Border Wars

I know that I have been seriously neglecting the blog and for that I am sorry. My whole life has been sucked up by planning an event. I have been charged with planning a Customer Appreciation Day for my Check City. Didn't think it would take over my life like it has, but one week and one day to go, and then I shall be free.
I am pretty much a nerd, I watch a lot of Discovery Channel and National Geographic. At least I can own up to that. There is a show called Border Wars on Nat Geo and I am totally hooked. When I first saw the commercial for it I thought there would be a rather political agenda, but surprisingly it is more story telling.
Rather than go off on a tangent about my thoughts and opinions, I am more interested in what you think. Check it out on YouTube and let me know what you think.

Grocery Shopping

I am terrible at grocery shopping, that being said I still go every week. I have two jobs at the grocery store, entertain C2 and push the cart. Sometimes I get sent to the grocery store on my own and it usually ends up being a disaster. I wander around in a daze trying to remember what I came for and how much MrT needed. I usually end up having to call him and ask what aisle I should be in and what quantity is required. I don't have the discipline for the grocery store. I am one of those people that can walk down every aisle in the Wal Mart with no real need for anything. Just checking things out. Don't leave me alone in the Costco, I tend to get lost and they have to page me from customer service saying that my party is looking for me.
MrT is a man with a plan at all times. Even grocery shopping has a very precise attack plan. He knows what he is going to buy and he knows where everything is in each store we go to. I often wonder what people are thinking when they see us in the grocery store. MrT is usually looking through a handful of coupons and adding things up in his head and C2 and I are usually playing silly games. Talk about role reversal. It must be a pretty funny thing to watch.
I will always remember our first trip to the grocery store. I had just moved to Vegas and we had finished unloading the truck, we had $50 and it had to last for two weeks. I remember the anxiety driving to the Food-4-Less, how were we ever going to make it that long on $50? I was so super impressed that day. MrT filled the entire cart and calculated that we would have about $10 left over, I was skeptical, but he estimated right.
So now that you know that MrT has turned grocery sport into an Olympic sport, I must tell you his biggest pet peeve. When we pull up to the check out line, MrT's face distorts slightly and his breathing gets a bit faster. He unloads the cart in the precise way that he would like his groceries to be bagged. I am not kidding either, he really does. Sometimes he gets lucky and the customer service manager will bag his food, but most times his efforts go unnoticed by the 16 year old, throwing the shampoo in with the bread. By the time the cart is full again MrT's face is bright red and he looks as if he were going to explode. This, however, is not the worst of it. The almost boiling point is when he puts the bags in the Jeep. He continues to grumble and moan and eventually there are cuss words involved. When we get home all hell breaks loose. There are three dogs and a three year old running around checking out all the bags. MrT is on the verge now because he also has a plan for putting the groceries away. Since the bagger put the avocados in with the canned goods it totally blows the putting away plan out of the water. At this point I banish the dogs, C2 and myself to the back yard.
When the groceries are all put away, life goes back to normal and stays that way, until next week.

Sparklers RULE

I think today is the official holiday... well all the banks are closed and Check City has been slammed all day so it is clearly the holiday.

At the Turton household we celebrated all weekend. BBQs and relaxing to the max! I had a lot of customers ask me what we were going to do for the holiday and since I have a husband and a three year old boy, I told them we would be lighting things on fire. And that we did.

Last year C2 loved the fireworks and couldn't get enough of them. This year was about the same. C2 adheres to a strict policy of Cautious Optimism. If he is excited about something, he is super excited only until it is close up. Then he backs up and enjoys from afar.

So the night went something like this: MrT would light the firework and C2 would then run like crazy to the garage and watch from there. When the firework went out he would run back down the driveway screaming "Do it again Daddy! Do it again Daddy!" This went on for about an hour before he finally got tired and just sat in my lap.

C2 and MrT are the same in that they love to light things on fire. The sparklers were the favorite of the evening. Every time C2's went out he would come running back and screaming for more.

He can't get enough of them to be honest, and really who can? They are my favorite too.

Ummm...

Today I was at the beloved Wal Mart and I saw two teenage girls that were wearing denim under ware.

I think they must have been confused or got dressed in the dark because their shorts did not resemble shorts at all. I have under ware that covers more than what those shorts were covering. I was young and skinny once and I still don't think I owned any shorts that were that short.

This is what I am talking about...

This what I am talking about! These pictures are courtesy of MrT and Roger. Roger was kind enough to stop in the middle of the road so that MrT could take a picture. I can't believe that people actually drive cars that look like this. I think they think they are pretty cool, I on the other hand just point and laugh at people like this.

On a side note we had a great time in Idaho with Roger and LindyLoo. We went out on the boat and sadly there are no pictures because I jumped in the lake chasing C2's hat and forgot that I had the camera in my hand. Hopefully Brutus will have some pictures soon.

Bribery works

I am now a firm believer in bribery. The potty training was going absolutely no where except all over my carpet. C2 had lost interest in the Skittles and marshmallows being offered as a reward for using the potty, and I was pretty much at the end of my rope.

MrT and I have wanted to get a bike for C2 for awhile. MrT found one on sale at Wal Mart and we took C2 to see it. We told him that if he went potty in the potty all week we would buy it for him. WORKED LIKE A CHARM! He didn't have one accident all week and this is the result.

See how happy he is? If there was a picture of mom, I would have the same cheesey grin. Best $39.00 ever spent!

I don't want to!

Republican vs Democrat. Neither party is right and neither party is wrong either. I believe that there are many opinions out there and everyone is entitled to their own. I grew up fairly conservative and when I got to college I moved pretty far to the left. Now that I am a little older, I have moved right to the middle of the road. I like the middle of the road, it is a place that fits me nicely. I have strong feelings about politics but not enough to affiliate with either party.

All that being said, I love living in Utah. I know that most people think it kinda sucks, but I love it. It has four seasons and tons of things to do. It is fairly inexpensive to live here and for the most part people are very friendly. There is only one thing I HATE about living here. If I want to vote for a Republican, I have to be a Republican.

Check City often gets a lot of bad press and many below the belt kicks from Democrats who want to control every thing including your money. Even if this wasn't my job, I would have to say that I don't think the Government should say how many loans you can take out or that you can't take them at all. I think that is Government overreaching and that it is wrong. If I am having money troubles that is my business and I can do what I like to fix my own problems.

My boss has recently said that Check City will officially endorse Mike Lee in the upcoming election. Mike Lee has promised not to legislate against Payday Lenders and we need all the help we can get these days in Washington. I would love to vote for him... but I can't unless I register with the Republican party. I called my County Clerks office yesterday and they said that even though I was registered to vote, I had to be a Republican to vote in this Primary. WHAT THE WHAT?

If I were in politics I don't think I would care where the votes came from. Doesn't it matter who gets the most votes? Perhaps I missed the chapter in American History where it is only one kind of vote that counts. Perhaps there is crazy political advisor out there who believes his guy won't win if there are tainted votes out there. Why are the Republicans so concerned that their votes are PURE Republican? I truly don't get it.

After a rather frustrating conversation with the woman at the County building, I was informed that at my local polling station they would have the forms necessary to become a Republican and that when I am done voting, there would be a form to un-become a Republican.

I guess that one must do what one must do, so for a very short moment in time I guess I will be a Republican.

$$$

Hmmm... How to get rich quick? I mean quick as in the next 30 seconds because the bank account is dry and I am pretty sure there are at least some bills that need to get paid today.

I am sitting at my desk wondering what it would be like to not worry about money. MrT and I have a great life and we have everything we need, but how bout stuff we want? I am ready to have an unlimited supply of money... any one willing to donate?

Can't Imagine

Brutus' best friend lost her little baby last night. My heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to Carmen. I know that she was going to be a great mom.





I can't imagine how that would be. I can't imagine going on with life after something like that. My whole life is my family and if I didn't have C2 and MrT I couldn't go on. It is times like these that really make you sit back and evaluate your life. I am so grateful for my family and all the blessings they bring to my life.

To Have or Not to Have

So congratulations to my cousin over at The Allers! She and D were just blessed with a beautiful baby girl.



Is it in women DNA to see a baby and want one? I know that I sound slightly on the crazy side this morning but seeing that baby girl made my hormones go into over drive. MrT and I have had the discussion many times about having another baby and it always comes down to this: I want one, but I am I ready for the all-nighters and screaming baby and all that comes with a new born. MrT is mostly neutral about the whole situation. He says that if I want another one, it's cool if not, that is cool too.



The latest conversation was more decisive than any other of the previous ones. We decided that perhaps we should have another one when C2 goes to kindergarten. That sounds like a good plan right?

Rims for Rent

For about the last 48 hours MrT and I have been relocating all of our crap from one place to another. MrT just finished the last load to the city dump and is headed home to assemble the furniture that we disassembled yesterday. This post isn't about moving, it is about the cars I see on the road.



I don't usually spend much time in the car. I get up, take C2 to day care and then I am off to Check City. If anyone has a GPS on my car, I hope you are falling asleep with boredom. In the last 48 hours I have spent a lot of time in the car and I have come to realize that putting money into your car (aesthetically speaking) has become the new fad. I saw a 1982ish Dodge boat thing rolling on spanking new 24" rims. The kind of rims you would expect to see in a rap video. I lost it, I laughed all the way home. Who does that?



On the way to work today I saw a 1995 Pontiac Sun Fire that was blazing orange. Glittering in the sun with the dented in roof and scratched up fender but still working it with the 22" rims that had the same color paint as the car. I have one thing to say: should have saved the money on the rims and spent it on a new paint job.

I know that these are tough times for everyone, and you gotta do what you gotta do to be cool; but there is a business on State Street called Rims-4-Rent. It is like a EZ Rent To Own, but they just offer these crazy rap video inspired rims. I assume that if you keep up on your payments you will eventually own them, but what if you fall behind? Will they come in the middle of the night and leave your 1982 Dodge on blocks? Do you leave your old tires as collateral? These questions are are left unanswered because every time I see these things I bust a gut and can you even imagine what would happen if I went into Rims-4-Rent to ask any questions? I only wish that I could have had the sense to take pictures of the awesome automobiles, but I was too busy laughing.

True Honesty

So Jessa (aka Brutus) from http://mtybf.blogspot.com/ is my little sister and she has tagged me. I am trying extra hard to be hip to the blogging world so here it goes.



10 things you may or may not know about me



1. Honesty. MrT and I are adamant about being honest with one another. We feel like our marriage is really worth it and we are always honest. Besides, I am a terrible liar, always have been. I get all red in the face and instantly feel bad about it and come clean about it. MrT, Roger and LindyLoo are excellent at detecting it btw.



2. I LOVE to scrapbook! My BFF always makes fun of me and says it is because I was raised LDS and it must come with the territory. I have found that C2 loves to help, especially with the scissors. This new found knowledge has led to less time to scrapbook seeing that I don't want his eyes or the dog's eyes poked out.



3. I truly believe in True Love. People are jaded and worn and they will tell you that it doesn't exist. I know that it does because I truly love MrT and I want to be married to him for the rest of our lives. I waited a long time to find him, and took some really awful roads to get here, but now that I have MrT I wouldn't trade him for anything. He really is the best husband out there. He really cares about me and C2 and works so hard to make sure that we have everything we need. He often goes without so that we can buy groceries or gas or whatever.



4. My favorite color is PINK. I have a pink scooter to prove it. I often buy things simply because they are pink, not because they will match anything. My new pad has a whole room painted pink and I might just move in and take it over. Unfortunately wearing pink is slightly out of the question for me, it doesn't mesh well with my freckles, kinda makes me look like a third grader.



5. I get fairly irritated sometimes. For many years I have suppressed the urge to let my feelings out. I always kind of feel like others don't really care how I feel. I am turning the page on this habit. If someone has something to say about how I feel, they can kiss it! I am an adult and I have the right to an opinion and the right to express it. I am now refusing to be walked on, I have my ass-kicking boots on.

6. I love to dance... and not in any special fashion. I love to go to the club and shake it! When I was single and did the club/bar scene it always irritated me when guys wanted to rub up against me and call it dancing. That is not dancing! Leave me alone and let me work it. Even now, I turn on old school BEP and rock it in the kitchen with C2. I must admit that I am slightly out of shape these days and I can't hang for as long as I used to, but a few more times on the pretend treadmill and I will be back to my old self.

7. I am insecure. I always feel like I am coming up short in life. I feel like there is a lot expected of me and sometimes I can't quite hit the mark. MrT is excellent at reminding me that I am perfect the way I am and that I am doing just fine.



8. I love my job. I am so happy to work at Check City. The owner is awesome and he really goes the extra mile to make sure we are happy. My boss is always there for me and she makes it really easy to do my job.



9. Country music is my vice. I didn't always prefer it though. When I was young, I listened to the Cranberries, Sheryl Crow, Pearl Jam. What can I say, I was a child of my generation. Roger listened to country and I constantly made fun of him. He was driving my home from a soccer game one day and since he was driving he got to pick the music (a law in any Belnap car). A song came on the radio called Strawberry Wine and I was totally hooked. I went straight home turned my radio to the country station and listened to it night and day until I heard that song again.



10. I have an addiction. I am addicted to snow cones. I can't wait for Memorial Day because that is when the snow cone shacks open. It is only 27 days away.

Under Budget!

I am proud to say that MrT and I have completed our purchases for our move. We had a very tight budget to follow and we even calculated the tax down the the penny.



I am even more proud to say that we are done and we came out $100 under the proposed budget. We spent less on a living room set than we had budgeted and found two other purchases on sale.



At this juncture I can't figure out why the government can not operate under their proposed budget? If MrT and I only have so much money, we can only buy so many things and we have to make sacrifices other places. For example we have all pitched in and gone with out a few things. MrT is going with out cable for the next little bit, I am not getting my nails done and C2 has graciously given up marshmallows for the time being.



Currently there is a lot of debate about the Education Budget here in Utah. They are talking about laying off the teacher's aids and teachers. Leaving the remaining teachers with bigger classes and fewer materials to teach with. This seems so backwards to me. Why are we allowing law makers to spend money on frivolous Pork Belly projects and not demanding they put the money back into Education? I think that education should be our number one priority, if the children leave school without any idea how to spell or add how do we expect them to get decent jobs and provide for their families?



I know I have gotten terribly off subject here, but I can't help it sometimes. Off the soap box for now and back to the moving.



This move is a big deal for us and we are happy to make the extra sacrifices to be able to do it.

Now that is dedication

The other day MrT and I were at Wal Mart. I love to people watch at the Wal Mart, always some very interesting peeps.

This post isn't about who I saw but what I saw:

I know the picture isn't the greatest, but yes that is a treadmill strapped to the top of a Honda Civic.

I have to admire that kind of dedication. Perhaps the deal was too good to pass up and they just had to have it right away or perhaps they were on their way to get rid of it. I had to get a closer look. I walked over to it and there was a blanket under the treadmill so that the roof would not get scratched, and the amount of jack straps to hold that thing on there would make any man jealous. The tread mill itself was circa 1985, perhaps it was a great deal.

At this point, I thought: "Why would you make a stop at the Wal Mart?" If I was trying to make sure that it was secure and make it home safe, any stops would seem unnecessary.

This whole experience made me laugh the whole way home. I am not sure why I even found it amusing. Even now, I am still laughing to myself.

Today is BOAT DAY!

Today is the day that the boat comes out of dry storage! I think there might still be ice, but we are troopers and that is what wet suits are for! Can't wait for the really warm weather and to jump in the lake:)

I am fairly jealous of Roger and LindyLoo, I want a boat! I am currently short a large sum of money to buy one so I will have to mooch off the parentals for another year.

C2 LOVES the boating action. Roger and LindyLoo have already purchased new flippy floppies and a life vest for him. He talks about them every day, and is constantly asking where his grandpa's boat is. Well today, my little friend, the boat comes out of hiding!

LindyLoo said they were going to take it out of storage and just drive south. To this I suggest that we all move to St. George so that boating can be a year-round activity.

Some of my fondest memories are from family boating trips. I remember our first trip to Lake Powell. It was the first and last time we ever camped there. We are more of boat during the day and stay in a hotel at night peeps. I love going to Lake Powell! It is so beautiful there and peaceful. I wish that I could move to Page, Arizona and boat everyday!

There are so many summers that were spent just on the boat. I grew up about 20 minutes away from Deer Creek Reservoir and we went there almost every day. The wind and the fresh water are amazing.

Thank you for going along with me on this trip down memory lane, it was at least fun for me:)

Awesome Giveaway!

Hey guys! My friends over at http://laffy-daffy.blogspot.com/ are doing an awesome giveaway! These step stools that they make are so adorable and sturdy. Leave a comment on their blog and you are entered to win! These peeps are great and they make the cutest stuff, drop on by and check em out. This one is my personal favorite because it describes me in the best way!

Um... I got nothing

I am a child of the late 80s and early 90s. I clearly realize what LindyLoo was talking about when she said that fashion would come back to haunt you. The clothes that she wore in high school came back in fashion when I was in high school and now the stuff I wore as a kid is coming back. I can think of only one thing that I wish would come back: slap bracelets.

I was not a fashionista growing up, I was uber awkward. I tried really hard to look cool, but always came up pretty short of my mark. I had the scruchie socks in neon orange, green and pink, I had the shirt tie and I hate to admit it buy I wore strechtie pants. Not a good idea for the fat kid, just in case you were wondering. None of this could have prepared me for what I came upon yesterday.

I was in the Wal Mart parking lot. I saw two separate people sporting a fanny pack. Yes the fanny pack has made its way back into our lives. Somethings should stay dead. The first one I saw was a lady who should have been on people of walmart.com. She was wearing Mom jeans and sneakers, with a fanny pack that she has probably owned since 1994. It was forest green and was everything you can imagine a fanny pack to be.

In the very same minute a kid got out of his car wearing Seven jeans, a shirt from American Eagle and a fanny pack made by Louis Vuitton. I kid you not. What is this world coming to? Seriously people, some things should stay dead, I wasn't joking.

At this point I am about to fall right over in the parking lot because I can not contain my laughter. As if a man-bag isn't bad enough, but now they are buying name brand (expensive) fanny packs. I must express my disappointment with Louis Vuitton, this can not be considered even slightly fashion forward.

Moral of the story: if you are a dude, please don't carry a man bag or wear a fanny pack, people will point and laugh at you, I promise.

This is what happens...

I have three pugs, they are naughty! Most of the time I can deal with the naughty, but Heineken took to a whole new level this past week.

Heineken will follow C2 around all day and pick up whatever he drops. She eats everything. Her favorites are Cheetos, french fries and most recently cheesy shells. I headed some shells up for C2 the other day and left them on the table. I forgot all about it and when I got out of the shower there were no more shells on the table and a bowl shattered all over the floor. She liked every piece clean. MrT swept up the glass and we went on our merry way.

Fast forward about two and a half days and surprise: Heineken is not feeling well. MrT took her to the emergency vet (please read: expensive vet) and they did an x-ray. Low and behold there was a piece of glass lodged in her stomach.

Approximately $2000 later, this is what we are looking at. As you can see, she is not amused by the fact that she is wearing this, neither is she amused by Check City where she will be spending the next week with mom.

This picture as you can see in this picture: C2 is happy as pie that she is wearing the cone of shame:

Moral of the story: do not eat glass shards lest ye wear the cone of shame!

Freedom Of Speech

I would like to take the opportunity to use Freedom of Speech. I love this right! I love that I can say what I want, listen to what I want and believe what I want. I think that we often take this for granted and we judge too harshly those who speak differently.

Freedom of Speech works both ways, I have the right to say it and I have to afford you the same right. Just because we don't agree doesn't mean that we can't both be right.

MrT and I see things pretty much the same way pretty much all the time. There have been a select few times when we remember things differently. Neither of us can prove who is right, so we just agree to remember it differently.

I am so sick of seeing grown men and women not allowing others to utilize their Freedom of Speech. We do not have to agree on everything, can't somethings just be left alone. The health care reform is killing me, I don't think there will ever be a middle ground. There is too much money to be made by the insurance companies and there are too many people without insurance. Clearly no middle ground to rush on to.

I know the system is broken and I think the solution is out there, but I do not think that pushing it through as fast as possible is going to fix anything, it will probably just make it worse.

Birthday!

So it was my birthday this past weekend. I love birthdays, they are a huge deal to me. I am not just talking about my birthday, all birthdays. I love celebrating them and relishing that the whole day should be about the birthday kid.

I have noticed that as the years have gone by; I have gotten significantly less excited about my own birthday. This year marks 28... not a huge number but still a larger number than 10 years ago. Isn't it crazy how different your life is in 10 years. I graduated 10 years ago and I thought that nothing could ever go wrong. I have learned that nothing really ever goes wrong, just different than you had planned.

Roger and LindyLoo came to get C2 on Friday. They took him to Idaho for the whole weekend... Now, I understand that all parents need a break sometimes, and this break was a huge learning experience for me and MrT. We had all these huge plans, we were going to go out, stay out late, sleep in and do whatever we wanted. We discovered that 98% of our lives revolve around C2 and without him around we were extremely LAME! I am talking way lame. We went out to dinner, we didn't order drinks so we thought we would stop at the bar on the way home. We stayed there for aproximatley 10 minutes and left. It was about 9:30 and we were ready for bed. Saturday went about the same way, who does that? I mean a whole weekend with no kid and all we really wanted to do was be at home in our sweats and slippers.

Needless to say, we really missed the kid. It was so quiet around the house and I missed the wet willies and chasing him around the house.

I have learned that being a mom is the greatest thing I have ever done and I am so glad that MrT and I have C2. I am so greatful for MrT and C2 and I couldn't live without them.

Vacuum Bags

I have no affiliation with Febreze, they did not pay me to write this, they did not ask me to write this. OK, now that we are done with small print stuff...

The other day I was in need of vacuum bags; I know you are thinking to yourself, "who still uses a vacuum with a bag?" That aside, MrT went to the store for me and came back with the most amazing vacuum bags ever created! They are regular bags, but they have a Febreze patch on them. I was astounded to find out how awesome they really were.

Vacuuming in my house is a big deal. I have a toddler and three dogs that shed year round. I spend a lot of quality time with my vacuum, and that is putting it lightly. I also use a lot of Febreze, so this was like dream come true.

Now that I am looking back at it now and think that I must lead a pretty boring life if vacuum bags get me that excited. Nonetheless, I was pretty stoked.

Wet Willies

This post is about Wet Willies.

When I was growing up, Roger always gave willies, dry ones. You would be sitting there in church, nodding off and BAM! Finger in the ear. I prefer wet willies. MrT does not even flinch when given one. I find that rather strange...

Anyway; I taught C2 how to give them and now he thinks they are the funniest thing ever. He is great at it too. We were goofing around the other day and he stuck his whole finger in his mouth and screamed "WILLIES". I hid under the blanket and he still found my ear and proceeded with his orginal plan. I have decided that he has the perfect sized finger for it. It is aproximately the same size as a Q-Tip and fits just right in the opening of your ear.

I am proud to say that I taught him this excellent talent and can't wait for Roger to come visit. Payback is awesome!

Back at it!

I had a blog once apon a time, I never posted on it... clearly the next best thing to do is start another one. Honestly I can't remember the username and password for the last one, so I am starting from scratch.



I have been reading startswithanx.com, and I have been laughing my ass off. I could never be as clever as her, but I am going to start trying. So thanks to a friend of a friend for getting me back on the wagon.



We are three, Well call 'em MrT, MrsT (me) and C2. MrT and I have been together for almost 4 years. We met through some friends and just kind of became us. We have a small one: C2. He is the perfect mix of the two of us. He is a Nesquick addict and isn't afraid to admit it. Hey, we don't hate or judge.



I have decided to start this blog up because I have a lot of thoughts that often wonder through my mind and I never say them out loud. Perhaps MrT is the only one who appreciates my humor and sarcasm, but none the less, I feel compelled to share.



The other day I was driving up to my favorite coffee and thinking to myself; what happens when you fall out of other peoples lives? I know it is a deep subject for the first post, but I am going to delve into it. I am approaching a 10 year high school reunion next summer and I can't help but think: "Does anyone I went to school with really care what happened to me?" I have about 5 people I still talk to from high school. They are aware of what is going on in my life, they know I have a husband and a kid, they know I work for Check City... I have a pretty normal life. Then I start to think about all the people that come and go from our lives and I wonder if I had any sort of impact on them. I know that there are people that were in my life that made an impact and I never thought to thank them for that. I can't imagine (and would rather not) the impact that I have made on other people. I have lost touch with a lot of people over the years and even though I am sad for it, I think that people are in our lives for a certain reason and for a certain time.



I have promised myself to post more often and I can't promise that it will be anything life changing, but please check back!