Eggplant is Actually Good

This is for my friends that are from cold areas. Specifically the Gustafson's and Crystal (I consider Michigan to be basically the same level of freezing as Minnesota, my dear). Hopefully you can read this, because I laughed hard when I saw it.


So, I've been attempting to cook some of the things in my cookbook that I've never tried before. A couple of weeks ago I was flipping through the veggie section when I saw it: Ratatouille. What?! I have the recipe for Ratatouille?! How is it possible that I've had it this long and haven't realized it? I took a look at it, expecting it to be (despite the movie's definition of it being a "peasant dish") some ridiculously complicated french cuisine. BUT NO!! It's incredibly easy. And a new challenge presented itself: it is made with eggplant. Despite having lived on this earth for 28 and a half years, I have never a) purchased an eggplant b) cooked an eggplant c) eaten eggplant. So while I was doing my grocery shopping I boldly went over to the veggie section and (tried to pretend I wasn't reading the label beneath as to how to pick out a good eggplant while I) picked one. And it was a beautiful eggplant, if I do say so myself. There's something about buying a purple vegetable that makes you happier inside.

Anyhow, it was a success. Ratatouille, it turns out, is just a whole bunch of vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, green bell pepper, and fresh garlic) mixed together and cooked in a frying pan. My roommate had some too, and she liked it. Plus, here's a little tip from Betty Crocker herself: you can puree leftover ratatouille and put it on top of crackers and french bread for a snack or lunch. I haven't tried that yet though, but when I do I'll let you know how it tastes.

PUZZling and PUZZling

You know how when the Grinch took all the presents from Who-ville and got to the top of the mountain, he stopped and heard all the Whos come out of their house, hoping to hear them crying but instead they all started singing despite the fact that he had stolen all their who-hash--you know how he stood there "PUZZling and PUZZLing" about why they were singing when he had stolen Christmas? That's how I've felt this whole week about pretty much everything--I've been puzzling and puzzling about it. I've been puzzling over my clients at LDS, trying to figure out how to best help them, puzzling about whether I'm pushing some of them too hard. I've been puzzling about what to do with my life after school. Yesterday I spent three hours at the library puzzling over a research project that I'm trying to prepare for my research class for NEXT semester, puzzling out if the inventory I'm trying to make is even feasible. Even at church today I was feeling puzzled about the members of my ward and why some of them act the way they do. Humanity is just puzzling, and it's all been pressing on me this week.

A couple of weeks ago I was over at a friends' house and she invited me to go with her to these stables to help her friend bring a horse out of it's trailer and get it set up in one of the stables. When we got there I realized that they keep the fairgrounds open pretty much all the time, so this morning I went on a little drive and stopped by the fairgrounds to pet the horses. I've never really interacted with horses. I rode one once, for about 10-15 minutes, but we were on a trip with the kids I worked with. One horse, four people, so we each got just a little time to ride. Anyhow, the horses at the stable are really beautiful. This morning I was wishing I had one of those horse brushes, because some of the horses were covered with hay or mud from their stall. An elderly fellow showed up, and he voiced what I had been thinking. "There aren't many places where you can go and just smell the horses." He said he used to ride horses, up in the mountains near Logan. I imagined him to be an Americanized Jim Craig, riding down the side of a mountain when everyone else stops at the cliff. "I don't ride anymore. Now I just like to come here and smell them." Funny man.

Organize Yourselves

Do you ever have a thought that won't leave you alone? And you're not sure why, exactly, but the thought is persistent and you know you just can't ignore it? I'm not talking about disturbing mental-disorder-type thoughts. I know enough about them to know that it's not those. I'm talking about persistent still-small-voice-thoughts that aren't just a little guidance in what to do in the moment. Instead, it's talking about something that you should pursue for at least the next while, either until you're done with it (and it'll let you know when you're done) or for pretty much the rest of your life...the rest of eternity.

I can't remember if I've written about this, because it's been on my mind for--I can't even tell you how long, months at least. So please forgive me if I have and I've forgotten, and I'm boring you. I keep feeling this inherent need to "organize myself." No joke. That scripture "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing" has just been kind of burning in my mind. I'm not even really sure what I'm supposed to "organize myself" in, so I've slowly but surely been trying to attack every aspect of my life that needs organizing. And, it's not like I'm the most disorganized person ever. My room is generally in some sort of order (though Val and other past roommates might be able to nail exactly where I'm lacking). But now that I'm working on "organizing myself," I'm pretty sure that my new roommates think I have some sort of OCD disorder with all the cleaning I'm trying to do. But I digress.

I've attacked my books, organizing and even--trying--to catalog them. I bought new drawers for my crafty things. I've thrown a ton of stuff away, and given another ton of stuff to DI. I separated out my household things and my holiday decorations and my outdoorsy things. I've been working on figuring out my finances and getting them in some semblance of order. I cleaned out my file boxes, separated one for my social work things, and created about twenty binders or so on every topic that I need in order to be an effective social worker. I ordered the Ensign (the true mark of an adult, I decided, is to have your own Ensign) and yesterday found a holder to put the past copies in, so they're easily accessible. I've even been working on some beginnings of food storage.

There are still a lot of things that I need to "organize"; but even though I've been working on this for several months, I still feel that small, persistent need to follow the counsel of the Lord.

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;

"That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord; that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord; that your salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with uplifted hands unto the Most High."

~D&C 88:119-120


So, I tend to think of it this way: We don't really know what the Lord has in store for us, but He does. And now that, week by week, I'm slowly getting closer to finishing graduate school, I keep asking in my prayers what step I should take next. And that's usually the answer that I get: "Organize yourself; prepare every needful thing." So, I still don't know what's around the corner of my bend in the road. But I'll be darned if I'm not organized and ready to take it on. =]

The Parent

"Children aren't happy with nothing to ignore,
And that's what parents were created for."
~Ogden Nash

(Oddly enough, my parents actually used to recite
Ogden Nash to us, mostly as they were herding us off to bed)

So, let me preface this by saying that, in ten years of attending religion classes, including five years at BYU, I had somehow managed not to take Marriage Prep. Not sure how that happened. Anyhow, I felt like I should take it this semester, and I ended up with probably the best institute teacher I've ever had. He's been married 17 years and has 10 kids, so he pretty much knows what he's talking about. Anyhow, we were talking in class on Monday about the divine roles of men and women (which, in and of itself, was amazing), and in order to preface this he showed us a few clips. And so, I share them with you, for you viewing pleasure.

You absolutely must go to this link. I think when I have kids I'll just play this for them, and then I won't have to say the actual phrases. I'll just carry a little tape recorder and fast forward to the part I need.

The Mom Song


Dads, here's one for you all:

A Little bit Rowdy

A String of Thoughts

So, you know how people have those defining moments in their lives where something happened that made them doubt, or wonder about, the existence of God? I had one of those the other day. Now, let me start off by saying: Don't worry. My testimony is still completely strong. I have not fallen away from the church or the gospel due to this experience. And if I had, it would really be a pathetic excuse to not believe in God--and I would have to laugh at myself every day for it's ridiculousness. I just thought it was humorous that this "string of thought" would even occur to me.

Anyhow, it all started when I was flossing my teeth before bed. I was standing in the bathroom and flossing and it occurred to me that floss was an incredible invention. I mean, who ever would have thought that running string between your teeth and gums would be so healthy for your teeth, right?...

Next thought: You know, teeth are a really important organ. There are so many people in the world that lose their teeth because we just don't know how to take care of them. And when you don't take care of them, they cause a lot of health problems that aren't easily solved...

Thought number Three: If teeth are so essential to our well-being, why wasn't the manner of taking care of them revealed from God? I mean, if you don't have your teeth, you really don't have much. You can barely eat. Shouldn't that have been one of the things listed in the Word of Wisdom? Don't drink hot drinks, keep your body healthy, and take care of your teeth in such and such a way? And, for that matter, why wouldn't it have been something revealed to Adam and Eve? "Hey, Adam, here's how you take those grains of wheat and smash them up to something I like to call "flour." Then you take this recipe and make "bread." Oh, and by the way, when your done grab some thin stuff that you used to make twine and run it between each of your pearly whites. You'll live an extra two hundred years if you do that."

And, I have to say, the problem perplexed me. But, in the end, I suppose that caring for our teeth is just another challenge that we have in learning how to take care of our mortal bodies. I'm not going to lie, though. I'm really happy that I live in a time of Floss.

Holey Cow!

Okay, as requested: An actual video of the cow at USU that has a hole in it. For those of you who weren't in on the conversation, there is, indeed, a cow at USU that has an actual hole about the size of your fist in it's side. There's some sort of apparatus inside that keeps the hole open. They use the hole in veterinary studies to help students understand the workings of the cows' stomach. You can actually reach inside the hole and pull the already-chewed and digesting food out of it's stomach to see it. Then, when they're all done feeling around in there, they plug the hole back up so nothing gets infected. Supposedly it doesn't hurt the cow at all.

As I am not a veterinary-science student, I didn't feel it would be entirely appropriate to stick my hand in the cows' hole. Besides, I'm not sure whether or not it would've been considered a crime. Could you imagine the report that the USU Police would have to write up?

Poor cow.

Happy 9-9-09!

I love it when the dates go in order. January 2nd, 2003. September 9th, 2009. Next year on October 10th it'll be even more exciting because it'll be my brother Mike's birthday. =] Yea for random celebration days landing on REAL celebration days!

I had a really great Labor Day weekend. On Saturday I went down to Salt Lake and went through the SLC Temple for the second time. I love the Salt Lake Temple. I love to look at all the old, ornate things inside and feel connected to the pioneers that sacrificed so much to build it. After I did a session I made it just in time to see the Joseph Smith movie over at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. =] I don't think it really matters how many times you see it-you'll cry every time. When it was over I wandered briefly over to Deseret Book to see if there was anything I wanted. I ended up getting a CTR ring. Generally I don't wear much jewelry. The last CTR ring I had was on my mission. I'd taken it off because it was bothering me and ended up accidentally throwing it away into a dumpster. Whoops. So on Saturday I decided that it was about time to get another one. Here's the one I chose.

Kind of different from the usual. I think that's one reason I liked it. After Deseret Book I made my way down to Orem and spent the rest of the evening and Sunday with my sister, brother-in-law and nephew. I was really excited because Chase is finally walking consistently (that's my nephew. Not my brother-in-law. As far as I know, Ross has been walking consistently for quite a while). It was so fun to run around with him, and watch Chase wander all over the house exploring things. We even got into a little game of basketball, where he would clutch his mini-basketball and run up to the closet door, and I would lift him up high so he could throw the ball into the mini basket. Yea!

On Monday I went shopping a bit, then visited Val, Dax and JayDax for a couple of hours. I love it when I get to visit my friends! It's hard sometimes, but it makes me so happy to be able to see my friends =] After a barbeque with my sister's in-laws (and a lot of razzing from my brother-in-law and his Dad about how USU lost their football game last week--I'm not surprised they lost) I drove back up to Logan, but not before stopping in Magna to talk with my friend Alise for a couple of hours. She gave me the most beautiful scarf from Venice that she got while on study abroad this summer.

Yea for weekends away!

Meltdown

So, last night I was studying. It's a productive thing to do, right? Most of our professors post articles for us to read online, so I was doing this studying on my Lappy. Okay, so I have this study lamp that I use on my desk. It gets kind of hot, and it's pretty bright so I keep a handkerchief over the top to dim it down a little. Well, when I moved into my pre-furnished apartment the first thing I noticed was the desk. It's this little triangular desk that fits just right into a corner of the bedroom. It's a little awkward, but it's functional. Anyhow, it's small, so there isn't much room on top--especially when I put my lamp, laptop, speakers, rubber-band ball, stress ball and stress palm tree, and my desk organizer thing. Therefore, the lamp was banished to the back corner of the desk, just behind my Lappy. The lamp is still functional because I can tilt it just so that the light shines over the top of my laptop. So far it has worked just fine. Until I got to class today, pulled my laptop out and looked at the top of my lappy. Right around the top, surrounding the sliding tab to open said laptop, my poor little Lappy was...melted. Luckily the screen wasn't damaged. Unluckily, the sliding tab doesn't slide anymore. I can still open my laptop by shifting the screen over slightly. so that's good. And now my little Lappy is definitely unique. So even if someone stole it and I didn't have the number, it would still be identifiable.

The Victim


The Perpetrator

And thus we have evidence that lamps do not like to be banished to corners.

"I try to avoid situations that Emphasize my Awkwardness"

I just heard that quote from Wizards of Waverly Place. I think that basically sums up my life. But guess what? Today I overcame my fear of awkward situations and slid down a giant water slide. Approximately four times. If you've just started a job and you have to meet all your new co-workers, I highly recommend going to a potluck picnic/water slide party in order to lessen the awkwardness. There's nothing like looking completely ridiculous, getting sopping wet and screaming at the top of your lungs like a little girl (or my brother David) to make saying "Hi! I'm the new MSW Intern," a little easier to choke out.

Here's a picture of the slide...Monica was trying to get a picture of me sliding down, but apparently my camera wasn't fast enough

Here's one of me sopping wet and standing in front of said slide

On a completely separate note, here's a picture of the tablecloth I finally finished embroidering. It's just over 3ft squared:


And lastly, a pretty bridge from my hike:

Whoops...and Elephants

So, this one time after the Temple in Logan had been closed for a month, and exactly two days before my first day at LDS Family Services, I tried to go to the Temple and...my recommend was expired. The whole two-year expiration change threw me off a bit. It used to be every November, like clockwork. So, not only was I denied my Saturday Temple experience, but I was in trouble (Right here, in River City. With a capital T...etc.) because, considering the fact that I had to put my entire church history experience on my application, including whether or not I was Temple worthy and the names/phone numbers of the past two bishops I've had, I'm pretty sure that they want you to have a current recommend. I instantly returned home and called that guy in the directory that has "Call for Bishop Interviews" in bold letters next to his name. He said I could meet with the Bishop right after church, at 4:30pm, and that the Stake conducts their interviews from 4-6pm in the same building. Perfect! So I get to my bishop's office and end up waiting approximately 45 minutes, because he was in a meeting with someone. It's now 5:15pm. Pleasant interview is conducted. I dash down the hall towards the Stake President's office. The only one there is a clerk typing something. I knock and ask if there's a Stake Presidency member that can conduct my interview. Tough luck for me. The interviews are from 4-5pm. Too late. So now I'm going tomorrow without a current recommend. Boo. I'll have it all dandy by Tuesday night, so it won't be too bad. I just hope they're not so sticklish that they wonder whether or not I'm actually a faithful member of the church because I forgot that I have to renew my recommend in July instead of November (or September, which is when I actually thought it would expire, because that's when the scanner things were introduced. Apparently I was way too on top of it two years ago and went in first thing to get my recommend changed as soon as they said I would have to have it changed. I therefore can only conclude that since I entered into graduate school my brain has slowly started to disentigrate).

I therapized myself yesterday by moving my furniture. Someday, when I have a family, they're going to get lost in our house because I keep moving our furniture every four months.

On a completely random note, on the news the other day they reported a new baby elephant being born at Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake. First, baby elephants are very cute. Second, this reminded me that elephants are pregnant for 24 months. I would think that being pregnant for 24 months would be incredibly uncomfortable (as would giving birth to a 251 pound baby elephant). Okay, now, you're going to have to pay attention to my train of thought, because it tends to jump a bit and I come out with weird results. From the baby elephant, my brain reflected on the multitude of babies that my friends/family have had in the past year and a half (all of whom are adorable--Moms and Babies). It then jumped to the fact that I will never have to be pregnant for 24 months. However, it will take me 24 months to get my diploma. And I like to think that getting a graduate degree is as difficult and possibly just as uncomfortable as giving birth to a baby elephant.

Herego:
MSW=Baby Elephant
And I'm pretty sure that deserves a Baby Elephant Walk

My only hope is that my diploma doesn't weigh 251 pounds. I mean, how would I ever hang it?

Sometimes People Update their Blogs...

...and this time, that person is me. So, I've been doing pretty much a lot of things that don't seem important during the last two months of not updating my blog, but in the end they really were quite fun. For example, I spent my summer swimming a lot, visiting home twice, playing with my nephew, reading kids books, organizing my library (still in-process), pretending to do social-workey type things, hiking, making some skirts and blankets and tablecloths etc., and...so on. Lots of stuff. Fun stuff. Stuff of nothingness, and yet I've been able to fill up a journal about it. Good times. Now school is about to start and when I put my schedule into my Palmy I wanted to pass out. Busy. But only nine more months of busy, and then busy no more. =] Supposedly.

I made my mom stop by the Excalibur when we stopped at Vegas. It wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be (for instance, I merely assumed that seeing knights with lances gallivanting around would be a common sight--sadly, at 10pm they are not), but the Luxor didn't disappoint. Aside from the Sphinx, the inside was really great--you can see the rooms going up towards the top in an inverted pyramid shape.

My nephew Chase, splashing in the pool. So cute!

I spoiled Chase at Macy's and got him an ice cream cone. They have these little ones for babies that cost a quarter. I decided I should be somewhat responsible, so I put the bib on him while we shopped.

My brother Mike and me at the Bountiful Temple, for our cousin Angela's wedding. When the reception was almost over we realized that no one had decorated the car. Not only that, but we had no supplies for the job! That wouldn't do at all. We collected ribbons from the vases on the tables and I broke out my coverup. Here's the end result:

Kind of Classy, huh? I thought so.

Anyhow, I'll try to be better about updating. Meanwhile, enjoy the meteor shower. =]

What if a much of a which of a wind...

Isn't it strange how you start to miss something just all of a sudden sometimes? I mean, you didn't miss it five minutes ago, or even thirty seconds ago...but then BAM, it hits you like a ton of bricks. And you feel lonely for that something, and you wonder why you haven't been doing it or seeing it or practicing it every day for the past however long, and you know that your life wouldn't actually be complete unless you did it or saw it or practiced right then, and from now on? I wonder where that feeling comes from. Is it a reminder from Heavenly Father of things that are important for us? Or maybe it's just our souls reaching out for what we really need...

Just now, I was sitting at my computer for the first time in a while, and listening to the TV in the background. Then, all of a sudden I was absolutely sick of the TV. I turned it off and tried the radio. It didn't work either. I flipped that off to. Then I turned on my classical music from my computer. Goldilocks. It was just right. I guess I haven't turned on my classical since I got out of school. I usually turn it on when I'm writing papers or reading some important looking textbook. So I guess my brain wanted to retreat back to that mindset. It's not a bad one to have.

I tried to go up to Tony Grove today (which, incidentally is not Tony's Grove, like everybody has said. There's no "s".) Here's a picture from the bottom of the hill.

I love all the yellow flowers.

You drive up this winding mountain road, and it's really quite beautiful. I was looking forward to a calm little sit by the lake. Unfortunately, it started raining when I was 2/3 of the way up the mountain. I sat in my car for a while in the parking lot adjacent to the lake, watching the rain pound on my windshield and hoping it would die down a bit, but it didn't. I guess I'll have to save my lake trip for another time. It was beautiful while it lasted.

I think that's one of the things that I love best about Logan. It's really close to a lot of hikes and walks and such. Here's another from Green Canyon, literally a five minute drive from my apartment:


If anyone needs a nice little walk, let me know. We have a bunch up here. It's one of the things on my list of things not-to-ever-forget-to-do.

Laziness to the Power of 10...or so it seems

Did you know camels' humps aren't actually full of water? I know I've heard that before, but I must've forgotten, because it surprised me when I read it. It's actually stored up fat. Interesting.

So, I just finished reading "The Lightning Thief," by Rick Riordan. It's absolutely excellent. It's like Harry Potter meets Hercules, with a little bit of Edith Hamilton's Mythology sprinkled throughout. If you ever wanted to learn more about mythology and never wanted to take the time to do it, here's your chance. I'm going to go and get the second book as soon as I can. As soon as I get paid. And I thought Riordan reasoned the whole "God vs. gods" issue very well, and in only just a few sentences.

I wish I had more to write, but right now my life is pretty much consumed with cleaning in the afternoon/night, and wiling my mornings away looking up random information that may be useful to me someday (yes, including the camel tidbit. You never know when you might find yourself stranded in the middle of a desert with a camel), reading children's books (though, I really should pick up Ben Hur and finish it...) and going to the pool. I try to slip in more productive things sometimes as well. Like studying Spanish and Conflict Resolution and Therapy and other stuff that I'll probably forget just as soon as my internship starts in August. Although, I must say that my storage unit is so totally organized. I have little "Hello my name is ____" tags above all the piles indicating what I might possibly find in that area. It destroys the illusion of surprise, when you go through your junk and find something you love and think "Hey! I forgot I had this! I forgot how much I LOVE it!"; but it also helps lessen the frustration when you're looking for your sleeping bag to go camping that night and it's buried beneath boxes of books, kitchen supplies you don't currently need because your three roommates already have one each, and those family pictures you're supposed to be scanning. No More!! Now it has a handy "Hello, my name is Outdoors" sticker right above it. =]

Calvinball

I have nothing to write about. In fact, an hour and a half ago I vowed to my roommate that I would go to bed before midnight. Then I wrote my brother. Then I played on facebook. Then I played on my blog. Now I am fully aware of my avoidance, and am torn; one half of me wonders why I haven't been going to bed early. The other half doesn't care.

This weekend was pretty fun. I drove down and visited my friends, Ked and Cynthia. Cynthia is from my branch back home, and I worked with Ked at the library at BYU. This last year they (and a few other friends from back home) were in the same ward. We figured since we were all semi-unbusy, we should play. So I drove down and we went to cheer at the softball game going on across from the stadium, put on by the Special Olympics. I've always wanted to go watch the Special Olympics, but I'd never had the chance before. It was really fun. We cheered for whoever was at bat, or whoever made an especially good play. We got sunburned a little, sitting out there cheering for two hours. Then we went home to Cynthia's and made dinner/dessert. Afterwards, some friends of theirs came over, bored and looking for something to do. We finally landed on beach volleyball, at their sand court outside. That was really fun (even though I'm really bad--except, perhaps, at serving) because the team Ked and Cynthia were on decided that every time one of their players would serve they had to sing a song--any song--so that a) they could guess who sang it and b) they could distract us from the game. It actually sort of worked. Though, in the end it didn't really matter because we weren't keeping score anyhow. What was really great, I thought, was that people from the apartments nearby just came out and joined the game on their own. We didn't have to invite them, and some of them we didn't even really know. They kept playing, even after those who started the game left (they even kept up the singing, I believe).

I still prefer Calvinball, though I think what we did was somewhat Calvinball-esk. Have you ever tried it? It's very liberating. (Muahaha =])

And the answer is....

Inquiring minds want to know: Has an ocean sprung up in the middle of Logan Utah? And the answer is no. As far as I can tell, there is no beach here. And trust me, I've looked high and low for one. I went to the beach when I was home in San Diego for a week an a half, whilst being homeless. My on campus housing kicked me out on the 1st of May, and I couldn't move in to my new apartment until the 10th or 11th or something, so I escaped to Cali. It only seemed right, because in all the songs they talk about running away to the west coast, so I figured I'd follow suit.

Point 2: Leven Thumps is actually pretty good. Haven't moved on to the second book yet, but I liked it. The ending, I thought, was especially good, and the characters (especially the minor ones) were pretty impressively created. I won't say anymore. All I'm saying is, I can't wait to see what happens next to Geth.

I just finished house sitting for my friend. It was really fun. Mostly I was there to take care of her dog, a pretty good sized boxer. My only complaint is that he is used to sleeping in her bed with her. And I was in a little twin sized bed in the guest room (which I chose, so I guess it's my own darn fault), and he was kind of pushing me off of it. The whole time. I've never really understood the draw to having your dog sleep in bed with you. I mean, it's nice to cuddle on the couch with your dog, and pet them and play with them and such. But really, sleeping in your bed? I mean, I loved having our dog, Moki. I especially love taking dogs on walks. It kind of gives me an excuse to go on walks at night, which I really enjoy. But I don't like smelling like a dog. And no matter how clean you keep your dog, they still have a doggy smell, and that inevitably rubs off on you. Especially if your dog sleeps in bed with you. So the end of this rant is: when I get a dog, little Tucker will be sleeping in his/her doggy bed. And I will probably get a basset hound flop dog, because they don't feel the need to follow you absolutely everywhere you go in the house. The End. (P.S. I know they howl. I'll talk him/her out of it.)

So I had a sad and strange sort of event happen a couple of months ago. It's still sort of surreal, so I haven't written about it. But I felt like writing it tonight, for some reason. So, amongst all my whinings about boxers and praise for Leven Thumps, I'm going to mention my little story of my best friend from elementary school. Lisa and I met in kindergarten. We were in the same class, and we ended up joining Girl Scouts together as well, starting out in the little known "Daisies," which comes just before the Brownie level. Lisa was vibrant. That's really the best word I can come up with to describe her. She had this something in her soul that shined out of her. I know she always wanted to be famous. She had this sparkle in her eyes all the time too, and her smile was infectious. She loved American Tail. She could copy Fivels voice exactly, and (I never told her this) but she kind of looked like the little mouse too. I used to sleep over at her house sometimes, and watch her perform songs. We'd play board games, get pizza, and watch movies. I didn't necessarily want to be like her, but I admired the spark in her that drove her to be so outgoing. I couldn't figure out where that spark came from. Lisa wasn't perfect--she always liked to get her way. And I, being terribly shy, was the perfect friend for her. She could talk me in to almost anything. She even talked me into joining the cheerleading squad that she and her mom started. Can you imagine me as a cheerleader?! I felt ridiculous, but Lisa was so excited about it. She just loved being the center of attention. I had this fascination when I was with Lisa--it was like I was in a play, acting a part that I'd never known I could play before.

As different as we were, I think it was inevitable that we would break apart. Seven years as friends doesn't seem long now, but to a twelve year old--it was my whole life. There was a new girl in class that at first we both became friends with; but then I realized I had become the outsider. It was painful. Lisa was becoming someone different than I'd known before. We entered the cruel teen years, and our friendship was damaged beyond repair. I'd always sort of admired her from afar, but then it changed. I couldn't admire her anymore, and I had to look for new friends. It was strange, going through junior high and part of high school, being in some of the same classes with her and us not even speaking. Ignoring each other, as if all those years of playing together had meant nothing.

After I left high school behind me, I thought every once in a while of looking her up. Her family had moved, I didn't know where. While I was on my mission--when you're day-in, day-out examining your life and everything that had led you to be where you were--I couldn't help but think of Lisa. I would find her when I got home.

I probably had a million chances after I'd gotten home. But this last January I discovered I would've been too late anyhow. I joined Facebook last September, to keep in touch with friends from back home while I was in another state studying. One of the first random people searches I did was to try and find Lisa. But she wasn't there. In January, it occurred to me to look for her younger sisters. They might have Facebook accounts, and not her. I searched, and found her youngest sister first. I "added" her, and asked for info on where Lisa was. She wrote back and told me. Lisa had passed away in a car accident six years before. She'd been driving intoxicated. She had died while I was out on my mission. I grieved the friendship that I'd lost so many years before. I'd been hoping that, since we were older and wiser and less like stupid teenagers now, that we could be friends again. And I think, somehow, we are. I hope she understands me a little better now. I think I understand her more now too. The thing that hurt the most was that I was gone on my mission, preaching the gospel to people I didn't even know, when someone I really did love was suffering so much inside. How much could the gospel have helped her? I think she'll get her chance. Maybe when she does, she'll remember me. And remember that I loved her, and that I could see the spark that radiated out from her, when she was happiest.

And on that serious note, to all my Dear Family & Friends: I love you. Please don't doubt it, ever. They say life is too short. It is. Just know that the gospel is true, and that Heavenly Father notices everything in your life. He has a perfect plan for you, just like He does for my dear friend, Lisa.

Detox

Can you detox from Graduate School? If you do, do you forget everything you learned in the past 8 months? Because if I do, that would be a huge waste of a couple thousand dollars and some precious months of my life that could've been spent doing something else, like improving my butterfly collection. Or starting one.

Well, I did it. I finally finished moving in today. Yea for members of the Relief Society Presidency that have big trucks they are willing to lend out to unfortunate mini-car people like me that need to move a lot of junk. I still have boxes in the middle of my room, but I'm confident they will disappear of their own volition in the next few days.

I've been spending the past few weeks alternating between being very productive indeed, and being extremely lazy and somewhat flighty (though some would argue that I am flighty on a much more consistent basis than "somewhat" would imply).

Productive Things Done:
Painted a room green
Bought trimming for the bathroom
Moved
Budgeted and Set up Summer Schedule
Visited Friends
Took nephew to the Zoo (adorable!!)

Extremely Lazy Things "Done":
Gone to the Beach (x3)
Gone to the Pool (x1)
Caught up on TV shows

Walking the Line:
Read "Leven Thumps"
Read "Fairest"
Reading "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH"
Continued embroidery project--which looks amazing, I might add.

Jaime? =]

Okay friends of Jaime, watch this commercial and tell me if you think Jaime is moonlighting as a Hallmark commercial actress and didn't tell us. It's the "Dorm Room" commercial. She's the one sitting on the bed, filing her nails.

Hallmark Commercial

Coffee Creamers

Alise thought it was funny that whenever we go out to each I can't help but play with the coffee creamers. So here's a pic for your viewing pleasure. It's the little things in life...

50% Isn't so bad after all

The cup is definitely half full. =]

Well, my bedroom is a disaster, my health is questionable, and my car is expensive. But darn it all if I'm not 50% done with my master's degree!!! Sorry, I have to celebrate. All semester I've been saying "We're almost half way done!" Even in January. So now we really ARE half way done, and it's a good feeling.

I'm celebrating with Alise in the morning at Angie's. It's a local restaurant, and it's pretty much great. They even have a sign on the outside that says "Where the Locals Eat." How can any other restaurant in town beat that? "Where the students that don't really belong here but reside here for the duration of their education eat" just doesn't have the same ring.

I'm taking in my completed Sudoku puzzle in so I can get a free piece of pie with my meal.

Auntie Bekah

I couldn't get my homework assignments to post, so I'm posting here instead. This weekend I babysat my 10-month old nephew, Chase. We had a lot of fun =]. Here are some videos I took. Please note that in the first one, I am being attacked by Maggie, the crazy boston terrier, as I'm trying to film. And I'm sorry it's so pixelated, but I was using my cell phone.

He likes to say "Bek Bek Bek" a lot. I got him to add an "uh" to the end of it a couple of times. =]
I thought this was funny, especially since Mom and Dad always said Rachel used to crawl around saying "Bok Bok Bok" all the time.

Cutest thing ever! Well Ross, if you want him to be a drummer I suppose that having him hit you on the head is a good start!

Okay all you friends of mine with babies: This is the cutest tub for babies ever. It's an inflatable duck. And when you squeeze the bill, it makes quacking noises. It's the perfect size for babies, and Chase just adores it. My brother-in-law Ross registered for it when they were having their baby shower and one of Rachel's friends got it for them. Rachel said it's about $10 at Target. It's worth it. At several points in the day I took Chase into the bathroom to wash his face and hands, and every time he tried to reach for the duck in the tub.

By the way, I keep repeating "What does the ducky say?" because when he isn't on camera, he'll make quacking noises. Unfortunately I think the camera is too distracting for him.

Zero Death Crystals

Enjoy. I couldn't stop laughing.

Head and Shoulders Commercial

Sabbatical

Yea for new backgrounds. Mom and I finally figured out that you have to copy the code from bottom to top, instead of top to bottom, in order to get it to work. So in case you didn't know, now you do. We can all be part of the "in" crowd together. =]

Dax chastised me for not having written in a while. I had no witty comebacks, because it was perfectly true. I have been all too lax in writing. So since I took an hour and a bit to change the background, I figured I'd take three minutes and tell you what I've been up to.

First off, physical therapy is actually fun. Especially when they hook the electrodes up to your back and zap you with electricity while you're laying on a heating pad. It's basically like getting a massage. Maybe I should preface this with saying I hurt my back pretty badly two and a half weeks ago. I went to the doctor. He referred me to physical therapy. I go there twice a week, and they stick little pads on my back and shock me. They also make me do funny looking exercises (like walking sideways on a treadmill--try that at a gym and see if you get any funny looks), but they seem to be working, so I'm not complaining. Also, they recommend that I keep swimming (which helps, I think--except for the breaststroke. Right now that's not an option. Soon though), and one of them suggested I try walking in the deep end of the pool. This requires the use of a funny little belt-like flotation device, and the ability to laugh at yourself. Because while everyone else is swimming laps you're trying to walk through the water. And it actually works, you feel like you're going on a jog but at the most ridiculously slow pace ever. It's like seeing yourself forced to be in slow motion. So it was fun AND funny. Good times.

Other than that it's been lots of school work. The end of the semester is coming up and I have a bunch of projects and papers due. It's been a challenge just to keep them all straight in my head, and my poor little palmy appears to have died, so I have reverted back to using the paper calendars that seem to help me keep somewhat organized. I'm trying to think how old palmy was. 5 years? I think so. He finally gave up the ghost. Maybe I'll get a handy phone/Palm like Rachel has.

I'm trying to think what else. I finally folded my laundry today. I washed it on Monday. I've sort of just been picking clothes out of the basket for the past couple of days. I blame my back hurting. But today I dumped the remainder of the contents onto my bed (which I made, along with cleaning the rest of my room, thank you) and got them all put away. You wouldn't think it would be that hard to get your laundry folded, but it was a rough beginning of the week and I just wasn't home long enough to do it. Or, if I was home, I was staying up until 1am to finish a paper I had due. Anyhow, I'll be getting my break soon.

Can I just say, the weather was really pretty today! It was rainy, but the sun kept peeking out and the clouds were whispey and chubby and dark and white, and we just got a really good combination of everything. Clouds. They're fun.

Oh! So now I'm committed to going camping this summer, because I took a small portion of my tax returns and put them back into circulation in the economy by purchasing a camping sleeping bag. A Real one. According to my friend April, the girl in the camping section, and the tag on my bag I can sleep out in 20 degree (Fahrenheit) weather and still be alive in the morning. It was really kind of funny, buying the bag. I brought April with me because she's very outdoorsy and goes camping and backpacking all the time, so she knows what she's talking about. So with her and the girl that works in the camping section together telling me all the different features of the different sleeping bags--I just had to laugh about how little I knew about sleeping bags. They were like "Do you want to be able to sleep out in 30 degree weather, or 20 degree weather?" I wanted to respond "Who in their right mind would ever sleep out in weather that cold?!" but I resisted the temptation, knowing that there are lots of people in the world that do things like that. They had some sleeping bags there for people that do even crazier things, like try and climb Mount Everest, etc. I politely denied that I would ever try it. At least, not in the lifetime of my first official sleeping bag. I mean, lets be honest, if Al's Sporting Goods hadn't been having a sale for USU students, I would've gone to Wal-Mart and bought the one that gave the best appearance of coziness and hallelujah-you're-still-alive-in-the-morning-ness. When they had me get down on the floor and climb into the mummy bag and they zipped me up in it, and asked me all these questions about how I fit in it, I giggled. As for my back, the girl in the store said I should just get one of those bed floaties that they sell with the pool and summer stuff. She said they work better than the blue pads, and they're easier to carry around. If I can't find one, I'm pretty sure I still have a blow-up dragon somewhere. The point it, always trust the girl in the camping section of the sports store. That's all I have to say about that.

Spring Break Adventures

Hiking the River Trail:

(This is my favorite picture)

There was still snow on the ground, but it was probably
about 45 degrees. So nice!

Utah State: WAC Champions

Sunday Walk:

Logan Temple from Old Main Hill

Old Main (It's kind of the Brigham Academy of Utah State)

It's not a pillow Dad, but I found a ketchup packet
and made it work. Turned out okay, huh? =]

12" of Snow

Wait, THIS is Spring Break?!?!
This is only about 8 of the total 12" that we got that day.

Working:

It's a terrible picture of me, but I love the Little Blue sign too much
to not include it. Big Blue is Utah State's mascot.
The elementary school that is run on Utah State's campus
has a mascot too: Little Blue. This sign is in their lunchroom.

Family Time:

Nap time was hard for Chase for some reason,
so Mommy held him and got a nap for herself too!

There were other equally spectacular things that I did during Spring Break that weren't captured on my little cell phone camera, so you'll have to deal with just having these memoirs. Happy, productive, non-sinful Spring Break. =]

Ditsy or Deceived, but I still Love it

Last week was Spring Break. It was an event to be savored, since my entire college career has been null and void of anything even similar to a sliver of Spring-Breakishness. As my supervisor astutely (and sarcastically) noted, "it's because Spring Break represents sin and they want to keep students from committing sin." That made me laugh. Hard. Anyhow, a log of my amazing Spring Break will hopefully be forthcoming soon. I even learned how to extend the videos on my cell phone so that they're longer than 15 seconds. I don't know if any of them are post worthy, but we'll see.

I wanted to mention a discovery I made last week. On Thursday I was at the Salt Lake Wal-mart, wandering around as I awaited the time when I would be going to visit a few of my freshmen roommates for a little reunion. Well, Wal-mart has taken it upon themselves to sell some of their DVD's for $5. My guess is that they are replacing these boring, normal DVD's with the more exciting Blu-Ray ones. But really I don't care why they're doing it. All I know is that I benefit highly from these sales. And what, may you ask, did I find there? The Secret of NIMH. That's right. Good little Mrs. Frisby and the rats that she calls upon to help move her house, with the creepy owl and all. Well, I couldn't pass it up. I'll be honest, I giggled a little as I put it down on the counter. When I got back to Logan I told my friend Alise what I'd found. She giggled with excitement as well. And of course, we planned a movie night for the next night to watch it.

Three things popped out at me as we watched the movie. The first is obvious: It's an incredible movie, an incredible story. Who DOESN'T love a story where the Mom has the most astounding courage in order to save her children's lives; and where, as Alise pointed out, the good name of a man ends up saving his family's life, even after his death. Jonathan Brisby's name get's his wife in to see the Great Owl and the Rats of NIMH. He is the whole reason that they agree to help her in the first place. Actually the second thing that popped out at me is that in the movie their last name is "Brisby," whereas in the book it's "Frisby." Alise and I determined that the filmmakers might have thought "Frisby" would confuse the children somehow.

The last *POP* occurred when we turned the subtitles on to figure out if they were saying Brisby or Frisby. We left the subtitles on, and when it got to a part where they talked about the rats, I noticed for the first time that NIMH was in all capitals. Now, in my defense the last time I read the book was when I was about 9 or 10. So NIMH in capital letters wouldn't have meant much to me. However, now I am a semi-educated graduate student that has worked in the mental health field for 3 years or so. So now NIMH in call capital letters automatically equals (drumroll please) the National Institute of Mental Health. That's right. It was the first time I made the connection. I giggled some more, and Alise laughed that I was such a dork. Yea for new discoveries. I'm going to read the book again when the semester is over (or when I finish Peter Pan--my current guilty-pleasure book that I use to avoid homework when necessary) to see how many jabs at the National Institute of Mental Health there are in the book. Hopefully not too many. I wouldn't want a book that I loved so much as a kid to turn in to some giant backlash at an institution. It would lose all it's charm of being such a sweet story.

The Smoothest Line Ever

Our Stake President told us in church today about an interaction between his 3 year old grandson and another little girl at the playground.

Boy: I'm Tarzan
Girl: I'm Cinderella
Boy: I have your movie...and I LIKE it.

~Just for kicks and giggles!

Top Ten

Top 10 Things You Need if You Have A Stomach Ache
1. Pepto Bismal. It can be the Equate version.
2. Unsalted saltines
3. Ginger snaps. It calms the stomach. BTW, a cook that I used to work with told me that ginger in large quantities is poisonous. And he worked in the Temple, so it had to be true.
4. Pajamas
5. Pillow
6. Movie
7. Sleep
8. Chicken broth. Not actual soup. Those pesky noodles and veggies and such might make you feel queasy. Just drink the broth from a cup.
9. Classical Music
10. Bubble bath. And a bottle of bubbles to blow when you get bored of laying in bed.

Top Ten Reasons We Don't Deserve to Encounter People from Other Planets
1. MTV and BET
2. The flutophone
3. Newscasters from FOX network
4. Rhythmic Gymnastics
5. Jim Carrey (calm DOWN already)
6. People that wear shorts/flip flops when it is 30 degrees Fahrenheit or less outside.
7. Any "reality" show
8. Comic books (I include this not because I hate them, but because it would confuse our visitors. Can you imagine? "What, you mean you can't read people's minds? You can't control the elements? You can't repeat pi to the 400th decimal point?")
9. Hairless cats
10. Botox. You know why you're on here.

There are a lot more relevant ones (like Rwanda, Darfur and the Holocaust) but I thought for entertainment purposes I'd put the funny ones.

Just for fun, check this out. It has rained fish. I'm not crazy.

Big=Little IFF Little=Big

I found a new equation today, as you can see. Actually, I included the "IFF" (if and only if) in here for my little sister, Britte's, sake. Math nerds.

I decided in my Sunday School class today that big things are actually little things, but only if (and only if) we make the little things in our lives big. Let me explain: The little things, like reading our scriptures and saying our prayers, writing in our journals, going to the Temple and doing our family history work, make us who we are inside. They are the building blocks of our character. My character is determined in the little things that I do every day--the things that are inconvenient at times, tiresome, wearisome, and even sometimes a little confusing (I knew I should have taken that Understanding Isaiah class at BYU...). I don't necessarily have to understand how these things are changing me. I just have to have faith that they are, and then be able to step outside of myself and evaluate how I'm doing.

Creating your character is like creating any piece of art. It takes planning. It takes patience. In ceramics (and unfortunately, in some of our lives), it takes beating the clay, throwing it against the table to get all the bubbles out so that you have something you can actually work with--something that won't explode in the kiln. It's only after all that preparation that you're clay is ready to be formed into something worthwhile; ready to withstand the incredible heat it will soon be exposed to. If you didn't do all the little preparation, then the big test will seem just that--a big test. But if you did go through all the little preparation, then the big things are just another little thing. And suddenly taking out your extra pair of earrings, or looking for someone to share the gospel with so the missionaries don't have to do quite as much tracting, or walking across the plains, or building a Temple with your bare hands when you know that the people waiting to overtake the city are just going to burn it down to the ground anyways, or being asked to serve in a calling that you don't feel quite prepared for--they aren't big things any more. They're just little things. Because your heart was ready for it.

You only learn to jump rope by jumping.

If you want my tonsils, you can have them

When I was five weeks old I had spinal meningitis. Thanks to some very intelligent doctors in Washington DC, I was soon pumped full of penicillin and recovered gracefully, luckily missing out on some of the devastating effects that spinal meningitis can have on a little baby (despite what some people might say ;]).

Unfortunately for me, the vast influx of penicillin into my little five week old body has since rendered the drug somewhat ineffective. I like to think that, like Wesley built up an immunity to iocaine powder, I have my own immunity. However, unlike Wesley and his iocaine powder, penicillin is not so much a poison as it is...the miracle drug that pretty much cures everything. Including tonsillitis. So, it happened that as I grew up and got case after case of tonsillitis and received drug after mutated drug that were all some form of penicillin, I kept getting swollen tonsils. Boo. It must have been the year after my sister Rachel got her tonsils removed that doctor's suddenly decided that a tonsilectomy was too dangerous and pretty much stopped doing them. So here I am now, with tonsils that are perpetually swollen and a dental assistant who is always concerned that she is going to get sick. Don't worry. I won't infect you. They've been that swollen for a while now.

I wanted to post tonight, but I didn't know what else to say. So you got my tonsils. If you want them, you can have them. Just gargle with warm salt water. Some people think it's gross, but trust me--it is oh-so-effective.

The Blessing of iTunes

So, I'm not much up on technology. Some of you may remember that it's only been about two years since I got my first cell phone, and only at my parents' insistence. (It's been a great experience since then, so thanks Mom and Dad).

Well, two Christmases ago I decided that I wanted music. I'd started keeping a list on my handy cell phone notepad of songs that I heard on the radio and really liked. I am, however, quite opposed to buying CD's. Here's why: I only ever end up listening to the two or three songs that I enjoy. The other ones are completely useless (although I admit that sometimes you find a song rarely played on the radio that you hear and your first reaction is "Hey! Why don't they ever play this one? It's GREAT!"). So why should I pay ten to fifteen dollars extra for all these songs that I'm never going to appreciate? Anyhow, I decided that an iTunes card was the way to go. I got two, and used one of them. Then I saved the other and decided to wait until my list got longer. So then this last Christmas I got another one, and the other night I decided it was time to break out the cards and my list and google the songs to find out who the singer was if I didn't already know (I know, what kind of lame person doesn't know who's singing the song that they like? Well, that lame person would be me. I'm sorry, it's just not a talent that I stood in line for in the pre-existence. I must have been preoccupied with other things, like lecturing David about not wandering off when it was his turn to come down).

Anyhow, I just got tired, so here's the long and the short of it: I downloaded 42 of my favorite songs, and I'm sitting blissfully listening to them right now. (And, if you'd like the breakdown, that's 2 alternative, 20 country, 1 hip hop/rap, 9 pop (though I don't know why "I Can" by NAS isn't rap...), 1 pop latino, and 9 rock)

Now all I need is an iPod, or the equivalent...

My First True Love

Books: Number the Stars. I think it was the first young adult novel that I read. It was scary and beautiful and daring and real, and it introduced me to the world.

Babies: My brother, Mikel. When he was born and my grandma told me that I finally had a brother, I cried. I wanted them to take him back. I wanted a sister. But then my parents brought him home from the hospital, and I got to hold him first. He was so tiny and brownish-red and had these adorable chubby cheeks and tiny hands. So I figured brothers might not be all that bad.

Movies: Space Camp. It taught me to dream.

Boys: Robert. I can't remember his last name. I was in kindergarten. He was mean, so I'm not sure why I liked him. That's how kindergartners flirt, right?

Nature: The tree in our front yard. I couldn't begin to even guess how many hours I spent up there playing, reading, sleeping, and dreaming.

The Earth: La Jolla Cove. I learned to snorkel there, and when I figured out what was underneath the surface of the ocean, I never really came back to dry land.

Popular Music: "Running just as fast as we can," by Tiffany. Hey, I was in third grade.

Classical Music: Mozarts' 12 Variations on "Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman." It's the tune that "Twinkle, twinkle little star" is based on. In master class one week when I was 10 or 11, Patrick D. played this piece, and I was entranced. I have the sheet music, and someday when I have my own piano and a lot of time on my hands, I'm going to learn how to play it. Here's a link if you want to listen to it.

Movement: Ballet. I still love to do ballet, even though I am chubby. I just do it in the privacy of my own home. Besides, aren't ballet slippers adorable? They just make your feet look great.

Musicals: The Music Man. A close second is The Sound of Music, but we watched the Music Man ALL the time growing up. I loved every song, every hint of quaint small-town Iowa life, that Marian was a librarian ("Marian"), and it was so funny too!

Science Fiction/Fantasy: Star Wars, hands down. The originals (4-6). I want to live with the E-woks.

Art: Ceramics. Squishy clay!

Stuffed Animals: Muncheechee. Thanks to my siblings that scoured the garage not too long ago, I have him once again. He's a stuffed monkey that I got from my grandpa. David cut his hair, so he has a little bald patch on top. It adds character, I think.

Dessert: Anything strawberry. Strawberry ice cream, strawberry and rhubarb pie, strawberry short-cake.

That's all I can think of. Try it, it's fun!

If you find my motivation, send it to apt. 401 instead of 404

So I gave in and moved. My RA came and helped me, as did my trusty sidekick, Alise (my single's ward companion, building-mate, and choir buddy. We also go to Wal-mart together.) Whenever I move, even if it's just across the hall like yesterday, I am reminded of how much junk I really have. Mind you, I did go through my clothes and get rid of a TON of stuff that I just keep keeping more out of habit than out of the fact that I actually think I'll wear it someday. I patted myself on the back for that one.

As for school, well. You know. I'm sort of still trying to be motivated. Last semester I was all on top of everything. Sure, I was crazy. But now this semester I am both crazy and unmotivated. Sad combination. The only thing that saves me is precariously balancing the number of times I go to the pool and swim laps with the amount of chocolate mint brownie ice cream I allow myself to consume. In case you were wondering, grad school is very liberating in that sense. =]

Have I ever told you all my 70 year plan? It's getting closer to a 60 year plan now, but I'm progressing within the plan, so I don't feel bad about that gap narrowing. Okay, so here it is. In my 20's and 30's I'm going to be a social worker (Check. I'm in grad school to be a social worker. Good job Bekah). Then, in my 40's and 50's I'm going to be a writer. I like to write, but I figure it will probably take me until I'm that old to get something pretty good published. Okay, then comes the fun part, because when I "retire" from social working and writing (around 60's and 70's), I'm going to be an oceanographer. I know, I know. Why don't I just do that now? Well, I really do like social work and writing. And you want to know a secret? I'm really not that good at science. Sure, I did pretty well in geology, but chemistry was never my thing. I might study it sooner than that (note: University of West Florida has a bachelor's program in oceanography you can do distance learning--what what!), but I'm talking about full-on living on a boat in the ocean for months on end. Besides, then I would definitely be the coolest grandma ever, because my grandkids could be like, "Oh, wanna know what I did this summer? My grandparents came and picked me up in their boat and then we sailed to Australia and snorkeled/scuba dived near the Great Barrier Reef." Maybe by then my dream of everyone having their own submarine will be fulfilled, and I can take them down in that too. Awesomeness ensuing.

(PS. My turtle, Alvin, was named after the submarine. Not the chipmunk. And only partially for Joseph Smith's brother, Alvin, because he was also amazing.)

=] I'm such a dork. But I love it.

BACK TO HOMEWORK!!!!

Copying Becky-My Crayon and Cookie

What Color Crayon Are You?

You Are a Green Crayon

Your world is colored in harmonious, peaceful, natural colors. While some may associate green with money, you are one of the least materialistic people around. Comfort is important to you. You like to feel as relaxed as possible - and you try to make others feel at ease. You're very happy with who you are, and it certainly shows! Your color wheel opposite is red. Every time you feel grounded, a red person does their best to shake you. The Sandwich Cookie Personality Test You Are Traditional and Dependable You are optimistic, friendly, and cheerful. People appreciate the hopefulness and good vibes you bring to any situation. Your life is all about change. Right now, you may be going through some changes you really don't like. You're easy going and easy to be around. You aren't picky or high maintenance. You seek security in your life. Feeling safe is important to you. I liked these a lot. And I AM happy with who I am! =] Do you think this is why mint cookies and cream ice cream is one of my favorites? Green and Oreos? (And for those of you concerned, I do have water now! Thank goodness!).