“All I need is my one star in the sky, to wish for you everyday.”

My parents are on vacation. Their annual pilgrimage to their 'homeland' if you will. This year it's dropping Nathan and Rachel off at BYU, by way of Driggs, Idaho. I, as the oldest, married daughter, who is lucky enough to work during the summer get to keep an eye on their house and beloved poodle. Tonight, as I was driving home from shutting their house for the night, I opened the sun roof to enjoy some fresh air. Looking up at the dark starry sky overhead reminded me almost instantly, of a time a few years ago when my life was changing in a very real way.

About four years ago to the day, Daniel and I were just getting to know each other. One warm August night, before we were officially dating, we decided to drive out to the Saint Anthony sand dunes. Neither of us had been out there, and didn't quite know what to expect. We got there before it was dark, and there were a lot of people around, mostly with 4-wheelers etc. We decided to climb a dune, and watch for a while. From our vantage point we got a good show of people riding all over the dunes, but also, once the sun went down, we got an amazing starry sky. I remember sitting on the sandy hill, content to watch the stars with this new, fascinating boy. We barely knew each other, but already I knew there was something to him, and I wanted more. That night, we sat together, necks strained from looking up, chatting, laughing, and enjoying the stars. I remember wishing on a shooting star that night, hoping that I could have a chance to get to know him better. Hoping that this sweet, thoughtful, wonderful, funny boy could be mine. I'm happy to report, that I got my wish.

"I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly. "

I'd like to say a few words about my favorite movie. I like a wide variety of movies, and Daniel and I watch a lot of movies, but for over a decade now, it's been the same favorite. That favorite movie is full of wit, charm, humor and irony. Each time I watch it, I catch something new in it, and thank goodness it's one of the movies Daniel and I both enjoy. If any of you out there haven't seen You've Got Mail, do yourself a favor and enjoy it. If you have seen it, but it has been a while, you owe it to yourself to watch it again. It's worth it.

And now to wet your whistle, here are a couple of my favorite quotes from it.

"Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, not small, but valuable. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void."

"What will NY152 say today, I wonder. I turn on my computer. I wait impatiently as it connects. I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: You've got mail. I hear nothing. Not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beating of my own heart. I have mail. From you."

"When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does."

and last, one of my favorite interchanges from the movie:

Joe Fox: I think you'd discover a lot of things if you really knew me.
Kathleen Kelly: If I really knew you, I know exactly what I'd find: instead of a brain a cash register, instead of a heart a bottom line.
[gasps]
J F: What?
K K: I just had a breakthrough.
J F: What is it?
K K: I have you to thank for it. For the first time in my life, when confronted with a horrible, insensitive person, I knew exactly what I wanted to say and I said it.

J F: I think you have the gift for it. It was a perfect blend of poetry and meanness."

***

In other news, Daniel and I were released from our Primary and cub scouts callings today. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty relieved about the cub scouts, but I will definitely miss the primary kids we teach. I am however looking forward to going to Relief Society next Sunday.

***

The Triathlon is on Saturday. I think I'm as ready as I'm going to be. The last two Saturday Mornings (way too early) I've been up doing practice Tri's. It was rainy yesterday morning, but it worked out pretty well. It isn't as painful to swim a 1/4 mile in a lake at 7:30 am, when the water is warmer than the air. Then, the rain didn't really make much of a difference on the bike, as I was already wet. The last part of the run was kind of uncomfortable since I was still wet, but not bad. I'll just say it was better than the previous week. Will post pictures of the actual event next weekend!

3 Years.

To Daniel:

"dulcissime, totam tibi subdo me"

Thanks for the greatest three years. I look forward to many more filled with "sunbursts of serendipity" and delightful surprises.

a snippet about breakfast on the Balcony

This morning as I was getting ready, the apartment felt hot and stuffy. We only have windows on one side of our place which makes it difficult to get a cross breeze going, so the air has a tendency to get a little stale after a while. I kept the bedroom window open last night, the falling rain serenading my sleep. Come morning however, with the use of a hot blow dryer and flat iron, I was already feeling sticky before leaving the house.

I don't like feeling sticky in the morning, so I decided there was nothing left to do, but breakfast on the balcony. I pulled one of my kitchen chairs out, grabbed my bowl of cereal, invited my two gentlemen felines out with me, and enjoyed the cool, fresh morning air while I munched on my cereal. It wasn't really raining at that point, but it felt great to enjoy the mist, and air myself out before surrendering myself to the office all day.

My breakfast was so nice this morning, that I may make this a regular occurance until the winter weather comes.

a snippet about the pickle bush

Daniel and I went for a walk last night, around dusk. It was a rainy day, so the sky was already most of the way dark with heavy clouds, but we managed to take advantage of a little dry spell. On our walk, I was on the inside of the sidewalk, against some bushes laced with water. One bush in particular was kind of pokey, and I felt the need to comment.

Our conversation went like this:

Alicia: Ooohhh look Daniel, a prickle bush...

Daniel: First off Alicia, they're cucumbers, second they don't grow on bushes.

We both laughed at our miscommunication, and enjoyed the rest of our walk hand in hand.

a couple changes

For the past 21 months, I had been growing my hair out. I loved my curls, how they bounced and scrunched nearly effortlessly, but it was time for a change. Last week, I went and chopped off the lot of it. And I love it. I always love having short hair, especially in the summer. Sometimes I just forget, and end up growing it out for almost two years.

Anyway, last Friday my mom arranged to take family pictures before Nathan and Rachel go down to BYU for the school year. Our last family pictures were 3 years old, from our wedding, so it was time for a change. So without further ado, I give you the latest and greatest Green family pictures. Do take note of the hair.

Very cheesy. But I love it.

We took pictures at the Japanese Gardens in downtown Olympia, which would explain the lovely Buddha and pagoda.

I think there's a lot of sibling resemlence. There didn't used to be, but I can see it now.

What a treat.

Because I work in a very old brick building, and because it has been in the 100's outside all week, and because there is no air conditioning in this very old brick building which means it's in the 95+'s inside all week, I have been getting off early. For the sake of my sanity.

As a result of these aforementioned circumstances, Daniel and I have been spending a lot of time at my parents house...because they have a pool, and because they have a window air conditioner in one room, and also because we love them. This makes these super hot days much more enjoyable.

But even the swimming pool gets hot quickly in this kind of weather, and the window a/c unit can only do so much. So yesterday, we escaped to the cool darkness of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. It was so pleasant sitting inside the theater that when we left to go outside, the hot air felt foreign and wrong. This weather had put my body into a funk of thinking it's on vacation somewhere exotic, and all the hours playing in the pool, and lounging around trying to stay cool have only reinforced this vacation notion. Somehow this relaxed lifestyle doesn't mesh very well with the reality of still having to get to work by 7:30 and sitting at a desk all morning. Waiting for the go ahead to leave because of the temperature.

So I sit here, nearby fans recirculating stuffy air, with little to do, finished with lunch, waiting to come up with some sort of entertainment to get through the next couple hours. I decided an after lunch piece of gum might do the trick, so I went to my purse, opened it up, and saw our leftover bag of peanut butter m&m's from the movie yesterday. I managed to have some self control, after all, Daniel would miss them if I didn't leave any for him. I must say though, that little interlude in my day, of peanut butter-chocolate goodness definitely hit the spot. It seemed to mend this mental gap between the worlds of vacation and work.

"Celebrate Summer - Sun drenched days and starlit nights..."

As is usually the case during the summer, I had a fabulous weekend with family and friends. On Friday, Daniel and I crashed Mike and Cindy's vacation at my uncle's houses on Mason Lake. It was fun to get outside and enjoy the gorgeous weather. I took Friday afternoon off, and it was the perfect day to not be stuck inside a stuffy, old brick building. Friday night we watched Toy Story 2 under the stars. I loved looking up in the middle of the movie to see a sky full of stars. We were out in the middle of nowhere, so the stars were extra bright. I'm still sore from tubing on Saturday, but it's a fun kind of sore. It just means we played hard. I love summer, and spending time at the lake is one of my favorite activities. Sadly, I didn't pull out my camera once, so hopefully my pictures from Sunday make up for it.

On Sunday we went to Nathan's missionary homecoming talk. My parents ward meets at 9:00, which felt really early, but left us with a wonderfully long afternoon. Instead of going to 6 hours of church, we got a substitute for our primary class, and after morning church, spent the afternoon having lunch with family. That evening I got together with two of my best friends from high school since one was here from Utah. We met up at Priest Point Park, and walked down to the water. It was fun to catch up and enjoy a relaxing evening. Thanks Emily and Liz for an evening remembering why I love you guys!

I love Olympia in the summer. I love life in the summer, it fills me with so much hope and gratitude. Some of my favorite summer things as of late are:

Waking up to daylight, even if it's early
Crisp morning air
The stars at night
Playing in my parents pool
Summer skirts
Summer fruit
Popsicles
Spending time outside
Exercising outdoors
Spending time with family
Sunshine!

More work escapades and random thoughts

I felt pretty fancy last night when I went to the Board of Trustees Dinner for work. I was selected to be on the University Council, and to kick off the retreat we had today, there was a dinner last night. I wasn't sure what to expect, so I was a little nervous at the thought of a dinner with the President, cabinet, and trustees, but it went well. Daniel and I got there a part way through "social hour" to find a bunch of older adults mingling around the open bar. We got ourselves a drink, (Izze sparkling juice. I had blackberry and Daniel had pomegranate,) and tried to meet a few people. Most of the crowd were CEO's of local businesses, and other well known community members so I felt moderately intimidated, but it was kind of exciting at the same time. At 6:30 I was immensely relieved that we got to sit down for dinner. In order to facilitate getting to know each other, they split up couples around the table. I got to sit across from Daniel and smile at him all night. We were assigned to the same table as the President, his wife, a board member and his wife, a student from the council and Bill Tolliver, the keynote speaker at the retreat today. It turned out to be an enjoyable dinner, and it ended up being a lot less nerve wracking than I thought it might be. Today's retreat was also good. We had more food, and worked on strategic planning for the University. I felt involved, and enjoyed a day out of the office.

There's only one picture, because I felt a little awkward taking pictures!

Mike and Cindy came down to my parents on Sunday, and after a wonderful evening with lots of laughs, I was holding Danee when Daniel asked for a turn. For him, this is a monumental. I couldn't help but snap a picture of her sleeping in his arms. Hopefully soon he'll be able to put his own little babe to sleep! (not an announcement)

I think I might enjoy running. But I'm not sure yet. I'm continuing to train for a triathlon, and for the most part my swimming and biking are where they should be. So I decided I need to focus on running. I've never enjoyed running, and I usually end up feeling like I'm about to die, but the last few times, I've been able to go farther and longer. I've enjoyed exploring the streets close to where I live. They are lined with trees and old houses. I even discovered a cute little bed and breakfast just a block and a half away. I've loved getting out and exercising, this triathlon is exactly the motivation I needed.

Dear Abby would take too long.

I don't usually use this blog as an outlet for venting, but there's a first time for everything.

My bosses 50th birthday is coming up, which is great. She's worked at Saint Martin's for her whole life, and I'm happy to celebrate with her. My dilemma is that a co-worker is getting her a gift and asking us to pitch in. I don't mind pitching in, but the gift she selected is a Bracelet from Tiffany's.

Maybe since I'm fairly new to the working world, and I haven't had a lot of experience with office gifts, I don't know how these things work, but this seems really excessive. I only worked in this office for 9 months, and this really isn't a high paying job. The amount she's asking for is more than Daniel and I spend on date nights/entertainment each month, and about what we'd spend for a few days of groceries. Mind you, we're cheap people, this still seems like a lot. Most of the time I enjoy my job, and don't get me wrong, this is for a boss that I like, but don't really know her that well.

I wouldn't get this gift for my mom, or mother-in-law, and these are two women I do know and love, so why would a Tiffany's Bracelet be the perfect gift for a boss? Is this normal? Those of you out there with more years of work experience than me, tell me please, is this excessive, or am I stingy, miserly, and not used to office gifts. I need advice/answers quick!

A good night

After two years, my brother Nathan returned from his mission in Berlin, Germany. Last night was pretty fun because we all got to go meet him at the airport.

We did a lot of waiting before he came up the escalator.

Some of us were patiently waiting...others were about to call church head quarters and ask where her son might be since he didn't seem to come out with the rest of his flight.

More waiting. Daniel was the photographer.

Rachel was texting.

The whole family. This time it's true, and I'm not forgetting any siblings. Nathan had a really late flight in, so by the time we got home last night, it was past midnight. We all went to bed without really visiting too much, after all it had been a very long day for him. We spent most of today catching up, and so far it has been fun hearing stories and looking at pictures and hearing all about Germany.

Cereal

This morning I had cereal for breakfast. This is a pretty normal thing for me, even though I go through stages where I think I'm lactose intolerant (separate issue). This morning I got out my cereal bowl, and grabbed the corn chex and life, sat down and enjoyed my breakfast.

I have been a cereal mixer for my whole life, and I never thought anything of it until Daniel and I were dating. When he found out I mix cereals, he acted like that was in the top ten of the most bizarre things he'd ever heard. He couldn't imagine mixing two, maybe even three cereals in one bowl, and I haven't been able to convince him to give it a try.

I have my personal favorite combinations, depending on what I have on hand. One of them has grape nuts on the bottom, then a layer of chex (corn or rice), and granola on top. The grape nuts give it a good crunch, the chex are good filler, and the granola (homemade and delicious) has just a light sweetness to make it a perfect topping. Other favorites include corn flakes, honey bunches of oats, and of course, granola. I don't know if this cereal mixing phenomenon came from my moms or dads side of the family, or if it is something unique they created in their own early years of marriage. Either way, I enjoy a good variety of cereals in the morning, and if you're like Daniel, I'd suggest you give it a try.

Is there anybody else out there who mixes it up in the morning, or are you all purists, afraid of a little cereal pizazz?

Today began with a 10 mile bike ride. It was a good way to get up and going, but it felt a lot earlier than 8:00 should feel on a Saturday. I really prefer to be asleep at that time! I went though, and it was good. I like exercising with others, so it was nice to get out with some of the women from my ward. This summer the Olympia Stake is doing a women's only triathlon. So far it has been good at getting me motivated to go to the gym and exercise each day. The first week I did very well with the training schedule until Friday when I rolled my ankle. The second week I kept pace and continued to do well. This last week I slacked. Until this morning. I'm also going to exercise Monday morning before work, so that will at least start me off with a good work out for the week. My problem is that each week the training schedule gets more difficult...as it should...but that doesn't make it any easier. Instead of going for a 15 minute run, I'm now supposed to go for a 40 minute run. I wasn't crazy about running for 15 minutes, and not surprisingly, 40 minutes isn't any more better. I'm hoping that I'll be able to build up some endurance that will make this whole thing a little more realistic.


This afternoon Daniel and I ventured up to downtown Tacoma for our niece Emma's ballet recital. She had the part of a sheep and a bunny. She's also three, energetic, adorable, and quite the little performer.

We all gave Emma some flowers which she adored!

The Pantages Theater in downtown Tacoma

We were lucky enough to get to see 'Peter and the Wolf'. With three year old's dancing around like sheep/bunnies, there's no way it isn't great!

Recent Pictures

On Tuesday we had our last cub scout activity before the boys go to Cub scout day camp. (thank goodness I wasn't asked to attend). To celebrate a successful year of cub scouttery and because all of our remaining wolf boys have summer birthdays, we had a cub scout birthday party. We made chocolate mint brownies with whipped cream, and played games. We ignored the sign in the church kitchen about only warming and re-heating foods, and had a blast. As the nazi den leader, I made sure the boys washed their hands and followed the directions. Part way through, one of the boys cracked open the egg, and out spilled two yolks! This was fascinating to see, and the boys loved talking about the twin chicks that might have been.

Sadly, this is the only picture of the brownies, but they were delicious. The boys saw to it that there weren't any extras to bring home.

Also, I'm sure some of you think I'm a bit obsessed with my cats...but you can skip the rest of this post. For the rest of you, who care to indulge me...This was what Wesley got to do on Sunday morning.

We got clearance pet Halloween costumes last fall, and we made the cats try them on. Wesley was more tolerant than Skipper, but neither cat really enjoyed it. Also, whenever I take pictures of Wesley indoors, he gets major red eye. Because I have no photo editing skills whatsoever, I tried to spray paint over the red-eye in a paint document....Any photo editing tips/advice are welcome!

Skipper, looking thoroughly pissed off.

He does make a cute pirate.

I guess that's about all for this post. Hopefully I'll stumble over something a little more post worthy this weekend to give you a break from the crazy cat lady side of me.

Graduation

On the off chance that you may have been getting bored with my little garden updates, I figured I'd share pictures from my day today.

Today I went to work at 7:30. We're doing a summer flex schedule, so I come in a little early each day, take a half an hour lunch, and get an extra day off every other week. I'm excited because tomorrow's my day. I have big plans to visit my favorite baby and kick it in Fircrest with Mike and Cindy!

Anyway, after a long day at work in my extra hot office, I got to go to dinner with my family to celebrate my sister's graduation from high school. I then got to return to Saint Martin's and sit in a stuffy pavilion while hundreds of students were celebrated. I think we were all ready to bolt after the 50th round of Pomp and Circumstance...I really should find that song and attach it to this post. That way you don't have to be jealous that I got to sit through an hour of it. I was assuming this would be the second to last graduation I'd have to attend, because my youngest brother is the only one left now. I was informed after sitting through this one that the exchange student my parents will be hosting next year will also be graduating next June. I think I'm going to be better prepared next time with a Slurpee in one hand and a noise maker in the other. Because really, who wants to clap when there are so many other fun noises to choose from.

The real fun started after graduation ended and we got to take pictures!
My favorite thing was to make Rachel pose with me!

The whole family and Rachel's best friend Holly. (After almost posting this, I just realized this is not the whole family. Nathan will return from his mission in three weeks...is it normal to totally space that I have another sibling, he's just been gone for two years...?)

Proud parents. Three down, one to go.

Lots of picture taking going down.

A brief (and relatively rare) moment of satisfaction about my employment with Saint Martin's. If only I'd realized beforehand that there was reserved parking right out front. I'm sure the walk from the regular employee lot was good though since I skipped the gym in order to make it to these festivities.

Can you believe it?

I took these pictures on Friday morning, so it had only been a week, but look at how much my basil has grown!

It's crazy, and I almost feel like if I sat still long enough, I'd be able to see it grow, and watch new leaves pop out of nowhere. The other little herbs are still growing, but this basil is by far the most impressive!

The New Adventures of Wesley the Cat.

Last weekend we went up to visit Daniel's parents in Gig Harbor. His dad has a project boat, and needed Daniel's help with a couple things. It was a long hot day on Friday, so it was nice to hop in the car with the air conditioning going. We headed over the bridge right around sunset, and it was gorgeous.

We don't usually bring Wesley with us when we go up because he hates the car ride, specifically his carrier. We dragged him along this time with the promise of outside time. So Saturday morning, while Daniel was being helpful and working on the boat, I ventured out to enjoy the glorious morning sunshine.

I've always been a morning person, and beautiful summer mornings are my favorite. The air always feels so crisp and fresh...and I imagine the grass is tastier. Wesley seemed to enjoy it. He got to be an outside cat for the day, and we had a backyard to enjoy the gorgeous weather. Saturday afternoon we did get to see "Up" which was a fabulous movie. I loved it.

We finished up with an evening barbecuing fillet Mignon. Wesley couldn't quite handle the delicious smell of fresh meat, and he begged and begged for some.

"please nanna please, just a small taste"

Wesley was fairly persistent with his begging, and made his point all over her black pants. Good thing for lint rollers!

He was happy after dinner when we fed him some of the left overs. He's definitely one spoiled cat...after all, what kind of cat gets left over Fillet Mignon?

My Garden

I live in an apartment, and it meets my needs just fine. I look forward to owning a home, but I'm happy making the best of what I've got. One thing that isn't really practical about living in an apartment is having a garden, so leave it to my mother-in-law, to give me an apartment garden (for my birthday). I know this isn't technically what it's called, but let me introduce to you, my AeroGarden:

Picture from aerogrow.com

So far my Basil is growing the most.

We only planted our garden 2 weeks ago, so I'm really impressed with how quickly things have started sprouting and growing. It'll still be a few weeks till it's ready go use use, but it has been so easy to care for. Yesterday was the first time it asked for more water and nutrients. All that involved, was pouring water into the garden, and emptying two little nutrient tablets into it. This garden lets you know exactly what it needs, and the lights are on a schedule, so there's no forgetting to turn it on or off. This is really my kind of contraption. Our garden came with an herb kit, and I'm sure I'll love cooking with fresh herbs during the summer and fall. But when it's time to replant, you'd better believe I'm going to do strawberries. I can't think of anything better than having a garden full of fresh strawberries in the middle of winter.

The Midas Touch

A long time ago, there lived a man, and whatever he touched, turned to gold. King Midas is now famous for that, and the phrase "the Midas touch" is now well known.

I seem to have just the opposite problem. Especially when it comes to electronics.

Examples:

1. My first laptop was stolen a few years ago. When Daniel and I were engaged, he did a medical study for money. He had to stay in the medical center for a week, without many of his personal belongings, so I figured he could use my laptop to keep him company. Even though they had security cameras monitoring the rooms, and everyone who came in and out of the building, there was "no way to recover it". Yeah...it sounds sketchy to me too.
2. My replacement laptop worked just fine until the power cord stopped working. To solve that, we were able to find an older, but compatible power cord to solve the problem.
3. Shortly after the replacement power cord came along, one of the memory sticks gave out.
4. We have since upgraded the memory, but the replacement power cord is dead. I'm dreading paying full price for a power cord, so until I decided to drop $100, I charge my laptop at my parents house once a week when we're over there on Sunday evenings. Then I hope it lasts the rest of the week.
5. For Christmas 2 years ago, my wonderful mother in-law got me a Chi hair straightener that I'd been wishing for. It was great, and I loved it. For about the first two months. Then all of a sudden it stopped working. There was no warranty on it, so I had to pay to have it serviced. It's now in working order, but doesn't it seem like 2 months is a pretty short lifespan for something like that?
6. I got a new camera last fall. The very first picture I took, the flash popped up, and wouldn't go back down. Thankfully Costco has the best return policy, so I was able to return the camera. I did however have to wait till Christmas for my new one (and thankfully, so far, no problems with it).
7. 10 days before Christmas, Daniel and I got our first cell phone plan. A few days after Christmas, I was running an errand for my mom, and my poor new cell phone fell out of my pocket and into a puddle of melted snow. It's little screen was glowing ominously from the bottom of the puddle, but there was no restoring it. Since I had only had my phone for two weeks, I was still within the period of time to sign up for insurance. Thankfully, they let me sign up, and I was able to get a replacement phone.
8. Last September, I got a sweet little mp3 player from woot! It has worked very well, and I've loved it. Until Thursday. I took it out of my purse to connect to my speakers at work, and all I could hear was ticking. This is unfortunate, since it's still pretty new, but especially because I've been on a good gym schedule, thanks in a large part to my mp3 player. This morning when I grabbed my gym bag, I had the quick foresight to transfer the micro sd card from my mp3 player to my cell phone. I even grabbed the special connector headphones so I can use them at the gym tonight.
9. Now imagine my disappointment when I tried out the music player on my phone earlier, to find that only one of the ear buds works on my headphones. These aren't the typical audio jack headphones either...they had a special plug that isn't readily available. I suppose I should just be grateful that I have one working ear bud, but it's getting old.

I don't write this for pitty...I'll get by with one working earphone...I just want to know if anybody else has this kind of problem, or if it's just me. I have a feeling I'm not the only one, and the underlying cause just might be that electronics are made cheaper and cheaper, with the intent that consumers will buy things more often.

What's your opinion, am I a wrecking machine, or is it a well delivered scam from corporate America?

three more.

I love this picture. I'm glad Stephen bought a copy...I don't know if I would have spent $20.00 on it, but I'm glad he did

This one is somewhat embarrassing. This was the first time we went on this ride, and Daniel was a complete natural. I wasn't. I wish I could say I really improved the second time we rode it...but sadly that is not the case.

You might notice I'm ranked 93rd though...not too shabby...unless you consider this picture was taken during a magic morning, one hour before the park was totally open...

I have more pictures from my in-laws that I'll post, but the weather is gorgeous, and I'm booked the rest of the day. Happy Memorial Day to all...and also, happy birthday to my beautiful mother!