So I drive a manual transmission car. What can I say, I love shifting gears as I speed down the highway. Often people will ask me if it gets annoying to drive in traffic with a manual transmission, always putting in the clutch as you are in bumper to bumper traffic. Sure, that can be annoying at times, but in the end, yeah definitely all worth it. However, there are certain things to remember when driving a manual transmission...
I got home one night and my mind was occupied on something or other, who knows what. I proceeded to get out of my car and shut the door. Out of habit, I immediately locked the car with my keys. I started to walk towards my house when I noticed that my car was rolling backwards down the very slight incline that there is in front of my house. Ack!!!! I had forgotten to enage the parking brake!
Instinctively I ran back to the car, jerking on the handle, only to realize, that yes, I had indeed locked the car. I fumble through my pocket for the keys (this is the part that you are glad for keyless unlocking so I didn't have to put the key into the lock itself) and somehow manage to get the car unlocked.
At this point the car is going slightly faster. My heart is racing as I jerk the door open and pull on the parking brake. Phew! And today must have been my lucky day because there was no one parked immediately behind me--however, lesson learned--don't forget to use your parking brake if you drive a manual transmission! (ok I knew this lesson beforehand, sometimes I just need a refresher now and then).
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Fresh Fruit Tart
Well, summer has arrived and with it, fruit is coming on. Now I admit this post is a little bit erroneous in that I bought the strawberries at Costco and thus I could have bought them at any time of year...and the blueberries were actually frozen from last summer (blueberries don't come on here until about July). Nevertheless, it was a nice summer treat. I could re-write the recipe...but instead it is probably just easier to post the website address.
http://www.joyofbaking.com/FruitTart.html
Enjoy!
http://www.joyofbaking.com/FruitTart.html
Enjoy!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Lighting up the National Cathedral
So one of the joys of living in a large international city is having a variety of events being brought in. A few weeks ago the embassies opened their doors to visitors and throughout the intervening weeks, a variety of cultural events were presented around town. One such event was a lighting presentation at the National Cathedral. I could go on, but I think the pictures speak for themselves.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Azaela Festival at The National Arboretum
So I have decided to diversify my blog a bit and include other topics besides just random stories. This is the beginning of such posts. So one topic that I am going to do from time to time is different locations that I recommend. Usually these will be in the greater DC area, so those of you that don't live here will be able to see some of the sites without having to pay the enormous cost of an airline ticket. For those readers that do live in the DC area, I hope I will introduce you to at least a few places that you may have not been before.Thus we begin with the National Arboretum. The National Aboretum was established in 1927 by an act of Congress. The Arboretum sprawls over 446 acres and includes 9.5 miles of winding roadways. For more information about the arboretum, please visit http://www.usna.usda.gov/. Washington is well known worldwide for its annual Cherry Blossom festival, however, a bit less well known, but just as beautiful is the Azaela Festival at the Arboretum. Below I have included a few pictures of this year's blooms.
Also, during the same time of year the dogwoods are in bloom. Dogwood is a favorite in Virginia as it is both our state flower as well as our state tree (props to Jill for educating me on this).
Also, during the same time of year the dogwoods are in bloom. Dogwood is a favorite in Virginia as it is both our state flower as well as our state tree (props to Jill for educating me on this).
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Registering for school
Wow, here it was, I was finally 5 year old and I was going to be getting ready to register for kindergarten! A very exciting time for any five year old. My family lived about half of a mile from the elementary school, and thus it was only a short walk.
There is an asphalt path that connects my neighborhood to the neighborhood that the school is in. At the time, it was almost just as fast to walk the path as it was to drive in that the path was a direct route whereas driving you had to go around. Since that time, a road has been built alongside the path where horse fields used to be. However, this was long before construction in the horse fields was ever even thought of. I guess we were pretty practical as far as what we called things then, because the name of this path was, naturally, "the path." Everyone in the neighborhood called it that, where is so and so? oh he is on the path.
About half way down the path from the neighborhood there was an irrigation ditch that you had to cross over on a wooden bridge. Now this was no regular irregation ditch, though. In our mind , it was one of the central ditches in the area, and quite a large one at that. Thus, it's name was "The Big Ditch."
So there I was walking down the path with my mom and we suddenly got to the bridge over the big ditch. At this point I had a great idea! I was going to skip some rocks in one of the side ditches that came off of The Big Ditch. It was a new trick that I hadn't quite mastered yet, but I wanted to try. Well, you probably don't need me to explain this, but skipping rocks in a ditch....well it isn't something that works too well, especially if you are only 5. However....I was 5, and thus the logic of why it wouldn't work didn't really dawn on me.
After a couple of failed attempts, I decided I wasn't trying hard enough, and I really needed to go at it full strength, especially since my mom was ready to keep moving and I was holding up the purpose of the trip. It was decided that this would be the last rock I could throw. I threw that rock as hard as I possible could. So hard, in fact, that I actually followed that rock right into the ditch I had thrown it in. It was quite a shock to land in cold water, and suddenly realize that I was completely soaked through. While it made the delay even worse, I'm sure my mom found some humor in the whole situation as we hurried back home. I changed my clothes and sat at home wrapped in a blanket as my mom took the path back to the school and registered me for school without me even getting to be a part of it.
There is an asphalt path that connects my neighborhood to the neighborhood that the school is in. At the time, it was almost just as fast to walk the path as it was to drive in that the path was a direct route whereas driving you had to go around. Since that time, a road has been built alongside the path where horse fields used to be. However, this was long before construction in the horse fields was ever even thought of. I guess we were pretty practical as far as what we called things then, because the name of this path was, naturally, "the path." Everyone in the neighborhood called it that, where is so and so? oh he is on the path.
About half way down the path from the neighborhood there was an irrigation ditch that you had to cross over on a wooden bridge. Now this was no regular irregation ditch, though. In our mind , it was one of the central ditches in the area, and quite a large one at that. Thus, it's name was "The Big Ditch."
So there I was walking down the path with my mom and we suddenly got to the bridge over the big ditch. At this point I had a great idea! I was going to skip some rocks in one of the side ditches that came off of The Big Ditch. It was a new trick that I hadn't quite mastered yet, but I wanted to try. Well, you probably don't need me to explain this, but skipping rocks in a ditch....well it isn't something that works too well, especially if you are only 5. However....I was 5, and thus the logic of why it wouldn't work didn't really dawn on me.
After a couple of failed attempts, I decided I wasn't trying hard enough, and I really needed to go at it full strength, especially since my mom was ready to keep moving and I was holding up the purpose of the trip. It was decided that this would be the last rock I could throw. I threw that rock as hard as I possible could. So hard, in fact, that I actually followed that rock right into the ditch I had thrown it in. It was quite a shock to land in cold water, and suddenly realize that I was completely soaked through. While it made the delay even worse, I'm sure my mom found some humor in the whole situation as we hurried back home. I changed my clothes and sat at home wrapped in a blanket as my mom took the path back to the school and registered me for school without me even getting to be a part of it.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
My one trip to the hospital
So I've been kind of lucky throughout my life, I've never broken a bone and I have only been to a real hospital for myself once (while I have had other 'emergencies' only once did I go to an actual hospital)...and it was a long time ago....apparently the experience was traumatic enough that I haven't been for myself since.
I was about 4 or 5 I'd say, I really don't remember my specific age, but I was old enough that I wasn't always being watched constantly, but young enough to still get a whole heap of trouble without knowing it.
My family had gone to my grandparent's house in Payson, Utah. I don't remember what the occasion was, but it must have been either a holiday or a birthday because my cousins were all there as well.
It was a warm day, probably either in the spring or summer, and I remember that we were playing out in the yard. Most of my siblings were out in the front yard playing in the maple tree that grew right on the curb. Trees are always a great source of entertainment to kids whether you are climbing them or being chased around them. However, I was not quite tall enough to master the ability to climb the tree yet, and also was young enough that playing with the siblings and cousins meant me losing, and therefore my interest was drawn by something else entirely.
The week before the neighbors had been playing baseball and one of the balls had broken a basement window of my grandparent's house. I clearly remember my sister telling me...stay away from the broken window, glass is sharp. However, the interest was too great, I mean how often do you get to see a broken window as a child? Well, for me, it wasn't too often as a child.
I drew nearer and nearer. Suddenly I was there standing right by the window. All the adults were inside in the living room chatting away about this and that, and all the other children's attention is focused solely on the game that was taking place on the front lawn.
Now was my chance. This window didn't look that sharp to me. I stuck my hand in the hole. Slowly, I lifted my middle finger to the edge of a window only to discover that the glass had pierced my skin. I quickly pulled my hand away slicing my finger open from the middle to the tip.
Everyone's attention was suddenly changed as my screaming caught them off guard. I was rushed inside the house in the bathroom where a there was a quick venture with the sink and a washrag...which is actually where my memory ends, but not the story.
I was immediately rushed to the Payson Hospital, where, for a time, it was feared that I might lose my finger. Clearly the pain and trauma of the whole adventure was a bit much for me to handle and I refused to keep still enough for the doctor to attempt to stitch up my finger. Drastic measures had to be taken. Why exactly, or how it was done, I don't know, but the story goes that my finger had to be first stitched to the bed so that it could be kept still enough for the cut to be sewn up.
Luckily, I still have full use of the finger, however, I have a long scar down my left middle finger reminding me, that yes, glass is indeed sharp.
I was about 4 or 5 I'd say, I really don't remember my specific age, but I was old enough that I wasn't always being watched constantly, but young enough to still get a whole heap of trouble without knowing it.
My family had gone to my grandparent's house in Payson, Utah. I don't remember what the occasion was, but it must have been either a holiday or a birthday because my cousins were all there as well.
It was a warm day, probably either in the spring or summer, and I remember that we were playing out in the yard. Most of my siblings were out in the front yard playing in the maple tree that grew right on the curb. Trees are always a great source of entertainment to kids whether you are climbing them or being chased around them. However, I was not quite tall enough to master the ability to climb the tree yet, and also was young enough that playing with the siblings and cousins meant me losing, and therefore my interest was drawn by something else entirely.
The week before the neighbors had been playing baseball and one of the balls had broken a basement window of my grandparent's house. I clearly remember my sister telling me...stay away from the broken window, glass is sharp. However, the interest was too great, I mean how often do you get to see a broken window as a child? Well, for me, it wasn't too often as a child.
I drew nearer and nearer. Suddenly I was there standing right by the window. All the adults were inside in the living room chatting away about this and that, and all the other children's attention is focused solely on the game that was taking place on the front lawn.
Now was my chance. This window didn't look that sharp to me. I stuck my hand in the hole. Slowly, I lifted my middle finger to the edge of a window only to discover that the glass had pierced my skin. I quickly pulled my hand away slicing my finger open from the middle to the tip.
Everyone's attention was suddenly changed as my screaming caught them off guard. I was rushed inside the house in the bathroom where a there was a quick venture with the sink and a washrag...which is actually where my memory ends, but not the story.
I was immediately rushed to the Payson Hospital, where, for a time, it was feared that I might lose my finger. Clearly the pain and trauma of the whole adventure was a bit much for me to handle and I refused to keep still enough for the doctor to attempt to stitch up my finger. Drastic measures had to be taken. Why exactly, or how it was done, I don't know, but the story goes that my finger had to be first stitched to the bed so that it could be kept still enough for the cut to be sewn up.
Luckily, I still have full use of the finger, however, I have a long scar down my left middle finger reminding me, that yes, glass is indeed sharp.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Been tagged...
Well I guess I am it as far as the blog tag game goes and I have to write six unique things about me eh....? Well here goes...
1) Other than my mission and two study abroads, I have only lived at three addresses in my life (sad I know....)
2) In high school I dropped out of running for Student Body President the day before the first primary election (we had two because the choir was going to be gone during the main primary).
3) All of my immediate family has J names...I guess my name is only appropriate.
4) I used to completely clam up in interviews and other formal settings, even when it was just practicing.
5) At BYU I actually worked with tobacco plants that were growing on campus.....shhhhh!!!
6) I used to be in a steel drum ensemble.
Now as far as tagging people....let's say Holli, Cherie, and Ben....you're it!
1) Other than my mission and two study abroads, I have only lived at three addresses in my life (sad I know....)
2) In high school I dropped out of running for Student Body President the day before the first primary election (we had two because the choir was going to be gone during the main primary).
3) All of my immediate family has J names...I guess my name is only appropriate.
4) I used to completely clam up in interviews and other formal settings, even when it was just practicing.
5) At BYU I actually worked with tobacco plants that were growing on campus.....shhhhh!!!
6) I used to be in a steel drum ensemble.
Now as far as tagging people....let's say Holli, Cherie, and Ben....you're it!
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