I now have my very own brand new motor scooter.  Scooters have been Dh’s obsession lately; he even joined a local riders’ club that is family friendly so the kids and I have been able to join him for all the fun. Last week the club had a rally at a scooter shop where the owner was giving away a scooter to the person who could guess how many laps around the city block a DJ could ride it before it ran out of gas. They were not disclosing how much gas was actually in the tank. I figured the DJ didn’t want to spend all day riding around the block, so I guessed 2 laps, and won this beautiful T@nk 50cc scooter with the trunk attached to the back. Woooo Hoooo! It is equipped with an alarm and the motor will start with the push of a button on the key chain. Fancy, eh?

The only drawback for me about this particular model is that its top speed is around 35 mph, which is totally impractical in my neck of the woods. If I lived downtown or around a college campus it would be perfect. If only I had it 15 years ago when I regularly walked from the grocery store back to campus lugging a few gallons of milk. There’s enough storage room in the trunk and also under the seat to hold at least a week’s worth of food for one student (unless that student also plays defense on the football team).

So…do you want to buy a scooter? 

I’m awed by the experiences I’ve heard about clashes and competition that occur in female in-law relationships — whether it’s that the daughters-in-law aren’t perfect enough or the mothers-in-law are just plain crazy or there’s some kind of cattiness going on among the sisters-in-law. I have to admit that I scored in the in-law department. We are different in every way, but they have accepted me, and I enjoy our diversity.

I grew up in a very active religious family. Serving in the church and going to the various church-sponsored activities was our life. Our discussions were usually centered on the goings-on at church. I went to a church college and served a mission. Dh grew up in a not-so-religiously active home. His mom is Catholic and his father is Jewish, but Dh never attended a church service until he was in his 20s. When he was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 24 (three years before I met him), his parents respected his decision.

I met Dh’s parents at their annual Christmas egg nog party about 2 months into our dating. I immediately fell in love with Dh’s father who is originally from New York and still has his Brooklyn Jewish accent. I was a missionary in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island for 18 months and have great nostalgia for the place. My FIL is a real easy-going guy. He has a huge collection of sports memorabilia. He used to smoke (and was only allowed to do it outside at home) but quit when our first son was born eight years ago, and since then, he’s been keeping himself healthy by ice skating nearly every day. However, he was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and will be having surgery on the 30th. Any prayers for him will be appreciated.

My MIL is a very active woman. She teaches yoga, sells her photography, and belongs to hiking and skiing clubs. In fact, she was pictured in the local paper skiing down the hill in a formal gown when her club had a Prom Day. She believes her son is a good man, but doesn’t put him on a pedastal, and she has never, EVER, made me feel like I wasn’t good enough to be part of her family. She’s originally from Massachusetts and when her father died about 5 years ago, she showed us around her hometown. I loved becoming more acquainted with her history and her family.

One subject that could have been touchy between me and the in-laws was when Dh and I were married and sealed for eternity in the LDS Temple. You need to be a member of the LDS church and have a temple recommend to be able to attend and participate in the ceremonies in the temple, therefore, my in-laws were not able to see our sealing (but neither did my brother and all but one of my four sisters). They did go and wait for us in the foyer during our sealing ceremony and they seemed genuinely happy for us when we met up with them afterwards. Later that day, before our reception, we had a ring ceremony at the church and invited all our family and friends who were not able to attend the temple. My wedding day was so peaceful to me, and I owe it to my in-laws for keeping such a gracious attitude about Dh’s and my determination to be sealed in the temple. Since then, the in-laws have supported us in our religious events as they have come to church for each of our babies’ blessings and also to Ant’s baptism. 

I’m so grateful to my mother- and father-in-law for keeping our relationship positive, for overlooking my faults in housekeeping and child rearing, for encouraging me in my different interests, for sharing their histories with me, and for raising such a wonderful and responsible man.

I’ve been absent from the blogs lately (mine included). So when I checked my bloglines yesterday, I found 103 of your posts waiting for me to read. It was almost overwhelming, and I was tempted to just reset it and start fresh, but then I would be missing out. So guess what I did all day yesterday. Sorry, I wasn’t about to make 103 comments.

It was nice to have a lazy day after PTA meetings and playgroups and volunteering and cleaning the house and church meetings and parent-teacher conferences. Today the kids start a 10-day fall break from school. I’m ready for it. My brain is mush–so mushy that I can’t think of anything else to do with the kids besides letting them sit in front of the Disney channel or PBS on TV.

Have any ideas?

Oh, and another thing. What would you do? Spend $2,000 to fix the timing belt of a 1986 Mercedes that leaks oil, or scrap it and look to buy another inexpensive older car?

Dh has been taking the van (instead of his scooter) more often to his appointments that are in the neighboring cities. One guy (a mega-producer) said he wouldn’t do business with Dh if he brought his scooter…something about it looking unprofessional. It may be unprofessional, but it’s cheap! Plus it’s not like we live in Singapore and can pile all 3 kids and our dog on the scooter with me. Besides, Alicia would probably refuse to be my friend if I did that.

Oh well, if Dh does business with this guy, we may be able to afford something more appropriate.

My best friend from high school is the director of a local scholarship pageant affiliated with the Miss America Organization. She started competing in pageants herself after we graduated HS, but I had left the area for college and then a mission, and I never got to see her compete. When I moved back about 4 years later, she had won a local title, and had participated in the pageant for the state title. Since then, she has helped many other young women prepare themselves for competition. Also, as the director of this local pageant, my friend finds volunteers to help with the whole production, giving them the opportunity to expand their horizons as they become stage managers, lighting specialists, and contestant hostesses. Last week, Heidi (my sis) and I became hostesses for the big event and I thought I’d share some insights.

1. These pageants can help pay for college. I never took the "scholarship" part seriously until I talked with a few of the young women who will be graduating with no debt since they competed 5-8 times. Even runners-up receive some type of scholarship.
2. To prevent wedgies during the swimming suit competition, apply butt glue to your bottom and then stretch the bikini brief to its proper place.
3. You may also glue your strapless evening gown to your breasts to prevent slippage.
4. The butt glue (or body glue) can be purchased at your local prosthetics shop.
5. Hot tea and honey can help prepare your voice for singing. Don’t put the honey in the tea though, just squirt it right down your throat.
6. Be sure to sing your Italian opera piece 50 or more times in the dressing room to warm up your voice, or to intimidate the other contestants, or to annoy the hostesses.
7. Bring lots and lots of pins–safety and bobby.
8. Duct tape can be used to form cleavage out of nothing.
9. Ask your mom to teach you how she curls your hair since she won’t be allowed in the dressing room on the big night.