items of business

I have much to tell you, my blog friends. I will start with the most important.

While on vacation in DC last week (watch for upcoming post), I received a call from my mother informing me that my 32-week-along sister-in-law, Stacey, had a dangerous pregnancy condition called preeclampsia. They told her she would need to deliver in 48 hours.

Long story short, Hannah Leigh Larsen arrived on March 20, weighing 3 lbs 1 oz. She was 17 inches long! Tall baby.

I just barely got to see her for the first time on Wednesday. She was tanning under the bili lights. She just loves to chill and stretch out her long legs over her body-encasing doughnut. She also sounds like a kitten when she cries. You know I love it.

She only had to be on C PAP (breather thing up there) for 12 hours - which is awesome.

Exhausted.

Tanning under the bili's.


Next item: Blown out tire fiasco!

Okay, so I was aware that I hadn't put new tires on the car for, mmm, maybe five years. So what? my young girl mind thought. Maintenance is for boys. Namely my dad. So it shouldn't have been a shock when this happened Wednesday on my way to Statistics.

I haven't been to Stats for the last 4 class periods. I'm behind. I was very eager to get there on Wednesday to catch up and turn in my homework. While driving on Interstate 15, I was approaching the 800 North exit in Orem. All of a sudden my car just started making weird noises and driving uneven. I knew my luck had finally run out.

I pulled to the side and dialed my dad to come rescue me. My parents were there within minutes. When my dad examined the situation and also my remaining three tires, he looked at me with a sigh and said, "When we're done, head directly to Big O Tires." Apparently you could see the cording on my other tires. So they were in bad shape too. Who knew?

My mom scolding me for not being more assertive in my car's life.

So $480 dollars later (I also needed an alignment and one other thing I don't understand) and my tax-refund all but depleted, I got my car back in tip-top shape.


Next item: Wendover!

It's been an ongoing joke among the friends that one night we're just going to take the FUN BUS to Wendover and gamble the night away. Well, one fateful Friday night, Nan and Joe talked me into just that. We met the Fun Bus here at the Buenavista Market in shady West Valley. I know.

Here is the fun bus, already transporting some very enthusiastic patrons.

Nan and me. Excited.

Joe and Ryan. Oh and Joe's rotten friend behind him.

Once aboard, an old lady gets this party started! We played BINGO, played lotto scratch cards, and enjoyed some beverages. We were also given a coupon book with the following: free buffet, five dollars cash back, and free cocktails (gave that one away).

The Friday night seafood buffet was $24.99. My Fun Bus ticket was $18. You do the math. I earned money on this trip.

Nan, Joe, and Ryan trying their luck at the Roulette Table. I didn't gamble my money, but I sure helped Ryan gamble his. It's much more fun that way.

Nan kept wasting away her final dollars in dumb slot machines, so I had to show her how it was done. I put in a dollar to the 5 cent slot machines. I went away with $1.45. I know when to quit.

So, all in all, I spent $12.55 (because I got 5 bucks back). The Fun Bus picked us back up at 3:45 am, and I finally rested my head on my pillow at 6 am. Worth it.

There you have it. I am sorry for the long post, but I just had so much on my mind!

please respond

Dear Tara,

Would you like to go to our Nation's capital, District of Columbia, with me next week?

Think about it.

Yours Truly,

Tawny

Dewey: In Memorium

Saturday marked what would have been Dewey's 22nd birthday. I just wanted to take a mintue and remember him, his life, and his legacy.

It all started one fateful day when my parents walked into Macey's grocery store and saw a recently posted note on the board by the shopping carts. It read: "Siamese Kittens for Sale". They were selling for $15 a kitten, but the first people there would get their kitten half off. My parents headed to this house and were the first there! All of the kittens were running wilding around, and Dewey just so happened to be the first one they could catch. So it began.

That was 22 years ago. I was a mere one year-old when I met Dewey. I have known him longer than three of my siblings. Dewey was a true member of the family. He had his own chair at the dinner table. He would walk to the fridge and it would be opened unto him. He would walk to the back door and someone would jump up to let him out. He was honored and revered as the Great One.

He was also adorned with many nicknames including, but not limited to: Uncle Feathers, Meat Pants, Variety Meats, Smeagol...to name a few.

Some of my favorite Dewey Moments/Habits include:

-Lying on his back under the Christmas Tree trying to knock down as many ornaments as he could.

-Disappearing for two weeks in the summer, only to return in a very plump and well-fed state.

-Attacking the "bump" in the rug.

-Watching him hopped-up on Cat Nip. Very entertaining.

-Finding him next to the heater on the kitchen floor where he looked him a very adorable rug. You could always find him there in the morning.

-His miraculous recovery he made when he was on his deathbed. Truly a miracle.

-His meow. Or "ma" I should say. Some would call it annoying, but we loved it and miss it. Countless mornings Dewey and Brandon would get talking to each other so loudly that we'd yell at both of them to shut it.

-There was the one summer back in 2006, just six months before he passed, where he disappeared for three weeks. We didn't think that was unusual because he was a very independent cat, but with him getting older we were concerned. As time passed, we resorted to checking the neighbors backyards for any sign of him. Nothing. Another week passed and we heard a familiar meow in the garage. My dad found him in there looking completely haggard and hungrier than we'd ever seen him. He came inside and ate and ate and ate. We're still not sure where he was. But we're convinced he came back just one last time to say goodbye before December.

Dewey left us with a certain emptiness that I'm not sure will ever be adequately filled. We adored him. He was treated as a king; we were his humans living in his house. There was something very elegant about him. We were privileged to have known him as long as we did.

proud owner

I am now the proud owner of this good lookin' bike.

It's a Gary Fisher with Rock Shox. Don't be jealous.

forearm of steel

I've been bugging Scott lately to teach me how to play racquetball. We finally went for the first time last night.

I agreed to playing this sport without really knowing what I was getting myself into. A few of the hazards include: dodging loose balls, running head-first into metal walls, hyperextension of every muscle, etc.

I muscled through the lessons and it really is quite a fun game. You should see my sweet moves.

But as my alarm went off this morning, I could feel something was off. I went to the gym this morning, and as I ran, my right arm was just too tired to stay at a 90 degree angle to my side. This was odd. Then I went over to the regular arm weights that I do. My little forarm was struggling to push the bar forward.

I thought that this was the end of my troubles. I soon found it difficult to perform mundane, everyday tasks, including: applying mascara, controlling a computer mouse, typing, stapling (I can handle stapling two pages together, but three was out of the question).

Now my arm doesn't hurt, but it just feels utterly spent and wants to rest from all its cares today. I was told that I need to go on an all-tuna protein diet to build some muscle. But I have been working out and eating an increased amount of protein - I guess I really just need to step it up a notch!

only in dreams

I made an observation the other day that I didn't really like.

Two items of background information:

1. I love traveling. I wish I could quit my day job and school and travel the world. I am fascinated by different areas of the world. Unfortunately, IHC and UVU have me in their icy clutches with no light at the end of the tunnel. The things I do to further my already advanced intelligence.

2. I rarely remember my dreams. The parts I do remember are usually random fragments that are typically forgotten by the time I drive to work in the morning.

I've noticed a pattern in the dreams that I actually do remember. They usually take place in an airport.

While dreaming, time and time again I find myself so excited for a trip that I am taking. Common things I say are, "Wow, I am finally making it to New York." or "Man, I've missed Kauai. I am so glad to go back."

And then the same thing always happens - I never make it to my destination. Either the flight has been cancelled. Or I really don't have the money I thought I did. Or I just wake up before takeoff. It doesn't matter; I never end up getting there.

I always wake up frustrated that even my dreams won't allow me to get away. Is this some kind of sick joke someone is playing on me? I can just hear someone taunting me in the back of my mind. Maaahaaa Tawny. You can't go on vacations now. You can't even go while dreaming.

I foolishly looked up ticket prices to Kauai last week. I found a great deal to Honolulu at the end of April for $489. I sat there and stared at the flights. I was one click away from "Purchase" until my reality-laden mind took over.

I need a vacation. That leaves the airport.

jazz vs cavs

So I hit up my first Jazz game of the season. I sure do love the Jazz. Nan, Joe, Scott, and I purchased tickets last minute.

As pictured above, Hollie joined us later. Welcome back from Key West, Girl.

A few years back at a Clippers game, a mini soft basketball was thrown to me in the crowd. I caught it above my head. The ball was in my possession. But before I could pull the ball back down from a top my head, a full-grown man sitting directly behind me, grabbed the ball from my hands. He claimed it as his own. Needless to say, it affected me. Since this fateful day, I have carried a certain chip on my shoulder. Last night, a blue voice-cone-thing (pictured above) was thrown again in my direction. I wasn't going to let this one pass me by. Well, apparently the kid in the row in front of me had the same idea. We both caught it at the same time. Instead of me giving up and letting the kid win, I pulled and struggled with all my might for a good thirty seconds. When I finally came to and realized what I was doing, I released it and let the 12 year old have it. Not my proudest moment. Ha ha

Well the Jazz and King James put on a great game - until the end where we lost it. It was a heartbreaker.

Hollie, Joe, Nan (above), Scott and me (below) post-game at California Pizza Kitchen.

I got the Thai Chicken Pizza. Folks, if you haven't tried it - you're missing out.

winter

So I'll be the first to admit: I hate winter. I think the snow is not only useless, but very inconvenient. I find it very disgusting the amounts of it we've received this winter. I'm a summer person.

Anyway, I still thought these pictures were cute because my Nephew Cole thought it was soo cool that he could sled in our front yard.

honor student

I know that I have left you all on the edge of your seats with the whole "ucler" thing. I am sorry for the delay in updating. Here's how it went down:

I knew that grades would be posted on Wednesday December 24th. They're always posted the Wednesday following finals, but this didn't stop me from checking very consistently every 3 hours for a week.

But I finally went to bed on December 23rd and woke up abruptly in the middle of the night. I looked at my cell phone and it read: Decemeber 24th - 3:39 AM. My automatic thought was: It's Christmas Eve. Yes. Grades.

I hopped out of bed and ran to the computer in the living room. I started the dial-up connection (ha ha, just kidding. Just sounds funny to say these days. And more intense.) and navigated to UVU's website. I typed in my student ID and password. I followed the ever-familiar steps to my student records where my grades lie waiting.

Doubt lingered in the back of my mind because I wasn't sure if they would be up so early in the morning. As my shaky hand finally came to the right page, there it was. Fall 2008 grades. I stopped. Did I really want to know? I was about to see just how much my hard work had paid off; if any. I was sure that I would get an A- in Biology. Even Math 1050 I couldn't be sure of the results.

I finally took a deep breath and opened the page. I scrolled down to the middle of the page and to my complete and utter shock I saw my first 4.0 of my entire school career. That's right, even in Junior High and High school had I never pulled this off. I would never have to retake Biology, Math 1050 or Chemistry 1110 again. A few tears dropped from my unbelieving eyes.

I went back to bed to enjoy the most peaceful night's sleep ever. Oh wait, that didn't happen. For the rest of the night, I lay in bed with a million thoughts and scenarios running through my already overworked mind....

What if I really got into Nursing school? Would I have time to work? I have to work. Where would I work? I have to have 24 hours at IHC a week. I'm going to have to work some kind of night shift. Wait, I don't want to quit my job. I don't have any skills....My thoughts when on and on like this for the rest of the night.

Needless to say, I've been pretty ecstatic. But also this makes my future that much more real...which scares me. Am I ready to be an adult? I also want to apologize to all of you whom I've ignored through this grueling semester. I'm ready to be fun again...please call...

ulcer

I'm pretty sure that the health community has discredited any correlation between stress and ulcers. But I think they're wrong.

It was last Thursday when the reality of the semester ending and finals coming set in. Since then, I've been a slight nervous wreck.

I wake up in the middle of the night with cold sweats for no apparent reason. My thoughts automatically reflect on my Chemistry class.

My Chemistry final is this Wednesday. 45% percent of my grade. Yeah. I am terrified that my 96% grade in the class right now will be blown to bits by a few wrong answers.

I need some Valium.