Twi-hards, breathe easy

I think I've had the "I'm really worried about the Twilight movie" conversation with about everyone I know, so I thought I would share with all of you that I now feel a little more at ease about it. Why this change in feelings, you ask? Well, I guess I have to go back to why I was so worried in the first place.

#1-Summit Entertainment? Excuse me, who? That's right. No one had ever heard of them.
#2-Robert Pattinson. He's a cute guy and all, but what got me worried were his teeth. He just lacks that dashing, can-get-his-way-in-any-situation smile that is a prominent Edward characteristic.
#3-Up to this point I was still hopeful, but then they released these pictures and all my fears were realized.Fear #1 was proven worthy by the obvious cheapness of this photo shoot, and fear #2 was realized by the fact that Rob is not smiling in any of the pictures. Well there's no way he can keep his mouth closed for the entire movie, so they must be hiding it, hoping we won't think of that. On top of that, all of the Cullens-the most beautiful people on the earth-just look a little, well, off. Bad wigs, wrinkly clothes... I could go on.

Well, I was lucky enough to be shown a little bit of light today. MTV has released some behind the scene footage that revived a shred of hope that this movie won't be the laughing stock of 2008. No, it might actually be good.

With no further ado, please click on the link and watch all of the clips.

http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1585900&vid=226476

So there you go! Even though I don't think they did anything with Robert's teeth, they're not that distracting. The rest of the Cullens look much more beautiful (especially Jasper, woo woo) than in that horrific photo shoot, and from what they showed, they seem to be staying pretty close to the books, which is always a plus.

This may be jumping the gun a bit, but ladies keep your calendars open on 12-12 for a girls night out. (Also Jenny's birthday, quite appropriately.)

Brain Bumblings

You know it's time to update your blog when you start "thinking in blog." That's where everything that happens in your day gets a title and you start thinking clever thoughts about it.

I have had several of these moments lately, but since I haven't done anything about it I thought I would just sort of randomly list all of them so that I can get them OUT OF MY HEAD!

Here goes....

We took Kate swimming for the first time this week. She was nervous in the water for the first couple of minutes but then had a GREAT time. I even took her down the waterslide! (little scary for me.)

I finally got us registered for the marathon. Mike and I will be doing the 2 man relay and running with Mike's dad. I will be volunteering at the start line like I have the past couple of years and then bidding the boys good luck and heading down to the halfway point. I am getting really excited!

Kate waves bye-bye now. Oh! and she has figured out the oh and oo sounds. So she says "whoa" all the time. It's so cute. She also shakes her head "no" when we ask her certain questions. She doesn't know that she is saying "no" though, we don't think anyway. It's fun to ask her really silly questions like, "Kate. Do you have eyes?" And she'll just shake her head. She's not very good at doing this in front of an audience, but we got it on tape so I'll have to show you sometime.

I went to one of the best concerts ever a couple of weeks ago. It was called the HotelCafe Tour, so if it comes to a town near you I DEFINITELY recommend it. I went because Ingrid Michaelson (one of my fav artists at the moment) was playing but I ended up buying all of the other artist's albums as well. All 5 singer/songwritter type artists used the same band and the same equipment so there was none of the annoying setup time in between artists. PLUS, they had each artist only play 3 or 4 songs at a time and went through two rounds. So it was like 4 hours of continuous GREAT music, great audience involvement/participation, great comedy....just great all around. SOOO worth $15. Remember it... you won't regret going.

Speaking of music, I need some suggestions for my running playlist. So far I just listen to whatever I'm in the mood for, but I get burned by slow songs so I need to make a good "pump me up" playlist. PLEASE tell me what you like so I can get some ideas!!!

Hmm, I'm sure there were more blogs bumbling around, but I can't think of them right now. Stay tuned for part 2, I guess. ;D

And may your dreams be realized.

This morning Mike asked me, "What are the words to that song you sing to Kate?" I proceeded to sing,

"Sleep, sleep tonight.
And may your dreams
Be realized.
If the thundercloud passes rain,
so let it rain, let it rain,
rain down on me.

So let it be."

I then said, "the words are by Martin Luther King, did you know that?" He asked me how I knew the song and I told him it was on U2's Unforgettable Fire album. I haven't actually listened to the album in years, but when I was a teenager I used to put that track on repeat and go to sleep to it. I loved it. It is such a peaceful song with very meaningful lyrics.

Sometime when Kate was very new I began to sing it to her, and it stuck. I hope it is meaningful to her as she grows, and that it gives her an even deeper appreciation for Martin Luther King, Jr. and all he did for our country in his short time behind the microphone.

While discussing this song with Mike, we came across two things I would like to share with you.

First is a video tribute to Dr. King, to the tune of U2's Pride (In the Name of Love) which was written about him. (I am ashamed to say that I didn't know that this song was a tribute to MLK, even though I could sing along to every word.)


Second is a link to another blog that I found particularly insightful on the subject of prejudice and it's remedy.
http://www.xjsb125.com/wordpress/index.php?p=7

I try to be as just and unprejudiced as possible, but I know I have room for improvement as I show true love and charity with those around me. The way Martin Luther King taught. The way the Savior taught him.

And so it begins

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned in a post that registering for the Ogden Half Marathon was on my list of things to do that day. (Shhh, it still is on the list!) Well this week, just 7 short weeks from the race, I have finally started to train.

Mike's boss--a seasoned marathoner--lent us the book, "The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer" and I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone thinking of running a marathon. It is written by a psychologist, a gym teacher, and a non-runner and includes all three of their respective aspects on marathoning in each chapter.

One of the things they recommend is logging the miles you run, your rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and any comments about the run. They have a nice table to fill out, but I decided to blog it all instead, so with that I introduce my new blog, See Lydia Run.

The moment you've all been waiting for...

Last week I took Kate to her very first (official, anyway) photo shoot. Wow! Those are a lot of work to get a few smiles out of your kid. She did really good, all things considered, and we got some really great shots.

The one to the left here was my absolute favorite. I know it's a little early for bathing suits but she just looks so cute in hers and I 'm afraid it won't fit her much longer. I had it blown up and framed and I hung it right inside the door as a surprise for Daddy. Mike didn't know we were doing a photo shoot, so he was truly surprised.

Oh! Today Kate is 9 months old. We had her well child visit last week and she is still just doing awesome. 19 lbs (70th%), and 29 inches tall (95th%). I had been worried about a lingering cough but the doc said her heart and lungs sound great. Always a relief.

She is a REAL little person these days. She has so much personality already! I know I don't have too much to compare to, but she is just an awesome, pleasant, EASY baby! She is crawling now, pulling herself up on everything (which, of course, comes with bumps and bruises, unfortunately), and making fun sounds with her mouth--except still no Ma Ma's. :( She is sleeping through the night again, and longer than ever. She is sleeping a lot the last couple of days--perhaps a growth spurt? She loves to eat our food. She's very aware of the fact that what she gets from the jar is truly disgusting in comparison to what she gets from our plates! But she still only has two little bottom teeth, so that desire goes unfulfilled for the most part.

Her little laughs and smiles and facial expressions make us so happy!

Here is a slideshow with a few of the other pictures from the shoot. This place we went to had really bunnies to take pictures with. The look on Kate's face for those shots is well deserved, as the bunny bit her! Not until after it bit her did the photographer mention, "yeah, the bunnies are kind of at their wits end." Thanks, for the warning.

tagged: the second

What were you doing 10 years ago?

Let's see...I was 17 years old, a Junior at Layton High School. I was in Laytones, and like Shann, getting ready for California, hoping for a CTR, no doubt. Who would I have liked then?? Hmm, I'm not sure. Dustin Hall and I kinda had an on again off again thing all through high school, and I think we may have been on around this time. I was working at Blockbuster Music and already suffering from Senioritis.

5 things on my "to-do" list today.

1-Make an appointment for Kate's 9 month Well Child Visit.
2-Register for the Ogden Half-Marathon.
3-Watch Survivor.
4-Clean up, make dinner, and all the other usual chores.
5-Play with Kate!

6 Snacks that I enjoy.

1- Anything Chocolate, but especially Chocolate covered cinnamon bears. Shanna introduced these to me right after I had Kate and I'm totally hooked!
2-Mrs. Call's licorice flavored caramels.
3-String Cheese.
4-Edamame's.
5-Fresh Fruit, especially pears and peaches.
6-Fresh Veggies, especially straight from the garden. (Which I am planning to try my black thumb at this year.)

3 bad habits. (Only three?)

1-I'm a picker. Pimples, ingrown hairs, scabs....anything that has topography doesn't last long on my body! I realized it was a major problem when I started picking at Kate...
2-I am not very punctual, and especially late for church. It's something I know there is no excuse for, but try as I may I just can't be on time!
3-Blog Stalking. Need I say more on this one? I love it, but man! The time sucking effects it has are out of this world! :)

If I were suddenly a billionaire I would...

First of all, I'm glad it says billionaire instead of millionaire because sadly there's not much room for creativity with only a million dollars! So if I were a billionaire I would definitely try not to broadcast it so I can share the funds with family and friends as anonymously as possible. I think that Mike and I would both LOVE to finish up school, including our Masters', without having to worry about making ends meet. I would put enough into a high yield savings account for a comfortable retirement including a couple of missions, college savings funds for 5 kids. Then the rest will probably go to gasoline.

5 Places I've lived. (why not all 7?)

Kearns, UT (1980-1983)
Layton UT (1983-1999), Layton (2003-2006)
Chagrin Falls, OH (1999, 6 weeks)
Suffield, CT and Plainville, CT (1999-2001)
Provo, UT (2002, 10 weeks)
Thailand (2002-2003)
Roy, UT (2006-present)


5 Jobs I've had.
Happijac: packager, assembler, manager (too many years of my life!)
Blockbuster Music
Claire's Boutique (for like 1 week!)
Nanny
America West Bank: New Accounts, Draw Department

5 Things people don't know about me

I want to be a carpenter! I took a woodworking class a couple of years ago, but unfortunately the timing was bad (work and school full time) so I only made a shelf. I hope to get back into it one day.

I am content with my body to the extent that I haven't ever thought (seriously, anyway) about plastic surgery. The only thing that I plan to change someday is to get laser hair removal in a few areas. The sooner the better!

I'm kind of the "jack of all trade, ruler of none" type. I am ok at a lot of things, but I don't feel like I have any truly mastered and impressive skills.

While I was in Thailand (as a missionary) I held a very large, very live, very venomous King Cobra around my neck. It was "trained" but seriously, what was I THINKING??

Most of you know this already, but I used to have a significant gap between my two front teeth. Also while in Thailand. my companion lost her retainers and while we were at the orthodontist I saw that to get my teeth bonded was only going to cost like $25! I figured for that price it was worth the risk and I could just get it taken off if it was terrible.

Are you bored yet? There are a couple more to come....unless you're bored. Don't be afraid to say so; I respect straight forwardness!

Middle (Maiden) Name Tag

I’ve been tagged! Here are the rules. You must post the rules before you give your answers. You must list something about yourself for each letter of your middle name. Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don't have a middle name, just use your maiden name. At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog for details).

I was not given a middle name at birth, however I was given several in high school--pretty much any "H" name (Helen, Helena, Helga, etc.) so that my initials would be LHS. But, for the sake of the post, I'll just use Scothern-it's more official.

S-Spring Fever! I've got it bad! I have loved going outside to get the mail or put something in the trash with no shoes on! I never thought that a year and a half in a hot humid climate would change my feelings on winter, but it had a lasting effect and now I get Seasonal Affect Disorder!

C-Cheap. As in frugal, not easy. (Maybe it depends on who you ask :) ) I keep a pretty tight budget and things that I consider non-essential--new clothes, salon haircuts, etc--tend to get neglected.

O-Outgoing. This is a funny thing about me. I consider myself an Extroverted Introvert. I don't get nervous meeting new people and I can hold my own around people I don't know. I think most people would consider me outgoing, but really I am quite satisfied just spending time on my own.

T-Thinker. I kind of over-think things sometimes, and I analyze everything! I consider myself a good free thinker and open-minded.

H-Hard Worker. I have always been proud of my work ethic, and I am happiest after I know I have worked my hardest for a desired goal. I feel I am reliable and dependable as an employee, wife, mother, and friend.

E-Envious. I tend to get "green" more than I like. I try to keep things in proper perspective, but I do get envious at times. It usually only lasts a few minutes and then I realize how good I have it!

R-Rambler. I can't tell a story without it going into WAY too many details and taking about 10 times longer than it should. Many times I don't even get around to finishing the story without some reminders and prodding from the recipient.

N-Nocturnal. Try as I may, I RARELY get to sleep before 1 am. I am getting better at this, and I know that my days would be much more productive if I got a good night's sleep, but there's just something about those nighttime hours...

As far as tagging 8 people goes, (one for each letter of my name) I don't think I could come even close, so if any of you who are reading this post haven't done this tag yet, consider yourself tagged!