Family Visit

My sister Carolyn had her baby girl Hazel on May 1st. I was able to go visit them yesterday on my day off and see her for the first time. She is adorable! She is a very calm baby (unless she is getting a bath or she is hungry). She is so sweet.

It was great to see Carolyn, Jacob, Nicole, Alex, Scott, Analee, Madison, Mylie, and my parents. It was a mini-reunion! We had a nice visit and enjoyed taking turns holding Hazel. Please excuse the happy shiny faces of Carolyn and myself in the picture. It was getting warm in that room with all those people!

Also, I was able to play a little Mario Kart with Alex and Nicole... and I came in first a few times! I guess all my practice is paying off a little.

The Host

I bought this book last Friday. You know it's a good book when I actually buy it... I am a die-hard library card holder and usually don't buy books. It helped that I had a 40% off coupon, too.

I started the book Saturday night and finished reading it on my day off on Wednesday. It was great! The whole tenor of the book was very different from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series (all of which I own, too, and have pre-ordered the 4th book that comes out August 2nd!), but it was really well written, and I loved the story!

I won't write anything else about the story because I don't want to give away any of the plot. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read!

The Chair

Zak and I have been looking for a recliner due to the impending arrival of our baby. We have a couch and we have kitchen chairs, but I was interested in finding a chair that was more comfy for feeding the child. The La-Z-Boy plant in our area is closing down very soon, so all the furniture stores were advertising a close-out on their La-Z-Boy recliners. We thought this was a perfect opportunity to find what we wanted... until we got to the first store and realized that a close-out is not the same as a sale. It just means that they want to get rid of their stock.
I found an extremely comfy chair that I really, really loved -- for $563. That wasn't really the price range we were looking for, so we decided to wait a while. We still have a couple of months before the child makes his debut, anyway.
Last week my co-worker announced that she has a La-Z-Boy recliner that she wanted to get rid of, as her sons are moving and she didn't have room at her place for their furniture. I jumped on that!
So yeah, it's a little worn and has a slip cover, and the part that you put your feet on (can't remember what you'd call that -- pregnancy brain) caves a little in the middle -- but it was FREE! All we had to do was pick it up and take it home! The best part of all, next to the chair being free, is that it is soooooo comfortable. I sat down in it last night after working all day, then cooking dinner, then going to the grocery store, then doing the dishes... and I didn't want to get up. Ah, bliss. I love our free chair!

My Husband, the Model

This is the poster created by Rhett and Burke in honor of Zak's graduation. I should've just had them e-mail me a digital copy instead of taking a picture of it myself, but I didn't.
In case you can't read what it says, I'll post it here:

ONE MAN.
ONE EXTRA VERTEBRAE.
ONE GRADUATION AT LAST.

LET THE CHAOS BEGIN...

There were lots of Jack Bauer quotes on the wall, too, the day of the graduation celebration. What a handsome guy!

Crazy 8’s

I was tagged by Dave, Cheryl, and Wendy. This was a tough one because I really had to think about my answers, but it was fun to do, and fun to read others' responses to the tag.

8 things I’m passionate about:
My family
Reading
Being a good and productive member of society
Keeping my house clean and uncluttered
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Good spelling, good grammar, and good punctuation
Jazz basketball
Enjoying scooter and bike rides (although not so much currently, since I’m 7 months pregnant)

8 books I've read recently:
Eclipse (currently reading for the second time)
Animal Farm (currently reading)
New Moon
Twilight
Someday
Dawn’s Light
Tawny Man Series
Farseer Trilogy
**Disclaimer: I do not read for education purposes. I probably should, but reading is my main escape, hence, I read a LOT of sci-fi/fantasy. One day I will read non-fiction on a regular basis. Maybe.

8 things I often say:
“Loan Department, this is Sarah. May I help you?”
“For the love…”
“Give me strength!”
“Maybe you didn’t hear me correctly…” (Zak can explain this one.)
"I think so. I think that's what I said..." (Zak can also explain this one.)
“I love you.”
“Have a good day, see you later!”
“No way. No dang way!” (You get at least 10 cool points if you know where this phrase comes from.)

8 things I look for in a friend:
Sincerity
Sense of humor
Interesting to talk to
Genuinely caring
A sense of adventure (to help bolster my very weak sense of adventure)
Strong values and morals
Common interests
Trustworthiness

8 things I want to do before I die:
Go to England, France, Germany, and various other European countries
Plant a vegetable garden
Have fruit trees
Become a gardener (of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and other plants)
Have a washer and dryer inside my house so that I don’t have to go outside to change loads of laundry around
Raise a happy, healthy family
Learn how to sew really well, instead of just sort of knowing how to sew
Read non-fiction books (maybe)

8 things I have learned this past year:
I really love to exercise. It’s much harder to do when you’re 7 months pregnant, but still feels great when you’re all done!
High school kids are just as mean as they were when I was in high school, and possibly much lazier than when I was in high school.
I’ve learned all kinds of things about pregnancy through experience, but especially that I would do anything at all for my baby, no matter what it is or how it makes me feel. Even go through sinus infections, cold, and the flu with no medication. Not to mention the impending labor and delivery… though that will not be without medication. Sorry, baby. You've got to draw the line somewhere.
There were two Catholic saints and one Catholic archbishop named Peregrine. And the peregrine falcon is the fastest creature on the planet. They can fly at speeds from 99-273 miles per hour!
1978 was a banner year for catching and/or sentencing serial killers (Ted Bundy, Richard Chase, David Berkowitz—a.k.a. Son of Sam, John Wayne Gacy).
I can sometimes let the house be a little cluttered and my life doesn’t end.
There’s nothing wrong with a little weight on a woman. (Can you name the movie that quote comes from?! Another 10 cool points if you can…)
You can eat an entire quart of ice cream all by yourself…just one spoonful at a time. And that’s completely okay, as long as those spoonfuls are spread out over several days and weeks. (**Another disclaimer: I didn’t say I had actually done this. I just learned that it was possible. Big difference.)

I tag anyone who reads this and wants to do it! Especially you blog lurkers who never comment. Be a sport. And let me know if you take me up on the tag... I want to read your answers!

Or Else!

I just stumbled across this picture on a website and it made me laugh. I assume this sign is in a bathroom based on the pictures around it.