Working from home.....

So this morning I woke to stage three of the dizziness cycle. (For Clarification: Stage one is dizzy spell, stage two is nausea and stage three is the shakiness). Now depending on the severity of these stages depends on the severity of the dizzy spell. Last night's dizzy spell was pretty bad. So when I woke this morning the shaking was pretty bad too. I was a little worried about trying to walk the 15 minutes to catch the bus so I called in sick to work. Not that that stopped the calls to me. It really didn't bother me; as a matter of fact, it made me feel needed. I finally gave up trying to sleep when I realized I wouldn't fall back asleep. The cicadas outside my window are really loud. I figured if I had to be home I might as well work while I could. Thank heavens I brought home my laptop.

Between my laptop and my cell phone I can do almost everything I need to. I have never worked from home before so this is a new experience for me. I now realize the joy of working in my PJ's. There is just something about knowing that you don't have to shower and get dressed that makes the day nicer. No makeup or even a bra if you don't want! You can crank your music as loud as you want and eat when ever you feel like it. I have spent the afternoon finishing all of my projects. It is really nice.

So here it is 3:20 pm and the shakiness is almost completely gone, down to just a slight jittery feeling. I can't tell you how good that feels to me. I think I might even go for a walk.

(Kristin if you are reading this, I promise it will be a short one and if I get weak I will call for a ride. I promise!)

On an upsetting note...

I go in for my first MRI tomorrow. They are going to check my brain to make sure that there is nothing visibly wrong there. They will also do a test for a rare type of seizures. (Steph could probably explain it more than I can) This morning I thought I was doing well. I really thought that maybe that this was all in my head. Maybe I am causing these things to be happening to me. ( I used to have the same thoughts when I was sick as a missionary) It was driven home to me that this is my current reality when during my yoga class I had a dizzy spell that worried not only my boss but also my yoga instructor.
Maybe I should be taking this more seriously. But why should I if the doctors do not know what is wrong with me? What is the point of getting all worked up over an unknown. I figure, sooner or later we all have to die. It's not like we won't see each other again. And that is the end of my morbid rant. Good night all, I am going to sleep off the nausea from this evenings dizzy spell.

Family

So I went home last week. My brothers mission farewell was Sunday. I flew home Friday night and arrived just after 2 am on Saturday morning. The day was full of interesting
things.

It started with a short walk and a chance to see my big brother Kent's new lawn and his family Garden.

This was followed by a fabulous lunch with Meg, William, and Sarah. Some days the most fun can be had with old friends and a restaurant full of memories.

After lunch I got a chance to watch Lukas play Soccer. My Goose has been playing soccer for almost 2 years now. While I have had a chance to watch a couple of practices, this is my first game. It is also the first game of the season. It rained a nice cold rain for the first half which was followed by a sunny and hot second half. The Hillcrest Hawks (Lukas' Team) won 4-0 I think. I got kind of lost in the middle of the game. I should really pay more attention.


Goose had the largest fan base on the sidelines. But then again with our numbers how could he not.

Dinner was Pizza and Kentucky Fried Chicken on our front lawn. There was lots of laughter and fun. Afterwards I went for Coldstone with Truman and Vanessa. It was nice to meet Trumans Fiance. I am excited for their wedding. It should be great. Vanessa is great. She is sweet and nice, all the things I hope for Truman.

Sunday was full of people and fun. Hugh's talk was great. He really is a talented speaker. Mom and Cynthia set up a fine spread for the Open House. Ian was able to come home a day early, giving me a chance to visit with him.

All in all it was a great chance for me to talk with all of my siblings. Lukas, gave me lots of hugs, and asked that I move back home again. I told him that wasn't possible and we had a talk about him coming out for a visit one of these days. I think it would be fun. Now all I need is our parents permission. Hopefully Paul, James, and Goose can all come for a visit.

I think one of my favorite parts of the trip was the chance to finally meet Sean Micheal Gifford. My first nephew. He was born at the beginning of January and this was my first chance to meet him. I was thrilled to be able to hold him and rock him to sleep.What more fun could you ask for?

The Day Everything Went Wrong.....

*****Warning*****

*****Written Poorly. Read at your own risk. I'm too tired to care*****

The morning started off right. I woke up at 6:30; my roommate had lost her morning alarm so I said I would wake her. After waking her I made a serious error. I got back in bed! It was only for 15 minutes which somehow turned into 50 minutes. (It could have something to do with the repeated late nights and strenuous lifting of the move.) After a hurried prep of 12 minutes we were in the car and on our way to the Metro. I thought I had barely caught my bus, but I was wrong. I could have sworn it said #425, apparently it read #427. Not completely bad, it was just a short walk (about 15 minutes) so I was only about 20 minutes late to work, and then of course I dropped a glass bottle in the kitchen here. A bottle of Perrier that explode upon impact. Of course while cleaning it up I cut myself. It is small but bled enough to leave drops on the floor. It seems it never ends….I kept forgetting the things I needed down stairs so I was up and down the stairs 3 separate times this morning. And then I got pinged by a gentleman that has not talked to me in months. (Good? Bad? ) And now, I was just told by a co-worker that I look like the old Raggedy Anne Doll...”All red curly hair going everywhere” (his exact words). And it is only 11:20 in the morning. It is going to be a long day.

I have to clean my old room tonight to prep for the new girl moving in, I need to finish unpacking, and then make sure I am packed for this weekend. It is going to be a long night.

Is it over yet...........

So today I am covering the front desk for the morning. I figure since I have the time to write I might as well. So here are the updates on my life.

“The Move” Update:
The move has been started. I am moving closer to the metro. Erin and I will live in this house for the next 11 months. It is shaping up to be quite nice for me. I have my own room, my own bathroom, a fully furnished kitchen (which is beautiful) and shorter walk to and from the metro.
I packed completely last night. I even moved a carload of boxes to the new house with Kate’s help. I probably should have planned a bit more carefully when I was choosing what would go to the new house. Necessities should not have gone. But some of them did, and I had to scramble to make sure I could get ready for work this morning. Hopefully the furniture will be moved tonight and I can spend my first night in my new house.

“Health” Update:
The dizzy spells still happen once or twice a day, though they have lessened in severity. I am very grateful, today was my deadline day. It should have been over by now. My doctor will be referring me to a neurologist to find out what is going on. Yay, for more doctors’ appointments. Apparently 4 appointments in 3 weeks are not enough for me.
My emergency visit to the dentist last Friday resulted in a referral to an oral surgeon. I have broken a tooth. After the surgeon I will have to go back to my dentist for some major repair work. Aren’t I excited? Can’t you see me smiling from ear to ear?
As a side note I have never been more grateful for Medical/dental insurance; especially a high deductible medical plan in which my company pays my deductible. There is always a silver lining, right?

Family Update:
My brother Hugh has recovered from his bout of the shingles. He will be entering the Provo MTC in one week from today. This Sunday is his Farewell talk in church. I will be flying in to SLC Sat @ 2 am so that I can attend church with the family. I will then be flying home Sunday night at 11 pm so that I can be at work Monday morning.

All in all…..
I wish it were September.

Hope everyone else is having a better August then I am. This has become the Month from Hell!

"Marian the Librarian, at your service...Shhh"

Apparently everyone realizes that I should be a librarian. Now if only I could get back to school. Some day.....*sigh*

Your Career Personality: Idealistic, Service-Oriented, and Future-Oriented

Your Ideal Careers: Alternative health practitioner Architect Environmental lawyer Librarian Magazine editor Museum curator Novelist Nutritionist Photo journalist Playwright

The Quick and Dirty Career Test

Welcome to the family.............

I know I have not been posting any good stuff recently. The only excuse is I haven't been feeling well. Life now consists of work, visits to the doctor and the dentist (as of yesterday), sleeping and reading. So on to the Farkledunkons....

My younger brothers Paul and James started a chain of emails with my family. One in which we all received a new name. I of course am Goober Farklebreath, is that not a fabulous name. It has been humorous to me to see all of my family respond. I am now giving you the new names of my various siblings. (We are missing many as they have not yet figured out their new name.)

The real names have not been given to protect the innocent. Hee Hee Hee

Enjoy!

The following are the fabulous members of my family...

Sleazy Farkledunkon

Dipsy Farkledunkon

Snickle Farklebreath

Boobie Chickendoodle Farkledunkon (my second favorite)

Sloopy Farkledukon

Boobie Farklebreath Dippintush (My all time favorite!)

Sloopy Chucklefanny Farkledukon +1

(couldn’t have 2 with the exact same name)

Sneezy Chucklefanny

Sleazy Chucklefanny

We are quite the crowd. ;)

Tagged again.......

Here's the latest Tag....

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your LJ/blog along with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.
6. Tag five people.
(Steph's Paragraph)

"Finally the girl said, in that same strange tone, "I see deer--a great herd of deer, and a man among them with his body painted--they put the antlers on him--oh, he is down, they will kill him--" Her voice trembled and again Viviane passed her hand above the surface of the water, and the ripples passed over the surface. "Enough," she commanded.

(me)
"He turned to the agent next to him.
"Take four men and search the road and brush. Don't take chances. These are criminals who---What the hell is that?"

I tag...ummm whois left to tag?

The Professor.............Did anyone get Sherpa yet? Tiana?

I am out of names.

Hey T.....Can you send me your blog address again. I lost it. :)

Quote of the evening....

There is just something about live music that seeps into the soul. I live it. I could listen for hours. And tonight I did. It has been a long night, which started and ended with a headache. But even that couldn't overcome the excitement of seeing the Dorothy and her friends follow the Yellow Brick Road on their way to see the Wizard. Tonight I saw the Wizard of Oz on the big screen at The Wolftrap. This was not just any showing of the Wizard of Oz. Tonight they removed the music from the movie and had the National Symphony Orchestra play it live. It was amazing. I loved it.

Though tonight's quote comes from the ride home when Amber got lost in the conversation. No one but those in the car will find it funny, but I told them I would blog it....therefore:

"I thought you said your foot was swollen, now I feel dirty."

Boo, we love you!

Tagged

People keep reminding me that I was tagged. Alright already. Here is my response.....Enjoy

What is your salad dressing of choice?
Italian and Cesear are the fall back dressings, but I like to try just about anything....

What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
I don't have one.....They all have their moments.

What is your favorite sit down restaurant?
The Sushi joint in Vienna where we used to go to lunch.
Hey Steph what is the name of that place?

On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?
between 20% and 25%.

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
Chicken and Cheese Rice Bake, or Ghetto Chicken Parmesean

Name three foods you detest above all others.
Icky Sauce (sorry Mom), and cooked fish: Halibut and Salmon particularly

What is your favorite dish to order in a Chinese restaurant?
Dumplings

What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Mushrooms, Sausage and Cheese

What do you like to put on your toast?
butter and peach jam

What is your favorite type of gum?
Winterfresh or spearamint

Number of contacts in your cell phone?
133- but 1 is my grandpa who passed away at Christmas time, I haven't the heart to delete it.

Number of contacts in your e-mail address book?
Which email account. I have 3 and only some of the address are in more then one account.
Lets just say there are plenty of contacts.

What is your wallpaper on your computer?
My familys laughing picutre

What is your screensaver on your computer?
Don’t have one

Are there naked pictures saved on your computer?
Only half naked. Sorry

How many land line phones do you have in your house?
0

How many televisions are in your house?
3

What kitchen appliance do you use the most?
microwave...cuz I can't cook

What is the format of the radio station you listen to the most?
my alarm is a country station. Otherwise I listen to my iPod.

What do you consider to be your best physical attribute?
I would have said my hair but I cut it all off. So maybe...my eyes?

Are you right handed or left handed?
Right

Do you like your smile?
Depends on the day

Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
not anything that I can comment on here.

Would you like to?
yet again pleading the 5th

Do you prefer to read when you go to the bathroom?
Of course, what is life with out a book in your hand.

Which of your five senses do you think is keenest?
Not touch, not hearing is off, not sight is horrible, taste is preety good. But I think smell is probably the keenest, especially when I don't feel well.

When was the last time you had a cavity?
Today, Tomorrow, Forever

What is the heaviest item you lift regularly?
Cases of Soda...though Steph says my backpack weighs more then any case of soda.

Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
Not that I can recall

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
Ignorance is Bliss

If you could change your first name, what would you change it to?
Larrissa...cuz then I would be able to fulfill my fathers dream to be called Larissa the Pissa

How do you express your artistic side?
I don't, it is a scardy-cat

What color do you think you look best in?
Peaches, and the right color blue

How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison?
It would depend upon my "alliances"

Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
Please clarify...this could be incriminating

If we weren't bound by society's conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at?
Not really

How often do you go to church?
Define Often. Eveyr so Often.

Have you ever saved someone's life?
Not that I know of but who knows.

Has someone ever saved yours?I do believe there was an Incident were a home teacher had to pull a chicken bone out of my throat

Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000?
That’s just one of the many things I would do for that much cash.

Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
Do I have to use Tongue?

Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000?
I like all of my fingers personally

Would you never blog again for $50,000?
Depends on my mood when the money was offered

Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000?
When we have sno-cones in Hell

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
Probably not, I do not like pain. Give me a year or two to work my way up to a whole bottle.
Would you shave your head and get your entire body waxed for $5,000?
Probably, Though I do like the hair on my head.

Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000?
If I could go to the movies still I would be okay.

Who do you tag?
The Professor, Steph, Gwen

My Big Brother in Egypt

My big brother Ralph has been spending the summer in Egypt. He emails semi-regular updates. Here is one I thought was interesting. Sorry Ralph. I did edit it. But just a little.

Life is starting to wind down here in Egypt. I will head off to Luxor on the night train tomorrow night, and I'll get back on Sunday morning. I had planned to not go down to Luxor and Karnak this time out here. First of all, it is blazing hot. None of the members of the branch want to go down in the summer. They tend to head down in February when it is only ninety or one hundred degrees down there, instead of up to one hundred and thirty five degrees, like it often has been this summer. Again, I was resigned to go down the next time I come to Egypt, which I feel is inevitable. But, I was invited to go down with Kaysha, and a small group of temporary people here... people who are here only for the summer, and therefore unable to go in the "moderate" winter weather. Well, the group that had decided to go had drizzled up into Kaysha, a member of the branch who is seeking a Masters degree at the American University in Cairo... and ironically enough, her boyfriend, Garth, who is not a member of the church, but for some odd reason thinks that I am hilarious. Kaysha has begged me to go. I imagine as a chaperone... but as I was contemplating the trip, I realized that we will be together for a few days... and I am sure that he will have questions about the gospel. It is physically impossible for me to avoid discussing the gospel. I don't think that I can talk about anything without it leading to the gospel directly or indirectly... So, even though I don't know Kaysha and Garth very well, I feel compelled to go. I imagine many good things coming out of it. The few times I have met Garth, I have felt that he is a good person.

A little clarification... in Egypt there are strict laws against baptizing Egyptian citizens. We are technically allowed to baptize non-Egyptians. Even Sudanese, regardless of the fact that most of them are Muslim. In fact, our branch had a baptism as recently as December. A man from Cameroon, named Simplice, was baptized. In the eighties the branch baptized hundreds of people, and was censured by the government and lost their meeting privileges for a time. So, it is not absurd to think that non-Egyptians who rub shoulders with Mormons might be able to become members of the church here. But, it is announced over the pulpit that we should not engage actively in missionary work here. However, in the case of Simplice, those who knock... it shall be given unto them.

An interesting side note and then good luck to me figuring out my original train of thought was (Oh, yeah, I am going on the night train to Luxor)... An opposition newspaper (meaning oposing President Mubarak) came out with an article against the Mormon Church. Now, first let me explain that all newspapers are censored here. First of all, they are censored by editors, who don't want their newspaper to be shut down... and then they are censored by the government. However, it is interesting to see that some newspapers are given more liberty than others... to satisfy the emotional need to rebel and denounce the government. It is as if the government knowingly throws them a bone from time to time. Some newspapers know that they are allowed to cater to a certain group. Well, this newspaper is written primarily by Coptic Christians here in Egypt (who are the largest minority in Egypt, about ten percent of the population -- or six to seven million people). I was able to dabble a bit in translating the article into English for the Public Relations senior couple assigned here to Egypt. Let me paste the article and then talk about some aspects of it. Okay? Some of you might find this intriguing, while some of you may skip the entire email if you want.
...........
I am going to skip this part. If you are really interested in the dissection and debunking of this article email me and I can send you everything he said. As a side note myself...Ralph: If you are going to cut and paste and article for me to read it needs to be in English. I can’t read Arabic. Lol!
Now back to the rest of the email.
...........
What a long, but interesting tangent, if I do say so myself. At any rate... I also was given the task of pinning down a hard copy of the article... which I have done. It was printed a little more than two weeks ago. The reason it was brought to our attention, is because there is a Brazilian member of our branch, who was asked to stop coming to church because her employers read the article and were worried about her being arrested. True to form, she has not attended church for about two weeks.

At any rate... I also wanted to write a bit about my lunches. My lunch was especially disgusting yesterday. I decided to talk about it a bit. Samir has been busy lately when I visit him. So busy in fact, that we have had sandwiches sent to us from his home to the shop. I haven't been up to his house for two weeks or so. So, I would get these sandwiches with cheese... very strong cheese... and he would tell me that it was "old cheese." I was fine with that. But, yesterday, we went up to his apartment and I helped him prepare the food. I cut the lemons (which were the size of marbles... I am baffled at how large and delicious looking US produce is compared to Egyptian produce) Any way, Samir carefully lemon juiced each piece of boiled okra and inserted a pinch of spices. He then pulled out a pot of distilled home-made yoghurt. Now... as some of you may recall, the Coptic Christians had been fasting for fifty days, so they couldn't have dairy products or meat (only fish and seafood). So, my eating cheese has been a new thing at Samir's house. Plain yoghurt disgusts me, but especially home-made yoghurt in Egyptian homes. I quickly explained that I was lactose intolerant... I can only eat a little bit of cheese, but not milk or yoghurt. I explained how I was weaned on goat milk as a boy... But, the worst part is yet to come. Samir went to the refrigerator and pulled out a plastic container. He opened the lid and a murky liquid was inside. He reached in and grabbed a white mound of something. He rinsed it off and set it on a plate. I have called people, pardon my French, phlegm wads before... in junior high. But, I had never seen a wad like this before. This, he told me, to my chagrin, was the old cheese. Apparently they make it themselves. "How old is your old cheese," I asked. Eight months old. That container of rancid liquid has had lumpy wads of cheese floating in it for eight months... longer than my daughter has been alive. Samir then told me that year and a half old cheese is even stronger.

It is a very sad day when you choose to eat okra instead of cheese. But, yesterday was one of those days. A beautiful thing about losing your appetite... you really can't eat very much at all.

Rafting again....

It is twenty after ten pm and we are just leaving Lexington, Virginia. I have a little time as I sit in the backseat, all by myself. So why not write how the trip went.

Friday was a difficult work day. Concentration was not a possibility. I just wanted to be on the river. Erin picked me up at 5 pm on the dot. We threw my gear in the back and were off to get Joy. We took a short detour to drive by the house we will be moving into at the end of Aug. (Yes you read that right. I am moving again. It was inevitable. But that is a topic for a whole blog of its own. I have a theory there.) Once Joy was in the car we were on our way to the Wild West Virginia. It is a 6 hour drive and we talked most of the way. Kenny Chesney was playing Nissan Pavilion which caused a horrible traffic jam. All the fans apparently have to take one road to get to the Nissan Pavilion. SO they filled our road. It took an extra hour to get past them. Once past we were flying. It was really nice to be on the open road. Unfortunately both Joy and I had a problem as the roads got more and more curvy. We survived. It was after midnight when we arrived and we crashed.

This morning our Rafting trip started at 9 am. I was mistaken; we rafted the Lower New River, not the Gauley. My mistake; it was still way fun. It was on the river. There were some great rapids. The water was warm. The day was nice, there was a touch of rain but that just added to the experience. Yes, I ended up in the water, but never involuntarily. I swam 2 rapids, they were little baby ones, but the current was strong and so much fun. I did the rock jump (I never miss a chance). I finally felt that I am starting to know what I am doing. I think I finally am getting the basics. There were pictures but none that I felt were worth $20 and the DVD was definitely not worth 50 bucks. So posterity will just have to believe me when I say I rafted it twice this summer. I am starting to realize these things are fun. Who knew? Who knew that these are somethings that I can do? But I can. Maybe not well, but I just need practice and a little more training. Today for the first time I got back in the boat with out help. 4 separate times. (There was a 5^th time but I needed help for that one. Lol!)

Erin mentioned that we were going to pass Buena Vista, Virginia on our way home. I called Tiana and asked if she wanted to go to dinner. It was very last minute but we met at the main campus of Southern Virginia University. It is as beautiful as everyone says. The rest of the town is pretty ghetto but the school building is beautiful. We then went to Don Tequila for dinner. It was a Mexican joint, in an old Pizza Hut Building. Funny? Yes. Good food? Yes. It was nice to see Tiana. We decided that this covers our visit for Aug. (yeah, yeah we know. It is still July. But it is close enough.) I got to meet Tiana’s co-worker, Margaret. It was fun. We now plan for her to come to visit me in the district for September. Then I am planning a trip back down here in October. Now all we have to decide is where we will go in November. That is Thanksgiving after all.

Joy needed to hit a Wal-Mart to get a few things for her coming trip to Mexico. Of course you can’t go into Wal-Mart and come out empty handed. So I got 2 pair of earrings and 3 new shirts. J

I am excited for Oct. We are coming back for Bridge Day. The New River Gorge Bridge is the second longest steel arch bridge in the world. (This year China had to go and finish theirs that is about a hundred feet longer) I was also told that this is the second highest bridge in the United States, I haven’t verified it, but it is 876 feet high. Once a year people are allowed to base jump off of it. You have to be certified, and have 50 previous jumps under your belt before you are allowed to try this one. But people can go watch. It is the only day that pedestrians are allowed on the bridge. Joy and I want to come down and watch and maybe go rock climbing or bouldering. I already know I enjoy bouldering I just need a little training and I think I will like climbing just as much. Though I am definitely have to work on my upper body strength. Lol!

Well now I am going to have to close because this is making me carsick. Not a good thing. I will end with this thought: I made a discovery. I have found something that I can do, maybe not well yet but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment I find in it. I will enjoy it while I can.

When did it change....

There was a time when I could create a whole meal for the family and not worry about how bad it was going to be. Somehow in the last year and a half I have lost everything I had learned. Granted it was not much to begin with, but I could at least make the signature meals. I could handle, Tacos, enchiladas, chicken and rice, and even a whole meal of chicken, egg rolls, rice, and pot stickers. Now I cannot make any of it.

Tonight the elders came again. I choose an easy dish, anyone can make it. My younger brothers and sisters have successfully made it. Who knew that it could be screwed up. Apparently it can. The chicken didn't finish cooking (note to the world: putting together casseroles before you are completely awake in the morning is not the best idea) and the rice didn't either. On an ironic notethe exact same dish assembled by my roommate and cooked in the exact same oven came out perfect.

It wasn't as horrible as the enchilada debacle of March. But still wasn't as good as I want. Is the outcome of our various efforts ever as good we want them? Uh-Oh...I am starting to think. Not something I want to do at 3:20 am. Dryer is almost done.

Time

It is almost 1 am here. Both the washer and dryer are running. I have yet to pack. But I have been thinking of what I want to pack. It is only 1 night so it shouldn't be too hard.

Mall Rats is on TV. Jay and Silent Bob are beating up the Easter Bunny.

2:30.....last load is in the dryer.

"What you do not smell is Iocane powder........" It is a classic. Packing is almost done.

Too much excitement to sit still.....

So I have not had a weekend to myself for awhile. I thought it was going to be this weekend........BUT NO! I got invited to raft the Upper Gauley River this weekend. So it is back out to West Virginia to hit the Grand Canyon of the East again. This river is the one I rafted last year. I am so excited I can barely type. To tide you over till I get the rest of the New River pics blogged...Here is my favorite:

The proof .......

A couple of weeks ago my sister came for a visit. Tiana is my big sister. She is 18 months older then me (or is it 16 months? Who knows? Who really cares?) Any way, she now lives about 3 hours south of me in a college town called Buena Vista, which she shortens to BV. Now this is exciting for a couple of reasons. First, Tiana is going back to school, my long term goal is to get off my duff and follow in her footsteps. Second, this makes 2 out of 19 people (not including spouses or extended family) who live on the East Coast. I am excited to have at least one member of my family so close.
So she came to visit, she drove up after work one Friday night, arriving almost in time. ;) We then went to see Pirates 2 with Boo, Steph, Hugh, and Perry. It was fun. Unfortunately, she sat by Boo who doesn’t like talking in movies. My family is big on the running commentaries; I have had to train myself to not talk when I am at the movies with people. I really enjoyed being able to talk to my sister, even though Boo and Steph weren’t so happy. Lol! Afterwards there was a night of talking and bonding which was really nice. Saturday morning we were off early to the Eastern Market and brunch with some of her friends who have moved here. I found a fabulous hat, and some earrings. Tiana found a great necklace and Earring set.

After that we headed to the National Mall for some Touristy stuff.



We got to see the Sunstone in the American History Museum(got to see the Mormon stuff of course).
















Tiana found the love of her life, unfortunately he lived to long ago for her to date today.


















Then we moved on to walking outside. It was hot and muggy. But it was fun.
The Washington Monument weighs a ton:








































Lincoln’s Monument was just so stubborn, for some reason I couldn’t squish it!



















We got up close and personal with FDR













And his dog:















Tiana, trying to prove to the family back home just how broke she really is, stands in the bread line:
Tiana'a favorite Monument was the WWII:









My favorite Picture:

Here is why you don't let tourists take your picture. You get the Wahington Monument coming out of your head:













At the end of the walking we had to sit for a while to get the strength to walk back to the metro.













We ended the day perfectly with Appleby’s Carside To Go and Gilmore Girls. It was almost like the old days...... Tiana was on her way early the next morning so that she could make her Sacrament Meeting.
It was nice to have her come for a visit. I am looking forward to the time we can do it again.

I received my pictures from the rafting trip last weekend. I will post them another time. And then I will tell you all about the beach. Wahoo!! There was a lot of sand and fun.

1000 and counting

Well what a moment. I have had 1000 visitors to my blog. This is an odd feeling. Especially since this blog was created to vent my feelings to no one. As a matter of fact only 2 people knew it ever existed at the very beginning. So congrats to me for continuing to write here even after other people started to read it.

Today’s blog has to be devoted to the last weekend though. I have yet to blog about last weekend with my sister Tiana. I promise to do that but I have promised many that I would write of the festival and rafting. So here goes. Friday was the festival and Saturday was rafting…..

Friday afternoon I drove to a small town in West Virginia. Every year Elkins, West Virginia is host to a Summer Program devoted to American Heritage. Each week is dedicated to a type of music. They have concerts on Tuesdays and Thursday and outdoor dances every Friday. There are classes during the week to teach you various things from that heritage. Everything from singing, to dancing, to blacksmithing, to learning to play the guitar, you name it and people are brought in to teach it. The dance on Friday is a culmination of all the students have learned.

Last week was Cajun/Creole Week. Zydeco is a combination of cajun, blues and rock music that hails from Louisiana. The sound is a little faster then country. There is a different rhythm. The band includes and Accordion, a guitar, a fiddle, the drums, and I am told true Zydeco has a washboard (though there was not one at the festival on Friday)

A girl from one of the single adult wards invited those of us involved in our rafting trip to take a detour to this festival. It is in her home town. It is about a 5 hour drive from DC and we arrived about 7:30. We were welcomed like long lost children into the MacArthur home. Here we were fed and given a chance to get ready to go dancing. I, of course, dressed completely inappropriately in a t-shirt, jeans and flip flops. But no one mentioned anything to make me feel uncomfortable and I had not planned on actually dancing anyway. We also got a chance to meet Chester; Zydeco dancer extraordinaire. Chester hails from Beaumont, Texas. He travels to West Virginia for the festival every year. He is amazing to watch. So smooth, graceful and controlled. It is extremely cool. The steps to Zydeco dancing seemed simple enough when they were demonstrated, just a 4 count. Anyone should be able to do that right. Sort of a 2-step; instead of quick, quick, slow, slow; it is quick, quick, quick, quick. It should be easy right. I watched for the first couple of dances and was finally coaxed on to the floor. I proved yet again that I am a klutz. But that is okay. No one pointed or teased. I laughed and we went back to counting. After a few hours I could get the basic steps, and sometimes I was even able to do turns. I know I am pretty proud of myself too. It was so much fun. Even when I didn’t have a partner we would go to the middle of the floor and just enjoy the music. I soon learned the reasoning behind skirts on a crowded and hot dance floor. It was hot and muggy even this late at night. But no one let that slow them down. Even with everyone sweating profusely the dancing went on till midnight. Some where around my second dance I gave up on the flip flops, I went barefoot the rest of the evening. People were extremely kind. Mama MacArthur calls dances like these the great equalizer. Her favorites are Zydeco and Contra (another form of dance that I have only heard about, sort of like square dancing but different, it involves everyone on the floor dancing with each other though) She explained that you see everyone dancing with everyone. Old with Young. Rich with Poor. All Races dancing together. Gender didn’t really even matter when you needed a partner and there weren’t enough men. As long as you got to dance. The dancing was extremely pleasant.

Afterwards we all filed back to the MacArthur home and were treated to homemade Strawberry shakes. They were delicious and the discussions were lively, but by 1 am, with the realization that we would have to be up for rafting in a few hours, we started to turn in for the night. Mama and Papa MacArthur were up to see the first crowd off at 5:30 to make their 8:00 departure for rafting. The second crowd woke to the mellow tones of a dulcimer being played by Mama MacArthur. We then left by 7:00 to make our 9:30 departure time. The Macarthur’s were very good to us, they provided directions and breakfast. Mama MacArthurs was praying for us by name when we left, she didn’t want anyone hurt. She is a sweet lady.

Rafting was also fun. There are pictures. I just do not have them yet. We rafted the Lower New River. Apparently it is the second oldest river in the world, who knew? It is also called “The Grand Canyon of the East”. The rapids ranged between Class I thru Class V. With 3 sets of Class V rapids. It was not as difficult or intense as the Gauley last year, but still it was highly enjoyable. I got to swim through a couple of rapids, completely voluntary. I actually never fell out of the boat. As a matter of fact while trying to surf a specific set of rapids, me and Kyle were the only 2 that stayed in the boat with the guide. Everyone else ended up in the water. I also got a chance to go cliff jumping. Again the cliff wasn’t as high as the one that I jumped at the Gualey, but the falling sensation was the same. There is that feeling in your stomach; that tingle and jump that comes. Wahoo!!! There was also a waterfall that I got to climb up. I have decided I like bouldering much better then regular hiking. Bouldering is hiking big boulders; it is more of a scramble to get up and down. It is lots of fun. I took a camera, who knows how well the pictures turned out. But I also bought a bunch of pictures from the rafting company. They took them as we were rafting the rapids. They are fun. I will post them once I have them down loaded. By the time I got home I was exhausted. I showered, fell into bed, and slept through Sunday. I am glad I went but I think I need to pace myself. That way I don’t crash and sleep thru church anymore.

This weekend I go to camping to the Assateague Island in Maryland. I know nothing about this trip other then there is a beach and possibly wild ponies. It should be fun. I’ll let you know.

A family Con Call...

For the first time in our family history we had a conference call. Every member of my family dialed in (except Ralph in Egypt) to hear the great news. It was loud and chaotic as only the Hinkson/Gifford Clan can be. But the waiting is at an end. The letter came today......

Hugh has received his Mission Call. He will serve as a missionary in the Chile, Vina Del Mar mission for 2 years. He reports to the training center in Provo, Utah on August 30, 2006.

Hugh, Congratulations and Good Luck!
Ralph, if you read this before talking to Hugh or Julie...Oops. Sorry.


For those that are not LDS here is a link to explain a little more about missionary work and why we think it is so important:

http://www.mormon.org/learn/0,8672,1022-1,00.html

Happy Independence Day!!

Let Freedom Ring!

I hope every one got to enjoy some Fireworks.

Congrats to my big brother Kent and his wife Cynthia, the newest addition to the Hinkson Clan will arrive in December! Yeah.

Grr....

Three times in one day, I must be in a talkative mood.......

I read something today and got my feelings hurt. Now I know I am being a girl and the remark was not directed at me but still it hurt my feeling.

A friend of mine stated that most girls tend to "fan out to hunt for different prey.." once their guy friends start relationships. This saddened me as I would never want my relationships to be viewed this way. If I based all of my friendships on the possibility of matrimony I would be not only an old maid but a lonely unhappy one.

He was unhappy with the prospect that most women tend to disappear… and I happen to agree with this, especially when men get married. I want to state though that most new couples fade out of our singles scene for the first year of marriage. I do not know if this is a conscious choice or not. I call this settling into married life. There is the Honeymoon period, the period where they realize life is not a honeymoon, and then the stage where they learn to handle the rest of life (I believe this one actually never ends). Other friends are not involved in these stages. Singletons recognize this and usually prep themselves for the separation. If we are lucky, after about a year, we will be able to have some sort of friendship when the couple wakes up to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, more often than not, the separation is permanent. This is sad to us, we tuck our fond memories away to be brought out in later years when the urge “to call them like we used to” comes.

And now I will step down from my soap box. That’s All.