Susie's Leaning Tower of Chocolate for 2002 May

I got a letter from "Elder Tenney"! yay!

Last night the day care lady I called called me back and I have a job interview on Tuesday. yay! Mommy made arroz con pollo cause she knows I like it so much, and it was very yummy. We ate a lot and had to take Gretel on a very long walkies to make up for it. I went to work with mom and played on the typing game for an hour. I type somewhere between 14 and 80 WPM (my scores on the different excercises). I think it's closer to 80. Tomorrow we're going to the mountains! and I am going to cut my hair, cause mom absolutely refuses to do it for me. I may go with Shannon and etc so see Brian and Eric race. Yay, I love my family!

Today I took Gretel for a jog. I haven't been running in over a year, which might explain why I was so sick afterwards. Then I cut my hair and bought myself two pairs of shoes. Yay for shoes! I am almost done with my scrapbook. I did 4/5 of it in a week, but it'll probably take me another week to finish it, just because I'm lazy.

I'm pretty sore from yesterday. I worked in the garden with mom in the afternoon. Today I ate half a pan of rice crispy treats and then Jon came over and we made some more, with M&Ms this time. I am actually getting down to some work on my assignments that are due like next week.

Check, check, check on my to-do list today. I went to the dentist. It was marvelous (except for the 15 minutes I spent waiting in the wrong dental office). They explained everything to me, from how to brush my teeth to getting silicate covers. It was lovely. The hygenist and I bonded over the flavor of that yucky paste they use (it actually wasn't yucky).

Tomorrow I am going to see Grandma and Grandpa. yay! I finally finished my scapbook (yay!) so I could bring it for them to see. I really should get down to finishing my internship assignments.

Today I spent three hours pruning a tree. It was very fulfilling, like working in the Morris Center. Ok that doesn't sound like a great comparison, especially since I quit that job amid much trauma, but it was still a very fulfilling job, so see everything cleaned up at the end of the day. I filled the green waste bin and we have bundles of sticks and vines to be thrown out next week. Mom cleaned the spa and the fish pond, although there was no sign of the fish. Then she made us a yummy stir-fry dinner (minus the seaweed she pulled out of the fish pond).

Of course, my research paper still isn't written but I got everything else I have to do for my classes finished, and I did some of the research.

So far today: Spoiled my mommy; learned what a song I sang in choir once (The Battle of Jericho) actually means; wrote half a Sacrament meeting talk. Yes, Brother Davis asked me to speak in Sacrament meeting. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Mom told him to. I am happy though. He told to pick an aspect of my testimony that grew while I was in Romania and I finally decided and then wrote half my talk and now I am looking at the list of songs sitting on Mom's desk, and the songs that week even match my topic. Must be a good topic then.

Has anyone else ever noticed how appealing it sounds to be cleaning the kitchen when you have a research paper to write? I have to do it today so I can spend some time with my sister. Mom and I were doing genealogy last night. My assignments today, given before I woke up, are to call Grandma and Sister White.

I tried to get the doggie to eat a huge spider that was in my bathroom. After 15 frustrating minutes I realized I could just get out the vaccuum, which is more reliable and doesn't require doggie biscuits. On to research!

Quote of the other day (while doing genealogy)- Susie: Ichabod... Isn't he the guy who only had one head?

Today I went to see Uncle Justin. We climbed into some old WWII planes. Then I sat in some traffic and now I am hanging out with my sister. I had something else to say but I can't remember what. My left arm is sunburnt.

I went to Rachel's College Algebra class with her, something I took four years ago, and I scored at least four points on her quiz based on what I learned in class. I didn't fall off her loft sleeping on the floor. We're going to eat in the cafeteria now so I can criticize it with my expertise.

OW I just smashed my finger. I picked up Jen at the airport and we talked about poverty the whole way home. Mommy and I went to the Garden Spot for dinner where I had some lovely cheesecake pudding for dessert. I wish I knew how to make that. Then we did some genealogy. Or at least learned how to do it. I had a good day, except for being a little overheated.

Today I went to lunch with Cindy. We hadn't seen each other in over three years, and we hadn't hung out in 5. It was fun. We're some of those ladies who get together with their high school friends for lunch now. Then I went to the doctor with my grandparents. That was exciting. Then we had homemaking, where I promised Becky Bean as much free baby-sitting as she can use, while I'm here. She's just sad I won't be around during her 10 day trip to Europe.

Mom said I couldn't name my potential future twin daughters Adina and Alina because kids at school would sing the "Daughters of Tritan" song to them. However, I looked up the sheet music and not one of the seven daughters of Tritan has one of those names. Today was Becca Mitchell-Miller's wedding.

Today was Stake Conference and then I cooked. I made Romanian "Oriental Salad" ("Do they have potatoes in the Orient?" asks Rachel) and Sora Stoica's Prajitura cu mere. Then I made some German Soft Pretzels. They were so yummy! Rachel and I have big plans to make some (a lot) and freeze them.

Here's the best part. I made 12 pretzels and left them on the counter to rise. I let Gretel lick the bowl and told her she could have a bite once they were cooked but they weren't very yummy or good for her raw. So then Gretel walks by licking her chops and I run to the kitchen and what do I see but FOUR missing pretzels!!!! Man that dog is going to be feeling bloated tonight. AND it was more than her fair share. Mom kicked her out and she went out pretty good. I think she knew she had done somthing wrong.

Gretel got to come back in when we had cooked and eaten all of the prezels. She looked over at the counter and back at me. Hehe. Then when I walked by she was tiptoeing around trying to see where they had gone.

Today I got up and did some weeding in the bright sun and then when I got out of the shower it was cloudy and then it poured rain for 20 minutes and now it's sunny again. Last night there was a wind/dust storm and some of mom's water plants blew over. Luckily her cattails do not appear to have been damaged.

I had a dream last night that I went back to Romania and saw my favorite little girl, a little more grown up and able to talk. She ran to my smiling and gave me a big hug. I remember that she knew the word "friend" (in English) and a couple other words. Smile, offering affection, talking, english, being able to afford to go back to Romania... It was definitely a dream.

From Mom 3-30-02: Oh, they don't have Jello even? I thought all third world countries (like Utah) have jello.

Money money money. Financial Aid is such a pain in the butt that they should give money to anyone who actually manages to complete all of the forms correctly. That's what I'm hoping for at least.

Mom and I seem to be doing non-stop genealogy. Mom has the worst of it even though hers is so much done- she has to load it onto the computer bit by bit.

Today was a great day. I gave my talk in church, which mom said went great. Then I played the piano, then I took a nap and then we went to the Davises for dinner. It was a lot of fun. We goofed off on the keyboard, ate and played Scrabble. Then everyone looked at my Romania pictures. I love when people look at my pictures! Clayton and I were on a team for Scrabble and we did pretty good. Then Sister Davis asked me to teach CTR 8 for the rest of my time here. Yay! I love Primary!

I remember Leonard teaching me how to ride a bike when I was somewhere around 8-10 years old. Ah, the good old days of tree-climbing and tire-swinging. Rachel and I recently discussed how much we both enjoyed bike-riding and how much better it was when we lived in the country and no one could see us. Not like either of us are as lucky to own bikes, as Sumana.

I won Mom at Scrabble! Unbelievable. I was going to earn another 20 points but she used her tiles up before me. Oh well. mom had a great bingo ("feuding"), and nowhere to put it. I got to play my bingo ("timeout").

Mom lies when she says I am a great deal of help. It's too hot to be more than a smidgeon of help. I've used the word "smidgeon" twice today and I've only been up half an hour.

Yesterday was a long day. I babysat Sister Dewaal's two-year-old twin boys all morning, then I worked at a CSUB banquet all afternoon and evening and half the night. After the parking ticket I got and filling up my gas tank, I'm left with about $25 more than I woke up with. But my sister came home and I have someone to go to the mall with, to help me spend the remainder.

Recent quotes: Mom: Say "yes" to drugs, Jellybean!

Susie, counting change in the drive-thru: New Hampshire. What's that? Rachel: It's a state!

Rachel and I saw a little boy in a stroller at the grocery store, sucking on a bottle of Hershey's syrup. We both laughed out loud. I had something else to say regarding buying groceries as a college student but I can't remember what it was.

Today Rachel and I went to the mall and to Target and I bought seven new shirts and a pair of earrings. I'm afraid I'm going to be one of those girls who wears striped polo shirts. When Leonard took me shopping he bought me one and said it looked like a Susie shirt and Rachel said the same about the ones I bought today.

On my flight from Amsterdam to SFO I had some gouda. I'm not very adventurous when it comes to cheese, but since I've already eaten two kinds of fish this summer, I might as well go eat some brie with Mom and Rachel.