My Weekend

So Stefanie treated me to lunch on Friday at the Crimson Cafe. I'd never been there before. It was good. I got a Club Grinder, which is basically just a toasted sub sandwich. They put oil on the sandwich (and I mean it was dripping with oil), so that was annoying. And they didn't give me or Stefanie our pickle spears. A true tragedy. So I'll never know if their pickles were of the "not a good pickle" variety :). Haha... Okay, so it really wasn't that tragic. I just thought I'd mention it. But aside from the oil that was dripping off my sandwich, the taste was good and Stefanie and I had a good time visiting. Although I looked really rough. I'll tell you what... I don't understand how you can take pictures that look decent one day and then the next day you can look really really bad. Or even later on the same day that you took the decent picture, you can look bad in a picture. Of course, I've also had it happen where I've taken an ugly picture earlier in the day and then later on I like the way I look in the pictures I take later... What did we ever do without digital cameras that allow you to preview the pictures??? Not to mention the ease of being able to show pictures immediately to everyone else. So anyway, I look pretty bad in these pictures. The badness is ony magnified because Stefanie always looks sweet and cute. And so I look like an ogre. Stefanie, I'm never taking a picture with you again! (Okay, I'm kidding :)).And yeah, I said I was going to use photobucket if I had more than one picture to post. But that's kind of ridiculoous for this type of thing... Maybe when I'm posting a mass picture post where all the pictures are from the same thing...

Friday was payday, so I went to Wal-Mart. It really wasn't too bad. Sometimes Wal-Mart is a nightmare place to be... Especially on Fridays. Then I filled up my tank with gas (at $3.15... and I was proud to get that... What is wrong with the gas prices!!??!!). Then I got home, took a shower, and then went to Virginia's to pick her up, and we went to the Temple. I didn't get home until 11:20ish.

I had to come to school on Saturday to meet with my group for the Wednesday morning class. We met at 10:30. So, I got to sleep in. And sleep in is exactly what I did. I woke up around 9:30. The group meeting went well, and we seem to be well on our way to getting stuff accomplished. We only have about 4 more weeks of class, and I am so ready to be done! It seems that the closer to the end I get, the more I'm itchin' to be finished!!! I spent the rest of Saturday going to the public library and working on school stuff (which included reading more of the book, but I didn't get as far as I'd hoped I would). We had quite a good rain on Saturday evening, which was nice, since it washed away all the pollen on my car. Of course, that will just come back... I also talked to my mom for a long time, as well as Aunt Sue.

On Sunday I went to church, then Jill (my visiting teacher) came over after church. Then David and Ethan (my home teacher and his son) came by. Then I helped Stefanie deliver dinner to the missionaries. Then I made cupcakes for a YSA fireside (and luckily Stefanie was willing to make the frosting and frost them so I could get a shower). The fireside was good. It was about enduring to the end. Yep, sometimes that is the hardest part. After we got home, I talked to Christina briefly, talked to my dad for an hour, and talked to Brad for quite a while (some of it was in the afternoon, though).

So, here's a couple of funnies for you... Brad apparently bought the movie Follow that Bird from the $5 bin in Wal-Mart for his kids. It's about the Sesame Street characters. So he called and told me on Saturday about the very beginning of the movie where the Grouch Anthem is played. He told me to look it up on youtube. So I did. And so here it is for your enjoyment (because it really is funny):


My brother cracks me up!!! Brad tells me that the song has stuff about me. What!? So he clarifies for me... Apparently, because according to Brad, I'm so conceited, the part where Oscar says "something's wrong with everything except the way I sing," is like me because "Oscar thinks a lot of himself too." Okay, so Brad lost some coolness points with that one... Good thing I have to love him, since he's my brother ;).

And finally... This one is for Kristin... Although wikipedia (and, let's face it, are they not the authority on everything ;) -- spoken like a person who would give a librarian a heart-attack) explains quite clearly and concisely that dinner is "the main meal of the day, normally eaten in the evening, but occasionally at lunchtime," Kristin felt the need to prover her point by sending me this:
But I want you to notice, Kristin, that it's only occasionally a lunchtime meal. And the real irony is that it's still called lunchtime :). Not dinnertime :). Dinnertime is usually in the evening :).

I do believe I have some of the greatest people ever in my life!!!

On Looking Older

So it occurs to me that I have witnessed a paradox in my lifetime, which at 27 sometimes seems long and sometimes doesn't. Please allow me to illustrate with a story or two:

The Nose-Ring Guy
As a teenager, about 15 years old, I hung out at Los Rios swimming pool a lot. I was an avid swimmer, but also an avid flirter with the lifeguards. (Look, I told you there was a time in my life when I was totally boy crazy). So one Saturday I'd gone to the pool, and by that time I had made friends with all the lifeguards. Hey, there was merit in this... I mainly spoke to them in Spanish, so we can call it educational since I was improving my Spanish skills :). So anyway, I was hanging out in the office there at the swimming pool, chatting away. Now, the way the pool was set up, there was a window at the front of the office through which people coming to swim had to show either their B-badge (this was a green card with our photo on it that said we could swim -- I still have mine) if we were not an adult; or, if you were an adult, you had to show either a military ID or a Panama Canal Commission ID. This was proof that you were allowed to swim there (because the pool was owned by the U.S. Government). Anyway, the PCC pools were free, but the pools on the military bases cost like a buck or two to get in. I don't know why, but whatever. Okay, so I was in the office and this guy comes up to the window to show his ID. The first thing I notice is that this guy has this huge honkin' HOOP nose ring in his nose. I do believe it was the first time I'd ever seen such a thing. I mean, a hoop??? Anyway, so he shows his ID (so I can tell he's a young Army guy) and I buzz him into the men's room (yes, even at 15 I just kind of went to work wherever I was hanging out). So this guy comes out, says hello to all the lifeguards there around the office and goes on and swims. I don't know how much time later it is, but eventually he is ready to leave. So, at this point I'm sitting in the office, still talking away (I do talk a lot) and nose-ring guy stops and starts talking to all my lifeguard friends. He's talking in English, which they all speak that as well as Spanish. He's asking how he could go about getting a part-time job there as a lifeguard and they are telling him (which even at the age of 15, that seemed like a dorky question for him to be asking... I mean, he's a GI for goodness sake). Anyway, they ask him his name, so he says, "David" (only he says it in Spanish). He shakes all their hands and then pokes his head in the office, looks right at me, and says, "Hi, I'm David." And I smile politely and say, "Hi, I'm Hila and I don't work here." So he goes back into the men's room and I go back to visiting. A little while later, he comes out of the men's room through the other door, getting ready to leave (so now he's on the other side of the window where he had to show his ID at first). Well, my friend Rafael was talking to someone through the window at that time. So, David the nose-ring guy just kind of hangs out in the front there for a few minutes, and I'm just standing against the counter. Well, the guy Rafael was talking to leaves, and Rafael goes back to the back door to take up his post again. And David the nose-ring guy walks up to the counter. So I'm wondering what he wants, and since I'm the closest one there to the window, I say, "Can I help you with anything?" (Yeah, because I totally work there...). Okay, maybe I'm an idiot, but I have to say I was completely unprepared for what came out of his mouth. He says to me, "Hey, yeah. I was just wondering if you would like to do something sometime?" Oh my heck! The nose-ring guy just asked me out! I wonder what my expression looked like. Anyway, I am baffled and I am practically tripping over my words as I say, "I'm sorry, I can't. I'm only 15." Okay, so now it's his turn to be shocked. He says, "Oh, I'm so sorry. You looked older." And I said, "Oh, that's okay." So he leaves, and inside, I'm smiling. Not because David the nose-ring guy asked me out. But because I looked older. Woohoo! I looked like a mature woman. (Man, I was an idiot). Okay, so there's that one.

Underage ID Check
So, on another occasion, my mom and I were riding in the van, and I was in the front passenger seat. We were headed onto Albrook AFB to check the APO box. My mom always had her ID at the ready, because she knew it would be checked. The rule was, you check the IDs of all the adults in the car, even though we had a sticker on the car that gave us permission to go on base. Well, so my mom shows hers, and the guy looks over at me. I think he's just going to wave us through. But he does not. He is waiting expectantly to see mine as well. So, I lean forward to get the ID out of my back pocket, and I'm thinking maybe I had a look of annoyance on my face (which wouldn't surpise me), either that or he realizes that I was not expecting to be carded. So he asks, "Do they not usually ask you for it?" And my mom says, "Well, she's 16." So, he looked shocked and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were 18." Which constitutes adult, and therefore I needed to be carded. Anyway, so I smiled again to myself at the thought of looking older. Yeesh.

So, why is it that when that kind of thing happens to us when we are trying to be grown up (and first of all, why are we trying to do that??? Don't we know anything!?) we are proud and excited about the prospect? And then when it happens to us later in life, when we actually are older, it's not so funny. Perhaps you will recall the story I told you about when I was mistaken for a grandmother when I was all of 25 years old... (if you click the link, just read down to the second paragraph or so). So yeah, a mere 10 years later, and it's not so fun to be mistaken as being older. I can assure you I was not smiling inwardly about being mistaken for Desiree's grandmother. I was actually quite horrified. It's almost like I'm okay with being mistaken for older when older is between ages 18 and 20. But now that I'm well over 20, either assume I'm still 18 or 20, or just pretend I look 27, since I am. It is no longer complimentary to say I look older than I am :). Because that puts me somewhere near 30. (Because I'm already close enough to it). Although I will say that I love Anne for telling me I look like I'm 21!! Yay for Anne! Perhaps she was just saying that. But I'm going to go ahead and believe it :). Why not? I was willing to believe I looked 18 ten years ago :). I also love that my dad looked at that picture of me and Julie at Kristin's from 10 years ago and he asked me (this was just last week) if Julie had had her baby! At first I thought maybe he had heard something I hadn't... like that Julie had gone into premature labor. But as I asked him more questions, I finally realized he was thinking that the the baby in the picture was Julie's baby and not Kristin's! Haha... Which made me feel great, since he obviously thought that was a recent picture of me. I even asked him if he didn't notice how young I looked in that picture (and how old I look now :)).

So anyway, experience has also taught me that desiring to look older (and desiring to be older) was not unique to me in my teenage years. It's also something you can't convince a teenager (or pre-teen, as the case may be) that it is silly to want those things. They won't believe you. I know, because I've tried. And I know, because my dad tried to convince me when I was young. He told me that I have the rest of my life to be a grown-up, so to just enjoy my childhood and not want to rush through it to get to adulthood. Isn't it a shame that we don't figure that out until we are actually in adulthood and it's too late ;)? I think this is evidence that youth really is wasted on the young! :). Eh, but what can you do? So let me just take my grandma-looking self and go do some work :).

Also, look down to right above my playlist... I found a thing that tells me what my name means :). Pretty cool. And, what says you? Is it accurate?

The Nilla List

Well, really quickly I'll give you the highlights of my evening. I got off work at 3:30, stopped by Publix to buy the rest of the ingredients for the cheeseball I signed up to make for the student appreciation party (Here's a story for you: I couldn't remember what I'd signed up for, since it was the week before Spring Break when we signed up... I thought I remembered it being something salty (and usually I just write "something salty" on the sheet so that I can make my decision to either buy or make something closer to time), so I wasn't feeling particularly inclined to make anything, so I figured I'd buy some chips. So, I went to Wal-Mart on Tuesday and bought a big bag of Doritos. And then the list was posted yesterday and I saw that I hadn't gone the smart route and written "something salty" but rather had actually volunteered for a cheeseball and crackers. Dang it. So, I had to go buy crackers and beef). So anyway, yeah, bought those ingredients. At least I signed up for something easy. Then I headed home and washed some clothes and forced myself to be a good student. I have really procrastinated stuff, and with the fact that I now have to re-do that whole literature review, I don't think I can do that anymore. So, I knocked the assignments for 523 out of there (I have to present tonight) and spent the rest of the evening reading for 523. I have to write up 3 booktalks by next week and actually need to do a total of 5 of them. I'm still in the middle of reading book 4: The Presence by John Saul. But I was successful in getting almost to the halfway point last night. Which means I read around 100 pages yesterday. Now if I could only keep that pace...

Okay, so the Nilla list. I had actually been thinking of making my list for some time now. And I always intended to blog it, but I had yet to get around to it. Then Julie found an old list she had made about 10 years ago, and she sent it to me, since she said I would appreciate it. And I did :). I'm wishing I had made a list like that 10 years ago so I could see the things I wanted to accomplish and see how many I could check off my list. Well, but I didn't. So I'm making one now. So, it's a work in progress. And most of it right now is places I want to see or go. But there are a couple of accomplishments on there I'd like to do.

• Get married to "the right person in the right place at the right time"
  
• Be a mom
  
• Transit the Panama Canal on boat
• Ride in a gondola in Venice
• Go to the top of the Empire State Building
• See the Statue of Liberty
• Visit all 50 States (this means I have to actually visit something or someone there... Not just pass through, like in an airport)
  
• See/go up in the Eiffel Tower
• Be debt-free (although a mortgage could be acceptable debt)
• Graduate from college with a master's degree
• Own my own house (either by myself or with my spouse... both count :) -- but no more apartment living!)
• See the great pyramids of Egypt (and go inside)
  
• Take a cruise
• Learn ballroom dancing
• Ride in a limo (don't laugh! I've seriously always wanted to do this!)
• Eat in a fancy restaurant that has all those forks and where you are supposed to wear a nice evening gown (yes, another materialistic silly thing, but I've really always wanted to do it just once!)
• Learn sign language (I decided I wanted to learn about 10 years ago when I met Julie. Obviously I have wasted 10 years... I have picked up a few signs here and there. Maybe I will get motivated enough to learn it, because that would be neat)
• Write a novel (and hopefully get it published!)
  

So I realize that a lot of that list is just stuff I want to see; places I want to go. But I've always had desires to travel. So, they go on the list. Although I never made a list before of the things I want to do or accomplish in my life, I do remember things I've wanted to do and have done (which is why they are not on the above list). So, I will list some of them for you here:

• Go to NYC
• See Washington, D.C.
• Ride the NYC subway
• Graduate from college with a bachelor's degree
• Live on my own (okay, so this one is not all it's cracked up to be... Or at least not at this stage in my life. But it is something I know I had always wanted to experience, so now I can say I have).

Well, I sincerely hope there were others that I hoped to accomplish and did. Otherwise that's kind of sad. That's why it's good to have a list.

And, since I am making lists (have I mentioned that I love lists :)?), I will make a list of which of the states I have visited so far. (Does it make me a dork that I am enjoying my list-making??).

• Alabama (I've been living here for 10 years and visited here every 2 years since 1985 before that)
• Georgia (again, various times)
• Florida (various times)
• North Carolina (Brad and Tarylyn and Saria -- April 2003)
• Louisiana (April 2000)
• New Jersey (December 2007)
• Pennsylvania (December 2007)
• New York (December 2007)
• Washington, D.C. (okay, so it's not a state, but whatever -- December 2007)
• Washington (various times)
• Utah (August 1999)
• Colorado (July 1995)
• Texas (a couple of times -- 1987ish and 1990ish)

Okay, well, I guess I'm about all out of lists. For the moment. But, now you know things the Nilla wants to do one day. Hopefully I get to check some stuff off my list soon :).

*Oh yeah, and Kristy guessed the movie quote correctly!*

Funny Story... Not so Funny Story

Okay, so I just got back from class. Funny story: we did end up getting assigned grades for those symbols. So the book translates to a 97. And the clock (which, if you remember, meant little to no understanding) was an 89. Which is a very high B by the way. The not so funny story? Well, I totally failed the literature review. In fact, I got zero points. I guess that's what I get for using an old paper to fulfill a different kind of assignment. Yikes. Thankfully she's going to let me revise it and re-submit it. I don't really know where I'll find the time. However, I guess I will have to. And I think there really is something to the saying of "It's better to do it right than do it again." Ugh. So, I think I'm out of her good graces once again. However, I don't think I'm the only one who got zero points (although this is still a personal low for me). And of the people who got points, several did not get many points. So yikes.

Other than that, there was no excitement. I'm rather bummed about having to do that project again, but I need the points. At least some of the points.

Oh yeah, so we have a candle at the apartment that is supposed to smell like papaya. So I picked it up and smelled it. I'll just say that whoever made it has never smelled a real papaya. Because the candle smelled pretty good. And (Julie, don't read this) real papaya smells like vomit when you cut it open. Ick.

Okay, so I know this is very brief. But I really don't have much to report. And in the interest of getting some work done, I think I'd better just leave this one short, sweet, and simple. With the promise of having a more interesting post tomorrow :).

Getting Personal

So, generally I don't post particularly personal things. Mostly because, well, just because. I mean, who wants to read about someone else's trials? But the truth is I've been struggling with something lately, and it's been particularly hard the last two days. I mean, it comes and goes, this feeling. It's always in the back of my mind. But sometimes I'm better at overcoming it. So, let me preface this by saying I'm really not a vain person. I don't spend hours staring at myself in the mirror, etc.

So, what's my issue? Well, my hair is getting thinner and thinner by the day. This is very depressing to me. I have made mention of my hair issues before (including yesterday), but I usually just breeze over it as though it's a non-issue. And that is so not true. This is a major issue for me. Every time I see pictures of me when I was younger (like early 20s), I get slightly depressed about how much hair I've lost. I'm not even sure exactly when I started losing the hair, but I know I was losing copious amounts of it even when I was married. I just didn't realize at the time how unnatural that was (I was seriously losing a lot of hair -- there were clumps of it that would gather in various places on the floor in the apartment, and when we used the rug raker thing we bought, you should have seen the hair that came off the carpet, plus I clogged the drain regularly, even in spite of trying to "catch" the hair that was falling out while I was washing it and not let it go down the drain (obviously lots was still going down the drain), and my hair brush would still be full of hair). But I had so much hair that it really wasn't noticeable. It only has started to be really noticeable in the last year or so. For your benefit, I have included two pictures. They are not a really great comparison, since I wasn't trying to compare my hair when they were taken... But, I think you'll see what I mean...Literally, I can't get my hair to grow longer than what it was in December/January, and it's very stringy looking when I do finally get it to be as long as it was. I know the other picture (of me tied up) doesn't really give a good example of it, but I had long, shiny, full, thick hair. And I realize how whiny I sound, I do. This is just very hard for me. My hair was something I liked about me. People complimented it. I loved my long hair, and I loved that it was so wavy and full without any effort made by me. Although having a new hair style has been fun at times, the reason for getting it was that I needed something to make my hair look fuller and thicker. I had hopes that maybe my hair just needed a break, and that by cutting off the excess unhealthy hair, my hair would become revitalized. And so, as my hair continues to fall out, I see that is not going to happen, and my hopes are crushed. I started taking vitamins in hopes that my hair would improve. No luck there either. I don't want my hair to just look fuller and thicker. I want it to be fuller and thicker. And my fear is that it will never happen; that I will continue to lose my hair until I am bald, or at least a lot balder.

Okay, so I totally know that, if this is the worst of my troubles, then I should be very grateful. I know that there are people who have much worse problems than losing their hair, and there are people who probably wish that hair loss was their trial. And so, knowing that, I feel like a silly baby that I am so affected by this. And I know that, in the long run, in the eternal scheme of things, this is very insignificant. But even so, it is very hard for me; it makes me feel ugly. The bottom line is that I need to find out what is causing this hair loss. Is it hormonal? Does it involve my thyroid? Does it involve my diet? Or perhaps it's just stress (although I can't see that I've had that much stress in the past 4 years)? And so I will be making a doctor's appointment. But there are so many fears. What if I find out that it is caused by something for which there is no way to stop it? Yes, I know they make wonderful wigs these days, but I really want my own full head of hair back. Sigh. And yes, probably I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. On an up-note, I am very thankful for friends and for home teachers and for blessings of comfort. Please forgive me for this pity party. I just find that writing is therapeutic for me, as is talking. And so this is a way of doing both (since someone out there is reading it). And this is literally what has consumed my thoughts the past couple of days (thanks to a glimpse in the mirror of my very thinning hairline). So, now you know this part of the Nilla life :(. And I'm sorry if I seem selfish now.

And let me leave this on a positive note: there are now 2 positions open up in Washington for which I wish to apply. They are the same position, but in different library clusters. I guess they cluster their libraries up there, so it's kind of like a pyramid. But anyway, the pay is the same, it's in the same area. Of course, the requirements are also the same, so there's still a good chance I won't get the position. But I'm going to apply anyway :P. Also, there is another job that doesn't pay as well, but for which I am over-qualified, that is still full-time and in the same area. So, I could apply for that and see where that goes. Of course, since that job doesn't even require the MLIS degree, there's a good chance they will fill that position quickly and with someone local. But, so that's my latest on the job-search. It's looking like there are some good options!

My Last Hoorah!

Well, this is my first attempt at using photobucket for my pictures. Click on that picture above and you can go to all of my pictures. I will warn you, though, they are not in order. I don't know why. I will go back and put more descriptions in them so you can know when they took place and what they are... I can't do slide shows since I don't have the newest flash on my computer at work, and I also don't have administrative rights to be able to install it...

Okay, so here we go!

Friday, March 14, 2008
Worked from 7 until 11:30. Paid the electric bill. Went to Friday Forum, and then got on the road by 2:00. The drive was uneventful (which is a good thing). And Dothan traffic is AWFUL! I swung into the Southside Wal-Mart to pick up the last few ingredients for Julie's baby shower. Then I headed over to Julie's mom's house where Julie had a pork chop, baked potato, and other yummy stuff waiting for me. Then we took some pictures of Julie and me. Look at her pregnant tummy!! So cute!! (Okay, not posting the pictures in here is totally going to stink, but I will run out of room if I do...). Anyway, then we got down to the business of making the food. We started out with the oreo truffles. Thank goodness for Alysha and Meemaw and all the help they provided! We had a lovely little assembly line going. We decided to color the oreo truffles green and yellow to match the colors of the baby shower. We also made half of the baby carriage chocolate lollipops (these were the shower favors). They turned out cute, but man that was time-consuming. Also, I took my red pajamas. So, don't be surprised when you see the ever-present red heart pajamas in one of the pictures :).

Saturday, March 15, 2008
Baby shower day!!! Yipee! We all woke up and I started cooking immediately. I had lots of stuff to make! I had to make the other half of the chocolate pops. I had to make the caramel dip for the apples (this didn't turn out right), and I had to make the bacon cheese mini appetizers. Plus we had to get to Kristy's mom's house by 1:00 so we could set up. We made it! Yay! And none too soon, because right after we got there, one of the guests arrived, and she is deaf, so without Julie and her mom there, no one would have been able to communicate with her very easily! Kristy, Meemaw, and I got all the stuff on the table (please refer to the pictures of the spread). Soon guests were arriving and things were getting underway! You know, I am so not one to be the center of attention. I was glad Kristy took that helm and was in charge of the baby shower. I am much more of a "behind the scenes" kind of gal. Here's some more Nilla trivia for you: I do not flourish when in the company of lots of people I don't really know. I tend to get very quiet. The shower went well, Julie got tons of really neat stuff. Everyone was talking about the food. I was told by 2 or 3 people that I could go into catering as a side business. Hmmm... Something to consider when I am (hopefully) a stay-at-home-mom one of these days... Anyway, it made me feel good. After the baby shower, I went to my dad's. He had forgotten I was coming down this weekend, so it was a nice surprise for him. We sat around watching TV that night, but I don't remember what we watched.

Sunday, March 16, 2008
I got up and went to church. Church starts at 9:00 this year in Dothan (they trade off with Dothan 2nd Ward for the time each year). I sat with Brian and Becky during Sacrament Meeting and got to hold Little B pretty much the whole time. Now he is a sweet baby. He is so calm and even-keeled. Just kind of goes with the flow. He fell asleep on me. So cute! Oh, and I totally (accidentally) squeaked his toy while Sacrament was being passed. Haha! Afterwards, Brian said (jokingly), "If you can't play with it quietly, we'll have to take it away." We laughed. After church, I headed out to Meemaw's again. I spent the rest of the afternoon out there visiting and laughing. Julie, Meemaw, Alysha, and I played quite a few games of Catch Phrase. Now that was hilarious. Did you know Meemaw used to wear bonnets when she was younger :)? That was Alysha's clue for trying to get Julie to guess "bonnet." She said, "they wore these back when Meemaw was growing up." Oh my gosh we laughed so hard. There were other hilarious moments, but for the life of me, I can't remember them now. I wonder if Julie remembers any. I hung out there until about 10, visiting with everyone. Then I headed back to my dad's where he was watching an infomercial for "My Generation 1960s." Amazing how the music pulls you in and makes you watch.

Monday, March 17, 2008
St. Patrick's Day! I will tell you what: it is a wonderful thing to let your body wake up when it's good and ready. For me, that is around 9:15. And I'm not sorry. Dad and I spent the morning running errands. We went by Wal-Mart, where we ran into Julie, Alysha, and Meemaw! We also checked the post office box and went to Home Depot. We ate eggs for a late lunch. Then I got ready to go and headed over to Becky's house at about 4:00 for our St. Patrick's girlie night! I had to make the oreo truffles. Which did not look as pretty as they did on Saturday for the baby shower... Note to self... Using the double boiler for the vanilla almond bark is not a good idea (oh, and I switched to vanilla almond bark instead of white chocolate for many reasons). We took lots of pictures (refer to the pictures). And I want you to know I was the only idiot not wearing green. And, I got pinched for it (thanks Kira!). I didn't bring any green with me to Dothan. Oh well. Anyway, those who attended the party: Becky (she hosted, provided the drinks, and she and I made chicken lasagna roll-ups -- okay, well, I helped buy the ingredients and Becky made them, since I was busy with the oreo truffles -- sorry Becky!), Stacy (she made brownies with chocolate and mint icing, and a delicious salad with chicken and other yummy stuff), Kira (she brought green grapes and yummy green beans with bacon -- I know! I don't seem to hate green beans anymore!), and Kristy -- not the Kristy from the baby shower, but the Kristy I added to my blog roll -- (she brought a delicious fruit tray with dip). Becky found an Irish words matching game. That was way hard. I got 5 correct. Kira won with 6 correct. Kira knew what a sheleleigh was (maybe I spelled that right...). Even though most everyone left by 9, I stayed until around 11 helping Becky with her blog (although I think I ran my mouth more than I helped). Oh yeah, and Little B fell asleep on me again. So sweet! Oh yeah, and if you have a daughter named Stacy and you told her you like reading my blog.... :). You should leave me comments. I met you more than once! And you score big points in my book for introducing me to key lime pie ice cream by Blue Bell. And I love getting comments :). (Sorry to call you out :)).

Tuesday, March 18, 2008
On Tuesday, I helped my dad pull some wire. But it did not go smoothly, and the wire came undone in the wall somewhere and got lost. So, that was a lost cause, literally. At least for the time being. So I ended up having to leave to go to Stacy's for lunch. Stacy made these delicious chicken pillows (I will be stealing the recipe for these and many other things from her blog) and we ate more of the salad from the night before, but this one didn't have the chicken in it. I got to hold Ammon and entertain him while Stacy cooked. He eventually fell asleep on me for a little bit. So sweet. Stacy is incredibly talented and creative. She let me look through all her scrapbooks, and they are amazing. Makes me want to scrapbook. But I have tried before, and mine are pretty lame. Plus I have anxiety attacks (just about) over cutting up my pictures. I'm not sure why. My dad says it's because I'm a lot like him. I think it's because I feel like I get clues from the picture backgrounds.... You just never know what will spark a memory. Anyway, but Stacy is really awesome with her scrapbooking. After leaving Stacy's, I went by the library to visit for a little while. Then I went back to Dad's and we ate dinner and watched some TV. Oh yeah, no we didn't. We watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At Worlds End. Thanks for letting us borrow it Becky!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008
I woke up this morning, helped my dad with something, and then got ready to go to lunch. I met Kristin and Carol at the library, and Julie ended up having to meet us up there too, since her mom's car's battery had died. So, we all trooped over to the Golden Corral (it was a rainy day in Dothan). Lunch was fun. Five of us went: me, Julie, Kristin, Carol, and Glenda. Sadly, I don't get my money's worth at buffets anymore. Which usually is a good thing. But at a buffet, it's a bad thing. By the time I was done, I didn't even want to think about food anymore. Julie and I went back to the library and visited with Miss Hilda. Miss Hilda calls me, Julie, and Kristin her daughters. We love Hilda. Then I drove Julie home and we sat around and visited for a few hours. Then I went back to my dad's. We went and bought a pizza and ate that for dinner. We watched the Caine Mutiny and also we watched Frasier. I found out that there are 2 hours of Frasier on during the week! I love Frasier! I'm going to have to buy those seasons on DVD.

Thurdsay, March 20, 2008
Today I helped my dad finish pulling the new wire in the foyer. Then I got ready for lunch and headed out to Troy Dothan to meet up with Donna. She and I had a wonderful visit. We went to Moe's for lunch. I treated, since Donna's birthday is coming up in April (there are a lot of April birthdays among my friends!). I had also brought an oreo truffle for each of us as dessert. But we didn't eat that until we got back to the university. I visited out there for a long while, and finally left a little after 3. I had hoped to see Drs. Belsches and Brown, but neither of them were there. Oh well. My dad was at work, so I ended up visiting with Kristin at the library (and posting that picture of me with a lot of hair... My hair issues are depressing me). Anne and I were able to get together for dinner, so we went to McAllister's Deli. I got a soup bowl. And Anne and I sat and talked for a good 3 hours. If you notice in the 2 pictures we took there (we ended up splitting cheesecake at the end), the first picture had daylight outside and the second one does not. But it was a lot of fun. I love catching up with friends. Then I got home and got a shower and settled in to watch more Frasier with Dad.

Friday, March 21, 2008
I had hoped to get to see Julie one more time before she left, but schedules did not coincide, so it didn't happen. But I did get to visit more with Kristin. I spent a lot of time at the library, just hanging out with Kristin and keeping her company in the Children's Room. I even took some Baskin Robins mint chocolate chip ice cream up there. Yeah, so call us heifers... We ate the whole quart. What?? That's only a pint a piece :). (Oh yeah, and trust me, my scale at home was not my friend after this week). Also, I ate more Chinese food today. And my fortune: "your magnetic personality will draw people to you this month." Yep, that Nilla personality is a great thing to have :). Haha... Of course, depending on the type of people my personality draws, that could be a bad thing ;). Back at Dad's..... Well, it turns out that Friday only has one hour of Frasier. I was bummed.

Saturday, March 22, 2008
I woke up and called Karen at about 10. She called me back at 10:45, and we decided we'd meet up at about 11:30. So I went by the library to print off a map for my dad, then headed over to Karen's. Karen and I had a lot of fun visiting on Saturday. We went and ate at Olive Garden, then we went to Wal-Mart, since Karen had to go there. And hey, I'm all about just hanging out and visiting. I don't care what we do (well, there are some limits). We also went by WinnDixie in Karen's fruitless attempt to find Starburst jelly beans. It seems they were all sold out. After leaving Karen's at 5:30, I went back to Dad's and got a shower. We watched TV, including watching The Wedding Date. We also found another hour of Frasier on. So yay! Oh, and I think my phone suffers from a severe case of PMS. Or something. Sometimes the battery drains and I have to charge it daily. Which was the case when I first got to Dothan. However, by Wednesday, it was keeping it's charge quite nicely. It's finicky.

Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Easter! I said good-bye to my dad when I left for church, since he had to go to work at 10. It's hard to leave my dad, because I know he's sad. Church was great. I sat with Karen and her family. How humbling it is to be reminded of the Savior's atonement for each of us. How grateful I am that He loved me enough to die for me. I cannot even come close to understanding how much He must love us. As deeply as I have loved, I know it does not even begin to compare with the love He feels for us. How blessed I feel to know of His love, His sacrifice, and especially His resurrection. I know He lives. And I know that, because He overcame death, we will too. And I know that, because of His sacrifice, we can also be forgiven and be given the opportunity to return to live with Him and our Father in Heaven.

Well, I have been blessed. I had a wonderful week full of wonderful visits. I saw all my wonderful friends in Dothan and laughed and smiled and laughed some more. It really is sad to think this was my last real hoorah in Dothan. As of today, I have, at most, 137 days to go. To all my friends in Dothan, you will never be forgotten. No matter where I live. And, since I will be living in a beautiful place near a cool city with cool things (like the Space Needle), you can consider yourselves invited :).

*And, Julie had guessed the movie quote correctly!* And now Tarylyn has guessed it correctly too!*

Sunday, Monday [Busy] Days

Tuesday, Wednesday [busy] days... Thursday, Friday, [busy] days...

Yeah, you get the idea :).

I figured there might be some people out there checking my blog for updates (Elka). So I thought I'd throw you a "friggin' bone" (to quote Dr. Evil :)).

I have been running around like a mad woman hanging out with everyone. I have been having a wonderful Spring Break. I have not gotten much school stuff done (but I wasn't really thinking I would). I will add two pictures in here for fun. But I will also warn you that, from here on out, if I have more than 1 picture to post at a time, I will be using photobucket. Otherwise I will run out of room in blogger. Trust me, I have a million pictures to share :). Well, I might not be able to. I am using Kristin's work computer and it says I don't have administrative rights. That happens to me a lot. Bummer. But, I can still add this one. This is one that makes me feel old. Kristin gave it to me. This is me and Julie and Kristin's son Brandon back in August 1999. I looked so young!!!! Now I have a lot less hair and a lot of what I have left is gray!!! So, enjoy a picture from yester-year :). And I will fill you all in on my week of fun when I'm back home and back to the grindstone.

Ready or Not, Here I Come!

You'll have to expect gaps in blog-posting from the Nilla. I'm sorry. But just imagine all the fun posts that will show up once I get a chance to post again :). I can assure you there will be pictures galore.

You know something? Knowing is so liberating. Which is probably where the idea of "the truth will set you free" came from. And yeah, the truth really will set you free. Knowing gives you direction and a sense of assurance. It's the not knowing that seems precarious. Of course, there are times in life when we just don't know, and we just have to have a little faith. And eventually, the knowledge will come as we seek it. For example, take my whole "Will I graduate in August?" dilemma. Yes, I want to graduate in August. Yes, I'm ready to move to Washington and have a "real" job where I am making decent money to help me plan for my future. I'm ready to be closer to my nieces and nephews, my siblings, and my mom. But I also know that Heavenly Father has a plan for me, and that, if I listen to His promptings, He will lead me where I need to be. So, when it was looking like they might not offer that class, I was looking at the possibility of "well, Washington might not be where I need to go in August" kind of thing. Maybe I was going to need to stay around here for a few more months. Which was fine with me. I mean, it would mean I'd have to figure out some things, like living arrangements, but I knew that would be fine if that's what it was supposed to be. Of course, I also didn't sit around on my laurels, either. I was proactive in this issue. I went and talked to the people in the library school, and I got in touch with other classmates so that we could petition for the class. I did everything I could do to be able to graduate in August. And I did that so that I knew that I'd done all I could. And if it still didn't work out... Well, then there was a reason for that. But my issue has always been the "knowing." I just wanted to know whether or not I was for sure going to be here for another 4 months (until December). It's the being up in the air that drives me nuts ;). Of course, that's also probably because I have that stubborn streak of impatience in me ;). My friend Julia-Ann, who keeps up with my blog, emailed me yesterday and said something along the lines of how, if we learn how to "let go and let God," it all works out in the end. How true. But many of you know the issues I have with letting go :). I really don't try to be that stubborn. I just can't stop worrying. I think that, in many ways, I've come a long way though. So maybe that was all part of why I'm here. Part of what I needed (and still do need) to learn (but that's a whole other post I've got brewing in my head). Anyway, so now that I know they are offering the class that I need, I am ready to start job-hunting. My hopes are not high for having a job before I move. This is simply because I have to get Washington State Certification (which requires proof of my degree (which I won't have until after August 9) and $25 (which is not the issue, the degree is :))), and also because a lot of jobs want a copy of my valid Washington State driver's license (I can give them a valid Alabama one :)...). But the point is, I'm going to start looking. And again, I know things will fall into place. Whereas before, I didn't want to start putting out applications if I didn't know if I was going to graduate in August or December.

Anyway, although, again, I don't have any hopes of really getting this job, I have found a job for which I fully intend to apply. It is a branch manager position about an hour away from where my mom lives (in a very rich area of Washington... near where Bill Gates lives, actually). Which is a little farther than I want to be, but again, I'm not expecting to be offered the job. For one thing, I'm sure they are not wanting to wait until July or August before they fill the position. And even then, I wouldn't have the certification until probably September, maybe even October. Plus I don't have 2 years of certified library experience (which means I worked in a library for 2 years after I got my Masters). And I also don't have any real supervisory experience. However, I have been a branch manager before. I have held that level of responsibility. I don't think I'd be entirely out of line by applying for the job ;). So, I think I will :). And at the very least, I get the experience of having my application out there and getting back a rejection letter (which they have you fill out and address with the application, haha). I'll tell you what, applying for a library job in Washington is way different from anything I've done around here in Alabama. Anyway, that job seems ideal, so I'm going to try for it. And I'm going to try for anything else good that happens to be posted on my favorite job-search site :). Of course, I do realize that there is always the possibility that something may come up and I'm still not supposed to move to Washington in August. Right now, that doesn't look like that case at all. But I always know that's a possibility. And so I will just do all that I can do to have a job when I go there, and things will work out as they should, as long as I pay attention :). I'll know what I need to know when I need to know it, and I will be guided and directed :). Isn't it wonderful to be led by Someone who sees the big picture? I find great comfort in that (and honestly sometimes wish I could see the big picture too, because then I'd know :)... Yep, there are those control and impatience issues of mine, rearing their ugly heads ;)). I find even greater comfort in knowing that the big picture is seen by Someone who loves me and wants me to be happy. He will not lead me astray. And knowing that makes all the difference.

(Side note: I truly do find it ironic that one of the things I probably will NEVER forget about my mom is how she always told me that patience is a virtue. I don't think Brad, Christina, or Ben had to hear that statement nearly as often as I did. I know I've shared that before, but it is always in my mind. My mother was trying to teach me something I was going to need to know and have. (Side note inside a side note (man, I'm tangential :) -- that was for all you math nerds out there :)!!! And English nerds who like to play with the English language :)!!!: Which makes me think of Elka's post about how she began to know her son's needs instinctively, and I wonder if it isn't more than instinct. I wonder if it isn't revelation. And I know that it doesn't end when the children learn how to communicate their needs. Because sometimes the children don't even know what they need. Somehow my mom knew that I needed to learn patience, that it would be important for me to have it later on in life. :End side note within a side note) I'm not entirely sure I listened at all to my mom's mantra about patience, or at least I didn't understand it at the time. And actually, I got annoyed with her everytime she said it... mostly because I knew it was coming and didn't have the patience to hear it again -- irony, thy name is Nilla. And obviously impatience seems to be an innately Nilla trait :). My mother, on the other hand, has the patience of a saint. :End side note!).

Well, so that's that. I love the clarity that comes with knowing. And I love knowing I can trust Heavenly Father, even when I don't know what's going to happen (and even if it's hard for me to let go).

Oh yeah, and I have the weirdest dreams. So last night I dreamed that I was somewhere that had a beach, only it was inside. And then several of us were in the water, only the water was crystal clear, and it was in the whole building throughout the rooms. And we're talking deep water, so you have to swim in it and you can stand in some places. Well, we're swimming by a certain part and I notice a horse underwater. It's standing up, like a statue. So I say something about it, and we swim back. Everyone except one person sees it. And so we're trying to get him to see the horse, only now it's a man. And it's like you have to be at a certain angle to see this man-who-used-to-be-a-horse in the water. But still the guy can't see the man, even from that angle. And then later, when we are all leaving, we're in like a big van or something and I remember saying to the guy who couldn't see the horse or the man that it's probably because his eyes don't work that way, just like he can't do those Magic Eye things (yeah, that's so random, but that's really what I said in the dream). And also while we were driving, we looked back toward the building where we'd been, and it looked like a castle. Just thought I'd share with you the weird ideas of my subconscious.

Official!!

It's official!!! The technology class is on the schedule for registration! YES! This means I will be graduating in August. And, due to the fact that I will not be interning, but will be taking a different elective instead, it's looking like I will actually be done with school before the 4th of July!!! Woohoo! See, I will be taking 2 "Summer I" courses. This means June will not be a fun month for me. However, it also means that July will be a walk in the park :)! It means that I can make myself available for jobs elsewhere a month earlier. It means lots of things!!! I'm just so relieved that I'm going to be done! So, I will be tweaking my resume and I will be sending out applications and seeing what happens. I've accepted the fact that, because I'm looking for jobs just about as far away from me as I possibly can (okay, maybe not exactly as far away as possible, but you know what I mean), I might have to wait until I actually live in WA before I actually get anything. But that's not going to stop me from trying to have a job before getting there! It turns out that, when you get all old and stuff like me, you realize that having health insurance and such things is a very important thing... So, I'd love to have a job to go to so that I will not have to go for any real length of time without insurance. But, we'll just see what happens. But at any rate... I'm graduating in August! Yay! And I'm going to be done with school the first week in July! Double-yay! So, I now have 3 1/2 months of school left! I can handle that!!!

Yesterday I went by the library when I got off work so I could renew a book. Plus I checked out another one. Then I went home and read for a little bit, then got a shower, and then headed over to Jeni's. She and I wrote out cards for the sisters we visit teach, and we took one of the sisters her card and some Easter candy. Yes, Jeni made me an Easter candy bag too. Jeni is so sweet. Then she invited me to stay for dinner, which was chicken cordon bleu made on the stove. It was good. I've never had it that way before... I have always made mine in the oven. But it was quite good. And then we sat around watching some TV. So I got sucked into an episode of American Idol. April called while I was on my way home, and we dicussed the grades. Or symbols. That was a hilarious conversation.

Okay, so here's a request for help: I have to create 4 adult programming things on diabetes that could be done at a public library. I've come up with 3 (they each have to be related to a different aspect of diabetes). Here's what I have so far: diet, exercise, and symptoms/prognosis. Can anyone out there think of something else dealing with diabetes around which I could create another adult program that a public library could offer? I'm a tad stumped. I'm sure I'll come up with something, but I thought I would draw on my pool of brilliant minds :).

And tonight I will spend my time washing clothes and packing and getting ready for the great Spring Break 2008 trip to Dothan! I better start making my list. I can't forget anything important... Lists are lovely things, aren't they :)?

And since I don't have much more to say (just a hazard of the vaNILLA life, I guess), here are a couple more videos from WA that will bring a smile to your face :).

Drum Roll Please!

Okay, I usually try to wait until after my 9:00 class to post, because then I can include my Strive for Five success and/or failure. Today I'm expecting a failure, by the way. But what I'll do is just edit this later and record for sure what the results were. But I really have to post this, because it is great. I got my test back for this crazy class (the one I will be in at 9:00). Woo hoo! And my grade is... Drum roll please... a book!!! Yep, that's right. A book. Don't believe me? Well, I knew you wouldn't, so I brought proof (and you can even check my answers for clarity and understanding ;)):You see, my genius surpasses the traditional grading system of A, B, C, D, and F. When it comes to the Nilla, the mold is broken every time. I knew it was only a matter of time before the mold in grading would have to be broken, and a new form of grading would have to be developed to encompass and give credit to my brilliance.

Okay, are you done wading in that pile of you-know-what? Yeah, I thought so. That red book really is my grade though. At least for the moment. And according to the key she sent us, that red book translates into something (but not a grade!). Let me see if I can give you the key so you believe me :).

(Well, I had to print it out and take another picture for you, but I really wanted you guys to see this, and the meaning of the symbols).

I mean, I think I have a pretty good knack for fiction (remember, I hope to one day write a novel), but even I couldn't have made this stuff up. Okay, so I'm pretty thrilled that I got a book, which is the highest level she's willing to impart. But please notice that, even at the best "grade" (or symbol, however you want to see it), one still only has "pretty good understanding." Apparently having excellent understanding in this course is an impossibility (which doesn't acutally surprise me). However, I also noticed that there is "pretty good understanding" and then "good understanding." It seems to me that good understanding is better than pretty good understanding. Maybe she reversed those so that the eye is actually better? I don't really know. The rest of it seems to be in descending order... Anyway, we're going to discuss this in class today, so I will report on how it translates (obviously it's going to be a rough translation) into a grade or points. Ought to be interesting. And since I'm not entirely sure now that the book was the highest "grade" in the class, I won't continue to toot my own horn at this particular juncture in time. (Mostly I was going to point out that receiving such "good" grades when I have not actually read the material doesn't give me a whole lot of motivation to go out and read the material from here on out... I told you I'm a bad student). Oh yeah, and this was the professor's comments in the email that had the answer key: "We will discuss the grading system – which is somewhat creative – tomorrow in class". Now there's the understatement of the year!

And, in other excellent school news, it seems (although I have not gotten an official notice from the library school) that they have found someone to teach the technology class which I need to be able to graduate in August!!! Yay!!! One of the other students who was petitioning for the class got an email (under-the-table, if you will) from her advisor who imparted this information. And she forwarded that email on to those of us who want to know! Yay Yay Yay! (I feel like a cheerleader! Rah rah rah! Give me an H! (H) Give me an I! (I) Give me an L! (L)... Yeah, you get the idea :)).

Oh, and so Institute rocks! Elka rocks! Juliebean rocks! April rocks! Okay, so basically, all of you rock! There are too many to list, since I know you're all out there reading this :). But those are the people (and events) that applied to the rest of yesterday... It's Wednesday, which means I just have to get up early 2 more mornings this week, and then it's Spring Break! It's a beautiful day! (And I even thought I'd give you a song to apply that phrase to, so thanks U2!!! I like U2!). And who cares if the scale isn't my friend today? It'll change by next week :). Because it will WANT to be friends with the NILLA :). Okay, I'm done :). I'll report on the Strive for Five in a few hours :).

UPDATE:
Okay, so the verdict on Stive for Five: Yep, I gained another 1.4 pounds. But overall, I still maintained. And it's such a beautiful day, it doesn't even phase me :). Oh, and we got a lunch box sack with the university's name on it as our prize this time.

The verdict on the "grade"?: Just as unknown as before, except that she did say she sees that list as a hierarchy, so that means "pretty good" is better than "good." As for the rest of it... Sigh. Too much to really explain. Except I think I'm inching my way back into her good graces. Oh, and she's not going to assign "grades" per se to the symbols. And the question she asked was, "Do you really think any of this is going to damage you?" As in, do we really think these are going to count against us. So, I'm thinking she's using the test to gauge our understanding. Which, she told me in the hall when I went to ask her a question for our group, that I did really well on the test and she thanked me for bringing up the fact that I am an inside-of-the-box thinker (which is so very true). So yay!!! I'm so not stressing over this class anymore. Okay, that's it. I just wanted to fill you in :).

Nilla -- The Director and Mastermind

I should probably tell you that my dad says I'm just like his mother: bossy and controlling. While I will admit to having some control issues (usually over things I cannot control), I don't think I'm controlling in the way he means :). However, I do point out to him that it's not like those traits skipped a generation and went directly from his mom to me. I tell him that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, so I must have gotten those traits from him, who got them from his mother. And I hope he's reading this :). Hahaha... It drives him nuts when I tell him things like this. Anyway, the reason I say that is because of my title, where I called myself the director. Actually, I got that idea from Aunt Hila. I don't remember why, exactly, but just a few weeks ago she mentioned that she bet I was the mastermind behind the games Brad, Christina, and I played as children. I can't say that that is always true, but I am pretty sure I can claim most of the games as my own inventions... And so, I'm going to share a few with you (interspersed with pictures of when we were younger). And, I'm going to tell them in the order of what I think will make you laugh the most...

Animal Pet Shop
Well, I'm pretty sure I was not responsible for this game. I think Christina was. All I remember about it is that, among the three of us, we had a huge collection of stuffed animals. So Christina came up with this game where she was the shop keeper of a pet store. She'd set up the stuffed animals and Brad and I would be the customers. Okay, so not entirely hilarious, I know. But I can say that I wouldn't even remember about this game if it hadn't been for one instance. Brad and I were downstairs and Christina was upstairs. Brad and I decided to go upstairs and get Christina to play some game with us. Brad said to me, "I bet we're going to get up there and Christina's going to say, 'hey guys! let's play animal pet shop!'" So we climbed the stairs (there were 14 stairs, by the way), and got into the room where Christina was, with several stuff animals set up in front of her. She smiled and said, "Let's play animal pet shop!" I don't know if we ended up playing that, or if I convinced her to play something else...

Swan Lake Hotel
Ah yes... Now this one I take full credit for... And I'll also get made fun of by Brad whenever he finds out that I told everyone about it... This actually got started with a school friend of mine and me. I think it was Maria. Anyway, after she left, I didn't have anyone but Brad and Christina to subject to playing Swan Lake Hotel with me. So, they got lucky :). In our bedrooms in our house in Cardenas, we had closets with sliding doors. They were pretty big closets. I had intended to have a picture to show you, but I never got around to it, so, sorry. Anyway, the closet was the elevator. And since there were only three of us, we had to play more than one part in the game. Like we had to take turns being the elevator operator (because in a hotel named Swan Lake Hotel... You know it's a ritzy hotel and they have elevator operators... because rich people don't have to push buttons!) Anyway, there really isn't much to this story, and it even sounds like a horribly boring game to me now (and it probably was then too, but I wasn't going to admit that at the time). I guess the memory is just that Brad makes fun of me for this game to this day. But, it's not like he was above taking part in playing the game when I asked him to. Hahaha...

When I Take a Bite...
Okay, even my mom remembers this one. I don't really know to whom I should attribute this "game." It was probably me. Brad and Christina are just lucky they have me around to get through the unpleastantries of life, such as having to eat some potato soup my mom made. I love cheesy potato soup (the important word there being CHEESY). I'm thinking whatever kind she made was not cheesy. Anyway, none of us liked it (sorry Mom, but you already know this). But, we were required to eat a little green bowlful of it each. So, I can remember us sitting in the kitchen, at the kitchen table, with our little green bowls of the undesirable potato soup in front of us. And somewhere along the line, a game was formed so that we could endure the sheer torture of having to eat the stuff. We would take turns taking a bite of the soup. Before taking our bite, we would say, "When I take a bite, they put me like this..." Then we would proceed to take our bite and make some outlandish pose, which we had to hold until it was our turn again, and presumably, by that time, we would have swallowed our bite. As far as who "they" were that would "put [us] like [that]", I don't know... But I can say that we were successful in eating the soup... And for some reason (gee, I wonder why), I have mental images of Brad laughing through this whole game.

To Feel Her Claw
Okay, I've saved this for last for a reason. It's kind of like the slapping story in that some people, when they hear this story (and after they've already heard the slapping story), feel that their suspicions that we were violent children are confirmed... We weren't violent children. Perhaps slightly mentally off (but haven't we been blaming this on genetics, Elka?), but not violent. And creative? Without a doubt. So, when we were younger, I always bit my nails. And Brad was a boy, so he wasn't supposed to grow out his nails. Well, so that left Christina. She did grow out her nails. Not long or anything, because goodness, she was only about 5, maybe 6. But she at least had some nails with which to scratch. Okay, and I don't know who came up with this game. I don't know that I would want to claim it, even if it had been me. And I certainly don't know HOW we came up with this game. As you will see, the implications are scary. Okay, so the rule was, if Brad and I decided we wanted to play this game (and again, I have no idea why we would decide such a thing), we would say the words (to a specific tune, which I still remember, but can't convey through typing) "To feel her claw!" And that was Christina's signal to start chasing us. And, if she could catch us, she was allowed to scratch us up until we were able to get away. Again, I don't know why this game was so popular among us, but it must have been popular enough that we played it often enough that I remember it. And again, I don't think we were violent children. Possibly idiotic children... But not violent. Haha...

So, there you have it. The games we made up as children. I want you to notice that, aside from the stuffed animals, none of these games required toys or other props (well, also the potato soup, but I think we'd have gladly done without that prop). So I'd say we were pretty resourceful children. We came up with cheap forms of entertainment (even if some of them were slightly twisted). So, hopefully this got a chuckle or two :).

*And Julie has guessed the movie quote!*

Also, I moved the playlist to the bottom of the screen so it is now full-size and you can scroll.

6:00 Already?

I was just in the middle of a dream! Ugh. But it really is another Manic Monday. And I totally blamed it on the dude hauling some kind of tractor on a 2-lane, NO PASS AT ALL road that I was 10 minutes late to work. Ugh. Oh, I didn't get out of bed at 6, but my alarm started going off at that time. So, the title fits :). And I can guarantee that the thought (in some muddled form or fashion) did cross my mind that I couldn't believe it was 6:00 already. Probably mostly because, due to the time change, it was once again dark outside at that time. This time last year I was in Seattle. Here's to hoping that this time next year will find me there again, only this time indefinitely :).

So Friday after the Institute Friday Forum, Tom invited me to join he and a couple of other guys from church to see the movie 10,000 B.C. I'd never even heard of it. Tom told me what it was about, and I figured I had nothing better to do, so I went and saw my first movie in the movie theatre here. I've lived here a year and a half now, and this is the first time I've been to the real theatre here. Haha... Anyway, in case you don't know what the movie is, here's a link to a trailer (or preview) for it. I've found that if you see a movie and have little to no expectations about it, you really can't be disappointed. And since I'd never even heard of this movie (and I only realized while watching that trailer for it just now that Friday was it's opening day), I had absolutely no expectations. And I actually thought it was quite decent. The graphics and effects were awesome, at least in my opinion. After the movie, I went home and got a shower. Then Stefanie and I went to Hobby Lobby to find stuff for baby shower favors for Julie's baby shower (which is in less than a week, Juliebean!!!). After we got home, Pace came over and brought a movie for the 3 of us to watch: The Prestige. Probably some of you have heard of it. I never had. But it was good. I mean, it's got some serious twists in it through the whole movie. I liked it. And hey, David Bowie was in it (he plays Nicolai Tesla), and you know how much I adore David Bowie.... Haha :). Ironically, it turns out Brad and Tarylyn rented this movie and watched it this past weekend also.

On Saturday, I woke up early to go to a Relief Society thing. We were having breakfast at the chapel here and then carpooling to the Temple. Well, I went outside and saw this:

That's right... More snow in Alabama! It's just crazy! Of course, it had quit snowing by this point (and it was still early... about 7:25 a.m.). So, I de-snowed my car and headed to the chapel. We ate breakfast, but also got the news that, due to many accidents on the Interstate overpasses, the Interstates had been closed in many areas. So, that pretty much nixed the Temple trip. So, we ate breakfast and had a lesson by Pres. Archibald that was great. And then we went home. So I took care of a few tasks at home I'd let pile up (namely hanging up all my clean clothes...), and then I called Viriginia to see if she wanted to hang out and go to FedEx/Kinko's with me to make a transparency. Virginia had a better idea... She had transparency sheets and an inkjet printer that would print them! So she offered up these materials, and I was able to make my transparency at her house instead! And so I took over some Publix brand Black Jack Cherry frozen yogurt (this stuff is so good, you wouldn't even realize it wasn't ice cream if you didn't know it). And since we were watching comedic movies while I was burning more of my family DVDs (and since it was yogurt, not ice cream, and was therefore healthy for you ;), Virginia and I took the liberty of eating heaping huge bowls-full... And we (or at least I wasn't) weren't the least bit sorry :).

So I was very tired Saturday night and didn't feel like doing much after I got home from Virginia's. So I didn't. I did a little bit of reading. And really, if it hadn't been the night to "spring forward," it would have been an early night. However, since I had to "spring forward" it didn't seem like such an early night. I think we should never lose an hour. That's just hideous. I think we should always gain it. Just so you know. Church was good. My friend Jeni and her husband David spoke, and they did an excellent job. I also found people to teach the nursery lesson for the next 2 weeks for me, since I'm headed to Dothan for my Spring Break (and none too soon!!). After church I took a lovely little nap (on purpose... I was seriously tired) and then got up to finish making the crock pot chicken taco soup. Yum. Which Stefanie and I ate later. Yum. And a little later, I had some more Black Jack Cherry frozen yogurt while watching some of the family videos. I laugh every time. I also talked to my mom, Brad, and Christina and Desiree. Desiree told me all about her ponies. (She's majorly into My Little Pony. Such a smart girl to adore the 80s toys ;)).

I'm a Princess Too!

So I was blog-stalking yesterday.... And I came across this test to see what kind of Disney Princess you are. You know I had to find out. And, if you ignore the hideously poor grammar (probably a good indication that I can't trust the results too terribly much ;)), it's actually quite cute to do.


According to the quiz, I'm Snow White. "Pure and trusting. You are a gentle soul who can get along with just about anyone. Everyone you meet instantly falls in love with you. How can they resist? You have a pure, lovable nature that's irresistable. Just don't trust everyone who comes across your path."

You can do it too, if you go here.

You know what I'm wondering about Snow White? After she was awakened from that long slumber, do you think she felt rested? Because I'll tell you, I don't usually have a slumber in which, when I awake, I feel rested. And I'll tell you something else... I sure could have used a Prince Charming to come kiss me awake this morning. Maybe then I wouldn't have turned OFF my alarm (as opposed to hitting snooze) and maybe then I wouldn't have woken up when the clock read 7:05... And you all know I'm supposed to be at work at 7:00. Yeah, so that was fun, as I'm sure you all can imagine.

Oh, while I'm discussing blog-stalking things... I was blog-stalking yesterday, and I came across this blog in which this woman's New Year's resolution for 2008 is to cook one thing in her crock pot every day of the year. I put the blog link over on the right under "Places I Visit on the Web" or whatever I titled it way back when I created this blog. The link is "crock pot recipes." Just in case you couldn't figure that out :). Anyway, I haven't perused the whole thing yet (I mean, give me some credit here... I do get some work done at work :)), but I do stress the word yet. Because what I saw looked yummy. And, Elka, she takes pictures of all the food. My type of chick. She knows what sells recipes :).

So, good news! I finished my paper last night! 21 pages with the bilbliography. Although, I've noticed a bit of an anomaly... When I work on my paper in Microsoft Word 2007, it seems like the margins aren't as big, so I can fit more onto a page (which means it would be 20 pages long). But when I work on it in Word 2003, it magically becomes 21 pages long. Strange... I went ahead and told my professor that. That way she knows. The bad news is that now I have to come up with some idea for a program by next week. I don't even know what this assignment is! Good thing April had saved the information previously, so she emailed it to me. I still haven't felt like I have the energy to deal with that yet, so maybe I'll look it over sometime this weekend. Also, I still have to make a transparency. I would love to recycle one of the ones from 5th grade (look, she even told us we could go to FedEx/Kinko's and have one made for us, so I am thinking this really wouldn't be a big deal), but she mentioned having text on the transparency. So, I'm thinking all my pictures of endangered animals just isn't going to cut it. Plus there's a good chance they are all done in portrait, not landscape. I wonder how much Fed/Ex Kinko's costs? Or maybe I should just try to figure it out on one of the copy machines here... But what if I buy a cheap transparency and it melts in the machine? I'm telling you, too many issues.

Before I forget: *Virginia has guessed the movie quote!*

And, since I don't have much wisdom to impart (and I usually don't :)), and I don't want to use up one of my memory lane stories (believe me, I have a list going)... I think I will post half of the thing Julie emailed to me yesterday. So you can know me. As though you don't already ;). Anyway, everything that has an XX by it is something I've done in my lifetime...

Gone on a blind date

Skipped school XX (as much as possible my Senior year of high school -- with my parents' approval :), and just a little bit in college life, when there's really a valid reason)

Watched someone die

Been to Canada

Been to Mexico

Been to Florida XX

Been on a plane XX

Been lost XX (yeah, you should just go read about my Washington, DC trip.)

Been on the opposite side of the country XX (Washington State from Alabama... I think that counts)

Gone to Washington , DC XX (again, you should just go read about my DC trip :))

Swam in the ocean XX (in fact, I've swam in both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans... and the Gulf of Mexico... Not a fan, though. Don't like salty water -- it makes my skin itch)

Cried yourself to sleep XX (I'm sure I've done this on many occasions.)

Played cops and robbers

Recently colored with crayons

Sang Karaoke XX (I know I did this in 4th grade at Cathleen's house. There's the possibility I've done it since then, but I'm not entirely sure)

Paid for a meal with coins only? X (I'm only putting one X, because I was in a group where we were on a scavenger hunt, and we had to buy something with pennies. And so it wasn't just me, and we didn't buy a whole meal... We bought an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen. Oh, and this was something embarassing to me, so I won't ever do something like that again...)

Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? XX (Unfortunately, yes)

Made prank phone calls

Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose

Caught a snowflake on your tongue

Danced in the rain XX (yep, and played in it and everything else you can do in rain...)

Written a letter to Santa Claus XX (I'm going to say yes, even though I can't pinpoint a specific time... I'm sure I did as a child)

Been kissed under the mistletoe XX (I actually bought and kept some mistletoe once, that way I could be kissed under it anytime I wanted, not just at Christmas :))

Watched the sunrise with someone you care about

Blown bubbles XX (Because I was a fun kid, and I'm a cool aunt now :))

Gone ice-skating XX (Yep, once, in Montgomery, AL... And I totally stink at it... I held on to the wall the entire time -- and I was about 20 years old)

Been skinny dipping outdoors

Gone to the movies XX (Not real recently, but yes, I've been to my share of movies)

And there you have it. Now you know a little more about me. Oh, and I'm overhearing more discussion about the possibility of snow this weekend. I'm telling you, I go through 27 years of no snow (well, except when I was 4, but like I remember that... it doesn't count!), and now I've been in it like 3 times and there is talk of more!

Grab a Clue

Well, for any of you who were waiting with bated breath for the answer to the trivia questions: Baby's real name was Frances Houseman... after the first lady in the Cabinet. Good job, Elka, on guessing the first name right! And Julie, thanks for calling me up with this fun trivia question! I love trivia! Especially 80s trivia! (I know you know that already :)).

Good news! I'm well on my way to finishing that paper! Yippee! I still have at least 6 pages to write, but I have a lot of "categories" still to fill in. That's how I write my papers... I outline the sections of my paper (like one section in this paper is "What is information literacy?"). Then I go through all my notes and number the notes according to what section of my paper they should be in. And then I start writing it. That has worked for me for every paper I've had to write since starting this program. I think this is effective for me with research papers. I don't think this would work for me with critical papers, because I usually don't have many notes with critical papers. I like critical papers a lot more, because they don't usually require any research :). I'm just not a researcher. So anyway, that's my secret to writing research papers.

I want to briefly focus your attention on today's quote :). I just want to say that that is how I feel :). So, to all of my friends out there, you are like my family. And to my family, you are like my friends ;). How blessed I am.

Side note: My coworker William just came in. He looked at me and asked if I bought a straightener. I told him I've had one, but some days I just don't care. So on those days, I come to work looking like vaNILLA Hila. I told him that this way, I can change it up, and people never know what to expect. And I said, "Today I'm Saucy Hila." He laughed. I keep telling him he's going to miss me when I'm gone. He just never knows what's going to come out of my mouth.

Okay, so yesterday, I had class. It wasn't so bad, because we had a guest speaker and she made class much more engaging than class usually is. Well, so the second half of class was good. And we got out about 15 minutes early (can you say hallelujah?). And you've seen my Strive for Five results (gained 1.6 pounds). I guess I'm maintaining my weight. Which isn't a bad thing. After work (I got off at 3:30), I went home and worked on my paper some more. And washed a load of clothes. Then I headed over to Emily's house. Emily S helps in the nursery with me. She's super sweet. She invited Candace and me over to just hang out and do girlie stuff. We didn't know what all we were going to do, but we were just going to hang out. It was so much fun! We ended up ordering a pizza (Pizza Hut pan pizza with bacon topping, because Emily doesn't like pepperoni) and playing CLUE. I hadn't played CLUE in years! But it was so much fun! And of course we did a lot of gabbing. We're women, what do you expect? I looked through Emily's wedding album. She got married in November. The pizza was delicious. I love the pan pizza. It's so bad for you, but it is so good. Also, Emily has a jar of m&ms. I'm talking about a big jar with all sorts of m&ms mixed in. She also had Reese's Pieces mixed in. And there's a spoon in the jar so you can get them out. Well, Candace was like, "Does Jeff eat off the spoon? Because then there'd be spit all over the other m&ms." Emily assured us Jeff (her husband, who was at work) does not. But we laughed anyway, and neither Candace nor I wanted to try the m&ms. Well, then Michael (Candace's husband) showed up to pick up Candace (they had to be somewhere at 8), and he sat down and asked if he could have some m&ms. Emily told him yes, and that there were surprises mixed in with the m&ms. He was like, "What is it?" Emily told him he'd know them when he got to them. So I was thinking it'd be something like Skittles (that would be gross, but very obvious). Turns out it was the reese's. But anyway, when Michael asked that (as he was sitting there eating them by the handful), Candace said, "the surprise is baba." It took me a second to realize what she was saying (since I probably haven't heard this term in at least 1o years), but once it dawned on me, I was like, "EWWW!" In Spanish, baba = spit. So gross! So Michael was like, "What's baba?" And of course, Emily was asking the same thing. So Candace and I answered at the same time. And Michael freaked out. He was like, "really!?" We laughed. Anyway, eventually we all got brave enough to eat some m&ms and Reese's pieces mix, whether or not there was baba on them or not. I ended up taking Candace home so she could stay and finish our game of CLUE. Lucky for her, since she ended up winning. It was Mrs. Peacock, in the ballroom, with the lead pipe. Also, it turns out I had forgotten all the rules of the game... I kept rolling even though I was already in a stinkin' room. So, I'd have to leave the room, because I rolled the dice. Arg. Also, I totally gave away one of my cards in the beginning, because I'm a dope. And then it didn't occur to me, when they couldn't help me (which meant I could disprove myself, since I was holding the room card in my hand) that that meant I had put the right person and the right weapon in the room. So I could have been way ahead of the game on that one if I'd have realized it before the end of the game... I'm such a dope. But anyway, so here we all are... Candace, me, and Emily.
Oh, and if you look closely, you can see the jar of possibly baba-tainted m&ms between me and Candace...