Life By Lindsey Rae

I've been quite sick since Monday night. Maybe just a cold or a bit of the flu. I usually have the daily headaches and allergies all that, but now having a bad cough and sore throat and chill and those kind of flu aches and pains made me remember that I haven't been quite so sick like this in quite awhile.
When I was in school, was taking 18-21 hours of classes per semester and had 2 hours of driving back and forth to do daily, I would always get sick like this; at least once or twice every semester for a few weeks...I must have been worn down and probably made me more susceptible to these things.
Since I haven't been doing the school thing for awhile, I seem to have been able to avoid it more than in the past.
Anyway, my concern now is that we have our Primary presentation on Sunday. As I previously said, keeping my class nice and quiet takes about all the energy I normally have. And on top of that, I am supposed to sing two solos! Solos without a mic....which I usually have a big enough voice to do, but at this rate, I can't hardly even talk. How will I say, "Be quiet...stop talking....stop poking each other..." over and over, and then sing two songs?

Today at church, the little girl in my Sunbeam class said to me, "Teacher, thank you for loving me."

I guess it's when they say these nice things that it makes up for them driving me absolutely insane. We had a practice for the primary presentation we are doing during sacrament meeting next Sunday and they were soooo out of control (again) this week. I thought it couldn't get any worse than last week, but....a group of 4-year-olds have a particularly great talent for making a person crazy in a very short amount of time. With all the bouncing around and almost falling off benches multiple times, it's very surprising to me that someone didn't at least loose a tooth or something. It's also amazing how much better they suddenly hear you when you tell them something and add that, if they don't start behaving they are going to have to go see their dad next. Sometimes, it's otherwise like nothing was never said to them. But, they always hear that! I finally resorted to just sitting on the floor in front of them so I could try and keep them all within my reach. In the chapel, no less!

Our church must be the true church of Jesus Christ, or else we never be able to survive the wrath of the Sunbeam class. But, since it is, we sit on the floor in front of them and spend 2 hours asking them to be quiet and sit down and be reverent, hoping something worthwhile in the middle of all the craziness gets through. I guess it must, because many Sunbeams have probably grown up to be leaders in the church who eventually stopped jumping around and making their teacher crazy. Even I was once a Sunbeam. However, I don't think I really could have been that wild!

***I started writing this about 10 days ago and never got around to adding the pictures and posting it until today. So, it's kind of late, and about 2 weeks after the fact. But, here it is anyway.***

We just got back from our trip to Phoenix a couple of days ago. I haven't written much on here lately, because we were away and I didn't have as much of a chance to get online.

We go to Phoenix usually once, occasionally twice a year to visit Jerrod's family. However, this was the first time we ever drove there.

Jerrod had been wanting to do the trip all summer and we had originally planned to go in May. However, with his busy work schedule, it didn't work out for us to go until recently. I was not really that enthusiastic about the trip because I wasn't so keen on the driving part and also, because I would have preferred to go when it was colder here in Tennessee. I have just been doing so much yard work lately, I hated to stop and wanted to take advantage of all the warm weather. And, I hate winter, so it would have been nice to go somewhere warm when the weather wasn't so good here for a nice change.

But, it turned out to be OK. I actually enjoyed the drive more than I expected...probably because I didn't do any of it. (I never do with Jerrod, as he prefers his own driving.) So, I just spent 3400 miles (which is 48 hours driving time) reading books, beading, hand stitching some letters on cards and watching movies on my new ipod that Jerrod bought me for the trip. I realized that it was actually quite nice because I didn't have to worry about doing much of anything the whole time.

We drove through West Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Those are a lot of states...a lot of big states, distance wise to cover in the two and a half days.
When it's at these prices, it's a good thing the car is decent on gas.
(At least it was cheaper here...and more avaliable...than it was in the South at this time).



The first night we didn't leave until probably almost 8:00pm. That wasn't really the plan, but, being such experts on being late, (particularly myself) it just worked out that way. I think we had thought we would stop in Memphis that night, but ended up getting further. But, halfway between Memphis and Little Rock, it was getting pretty late and so we needed to stop and sleep for the night.

Stopping in Oklahoma: I get one of very few pictures on this trip. Not very exciting. Nice scenery, eh? haha.
Unfortunately, this puts a person somewhat in the middle of nowhere and options become limited. We got stuck at probably one of the worst places I have ever had the opportunity to stay in. It was just not good. You know when you first walk in and there is a gigantic killer-bug on the wall that is not a good sign. And then when you see more than one gigantic killer-bugs in your room, that is definitely not a good sign. However, for future reference I suppose we now know where NOT to stop.

The second day we made it to Amarillo, TX, and that was a bit better. At least that place was clean! And they had a good breakfast where I was able to make myself a waffle in the morning in a waffle maker the shape of Texas. Classic. Wish I would have got a picture of that. haha.

Then after Amarillo we drove onto Phoenix and arrived at a pretty decent time. We stayed at Jerrod's Aunt's house there for a week and like I said before, didn't do much of anything. Just visiting and hanging out mostly. Despite the fact that we had a pool and two hot tubs available to us at the Aunt's house, we didn't even end up using them this time! Kind of silly, I know. I even had two new bathing suits (that I got on clearance, super cheap right before we left) that I never got to use. It was over 100 degrees every day we were there I think I wasn't as motivated to go in, because they had the water at 85 degrees and that's a bit cold for me. Even though it was in the 100's, it didn't seem that hot, because it was so dry. We have been in the mid to upper 90's here in Tennessee all summer and it feels much hotter, because of the humidity.

We did go shopping a bit and got a couple of things we needed...and I myself got a couple of things on sale: Two Rose Bushes at a local nursery for $0.99 each! They are potted in half-gallon pots now. Pretty good deal! They're Christian Dior Hybrid Roses. Kind of a darker pink flower, I think. I would have got more if Jerrod would have let me, but he said we didn't have room.

On the way back we went to Albuquerque, New Mexico, the first night and then a place called Clarksville, Arkansas, the second. Over all, to me, the drive really didn't feel that long, for some reason. But, I guess it was, because it shows on my odometer now.

Stopping in New Mexico.
(I can't be expected to look completely wonderful in a picture after already spending 18 hours in a car.)

My poor Mazda3 only had 5100 miles on it when we left and now that has nearly doubled! I'm sad about it. I thought was doing so good by only having 5100 miles after 10 months of owning it. Then within two weeks, all my effort of trying to keep the miles off has gone to waste. It did get 35 miles to the gallon, which is pretty impressive. I really like my car.

Just back from a long trip to Phoenix. I will write more later when I am not falling asleep while typing.

Earlier this month, I think Amy Richey tagged me for this blog questionnaire. I'm just now getting around to doing it...sorry Amy!


Four things I love about my husband:
- He is dependable.
- Has integrity and tries to do what's right.
- Very smart and knows a lot about a lot of things.
- Made something of his life all on his own with his talents and with his will to make good decisions.

Four movies that I would watch more then once:
- Gone With The Wind
- Evita
- Anne Of Green Gables and the Sequel
- Every episode of Dr. Quinn on DVD (haha.)

Four TV shows I watch:
- Grey's Anatomy
- Desperate Housewives
- The Office
- House

Four Places I have been:
- Okinawa
- Hawaii
- Mississippi
- Victoria

Four places I would like to go (that I haven't been yet):
- England
- Nagasaki
- Ireland
- Fiji

Four people who regularly email me:
- My Mom
- My husband
- Japanese friends
- Those who like to send spam

Four Things I would like to eat:
- Japanese Rice
- Taber Corn
- Mitsuya Cider
- Pocky

Four things I look forward to in the next year:
- Making art
- Finishing my CD
- Growing a garden
- Japan

Four people I tag:
- Wakana
- Krista
- Stephanie
- Meghan

This is my highly recommended video for this week. It does involve a picture of a nasty, ugly moth...which is unfortunate, because, as a lot of people know, I am deathly terrified of them. But, it is also funny enough that I am willing to overlook that this one time. As you will see, the guy in the video also overlooks it.

On Friday, my finger was more swollen than it was the 2 days prior. So, I decided that I probably needed to do something with it, since it was just getting worse. It was getting quite puffy.
I had actually sent an email to my doctor's office to ask about it...I mostly just wanted to know if I would have a better chance of keeping the nail if I had them take care of it for me. Jerrod knew they could do something, because he had once had a missionary companion who hurt his toe and they had to go to the doctor for it. He said the doctor has a tool that, I guess, heats up and they quickly poke the nail and it releases the pressure. His other suggestion to me was to "take the DeWalt to it." However, the later seemed like an even more frightening idea.
Anyhow, my doctors nurse is pretty good at getting back to me usually, but for whatever reason, did not very quickly this time.

I couldn't easily work in the yard while my finger was swollen, so decided I would go ahead and try Jerrod's first method. It's quite surprising I even considered it, since I'm a bit squeamish about these sort of things.
We ended up getting a paper clip and unwrapping it. They we heated it up under a lighter flame for a few moments and then Jerrod tried to stick it in my nail. It didn't work the first time, because we didn't get it hot enough. So, we tried it again...and I started getting more and more nervous the more times he did it....I thought for sure it would have to hurt.
The next time Jerrod got the metal hot enough that it glowed red and stuck it in. It was enough to burn through and it make a hole that released all that swelling an pressure almost immediately. We drained out the blood from the bruise and all the purple and blue disappeared right away. This surprised me, because the last time I bruised a nail...my toenail, it took more than 6 month to to away.
Now, I do have a burn hole in my nail, but it's not half blue anymore and it doesn't hurt as bad and is not swollen. Hopefully it won't get infected. I am very carefully keeping it protected.

I can't believe that I, of all people, allowed a burned paperclip into my injured finger. It worked good. The nurse did end up calling me back about 2 days after the fact and I told her what I did...admitted it may not have been the best idea, but told her it was OK. She said to just watch it for infection. My Doctor said releasing the pressure wouldn't really help the nail. But, at least it now feels better.

After all the time I have spent out in the yard digging trenches...dragging rocks around, throwing rocks around...building walls with rocks and other various outdoor activities, I have finally injured myself. But, surprisingly, it was not from all that. I got my finger caught in the back door. Something a person is probably not supposed to do past the age of 3 or unless they are a dog.
I can't believe that I could potentially have dropped a 50+ pound rock on myself that many times and I ended up slamming my finger in the door.
It hurt so badly. But, I was anxious to finish the trench for the rocks to put the edging on my raised flower bed, so I kept digging. About 5 minutes later, I took my gloves off and saw about 1/3 to 1/2 of the nail had turned blue. So, no wonder it hurt so much.
Now that my finger is hurt, I wonder how I will finish my flowerbed by next week like I had planned. Knowing my luck, I probably will end up dropping a rock on myself now and re-injuring the finger, which will really hurt. I tried to look for a little splint type thing to put on it so it would be protected, but couldn't find anything. I guess either I must not work anymore and take the risk of letting the plants die if they can't go in the flowerbed or risk more injury.

I am wondering if it is beneficial to go to the Doctor for this sort of thing. Both Jerrod and my Grandma said that I may loose the nail, which seems a bit horrible. I wonder if I go to the doctor and get it drained to reduce the swelling if there is less chance of loosing the nail. It is still throbbing with a pulse almost 30 hours later and feels hot to touch...but going to the doctor for a bruise seems a bit extreme too. Then again, if I loose my nail, I will be upset and and might regret it. I can't imagine not having a nail. Jerrod said he'd poke it for me with a hot needle. Seems scary.

I meant to post this a first almost week and a half ago, but, it seems I have had my hands in too many projects (again) lately and so (again), I am late with writing anything.

After spending the summer working in Nashville, my cousin, Steven, has gone back to Canada. We were able to hang out a few times while he was here and it was really fun for both Jerrod and I. I really enjoyed having someone around from back home. It was also cool when he brought other people from Southern Alberta over. I think, sometimes, there actually is a bit of a "culture" difference....not sure how else to put it...but as much as I enjoy my home in Tennessee, there is something fun about being around people from Southern Alberta and being able to talk about things from home that normally I don't get to, because no one I'm normally around would know about it. Plus, I think sometimes, we just find different things funny.

Anyway, a couple days before Steven left, we went out to the shooting range to shoot some handguns. Steven is really into guns and Jerrod has quite a few. When I say quite a few, I really only mean around 5...I don't really know how many, but it seems like around that number. I say, "quite a few" because in all the time I have known him, he has never once used one. He says he won't go target shooting with just anyone...so, I guess he had no one he felt comfortable going with.

So, Steven had mentioned a few times that we should go shooting. I knew that if they were actually going to go, there was no way that I would be able to get out of it. I don't have any problems with guns...I don't necessarily enjoy them myself, but I don't care if other people like to go target shooting as a hobby....or even hunting if they really like the meat (although as some one who has been 98% vegetarian since the age of 3, that definitely does not have any appeal to me.) I have been shooting before...but it was always with clay pigeons out in the country and with a rifle. I think I really only grew up around "farm guns" as I would call them. I've never shot a handgun and never gone to a shooting range. I also realized later, that I hadn't shot a gun since high school.

So, for this reason, I felt nervous about it. I wasn't sure what to expect with the handgun, as far as the kick and that sort of thing. But, I had to go, or else I would have endured never ending harassment from Steven. I may have got around it with Jerrod, but Steven...I think he probably would have actually physically forced me to go somehow....I just know how those Osmond boys are.

So I shot some handguns. I shot the .38 and the .45. The .38 wasn't too bad. There isn't really any kick with it and so Jerrod says it's a good gun to teach someone to shoot with. I didn't like the .45 at all. Steven thought it would be easy for me to shoot, but after starting with the .38, it felt like too much and I only tried it about 3 or 4 times. Steven tried to get me to shoot that big "bear killer" gun, as they call it...(I think it's a .44) But, I would never! I could hardly even stand to watch them shoot it. It's ridiculously powerful and loud and I don't plan to have to stop a bear anytime soon, so, I don't think I need to know how.

I kept one of my targets to take home. The smaller holes on here I shot with the .38. Jerrod said I did pretty well with my aiming. I said I was probably just lucky, but he said he thought I actually really did a good job. I think the bigger holes are one's Jerrod shot with the .45.

So, that was a really long post. I hope I didn't make too many gramatical errors. I don't have time to check it now, because I have to go finish going crazy now...I mean...finish grouting the tile in the kitchen.