geeks in Love

An Amazing 'Feet' (Promise That's a Pun)

2012-01-19T22:41:00.000-08:00

This week has been an interesting one to say the least. Saturday it started to snow. Just a very light sprinkling. Sunday, the same thing. By Monday morning, there was an inch or two, which obviously isn't a lot, but the forecast called for more snow that afternoon, so Jake decided to stay home and work here, so as not to repeat a similar experience from 2010 that involved a four-hour commute home from work. It didn't really snow much that day, and we went out one last time that evening to stock up on food since there was an inevitable snow storm headed our way. Tuesday brought a little more snow, but not much. But sometime between 1:30 am on Tuesday late night and 8:00am on Wednesday morning, about five inches of the white stuff fell. The city ground to a halt (and before people start pointing their fingers and laughing, let me remind you that since it snows maybe once a year here, there is no infrastructure for snow maintenance here; pretty much any city would grind to halt if none of their streets were plowed. At all.). Jake stayed home from work again. The streets were eerily quiet. We made national news (my mom told me; I don't watch the news). It snowed all day today, but it only added another inch or so. Tomorrow is supposed to be significantly warmer, but we'll see. There's still so much snow on the ground right now that Jake will likely stay home again, regardless.

Couple with this unusual weather with the fact that our sleeping schedules are all off. We took our weekly Sunday nap this past Sunday, but we didn't start our nap until 2:30, and instead of our usual 3-hour nap (that's right, three hours; we prefer to nap a complete sleep cycle), I took a four-hour nap, and Jake's was 4 1/2-5 hours. So our internal clocks were off that night and we didn't end up going to bed until close to 4:00. Oops. And our schedule has been all wacky ever since. And with this weird weather, we've been sleeping in super late. It's like we're hibernating or something. I'm kind of over it. We decided to go for a walk to Fred Meyer today to "get a movie from Redbox". Really, though, I think it was just to get out of the house. I think we're going a little crazy being cooped up in 680 square feet for an entire week.

Anyway, my main point in telling you all this is to talk about my dog. I know, right? So random. Popcorn has really enjoyed the snow. She was unsure about it at first, but she really loves it now. But with all our hibernating lately, our favorite thing to do is let Popcorn sleep up on our bed with us in the morning after she's gotten up to do her morning business. If we put her back in her crate, she would just cry and we wouldn't be able to sleep at all, so we just bring her on up and she snuggles into the duvet and sleeps with us.

I've been worried about her sleeping on our bed since we got her, mainly because I don't want to smother her by rolling onto her by accident. So far, it's been ok, but I still worry.

Well, this morning, I took her out for her morning walk around the parking lot, came back inside, and we curled up and got cozy. All three of us were fast asleep in no time. A little while later, I felt a tap,tap,tap on my arm. I opened my eyes and was confused because Jake was laying on his side, away from me. There was no way he tapped me on my arm. But then I looked down and saw Popcorn wedged between Jake's back and the mattress, and was just about squished! She had tapped my arm to wake me up to save her! Ok, ok, she was probably just wiggling around, and my arm happened to be right there, but still! I pulled her out and put my arm between her and Jake, so he wouldn't roll over onto her, and we fell back asleep, safe and sound.

On a related note, I'm ready for the snow days to be over. I'd like to run errands. I'd like to stop feeling trapped in my apartment. I'd like to be back to normal.

Back-Up, Back-Up

2012-01-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

I'm going back in time today. All the way back to December of 2011. I got my film from Christmas developed, and I'm here to share.

The Macy's star made its way into almost all the pictures. Hmmm....

Christmas Eve dinner. You can see the Beef Wellington I attempted!

Christmas morning.

I found so much faux bois wrapping paper this year!

This one's for you, Jake.

NYE at our friend's place in Queen Anne (this is taken from his balcony, people!).

The fireworks were a little underwhelming.

Happy New Year!

FACT

2012-01-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

Fun Fact About Me

This is a really fun fact about me. Are you ready? Hold onto your hat, because I don't think you're ready. Seriously, this is something no one will be expecting, and it will alter the way you look at the world. Ok, here goes....

I wear three toe rings at all times. And one of them has been on my toe for about half my life. I know. Crazy, right??

Alright, I admit. This is not that fun of a fact. But whatever. The ring on my right foot is the one that has been there for roughly 15 years. It's been removed a few times, but then I got nervous it would break (I bought it at Claire's or something) if I took it off anymore, so I've left it there ever since. A ~~fun~~ gross fact about that toe ring, though, is that my toe has some pretty serious indentations from it. I'm not sure if my toe would ever go back to being normal once I decide to remove that ring. The one on the same toe on my left foot has probably been there for the last 10-11 years. Same with the third one, too. That second one I mentioned (the thin band on my left foot) used to be a wide band I bought in Mexico, but it quickly degraded in quality (surprise, surprise). It was weird, it lost its silver coating and then got all scratchy and rough. I probably contracted tetanus or something from it. I found this thin band to replace it, and it was closer to what I actually wanted in the first place anyway.

Jake asked me if I ever get freaked out about the toe rings being on all the time. No, I don't. They would be simple enough to remove. I do get freaked out about the aforementioned deformity the right one has caused to my toe, though. I have no plans to remove any of them in the near future. I still like them, and like the way they look on my feet. Thinking about my toe rings has made me wonder if they are even remotely popular anymore. They were all the rage when I was in high school. Hence the reason I started wearing them. But I'd be surprised if they were still fashionable. Do you still wear toe rings? What's the longest you've gone without removing a piece of jewelry?

Then & Now

2012-01-16T02:11:00.000-08:00

A Photo of Me Taken Over Ten Years Ago

Oh, those bangs....

I'm going to post two. First, is my first grade picture. Believe it or not, I actually had a barrette "holding my hair back" in this picture. It was my favorite barrette. It was one of those barrettes that looked like a bow. This one was white lace. I thought it was suuuuuper pretty. Anyway. Half of my hair had been pulled back and secured with the barrette. But pictures were taken after lunch. Whoever decided to have the first graders go after lunch didn't know much about first graders. So my hair is pathetic. And I can't remember why I decided to smile with a closed mouth, but it was, in fact, deliberate. I never made that mistake again.

And here is one that is a more recent "over ten years ago" picture: My senior picture.

A Photo of Me Taken Recently

Jake decided to take a picture of us in bed when it was pitch black. So when the flash went off, it blinded me, and I tried not to make this face, but couldn't help myself. The flash was bright. It makes me laugh every time I see it.

Books & Quotes

2012-01-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

A Favorite Book

I have a confession. I'm not much of a reader. Which is weird for me to say. I have always considered myself to be a reader. When I was young, I read a lot. I wanted to grow up and be a writer. But as I get older, I find fewer and fewer books I feel are worthwhile reads. If a book does not capture my interest within five pages, I abandon it. I'm harsh like that.

But, I do read sometimes. And I certainly have some favorites. I could never pick a single favorite, so I won't. I will simply list books I like a lot, and highly recommend. Word of warning, though, I tend to like gritty books. Part of my pickiness stems from the fact that a lot of fiction bothers me because it's so unrealistic, so I read a lot of non-fiction. And my background and interest in psychology certainly makes for gritty books. So, if language, bad behavior, drugs, abuse, sex, and all the other dirty things life has to offer offends you, don't read these books.

As Nature Made Him- The Boy Who Was Raised As a Girl
This is a heart-breaking story of a set of twin boys from Winnipeg who became a science experiment to a doctor at Johns Hopkins University. After a botched circumcision, the parents are faced with a difficult decision on how to handle the situation and ultimately are persuaded by a doctor that their son can successfully be raised as girl. **Spoiler Alert** It doesn't work like that.

The Day the Voices Stopped
"For thirty-two years Ken Steele lived with the devastating symptoms of schizophrenia, tortured by inner voices commanding him to kill himself, ravaged by the delusions of paranoia, barely surviving on the ragged edges of society. In this inspiring story, Steele tells the story of his hard-won recovery from schizophrenia and how activism and advocacy helped him regain his sanity and go on to give hope and support to so many others like him." (from Amazon.com)

Beautiful Boy and Tweak
These two books are a great read together. Tweak is a memoir written by Nic Sheff, who is a recovering meth addict. Beautiful Boy is a memoir written by his father. It's interesting to read them both and see the parallel timelines as well as the different perspectives on addiction. I read Beautiful Boy first, but I don't think it matters which one you read first. They are both very dark and haunting (especially Tweak, for obvious reasons). I certainly needed a break after reading them. Not for the faint of heart at all.

Well, I'll leave you with that short list. I could name a dozen other heart-breaking books that are at the same time fascinating and hopeful, but I won't. If you are interested in more, though, let me know and I'll suggest some to you.

A Favorite Quote

A long-held favorite quote of mine is "It is better, of course, to know useless things than to know nothing at all." -Seneca, a Roman playwright

Another quote that is near and dear to my heart is one by the late Gordon B. Hinckley. It is a part of his testimony that he shared at General Conference in 1998. I remember it well. I was watching it at home, in my parents' bedroom. I've always had a difficult time with general conference in that I simply cannot stay awake. I could sleep 10 hours the night before, but within 20 minutes, I'll be out like a light. This session was no different. I had fallen asleep on the floor for most of the session. I woke up for a brief moment at the very end of President Hinckley's testimony/talk. I was awake long enough to hear this: "Our Eternal Father lives. He stands as the great God of the universe, ruling in majesty and power. And yet He is my Father, to whom I may go in prayer with the assurance that He will hear, listen, and answer." And then I promptly fell back asleep. But in that short time of half-awake consciousness, I was touched deeply by those words. And have never forgotten them. In all of His greatness, and in all of His achievements, we are still His children. And we are His greatest work and greatest source of happiness and joy. And He is waiting for us always.

20 Favorite Things

2012-01-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

The third installment of my "30 Posts" series, I'm supposed to list 20 Favorite Things. Vague. But that's good, because as I said, I don't have a lot of favorites. So I will instead list 20 Things I Really, Really Like and/or Love. In no particular order:

1. Sour Patch Kids
2. Freshly laundered sheets
3. Homemade pizza
4. Dressing up in fancy clothes
5. Going to Seattle
6. Christmas
7. Warm, sunny afternoons
8. Baked goods of almost all varieties
9. Date nights
10. Finding a new outfit I love
11. Being creative
12. My bestie, Jules
13. Watching movies that inspire
14. Tim Tam Slams
15. Pinterest
16. The color blue
17. Pretty homes
18. Jank
19. Popcorn
20. Jake

Blog Posting Maniac

2012-01-10T23:55:00.000-08:00

I was just looking something up on my blog, and I got caught up in reading old posts. That kind of happens a lot, actually. I was reading from the very beginning of 2009. It's back when I had been fired from that awful job in Orem and I was so happy. I was discovering the joys of homemaking. I found new hobbies and reignited old passions for old interests. I can easily say that that was the happiest time in my life. And it shows in my writing. I was funny. I was productive. I was prolific.

I miss that 2009 Emily.

The good news is that I am her, and she is me. I can be like that again. And since part of that me is posting on this blog a lot, I am going to try and post more on here. I have a list of 30 blog posts that I copied from my sister's blog awhile back. Instead of doing one item per post, I'm going to double up, or even triple up. Hopefully this will inspire my creativity in blog posts again and I can find a little piece of that happy Emily.

A Favorite Song

As I've said before, music is a pretty important part of my life. So it's kind of hard to pick a favorite. Well, plus, I'm bad at picking favorites of anything. But since I must pick a favorite for this (I must!), I'm going to pick "I Am Not A Robot" by Marina and the Diamonds. It has a pretty cool video, too.

It makes me want to put sequins on my lips. How about you?

Next up: A Favorite Movie

I know I just said I don't like picking favorites, but this one is easy. "Lars and the Real Girl", hands down. I love, love, love this movie. If you haven't seen it yet, well, let's just say you now have plans this Friday night. Yep, it's that good. It totally deserves a Friday night time slot.

Oh yeah. I forgot to mention it stars Ryan Gosling (told you...Friday night time slot).

I Just Need to Whine For Moment

2012-01-09T00:05:00.000-08:00

If you're not in the mood to feel sorry for me (and I don't blame you), just skip this post.

I remember an incident from my very early 20s. I was participating in some family activity and I was grumpy. My mom got really mad at me and said something to the effect of, "Emily, you have a chip on your shoulder toward the whole world." It made me huff and puff at the time, but I've thought a lot about that since then. I've come to realize I do have a chip on my shoulder.

I have thought about why I have a chip on my shoulder. I have realized I am bitter and cynical. I think it comes from the fact that a common thread throughout my life is that I am a sucker. People see that and they see an opportunity to use me for something. In high school, the person I thought was a best friend, saw me only as a back-up plan. If nothing better was going on, then she would talk to me/hang out with me/tolerate my presence. In college, I had a boyfriend who used me in too many ways to list on this little blog. I have known too many people who saw me as a temporary friend, but dumped me the second someone "better" came along. When I ask someone for a favor, I get told the terms of how this person will help me. When someone asks me for a favor, I bend over backwards to help out, but in the end, I'm left being told it wasn't good enough, and that I owe even more favors.

I have tried to smooth away this chip on my shoulder. I have tried to fill it in with something warm and fuzzy. And every time I give people another chance, the benefit of the doubt, or belief that people are not inherently mean, I get used. I get walked on. I get hurt.

I am tired of it. I am sick of having to pick up the pieces of me that crumble to the ground when someone chips out another large portion of my trust. I've tried to put myself back together, but it's not the same. A vase that has been broken and glued back together might look whole, but it can't hold water.

At times I just want to be even more reclusive than I already am. I want to tell the world to eff off and to leave me alone. I want to scream at people to let them know they have hurt me deeply, and my view of people in general is tarnished because of them. I want to cry because someone who I thought was the salt of the earth, and one of the only genuinely good people of this world has hurt me and betrayed my trust (wait. I did that already).

But that's not what life is about. Life is about forgiveness. Self-improvement. Loving others who "despitefully use you". It's just hard to do that.

I Work Hard For the Money

2012-01-07T00:22:00.000-08:00

Remember how I got a job back in October? Well, here's a little info about it. This job has been absolutely perfect for me so far. More perfect than I initially thought, actually. I really, really like Kali, and being able to work with her and learn from her has been great. She's so talented, and I can't wait to learn more!

False Advertising

2012-01-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry, Nestle, no one makes sweet memories when you just break apart a brick of cookie dough.

Ready to Ring In the New Year

2011-12-29T17:39:00.000-08:00

I'm ready to bid 2011 adieu. It was not the best year for me. It brought me things like anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and loneliness, among other things. And when I say "anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and loneliness", I mean it. I hit some low lows this year regarding all of these emotions. I hope for my sanity that 2012 will be better, because my fragile emotional well-being can't take much more.

This year also brought some good, too. It brought Popcorn. And an expansion in my business. And a lovely fall/winter. So I am cautiously optimistic about 2012. I have made my resolutions for next year (which are actually more of goals than resolutions). But first, I'd like to re-visit my 2011 resolutions:

2011 will be a year of saving. Check. We have saved a lot of money this year. I have worked hard at being disciplined in our saving/spending. There's almost always room for improvement, but we saved so much more money than I thought was possible in a year.

Live a more "glamorous" life. According to my definition of just getting out and doing more, I would say I did alright on this one. We went on lots of picnics this summer, and went on a few mini trips around the area. I'd still like to be a little more interesting and "glamorous" though.

Weekly photo project. I was doing so well on this for the first half of the year or so. And then I went completely kaput. But this fall, when I started shooting less for my project, is when I started my darkroom class and got a job working with photographer. So I'm still working at it.

Shoot with film more. Check. I'd like to shoot even more film, though.

Be more likeable. Not sure if I accomplished this one. I don't think I have any more friends than I did last year at this time. Some people I thought were friends turned out not to be. And I have made friends with new people. So it all evened out. Not sure if I'm more likeable, though. Guess I can't become completely bitter, cynical, and spit on people quite yet.

All in all, I'd say I did a pretty decent job with my resolutions. For 2012, I decided to make a cute art print to frame and hang up where I can see it and be reminded (which, I have my 2011 resolutions hung up over my computer, and it has helped me remember them throughout the year; this year's will just be cuter). So, are you ready to see my goals?

I'm pretty excited about them. Half are measurable. Half are not, but I think I'll still be able to see a change if I keep them up.

So, how about you? Do you have your resolutions made for next year? Excited to see 2011 go? Or was it better to you than it was to me?

Survey

2011-12-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

I'm doing a bit of research for my business and would love it so much if you clicked here and took a very brief survey. Thank you so much!

We Wish You the Merriest, the Merriest

2011-12-26T23:59:00.000-08:00

We had the merriest Christmas. It was so nice. A couple weeks ago, we kicked off the holiday season with five Christmas parties in eight days. Well, I did, anyway. We had a ward party, I had a Relief Society party, a cookie exchange with some friends, a work party with Jake's employer, and a Riley Christmas with all of Jake's maternal extended family. And in the middle of all that, I also spent an entire day baking treats to give to a few of our friends. Oh yes, and I also helped with a styled shoot for work that week. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time the week before Christmas came along.

I took that week easy, for the most part. I scrambled to figure out what to get Jake for his gifts. We spent an evening downtown (mainly so I could get some pictures of all the holiday stuff and enjoy the magic that is Christmas). And saw "The Muppets" at Cinerama. It was fun, stressful, and highly enjoyable.

Christmas Eve was spent preparing for a fancy dinner with Jake's parents. I made Beef Wellington for the first time. It was mostly good. I used sauteed onions, garlic, and mushrooms in place of the pate, and if I ever make it again, I will either use different mushrooms (I used Oyster mushrooms), or none at all. Also, the meat ended up being over-cooked, which was disappointing. And I re-discovered why I don't make meat as an entree very often. I just don't like it all that much. I like meat in things, but I don't really enjoy eating just a piece of meat. But dinner was delicious. Dessert was even better (Megan brought cheesecake, apple pie, and ice cream!). And then we headed out to see "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol". Decent flick. Especially when you consider it's a four-quel.

Christmas itself was perfect. Well, almost. Popcorn woke us up at 5:30 am, whining like crazy. We kept shushing her, hoping she'd go back to sleep. She finally went silent, but we heard her moving around a lot. Then she started whining again. I checked on her and sure enough, she had wet her bed. So we washed her feet and muzzle (didn't know if her face was wet from the pee or from crying--do dogs cry tears?), and put her back in her crate. She started whining again, and we got nervous she needed to do other business too, so we both took her outside. Which, by the way, we saw a raccoon while we were out there, and it kind of freaked us out because it was staring us down. And if you know anything about these little creatures, you know they are mean, despite their cute little faces. So we kept our distance and waited for it to leave. It finally retreated into the shadows, but it kept watching us. How do we know this? Because its eyes glowed orange. They looked like two orange LED lights. It was freaky.

Anyway, we got back inside, and by this point, I was too awake to go back to bed. So I stayed up with the pup and got stuff ready in our stockings, and then made breakfast. I finally couldn't take it any longer and woke Jake up at 8:00 so we could open our presents. Which we did (while sipping on chocolate milk from wine glasses). And then we played some Fruit Ninja on our new Kinect. And then I napped. And then Jake napped. And then we went to his parents' house for a casual dinner of pizza. We exchanged gifts with his parents (which, by the way, they made us feel spoiled rotten), ate dinner, ate dessert, and just chatted the night away.

Like I said, this Christmas was so great.

I would share pictures, but I am capturing this season on film. So when I have the pictures developed, I will post them. Think of it as a prolonged Christmas season.

Jake and I feel very lucky and blessed with what we have. We love both of our families very much. We love our family very much, even if it is small, and is 33% puppy. We love the gospel. We love God. We love Christ, and love to celebrate His birth. We hope your Christmas was merry and full of love and hope, for this what Christ has given us. We are always loved, and there is always hope. Always.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-19T23:58:00.000-08:00

After last year's expensive and all-too-time-consuming cards we physically sent out, I decided to keep it simple this year and go digital. Have a happy Christmas.

Blog-Stalking

2011-12-18T18:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I met someone. Not just any someone, but someone who writes a blog I find hilarious and have followed for years (even though he rarely posts anymore). When I first saw him I thought, "He looks familiar; why does he look familiar?" and then I figured it out. I got very excited about the prospect of hanging out with him for several hours (he was part of a styled shoot I helped with yesterday).

Before I continue, I'm going to jump ahead to the end of the day when I told Jake about my experience. He got excited for me and asked a question along the lines of, "Did you tell him you love his blog?" I said, "No." Jake was flabbergasted. Why would I not tell him I was a fan of his blog?? I really should have told him. Wouldn't I like someone to tell me they loved my blog and thought it was great?

But that's just it. I had thought about all of these things. I was trying decide if it would be a good idea to tell him all of this, or if it would be weird. I decided it would be weird. Mainly because I put myself in his shoes. If someone I had literally just met told me they read my blog and thought I was hilarious or charming or whatever, I would be all, "Oh thanks. Glad you like it." And I would totally feel kind of cool. But then, if that person I had just met, who told me all of those nice things was then going to spend hours driving me around town in their car and take pictures of me, I might feel a little awkward. And by "might", I mean "definitely". And by "a little", I mean "a lot". So I didn't say anything to him.

What do you think? Would you have said anything to him? Or would it end up being as awkward as I thought it would be?

Also, I was maybe a little disappointed. He was not as funny as I was hoping. And actually, that was another reason I didn't say anything. Because, again, if someone told me they thought I was hilarious, but they didn't really know me, and then we would be hanging out for several hours, I would feel way too much pressure to be "funny" because that's what this person would expect. I guess either way, I'd be a let-down. And I'm sure this fellow is plenty funny in person, but just not with someone whom he just met and was then subjected to hours of picture-taking (what is it with guys and hating pictures?).

Poppy

2011-12-14T21:33:00.000-08:00

Popcorn has been more fun for Jake and me than we ever thought. And we love that little animal more than we thought we would. It's kind of silly how much one is capable of loving a little 5-pound pup.

Picture taken by Kali Lu Photography.

Here are some funny things about her:

* She has moved on from pinecones, but is totally obsessed with leaves. She would gladly run into on-coming traffic to chase a leaf. And when the wind blows, she is happier than happy.

* She loves any type of meat (especially chicken!) and most vegetables, but hates all fruit.

* She can sit and stand on command (if a treat is involved), but is still unsure about which word means what. She will usually sit first, and if we don't give her the treat, she'll stand up, since sitting obviously wasn't what we wanted her to do.

* She loves laying on soft things. She will lay on blankets, clothes, towels, anything but the floor alone.

* She is still a very big cuddle bug, which I love.

* She still loves anyone and everyone. She pulls hard on her leash (sometimes hard enough to pull herself into a standing position, where she then will hop on her back two feet; it's adorable) to try and visit everyone.

* She has had one successful playdate with another dog, Gracie. She was scared at first, but quickly learned how fun it is to play with other dogs. The two of them were besties the rest of the night. And it was sooo cute because Gracie is a Springer Spaniel, so she's not super little, but the two of them trotting side by side was precious.

* She still talks/growls/barks in her sleep. It makes us giggle every time.

* She likes to "chase the snakes" out of her bedding (be what it may), aka "dig", to get her bed just right before snuggling in.

* She has unwavering optimism. No matter what she is doing, if she hears us in the kitchen, she will run over and watch intently, since she knows that this time will be the time we make food for her.

* If we are not giving her enough attention, she will squeak/growl to get us to pay attention to her.

* She gives the sweetest kisses.

We seriously love this pup a lot. Like, a lot-a lot.

Open Letter to M.N.

2011-12-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Mother Nature,

This year was kind of rough. Your gloominess at the beginning of the year really got to me (although I think that was mostly my apartment's gloominess), and then you really left a lot to be desired this summer. I mean, like, a lot.

But this fall, you've really been fantastic. I mean, September was kind of a mini-summer packed into 30 days. And then the rest of the fall has been unseasonably sunny and dry. It's been pretty nice, I must admit. Thanks for the gorgeous sunsets, and skies in general. Thanks for the pretty glitter that dusted everything last night. Thanks for all the moody fog. I hope we can keep up the good work through winter, and basically all of next year.

Much Admiration,
Emily

Anniversaries

2011-12-10T19:40:00.001-08:00

Today is my grandparents' anniversary. I'm not sure why I remember this date, but I always do. I don't even know what anniversary it is. Maybe 64th? My grandpa died several years ago, but my grandma is still going strong. I miss her. She lives in St George, and that is a long way from here.

I have very fond memories of both my grandparents. My grandpa with his hugs that literally kept me from breathing, they were so tight. And his yelling and obscenities. But it was all pretty endearing. And my grandma wouldn't put up with my picky eating when I'd visit her in the summertime. And she made me stop talking in baby talk (which was a very, very good thing; I was way too old to be still using baby talk). I always felt welcome and loved, though. Oh, and she always smells so good. Grandmas should always smell good, don't you think? And she's the prettiest grandma ever. She's always been pretty, though. Even before she became a grandma.

See? She's gorgeous.

When I was little, I thought she was named after processed cheese food. Her name is actually Valetta (pronounced "val-EE-ta").

My grandpa went blind for a few years, and during this time, we lived with them for a few months (it was between Germany and Tucson; it's also where the Great Heating Pad Disaster of 1986 took place). I thought I'd draw him a picture, but since he couldn't see and need braille in order to read, I figured I draw the picture using dots instead of lines. Everyone laughed when they saw it. I think it was pretty smart of me.

Happy anniversary, Grandparents!

Christmastime Is Here

2011-12-04T22:49:00.001-08:00

I've heard your cries and pleas: "Emily! When will you show us your Christmas decorations? I simply cannot wait any longer!"

Well, wait not, my friends. I made a video of it. It's only 1:48 seconds (or so), and has lovely music, so you should watch it. Be sure to look for Popcorn throughout the video. She's pretty cute, and was very curious about what was going on. She loves the furry tree skirt, and loves to lay on it. But she loves to "dig" into it even more. She knows this is unacceptable behavior, so she will sneakily push toys under it so she has an "excuse" to dig ("But my toy is under there!").

Anyway. Why am I talking about my dog so much? Oh right. Because she is crazy cute. Enjoy the movie!

Back To My Roots

2011-12-01T22:14:00.001-08:00

The last few months, I've been enrolled in a Darkroom Techniques class at the local community college. It's been great being back in the darkroom and re-learning to see the world in black and white. Sometimes it's frustrating (I spent a couple hours on a single photo one day), but it's very rewarding. To know that I created an image from beginning to end, and having complete control over the entire process is fun. I will most likely enroll in the class again next quarter (especially since I have a pack of paper and three rolls of film). I already have a theme for my portfolio.

Instead of posting them all again here, I will post a teaser and a link to my 2011 Photo Project blog. Enjoy!

BIG News

2011-11-29T00:42:00.001-08:00

Three accident-free days in a row, people! And four accident-free days in the last week! This is unheard of.

Black Friday Sale!

2011-11-25T11:00:00.001-08:00

I'm having a HUGE sale over on my photo blog. Check it out. Buy a session. Good anytime this year or next. Great for gifts. Great for you. Great for everyone!

I'm Going To Go Ahead and Make Your Day

2011-11-19T17:56:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I feel like a complete failure. At everything. And by sometimes, I mean oftentimes. It's a sad thought, but it is a reality in my life.

Sometimes I feel like I am amazing, but other people just don't see it, and it is just as depressing as thinking I am a failure. Sometimes even more so.

And sometimes someone will recognize the greatness I see in myself and tell me so. And it does more than make my day. It brings tears to my eyes because it makes me so happy that I am not crazy, and I really am as good at [fill in the blank] as I thought.

Today that very thing happened to me. After a week of feeling/thinking the previous two things all week, someone told me they thought I was great at something I feel like I am (sometimes) great at, but feel overlooked by others. And it got me thinking. Surely I am not alone in feeling really great when someone recognizes my talents and the things I work so hard at, and try to be my best. So why not be more generous with my admiration of other people? Why don't I make someone's day (and perhaps more than their day?)? I sometimes worry I am becoming too cynical, but am unsure of how to fix that. Maybe this will help.

As I was thinking about all of this while I cleaned my kitchen, I was reminded of Camilla Kimball's saying, "Never suppress a generous thought." So suppress, I shall not.

Just keep this in mind if I suddenly start gushing over you. I'm not creepy or weird. I just admire you.

Let Me Tell You a Story

2011-11-18T00:10:00.001-08:00

This is a story about a girl. A girl who was weird. A girl who said the wrong thing at the wrong time. A girl who, with a single question, was able to creep out an entire room of people.

This girl was in my seminary class my Senior year. She was a Freshman. And she was the kind of weird that was totally not quirky, cool, or socially acceptable in any way. I feel kind of bad saying that, but it was the truth. She was really into anime, dressed super frumpily (is that a word? I guess not; there are red squiggles underneath it), and was so uncomfortably awkward.

That year, President Hinckley did one of his many "60 Minutes" interviews. I think it was maybe the first one he did, so it was a pretty big deal. So we watched it in seminary. The day we watched it, my seminary teacher announced that that was what we were doing, and I said, "Oh, I'm so excited! I love President Hinckley!"

And this poor, poor, weird, weird girl responded with excitement, relief, and a gasp, "You're attracted to older men, too??"

...uhhhh...

No. No, I wasn't. Well, I guess I was. But men who were, you know, a year or two older. Maybe three. But not 71 years older. Not even close.

There was silence in the room. I can still see my seminary teacher's face after that question/declaration. It will be forever etched in my mind. Nobody knew what to say. We knew what we wanted to say, but it was not appropriate. I think the stunned silence lasted only a few seconds before my teacher quickly changed the subject. But those few seconds of that exchange will forever make me wonder whatever happened to this girl. I've looked her up on Facebook to see if she has gone all Anna Nicole Smith, but to no avail. I may never know. And that makes me sad.

Why I Think Modesty Is and Isn't an Eternal Principle

2011-11-11T13:34:00.001-08:00

Before I get started, let me make a disclaimer. The following post is of a religious nature. Of a Mormon religious nature. Be aware there may be some things you won't "get" if you are not a Mormon. You may, obviously skip reading this post if it doesn't interest you, but I will give you a quick, basic run-down on what I'm going to talk about.

First, we believe that Adam and Eve were created by God and put in the Garden of Eden as immortals. They were given two commandments, one of which was to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge, otherwise, they would become mortal and die. Which is what obviously happened. On an unrelated note, we also believe in being modest-- in action, attitude, and appearance. Most often, though, when modesty is being addressed, it is in reference to dress. There are some very clear guidelines on what is not appropriate to wear, but there are a lot of things that fall in a gray area, and oftentimes ends up the topic of heated debates among Mormons. Lastly, we also believe some commandments from God to be eternal and never-changing (like love thy God or obedience), while some commandments are temporary (like the Law of Moses). (Naturally, if you have other questions about what you read here, or are confused about a certain topic, please ask. I'm more than happy to explain things.)

Ok, here we go.

The internet (as I see it) has been abuzz with discussions about modesty. Mostly regarding what is or isn't modest. That is not what I want to address today. Today, I'd like to talk about a comment I recently saw by a woman who was feeling very defensive about her opinion on what she thought was modest (rightfully so, since these discussion heat up pretty quickly) and said something along the lines of, "All I know is that modesty is an eternal principle." I think she made mention of the fact that modesty standards have definitely changed over time (garments used to be wrist and ankle length; girls back around the middle of the 20th century regularly wore short dresses and sleeveless shirts, etc), which is definitely something I want to point out to defend my "Isn't" position. But there is another point I'd like to make for that side of the coin too.

First, I'd like to make my point as to why modesty "Is" an eternal principle. I was reading this blog post about what modesty is and what it isn't. She cites the definition of modesty and it is mostly about things other than clothing. It is more about perceived appearances and attitude. This is the part of modesty that I think is an eternal principle.

And here is why I think the clothing definition of modesty is not an eternal principle. I was recently reading, in Genesis (ch 3), about the fall of man. Here is an excerpt:

6. "...she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and also gave unto her husband with her, and he did eat.
7. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves aprons.
8. And they heard the voice of the Lord God,...and Adam and his wife went to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
9. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10. And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.
11. And he said, Who told thee thou wast naked?...
21. Unto Adam, and also unto his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them."

Before partaking of the fruit, Adam and Eve were both hanging out, all the time, in their birthday suits. It wasn't until after they partook of the fruit that they realized it. And then came the shame. Oh, the shame. They hid. And when God asked them about it, they said they were naked and ashamed of it. And so God covered them up.

Which, to me, sounds like, keeping ourselves modest in the sense of covering ourselves, is not an eternal principle. If it was, wouldn't Adam and Eve been clothed from the get-go? It wasn't until they became mortal that it was an issue to cover up.

What do you think? But before I open the floor up, I'd like to make one simple request. Please no comments on what articles of clothing you think are and are not modest. Frankly, I'm tired of that discussion, and I don't care what you think regarding it. :)

Ruined Surprises

2011-11-10T13:38:00.001-08:00

My family of origin is kind of obsessed with surprises. The problem is that we're not good at executing a successful surprise. And I am no exception to this rule.

Some examples:

1. My dad was a commercial airline pilot before he retired. When he did retire, my mom wanted to surprise him by having all of us kids on his final flight (which was to Reno, of all places...wop wop). So she bought us all airplane tickets on their credit card, hoping to hide it from my dad. Well, he got the statement in the mail and saw that a whole bunch of airline tickets had been purchased and he knew nothing about them. So he called the credit cad company to report the "fraudulent charges" and was understandably angry. So my mom had to tell him about her now-foiled plans. We were still there for his final flight, but there was no surprise.

2. A few years ago, my mom turned a very important age that I will not disclose (you're welcome, Mother). So we, once again, wanted to surprise her with all of us kids being there to celebrate with her. One sister was going to be there anyway (my mom's birthday is three days after Christmas), but then Jake and I decided to go for Christmas as a surprise, but then decided we should let her know since we were going to be in town for two weeks. And then she found out some one else was coming, but we decided to not let another sibling know that she knew. Ok, this is really confusing. And, to be honest, I don't remember the details. All I remember is that the surprise was ruined.

3. Last summer when I road tripped to New York with my sister, she drove to Colorado (where sister #2 lives, and I was meeting up with sister #3 to drive to NYC) with sister #1. This was supposed to be surprise, but about a week before the trip, sister #3 ruined her own plan by sending an email saying "What should we do when all of us sisters will be together?" I was confused, asked her about it, and she made up some lame excuse. But i knew, so I was not surprised when I saw sister #1 at sister #2's house.

There are so many more stories, but I'll leave it at that. But what made me think about this all is that I tried to surprise my husband with some slippers he showed me online. But what I failed to take into account is that I had to buy them using his account on the website where they are sold. So he got a confirmation email sent to him. Surprise, ruined. Lame.

I guess the reason we keep trying to surprise one another is because on the rare occasion it works, it's a lot of fun. My freshman year in college, I came home between semesters for Christmas, and I flew into Phoenix (where sister #1 lives), and was going to stay with her for several days before heading down to Tucson. She suggested that she drive me down the night I got in to surprise my mom. When I walked in the house, my mom about died. She started crying and screaming because she was excited to see me earlier than expected (it was hard for her to be away from her "baby" for so long, after all). Like I said, fun. Having someone scream and cry out of excitement when they see you makes you feel pretty great.

I Have a Dream

2011-11-03T21:13:00.000-07:00

There is this song. I love this song. It makes me want to dance. But not just any kind of dance. It makes me want to tap dance. And not just any tap dance. I want to do the cheesiest tap dance routine ever. Every time I listen to it, I picture myself up on a stage, wearing a leotard and tights, maybe a tuxedo jacket with tails, a glittery top hat, and a cane, tap dancing my heart out.

I need to make this happen. Anyone know how to tap dance?

P.S. The site where I found this picture is weird, and slightly creepy.

All Hallow's Eve

2011-10-30T23:18:00.000-07:00

Last night was our ward Halloween party. I was half in charge of it. It was...interesting. And a learning experience. But I think people had a good time, and that is most important when it comes to things like this.

Anyway, I dressed up without much thought. I wasn't super into Halloween this year, which is unusual. I really like the holiday, but for whatever reason, I just wasn't feeling it this year. But here was my no-fuss costume:

I was Barbie!

Serious false eyelashes, lots of pink makeup, wavy hair, and a little bra stuffing and voila! I'm Barbie.

We don't have any plans tomorrow evening (which is a bit of a bummer; I really wanted to dress Popcorn up for Halloween), so this was it this year.

Wreath-making

2011-10-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, I found a wreath for sale on etsy that I loved. And as many people do with etsy, I thought, "I can make that!" So I did. Here is my three-dollar wreath:

I bought a foam wreath form, covered it with yarn I already had. Made flowers from felt I already had, and then used yellow, velvet ribbon I bought at a flea market a few months back to finish it off. I love it.

Self-Doubt

2011-10-21T23:55:00.000-07:00

Oftentimes I look at old pictures of myself and think one of two things:

You sweet little thing. You feel so bad about yourself, and there is no need to. You are adorable, charming, and likable. Don't let anyone tell you differently. Especially yourself.
Where did you disappear to? You are strong, confident, brave, and adventurous. I wish I could be like you again.

Two completely opposite thoughts, but I have been both girls. I am both girls. At times I am confident, happy, full of hope and faith. But so many times I am scared, and full of doubt.

Woes of Apartmentdom

2011-10-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

I've officially decided I'm done with apartment living. I mean, I've been over it for awhile now, but this time, I'm, like over it-over it. I really, really hope our home-buying plan stays on track, because I can't take it anymore.

Here's what I'm totally over:

1. Noisy neighbors. I'm tired of listening to people move furniture at 5:00 in the morning, and children running across the floor with wooden clogs (apparently) on, and people singing in the shower, or doing private things in the room next to me.

2. Shared laundry. Before our current home, the last time I had coin-op laundry was in 2001 (and even that was only until April). I want to do my laundry whenever I want. And if I don't get around to unloading it immediately, someone won't take it out of the dryer and put it on a cold, dirty counter. And I can do a load of laundry, even if I'm out of quarters.

3. Small spaces. I am feeling cramped. Really, really cramped. There's not a space in our tiny apartment where I can go to be alone for a minute. If Jake has to work on his computer late (or just wants to stay up watching Netflix), I either have to sleeps with the lights on, or he has work in the dark. It's a lose-lose situation. Additionally, I want a space that can house all my stuff. We have so much in storage at this point, it's ridiculous. And if I need something from storage, it's a pain in the neck to get to it.

4. Bug problems beyond my control. While here, we've had silverfish, roaches, and fleas. There's only so much I can do solve these problems. If the building or surrounding area is infested, there's not a thing I can do. Complaining to the HOA does nothing.

5. Parking far away from our door. A garage would be so nice. I'd even take a driveway without a garage.

6. Base board heaters. Who invented these? It's the least efficient, least economical solution. It's hardly a solution at all, actually.

So that's it. I'm totally over those things. I'm ready for those six things up there to be out of my life. I know being in a house (owned or rented) comes with other baggage, but typically not the baggage I've listed, and I'm tired of this baggage.

Extra! Extra!

2011-10-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

I have big news. I got a job. I'm pretty excited about it, too. I had been toying with the idea of getting a part time job for the last several months. Mainly to occupy some of my time. Also to save a little extra money (and maybe buy a couple lenses or something). But anytime I looked online at job postings I just got depressed at the idea of working in an office again. Also, most of the part time jobs were 30 hours a week. That is way more than I wanted to work. So I kept putting it off. It wasn't something I needed to do, so no biggie.

Well, a couple weeks ago, I saw that a local photographer, whom I had admired before, was looking to hire an assistant. I looked into it and thought it might be perfect. So I freshened up my resume and sent it in. I heard back from her a few days later and we met for an interview. It went really, really well and I ended up getting the job. I think it's going to be a really good fit. I'll be helping her edit photos, among other back-end stuff, and I'll assist her on the occasional session. For now, I'm assisting on pretty much all her sessions because she's training me to become an associate photographer down the road.

In addition, I am going to be able to keep my own business going, if I choose, because I'll be an independent contractor for her. Things have been a lot slower than I'd like with my business, and I've been thinking about whether I want to shift focus (trying to "specialize" in one type of portraiture, rather than do everything). I'm still not sure what I'll be doing there, but I'll hopefully figure it out soon.

Speaking of which, I've been doing some stuff recently that I really, really love. You should maybe check it out.

Anyway, so I'm a working girl again. But it's doing what I love. And I'm so excited.

Oh yeah! I also enrolled in the darkroom techniques class that I originally tried to take in the Spring. I'm super stoked about that. And that reminds me, too: I would like to take some portraits with a roll of film this quarter, so if you're interested, let me know. It would be free of charge, and I would enlarge one picture (up to 8x10) for you as a thank you. Hopefully, someone local reads my blog. :)

I Need Help

2011-09-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

So I'm helping my ward with Super Saturday this year (a fun day full of crafting). The project I was originally thinking of will be too expensive, which is too bad because it's a super cute project. I'll just end up making it for myself. Anyway, so now I have to come up with another idea. But I'm having a hard time deciding what will be a good project for this sort of thing. So here are the ideas I have. Please vote in the poll. And if you have any other ideas, let me know.

A super simple headband.

Scrabble tile wall art:

A headband. (it wouldn't let me put the picture here)

A decorative tray (cookie sheet covered in fabric).

Or a placemat purse. (my main concern with this is how small it is)

Alright. There you have it. Vote on one or give me a spectacular idea. Thanks!

Spambot Comments

2011-09-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

I occasionally get a "comment" on my photo blog that is obviously not a real comment at all, but someone spamming me. I moderate comments on that site, so luckily they never make it on the page, but today I go one that was too good not to share.

"I definitely wanted to send a word in order to appreciate you for some of the unique information you are posting on this site. My particularly long internet investigation has finally been paid with high-quality know-how to exchange with my two friends. I 'd believe that most of us visitors are really endowed to dwell in a decent network with very many special professionals with beneficial tricks. I feel very much blessed to have used your weblog and look forward to tons of more amazing moments reading here. Thanks a lot again for a lot of things."

Ummmmm...yeah. Vague and, yet, oddly specific.

PEW-al-up Fair

2011-09-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already fall again, but it is. And that means one thing: it's time for the Puyallup Fair! We went last week during a weekday to avoid crazy crowds. It was a lot of fun, as usual. Here are some highlights:

We rode the big carousel/swing-type thing.

Jake was enjoying himself a lot.

Cuddling goats!

Pretty sure the one standing up was pregnant, but not sure about the one laying down. Some of them were just really fat. But we could see the baby moving in the standing goat. It was gross.

Creepy murals adorned the side of a roller coaster.

"Being at the fair turns you into a blood-thirsty demon!"

Thaaaat's right. And before you ask, no, we did not eat it.

Look at the awesome artwork. This one is actually entitled "Messiah Returns".

So sad....

Things to remember for next year:

1. No matter what the signs say, do not take the Pioneer Avenue exit. You will get lost. It happens every year. They pretend to tell you which way to go, but suddenly, the signs disappear and you are in the middle of nowhere. And it takes a long time to get back to where you need to be, and then you end up in a foul mood. That's no way to start off your fair experience. Just wait for the Meridian Street exit.

2. You are too old for funnel cakes. Don't feel bad about this. They really aren't as good as you remember them being. Plus, you know how to make them, and you can make them a reasonable size.

3. Don't arrive at the fair hungry. You will inevitably end up spending too much money on food that will make you sick. Although, to be fair (haha), you sometimes expect your favorite piroshky stand to have the potato, cheese, and dill piroshky available, but then it's not, and you end up feeling disappointed beyond comprehension because you had been looking forward to eating one for months. Anyway, I'm just saying, you should probably just count on it not being there.

4. The 4-H dog show is kind of cute. Especially when the dogs aren't trained quite as much as they are supposed to be, and the girls just keep them on a short leash.

5. Always, always ride the potato sack slide. Maybe multiple times. It's always worth it.

6. Always, always ride Tilt-a-Whirl. It still works even when you ride alone. Also, just sit in the middle. It works much better.

7. You should enter in the photo contest. Half the stuff there is crap. For crying out loud, someone entered a self-portrait taken in a rear-view mirror!

8. When riding that one ride that goes in a circle over and over again, have your camera out. You will want to capture the look on your husband's face.

Christmas is Coming....! (OK, Not Really)

2011-09-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start my Christmas shopping early this year. I am. I know I say that every year, but this time I'm serious. So, with that being said: I need help. I need to buy a gift for a couple of families with small children. What's a good family gift? We usually do individual gifts that are handmade, but I'm thinking they usually go unappreciated, so I'm thinking inside the box this year. How's that for sad? :(( Anyway, I know a lot of you readers have small children, so what could work for a family like yours?

Thanks, guys!

Better Left Unsaid

2011-09-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

I have a big mouth. And I'm opinionated. And, for reasons unknown to me, whenever I say something, it comes out all wrong. Thus, I offend a lot of people, and am not very liked. And it's not on purpose. But sometimes, people hurt my feelings, too. But because of the aforementioned qualities, I cannot tell people they've hurt my feelings because it somehow manages to come out accusatory, and I'm the one at fault in the end.

So I just try to keep my mouth shut. And it's hard. So I am going to vent right here, right now. But I am going to make it vague and anonymous. If you think it's about you, it probably isn't. But if you really think it's about you, maybe you can think about it some and maybe apologize. But, it's probably not about you.

Dear [blank], I thought we were friends. Apparently not. Thanks for faking it all these months.

Dear [blank], I've never really liked you, but I've tried. But, thanks to you, my experience with [blank] has been ruined. No one will even give me a chance.

Dear [blank], Really? Get a life.

Dear [blank], You claim to only "put up" with [blank], but I think there's more to it than that. Surely you can see (like the rest of us) that she's a total bitch. I know I'm more likable than her.

Dear [blank], What did I ever do to you??

Dear [blank], Why do you keep lying to me?

Dear [blank], You used to be funny and nice, but now you are mean and completely unlikable. And I know what you've said about me.

Well, that was more cathartic than I expected. Thank you. Carry on.

Clever, Cleverbot.

2011-09-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

So, have you heard of Cleverbot? It's a site that allows you to chat with a computer program that essentially analyzes what you type and will respond with what it figures is appropriate. It's pretty amazing when you think about it, but at face value, it's hilarious. I was having a "conversation", and this is the funniest part of it (the normal font is me, and the italicized font is Cleverbot):

You're welcome.

No, welcome.

You make no sense, cleverbot.

I am Patrick.

Oh, sorry. when did you change your name?

When I turned 21.

When was your birthday?

Feb 15th.

Oh, the day after Valentine's day!

Yes and halloween in the same time I'm weared like chuwbacca.

Hahaha!

What's so funny?

You, cleverbot. You.

No, I'm human.

Isn't that great? I encourage you to visit the site and talk with Cleverbot.

P.S. Does anyone know how to make blogger accept labels with an apostrophe in it? Ever since I switched to the new editor, it won't let me use existing labels with punctuation.

Bumper Stickers

2011-09-08T16:13:00.000-07:00

"A lot of people don't like bumper stickers. I don't mind bumper stickers. To me a bumper sticker is a shortcut. It's like a little sign that says 'Hey, let's never hang out.' " - Demetri Martin

I have never heard a truer statement. I hate bumper stickers. There are three types of bumper stickers in this world:
1. The kind that are extremist in their opinions,

2. The kind that are trying way too hard to be funny (and failing), and

3. The kind that shamelessly brag.

And I hate all of them. All. Of. Them! I've never looked at the political/extremist stickers and changed my mind on an issue. I've never admired someone because their child is getting good grades in school. And, sure, I've sometimes been known to chuckle at a truly funny sticker, but I've never been so amused that it's made much of an impression on me or my day.

What I hate the most is not even a bumper sticker at all. It is a little sign suction-cupped to the back window of a car. It is that stupid "Baby on Board" sign:

I just don't get these. They serve no purpose. I mean, as much as I abhor bumper stickers, I understand why people put them on their car (even though, in my opinion, it's a stupid reason). But "Baby on Board"? No clue. Are they bragging? I don't think so. Are they trying to warn drivers to be extra careful around their car? I hope not. I just. Don't. Get it. Anyone able to shed some light on this issue?

Woobies

2011-09-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

When I was a young child, I was obsessive (surprising, I know). I was especially obsessive about movies. I would find one I liked and then I would watch it over and over and over and over and over again. Three movies I was obsessed with as a very young child (I mean, very young; like, three years old) were "The Sound of Music", "Side By Side", and "Mr. Mom".

In "Mr. Mom", the youngest son, Kenny, has a security blanket, or a "wooby". It sustains a lot of abuse throughout the hour and a half movie. It gets sucked into the vacuum and rips, and so Jack (the dad) needs to fix it, and he staples it together. Eventually, Jack talks Kenny into giving up his wooby, just to see how it goes. It's a pretty funny scene:

Anyway, the point is, my dog has a wooby. It happened on accident (like most wooby accruals do). Whenever she wets her bed, we'll temporarily replace it with an old green hand towel. A couple weeks ago, after I had washed her bed and put it back in her crate, I tossed the green towel on the living room floor. Well, the rest of the day she would play with it (she would "dig" at it, causing it to move about and fly in the air a bit, and she chased it all over the living room doing this), and then she would curl up on it and sleep. And since it was so cute (coupled with the fact that I'm a bit lazy and have not cleaned the living room thoroughly in awhile), I keep it out with her toys and this behavior has continued. She loves her wooby. And I love that she even has a wooby. There will be no man-to-man talks about woobies in our house for quite some time.

P.S. I remember a time when Kenny looked older than me. Or at the very least, looked like a peer.

On Photography

2011-09-05T00:08:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get so frustrated with my lack of abilities/lack of clients/lack of inspiration/myself in general that I just want to quit.

Sometimes I feel so inspired/motivated/happy/impressed with my skills that I am determined to press forward with my business (I will always continue with the hobby aspect of it).

Today is the latter.

Obsession

2011-09-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

I'm totally obsessed with this video right now.

I posted it on Facebook, so sorry for the possible redundancy, but it's so amazing. And amazingly stupid. But (as I said on Facebook), I can totally understand how the adrenaline rush from this would be addictive. This may be surprising, given my wuss status, I know. But this guy is getting as close to flying as humans can get. And that's got to feel pretty spectacular.

I'm also really loving the song from the video. It makes BASE jumping and wing suits that much more appealing.

I've been known to go on rants about how some BASE jumpers are selfish. Mainly the ones with families of their own. I once watched a documentary about one of the pioneers of BASE jumping. He had a wife and a couple kids. He ended up dying on a jump because he smacked into a bridge and basically exploded. And, yes, people were standing on that bridge watching him. And yes, one of those people was his wife. See? Selfish.

Anyway, I still like this video. I hope the guy in it never smacks into a bridge and explodes.

500!

2011-09-02T21:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I've done it. This post number 500 (actually, it's number 501, but I forgot to post this before the Canada pictures. I've been carefully tracking my progress toward the 500th post, too. Laaaaaaaammmme.)! To celebrate, I'm going to do something similar to this old post and list 500 facts about Jake and me! Ready?

1. ...

Just kidding! I wouldn't do that to you. But more importantly, I wouldn't do that to myself. I wanted to do something exciting, though, so I thought and thought about it. I considered doing a giveaway of some sort, but giving something to the 500th commenter would be a delusion of grandeur. So then I thought maybe the 5th commenter. But then I figured no one would ever comment because there's no element of surprise, and no one would ever be numbers one through four. Plus, I've never had luck with giveaways (people just don't like my stuff/photography skillz; feel sorry for me).

So I racked my brain. I could think of nothing. But I finally decided that I would share with you a list of five things you can do with 500 pennies. I was surprised at what I found.

First off, there is a Flikr group that is comprised of pictures from around the world of what you can buy with $5. It's pretty interesting to see what people submit.

Second, there is a website (Fiverr) where people post what they will do for $5. For instance, someone will freshen up your resume for $5. You can also put out a request of what you want, and if someone is willing, they will do that for you. For $5. Kind of fun, I think.

Third, you can't even buy a gallon of gas in Vancouver for five bucks.

Fourth, you can learn how to feed your family dinner for $5.

Fifth, you can buy 10 tacos at Jack in the Box.

With this knowledge, I hope you spend your next 500 pennies wisely.

Also, thanks for reading my blog.

Canada Pictures

2011-08-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

I didn't take many pictures while we were in Canada. Since we didn't do much, there was no need. However, two years ago when we went, I vowed to become better at landscape photography so I could capture the beauty of the scenery just north of Vancouver. I got a neutral density filter just days before the trip, and used it on almost all the pictures I took. I really like it, and can't wait to use it some more. I still have a long way to go on landscape photography, but little by little, I'm seeing improvements.

Here are just a couple of my favorites. For a complete look, click here.

Here's the Thing About: Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs

2011-08-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

Guess what, CFLs? I hate you. With all my incandescent-loving heart. You're ugly. You're expensive. You take your time turning on. And I have yet to see that miraculous change in my energy bill. And now? Now you've somehow convinced the government to make it illegal to produce or sell 100 watt bulbs next year. Seriously?? I HATE YOU!!!

And how, may I ask, is having a lightbulb with mercury in it better for the environment than the sweet, warm glow of my favorite incandescent lightbulb, Mr. Hundred Watt??

I found an article today detailing "how to clean up a broken CFL". It's extensive. It includes gloves, airing out entire houses (without air conditioning/heating on) for hours, and research on "proper disposal" of said lightbulbs. And if a dog or child is involved, there will a vet/doctor's bill on top of that.

Guess what I do when I break Mr. H. W.? Sweep it up and dump it in the trash can. At worst, I need a potato.

You're dead to me, CFL.

Announcement to the World

2011-08-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

Attention, everybody. I have an announcement. And it is this:

I am a wuss. And I'm okay with that.

We spent the first half of this week in Canada, vacationing. I came to approximately two conclusions about myself on this trip. The first being the aforementioned wuss status, and the second being that I don't care much for Canada. I will discuss these two points at great length now.

1. I am a wuss. I've always known this about myself. I am afraid of pain, of death, and of feeling weird. I've tried to hide this fact about myself for a long time. And in the process of doing so, I have fooled no one, given in to peer pressure anyway, and inflicted a lot of discomfort on myself. I am ready to accept the fact (with arms wide open) that an afternoon trip to IKEA is my idea of a hootin' good time (did I just make that up? Probably. See? It's so fun, I have to invent phrases to describe it). And that to get my adrenaline pumping, I will stick to the Tilt-a-Whirl and potato sack slides at the fair. We recently attempted to rent scooters for a couple hours to tour Vancouver. I totally wussed out. The guy at the sore gave us a tutorial, and I went around the block to test my skills. My skills were fine, but my confidence was not. I kept picturing myself getting thrown off the scooter going 40 mph (which may or may not be 60 kph; I am not good at converting to the metric system while in Canada. Yet another reason I don't care for America's hat). I'm sure if I could ride around on the scooter in non-trafficky places, I would be fine and have fun. But I didn't like the vulnerability of being totally exposed, not belted snugly in a car, and the pressure to go faster than about 15 mph. So I wussed out (with Jake assuring me he wasn't mad at me). For the record, since it's a dream of Jake's to own a scooter, I told him to find a scooter to rent here in Seattle and go scooting around with a friend.

2. Canada is no fun (for me). Another fact I have accepted about myself is that I am not an "outdoorsy person". I accepted this fact a long time ago, but it's always good to remind myself. See, my experience with Canada has been that's basically for all those outdoorsy types. We went to Whistler again. And it was pretty much the same as last time. Nothing to do. If we liked hiking or something like that, I'm sure it'd be heaven, but we don't, so it's basically sitting around, watching TV. That, and a lot of math. Conversion is hard. I thought I'd spice things up a bit and make a day trip in Vancouver on our way back home. I did some research and found some highly recommended things to do. They were all pretty lame. It was a disappointing day. Also, Canada has green flashing lights at their intersections. That's just weird. What am I supposed to do with that, people?

So, what does this all mean? It means that I will stick with activities that sound fun to me, not other people. And I will think long and hard about returning to Canada.

Miracles Happen

2011-08-16T23:20:00.000-07:00

Last night I did something very out of the ordinary. I checked craigslist. Not only that, but I checked the free section of craigslist. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just browsing. I clicked on an ad for a hutch (among other things). Everything was pretty much crap, as expected. But then I saw the hutch. It was mid-century. It looked like it was in decent shape. And it was free.

I immediately emailed the owner, basically begging for the piece of furniture, and waited. And waited. And waited. A couple hours later, I still hadn't received an email back, and when I refreshed the ad, it was gone. I was heart-broken. The beautiful, free hutch was gone. It was not mine.

I moped around for a bit (not too long; believe it or not, I'm not that pathetic), and even expressed some sadness to Jake today about not getting it. But then. At about 3:30 today, I got an email. It said:

Well, well, well...is this Emily Hawken, wife of Jake Hawken? The hutch is yours if you can get Jake and a truck to my place to pick it up. I literally have 2 dozen people wanting this thing....and then I recognized your name in the middle of them. We need it gone ASAP, so let me know!

I about died. The owner of the hutch was an old friend of Jake's! And the hutch! It was mine! All mine! I panicked, then I called my in-laws to tell them I needed their vehicle. And we were out the door minutes later. We had exactly two hours before Jake had to be at band practice, and we were totally unprepared for any of this. We ran into a couple hiccups, but before I knew it, the hutch was packed in the back of my in-laws' Yukon, and I was its proud, new owner. I ended up driving Jake up to band practice before dropping by my in-laws' again (and he was an hour late to practice. Oops!), so the hutch cost my $12 in gas (I replaced all that gas I used up in that long drive), but I'd say it was worth it.

Oh, and, apparently, someone else was supposed to get it instead, but they flaked out, so Aaron (Jake's friend) looked through all the other emails and gave me preferential treatment because of my husband. Woo-hoo!

It's currently sitting in our "storage room" at the in-laws' because there's no place for it here. I'm going to look into playing some musical furniture, but there is a very real possibility that it will stay in storage until we move into a house. Either way, I have an amazing piece of furniture that will show off my vintage dishes, and cake plate collection I'm going to start.

Let's hear it for miracles!

I snapped a quick photo of it in our storage space so you can see how completely cool it is.

What is Wrong With You People?

2011-08-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

I had no idea that I knew so many people who used Internet Explorer. You probably still have a hotmail or yahoo email account, too, don't you? I will find out who you are, and we will have an intervention.

It's ok. We can get through this together.

Pinterest is Ruining My Life

2011-08-14T23:54:00.000-07:00

Alright, I admit it. That title was a bit of an overstatement. Pinterest certainly is not ruining my life, but it is making my life a little more frustrating.

For those of you who are totally out of the cool kid loop, Pinterest is a website where you can create "boards" of stuff you like. It's basically a fancy, pretty way of bookmarking. There's a social aspect to it, too. You can follow other people's boards and browse through lots of random boards to get inspired. But I don't really use it like that. I just bookmark my brains out. I have a board for living room inspiration, kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, general house stuff, crafts, recipes, etc.

So how is this ruining my life, right? "It sounds pretty great," you say? Well, you're right in that assumption, but it is ruining my life in two very distinct ways.

1. I now find myself looking at rooms in real life, or on TV, that I like and I think, "I need to pin that! Ohhh...right. This is real life, and Pinterest is not." So until I can pin a magazine page, a scene from a movie, or a real-life room, my life is ruined.

2. I have officially started pinning ideas for a nursery. I fought this for quite sometime, but finally I was talking to my bestie, and she told me I wouldn't be one of "those" crazy ladies, planning for a nonexistent baby, but I would simply be proactive in baby preparedness.* So I now have a board labeled "Nursery Proactiveness". And it has some ridiculous crap pinned to it. And my life is ruined.

Speaking of becoming one of "those" people. I am another type of "those". I am one of "those" people who is ridiculous about their dog. I mean, it's pretty normal to love your dog and think of it as a part of your family. But I talk to Popcorn. A lot. And I am protective of her. And when I say "her", I mean "her feelings" (I left a dog park early once because a mean dog stole her ball and I didn't want her to be picked on anymore). And I want to put sweaters on her this winter (I mean, it's mostly for practical reasons; she is so small, she needs help keeping warm). And I may want to dress her up for Halloween. Because it's hilarious. And I hate to put her in her crate for the night because I miss cuddling with her. And I want to squeeze her until she pops because she is so ridonkulously keyoot. And when she got groomed and was gone for a few hours, I missed her terribly. And I call her "my baby puppy" (which might be "my baby/puppy", but I'm not sure if I'm ready to admit that).

Yup. I'm one of "those" people.

Between Pinterest and my dog, my life is ruined. And I'm ok with that.

* Jake says these two statements are synonymous to him.

Here's the Thing About: "Curvy" Women

2011-08-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

Since when does "curvy" mean fat? I know, I know, "It doesn't mean fat, Emily! It means big and beautiful, voluptuous, big boned, plus size, or queen size! But not fat!"

See? Curvy!

But guess what? all those terms are the nice way of calling a woman fat. And I am not okay with it. Not because I don't think it lessens the blow of being called fat, but because "curvy" and "voluptuous" shouldn't equate fat. A petite woman can be curvy. Or voluptuous. Marilyn Monroe was both of these things, but she wasn't even close to being fat. Same with Scarlett Johansson. Yet, somewhere in the recent history of the world, if someone says a woman is curvy, it means she is fat.

I am a curvy woman. And whereas I may be on the teetering edge of being overweight, I wouldn't say I'm downright fat. Either way, when I refer to my curves, I'm referring to the shape of my hips and other body parts, not the size.

This topic really, really grates on my nerves, and I could probably rant a little longer, but it would all sound very much the same as what I've already said.

What do you think? Does curvy means fat nowadays? Would you ever refer to a woman who wears a size 4 as being curvy (without a qualifier such as, "She's curvy, but not fat"?)?

Promised Pictures

2011-08-06T01:04:00.000-07:00

That weekend that I documented on film? Here it is. I am in love. Digital is a great medium for photography, but film has a magical quality to it that will never be captured by digital. No matter how much you photoshop it. Or perform an action. Or have a special plug-in. Film is beautiful. And I am a better photographer when I use it. I think more clearly. I take my time to set up the perfect shot. My ratio of usable pictures is nearly 1:1. I am focused on the art.

That being said, I have a crappy scanner.

Probably my favorite from the roll.

Bite of Seattle during a sunny downpour. Can you see the rain drops?

Trying to hold a squirmy puppy.

Weird sculpture at Seattle Center.

Sunbathing.

Because I DO Have a Plan

2011-07-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

I found a print online a few weeks ago that had a saying on it that I liked, but the design was atrocious. So I made my own that is much cuter.

I like it a lot. I'm going to print it off and frame it somewhere in the house. It needs to become my mantra. I need a constant reminder of this little phrase.

Confessions of a Person Who Likes to Shop

2011-07-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what I can (almost) talk myself into. I am on Cost Plus's email subscription list, and today I got a notice from them saying that all their outdoor furniture goes on clearance tomorrow for 75% off, plus a 15% off coupon.

And I thought to myself, "I need to go! I can get patio furniture for our future house!" And I really was going to go. Really. I'm not kidding. Isn't that silly?

You Know What 'Free' Means, Right?

2011-07-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

It's true. I'm attempting another giveaway. Enter to win, spread the word to anyone you know in Washington, please, please help me out here!

Fun With Felt

2011-07-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling crafty lately. And like I need to decorate. But there's nothing that needs decorating right now. Plus, we're saving for a big something to decorate, so even if there was something to decorate, I wouldn't decorate it anyway.

But I found a tutorial online for these little felt flowers and had to try it. They are called something weird, but are nicknamed Billy Balls. Here are my handmade, felted Billy Balls:

I like them quite a lot. They are so cheery.

Our Little Girl is Growing Up

2011-07-25T22:34:00.000-07:00

Popcorn got her first haircut today. She needed it so badly. Her hair was long, nappy, and starting to matte in places. It turned out pretty cute, but there are things I will have done differently next time. When we first got home, she seemed a little self-conscious. I'm not sure if dogs can have those kinds of feelings. But she seemed to. Maybe it was because she had so much less hair. Or maybe it was because she was so sleepy.

The groomer said she did such a good job throughout the whole process, which made me feel so relieved. I thought she'd be scared or fidgety. But, according to her, Popcorn was nervous at first with the bath, but then held perfectly still for everything else. What a good little girl.

She's pretty cute. We can clearly see her eyes now. It no longer looks like she's wearing a pair of those shaggy boots, and she's super skinny looking now.

We sure love this little pup.

To Pay or Not to Pay

2011-07-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

I once went to this "restaurant" in downtown Salt Lake called...oh, I forgot what it was called. Something really "earthy-" and hippy- sounding. And it called itself a "community kitchen" instead of a restaurant. They served all organic food, and the cooks were all volunteers, and made whatever they felt like that day. They also provided free beans and rice to the homeless. Anyway, not my pick. At all. I was shopping with a friend and she suggested it and I think she said she had been before and it was pretty good. I was doubtful, but had no better idea.

Here's the real kicker about the place, though: you paid what you "thought the food was worth". Yeah. So you could pay nothing, or you could pay a million bucks. It was up to you. And it was anonymous, too. You ran your own credit card, filled out your receipt, and put it into a box. Yeah. I know.

I got a few different things from their lunch line-up and tried eating it. It was gross. Really, really gross. Every last bite. I threw most of it away. And when it came time to pay, I was having a bit of a moral dilemma. It was gross, I didn't eat most of it, so I didn't want to pay much for it. But I felt bad because...well, I don't know why. So I paid them, like, seven dollars. Total rip-off (for me, not them). I told Jake about it when I got home and he said something along the lines of, "You shouldn't have felt bad. They know some people will stiff them, but some suckers will pay too much because they feel obligated to. You're a sucker." And I was.

Fast forward to today. I find a really cool website with some amazing fonts available for download. And-- you guessed it-- it's a "pay as much as you want" situation. Anywhere from $0 to $1,000,000. All proceeds go to the designers. So, my question: Do I pay? I might feel bad if I don't, but then again, they're the ones who are letting me take it for free if I want to. So there's only so much to feel bad about.

What do you think?

predecessor

2011-07-20T13:32:00.001-07:00

Hello. Jake here. Just thought that if you are liking Emily's "here's the thing about..." series, you might like to see the series on my personal blog from which hers takes its namesake. Check it out here.

Here's the Thing About: Feminism

2011-07-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Now, before I get started, I must make a disclaimer. I know that this post will not really be about feminism (just a few of the results of it). And I know feminism encompasses much more than my measly little post will cover. I just couldn't think of a brief word or phrase that would describe what I'm going to talk about, and "feminism" seemed the closest.

Alright, so here's the thing about feminism.

Yesterday, I was semi-involved in an online "discussion" about modesty, how it could be taught to youth in the church, and then it eventually degraded to a heated debate on whether or not Mormon women should be sexy. I know, right? Through a series of links (starting in the aforementioned discussion), I ended up reading an interesting article about the "pornification" of mainstream media, written by a non-LDS Christian. It spoke about how things that used to be so taboo, are now being flaunted in mainstream media and are things one should aspire to. I won't go into details, that's not the point. The point was this: there are disgusting things on magazine covers in grocery stores (among other places), and women should take a stand against it. I agree with all of this. However, the implication behind all of this was that it is solely women who need to be doing this because men aren't "able" to, what with their complete lack of self-control due to hormones and all.

I find that to be the case in a lot of situations, too. For example, while I was in Young Women (a church program for girls aged 12-18), I remember being taught about modesty. All the time. And the reason behind being modest was predominantly because boys will look at us and think dirty thoughts, and if we dress modestly, they won't. This bothers me on several levels. Mainly, though, because why is it my responsibility, as a girl, to control a boy's thoughts? That's right, it isn't. I think that the importance of modesty should be taught in a way that emphasizes respect (for one's self and for God), with very little emphasis (if any) on squelching sexuality and being responsible for boys' thoughts. If a boy can't control his thoughts, he can't control his thoughts, and that is not my problem.

Going back to the first example, taken from the article about porn, I'd like to take a moment to expound on my thought. Yes, women should take a stand against trashy magazines, TV shows, movies, etc. However, men should too. Men are capable of not only turning their heads to the smutty stuff, but they are capable of saying, "This is offensive. Please remove it from my check-out line." or whatever. Why can't a man be held to the same standard?

On a similar, yet, not really related, note, I am tired of commercials, TV shows, and women in my own community telling me men (specifically husbands) are stupid. As a whole, they are not. I am tired of seeing paper towel commercials showing a woman busy cleaning up after her dirty dog, messy children, and incompetent husband. I'm tired of television shows depicting a married couple where the husband is a big buffoon who can barely dress himself, and the wife is a witty, too-smart-for-her-own-good woman who has to "bear" the burden of being married to this idiot. And I am most certainly tired of hearing peers talk about how if it weren't for them, their household would explode due to negligence. Keep your dirty laundry at home, please.

I partially blame feminism for all of this. Women are capable of lots of things in this world, but degrading and downplaying the importance of men in our society should not be one of them. Holding men to a lower standard of ethics, intelligence (specifically in knowledge about running a household), and morals is unacceptable in my book. Shallow morons are found in every group, and I find the women who think men fall into this category by default are just as guilty as these said idiots.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I think it is perfectly acceptable for Mormon women to be sexy. Before and after marriage. Define sexy as you will, and go for it!

Weekend Wrap-up

2011-07-18T23:50:00.000-07:00

We had a really fantastic weekend.Summers in Seattle are the best. Or, I should say "summers". This summer has really blown chunks. The weekend was rainy and chilly. Like, it didn't even reach 70 degrees yesterday. I mean, I guess that's better than what the weather is normally like right now. We'd usually be in our miserably hot and humid two-week stint. I don't like that either. I just want something in between, you know?

Anyway. Our weekend. Saturday was the annual Bite of Seattle. The 30th anniversary, actually. So, it turns out we're the same age. Basically, this is a festival that takes place downtown, at the foot of the Space Needle, and tons of local restaurants come out and sell their food to the masses. I went to this festival a few year back when I was single, and almost passed out from heat exhaustion. So it was nice to not have to deal with that.

This year, they brought back bite-size portions, which I'm grateful for. That way, we were able to sample several different types of food instead of having to make real decisions and pick one. Jake sampled some chicken tikka marsala (he was a bit disappointed with it), fried mac and cheese (really yummy), and Thai fried rice (the best deal and quite delicious). I got a pulled pork slider (looked kind of gross, but the pork was soo tender), a Nutella crepe (really yummy. I'm kind of obsessed with Nutella right now), and a potato, cheese, and dill piroshky (to die for. I have been craving one ever since).

It was rainy that morning, but by the time we reached Seattle Center it had cleared up. I had my umbrella in my purse and cursed myself when I realized I didn't leave it in the car, since it was taking up space in my already packed purse. However, in the last ten minutes we were there, it started raining (pretty hard for Seattle standards), despite the fact the sun was shining, and the only cloud overhead was the wimpiest rain cloud ever. At that moment, I was really, really grateful I had my umbrella. Everyone was running for cover, but we were able to avoid the craziness and walk through the main thoroughfares.

This weekend also marked the annual Lavender Festival in Sequim (pronounced "squim"; stupid, I know). Here's a long aside: I totally thought I knew where Sequim was. I would have bet my life on it. But then when I was lookin gup direction, I was surprised to find out, it was no where near where I thought. Come to find out, Jake thought it was in the same place I did. How did that happen? My only explanation (and I thought of this just now), is that there are freeway signs for it down where we thought it was (you know how signs will say, "Exit XX for Such-and-Such town" even though it's really far away still, but it's the closest "major" town on that highway? Just say yes).

Since Sequim is really far from where we live, it required a full day's attention. Which means we decided to skip church and spend the day driving, spending money, and making merry. And, yes, it was worth it. We had a really nice time. Although, next time, we will leave earlier in the day so we have more time to make merry. I thought it would be fairly boring like the tulip festival, but there's a little more to do at the Lavender Festival. They take it pretty seriously.

It was about a two-and-a-half hour drive. Bleh. We could have shaved a little time off our commute (and lots of miles) if we took the ferry, but the ferry is pricey. We were going to take the ferry back (it's cheaper going into Seattle), but then we missed it, and the next one was three hours later, which was not worth waiting for.

I'm getting ahead of myself. So we spent a really long time driving and finally got into town and pulled into the first "festival" we saw. There was this old guy directing traffic into the parking lot and signaled for me to roll down my window. So I did. What a mistake. Actually, no. It was pretty entertaining. He said, "Just so you know, you can go over and visit the teepees." He signaled to our right where two teepees, indeed, sat. "I'm just telling people that." I tried to remain polite/calm and thanked him. Once the window was up, though, we both laughed. Thanks, crazy guy. There were signs saying "No pets allowed" and then we saw there was an admission of, like $15 to get in. I thought that was crazy. Then we realized we were several miles outside of Sequim still. So we left. The actual festival was free (and I knew this), so there was no way I was going to pay an admission for something like teepees and craft booths.

We finally reached town and pulled into a QFC parking lot that advertised free parking and shuttle to street fair. Perfect. We parked, got our stuff gathered and boarded the shuttle. I assumed the fair was close by since...I'm not sure why. But it wasn't, really. When we got to the fair, we started walking around (we were starving by this point), and then we realized we had no cash. So we looked for an ATM, whether it be in the fair, or just outside the fair (it was, after all, "downtown"). But there were no ATMs nearby. At all. So we re-boarded the shuttle, went back to QFC and decided to drive closer. We also decided to get fast food since it would be cheaper and more filling. But mostly cheaper.

By this point, it was 4:00, and the festival ended at 6:00. It was also raining. So we opted to go a farm before heading back to the fair. I'm glad we did, because most of the farms closed at 5:00, and we didn't know that at the time. We went to the nearest farm and again encountered a crazy old man (or two) who was directing traffic in a parking lot. Now, let me set up this scene for you. It was basically someone's front yard, and there were approximately eight cars there. And lots of space. But when we pulled up, crazy old man #1 signaled for me to roll down my window. So I did. And he paused, finger midair, and then said (into his walkie-talkie), "Where should this one park? Second row?" Static. He turned to me and said, "Why don't you go down this row and park in the...onetwothreefour...fourth spot?" There was only one row in the parking lot.

So pull into the fourth spot, we did, and crazy old man #2 pulls a tarmac worker move on us and directs us into the spot with his flailing arms. As soon as we get out, he says, "Nope. I'm not gonna do it." We ignore him. He proceeds with, "Nope. I'm not gonna make a joke about the rain being the blonde's fault." We ignored him still. He walked away. We later overheard him saying essentially the same thing to some middle-aged women, and they were tickled pink by his jokes.

We ended up picking some lavender from the field, and I took some pictures. And now I have two big bundles of lavender drying in my closet. It's so pretty. I found yet something else to have in my future garden.

When they started closing, we rushed back into town for the fair, which was technically open for another hour. However, by the time we got back, about half of the vendors were mostly packed up, so we hurried through the ones that were open. We ended up sharing an apple dumpling (which was amazing!) and a lavender soda (again, amazing!). Popcorn got a lot of attention from a couple people, which she loved, and then we headed out.

We have some friends who live in Bremerton, so we stopped by for an impromptu visit, which was really lovely. Although, their dog is used to playing with big dogs, and I don't think he even knows small dogs exist, so he became pretty rough with Popcorn. Luckily, she was on her leash, and I was able to yank her up from that craziness and rescue our sweet puppy from becoming a chew toy. She was so scared.I felt badly for her. But Buster was kept in a pen the rest of the evening, and Popcorn was able to happily sniff around and pretty much forgot about the incident.

I decided to document most of the weekend on film (really, really expired film, so we'll see how it goes). I have a few of the lavender fields, though. And then when I get my film back, I promise to share.

We have lots of fun things planned over the next several weekends, so I'm excited to share our adventures.

Here's the Thing About Bananas. And "Friday Night Lights".

2011-07-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

I'm starting a new series here on geeks in Love. It's is called "Here's the Thing About...". I may or may not have stolen the idea from my husband's tumblr page.

This new series will chronicle things with which I have a bone to pick. It's a lot like my "Emily's Rantings" label. Except this is a "series", not a "label". Get it? Ok.

So, first up: bananas.

I hate bananas. Like, a lot. I always have. As a toddler, my mom tried to feed me bananas, but I refused. I don't like banana bread. I don't like banana cream pie. I don't like banana flavored Laffy Taffy. I don't like banana splits. Or even frozen bananas dipped in chocolate. Once Jake came home raving about this Japanese candy that is made out of bean curd or something. He had smuggled a piece home for me from his office. I took a bite and immediately spit it out. I said, "That tastes like bananas!" To which he responded, "Oh yeah. It does, doesn't it? I hadn't noticed." I refuse to try a different flavor of this bean curd candy now, because in mind, it will always taste like bananas.

I just really hate bananas.

But here's the thing about them. If you really hate bananas as much as I do, I can taste them in anything. And people who like, or even simply just don't mind, bananas don't understand this. Case in point: On my 17th birthday, I had had a lousy day at school. I decided that after school got out, I would treat myself to a smoothie. This was back at the beginning of the fruit smoothie craze, and a new shop had just opened a few blocks from my school. I drove there right after sixth period and was completely dismayed to see that every single smoothie had bananas in them. I decided to order one, but without bananas. The employee behind the counter said, "Well, the banana is what gives the smoothie the right texture, and to leave it out would be kind of gross. But don't worry, you can't even taste it."

Yeah, right. I took a sip and all I could taste was banana. Because bananas are flavor bullies. But people who like them don't even notice. So my birthday was completely ruined (and I may or may not have cried in my car later that night while REM's "Everybody Hurts" played on the radio. Not because of the smoothie. But because I was 17 and had hormones raging through my veins, and howcanyounotcrywhenEverybodyHurtsplays??).

Inhale.

Exhale.

So, "Friday Night Lights". I've been trying to find a TV series I can watch all by myself. There are a few that Jake and I watch together, but I have a lot more free time than he does, so I want to watch something he's not interested in so I don't have to sneak in an episode and then watch it again with him, pretending I've never seen it before (not that I've ever done that before). So I asked Facebook what shows they recommend. People suggested everything from X-Men cartoons (really? Do I seem like an X-Men cartoon kind of girl?) to Bones (I get confused by its inability to choose whether it's a comedy or a drama) to The Office (barf). One person suggested (for about the bazillionth time) "Friday Night Lights". This series has come highly recommended for sometime now, and every time, I hear this, "It's not really about football. Football plays a very small role in the series." I usually roll my eyes, but I'm desperate, so I decided to give it a whirl.

I've watched only two episodes, but so far it's all about football. See, football is kind of like bananas. Most people like football, so when it is the setting for a TV show, they don't notice it. But for someone who doesn't like football, it's too obvious and distracting for me to see past it. I mean, this whole town revolves around high school football. And I think it's a little pathetic. In the first episode, (spoiler alert!) the star quarterback gets seriously injured. But they cart him off the field and keep playing. What? Why? Someone just got paralyzed, and they think continuing the game is more important? That seems silly, and a little rude, to me.

Sure, the show doesn't just show football games, but the show is still about football. It would be like me saying, "I know you hate the 1970s, but you should watch 'The Brady Bunch'. It's not about the 70s, after all." No, it's not about the 70s. But the 70s is the setting, and if you hate the 70s, then you'd have a hard time looking past that.

I couldn't help but recite the chorus (maybe it's the bridge?) of "Hollaback Girl" while writing this post. And, in case you're totally out of it, here's a link to help you totally get in it. Or...whatever. And, since you're totally out of it if you click that link, be aware that there is some "language" in the video, and you can go to 2:31 for the specific reference. But there is still "language" in said clip.

I'm going to give the show (and my friend) the benefit of the doubt and watch a few more episodes to give it a fair chance. But this show is definitely about ~~b-a-n-a-n-a-s~~ football.

Yes, I Am a Goody-Goody

2011-07-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

I have always been a rule-follower. I was never a kid who tested my boundaries. I rarely got in trouble, and worried profusely if I thought there was a chance I could get in trouble. I didn't even know it was possible for a Mormon to use a swear word until the 7th grade. And let's just say I offended a few people at church with my verbal judgment when I found out they hadn't followed certain "rules" and didn't do the "good" thing in life (which was done innocently, I swear. There's just so much emphasis on "being good" and making the "right" choice, that it was never really made clear that if people make other decisions in life, it doesn't mean they are "bad". Anyway, I should stop now. That could be a whole other post).

I remember once a girl from school called to invite me over to her house. I really didn't want to go, but what could I do about it? So when she called, I sullenly put the phone down to go ask my mom if I could go over to her house (hoping, desperately, that she'd tell me no). My sister saw this and asked what was wrong. I told her. She laughed at me and said, "Why don't you just tell her Mom said no?" A light bulb went off in my head. I could do that?? I had no idea! So I got back on the phone and lied to the poor girl. And then I felt bad about it.

So, there's the background behind that particular neurosis.

Fast forward to college. I was a psychology major. Well, Behavioral Science, emphasis on Psychology, if we want to get technical. So I was required to take some sociology classes. In one class, we were assigned the cliche "break a social norm" assignment. My group decided to go the food court and sit directly next to someone at a table. It was summertime, so the cafeteria was pretty empty, and we certainly got some strange looks from people when we sat right next to them. One lady even was so bold as to tell a girl in my group to leave.

A guy in my class decided to use the urinal directly next to one in use, which is apparently numero uno faux pas in urinal etiquette (do you see what I did there? I mixed Spanish and French in the same sentence.). And then he took it one step further by engaging in conversation. It did not go over so well.

Later in the same class, we had to break a traditional gender role, for lack of a better term. One guy in my class decided to paint his fingernails. He worked at a knife shop in the mall, and his boss almost fired him over it (keep in mind, I attended school in ultra-socially-conservative Utah County). I decided to wear a men's suit one day to school. It was interesting, really. I got a lot of compliments that day. My teacher tried to tell me I feminized the suit to make it "cuter". But I didn't. I was wearing a men's dress shirt (fully buttoned), tie (tied tight around my neck), and suit slacks that fit as best they could, considering. The only thing I did to "feminize" it was to put a woman's body (big boobs and all) in it. I thought the whole thing was pretty interesting. BTW, I felt like a total idiot in that outfit all day.

Now, for a not-really-related-but-maybe-if-we-stretch-it-could-be-related story:

One day while crossing campus, I passed through a parking lot and found a $10 bill on the ground. I got excited. But then my strict, rule-following brain said, "This is not yours." So I looked around to see if there was anyone around who it could possibly belong to. But there was no one. So I happily picked up the bill and continued on to class. I felt kind of guilty the rest of the day. I'm not sure why. I guess I felt like I was stealing. And I remember telling my roommate that if it were anymore money than that, I would turn it into Lost & Found because I would feel too bad taking a large sum of money, even if it had been laying on the ground.

Well, God, fate, or just bad luck was looking down on me when I said that. Shortly thereafter (not sure on the time frame, but probably a couple weeks is all), I was walking across campus and saw some money on the ground. It was summer once again, so the campus was fairly empty. No one was in sight. I was just outside the student union building, but couldn't see in the wall of windows. I looked around just to make sure no one was there, and bent down to pick up the wad of cash. I quickly realized it was quiet the wad, containing at least two $20 bills, but there were several bills folded behind those two that I could see. I got so nervous that I looked around again. I saw no one, but I felt so guilty even holding the money that I promptly dropped it back on the ground and walked quickly away. I have no idea how much money was there. I didn't want to find out. I didn't want to be that dork who actually goes to Lost & Found to turn in cash (and subsequently make the student working that shift very happy and quite a bit richer). I'm not 100% positive on this next fact, but still pretty confident that my thought as I walked away from that pile of money was, "I'll let the guilt of taking that amount of money be someone else's problem," followed by, "This was probably one of those stupid social experiments to see what people would do when they find a large sum of money on the ground." I couldn't see into the student union, after all.

So there you have it. Now you know if you ever lose money around me, I will not steal it. But I will certainly leave it laying around for someone else to steal. No matter, though. I will still be eaten up by guilt.

Puppy Love

2011-07-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, again.

Gratuitous Puppy Post

2011-06-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm blogging about Popcorn some more. She pretty much consumes my life right now. So, if you don't like it, maybe you should get a new heart, because she is adorable and lovable. And mildly interesting.

Some major improvements she's made recently:

* She will go to the glass door (most of the time) when she needs to use her potty place, or if she can't get to the door (because she is in her play pen), she will whimper. She still has accidents, but this is overall pretty wonderful news.

* She can go longer than one hour between bathroom breaks.

* She learned how to fetch the other day (before she would chase toys across the room, but leave them there when we called her back).

* She knows and responds to her name.

* If we practice sitting multiple times over, she'll do it on her own after about 8 times. But if I go longer than a few minutes before telling her to sit, she will have forgotten the command.

Funny things she does:

* Anytime we get her out of her crate, she will play a little peek-a-boo game with us. She'll stick her head out like she's going to come out, but when we reach for her, she will pop back into her crate. She, apparently, thinks this is hilarious because she does it all the time. I just ignore it and pick her up when she comes out fully.

* She loves pinecones. She will pick up a pinecone on a walk and will then continually switch it out for a bigger and/or better one throughout the walk.

* She really, really loves meeting new people. Maybe a little too much. She gets way too excited. I want to teach her manners, but I'm a little lost as to how to do that.

And now, some videos.

Liberty of London Knock-Off Fabric, Made Into a Nightmare of a Dress

2011-06-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you who think my sewing talents are fantastically amazing. I give you an example of how everything I touch does not turn to gold. I started this dress quite some time ago. It was supposed to be a comfy, Summer dress that could be thrown on for a lazy summer afternoon, and perfect for lounging.

Mistake #1: I found the pattern online. It was made by a petite Asian woman. In case it's not clear by now, I am the opposite of a petite Asian woman. I am tall, curvy, and have big boobs. This dress has darts. The "V" kind, not the pleat kind. So there's no room to fix an ill-placed dart.

Mistake #2: The waistline isn't supposed to be empire waist. But with big boobs, waistlines end up being several inches higher than the designer has planned. I'm just glad I decided (beforehand) that I wanted the faux belt made of contrasting fabric.

Mistake #3: I wanted the back of the dress to close with buttons, not a zipper. The bodice, however, decided to be too tight, and coupled with the fact that I made the bodice out of Swiss Dot fabric (which is super thin, light fabric), a button-up back was not in the cards.

Mistake #4: The ruffles on the front had to be worked and worked again to make them look normal, and not like I was trying to make my chest look a million times bigger than it is (again, pattern made by petite Asian, not busty Swede).

Mistake #5: This dress was originally sleeveless, and I thought I could easily add cap tulip sleeves. Not as easy as it sounds.

Mistake #6: Once I decided to add a zipper down the entire back of the dress, I had to do some very creative sewing to make it work with my already lined-and-thus-seamed bodice that was fitting me weird in the first place (too tight in the upper back, too big in the waist).

Anyway, I was going to re-make the front of the bodice because it just wasn't fitting right. But then I lost a few pounds and it fits a little better, so I left it. It's not the most comfortable dress. In fact, it's quite uncomfortable, but oh well. Considering what I went through to make it, it turned out pretty cute.

w/o sweater

w/ sweater, duh

Summer Solstice

2011-06-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

This summer, we're hosting a picnic in the park series. Every couple of weeks, we're gathering with friends in a local park and picnicking. Well, that's the idea, anyway. So far, people have shown up for one of the three we've hosted. The one where we fed people. Did I just confess to being a total loser on the internet? Yes. Yes, I did.

Anyway, we held a special picnic at Gasworks Park this last Monday, which was the day before the Summer Solstice. It was the first lovely day in quite awhile, so I was glad about that. We barbecued, rather than just picnicked. I made a BBQ chicken pizza and we cooked it there. It was delicious. Although, in case you're wondering, always BBQ your pizza on the highest rack setting. Otherwise it will burn. Badly. Just a heads up.

Popcorn loved the outing. She loves all outings. She loves exploring. And loves meeting new people. She expects everyone to go crazy for her, which they usually do. And if they don't, she stands on her hind legs and just look sat them with a look of confusion on her face (ok, ok, so I'm projecting that onto her).

Typical.

It was also the debut of a picnic quilt I made. I've been working on it for quite some time. I also made a matching bag for it, for easy transport, but I just finished that this evening, so there are no pictures of it yet. This is the biggest quilt I'm taken on so far. It was miserable. I'm just not cut out for quilt-making (pun...intended?). I'd rather stick to clothes and simple crafts. Also, I originally was going to make an oil cloth backing (using a walnut faux bois I've been lusting after for quite some time now), but discovered it would be too expensive to do that. So I just got a vinyl tablecloth from Target and called it good. It ties onto the back of the quilt so I can wash the blanket, if need be. It worked really well, and was a good size for both me and Jake to lounge on. I'm looking forward to using it a lot over the next several years.

Here's our view that fine evening. Nice, eh?

And some other pictures from sunset.

How did you ring in summer?

Reminiscing About Jobs of Yesteryear

2011-06-16T18:22:00.000-07:00

My second job was working for Mervyn's. I was in the Men's department. I learned a lot about: shrink-to-fit jeans (and how they are wildly unpopular), how to measure a man for a dress shirt, how people steal gobs of clothes in unattended fitting rooms, and the difference between chinos and chonies.

Let me explain the last item there. My friends at school referred to their underwear as chonies. I have no idea why any of us talked about such stupid things (oh, right, because we were teenagers), but we did. Well, one day an older gentleman came into the store and asked me where our chinos were. I thought I was in-the-know, so I directed him over to the underwear section. He looked very confused, and then a little disgusted. He then clarified that "chinos" were khaki pants, like "Dockers". I got terribly embarrassed and directed him to the Dockers wall.

I still get the two words confused.

*****************************************

While working at my first "real" job after graduating college (which was a sub-prime lending company. I know, I know. That's why I got a different job), I learned that I was quite the catch, contrary to what I was learning at church. Customers could come into the office to make payments on their loans, and there were regulars who came in every month instead of mailing a check. And within those regulars, there were some people who preferred to give their payment to me, specifically. My co-worker and I counted once, and discovered about 15 customers who would pretty much only talk to me when they came into the office and flirt. I even had a few offer to take me out on dates.

But don't be fooled. I may have been a catch, but these fellows most certainly were not. One had a gold tooth and would offer to take me to Old Country Buffet every month; one had teeth big enough for a horse, and he seemed to be equally intrigued with my last name month after month, as if he'd never heard it before (he was of Scandinavian decent as well); one was as big as a house ad smelled like he peed his pants instead of using a toilet. The list goes on, but I'll stop there.

Once I was the only one on the office (while the other two guys were at lunch), and one of these notorious customers came in and started asking if I'd go on a date with him. I kept coming up with more excuses, but he was extremely persistent, and it started to make me quite uncomfortable. Finally, my co-worker arrived, and this customer immediately backed off and left. I tell you what, though, it was weird.

Ahhh...gotta love those sub-prime customers, eh?

********************************************

At the same job as above, I had to make collection calls every day. Not ideal, but whatever, right? But then, at the end of the month, I had to make house collection calls. We called them "chases". I kid you not, people. I drove all over the Puget Sound (even over on the peninsula), to people's houses, knocked on their doors, and said, "I'm here to collect your payment." And if they didn't pay, I would send out an order to repo their car (if that was their collateral), or file a small claims suit against them (and then I'd have to go to court, on behalf of my company to sue their delinquent asses).

I cannot make this stuff up! I got paid to do this.

Man, I hated that job.

********************************************

Last, but certainly not least, my first job ever was working at a restaurant/ice cream parlor. I started out on the ice cream line, then graduated to making sundaes and salads. I was hoping to get promoted to waitress or hostess one day, but workplace politics are a bitch. So I stayed stagnant on the salad bar for nine months. I usually only worked four hours a week on Saturday nights, and at $5/hour, it was hardly worth my time. But I had a Savers addiction, and $20/week went a long way at Savers.

Anyway, my boss was a total jerk. He was incredibly sexist, and really mean. He hired girls based on their looks (see what I did there? eh? eh?), and the only time boys were allowed on the dining room floor was to bus tables. He was also a city councilman and was later arrested for beating his wife and tying her to their bed. Classy, eh?

What I remember most about this job:

* When I started, it was in the mall, and the ice cream was made in the restaurant. It was not clean, and sometimes I would find a cockroach in the ice cream bins.

* I was in charge of boiling eggs and potatoes, and as a result, I could not be in the same room as a hard-boiled egg for years after.

* After moving to a new, cleaner location, I ate more ice cream than I should have.

* We had wafers for the sundaes, and I would play a game with myself every shift. It was called "Wait as long as possible before sneaking a wafer, because as soon as I eat one, I will eat as many as possible before going home". Yeah, you heard that right. I stole wafers from my sex-crazed, lunatic boss.

* I worked with a boy that went to my high school, and he had ridiculously disgusting acne. It covered his neck, and as a result, he couldn't move his head independently from his shoulders. I frequently imagined that if he did pivot his head, the zits on his neck would pop like bubble wrap being twisted. His name was Kevin. Gross, I know.

Please share any amusing stories about your past jobs in the comments.

2011-06-16T17:02:00.000-07:00

Things I have learned the last three weeks of being a puppy owner:

* When people say puppies are hard work, they mean it.

* There will inevitably be regret at some point.

* I don't handle change/stress very well. Must work on that.

* I am no more productive when I get up at 7:00am, than I was when I got up at 9:30am. I still do nothing until after 10:00am.

* When progress is seen in a puppy's behavior, it is a marvelous feeling.

* I often feel the need to squeeze my puppy until she pops, because she is so cute.

* Once that bond is established, it's hard to imagine you ever thought about getting rid of Puppy.

* Popcorn is one of the cutest puppies on this earth right now.

* No matter who they are, when people see puppies in public, they squeal with delight and come over to talk and play with the puppy.

* A freshly washed and dried puppy is wonderfully fluffy and cute.

* Jake and I will never own a puppy again. Dog, maybe; but no puppy. I don't care how much our kids beg.

Introducing...

2011-06-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

...Popcorn! The newest member of our little family. She's a little Yorkshire Terrier. She loves to cuddle, pounce, and play-bite (although we don't encourage the last one).

A little "Best in Show" love:

The Unofficial Official Start of Summer

2011-05-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! Today is not super summer-y here in our neck of the woods, but I'm fighting on, optimistically, and have faith that warm temperatures and consistent sun will find us soon.

We're celebrating the Unofficial Official Start of Summer with a big BBQ with friends and family.

Oh yes, and we're also adding to the family. Stay tuned.

I Am in Love, and I Don't Care Who Knows!

2011-05-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

So, I like to torture myself sometimes. I like to look at houses in the area. Houses that I have deemed "affordable". We are still about a year out from having enough money saved to buy a house (with a down payment that would make me comfortable). But I am finding house now. There is one in particular that I like. I have only seen pictures of the inside, and the pictures were taken with very wide-angle lens, so I know there is distortion, and the rooms would probably be disappointingly small. But I love this house. It is just the right amount of ugly for me. I want an ugly house that I can make pretty. You can tell the owners have put in new carpet and paint and doors, but it is so bland and boring. And the kitchen. Just wait for that.

Let me show you a few of the pictures:

It is so cute! But it's pink. Which is only acceptable until it can be painted a much lovelier shade of...anything else.

It has a cute porch! It's adorable, right?

This is the living room. A little awkward, but workable. Cute, right?

The dining room. his certainly needs wood flooring and that silly wrought iron needs to go. Painted wood paneling on the walls; can you see it? Maybe put up some adorable French doors or something (I'm not big on "open floorplans" in houses).

Do you see this kitchen? It is perfect for a low-budget makeover! And I am willing to do that! Who needs that "breakfast nook" on the left? Can we say built-ins to show off pretty dishes? I think we can.

Hating that toilet in the laundry room, but everything else? Yes, please! All those cabinets! A laundry sink! And that washer looks like the same washer we had in Provo (sniff, sniff)

So, can we agree that this house is adorable and should stay on the market until next year (which by that point, I imagine the owners will be so desperate for a buyer, that they will practically pay us to take it)?

Does anyone else do this sort of thing?

Seattle at Night

2011-05-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

After dinner, I wanted to head up to Kerry Park to get some night skyline pictures. It was such a perfect night for it, too.

I cannot say it enough: I love this city.

My favorite.

My teeth are literally glowing.

Thaaaaat's better.

I Did Not Get a Haircut

2011-05-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

A few people figured it out. My hairstyle last night was just that. Not a cut. Pretty clever and fun, though, eh? It was pretty easy to do. I used my trusty triple-barrel curling iron to put the wave sin my hair. Then I put it in a super low and loose ponytail, then just tucked it under and pinned it!

As we all know, I have super lame hair ( I tried to find the post where I talked about my genetically lame hair, but it's too hard. Just know I have super limp, fine hair that does not do much), so if I can do this easily, I think anyone with some length could do it, too.

You can definitely see some of the long fly-aways here.

And here.

See? Not real!

Also, the dinner was absolutely lovely. It was extra fancy because we had our dinner date at the same time that only people in movies eat dinner: 8:00 (I mean, who does that in real life??). We had it so late so we would be there for sunset. And yesterday was a beautiful, clear day, so it was really gorgeous.

The food was pretty tasty, too. Jake tried and Ahi Tuna steak for the first time ever (I even tried it!). It was really good. I had a stuffed chicken breast (which was "all-natural, and because of that, had some name like "Juliod" or something weird. Our waiter said that's just a type of natural chicken, not the actual chicken's name, and explained some people have asked about that very thing. Which, of course, made me think immediately of Portlandia.) with lemon-ricotta ravioli, which I will have to make now.

Some things to note about the SkyCity Restaurant:

1.) It is the next to the top level of the Space Needle.

2.) The whole dining floor rotates, so during the course of your dinner, you get to see the entire Puget Sound. Genius, no?

3.) It now makes a full rotation every hour. When they first opened, though, it was twice as fast, rotating once every 30 minutes. They slowed it down upon finding that too many people became nauseous when it rotated so quickly. (and for those who don't know, nausea is not good for the restaurant business)

Here are some pictures from our dining experience, taken with my phone (I didn't want to lug my camera around).

We got the "Lunar Orbiter" for dessert. It's been served at the Space Needle since its opening in 1962. It's just a boring ice cream sundae served on dry ice.

Squeee! Beautiful, isn't it?

Our rotation worked out so we got to see the sunset.

The sky was a big rainbow.

This is from the observation deck (20' above the restaurant), and I actually preferred the view from the restaurant better. It was just a better perspective. And it was prettier in real life. It was not this blue.

We also got free valet parking as part of our "date night" package. I felt so super fancy and rich, and again like I was living in the movies.

And, in case you're wondering, this was, by far, the most expensive meal I've ever had. But we had a coupon and some gift money for this very occasion, so it lessened the blow. Would I recommend it? Only if you have a coupon. But that's pretty easy to arrange (they have a mailing list that will send you coupons and alerts about special events).

Anyway. Happy Belated Anniversary to us!

I May or May Not Have Gotten a Haircut

2011-05-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Jake and I are celebrating our anniversary (yes, you read that right) by eating atop the Space Needle! I did something to my hair that I am quite a fan of. What do you think?

Will the Real Mothers Please Stand Up? (Please Stand Up)

2011-05-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

As Mother's Day looms in the very near future, I have a small pit in my stomach. I like Mother's Day. I like my mother. A lot. And I like my mother-in-law. I have no issues with the holiday. In fact, maybe there should be Mother's Days every year.

So why the small pit?

Because of church. Every year I am sorely tempted to just stay home on Mother's Day. And it's not because I am "offended" by the celebration because I am sad I am not a mother. I mean, really? I get irritated by all the mom-y (not mommy, but mom stuff) events and groups and what-nots that are going on constantly in the ward that estranges me from all the women in the ward, but I certainly don't irritated by Mother's Day. Let alone offended.

What irks me is that the ward has to make a ~~big~~ HUGE fuss about the day. And an even bigger fuss about the women who are not mothers.

Case in point #1: After being in "normal" wards as an adult for the past few years, it has been my experience that on Mother's Day, I am forced to stand up at the end of Sacrament meeting and take a flower, or a candy, or some other lame sentiment. If I do not do this, I --I kid you not, people! this is hardly an exaggeration-- must defend myself all day long as to why I don't have the flower/candy/sentiment. Last year, I practically yelled at two different people to leave me alone already! I didn't want a flower! I end up feeling like a cornered animal while Elders in the ward try to poke at me with a carnation.

I feel it completely unnecessary for me to take these gifts, as I am not a mother. And when people will then retort with, "But you will be one day," I roll my eyes and retort back, "But I'm not now. Leave me alone!" And/or I'll get this line, "But you are like a mother to other people's children." To which I reply, "Barf," roll my eyes even more, and then start snarling and foaming at the mouth.

Case in point #2: This one's a kicker. While I was in a singles' ward, they made us stand up and accept a flower from the men in the ward. Are you kidding me?? For those of you who might be unfamiliar with LDS doctrine, let me tell you that it is generally frowned upon to have a child out of wedlock. And you're really not even allowed to go to Young Single Adult wards if you have a kid (you go to a regular ward instead, where there is the proper infrastructure for children) (not to say that there weren't a few girls who had children who attended anyway; and they got married faster than anyone else in the ward. For awhile, I considered getting knocked up just so I could get married). It was, hands down, the stupidest part of being in a singles' ward. Which is saying quite a bit.

This year, I'm not sure what is up the Elder Quoroms' sleeves. I know that I am "not allowed" to teach my Sunday School class, and can "go to Gospel Doctrine, or whatever [I]'d like that hour". Umm...I would rather teach my class than go to Gospel Doctrine. But since that's not an option, I'll just stay in the class and watch Jake as he teaches the entire youth of our ward.

But I tell you what. If anyone tries to make me stand up and receive a gift, I will not do it, and I am not afraid to bite, if necessary.

Welcome Back, Me

2011-05-04T14:59:00.000-07:00

I finally have my motivation back. And the anxiety attacks are gone. The general anxiety has subsided. And I, once again, see things to look forward to in my future.

Man, when I put it that way, it makes me realize what a hazy, dark cloud the last month and a half has been. Well, to be honest, I realized it at the time, too. I just didn't know how to fix it.

I will blog again, as soon as I have reason to do so. And I have a few projects I'm working on right now, so it shouldn't take too long.

Skagit Tulip Festival

2011-04-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

We went to the Skagit Tulip Festival one week ago, and it was lovely. The flowers opened up the day we went, the weather was perfect, albeit ~~a bit~~ very windy, and there was no traffic since we went on a weekday.

On our way home, we stopped at one of the casinos to have ourselves some 99¢ food. It was a fairly regretful decision, but it was fun.

Here are some highlights.

I've been practicing my landscape photography skills, and I think I've come a long way. I can't wait until I have a super wide-angle lens that will make landscape photos even cooler.

I think the cloud above Jake looks like a hat.

I love when there is a misfit. He's so cute, tall, and proud!

A happy accident getting Jake in this picture.

Did I say "highlights"? I meant "a ridiculously thorough recap".

At the end of our trip, we drove through this tiny town called La Connor, and it was adorable. It was the cutest downtown I've ever seen. And on our way out, we saw this house and I had to stop and take a picture of it. It's pretty much what the exterior of my dream house looks like. I mean, can we not agree that it is perfect in nearly every way possible?

After snapping that picture, I proceeded to drive over a large curb, and thought maybe I had ruined the underside of our car. So far, I think we're ok. Sadly, that was not the first time I had done something so stupid.

Hypochondria and Anxiety Are Not a Good Combination

2011-04-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. We haven't done much. I haven't done much. I've been suffering through severe anxiety attacks the last couple of weeks. The good news is that I should have medical insurance soon, and I plan on going to the doctor about all sorts of stuff, including this.

Tomorrow we are planning on going to the Skagit Tulip Festival, though, so I will have pictures coming soon. I'm quite excited to go see the tulips. I only went once when I lived here before, and I've been aching to go back ever since.

Something to look forward to.

Sometimes It's Frustrating Being Tall

2011-04-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

~ finding an acceptable inseam on my pants can be a challenge sometimes,

~ I think my height can be intimidating to some people,

~ sometimes I want to be shorter than my husband. Especially while wearing heels,

~ tall men seem to prefer short women; this was more frustrating several years ago, but still,

~ I only realize how tall I am when I see pictures of myself standing next to other people; when I realize I am a head taller than all the women, I feel freakishly tall,

~ it's easier to feel very feminine when you're petite, and at nearly 5'10", I would never be described as being such,

~ apparently, when I've lost 10 pounds (which I consider to be fairly substantial), it's not noticeable to anyone but me.

I enjoy being tall 99% of the time, but sometimes...sometimes it's frustrating.

Re-Post

2011-04-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

So worth the re-post, I think. It's from my "i heart" blog (which was getting a lot of spam followers, so I made it private so it would just stop already). Anyway, here it is:

the picture from the previous post reminded me of a wonderful adventure i had several years ago while celebrating my friend's birthday in las vegas. we, both being shopoholics, decided to hit up the outlet mall. being a devoted fan of ann taylor, we stopped in to check out their selection. they had this adorable grassy green pencil skirt that i fell in love with the moment i laid my eyes on it. unfortunately, they didn't have my size, so being the optimist that i am, i opted to try on the smaller size, hoping it would miraculously fit. while in the fitting room, i was pleasantly surprised when the zipper on the skirt came up quite easily. i looked in the mirror and thought, "i could pull this off." then i turned to the side and realized my butt was entirely to big to pull this off. i opened the door to show my friend and see if i was indeed seeing the sad truth. we decided that it was, in fact, just slightly too small, after which i declared, "yeah...it's just a little too tight." just at that moment, an overly-candid african-american customer service representative walked by and said to me, "Girl, that's 'cause you got a booty." i'm not quite sure how to take this, but i think it was supposed to be a compliment. so, thank you, customer service rep at ann taylor. thank you for allowing me to embrace my "coco-licious" booty a little more. by the way, i did not buy the skirt. i opted for the appropriately sized pants made of the same fabric.

I Take My Laundry Soap Very Seriously

2011-04-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Gain,

I have another bone to pick with you. And I know what you're up to. I saw a commercial the other day advertising "new concentrated formula". Really? Do you think I'm stupid? I see through your gimmick; I see through to the significantly smaller quantity for a significantly higher price.

"But it's still 80 loads!" you say. Guess what, Gain? I never used the recommended amount of detergent anyway! So I really am getting hosed. And I really, really doubt you have a new, concentrated formula. Soon you'll be telling me that I only need one grain of detergent to do my laundry, and you'll sell me 80 grains, for $30 dollars. barf.

I bought you today because it would appear most other laundry detergents are doing the same thing, so I really have no choice. But I just want you to know I only bought you because I basically had no better option.

I'm on to you, you sneaky thing, you.

Good Day,
Emily

P.S. How does soap have "more freshness", anyway?

From the Archives

2011-03-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

I was going through my art portfolio tonight and found some old treasures. Some are drawings from high school, some are drawings from college, some is poetry, and some are photographs from my b/w class in college. Here's one of them. I really, really love this one. Maybe now that I'll be back in a darkroom soon, I can enlarge it bigger than my little 5x7.

Kooky

2011-03-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, this is cute. I can't wait to see it!

To Thirty!

2011-03-29T01:19:00.000-07:00

So, are you just as tired of me as I am after that week and a half of me, me, and more me? haha. Just kidding. I'm totally not tired of me.

Anyway. I accomplished one last thing on my 30 Before 30 list the night before my birthday, and that was to host a masquerade party. I had a lot of fun planning it, and even more fun participating in it. I made a dress for the occasion (of course I did). There were mocktails (of course there were; I'm the queen of mocktails). There were tissue paper pom-poms. And I even tried my hand at a photo booth (you may be more familiar with it being called a "faux-teau" booth). That was a lot of fun. But my lame infrared remote is totally retarded and stopped working, which caused some irritation on my part. Also, I need to perfect the technique of setting up a booth, but I was pretty pleased with the outcome.

Slow shutter speeds = funny TV screens.

My dress:

Some of my favorite photo booth pictures:

I mean...really?? How cute is this?

Wax lips are creepy!

And, finally, as a little experiment, I did a time-lapse video. It's my first one ever. So, for those of you who couldn't make it for one reason or another, you can watch this and pretend you were there.

30!

2011-03-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

It would be terrible to have all this hubbub leading up to my birthday and then not post anything on the big day. I had delusions of grandeur, thinking I could edit pictures from last night for the post today. Fortunately, my life is not so boring that I spend my birthday editing photos. I will post details about my birthday festivities soon. Until then....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Revisiting My 20s; 29

2011-03-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Oh boy. This wasn't too long ago. I distinctly remember that my birthday party last year was the last time my house was clean before we moved. I started packing right after my birthday. I was so excited, and yet so sad. We finally had quite a few friends (and we all know how hard it can be to find couple friends), and I was sad to leave our little apartment. Who am I kidding? That apartment wasn't as little as our current digs.

Anyway, we hosted our first garage sale right before we moved, and it was a success. Then we moved back to Washington, and I couldn't have been happier. I officially started my photography business. And we settled into "real life."

This year has really flown by and has had its share of ups and downs. I'm really grateful to be here in Washington, to be near Jake's family, for all the wonderful friends we're making, and for everything else in our lives.

I'm really feeling the words to this song, but overall I'm excited to embark into my 30s tomorrow. If the trend from my 20s continues upward, this next decade is gonna be a great one. I mean, of course it is.

Revisiting My 20s; 28

2011-03-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

My unemployment stretched a couple of months into 28. Then I got a full-time job that made me cry every morning. I hated it so much. It was really bizarre, too. I'll have to save those stories for another post, but trust me on this one. I got fired again (but I was literally going to quit the next week). And then I started working for a major retailer. It was depressing having to resort to that, but I survived. It wasn't all that bad. Except I got paid poorly. And I had to work in retail during a holiday season. And....

But this was the year that I made my paper chain to countdown the days I got to leave Utah--again. Ok, so I didn't really have a paper chain. But I was counting down. All year, I thought, "This is my last summer here." "This is my last Halloween." "This is the last time I have to suffer a stupid inversion."

Oh yes, and this was the first time I had a birthday party since I was 18. I was nervous because that one was a total flop. But the party went really well, and was ultra swanky.

Confused? The fall of 2009, we pretended to get married so our friend could build her portfolio. It was fun.

It was our first Christmas where it was just the two of us. I really loved that Christmas, and wish we could have more like that.

On True Appreciation -or- Youth Is Wasted On the Young

2011-03-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking. You know how when people have a baby, they tell all their childless friends, "Enjoy your freedom/sleep/ability-to-get-out-of-the-house-in-under-20-minutes/time-to-relax-and-do-nothing"? Well, if you don't know about that, they do that. I hear it a lot. And I think to myself, "Am I really enjoying that?? What if I'm not and then I regret having children??" But here's the thing: Does anyone fully appreciate their lives pre-children? I mean, is it possible? I don't think it is.

I enjoy my life. I like sleeping in. I like being able to do what I want, when I want. But I won't fully appreciate it until I experience something different. We say this all the time in Sunday School. "You can't fully appreciate the good without the bad." "Life in the Garden of Eden was great, but Adam and Eve didn't realize how great it was until they were out of it." etc.

So, my question: Do you agree or disagree? Is it possible to fully appreciate something you have without experiencing life without it? Is this something I bring up when someone says this to me?

Which brings me to a semi-related topic. I hear a lot from parents how children ruin their life. And it kind of worries me. People will always talk about (in conversation, via Facebook, on blogs, etc) how their kids won't let them sleep (and they haven't had a decent night's sleep in years); how they can't own nice things because the kids ruin them; their body is forever ruined because they gave birth; they can't spend time doing things that used to be important to them; they lose all privacy; I mean, the list goes on. Surely, the payoff is worth it, right? But I rarely hear people talk about that. I guess it would be weird and come across as bragging if you sat around with girlfriends and gushed about how much meaning your child(ren) has brought to your life, and whatever else is a reward of parenthood. But it's kind of disheartening to hear parents grumble about how kids ruined their lives. Because as I stated before, I enjoy my life (mostly). And why ruin a good thing?

Why is it ok to talk about all the bad in parenthood and not the good, anyway? Is it because people want to know they're not alone in feeling miserable about it sometimes (and they are less in need of feeling camaraderie in the joys of parenthood)? If I heard someone talking about how great parenthood is, would I roll my eyes more? (probably) Maybe parents should just complain about parenthood in private, not in front of people who don't have kids. haha That would be a bad idea. Talk about a rude awakening if you had never heard about all the horrors of having children. Are they even horrors?

I should probably wrap this up. I'm starting to ramble. So, if you have something to contribute, please comment. If you have nothing to contribute, please do not comment.

Revisiting My 20s; 27

2011-03-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

I started out twenty-seven as a newlywed, and ended as a slightly less new newlywed. After a couple of months of being dirt poor, I finally found a full-time job that blew more chunks than a fifth grader with the stomach flu. I got fired for the first time (which is totally debatable; I was able to collect unemployment since there was no reason for (other than the company wasn't doing very well) or warning to the loss of my job). And I spent the next several months loving life since I actually had time to develop hobbies. Even though things were sometimes hard during that time, it was unquestionably the happiest time of my life. Ever.

Also, this year was a big year based solely on the fact that Jake and I were newlyweds. And I am not afraid to admit it was a rocky start. I think a lot more marriages have rocky starts than people are willing to admit to (at first). It's a weird adjustment. You can't just be passive-aggressive about disagreements (like you can be with roommates). You are suddenly sharing a bank account. There are a slew of other adjustments as well, but I won't list them all. Suffice it to say, we had more than our fair share of late night meltdowns before we realized that sometimes you just need to go to bed angry. Luckily, the transition eventually smoothed out, and marriage just gets better and better with time. Like cheese. Well, some cheese. Maybe wine would be a better analogy? I just don't have personal experience with wine. Any lushes out there care to pipe up?

Where was I? Oh, yes. Twenty-seven.

This picture just cracks me up.


We had season passes to the local water park that summer. We loved it.	This was the year I stopped worrying about "cover-ups" at the pool and just walked around in my suit. Big step in my life.

So, how 'bout that caption up there, eh? Not sure what I did. And even less sure how to fix it.

Discovering hobbies, like making diaper bags for besties.

Oh yes, and I should mention that this was my golden birthday. So sad we were entirely too poor to celebrate it properly (oh the ideas I have now!). Instead, we went to a fast food restaurant and split a meal (we couldn't afford two), and then Jake (along with the in-laws) gave me a lovely necklace with hints of gold (not a big gold person) in it.

Revisiting My 20s; 26

2011-03-23T00:33:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm going to back up to 25 for a minute. Less than a month before my 26th birthday, Jake and I went on our first date. So 26 ended up being The Year of Jake. For a detailed story of that, click here.

That summer I went on my first grown-up vacation where I rented a car, got a hotel room, and everything. That fall I went through the temple for the first time. And then I got engaged. And then I totally started this blog! And then I lived through the most stressful month of my life. And then I got married (the only post I could find even remotely resembling a wedding post. Wha???). I mean, who could ask for a better year?

My sister came to visit the very end of the summer. We're both totally hot.

Our actual engagement picture.

Our unofficial engagement picture taken approximately 23 minutes after getting engaged.

Yay for weddings!

Rainbow Connection

2011-03-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

Ugh. This cake was a pain. Worth it? Jury's still out on that one. If it was for something (other than a list), it would totally be worth it. But since I made it, just to make it. Hmm....

Anyway. Here's the cake in its finished glory:

It looks a little boring, I know. But I knew I didn't want to go all out on the decorating. So I made it look like this on the inside:

This thing is a monster. I need everyone to come to my house for cake. Even if I wanted to eat it all, I couldn't. But I don't want to. So...yeah.

The fondant was an interesting experience. I've never worked with it before, and I was totally going to buy the pre-made stuff. But then I compared the price of it to the ingredients I would need to make it. And it was a no-brainer. Plus, if I'm going to cross it off my list, I may as well really cross it off my list. I know that made no sense, but I just spent six hours making a cake, and then ate a slice, so I'm on a weird high right now.

I don't know if you've ever made fondant, but it is a mess. It's super sticky, and I kept adding sugar and more sugar and more sugar. It was ridiculous. And then I would roll it out, and it would be smooth and lovely, and then I would discover it was stuck to the counter. So I'd start again. And the same thing would happen. So I finally thought, "Well, maybe I can treat it like pie crust and roll it out onto a sheet of parchment paper or something. So that's what I tried. Only I used freezer paper, thinking the waxy side would be a good idea. Wrong. So I flipped it over and used the non-waxy side. And it mostly worked. I had some pretty big wrinkles in the fondant, but I didn't care. I got it on the cake! So I just turned it so the wrinkles were on the back side of the picture. And then I had all this leftover fondant. So I thought I'd try to do something creative with it. And then I thought, "No way! It's 11:00 at night!" So I rolled a little strip to make a funny looking rosebud. Perfect. I set up my new studio lights, had myself a little photoshoot and then ate the darn piece of cake (I have to admit, though, Jake and I shared it, and a lot of it ended up in the trash. Not because it doesn't taste good. But because it's 11:00 at night, and it was a huge piece of cake). And now I'm blogging about it.

So, there you have it. One more item crossed off my 30 Before 30 list.

Woot!

2011-03-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know this about me, I love photography. A lot. If you didn't know this about me, shame on you, and I would kindly ask you stop reading this blog because you obviously aren't learning anything from it.

I have made a promise to myself this year to get out and shoot more, and shoot with film. Well, I am going to be enrolling in a darkroom techniques class this Spring quarter at the community college, and I couldn't be more thrilled. The darkroom was one of my most favorite parts in the photography process. It's where your picture comes to life. You find out if everything worked the way you wanted it to work. And sometimes you are sorely disappointed, but sometimes you are rewarded beautifully. I'm ready to seize this opportunity, experiment, and enjoy the show.

Revisiting My 20s; 25

2011-03-22T00:16:00.000-07:00

This is the year the ball really started rolling in my life. I finally broke up with the boyfriend I had been dragging around for way. too. long. And I started making friends and having a life.

I remember that shortly after my birthday, I met with a member of the bishopric for a "birthday interview" or something, and it basically turned into a pep talk, telling me it was ok that I was still single, and not to get discouraged. Cause, you know, 25 is old. I had to laugh because at that point, I was more than ok with my marital status.

I told you I got a life.

I visited my sister in New York that summer, and pretty much thought I would die of heat stroke.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot pictures to prove I had a life. Too busy living it, right? Riiight.

Jake's More of a Gentleman Than I Am

2011-03-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

I guess I have to set the record straight on something. Jake told me I had to do it. A little while ago, my friend commented on the last blog post:

Heather said...
I am loving these posts. Your life is such a mystery to me so it's fun to see how every thing fits together. I can't wait for the part where you met and marry Jake, even if he does fart on you while spooning.
March 21, 2011 9:32 PM

First of all, I would like to thank Heather for liking this series of posts.

Second of all, in case you didn't know the reference in the last line, it's about this post, which is about this tweet:

"My husband farted on me while spooning last night."

I need to stress that this tweet is 100% fictional. Jake has never farted on me while spooning. If anything, I'm the guilty party.

Oh. My. Gosh. I just admitted to that. Don't judge me. Sometimes you just can't hold it in, right?

Revisiting My 20s; 24

2011-03-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

So last time we revisited my 20s, I was just about to leave a restless 23. Well, to be honest, 24 wasn't much better. I finally realized, though, that I was looking for full-time work, and thus roots, in a state I absolutely hated. So I realized I needed to move. And I thought to myself, "I should move anywhere I want to. I have very few possessions, and no family to worry about. Where do I want to go?" And since I had been to Washington a handful of times and really, really loved it, I decided to move to Washington when my lease was up at the end of the summer. It was perfect. I would have a new start. And I was totally hoping that this boyfriend I couldn't shake would stay in Utah and things would work themselves out. I stayed at his parents' house for what was supposed to be a few days until I found a place to live, but nothing was really panning out. So I ended up staying with them for four months (awwwwkwaaaarrrd). Oh, and the boyfriend moved up to WA a couple months after I did (but not before he got into some major shenanigans). So we were living together, but not "together", which, was even more awwwwwkwaaaarrrd.

I finally had a "real" job, working full-time and could move out to live truly on my own. By myself. I was so scared. But living by myself was the best thing for me. I learned a lot about myself. And I grew up a lot. I was forced to make friends instead of using default friends/roommates. And I got to buy real furniture, which was so exciting. And I finally got to paint my apartment walls. And it changed my life.

Me, with maybe the best color/cut of my life, right before I moved to Washington.

Same cut/color as above. I had some hot pink stripes added for fun. Sometimes I think about doing something silly like that again, but it's more fitting for a 24-year old than a 30-year old. Or is it?

In Seattle, and so excited for the new chapter in my life. Cheesy, I know, but it's so true!

Revisiting My 20s; 23

2011-03-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

Twenty-three found me a month out from graduating from college. And then I got my first car. I spent all summer, fall, and winter looking for a full-time job. I had zero luck. That fall, though, I started working full-time hours at Old Navy, but they would purposefully schedule me 39 hours every several weeks so I wouldn't automatically get added to the payroll as a full-time employee with benefits. Classy, Old Navy.

Actually on the clock at the "Old Navy".

This was also the birthday I was "proposed" to. I put that in quotes because it was kind of a weird situation. Anyway, the point is, my mom was in town that weekend, and when I told her about it, I burst into tears. That's never a good sign. So I wrestled with it for a couple of months, and started planning the wedding (sort of). But then I told him no. And then we dated for another two years. Makes sense, right? I'm such an idiot.

Anyway. Twenty-three. I began to feel restless. I moved to Orem (which was so much better than Provo). And I still felt lost. This was a really rough year for me, in all aspects. There was a lot of needless struggling, but I learned a lot from it, I guess. My restlessness during 23 all led to happened when I was 24.

Feeling very important, next to a statue I never even knew existed before this picture was taken.

I forget how curly my hair got.

Now that you're all just on pins and needles....

Revisiting My 20s; 22

2011-03-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

Let's see....22. I don't remember much from this year. I do remember I got Donna Karan's Black Cashmere perfume from my roommates and my boyfriend. I felt so spoiled. And they all sat around and sang Happy Birthday to me right before midnight, at the end of all the festivities.

I was in school all year. I went to school during the summer (which I loved). And I guess this was the year that my roommates graduated and got married. So I was left with new roommates that I didn't really love. I think it can all be summed up in this picture (and I'm not entirely sure it was taken when I was 22)

...a little awkward.

Revisiting My 20s; 21

2011-03-18T06:22:00.000-07:00

I turned 21 at my parents house. I had always had big plans of going to a bar that had been a joke in my family for years (Eddie's), just because I could. But I was dating this really boring guy at the time, and I decided to hang out at his house instead. Lame.

Anyway, less than a month later, I moved to Provo's Condo Row and started going to UVSC. I had a lot of fun with my roommates, but shortly after moving there, I got back in touch with my ex-boyfriend and we started dating again, and I allowed him to plague my life for the next four years. I really wish I could go back and shake my own shoulders and scream, "Snap out of it!" But I can't. So I'll just regret a lot of things from that part of my life, for the rest of my life.

Aside from that, though, life was pretty good. I have some really great memories from that year. My room-roommate and I became the best of friends (and still are), and she inspired me with her color-coordinated closet, her computer that started up to the theme from Mister Rodgers' Neighborhood, and her love of Reel Big Fish and homestarrunner.com. We all had friends/boyfriends on missions and would make many audio tapes to send off in the mail.

"There's a monkey of my back! Get it off! Get it OFF!!" (this will only be funny to Jules)

My 21st birthday. This cake had an obscene amount of pink frosting on it. And mini Oreos. Mmmm

Yes. Yes, twenty-one was mostly good.

Revisiting My 20s; 20

2011-03-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine turned 30 recently and had a week and a half commemorating her 20s. I thought it was fitting, a good idea, and the perfect amount of narcissism for a blog.

First up is 20. Twenty was a pretty decent time in my life. I was about to graduate from Ricks College with an Associate's Degree in Behavioral Science. I took a trip to Washington immediately after graduation with my then-boyfriend. I also thought, by the end of the summer I would be engaged. I wasn't. Thankfully. Instead, I was fully single and lived at home that academic year, trying to decide what I would do next. I probably applied to BYU (again). That summer I had started a job that allowed me several great things: money, something to do, and a great discount on clothing. That New Year's Eve, I visited my old roommates who were rooming together in Provo. I decided that I wanted to move in with them that summer when a spot would be available in the apartment.

I definitely had some rough patches that year, but my overall memory of being 20 is a pleasant one.

"Whatever you do, make sure I'm in the middle of the picture, and the sign is cut off."

One of the last things I remember doing in Rexburg. My roommates and I went to Big Judd's, a gross hamburger joint, known for their one pound (post cooking) burgers.

My 20th birthday.

Another Rant. I've Been Kind of Bitter Lately.

2011-03-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think people take callings in church too seriously. I mean, I think they are important (and, as much as people don't want to admit it, some are more important than others), and I think it's important to magnify them. And here's where my but gets in the way. But a calling should never be at the sacrifice of something more important. Like family. Or a slew of other things.

Let me give an example. While in Provo, I attended a women's meeting of some sort (I don't remember what it was, exactly. I just remember Jake wasn't there), and someone told a story that was supposed to be touching, heart-warming, and inspiring. I was horrified by it and it made me really angry. The general gist of it was this: The lady telling the story was a bishop's wife at some point, and her husband was very committed to his calling. And members of the ward were very committed to making it a very busy calling by always phoning him with various issues and problems. And because of these two committed "parties", he and his wife never got to go on dates anymore because he was too busy. Well, she had finally had enough and requested just one night where they could go out together, for the first time in months. And he promised her they would. Well, as they were literally going out the door, the phone rang. He paused, and then looked pained as he tried to ignore the ringing. But he couldn't ignore it. He said, "I'll be back in less than one minute" and answered the phone. Less than one minute turned into a lengthy conversation, and their date was cancelled. As it turned out, the lady who called had made a deal with herself: Her marriage and testimony were on the rocks. She decided she would call the bishop, and if he answered, she would remain active and stay with her husband. And if he didn't answer it, she would leave both.

The story-telling, bishop's wife then proceeded to get emotional over this. I sat in horrified silence, with a stitch planted firmly in my brow. Here are the two main problems I have with this story:

1. A spouse should never come second after a calling. Ever.

2. One's testimony, as an adult, should not be put into terms like this. "If this random, irrelevant event occurs, I will have a testimony. If not, then I won't." Are we sign-seeking people? Yet, when stories like this are told as faith-promoting experiences, we are being told that we are, in fact, supposed to be just that. Testimonies are built on real faith-promoting experiences, built on tests of our faith. Not on whether or not someone picks up a stupid phone. The same can be said about one's marriage. Leaving a marriage up to chance ensures its failure.

Anyway, public rant over.