Relentless participation

“Letting go, of course, is a scary enterprise for those of us who believe that the world revolves only because it has a handle on the top of it which we personally turn, and that if we were to drop this handle for even a moment, well—that would be the end of the universe. But try dropping it…Sit quietly for now and cease your relentless participation. Watch what happens. The birds do not crash dead out of the sky in mid-flight, after all. The trees do not wither and die, the rivers do not run red with blood. Life continues to go on…”
-Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love

Thanksgiving weekend update

Did my biannual post on our shared blog. Click here to hear about our loungy Thanksgiving weekend.

Miss all y'all

Remember when I used to blog? With enthusiasm?

Remember when I used to comment on everyone else's blog telling them I enjoyed reading and thanking them for sharing?
Me too.
*sigh*
I still read everyone else's posts, I'm just a bit tired and blah lately.
My apologies. :(

Shared blog

Our shared blog was set to private and I dunno why. It's opened again to everyone.
http://jessicaanddavid-h.blogspot.com/

Where did the summer go?

It's odd how this time last summer, I was being told (by someone that will remain anonymous) how terrible a person I was and that the kids were suffering because of my selfishness. I guess the tables have turned and they've had an awesome summer with David and myself. Interesting how it all works out... I never was selfish, I just hadn't finished my mind reading courses to know what the girls needed of me. Many more things have came to light since then too. Remember the story Nameless told about me going to jail? Not true, never been in my life. And that I was going to slash the tires to their automobile? Also, not true. The length Nameless went to to ensure other people disliked me just as much as they did. Or still do.
I'm not upset. I'm somewhat impressed by the creativity and drive.

I am really going to miss Dave's youngest daughter when she goes home for the school year. But I found an airfare deal (rare, right?) and purchased tickets for Cindy and Macaila to fly to SLC November 3rd-8th. Fly 2 kids round trip for the price of one. So it won't be too long before they'll be with us again. It's not to say I won't miss Cindy, she just has spent most of her time at her grandparents in Provo. She will be missed too.

I posted a quick summary of all the things we've done this summer on our shared blog: http://jessicaanddavid-h.blogspot.com/2011/07/summer-fun.html and the list isn't even finished. I am hosting a big party when we drive Macaila to Texas, for all their friends to come over, we can meet them and see how their life is there. I think that everything we've done with the girls has been a blast. I don't want us to have the 'Disneyland Daddy' syndrome but Salt Lake City has some amazing entertainment and we've tried to pack in tons of fun in 6 short weeks. Summers are supposed to be fun, especially before you graduate and go to college, take summer semester, get a job and summer means nothing but heat anymore. We're building memories. :)

Props to anyone (my boss) who works full time, has children and still can blog/post pictures. Cause I'm an absolute FAIL at it lately.

Sippin' on a cold glass of Haterade

I will remind myself as I write this to not whine or complain. But I do feel tested and picked on lately.

I just am so bugged. With everything. I've been sipping on the Haterade. I'm not outwardly pissy. Just kinda sullen and full of scowls.

We got moved into our new apartment and I love it. We have a much larger main bedroom and the other bedroom is all set up for visitors. I am addicted to Netflix when I'm not at work and I don't see a problem with that. It's my new coping skill.

Dave's youngest daughter is flying in Thursday and will be with us until the end of July. I have tonight and tomorrow night to reform. No more coming home, ripping off my pants and bra and then proceeding to lounge in my unders and a tank all night. Nope, I gotta keep this 14 year old girl BUSY. I don't want to hear that she is bored. Not once, all summer. But we are still going to do things on the cheap. Gotta teach kids that happiness is not just found in money.
Dave's 15 year old daughter, Cindy, flew in from Texas on June 1st and will be departing Utah on July 8th. She is spending most of her time in Provo with her grandparents but I am doing my best to bribe her to hang out at our place. At least for Father's Day weekend.
And Dave's oldest daughter, Stacy, will be turning 17 this Thursday. Stacy will be staying in Colorado this summer unless things turn in our favor and we get to see her. It would be awesome to have all of Dave's daughters here at the same time but it's not looking likely.
The weather is nice! Scooter riding and taking walks in the park. And this is where my bad mood comes in. My scooter is making a noise. It sounds muffled and has a clunking to it when I turn it off. Definitely not normal. I found a guy on KSL Classifieds who will do an oil and gear oil change for $25. A carb clean for $15 and a tune up for $25. That's amazingly cheap! But, every time I've tried to get this guy to meet up, he dodges me. So I've moved on. I found another KSL Classified listing that looked good and called. The person sounded so familiar but I didn't say anything. I looked him up on Facebook and this family friend just opened a motorcycle shop. The one I am taking my scooter to tomorrow evening. Sweet deal. I wonder if I will get a homie hookup? Hahaha, kidding. Naw really though, I would like a discount for being friends/neighbors since we were kids.

Work has been crazy lately. My normal volume of pumps coming in the door is 50 or less. That's a tolerable day. I've been having 80, 120 and on Friday, a 200+ pump day. Insanity. I really don't like asking for help but at the same time, I really don't like looking incompetent. Catch 22?

Today was absolutely BANANAS. I was headed out the door to work and there was a note sticking out of our mailbox. I stuffed it in my purse and headed to work. Reading the note alerts me that our neighbor believes that we bumped her car and left a dent. Awesome start to the day, right?! Did I  mention that I have allergies that are keeping me between really drugged and miserable? I wasn't feeling exactly top notch before reading the note. On her handwritten, lined notebook paper, she stated that she wasn't mad but simply that she wanted her car fixed. Hmmm. And that it happened Monday morning. She thought putting the time would help me be informed but she wrote the note at 12:30am on Tuesday and my husband left for work Monday at 4:25 am. That is a HUGE gap to not notice a big old dent. Summary, an officer came out and look at it, measured and told her to call her insurance. He said it wasn't our car that dented hers. He didn't ticket my husband or make us relinquish our insurance info. The officer did find it interesting that her car has scratches and dings all over but she was making a big deal of this dent. Maybe because someone was available to blame?

Next thing, I forgot we were having a potluck at work. A potluck I organized. GD.

Adding to this day of wondrous fun, I called our old landlord to see where our deposit might be. When we moved into that old garbage bin, the lease agreement was with K and then her ex husband, R, took over and everything went to crap. He says she has our deposit money, she is unreachable. R says the new tenant might sue him for the carpet being bad and other little issues. I call the new tenant ( I found her on KSL when R asked me to post an ad for the apartment) and she tells a different tale. She says he is dishonest and responds days later. Sounds familiar. I just don't think he is prepared to be a landlord. He did slip me some secret about him having a substance problem when we were moving out and honestly, I don't believe that was his smartest decision. So I will look into filing at small claims. I don't know if I should file 2 separate cases for R and K or file it as one with both their names on it... Or just forget the $500. I highly doubt I will just let that go though. $500 is a lot of funds.

So, I have a bad mood goose due to allergies, a fussy scooter, a jerk ex landlord, accusing new neighbor and separation anxiety of pantless nights with my Netflix (when Macaila arrives). Soon enough I will have a post of things I am loving in life and lots of pics of our awesome summer with Dave's daughters. Don't hold your breath for that post though cause I can't find the link to my Blogger from my Google Account home page. That's a valid excuse, right?

Which apartment to reside in for the next 12 months???

I am having a major debate over what apartment to pursue. So maybe the masses can help me rationalize?

We are moving because:
The original landlord, K, turned over the property to her ex-husband with the divorce. Ex-husband, R, is kind of.... unprofessional. We have had to ask him repeatedly for a mailing address because he likes to pop by for the rent. And we'd rather mail it off and not see him.
A couple moved out of Unit D without notice or anything. Because he didn't have a key, he broke a window to get in. And the glass was in our kitty water.
He swore at our feral cats and within the week, two of them went missing and we haven't seen them since. These kittens were coming for dinner EVERYDAY at the same time for nearly 5 months. And then gone.  We think he did something... (Yes, we are big tenderhearts but we LOVED these baby kitties.)

He re carpeted that apartment, new tile, painted and put in new appliances. When we asked for some updates, he said that it would raise our rent. Our carpet is yucky! Dave painted the whole place cause the beigey color looked just dirty. Our microwave only works after 10 tries (it has an electrical short) and the range runs about 60 degrees hotter than the dial indicates. Did I ever mention the nacho fire? No? There was a fire. That oven is insane and I can't bake there. I love to bake!

We asked Landlord R how much rent is in the newly remodeled unit.... it's the same as it was prior to the giant revamp. Strange, right? Whatever. We inquired because we would like a 2 bedroom for when Dave's daughters come to visit and the potential to have a.... baby. (More on that later) Our apartment is less than 500 square feet. It's COZY.

Landlord R was going to move into Unit D with his new fiance. And then the story changed. A friend of his that was going to do maintenance work was going to move in. And then... a strangle lady moved into Unit D while we were in Arizona. She has an adult son and we can hear him through the walls. And they are both total thunderfeet.

The neighbor next door in Unit B has been there before us. His unit is the same size but he is single. Terminally single. He plays Call of Duty until nearly midnight every night and he has a VERY loud surround system that comes right through the walls.
And that is the story of why we want to move.

I'll call one Taylorsville and one Murray. I don't care if friends and family know where we are, but the world is a creepy place.

I present to you, Taylorsville.
2 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom. 900 square feet.
(We looked at the basement unit, available now. Buuut, while we were visiting, they were posting a notice for the woman upstairs to evict. Apparently she has a newspaper route but doesn't deliver it? The whole porch was covered with boxes of papers. The leasing agency has told her to clean them up but apparently they've had it. She has 2 kids and we could hear them while we were viewing the place downstairs. So, we are hoping to take her unit Mid June. No more upstairs neighbors! And there is a balcony. Dave has a major love of balconies.)
Rent includes water, sewer, trash and includes one reserved, covered parking space.
Large Unit, Spacious Open Floor Plan, Big Kitchen & Dining Room.
Central Air Conditioning, Large Walk-in Closets, Low Utility Costs.
Washer/Dryer Hook-ups.
Located on a Quiet Cul-de-sac




Big BIG living room



Outside view. Not bad looking.

The downfalls I am seeing to this place?
We want the upstairs unit and would have to wait until Mid June. Macaila is coming to visit mid June too and I want to have a space ready for her. Cindy will be here June 1st to July 7th and it's undetermined if she will want to stay a  few weekends or so with us. I would still like to have it available so they feel welcome.
There is washer dryer hookups but not the actual appliance. We could buy some OR take laundry to the mat. (Very undesired!)
The neighbors are a bit batty. We chatted with the soon to be evicted lady and her friend that lived there. They were smoking on the front porch. They both were missing some teeth. They explained that everyone there is good friends and really chill. Most people would love that idea. Dave and myself don't. We say hi to our neighbors and go inside. We keep to ourselves.
The carpets aren't in good condition. I wonder if they will replace them in Mrs. Evicted's unit before we would move in.

There is a small farm right over the fence. Less than 20 feet from the front door/side balcony. A bunch of horses, 2 lambs and a bunny in a tiny little hutch (poor guy). We smelled it before we looked over the fence and saw what it is. Can we live with the smell of horse crap right outside our door?
So. That sums up Taylorsville.

Here is Murray:
2 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom. 700 square feet.
Washer and Dryer in unit.

Covered Parking. Water/Sewer/Trash Service
Resident Pays Gas and Electric. (It's on Murray Power too. Isn't it rumored to be much cheaper than Rocky Mountain power?)

Outside. Cute, right? Top left would be us.



Stacking washer/dryer in kitchen area.



Kitchen is pretty small but clean and new.
Not as small as this pic makes it seem though.



Bathroom. Again, bigger than the pictures depict.

There isn't many cons to this place. Everyone seems nice and friendly, it's in a good location. That little window AC unit is a concern though... Does that cool the whole place?
The paint looks like it needs refreshed but we are capable of that.
The carpets are newer and the tile is in good condition.
Rent is $25 less. We would be able to move the last weekend of May and have it ready for Dave's daughters to visit.
Parking is a bit limited.
It's near Murray Park so we can enjoy the park and fireworks in the summer. Hmmm.

So, feedback people! I don't know why I am debating over this. I have become less confident in decision making as life goes on.

Things I am loving: Part 2

I'm a pretty lame blogger lately. Just posting pics of things I like? Whole lotta substance there. Well, I'm back with more pictures of things that make me smile. More than likely, this will not be the last time either.

My husband is adorable.

Late night trip to Wally world for who knows what. 

I found that cute pig though!

Hawaiian restaurants with the best signs. 

And best chicken katsu I've had in SLC.

Tricky spring in Utah. One day it's convertible weather

and the next we have snow on the lawn.

 

I finally finally bite the bullet and replaced my D&G cosmetic case. 

This was a landmark for me cause the one on the right was sinfully old. 

My youngest sister and me getting sunburns. 

While selling the flower bows my mom makes, 

the hats my other sister crochets/knits,

and the skirts my youngest sister makes. 

She's wearing one and everyone should buy one cause they are cute!

Airborne Arena

http://www.airbornesports.com/

Yes, a giant warehouse space covered in trampolines. 

Open space, foam pit and dogdeball court, all on trampolines!

Make some Spring dresses for my nieces. Cute cute cute!

My mom used to do this when I was younger. 

Put on a small of water, sprinkle in a generous amount of cinnamon

and set to a low boil. Makes your house smell so good!

Target has Kleenex boxes with spring animals. 

And I love pigs. Had to get it!

Yes, I love pigs. Old pig on the left. New guy on the right.

Strange little 'SillErasers'

Erasers that can be disassembled and reassembled.

I have NO use for these beyond cute factor.

Potlucks at work that are really awesome and everything comes out delish.

Except that one thing... It was different.

Awesome news! We are leaving Thursday afternoon to drive to Phoenix, Arizona. We are headed to see Dave's youngest sister that lives there. We are going to see the AZ Diamondbacks (Dave's favorite baseball team) play the Chicago Cubs. I hope we find time to go float the Salt River and of course, go to the Lush store. It'll be nice to get out of Utah again. Idaho last month was only for a day or so and this is a short trip too but still very fun!

PS, Anyone on my Facebook saw me asking about flat iron brand preferences. I finally got my GHD iron and it is absolutely amazing. My hair gets so straight and stays really soft. I'd recommend it to anyone that flat irons their hair regularly.

Hope everyone has a Happy Easter!

What's in a name

I have the urge to do away with Jessibella and change my online identy to Jambi the Genie...

WEIRD.

I awesome sauce all this!

I wanted to share a list of things I am super loving lately and maybe some of you can enjoy it too.

Parks and Recreation from NBC. Amy Poehler is funny! April reminds me of someone at work. I dislike that person but in a more fond way now that someone has made bitchiness sorta funny. But Aubrey Plaza (plays April, far right) is actually pretty.

Magic Milk Straws from got milk?

I don't drink milk cause it tastes like yeck to me. But I do love flavored milk. But I don't drink those cause they are really high in calories, fat and sugars. I was thinking about optimal things I can do for my health at my age and my time is closing to stock up on calcium for later in life. I know, I know that milk is not the only or highest source of calcium. But it's convenient for me.

These little straws are just over 25 calories. And delicious. Did I mention that?


Drop the straw in and the flavor is pulled while you sip.
No scissors or mess or syrup.

Don't mind my bedtime look.

Learning to use spray paint. This little guy was plain wood and look at him now! Don't mind the old ice cream bucket being used for cat food. Reuse, reduce and recycle, right?

Finding my high school's shirts at Walgreens, 2 for $10. Yep. I'll rep Taylorsville.

Making this cute Easter garland out of plastic eggs and ribbon. Easy as pie but very adorable. It's about 6+ feet long.

Painting a giant square on the wall so I can hang  framed pictures inside it and one of those vinyl wall clings with a cutesy saying. "The best things in life aren't things." I might show it once it's done. I anticipate it looking nice.

Seeing odd things at the grocery store.

Little booties for your pets feet.

Work that keeps you busy. 4 rows deep, 4 high, 8 across.... Yep. Your afternoon is booked.



April's Fools Day jokes. Yes, this is the ladies restroom. And it's the 7th and still there.

Pillow Pets. I wanted one and then rationalized that they are for children. But I don't have any kids that I can 'borrow' it from to cuddle with. So I got my own! Larry the Ladybug. (not pictured)

The weather getting nice enough last Friday to enjoy a skirt and sandals.

Sugar free Peeps and Arnold Palmers.

Making a green layer cake for St. Patricks. My coworkers liked it!

This list could go on and on but I'll cap it here, until next time.


WAIT. One more.
I got tickets to Katy Perry! 
(I know she has lots of fans and lots of nonfans. If we can't say anything nice, let's say nothing at all.)