Ready

I decided today that I am ready for several things to happen:

I am ready for winter to be over.

Alas, it is only January.

I am ready to kiss someone new.

Alas, I don't know who.

I am ready to be done with working while going to grad school.

Alas, I have only completed one semester.

I am ready for something new.

Alas, I can hardly handle what I am already doing.

I am ready to move on.

Alas, I know not what to move on to.

Or what to move on from...

Letter to Nicaragua

I wrote this letter to Emery in Nicaragua to update her on the happenings here, so I will include it (edited for content, of course) to update all of you as well.

Hi! So I miss you. I realized yesterday that I talk to myself a lot when you're not here... out loud... I'm actually quite witty.

So much happens when you go away, so I'll fill you in on some important things while I still remember them. And, if you prompt me when you get back I will elaborate.

Oh, and I know I'm totally butchering the spelling of every name and a lot of words in this email, but I'm too tired to worry about it. Forgive me? Please? Thanks.

Today in the "good news minute" (which I walked in late for - long story - I'll tell you about that later in this email), Krista announced her engagement to that guy! What's his name? Hold on, I'll text Brian...

Waiting...

Waiting...

Waiting...

Steven.

Also, Tami announced her engagement to Jimmy during her talk today! (That sounds funny, but it wasn't strange of her to say. It fit in her talk.) Crazy!

Tami told me I looked HOT today. I love that girl.

Ben was called as the assistant mission leader, Jessica was called as assistant librarian. Heidi was called as the ward women's sports leader, and Lee was called as the men's.

Nataley, Tami, and Teona spoke in sacrament meeting about self mastery and bridling your passions.

I met with the bishopric about my many callings. We're all very sad that I won't be able to continue with everything I've been doing because of my new calling as Stake Women's Sports Director. I think I'm going to remain the webmaster, but be released from calendar, public relations chair, and gospel doctrine. I think I will be the official unofficial gospel doctrine substitute. Bishop, Marlin, and Aaron were very nice and complimentary to me. This stake calling will be good. By the way, do you want to play basketball on Saturday mornings? :)

Ok, so why I was late despite getting up at 7:30:
I must admit, I agree with Tami that I looked rather cute today. :) I had on my black, short GAP dress and tall boots (ok, YOUR tall boots...). Today was ward dinner, and I made pork and sour kraut. I was on the way out the door and managed to tip the tray with the food just enough that a line of pickled cabbage juice went onto my dress right across my boobs. Yuck. What could I do? I was determined to not have to change my entire outfit, so I dabbed off the sour kraut juice, ran upstairs, and got the Febreeze bottle. I sprayed myself with the Fabreeze and ran back downstairs. So, now my bust line smelled minty fresh with just a hint of stewed pork and sour kraut. But hey, I was only a few minutes late and I looked GOOD. ;)

Friday:
Dennis and I went to Kristine and Adam's music party. I had a very fun time. I had a LOT of fun! I have a cough, so my voice was quickly dying, but I managed to sing quite a few songs. They demanded Adam and I sing "The Prayer". It was not so good. My voice was too gone. I made them promise to request it next time so I can redeem myself. Adam defended me, and so did his mom, saying that I really was sick. I sang a song with Maurine, Adam's mom, accompanying me. I sang a couple songs with Keith. And I sang "Home" from Beauty and the Beast, "Whistle Down the Wind", and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" with Dennis accompanying me. Dennis played very well. Several of the other ladies asked him to play for them too. He is better than I realized, and I found out he has only ever taken a year of piano lessons - and they were Suzuki lessons! So, he basically taught himself. Cool.

Well, have you had enough? Ok. Stop reading email and go play a game with your family and then take a bubble bath not with your family. See you on Tuesday. If anything great happens between now and then, I'll let you know.

Simply Amazing

This afternoon I was using a bottle of Nasonex, and I dropped the lid on the bathroom floor. I heard it hit the tile, but when I looked for it, the lid was nowhere to be seen. I looked for a good two minutes, and no lid. "Strange," I said aloud. Figuring I was just blind in one eye, I left knowing I would find it sooner or later. When I got home from class tonight and trekked up the stairs, in the faint light I could see something small and oval-shaped on the stairs. I bent down to take a closer look and... You guessed it! The blue lid! The stairs are a good 10 to 15 feet from the bathroom, and around two corners! Simply amazing.

The light bulb in my closet burned out yesterday. I've never had my closet light bulb burn out before.

Tonight, to celebrate getting an MMR shot in my arm, I am barbecuing. In a short sleeve shirt, no less. Yes, it's a common thing for people to do while enjoying whether like we've had this week. Snow really puts one in the mood for steak.

Guacamole Snowcone

I went to my friend Andrea's birthday dinner tonight. Walking back to the car, I noticed that the ground was very icy. Unfortunately, I did not realize how icy until I could feel my feet sliding around out of control. I could not stop those feet from sliding right out from under me! Down I went, crashing to the cold asphalt while my bowl of guacamole shattered and splattered next to me.

I heard Emery and a couple other people ask, "Are you okay?"

"Ya, I'm fine."

"I'm glad you're okay. But, I'm really upset about losing that great guacamole."

A hand reached down to help me up. "Hi. I'm Dean. I didn't get to meet you inside at the party." The same hand then reached out to shake mine.

"Um, nice to meet you, Dean... Sorry, I have guacamole all over my hands."

Emery and Dean helped me collect the pieces of broken bowl. Another friend emerged from her car with a bag to put the ceramic pieces in. Dean promptly grabbed a chunk of snow and plopped it down right on top of the pile of guacamole so no one would step in it. My guacamole-covered clothing is now soaking in the washing machine. Fortunately, I landed on my hip and bum, so there was plenty of padding and my landing didn't hurt. Now, I'm just praying that my back doesn't freak out again from the jolt it received. Ah... life is full of fun adventures.

Grades & Other News

Update:
My professor agreed that the grade he gave me was too low. He had forgotten about my extra credit work I had emailed him, and he is adjusting the grade. That means I got A's in both classes! Yay! (Is it tacky for me to post that I got A's? Oh, who cares? I'm excited!)

In other grad school news:
I am trying to figure out why the university insists that everyone get re-immunized for measles and mumps. Apparently once was not good enough, but I think that once is all that most people have ever been given an MMR immunization. The university didn't make it very clear in the letter they sent, but I think I have to make an appointment to get a shot before I can start spring semester. Yuck! I used to be fine with needles - I could watch them go right into my arm with no problem. But, not-so-great experiences with giving blood, getting IVs and having surgeries has caused shots to have a negative connotation. I don't like them. Unfortunately, I have no choice here.

Work:
6th grade is in full swing again. These past two days back on track have gone well. My team, as always, is helpful and supportive, and the kids are fun. I do like teaching science -- we're studying the planets right now. I've also had fun working on persuasive essays with the kids. They're writing essays trying to convince the principal that 6th graders should be allowed to chew gum in school. In PE we are playing basketball. Fun stuff.

Blog:
I've added a few more links, quotes, and pictures on my sidebar, so check them out if you want to. I'm still looking for quote ideas, so be sure to comment if you think of something funny!

P.S.
There is a really strange sound outside our house right now. I heard it last night too. It's sort of like a distant airplane sound, only louder. Or maybe a trash compactor, or snow plows. Only, it hasn't snowed in the last few days. I can't figure it out. It's loud and scary. Anyone have any ideas what it could be?

Muskrat Love

Today Emery and I went for a morning walk to welcome in the new year. It is sunny and beautiful outside, although quite cold and snow-covered still. A good combination. As we walked past the creek, we saw two muskrats swimming in the water! It was very exciting for me. I couldn't remember what they are called. I went through a list of possibilities: "Beavers? No. Otters? No. River rats? Yes. We'll just call them river rats."

So, when I got home, I googled them to find out for sure what they were. "Oh ya... muskrats!" I have seen them several times in the creek on our golf course too. In fact, I think my neighbor's dog killed one of them once. They're not really that fabulous, I guess. They are rodents. But still, they're fun to watch in the water. It made me happy.

Happy New Year!

Over the last few days, each time I was asked what I wanted to do on New Year's Eve my reply was, "Kiss!" And what do you know, I did get my New Year's kiss! Ok, so it was on the cheek, but it was from a guy I had just met. That's enough adventure and romance to last me till, you know... whenever.

Thanks to Andrea, Emery and I went to a fun party for "mid singles". A lot of the people there know each other from LDSLinkup, so it was a little odd to hear people saying things like, "Hey aren't you CampfireBug? I looked at your profile today." Nevertheless, there were quite a few nice people. The house was packed, actually, and I was reminded how many singles there are that are my age. Some of them are single for obvious reasons, some for not so obvious reasons, and some for no particular reason at all. Is it comforting to know there are so many? Or is it more depressing? Not quite sure.

Karaoke was going on down stairs at the party, so that's where Emery and I headed. We sang "Goodbye Earl" by the Dixie Chicks. It was fun, and many people complimented us. One guy, who said we were great singers, looked so familiar to me that I finally asked his name. Brian, as it turns out, is my friend Sarah's brother! I know Sarah from my hometown. She moved into my church ward toward the end of high school. He gave me her number so I could call her and catch up. Fun!

The Karaoke room was so full of people that everyone had to get cozy. I managed to snag a chair (good thing because my back was ready to die!) but there wasn't much leg room. I didn't mind, however, because the lack of leg room meant that Andrea's friend Mark, whom she met in law school, had to rest his arms on my legs and eventually squeeze in next to me on the chair. Mark and I became very close friends very quickly as a result. We're tight now. He is the one from whom I got my kiss. :)

Well, happy New Year, every one. I hope 2008 brings wonderful things to your lives. May all your wildest dreams come true!