Day two in San Antonio. It's hot here. And humid. I stay indoors because I'm terrified of becoming burnt chicken. I've given in to the inevitable frizzy hair and mousse and diffuse it--better to start with and end with the curls and save the frustration of partially straight hair. We watch General Conference. We watch Marley and Me. Marley and Me reminds me of Scrat. I feel a little homesick. I have my first taste of Blue Bell ice cream. I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to pass the time until I sleep. I text Ben. I text Elisabeth. I text President Moyes. I text anyone who will give me a little taste of normalcy. I eat curry for the second time in my life. I like this curry better than before. I take endless quizzes on Facebook. I play several rounds of Text Twist. I check my email fifty times. I check my Facebook fifty times. I discover online Jumble--a newspaper classic. I solve many Jumbles. I love work games. I try to sleep. I fall asleep on the floor. I wake up with imprints from my computer keyboard on my cheek. I wake up shortly after Conference has started, but in time to hear the first speaker. I listen to Conference. I shower. I eat lunch. I begin typing, and find what little I've actually done.
A bleak paragraph, I know. But as I type and Ani sits next to me, watching me pound out the words on my keyboard and looking adoringly up at me with her beautiful blue eyes and gorgeous dimples, I realize why I'm here. Tomorrow we head for Corpus Christi and are going to spend some time lying on the beach. I am so glad that I get to spend more time with these kids. Talbi is so smart. He plays the piano like you wouldn't believe. And Ani dances like a pro. The life, the learning, the Spirit in this home...it's amazing. So far my adventures in Texas have not been all that exciting, but they've been simple, which in many ways is so much better.
05 April 2009
01 April 2009
pray for your own dam rain
Anyone who has ever lived in Rexburg or who is closely associated with Rexburg knows that the best thing about living in Rexburg is the plentiful supply of dam jokes. I love them. It's like when the opportunity arises to read a scripture in Sunday School that has a "bad word," and everyone volunteers because it's an opportunity to say a "naughty word" in church.
I was thinking about how every year there's a "water shortage." We're always in a drought. But one of the very few things I learned in my three attempts at my geography class is that drought + rain = flooding. And then everyone complains because they have to travel to work in a life raft, they have to sleep in life jackets, their carpets are ruined, yada, yada, yada...whine, whine, whine.
I love rain. It's my favorite kind of weather. Don't get me wrong. But this whole, "Everyone needs to pray for rain" mentality...I'm not so sure about it. "Let's pray for rain, but then when it starts raining, quickly switch to praying for sun."
In The Other Side of Heaven, I am deeply moved by one of the lines that says, "We are praying for a south wind. Others may be praying for a north wind. Perhaps we should be praying for a good wind." And so, as we move into the drier months of the year, perhaps we should be praying for "good weather," not for sun or rain or (for the mentally unstable) snow.
If you want to pray for rain, pray for your own dam rain.
24 March 2009
where i've fallen
Somewhere in my incredibly busy life (to be said with incredible sarcasm) I found time to clean my room. Who knew that I had a floor! All this time I thought that if I were to remove the clothes and papers and books and empty orange G2 bottles (by the way, my FAVORITE drink, besides Barq's of course), I would fall right through what should have been the floor and land in the downstairs bathroom. I forget how big my room really is--it's really not big, but when the floor is clear, it seems a lot bigger. Instead of falling through my floor and into the bathroom, my life has taken some interesting turns, and I've fallen in some unexpected territories.
As most of you know, last week I made a quick trip to Washington. It was definitely too quick. I had so much fun playing with Sierra, Sophie, Rochelle, and LaMar. I also forget how much I miss Sarah, Brian, Justin, and Jessica. I had just as much fun with them as I did with their kids. I also forget how much I miss Grammy and Pa. I went to their house one night and had such a good time watching Dancing with the Stars with Grammy, our favorite past time when I was living there. And--SURPRISE!--I went on a date when I was there! The first one since Senior Ball. No, not a big deal, though, so don't get your hopes up. I went to Jamba Juice with Nathan, a friend that I've known since third or fourth grade. We had a great time talking until we were kicked out at closing time. I've never been kicked out of somewhere before. What an experience! We had a lot of fun, though.
In less than two weeks I'm going to San Antonio. I'm SOOO excited to see Aaron's family. I haven't seen them in a while. I have been rotating through pictures of my nieces and nephews on my desktop. Here are the featured pictures so far, starting with the first I put on, down to the one I have on their now:
No matter how many times people ask me, I cannot pick a favorite niece or nephew. I love them all equally. So these pictures are in no particular order. In a few weeks I will put this picture up of Sierra, and then I'll start all over:
For those of you who haven't heard yet, I'm officially changing my major this next semester. I have been a creative writing English major since I first started at BYU-Idaho. Not much is changing though. I'm just going into English education with a focus on creative writing. You all know how much I love writing and reading, so I've decided to share that love with other people. This way I'll be able to have a steady job, and I can spend my summers writing. I think it's a good arrangement. Now the issue stands with what language I'm going to learn. In high school I studied Japanese, but BYU-Idaho doesn't have a Japanese program. So, look to the sidebar poll and vote on which language you think I should study!
I am going back to school in a few weeks. It's coming up fast! I can't believe how the time has gone, but I'm glad. I'm ready to dive back into school. I can actually say now that I will miss Utah. I have become very active in the Singles' Branch, and I will miss that. But I'm also excited to be a student again.
Until next time...
03 March 2009
the impostor
I am the biggest faker. I like to pretend that I am more important than I am. I like to pretend like everyone likes me. I like to pretend to agree with everyone, except when I'm feeling disagreeable, when I like to pretend like I don't agree with anyone. I like to pretend like I really care about things. I like to pretend I am funny. I like to pretend I'm serious. I like to pretend I'm sick when I'm healthy and I'm healthy when I'm sick. I like to pretend I have a ton of friends, even though I really don't. I like to pretend I'm a lot smarter than I am. I like to pretend I'm weak. I like to pretend I'm quiet and meek. I like to pretend like I'm a loving and caring person, but I also like to pretend that I hate the world and everyone and everything in it. The truth: I don't know what the heck I am!
27 February 2009
the infamous
Those who have seen The Three Amigos know that the word "infamous" means "more than famous." Naturally, this word describes me perfectly. Why else would I be pogm (Potential Olympic Gold Medalist)? I was one of the most popular girls at Ballou Junior High when, at the end of my seventh grade year, I completely smoked a Rubik's cube contest against my teacher, the very person who taught me how to "do the cube." I was a hero. And even though I was so timid, shy, and anti-social, yes, I was deemed the "Party Goddess" of the Kay family when I held monthly Murder Parties with a guest list of over 20 frequent fliers. How awesome is that? Once I got to college, I decided to live a quiet life, but that vanished as soon as my incredible Hokey Six talent was discovered. Rumor has it I also started writing more in college, but let's not gossip. Maybe someday you will see that you can be as infamous as me!
19 February 2009
the indecisive
I guess I could be a complicated person, but on the whole, I don't know that I am. If people realized how little I care about a lot of things...well, that will be in another episode. When I say, "I don't know," I really mean, "I don't want to make that decision right now." Amazing, I know. When I say, "You decide," I really mean, "I don't want to make that decision right now." When I say, "What do you think?" I really mean, "I don't want to make that decision right now." Go figure. If I have a strong opinion, I'll let you know. But since when do I have a strong opinion? I guess this might make me a boring person. Some people might find this indecision irritating. I apologize. Or maybe I don't. I don't know...
17 February 2009
the ignoramus
I haven't seen E.T. I've never been kissed. I don't know how to do my own taxes. I didn't know who to vote for because I didn't know how each candidate stood on all of the issues. And what's worse, I didn't care enough to study it out. I don't know all the words to my favorite songs. I took piano lessons for five or more years and I don't know how to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb." I didn't read The DaVinci Code because I didn't want to figure out how to pronounce all the French words. I don't know how to cook rice. I love words like "enigmatic" and "proliferate" and "poignant," but I couldn't tell you what they mean. I don't know the story of Esther well enough to tell it to a Primary class. I forget the difference between Isaac and Jacob in the Old Testament. After thirteen years of math, I can't tell you what the quadratic formula is, or even what it's used for, and I don't know what "sine, cosine, cosine, sine, cosine, cosine, (slight pause) sine, sine" means. I can't label all the smaller eastern states on a map. I don't know the words to "Old Mother Hubbard" or "Frosty the Snowman." And when I don't know something, I usually just make it up.
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