Reviews: Avatar, Books by Juliet Marillier

I was thinking about doing some kind of recap of my "best of 2009," but since I'm pregnant, I can't remember any further back than a week or so ago, so we're going to have to stick with the entertainment I've had since Christmas.

First up, James Cameron's Avatar, the most expensive movie ever made (when not adjusting for inflation), weighing in at $500 million, a whopping $200 million above the second most expensive movie ever made, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (in my opinion, that one was not worth it).

I'll be honest, I'm not a movie buff, I didn't know who this guy James Cameron was until I read/watched something that said he was the guy who directed Titanic, and knowing that I had only one expectation going into this movie: it was going to be long. That was fine with me, considering current movie theatre ticket prices. However, since we have a friend at the local theatre, Will and I were able to see the movie in 3D for free. Score.

In my humble, non-sophisticated opinion, this movie is incredible. You know the term "visually stunning?" Avatar is quite possibly the most beautiful movie I've ever watched, especially so because it was in 3D. From what I've read of "real" critics, the place where Avatar falls short is the story and/or character depth. I think they're too snotty to enjoy things like they should, because I thought they were great. Too bad for them.

Other critics have argued that the story has "hidden messages" about environmentalism and war. Well, snotty critics, these messages are in no way hidden. They're right out there to be noticed and internalized by all. Besides, those are pretty good messages, and I'm not even a liberal.

To sum up; I loved this movie. I loved the story, the look, and the characters more than I have in any movie since the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Honestly, even like it more than I like those. Definitely my new favorite sci-fi/action movie. Favorite of all time? I don't know, I've never really had singular favorites in categories like that, but this is top 3.

As for Will's review, I'll quote him: "This is the best movie I have ever seen!!" (repeated about ten times).

Thanks to my amazing mom- and dad-in-law who got me a Barnes & Noble gift card for Christmas, I was able to go out and buy the first new book I've gotten in year or so (in the meantime, thank goodness for the library).

After looking for a while, I settled on a book I've never read by an author I love, as I usually do when buying new books. This one is called Heir to Sevenwaters, by Juliet Marillier. I don't know how long ago it was that I read my first Juliet Marillier book: Daughter of the Forest (the first book in the Sevenwaters series), but I've been an avid fan since then.

Here's what I've realized about Marillier's books: they're very formulaic. Usually I'd shelve books like that (as I did the Redwall books long, long ago) but I'm still addicted. Why?

Well, I think the main reason is that she's good. To me, she's one of those authors that sucks you right in, so it's not like you're looking at words on a page, you're looking through the words and seeing the action yourself. Her narration is not only rich and creative, it's invisible. That is the kind of narration all authors should reach for.

And while her plots are similar from book to book, the over-arching story line and background are unique to each series, and each world she creates is one I love to come back to again and again. Awesome.

I also like the themes of her stories, because family/family loyalty is a huge part of it, and that's something you don't see much these days. She focuses intensely on the strength of women, how we are the heart of the home, and how we are often capable of more than we ever thought possible. Many of her stories also deal with motherhood, granted her characters tend to be around 16, but since these are historical novels that take place in pre-Christian times and places in which that was not uncommon.

If you like historical fantasy, I highly recommend any book by Juliet Marillier. Click on the link in the first paragraph about her to see her official website and get a list of her books. I'm looking forward to reading Heart's Blood, her newest book, as soon as I can get it from the library.

And before I go, another good thing I've experienced in the last week of 2009: Sweet Hot Mustard. I just had some today with my cheese and crackers. Delicious.

Halo Quilt

Caitlyn pulls off yet another amazing quilt. The pictures say it all. Pretty awesome!!

Chaela loves it too!

If Only I Could Pwn a Noob!

Hello, all.

This is my first time participating in one of Mama Kat's writing workshops. When I saw prompt number five, I couldn't resist. Here is a poem about my much-beloved husband's obsession. A note for non-gamers: "pwn" is pronounced "own," as in, "I just owned you!" I don't know why. "Noob" is probably short for "newbie." To call someone a noob is to imply that they suck at whatever it is they're doing. "Let's go pwn some noobs," is something you might hear at the beginning of a long night of gaming.

Here is my masterpiece (I am by no means a poet, as you will soon see).


If Only I Could Pwn a Noob

If only I could pwn a noob
As well as my sweet William,
Or snipe a guy out of the sky,
I’m sure that it would thrill ‘im.

But alas and woe (as these things go)
It seems I am quite lame.
Halo 3 (at least, for me)
Is a problematic game.

And as for you, Modern Warfare 2,
While Will’s stats move uphill,
The guy I’m playing got stuck in a corner,
Then he died, or he’d be there still.

Oh, if only I could pwn a noob,
Or get a Slice N’ Dice,
Then I could play some games with Will,
Which I would think quite nice.

Boom! Headshot!


If you want to participate, check out Mama Kat's blog and pick a writing prompt for yourself! It's fun!

Gingerbread House Quiz

This year, instead of getting one or two normal-sized gingerbread houses to decorate, Mom found an entire little gingerbread village with just enough houses for all of us to decorate (except Chaela, who went to bed instead). It's a tradition in my family to have a gingerbread house decorating "contest" every year, but since we have five, I thought it would be a fun quiz instead!

To play, guess who made which house and leave your answer as a comment! The winners get wished a Merry Christmas by me! What a fabulous prize! Also, leave your vote on which house is your favorite!

The Quiz

Participants:

Caitlyn

Will

Jordan

Mom (Katie)

Dad (Doug)

House 1

House 2

House 3

House 4

"House" 5

The Contest

So Will and I were talking the other night about where we are in life and where we'd like to be. You know, planning our dream house and pets and kids and our "own" rooms. Not bedrooms, but a "man cave" in the basement filled with gaming paraphernalia for him and a loft with a sliding glass door and a covered balcony with sewing/crafting/writing/relaxing stuff for me. Sigh. Oh, yes... the balcony overlooks several acres of gorgeous forested land, possibly with a stream and a barn...

Anyway.

We started talking about how we were going to achieve this house and life that we want, and while we didn't come up with anything realistic, we did come up with something surprisingly motivating.

"I bet I can make a million dollars before you can," he said.
"You're on," I replied. Not sarcastically, but with real, genuine enthusiasm.
"What does the winner get?" he asked.
"A million dollars." (Ha ha. I am so funny.)

So there you have it. Yes, it's silly, and yes, I am aware of how unrealistic it is. It's just for fun, and as of now we'd be happy with enough to get our own place. Baby steps.

But still, if you want something you've got to start somewhere. So set a goal and go! Dream big, right? A little friendly competition only helps. ; )

So readers, tell me about your dream house and/or the things that motivate you!

Will's Super Power

Oh, it's that time of year again... Christmas time is here again... and Will and his psychic present-deducing powers are driving me insane!

I'm not going to lie, this happens every single year! I mean, I'm lucky in that he's not that hard to buy for. Does it have even the tiniest, most remote connection with Halo? Can it be attached/put into a game console in some way and played or played with? Is it a complicated board game with many expansions? Buy it. Granted, there are some things he likes better than others, but these are the basic rules. Easy.

The problem is that no matter what I get him, he figures it out. I worked my butt off this year trying to keep his presents a secret, but he has already figured out all of the good stuff I've gotten him for Christmas! Frustrating!!

I don't know how he does it, except that I've been informed it's a superpower he inherited from his father, who, in something like over 30 years of marriage, has failed to be surprised by a gift at Christmas. Ever. For Will, there are two main reasons he finds things out.

Reason 1: He cannot wait to get things he wants, even though Christmas is literally just over two weeks away, and the thought never crosses his mind that maybe SOMEONE already got it for him. This has happened three times in our marriage. Two of those times were this past week.

Example: We're in Best Buy, which we have a nice, large gift card for, and I'm getting some stuff for him and hiding it under Chaela's coat in the bottom of the cart. I slip in a certain movie and wander over to look for the CD my mom wants me to pick up. Two minutes later, Will comes over holding two movies, one of which is already hidden in the bottom of my cart.

Will: Hey, hon, these are $20 bucks off if you buy them together. (He sticks them in the cart. I promptly reach in and hand them back.)
Me: No, we can't get those. Help me find this CD. (Misdirection failed. Will takes them and puts them back in the cart.)
Will: Why not? I know we've got plenty left on the card. It's $20 bucks off, just get them.

Well, this escalates into almost a loud-store-argument, because he is stubborn. Finally I not-quite-yell, "Why do you think you can't get them? Because I ALREADY GOT THIS ONE FOR YOU FOR CHRISTMAS!" At which point I jerk the other movie from his hand, throw it in the cart, and say, "But we can get this one," and walk away. Yes, there have been two other incidents practically identical to that one since we've been married. The first one was a Poker Peek card deck in Wal-mart two years ago, the last one was an expansion to a game that I ordered online. I'm just going to have to ban him from buying anything from November 1-December 25 every year from now on.

Reason 2: He is just weird. I swear we had this conversation.

Me: I'm going to the store. My mom needs steak seasoning for dinner and we're out of colored ink. I'm going to grab some. Do you want anything?
Will: Don't buy colored ink.
Me: It's only like $20. I'm just going to grab some.
Will: I know what you're getting me for Christmas.

And he did.

Possible reason 3: He knows my tells. I have a very hard time getting lies past him. Good in general. Bad at Christmas.

It's not even that Will tries to figure out what I'm getting for him. He just knows. And once he guesses, he can instantly spot me lying to cover it up. He has had exactly one surprise in our four Christmases together. I got him The Dark Knight last year. He almost bought it, but then didn't because I don't remember why. Probably the money thing. I knew that if I wrapped it as-is and put it under the tree, he'd pick it up and say, "Cool, The Dark Knight. Thanks, hon," without even attempting to peek.

So, I found an old, oddly-shaped shoe box, taped the movie to the bottom, stuffed it with tissue paper, and weighted it with some girly book like The Devil Wears Prada but a different one. He shook that thing for days and couldn't figure it out. Finally, Christmas day rolls around and Success! The only Christmas surprise Will has ever had from me.

My goal was one a year, but I'm at my limit for 2009. I really can't get him anything else without being ridiculous. My only consolation is that there are a few things for his stocking he doesn't know about. I'm sad because they're not the things he really wants, you know? But he doesn't really care that much... it only bothers me.

Oh, well. There's always next year. After Thanksgiving I'm going to blindfold him and lock him in a room until Christmas morning.

My Favorite Christmas Movies are Totally More Awesome than Yours

Christmas music may be one of the first signs of the season, but movies aren't far behind at my house. By Thanksgiving of this year, we had already watched The Grinch (with Jim Carrey) and A Muppet Christmas Carol... more than once. As soon as we got home from Chicago (where we usually spend Thanksgiving) I busted out the old claymation movies. You know (and you do), Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, The Little Drummer Boy, and my personal favorite, The Year Without a Santa Claus. My mom has them all on DVD. Score. Chaela has already started bringing those movies to me and saying, "Wacha Wudu? Wacha Ginch? Wacha fraggles?" Which, roughly translated, mean Rudolph, Grinch, and Muppets. And how could I forget Frosty the Snowman and A Muppet Family Christmas. <3

Yes, I love passing on my Christmas addictions to my progeny. I have a few other favorites that Chaela isn't really into yet because they're not cartoons or very cartoon-like. Elf is topping my list right now, as well as The Santa Clause (only the first one), and White Christmas.

You know what I'd really like? A soundtrack of all of the awesome songs on these movies, like (and I'm guessing at these titles)"I'm Mr. White Christmas/I'm Mr. Green Christmas," (The Year Without a Santa Claus) "Where ever you find love it feels like Christmas," (A Muppet Christmas Carol) "Silver and Gold" (Rudolph)... ok, just basically all of them.

So what are some of your favorite movies (or songs from the movies)?

Jocelyn Eve

Well, most of you know by now that it's a girl! We're planning on naming her Jocelyn Eve, even though I'm not quite positive how we're going to spell it. I'll post a poll. I personally plan on calling her Jossi (up in the air how we'll spell the nickname, too, this is what I like, but Will likes Joci... cast your vote). I think my mom and a few others have said they like Joss, I don't really care. Whatever works!

I'll admit, even though I swore to everyone, even myself, that I didn't know or care what this new baby was, I was surprised when I found out it was another girl! A little sad? Maybe, but not because I didn't want another girl. I'm over the moon that Chaela will have a sister. I think I was just sure in my head it was a boy, so I had to re-orient myself. Two girls! Weird! I honestly never expected it.

But once I thought about it a little more, I got really excited. If I've got two girls, they can share a room! And they will, because I think sharing a room is good for kids. If they decide they want to have their own rooms when they're teenagers (and I'm sure they will) and we have a house big enough, they can. I shared a room with my sisters until I was eleven or twelve, and I think it helped make us close. I really, really want that for my girls.

Speaking of sharing a room, thank you Jana for the most awesome inspiration ever! Jana made this amazing name sign for Chaela, and the colors are so cute, these are the colors I'm going to use when we get a place and can set up a room for the girls! My parents have also agreed to let me have Lindsay's old bedroom set. Everything is made of some kind of white wood with white metal bunk beds. I'm so excited!!! I think a purple and green room with white furniture will be super cute!! I just hope I can convince Jana to make one of these for Jossi/Joci once we figure out how we're going to spell her name!

Creative Control

Will is taking a class this semester where he has to "design" a video game. He has to come up with a concept, story, title, decide if it's going to be FPS (first person shooter, like Halo or Call of Duty), RPG, MMO (massive multi-player online, like World of Warcraft), etc. Since Will is an awesome husband and knows I get excited about coming up with stories and worlds, he asked me to help him out.
*
Oh yeah, I was happy. I've been looking forward to helping him conceptualize a video game since he decided to study video game design, and I think we both always knew we'd work together when it got to this point.
*
What I didn't realize was that I'd have such a problem giving up one of my stories (and this is one of the ones that I've had brewing for a long, long time). Not that I'm giving it up, per se, but kind of letting Will see it and giving him licence to *gulp* take it in a different direction.
*
It just never occurred to me that he might try and actually do it.
*
We were sitting on the couch, talking. Or I was talking, telling him about what I had planned for this story and why I thought it might make an interesting video game, when suddenly he looked at me and said, "Yeah! Or we could do it like this! For a second, all I could do was stare, mouth slightly agape. Finally I said, "No. I don't think that would work," and continued on with my own thoughts.
*
But what I really wanted to do was jump up and down, Rumpelstiltskin-esque, and shout, "MY BABY! MINE! MINE! MY IDEA!"
*

That's when I found out... I am a control freak.

*

Some of you are probably saying, "Ha ha ha! You didn't know? I knew a LONG time ago! Denial much?" Ok family and close friends, you may know, but in general I think I have a reputation as a pretty laid back person. In general.

*

So after just ignoring all of his ideas that weren't compatible with "my vision" for about 45 minutes, I realized something. 1) This is a school assignment, so it's not like it really matters. 2) This is his school assignment, and he knows way more about video games and their appeal than I do, so I should probably listen to him. And 3) the odds that this idea will ever make it to actual video game are about zero, and the odds of me maintaining control if it does are less than that. So calm down, Caitlyn.

*

So I stopped arguing with him and started listening. The man had some good ideas.

*

In the end, we (and thank you Will for letting me deluding myself into thinking I have a say) decided the game would have single-player story-driven campaign and an awesome online multi-player. I get to have my story, and he gets to have his customization and leveling up and and all that. Most video games these days seem to have this kind of system; even Halo and Call of Duty have a campaign on top of their uber-popular online multi-player modes.

*

I ended up having an awesome time planning this imaginary game with Will, and I'm glad it's my husband (who is stuck with me anyway) who helped me discover and tame the control-freak within. I feel better now about my ability to share creative power with other people in the future.

*

I have decided, however, that I could never co-author a book. My co-author would probably turn up missing at a critical time, like the House where House gave Wilson drugged grape soda then stole his pants while he was unconscious so he couldn't leave the hotel room. I'd probably pull something like that.

How Teachers Know You're Up to Something

After lunch I'm in a much better mood than I was for my previous post. I have learned a lot in my few weeks as a sub, one of which is how to tell when kids are doing something they're not supposed to be doing. To my students, all of the following have alerted me that something is not quite right:

1. Furtive glances. This is especially obvious when a group of 3-5 of you is doing it at at the same time.

2. Sudden silence.

3. The room is dark and you are bouncing a light-up bouncy ball. It lights up.

4. Someone is yelling in pain/annoyance.

5. Something is stuck to the ceiling.

6. Abrupt laughter.

7. Some kind of projectile emerges from your general area.

8. Other students are whispering/telling/yelling at you to stop it.

9. You are not in your seat.

10. I can clearly see and/or hear you, because I sit in the front of the room.

Welcome to class.

Today I don't know if I can do this.

Today sucks, I'll be honest. I'm at school right now, babysitting a bunch of kids who don't understand anything. Here is a list.

1. The difference between themselves and adults. Here it is: having and upholding responsibilities greater than whether or not they're going to do their homework or smoke pot instead.

2. Teachers are people, not objects you attempt to break down with repeated and blatant disrespect.

3. The fact that swearing makes them look ignorant.

4. The idea of life beyond high school, including making a living and supporting yourself and your family.

5. I. Can. See (and hear). You.

Of course, there are good kids. And for the most part, they're good at heart. I'm just too tired to deal with some kid saying to me, "It's not my fault you took this job." No, but it's your fault that it sucks.
Anyway, I just needed to complain a little bit. Sorry I don't have any clever/funny stories today. I was thinking of getting a job as a full-time teacher someday, but now I don't think I want to. I just don't like stupid people.

Chaela used the big girl potty!

I was going to post this as my facebook status, but I don't think everyone would have appreciated it, ha ha. I just wanted to announce that Chaela used the big girl potty for the first time today (#2). She's currently wearing Daisy Duck big girl undies, so we'll see how it goes the rest of today.
I'll be honest, I didn't expect to start this for another few months!

Happy Second Birthday to Me!

Well, today was my birthday again. I'm really getting into this whole thing, the presents, the cake (even though mommy hasn't made mine yet, she said I get it tomorrow)... the only thing I'm not really sure about is that all of these people keep singing to me. Let's just say none of them are Laurie Berkner.

Anyway, the day went well. It started out with Grandma Katie giving me some presents that she and Grandpa Doug got for me. I got a doll house that makes noises, like the phone ringing and the toilet flushing, and a shopping cart that's just my size! It came with plastic food. I like to pretend that the maple syrup is chocolate milk and the salt is ice cream, ha ha. I'm so creative!

Next, mommy made blueberry muffins. They were yummy. Grandma especially liked them. Then I watched a movie until daddy came upstairs. We hung out for a while, then I took a nap. When I woke up, mommy and daddy had presents for me, too!

They weren't as good as grandma and grandpa's, except for the stuffed puppy named Violet that they gave to me. She sings songs and calls me "Bug" like mommy and daddy do. Other than that, though, mommy dropped the ball a little. She got me two pairs of shoes. Silly mommy. Daddy got me pajamas that say "Daddy loves me." I liked those a lot. I'm actually wearing them right now. Oh, and mommy did get me a cool new kind of clothes. She says they're called "panties," so I put them on over my pants. Everyone thought that was funny, but I don't know why. Mommy says the pictures of that are on grandma's camera, and she'll put them on facebook later.

After that mommy cooked some stinky fish and I ate a bunch of cucumber. I LOVE cucumber! Then mommy, grandma, and grandpa went to church to watch some people sing. Mommy was supposed to sing, but she lost her voice somewhere. I hope she finds it soon, I'm kind of tired of her snapping and whispering at me all the time. Maybe I'll help her look for it after church tomorrow, as long as she still has time to make my cake.

I spent the evening with daddy watching movies, which was cool. I've been spending a lot of time with daddy lately, because mommy goes and babysits idiots all day long. I don't know what "idiots" are, but they all live in a huge building and throw things at each other. She says I listen WAY better than they do. I know. I'm pretty great.

Well, me and my new friend Violet are going to bed now. Birthdays are fun. I'll have to see if I can have one again soon.

Unexpected Things Happen at School

I've been subbing for almost two weeks now, and most days have been what you would expect, but today something kind of weird happened.

Alright, so I was in for a teacher in the Work and Family Life department (new name for Home Ec) and she must be strict, because her students were really, really good. The best I've had so far, in fact, and most of the day passed uneventfully.

So the last class of the day rolls around and the first students come in, a pair of girls. As I observed these girls in the five or so minutes I had before class started, I noticed that they seemed a little less socially aware than their peers. Actually, they sounded (and even looked) a lot like girls who were 10 years old or less. One was a freshman and the other was a sophomore, and you could really tell that they were... well, not at the top of the social pyramid. Here is the conversation I overheard:

Girl 1, "He talked to me yesterday!"
Girl 2, "Na-UH!!"
Girl 1, "Yeah, he totally did. I bet he'll talk to me again today. I'm going to go over there and sit by his seat and he'll talk to me again."
Girl 2, "Do it! I'm going to talk to him to!"
Girl 1, "Yeah! I'm going to sit in front of him and STARE at him the WHOLE period!" (This made no sense, since he was going to be sitting behind her.)

So Girl 1 took all of her stuff and moved it over to a desk on the far side of the room, and it's about this time I realize that whomever "he" is, "he" is in my class this period, too. And who does "he" turn out to be? No less than THE star of the football team. Of course, I didn't know that until I got home and talked to my mom, but I could tell after watching him for about 30 seconds that he was very popular. Partly because the first thing he said was (about Girl 1 without even looking at her), "Can you make her move? She annoys me."
So I smiled at Girl 1 and said, "You do need to sit in your assigned seat."

Girl 1 moves back to her seat by Girl 2, and they continue to talk loudly about Football Star, who is now in the room. I don't think they realized he could hear them, this is how child-like these girls really were.

Football Star's buddies arrive, and they start making fun of these two girls in a way that completely went over their heads. In fact, they thought this boy was flirting with them. Needless to say, for the greater part of the hour I had these kids, I was fuming at Football Star for being a jerk.

the period went on, Football Star and I had a few interactions, and he was very polite to me in a genuine way (it doesn't take long to spot the fake ones). I started to think he was ok, but towards the end of the period when the kids had finished the worksheet I gave them, things started happening again.

Girl 1, "I'm going to go over there and talk to him right now!"
Girl 2, "I'm going to talk to him, too!"

So they went over, but apparently lost their nerve about halfway there and started talking to a girl who was also probably very popular, but who was extremely nice to them. Meanwhile, Football Star has moved out of his seat with all of his stuff and is across the room. I don't know if Girl 2 thought she was flirting or not, but she asked FS if she could sit in his seat (yelling across the room). He said no, so she retorted with, "Well I'm going to sit in it anyway!" and stuck her tongue out at him. FS and his buddies wander back in that direction and the over-the-head taunting starts again. By this time, I felt like FS and I had a slight rapport, so I motioned him over and very quietly whispered, "Be nice." As in, "Listen, you're FS and all that entails, and she's obviously got some problems, so you need to be a good person." He whispers back, "I am nice," like he didn't quite get my message, so I look him in the eye and say, "I know you are, but be nice."

He kind of paused, then nodded, and I feel like he understood what I was saying. So he went back over by his desk where all of his friends were, and Girls 1 and 2 are still hanging out. I don't know exactly what happened next, but Girl 2 must have been saying that she could beat FS up, which is something I've heard very young girls threaten teen aged guys with when they think they're flirting. So FS kind of laughs it off, but Girl 2 keeps it up. Finally FS goes, "Yeah, ok, hit me."

This might be an ok thing to say to someone with fully developed social skills, but Girl 2 lacks these. Girl 2 pretended like she was going to hit him once, then twice, and FS and his buddies started laughing. I guess Girl 2 didn't like that, because she winds up and actually punched him on the shoulder.

And then she clocked him on the jaw.

Ok, maybe not "clocked him," but it was definitely her best shot. All of the students around her got really quiet, but she was completely oblivious of having crossed a big, fat line. She just kept saying, "Yeah. And I could hit you harder. You bet I could. I could hit you WAY harder than that!" all the while shaking her hand, because she probably hurt herself.

I'll be honest, I just sat there in shock. I had no idea what to do. Finally she went to walk back to her desk, and to do that she had to walk by me, and I pulled her aside and kind of whispered, "[Girl 2], that was NOT ok. You JUST CAN'T hit people!" She kind of looked surprised and scared, whispered, "I'm sorry!" and hustled it back to her seat. I think she really was sorry and actually didn't realize that what she did was totally out of line. She went back to her desk, and I walked over to FS, still really, really unsure as of what to do.

Me, "Are you ok?"
FS, "Yeah, that didn't hurt." (Girl 2 probably weighs about 30 pounds.)
Me, "Do you want me to leave a note for the teacher or take her to the office?"
FS, "No, it's cool. That girl has issues, and I don't want her to get in trouble or anything."

That's what I get for judging. If I could go back, I would have reacted sooner, called Girl 2 over in front of the class and had her apologize, but I just wasn't thinking. That is not a situation I was prepared for. Either way, FS turned out to be a really good guy.

It was a weird way to end the day, and I still wish I would have done more. What would you have done?

First Day as a Substitute Teacher!

Yesterday morning I was finally called to be a sub! At 6:15 a.m. (lovely) the sub caller for Pickerington Local SD called and asked if I'd be available to sub at Pickerington Central HS, my old stomping grounds.
It was a little weird to go back to high school, I'll be honest. I kept feeling like I should see Amanda M. pop around a corner with her hair in two twisty buns on top of her head, waving her hands and saying "Holy crap, Caitlyn! I totally just saw Mark Playko and Gina Hatfield trying to gag each other with their tongues!" and then burst in to hilarious laughter when I responded "Ew."
Anyways, the class I subbed for was Physical Science A, which most of you know is probably the worst thing other than Math that they could stick me in. It was ok, though, because the regular teacher left me a DVD to show. You know, I never realized how much subs have to go through to earn their money. It was the MOST BORING thing I've ever seen, and I had to watch it FOUR TIMES. Lovely.
Initially I was a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to maintain control over a class... it wasn't that long ago that I was in high school, and I remember how some of the students can be. Plus it doesn't help that they all, without exception, thought that I was between 17 and 19. When I told them no, I'm older than that, they upped their guess to 19 and 1/2. Super fun.
All in all though, they were great kids. I probably would've enjoyed the day more if I hadn't developed a full-blown cold sometime between 6th and 8th period. I just wish I could've done something a little more challenging than show a video.
I did run into Mrs. Mallory and Mrs. Turley, who love me still even after six years. When they found out I was a sub, they were very excited. They said, "Great! You can actually teach our classes! And you know about Senior Projects!" Oh, yes, how could I forget those lovely, life-consuming things. So maybe if I ever get called for one of them it'll be a better lesson plan.
Not only was it fun, but I already have three days lined up to work next week, one full day and two half days. Score!

Oh, and those of you who know and love Jordan will be happy to hear that he's still popular. Some kids in my last period class started talking about him. When I told them he's my brother they freaked out a little. "SERIOUSLY?! Are you SERIOUS?!! Jordan McFarland?!" Uh, yeah. There you go, Jord. You're still a celebrity.

October Update

Hi everyone. I figured it's time for an update, since it's been a long time since a real post.

I am now 14-ish weeks pregnant. I've decided to delude myself into thinking that the dates on the ultrasound are valid, and I'm personally changing my due date to April 19th, even though the doctor's office won't. So that makes me 14 weeks as of Monday. Yay, me! Morning sickness seems to be fading slowly, ever so slowly. I haven't felt great for the past two days, but I think it's because my stomach stopped demanding to be fed every 30 seconds, so I stopped feeding it as often as I should. I've got to start trying to eat more again.

Will finished his first semester of college, and we're fairly sure he got A's in both of his classes! Congrats, love, I'm SO PROUD of you!! His next semester starts on Monday, Oct. 26th, so he didn't get much of a break. He's excited about one of his classes next term, because it's all about this history of video gaming and how to design games. It's funny that a lot of the things he's studying are things I've done research on as an attempted author: character development, world-building, plot, etc. He's not so excited about his other class, Psychology, or the fact that he'll be full-time instead of part-time, but we want to get him graduated ASAP.

Chaela is doing well. She doesn't have a clue about the baby, which is fine, since it's still about 1/4 of her life so far in the future. I'll try harder to explain it to her when she can feel the baby kicking. We'll really get down to it about a week or so before he/she is born, because that's plenty of time for a toddler to prepare and wait for something, in my opinion.
She has also added to the long list of movies she loves, which now includes "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown," and "Ichabod and Mr. Toad," which mom pulled out for Halloween. The weather here has been nasty, so we haven't been outside much, but it's supposed to be pretty nice in the next few days, so I'm hoping to take her to a pumpkin patch/corn maze/hayride thing if we can. We'll see.

Also, tomorrow is Will's and my third anniversary. Woo hoo! Happy three years, Will. I love you and I'm so grateful and glad to be married to you! Let's do three more, ha ha! ;*

Slacker.

Sorry, everyone, I just haven't had it in me to blog lately. I'm going to blame it on the pregnancy. It really takes a lot out of you. I have no energy to do anything creative at all... I haven't worked on my writing in months, I have no desire to sew, I hardly even want to pick up a book and read. Oh well, it seems to be getting better. Today I felt really good, and I am on the verge of the second trimester. Keep your fingers crossed for me that the morning sickness will go away at 13 weeks instead of 22 like it did last time!

So it's not a Hysterical Pregnancy...

Yup, there's a baby in there. Surprise! For some reason I always think I'm going to go to the first ultrasound and the doctor is going to say, "So... you're not actually pregnant." But I am. And, as you can see from the dates at the bottom I'm measuring five to six days bigger than my original estimated due date. Sweet. Except they're not going to change it, because they don't unless the difference is more than seven days. That's ok, babies come when they come no matter what the due date is.

Anyways, I just thought I'd share. Yay! A baby!

Finally, After Four Tries...

I made a hat for Chaela! When we went to Memphis at the end of July to visit Jason and Jana, Jana's family was down, too. Her mom is awesome at making crocheted stuff, and she was making sweet hats for Addie and Macie. She was teaching Jana to crochet, so I sat down and she taught me, too! The hat I started in Memphis turned out HUGE, so I tried again. The next one was way tiny. My mom and I decided to go out and buy some yarn to match Chaela's coat, because I figured two practices was plenty, even if they hadn't worked out yet. So I tried again. Halfway through, I realized it was going to be big enough to fit me, so I pulled out the entire thing and started all over again. Sigh.

Finally, months after I set out to make this hat, it's FINISHED!! Here is a picture of it before I put on the flowers.



And here's a picture of it 100% done with the coat! Yay!

Apple Picking

Last Friday, mom, Chaela, and I went to Lynd's Fruit Farm, because we heard from a woman in our ward (who may or may not know that we heard it) that the Honeycrisp were in season and they were delicious.


I love apple picking anyway, so we went. It was fun! It really doesn't take long to fill a 20 pound bag, but that suited us just fine. You're allowed to eat while you pick (probably because that bag doesn't hold quite 20 pounds unless you STUFF it). I'd never had Honeycrisp before, and I have to say, that first bite stopped me in my tracks. If you like crisp apples, these are heavenly! Especially fresh off the tree, one side slightly warmed from the sun. Sigh. Afterwards we went over to the open-air market and bought some sweet corn, also delicious.

So that was our adventure. The best part is that this type of apple lasts from now until April, according to the website. They're more expensive than other apple types, $20 for 20 pounds, while I think other types may be as cheap as $10 for 20 pounds... but these are worth it! In fact, we're going back this Friday to get another bag!

Politics.

Alright, I'm going to risk talking about something I don't completely understand, but I'm pretty darn sick of the circus that politics/the media are making out of our country lately.

Here's the thing, I vote in the Republican primary, but lately I've been feeling rather non-partisan. In the past eight years, both parties have shown a mind-boggling disunity and resorted to blatant fear mongering through the media. Apparently, our country is going to come crashing down around our ears no matter who is in office. Honestly, that may happen sooner or later, but it has less to do with politics and more to do with the values of every-day Americans.

Anyway, it seems that since Obama has been in office, the Republicans and their respective news media outlets are doing the exact same thing that the Democrats were doing to Bush.

"Neiner, neiner Democratic party, how do you like it?"

Grow up politicians/media people! These stupid playground politics are bogging us down. How about we focus on the real issues and not take our kids out of school because the President of the United States is giving a speech telling them that learning is important! Of all the stupid, ignorant crap to do, honestly.

Of course, now the Democrats are wounded. How could those Conservatives be so obtuse?! Well dang it, look back a year an a half and see what was being said about Bush. The President is the President, for goodness' sake. Show the man some respect, whether you voted for him or not!

Of course, outlets for us "normal people" like facebook (and blogs, ha ha) are just making things worse. I can't count the number of paranoid crap I saw on facebook today about Obama's speech. Calm down, everyone! Just because the President is in a different political party than you does not make everything he does wrong.

Personally, I think the government is supposed to be like behind the scenes machinery in a play, quiet, but with visible and spectacular effects. It's not a perfect analogy, though, because it's not like "we the people" are the audience, there for the show. I think we're supposed to be like the crew, a knowledgeable and active part of what goes on backstage. The rest of the world is the audience. They have their own plays to run.

Anyways, I'm not thinking straight lately. This may not have made sense, but I'm mad about all the stupid stuff that went on this week. Let the President tell kids to stay in school, because in some places, no one else is.

Lindsay's Blog

Hey everyone!

I just wanted those people who know my sister, Lindsay, to know that she has a blog and it can be reached through my blog list. The title is "Schenk'd." Also, for those of you who don't know, Kristin's blog is over there under "House of Jacob." Yup, that's all!

Pregnancy Update: I <3 Unisom

So since the last time I posted about not being nauseous, I've barely been able to function a lot of the time. Apparently my morning sickness was playing a small joke on me, lulling me into false hope and then BAM! It's back with a vengeance. I haven't thrown up so far, but I feel like I spend every second of my day trying not to. I had my first doctor appointment on Tuesday, and the OB Coordinator gave me quite a few ideas to help keep the nausea away. I tried them all, and they worked temporarily, but none of them made it better.

Finally, I went into the garage, where all of our stuff is stored, and found the Unisom (a sleeping pill, active ingredient doxylamine) I was told to take when I was pregnant with Chaela. Let me just say, it still works. Thank goodness!!! Yes, taking half a sleeping pill makes you drowsy, but it's so much better than feeling like I'm going to puke any minute!

Anyways, this post is kind of pointless, but that's what happens when you take sleeping pills and don't go to sleep. Yup.

Recent Happenings

It's been a while since I've posted much about the things we've been doing lately. Here are a few pictures so you can see what we've been up to.

Enjoying the last month of summer

The last few weeks of hot weather are here, and Chaela has been spending the time in her pool. Mostly naked.

We've also been enjoying the produce from the garden my parents grew. My dad makes pickled cucumbers (not quite real pickles, but close) and tomatoes every year around this time, and this year Chaela got to help. Mmmm...

Wibbip

My dad found this big, fat toad in our garage one day about a week and a half ago. We put him in a terrarium and have been feeding him crickets from the pet store. He is officially Chaela's first pet. When I asked her what she wanted to name him, she yelled "WIBBIP!" So that's his name. He's kind of expensive to feed, though, so we'll probably release him into the wild again soon.

Sisters in town

Kristin and Lindsay were both here for Lindsay's wedding. It was a lot of fun for all of us to be together again!

Lindsay's Wedding

Very fun, successful, but way too much work. No more weddings for me until Chaela is all grown up!

Second Pregnancy

I'm pretty positive that everyone knows, thanks to Facebook, but I thought I should announce on my blog that I'm pregnant! Only 4 weeks and 3 days, so it's very early.

Now that I've had a few days to adjust, I'm feeling a little less weird about it. It still doesn't seem real, but it's getting there. It's funny, because so far my emotions and symptoms aren't like they were with Chaela. Last week I was sick for a few days (before I even knew) and I got a migraine, which is something that happened to me a few times with Chaela. Since I found out though, nothing. Hardly any nausea, no more headaches.... of course, I'm not very far along. That stuff has plenty of time to kick in.

I guess the reason this has been so different for me than the first is that with Chaela, I never worried about a miscarriage. I just kind of knew that she'd be fine and I'd see her in nine months. With this one, though, I'm afraid. I wanted to have another one so badly, and now I'm going to, except there's still a chance that I won't. And if I don't have this one, I know that Will won't want to have another one for a while. It scares me.

But I guess at times like this, all you can do is pray, leave it in Heavenly Father's hands, and hope that what you want coincides with what He wants. So that's what I'm going to do, and hope that on or around April 23 I'll be holding my next child, safe and healthy.

Disney, now that I'm older

Since Chaela has become a toddler, I've had a chance to watch all of those Disney movies from my childhood over again. As an adult, I notice things I never did as a kid. Gaping holes in story lines aside, I've revised my opinions. A few movies I loved aren't that great, and few I felt only so-so about are gems.

The Little Mermaid

This is the first "classic" I can remember. The music is still brilliant, but the story itself bothers me a little. As Lindsay put it, "I don't really like it that she blatantly disobeys her father, has a bad attitude, disobeys her father again, sells her soul to the devil, messes stuff up, and then gets what she wants because her dad just gives it to her." To that all I can add is the fact that she knows she loves a guy without even talking to him, then marries him at 16. Ok, I know a few of you are exceptions, so don't jump on me, but would most of us want to be married to the guy we dated when we were sixteen? A big fat no.

Mulan

Gorgeous. The music may not be as brilliant as "The Little Mermaid," but the cinematography went a long way in those eight or so years. Not only is it interesting to watch, but Mulan herself is, in my opinion, an excellent female role-model, something I have recently become deeply concerned with in the past two years. She is a strong woman, but she does what she does out of love for her family, not selfishness. I'm glad that this is Chaela's most-requested movie!

Aladdin

Still funny, thanks to Robin Williams. Good story, beautiful to watch, great music. The only problem I have is along the same lines as "The Little Mermaid;" a completely and utterly self-centered female lead character. Another nagging annoyance is the awful Western portrayal of Middle Eastern society. Let's be honest, (and I know it's Disney and whatever, but I just have to say this) if Jasmine and her situation were real, her father wouldn't even have thought about her before he found her a husband.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

For a children's cartoon, this is genius. Ever since Barney, I've hated TV shows aimed at children. I think they're overly simplistic and downright stupid most of the time. Pooh goes back to when people didn't think kids were too dumb to hear words like "supercilious" and "confiscated," in context and not as a word of the day. It's very well animated, and it gives kids a little more to chew on mentally than Dora and Olie, thank goodness. I've had the opportunity to watch this movie probably a hundred times in the past three months, and instead of hating it more each time, I realize how great it is.

I have yet to watch movies like Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, Hercules, Snow White, Cinderella etc. in the past few years, but hopefully soon. Sleeping Beauty is still pretty good. I'm so excited for the Princess and the Frog coming out at the end of this year; I think it's going to be a good one, and I'm glad Disney is making 2D movies again!

Chaela's Hair

I put Chaela's hair in a ponytail the other day and I got kind of excited when I could actually do it! So I thought I'd post some pictures of how much hair she's getting. Yay!

This is Chaela and her newest boyfriend, Jordan's friend Ashton. Every time he comes over she yells "Ashi! Ashi!" and then follows him around the entire time he's here and throws a fit when he leaves. Ah, young love!

Here's Chaela decked out in some of her Mickey/Minnie paraphernalia. You know, before she was born and up until she was 18 months I was like, "I'll never buy that licensed stuff, it's ridiculously overpriced!" And it is. However, when my toddler screams with delight every time she puts on her Minnie shirt, I can't help but think that maybe it's worth the money(or the extra time poking around the second hand shop/garage sale).