Nilla Week in Review

So I'm finally getting around to posting. Basically my week has been more of the same. But the highlights are as follows:

*Institute is always good. I finally got to go back this past Wednesday. And it really does seem like lessons are directed at me, though I am sure others feel the same. I have not felt like the salt of the earth lately. I've actually been quite disappointed in my own inability to rise above the blues. So I'm thankful for new days and new opportunities to try again and to strive to be better, kinder, and more charitable.

*A surprise package from my Aunt Sue and Uncle Ernie that contained a bag of butterfingers and a bag of milky ways. You either get this and are laughing, or you don't. Just trust that it's hilarious. And it was a much-needed laugh for my as-of-late-jaded mood.

*BYU Ballroom Dancers. Thursday night, the BYU Ballroom dancers came here and performed to a packed auditorium. We weren't allowed to take pictures or video, which was a total bummer, since in the beginning they did a tribute to Fred Astaire, complete with costumes from his movies (like the fancy Ginger dresses). I thought of Tammy and Stacy the entire time and wanted so badly to be able to share a clip with them! But in spite of not getting to take pictures, the whole thing was great! Such talent. I would love to learn to dance like that. Also, if you ever get the chance to see this particular show they are doing now... The Galaxy one is awesome. I've never seen anything like it, but it was a huge hit. Very different from anything you'd expect. They hit the lights and used a black light. So you couldn't see the dancers' faces or anything. Just what was lit up by the black light. It was way cool.

*Garage Sales! And other great finds! So, my mom and I spent all of yesterday shopping. We hit a garage sale in the morning and found a lot of baby clothes (the little stuff for 0 to 12 months) for Christina. We got it all for $13.50. Nice stuff, like Gymboree and Carter's. And we got a lot of it, let me tell you. Soooo cute! Christina has a lot of the bigger clothes, from 12 months and up. But she doesn't have any of the baby baby clothes, so we are working on remedying that. We picked up Christina and Desiree and hit a couple more garage sales, but they didn't have any baby stuff. However, I did buy myself a 50 cent VHS tape of a Ninja Turtle cartoon I didn't have already. Don't laugh. I hope to one day share these with my kids. Oh, and it was TNMT from the 80s, not these new ones. The new ones aren't nearly as cool ;). At the end of the day, we also went to St. Vinny's here. We found Christina an infant carseat in great condition for $9.50!!! We were so happy! Because those are expensive brand new, but if you don't have one, you can't take the baby home from the hospital. So... Kind of a necessity. St. Vinny's is also where we found the loveseat and huge chair with ottoman. Mom and I pondered it. As we sat in it. Soooo comfortable. And then we decided we didn't know where we'd store it right now anyway (the garage is full). So we walked away. But, I kept thinking about it. And it really is a great deal. And it's in great condition. And did I mention comfortable??? So, when I take my grandparents back to look for a dark couch, if those are still there, I'm going to get them. We'll find a way to store them. They really are a great deal. So great that they probably won't be there when I get back. But, that's life.

*Family. I love my family. I love my mom for her laughter. And her support. I love my dad for his support and love and sacrifice. And even for his stubborn-streak, which is why he isn't here (I know you're reading this Dad ;)). I love my older brother who gave me a blessing of comfort in a difficult time when I know I'm here for a reason, but can't understand why things aren't falling into place. I love my younger brother for giving me a place to escape to when I need it and never making me feel like a burden. I love my sister for the same reasons, but also for her excitement to have me around. I love my SIL Michele for her preparedness and her knowledge and her willingness and excitement to share it! I love my SIL Tarylyn for her excitement about parties and her willingness to always let us use her house to have them! And of course, I love the kids who bring so much joy and laughter and so many smiles into my life. And I love Juliebean, who is like family to me. She is my best friend, and I miss our daily hour-long phone calls from back in the day. But I'm so glad we still talk just about once a week. And I'm glad she's coming to visit in the not-so-distant future ;).

So, there you have it. The week in review. I guess it mostly is a vaNilla Life :).

Lowering the Mean

So, yes, several days have passed since I last updated. I try to just accumulate several days' worth of information to make a good post. Gone are the days when I bore you with the mundane details daily. Well, maybe not forever gone, but definitely suspended :).

I noticed nobody has guessed the movie quote! That movie cracks me up. So, I'm giving you another week to see if anyone can guess it with two quotes from the movie :).

I am completely caught up with The Office. Thank you Bradymus for supplying Season 4. Because while I baby-sat Saria while the rest of them were somewhere north of Seattle, I pretty much finished up most of the episodes. And Saria and I had a lovely time together and she had a special treat of McDonald's, including a hot fudge sundae. Because Aunt Hilas are cool like that. And thank you NBC for putting up the 2 newest episodes online.

I am posting a picture of me and Socks. Or, as Desiree calls her, Socky Duckies (because we started calling her that as kids, my mom calls her that now, and Desiree picked it up from her Grandma). Socks is the cat we've had the absolute longest as a family. I remember when we first got her, 17 years ago. She was so small she could fit in my hand with plenty of room to spare. She is blind... She doesn't even have eyeballs. So she is a special kitty. She has moved with us from Panama to Dothan and now is here in Washington, where she has been for over 5 years now. She's well-traveled. But Socks is getting old. And she hasn't been eating much lately. My mom doesn't expect her to live much longer. And, since I don't have any recent pictures of me with this cat that used to sleep with on my bed when I was a teenager (and she would 'complain' if I disturbed her by moving...), I decided to take one, in case she goes before much longer. Poor Socks. We love her.


My mother has perfected the brownie recipe. Yum. She uses almond extract. She also uses vanilla and mint, it just depends on her mood. I, however, was in the mood for almond. So here's the picture. It's too bad I can't share the smell and the taste. Just trust that they are delicious.
And moist. And anyone who wants the recipe can email me :).

(P.S. I took this picture for the purposes of the family reunion cookbook. Remember to get Great-Aunt Hila's roll recipe, Elka!)

And, I went to my first concert last night. The irony of it is that instead of going to see the New Kids on the Block for my very first concert ever (which isn't actually until November 22, but I'm not earning an income currently, so I won't be spending money to see them...), I went to a concert where I lowered the mean. Age-wise. I looked about and saw a sea of gray and bald. I kid you not. I went to see The Golden Anniversary (which means 50 years, so that should tell you plenty right there!), celebrating 50 years of great music with the Kingston Trio and the Brothers Four. I'd tell you to youtube them (you can, they are there), but instead, I'm going to help you out by uploading parts of a couple of songs. Sadly, there is only one original guy out of both groups. But, it was neat to hear the music. I knew most of the songs. (I was tortured as a child...) Nah, totally kidding. I grew up listening to my parents' music, and this was some of it. And it is good music. I have eclectic taste :). I know and like music from the 1950s, 60s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s. And some 70s, but I kind of wasn't exposed to that much. Although I could probably still sing parts of a lot of songs that they put on those compilation CDs and then that they advertise on tv. I get sucked in to those kinds of commercials... I love music. Anyway, the concert was neat. These guys can sing (although I will say they sounded better in person than they do on the camera). And their talent and ability in playing the instruments! Too cool!

So, here is one from The Brothers Four (Disclaimer! That's my mom singing, not me!):

And here is one from The Kingston Trio. This one is called the MTA. They did Tom Dooley, but this one is so much cooler, if you ask me. Because this is one Brad and I laughed at as children. In fact, I sang this one to him since being at the concert, made him laugh, and got the song stuck in his head :). Ah, the memories :).

And finally, I also watched It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. If any of you have seen Rat Race, it's basically the same thing, only Rat Race was a re-make. The original is so much better. And so hilarious. I need to get myself a copy of that movie. I think I've been told I'm like the mother-in-law character with a big mouth and bossy. You be the judge ;). Click here.

Oh, and I also watched Made of Honor. A typical chick-flick. Cute enough. Not worth the 4.99 it cost to rent it (I have no idea why it was that expensive). And I don't think I'd own it either. But, something I'd wanted to see.

ABC Tag

My friend, Stacy, tagged me a little bit ago. Seeming as I have nothing particularly exciting to report, I figured it was a good time for doing this tag post :).

A is for your age: 27, but I'll be 28 in 3 short weeks. Almost to the minute!
B is for burger of choice: Oh, anything with cheese and mushrooms on it, like Wendy's special burger (right Julie!)
C is for the car you drive: Buick Skylark
D is for your dog's name: Don't have a dog. My grandparents do, but I won't claim him, thank you very much.
E is for essential item you use every day: toothpaste
F is for favorite TV show at the moment: Probably The Office, since I'm working on catching up
G is for favorite game: I like lots. I love Trivial Pursuit and other trivia games.
H is for home state: Alabama. But home country would be Panama :)
I is for instruments you play: Piano (kind of).
J is for favorite juice: I love orange juice (without pulp!) and also white grape peach and white grape cherry, and lots of others
K is for whose bum you'd like to kick: Nobody comes to mind at the moment
L is for last restaurant at which you ate: Pancake House with my grandparents
M is for your favorite Muppet: I don't really know. But I'll go with Gonzo :).
N is for number of piercings: One and a half in each ear? I had two in each, but I've stopped putting earrings into the second piercing. There's still a hole there, but I don't think it goes all the way through anymore.
O is for overnight hospital stays: None so far
P is for people you were with today: Christina, Desiree, Nick, Grandma, Grandpa, and Mom
Q is for what you do with your quiet time: Read
R is for biggest regret: More than I'd care to think about
S is for status: What is my status? It's "Cool" :). Hahahaha... I guess this is marital status. That would be single.
T is for time you woke up today: Ummmm I shouldn't admit to sleeping until 10, but I did. Although, I woke up at 6 something and couldn't go to sleep right away. Also, was up until almost 2 this morning as well.
U is for what you consider unique about yourself: That I have dual citizenship? I don't know. I can't think of anything interesting.
V is for vegetable you love: Cucumber
W is for worst habit: worrying. about everything. and finding something to worry about just to have something to worry about, apparently. Ugh.
X is for x-rays you've had: My foot when I jumped on glass. My pinky finger on my right hand when I fractured it during kick ball.
Y is for yummy food you ate today: jalapeno poppers and a twinkie. Yes, Christina and I had a healthy lunch. The baby in her tummy said she wanted these things. My excuse is that I was there :).
Z is for zodiac: Scorpio

I tag anyone interested.

Also, on a totally unrelated note... It's freakin' cold in Washington. I'm cool with it, though. But thought you'd like to know :). We're somewhere down in the low 40s at night, possibly into the 30s already. All I know is that I could see my breath outside all day today. That's how I gauge the coldness of the weather :). I know it's especially cold when I can see my nostril breath. Hahahaha... And, I could today. Just FYI.

Tent Cities and Freebies!

So, on Saturday, during the afternoon session of Conference, the kids were starting to get really rowdy. So, Tarylyn and I worked on calming them by building them a tent/fort in the house the way we used to. Alas, I did not have my cohorts with me (ie Brad and Christina), so it wasn't the best of tents. Plus it's been many many years since I've built one of these suckers. Hopefully the next attempt will be even more radical. But the kids loved it! Of course, this meant that Tarylyn and I only heard bits and pieces of Conference. But we had fun. In fact, I think I was a little more excited than the kids about building the fort. It really makes you use your brain and be creative, because you have to figure out how to attach the blankets. We used clothes pins, just as we always did when we were kids. This was Tarylyn's first time building a fort that way. I look forward to our next tent in which I've had more recent practice and perhaps new ideas :). (So Dad, the sheets we brought up have been going to great use as ceilings ;)).


The family meeting went really well, I think. So many great ideas! And so many resources as we pull together as a family. We women have decided to plan a day of canning each month. Even if there aren't any fruits in season that we can either pick for free or buy cheap, we can can stuff such as spaghetti sauce and soups with a pressure canner. Michele has one of those. Michele also told us some of the things you can use dried beans for, other than just boiling and eating! There's some cool stuff you can do with them! Including using them in cakes! How wild is that! Such great info! We had tons of fun laughing. I think we accomplished quite a bit. And I think we all have a way to contribute to the family as a whole. I'm excited we can pull together and do this together. I think we will grow closer as we do. Of course, lame-o me, I didn't remember to take any pictures while we were meeting and eating. So, the only picture I have of that night is of Samuel, Saria, and Desiree. Samuel and Desiree have recently gotten new haircuts, so they wanted to show them off.


But don't worry... We're having a Halloween party at the end of the month (only we're going to call it a Hilaween party, since we'll celebrate my birthday as well. And before you call me conceited (Brad), it was Mom's idea!). Anyway, it will give the kids a chance to wear their costumes an extra day. And we're coming up with gooey, gross Halloween finger food ideas. We've found some real doozies!!! So, I promise there will be tons of pictures from that. Including food pictures. Because you know me :).

And finally... Freebies are the coolest! So, my mom works as an office manager in a funeral home. I don't know the whys of it, but they aren't allowed to sell things they've purchased once they don't want them anymore. So, staff there can ask for them, and whoever asks first gets it. Well, they were getting rid of a curio cabinet. I've always always wanted a curio cabinet!!! I collected little ceramics for years. I have them packed in boxes (which they have been packed in since 2003... how sad is that? My life has always just been too temporary to unpack them!). Though I've always had shelves we attached to the wall to put them on display, since becoming an adult, I've always wanted a curio cabinet for that (helps them get less dusty, I would think ;)). So, my mom asked for it, and we got it!!! For free! And it's like brand new! No scuffs or anything I could see. So, now it is stored with all my other earthly belongings, in the garage. Notice the piano behind it. One of these days, these things will be in a living room :).


Oh, and I have such wonderful friends! I have talked to so many of them this past week! Virginia, Tammy, Stacy, Juliebean, April, and Stefanie. It has been a great week so far :).

One Word Tag

Okay, so I've been tagged. Actually, Mrs. S tagged me quite a while ago, and I'm just now getting around to it. Stacy has tagged me with a different one. I will do that tag later. I figure these tags will help me post more. I've managed to go from blog-stalker to blog-slacker. Sigh. So, here's something to post :).

1. Where is your cell phone? charging
2. Your significant other? future
3. Your hair? brown
4. Your mother? patient
5. Your father? sacrificing
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? strange
8. Your favorite drink? varies
9. Your dream/goal? exaltation (I like your answer, Mrs. S)
10. The room you’re in? bedroom
11. Your hobby? sewing
12. Your fear? alone
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? settled
14. What you’re not? settled
15. Muffins? yum
16. One of your wish list items? mp3
17. Where you grew up? Panama
18. The last thing you did? Conference
19. What are you wearing? PJs
20. Favorite gadget? camera
21. Your pets? none
22. Your computer? non-existant
23. Your mood? hopeful
24. Missing someone? lots
25. Your car? skylark
26. Something you’re not wearing? contacts
27. Favorite store? Walmart
28. Like someone? family
29. Your favorite color? forest
30. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
31. Last time you cried? yesterday

It's Even Harder Going Uphill

Well, I got an email yesterday from SPL telling me I'm not being considered further for employment there. So, I guess I didn't do so well in the interview. Or perhaps I just don't have enough experience as a professional librarian for them to feel I will make a good addition. It was kind of an ego-buster. Not that I have a huge ego. But it's like falling off a horse... (I did that numerous times). My body was not hurt nearly as much as my ego was at the embarassment of falling off the horse and therefore "failing." But, I always got back on the horse, so I will continue to search here. Seattle was by no means my dream job. In fact, I ended up applying there only after weeks of not having much action as far as job possibilities on this side of Puget Sound. So, I'm not particularly heartbroken about not working at SPL. It was a cool experience to go there and see the library, and it was good experience to be interviewed for my first professional position. I have a better idea of what that will be like in the future, and I can say I have one behind me and can get back into the groove of interviewing. Plus I proved to myself that I can function alone in a big city and figure out where I need to go and how to get there. So I did gain stuff from all of this. But of course, in that moment of rejection, it's hard to remember that, so it took a little bit of reflection. And an awesome session of General Conference this morning in which it seemed the majority of the talks were aimed directly at me. Pres. Uchtdorf's talk was about having hope and not allowing yourself to fall into despair. To overcome the temptation to give up. Heavenly Father does answer prayers, and He knows me. It is amazing. And such a blessing to be reminded at low points when it doesn't seem possible.

And, I am reminded of what my Aunt Hila told me in an email once: "Remember, if you are going uphill, you're on the right path." Thank you, Aunt Hila, for those wise words. They came into my mind today. And they were a boost. I also know that there will come a point when I can look back on all of this and understand why. I know this, because it has happened to me in the past. There was a job for which I applied in Homewood before I got the job at UA that I didn't get. And it turned out to be for the best. And once things were on track, I could look back and see how even not getting that job helped me to get on the path I needed to be on. So, perhaps that will be the case again here. Again, I'll keep you posted on that.

In other news, I am excited about our family meeting tonight at Brad and Tarylyn's. We are having a potluck-type dinner and we are going to discuss our preparedness. And, due to an epiphany I had earlier, I think I will also mention the idea of having a monthly girl party with the women in the family. And maybe, like on months when there isn't a holiday to celebrate as the theme of the party, we can do kind of like an Iron Chef America thing where we pick an ingredient and we all have to incorporate it into the food we bring. Not nearly as involved as Iron Chef American, though. You will not find ingredients like truffles (the mushroom kind -- #1, because they are expensive and #2 because I know Christina at least doesn't like them) or squid among our ingredients. But, you get the idea. For example, the thing I thought of was peanuts. And hopefully we can have a full meal, not just a bunch of sweets :). Anyway, I'll run it by the ladies tonight and get their feedback. I think it sounds fun, though. Oh, I'll also take some pictures tonight, since we'll all be together :).

It’s Hard to Walk Down a Steep Hill in Heels

That’s an FYI for any of you out there who might have wondered. Anyone as dumb as myself who gave it a try already knows this J. But, that all has to do with my Seattle pre-interview, which I will get to.

This week has been mostly more of the same. On Sunday I talked to Elka. Which is why the news flash is up there at the top of my blog as a new feature. I will update it weekly with a little tidbit, since I know I’ve gotten lousy at blogging much. But Elka totally admitted she loves Dwight. I told her we couldn’t be friends anymore. Unfortunately, I can’t dismiss her as my cousin. Blood runs thick and all that. :). Seriously am so excited she’s coming up in November!!! We’ve planned an Office marathon. But in addition to talking about the tv show, we had the most hilarious conversation. I love talking to her, because I just laugh so much. Elka, no butterfingers for you! Or dark chocolate milky ways for that matter :).

On Monday, I babysat Desiree. It was a beautiful day, though we weren’t expecting nice weather. So, I took Desiree to the little park in their apartment complex. She’s a cutie. I just figured it was such a nice day that it wouldn’t have been nice to keep her cooped up. She was very excited about it. We spent an hour there, and Christina called to tell me that night that Desiree had been telling her all about how she went to the park with Aunt Hila. I watched several episodes of Season 3 of The Office. And lost my battle with myself to have self-discipline and only watch 3 episodes. I watched the entire 3rd disc. I have issues. It’s how I would unwind downstairs cuddled under the covers all alone… watching the show on my mom’s computer until the wee hours of morning.



Tuesday I took Christina to have her blood drawn and to take her oh-so-fun glucose test. I spent pretty much the whole day with Christina, and we had a good time. We went to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things. I had my Temple Recommend interview with the Bishop and then I went home. And I finished off watching Season 3 of The Office. Oh yeah! And, I got a call to interview for a part-time paraprofessional position that is closer to here than Seattle. I want a full-time job, but that doesn't mean I won't take this if they offer it while I'm looking. Plus, it's a way to get my foot in the door in a library system around here :).

On Wednesday, I took my grandmother to have her hair permed and then took both my grandparents to Costco. And rode a motorized cart from the parking lot, because I was told to follow out an old couple to their car to get the cart. And spent 2 hours shopping. Elka, you should call me at your earliest convenience. I spent the rest of the night finishing up Stargirl. And wrote my booktalk at about midnight. And got to bed far later than I should have, since I had to get up and catch the ferry this morning.



Today… what a day! I’ll tell you, that was exhausting! I got up and got mostly-dolled up. I wore my tennis shoes and socks over my nylons, because I wasn’t walking the 6 city blocks to SPL in heels. (Somehow walking 6 city blocks from SPL didn’t seem nearly as silly…). I made it to the ferry dock and boarded the ferry. Free to go over to Seattle, you only have to pay to come back. First time in my life I’ve ever been on the ferry by myself. Not so much fun alone. I read quite a bit, but was feeling kind of tired, so I dozed a bit. I also talked with Juliebean a bit before my phone died on me completely in the middle of Puget Sound. Turns out you don’t get such great service out there in the middle of the Sound. “Can you hear me now?” Apparently not. I had plenty of time once I got to Seattle. So, I walked up to 1st Avenue… And you know what they say, “When in Seattle, do as the Seattle-ites.” So, I went into a coffee shop and ordered a white hot chocolate. Starbucks. Then I hiked (literally, I mean this was all uphill!!!) 3 blocks up to 4th Avenue, and then over 2 blocks. To Seattle Public Library. Oh my gosh. I’ve never seen anything like it that is a library. I will say I don’t really think it’s attractive. But, it’s definitely different. It’s all glass. There are no solid walls on the outside. They are all glass. I took a few pictures from inside to give you an idea. Oh, and 11 floors! And it takes up an entire city block! It’s unreal! And they have a security guard (or probably 10) that goes around and wakes people up if they are sleeping! Hahahaha… I sat and read while I was waiting for my interview time. That’s how I know. I didn’t fall asleep, though. Anyway, by this time I’d already been into the bathroom to touch up my make-up and take off my tennis shoes and put on my heels. So, my interview was at 2. Two women interviewed me. For about 2 hours. Okay, easily one of the most grueling 2 hours of my life. They ask you all these questions about, “What would you do if…?” Or, “Tell me of a time when you ...” That was some hard stuff! I hope it went well. I didn’t feel awful at the end of it, but I was so glad it was over. Hopefully I’ll hear about whether or not I qualified for any of the positions before too long. Of course, hopefully I at least qualified for one! I mean, that was seriously the most daunting thing I’ve ever done. Probably it was a cake walk to other people, but it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. They did give me a free bottle of water to drink while I was interviewing. Anyway, after it was over, I was happy to leave and head on my way back to the ferry, hoping to catch the 4:10. And this was all downhill. Which wouldn’t be so bad… if I hadn’t been in heels still. Ugh, my toes paid a price. And you have to go slower, because you have to carry yourself so as not to fall flat on your face. And it was getting-off work time for all the Seattle people, so there were lots of people around. So I really didn’t want to fall flat on my face :). I made the 4:10 ferry. I found a seat and started reading. We pushed away from the Seattle dock. And about 5 minutes later, the captain of the ferry came over the loud speaker and said we were having minor difficulties. I looked up. We weren’t even moving. Hahahaha… We were dead in the water, just floating. Now, Julie… I took lots of pictures for you of the ferry so you could see how big it is. I would leave this part out of the story, because I know it will disturb you, but it’s part of the day, so it has to go in. But trust me, this does not happen often. And also, I’m here writing this, so you know we must have survived J. Anyway, they start the engine up finally (never did find out what was going on), and we head on our merry little way. Until I hear the engine cut off again about 15 minutes later. And so now we’re in the middle of Puget Sound (where there isn’t really great cell service, remember), floating again. And again, the captain came across the speaker. Pretty quickly they got the ferry going again. I’m fine, as long as we’re still floating. When I got off the ferry, I looked at it, and you could tell it was a pretty old one. But seriously, this has never happened when I’ve been on a ferry before. So, don’t let this story ruin the chance to ride the ferry, Julie J. It’s a cool thing. And since you’re doing all these things (like riding motorcycles and stuff), you can handle the ferry! I got back to my car (after not remembering which way I came out of the parking lot, so I wasn’t sure which way to go back in to find my car! – I’m such a small-town girl). I drove home. I was sooooo exhausted! I didn’t do all that much (not including the hike), but I was so tired. And then Grandma sent my mom and me out to pick up dinner from Burger King. I so didn’t want to. I wanted to stay home, eat something quick (I was soooo hungry. All I’d eaten all day up to that point was cereal in the morning and the white hot chocolate. Plus I wanted to get out of the interview suit and into something comfortable. I kind of did. I totally went to Burger King in the suit and flip flops (no nylons). But anyway, here I am, at the end of a very long, kinda stressful day. And I’m tired. But, since I started writing this, I ended up finishing it. So, if you see something in there while you’re reading that makes you think I didn’t write this on Thursday, it’s because at first I wasn’t going to post it until Friday… But since I’m writing and I can’t shut-up!!!! I ended up telling all the stories J. So, let me finish uploading the photos.


P.S... if you find random "J's" in here, those are supposed to be smileys. I typed it up in MS Word. And apparently the smileys don't translate... not even to a colon and close paren. Who knew?

P.P.S... SPL has a revolving door to get in, Juliebean. I thought of you :).