My birthday was this week. On a Monday. Yuck. The worst possible day for a birthday, right? Wrong! When it's on a Monday, you get to celebrate all weekend long. The celebration began on Friday afternoon when my mom got here. She doesn't leave home often, so this was a super-special occasion. That afternoon/evening we toured Logan, USU, went shopping, and had dinner at Texas Roadhouse (one of my favorites). When we got home, we even had time to watch a movie.
At about 2 a.m. on Saturday morning, I woke up because I was scratching my hands really hard. They itched so bad. I put lotion on right away. Didn't help. I then figured it must be an allergic reaction. I searched through my drawers for an antihistamine. Of course I didn't have any. So, I woke up my mom out of a deep sleep. I asked if she had anything. She remembered that she might have put some in her car. So I went out and searched. There it was! I took some and then iced my hands to a numbing point. I felt much better. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night.
The next morning we were supposed to go to the temple. Mom sent me back to bed and she went by herself. (Go Mom!) I really slept a long time. I guess that antihistamine really put me out. By the time I woke up, she had been home 2 hours and had gotten some work done. I felt like such a poor host. Oh, I guess I should mention that by Saturday, I had had a cough for a whole week. It took a lot out of me. That afternoon we went down to Lehi to visit some of my cousins (Patricia, Ashlie, Spencer, Lauri Jo and their families/friend). It was a good visit. We were both wiped by the time we got back to Logan, but we still watched a movie.
Sunday morning my mom left. She decided she would leave a day early so that I could rest. My hands were still pretty swollen, although not as itchy as before. I felt bad that she left, but sort of glad that I didn't have to worry about her while I was ill.
Monday came and went uneventfully. I spent the day in bed. I woke up with a sore throat on top of the cough I'd had for a week. I decided to finally make a doctor's appointment for Tuesday. I got a few birthday calls on Monday, which I didn't answer because I had no voice and would have coughed more than talked. I do appreciate all the calls, emails, and messages on Facebook. I have to say it was the most low-key birthday I've ever had.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Memory: The Easter Bunny lives next door?
Growing up, my next door neighbors owned a local grocery store. They used to do all sorts of fun things for the holidays. There was one Easter where Carol dressed up as the Easter Bunny. I remember being outside in my pretty Easter dress and hat and seeing something white and big. I ran to the front side walk to see what it was. I saw an Easter bunny with a normal person's head. I was still at the age where I believed in all of the fairy tale characters and was so confused. I yelled to my parents that I just saw the Easter Bunny. I remember it (Carol) running inside. By the time my parents came over with their camera, the bunny had its 'regular' head, a big, white, furry one. I was still soooo confused. I knew that it was Carol inside, but it looked so real. The neighbors played it up saying that it was definitely the real Easter Bunny. I think it was at this time that I realized that grown ups often have more fun at holidays than children because of all they get to do, like dress up. My parents got a picture of me and one of my brothers holding the hands of the 'Easter Bunny'.
Another year, the same neighbors 'hid' a bunch of eggs in their yard for us to find. They also invited our cousins. Their back yard was covered with Mayes kids running all over for candy. I miss Bob and Carol, who moved a few years back. They had such a sense for the fun.
Another year, the same neighbors 'hid' a bunch of eggs in their yard for us to find. They also invited our cousins. Their back yard was covered with Mayes kids running all over for candy. I miss Bob and Carol, who moved a few years back. They had such a sense for the fun.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Monday Memories: Muddy
Our neighbors down the street from us had a garden that was right next to our backyard. (Our block is a little screwy with land boundaries.) Mr. Ravell grew HUGE pumpkins every year. He usually watered his garden by flooding it. Well, one day the flooding came into our yard. At the time we had a little shed at the back of the property. The water pooled right next to it. I went out to see what my brothers were doing that afternoon only to find them in a mud puddle. Our cousin Mark was there, too. I remember getting mud on a few places on my body, mostly my arms, legs, and face. I remember thinking that it felt neat when it dried out. Well, the boys were a little more liberal with placing mud on their bodies. We have a picture of how muddy we all were at the end. I can only imagine what my mother thought when she saw us all, especially when one of the children wasn't her own. Needless to say, we got washed off with well water. BRRR! We have a picture of us showing off our muddy bodies. Someday I'll have to scan it so you can all see how bad it really was.
Montreal, Day 5
Sunday, April 3
4:50 a.m.: Wake up and get dressed (Yes, that would be 2:50 UT time!)
5:45 a.m.: Get to the airport
7:30 a.m.: FINALLY get through security and customs (It was a madhouse! There were many impatient people who, I guess, thought they were more important than everyone else in line. Maegan and I were just glad that we had gotten there early enough for our flight.)
8:45 a.m.: Board the plane
2:30 p.m.: Finally land in Salt Lake. The flight from Detroit to SLC as the longest ever. I felt like I could have litterally climbed the walls of the airplane. There were children on the flight who behaved better than I did. I really didn't lash out. I just was extremely antsy. I think the 3 1/2-4 hour flight was about 2 1/2 hours too long.
3:30 p.m.: Eat at In-n-Out in Centerville
4:30 p.m.: Heave a sigh of relief as I enter my apartment. As much as I enjoyed the who trip, I think the flight home did me in. I pretty much slept straight for the next 36 hours, even missing a class. It was a great conference, but I'm glad I don't have to travel across the continent more than once a year.
4:50 a.m.: Wake up and get dressed (Yes, that would be 2:50 UT time!)
5:45 a.m.: Get to the airport
7:30 a.m.: FINALLY get through security and customs (It was a madhouse! There were many impatient people who, I guess, thought they were more important than everyone else in line. Maegan and I were just glad that we had gotten there early enough for our flight.)
8:45 a.m.: Board the plane
2:30 p.m.: Finally land in Salt Lake. The flight from Detroit to SLC as the longest ever. I felt like I could have litterally climbed the walls of the airplane. There were children on the flight who behaved better than I did. I really didn't lash out. I just was extremely antsy. I think the 3 1/2-4 hour flight was about 2 1/2 hours too long.
3:30 p.m.: Eat at In-n-Out in Centerville
4:30 p.m.: Heave a sigh of relief as I enter my apartment. As much as I enjoyed the who trip, I think the flight home did me in. I pretty much slept straight for the next 36 hours, even missing a class. It was a great conference, but I'm glad I don't have to travel across the continent more than once a year.
Montreal, Day 4
Saturday, April 2
8:30 a.m.: Get up (Yes, we slept in 2 whole hours! Of course, this was still 6:30 UT time, which was way too early)
9:30 a.m.: Go eat crepes again (Our hotel had a 'complimentary' breakfast, but it wasn't anything to get excited about)
10:30 a.m.: Attend a poster session of some USU colleagues
12:30 p.m.: Attend MY session (Okay, not really mine, but the session that I helped with a presentation for. Belinda, the lady who did the presentation, did an amazing job. I wish she could present my thesis for me.)
2:30 p.m.: Head back to the hotel (Maegan stayed for more sessions. She's a better person than I.)
6:30 p.m.: Meet up with Ann and Belinda for dinner at a French restaurant (Had the BEST chicken ceasar salad EVER! The sauce was a cream. Oh, I wish I could get another one.)
9:00 p.m.: Have a chat with Maegan, even though we were both tired.
11:00 p.m.: Go to bed
8:30 a.m.: Get up (Yes, we slept in 2 whole hours! Of course, this was still 6:30 UT time, which was way too early)
9:30 a.m.: Go eat crepes again (Our hotel had a 'complimentary' breakfast, but it wasn't anything to get excited about)
10:30 a.m.: Attend a poster session of some USU colleagues
12:30 p.m.: Attend MY session (Okay, not really mine, but the session that I helped with a presentation for. Belinda, the lady who did the presentation, did an amazing job. I wish she could present my thesis for me.)
2:30 p.m.: Head back to the hotel (Maegan stayed for more sessions. She's a better person than I.)
6:30 p.m.: Meet up with Ann and Belinda for dinner at a French restaurant (Had the BEST chicken ceasar salad EVER! The sauce was a cream. Oh, I wish I could get another one.)
9:00 p.m.: Have a chat with Maegan, even though we were both tired.
11:00 p.m.: Go to bed
This was my favorite building (the green dome) that I saw in Montreal. I have no idea what it was, but it was beautiful. One night our bus drove by it, but it wasn't lit. Such a disappointment. It was only a few blocks from the hotel, but I never ventured towards it to find out what it was (sore feet and all).
This was some funky artwork that was in the conference center. Maegan and I just had to get a picture next to it. We couldn't decide if they were trees or pink hands growing from the cement earth. Whatever they were, there was a slew of them.
Maegan, Ann (our adviser) and me at the conference.
Ann, Belinda (the lady who I've worked VERY closely with the past few months) and me.
A sculpture in front of a university downtown. It was very interesting. It was something about the light and how those who were towards the back were farther from the light and therefore were worse off in life. Very interesting.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Montreal, Day 3
Friday, April 1
6:30 a.m.: Wake up
7:30 a.m.: Eat breakfast at a crepe place just a block from us (AMAZING crepes). I had apple filling in mine. It was like eating pie for breakfast.
8:30 a.m.: Attend 3 sessions of the conference
2:30 p.m.: Hobble back to the hotel on extremely sore feet and take a nap
5:3o p.m.: Meet up with 'the numbers people' for dinner at a Thai restaraunt in China Town. (These are the people who do research into math and child development. Very interesting dinner. I mostly listened to them all comisserate on how difficult it has been to get published in this area. Kind of made me nervous about my future in this area of research. Hopefully it will change.)
7:30 p.m.: Get on the bus with Belinda to head to a SRHD wine and cheese (paid $5.50 for a glass of Diet Pepsi)
9:00 p.m.: Get in a taxi for a 4 block ride back to my hotel (yes, my feet hurt that bad)
11:00 p.m.: Go to bed
The Thai place wasn't as good as the Chinese we had eaten the previous night. Being the conservative eater that I am, I got the most boring meal I could find on the menu: beef and veggies. There were still plenty of veggies I didn't recognize in the dish. Belinda and I had to leave early for another meeting. We had already been at the restaurant for over an hour and the waiter seemed surprised that we would leave that quickly. (As I mentioned before, it seems eating out is an all-night experience.) I wish I could have had more time exploring China Town. But with the time constraints and the icky weather, there was no way I would do it on my own that night.
Another observation about Montreal: for the majority, it seemed that everyone drove VERY nice cars. We saw Audis, Mercedes, and all sorts of others everywhere. Hardly a Ford in sight. And the cabs were all normal cars with cab signs on top. None of them were yellow. Just normal cars. Most of them, ironically, were Fords.
6:30 a.m.: Wake up
7:30 a.m.: Eat breakfast at a crepe place just a block from us (AMAZING crepes). I had apple filling in mine. It was like eating pie for breakfast.
8:30 a.m.: Attend 3 sessions of the conference
2:30 p.m.: Hobble back to the hotel on extremely sore feet and take a nap
5:3o p.m.: Meet up with 'the numbers people' for dinner at a Thai restaraunt in China Town. (These are the people who do research into math and child development. Very interesting dinner. I mostly listened to them all comisserate on how difficult it has been to get published in this area. Kind of made me nervous about my future in this area of research. Hopefully it will change.)
7:30 p.m.: Get on the bus with Belinda to head to a SRHD wine and cheese (paid $5.50 for a glass of Diet Pepsi)
9:00 p.m.: Get in a taxi for a 4 block ride back to my hotel (yes, my feet hurt that bad)
11:00 p.m.: Go to bed
This is a picture of China Town. It was raining at the time. I loved all the lights (which you can't really see in the picture).
The Thai place wasn't as good as the Chinese we had eaten the previous night. Being the conservative eater that I am, I got the most boring meal I could find on the menu: beef and veggies. There were still plenty of veggies I didn't recognize in the dish. Belinda and I had to leave early for another meeting. We had already been at the restaurant for over an hour and the waiter seemed surprised that we would leave that quickly. (As I mentioned before, it seems eating out is an all-night experience.) I wish I could have had more time exploring China Town. But with the time constraints and the icky weather, there was no way I would do it on my own that night.
Another observation about Montreal: for the majority, it seemed that everyone drove VERY nice cars. We saw Audis, Mercedes, and all sorts of others everywhere. Hardly a Ford in sight. And the cabs were all normal cars with cab signs on top. None of them were yellow. Just normal cars. Most of them, ironically, were Fords.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Montreal: Day 2
Thursday, March 31
6:30 a.m.: Wake up (this would be 4:30 Utah time)
8:20 a.m.: Begin attending SRCD conference
4:30 p.m.: Head back to hotel on VERY sore feet
6:30 p.m.: Meet up with some friend for dinner
7:30 p.m.: Finally find a restaurant that had openings
11 p.m.: Go to bed
The SRCD (Society for Research in Child Development) conference was amazing. So much research is being done on so many different areas. I mostly attended sessions on math (my thesis and dissertation topics) and bullying (an area of interest). I also tried to attend the poster sessions where Maegan or others we knew were presenting.
We had the best Chinese that night! I'm normally not one for Asian, but this place was great. I got the least Chinese-like dish, beef and peas. It usually doesn't agree with me, but no problems this time. It did take us a while to find a place that wasn't full. We started out at a French place, which was full. Montreal does food so differently. It seems that the restaurants plan to only fill their tables once a night. Eating out is the only thing people plan for the night. We were at dinner for over 2 hours, and the management didn't seemed concerned at all. (That's how it was everywhere we went.) After dinner we walked around a bit. The company was great. By the time we got back to the hotel, my feet were feeling very sore. I think it was because I wore new shoes that day and they weren't broken in very well. I had blisters the next day.
6:30 a.m.: Wake up (this would be 4:30 Utah time)
8:20 a.m.: Begin attending SRCD conference
4:30 p.m.: Head back to hotel on VERY sore feet
6:30 p.m.: Meet up with some friend for dinner
7:30 p.m.: Finally find a restaurant that had openings
11 p.m.: Go to bed
The SRCD (Society for Research in Child Development) conference was amazing. So much research is being done on so many different areas. I mostly attended sessions on math (my thesis and dissertation topics) and bullying (an area of interest). I also tried to attend the poster sessions where Maegan or others we knew were presenting.
Maegan and my adviser Ann in front of one of their posters.
The building our conference was held in. It had restaurants, art shops, and a whole bunch of other things. A very interesting building.
Maegan, Ann, Belinda, me, Robert, and Nancy in front of a cathedral after eating Chinese.
We had the best Chinese that night! I'm normally not one for Asian, but this place was great. I got the least Chinese-like dish, beef and peas. It usually doesn't agree with me, but no problems this time. It did take us a while to find a place that wasn't full. We started out at a French place, which was full. Montreal does food so differently. It seems that the restaurants plan to only fill their tables once a night. Eating out is the only thing people plan for the night. We were at dinner for over 2 hours, and the management didn't seemed concerned at all. (That's how it was everywhere we went.) After dinner we walked around a bit. The company was great. By the time we got back to the hotel, my feet were feeling very sore. I think it was because I wore new shoes that day and they weren't broken in very well. I had blisters the next day.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Montreal: Day one
Wednesday, March 30
3:15 a.m.: wake up
4:00 a.m.: drive to SLC airport with Maegan and her husband
5:30 a.m.: arrive at airport
7:00 a.m.: fly to Detroit
12:30 p.m.: walk through the Detroit airport (which Maegan and I decided we didn't like very much)
1:45 p.m.: fly to Montreal
4:00 p.m.: arrive in Montreal, go through customs (customs agents are super nice on the way into Canada)
4:30 p.m.: exchange money, take taxi to hotel
5ish: arrive at hotel, Le Square Phillips
5:30ish: go site seeing around Old Montreal
I'm not sure exactly what some of the buildings were that we saw. There were so many churches and buildings with amazing architecture. I could walk around forever looking at the buildings. It's amazing how many types of structures there are all on the same block. It's like they were built in different eras.
Maegan and I walked around for a couple of hours amazed at all there is to see. We tried to find a place to eat on the way back to our hotel. There are so many eateries here...from French to Italian to steak to Chinese to anything. One thing that I really love about Montreal is that the restaurants all post their menu outside so passer-bys can look to see if they are truly interested or not. We ended up eating Italian at a place connected to our hotel. Super yummy. I'm not too fond of the prices of food in the city, but the food has been outstanding. (More on that in later posts.)
3:15 a.m.: wake up
4:00 a.m.: drive to SLC airport with Maegan and her husband
5:30 a.m.: arrive at airport
7:00 a.m.: fly to Detroit
12:30 p.m.: walk through the Detroit airport (which Maegan and I decided we didn't like very much)
1:45 p.m.: fly to Montreal
4:00 p.m.: arrive in Montreal, go through customs (customs agents are super nice on the way into Canada)
4:30 p.m.: exchange money, take taxi to hotel
5ish: arrive at hotel, Le Square Phillips
5:30ish: go site seeing around Old Montreal
I'm not sure exactly what some of the buildings were that we saw. There were so many churches and buildings with amazing architecture. I could walk around forever looking at the buildings. It's amazing how many types of structures there are all on the same block. It's like they were built in different eras.
This is me by the St. Laurence (sp?) river. You can sort of see a clock tower behind me. To the left of it there was a beautiful bridge that goes across the river.
This is the Notre Dame cathedral that was only a few blocks from the conference. It was beautiful. Maegan later took a tour, but I didn't have time for it.
Maegan and I in front of a funky structure. Art seems to be a big thing here...between statues, the buildings, and art stores, my eyes have had a feast. (There have been quite a few nudes to see, which my eyes have NOT feasted on, thank you very much.)
Maegan and I walked around for a couple of hours amazed at all there is to see. We tried to find a place to eat on the way back to our hotel. There are so many eateries here...from French to Italian to steak to Chinese to anything. One thing that I really love about Montreal is that the restaurants all post their menu outside so passer-bys can look to see if they are truly interested or not. We ended up eating Italian at a place connected to our hotel. Super yummy. I'm not too fond of the prices of food in the city, but the food has been outstanding. (More on that in later posts.)
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