If You Don't Like Babies, Move Along

I got a wonderful call last night from my sister's husband, Joe. They wanted to take me up on my always-open offer to watch their son while they attend the temple. Since I live two blocks away from the Mesa Temple, it is perfect for them to be gone for a few hours to enjoy some spiritual uplifting. It's also perfect for Aunt Micah to watch her favorite local nephew!

How dare he show up asleep! Didn't he know of the big plans I had for us today? Evan slept for an hour then finally decided to join the party. When I went to get him out of his seat, I said, "Hi boyfriend!" He smiled and ducked his head to the side as a shy, perfect little man. He was so well-behaved. He munched down on the bottle his mama left for him but still acted hungry. When T'liese called to see how everything was going, I informed her of his hunger. They decided to come give him a snack before they left again for some Mexican food. After they drove away for the second time, I rocked Evan to sleep. I am starting to figure out what my sister means when she says she misses him when he sleeps! What a sweet little boy. He smells and tastes as good as he looks!

Thanks, Joe, T'liese, and Evan. Any time! Really!

The Adventures of Mid-Week Bowling

I wonder how long it will take me to settle back into our normal routine of being John plus Micah minus School equals Happiness. When I look at the clock and notice John is right next to me, I panic for a second because he is two hours late for class! It has been so nice having him back! So nice, in fact, that we were able to take advantage of the local bowling alley's DollarMania games. Two people. Two games each of bowling. $4.00. Can't beat that for an hour of entertainment! As you can see from the packed parking lot, the wait for a lane was almost unbearable.

Yes, we have our own bowling shoes. It's the only thing we purchased with our wedding money. The remainder still sits in one of our bank accounts, awaiting the next time we realize we need something that will change our lives forever! It was fun to get matching bowling shoes. Yes, they glow under the lights of Cosmic Bowling. They are quite the envy of the alley. Just to assure you...even though we are proud and distinguished owners of bowling shoes, and even though John has his own ball because it was impossible to find a ball that fit his fingers comfortably, we are STILL normal people. I assure you! In fact, this was the whole third time these shoes have been used in a year and a half of marriage, so that might let you know how avidly we bowl. The shoes have already paid for themselves...who gets away with charging $5.00 for shoe rentals?! Why, I remember when shoe rentals were a nickel (or at least, I bet my grandpa remembers)! Thankfully, I don't have to worry about the obscene costs of borrowing stinky, germ-infested slippery shoes for a few hours. I have my own, thank you very much.

John had two great games. He kept saying he wanted someone around to make it believable! He bowled like a champ. It was fun, too. The two games went very quickly since it was just the two of us. And we were only interrupted by the bowling of others when one of the two families on either side of us slammed a ball against the bumper rails. I still think those things have my name written all over them for next time! We really enjoyed the games and the quiet. It was pretty pleasant and cheap entertainment for the likes of us.

We even made it home in time to watch the Suns play another awesome game to even the series against the Lakers. In case it was unknown, I am married to a big Suns fan. And he knows the game of basketball so well, he could be an announcer! He will comment on a play or foul or shot, and two seconds later the commentator will say the exact thing! He is a smarty pants. In everything, it seems. I like him.

High-Tech Features of our Home

All my life, I have been teased for loving gadgets with features. I love things that go "click" and make little beeping sounds. I love even more when they end up meaning something! While I was wide awake this morning at 3:00 AM (I will blame self-diagnosed Christmas-Eve Brain Syndrome, or being too excited to shut my brain off), I was reflecting on how much technology, gadgets, and features we have in our house!

We have five computers between the two of us. We each have a personal laptop as well as a work laptop. John also has a desktop computer that he has hooked up to our television. We are now able to check email, surf the web, and find necessary shoes on the big screen! In addition, John has downloaded every Nintendo game known to man and can play it using forty-six inches of LCD goodness instead of his small computer screen. See? I married someone who likes features, too!

But I have to tell you about my absolute favorite gadget of late. I bought it for free with my credit card cash-back awards in January as a present to myself for passing my Airline Transport Pilot check ride in Wichita. I felt guilt for about an hour before realizing 1) it was free and 2) it was really stinkin' cool. So I quickly moved past the guilt and have loved every second of my iPod Touch since then. What a machine!

I have a bunch of helpful applications on there, and some are just for fun! It has a great map feature that acts as a GPS to get me to my destinations. I can check my email on it for free as long as I am connected to wi-fi. I can see how miserably hot (or not) it will be today in Phoenix. I can look at all of my uploaded pictures to the internet through Photobucket. I can find the nearest Redbox and even check availability of movies we want to see. I can listen to the radio online via Pandora, which I absolutely love. After typing in a song, it finds similar songs that it thinks I will like. And it hasn't led me astray yet! I can create shopping lists and then cross items off as I find them in stores. I can discover what's for dinner using one of a dozen recipe-finding apps. I can track airplanes on FlightAware. I can study bones and anatomy and even take quizzes to see how well I am paying attention. I can see a 3-D view of the night sky and find any information on stars and constellations (I love this app...it makes me feel smart!). I can shop for anything, including houses, great deals at Target, and online wonders at Amazon. I can play games like Paper Toss when I am waiting for Big Boss to show up at the airport. I can take a 3-D tour of any major city in the United States, and this has come in pretty handy when I am on the ground in NYC trying to remember which cross-street Central Park is located. I can set up a weight-loss game plan and track everything I eat throughout the day. I can translate any statement into any language, then even have it say it for me so I don't sound like a foreigner! I can convert ounces to cups and then some with converting tool that has saved me more than once in the kitchen. I can check to see when the next Suns game is, and even check the score of the tough game last night on the east coast. I can learn everything there is to know about how to grow a garden and when to plant what. I can create workouts and watch tutorials as to proper execution. And I can keep my life in check with a calendar.

Even though my husband is avidly against Mac and Apple of any kind, he tolerates my iPod Touch because of how dang handy it is. I love the little monster and find new, free applications every day that only serve to make my life more easy.

The technological tour of our home is now complete! I love gadgets and features. Beep beep!