Random acts of kindness

Today I was having a kind of feel sorry for myself for no real reason, kind of short tempered, don't really want to face anything kind of day. I took my sister and her girls to the airport then went to Spencer's office so Roman could see Daddy for a few minutes. He loves going to Daddy's office, and we hadn't been since Halloween. So we were there for a few minutes then we decided to stop for breakfast on our way home. Never mind that it was already 11:00 am.

We got to IHOP and I was still in a bit of a nasty mood. We were seated and Roman didn't want to sit still, he was all over the booth, in and out of his booster, I finally brought him to sit by me so I could keep him from falling on his head.

A few minutes after we were seated a group of high school kids came in and I was praying "Please don't put them by us, please don't put them by us." I could tell they were loud, and just high school students. They brought them to the table right by us. I tried to ignore them, but couldn't. They told the waitress about 5 times it was their friends birthday...and without trying their energy started to rub off on me. They were so excited, EVERYTHING was exciting. I overheard the following conversation "The first thing my one friend told me is, you can watch R rated movies now. I looked at him and said 'Like I need one more temptation.'" Not that R rated movies are horrible, but I gained a lot of respect for this 17 year old girl in that one sentence.

I decided at that moment that I wanted to buy her meal as a "Happy Birthday." Even though I didn't know her, or know really anything about her. I kept talking myself in and out of it as I waited for our waitress to return to our table with our check. She finally came and in a low voice I asked if I could pay for the birthday girls meal. The waitress was so sweet, she said "I know she probably won't get a chance to say this, so Thank you..." I almost started to cry. I don't know why, but it meant so much to me to be able to do this for her.

The waitress brought the check back with the additional meal on it, and we went and paid and were on our way. My heart was so full, again I was almost in tears just hoping that it would make her day a little more special. I was out fastening Roman in the car and this girl came out and said "was it you who bought my meal?" I didn't really know what to say, I had planned to be gone before she found out...I stumbled through a "Yes, I hope you have a very happy birthday." She gave me a hug and said "You just made my birthday so much better, thank you so much." I again told her Happy Birthday, got in the car, and smiled. That was just what I needed.

I came home and snuggled with my baby (he may be 2 but he's still my baby). As I type he is snoring softly in my lap. I haven't typed with him sleeping in my lap in a long time. I am so incredibly blessed.

Thankful Thursday

It's been a few weeks so I thoguht I should jump in and post again today. Today I am thankful for the internet.

I know that sounds so broad, and really...it is.

Because of the internet, and an online bullitain board, Roman's Mommy Katie found us.

Because of the internet, I can talk to my friends while still trying to keep up with a crazy, silly, amazing two year old (and he isn't destroying their houses, restaurants, etc.)

Because of the internet, when I started to panic last night that we wouldn't have anything to do this winter when it's too cold or nasty to be outside, I was able to find pages and pages of ideas of places to go and things to do indoors this winter to keep our sanity.

Because of the internet, I found the two groups of friends that I have talked about many times who have helped and supported us through the years.

Because of the internet, my two cute nieces and my sister are able to talk to their daddy/hubby who is serving overseas in the Navy.

Because of the internet, when my sister and her girls move far from us, we will be able to keep in contact with them...

Because of the internet, life will never be the same. With the touch of a few buttons you can find out the weather, local news, you can read messages from friends and family, you can talk to your friends around the corner and around the world. Any information is available at the touch of your fingers. You can watch TV shows, movies, read books, buy gifts, there are so many amazing things that the internet provides.

Have you ever been reading a book, any book really, and something just jumps out at you? Not in the context, it just really strikes YOU? That was me tonight. I couldn't sleep. Here it is almost midnight, and I am still up. This is very late for me. I was finishing a book. It was a decent book, I wanted to finish. The last chapter I started to read and about a page into it I had to stop, turn the page back and re-read a section. It was just what I needed tonight. It says:

"Life does not stop or wait even if you do. Pause if you must, but then catch up fast, run with the wind, slide down the hill tumbling headfirst so that you can fall into the hands of now -- today, every day, every minute, every second.

Of course it is also okay to hold on to your grief and ride it as if your own life depended on it through a sea of rough water, waves as high as heaven, through the thunderous barrage of emotions that are the very heart of loss -- any loss -- Love, death, job -- a slice of a segment of your life that made up the whole.

Of course they also agree - the whole damn world needs to have more fun. A hell of a lot more fun."

And with that, it's time to start having a hell of a lot more fun! (Not that we don't already, but the world needs more right?)

12 years

Here it is 10:30 pm, I should be sleeping, and I just realized that 12 years ago I was on my very first date with my amazing husband.

I knew he was amazing back then, but I didn't realize how sweet he was, how compassionate and caring he was. I didn't know that he would be my best friend (Forever) and I never would have guessed that 12 years later we would be so incredibly happy.

So, with this anniversary, I thought it would be a good time for another story. I love telling our story.

Spencer and I actually met in May 1997. I thought he was nice, a little quiet, but he was fun to be with. I met him at Lagoon (a local amusement park) when we were there for a physics Lagoon day (basically a get out of school to go play day).

We graduated from high school two weeks later and our lives went their separate ways. Our story could have ended there...but thankfully it didn't. Spencer moved to California for the summer to work and to live with his dad. He came home at the end of the summer and I ran into him at an institute activity at the U (University of Utah). My friend Andrea was with me, she was in her Senior year in high school and had a Halloween dance coming up at school. So, I helped her ask Spencer to the dance, I took a friend and we doubled.


















We had SO MUCH FUN. Spencer was so fun to be around. A few days after the dance my cousin called to see if I could/would go on a double date with her. I agreed then had the job of finding a date. I had enjoyed spending time with Spencer so much that I decided to get up the nerve and called and asked him to come. As I recall the conversation went something like this

Me - Um, hi, Spencer, what are you doing on Monday night?
Spencer - Sleeping...why?
Me - Sleep is highly over rated, come with me.
Spencer - Where?
Me - Will you just do me a favor? My cousin needs someone to double date with her and I was hoping you could come.
Spencer - Well I have to work the next morning.
Me - That's the next day...just come.
(I think I finally wore done his resolve because he finally agreed)

So, I picked Spencer up Monday night and we drove to Ogden, we got there just in time to play games with my grandparents and they brought out all the old pictures. I know bringing out the old pictures, and spending a night with your grandparents is supposed to be embarrassing, but it was so fun.

We left my grandparents house and went to my cousins house for dinner. We had chicken and rice that we ate sitting on the floor at the coffee table. My aunt spilled the rice as she brought it in, we didn't care, we just laughed.

As we were driving home I mentioned to Spencer that a few weeks before I had bought a new truck (that we were in) and we were selling my old car so if he knew anyone who was interested to let us know.

A few days later Spencer called me....but he didn't call to ask me out...or to talk, he called to inquire about the car that we were selling. He was driving a super old gas guzzler and if he wanted to have enough money to get sky diving certified (12 jumps I think it was), he couldn't spend all his money on gas. So he came over and after a little negotiating, he decided to buy the car. I got it all cleaned out, oil changed, made sure everything was ready. You have to know, this was a very old, very high school car. It was a 1984 Dodge Colt E. My sister had totaled it a few years before but my parents bought it back and made it drivable but not attractive again, and here we were 2 years later. This car had a tendency to smoke. We had talked to a mechanics, had it looked at and found that if we put a gas additive in it wouldn't smoke, it would pass emissions and it was fine. As Spencer came to pick the car up we told him about the gas additive and told him that he would need to add it so that it would pass emissions. I even bought the additive and left it in the car for him so he would just need to add it when he filled up with gas.

The next day Spencer called me at work. He was not the nice pleasant person I was crushing on. He was this mean nasty person telling me off because the POS hadn't passed emissions. I was so angry. I couldn't believe that he had called me AT WORK and was upset at me because he hadn't added the stupid stuff that I had even bought for him. I told him how stupid he was, that he should have listened in the first place, I got off the phone and I was just livid. I went home and told my parents if I never saw him again it would be too soon!

Again our story COULD have ended there. Thankfully the next day he did call and apologize and said that the car had passed emissions. We didn't talk again for a week or two when again my friend Andrea had another dance at school and wondered if we wanted to go. This time, we swapped dates, she took the guy I had taken to the last dance, and I took Spencer.

Pretty much that was it for us. We went out the next weekend, and the weekend after that, and so on for the next 8 months until Spencer left on his mission.


I dated while Spencer was gone, but no one compared. No one was Spencer. He was always a gentleman, he was always there when I needed him, he was caring, and sweet, and made sure to always tell me how important I was to him. After 2 years of dating other guys I was so thankful to have my Spencer back.

I am so glad that I ran into Spencer at a dance. I am glad that he didn't stay in California, and I am so glad that he apologized after being a turd when he bought the car...I am glad that I got the chance to get to know Spencer, and I am so thankful for the 12 wonderful years that I have known him.

Today, 12 years later, I am so thankful that I get to spend every day with my best friend.