Sometimes...

Sometimes, a girl just needs a bag of these:




Luckily, I have a husband who understands and appreciates this need.
Especially on Saturday. In the laundromat.

When I lived with my parents, laundry was a piece of cake. I could throw it in, leave, come back that night and change it over, throw some more clothes in, worry about it the next day, etc...(all the while hogging the dryer, while my clothes got moldy in the washer.) But it got done.
And I didn't have to dedicate an entire day to do it. Or even 3 hours.

As a single college student, I became accustomed to the time-consuming, always-too-hot, quarter-devouring, hair-on-the-floor place called the laundromat. Little did I know, those establishments would be a part of my life for many years to come.

When we lived in Springville, we'd lug it down to the local city laundromat. And sit there. Right in front of the machine....and sit there and sit there (and pay $4.00 a load). For fear of having any of our precious textiles stolen.
But here, in Provo, in our new apartment complex, only innocent neighbors and trustworthy people abound. So I reveled in the fact that Saturdays would no longer be spent sitting. We'd drop it off and run other errands, then come back to retrieve it.
That was a short-lived glory, however. Because just in the last month we have heard of a thief with an affinity for $1000's worth of warm clothing, and also a FIRE incident, which obviously put a cramp in someones style....both in our complex.
So again, for fear of fire or fiend, we sit again. And sit there and sit there.

Lately I've been going alone. But last week, after lugging 4 bags of laundry up the stairs to our apartment, I was on my last trip... carrying an armful of wet shirts (the ones that I line-dry...in our shower) from the trunk of the car to the steps of our building, and dropped my favorite WHITE v-neck into a conveniently located oil puddle in the parking lot. Lovely. And then I stepped on it. (no, not on purpose.) And then I yelled. And ran inside to frantically hand-wash the stains out. Yeah right. So then I threw it away. And called Jonny:

Me: We are getting a washer and dryer.
Him: Umm, maybe we can in our next apartment, ok?
Me: .....
Him: Maybe I'll do the laundry next time?

So this Saturday he commenced gathering the sheets and towels and all manner of clothing, stuffing them into bags and piling bags into the car. And I felt guilty. And the frustration of Saturdays past was long gone. So we went together. And took our homework.

And Jonny put 2 loads into a giant washer. And started it. And the "lock" on the door, didn't lock. So he leaned against it, to keep it closed. And every time he moved, 3 gallons of suds poured onto the floor. And we laughed. Until we dropped the detergent cap between the machines....and it was my job (with the "skinnier" arms) to get on the dirty floor and fish it out.

So we sat and waited. And waited...But we sat at the folding counter with our textbooks, and the sun in our eyes. And teased each other and taught each other things. And then my wonderful, sweet, handsome husband got up from our "desk", and returned with the magical golden bag from the vending machine. And I smiled. At the laundromat.

My favorite candy. My favorite man.

Could life get any better at the laundromat?

yes, we did. (our weekend)

yes, we did check the weather here:


hooray! see you on thursday.

_______________________________________________________________

yes, we did craft one of these:



countdown to graduation! 58 days and counting...

__________________________________________________________________

yes, we did fry these on the stove:



yum.
___________________________________________________________________

yes, we did go to this:


my heart leapt every time they jumped on the beam!
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yes, we did watch these:




no. sean penn. what?

ok, 25.

*WARNING: Sorry, this one is LONG.*

1. I love to travel. I love seeing new places and experiencing different cultures. I love all of God’s children. I think it has instilled in me a sense of tolerance and open-mindedness. I have been to 28 countries so far. One of my life’s dreams is to visit all 7 continents. (yes, even Antarctica).

2. I enjoy a good salad. And I only eat wheat bread. But I am a sucker for chocolate. Or any baked goodies, actually. I’ll almost never turn down a dessert, especially when it’s made by someone I love.

3. I like to people-watch. When I’m in a crowded place I just watch and try to guess where they are from, what their relationships are, etc..

4. I love to swim. I think I was a dolphin in another life. I really miss being on the swim team. (although I definitely had a love-hate relationship with morning practice…and my regular race- the 500M Free)

5. Music moves me. I really like to sing, and when I dust off my guitar every once in a while, I like to play and make up silly songs. But really I’m a music appreciator. (my mom taught me that). I like all different kinds, and can find beauty in every genre. I love listening, and I get excited when I find a new artist that I really love.

6. I’ve never had stitches or broken a bone. (knock on wood) Though I have engaged in some dangerous activities- I went skydiving for my 18th birthday!

7. I don’t hate animals. I’m just in an anti-animal phase right now. I grew up with cat hair and fur balls all over my house. And a stinky litterbox in the laundry room.(ok, I exaggerate, but still.) So, me and animals- we’re taking a break. (But elephants are my favorite. I’ve ridden them several times. They are smart and surefooted. And BIG.)

8. Someday, when/if I have a son, I want to name him Wallace, after my grandpa. Because he’s the kindest, most wonderful man I’ve ever known, and he has 13 grandkids and 17 great-grandkids…and NOT ONE is named after him! (yet.)

9. I like being tan. I have my Aunt Carolyn’s olive skin. But I think this winter in Utah is the whitest I’ve been since I came out of the womb.

10. I like making spreadsheets. And planning things. And schedules. Sometimes I get all out of whack when the plan gets changed. Yet I also like spontaneity, and I LOVE surprises!

11. I figured out what do do for my major thanks to my best friend Jenny who convinced me to take an ASL class our freshman year, just for fun.

12. I love little kids. I think they are amazing. They make me happy, and it’s impossible to be in a bad mood when they are smiling or laughing at me. I miss my nieces and nephews so much! I really admire my sisters. They are all such great moms. I hope I can be like them one day.

13. I’m finally doing blackdiamonds on my snowboard. The first time I ever went boarding I was 16...I cried. It was so hard (and my bum hurt real bad from falling all day). But now it’s one of my favorite activities.

14. I love my car. It’s a 2007 Honda Fit. It’s cute and little and I can park it anywhere, but it has incredible storage space inside, and gets 38 miles to the gallon. Jealous?

15. I have faith. I know it’s not the most popular thing to do nowadays. But I live my religion and I try to be a good person. And I respect others who do the same.

16. I think of myself as a beach girl. I spent my childhood in Mina-Al-Zour Kuwait, and my teenage years in California. But I really love living here, right next to the mountains, too! They are so majestic, and sometimes they just take my breath away.

17. I hate it when people put empty things back where they were, instead of throwing them away. Like cereal boxes, or toilet paper cardboard rolls.

18. My dad taught me how to camp. Really camp. The kind where you carry everything on your back, hike until you are miles from another living soul, see things you can only get to on foot, and leave no trace when you are gone. I have so many fond memories of backpacking with him on long trips in the Sierra Nevadas. Once we hiked 45 miles in 3 days. And I admit, I sometimes make fun of people who “drive-in camp”.

19. I like to dance in the kitchen when I’m cooking. And I’d like to think I have pretty good rhythm, since my mom raised me on a mix of Latin and Motown.

20. Cars were always being shuffled around when I lived at home. At one point, there were several months when I drove my dad’s BMW X3, while he drove Big Bertha. (a 1990 Ford Econoline Van, complete with roof extension, racing stripes on the sides, and brown shag carpeting around the windows.)

21. I like trying new things. Restaurants, games, classes, hobbies, languages, sports….you name it. I guess that’s why I’m “well rounded” (or not excellent at anything, but mediocre at a lot of stuff.)

22. I hate conflict. I avoid it at all costs. I don’t usually voice my opinion very loudly. (unless it’s something REALLY important, like which kind of popcorn to buy). But I get a sinking feeling in my stomach that won’t go away if I think someone is upset with me. Jonny says it’s because I have a tender heart.

23. I love to read. And I don’t really like TV. (Unless it’s the News, or I Love Lucy. Or maybe the Amazing Race.) But I love watching movies. Thank you Redbox: All new releases for one dollar!

24. I LOVE my family. They are the most important people to me. I’m a caboose child, so I spent 8 years of my life with just me and my parents. They are two of my best friends in the whole world. And right now they live in Kazakhstan. Too far away.

25. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband! We’ve been married for a little over a year, and it just keeps getting better and better.

I tag whoever reads this. Congratulations for making it this far.

What?

Here at BYU one of the first things to come up in any conversation is this:

"What are you studying/What's your major?"

(right after these, of course: "What's your name?" and "Where are you from?")

Though I've been posed with this question countless times, and I'm graduating in a couple of months (yay!), I still haven't really figured out what to say.

The real name for my major is Communication Disorders. As undergraduates, we are all trained together, and then at the graduate level we will split off into either Speech-Language Pathology, or Audiology.

And what do those terms even mean? If you really care, please read here.



But when someone asks me this, there's usually not time to refer them to a handy catalog definition. So I'm stuck.

If I say Communication Disorders (the new official name for it here at BYU), I get "Oh! Is that like Communications?" No.

If I say Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (the old official name for it here at BYU), I get a blank stare or a nod (pretending they get it. but really still clueless...)

If I say just Speech-Pathology (the term most MS students here use), I feel bad for two reasons:
1. I feel as if I'm 'posing' as a graduate student, though I'm definitely not one...yet. (hopefully).
2. I feel as if I've been cheated by using a name that does not mention the hours and hours I've spent learning basic audiology and child language acquisition.


Sheesh! So confusing. And this doesn't even include the many other variations on the name I came across when applying to Master's programs.

Sometimes I even have a hard time explaining it, because it covers such a variety of subjects.

Anyway, the point is this: I love what I'm learning! (whatever the heck it is)
:) I know, I'm a nerd. But I think it's a good sign if I'm still fascinated by it....right?

We Wear Brown.

Some people tell me I wear brown too much. But I don't care. I like brown. And apparently I've gotten Jonny in the habit. Tonight we were getting dressed to go to dinner, and we both pulled out brown shirts!

We wear brown because...

1. It matches our hair. :)
2. We love chocolate. And chocolate is brown!



ps. We went to The Mayan Adventure! (it was awesome. thanks babe.)

heart day

Love to All!

We had a wonderful time celebrating our love this weekend! We said lots of cheesy love stuff, and went to a cheesy love movie and held hands and did other cheesy lovey-dovey things.


It also included sparkling cider and lots of fun treats: (of course. what holiday doesn't?)
And lots of snow. It snowed all day long, but it ended with a beautiful winter sunset.

awwww... what did you do with your sweetie this heart day?

Pepperoni

Dear Jonny,


I sent you one of these at work today, for lunch.

I wanted them to write a note with pepperonis. They didn't. But this is what it would have said:

"J+M=Love"

[That's only because I don't think there was enough room to write this:
"You are the love of my life. Happy Valentine's Day Eve!"]

Even though I ordered a large...I still don't think there were enough pepperonis...

So just imagine that's what it said, before you ate it. mmmK?

Love,
Me.

apology

I apologize for posting twice in one day (is that allowed?)

But I just wanted to clarify one tinsy thing that I mentioned in this post: mindstorm
"atlanta, georgia"

A few people have asked me confusedly/worriedly/excitedly, and everything in-between, as to WHAT this means??

So, here is the update.
We have been considering all these schools, and waiting for acceptances/denials and the like.

Georgia State called and wanted to know if I'd fly out for an interview. (A part of the admissions process after the initial review is passed). After much discussion and thought about the risks/pros/cons...we decided that I should go. A few phone calls to very accommodating friends and relatives, and few hundred bucks later, I had a plane ticket in hand and a date set for late February to go and meet my fate in Atlanta.

So as of now, its still up in the air, we are still getting news from other places, we are still juggling the timing, we are still hoping and praying and deciding.
Eeek!
Any votes?

20 Minutes.

We live 20 minutes...
____________________________________________________________________


From this:

*This is an old picture from our freshman year. Me and my girl Malia.*


Yes, we are lucky ducks.
Yes, I am in a snowboarding class.
Yes, I get college credit to hangout at Sundance once a week.
Yes, I love the powpow! (skibumese for powder)

It's so much fun! World-class snow, in our backyard.
And I don't think we'll ever live this close to a beautiful ski resort again in our lives.
Gotta milk it while we can, right?

Dating Deals

I'm a bargain shopper. My dear mom taught me that (with a little creativity), a girl can still look snazzy shopping the clearance racks, and that home furnishings from Ross can be pretty classy and unique.

So, it only makes sense that I carry this over to my entertainment world:
FREE
and 2 for 1
and the like, catch my attention. Whether it be a cup of hot chocolate or tickets to an event, deals are the best way to date.

Jonny taught me this when we were very first dating. Using the handy-dandy BYU Starving Student card, which features tons of deals on local venues from restaurants to entertainment, we began in our "cheap" way. (No, I'm not being paid to advertise for the card, but maybe I should be...)
Unlike most girls who may have scoffed at their date paying less than "full price", (or as Lucy Ricardo would say-when Ricky bought her a mink stole for a bargain-"I want people to think you love me RETAIL! Not WHOLESALE.") I swooned at my penny-pinching prince and marveled at his creative way of making the best dates out of little money. I was impressed that he was on a budget, and had the nerve to stick to it, even whilst trying to impress his future wife.

For example, one of our very first (and very best) dates was to get 2 for 1 sandwiches to go, head down to the local outdoor theater where he paid (with a coupon), for our entrance to see the "Orem Idol" singing contest, and then a showing of Superman III on a huge screen while snuggling and munching on our half-price picnic.

The tradition has carried on, and this January was filled with fun dates for us two lovebirds.
Living in a college town has offered us many opportunities to do things for less! If we keep our eyes peeled, we can find some of the greatest deals.
Some of our recent adventures:

• The Utah International Auto Show (7$ to see/sit in new models from all makers)
• Night snowboarding (at Brighton Ski Resort)
• Watching 1$ New Releases (courtesy of RedBox)
• A side-by-side run and hot-tubbing (at 24 Hour Fitness)
• "Progressive Dinner" (picking up free things here and there to make a meal)

Yay for fun dates, Yay for saving a little money, Yay for handsome men who know how its done.
Disclaimer: Both of us have our weak moments where we like to splurge, obviously. They usually have something to do with ice cream.

mind storm

Do you ever feel like your brain is swirling around 100 miles a minute and you cant piece anything together?... some of the randoms floating around in my noggin at the moment.

explanatory variables
atlanta, georgia
ward activity
research conference
epidemiology
backpacking trip
transitive verbs
crying babies
dry skin
indie music
temporal bone
date night
humanitarians
must study
no food

waaah!
.focus. focus. focus.

Virtual Packaging

I read this editorial in the Daily Universe ( BYU's campus newspaper) a couple of weeks ago and thought it was very interesting. This cyber world we live in.....


By Samantha Strong 13 Jan 2009

To the many followers of her YouTube video blog, Lonelygirl115 was a 16-year-old young woman named "Bree." Her saga involved her oppressively religious parents, their cult ties and her personal struggle for freedom and expression in the face of a sheltered existence. The intriguing nature of her situation and her heart-wrenching self-exposure drew in quite an audience. On YouTube, Lonelygirl115 represented a cry for help that echoed across cyberspace and resonated with the isolated and the friendless everywhere. In reality, however, the "lonely girl" was in good company. In reality, she was actress Jessica Rose, and was working under the advisement of two filmmakers and the Creative Artists Agency, the most influential theatrical agency in the world. She was, in short, not at all who she portrayed herself to be. When mainstream media revealed her true identity, her followers felt betrayed. They, like everyone who got wind of the story, began to wonder where fact ends and fiction begins online.
As the information age forges on and technology becomes an increasingly dominant part of our lives, blogs, videologs and social networking sites are increasingly the modes through which we define ourselves. As more people become a part of phenomena like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Blogspot, private thoughts become performed monologues and interpersonal communications become a public show. More and more, people are determining their self-worth by how successfully they package their image, and not by what the substance behind their image actually is.
Of course, Lonelygirl115 represents the extreme. Fabricating a character and a story out of thin air and then publicizing it under false pretenses is undoubtedly an exception to the norm. But regardless, this example indicates a growing social undercurrent, one that moves us to package ourselves-to emphasize what we like and omit what we don't until we result in a product we feel comfortable publicizing. Creating false identities is too blatantly unethical for the mainstream, but subtle tweaks here and there allow many to present the world with an image of themselves that is a little closer to what they'd like to be. Even if they have to sacrifice a little of what they actually are in the process, "packaging" keeps guilt at bay.
So what do you want to be? Intelligent? Successful? Cultured? What about alternative or artsy? Fun-loving? Athletic? Popular? Deep? We would all like to be a little or a lot more of something. So few of us are wholly comfortable in our own skin. In moderation, it's healthy. Feelings of unsettlement and dissatisfaction, so long as we keep them in the proper perspective, are what motivate us to grow and develop as individuals. But in this, as in everything, technology has offered us a short cut. Thanks to new modes of communication, we now have the ability to skip personal growth and just portray ourselves as "grown."
What do I mean? Well, how often do you omit a favorite movie from your Facebook profile, because it makes you seem less substantive than you want to, or add a book you've merely heard of or read only in part, because it makes you seem more spiritual or alternative or cultured or whatever it is you want to be? How many pictures on your account show you doing something you've done once, but have captions that give the impression it's something you do all the time? How many photos of yourself have you de-tagged, because another person in the photo or some element of its content detracts from the image you seek to portray?
There are many whose basic desires haven't matured or materialized into concrete images like "alternative" or "cultured." Sometimes, people don't know what they want to be. There are many who are not yet at the stage where they are capable of making that decision. They simply want attention and acceptance. They too can use self-packaging to obtain it. Many use blogs as a means of gaining sympathy for their over-dramatized troubles, their tortured thoughts. For some, blogging can be a legitimate and important means of self-expression. Their postings are genuine and grounded in real pain or heartache or whatever the case may be. But for many, their online self-packages are exaggerated. Again, Lonelygirl115 exemplifies the extreme-melodrama and downright lies-and again, most of those who subscribe to this trend do so in smaller, less obtrusive ways. They complain. They whine. They make public experiences that would be more sacred and meaningful if kept private. They inflate and intensify when they should really just let things be.
Acceptance, and even attention, are very human, very understandable desires to have. Things that, on some level, all of us seek. But there are better ways. Self-packaging cheapens us. It pulls us away from what is real. It stunts our growth by allowing us to pretend we have already achieved it.
Part of the problem is the added pressure the Internet puts on us. Through it, more people have access to information about us. But the fact that the stakes are higher isn't reason enough to deflect the blame. We live in a culture of perfection; flaws must be obliterated (or more often, hidden) at any cost. We also live in a culture of narcissism; we assume that everyone is watching us closely and cares deeply. The facts are these: We are flawed and largely normal, and few are watching closely enough or caring deeply enough about who we purport to be to make it worth it to be anything but what we really are.

Samantha Strong is an Issues and Ideas Editor at The Daily Universe.

I realize I'm posting this on a blog. But I just have to ask:
Why do you blog? Is it like an online journal for you? We all know that the best posts to read are juicy ones....not ones that contain a play-by-play of our average lives .

So how do you decide what to share with the world (via facebook,blog, online profile, etc.) and what to keep to yourself? Do you ever "package" yourself in a way that might be a little decieving?
Any Comments? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this issue...

Sittin'. Waitin'. Wishin'.

Tick Tock. Tick Tock.
The hours and days go by, and we still don't know!
And I'm biting my nails. And praying, a lot.

GRADUATE SCHOOLS:
Jonny's possibles (Mary's in parenthesis)

UCLA (Cal State LA/Cal State Northridge)
Berkeley (Cal State East Bay/San Francisco State)
University of Washington (University of Washington)
Georgia Tech (Georgia State)
University of Illinois (University of Illinois)
BYU (University of Utah)

That's 14 schools. With 14 different application processes, 14 different deadlines and 14 different requirements. It was a mess. Some of these were submitted 2 months ago. And still we've heard NOTHING.

Why is it called "the waiting game"? I thought games were supposed to be fun?
Where will we go? Who knows.... I hope we do, before we graduate in April.
We've been told some of these schools have 1,000+ applicants to sift through. ALPHABETICALLY. Note our last name, people. Y? We might be waiting until next year. :(

Punxsatawney Phil

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!

(too bad we'll have a long winter)

My dad sent this to me in an email today and I thought it was hilarious. (Please sing it to yourself- it's a lot funnier that way)

"In 1899, members of The Slumbering Groundhog Lodge of Quarryville, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania composed a song about groundhogs sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic":

Let the scientific fakirs gnash their teeth and stamp with rage-
Let astrologers with crystals wipe such nonsense from the page-
We hail the King of Prophets, who's the world's outstanding Sage-
TODAY THE GROUNDHOG COMES!
Glory! Glory! to the Groundhog,
Glory! Glory! to the Groundhog,
Glory! Glory! to the Groundhog,
TODAY THE PROPHET COMES!^[33]"

For more information, please visit: www.groundhog.org

ps. The movie with Bill Murray is great too. But you're out of luck because I'm sure every video store has lent their last copy by now.