Mr & Mrs Peters

Today Justin and I celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. We just returned from a great weekend away in the desert where we relaxed and ate delicious food at every meal. The hotel we stayed at (through my lovely Hilton discount) is a beautiful property that was initally built in 1926. Many famous stars like Clark Gable and Katherine Hepburn have stayed there over the years. We were in a “casita” with our own private patio and a very spacious room as well as a gorgeous bathroom. It was like being in a house and not a hotel because there wasn’t anyone above or below us. There were a total of 42 pools around the resort complex, but we only had time to visit 3!

 While it certainly was nice to get a luxurious weekend away, the most important part of the last few days was taking time to think back on our first year as a married  couple and looking forward to our next year together. We are so thankful to all of you that in some way or another have supported us through this first year (whether by helping us move, making memories with us in our new home, or praying for us along the way). God has been so gracious to bless us with amazing family and friends, stable jobs, a great church family and a sweet little puppy. (Happy Belated 10th birthday by the way Skyla!! Mom loves you!)

I will leave you with this picture that was taken one year ago- September 29, 2007. I promise to post some pics from our trip soon!

What is wrong with this world?? All I need to find out now is that JTT (Jonathan Taylor Thomas for all those of you who weren’t obsessed with boys back in the mid to late nineties) has turned homo and the trilogy will be complete.

I will admit- I sort of saw the Clay thing coming. I very valiantly denied his homosexuality for YEARS, but the whole him impregnating a girl who isn’t his romantic interest made me start to wonder. The kid is cute though, if you ask me.

I STILL am shocked by this one…. I really feel as if he owes me back all those crazed love/fan letters I sent him.

So, in summary- if anyone hears talk of Justin considering a People cover, for the love of all things good, please someone warn me first!!

This morning while driving to work I noticed there was more traffic than normal (for the particular part of the freeway I was on). I wasn’t too surprised, as minor fender benders are common on the morning commute, and they plug up traffic just the same as a major accident. Sure enough, I saw tow trucks up ahead and could see that the accident had been cleared (or so I assumed).

And that was when I saw them… bras. Hundreds of bras, everywhere. Also, randomly mixed in with the bras were panties. I can only guess that some sort of truck carrying a shipment of lingerie somehow had an accident and dropped the “cargo” everywhere. Suffice to say, I was laughing REALLY hard. Something about the sight of scads of bras lying all over the freeway sent me over the edge.

Previous to this, the funniest “spilled cargo” I had ever seen was Valentine’s Day 2 years ago when a truck dropped hundreds of teddy bears all over the 5 freeway and people were running them over. It sort of made me feel as if all the people who were lonely and bitter on Valentine’s Day were getting their revenge.

Today is the official start of autumn. Some would say that this means there are still 93 days until Christmas, but I would phrase it as: there are only 93 days left till Christmas!! I have recently become preoccupied with planning layouts for Christmas decorations and starting my gift buying list… Also, I have strong urges to bake lots of festive breads and sweets. I have come close to lighting the fireplace, but I am fairly certain that my husband would disown me considering it is still in the 80’s most days…

Anyway, as I have mentioned before, Justin has banned me from officially decorating until December 1st rolls around, but he has yet to issue a rule regarding what I plan to do tonight. Once I get home, I am going to light my cinnamon scented candle, bake a loaf of banana bread, and curl up on the couch with my current book (a re-telling of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy’s side of things- quite enlightening!).

Today my friend e-mailed me some pictures of the devastation left behind by Hurricane Ike. We have some family in Texas, and thankfully they are all safe. (without electricity, but safe!)

Also, this morning I read an article about a group of people and a lion who got stranded in a church during the worst of the flooding. According to the trainer, the lion was so freaked out by the water that his mind “wasn’t on eating people.” I don’t know that if I was one of the people stuck in the church I would be all that convinced.

Anywho, here are some pictures of other animals that have been displaced by Ike.

Today I exhibited more self control that any person should be reasonably expected to possess. I went to Costco this morning with the innocent intent to do some grocery shopping. I was not prepared for the Christmas decorations that have suddenly been put on display in that oh-so-glorious warehouse. Let me tell you this- I am not a crazy shopper by any means. I don’t enjoy “window-shopping,” and I really only go to a shop if I know I can buy something and already have my desired purchase in mind. But anything Christmas related is a completely different story. With last year being our first Christmas as a married couple, and my first holiday away from my parents, it was obviously somewhat necessary for me to stockpile some decorations… I held back though, knowing that holiday decorations are the sort of thing that one accumulates over the years. All that to say- I have been waiting ALL year for this time to roll around, because I cannot wait to stock up on more decorations this year! So you can imagine how much will power it must have taken for me to walk out of Costco this morning without buying ANY decorations. (Not that I didn’t almost throw a few things in the cart… Christmas nightlights anyone??)
Who else thinks Justin should reward me with a present for my fabulous self-control?

 I will get too emotional if I write too much about what today means to our country and to me. I just want to say “Thank You” to those who showed more bravery and courage than I can even fathom.

God is always faithful, in every situation. Somehow He worked His good despite of the evil that was unleashed that day on so many lives.

 My senior year of high school I responded to a newspaper article that had been written by some crazy liberal student calling President Bush among other things, a ”war mongering troll.” My letter to the editor was printed in the next week’s issue, and basically I can summarize it by saying that calling Bush names and crying out against the war in mean and spiteful ways didn’t do very much to support those who had loved ones overseas. My point was that no matter your stance on the Iraqi invasion, at least respect those who are fighting the battle with their lives, as they sure didn’t make the decision to invade. I said that we should all pray for the soldiers and their families, and I truly couldn’t imagine how scary it must be to have a family member in the desert. My letter was printed sometime in between March and April 2003 and I had no way of knowing that at the exact same time, my husband-to-be was overseas fighting in the very same war. I was praying for his safety and I didn’t even know it. We didn’t meet until a couple of years later, but God was protecting him for me all along. Thank you Justin- for being so brave and doing what you could to protect our nation and freedom.

On a completely unrelated and entirely shallow sidenote- my hair cut went well yesterday for all those of you who might be wondering. The hairwashing bowl was just as painful as I remembered, but the rest of the experience was not terrible.

I have a confession to make, and I am scared to say it out loud for fear that readers may potentially question my feminity. Here it goes… I hate getting my hair cut. Not just dis-like, but actually HATE it. I think it all stems back to a few unfortunate incidents from when I was younger. (I will get to these experiences in just a moment)

You see, most women not only don’t mind getting their hair cut, they actually look forward to it. I would say that the average woman goes to get her hair cut every 2-3 months. I go twice a year… My mom has been seeing her hair stylist for something like 15 years. My other mom Coco has been seeing Alfred for a long time too. Even my sister has been seeing her lady forever and just like my mothers, will follow her as she moves to new salons. My sister even went hiking with her hair stylist the other day. The idea of having to spend extra time with whoever cuts my hair makes me want to gouge my own eyeball out.

When I was 6 or 7 I begged my mom to let me get my hair cut short (keep in mind, that fact is according to Diane… I DO NOT remember begging, I just remember the short hair cut). Anywho, I ended up with a disgusting looking bowl cut and had at least 2 boys ask me if I was a girl or a boy. You can imagine what that did to my self esteem. 7 years later, I was 14 and preparing to enter high school. Apparently I had completely blocked out any memories of the aforementioned event because during the summer I saw a picture of an adorable looking girl in my Brio magazine and thought, “I want to get her pixie hair cut!” I even carried the picture around in my wallet. So, my mom and sister and I had an appointment to get out hair cut right before our end of the summer trip to Hawaii. At the last minute our hair stylist had some sort of family emergency and had to cancel. Now, for whatever reason, I was HELL-BENT on getting my hair cut before the trip. I insisted that my mother take me to Super Cuts so that I could get my pixie cut before the trip… Well, you can imagine what occured. Not only did I get my hair chopped to my ears, it was chopped by someone who had no clue about my hair texture or history of hair cuts and therefore could not warn me that under NO circumstances would this be a flattering cut on me. (run-on sentence I know, but I am writing with passion here) Needless to say, it was bowl cut disaster part deux.

 Other Reasons I Hate Getting My Hair Cut:

1. There are SO many other things I would rather spend $50 on (or in the case of some of my friends/family… more like $100+)

2. It hurts my head when they stick your neck into that special washing-hair sink. When I was little they used to use a special pad for my neck, but they stopped doing that ages ago.

3. I never have the courage to try anything exciting. Ever since my two-part experience with the bowl cut from hell, I am terrified to try something “new” or “drastic”.

4. I never know what to talk about with the person cutting my hair. It seems expected that you should converse as they work on you, but part of me just wishes they would leave me alone and let me read a magazine.

All that to say, tonight is the night I have to get my semi-annual hair cut. I am hopeful that it will go well and the night will not end in tragedy. The girl who I am seeing (her name is Tina) has cut my hair once before, and I do enjoy talking to her. Fortunately we have a few things in common because she lives with one of my best friends. I shall report back soon with the results of this “tempting of the fates.”

I would like to replay a conversation that honestly just occured (I wish I was making this up).

 MP: Human Resources, this is Melanie.

Crazy Lady: Hi, this is Sonia, I wanted to know what was going on with my application?

MP: Sonia, remember we talked on the phone last week and I told you that we weren’t considering you for the position anymore?

CL: Oh. So you don’t have the position available anymore?

MP: No, we just aren’t giving you the position. Remember when we talked last week?

CL: No, I don’t.

MP: Well, we did talk on the phone, and I told you that we weren’t giving you the position. Okay?

CL: Okay.

And, I guarantee you, she will call me back at least one more time in the next week or so, and ask me the same question. I had this happen last week too, and not 30 seconds after I told someone they didn’t get the job they called back and asked again.

Part of the problem is the rising unemployment rate- people are getting laid off and are applying at every company they can think of. This means that people tend to have a problem remembering where they have already been rejected.**

 ** Perhaps rejected is too strong of a word.

I’ve been on vacation for a little over three weeks now. I start back Sept 14. I’ve been mostly working on a sprinkler system project. I’ve also been reading about FLDS church (Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer), dirty former LAPD cops (One Time by Brian S. Bentley), and about God (The Bible by God). Not having to show up for work three or four days a week has been nice. I originally planned on going in two or three days to save vacation time for next year but that plan didn’t seem so good once I was on VC.

Spending time with Mel just about every day for three weeks has been great! She really is a nice chick when you get to know her… I have been getting a little antsy about not working at all. I do truly miss going out and “hunting”. Instead of cracked out baseheads or gun toting gangsters I’ve been “hunting” Mel when she gets home from work. Poor Mel… She doesn’t stand a chance to escape my natural ability to capture my prey…