our life in words

34 Weeks!

2012-01-26T09:55:00.004-07:00

Well I am not 34 weeks along, if you can believe it! THis week I've just started feeling like my body is very pregnant. Getting a little swelling in my legs and feet when I wear heels to work, achy back and neck. But it's worth it! Baby E just wiggles and kicks all day long! Sometimes I feel like her jumps are going to knock me off my chair.

Ever wonder what a difference 20 weeks makes? Well below is me at 14 weeks:

And now, at 34 weeks:

Lately...

2012-01-18T15:59:00.002-07:00

...I've been bored at work. Really bored. The doctor I work for it out of the office for a week and half which means I have to be here without having anything to do. So today I've read almost the entire contents of The Daybook blog. Have you ever read it? I'm convinced that Sydney, the author, might be perfect. And adorable.

...all I want to eat are carbs. I just want bread and rolls and pasta. All the time. Right now I'm eating a big roll with butter. Yum!

...our puppy, Tebow, has taken to biting. Biting me and Kraig and our clothes. He's already ripped one of my dresses and a couple of Kraig's t-shirts. Any advice on detering all the biting?

...I've been feeling like my tummy is stretching and stretching. 33 weeks down, 7 weeks to go!

...Baby E never stops moving. Ever! And I love it! Except she's now tall enough to wedge her little foot into my ribs on my right side.

...I've been really into dystopian young adult lit. I just read Delirium by Lauren Oliver (very interesting), I'm listening to Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (the lady who reads it has a really annoying voice), and I'm reading Crossed by Ally Condie (this is the second book of the Matched trilogy. I'm not loving it, but not hating it). Any suggestions on what to read next? Maybe another genre? This one has about run it's course.

...I just want to wear sweats everyday. Almost everything I own is starting to be uncomfortable and/or I'm becoming more lazy.

...the arrival of Baby E is starting to feel more like a reality. And consequently freaking me out more and more. I'm nervous, let's be honest. And I feel unprepared.

Baby E's Room - step one

2012-01-15T13:17:00.002-07:00

Yesterday we started painting Baby E's room. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. We went for a nice, simple grey. Here are the pictures after the first coat of paint and all the tape still on the walls.

We'll add another coat tomorrow and then paint the crib and get the other furniture. It's starting to feel more real, now that her room is coming together. Only 7 1/2 more weeks! Holy cow!!!!

31 Weeks!

2012-01-05T17:45:00.004-07:00

Well I'm in the single digits of remaining weeks! Can you believe it? I can't. I'm still feeling great, but I can tell I've entered the 3rd trimester. I'm starting to feel the familiar tired feeling throughout the day. But other than that, things are going great!

Here's a view of the belly:

Baby E is so wiggly right now. Sometimes I just sit on the couch and watch my belly jump and jive. Here's what my view looks like:
And on a side note, here's an adorable picture of the newest member of our family:
Tebow is usually super energetic, but sometimes he just zonks out and will be super cuddly. Love when he's like that!

Introducing...

2011-12-29T10:22:00.004-07:00

Tebow Rasmussen!!!

Is he cute or what? He's a pure bred golden retriever and about 8 weeks old. He is such a good puppy. He hasn't had a single accident in our house. He sleeps downstairs for now and as soon as we go get him in the morning and take him outside he goes to the bathroom. No pee or poop in our basement! ha ha. So come over and visit! He'll love you!

Christmas Card 2011

2011-12-13T20:54:00.002-07:00

Christmas tree and a couple belly pictures

2011-12-05T21:00:00.006-07:00

This weekend we drove to Lowe's and picked out this beauty of a Christmas tree.

Isn't it beautiful? It's so much fun to have the room for such a full tree. We still don't have a lot of Christmas decorations so our tree is once again pretty simples but we love it!

And here are a few belly pictures.

This first one is when I'm about 25 weeks.

And now at almost 27 weeks.

I cannot believe that I am just over a week away from being in my third trimester. I feel like the pregnancy has really flown by. I know many of you our there will hate me for saying this, but I've loved being pregnant! I mean, the first trimester wasn't super pleasant but it wasn't something that would prevent me from wanting to get pregnant again one day. But I'm loving the stage I'm at right now.

I love to feel her wiggle inside of me, because that means she's healthy and strong. I love to watch my belly grow everyday, because that means she's growing everyday. And though it's not comfortable, I love my achy hips because that means my body is preparing to deliver this little baby into the world and into our family.

House Update

2011-11-19T18:26:00.003-07:00

We finally got around to doing some stuff around the house this weekend. First of all, I went to a craft night with one of my new neighbors, Liz, and we made these adorable Christmas trees. I only finished the first one at the craft night but finished the other two today. For someone who isn't particularly crafty, I think they turned out okay. And they were pretty easy!

Kraig has been working on painting some of our furniture and today he finished! They look so good and I was finally able to unpack all my books.

The bookshelf:
The TV stand:
I bought both of these pieces of furniture at the D.I. for around $15 or less. And now they finally look nice.

And our house is slowly starting to look like a home. We've yet to start on baby E's room, but that's the next to do on our list. Any ideas or free couches are welcome! :)

23 Weeks!

2011-11-10T08:59:00.005-07:00

Sorry for the delay on baby belly pictures! Our camera has been lost in the shuffle of the move (yes, still. We haven't unpacked everything yet. Oops!) But here are a few pictures at 23 weeks.

I can't believe that I'm more than halfway there. In fact, my due date was 4 months from yesterday.

Little baby E is moving like crazy these days. A couple of night ago she kicked/stretched and I could feel here on two sides of my belly. According to babycenter, she is 11 inches long and about 1 pound. Can you believe that? I can't!

I haven't really had any cravings as of late. Unless you count wanting a massage all the time a craving. Kraig is just loving that. ha ha.

I have my next prenatal appointment today so I'll be able to hear her heartbeat again, which is always so exciting! Overall, I'm feeling great other than a few aches and pains in my hips and back, but I'll take that over the constant nausea. I just can't wait to meet this cute little girl!

Job Openings at My Work

2011-11-08T10:37:00.002-07:00

There are a couple of openings right now at my job. I work at Foothill Family Clinic.

One would be a part-time front desk job. The hours would be Tuesday and Friday 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday 8:00 am - 12:00 noon. So this might be a good job for someone in school or something.

The second would be a full-time position in the collections department. I'm not sure what the requirements would be as far as education/experience. But they would prefer someone who can work during the day as well as evening hours.

If you are interested, let me know or you can call Kathleen at the clinic at 801-486-3021 ext 3312.

Baby Update - 20 Weeks!!

2011-10-19T11:23:00.003-06:00

I'm halfway through this pregnancy! Can you believe it? I can't. Can't wait to meet little baby E in 20 weeks! Crazy.

So I already announced it on Facebook a couple of weeks, but in case you missed it, we're having a GIRL! We are so excited. Now that we know the gender it's beginning to feel a little more real. And I actually felt her move for the first time this weekend. It's an odd sensation but one that fills me with hope, excitement, and anticipation.

I'm finally showing a little more this week, which also makes this whole thing feel more real. To look down and see a little baby bump still startles me sometimes. I'll have to get Kraig to take a picture of me tonight so I can post it for all to see. It's kind of cute and little, if I may say so myself.

I've started planning the nursery, which is so exciting! I'm thinking I want to paint the walls a soft grey with white furniture and pops of yellow and turquoise throughout the room. I'm not really into really pink pink girly stuff, so I want to shy away from that in the nursery. I've starting "pinning" a lot of images I like on Pinterest so I can get started soon. Can't wait!

Overall, I'm feeling much better than I did during the first trimester and I've even gained a few of the pounds back that I lost during those months of nausea. The problem now is that I'm ALWAYS hungry. And I mean always. Just ask the girls I work with. I have a cupboard full of food above my desk to chomp on all day. I feel as though the minute I stop ingesting food, I'm hungry again. But then I sit down to eat a meal and can't eat a whole lot. It's very confusing.

There's the update. I'll add a picture or two later today or tomorrow.

If I should have a daughter...

2011-09-12T22:01:00.003-06:00

I just heard this poem as I was stumbling and I think I'm in love. Its probably okay to read, but you've got to hear it performed.

"If I should have a daughter, instead of Mom, she's gonna call me Point B, because that way she knows that no matter what happens, at least she can always find her way to me.
And I'm going to paint solar systems on the backs of her hands, so she has to learn the entire universe before she can say, "Oh, I know that like the back of my hand."
And she's going to learn that this life will hit you hard in the face, wait for you to get back up just so it can kick you in the stomach.
But getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
There is hurt here that cannot be fixed by Band-Aids or poetry.
So the first time she realizes that Wonder Woman isn't coming, I'll make sure she knows she doesn't have to wear the cape all by herself.
Because no matter how wide you stretch your fingers, your hands will always be too small to catch all the pain you want to heal.
Believe me, I've tried. "And, baby," I'll tell her, don't keep your nose up in the air like that. I know that trick; I've done it a million times. You're just smelling for smoke so you can follow the trail back to a burning house, so you can find the boy who lost everything in the fire to see if you can save him. Or else find the boy who lit the fire in the first place, to see if you can change him."
But I know she will anyway, so instead I'll always keep an extra supply of chocolate and rain boots nearby, because there is no heartbreak that chocolate can't fix.
Okay, there's a few heartbreaks that chocolate can't fix.
But that's what the rain boots are for.
Because rain will wash away everything, if you let it.
I want her to look at the world through the underside of a glass-bottom boat, to look through a microscope at the galaxies that exist on the pinpoint of a human mind, because that's the way my mom taught me.
That there'll be days like this.
♫ There'll be days like this, my momma said. ♫
When you open your hands to catch and wind up with only blisters and bruises; when you step out of the phone booth and try to fly and the very people you want to save are the ones standing on your cape; when your boots will fill with rain, and you'll be up to your knees in disappointment.
And those are the very days you have all the more reason to say thank you.
Because there's nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it's swept away.
You will put the wind in winsome, lose some.
You will put the star in starting over, and over.
And no matter how many land mines erupt in a minute, be sure your mind lands on the beauty of this funny place called life.
And yes, on a scale from one to over-trusting, I am pretty damn naive.
But I want her to know that this world is made out of sugar.
It can crumble so easily, but don't be afraid to stick your tongue out and taste it.
"Baby," I'll tell her, "remember, your mama is a worrier, and your papa is a warrior, and you are the girl with small hands and big eyes who never stops asking for more."
Remember that good things come in threes and so do bad things.
And always apologize when you've done something wrong.
But don't you ever apologize for the way your eyes refuse to stop shining.
Your voice is small, but don't ever stop singing.
And when they finally hand you heartache, when they slip war and hatred under your door and offer you handouts on street-corners of cynicism and defeat, you tell them that they really ought to meet your mother."

You can here Sarah Kay perform this poem here. Her whole talk is beautiful, but if you're short on time, at least listen to the first 3-4 minutes where she performs this poem.

Big Changes in the Rasmussen Household

2011-09-10T16:40:00.001-06:00

Sorry I've been so absent for the past month or so. There are some big changes happening around the Rasmussen household which have taken a lot of time.

First up: We got a house! Finally! After looking at over 60 houses and putting bids on 6 or so, we finally got one! And we love it! We are scheduled to close by the end of next week and we'll hopefully move in next Saturday. Here's what it looks like:

The second big change for us... Take a look:
Yep, that is a plus sign! We're having a baby! Here's what the cute little thing looked like at an ultrasound at around 13 weeks.

And here's what I'm looking like at 14 1/2 weeks. You can't see much, but believe me, I can feel it! I can't button up my pants without it being very uncomfortable. Time to purchase maternity pants? No way! I'm gonna hold out!

I was feeling pretty sick during the first trimester. I lost about 8.5 lbs even though I never threw up. I just couldn't really eat a whole lot. But I'm generally feeling much better now.

Current cravings: snow cones and root beer.

So I hope you'll excuse my absence. We're very excited for all of these big changes in our life!

Date a girl who reads.

2011-08-02T19:32:00.003-06:00

I read this quote on this blog a little while back and then found it again just now I was stumbling. I absolutely love it!

"Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilightseries.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes."

A house!

2011-07-22T09:04:00.004-06:00

Now I don't want to get my hopes up, but guess what? We put an offer on a house! That house right there! ^^ AHH! I know, crazy! Life has been changing so much lately and now, in a matter of weeks we might be moving into a home of our very own! I'll keep you updated, but we should hear back if they accepted our offer today or by Tuesday.

Need a job?

2011-06-28T09:26:00.004-06:00

So I work at Foothill Family Clinic as a secretary and we currently have an opening for another secretary job for one of our family practice doctors, Dr. Grazulis. The hours are pretty nice: it would be Monday - Thursday 7:45 - 5:30.

There's also a part-time front desk job available. It would be Monday and Friday evenings and every other weekend.

If anyone is interested, email me at hailey{dot}m{dot}rasmussen{at}gmail{dot}com.

this is what love is.

2011-06-23T22:22:00.000-06:00

“Love is a temporary madness; it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being in love, which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.” ~Louis de Bernieres

2011-06-20T19:26:00.003-06:00

Oh my goodness! Please check this video out! Love it! Thanks to Lindsay for posting and sharing with me!

ABCs of me

2011-06-14T13:58:00.003-06:00

So I just read my dear friend, Nichole's blog and I'm now stealing from her what she stole from another dear friend, Marie. So keep reading a learn all you ever wanted to know about me, and perhaps more!

Age: 21, but soon 22! I'm still a child, don't judge.

Bed size: Queen, but one day, mark my words, we will have a king size!

Chore I hate: The bathroom, hands down! I always make Kraig clean it. Always.

Dogs: none now, but we had a lot of dogs when I was young, and hopefully when we get into a house, we'll have our own!

Essential start of the day: Prayer, always.

Favorite color: Red, GO UTES!

Gold or Silver: Silver, but every once in a while I'll get on a gold kick.

Height: I haven't measured myself in a while, but I think about 5'6" - 5'7"

Instruments I play: Piano, guitar, ukulele, radio

Job title: Job 1: Specialist's Secretary and Job 2: Brand Advocate/Intern

Kids: none yet... :)

Live: Salt Lake, but as of July 30, Murray.

Mom's Name: Maria

Nickname: Hails, Hailey Bailey (only my parents), Marie

Overnight hopital stays: none

Pet peeve: People who have no respect for those around them and/or don't think before they speak

Quotes from a movie: "I know, right?" '"Ancestors protect me""May they protect you"' and "I know. I checked. Online." All from Hot Rod. Yes, I like silly, ridiculous movies sometimes...

Right or left-handed: Right. You would think I was 5 if you saw my handwriting with my left hand. I can barely even get food into my hand with my fork/spoon in my left.

Siblings: Taylor, Antonia, Shayla, and Matthew

Time I wake up: Monday-Friday 6:30, Saturday and Sunday around 8, unfortunately I've lost the ability to sleep in

Underwear: the Mormon kind (I stole this answer from Nicole. Hilarious.)

Vegetables I dislike: I have never been able to stomach green beans.

What makes me run late: Kraig. I'm kind of OCD about being on time and he's a lot more laid back. We clash at times.

X-rays I've done: My hand, my teeth, and I had a chest x-ray done once

Yummy food I make: I'd like to think I'm a pretty good cook. Recipes I've pulled off successfully recently: Chicken Tikka Masala, Ginger-Glazed Mahi Mahi, and Chocolate Chip Cookies. You can find all my recipes on my cooking blog. Ch-ch-check it out!

Zoo animal: Polar bears, all time favorite!

Update

2011-05-31T14:17:00.002-06:00

So I thought my life was good after I finally succeeded in peeing in a cup last week. But guess what?

My boss at my internship just called to inform me that my sample was too diluted (possibly from the gallon of water that I drank to ensure I could produce some liquid) and I have to go in again and leave another sample.

And no, I'm not even kidding.

So this afternoon I have to drink, but not too much and head back in after work.

I'm starting to wonder if this internship is even worth it...

2011-05-26T14:51:00.003-06:00

You wanna hear an embarrassing story?

Of course you do.

So I'm starting an internship next week, so I had to go down and sign some papers so that they could do a background check on me to ensure that I wouldn't steal their high-end dermatology products, or something. Little did I know, I also had to do a drug test.

I started to get nervous.

Not because I'm a hard-core drug user, but because I have stage fright when it comes to urinating on command. So I drive down to this creepy drug testing facility and get signed in with all the other folks there who have to get their weekly drug test or perhaps they're there to take a paternity test (they're only $249.99, they're running a special this month.).

A lady behind the desk calls my name and escorts me to a lock box in which I must deposit my purse and anything else I might be carrying in my pockets. Next I must wash my hands with soap and water before stepping into the bathrooms. The lady follows me in, which makes me even more nervous. Is she going to watch me attempt to pee in a cup? Lovely. She asks that I lift up the bottom of my shirt and the bottoms of my pants to make sure I'm not smuggling in any delinquent urine. She then informs me that I must collect a least 30 ml of urine in this small cup with a handle (so as not to pee on my hands, that was considerate of them) and that I have two minutes to accomplish this and as soon as I'm done I should inform her and not flush the toilet.

She then leaves me alone to do my business but remains right outside the door. Even at home I have to turn on the water in the bathroom if Kraig is close enough to hear the tinkle of my business. But now it's dead quiet except for the chatter of the workers who I'm sure are all crouched outside my door making sure I haven't snuck some other substance into their facility. Oh, and did I mention that there are giant mirrors on all the walls. I can see myself sitting on the toilet from every angle. Even lovelier.

I sit in there willing myself to produce some liquid for a good five minutes before the kind lady who is perched outside the door asks if I'm okay. No, to be honest, I'm not. I'm embarrassed and now I feel a little bit sick.

I tell her that I'm going to have to drink some water or something and try again. I sit in their little waiting room filled with empty chair that were surely made in the 50s. Several scary-looking men waltz in, go straight back to the bathroom and walk back out. How did they do that so easily? It must be out of habit.

After seven more minutes of drinking water and trying to read my book and look natural, I announce that I'm just going to have to come back, I'm just not going to be able to perform under these circumstances. I am told that I must be back before 7 o'clock to leave a sample with them. Perfect.

So I'm guzzling water and resisting the bathroom so that I will have an ample amount of liquid to donate to them this evening. I'll waltz in there like I go every week and be in a out so fast they won't even recognize me from this morning.

Wish me luck.

I wonder what will happen to me if I just can't produce what they need...

update: Don't worry, folks, mission accomplished!

Mom's response

2011-05-13T13:04:00.001-06:00

My mom read my last post and emailed me the following. I love it and love her!

"Hi Hailey,

I just finished reading the address given to English majors that you posted on your blog. I could totally relate. In fact, today when I came home from SLC, after a long drive just thinking, I asked Mike, "Do you ever get tired of looking for yourself, because I sure do."

Then he grabbed my shoulders and said, "Well, you're right here, Maria."

"I know," I said, "but I just wish someone would have told me that so I wouldn't have wasted so much time looking."

I think as a wife and mother your main concern is always knowing the "whereabouts" of your husband and children that you seldom take time to look for yourself. When your children are nearly grown, you find you've lost who you really are inside. I know, but I don't. Maybe that's what we call "midlife crisis."

Anyway, Hailey, don't waste anymore time looking for yourself, like I have. Just know that who you are is good enough, or I should say GRAND enough. No one cares anyway. They are too busy looking for themselves.

Mom"

I will carry it with me, as I do everything that matters

2011-05-13T12:38:00.002-06:00

I found these beautiful words via this blog. I know it's long, but please read it!

There’s a line by the Italian writer Carlo Levi that I think is apt here: “The future has an ancient heart.” I love it because it expresses with such grace and economy what is certainly true—that who we become is born of who we most primitively are; that we both know and cannot possibly know what it is we’ve yet to make manifest in our lives. I think it’s a useful sentiment for you to reflect upon now, sweet peas, at this moment when the future likely feels the opposite of ancient, when instead it feels like a Lamborghini that’s pulled up to the curb while every voice around demands you get in and drive.

I’m here to tell you it’s okay to travel by foot. In fact, I recommend it. There is so much ahead that’s worth seeing; so much behind you can’t identify at top speed. Your teacher is correct: You’re going to be all right. And you’re going to be all right not because you majored in English or didn’t and not because you plan to apply to law school or don’t, but because all right is almost always where we eventually land, even if we fuck up entirely along the way.

I know. I fucked up some things. I was an English major too. As it happens, I lied for six years about having an English degree, though I didn’t exactly mean to lie. I had in truth gone to college and participated in a graduation ceremony. I’d walked across the stage and collected a paper baton. On that paper it said a bachelor’s degree would be mine once I finished one final class. It seemed like such an easy thing to do, but it wasn’t. And so I didn’t do it and the years slipped past, each one making it seem more unlikely that I’d ever get my degree. I’d done all the coursework except that one class. I’d gotten good grades. To claim that I had an English degree was truer than not, I told myself. But that didn’t make it true.

You have to do what you have to do. You can’t go to law school if you don’t have any interest in being a lawyer. You can’t take a class if taking a class feels like it’s going to kill you. Faking it never works. If you don’t believe me, read Richard Wright. Read Charlotte Brontë. Read Joy Harjo. Read William Trevor. Read the entire Western canon. Or just close your eyes and remember everything you already know. Let whatever mysterious starlight that guided you this far, guide you onward into whatever crazy beauty awaits. Trust that all you learned during your college years was worth learning, no matter what answer you have or do not have about what use it is. Know that all those stories and poems and plays and novels are a part of you now and that they are bigger than you and they will always be.

I was a waitress during most of the years that I didn’t have my English degree. My mother had been a waitress for many of the years that she was raising my siblings and me. She loved to read. She always wanted to go to college. One time she took a night class when I was very young and my father became enraged with her and cut her textbook into tiny pieces with a pair of scissors. She dropped the class. I think it was Biology.

You don’t have to get a job that makes others feel comfortable about what they perceive as your success. You don’t have to explain what you plan to do with your life. You don’t have to justify your education by demonstrating its financial rewards. You don’t have to maintain an impeccable credit score. Anyone who expects you to do any of those things has no sense of history or economics or science or the arts.

You have to pay your own electric bill. You have to be kind. You have to give it all you got. You have to find people who love you truly and love them back with the same truth.

But that’s all.

I got married when I was in college. I got divorced during the years that I was lying about having an English degree. When I met the man to whom I am now married he said, “You know, I really think you should finish your degree, not because I want you to, but I can tell that you want to.” I thought he was sort of being an asshole. We didn’t bring up the subject again for a year.

I understand what you’re afraid of, sweet peas. I understand what your parents fear. There are practical concerns. One needs money to live. And then there is a deep longing to feel legitimate in the world, to feel that others hold us in regard. I felt intermittently ashamed during my years as a waitress. I’m the only one of my siblings who went to college. I was supposed to be the one who “made it.” At times it seemed instead I had squandered my education and dishonored my dead mother by becoming a waitress like her. Sometimes I would think of this as I went from table to table with my tray and I’d have to think of something else so I wouldn’t cry.

Years after I no longer worked at the last restaurant where I waited tables, my first novel was published. The man who’d been my manager at the restaurant read about me in the newspaper and came to my reading. He’d been a pretty awful boss—in fact, at times I’d despised him—but I was touched to see him in the bookstore that night. “All those years ago, who would have ever guessed we’d be here celebrating the publication of your novel?” he asked when we embraced.

“I would have,” I replied.

And it was true. I always would have guessed it, even all the time that I feared it would never happen. Being there that night was the meaning of my life. Getting there had been my every intention. When I say you don’t have to explain what you’re going to do with your life I’m not suggesting you lounge around whining about how difficult it is. I’m suggesting you apply yourself with some serious motherfuck-i-tude in directions for which we have no accurate measurement. I’m talking about work. And love.

It’s really condescending to tell you how young you are. It’s even inaccurate. Some of you who are graduating from college are not young. Some of you are older than me. But to those of you new college graduates who are indeed young, the old new college graduates will back me up on this: you are so god damned young. Which means about eight of the ten things you have decided about yourself will over time prove to be false. The other two things will prove to be so true that you’ll look back in twenty years and howl.

My mother was young too, but not like those of you who are so god damned young. She was forty when she finally went to college. She spent the last years of her life as a college student, though she didn’t know they were her last years. She thought she was at the beginning of the next era of her life. She died a couple of months before we were both supposed to graduate from different schools. At her memorial service, my mother’s favorite professor stood up and granted her a PhD.

The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things happen in a life. For some of you, those things have already happened. Whatever happens to you belongs to you. Make it yours. Feed it to yourself even if it feels impossible to swallow. Let it nurture you, because it will.

I have learned this over and over and over again.

There came a day when I decided to stop lying. I called the college from which I did not have an English degree and asked the woman who answered the phone what I needed to do to get one. She told me I had only to take one class. It could be any class. I chose Latin. I’d never studied Latin, but I wanted to know, at last, where so many of our words come from. I had a romantic idea of what it would be like to study Latin—the Romance languages are, after all, descended from it—but it wasn’t romantic. It was a lot of confusion and memorization and attempting to decipher bizarre stories about soldiers marching around ancient lands. In spite of my best efforts, I got a B.

One thing I never forgot from my Latin class is that a language that is descended from another language is called a daughter language.

It was the beginning of the next era of my life, like this is of yours.

Years after I no longer lived in the state where my mother and I went to college , my first novel was published and I traveled to that state to give a reading. Just as my former awful boss had done in a different city mere weeks before, the professor who’d granted my mother a PhD at her memorial service read about me in the newspaper and came to the bookstore to hear me read. “All those years ago, who would have ever guessed we’d be here celebrating the publication of your novel?” she asked when we embraced.

“Not me,” I replied. “Not me.”

And it was true. I meant it as sincerely as I’d meant that I always would’ve guessed it when I’d been speaking to my boss. That both things could be true at once—my disbelief as well as my certainty—was the unification of the ancient and the future parts of me. It was everything I intended and yet still I was surprised by what I got.

I hope you will be surprised and knowing at once. I hope you’ll always have love. I hope you’ll have days of ease and a good sense of humor. I hope one of you really will bake me a pie (banana cream, please). I hope when people ask what you’re going to do with your English and/or creative writing degree you’ll say: Continue my bookish examination of the contradictions and complexities of human motivation and desire;or maybe just: Carry it with me, as I do everything that matters. And then smile very serenely until they say oh.

Yours,
Sugar

graduation pictures

2011-05-10T19:47:00.007-06:00

I'm a copycat...

2011-05-05T13:26:00.004-06:00

Do you guys read Elaine's blog, Clothed Much?

Well I do.

And I copied her today! I saw this post yesterday and knew I tried it out for myself.

What do you think?

Graduation

2011-05-05T08:50:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow at 9:00, 11:15, and 1:45 Kraig and I will march around with silly caps and gowns and receive little envelopes which do not contain our diplomas (because we already have those hanging in out living room) and be officially done with our undergraduate careers.

It's exciting, but also anti-climactic because we've been done with school since December.

But I think tomorrow will provide a nice sense of closure.

I'm a little nervous that I'll trip or be late or not have the right tassel or sash...

Bend, Oregon Day 3

2011-04-11T10:26:00.009-06:00

Sunday was another lovely day in Bend. We went to church in the morning and thoroughly enjoyed it. Going to church in a new place instantly makes me feel at peace. Love that feeling!

After church we went to eat at Boston's which was delicious and then headed to the High Desert Museum. I had been there years and years ago when my grandparent lived in Bend and I loved it just as much as an adult as I did as a kid.

Next we drove out to Smith Rock State Park. It was BEAUTIFUL!!! Wow! I think was for sure one of the highlights of the trip. We took a lot of pictures and just hiked around for an hour or so.

Next we headed to Redmond to eat at Diego's, which is one of the restaurants that came highly recommended by the lady who set up Kraig's appointment. Let me tell you, this restaurant definitely lived up to our expectations. The chips and salsa were perfect...
I got an asada quesadilla. It was just an appetizer and it was still pretty huge. I couldn't only eat two slices. But still delicious.
Kraig got the pork carnitas ravioli and I'm pretty sure he had a spiritual experience with this meal. I took a video, but can't get it to upload on here, but it was hilarious. He rates it as one of the best meals of his life. So if you're ever in the area, check it out.
After dinner we walked up and down the Deschutes River for a couple hours talking about our future and what we want for our family.

Now Kraig is getting ready to head to his interview. He's going to do fantastic! And then we'll head back to the 801.

Bend, Oregon Day 2

2011-04-10T09:25:00.007-06:00

Kraig started out day two of our trip here with a few hours of fly fishing. I stayed at the hotel and read and just relaxed. Then he came back and we got ready and went to lunch at The Mckay Cottage. It was the most adorable thing I've ever seen. I wish I would have taken pictures because it was so cute. It was in the house and all the inside walls were painted yellow and there were built in bookshelves everywhere with stacks and stack of books. I wanted to move in!!

Oh and the food was great too. Kraig had a delicious sandwich and I had fish and chips. Amazing!

After lunch we met up with a real estate agent and she showed us a few houses, just in case Kraig gets the job and we end up here. It was really fun thinking about owning a house in the near future. It made me feel a little more like an adult.

After looking at houses we drove up to Mt. Bachelor. It was absolutely beautiful. There was still so much snow up there and it made me feel a little more at home here.

Next we drove out to Sisters, OR which is a charming little town about 20 minutes out of Bend. It has a total western feel. We walked around and got an amazing shake at the cutest little ice cream parlor.

After getting some ice cream we came back to the hotel and soaked in the hot tub at our hotel and then went and ate at Pastini Pastaria at the Old Mill District. Once again, DELISH!

Anyway, that's our day two. Today we're heading to church and then the High Desert Museum and maybe check out Redmond. I'll let you know how that goes. :)

Bend, Oregon Day 1

2011-04-09T10:26:00.000-06:00

Well we made it to Bend. It was definitely one of the ugliest and most boring drives we've done thus far in our road-tripping adventures.

We stopped in Boise, ID on our way because Kraig wanted to see the BSU stadium. Pretty neat.

I think Kraig was getting a little worried as we were getting about 30 minutes from Bend and we were still surrounded by sage brush and desert. But when we finally pulled in to Bend, he was not disappointed. We checked into our hotel and headed down to the Old Mill District and saw you beautiful Deschutes River.

Old Mill District

Then we headed to the downtown area. It is adorable! It reminds me a lot of Sun Valley, ID, just larger. Right behind the downtown area was this beautiful area. I think it's called Mirror pond. Gorgeous!

I want to buy one of these awesome houses right on Mirror Pond. Talk about perfect! Probably a little above our price range though.
After we explored downtown we ate at Pizza Mondo. It was delicious.

So there's day one of our trip. Kraig is out fishing right now so I've just been relaxing and watching the Travel channel. Later today we're meeting with a real estate agent to get an idea of the housing market here just in case Kraig gets the job that he's interview for on Monday. We'll see what happens!

Great Friday!

2011-03-18T20:53:00.000-06:00

Today I had the day off so we had some fun. We spent the morning at the Bountiful temple, which was wonderful and way overdue. Then we ate at Best Burger in Bountiful and had a perfect burger, fried, and shake. Delish!

We came home and took an afternoon nap, which is one of my favorite things ever! Yay for naps!

A week or so I bought a Groupon for an hour of trampoline bouncing at Airborne Trampoline Arena in Draper. It was a blast. I think I'll be a little sore tomorrow.

The great thing is that tomorrow is Saturday! I love having Fridays off! I wish it could be a more regular thing. I hope your Friday was just as wonderful as mine!

2011-02-25T22:33:00.000-07:00

So we drove over to our Blockbuster tonight and there were big signs everywhere informing us that the store would be closing and all the movies were on sale. So here's what we got:

The Office Season Five (the whole season) for $15!!!! I was so pumped. We would have gotten other seasons but season five was the only one where they had all of the DVDs.

The Social Network: $10
and Snow White: $10
That would be a total of 7 DVDs for less than $40. Pretty awesome. So if anyone is interested in some new DVDs, check out the Blockbuster on Foothill. It made me so happy and hopefully it will do the same for you! Happy Friday night!

2011-02-11T01:35:00.000-07:00

"What about little microphones? What if everyone swallowed them, and they played the sounds of our hearts through little speakers, which could be in the pouches of our overalls? When you skateboarded down the street at night you could hear everyone's heartbeat, and they could hear yours, sort of like sonar. One weird thing is, I wonder if everyone's hearts would start to beat at the same time, like how women who live together have their menstraul periods at the same time, which I know about, but don't really want to know about. That would be so weird, except that the place in the hospital where babies are born would sound like a crystal chandelier in a houseboat, because the babies wouldn't have had time to match up their heartbeats yet. And at the finish line at the end of the New York City marathon it would sound like war."

-from Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

I just started reading this book 5 minutes ago and this is the second paragraph. I think I'm going to like it. :)

Book Review: Before I Fall

2011-02-11T00:56:00.000-07:00

I just finished this book last night as I was staying up all night in preparation for my night shift tonight. This book is wonderful! It is targeted more towards teenagers/young adults, but it was still just lovely. The book is centered on Samantha Kingston, a high school senior and her last day alive. I don't want to go too much into the story, but I can say that it is moving and emotional and sweet and heartbreaking and I highly recommend it to everyone. It's semi-long (350-400 pages) but I got through it very quickly. Read it and let me know what you think!

what's on my list now...

2011-01-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

So here's what's on my list to read for the future. Too bad most of these books have about 50 holds on them at the library. I might just have to give in and buy them all. That's one thing I never feel guilty about buying. So here's my list:

We're reading this book for book club in March, if you'd like to join us:

Anything else I should add to my list of must-read books?

What I've Read...

2011-01-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I was looking forward to the most about being done with school was the chance to read whatever I wanted! So here's what I've read so far:

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Loved this book!!! I was a little worried because I wasn't a huge fan of all the Twilight books (please don't kill me, all you Twi-hards). But this book was fabulous. It's definitely more geared towards adults, rather than the teenage scene. I've never been particularly drawn to sci-fi type novels, but this was awesome. It was very unpredictable, which is the best part of a good book. I highly recommend this book!

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

We read this book for our book club this month. I had sadly never read this one, but I did enjoy it. It's not my favorite "classic" but it is beautifully written and the characterization is wonderful. If you haven't read this, you must read this at least once in your life.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

This book is an extreme re-working of the biblical story of Jacob, his wives and children. The story centers on Diana, the daughter of Jacob. I really enjoyed it and I think you will too, if you're not too worried about it sticking to the bible story line.

So there you go, start reading!

Patience

2011-01-17T17:18:00.001-07:00

My deepest apologies for my long absence. I really have no excuse. I'm done with school, I'm only working part time, I don't really have a social life. So really, no excuse.

But I'm back. I don't have a whole lot to write about, but I'm here.

Life is good, but a bit stressful. Kraig and I haven't found grown up jobs yet. I'm only getting part time hours and Kraig is hardly getting any. So we're making it on an average of 30 hours of work a week. Not too fun. But all is well.

Kraig has applied for several jobs here in Salt Lake, which is where we'd like to stay. I've applied for a couple, but I've kind of been waiting to apply for a lot until Kraig finds a job because I'm not sure where we'll end up. If Kraig hasn't heard anything by the end of this week about any of the Utah positions, we'll start looking elsewhere. We're thinking of looking in Denver, CO and then maybe in California because apparently there are a lot of civil engineering jobs there. We shall see.

I just get apprehensive because I'm such a planner. I make lists everyday of what my day will consist of. I have a life plan in my head. The problem is I have no idea where we'll be or what we'll be doing three weeks from now and I hate that.

But I'm learning patience. I'm learning to life simply for today. I've had to learn to enjoy my life right now, even if it's not exactly what I planned. I'm enjoying my life as a wife and only a wife, even thought I'm feeling my maternal instinct tell me "It's time!"

But...if anyone knows of any jobs for either Kraig or I, you go ahead and let us know! Because as much as I'm learning to be patient, I'm ready for the next step!

2010-12-08T13:53:00.001-07:00

our second Christmas tree

2010-12-05T10:12:00.001-07:00

Last night we went to Smith's a got our second family Christmas tree. Can you believe that is our second Christmas as a married couple. So crazy to me!

The tree we chose is a bit smaller than last year's. Which is perfect for our little apartment.
Here it is all lit up and beautiful! I love the smell of a real Christmas tree. So perfect! And don't judge, but we only have two ornaments. One day, hopefully by next year, we'll have more money for things like that.

A little family photo by our adorable tree! :)

It was a sign!

2010-11-30T07:42:00.000-07:00

I was just browsing through my first couple of posts on this little blog of mine and came across the following:

My friend, Kraig, and I were talking this afternoon about dating and falling in love and deciding who to marry and we decided its quite the intimidating process. I mean, how do you really know that you're in love? People always say "you just know!", but honestly, how do you know? And how do you know, once you "know" you're in love, that this person is the right one for you to spend forever with? To raise kids with? To grow old with? To hopefully become a god/goddess and create worlds with? Wow...good luck everyone!

Isn't that kind of crazy? That was part of my very first post. Perhaps it was a sign! I think it was. In fact, Kraig talked about that very moment (mentioned above) when he was proposing to me. And here we are, almost a year and a half married, getting ready to graduate and start real life together. Pretty nuts, if you ask me! And the loveliest thing of all is that I do "just know" that Kraig is the one I want to spend forever with, raise kids with, grow old with, and hopefullly become a goddess and create worlds with. I just know!

2010-11-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure that I'm a little bit OCD. Or maybe I'm CDO because it's better in alphabetical order. :)

I'm a list maker. I make a list at the beginning over every single week of what my week looks like. I do this every Monday morning. If I don't make one, I feel lost. I love lists!

Sometimes I write something on my list that I've already done just so I can check it off.

Don't judge!

Also, I don't like my foods to touch. So at Thanksgiving I have to get at least two plates so that every food is seperated and isn't leaking fluids into any other food. It just makes me feel better. If the gravy gets in the jello salad, I just can't do it! Am I the only one?

I know I'm not the only listmaker. My dear friend and co-worker, Jenny, informed me that she is a listmaker as well.

Are you part of the CDO club? What do you do that keeps you sane every day?

Oh and P.S. this is my 200th post. Yay me!!!

Good Morning Winter!

2010-11-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

You are absolutely beautiful!

I love the way you soften and silence the world.

You give me butterflies like a little school girl.

I know some people don't like you, but don't you dare change a thing, no matter what people say! Because I love you just the way you are!

freedom!

2010-11-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

So, I don't know if I've said this already but I graduate in three weeks. Have I told you? Well, I do. :)

Anyway, in celebration of graduating, I'm putting together a list of books I want to read and as soon as I turn in my last paper I'm heading to the library to prepare for a long winter of reading.

So what are your suggestions?

I think I'll start with The Great Gatsby because (gasp!) I've never read it.

What else? I'd like a combination of great literature and candy fiction. Let me know what some of your favorite books are and I'll add them to my list!

2010-11-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

My list of things to do for school is insurmountable. Or so it seems.

In the next three weeks I have the following assignments to finish

-Seven-page draft of final paper for Advanced Seminar
- 5-7 page paper for Ecocriticism
-Ten-page draft of final paper for Advanced Seminar
-Take home midterm for Ecocriticism
-Final paper (I don't know how long yet) for Modernism
-Take home final for Syntax
-Another 5-7 page paper for Ecocriticism
-12-15 page final paper for Advanced Seminar

Holy moly!!! I'm getting excited that the semester is just about over, but I've got an incredible amount of work to do before then and just about no motivation to get it done.

I just need to tell myself to take it one day at a time. I don't even need to get great grades this semester, since it's my last and I don't need to maintain my GPA for my scholarship. All I need is a B- or better in every class. But I was born and raised a perfectionist, so it's hard for me to just do school halfway.

But after December 16 I will be done with my undergraduate degree! I just have to keep telling myself that. One day at a time!

I'm sure that you (whoever actually reads this) are sick of me complaining about school. Am I right? I'm sick of me complaining about school, that's for sure. I need to have a better attitude. In the big picture, these next three and a half weeks are nothing!

I can do it!

2010-11-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel helpless? Like you should be doing something and you can't?

I'm sitting in this stupid class while she's struggling in her heart to figure out what to say or do, while he's struggling in his mind to figure out what's wrong with him or maybe with the rest of the world.

She asks me, "What should I do?"

What am I supposed to say to that? I don't know. I'm shocked and hurt and disappointed. But I don't know if there's anything I can do. I can't focus on my classes when these thoughts swim in my head. They make me dizzy and a little bit sick. I just want to leave and drive to them and try to say something that might help.

And yet, here I am, listening to a discussion comparing and contrasting deep ecology and post-structuralism and thinking: WHO CARES? Who cares when there are so many other bigger things going on? Who cares about saving the environment when family is at stake? Who cares about the authorial subjectivity of a sonnet sequence when people are hurting?

my apologies

2010-11-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

I have been too busy living my life lately to even write about it.

The last semester of my undergraduate career is winding down and yet it's not really feeling like it. Things just get busier everyday. Five weeks left (including finals week)! Can you believe it? I sure can't.

Speaking of school, my class starts at 11:50 and I haven't even brushed my teeth yet.

So long!

2010-10-31T21:30:00.001-06:00

I feel like I should post something since its kind of been forever.

But I don't really have a whole lot to stay. Just trying to make it through the next six weeks so I can be done with school forever! Or at least for now. We're going to make it.

So that's it.

Sorry, I'm kind of absent lately.

Keep checking back. Hopefully in January, when I'm done with school, I'll be back.

For now I'll leave you with this picture of Kraig and I at a Halloween party last weekend. Can you guess who we are?

Delicious Ambiguity

2010-10-19T21:23:00.000-06:00

some stories don't
have a clear beginning,
middle, and end. life
is about not knowing,
having to change,
taking the moment and
making the best of it,
without knowing what's
going to happen next.
delicious ambiguity...

gilda radner

I found this quote on this blog and find it so fitting for my life right now!

Thrilled!

2010-09-30T17:59:00.001-06:00

Can I just say that I love the weekend? I live for weekends.

Why? Because

1) I get to cook/bake (right now I'm making Pumpkin Roll and Chicken Rolls for dinner),

2)I get to see Kraig more than an hour a day, and because

3) I don't have to go to class everyday.

So I am thrilled that it is Thursday!

And I'm thrilled that I have a Pumpkin Roll in the fridge ready to eat later.

I'm thrilled that Kraig will be home from work shortly.

I'm thrilled that I haven't done any homework today.

I'm thrilled that I have a Redbox code for a free movie tonight.

I'm just thrilled!

Be thrilled with me, will you?

State Fair and a New 'Do

2010-09-19T10:13:00.001-06:00

Last night Kraig and I decided that we'd better venture over to the Utah State Fair before it wrapped up. Believe it or not, I have never been to the state fair. Tragic? Probably. But now I have! It really was a fun atmosphere. Except I think we went on the busiest night because it was just teeming with people. Here are a few photos:

Kraig played a basketball game and won. Woot woot!

And, if you didn't notice, I changed my hair. Bangs...oh geez. I haven't had bangs since the 7th grade. I'm still getting used to them and deciding if I like them. What do you think?

2010-09-15T21:23:00.000-06:00

I have recently discovered that the last semester of one's college carreer is the most difficult.

I have no motivation to study.

For example, I just shut my Norton Anthology of English Literature in order to blog about how I lack motivation. You see? No good!

Over the past three years I have worked so long and hard in order to keep my scholarship. I had to maintain a 3.7, which I have proudly done. But that no longer matters. If I get below a 3.7 they're not going to make me pay the past seven semesters' tuition. All I need to do it pass. And knowing that is killing me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to class, meeting with teachers and participating in discussion. It's just the homework part that I'm not doing so great at.

I'm stopped even attempting to read for Ecocriticism. I just pull the books of the bookshelf right before class and place them on my desk AS IF I've read and absorbed the concepts of ecomimesis, ecorhapsody, and ecodidactism. Do I really read? Nope. But I'm betting I'll still get by just fine because I've figured out how English courses work. I know how to do well without spending hours on end at home pouring over Sidney's sonnet sequence, Astrophil and Stella, and Love's essay on the emergence of a new wave of ecocriticism.

I'm just really ready to start the next part of my life. You know, that part where Kraig and I come home from work at night and don't have to do homework until we fall asleep. The part where the pitter-patter of little feet fill our home. The part where we actually have a home that will be able to contain a few more little feet.

I don't want everyone to think that I've hated college and all of my classes. Because that just isn't true. I have loved my college experience. I love my major and have thoroughly enjoyed (most) of my classes. But it is hard to love and thoroughly enjoy all of that when you know that you're so close to being done. Does that make sense? Has anyone else ever felt like that?

I had a similar feeling as I was getting ready to graduate from high school. I felt a restlessness inside of me that I never felt before.

And old Mr. Restlessness has taken up residence in my heart once again.

Go Utes!!!

2010-09-11T20:22:00.000-06:00

Utah Football is back! I absolutely love college football and especially love my Utes!

September 2 vs. Pitt 24-27, Utah win!

September 11 vs. UNLV 38-10 Utah win!!

Kraig and Isaiah with Crazy Lady and her grandson!

Which One?

2010-09-08T22:38:00.000-06:00

So two of my favorite artists just came out with new albums. They both cost the same on iTunes. Which should I buy?

The Weepies - Be My Thrill

or Sara Bareilles - Kaleidoscope Heart?

one week down, 15 to go!

2010-08-26T18:21:00.000-06:00

Well, we survived the first week of school.

I'm taking yoga, pilates, modernism, ecocriticism, syntax, and advanced seminar in british studies.

Oh and did I mention that this is my last semester of school? Kraig's too! Oh yes!

I was a little wary of yoga at first because we had a sub the first day and he was.... weird!!! I had a hard time not giggling a little bit as he was having us chant throughout almost the whole class. But I went again on Wednesday and my real instructor is a lot more normal. Whew! So now I'm kinda falling in love with yoga. yay!

I love my modernism class. My teacher is great. He believes in education just as much he believes in what he's teaching. That's quite refreshing because I've had a few teachers who were mostly just teaching to be able to talk about stuff they knew a lot about and just to hear their own voice. Prof. P isn't like that and I love it.

Pilates.... well day one of pilates I walked around the dang HPR complex for a good fifteen minutes and couldn't find my classroom so I gave up and went home. Isn't that silly? I'm in my last semester of college and I couldn't find my class so I didn't go. Oh geez. But I emailed my teacher and she gave my directions and I made it to class today.

Syntax is an interesting class. It's for my linguistics minor that I might get if Kraig gets a job in Salt Lake. Language in general is just very interesting to me. Most people think that linguistics would be a boring field of study but I actually quite enjoy it.

Ecocriticism... for sure not my favorite class for the semester. In fact, I wanted to drop it. But since I'm in my last semester it's hard to find another class to take its place and fits into my schedule. So I'm stuck. But that's okay. I will make the best of it.

My advanced seminar class will be very challenging but I like it already because I really like my professor. She's kinda hilarious!

So there's a run down of my semester. Hopefully I can survive. I think for FHE tonight Kraig and I are going to make a chain (like one you would make to count down to Christmas) to count down until graduation.

2010-08-16T14:39:00.000-06:00

So Taylor has informed me that when he calls for Christmas, he will only be speaking to me in Spanish, so I better keep practicing!

I took Spanish 1010, 1020, 2010, and 2020 at the U and I can't fit 3020 into my schedule this year. So I've decided to just read a bunch of Spanish books for practice. What else can I do to get better? And do you have any Spanish book suggestions for me?

Mugicha

2010-08-12T09:48:00.000-06:00

This summer I've been obsessed with Mugicha, a Japanese roasted barley tea. It is so delicious and refreshing. And it's naturally caffeine free. Yummy! I go through pitchers or this stuff a week!

2010-08-01T20:35:00.000-06:00

"Grief is a most peculiar thing; we're so helpless in the face of it. It's like a window that will simply open of its own accord. The room grows cold, and we can do nothing but shiver. But it opens a little less each time, and a little less; and one day we wonder what has become of it."

-from Memoirs of a Geisha

2010-07-31T08:41:00.000-06:00

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." — Marcus Tullius Cicero

Amen amen amen! I would reword it and say,

"A life without books is like a body without a soul."

This summer I've finally been able to rediscover the joy of reading whatever I want to read. During the school year I read a lot, more than I've read in my whole life, but I'm not the one who is doing the choosing of the books. I've read almost a dozen books this summer and I'm not done yet.

So if you're bored today and you want some cheap fun, go to your local library and pick up a book!

Sometimes I go to work with wet, right-out-of-the-shower hair

2010-07-30T07:18:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I long for the days of childhood when it didn't matter if your shirt matched your pants,

as long as you were wearing clothes.

This week I've only put make up on and done my hair once.

On Wednesday, I got ready because I had to go to the DMV to get my license renewed and had to get a picture taken.

But that's it.

Love my life!

New Recipes!

2010-07-27T17:42:00.001-06:00

I just posted a couple new recipes on my blog, What's For Dinner?

Check it out and enjoy!

Denver!

2010-07-20T10:23:00.001-06:00

Prepare for an overload of pictures.

Here's a log of our trip to Denver for our one year anniversary!

Saturday, July 10 we spent a lot of the day driving. We decided to drive the I-70 way and it was beautiful. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures.

We then arrived, checked into our hotel and got settled. Then we headed to downtown Denver to a Colorado Rockies game. We didn't buy tickets in advance so we were standing in line for tickets when a nice man working at the stadium announced that only nosebleed tickets were still available. We were a bit bummed because we wanted to be able sit closer. Then, seconds after that announcement, two young women walked up to us and asked if we were alone and handed us two free tickets and left. The tickets were GREAT tickets! According to the nice man, they were worth about $50 each. Wahoo!!!

Here are our happy faces because we didn't have to pay for our tickets!

Here's how close we were. This isn't zoomed in at all. Such a cool stadium!

Then, the two women who gave us the tickets (we sat right next to them) said we needed to get a really good, close picture since it was our anniversary. So they snatched out camera and we walked down to the third row and got this great picture.
On Sunday we went to a local sacrament meeting. After church we drove down to Colorado Springs and explored Garden of the Gods. It was BEAUTIFUL!!! So breathtaking. The pictures do not do it justice.

This is called The Balancing Rock.

After that we visited the Denver Temple. Unfortunately, since it was Sunday, the gates were closed but we walked around and took pictures from a distance.

He's cute, huh?

Monday we spent a large chunk of the day at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. It is the fourth largest museum in the United States. We didn't take any pictures there, but it was awesome! I'm a dork, I love museums!

Monday night we went and ate dinner at Casa Bonita. Kraig ate here as a five year old on a family vacation once and it fascinated him. So we decided that we had to revisit Casa Bonita. It was quite the experience. Here's what the outside looks like:
This place was huge! It featured a waterfall, a mariachi band, space for 900 guests at once, tons of caves and places to explore.

Kraig was reunited with his fortune telling friend:

They even have an hourly puppet show for the kiddies:

It was pretty fun! Quite the dinner experience.

Here's the beautiful Denver skyline taken from Invesco Field at Mile High (where the Broncos play):

Invesco Field at Mile High

We explored the team store Tuesday morning on our way out of town.

And that was our trip! It was so much fun to just get away, the two of us, and spend some time together. Loved it!

Decision Made!

2010-07-08T19:34:00.001-06:00

Along with LeBron "The King" James, we have made our decision!

But we will not be holding a one hour TV special, unfortunately.

But I will be posting about our decision here. Get excited.

We're going to Denver this weekend for our anniversary trip! Yay! Kraig got the OK from his boss to take a couple days off next week and that was the deciding factor. I'm way excited.

Here's what I think we'll do:

Go see a Rockies game at Coors Field,

Go explore Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs,

Visit the local farmers market,

And maybe go to Water World.

Is there anything else we need to do while in Denver? Suggestions?

2010-07-08T12:55:00.000-06:00

Why did these bit hats ever go out of fashion? I love love LOVE Audrey in Breakfast at Tiffany's. I'm watching it right now. I found it at Walmart for $5.

It's a good day!

My Finds

2010-07-07T13:46:00.000-06:00

So I tried my hand at thrifting yesterday. I went to the D.I. on 4500 S State St and then to Plato's Closet in Taylorsville. Here's what I found:

I found these killer Simply Vera shoes at Plato's for $15. I've been wanting to get some shoes like this for a while and I finally found some.

I found this skirt at the D.I. for $4. So simple and cute!

And all their belts at the D.I. were $2. I found four that I loved.
I couple outfits with the skirt and some of the belts.

What do you think? How did I do?

Clothes

2010-07-03T10:19:00.000-06:00

I want to dress cuter. Most days I hate my clothes and just go with a t-shirt and jeans. And it's getting old. I want to dress like this or like this.

Who will help me?

So many of the clothes from these two websites were "thrifted" by the wearer. Where do I buy "thrifted" clothes? Where is a good place to "thrift"?

I'm scared to change my style.

Who wants to come "thrifting" with me?

One Year

2010-07-02T15:30:00.000-06:00

So one week from tomorrow is our one year anniversary. Can you believe it? I sure can't. Part of me feels like there's no way it could be a year already and another part of me can't remember not being with Kraig. Whoever said that the first year is the hardest was full of it. If this year was the hardest, we're in for a pretty spectacular life!

Anyway, so we're trying to figure out with to do for our anniversary next weekend. We don't want to spend a lot because we're planning a bigger trip in January for graduation (7 night cruise?). So here are the options we've thought of.

First would be just to stick around the SLC and spend the day together and then stay at The Anniversary Inn Saturday night in one of their awesome rooms. We could stay in a carriage:
Or a cabin in the mountains:

Or even in Venice.

Plus, because I work for IHC, I get a pretty good discount. Which makes this option great.

But what else could we do around the SLC for the day?

Pros: no driving. complimentary breakfast in bed, cheesecake, and free DVD rentals with my discount. fun rooms. jetted tub for two.

Cons: not far away. what else would we do?

Option Two: St. George. We could just get a reasonable hotel, stay for two or three nights rather than one, hang by the pool,

and then maybe go see a play at the Tuacahn Theater.

Pros: cheaper hotel. a little bit farther away from home. pool. hot weather. Tuacahn.

Cons: more driving. no jetted tub for two. what else could we do?

Option Three: Denver, CO. I've never been and Kraig tells me it's beautiful. I've visited their website and there seems to be quite a bit to do there (parks, Six Flags, museums, etc.). And I think it would be fun to go somewhere we've never been together and just figure out what we're doing as we go.

Pros: somewhere I've never been. beautiful. spontaniety. new adventures.

Cons: long drive (7 ish hours). no plan (this always makes me nervous, I'm a planner).

So what do you think? Where should we go? Other suggestions?

What I've read so far this summer

2010-06-19T13:57:00.000-06:00

So here's a confession: I have a passionate love affair with words.

I love books and stories and the places that they take me.

Here's what I've read thus far this summer and what I thought in ten words of less.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Review: Beautiful. Touching. Perfect.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Review: Boring. I didn't finish.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Review: Why is this a classic?

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Review: Slow, but I'm glad I finished it.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Review: Brilliant. Captivating. Read in three days.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Review: Again, captivating. Finished in two and a half days.

So there's my list so far. I'm sitting here at work with six and 1/2 hours left to go. Luckily I brought another book with me.

I will now start reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

2010-06-16T13:36:00.000-06:00

I was wandering through my old blog posts and stumbled upon this from May 16 2008:

"i am a hopeless romantic. i believe in fantasy and happy endings over reality and "nothing lasts forever." i believe in true love and happily ever afters and wait patiently for mine even though nothing i've seen in real life has quite met my expectations. i have hope for perfection in butterflies, midnight kisses, and red roses. i always have my eyes open for the cheese to my macaroni (JUNO), my slice of chocolate cake (MADE OF HONOR). i wear my heart right on my sleeve. this seems to result in the snatching of it by some undeserving, self-appointed "prince" and the eventual breaking of said heart by said "prince." yet to this day i have not given up on the idea of a real Prince Charming sweeping me off my feet and carrying me to his lovely castle on a hill in a far away, mystical kingdom, figuratively speaking of course. i am holding out for the guy who will give me butterflies until i'm sick and will love me forever. i will not settle and i will not give up hope. i'm standing strong for all previous hopeless romantics who have faded into fairytale history."

I'm so glad that I can look back now and say to my past self, "You were right to wait! You were right not to settle! You found your prince."

I remain today a romantic, but now I have a lot more hope. Because I have found my Prince Charming. I will never fade into fairy tale history, because my life is what fairy tales are made of (minus the evil sorcerer, a fire-breathing dragon, and the uncomfortable dresses).

I'm living a real life fairy tale, every single day that I get to wake up next to my love.

How great is that?

new blog!!!

2010-06-14T11:29:00.001-06:00

So I've decided to start another blog.

Finding fun and simple recipes are hard to find. So here's what I'm doing: When I find a recipe that I like and Kraig likes, I'll share it with you on my new blog.

It's called What's For Dinner?

Check it out!

And that's what you missed on....GLEE!

2010-06-09T18:03:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I'm a dork and I absolutely love Glee! It is so hilarious and they always cover the greatest songs. Sure, it has it's moments of awkward scripting and inpracticality, but it always puts a smile on my face.

Last night was the season finally and it was incredible! I may or may not have shed a tear or two. So good! And all the songs were Journey songs. How great is that? Go to YouTube or iTunes and check out all the great music! I already bought all the songs from last nights episode.

Am I the only one who absolutely loves this show and is counting down the days until its return?

new songs

2010-06-07T13:06:00.000-06:00

I love finding fun new music. It is one of my very favorite things.

And today I found a couple new songs by one of my favorite singers in high school.

Fefe Dobson.

And she has finally come out with some new stuff.

The first is called I Want You.

And the other is Watch Me Move.

These two songs kept me going at the gym today.

ENJOY!!!

wishlist

2010-05-28T14:57:00.000-06:00

So my birthday is coming up...sort of. It's in July, but it's kinda close. So here's my wishlist for my birthday this year or actually just anytime in my life.

This cute small notebook, perfect for all my lists:

This awesome leather wallet:

This cute journal (the above three are all from an Etsy shop called In Blue):

TOM shoes. I love these! In any color at all, but especially these ones:
This adorable dress from Shabby Apple:

This swimsuit:

Or this one:

Or this one: (all from Shabby Apple's new swim line. LOVE!)

This necklace, but with my name, of course:

Or this one, from a cute Etsy store I just discovered (PiperBlue):

Too bad all of this adds up to well over $200. But one can always dream, right?

What would you put on your wishlist?

This Weekend

2010-05-24T16:32:00.000-06:00

This weekend I'm going to this beautiful place:

So I can see this guy for the first time in two years:

Yep, my dear cousin and best friend, Anson, is coming home from his mission in Brazil tomorrow! And my whole family is going out to spend the weekend with him and the rest of the Ricks side of the family.

And Kraig, my other best friend, is going to meet Anson for the first time. I am so excited.

I cannot wait to see this kid!

Book Club

2010-05-18T13:58:00.000-06:00

So Nichole Swink and I have decided that we'd like to start a book club for the summer because we're English majors and don't know what to do without a reading assignment every week!

So, who wants to join?

The first book I think we'll read is...

Call me, text me, facebook me or whatever and let me know if you'd like to be a part of it.

We'll meet for the first time on June 8th. That would be a Tuesday. Come play!

??

2010-05-17T14:01:00.000-06:00

So I kind of am feeling ankle boots as of late.

Am I crazy?

Take a look.

Ummm...

2010-05-17T13:54:00.000-06:00

I got a 4.0 for Spring Semester.

How did that happen?

I'm kind of in shock.

But I'm okay with this kind of shock.

Woot woot!

Summer Reads

2010-05-03T13:31:00.000-06:00

I handed in 30 pages of final stuff today: a final project in poetry (an anthology and companion paper), a term paper in literary history, and a class evaluaction in play construction. I'm done!!!

So right after I handed all of that in, I headed to the library! Time to start reading what I want to read.

Here are the books I plan to read this summer:

I read Kite Runner over Spring Break and fell in love with Hosseini's writing. So when I heard that his book, A Thousand Splendid Suns was even better, I knew that this had to be at the top of my list. I'm already on page 25.

Because I will one day be a high school English teacher, I figured I better read this one. Plus, it has always interested me. And I already own it, even better!

Wuthering Heights is another one of those books that I've always wanted to read. So it made my list for this summer.

I read Lahiri's collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies, in a class a couple years ago and fell in love with her writing as well. I thought I'd give her novel and try too.

Any other suggestions?

Supercross

2010-05-02T12:32:00.000-06:00

Last night, Kraig and I went to the Supercross at Rice Eccles Stadium. It was quite fun, despite the wind and rain and sleet and hail and snow. Here are some photos:

If you brought an empty Monster can, you got into the pit for free. So I drank the first energy drink of my life.

The track

Just a little couple photo

And here comes the snow...

And it's snowing...

2010-04-29T09:51:00.000-06:00

...on April 29th

(the view out my front window)

For Dinner

2010-04-29T09:22:00.001-06:00

Last night I decided that we needed a nice dinner so we could just take moment and relax. So here's what I made: (Sorry for the poor picture quality)

Lemon Garlic Tilapia

And Cool Cucumber Pasta Salad

I thought it turned out great. I really love to cook a nice dinner. It always gives me a little boost of confidence to pull of a new recipe. Speaking of, if anyone would like these recipes, let me know. It was delish! Yay for dinner!

pros and cons

2010-04-26T16:01:00.000-06:00

cons of this day:

our living room is strewn with unpacked suitcases and laundry that need to be put away.

our bed is not made.

my car failed the safety inspection so I have to get it fixed on Wednesday and get the inspection redone so I can renew my registration before the 30th.

I have to study for my Spanish Oral Exam.

Kraig is stuck at school and won't be home until after I have to leave.

my diet today has consisted of a grilled egg/cheese sandwich, two creamy popsicles, a cream-filled donut, a mango, and popcorn.

pros of this day:

the sun is shining.

I wore sandals to school and studied outside.

today was my second to last day of class for the semester.

my husband loves me very much. (he told me so!)

campus looked beautiful today with all the blooming trees, etc.

my diet today has consisted of a grilled egg/cheese sandwich, two creamy popsicles, a cream-filled donut, a mango, and popcorn. :)

A Perfect Evening

2010-04-19T21:38:00.001-06:00

Tonight we went to Sugarhouse Park and ate delicious, leftover, Iggy's deep dish pizza...

...and yummy strawberries
We sat in the sun...
I did this:
And he did this:
Until the sun went down.
I'm already in love with this Spring.

Movie Recommendation

2010-04-15T17:08:00.000-06:00

For extra credit for my Spanish class, I just watch this movie and it was amazing. It's called Voces Inocentes or Innocent Voices. It was made in 2004 about the civil war that took place in El Salvador between 1980 and 1992. It was amazing, but also heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and maddening. It is rated R because it is somewhat violent. Also, it is entirely in Spanish, but there are subtitles, so you'll be fine.
Besides how could you resist a cute face like his?

I kind of fell in love with this little boy because he's just so adorable and in the film he is so strong and courageous. If you're looking for a good movie for the weekend, go for this one! But don't expect to come out of it feeling all warm and fuzzy. It's a difficult film because it involves difficult subject matter, but it's worth it. So incredible!

Countdowns

2010-04-15T15:56:00.000-06:00

Three hours until I sign up for the last college classes of my undergraduate career

Two days until Kraig takes the F.E. Exam

Two and a half weeks until I turn in my last paper of the semester

Six weeks until my cousin and best friend, Anson, gets home from his mission

Four months until I start the last semester of my undergraduate career

Eight months until Kraig and I graduate from the U

[yay!]

Shakespeare

2010-04-14T15:12:00.000-06:00

For my literary history class, we were assigned to read a number of sonnets by Edmund Spenser, Sir Philip Sidney, Samuel Daniel, Michael Drayton, and William Shakespeare. I actually found many that I really like, me being the hopeless romantic that I am. These men all write of love in a very touching, real way. I think my favorite of the bunch was Shakespeare's Sonnet 29.

When, in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state,

And trouble dear heaven with my bootless cries,

And look upon myself and curse my fate,

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,

Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,

Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least;

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,

Haply I think on thee, and then my state

(Like to the lark at break of day arising

From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven's gate;

For they sweet love remembered such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Read it a few times, it's really sweet.

Here's my modern English translation:

When I am disfavored by fate and by men,

I'm all alone mourning my outcast state,

And I pray to a deaf heaven with my futile cries,

And look at myself and curse my luck,

I wish I was more hopeful,

I wish I had one man's looks and another man's friends,

I wish I had this man's skill and that man's ability;

Yet, when, in these thoughts, I start to hate myself,

Happily I think of you, and then my condition (state of mind)

(Which is like a bird singing at the break of dawn

Ending the night) sings songs at heaven's gate;

For when I remember your sweet love it so much wealth (figuratively)

Then I would never change where I am and who I am with kings.

Isn't it cute? Shakespeare was such a hopeless romantic, just like me!

time to get started

2010-04-13T18:00:00.000-06:00

I don't know why, but I want start writing in a journal.

For the longest time, I have just given the excuse that this blog is my journal.

Well, I think I'm going to stop making excuses.

Plus, there is the coolest journal at Barnes and Noble that has been calling my name for months. I hope it's still there.

I'm on my way.

Lame-O!

2010-04-12T21:50:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I really hate being a girl.

I hate that during that one time a month, emotions are running high and hard to control.

I don't like not being in control of my emotions.

I don't like being ornery.

I don't like being sad.

And I especially don't like having all these emotions for not reason at all, except for the fact that I'm a girl.

Boo!

Graduation Vacation

2010-04-11T11:15:00.000-06:00

So Kraig and I graduate in December (Woot woot!) and we were planning on going on a cruise for our graduation/Christmas present to ourselves. But we have now run into a problem: Finals for Fall Semester don't get over until the 17th and the cruise we were planning on leaves on the 12th. So that means no cruise for us.

So what should we do? Graduating from college is kind of a big deal and we'd like to do something to celebrate that, plus get in one more big vacay before we have to start real life with full time jobs, children, and the like. We're not totally loaded, so it can't be a really expensive vacay spot. What are some fun vacations you've taken or have wanted to take? We need some suggestions here!

Reasons that I love my life

2010-04-08T16:49:00.000-06:00

1. The sun is shining.

2. Last night, Kraig and I laid in bed and made up lyrics to all the default ringers on his cell phone. It was a wonderful way to end the day.

3. The semester is a mere three weeks from being over.

4. I bought strawberries, mangoes, and bananas at the store yesterday. Oh how I love fruit!

5. I just got an email from Taylor, my little missionary brother and he said that he sent me a letter! It's about time; I've already written him three times and sent him a postcard.

6. My body is sore from Circuit Training. Love that feeling, even though it hurts.

7. Kraig takes the F.E. Exam a week from Saturday, which means he'll be a little less stressed after that.

8. I have this poem stuck in my head.

schizophrenia?

2010-03-28T21:44:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I get really frustrated as an English major. Tonight is one of those nights.

I'm working on a one-act play for my play construction class and I have major writer's block. I've hit a point where I don't know where things are headed with my characters and I have no idea how they will end it. See, that's the problem. To write fiction, to write good fiction, you have to know your characters inside and out. Maybe even better than you know yourself. Because you're not just writing a story, you're writing their story. And they're living it. They're making the decisions and speaking the lines. So you have to know them well enough to know what they're thinking and what they're saying. I know it sounds really odd, but until you've written something you don't really get it. You feel like a schizophrenic person or something. You have these people in your head all the time. So not only are you living your life and going to class and washing dishes, you're kind of trying to live theirs too. Does that make sense?

The problem is that sometimes they don't want you in their lives. They don't want you to know what they're thinking or saying. Which is fine, everyone deserves their privacy.

But the real problem presents itself when your play construction teacher asks you to turn in a rough draft of something and the people you're writing about haven't been exactly friendly and receptive of your intrusions lately. So you've got nothing. But you have to turn something in, so you start writing what's in your head because thats all you've got. You don't have what's in their head. Major bummer.

I know that this all sounds crazy. My characters don't exist, except for on a page in my notebook or a file on my computer. But they have to in order to craft a good story. They have to real, living, breathing human beings. Maybe just for me, as a writer, if not for everyone else.

So this brings me to my present dilemma. I have a draft of my one-act due tomorrow and I'm totally and completely stuck. David and Jeanette have kind of turned their back on me because I ignored them while I sunbathed in Cali for a few days. I've stared at the computer screen for a good three hours and nothing. I haven't written a single word that I liked or kept.

And it is now ten o'clock. And I'm tired. And I'm on my third cup of tea.

I guess I maybe should offer them a peace offering and see if they'll talk.

My husband is the greatest

2010-03-18T08:23:00.000-06:00

Last night I was having a really hard time. I missed my brother. And for some reason my little tear valves would not turn off. I was lying in bed with tears rolling down my cheeks and my nose was completely plugged. Kraig could definitely tell that I was down. He worked hard to make me laugh.

Then he said, "I have an idea, get up!" So I did. He grabbed our mattress and dragged it into the living room. We put in Planet Earth and watched until I fell asleep. He knew that I needed my mind taken off my little missionary.

I seriously could not have picked a better man to be my eternal companion!

A little piece of my heart

2010-03-17T21:22:00.001-06:00

...now resides at the MTC in Provo.

We dropped Taylor off there today to serve the Lord for two years in Mexico City. I thought that I'd be able to hold it together, but the minute he started walking away, I totally broke down.

I miss him.

2010-03-10T14:27:00.000-07:00

Two movie suggestions:

Kramer vs. Kramer

Wit

Please watch them both. They will change the way you look at life. And they will both probably make you cry. I cried.

One day I'd like to write something that makes someone cry or laugh or think seriously about their life.

One day.

Spring Break

2010-02-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

This is Oceanside, California. This is where Kraig and I will be in just over 3 weeks. This is what I'm holding out for. I cannot even wait. I've pretty much already planned out the whole vacay from start to finish including miles to drive, prices of all possible activities, time to be spent at each activity. You could say that I'm a little bit OCD but thats okay, I love it.

Spring Break cannot come soon enough!

Love

2010-02-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

So I have this guilty pleasure of The Bachelor every once in a while when I'm extremely bored and/or Kraig's working on homework and I don't want to be productive. Anyway, I know that this is obvious to everyone in the world, I'm sure, by now...but the bach is so fake!

Love is not extravagent dates every day like bungee-jumping, dinner for two on the top of some famous building, an entire theme park reserved for just the two of you. Love is not in a world where gorgeous clothes are provided for you and your lines are scripted to ensure drama and emotion. Love isn't always having to wear heels and a hot dress. Love isn't shallow conversation and a lot of making out. Love is not catty comments and gossip.

Love is sitting next to each other on the couch and awkwardly holding hands while attempting to do homework with just your left hand. Love is no make up and dirty sweats. Love is a dirty living room. Love is texting throughout the day to tell the other person that you totally caught some guy farting right before you got on the elevator after work. Love is dirty, awkward, imperfect, flawed, wonderful, private, life-changing.

I'm glad that love is what it is and that I have it. The real thing! How great is that?

Valentine's Day and Kraig's B-day

2010-02-16T22:06:00.001-07:00

This year was our first Valentine's Day as a married couple so I was really excited. On Saturday night we just decided to drive downtown and pick a random restaurant. We ended up eating at this amazing Japanese restaurant called Shogun. So good!!! I forgot the camera so we didn't get a picture but it was awesome. It was a very traditional Japanese restaurant where we sat on the ground and ate AMAZING sushi and gyudon. I recommend Shogun for anyone who likes Japanese food.

Then Sunday morning, since we don't have church until 1 pm we made heart-shaped pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast. Take a look:

I was pretty proud of this beauty!

And then for Kraig's birthday we headed down to Santaquin to visit the Rasmussens. Once again, it was a blast and Kraig's mom made some delicious meals. One day I hope to be able to cook like her!

Today is Kraig's 25th birthday and he just wanted to spend it just the two of us. So I made a delish dinner (our weekend has just been chuck full of great food) (we had pork chops, fruit, and rolls), lit candles to make it a little more romantic, and made peanut butter pie for dessert. So yummy! My mom bought him some sweet binoculars. Here he is trying them out:

Here's him with his peanut butter pie:

Happy Birthday Kraig! I love this boy so much! He makes me so so SO happy. I laugh every single day with him and feel more like myself then I've felt my whole life! Love you babe!

2010-02-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

One day I will have one of these: But for now I get to relearn how to play the piano on one of these (which my hubby so graciously got me for Christmas. Love him!):

missing...

2010-02-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've been totally MIA lately. Life is busy and I feel like it's not very interesting, not interesting enough to blog about at least.
Kraig's birthday is coming up. He'll be the big TWO FIVE! I'm really excited for him, he's having a quarter-life crisis about the age. Mostly about the fact that we will now be FIVE years apart.
For his birthday week I've been leaving a few notes about why I love him. By Tuesday, the lovely day of his birth, there will be TWENTY FIVE total reasons posted around the house. It's been quite fun for me actually.
I also bought him something else yesterday which I'm kinda excited about, but I'll have to wait to write about it because he sometimes blog stalks me to see what I'm saying about him. :)
I just finished writing my very first piece of theater EVER! I'm in a play construction class and writing a five minute monologue was our first assignment. I'm loving this class and I've found that writing is something that I really have passion for. I still haven't finished my short story yet, but someday I will!!! I hope that one day this little hobby could become something more.
Anyway, that's the update on our life!

Playing Hookie

2010-02-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

This morning Kraig and I played hookie from our first classes. Partially because I got a migraine and partially because we were exhausted from our circuit training class. It was a fabulous morning!

We might do it more often...

Goals for the New Year

2010-01-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little late at posting these, but I've still been formulating them. Here they are:

Physical
1. Drink more water
2. Have more self-control when it comes to food

Spiritual
1. Have more sincere prayers

Academic
1. Stay caught up in reading
2. Start papers early!!

General
1. Don’t get offended so easily
2. Let things go!

school school school!

2010-01-12T16:50:00.000-07:00

The new semester started yesterday and I'm a total dork and absolutely love school! I am taking some fun classes:
Spanish 2020
Play Construction
Literary History 1
and
Studies in Poetry
I keep getting the books that I've ordered online for my classes and I just get butterflies. I'm silly. Everytime I hear that knock on the door in the afternoon and my heart jumps and I run to the door to see which book it is. What a shame it will be when the very last one for the semester arrives.