Windy Days

I have seen many comments from friends talking about the wind and how creepy or how dirty it is. It is exactly the opposite for me as I sit here this evening with a good book (courtesy of Kailey's ever-growing library) and listen to the wind beat against the house.

I'm not sure if it is the sound, the smell, the feel of the wind when I walk outside or the way that it suffocates out all of the day-to-day white noise that causes the feeling of security I always feel when it is stormy out. I know that sounds contradictory, but the wind and rain always remind me of when I was little and the quiet calm of driving through either the stormy weather or the stormy obstacles of my life. And then I hear a song, Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" and I feel as though I'm sitting back in the old (then new) Mercury Sable, driving home from visiting my grandparents in Idaho.

Why I always think of that trip in particular, I don't know. There was nothing noteworthy about it. It was just my parents, my brother, our new puppy named Bandit and me. It seems like so many of our trips home were either driven at night or during a storm and this drive was no different. It was late night, there was a steady rain and I could hear the windshield wipers swishing. Andrew and I were in the backseat practicing singing in a gravelly Louis Armstrong voice as the demo tape with maybe 10 songs played on repeat through the night. I also seem to remember a stretch of time where nobody said a thing. We all rode in a comfortable silence, lost in our thoughts and listening to the music.

So, although the wind seems horrible to so many others, it truly soothes my soul and brings me peace. I don't think of the wind as a storm, but more like a blanket of security, blocking out all of the extraneous and superfluous white noise while I allow myself to get lost in my nostalgia.

Favorite Shot of the Weekend

I love this shot of Wendi & Jared. I think the subtlety of the reflection in the window of the Manti Temple is what makes it my favorite shot of the weekend.

The Little Things

Todd may not be the best at grand gestures, but not many can argue with the care that he puts into the little things that he does everyday. I am most impressed by the latest routine that he and I have gotten into.

He knows that I really struggle with early mornings, so every morning he sets his alarm in time to wake up and make both my lunch and breakfast. Then he starts the truck to let it warm up. Now that is love.

Early Mornings

I am not an early morning person by any stretch of the imagination, but work starts at 7am for me and I have to meet my carpool at 6:10 while it is still dark outside. How sad is that? I don't even get the benefit of seeing the sunrise. So, this is my new wallpaper, that for some reason I have to reset every morning. It is amazing at how much a picture can change my outlook on the morning. I know, it's cheesy, but it really does.

A Piece of Chocolate and Spinal Readjustment

As I was helping out with the Business Expo today, I decided to take a break right before closing. Todd and I walked around a few aisles of the different booths and stopped at the Spinal Rehabilitation's booth when we saw that not only were they offering a free 5 minutes massage, but they were using some new-fangled machine to do a quick readjustment on backs. For anyone who knows me, you can understand why I would wait in line for such an opportunity. I am always looking for a way to get my blasted rib (which has been out for a very long time) back into place without spending a ton 'o' cash. I was pretty impressed with the whole process and the pricing and will probably be going into the clinic during the near future, funds allowing.

It was during the time that I was watching the whole process being done on another lady that a little boy, probably only about 5/6 years old, came up to me and handed me one of the Kit Kat bars being given away by another booth. It was so random that I had to chuckle, when the thought of why he might do this came to me. I could just imagine his thought process:

"Uh-oh, chubby girl. I'd better give her some chocolate before she eats me."

And at that thought, I chuckled, again.

Our Beater Vehicles

I have to preface this by stating that I am glad that both Todd and I drive older vehicles and that they are paid off. A car payment is not an added financial burden that I would like to have right now. That said, I still do not appreciate the joys of cars that break down because they are old enough to be my parents (OK, not really).

This past week, on the car alone, we found that we needed to replace the battery, starter, ignition switch, something on the frame and a couple tires. Mind you, we just replaced the CV joint just a little while ago. Thank Heavens for mechanic brother-in-laws and dads who know their way around an engine. Both of mine have been willing to help Todd work on the car, although he replaced the starter and the battery by himself the other day.

As for the ignition switch...well, it's kind of important to be able to start the car. However, to fix that, we have to take the whole steering column apart. Who has time for that? So instead, we are saving that project for a sunnier day and Todd and my bro-in-law bypassed the ignition switch with wiring and created a start button in the car. It's real classy when we have to reach down below the steering wheel and hotwire our car to go anywhere.

So if you see me starting my blue car, I promise, I'm not lifting it. And as for the question of why don't we get another car? If we can find one that's cheap enough, we might be able to swing it, but I sure do have sentimental feelings for my Grandpa Blue car that was inherited from my brother. I don't know if we'll ever get rid of it.