i'm bored. and i need me some of this.

happy sunday

better than never

Many events have kept us busy this past six weeks, with most of them involving eating dinner, watching tv, and going to bed. Yeah. We’re bundles of fun. Being in the Sunflower State has put a serious kink in our social life. Things aren’t helped by the fact that I work all day (and I fiddle when I can) and have a 45 minute commute. I get home just in time to kiss Somebody goodbye (Sometimes. Sometimes he leaves before I get home) on his way out the door to his evening classes. Bummer, right? We have opposite schedules, we live with my parents, we don’t know how to make friends, and, yet, somehow, we have very little to complain about.

Late Story #1
I got a henna tattoo. While I remain opposed to the kind of tattoos that are permanent, I have always been curious about the henna tattoo. Not only are the designs so intricate and beautiful, but the fact that it is temporary made it very appealing. Still, I couldn’t get past the price, and I’m way too lazy to actually seek out someone who could do them. When henna tattoos were offered for free at my mom’s work party, I figured it was worth standing in line for 20 minutes. Once I decided to stand in line, the big debate began. Should I really do it? What design should I get? Where should I get it? Considering that I was at a college campus, and fully clothed, my “where to get it” options were pretty much limited to my hands and arms. But what design? And how big? Oh, the drama. Poor Somebody probably wanted to smack me before we got to the front of the line. And then, surprisingly, the women didn’t even ask what I wanted. I held my hand out and she just started painting. Surprise!
I liked having this for about 24 hours. After that, it was just annoying to see every time I moved my hand. Also, it smelled like mystic tan. And I kept thinking my hand was dirty, when it was really my soul that was dirty. Ha ha. Just kidding. I’m glad I did it so that now I can stop wondering what it would be like, but I don’t need to do it again.

Late Story #2
We spent Labor Day weekend up in Iowa at my sister’s house. She is a good mom, and a good wife, and a good cook, so there was no way that we weren’t going to have a good time. But then Somebody got sick and spent every minute there dieing on the couch. And then my back started hurting, which made being alive really painful. It was sad to have to leave early, but we did, and that ended up being a good choice because the day we returned I had back pain like I haven’t had since that one time when the ambulance guys couldn’t put in an IV. I was at home for a full week, and while pony-tails and pajamas are super fun, I am happy to be up and walking and able to leave the house. But while we were there I think I finally became friend’s with my sister’s children. And this cute little one? She thinks that Somebody and I are both “DEN!” When my sister told her to give this cup to “DEN!” She walked right to Somebody. And when asked, she calls us the same thing. Okay there is a slight difference. I’m “DEN!” and he is “den?” Good times.

they went without us

i never knew anyone who stayed on a rope like a puppydog

I had stopped for bagels at Einstein that morning. Standing in line, waiting to pay, I overheard the two employees talking about a little Cessna, or some other small plane, that had accidentally been flown into a building in NYC. What? That was just about the oddest information I had ever heard. When I got into the car, I turned the radio to a new station and heard more information about the accident and the people trapped in the building. Even then, before I knew what would happen later that day, I started crying.

When I arrived a work, everyone was talking about this small plane, and the damage to the building, and how surprising it all was. It wasn’t too long before we were all huddled in the conference room, watching the news unfold, seeing that it wasn’t a small plane, and it wasn’t an accident, and that the damage and death was only going to get worse.

We sat there all day, in silence except for the news announcers.

When I got home, my roommates and I spent the evening glued to the television, waiting for someone to give us an explanation, or make sense of it all. No answers came. No end to the footage of fire, smoke, bodies, and destruction.

I have never been so emotionally involved in a news event. I had never before, and have never since, spent so much time watching the news. Because I had never been to NYC, the events seemed almost unreal, almost like I was watching a movie. For Somebody, who was in NYC at the time, the events are real, and the emotions surrounding that day are still so raw that it is almost painful to watch even now.

I had heard people talk about hearing life-changing news. They would say, “I still remember where I was when I heard that JFK had been shot.” Or, “I’ll never forget the moment I heard that…” I had never had an experience like that until September 11, 2001. And now I will never forget the exact spot where I was standing, in front of the freshly-squeezed orange juice at the bagel shop, when I first heard the news about the terrorist attacks in New York City. Even though at the time I didn’t know everything that would unfold, or how those events would shape so much of how we live life “securely” today, that moment is forever frozen in my mind, and my heart aches for those people and families who lost loved ones that morning.

We are different now. I no longer feel invincible. I have had a glimpse of what it would be like to have war in my own country, and I don’t like it. I fear for my future and the future of my family and children. I worry about what the world will be like for them, and if they will feel safe. Isn’t that what we all want in the end? To feel safe? Loved? Cared for?

In memory of those who lost their lives, and those who stood as heroes during the 9/11 attacks, http://www.mygooddeed.org/ is helping people to build something good. Take a moment, and make a commitment that for every thought of fear or sorrow you will do a good deed. Change the world around one you smile, one favor, one step at a time. We can’t prevent unpleasant events, and we can’t control the actions of others, but we can do our part to ensure that those around us feel cared for. And loved. And safe.

apparently, i'm it

I have been tagged by the lovely Becca.

Four Jobs I’ve had:
1. Operations Assistant, my current job, which might cause my death to be listed as “boredom.”
2. At BYU: Program Administrator, where I didn’t know how good I had it; Program Assistant, where I had the best boss in the world; and Program Coordinator, where I spent most of the summer telling people I didn’t work for EFY
3. Receptionist at Joda & Friends, the best hair salon in Lawrence
4. Cold caller at American Family Insurance. Yeah. That was a short stint.

Four Places I’ve lived:
1. Kansas
2. Utah
3. California
4. Germany

Four Favorite TV Shows:
1. Grey’s Anatomy
2. Ugly Betty
3. So You Think You Can Dance
4. The Closer

Four Favorite Foods:
1. Tapioca pudding
2. Mussels in coconut curry sauce
3. BYU Coconut Macaroons
4. Breakfast

Four Web sites I visit:
1. Lots of blogs
2. Bank sites, because I’m obsessed with tracking our finances
3. www.allrecipes.com
4. www.IMDB.com

Four Places I’d rather be right now:
1. Utah
2. In bed
3. Reading a book on the balcony of a 5 star hotel overlooking the ocean
4. At the Washington School Inn with Somebody

Four Movies I love:
1. French Kiss
2. Sliding Doors
3. A Few Good Men
4. Moulin Rouge (although I don’t recommend that YOU watch it)

Four places I've been on vacation:
1. Boston
2. China
3. Montana
4. New York City

Four places I like to shop:
1. Target
2. Costco
3. JCPenney
4. IKEA