5 Things I am Loving right now

I saw this "tag" on Britt's blog and I wanted to play. Hopefully no one will think the worst of me after learning these things about me.

1. Outlander. I am obsessed with this book. I can't wait to read the next in the series.

2. Quiznos. Their Sammies are so yummy and only $2 and some of them are only 200 calories. We also tried their Prime Rib sandwich which was also quite delicious.

3. Text Twist. I have been spending way too much time playing this game. But it is addictive and so much fun.

4. Bare Minerals. This makeup is soooo awesome. It feels so nice and makes my skin look flawless. Well maybe not flawless, but less flaw-full.

5. I am loving that the TV writer's strike has ended so that my favorite shows will be back on. I am loving the prospect that Journeyman will have a new episode soon. But I since I cant see any new TV dramas, I have discovered the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Hilarious.

Jackson

Yesterday my little guy Jackson turned 12. Holy crap, how did I get a 12 year old? It was such a strange day for me. It is so great seeing him grow into such a good kid. He makes us so proud. But I don't want him to grow up! Rollin said "He is 2/3 of the way done with us." and that scares me and makes me so sad. Why can't kids stay little? Next week he will be a deacon and pass the sacrament and go to Mutual activites. I know it sounds corny, but it really does seem like he was just a baby learning to crawl, and just a little guy starting his first day of kindergarten, and just getting baptised. The years have gone by way too fast. We really have been blessed with 12 wonderful years with one heck of a wonderful kid. I hope the next 12 years are just as good. Happy Birthday Jackson!

My Ramblings

I am feeling the pressure to make my blog more interesting and to post more often. The only issue is that my life is fairly ordinary and not much changes on a day to day basis. So, the result is that this blog may be updated more frequently, but rarely will it be interesting unless you like the random crap that fills my head and spills out onto this page. Rollin says it is just women who have a running tape of disconnected thoughts going on in their heads. Hey, a disjointed jumble of gobbledy gook is what he is going to get when he asks me at random times what I am thinking. Maybe at that exact moment I am thinking, "That house is strange, I wonder what the builder was thinking, our builder always wore that weird shirt, a trip to Hawaii would be nice someday, I bet the PCC is a cool place to go, that Toa on American Gladiators is funny, that last contestant was so annoying, I should work out tonight." If he wanted a "story" with a beginning, middle, and end he should read a book or something. Some might find my odd thought process endearing or even a bit quirky, so there.

Anyway, after that rant, here are my random thoughts for tonight since I can't sleep.

I heard someone use the word hubris the other day and I think it is a cool sounding word though I didn't know what it meant. So I looked it up and it means pride and arrogance. I am going to try to incorporate that into my vocabulary cause it is so much cooler to say hubris than pride and arrogance.

I added a song to my playlist and I had forgotten just how much I love it. It has some of the coolest words. Here are some of the lyrics: "There is freedom within, there is freedom without, try to catch the deluge in a paper cup" I love the word deluge. "Now I'm walking again to the beat of the drum and I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart." How cool is that imagery? Ya gotta love those Finn brothers. Rollin would say my music dork-ness is showing, but music rocks!!

Well that is all the rambling I have for tonight, but never fear, there is plenty more to come.

This Week in Baseball

We had quite a traumatic week. (Ok so it might not be traumatic compared to a lot of people's week, but still...)

My sweet sister, Patty, is 17 weeks pregnant and went in on Thursday to have her ultrasound. They discovered that the baby had died. She had to deliver the baby on Friday, 12 hours of emotion and pain. It has been a pretty hard experience for her and her hubby and kids. They were really hoping for a girl, and unfortunately baby Eliza's umbillical cord was not formed correctly and just didnt have the ability to nourish her. I can't even begin to imagine what the whole experience must have been like for Patty and I wish she didnt live so far away so I could be there to support her.

On Friday evening, Mya began running a fever and was being quite the grump. We were trying to comfort her at 1:00 a.m. when I noticed a very large lump on the side of her neck. Needless to say, I freaked out. Thoughts of cancer and mumps and meningitis ran through my head. Rollin did some research on the internet and we thought it was probably a swollen lymph node. Saturday morning I took her to the instacare and 2 hours later the doctor confirmed our amateur diagnosis and prescribed some antibiotics. She is doing better, though still running an occasional fever and still sporting a goiter-like lump.

So, a more eventful weekend than we are used to at the Skinner's. Luckily, the comfort of the Lord made everything seem so much easier to handle. We know that baby Eliza will one day get to be with her earthly family and I hope that our prayers that Patty will be comforted will help her. My initial panic over Mya was also quickly soothed by a prayer for comfort and peace. I am so grateful to the Lord for his kindness and presence in my life.

My Stump Speech

Friends, Utahns, Countrymen, lend me your ear. The time has come to put an end to all this snow. I am tired of it. I want to be able to leave the house without shoveling. I want to get past the Olers house without having to be pushed by friends and family. I know you want the same things. Let us work together to bring this soul-sucking madness to an end.

For those of you who may say, but we need the water, I say, let it snow in the mountains until mid-June. The snow level at my house in no way affects the snow pack or the continuation of the drought, and is therefore unnecessarily high. For those of you who may say, but we love the winter sports, I say, love them at Snowbird, but my driveway is not steep enough to make much of a downhill run, therefore it does not need two feet of snow upon it.

Tomorrow as you go to the polls, think about the poor women who so desperately want to go to aerobics in the morning, yet can't even get out of their driveway. Think of the children who are stuck in the house with their seasonally depressed mom. Think of your dry winter skin flaking and itching and even bleeding. But most of all, think of tulips and park days and barbeques. Think, my friends, of Spring. I urge you to use your voting powers for good and help me end the snow! God bless America.