The Produce Section

the cantaloupe
I saw you in the produce there
and thought to myself, do I really dare
pick out a fine melon and take it straight home
risking the fact you’ll be all alone
in my kitchen lying atop the counter or worse
in the frig to freeze solid (next to my purse)
just to find you weeks later
behind the soft moldy tater
whose eyes long and white—
just the thought causes fright—
for it too I’d bought, with intentions to eat,
yet consistently forgot it (along with the meat)
so cantaloupe tell me, you think I should chance it
taking you home, though there’s threat you’ll go rancid?

I wrote this poem for a class and was thinking about it this evening and laughing hard at the fact that I could actually remember the first two lines . . . maybe the memories are returning!

Don't tell me you have NEVER bought something only to have it go rotten while hidden in the back recesses of your fridge or fruit bowl. That's the hazard of buying fresh fruit for one. Or bread, veggies and milk products. I've even poured a bowl of cereal here and noticed that it had bugs in it. Not something you want to see floating in the milk with the rice chex!!

Happy Halloween! We had probably 12 trick-or-treaters here. I guess I'll have to pawn the rest of the candy off on my roommate and her son. Me and my booted costume! I'll have to take a picture of it. Simply put, I dressed up as the friendly neighborhood schizophrenic . . . with two orthotic boots.
-MOPS

The Makeover!

I have to admit. I like makeover shows: What Not to Wear & Extreeme Home Makeover. So I figured it was about time I made over the blog. It's looked the same since I started it back in 2005, so I guess it was overdue.

I'm going to work on keeping the blog better up to date and keeping up with you fun people who read it. I appreciate your comments and participation.

Tell me what you think of the makeover and what I could do to make it more interesting.

Thanks! -MOPS

The Halloween Costume

Oh, I bet you're wondering what I would be for Halloween. I have basically three options: The stay puff marshmellow man, Frankenstien or Herman Munster!

You see my little foot that was hurt at the beginning of the month was finally diagnosed by a podiatrist as having tendon/muscle damage and so he's having me wear a velcro metal boot on that left foot. Then he looked again at my xrays of my other foot and told me that my right foot would hurt more with my overpronating when I was wearing the boot so he put a boot on the right foot too!

I am becoming rather adapt at walking like this. At first I was walking like Herman Munster, but now I can walk pretty well. In fact the funny thing is both my feet feel much better than they did before I "hurt" the left one. I've had bad feet for years and now niether can overpronate because their both forced to walk straight. Now I just need to get the muscle up to par. It brings new meaning to the leg lift idea.

I am so grateful that I already had that appt with the podiatrist because my sprained ankle seemed to be getting worse and worse with the passing weeks instead of becoming that perky, happy, yet smelly foot that it was.

So which shall I be for Halloween? Of course, if I'm going to be wearing these boots for the next 6 weeks I may as well wear the costume the entire time too, right? -MOPS

Ahh! My foot!

Okay, so I have relearned a lesson I learned a LONG time ago. Don't run after the elders! And don't run in the Church! Sunday I was at the North Stake's ASL class for game night and saw the elders leaving. Well, I'm now teaching a class they began and so I wanted to see if they had any ideas. (Can you see where this is going?) So I am running through the foyer, calling after the elders and roll, snap, I fell, biting my tongue in the process of trying not to let out a scream at church. I couldn't put any pressure on my left foot. A lump was swelling on the side and soon it turned blue. Nice. This is the same foot, I might add, that I twisted what? three months ago. So, I have weak ankles! Tis true.

The elders came back and gave me a priesthood blessing with a man named Randy from the ASL Branch.

My roommate took me home. (Sweet thing that she is.) We iced it and called the Dr. I went to the appointment on Monday Morning thanks to my willing Grandpa. I also made it to all the other Dr's appointments I had on Monday thanks to my VT, Heidi and my roommate's son, Collin.

My Dr. said my foot was sprained. He looked at the Xrays and said it would be fine. My other Dr said he was very happy I was feeling more and more like myself and to ease into the activities. My other Dr. talked to me about some goals. Ah . . . goals. Finish the book! Get involved in institute. Go to the NAMI classes. And . . . count down the days to Halloween. Nah, just kidding. Although I think I will be handing out the candy this year. Yeah!

My parents are back from their trip to Utah. They had a blast. They even brought me back a dark chocolate bar made from Madagascar cocoa beans. I guess that means David and Judy will feel right at home in Utah when they get home from their mission and can still get Madagascar Chocolate bars in Utah!

Conference this weekend was Awesome! It never ceases to amaze me that those things I am praying for are answered in the various talks. The Choir sounded fantastic! I am proud to say I have a cousin in it! She keeps me updated with all the news.

We celebrated my Grandma P. 86th Birthday!! I got a great picture of her blowing out her six candles. She looks like a kid again!

I found my journals and have slowly been transferring them into digital. So far I've finished one. What a riot it is to read them! I started writing a journal in 1987, so I was 12. Ah, the memories!

Well, until later!-MOPS

The Lovely Sarah Price

Greetings fellow fans! Hope you are all doing well. I am just hanging out in the SDSU institute and having a lot of fun. Sister North challenged me to a game of ping pong and I must have learned how to play somewhere because I gave her a run for the money.

I went to the B of M Class today and it was fantastic. It is fun to relearn the Book Of Mormon stories that my teacher told to me. It's frustrating too, because in my mind I'm saying to myself "Don't I know this already??" But I am relearning it in any case.

I have met (And remet) some fantastic people here and I am enjoying being around them.

I had the opportunity to walk to the trolley today with a girl who works at a mentoring program for people who have disabilities. It was so much fun to talk with her and learn about what she is doing to help others. It reminds me how much fun I have had meeting new people and making friends with people who have various "disabilities." So many of them are just a light to me!

Earlier this week I went to the SDSU student Disability center to see if I could volunteer as a notetaker or as a reader for students who may need it. I know that I did that at BYU and I think it would be an excellent thing to continue in that. Evidently they don't even have those kinds of services at SDSU. So We'll see what we can do. Hmmm . . . any ideas?

I am so fascinated by people, I really am. I am fascinated by our differences and our cultures and just the amazing variety we have with backgrounds and languages. I am fascinated by the things we can learn from each other! Note: Fascinated is the word of the day. :)

Today I was called by the NAMI peer to Peer program. For those of you who aren't familiar with NAMI its the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. I guess I signed up for the program a while ago but I had to wait on a waiting list (if I understand correctly). Anyway, I was invited to come to the Meetings beginning Saturday Oct. 24. there are 10 meetings. Once I have completed the meetings I will be invited to become part of and get trained to become a mentor for others with mental illness. After doing that for a while I can become trained to teach others around the community about mental illness. I am truly excited to become part of that.

Well, my parents went off to Utah for vacation. I really wish I could have gone with them and seen all you guys who are up around there! But, as my mom put it, it's time for their second honeymoon. So I hope they have a LOT of fun! Too bad I couldn't have borrowed a skateboard and a rope and just hung on behind them! Tee hee!

Well, I'd better be off. I have things to do, people to meet and places to see! Love you guys!
-MOPS