Busy Playing Parents

Oh, hello!  It's been a while!  How have you been?

Us?  We've been busy.  Really really busy.  Even now I'm pounding this out {only half paying attention} before getting to some things that really need getting done.

We're on and off taking care of Zac and Simon as Mom and Dad go on their wild adventures to New York, Canada, etc.  Talk about a taste of parenthood.  Yuck!


I'm joking.  Teenage boys, eh- they aren't so hard to take care of.  Give them a bag of Oreo's once a day and they're happy.  Oh but I have made legitimate meals a few times.  

Roy and I have been going on a lot of bike rides lately, if the sun is still up by the time we are done with dinner.  Sometimes Zac will longboard with us.  Caught the boys with the iPhone:

It makes me want our own bikes, we have so much fun.  One thing better with biking than with running: you can outpace mean dogs.

Part of the whole parenting gig is protecting the house, and it took Roy and I weeks to take down this potential threat.

No, it's not a Halloween decoration.  I was thinking brown recluse?
For those of you that are squeamish with spiders, I'm sorry I had to document this.  This little spider was so tricky!  And the webs were even more enormous than these pictures can depict.

Roy sprayed Raid on that web I don't know how many times.  But it always seemed like the next day there would be a new massive web somewhere nearby!  The little booger just kept relocating!

Finally the other night I spotted it, right dab in the middle of a web.  Roy grabbed the can and we chased it around the garage, probably looking really cool.

We got him in the end.  Now our boys can walk around barefoot again. :-)

Last Saturday was National Make a Difference Day.  We went with our church to clean, paint, and fix up the Tanque Verde High School.  It was once Emily Gray Jr. High, where I attended 7th, 8th, and 9th grade.  Man, the memories were just flooding back while we were caulking windows.

That's about all I have time for.  But I have a funny lake story I want to share later, so brace yourselves.

Nerds in Love

Disclaimer: I didn't think that up all by myself.  But isn't it hilarious?


So that's like the only picture I've taken in the last two weeks. 

So that's my post.

Football Season

There are only two things that get this look of anxious intensity out of Roy:

Football and basketball.

I like basketball--but football?  Yeah, that's usually when my glazed look shows up.  Football interests me for about ten minutes and then I'm bored.  The bleacher seats get immediately uncomfortable, the sun gets too hot or the lights too bright, there's hours of downtime when players are just standing around, and I'd rather be anywhere but a football game.  Or at least that's how it used to be.

I just went to the first football game in my life where I actually enjoyed it 100% of the time!

Dad invited Roy and I to go with him and Zac.  It was a game he was considering ditching out on, despite his season tickets.  Apparently the ducks are pretty good this year.  And Arizona is not.  But Roy was all over this game!  He will always love his home state of Oregon.

I agreed to go, but only if the guys would go all out, wear the shirts and the stickers and everything.  I had to get some enjoyment out of it, right?

GO CATS!  

During the game, Roy {disguised as an Arizona fan, but secretly smiling every time Oregon kicked our trash} patiently explained everything to me from fourth downs to penalty yards.  I've had guys attempt to explain the rules out of the corners of their cheering, screaming mouths.  But Roy is a quieter sports fan, which makes him a lot easier to understand.  Not to mention a lot more enjoyable to be around.  :-)

So something clicked.  And even though Arizona was put to shame by a bunch of ducks, I enjoyed every second of the game.

See?  I even had an intense face to match Roy's:

Official football fan over here.

Earlier tonight, I listened to the Cowboy's and Redskin's game on the radio while I was cleaning.  And Roy wasn't even there :-)

Homemaker

Still working on it.

Sometimes a success.

Glad my family occasionally lets me practice on them, despite bad past experiences.

Women's Bathroom

At the office there are two women: just Eryn and I.  And before me, Eryn was the only female to be found in the whole branch.  I guess two is just barely enough to separate the bathrooms into "men's" and "women's". 

But the guys aren't quite used to this segregation yet.  They've been using that same bathroom for years, and the new sign with the triangle-shaped lady on it doesn't seem to deter them from continuing to use it.

So Eryn and I devised an evil plan.

 

 

 

See if they can stand being in the women's bathroom NOW!

Life As a Betweener

I'm so between, it's not even funny.
Let's start with the basics...

I'm between a Collett and a Buckmaster.
Haven't changed my name on my driver's license, but I'm known as Mrs. Buckmaster for a lot of different things.  Sometimes it's hard to keep track: wait, am I Collett or Buckmaster for this?

I'm between a college student and a working woman.
My poor college diploma is floating around in the mail somewhere.  Somehow my BYU account reverted back to our old Springville address and so they sent it there.  I went to lengths to get the cell number of the woman who is currently living in our old apartment.
 "Um, excuse me, but a piece of paper I spent four years working my butt off for is on it's way to your home.  PLEASE FORWARD IT TO ME!"
It's hard to feel done with college before having that diploma in my hands.  Not to mention I still get every single English Department email from my old school about classes and events.  So then there's the moral dilemma of whether I should still use my school ID to get the student discount at the movies.  ;-)

I'm between being a kid and an adult.
This kind of goes along with the previous idea.  I mean, I work like a regular adult.  Go through stacks and stacks of papers every day.

But then sometimes I get carried away with the stamping.

And eat cupcakes like I'm the one pregnant with twins, and not my co-worker.

And some of the people I work with are quite often reminding me how young I am.  Or maybe I'm reminding them to remind me.
"Wait, who's Barbra Streisand?"

And of course...
I'm between homes.  All the time.
Currently we are staying at a family member's home, watching it while they're out of the country.  We packed up our suitcases {for the third or fourth time since June} and moved into our "new home," where we'll be staying for three weeks before we pack up and move again.
We're loving it here, but all this bouncing around is just getting plain comical.  So I got us a little something to make everywhere we go "ours".

Dollar section at Target, baby!  Every time we get to a new "home" I'm just gonna slap that puppy on the wall.  Wherever we are, we are home sweet home. 


Being between is flying by the seat of your pants, going with the flow, and trying not to look too ridiculous as you're grasping for some kind of stability.  I'm still working on the not-looking-ridiculous part.

PS All of these pictures were taken with my phone!  I love the iPhone!

Ten Years Ago Today

I was just barely thirteen, in my first year of Jr. High.  I couldn't even begin to understand what 9/11 was about.  Today America has been remembering, and has been standing a little bit taller, a little bit closer.  I thought I'd check in my old stash of journals to see if I recorded much on the actual day.  Turns out I did.  The year of 2001 is filled with snippets, dotting out a vague outline of the result of the attacks.

Today I thought I'd share what I wrote.  Disclaimer: Please remember, I was thirteen.  This is the perspective of a young girl who could only understand half of what was blaring out of the TV and radio stations.  But this is how I tried to wrap my head around it.  --Also, this person who I call my "enamy" {HAHA} is a great girl and we were really only in this fight for a summer.  In fact, I think it was this hug on this day that brought us back together as friends. 

Don't forget 9/11

Bacon and Rocks

Once, on a vacation when I was a kid, we were driving through many a worn Mexican street on our way to our nice, Americanized resort on the beach.  I remember feeling a kind of pain in my chest as I watched the dilapidated buildings pass.  The barely-running cars.  People walking in the streets with sweat-stained shirts that they'd probably been wearing for months straight.

Why did they deserve to have less than I had?  Why couldn't they have enough money to have air conditioning- for goodness sake!  It's hot in Mexico!

So I, an extremely brilliant six-year-old, came up with a solution to world hunger, deprivation, and moneylessness in general. 

Rocks.  All we had to do was change all currencies to rocks.  Trust me, there are plenty of rocks in Mexico.  And Arizona, too!  Then money would never be short, right?  Everyone would have plenty, because they are everywhere!  Except maybe the North Pole.  Sorry Santa.

Of course, I didn't know anything about inflation back then.  ;-)

Scratch that idea.  I'm not six anymore!  In fact, I'm a responsible, 8-5 working adult now.  Roy is a few weeks into law school, with almost three years ahead of him.  Since rocks won't pay the bills (especially not the tuition), I'm the one stuck behind a desk.

I'm bringin' home the bacon, baby!

Ew.  Not sure why that's an appealing phrase. 

Anyway, you'll be pleased to know that so far I'm loving my job.  I've been there for almost two months now, and I'm finally starting to feel like I know what I'm doing.  Since Roy started school we've been carpooling.  Campus is just a five minute drive from the office- we love that!  What better time to catch up than when crawling through rush-hour traffic?

Roy is kicking law school butt!  When he finishes classes he has several hours to study in the library before I'm done with work.  If he's still studying, I get to hang out in the library with him until he's done.

So what am I doing from 8-5?
Lots of this:

 

My old nemesis... numbers!

Our past, troublesome relationship has made me extra careful with my calculations.  So far no mishaps.  I also do some writing and editing!  Yay!  Contracts, quotes, brochures... it's not necessarily 100% creative writing, but I AM using my college education.  It's fantastic.

I love the people I work with, too.  Especially Eryn, the other admin who I get to hang out with 24/7.  I'm sure I'll talk more about her later.

Poor Roy is exhausted and needs to get some sleep.  We better get back to our cute little haunted house.  Yawn!

I'll have to continue my adventures of the working woman some other time. 

The Photographer in Me

Simon and our friend Greg have been helping me figure out how to use this amazing camera of ours.

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Loving the Arizona beauty.

The Ranch House

Roy and I have spent almost two months looking for a place to live.  We're going to be there for a minimum of three years, and it could be a lot longer.  So, naturally, we want to take our time.  Really find something perfect.  Cheap and perfect.

But for now we are homeless.  The only thing keeping us off the dark, cruel streets of Tucson is the generosity of family.  :-)

So we're staying in the ranch house, as I've mentioned before.  It's a neat old house, watched over by this little gnome.

 I've always wondered about that gnome, sitting out there in the courtyard with his little pipe.  I finally asked Grandma about him and learned he belonged to grandpa's mother- my great grandmother, Vaughn!  {There's a cool middle name for a kid someday, right?}  So I decided I like him.  In the daylight, at least.  I still think the ranch house gets a little scary after dark, and a knee-high little man doesn't ease my nerves.

The layout of the house is really cool... but at night it reminds me of horror movies.

 Roy thinks it's just me.  He thinks I'm a big baby.  But come on, people!  Can't you just see the Skeleton Key children walking past that last doorway in their deteriorating nightgowns?

The bathroom is fantastic, straight out of the old days.  But I think there's a spider living in there.  I found a cobweb going from the wall to my toothbrush.  And I DO brush my teeth twice a day, thank you very much.

But hey-the house is amazing.  I love old stuff.  This bench has been here since the house was built in 1939.

 And I love the unique art on the windows by the front door.

And bugs aren't the only wildlife on the ranch!

Aren't they cute?  Just waiting for Mama!

 The house that Grandpa and Grandma live in is on the property, so we get to go over there and hang out with them from time to time.  Play some cards.  

Grandma and Grandpa are so good at cards... I've given up trying to win.

 I love this picture, they're both laughing.

And here are two more pictures I just love of them.

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for letting us stay in your ranch house while we are homeless.  And for countless other things you've done for us.  Love you guys so much!

Newest Addition to the Collett Clan

Taking another foreign exchange student was somewhat of a last minute decision for my parents.  One that they're already thrilled they made.

And I'm thrilled too.  Even though it means Roy and I are kicked out of the house.
{Grr.}

My old bedroom has been designated as the foreign exchange room, apparently.  It's appropriate since the room has its own bathroom--not to mention it's been empty for years.  And the loud pink and yellow walls from my childhood were acceptable for a chika.  Irina from Argentina didn't complain.  But my mom wasn't about to stick a boy in there.  And that's what they ordered.  A boy from Germany. 

So something had to be done about those walls. 

Roy had yet to start school, so he had plenty of time to dedicate to painting.  He and Mom did most of the work.  But the rest of us pitched in as well.

Dad liked the color so much he suggested we get started on the master bedroom.  But we didn't.  One bedroom was enough work!  Three coats!

 As you can tell, these pictures were taken before we sheered Roy's huge hair.

And then Mom and her sisters got started on finding things to use in the bedroom.  When those ladies get together, the result is always fabulous.

I wish I had a before picture so you could see the drastic difference.  But just close your eyes and imagine pink and yellow walls with the light switch plates painted bright red.

Need I say more?

Alright, time to meet the newest member of the Collett family.

Let's see if you can guess which one is the foreign exchange student.
One of these things is not like the others...

I love the red hair and his European wardrobe.  Meet: SIMON
{In German pronounced ZEE-MOAN}

He's fifteen, speaks great English, is obviously bright, and is my new photographer mentor. 
He and Zac are inseparable.  Already, we all love this kid.

Mystery Needles

Our life has never been so sky high, up in the air, absolutely insane.

I've been maybe a bit overly-zealous in documenting every spooky, thrilling, horrible, fantastic moment with our new camera.  The pictures are awesome!  The only problem is, I haven't figured out how to get those pictures on my computer.  The files are in a format I'm not familiar with.

As soon as I figure it out I'll post some pictures of our current residence: a ranch house built in 1939.  It belongs to my grandparents, who have graciously allowed us to stay there while we are homeless.  It's a great house.

But sometimes, late at night... it can be a little scary.

I don't know why!  I guess that eerie feeling just naturally creeps into the walls of an old house once nighttime shadows are out.  Or maybe it's because so many horror movies are set in old buildings.

So it was yesterday at work when I realized I'd been subconsciously scratching at the inside of my elbow all morning.  I looked down to see what the deal was and saw this:

It looks exactly like a mark left by a menacing needle!!!

Of course I tried to rein in my wild imagination with rational thoughts of bugs and spiders.  The house is in the middle of the desert, with plenty of wildlife around.  It wouldn't be surprising if a little bed bug snuggled into the crook of my arm in the night.

I took that picture with my cell phone and sent it to Roy with the following text: "A needle mark in my arm!?  What have you been doing while I'm sleeping?"

I chuckled, thinking I'm so funny.

Roy responded with:  "Weird, I have one too!"

Well that wiped the smile off my face.  Now my mind is racing with aliens and UFOs!!!!  Out in that little house in the desert all by ourselves- who knows what could have happened?!  Those spacemen could come right out of the clouds and snatch us up for the night and do experiments on us and no one would stir!

But then Roy: "JK"

Phew!  I almost freaked myself out.

Of course it was just some kissing bug.

Or WAS it?!?!?!?!

{ooooOOOOOOooooooo}