Good News Minute

Life is good again. Seth talked with the assistant dean as well as a student advocate. The assistant dean talked to Dr. Pants' boss and now Seth doesn't have to pay that wanker (I got that word from Colie) any money back. Seth also can take the paper to another doctor to see if he can publish it through him or her. So, in the end we win and Dr. Poopy Pants loses. That's what you get for being a jerk.

Other great news, our appliances in our condo are under warranty and it's a good thing because our dishwasher broke this week too. We had a repair guy come out and both items are not fixable so now we get a new oven and dishwasher! Yipee! Now if I could just get our refridgerator(circa 1962)to give out...

Geez...some people!

I have to vent. This is more a vent for Seth than for me, but I just gotta vent about this. Here's the story: Seven months ago Seth was hooked up with a doctor that wanted Seth to do some research and to write a paper. The doctor, we'll call him Dr. Poopy Pants, told Seth to go apply for a Federal Work Study grant so Seth would be paid for his work. Dr. Poopy Pants also told Seth that since Seth would be doing most of the work, he would be able to be listed as the first author on the paper (a REALLY big deal). So, Seth did just that,he went to where ever you apply for one of those things. He filled out these papers and was approved for a federal work study grant. Seven months go by, Seth does research, spends a lot of time writing and editing this paper, really works hard. Then one day he gets an email from this doctor saying, "Am I paying you?" Seth wrote back, "You shouldn't be, I having been getting paid through the Federal Work Study." Turns out, 75% of the money Seth was getting was paid by the government and 25% was supposed to be coming from the doctor. The 25% of the money was withdrawn from grant money the doctor had for another project. Dr. Poopy Pants did not like this one bit. Seth got an email this morning from Dr. Poopy telling Seth that he has to pay him back $590. WHAT?!?! This is crazy for several reasons:

1) All Seth did was fill out the application that this dumb doctor told him to.
2) Somebody must have had to approve the grant before it was given to Seth.
3) How the hell was Seth supposed to know that some of the money would be coming from the doctor and that the doctor wouldn't know about it.
4) The portion that came from the doctor works out to be $2.50/hr. Yes, that's right 2 dollars and 50 cents!!
5) This doctor makes almost HALF A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR! What Seth owes this guy is one-one thousandth of his annual income.
6) If a medical student is doing a Federal Work Study, wouldn't you assume that that student is poor and probably ends up having to use all of that money, and wouldn't just be saving it for a rainy day, so he probably won't have $590 of it to give back.
7)Seth worked so hard on this project and the LEAST the doctor could do was pay him $2.50 an hour!
8) IT'S NOT EVEN SETH'S FAULT YOU DUMB DR. POOPY PANTS!

Seth is supposed to meet with the assistant dean of the med. school today, so hopefully this will be resolved smoothly. But serioulsy, what a jerk.

Hooray for Living By a Hospital!

Not because we got sick, but because now we can pick up free wireless! Best news of 2008. Seth was sitting on our couch last night working on something on our new laptop (courtesy of Mom and Dad)and was talking about some email he got that day. Then he said, "Here, I'll send it to you." Then, I realized something "WHAT?!?! INTERNET!!!" and I did a little dance. We have lived in our new place since August and have not had the internet, you can imagine my excitement. I was super grateful for my internet stealing husband yesterday.

Letter to the 17 year old version of myself

This was fun thinking back to the way I thought when I was 17. Thanks for the good idea La! Whoever reads this has to do it to themselves too.

Letter to 17 year old Heidi-

1. Go to class for crying out loud! You’re parents will get off your back and you’re mom won’t be brought to tears over your delinquency! Plus, nothing exciting ever happens when you skip class. Just go to class. If you don’t believe this now, you’ll believe me when you are playing basketball in your backyard for the fourth weekend in a row that you’ve been grounded.
2. Don’t dye your hair that purple-y black color. Nate Smith will make fun of you and sing Marilyn Manson songs every time you walk past him. He thinks it’s really funny when he does it.
3. Find those friends who will be true friends to you…and make sure you’re a true friend back.
4. Be yourself. Don’t worry about what other people’s perceptions of you may be. It’s a waste of time worrying about it.
5. Don’t go home every weekend of your Utah State time in Logan.
6. Believe it or not, your life will actually go on after your first heartbreak. Actually, your life is gonna get a lot better.
7. Your life will go on after your second heartbreak too.
8. You TOTALLY luck out on who you marry. You’re going to meet him while you’re dating another guy, but don’t worry, you and that guy will end things pretty quick after meeting your future husband, and then you’ll start dating and life happily ever after!
9. Maybe try sticking to something…like a hobby or a sport.
10. Work on being a better sister.
11. Don’t forget to put oil in the Subaru.
12. Keep doing what you’re doing because your life turns out way better than you think it will, despite all the dumb things you do along the way.

Reading Material for Lara

My sis in law Lara is on bed rest and needs something to do. Here is a fascinating questionnaire about myself. This is a two in one deal because you can read it and then do it yourself. Enjoy!

1.What is your occupation? Permanency worker for the Division of Child and Family Services
2. What color are your socks right now? No socks. I know, and me feet are freezing! I can’t wear socks with the shoes I’m wearing, it’d look ridiculous. However, I do have a pair of socks in my purse for an occasion such as this. I should put them on.
3. What are you listening to right now? Annie Stela, It’s You. Thanks to Pandora.com
4. What was the last thing that you ate? A banana and some raspberry yogurt.
5. Can you drive a stick shift? I invented the stick shift.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Cerlean because I don’t know how to say it.
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? A client
8. How old are you today? 24
9. Favorite drink? If you know me at all you can answer that yourself.
10. What is your favorite sport to watch? basketball
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yeah. In high school I did it so dark that this kid would sing Marilyn Manson every time he saw me. Rude.
12. Favorite Pets? Molly
13. favorite food?Thai
14. What was the last movie you watched? Why We Fight. An awesome documentary about the government.
15. Favorite holiday of the year? Christmas…hands down!
16. What do you do to vent anger? Go into Amber’s office.
17. Favorite childhood toy? My Cricket doll.
18. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Too hard to decide. They tie.
19. Hugs or kisses? Too hard to decide. They tie too.
20. Cherries or Blueberries? Cherries, but fresh ones. Those ones they put in Shirley Temples are super nasty.
21. Who is most likely to respond via blog? Lara, let’s face it, you don’t have a whole lot goin on today.
22. Living arrangements? A condo downtown SLC with the one and only Seth Herway
23. When was the last time you cried? I think when I saw the Great Debaters over Christmas
24. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes and bags.
25. Favorite smells? Baby lotion and Seth’s Very Sexy for men
26. What did you do last night? Made dinner for the cutest kids ever, did laundry, contemplated working out, looked through old pictures, decided not to work out
27. What inspires you? Hopefully a picture of a skinnier version of myself will inspire me to work out more.
28. What are you afraid of? Sharks, deep water, fish, the dark, ghosts and goblins, boogie men, robbers, and physically injuring myself.
29. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Spicy? That sounds gross. I’ll just have a Hires Big H please.
30. Favorite dog breed? Boston terriers.
31. How many years at your current job? No years, just almost 4 months.
32. Favorite place you've ever been? Bellagio, Italy or Greece
33. How many states have you lived in? Colorado, Massachusetts, and Utah
34. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
35. Ever driven motorcycle or heavy machinery? Nope and no thanks.
36. Who's your favorite NFL team? Who?
37. Do you have a house phone that is not cordless? No but I remember when cordless phones were so so cool.

Home Improvement Handicapped

Does anyone know of a good, inexpensive electrician? Seth and I had some issues installing a dimmer on our living room light switch and now our lights won't turn on at all. Our oven is touch and go as well so if anyone wants to mysteriously leave an oven on our doormat we would greatly appreciate it. All of our appliances are the orginals from when our complex was built...sometime in the 1960s.

Pringles?

The other day I was at Maverik, my second home, getting my daily Diet Pepsi fix. The ladies at the register know me now. I can't believe I just admitted that, that's actually really sad. I also usually grab a few bite size tootsie rolls too and they always comment when I skip a day of the candy. ANYWAY, this time when I was at the check out stand the lady was like, "Wanna a Pringle?" She pointed to the counter where like 6 opened Pringle cans were sitting. I guess they decided to sample the Pringles that day or something. This doesn't sound that weird, but it really was because first of all, grocery stores usually have samples, not gas stations, and second usually samples are presented in a little cupcake wrapper or a small plastic cup or something. Maverik, however, just pops open the lid and you can just reach in and grab the Pringle of your choice...Original, Salt and Vinegar (blegh!) Pizza, Sour Cream and Onion, BBQ, whatever. It was just really bizarre to me and I had to share. In case you were wondering, I declined on the chip.

Work Story

I should've posted this a while ago since it had to do with Christmas, but I'm gonna share it anyway.

So, as part of my job, I check in on different kids who are in foster care. Just about once a month, just to make sure they're healthy and safe. This past month I stopped by a home that has two foster kids living there, a 9 year old girl and a 5 year old boy. This family also has a few of their own kids. When I got there, the kids asked if I would read a story with them, I said yes of course, and they picked out a book. It was a few weeks before Christmas, so they picked a Christmas book. It was about a little lamb who was there in the manger when Christ was born. On one of the pages, the 5 year old boy pointed to Jesus and said, "Who's that?" I said, "That's Baby Jesus." He replied,"Jesus? Our big brother?"

I thought about this on my way home from work that night and it stayed with me through the entire holiday season. I just kept thinking how grateful I was that this foster family had taught this little boy who Jesus was. This boy is only 5 and already in foster care. I think it's safe to say that he is going to have a rough road ahead of him. I am so grateful that he has atleast learned who Jesus is, that He's our brother, and he loves us. I hope that he will always remember atleast just that much.

My job is hard, but it's so worth it. I am so grateful that I get to be a part of these fragile lives and that I can do a little to help strengthen them atleast a tiny bit.


After I told him that yes, Baby Jesus and our big brother Jesus are the same person, he then pointed to the Three Wise Men and said, "I think those are his apostles." I thought that was pretty cute.


I hope everyone had such a wonderful holiday season!

I curse, slash, I love blogs

I just spent over an hour looking at people's blogs. I haven't had anything to do at work since about 2:00 today. I bet these people are real glad they hired me! :)

The Uglies

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Congratulations Sadlers!

My cousin, Bethany, married Patrick Sadler in the Oakland Temple on Friday. We are so happy for them. The both looked so incredibly happy that day! It was a beautiful day and they had a beautiful reception. We were glad we were able to be a part of such a special day.



We had fun spending time with the Lams. I think Nate had fun too, even though it looks like he's being tortured in this picture.

Drive, Sleep, Wait, Drive, Sleep, Wait

This past weekend was a very exciting weekend for our family...PETE'S HOME! Doesn't he look great!? And he's not even that weird. I was really worried that he was going to be quite the weirdo, but surprisingly, he's still himself. :) I'm actually really proud of my brother. He got so smart...well he was already way smart before...but he's REALLY smart now! I'm amazed at how much he grew while he was gone. Go missions!





While we were waiting for Pete, we got bored and decided to document how I am the shortest sister in the family. I also have the biggest feet, I don't get it.



After we picked Pete up, we went to the Cheesecake Factory where my uncle dared Seth to drink a bottle of ketchup for $60. Seth accepted the challenge and drank only a third of it. My uncle still paid him $20 for drinking a third.




The title of this post refers to the obscene amount of driving and waiting we did. Everywhere we went we were with a whole lotta people and it took forever to make decisions and to get moving. Seth kept a log (he had some free time) of everything we did. The breakdown went like this:

Driving 45%
Sleeping %20
Waiting %13
Activities %10
Getting ready 12%

Egg Nog and Polyester Suits

I just love Christmas. I am getting really excited for this Christmas since Pete will be home.

Seth and I went to a Christmas party given by my one of my friends from work. We were supposed to wear our best Christmas get-up. I am so glad Seth invested in this green suit! He won the award for best get-up at the party (I'm not surprised). We had a great time at the party...Thanks Abbie!

Also here's a pic from going to see the lights at Temple Square.

More Birthday

My birthday was like 10 days ago but here are pics of my office on my birthday. I also got one more box of Diet Pepsi from my sis-in-law Lara. That's 48 cans of Pepsi. Twice my age! :) I also forgot to mention that the night before my b-day I went out to dinner with my friends Jamie and Amber from high school and had so much fun.
Sunday was fun celebrating with my family. Ever since I was little it seems like I've always wanted white cake with chocolate frosting on my birthdays. It's not even my favorite dessert but I just always want it on my birthday, so this year I asked for it again and it was delicious!
Anita and Tom, here are the boots that I got with your money you sent for my birthday! Thanks, I love them!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I wasn't really looking forward to my birthday all that much this year. Birthdays just aren't that excited once you stop having parties with cake, ice cream, and mounds of presents. To my wonderful surprise however, this birthday was so great!!

The day started off with pancakes made by Chef Seth! Then, when I got to work my office door had streamers and signs that said, "Happy Birthday Heidi!" and office was decorated with streamers and signs as well! My friend at work, Amber, had gotten to work early to decorate and she also gave me really good hand soap from B&BW. THEN...a few minutes later a few people came and sang Happy Birthay. THEN...my other friend at work Ashley, brought me a 12-pack of Diet Pepsi, a bag of Tootsie Rolls (i love em), and a bag of those tasty Cadbury eggs that they make at Easter, but also make at Christmas now. THEN...my friend Abbie (who I also work with) brought me another 12-pack of Diet Pepsi, a bag of Smartie's (which I also love), and some way cute kitchen towels from Anthropologie(I had mentioned once when we were at Gateway how I loved Anthropologie's kitchen towels and she rememebered!) I know, I was really feeling loved and it was only 11:00! Throughout the day I received text messages and phone calls from family and friends wishing me a great day. My friends from work and I all went out to lunch and it was delish. After work, Seth gave me his presents and a note that made me cry. Oh, and I got another 12-pack of Diet Pepsi from him as well. I think I'll be set for a while. Hey Lara, need some Pepsi?
Speaking of Pepsi, everyone at work thinks I'm sick for liking D.P. They're all Diet Coke drinkers. Seth gave me a yoga mat...which I have been so excited to get. He also got me some snickerdoodles from Paradise bakery (he even wrapped them! so cute.) I Love those cookies.

I just realized almost the entire day was about food. Oh well!

Seth and I later went to dinner at such a good restaurant called, Trio. SOOOO YUMMY. We had an appetizer that made us both think of Seth's mom Anita. When we were eating it I said, "I bet your mom would love this!" and he said he was just thinking the same thing. Ha! Anita, you're probably curious what it was! It was Rosemary Flatbread with carmelized onions, goat cheese, and roasted red peppers and tomatoes.

It was such a great day! Tonight we're continuing to celebrate by going to a play at Pioneer Theater Company. The celebrating will continue until Sunday night when I'll have my family b-day party.

In conclusion, birthdays are so great, as long as you're with people you love and people who love you! Even just getting a phone call or text on your birthday totally makes your day. Birthdays are the best even when you don't have mounds of presents, cake, and ice cream.