Where it all began

Today is my birthday. For the first 21 or 22 years of my life it was "our birthday." But today, family and friends sang "Happy Birthday" just to Amber. I got the little birthday bear "You are Special" plate trinket all to myself. And there weren't 2 sets of presents. Funny, I almost forgot it was Erin's birthday today, too (sorry Erin!). I guess I have learned to be more independent. In fact, it doesn't really seem like I am a twin anymore. Sad. What a weird paradigm shift--my entire reality for two decades depended on my twinhood.

I love my sister. We have always been the best of friends. People have often asked if I like being a twin. Yes, I love it, but I also don't know any different. I think being a twin is a lot harder as a child, or even more, as a teenager. It can be really hard to navigate the whole "find out who I am/gain independence" stage when no one can tell or care that you are one person instead of another. But, since growing up, I have come to miss the old days. Having someone at my side that understood my whole world. We came from the same parents (at the same stage of parenting), dealt with the same friends and teachers in the exact same contexts, and were at the exact same stage of development. Hard to beat that. Plus, Erin is great. Always lots of positive energy, optimism, and confidence. I have much to learn from her vibrancy and ability to manage time and stress so well. For nearly my entire life she helped keep me balanced, entertained, and challenged. We never fight. We never judge. We are similar, not the same. We are twins. We are Erin and Amber.

Happy Birthday Erin and Amber!


Caitlyn says this is where twins come from!

Erin left, Amber right

See how much I have always loved my sister. Amber with the Jabba the Hut smile.

Amber, again smiling. I have been told I was the "serious" and "boring" twin--but look at the evidence!

Pigs and Pointers

"Take my picture. I am such a cute little piggy!"

My dog is a pointer--for those of you non-hunting folks, that means he hunts down animals, usually pheasants and points at them. I was so excited when he finally started holding a point a few weeks ago and wanted to post pics of his beautiful form, but I never took any photos.

Anyway, no, Trapper is not pointing at this pig.

Our friends have a next door neighbor with a potbelly pig. I have been curious about it ever since they got it, knowing there was a little baby pig behind the fence. Our friends also have a pointer who goes crazy over the pig and even points at it. I have heard of potbelly pigs as pets--it seems like they are often on those Rescue 911 shows for saving their owners from fires and stuff. I have also heard that pigs are more intelligent than dogs, so I wanted to see one in action. We approached the yard, saw the pig sleeping, and like a dog, I started whistling, calling, and clicking for it to come. I had no idea what to expect. Just because pigs are smarter than dogs, does that mean they perform dog-like tricks? Anyway, it actually came to me, sniffed my hand with its cute little pink snout (feels funny by the way), and wagged its tail. She seemed to like the attention, although she was not fun to pet because her hair was coarse. My friend tried to pick her up, but she wouldn't have that and let out the worst squeaky squeal. No wonder my friends are sick of that pig! I wonder if people would call the cops on a neighbor's loud pig. ha ha.

Pigs. Random. Cute. Weird. Smelly?

Badge Ceremony

I determined that Russell is the sexiest officer in his department (yes, of course I am biased, but it's still true!)

We were in the newspaper!!!!! We're practically famous.

Russell's new PD had a meet the public night and badge ceremony. They introduced all of the officers, swore them in, and asked the wives to pin their never before seen badges on for the first time. Even though this is Russell's third department, I was glad to be able to participate for the first time in this important ceremony.

http://videos.heraldextra.com/p/video?id=1964650

This is where we all feel sorry for Russell

Poor Russell.

For training yesterday, the whole PD got tazered--at least the police chief did it just like everyone else. I don't really understand why this is necessary for training--I think it is for empathy and so the tazer does not get used too hastily. But then, it seems like the same logic would mean he had to be shot by a gun, too.

Anyway, Russell says the three seconds was a lifetime and that he believes the pain surpasses childbirth. Probably true--I'm sure every muscle in your body tensing up and convulsing (? I think they convulse, but I may be wrong) is pretty bad.

I do not envy him!

Update! I am so proud of Russell!

Russell will start a new job on Monday with a brand-new police department. We are so incredibly excited, and I think I am much more excited than Russell even is. Similar to his former job, he will be helping to establish a new program and will work in all brand-new facilities with some really great equipment.

Not only will Russell get a significant pay raise, he will also get a brand new take home vehicle. For those of you unfamiliar with the police world, this is a big deal. It means quicker response times (especially if he gets the opportunity to join a SWAT team), but even more, it will help our budget tremendously. He will have personal use of the vehicle within a 10 mile radius of his new city, which I am excited about with sky-rocketing gas prices! He will also get some of the best equipment which to me, means he will be safer and more prepared. He will also be much closer to other back-up officers from other agencies, which is a comfort knowing someone is minutes away if something goes awry, versus 15 or 20 minutes. The new police chief also seems very thorough, detail-oriented, and invested in creating a cohesive and unified police force, as well as police family. I was impressed when the chief's wife even wrote me a letter welcoming me to the new city as well.

These new opportunities help make me feel a little more secure about seeing my husband off to work each day. I can't wait to see how this all works out!

A new me--let's see how long it lasts

So I've realized that I am simply not cutting it as a homemaker or even as the woman I want to be. I always hear about all my friends who have one or two kids, still cook nutritious meals, have time to read incredible books, run 5ks, and sew enough to supply local charity crises. Then there's me, I can't even seem to regularly wipe down my kitchen counters. I guess I just always thought I'd be such a great homemaker and that once I finished school I'd have all the time in the world. Not true! It seems to all come down to the fact that when I get home from work I don't feel like cooking or cleaning, or cleaning after cooking, etc. It has completely solidified for me that I do not ever want to work full time and be a mom at the same time. I don't know how they do it! I don't even have kids and I struggle to keep up with the housework and the grocery shopping. And although I've complained about my deteriorating fitness level, I still don't manage to get to the gym nearly enough. So. . .

I devised a "brilliant" plan to accomplish the things I wish I did more, but don't get around to it after work: wake up at 5 am. Now I was waking up at 5am for nearly 4 months to help Russell get to work (I decided that it is super hard for one to wake up early to get ready for work when someone else is enjoying the comforts of a soft bed), but it became a habit to sneak back to bed once he left. Really, a much bigger waste than it may sound--the hard part is getting out of bed, and I already had that step taken care of.

Anyway, back to my brilliant plan, which I am really truly hoping I stick to! But we all know how even the best intentioned goals turn out. So help keep me on track! Anyway, if I wake up at 5, I can clean up my apartment for at least 30 minutes, read my scriptures for another 30, workout, shower and get ready for work, and even make and eat breakfast with Russell. Much better than my regular morning scrambles--justifying to myself that I can get ready within 10 minutes of departure time.

So, I did it yesterday and I was completely thrilled for the entire day. It was an incredible start. So today, not so enthusiastic as the alarm went off, still beat the temptation to hit snooze and got up on time, remembering my day from heaven the day before. Cleaned up all the clutter in my living room, read my scriptures, and fell asleep. Bummer. So much for that fit body I'd like to find again. At least I still managed to make us breakfast.

Anyway, I hope I can, or actually, WILL, keep it up. Maybe check up on me and see how brilliant my brilliant plan actually is. They say if it is important enough, you'll do it. I just hope that includes me.

Other Suzie-homemaker moments for the day (I know many of these things seem simple, but ever since I got married, it has been so hard to transition back to a regular routine!):
Sewed on the baby blanket I am making
Did the dishes RIGHT AFTER DINNER
Took out ALL garbages and put the can on the street
Threw out a lot of junk mail

It's a small start, but they say small changes are easier to sustain.