New music

I am always on the look out for new music. I can't stand top 40 music (usually) or country (sorry, Jess) but I am also not a music snob. I'll listen to a lot of different genres and occasionally find something I really like. Yesterday, I found Vampire Weekend and The Whigs. I am sure they are old news to Lance and Dave. If you haven't heard of them and you like the Indie band style of music, check them out.

That said, I think I am going to put on some Vivaldi and go dissect some mice.

Bummed out

So with the car repair we dodged a bullet and came home with $0 in bills from it. Thank goodness it had a warranty. However we took our van into the shop for it's oil change and check up. The van's front defrost and heater haven't been working well for a while and last week the front defrost and heater went out altogether.

They called and said that something had shorted out and melted in the heating unit and the parts are over $400 and the labor over $200 and on top of that our brakes are needing work so that's another couple hundred to add. No warranty to fall back on for that.

So there you have it, our vacation account drained again. Guess we aren't going to Washington DC in April after all.

So bummed out and sick of repairs.

Down to 1

I picked up Jason from work today and we were on our way out to lunch, when a weird light came on in the car. Our check engine light. That's never a good sign.

Shortly after the light came on our car stalled today on Mormon Trek Blvd.

Jason tried for a few times to get it started again, but then he had me get in the driver's seat and he got behind the car and started to push it.

Jason pushed our car around a corner, up a slight hill and into a parking space so we were out of the way of traffic. After sitting a few minutes and Jason catching his breath, we were able to get the car started again.

We took it straight to the Toyota dealership. I had an appointment on Monday for an oil change but obviously this wasn't going to wait.

Found out the computer in the car is broken. A $4000. repair. Not kidding. When the man told me that on the phone I just gasped and said, "Wow, that's a lot, does our warranty cover it and how much is the deductible?"

He said, Yes it's under warranty and your cost is $0 So glad we have a warranty. This time it paid off.

I am shocked and amazed, and feel so truly blessed. Thank goodness we dodged a bullet this time because it seems like every time we save up for a trip and get to around the $600 mark a major car/van repair happens and takes all of our savings and it's so sad. So I was really stressing this one.

Anyway, all we have to pay this time is for the oil change that they will do along with the repair and since it's at the dealership we bought it at we only pay $19 for that, not bad since it's too cold outside to do our own oil change right now.

Bad thing is, they don't have the part for the car and won't have it till Tuesday so we are down to 1 vehicle till then. That will be interesting with tomorrow's schedule which is Jason teaching two classes at one gym, me teaching 1 class at a totally different gym and Alyssa has her ice skating lessons in the morning as well. I can hear public transit calling my name.

You found it where???

This morning I still couldn't find my cell phone. I noticed it missing last night. So today I asked Daniel to call it over and over so I could run around and look for it. I still couldn't find it.

In walks Jason with my frozen phone. He found it in a snowbank. It wouldn't open all the way, but it was working.

Apparently yesterday I must have dropped it.

So grateful I had it on ring mode because I leave it on silent most of the time and had it been on silent we may not have found it till Spring.

Because it was frozen so solid it still works, I just let it come to room temperature and it opens up completely again.

Too FUNNY!!!!!!

A break in the weather.... kind of.

After the Arctic cold that has been gripping the Midwest for the past week or so, we have had a major snow storm for the past 36 hours. The temperature got up to 15 degrees yesterday and Scott said this morning that "it was warm yesterday." At least it was until the wind picked up. Snow shoveling was a wash last night. Now the wind has stopped and the sun is out but of course that means that it is biting cold again. I seriously need to move back to California. The view out my lab window sure is beautiful though. The snow is deep enough that it reminds me of our days in Nebraska when Adam and I used to jump off the pig barns into the snow banks.

Freaked out

Today was my day to drive the older boys to seminary. On my way home I noticed I was being followed by a big black pick up truck.

I turned a couple streets to get to my house and the truck followed me.

Here I was at 6:30 in the morning, still dark outside and I'm worried that someone is following me. I turn into my driveway and the truck parks in the street across from our driveway. I grab my phone and start to think real quick

Do I try and run to the front door and hope it's unlocked and then scream for Jason?

OR

Do I call 911 from my phone in the car and lock the doors and hope no one gets me?

So I sit there and just wait a second and watch the truck from the mirrors. A man gets out and starts to walk towards my driveway, then he turns and walks around his truck to the house across the street with their newspaper.

So it was all nothing after all. I was scared of the paperboy.

Guess I've been watching too much of that show "Criminal Minds"

Home is where ever I sleep.

I am not sure how I was hoping this would all turn out. Back in November, my boss got a job offer from the University of Utah. He asked me if I would go with him if he accepted the position. I said yes. There were a lot of details to iron out. We, as a lab, have a pretty good thing going here. Utah was going to give Marlan a huge pay raise (about 500%) but the support for research in the Department of Surgery is nominal. They don't have one federally funded researcher. As such, and after much fasting and prayer, Marlan decided to stay here in Iowa. As I said, I am not sure how I wanted this to turn out. Part of me really wanted to move back West. I miss the mountains, I miss the weather, I miss a lot of things. It would have been nice to be nearer to my family (although almost half of us live in the Midwest or the East) and it would have been nice to be closer to our friends in Pocatello. On the flip side, I really didn't want to make Caleb move at the beginning of his Senior year in High School. Also, we have met a lot of really good people here in Iowa and I have grown to love this area. Although there isn't a trout stream within spitting distance or a mountain trail to go hiking on, Iowa is really just one big bike trail with paved country roads all over the place. The crime rate is low and the schools are good. I just wish the taxes were a little lower. I know Michelle really wanted to go and I feel badly that her hopes were dashed.

Who knows what the future will bring but for now at least I know it will happen in Iowa.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010

Happy New Year!

Here are my goals for 2010

Read the entire Book of Mormon
Make Jason happy!
Make dinner at least 3 times a week--something yummy
Clean my bedroom and office and keep them clean
Get down to 135 pounds
Save up enough money to go to Washington DC to see Caleb perform with his choir.
Chop down a tree in the backyard so we can have a garden
Earn the Maui trip from Pampered Chef
Eat Breakfast every day
Spend time with each child each week
Go on a date with Jason every week


That should keep me busy for a while.