School's Out... Forever!

This is, of course, a song-title post. Everyone knows the song. It's a classic. And I cannot begin to tell you how long ago I decided on this post title. I've been waiting to use it for quite some time now :). I find it particularly interesting that I just linked you to a song by a person who my dad told me to never listen to :). I know I shared that before. But it's so funny to me. Alice Cooper was not high on the list of my dad's favorite people. He was acid rock, according to my dad (and probably he really was). Oh well. I like the song. Sorry Dad :). It's the message that counts here... School's out forever. I am officially done with grad school. I had my last class on Saturday. Here's what we looked like (we were all dressed up to present our projects):


So, Friday night, the class met and we decided what we were going to do to present our stuff the following day. We agreed that we wanted to look dressier than usual, so we went with business casual. Saturday morning we were to meet at this restaurant named The Waysider for breakfast. It was a very small place! At first we were all crammed very tightly together, but luckily, someone left and we were able to add another table to our party, and we could spread out more. I got the special, which was a bacon and cheese omelet with hashbrowns (because I don't eat grits, so I subbed them), biscuits, and orange juice. It was good, except the egg in the middle of my omelet wasn't completely cooked. Which grossed me out a bit. I like my eggs cooked. Completely. So here's what we looked like in the restaurant... And I'm not sure why the girl couldn't back up and get everyone in the picture... But the professor is at the front with her face cut off... Oh well.


After breakfast (the teacher treated everyone... wasn't that nice?), we all headed back to the university and got ready to present. But the professor wanted us to do an exercise first, so we had to pick out two pictures from a room full of various pictures. One picture was to represent what we felt about the class, and the other picture was to represent where we are in our career. Then we had to explain to the class. The two pictures I chose were: one of a group of penguins all going into the ocean together -- which I said was like our class, because we were all part of the group and embarking on these projects together. The other was a rock climber, which I said was symbolic of me climbing higher in my career, because I now am a professional, and I am leaving the para-professional field behind in my career. Anyway, then we presented. We were done by about 12:30. I went and got gas (always a joyful experience with gas prices as they are -- I paid $3.91), and then treated myself to a rootbeer float from Sonic. I went home and read and took a very mini nap. I talked to Julie, read some more, got a shower, read some more. Are you seeing a pattern? I finished Fearless Fourteen. I watched Swing Time, another Fred and Ginger movie. I have to say this one was not my favorite. It was good, but really not my favorite. Oh, and in case you were wondering what I looked like after school, here you go :):


I have another one in my photobucket, but I look like I'm grimacing, so I had Stefanie take another ;).

Sunday was church. I can't believe that my time here is winding down so quickly! I have something like 3 Sundays left... It's just plain crazy! After church, I read a little bit of The Screwtape Letters, and then took a very long nap. It stormed during my nap, so that was lovely. It's always nice to sleep during a storm. Stefanie invited several people over for dinner, so I joined them, and we ended up playing a game called Mafia. Kind of like Murder in the Dark, which is a game I played when I was a kid. I had forgotten all about that game! Anyway, it was fun. Poor Stefanie, I learned that she would not be good at playing Malarky. She can't keep a straight face when she's lying. Speaking of games we played as children.... Who out there remembers Heads Up 7-Up!? We used to play that a lot during Host Nation in elementary school (our 20 minute class on Panama and the culture and language). We also played 4 corners in there too. Anyway, then I talked to Heath, and then I went to bed. And, now I am here. Isn't it lovely? School's out!!! There is new joy in T-Town :). At least there is for the Nilla :)!!

And oh yeah! Great news: NKOTB is going to be at the Tacoma Dome on November 22! I'm already recruiting my sister and sister-in-law to go with me :). Now to have enough money to buy the tickets!

At First I Forgot to Name This Post...

Annie and I went to dinner last night at 5 Guys. I had only been once before -- with Julie in Florida. I don't remember what I got there, but I know that what I got last night was a lot of food. A lot. It would have been helpful if I'd have remembered what I ordered when I was with Julie, because I don't think it was that much food when I ordered it with her. Yikes! It was good, though. And, as always, I looked lovely. (hahahaha)


I finished True Believer last night. Definitely my favorite Sparks book. They could make it into a chick flick, but the plot has been done before... Maybe I should create a category for books called "Chick Flick on Paper." If I did, this one would definitely fit the bill.

In honor of the fact that I have nothing else to say, I'm going to tell you a memory lane story. This one involves Christina. The first year we moved to Alabama, Brad was the first person to get a job. He got a job as a bagger at the new Winn-Dixie in Dothan. Sometime he had to work until 9 p.m., and since I was, by that time, officially awesome and had my driver's license (we weren't allowed to get one until we were 18 in Panama), I wanted to drive a lot. So, often Christina and I would go pick Brad up at night. We'd get there a little earlier than we needed to, and we'd just wait in the parking lot. Well, boredom is the father of invention (since necessity is its mother ;0)), so Christina and I made up a new game. We'd sit in the parking lot and watch who went in and out of the grocery store. We'd take turns. Like, the next guy who walked in or out would be Christina's guy. Then the next one would be mine, etc. 9 times out of 10, Christina would get someone who was at least normal looking while I would get the weirdo looking guys. I don't know how that always worked out... Except for one time... I think I was bemoaning my luck at always getting weirdo ugly guys, and Christina was rubbing in some cute guy that she'd gotten. Well, it was her turn, and the guy who came out next was quite a piece of work. He was pretty wormy, but with a scraggly beard and moustache and he didn't look particularly well-kempt. So I said, "Well, he's yours Christina!" And she said, "No! I don't want that scruffer!" And we busted out laughing. She meant to say, "Scruffy one" but it came out "Scruffer." And, it stuck. We still laugh about it, and though my telling of the story might be a little wrong (Christina could help me out on this one if she'd ever read my blog!), the bottom line is that we both still know the general story about the Scruffer :).

*And Donna guessed the movie quote!*

I Thought I Had Nothing to Say

So I am wondering how long it will take for the reality to settle in that I am through with school. I know I'm not quite through yet. But as of last night, I'm completely done with all my work in the Tuesday/Thursday class, and all I have to do is show up tomorrow night and listen! Pretty great, if you ask me :). But somehow, I don't feel any different. And honestly, I didn't feel any different when I finished my undergraduate degree. Perhaps it's because I had already been accepted to grad school, so I knew I still had more school ahead of me, I just needed to get myself moved here so I could start the program. And now I won't have any school to which to be looking forward. I wonder when that will really hit me, and I wonder what I'll do with myself when it does! Perhaps consume books more quickly... I'm still working on True Believer by Sparks. It's really good. I think it's probably my favorite Sparks book so far. Perhaps because the female character is a librarian, and we all know I have a soft spot for those librarians :). Anyway, I have to hurry and get through with that book so I can read Evanovich's newest one: Fearless Fourteen! I rarely get my hands on her newest book this early in the game. Luckily, my classmate Kelly works at the public library here -- she drives the bookmobile. So, she got dibs on the copies when they first came out, and since she doesn't have to have it back for 2 more weeks, she passed it on to me! How great is that! In other book news... While in class last night, we all had to show our IT training modules (which some of you viewed yesterday, and thank you for the feedback :)). One guy in the class showed us how to set up a shelfari account. It looked pretty darn cool to me... I have something like 4 sheets of paper (3 of them are the long legal sheets for the printer) covered front and back in book titles that I've read. Only chapter books, though. I guess I'm a book snob in that way. I like children's books, but I don't put them on the list, because I can finish them in like 10 minutes. Anyway, I have this long list of books that I started back in 2002. Yikes! I can't believe how long ago that was! Anyway, so I think I'll play around with shelfari and have a digital copy of that list. And please don't think I will be throwing away my hand-written list. It ain't happenin' :). I like my hand-written list :).

Yesterday was Annie's birthday. So today we are going to eat some dinner at Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries. We were going to go to Mugshots, which is a local place that is very popular and everyone says you should try it. Well, I wanted to try it before I leave here. Annie and I had been planning to do so for a long time. And then we found out that they got a less-than-stellar rating in January (an 86), and it has dropped to 85 since then! So, nevermind. I mean, I realize it's a solid B if you think about school grades. But really? If Taco Bell can get a 90-something... There's no reason a local place can't. So, we're going to get burgers at Five Guys instead. I'm kind of bummed I won't have the Mugshots experience. But, I'd rather err on the side of caution, because there might be some unpleasant experiences to follow with that kind of rating :).

And seriously wasn't thinking I'd be this wordy today. In fact, I was debating just listing the stuff off. And then I started writing and wrote one of my "famous" mini-novellas :). Mea culpa.

*Julie, Tarylyn, Elka, and Kira have also guessed the movie quote!*

Sometimes You Just Need a Laugh

I love the store Big Lots. I always forget how much I love it until I go back inside and I think, "Man, why don't I come here more often?!?" Well, one reason I don't is because I'd probably spend more money than I should every time I go in the doors. The other reason is that it's in the part of town I try to avoid, because I have no reason to go there. It's always congested, and I don't usually have a reason to go any further than the campus. But last night, Virginia and I went to Hobby Lobby and Big Lots. I ended up spending $18 in Big Lots, but that's because I finally found some pajamas and also got a new bra. And, I got some Quaker oatmeal bars, because I forgot to get breakfast bars while I was at Foodmaxx. Foodmaxx had some great deals this week. I got $44 worth of stuff for $27. I was excited. So excited, in fact, that I treated myself to Taco Bell afterwards. I realize some of you might not consider Taco Bell a treat. But, hey. Sometimes it is. If I'm craving it :). So, I guess you could say I went on a mini-shopping spree yesterday. But at least everything I bought were responsible purchases!

Oh, rules for the quote-guessing game (Noel Holley from church has a guess in and said she wasn't sure how it works, so I'm telling everyone who might want to play but isn't sure how -- and Noel, if I've spelled your name wrong, please correct me! :))... If you think you know the quote, just leave your guess in the comments. I moderate comments, so I won't post any comments with movie guesses, whether right or wrong. And I try to make sure I mention in the next day's blog post who has guessed the movie quote correctly.

I dreamed I was back at the Ashford Library last night. I was the librarian again. And I couldn't remember all the specifics of some things. Like which lights to flip on at the electrical box. I had to keep going back and forth between the switches and the display that showed me which ones. I also remember feeling warm in the library, so I sent Heath to turn down the a/c (it's funny the things you remember -- like where the a/c thermostat is). I remember in the dream hearing the unit outside turn on and then make a weird noise. So, I opened the little side door, and there were houses all over the place outside and there were bombs being set off and thrown in all directions! Only they weren't particularly destructive bombs, so they never hurt anyone or any buildings. But they kept exploding. Eventually it stopped, and I remember noticing that there wasn't any damage outside, and I said, "They must not have used much gunpowder." Apparently I'm a genius even in my dreams. Hahaha... Like I even know what's in a bomb. Oh, and these were the little black round bombs that you see on cartoons and Mario Bros. Nintendo games, by the way :).

And, as promised... Here's your little laugh for the day (Click on IT training). But you'll have to have about 2 1/2 minutes of your life to dedicate to it. It's probably way worth it, though. And anyone who hasn't heard me talk in a long time, tell me if I sound Southern! I know I sound weird. Have you ever done that? Listened to yourself? I sound so strange!!! And highlights to listen for: how many times do I say, "Once you are here..." or something to that effect? Also, how many people do you know who say something as articulate as, "As you see, there are very many results." Ugh. Also, let me know if you can see my picture. My picture came up on my end, but Heath said it didn't come up for him on Friday. I need to know if I need to fix it, so if you don't mind, let me know if my picture at the bottom of the screen is up. Also, don't laugh at my lame-o website. I just had to do a simple website for class, and I think that fit the bill. And, if it goes down at any point, it's probably because I am adding to it. I have to add our final two projects to it. So, enjoy :).

*And Mrs. S, Noel, and Anna guessed the movie quote correctly!*

A Way Prepared

So I was doing my scripture study the other night. Right now I'm using the Doctrines of the Gospel Institute manual as a guide for study, and I was studying the law of obedience. I have to say I love when I am able to "liken the scriptures" to my life and my situation. When I am able to do that, I never forget the experience or what I have learned. The other night as I was studying, I was directed to read 1 Nephi 3:7 (in The Book of Mormon), which reads: "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." Now, I have known this scripture verse for a long time -- it is a scripture mastery verse, so it was one we memorized for seminary while I was in high school. I always understood it and I always have known that it is a powerful verse. But somehow, I always applied it to huge events. I don't know if that makes sense. Anyway, as I was reading it the other night, I guess I was able to see how I have seen it happen in my life, and I know that it is a true principle. I have done a lot of thinking recently about how blessed I've been to be able to accomplish certain things while I've been here. I guess, with my time here drawing to a close, I have really pondered a lot of what my reason for being here was. And I have to say that I see that the statement by Nephi is true. We have been counseled by modern-day prophets to get as much education as we can, both men and women. We have been counseled also to get out of debt, to stay out of debt, to have savings, and to live within our means. In the less than 2 years I have spent here, I have been able to accomplish both of these goals. Now, I realize I am not articulating this well at all. But as I was reading and studying that verse, these are the specific things that came to mind that showed me that it is a true principle. The Lord has revealed these two things to His chosen servants, the prophets. And therefore they are commandments. And, as I made these things goals in my life -- to obtain my education and to get out of credit card debt, the way has been opened that I could accomplish them. I had to be willing to do my part, of course. I had to be willing to do without some luxuries such as eating out every day or buying a nicer tv or something like that. But I have had everything I needed and so much of what I have wanted. I have not "gone without." I have lived quite comfortably. And there is no doubt in my mind that it is because the Lord prepared a way for me to accomplish the things He has commanded me to do; because I was willing to "move my feet" and trust that He would. I can honestly say that it seemed like an impossibility when I set those goals. I do not make a lot of money. And I know that to walk out of here with zero credit card debt and a master's degree for which I owe nothing (it's completely paid for), to leave here with a higher education than I had when I arrived, yet owing less than when I came... It's an impossibility. And that makes the fact that it happened a miracle. My education came cheaply because I work here at the university. In fact, I worked at the university where I got my undergrad. And as I have looked back over the past several years, I have seen how the path was paved to bring me here -- to help me choose a career that I enjoy should I have depend on my income to support myself and a family one day. And obtaining these jobs at the universities... From everything I've heard and seen -- it's not something that happens all the time. When I started making plans to come here to get my MLIS, jobs opened up. I interviewed for 2 at the same time and had received a call-back for an interview on a 3rd here, but in a different department. And then I got 2 scholarships in spite of the tuition break I was already receiving. These things testify to me that the Lord will prepare a way for us to do all that He asks, even things that don't seem huge, per se. They also testify to me that my Heavenly Father is very aware of me, and that He knows me and loves me. And, I know that as I set righteous goals to stay out of debt and to do the other things the Lords commands us to do, He will continue to provide a way so I can.

My next endeavor is to become prepared. I want to have my year supply of food storage, get my 72-hour kit, and also I want to plant a garden. Though I prefer to not be a pessimist about such things, I fear I see the reality of our economy and it isn't looking good. I want to be prepared for whatever may come -- whether it be natural disaster or economic chaos. And I know we've been given the counsel so that we know how we can prepare. Anyone interested in what we are counseled to do to prepare can go here. I will also include the link on my link list.

I don't intend that to sound like a sermon. It just has been on my mind a lot lately since I read that scripture verse. I am truly awed by the blessings I have received and the miracles I have witnessed in my life while I've been here. And perhaps that is just one of the reasons I've been here -- to see and witness these things. I had to survive on my own -- and I did, with Heavenly Father's help :). And at this moment, my heart is literally overflowing with gratitude to Him.

Now, let me segue (segway :)) into a topic less "deep" and definitely more shallow :). More flippant. I am starting my final week of school ever! Can you believe it?!? I can't! The weekend class went so well! We are done with our project except for one more picture I have to take of one of the professors. Then we print it out and present our projects this weekend! The teacher is taking us to breakfast on Saturday, which I think is so nice!

Oh, and check out my new computer monitor at work!

Or should I say "monitors" :).

And, I'll tell you what... I love my siblings. And I love that we share memories, because sometimes someone will remember something the others didn't! Last night I was telling Christina about my blog post about song-butchering. She laughed. That loser... not only does she not blog -- she doesn't even read mine. I'm going to give her a spanking when I get there ;). Anyway, so I was reminding her about Brad's versions of the songs with the word phone. And oh, Christina cracked me up! Because she remembered one I didn't! And it was probably the most hilarious one!!! (Well, other than the semi-vulgar one ;)).

Waterfalls by TLC -- Brad's version: "Don't go making phone-y calls"

!!!! Is that not the most hilarious thing ever!!!??!!! Hopefully Tarylyn read this far down so she can pass it on to Bradymus. Bradymus who couldn't remember his rendition of "Tonight, Tonight" by Smashing Pumpkins. So, when I called him last night and told him, he laughed and told me to call and tell Tarylyn (Brad was driving to work) since she'd been bugging him to remember all week ;).

Oh! And because I'm the coolest sister (and aunt) ever!!!! I've already recruited Christina and Tarylyn for fort-building in Brad's living room when I get there! Which means Brad will be helping too. Brad, Christina, and I used to build the coolest forts in our bedroom. They were awesome and filled the whole room. We hung parts of the blankets from the ceiling fan. It was the coolest of cool. So, we're going to do this in Brad's living room because it's so huge and open. And then we're going to take the kids inside and they will have the best time! And so will we :). And, I promise pictures will be forthcoming... in a few months!

Not Much to Say

Okay, I really don't have much to say.

1. We are having a cooler spell in Alabama -- at least where I am in Alabama. It feels nice outside in the morning, and it wasn't too bad in the afternoon either. There was a little breeze yesterday, even.
2. I watched TOP HAT (another Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie) last night. I really am enjoying these. They are clever and fun. And clean. If you haven't seen them, give them a try. Stacy's right... There's a lot of great stuff out there in black and white :).
3. I'm very tired.
4. I cannot believe I'm a week and a half away from being done with my master's degree.
5. Julie guessed the movie quote correctly! -- which is mostly why I did this post... so I could give her credit :). Also, I want everyone to know that I decided I'm going to count the guesses that are correct without asking them to "Please be more 'pacific'". So, Anna -- I'm counting you as having it too :)!

I Was Raised to Butcher Songs

So, I totally get antsy after about 3 hours of class. Particularly when the teacher has set a precedent of letting us out early. Technically I should be prepared for 4 hours of class on Tuesday and Thursday nights. But, since we haven't actually stayed in class that long, I have gotten used to the idea. By 8:00 last night, I was ready to go. And even though she let us go around 7:40, my group had to meet to discuss how we were going to finish up our group assignments which we have to present next Tuesday. I really do get ready to go... What can I say? I was very jittery. After leaving school, I figured Institute might still be going, so I swung by there. It didn't end up ending until 9:00, so I got about 50 minutes of Institute, which was cool.

Have you ever been singing along to a song to which you've always sung, and suddenly realized what the singer was really saying? And suddenly it all becomes quite clear to you that your lyrics don't even make sense in the song? But, since you've always sung it that way (your way), you will continue to do so, because your lyrics really do sound like they fit... even if they don't fit with the meaning... My classic example (though I'm sure there are many) is Vanilla Ice's Ice, Ice Baby. (Elka, I know you wish you had speakers right now so you could jam out to this :) -- but I also know you're going to go listen to it now :)). There's a point where, in the background, you hear the words "Beach Front Avenue... Girls are hot..." Well, now that I've lived close enough to Panama City Beach, FL, I know there is such a place as Beach Front Avenue. When I grew up in Panama, my version (ie "Detroit Avenue") made just as much sense as anything else. It had the right number of syllables and it seemed like a logical name of a street. Oh, and just FYI -- I did it to TV shows too :).

Of course, that song-butchering wasn't intentional. But, my family likes to butcher songs intentionally. My mother, for one. Brad for another. But I'm sure it started with my mom :). Of course, the ones I remember her butchering were from our cartoons, which were already rather pointless ;). So, following is my mom's butchering of songs:

My Little Pony -- lyrics were changed to "My little pony's a phony bologna."
Gummi Bears -- lyrics were changed to "Gummi bears... plopping here and there and everywhere." And, once she did it and we thought it was hilarious, we always stressed the plopping part.

So, Brad took quite fondly to this practice of altering songs. In the summer of 1995, he got on a kick of doing it, and he had almost convinced himself that you could insert the word "phone" into any song and make it fit. These are the three I can think of:

November Rain -- lyrics were changed to "everybody needs some time on the phone."
You Are Not Alone -- lyrics were changed to (you guessed it) "you are not a phone." (I didn't say he was creative...) (and yes, they played this video on MTV, and it's rather scary)
Somebody's Cryin' -- lyrics were changed to "so pleeeeeaaase return the phone you took from me."

It's been 13 years since the genius creation of these songs by Brad. I want you to know that I still hear Brad's version in my head for any of those songs when I hear them. And now you probaly will too. But, you won't have the hilarious mental picture of Brad making a big deal about singing them that way and then laughing at them because it irritated me. (Which is probably why he did it in the first place). He also butchered Tonight, Tonight by the Smashing Pumpkins, but his version was a little less than appropriate for this blog, so I won't include it. (Nothing really vulgar, just teenage boy humor).

Of course, we came by it honestly (from my mom). I don't know what Heath's excuse is for altering the words to Everclear's Santa Monica to be "I am still living with your goat." ;) But I've never forgotten that one either.

And, since I mentioned it, I will tell you about the most hilarious mess-up that I made -- at least, in my own mind. It's really great. Any of you ever seen the tv show Quantum Leap? We loved that show. We recorded the tv episodes on VHS, and I'm pretty sure my dad still has them all in the tv room at his house. We watched it so much that I had the whole intro memorized. I can still give it to you word for word (only now I know the real words :)). Okay, this would have been much more hilarious if I could've found it on youtube. Alas, they do not have it. Which is insane to me. Basically, my version went like this:

"Hair-raising that one could time travel within his own life time, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the quantum leap accelerator, and vanished...."

Fits, right? makes sense, right? I mean, time travel is quite a hair-raising experience -- trust me, I know ;). Okay, so that really is the way I said it for years and years. The show ended in 1993. It was sometime after I was an adult (which occurred somewhere between 1998 and 1999, depending on what state you are in), so that should tell you how long I was saying this wrong. The real words are:

"Theorizing that one could time travel within his own life time, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the quantum leap accelerator, and vanished..."

Ah! Well, admittedly it makes more sense that way. But, you have to admit... My version was slightly cooler.

*And Tarylyn has guessed the movie quote correctly!*

['brary] Love...

It's contagious.

So, I talked to April last night. She had big news. She has started dating a guy that she works with (well, for about 2 more weeks until she starts her new job -- congrats April!). And they both work at the public library where she lives. And it was hilarious to listen to her all ooey gooey about all the things that make her feel like a silly school girl. However, as I am familiar with the feeling, I totally understood. Anyway, I laughed when she told me this, because it is library love. And I'm no stranger to that either ;). (For those of you who don't know, Heath and I were the library love of HLML back in the day.) Hahahaha...

And okay, so this song title post is a bit of a stretch, I suppose. However.... Given my love of the movie My Fellow Americans, this makes it all the more hilarious. If you've seen it, perhaps you'll recall that when the vice-president is sent to speak at the funeral of some important Republican dude, the vice president (who is quite the moron) quotes the lyrics from this song at the guy's funeral. It's not funny when I write it out. But, if you saw the movie, you'd know why it's so funny. And let me just say that The Captain and Tennille are quite hilarious themselves. And more than a little weird.

So, after work yesterday, I stayed here at the library and worked on some school work. It's not my favorite thing to do, let me just say. While I was doing that, Virginia emailed me to see if I wanted to eat lunch at Swen's. I have been saying I want to go back there before I go (it's where Jeni and I went when I got my haircut back in February, and it was good!). So, she and I went to lunch. Then I went home and read. I'm working on Nicholas Sparks' True Believer. Virginia came over around 6:20 and she, Stefanie, and I had our family home evening (about the Plan of Salvation). Then we ate a frozen treat: pineapple orange strawberry slushy/sorbet. Virginia bought a nifty frozen treat-maker thing (don't be jealous of my skills at articulation ;)). Basically you just throw a bunch of stuff in that is blended, and it freezes it like ice cream. Very cool. And then, because we were bored, Virginia and I went to the dollar store. And we just browsed. Way cool stuff in the dollar store. I mean seriously. I ended up getting my 4 nieces and nephews a little something to add to their Chistmas presents this year (I make an attempt at buying throughout the year so I don't get slammed with Christmas shopping in December). I also got some of the mint crisp m&ms. And we found these frozen sqeeze tube rootbeer float things. I'd never seen them before. But at 2 for $1, they were a bargain. So, Virginia and I each had one of those. Very yummy.

And P.S. It's hot in Alabama. And it's only going to get hotter.

*And Donna and Kira have guessed the movie quote correctly! Anna... you're very close. You've got the wrong one ;)*

Weekend Update

I thought up that title last week... I thought it was hilarious. If you want to see where it comes from, you can click here :).

I want to say that I had lots of excellent guesses on last week's movie quote. Apparently Bill & Ted are like Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World. And I can totally see the similarities. Never made the connection before... But I had two peope guess Wayne's World, and I can see why. It totally fits ;). But, it was Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Which, by the way, is quite a different experience to watch as an adult. And, for some reason... I had a dream about that movie because I know I saw their band (which is Wyld Stallions) spelled like this in my dream: Wyld Stallyons. I'm weird, I know.

So, in keeping with the tradition she set last weekend, my weekend teacher brought a lovely spread of food. Such a spread that nobody even left for lunch on Saturday. We all sat around eating and talking. The class is going by fast. We don't have any lecture... We all just meet in the classroom and start working in teams on our project. So the time doesn't lull. Which is wonderful! On Saturday, after class, I went to a wedding. Debbie's (one of the sisters Jeni and I visit-teach) daughter Jodi got married. It was a beautiful wedding and the reception was fabulous. I took a picture of my food for Jeni, since she couldn't be there. Which, Jeni even asked me at church yesterday how the food was at the reception. I told her I took a picture just for her :). So, here is a picture of the food:

On the small plate in the back there is a grilled chicken tender and 2 fried chicken tenders. Then there's punch that was good. It kind of reminded me of a sweettart. They also had roast beef (which I have a small piece on the big plate) and shrimp (which I didn't touch, because I don't like seafood very much). Also on the big plate are: chips and cheese dip, raw veggies with ranch, fresh fruit, crackers with spinach artichoke dip, crackers with pineapple cheese dip, chocolate-covered strawberries (I chocolated them myself with the fountain), wedding cookies (the small white balls), and Debbie's fabulous pecan mini muffins. Oh yeah, and a roll. I didn't have room for either of the cakes. Which, sitting here now, I'm slightly saddened by. But, it was sooo gooood. And the whole thing was beautiful. Greg and Debbie are really great people.


Those are pretty much the highlights of the weekend. I want you to know what I discovered, though... Oh yeah, squeaky bed neighbors moved out 2 weeks ago. Yay! I'm thinking they must have trashed the place, because whenever I'm home during the day in the work week, I hear people working up there like crazy (I think they had to lay new carpet). Anyway... So, no more squeaky springs. But, this is what I have now... and it started right around the time the squeaky people left... There is some kind of bug that lives in the bushes/trees right outside my apartment. And, the noise it makes essentially sounds the same as squeaky springs. And, unlike squeaky springs people, the insect seems tireless. It starts making the noise around 10 p.m. And all I know is that it was still going strong by 1 this morning. However, also unlike the squeaky springs people... putting the pillow over my head seems to drown that sound out.

Darth Nilla Crane Grasshoppa

So, I just got into work, checked my email... And I got an email telling me that HLML was robbed last night!!!!!! What?!?!?! That's just insane! I can't even imagine if I'd have been there. How scary! You just never think of things like that happening. Especially not in a place where you used to work!

Really, this is mostly going to be pictures. Because other than the news that my previous place of employment was robbed last night... I don't have much to say. I had class last night. That about sums up my life.

Anyway, so my co-worker William bought a Darth Vader mask. And luckily, I had my camera here to upload pictures of my sunglasses insert (which will require you to look back at yesterday's post if you want to see that picture ;)). So, I tried on the mask (it was very hot with that thing on my head -- and so was I -- smokin' hot -- hahahaha). And you can view the results. William said, "Pose like on the karate kid." So, I did (which is why I am Darth Nilla Crane Grasshoppa (because he doesn't say grasshoppER)). But a whole lot of good it did me to work on my balance when William didn't even take a picture that included the whole pose! I guess you'll have to trust me. Anyway, you can have a good laugh anyway :).


Also, since I mentioned it, here is my granola picture from Monday. I have created a sub-album (I did this accidentally -- I didn't know you could!) in my miscellaneous folder. So, here's the first food picture to be put there.


Anyway, I seriously don't have any other news. All I do is go to work and go to school. It's not exciting. So, I am forced to do things like wear a Darth Vader mask to make it interesting...

Oh yeah! I almost forgot (in fact, I did forget for the past 3 hours!)... Virginia got these for me. She said she thought of me (probably from my game post) when she saw them :). How cute! They will grace my refrigerator one of these days soon :).

I Wear My Sunglasses [Insert]...

Darn it! I should have taken that picture I thought about taking... It would have gone so well with this song.

And it would have made you laugh... a lot. Because I'm sure I looked quite awesome.

This picture was posed for your benefit.

So, I went to the eye doctor (at Wal-Mart) yesterday. I don't know about you, but my favorite part is the air puff in the eyeball. (I'm being sarcastic, by the way). I don't care how much I brace myself for that little puff of air, I still jolt my head back when it comes. Ugh. This year, I decided to wear my glasses for the appointment. Last year, I wore my contacts, and the lady who took all the eyeball measurements wasn't used to doing that, so she didn't ask me if I was wearing contacts. So, she therefore didn't ask me to take them out. So, I went through the whole eye exam thing with my contacts in my eyes... including getting them dilated. Finally the doctor realized my contacts were still in when he got to actually looking in my eyes. At first he was freaking out, because when he was trying to measure my vision, it kept changing and he was baffled. It was because I was wearing the contacts already. So, I had to start fresh and take out my contacts and get all the other measurements (including the air puff) again. So yeah, didn't want a repeat of that this year, so I just wore my glasses. The problem this presented is that, when I had my eyes dilated, I couldn't just pop on sunglasses, since I was wearing glasses. So, they gave me one of those nifty sunglasses inserts. Now, here's the really hilarious thing... to me. Whenever I picture someone wearing those, I usually picture a really old man. I definitely don't picture myself. Hahaha... I will now, though. Let me tell you, I looked like a hottie yesterday leaving Wal-Mart with my glasses on, and behind those, the sunglasses insert that sat way up high on my nose, while they pushed my glasses down to about 1/2 down my nose. I looked absolutely adorable. Hahaha... But seriously, it was a very bright, very bright, sunny day yesterday. I tried not wearing the sunglasses insert. And it hurt. So, I replaced them. And then I went home and watched Bachelor Mother (another oldie with Ginger Roberts -- it was so cute! How have I never been introduced to these before??!!) in my dark (and therefore dilated eyes-friendly) room. We had a lovely storm show up rather suddenly in the evening (I mean, seriously, where were those dark clouds when I was driving home with dilated eyes!?).

Oh, and the good news is that my prescription hasn't changed. So, I just ordered more contacts. I have vision insurance through my job. But, I have to pay quite a bit of it. And here's the depressing stuff you figure out when you do math in your head on the way home: I could have saved about $100 (if I'm remembering correctly how much they take out of my check each month for vision insurance) if I would have just opted out of the vision insurance and saved up the money by myself. Don't you hate it when you figure things like that out? Of course, maybe I'm wrong about the amount I have taken out of my check... maybe it's less. Either way, I had to pay almost $50 in co-pays for both the exam and the contacts. And really, to quote Shania, that don't impress me much. Looka there. You just got two songs today!

*And Tarylyn and Anna and Kira have guessed the movie quote correctly!*

Nilla Crocker

Since yesterday was my early day, I took the opportunity of a long afternoon at home to do some baking. I had bought a white cake mix a couple months back because it was buy one get one free at Publix. I had really wanted yellow cake, but they didn't have it... So, I settled on white. But the more I thought about making white cake, the less exciting it seemed. White cake is only good when you get it in the form of a deliciously iced (or frosted) birthday cake from a bakery. So, I started looking around at my favorite recipe site and searched for recipes with the ingredient: white cake mix. And voila! I found one that sounded yumm-o (to quote Rachael Ray). This was a chocolate banana cake. It was very easy, and I already had most of the ingredients. And let me just say, it was delicious! I have also been craving granola. So, I thought it might be neat to make my own granola. So, once again, I searched allrecipes.com and came up with an easy-sounding recipe to try. I guess it came out okay... Not as store-bought granola-y tasting as I had hoped it would be... But it's not bad. It's a bit cinnamon-y, since that's what the recipe called for... Stefanie said she really likes it. I might try to tweak it a bit. Or I might give a new recipe a try... We'll see ;).

While making my granola, I worked on catching up with Lost. I haven't watched that show for 2 seasons, so I went and rented the first 4 episodes of season 3. Man that's expensive... $4.30 to rent it, and it only has 4 episodes on it. Yikes! I wish the public library here carried more tv show DVDs for rent. Oh well... Anyway, I'm sucked back into the show now.

Then Virginia came over and she, Stefanie, and I had family home evening. Stefanie made some lemon basil pasta for dinner and then we had that chocolate banana cake that I baked. Very yummy :). So, not an entirely eventful Monday afternoon... But, a lovely relaxing one nonetheless! I do love to go home early!

Oh, and I've decided I'm going to create a photobucket album specifically for my food pictures. Just thought I'd tell you. I haven't done it yet... But I'm going to :).

*And Heath guessed the movie quote correctly!*

Party On, Dudes!

This past weekend was my first weekend class. I am absolutely thrilled to report that there is good news all around! I have no papers due! I have no tests! I am getting the summer (and final) semester I hoped to get! I was really getting worried I wasn't going to like the weekend class. But, it's going to be great. We are basically just working as a team (our class only has 8 people) and doing several projects to present to both our professor and the dean of the school. Our first night in class, we walked in, and it was like a party! There were balloons, leis, and a beautiful spread. I'm talking real food like granola bars, hummus and various forms of crackers, fruit, etc. I mean, it was still snacky food, but it wasn't chips and dip or cookies. Not that there is anything wrong with chips and dip or cookies ;). But you know what I mean :). Anyway, we spent Friday night learning about our personalities -- because when working in a team, it's good to know the personalities of your teammates so that you can work better with them. I am a romantic, but I have a lot of gold in me, which is a person driven by duty and responsibility. It was interesting to go down the list of things that upset me as a blue (romantic) and see how they really do... For example, I don't like conflict. That stresses me out. So does having too much on my plate. We also went down the list for each personality type to see what things make that type of person feel important and special. For me, the top two were romantic gestures and intimate talks. We were all laughing about that (I was the only blue-type in the class, by the way), because one guy in the class who's married said, "Hila, I think I'll just wave instead of blow kisses across the room." I laughed and said, "Yeah, I'd really prefer that you didn't start sending me romantic gestures... I might feel weird." I guess you had to have been there for it to have been funny. But, it was. Anyway, she also gave us these goodie bags! And Saturday was pretty much more of the same. The food, we watched videos on conflict management, etc. It was great! I mean, yeah, I'd have preferred to be in bed sleeping... But, this isn't going to be bad at all! So, here's a picture of my goodie bag... When was the last time you got a bag that had Skittles (which I totally ate, even though I said I wouldn't after my crown fell out that time) and toys in it in a college class?
After class on Saturday, I went to Wal-Mart. I'm pretty convinced that there is never a good time to actually go to Wal-Mart. But if there is a good time, I'll go ahead and tell you that 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon is not it.... There are people everywhere! But, I got all my groceries and then I got gas (always a lovely experience), and then I headed home. I made dinner for me, myself, and I. I split a chicken breast in half (and froze the other half), pounded it flat, pan-cooked it, and then added mushrooms, bacon bits, green onions, and cheese to the top, melted the cheese and then it was done. Yum. To go with it, I had rice -- which was not cooked all the way... I'm a terrible rice-cooker! I also had some yellow squash a lady at work gave me that I wanted to use up. So, I tried frying it. Okay, I'm not a fry-cook either. I now understand what chefs mean when they say that if you don't have your oil hot enough, the battered thing will sit in the oil and just soak up the oil. I basically ate flour-oil paste on my squash. It was tolerable after I salted it. I will try again with this some other time. But seriously... Make sure the oil is hot. On the up-side, the chicken was fabulous.

Then yesterday was church. The lesson in nursery was about our senses of smell and taste. For taste, I took some salt, some sugar, and some lime juice for something sour. I let the kids decided if they wanted to try each one. I warned them about the lime juice and told them it would make them make a funny face (which I demonstrated for them). Only 3 of the kids were brave enough. One of them was Ethan. Oh, to have seen his face... Then he tried to wipe it off his tongue. So, I gave him a gummy bear to help change the taste. But he was like, "That was gross." Ethan is very articulate. I've never heard a 2 1/2 year old speak as well as he does. Anyway, it was hilarious. All but one of the older kids were willing to try salty and sweet. After church, I baked some cookies, and so did Stefanie. And then we delivered them to some people for fun.

Hand-Tagging and Being Rejected

Okay, so in class last night, we had to hand-tag. Now, the benefit I had was that I had done this before when I was in 11th grade. Who knew something I did 11 years ago would be so helpful to me??? It wasn't hard for me to remember that I have to close each tag I opened. It was easy for me to recall several of the tags. However, it was frustrating to figure out how to add a picture. I finally got it! I was so proud... It was harried, and the whole class was freaking out. Which led to chaos. Which led to my nerves becoming frazzled. I don't handle disorganization very well... It starts to aggravate me. But even the teacher was frazzled. Because she felt it was unnecessary for us to learn this, since pretty much everyone uses things like frontpage or other wysiwygs (what you see is what you get -- I learned that last night!) I do have to say I feel there is value in at least knowing what you are looking at when you see source code. Or at least understanding the concept that it looks different, even if you create it in frontpage. It's like learning another language... Anyway, it is true that I will probably create my website for the class in frontpage. Mostly because it is easier and I had quite a headache trying to figure out that image thing... (had to remember that you have to put the exact source of the image!). But, I don't think it was a waste of time to at least be exposed to hand-tagging. I realize it probably won't be useful in my field... But for some people, it is valuable knowledge. Anyway, the other thing that was a chore was doing something to our school accounts so we can actually publish our website to the server here... That was a nightmare. We didn't get it done properly, because it kept disconnecting us after 20 seconds. Anyway... Those were the joys of yesterday's class. Thankfully, the teacher brings treats to class. It helps soothe the nerves.

I have officially been rejected for the job as a Branch Manager in the Bellevue area. I just thought I would tell everyone, since I've mentioned it a couple of times. I expected it to come, so I'm not upset. I was just surprised it didn't come sooner! They took forever to go over that! But, at least I know they got my stuff :). Strangely enough... for all the things I worry over -- this job thing isn't one of them. I know I'll have what I need when I need it. So, I feel really good about things.

And since no day is complete without laughing at Bradymus... I'm totally kidding... But I do want to share that story about Brad playing with Barbie... But first I must give you some background... Because I'm a type 2 kind of person and detail is very important to me :). Okay, so growing up, I was exposed to a variety of music and culture. Including The Monkees. That's right... As in "hey hey, we're the Monkees!" My mom had several of their records. Yes, I said records. Anyway, I used to listen to the tape she made (recorded from the records) all the time. I knew all their songs by heart. Well, all the ones I liked, which was most of them. So, this song is one that I liked and knew (and okay, I'll admit, still know) by heart. So, just keep that in mind.

Okay, at some point when we were playing Barbies one time (this would be me, Christina, and Brad), we decided there was one particular Barbie who would play a teacher named Mrs. Logan. Now, Mrs. Logan was a witch teacher. (She was not based on a real-life person -- she was completely made up). Anyway, Mrs. Logan was awful! She was a dictator and mean and yelly (like my word ;)?) and everything else. And for some reason, she was usually naked... I think we figured we might as well not dress her since she wasn't going to be part of the Barbie game for long. Usually she died some horrible death early on. Is that not hilarious??? Anyway, for some reason I got some brilliant idea to have this Mrs. Logan "act out" the words to that Monkees song. I can still see in my mind her acting out, "... and then she turned around and fed me dirt!" Literally, I made the Barbie lean down and scoop up dirt from the brown rug and then "feed" it to Ken or to whomever she was feeding dirt. Okay, perhaps the story is not so funny like this. But, Brad laughed at me at the time and told me that I am an idiot. But, he laughed. And, he still remembers the days of Mrs. Logan. Who always died a horrible death when we played Barbies. Because she was such a witch. I wish I could remember some of the hilarious death senes we set up, because they were usually very comical. It would start by her falling and spraining an ankle, and then she might get run over by a car... Or she might limp onto a land-mine (who knows why that was there... perhaps that was one of the games that included Brad's G.I. Joes...) and get blown over a cliff. Maybe we really were demented children. Who knows...

A Classic Nilla Night

I still don't know who JAH is. I thought I had a confession. See, my friend Donna at Troy in Dothan emailed me and asked me what she should put on a personalized plate -- if I had any ideas. My ideas were pretty lame, mostly because it's hard to shorten "librarian" for a vanity plate. If only we had long license plates like in Europe... (I've never seen them personally, but they look long in the movies). So, I give Donna my ideas and say I'll keep thinking about it. And shoot... I guess for fun, if any of you guys out there can think of a cool license plate abbreviation for a cool, Betty Crocker/Martha Stewart, fun librarian... let me know and I'll pass it on. Anyway, so then Donna writes me back and says, "Maybe I should put JAH on my license plate -- Just Another Headcase. Tee hee, Donna" Well, I thought that was a confession! Turns out, not so much. She just went to my blog and saw that and thought she would toy with me. For that, maybe her plate should read: MN LIBRN. Hahaha... So, still no confession on JAH.

Yesterday, since I got to go home after work, I did a load of laundry, loaded the dishwasher, folded/hung up the laundry that had been in the dryer for a couple of days (I'm so guilty), and settled in to watch a classic: Shall We Dance. It is with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. They actually have a scene where they dance on rollerskates! And all I could think of was: I wonder how many times they fell? And, WOW! They are good at what they do! My friend Stacy put several clips from Fred and Ginger movies on her blog yesterday, so you should go check some of them out. I'm telling you, it makes me wish I could dance like that! Also, it was funny. There were some very hilarious parts that made me laugh out loud. In order for me to explain this, I'll have to tell you a bit about the premise of the movie... Fred and Ginger are two famous dancers. They meet up and fall in love, but Ginger's character is semi-engaged to someone else. And, based on some falsehoods told, someone starts spreading the rumor that Ginger's character and Fred's character have been secretly married for years and that they are expecting a baby! This, of course, is not true... But, due to many many mix-ups, they end up deciding it would be best to actually get married so they can get divorced. So, they go down to NJ (since everyone in NY already thinks they are married). While at the marriage certificate office (or whatever it was in those days), Ginger's character says to the clerk, "What are grounds for divorce in this state?" The little clerk looks up, slides his glasses down his nose a bit, and very seriously replies, "Marriage." Oh how I laughed! I will say I was a little disappointed with the ending. I mean, it ended well. But I was expecting more of a BANG ending than what it had. It wasn't bad. I think this was a lovely movie all the way around. I just expected a little more of a bang at the end ;).

Side note: I really want to own Frasier on DVD. I was telling Stefanie about one of the episodes (the cabin mix-up episode... soooo hilarious). I want to share it! I want her to see it! It is one of my all-time favorite episodes of Frasier. But, I also want to maintain my debt-free-edness for as long as possible. I am still credit card debt-free, and I have already purchased my dad's ticket to return to Alabama after he helps me drive to Washington. So, it's hard for me to spend money I know I don't need to spend. But it's very very tempting! Anyway, if you want a taste of one of my favorite episodes, click here :). And enjoy.

Oh, I called Samuel to wish him a happy birthday last night. He doesn't care much about the phone. But, he talked to me for about 2 minutes. I said, "Is today you're birthday?" And he said, "Yeah." I said, "How old are you?" And he said, "Three...no I'm four." I said, "Wow! You're such a big boy! I just called to tell you happy birthday!" And he said, "No, it's not your birthday yet." He cracks me up. And then he wanted to tell me about something funny they said on Alvin and the Chipmunks the movie. Something about "monster rock" maybe?

And, since I told a story about convincing Brad about something, and I was accused of torturing my brother ;)... Let me make it clear that I also tortured my sister :). I wasn't selective in my sibling torture. If you were younger than I and related to me, you got tortured. Here's what I did to my sister (although probably not quite as cruel as what I did to Brad). So, we were going to go to eat as a family, either at Sorento's or Pizza Italia (don't remember which). I think it was Sorento's, because it was brighter in the restaurant in my memory than Pizza Italia ever was... Anyway, we 3 kids were already in the van, waiting on my parents. While waiting, I decided to inform Christina about the source of moles on one's skin... That source being mole-bugs, of course. You see, mole-bugs get under your skin and they create that round brown spot as like a covering to their home. Kind of like trap-door spiders (she totally understood this concept, because we had trapdoor spiders at the edge of our yard, and she and Brad knew how to trap them through their trap door). I told her not to pick at the moles, because if she did, they would get infected. And there was no sense trying to get them out, because that's what would cause infection. And it was very serious if the mole-bug homes became infected. The only cure then would be surgery, but even then, the whole affair could be very fatal indeed. Poor Christina, by the time my parents came out, she was near tears. And my parents had to allay her fears. Now, Christina probably got mad at me. She never liked to be tricked, and she didn't take it in stride like Brad did. Christina has always been more of a spit-fire. But, as she couldn't slug me with my parents present (which probably would have been her first and only choice otherwise), she bided (or is it bade?) her time. We get to the pizza place, place our orders, and dig in. I'm lifting a piece of mushroom pizza to my mouth when Christina's eyes get huge and she exclaims, "Hila! There's a worm on your pizza!" Now, Christina swears that my face got a frightened look on it. I have no recollection of that. My recollection is that I looked, saw that she was lying, and continued to eat. But, it made her feel like she had gotten even with me, so we'll let her keep her version ;)

My Mystery... and other Stuff

Okay, so who is JAH? I know I should know. I don't think it's Julia-Ann. But maybe it is. It will drive me insane all day. I recognize the initials. I have no idea though. I do want you to know, however, whoever you are... When you said you hope to see me in LA next time I go... My first thought was, "Who is this wacko? I've never been to Los Angeles!" And then it occurred to me that LA = lower Alabama (ie Dothan). So, JAH, you are not a wacko after all ;). Although you probably don't like me much now, since I can't figure this out. I probably shouldn't admit it. But, as I know myself quite well (I should, given the 27 years I've inhabited this body), I know this will make me crazy. And don't be mean and not tell me just to make me crazy ;). Crazy Hila is not so good.

So, I had my first class last night. Sometimes it really amazes me. I am so glad that things worked out this way. That I didn't take this required class earlier. That I put it off until now. Even though I had a slight heart attack when I thought I wasn't going to graduate, since they initially weren't offering this class this summer... I'm so glad I survived all that to get to this class. This teacher is so nice. She's so laid back. She's so realistic. And I learned something. (And it never hurts to get out of class about 50 minutes early). Even so, we were in there for over 3 hours and the time flew! The first thing we did was determine our learning style. Apparently I fall between a 2 and a 3 (I'm slightly more of a 2). 2s are by the book. We need organization. We are traditional. We don't come up with new stuff (like s'mores layouts). We stick with what works and, as one person said, "We stand on the shoulders of giants." However, we are prone to be a little dictatorial (oh my gosh! I think my dad has totally accused me of such behavior -- I had better not admit this to him). We do all the research on something before we buy (like a new car). This probably falls in line with another personality test I took once back in 2003. That one told me I was a beaver. I think it was beaver. Anyway, that kind of person likes to read instruction manuals. Doesn't that sound boring??? But, though I can't say it would be my favorite reading... When I am constructing something, I will definitely read the instructions. I don't dive in and figure I can figure it out. I'm very structured. Anyway, it was interesting.

Our final project of the night (group work) was that we had to graphically illustrate different things dealing with technology. See, we are supposed to go over these terms like "internet", LAN, WAN, CD-ROM drive, etc. Rather than lecture at us for 2 hours on those terms -- thank goodness for a woman with some sense! -- she let us break into groups and graphically illustrate these terms. I will have you know I learned what a WAN is in this manner. Please let me introduce you to our graphic representation of a WAN (yes, I took a picture... I would have taken a better one with my actual camera if she hadn't wanted us to leave them plastered on the walls!):We had to have specific things on there (like the WAN server CPU, keyboard, mouse, monitor; the Local client servers, etc...). We used a specific example so we could explain it better to the class. And check out pretty cherry-looking apple. And our pom-pom client servers. I'll have you know I made good use of what the teacher referred to as a fru-fru box.

Aren't you PROUD????

Samel the Camel is a Rucky

And he's 4. That's right... 4. What is the deal with kids growing up? Don't they know better than to do that?
Look at this cute little pumpkin! Samuel looks a lot like Brad (poor kid... just kidding!). Although my understanding is that he had colic as a baby... I've always seen him very happy and smiling like in this picture. I remember when Samuel was born. Brad called to tell me that, in the delivery room, the doctor laughed and called Samuel "Daddy Warbucks" because they said he looked like Daddy Warbucks since he had no hair.

Now that's a happy kid! Samuel was about 8 months old here. I guess he really liked Mexican food, since that's where we were all eating. And he seems to be very happy.
Samuel is a very mild and quiet kid. Although when he gets upset, he lets you know. When I was visiting them in Washington after they moved up there (March 2007), Samuel got in trouble by Aunt Hila (me) because he yelled at her. Twice. Here's how that went. The first time was in nursery. I helped out in nursery because Samuel cried when we put him in nursery at church, and because the nursery workers hadn't shown up. And because Desiree was in there too, and I figured it wouldn't hurt for Aunt Hila to be in there with two of her munchkins. And because my mom is the Primary President in her ward. Well, we spent some time coloring during nursery. But then it was time to put up the crayons and do something different. I think eat a snack. So, I was collecting the crayons and got to Samuel and asked him to put his crayons in the box. He told me no. Then I said, "Yes Sam. It's time for a snack." Again, he told me no. So, I started helping him put the crayons away. And he was less than happy. I'm not sure what he was saying, but he got very loud and started to yell. So, I picked him up and we stood in the corner while Aunt Hila explained that when it is time to clean up, we clean up. He was okay then. Then, several days later, we were at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Me and Tarylyn and Samuel and Saria were downstairs. Well, I was trying to play a song for Tarylyn and Samuel and Saria kept running in and out of the bedroom in the basement (where we were) and slamming the bedroom door on each other (like one was out of the bedroom and one was in) and yelling between the door to each other. So, I told them to both go out of the bedroom and not to close the door again. Well, they were yelling running around in the basement, so I closed the door so Tarylyn could hear the song. They started really yelling out in the basement, so I opened the door and told them to keep it down a little bit. Samuel said, "Saria closed the door." And I said, "No she didn't. I did." And he said, "No, Saria." And I said, "Samuel, I closed the door so mommy could hear a song." And then I closed the door. And then I heard Samuel on the other side of the door yelling (most of it I didn't understand) and at one point he said, "No! Saria!" I opened the door again (because I knew he was yelling at me) and he saw me and he took off running. He cornered himself in Grandpa's workshop area. I was coming after him and he said, "I don't want a spanking!" And he sat on the floor. I couldn't help but laugh. I picked him up and the whole time he's saying, "I don't want a spanking." I couldn't stop laughing. But I held him and we walked around and I said, "Samuel, we don't yell at grown-ups." The other hilarious thing about this trip was that, if Samuel didn't want to do something or eat something, he would say, "I don't." Usually Brad's response was, "Yeah, well, I do. So you eat it." It cracked me up. He may usually be a mild child. But he has an opinion!And finally... Samuel used to be so shy. When he was younger and talking less, he would say stuff around Brad and Tarylyn, but he wouldn't repeat it when they wanted him to. So, one day, Brad was trying to get Samuel to sing the Bob the Builder song. Samuel wouldn't do it. Because he knew Brad wanted him to do it for me. So Brad started singing the song. Still, Samuel knew what Brad was doing, because I was watching. Finally, on the last day I was there, we were playing with play-dough. I focused on my stuff, Brad started singing Bob the Builder. Sam joined. Brad got quiet. And here's how Sam would sing it: "Bob the booder, can he fisk it?" Awww... Such a sweet boy!

Happy Birthday Samueli!!! I love you!

I [was] a Barbie Girl

Yep, another reason for you to love me :). And don't lie and say you didn't listen to that whole thing... AND sing along, word for word.

Anyway, let me run-down for you. Got my oil changed. It's hot and HUMID in Alabama. Which never leaves me feeling particularly Nilla. It actually puts me in about a 2-month bad mood. Hahaha... Viginia, Stefanie, and I had FHE last night. I taught the lesson on faith. I talked to my dad until after 11:00. He cracks me up sometimes. And actually, sometimes I realize that I have the neatest relationship with my dad. He tolerates a lot out of me. But then, I tolerate a lot out of him. Hahaha... It's reciprocal. He told me I'm the spoiled one of the bunch (meaning his 4 kids). I told him I don't agree. I'm still not the star child, though. That honor goes to Brad ;). Because he has kids of his own now and he "understands" what my dad is saying about being a parent. So I like to call Brad the star child. Anyway, I got to work today and found that I'd been accused, not once, but twice, of torturing my brother. Aunt Hila put it in a blog comment. Tarylyn put it in an email. She said I'm an awesome sister (I must agree ;)). And then she said she's glad I wasn't her sister because I would have been torturing her. Hahaha! It's a good thing Brad knows how lucky he is to have a sister like me. I keep life fun and interesting. ;) :) ;).

Okay, so, just because I feel like it... And because I already tortured you with the song (hey, what d'ya know? I do torture people)...

Barbies played a big part of my childhood. The first Barbie I remember having was Dream Glow Barbie (and I always get her name wrong the first time and call her Evening Glow). And I love that you can find so much on youtube.

So, I want to say that I have always been envious of the kids in commercials. All I know is that when I got the very same toys, the places that I played with them weren't nearly as "cool." Also, love how the woman with the voiceover for the commercial quickly (and in the same sweet voice) says that the fabric is special for tv. I'm pretty sure my Barbie's dress didn't glow that much. I think my parasol glowed in the dark, though. It was awesome.

Another Barbie I remember was Peaches n Cream Barbie.

I don't have anything much to say about her. Except that I remember her.

Barbie and the Rockers

Oh yeah... Oh yeah. I know I had Barbie. I know I had one with long brown hair (but maybe she was a different line of Barbie, because I didn't see her in the commercial). I know I had the Ken. And the Ken had "real" hair. It wasn't plastered to his head in painted plastic. He probably came with his own brush. Anyway, how awesomely 80s cool was that commercial. And you don't have to tell me how awesomely 80s cool the dolls were. I already know. The added bonus of this one was that I'm pretty sure it eventually became a cartoon.

Well, there was one other set of Barbie stuff I was looking for. But I couldn't find them on youtube. But, they were these twin babies. They had real hair too. It was a Barbie family, actually. Ken still had plastic painted hair, but he had a wedding ring. So did Barbie. And they had two babies: a girl and a boy. The girl had really frizzy blonde-ish hair. The boy had straight brown hair. And they had huge heads. And they were awfully big babies for Barbie to ever have given birth to. I mean, come on. We all know how skinny she was. It's like she had whale children. I guess you don't have to have realistic toys when you're a child ;). Oh yeah! And even though I never had the doll... There was a pregnant Barbie once. One of my friends had her. After she had the baby, you would just push her stomach into the doll and she was skinny Barbie again.

So, all you women out there (and any of you men who had sisters, you might as well admit that you played with them)... What were your favorite Barbies?

Lazy Weekend

Wow! Blogger was being a bear this morning... I guess they were experiencing technical difficulties! But, I'm finally in! So yay!

So, I had a very lazy weekend. But that is perfectly okay, because it was my last one for 4 weeks... Because with June comes the start of classes once again. Tomorrow night is my first class of the semester. And each weekend (Friday night and Saturday all day) for the next 4 weeks I'll be in class. I'm not going to lie and say that I have been looking foward to this hectic month. But, I am looking forward to July when I am done with school!

Oh, and I did turn in my application for degree on Friday. So that's good. That means I should be good to go as far as graduation is concerned. As long as I pay what I owe (which still includes the $6.00 library fine :( ).

Anyway, Friday evening Virginia came over and we watched a movie and ate chicken taco soup and Mexican confetti pinwheels. On Saturday, I didn't wake up until around 10. I know... so lazy. But, it feels good to sleep in when I have nothing pressing! I really didn't do anything on Saturday other than wash a couple loads of laundry and read. And I went to Target with Stefanie and my home teachers came by to share a message. Saturday I watched an old classic: The Gay Divorcee. It made me want to learn how to ballroom dance all over again! (If you'll recall, these desires were first kindled by the wonderfulness that is Dirty Dancing.) Oh yeah, and while I was sitting in the living room watching the movie, I started to hear dripping in the kitchen. I went in there and there was water dripping onto the floor from the light fixture! Good grief! Probably explains why some of the bulbs in there don't work... Sunday I went to church and then lazied around for the rest of the day. I read and napped. And stayed up until sometime well after 1:00 this morning because I couldn't sleep. Any suggestions for how to turn off your brain? On the up side, I am only working until 11:15, and then I'm going to get my oil changed (which is probably something I should learn how to do myself). Also this weekend, I talked to Julie, my mom, my dad, and Brad.

So, my dad told me a story... It's one I'd heard, but I'd never heard him tell it quite from this perspective. And, of course, it came about because I was playing around and acting like "conceited Hila." See, my dad likes to say stuff like, "I don't know what I'm going to do with you kids. You're all a pain in my butt." To which I reply, "Well, at least it's reciprocal" (meaning he's a pain in mine too). And then I said, "Ah, but what you didn't realize was that, when I was born, you were being blessed with a wonderful, magnificent daughter. You didn't know just how special of a girl you were getting." Of course, I was playing around, the way I do with Brad and my dad (the way I do that makes Brad say I'm conceited). Well, then my dad got all serious and he said, "What you don't realize, Hila, is that I did know how special you are. I knew it when your mom had that accident. She didn't move in that car, and she should have. And if she had, her stomach would have hit the steering wheel and it would have killed you instantly. I knew someone was watching over you that day. You are special. You all are: you, Christina, Ben, and Brad." And then I think it was getting too serious, because he added, "You're all special girls." I told him I'd inform Ben and Brad. Anyway, so the story goes that my mom was 8 months pregnant with me. She was driving somewhere and somehow went off the road and hit the "fence" type thing that was keeping people from going over the edge, I guess. I mentioned this story to my mom on Saturday and told her what my dad said. She agreed. She said, "Yeah, I didn't move an inch, and I should have been thrown forward." Anyway, it was interesting to hear this story from that perspective. I mean, I'd known about the accident (although I usually don't remember the story). I'd never really known details like that, though.

Anyway, I add stuff like this because I do plan to one day print this out (it's going to cost me a pretty penny when that day comes). And these little tidbits are things that aren't written down anywhere. So, I add them here. Hopefully it doesn't come across as me being conceited ;). Unless you're Bradymus. Then you think I'm conceited anyway and there's no hope for you. If you're not Bradymus, then you're totally cool and you don't have to worry. And you should consider yourself lucky.

Oh yeah!!! So, because my dad said that about us all being "special girls"... I sooo totally have to segue (segway) into this story. It is one for which Brad might not ever forgive me... It was cruel. I was a cruel sister. One day, my mom went into the commissary (grocery store for military people) and she was going in really fast, so we all just sat in the van and waited. I decided to tell Brad he was really born a girl. He was like, "Shut up Hila." I continued to insist. I kept a straight face (not sure how I did that). Eventually I had him convinced. I even had a name picked out for him. Michelle. I told him Mom and Dad had really wanted a boy, so they had it "fixed." By the time my mom got back into the van, Brad was a believer. He said, "Mom, was I really a girl?" My mom was like, "What?" By this point, I am busting out laughing. I was a cruel sister. But so you see, Brad? You really were a special girl ;). Ask Dad. Hahahah... I'm still a cruel sister.