Spring Fever

I miss spring. I find myself fondly thinking of a year back, when we went on our cruise, and wishing that I was walking on the beach with sand underneath my toes. I didn't have a clue as to the turn my life would be taking, although I'm not complaining, and I wouldn't change it...even for a cruise, but it is tempting. I've been dressing in springy clothes. All of the dang shops I've been going to (maternity and baby) think that it's spring. The bumheads. And so, although my the logical part of my brain tells me that a week ago there was a storm that dumped 4-6 inches of snow in Northern Utah, the part of my brain that's ready for spring, and the essentially seasonal part of myself says, "Snow, shmo! Wear flip-flops, and a sun dress, dang it!!" It doesn't help that I tend to like that side of me more than my logical side, and listen to it. So, yes, last night I did wear flip flops. It was a bit chilly, and it showed everyone my desperate need to repaint my toe nails as well (they're half way grown out because it's getting really hard to touch my toes). The pedicure Gods are frowning at me.
While I'm sure that you're all tired of hearing how bad I want spring to come, I'd love to change the subject and tell you how the baby shower went the weekend before last. However, I can't. I don't have any pictures to show off the occasion because I was so busy putting everything together that I didn't have time to take any. So I am at the mercy of others to send me some so I can share.
I would, however, like to draw your attention to my new cooking blog. There's a link at the top of my site to it, (I've added a navigational bar to make it easier to go between my blogs) and it will have wonderful and tempting foods that are sure to make us all have to exercise more in order to keep our loverly figures. However, I left my camera down in Mt. Pleasant, and I'm desperate to get it back to show you pictures of all of the wonderful dishes that I've been cooking and will be featured on my blog. I hope to put something on there for everyone. From my dabbling in steaks to sweets and a range of recipes that rate at beginner to more advanced. Seriously, folks. It's gonna be sweet!
So, I find my hands tied. In blog world, there's really not a lot for me to do, or talk about here in other than my frustration with the current Legislature, it's practices, and the economy, I try to avoid blogging about my political views and reminding people about their troubles. However, this could push me over the edge of reason. Let's just pray that I get my faithful camera back in my anxious hands.
Until then, check out the cute book that I found the other day, it's featured on my book reviews (I know, crazy, right? I reviewed a book for the first time in half a year.) It's a children's book, that is relatively inexpensive, and something I would recommend to anyone. It's guaranteed to give you a healthy dose of 'pick-me-up' for those proverbial rainy days.

February

The following is a poem I memorized in Mrs. Brineholt's 6th grade class. Days like today make the poem go through my head. Then I get spring fever and curse this blasted snow!!

When

In February there are days,
Blue, and nearly warm,
When horses switch their tails and ducks
Go quacking through the farm.
When everything turns round to feel
The sun upon its back -
When winter lifts a little bit
And spring peeks through the crack.

~Dorothy Aldis

Just a note. As of today I only have a hundred days (and counting) left!! I'm so excited!

Pay-it-forward

SO--Here's how it works-the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Remember that only the first 3 comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick!

Engineering Mom

After all the classes, tests, stress, and papers, I have mastered skills that will enable me to design and run a city. My father always said that, "Civil engineers take care of everything that you take for granted." From flushing toilets, to roadways, dams, bridges, skyscrapers, and reservoirs, there is no end to the practical uses of a civil engineer. I have discovered another use for them: motherhood.

Here is a list of classes some of the classes I've taken for my degree, and their pertinence to raising a child:

• Structural Analysis: I'll be able to make the best dang forts that will withstand all sort of horizontal and vertical "forces".
• Transportation: the study of traffic flow and behavior. Useful for running kids around to ballet, swimming, school, etc. If only I could control the traffic lights like I could if I were working for the city, instead of my kids....
• Reinforced Concrete: originally the marriage of steel and concrete, and it's various uses. As a mom it will be the marriage of petrified bread and peanut butter left underneath the couch.
• Waste Water: I'll let you be creative on this one
• Natural Systems: Oh, how to sum natural systems?? I think it works best as an equation: water + politics = water fights. I'm hoping that my water fights will replace the politicians with balloons and kiddy pools.
  
• Numerical Methods: a.k.a. computer programming. Someday I will write a computer program so powerful that anyone who glances at it, especially children, will instantly fall asleep. I've gotten pretty close. This would make bed time so easy.
• Surveying: I'm sure surveying will be a part of my everyday life. I'll definitely be surveying the damage that my little "bundle o' joy" has done to my house.
• Soils: study of dams and the use of different soils-this will be very helpful. Especially when it comes to laundry. If I can classify the soil, I should be able to wash it out. In the famous words of Lady MacBeth, "out damn'd spot!".

And my personal favorite:

• Solid and Hazardous Waste Management: one word--diapers.

Forget child development, potential mothers need more classes in engineering!!

Life in the Real World

So, now that Don and I have graduated, we get to experience life without college. It's different, and I find myself getting really bored, and doing all sorts of things that I never thought I would have time to do...insane things like cutting up pieces of cloth and stitching them back together. On Martin Luther King, Jr. day mis madre and I made two blankets. One was a rag quilt, and the other was quilted. I couldn't believe that we'd gotten so much done. We're a pretty good team. And my sowing skills are getting better. I really have to thank my angelic mother for helping me put together such beautiful blankets..
Don recently started working for a company called ECI in Bountiful. I'm not going to lie, it's really nice to have a steady income coming in. It's not exactly his dream job, but the firm is pretty good. He's learning a lot about power transmission lines, and their various uses. And it works well for us because he's wanting to get a Master's Degree in Engineering. Since the U of U is so close, he's planning on signing up for classes this summer and going part time. After a year the firm will reimburse him for his schooling, and pay for the rest. But in the meantime, he's adjusting to a long commute from Millville (an hour and 15 minutes one way) and nine hour days. It makes for really long days.
As for me, I'm back at the good ol' UDOT as a rotational/intern. Because of the economy there's a "hiring freeze" for all of the interns with benefits, which means they're still paying me what they were before I graduated. I guess Don's higher income evens things out, but I'm a bit bitter at UDOT. Anyway, They have me looking over several plans and going to meetings and training classes. The other day I was able to meet my dad in Salt Lake at the Little Grand America and go to a concrete conference. Although I'm not an expert on concrete, I could tell you more than you ever care to know about the subject. My days are long, too. It's a 45 minute commute from Millville to North Logan, and I work 10 hours a day. So, in all Don and I leave at 6 and get back home at 7. Of course, I only have to do it 4 days a week to get my 40 hours in. Don has to get at least 45, and if he wants time off whent he baby comes, he'll have to work some 10-12 hour days.
But the weekends are nice, and it's worth having Fridays off to relax, I think. It's kind-of depressing to leave and get home when it's dark and only have about 2 hours of free time before going to bed, just to wake up and do it all over again. We're planning on moving soon. Don was released from the Young Men's Presidency this last Sunday. I still have my calling as the Beehive Adviser, which makes me happy because the girls are so dang cute! Before we can move we're trying to save up enough money for a down payment on a house. We're thinking that we should be able to move around April. I'm not very excited to move a month before the baby's supposed to come, but I think it will be okay.
The fact that we're so excited for Adelei to come over shadows everything, boring work days, long commutes, and the fact I have to pee ten times an hour. She's kicking harder and growing stronger every day. We're in love with her so much already.