It's a Christmas Miracle!*

*Even though Christmas is over you are stilled allowed to use that line for the duration of December. Prolong the magic.

A couple of weeks ago was the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. The Devotional is always really simple and sweet, with the members of the First Presidency telling Christmas stories and bearing testimony of the Savior. There's probably nothing miraculous about it, but the remarkable thing about is that "there are prophets in the land again." Miracle. I was contemplating on this lovley fact and decided to observe what miracles I could up until Christmas. The following is a shortened list, most of them fairly universal, but miracles none the less.

Dec. 8th: The day after I decided to give more thought to miracles, I (miraculously) came across this verse in Mormon 9:11. In the words of my friend Steph, "A coincidence my friend? I think not."
Dec. 9th: Dr. Shu said, "Good job." Miracle. That doesn't happen often (ie: ever).
Dec. 10th: The Miracle of Consecration
Dec. 11th: The Miracle of Temples. Also, I cooked in my crockpot; don't try to tell me that little baby wasn't a product of inspiration. Who doesn't love the crockpot?
Dec. 12th: Remembering moments of Divine Intervention in my life and the lives of friends.
Dec. 13th: Personal miracles happening.
Dec. 14th: Church Christmas program - miraculous. (Thank you Dave.)
Dec. 15th: I had this thing project for work that there was NO way I was going to get done in time, until I went into work and a co-worker turned out to be working on the exact same thing and so we were able to do it together and help each other out and get done in time. It may not seem like a big deal but considering I work at that hospital once a month, get sent to a new floor every time, and had met that co-worker only one other time, I was pretty grateful.
Dec. 16th: A lot of friends getting together to help out in a service project, which was wonderful, plus reminded of the miracle of friendship.
Dec. 17th: A lull.
Dec. 18th: Miracles happening at the Relief Society Enrichment Dinner.
Dec. 19th: The Miracle of air travel. Seriously.
Dec. 20th: One can hardly be expected to reflect upon miracles when BYU loses their bowl game.
Dec. 21st: The Miracle of saving covenants.
Dec. 22nd: I watched some cheesy Christmas movies with my mom, which naturally contained plenty of Christmas miracles (ie: Santaville was saved). If that's good enough for a Hallmark original, it's good enough for me.
Dec. 23rd: Joseph Smith's Birthday. The Miracle of the Restoration.
Dec. 24th: The Miracle of families and ableskeevers. Has anybody else tried those? Amazing.
Dec. 25th: The Miracle of the birth of our Savior. Miracle of Miracles.

The bible dictionary (KJV) defines miracles as "not...merely deviations from the normal but manifestations of Divine...power." CS Lewis says miracles are "a retelling small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see."

Miracles are wonderful! 2009 is going to be great. And full of miracles. So enjoy, and Happy New Year!

To the best people I know:

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

Now...



and then...


Love love love. Here's to 28 years!

BYU vs. UCLA: Round II

Sometimes I really enjoy contemplating the differences between my current university (UCLA) and my former (BYU). One might say that there is a stark contrast.

Today while on campus I picked up UCLA's newspaper, The Daily Bruin. Much to my delight, emblazoned across the front page was the headline, "Undie Run Route Revised." Yes, you read it right - a snafu of underwear has occurred. The "Undie Run" is an annual tradition where hundreds of students strip to their skivies and traipse around Westwood. But oh no! It's been deemed unsafe! Not because of the unapologetic lack of propriety or the rampant STD's that will ensue mere hours after the run, only because the ending point wasn't well lit. Unsafe indeed. But don't worry, the route is revised. Crisis averted.

Out of curiosity, I looked up the cover story of BYU's newspaper, The Daily Universe, to see what kind of catastrophes were being conjured up in Provo and if they were comparable. "Unique Study Habits Manifest During Finals" was on the cover. The article expounded on various study venues of students: what is best? Music? Quiet? Groups? Tough decisions. Tough. Decisions. But as far as I know, students at BYU are still studying fully dressed, which is a good sign.

I love my schools.

Ode* to Kristen

*And by "ode," I mean list

Happy Birthday Kristen! My little sis drove down in Cali over her birthday and I was reminded of the many reasons that I love her.

1-She gets really excited to give blood. It's confusing. It's like she thinks phlebotomists are the tooth fairy. Only with blood. And no quarters. Or wings.

2-If you haven't sung in the car with Kristen, I feel like you've missed out on something quite exciting. It's like a mini show on wheels.

3-I can always count on candidness from Kristen. Like when I'm about to walk out the door and she asks me if I got ready, then I know for sure what she's thinking.

4-When we both lived at BYU she would bring me treats every time I picked her up from school, which turned out to be a lot of treats.

5-She plays Claire de Lune and my favorite Brahms Intermezzo quite exquisitely.

6-She really likes to model her life after laudatory public figures (ie: Dolly Parton).

7-She lets me read outloud to her my favorite parts of my favorite books, which I then rave about with great some breadth. Only 3 people let me do this.

8-What a perfect sister. Somebody give that girl a crown! Wait...wait...it's been done. Thank you city of North Ogden.

Personality Profiling

So at my dad's office they tend to do a lot of personality profiling, both in the hiring process and in the forming of teams. The latest test they've been using is the HBDI. This test is supposed to measure what part of your brain you use most and how it affects your thinking process (ie: analytical, interpersonal, etc.). It's pretty interesting, therefore, most of my family has also taken it. This way, when we secretly take over the world, we'll be able to work more effectively together. Unfortunately, there's not a free version on the web, but there ARE a couple other personality tests that I find to be enlightening.

MBTI Typeology Test - Or something like it.
Good interpretation of your Meyer's Brigg Score
Love Languages
Color Code


I spend a lot of my mental effort trying to understand people and their methods and motives, which is why these tests are so convenient. Why bother thinking for myself when multiple choice options can think for me? I know some people are bothered by personality tests because they feel they pigeon hole them, blah blah blah, but everybody concedes that you are more than just one color or a couple paragraphs.

Also, you may feel that love languages don't apply unless you are in a serious relationship, but I beg to differ. I think it can apply to really any relationship, familial, friendly, or romantic. I mean, imagine that co-worker you've been leaving notes for this past month. Every time she passes you she gives you a suspicious glance. Turns out, it's not that she thinks you're creepy, it's that she just needs a hug and you have been withholding! Words of affirmation don't do it for everyone, folks. Go give her a hug!

Oh, and if you put your personality profile in the comments box, I will certainly not complain! It will save me some time.

Mom, I finally learned to sew! and why I love proposition 8

Today in school we had a suture lab where we practiced sewing stiches on pigs' feet. Once you get over the slight revulsion of the meat product that was in front of you, it was actually quite fun. In fact, I would now like to suture as many things as possible. And so I ask you, on a scale of 1-10, how much do you love healthcare?


If you answered between 8-10: You will put yourself in harm's way next time we are together so that when you have a hemorrhaging flesh wound I can sew it back together with the suture kit that I pledge to carry in my back pocket. Why is this a good indicator of how much you love healthcare? I'll tell you when I'm stitching you.


If you answered below 8: I'm frankly a little disappointed. There are only so many pigs' feet in this world to go around. You think about that next time you are eating a ham sandwich, and then ask yourself if you wouldn't rather have me practice stiching on YOU, rather than on this poor little swine.


My thoughts on Proposition 8: totally unrelated to above topic. It just so happens that I'm thinking about both topics right now. In fact they are so unrelated that it is probably slightly blasphemous that I have written about them in the same post. But now that I've drawn your attention to that sad fact, I ask your forgiveness.


Proposition 8 is the marriage ammendment act that is currently on the November ballot in the state of California. It would restore traditional marriage to "only be between man and woman."


Before reading further, consider that the following websites and articles have much more credibility than I and probably help illuminate the issue more than I can:


http://www.preservingmarriage.org/
http://www.protectmarriage.com
http://www.whatisprop8.com/


Opponents of the proposition argue that this ballot is discriminatory and intolerant. I don't feel that it is. To me, and to millions across the globe of various creed and religion, marriage is a sacred institution designed for the forming of families and raising children. Marriage has become secularized in many ways greatly because of the great service it provides as the fundamental building block of society for the past thousands of years. This social convenience, however, does not leave marriage open to be definitively changed by those who do not subscribe to it or believe in it as a religious rite.


Part of what makes America great is its roots in religious freedom. This is the great nation to which the pilgrims came primarily for freedom for religious oppression, from being forced to believe in the Church of England. While I would never force someone to believe what I believe, the courts are seeking to force their agenda upon fundamental religious beliefs. The judicial system has absolutely no right to dictate what marriage is and doing so greatly impinges on religious freedoms and essentially forces religions to either similarly change their doctrines or else be labeled with bigotry and discrimination. It forces children to grow up in a world where homosexuality is sanctioned and religious freedom denied. For those that think merely changing the definition of a word has no religious ramifications, consider Massachusetts, where the Catholic church was forced to choose between placing children in homosexual families, despite their religious beliefs in heterosexual marriage and family, or shutting their doors. They are no longer in operation.


A word on tolerance. I find it to be a very severe word when applied to how we treat others in the human family. Do I think that we should have tolerance for homosexuals? We should, in fact, have much more than tolerance. To merely tolerate someone seems to be somewhat of a travesty. There are many friends in the gay community that I know and love and that deserve to be respected and honored for their friendship and their contributions. We certainly can all live and work together, regardless of any differences of opinions or beliefs. But to be forced to subscribe to something that is against my fundamental conviction that marriage between a man and woman is divinely instituted and that children deserve to have a mother and a father, to me, devastates the religious freedom that originally made this country great.

Why Celebrities are Adorable

I work in a facility that shall remain unnamed in a city that shall remained unnamed in a state that shall remain unnamed. All of these must remain unnamed to comply with HIPPA, the policy that maintains the privacy of patients. I am compliant. But I must say, that in my experiences working in these unnamed places, I have heard tell of many stories of celebrities who may or may not have passed through. These stories are highly entertaining and usually entail some amount of ludicrous demands or unbecoming behavior from adults who feel that they are above certain social codes. Last week I had the pleasure of witnessing one of these celebrity encounters first hand. Let me tell you, this person was just adorable! And here is why:

First off, babies are adorable. I don't think anybody would disagree with me. Even if the baby is not aesthetically pleasing or turns out to be rather colicky and disagreeable, we still find the little chubs adorable and endearing and all things sugary and sweet. Some babies have their moments, but we love them anyway. When they are hungry they tend to scream, but this is understandable. They don't really have a better way of communicating. They can be a little demanding to their caregiver, but after all, babies require lots of TLC. When they behave well, babies get rewarded. Especially when they enter toddlerdom, we bribe them to sit still and mind their manners, and then we give them chocolate and candy. And even when babies make no sense, we still admire them and project that they will be very intellegent and adroit at many things when they come of age.

Turns out, celebrities are just like babies!

Even when they turn out to be rather colicky and disagreeable, we still find them laudable. Sometimes they have their "moments" but we love them anyway. This celebrity I met did in fact scream out and scare nearby patients with her/his demands, but maybe (s)he didn't have a better way of communicating the fact that (s)he felt cold. (S)he was very demanding to the nurse, but after all, celebrities require lots of TLC. They would feel lost and alone with out extra bouts of TLC. When this patient did what every other patient did, and woke up from anesthesia, (s)he got chocolate cake instead of the usual sip of water or apple juice. Bribery works at all ages. And even when this celebrity left us with ludicrous political advice and prophesies, we still nodded admiringly and projected that if it appears in People, it must be true.


Celebrities. How adorable.

25 and Underage.

Yesterday a 48 year old man asked me out. 48. He is precisely 2 years and 1 month younger than my father (yes, I know his date of birth). Maybe this happens to innocent unsuspecting girls all the time, but whhhhaaaat the...severely unacceptable. A couple of weeks ago an approximately 38 year old man asked me out. Just when I thought it couldn't get more inappropriate. Anyway, that's all. I just thought those of you in Utah should understand the travails of living in California. And don't worry. I stayed safely home in my apartment playing Ticket to Ride instead of accepting said offers.

On a lighter note I had the best 25th birthday party ever! In no particular order it involved a purple elephant gift exchange, night games, a pinata, and cake. Pretty much all anybody could ever require for a major life event. So thank you to everybody who took part!

Welcome to the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave

Lake Powell is the greatest place on earth. You may not believe me, but also, you may not have been there. Miles of perfection stretched out under the hot sun, surrounded by magestic red rocks and steeped in family tradition. Why do I love Lake Powell so much? Oh, I don't know...

One of the top draws is Ultimate tubing. I believe what you're about to witness is Team Beta. It's hard to tell how fast we actually are moving. At least, we like to think that we're moving really fast and performing unthinkable feats. Basically it's 5 tubes, around 7 players at a time, endless jumping, leaping, switching tubes, hanging on for dear life, and trying to prevent good 'ole dad from knocking us all off. If you challenge him you'll probably hurt worse the next day. When you fall off (because you WILL fall off) the boat doesn't stop. We just leave your little head bobbing in the vast lake until a sea-doo comes to fetch you. Ultimate is the only word that describes it. I highly recommend such an activity.

Another draw is the family. They are a dedicated bunch. Here's Kristen, dad and I posing after the Homemade Houseboat Olympics Awards Ceremony, brought to you by the moms of the Houseboat. Well done moms.

We are blessed to have good friends join us every year. Good friends make the world go round. I wish I could get the whole bunch in one shot. But we were never that organized. Here are 4/5th's of the 2008 crew.

I have decided that this should be a 2 part post. It might get too long and my gushing might get annoying, so I'll write more later. Probably tomorrow. If your appetite for Lake Powell charms is not yet satiated, Marilyn has a great album on her blog at http://robandmare.blogspot.com/2008/08/lake-powell-2008.html. Marilyn's the best.

Summer Vacation

I went on a great little trip last week to Big Bear with some friends from the Provo days. I would blog all about, but luckily Mehgan, who was also a participant, already blogged all about it! Now I don't have to! Perfect. Here's the site.

And here's a little teaser...

A Restraining Order

So I went to give blood the other day. I'm sure everyone's familiar with the process: you read a pamphlet and then get taken behind this tiny screen for interrogation. It's top secret and very invasive. And then you walk out and sit in the next line to actually donate your blood. Then you get treats. Voila. You've given life and you've received Oreos. I can't think of a better way to spend an hour. Once or twice, however, I've gone behind the tiny screen and walked out in shame because they didn't want my blood. I didn't get to go to the next line and I certainly didn't get a complimentary juice box (except once they took pity on me.) It's a very awkward feeling. Everybody sees you come out from behind the screen and they know what questions you have been asked. And they are left to wonder either what act of promiscuity you have committed or when you traveled covertly out of the country and lived in Africa for three years, because nobody remembers you doing that. Meanwhile, you are walking the long walk of shame back to your car, publicly circumventing all other stations.
Well, once I was denied because I had had some flu symptoms a couple days previously. Oops. And once I was denied because my iron count was too low. But last week I was denied for a whole new reason that must have been proportionately worse because this time, they made me sign a contract, promising that I wouldn't come back for a year. Really?! A contract? Do you really think I'm going to FORCE my blood upon someone when you feel it is TAINTED?! Yes, I have been restrained from the Red Cross. If I try to give blood again, who knows what will happen? Maybe they'll draw a red A on me like Hester. Or maybe, it will be even worse. Maybe they'll make me sign a contract that says I'll never have a fig newton again! Or juice and oreos! That would be devastating. In the meantime I guess I'll keep my blood to myself.

A Friendly Game of Tag

A--Attached or Single? Single
B--Best Friend? Whoever will pay me for being unemployed. I accept cupcakes as monetary substitution.
C-- Cake or Pie? I am a very non-discriminatory treat eater.
D-- Day of Choice? I'm actually quite partial to Mondays. I like starting a new week.
E-- Essential Item? My GPS System. Irreplaceable.
F--Favorite Color? Purple
G-- Gummy Bears or Worms? um....worms
H-- Hometown? Pleasant View
I-- Indulgence(s)? Songs by Rihanna. I wish I didn't love them so.
J-- January or July? July!
K-- Kids? TBA
L-- Life is Incomplete Without? Lake Powell and cookies
M-- Marriage Date? October 15, 2009. (My mom says that if I think positive thoughts it will come true. Verdict's still out.)
N-- Number of siblings? 3 charming brothers, 1 delightful sister
O-- Oranges or Apples? Apples. Oranges are too high maintenance
P-- Phobias or fears? Walking along minding by business and being unexpectedly hit by a bicylclist
Q-- Quotes? Joy is the serious business of Heaven. -C.S. Lewis
R-- Reason to Smile? I just had delicious curry for dinner.
S-- Season? Fall = football season, changing leaves, back to school, jacket weather.
T-- Tag 5 People? Emily, Sara, Tiffany, Marilyn, Hannah
U-- Unknown Fact? Unfortunately my life is an open book. I've worked to gain some mystery for some years now, but it proves to be useless.
V-- Very Favorite Store? Any grocery store. And probably Target.
W-- Worst Habit? Procrastinating
X-- Xray or Ultrasound? Is this a trick question?
Y-- Your Favorite Food? Fine food.
Z-- Zodiac? Leo

What's a girl gotta do?

Dating in LA can be tough sometimes. "Being available" at the punch bowl hasn't really availed to much. So what next? Hard to say. But here are some ideas:

Medical Emergencies You Should Know About

So I'm a camp nurse right now, and let me tell you, we have been having some exciting times! I get phone calls and worried reports from counselors and girls about bleeding, fainting, nausea, etc., and from all the excitement surrounding these complaints I can't help but think, "This must be serious!" So we (there are two nurses) jump into good old Mable (a '99 black beauty of a Maxima that is our temporary ambulance) and rush to the trauma scene. I drive like a mad woman and the other nurse, Amber, leans her head out the window and makes siren noises. (Okay, so we haven't actually made the noises yet, but we're really tempted.) When we arrive we find the following emergencies that require our immediate attention:
1. Stomach aches
2. Dry throats
3. Blistered heels
4. Headaches
5. Mosquito bites
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "I've had one of those before and I never even went to the doctor!" Well, maybe you should have. Because when it happens here at camp it requires a medical professional as asap as possible.
Next time you experience one of these symptoms, call me. I am a nurse and will give you the number to the emergency room. If I don't answer, continue about your business as usual, and you'll be just fine. Probably.

Happy Father's Day

My dad is the best. While I have thought this for 24 years, I have never been able to find the perfect gift for him. Until now.


A friend from school casually passed along this business card to me that he found amusing. There are only two words on the card, small print, embossed, to the point.














So, dad, I realize it's a little tardy considering I no longer live under your roof and have almost learned to control my daily word quota, but still. For all those times I followed you into your office, for all those times I perched on your bed after dates, for all those times I called you at work...this card is for you. Just a little subtle flash will do. I'll understand. Happy Father's Day!