Clueless

Today is the revealing of the

what

in what I am waiting for…

{ Insert Suspense Here }

Simply, I’m waiting for

a letter.

Explanation of the Clues

and further explanation of the what…

Clue #1: On Friday August 7th, the same day of the ultrasound that will live infamy, I went to the Millis Post Office and sent a manuscript.
How to Solve the Clue: Google the address, you’ll get several hits for the Millis Post Office.

Clue #2: Is how much was spent to send the manuscript. It would have cost more but my cunning husband decided to use media mail.
How to Solve the Clue: Using the backwards writer at Bored.com, copy and paste the message to retrieve the phrase “send your printed or recorded materials using this service.” Google that phrase and the result will be a hit for Media Mail.

Clue #3: A lot of people thought I was waiting for a bulky package when in fact I was just waiting for a letter- the sooner the better!
How to Solve the Clue: After tuning into the Marvelettes via youtube, click the ‘more info’ link to the right of the video. In the description it says “the Marvelettes are most notable for recording the label's first US #1 pop hit, 'Please Mr. Postman.'" That’s the right song! Google the lyrics to narrow-down what I’m waiting for in the mail.

Clue #4: Is the recipient of my manuscript, and who I’m awaiting a letter from.
How to Solve the Clue: If you go back to my “Genealogy is… Doable” post, you’ll discovered I quoted George Q. Cannon, whose picture is featured in the clue. Google “George Q. Cannon and Sons” and you’ll get a Wikipedia hit for Deseret Books.

Clue #5: What am I waiting for? For a letter in regards to my manuscript getting accepted, rejected or encouraged for revision and resubmission. Honestly, I'm expecting to get rejected, but, hey.
How to Solve the Clue: Luck.

Clue #6: The address I sent my manuscript.
How to Solve the Clue: Google address and get a hit for “What’s Where in Mormon Literature” that lists the Deseret Book Publishing Department.

Clue #7: The date I started writing.
How to Solve the Clue: Take a peek at my hiatus stickie blog post on July 6. It tells you exactly what I’ve gone and done. : )

Clue #8: Blah. Articulate, wasn't I? This clue suggests that maybe I’ll see my name in print again.
How to Solve the Clue: … If you haven’t figured it out yet. Maybe it’s better that way. Or at least better for me. : )

So. There you go.

I’m awaiting the arrival of a letter from Deseret Book

regarding the status of my manuscript.

I know that they have received it, that’s about it.

(they send you a little card, informing you that your manuscript has arrived)

So... now what am I going

to blog about?

Busy Bodies

Here’s an overview of our three-day weekend:

Friday

Before our trip to Vermont I started reading The Shakeress, a book I recommend for light reading and as a preamble to Vermont. One of my favorite lines in the book comes from the protagonist’s love interest. He is describing his practices of prayer and expressing his feelings towards deity. Although he prays, he does not know if anyone is listening and essentially pronounces that God does not speak to him as He does to others. Then he asks the protagonist, “Does this make you despise me?”

Remember when I said that if our experience here on earth could be whittled down to a personal development workshop, I’d be stuck in an all-day session on Patience? Well, I would be taking Empathy night school as well. In fact, I’ve been taking a semester-worth already. Before this pregnancy, I was quick to be critical of child spacing, family planning, and, of course, abortion. After this past month though, I have gained a lot of perspective and empathy.

I’m a big believer in differentiated instruction, not necessarily in the classroom, but I think it is relevant in life and especially religion. Whether or not you attend the same church, the people you meet are on all a whole different unit of instruction than you, so be tolerant of others and also of yourself.

Love one another.

Be kind, rewind.

*descends from soapbox* Back to our trip. Sharon, Vermont is where Joseph Smith, Jr. was born, the Church has a monument and visitor’s center erected there. The missionary couple that had been called to serve at the center were sweet. The sister was Caleb designated grandmother for the day.

The foliage was SpLeNdId. I had read somewhere online that the first part of October is the best time to visit Vermont to see the leaves and our timing was perfect. I had never seen so many SuPeRb colors ever. There were also flower beds around the grounds of the monument which Caleb enjoyed. He was sad to leave.

It was nice to be reminded of beginnings and restorations. I think that is what I liked best about our visit.

After Sharon, we took a drive north to the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory. It was neat. There is a playground for children, and a cute ice cream graveyard for all the flavors that had tanked. Inside the factory there is memorabilia, an ice cream stand, and a gift shop. There’s a 30 minute tour given, completely stroller accessible (which rocked), where they show a movie, the jest of ice cream production, and give you a free 2 oz sample of the flavor of the day (chocolate chip cookie dough for us).

On our four hour drive home Caleb fell asleep during the second encore of Lyle the Kindly Viking and Mike and I were able to listen to the audio book of The 39 Clues. We made it home by 6:45. Whew. Just in time for me to go out again with a few friends for a “round-robin” girls’ night out (Red Robin, shopping detour and Baskin Robbins). : )

It was a good day.

Saturday

I skipped out of bed and got the bare essentials out of the way: clothing, brush through hair, eat fudgy cookie for breakfast, brush teeth, love on Caleb, get rebuked by Caleb, call Mike a silly moose, slip on flip-flops, grab walletglassescellphoneandkeys and away I go to the Millis Library Book Sale. Like I posted on Facebook, I’m “not really a shopaholic, but library book sales are totally my Black Friday.” And Millis holds a book sale TWICE a year. I told you I live in the best town in America.

Here’s what I found this time:

Young Children’s Books:

• Touch and Feel: On the Go
• I’m a Big Brother
• There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon
• Doggies
• But Not the Hippopotamus
• Jamberry

Young Adult and Classic Children’s Books:

• Holes
• Stuart Little
• The Phantom Tollbooth
• Flat Stanley
• Number of The Stars
• Amelia Bedelia (totally vintage)
• Sarah, Plain and Tall
• Caleb’s Story (sequel to Sarah, Plain and Tall)
• Matilda
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
• Old Yeller
• Shiloh
• The Little Prince

And, the only adult book I bought, Death of a Salesmen, was absentmindedly left on the checkout table. Sad day.

I blame it on the shortsighted cookie-for-breakfast plan. Next time, at least three cookies should be consumed. The book was the most expensive item I bought… for .50

I stayed at the library rummaging for an hour before heading home with my books.

Grand total $4.50 for 21 books. Not shabby.

I made it back in time to assemble the snacks, put Caleb down for his nap and tune-in to General Conference, which, as always, was great.

Sunday

OKAY: Attending church on your couch in your pajamas, eating our traditional conference chicken salad, listening to modern revelation being expounded via the internet while Caleb wanders around aimlessly “sweeping” everything in sight.

BETTER: Attending church on your couch in your pajamas, eating our traditional conference chicken salad with ritz crackers, listening to modern revelation being expounded via the internet while Caleb takes a nap.

LUXURIOUS: Not having to cook an evening meal because Maria invited us over for dinner.

Last clue... very embarrassing.
Still waiting though... next week is the explanation of the clues. You're excited/relieved aren't you?

Me too.If only you could "click to look inside"

182 Days

26 weeks. Today.

Which, I did not realize until my doctor was speaking on the phone with the Milford Regional Hospital regarding the organization Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS).

NILMDTS is a nonprofit organization made up of trained volunteer photographers that provide remembrance photography services to families experiencing the loss of an infant, such as ourselves. I believe they photograph as early as 25 week gestation.

It is a nationwide organization, and is beginning to built up international relations.

This organization has not worked with our hospital before, and when the time comes our family will be the first to use its services there. It is sad to be the first, but at least the hospital is aware of this service now and can recommend it to others in our position.

Here is a Trisomy slideshow composed by NILMDTS. It features photography of Trisomy 13 and 18 infants. Not for the faint of heart. : (

So, back to the original thought, 26 weeks. Wow. I didn’t think we’d make it this far. It doesn’t seem like an accomplishment of sorts, but it is still worth mentioning.Way to go, baby N.H. or E.L.

Another thing worth mentioning is that I still haven’t decided what the surprise is going to be for the supreme guesser and the honorable mentionee in our little waiting game.

(Yes, that’s a hint that someone has guessed correctly. Got any ideas what the surprise should be? LEAVE A COMMENT!)

Here’s this week’s clue in case you are still interested : )

In-tuned

During the earlier mentioned quarantine Caleb made a discovery: television.

Despite our efforts Caleb has never been prone to zone out in front of the telly. He’d rather do abhorrent things like dancing to music, flipping through books and running around outside while obscenely yelling “BEEP! BEEP!”

When our pediatrician tried to distract Caleb during the15 month appointment and asked Caleb to look at Elmo, our son stared dumbly at him. The gesture was returned by the pediatrician when we explained that Caleb doesn’t watch television ergo he is unfamiliar with the Muppet.

Am I shunning those who let their kids watch television? Absolutely not. In fact, I’m jealous. Like I said “despite our efforts” Caleb has not taken to watching television.

Until recently.

During our stomach flu epidemic, I lounged in my sick nest (a cluster of blankets, pillows and germs on the couch) while Caleb marched around with our broom and dustpan “sweeping.” Sweeping here means celebrating the extended reach a broom gives by knocking things over that otherwise would be safe from a toddler.

Soon, I gave in (I think it was when he started to charge the fireplace mantel) and tried to seduce sedate keep Caleb still by plopping him on the couch and popping in a Veggie Tales movie.

IT. WORKED.

THANK. GOODNESS.

Because I have never been so exhausted in my life! Not being able to keep anything down for an entire day does not fair well when you are pregnant.

Now here comes the downside. He only wants to watch Lyle the Kindly Viking and only that Veggie Tales DVD.

Funny enough Caleb’s desire to watch the same movie over and over again is quite the opposite of his parents’ dilemma- tiring of watching the same ol’ movies but too cheap to buy new ones.

We have tried renting from the library. And yes, I was disappointed when Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets was scratched up, surprised when The Truth About Cats and Dogs wouldn’t play (yes, B-List Romantic Comedies are totally my guilty pleasure)

BUT I WAS OUTRAGED that the Frontier House set I requested was not in decent condition (who else in the state of Massachusetts watches Frontier House? From the DVDs’ gashes I’d guess Freddy Kruger). I could only watch disc two.

DISC TWO?!

Come on!

(If you don’t know what I’m talking about, get on the wagon.)

So, the library movies and I are no longer on speaking viewing terms.

Okay. So. If other New Englanders are willing, I will totally host a movie switch where everyone brings two movies to lend-out (typically one is a “Sunday” friendly movie). You come with two movies and you leave with two movies. We borrow them for two weeks then return. No fees, no fuss. Just make sure your discs and cases are labeled with your surname and that the movies you borrow stay out of reach of little ones and “sweeping”. Send me a message via facebook or e-mail me and let me know if you are interested or know of someone else who may be interested.

Here’s the clue for this week. Clue # 6? Seriously?

Hopefully my wait will be over in two more weeks! I’m running out of clues.

I know many of you are confused but rest assured

that I’ll go back and explain each clue when everything is said and done.

Until then, keep searching.

Sweeping Up

Today my post is about joy. And I want to sweep aside some egg shells that may be making me unapproachable.

Yes, what I am “enduring” is a sad (sad, here, meaning any emotion on the spectrum ranging from unfortunate to tragic, depending on the person.)

No matter the circumstance though, I believe that there is always room for joy.

For instance, this week I have been thinking about two friends. If happiness was the color blue, they have felt the deepest of oranges and the most vivid yellows that any woman can perceive in this life. In other words, they have seen a fair an unfair their share of sorrow.

Recently, however, they have had a blue season and I am sincerely overjoyed for them.

These women, not unlike Eve, can genuinely say they have experienced clementine sorrow and denim joy and, although I don’t want to put words in their mouths, I’m sure they would say the sorrow has only heightened the joy.

No offense Vincent, but mother Eve said it best:

This is my season of pumpkins, carrots and lemons, but I have room in my patch for blue, especially others’ blue... despite my distaste for them, I look forward to my own blueberry season.

Until then, please share your carton with me? : )

Here's this week's clue. It says it all, look no further.

Keeping Up with Alcestis

Eating in bed is frowned upon- it leaves crumbs. Reading in bed also leaves crumbs in your subconscious, but you never hear spouses complaining about that. When pregnant, I develop the habit of reading in bed. I devour a book in a night or two because I just read until my eyes become too heavy and I fall asleep with the lights on.

This past week I have been reading through my old college textbooks, mainly the classical and ancient materials. Recently I read the play Alcestis by the Greek tragedian Euripides.

To make a short play even shorter, the jest of the story is about a hospitable king who is rewarded by the god Apollo the eligibility to escape death provided that he can find a replacement for his demise. Sadly, the king can find no one- not even his feeble parents- to volunteer for the task. Finally, his devoted wife, Alcestis, assists her husband by offering to sacrifice herself in his stead.

The play has left a morsel in my mind that I have gnawed on since I read it. The time has come for Alcestis to depart and her son clings to her and says,

“Mother, now without you/ Our home is over.”

…

Throughout the play Alcestis is cited as “virtuous” and a wife above all others which is fair and good but I can’t help but wonder…. was this reputation the result of this solitary action or was it preliminary to her decision to forfeit her life?

I think every woman has a bit of Alcestis in her, I think we are willing to kill ourselves over tasks because we think it’s the “virtuous” thing to do. We try to do everything while comparing ourselves to everyone. When really we should be saying…

It is easy to lose ourselves through marriage, motherhood and everyday notions and motions. Partly this is due to the concept of becoming less selfish through being selfless, but I think we can overdo it. I, personally, need to get back in touch with who I am. I have become so consumed with being there for my family and making our home that I have forgotten WHO I AM. I don’t want to kill myself over ordinary tasks. I don’t want to sacrifice my own progression for temporal attainments.

Back to the original tidbit that started this banquet of realization, the line:

“Mother, now without you/Our home is over.”

It is not “Clean dishes/swept floors/sparkling bathrooms/made beds/painted walls/delish- nutritious-under-one-dollar-per-serving-meals/ supplementary church functions/et cetera, now without you /Our home is over.”

It’s Mother. A mother is what makes and keeps a home. Just don’t let the home make and keep you.

Now, I’m not going to tell you the ending of Alcestis. You can borrow the play from me if you want or even look up the summary on Wikipedia.

Isn’t Wikipedia great? Whenever I am clueless on a subject I can always skim Wikipedia.

Here is Clue #4, my favorite clue and possibly the hardest.

Ignore the the missing 'e' in Genealogy but don't discard the post.

Veritas

Yesterday, my moose stumbled into an ivy patch league. Lucky for him it didn’t have three leaves.

110 days until Winter Recess…
8 semesters until graduation…
then onward towards his doctorates…

What a smart moose!

Speaking of smarts. Here’s your clue for this week:

Click the stickie.

Good song, right? It’s the wrong song, but it is still good.

You'll need more info to get to the right one.

Quite lyrical.
(And no, I don't have a boyfriend)

A Taste of Home

Lately, I’ve been craving home. New England restaurants leave much to be desired, especially if you are a fickle pregnant woman. : (

Seriously. Give me a day in Flagstaff.

Breakfast: Brandy’s, Chorizo Scramble with Hot Cider (just like in high school!)

Brunch: Jitters, Cranbirdie sandwich (turkey, cranberry sauce, mayo, cream cheese, sunflower seeds on sourdough) with bowtie pasta

Lunch: The Black Bean, La Baja Wrap (chicken, veggies, brown rice, guac, and mango pineapple salsa) and a “Big” Bean and Cheese Burrito

Snack: Salsa Brava, Nachos Brava, a sopapilla and unlimited chips and salsa (I’ll share of course)

Dinner: Hunan’s (West) and Dara Thai, Beef Chow Mein, Gaeng Gai Phukett Chicken and Thai Toast

Dessert: Oregeno’s, Pizookie

Umm… if you live in Flagstaff, what are you doing waiting around here and reading my blog?

Go enjoy!

(the restaurants with links have been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, click the link to view)

Anyways, ONWARD, not backwards, to the clue for this week.
It’s only going to get trickier here on out.

.ecivres siht gnisu slairetam dedrocer ro detnirp ruoy dnes
Don't get bored.

Countdown

If our experience here on earth could be whittled down to a personal development workshop, I’d be stuck in an all-day session on Patience.

Yes, patience seems to be the thematic unit of my life.

I waited to get baptized. I waited to get engaged. I waited to get married. I waded (ha) through college, and I waited to have my first child.

After reading this Conference talk by President Thomas S. Monson, I came to the same absolution the missionary did. Well, not the exact conclusion, after four to five years of Spanish I still cannot speak the language…

However, the story made me reflect on what I have been compelled to wait for… Darn, I had to wait to receive the necessary ordinances for my salvation. Darn, I had to wait to be engaged to the love of my life. Further darn that I had to show patience to be sealed to him for all eternity. And darn, I obtained my undergraduate degree AND had an uneventful pregnancy that resulted in delivering a healthy baby.

My 20/20 hindsight is showing me that it’s easier to wait for good things, and that it shouldn’t be called "waiting." "Anticipation," yes. "Hope," absolutely. "Long suffering," not necessarily.

This insight is helping me now.

Considering our family’s current circumstance, I am waiting again. This time, I’m waiting to let go, which again is not really "waiting."

But, before our sixth ultrasound, the ultrasound that will live in infamy *insert sarcasm here* , I was actually "waiting" for something else. Something that has been overshadowed by recent events.

The wait is suppose to be at least eight weeks.

Desperate to keep my weekly blog posts, despite my blogger’s block, I have decided to keep you anticipating along with me. Without telling you what I’m actually waiting for.

Don’t worry, I won’t leave you clueless. Each week, I’ll give you a clue until the wait is over (hope you know your way around Google! A clue for clues? Why, I am so generous). First person to guess correctly what I am waiting for gets a surprise. It’s even a surprise to me! (I think the prize will have to be decided based on who the winner is.)

Disclaimer: Know-it-all friends and family members are prohibited from guessing.

Sorry.