Kissin' Dairy Goodbye!

I had a great first week back on track. The kids are always well-behaved and things are just fun. Why any person would want to be on a traditional schedule is beyond me. Year-round is the BEST. But, I digress... The only thing I'm a little worried about is how in the world we're going to be ready to perform our Shakespeare play in 3 weeks! Yikes! But I've scheduled a ton of rehearsal time, so here's hoping.

Last night, Emery, Kristine, and I went to dinner at Bombay House. Yum! Kristine deserved a treat because she has been working hard on her thesis (she's almost done!) and Emery and I just like to eat yummy food I guess. ;) While ordering, I decided to find out for certain whether coconut milk has any dairy product in it or not. I thought not, but I take no chances. So, using my iPhone of course, I googled the question. I found out that those with dairy allergies or lactose intollerance can indeed eat coconut milk. I am getting better and better at this non-dairy life! (I should be! I've been officially non-dairy for almost 8 years now!) Here are some of my favorite non-dairy websites / products:

Turtle Mountain (So Delicious, Soy Delicious, and Purely Decadent ice cream)
Tofutti (Better Than Sour Cream and Better Than Cream Cheese)
Dairy Free Living (check out the FAQs link)

After a day of grant-writing I am ready for a little entertainment. So, Emery and I are now on our way to the ward activity: A Night of Debates. Hmm... Should be interesting. I'll let you know how it goes.

My music listening choices this week have been Jo Dee Messina and The Kinleys. (I've been going through all my country CDs I haven't listened to in a while. It's driving Emery a little crazy, but you know, that's really what I'm here for.) The Jo Dee Messina song that has hit the spot is "These Are the Days". It's a great celebrating-the-good-things-in-life song. I used to listen to it a lot when I lived in "my sunny room" at Bobby's house:

I wake up to the sunshine out my window
And the passin’ sound of a homeless man
Singin’ an ol’ Cole Porter song.
The faucet leaks, the TV’s on the blink again
But my restless dreams are still intact
Even though it’s takin’ way too long.
Got a hundred dollars in a coke tin on my shelf
And I've been thinkin’ to myself, whoa

These are the days you will remember
For the rest of your life.
These are the memories you’ll pack in a box
And you'll pull out sometimes.
So pick your flowers, count the seconds, roll the dice
But baby, don’t wait ‘till its too late.
Put a smile on your face.
These are the days.

Outside the people rush to get ahead
For checks and promotions and fancy cars.
Happiness is just around the bend.
Old Mrs. Jones sits out and suns her face,
And as I walk by I hear her say,
"This is as good as it gets."
There goes the business suit who owns this whole darn block.
His roller coaster never stops.
I wanna say to him:

These are the days you will remember
For the rest of your life.
These are the memories you’ll pack in a box
And you'll pull out sometimes.
So pick your flowers, count the seconds, roll the dice
But baby, don’t wait ‘till its too late.
Put a smile on your face.
These are the days.

For some reason, even when I am not sad myself, I often like to listen to sad songs. I guess I'm just sort-of sappy and girlie that way. I mean... I'm just really sensitive and deep. Yes, that sounds better. I think I like them because they remind me of the times in my life when I have felt something similar to the emotions expressed in the songs. It's good to remember those times. It's bitter-sweet. The songs help me realize I have learned a lot and have come out stronger because of the experiences I have had. "Contradiction" by The Kinleys is one of those good sad songs:

Joel was her only son
Trouble was his way of having fun
With the wrong crowd
He was heading for kingdom come
What should a mother do?
She'll have to let go to get through
If she could she'd send him away for his own good

It's such a contradiction
To love someone enough to walk away
The curse of benediction
Is the pain that just won't go away
La la la la
It's such a contradiction

Penny was just sixteen
Answering someone else's dream
With her child
'Cause they had what she couldn't provide
What should a mother do?
She had to let go to get through
If she could she wouldn't do what's for his own good

It's such a contradiction
To love someone enough to walk away
The curse of benediction
Is the pain that just won't go away
La la la la
It's such a contradiction