You Know You're Busy When...

... you have to make an abbreviated list that gives examples of what happens because you're too busy (see below):

- dead fish
- lost phone
- no sleep
- sleep @ work
- nervous breakdown
- writing mania
- powerpoint trauma
- too, many, commas,!
- no walks
- no dog park

- not enough time for more.

Over 40 Unread...

... in my gmail inbox right now.

I've been busy.

I'll get that number down.

Sometime.

Hopefully soon.

No Matter What -

- He's got it.

I was watching 'Once Upon a Honeymoon.'

Cary Grant was surrounded by bad actors, a weak plot and a poor script. Throw Ginger Rogers with a fake accent into the mix and it was looking like a train wreck.

He smiled...via

And I bought it all.

No joke.

It happened pretty much that quickly.

While getting that image I saw a couple of websites that talked about George Clooney being 'the next Cary Grant' and the 'spitting image.'

I say one thing -

Hell No.

Clooney is no Grant.

It's Just Possible...

... that I've been listening to this song, and watching this music video a lot in the past day. And by a lot, I mean while taking a meal break or standing break from writing my thesis (which is almost done, hallelujah!).

I'll tell you why on Saturday.

Or, probably Sunday.

In all honesty, it might be Monday.

But don't worry.

I will tell you.

Have Mercy*

*20 million points if you know the show I'm referring to.
here's your hint*
and here's a way hotter picture (:

A month or so ago I got asked to be the secretary in the relief society. In that first week, I met with Amber, the president, to set up visiting teaching assignments. While doing so, we glanced through the members ages, just out of curiosity.

Amber and I are both turning 30 this year, and were hoping we weren't the only 'grandmas' in the ward.

Skip ahead to tonight.

Amber and I are back in the clerk's office, on the computer, looking at the relief society list.

Somehow we ended up with the membership records of people who fall in our age group (18-30) who happen to be in the local prison right now. This being the case, some of those people had been given visiting teaching assignments...

This was a mistake.

One we intended to fix tonight.

Imagine my dismay when I realized that 3 of the girls we saw were in the same boat (nearing 30 and still single with no relationship on the horizon - that last part was admittedly projection on my part)...

are inmates.

Amber said it looks like we're beating the odds since when you're turning 30 the choices seem to be between getting married and going to prison.

And they might even have a better chance of getting married while they're in prison, then we do while in our ward.**

**so, here i was going to post a newspaper article or something similar that proved that people really do get married while in prison. in case you needed proof.**

i didn't find that, but i did find these gems:

how to marry a prisoner
i love tips 2 and 5

chapel of love ceremonies: weddings behind bars
with reverend starlene - i'm not lying about that name either

wow.

wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.

in other words:

HAVE MERCY.

So Worth It -

For a possible free trip to Paris I will do almost anything you ask me to.

Almost.

Post a link to a blog? Most definitely.

Here you go.

http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris/

Check it out!

Two Cute Girls

Yesterday I changed by gmail chat status to: 'LILIA!!! WHERE ARE YOU? (:'

Lilia is my younger sister's oldest daughter (turning 2 tomorrow!) who I haven't seen/talked to in way too long. And she's adorable. I figured if/when my sister saw that, she'd open up a video chat with Lilia around.

Turns out she was clicking on my name to chat with me before she noticed my status.

Perfect.

I also got to talk to her two boys for a minute.

Aren't they cute?


Thanks for the call girlies!

I Call It My Thesis Weight...

via

...And not in an endearing sort of way.

It's more of an I-can't-believe-I've-gained-back-so-much-of-the-weight-I-lost-last-year-and-I-hate-it-so-much kind of way.

I find thesis weight to be much less noble than baby weight. I mean, when all of this is over, I'll have about a 100-page paper* to show for it. Something that will hopefully be published (at least once...), but that's all.

I won't have a 5+ lb. bundle of life in my hands (the way my family grows them, it's more like a 9+ lb. bundle) that I spent 40 weeks creating in my body, that I am then expected to nurture and teach for at least the next 21 years of your life (but, which continues on into the 30s and 40s easily I'm sure - albeit without the same intensity).

Perhaps I sound a bit anti-feminist. And truth be told, I kind of am. But that's another discussion for another day.

*this beast of a paper is currently 70+ pages. but let me quickly add that I've only created 16 of those pages (so far. it'll definitely be longer, but not 50 pages...). the rest are appendices that I only needed to insert. but you never hear that part of the story when someone tells you their thesis length. at least I don't. so it sounds as though they've created all those pages, when really... they haven't.

A Memory (Installment 2)

click here for installment 1

via

Not sure why I was reminded of this today, but nevertheless - this is what it is:

While living in Las Vegas, in the southern-practically-the-outskirts-at-the-time part, I lived in a cul-de-sac with three other homes. In one of those homes lived an older couple with an even older mother. They had a granddaughter (and great-granddaughter) who would play with us sometimes. We had enough interaction with the great-grandmother for me to be pretty sure she was scary, and I was afraid of her.

One day in the afternoon I was in the front of the house alone. I had just gotten out there and was walking between our big van and the garage when I heard 'help!' I looked across the street and saw the scary great-grandmother lady standing in front of the driveway of the house next to hers - not being able to keep walking to her home.

I'm ashamed to say my first action was to step back behind the van so she couldn't see me. I figured if she didn't know I was there, I couldn't be expected to help her.

Luckily my conscience kicked in quickly and I went across the street to help her. When I got there, she told me she needed help walking back to her house. So she grabbed onto my arm and we slowly made our way to her house.

And that was it.

But I was still scared of her.

I wish I could say that after that bonding moment we were great friends and she'd invite me over for milk and cookies. But she didn't. And I don't know that I would have gone even if she had. And she probably forgot it even happened.

But nothing changed.

I'm not really sure what the point of this story is, other than it makes me look like a not-great-person because I didn't jump right in to do the right thing.

I worry that I'm still like that sometimes. With different situations it's hard to really say how fast my response time really is now.

But I'm pretty sure that if I were ever faced with an old lady who was calling out for help, I'd jump right in. Scary or not.

Just a Note

Last night I went to my brother's intramural championship softball game. I had been planning on going to a good friend's bridal shower (she's moving to Ohio where her fiance is going to dental school so they can finish wedding prep stuff while living in the same state, so I really wanted to go and see her before she goes, but when I heard about the championship game... well... I had to go. I called Mindy while on my way home from the game to tell her why I missed it and, as I knew she would be, she was glad I got to go to his game and really glad that he won! - don't worry, that didn't ruin my story. and, we'll hopefully get together sometime next week), but decided it was more important that I support my brother and watch his team kick the trash out of Riley Nelson's team (he's a punk, by the way. instead of joining his team when lining up to slap five with the other team and say 'good game' he walked off and started changing his shoes. harper - having had more interaction with him before that - had already told me he was a real punk, and I saw that as evidence of it. it's too bad. i hate it when athletes - and anyone else - are really good and full of themselves.). And that's exactly what happened (again, not ruining the story).

They had to beat this team twice since they had had a bad game earlier in the tournament and lost to them.

No problem.

The first game wasn't even close.

The second game was even less close.

They had to call the second game at the end of the... 6th inning (? - I think), because Harper's team was 10 runs ahead, and the mercy rule applied.

It was awesome.

I think it may have been my first time witnessing an intramural championship where the team that I was rooting for won. (unless I was at my bro-in-law's ultimate frisbee championship and they won... which could have been the case... but I don't remember. it was a long time ago.)

Now to the point of my story -

While sitting on the grass on the sidelines during the first inning of the first game, I watched a batter on my brother's team hit a popfly. I looked up and saw the ball heading straight to my head (after going up a long way in the air it started coming down a long way to the ground). I leaned my head down and away so it wasn't the target anymore, but didn't correctly estimate where it was going to land because it ended up nailing me right on my hip (I was kind of lying on my side). And - OUCH. It hurt. A ton. It stung, and hurt. But I was fine.

After batting, Clay (Harper's friend and teammate) came over and asked if I was okay, saying he was sorry, and that's when I realized who was responsible... Later, Caitlin mentioned it to Harper, who immediately turned to Clay and yelled, 'You hit my sister?' Nice. (:

Today's, it's bruised, and showing some burst blood vessels.

It's ugg-ly.

I'm just glad it's hidden by my clothes.

I will say it's kind of fun to have a (non-permanent) mark of the championship game. Maybe 'fun' is the wrong word.

Anyway, so glad I could be there to watch, and so glad they won!

Joplin, MO

My doctor-in-training brother-in-law Spencer went to Joplin recently to help with clean-up.

Click here for his post on his experience.

It's June! And We Love Hiking.

this time, the dogs came too.

and they needed a water break on the way up.

despite the look on annikki's face, she really does like hiking.

the view on the way down.

utah lake in front of the mountains.

i wore flip flops on this hike, and last week's. i'm now looking into good sandals for hiking. i like not wearing shoes and socks, but flip flops aren't the most stable footwear...

i've heard good things about chaco's and teva's.

any thoughts?