Russia?

Thanks for all the pageviews, whoever you are in Russia!

Life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all. William Goldman

It really isn't fair. Well, it isn't fair to everyone else, that is, that I love my job SO DARN MUCH.

 Because...
After determining that my finger flashlights were cooler than his because they were colored, as opposed to just white (which is what his were), I said:
"Its ok, XXXX, someday you'll be as cool as your speech teacher."
To which he quickly replied:
"Um, I think that day was yesterday."
I had to hand it to him, that was good! After saying:
"alright, alright, that WAS a good one. Rude, but good!" he quickly said:
 "ya, ya, I'm full of them!"

And also because...
2nd grade boy with parted hair and the cutest gap in his two front teeth:
"My sister was 5 but now she is 6--and I am 8 but about to be 9."
Me:
"Wow!"
2nd grade boy with parted hair and the cutest gap in his two front teeth:
"Yeah, we're all just growing up so fast!"

And even because...
Me:
"Hey guys, want to know a secret? You two are the first to know."
5th grade girl and 6th grade boy:
"Yes! What is it?!"
Me:
"We're getting an iPad for speech!!"
6th grade boy (from here on out)
"Oh. Hmm. I thought you were going to say you were getting married."
"Um, nope. Sorry to disappoint you?"
"Are you even dating anybody?"
"...nope."
"How old ARE you?"
"100."
"That means you are 21."
"No! I mean, closer, but no!"
"Hey, sorry it wasn't the secret you wanted to hear."
"Oh, well, its ok."

That's All I Want, When Christmas Comes to Town

Hey guess what, I LOVE CHRISTMAS. It's only December 2, and there have already been a few festive activities! Christmas really is coming to town!

I'm wishing on a star
And trying to believe
That even though it's far
He'll find me Christmas Eve

Giant tree in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

I guess that Santa's busy
Cause he's never come around
I think of him
When Christmas Comes to Town

One of my favorite nativity scenes on temple square (FHE)

The best time of the year
When everyone comes home
With all this Christmas cheer
It's hard to be alone

Upcoming christmas party, don't miss it!

Putting up the Christmas tree
With friends who come around
It's so much fun
When Christmas Comes to Town

This tree at the Festival of Trees was labeled "Stache-ing Through the Snow"

Presents for the children
Wrapped in red and green
All the things I've heard about
But never really seen

Is there a more beautiful place??

No one will be sleeping on
The night of Christmas Eve
Hoping Santa's on his way

Yes, I have even done some Christmas shopping! This was at Seagull book.

When Santa's sleigh bells ring

I listen all around
The herald angels sing
I never hear a sound

Ok, this isn't super festive, but it was fun!

When all the dreams of children

Once lost will all be found
That's all I want
When Christmas Comes to Town

The reason. 

That's all I want

When Christmas Comes to Town

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder

Well, according to Mr. Wilder, I am definitely alive today. On this, the eve of Thanksgiving, I am so very grateful for a few treasures in my life. (I am definitely thankful for more than the 5 shown here, but my phone can only send 5 pictures at a time so it was...convenient. Convenient gratitude? Will I get in trouble for that??)

1. The Temple. I was able to go through the temple this week. What an amazing experience! It was such a blessing to be there, especially with my family! I was able to be there with my parents, and all three of my big sisters. What a special time!

2. This Gannon-boy's leg! He had a bad femur break a few weeks back, but everyday he gets a little bit stronger. (He says when he eats his oatmeal he can feel himself getting stronger!). He is now able to walk by himself, and even go up and down a few stairs!!

3. My MOM! Yes, this is another temple picture, but I am SO GRATEFUL for my mom and that she could be my escort at the temple. It was so special to have her with me the whole way!

4. Brand new nephews - Sloan Morgan Egbert was born today! He was 8 lb 5 oz, and was 23 inches long! What a precious little boy. He was either alert, and looking around, or sleeping. He was so sweet and beautiful! I just couldn't get enough of him (during my turn of course. There were lots of aunts and uncles around to hold him!).

5. All my nieces and nephews! Really, being an aunt is such a great thing. Especially when you have such cute nieces and nephews like I do. Zak and Kara weren't able to make it out to Utah for the week, but if they could have (with their daddy), the whole family would have been together! We have been having a blast with the family that is here, but we would be having a bigger blast if they were here too! I just love all these kids!!

"Creativity is PIERCING the mundane, to find the marvelous." - Bill Moyers

Today was definitely a good SLP day. I got to spend a lot of it researching Velopharyngeal Insufficiency (do I feel a Ph.D. specialty coming on??). It is really so interesting! I have a little girl who has submucous cleft, a bifid and very short uvula, as well as VPI. Some of the options are: surgery, nasal obturator (temporary), palatal lift (I hate the idea of that for a little girl), and intensive speech. I have had a lot of fun learning about this with her, practicing new treatment (speech laying on the floor to allow gravity to help), new evaluations (yes we did have a straw up her nose), and lots and LOTS of research. Anyway, as I was looking for diagrams to help discuss this with her mom, I came across this. 

I was, am, will forever be, HORRIFIED! That looks so painful!! This person obviously doesn't have a gag reflex, or has had it desensitized. They are probably like me. Yes sir, I definitely hooked my finger around my soft palate in our voice class as we were all trying to find our gag reflex... too much info? Sorry.

Anyway, back to the ridiculous piece of jewelery in this poor little uvula... whats the point?? (Unless you intend to have your mouth open as wide as possible, all the time..?) So, as I was contemplating this, thinking that this is probably one of the worst ideas EVER, I came across this:

Whaaaaattt?? Why why why, I ask?? Can this person say the /k/, /g/, and /ng/ sounds at all? What the heck? Ehhh, this just makes me shudder. 

Anyway, after finding and saving these pictures, I returned to my previous endeavor (oh no, I used the oh-so-terrible word but I'm too lazy to backspace and erase it!!) of researching VPI and soft palate diagrams. That was much more interesting, pleasant, and satisfying. Really, its been fun to use and learn more about the medical side of speech. The school stuff is great, but this has been a very welcome change!!

"You live with your thoughts -- so be careful what they are."- Eva Arrington

Alright, here are some things that go through my mind on any given day. Some I am smart enough to leave in my mind, some I feel the need to share... :

"Yeah, I'll get up at 6:00 on Saturday, then I can have a nice long restful day..."

"Ooh maybe I should buy Hanson's new cd!"

"Maybe the guys at Jiffy Lube ate my sugar free chocolate covered cashews!"

"No, I do not have chocolate on my face. Those are just two brand new unfortunately located freckles."

"Dramas from the early nineties are really good...and have great soundtracks. Also, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) was just so darn cute when he was little!"

"After vacuuming with a vacuum that works, I really just want to lay on the floor. Forever."

"Why did Kelly pick Zack over Slater in Saved By the Bell? His dimples are basically as good as it gets. (At least in the ABC Family Christmas movie I watched they were!)"

"I feel like a triangle head with this length of hair. Triangle head phase 2."

"I hate it when I am wrong. I hate it even more when I have known I am wrong all along, and now I have to own up to it..."

"It's kind of refreshing when you decide you don't like that one boy anymore."

"How can I make the process of getting out of Sunday clothes faster? Disposable tights? Less buttons and more Velcro??"

"I wish church and FHE were more than one day apart...then I could more easily recycle outfits."

"Okkaayy, So Zack is on ABC Family Christmas movies now too. What?? And I have to say, maybe I can see where Kelly was coming from..."

"Yep. The Lion King still makes me think of my dog."

"Hmmmm, the lead singer of Parachute really looks like Jared Leto I think."

"No no, it is definitely ok to stack the wet dishes three high. As long as nobody touches them, moves, or breathes in a 3 house radius they should be just fine!"



But on a more serious note...
"After making a good, big decision about your future, Satan really puts the pressure on. Then, once you have successfully put him off, he tries a new angle. Once you have beaten THAT, he tries the first way again. Either he isn't very smart...or he is..."

Countdown chain?

Oh, have I mentioned that I am excited for this yet?

I'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween. ~Author Unknown

So just in case you were wondering, I know its been a a really long time since I've talked about my job, but I kind of like my job. Here are three reasons why:

1. “Are you an adult?” Yes, I’m a teacher. “Oh, you look like a teenager.”

I think my response was, "thanks, but, no..." This is probably what I get for vocally disliking teenagers...

2. “If you change blue hair to yellow hair and change your skin to yellow...would that be fair?”

Um...what? My response to this was: "Oh no, not fair at all!!"

3. “Tomorrow if you climb up on the fridge where your mom put the candy and its hers, and you eat all your candy, you would pupe. I hate puping. You have to cover your mouth if you pupe.”

Okay, the first thing you need to know, is that "pupe" is not pronounced like "poop." It is pronounced like "puke" but with a /p/. (In phonetics it would be /pjup/). Imagine the cutest little boy with the prettiest eyes and eyelashes you have ever seen, saying this (yes he did consistently mess up tomorrow and yesterday).

oh okay, and a fourth, are you surprised??

4. "I love being called sir!"

I typically call the boys sir and the girls ma'am. Apparently this one likes it.

I honestly could have stayed at work for an extra three hours today and been happy!!

**I would also just like to add, that I hate it when a good hair day is wasted. Shoot. **

Based on a true story

 "The men who push the limits sometimes discover that the limits push back."

I wish I would have known how sad this movie was, before I watched it! I mean, a little warning would have been nice...

I totally agree!! ...However, I'm choosing this moment to brag about the fact that I made PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP cookies on Sunday aaaaaaand, guess how much dough I ate!

Go ahead, guess!!

NONE! Not even a little! Yes that's right. I don't know how, and I don't know if it will ever happen again, but it happened last Sunday! ( I swear, I have witnesses. )

Part I

I may have just picked my favorite temple, because...

(Mt. Timpanogos)

"The Life of the Party"

Yesterday was the day that I realized that I am 24. Not only did I realize that I am 24, but I realized that I am happy to be 24. I spent yesterday evening/night at Utah Valley University, watching this:

This was the best show of the night! First it was Parachute (loved it!), then All American Rejects (liked...the music), then Boys Like Girls (loved it!). Of course I can never leave anything at just one sentence, so, here goes!:

Parachute was great, GREAT, GREAT. It had all the necessary components of a good band/show: attractive lead singer (hey, I can be a little bit shallow when I don't actually know them right?), a piano (played by the aforementioned lead singer), a unique and fantastic voice (also the aforementioned lead singer), a smallish crowd, and amazing songs!

After Parachute, things got serious. The amount of people in the room, easily tripled, and I think, tried to fit into a smaller space...I'm not sure how the room got smaller, but it must of...at least that's what my rib on the right side thinks. Luckily we had a boy with us who pushed right up to the almost front! When the lead singer of All American Rejects came out (I don't know his name, but picture Russell Brand mixed with Weird Al with chin length hair, and with pants that are striped on the front and plain in the back-weird?), he started with the f-word, and really it just went from there. He definitely swore a-lot. I mean, like I said before, the music actually was fun! I figured out, however, that it was so fun because it was the music I listened to in junior high. So as I was jumping in this mob of a million people--because I didn't really have any choice but to jump with how close we all were--while Swing Swing was playing, it rang very familiar. Hmmm, was it deja vu? No. No I really had been in that exact same situation before. At BYU Idaho. 8 years ago. At EFY. Shoot... Shortly after, I was separated from Jess and Willie. It started out as just one very short couple (the couple with the elbow in my rib) between us, but then they got further and further away! I just decided to get out of the sweat ridden mass of teenagers and go for a walk around UCCU stadium.

Jess and Willie came out pretty soon, and we watched Boys Like Girls from the back of the room. It was SOOO much more enjoyable from back there! We could dance, talk, hear, breathe...you know, just a few luxuries... Honestly, this guy was awesome-He owned the stage! I couldn't even describe what he did, but it just worked! He was funny, interactive, an amazing singer, good timing, etc... (Ok, so maybe I will try to describe what he did?) I actually like Boys Like Girls even more than I did before!

But...that doesn't take from the fact that most of the people in that stadium were between 12 and 17. Again, shoot.

When all is said and done, the best part about all of that, was that I even though I could only think about how old I was the whole time, I am totally ok with being too old! Yes, it was fun-ish, but I just don't need it. I don't need the jumping, music so loud it changes you heartbeat, near-fights with people to get to the front, high school boys and girls, and screaming at the top of my lungs. This will probably make me sound super lame...but it is the truth...

Yes I had fun. No I probably won't go out of my way to go to a concert like this any time soon.

...at least for a few weeks...

P.S. But I still loved THIS part of the concert:

Sneaky Work Post

One of the things that I work on with kids is increasing their vocabulary. We can work on vocabulary in lots of ways: synonyms, antonyms, describing, categories, functions, differences, and similarities. So, since you all know how much I love my job, I decided to bring work home with me. Lets work on similarities! Here goes!

What do these two things have in common??

My house

A Buffalo (or a bison, I don't really know, lets not be too technical here)

Need a minute? I'll wait. ...          ...          ...          ...          ...          ...          ...          ...         

You might have said "they are both brown" or "they are about the same size." Well, you would be right (my house is pretty small), but that's not the one I'm looking for. Don't worry, you would have still earned an M&M though!

Any more guesses? 

Maybe your next guesses are "difficult to keep clean" or "always ready for a party." Again, you would be right, but not what this is about.

Here, I'll give you another clue

Yellowstone National Park

Do you have it yet? 

Alright, here's the answer: both the house and the buffalo make you think of Yellowstone National Park, because the places smell exactly the same! Unfortunately, specifically the bathroom and laundry room. Ew gross! That's not what I mean, not because of that.  The reason is this!

That is sulphuric acid. I went to Lowe's and asked for "the most potent drain un-clogger they have" (yes I did use "potent" and "un-clogger" in the same sentence.) I even said, "I need something as strong as stomach acid!" (I heard that stomach acid can dissolve razor blades, after all). What they gave me, was this bottle of sulphuric acid. It is so potent, in fact, that the caution statement says that you have to store it in this bag all the time, wear gloves and protective eyewear during use, leave the room right after pouring it, and put a pot over the drain after pouring it-just in case it explodes out of the drain. I am not even KIDDING! So, because of all the warnings, I was confident that this could take care of the shower drain problem--you know the problem, right? The one where by the end of your shower, you are ankle deep in warm-ish water? Anyway, so I was excited about this! Finally, all my problems would be solved! (Yes, I was that excited about the potential success of this.)
So I read the directions, and did exactly what I was told. Twice. Then I turned on the water, just like it said, and...the tub filled right up. It didn't work, either time! What?! It didn't work!? However, I found out the next day, that obviously it was able to get through the pipes, because I was in my laundry room, and I could barely breathe! It was a massive Old Faithful flashback. Don't get me wrong, I love Old Faithful as much as the next person...but not in my laundry room!

So, let's review, as a result of our vocabulary lesson, we learned that Devery's House, and A Buffalo have many similarities, but the most prominent one is that they both are reminiscent of Yellowstone National Park. Great job, you are such a hard worker! Go ahead and put a star on the board, take 3 mini M&Ms, and head back to class :) 

"Please Christmas Don't Be Late!"

Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas. Happy Kwaanza. Season's Greetings. Happy Hanukkah. 

Magic!

She's coming! They're coming! Today!

In less than 12 hours I will be headed here:

To see them:

It could only get better if I also got to see them:

Happy Fall Break :)

Are you watching?

#ldsconf
(click to follow)

A post about sugar

Just three more days! Maybe I will just take one day where I am allowed to have sugar, then I'll maybe try this again? It is actually not as bad as I thought it would be!

“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” 

Marcus Aurelias


“One can be the master of what one does, but never of what one feels.” 
Gustave Flaubert


“Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself.” 

Elie Weisel


“If you conquer yourself, then you conquer the world” 

Paulo Coelho


“Sometimes, you must refrain from doing things you want so bad.”

Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity


“I am a fan of overdoing something, but not running it into the ground. They are complete opposites with only a fine line separating them.”

Criss Jami


Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power.

Clint Eastwood


By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character.

Grenville Kleiser

Second Sunday Post...

I really had high hopes for this one. Turns out, it's not that good. Turns out I really like watching foreign films though! I love that I have to pay attention the whole time - no multi-taking allowed. That's a nice change really. No disrespect intended, but if French people really are anything like they are in the movie, there is a serious lack of emotion and inflection over there.  ...Or maybe it was just the Mozart family, and the King's children...Seriously though, thank heavens for exclamation points in subtitles!

I really want to learn more about Mozart's life now, however, Wikipedia gave me a taste, but just enough to make me want more. Maybe I will have to take a break from my Time Magazine top ten list to read a few biographies...


Side note, this song, however, was not disappointing at all! (But Darren Criss rarely is, honestly.) Check it out!

Reason #321, #322, and #323

I just really like Sundays. I mean, what's not to like? 

Here are just three reasons why Sunday's are my favorite day!

1. Service projects. 

2. This is just 10 minutes from my house!

3. Swan Princess movie nights!

P.S. Just as an update, I just completed day 20 of "no sugar." I'm going to try the next seven with no flour! Wish me luck!

A Definite Must-See

If you haven't (which you haven't, since it just came out today), do. Right away. It is worth every penny I spent to watch it in the regularly priced theater. It helps that I got the student discount...but I told him I wasn't a student. I showed him my "teacher name tag" (yes, I was still wearing it with my faculty polo) and said, "I'm a teacher, does that count?" and he GAVE ME THE DISCOUNT! 10 points for honesty :)
There I go, talking about myself again, when the original point of the post was the movie. Seriously, it was excellent. Very...emotional. Lots of emotions - happy, sad, infuriating, funny... I loved it! Viola Davis was perfect, and Maggie Gyllenhaal was a little bit annoying, but that worked for her character. It was necessary for her character, so I'll let it slide this time. Really, if anyone needs someone to go with to see it, I would go again in a heartbeat!

25 by 25

Alright, as promised, THE LIST. Actually, I think that I have another list somewhere in one of my thousand notebooks that is entitled "the list" so I can't be confusing them. This one is: "25 Things I've Never Done, Before I Turn 25." Hmmm, that's not very catchy - I should work on my audience grabbing skills...

So, in no important order:

1. Read Time magazine's top ten books of all time - In process-Anna Karenina, War and Peace, The Great Gatsby, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Stories from Anton Chekhov, Middlemarch, Lolita, madame Bovary, In Search of the Lost, Hamlet
2. Watch all three Indiana Jones Movies - I know, embarrassing huh? But its true! I have never seen any of them!! (Don't worry, I am going to pass on the newest one!)
3. Take a cake decorating class - It's about time!
4. Sing karaoke - Ugh, I am just not excited for this one...
5. Visit all the temples in Utah - This one should be SO fun!
6. Visit the Spiral Jetty - It just sounds cool 
7. Leave my number (inspired by some movie...you know, on a napkin or cup or receipt or something...) - Because live is just like the movies right? Isn't that how every chick flick starts?
8. Hang glide - This is the big exciting one. I REALLY want to make this happen!
9. Milk a cow - Lucky for me, I can probably do this any time I want - thank you Bunnells!!
10. Get my fortune told-palm read - Fun right?!
11. Shoot the tube - Dang. Missed it this season, I'll have to plan for next summer...
12. Sunrise hike - please please please soon!
13. Take a yoga class - DONE
14. Pay for a stranger's meal or groceries - Maybe at a drive thru?? I've always wanted to do that, so the drive thru guy can say, "don't worry, the person in front of you already paid." Cool!
15. Paint a canvas-frame and hang it - I'm sorry for anybody who has to see this
16. Get a pen pal in another country - I don't even know if this is possible anymore...
17. Ride a roller coaster in Las Vegas - Yes! Please! I haven't ridden one all year!
18. Buy THE SANDALS - DONE
19. Make up a recipe from scratch - Luckily I didn't say it had to be good...or edible....
20. Go a week without a phone - After much thought, its just going to have to be without texting, and apps, etc... Because of work, I can't go without a phone totally
21. Go a month without sugar - in process, I am on day 17/30!
22. Go to a movie dressed as the wrong character - hahaa Yesss
23. Get a Henna tattoo - DONE
24. Learn to say I love you in 50 languages - I have 4 so far...I am totally on a roll...
25. Go to a Catholic Mass and Jehovah's Witness church service  - no good reason, just because :)

Sorry, I know that this post lacks even my usual sub-par wittiness...but again, my mind is half occupied,. Actually, I would say something more like 3/4 occupied. I am watching a foreign film...and it is a very weird  foreign film at that. So not only do I have to read subtitles, I have to really try and understand what is going on, but I also have to try and determine why the castaway didn't leave the island with the black bean noodles delivery guy!? If you figure it out, feel free to pass along that information!

Favorite quote so far: "I am an ugly duckling, who became a slug, instead of a swan." 

Wednesday

I lied. I'm sorry. I will NOT be posting my list today. But I definitely will tomorrow. I worked here

today (after my normal work) and I just got home, so I am very tired. Just so you can have a good picture in your mind, this

is what the weather over the mountains was doing, so this

is what I looked like. I absolutely loathe driving in the rain - with every fiber of my being. My fingers are STILL sore from gripping the steering wheel so tight!


P.S. I will post about my EXCITING NEWS when I am a little less tired, and when I have it in my hands! 

Lucky number 3?

3! Three! Tres! ...that is all of the languages and different ways to write "three" that I know...nope, that's a lie. However, I don't know how to spell the French word for three...not even going to try. And here "   ", I just did "three" in sign language.

I have officially completed 3 things on my list. Wait...I haven't written about my list yet have I? This is an excellent time to tell you that I will tell you about my list tomorrow. (What? Four blog posts in four days? Are you sick of me yet?)

Buckle up, it's pretty exciting. You're about to find out how... ... ... list oriented... I am. I know, I know what you are thinking. "How can I possibly wait until TOMORROW to find out what list Devery has written this time??!!" Its ok, you can start a countdown chain if you need. That always helps me (yes, the last time I did it was graduate school, not elementary school as you might think!).

PS, have I told you how excited I am about THIS?? Merry Christmas!

Help me. Please help me.

If you can't tell by the title, this is obviously a desperate cry for help!
I like all the colors on my blog, except for the "post background." What kind of weird yellow is that? Maybe its the fact that the same contacts have been in my eyes for four days (I need to go buy contact solution), or maybe its the fact that I am so very tired, or maybe its the fact that I have no sense of style/craftiness/color matching. Any or all of the above combined could be the reason why I have no idea what color my "post background" should be.
Thoughts?

"Courage take! For goodness sake!"

Wow. I tell you what, wow. (15 points if you can name that movie!!) It has officially been 54 days since I posted last. I think that is a new record, and an embarrassing one, to be sure.  I am going to attempt to make up for it, with a 100% complete but actually probably not, update on my goings-on in the last few weeks. Thanks to Meagan Banks for reminding me that I do, in fact, have a blog. (Well, I guess you can decide if you want to thank her or not...). I do not promise that it will be in chronological order. Mostly, I will write things as they come to mind (which is currently being half occupied by Once Upon a Time, so who knows what will happen?).
Well, lets just start with that. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not a big TV watcher--movies, yes, but not TV. I typically have one show at a time that I watch on a weekly basis (on Hulu+ of course). Occasionally, however, I get into a TV series on Netflix. This really is the best way to go, because then you can start and finish a season, without having to wait and wait and wait for the next episode to come out. Once Upon a Time is officially blowing my mind. Seriously. Movies and shows that involve time travel and such have always kind of confused the heck out of me. This parallel universe/fairy tale world is no different. I really have no idea what is really going on half the time, and just when I think that I've got it, they throw me another curve ball, like Prince Charming has a twin (who just died?!), and Rumpelstiltskin is actually The Beast? Anyway, check it out, its pretty cool. This actor cast as Prince Charming isn't horrible either...

**Warning: Yes it is about fairy tales. No it is not a kids show at all!

Work. Yes. I am going to write about work some more. Honestly it is my favorite part of my day, every single day! The second year on the job is 10x easier, and 100x more enjoyable than the first year. I have also found, however, that the students are a little bit more brave, and have a little bit more 'tude than last year also! Even my cute little third grader of 2011-12 is surprising me here as a fourth grader:
One of the articulation cards was a picture of a girl playing soccer, with the label "Soccer Player." This boy gave the card to his "speech friend" and said, "here, you have this, I don't want it!" When I asked why, he said, "It's a GIRL!" Of course I had to ask..."excuse me? Are you saying girls can't play soccer?" Without even a hesitation, he shot back, "No! I just am saying that they can't play soccer well!" I came back with the brilliant response of "Excuse me?" To which he replied, looking me straight in the eye, said, "Well!? My mom told me never to lie!!" Ha!
Then just last week, I was invited to two baptisms by two of my second graders! It was so sweet! One of them even made sure that I like croissants, because that is what they are serving there! How adorable is that??

Food...not my favorite thing ever, but since I was a baker in my previous life, and cooking is one of my favorite hobbies, it does come up a lot. These days, I am in a breakfast rut, but making new discoveries for dinner... Honestly, every single morning I have the same bowl of oatmeal and fruit (the bowl may be permanently stained blue...sorry Lockharts. Really though, I look forward to this, every morning! There is such a difference between quick oats and rolled oats, and I LOVE rolled oats! As far as dinner goes, I have been venturing out from the "uzh" a little bit. I tried a new Thai Peanut Pasta ala Pinterest recipe (excellent), found a delicious Thai Restaurant, Spicy Thai (excellent), and had the, supposedly, "Best Burger in Utah Valley." All along, it was just hiding right on University Parkway, and I never knew! (I mean, I eat so many burgers and everything...I think its actually been a good 6 months+ since my last real burger)

The FAIR! Yes, I finally went to a fair this summer/fall. The Utah State Fair was so fun! We walked around all the booths and crafts and such, then watched the rodeo, which never disappoints! I even got a Henna tattoo - which put my list down to 23 left at that point. Here's a good one of our summer here at the Lockhart/Larsen home:

Sadly, death was also a part of the last month. My poor Miss Ruby died... Once upon a time, I woke up, just like every other morning. Then, I turned off the One Direction-Stole My Heart alarm, just like every other morning. Then I walked into the bathroom to take a shower, just like every other morning. What was not like every other morning, was when I threw my phone, into the toilet. What? Yes, you read that right-well-I guess not totally right. I didn't actually throw my phone in the toilet, it more just, fell out of my hands, into the toilet. I guess, if I am being technical, she only died for a few days, and then came back to life, mostly... Everything worked except for the microphone...which makes it hard to operate successfully as a telephone...However, living a half-life is really no life at all, so I put her out of her telephone/data capability misery. Now I just have a fancy iPod...with a defective headphone jack-dang rice! Its actually not too bad-luckily I still had the ol' little red slider keyboard phone, and my iPhone is kind of a mini-computer. All the apps, etc still work when I am in wifi range, and I can listen to music on my dock, so its not awful.  I am kind of ready to have a smart phone back though, so I secretly won't be sad when this other little phone dies and I am forced to get another new one...

Ooh, the other big news is that I went to Family Home Evening last week!! Yes I did folks, you can call me an FHE go-er, if you wish. Trust me, I know that coming from me, this sounds like a big joke, but its not a lie! Not even a little! I have been involved in my ward since I moved here, but just as far as having a calling, and going every Sunday. I haven't really been doing any of the other activities, so I decided to change that. Turns out, it was a BLAST! My ward is so great!

So, that's as far as I can go right now. Sorry Meagan. I think that I may have let you down again. I wasn't feeling particularly witty today (maybe its the XL hoodie, second day hair, and holey sweats...). But at least, I broke the 54 day streak of not posting!!

August 2.

Okay yeah, it's only the first. I get it. However, I just thought I would say, that if I were in charge of the birthday song, it would definitely be the one by Stevie Wonder. If I had to pick a second place, it would be this next one. I feel like I remember that second song from Scripture Scouts...but... it could have been a Janeen Brady treasure... If you have any idea, let me know. 

Thank heavens for birthdays. The official first guess of my age this year was, 36. Close. Close. But no cigar. 

cra·zy /ˈkreɪzi/ adjective, cra·zi·er,cra·zi·est, noun, plural cra·zies.

adjective

1.

mentally deranged; demented; insane.

13.1. Enough Said. 

2.

senseless; impractical; totally unsound: a crazy scheme.

I don't actually like running.

 

3.

Informal . intensely enthusiastic; passionately excited: crazyabout baseball.

I am really good at tricking myself into believing that I love it. 

4.

Informal . very enamored or infatuated (usually followed by about ): He was crazy about her.

I am crazy about these shorts.

5.

Informal . intensely anxious or eager; impatient: I'm crazy to try those new skis.

I get pretty anxious and impatient to be done, around mile eight (which is also when my right kneecap starts to fall off). 

6.

Informal . unusual; bizarre; singular: She always wears a crazy hat.

One lady had glow sticks EVERYWHERE, including a mohawk of glow sticks, and covering her clothes. There was also a man who had glow sticks through his ears (gauges?) it was cool...but kind of crazy...

7.

Slang . wonderful; excellent; perfect: That's crazy, man, crazy.

Ok, it is a pretty "crazy" feeling to be done, AGAIN!

8.

likely to break or fall to pieces.

Yes. 

9.

weak, infirm, or sickly.

I definitely came the closest I have ever come to throwing up after running. 

Well, half marathon, #2, checked off the list. Now I have two medals (yes, they are just finisher medals) proving that I don't just sit around all day. Moral of the story is: Train. I didn't actually train for this one, and it was much harder. Not only did I not train, I had pneumonia for 2 weeks, a week where I didn't eat much, the worst tooth-pain imaginable, and heartburn from mile 2 on. I think that it would have gone 98% better if I trained...and not eaten the buffalo chicken pizza on wednesday.