InYourFacebook

Yes,  I am breaking the mold by blogging without eye-candy, but there aren't pictures for this. About three weeks ago, Jeff's employees thought it would be a funny joke to create a Facebook account for him.  They imported his pic from the Y and gloried in the sucess of their coup for a couple weeks-- adding friends at will.  During this open-enrollment period everyone was accepted and welcomed. They finally revealed the plot and Jeff already had 30 friends on his account.  Always the diplomat, Jeff embraced the technology and tried to mitigate the negative effects, while making it clear that this was unprofessional and wrong.  Thus started the big guy's facination with Facebook. He loves getting into the technology that his students are using-- it makes him feel like he can understand how they learn and interact better.  In a few cases, it has been a more direct link to some of our long lost buddies from the college days-- which he has really loved.  

Mostly its been pretty funny, but it raises a bunch of questions about Facebooking for me...

1. Do people really need to say that they are going to sleep at night?  Is that worth the space?

2. Ettiquette.  For example,when the YW in your ward are facebooking about whose kids are the worst to babysit, should you search their histories to see if yours are mentioned?

3.  Is it a status thing to have an inordinate number of friends?  Like more than 500?  Really?

4.  Old girlfriends? -- go figure, why would they even care?

5.  Students?-- again, why would you want to facebook with your teacher-- even if he is a little cool?

6.  If you weren't friends in high school, or never even knew each other in high school, is the mere fact that you attended the same high school really enough to warrant "friendship?"

These questions may just prove that I am a digital immigrant with an accent thicker than mud, but I am just trying to understand how the boundaries of relationship have taken on such a broad definition.

Eyes On The Prize

The Prize

In the chaos of organizing and packing every blooming thing in sight, we have been agonizing over the myriad of choices invovled with a new house.  It would definately be easier just to take what is already there, but it has been fun to choose everything.   I am very pleased with the builder's prices because their upgrade options are so much more reasonable than Ivory and so many Ivory upgrades are just standards-- like oil-rubbed bronze hardware!!! Since the building market is usually slow in the winter-- and even slower this winter, the sub-contractors will be easier to schedule and hopefully there won't be too much lag time.  We're going to be ultra fiscally responsible to pad that nest egg for the next few months.  It really helps me to know the specifics of what I'm giving up eating out for-- for example, just a couple extra cook-at-home nights will pay for one of the many fantastic can lights I will enjoy a few months from now.    I went to Target with the girls Friday night.  A great pair of boots called out to me, but I think I'll take the $35 and put it towards my blinds fund instead.  

The Eyes

Mine were overflowing over everything today.  Jeff was released from the bishopric and for some reason that I don't understand, it makes me so sad.  I guess I think of the blessings that we get and take for granted from that service-- now no longer.  It makes me appreciate Jeff so much because I know that it isn't always easy to be an absentee dad and it's really hard on him not to be with our kids-- boy count my blessings on that.  I guess now he will have a little time to build boys and cuddle our girl, which he has been missing a lot.  I hope that all the sacrifice made a difference for people in the ward.

Mainly the whole release makes the thought of leaving the 15th ward real, and that makes me sad.  After the long stint in the amazing 204th, I never expected to gel with a "real" ward- but this has been great.  I will really miss everyone even though I won't live further away than I do now.  I guess it's out of the comfort zone for real since next week will be our last.  We are still trying to decide whether to jump right into the 6th or slip into the 11th until the house it built.  I feel really blessed that we ever even moved down here because I was so attached to NE Provo that I would have never considered this area unless I had moved here and loved everyone and everything so much.  The only downside is that there's not much of a view of my favorite mountain from these parts....

....And a place to live.

My awesome racquetball buddy had offered weeks ago to let us stay in the basement of their new house.  I blew the idea off as a nice offer but not real.  But, as the situation looked bleaker and bleaker, she got more persistant and we have struck a bargain.  We are going to live in their basement until our house is built.  We will pay a tiny rent and share their kitchen.  Just in case you gasped there, I am not worried.  My friend is unbelievably accomodating and laid back and I love her optimistic personality, so we will be just great.  I can't believe that I actually know people who are willing to sacrifice their own space and surround sound theater for a friend.  We are really going to appreciate it.  We will be in the same area, which cuts down on added transportation costs as I shuttle people to and from school and work.