In general I consider myself a pretty private person. I don't like sharing all of my intimate thoughts or feelings with just anyone which is why you may have never heard me speak seriously on this mater. So consider this a special occasion because I am going to be truthful and honest with all those reading this. Normally I'd say, this is none of your business, but nobody seems to believe this so maybe if I expand on the subject everyone will be satisfied. Rhen and I love children. We have both agreed throughout our lives that we would have large families and teach them the love of their Savior and of the peace of the Gospel. Because of some recent insensitive comments I feel obliged to share are my thoughts on the matter. I take the duty of raising children very seriously, how can you not? They are human beings learning and finding their way through this life and we are put here to guide and counsel them as best as we can, we will always be their parents. I want to do my very best always and I want to be in a place where I feel I have that potential. I realize that we will never have "enough money", but babies do require a certain amount of things to give them a healthy start I.E. health insurance. We do not want to shrug off the importance of having children, but since we are the primary people bringing life to them on earth we recognize that it is ultimately our decision to make. We pray very regularly about this matter and I know that when we do have children the Lord will bless us with the things we need so long as we do our best. I don't quite understand how it is possible to have some much love in your heart for something that we do not have yet but I do. Last night Rhen and I were watching Freaks and Geeks (it sounds like a pretty silly thing but oh well) and after watching these siblings going through their lives it really affected me. I started crying-full blown crying- thinking and worrying about the things my children will have to go through in their lives and hoping and praying that they are kind and loving to one another. I felt peace come over me as I prayed, knowing that all will be well. Here are the main things I'm trying to get across:
Rhen and I love children and will have them, someday.
We don't plan on waiting an extremely long amount of time for them.
We haven't decided to have them right now either.
We will take into advice your opinions because you are important to us, but it won't be because of you that we make this choice either.
Please do not try to make us feel bad about our decisions, it only pushes you further away.
I'm sorry if that was blunt, but it is the truth. This isn't meant to be rude or put a wall between us, it's just to let you know why Rhen and I have been private on this matter. I recognize that people are interested in this, and I am not telling you to stop asking or being interested in our life, I just wanted to explain our reasoning.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Going without
Last night I made the decision to stop shampooing my hair. I'm not sure how long I will stick to this, but I figured I had all the ingredients (baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and water) so what the hey! Anyway, I followed all the directions that I had found online and put it to the test. Mid-shower, the apple cider vinegar concoction got knocked over and spilled all over the shower floor(which, due to the very odd design of our shower is consequently half of the bathroom floor) and sent the aromatic smell of vinegar everywhere. I figured "oh well, that's just the conditioner portion anyway" so I went on, pouring the baking soda water into my hair. It was a weird feeling, I'm not sure exactly how to describe it. It felt like even though my hair was wet.. It was dry. Not a very good explanation, but if you decide to try it you will know what I'm talking about. After a few minutes of attempted rinsing I had thought that it was all out. Nope, wrong! I woke up this morning with matted dreads. If you want over night dreads, I highly suggest this technique! My hair is very voluminous today, but I think that's because it's still coated in baking soda and won't lie flat. Despite this turn of events, I'm going to keep doing it and using the vinegar rinse to get the baking soda out. I will update soon to find out if I smell like rotting apples or if my hair falls out!
*Edited 2/16*
I'm such a quitter, I shampooed my hair regularly on Valentines Day. I will try to go back to baking soda soon, but I am going to have to adjust the recipe. It makes my hair super dry and stiff and weird. Hoping that with the adjustments it will improve. I'll keep you posted.
*Edited 2/16*
I'm such a quitter, I shampooed my hair regularly on Valentines Day. I will try to go back to baking soda soon, but I am going to have to adjust the recipe. It makes my hair super dry and stiff and weird. Hoping that with the adjustments it will improve. I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Old Essay
I was going through my old e-mail accounts and I found this essay I had to write a few years ago. It's really interesting to me because I have always been very critical of my writing abilities especially when reviewing old papers, but I actually really enjoyed reading this!
Mistakes Define Us
Today, youth and adults alike strive for perfection. In this competitive world we are taught that only the best can succeed and anything less than that will fall short. However I disagree with this. It is my belief that the only way to excel is by experiencing mistakes and growing from them.
I don’t mean that I enjoy the lightening fast speed of which my stomach ties itself in a knot, nor the feverish symptoms that occur almost instantly when I’ve done something wrong. These are not the things that I’m talking about, it’s after it has past that I can look back and retrace my steps. Looking back on your mistakes is difficult, but realizing ways to avoid repeating it is worth the effort, even the mistake.
Working with customers has kept this belief with me and continues to prove itself time and again. Scooping ice cream daily may seem tedious and without room for mistake, but there definitely is. One afternoon my coworker and I were working a pretty slow day, when while we were helping a woman with a more expensive order, I accidently hit a button on the cash register, causing it to close up with no intention of ever opening again. After hitting every button on the register we could find we ended up just giving away the product. To add to my distress a rush came in immediately after this. I had no idea what to do, when a patient elderly woman suggested a button under the machine and it worked! The register came to life and we were able to serve anyone with no trouble. Since this discovery we’ve made the same mistake again, and being able to use my prior knowledge, it is no trouble to get back on track.
The woman’s patience helped me to feel calmer and less embarrassed about the situation. This taught me to feel compassion for those who are struggling and to show patience. If there is any way for me to help other people feel better about the problems they have, I will do it. This is another belief of mine: Be patient with others mistakes.
Many people become depressed and anxious when they make a mistake, they end up regretting most of their past. I believe in accepting that the past. The decisions I’ve made have led us up to this point and that I’m happy with who I am, so I don’t have any regrets about how I got here. I’ve made a lot of dumb decisions, but because I am able to look at them from a wiser point of view I am able to avoid repeating them.
Everyone on earth makes mistakes and I firmly believe that there is absolutely no sense on fretting long over them. Remembering that other people mess up too, helps me to feel better and get back on my feet. Also when I began to be more patient with others errors I became more comfortable learning from my own.
Mistakes Define Us
Today, youth and adults alike strive for perfection. In this competitive world we are taught that only the best can succeed and anything less than that will fall short. However I disagree with this. It is my belief that the only way to excel is by experiencing mistakes and growing from them.
I don’t mean that I enjoy the lightening fast speed of which my stomach ties itself in a knot, nor the feverish symptoms that occur almost instantly when I’ve done something wrong. These are not the things that I’m talking about, it’s after it has past that I can look back and retrace my steps. Looking back on your mistakes is difficult, but realizing ways to avoid repeating it is worth the effort, even the mistake.
Working with customers has kept this belief with me and continues to prove itself time and again. Scooping ice cream daily may seem tedious and without room for mistake, but there definitely is. One afternoon my coworker and I were working a pretty slow day, when while we were helping a woman with a more expensive order, I accidently hit a button on the cash register, causing it to close up with no intention of ever opening again. After hitting every button on the register we could find we ended up just giving away the product. To add to my distress a rush came in immediately after this. I had no idea what to do, when a patient elderly woman suggested a button under the machine and it worked! The register came to life and we were able to serve anyone with no trouble. Since this discovery we’ve made the same mistake again, and being able to use my prior knowledge, it is no trouble to get back on track.
The woman’s patience helped me to feel calmer and less embarrassed about the situation. This taught me to feel compassion for those who are struggling and to show patience. If there is any way for me to help other people feel better about the problems they have, I will do it. This is another belief of mine: Be patient with others mistakes.
Many people become depressed and anxious when they make a mistake, they end up regretting most of their past. I believe in accepting that the past. The decisions I’ve made have led us up to this point and that I’m happy with who I am, so I don’t have any regrets about how I got here. I’ve made a lot of dumb decisions, but because I am able to look at them from a wiser point of view I am able to avoid repeating them.
Everyone on earth makes mistakes and I firmly believe that there is absolutely no sense on fretting long over them. Remembering that other people mess up too, helps me to feel better and get back on my feet. Also when I began to be more patient with others errors I became more comfortable learning from my own.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Welcome to our Blog!
Hello! I never thought that I would find myself on the writing end of a blog, but here I am! We are, actually. I created this blog spot for both Rhen and I to write about all the things going on in our lives and so that we can keep in touch with all of our friends and family. I have never really written a blog (or consistently in a journal for that matter) so please forgive me if it is not entertaining or particularly insightful, it's a work in progress I guess!
Moving to Colorado has been an experience for sure and there have been a lot of ups and downs, but I think the hardest thing for me has been leaving behind family and friends. So I decided that since I'm such a slacker Facebook Friend (especially due to some recent events...) I would start a little blog to keep you updated this way instead.
So here's what's going on:
Melanie- I've mostly been working and moping around. I have felt particularly mopey this past month, but I suppose that's just January in general. In a series of events Rhen and I made the decision to adopt a puppy. We had her for one day and I got attached right away. I loved that little puppy, she was such a sweet heart. Anyway one thing lead to another and Rhen and I were made to give her back. This pretty much tore my heart out, I think I had attached to her so much because she was (besides my husband) the only thing I could really call my own here in Colorado. I've just been so lonely recently and it's really difficult for me as Rhen gets to be surrounded by his whole family while I am 20+ hours away from mine. Of course I love the Parmenters, they are my family, but it is really different when you are so far away from everything familiar to you. In an effort to forgive and forget Rhen and I decided we needed to get away for the weekend. This last weekend we drove over to Denver to have some alone time and it was wonderful! We were able to visit the Denver Museum of Science and Nature on Friday, the Denver Art Museum on Saturday (which is HUGE) and the Denver Aquarium on Saturday, and the Denver Zoo on Sunday. It was so much fun and it really helped me to calm down and move on with my life. I miss all my friends at FCWC and I seriously think about them every day! I hope all is well. I really miss my sister most of all though, it's hard being so far away when we have been so close our whole lives. I saw this quote that summarized it perfectly, it said "Sister is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship." Last of all, I've decided to start taking some free online courses just to keep my brain growing before I go back to school, I'm very excited to do this because I feel like it will help me feel more fulfilled and thus less mopey and pitiful. Sorry that that was depressing, now you see why I don't post on facebook all the time.
This building is the smaller annex portion of the Art Museum taken from the view of the 7th floor of the main Art Museum building!
Pretty Jelly Fish
Rhen survived!
He was showing off for me
Just chillin'
Moving to Colorado has been an experience for sure and there have been a lot of ups and downs, but I think the hardest thing for me has been leaving behind family and friends. So I decided that since I'm such a slacker Facebook Friend (especially due to some recent events...) I would start a little blog to keep you updated this way instead.
So here's what's going on:
Melanie- I've mostly been working and moping around. I have felt particularly mopey this past month, but I suppose that's just January in general. In a series of events Rhen and I made the decision to adopt a puppy. We had her for one day and I got attached right away. I loved that little puppy, she was such a sweet heart. Anyway one thing lead to another and Rhen and I were made to give her back. This pretty much tore my heart out, I think I had attached to her so much because she was (besides my husband) the only thing I could really call my own here in Colorado. I've just been so lonely recently and it's really difficult for me as Rhen gets to be surrounded by his whole family while I am 20+ hours away from mine. Of course I love the Parmenters, they are my family, but it is really different when you are so far away from everything familiar to you. In an effort to forgive and forget Rhen and I decided we needed to get away for the weekend. This last weekend we drove over to Denver to have some alone time and it was wonderful! We were able to visit the Denver Museum of Science and Nature on Friday, the Denver Art Museum on Saturday (which is HUGE) and the Denver Aquarium on Saturday, and the Denver Zoo on Sunday. It was so much fun and it really helped me to calm down and move on with my life. I miss all my friends at FCWC and I seriously think about them every day! I hope all is well. I really miss my sister most of all though, it's hard being so far away when we have been so close our whole lives. I saw this quote that summarized it perfectly, it said "Sister is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship." Last of all, I've decided to start taking some free online courses just to keep my brain growing before I go back to school, I'm very excited to do this because I feel like it will help me feel more fulfilled and thus less mopey and pitiful. Sorry that that was depressing, now you see why I don't post on facebook all the time.
Well I thought I would leave space for Rhen to write, but he doesn't want to so I guess you only get to here from me today! Please enjoy these pictures from our trip!
There was a lot of awesome looking architecture in this part of the city!
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