Random Observations

I haven't been a fairly regular blogger lately, other than Porter's updates.  So here are some random observations that may provide some insight into my recent life.

Observation #1:  I don't blog very much during the summer.

I think it is something about it being light later in the day.  You will note that I didn't blog much last summer, either.

Observation #2:  There are funnier things than farmer tans.  

If you wear shorts one day and sunburn the tops of your knees, you'll have funny red spots over your knee cap.

If you go kayaking the next day wearing capris and get a tan on your shins, you'll have a really funny tan line.  ESPECIALLY if you were wearing tennis shoes.  Think white feet, tan leg to mid-calf, and then white leg to the knee cap where you are sunburned.

If you wear a knee-length skirt the next day the weird tan lines will show.  And if your husband tells you not to worry because no one will notice, think again.  They will.  It will become a conversation starter.

Observation #3:  There are overachievers who work with genius kids.

Some people have too much time and energy.  And really smart ten-year-olds.  I had to teach my activity day girls (10 and 11 year olds) about finances at our activity last Friday.  I went to Sugardoodle.net for some inspiration.

The suggested activities were made by women who came up with elaborate scenarios where each girl was given a certain size family and a certain income.  They paid taxes on their income so that they'd have a take home pay.  Then they had house payments, utilities, groceries, flat tires, haircuts, broken appliances, etc., etc., etc.

Yeah right.  I'm an accountant and this was over my head.

So instead we played an easier game called Moneypalooza I found on a different website.  There were four options: Earn, Spend, Share, Save.

Observation #4:  There is a difference between what a 10 year old finds fun and what a 27 year old finds fun.

I thought Moneypalooza was pretty boring.  I was feeling bad for the girls having to play it, yet they were doing it with such a good attitude.  Then one of the girls said, "This is so much fun!  Can I take it home with me??"

Observation #5:  If you say something to a ten year old, expect it to be taken literally.

After our finance activity I gave the girls otterpops.  One of them asked me, "How many can I have?"  Only three girls showed up for the activity so there were more than enough for them to each have a few otter pops.  

"You can have as many as you want."

The next thing I knew, she was taking half otter pops to store in her freezer.

Observation #6:  It is hard to dress your baby when he has so many cute clothes.

I know this observation makes me sound like the snobby American I am, but every day I struggle with what Porter should wear.  There are so many cute outfits he's inherited from his cousin.  I find myself thinking of this quote from Pinterest:

Which is just ridiculous because he's a baby.  But how can he possibly get to wear each outfit more than once, unless it is one of my absolute favorites??  

Observation #7:  It is hard to pack up your baby's winter clothes.

Since it is late June and our most recent cold front dropped us into the 70's I decided it was probably safe to pack up Porter's winter clothes.  

It was so sad.

When I pack up my winter clothes it isn't hard.  I know I'll see them again in a few months.  But Porter doesn't fit into most of his winter clothes any more and I can guarantee you he won't fit into any of them in a few months.  How come babies grow so fast?  And how come baby clothes are so stinkin' cute?

Observation #8:  The words to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" are weird.

That is, until you look them up on Wikipedia to find out why the heck they are what they are and then you find out they aren't.

Did that make sense??

Anyway, you know the verse they sing in Alice and Wonderland that goes, "Twinkle twinkle little bat, how I wonder what you're at.  Up above the world so high, like a tea tray in the sky.  Twinkle twinkle little bat, how I wonder what you're at."  

All these years I thought that verse was completely made up by the drunk little mouse at the Mad Hatter's tea party.  Because, seriously, it makes absolutely no sense.  Then I bought a CD for Porter with 150 kids songs and that verse was on it!  So then I started to wonder if I was just missing something.

Well, Wikipedia didn't fail me.  Apparently this was a parody of the song written by Lewis Carrol in honor of one of his Oxford professors.  Who knew??

Observation #9:  You shouldn't read murder mysteries about a serial killers when your husband is at school late into the night.

You may just have to fall asleep listening to soothing music with all the lights on downstairs.  Not that I have any experience with this recently.

Observation #10:  All girls should own a Go-Girl.  

Ever been camping, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, or any other activity where the facilities are less than, well, clean??  (Or perhaps not even existent?)

You need one of these.  My mom found these online and I've since become a believer.

Try it.  You'll like it.

Snakes

Yesterday Nate and I spent the afternoon at my parents' house.  While we were there, my little sister and her friends came in.

"You will never guess what disgusting thing happened to me!" she exclaimed as she walked into the room, her cohorts trailing.

"What?" we asked, thinking what she could consider disgusting.  Having been a teenage girl, I know a lot of things can be disgusting.  We weren't disappointed.

"I was in the yard and I looked down and there was a snake next to my foot."

"Was it dead?"  we asked.  No.

"Did you kill it?"  we asked.  No.

"Well, what was disgusting about it?"

She gave us a rather irritated look that we couldn't see how gross the situation was.  "It was a SNAKE!  That is what is disgusting!"

So then we all started sharing stories about our run-ins with snakes.  Who all had run over snakes with their bikes, who'd killed snakes, who'd eaten snakes.  My sister left the room more disgusted than when she came in.

A few hours later Mom, Rachel, Baby N, and I all went for a walk.  Lo and behold,  about a mile away we saw a snake.

This poor snake was lying in the road.  It had been run over by a car and it looked dead... until we saw it's little heart beating - outside of its body.  It was pitiful and sad.  So what did we do?

Mom and I took pictures and video.  Good old iPhone.  We debated putting it out of its misery, but we didn't have anything to do it with, so we left the poor creature to suffer a little longer.

In retrospect, it seems slightly cruel.  My sister Rachel did not approve of our callous treatment, taking pictures and video of a dying snake.

When we got home, I showed Nate and my dad the footage.  After all, it was pretty cool.  Dad's first question: "Did you put it out of its misery?"

I looked at him blankly.  "No.  We didn't have anything to do that with.  We were on a walk."

Nate shook his head, "Why didn't you stomp on its heart?"  I blinked and shuddered.  That would have been disgusting.

Party Animals

New Year's Eve, Rohbock style:

6:00 PM Eat Pizza.

Playing Apples to Apples

7:00 PM Play games, take pictures.   

8:30 PM Watch a movie.

10:30 PM Send the pregnant sister and her husband home.

10:35 PM Send the exhausted husband to bed since he is sleeping on the couch but insisting "I'm awake."

10:40 PM Watch an episode of the Cosby show with 12-year-old sister.

11:05 PM Watch another episode of the Cosby show with same sister.

11:35 PM Wake up to the music of the Cosby show DVD menu.  Set alarm on cell phone for 10 minutes.  Take a nap.

11:45 PM Turn off the alarm.  Get sister ready for bed.

11:59 PM Find countdown online.  Count down the seconds - 10, 9, 8...

12:00 AM Shout "Happy New Year."  Blow kazoos.  Take pictures.  

12:01 AM Put same sister to bed.

12:05 AM Go to sleep.

Happy New Year!

Sarah looks a little frightened of 2011

Twins

Rachel and Katie, 1988

My sister and I go to the same doctor.  I had an appointment a few days ago, and the nurses started talking about us behind the check-in desk.  I guess they must think it is sound-proof back there but since the desk is not an entirely separate room with a door and Plexiglas divider, I heard every word.  And this is what they were saying:

"That is Katherine.  Her sister Rachel comes here too.  They look exactly alike."

This is not the first time Rachel and I have heard we look exactly alike.

First time:  2003 YW basketball.  I was 18 and Rachel was 14 almost 15.  I had four fouls and so I was beginning to play a little more cautiously so I wouldn't foul out.  She and I were both on the court and the other team took possession of the ball and ran it down the court to their basket.  Just as the girl was making a lay-up, Rachel jumped in and blocked the ball by hitting the girl's arm.  A clear foul.  She ran out of the way just as I ran up to grab the rebound.  The ref's whistle blew.  "FOUL on 24!"  I looked down.  I was 24!  But I'd been no where near the shooter at the time of the foul.  My entire ward was shouting to the ref that she had the wrong sister, but she refused to relent.  I was fouled out of the game on my sister's foul.  Not a happy day.

Not 2003.  2008 at BYU.  Matching Socks!

Second time:  2003 YW basketball (again). The week after above-said basketball game.  Rachel and I intentionally wore our hair differently and wore different colored shorts so the refs would not make the same mistake again.  During one of the time-outs a girl from the other team came up to me and said, "Are you two twins?"  Later in the game Rachel was fouled and so she lined up to take foul shot.  The ref stopped her before she could - "Wasn't it her?" she said, pointing to me.  Irritated, Rachel said, "NO!" and gestured to her shorts to show that we were not even dressed the same.

Third time:  2008 EY.  Shortly after Rachel was married, I brought in this picture to put on my desk at work:

A coworker (who, I will admit, did not know me well) saw the picture and asked me how long I'd been married.  

Please look at the picture again, and note that Rachel and I have our faces right next to each other and she is most definitely the one in the white dress.

Fourth time:  2010 Dr.'s Office.  I had an appointment and the nurse came out to call me back from the waiting room so she could check my vitals.

Nurse:"You look so much better!"  Whoa.  I'm not usually greeted this way.
Me: "Um, what do you mean?"
Nurse:  "Well, you were so sick last week, you looked pretty bad."
Me:  "I wasn't sick last week."
Nurse:  "Yes you were.  Didn't you come in?"

Stirling Family Reunion, 2010

Then it dawned on me.  Rachel had been very sick the week before with the flu or something miserable like that.

Me:  "Oh, that was my sister!"
Nurse:  "Whoa.  You two look so much alike!"

I always thought a twin sister would be cool and I can't think of anyone I'd rather be twins with than Rachel.  The thing is, our family cannot see the "remarkable" resemblance at all.  Sure, we're both tall and have dark hair but other than that, we don't think we look too much alike.  It does provide us with a lot of amusement, though, when we're mistaken for each other.  I'm sure we'll both continue to collect stories!