Who blogs anymore?

Well, obviously not me. Sorry to the three people who check this. But, school is over (HOORAY!) and I can breathe normally and so, here is a fresh new post. A lot has happened lately, but we'll just go over the highlights. Yesterday was my last day at Beehive as I prepare to do my student teaching in January. It's crazy to think I won't have a regular job; rather I'll be paying to work a standard teacher's workday for three months. I am grateful that I'm able to not work, that I'm blessed to live at home for free (or as my Dad put it, on deferred rent) and not have to worry about how I'll survive. I am excited, even a little nervous, to begin student teaching at Glendale Middle School (8th grade English) and I can't believe it's finally here!
In addition to being the primary chorister, I volunteered to do the Achievement Day activities withe the 8-10 year old girls in the ward. I feel so bad for them, they just can't find a leader who can stick and they haven't had an activity for MONTHS. So, they came over to my house Thursday night and we decorated cookies and took them to members of the ward. They were so cute, I love spending time with them! I was touched at who they decided to take cookies to, and they wanted to carol to everyone! Tracie went with me and it was hilarious. They were so funny.

Do I have redeye in that picture? I didn't edit it or anything.
Last night was our official Slack family Christmas party, the party everyone looks forward to. It was always one of the highlights of the season for me as I grew up and I love that we still do it, and it always brings a good crowd. The biggest tradition of the night, besides mom's Mexi-dip and Irene's cookies, is the Nativity that my mom helps the kids perform. It's hilarious to watch her, year after year, work with the little ones as she wrangles them on the stage, putting the costumes on and telling them where to stand. She's a saint to do it every year. Even now, as I was watching the kids and looking at the scarves they wore on their heads that are the same from when I was their age, it brought back floods of memories of gift exchanges, santa, fighting over who would be Mary (mom always took intense notes so there wouldn't be any squabbling) and playing on the stage. Now, all of my cousins have kids and they are the new group hitting the pinata and running around the gym. Last night was the first night in a few years that Santa and Mrs. Claus made an appearance, and it was so fun to see the kids' reactions! The first kid to sit on his lap, my cousin's son, when asked what he wanted for Christmas and seeing Mrs. Claus already pulling a treat out of her velvet bag, said "a candy cane." It was funny.


This is Audrey waiting to see Santa, then when it was her turn, she cried.


Here's the story on my poor Brayden's mega-lip: He got a cavity filled on Friday morning and after they got home, he was watching a movie. His mouth was still a little dead still, and while he was watching the movie, he just chewed that little thing to pieces. April walked in and his lip was all red and swollen. She called the dentist and he said it was actually pretty normal. Poor boy! He said it doesn't hurt, but isn't that crazy? It looks so painful!

Attention: New Favorite Movie.

Oh. My. Heck. Yes, heck. This is the best movie I have seen in a long time. Really, it had everything: the cinematography, the action, the romance, the comedy, the actors, the music, the everything. I laughed, I cried, I giggled, I swooned, and I even put my hands over my mouth like I've done since I was little whenever I was scared or worried during a movie. Not only were Hugh Jackman (oh hannah) and Nicole Kidman amazing, but the little boy who played Nullah, Brandon Walters, may just be the stealer of the show. He was so good, and he had never acted before! He stole my heart, with his huge brown eyes and long eyelashes, and what a smile! Phenomenal. I can't say enough good about it. See it. You won't regret it.
Not to mention: Best. Kiss. Ever.

I like my family.

I really do. So much in fact that I set up the old (not really old, I just bought it) tripod and went to town. Thanks again, Heidi, for being the pusher of the button.







Tracie wanted me to comment on this picture, but what is there to say? hott.

Oh man. I love these kids.


My parents are cute and my dad's 'stache rocks.

Laura is gross.

This picture cracks me up.

Don't be mad at me.

That title is directed to the three or four BYU fans who read my blog (you know who you are. . .you're staring at your big milk silo draped in the Y banner). I have to say that I am not necessarily partial to the U, especially when it comes to football, but I'm not partial to the Y either. I'm nondenominational. I know you might not believe it, but up until the age of 14 I was a Y fan because my dad was (and he's sometimes scary) and then after that I was a U fan because Jenn was (and it made my dad mad) and now that I do what I want, I just don't care. It does make it difficult when they play each other (that is going to be such a good game) but maybe I'll just flip a coin to decide who to cheer for. Because let's be honest folks, neither team cares how I feel. And since I KNOW you guys will be my friends anyway, I'll stay impartial.
But. I do go to the University of Utah and I pay them a lot of money (or a bank does in my behalf) so I feel I have the right to go and cheer for them when awesome free tickets come my way. I even bought a sweatshirt (that is actually really cute and I'll wear when I teach Utah history because it just says UTAH on it) that I wanted to wear last night at my house because it was cold but feared I may have to find a new place to live.
Wow. This is a long-sentenced post with a lot of parenthesis. I hope it makes sense.
So, I got these cool tickets from my boss (THANKS SCOTT!) so Laura and I went. It was fun and crazy and she already blogged about it so I will just put up a link. I won't even take out the part about her taking a picture with a hottie because we all know it is her husband anyway, you're not tricking anyone. So. Enjoy. And if you don't like the team, just go for the cute pics of us.

Oh yeah. . .

I went and saw Odyssey dance co's "Thriller" at Kingsbury Hall with Tracie and Morgan and once again, it did not disappoint. We had killer seats that we got for half price with our student id's (same day shows, weeknights I think) and it blew my mind. Some of the things they can do are just mad, mad skills. I love watching it with dancers (since of course I'm a dancer at heart also) because they explain all the technicalities and how difficult things really are in a non-boring kind of way. The Lorena Bobbit sketches can go, though. I don't like them. They make me uncomfortable.
Anyway, you should go see it.

Seriously?

I'm sorry that it has been over two weeks since my last post. Sometimes I get really busy and then on down times, I forget all I wanted to say. It's like how I would get so behind on my journal writing that I would think I couldn't write again until I was caught up, and then. . . it never happened. Like, ever. I think the last time I wrote in my journal was probably three years ago. Or so. Give or take a month.
Let's see, what has happened in the last two weeks? Fall break rocked. It was so nice not to have to go to my three-hour classes. They are so brutal! Any class for three hours is rough. My teachers are great, though. My favorite day was Columbus day when I didn't have school OR work. I didn't change out of my pj's all day. I watched Mash and Ellen and a movie, I think. It was special.
Last monday, I had class again. My class starts at 7:30 am (killer) and I park at the Institute building and walk to class, about five minutes. I got to the Institute early and had a few minutes to wait. I didn't want to go to class early because that's lame. So I just sat in my warm car and closed my eyes for a minute. Or a few minutes because I woke up at 7:51. Yeah. I was pretty late. But boy, was that a nice nap.
On Saturday night, I didn't have anything planned so I asked Alan and April if they wanted to go on a date or something and I would watch the kids. Everyone knows that I would rather be with those cute kids than anything else. It was a lot of fun. We don't always do much, but I really love just being with them. After they ate dinner (Brayden shoved all his carrots in his mouth and was chewing grotesquelly for at least seven minutes until he spit it out into a napkin. It was so gross, I honestly don't know how so much food fit in his little mouth.) Victoria and Brayden were playing "store" where Tor sold all of her crap to Brayd for all the small change in his Beehive Bank. It was pretty funny. "This ring costs one cent and two dollars." They entertained themselves with that for a while, and I watched Audrey crawl around trying to play with them, "No, she'll choke on that" and "No, there are chemicals in that!" (referring to a glow stick). Audrey was super smiley and gabby, and I think she is really close to giving kisses. Right now she just puts her whole mouth over your lips. Nice and slobbery. She'll get there. At one point in the "store" Brayden came over to me and said, "I just can't believe that you're here!" Later as we watched "Ratatoullie" (sp) Victoria cuddled up to me and said, "I'm so glad you could come and babysit us." I love it when they are cuddly like that. Brayd fell asleep and drooled on my arm and Tor kept asking if I was asleep. It was so great. Then, to keep myself from falling asleep I sang exceedingly loud to my "hhh. . .good songs" mix with the windows cracked so I wouldn't get too hot. It was good times. I love rocking hard core in my car. I'm totally a superstar.
And now, there are probably a lot of things I could be doing instead of this, but I know how important it is to Laura that I write something down. So thanks, Lars, for being such a devoted reader.

RE! SPECT! WALK!

What did you say? Last night was pretty rockin', literally. I went with my friends Becky and Judd, Lindsey and Reed to do Karaoke. It was hilarious. We went to The Pie first for dinner, and that was yummy and fun. I love that you can sit outside and still be warm. Then, I went to my first bar ever. I gave them my ID, and it was funny. I didn't know what to do. I passed, which was nice. We sat down at our table, got our water, and waited for the fun to begin. Judd started us off with a little "Walk" by Pantera and I laughed so hard. He got so into it, but he just stared at the screen behind him, with his back to everyone and his head bobbed with the drums. Becky was next, with a little "Girls Lie Too" by Tracy Clark and she had a drunk companion who stood up right in front of her the whole time. It was so funny as she would let her sing in the mic every so often. Drunk people crack me up, I just hope none of them drove home. I sang "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar and it's crazy how your adrenaline goes nuts. My hands were shaking and it was scary even though I knew that no one was paying attention except drunk people who didn't care and my cool pack of friends. I'll say right now that Heartbreaker is the perfect song for Karaoke. I'll let Laura do it next time, though, because she's going to come with us, right? Right. Lindsey channelled Alannis Morrisette next with "All I want". . .I think that the was name of the song. She got all the angst right and it was fun to watch her. Reed, well, he only came to Karaoke for the good times and just took it all in. It was a crack up to see the people who went in between us and would sound um, awesome, and how people reacted to it. There were a couple of good ones, besides us of course, and I felt that my first attempt in the art of Karaoke was a complete success. I did walk away smelling like a, well, bar, but after a nice shower and three shampoos, it was gone. The memories, however, will last forever. Thanks guys for an awesome night!

From the Slacker

I don't know what my problem is. I mean, sure I've been busy, but isn't everyone? I mean, not Laura, but everyone else? Just kidding. I like Laura. So. Since I have finished my eight-page paper, and I have submitted my linguistics problem set, and I can turn my two-page journal in tomorrow, I will post. And I'm at work and it's pretty slow. Our loans manager just walked by and said "it sure is quiet in here" and I said it was because we were trying to be reverent.

Anyway. So I'm going to do a couple of "tags" that I have received, my first ever, I think! So, first, from Steph (Doodle):
Five Quirks I have (yes, just five right now)
1. When I do the dishes by hand, I have to have them stacked perfectly. When my sibs and I had to do them before the days of the dishwasher, they liked to do them with me because I was fast and I liked to wash, but at the same time I was such a nazi. I would make them come back and fix it. And if anyone put any sharp knives in the soapy water, I made them fish it out so I wouldn't cut myself. I didn't like them. The knives. I was ok with my sibs.
2. The only other thing that I think I'm OCD about is my desk at work. I have to have the big paper clips separated from the small paper clips. And somewhere for the rubber bands. And I have to have scissors, tape and a stapler.
3. I have to have a big cup of water on my dresser when I go to bed. Sometimes I wake up reeeally thirsty. Or I just like to have it accessable.
Um. . .I know I have more. I may have to have an addendum to this tag. Sorry!

And a tag from Jenn:
4 places I go over and over:
*School
*Work
*Cafe Rio
*Home

4 places I like to eat:
*Cafe Rio
*The Pie
*Home
*Laura's house

4 places I would like to be right now:
*my room, sleeping
*Disneyland
*the beach
*England

4 TV shows I like:
*The Office
*CSI. . .the real/vegas one
*Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman
*Alias

4 books I have enjoyed:
*Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
*Fancy Nancy, Jane O'Connor
*The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton
*The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison

4 people I tag:
*Laura
*Chelsea
*Bama
*Blinky

Got Salt?

Today I took Hunter High School's Dance Company pictures at the Great Salt Lake. How many more capitol letters could I have in that sentence? It was a lot of fun and we were very fortunate to have perfect lighting and NO BUGS!! I was so excited because the gnats can be absolutely not great. We did group shots, class shots, officer shots, head shots and action shots. Now I need a shot. Of energy, anyway; I'm pretty sleepy right now. But, I just want to throw a few pictures on here, especially for Nat who likes to look at pictures rather than read. Sorry you're blind, honey. Fetch Forever!

This is the 08-09 HHS Dance Co

Lorna, the advisor, suggested this one. I was impressed at how in sync they were.

Here the officers are channeling their inner Tyra. I just thought it would be funny. Angles! Show me angles!

This is Morgan, one of her headshots. This girl is so funny, she cracked me up. She wanted me to do some extra pics of her, which was totally fine, but she really loved her flowers. We actually got some really cute ones. Love it.

This is Jo, or Jocifer as Tracie calls her. She's such a rocker. I think her actions were some of my faves because they were totally unique.

Well, Hello Stranger!

I'm sorry to those of you who have had to remind me to post already! I know, I know. Things got pretty off-schedule with everything in the last few weeks, but I think I'm getting back to normal. So, just a few things I want to mention that have happened in the last two weeks:
*I got another, new best friend. My cousin Jamie was able to come out with her family from Omaha, and it was so fun to get re-acquainted! Actually, I have been able to keep up with her family on their blog, but it was so funny how we first saw them. It was sunday, and after stake conference, I was laying down on my bed for a nice little nappedy-nap. I heard my dad say upstairs, "hey, I know you!" in his talking to kid voice, and I thought my nieces and nephew were there so I went upstairs. When I got to the kitchen, Jamie's kids, Leevi (7) and Raquel (4) were walking through the kitchen.
"Hi, we're going outside to jump on the trampoline," says Raquel in perfect little english. And that was how it was. No shyness from any of them, including the baby, Aaron (1), and it was soo funny. I have never, ever in my life heard one little girl talk so much in one afternoon. No joke. She wouldn't even wait for my responses, she would just go and go and go. I had so much fun with her because I kept making up stories at dinner when she was sitting by me and she would look at me like, "I don't believe you. . .or do I?" and then Tracie would tell her I was a liar. They are all such smart kids, but I spent the most time with Raquel and she is such a thinker for four years old! Or maybe she just shares what she is thinking when others don't. My favorite was when she said she wanted to watch a movie, picked out Cinderella, told me she was ready for me to turn it on and watch it with her, I set up the hammock in the basement, she sat there and swung through probably the first song on the movie and took off upstairs. Mind you, she was talking the whole time, with me saying, "yeah" and "uh-huh" the whole time, sometimes fitting in a funny remark that she didn't quite get. But I laughed. She would come down every now and then and ask me to help her get back in the hammock and then she would think of more things to say. At one point, she was asking how old me and "your sister" (tracie) were. She asked if Tracie was still a kid and my parents were in charge of her and if she got to stay up. When I told her that she got to when it wasn't a school night, she just started up again. This is what happened when I told her I was 28:
So are you a kid or an adult? How old do you have to be until you're an adult? How long can you wait until you can move out of your house? Are you married? Why aren't you married? You'll probably get married before me. But when I get married you'll probably be dead.
BREATHE! I just sat there and laughed. I wish I had a taped convo for everyone to hear because she's just too funny for words. So. Holla to Omaha and my BFF Raquel (and your fam)!

*Speaking of the funeral, it went really well. I want to just say thank you for all of the support, love and kindness that my family and I have received. Everyone has been so amazing, and I'm so grateful for wonderful friends!
*School is lame. I want to teach already. We have been going into the schools now, three days a week for the last two weeks, and I just want to go! Let me loose! I'm so excited to interact, to teach and learn from all of the funny little friends that I see. I'm getting pretty frustrated with my classes (no class should be three hours long) because I feel like they are just repeating everything I have already heard in all of my other required teaching classes. Talk about beating a dead horse! We keep hearing that teaching is something you have to learn from experience. You can learn theories and lessons planning techniques and blah blah blah, but until you get into the classroom and meet your students, you never really know what to expect. So while I really like my professors and cohort leaders, the classes I could DEFINITELY do without.
*I don't think anything else has happened, really. It has just been school and work and the same old stuff. BUT I may be one step closer to eternity after tonight. Nobody get excited, there is not a boy involved but one just might be on the way. And no, I haven't ordered any type of mail-order husband from a different country but I'm not saying I am above that. Anyway, my good friend Harmony (aka Ginger from the OC) (as in OakCrest, not Orange County, people) got married today and I fought AND WON for her bouquet at the reception. It was a valiant effort put up by a couple other girls, but, let's face it. They just didn't have what it takes, and that is desire and dedication. They weren't willing to take that extra leap or reach that extra inch with their arms in other peoples faces, but I was and I am the one who is one step closer to finding that special someone. One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

I Heart Grandparents.

I have been very lucky in my life to know all four of my grandparents really well. I am so thankful to my parents that they made it a point to visit them often, because I have been very fortunate to learn from them. My Grandpa and Grandma Slack died when I was 14 and 19, respectively, and it is always nice to reminisce with my family about their lives. We have spent more time with my dad's parents, mostly because they live so close to us. I want to spend a little time writing about my Grandpa Paul, because after a long struggle with many health problems, he passed away today.
I want you to know that although it is sad and I wish that he could have been here still, my heart hurt for him every time I saw him in the last few months because he has been so ill and miserable. We have been praying that the Lord would take him home soon so that he wouldn't have to suffer any more, and today he was finally reunited with his father who died when he was 7 and his mom who raised him and his siblings alone.
When I was younger, I didn't understand him. He was often ornery and getting after us kids, mostly because we were loud and obnoxious and always into things. I remember one day a few of my cousins and I were talking badly of him and one of my uncles heard us and got after us, and it made me think. I started to give him a chance and started to build a relationship with him. I feel very lucky to have been as close to him as I was. I would often say that I was his favorite, but I don't think he had favorites. He used to call me a pill, and I would sometimes be offended because pills are usually gross, right? He explained to me one day that a pill is something that keeps him healthy and happy.
When I was a teenager, he would pull me in the office and show me all the family history he was working on, telling me the stories of my ancestors as we went. At the time, I chalked it up to humoring him, but I will forever be grateful for that time because it gave me a true love and appreciation for my forebears. When I went through the temple before I left on my mission, Grandpa invited me to do sealings for the dead at the Jordan River Temple with him every wednesday before I had to leave, because my Grandma's knees were too bad and he needed a partner. What special times we had, enveloped in the spirit of eternal families.
Whenever we would leave my grandparents house, we would give them a hug and a kiss, but a few years ago I started to point to my cheek and make him kiss me. He always got a kick out of it and it was special to me also. Even up until a few months ago, he would kiss me on the cheek and tell me he loved me. In the springtime, we would go for walks around the nursing home and enjoy the sunshine and cool air; or he would ride, I would push, even when I tried to convince him that it was my turn in the wheelchair.
Finally, one of my favorite memories is one day when he was first struggling with his concentration and having a hard time sitting still, before he went into the nursing home. We were outside sitting on the bench in front of their house and I told him that if I didn't get married before he died, he had to promise that he would come anyway. I remember holding his hand and we both got a little choked up and he promised he would be there. And I know that he will be, along with my other grandparents, present at all of the special times in my life; getting married, having children. I know that families are eternal and I know that I will see them again, but for now I will always be thankful for the time I spent getting to know them and for the love they always showed to me. And I'm glad they knew of my love for them, also.

End of an Era

Well, my friends, yesterday was my last day working at the South Jordan branch of Beehive CU. I was there for two years! I am moving to the Main branch because it is closer to the U of U and it closes an hour and a half earlier. I will greatly miss seeing my SoJo buddies every day, but am glad I will still be able to be in touch with them. I love them! We also have such great members that I will miss helping all the time. It will be hard getting to know everyone by name at the new branch, but I'm up for the challenge.
I'm lame and only took a couple of pictures, but here they are:

Nat and I were so sad. (Andi, my replacement is in the background)

But then we remembered that we will always have the Fetch Club to keep us together. After all, she is the President and I am VP. BFF!

This is Kyle. He was my closing homie. We had a lot of fun. Sometimes we just watched our own youtube vids and didn't talk for an hour (after all of the closing necessities were done of course) but it was always a good time. I thought I liked youtube, but Kyle really likes it. He showed me many wonderful things.

This should go on youtube. What a great eye.
Thanks, guys, for being so awesome and making my last day with you so rad, Nat even made me this killer scrapbook that is so cute! It means a lot to me and I'll miss chilling with you guys! But I have to admit, when I'm leaving at 5:45 instead of 7:10, I probably won't be that sad. But all the other times I'll try to hold back the tears.

Oh. My. Heck.

Ok. So I'm a little wary sharing my newest discovery with you because I wish that I was as witty as this person and am jealous of her hilarity. I don't know if that is a word. I have recently been clued into THE funniest thing I have seen in a long time. Like, laugh out loud at work funny. I'm going to put a link on my blog, but for those who can't wait for that, check out
http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com
I dare you to tell me it's not spit-out-your-water and tell-all-your-friends funny.
This post was my first introduction to Tamn. (Read her profile first).

Sisters. . . . Sisters. . . .yada yada yada yada Sisters. . .

Now do you have that song in your head? Sorry. Last night I was laying in bed at 9:18 (I'm so lame this semester) (but it's not like I'd be doing anything exciting) and I thought of this random story about me and Laura and how mean I have been to her. One time she was chewing this ENORMOUS wad of gum and it made me sick. And when I asked her to spit some of it out, she refused and it made me mad. I had anger management problems back then. YES, just back then. So, in my anger, and after her numerous refusals, I pulled the trash from under the sink, grabbed her and forced her head down over the garbage, holding her there and forcing her to half it. After that, she had to half what was left until it was mostly gone. She was so mad by the time we were done. I'm such a drill sergeant. The next story I will share is not one I'm proud of. One bright sunny day we were messing around and I tackled her on the front hill, at the bottom. I held her down and was trying to do that trick that boys are so good at where they spit and then suck it back in. . . Well, I'm a girl and can't do that. So my spit slowly went down and landed on her forehead. To make it worse and more torturous, I continued to hold her down while it rolled across her head. She was screaming and swore at me. I was even disgusted, but for some reason, still found it funny. I knew I was in trouble, though. I got ready to take off up the stairs and made it up before her, only because she had to get up and wipe off the spit. I opened the door and then she got to me. . . she kicked me in the crotch and said, "I hope you can't have kids." I took it without getting mad, I think, because I knew that I had just gone over the top. I still feel bad about that. Still funny, though. But I couldn't get too mad when Tracie drooled in my hair a couple months ago.
I hope I'm nicer now. I would love to hear any stories you may have. . .

Why I Don't Sing in the Ward Choir

So our ward choir is very, um, special. There are about five people that show up for practice, and maybe fifteen that come and sing when they do a number in church. Today, I had to take Tracie up (she's the pianist. . .lucky girl) early and got suckered into singing with them. When we got up to sing after stirring talks on boy scouting, (they weren't really that bad) I was ready to jam. We got through the first two verses of "The Spirit of God" and I looked over at Tracie (I was right next to the piano) and we shared a look. And that was it. We both started laughing and it went downhill from there. I could not sing. She was able to keep playing like a pro, but her shoulders were dancing. I was crying. I never cry when I laugh. It was a mess. I had to just stare at my book and giggle. Every once in a while I would glance up and see people laughing at me, and that would set me off again. I think I contributed to the last two lines in the final chorus, but it wasn't pretty. Good old mom, she carried the alto line all by herself after I was debilitated.
After sacrament meeting, we had to hear all the comments and we wished there was a better reason that we could offer for the laughing fit, but there wasn't. We just started laughing. It was awesome.

What's More American Than. . . .

So Jack Johnson made an appearance here in the SLC. Tracie went with her friend Carlee and I thought about joining them but decided I'd rather go shopping. When I went to pick her up, craziness ensued with mistaken directions, crazy driving, and some retard spitting a logey on my windshield, probably because he was drunk and stupid. Or just stupid. Luckily, I didn't see him do it or I would have probably caused some trouble. I'm so scary. Anyway, on the way home, I was irritated at the lack of communication that we had experienced and was sounding like my dad in lecture mode. I don't know how we got on the topic, but when I dropped Carlee off at her house, I made some comment about her being an upstanding citizen since she is the upcoming junior class president at Cyprus High (go pirates! snicker snicker) and her having a huge flag pole in her front yard.
Anyway, so Tracie and I decided we needed some late night nourishment and headed over to the excessive display of fast food that is 3500 south and 5600 west, and there was construction at the intersection. We finally maneuvered our way to McDonalds (there was some creative driving on my part) and were placing our order. The girl who took it was having a hard time understanding me, as when I asked if the 10 piece chicken nuggets was the smallest order they had. "Yes" she replied. then I found it on the menu. "Ok, I'll have the six piece chicken nugget" "Ok". So Tracie and I had a good laugh about the non-communitative issues with fast food places around these parts lately. It was an innocent enough convo, because neither of us have any hard feelings on the subject, except when they get my order wrong and I've already driven away.
I think the main point I want to make on this post happened a couple of days later when I watched this great movie I rented from the Blockbuster. I saw a preview for it in the theater a while back and made a mental note that I wanted to see it. It's a Mexican film called "Under the Moon" or "La Misma Luna". The story is about a nine year-old boy who crosses the border to try and find his mom in LA after his grandmother and guardian passes away. It's beautifully told and the boy actor was phenomenal. It is a story about immigration without the politics. The only negative lines in the story are heard on a mexican radio station in LA about immigration policies. There is one part where "La Migra" or immigration raids a group working in Texas and it negatively portrays the border control, who I don't think even participates in work raids.
Anyway, since my mission, I have a tender spot in my heart for the hispanic people. I think that regardless of your immigration opinions, this is a beautifully told story about the love between a mother and a son and the push for a better life.
Hermana Wilde, te gustaria especialmente este pelicula. Te quiero amigita!

I Really Really Really Love Bear Lake.

I do. A lot. We have been going to Bear Lake for a week out of the summer all of my life. My mom always went with her family and their ward, but now it's just my mom's family that goes. There is one day every year that my mom would spend hours on the phone in the morning trying to get through to reserve the camp site at Rendesvouz Beach on the south end of the lake. It would be a stress filled morning until she got through and then there was joy and jubilation that filled the house. Until a few years ago when they got more stupid and she would have to call two times because she had to schedule only a few days at a time. This year we thought we would have to move campsites mid-week (because the people who do the scheduling are in dire need of assistance in organization) but luckily the week before my mom called to schedule for next year and the bright young man helping her changed our reservation to the same place all week. Why couldn't they do that in the first place? Who knows.
Anyway, I have been dying for a vacation, so this came at the perfect time. Tracie and I drove up on Tuesday (after watching my dad attack the camper cutting off up to two inches off each side of the underpart so it would fit in his nice new truck) (let's not talk about the camper. It's a piece.) and were the first ones there. Mom's sister Evelyn and her husband Bert and their two grandkids joined us later and one of the funniest things I had ever heard commenced. Tyra (10), Eliana (5), Tracie and I were sitting in the pavilion. Elaina had been "unloading" the van, bringing all sorts of random things over. ("These are Grandma's red sandals that she wears when she gets out of bed and it's still blue time outside." "What's blue time, Elaina?" "You know, when the sun isn't out yet and it's all blue outside." "Oh, right. Of course.") So we're basking in all of Bear Lake's glory when we hear this "Oh shit! I forgot my skittles!" and Elaina ran off to the van. Tracie and I were dying and Tyra says, "I forgot to tell you. She swears a lot." It was so funny, because it was said with all the distress of having forgotten her swimming suit at home. Good times.
Mom and Dad showed up later, and then Alan, April and the kids came up that night. All of mom's sisters were there with some of their kids and then her brother and his wife came up on Thursday.
Alan had borrowed some wave runners from a friend (who just lends those out?!) and we took them out for the first time on wednesday. Oh wowee. Those are some good times! The water was absolutely gorgeous until we were about done that day, when it started to get cooler and choppy, but riding the waves on those guys are so fun! I didn't throw myself off, which was surprising to us all, and we didn't have any problems. It was a great addition to the vacay.
I left on Thursday night with Dad and Lucy (love her but she's so annoying when we are camping) because the boys were going hunting and I had a wedding the next day.
Overall, it was the perfect vacation. Lots of sun with minimal sunburn (I was faithful with the sunscreen), not too hot but the water wasn't too cold, good food, great company and almost unlimited access to my babies. Oh yeah. I did throw up outside in the middle of the night on the first day because I'd had a headache and ended up peeing my pants (rock on, thanks for the awesome bladder, mom) but don't worry, I didn't let it ruin my trip. It's all about the stories, right?
Until next year, Bear Lake!

Kim and Ted's Excellent Adventure

I feel kind of silly posting this because it was so long ago, but on August 7, 2008, Erik Simon Paul married Kamilyn Andrew in the Logan temple.

It was all very exciting. Tracie, Victoria and I all drove up with Erik that morning because we decided it would be more time efficient to take their "couple" pictures before the actual ceremony, leaving us more time to meander over to Maddox in Perry, outside of Brigham city. The pictures went really well, and I'm glad I was able to do it! They are so funny, and they were so excited and happy that the pictures really turned out great. I love taking pictures at the Logan temple because they have such a different feel to them. The building itself is so gorgeous and the stone is beautiful. It was a hot day, but there was a chance for rain, so we were glad that it held off until later!
The ceremony was beautiful, and I'm so excited for my cute little (big) brother. He really has lucked out, because Kami is fantastic. She has been raised by a great family and has such a fun personality. We have a lot of fun with her and I'm glad she's my new (and last) sister. Erik is pretty great also, definitely one of the funniest kids I know. He always makes me laugh and has such a sensative soul. He and Kami have really compatible personalities and are going to do so well together!
After the ceremony and the family pictures (funnily enough, one of the hardest ones I've done. . .who knows why?) we all went to The Lodge at Maddox and enjoyed a very low-key luncheon for close friends and family. I'm so glad they decided not to have a reception, because the day was perfect! That won't stop me from having one, though. The food was delicious and the company was great, but I think one of the best parts was that Kami and Erik had told our dads that they had to fight over who was conducting. They compromised and both decided to do it together. It was funny because they did it like a variety show:
Kim: "Hey, Ted, I guess we better get this party started. . ."
Ted: "Hey, Kim, that sounds like a fine idea. . ."
and so on. Funny guys. They are great dads and they both looked so sharp. The moms, mine (Jeanette) and Kaylene, were happy to sit back and relax, enjoying the day with the rest of us.
Erik and Kami stayed away from most traditional things like the bouquet and garter toss, but did cut a cake. They were very nice to each other and the day ended blissfully. Good word usage, huh.

In the end, it's nice that all of the hullabaloo is over, but I am going to be honest with you. The saddest part about it is that we won't have any obvious excuse to hang out with Kami's family anymore. Laura and I have become blogging friends with Rachel and Heidi, and let me just tell you that if you think they are funny in writing, spend some actual time with them. We have good times. So, Rach and Heidi, it's been real. I'm glad that we are attached through Kami for eternity (getting creepy, right?). So, don't forget to keep in touch when you come down for games or imax movies, and we'll hang out. Holla!


(l to r) top: Laura, me, Kami, Tracie, April. Bottom: Heidi, Rachel

Get a new post up, already!

Ok, ok. So, things have been pretty crazy lately, so in the near future you should see a few new posts. Here is a little teaser for you:

*Kim and Ted's Excellent Adventure. . . highlights of Erik and Kami's wedding
*Bear Lake, Baby!. . . . I think because "bear" is spanish for "this is such a fun place to be."
*What's more American than. . . . you'll have to wait and see!

For The Boy.

Well, I've decided to be more social. Partly at the insistance of my Dad, who told me that Tracie is not "society". Sorry, Trace. I hope we can still be friends. So, when a rockin' member here at the credit union said there was a boy she wanted to set me up with, I said ok. Then I went into the bathroom and cried. Just kidding. I gave her my email and blog address so he could check it out, decide if there was interest, and then contact me in a slightly easier way. So, I thought, maybe I'd give him a post that is a crash-course on Kat. Because do we really think he'll read all of my posts? I mean, he should because I'm so witty, but honestly? So here we go.

My name is Kathrin Biph Paul. I go by Kat, Biph, Biphee, Bipher, Bipheda, Bipheggio, Bipherina, and Superstar. I got my nickname "Biph" when I was at Snow College, when my friends Bon and Julie decided I needed one. It was Biph or Bubby, and I'm glad the former won out. I later worked at an LDS girls camp called Oakcrest (aka The Best Place In The Universe) for three years, where "Biph" became a natural addition to my name. I actually think there are more people on this earth that know me as Biph rather than Kathrin. Nothing like being in a public place and hearing "BIPH" shrieked out across the room. Really, it's great.

I will be 29 on May 29, 2009. Isn't that nutty? But, I will have graduated twenty-one days before from the University of Utah with my Bachelors in English teaching and license to make the big bucks, so all of the blood, sweat, tears and paper writing will have all been worth it. Because the paper-writing process is really sweaty.

I like my family a lot. I have two brothers, two sisters, and three in-laws who are really fun. And I have two nieces and a nephew who I like probably too much. I always spoil them because I'm the Aunt and that's my job, right? I like to take pictures of them because they are pretty. It's a good thing they look like their mom.

Speaking of pictures, I like to take them. I have my own business (I just put a link at the bottom of the page) and I love doing weddings when I have time. Someday I will have a house with a big beautiful yard that is fully landscaped to supply all of my outdoor shooting needs. I'm excited for that day. Oh, and I'm going to have a barn because for some reason I've always wanted one.

I love music, books, traveling, the beach, roller coasters, sunsets, movies, shoes, rain, thunder storms, flying, driving fast, Wanda the Honda, Cafe Rio, porch swings, mountains, bear lake, the color orange, lavender, Autumn, laughing, busting a move, and a lot of other things.

Last but not least, and at the risk of sounding "churcheesy," I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love feeling the Spirit in my life. I love studying the Book of Mormon. I have gone through phases in my life where I've just gone through the motions, and I can tell you right now that there is no better happiness than when I am close to my Heavenly Father. I served a mission to Fresno, California, and there is nothing greater than pure service. It's impossible to replicate in the real world, but the joy one feels in selfless work is still attainable. A lot harder, for sure, but still possible.

And, that's pretty much it. I think. I have a really great life. I am surrounded by a fantastic family, great friends and opportunities to reach my goals. So, Mr. Boy, if you're interested, send me an email. Wendy seems to think we'd have good times. For any of you other readers, If you know someone who could rock my world, send them my way. If not, how about we just hang out? You let me know.

Oh Wow. Wowee. Wowzers.

People, my friends, are ca-razy. People like myself, who love to wake up at 3:00 am the day after Thanksgiving to wait, nay, be first in line at the local Target (they usually have the best stuff) to run through the doors three hours later and get a $5 movie. One time I did get a camera. Or people who will go hunting, sitting in a tree stand for five hours with nothing but their animal calls to keep them company, even when they didn't draw out for a tag that year. Or, as was the case on Friday, people who get in line at 6:00 am to get a wristband three hours later (thanks Lin, you rock!) so that we can be in group #2, yes, two, to get the long anticipated final book in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, the next morning at 12:01 am.
But wasn't it ROCKIN'? We had a good time. I went with a bunch of girls from work to the South Town Barnes & Noble Breaking Dawn party, and boy, are there a lot more people crazier than us. Believe it. We met a few groupies at the Johnny Carinos while we were eating dinner, groups of ladies (and often one token man, the sensitive one who really just wanted extra action from his Edward-loving woman) dressed in their nicest "bridmaid" gowns. Because, don't you know? That was the theme. I wish I had gotten the memo. I have some killer late nineties dresses that haven't seen a party since, well, the late nineties. That was nothing, though, compared to what we found at the store.
After seeing all of the crazed pre-teen, tweener, angst-driven adolescents running wild through the stores, flirting with the one token man in the group (she was so cool, right, Nat?) and a lot of screaming and "oh my gosh, what if, like, Edward, like was real? I would so totally die. I mean, I know he's hot in the book, but I bet he's like, probably eight times hotter in real life." and "remember how I'm so much cuter than Bella? I'm blond, you know, and so totally hot. I wanted to show all of my hotness to you all, so I decided to not wear any clothes that fit. And, I never fall down." [sorry this is probably the longest sentence in the world but just hang in there I'm drawing it to a close], I almost thought I was way beyond crazy for wanting to spend my entire career teaching them in junior high. But then, I was reminded, "you know, Kathrin, I like you and it's fun to hang out with you, but I'm glad I don't live with you." I don't know if some of you know this, but I can be a little loud. I tried to tell that person that I'm really not like this all the time, just when I haven't been in public for a while. You should see me at school. Really, I don't talk. Unless I raise my hand to say something exceedingly intellectual. Sometimes I don't even raise my hand, but I don't ever do the Mary Murphey (from So You Think You Can Dance [and yes I do]) scream on campus. All I'm saying is I dig these crazy juveniles.
I'm digressing.
Anyway. So there were a lot of people there. Really a lot of people. Like, I'm no longer breathing fresh air a lot of people. But then, when I held that precious book in my hands outside on the curb (Thanks, Danielle) and I felt the excitement and venom-like power flow through my veins, I knew it was all worth it. Bella, Edward, Jacob and the gang were all alive once again and I would finally be able to put my curiosity to rest. It would be over soon. I don't know if I will like the way it ends, but I will no longer have to wonder. And I don't. Because I am currently on page 470 and it's all I thought it would be. Plus some red-hot passion that really got my blood a-boilin'. So, good ole' Steph has done it again. She has great wit and a talent for making me hate Bella for being so retarded sometimes (I wouldn't complain if Alice was planning and paying for my lavish wedding) and make me roll my eyes at how CHEESY our boy Edward is, and how I think I could really go for some hot make-out with Jacob. Who am I kidding? We all know I'd go for some hot make-out with anyone. Not anyone, I guess. I mean, I totally, like, would never even make out with someone as gross as Mike Newton. I mean, oh my gosh. He is like totally named after a cake, not a cookie. And he's, like, totally lame, and like, I bet he's so way stinky and I can't believe that he even liked that girl Jessica, because she's so crazy, and I'm, like, totally hotter than she is. . . .
Thanks for the party, girls!


This is how excited Nat and I were to be done with work and on our way.

The gang at dinner. (L to R) Kaitlyn, Lin, Jenn, Nat, Chelsea, Courtney, Ashley, Danielle, Erin

Oh, bff. Precious.

We hung out on the lawn (after we hung out at Target) before the show started. I was going to fix all the red eye, but then I thought it would look better if you all looked like you were newborn vampires. So cool.

They only have one entrance door, so there was usually a short little line to get into the hot sauna that was the store. Inside, this is a picture of the group answering questions on the trivia sheet with the books to back up their answers.

I told these two ladies that if I would have dressed up, I would have wanted to be as cool as they were. What you can't see is the amazing cowboy boots the vision in teal was wearing over mustard-colored leggins. So, so cool. And I asked this girl (who later said she had a lot more people ask to take her picture so I'm not the only weird one out there) how long it took to curl her hair, and she said, "I dunno, like, one and a half movies?" It was worth it, babe. Love those ringlets.


Ah, the insanity.

My Friend April

So I have this friend named April Guadalupe de Santiago Wilde, and these are a few strange habits she has.
-April likes dogs. She likes dogs so much that she will often have numerous dogs on her bed without even knowing it. Maybe that is because they are camouflaged by her dog bedspread. She also has dog curtains, rugs, socks, wall hangings, and poop on her backyard lawn. She gets $.25 for each pile of poop she scoops, but that's not enough to tempt her. She makes her dogs scoop their own poop because they are that smart.
-April likes to whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Really, nobody knows what she says. She does it to dogs, too, but they don't get it. They just want to lick her face, and who likes that? Besides April.
-April has no regard for personal space. She will often stand directly in front of you and speak to you, usually in spanish because that is the language of love. And Corona. That's beer, which I think April likes. She washes her hair in it because
-April likes to dye her hair. So much that once it was yellow like the sun. And so, to condition and make it shiny and supple, she washes it with cheap liquor.
-April thinks everyone's name should be April. She has a best friend named April and they are both very pretty people, so they think that if everybody changed their name to April, there would be a lot more pretty people in the world. She is trying to convince her other best friend Julia-April that she should name her daughter April-Biph. And that she should reverse the names around the hyphen to April-Julia. Now, April does concede that most people are pretty enough to BE April's already, but by simply adding those five letters would really increase their quality of life.
-Lastly, April is nice. Even with her dog, whispering and name obsessions. And she has rockin' bathroom stories. And you know how I love my bathroom stories.

Why I don't always like the U

I don't know how carefully they screen their professors. I just spent my summer semester with a professor who was probably, oh, 80 years old and looked just like Eric's guardian on "The Little Mermaid"

No joke. Minus the ponytail, but his hair was probably long enough.

Anyway, he was a very knowledgable man, but he should not have taught the course he did. He was teaching World History from 1510-present day, and he didn't do that. He taught things he was interested in, which included mostly Asia, Africa and Latin America. We spent one day on Napoleon. We got as far as MAYBE 1875. It was ridiculous. I have never had a more difficult time taking notes in class, because he was so random and would jump from topic to topic. He rarely gave dates, so I had to figure out what time period he was talking about. He would write a few terms on the board, but wouldn't follow any sort of linear progression. I started asking clarifying questions, and was one of two people, I think, who ever raised their hand. It wasn't very conducive to questioning and sharing. Oh, and he often sat down to lecture. I think he asked once "is it ok if I sit?" but what are we supposed to say? Anyway. He also didn't know which edition of the book we were using, he never referenced or talked about the book and when I used information from the book in my midterm, he marked it incorrect (he later fixed it) because he didn't know what was IN the book.

Bottom line: I didn't learn much. I feel like I wasted my time and my money and didn't get the education that the U was supposed to provide to me as a student. That's about it.