Racquetball

BYU’s women’s team was the main reason for their success, as they came away with 8 gold medals at the event on the way to their eighth women’s team title. Tawnya Woodbury, Marci Mangelson, Eileen Sanchez led the Cougars, and Karin Christiansen each with two gold medals. Paige Harris also earned a gold medal in women’s No. 2 singles.

I love racquetball. I think I even love it more because I was recruited and picked up on it so easily.

The other day I went up to BYU to play one evening and there were a couple of girls who obviously were on the racquetball team. I was desperate to play with someone and finally asked if they would play. Not something I normally do, but it is amazing what some people do in desperate circumstances. (Here comes my jealous, competitive talk.) They were alright, obviously better than most girls, but nothing fantastic. But they they had two things I didn't. One, they have been playing in game situations recently, and two, they have all the different shots fresh in their heads. Three, since they play so frequently their swing was in tune. I don't have either of these things at this point. I think the last game I was in was Nationals 2003, and therefore have not thought about the different shots in about that long as well. Since I haven't played in so long my swing is very rusty. Anyway my point is that despite all of these disadvantages I still had the potential of being better than them, especially after I started warming up.

After the game I asked them a couple of questions about the team and who the coaches were. They in turn asked me a couple of questions about my self and saw my interest. They said in a somewhat looking down tone "Well why don't you play, your good enough." The your good enough was somewhat forced out. I could be exaggerating since I do get jealous, but I can't help it. So rather than be happy for them, I just think they, think they are better than everyone and are snobs. :) I do need to work on that. :) So here is what I thought of when they told me I was good enough, "of course I am good enough, do see the last time nationals was won, I was on that team. Where is your national champion year." Of course I didn't say anything , but I guess I just need to accept that my glory years have come to a close, and now I am older, fatter, and more out of shape and it is okay for other to be as good, and more often than I like to admit, better than me.

Please don't think less of me for thoughts. I just had to let them out in effort of improving myself by admitting that I am jealous, and competitive when it comes to sports. Isn't the first step to improving yourself, admitting you have faults. So there is my confession.

Sam thin?

My husband has a specific quality which is both noble and annoying. When Sam has a job he needs or wants to finish he will not eat. He does this because he loves to eat and to him eating is a reward and rewards don't come until after the work is all done. (That was the noble part, this in the annoying part.) Work by definition, to Sam, is any job including doing anything. For example, Sam got a new stereo and was installing into our car. He didn't eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner until probably 10pm because he was working and couldn't get his reward/eating until he completed his job. I guess this is funny to me, because it seems that he is punishing himself by not eating for a reward he has already given himself, the car stereo. It is really annoying because I am always making him a meal and he never eats it. I call him in for dinner and he will say prayers with us, but will then go back out to work. It really makes more work for me because when he does this he won't eat with us and I have to do the extra work make him his own meals at different times than with the rest of the family, then I have to do the extra work of saving it and cleaning up later, rather than doing it once with the rest of the family.

This talent seems more amazing on the fact that anybody who truly knows Sam, knows he loves food and can really pack away the food, especially at buffets. His buffet eating is also another talent that is truly a sight to see. I once saw Sam eat a HUGE Thanksgiving dinner than after his meal he moved to the deserts. He tried all the different cakes and cookies and finally settled on eating SIX slices of cheesecake.

Luckily he doesn't do this too often. His work was always left at work, and his at home projects were spaced out. So Sam has always been able to maintain his weight. He gets a little heavy then gets a project and loses it. But not recently. Since Sam has started school he is soo busy. He started a student job that some how seems to be about 50hrs a week. (Who has heard of a student job that has to pay over time. ) Then he always needs to run off to class. So basically Sam eats one meal a day around 8pm or later. His food consumption at work and school I am not sure of, but I usually send him to school with some lunch and he somehow always brings it home. He is not use to HAVING to set time aside to eat because before there was always an end to he long hours.But not anymore so he hasn't been giving himself time to eat. What a weirdo. I say that in the most loving way because he is not doing this for himself, but for us, but also who doesn't set time aside to eat, Please let me know.

Sam is now thin. At first I thought he was eating a little less, but also getting more exercise since he has to walk all over the BYU campus, but now I know he is starving himself, not on purpose, but as stated earlier in the post, Sam is just not eating until his work is completed. Sam has always had a thicker body frame, but he was never really fat, but now I really can't believe how thin Sam is now. I am sure he has lost at least 15lbs in this past month. Maybe not that much. The walking could have also trimmed him up too.

I can't decide what to think. :) I don't know whether to think he looks fantastic, or if I miss my old thick Sam.

We're Back!!!

We're back to . . . Provo, the internet, work, never leaving the house, boredom, messy house, cloth diapers, and poverty.

This past summer was stressful, (as we technically had a roof over our heads, but were really considered homeless, and loaded and unloaded our trailer 6 times ALL BY OURSELVES! Can you tell I am trying to get a little bit of sympathy.) but yet was really nice. I was able to spend so much time with extended family, and my husband, who is somehow a stranger to me now. I know there are the lawyer wives, the doctor wives, the business wives, where there husbands are gone for weeks at a time, but this is new to me. In Taiwan Sam and I both worked so little and spent so much time together, then we lived in Oregon where he was unemployed for several months and when someone finally hired him it was part time. Then in Hermiston he was home by 4pm at the latest, so I have really been spoiled thus far. I am not taking the working full time and going to school full time well. :)

Actually this move is so much harder than I anticipated. Sam is gone so much and it is harder to find friends here than in the other places I have been to. The only things that save me from complete insanity our my brother Felipe and my new wonderful sister-in-law, who on special occasions when she is not working will come over and visit. In our house we are so starved for attention that myself, Cariña, and Helaman are fighting for Krys's attention. :) It is actually a pretty pathetic sight. :)

ps sorry for the lack of pictures. We are still working on our USB ports for downloading. I do have other cords that come with the camera, but with cords being Helaman's toy of choice I know I would loose them. :)