Birthday Buzz

My birthday was on Sunday. (Thanks to everyone for the well wishes.) This one was very low key. I didn't do anything special except take myself to dinner. It's the week before finals, so I didn't go home to celebrate. It's all good though. It got me to thinking about other birthdays and the fun I've had.

Last year the whole family, minus a couple of adults, went swimming in Billings. It was so much fun to watch the little ones. It would have been even more fun this year because Hayden and Wilson would have enjoyed it so much more than last year.

I remember a birthday during middle school where it was on a Saturday. It falls during track season and most of my friends were in track, so I wasn't expecting to do much that day. Well, I woke up with a surprise in my room at 5 a.m. All of my friends were there to sing me happy birthday. They then kidnapped me and took me over to one of their homes for breakfast before they all left for the track meet. I was the only one in my pajamas, so it was awkward, but still fun. I remember on the walk home that my brothers saw me and started to laugh and make fun, wondering why I was still in my pajamas. I told them it was my birthday and I'd just had breakfast with my friends. They didn't believe me. I had to have my mom tell them that it really was my birthday.

I graduated from Ricks College on my birthday 12 years ago. I can't believe it's been that long! I remember thinking, "I'm 20 and graduating from Ricks College, still single. It's hopeless." I look back now and am grateful I didn't get married then....I'm still to immature to be married. But, it was a great day. My parents were both there to see me graduate. My cousin Hans graduated the same day, and I had TONS of friends graduate then, too. The next day I moved to UT and started looking for a job. Not much time between being a teenager and a responsible adult.

For that same birthday, since the actual day was going to be busy, my roommies decided to give me a little party the night before. They'd all had birthdays throughout the year and as a gag gift I had gotten them all very large underwear. For my brithday I got Depends. I have a picture with me wearing them on my head. :)

Other good memories include dinners to Texas Roadhouse, a dinner at a memer's home while on the mission, and much more. These are the ones that stick out most in my mind. I'm sure if I thought about it long enough that I could come up with many more.

Revelation

Starting about 3 months ago, it seemed that any time I read the "Ensign" or my scriptures I was bombarded with things about receiving revelation. After a few encounters of this I started wondering what was up. I was confused because I felt that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing (going to grad school) and that I would be in this situation for a while longer. I had no need to receive any personal revelation concerning any big decisions. That didn't stop the influx of information, though.

Then it happened. Someone in my program asked me why I wasn't in the PhD program. I started to think through my answer and couldn't come up with a plausible argument other than I didn't want to spend another 3 years of my life in school. During this time, I was researching some jobs and what requirements were. They would hire people with master's degrees but prefer those with PhDs. Later that week I was attending a devotional on campus. The lady started quoting President Hinckley on why we need to get as much education as we possibly can. So, I started thinking about it over the weekend. I met with my major advisor on Monday and mentioned to her my thoughts. She lit up and said that while she was doing some work on Friday, she had the impression that she needed to mention that she thought I would make a great PhD candidate. So, I considered it some more. I prayed about it. Thought about it even more. Finally, I made the decision to go to school even longer.

Pretty much the next day things started happening that made me question my decision. (Students can be mean!) I decided to think it out a little bit more. Still, messages were coming about revelation. While home last weekend, I asked my brother Bryan for a blessing. We talked a bit about my question before the blessing. During the blessing I was told that I needed to receive all the education that I could throughout my life. Basically it's so I can share the Gospel. Afterwards, Bryan and discussed it a little more. He said that before the blessing he was going to tell me to quit school as quickly as possible (after my master's) and just find a job. He said that Heavenly Father has something else in mind.

Again, pretty much the next day all chaos broke loose, making me rethink my decision. I'm pretty sure this will be an ongoing thing in my life... I need to remember the answers that I have received and go from there rather than questioning everything.

So, here I go!

Wilson and Spaghetti

My nephew Wilson LOVES food. Whenever he sees anyone with any type of food, he makes a beeline and begins his begging. He makes a grunting noise until he gets food. One night last week we had spaghetti for dinner. My sister-in-law Nicole stripped him down so he could eat by himself. He had a spoon in one hand, but used the other to shovel the spaghetti in his mouth. This is the result. (He was so messy that Mike had to rinse him off in the kitchen sink before taking him into the bath.)

Family Time

Last week was my spring break. I've never had one this long before. I loved it. I spent the majority of my time in Lovell. I then headed to Gillette to watch Hannah and Hayden so Bryan and Chels could escape for her birthday. Here are just a few of the MANY pictures I took while at home.

Wilson chillin' in his chair. (Love the blue eyes.)

B-ry and Peanut 4-wheeling.

Sariah, Erik, Bekah, and Whitney at the "Pinkalicious" birthday party.

Bekah and Whitney in the back yard. (Bekah got ahold of some scissors a few weeks ago. Thus the VERY short bangs. Good thing her hair grows quickly.)

Two Peas

Two of my nieces, Whitney and Hannah, are only a few months apart. They don't get to see each other very often because they live in different towns. When they do get together, as my mom would say, "They are the best of friends and worst of enemies." They actually get along pretty well, considering they are both 3. It only gets a little testy when they are tired. Here are a few pictures of the characters while we were in Lovell a few weekends ago.

Planting

While I was at home, I thought it would be fun to plant a few little plants with Whitney. She loves to play in my mom's garden because of all of the dirt. I thought it would be fun for her to see someone she planted grow over time. So, we bought some bean, radish, and daisy seeds. Here is the documentation of our efforts. Of course Wilson had to be in the middle of it. He loves dirt, too, like the rest of the family.

By the way, another cool thing to do is "plant" radishes in balloons. Put some dirt, a few seeds, and a little bit of water into a clear/white balloon. Blow it up (be careful not to breathe in some dirt) and hang it by a window. It acts as a green house and the seeds grow pretty quickly. The children will be able to watch it grow, and you don't have to worry about remembering to water it. When you pop the balloon, the leaves of the plant die pretty quickly, but you might just have a radish or two in the dirt. The kids LOVE it.

Whitney's Birthday

I was able to be home last week to help celebrate Whitney's birthday. She had a "Pinkalicious" party. Everything was pink....from the decorations to the cupcakes to the gifts to what she was wearing. I think she had a lot of fun. I got her some new 'silkies' with her favorite, Tinker.

The Dancing Nephews

It seems as though music is a love for all of my nieces and nephews. Here are a couple of videos from when I was home last weekend. Wilson will dance to any type of music. He has different moves for different beats. It's so fun to watch him. Hayden likes to bust a move to his new toy that he got from McDonald's. I think he could be the next star on "Night at the Roxbury".

Spring Break 2010

A few statistics from my spring break:

Days of vacation: 10
Beds slept in: 4
Cars driven: 5 (2 new)
Miles traveled: 1293
Trucks passed on I-80: 70 (had to pass the time somehow)
Birthday parties attended: 2 (one of them pinkalicious)
Bums pinched: 6 (cause their just so cute!)
Naps taken: 6 or so (probably or so)
Books read: 1
Times "Snow White" watched: 8
Times "Princess & the Frog" watched: 3
Episodes of "Phineas & Ferb" watched: 6
Homework accomplished: not nearly enough
Pictures taken: 60+
Plants planted: 7
Times played in the dirt: lots
Dances jigged: tons
Fun had: much

February

I can't believe that February is over and that March is on its way. The time is going quickly. Not much "cool" happened during February. I was able to go home for President's Day, which also happened to be Valentine's Day weekend. I had made little packages for each of my brothers and their families. The nieces had a great time pulling everything out and eating the candy, much to their mom's dismay.

Saturday night, my brother Mike and his wife Nicole went on a date to Cody. My mom and I got to watch Whitney and Wilson. They are characters. I love watching them.

This is Whitney eating her treat, a gogart.

Wilson had to try Grandma's treat, a fudge cicle. He devoured it. No little bites for this guy.

The 3 princesess wearing their crowns (Bekah, Whitney, and Sariah).

Wilson in his birthday suit and Valentine's Day tie.

Whitney and I before church.

One of THOSE Days

Today should have been Friday the 13th. That many things seemed to go wrong. First off, I didn't sleep very well last night. I woke up wide awake at 4 a.m. I did some reading in the "Ensign" and went back to sleep an hour later. When my alarm went off, I woke up feeling like a desert had taken residence in my eyes. I had to be on campus in order to play the organ for devotional or I would have gone back to sleep.

At devotional, we usually only sing the first verse of the opening hymn. I guess this week's chorister wasn't aware of that. After the first verse, I quit playing like normal. When I looked back up at her, she was looking at me all shocked with her hand in the air. Now, I've been doing this every other week for the past 5 months so I knew that I was okay in only playing one verse, but it still surprised and embarrassed me. I felt so bad afterwards.

After devotional I went to get some lunch. I realized I had left my wallet at home. Thank goodness I had a bit of money in my pocket left over from shopping last night. I went to my office to eat and grade papers. After about 2 of them I decided I needed a nap. I was cranky and tired and not effective.

One good thing about today was that I got to take a nap. After I woke up, my little friend Preston (from Idaho) called me to tell me that he missed me. I haven't seen him since August, so I was surprised that he would even remember me. (He's only 5.) I got to talk to his mom, Marianne, for a few minutes, too. It really made my day. Thanks for calling me, Preston!

After hanging up with Preston I went outside to run an errand. As soon as I shut my door, I realized that I didn't have my keys with me. I haven't locked myself out of my apartment in years. Thank goodness my friends Jessica and Jaime have an extra key for my place. Unfortunately, they were both working and their apartment is across town. I thought about walking there, but then I would have to walk back. Not good in a land of ice and snow with me only in a sweatshirt. I began making calls to the other 2 people I know who live in Rexburg, but they either didn't asnwer or were out of town. My neighbor, whom I had never met, actually came out of her apartment and offered me a ride to their house. Yippee! I am now safe and warm in my apartment. Now I only have to grade 90 papers before Tuesday. Not asking much, eh?

The Life of Chaos

My life has become chaos. Not the controlled kind, either. The teacher I TA for has been out of the country for over a week, leaving me in charge of a class of over 100 students. Most of these students are freshman. Not only have I had to teach, I got to grade 100 papers in 4 days. This is so they could have the grades before their next paper was due, which was today. So, now I have another 100 papers to grade in 4 days. Oh, yippee.

After handing back the first set of papers a few days ago, I got to give a "soap box" lecture. This one was to remind them that a professor (a.k.a. me) doesn't really care how well a person can argue about their grade. We care more about the effort and time they put into their work. If they didn't put in the time and effort, then don't complain. I don't think the students were too happy, but I didn't have a line outside of my office after class of complainers. Instead, I had only a few students who wanted to learn from this experience (quoting another part of my soap box) and wanted to know if I had suggestions for them. It was great.

My other classes are going okay, so far. My research methods is going to be a lot of work. It won't be hard, just work. I feel like all I do any more is read, read, read. It's either to grade papers or to read articles for class. I also am supposed to present research at two conferences this semester, finish a literature review for a paper to submit to a journal, and begin my own research for my thesis. Needless to say, it's only chaos.

Back at it

School is in session! It's been a weird week. It's hard to come back from a break as long as the Christmas one and get back into the swing of things. I'm still trying to remind myself that I have a whole semester to accomplish the tasks before me. It's a struggle that I have at the beginning of each one. The teachers give you a syllabus of everything you will need to do, and it's hard to tell myself it'll be okay.

I'm taking New Testament for my institute course. Brother Harding is my teacher. He began his CES career in Lovel over 20 years ago. He still has all the energy he did back then. I think it will be a great course. I have 3 classes I am taking for my master's. I don't think they'll be difficult, but they will be a lot of work. One of them is research methods. I'm not so sure about that one. It isn't my favorite subject.

I also am a TA for a class this semester. It's a little different than the one from last semester. It's the same class, just a different format. There are over 100 students in the class. I taught for the first time on Thursday. I think it went okay. I went over my alotted time, but I think the students still understood what I was trying to say. I enjoyed it. Being critiqued by the professor isn't a fun thing. I always hate being told how to improve. Not good for the ego.

Happy Birthday, Bryan

Happy Birthday to my hot-stuff brother, Bryan.

Christmas Break - 2nd Half

The rest of Christmas break went by way too quickly. I was home for over 3 weeks, but it only felt like 1. I miss being able to see the nieces and nephews more often. I was going to go to Gillette to visit Bryan and his family, but I was sick too much of the time. So, I stayed home.

Christmas was fun. Nicole's family was there. Aunt Susan came from Oregon for Sariah's baptism. We had a full house.

Nicole's brother Kletey with Bekah and Whitney on Christmas morning.

It seemed there was a theme most of the week...trying to see who was the strongest of the boys. To test this, they had the girls get on their backs to see who could do the most push-ups. This is just one of the many photos. Whitney, Bekah, and Sariah on Kletey's back.

Bryan and his family came over the day after Christmas. This is a picture of Hannah and Whitney wrapped like babies in their blankets from Grandma H. They had ring suckers in their mouths that looked like binkies. Silly girls.

A day or two after Christmas Eli blessed his and Kristin's new baby, Ava. Here is a picture of her with my mom.

Picture of me with Eli's family.

Elle, BrookeLynn, Eli, Shawnee, Ava, Kristin