Well, I do have good sense...

You probably already know this by now, but I love - really love - Jane Austen. It's almost unhealthy, actually. There are very few film adaptations that I haven't seen, and only one Austen novel I haven't read. So I'm not surprised by the outcome of this quiz... it was either going to be Elinor Dashwood or Anne Elliot. I would almost rather be Anne, but I think that might be because of Captain Wentworth. I do love a man in uniform...

Take the Quiz here!

So much for babyproofing...

Dex is getting into a lot of things lately, so during one of my recent trips to Target I finally remembered to get some of those plastic socket-hole-plugger-things. There was a new kind there - at least new to me - called "Press & Pull." The packing exclaimed "Push to pop out - save your nails!" I don't have any nails to worry about, but trying to get the traditional kind out of the socket usually reduces the ends of my fingers to raw fleshy stumps (and using a knife to remove them sort of defeats the purpose), so I paid a few cents extra for the new-fangled kind.

What the packaging failed to mention was that babies can also "press & pull" them out.

Or I suppose it's possible that my son is extraordinarily gifted.

Little turkey.

Here we come, Week 20!

I had a similar experience to my friend Brenda this past week. Last Sunday, as Jay was preparing to head back to the Academy, he started complaining about feeling sick. I have to admit I thought he was being a tad dramatic so although I tried to show sympathy, I didn't really believe that he was that ill. I thought perhaps he was just dreading going back to the Academy. So I loaded him up on some generic Dayquil, told him he'd be fine, and kicked him out the door. Of course, what do you think happened? He called me Monday night and he was just miserable. I have never heard him so sick and so down before. He went to the doctor the next day and lo and behold - strep throat!! (Again, eerily similar to Brenda's story... it's almost as if reading her blog brought the sickness into our house. Not that I'm blaming her or anything...)

The doctor prescribed 2 days of bed rest and loaded Jay up on penicillin and - get this - vicadin. I have to admit I was a little annoyed. When I had strep a few months ago, I didn't get bed rest and I certainly didn't get vicadin! In fact, my doctor didn't even believe that I had strep and made me wait an agonizing 24 hours for the test results to come back. Whatever!

So Jay was confined to his room for 2 days and slept on his cozy Academy cot as much as possible. He was supposed to have meals brought to him but they forgot for 3 meals in a row! I finally told him that he needed to talk to someone about it, but when he did the Staff took it out on one of Jay's quadmates, as if it was his fault. Luckily everyone is pretty used to getting yelled at for no reason, so his quadmate took it all in stride.

Jay went back to full duty on Thursday and made it through the rest of the week with no problems. He had a huge 8 hour Accident Investigation test on Friday, and although he won't have the results back for a week, he feels confident that he passed.

The weekend was good, despite the torrential downpour. We spent part of Saturday getting Jay some new clothes since he's lost so much weight. Everything he owns makes him look like he's drowning in cotton. We even bought him a new suit, which he was in desperate need of. He looks quite studly in it, if I do say so myself. I can't wait to pick it up next weekend (it's getting altered) so I can show him off on Sunday.

And now we begin Week 20 of 27. There are some exciting things coming up, including finding out where Jay will be assigned. I don't know exactly when we'll find that out, but I will of course keep you all posted.

As a side note, you'll probably notice that this is a pictureless post. I completely spaced taking Jay's picture tonight. We were both a little sad about having to say goodbye yet again, so taking the picture was not in the forefront of my mind. We thought that the goodbyes would be a little easier by now... but they're not. Thank goodness we only have 8 weeks left.

I am that HERO!

Natalie and Bea are both really into superheroes lately, especially Larry Boy. (He does have style...) They sing the theme song and play with their Larry Boy action figures and the LarryMobile, and both girls have declared that we are all dressing up as Larry Boy for Halloween. I guess that means I only have 8 months to find a way to get these to stay on my head:

Bea especially loves him. The other day she shyly told me, "I wish Larry Boy be real." (So sweet, right?) Then, after I put her to bed the other night, she called me back to the room:

Bea: Mommy?

Me: Yes sweetie?

Bea: I wish I be a super hero.

Me: That would be very cool.

Bea: How can I be a super hero?

Me: (pause) Um... well, you start by always making good choices, and .... (pause)... um... we'll talk about the rest tomorrow. Love you!

It is really heartbreaking to have to tell your kids that someone they love isn't real, even if it is a talking cucumber. But tell them I did. I also took the opportunity to dispel the myth of Superman, Spiderman, and Batman. The main fallout from all this honesty? Bea keeps asking me if Jesus is real. I reassure her that he is, but she keeps asking anyway. It must be pretty confusing to a 3 year old... I can only imagine the therapy she's going to need in a few years when she finds out about Santa ...

Here she is, singing the Larry Boy theme song. Usually she does a snazzy dance to accompany it but she was a little shy in front of the camera. (Yes, it's sideways... but still cute.)

The OC (and I don't mean Orange County)

This past week (Week 18), Jay met a few more milestones, mostly in the area of weaponry. He qualified on the pistol, shotgun, and rifle - each on the first try. He also had his POST mid-term, which he passed, and his Felony Stop scenario, which he also passed. However, the most... um... exciting thing that happened last week was his introduction to the "OC" - Oleoresin Capsicum - also known as pepper spray.

In order to understand the effects and dangers of pepper spray, the cadets need to, logically, get sprayed with it. Jay's company went first. Jay was asked to help his fellow cadets after they were sprayed, so he had the joyful task of manning the water hose and watching as cadet after cadet was "attacked." He said he had never seen grown men so totally and quickly incapacitated before. As the minutes ticked away, he was less and less enthusiastic about his turn with the OC. But, there was no getting around it. When we spoke that night, he provided this description:

Imagine that your face is completely red raw sunburned. Then... you know when you get a really painful zit right by the inside of your nose? Imagine that you have those all over your face and then they all pop at once and someone pours cayenne pepper all over them. And then someone pours a tablespoon of sand in each eye. And no matter how much you wash off your face, the pain doesn't go away, and your eyes ache like you've been staring at a computer screen for 3 days straight.

He was sprayed at about 4:30 and when we talked at 8:30 his face was still stinging. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Anyone else want to sign up? Seriously, Jay said it was the "absolute worst thing" he's ever felt in his life, and he consoled himself with the thought that if he died, his family would be well taken care of. He better graduate in April otherwise I might have to do some serious convincing to get him back to the Academy! He said he would much rather be "kicked in the crotch ten times" then get pepper sprayed again!

Besides that lovely experience, Jay also had to stay on Saturday (boo!) with the rest of his class for riot training and "gassing." The gassing wasn't as bad as the pepper spray, though, because it wears off much quicker. Still, I'm thinking it's best to just stay out of any situation where you're likely to get the OC or gas used against you. :)

I'm trying to remember what else happened this past week... it is sort of a blur. We went to visit Jay on Wednesday for liberty, which is always nice, even if IKEA is getting a little old. The next day was Valentine's Day and Jay actually had liberty again. (His company earned the extra liberty from winning the holiday food drive challenge.) Because of the cost of gas, the time involved, and the unlikely possibility of finding a babysitter, we decided I would not be celebrating with him.

The next day, however, I received an "illegal" phone call from Jay asking if I had pulled off a miracle and been able to get a babysitter. Uhhhh... this is when I started to feel like a horrible wife. I hadn't even tried to pull off a miracle! I thought we had decided against a Valentine's Day visit... shows what I know! Anyway, as I was sharing my woes with Janet, she sweetly volunteered herself and her unsuspecting sister-in-law to watch my brood for me. It didn't take much convincing. I was on the road as soon as possible and it took me two and a half hours just to get to Fairfield!! I can usually get to Sacramento in that amount of time. Nevertheless, Jay was very surprised and happy that I was coming. He hopped in the 'Rolla and met me in Fairfield since it was taking so dang long. We had a fun dinner at Mary's Pizza Shack (mmm, mud pie) and enjoyed our Valentine's sans kids. All told, last week I drove 9 hours to see Jay for a total of 6 hours. And it was totally worth it.

There wasn't much to our weekend since he didn't get home until after 6 on Saturday. So sorry, no fun weekend pics. But, here is one of Natalie and my mom, who was Natalie's guest on "Special Person's Day" at school. (That's Valentine's Day to you un-PC folks out there...)

So cute!

Pushing her luck

Natalie had a rough day at school yesterday, so in order to make it better I did the only thing I know how to do in those type of situations. I busted out the ice cream! The girls and I sat on the porch eating and talking until the pains of the day were forgotten. Then, a little while later when we were all back inside and I was sitting at the computer, Beatrice rounded the corner into the family room with a smile on her face...

She began, "Mommy," she started laughing, knowing she was about to ask me something ridiculous. She started over, "Mommy, since I did a great job eating my ice cream, can I have some candy?"

Her trademark charm was in full effect and I couldn't help smiling and laughing with her.

But I still said no.

Happy Valentine's Day!

7 years ago today, Jay and I went on our first official date! We went to Mama Mia's in Gilroy, and we talked about everything from our families to halloween costume contests to whether or not Jay should send his food back to the kitchen. (He did, but was very embarrassed.) That night was a blast, and although I didn't have an "I'm going to marry this guy" epiphany, I knew I didn't want it to end. Luckily for me, it didn't and it won't!

Here are some pics from our brief :) courtship:

Being dorks together

Dancing at a friend's wedding. The question is, who is that guy behind us and how happy do you think this picture would make him?

Celebrating our first month :) Jay skipped class so he could recreate Mama Mia's on his sister's porch... so cute! No wonder I married him!

Wanna Be Startin' Something

The Range Staff at the Academy has a reputation for being very tough and intimidating. Everyone knows not to mess with them. However, there is another side to the Range Staff. When they are in a good mood they like to entertain themselves by messing with the cadets in a good-natured sort of way. For example, if you mess up (not severely, of course) and the staff is in a good mood, they probably won't make you do push-ups. Instead, they will make you run around the entire range waving your arms and yelling "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!" over and over again as if you were on a rollercoaster. And they will make you do that the entire quarter-mile back to the main Academy grounds if they are in an especially good mood.

The Range Staff was in that kind of mood last week when Company A was doing tactical drills. The cadets were supposed to get out of the car, shoot a couple targets, run to a wall, shoot a target that was holding a "hostage," switch weapons, shoot another target, and take cover. The drill was going to be timed, so before they started, the Range staff asked if there were any rivalries in the group. One cadet spoke up and said there weren't any rivalries, but there were brothers in the Company. The Staff latched onto that pretty quickly. They made the two brothers (one of whom is Jay's roommate) go against each other and had them taunting each other with chants like, "I'm going to beat my brother, nah nah nah nah nah." The cadets found it all rather entertaining, and the Staff continued to have each cadet do something funny when it was their turn.

Well, Jay's turn came and the range had him doing push-ups to get his heart-rate going before the drill in order to more closely imitate real life. As he was doing his push-ups, one of the officers noticed that Jay was only wearing one glove. Now, I know what you're thinking, but let me defend my husband a little. It gets pretty cold out on the range (hence the gloves) but it is also pretty difficult to shoot with gloves on. So Jay removed the glove from his shooting hand. Ok, so ....... it's still weird. Anyway, as I was saying, one of the officers noticed his missing accessory and yelled out:

"Fear! Are you really wearing only one glove? What, are you too poor to buy a pair??"

Jay, who was still doing pushups, started to laugh and responded, "No sir!"

"Who do you think you are, Michael Jackson? Tell you what Fear, I want you to moonwalk down to the wall and back!"

What could Jay do? He got up and moonwalked the length of a basketball court and back as the other cadets laughed and cheered him on. They especially liked it when he tilted his hat forward. (My man's got moves!)

Jay was then required to sit in the patrol car and sing at the top of his lungs, "Billy Jean is not my lover... she's just a girl who claims that *I* am the one..." as he waited for his turn to start the drill.

He is such a good sport.

A Really Good Week

Well, it's Sunday night, I just said good-bye to Jay a little while ago, and I'm feeling a little sorry for myself. Besides already missing him and not looking forward to a long week, my left nostril is stuffy and runny at the same time. That doesn't seem like it should be possible, does it? But yet, here I am, living proof. If I get sick I shall be very put out.

Anyway, I know how you all are clamoring for a Week 17 update, so I will zip my lip and speak of my woes no more. Here we go...

When our fearless cadet left us last Sunday he had a lot on his mind. Week 17 was going to be full of tests, tests, and more tests. First up was their vehicle pullover scenario test on Monday. Jay was a little nervous but... he passed! 96% baby! It seemed like a good omen for the rest of the week. On Wednesday Jay's class was officially given "senior" status. (Even though the junior class has been around since January, Jay's class had to earn the title. It was a long road for them... 1 step forward, 2 steps back kind of thing.) So now Jay and his classmates sport a little yellow "cheez-it" on their right shoulder as a symbol of their awesomeness. Of course the staff made sure to remind them that it could be taken away at any second, so no one's holding their breath.

When we visited Jay Wednesday night for liberty, he was slightly distracted. He was going for his second attempt at PMA (Physical Methods of Arrest) Certification on Thursday, and he really wanted to pass. He didn't want to have to take a 3rd attempt, which would be in front of the Lt. When we parted I tried to pump him up as much as possible, and I spent the whole of Thursday praying my guts out for him. Then I sat by the phone and waited for 8 o'clock to come. 8 came... and went. 8:15 came... and went. 8:30 came... ring, ring! I grabbed the phone almost as fast as I did on Day 1 and barely let him say "Hi" before I asked him how it went. He passed!!! I have to say, we were both a little giddy with relief. It was a huge thing to have crossed off the list.

Then Friday came and Jay had his second attempt at the high speed course. I wasn't as nervous for him on this one because he was only on 2 of 4 tries. Both he and I tried to approach it with the "It would be awesome to pass, but it's not necessary today," kind of attitude. When he called me on his way home that evening he actually tried to get away with not telling me anything. It was almost as if he forgot who he was married to for a few minutes. There was no way I was going to let him get away with that so eventually he spilled the beans... he passed!!! I was so happy for him. There have been so many cadets failing out on high speed lately that it is getting a little scary. In fact, Jay was the only one to pass on Friday. That doesn't mean he's in the clear driving-wise, though. There is still the Code 3 course, which he will probably take soon. Not as many people fail out on Code 3, but it's always a possibility. This Academy experience has got us living on the edge, that's for sure.

We were able to celebrate the great week at a Valentine's Dance at church on Friday night. Betsy was sweet enough to watch the kids and Jay and I had a great time shaking our groove thang. One of my favorite things about Jay is that he loves to dance. As adults we rarely get the opportunity (except in the kitchen), so we took full advantage. We were one of the last couples to leave. But what can you do? When the DJ busts out "Rollercoaster," you can't walk out. You just can't!

Here we are, all dressed up with a place to go!

The rest of the weekend included the weekly bagel run Saturday morning, a trip to Vasona that afternoon, and a really great dinner at home. Sunday was church, hanging out at home, and taking a family walk around the neighborhood. I am loving this weather. The constant rain was making me feel like a Grumpy Zombie Mommy.

Bea & Daddy, just swinging

Natalie waiting her turn for the slide

Mischief Managed!

This is Janet's fault (Part 2)

I've been tagged to answer a trillion questions about my relationship with Jay, what my date of birth and social security number is, etc. So here I go.... I can feel your excitement through the computer screen! (This time I promise I will answer correctly, unlike the last time I was tagged.)


1. How Long Have You Been Together? About 7 years

2. How Long Did You Date? About 2 days. Well, at least that's what it seemed like to most people. We officially started dating Feb 14 (Valentine's Day, baby!) 2001 and were married less than 5 months later.

3. How Old Is He? He's 29. I totally robbed the cradle.

4. Who Eats More? Hmmm, during the week he's on his super-fun-Academy diet and I usually only eat 1/2 a PB&J and whatever else the kids left lying around, but then I make up for it with half a pan of brownies after they're asleep. So it's a toss up. If you add the weekends in, though, Jay wins.

5. Who Said "I Love You" First? Jay. Although he tried to get away with not making it a big deal (he's slick like that). He was leaving my house after dropping me off after a date and he just said, "Ok, I'll call you tomorrow. Love you."

6. Who Is Taller? No contest on this one, it's Jay.

7. Who Is The Better Singer? Neither one of us will be getting a record deal anytime soon, but I'm going to give this one to me.

8. Who Is Smarter? If you're talking about scriptures, vehicle codes, or baseball, it's definitely Jay. If you're talking about computers, budgeting, or The Office, it's definitely me. Everything else is even.

9. Who Does The Laundry? I do 95% of it since Jay's at the Academy, but when he's home he's a huge help. He always was a big help, but his 2+ years as a stay-at-home-dad made him even more awesome in the chore department.

10. Who Does The Dishes? See #9

11. Whose more patient? Well, I come from a long line of overreactors, so ...

13. Who Mows The Lawn? The gardener, dahling.

14. Who Cooks? During the week, me. On the weekend Jay likes to take over the kitchen. He's really weird like that. Really, I'm not complaining... but you have to admit it's weird.

15. Who's More Stubborn? Not me. Nope. Definitely not me. You will never get me to say I'm more stubborn. I won't do it. Nothing you say will make me!!!!

16. Who Kissed Who First? We were sitting on his sister's couch talking after just watching Return to Me (Got it Grace...) and he planted one on me. And no, it's not as weird as it sounds... his sister and her family were asleep. That was back when we were young and could stay up until 2 a.m.

17. Who Asked Who Out? Ah... now there's some disagreement here but since I'm answering this I can tell it my way. MuHAHAHAHA! Jay was loitering around the church after Institute one night (Feb 7 2001 to be exact... almost 7 years ago), waiting for me. He will deny this but it's absolutely true. Anyway, we started talking and I showed him the new car I bought after my accident. I offered to take him for a spin (see, he thinks that means I asked him out) and then as we were driving he asked if I wanted to go get something to eat. Actually, it was before we were even out of the parking lot. I was too charming for him to resist.

18. Who Proposed? Jay did, of course. Like our friends Janet and Craig, we went to Olive Garden for lunch (told you we are twins) and then Jay told me he wanted to take me somewhere but it was going to be a surprise. So he blindfolded me with a dish towel held on with a tie and then drove for what seemed like 3 hours. It didn't help that he was making smart aleck comments like "Oh look, we're passing a bus and they're all pointing at you." When we arrived at our destination he led me out (I had no idea where I was) and then stopped me on some pavement. I could hear water and faint voices but I could tell we weren't at the beach. He spun me around a few times for effect, and then took off my blindfold. We were in front of the fountain at the Oakland Temple. He got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I told him I needed to think about it. Kidding! Of course I said yes immediately. And here we are, almost 7 years later!

19. Who Is More Sensitive? Totally me.

20. Who Has More Friends? Jay, for sure. Everyone loves him (what's not to love?). I have lots of friends but, as Anne of Green Gables would say, I only have a few bosom friends.

21. Who Has More Siblings? Jay... those crazy Mormons.

22. Who Are You Tagging? Oh, you know, whoever has the inclination. And now you may now all return from the edge of your seats!

The Need For Speed

There it is, in the distance... graduation!

Jay's week started out with the loss of 4 cadets from his class. One cadet quit, two went out on skid pan, and one of Jay's roommates broke his leg. He broke it last week during the obstacle course (the same day Jay pulled his quad), but thought it was a sprained ankle and hobbled around on it for a week. I told Jay it sounded like it was broken, and for once I'm sorry that I was right. Jay's roommate is a good guy and I hate for this to happen to him. He is on paid leave, however, and once he's healed he will hopefully be able to join the next Academy class.

In the middle of the week Jay was able to cross another graduation requirement off of his list - he certified in Spanish arrest techniques. Jay's fluency in Spanish has been such a blessing. One less thing to stress over.

Friday the cadets got to play a little Muhammed Ali and box one another. (Can I just say here that I am very glad I'm not the one at the Academy? Can you imagine me boxing?) Usually the staff pairs people up according to size, but Jay was actually challenged by one of his friends. Jay kicked his butt! Just kidding... it was a pretty fair match, but most of the cadets said Jay won. He was pretty sore over the weekend and complained about having used muscles he doesn't normally have to use. Jay's a lover, not a fighter, after all...

The yucky thing about Week 16 was that Jay was required to stay at the Academy Saturday for his first attempt at the high speed course. He was not excited about losing a day with his family, but he was excited for the chance to relive all his past driving indiscretions. Here's an aerial view of the course:

(sorry for the grainy look... I have no clue how to fix it, but you get the idea, right?)

The first time through the course he was sitting in the passenger seat while the instructor drove. They took it slow as the instructor talked about the course and pointed out important areas. Then, the instructor put the pedal to the metal, baby, and Jay was scared out of his mind. They were taking turns at over 100 mph, and took most of the rest of the course at 115. The thing that scared Jay, though, was not the speed but the fact that he was not in control. Once it was his turn to get behind the wheel it wasn't nearly as nerve-wracking. Don't get me wrong, it was still scary, but it was also fun.

He did not pass the high speed course on his first attempt, but the instructor was happy with his progress and just thinks that Jay needs more time in the car, which he should get in the next week or two. I think Jay's secretly glad he didn't pass the first time... it gives him an excuse to be a speed demon again!

And now Week 16 is done, and there are 11 weeks left to go in this Academy journey of ours. Each week brings new challenges both at the Academy and here on the home front, but we are both marching on towards that faint glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

Some weekend highlights:

Making Valentine's cookies with Grandma

Just hanging out with Daddy