An Indian Wedding

Well, my friend Shreya has finally sorta nailed down the date - of course it is going to be tight and hard to work in but I will do my best. She is thinking either the week of Thanksgiving or after Dec. 5th - which is when I stop teaching. So I am not sure what to hope for on the one hand if it was Thanksgiving week then I would leave the 20th and come back the 2nd - realizing that I lose a day both ways and will be traveling for over 27 hours! So then I would get to finish up teaching on the 3rd and the 5th after taking the 1st and 21st off - I am certain my students will not mind. OR I can finsih teaching on the 5th and give my final and then pack up all my junk in a Penske truck, drive to Texas, unpack it and then fly to India in about a three day period of time - somehow that sounds impossible to me. OR she could do it a little later and I will still pack up my junk, drive as quickly as possible to Texas and then move in and fly to India for 2 weeks - which probably means that I will miss Christmas and all that I love about that. SO what do you think - what should I hope, pray and try and persaude Shreya to do?

On a fun note - an old friend had her baby this week. They thought they were having baby boy #2 and when SHE came out they were very surprised! That was yesterday - still no name they are trying to figure out what to do. I had never actually meet anyone that had that happen to them before - I guess she will just have to enjoy cars, planes and trains in her nursery!

Questions for the 200 Have/Have Nots answered

I recently updated the 200 Have and Have Nots - I went over it with Mama and evidently I missed at least 10 things that I have done and didn't know it! Some of the things were from when we were very young and some things I just forgot about. I did not check the Been in a movie but I was in family movies - does that count? :)
Cyndi and Cherilyn (Michelle)asked who I kissed in the rain - I thought ladies didn't kiss and tell? But I will tell you guys because you already know almost everything anyways. I kissed Jeff in the rain in UT. It was a long time ago but we were doing something outside, by ourselves which was really rare, and it started to rain and we had had a conversation about people kissing in the rain before and I had said that I thought is was romantic so he kissed me. There is the exciting story I am sure you are on the edge of your seat!
It is a funny memory because he wasn't very romantic but very set in his ways about how a man should treat a woman. We got into a fight once about who should open the door of the car or in his case his gigantic truck when we stopped to get out. I said that I had arms that worked just fine and it seemed really silly to wait for him to walk around and open the door for me - he did not agree in any way. It was the first real fight we ever had - looking back it is funny but we were/are both very stubborn so we just had to come to a truce (which in the end was that he would open the door when we were getting in but I would open the door when getting out of the car). Enough of my ramblings I hope you have a great day!

More Pictures from Utah

Well, I am really lazy sometimes and it has taken me this long to download the pictures from Suzan's house and Abby. When I was there we put up the pictures she got for her wedding and finished up the nursery, both looked nice when we finished.
Abby loves to sleep with her back very arched, she almost rolled over again and again because she arches it so much!




These are of the house - the first one is over the table (after I took this picture we blew up one of the pictures of Abby and centered the picture of Abby and Suzan's bridal pictures on the one side of the LOVE with their wedding picture on the other side) and the other is over the TV.


These are of Abby's room. The panda theme is in full swing. I worked on the crib's skirt and bumpers while I was there and it all came out really well.





Here is a really easy and yummy recipe I got off one of my friends blogs.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

1 devils food cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup peanut butter (either kind)
4 oz (1/2 brick) cream cheese

Mix all these together and roll into balls. Bake at 375 for 8-9 minutes. After cooling completely, store in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Great to make with kids becuase they are so easy and they can help make the balls!

I Had A Meeting!!!!

Well with a lot of persistence and begging I had my meeting that I wanted so badly. It seemed to go very well and as I walked out with Linda she was very positive about it. My committee thinks my idea is great and that it will be able to contribute great things to both academia and practice! Yea! I am so excited! Now all I have to do is work my behind off and get the thing done. I have another meeting on the 7th of July and then another the week after the reunion. I was hoping the be ABD (all but dissertation) and thus a PhD candidate by the reunion but I will settle for right after as well. It was a good day.

Today I also got to visit teach a sister that has not allowed us to come, meet her someone or talk on the phone with her for over 6 months! So today Heather and I took her out to lunch and had a nice time - it was nice to see everyones prayers paying off and her coming back to church!

Tonight I am going with Amy to see "Birds" at the movie in the park. It should be a lot of fun. Last time I saw it was in Provo on Halloween. Donna, Suzan and I went to a party in a warehouse that one of the party throwers worked at and watched it on this huge screen! It was really fun and scary. I think that it probably won't be as scary this time.

Last night Kim, Amy and I went to the Twilight Festival(it is from 6-8 at night). Last summer Beth and I tried and never got there. It is in "downtown" Columbia and it was really fun - lots of bands playing, street vendors and a tour of the redone Missouri Theater (Beth would be impressed by it now). Last summer Beth and I helped out our bishops son, Jake, with his Eagle project that was pulling out all 1800 seats, sorting the ones that would be auctioned off and then throwing them out. We worked for a couple hours and it was exhausting work, but it was fun too. Now the theater has been redone and is very beautiful.

I got my first shot today so that I can go to India for Shreya's wedding. I have to get Hep A & B, Thpyoid, Polio, Tetanus and a Malaria medicine right before I leave. I told Shreya I must really like her to go through all of that just for a wedding trip! Honestly I can't wait to go and be there and see India. I am excited that it will be with Shreya and her family and will feel safe. I just wish that it was sooner.

200 Have and Have Nots - with recent updates

I got this from Dallas's blog.
The ones that are stared is what I have done! What about you?

*1. Touched an iceberg (but I saw glaciers in Alaska!)
*2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
*4. Changed a baby’s diaper
*5. Watched a meteor shower
*6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
*8. Climbed a mountain
*9. Held a tarantula
*10. Said “I love you” and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
*12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
*14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise – I like to sleep too much
*15. Seen the Northern Lights
*16. Gone to a huge sports game
*17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty (I went after 9/11 and they don't let you any more)
*18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
*19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
*20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
*21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
*23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
*24. Built a snow fort - Bob and I built one in Los Alamos
*25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
*27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
*30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
*32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
*33. Adopted an accent for fun
*34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Germany)
*35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
*36. Loved your job 90% of the time
*37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied – I just want enough to pay all the bills
*38. Watched wild whales - in Alaska
*39. Gone rock climbing
*40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
*43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
*44. Visited India (will be in about 6 months)
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
*46. Milked a cow
*47. Alphabetized your personal files
*48. Ever worn a superhero costume (Wonder woman - when I was 6)
*49. Sung karaoke
*50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
*52. Kissed in the rain
*53. Played in the mud
*54. Gone to a drive-in theater
*55. Done something you should regret, but don’t
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
*57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
*61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
*63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
*67. Bounced a check
*68. Read - and understood - your credit report
*69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
*70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
*71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
*73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge - been there though
*74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
*76. Won money
*77. Broken a bone
*78. Ridden a motorcycle
*79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
*80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon - nope my parents don't really hike!
*81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing - coming back from Austria
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
*83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
*85. Read The Bible cover to cover
*86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
*88. Gone back to school
*89. Changed your name
*90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
*91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
*92. Read The Iliad
*93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
*94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating – does fishing count?
*95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
*96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
*99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care - Grandma
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
*104. Rocked a baby to sleep
*105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet?
*107. Brought out the best in people
*108. Brought out the worst in people
*109. Worn a mood ring
*110. Ridden a horse
*111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap - girl scouts!
*112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child ( I hope never to have that experience or ever watch it happen again!)
*114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
*116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
*120. Gone to an arboretum
*121. Tutored someone
*122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
*124. Eaten caviar
*125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
*126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant - an elephant in Singapore
*127. Published a book - a very short one - like a book
*128. Pieced a quilt
*129. Lived in an historic place
*130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage - in Singapore - I think I should leave the acting to Cyndi and Jeremy
*131. Asked for a raise
*132. Made a hole-in-one - miniature golf count?
*133. Gone deep sea fishing – Galveston
*134. Gone roller skating - I am terrible135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
*138. Flown first class
*139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa – hopefully one day
142. Sang a solo – not really a good idea
*143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
*148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
*153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
*155. Lied about your weight
*156. Gone on a diet
*157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
*158. Written a poem
*159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
*160. Gotten food poisoning
*161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon - wasn't this already on here?
*163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
*164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
*167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics - I watch from my couch
*169. Can hula or waltz
*170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator- that would be terrible!
172. Had a revelatory dream
*173. Thought you might crash in an airplane - Mama said yes - going to Balikpapan
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
*177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
*178. Laughed till your side hurt
*179. Straddled the equator - I guess I could have and not known it in Indonesia
*180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
*181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
*183. Spent the night in a hostel
*184. Been a cashier
*185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
*186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma - I can't because of my Epstein - Barr
*188. Built a campfire
*189. Kept a blog
*190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
*192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
*194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
*196. Know CPR
*197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
*198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter – what is that?

This makes it look like I have an exciting life! WOW is that wrong!

Blogger wouldn't let me bold anything - thus the stars!

Very Frustrated!!!

Well, I passed comps but unfornately that seems like that was the easy part. I am so frustrated because today I learned that I probably have to wait until right before the reunion to have my meeting about my outline!!!! Then I can write it! One of my committee members is leaving and wants to be "released" and others are traveling all summer. I hate summer and academics! I wanted to be done by the time the reunion was held and now that is when I will actually be able to work on it? I am not sure what I am supposed to do in the meantime. I think that I am going to go ahead and write it and make the arguments as strong as possible so that I can still be done when I want! I know that old thing about the best laid plans but come on!
So here is my whining blog for the day, sorry!