Am I consistent or what?

Sitting here at the Dyer Homestead in Coastal Maine, listening to the hum of fans and evil black flies right outside the window. Why am I here you ask? The tale is long but ends with me as the heroine and sometimes chauffeur to peoples with heart problems. Those peoples, who might they be? They are the eldest Dyers residing on the Dyer Homestead. One with a pacemaker, or 'robot', as the pacemaker's grandson has labeled him. The other with chest pain-like symptoms, but not in need of a pacemaker. Maybe next year?
So how long am I here for, as my grandmother has asked multiple times due to the Alzheimer's that has taken up residence in her grey cells. For as long as the PUs need me, otherwise known as the parental units, or eldest Dyers in residence here. If nothing else, I gotta be home by the middle of August for the beginning of school.
Until then, I will shuttle the PUs to cardiology appointments, bake bread, cookies, cinnamon rolls, give 'tubbies' to small humans with the name of Paytyn, and do Nursery duty on Sundays. I might even play croquet with other small humans with the names of Abby Yo-Yo and O-Man. Until the next time I post on here, I will be on the look out for 'tinky 'tunks, 'nakes, and anything else that should be pronounced with an S but isn't. I can't wait for 'nack time either!

I'm definitely outta shape. Here's my story:

It's a wintry Saturday morning. I have brushed my teeth, had a bowl of cereal, and am checking email. BodyPump starts @ 9 a.m. and I AM GOING! At about 8:40 a.m. I get a phone call from Brother Olsen, a member of the bishopric. Choir practice has started and the scheduled pianist has not shown up. I say yes, I can be there in 2 minutes. So, no makeup, hair up in a Pebbles bun(think Flintstones), flannel monkey jammy pants, yellow hoody, and red Teva flip flops. I show up, go the piano, find out where they want to rehearse, and start playing. At this point, I figure I'm outta luck for Pump, and I was obedient when I needed to be. So tough luck for me, BodyPump is on Tuesday night, I'll go then.
Then Bro. Olsen comes back and says that Sally, the scheduled pianist, is on her way. VICTORY I'll be able to go after all. Sally comes in, I rush out to go home and change into workout clothes. I'm driving to the gym and it's 8:59 a.m. YES!

I walk in, flash my little thingy, and there's no clips for my bar. RATS! So, I go back to the aerobics room and it is PACKED. Saturday mornings are always full, and there's no space left. Except, right up front next to Lori, the instructor. I get my Step, risers, yoga mat, and stake my claim. I head back to where all the bars are with the round weights. No clips again! What am I gonna do? I'm looking around and spot 2 extra clips just lying on the floor. I ask the girl who is next to them if they are hers, nope, they are all MINE!

So now they are almost through the warm up and I start doing dead rows and dead lifts with them. The first track after that is squats. I've only got about 2/3 of the weight on that I usually have, so I think I'll be alright. I made it through the next 5 minutes no problem, we go to chest. No problem again. After that is clean and press and this is where something weird starts to happen. My nose and mouth start to feel tingly, not on the inside mind you. But like the tip of my nose and my lips. Weird, right? So, everytime I go to do a dead row I start to feel light headed. And I'm thinking, what if I pass out in front of all these people? And it's not like I'm in the back where no one will see me, I'm smack dab up front with 50 people behind me. And even worse, what if I need to stop and rest in between sets here cuz I'm getting super tired? I decide to stop, rest, and stretch out my upper back. Then the nausea comes. Seriously?
Next track is triceps. I'm doing dips off my bench, everything is ok. I then start doing kickbacks with the free weights and I swear I'm gonna pass out. What is my deal? I suffer through that one, next is biceps.

This is where the wheels fall off the wagon. I'm doing biceps and now my forehead is starting to feel tingly, along with the nose and lips. Does this mean all the blood is leaving my face to go help these areas that I'm working out? I decide enough is enough, I am not gonna fall over in front of these people. I deliberately look at the clock so maybe people will think I have someplace to be, not 'I can't hack it today and feel like fainting'. I grab the bar and weights and wend my way through a bajillion people back to where the weight rack is. And the whole time I'm thinking, don't pass out, don't pass out... I put the bar on the rack, along with the weights and sit against the back wall and put my head between my knees. After a minute I feel better, surprise surprise.
I head up front, pick up the handweights and finish the bicep track. Next is lunges and I know they are gonna kill me, so I pack up and head home. I leave the gym at 9:40, 20 minutes early and missing out on lunges, shoulders, abs, and cool down. I'm OK with that.
I get home and decide that my body needs protein and NOW! I finish off the kefir(yogurtish drink) while sitting on the floor looking through the mail. After about 15 minutes of that, I think I can safely take myself to the shower without the danger of me slipping and killing myself. Now, it's about 10ish and I'm supposed to be at a baby shower for my crazy Canadian friend at 11, and I know I'm not gonna make it. It would be one thing if I was nauseous because I know why that would be. But the tingly and the light-headed? I then spend the next 3 hours in my robe watching re-runs of The Nanny because that's all I'm up to doing. I can't remember ever feeling like this, EVER! I do wonder if it s the antibiotics I just got finished with, because they were messing with my digestion and other things. Stupid drugs!
I gotta be more consistent with lifting cuz I can't do this again. Actually, I felt pretty crummy all day, maybe I'm sick or something, because I'm not all get-up-and-go today at all! I am so outta shape, shame on me!

Yeah NYC!

I visited NYC last week and had a GREAT time!









We went and saw Mary Poppins.



















Went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art


Visited FAO Schwarz
































Tiffany's( And yes, this is in front of Trump Tower, but notice the blue Tiffany's bag in my hand!)



















Chinatown, Serendipity 3, Bloomingdales(Thank you Fur Department :)














Top of the Rock





















Empire State Building



















Al, this one is for you : )

Paperbackswap.com

I have fallen in love with a website called paperbackswap.com. You know how much I LOVE to read, so when I discovered this website I almost died and went to book heaven. People post books that they would be willing to part with and never see again, me included. You find a book you want, request it, and it magically appears in your mailbox in 7-10 days. Yes, there are some highly requested books that you might not be able get so immediately, but the overall effect is FABULOUS!!! I've tried some new books, like The Spellman Files. Discovered some new authors, like Sarah Addison Allen. And, read some major duds, like The Shack.
For the record, I HATED that book. The part that pushed me over the edge was when God tells the main character that Adam screwed up down here and so God had to send Christ to clean everything up. I don't remember throwing the book, but I think I set it down firmly in disgust. Blech!
I have been able to find books for my classroom that I use in teaching traits of writing. And just for fun-sies too. If you get on the website, my name is phoneisringing on there. For the record, the ringtone on my phone lately has been the Wonder Pets Theme Song (thank you Paytyn!).
Another website I have used a TON lately is GoodReads.com. I'm trying to read more, instead of falling into a coma when I get home every day from school. You link up with your friends, review books you've read, and get ideas for books to read.

Owen showing GG how to use the Ipad

One day til Girls Camp...

I'm sitting here, still in my jammies, contemplating all the things I need to do today, and I can't quite seem to get out of bed. What is my problem? : ) Pack for camp, get AAA batteries for the headlamp, figure out how to slide the fridge out of the kitchen without scratching the floor so I can finish painting the kitchen...you know what? I really don't have that much to do, what I was procrastinating about? I can do this!

I should probably update this...

Pretty sad when the last time you updated your blog was 3 months ago. What can I say, it wasn't that high on my priority list. It definitely didn't rank on the top of the list with sleeping, eating, working, and cross stitching. But I do love reading everyone else's blogs, so keep up the good work.
On a weird side note, I have a new favorite song, Aha! by Imogen Heap. I'm not quite sure why I like it so much, but I DO!!!
I linked it on the right, so check it out and have a little peek at my world. : )

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Here with the family in the wild woods of Maine. Looking forward to snow tomorrow, Wahoo!!! Allyson made it up safe and sound Sunday night. Jesse left about 6ish so they must have been 2 ships passing in the night. Bad bad snowstorms all weekend long up here in the Northeast, I'm just happy that everyone traveled safe, me included. We've only got two more days until the big day, and I realized I haven't gotten anything for Gram. AAACK!!!! I think the kids and I will be making her a photo album tomorrow. That way when Gram's memory goes kaput every 90 seconds or so, we can show her the album to remind her who everyone is and where they live. It is hard watching your grandparents and parents get older.

2 weeks till vacation!

I don't even know if I can express how EXCITED I am to see my family. For some reason, being with my family seems to ground me in reality and remind of who I really am. So, my plan for when I'm home? Goes something like this:
1.Read stories with Paytyn

2.Make cookies with Owen & Aspen
3.Snowshoe between the barn and the house
4. Read myself a story
5. Read more stories with Paytyn
6. Play games with Owen & Aspen
7. Talk to Mom, Amber, Allyson, Dad, and Ben(if he's home)
8. Try to remember why I live in Utah instead of Maine.....OH WAIT! I know why, I don't really want to live in Maine, its too stinking cold.
9. Hang out with Jesse. I'll have to share him with the kids, especially Owen. The O Man was a little sad when Jesse left this summer.
Yup, that's about the size of it. I might add to my list drinking hot chocolate, throwing snowballs, and shooting clay pigeons, but I don't want to overschedule myself!

Awww, forget it...

I just don't think the Tuscan walls are going to happen for me.
For the following reasons:
1. The dude at Home Depot didn't give me the right paint.
2. After the base coat, the plaster coat, and the HIDEOUS gold coat I was sick and tired of painting.
3. The HIDEOUS gold coat of paint was a mistake by Home Depot. It was to be a one part metallic paint to 4 parts plaster mix.
4. My walls then looked like an homage to very bad 70s films.
5. I fell off the ladder too many times as it slid down the wall.
6. The last ride on the ladder pushed me and my piano into the wall.
7. There is now a fairly large dent in the wall due to the ladder ride into the piano.
8. I have too many bruises on the back of my legs from the aforementioned ladder.
9. I actually really like the brown color, and I can't take painting it again, since I painted it 4 times in 3 days.


This is the walls after hideous gold paint. This picture doesn't truly do justice to the hideousness of the paint. I can't even imagine what it would have looked like if the sun was up. I'm sure I would have burned out my retinas. Or been able to see it from the space station.

Almost Tuscan...

Going Tuscan

Started painting my front room this afternoon. This is the base coat of what will be a faux Tuscan finish. Stay tuned...

Couches + Spiral Staircase = 5 people to move them

After Ben and Owen were here last week, I was the proud owner of:
2 new toilets

1 new microwave


1 new dishwasher

1 rain shower fixture

New baseboards


Since I was feeling very home-remodelly(is that even a word?) I decided to take even more drastic measures. I had a full size couch, loveseat, and big chair upstairs in my loft. I was going to try to sell them on Craigslist or KSL. I was even going to sweeten the deal and offer the 3 pieces at about $200 with the caveat that whoever bought them would have to be able to get them outta my house. Then, I got to thinking about strange people in my house, damaged furniture, and a ruined condo.
I have a student teacher in my classroom this year. He and his wife just bought a house in Kaysville. I figured that the furniture should go to a new home. I told Steve he could have all of them if he would just bring some people and get them out of my house. I had 3 of Monique's kids that day so there was plenty of warm bodies to help out. I finally have more space in my house.

The furniture that was downstairs is now upstairs, and my front room is empty except for my piano. I'm going to paint and then make my extra bedroom into a sewing room. Who knew that a home overhaul could make me so happy? :)

Don't sign me up for a dog!

So, watching Monique's kids for the weekend. No biggie, except for the dumb dog. This dog is dumber than creamed corn. She is a half basset hound/half yellow lab mix. So, think basset body but lab face and coat. Anyway, we're all hanging out today watching Singin' In The Rain' when I noticed a dinner plate sized puddle of dog vomit. That sealed the deal for me, that I don't want to have a dog. Then I had to listen to Kristen and Jake fight about who was going to clean it up. Grrrr.....Kristen stormed off, Jake got gloves and set about cleaning it up. I threatened Kristen with an evening entirely in the basement if she chose not to clean it up. It took her about 10 seconds to decide that a night downstairs was not the option she really wanted. We then discovered ANOTHER puddle of stuff downstairs. By this time, Jake had cleaned everything upstairs, so that left Kristen with the chore of downstairs. BUT, Kara stepped in the puddle downstairs. And the best part? Stephanie slept through the entire thing. She was on the couch while everyone was gagging and arguing about who was gonna have to do the nasty. Ugh...
Part II: Turns out that Bella, the dog, ate a WHOLE TUB OF BUTTER! It was on the counter and she swiped it off somehow. The container was licked clean. Dumb dog...

This must mean I'm a grown-up...

I have begun a quest to replace my two toilets. Without revealing too much information, let's just say that my father is looking forward to his future visits at my condo with new plumbing fixtures. Dad HATES my toilets. I can't say that I blame him, I hate 'em too. Any suggestions as to what to buy? I'm checking out Consumer Reports, etc.

Finally, the beach!

Got back to Maine early Monday morning( read 2 a.m.) and hit the beach yesterday, Tuesday. Perfect blue skies, lots of ocean breeze, and just the right temperature. It's been at least a year since my last beach outing, I missed it. After living in Ft. Lauderdale for all those years I had beach outings to a science. I kept my beach chair, towel, and suit in my car at all times 'cuz you just didn't know when you'd have an opportunity to hit da beach. Amber, my sister-in-law, kinda does the same thing. I was unloading everything out of the van yesterday after we got back to the house. Amber reminded me that we would be heading back today the beach and so I could just leave everything in the van. Ah bliss!
We had lob-stah for dinner last night. Ben made sure that I got two! I love it! Paytyn tried the lobster and she LOVED it. How many 14 month old babies do you know that like lobster? It was pretty fun to see Aspen and Owen crack their lobsters open. These kids know how it is done. They had already picked out their nutcrackers and were ready to crack those bad boys open.

Girls Camp 2009

We just got back from Girls Camp this afternoon. I don't remember the last time I went 4 days without showering, shaving the legs, or putting on make-up. I could probably do without the make-up but showering and de-foresting the legs are a must. I almost cried when I came home today because I had turned the water heater off before I left and the thought of an ice cold shower was terrifying. Luckily there was still hot water in there(I'm not quite sure how that works. Can anyone explain?) Let's just say that what I thought was me acquiring a tan...was not. :) My tan has now washed off, with probably 8 layers of bug spray and sunscreen.


We had 8 girls go up to camp, our Bishop, The Livingstons(Alisa & Dennis), the Bish's wife Jan to help in the kitchen along with Connie Burns. We were so happy to have so many leaders with us, it made our experience great!
I have never been to Girls Camp in Utah before. My camp experiences were in Wisconsin where our stake used a Girl Scout Camp. So imagine my shock and dismay when there was no pool, craft cabin, canoes, or walk-in freezer to use to cool off. It's OK, I recovered pretty quickly. Camping in the Uintas was absolutely beautiful. And to be honest, I didn't really miss the pool or canoes. We heard the pond/lake was filled with leeches so I don't think I really would have wanted to go in there. The camp was surrounded by wildflowers and the Uinta mountains.


Our stake theme this year was Dr. Seuss' Oh The Places You Go, our ward's theme was Green Eggs & Ham. I wish I could tell you I was super crafty with our theme, but alas, I was not.
Because, who really wants to go around with green eggs on their shirt? We made up for it with yellow bandannas and hoodies.
And of course, our crafts were excellent! The girls designed fabulous covers for journals, and we all LOVE Mod Podge! What did we do without it before? The girls also made boards that said Be Thou An Example and decorated them with ribbon, flowers, and cool eyelets.The last craft we got to was making magnets out of flat glass marbles. We still have travel size B of Mormons for them to cover, and then a chipboard FRIEND scrapbook for them to make. And to think I was worried about them having enough to do.

One thing that I love about Girls Camp is how much I learn about myself. It is a wonderful time to be removed from the world in a dedicated place just for the young women of the church. Some of the things that I discovered about myself is that I have more patience than I thought. I have been struggling with prayer for the last year or so. My dad has a wonderful testimony of prayer, and talks about it often with our family. I've felt that maybe my Heavenly Father has had me on mute for the last year so. You know, I've been saying my prayers but he hasn't had the volume up? Having this calling has literally pushed me to my knees and almost forced me to pray. There is absolutely no way that I could do this calling without the inspiration of my Heavenly Father. There are so many decisions that have far reaching consequences, and if I was to make them on my own with my limited wisdom and knowledge, the results would be disastrous. I've had many situations where I have had to have an answer from my Heavenly Father, because there was no other way for me to make the right decision. My faith in prayer has been renewed. I have had to wait for the answer, because I couldn't proceed without it. It has really helped me to concentrate on my prayers and to wait for the answer. I have always been able to recognize the spirit, but waiting for an answer is sometimes excruciating.
The spirit was very strong this week for me. I had a moment this week up at camp where I had really wanted to be able to talk to my father. I really felt like I needed to talk with him and seek his advice. Almost like What Would Dana Do in this situation. Being up in the Uintas, there is no cell phone reception so that was definitely not an option. I wished that he was there with me. I was praying to my Heavenly Father, pouring out my soul and wishing for comfort. As I was sitting there on that log I could swear that I felt someone put their arm around me. My Heavenly Father must have known that I needed that because it seemed like a miracle for me. I talked to my dad today and told him about what had happened. He said that he'd been thinking about me on that Wednesday. My dad has the uncanny ability to tune into The Force as he calls it. I can't tell you how many times that my father has sensed from 2,000 miles that something wasn't right and called to check on me. What a blessing my parents are in my life. My parents have unwavering testimonies and are wonderful examples of being obedient. I've learned from them that it is better to be obedient to inspiration than to go your own way.
Being at Girls Camp with my presidency and our girls was a wonderful experience. It is such a different environment in which to get to know people. We aren't in our best clothes at church putting our best faces, we are who we really are. In all our un-showered bandanna-ed and clean-faced glory. Though I did bring my tweezers, because who knows when you're gonna have a rogue hair that just has to be plucked?
This week gave me new perspective and appreciation for the wonderful blessings in my life. Like these girls thinking that my next birthday would be my 27th. Wahoo!!!! That made my day! : )

Old school pics of the Dyer Fam

I was putting away some things this evening and ran across these old pictures of my family. I almost can't believe that my little brothers used to be so cute. They're a little more hairy and brawny lately, but what're you gonna do? : )
Enjoy!