Author Archives: soniestephens

Surprise!

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Ok, I’m WAY late in blogging about this, but I’m taking care of it now so it’s all good. Rob had a big birthday on May 6th (he doesn’t like me saying how big, so I’ll let you figure that out), so I threw him a killer surprise party at Squatter’s a couple of days before.  Let me just say that I am amazing.  The dude seriously had NO CLUE!  I mean yes, it helps that he’s oblivious and unaware of his surroundings, but still.  I’m taking some of the credit here.  He kept his sunglasses on as we walked through the restaurant (classic Rob), so you can’t see the surprise in his eyes, but it was obvious he was blown away.  It actually took him about 30 seconds to realize the party was for him.

Here he is in total shock.


My sister Jessica and her husband, Heath. Jess was a huge help in pulling off the surprise. Heath did nothing except drink my glass of wine at the party.

Our little fam (minus Jack and Kitty, of course).

Rob was very surprised to see his good friend (my friend too!) Kathy who traveled from Arizona. Love Kathy!

Can you even believe this cake?! It’s a crashed mountain biking Rob! My wonderful nieces Nina and Carrie made it. I love them.

Oh and I made a toast. Not sure how good it was but I did work in this line, which I think is quite funny: “I could tell Rob was maybe a little older than me when I met him, so I asked my sister how old he was. She didn’t know, so I said, ‘well, if it turns out he’s too old for me, we should definitely set him up with Mom.'” I’m not sure how Rob felt about it.

Aloha!

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I’ve been traveling the last couple of weeks for work, and I think lack of sleep and recycled air have done me in.  So now I’m home and suffering with a sinus infection. My left cheek and head are pulsating with pain.  Good news is that I dragged my achy body to the doc’s yesterday and now have antibiotics to do some major bacteria ass kicking.

Even better news is that the sinus infection didn’t start until I got home.  I really would have been upset had it all started when I was in HAWAII.  Yes, Hawaii.  I know, it’s rough.  I’ve got to earn money somehow though, right?  Actually it’s usually pretty lonely when I travel (I prefer traveling with a buddy), but the people in Hawaii were so warm and welcoming.  I was lucky enough to extend my trip by a day, so I lounged in the sun and stared at the ocean.  I don’t think that view would ever get old.  As I was training my class, I had a stellar view and am very impressed that I was able to stay focused and not suddenly yell, “I can’t take it anymore, the beach is right there!”

Speaking of the training class, on the first break one of the participants asked me where in Utah I live.  He thought I looked really familiar, and then we realized we were in the same high school graduating class!  How random is that?  And how unfair is it that he lives in Kauai?!

Of course I was sad to leave such a beautiful place, but I definitely prefer being home with my family.  Plus, figuring out how to get in and out of airport bathrooms with luggage gets old fast.  Can someone please help airports redesign their bathroom stalls?  The following is a list of airport bathroom criteria:

1) The stall door must open outwards (try getting a suitcase in and out when it swings inward)

2) The stall must be large enough to accommodate 1 adult and up to 3 bags

3) Hooks must always be on doors for purses and laptop bags (no one wants to consider having to place their bag on the nasty floor)

There’s probably more, but I’ll stop.  Oh and for any of you traveling to Hawaii in the near future, WEAR SUNBLOCK!  I saw so many lobster-colored people and I wanted to yell, “Get the eff out of the sun!”  I like having color as much as the next person, but I prefer it to be closer to brown than bright pink.  Just sayin’.

Here is the view from my hotel room balcony.  Ahhhh.

Doggy Mommy

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Rob and Jack made my Mom’s Day today.  After Jack’s usual 6:00am wake-up with many kisses and jamming his paws on my neck, he and Rob presented me with a hot cup of coffee, beautiful flowers and a poem.  Rob says that Jack came up with all the words, but Rob helped him write them (he doesn’t have thumbs, remember). Some of my favorite lines:

Think of the things

That I’m much better at

Like not biting dad

And putting up with the cat

Know this Mom

That I love you a lot

You can tell when I’m scolded

And run to my spot

And I know my actions

Have made you cry

But I’m trying hard

To be your Good Guy!

This is the third poem that Rob and Jack have given me, and I cherish every single one of them.  This one made me laugh and cry.  It also made me feel hopeful.  I have been so anxious about Jack lately, but I know he will get it.  We just need to practice.  Today we let him off the leash at the park and he came right back every time!

And he always puts a smile on my face.  Like a few minutes ago when I was putting some laundry away and set a couple of towels on the floor.  Anything that is soft and placed on the floor is an invitation for Jack to lay on.  Which is exactly what he did.  I love my boys!

I Need a Hug

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We’re experiencing some stressful stuff with our little Jack.  He has proven to us that he has some real fear aggression issues, and although I know we’re going to do everything we can (with the assistance of a trainer), it’s really hard for me.  Today I got to my sister’s house and immediately broke into tears.  She’s the best sister in the world, so she let me cry as much as I wanted.  Stevie on the other hand told me, “Stop crying Aunt Sonie, it’s annoying.”  She’s not much of a comforter.  She did give me a couple of hugs afterwards, but I’m pretty sure she had an ulterior motive.

It might sound ridiculous to be so emotional, and I know that for the sake of Jack, I need to keep it together.  I love this dog so much though, and I worry.  I worry about the future for him and us as a family, I worry for other people that make him nervous and I worry that I might not be the right person for such a nervous dog.

I welcome all comforting thoughts and comments.  I need them.  Jack needs them too.

The Code

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Last night we got pulled over on I-215.  We had no idea why we were getting pulled over; we weren’t speeding, car is registered, car would have alerted us if a light was out.  And then we realized it was because the cop was a total douche bag with nothing better to do.  He approached the car and was like, “The reason I pulled you over is because we have a move over law in Utah.”  Rob was like, “Yeah, I know.  I actually tried to get over when I saw your lights but I couldn’t because a car was there.”  And this is the truth.  He really did try to get over.  Officer Douche Bag stated that he “looked in his mirror and we had plenty of room.”  Seriously dude?

Ok, so thanks for the reminder.  We’ll be going now.  Nope.  Then Officer I’m-Really-Bored asked us where we were headed.  Why in the hell is this any of your business? Plus, Rob and I actually didn’t know where we were going.  We were deciding as we drove, so we gave completely different answers, which probably looked suspicious and would have been better if we said we were on our way to make a drug deal and kill a couple people.  Oh, and then he asked us where we were coming from and quickly asked for license and registration.

When he came back to the car he had printed a warning and also the code that talks about the “move over” law.  And get this… He asked us to share it with 10 of our friends.  (Quick side note:  dude had really nasty teeth and little pieces of spit kept flying out of his mouth and landing in the rig).  So we quickly scheduled a conference call to spread the word.  Yeah right.  Instead, we thought about reminding him of our codes.  Like the one we have that states no douche bags are allowed to approach our vehicle.  Also, no saliva is to exit anyone’s mouth while in the car.

While he had us pulled over we had at least 20 cars pass us without moving over. I’m pretty sure one of them now knows the code.

The Daily – Hopeful

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Remember how I mentioned Jack is kind of a fearful dog and has taken little nips at people when he’s scared?  Well, we are really trying to do all we can to train him and take away the emotional response.  Today my brother-in-law and one of his employees came over because his employee is repairing and painting our deck for us this weekend.  Anyway, Jack was barking up a storm when he heard them on the deck.  So, I calmed his down (had him sit and gave him a treat), put him on his leash and we ventured out.  And he was a rockstar!  I had the guys give him treats and I praised the shit out of him for being so good.  He just smelled them and then wanted to be their best friend.  I know we have a ways to go, but I feel so hopeful.

Good boy Jack, good boy!

The Daily – Looks Can Be Deceiving

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Do not be deceived by this image of Jack.  Yes, he is a Mama’s boy, but he does not want anyone to know that.  In fact, he would be really pissed if he knew I was publishing this vulnerable picture of him.  He wants you to know that despite his size, he is tough and has no problem lunging at your leg if he needs to.

Living up to the Stereotype

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Last night Rob and I went to a class at REI about bike touring.  We’ve always wanted to do some sort of tour on our bikes.  For me, I envision a tour where we ride from campground (or motel if we really want some luxury) to campground where we can shower each night.  Listen, I’ve done backpacking trips that last a week without a shower, but it’s different when you’re dealing with serious butt sweat from sitting on a bike all day long. It’s no joke.  The presenter repeated several times that you need to “take care of your butt.”

Anyway, as we were sitting in the class I realized that almost every person in the room was wearing Tevas.  And I was like, holy shit, these people are so living up to the REI stereotype.  You know the one; doesn’t give a shit about their toenails, wouldn’t dream of wearing makeup, owns at least two pairs of TEVAS, gets noticeably angry when talking about RV’s ruining all the campgrounds.  And speaking of toenails, one dude had at least three black ones.  I didn’t want to look at them and yet I had to keep stealing a glance, each time feeling more and more queasy. As I looked around the room, I almost felt guilty for being an REI member and not owning a pair of this REI shopper staple.  I did the whole Birkenstock thing though and I still have nightmares about it.

The Daily – Filling up the Jar

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I really want a vacation.  Rob really needs a vacation.  We’re not going on vacation anytime soon.  What it really comes down to though is that perhaps, just perhaps, we’re not enjoying the regular ol’ days that are quickly passing us by.  And yes, it is really difficult to do so when your job is sucking all of the energy and life out of you.

At the beginning of 2012 Rob and I created a “memory jar” so that we can capture all the big and small happy moments we enjoy throughout the year.  So far there are 4 in the jar.  Not because we haven’t had good times and happy moments but because we haven’t taken the time to recognize them.  That’s about to change.  This jar is about to get worked!

The Daily – Sunday

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Sunday is probably my favorite day of the week.  I mean yes, it sucks that the next day is Monday, but I love so many things about Sundays.  I love the Sunday paper, the fact that we eat a “special” breakfast (not our typical green smoothie and toast) and that it’s usually a day of getting stuff done mixed with fun and relaxation. Today was not a typical Sunday though.  Rob had to go into work before noon and it looks like the earliest he’ll be home is 10:00pm.  I’m so proud of him for working so hard (watch Fox 13 tonight at 9:00pm for their first HD newscast in their brand spankin’ new studio!).  It makes me realize how much I miss having him around though and Sunday just doesn’t feel like Sunday today.