Happy Birthday Angie! :)

I bought this trunk for my sister Angie and have spent the last few hours cleaning it up and trying to restore it.  I know, you think it looks beautiful in its original form, right?  Well, the top picture is the before and the bottom pictures are after. BEAUTIFUL! STUNNING! EXCITING!  Angie, if you are unhappy with the looks of things, now is the time to tell me and I will sell it on Ebay for big bucks. 

I researched trunk restoration before I touched it.  I am assuming it is close to 100 years old after the bit of research that I did.  Now to describe my process:  I washed it off very thoroughly.  Then, I retacked some of the loose joints and covered it all with a cherry stain. Originally, I wanted to leave the black metal, but it looked much better when I chose to cover it all.  The trunk is made of canvas, wood, leather, and metal. 

Chihuly

When I was in college I went to a Dale Chihuly glass exhibit in downtown Salt Lake.  He is an absolute crazy many who wears an eye patch and creates glass art work.  This man is a genius.  I have never seen anything like what he is able to create.  The new header of my blog shows some of his glass.  Isn't it amazing?  Plus, doesn't it make a great blog theme?  If you are interested in seeing some more Chihuly art, you can find him at www.chihuly.com.

Saturdays . . .

Today is one of the first Saturdays lately that belongs to me.  I work up this morning and went to the grocery store.  I did laundry, made my bed, did homework, and took a trip up to IKEA with Nancy.  I bought a few small things (nothing that I really needed) and tried on a whole lotta capris and shorts at Draper Pointe (formally VF).  

We both had pedicures done in Springville and now I have beautiful toenails. 

What else?  Um, I took a break from life.  It was lovely.  I have not been responsible.  I have not prepared my lesson for tomorrow.  I have not graded essays.  I have not even returned any phone calls. 

All I can say is this: I LOVE SATURDAYS! 

I also just bought a camera for the Clarion a few days ago.  I purchased it with my teacher money which means it belongs to me for as long as I am a teacher.  It is fancy schmancy (at least for me) and you can check it out if you are interested.  It is a Canon SX100 IS with 8 megapix. The zoom is 10x for optical for a total zoom of 40x.  I am excited because it means that I will be able to post blog pictures.  Yay for cameras! More so, yay for buying cameras with teacher money! 

CRT Pictures :)

I was bored at work this week while my students were testing so I took pictures of myself using the Photobooth application on the new school laptops.  Tons of fun! :)

Help from the Homeless

This weekend I was downtown SLC for most of the time.  I attended the Living Traditions Festival with a handful of friends and had a good old time.  On Friday night I was running a little late (got distracted by Whole Foods, formally Wild Oats) and rushed downtown to find a parking spot.  The streets are free on Saturday, so I was hopeful and really excited to see curb side parking.  I was driving the beast of a Yukon and thought I could real quick dart into the spot without holding up traffic.  Well, I darted so quickly that my front tire went into the gutter (a sharp, steep gutter) and I was trapped!  I could not reverse, I could not go forward, and I could not move my steering wheel.  Every time I tried to budge my truck made horrible grinding noises. There was a "bum" (not politically correct, I know) on the sidewalk who was watching my whole fiasco.  He walked over to me and motioned for me to roll down my window, which I did.  He then told me how to move my steering wheel to get out of the gutter. It didn't work, and he motioned for one of his buddies to come and push me out.  With my truck in reverse and the help of two kind homeless men, I made it out of the gutter and to the festival concert.  I did not end up parking in the space because I was so terrified of making the same mistake again.

Mother's Day

It has been an interesting few weeks.  I am tired, perhaps more so than I have ever been.  I am tired because I am working full time and going to school full time, which I would never recommend to anyone.  It makes me appreciate those who are mothers and also working, or mothers and also going to school because I know that I would not be able to do it all.  It makes me also appreciate those who are mothers without any extra duties because being a mother IS working and attending school full time.  I think.

When John and I were engaged we often talked about children and what we would name them. On this Mother's Day I find myself mourning the children I do not have.  I want to be married by now.  More so, I want to have children.  I would rather be in that life and not this one but here I am, teaching in Nephi and pining over a man who will never again feel as though I am marriage material.  I am not marriage material because I am not strong.  My parents questioned my relationship with this man and instead of standing my ground and declaring my love, I caved.  I ran away from him because my parents did not like him and I wanted their approval.  And now, I have their approval and no one to love me, no children to raise, and no prospects in sight.

Every day I wake up and regret my decision to move to Nephi.  I like my job, but it is just a job. The students I teach each day are not mine forever but are mine for a moment.  

Amy Paystrup asked my mom this week, "Is it true that Krystle is waiting to get married until after she has her doctorate?!"  My mom did not know how to respond.  I do not know how to respond.  Is my singlehood such an strange thing that others find need to make excuses or explain it away?  I am not married because the only man who has wanted to marry me took back the ring and walked away.  Do people deserve to know my heart?  Must I explain it to everyone?  Is it your business, now that I have posted about it?  

Today is John's birthday as well, which makes me ruminate more.  In addition, May 6th was the day we first met, so I have all sorts of reasons to be sentimental.  Forgive me.  I hope it will pass.