We are nerds. . .

. . .and we know it. You will see as you view the slide show just how dorky sisters can be when they get together. There's something about being completely comfortable with your company, and knowing that whatever you do or say doesn't matter because those people will love you no matter what. I think that is the main thing I took away from this weekend.

I'll start by saying that the slide show you are about to watch, should you decide to, is pictures taken with both Cami's and Melody's cameras. So there are a lot of baby Jane shots (which are so cute), and other shots of Cami's photography skills or whatever.

So we'll start with Thursday night. They were scheduled to land at about 10 pm in DC. It was fun staying up to wait for them, but hard to wait the entire day. And to make matter worse, their flight from their layover was delayed over two hours. So the plan that Cami and I had to surprise then at the airport (instead of them taking the metro conveniently in the airpot) was down the tubes, and KC and I just went to pick them up at about 12:30. Good thing they were on Utah time and it was 2 hours earlier to them. It was hard to go to sleep with so much to talk about and wanting to just be together, but we finally did.

The next morning, Friday, we got up and got ready together. (There's something so fun about getting dressed and ready in the morning with people to talk to and get advice from. It always seems we wear someone else's clothes when we are together cause it's just more fun.) We made our way to Cami's house, and promptly went to the Mall where we of course had a great time buying things we did, and didn't need. We went back to Cami's for siesta time and to re-watch The Office for some laughs. We headed to the store for the makings of loaded nachos. It's a bad thing for me to eat nachos with everything and fresh salsa. I can't stop. So after we were sick with our stomachs stuffed to the max with the delicious junk food, we very excitedly played a few games and laughed until our stomachs hurt some more, like we always do. Amber stayed to sleep at Cami's and Melody came along with KC and me.

Saturday morning, I think we all had a little hangover from the night before, so we took it easy in the morning. The weather was weird being all 70s and raining. Melody and I went to get dinner stuff (her first time at Aldi, I'm so proud) and of course Target. It's so much more fun to do the regular things with different, people, ya know? The other girls came over, we made delicious sandwiches, and decided to take a little trip down town to DC. It is very close to my house after all. After FINALLY getting to a parking garage, we went to Ford Theater that happened to be closed, bummer. So we thought we'd just go see an IMAX at a Smithsonian museum or something. We got to a corner, something like Pennsylvania and 12th, only a few block from the White House, when we were stopped on all sides by police not letting us cross the streets. All kinds of sirens and bulletproof cars with different flags mounted on the hoods passed us. And they just kept coming. KC told us later it was the G 20, coming to discuss some economic issues or something. Pretty cool to witness nevertheless. While we were waiting to cross, merely blocks from our destination, the wind started to feel the eerie way it feels before a downpour. I warned the girls of what was to come, and not soon after, the giant raindrops were upon us like crazy. We ran into the nearby drugstore, keeping cute little Jane in mind. We bought some garbage bags to wrap our valuables in, and decided to head back to the car. It pretty much stopped raining, but we were done anyway. We rested a little at my house, did a little dinner prep, and headed to Cami's for dinner. The boys were already there watching some intense BYU game or something. We enjoyed pasta with homemade turkey spinach meatballs (soon to be in EE), and had to go on an ice cream run. The key lime pie ice cream was awesome. KC, Melody and I left a little earlier, being exhausted from our long day. We tried to stay up and watch a fun old movie, but sleep got the better of us.

So, we had big plans on Sunday. I suggested we go to Philadelphia, with that being on mine and KC's list for this fall. Amber and Melody were very excited to run up the Rocky steps, and I REALLY wanted a Philly cheese steak from Geno's. We found out from the guy behind us in line that it was the best of the best. We knew it was famous, but we were glad to have a seasoned Geno's eater confirm it. So we walked up to the window and ordered our "wiz wit" (that's the lingo for Cheese wiz with onions, the best way to have it) and thoroughly enjoyed them in the car, due to the bitter cold. We saw Liberty Hall, the Liberty Bell, walked on some charming and quaint cobblestone roads, and last but not least ran up the step of the museum that Rocky himself climbed during a dramatic scene in the movie (that I have yet to see in full. I know, I know, it's crazy that I haven't yet). This is where the extreme nerdiness came it. Amber, the craziest of us all had us laughing so hard with her energy and giddiness. She is quite a character. We all took our turns, Melody and I going together, and took a lot of embarrassing movies and pictures to prove it. It was an event to remember. We rested a lot on the 2 1/2 hour drive home, but had a nice warm pot roast and veggies ready for us in the crock pot when we got there. A great meal after a long day in the cold. We couldn't help but watch a few really funny SNL clips on hulu, including The one I have posted below, that we couldn't help but sing constantly because of the fact that we were all together, and sister, like it states in the song. I guess watching ridiculous things online is one of our favorite pastimes. Lili must have done it to us. We so wished you were there with us. Maybe you could've found more for us to laugh hysterically at. Anyway, we left exhausted once again, and went straight to bed. It's never fun waking up and getting ready the day fun guests have to leave. But their flight didn't leave until the afternoon, we we had time to grab a bite at Panera, and go to Target, yet again to get last minute items. I took them to the airport in DC, passing the beautiful monuments that are so close to the freeway. It's always nice to remember how close we are to such a historical place. We said our goodbyes, and though this usually involves a lot of tears, we were gladdened by that fact that Cami and I are planning to come there in a couple months. In fact, last night, I purchased my tickets to arrive at the end of January. It was seriously the cheapest tickets I've seen in so long. I'm staying for a long time with no plans, so it will be so much fun to chill together all over again. And this time with more people that I dearly miss.

So, sisters, I am so happy to have been able to have fun with you guys. There's really nothing like getting together with family and just laughing to tears. I miss you so much already. Cami and I will see you soon, so look at all these pictures with fondness until we take another 200 when we come to see you.

Now what?

I am sitting here alone in this house where all but one of my sisters were just sitting with me. (Lili we missed you bad!) What am I supposed to do now. Melody and Amber flew in late last Thursday night, and I just dropped them off at the airport. It was so great being with them, and we are trying not to be sad since I'm planning on taking a trip over there very soon due to cheaper airfare than I've seen in quite a while. But even with that, it's so strange to go from so much excitement and hubbub to regular old life. I suppose it's a little nice to get back to the daily grind, and maybe a few things I've been neglecting due to the great fun that comes with sisters getting together, but I do wish they were still here with me. But, Cami is, so we can still do sistery things until we are all together again to party.

Here's something funny. I only got out my camera once the entire weekend. And it was to take the picture above (that's kinda blurry but oh well). Yep, I let others take the lead with that. It was so relaxing since I usually have my camera hooked to my face. But the point of this trip to just chill and have a relaxing time. But never fear, many pictures were taken, and we are all going to use the one or two cameras containing them for our posts. So that's why I took my one picture, to tide me over for a little pre-post until I get my hands on the rest with the inevitable lengthy recount of our weekend fun. And there are things to write about. Until then.

Adios

I am done with TAMN. I have been for a while. Today just sealed the deal for me. I can take a joke, really I can, but I don't see what is so funny about most of the things "she" says. Some topics just aren't joke-worthy. She is old news to me.

A little ditty

I am - waiting for KC to get home.

I think -Alfred Hitchcock is a genius.

I want -to go to Ireland someday.

I have - the perfect water bottle.

I wish - I lived closer to more of my family.

I hate - getting lost. My GPS and I have become very close.

I miss - working in a pastry shop with really talented and well known chefs (but not enough to sacrifice my KC time to go back).

I fear - my future children's future. What will the world be like for them?

I feel - excited for future children.

I hear - the ticking of three different clocks.

I smell - the lingering scent of my lotion on my hands.

I search - for the perfect purse (I think I might've found it, but it is put away until Christmas, so we'll see. I'm actually very happy with the one I have, it's just worn out.)

I wonder - if I'll ever come away from a night with my friends without have regrets about something I said, or did, or didn't say, or didn't do. I feel like I always have to apologize about something to someone, but they usually don't even remember what I'm talking about.

I regret - Being selfish. Even in my adult years, I have said or done little things to my family in particular that were very immature. Hopefully the forgive me and realize I was having a weak moment and I'm doing better.

I love - the book I'm reading (that is a separate post, coming soon.)

I care - so much about my loved ones, it's hurts sometimes.

I always - make my husbands lunch in the morning.

I am not - a night person.

I believe - in punctuality.

I dance - on very rare occasions.

I sing - to all the tv show theme songs, commercial, news program, and radio jingles that I hear on a daily basis. KC always thinks it's crazy how accurate I can sing each one. And when he reacts, it makes me realize just how much of a sponge I am. Maybe I should be embarrassed by this. It just goes to show that I love music, wherever I can get it.

I don't always - dust the furniture as much as I'm supposed to.

I write - in my journal during sacrament meeting every Sunday.

I win -because I bought gas for $1.95 today!

I lose - my mind quite often.

I never - get tired of watching shows and learning about whales or sharks or the ocean in general.

I listen - to morning shows while I get ready for the day, even though most of the hosts drive me crazy.

I can usually be found - At the mall, Aldi, Target, or at home under a blanket on my couch. All regular actives.

I'm scared - of the idea of being alone and lost in the ocean and not knowing what is beneath me. (Probably from all the things I watch and learn about the ocean.)

I read - more now that I'm in a book club.

I'm happy about - the children that will enter our life someday, hopefully soon.

Oh yeah!.

My Dad was interviewed for FOX 13 in Utah yesterday. My parents started the Standard of Liberty Foundation which is "an LDS-oriented educational foundation which exists to raise awareness of radical sexual movements overrunning America's Christian-moral-cultural life and to inspire the public will, families, and individuals to counteract these trends."

He was asked to give his view on the backlash from the prop. 8 outcome. I am so proud that he is standing up for our beliefs. We really need to keep our faith going strong in a world so against what we believe. So to see the broadcast interview with channel 13 go here, and to see the 20 minute raw footage of the interview, including my parents hosting a local radio program, go here.

Thanks for standing up Mom and Dad!

"With my by myself."

Not that the new post below isn't important enough to keep at the top for longer, but I can't seem to get this SNL clip out of my head. I laugh out loud even when I just think about it. I keep singing the song over and over, and it never gets old. You maybe have already seen it many times since it aired a few weeks ago, but I say it's a true classic. If you haven't seen it, you are in for a real treat. And you'll understand my title. The talet these SNL people have. . .

He makes me smile

I'm not sure why I am so pressed to write this post, but I feel like I simply must write it down while these thoughts are dominating all others. I was just visiting teaching such a sweet friend, and though we had a great discussion (she is a new member and always has so many refreshing things to talk about), she said something that sums up some recent thoughts I've had. She said, "Your husband is always smiling and so nice." Such a simple comment, but I have to say that she was right on. It's not the first time I have realized this or heard it from other people. I have always known and enjoyed this. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with him in the first place. But sometimes, things like this can really hit you all at once. Or you can get used to things that other people notice more readily than you because you see it all the time. He is genuinely and truly nice and happy almost all the time. He always has something nice to say about everyone he meets. Seriously, how did I luck out with this guy?

A few days ago he said something that was so "KC" and it made me laugh so hard. But of course, I can't remember it due to him saying it late at night (not the optimal time for me to retain information). It was driving me crazy that I couldn't remember, but then I realized that it doesn't even matter what it was. The fact of the matter is that he made me laugh, and it was just him being himself. That's the coolest part about it. He doesn't even have to try. It's just the way things work in that funny head of his. Times when I think there is nothing to smile about, he finds something to lift me from my self-pity. And I know these kind of posts are silly, and I know you might not care to bask with me in my husband's goodness (I know he doesn't want you to), I just wanted to write down these thought I've been having lately, and reiterate how very lucky this wife is. Now I'll stop before I get into our little endearing inside jokes, or silly married people games we play, cause that would really bore you. So, during a time of many distractions, personally and in the world, I just wanted to remember this sweet moment when I couldn't help but think of anything besides my ever-smiling partner in crime.

Silver Lining

So there is a silver lining to this whole election catastrophe. Prop. 8 passed in California! So there is a reason to rejoice among the madness. Hooray for protecting our families. I need to have some hope for my children's future, and this really helps. Thank you, honorable people of California for standing up. This is a great blessing. I'm relieved.

No lines for me!

I am still registered in Columbia from the last election when I lived with Cami (have I really been here for two whole presidential elections?) and I don't know what the lines look like here in my neighborhood, but they couldn't have been better than where I voted. Seriously, lines were nonexistent. In and out in 5 minutes! It seems all the news is talking about is the lines that wrap around buildings and people in line for two hours or more. Yikes. I'm happy to not live there.

And if it's possible to touch a touch screen ballot with conviction, I did it! I am proudly wearing my "I Voted" sticker (maybe we'll stop by one of the places that give free ice cream or other food if you are donning the sticker), and am proud to say that I did my part. Now, all I can do is pray, and believe me, I will be praying.

Anything can happen on Halloween, your hands could turn into burritos.

(The title is to be sung to the tune of this song from "The Worst Witch." Oh the childhood memories. Gotta love those special effects.)

To begin I want to say that I think we are in the clear as far as the mothball smell. I think I caught it early enough. I believe all our clothes smell very fresh from their day in the sun and air. And if there's any lingering smell around here, it's the dryer sheets I placed everywhere. I also think the charcoal did a great job, and we're back to the musty smelling closets we had before, which I'll take any day over the mothballs. Phew! I thought we were goners. (And it doesn't look like nearly as many clothes when their in my little closet, okay!)

The Halloween fun was kicked off with a birthday party Molly threw for her one year old Nathan a couple weeks ago. It really got me in the Halloween spirit seeing all the kids dressed up and playing games. I told Molly that if she didn't have plans for the cake, I'd be happy to make one. I knew she's go above and beyond with the games and food, so I thought It would take a load off. And I wanted an excuse to make a pumpkin bundt again (this is the one I use and I love it). It was such a fun party for everyone and I was so happy to be invited to celebrate with Nathan.


Then of course we had our ward Halloween party/trunk-or-treat last Wednesday. It was, again, fun to see all the kids so giddy in their imaginative costumes. And a lot of adults got into this one too. Even in our tiny ward we had two McCain/Palin couples. One couple was supporting, and the other was opposed. The opposed couple's daughter was dressed like a little devil and I made a joke that she was Barack Obama. They had a good laugh. Good thing because as the time, I didn't know they were pro-O. (She is one of my friends so we can joke around like that.) Anyway, we also had some people donned in Russian gear so we had fun with Sarah Palin being buddy buddy with the Russians. That was funny too, but enough politics. KC and I just threw some costumes together last minute. I was a Hawaiian tourist, and KC was...can you guess? If you can't see, he has plastic knives stuck into cereal boxes making him a cereal killer. Yikes! I wasn't sure if that was church approved, but he got the idea from his friend Burke years ago and wanted to use it. He didn't put on his costume until trick-or-treating time, so I guess he found someones hat in the meantime. Each of the organizations were in charge of an activity. We, the YW, did a caramel apple station that went over really well. And thanks to Christina's suggestion, the EQ did donuts on a string. There were some other games going on, but I was oblivious to most of my surroundings making sure all was well in my responsibilities. Well, I did notice the bishopric target practice. That was funny. It was f-f-freezing outside so we decided to have the kids trick-or-treat in the classrooms around the church. We all went in a classroom and it worked great.

And on the very day of Halloween, I enjoyed the various costume and themes of many morning show hosts while I dealt with the previously mentioned disaster. Later we decided to take Chipotle up on their offer: Dress up like a burrito on Halloween and get one free. Really it meant put tin foil anywhere on your body (even as small as a ring) and you're in. The Millers were all about it. I knew there would be a long line, which I hate, so we thought we'd do the drive by and if it looked bad, we'd skip it, or try one with less foot traffic. But when we got there Andrew was pretty far up in the line and we hopped in. 2o minutes later we all had hot, custom made, delicious, free burritos. KC and I usually share one because as you know, they are HUGE, so this was quite a treat for us to have our own at no cost. Though, I still saved half of mine for lunch today and it was still so good. I made a nifty belt thing, and KC wanted to be burrito hands. That guy. He even made me open his door and drive since he couldn't with his burrito hands. He was really getting into character. The employees laughed because he asked if he could trade on of his for one of theirs. They probably needed a little humor with a night like that. I was kicking myself for not thinking to bring our space blankets. It would've been perfect. Oh man, that line of tin-foil covered people stayed long for quite some time. I wonder how they could give away so much food. It was nuts. We'll see if they do it next year (then we can use the space blankets). I'm telling you, there were a lot of people. Anyway, we ate at the Miller's, being entertained by the Nathan boy, and enjoyed some caramel apple leftovers. We also watched Lady in the Water, by one of my favorite Directors M. Night Shyamalan. Molly doesn't like scary so I thought this one was a good balance between eerie and exciting for Halloween.

So that was that and Halloween is over. November is here and wonderful. The weather is simply gorgeous in the mid 60s and the holidays are rapidly arriving. Oh, this time of year always comes and goes too quickly. I'm really going to try and enjoy each day. But it's also okay when it's over because we have a fun vacation planned for January. I highly recommend having something to look forward to after the holidays. It takes the sting off a bit. More on that to come.

WARNING!

Never never NEVER use mothballs unless you want everything in your house to have the everlasting stench of the wretched things. Seriously, there should be a warning on the box about what you are getting yourself into.

Let me start at the beginning. Last week I pulled out my beloved, gifted, beautiful cashmere sweater for the first time of the season. To my unfortunate surprise, there were three holes nibbled in the arm. I decided we needed moth balls to prevent this from happening to any more of our more valuable garments. I was pretty naive about mothballs never having used them before, but I thought they were harmless and everybody had them around the house. So I bought a box, and the instructions looked a little complicated. So I had them in my return-to-the-store pile not wanting to make any wrong moves with a potentially hazardous material. I took my sweater to get repaired at a dry cleaning place and she told me how to use them, so I put my fears aside and opened the box of death. I put a little stash of balls in a few old tupperwares and put them in all the closets I thought might need protection from the pests. The smell was a stench that could kill, but I didn't think it would cause any big problem. So I continued with my previous notion that everyone uses these, so it's no big deal. An hour or so later I checked on the smell in the closets. It almost knocked me down and was making me feel sick. I started sniffing things and when I could smell in on the clothes, I decided to remove the moth balls immediately. I left the house for a while and could smell it on myself. I was so upset, trying to think of ways to tackle this smell lingering in my house. When I got home later in the night, I was practically livid because of the smell. It had taken over. I went around spraying a deodorizing floral spray that helped for a moment, but soon turned into mothball, floral smell which is just as bad, or worse. I tried to go to sleep, but I was too frustrated, so I did some research online until after midnight. Of course I read forum after forum thoroughly warning against using the blasted things. I was fortunate to only have them in my house for an hour or two. Others were dealing with cars, clothes, closets, or furniture that held mothballs for years. But I found many possible remedies to our situation. So last night I made vinegar and baking soda mixture for each closet to help sleep since it was the only remedy I had on hand. The people that had bad mothball problems for years said that washing the clothes really doesn't get rid of it, so first thing this morning, I moved every article of clothing from all three closets outside or to the basement. Turns out one of the best ways to rid yourself of the smell is a warm ventilated area for the clothes. We are so lucky to have a pretty warm day today getting up to the 60s. So here is what our back yard looks like. I was so annoyed with the amounts of clothes I have. It seems like so much more than I need when I was transferring them outside.And here's our basement, since there was nowhere else outside for these clothes. At least it's far away from the source.And all of our coats are in a non-effected room, draped all over the elliptcal and hung from the blinds.

This is also a very expensive problem. I went to the store and bought a lot of the things the websites promised would work. This was a near 50 dollar venture including the culprit mothballs. I guess I'll just have to stay away from the after holiday clearances so make up the cost. This was much more important. Here is the list of what I hope takes care of it: charcoal briquettes to absorb the unwanted odors, extra strong dryer sheets and fabric softener, fresh linen plug-ins, a cedar scented deodorizer to keep away the moths and keep a fresh scent lingering, more baking soda and vinegar, and I actually had some coffee stashed away (used in small amounts for various baking projects, mind you) that's also good in absorbing odors, and leave a nice smell behind. How can it not work with all this being done? I'm going to leave my clothes outside for as long as possible today, and hope that nobody thinks it's a free yard sale.
So I've opened every window and lit every scented candle. It's freezing in our house since it's only about 50 outside. The house it down to 62 and it's even hard to type with my cold fingers but I'll freeze if it means I am that much closer to being done with this. I go smell the affected areas now and then and it seems to be dissipating, but I'm afraid that even when I think it's gone, I'll leave the house and others will easily smell it on me, or come over and smell it in the house. I might get desensitized since I'm here all day. But KC has a very sensitive nose, so I hope he keeps us on track with the situation. And I'm probably blowing it out of proportion, since we really only had them inside for a short while. But, oh man, that was enough.

The irony here is that I cleaned the whole house yesterday and felt like I could really relax today. Instead I have this nightmare to deal with. Soon we'll be rid of this dreadful annoyance, but until then I'll continue to fret until it's out of our house and my life completely. Don't do what I did. Use cedar hangers, or anything besides mothballs. I'd rather let the mothballs eat my clothes, and that's saying something. This will save you so much anguish. I wish someone had told me this before. I think it's getting better already. I need to go close all the windows and turn on the heat.


There are more fun Halloween posts I want to write about, but I had to get this out there first.

"Dude, be straight, be true. What is shakin' and bakin' here."

I am pleased to present one of my favorite parts of Halloween time, The Blair Thumb. I understand this isn't for everybody, but it has me laughing out loud every time I see it (and I've seen it countless times). I haven't even seen The Blair Witch Project but a few moments on TV and this is still one of my favorite short films of all time. It actually made me think the clips that I saw of the original were hilarious since it seemed the thumbs had the characters right on. I think my family has incorporated many quotes from this movie into our everyday conversation without even thinking a second thought. Matty, I'll forever be indebted to you for introducing such an influential piece or work to me.

Someone made this trailer that has a few of the funniest parts, but not all of them. So if you need more, don't worry. Youtube has the whole 30 minute film in 5 parts for you to enjoy. But I guess I should warn you that there are a couple very short moments of slightly questionable material. But you'll probably be laughing so hard you won't here them.

Enjoy.


Oh man. It gets me every single time.

The latest tag

So, I was tagged by Cami, and here it is.

The rules: go to your pictures folder and select the 4th folder. Within that folder, you select the 4th picture and post it online.

Of course, a cake picture. This one actually has a good story though. KC, Joe Laura and I were a little foursome in our singles ward. None of us were dating (for a while) and so we'd hang out a lot, friend style. We started a tradition to have an annual picnic together after our November stake conference. And we actually did it for several years. I'd always make a huge French bread sandwich along with other picnic essentials. I'm pretty sure we ate almost the same thing every year too. The sandwich was a must. This is the cheesecake I made for the first one. The moment Joe saw it, he proposed. When I chuckled, rolled my eyes, and immediately denied him, he said, "You probably think I'm kidding, but I'm not." He sounded a little too serious so I'm pretty sure I awkwardly changed the subject. Silly Joe. At least knew that if I wanted to date him, it wouldn't take much to swing him my way.

Here are a couple pictures from that first picnic, just so you can match faces to names. I know it's not in the rules of the tag, but I don't care.

I remember putting my shoes in place of myself in the picture.

We thought we were so funny taking these dumb posed pictures. Sometimes being in a singles ward can make you do things that aren't really as cool as you think they are. (Notice I changed out of my church clothes as quickly as possible, and no one else did. One of my previously mentioned quirks.)

In this one, I think the camera had tilted slightly and the timer was already going to we tried to duck to make it into the picture. I'd say we did pretty good.

So, that was a lot more than you bargained for with a tag that only required one picture, but I couldn't resist a trip down memory lane. And since this tag has been around for a couple days, I'm not quite sure who hasn't been tagged yet, so go ahead and try it out if you haven't. It's kinda fun.

Yep.

I found them. The perfect shoes.Dansko clogs. Others might think differently but, seriously, they solve a lot of closet dilemmas. I could talk about how many great features these shoes have all day, but Cami did it very efficiently here. (Turns out I talked most of my sisters into buying them too. I am very happy for them.) I'm in love and I think they'll last me a looooong time. I am incredibly grateful to call them my own. (Sounds dumb, I know, but I'm happy.)

$2.36

The price of Costco gas today. It was less than $35.00 for the whole tank. I must be a miracle.

More webcam fun.

So they took these pictures of Mel and I at my parent's house yesterday. It warms my heart to see these, almost fooling myself into feeling like I was there with her. I saw these on Melody's blog and had to post them. I do so love my sis. And technology. (Hey I think Kip Dynamite has a song about that.)

Sigh. . .another birthday.

Yes, I turned 24 yesterday. Weird, huh? I'm in my mid-20s. I think people will stop acting so shocked when they find out I'm married, or when they here my age at all. Ever since I moved here, when I said my age it was so fascinating for some reason. Especially when I got married. People just couldn't believe I was so young and at that point in my life. My friends still think it's funny that I'm a few years (or more) younger than them, but they'll get over it soon enough now that I've joined the mid-20 group.

So, I had a great weekend. It was nothing like the past two birthdays when I got to have my twinny with me, but my friends and family made it fun all the same. It started on Friday when a few of my girlfriends and I treated ourselves to a much-needed pedicure. We were seriously giddy. And what made it even better was sharing nachos grande at Chevys afterward. They sang to me, and we shared the delicious complementary birthday ice cream. I was so happy to be with my girls. Sometimes, it's just essential that you get together and laugh, even if what you are laughing at isn't really that funny. I appreciate them taking time from their families so we could hang together. A great start to my birthday weekend.

On Saturday I was helping Jan and the kids at a wedding they were participating in. Jan was a bride's maid (matron I suppose), so she wanted me to sit with the kids during the ceremony. This wedding is a story in an of itself, so I won't go into it too much (a little 2 year old ring bearer falls while rehearsing and having to be rushed to the hospital for stitches on his head, arriving minutes before the ceremony, Iris, the flower girls, screams down the aisle because she didn't want wade to throw her flowers on the ground, the maid of honor faints during the ceremony). Let's just say it was unforgettable. Anyway, after I was relieved of my babysitting duties, KC and I barely made it to our stake temple session. I nice break from my hectic day. There was a sweet elderly lady in the session. In the dressing room I overheard her daughter-in-law introducing her to someone and saying she would be 82 tomorrow. I went and told her that it was my, and my sisters birthday tomorrow too and wished her a happy one. She was delighted and said there's no better present than coming to the temple. What a sweet thought. We saw some friends, from our ward and the singles ward, and went to get a late night milk shake and onion rings. It was a great time catching up, but I should learn that even though the onion rings look so good in the menu, and even better in the person, it's not great to eat a bunch of them at 10 pm. Especially when you had nachos the night before. I know better now. But still, a good time.

The next morning, that actual day, KC got up extra early to make me one of my favorite breakfasts, a delicious breakfast sandwich. While he was cooking and filling the house with delicious smells, I let myself relax and enjoy the morning, until we went to church. We came home and I got to open my birthday presents and packages. It was so fun to get cards, gifts emails, and even notes of my facebook wall from friends and family that are far away. I was almost in tears reading the darling cards from my nieces. I told KC that I really wanted a web cam, and guess what, he followed through. I was so great talking to my whole family, seriously all of them, via web cam. It was almost like we were all actually together. First we talked with the Turpins. Jefferson is hilarious. He always likes to send the winks and thinks they are hilarious. Earlier in the week Molly asked me what I was doing on my birthday. With the girl's night, and KC and I planning to go to dinner on Tonight, I thought we had it covered and didn't need a big thing on Sunday. She wouldn't hear of it. She was so sweet and said she'd arrange to have our friends come over and we could have a nacho bar (my friends really know what I like). I insisted that we didn't make it a birthday party and just make it a pot-luck game night like we usually do. So we did, and it was so fun. Molly made a completely delicious pumpkin bread pudding for my birthday cake. Totally my style. We got some Wakee six time in, and had a fun time laughing at the little one year old boys. I appreciate them making my birthday a little festive, even though I asked them not to. I then got on the web cam with the rest of the fam at my mom's house. It's so fun I can actually watch the the little kids grow up now. Julia is getting so big. I instructed Melody to get a web cam asap so we can chat on it occasionally instead of the phone all the time. It's just amazing to be able to see them, though it makes me miss everyone even more. Melody and I have only missed a few birthdays together in our whole life, so this took the sting off a bit, but still it's lame. We are going to have more big parties when they get here in a few weeks.

And it's not over yet (as if that wasn't enough). As I mentioned before, KC and I have dinner plans tonight to celebrate together. I'm really not that high maintenance that I need my birthday to last 4 days, we just have a gift certificate for a nice French restaurant in DC that expires soon. We thought this was a good time to use it. So the fun continues.

Birthdays are always a little weird to me. Especially the last few. This is the reason for my sigh in the title. I always just wanted to turn 21 and stay there forever, but the years continue to come. This hasn't been the easiest of years, to put it delicately, so that another year has already past makes me feel kind of unfulfilled. I just feel a little stuck. I don't want to get older, but I want things in my life to get moving along. You can't have one without the other, and I don't really have a choice anyway. Things are just a little different than I thought they would be. But this past year has also been filled with so many great times that I must remember. I was thinking while I was in the temple that I can't keep waiting for the finish line in everything I do. I need to enjoy what's happening right now. It's a bad habit of mine to always want to get to where I'm going without enjoying the ride. The years just really slip through my fingers so quickly. So since I can't help but get older, I'll try to enjoy this year even more. Thanks again to everyone who helped make it a great and carefree birthday.

A few little intruders

We have recently been graced by the presence of a few little friends around here. Some pleasant, and others, not so. The first to manifest itself was this little guy.Yes, that is a bat in out basement storage room. How is it that I cleaned that room from top to bottom a few weeks ago, and missed him hanging there on the wall? Well, I discovered him when I was getting some rarely used dishes for a gathering, and almost bumped it as I was rearranging things. I was a little freaked out, I must admit, but not so much as if I was a mouse or some other pest. I knew KC would be excited to see it. He has some fascination for bats since they are not considered pests and eat mosquitoes (giving them a special place in my heart too, but I still don't want them in my space). So he came down to survey the situation, and after a few "Whoa, cool." comments, we were starting to worry it would wake up and fly at us or something. But as we looked closer, we noticed the dust particles hanging from the poor guy, realizing he was probably dead, and had been for a while. Again, how did I miss him before? Anyway, KC made some sort of bat catching apparatus in case it was alive, and switched to a zip lock bag when there was no catching required. I'd be okay if his friends didn't pay us a visit any time soon.

Another visitor, that I quite enjoyed, but this floppy-eared friend. We think he lives in the rubble in the neighbor's yard (old tires, garbage cans, etc.). KC said he's seen a little bunny come in and out from time to time, but I first saw it when visiting relative of another neighbor knocked on my door asking if our bunny in the front yard should be put in a cage or somewhere it couldn't get hurt. I just told him that the bunny knew the territory and it was fine with us if he wanted to much on the weeds. His daughter came over to see it, and I couldn't resist a couple pictures. I like this one of his ear up because he did that when I made a little noise to get it's attention. He was so comfortable and let us go all the way up and pet it without being scared in the least. He's welcome around here anytime.

The third and final intruder I'll mention is little Iris. Okay, she was actually invited, but I wanted an excuse to write about this cute little girl. I've been babysitting Wade and IJ for over a year now, so I really feel like part of their family. I brought IJ here one day instead of staying at their house. She is starting to think about potty-training, so her mom got her these cute little undies to get her excited. She doesn't really want to wear them, but she does want to take them everywhere she goes. I love how when she came over, she was so excited about the little table I got, and went immediately to it, placing a pair of the underwear at each chair. Why?When I was making lunch, I caught her playing house (talking to herself) a few times, and popped my head in to see. Of course she smiled and got all shy, but she actually loves to get caught. When I was changing her very stinky diaper, I told her "Iris, this is so stinky! You should go in the potty so I won't have to do this anymore." To that, she pointed at the stinky diaper, and said, "I did that in you room." I loved that, but when I told her mom, we decided, that is when you know they are competent enough to understand the basics of potty-training. I also loved doing these braids in her hair. That day, she sat completely still and happy the entire time I did it. I just love how it naturally did the cute little Dorothy-esk curls at the ends. I just love her locks. And what is this wink?! That girl cracks me up. There's so much more to say about this cutie, but I'll stop here. Now, I wonder what other funny guests we'll have around here in the near future. I was just told that there will be some in mid-November. Namely, Amber and Melody! Hooray, they are welcome for sure!

Trap Shootin'

For our mutual activity last week we went to the shooting range. A few of the kids and adults were experienced and had a great shot, but there were quite a few of us that were amateurs. I, being a always-take-the-safest-route person, was pretty nervous and initially only wanted to take one or two of my allotted 25 shots, just to try it out. But with a little coaching from one of the experienced young men, my 25 shots went swiftly by and I was actually ready for more. I think it was because I was pleasantly surprised by the number of clay disks I actually hit. Okay, it was only about 7 out of 25, but for someone as new to this as I was, I was pretty proud. So, even though I consider myself quite a girly-girl, I'm glad I can break out of my hair product, and pedicure ways to enjoy a little outdoor adventure. This is my girl Asanatu, and me trying to act tough. Okay, I'm the one trying, she really is tough.

Wow...

Someone actually made it last night. A cheap version, I might add. I wanted it in Cookie Monsters actual voice. We still like the one Animal sings better. Pretty funny.

Oh, the power of Micheal Scott. We had well over 600 hits within a few hours of the airing of the show when people would google "Cookie Monster sings Chocolate Rain." I guess a new batch would arrive when the next time zone saw it. KC had a good time watching our live traffic feed scroll continually with hits from allover the world. This blog was number one on that google page for a while and apparently, that is hard to do. I only blogged about it so fast so I wouldn't forget what he actually said. And, don't worry, we saved our few minutes of google fame before the internet erupted with more people adding things of this nature, bumping us down. Who knew?