TAKE THAT, NINTENDO!

You may or may not remember my post about buying a Wii for Christmas in the US and then buying a Mario Kart game here in Ireland, and it wouldn't play on the US Wii. We called Nintendo and they were absolutely no help in offering to switch the game for a US game, or any other suggestions. Their only word was, "Sorry".
So my husband found a company where he could buy something to put in our Wii to make it so it will play any game, whether from the US or anywhere else. Did he do this because he is cheap and was mad because he was out the money for Mario Kart? No, because the cost of the part to put in the Wii was about the same price as the Mario Kart game. As he sat here for 2 nights working on it (2 nights because the first night after he got it apart, he realized he needed a soldering iron), I finally figured out why he does things like this:
1) Just to prove that he can do it
2) To get back at Nintendo
3) He loves to make something better

So now it's fixed, and we can play Mario Kart! However, (I thought to myself) be very afraid. Because now when we go to the store and I go shopping and he goes to look at videos - now he will be on the Nintendo aisle looking at games. But it will be nice, because now I can buy a Wii Fit over here and not have to buy it in the US and figure out how to get it back in my suitcase. (For those of you that don't know, it has a balance board that comes with it.)

A FROG STORY

One of the speakers in church today told this story: (this is my version as well as I can remember)

Once there were 2 frogs. They were hopping along and fell into a deep hole. They tried to hop up and get out but couldn't. Some other frogs came along and saw the 2 frogs in the hole. They called down to the 2 in the hole: "It's hopeless!" "You'll never get out" "It's too deep!" "You might as well just give up and die!" So one of the frogs did just that - he gave up trying to get out, and he died. The other frog kept hopping. He hopped and he hopped. Higher and higher and he still couldn't get out. By this time there were more frogs at the top. They all started yelling down to the other frog: "Give up!" "You'll never make it!" "It's too high!" "Just give up and die!" The frog in the hole tried harder than ever. He jumped higher and higher and finally he jumped so high he jumped out of the hole. One of the frogs at the top said, "You made it! I didn't think you'd be able to make it!" The other frog said: "You'll have to forgive me, I'm hard of hearing. I couldn't hear what you all were saying to me, but you were all yelling so much, I thought you were encouraging me, so I just tried harder until I made it out."

The next time you think your comment to someone (good or bad) doesn't mean anything, think again.

MY FRIEND, YVONNE

In today's mail, I got one of my New Year's letters back. I had sent out New Year's letters in lieu of Christmas cards and letters since December was a little too hectic with our move to Ireland. The person's letter that I got back today, was my friend, Yvonne. On the front of the envelope was a sticker that said, "RETURN TO SENDER DECEASED". Last year when I got Yvonne's Christmas letter, she said that she had had a stroke but was trying to recover. As I addressed her envelope this year, I wondered how she was, or if she was even still alive. I'd like to tell you about my friend:
I met Yvonne when she moved into my ward and joined our ward choir, of which I was the choir director. Yvonne had a great soprano voice - an operatic voice, although she could also sing alto and tenor (she had a great range). She told me one time that she used to perform on stage, but I can't remember anymore about it. I played for her one time, although I can't remember what she sang. For some reason I think it might have been "Jerusalem", which is an old song to which you might need an operatic voice to sing it. She was one of only 2 people in this world that I have met that I would agree to play for when they did not use a microphone when they sang. Anyone else who refused to use a microphone, I told them to get another pianist.
I'm not sure how old Yvonne was, but I figured she was at least as old as my parents. One time my parents came to visit me and went to church with me. Yvonne sat in front of us. The next week she told me how much she loved singing in church that day with my dad's great booming bass voice singing behind her.
My husband was assigned as Yvonne's home teacher. In our church everyone has a home teacher, who visits you and your family each month to see how you're doing and helps you with anything you need. Each home teacher has a partner, and for a while my husband didn't have a partner. Later on one of my son's was assigned to him when he got old enough (you have to be 12). Several times though, I would go with my husband to visit Yvonne. I remember one particular time I went at Christmastime. She had a big tree and had decorated it lavishly, which was her style. I thought it was beautiful and very unique. One thing I commented on that I thought was particular interesting and uniquely beautiful, was that she had fake white doves on her Christmas tree. She talked to me about how the dove plays several parts in religious history. Once when Noah sends the dove out to see if there is land and the dove comes back with an olive leaf. Another time when Jesus Christ is baptized and the Holy Ghost comes to Him in the form of a dove. There may be other times, but that is all I can remember right now. The next year for Christmas, Yvonne gave me 4 doves for my Christmas tree.
Yvonne usually walked with a cane. She had arthritis very bad, was diabetic and other problems which I can't remember. When I was Relief Society president, she moved to another ward, in order to move to a cheaper apartment. The Relief Society president from that ward called me to talk about Yvonne. She told me she thought Yvonne was either mean, mad or crazy because she was screaming at the people in her ward and hitting them with her cane. I asked her what the people were doing when Yvonne screamed at them. She replied that they were trying to shake hands with her and one person tried to give her a hug. I told her that I knew Yvonne personally and I knew she was not a mean person, but I also knew that she did not shake hands with anyone because it hurt her too bad, and she also did not hug anyone except me, and my daughter, Amber (who was also in choir), and then when she did hug us, we just stood there and did not hug her back, because of her pain. I asked her if there was anyway that she could have the bishop call Yvonne out of the beginning of Relief Society and then she could get up and explain this to the sisters and then things would be fine. When this RS president first called me, she was all upset and complaining. By the time I finished talking to her and telling her about Yvonne, I think she was quite humbled and a little embarrassed.
I have to admit that Yvonne did have her bad times. She was not faithful in watching her diabeties, and sometimes when her sugar level was high, you might think she was crazy. And maybe she was, at least at that time. One time we had a ward social in January. It was supposed to be a "Beat the winter doldrums" social. You were supposed to wear shorts and flipflops and t-shirts and come play volleyball. They had a volleyball net up and had Beach Boys music playing. Well, Yvonne's sugar level must have been pretty high that night, because when she walked into the cultural hall and heard the Beach Boys music she started screaming "Devil music!" and went screaming and crying to her car. The bishop followed her and he sat and talked to her until she got calmed down again.
One year, Yvonne decided she wanted to move to Oregon to live near her sister. She and her sister had never had a good relationship, so she wanted to try again to create one. On her way to Oregon, she stayed overnight with us one night in New Mexico. I had given her instructions on how to get to our house, but I guess she got lost. At one point, she just got out of her car and went up to a house and handed them my letter and asked them if they could tell her where she was and how to get to my house. Miraculously, it just happened to be the house of a good friend of mine. Her daughter, got in her car and went with her to my house, which was just around the corner and down the street. Yvonne lived in Oregon several years and then moved to Las Vegas - actually Henderson - which is where she died.
One time, Yvonne decided that she wanted to take tap-dancing lessons. I know she had to have been at least in her 70's at this time. She went to a dancing school and asked them if they taught adults. They said no, but she persuaded them to take her on as a student, because it was close to her house. She invited me to one of her performances, which happened to be at the mall. The dancing school was performing in the mall, and Yvonne danced right along with them!
I loved Yvonne. A lot of people were scared of her. A lot of people thought she was crazy or demented. She used to call me every single Christmas. We would talk for about 15 or 20 minutes and then hang up. I used to tell myself, "Why don't you call her?" But I never did. One time I sent her a phone card for Christmas, which then she called me and told me that now we could talk longer. :0)
I'm glad she is not in pain anymore. Everytime someone close to me dies, I think of how happy I will be when I see them again in the next life.

GOOD MORNING MR. ZIP ZIP ZIP, WHAT MAKES YOU WAKE SO SOON?

On Sunday nights I always set my alarm to wake me up at 2:45am so I can get up and get online to join a family chat with my brothers and sisters who are in the States and in different time zones than me. Last night my husband and I were asleep and the alarm went off. As he usually does when the alarm goes off, he turned the alarm off and sat up in bed until he could wake up enough to get up. After a few minutes, he said, "Why did the alarm go off, it's almost 3am?" All of a sudden I realised that I had forgot to turn off the second alarm. My alarm clock has 2 alarms that you can set differently, and when you turn off the alarm, it automatically resets itself to ring the next morning, unless you press the unset button. After I explained this to him, he went back to sleep. I secretly thought it was hillarious!

FAVORITES

I posted my "quirks" so here are some favorites - Hope you can struggle through all 25 catagories:

1) To wear: jeans, t-shirt, mens white quarter socks from Sam's, jackets
2) Salads: Quesadilla Explosion from Chili's, Chicken Caesar from Flying Star
3) Perfume/Stuff to smell good: Beautiful by Estee Lauder, Bath and Body Cherry Blossom Lotion
4) Exercise: Walking
5) Ice cream: Rocky Road
6) Books: Any of the Harry Potter, Jane Eyre, any Victoria Holt, Gone with the Wind, The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables
7) Thing to do to relax: Read, watch a movie
8) People: My husband, my children (including spouses) & grandchildren, my families, The YaYa's
9) Movies: Any of the Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks, any Harry Potter, A&E Pride & Predujice, Masterpiece Theater Jane Eyre
10) Other Foods: New Mexican with green chile (especially enchiladas, tamales & rellenos), Quarter Pounder from McDonalds, Green Chile Cheeseburger from Sonic, Diet Cherry Coke from Sonic, Irish Soda Bread, Soups (all kinds), Cherry Cheesecake, Bratwurst on a bun grilled outside on the patio, Pasta salads, Cantaloupe, Waldorf Salad

11) Thing to quote: Lines from movies :0)

12) Car: Has to be an SUV - I like sitting up higher

13) Time of my life: Now - The Present - I don't like to look back

14) Vacation Idea: Fly to Hawaii and do a cruise around the islands

15) Jewelry: diamond stud earrings, diamond treble clef necklace - both from my husband

16) Scenic drive: Highway 89 from Kanab to Hatch

17) Scenic View: Hatch Pink Mountains, City of Albuquerque & Sandia Peak from my patio

18) Childhood memory: Summers in Hatch

19) Sleeping equipment: Down pillow, down comforter, sheets that are more cottony than silky, king-size bed

20) Movie stars: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Jimmy Stewart, Susan Heyward, Goldie Hawn, Harrison Ford, the lady who starred in On Golden Pond - auugghh I can't remember her name!

21) Singers: The Beatles, Pavarotti, the girl from Sugarland, Enya, Patsy Cline, Frank Sinatra, The Vocal Majority, The BYU Mens Chorus

22) Snacks: Jalepeno Cheetos, any kind of roasted/salted nuts, movie popcorn, chocolate

23) Fun things: Blogging, Shopping, playing with my grandkids, Talking with my sisters, the YaYa's, or my kids, Exploring in the jeep with my husband, making videos with my Seminary class

24) Funny things: Talking "Evans talk" with my family, watching the videos made by my Seminary kids, recalling funny memories with my kids, jokes that the YaYas can actually remember enough of to tell, old Saturday Night Live (the first ones) videos

AND FINALLY - 25) Bloggers- People who actually read this all the way through - :0)

6 QUIRKS

Ok fine, I'll post my quirks like everyone else. Although I remember doing this another time...

1) I also hate someone else's breath in my face. Right now my husband and I are asleeping in a double bed. Not a queen. Not a king. A double. I hate having someone else's breath in my face so bad, that when I go to bed, I sleep facing out. When I want to turn over, I get up, go around to the other side of the bed, and make him move to the other side, so I can lay down and face out again. Luckily, he feels the same way, and usually when I get up and go around, I just have to lay my hand on his shoulder, and he immediately says, "Ready to switch sides?" I might do this 2 or 3 times a night. I don't do this if I'm sleeping in a kingbed. Is this TMI?
2) I am a creature of habit. I like to eat oatmeal every morning and drink a glass of OJ. Every morning. While I'm eating it, I read my scriptures. While I eat lunch every day, I read whatever book I'm reading. I get annoyed if someone calls me during lunch, because that is usually the only time I really read my book. I might sit there an hour to read. Everything else about my day is very habitual. I always brush my teeth for 8 minutes. I always floss. I always swish with Listerine. I always put A&D ointment on my feet after I get out of the shower and then put thick socks on, until I'm ready to get dressed. Maybe this is TMI too?
3) I hardly ever call someone and ask them out to lunch. I always think they will say no, or that they are too busy. Luckily maybe my friends know this, so they call me a lot. I even think about calling someone to go to lunch and then talk myself out of it. I do call my daughters (when I'm in the US) but even then I probably don't call them as much as I would like to.
4) When I am shopping for something, whether it is a gift, or just something I want, I want EXACTLY what I was thinking of. I don't like to "settle" for something different or inferior. I want what I want and I want it now. :0) And I also hate it when someone asks me what I want for my birthday or Christmas, and I tell them, and then they can't find it so they "settle" for something "like" it. Because I usually "don't" like it.
5) I am not a fake person. I am what I am. Take it or leave it. I do not act much different in public than I do in private. Sometimes to my detriment.
6) I like sandwiches without condiments (mayo, mustard, etc), just plain bread. I have to have a coke slurpee instead of a coke when we go to the movies (you don't have to pee during the movie if you have a slurpee - does it take a while for the cold slushy ice to turn to pee?. I like brown sugar and wheat germ on my oatmeal. I can't eat syrup on my pancakes because if I do, I can't swallow them. My throat sort of closes up - I have to have jam. I am addicted to cantaloupe and eat it practically every day in the summer. (I wonder if Ireland has cantaloupe?) I really don't care whether my peanut butter is crunchy or smooth. I hate whole milk. To this day, I cannot make brown gravy. I can make white, cream gravy, not any form of brown.

IT'S A BOY!!!

Gilbert Girl emailed me yesterday to tell me she found out that she is expecting a BOY!!!

Grandpa has said all along that it was a boy, but Gilbert Girl said she thought it was a girl and even her youngest girl was "crossing her fingers that it was a girl."


Even though I was trying to believe that Gilbert Girl must be right, since she is the one expecting, I still kept thinking it was a boy and even thought the other day that I should look around for some Irish boys names to send her.


The baby is due in May, but since Gilbert Girl is always a month early, it will probably be born in April. CORRECTION: THE BABY IS DUE JUNE 6TH SO WILL PROBABLY BE BORN IN MAY

NOT HAPPY WITH NINTENDO

We bought a Nintendo Wii for Christmas. We bought it in the US and had planned on bringing it to Ireland with us, tucked in one of our suitcases, but didn't have room and had it shipped over with some other things that were coming later. We got the Wii Sports with it, and had wanted to get the Wii Fit, but couldn't find one. We tried to find one here in Ireland but couldn't, so we bought Mario Kart and even bought an extra wheel. What we didn't know, but found out real soon on Christmas Day, was that the Irish Nintendo games will not play on US Nintendos! This is not indicated on the box. When you buy a DVD here, you can look on the back for a code to see if it is able to be played on US DVD players. Some are, some aren't. But we've been looking on the back of the DVDs and have bought some and they have played fine. We called Nintendo and told them our problem. They said, "Sorry", but would not help us. They would not let us send this one back and trade it for a US Mario Kart. They even said, they have had many calls about it but cannot help the people with the problem. So not only are we out the money for the Mario Kart, we have no games to play until we can make a visit back to the US to purchase one. I am going to check on Amazon.comuk to see if they might have any. Here's my question though - Nintendo makes the games and the machines. Why do they have to make them different? Why can't them make them so there is ONE machine and ONE type of games sold in both countries, or all over the world for that matter?