I love our son so much. He just melts my heart and makes me laugh and brings a ton of joy to my life. I really don't know what I did to deserve such a sweet little baby boy. Nowadays he's so active and barely sits down to take a breather. But last Friday we enjoyed a little moment of peace together. While I was in the kitchen I heard him turn the television on and went about doing what I was doing. After not hearing him for about 10 minutes, I went in the living room to check on him and he was sitting there watching Signing Time. So I sat on the couch and he climbed up and laid next to me on his little pillow that he always carries around. He just let me cuddle him and we made the signs together. I love that he just wanted to be close to me and let me run my fingers through his soft baby hair. After the show was over, he just kind of laid there and held my hand for a minute before getting up again to play. It completely brightened my day. Those kinds of moments are the moments I cherish.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Books
Good-Bye, Chunky RiceBy Craig Thompson
I saw this book on display at the library about 2 months ago. I checked it out only because I had recently read Blankets by Craig Thompson and was curious about some of his other work. I was skeptical of this book at first, but surprisingly I enjoyed it from start to finish. Chunky Rice is a sweet little turtle who ventures out on the great wide ocean to find out where he truly belongs. But doing so requires that he leave behind his owner Solomon, and his beloved mouse deer friend Dandel. Call me simple-minded, but I thought this book was quite humorous. Solomon's hick way of speaking, Merle's "doot doot"-ing, Ruth and Livonia's arguments, Chuck's insensitivities, and Chunky and Dandel's love of Motown....it's all so funny to me. But at the same time, the drawings and dialogue are touching and honest. It's just a fun book to read and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves comics or isn't looking for something too serious or lengthy.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Blah
So, have you ever just had the urge to write a post on your blog and then had to stop yourself because you thought it might be inappropriate or that you just might offend someone? Well, I'm not sure who my audience is sometimes so I better not vent. Ah...well. Without going into too many details, life is just messed up right now, to say the least. I'm sure most people would never guess it. You never know what's going on behind closed doors of someone else's life, do you?
Friday, April 18, 2008
Boys Night Out
So every month some of my women friends and I have girls night in. Well, our husbands thought, if we can have girls night in and leave the kids with them once a month, then they should be entitled to have a guys night out. So that's just what they did. I guess they're eating dinner now at some Indian restaurant and I'm not sure what else they have planned for the night. But I wonder what kinds of things they all talk about. I'm sure it's nothing like what us girls talk about. When we get together we totally open up to each other and nothing is censored. And I swear we could talk for hours on end. The last time we had girls night in, a few of us ended up talking until 3 a.m. I don't think guys have as much to discuss as we do and I definitely don't picture them talking about even remotely the same topics. Well, who knows. Mike joked that they'd be hunting and drinking. And I suggested they'd be talking about sports, and girls, and "manly" stuff like cars. Heh heh. But seriously, what do guys talk about when they're around other guys?
Cuteness
Pictures of our cute Vessie Vess.
He was actually really sick in this picture. He slept ALL day and barely moved at all. He was just so cute laying there though that Mike couldn't resist taking a picture.
He was actually really sick in this picture. He slept ALL day and barely moved at all. He was just so cute laying there though that Mike couldn't resist taking a picture.
He found my socks in a pile of laundry and asked Daddy to put them on. He wore them all morning. It just made me laugh!
He loves to just sit in one of our laps and read or draw. Here he is just drawing pictures in his sketchpad while on Daddy's lap. He was content like that for an hour or more. So sweet....
He loves to go to the park to see the "burts." The ducks and other birds always come to get some food from us.
Looking at the stream of water while on the bridge.
While at the park in the above pictures, he took a tumble and banged up his head. He hardly cried even though it left a goose-egg. When the swelling went down he was just left with these abrasions on his head. Poor guy.
What a beautiful day to go swing at the park!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Pretty Sweet Zombie Cover by Miser
I heard this cover on the radio the other day and thought it sounded really good. Maybe it was just memories of jr. high coming back...
Anyhoo, you can ignore the anti-war pictures if that's not what you're into (psh! I didn't make the video). I'll totally be friends with you whether you're pro or anti violence!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Theater
The Heiress
Catherine Sloper is a very timid and homely girl who lives with her father, a widowed doctor, in a rich house in a very wealthy neighborhood. She is incredibly shy when put into social situations and tries to find any excuse to get out of them. She can never say what she feels or act as most girls do around company, especially young men. Her father finds her completely hopeless, lacking any ability to be graceful, charming, or witty. He is constantly comparing her to his late wife and fears that Catherine will never find anyone willing to marry her.
Then one evening she meets Morris Townsend, a distant relative of her cousin’s fiancé. He tries to woo Catherine by visiting her almost everyday and writing her love poems. He insists that she is the most beautiful woman he has ever met and admits to her that he is in love with her. Although it is very early in their relationship, Catherine believes that she loves him too. They are very happy together, so it seems, and they begin making secret plans to be married. However, Catherine’s father is not pleased with Mr. Townsend and assumes that his intentions are deceptive. He believes that he is only after Catherine for her fortune. Catherine does not think Morris would ever be so crooked and convinces herself that he truly loves her for her and nothing more. But upon her father’s request, she goes to Europe with him for six months. During this time Dr. Sloper hopes that she will forget all about Morris and perhaps find somebody else. But after arriving home, Morris is still waiting for her and she is still in love with him.
Later in the play, Dr. Sloper blows up at Catherine and basically tells her she is worthless and he resents the fact that his wife died bringing her into the world. This hurts her very much and she realizes that her father does not love her and decides she never wants to see him again. She could not care less about any inheritance he leaves her, just as long as she has Morris. On the night that Catherine and Morris plan to elope, she makes the mistake of telling him that she has refused her father’s money and only cares about being with him (Morris.) Morris tells her that he is going to pack all of his things and promises to meet her very late when everyone is asleep. She waits and waits and eventually realizes that he “jilted” her. She is absolutely crushed and because of it she becomes a very bitter woman.
Sometime later her father dies and she ends up with the inheritance after all. Two years later Morris comes back to find Catherine and hopes to reunite with her after learning that she has not married yet. Catherine plays with his emotions and makes him believe she still loves him. They make plans to marry yet again and she sends Morris away to pack his bags so they can run away together. Catherine has turned into a callous, bitter woman seeking revenge, and at the end of the play she is the one who jilts Morris.
I saw this play a few weeks ago at the Pioneer theatre where the set and stage were much larger and more professional looking than Studio 115 (where I saw Top Girls.) The costumes of the characters were extravagant and detailed. They were accurate with the time period and helped to define the characters, such as their wealth and position, not to mention their personalities. The lighting in the play was very good and I especially liked the way the windows were used. By employing different lighting techniques, the time of day and weather conditions (rain streaming down the window pane or lightning flashes) could be implied through the windows making the set seem more lifelike. I also liked the use of candles, especially while Catherine waited up in the middle of the night for Morris to arrive, or as she walked up the stairs at the close of the play. The set and the props that were used were also more elaborate than that of Studio 115. There was real food and drink, realistic looking backdrops, stairs, various doors, and numerous pieces of furniture consistent with the time period. Although the play somewhat lacked in the sound department (i.e. it could have used more music or sound effects to create a greater degree of drama), it did not noticeably affect my attitude toward the storyline or the acting abilities of the performers.
I had never seen or heard of this play before and for some reason I thought it was going to be a comedy. Although there were some funny lines that made the audience laugh, this play was more of a serious drama. The attitude of the play was somber at times and the tone was dark, if not a little heartbreaking. At some level I think we can all relate to Catherine. There have been times in my own life when I have felt unloved by my own parents, stupid, boring, or only interesting because of some material possession I had acquired. Because we have all experienced those kinds of feelings on some small scale, it is easy for us to feel gut-wrenching pity for Catherine. I believe the intention of this play is to get the audience to question the characters’ objectives from an ethical point of view. Did Dr. Sloper have the right to expose Morris as a gold-digger? Could Catherine have been happy with Morris despite his one true desire? At what cost was Catherine able to gain the upper-hand? Was Morris wrong for trying to attain Catherine’s riches? Many business men might disagree. After all, we live in a “dog-eat-dog” world where just trying to survive far surpasses love or being honest. Or do we? These are absorbing issues that the play causes the audience to consider.
After the play had ended, I heard several people comment on how boring it was. However, I did not think it was boring at all. I was entertained and felt like the acting was well done. Each performer seemed to take on the personality of their character quite well. I kept looking for any indication that Morris truly loved Catherine. That's just the romantic in me I guess. By the middle of the play I was still not sure if his only goal was to get his hands on her inheritance. But by the time Catherine announced to her father that she no longer cared about her inheritance and told Morris about it, it became clear to me that he was only after her wealth by the way he started to behave. After striving to conquer his obstacles and using every tactic he could think of to marry Catherine and get her money, the end result (his expectation) was not fulfilled, as we saw him desperately beat at her door and call out to her at the end of the play. I was happy with the ending and felt like Morris got what he deserved, but I also felt sorry for Catherine that the rest of her life was probably spent being bitter, cold, untrusting, and unloved.
Despite any flaws the play may have had, I felt like it was a good performance. The actors made their characters realistic, the theater provided quality productions elements, and I was happy to get out of the house and experience some live theater.
Catherine Sloper is a very timid and homely girl who lives with her father, a widowed doctor, in a rich house in a very wealthy neighborhood. She is incredibly shy when put into social situations and tries to find any excuse to get out of them. She can never say what she feels or act as most girls do around company, especially young men. Her father finds her completely hopeless, lacking any ability to be graceful, charming, or witty. He is constantly comparing her to his late wife and fears that Catherine will never find anyone willing to marry her.
Then one evening she meets Morris Townsend, a distant relative of her cousin’s fiancé. He tries to woo Catherine by visiting her almost everyday and writing her love poems. He insists that she is the most beautiful woman he has ever met and admits to her that he is in love with her. Although it is very early in their relationship, Catherine believes that she loves him too. They are very happy together, so it seems, and they begin making secret plans to be married. However, Catherine’s father is not pleased with Mr. Townsend and assumes that his intentions are deceptive. He believes that he is only after Catherine for her fortune. Catherine does not think Morris would ever be so crooked and convinces herself that he truly loves her for her and nothing more. But upon her father’s request, she goes to Europe with him for six months. During this time Dr. Sloper hopes that she will forget all about Morris and perhaps find somebody else. But after arriving home, Morris is still waiting for her and she is still in love with him.
Later in the play, Dr. Sloper blows up at Catherine and basically tells her she is worthless and he resents the fact that his wife died bringing her into the world. This hurts her very much and she realizes that her father does not love her and decides she never wants to see him again. She could not care less about any inheritance he leaves her, just as long as she has Morris. On the night that Catherine and Morris plan to elope, she makes the mistake of telling him that she has refused her father’s money and only cares about being with him (Morris.) Morris tells her that he is going to pack all of his things and promises to meet her very late when everyone is asleep. She waits and waits and eventually realizes that he “jilted” her. She is absolutely crushed and because of it she becomes a very bitter woman.
Sometime later her father dies and she ends up with the inheritance after all. Two years later Morris comes back to find Catherine and hopes to reunite with her after learning that she has not married yet. Catherine plays with his emotions and makes him believe she still loves him. They make plans to marry yet again and she sends Morris away to pack his bags so they can run away together. Catherine has turned into a callous, bitter woman seeking revenge, and at the end of the play she is the one who jilts Morris.
I saw this play a few weeks ago at the Pioneer theatre where the set and stage were much larger and more professional looking than Studio 115 (where I saw Top Girls.) The costumes of the characters were extravagant and detailed. They were accurate with the time period and helped to define the characters, such as their wealth and position, not to mention their personalities. The lighting in the play was very good and I especially liked the way the windows were used. By employing different lighting techniques, the time of day and weather conditions (rain streaming down the window pane or lightning flashes) could be implied through the windows making the set seem more lifelike. I also liked the use of candles, especially while Catherine waited up in the middle of the night for Morris to arrive, or as she walked up the stairs at the close of the play. The set and the props that were used were also more elaborate than that of Studio 115. There was real food and drink, realistic looking backdrops, stairs, various doors, and numerous pieces of furniture consistent with the time period. Although the play somewhat lacked in the sound department (i.e. it could have used more music or sound effects to create a greater degree of drama), it did not noticeably affect my attitude toward the storyline or the acting abilities of the performers.
I had never seen or heard of this play before and for some reason I thought it was going to be a comedy. Although there were some funny lines that made the audience laugh, this play was more of a serious drama. The attitude of the play was somber at times and the tone was dark, if not a little heartbreaking. At some level I think we can all relate to Catherine. There have been times in my own life when I have felt unloved by my own parents, stupid, boring, or only interesting because of some material possession I had acquired. Because we have all experienced those kinds of feelings on some small scale, it is easy for us to feel gut-wrenching pity for Catherine. I believe the intention of this play is to get the audience to question the characters’ objectives from an ethical point of view. Did Dr. Sloper have the right to expose Morris as a gold-digger? Could Catherine have been happy with Morris despite his one true desire? At what cost was Catherine able to gain the upper-hand? Was Morris wrong for trying to attain Catherine’s riches? Many business men might disagree. After all, we live in a “dog-eat-dog” world where just trying to survive far surpasses love or being honest. Or do we? These are absorbing issues that the play causes the audience to consider.
After the play had ended, I heard several people comment on how boring it was. However, I did not think it was boring at all. I was entertained and felt like the acting was well done. Each performer seemed to take on the personality of their character quite well. I kept looking for any indication that Morris truly loved Catherine. That's just the romantic in me I guess. By the middle of the play I was still not sure if his only goal was to get his hands on her inheritance. But by the time Catherine announced to her father that she no longer cared about her inheritance and told Morris about it, it became clear to me that he was only after her wealth by the way he started to behave. After striving to conquer his obstacles and using every tactic he could think of to marry Catherine and get her money, the end result (his expectation) was not fulfilled, as we saw him desperately beat at her door and call out to her at the end of the play. I was happy with the ending and felt like Morris got what he deserved, but I also felt sorry for Catherine that the rest of her life was probably spent being bitter, cold, untrusting, and unloved.
Despite any flaws the play may have had, I felt like it was a good performance. The actors made their characters realistic, the theater provided quality productions elements, and I was happy to get out of the house and experience some live theater.
The Grand Kerfuffle
Before the end of the semester the University of Utah threw one last hoop-lah referred to as The Grand Kerfuffle. Mike and I aren't much for getting involved in college events but we decided to go to this one, and it turned out to be one helluva time. There was a live concert featuring Shiny Toy Guns, Hellogoodbye, Augustana, and some local SLC band. It was flip'm freezing outside, but once we got engulfed by a sea of moshing, body surfing, pushing, screaming, sweaty fellow concert goers, we became quite warm. Yeah, any of you who know these bands also know that they don't really play "moshing" music (at least to me.) But the crowd was all about going nutso. Gina and I got separated from Gavin and Mike at one point because they decided to rush the stage. So Gina and I basically got swayed to and fro by the crowd. Gina fell down, lost her shoe and we both endured a lot of body funk. But, I gotta be honest and say that it was totally fun! It's been a few years since I've been to a concert like that and I had a blast jumping and throwing my fists in the air and screaming and wooting and being pushed around. The bands all played great live, and I think my favorite was when Shiny Toy Guns covered a Depeche Mode song called "stripped." It freaking rocked. There was an after party from 10 until 2 for all graduating seniors so we decided to stick around for that. They fed us free food and there were all kinds of things to do. We watched some break dancing, played "Rock Band" (I was lead singer! woot woot,) got free T-shirts and other swag, and watched a group of skanky broads walk around in there barely there shorts and one girl was wearing nothing but a corset for a top. We got a good laugh. Anyway, below are some pictures from our night.
Augustana
The crowd
Me and Teddy (I know what you're thinking, and yes, that is his real hair.)
Mike, Jamie, Gina, and Gavin
Self taken picture
One of these doo-dads would've been helpful for the last picture, don't you think?
There was a face painting booth and her I am getting my face painted by Fi-Fi
I wasn't feeling creative enough to tell her anything cool to paint on my face so I told her to surprise me. She ended up painting a beach sunset. It matched my shirt!
Me with Fi-Fi
Mike's face art was way cooler. He asked her to paint a crime scene on his face.
And Gavin asked for Spider Man.
There was another booth called "Wacky Wax" where you could get a wax molding of your hand. I made the "I Love You" sign but after I dipped my hand in the wax my fingers moved a little out of position but it still turned out okay. Mike made a power fist and asked the guy to put a rose in it. We gave our wax hands to each other. Isn't that sweet?
Below is a video of Mike trying to get us some moolah from the money machine. They had some $20 and $1 bills and coupons for free food at nice restaurants. Both Mike and I tried it and only ended up with $1.00 each! Rip off! It's harder than it looks. Gavin ended up with 8 bucks, that lucky scumbag. :)
Friday, April 11, 2008
It's Back!
The Office is now on again! Yay! It's one of the few shows that I actually watch. So last night's episode, Michael and Jan kept calling each other "babe" like every 5 seconds. And then at the end Pam and Jim were making fun of them by calling each other "babe." Then I started to wonder if that's how Mike and I sound to other people, because we use the word "babe" ALL THE TIME. Well, if we annoy any of you, just let us know. We can take it. Anyway, I'm so happy The Office is back on again and I had to post my excitement!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Hair is an Accessory!
Well, I really need a break from studying, so I'm going to post a bunch of crap about myself. :) Most of you know I love scrapbooking. But I'm usually too busy to sit down and make progress on my pages. I've got lots of photos in shoeboxes just waiting to be organized, cropped and labeled. I thought conference would provide a good opportunity to scrapbook. You know, I might as well do something while I'm just sitting there listening right? So anyway, I found a bunch of pictures during the sorting process and thought it would be fun to post them on here.
The name of this post is entitled "Hair is an Accessory" because that's really what I consider it. There are just too many possibilities to choose from. So here are some of the many stages my hair went through growing up. I bet some of my family will appreciate these.
The name of this post is entitled "Hair is an Accessory" because that's really what I consider it. There are just too many possibilities to choose from. So here are some of the many stages my hair went through growing up. I bet some of my family will appreciate these.
Ah, look #1. Ever since I had hair on my head my mom gave me bangs. Below are a few examples:
Here I am as a kindergartener. Uneven bangs were generally my style.
Here I am as a kindergartener. Uneven bangs were generally my style.
2nd grade. More bangs, but I've also got some "crimp" going on in the back. And check out that grill! It's a wonder my teeth turned out as well as they did, considering I never had braces. When those adult teeth come in, they seem to take up a kid's entire face, am I right? Eh, I grew into 'em.
3rd grade. Then the "poofy bangs" were in. Oh, and that sweater is just screaming the 80's. Gotta love it.
6th grade. Still haven't lost the bangs. :(
8th grade. Around 7th grade I started growing my bangs out and the summer before 8th grade my hair was all one length. I pretty much wore this exact hairstyle until 10th grade.
Beginning of 11th grade. THE PERM! I have hair that's straight as a board and I always wanted curly hair so I went out and got a perm. But to be honest, it wasn't a favorite of mine.
End of 11th grade. By the end of my junior year I had grown out and cut off all that nasty perm and dyed my hair semi-permanent red.
The summer before my senior year I wanted to look like Ginger Spice from the Spice Girls. She had red hair with blonde strips in the front. Well, I tried using straight bleach on my hair. That didn't work so I used straight peroxide. WHAT WAS I THINKING!? It ate my hair in the front. But as it grew out it was actually lighter, so there you have it. Not exactly what I was trying to accomplish though.
12th grade. A few days before yearbook pictures were taken I chopped all the "red" off. Stupid photographers made all the girls wear this little black top that made us look like we were wearing dresses or something. Gotta be unified, right?
A couple months later I frosted my hair and started using A LOT of hair product. Gel and hairspray were an essential part of my life.
A couple of months after that I got it cut the shortest its ever been and colored it red. It was so short that it literally would not stay down. My mom cried.
Aside from being called a "dyke" by some ignorant school kid, I really liked my hair short and spiky. Very low maintenance. I never got ready for a dance so fast.
At the end of December during my senior year I dyed it pink. It was quite fitting for my personality at the time. My mom still wasn't a fan. :)
By February it was getting long, but I still wanted the crazy, spiky, messy look. I tried to make it as high as I could.
The spring before graduation I got blonde stripes. When my hair was down you could see the stripes, but I usually wore it pinned in the front and crazy in the back like this.
Then I started doing the curly look again. I think my friend Chris mentioned that I looked like an old grandma, so I gave up on the curls.
At the end of my senior year I tried to to tame the mane a bit more.
And then in the summer I started gelling it and flipping it out in the back again.
The fall after graduation I flipped it up on the sides like wings and sported highlights.
My first year of college I began the process of growing it out. Ah, pigtails. Nothing cuter than that.
Growing.....
Growing...... (and the first time my hair was it's natural color in years.)
Still growing.... Long hair has its advantages. You can pull it up in a ponytail, braid it, twist it and curl it. The ringlets were only for special occasions though. And by gosh, there's nothing more special than a Ricks college dance, am I right?
I started to get bored with my hair and needed a new look. After the hard work of growing it out I didn't want to chop it off again, so...I dyed it blonde instead.
I actually sort of liked it. I was more popular with the boys as a blonde. WOOT WOOT.
But then I got the dreaded "roots" syndrome. You know, when your hair starts to grow out and your dark roots begin to show. So much for trying to pass as a natural blonde. Psh.
In an attempt to get my hair back to it's "natural" color, I had to dye it dark, but it ended up looking almost black. It wasn't what I was going for, but I worked it.
This is what I like to call "Madison Schoolgirl Hair." The Rexburg girls just had the curly, poofy, ratted hair going on. Idaho hair and proud!
I went back to the short look for awhile during my time in Japan. Trust me, it was better with all that humidity.
And now 4 years and who knows how many hair styles later, here I am. Rocking the A-line cut and henna colored hairdo.
Well, I hope you've all enjoyed a trip down memory lane with me. Now I really better get back to my homework. psh....
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