Sunday, January 30, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
CrossFit
My brother-in-law was recently in the newspaper:
(The Peninsula Gateway)
"College students can no longer expect to walk out into the world right after they graduate and be handed the golden career they’ve been studying so hard for. But two young men from Gig Harbor refused to let hard times get them down.
Instead of standing in the unemployment line, Michael Kelley and Matt Graham pooled their talents to start a new business. They recently opened a new gym, Narrows Crossfit, on Jahn Avenue in Gig Harbor.
(Michael is the guy hanging upside-down)
Kelley graduated from pilot school with dreams of flying for United Parcel Service.
“Every pilot wants to fly for UPS,” he said. “I applied everywhere. But it just wasn’t a good time for pilots.”
...Narrows Crossfit came together at lightning speed. The men devised a plan in September, got a business license in November and opened on Jan. 1. They worked around the clock to put the gym together on a steady diet of espresso.
“We worked 14 hours every day, including Christmas Eve, for 20 days,” Graham said.
At first glance, the knotted ropes that hang from the ceiling and the pull-up bars and free weights make it look more like a military boot camp. But Kelley said there’s a specific science to crossfit training. It focuses on core strength and mobility to produce visible results."
CrossFit Website
It was fun to see Michael and Lory (Greg's Mom) in the professional gym video. It makes me want to go lift some weights, or go for a bike ride or something.
Anyway, there's a little positive advertising for Michael...although I don't think anyone in/near Gig Harbor reads my blog...
(The Peninsula Gateway)
"College students can no longer expect to walk out into the world right after they graduate and be handed the golden career they’ve been studying so hard for. But two young men from Gig Harbor refused to let hard times get them down.
Instead of standing in the unemployment line, Michael Kelley and Matt Graham pooled their talents to start a new business. They recently opened a new gym, Narrows Crossfit, on Jahn Avenue in Gig Harbor.
(Michael is the guy hanging upside-down)
Kelley graduated from pilot school with dreams of flying for United Parcel Service.
“Every pilot wants to fly for UPS,” he said. “I applied everywhere. But it just wasn’t a good time for pilots.”
...Narrows Crossfit came together at lightning speed. The men devised a plan in September, got a business license in November and opened on Jan. 1. They worked around the clock to put the gym together on a steady diet of espresso.
“We worked 14 hours every day, including Christmas Eve, for 20 days,” Graham said.
At first glance, the knotted ropes that hang from the ceiling and the pull-up bars and free weights make it look more like a military boot camp. But Kelley said there’s a specific science to crossfit training. It focuses on core strength and mobility to produce visible results."
CrossFit Website
It was fun to see Michael and Lory (Greg's Mom) in the professional gym video. It makes me want to go lift some weights, or go for a bike ride or something.
Anyway, there's a little positive advertising for Michael...although I don't think anyone in/near Gig Harbor reads my blog...
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Memphis Single's Branch
I was looking for something to help prepare for the wednesday night activity when I came across this website. The guys in this branch are pretty funny. They make short videos and post them to advertise the activities for the young single adults. Here's a couple of the ones I liked. (Of course, you can expect them to be ridiculous and corny...just the sort of thing I like. hahahaha.)
The Halloween Dance:
The Asian-Themed Break the Fast (This is a social potluck meal after church to end our fast...it's fun.)
Spudwood Dirby...I want to do this one. It looks like fun!
Funny Videos Website
The Halloween Dance:
The Asian-Themed Break the Fast (This is a social potluck meal after church to end our fast...it's fun.)
Spudwood Dirby...I want to do this one. It looks like fun!
Funny Videos Website
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Verizon Sucks
(That's not my car.)
This may be a boring blog post because it's not about treats or fun things...but because we live in America and we can speak freely about pretty much anything, I want to tell this story so I can give Verizon some bad advertising. I think they earned it after by trying so hard to rip us off.
I like having a phone, and it's pretty much required in our society...but we were really close to canceling our Verizon account.
A few months ago we decided to cancel Greg's phone so we could trim down our budget and save more money. So we called in November and asked them to cancel it. There were some cancellation fees, and they said the phone could not be canceled in the middle of a billing cycle (which I know to be untrue). In December we were supposed to pay the cancellation fee and the bill for my phone only. They told us about what that would be, and then they told us what we would be paying in January and forever while we just have my phone. December came and Greg's phone kept working. He had stopped using it, but used it again one day by accident and then realized he still had service. So he called them again and spent a LONG time on the phone, finally figuring out that the person made a note to cancel the phone, but never actually did it.
So they canceled it a few days late, and charged us for those days even though it was their fault... Since we pay a month in advance, we were supposed to be refunded what we paid for Greg's phone in December, but they didn't refund all of the charges. So in January when we were supposed to pay half of what we used to pay, our bill was only a few dollars less. Greg spent over about an hour on the phone with a guy trying to figure it out. The guy didn't understand it, so he'd put Greg on hold for 20 minutes at a time to ask the supervisor. The supervisor would convince the guy it was right, and then he'd talk to Greg again. And Greg would point out another problem and it'd start all over. Greg printed out several pages of our payment history and tried calling again. The lady on the phone said, "I will try to explain it to you." Instead of, "I will try to find the problem." She refused to look for a mistake on Verizon's part, and was irritated when Greg explained the first mistake to her. She still refused to look for mistakes and kept trying to explain why she was right. So he hung up.
We went to the Verizon store to talk to someone in person. Greg took the pages he printed out and explained step by step how Verizon had messed up and what our bill should be. The guy at the store then had to call the same people we've been calling, and he explained it to them step by step as Greg had done. FINALLY they recognized that they were capable of making a mistake and fixed the billing for us. That took an hour and a half at the store.
And at the end of it all, we felt like we should be compensated for the many hours we spent trying to fix the problem that was not our fault, but Verizon refused to do anything. I was mad that we had to work so hard to get our billing fixed, and had to spend so much time doing it. I'm mad that they continued to deny there were any mistakes, and I can't imagine what kind of idiot the supervisor was to continually go over the history with the other employee and convince him that it was right, while there were glaring mistakes. This makes me think they purposefully overcharged us and are dishonest in their business dealings.
Most people would have given up and just paid the bill. What a bunch of jerks.
This may be a boring blog post because it's not about treats or fun things...but because we live in America and we can speak freely about pretty much anything, I want to tell this story so I can give Verizon some bad advertising. I think they earned it after by trying so hard to rip us off.
I like having a phone, and it's pretty much required in our society...but we were really close to canceling our Verizon account.
A few months ago we decided to cancel Greg's phone so we could trim down our budget and save more money. So we called in November and asked them to cancel it. There were some cancellation fees, and they said the phone could not be canceled in the middle of a billing cycle (which I know to be untrue). In December we were supposed to pay the cancellation fee and the bill for my phone only. They told us about what that would be, and then they told us what we would be paying in January and forever while we just have my phone. December came and Greg's phone kept working. He had stopped using it, but used it again one day by accident and then realized he still had service. So he called them again and spent a LONG time on the phone, finally figuring out that the person made a note to cancel the phone, but never actually did it.
So they canceled it a few days late, and charged us for those days even though it was their fault... Since we pay a month in advance, we were supposed to be refunded what we paid for Greg's phone in December, but they didn't refund all of the charges. So in January when we were supposed to pay half of what we used to pay, our bill was only a few dollars less. Greg spent over about an hour on the phone with a guy trying to figure it out. The guy didn't understand it, so he'd put Greg on hold for 20 minutes at a time to ask the supervisor. The supervisor would convince the guy it was right, and then he'd talk to Greg again. And Greg would point out another problem and it'd start all over. Greg printed out several pages of our payment history and tried calling again. The lady on the phone said, "I will try to explain it to you." Instead of, "I will try to find the problem." She refused to look for a mistake on Verizon's part, and was irritated when Greg explained the first mistake to her. She still refused to look for mistakes and kept trying to explain why she was right. So he hung up.
We went to the Verizon store to talk to someone in person. Greg took the pages he printed out and explained step by step how Verizon had messed up and what our bill should be. The guy at the store then had to call the same people we've been calling, and he explained it to them step by step as Greg had done. FINALLY they recognized that they were capable of making a mistake and fixed the billing for us. That took an hour and a half at the store.
And at the end of it all, we felt like we should be compensated for the many hours we spent trying to fix the problem that was not our fault, but Verizon refused to do anything. I was mad that we had to work so hard to get our billing fixed, and had to spend so much time doing it. I'm mad that they continued to deny there were any mistakes, and I can't imagine what kind of idiot the supervisor was to continually go over the history with the other employee and convince him that it was right, while there were glaring mistakes. This makes me think they purposefully overcharged us and are dishonest in their business dealings.
Most people would have given up and just paid the bill. What a bunch of jerks.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
I just can't understand why I'm not loosing weight!
We made 3 batches of muddy buddies and a batch of cupcakes to take to our friend's house tonight. We're going to have dinner, play games, and stay the night, so we thought we'd better be prepared. There's nothing worse than a party without treats and snacks!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Love my boots!
I've been needing some good boots to wear in the snow. I have steel-toe boots, which keep the snow out, but then my toes freeze. (Haha, cause the metal gets cold.) Anyway, we went searching for boots. All the boots I tried on were stiff and uncomfortable, and most of them would take 15 minutes just to put on.
Finally, we went to Tri-State and started looking. I saw some boots called Bogs. They were on sale, so I tried them on. Miracle of Miracles! They were comfortable! The sole is squishy and soft, and the sock part of the boot is made of neoprene. You just slide your foot in and it's on! No annoying laces to get tangled up or mushy with snow and mud. And I can wear my fat wool socks with them and play in the snow for hours without getting wet or cold feet. It's amazing!
(The picture at the top is the kind I got. And there are lots of variations. If you google "Bogs" you'll see lots of different kinds.)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Flower Hair Clips
Wendy taught me how to make these pretty flower clips when we had our Sister's weekend last year.
Since then I've had a lot of fun making lots of different kinds. They are so easy, fast, and inexpensive to make that I thought it would be a good idea to use as a birthday gift for our Young Women this year. We're going to give them a small plate of cookies and let them pick 3 clips when it's their birthday.
Today was the first birthday of the year, so everybody was wondering what the gift would be this year. They were pretty excited to see those flower clips! I'm glad! I was pretty sure they would like them, but it would be sad if they didn't. So, it was a success.
How to make them:
Get some fabric that is like silk, or a synthetic polymer. (Not cotton)
Cut out circles of the fabric of different sizes. I like to do a small, medium, and large circle. Three to five layers is good.
Put the fabric near a candle flame. You will have to experiment a little to see how the fabric reacts. Usually I just move the fabric in and out of the flame carefully to get the edges to scrunch up. If you're really good, you can make it look like there are actual petals, instead of just a scrunched up circle. It's also a good idea to make sure the edges is melted all the way around the circle to keep it from fraying later. (It's hard to go back and fix it after the clip is made.)
When all the layers are done, you can use a glue gun to glue them together and to glue the flower to the clip. (Make sure you don't glue the clip closed!) The glue stays kind of tacky for awhile, so I like to stick a piece of toothpick in the clip to keep it open a little. I also like to clip it on the edge of a plate after it's had time to cool with the toothpick.
If you are buying fabric, you can ask for 4 to 5 inches and you can make several flowers with that. If you want to make a lot of clips, it's cheap to buy the clip part online. I found some on Amazon: 50 clips for $2, with $5 shipping.
The other part is the center of the flower. You can use a jewel (with a sticky back), a button, a pearl...etc. My favorite thing to use is that clear flower-shaped jewel you can see in my flowers. I like how shiny it is.
Since then I've had a lot of fun making lots of different kinds. They are so easy, fast, and inexpensive to make that I thought it would be a good idea to use as a birthday gift for our Young Women this year. We're going to give them a small plate of cookies and let them pick 3 clips when it's their birthday.
Today was the first birthday of the year, so everybody was wondering what the gift would be this year. They were pretty excited to see those flower clips! I'm glad! I was pretty sure they would like them, but it would be sad if they didn't. So, it was a success.
How to make them:
Get some fabric that is like silk, or a synthetic polymer. (Not cotton)
Cut out circles of the fabric of different sizes. I like to do a small, medium, and large circle. Three to five layers is good.
Put the fabric near a candle flame. You will have to experiment a little to see how the fabric reacts. Usually I just move the fabric in and out of the flame carefully to get the edges to scrunch up. If you're really good, you can make it look like there are actual petals, instead of just a scrunched up circle. It's also a good idea to make sure the edges is melted all the way around the circle to keep it from fraying later. (It's hard to go back and fix it after the clip is made.)
When all the layers are done, you can use a glue gun to glue them together and to glue the flower to the clip. (Make sure you don't glue the clip closed!) The glue stays kind of tacky for awhile, so I like to stick a piece of toothpick in the clip to keep it open a little. I also like to clip it on the edge of a plate after it's had time to cool with the toothpick.
If you are buying fabric, you can ask for 4 to 5 inches and you can make several flowers with that. If you want to make a lot of clips, it's cheap to buy the clip part online. I found some on Amazon: 50 clips for $2, with $5 shipping.
The other part is the center of the flower. You can use a jewel (with a sticky back), a button, a pearl...etc. My favorite thing to use is that clear flower-shaped jewel you can see in my flowers. I like how shiny it is.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Snow!
Pinus flexilis....in case you were wondering what kind of tree this is.
I got some pictures of the snow and hills we like to sled on. This hill is right next to our apartment (right outside my bedroom window) so it is handy to use for sledding. I'm glad we don't have to drive for hours to get up in the snowy mountains. We've gotten lots of snow this winter, and pretty much anywhere you are in Pullman, you are very close to a big hill.
We went down the hill shown above, and then up this little hill (below) and then went backwards...plowing into the snow with an abrupt stop. I felt like a cartoon. It probably looked really silly.
The next two pictures are to show the weird snow formation right outside our apartment. It looked like a wave at the ocean. (Sorry, I took the picture at night and it was hard to get the camera to focus right.)
I got some pictures of the snow and hills we like to sled on. This hill is right next to our apartment (right outside my bedroom window) so it is handy to use for sledding. I'm glad we don't have to drive for hours to get up in the snowy mountains. We've gotten lots of snow this winter, and pretty much anywhere you are in Pullman, you are very close to a big hill.
We went down the hill shown above, and then up this little hill (below) and then went backwards...plowing into the snow with an abrupt stop. I felt like a cartoon. It probably looked really silly.
The next two pictures are to show the weird snow formation right outside our apartment. It looked like a wave at the ocean. (Sorry, I took the picture at night and it was hard to get the camera to focus right.)
Monday, January 3, 2011
Floating Fiery Lanterns
On Christmas Eve Greg and I went driving around to see all the pretty Christmas lights. We were on our way home through downtown Pullman when we saw a big group of people crossing the street together. We were curious about what they were doing, so we pulled over and joined them. There was lots of excited talking and laughing, and then these lanterns started floating up to the sky. I had never seen them before! We just saw the movie Tangled a couple weeks ago, and I thought it was such a cool idea. I didn't know those lanterns were real! (I posted a video at the bottom of the post...)
It was kind of a funny place to send them off because we were on the corner of a busy intersection with lots of power lines criss-crossing and going over the road. One lantern got stuck on the power line and was positioned so the fire was burning directly ON the wire.
Greg had the idea to throw snow balls at it, so he did. A few people joined in, but it was Greg's snowball that put the fire out. (He was very proud of that.) A couple other lanterns bounced around on the power lines and came close to getting stuck, but they all ended up ok.
Oh, and one hit the power line and then floated down and landed in the middle of the busy road. Some brave person ran out into traffic to grab the flaming lantern and toss it back into the sky. (The lanterns were made out of special flame-resistant material, so they didn't catch fire at all.)
As I gazed into the sky at the 20-30 beautiful glowing orbs floating off in to space, I wondered how many forest fires they would start. (It was probably ok since it's winter and everything is covered in snow...but you never know.)
It turns out that the large group of people came from a church across the street. They were probably having a special Christmas Eve service. I was glad we happened to see them and got to watch the launch of the lanterns. They were pretty neat to watch.
This is a quarter that I found in the parking lot of our apartment complex. I just thought it was interesting and wanted to share. I wonder how it got bent.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
HexBug
This is a cool toy we got from Greg's parents. We got one green and one pink, so we can both play and make them "battle." They walk sort of like an inch-worm, and the middle part can spin. (That's how it turns when it walks.)
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