Beneath the Wraps

            Roland believes that every person should have a cake for his/her birthday.   It doesn't matter if they can have cake or want cake or don't like cake.   I believe that his motto is "No Birthday is Complete Without Cake"             Usually when Roland's birthday is coming up and people ask, "What do you want for your birthday" he doesn't ask for a cake, but rather a homemade card.   But this year was different.   I asked what he'd like for dinner and he said he wanted me to make him a birthday cake from scratch.   Okay.   How very brave of you.             I looked up a recipe under the topic "Birthday Cake" and followed the directions to this one.   (recipe at the end of her blog post before comments)   I used blue and white sprinkles as that is what we had. ...

                          I really did get a gem of a guy when I married Roland.   He is so thoughtful and compassionate.   For every year we were living in Utah, Roland would make or purchase valentines for my mom and my sisters.   We would drive to my mom’s house in Midvale and then my brother’s in Sandy (my sister-in-law, Sunny) and then later to the house in Kearns after Kayla and Bill were married.           Valentine’s was always something different.   A box of chocolates or homemade cookies. One year we attempted Brigham Young Doughnuts in the shape of hearts.   I could not find the individual pictures for this post so her is a scrapbook page I had made.            Another year he purchased pizzas from Papa Murphy’s. ...

          I like the sound of rain           Good Thing as it           has rained for most of           this month                     We have skylights in           our front room and           our bedroom and           sometimes the rain wakes me           after I have fallen           asleep           I know it's wet and cold           outside      ...

       For the past three years or so, Roland has been working as a recruiter for students to take online courses.   His title wasn’t recruiter though.   I forget what it was.                         When he first started, those in his position were responsible for having at least two people start per mod (don’t know if the three letters are abbreviations for something or if it’s spelled differently – but it means every six weeks to eight weeks when the classes start for each major) and somewhere along the line it was raised to three and then four and then six.             My brother-in-law, Bill, had worked there just a few years before the stress pushed him into looking for another job.   He put in his notice before the requirement was bumped to six.   Th...

       It was just over four years ago when we made the decision to leave Kearns and move into the cracker box house where we currently live in West Valley.   We were at least five months behind with our mortgage; the economy did NOT appear that it would ever get better; we were in debt to more than just the mortgage company and we were bound to lose more than just our house. We already had a property in West Valley with only half a fixed mortgage than the elevator (up and down) mortgage we were given monthly in Kearns.   Still struggling and on Welfare for over two years and still paying on an unfair back child support   - but that’s another story – not a pleasant one at that and so it will never get posted on this blog. Initially we were just going to swap out houses with the tenants that had been living in our WV house.   We had planned on doing so right after Thanksgiving. But the economy had been unkind to them also and...

            Jenna and I got on the more crowded bus this morning but I took the less crowded one back to the house.   I was actually the only passenger for the first three lights.   And I was thinking that UTA really missed out for not hiring Roland as one of their drivers.          He may have only applied that one time.   I don’t know if it even resulted with an interview or not.   Roland is a great driver.   I doubt he would be intimidated by the size of the bus.   He is a master behind the wheel in all kinds of weather.   He has exceptional people skills.   And I believe he enjoys driving.          Not me.   I remember taking the bus one time – cold wet snowy day.   I got talking to the driver about my job and searching for another.   He said that UTA was hiring drivers. ...

Roland likes a hearty spaghetti sauce Full of large pieces of meat and vegetables I like a little more sauce. Roland likes LOTS of onions I’m happy with just a piece of the onion It has to be finely chopped . Roland likes hard ginger snap cookies I like cookies that are soft – Preferably chocolate chip None of that peppery strength that Jenna and I taste with the ginger snap. Roland likes Italian meats.  He likes the meat lovers pizza or At least a combination I like Hawaiian or Vegetarian or Just something different – Something with Alfredo or Pesto Roland says Chicken does NOT belong on a pizza. Roland likes his bagels with butter or Cream cheese and jelly I like bagels with cream cheese.  Sometimes cream cheese and a Fresh tomato. We both prefer our bagels toasted. Roland insists on having a drink with his meal But rarely ever finishes drinking it. I doubt he drinks more than 20 ounces in a given day I drink ...

I was raised in a household in which we respected not only one another – but property belonging to someone else.  We’d always ask one another if we could borrow or have – we didn’t just take and keep or disregard without considering the emotions of another. Roland has always grabbed at envelopes or statements or even receipts – if there is a blank space he would document information from the caller – and leave it.  I at least make the effort to transfer the information rather than telephone my spouse and expect miracles to happen as I describe the notes I took and the possible appearance of what it might have been written on. Today his “note” detail much more space than even a totally blank envelope will provide.  If I should leave out a notebook which I have written, be it journaling, lesson preparation, or whatever, he ignores the fact that the notebook may belong to somebody else and starts in at exactly where I left off.  What?!? Randy at least has ...

          It was 13 years ago today when I first met Roland.  Oh, I had seen him before.  He was in my mom’s ward (church boundary) for a brief period of time.           He always sat with his arms stretched out on the pew and around each of his boys that were seated next to him on either side.  He also had a big ol’ smile plastered on his face.  There was something about him that appealed to me.  His smile perhaps.  The genuine love that he had for his boys.           On December 31, 2000, I saw him in the foyer of the church.  He was wearing a tie with a large picture of the Tasmanian devil printed on it.           “Nice tie,” I said.  I don’t know if I actually used the word “nice” – I’m really not that big of a Looney-Tune fan, but I did want to...

Roland loves to cook.   He enjoys baking.   The kitchen is his domain.   Overall he is a really good cook. I can follow a recipe (usually) but I don’t enjoy cooking.   I do enjoy eating though.   Unfortunately it shows.           When he was working on commission, Roland cooked dinner all of the time.   It was great!   Especially when he would get a hold of abandoned recipe books and feel inspired to make something different every night.   I didn’t always like what he fixed, but for the most part it was awesome.           He has since found a job that pays an income that we can actually budget with.   But because he is required to do at least 40 hours a week,   I am now in charge of making the meals.   Roland doesn’t complain exactly, but always asks why I did this or why I didn’t do that or gives me helpful suggestions on how I can ...

            Roland has six children – nine if you count the three that were never born – which he often does.   They’ve all been given names – though I doubt we’ll be raising the unborn in the hereafter.           Biff is the oldest.   He has brown eyes and looks just like his paternal grandfather.   Spitting image – only taller – which is saying a lot as Biff’s biggest hang-up about life seems to have been with his small size.   He really is not that tall compared to your average guy – but he is taller than those on both Roland’s side and his mom’s side.           Tony seems to get his looks from his mom’s side – though I haven’t really seen it.   The receding hairline is definitely from her side.   Though Tony towers over his mom’s small sized family (small individuals – the family itself is actually quite large in number...