Off Brands

Have you noticed that some things you just can't buy generic? When you're at the store, it's always a balancing act between price and value. We (Michelle, Jennifer, and I) have compiled a list of items with which we've had bad experiences when trying to save a buck.

Don't buy generic...

• Green beans.... watch out for those stems!


• Syrup.... it's just not as tasty.


• Post-it Notes.... they just don't stick as well.


• Pens.... The cheap ball-point ones never work!


• Rubber Spatulas.... the head separates from the handle.


• Dish soap.... no suds!


• Mother's Cookies (those pink and white frosted animal crackers).... the cheap stuff is not the same as the real.


• Hard contact solution.... exta rubbing required; just not worth it.

We're too scared to try generic [fill in the blank], so we don't recommend it...

• Feminine products.... we figure they can't be good.


• Shampoo and Conditioner


• Toothpaste


• Make-up


• Basically any toiletry item

Go ahead and buy these generic items and save yourself some money...

• Most grocery food is okay


• Tape


• Sandwhich bags.... (but the Ziploc brand still reigns supreme)


• Toilet Paper.... (as long as it's two-ply)


• Facial tissues.... (as long as they're not the industrial rough ones)


• Candles... they still smell the same


• Dollar Store cooking utensils... work just as well as others utensils, for the most part


• Spiral notebooks... to an extent

What experiences with generic brands have you had??

Christmas Cheer From SibDin

Hi, all. We wanted to send this little greeting full of love. Hope you enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Where I Live

As I sit here at 11:30 at night, borrowing my roommate's laptop (which I hope she's okay with... :D), watching "The Wedding Planner," and sort of working on my New Testament final exam review, I can hear the sounds of people having some sort of party across the way. Don't get me wrong... I'm not writing this post because I'm feeling left out (remember how I wasn't "invited" to the party? .... Not that you really have to be invited to a dance party, but I digress...). In actuality, I'm writing this post because I wanted to express my gratitude for where I live. I love having the feeling of coming home each day. I love my ward and I adore my roommates. I love that we have Christmas lights up in multiple houses down the row. I love that somebody (probably our great Elders Quorum[s]) shovels our snow and salts our sidewalks. (And while I'm on the topic of love, I just want to express my love for the scene at the end of this wonderfully sappy romantic comedy that I just finished. What a good one....) I love that I don't have to pay rent. [I love the song that is currently playing somewhere in the void (it's on my playlist, in fact).] I love that I can see other people's front doors out my front window (instead of the street that the people in the North row see). I love that my house is not too far away from campus. I even love that my house is close to Brick Oven Pizza, because even if it is sometimes tortuous to walk home and smell the lovely smell of pizza, if ever I want to splurge for great pizza and root beer I don't have to go far. (Wait a minute! I just realized that I haven't gone there all semester. Shame on me.) I love having a good-sized kitchen. I love having a piano (even if it's only electric) right in my living room. I love the bed and room "position" that I lucked out in getting, because I'm in the room with the bigger closets and I have the side of the room with more shelves.

AND, I am beginning to really really appreciate the fact that the people who live nearby don't usually have these loud, obnoxious parties at all hours of the night.

I am truly blessed. Great choice in buying this condo so many years ago, Dad and Mom!

Homework Help

What is a good topic I could write a short essay on for my Family History class? I've already written about Thanksgivings, moving, and Friday nights with Bagel Bites. What is another "significant" event or activity in my life that might be interesting for my family to read about and which I most likely haven't already written about?

Midland

As part of my Family History class, I'm writing a few short essays about experiences in my life. Though this is not the point of my post, I'm throwing in a plug for this -- DO IT! It's so easy and your family will love to read a short page or two about your thoughts on an experience that was important to you in your life. Anyway, back to the point of the post... I'm writing about moving. So, in my description of Midland I wanted to include the pump jacks that you could see in the distance. However, I couldn't think of the term "pumpjack" and only "oil pump" was coming to my mind. So, I did what I have come to naturally do in any situation when I am stumped -- I googled it. I found the term "pumpjack" on Wikipedia and was delighted to be reminded of what I was trying to say. However, what delighted me even more was the picture next to the article!

Check out the second picture on the right side of the article! Way to go, Midland! You've reached Wikipedia fame!

Holy Football!

And yes, I meant that as a "Holy Cow"-type statement and a "Holy War" reference. :)

I can't even do this game justice. Nor do I have the time to even attempt.

So, I leave you with a video taken after the game.
On the field.
So exciting.

Wish I had time for more.


BYU 26 - U of U 23

Scripture Scouts

I'm grateful for Scripture Scouts! I learned a lot about the basic scripture stories from these wonderful cassette tapes, and I'm pretty sure I owe a lot of my knowledge about the Book of Mormon in particular to those gems. They have catchy little songs that are great to sing, and I loved imagining that I was right there in the tree house with Skyler, Sue, Baby, and Boo. One of my earliest memories involving Scripture Scouts (so early, in fact, that it might be wrong) is when I was really little and spent the night in Lisa's room. I vaguely recall listening to one of the S.S. tapes where it was raining, and we drifted off to sleep with Lisa's Walkman (remember those?!) playing the scriptural tale. Another memory I have is where Rebecca and I (and maybe Spencer too) turned up "Hypocrite Rock" and got out the broom and yardsticks so we could imitate the guitar playing. We stood on the couch in the Family Room and jammed out!

Last night my roommate and I happened to be talking about random things, and somehow Scripture Scouts came up. Guess what?!! She knows 'em, too!! I literally could not stop smiling and laughing in joy at the fact that we can now sing songs from Scripture Scouts together! They not only provided so much entertainment for me when I was younger, but they are still entertaining to me now. In fact, a few years ago we listened to Scripture Scouts on our long drive to Iowa, and we all loved it! Plus, look what I just discovered! My favorite part is the radio.

Turning Tables

Today I'm grateful for the ironies of life. Remember the "hypothetical" almost-burn-down-my-apartment situation? Well, one of my roommates in particular gave me a pretty hard time about it. And I don't mean a joking hard time; I think she was literally mad at me for one little flame coming out of the oven.

Really? We have flames in the house almost all the time with our various candles being lit. Honestly. Give me a break.

Anyway, on Monday I came home and smelled the most horrible thing I have ever smelled. After almost throwing up, I pleasantly asked said roommate what it was. She told me she had been on the phone and got so distracted that she accidentally put her macaroni and cheese mix in the microwave without any water. She must have gone upstairs or something, because I think she let the noodles burn for the full length of the allotted time! Anyway, I asked when it had happened and it turns out it had been about an hour earlier. Even with that length of time there was still smoke floating around the kitchen making everything around wreak! Because it was so cold outside we couldn't even open the windows and doors for long periods of time.

That night all of us cleaned our apartment like crazy people (another long story, but we just found out that day that we had cleaning checks the next day). The apartment looked great when we were done, yet even the strong cleaning products couldn't mask the nasty smell!

The next day we had our cleaning check, and apparently our apartment won the cleanest apartment award. Waiting on our table was a thank you note and a candle as a gift. We were all very glad to receive the candle, as we usually have one burning and our candles had been running low as of late. However, even having constantly burning candles didn't mask the nasty smell!

Now, two days later (count the hours here, people), every time we use the microwave (or even open the door to the microwave) our kitchen smells of burnt noodles again. It even still lingers for about 15 minutes after we use the microwave! When I had my little "situation," smoke smell (but no nasty smell from burnt food) was around for a maximum of 30 minutes.

Though I've been sorely tempted to give her an extremely hard time about it all, something about my non-confrontational nature has held me back. Yes, we still occasionally tease her, but I don't want to make her feel worse about it than I'm sure she already feels.

Yet, secretly, every time I use the microwave and am overtaken by the nasty smell, something inside me has to laugh at how the tables have turned.

My Ability to Speak and Spell

This post might not be very nice, so you shouldn't count it as a true "gratitude" post. Plus, you also shouldn't judge me for the times that I misspell words, because I know it happens.


No, I'm not a toy (refer to the picture). Yes, I am from Texas. Yes, I do currently live in Utah. But, thank goodness I don't have some crazy hick accent or a crazy Utah accent. Unlike these people in Utah, I can differentiate between the sound of the words "feel" and "fill." I don't have any trouble pronouncing "the real deal" correctly. I can say my sister's last name (Steele) properly. Apparently some of the people who have difficulties pronouncing these words correctly also have trouble spelling them correctly. (I would have a hard time spelling them correctly if I said them incorrectly, too.) An announcement on Blackboard (a website used for many of my classes) was posted by my TA the other day and reads:

You don't need to turn in anything, they feel out a sheet that we pick up to give you credit.

Ignoring the fact that this sentence should really be two sentences or one sentence with a semicolon, did you notice the error in spelling? The Writing Center helpers (the "they" in the announcement) actually filled out a paper for me. They did not, however, feel out a paper for me.

This is so judgmental of me because I don't know where she is from, but...

Goodness, Utahns.

Learning Things the Hard Way

I am grateful for this unexpected delight, and was reminded of that fact today. WHY?

Well, imagine this:

You move into a place and notice that the smoke alarm on the main floor has no batteries. After consulting your management "handbook" and realizing that batteries must be provided by the tenants, you make a mental note to either buy the batteries yourself or have your roommates buy some. The next time you and your roommates are together you announce that you are going to buy 9-volt batteries unless one of them has some. Upon the reassurance that one girl has some at home and will grab them the next time she makes the hour trek north, you decide to mark the "get batteries" note off of your mental To Do List.

Fast forward a couple of months. Now all that's left in your brain dealing with smoke detectors is a vague impression on the very back part of it that reads: "Your roommate didn't ever grab the batteries. You should just buy some the next time you're at the store." However, you ignore it.

One day, you decide you really want to eat a hamburger for dinner, but you don't want to clean the George Foreman. Instead, you decide you will just cook it in the oven. Having seen your mother do this many times, you are sure that somehow the meat will end up cooked. However, you have no idea if the oven should be on Broil or just on a regular temperature like 350. After deciding upon the regular temperature and realizing that the burger is taking far too long for your hungry stomach to wait for, you switch the oven over to Broil. Then, you figure you'll go upstairs and fold some laundry while you wait for the meat to cook to perfection. Next thing you know your roommate is calling out that your burger is sizzling like mad and that you should come downstairs and take it out of the oven. The first thing you see when you head down the stairs is a bunch of smoke. Yikes! Your roommate opens the oven door, and while you pull out the pan she turns off the oven. You notice a quick flame shoot out of the oven broilers as she does so.

"Great," you're thinking. I ruined my meal and now our freshly-cleaned apartment is going to wreak like burnt food. Then, you hear the ominous sound of an alarm. "How could this be," you wonder. "I thought the smoke alarm didn't have batteries!" Soon you find the source of the sound upstairs. But, gosh darn it, you can't turn off the alarm!! After what seems like an eternity, your eardrums quit screaming at you in pain as the alarm switches off.

After opening all the doors and windows available and apologizing profusely to your roommates, you finally get to grab your food and eat. But, when you grab a spatula and take the offending patty off the tray, you notice that the bottom is still not completely cooked!

After all that hassle, you end up zapping your meal in the microwave.

Kay, you got that? You have a great imagination. What can we learn from this hypothetical story? Somewhere in the house, there is at least one smoke detector that has working batteries. If ever something sets your house on fire while you're asleep, you'll be the first to hear it since the alarm is located conveniently right next to your bedroom door! Boy am I grateful to have been able to dream up this situation and see the good side of a potentially night-ruining fiasco!

Laughter

Really Great Friends

Once upon a time, I met this great girl who became one of my best friends. Growing up, we were always in the same stake, but not in the same ward or at the same schools, so I really had no idea who she was (except that I'd heard the last name "Bushman" in the stake before). Then one day, I was at Gifted Education Midland school (I went to this school two days a week) and I met Dionna Bushman in my class. We found out that we were both members of the church. After going home and talking to our respective parents, we found out that we were related! We felt so cool being able to tell our friends in the class that we were 3rd cousins once removed, but nobody really believed us. After all, what average fourth grader knows crazy things like the distant relationship you have to your classmate? After that fourth grade year we started going to GEM on different days of the week, so I didn't see her at school any more.

Then in ninth grade when I started attending Seminary in the mornings, I met with the other two wards in Midland, so Dionna and I were again brought into each others' lives. I remember thinking that she was quite the person, and that she was a lot of fun. However, since it had been such a long time since fourth grade and since we went to different high schools, I didn't interact much with her besides the occasional chat in Seminary.

Part way through my sophomore year, the wards were realligned and Dionna's family came into the Midland 3rd Ward with us. Dionna's dad was our new bishop, and poor Dionna was one of the very few Young Women to move over to the new ward (old ward + new boundaries = a brand new ward, after all). I can't imagine being in her situation! After 16 years of being in one ward and having friends there, being isolated and moving to a new ward must have been really tough. Again, I noticed her great personality and willingness to be enthusiastic at YW events despite these "unfair disadvantages."

Soon, the three of us girls (Randee, Audrey, and I) my age who had already been in the ward together 'adopted' Dionna as our own. And boy, let me tell you what a great friend Dionna became! She moved into the ward right before my dad passed away, and it was wonderful having a kind friend like her to lean on. In Seminary we usually sat next to each other. I admit, sometimes we talked a little too much in class, but it was really fun having a spiritual person like her next to me.

Now, we're both at BYU, we both have our parents on missions, we both have a sister on a mission, we are both the youngest of 8 kids, and we both have All Sports Passes together! We got all painted up in celebration of Homecoming a few weeks ago.

Before the game when we were still excited.

Kind of scary, I know.

By this point we were losing terribly, it was getting chilly, and a lot of fans had already left. However, we were happy because we didn't have annoying "fans" behind us anymore!!

I am so thankful for this girl! What a blessing to have her in my life now and forever!

Prayer

Today I will express my gratitude for prayer. Recently I've been having a really hard time in my Physics class. I got behind on a few things and ended up feeling really confused about most of the class. This being a frustrating situation for me, my wonderful family helped me out by fasting and praying for me (among other things that we fasted for as a family).

Since that fast, I have still felt lost and confused multiple times while doing my homework. I also took a test for that class and made one of the worst grades I've ever made on a test here at BYU. However, I've been able to basically finish my homework before the midnight deadline on the day that it's due. I've felt a little less confused in lecture, and I've gotten back to enjoying physics a bit.

Prayer has also helped me in many other ways at many other times in my life, but this was one experience that I have had recently.

This is my sister Emily. Here, she is showing a great example of praying.

And yes, I did take a picture in the middle of a prayer. Call me a sinner.

But, in my defense, the prayer was going on in the Marriott and we still hadn't even gone inside. Emily is so righteous she prays with a broadcasted prayer while standing in front of water fountain! :)

Thursdays

Today, it being a Thursday and in the month of November, I express my gratitude for Thursdays. I absolutely love my Thursday schedule. I start off the day with a 9:00 class, which is not too early or too late. Then right after it I have a piano lesson at 10:30. It's not my favorite class in the world, but it is fun to be encouraged to play the piano as often as I do. Then I have a HUGE break! I get to do whatever I need to from 11 to 5! It really is nice having a day to get caught up on things, or take a break from doing things, or whatever.

Today I went to a Q&A session about the Swine Flu (H1N1) and got free pizza out of it. I also came here -- the Humanities MacLab. I'm learning that I'm not a huge fan of Mac computers, but I am a huge fan of Mac keyboards. I thought that keyboards on MacBooks were just nice because they are in laptop form, but here I found out that even keyboards for Mac Desktops have the same style of keys. The keys are "thinner" than the keys on my computer keyboard at home, so they don't make so much of a clicking noise as I type away. They're kind of fun to push too, but maybe that's because it's novel to me.



See the difference in the key "height" on the two different pictures?







I'm also grateful for Lisa's Christmas music playlist which I'm currently listening to. Hopefully my day will keep going well; I have a Family History test to take later. In fact, I will use my wonderful Thursday break to go study for it!

I spy...

Guess what I saw today?!! I saw the Grounds Crew putting up Christmas lights in the trees in front of the JFSB! I am super excited that it's getting to be the holiday season. I love that I can legitimately listen to Christmas music without being laughed at by everyone. Now the only people who laugh are just the few Scrooges who think it's unnecessary to begin the Christmas cheer by listening to wonderful music. (Granted, I haven't really begun listening to Christmas music, but I have been playing Christmas music for about a month now because of it being assigned to me in my piano lessons.) Plus also, this time of year is made even greater by the fact that it's still warm and hasn't begun snowing yet. I heard that tomorrow it's supposed to get up to 70 degrees here! Yippee!!

Joyousness

Lately I've been crazy busy. I always feel overwhelmed with the amount of homework I have. I don't know how I'll ever have enough time to do the desperate studying I need to do in order to keep up my test grades, GPA, and scholarship. I've been running on a very little amount of sleep, and I keep forgetting to do my laundry.

BUT,
life has also been a joyous.
I absolutely love the fall.
I love great friends.
I love it when I somehow manage to find time to do fun things.

Here's proof:

This new friend of mine named Angela is just great. I love it when I love my ward.
We (along with others) had an evening up in Provo Canyon where we made a campfire and roasted deliciousness. (I ate way too many s'mores that night.)

Often, one of my best parts of the day is walking home. Usually I'm not in a hurry (like I am when I'm walking to school), and I get to enjoy this lovely view every single day. Glorious.

In fact, walking practically anywhere on BYU campus is just breathtaking. I just about died and went to heaven when I went to the Marriott Center the other day for the kick-off to homecoming week (our "devotional" for the week) and saw this along the way.

When I have lots of time (which I have already mentioned is not nearly often enough), I take the scenic route home and go through the "hidden" walkway near Maeser Hill. I can't express to you how much Fall is my favorite season.

This night my roommates, some friends, and I carved pumpkins. We had lots of fun not only carving the pumpkins, but taking pictures afterward. Now I get a smile every time I come home and see our handiwork proudly displayed on the doorstep.

(p.s. 10 points for who can guess which pumpkin Laurie and I carved. And cheating on facebook isn't very fair...)

I have to keep reminding myself that life is meant to be enjoyed and not just stressed about 24-7. Currently I have a quote on my whiteboard that says, "The next stage of life is always better than the previous one, even if it takes you a while to realize it."
(Thanks, Rebecca, for teaching me this in a comment you made a long time ago.)

What current joys are you experiencing?

Tucanos

Since September is obviously the greatest month in which to have a birthday, Jon and I (along with Jennifer and Emily) went to Tucanos to celebrate! This was my first time to the all-you-can-eat-meat heaven. It was delicious, and I stuffed myself silly. Here's some documentation of the fun we had!

Besides the quail egg, I was also brave enough to eat chicken heart and sushi (though I've had that once before a long time ago). I loved the bison, teriyaki chicken, pork roast, grilled pineapple, and just about everything else I ate. What a great way to use my buy one meal get one free birthday coupon! (You should all join the Tucanos birthday club so you can get one too!)

p.s. You can click on the pictures and see them bigger if you'd like.

The Gift of Life

Maybe I gave it today.
I donated blood. Somehow I'll be able to work the General Conference "theme" of service into my life. Today it was blood. Tomorrow, what should it be?

What will YOU do for someone else today?

Post-disclaimer: In no way was this blog post supposed to send the message that "I'm better than you because I donated blood and you didn't." Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Backwards

Today I did some things SDRAWKCAB.

For instance, I showered and then I cleaned.

I cleaned the not-so-dirty kitchen and thus was too tired to clean our very dirty bathroom.

I swept the kitchen floor before doing anything else.
Yes, I had to re-do that.

I vacuumed the carpet on our main floor instead of cleaning our bathroom (and I'm usually one who will do ANYthing [like clean a bathroom] before I will vacuum).

I watched the afternoon session of conference before the morning one....
(Okay, that one I was joking on. I just wanted to throw something silly in.)

I finally got up and put a jacket on when I was cold.
But I closed the door too and thus ended up getting hot.

I got too busy practicing the piano to eat lunch between sessions.
I was starving and finally ate lunch after the afternoon session.

Sometimes I'm YLLIS.
All I gotta say.

Words of Inspiration

I just love listening to the words of a prophet! I'm very excited to listen to General Conference this weekend, because I know I'll hear great words of counsel.

Here's a video clip of some other great inspiring words. Even though the title of the video implies that it's counsel for youth, I bet we can all learn from what President Packer says here.



I especially like the part where he reminds us to "never complain about schooling." During this busy week with lots of tests, sometimes it's hard for me to remember how blessed I am to have the opportunity to receive an education at Brigham Young University. It's great to receive this reminder that "the glory of God is intelligence."

What is some counsel you have especially appreciated recently?

SibDin

I hosted SibDin for the first time this month. The theme was things that are round. I even made lovely invitations and mailed them out to people! Everyone was great about participating in the theme by wearing polka dots.

I made hamburgers, we had round tostitos, watermelon and cantaloupe balls, grapes, and pies that the Hansens made.

Jon, Sarah, and I had birthdays this month, so people sang for us.

Yum-a-lum! I'm glad I only host it once every few months, though; that was a lot of work!

In need of an update

I decided my blog was just that. So, here I go.

Today I'm grateful for fasting, for letters (even if writing letters does take a lot of time), for great visiting teachers, for a quick nap (even if it was accidentally in the middle of the re-broadcast of the General Relief Society Meeting), for delicious brownies and lemon cupcakes, for fun times at ward prayer, and for roommate chats.

I'm also grateful that I can go to bed now.

...Plus another WHOLEday

Who said birthday joy only has to last for one day in a year?

I think NOT.

That's why I particularly enjoyed the day after my birthday.

First of all, it was a Friday. Who doesn't love those days?
Plus, when I woke up to go to class, I found this waiting for me downstairs:

My roommates made these delectables for me on my birthday, but forgot to leave them out for me (in the case of the cupcakes) and made it so late that I was already full for the day (in the cake situation). Yum-a-lum. (Plus, since two of my roommates went out of town for the Labor Day weekend, it meant more cake for me.)

For lunch I treated myself to Costa Vida. Rebecca and I have decided to make it a tradition for us to take the birthday girl to Costa Vida for dinner. We did it last year and in April for her birthday.

Since she's in Peru, I most obviously had to go by myself. I took it home to eat it, but it was still darn tasty!

Later in the day my friends Brita and Jenessa came to visit me! They were just the people I wanted to see!

I finished off the day by joining some siblings for the Story Telling Festival in Orem. Jon and Emily had saved us great seats, and the stories were hilarious! (I AM the Batman.)

Finally, we went to IHOP for some nasty water and a delicious little evening snack.

What a fabulous part TWO of my birthday!

BirthWHOLEday

I had a birthday a while ago -- did you hear?
Every time my birthday rolls around I feel like I've been my current age for much longer than one year. Does this happen to anyone else? I'm thinking it's because my peers and classmates are always so much older than me with my late birthday. I mean, I'm still a teenager? Not that I really mind being a teenager, but I feel like I should be nearing 20 and I still have a whole year left!

Well, let me tell you about my birthday this year. It was great! First thing in the morning, I rolled out of bed and drove to Kneader's to meet my sister Jennifer for breakfast. Unfortunately, they don't open until 7 (I told you it was first thing in the morning -- we tried meeting at 6:30). So, we headed over to McDonald's for breakfast instead.

What a delicious breakfast!

Then I went to Physics, my first piano lesson of the semester, and a meeting for work. I found it very appropriate that I clocked in for my first official job on my birthday. I really am growing up after all! hehe. We had delicious brownies at the meeting, by the way.

I went home for lunch, and my roommate Laurie and I talked for a bit once she came home. Then we started the movie "Sydney White," because who really wants to do homework on her birthday?! Nobody, I tell you.

After my Sign Language class I got to talk to my mom on the phone (senior missionaries sure have the perks). When I came home I found this on the wall:
At first I wasn't even sure who made it. I found out late my roommate Kara had made it for me while she was at work that day. What a great friend!

Very soon after I got home there was a knock on my door. I thought it was a date coming to pick up my roommate so I was slow in answering the door. However, when I opened it Spencer and Whitney were standing outside! What a pleasant surprise. They told me to come with them, I obeyed, and we went to Hogi Yogi for some delicious ice cream cookie sandwiches. That seems to be their tradition for birthday people, and hey -- I ain't complainin'! Did I mention they were rill yummy?

I talked to more siblings who called, and then my friend Chelsea dropped by. It was so fun talking with her! That girl makes me bust a gut -- seriously. She's so funny I can't help but smile. We actually got a picture together since I seem to be sadly lacking in pictures with her.

As I'm looking at this I realize that it looks like I'm much taller than Chelsea, when in fact it's the other way around. Her pants blend in with the couch so it's hard to see she's sitting on the arm of the couch. :)

Laurie and I had already decided to go to the dollar theater for entertainment, and Chelsea wanted to come with us since she hadn't seen "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" either. Laurie was rill nice and paid for me. It was kind of a violent movie for my taste, but it was interesting. Plus it was great fun to spend the night with two great people!

Splendid day, friends.

p.s. Why the title, you ask? I also got to open a few birthday cards from my aunt and my mom. Mom knows me well. Her card was one with a view of Michael from "The Office" on it. The card says:

You don't just want to wish someone a happy birthday because that phrase, my friend, only recognizes the DAY part of a birthday. It doesn't recognize the dark, predawn hours or the evening. The "NIGHT" parts of the day, as it were. Those parts add up to a WHOLE day, not just the "DAY" part. And they need to be recognized.

So have a Happy BIRTHWHOLEDAY! All 24 hours, not just the day part.

Hilarious and a great card to make my WHOLE day a great one.

A Great Beginning

Last night was the first game of the BYU football season. Number 20 ranked BYU played number 3 ranked OU in Arlington, Texas at the Dallas Cowboys' stadium.

Because I didn't have a TV and Jon and Emily didn't have cable, they came over and brought their extra TV for us to watch the game together. Jon, being from Oklahoma, was rooting for OU, but I think we all secretly were sure that BYU would lose.

The first half of play was full of flags and penalties. We were excited to see that BYU was actually keeping up with OU and that despite the few interceptions and turnovers, the score was pretty even. Then, in the second-to-last play of the first half, the OU Heisman winner quarterback got injured in a fair tackle. I felt really bad for OU, but once I saw the replacement QB I was a little more hopeful for BYU's chance of winning.

We ate dinner during the third quarter, so I was a little distracted. However, I didn't miss much because the third quarter was kinda boring.

When the fourth quarter rolled around BYU was behind. Emily and I kept rooting for our Cougars as we got closer and closer to the endzone. When we were 3rd and goal (I think), we got a penalty and had to back up 5 or 10 yards. However, that seemed to be the magical touch! Most of OU's players went to block Dennis Pitta, a popular receiver. However, Max Hall threw a beautiful pass to a different wide open player in the endzone. We got a touchdown and were in the lead!

Soon after, OU was getting closer and closer to field goal position. All of us watching were practically biting our nails in suspense. BYU's defense had some great blocks, and I think a penalty knocked OU back a few yards. OU had to decide between going for a 4th and 13 or a field goal longer than their kicker had ever made. They went for the field goal, but the kicker missed the goal!

After BYU got the ball back and held it for the last few seconds of the game, it was official that BYU had won the game, 14-13! YIPPEE!! Emily and I were overjoyed (and Jon was a great sport about it too, since it might help the Moutain West Conference get more notice). Emily stepped outside after the game, and this video is what we heard:


The celebrating and honking was audible for at least an hour after the game, but I heard about people staying up until 3 or 4 AM cheering about their Cougars. Later that night we went up to Sundance to ride the ski lift, and as we drove through Provo south of campus, we couldn't help but honk and cheer too! We even rolled down our windows, blasted the fight song, and had Jon honk to the "Ra"s at the end. What an awesome game! I hope the rest of the season is this exciting!

Mommie the Mishunrie

After a long summer of packing up the last 31 years of her life,
After an emotional goodbye to Midland and our house,
After a long drive to Utah,
After an unexpected delay going in to the MTC (pneumonia sure has a way of ruining things),
After an extra week of being a set apart missionary who had to follow mission rules,
After realizing that she forgot to fill out the back side of her shot record paper,
After a nervous but funny ride to Provo,

Mom finally made it to the MTC!!

Bringing a senior missionary to the MTC is a lot different than bringing a young missionary. First of all, they go in on Monday instead of Wednesday so there was hardly anyone around to even take our group picture. So few people, in fact, that I didn't even get a group picture taken on my camera.

Here's my wonderful Mommie in front of the sign for her home for the next few days.

And here she is with her favorite daughter.... named Heidi. :D
We were taken by surprise when, as we drove into the parking lot, we saw a sign directing us to turn right (instead of the left we took to drop off Rebecca at the curb). Once we pulled up in front of the front doors, we all got out and waited to hug Mom goodbye. However, a missionary met us and told us not to take out her luggage yet. Instead we were to accompany Mom to her room and help her with the luggage. WOAH. Crazy. How many of you can say that you've been inside an MTC dorm room without having been a full-time missionary? I can. :) Here's the proof:Once we helped her get her stuff in, we briefly met her companion (Sister Kapp, sister-in-law to Janice Kapp Perry) and then headed back to the front door. After a slight (hilarious) delay of getting stuck in a stupid ditch in the parking lot (Jon, I hope your car is okay), we took Mom here:
Even though we got to take her to the front door, we didn't get to walk in and see her get her nametag. We hugged right outside the front door, and it was still such a foreign feeling than none of us cried this time around either (including Mom!).

BUT, as Spencer likes to fondly remind us, senior missionaries can do whatever they FREAKIN' want. SO.... Mom might even be reading this blog post. Plus also, she called me yesterday to see how everything went when I moved in to my new place. She also mentioned that she even has time to take a nap in the middle of the day! Coolio. Nevertheless, I know she's busy and working hard -- missionary life is never easy. I really admire my mom for having the guts to serve a full-time mission, even though it's not with her husband like she had orginally planned. The California Riverside Mission has one great Mission Secretary in training right now!

I'm glad that both of my parents are now serving missions, even if it's not the same mission. I love you, Mom! Good luck with everything!

Fustrated, Flustrated, Frustrated

However you say it (and yes, I've heard people say it all three ways, annoyingly enough), that's what I am.

Apparently, no matter how much I beg, the Pleasant Grove Library computers don't like to let me on to BYU's homepage. So, despite the fact that I'm elated that BYU no longer has a health and wellness requirement (meaning I don't have to take HEPE this semester afterall), I CAN'T DO ANY STINKIN' THING ABOUT IT. I can't drop that class and sign up for a more fun one when I can't even log on to Route Y to check for class openings, now CAN I?

Add that to the fact that I don't even have my own library card here (meaning I have to wait for a relative to be done with his/her card) and that each card only gets one hour using the computer -- That means that IF the computer EVER lets me sign in to BYU, I'll be down to only 5 minutes of usage left and run out of time to do anything on my account (at least that's what happened yesterday...)

WHAT A HEAP OF JUNK.
I miss my own computer with the internet.

Despite all this, life really is lovely. I promise.
Sometimes I just gotta vent, ya know?

Visitors!

We had Jennifer, Spencer and Whitney, and the Merkleys here to visit last week. They helped out a lot with cleaning the house, our garage sale, and were just a lot of fun to have around! I loved being able to laugh during home videos, eating s'mores cooked over a camp stove, and being able to just stay up late talking.

While they were here, I noticed some things about one of my nieces and a couple of my nephews.

Josh is a very structured kid, he's a great big brother, and he is a fan of creamy (not crunchy!) peanut butter. I enjoyed seeing him play the piano and I envied his ability to make sound effects.

What a cute little construction worker!

Josh, this picture's for you since you requested that I add it to my blog:
(He's the one behind the couch.)

Tyler has a wonderful giggle that I wish I had caught on film, he inherited some stubbornness (probably from his mom :D) that he likes to display by saying, "I can't" in a very cute little voice, and he loves to play with Josh. He seemed to be a little shy around me at first, but he soon got used to me. I loved how Tyler's entire hand could fit on my (for lack of a better word) "nail" toy (see the post just before this if you don't know what toy I'm talking about).

Here Tyler is 'vacuuming' at a Children's Museum.

Sarah is an adorable little baby who likes to be around other people, who crawls very quickly, and who has an eye for any little thing left on the floor. She seemed to be quite taken with Spencer, and she loved crawling through the tunnel at the museum. She was a delight to be around, and I'm glad I finally had the chance to meet my youngest niece!

Here she is in the aforementioned tunnel.

Now Eric and family are visiting, and I'll get to do another post about these cute kiddos sometime later!


Thanks to everyone for coming to visit, for being so much help with packing up the house and at the garage sale, and for helping make this last part of summer so much fun!

True Love

Sometimes people are just made for each other.

Do you remember this friend? And how she met someone else?

Guess what I've seen them doing together...

One day I thought I smelled burnt rubber...
But before I found the source of the smell, I found Earl shading his dear friend from terrible UV rays.
He sacrificed his own little rubber body to protect her.

Meanies attacked Thelma and threatened her with head-pop-offage...
Unless someone else could save her.
He laid on a bed of nails for her.

Another time I heard Thelma calling out in distress...
Something about losing her arm down a cliff.
Despite a lack of ropes, he rock climbed for her.

She said she liked flowers...
especially blue ones just her size.
He picked a flower even bigger than himself, just to see her smile.

Earl & Thelma
Now that's true dedication.

I glew in the dark!!

The other day I was cleaning through my room (something I've done a lot of lately) and I found some Glow Bracelets and a Glow Necklace. Conveniently enough I had discovered a few weeks earlier that my camera has the ability to do time-lapse photography. So.... putting two together, I decided to involve Jennifer and Mom in an evening activity!

The bracelets turned out not to be bright enough, but the necklace (with three different colors on it) showed up pretty well!

Here's Jen waving it around:
And here's my name! It took me a few tries to time it just right, and I'm not the best at writing backwards...
Mommie wrote her name (LaRae) and was pretty good at it.
Then she traced me!
And here's what I spent time doing after the others went back inside (too many mosquitoes outside). I think time-lapse and timer functions are great things to have on a camera. :D
What a fun way to clean out my room!