What's Your Name?

Recently I've read an article that talked about baby names. No Steven and I are not expecting, but ever so often I'll come across a baby article. As I read this one about choosing a baby name, one of the interesting advice the article gave put simply as this, "Would you want to give that name in a coffee shop with your order?" For me, this was something exciting to try! I don't often go to the coffee shop, but the first time I went to one after reading that, I missed my opportunity. By good fortune too since I was using my debit card and on it is my actual name!

Today I remembered and  I had cash on me! One of the names I've thought of, if we were to have a girl, is Emiaya (Em-I-ya). It's a name I've made up years ago (though I'm sure I've met someone with that name in the past year) and really like how it sounds. Granted, how would it be received? So while in line at Starbucks, I was beaming inside, excited to try the name out. Low and behold, I get it out and the cashier is all, "That's a pretty name." "Thank you," I say, part of me wanting to say, 'I made it myself.' I helped him spell it and then waited for my hot cocoa to be made. When the barrista finished, I watched as she looked at the name. For a brief moment I think I heard what she thought, "Oh hell..." To spare herself from potentially miss reading the name she calls out that a tall hot chocolate was ready.

I smiled brightly and thanked her for her service. I can't say if it was a smashing success, but it sure made my morning a bit more entertaining.

Becoming a Story Teller

Those of you who know me are quite familiar with my character Araja. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing with how much she's part of my every day life, but she is a familiar character with the children I watch. Every time I learn a little more about what happens in her story, I have fun telling her recent adventure to my children. Of course I tone it down because I don't want to be insensitive to them with Araja slaughtering things. 

With that, ever so often the children will make my day by asking about her past adventures. The other day they wanted to know how she got her wings. Part of me sighed inside because it's a sad tale, but I told them it anyways knowing I would tell them the happy ending I have planned for Araja. I'm not going to write it here, there's a different blog for that. However what I wanted to share was how captivated I had my kids in the retelling of this prominent character. When it got scary, I could see the concern on their faces. When things worked out and Araja overcame the odds, they were elated! It just warmed my heart to see them so interested. It gives me hope that there'll be a place for my stories one day. If anything, I'll be appreciated among the children if not the adults.

Writing Writing Writing!

You'd think I'd given up on this blog. For those of you who do check, yes I've slacked off greatly! I have allowed myself to stop journaling about the interesting things going on with me and Steven. I could make an excuse and say nothing exciting has happened, but that's just me being unimaginative.

In actuality, something had been happening. I've been excessively writing. It's been well over a year of constant, daily writing. Whether it be a post on Facebook, an email to someone or the constant catch up work on my stories, I've been writing! But there's good news. I know I'm not the best of writers, but I have seen marked improvement to what I've written a year ago. Heck, if you click on an old post of mine here, and compared it to this post, I would imagine you'd agree. Perhaps by next year I'll be even better while this post become blatantly amateur.

Before I close, I'll let it be known that life is well. I've been slacking on my health some, but my nagging inner voice is finally kicking my butt back into gear. Lately I've been working out very regularly and have become a plain Jane on my diet. I'm eating yummy foods still, but I have limited my variety so as to help me focus and not get into the rut of 'what should I eat' (which more often then not lead to eating unhealthy). Steven is on the job hunt seeing his 100 day break is coming to an end. We hope he'll be hired back on with Mircosoft, but we're making sure we're not completely reliant on that. In the mean time, I'm making the bread for the family and he's been keeping the place clean (or at least as clean as one can when one of their housemates is a toddler).

A Vile Man

Steven, Emily, Anne, both of her sons, and I were taking a long walk. We were on the northeast side of the port of Tacoma, walking from my parents house. We had decided that walking to downtown would be an excellent way to spend the day. As we came down the large hill to the port, I noticed a road that at the very end of it was the suspension bridge into Tacoma. I didn't remember such a road cutting across the port, but it was there and it looked traveled enough that it wouldn't be difficult for the stroller to go on.

The road got trickier the further we traveled across the port. About half way across, we all were beginning to feel rather exhausted from all the walking. Emily, though, had met some guy along the walk. He was friendly enough and opened his home up to us that was down a side street. In fact there happened to be a neighborhood right in the port that I hadn't known about. It seemed like one of the neighborhoods in northeast Tacoma.

We rested that night in the man's home. In the morning, I woke up around 9am. I looked about the room and saw no one was there. I got dresses and figured everyone else must have woken early and got a head start on finishing the walk to downtown Tacoma. As I left the room I saw the man who greeted me warmly. I told him good bye and thanked him for his hospitality. Once out the door, I saw my car. It didn't register to me as odd considering I had walked there the day before. What stood out was as I approached it, the car shook a few times. I couldn't see anything in the car so I figured I'd check the trunk.

When I opened the trunk, I was shocked at what I saw. Steven and Emily were each tied up and gagged. Their eyes were pleading and yet helpless. I knew something awful was done to them, something no person should ever experience in their life time. I asked who did it to them. They said it was the very man that welcomed us into his home. I felt sick in my stomach that the man would do such a vile thing! To violate our trust on so many levels. I was furious and was determined to bring him to justice.

I called the police and that's when things got tricky. I still had the trunk open. I was still outside the man's house. I needed to get the address. I needed to get the man's name. No one knew his name! As I tried to give the house number, the man came out. We made eye contact and I saw him note the open trunk. He gave that look of 'you really shouldn't have done that.' He advanced toward me to which I ran with the phone, yelling at him to stay away. I didn't care if I lost connection with the 911 operator. If I was killed, I wouldn't be of any use.

The man gave up on his pursuit after me. I watched him, from behind a fence, shut the trunk of my car and walk back into his house. With the car key clenched tight in my hand, I knew I had to move quick. I was certain he'd be waiting, but I had to get to the car and get home. I didn't know where Anne was, but I hoped somehow she and the boys got away.

I took a deep breath, then ran with all my might. Sure enough as I got to my car door, the man stepped out. I slip into the seat and in the heat of the adrenalin, I don't recall inserting the key into the ignition and starting it. Never the less, I stepped on the gas and got out of there as fast as I could. I saw the man in my review mirror and he was not happy.

Once to the safety of my parents home, I got my sister and husband situated. I then dialed 911 once more. The person who answered was expecting me. I couldn't answer his questions about the man's name and location other than saying he lives in the neighborhood that's in the port of Tacoma. I explained that if someone came to my parents and got me, I could then navigate them there. My phone then alerts me of a new message. It's a picture message from an unknown number. I open it and find myself looking at Anne and her baby boy. They didn't look good and clearly were frightened. Tagged on the end of the picture was, "Report me and I'll kill them."

I remember breaking down as I feared for my friend's life and that of her children. What would I tell her husband? How was I to stop this man from doing more evil if I didn't try to get the police involved?

Unfortunately there isn't a happy ending for I woke up after breaking down. It was strangely vivid and I hadn't had a dream so vivid in a long time. The anger and fear that I felt still lingers. I keep reminding myself how grateful I am that it was just a dream.

Christmas Tree and Apollo

Today has been a fun day. Got to decorate our Christmas tree! My sister in law had given me and Steven their tree since they had gotten a newer one. It's not super big, but it's big enough for Steven and I to hang all our ornaments on it that we've collected over the years! The home is really beginning to feel like Christmas! Here's a somewhat blurry image of our beautiful Christmas tree :)

Also this same day Steven and Gabriel decided to be silly and stack things on Apollo. This is how he took it:

Thankful Today, Thankful Always

It is Thanksgiving today and I feel I might as well post something. It's been a few weeks and I'm beginning to feel more bothersome as I send out the almost weekly email with nothing overly exciting. Finding myself developing more into a writer, I almost feel like I ought to have more exciting things going on in my life to write about. Right now I'm debating whether it's my own fault for not doing more exciting things or for not taking the mundane and utilizing my creative imagination and making it the most amazing thing ever!

Anyways, I am shifting my blogs slightly. Instead of the weekly updates, I'm going to do my best to 'journal' the important and interesting things that happen when they happen. This could be the end of the blog for that matter since I tend to get busy with other, not necessarily important, things. I hope it won't be, though it may seem it to some since I will not be sending out the weekly email anymore. I've been doing this for 1 and a half years and by now I would hope people remember how to find me. Maybe save the link for the blog from a past email.

Now back to the main intent for this post: Thanksgiving! I'm with Steven at his parents for Thanksgiving. Each and every year my family always would say at least one thing they're grateful for. Well I have many things to be thankful for this day and always (and this may or may not have been my facebook status update...). I'm alive, my parents are well and healthy, I have wonderful in-laws, I'm sealed to my loving husband, I have live in a comfortable home with good friends and two priesthood holders, all of my talents I've been blessed with, a job that I love and can't believe I get paid to have fun with next to zero stress, friends who accept all my zany, quirky, and quite possibly psychotic personality, and the gospel in my life that gives me meaning and direction.

I'm sure I forgot something like being thankful for Apollo or soft blankets that make sleeping so much more enjoyable, but like with counting your blessings, when I really think about it, there is a lot of things I'm grateful for and could probably write a novel about it complete with the reasons why. So be thankful I gave you all the foot notes ;)

Now as for a side note of this vacation, Steven's mother hands me a magazine for their town in Idaho. I haven't a clue what will catch my attention in it, but I flip through it since she seemed to think I would find something I'd like. Well, as luck would have it I saw a page talking about Allie Brosh, a blogger who has written quite a few funny blog posts (like this one!) and has compiled a book together of her blog posts. I discovered she and my husband went to the same high school. She graduated a year before Steven and even he's trying to figure out if he might have known Allie Brosh. Too bad he only kept his Senior Year book. That was probably the coolest thing to have happened lately next to almost being related to Rupert Grint (we're not, but for a moment their it looked like the Parker side of my family was).

Hope your Thanksgiving is going well and you're surrounded by loved ones! Remember, it's not just today we're thankful. Today is an opportunity to remember what we should already know.

<3 

New Phones

The awesome update of the week is Steven and I got new phones! Its the Samsung Galaxy sIII. We've joined the smartphone generation. So far it's been really nice. I basically upgraded my iPod to being able to make call and surf the web. If we haven't given you our new numbers, leave a comment or send and email and I'll be sure to forward it onto you :)