03/30/2008 Dear Diary,

Warning: long journal entry Ü

Thursday:

I had to start with Thursday because I don't remember what happened Mon-Wed, which is why I'm committing to start writing more things down in our online journal. That and my visiting teachers asked me what I do all day and I didn't really have an answer. Oh yeah! My visiting teachers came Wednesday morning and then I went visiting teaching Wednesday afternoon. There's Wednesday for ya.

Okay, back to Thursday: we went to visit Nathan's Aunt Collette to finally deliver some canning jars that we've had since Christmas (yikes!). As always, she traded us a bunch of empty jars for some jars filled with homemade salsa, grape juice, etc.---sounds like a fair trade, right? Collette has three dogs, I don't know their names so I call them small dog, medium dog, and large dog.
The large dog is a Doberman and she/he/it started licking Deacon, which grossed me out, but made Deacon giggle like I've never heard before. We caught it on video, does anyone know how to upload video to their blog? Oh wait, nobody is reading this because I scared them away with the whole disclaimer thing...Deacon and Collette with Large Dog while Medium Dog looks on from behind

After Collette's we went to KFC. This might not seem worth mentioning, but this is The World's First KFC! Still not impressed? It's the only KFC I've ever been to with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Mmmm...coleslaw, mashed potatoes with gravy, biscuits, chicken, and more. It is also part museum so it is the fanciest one you'll ever visit. Plus, only in Utah do they decorate fast food joints with vinyl lettering and words like "...honesty, integrity, and charity":Nathan and Miken (on the phone). Notice the fancy sconces and granite surrounding the leather booths? I told you it was nice, you should come visit me so you can see it Ü
Deacon posing with Brother Sanders and Brother Harmon. What?! You didn't know Colonel Sanders was Mormon? Ha, Ha. Just kidding.

Friday:

I took Deacon to the doctor because his cough is getting much worse. She said his ears were 'shiny' (huh?) and prescribed an antibiotic. He somehow managed to grab the tongue depressor from her and promptly threw it on the floor. Then he looked at her, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Uh-oh!" (That's his new thing, throwing food on the floor and acting like it was an accident).

We held Achievement Days later that afternoon and actually had three out of eight girls show up! I'm likin' those odds, and am NOT complaining. They are all itsy, bitsy, teenie, tiny, little girls, and yet they managed to pack away 32 cookies! *Sigh* Those were the days.....

Nathan stayed late at the hospital to cover another tech during the surgery shift. I forgot to write about the nice little "pat on the back" he got during a staff meeting last week. They had him stand up and they specifically mentioned how busy he was on a certain Friday night and that he finished all the work himself and didn't page the on-call person (he later confided to me that he kinda forgot that was an option). Still, he is a very hard worker and has been getting noticed for it. Anyway, on his way home a picked up a Red Box--Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? It was late on Friday, so the pickin's were slim---but we actually enjoyed it. Janet Jackson had a starring role and she did well.

Saturday:*dramatization

I was feeling miserable and was going to stay home from work, but I've been with my company for over 6 years and have never taken a sick day or had an unexcused absence---and boy, do I mention it every March when it's time for a raise Ü (Hey, when you only work 18 hours a week, you have to focus on the positive).

Anyway, going to work is my way of sticking it to the man. I'd rather use my sick days to go on vacation or take a trip, not be miserable in bed. Note: I've since decided that it is rude to go to work sick and infect others, but nobody else is in on Saturday, so I went. Luckily, I only had to work 4 hours and spoke with only 14 people---and no conversation lasted over 2 minutes....except the lady who's husband made her quit her job 21 years ago to care for their disabled daughter only to have him walk out on Easter morning. She was going to try to live off a $30k Rollover IRA for the rest of her life rather than spend money on a divorce! I told her to sue him! (haha, watch out Nate Ü) Sometimes I give more legal advice than financial advice. Oh yeah, I also had to explain to a different woman that we are not the IRS, so...#1: I couldn't give her any tax advice, and #2: she wouldn't want it from us in the first place! I had a co-worker who was "100% positive" that I could deduct Deacon off our 2006 tax return because I was pregnant 6 out of 12 months---even though he wasn't born and given a SS# until 2007. Yeah, he no longer works for us.....

Sunday:

Nathan did his home teaching today. He also decided to walk to church....which is nuts, because this is an up-to-the-hour picture of what the weather is right now:Yes, those are snowflakes falling, and there is actually a really big mountain in the background that is covered by all the fog. But he took off walking, wearing a shirt, tie, slacks, nice shoes....and a big ol' Alaskan Parka with the hood over his head and face.