Thou shalt call his name...

Okay. I have to admit that I find this dream hysterical. It was way better than the dream where my nephew Miles had developmental problems and I woke up crying. (Don't worry; Miles is fine. He was just really short for a really long time! Soon after I had that dream, he finally surpassed the 2nd percentile for height.) So in this dream, Chuck and I just had twins, one boy and one girl. They were two days old, but had already started talking. TALKING. Being a new mom of twins is (I imagine and hope to never know) hard enough, but a new mom of twins who were talking...well, even harder. And unfortunately for me, these twins were sorely disappointed in my mothering skills and didn't hesitate to tell me. I reminded them that I was new at this, and I didn't expect them to be talking so soon. But alas, they didn't have much patience nor sympathy for me. Anyway, someone came over to our house to see the new twins, and I begin to introduce them. I showed them my daughter (whose name I can't remember now) but when I go to introduce my son, I completely blanked on his name. So I said, "Well, he's talking already. Why don't you ask him?" My guest proceded to do so, and my two-day-old chatting son replied, "You can call me Mr. Mullet." --End Scene-- MR MULLET??? What the...?! Where does my subconscious get this stuff?!

WBMHTM, episode 3: size does matter

I grew up in a "small" household: for awhile it was four kids, then it was three, but mostly it seemed like it was only two of us. Two, quiet, sweet, charming girls (don't laugh). So when I married into a family that has eight kids, well, it was, and continues to be, a learning experience. There are just so many differences between these two families of different size, and each difference can teach me something.

• One, the family of eight is extremely loud because they have to be. In order to be heard over the other nine members of the family, you must scream. Lesson learned: While at the in-law's home, don't be afraid to scream.
• Two, interrupting conversations in the large family is the norm. The kids in the large family think that if they have something to say, they better say it quickly otherwise they might never get the chance again. In my small family, however, we NEVER did this: we simply waited our turn. And with so few of us, we didn't have a long wait. Lesson learned: Don't get offended when someone interrupts you. Simply understand that this is their way.
• Three, there are always at least three different conversations happening during any given meal; understandably, it's hard to talk with members of your family who are at the other end of the 12-foot long kitchen table. But again, this NEVER happened with my family. Our kitchen table was small enough that we could reach out and slap each other, if we so desired (which, of course, we never did because we were quiet, sweet, and charming). Lesson learned: Focus on the one conversation of which you are part. Don't worry about missing out on all the other information. If it's important, you'll be informed.
• Four, being part of a large family can be fun. There are so many different people and differences in opinion that you get very interesting interactions. Plus, there's just more fun people watching when you have 14 siblings-in-law, two parents-in-law and 13 nieces and nephews. Lesson learned: sit back and enjoy the show.

15 Minutes of Fame

I am not sure why it is that I feel it necessary to expose myself in all types of media in the most recent years. I have been in the Washington Post (see here and here), on FOX News, in the Salt Lake Tribune, as well as on National Public Radio and a short un-named mention on Salt Lake's own X-96. Why do I do this to myself?! Granted, some of these were due to Lori, but the Post appearances, NPR, and X-96 were simply me being me. But I still can't figure out why I do this. The first possible reason I do this is that it's my attempt at being involved in my community. I like expressing opinions and using resources to get answers to questions. Another possible reason is that it's just me trying to learn about how things are done. (For example, did you know that Car Talk is not live on Saturday mornings? In fact, they tape their shows in advance in order to do some editing. Also did you know that if you send a letter to the editor that is most-likely going to be published in the "Free for All" opinion section of the Post, you'll need to be extremely witty or else they'll make you extremely witty by editing almost everything you originally wrote?!) I guess I also must propose a third possible reason, which is maybe I'm just searching for my 15 minutes of fame. But if that weren't true, you'd think I'd stop. But alas, I'm addicted. Keep watching out for my name. Some day it might appear somewhere you'll actually see it.

The Last Birthday I'll Ever Have

Today I turn 29. (And no, this is not a cheap way to fish for happy birthday wishes.) I am really excited for a couple of reasons. First, I've noticed that the ages that have been odd (like 21, 25) have been better than the even-aged years (like 20). I have no idea why this is, but it is. So hooray for the return of an odd-numbered age! Second, 29 is a really easy age to remember. As a kid I never understood how adults could not remember how old they were; yet I have turned into one of those adults. Hopefully this age will remedy that. Third, honestly, who can NOT love a birthday? I hear from family and friends, get new things, and eat whatever I want simply because I can. Bring on the hot tamales!