House hunting

Andy and I are getting ready to look for a house. Huzzah! I was beginning to think that day might never come. Never mind the fact that I'm going to be completely disappointed when we see what we can actually afford. Today, I will sit back and relish the idea of a cute little house, with gorgeous big trees, bright windows, and a nice spot for a garden to grow yummy, fresh food.

Or...maybe I could just move into this place? I went into Whole Foods the other day to buy some bulk grains, and I swear, every time I go in there, I feel so comfortable and happy that I just want to move right in and live in the produce/fresh flower section. The smells, the energy, the way the food looks - it is all so glorious it makes me lightheaded. Everything is bright and fresh and wonderful and even the carts are delightful - tiny and compact - it's all so very European.

I guess that's the point - they try to create an atmosphere that makes people want to stay, because when they stay, they spend money. Sigh. I suppose we'll just look for a real house, one that isn't already equipped with row upon row of fresh, organic produce, gorgeous flower arrangements, and wickedly delicious desserts. Wait - you mean I'll have to actually create that stuff on my own in my own house?

Why I hated Breaking Dawn

There are too many websites for me to keep up with these days. Yes, I'm a member of GoodReads, but no, I don't post any book reviews on there. In case you haven't noticed, it's all I can do to write a blog post, let alone remember my login for another website and write a book review.

But I do want to write a post here about the drivel that is Breaking Dawn, mostly because I mentioned how it scarred me and people have been asking what the heck I meant by that. I'll admit, I was being a bit melodramatic, but by the time I finished the book, I was quite put off and unhappy about how it ended. At the risk of incurring the wrath of certain people, I'm going to tell you precisely what bugged me.

I jumped on the Twilight series bandwagon way, way late - I just started reading the books this summer. I cruised through the first, and enjoyed the brain candy - great summer reading. As I finished the second, and then the third, I grew less and less pleased with the whole story. Mostly I hated that Edward was so moody, and Bella always apologized for making mistakes. I felt that it was never really established why she loved him - just that she did. There was a lot of talk about how beautiful he was, yadda yadda yadda, but what was it about the way he treated her (going into rages, giving her the silent treatment, etc.) that made her love him?

But I kept reading. I instantly liked Jacob, but I knew Bella would not end up with him. I knew she would end up with Edward, as a vampire. Whatever - I can handle that. I even started liking Edward by the third book, by some miraculous turn of events. And then came their demon spawn. Edward, who was so intent on protecting Bella, gave in and let that half person-half vampire almost kill Bella. I'm sorry, but as her husband who loved her, he should have said no. She could have died and he would have had forever to realize that he could have stopped that.

Okay, so she didn't die; Edward "saved" her and she became a vampire. Whatever. But the whole thing Jacob imprinting on the infant? Seriously, the height of ridiculousness! It was just icky. Ew, ew, ew. Not to mention the stuipd name they gave her.

I expected a lot of this book - perhaps more than I should have. There was a lot more about it I disliked, and suffice it to say, this is one book I'm glad I didn't purchase.

Three girls and a canoe

The whole reason I went to Utah a couple of weeks ago is because of my high school friends, Lara and Megan. A few years ago, we started a "Girls' Weekend" tradition - we get together sometime during the summer and spend a weekend together. We talk, play, watch movies, shop, go to the spa - you know, girly stuff. Well, this year, Lara suggested we go to her in-laws' cabin in Oakley. Here I am with Lara in front of the cabin.

Lara had the idea for us to rent a canoe. Let me make something clear: we usually get massages and pedicures. We do not hike, bike, go river-rafting, kayaking, deep-sea diving, spelunking, or anything else remotely active or outdoorsy. But we decided to rent a canoe, much to Lara's husband's chagrin. He was concerned that a) we wouldn't be able to get the canoe off the top of the car, b) we would flip the canoe once we were on the water, c) we wouldn't be able to get the canoe back on top of the car, d) we wouldn't be able to get the straps tight enough once it was on the car, and someone would get hurt - us or the car.

Honestly, I was a little concerned myself. When we arrived at the reservoir, we acted all tough, like we could do it, but I know we were all nervous. A group of teenage boys was standing next to the boat ramp, and Lara suggested asking them for help. I said in the toughest voice I could muster, "Let's ask for help when we need it - we might not need it!" But deep down I was thinking, "Alert! Alert! Damsels in distress! Come get our boat off our car, put it in the water, and row it to the other side of the reservoir for us."

Guess what? We got that canoe off the car and rowed to the other side of the reservoir and back, without tipping over once. Sure, we paddled in circles for a while. Sure, we drifted super far, super fast, because there was such a strong wind blowing and we were too tired to fight it. Sure, I got soaked because I sat on the floor of the canoe instead of the middle seat - I was too afraid of losing my balance and tipping us over. But the point is, we did it!

And not only did we make it across the reservoir and back, but we successfully got it back up on top of the car. Never mind the guy who sat in his lawn chair laughing at us the whole time, and then came over to us when we finished and said, "You should probably tighten those straps." Uh, duh. Thanks a load, mister. Check out Lara and Megan tightening those straps after we drove back to the cabin.

And now...I love canoeing. I want to buy my own canoe. I should get better about stepping out of my comfort zone - I'm always surprised at how un-painful it turns out to be.

Happy birthday Andy

Andy turned 32 yesterday, unfortunately thanks to me, without much fanfare. Why is it that the older you get, the more boring your birthdays become?

According to Andy, it was the perfect day: I came home from Utah, we took a nap, got sodas and hot dogs at Sonic, went looking at houses in neighborhoods we want to move to, and then went for an evening bike ride.

All in all, a pretty good day, just not the huge birthday celebration some of his friends were hoping for (yes I'm talking to you, Joey). I suppose we'll get around to that soon.

At any rate, I'm glad it was a good day for him. Happy birthday Andy!

Running

I have a newfound respect for my mother. My mom and I have both been trying, in our own ways, to lose a few pounds, and my mom is doing so well! I noticed she looked thinner and her clothes looked super baggy, and when I asked her what she's been doing, I was completely surprised.

My mom gets up at 4:00 am and runs, not walks, on the treadmill for 20 minutes. To some people, that might not seem like much, but to my knowledge, my mom has never really run much in her life. I know she's power walked, and maybe in the 80's she did aerobics, but I have never known my mom to be a runner. I figured if Mom can do it, I can do it, right? And this morning at 6:00, I jumped on the treadmill.

Five minutes in, and I'm doing okay. It's kind of boring though, staring at the white wall right in front of the treadmill. I crack the blind so I can look out onto their backyard.

Ten minutes in, and I'm seeing spots. I guess it's time to walk for a couple of minutes. After a two minute brisk walk, I start running again - I have to keep up with my mom! What does she do while she runs? I'm getting kind of bored.

Fifteen minutes in, and I'm hanging onto the handles while I run. That can't be good, right? Running while I'm hunched over and gasping for breath doesn't seem like a very effective workout. I stop to gulp 8 oz of water in about 10 seconds.

Twenty minutes in, and I made it! Well, kind of, if you don't count the two minutes I walked. It's definitely time for a cool down walk.

I am most definitely humbled. My mom can outrun me - go Mom! I guess I better step up my workouts if I'm ever going to keep up!

Traveling

I'm off to Utah for the next 10 days. I have a few fun things planned, so hopefully I'll get some interesting posts up here. If you're in Utah and want to see me, send me an email. If you're in Colorado, please call Andy to make sure he's not getting too lonely.

The Ahlstrom Family Band

A couple of weeks ago, Andy and I started a family band, with Andy on drums and me on bass guitar. Occasionally we rotate - I play drums, and he plays guitar. When someone else comes over, we take turns singing. All thanks to Rock Band.

When we first heard Rock Band was coming out, Andy decided he must have it. We started with multiple conversations around wants vs needs. "I need Rock Band," he'd tell me. "But we don't have the money for it," was always my reply. Before Andy left for India, we borrowed a friend's copy of Guitar Hero, complete with two guitars. I was hoping it would take care of the desire and the novelty would ultimately wear off. Boy was I wrong - it was all anyone wanted to do, and the thought of having drums just made the Rock Band obsession even stronger. All the kids and the youth in our ward wanted to come over and play. Even our adult friends wanted to play! I felt like I never got a break from being the Rock and Roll Ahlstroms.

Which is why I was so nervous when Rock Band started showing up in stores. I knew it was only a matter of time before we'd have guitars and drums going in our living room. Besides, I wanted to buy Wii Fit - it's only half the price of Rock Band, and we've both been dying to try it. (Confession: I want to try the hula hoop. Why I can't just go buy a real hula hoop is something I still haven't figured out.) But after searching and searching, we couldn't find any Wii Fits in the stores, and we gave up for the time being.

And then the coupons came in the mail: one for an additional $30 trade-in value for any game system, one for an additional 50% trade-in value on 5 games, and one for 10% off the purchase of a new game. I suggested we trade in some Wii games we don't use and see what we can get for them. Andy surprised me even further by suggesting we trade in the old Playstation and the remainder of his rated R movies to get some additional credit. Sacrifices abound! We were both surprised to find out that we had enough credit to buy Rock Band, an additional Wii game, and still have some credit leftover.

So we've been rocking out the past couple of weeks. I must confess, I never wanted to be a rock 'n roll star, but this pretty great. It's super fun to sit down and play the guitar, and bang it out on the drums. It's even more hilarious to get someone singing along to the B 52's, The Police, REM, or Metallica songs. Good times, and we got it pretty much for free.

If you're ever in the neighborhood and want to come play...the Ahlstrom Family Band is always accepting new members.