Passing Time With Jessica...

Jessica had awhile til she got off work and was bored, so we talked on the phone and looked for quizzes to take online. Here are the results of one she found...

Ahhh....

"And that, my friend, is what they call closure."

-Rachel, Friends

There's a fabulous song by Safetysuit called "Down".
Have a listen.
I'm 100% obsessed...

Lyrics:

I sat by the phone today
Waiting for you to call so I
Could pick it up and say hello to you
And you would say hello to me
Just like my dreams
Is there a reason why you’re gone?
I didn’t mean to be so wrong
I tried so hard to be the best that I could be
But still it seems
I always end up alone

Is there something inside me that I don’t see?
Is there something wrong here with the way I love?

Down, you can’t hold me down
Cause when no one is around
I won't be standing here
Just waiting for you to come back home again
Down, you can’t hold me down
Because I finally understand
That what you did is
Not so bad in fact it’s better for me

Did I not give you enough room?
Was I overtaking you?
And did my love for you just blind me from
What I was doing wrong?
I never meant you harm
Or was I not good enough for you?
Is that the reason why we’re through?
Was I not half the man you thought that I would be
But now you see?
Is that why you leave me?
Is that why you leave me?

Is there something inside me that I don’t see?
Is there something wrong here with the way I love?

Down, you cant hold me down
Cause when no one is around
I won't be standing here
Just waiting for you to come back home again
Down, you cant hold me down
Because I finally understand
That what you did is
Not so bad in fact it’s better for me

And Lord knows I try
To bring back my dreams
Cause I held onto yours for so long that I couldn’t hold my own

Down, you cant hold me down
Cause when no one is around
I won't be standing here
Just waiting for you to come back home again
Down, you cant hold me down
Because I finally understand
That what you did is
Not so bad in fact it’s better for me

I'm feeling pretty great right now.
I think I'll go to bed.
Sweet dreams to me. :)

American Idol Finale

As I'm sure all of you know, last night was the season finale of American Idol. I'm a big fan of David Cook's music, but you've got to love David Archuleta--home town boy; sweet, young contestant; clear, beautiful voice. All day yesterday I said I wanted David A. to win but would be happy regardless of the outcome. Well, when Ryan announced David Cook as the winner, I realized I had been lying to myself. I truly believe David Cook would have been fine had he finished fifth or sixth...people heard his voice and knew he would be a rock star. On the other hand, while I'm sure David Archuleta's fans will follow him to the end of the earth, there's just something tainted about knowing he didn't take it all.

I made the comment last night that it seems like whoever we root for, they always come up short. I mean that seriously. Growing up when our hometown high school football team enjoyed an undefeated regular season, they couldn't clinch the school's first state championship in over fifty years. BYU's football team can play their hearts out all season, but they'll never receive a glance as a potential national champion. Need I mention the Utah Jazz? A most astounding comeback at our fingertips and we can't quite grab hold. And now David Archuleta... Utah's golden child, the innocent Murray High student we all knew would make us proud and bring home reality tv's most prestigious honor...and he comes in second.

I know it's easy to focus on the what-ifs and what-could-have-beens, but does anyone else feel this way? When are we gonna catch our break?

Oh well. Tonight marks the beginning of my favorite summertime show, So You Think You Can Dance. That alone will be enough to assuage my Idol disappointment.



***I must put a disclaimer on this post. You all know that my family unceasingly supports Matt in his wrestling and that's one area of our fanaticism that hasn't let us down.***

Superman, eh?

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 70% Supergirl 70% Spider-Man 55% Hulk 55% Green Lantern 50% Robin 47% Wonder Woman 45% Batman 40% Catwoman 35% Iron Man 35% The Flash 30%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

I'm beginning to think I don't answer quiz questions correctly...

Disney Princess

Don't know how accurate I think this is, but there you go.



You Are Jasmine!

Independent and adventurous. You don't want much; just to break out of the guilded cage society has put you in and experience life to the fullest. Following orders isn't really one of your strong points, and you would rather live a life of poverty than being forced into something that you hate.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

I found this on a friend's blog and just felt like I should put it out there for everyone to enjoy. I find it really touching and inspirational to see this sort of work done in person. You usually only see images this beautiful in paintings, but this really brings Him to life.

http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/2008/03/reflections-sli.html

Let me know what you think.

Wild Weekend

So I already told you about our crazy Idol experience. My Friday was also spent seeing What Happens in Vegas with Jessica, which is SO GOOD. I loved it. Then Friday night, of course, our boys beat the Lakers here at home. I didn't have much free time Friday, and Saturday was no different.

For my nephew's birthday, my sister and brother-in-law took my nephew to the Zoo. They were gracious enough to invite me, and we had a blast. My nephew was a total ball of energy! He took the map of the zoo (by which he could actually navigate) and led us through the entire park. We three adults struggled to keep up!

After the zoo, I went with my sister, brother-in-law, and brother-in-law's family to a Cowboy Poetry reading. I sometimes felt lost because of the "cowboy vocabulary" and allusions used, but overall the night was so enjoyable! They had a great musical group and a few Cowboy Poets before the main act...Baxter Black. He's a talented poet, and the whole genre of Cowboy Poetry is just so unique that you have to marvel at his abilities.

After all that fun, I visited at my sister's house for awhile, went for a good long drive to try and clear my mind, and then got home about an hour ago. Since then I've just been catching up with an old friend and blogging...I should probably get to bed so I don't sleep through Sacrament Meeting in 6 1/2 hours. :)

What a beautifully ferocious and winning animal... the cougar :)

Sister and nephew looking at the "Ghost of the Bayou"

In our animal masks at the zoo gift shop

The marmot that became our friend

Baxter Black himself

Idol Homecoming

So as I've mentioned before, I've never been a die-hard American Idol fan, but I watch the show with my sister. So far I've been right on at predicting who will get kicked off each week since about the top 7. I'm a fan of both Davids and of course since David Archuleta is from Utah, I have a soft spot for him. My sister and her co-worker are HUGE David A. fans and so the three of us went to his "homecoming" thing at Murray High on Friday. It was really fun.

A banner on a pedestrian walkway right by Murray High

The banner on a plane K-Bull flew over the field

Jessica and me waiting for David to show up

David!

Good luck to him! I think he'll do great things in representing Utah.

Things on my mind

I'm bored, waiting for my time on call to be over so I can get on with my day, and so I thought I'd write down some things on my mind.

• Have you ever sneezed RIGHT after applying your mascara? It leaves a semi-circle of black dots above your cheekbone. That's pretty annoying.

• What does it mean if you have a dream that your sister kills your childhood best friend? Disturbing, I know.

• Do different people actually have different thresholds of pain? Or are some people simply wimps?

• How can a fractured wrist heal in 2 weeks? It can't.

• Where is the logic in putting the drill team coach as the faculty advisor over cheer?

• Is there anything more delicious than a Sonic fresh fruit slush?

• I need to go buy 27 Dresses.

• What time is the Jazz game tomorrow?

• What should I get my cheerleaders for their banquet?

• I wonder when my check from GSD will get here. Jessica's came in the mail a full week ago.

• How can the same author write one book with limited swearing and then another--using the same characters--in which the F word has already made multiple appearances?...and I'm on Chapter 4.

• How upsetting is this? Sadly, I think it's a sign of things to come.

• I'm ready for Friday.

Comment with any feedback.

What Do You Think?

So... it's about time for me to get my hair done. The nasty roots are showing and I'm noticing more and more split ends. Not to mention the fact that my bangs are constantly in my eyes (a sure sign it's time for a trim). I've spent the last hour thinking about hair as I cut my brother's. Quite the experience. I was doing so well until he asked me to trim up his "widow's peak" and I succeeded in making him look like he has a receding hairline.

But back to my hair...Here's the thing: I've been back blonde for like a year I think. And so I'm feeling like maybe I want to go back to my natural color. It'd be a good change and less upkeep. When I mentioned the idea to my sister on the way to lunch today, she shot it down pretty quickly. And while I appreciate and respect the heck out of her opinion, I wanted to get a feel from everyone else. So if you wouldn't mind, leave me a comment or give your opinion below...

Here's a picture from a little over a year ago when my hair was grown out so the blonde was just at the ends, and you can see what my natural color looks like.

15 Things Tag

Tagged by Ads...

Post these rules on your blog.
Answer these 15 questions about yourself on your blog.
List:
3 joys
3 fears
3 goals
3 current obsessions/collections
3 random/surprising facts

Tag five people at the end of your post by leaving their names .

3 Joys:
My niece
Reading
My sisters

3 Fears
Never reaching my potential
A loved one dying
One of my cheerleaders getting seriously injured

3 Goals
Become a good student again
Magnify my callings (especially Visiting Teaching... a tough one for me)
Successfully take the LSAT this Fall

3 current obsessions/collections
The Jazz, including Kyle Korver
The Office, including John Krasinski
Lisa Scottoline novels

3 random/surprising facts
My left thumb is shorter than my right
I can never remember how to spell "recommend"
I share a birthday with Elvis Presley

I tag:
3 of my joys (Jen, Ash, and Jess), Alli, and Spencer

Switching the Order

I've read a lot of books in my time. As I complete story after story, no matter how much I love what I just finished, To Kill a Mockingbird has remained faithfully in the "favorite" spot for the last nine years. (Wow. I can't believe it was that long ago that I was in Mrs. Evans' eighth grade class...) However, if I'm being completely honest with myself, the reign of Harper Lee's masterpiece has come to an end.

The Book Thief is the best book I have ever read. The most intriguing characters, the most compelling story, the most inspirational purpose, and really above all else--the most poetic rhetoric, the clearest imagery, and simply the most beautiful language. I can't get over it. I laughed at loud several times and cried buckets onto my table throughout the last few chapters of the book. Some books I hesitate to recommend because of language or subject matter or sometimes I just think some things interest me that others would find bland and pointless. But to anyone, everyone, out there...read this book!

Now of course your sights are set too high and you'll probably end up disappointed. That's not my intention. Just give the book a go and let me know what you think. And if your opinion is negative, well, there's clearly something wrong with you. :) Okay I'm kidding. But really...let me know your thoughts.