Creepy

I wonder why cat's would need wings???


Mine get into enough trouble as it is....

Limes

I guess when life throws you lemons it throws you limes too.

Speaking of Limes.... I was at the grocery store on Monday and I frequently buy limes for cooking. They were on sale 10 for $1 which was a crazy good price since they are usually 3 or 4 for $1. Well I know why now....



The lime on the left is one I bought about a week ago 4 for $1. The limes on the right were the 10 for $1 limes. They look like they were shrunk in the wash or came from munchkin land. Not much larger then a quarter. I was standing in the aisle in disbelief. I bought them just to show Chris how ridiculously small they were.

Anyway, we have had more challenges this week. If it weren't enough that Chris was sick with a cold, had a big project for school, had to get his teeth drilled with a temporary crown in place, and had to miss out on family vacation last week.... This week he had an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin they put him on for his painful tooth. He has hives covering his entire body except his face. They are even on the palms of his hands and feet. Poor guy! We had to take him to the Instacare to see the Doc and get a steroid to help the reaction. So now he can't sleep, is grumpy (the steroids give him mood swings), and is still itching all over. In addition, it is his finals week. I don't know what to do for my poor hubby. He has really gone through the ringer these past couple of weeks. I just pray that nothing else happens because I don't know if he (or I) can take it!

We need some limeade.... preferably a Cherry Limeade from Sonic....mmmmmm

Family Vacation

(OH, I cut my hair BTW!)

**Warning*** this is a very long post, about the adventures I had this week.

My family vacation to So Cal has come and gone. Family minus Chris because of the tooth debacle...

First of all, I have to explain, that growing up my family would always go on a summer vacation. And you have to understand that we would cram as much fun activities as we could into every day. So the days usually started early, activities filled the whole day, and usually would end late at night. We would never even find time to eat so we would be scrambling to find the nearest restaurant and stuff our faces. It always seemed like we were grumpy and tired at the end of the day.

My family stated that this was going to be a "relaxing" vacation where we could come and go as we pleased. It wasn't exactly that way, but how can you change after 26+ years of family vacations? And I did get to sleep in a couple of days.

1st day: Flight and then Beach Fun!

Sara, my sister, and I had to wake up early to get on our flights. Fortunately her flight was about the same time as mine, and even though I was flying stand-by, I easily got on. The flight is not long, but I sat in front of obnoxious boys who I thought were about 16 until one of them purchased a cocktail and the flight attendant said, "Oh you are just barely 21" as she looked at his ID. I couldn't stand them much longer so I turned on my ipod discretely before I was supposed to.

My dad picked us up from LAX the busiest, smelliest, and scariest airport that I have experienced thus far. By the time we drove from LAX to Huntington Beach it was about noon. When my sister, Jill, returned from her bike ride we all decided to go to the beach.
While at the beach we enjoyed mine and Chris's boogie boards that we had purchased at a local K-mart while in Oahu. But they were way better then the crappy kick board like boogie boards that we found in the condo we were staying at. Those were broken in multiple places, but my Dad (the trooper that he is) used it anyway. When we finally gave him one of the good ones, he had a lot more fun.

Then my mom made delicious dinner and we all went for a bike ride. I was already tired from the beach and only got about 4 hours of sleep the night before. But I didn't want to miss out on the "family experience".

And thus comes the struggle of the shoes. This is a theme that repeats itself this vacation. Yes I wore wedge sandals on the bike ride. And I wore the exact same shoes to Disneyland the next day. They were my most comfortable shoes. I did try to bring flip-flops, but in my flurry of packing fast, forgot one of them. What am I supposed to do with one flip-flop? And I didn't bring "tennis shoes" because the only shoes of that kind that I own are some Sketchers that I "work out" in (meaning they don't get much use) and my Vans skate shoes from like 5 years ago that I wear while driving up the mountain to go snowboarding since I can't wear my snowboard boots while driving. Plus they wouldn't go with any of my summer clothes so I would have had to wear jeans the whole time and die of heat. So all I had was my wedge sandals and some black heels. The bikes had some issues because they were either cheap, broken, rusted, or squeaky. Or a combination of them all. So they were barely functioning, but we decided to go for a ride along the beach anyway. It was during the sunset. The mild ride was probably something Jill could have done in her sleep. However, if you're not used to those bike seats, it can hurt a very sensitive area. Even though the ride was probably barely 5 miles, my rear was killing me by the end and I had issues with sitting the next couple of days. And no, different shoes would have not made a difference.

Day #2 - Di-nee Land

I have been to the Magic Kingdom about 6 or 7 times in my life. When I was about 14 and Jill was 17, my family got a 5 day pass to Disneyland. Now this was BEFORE California Adventure existed, so yes, that is 5 full days of Disneyland. Jill and I had decided that we were going to experience everything minus Toon Town (We had a bad experience that involved Mickey's House and 3 1/2 hours). So we even went to this creepy Abe Lincoln place on Main Street and endured the ever long, most miserable ride, It's a Small World (Which was closed down...I'm so depressed). It was this vacation that coined the term Di-nee Land (said in a high little kid voice). From there on out it is Di-nee Land.

When I was 4, my family took Jill and I to Di-nee land for the first time. My mom was very pregnant with Sara. Traditionally the first ride is the Matterhorn. So my dad took me on this ride and I experienced this:Seriously? Who wouldn't be traumatized? So after that I refused to go on any ride that was "dark" including like Mr. Toad. So my very pregnant mom had to endure dumbo and It's a small world over and over while my dad took Jill on all the other rides. The irony of it all, is now the Matterhorn is one of my favorites. But I always get especially freaked out when we pass the abominable snowman. It was our first ride by the way.

By the way, it was Jill's 29th Birthday, and Disneyland was probably the last place she wanted to spend it. But she had a good attitude. I think Sara and I did more then twice the complaining she did. Happy Birthday Jill!

(The sign says Happiest Birthday on Earth if you can't read it!)

Since we had only purchased a (GASP!) one day pass, we went early. Which I must recommend as that is the only way you will wait less then 30 minutes for a ride. We were able to get on all the rides we wanted. My sisters and I skipped out on Fantasy Land (60 min. for a 2 min Peter Pan ride? NO WAY!). Space Mountain is my favorite, but there is a new ride that is in the running....

The Buzz Lightyear ride is so much fun. It was the first time I had been on it since it had not existed the last time I was at Di-nee land. You go around in this little car that you can spin and shoot a laser gun at the targets. Then you get a score at the end. My Dad and Jill were the highest scoring (why do they have to be the best at everything!) But it was still one of my favorites. We "Fast Passed" a couple of the really long rides like Indiana Jones, and Splash Mountain. I think Splash Mountain's name should be change to Soak Mountain. I remember it just being a little Splashy Fun. But maybe that is if you have a bunch of little children in the little log. Put 5 pretty heavy adults in the boat and you get....

(I know I look GORGEOUS!)

Soaked!

Then the next 2-3 hours is misery. I hate walking around with wet clothes. Especially wet underwear. You feel like you peed your pants. MISERY!

After that we broke off from our parents for a few hours so my Dad could be the wonderful man that he is and take my Mom to Fantasy Land so she could ride Peter Pan. We mostly sat and people watched. We were done, but my mom wanted to go until the firework show at the and above the castle. So we all stayed and endured the crowds for her. We love you Mom!

Day #3 the Surf Experience
The next day we decided to try surfing. Motivated by my sister, Sara, to cross off on her "Bucket list". I have always had a mild fear of waves that was increased on my honeymoon when I got taken out by a huge wave that smashed me against the beach, pulling my swim bottoms down and scratching a very sensitive area against the coarse sand. Ever since then, it takes me a while to warm up to the waves. At least the boogie boarding experience helped me to be a little braver. And as soon as you spend a little time with the waves you get more used to swallowing salt water and the burning in your throat (not really).
It was something very difficult to learn. There are so many steps to remember. You have to arch your back to paddle, then when the wave comes and you actually catch it, you have to do a push-up, lunge, and then crouch on the center line of your board (not too forward so you nose dive) all while the water is streaming across the board. Seems like a nearly impossible task. Especially when you lack the core strength and are as out of shape as I am. Getting my weight up from a lying to standing position is already a difficult task. Add in all the other factors, and it is clear that I did not end up standing up. I did end up on my knees a couple of times, which is the "cardinal sin" of surfing according to my dad. And I was the first one to tire out. Although I wasn't the first person injured (sorry Jill) I was the first one to throw in the towel as soon as I face planted into my surf board. We only had like 10 minutes left anyway. Note to self: do excessive Pilate's, increase flexibility, and lose at least 30 lb's before ever going surfing again.

Day #4 - Low Key

The next morning Jill left early for her 7:00 am flight. When I woke up (late) I felt about as I did the first day after I went snowboarding for the first time. Barely able to move with bruises on my arms and knees. But we just went to the Pier and went shopping. So that was nice. We ate Pink Berry which was delicious. Then I flew home. Thanks MOM and DAD for the great vacation!

When Life Throws You Lemons

Throw them back at life?

Get over it?

Make Lemonade?

What ever conclusion you come to, life happens. And it usually happens when you are making other plans.

Chris and I have overcome lots of obstacles to try to go on a vacation with my family. Whether it is school, work, illness, stress, mandatory training, or stand-by flying. We have overcome a lot to make it possible.

And then LIFE happened.

Chris got a toothache at 2:00 AM. He is already fighting a cold, as well as stress with finals coming. But he gets a toothache and can't sleep. Then next morning he tells me he has a horrid toothache. Oh crap is all I can think. We are supposed to leave tomorrow for our vacation! He starts looking up home remedies for toothaches on the Internet. I tell him he needs to see a dentist. I know it has been awhile since he hasn't gone to one since we have been married, even though I have been telling/nagging him to. So I finally convince him to go to the dentist.

And what do they find? Let's just say that it involves words such as antibiotics, lortab, cavities, crowns, and a root canal. They will get him in as soon as possible. He is guaranteed a Monday appointment, but they will call him if they have any cancellations to get him in sooner. The Dentist makes it sound pretty important that he get it taken care of soon.

My hopes of him going on vacation with my family shattered. After all the obstacles we had overcame. It wasn't going to happen. Upset at the state of his teeth, the amount of money, and nursing time I will have to do, I was angry. I had to call my Mom in fear that her heart would be broken. But she was very understanding. She is always good to me when I have a breakdown.

BUT, I am still going. I guess that is the lemonade of the situation. Chris will have to nurse his tooth at home awaiting an appointment while I'm in Sunny CA. That's what he has to endure for not going to the dentist for 5+ years. Let this be a lesson to all.

Why Blogging is So Addicting

You start a little blog because:
a. You know someone who has one
b. You have nothing else to do with your time
c. It's the "cool thing to do"
d. You have a story to tell
e. To complain about stuff
f. You want to brag about yourself/how wonderful your life is/ how cute and wonderful your husband is/how cute your kids are/etc. (By the way my husband is cute and wonderful!)

But for whatever reason you start one.

Then you find out who else you know that has one. You visit their sites to see what is going on in their lives. You look at their pictures, read their posts, laugh, cry, reconnect with old friends.

Then you start to read the comments on your friends posts. Some people, who you don't know, may post a hilarious comment that sparks your interest.

You visit their site. You can read about their lives and their stories and feel like you practically know their experiences and takes on life. Now you have cyber friends you have never even met.

You leave them comments. Which sparks their interest. They visit your site. They leave comments.

You start to think about your life and how you can share it with the world. So you start to post more.

Then your curious if anyone has commented on your posts. So you check back to see if there is a comment. When there is, you feel special that someone else cares about what is going on in your life and your experiences.

Since they posted a comment, you know they have been on the Internet recently. So you click on their link to see if they have posted anything new.

They have! So you leave a comment.

Then they see that you have left a comment, visit your site, you have a new post, so they comment.

Since you are getting more comments, you post more.

And thus the vicious cycle of being a blog addict. Now you're on the Internet frequently either blogging, or reading other blogs.

It's like crack. Not that I would know that since I have never taken drugs. But we'll put it this way: It is the extreme snow biking to my sister, the video game to my husband, the shopping to my little sister, the new book to read to my mom, the hiking to my dad. It is the scrap booking, snowboarding, watching the Olympics, new guilty pleasure of my life.

Tagged!

Lisa Marie tagged me so here it goes...



1. What is your/his name? Lisa & Chris

2. Who eats more? Let's put it this way...my grocery bill more than doubled after we got married.

3. Who said I love you first? Chris said it first in an AOL instant message. Then I said it first on the phone. I can't remember who said it first in person. We probably said it coming off the plane. (We were long distance for almost the whole first year of our relationship)

4. Who is taller? He is 6'3" and I am 5'9"(He says we are practically the same because I wear heels.)

5. Who is smarter? It depends on what we are talking about, but probably him.

6. Who is more sensitive? Me...I'm a crier.

7. Who does the laundry? Me. If I don't, my shirts are guaranteed to be shrunk.

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Chris

9. Who pays the bills? It's all me. Chris has procrastination issues.

10. Who cooks more? Me

11. What meals do you cook together? He will cook the meat while I take care of the sides.

12. Who is more stubborn? We both are.

13. Who is first to admit when they are wrong? We are never have to be wrong..we agree on everything! Just kidding. We are both good at admitting when we are wrong.

14. Who has more siblings? Chris, he has one up on me.

15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? I don't know. It depends on the day.

16. What do you like to do together? Watch TV and cuddle...and stuff.

17. Who eats more sweets? Chris loves the candy. I'll take French fries any day.

18. Guilty pleasures? Ummmmm :)

19. How did you meet? A girl I met in college, Megan, went to high school with Chris and his friends. She would hang out with them on occasion, so she invited them to go bowling with us one night. She told us to meet her at Fat Cats. So when my cousin Katie and I arrived I saw Chris (not knowing we would be hanging out with him) and was like,"Ohhh. He's on my team!" Then when we met up with Megan, there he was. But he wouldn't talk to me all night, even when I was trying. I thought it was because he was stuck up. It turned out he was just shy.

20. Who asked who out first? Chris asked me out. When I thought he was stuck up I wouldn't talk to him anymore, even when we all hung out as a group again. Then Megan was like, "Chris likes you." I was surprised. But she gave him my number and he did eventually call and start talking to me.

21. Who kissed who first? Chris did and he was very proud of it. We were watching a movie with some friends and the movie ended. He turned off the TV so that it was completely dark and he started to kiss me.

22. Who proposed? He did. In my bedroom after he came home from Hawaii. We had talked about it for months. I had even had my dress and everything. But he was still so nervous, shaking when he hugged me. I knew it was coming. :)

23. What is your/his best feature? Chris always tells me that my eyes are my best feature. I think Chris's is his adorable smile.

24. What is your/his best quality? I am pretty patient. His best is his sense of humor. He makes me laugh everyday.

I tag Nicole, Kim, and Kristina

I Heart the Olympics

For years I have always looked forward to the Olympics, Summer or Winter. I have lots of memories as a child of watching Kristi Yamaguchi skating, the Nancy Kerrigan and Tanya Harding fiasco, and Keri Strug doing a vault on an injured ankle to win gold.

This year I find myself glued to the TV every night. Watching swimming, gymnastics, volleyball. You name it. My favorite was the men's 400 relay where Jason Lezak was a full length behind the french guy at the turn, but somehow powered the last 15M to win gold. CRAZY! Chris and I couldn't believe it. We were almost as excited as Michael Phelps. That feeling of making the seemingly impossible, possible. I can't even imagine.

But there is just something about the athletes standing at the podium as the Star Spangled Banner plays with a gold medal around their neck that gives me chills. Here they are, having worked for years working out, training, and competing, to get to that moment. I have no idea how that feels, but I am in awe of watching them.

Grandma's Say the Darndest Things

Yesterday my Mom made one of her delicious meals in honor of my Grandma Homer's birthday. My cousins Dustin and Jayna came up from BYU to celebrate with us. She is always trying to somehow fix her single grandchildren up and marry them off. So she was asking Dustin about his roommate to see if he was available and she said, "Is he cute or is he Vietnamese?" We all had a little chuckle. I think she meant, "Is he cute? Is he Vietnamese?" But who knows?


My cute Grandpa also said something funny. After talking about how stories spread like wildfire in a Ward, he said, "Don't telegraph. Tell a Women!" I had to think about it for a second because I forgot what a telegraph even was! It was pretty clever though.


When asked how old she was she said, "I was born in 1930, you do the math". OK so this plus that...carry the one.....78. Happy 78th Birthday Grandma! We love you!

I'm Not in "The Club"

So yesterday Chris and I went to hang out and have dinner with some of his old friends from high school because one of them was in town (it's been a nostalgic week). It is always sort of awkward in these types of situations because you have maybe only met these people at your wedding.... or theirs. And maybe only a couple other times.

Anyway, so Chris is laughing and reminiscing with his friends and wife A and wife B both have little children who they are giving their undivided attention too. So I am sitting there with my drink and the appetizers listening to Chris and his friends stories and just feeling out of place. At one point, even Chris said, "Man we will have to have a kid soon to fit in with this group." While I do want kids eventually, I don't have any now and I am tired of feeling awkward or ignored because I don't.

But I guess we all feel this way at one point. When your little and considered uncool (who decides anyway?) you might not be a part of the "popular/cool club". When you are single and not dating anyone you aren't a part of the "boyfriend club". Which means you aren't invited with your dating friends anywhere unless you are willing to be a third wheel. When your single and not married by the age of 21 (in Utah) you are practically an old maid. So by 21 your out of place by not being a part of the "married club". Well I'm not a part of the "Mom club".

However, the night did improve because little ones had to go to bed and I could carry on a conversation without someone being distracted by children. I was able to talk with Wife A and she was very down to earth and we had a great conversation. I understand that when you have children they do consume your entire life and so there is not much else you can do or talk about. I will probably be the same way when I have kids. I just dislike going to an already sort of awkward situation where I am the only one not in "the club".

*By the way, shout out to Kristina! I won an Us Weekly magazine subscription from her blog! I can drown my sorrows with celeb gossip!

New Pants!

I can't believe I am saying this.... but I wouldn't mind if there was snow right now. Growing up I despised winter and even didn't like fall because it meant winter was coming. I was convinced I had SAD. However, since I started snowboarding, it seemed to cure me of my hatred for winter. In fact I love winter now (except for the bitter cold, and the slippery roads), and even look forward to it. It seems that every year around this time I really miss snowboarding. Maybe it is because it is so hot that I long for colder days. Maybe it is because I just had to pay $219.49 to run the AC in July. Maybe it is because I am a woman and there is always something we want that we can't have. I don't know what it is, but I am always itching to go at this time. Maybe if I were rich and could fly to Chili or Australia that would help. But that ain't going to happen.

Last time this year when I was longing to go, I bought a board, boots, and bindings. I justified this because the board I learned on was used and (surprisingly) too long. Plus, it was the summer so I could get a deal. Surely no one was thinking of buying snowboard gear in August. Well, I woke up early and was surfing the net and thinking about how much fun it will be when I can go boarding... and I came across a website that had snowboard pants on sell. I really wanted new ones because I bought my old ones at Costco and they were really baggy and always falling off my waist. I constantly had to pull them up. So.... I bought these

I found them and they were a great deal so I couldn't resist. I saw them and had to have them. And they are Columbia brand so they have to be good. Anyway, I am excited for my new pants and hope this year is a great season!

The Ridge Girls

Ever since I joined Facebook and started this blog, I have been reconnecting like crazy with old friends. My friend Nicole I have known as far back as I can remember. We were probably in sunbeams together. And I have known Kim for nearly as long. We were all in Kindergarten together with Mrs. Tomsic. Even Nicole's husband was in our class! Danielle and Desi shared a fence with me growing up and her mom always cut my hair. She even did it for my bridals and my wedding! (Shout out to Paula!) We all grew up on roads with "ridge" in the name, so we are the "ridge" girls!

Anyway, we all decided to get together and have dinner. I hadn't seen these girls for at least 7-8 years, maybe longer. It was so much fun! We were all laughing nearly to tears at one point in the night and taking silly pictures. Good times.(Desi, Danielle, and Kim)
(Can you tell why we were laughing so much)

We went to the Cheesecake Factory which was delicious as usual. However because of the Anniversary they were out of all the good ones! No Tres Leches (Nicole's fav) and no Dulce de Leche (My fav). So I had to settle for chocolate coconut something or other which was still delectable (think Girl Scout Somoa's topped with cheesecake!). It is so funny that when you hang out with friends from childhood it takes you back....and in a way, you feel a little younger.

(Me and Nicole Eating Cheesecake.....yum)

To Cut or Not to Cut....

That is the question....

(2005)

(2006)

(2008)

(Today)

So I have recently been trying to decide if I want to cut my hair short again. I really liked my hair when I went on my cruise in 2005. I also remember really liking it in 2006 when Chris and I took our engagement pictures.

I actually grew it long by accident. In 2007 I worked all night shifts (7pm to 7am). So I would stay up all night every night and sleep during the day so my sleep schedule wouldn't constantly be flipping around. I found it to be very difficult to do simple errands like visit the bank, go to the doctor, and cut my hair. So my hair grew long, something I had not done since I was 15.

A lot of people comment on how long my hair is, but it is never referred to as "cute" or "beautiful". Yes it is long and yes I haven't had it that way for a long time.

My hair is very fine and it sticks to my head. Regardless of the volumizing conditioner and blow drying (I refuse to rat it up because then I would look silly). I don't do too much with it now, except straighten and ponytail. I've tried curling it, but it tends to take a lot of time and I usually am frustrated with the results so it ends up in a ponytail anyway.

So what do you all think? Should I cut it short again?

MY List of Things That Must Go!

So I was driving home from work after a long day, frustrated and tired, and came up with a list of things that must go. I listen to X-96 frequently and since I work either 7am to 7pm or 7pm to 7am I usually catch the Radio From Hell show either coming to or going from work. This is one of my favorite things they do and always end up laughing out loud in my car or making comments ("amen sister" or "get over it") So here it is....


#1 - I-80 construction. This is the way I drive to work. It has been under construction for over a year with what looks like little to no progress in my opinion (oooh they put a new bridge above 1/2 of 7th east). Semi's are supposed to detour on 2-15, but they go flying down miniature sized lanes over bump after bump of uneven road. My hands always tense up when I am driving because it looks like the semi's going to bounce right into my lane on top of my little car. Oh and I wonder if UDOT would pay for a windshield replacement for the 4 large rock chips and long crack across my windshield.


#2 - 33rd South. Also on my way to and from work. They are laying pipes under the road or something which also has had little progress over the past months. AND it is like off roading/four wheeling on the road because there are so many pot holes. Where I turn left the whole turn arrow painted in the road is one huge pot hole. I am sure my alignment is off and that I will get a flat tire real soon. Just pave a new road already!


#3 - Taking care of toddlers- When I started at my job, we took patients 12 months and younger. I would get the occasional 11 month old that hated me, but it was do-able. Well recently they upped the age on our unit to 2 years! You thought the terrible two's were bad! Try hooking them up to an oxygen cannula, IV fluids, and a monitor. Plus they are sick so they are puking, pooping, and/or getting snot everywhere. And don't even think about putting a (gasp) stethoscope on their chest. They scream/cry when you walk in the door and you haven't even started doing the task that is going to make them scream and cry. They want to crawl all over the dirty hospital floor, and when you try to stop them....temper tantrum! I will take a 2 month old that cries when you bug them, but easily calms when they are wrapped up with their Binky, over that ANY DAY!


#4 - Bad/Mean/Inconsiderate/Impatient Utah drivers. Hey...I want to get to work/home/Smiths/a restaurant/the Mall just as fast as you do! So don't go flying past me and then cut me off when I am already going 5-10 over the speed limit! And please don't come to a complete stop when you are turning right onto a road and I am going straight. I understand that you need to slow down, but seriously? It took my little put-put car at least 20 sec to speed back up to normal speed making the lame guy behind me slow down drastically, get irritated, change lanes, and speed past me (It wasn't my fault!).


#5 - New residents in July/August. Bless your hearts, but I am sorry I have to call you in the middle of the night and or four times a day because you forgot to sign your orders/didn't assign the patient a pediatric team/forgot to write for IV fluids/Didn't put a dose in mg on that medication/question my knowledge/ect...ect...ect. BELIEVE me I would write the order myself if I could, but no....I have to get your permission.


Not to sound like a complainer or anything... but I did have a frustrating day! (I took care of 2 toddlers!)

A New Tasty Treat

$1.50

I bought these new cereal straws while I was running a quick errand to the local Smiths. I figured, I like cereal and I love chocolate. They were only $1.50 too, so I knew I wouldn't be too disappointed if they were gross.

I guess you are supposed to sip milk up through the straw and then eat it. But I have never been a fan of drinking milk... at least that I can remember. So I just ate them plain. They bore a strong resemblance in look and taste to the chocolate Pirouette's by Pepperidge Farm. One of my favorite cookies by them. The difference is minor as far as taste. But price....the Pirouettes are around $6.00!

So I figured I will just enjoy my "cereal straws" and disregard their product advertisement geared toward small children. I guess I could always toss the box and no one would know the difference!

$6.00

$219.49

That is how much it cost to cool our condo in July. $7.08 a day. We had the same problem last year. I tried to conserve. We even bought one of those programmable digital thermostats to make sure it isn't accidentally left at 72 while we aren't home. And I don't let it go below 72. Guess it is a high price to pay to be comfortable in your home.

And August doesn't look too forgiving either!