We are all stubborn fools

Carrie and I recently re-watched all of the Harry Potter movies. They are all good. I was reminded of how I resisted the allure of Potter-mania for years. I saw the movies, but only with my family because my tix were paid for, though I liked them. I never read the books until one fateful drive from Provo to Overland Park, Kansas, when I got to spend time with the Cranes in America's Heartland when we were recently engaged. We listened to the third book, Prizoner of Azkaban, and it was riveting. When we got home before it was over I had to listen to the rest of the cassette tapes in Carrie's kitchen. I have since read all of the books after the third, but still not the first two.

Why was I so slow on the uptake with Harry? They are fabulous books. Everyone that read them told me that they were wonderful. And yet I resisted. I think I am a stubborn idiot.

I am like the native Tasmanian people, the famously "most backward" people in the whole world. They were cut off from the world when water levels rose and cut off Tasmania from mainland Australia. Not only did their culture not "progress" according to western standards, but it digressed, losing the technologies they had already been exposed to. Americans choose to resist good ideas sometimes as well, though with less debilitating results. We stubbornly stick to our ineffecient QWERTY keyboard. It was designed so that all the letters that are used most often are placed far apart so that old-school typewriters would not get jammed. Other designs for keyboards have been designed and produced, but we resist. It is pretty silly, right up there with resisting the metric system.

But I do it all the time. I still have not seen all of Titanic. I made a decision a long time ago that I would never see the movie. Why? I do not know. I think I was bothered by all the attention the movie was getting, and I decided to have an unneededly strong opinion about it. I think a couple of times I have said that I thought the movie was dumb, but how would I know. I have not seen it. Maybe some psychologist would say that I resist the Titanic because I am getting some reward the reinforces that behavior, but I can't think of what I am getting. I have watched scores of other cheesy, "girl-movies", and liked more than I publicly admit, so what is the problem with Titanic.

I think I need to listen to others better and learn from their opinions. Perhaps then I would stop needlessly punishing myself by withholding my participation in activities, movies, books, etc. that are good. I need to seek after things that are "of good report", and those opinions come from others. This post is way too long because I am waiting for Carrie to be ready for bed.

Celebrate Good Times COME ON!

Yesterday the John family spent their first day in the resort town of Branson, Missouri. Carrie's employer paid for all of their employees to go to an amusement park, Celebration City, and for a good ol' southern BBQ for everybody. We decided to go to the outlets in Branson before we hit up the amusement park. Outlet shopping is not my specialty, as I usually do not enjoy shopping unless there is something I need. After Carrie tried to convince me to spend her gift certificate money, I finally realized that I did need a new pair of shorts. It was 95 degrees outside and I was wearing jeans because my only pair of shorts had multiple food stains (big surprise to those who know how I tear through food like a tornado through the Ozarks). I bargain shopped, comparing prices at every store that sold shorts I liked, and I ended up finding a mismarked pair of shorts that I convinced the cashier to give me the sale price. I think that my mom would be proud. After shopping we went to the A&W, one of the many business entities in Branson with Mormon ties. I had forgotten that they have root beer on the tap there, and it reminded both of us the homemade root beer at the Crane fmily reunion. We are sorry we had to miss the reunion this year and hope to attend future reunions.


After shopping we made our way over to Celebration City. I decided to dance through the entry-way, which Carrie happened to catch on film. Now Celebration City is no ordinary theme park. It is not caught up in all the hoopla, the bells and whistles of other parks like Six Flags or Disney World. It is quaint. It stinks of fried food. The lines were short, never longer than 15 minutes, and the rides were simply fun. Also, amusement parks are not designed for 20 somethings like our family. However, if you get in the right mood you can have fun without mind-altering drugs. I think this picture of Carrie tells you how we were acting. It reminded me of the times I went toLagoon and Six Flags with my sisters, and the one time I was assaulted my a crazy woman in the final car of a roller coaster. Carrie and I were slap-happy. Our favorite ride was the "Orbiter". At other parks it is called the magic carpet. It simply is a bunch of seats on a floor that goes up and down in a circle. It pretty much is the part of the rollercoaster that is really fun, the sensation of weightlessness without all the side-to-side jostling.

They rang his bell

It's been a rough week for TJ. During our 4th of July Festivities he got hit in the leg with an errant firework which has left a nice hairless circle on the front of his left leg. We tried to take a picture of it, but the pictures didn't really do it justice and Anthony doesn't want people to get jealous of his nice legs, so sorry no picture. Thursday evening he went and played basketball at the church and got an elbow to the jaw for his defensive efforts. At first he just seemed to have a headache, but when he couldn't get up the next morning, felt dizzy and nauseous, deleted important files at work, had difficulty making coherent statements, and was strangely aggressive, we determined he was, in fact, concussed.

Other than Anthony's maladies we've actually had a rather uneventful week. Finishing my retirement planning class (yay!) and taking my first long run in awhile (8.5 miles) with Stephanie were the highlights of my week.

On the docket for next week are a trip to Celebration City and checking out some local areas of interest so we can entice people to come visit us.

No Comment

Perhaps the weirdest thing I saw on my trip. I saw it when I was driving north on I-15. Not really sure what to think, but please don't think I'm a perv for posting this. Something this odd you just have to share.

Looking down on creation

I was able to spend a fabulous few days in Utah last month. While there I stayed with Jill--she was a gracious host--and we did a lot of fun things. Saturday morning we woke up and hiked the Y. It had been about a year since I last hiked the Y and I definitely used the "I live at 1300 feet" excuse when I made us stop for drinks a few times along the way. While we hiked we tried to figure out how long the hike actually is with all its switchbacks and how high up we were. According to Wikipedia, Y Mountain stands a proud 8520 feet tall and the trail is 1.2 miles long. We stopped when we got the the Y, but there is no doubt in my mind--or my lungs--that I was higher than I'd been in a long time. Of course we took some pictures.

Here we are at highest point of our assent.This is me admiring my surname immortalized on the side of the mountain.
Here is Jill holding up the Law School. She totally rocks it there.
After our hike we were starving so we bought a 5 Buck Pizza and devoured it while watching Saved by the Bell.

I'll leave you with an interesting fact you may not know about the Y: No other college in the United States has a larger symbol, in fact, the Y is even larger than the letters used in the famous "Hollywood sign."

Buzz, your girlfriend...woof!

Yesterday we decieded to tempt fate and see what our future children will look like. Bad idea. Now we know why people in movies get into trouble when they disrupt the space-time continum. Knowing what we know now, we may elect to adopt children rather than give birth to individuals that will spend a lifetime looking something like this:

He/She is just gross on so many levels. The reason the picture is a little blurry is because we are currently afraid to bring such an ugly human to life and the photograph is fading, ala Back to the Future. We're not even sure if it is a girl or a boy. Guy-liner is in these days so it could be a dude, but there are some clear feminine features. Hopefully our curiosity hasn't completely altered the course of human history or caused a chain reaction that will unravel the very fabric of the space time continuum, and destroy the entire universe. And hopefully our future kids will age much more gracefully than her.

Weekend in the Windy City

We just got back from a fabulous weekend in Chicago. We were only there for a mere 72 hours, but were still able to pack a lot in.
We spent several hours at the Field Museum of Natural History. We learned about Ancient Egypt, endangered species, mammals, mythical creatures, the history of life on the Earth, DNA, dinosaurs, weather and natural disasters. We had a great time. Here is a picture of Anthony, Theo, and Sue--the largest and most complete known T-Rex fossil in the world.
After we played at the museum we played on a cool web at a nearby park. Here we are at the top.
Thursday night we took the L to Wrigley Field and caught a Cubs/Rockies game. It is always fun to watch baseball with passionate fans.
The Cubs pulled out a victory and the players that are on Anthony's various fantasy teams played well too. It was a win-win for him. It was a little too cold and windy for me, which is why my hair looks so messed up in this picture. It was really humid/windy/rainy off and on so my hair looks wacky in most of these pictures.Friday we planned to walk around and explore the Navy Pier and then rent bicycles to ride around the city for awhile. When we left the house it looked like it would probably rain, then it started to drizzle, and the closer we got to the pier the harder the rain came down. By the time we got there it was pouring. We walked around the shops for awhile--quite dejectedly-- trying to decide what to do. We were talking about going to a museum when we saw a sign for Trolley Tours. We aren't usually the type to fork over serious cash for something like that, but because it was raining we decided to go for it and were so glad we did. We spent the afternoon riding around town, learning lots of interesting facts about the city, and sightseeing. Our tour guide was great. We saw Oprah's new place, the construction site for the new 'Chicago Spire,' the Sears Tower and Hancock Building, the Art Institute and Soldier Field. By the time we had completed the route it had turned into a beautiful day. We now know what Anthony will do when he retires: he will be a tour guide. Or we will get called to a visitor's center mission like Nauvoo or Palmyra.Here is a picture of us at Millennium Park next to the "bean" statue. Its real name is Cloud's Gate.
That night we caught part of the Gospel Festival held at the Pritzker Pavilion, also located in Millennium Park, with Steve. It was really cool to hear such passionate songs about Christ. We didn't get a picture here because it started to rain again. We also saw a film called The Visitor.

Saturday morning we got up and decided to try and go on a bike ride. It turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day! We rode along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. It was so fun and refreshing. Of course it took me a few minutes to get my bearings straight on the beach cruiser, but once I did everything went smoothly.We stopped at the Buckingham Fountain to take a picture and get a drink.
Here is a picture of us near the Shedd Aquarium with the skyline of Chicago in the background.
Saturday afternoon we ventured to the Theatre District to see the play Wicked. It was great! Our seats were a lot better than we were thinking and the Oriental Theatre is gorgeous. I look gross in the pictures we took there so they will not be posted.
After the play we had to head to the airport to catch our flight home. Many thanks to Steve Bennett and family for not only letting us stay with them, but also showing us around town and making many of our activities possible. Also thanks to my mom and Jill for driving to us to the airport despite construction of I-35.

Journey Through the Past

20 years ago:I was almost 5. I think I had just finished up Pre-K, but my memory is a little faint. I loved to ride bikes, play with my sisters, and go to the pool and pretend I was a mermaid. The pool has always been a big part of my summer.

10 years ago:I was just finishing up my freshman year. In the Spring I decided to run track even though I've never been known for my speed. It was a great choice and I ended up making some of my best high school friends. Running track helped me get in better shape and shed some of the weight I gained earlier in my adolescent years (fifth grade fat anyone?). I was looking forward to girl's camp. It was my third year and we were camping at the RLDS campground that year instead of our usual spot in Knob Knoster. I remember feeling very scandalized when some of the girls would make themselves faint. I wore my hair in french braids and looked bald for most of the week. Later in the summer I went to EFY at BYU with a friend from Fargo, Becky Leeser. I loved walking around campus and thought I was so old. I got my learner's permit and started learning how to drive. It was during this time I started wearing clothes that were more flattering to my shape. Up until this point I always bought wide leg jeans and XL shirts. I remember buying my first pair of boot-cuts at The Limited.

5 years ago:I had just finished up my sophomore year at BYU. I lived in Centennial apartments and had great roommates and ward friends. I was sooo sad to go home that summer. Right after school got out I spent a week in Bennington with my dad and learned a lot about animal science. My summer was pretty routine: I worked 7-3 at HyVee, went to the pool for a few hours in the afternoon and then ran 3+ miles with Brandi every night. I was not old enough to go to the single's ward--stupid rule--so I taught the CTR 5 primary class. In July I flew to NY and spent a week with my good friend Brent. My last full summer at home.

3 years ago:I had just finished my fourth year at BYU and was trying to figure out what to do with my life. My former roommates were all leaving me--to Texas (Carrie), Ohio (Candace), and Brandizzle(Melissa)--so I moved in with Nikki. We made a list of things we wanted to do that summer and accomplished most of them. I worked a lot of hours at the BYU Bookstore and took 2 classes. We took a road trip to CA in July with a dramatic pit stop in Vegas. I spent many hours running in preparation for my first 1/2 Marathon. I bought a contract for just the summer. The first Sunday in the new ward was testimony meeting and after several boys got up and spoke I remember thinking, how lame these guys seemed and was so glad I won't be living here in the Fall. Interesingly enough, one of those guys who spoke was Anthony. Haha. I didn't really get to know him until September.

1 year ago:Our last few months in Provo. We had been married for about 9 months and were excited to be heading to Missouri for graduate school. I had just gotten accepted to my graduate program and was starting my first on-line class. The fact that we were moving was starting to sink in so we were trying to do as much as we could with our friends and family. I started to re-read all the Harry Potter books in preparation for the release of the 7th book, yeah so cool. I was working at LegaLees and enjoyed chatting with Gloria all afternoon. :)

So far this year:We started the New Year off in Boston with a visit to the John family. I started a new job that is great! I've finished two more classes and Anthony has completed his first year of graduate school. I got called to be in the Primary presidency so that's been keeping me busy, but I love being around all the kids! In April we had our first overnight guests, Meredith and Steven, and some of my family has come down but not stayed the night in our apartment as well. The weather has been extremely unpredictible and I'm ready for summer!

Yesterday:Went to work. Did some homework. Worked out at the gym. Returned some things to Target. Had dinner at Red Robin with Anthony. Watched Juno and ate some sherbet.

Today:Slept in later than I intended. Went running. Worked on sharing time. Read a chapter for my class. Trying to write a talk for church tomorrow.

This year:

Turning 25! Going to Chicago next week. Taking 2 more classes this summer. Visiting Utah in June and going to Nikki's wedding. Vacationing in Cancun with the John Family in August. Reunion with college roommates in September. Lots of running with Steph in preparation for our half marathon in November. Hopefully lots of time reading poolside and visiting with family and friends!

Congratulations Mels!

This past weekend we were up in the OP celebrating with my family. My third sister, Melanie, graduated from Shawnee Mission South High School on Tuesday. We are so proud of her and all she accomplished at South. She was very involved and clearly had a lot of friends as she was constantly surrounded by them all weekend. She is very modest about her accomplishments, so I won't brag too much, but suffice it to say, she excelled academically, musically, athletically, spiritually, and socially. She'll be studying Dietetics at BYU and living in Helaman Halls this Fall. Here are some pictures of her for those of you who don't know her as well as we do.

Ginger Spice for Halloween.

She loves her Popsicles!

Four year Varsity Cross Country Runner.

She's a great dancer--in this pic she is dressed like she did in elementary school.

Hopefully I'll have pictures of graduation festivities to post shortly.

Week of Reunions

This past week has been a week of reunions for us. On Tuesday we had our first visitors from the John Family. Anthony's sister Meredith and her husband Steven are going to be living in Boston for the summer so Steven can do an internship. They will need their car this summer so they are in the process of driving cross country and were nice enough to make a not-so-slight detour in their journey and stop and see us. We had a great time with them! We had dinner at Lamberts, a local restaurant famous for its home style cooking and "trowed rolls." After dinner Anthony got to show them where he works and goes to school. It was fun getting to see them in person. Emails and phone calls are great, but nothing beats spending time with people. To see pictures of their visit, check out Meredith and Steven's blog here. I was really sad when I came home from work Wednesday and the house was empty. We had been looking forward to their visit for awhile. We would like to formally invite ANY and ALL friends and relatives to visit us in Springfield.

Saturday I rode up to KC with my good friend Stephanie. We had a reunion with two of our other best-girlfriends from high school, Brooke and Carrie. Even though we all went to different high schools, we became great friends through girls camp, youth conferences, stake dances and activities, and weekly hang outs. This was the first time we were all together at the same time in 7 years!

Stepahine and her husband Pat live in Nixa, MO (about twenty minutes south of Springfield) with their two girls, McKenna (3 yrs) and Paige (9 months). Brooke lives in Kellar,TX, (near Dallas) with her husband Ryan and 8-month old daughter Savannah. Carrie lives in Olathe, KS, with her husband Chris and daughter Cami (6 months).

Brooke's family has moved to Utah and so Ryan has never seen the KC area where she grew up. They were in town this past weekend and so Steph and I came up for a mini-reunion. I'm not sure about the other girls, but I had so much fun. Carrie D was the hostess-with-the-mostess. She had a veggie tray, chocolate for dipping and lots of treats. She made some fabulous BBQ chicken salad for dinner and Brooke brought some tasty rolls. It was fun to catch up and see everyone's babies. Everyone but me had a baby girl last year (in July, Sept and Nov). It's fun to see my friends as moms. We took a picture as we got ready to part ways. I can't wait to get together with these girls again, but this time let's not wait 7 years!

The Girls, circa 2001

2008

Here is the recipe for the delicious BBQ Chicken Salad Carrie & Chris made us for dinner. It was so good and great for summertime I just had to share.

BBQ Chicken Salad

4-6 Boneless/Skinless chicken breasts
BBQ Sauce
Ranch Dressing
Green Salad and whatever veggies you like, i.e. tomatoes, green onions
Drained corn
Drained black beans
Tortilla chips
Shredded cheese to taste

Chop chicken into bite size pieces and cook in
frying pan, once cooked all the way through, reduce
heat and add BBQ Sauce.
You could also grill the chicken in BBQ sauce and then chop it.
Set aside to cool.

Make a green salad with whatever vegetables you
like. Top with crushed tortilla chips to add texture
and flavor. Add chicken to salad and toss with ranch
dressing and BBQ sauce or let people add their own.