up with my mom, and was able to take about a 30 minute nap. It is amazing how great 30 minutes can feel after going more than 24 hours without sleep. That night we went to see John Mayer in concert. It was hot and crowded with a full amphitheater. The music was great and he sang until 11:00. He has to be one of the sexiest men alive. He plays his music with such passion and depth that I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. Thanks to the great seats I purchased, I could just stare in awe at the man and watch him make his funny little faces that he makes when he is playing. Amazing talent.





It did take us an hour and a half to get out of the parking lot however. When we finally returned home, I dropped into a deep coma. Unfortunately, my deep sleep would not last long as my cats (on my mom’s schedule) decided a 7:00 am wake up feeding call was necessary.

The next day mom and I went out to breakfast and then onto shopping for the big 24th barbecue. It is actually my Aunt’s birthday as well.

After our shopping extravaganza, we drove up to Red Butte Gardens for another concert. We listen to amazing Blues music by Susan Tedeschi. The amphitheater and backdrop were much more esthetically pleasing than the previous evening, but it was also a much smaller crowed; 2000 vs 10,000. We packed up some munchies for dinner and enjoyed the evening’s music and crowd. A thundercloud formed overhead, but it was kind to us and didn’t start raining on us until we were in our car and working our way down the hill towards home.



Wednesday was filled with baking and grilling. I made my artichoke dill potato salad. Mom made her baked beans, and we both cooked up the 6 racks of spare ribs. Yes, it was a lot of food with a lot of good flavor. We also made 4 appetizers. Later, after all the cooking was finished, I took my mom out for a belated birthday dinner. We walked to Mazza and enjoyed some fine middle eastern cuisine with a nice French wine. We both crashed early.

Thursday morning I had to force myself to wake up early to get to the airport to pick up Larry. I was so happy to have him home again, and he was so happy to be home. It was a wonderful afternoon. I had forgotten my mom hadn’t seen him in more than 2 years. She was ecstatic! We finished up the cooking and around 4 headed over to my Aunt’s house for the dinner and celebration. It was a multinational celebration as my step cousin Jason lives in Turkey with his Russian, Turkish, and English speaking wife, and my other cousin is married to an Argentinean. Her parents were also visiting and neither spoke a lick of English. I was impressed at how well my cousin speaks Spanish now. I guess it helps when English is your wife’s second language, but it did give me hope that it might be possible for myself to be able to learn and communicate in Spanish if I have a place to use it. An old dog can learn new tricks.




Friday morning we woke up and took mom to the airport. She was sad to leave not only me, but Utah behind. She also enjoys the beauty of this place and everything there is to do here. Utah really does have a lot to offer someone. It is a great place to live, not perfect, but really great if you give it a chance. I am meeting more and more people that have relocated here for the pure fact that they just enjoy all there is to do here. My mom, like I did, dislikes living in Florida, and is counting the minutes until she can move back to Utah. Larry and I spent the rest of the day just relaxing and being home. Later we went to see the X-Files movie, which as being a “File” fan for many years, was marginal at best. The story was just bland. I was disappointed, and I think most Filers will be too.

Saturday, Larry and I decided to go for a hike and see some wildflowers. It was cool and comfortable at the higher elevations, and an absolutely beautiful day. We hiked up to Lake Mary above Brighton. We have been here before, but really enjoy the views. We came home and watched a couple of movies and had dinner. It was a perfect day. This morning I had to drive back to the airport (I think I could drive there blindfolded now) to get Larry back to Hawaii. We are counting down the days until he is finally off orders and will be living at home. August 30th is his last day, and we are both anxious for the day to arrive when we will be home together.


Now I am alone for the first time in over a month. It is quiet which is nice, but I would rather have the people I love in my life keeping me a busy bee. I do have a lot of catching up to do. I have yet to unpack from Hawaii. I have piles of laundry to wash and a lawn to mow, so I guess things will be getting back to normal for me.... whatever “normal” is for my life.

Last Day

I leave to go home tonight and as much as I miss my cats and my mom, I don't want to leave. I woke up this morning with that sick feeling in my gut with the thought "no, not yet!" screaming through my mind. I woke up at around 7:30 and put the kettle on. We made a breakfast of pancakes with coconut syrup, sausages, and fresh sliced papaya with french pressed coffee. It was wonderful. We headed to Turtle Bay to get in some last minute snorkeling in. The time going up and back to Turtle Bay was spent flaking off my sun burnt skin. I thought I should leave a bit of me behind for Larry...literally.

The time has flown by as one would expect it to. I tried to spend my time enjoying the island(s), and being active, but most importantly I hope I spent my time well with Larry as he is the reason I am even here. I had to constantly remind myself that although I am on vacation, Larry is here to work. Most days his job dictated our time and how we spent it. I can't complain about the time we had. It was all wonderful, even the "boring" evening of staying in and watching movies and doing nothing Hawaii-ish at all.

I'm looking forward to my next trip next month. It will be Larry's last week before he comes back home. That trip will be crazy with getting him packed up to come home. It will also be bitter sweet for both of us.