I put this on my info when I first joined facebook. So funny at the time. Its time to update my facebook profile, but I couldn't just delete it. So I'm reposting here:
Rod's mantra when something is broke:
The mice ate it.
Steering doesn't work in the boat,
the mice ate the cable
Rope broke, mice ate it
Rear light on the boat out,
guess what he told the lake
police?....
The mice ate it!
Instead of peeing my pants,
I just jumped in the water.
Too bad he hates cats so much, it would solve the problem - or does he want it solved? Maybe thats why he doesn't want a barn cat, then he'd have no excuse. Hmmm...
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
His eyes
At some point I realized my phone had over 100 text messages, my voicemail was full. I gave my phone to Jessica, was I required to answer these right now? At 4:00 AM my phone rang, it woke Jessica. It was the eye bank , they wanted Rods eyes. Jessica told them I'd just gone to sleep at 2:00 and she needed to let me sleep. Could they call back? They called again at 5:00, again could they call back? They called again at 6:00 and explained time was of the essence. Jessica decided to wake Rodney, Rodney said yes. Eye bank said they'd need to talk to me to have final verification but that was enough to get the process started. At 7:00 Jess woke me and told me that the eye bank needed to talk to me.
I got on the phone and listened to her; 'very sorry for your loss, sorry to call so early, time is of the essence, this donation would help not one but two people receive their site. It's anonymous but I would get a certificate. I could opt to have my name put on there so if the recipient ever wanted to contact me....'
I listened, I knew the answer but I couldn't answer her. Rod always said I could be empathetic to a fault. Instead I said; "I'm sorry for you! This is the worst job in the world! You have to wake grieving widows in the middle of the night and ask for body parts! How'd you get this job?" She gave me a speech about it was a worthy cause, blah blah I replied again; " I hate making phone calls, this would be a nightmare of a job for me"
Yes of course you can have his eyes, his beautiful, smiling eyes. Should I have told her he needed his reading glasses for everything these days? He even put reading glasses in his sunglasses. Should I have opened his eyes one more time to see them? No not necessary. I realized when I went in the hospital room to say goodbye to his lifeless body, there was nothing I needed to memorize. I knew everything about him.
Rod would've loved to donate every organ, every fiber of his body to help someone else live. Unfortunately they couldn't use anything else. When they were getting out of the kayak, it tipped and he hit his head and was knocked unconscious. He drowned while unconscious. He didn't suffer. It took rescue crews atleast an hour to find him. His body had been without oxygen for too long, no other organs were viable.
Some have said; "With all the crazy adventurous stunts Rod pulled, why was it something so simple that killed him?" I don't know, but it was merciful and painless, that's what matters to me.
It goes without saying that then, when they were asking for his eyes, as now my constant thought is; "Is this really happening? Am I really living this?"
Let me finish this on a lighter note, this is from yesterday;
Luke: "Mom I'm not sad anymore. And there is no way I could cry"
He needed some assurance that this was okay.
Me: "That's great buddy! Dad is proud of you for not being sad. He would be sad if you were still sad."
Luke: "But you're still sad sometimes. Why?"
Me: "Well....I've been with your Daddy since I was Nikka's age. Some day you're going to leave and go have a family of your own. I had planned to stay with Dad for the rest of my life."
Luke: "Well there are lots of wars and rumours of wars and earthquakes and tornados, maybe the Second Coming is coming soon and you won't have too wait long"
That kid has been paying attention in church!
I got on the phone and listened to her; 'very sorry for your loss, sorry to call so early, time is of the essence, this donation would help not one but two people receive their site. It's anonymous but I would get a certificate. I could opt to have my name put on there so if the recipient ever wanted to contact me....'
I listened, I knew the answer but I couldn't answer her. Rod always said I could be empathetic to a fault. Instead I said; "I'm sorry for you! This is the worst job in the world! You have to wake grieving widows in the middle of the night and ask for body parts! How'd you get this job?" She gave me a speech about it was a worthy cause, blah blah I replied again; " I hate making phone calls, this would be a nightmare of a job for me"
Yes of course you can have his eyes, his beautiful, smiling eyes. Should I have told her he needed his reading glasses for everything these days? He even put reading glasses in his sunglasses. Should I have opened his eyes one more time to see them? No not necessary. I realized when I went in the hospital room to say goodbye to his lifeless body, there was nothing I needed to memorize. I knew everything about him.
Rod would've loved to donate every organ, every fiber of his body to help someone else live. Unfortunately they couldn't use anything else. When they were getting out of the kayak, it tipped and he hit his head and was knocked unconscious. He drowned while unconscious. He didn't suffer. It took rescue crews atleast an hour to find him. His body had been without oxygen for too long, no other organs were viable.
Some have said; "With all the crazy adventurous stunts Rod pulled, why was it something so simple that killed him?" I don't know, but it was merciful and painless, that's what matters to me.
It goes without saying that then, when they were asking for his eyes, as now my constant thought is; "Is this really happening? Am I really living this?"
Let me finish this on a lighter note, this is from yesterday;
Luke: "Mom I'm not sad anymore. And there is no way I could cry"
He needed some assurance that this was okay.
Me: "That's great buddy! Dad is proud of you for not being sad. He would be sad if you were still sad."
Luke: "But you're still sad sometimes. Why?"
Me: "Well....I've been with your Daddy since I was Nikka's age. Some day you're going to leave and go have a family of your own. I had planned to stay with Dad for the rest of my life."
Luke: "Well there are lots of wars and rumours of wars and earthquakes and tornados, maybe the Second Coming is coming soon and you won't have too wait long"
That kid has been paying attention in church!
Monday, April 11, 2011
208 Days
Somehow the Dial family is moving forward and we are doing well! We are committed to honoring Rods memory by being happy. The kids are WAY better at that then me. But their infectious happiness is contagious and I can’t contain myself.
Happy that I have my six kids. SO happy I got married at 17 and had those six kids so fast so that Rod and I had the time we did together, and with them. To all of those who didn’t approve of the 17 year old and the 25 year old so many years ago...well now we see why it happened the way it did.
While we are good and moving on, there are still sad parts Im going to share, Im not going to pretend its all sugar and spice. So if you want sugar and spice, stop now! Plus this is really long and you may get really bored.
Friends have played a HUGE roll in our moving forward. They invite and cheer and visit and serve in a way that is amazing. The boys have had some fun experiences and friends make sure they stay busy on the weekends. Rod lived for his weekends, the water and sports just packing it full was a successful weekend. Others have taken that job over for me. Thank heavens!
The boys are good; I think they know Rod made it without a Dad from age 7 on and look how great he turned out. They can do it too. Its easier for them to not deal, I like to talk about Dad. It just makes them sad. They have their moments but for the most part life goes on as normal and we lead our lives how Dad would want us to. Uncle Jerry said it best; “You and Rod have done a great job! Just stay on cruise control and you’ll be fine” Thats what I try to do with the boys.
Nikka got into BYU!!!!! We all knew she would. Everyone seems most concerned about her. She is good. She understands Heavenly Fathers plan, she was a true hero in trying to save her Dad. But she couldn’t interfere with Heavenly Fathers Will. No amount of heroism could’ve changed the outcome. Instead she relishes that she got to spend the last few hours with him. And they had such a great time. And some great conversations.
The first two weeks were SO WEIRD! So sad, so shocked and yet we were having fun because we were all together. If only everyone could’ve been in the car from the funeral to the gravesite. We were laughing and making jokes and talking about how mad Rod was going to be at me for the open casket viewing. He hated those. And frankly he looked bad. He looked like he had gained 40 pounds and had that look on his face right before he was about to bust out laughing, not a great look. In my defense, they tell me 1000 people came through that line and needed to say goodbye. My proud moment, I made sure and greeted everyone of those people.
2 weeks was the longest I’d ever been away from him. I didn’t want 2 weeks to come. Then at 3 weeks I wanted time to stand still. I couldn’t imagine another moment with him not in it. And yet I didn’t, I was so torn! The longer he was gone the harder it was and yet the more opportunities for seconds where I would forget and try and be normal. Seconds became minutes, minutes became an hour. Never more then an hour goes by though that I don’t think of him.
One month after; I decided to continue the construction of the new house. With the help from some amazing builder friends, I call them my angel builders, we commenced. Looks like we will be moving in within a month.
We stayed busy through the holidays; Chicago for Thanksgiving. California for Christmas. Christmas Eve we visited the Los Angeles Temple. We sat on the back steps where Rod and I came out after we were married. We shared some stories. We shared some sacred moments where we were reminded that our family IS eternal and the veil is thin. A quick trip to the orphanages to do a small service project right after Christmas. I was numb in Mexico, that was our place. We discovered it while dating, we honeymooned there. I couldn’t work, just stood around. I’m hoping to be more productive this summer on our trip. We planted a limon’ tree in Rods honor at one of his favorite orphanages.
I continue to make regular trip to see Kyria or she comes here, always so much fun to hang out with her. Often I keep it a secret when I’m in Utah so I can just be with her. In January; favorite daughter in law got us tickets to Oprah. She got them without even playing the ‘widow card’ just her cute self. So a quick trip to Chicago for that and to stay in Rodney and Kylee’s amazing downtown apartment.
Elyse is here, lives in downtown Austin so we see her as often as possible. Love having her here.
At 6 months it felt like a tour of duty. People send their spouses off to war for six months and then they come home. But he wasn’t coming home. At 6 months I was helping Luke find a shirt in his closet and got a very small urge to clean the closet. Somehow I forgot how to clean closets and do dishes and make dinner. I’m having to re learn how to do all that with the efficiency that I used to.
Heres what I didn’t know about grief; its exhausting!! I need sleep, lots of sleep. With each passing day, I need less sleep. And I’m not depressed! Though my Dad loves to tell me I’m depressed. But the therapist says I’m not depressed, I’m grieving. Grief and depression are often confused.
The therapist also told me after one visit that I didn’t need to come back. She said my grief was normal, not complicated. Complicated grief comes from complicated relationships. Ours was not complicated. The therapist said; “There is no pathology here” Thank you, I think. But I know what she meant. After 25 years we had figured out our relationship and it was good and it wasn’t complicated. It wasn’t perfect and I’m not glorifying it. We fought, we got on each others nerves once in a while. But we had figured it out. I see old couples now fighting and I get SO mad; they don’t even want to be together and yet we did want to be together and can’t. Or when I hear people say they’ve been married a gazillion years I want to say; “I would’ve been married that long too if given the chance”
I’ve been able to attend an LDS widows conference in Utah that was so great! I also got to have a ladies night out with a bunch of LDS widows. Other widow/widowers are the company I crave. They get it.
I also got a new little dog, who I named Faith. She is 9 months old and still weighs 4 pounds. She is the best widow dog. Cuddly and calm. I'm also getting some goats; "Stan and Ollie" and some chickens. Thanks Grandpa for building the coop. These are all things Rod wanted no part of. He is glad he isn't around for the animal chaos.
Lessons I’ve learned so far:
Our Heavenly Fathers plan is real. The world where we live and the spirit world are very close. We should get our stuff in order because we never know when we will be called to that other world.
Powdered Sugar donuts really do make me feel better. Exercise doesn’t. Now I’m paying for those decisions. Metabolism should be rewarded when someone suffers a loss like we have. No such luck! And that makes me want to curse!
NEVER tell someone time heals. (Even though it seems like it does) In actuality you learn how to deal over time with the pain that is still there, still real.
NEVER judge how long someone should have meals brought in or their house cleaned. In some ways it really felt like I forgot how to do everything. And so cereal is always a good option for dinner. Or thank heavens for subway $5 foot longs. Or the nice lady who still brings me dinner weekly. She says it is so I can watch her kids, which Im really planning on doing when she asks me to. A good trade in my book.
Church is the hardest! My testimony hasn’t waivered, church is just hard.
I was the biggest judge when I felt a widow or widower dated or remarried too soon. I will NEVER do that again. Noone knows how it feels. Rod used to tell me that he would remarry because he loved being married, he wouldn’t know how to live. Plus he watched his Mom be alone for way too many years. I used to think he was just saying that (I thought angrily ‘what a player’ you would be) I also would tell him two things; make sure the kids wear clean underwear and IF you do remarry wait atleast two years to pretend like you’ve missed me. He never had any instructions for me, darnit!
Above is not a disclaimer; there are no plans in my future. I’m just saying until you’ve walked in someone’s shoes you don’t know what you would do. In fact I will probably stay happily alone and busy cleaning out Rods barn and all his tools (tools I think are useless and then I put them on Craigslist and shazam I make some good $$$) and tending to my dogs, goats (Stan and Ollie) and chickens. If I can just train those goats to take me out on a friday night, my life will be fine. Stan seems to be more cuddly then Ollie, so I'll choose Stan for the romantic dates.
Again I’m so grateful for the love and charity of so many through this time.
Jennifer
www.roddial.com
Happy that I have my six kids. SO happy I got married at 17 and had those six kids so fast so that Rod and I had the time we did together, and with them. To all of those who didn’t approve of the 17 year old and the 25 year old so many years ago...well now we see why it happened the way it did.
While we are good and moving on, there are still sad parts Im going to share, Im not going to pretend its all sugar and spice. So if you want sugar and spice, stop now! Plus this is really long and you may get really bored.
Friends have played a HUGE roll in our moving forward. They invite and cheer and visit and serve in a way that is amazing. The boys have had some fun experiences and friends make sure they stay busy on the weekends. Rod lived for his weekends, the water and sports just packing it full was a successful weekend. Others have taken that job over for me. Thank heavens!
The boys are good; I think they know Rod made it without a Dad from age 7 on and look how great he turned out. They can do it too. Its easier for them to not deal, I like to talk about Dad. It just makes them sad. They have their moments but for the most part life goes on as normal and we lead our lives how Dad would want us to. Uncle Jerry said it best; “You and Rod have done a great job! Just stay on cruise control and you’ll be fine” Thats what I try to do with the boys.
Nikka got into BYU!!!!! We all knew she would. Everyone seems most concerned about her. She is good. She understands Heavenly Fathers plan, she was a true hero in trying to save her Dad. But she couldn’t interfere with Heavenly Fathers Will. No amount of heroism could’ve changed the outcome. Instead she relishes that she got to spend the last few hours with him. And they had such a great time. And some great conversations.
The first two weeks were SO WEIRD! So sad, so shocked and yet we were having fun because we were all together. If only everyone could’ve been in the car from the funeral to the gravesite. We were laughing and making jokes and talking about how mad Rod was going to be at me for the open casket viewing. He hated those. And frankly he looked bad. He looked like he had gained 40 pounds and had that look on his face right before he was about to bust out laughing, not a great look. In my defense, they tell me 1000 people came through that line and needed to say goodbye. My proud moment, I made sure and greeted everyone of those people.
2 weeks was the longest I’d ever been away from him. I didn’t want 2 weeks to come. Then at 3 weeks I wanted time to stand still. I couldn’t imagine another moment with him not in it. And yet I didn’t, I was so torn! The longer he was gone the harder it was and yet the more opportunities for seconds where I would forget and try and be normal. Seconds became minutes, minutes became an hour. Never more then an hour goes by though that I don’t think of him.
One month after; I decided to continue the construction of the new house. With the help from some amazing builder friends, I call them my angel builders, we commenced. Looks like we will be moving in within a month.
We stayed busy through the holidays; Chicago for Thanksgiving. California for Christmas. Christmas Eve we visited the Los Angeles Temple. We sat on the back steps where Rod and I came out after we were married. We shared some stories. We shared some sacred moments where we were reminded that our family IS eternal and the veil is thin. A quick trip to the orphanages to do a small service project right after Christmas. I was numb in Mexico, that was our place. We discovered it while dating, we honeymooned there. I couldn’t work, just stood around. I’m hoping to be more productive this summer on our trip. We planted a limon’ tree in Rods honor at one of his favorite orphanages.
I continue to make regular trip to see Kyria or she comes here, always so much fun to hang out with her. Often I keep it a secret when I’m in Utah so I can just be with her. In January; favorite daughter in law got us tickets to Oprah. She got them without even playing the ‘widow card’ just her cute self. So a quick trip to Chicago for that and to stay in Rodney and Kylee’s amazing downtown apartment.
Elyse is here, lives in downtown Austin so we see her as often as possible. Love having her here.
At 6 months it felt like a tour of duty. People send their spouses off to war for six months and then they come home. But he wasn’t coming home. At 6 months I was helping Luke find a shirt in his closet and got a very small urge to clean the closet. Somehow I forgot how to clean closets and do dishes and make dinner. I’m having to re learn how to do all that with the efficiency that I used to.
Heres what I didn’t know about grief; its exhausting!! I need sleep, lots of sleep. With each passing day, I need less sleep. And I’m not depressed! Though my Dad loves to tell me I’m depressed. But the therapist says I’m not depressed, I’m grieving. Grief and depression are often confused.
The therapist also told me after one visit that I didn’t need to come back. She said my grief was normal, not complicated. Complicated grief comes from complicated relationships. Ours was not complicated. The therapist said; “There is no pathology here” Thank you, I think. But I know what she meant. After 25 years we had figured out our relationship and it was good and it wasn’t complicated. It wasn’t perfect and I’m not glorifying it. We fought, we got on each others nerves once in a while. But we had figured it out. I see old couples now fighting and I get SO mad; they don’t even want to be together and yet we did want to be together and can’t. Or when I hear people say they’ve been married a gazillion years I want to say; “I would’ve been married that long too if given the chance”
I’ve been able to attend an LDS widows conference in Utah that was so great! I also got to have a ladies night out with a bunch of LDS widows. Other widow/widowers are the company I crave. They get it.
I also got a new little dog, who I named Faith. She is 9 months old and still weighs 4 pounds. She is the best widow dog. Cuddly and calm. I'm also getting some goats; "Stan and Ollie" and some chickens. Thanks Grandpa for building the coop. These are all things Rod wanted no part of. He is glad he isn't around for the animal chaos.
Lessons I’ve learned so far:
Our Heavenly Fathers plan is real. The world where we live and the spirit world are very close. We should get our stuff in order because we never know when we will be called to that other world.
Powdered Sugar donuts really do make me feel better. Exercise doesn’t. Now I’m paying for those decisions. Metabolism should be rewarded when someone suffers a loss like we have. No such luck! And that makes me want to curse!
NEVER tell someone time heals. (Even though it seems like it does) In actuality you learn how to deal over time with the pain that is still there, still real.
NEVER judge how long someone should have meals brought in or their house cleaned. In some ways it really felt like I forgot how to do everything. And so cereal is always a good option for dinner. Or thank heavens for subway $5 foot longs. Or the nice lady who still brings me dinner weekly. She says it is so I can watch her kids, which Im really planning on doing when she asks me to. A good trade in my book.
Church is the hardest! My testimony hasn’t waivered, church is just hard.
I was the biggest judge when I felt a widow or widower dated or remarried too soon. I will NEVER do that again. Noone knows how it feels. Rod used to tell me that he would remarry because he loved being married, he wouldn’t know how to live. Plus he watched his Mom be alone for way too many years. I used to think he was just saying that (I thought angrily ‘what a player’ you would be) I also would tell him two things; make sure the kids wear clean underwear and IF you do remarry wait atleast two years to pretend like you’ve missed me. He never had any instructions for me, darnit!
Above is not a disclaimer; there are no plans in my future. I’m just saying until you’ve walked in someone’s shoes you don’t know what you would do. In fact I will probably stay happily alone and busy cleaning out Rods barn and all his tools (tools I think are useless and then I put them on Craigslist and shazam I make some good $$$) and tending to my dogs, goats (Stan and Ollie) and chickens. If I can just train those goats to take me out on a friday night, my life will be fine. Stan seems to be more cuddly then Ollie, so I'll choose Stan for the romantic dates.
Again I’m so grateful for the love and charity of so many through this time.
Jennifer
www.roddial.com
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Rain rain go away!
When I was a little girl I would tell my very high powered career minded Mom that all I wanted to do was stay home and be a Mom. I'm sure this made her feel really special when she was getting home at 7:00 PM from work. She never let on if it bothered her, she would just say; "Well make sure you don't live in Seattle because it rains there alot and you would be really depressed staying home in all that rain". Oh she also would tell me to put my makeup on and read alot of Time and Newsweek because housewives were frumpy and boring. Yes she was a product of the feminist movement and didn't think highly of the Mrs. Cleavers in the neighborhood. (The ones that I wanted to be)
Today I went and got Mom out of bed. She's spent 2 days in bed watching the rain. When I asked her what she was doing she said; "Being depressed" Now before you feel too sad for her, remember she has Alzheimers and she is generally a happy Alzheimers patient. So every 10 minutes she forgets she's been sitting there all day looking at the rain.
I had this Aha moment of why this rain could be affecting my normal chipper self:
A. As a child I was taught that rain was depressing
B. When it rains, my Mom gets so depressed she won't get out of bed
Tomorrow if it still raining I will show my Mom that rain can be fun. We will put on our rainboots and slickers and jump in the puddles.
PS: After Mom retired from her fortune 500 Vice President position she said it really didn't mean much. She should of been home with her kids. But that when she tried it, it was too darn hard.
Go Stay Home Moms!!!
Friday, January 29, 2010
In The News
http://www.kvue.com/news/Schlitterbahn-plans-new-Cedar-Park-resort-and-water-park-82841377.html#comments
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Postlogue
And so I thought my day was done but no. I made a treat for pack meeting that had peanut butter in it. And thats a NO NO since one of our cutest boys has an allergy.
Some of the Moms were freaking out on me. Luckily the boys Mom was very nice and forgiving. I felt horrible. Evidently the email said no peanuts but I didn't read far enough down.
Silver lining: they won't ask me to do treats again.
PS: Rod said I looked HOT on TV, how sweet is that?
Some of the Moms were freaking out on me. Luckily the boys Mom was very nice and forgiving. I felt horrible. Evidently the email said no peanuts but I didn't read far enough down.
Silver lining: they won't ask me to do treats again.
PS: Rod said I looked HOT on TV, how sweet is that?
15 Minutes Of Fame
Today was set to be a busy day. I have company in from out of town. Early release at school ,I was picking up Luke and four of his friends to come home for the afternoon. (My sis referred to it as the United Nations play date, every ethnicity was represented). My day for Dinner-Coop; where I make dinner for 4 families. And yesterday I was asked to do the refreshments for Pine wood Derby tonight.
In between all that I needed to get some work (both housework and Real Estate work) done and be ready to attend Pinewood Derby.
So with my five 9 year old boys running loose, dinner in the oven and on the stove and on the counter and up to my ears. By the way I made a delicious dinner; cooked a brisket last night and then drained and shredded it this morning, mixed with Rudys sauce and put back in the crockpot for a yummy barbecue beef sloppy joe. Then I did a doctored up yummy mac and cheese with green pepper, onion, pimentos, cream of mushroom and lots of cheese. Finish that up with an apple salad that had milky ways and peanutes. YUM!
Theres a knock on the door, I answer; "Hi I'm Mr. Reporter from KVUE news, I'd like to interview you about the proposed development behind your house"
Side note: The property behind our house sits on Brushy Creek and also fronts to 1431there have been plans to develop a Resort waterpark. We knew this before we built. At first it scared me. Then when on vacation a couple summers ago I stopped at every waterpark and would sit about the same distance that my house would sit from the water park. I decided it was not as bad as it sounded. In fact the sound seemed to dissipate and I found waterparks that had upscale home developments even closer then my house would be. And they were nice.
In addition; we built berms to landscape on to block any eye sores and we positioned our home in such a way that you really have to go out back and side yard to see it. So really I wasn't a good interviewee for Mr. Reporter because I'm not an irate resident.
Anyways , I asked Mr. Reporter for a second to take off my slippers and pull my hair out of a ponytail. They miked me up and put wires down my shirt. Yes for a second I felt like Kelly Ripa, part of my dream to live her life was being fulfilled. Maybe if I was really perky , witty and cute someone would be watching and think; "That lady needs a talk show in New York, we will move her family to Manhattan and pay her $20,000 per episode" Thus Rods dream of me either writing a Twilight type book or landing a Kelly Ripa gig would come to fruition and he could enjoy his life with a Sugar Mama.
As we walked out behind the barn I explained to the reporter I was really not a good person because I wasn't that against it. Its better then a Walmart or a strip mall with smelly ethnic food dumpsters in my backyard.
So I'm out there trying to answer questions and put on my best knowledgeable Realtor/homeowner face. He kept trying to get me to say something negative, he was trying to steer the conversation. OOOh that made me mad, not good journalism. I know I live in a quiet wonderful neighborhood that feels like the country. But I'm also 5 minutes from schools, HEB and Target. Its the best of both worlds. Country yet close in, so there will be some sacrifices. Like development. If I want solitude instead of convenience then I need to move further out.
While I'm being interviewed, my United Nations play group is running around like banshees (not sure what banshees are) screaming, Rods employee is washing the car, my dog is rolling in poop. And best of all, remember I said I had company? Well a certain relative that I haven't seen in 10 years and is in some sort of chronic pain and thus on some pretty heavy drugs and thus seems pretty sloshed starts walking over. This could be worse then having my Mom with Alzheimers walk up to my interview in her underwear!
So I do what any good TV star would do I say; "STOP the camera!" I quickly say; "See that person walking up here? Well I haven't seen them in 10 years they are only here for 2 days and they are in alot of pain so they are on some funny drugs, basically wasted. DO NOT put them on camera no matter what!"
I was beginning to get the feeling that Me and My crazy life might BECOME the story. The camera man and reporter kept looking at eachother like; "What parts of this shall we capture"
"Ok you can turn the camera back on now" I said.
They finished up the interview, not getting the dirt they were hoping for. I did mention we would probably be selling our home, to build an even better one next door and when I told him the price the reporter thought it was a steal of a price. Hmm... I get that alot, maybe I should re think my pricing.
When I came back into finish my gourmet dinner and pinewood derby treats, my dreams went to how the reporter would actually mention my beautiful home that would be for sale. That would air at 6:00 PM, by 6:20 I'd have 3 offers for more then the asking price and we'd be heading to the bank.
On my way to the kitchen I stopped in the potty to wash my hands before returning to food prep and noticed that while I remembered to take out my messy ponytail, the 2 bobby pins that were keeping my bangs out of the food were sticking up on my head. Lovely.
Then I made myself crazy thinking they would pull a soundbite out that made it sound like I was really against it and then how would that look? Then I wondered if they secretly taped my crazy life and really at 6:20 the men in the white suits with the white van would come to take me away once and for all.
Or maybe best of all , I would end up on the editing room floor (isn't that how they say it in tv land?)
No such luck, I made the 6:00 news, in fact the lead story. Im not sure what I said though because my dvr came on half way through the segment.
Let me tell you, fame is not what its cracked up to be.
And as soon as this pinewood derby is over, I'm ready for bed!!!
In between all that I needed to get some work (both housework and Real Estate work) done and be ready to attend Pinewood Derby.
So with my five 9 year old boys running loose, dinner in the oven and on the stove and on the counter and up to my ears. By the way I made a delicious dinner; cooked a brisket last night and then drained and shredded it this morning, mixed with Rudys sauce and put back in the crockpot for a yummy barbecue beef sloppy joe. Then I did a doctored up yummy mac and cheese with green pepper, onion, pimentos, cream of mushroom and lots of cheese. Finish that up with an apple salad that had milky ways and peanutes. YUM!
Theres a knock on the door, I answer; "Hi I'm Mr. Reporter from KVUE news, I'd like to interview you about the proposed development behind your house"
Side note: The property behind our house sits on Brushy Creek and also fronts to 1431there have been plans to develop a Resort waterpark. We knew this before we built. At first it scared me. Then when on vacation a couple summers ago I stopped at every waterpark and would sit about the same distance that my house would sit from the water park. I decided it was not as bad as it sounded. In fact the sound seemed to dissipate and I found waterparks that had upscale home developments even closer then my house would be. And they were nice.
In addition; we built berms to landscape on to block any eye sores and we positioned our home in such a way that you really have to go out back and side yard to see it. So really I wasn't a good interviewee for Mr. Reporter because I'm not an irate resident.
Anyways , I asked Mr. Reporter for a second to take off my slippers and pull my hair out of a ponytail. They miked me up and put wires down my shirt. Yes for a second I felt like Kelly Ripa, part of my dream to live her life was being fulfilled. Maybe if I was really perky , witty and cute someone would be watching and think; "That lady needs a talk show in New York, we will move her family to Manhattan and pay her $20,000 per episode" Thus Rods dream of me either writing a Twilight type book or landing a Kelly Ripa gig would come to fruition and he could enjoy his life with a Sugar Mama.
As we walked out behind the barn I explained to the reporter I was really not a good person because I wasn't that against it. Its better then a Walmart or a strip mall with smelly ethnic food dumpsters in my backyard.
So I'm out there trying to answer questions and put on my best knowledgeable Realtor/homeowner face. He kept trying to get me to say something negative, he was trying to steer the conversation. OOOh that made me mad, not good journalism. I know I live in a quiet wonderful neighborhood that feels like the country. But I'm also 5 minutes from schools, HEB and Target. Its the best of both worlds. Country yet close in, so there will be some sacrifices. Like development. If I want solitude instead of convenience then I need to move further out.
While I'm being interviewed, my United Nations play group is running around like banshees (not sure what banshees are) screaming, Rods employee is washing the car, my dog is rolling in poop. And best of all, remember I said I had company? Well a certain relative that I haven't seen in 10 years and is in some sort of chronic pain and thus on some pretty heavy drugs and thus seems pretty sloshed starts walking over. This could be worse then having my Mom with Alzheimers walk up to my interview in her underwear!
So I do what any good TV star would do I say; "STOP the camera!" I quickly say; "See that person walking up here? Well I haven't seen them in 10 years they are only here for 2 days and they are in alot of pain so they are on some funny drugs, basically wasted. DO NOT put them on camera no matter what!"
I was beginning to get the feeling that Me and My crazy life might BECOME the story. The camera man and reporter kept looking at eachother like; "What parts of this shall we capture"
"Ok you can turn the camera back on now" I said.
They finished up the interview, not getting the dirt they were hoping for. I did mention we would probably be selling our home, to build an even better one next door and when I told him the price the reporter thought it was a steal of a price. Hmm... I get that alot, maybe I should re think my pricing.
When I came back into finish my gourmet dinner and pinewood derby treats, my dreams went to how the reporter would actually mention my beautiful home that would be for sale. That would air at 6:00 PM, by 6:20 I'd have 3 offers for more then the asking price and we'd be heading to the bank.
On my way to the kitchen I stopped in the potty to wash my hands before returning to food prep and noticed that while I remembered to take out my messy ponytail, the 2 bobby pins that were keeping my bangs out of the food were sticking up on my head. Lovely.
Then I made myself crazy thinking they would pull a soundbite out that made it sound like I was really against it and then how would that look? Then I wondered if they secretly taped my crazy life and really at 6:20 the men in the white suits with the white van would come to take me away once and for all.
Or maybe best of all , I would end up on the editing room floor (isn't that how they say it in tv land?)
No such luck, I made the 6:00 news, in fact the lead story. Im not sure what I said though because my dvr came on half way through the segment.
Let me tell you, fame is not what its cracked up to be.
And as soon as this pinewood derby is over, I'm ready for bed!!!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
2009 Christmas Letter
It is occuring to me how many people I FORGOT to send the Christmas letter to. So sorry. Here it is!
It was November 2008; One morning about 6:00 AM Rod sat up in bed and asked; “How much does a wedding cost?” I groggily gave him my best guess and tried to go back to sleep. He couldn’t sleep, he started to stress. “We are going to have a wedding in June!” I thought he was crazy, later that day we joked about it and everyone in the family thought it was a crazy notion.
Rod was right! June 5th, 2009; Rodney married Kylee Eyre.
If I (the mom) could’ve arranged a marriage for my boy this would’ve been it! We already knew her and her family since she was 4 and he was 7. No crazy in-law stories here. Well they probably tell some about us… Rodney and Kylee were married in the Chicago LDS temple; It was a great couple of weeks with receptions in both Chicago and Texas. Many friends and family flew in from long distances to be there, and we loved every minute of it.
Rodney graduates from BYU this month and has been interviewing all over. We can’t wait to see where he and Kylee decide to go.
In addition to Rod’s new telepathic ways, he also has a new digit in his age: 50! Nothing changed when he turned 50, well except he added yoga to his repertoire of basketball, wakeboarding/surfing, and working out. Rod added pool building and concete to his construction business this year. He’s also in startup mode again with a Digital Signage company.
In preparation for this big wedding I (Jennifer) decided I needed something to help me fit into some nice dress. I signed up for a triathlon, not a full one but one of the sprint kind, I may have been desperate but I wasn’t crazy. That was a great adventure for me and I look forward to doing another one next year. Being a realtor continues to help keep three kids in college. Mostly though I’m just Mom; cab driver, housekeeper, cook, etc…and that’s what I enjoy the most. Now that half our kids are grown, Rod and I realize how fast it goes by.
Elyse (22) graduates this April from BYU. She spent the summer living half the week in Houston, working for us as we expanded our business there. She bought her first car, paid cash for it. All of a sudden the ‘check engine’ light means more when you own the car yourself. In addition to school, Elyse works as a trainer in a marketing company.
Kyria (19) is also in Provo; attending UVU. Her and Elyse are roommates. Kyria works in a law office as an office assistant. But really it just seems like they play a lot. They have these missions they go on together: ‘operation get Elyse’s boyfriend back’ Or ‘operation So Cal; down and back in 48 hours.’ Kyria’s favorite class is her basketball class, she also plays intramural basketball. She proudly got kicked out of a game recently for talking ‘smack’…well she got kicked out for two minutes and then they let her back in.
Nikka (16); is driving! The hand-me-down car that all 3 of the older kids drove at some point died on her shortly after getting her license. We bought a very used yellow bug for her. Stick shift and all. Took her some getting used to, and she does have a bit of a lead foot. After she pays this ticket and stands before the judge I think she may be cured of it though. In addition to high school, Nikka attends 2 classes at the college, 6 AM Seminary, piano, and works part time as a nanny. It makes me need a nap just trying to keep her schedule straight.
Joseph (12) Just finished up middle school football. As much as we love basketball; Joseph is the first one in the family to ever make the 7th grade basketball team. Middle school has brought out a very social side to Josey. He always has some invitation to do something with his friends.
Luke is 9, in the fourth grade. He stays busy playing sports, and ‘hanging out’ with his big brother. I bribe him and Joseph to take piano lessons. Luke excel’s at piano just for the flaming hot cheetos and gatorade that comes at the end of his lesson.
Also on a family note, the family made two trips to visits our orphanages in Mexico this year. In August, we went with the Herveys, Dials (Rodney and Ky), Larimores (Jerry and Billy), and a host of Eyre, Labrum, Richards, and Johnson teens (well, Pam Johnson is not really a teen, but almost) to build a boys dormatory for Rancho El Faro. We poured a foundation, built walls, roofed, plumbed, electrified, tiled, played soccer and basketball, ate lobster, swam in the ocean, and generally did some good. We went back in November for a Sunday visit to read to, sing to, and swing with the kids. We have another trip planned for 2010 that should be even more fun.
We love our family and friends that have touched our lives in many ways! Merry Christmas, The Dial Family
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Random things about me
Where is your cell phone? RIGHT NEXT TO ME
Your hair? IN A PONY TAIL
Your father? A HILARIOUS CRACK POT
Your favorite thing? MY FAMILY
Your dream last night? DEATH
Your favorite drink? CRANERGY AND FRESCA MIXED,ITS MY DIET COKE SUBSTITUTE
Your dream goal? 'SEE YOU THERE'
The room you are in? LIVING ROOM
Your fear? NOT BEING PREPARED
Where do you want to be in 6 years? A FIT HOT GRANDMA
Muffins? CHOCOLATE
One of wish list items? A DRIVEWAY
Where did you grow up? SAN DIEGO
The last thing you did? INTERVIEWED A BUNCH OF PEOPLE FOR A JOB OPENING, ugh...
What you are wearing? SOFT PAJAMAS
Your t.v.? BIG AND TUNED TO SEINFELD
Your pets? MILLIE, NEIGHBORS SINATRA, RANDOM RABID RACCOON, DEER A PLENTY
Your computer? GATEWAY AND GATEWAY, I'M CHEAP
Your life? GREAT
Your mood? EXHAUSTED
Missing someone? 4 PEOPLE IN UTAH
Your car? NISSAN MURANO
Favorite store? TARGET, ROSS, HOBBY LOBBY
Your favorite color? PURPLE
The last time you laughed? I PEED
Last time you cried? EVERYONE LEFT AFTER CHRISTMAS
Food? GOOEY HOMEMADE WARM CHOCOLATE ANYTHING
Where would you rather be right now? NO WHERE
Your hair? IN A PONY TAIL
Your father? A HILARIOUS CRACK POT
Your favorite thing? MY FAMILY
Your dream last night? DEATH
Your favorite drink? CRANERGY AND FRESCA MIXED,ITS MY DIET COKE SUBSTITUTE
Your dream goal? 'SEE YOU THERE'
The room you are in? LIVING ROOM
Your fear? NOT BEING PREPARED
Where do you want to be in 6 years? A FIT HOT GRANDMA
Muffins? CHOCOLATE
One of wish list items? A DRIVEWAY
Where did you grow up? SAN DIEGO
The last thing you did? INTERVIEWED A BUNCH OF PEOPLE FOR A JOB OPENING, ugh...
What you are wearing? SOFT PAJAMAS
Your t.v.? BIG AND TUNED TO SEINFELD
Your pets? MILLIE, NEIGHBORS SINATRA, RANDOM RABID RACCOON, DEER A PLENTY
Your computer? GATEWAY AND GATEWAY, I'M CHEAP
Your life? GREAT
Your mood? EXHAUSTED
Missing someone? 4 PEOPLE IN UTAH
Your car? NISSAN MURANO
Favorite store? TARGET, ROSS, HOBBY LOBBY
Your favorite color? PURPLE
The last time you laughed? I PEED
Last time you cried? EVERYONE LEFT AFTER CHRISTMAS
Food? GOOEY HOMEMADE WARM CHOCOLATE ANYTHING
Where would you rather be right now? NO WHERE
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Kids and Cell Phones
Joseph is turning 12, tooooo young for a cell phone. Why then every day do I hope that some kid will loan him a cell phone so I can figure out if he has art or not, if he is riding the bus or not, if he needs to stay after or not. Without a means to communicate I sit at the designated pick up place wondering.... In fact I've loaded solitaire on my phone just for this waiting game. Without a means to communicate he sits in front of the school wondering if I've remembered that he didn't catch the bus because he was doing a project after school.
I've learned to answer his friends cell phones. Usually I'm only diligent about out of area code unknown calls. Those are potential clients moving here and wanting me to help them find a house. But between 3:45 and 5:15 I know to answer any random call that comes in.
Not sure what I did without a cell phone when I was 12. Oh wait I remember, I was a latchkey kid there were no parents at home wondering how I got home or when I got home or with whom. I just somehow got home and they were glad to see me when they got home.
Usually we say when they begin to play school sports and have before or after school practice we get them a cell phone. Thats a year away for Josey.
Where would he carry a cell phone? He still wears basketball shorts everyday. Fashion means nothing to him just yet, though I see the change coming.
PS I'm dieting, doing good, but I'm dieting. I'm hungry and I hate skinny people.
I've learned to answer his friends cell phones. Usually I'm only diligent about out of area code unknown calls. Those are potential clients moving here and wanting me to help them find a house. But between 3:45 and 5:15 I know to answer any random call that comes in.
Not sure what I did without a cell phone when I was 12. Oh wait I remember, I was a latchkey kid there were no parents at home wondering how I got home or when I got home or with whom. I just somehow got home and they were glad to see me when they got home.
Usually we say when they begin to play school sports and have before or after school practice we get them a cell phone. Thats a year away for Josey.
Where would he carry a cell phone? He still wears basketball shorts everyday. Fashion means nothing to him just yet, though I see the change coming.
PS I'm dieting, doing good, but I'm dieting. I'm hungry and I hate skinny people.
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