Open Your Eyes / Highlander / Dancing Queen

It's been a while since I've written a blog, and I thought this looked like fun, so here goes...

JUST FOR FUN….
Feel free to do this yourself.

Directions:
1. Put your iPod, iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the “next” button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY OR NON-SENSICAL IT SOUNDS

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
She's Too Much - Duran Duran

2. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
We Apologize For Nothing - Fightstar

3. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
There's a Good Reason These Tables are Numbered, Honey - Panic At the Disco

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Does Your Mother Know - Mamma Mia! Soundtrack

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE PURPOSE?
My Blue Ocean - Kara's Flowers

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Happy - Natasha Bedingfield

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
So Long, Goodbye - 10 Years (Ouch!)

8. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Different - Acceptance (Again...Ouch!)

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Undone - Owsley

10. WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Natural Disaster - Plain White T's

11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Drop Out-The So Unknown - Jack's Mannequin

12. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Heart Attack - Low Diamond

13. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Forever - Walter Meego

14. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap

15. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Rise - Flobots

16. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Trigger Happy Jack - Poe

17. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Said You'd Be - The Panic Channel

18. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
All Over You - The Spill Canvas

19. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Paint Your Target - Fightstar

20. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Request Line - Black Eyed Peas feat. Macy Gray

21. SONG THEY WILL PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Handlebars - Flobots

22. WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Open Your Eyes - Fightstar

(Just because I'm curious to see what the outcome would be a second time, I did it again...it's interesting to see what obscure music I have and how most of these songs have less than nothing to do with the questions.)

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
Bloody Mary - The Panic Channel

2. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Well Enough Alone - Chevelle

3. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
She Had the World - Panic At the Disco

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
What's Been Going On - Amos Lee

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE PURPOSE?
Your Man - Josh Turner

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N Roses

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen

8. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Tracy's Song / Only Time Will Tell - Nelson

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
My Own Summer (Shove It) - Fightstar

10. WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Hard To Say - The Used

11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Super Trouper - Mamma Mia! Soundtrack

12. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Freckles - Natasha Bedingfield

13. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Silent Scream - Richard Marx

14. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GROW UP?
1985 - Bowling For Soup

15. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Franklin - Paramore

16. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Love Me Dead - Ludo

17. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
I'm Not That Girl - Idina Menzel

18. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Someday - Plain White T's

19. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Yeah! - Usher

20. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Peace of Me - Natasha Bedingfield

21. SONG THEY WILL PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Shiver - Coldplay

22. WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Highlander Theme - Queen


(Okay, one more time....)

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
2 Minutes to Midnight - Glamour of the Kill

2. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Rules and Games - Funeral For a Friend

3. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
Piece of Your Heart - Natasha Bedingfield

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
She Won't Last - The Panic Channel

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE PURPOSE?
The Days I Recall Being Wonderful - Fightstar

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Didn't I (Blow Your Mind) - New Kids on the Block

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Le Disko - Shiny Toy Guns

8. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Grand Unification, Part 1 - Fightstar

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
99 - Fightstar

10. WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Silent Movie - Natasha Bedingfield

11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Do You Know What I'm Seeing - Panic At the Disco

12. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Take Off Your Colours - You Me At Six

13. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Cry Baby Cry - Duran Duran

14. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Intro - Bullet For My Valentine

15. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You - Marc Cohn

16. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Blue Bruises - The Panic Channel

17. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Grand Unification, Part 2 - Fightstar

18. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic (Live Version) - Paramore

19. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Miss California - Jack's Mannequin

20. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
The Poison - Bullet For My Valentine

21. SONG THEY WILL PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
The Sweater Song - Weezer

22. WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Dancing Queen

Okay, so I cheated by answering the questions three times...But I didn't skip, I promise!

It hurts, but not enough to break me.

I've quite recently come to the realization that it is a complete waste of my time to try to convince people to be friends with me. I've done it pretty much the past 27 years, and I'm done. I don't need friends whose friendships with me are conditional upon what I do or don't do or believe or know, or who I do or don't associate with. I'll admit, it hurt me when a recently former friend decided to shun me because of my association with people that she hates. I didn't understand it at first. After all, what had I done to her? Then when we were in the same elevator and she refused to acknowledge my existence, things started clicking. I finally understood. This isn't a temporary thing, it's an end of a friendship of convenience.
Let's be honest, I should have seen it coming from the beginning. A leopard can't change its spots, right? It's a very difficult, if not impossible, feat to please any given person at any given time, so to attempt it every time you're in that person's presence, it becomes exhausting. And there are people in this world that will drain all they can from you and enjoy it all the way. These are the same kinds of people that will hold a grudge over the most trivial thing for as long as they can...forever, if possible.
Believe me, I knew that this former friend held these characteristics. Maybe subconsciously I knew that my friendships with these people that she hated would bring out these characteristics and her "wrath" in full force. Maybe I was the one that decided to test her friendship with me, to see if she really was a friend or if it just happened to be convenient for her. I guess the point is, she failed the test. And maybe I did, too. But I've sure learned my lesson. Has she?
I don't know if she'll ever see this. Probably not. If she does, I'm sorry that my friendship was no longer worth her time. I'm sorry that her expectations were so far from who I am that a lasting friendship between her and me would have been impossible. But it's her loss, not mine. I'm okay with it, and I hope that she's okay with it, as well.
So what exactly have I learned from this experience?
1. You shouldn't have to work to get someone to like you or to accept you. If they do, that's great. If not, was it really worth it to begin with?
2. Be yourself and know yourself. If you can't do that, does anyone else really know you? And do they really like you for you or for who you're pretending to be?
3. If someone's friendship is conditional, it's not a friendship, it's a convenience.
4. If the reason your friendship fails is weak and thin, it was doomed from the beginning, and there's nothing you could have or should have done to salvage it. And that's okay. We learn from our mistakes.
5. Who cares if someone likes you or not? If they don't want what you have to offer, someone will, maybe you just haven't met them yet.
That's really all I have to say on that subject. I've probably beat it to death, anyway. I just think that sometimes it helps to hash out your frustrations in some way other than just inside your head. The end.
In other news, if I stop being such a lazy bum, I'm planning on writing a few more blogs in the near future, including, but not limited to, some of the things I've been up to lately, like my two trips to St. George this summer, my job, and my current creative endeavor. Stay tuned!

Dear Blog...

It's been a while since I've seen you. It isn't because I've been neglecting you. I just haven't had much free time to talk to you. But now I can tell you what I've been up to the past few weeks! So here goes...
On the 28th of May, my sister was going into the hospital to have her baby, so I took the day off from work to watch Nathan. After my parents left Kristina's to go to the hospital and Nathan had his nap, he and I went to see everyone I work with. Everybody thought that he was the cutest little guy, which he is, of course. He even had some fun playing with the lighted buttons outside of the rooms in the clinic. I had the hardest time pulling him away. We then went over to the hospital and had hot dogs, then we went to the hospital where my sister was because I had gotten a text message telling me that the baby was here and what room they were in.
She didn't have a name at that point, but I'll tell you what, my new little niece was possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen. She had a head full of dark hair that had been put into a cute little faux-hawk. Everyone had been slightly nervous about how Nathan would react to the new baby, and it wasn't too long before we found out. With his dad's help, he held his new little sister but quickly got tired of having her on his lap so he tried to push her away so he could get up. Then later, he raised his arm and smacked her in the head. What a great start.
The next evening, she was given a name: Audrey Aline. I didn't go to the hospital that day because I had a few things that I needed to do that evening, but after I made an appearance at the YSA council activity and got dinner with the roommates, I headed over to my sister's house and spent a little time with Nathan and my parents.
On Saturday, my sister had been told that she and my niece were cleared to be discharged from the hospital, so she and my brother-in-law had gotten her and Audrey ready to go. Then they found out that Kristina had an infection and the doctor was afraid that it might be something serious. They were told that my sister might need to stay in the hospital for a few more days. They were also told that Audrey could only stay under the hospital's care until the following day and then she would need to be discharged. Audrey would be able to stay there, but she would need to have someone there 24/7 to take care of her.
I missed church on Sunday in case I needed to help with Nathan. Luckily, shortly after I arrived, Kristina called and said that they were both getting ready to come home and would be there in a little while. Turns out that the infection she had was only on the skin and could be treated with oral antibiotics instead of an I.V.
Nothing too exciting happened the next few days, but then my birthday was on June 4th. My roommates took me to Cafe Rio for dinner where a few other friends soon joined us, and then we came home and had apple pie from Marie Callendar's. Yum! My Haley roommate has pictures, so those may be coming soon. It was a pretty low-key evening, just the way I would prefer it. I've never been one for a massive amount of attention.
The next evening I went to dinner with a few coworkers and their kids. We went to Mathilda's at the Jordan Commons. It was Australian food. I thought it was pretty good, but one coworker said she wouldn't go back, partly because they don't do anything for birthdays. I was okay with not having a big birthday hoopla, but they all thought the restaurant should do something.
The next night was something I had been anticipating for at least a month: my fourth Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand concert! Yay! Before the concert, I went to Applebee's for dinner with my friend Nora, her friends Gretchen and Misty, and her sister Megan. It had been a while since I had gone to Applebee's. I was quite pleased with my options and had a difficult time choosing what I wanted. Finally, I decided on this chicken dish that also had garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. It was delicious and I ate every bite! At that point, I was stuffed to the gills but decided that although I usually decide against dessert, I ordered a dessert shooter. Good stuff! We were going to pay and leave, but we soon discovered that our waiter had messed up three of our checks, so we were there for an extra ten minutes or so.
Finally we were able to make it to the Sandy Amphitheater, where the concert was taking place. The guy that opened for the band, Cary Judd, was alright...the only thing that entertained me about him was the fact that he was essentially a one-man band. He would record drums and loop it, then he would do that with all of his other instruments. While he played, my friend Jay finally came. Then the concert started! I've been to quite a few concerts, and they were all entertaining to different points, but Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand are by far the most entertaining bad I've ever seen. They were slightly subdued due to the fact that Ryan Shupe had just had his appendix taken out less than a week earlier, but they still managed to get into quite a few antics.
The next evening was a Black and White Birthday Bash in Lehi, and everyone was supposed to dress in semi-formal black and white. No, it wasn't for me, it was for the two people hosting it, although one of them told me that the party would be for me as well. Interesting that I wasn't told that the birthday people got to wear colors and that I wasn't one of the people sung to. I didn't really care that they forgot that it had been my birthday too because I was kind-of expecting that they would, but I didn't really want to stay for too long because the whole party wasn't really my kind of thing. I was pretty glad when the opportunity to leave presented itself. Our friend Ryan showed up and we found out that his friend Luke and some other people were planning on going on a night hike up Provo Canyon. Haley and I followed Ryan to Provo and met up with the group. They lent Haley and me some pajama bottoms for the hike and we were on our way...in the dark, with only a few flashlights. It was fun, but it was quite cold.
The next few days were pretty uneventful except for visiting my buddy Nathan and my cutie Audrey. Then on Wednesday afternoon I found out that I was to start training to do some data entry with the new system we're going to be billing through, so that's what I have been learning the past few days at work. Friday evening was my ward's Relief Society social, and it was held in our backyard. We had a delicious meal and good company.
This morning I went to the Gateway with Haley because she was manning the Utah Food Bank and selling Creamies at the Chalk Art Festival and I thought it sounded quite entertaining. Some of the art was quite abstract and odd, but there were a few amazing ones, including an Indiana Jones drawing. And then we came home and I took a long nap then did a bit of grocery shopping and then came home to eat my Ab's chicken sandwich, and here we are!
So now that I've updated you, hopefully it won't be too long until my next post!

Bridal shower fun

Today is just about the first time that I've had time and actually wanted to post something. The bridal shower went fairly well. The theme was "Firsts". We were small in numbers but we had a good time. We pretty much just sat and chatted the whole time. Yay for not having to play stupid bridal shower games!

Here's a slightly blurry picture of the advice jar Cristi and I made. I wanted to do something cute and Cristi had some rub-on transfers, so we picked this one and put it on. I later found the flowers to put both on the jar and on the lid, which, unfortunately, you can't see.


These were the delicious mini chicken salad sandwiches I made for the shower. Unfortunately, there was way too much chicken salad left over, partly because the recipe makes a large amount. And I couldn't eat any of it because I got tired of eating it quite quickly. But it was good!


Jami helped me out right before the shower by cutting up fruit. I thought she was just going to pile it on plates. She took it one step further and made a couple of fruit creations.

Another Jamie fruit creation.


By this point, I was done with making things look nice, so I just threw crackers onto a plate. Sadly, I failed to capture the store bought cheese ball on camera.


And finally, here's Jami wearing the bright green reversible hat that she received as part of a gift for "First trip together".

So much to do, such little time...And nobody to do it for me

It's been a while since I've blogged, but there's not really much to say right now, so this will be a quick one. Here's all I've got in the near future: I've got less than 48 hours to pull together the first bridal shower that I've ever hosted. I've pretty much got the plans all straightened out and I know what I'm going to do, I just have to pull it together and make sure everything works. I've got some fun ideas, so there will be pictures to come.

Through Sepia-Colored Glasses

The past two days have not been average in the life of Gina. Yesterday was an event-filled day, and today I almost died. Okay, not really, but the possibility was slightly there.
For the past several months I have been trying to get together with my friend, Jay, who lives in Provo. He and I met oh, so many years ago when he was a recently returned missionary and I had just returned from a summer and fall semester-long sabbatical from school. He and I were both at one of those new semester/new people getting-to-know-you activities and we happened to be in the same group, and we got to know each other. And somehow from that meeting, he and I became friends.
After several failed attempts at actually planning and executing a get-together, Jay and I concluded that yesterday was the best Saturday to get together. Because I had another errand that needed to be taken care of before too long, and because the best place to complete that errand was in Orem, I happily volunteered to drive down to Provo to meet him. We agreed to meet at his place at noon, he gave me directions, and everything was set.
My errand in Orem went off without much of a hitch, and after purchasing my bridesmaid dress for my friend Jami's wedding, I was on my way to Provo, and University Avenue as my journey would take me.
As I drove south on University Avenue, I realized that because I had taken a different exit from the one Jay had advised me, I was unsure of whether I was going the right direction or if I needed to turn around. So before I got too much further, approximately 15 minutes before our agreed meeting time, I sent him a text message asking him what direction I should be going. His reply was somewhere along the lines of, "You're that close already? I haven't even showered."
Because I did not receive my desired response, I told him that I could kill time if needed, but that I still needed to know the proper direction. His response to that was, "I'll call when I'm ready. We can meet somewhere else or we can meet here. I'll call."
Thinking that my wait time would be brief, I followed the directions that Jay had given me previously and found out where he lived because I figured that sometime in the future, it would be helpful to know where to find his living quarters. When he still hadn't called me, I found the closest Deseret Book store and wandered for a good 45 minutes and looked at the same books over and over again. Finally, I decided to purchase a book and kill a bit more time while waiting for him to call. So I took my new cookbook out to my car and perused it . . .twice . . .while waiting for him to call.
Then around one o'clock, I gave up waiting and sent him another text message asking him if he was ready yet and that I would go to his house and meet him, to which he replied, "I'm getting dressed, I'll call you in 5-10 minutes." Thinking that might actually mean that he would call me in 5-10 minutes, I looked through my cookbook once again, wishing I had bought something more substantial with which to bide my time.
Twenty minutes later, just as I was about to tell myself, "If he doesn't call in another half hour, I'm going to Pita Pit and I'm going home," my phone rang. I admit, I spoke to him in a tone that could have been misconstrued as bitter or rude, but I was slightly frustrated. After all, by this time, it was over an hour after the time we had originally decided to meet. But I figured all was well when on my way to his house, he called again and said in a joking manner, "Shouldn't you be here by now?"
A few minutes later, I arrived on his doorstep, and I saw my friend that I hadn't seen in at least a year and a half, since before I left Moscow. It was really good to reminisce about things that had been pushed back into the corners of my mind and to laugh about things that stayed the same about each other as well as the things that had changed. He related to me that his scatterbrained ways were the cause of his delay in getting ready for our lunch and joked that of all people, I should understand. And throughout the afternoon, I teased him about his tardiness and he asked me if I was planning on letting it go anytime soon. I then asked him if he had ever known me to let things like that go easily.
At some point, he and I had somehow decided that our lunch options had been tapered down to two, either Zupa's or Bombay House. I informed Jay that I had never eaten Indian food. He informed me that it was really good, but that if we wanted something sooner because we were hungry and wanted food, Zupa's would be the way to go.
As we were waiting in line to order our food, Jay said a name of someone I had known in Moscow and asked if that was who was standing behind him. He moved to reveal that person that I also hadn't seen in about a year and a half. I talked with him for a minute or two, and Jay and I continued on our way, eating our food and discussing the past.
After we were done eating, Jay asked if I wanted to see Javier, another former Moscow person living in Provo. I was up for it since it had been even longer since I'd see Javier, so off we went. He was in the process of moving into a cute little brick house that he had just bought, so we helped him move for a little bit.
Well, all good things must come to an end, so after concluding that he and I needed to get together more often, Jay and I parted ways and I drove home in the wind and rain, which quickly turned to snow.
I then went over to my sister's house to watch my nephew, and had a blast with that little guy. It seems that he saves the things he says for when I babysit him because later, when I told my sister that he said, "Uh oh, I broke it," she was shocked because he had never said that to her. That kid loves me. He cuddled with me until it was time for me to go to bed, and although I didn't want to make him go to bed, his mom's orders were specific. Of course, he probably would have fallen asleep on me soon after his appointed bedtime, but I thought I would follow the rules this time. Next time I might fudge a little and keep him up later than usual. Just don't tell my sister.
So shortly after I got home from my sister's house, I went to bed, planning on not waking up a minute before about 9 or 10 am. Little did I know that at approximately 7:21 this morning, my roommates and I would be rudely awakened by the smoke/carbon monoxide detector. Four out of five of us quickly emerged from our rooms, half asleep, trying to comprehend what was going on. Because we weren't sure exactly why it went off, some windows were opened to get some fresh (and cold) air circulating through our house and we were forced to stay awake until we had determined that the problem was not carbon monoxide-related. Good thing church didn't start until 1 pm.
In the meantime, Jenny, Cristi, and Haley decided to watch the Care Bears movie. Great. I was a little bit disturbed by the demon child obsessed by this evil magic book, but the Care Bears and the Care Bear Cousins were cute.

Listen up!

I had once promised myself that this blog would never experience comments or complaints about dating. But since this is only my third post with many more to come that will not contain anything about dating, and since this is MY blog and I can do whatever I want. So here goes.
I find it interesting that despite my insistence that I will not ask anyone on a date until I get asked out first, there are many people that think I should take the initiative and ask out anyone I might be interested in. I remind these people of my stance on the subject and include the fact that even if I wanted to ask someone out I wouldn't because I'm a big chicken, yet they must still think that one day I might say, "Hey, you're right! The next hottie boy that I see walk into this clinic, I'm going to walk right up to him and say hey, wanna go out sometime?" Okay, I understand that these people are trying to look out for me because they know that yes, I do want to go on dates. Yes, I do want to get married someday. But I do not want to nor believe that I should back down on my belief that it is the responsibility of the man to ask the woman out. I could go on about that belief, but I'll refrain because it'll only remind me of how irritated I get when the subject is brought up.
Another thing that kind-of irked me was the suggestion that someone made that I should start looking for men that already have children because let's face it, I'm not getting any younger, and apparently there are fewer and fewer decent single men in the world that don't have children. Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing wrong with single men with children. I just think that maybe I still have at least a few years left before I have to start considering men that have an incredible amount of baggage that they would be bringing into a relationship. I don't even think I would be ready to get into a relationship with someone that would be bringing along an insta-family.
I realize that many may disagree with my comments, and I realize that some may even be offended, and if anyone does take offense, that's their decision and their right. But I hope they realize that what I have said is my opinion and my belief and my right.

Some of the best things in life . . .

I wish that everyone had someone like this . . .

. . . around anytime things get rough and tough. My sister called me this afternoon needing a babysitter for my nephew Nathan. She had a dinner that she had to be at by 6:00, and my brother-in-law was stuck in construction in Ogden and it was anyone's guess as to when he would get home. So being the good sister that I am, I rushed as fast as I could in rush hour traffic . . .ha ha . . .(It's been a really long day and I'm tired. Humor me and laugh.)
I'll tell you this much, at times when you're feeling like there aren't many people in the world that are remotely happy to see you, it sure makes you feel great when you walk in the door and one of your favorite people flips out because he's so excited that you're there. I am loved.
So almost immediately after my sister left, Nathan, who will be two years old on St. Patrick's Day, kept saying, "Pocket? Pocket?" and shoving toy cars in my pockets. Well, I'm not one to discourage a creative mind, and being the favorite aunt, I let him. And then when he tried to get the cars out of my pockets, he had some difficulty. "Stuck! Stuck!" he said, so I helped him pull them out so he could put them back in. I am loved.
He also said (or at least tried to say) many words I had never heard him say. I'll admit there are a few things I miss about not living with my sister. Anyway, besides pocket and stuck, he also said his versions of the following words, in no particular order: frog, snail, flower, duck, duckie, piggie, Elmo, eye, nose, head, dog, bear, teeth, pillow, bed, book, ball, dinosaur (at least I think that's what he said), come on (okay, that's more of a phrase, but when he does it while cocking his head in the direction he wants you to go, it's pretty freakin' cute), help, and thank you. How many two-year-olds do you know that can say thank you without any prompting? I am loved.
Okay, so he had a few tantrums when I would take his crackers away from him because all he was doing was licking them and then trying to put them back in the bag or when he would try to convey what he wanted and I could not understand him. But how can I let that get to me when he cuddles with me for an entire movie and even flips out when his dad tries to take him from me? I am loved.
So as I was about to leave, I went to get my kiss and squeeze (if you ask him for a hug he ignores you, but if you ask for a squeeze, he'll lay his head on your shoulder for a minute, so I make sure I get my squeeze) and then I said, "I love you," to which he promptly blew me a kiss. Now, I'm sure that for a lot of people, that's not that unusual. But my sister and I were quite surprised that his immediate response was to blow me a kiss because he had not done that for months. I am loved.
You can probably guess how I felt as I walked out of my sister's house tonight. It's very comforting to know that even when things seem to get difficult, you're important to the people that are most important to you. How can anyone complain about that?

Experimentations

Someday I would like to learn how to become a better photographer, although I sometimes like to think that I'm amazing. Some examples...

This is my roommate Cristi's amaryllis up close.

Some clouds I thought were pretty cool.

The Jordan River Temple Moroni

Possibly more to come if I ever find other cool stuff to take pictures of.