Day 124: Little Miracle, Big Comedian

Aha:

I had NO DESIRE to go to work today. I wasn't feeling great to start but Mondays are just not my favorite day. It took me a while to get out of bed but I managed. Then when I got to work I was really distracted and blue till about 11am. I went into the bathroom and said a prayer, asking Heavenly Father to help me through my day. When I got back to my desk I felt refreshed and encouraged. My day improved (so did my health) and before I new it the day was over and I was headed home.

So thankful for these types of quickly responded to blessings. :)

Haha:

I just overheard Clinton talking with his mom about a patient he had who accidentally hit himself in the shin with a hammer. He didn't break anything but had a hard calcification under the skin (pretty painful).

Anyway, Clinton, in his best bedside manner said to the patient, "You know, there's been a lot of research about this actually and they say you really shouldn't be hitting yourself with hammers."

And then he started laughing.

His mom asked what the patient said and apparently he wasn't too impressed. lol

Day 123: Color Me Grateful

Aha:

Had my first official day as the relief society pianist and it went rather well. I flubbed here and there but no one cared and neither did I!

I told Clinton that I can definitely tell my playing has improved but the best part is that my confidence has improved too! I no longer panic when I mess up and my nerves are much less noticeable. I am so thankful for my new calling and the practice it forces me to do. I almost feel like I can say I play the piano well!

Haha:

I tried to paint my toenails a cheery orange but for some reason the paint was really thick so it went on very gloppy. Obviously it looked terrible ("fortunately" I only pained one foot) so I tried to take it off but the color stained my skin and nails. Well, anyway, I wore peeptoe shoes to church and I had to constantly think about how my feet were positioned to cover my gaingly looking left foot. My toes looked/look like they've been fighting some sort of deathly fungus. I sure hope the color rubs off soon—I'd really like to wear my sandals soon! Lol

Day 122: Food, Movie and Shopping

Aha:

Clinton and I used Saturday as a chance to see a few things we haven't seen before; like the Saskatoon Farm and Maleficent.

The Saskatoon Farm is a great big nursery and tourist trap. They have cute little shops with all sorts of nick-knacks to ooh and ahh over. The best part...the baked goods. We ordered an oatmeal Saskatoon chocolate chip cookie and a Saskatoon berry tart. Both were delicious but the tart won us both over.

Next we went to Maleficent and I really liked it! Clinton thought it was pretty good (so that means that most people will probably really like it!). It was reminiscent of Wicked and maybe that's why I liked it so much. Anyway, I recommend it, especially of you want to feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :)

Great day with my HB!

Haha:

Clinton and I went to CrossIron Mills to see Maleficent cause it's a giant mall and we figured we could kill two birds with one stone. Little did I know that Clinton would shop me out.

I sat on a bench waiting for him to finish trying on pants for over 30 minutes. Ha! And I'm the one who goes clothes shopping the most?! Lol

Day 121: T.G.I. ...Can't Hear You

Aha:
Friday afternoon was one of THE LONGEST afternoons at work. I was busy and all, but the hours just dragged. Anxious to get home and be free to do what I want for a couple days, I couldn't help but watch the clock. Sure enough time slowly passed, but pass it did and once 430 came I shot outta there like an absolute rocket!
I am thankful for Fridays, and especially Fridays after 430pm. I love having time to myself and my little family. We didn't have any major plans but I still look forward to the time we get to spend together--free from work and other responsibilities.

Haha:
Perhaps you'll not find this as funny as I did, but I overheard my boss answer his phone and this is how it went.
He: Hello?
(pause)
He: Can't hear you.
(click)
Me: (laughing)
He: What?
Me: Uh...did you really just hang up on them like that?
He: What was I supposed to say?
Me: Most people say, "I'm sorry, but I can't hear you. Can you try calling me back? I'm going to hang up now."
He: Oh, I just have no patience for calls like that.
I had the giggles so bad after that. The way he said, "Can't hear you." was just so blunt that it struck me absolutely funny. lol

Day 120: All in a Day's Drive

Aha:

I work outside the city limits in a sort of industrial area. The roads are perfectly straight and surrounded by fields, yet for some reason, the speed limit is 50/kph (30/mph). Nobody observes this speed and you'll usually coast along going about 80kph (50mph).

Well, I had to leave work for a doctors appointment and began my usual clip down the road of 80kph...that is until I saw the flashing lights and someone pulled over up the road a little ways.

That poor ticketed sap could have been me, but fortunately I left work just a tidbit late. I am so thankful I saw the warning today so I avoid a ticket in the future.

Phew!!

Haha:

Clinton was cut off by a school bus today. In frustration he looked up at the back of the bus to give it a good harrumph and was caught off guard by the scene before him.

He said he looked up and, out of that big window they have in the backs of busses, he saw a shorts-covered crotch plastered against the window; the legs in a V-shape up in the air.

He said all he could do was laugh and think, "What the heck is going on in THAT bus?!" Lol

Day119: Comfort and Chuckles

Aha:

I was talking to a friend of mine today about fear and how it seems there's always someone put in your life who's been through something similar to help you through it.

We both agreed that it's typically not fate that brings people together, but a watchful and mindful Father in Heaven.

I am thankful for the people who have been placed in my life at various times when I needed help or reassurance or a good laugh or cry. And I'm most especially thankful for a loving god who sent them to me.

Haha:

Yesterday I mentioned to Clinton that we never gave Peter a middle name.

He: Sure we did.

Me: No, it's just Peter Logan.

He: Let's see, how about Peter Poodle Logan?

Me: (laughing)

He: Or it could be, Peter Hogan Logan.

Me: (laughing)

Both great options, but I think well just stick with no middle name. :)

Day 118: I'm a Genius, If but for a Small Moment

Aha:

I impressed the crap out of everyone at work today by teaching them a shortcut for printing multiplie files within a folder all at once. People were coming out of their offices to see what I had done and told me stories of all the time they'd wasted opening and printing each file one-by-one "all these years". Ha!

In this Google day and age there is just no excuse for not finding shortcuts. I'm just thankful my laziness was so impressive. Lol

Haha:

I had to call and inform the other tenants in our building that there is going to be a fire alarm inspection tomorrow. I walked down and told one of the tenants but the renters in the middle suite weren't there so I called them instead. Here's how it went.

She: Hello, this is "name of company"; how can help you?

Me: Hi "name of company". This is Danielle...er, uh...I'm sorry who is this I'm speaking to?....

Uh, maybe next time I should NOT call the person answering the phone by the name of the company. Lol

Day 117: Hibernation and Regurgitation

Aha:

Clinton fell asleep on the couch last night and didn't come to bed till 2am. I slept like crap till he came. That sweet boy opened up some windows to cool down the room and within about 5 minutes of him climbing into bed I was finally able to fall asleep.

Despite the lack of sleep I did fine staying awake at work and even got a little nap when I came home. So...off to bed I go and I'm making sure Clinton comes with me from the start! :)

Haha:

I was talking to my mom tonight and she was telling me about their drive home and how my dad had food poisoning and was puking for the first 5 hours of their trip. Anyway, this reminded me of when my parents, Clinton and I went to the Oregon Coast the weekend after we got engaged.

It was February and the sea was choppy but Clinton had never been whale watching so we hopped on a boat and hoped for the best. Well, it was raining so we couldn't stand outside to watch the horizon and avoid seasickness. So, within about 20 minutes my dad was puking off the back of the ship, I was heaving over the side and Clinton was favouring a garbage can inside. Mom was fine though.

And to boot, we didn't even see any whales. What an expensive bout of bulemia that turned out to be. Ha!

Day 116: Messages and Massages

Aha:

I went to stake conference today; it was a special, Canada-wide broadcast from Salt Lake City. There were two thoughts shared today that stuck out to me and I wanted to put them on my blog.

1. "Choose the path of faith", Anthony D. Perkins

I liked this quote because there are times when things are out of my hands and all I can do is trust God. I have to consciously choose that path of faith because the alternative (worry) doesn't help me get anywhere or understand any better.

2. "Remember who you are...and remember who you oughta be.", Linda K. Burton

I liked this because it makes me realize my potential. I am a child of God and I should act that way. :) Act faithfully, act obediently and act Christlike.

Haha:

Clinton is creative. For example, when I ask him for a back massage I am always surprised what he uses to accomplish this task. Tonight it was the corner of the remote. In the past it's been things such as pens, his elbows, a cellphone, Peter's bone, or any other blunt object within reach. 

Nothing's quite as nice as strong thumbs, but I gotta give it to him, the corner of the remote was pretty darn effective. Ha!

Day 115: Lost in Pancakes

Aha:

Clinton took me to IHOP for supper last night. He knows how much I love their pancakes and our trip there was on a total whim. What a lovely surprise!! Thanks, Honey!!

Haha:

Well, I finished Lost yesterday and I gotta say, the ending had ME lost. I spent the next 20 minutes on Lostapedia.com trying to figure out what it all meant.

In the end, I think the story ending could have been better but overall I liked the show. I mean, I must have with all the time and laziness I dedicated to it. Lol

Day 114: Anxiously Lost

Aha:

There was a day this week when I had a bit of anxiety. Sometimes the anxiety comes for no reason and that usually makes it worse cause then I wonder what I should be nervous about; it's terrible, really.

Anyway, I was driving to work and praying that the feeling would go away or that I'd know what I could do to make it go away. Right then I changed my thoughts to counting my blessings. I started out with how thankful I am for Clinton, for Petey, for family, etc. My commute is about 25 minutes and I got to use that whole time to be thankful instead of anxious.

I am thankful for prayer and answers to prayers. The rest of my day was better and I have now found a great tool for combating those anxious moments!

Haha:

As many of you know I have been watching Lost on Netflix. Since Clinton was on call last night I decided to use my time wisely and watch all but the final three episodes before bed. 

Let's see, I started out on season 6 episode 7, I believe, and I watched through episode 14. That means I spent about 6 hours on my butt doing nothing. But you know, you can't change what's in the past so—lesson learned...tomorrow I'll only allow myself to watch three episodes and then I'm done! ;0)

Day 113: Grinding

Aha:

I bought a night guard a week ago after many people recommended I do so. I wasn't aware of any clenching or grinding of my teeth but I didn't know what else to do to combat my TMJ.

Well, I've been using it every night and I can close my jaw all the way again and the pain has decreased rather significantly. To top it off, I woke up Thursday morning to a squeaking sound. It took me a moment to realize the sound was coming from me; I was grinding my teeth (thank goodness I had my guard in). I don't know if I was grinding cause I had my guard in or if it was grinding that made me need the guard in the first place. Either way, it was worth the $35 at Walmart and I'm feeling so much better already!

Haha:

When I was little I had a really bad teeth grinding problem. It was so bad in fact that my grinding would wake up my sleeping family members in their bedrooms—through closed doors!

I tell ya, it's a miracle I have teeth at all!

Day 112: Caring For Our Kind

Aha:

I got up to take Peter for a walk. Clinton got up and said he was going to go get the mail (located at the end of our street). When we got to the mailbox, Clinton grabbed what was in there, as well as Peter's leash, and kept walking with us. :)

It was so nice to walk as a little family. Thanks, HB, for coming with us!

Haha:

Clinton will use any desperate measure to get Peter to leave my lap and go to him. Tonight's attempt was clips from YouTube of puppies crying.

Peter's ears perked up and his little head couldn't possibly have been crinked farther to the side. He was so concerned. It took a lot of clips and coaxing but Peter finally jumped off my lap and up on Clinton's.

However, once he noticed no puppies were actually on Clinton's lap, he jumped down and came back to me.

I'd definitely say Peter is momma's boy!

Day 111: A Stroll Down Current and Memory Lane

Aha:

Work has been very busy this week and I'm loving it! I would so rather be busy than bored and I've been a bit bored lately. I seem to be catching on to things quickly and have avoided any major flubs.

I still love where I am!

Clinton is on his last week of obstetrics and he couldn't be happier to be almost done. He has no desire to deliver babies as his profession and I can't say that I blame him. Next week he'll start his LAST ROTATION of the first year of residency! One year and one month left till he's DONE!!!! 

Keep up the hard work, HB! I'm super proud of you!

Haha:

I asked Clinton if anything funny happened to him today so I could use it for my blog.

He: Yah.

Me: Ok, what?

He: (in his ultra-sarcastic voice) Remember that one time?!

...That was it! Always the helpful fellow. Lol.

Day 110: Good Visit vs. Awkward Visits

Aha:
My parents left to return home this morning. I was very sad to see them go but very happy that they'll be back for a little longer of a visit in July (Stampede here we come!). I can't believe they drove so far for such a short trip, but I'm so glad they did; it was so nice to have them here!
Thanks, Mom and Dad, for coming to see us. I am counting down the weeks till you come back!

Haha:
My work has a weekly meeting, it's only about 15 minutes long but I think it could easily be replaced by email. This is typically how the meetings go.
Supervisor #1: (stares blankly at the group for a minute) Ok, well, I'll be in the office every day but Friday this week. You can reach me by phone or email whenever.
Supervisor #2: (awkward pause) Things are going well for me, nothing to report.
Payroll girl: (looks bored)
Other girl: Things are going fine, just trying to get caught up.
Me: (nods and tries to look interested and comfortable through the awkwardness)
Supervisor #1: OK, that about wraps it up. Go team.
Maybe it's just me, but I think I prefer email. Ha!

Day 109: A Calling From God and The Sandman

Aha:
Got my new calling at church today and my prayers have been answered!!!...My new calling is Relief Society Worker! I asked what this meant exactly and I'll be helping here and there with different things but my main role will be to play piano! I am so happy and so relieved!!
The Relief Society president came up to me and told me that she told the bishopric that I had served my time in Young Womens and that I needed to be with grown women. She took them a batch of fresh cookies to make her plea even sweeter and it worked! I have my very first calling in Relief Society and I couldn't be happier!

Haha:
We had every intention of coming home from church, having some lunch and then heading over to the dog park for a nice walk. However, after all the heavy food Friday night, the road trip to Banff on Saturday and a late night; we all ended up promptly passing out on the couch. I think we were all a little tired. LOL

Day 108: Banff, Lake Louise and The Pitts

Aha:

We decided to take the parents to Banff for the day. When we first got there it was slightly cold and pretty windy. Within about five minutes the sun came out and the breeze all but stopped. Gorgeous weather in a gorgeous place!

We stopped for some lunch at Earls, got some fudge and other goodies at The Fudgery, did lots of window shopping and then got back in the car and headed over to Lake Louise.

When we got to Lake Louise it was raining and cold. Within about 5 minutes the sun came out and the temp rose to a comfortable level--what luck! The lake was frozen over but it was still beautifully amazing! Wowee!

It was a great day and everything was so lovely!!

Haha:

Our waitress at Earls was really nice but I couldn't help but stare at the deodorant crumbles clinging for dear life to her tank-topped armpits.

Next time I want crumbles on my salad I'll ask for it directly. (Shudder)

Day 107: It Took a Bit of Gas, but They Finally Arrived

Aha:

My parents have safely arrived!! After only two hours of sleep they made it to Calgary around 3 this afternoon. But don't worry, we took them to Brazilian BBQ for supper then walked around Bulk Barn for an hour to combat their sleepiness...ha!

So glad they're here!

Haha:

My coworker came up to me and told me she wasn't feeling very well; that she'd been sitting on the toilet for a bit thinking something was needing to come out. I asked her if it felt like gas and she wasn't sure so I offered her some Gas-x.

She: Do you have some with you?

Me: Uh, of course! I never leave home without it!

Sure enough, about 20 minutes after taking it she told me her stomach didn't hurt anymore.

God bless you, Gas-x. You're a real gas.

Day 106: My Parents are Coming!!

Aha:

My parents are on their way to visit for the weekend!! By this time tomorrow I'll be hanging with my mom and dad! Yay!

Haha:

I texted my mom to ask what they wanted to do while here (trying to see if they'd be up for more driving or if they wanted to stay in Calgary) and this was her reply:

"We are open to anything ! except for strip clubs...we are burned out on strip clubs!"

Now you all know where I get it from. Ha!

Day 105: Nap and Crap

Aha:

I took my lunch break today and had every intention to go for a nice walk, but my nice warm car—with the reclining seats—called out to me louder. I had a nice almost-nap and enjoyed the cool breeze blowing through my toasty car. What a lovely oasis in the middle of my day!

Haha:

Clinton and I took Petey out for a walk, in this gorgeous weather we're having, and noticed this sign for the first time today.

What's with all the lawyer talk? Keep it simple: "Dog crap must be picked up immediately."

The people who aren't following the rules likely don't have the smarts to understand this sign in the first place! Ha!