Gerry Part 2

So its been a couple months since I got Gerry and I still like him a lot. Though he is still afraid of me. However, if I offer him treats like sunflower seeds or yogurt drops, he will sometimes come onto my hand and eat them. He mostly hangs inside his igloo, but he will sometimes form a bedding nest and just sleep in it. And he still will refuse to run in his wheel. :(

trash...

So last week, I bought a trash can. But it was one of those nice ones, that cost maybe 30-40 dollars in the store, the metal ones with the flip top. But I got it on sale, as a "as is" item for 5 dollars.

And guess what, it broke. A little plastic piece that holds another piece down, which would cause the trash can lid to flip open, broke off. So I tried temporary measures like scotch tape and super glue. The super glue was a disaster. I put a lot on and it did absolutely nothing. It just got all over my fingertips which feels like dried paint and that's an awful feeling. It took a couple days to come off. So I decided to use those 3m wall hangers and some packing tape to do the job. Is this repair job super ghetto or resourceful? I think it is both.

This is one of my less than intelligent posts.

Which design do you like better?

1. http://www.hillarystrawderman.com/index.html

2. http://www.hillarystrawderman.com/indexnew.html

I am working on the latter one. Still tweaking, redesigning it etc.

Gerry the gerbil (JAIR-ee)

So I have always wanted a furry pet of some kind, most preferably a dog, but I can't have a dog at my place so I decided to go with a small animal. I think guinea pigs are cute, but they are more expensive and I wanted to try out a smaller guy instead, considering I've never owned a rodent before. So I got a gerbil because they are the least odor producing small animals and are friendly. After much research and shopping for the best prices, I got Gerry. I just bought him today so he is getting used to his new home and pretty soon I will try and train him to use his running ball.

I will try and post clearer and better pictures when he gets more adapted to his cage.

Blog Deprived

So I realized the last time I blogged was ten months ago. That is sad. So I am going to very briefly summarize these last ten months for you.

1. I moved. Yeah, I got out of Utah and moved to Colorado Springs. I can spend time with Em and the babies and for a few months, I got to spend time with the rents. They are in Fiji now, serving a church mission. I also live in this cute little apartment that has a fireplace and my own bedroom, kitchen, and family room to myself.

2. I got a temp office job. First job working in an office setting. I don't know how long they will keep me, but at least I am getting some experience.

3. I spent Christmas with everyone in the family and Nastia, our Russian friend joined us too. We took lots of pictures, had some cherished moments. It was a lot of fun.

4. I am having fun at a Colorado Springs singles ward. Making new friends, serving callings etc. Funny story, one of my friends who went to BYU-Idaho (I even interviewed her for one of my college news packages), moved out here and I saw her one day and recognized the name too and we have become good friends.

Admiration

So today I was thinking about my family and I thought of my sister Emily and how I admire how she and Josh are such good parents. They teach their kids to do the rights things, to be responsible, and considerate of others. I think it is very selfless and loving for them to do all these things. Here is what I admire and notice about them...

1. They teach Austin and Anaya to be responsible like picking up their toys, helping out etc. For example, they have weekly chores and a reward system for doing their chores. I heard Austin is really good at folding his clothes and is great at getting his own breakfast.

2. They make sure they are learning both spiritually and academically.

A. They have family home evening which they teach them about the gospel and come up with creative activities that correlate with the lesson. See http://emjayeliason.blogspot.com/2010/03/p-night.html for an example.

B. Em also has school for the kids so they could learn numbers, letters, things about nature, and how our bodies work etc. And it is really sweet Em comes up with fun, interactive activities that will help the kids grasp the different subjects.

3. Em and Josh coordinate playtime activities with other families so they can meet other kids. It is good to learn to make friends and share with other kids.

4. Em will spent countless hours making things for the kids like dresses, costumes, presents etc. She once made lobster for Austin because he begged to try one (and lobster is expensive). She didn't have to spend the time to make the lobster, but she did because it would make Austin happy.

5. Em and Josh takes the time to go out with the kids and have one on one time with each of them so they can bond. Em took Austin on a hike despite the fact that she was exhausted and in great physical discomfort from her pregnancy. She sacrificed her time and energy so she could spend a day with Austin. I thought that was really sweet.

6. Em teaches the kids how to cook and make things even though it might be easier and less messy if she just did it herself.

A. She spends time making beautiful birthday cakes for the kids. Anaya wanted a princess cake with castles and Disney Cars characters and Austin got pretty cool train cake.

7. They also might get up early and spend hours looking at things that might be exciting for the kids like parades, air balloon events, easter egg hunts, holiday activities etc.

8. In the fall, Em and Josh will be taking Austin to a school that is farther away. They will have to get up early morning to drop off him at school and pick him up (no bus service) so Austin can have a safer and better education experience.

I can tell that Em and Josh devote much of their money, time, and energy to Austin and Anaya. I hope that when I become a mother I can learn and apply what they have taught and done for their kids.

April Fools!

Prank 1

So on April Fools, I called my parents and told them I broke my arm (Remember, I tried this same trick to my sister, Emily, a couple years ago and it worked :)). I called Dad first, but he didn't believe me, so I tried to pull a fast one on Mom. It took a lot of convincing to make my Mom believe me. After my mom got home, I told her the prank was over on the phone. After a period of long silence, Mom was flabbergasted and shocked to here that my broken arm was a joke. I HAD SUCCEEDED AGAIN!

Here are the steps to fooling someone:

1. Actually go to the hospital emergency room, take pictures of the emergency room and send them to your loved ones.

2. While on the phone, have one of the nurses that actually takes patients in, page you to "go to radiology so they can take x-rays"

3. Absolutely promise that you are in the hospital while you are telling the "horrible" news, which I was in the hospital, just in the food court.

4, If your Mom asks you what bone you broke and "you don't know", ask one of the surgeon waiting room attendants, to name a bone in your arm. He picked the radius.

5. Be persistent and patient.

Prank 2

How to Surprise your roommates

1. Buy really cheap, huge goldfish and put them in separate baggies.

2. Put those baggies in each of their rooms in very open places at random parts of the day.

3. Convince your one roommate there was "absolutely" no way you could have bought the fish because you were at "work all day"

Pictures coming soon.