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.
molecular biology
August 25, 2014
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.
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!
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.
August 23, 2014
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.
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.
August 18, 2014
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.
August 7, 2014
I finally got around to uploading a few of our pictures from Wallowa Lake this year...
If you're ever in eastern Oregon, make a stop. It's a little piece of heaven on earth.
August 5, 2014
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 ;)
July 31, 2014
Lately Max and I have loved -- or should I say lllllooooovvvveeeedddd playing with the babies all of our family and friends have been bringing around lately. It is such an amazing thing to witness those same family members and friends, some we've known since we were little, turn into such wonderful mothers and fathers of their own little children. Honestly, there's nothing quite like it.
Even though I know I took it for granted when I was younger, I am incredibly grateful for good parents and for loving families and little children and all the other wonderful, wonderful things that make life so beautiful. I can't imagine a life without having families being at the center of it. I just can't.
(And congratulations especially to two of my best friends, Alissa - on the arrival of her gorgeous new baby girl!!! And Kylie, who has a little one on the way too!! They are both going to be the most amazing mothers.)
And PS. I had to include the video above of little Asher (danny and amanda have the cutest kids on earth!) Seriously, how cute is he? (and how cute is max going to be when he's a dad too? ;)
(And congratulations especially to two of my best friends, Alissa - on the arrival of her gorgeous new baby girl!!! And Kylie, who has a little one on the way too!! They are both going to be the most amazing mothers.)
And PS. I had to include the video above of little Asher (danny and amanda have the cutest kids on earth!) Seriously, how cute is he? (and how cute is max going to be when he's a dad too? ;)
July 28, 2014
Okay, this video makes me miss my Media & Advertising classes at BYU. So genius.
July 4, 2014
The Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite days of the year - it's the quintessential summer holiday + we get to light off fireworks. Most especially though, I love the Fourth because of what we're reminded of - some of the amazing history that comes with this country we live in.
I was lucky enough to attend the Freedom Festival Gala several nights ago with my dad, which honored some incredible individuals who understand the price of freedom far more than I ever may be able to. It was inspiring and humbling to say the least, to meet those who have sacrificed greatly for the rights of freedom of speech, freedom to vote, freedom to worship, and freedom to choose everything else we so easily take for granted.
So Happy Fourth of July everyone!!
Hope your holiday weekend is fantastic.
I readily admit I love the BBQ's, re-runs of The Sandlot and Ray Charles' rendition of "America the Beautiful" (seriously there is no better version out there) - but most of all I love this country. Although it's kind of a joke to those who know me, growing up I kept a picture of George Bush on my dashboard in my first car, and gave a speech about "my love for my country" during the Miss Junior Miss Pageant when I was sixteen (which, by the way, was a disaster) - and who knows why, but I was born with this patriotic/political bone in my body that just won't go away ;)
So Happy Fourth of July everyone!!
Hope your holiday weekend is fantastic.
June 23, 2014
I am happy to report that this has definitely been (so far at least) one of the best summers yet - passing up 2010 and 2012 if that's possible. The only downside is that I keep dreaming of what life would be like in warmer weather year round. Would I get sick of it? Never. Would I miss a white Christmas? Probably not. California always sounds like a good idea to me.
Mostly, though, I wanted to get online to share some thoughts regarding two years of marriage and our two year anniversary this past weekend, but have unsuccessfully sat for the last twenty minutes typing, deleting and then re-typing what I was hoping I could put into words. But I can't. There are too many things I want to say and too many things I want to describe. So I'll just say this:
A few weeks ago we left town for the weekend and sat at dinner in a little table tucked into the corner of an "Irish pub." People were talking and singing loudly and our waitress kept forgetting our order, but I had that brief moment where your brain takes a picture as you hold hands across the table and think: I am lucky in every way.
Now, these moments don't come every day of course, sometimes I feel like our lives mirror chickens with their heads cut off -- but I was gratefully reminded that day, that moment particularly, of how lucky I am to have Max. Sometimes I think about that night over two years ago before we were ever married, as I cried overwhelmed with the future and Max (as per usual) reassured me with his hands on my shoulders: "I will help you, and you will help me, and we will love each other." I guess in a nutshell that's what these two years have been: everything from our first apartment, paying the bills and working hard to create our future; or even the simple things like watching re-runs of the Twilight Zone in bed at night, and waking up next to each other every morning (which is way more glamorous in the movies than it has ever been in real life) - all of it. I will help you, and you will help me, and we will love each other. Max is the best decision I've made and the best companion I could've picked for the small adventure of a life together. I am lucky in every way.
Mostly, though, I wanted to get online to share some thoughts regarding two years of marriage and our two year anniversary this past weekend, but have unsuccessfully sat for the last twenty minutes typing, deleting and then re-typing what I was hoping I could put into words. But I can't. There are too many things I want to say and too many things I want to describe. So I'll just say this:
A few weeks ago we left town for the weekend and sat at dinner in a little table tucked into the corner of an "Irish pub." People were talking and singing loudly and our waitress kept forgetting our order, but I had that brief moment where your brain takes a picture as you hold hands across the table and think: I am lucky in every way.
Now, these moments don't come every day of course, sometimes I feel like our lives mirror chickens with their heads cut off -- but I was gratefully reminded that day, that moment particularly, of how lucky I am to have Max. Sometimes I think about that night over two years ago before we were ever married, as I cried overwhelmed with the future and Max (as per usual) reassured me with his hands on my shoulders: "I will help you, and you will help me, and we will love each other." I guess in a nutshell that's what these two years have been: everything from our first apartment, paying the bills and working hard to create our future; or even the simple things like watching re-runs of the Twilight Zone in bed at night, and waking up next to each other every morning (which is way more glamorous in the movies than it has ever been in real life) - all of it. I will help you, and you will help me, and we will love each other. Max is the best decision I've made and the best companion I could've picked for the small adventure of a life together. I am lucky in every way.
And yes, I finally threw together random clips from random videos I've taken over the last two years... This has been on my to-do list for quite some time now, and I finally got around to it last night (ha!) Voila. Two years in two minutes. I sure do love that Max of mine.
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