May list

I think I need to explain something. I know my blog is getting listy, and I know it's kind of boring to read lists all the time. But, I have a good defense. A while back, I was going through some old blog posts, and I read a list I'd made of our Christmas. It wasn't an awesome post (being a list!) but it included some details that I'd forgotten, and was so grateful that I'd written down. So now my goal is to do a monthly list of different things I want to remember. I know it's boring. I'm just recording stuff for my own (selfish) purposes. I really won't be offended if you skip right past them.


That being said, on with the list! And since I like the 10 lists format, I'll give you my 10 lists for May. (Is that a chorus of snores I hear? Sorry, friends!)

10 things I did:

1. Had pizza and fun with some cool friends and bloggers. What a fun night!
2. Built garden boxes so that I can have zucchini and spaghetti squash and tomatoes in the fall. Yum!
3. Celebrated Mother's Day by cleaning up my mom's yard. It's amazing what 4 sisters, 2 husbands, lots of nieces and nephews and my own two kids can do in 2 hours. Whew!
4. Welcomed home my neighbor's husband who served for 7 months in Iraq. When he left their baby was 3 weeks old, now he's almost 8 months old! I'm glad he came home in one piece.
5. Spent a day walking around the nearly-empty Oquirrh Mountain Temple while volunteering to be an usher. It is such a pretty, pretty temple. I seriously sat for more than an hour at one time, waiting for people to come through. It was such a cool day.
6. Watched my kids learn how to ice skate. We got an annual pass to the speed skating oval, so it looks like we will be doing a lot of ice skating.
7. Drooled over, I mean watched, the season finale of Lost. Holy cow, I really do love that Sawyer. Are there many characters in the history of TV who are close to as hot? I think not.
8. Celebrated Memorial Day by buying lots of bottles of soap from Bath & Body works. I love their sales. I seem to only ever shop there when things are on sale. Even the boys like the new yummy smelling foamy soap.
9. Failed to read even one book. I don't know what is wrong with me; it seems I am having a bad reading summer so far. It better improve or I'll go crazy.
10. Got to 1st Kings in the Old Testament. I'm still going through Psalms while I learn about Elijah. I never knew how ignorant I was about the Bible. Holy cow, there is a lot in there.

9 People I was grateful for:

1. Shane's Grandma Mary, who died yesterday, the day after her 81st birthday. I want to do a blog post just for her in the next few days. But I have to say how much I loved her and how I will miss her.
2. My dad. I saw him for the first time in 2 months last week. He is slowly becoming a silent, shuffling old man. It breaks my heart. But Amy and I took him on a walk to the park during our visit with him. It feels somehow more normal to see him out of the context of the care center he lives in. I hope he felt a little more normal. I will remember holding his arm, walking to the park for a long, long time.
3. My friend and fellow blogger Isabel. I went to high school with Isabel, but we didn't really hang out or talk much. It seems such a waste that we waited 15 years after high school to become friends.
4. The lady who was in charge the day I volunteered at the temple open house. I had hoped and prayed to be stuck in the corner of the temple somewhere. Somehow they assigned me to what I think was the prettiest floor, the top floor where they perform marriage ceremonies (called sealings). It was so amazing to me to get to volunteer like that.
5. Melanie, who has taught Ben in her Music Makers class each Thursday for the past two years. Ben looked forward to Music so much, and so did I. I know how much time she put into making it fun and educational for the kids. Thanks for teaching us, Mel. You are the best.
6. My mother-in-law, who took such good care of her parents during this hard time. She spent most of the month of May 300 miles from her home so that she could be there when her mom drifted out of this world. I am so grateful for her sacrifice.
7. My mom, who came to Ben's preschool graduation a few weeks ago. She came with us to lunch afterwards at the McDonald's (Ben's choice) and I had so much fun talking with her while the kids played and Shane visited with his mom.
8. Paper Pocket Edward, who was so inspiring during the blogger dinner I attended. Little Edward didn't have much on, but man, he sure made the night. I love you Edward! I'm sorry we didn't cut your clothes out, but you are too hot to cover up.
9. Juliet from Lost. Now that she's detonated the nuclear bomb, does that mean Sawyer is up for grabs? Oh, let me grab...

8 places I went:

1. The Pie
2. The Spaghetti Factory
3. Work
4. Maurice's (I got the cutest jeans from there! Nothing better than cute AND cheap jeans, right?
5. IHOP for Mother's Day breakfast
6. My mom's house
7. Amy's house
8. The Olympic Speed Skating Oval

7 websites I love (or began to love) in May:

1. The library
2. Barnes and Noble
3. Get Away Today (planning a VACATION to San Diego) (no one panic; the world isn't coming to an end)
4. Word Twist on Facebook (despite the fact that I frequently get all of 12 points during a game.)
5. The BYU scripture discussion page (I am a geek, I know. But I can't listen to chapter after chapter of the Old Testament and not have someone to explain just who Jeroboam and Rehoboam were and why I should care).
6. Hotmail. Bored? Email me at beckykump [at] live dot com.
7. C-jane. I have total blog envy over her. I keep wondering if we know some of the same people, but I doubt I would admit to knowing said people. They would have been the kids in detention at her high school, probably.

6 new songs on my iPod:

1. Sometime after midnight, Airborne Toxic Event. Oh, the angstyness of that song just makes me want to wrap up in it and live for a while.
2. Give a little bit, by the Goo Goo Dolls.
3. Joy Ride, the Killers
4. Dustland Fairytale, Killers
5. Heart and Soul (thanks Amy!)
6. Spaceman, Killers (Are you seeing a trend?)

5 Reasons to be happy:

1. My yard. Man, all the weeding I've done lately has paid off. My iris in the backyard are gorgeous; the front yard, not so much, but I think next year they will be. The bleeding heart I planted last year came back and is so pretty.
2. Summer is almost here!
3. Ben is doing summer camp with his preschool. Let's all say "HOORAY!" for 4 more Thursdays of having time to myself!
4. My garden is coming along so wonderfully. I have 3 different kinds of squash that I planted from seed coming up, and I haven't killed my tomatoes yet.
5. We got a new laptop. It's amazing having one that has a functioning battery. No more blogging while standing next to the kitchen counter!

4 Things I watched last month:

1. Taken. Terrible beginning and ending, awesome middle. Liam is pretty hot.
2. Lost. We are watching Season 2.
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I liked it, Shane didn't.
4. Arrested Development. I really missed out on that series. It is hilarious!

3 things I'm thinking right now:

1. I'm hungry.
2. I wonder what the boys are up to?
3. I wonder who is on Facebook....

2 Books I'm excited to be released:

1. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. Salem witch trials, anyone?
2. The Lost Symbol. I love Dan Brown's books.

1 Cool thing about this coming June:

1. On the 24th, I will have been at my job for 10 years. I never knew I'd stay so long. I'll be getting some new silverware as a reward. Shane is pretty excited about the silverware, I must say. He must ask me where it is 10 times a week. 10 years = more silverware to clean. Fun times for everyone.