Day Twenty-three

Pretty much the only thing I ever crave:

Day Twenty-two

What makes me different from other people? I suffer from Brachydactyly type D. Don't worry, it's not life-threatening. I've learned to cope.


haha

Day Twenty-one

Something that makes me happy is Christmas, and since I haven't yet blogged about my holiday, I thought this would be a good time to do so.

I had a really fantastic Christmas. And it wasn't just because I made out like a bandit, either. Christmas was different this year, which I didn't exactly have a great attitude about. My sisters were all at their in-laws' so our typical Christmas Eve traditions were cast aside. I recognize needing to share my sisters now that they're married, but that doesn't mean I'm good at it. I was angry that we weren't finding a way to make things work, and I was bitter that Christmas Eve was going to just be David and me with our parents.

Then Jen invited me to a Dollar Movie on Christmas Eve morning. I hadn't been to the new Ross at Valley Fair, so I hit it up before the movie, buying myself some new outfits to get me in a good mood. The mood improved when I was met outside the movie by Ashley with a plate of our family's famous (okay, no one cares about it except us) peanut butter and chocolate fudge. I met Jen's family in the theater to see Despicable Me, and their youngest started out on my lap. She was so funny, laughing at everything, which of course made me laugh. And let's face it, you can't be in a bad mood when you're laughing.

I left the movie and did some last-minute shopping and wrapping. Then I loaded up Jamie's truck, which she graciously allowed me to borrow while she was in Vegas for Christmas. Loading all of the wrapped packages I had bought for everyone made me really excited to go GIVE the presents. I met my parents and David for dinner, which was enjoyable. We watched the bowl game and had great conversation, followed by an impressive light show at the Valley Fair Mall. Have you been there recently? The renovations are really quite incredible.

I went home and got Zipsie and then headed back out to my parents' house. We started a fire in the fireplace, which we haven't done for years. Later on, David and I went out to Jen's for a visit and got back to my parents' around 1:30. Then we stayed up talking until about 3. At 5:45 my alarm went off, and I headed back to Jen's so I could watch her kids open their presents from Santa. I've never had the chance to do that before, and it abosolutely made my Christmas. They were so excited and grateful. No one can capture the spirit of Christmas like a child, let alone 5 of my favorite kids in the whole world.

The rest of my day included talking to Matt, exchanging sibling gifts (ADORABLE owl pillows, beautiful black purse, and my new-favorite 2 pair of shoes from Jenny), a humbling and underserved gift from my parents in the form of a Kindle, taking a nap with Zipsie, and visiting Adiel for the first time since she got into town. It was a really fantastic day.

How was your Christmas? Did you enjoy any long-standing traditions or start new ones? Whatever you did and wherever you were, I hope you had a magical Christmas.

Day Twenty

Someone I see myself marrying? Still holding out for a combination of the following :) ...

Day Nineteen

My nicknames include:

Wendell--I was named after a guy named Wendell Williams
Wend--It's just a shortened version of my name
Wen--It's an even shorter version
Pup--An odd nickname that just developed between Jess and me
Puppy--A lengthened version of the above nickname
IHT--Once upon a time my hair was the same color as Adiel's, making us Identical Hair Twins
Wendy 4.0--I used to be a good student and Adiel still occasionally finds it appropriate to harass me for being the teacher's pet that I was.

Day Eighteen

Plans/dreams/goals? I think this pretty much sums it up:

Day Seventeen

This post is difficult. I'm usually pretty content just being me, but if I could switch lives with someone for a day, it would probably be a fictional character. Like Chloe O'Brian from 24. I think the reasons are obvious...she works with Jack Bauer.

Day Sixteen

with my mom on Christmas Eve

Day Fifteen

First ten songs that play with my iPod on shuffle:

1. Hideaway - Rock Kills Kid
2. My Baby - Britney Spears
3. Wake Up America - Miley Cyrus
4. Evacuate - The Boxer Rebellion
5. Ignorance - Paramore
6. Everglow - Mae
7. You Told Me You Loved Me - Cinematic Sunrise
8. Viva La Vida - Coldplay
9. Talk You Down - The Script
10. Miserable at Best - Mayday Parade

Day Fourteen

I don't have any recent pictures of my family, so I had to steal this from Jessica's blog...

Day Thirteen

Dear person-who-shall-remain-nameless,

I watched an episode of Criminal Minds last night, and a brief interchange at the end of the show made me think of you. Agent Rossi is talking to Agent Seaver about her dad. Seaver says, "It feels like he's winning if I don't hate him." And Rossi replies something like, "There is no winning. Just living and moving forward." Anyone reading this that knows who you are would agree: it's far past time for me to move forward. And I'm trying. In a round-about way, you're the reason I work so hard to make a name for myself at my job and the reason I did so well on the LSAT. I put my dreams on hold long enough for you, and it's been liberating to remember my potential and what I want to do with my life.

So, thanks for breaking me. I know it's taken a pathetically long time to create, but I like the replacement version of myself much better.

Peace Out,
Wendy

Day Twelve

How I found out about blogs and why I made one is also included in my first post. Basically, my sisters started it :)

Day Eleven

One of my best friends, my five-year-old niece

Day Ten

I have no idea how to do this post. I'm weird about my music moods and it's never really clear why I listen to certain songs when I do. Lately I've been feeling a little...less-than-enthusiastic about life, and my soundtrack of choice has been LOTS of Florence + the Machine. Another good group when I'm feeling down is Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. I've rediscovered 'N Sync and Britney Spears in the last few months, and they provide good accompaniment for upbeat, goofy moods. Lately my every-day background music has been Until June. I know I didn't really follow the rules with this one, but oh well :)

Day Nine

Something I'm proud of in the last few days? Going to bed before 11pm two nights in a row. :) I should do that more often.

Day Eight

My short-term goals for the month include getting a car and finishing applying to law schools by the end of the year. Of course, that includes an even shorter-term goal (is there such a thing?): finishing my personal statement. It's impossible. Anyone want to write it for me?

I feel embarrassed...

If you read my last post in the past 16 hours, I'm sure you saw my egregious typo... "expecially." I just wanted to say that I do not think especially is spelled or pronounced expecially. It drives me insane when people say it like that; I think they sound so ignorant. The S is by the X on the keyboard. That's all. So, I'm sorry. And I'm embarrassed. And I fixed my mistake.

Day Seven

I'm kind of cheating with this one. The instructions said, "A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you," but I'm choosing more than one someone/something.
There are a couple of important things in this picture. First and foremost, my dad. I went looking for a picture of him alone to satisfy the requirements of this post, but then decided to add to my answer when I came across this picture. My dad has been the most influential person in my life. Maybe he wouldn't like to hear that, because I always feel like I fall so short of the example he has set for me in many different areas, but I really do strive to be like him. He is an example of everything good. Smart, funny, caring, giving, spiritual, hard-working, and the list goes on...So many things that I wish I were, but I'm not. Those of you who know my dad will agree--He's simply amazing.

Next, my sister, Jen. I love and admire all of my sisters, and I think Ashley and Jessica would both agree with me that there is something especially amazing about Jenny. (Plus, she's in the picture and Ashley and Jess aren't, so they can't be mad that I'm spotlighting her :) I admire her so fully. I can't think of something I "don't like" about Jen. When I'm a mom, I want to be the mom that she is. If I ever decide to cook, I want to be the cook that she is. I want to have her thirst for knowledge, her desire to try new things, her acute sensitivity to others, her ability to recognize each of her children for their individual strengths and weaknesses, her natural ease at working movie quotes into conversations, her supportive personality, her money-saving skills, her passion for everything important to her, and her excessive use of the word, "absolutely." :)

Finally, you can see the field behind us. This picture was taken at a BYU football game. I would be lying if I said BYU hadn't shaped and influenced me, but I actually care more about the larger umbrella under which BYU falls--The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I've allowed myself to become a bit apathetic about things Church-related lately. Don't worry; this isn't going to turn into a confessional. It's just good to have a reminder that hating my singles ward isn't a good excuse to allow myself to forget what I really believe in and why. I'm grateful for the way I was brought up and know I need to do better to stand as an example of what I know.

Day Six

Favorite superhero? I don't have the slightest clue. Can I go with my favorite movie about a superhero? Because that would be Iron Man.

I don't have a very intriguing "why." I just thought it was a cool movie.

Day Five

Somewhere I've been...

...that is quickly becoming my favorite place to go :)

Day Four

My worst habit is procrastinating! That's pretty much all there is to say about that.

Day Three

Jamie and me at the Grizzlies-Wranglers game

Day Two

The meaning behind my blog name is explained in my first blog post. It's funny, though, because I just re-read that post (to make sure) and my life is so different from what it was nearly three years ago. But I still feel like the blog name applies. When I started--and named--my blog, I had just moved back to my parents' house, was going to school full-time, and working as a teller and cheerleading coach part-time. Now I just work. Haha. But the name, "Life in Limbo," kind of means that I don't know where life is going to take me just yet. I mostly consider myself an adult, but I feel like I'm in a fluid time in life, when changes still happen frequently and nothing is set in stone. When I created my blog, the title was a bit sardonic. However, I've ended up really enjoying Limbo thus far.

Day One

It asked for recent. Well, this is practically real-time :)

I have always been a Britney Spears fan. Never stopped. Even during the shaved-head phase

My sisters are, hands-down, my best friends

I firmly believe that eyeliner is a gift straight from God. I think everyone should wear it; it makes everyone look better (as is evidenced by Johnny Depp in Pirates)

I still miss my white ‘92 Honda Civic all the time. It died Summer of '09

Misuse of apostrophes is quite possibly my biggest pet peeve

My left thumb is significantly shorter than my right

I absolutely love adverbs

I have a Cocker Spaniel-Pomeranian mix named Zipsie that turned one today

I love to play Roulette. I always place money on 3, 8, 18, or a multiple

I don’t cook and I have no desire to start

I have 24 journals

I will always be a BYU fan

I've lived in Utah for 23 of my 24 years and never skied

I love driving

The thought of injustice makes me physically ill

30 Days

I'm sure I knew this at one point, but I didn't remember that my freshman year roommate has a blog! I was looking through and saw that she just started "30 Days to Get to Know Me." It seems interesting, and it just so happens that starting today will take me right up to my birthday. Meant to be, right? :) The activity entails posting the following information:

Day 01 - A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
Day 02 - The meaning behind your Blog name
Day 03 - A picture of you and your friends
Day 04 - A habit that you wish you didn't have
Day 05 - A picture of somewhere you’ve been
Day 06 - Favorite super hero and why
Day 07 - A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 08 - Short term goals for this month and why
Day 09 - Something you’re proud of in the past few days
Day 10 - Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Day 11 - Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12 - How you found out about blogs and why you made one
Day 13 - A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14 - A picture of you and your family
Day 15 - Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16 - Another picture of yourself
Day 17 - Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18 - Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19 - Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20 - Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
Day 21 - A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22 - What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23 - Something you crave for a lot
Day 24 - A letter to your parents
Day 25 - What I would find in your bag
Day 26 - What you think about your friends
Day 27 - Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28 - A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29 - In this past month, what have you learned
Day 30 - Who are you?

I'm going to give it a whirl! I understand I'm not that interesting, and if you don't care to hear from me for a month straight, just tune out for awhile :) You can catch up on January 8th...which is a day I fully approve of for catching up with Wendy!

Live from Salt Lake it's Saturday Night!

Hello folks! I'm sitting on my couch, blogging. That can only mean one thing: I have the internet in my apartment! I'm pretty excited about that. I'm excited that I can blog more regularly, check my bank account without waiting until I have a break at work, and email my brother on his mission more. I can google meaningless information at my convenience, waste even more time on Twitter, and actually read other people's blogs. If you have a private blog and I'm just now getting around to figuring that out, send me an invitation! I'll keep up with you. Promise.

Btw, I love Josh Groban's new cd, Illuminations. (And do you want to know something? I forgot the name of the album and just did a quick google search to come up with it. See, that's what you can do when you have the internet in your apartment.)

I promise not to do these ridiculous blog entries all the time, but you might have to deal with them every once in awhile. I'm just excited to be online, after nearly two years in my apartment.

Warming up to the idea?

Zipsie was born in Las Vegas. When I picked her up in February, it was at least 60 degrees down there. We came home to frost on the ground, but last winter was definitely a mild one. When we'd get rain or snow, Zipsie would pull backward on her leash, refusing to go outside. When I would finally get her outside, she'd tip-toe around (as much as dogs can tip-toe) and then run back inside as quickly as she could.

Last night we got a TON of snow. A good old-fashioned Utah winter. This morning, you would have thought I had a completely different dog. She charged right into the snow to do her business, started galloping around (yes, galloping), and then began digging tunnels. I finally had to drag her inside to avoid being late to work.

At least one of us is excited about the snow.

No fun

It was officially a depressing weekend. One of the worst I can recall. I guess that just goes to show I live a pretty cushy life. But still, I'm depressed.

Last Second Miracles

Ever heard of Last Second Miracles?

Jen and I went to Greg Wrubell and Johnny Harline's book signing at the Macey's in West Jordan, Saturday morning. It was fun to meet Harline and Wrubell and even more fun to see Jen's starstruck reaction when talking to Wrubell about his "best call ever" (referring to the subject of the book, of course--Johnny Harline's game-winning catch in the 2006 chapter of the Rivalry). We were also able to grab some game treats in appropriate colors. Lots of fun!

Happy Thanksgiving

The extent of my "cooking" for Turkey Day.

I hope you enjoyed a relaxing holiday with your family. We all have so much to be thankful for, and this time of year brings so many great reminders to express that gratitude. Like so many people, I'm grateful for a loving family and accepting friends. I'm lucky to have a steady job, a roof over my head, and shoes on my feet.

But additionally, I'm grateful for hot chocolate from co-workers, rivalry jokes, a puppy that eats couch cushions for breakfast but licks my face when I cry, Veronica Mars, cardigans, 'N Sync's Home for Christmas CD, multi-colored pens, the Jazz, purses, Twitter, parents' extra cars, online shopping, Jenny's pumpkin rolls, a family whose conversations are comprised of movie quotes, my health insurance, books, Adiel being home, eyeliner, a mechanic I trust, and sweatpants...just to name a few.

Let it Snow!

I had such an incredible weekend. Sometimes you don't even realize it, but you just need a break. I guess that's where I was, because today I feel more optimistic and pleasant than I have for awhile. Maybe it's the official start of Rivalry Week or the change in the weather making it feel more like the Holidays, but I think it's more likely thanks to two of my favorite people, Ashley and her little girl, Sam. On Saturday we started out our day going to Gardner Village. I needed to do some Christmas shopping that I wanted Ashley's opinion on, and as a bonus we got to see all their fun decorations. I didn't realize they'd already be decorated for Christmas, but I was glad they were.

Sam particularly enjoyed the little elves we saw all over. I think she liked that they were her same size. She doesn't look too happy in this picture, but trust me--she liked them. :)

We made our way up to Heber City. It was Sam's naptime, and Ashley thought it'd be good if we could find a movie to watch while she fell asleep. Well, Heber City has two movie theaters. Don't be too impressed--they only show one movie a piece. There was a showing of Mega Mind 3D starting soon, so we decided to hit it up, even though neither Ashley nor myself had ever heard of the movie and we both don't care for 3D. But it was such a hoot! And the 3D wasn't bad at all.

Kate was kind enough to take care of Zipsie for the weekend. While she dealt with this:

I got to enjoy this:

This is a pic of Sam waiting for the "North Pole Express" on the Heber Valley Railroad. It was so fun!

As we headed out of town, the snow started coming down. We decided to spend the night in Park City rather than continue down the mountain. Even though it's dark, this is the view from our hotel room just minutes after we checked in:

Ash and I were each in one of the beds, so I think Sam thought this was her spot:

What a cutie!

I'm sure you all know that I love my nieces and nephews. I try my best to make sure that I spend time with each of them every week or so. But sometimes it's hard. So when I get the chance to really spend time with one of them, I feel so grateful. I have three nieces that were born within five months of each other. They're all so close in age that it's sometimes easy to lump them together as "the babies." But it's incredible how truly unique they each are, even at such a young age. I'm glad I got to spend time with Sam this weekend and get to know her better for who she is, separate from her cousins.

And I can't really believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad it snowed. :)

Things you might want to know

I haven't blogged forever, so rather than try and do posts for everything I've failed to talk about, I'm just going to give you the highlights.

1. My "new" job at work continues to go well. I'm continually getting new duties assigned to my position, which I really like. I enjoy being the one to pick up odd jobs that need done.

2. On October 9th I took the LSAT (again). Last time I took it, in October of 2008, I got a 158. That's not a terrible score, but it's not good enough to get me into law school. So I took it again, this time cracking open a few prep books the week before the test. Despite my efforts, I felt like the test went horribly.

3. Also on October 9th, my family went to the BYU homecoming game against SDSU. The Utah fans behaved themselves, and we had a great time. The win helped :)

4. On October 28th, Dad, David, and I left for Pennsylvania. We had a great time visiting relatives and watching JoePa get his 399th win against Michigan. It was an incredible experience and a great weekend.

5. October 29 brought a pleasant surprise in the form of my LSAT score. I miraculously did much better than I expected. I'm now in the process of applying wherever I think I might have a shot of getting in.

6. November 5 I attended the Mae concert at Avalon Theater. For those of you who don't know, Mae's my favorite band, and this happens to be their farewell tour. I was feeling melancholy prior to the show, knowing it was the last concert. But it ended up being an incredible night. They played for two hours, including a thirty-minute encore. Probably the best concert I've ever been to.

7. I attended my nephew's closing night of Once Upon a Mattress on November 8. I sometimes feel old when I look at my nieces and nephews growing up. But having a nephew play the lead role in a junior high musical is too much. I swear just yesterday I was dancing in Joseph with Jess and Adiel. Regardless, my nephew did such a great job, and I had so much fun seeing him perform.

8. Kate and I are finally getting internet. Through some issues we had with Comcast, they decided to comp our DVR service. So we're going to put the money we save monthly on that toward internet service. The equipment came this last weekend. Now I just have to set it up.

9. I'm going back to school. Not law school, either. Turns out, I was confused on a few course requirements at BYU, and so after two and a half years I'm going back to Provo to finish my degree for real. Classes start January 4. Yikes.

10. It's my favorite week of the year...RIVALRY WEEK! Send me your best jokes (whether you're a BYU or Utah fan--I appreciate them both) and LET'S GO COUGS!

Growing Pains

ksl.com - Woman killed in rollover accident

I don't think of girls my age as "women," but we are.

I don't know anyone close to me that has died, but I will.

I don't know how to express love and concern for a family of a girl I knew 10 years ago, but I want to.

I don't want to get older, when it's even more common to hear that a former classmate has passed on, but it's happening.

I don't know what to say when my best friend calls, heartbroken over the news, but I try.

I don't feel right saying I'm in mourning when I haven't seen someone for at least 6 years, but it's true.


I remember Chelsie Hill as a nice, smiling girl that was friends with all of my friends. When I think of her, I see her in a class officer polo shirt from our 9th grade year in junior high. I try and recall specific conversations or classes we had together, and I come up short. Her death is so sad. But when I'm being completely honest, it's clear that we were little more than acquaintances.

So why am I so upset? Why have I been on the verge of tears since hearing the news? Why can't I concentrate on any of my work?

She has friends and family feeling this loss so acutely, and I wonder why I feel like this is somehow my loss, too.

Maybe it's textbook empathy. Maybe I'm saddened over the fact that I never knew her better. Maybe it's scary to realize how fragile life is.

Or maybe it comes down to the simple fact that the death of anyone so young, with so much life left to look forward to, is nothing less than tragic.

I don't get it

I received this forward today at work. (I know the text is kind of hard to read; I just took a quick screenshot.)

What I don't understand is 1) How people can be so ignorant as to believe something like this in an email forward. And 2) Why dislike of a political figure's policies or ideologies automatically translates into criticism on all fronts.

In case you're wondering, our beautiful First Lady actually wore the dress seen below:

Hunger Games

My sister and roommate finally convinced me to pick up The Hunger Games. I haven’t read at all since finishing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo because I’ve been catching up on my Criminal Minds episodes, but today at lunch I finally started. I’m only 60 pages in (so please don’t leave any spoilers in your comments), and I can’t stop thinking of the short story by Shirley Jackson called "The Lottery." Have you read it? I read it in a lit class my sophomore year of college. It made me sick to my stomach at the time, but it’s one assignment from my college studies that I actually remember, so I guess it left an impression. If you’ve read both, do you see a correlation? "The Lottery" was published in 1948. I’d be interested to know if Suzanne Collins has read it. I bet she has.

Excuse me

Last night I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds (surprise) called "Damaged." In it, there is the following interchange:

(discussing Rossi)
Prentiss: He might need our help.
Garcia: He didn't ask anyone for help.
Prentiss: Penelope, Rossi is a guy who color codes his handwritten notes in his notebooks: blue pen for evidentiary items, red pen for supposition and theory. The guy is a fussy, anal-retentive neat-freak who never leaves anything out of its place. (pointing to the mess in Rossi's office) I would say this is a scream for help.

I would never be described as fussy, anal-retentive, or a neat-freak. But, isn't this normal?

That's my monthly report. When I finish a case, I cross it out. That's normal, right? That's how I keep track of where I am in the 60 pages. But apparently, people think the colors are weird. I think they make sense. I can look at this picture and easily tell you the bottom case got set up for tracking. The one above I did nothing with because it was current. The one above that I emailed the Judge's clerk with a question about.

On my work calendar, I see dates circled in different colors. Fuschia: I'm covering the front counter. Purple: I'm covering Protective Orders. Orange: I have the dates scheduled off.

I still identify very strongly with the color blue, because that was my color on our family calendar growing up. When I think of Jen, I see green. Ashley, purple. Jessica, pink.

Are you telling me this isn't normal? And if it's not, I'd love to know--how on earth do people organize without color coding? Weirdos.

Small changes

I don't think I mentioned that at the end of June/beginning of July, Kate and I switched apartments. Same building, only difference is that now our sleep isn't interrupted by midnight apartment-length sprints by our upstairs neighbors (or their child, or their dogs). Well, that's a lie. It's not the only difference, but it is the most important one.

Another difference is that since we're on the top floor by the roof, some of our walls are pitched. It's made decorating interesting. Plus, Kate and I don't spend a lot of time at home. But it seems like any time one of us has a day off work or something, the apartment becomes a little more lively.

Last Monday, I did some Labor Day shopping with my sisters. Every time I'm at Ross I look at their gigantic wall hangings, because I think they're awesome. This time, I came across this:
Kate's an Audrey Hepburn fan (probably because they look like twins). I immediately thought of her, and it was a good price, so I bought it.

Then, on Wednesday I was sick, so it got hung up. Here's the wall from the other side. Sorry for the messy table:

I felt like I needed to add something, and I remembered a corner table I had sitting in the middle of my bedroom. It wasn't being used because corner tables don't fit well into slanting walls. Kate had recently bought a houseplant, and voila:

I'm no master decorator like Jen is, but I like the small changes. It feels warm.

Too harsh?

Okay, so I've been feeling bad. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo wasn't a bad book. Probably like 4 out of 5 stars. I was just disappointed because of all the raving reviews I'd heard. Hope that makes sense.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I don't understand all the hype over this book. I guessed the ending on page 98. I fell asleep reading it until I got past page 200. And it once again got boring in the final ONE HUNDRED pages it took to wrap everything up. It was good, but not nearly as great as everyone has made it out to be.



View all my reviews

Toy dilemma

I really empathized with this blog post that I came across on http://www.the-puppy-dog-place.com/indestructable-dog-toys.html:

"When they're young puppies, you may get away with an average rope or squeaky toy, but beware.... soon you'll be finding disemboweled duckies and shredded rope all over your living room.

Apart from being a nightmare to clean up, this kind of destruction can be dangerous to Fido, who will probably attempt to eat as much of the ruined toy as possible."

I feel like this is all I deal with lately. Zipsie destroyed 4 big stuffed toys this month, two of them being in the last 6 days. And when I say destroy, I mean DESTROY. Stuffing, fur, and squeakers all over the place. My wonderful roommate spent this weekend totally cleaning the apartment, vacuuming the couch, floor, chair. Everything looked pristine...for about four minutes. That's the amount of time it took Zipsie to tear off a rhinoceros's leg and pull the stuffing out.

Now as I mentioned, I really connected with part of that article I included above. But I feel the need to point out that this article was written by the owner of a Rottweiler and an Italian Mastiff. Have you seen my dog? She is neither. She can still fit on my lap. Her teeth don't even hurt when she catches my hand when we're playing.

THIS

DID THIS

"What is this?" you ask? Oh, it's the indestructable chew ring I bought her 24 hours prior to the picture being taken. What's left of it anyway. I'm sure we'll be seeing pink poop for the next few days.

Anyway, I just don't know what toys to give her anymore. And don't suggest more exercise. The rhino leg incident I told you about immediately proceeded a 2 1/2 mile walk.

I feel like a sell-out

My seat on the bandwagon is nice and comfy...

Okay, so on Saturday, I did this:

And got some of this:

No, you're not mistaken. Yes, I waited more than a year to sell my old car. Yes, it sat in my wonderful sister's driveway all that time. No, it did not make it any easier to let go.

To ease the pain, I took the money and bought an iPod touch. A heck of a lot smaller than my white Civic, a heck of a lot newer, and apparently worth about the same amount. I'm really enjoying it so far. We'll see how the relationship pans out.

I know, I know

I keep getting yelled at about not keeping my blog up-to-date. There are worse sins, people! But, here I am, blogging. I don't have all my pictures uploaded that I wanted to share, but I will give you a brief rundown of what I've been up to. Since Washington DC, I've experienced a fun day-trip to Jordanelle, training in Protective Orders, a spur-of-the-moment trip to Las Vegas, a sad farewell to a lot of great co-workers, a Saturday visit with my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Dennis in Wendover, and beginning a new job. Hopefully that's enough to whet your appetite until you can get more Life in Limbo :)

"O! Say can you see"

Perhaps the most amazing thing I saw here is the Star Spangled Banner...the actual flag which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that would become our National Anthem. This exhibit is one in which you can't take pictures, so the pictures below are taken from the exhibit's blog. I can't accurately describe the feeling I had here.

As you enter the exhibit, the outside wall is filled with information about Francis Scott Key and the events leading up to that fateful battle. Then as you round the exhibit you see on your left a glass room, with this giant flag laid out. Behind the flag, on the wall, are projected the words to the first verse of the Star Spangled Banner. Seeing those words behind the actual banner talked about in them filled me with a sense of patriotism that is beyond explanation. As much as I loved my Lincoln Day, I would recommend this exhibit to anyone going to D.C.

I love singing the National Anthem, but I actually really prefer the fourth verse of the song. I'll leave you with those lyrics:

Oh, thus be it ever when free men shall stand

Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!

Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n rescued land

Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto, "In God is our trust"

And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

"We the people"

All of the most incredible things we saw today were in areas where pictures aren't allowed. So the pictures you'll see are taken from other sources; I didn't break the rules :)

We started off the day at the National Archives. We tried to reserve tickets online, but there were none available. So we were pretty nervous about what the lines were going to look like. When we got to the Archives, the line was pretty long, but since it was moving quickly we thought we'd be fine. The biggest concern we had was Samantha. Sitting too long without moving in the 100-degree sun they have here can be a bit much. We were in before too long, and moved through security quicky.

We were waiting right off the elevators because the crowd waiting for the rotunda was huge when an Archives worker walked up to Ashley and said, "Have you already been to the rotunda?" Ashley said, "No, that's what we're waiting for." And the worker asked, "Would you like me to take you in a back entrance so you don't have to deal with any more stairs?" Oh the perks of having a baby in a stroller...She walked us right up and in this gate that led directly into the rotunda where the Charters of Freedom are displayed. We didn't have to wait in line at all (and it was a line that probably would have taken us an hour to wait through). It was AWESOME. So I got to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.


Then I went to the gift shop where I spent as much money as I've spent the rest of my trip here :) Oh well. It was worth it.

"Now he belongs to the ages..."

If you know me at all, you know that I am totally enamored with Abraham Lincoln. When Ashley asked me what I wanted to do while I was in D.C. I said, "I want to see the Lincoln Monument. Beyond that, I'm okay seeing as much or as little as you want." And I meant that seriously. That's why this was such an incredible day. Yes, I got to see the Lincoln Monument, which I'll talk about in a bit, but it was so much more than that. We started off the day at Ford's Theater, and I felt like my entire day was focused on the legacy on Lincoln. It was reflective, very personal, and again--one of the most memorable days of my life.

I'm only going to explain a few pictures. The rest should be self-explanatory.

This is the actual clothing Lincoln was wearing when he was shot.

This pillow, although blurry, has blood stains from where Lincoln's head rested on it.

The gun with which Lincoln was shot.

The theatre box John Wilkes Booth entered to assassinate our 16th president. The picture in front is the actual picture of George Washington that was placed outside the box to designate it ready for Lincoln's arrival. The Park Ranger explained that in the 19th Century, when people didn't have a Presidential Seal to use, they'd put out a picture of Washington.

It was surreal to be there, thinking about what happened that fateful night of April 14, 1865. Looking at the theatre box, you could perfectly imagine the events of that night. It gave me the chills and made me cry. More than anything, it really allowed me to feel connected to my historical hero.

That feeling of connection only grew as we ventured out to the Lincoln Monument

I know this isn't the best picture, but it was the first glimpse I caught of the monument. Again, it started the tears flowing.

I couldn't help but find the center line in

this picture amazingly ironic :

"The world will little note nor long remember what we say here..."

(a portion of the Gettysburg Address,

which is now engraved in stone)

What an incredible day. And right as I walked away from taking this picture, I saw fireflies between the trees :) It was wonderful.