Where Have Our Manners Gone?

 Sometimes I really wonder what goes through peoples’ minds before they make a comment, to a stranger, especially.  I mean, in this day and age where certain, ahem, freedoms, are in the news every day, and many people feel the need to express themselves with bumper stickers, t-shirts and even tattoos, I have to ask myself, “Is this progress?”

I remember when it was okay to hang out with your same gender best friend and people NEVER would have thought, much less asked, about something more intimate between the two.  Nowadays, thanks to Hollywood and the standards (or lack thereof!) that they set, you can’t have a same gender best friend without experimenting. 

I am going to blame it on . . . . wait for it . . . TV!  Not only do we have everyday common voyeurism going on in magazines and online news sites, we have “reality TV” . .. I’m sorry!  How real can it be????  You have a camera in your face 24/7 – go ahead, be yourself!  And if you have to squelch your values, morals and beliefs so that you can become a star . . . . SO WHAT!?!?!?!

I literally could go on for hours about this – but I won’t!  I just want to be sure that all of cyberspace knows that I am a heterosexual, Christian female who spends LOTS of time with her female friends.  Nope, I won’t be wearing a tattoo or T-shirt that says so, and my car isn’t my own personal billboard either.  But, that’s me! 

Now, you won’t have to ask, presume or ASSUME (do the break down of that word; don’t MAKE me break out my crayons and draw you a picture!) any differently!  And, by the way . . . . it is none of your business!  And, your personal and/or intimate life is none of mine!  We are all children of God, and our choices (unless they harm another person) are OURS – to make, pursue, and answer to God for! 

Please be kind to one another – we all have our own struggles and need to see a friendly face to remind us that we aren’t fighting this fight alone!  Thank you!

Christmas 2010

So I have decided, in the last few years or so, that I really need to try to give meaningful gifts for Christmas. And meaningful, to me, means something that is hand-made, something that will promote memory making moments (like a board game or puzzle) or some type of gift with heirloom potential.

This Christmas, I made watches for the women in my family. For my 3 sisters and my sister-in-law, I made them each a watch that was a color that they wear/like. I tried very hard to match every piece of it to their personalities and style.

For example, one sister is not about girly, blingy jewelry, so hers is cute and chunky. Another sister is simply elegant, so hers was pearls, in two colors and some accent beads. The face on hers was screaming her name, when I found it!

The hairdresser sister is all about big, blingy jewelry, so even the watch face is big and blingy! That was my first one – and what fun it was to discover that I LIKE to bead! Who knew???

My sister, DeAwna, has been beading for years, but I never had any interest in pursuing that hobby. When I told her that I had done a beading project (I didn’t give her any details, because I didn’t want to spoil the surprise!!); she said “WHO is this???” Then we both laughed!

The best part of giving gifts like this – I am just as excited to see them open the gifts as they are to open them. That is the joy of giving!

I am thankful for my savior, Jesus Christ, who gave His life for me – with just as much joy of giving.

The only sad part of Christmas is that it does end, and we have to wait 364 more days for it to come around again. Maybe I will think of some really great way to make that feeling last all year round!

The Results are in!

I have conducted an in-depth study: The Benefits of Cheap Toilet Paper. The following is a list of benefits that I have discovered:

Oh, that's right - THERE ARE NONE!!!!!!

Do the math, people! Yes, you buy that 64-pack of TP that is one measly ply, and you pay 1/3 the price for it. But, when you have to buy said 64-pack 4 times in the same month, is it REALLY saving you money? Considering a person has to use HALF the roll to do the job correctly???

Obviously this is a pet peeve of mine . . .

Been on a blogger vacay . . . no, more like a strike!!

It has been waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long since I have posted on my blog. And, I have really missed the therapy that comes with venting/talking to myself/thinking out loud! I must make a point to do better with this!

Many Mighty Miracles

Jorge’s sister, Ilse, had announced to us that she was to be married, in the Salt Lake Temple, on May 1, 2010. She is part of the reason that Jorge moved to the United States, and she has been here for 20 years from Colombia. Another motivating factor for attending the wedding was the fact that Jorge’s brother, Harold, and his sister, Angela, were both going to be there. They both live in Canada – on either ends of the continent, but I had not ever met either of them.

Jorge was going to Utah, for the wedding. He asked me if I wanted to go. Of course I WANTED to go, but since I have been unemployed for most of the past year, I didn’t know if I could get off of work, at the US Census Bureau to go. Also, HOW were we going to get there??? I don’t have a vehicle, and his BMW, while a “nice” car ***cough, cough, ya right! Cough, cough*** is NOT in prime working condition.

We looked into plane tickets – NOPE, too much money! We tried the car rental option, but we don’t have any major credit cards (for obvious reasons! No job to keep up payments being one of them!!) and nobody will rent with just a debit card anymore . . . well, not without promising your first-born and any functioning limbs as collateral!

So, after I had asked and been granted the time off, we climbed in Jorge’s Beemer and prayed A LOT! We both prefer to travel at night, and in the warmer months, it is a no-brainer. So, we left on Wednesday, April 28. We didn’t have any “extra” money, and were praying that we would not have any extra expenses, other than gas and food, along the way!

We arrived in Salt Lake around 3 pm on Thursday afternoon, in one piece and without ANY problems with the car! Another tender mercy of the Lord! We felt truly blessed.

And, upon arrival, we discovered that there was to be a SURPRISE Bridal shower for Ilse that evening. I had arranged for us to stay at my aunt’s home, but she lives 40 miles from Salt Lake, and I did NOT want to meet Ilse’s friends without showering first!! Especially after 18 hours in the car! (We stopped to rest a few times, along the way!)

Anyway, the shower was fun! She was so surprised and it was great to see her sooooooooooo happy! It is exciting to see people so happy in love.

It was great to meet Angela, one of Jorge’s other sisters. She made some delicious food for the shower, and had actually been working on things for the shower ALL DAY on Thursday. (She arrived on Wednesday evening)

Some friends of the Zapata family live there, in Sandy. They have known Alejandro Hernandez and his family since they were children. Anyway, they invited us to sleep at their home. It was a LOT closer, and we were so tired! So, we slept in their son’s queen size bed, and I, for one, slept like a LOG!!!

Friday morning, Angela called and let us know what the plan was for the day. Ilse and Ted had some errands to run, and then we were all to meet for lunch. Then Ilse had an appointment to get her nails done, and have a pedicure. Lucky Jorge got to hang out with the girls for the day!

It was a treat to get to know Angela and talk to her. And Ilse was just giddy and excited all day. I have never seen her smile so much! (Of course, I have never spent more than an hour at a time with her, and have spent more time on the phone with her than anything else!)

The plan for the evening was a little vague – the only thing that we knew for sure was that Harold’s flight arrived a little after 9pm and we would all be going to the airport. This truly was another of the miracles that weekend – these 4 siblings have not all been in the same country for YEARS!! 20 to be exact!! (I will mention, here, that there are 7 children in the Zapata family. I have met one other sister, Martha, when she visited from Colombia, in 2006. His sister, Judita, and his brother, Gonzalo, live in Colombia, too.)

Ilse had not seen Harold for 20 years, since she left Colombia, in 1990; Jorge had not seen Harold since 1999, when he left Colombia. So, everyone was excited, but I don’t think anyone was more excited than Ilse!! I personally was just excited to get to know one more sibling of Jorge’s. And, it is always interesting to watch one’s spouse interact with his siblings! ;)

Thank goodness Ilse had scheduled her sealing ceremony for the afternoon, on Saturday! The weather, all week, had been cloudy, cold and snowy or rainy! Ilse told me that she had been planning, for a long time, to have a party on May 1, 2010, because it was her 20 year anniversary of being in the United States. When Ted proposed, she said, “Okay! May 1 is the day!” She got her party, but now it was a double whammy!!

So, she rented a gown with SHORT sleeves, because May is usually so beautiful and springy! The next miracle was the weather . . . although at 8:30 am it was snowing, by 2 pm the sun was shining through the clouds and there was not a drop of precipitation to be felt or seen!

One thing that happened that was NOT so miraculous: I had forgotten, in AZ, my shoes that were NOT sandals or flip flops. So, Jorge and I had gone to Wal Mart to pick up some shoes that would work with my outfit and would be presentable. Anyway, after we bought them, I purposely left them in the car, so that I would not forget them for the wedding. Well, when it came time to put them on . . . my ever so helpful husband had taken them OUT of the car, at Alejo’s house! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!! So, I was the most casually-dressed wedding guest, because I had flip flops on. At least they were something other than the cheapy rubber ones. They have some bling on them . . . and I just focused on who and what was more important!

Anyway, as we were waiting, in the temple, for the ceremony to start, the officiator walked into the room. I was seated right next to Harold. I heard Harold gasp, and then he said, “That is my mission president!” The man stopped, and asked us to excuse him for a minute, he needed to greet one of his sons. He and Harold exchanged a hug, and brushed their eyes. It was so cool. Ilse told us later that the man had asked her, as he got to know she and Ted before the ceremony, if she was related to Harold, so he knew that he would find Harold there. That was a tender mercy too.

After the ceremony was the proverbial photography session! It was a great way to meet a lot of new family and old friends of both Ted and Ilse. The weather was still holding out and beautiful! A little chilly, but sun shining and bright!

The reception was really dinner at the Lion House. Wow, that was some YUMMY food! Who could say no to those rolls??? Jorge took my camera and played candid shot photographer, while the paid professional took pictures of the bride and groom and whomever they wanted to pose with. (that is one of the things that I love about Jorge – he thinks photos are just as important as I do!!)

So EXCITING!!

It's a HAPPY day for the
Zap Family!!






Cough, cough, April Fools! Cough, cough

The River of Denial . .. .

and me without a paddle!!! YIKES!

Yep, it is true . . . being human myself, I have taken a few trips down that grand ole river. (It must be grand, we all seem to want to spend so much time on it!!!)

Anyway! Although I have been suspecting the worst for quite a while now, today my fears were confirmed, and my hopes were dashed.

My mom - my amazing, loving, giving, caring mother - is certifiably losing her memory, most probably to Alzheimer's. Like I said, I have been afraid of that for a while, but it seems different now; a doctor, a medical professional, has verified it. They recommend that she not even be in the kitchen unsupervised. (Any of you who know what an amazing cook my mom has always been will appreciate how devastating that is for her family!)

I'm a little sad and mourning, really, the loss of her amazing memory. It still is amazing, about some things. But, since I wasn't around when she was a child, I can hardly dispute the memories that she shares!

I heard a quote . . . I actually think it was on a television program . . . the man said, "I lost my mother 12 years before she died .. . to Alzheimer's!" That is how I feel . .. I am losing her; LONG before I am ready to let her go!!

I'm gonna go, before I depress anyone else!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

It is so cool to have a different perspective on Valentine's Day!

For all of my single years, I had nothing but bad things to say about February 14th!! I always called it "Crapentines Day" or "Single Awareness Day".

Now that I have been married for the last three Valentine's Days . . . I have learned to relax. Well, besides the fact that I have a sweetheart to smooch on Valentine's Day!

For all the cynicism about it being a commercial holiday, it really is a nice excuse to let people know that you're thinking about them.

Anyway . . . I hope that everyone had a nice day! February is BEE-YOO-TI-FUL in Mesa, Arizona! So we spent the late afternoon at the park - with 1/2 the population of Mesa! But it was fun to people-watch and enjoy the 76 degree weather!!

The Trial Period is Over . . .

. . . and we are OFFICIALLY into the year 2010! To me, that is CRAZY!! I very clearly remember 1/1/2000 like it was yesterday, and now we are here, ten years later!! YIKES!!

So, I've been a slackin' blogger, part of that being the lack of internet availability in my life! But that time has past and I am redevoted and rededicated to sharing, or at least, saying something, as often as I can!

I am now a full-time college student . . . AGAIN!! I haven't had any luck finding a permanent, full-time job, and I have ALWAYS wanted to be a teacher . . . so, here we go!

I started with a basic computer class in the winter session. 4 weeks, crammed into the winter break between semesters. I am pretty computer savvy, since I have been using them for MANY years now, so I felt pretty confident that I would be okay.
For a moment, though, I thought that I would have to drop the class, when I had a computer issue for my first assignment due date, and then went to Denver on Christmas Day and forgot my books! But, thanks to some great helpers in my family, (Thanks Dad and Jeremy!!) I made it over that first little hump.
Long story short, I got an "A"!! Woo hoo!!! Not a bad re-entry for someone who hasn't studied any type of school for 19 years . . . wow, I didn't realize, until just now, that it has been so long!
Anyway, I'm very enthusiastic about this new adventure! And, when it is all said and done, I will be helping 5 year olds learn, and learning from them.