Tagged--"What Makes You Happy?"

I am so excited about being tagged--this is an awesome tag! It's from one of my dear mission comps. I affectionately call her Hermana Barbie (did you know that, Darci??) because she's so beautiful and I was the Queen of Frump on my mission. We had a great time together. Here are the rules from her blog:

If you get tagged, you have to list 10 things that make you happy. What are the things that tickle your fancy, make you smile or still give you that butterfly sensation? What things do you seek out and truly enjoy? The only rule is that you can't say your kids or your spouse...it's too easy.

1. Returning to the Motherland, i.e. taking a trip to Panama. I long for the next moment when I can see the beautiful rainforest, walk along almost-deserted beaches, go birdwatching, hear the nighttime chorus of insects, and bask in a delicious tropical rainstorm.

2. Training for and completing a challenging race like an olympic-distance triathlon, a half-marathon, or a marathon. I'm planning on another birthday half-marathon in February. If you're interested, it's a great time to come to Phoenix!

3. Traveling anywhere outside the U.S. I love experiencing culture, which means I usually steer clear of tourist trap towns. I'd rather see people as they really are.

4. Being outside when the temp is not too hot and not too cold--hiking, camping, running, biking, etc. I'm all about the outdoors. And along those lines, here's another one: Rain. I love the smell, the feel of a good, hard rainstorm, and the accompanying thunder and lightning.

5. Being a finisher: I've been working on completing projects I've started (or meant to start) long ago and it's pretty satisfying.

6. Reliving my mission. I loved being a missionary, so when I talk about my mission or read my mission journal or look at mission photos, I really feel happy. I was in the middle of working on my mission scrapbook when I took a break and found out about this tag from my comp!

7. Finding a bargain. I'm such a sucker for a good deal. Part of that is out of necessity because of our current situation with D's tuition being $40,000+ per year. But really, I was a bargain-hunter before (it's a genetic trait passed on from my dad and grandma), and I'm sure I always will be. I just love showing D a bagful of stuff that I got for free!

8. Hearing about a positive, intervention-free birth experience. This is such a rarity these days, but I love hearing about natural birth from people. Also, teaching people how to have a positive natural birth. That's why I certified as a HypnoBirthing instructor--it really makes me happy to give people the tools they need to achieve natural birth with a smile.

9. Writing: I'm an avid journal writer, and I enjoy writing in general, including writing poetry. I have a hard time coming up with something good unless I'm truly relaxed and stress-free.

10. People: I'm definitely a people person. I enjoy being around other people, especially happy people.

So, now I tag Lauren, Susan, Cami, Aimee, Melinda, Brenda, Aneesa, Maria, and Meemer. What's up with all the girls on my list? OK, Lincoln, I'm tagging you too.

The No-Document Baby

Pip has started doing this funny tongue thing--he sticks his little tongue out all the time. It really cracks me up!

Pip rolled over onto this little basket and got it stuck on his big head. At first he was really frustrated, but when he noticed us laughing at his plight, he, too, decided it was funny.

THE DISCOVERY OF THE DOOR STOPPER!! It happened at about 12:30 one night. D was not amused (he was trying to go to sleep), but I was.

Fun times with feet!

I'm on hold right now with the Social Security office again. I'm working on getting some documentation for my baby. My (almost) eight-month-old baby. Because right now I have no documentation that this baby exists. No joke. I have no birth certificate, no social security number, no passport. Not even a blessing certificate. (We recently got our Church records transferred, and Pip was not included in our family.) I have spent many frustrating hours on this issue. I haven't yet filed 2007 taxes because I don't have an SSN for Pip. How did this come about?

I felt awesome after Pip was born and would've been thrilled to leave the hospital that very day, but they wouldn't discharge Pip (hospital policy requires that all newborns stay for 48 hours). By a stroke of luck, the next day was New Years and because of the holiday (and short-staffing, I imagine), they let us go after 24 hours, yippee! A few of the procedural things fell through the cracks though...like Pip's weight at the time of discharge (who cares??) and the form for the birth certificate (again, who cares, since we didn't have his name picked out anyway).

So two weeks later when we were sure about his name, I called the hospital birth recorder and asked for the form, which she sent, we filled out, and returned. A few weeks later I received a sample copy of what Pip's birth certificate would look like. Oops, it had a mistake on it! Apparently, no woman has ever kept her maiden name after she got married--well, the fact that I kept my maiden name is apparently too difficult for the forms or the county or the people typing in the info to handle, because my name on the form came out like this: First Middle Maiden Maiden Last. I IMMEDIATELY called to rectify the situation; supposedly it was corrected, and I waited to hear back, and nothing. I called again, explained, supposedly corrected the situation, waited, and nothing. And again. And again. Etc. And here I am again. I've spoken with the hospital birth recorder, vital records, and social security probably two dozen times. Wow, the incompetence astounds me!

But, hey, this post isn't about incompetence anyway. It's about the No-Document Baby. I just can't believe that he doesn't exist. I mean, I get to see his sweet smiles and hear his giggles every day. I get to watch him splash in the tub and laugh at his big sister. I get to listen to him coo and watch him bat his eyes at me. Who could ever believe that he doesn't exist?

I Married an Artist

Watching Ratatouille was like watching my husband and his sister in the kitchen. (Actually it's like watching all of my in-laws in the kitchen.) I never thought cooking was an artistic expression before, but now I see the light. It's not just about making delicious food (which is also a talent); it's about making beautiful and delicious food. D used to talk about the presentation and it was so funny to me. Now I can say that he's right; it does make a difference. Instead of handing me a peach, D slices and arranges the peach in such a way that it looks like a flower. A flower for dessert! The funny thing is, he does this naturally, without even thinking about it. It is something that makes my husband (and his whole family) truly endearing to me.

Wow, LOOK at that!
Fresh basil, tomatoes, zucchini, and broccoli with sauteed mushrooms and sundried tomatoes and homemade olives.
It really made me smile!

A flower of chips with an exotic dip for the breastfeeding first-time mama (see the boppy and Squeak's little ankle?)

Oh, how I LOVED this zucchini herb and cheese dish!

The aforementioned peach flower (look, there's the boppy again!)

This was D's birthday pie (he prefers pie, so I always make him a birthday pie). This is one of my most beautiful and delicious pies ever. Four years ago, it wouldn't have occurred to me to create this. See how much I've seen the light?