Thank you Kris!

I just about died watching this. Watch it and laugh. :)

Weekend Consumerism

I spent two lovely days with Lesley this week. We did some shopping, watched The Proposal, read some Poe, ate lovely meals and laughed. I love this girl! She is so funny and fun. I bought a sheepskin rug for my bedroom. I call it my prayer rug. And new golden sheets for when my mom comes to visit. Yellow is her favorite color. And a lovely yellow rug for the kitchen. And some kitchen towels.

We enjoyed a beautiful breakfast Saturday morning with Mikey and some tasty pancakes and strawberries. We didn't eat Mikey, but we laughed!

That afternoon, the three of us headed over to 5 Guys for French Fries and Hamburgers. Then we loaded up on food that Lesley could take with her to Waynesboro at Trader Joe's. I bought dinner for a family in my new ward that just had a baby. It's my first time bringing food over for a new baby. I grilled them a roast beef and cooked up some veggies/potatoes. And to top off the scrumptious meal, I made chocolate chip cookies from scratch!

I think we categorize this weekend as funny, friendly, tasty, and consumery!

Leaky Ceiling

There's something leaking from the ceiling. It's been dripping all night long.

I called the landlord and he told me to turn off the main valve to the water and wait for the plumber to come. I can flush each toilet 1x. That's 4 flushes. Thank heaven we have a lot of toilets!

I have about a gallon of water in the house system before it runs dry.

So much for running the dishwasher. . .

My landlord asked me to poke a hole in the ceiling so that the weakened ceiling didn't fall through. I was hoping that the water would come dribbling through the perfect little hole that I made with the screwdriver, but it continues to drip slowly from the smoke detector. No water is coming from the hole. It took every ounce of effort not to start poking random holes in the ceiling. It was kind of fun jabbing a screwdriver into the ceiling.

In other news, I am selling furniture online and so far I have my first sale! Here's hoping I can get rid of some stuff!

Vacation Fantasies

I just got my passport! I really want to go on a cruise. I've never been. I want to go to the beach.

I found a cruise to the Bahamas for $119 for 3 nights.

I want to sit out and stare at the ocean and eat ice cream sundaes in my bathing suit. I want to eat shrimp cocktails and visit beaches.

And so I will.

But in the meantime, I'm excited for upcoming family time. My mom is coming to visit in July for a week. We're going to hit all the sights in VA and surrounding areas! It's going to be great fun! I just need to figure out the very best way to have all the fun possible within 9 days.

On July 23rd I'm flying up to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan to visit my two aunts and my grandparents for a weekend trip on the Great Lakes. I'm very excited! It is just beautiful in Sault Ste Marie during the summer. And, I haven't seen my Aunt Mary Lou for a few years.

Despite my fantasies, the cruise will have to wait until August or September. When is hurricane season again? Must not go during hurricane season . . .

Father's Day Magic

Today is a perfect, lazy Sunday. Allergies are running rampant. I slept through my alarm clock that I had set for 10:30am. Seriously. I had a headache all day yesterday, but it was just allergies, so it was fine.

I ran to church and prepared to teach my relief society lesson. I thought things went well. I was extended a calling--which I'll talk about when I actually get sustained and all that jazz. When I came home, I bbqed up some chicken and grilled some green peppers. It was a delicious feast. I've spent the afternoon lounging around my living room listening to music, and reading. It's one of those "pinch me please this day is too perfect" days. The sun is shining. I can actually see some blue! It's a miracle!

Oh, and on top of the blue sky and the perfect chicken--I had to bring chocolate chip cookies to church today to give away to all the dads. This translates into leftover cookies for me!

Last night while I was purchasing chocolate chips and flour, a very nice stranger followed me around the grocery store and very kindly flirted with me. He asked me what I was doing that evening, and I told him--making cookies. I was just being honest! I think he took it as harshly as if I had said, "washing my hair!" But I really was making cookies . . . (sigh.)

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in my life--John, Brent, Popop, Grandpa Jon--thank you for all you've taught me and given to me.

Melissa Branin

Melissa Branin is an up and coming indie artist. I love working with her. Together, we wrote really fun music for a show three years ago. This fall, I get to work with her again on another Halloween show. Saturday morning, we stopped in Staunton and did a photo shoot. Here are some of the photos.

I love the freedom of shooting an album cover. It can look more like I'm capturing a moment than when I shoot headshots. I love eyes, but sometimes it's nice to just capture a person in their element.

I really enjoyed taking her pictures. She's such a talented musician. She is putting out her newest album this summer and needed new pictures for this latest feat.

Check out her music at http://www.myspace.com/melissabraninmusic

Book Reviews

I highly recommend both of these books. Brandon Mull's fantasy is a fun replacement for Harry Potter lovers. It isn't the same, and it isn't meant to be. It starts off a little juvenile, but becomes surprisingly rich and enjoyable by the end. I just read the 4th book, not realizing that I had skipped the 3rd book. I look forward to going back and reading the others. It's interesting to note that Brandon Mull lives in a "happy valley at the mouth of a canyon". Any guesses where that is? Those of you with kids--this is a great book to read together as a family.

Geraldine Brooks' book about a Jewish prayer book is amazing! The story is about a woman who restores old books. Her assignment is to uncover the journey of the haggadah of Sarajevo. With each discovery, she takes you back in time and unveils the life of the people who came into contact with the book. We meet people in Sarajevo on the verge of World War II. We meet a bookbinder in the 1800s. A rabbi and a priest during the Spanish Inquisition, and so on. It's a wonderfully rich journey through Jewish history.

So, to appeal to your adult need to learn about the world--(the haggadah really exists--the author just took fictional license in finding some answers to the mystery of the real prayerbook)--read The People of the Book.

And to appeal to your inner child that just wants to be amazed and entertained, read Brandon Mull's Fablehaven.

Little Happy Things

Elliptical for 50 minutes.
Bought a new set of drawers (mine are currently sitting on the floor because I can't get them to move in and out properly) for $69.
Ate blueberries yesterday.

I stayed after class and had a good discussion with an evangelical student who believes I'm leading people to hell by teaching them about Islam and Buddhism in our Ethics class. Convinced him that the gospel of Christ was inclusive, not exclusive and when people seek for truth, God will bless them with a measure of it. It's our duty to recognize the truth wherever we find it. I said, "Buddhism teaches to alleviate suffering and to show compassion for others. Is this so different from what Christ teaches? Find the truth and ignore the rest. Enjoy the truth." At the beginning of our discussion he was so abrasive, when he left, he was fairly giddy.

And so was I!

50 minutes on the elliptical. I'm still sweating, and I just got out of the shower.

Bangkok Blues

Angelina and I went to Bangkok Blues tonight in Falls Church to listen to some blues and eat some yummy Thai food. The band was pretty awesome. Doug Parks and the Lone Wolves. I love listening to live music. There was a couple two-stepping to the music. For the most part, the restaurant was a little empty, but they played great music and the food was great. I recommend it to anyone who lives in the greater DC area if you just wanna sit and listen to some great blues music. They're located right on Leesburg Pike.

Late night driving in the rain

It's been raining for days.

It's dark, and wet.

I'm crammed in the left lane. There's no shoulder, and I'm trying to pass the semi on my right because the car behind the semi won't let me in. The road is rough from construction.

I hydro plane while stuck in this precarious situation. I thought my heart would stop.

Sooooo scary.

Painting the Deck

Freshly painted deck!

Old deck. But new bbq!

old deck. Sad. grey. splintery, old deck.

New Deck! Pretty! Painted! Lovely!

This weekend, we had a bbq for my roommate Angelina. She is leaving for Iraq again this month. She'll be gone for 6 months. Everyone was able to relax and enjoy the newly painted deck!!

It's so purty! I still need to finish up some of the trim and paint the back of the deck, but it's nice to be able to walk out on the deck in my bare feet without having to worry about slivers. Bring on the summer! Next purchase: a chaise lounge. I plan to sip water, laying on my pretty deck, preparing for classes in the sun!