I Married Santana

Today was Reed's day to plan a date (I think) and he wanted to take me to the car dealership and then to Izzy's.  However, we filled up on waffles in the morning (Super Wifey breakfast) and didn't feel very hungry.  So we went to the car dealership near our home to collect on our promotional prize.  We WON BIG at Ford!!!!!  (5 dollar gift card to Wal-Mart) After hanging out there and checking out the off-roading Raptor truck we headed to Target to find Deklan's birthday present.  We found the most awesomest floor puzzle with Angry Birds on it.  He will be so excited!  Last week when I was building a puzzle he was bemoaning the fact that he doesn't have any puzzles.  Well, tomorrow his life will be forever changed.  While at Target Reed mentioned that he would like to find a guitar stand.  Target doesn't carry anything remotely musical but I remembered that I had visited a hole-in-the-wall music shop one time that was nearby.  We found it easily (Reed was impressed at my knowledge of the store) and we had a great time walking around looking at instruments and music.  Reed selected the perfect guitar stand and I bought it for him for his Father's Day/Memorial Day present (any excuse to buy a present).

Back at home he assembled it.  When he was trying to figure out where a piece went I suggested he look at the instructions but when we looked in the bag there were no instructions to be found!  Reed told me that the people who manufactured the equipment knew that men didn't need instructions.  ;-)  haha  Now we're all set for him to be able to pick up his guitar playing and hopefully we'll be able to play some duets soon because I'm getting back into practicing my piano more often. 

So, our date day evolved from an Izzy's pizza date to a guitar music date.  Any time spent with Reed is a perfect date! 

Unexpected Shopping Spree

Around the time that we got married, we were given a gift card to JCPenney.  I told Reed that since I had spent so much of the wedding money on housewares that the JCP gift card was his to spend on whatever he wanted.  Reed appears to dislike shopping based on the flu-like symptoms he develops in department stores. 

Flash foward to present day.  On Monday Reed said "how about we go to JCPenney and spend that gift card?" and inside my excitement soared!  I played it cool though and we drove to the store.  When we entered the store I looked at Reed to see if he was diaphoretic or nauseated.  To my surprise he was quite calm and determined.  We picked out some clothes for him to try on and he did.  While he was shopping I continued to play it cool but I was secretly super excited and smiling to myself. 

As we were finishing up Reed looked at me and I smiled.  I must have looked too happy because he asked if I was really excited to be shopping and I declared joyfully "YES!!!!".  Our shopping trip was a success with him buying four shirts (they're so fun...one of them is even a Star Wars shirt), a pair of shorts, a belt, and a new pair of sports shoes.  We also dropped by Best Buy and got two of our favorite movies as a treat.  Reed made it out alive and has not been too traumatized.  I think. ;-)

"What a Great Day"

The time was coming for Mothers Day.  All of Samsons friends were making cards for their mothers.  His friends used crayons and drew hearts and flowers on the cards.  However, there was a problem...even though cars like Vuong have great dexterity and are able to be artistic like that, Samson is a big truck and isn't as skilled at fine motor skills.  He thought and thought about what he could do for Mothers Day. 

Mothers Day arrived and he sat sadly in the driveway because he had no gift ready.  Then Reed and Meghan came out dressed in work clothes.  They told Samson that he was going to be part of a giant Mothers Day gift.  Samson was so happy!  He went to a mothers house and sat patiently as people put lots of garbage into his truck bed.  Meghan told Samson that he was so strong and perfect for this job.  Even though Vuong makes nice cards, he isn't able to haul heavy things very well.  Samson made two trips to the dump.  While he was there he saw lots of other truck friends. 

After the hauling work was done, Samson was tired.  The mother he had helped beamed with joy and told Samson that this was the best Mothers Day gift ever.  As he rested in the driveway and visited Sacagawea and Pokey, his cat friends, Samson thought to himself "what a great day!".

Housewarming Gift Ideas

Conquerer of Scotch Broom

Today while removing noxious weeds from my parents backyard (a Mothers Day endeavour) I thought of a fantastic housewarming gift. Picture this....a charming potted plant with flowers of sunshine gold.  A pastel ribbon encircles the pot and a decorative gift tag is attached.  The gift tag states "this flower was brought across the sea to bring joy and gladness".  It's all very beautiful presentation really.  The recipient will smile and immediately plant the flower in their yard.  What they do not know is that they just introduced Scotch Broom into their landscaping.  A weed that is persistent and nearly impossible to be rid of.   You have to pull the dang things out of the ground making sure to include their roots otherwise they will continue to reproduce. 

Side note: only give this gift to someone you don't like. ;-) 

Card Sharking

Emptying the Piggy Bank

Today for evening entertainment we decided to play card games.  It started with Idiot but I kept winning and then we played Scum which I won too.  So then Reed suggested Texas Hold'Em....he's from Vegas so I should have known better than to accept.  He wiped me out of all my piggie bank savings!  ;-)

Domestic Goddess

The feeling of being done with school for the near foreseeable future is an incredible sensation.  It's like being weightless and carefree....I can snuggle on the couch for hours reading a book without the guilt of knowing I have homework to complete.  And I've lost my excuse for poor housekeeping. 

Before finishing classes I made a list of the things I want to do once I graduate.  A bucket list if you will.  It contains items such as reading The Hunger Games trilogy (and tons of other books), watching the entire Harry Potter movie series (I have yet to watch the final two movies), playing the piano more, and becoming a Domestic Goddess (involving activities such as cooking, cleaning, crafting, and other Domestic endeavors). 

Sickness thwarted my early efforts at being a Domestic Goddess but today I woke up and felt quite Domestic.  And so the adventures of Domesticity began.  I browsed Pinterest and found a recipe similar to one Rebekah had recommended.  Strawberry no-bake cheesecake.  Even the name makes me drool.  The recipe was a success and Reed seemed quite happy while licking the bowl. 

Hopefully he will like Domestic Goddess Meghan and not miss Stressed Out Student Meghan too much.  ;-) 

PS.  Here's the recipe.  From http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/

Low Fat No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) container Fat Free Cool Whip
1 (8 ounce) package fat free cream cheese
1 (9 inch) pre-made reduced fat graham cracker pie crust
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 strawberries, sliced lengthwise

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add Cool Whip and mix until smooth.  Pour mixture into your pre-made pie crust and refrigerate for a few hours until set up.  Arrange your sliced strawberries on top and serve.

First Wedding Anniversary

Happy First Anniversary to Reed and Me!  :-)  One year ago we got married in the Seattle Temple and life has been awesome!  Reed's the best husband ever and I'm the luckiest girlie in the world. I love Reed!!!