One year anniversary today. Loving every minute.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
7 weeks!
7 weeks til we go to Brasil!
Some things I'm looking forward to:
Sunsets in Brasilia.
The waterfalls in Cuiaba.
Real Brasilian churrasco.
Brasilian lemonade.
Seeing a tucan (hopefully!)
Meeting Justin's friends who he served with and baptized. We're staying with the Reubervans in Brasilia.
Also, I've chatted with one of the girls Justin baptized in Brasil. Her name is Andrea. She sent me a Christmas card and we've chatted online a few times. She is becoming inactive in the church, but still has a testimony of the restored Gospel. I'm looking forward to meeting her and spending time her in Cuiaba. Hopefully we can remind her of the true happiness the Christ's message gives us. I have already come to love this girl!
Some things I'm looking forward to:
Sunsets in Brasilia.
The waterfalls in Cuiaba.
Real Brasilian churrasco.
Brasilian lemonade.
Seeing a tucan (hopefully!)
Meeting Justin's friends who he served with and baptized. We're staying with the Reubervans in Brasilia.
Also, I've chatted with one of the girls Justin baptized in Brasil. Her name is Andrea. She sent me a Christmas card and we've chatted online a few times. She is becoming inactive in the church, but still has a testimony of the restored Gospel. I'm looking forward to meeting her and spending time her in Cuiaba. Hopefully we can remind her of the true happiness the Christ's message gives us. I have already come to love this girl!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
To Anyone Who Doesn't Support Health Insurance Reform: GO TO HELL
It's time for my soapbox.
Here's the issue. I got the letter today telling me that my health insurance premium is going to rise in January costing my husband and I an extra $200 a year. I know this is a standard practice among the corporate health insurance monsters. It still shocked me.
Why?? WHY???? Tell me why I should pay more in 2010!!! Here's a little recap on my health costs this last year: 1. I got a regular check up required by my OBGYN that my insurance company covers as a preventive screening which concluded that yes, I was healthy and nothing was wrong. 2. I am on one prescription: birth control.
The end. TWO BLOOODY EXPENSES IS IT!!!! How does it make sense that health insurance companies can just randomly raise your prices for being in good health??? It doesn't work that way with auto insurance! If my bank called me and said, "You've had a positive balance all year and have saved up quite a bit of money, so we're going to raise your banking fees," I would say, "Great, and I'll be finding a new banker." And soon they would be out of business.
A lot of people say that it's going to make us socialists. I disagree. How about opening up state lines for the insurance companies to be able to compete with other states so prices will go down? How is more competition a socialist practice? Most insurance companies will charge the same amount for someone who is healthy and at a good weight as someone morbidly obese. How come a 23 year old female, with only a history of kidney stones in my childhood, with a BMI of 21, who is extremely active, who is going to college, has never smoked, drunk or done any drugs, who is in a monogamous married relationship is paying a ridiculously high insurance rate?!?!
Yeah, a universal health insurance plan would not be smart for the whole country, I agree. But how about a government health option for people going to college, in poverty, etc.? The rest of you could continue getting insurance through your jobs, and the rest of us could be covered.
Bottom line, the system DOESN'T WORK. It doesn't make sense. There's no competition among those heartless corporate leeches, there's no limitations or laws preventing them from screwing people like me over, blah blah blah. I could go on and on.
That's why I say without hesitation or regret to those of you in the world that don't support any sort of health insurance reform: GO TO HELL.
Here's the issue. I got the letter today telling me that my health insurance premium is going to rise in January costing my husband and I an extra $200 a year. I know this is a standard practice among the corporate health insurance monsters. It still shocked me.
Why?? WHY???? Tell me why I should pay more in 2010!!! Here's a little recap on my health costs this last year: 1. I got a regular check up required by my OBGYN that my insurance company covers as a preventive screening which concluded that yes, I was healthy and nothing was wrong. 2. I am on one prescription: birth control.
The end. TWO BLOOODY EXPENSES IS IT!!!! How does it make sense that health insurance companies can just randomly raise your prices for being in good health??? It doesn't work that way with auto insurance! If my bank called me and said, "You've had a positive balance all year and have saved up quite a bit of money, so we're going to raise your banking fees," I would say, "Great, and I'll be finding a new banker." And soon they would be out of business.
A lot of people say that it's going to make us socialists. I disagree. How about opening up state lines for the insurance companies to be able to compete with other states so prices will go down? How is more competition a socialist practice? Most insurance companies will charge the same amount for someone who is healthy and at a good weight as someone morbidly obese. How come a 23 year old female, with only a history of kidney stones in my childhood, with a BMI of 21, who is extremely active, who is going to college, has never smoked, drunk or done any drugs, who is in a monogamous married relationship is paying a ridiculously high insurance rate?!?!
Yeah, a universal health insurance plan would not be smart for the whole country, I agree. But how about a government health option for people going to college, in poverty, etc.? The rest of you could continue getting insurance through your jobs, and the rest of us could be covered.
Bottom line, the system DOESN'T WORK. It doesn't make sense. There's no competition among those heartless corporate leeches, there's no limitations or laws preventing them from screwing people like me over, blah blah blah. I could go on and on.
That's why I say without hesitation or regret to those of you in the world that don't support any sort of health insurance reform: GO TO HELL.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Just Call Us the Bean Bandits.....
It all started on Friday night when Justin called me on my way home from work. "I have a surprise from you. You'll think it's funny, but I don't know if you'll approve."
Bracing myself for the worst, I came home to find 3 gallons of food. A gallon each of coleslaw, baked beans and potato salad. He proudly said, "We had a BBQ today at work and they gave me leftovers!!" I said, "Oh? And how the heck are we going to eat 3 gallons of summer food before it goes bad?" He said, "I dunno..." Spontaneously, I replied, "How about we give it away?? Like maybe just leave it on people's doorsteps."
That's how the prank began. We decided to leave it anonymously on our friends', the De Poixs' doorstep because they are moving soon and we wanted to send them away in style. I'll refer you to their blog for the actual pictures.
http://depoix.blogspot.com/2009/10/bean-bandits.html
The first night we just left a bowl of baked beans with a note, "Here's some beans!" Saturday night after reading Jody's repulsed response on facebook we left more with a note, "Please give the beans another chance." Sunday night we left a bowl of coleslaw with a note, "Here's some coleslaw!" and another bowl of beans by their van with a note, ".... and some beans!!" Monday night we left potato salad with a note, "How about some potato salad?" Then Tuesday night we left a huge metal bowl with 1/2 a gallon of the baked beans with a note, "Here's a lot of beans!!"
Wednesday night we decided to reveal ourselves by just leaving a note, "Sorry, no beans tonight. Love, the Hendersons." On his way to deliver the note, Justin realized the door was wide open so he quickly ran away and came back later. Apparently, Alex had been hiding out for 1/2 an hour to catch us and almost did but mistook Justin for another neighbor, Todd Warczak.
Definitely the funniest prank we've pulled since the time we filled Justin's brother's A/C vents with fine pink glitter so when he turned on his car it got everywhere.
Last night they retaliated by seran wrapping our door and bringing back our metal bowl filled with spaghetti, ketchup, mustard, A1 sauce, and other nasty condiments.
http://depoix.blogspot.com/2009/10/spag-royale.html
We'll miss you, Jody, Alex and baby Elsa!!
Love,
The Bean Bandits
Bracing myself for the worst, I came home to find 3 gallons of food. A gallon each of coleslaw, baked beans and potato salad. He proudly said, "We had a BBQ today at work and they gave me leftovers!!" I said, "Oh? And how the heck are we going to eat 3 gallons of summer food before it goes bad?" He said, "I dunno..." Spontaneously, I replied, "How about we give it away?? Like maybe just leave it on people's doorsteps."
That's how the prank began. We decided to leave it anonymously on our friends', the De Poixs' doorstep because they are moving soon and we wanted to send them away in style. I'll refer you to their blog for the actual pictures.
http://depoix.blogspot.com/2009/10/bean-bandits.html
The first night we just left a bowl of baked beans with a note, "Here's some beans!" Saturday night after reading Jody's repulsed response on facebook we left more with a note, "Please give the beans another chance." Sunday night we left a bowl of coleslaw with a note, "Here's some coleslaw!" and another bowl of beans by their van with a note, ".... and some beans!!" Monday night we left potato salad with a note, "How about some potato salad?" Then Tuesday night we left a huge metal bowl with 1/2 a gallon of the baked beans with a note, "Here's a lot of beans!!"
Wednesday night we decided to reveal ourselves by just leaving a note, "Sorry, no beans tonight. Love, the Hendersons." On his way to deliver the note, Justin realized the door was wide open so he quickly ran away and came back later. Apparently, Alex had been hiding out for 1/2 an hour to catch us and almost did but mistook Justin for another neighbor, Todd Warczak.
Definitely the funniest prank we've pulled since the time we filled Justin's brother's A/C vents with fine pink glitter so when he turned on his car it got everywhere.
Last night they retaliated by seran wrapping our door and bringing back our metal bowl filled with spaghetti, ketchup, mustard, A1 sauce, and other nasty condiments.
http://depoix.blogspot.com/2009/10/spag-royale.html
We'll miss you, Jody, Alex and baby Elsa!!
Love,
The Bean Bandits
Thursday, October 15, 2009
A few things I just gotta say....
-I'm totally loving fall. The weather is nice, the food is delicious (lots of squash, pumpkin pie and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies), and Park City is looking gorgeous with all the fall leaves.
-This week is Fall BREAK!!!! We've had fun shopping, eating out and catching up on homework. My only complaint is that we still have to work. Still, it's fabulous sleeping in til 9 am every morning.
-I had the BEST fish sandwich on Tuesday I've ever had in my entire life! It was lemon pepper halibut on a pita made in a wood oven with jalapeno cream cheese, cucumbers and red onions. Holy crap! So good! (Made by Red Rock Brewery in Park City.)
-We started our Christmas shopping early this year. I can't tell you how much of a stress relief it is to be getting this done early. By the time December rolls around we're so stressed about finals that shopping is a nightmare. Plus, this year we're going to be getting ready for Brasil so it's gonna be kinda hectic.
-John Mayer came out with his new single "Who Says." Okay..... WHAT THE CRAP??? Why did he write such a terrible song??? Man, I can't complain enough about this stupid, ridiculous, mid-life crisis/immature song. Not only is it completely musically uninteresting, his lyrics are basically all the ridiculous antics of his personal life that most people despise him for. John Mayer, I've been a loyal fan since the first time I heard "Room for Squares." This new stuff is insulting. I know you're in your 30s now, but seriously, get a grip.
-My grandma got a specially designed back brace so hopefully her back pain will be more manageable now. She's still at 85 pounds, but we're hoping that she'll make some improvement if she's around her family. My Dad was optimistic in saying that hopefully we'll be able to move her and my granddad out to Utah soon. My granddad had an interesting episode a few weeks ago. He took off his clothes in the middle of dinner in front of all the other Alzheimers patients. Later on a nurse was telling the story to my aunt. My granddad overheard them talking about it and asked who had gotten naked. The nurse replied, "You did, Mr. McAvoy!" He grinned really big and replied, "Well you gotta have fun while you're still young!"
-So when Justin bought our Brasil tickets, he booked me under my married name. My driver's license and Soc. Sec. card are in my married name. However, my passport is still my maiden name. We spent all week calling the airlines, the airport, the brasilian consulate and the passport office about if I need to change my passport or if I can just bring a marriage license with me and show it at customs in Dulles and Sao Paulo. Here's what I found. The airline suggested I just change my name on my ticket... which would be the cost of buying a new ticket (about $900). The airport said I would "probably" be okay with a marriage license. The Brasilian consulate wouldn't give me the time of day because I wasn't fluent in portuguese, but told Justin that I'd be fine with a marriage license. The passport office said I needed a new passport which would cost $135. Since I got 4 different answers we decided that we'd do things the Brasilian way and just travel with the marriage license. So hopefully I'll be let into Brasil or back into the US. If not, I guess I could live in the Sao Paulo or Dulles airport like Tom Hanks did in that one movie.... ugh.
-Last thing. Justin is the best husband ever. I really believe that. He's been such a great companion and is so loyal, trustworthy, fun and he treats me like a queen. We have been married 11 months and I can't believe how fast it's gone by. I still feel like we're the cuddly newlyweds we were 11 months ago. Being married to Justin is definitely the best decision I've ever made. Love you, babe!!!
-This week is Fall BREAK!!!! We've had fun shopping, eating out and catching up on homework. My only complaint is that we still have to work. Still, it's fabulous sleeping in til 9 am every morning.
-I had the BEST fish sandwich on Tuesday I've ever had in my entire life! It was lemon pepper halibut on a pita made in a wood oven with jalapeno cream cheese, cucumbers and red onions. Holy crap! So good! (Made by Red Rock Brewery in Park City.)
-We started our Christmas shopping early this year. I can't tell you how much of a stress relief it is to be getting this done early. By the time December rolls around we're so stressed about finals that shopping is a nightmare. Plus, this year we're going to be getting ready for Brasil so it's gonna be kinda hectic.
-John Mayer came out with his new single "Who Says." Okay..... WHAT THE CRAP??? Why did he write such a terrible song??? Man, I can't complain enough about this stupid, ridiculous, mid-life crisis/immature song. Not only is it completely musically uninteresting, his lyrics are basically all the ridiculous antics of his personal life that most people despise him for. John Mayer, I've been a loyal fan since the first time I heard "Room for Squares." This new stuff is insulting. I know you're in your 30s now, but seriously, get a grip.
-My grandma got a specially designed back brace so hopefully her back pain will be more manageable now. She's still at 85 pounds, but we're hoping that she'll make some improvement if she's around her family. My Dad was optimistic in saying that hopefully we'll be able to move her and my granddad out to Utah soon. My granddad had an interesting episode a few weeks ago. He took off his clothes in the middle of dinner in front of all the other Alzheimers patients. Later on a nurse was telling the story to my aunt. My granddad overheard them talking about it and asked who had gotten naked. The nurse replied, "You did, Mr. McAvoy!" He grinned really big and replied, "Well you gotta have fun while you're still young!"
-So when Justin bought our Brasil tickets, he booked me under my married name. My driver's license and Soc. Sec. card are in my married name. However, my passport is still my maiden name. We spent all week calling the airlines, the airport, the brasilian consulate and the passport office about if I need to change my passport or if I can just bring a marriage license with me and show it at customs in Dulles and Sao Paulo. Here's what I found. The airline suggested I just change my name on my ticket... which would be the cost of buying a new ticket (about $900). The airport said I would "probably" be okay with a marriage license. The Brasilian consulate wouldn't give me the time of day because I wasn't fluent in portuguese, but told Justin that I'd be fine with a marriage license. The passport office said I needed a new passport which would cost $135. Since I got 4 different answers we decided that we'd do things the Brasilian way and just travel with the marriage license. So hopefully I'll be let into Brasil or back into the US. If not, I guess I could live in the Sao Paulo or Dulles airport like Tom Hanks did in that one movie.... ugh.
-Last thing. Justin is the best husband ever. I really believe that. He's been such a great companion and is so loyal, trustworthy, fun and he treats me like a queen. We have been married 11 months and I can't believe how fast it's gone by. I still feel like we're the cuddly newlyweds we were 11 months ago. Being married to Justin is definitely the best decision I've ever made. Love you, babe!!!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
In between school and work....
In between work and school we did a few things since the semester began. One night we climbed Ensign Peak and looked out over the valley. It would have been romantic had an entire single's ward not decided to climb it at the same time. Annoying!
Then Justin and I made a sweet creation the other night before diving into homework. COOKIE PIZZA! I had leftover chocolate fondue from when my sister and her husband ate over so we made a giant chocolate chip cookie and covered it with the fondue and strawberries.
Yesterday my friend Emily taught me and our friend Jody how to make Chinese treats. She lived in China for a year with her husband. Their maid taught them how to make bao zi (pork rolls) and Emily passed the cultural knowledge onto me! Jody and Emily are new moms so it was a like a cooking/baby party.
Then Justin and I made a sweet creation the other night before diving into homework. COOKIE PIZZA! I had leftover chocolate fondue from when my sister and her husband ate over so we made a giant chocolate chip cookie and covered it with the fondue and strawberries.
Yesterday my friend Emily taught me and our friend Jody how to make Chinese treats. She lived in China for a year with her husband. Their maid taught them how to make bao zi (pork rolls) and Emily passed the cultural knowledge onto me! Jody and Emily are new moms so it was a like a cooking/baby party.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Babies EVERYWHERE
So everyone at church is sick of hearing me talk about this so I'll just blog about it instead. Has anyone else noticed that this is a year for having babies??? I swear, something in the water has impregnanted everyone around me. Here is just a list of women that I know of in my church that have had babies:
Jocelyn and Todd had baby JM
Chris and Emily had baby Brooks
Jody and Alex had baby Elsa
Jessica and Jon had baby Emelia
Stephanie and Doug had a baby girl last week
Marci and Bromley are having a baby soon
The Harveys had a baby this year
Brad and his wife are having a baby
And I think I'm missing a few couples...
Then at work my boss, Michelle, had baby Marshall. My co-worker, Tiffany, just had baby Lila. My other co-worker, Flor, is having a baby this month.
A bunch of my friends are also preggers. I went to Charise's baby shower yesterday and she's having a boy in 3-6 weeks. My friend Elizabeth from Telluride is having a baby soon. There are countless others on facebook that are posting ultrasound pictures.
You would think this would make me baby hungry and make me want to beg Justin to consider it. But no, actually. In fact, it's just turning that "mother" button inside me off. I don't want kids for A LONG time. And by long I mean like 4-8 years. Haha. Don't get me wrong. All the babies I've seen this year are adorable and make cute cooing noises and wear adorable baby clothes. I like looking at them and holding them for a few minutes but after that I'm happy that I get to just enjoy being newlywed with just me and Justin. We stay up late studying together, travel a lot, spend time up in the mountains and buy nice gear. Our lives are actually pretty darn fun right now. (Minus the homework.) Anyway. Good for all you mothers and fathers out in the world. I think you are all amazing people and very self-sacrificing. Maybe one day I'll know what it's like. :)
Jocelyn and Todd had baby JM
Chris and Emily had baby Brooks
Jody and Alex had baby Elsa
Jessica and Jon had baby Emelia
Stephanie and Doug had a baby girl last week
Marci and Bromley are having a baby soon
The Harveys had a baby this year
Brad and his wife are having a baby
And I think I'm missing a few couples...
Then at work my boss, Michelle, had baby Marshall. My co-worker, Tiffany, just had baby Lila. My other co-worker, Flor, is having a baby this month.
A bunch of my friends are also preggers. I went to Charise's baby shower yesterday and she's having a boy in 3-6 weeks. My friend Elizabeth from Telluride is having a baby soon. There are countless others on facebook that are posting ultrasound pictures.
You would think this would make me baby hungry and make me want to beg Justin to consider it. But no, actually. In fact, it's just turning that "mother" button inside me off. I don't want kids for A LONG time. And by long I mean like 4-8 years. Haha. Don't get me wrong. All the babies I've seen this year are adorable and make cute cooing noises and wear adorable baby clothes. I like looking at them and holding them for a few minutes but after that I'm happy that I get to just enjoy being newlywed with just me and Justin. We stay up late studying together, travel a lot, spend time up in the mountains and buy nice gear. Our lives are actually pretty darn fun right now. (Minus the homework.) Anyway. Good for all you mothers and fathers out in the world. I think you are all amazing people and very self-sacrificing. Maybe one day I'll know what it's like. :)
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