Christmas Update

I have no Christmas pictures. I had my camera with me as we opened presents, but I was really tired (we're talking four hours of sleep because we were up until after midnight, I woke up sick around 4:00 a.m. and our nieces and nephews were ready to open presents at 5:00) so there is no photographic evidence of our Christmas this year. That's okay because there wasn't much exciting to record. Troy got very practical gifts this year (e.g. windshield wipers and a mouse for the computer) and I told him not to get me any junk, which is pretty much everything.

Christmas was nice, however. Relaxed and quiet. We did get a camcorder, so once I have something worth recording I'll get to start putting videos on our blog. Hooray!

The no-pics excuse

Okay, I know I really should put belly pics up, but my current excuse is that they are all on my cell phone and I have no idea where my mini SD card is, so they are stuck there. Hopefully I find it. Otherwise, I'll try to get the ambition to take one with my regular camera and post early next week. If it doesn't happen, don't worry, it's not because I don't love you, it's because my belly really isn't that interesting. :)

One of the ladies I visit teach is trying to convince me to be her guinea pig and let her take prego pics because that's the only type she hasn't done. I'm thinking about it. Is that weird?

Ta Da

I am writing this from my house. It's a Christmas miracle. I have a sick hubby today, so if he's too sick to travel for Christmas, I'll update our blog. But if he just needs some rest and isn't going to get others sick, then you'll get a New Year's theme soon enough. Merry Christmas everyone!

Sorry for the fall blog decor in December. I'm still internet-less so I don't have time/access to do good things with it. You'll just have to suffer. I'm scheduled to get set up next week, so maybe I'll get a Christmas theme and music up in time. Then I'll at least have one decoration in my life (read: the Petersons do not have a tree this year). :)

One month and counting

This is getting a little scary. Within a month my life will be totally different. I don't think I'm ready for this!! It's just been Troy and me for 6.5 years and soon there will be someone else. That's a very big change. I was far less freaked out when we were graduating, moving, buying a house, etc. I don't even remember being this freaked out when I was getting married (I'm sure I was, but that was a long time ago so I've probably forgotten).

This is actually more than a little scary, it's a LOT scary.

any advice is appreciated

Verizon, Verizon, I hate Verizon

Excuse my rant, but I am very angry.

Three words that would describe Verizon are crooked, backward and not helpful (okay, that’s a phrase). Here’s the story:

I live in a small town with no “options” for services. Land lines are only available through Verizon and as far as I know, the same goes for DSL. So I had just a basic, local-only phone line and semi-slow DSL, but was satisfied enough.

Then I moved. Well, back up a little. I was about to move and called to arrange a service transfer. The woman was helpful and I thought we had everything set up. We needed satellite service, so I decided to bundle the three and get more services for a good deal. Sounds great.

Then I moved. Phone works at my new place. Great. Satellite hooked up and working at my new place. Great. Internet does not work at my new place. Why? After calling tech support, I learned that Verizon had upgraded my connection speed as planned, but hadn’t changed my service address. Frustrating. Why on earth would I want to change the service address for my phone line but not my internet connection? My connection comes through my phone line, kinda necessary to have both at the same address I would think. Whatever. Now I’m told the Saturday shift can’t help me so I need to call X number on Monday. Like I don’t have things to do on Monday.

So like a good girl I say okay and call the stupid number on Monday. After waiting on hold, being cut off, holding again, getting cut off again and then told I need to call a different number, I finally talk to the internet sales and order department. I’m pretty sure I could have talked to this department on Saturday (because when it comes to making a sale, Verizon is always open, but getting tech support is a Monday thru Friday issue) if the no-nothing Turkish man from Saturday understood what I was trying to tell him.

Moving on. The woman in S&O pulled up my info and was also perplexed as to why they hadn’t ordered an address change. She calls her supervisor over and gets things set up, but then discovers that the reason my service address wasn’t changed was because DSL isn’t available at my new address. If you are from Blythe or talked to anyone in Blythe, you’ve probably heard of this. They have a limited number of slots available for DSL and until someone moves, cancels service or Verizon gets their act together and updates their technology, you’re SOL. Apparently my new neighborhood is full and I am SOL.

Verizon is so focused on building their wireless customer base and expanding coverage (which I appreciate as I use that service) that they don’t care about their original market—residential services. I get that. I’m sure they make a lot more money on their millions of cell users, but if you only want to do that then sell your auxiliaries to someone who would actually provide a service. I don’t think my area even has caller ID for crying out loud.

This is where the crooked part comes in. When I called originally to change my service the lady said we were all set. Now call me stupid, but I assumed that meant I would actually get the service I was paying for.

So all this brings me to my current dilemma. What do I do? I don’t need all the bells and whistles that are part my new, unlimited phone line. I’m perfectly happy with local only—in fact I’d survive without one. I do need satellite because I’m married to Troy. I do want internet!! I guess I need to do some research and find out if I can get internet through anyone else and see if my satellite contract is through DirecTV or Verizon. If I can deal only with DirecTV and cut Verizon out of my life completely, I will.

Enough said.

Moving Day

It's here!!!!

I hope I don't loose my mind (or my things).

Reaching the end of my rope

I decided to tidy up my inbox this morning because there were 210 conversations in there. Rather messy, I know. After I "filed" all the emails about buying this house, I was down to 139--that's 71 conversations. And those of you familiar with gmail know that a conversation is more than one email--most of mine are 6-8 messages long! Buying a house is such a headache. Why can't I just give people my money and be done with it??? Actually, I would be happy if I even knew what day the house would be mine, but I can't even get that information and it will supposedly be within a week! I know this is all very normal, but I still hate it.

Success!

I will be the first to admit that I am not a decorator. Although the idea of having my own house and doing my own things is exciting, I am overwhelmed by the idea of making decisions about paint and furniture and all that stuff. Add to that the fact that it all costs money and it's even more stressful.

The only room I have any idea about what I want in it is the baby's room. Yet even there I have no exact idea. I think my ideas are based more on how the room should "feel" than how it will look. I have looked and looked at bedding (to the point of driving my mother-in-law crazy) and hated all of it. I am not a lover of pink. It's fine, but most of the stuff out there is really pink and I know I'd get tired of it very quickly. I do like blue, but even the "girl" things that are blue are still too boyish. Green and yellow are dull. Can you see my dilemma? All I know is that I want wide cream stripes on the wall--simple and elegant.

So after concluding that my daughter will have only whatever we get at the baby shower (no matter how badly it clashes), I had decided to give up. I planned on spending today packing things we won't need for the next six weeks to make the move easier, but after spending the morning on the phone with loan drama (will it ever end?), I was not in the mood to work. Therefore I wasted time on the internet. I decided to check Wal-Mart for baby things, just because I hadn't, and there it was. The perfect room:

It meets nearly all of my criteria: not too pink; cream, brown and cranberry/magenta/red based (depending on which review you read); simple, not overwhelming but still has some color. What more could I ask for? Well, I would like to see it in person and get a few precise measurements, but that is not possible as it's on clearance and I get everything you see (minus the furniture) for, get this, $77. Yeah, 10-piece set for $77. And I love it, too. This is a good day after all.

As Promised

Here is the video of us telling my family we were having a baby. We went to Utah right after Father's Day, so we decided to give my mom and dad little onesies about grandparents because this will be their first grandchild. It took my mom and dad a while to understand what was going on, but as you will see, my sister Sarah picked up on it first. Poor girl has more emotion in her little body than the rest of the family put together, so that explains her reaction.

WARNING: Do NOT watch this video around sleeping babies or anyone else sensitive to loud sounds. Do NOT turn up the volume on your computer, there's nothing to hear at the first of the video and your speakers may never recover. :) It's cell phone video so the quality it really bad, but I still love it. And I love Sarah.

Rummage Giveaway

This is our stuff before we loaded it up and said goodbye:

I don't miss it at all. It took both cars to get it down to the church and Troy made lots of trips from car to building to get it all inside.

Troy had be at the church Saturday morning to help out with the giveaway and he said it was crazy seeing all the people lined up outside and then even crazier when they opened the doors and people rushed it. He jokes that there was a lady on a rascal scooter running people over to get to the Mormon's good junk. Next time he wants to set up a video camera to film the madness.

Anyway, it was a success. I got there after everyone was inside, so I found a spot on the couch in the foyer and watched the people as they left with their treasures. I'm glad that the things I no longer wanted could help people who obviously needed them. And the missionaries every handed out a few pass-along cards, so maybe someone will find something even better than a few t-shirts and muffin tins. :)

Purging

A couple times a year our ward has a rummage giveaway. Not a sale--members and the community just come and get what they want/need. I think I've only actually picked up two dress shirts for Troy that a lady handed to me with a look that said she expected me to take them (BTW-they are in the stack of things to donate this time around). The thing I love about the giveaway is giving my stuff away.

Between making space for baby and not wanting to move stuff I don't use, we are in the middle of a major purge. I love it. Once we get it all into one place I'll have to take a picture. However, I look around and we just have too much stuff! The new house is three bedrooms and has a garage, but it's still small. I'm all about small. I want to live a small and simple life, so having all these things really bothers me. But a lot of it is stuff I either can't bring myself to get rid of yet or things I use just often enough that I don't dare get rid of them. My piano keyboard, for example. I never use it because 1) it doesn't sound or play like the real thing and 2)I play terribly. But I can't just get rid of it, can I? And what about the quesadilla maker that I've used twice but oh those quesadillas were so good! Too many tough decisions.

A little story (and finally some pics)

After thinking about how we were going to fit our lives and a baby into our two-bedroom apartment, we decided that instead of sacricing our stuff, we'd just move. Add to that the constant promptings of my dad, the real estate lover. It all became too much and at the end of August we started the house hunt. I'll tell you what--any of you who live in a metro area are lucky. In Blythe we have very few options in the lower price ranges, unless of course you want to buy a dump in the ghetto. Yes, we actually have multiple ghettos in our small town. Go figure.

Nevertheless, we were optimistic. This is Troy the day we went on our first home tour:

If you can't tell, he's in a good mood. I think he's singing along with Eddie Money or something. Anyway, among many other awful sights, the visual evidence of which I deleted without thinking of this post, this summarizes our first day:

An investor's reno that looked great on the surface, but at closer inspection was trash. This is the sprayed on grass in the front yard. Highlights of other houses included a kitchen with about two cabinets, bedrooms with psychedelic carpet and extension cords powering the ceiling fans. If I had a picture of me at the end of the day, you would see I was clearly depressed.

But the search continued. We saw houses straight out of the fifties, complete with metal cabinets; houses with a reek that will likely never leave; and houses that were workable, but priced far above our comfort level. There was a foreclosure we made an offer on, but only after it had been on the market for three days (which included a weekend), there were already multiple offers besides ours, so that didn't work out for us.

Anyway, I had pretty much given up on the idea when our realtor told us about a house that was coming on the market. We made an offer the day it was listed and the owners accepted the next day. Hooray! So we're moving and I'm very excited.

Belated Announcement

Oops. I promised I'd let you know what we were having. What a failure I am. Oh well, I'm not too concerned because it seems most of you are extra-intuitive anyway (or Erica voted over and over so she'd be right).

It's a girl!

Or so the doctor says. I must say that I really can't tell when watching the video myself. Sure looks like there's something there to me, but he got plenty of crotch shots and was very confident.

We are very excited for a girl. Troy will spoil her rotten. I think he's the type that can't help but create a daddy's girl.

If I get ambitious, I'll try to figure out how to post part of the ultrasound for Lindsay. But Lindsay, don't be too disappointed if I can't figure out how to cut it from it's full length and you have to wait to see it until after she's born and we finally get to see you again!

Another poll

I know I have zero pictures on this blog, and this post won't help anythingl. Sorry.

We have an ultrasound next week during which (hopefully) we'll find out the sex of the baby. So just for kicks and giggles, cast your vote and we'll see how smart you all are. :)

Finally some real news

After months, well probably years, of a news-less blog, we finally have something to say: We're having a baby. Hooray! It's due January 15 and things are going well. I would post a pic of our ultrasound, but it's just a dark spot with a blob in the middle, so it's really nothing to gush over. However, once I get home I'll have to post the video of telling my family. My sister FREAKED out and I will take any opportunity to embarrass her.

So far the thing I look forward to most about not being pregnant is being able to brush my teeth for a full three minutes. The only time I lose my breakfast is when I gag myself (far too easy to do) while brushing my teeth. My dentist will be so mad when he sees all my cavities.

Another Hubby Bragging Moment

Troy is so awesome. I have a stupid cold and have been useless for days. Add to that the fact that it's ant season and I'll just say that our house is a mess. There is baby powder covering the kitchen counters. Troy decided to vacuum it up and see if our ant "friends" come back. Let me tell you, when the stuff has been sitting there for a week it's not as easy to clean up. Not only has he rid the kitchen of white powder, but he did an all-out cleaning. Hooray! He's the best.

I Want To Go Home!

It's so true. Usually once June hits I'm ready to leave work and the heat and spend time with the fam in Utah. However, this year my homesickness is INTENSE! Actually, I don't think it's homesickness as much as not wanting responsibilities, but whatever. I still want to be in Richy, sleeping in and doing nothing, even if it is only for 2.5 weeks.

Brother Update

So this is kinda old news, but since I posted that Jason was going to Chicago, I thought I should post that now he's not. Just days after deciding Chicago was the place for him, Jason got accepted to Washington University in St. Louis! He's such a smart boy and we'll now have to become Cardinals fans (considering they are one of the two pro teams I've seen live, I think I can handle that). I'm pretty sure this is where they'll end up, but I guess we never know with those two. :P

Facial Hair

Just a little update for those who voted in our poll but haven't see Troy lately. His chin is . . . . . . BALD! I think he's handsome. Thanks to everyone who helped me convince him to lose the scruff.

My Bro is Amazing

Congrats to Jason and Lindsay for finally deciding where they're going to live for the next four years. Jason will attend Pritzker Medical School at the University of Chicago! Jason, we're so proud of you and hope the Cubs become awesome so we can catch some good games when we come visit.

Hello there

Quick update: It's been hot. And miserable. Well, it was at the first of the week but now it's better. The reasons are: A) we didn't top 100 degrees today and B) we got a new A/C unit!! The old one was original with the building (hello 1960s) and only put out hot or occasionally-slightly-less-than-hot air. Ick. But we survived and today I came home to a giant crane outside my apartment.

Don't worry. I wasn't standing right under the thing. I stuck my hand outside the door to get the shot.

Other than that, not much is happening. We spent spring break in Utah and I left my camera and glasses there, so I'm blind at night and can only take pictures on my crappy cell phone. We did go to WinCo when we got back. It's pretty much the coolest grocery store I've ever seen (not that I have a whole lot to compare to). It's far cheaper than my local "ripping you off is our specialty" Albertsons and you can buy almost any dry good imaginable from bulk containers -- as much or as little as you want. I think my pic below is of the chocolate treats and nuts isle. We loaded up on pasta and Tootsie Pops (we got to choose the best flavors). Awesome.

That's about it actually. Maybe someday we'll have news.

Saying Goodbye

Warning: The following is long, rambling and possibly depressing. :)

Carrie died in a car accident on a Wednesday and the following Monday, two years ago today, I said goodbye to my sister for the last time.

The day Carrie died I had stayed late at work getting ready for our book fair that was to begin the next Monday. I left the school an hour later than usual and checked the answering machine when I got home. My dad’s voice came on. My dad rarely called me. Mom usually called and passed the phone if he needed to say something, so it was a little strange that he called and that he left a message. Then his voice was soft—softer than usual. I must have processed all these little hints very quickly because it didn’t take him long to say that there had been a tragedy in the family and that I needed to call home. Immediately I thought of my grandparents, because that’s what you do. The fact that he used tragedy didn’t register until I called back and he said Carrie had been in a car accident. At that moment I knew she was dead, but didn’t want to accept it so I desperately asked if she was okay. Once I heard the final news I couldn’t breathe and frankly can’t remember much of anything my dad said after that.

Although I remember what I was doing each day from the moment I learned of Carrie’s death until days after her funeral, I also remember feeling like I was living in a fog. Between the lack of sleep and food and the general numbness that comes from such a terrible event, I felt like the world was rapidly moving past me but I had no desire to join in. I walked slower, I thought slower, I was ready for life to stop and leave me where I was—feeling everything and nothing all at once.

Specific memories of the week I said goodbye to Carrie include:

• Crying that the last moments Carrie knew on this earth were scary ones.
  
  
• Feeling okay enough to sleep that first night until I turned off the light and TV. Then only thing in my mind was that my sister was dead.
  
  
• Anxiously counting the mileposts as I got closer to Utah I-15 MP 23. The closer I got the harder it was to catch my breath. Before I knew it, I was driving over her skid marks and had passed them. I started crying, not so much because being in that place made it any more real, but because I felt like that was my last chance to be with her, like somehow I would feel her there. But driving by at 70 miles per hour didn’t give me any time to soak her in.
  
  
• Wishing the miles between home and me would quickly disappear. However, once I drove in to the Sevier Valley, I suddenly dreaded walking into my house. I was afraid of what I would find there and how I would deal with my family and the people stopping by.
  
  
• Seeing her the first time after her accident. She looked so bad—not the perfect little Carrie of my memory. The road did awful things to her. The trauma seemed to make her body twice the size it should have been. It felt like only her hands were her. The little red marks from the gravel marred her beautiful skin, but seeing that skin comforted me because at least that was something of her I could say goodbye to.
  
  
• Living off beef stew, frogeye salad and Wal-Mart steak rolls. Food was the last thing on my mind, even though the house was full of it. I don’t think we ever sat down and had an actual “meal,” partly because we were so busy with all the arrangements, but food just wasn’t a priority. We were so wrapped up in our grief that we simply forgot to eat. When I actually did, I turned to the only three things than had any appeal.
  
  
• Watching my sister Sarah get ready for her Junior Prom two days after her sister died. I was so sad for her. She had her dress all picked out and my mom was about to start the traditional last-minute-sewing-fest, but when Carrie died that didn’t matter much to anyone anymore. Although Carrie’s prom dress was far from Sarah’s style, we pulled it out. Sarah is taller and slimmer than Carrie was, but when she wore the dress, she was perfect. We tried hard to put Carrie aside for a couple hours as we got Sarah ready and went to her program, but she knew and we knew where our hearts were. Sarah was so brave. I think that day she took a big step toward becoming a grown up.
  
  
• Visiting my "home" ward. My family had moved from the boundries, but my brother, one sister and I somehow decided that was where we needed to be that Sunday morning. It was so comforting. They had what is best described as a musical testimony meeting where members come up and talk about their favorite hymn and the congregation sings a verse of it. As person after person got up and mentioned their love for our family and sorrow at our loss, I was bawling my eyes out yet felt so much peace. Jason got up and acted as our family spokeman and expressed my feelings perfectly when he asked we sing "Be Still, My Soul." I don't know that I sang a single word, but that was my plea with the Lord, that He be with me and comfort my aching soul.

• Getting Carrie ready for the viewing. Once she was lying in the casket, I stood there looking at her. Of course she didn’t look right, but I couldn’t live with the fact that the skirt of her dress was crooked. I needed to take care of her—to make sure she would rest peacefully and perfectly.
  
  
• Trying to find the words to say goodbye to my sister. Each of us siblings wrote Carrie a letter to leave with her. I struggled over mine. What do you say to your 19-year-old sister who never got to experience so many of the joys in life? All I could hope was that she was happy.
  
  
• Gathering with my immediate and extended family at the end of the pre-funeral viewing to pray and say our last goodbyes. As I waited my turn and watched my brothers and sisters go before me, I knew that I wouldn’t ever have the time I needed to be ready to let her go. It seemed I had only stood there for a few seconds when my mom pointed out that a close relative had come into the room. I distinctly thought, “I don’t care!! I need to be with my sister. No one matters but her. Don’t make me leave her.” They say one of the stages of grief is anger and this moment was the closest thing to anger I felt about the whole situation. At that moment, I couldn’t understand why I had to do this. I didn’t know why everyone else had to be there for this. Why everyone got to witness the last time we said goodbye to our sister and daughter. I felt pressure to make it quick, to keep myself together but I wanted so badly to hold her, to kneel next to her casket and have time to get my thoughts together and let her feel everything in my heart while I could still see her.
  
  
• Watching old home videos that night after the funeral. Some family members had already left, my husband and one sister included, but those of us that were still around pulled out the Carrie classics. We watched her fall in the creek and get rescued by my dad, hop from grass patch to grass patch in the outfield as softballs rolled by, and other silly antics. However, one of the most trivial clips broke my heart the most. Our family had gone camping in Zion National Park and as Mom set up camp, Dad filmed the kids as we ran around the campsite. As we watched, we laughed at Jason’s squeaky, girlish voice and then Carrie’s chirpy soprano filled the room. Hearing her voice made me miss her so badly. I ached for her and stayed up long after the movies were over and everyone was in bed, just missing her.
  
  
• Returning to work a week after the funeral. Nothing there had changed. Everyone did what they always did—life and work went on as normal. Yet I was changed. I couldn’t believe that all these people could keep answering phones and checking out books when Carrie was gone. How could the world keep turning when it was upside down?

Isn’t it strange that try as we might, some memories will always be filled with holes—incomplete bits of information floating around that, no matter how important or precious the event, we’ll never piece together? Then other parts of our lives we can remember with vivid detail: what we were wearing, how the room smelled and the tone of a person's voice. The latter is my memory of the second week of March 2007.

It breaks my heart that my memories of her when she was already gone are so vivid and complete, but that my memories of Carrie alive are imperfect and hole-ridden memories. I’m sad I didn’t take the opportunity to make more. One night I dreamt that Carrie was fine, life was normal, but we knew she would die. Even in my dream I felt so desperate—knowing I had to come up with the perfect words to let her know how much I loved her and would miss her. It was impossible. As hard as it was to say goodbye to my sister after she was already gone, I wouldn’t have been able to if she had been alive.

She was a wonderful girl, full of happiness, sadness and everything in between. Maybe in her short life she had experienced all she needed to and it was time for her to prove herself in the next world. Of course, no matter how much faith I have that she’s okay and progressing more now than she would have on Earth, I still miss her terribly.

A New Poll

I'll post about this topic after the poll closes, but I need your opinion on the question at the right. What facial hair style should Troy sport? I don't have a pic of the full beard phase, but in the header you can see examples of two of the options (well, the goatee is a little bushy, but use your imagination).

Two Years

We miss you Carrie.

Here's a little video of her. Too bad there's no sound. It would be good to hear her laugh.

6 is the Magic Number

This is the 6th picture in my 6th pictures folder. We're in a hotel in Alhambra, CA on our Peterson/Finley Fun Trip. I don't know if this is before the fun really began (we did four amusement parks in 5 days) or after, but Troy's sure loving that water.

I tag everyone!! Ha ha, but only if you really want to.

Day 50 is Lucky

Yes, this is an actual picture of my actual (very dirty) car.

It has finally happened! I got the plates for my car today!!! The paperwork to change the title arrived, Troy signed it, I sat at the DMV for 20 minutes, the guy typed some things, and he gave me my plates! I was actually a little disappointed that he didn't jump up and do cartwheels like I felt like doing, but I played it cool. Perhaps not seeing my face with angry eyebrows any more isn't as exciting for him as I thought it would be. Oh well. It's all over and I am now legal. Hooray!

Dear California DMV: I hate you

It's true. It has now been 37 days since I brought my car into this state and I still do not have license plates. I drove into California on the late afternoon of December 29 and visited your office the first of many times the morning of December 30. I have since spent hours in your office, on the phone and performing other endlessly maddening tasks to jump through your hoops.

Perhaps my mistake was that I paid you too soon. Within 24 hours of bringing my new-to-me, never-registered-in-my-name car into your budget-crunched state, I had written you a check for nearly $1,500 dollars to cover sales tax for a car purchased in another state and registration fees. Perhaps if I held out you would be workable.

You claimed I needed a smog check although my car's specifications clearly state it passes the California emissions standards. Then I bring you the paperwork (again, within 24 hours of bringing my car into the state) and instead of entering the information, your dolt of an employee prints off a temporary registration stating I still need a smog check and scribbles that out in pencil. So I guess for those 3 seconds he knows I've taken care of my "responsibility," but that doesn't help the next time I call or visit your not-so-helpful department.

You required that a DMV employee (or some other inaccessible official) verify the VIN, odometer and who knows what else on my car. Again, on my immediate visit to my local field office, I am informed this cannot happen at a convenient time because you are short staffed. I guess I can understand that. I need to come back on Wednesday or Thursday between 2 and 4, but not this Wednesday because you're not doing them and not this Thursday because it's a holiday. Then you can only give me a temporary permit that's valid for two days because with the new year you are apparently switching to a new program. Thank goodness good old Utah has taken care of me by providing some kind of temporary license.

So a week and a half later you verify my VIN while having the same number of employees in the office as you did the first day I came. Thankfully I am granted a temporary permit until the end of February. Of course, rather than entering and updating the smog and verification, you just staple it all together and hand it back to me because you "wait until everything is taken care of before putting the info in the system." Whatever.

Now for the kicker. You need evidence of previous registration (I did not register the car in Utah because I live in California, duh) or the title. Hello, I don't own the car! No one in this "thing" obsessed state pays for anything with cash. There is no other option in everyone else mind but to finance, so why should it be any surprise that I did the same? I don't have the title because the car isn't officially mine. The bank owns the title, dimwit. So after talking to the fools in my field office, I call the state DMV to verify procedure. Of course first they tell my I need to get a smog check. I swallow my anger and proceed. I'm told that the lien holder has to send the original Utah title to California, where you create a CA title and send that back to the bank and I can finally get my plates. Stupid, but fine. So I call my credit union and they say okay, they'll send it to CA.

A week and a half later I call Sacramento to check the status of this mess. No, there's not evidence of a title, but I still need to get my smog check. Thanks for the tip. Then this guy tells me duh, I don't need a title. I financed it so of course I don't have one. THANK YOU! I go back to the DMV field office and have another pointless visit where they stand by what they've said.

Soon after I get a letter from the dealership saying the title clerk there has sent my title work to the local DMV field office. Oh, I guess a Utah title doesn't even exist in my name yet. Fine. I go the to DMV again and of course they haven't received it. So I call the dealership and learn she sent the title the same day she sent my letter. So either the DMV has lost it, or I now have a beef with the postal service. Either scenario is plausible. Of course the title woman didn't get the letter certified, so there's no way of knowing what happened to this title. Great.

I wait until the end of the week, still no title paperwork. After brainstorming with my Utah title friend, she decides to call the California DMV and figure out what is going on. Of course the local field office where she sent the paperwork only has an internal line (whatever that means), so she can't call them. Instead she talks to some rude woman (I guess you would call her the DMV stereotype) who doesn't know what's going on, is not interested in the problem, tells her there's no real point in the discussion because I still need to pass a smog check and she can't tell her anything anyway because she's not the registered owner or lien holder. Thank you. Very helpful.
Forget that she is, in fact a representative of the current, official legal owner because the title is still in the dealer's name. I can't legitimately register the car in Utah because I don't have a Utah address and therefore can't get the "alternate" verification from the Utah DMV stating I am the registered owner and who my lien holder is. And we can't get it titled in California because every blasted person I talk to says we need to do something different. Get your story straight!!! I visit your office one last time and after making it clear how upset I am, practically have to force your employee to enter the smog and verification information so I don't have to hear about again.

So for 37 days I have been trying to follow the law. You have your money, I've jumped through the hoops, and you have lost legal paperwork. Thank you. I could have been like many others and registered my car in another (cheaper) state and dealt with you when it came time to renew my registration. I'm just trying to get my safe, clean and fully operational car legal.

Perhaps I should not have purchased my car out of state, but I checked with your website (which is only slightly helpful) and thought I had my bases covered. Clearly I don't. Now we have to get a duplicate title and keep our fingers crossed that once I receive it and walk it into your office that you don't decide you want something else instead.

Troy

I just have to tell everyone that Troy is the best husband ever. I'm getting the last of my sharing time ready and was whining that I wanted a treat so we went to get me a smoothie. He's so good to me. THANKS!!

Oh, and he's a winner. The basketball team won today and is on a two game winning streak (more on that later). Those of you familiar with PV basketball will be impressed.

My hubby is AWESOME!

This is what a box looks like after Troy finally gets what he wants out of it.

Troy's Xbox broke the day we got home from Christmas with his new Guitar Hero game. Of course we had to get a new one, and it arrived today. This is what I saw when I walked in the door after work today. After I took the picture Troy told me that he had to tear the box apart because the packing was shoved in there so tight that the contents wouldn't budge. I was a little sad to learn that it wasn't his excitement over playing his new game that destroyed the box.

Anyway, Troy is good at Guitar Hero (well, I'm sure it depends on who you compare him to) and I am bad. He plays lead guitar and gets 100% and I play bass and get 90. But we have fun making The the best band in the land.

Tonight Troy broke out the drum set. I haven't sat down to watch him play, but I know from my Rock Band experiences that those things are way harder than they look. Rock on Troy, rock on.

P.S.--after taking a blogging break, I have learned that I am not such a crappy drummer and Troy is as sketchy a singer as I suspected. What fun.

My more practical Christmas presents

I got another pretty awesome gift for Christmas. It wasn't a surprise, but my parents gave us food storage. Certainly not enough for a year, but a general smattering of the important stuff (I think). One of my primary goals this year is to jump on the bandwagon because 1) isn't a commandment and I shouldn't need any other reason than that, but 2) it's (hopefully cheaper) and 3) I'm trying to make us healthier, more rounded eaters--I know, good luck with that, but I figure it's worth a shot.

Anyway, my mother-in-law gave me a flour mill for Christmas and I used it last week for our first food storage adventure. I was making pizza dough and decided to get brave and put a little wheat flour in it (it only ended up being a cup). Now, although my mom raised me better than this, I am a white bread girl. There's nothing better than a hot grilled cheese sandwich with white bread, so you can imagine my concern about wheat pizza dough, but I persevered. And it turned out good, probably because only a third of the flour was wheat, but whatever. I couldn't taste much difference. Troy said he could a little, but hey, unless he's cooking, things go my way. (Love you babe) Anyway, wish me luck.

semi-wheat calzones--delish

Finally, a shout out to Mande for being my mentor! She always sends me mega-helpful stuff, like a link to this site with info on all the phases of food storage.