Deep thoughts go a-swirlin on a Friday evening.

I am in a scintillating zen right now because on Tuesday we take off straight from work, heading east to see family, hike in Zion, and most of all, witness an engaged pair morph into a married one. Tuesday is not yet, but close enough to conjure a zen.

Jeff is in the other room watching Rick Steve tour Italy. I am hearing lots of, "Oh! I loved that place!!" and "Ah, will we ever go back?!" and then French words. I'm sure they would be Italian words, but French is the other language he speaks.

Is there anything better than a stripe? Not the stripe that leaves a welt. The kind on clothing. I saw a dress at a store a while ago, waited, waited, two days ago it became mine for $15.00. It's also stretchy which enables me to show it off while wearing it. Behold:

I got a calling in my ward. I'm the chorister. This is fine with me because it's good exercise for my apparently stationery arms (after the first hymn my first week that arm was exhausted!), and it's fun to see the congregation all at once. I do however think the job is a bit superfluous because really, the voices follow the organ, and rightly so.

I'm also actually going to do something with our wedding photos tonight while we watch a movie.

I lied. This was not a deep post at all. We're going on a walk now. BYE!

Miu Miu

I swear I had a pint sized copy of this dress when I was 3. Now when I'm missing the days of limitless apple juice sippy cups and Bert and Ernie, this can be mine for something like 15 Benjamins. Get yours today!




-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Pereira Dr,Irvine,United States

Half an Annum

6 months ago today we hopped aboard the matrimonial wagon. I wouldn't get off for the wooorld.

Maybe I'm a romantic, maybe it's because I was single until 27 (which makes me neither the youngest or the oldest, but anyway), or maybe it's because I (over)hear plenty of whining about spouses, but the thrill of marriage for me has not waned a decibel; I would say it's cranking up in volume. Sure it's not perfect, but who wants perfect? If I said it was you'd all know I was a lying and/or oblivious TAMN anyway.

But from where I sit, suddenly I'm in this ongoing gig where I come home, and the person I most want to see is there too. We always have new jokes, we make plans, we buy each other's favorite edibles at the grocery store, we calm each others' frustrations and sooth each other's concerns. We carpool to work and I pat his bum as he gets out of the car (I usually drive because my car is a piece of crap and we don't care about piling on the miles). I get to be a part of his wonderful family -- I really love them. We bounce ideas off each other, we know our tones of voice, we groan in the morning about the fact that it's morning and sometimes, especially on Fridays, take a few extra minutes on the snooze bar to snuggle. It seems to me this far, far, far outweighs any sacrifice or growing pains. I KNOW I'M A NEWLYWED, but I'd like to expect that we can keep this attitude for the next millions of years.

I think one of my favorite memories thus far happened on a Thursday. Jeff had a lawyer convention thingie at night and I had a lot of work so we decided we'd still carpool and I'd get some catch-up done until the convention's end. Around 6 I decided if I were going to stay awake I'd better get me some victuals. As I mentioned before, I work just across the bridge from South Coast Plaza. I set off on foot just as the sun was setting behind the epicenter of consumerism. I was pulling my sweater tightly around and reliving some Jeffman moment, looking at the ground. I looked up and -- HEY! -- that looks like Jeff! That is Jeff, I think? A mirage? No, I'd forgotten that his lawyer convention thingie was at the Westin Hotel on my side of the bridge, and he was really a-walkin toward me in the flesh, making funny faces. I let out an honest, "Ha! What??" and jogged over, which was good, because the girl a few steps ahead of me had thought the funny faces were directed at her. Above the Bristol traffic, we snuck a hug and a kiss before he went off to his duties and I to mine. A lovely second wind.

January 23. What a day.

IF?!

For the past year my mom and I will meet up for lunch a few times a week at South Coast Plaza. I work across the bridge from the mall so it's very awesome for me.

We have a routine. We immediately get a See's chocolate or two, wander over to Williams Sonoma, take a sample of whatever horseradish panini they are debuting that day, and browse (never buy), wander over to J. Crew and browse (never buy), and if we still have time we waaander over to whatever other store looks appetizing to browse (never buy). And we talk of the mysteries of the kingdom and about whatever cute thing we just heard Elizabeth's kids did, she tells me about some idea of a way to decorate the house, etc. I love it; someday I shall surely weep over the wonderful qualities of such a tradition.

The other day we waandered by a magazine rack. Glancing at US Weekly, I asked, "What do you think of Bristol Palin and her baby daddy Levi getting back together?"

My mother surprised me with a casual, "Oh, I think it's good they're making honest people out of each other."

"What?? He's horrible!"

"Well, it'll probably be the best for the child and who knows, maybe they're really in love!"

"Mom, what if you were famous, and--"

"--IF I were famous??"

"some idiot ex-boyfriend of mine went on national television about 40 times and told all sorts of horrible lies about our family? Wouldn't you be hurt if I later went back and got married to him? How much more mature could he be a year later??"

"Wai-wai-wait a minute. IF I were famous??"

As I said. I love this tradition. She's a good one.

28 and other things

Hey, I turned 28! Jeff keeps saying "You're 29 now, enjoy it!" and similar things but I'm 99.9% positive he does know I'm 28 and it's him being full of jokes. In any case, he made me breakfast and supplied the BEST birthday cheesecake I've ever eaten in my entire life, and maybe he followed a birthday "suggestion" to the utmost exactness, so that tells me he loves me, he loves me even when I'm getting older, he loves me in J. Crew, and he apparently wants me to be chubbier.

Bridegroom and I are perhaps cooking up an impromptu vacay before or after the nuptials of my dear sister-in-law and soon-to-be dear brother-in-law.

Really, you should see the things sparking up into bloom in our yard. Jeff went out and bought a mini-farm, ripped out the ugliest shrubs and overgrown bushes that were already there, plugged the new fruits and veggies in with his hard laboring manliness, and even though planting in Julio is not the best timing, things are happening and it's just so cool.

That's all I have to say for now. Didn't say this post was going to rock your world!

A Rampire

That's a new special word I made up for Vampire Rant.

Ok. So since you've all been dying to hear it, I'll pony up.

Recognizing that many people view the Vampire phenomenon as fun, escapist reading, a clever idea, etc., my rant stems and froths into a brew of loathing, disappointment, and annoyance for the sake of THE CHILDREN [cue ringing stiff, artheritic fingers in the air].

I'm going to try to be concise.

The writing is monotonous, flat, cheesy. But come on, how many Harper Lees and JK Rowlings and Lief Engers are there in the world, anyway? She wrote something, edited it a million times over, and got it published! She has KIDS and she wrote a book. That's a whole lot more than I've done. I'll give her that for sure. BUT, the following will always bother me:

Although she knew that a large slice of the Fan Club pie chart consisted of tweeners, those young, impressionable, awkward things who are growing up in an increasingly sickened, misguided world, she paints the picture of an awkward girl, aka someone they appreciate and relate to, obsessed from head to toe with one thing and one thing alone. She has no other thoughts, no other ambitions, no other interests besides those that lead to "Be the vampire's woman." When he leaves, it's totally great to shut off and shut down. It'll be worth your time, because he'll come back. And when he's back, you drop it all and run to those chilled, "marble" arms and six-pack. How about a life of conversations that always end in a declaration of "You are my reason for living." [Cue stares and foreheads touching.] "I'll give you anything you want, it's yours when you say the word." [Cue make out.] Instead of using the devotion of her multitudinous, young fans to paint a picture of a thriving, interesting, interestED girl with a thought of her own swirling around in there, who can ALSO have happy romantic rushes and zips, she painted a picture of a flat lining girl who won't touch anything non-Edward with a 10 foot pole, for no apparent reason other than the fact that she's a heroine/ninny combo.

And just a couple of other things that didn't hit home until seeing it on a screen:

Book 2: When your teenage daughter goes missing for hours, and there's a huge search going on for her in the middle of the night, and a big, buff man carries her limp body out of the forest with his shirt off, wouldn't your first reaction, as a father, be to beat him to a pulp instead of thanking and hugging him?? I think so. Jeff pointed that one out.

Book 3: When your obsessive feelings for the ice man are being confused by another guy who never wears a shirt, THE MOMENT you see the other guy in ANIMAL FORM, ALL ROMANTIC POSSIBILITIES END THERE. Wrong. ALL SORTS OF WRONG. You don't snuggle him and scratch his ears while he's a wolf-man and implore him to be careful in battle, and then kiss him later. No. It's just wrong.

The End.

OMG I literally laid eyes on Edward AND Jacob on Friday night. Sq-uh-WEEEEEEEEELLLLLL!

We went with a group of new pals and it was actually really fun. For someone who hates the books***, and felt really uncomfortable when Bella would launch those convulsive screaming fits in the 2nd movie, the 3rd was an improvement, and it's just fun to be there because there's no lack of enthusiasm, and the boys just don't really know what to do with themselves. Jeff, however, decided to start clapping when the werewolf laid a smacker on Bella and was really proud of the reaction he got.

I have an announcement to make. We have cable now. (!!!) Our internet is paid through the HOA fees, but we still have to call Cox and have it set up. Before Jeff even called to do such a thing, we had reaffirmed that we were not going to sign up for cable, DVR, etc., because we're not home a ton, we have Netflix, and it'll be nice to save the money. I heard bits and pieces of the phone conversation from the next room, was just goin about my business, and then I heard, "how much?? Really??" but with a tone to his voice that said "Suckered in". I went into the room and gave him a wide eyed look and he looked alarmed. A few minutes after that, I heard the phone flop down on the couch and he said something to the effect of "I FAILED!" which translated into "WE HAVE THE WORKS!" Apparently there's a screaming package deal for 3 months and then of COURSE after that it hikes way up, so we're telling ourselves we'll cancel it after 90 days. I pray for the fortitude to carry through. Do you know how much FUN it is, though, to turn on our lovely HD tv, so generously bestowed by my in-laws, and have a wealth of entertainments at my fingertips? Oh, it's amazing. I'm sure you DO know, don't you. And now we have Dateline back.

Moment for a No One Will Probably Care as Much as I Do:

I went to a BEEBEE SHOWER a couple of weeks ago for one of my oldest friends Katie Weaver. I mean Katie Waldron -- do you find it hard to call girls you grew up with by their married names? Anyway it was great and I've been craving the mini cinnamon rolls which were served ever since. I looked at pictures of it on her blog last night and guess what. I HAVE LONG HAIR! There was a picture of a girl from behind, she was wearing a striped shirt, her hair was air drying against her back, it was long, WAIT, THAT'S ME!!! I didn't realize it had become so long. Scraggled to the max, but long. I was so tickled with this outside-looking-in realization, and part of that realization is that maybe I should take some scissors to it to unload some of the chewed up qualities to the ends.

And with that, I shall close my blog post with a couple of other "incidentals" as my mother might say:

- My husband is so funny. He absolutely has always been bothered the girls out in the world who will chop a cookie (or high caloric food item) in half...or 3/4....or 15/16, and leave the rest on the plate. Woops, he married one of them. We had pizza the other night and before I could even get to my usual tricks he was having himself a great time:




He always cracks me up. I have my most fun with Jeff, and I don't take it for granted for a minute, this fact that we get to be in our own little bundle for the rest of it all.

*** I'll do this Twilight rant later, I am out of time.