Random Musings..

I can't believe it's almost Halloween!  Where has October gone?  Not to mention the first 9 months of the year before that..

I haven't posted in a while because i honestly haven't had too much post-worthy news.  However, I feel completely lame just not writing ANYTHING.. so here are a few things that have happened in the past month.

The month of October has FINALLY ushered in fall here in the Antelope Valley.  We had some crazy weather at the start of the month, with 90 degree days followed by 65 degree days.  However, it has settled out into a beautiful average of 80 degrees with blue skies and lots of cool sunshine.  I love it.  Fall is definitely one of my favorite times of year.. complete with yummy apple deserts, warm soups and stews (oh how I love my crock pot!) and the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg in the air.

To celebrate the coming of fall, we went to the Palmdale Fall Festival with the family.  We ate yummy food, enjoyed the 'living garden' with the amazing people-as-statues (I have no idea how anyone can stand still that long!), saw some incredible sidewalk art -- including the Mona Lisa, wandered through the craft booths and tried not to freeze (it was on one of those odd 65 degree days).  As town festivals go, I think it's pretty fun and we had a great day out there.

Chad has been diligently working on the gate for the side of the house.  We are almost complete with the first phase of our landscape makeover.  It's taken all year, but we have paved the west side of the house for backyard access, put up a shed, taken down one part of the wall and built an addition onto it, and now we're almost ready to hang the gate and call it done.  Then we can move onto phase two.. the back yard (yeah!).  It's nearing completion, so I'll be sure to post before and after pics once it's actually up.

This is also the first month that Chad has been running his car on pretty much 100% veggie oil.  He installed the conversion kit at the end of September and he's been running on WVO (Waste Vegetable Oil) ever since.  It's beautiful -- on the last tank of diesel (it has two tanks -- one for oil and one for diesel and you still have to use a little diesel when you start and stop the car), he drove 600 miles on about a quarter of a tank (10 gallons).  Not too shabby, eh?  Perhaps someday I'll post our whole little oil collection / filtering saga for all of the enquiring minds out there.

I was called at the beginning of the month to be the ward YW Camp Leader.  I'm pretty excited about it, actually.  I've always loved girl's camp.  So.. that will definitely keep me busy next year.  In the meantime, I'm trying to get ready for the Primary Program (I'm the pianist and am playing the harp for two of the songs), practicing to play the harp in church when I'm home for Thanksgiving and now I'm trying to coordinate the musical portion of the Ward Christmas Party (Christmas in Bethlehem).  In between all of that, I've continued to hone my lampwork bead-making skills and I'm actually getting pretty good.  Perhaps I'll post some more pics someday.. once I have time to actually make something out of them.

I almost forgot.. the most exciting news of the month.  Lancaster City Council voted unanimously a few months back to put the musical road back in.  They've selected a piece of road far enough out of town to make everyone happy and I think it might actually be back in already.  (By the way.. if you care.. Honda has posted a whole bunch of small youtube videos about the making of the road from the idea through installation.  You search for 'The Civic Project' and it all comes up..)  So.. feel free to continue planning all those road trips.. just let us know when you're coming to visit! ;-)

I think that about covers it.  Like I said.. nothing terribly post-worthy.. but somehow posting something makes me feel better...

A Little Something About Me..

My sister-in-law, Sharon, tagged me. The point of this tag is to list 5 joys, 5 fears, 5 obsessions/collections, 5 surprising facts, and tag 5 people.

- 5 Joys...

1. Spending time with Chad
2. Doing pretty much anything outside on a beautiful sunny day (just not when it's over 85 degrees)
3. Attending the temple
4. Music
5. Strawberry Pie :-)

-5 Fears...

1. Fire.  I have always had a HUGE fear of my house burning down.
2. Heights.  Just can't handle 'em.
3. Riding my quad on anything other than a flat surface.  My brain just can't seem to comprehend that it's not going to roll when only one tire is going over that huge rock.
4. People breaking into my house -- especially if I'm here alone.
5. Dark alleys and bad parts of town after dark.

- 5 Obsessions/Collections...

1. I've only ever had one actual  'collection': Sea Shells
2. Hobbies.  I can't ever seem to have enough of 'em.  Piano, Harp, Photography, Cross Stitch, Crochet, Travel, Lampworking, Jewelry Making, Paper Arts, etc. etc. etc.
3. Travel. I am just as happy 'on the road' as I am at home.
4. Creating things.  I love making something out of nothing -- perhaps why I have so many hobbies..
5.  The color purple. (not the movie.. the actual color)

- 5 Surprising Things about you...

1. I love camping.  In fact, I would rather camp in a tent instead of an RV.  In fact, in my opinion, if you're in an RV, you're NOT camping.  (I didn't think this was surprising but Chad insists that it is)
2. I used to be a travel agent.
3. I'm a terrible liar.  In fact, I've never actually told anyone a lie that they actually believed.
4. I am completely incapable of mopping and ironing.  I blame my mother.  I grew up in a house with wall-to-wall carpeting (yes.. even the kitchen and the bathrooms) and when I have tried to mop, the floor actually looked worse than when I started.  As for ironing, with the advent of polyester, my mother never ironed another thing.
5. We have a stash of waste vegetable oil on the side of our house that we use for fuel in our cars.

-Tag 5 People...

1. Michelle
2. Meesa
3. Danesa
4. Keri Dawn
5. Carree

Allergies

This is for all of my siblings out there that have harassed me my whole life because I didn't have any allergies when the rest of them were suffering.

I just want you all to know that they have caught up to me, and I can no longer claim to be allergy free.  Not only do I have them, but I think they're trying to make up for lost time.  They are terrible.

I can't breathe.  I haven't been able to for over a month now.  I can't sleep.  My nose, eyes and throat itch incessantly.  No drugs seem to help any of the above and I actually forced myself to go to the doctor a few weeks back and still.. nothing.

I keep thinking.. only a few more weeks and then the weather will change and whatever it is that is killing me will go away.  But it just keeps getting worse, not better. 

Sorry for the whining.  I probably should be glad that I've only had them for a year or two and not the past 30.  However, they seem to be taking over my life so I thought it only appropriate to share.

Besides.. I figure that ya'll might be able to help me out.. so.. any helpful tips from anyone out there??  I'll take any suggestions at this point..