Made. My. Day. :)

Sometimes doing granite work makes life a little interesting.

Like, I have scars, blood-blisters, and callouses on my hands.
Or I always come home covered in epoxy and mud.
OR sometimes I have very interesting conversations with customers.  :]

Hehe!  This is a good one. ;)

Background:  Dad and I are installing kitchen countertops for a small, sweet, white-haired, couple.  The wife is very sharp, neat, and detail-oriented.  Her 86-year-old husband has a hard time hearing and a harder time understanding.  He is also somewhat suspicious of the newcomers (us), and he falls asleep from time to time.  They sit and watch us the whole time we are installing.

We started working, and all the time, the husband was interrogating us--trying to figure out who we were.  Sometimes the conversation would go like this:

Grandpa:  So how old are you?
Dad:  Forty-eight.
Grandpa:  Oh.......(long pause)......
                Where are you from?
Dad (with a smile):  Out at Springdale.
Grandpa:  Where??
Dad (louder): Springdale.
Grandpa:  Oh.  My family used to live out there.  ...  Did you know my great-grandfather?
Grandma (cutting in quickly):  No, he didn't know your great-grandfather.
...........[pause]........
Grandpa:  ...They built the Church out there on our family's land. (Dad nods) ....They used to call it [insert family name]'s Church.
Grandma (cutting in even quicker):  No they didn't either...

He he he  :)  BUT my favorite conversation happened while Dad and Grandma were outside:

Grandpa:  So how old are you?
Me (loud, with a smile):  Nineteen.
Grandpa:  ....Do you have a boyfriend?
Me (smiling bigger):  No.
Grandpa (jumps, raises his eyebrows incredulously, and drops his jaw while saying...):  What?  (taken aback) Nooo...  Why not?
Me (trying not to laugh at his reaction): ...
Grandpa (grinning):  I took Mom (his wife) on our first date to a sweet shop, and I came home and told my parents, "I found the girl I'm going to marry."  And they...(shakes his head and face-palms (demonstrating)).  Back then, we earned 50 cents an hour... and I took her on a date for 50 cents.  You could do that back then, too.  A movie cost 10 cents a person, and then I'd take her to the sweet shop.  We'd get hot-dogs for 10 cents each, and some candy with the last dime... (He trailed off, reminiscing, and shortly fell asleep.)

Hahaha!  It was so cute and funny!  I loved it!  I'll be honest, I'm kinda jealous of those 50 cent dates.  Sounds pretty grand to me! :D

:)

The Silly Saga of an Epic Enterprise (Part 2)

And now we're back...

So, we ended with us arriving in T-mec early in the morning.  I must say, I texted my dad to tell him we made it safely, and this is how the conversation went:

Me:  We're in Temecula :)  love you!  And goodnight! :)
Dad:  Goodnight?  I think it's good morning!
Me:  Hahaha yeeeaaahh.... for YOU! :D

He's a crazy man.  He doesn't sleep.  3:30 should never be usual waking time.

Little did I know, however that some of Dad's non-sleepyness rubbed off onto me!  I exaggerated a little in the last post saying we arrived at 4.  We really made it to T-mec by 3:30-ish, and Bryce groggily gave Mike and me directions to Eric's house.  They were hilariously inaccurate.  Mike and I just kept driving and finally deciphered (with Eric's help) what we thought the directions should say.  Aaaand once we got there, Eric, Mike, and I just had to have a short visit. ;)  The point is, we eventually fell asleep...at a time far later than anyone should ever go to sleep.

The next morning, however, I couldn't sleep past 8.  So, I was awake.  Eric had left to work, and I laid there thinking and looking at the foggy morning as everyone else slept.  And then Otis (Eric's dog) woke up...and then Ruffles (Eric's bird) woke up...and then the cats woke up...and finally jumped on the couch where we were "sleeping."  :)  And then piano lessons started at 9.  It reminded me of home... :)

In, as he said, a great lack of funds, Eric decided an excursion to the bank was necessary.  He asked if I wanted to come with him, and I said that as long as I didn't have to get out of the car (I was still in my pajamas/traveling clothes...bleh...), I would love to.  I probably will never live in California, just because of all the roads!  I grew up in the country where a block is four miles, and almost every intersection is square.  I seriously doubt I will ever come to be able to navigate around a city.  Anyways, we drove to the bank in the foggy morning, and Eric gave me a short tour of Temecula.  It's a beautiful place.  You should visit. :]


We came home to a house of busy family.  Eric's family is wonderful!  I remember acting just like his little sisters when I was their age, and it was interesting to watch from a third-person perspective.  His siblings were all smiley and happy and curious, I am sure, to see what we looked like in the mornings.  Well...they got an accurate presentation.  We were pretty cute... ;)  Alissa and Devin quickly proved to be the dog and bird whisperers, respectively.  Audrey, Heidi, and I chatted about riding horses, and being silly.  Dad (well, Eric's Dad, but I've unofficially adopted his whole family) was cracking me up, and Mom was so fantastic and took such great care of us all week!  I truly felt like part of the family by the time the week was up.  :D


True to Eric's word, at noon sharp, the fog dissipated and left, to our enjoyment, a beautiful, warm, and sunny day in its wake.  (I didn't believe it would happen when he told me, and I still think it's a strange occurrence).  We went back to Bryce's to plan a day of fun, and this unfolded:


First we toured more of T-mec.  We went to this place…

Temecula's own Old Town Root Beer Company.  Have you seen it before??? It's SO COOL! Vintage soda!  Each of us picked one, and we shared all the differnt kinds.  It was sweet! (Literally and figuratively...)

Then we headed to hike up to Hobo's Mansion.  We never actually made it there (we took a wrong turn), but our short little hike was very fun :)  

We were all holding suspicious-looking bottles, but no one said anything... ;)  Then, on the way, Eric and Mike had to climb a tree.  Why?  Because there was a platform in it, of course!  What a silly question...  :D

We eventually made it to this pretty stream-thingy, and played around for a while before heading back.  It was quite a cool place, but my fondest memory of it is this:

(You'll have to click on it to get the full experience…)

LOOK at them!  In all their awesome glory!  These are the wonderful people who choose to grace me with their presence!  They look like heroes, huh?  Yup, they do.  And is that surprising?  Not one bit.  They are heroes, my friends, and I love them.


We headed back shortly thereafter to get all spiffy-ed up.

To go do baptisms here:

The San Diego Temple.  It's soooooooooooooooo beautiful!  It's amazing!  I was so happy to get to go!  We had an absolutely glorious experience there.  And we love being silly with each other.  :P

After, we had dinner, and made fun of Hillary Dear, and visited, and enjoyed each other's company, and drove back to get enough sleep for the next busy day.

:)

The Fantastic FanTAMily :]

Sooooo, the warmth that has finally decided to grace this land with its presence has caused me to have a happy and content mood...and a fantastic sunburn.  Oh well!  Still....

THE TIME HAS COME, my little friends, to talk of other things!  Like....my family--my wondrous, beauteous, fantasticulously splendiforous family!

The first area of business is that of one Tyler Dan and another Benny-Man.  These two are my heroes.  Memorial Day weekend, they both gave their farewell talks in church before they each head off to serve the Lord and his children in Panama and the Philippines, respectively.  These boys are some I have looked up to all my life...well...all their lives (because I'm older than both of them.)  :]  Tyler, because he's taller than me and funny and he breaks rules with me (nothing too major, don't worry) and he lets me tease the livin' daylights out of his blessed soul.  Bless his heart!  Benny, because he truly is one of the sweetest, kindest, funniest, most sincere and wonderful people I know.  They're quite unbelievably wonderful, and I'm one lucky girl to be related to them both!  I love them to the sky, and I will be writing lots of letters to them while they are gone.  What can I say?  I love my boys, and those closest cousins gotta stick together!

Second, my parents are the bomb.  I'll wager they're better than yours--I'd stake my life on it. ....Okay, okay...they are better than your parents were at raising me.  Happy?  :]  I get to work for my Dad, and I love having that opportunity.  Pa's a wonderful, hard-working man who has taught me a greeeeaaaattt deal (with and without power tools) ;).  Also, my Mamacita is so wonderful!  She is so fun to visit with and laugh at/with and cuddle to watch movies with.  She's a real gem of a woman, and I'm glad she's my Ma.

Third, last Friday there was a recital at my house.  Now, it promised to be a wondrous recital--full of tip-top talent and all that jazz (...well...actually it was classical music (with a lower-case 'c') but that's beside the point).  I was planning on attending, BUT....it was warm outside, and I don't think you will ever understand how much that word means to me at this point in time.  It was a lovely, sunny, warm evening, and I wasn't about to let that kind of weather go to waste sitting inside!  So, instead, I called the cousins up the road, and the cousins that...will live up the road, and we all headed to the church to play a game of Chicago Ball.  All that's needed is a big, soft Chicago Ball, and a bat--no mitts--which makes it very easy to put a game together.  We had a grand ole time teaching Mia and 5-year-old Petey how to bat.  We took turns, didn't play with any real rules, teased each other, switched teams, cheered for both, tried new tricks and made a night of fun, family ball.  'Twas a grand time, and what's even better?  All of us, even the smallest can hit the ball pretty well!  It'll be a grand, weekly, summer tradition!


Fourth, yesterday when the family went to visit the cousins that...will live up the road.  We were visiting outside, enjoying yet another wonderful, sunny, warm day when Petey informed me that my chair was on his rope...

Me:  Will you give me a kiss and then I'll give it to you?

Petey:  Yeah... >runs behind me and pulls my hair<

Me:  Hey!  That wasn't a kiss, Silly!

Petey:  >matter-of-factly<  That's how the Romans did it.

Hahahaha!  Who told that kid about the Romans?  I love the things that kid comes up with!  He cracks me up!

Fifth, Lizer-Lou gave her Senior recital in Provo on Saturday, and it was A-MAZ-ZA-ZING!  She sang beautifully, she smiled beautifully, and she looked...beautiful..ly. ;)  It was so fantastic.  If any of y'all ever have the chance to hear her sing, take advantage of it.  It's a glorious experience.  Just remember, I'm related to that voice and the girl who owns it. :)  It was great to be in Provo, and it was great to see her!  I miss her a lot since I moved away from Provo.  It was also great to visit with Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiichael ALAN for a few hours while the Fam went shopping.  He's just great! :]  After the recital, Megs and Sambodini invited us to their abode for a grueling game of Buzzword.  Can I just say...HILARIOUS!  Kudos to Alex Avery for keeping our team from sinking into the depths of loser-hood!  I miss Megs and Sambo a lot too since I moved, but it was fun to visit and be silly!

Sixth, even though Eric couldn't come, Beks and Blakers came to visit and ride with us down to the recital.  I just love them all, too!  Nephews are grand, and seeing them was so fun!  I'm still trying to teach Blakers to say "Abi," but "Dad" is still his favorite word, and he teases me by saying that instead and giggling at himself.  Hahaha!  Eric's got him trained perty well. :)

Last, Madi and Max are just so silly.  Madi can't walk in a straight line to save her life.  Max and I have elbow wars at the dinner table (left-handed little brothers are such a curse). :]  Madi makes fun of me.  Max is a goofus.  They both are silly as can be, and they both are just wonderful, and I love them very much.

Well, that's all for now!  Sorry it's so long, but now you can at least love my family too!  After all, they're pretty great!

Tall Tales

So today I was polishing splash (which takes a veeeeeeryyyy loooooonnnng time), and I had plenty of time to contemplate....

I remember going to a fireside for youth once where an almost-taller-than-me lady spoke.  She told of her many adventures and awkward moments that had occurred because of her height.  There was the time a man in Texas yelled at her across a very busy street to ask her what in the world her parents fed her.  Of course she told the story of buying her very first pair of high heels, and she couldn't leave out the time she went to Japan and was asked to take pictures with lots of enthusiastic and short Japanese people.  Then she told the story I remembered best.

She told about walking into a building when she was in college.  She was wearing a pair of her favorite, four-inch heels.  A man held the door open for her, and asked her (as I get asked many times):

"Why in the world do you wear those?"

"Because it makes me feel feminine," she confidently replied.

"How can you feel feminine when you're taller than everything masculine???" he asked incredulously.

A very good question, my friends, a very good question indeed....

One of Daddy's favorite ways to introduce me is this: "Half of my children are taller than me, and one of them's a GIRL!"  Hehehe!  To be honest, I don't know where this height came from.  I'm taller than my parents, and all four of my grandparents, and I'm pretty sure I'm taller than all of my great grandparents were.  I've been taller than all of my teachers since second grade.  Luckily, I was blessed with two brothers, a big-big one and a big-little one, who can give me a little perspective.  I have a few friends who help with this as well (Michael Alan, I threw that one in for you ;)  ).  As long as I am shorter than them, I am okay, right?

Well, the fact of the matter is...it doesn't matter.  It all comes down to what Ma always told me: "At the end of the day, the only thing that really matters is what you think and what God thinks."  That's all.  Me--I've learned to like myself and my height.  It makes for some interesting, if awkward, conversation.  It keeps me laughing all the day because of the funny situations it presents.  Yes, and though I have grown to enjoy it, it still causes me grief somedays--but it's nothing I can't handle...usually...  As for the Lord, I'm still working on that.  It's a process, you know, and it's going to take my whole life to get there!

Now my only worry is a conversation I had with Dad at work today.
I'm going to have to find myself a real, manly man someday.  If my height doesn't make me un-feminine, maybe all the skills and such Dad is teaching me will.........  BUT I doubt it! :)