Day 19 :: Where I Was

It's kind of fun to hear what stage of life people were in and what they were doing on 9/11.  Especially now that it's a decade later, it's good to see life just carries on.

I was a senior in college, SUU, in my apartment getting ready to go to the gym before class. Our friend called and told us to turn on the telly.

All day in all my classes, we talked about who the heck this Bin Laden character was, and what this means for America. In one of my sociology classes, a guy made the comment that America would retaliate and go bomb them back, and it confused me what good that would do. I think I was still in shock. Everyone kept saying it was like something out of a movie, except if I saw it in a movie, I would be like: "lame...fake...that would never happen..."

Later that evening, me and Dana went and got a pizza and ate it outside on the curb. Across the street was a gas station, and we sat and watched the huge lines of cars gassing up.

Birthday Party

Nolan and Ryan (Dana's kids) were born on the same day.

So they had a big, fun birthday party to celebrate...

Avery loves birthday parties. She clapped after we sang happy birthday.

She likes to be the one who sits next to the birthday girl.

Day 3

a photograph of my best friend...

Well of course my best friend ever is Jimi...

(this is on our wedding day. it was hanging in my classroom, and now it's on the fridge)

and of course my sisters are my best friends...

but besides family, my best friend is Dana.

We lived together all four years of college, and we never bugged each other.

She is hilarious, and we just crack jokes back and forth whenever we are together.

Here is the kind of nonsense we used to do:

We got a video camera and set it up so it was facing the front door in order to capture Chantel's reaction when she came home.

Reaction to what?

Oh, Dana laying in a pool of blood (ketchup) at the bottom of the stairs.

That is not one bit funny. I can't even believe we did that. 

She is a very low maintenance friend. I can pretty much say whatever I want to her and she never gets offended. Plus we go months without hanging out, but it's just like normal when we do.

The Grapes of Wrath

All right kids, gather round. It's story time.

When I was in college, I spent the summer as a grounds keeper at Salt Lake Community College. Dana and Chantel worked there also, so it was more like messing around in sprinklers all summer. We would ride around in those golf cart thingys, mow lawns, pull weeds, fix sprinklers, drink lemonade.

I didn't have a car of my own, so a few times I would have to ride the city bus from our apartment to the college. Have you ever ridden on a city bus? It's full of weirdos. I say that affectionately. I guess weirdos can't afford cars? I should look into that.

There was an old man who also worked at SLCC as a janitor. I will call him Old Man Janitor or OMJ for short. He was really old. Grey stubbly beard, just shuffling around with his janitor cart. I'm not sure he did a whole lot. Maybe they let him kick around the campus for something to do, and in exchange he would empty a few garbage cans, wipe a few chalk boards.

By some chance, one morning me and OMJ were riding the same bus on our way to the same college. I was nose deep in a book when OMJ struck up a friendly conversation. He asked me what I was reading.
"The Grapes of Wrath."
"What's that about?"
I gave a two minute version of the story.
We talked about the Depression and had a pleasant little chat all the way to work.

Time to get to work. Dana, Chantel and I hop in our cart, turn water on the south berm, then prep for some edging and mowing. Throughout the morning, my book is sliding around the cart floor with each turn we take. Come lunchtime, I realize it's not in the cart! It must have fallen out somewhere.

I bemoan my loss as we eat our lunch and discuss a search mission. One of our coworkers pipes up, "Earlier today OMJ showed me a book he was reading and was lecturing me about how poorly the vagabond farmers were treated during the dust bowl settlement...blah blah blah..."

OMJ must have found my book laying around the campus grounds! And kept it as his own! Then told others about the story as if he read it! ha ha that part cracks me up.

This is where the story gets good. Our search mission turned into a rescue mission. We had to find OMJ and his janitor's cart! We rode wildly around campus asking employees here and there if they had seen OMJ. We eventually got a tip that he was seen in the science building. We searched up and down the stairs and in each classroom.

Bingo.

There was his cart. But where was OMJ? I looked around the far corner behind the door, and there he was. Sleeping in a chair.

We ran out fighting our laughter. I was a little worried he might be dead. I tiptoed back in and grabbed my book off his cart. Mission accomplished.

And don't worry, he wasn't dead.

Isn't SLCC campus beautiful? Just kidding, that's me and Chantel in Escalante.

January

We are seriously wearing our summer attire this week in the middle of January.

We had a play date with Dana's kids. It's impossible to get a good picture of these two in the same place. I'll keep trying though, believe me.

Avery has started playing on playground equipment on her own. No more clinging to me and drinking pop. She has joined the "static-y hair from plastic slides" club.

Here are the boys. Almost moving to another state put the scare into us, so now we try and hang out every other week instead of every other year.

Evan joined the black eye club. He pulled Jimi's bike on top of him. 

While Scrubbing the Bathroom Today...

Jake, Jimi, Chad

I just remembered something while I was scrubbing my bathtub today (I get a lot of thinking done while cleaning bathrooms. It's kind of annoying).

The only other girlfriend Jimi's ever had looked exactly like me. She and I were on the soccer team together my first year at SUU, and even our coach couldn't tell us apart. He (the coach) would yell "Heather!" at me all the time.

Jimi and his roommates always came and scrimmaged with us during practice (yeah, our coach ran a real tight ship). The house they lived in was called "The Barn", I guess because it looked like a barn. But anyway some of the girls were talking about going to The Barn after practice, and I asked, "can anyone go to The Barn?" I thought it was some kind of a club house or something.

Years later when Jimi and I started dateing we totally cracked up that I asked if anyone could go to The Barn like it was an elite place to be or something.

That was what I thought of today. But for memory's sake, I will include a few other encounters we had at SUU. So if you don't care, stop reading now.

---

ok then,

Sophomore year, my friends and his friends went snowboarding at Elk Meadows. We still didn't know each other hardly.

Later that night I got a phone call from someone asking if I wanted to hang out. I totally didn't know who it was, and there was all this laughing and yelling in the background, so I thought it was a joke. Plus I had to write a paper or something like that, so I said I was busy.

Turns out it was Jimi. And it turns out he NEVER asked girls out, so all the yelling in the background was his roommates totally excited and surprised. And it also turns out I turned down a date from my future husband.

Dana, Kelli, Chantel

Junior year our roommates dated each other, so we hung out a little more. While me and my roommates were making this seriously sweet igloo (that took close to 8 hours), Jimi brought us hot chocolate.

---

I went with Chantel to a flag football game because Jake was playing. Jimi was on the team too. I mostly just watched him. I actually ditched a class (Shakespeare) that day because I was hoping to talk to him when the game was over. 

It's what Shakespeare would have done, am I right?

Kelli, Chantel, Dana

And may I also insert this picture while I am at it? We covered our walls with pictures from National Geographic. This project took days. Days I tell you.

---

One time Chantel, Jimi, Jake, and I went to a Tim Reynolds concert. I spent a lot of time getting ready so that Jimi would think I was cute and maybe flirt with me.

He didn't flirt.

But now when we talk about it, he remembers exactly what I wore, and he thought I was totally cute. Yesssss.

Kelli, Jimi, Dana, Chantel

Then senior year we finally got our act together and confessed our crushes.

Mondays we would go on a 6 mile run up Cedar Canyon. Then we would go pick up my brother and his dorm rat buddies and go to all you can eat Godfather's Pizza.

So, yeah.

Party Girl

Avery got to go to her friend, Ryan's, birthday party Saturday.

Cupcakes, bouncy house, slide, crowns...she had so much fun.

---

On Sunday, I went to peek on her in nursery. They were singing Old McDonald Had a Farm.

She was in the back totally rocking out. Arms akimbo, hips a-swayin'...she had so much fun.

Evan's Blessing

Check out this dapper little boy in the cutest little tuxedo ever. It even has tails.

It was made by Grandma Cook:

Everyone in attendance

Then as we were about to get a picture of our family, Avery fell down the step and proceeded to throw a good little tantrum.

Poor girl.

Still mad and yelling "no!"

I love my little family.

Friends

From the day Avery was born, she has been surrounded by the sweetest friends. It looks like we may be moving in the next year, and I don't ever want to forget the darlings that she spent her first year of life with.

Callie Fagan and Audrey Humes

(um...I know, can you believe this?)

Laila Weedman, Callie, Audrey

Ryan Neel

Arlo Child (I think she has a thing for red heads)

Gracie Whitaker, Arlo, Audrey, Haley

Audrey

Emily Street

For more pictures of good times in our Rainbow Park ritual, click here.

Party Animal

For the second weekend in a row, Avery got to go to a birthday party for her little friend. This is Dana's (my old roommate and bff) little girl. I have a hunch they are talking about where they can find free food (if they are anything like their moms).

What a crazy little party animal!

The last time they hung out was when they were this big slash small.

"I heard they're giving out free milk under that shirt over there..."

Blessing

Avery was blessed by Jimi this weekend. I loved it, and I loved having all our family together.

Avery's dress was made by Grandma Cook. The blanket was made by Grandma Larsen. We didn't really need the blanket in this heat, but I just had to include it in the pictures.

my family

if anyone knows how to get a baby to not cry during the blessing, let me know...

Jimi's family

the twins...so handsome

my sweet little family

cabbage patch doll or Dana's baby? Avery is so annoyed

preisthood holders that stood in the circle

the after party - olympics watching

the after after party