Figure A: Max's molecular biology homework

Figure B: candy gram celebrating the end of summmma semester

If I could understand half of a half of a half of what Max has to study in school,

I think I would deserve a candy gram too.

the perfect s'more

The other weekend we went on our second picnic of the summer. Yep, it was only our second picnic and considering our schedules over the next few weeks, it will probably be our last (how has this summer gone by so fast??)

Anyway, a recommendation for those of you who like s'mores:

We didn't have a campfire or a microwave on hand, so we decided to grill it. Yep, the graham cracker + the mallow + and the chocolate + all together + on the grill. Leave it for just a few minutes (maybe three), and voila! Everything was just perfect - easily the best s'more I've ever had!

As for our summer to-do list:

We've checked off most of our list! Last Labor Day I was legitimately depressed about the end of summer, but this year - I can't wait! Football games, carving pumpkins and wearing new sweaters (shopping helps just a titch :) I'm all for September.

And excuse me for saying it (again), but these two are the cutest.

for those of you who may wonder what i feel about president obama.

I had a lumpectomy several weeks ago -- and I really should say that first of all, I am so, so grateful to report that the tumor was benign. Prior to the surgery though, (and obviously aside from the incisions and scare of cancer itself) I was deathly afraid of going under anesthesia. Anesthesia posed two main threats in my mind: 1) I may never wake up again and 2) If I did wake up, what was I going to say in front of a bunch of people I didn't know? (can you tell yet that this was my first surgery...ever?)

Well, the surgery went smoothly, and I woke up alive and well at the end of it too... so I should have just been really happy, but I wasn't. Because that's when I found out that the President of the United States of my beloved America was none other than President Barack Obama.

This is actually just a tiny clip of a 30 minute video Max got on his phone (most of which I'd be too embarrassed to share) but this part... well I had to. Lets just say anesthesia is definitely the new highlight of any surgery in my opinion, just don't ask me about President Obama and his "foreign policies" - because he has none, and it will probably make me cry. Again.

happy, happy monday

I think I'm cursed every Monday morning. Waking up = death. When I finally get into work there are already a million emails/hearings/trials/subpoenas/meetings/phone calls needed to be made,  even though I was all caught up last Friday afternoon? And that just takes us to 10 AM.

So today was chaos. 
But then I ran across this:

"Promise yourself 

To be so strong that nothing 
can disturb your peace of mind. 
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity 
to every person you meet. 

To make all your friends feel 
that there is something in them. 
To look at the sunny side of everything 
and make your optimism come true. 

To think only of the best, to work only for the best, 
and to expect only the best. 
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others 
as you are about your own. 

To forget the mistakes of the past 
and press on to the greater achievements of the future. 
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times 
and give every living creature you meet a smile. 

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others. 
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear 
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.

To live in faith that the whole world is on your side,
so long that you are true to the best that is in you."

-Christian D. Larson

I love it.
I love it so, so much. 
I love people who are like this (I luckily know a whole bunch of them)
And I'd like to always be like this too.

Happy, Happy Monday!

(and thanks to Amanda for sharing it with me!)

PS. I can't love Taylor Swift (or her new song) any more than I do now.

a 20 year tradition

I finally got around to uploading a few of our pictures from Wallowa Lake this year...

 

I've said it time and time again: this place is my home away from home and hands down one of the best parts of our summer. Even without the dole whips (a true tragedy) we all agreed that this was the best year yet - which is saying something when you've been visiting the lake your entire life.

If you're ever in eastern Oregon, make a stop. It's a little piece of heaven on earth.

a few more book recommendations

Last I checked, I'm about 23 books behind schedule of reading 100 books this year. 23! We tried making Wednesday nights our Barnes & Noble night, but because of some exciting job opportunities this summer, I've been a little bit slammed and haven't found as much time to catch up on reading... So for now, I'm shooting for 75 (fingers crossed :)

Below are a few of the books I've read over the last little while that I've loved/liked/meh/etc:

Where'd You Go Bernadette - Oh my gosh, I loved this book. I loved, absolutely loved Bernadette! She's one of my newest favorite fictional characters. The author, Maria Semple, is hilarious - so funny that I looked her up online and found out she has written for shows like Arrested Development and Ellen DeGeneres. Read it!

Killing Kennedy - I had heard so much about the Killing Lincoln, Killing Jesus, and Killing Kennedy books written by Bill O'Reilly that I couldn't ignore it anymore, so I picked up Killing Kennedy first and thought it was fantastic. It's not necessarily any new or "breaking news" information but it was riveting to say the least. Has anyone watched some (or all) of The Sixties documentary on CNN? What a fascinating time and turning point in history.

I Am Malala - One word: Wow. What a story. I thought about it for weeks after I finished; it's hard to imagine living in a world where women's education/and Christianity are not allowed - and that fighting for those rights means risking your life. What an inspirational young woman, it's hard to believe she is barely 17.

FanGirl - Okay, so I admittedly skipped over most of the actual fanfiction part of the story - even though the 12 year old Kelsie could sadly relate to all of it in a way. Mostly though, I enjoyed the love story between Cath and Levi, and the complicated but unconditional loving relationships between Cath and her family. It felt real and heart-warming and was just a feel-good book.

Eleanor & Park - Considering how much I enjoyed FanGirl and Rainbow Rowell's writing, I was disappointed with this one.  Not my favorite.

Ghost Soldiers - I picked this book up in particular after Goodreads had "recommended" it once I finished reading Unbroken (have you seen the new trailer??), so I think I may have set my expectations a little high. Regardless, it is still an incredible story of those who survived the Bataan Death March, and it truly opens your eyes to some of the horrors of war. I finished it within just a few days.

The Things They Carried - Whatever you do, read. this. book. I've never read anything about the Vietnam War because everything surrounding the Holocaust and WWII has grabbed my attention first, but this is easily one of the best books I have ever read. Absolutely incredible.

(and if you need any recommendations on MCAT prep books, you can always ask Max ;)