BlazedAgenda

V-Day

2012-02-16T16:13:00.000-08:00

"You know what's funny? Valentine's Day was utterly pointless until last year," said Brad on V-Day morning. True for me as it is for him. I know Valentine's Day can be fun, but it never had meaning until Brad.

This year was the best by far. Brad picked up on my hint/constantly bringing it up and got me a pizza stone! He also bought "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri because it's one of my new favorites. I know it's super mushy and it's the new Twilight song--whatever. I knew about it before I was aware of its ties with the movie. I like the song so much I seriously considered giving the movies a chance. That thought lasted for about .03 seconds before I realized how horrible of a decision that would have been.

I got Bradley the Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly movie collection he was talking about since before Christmas. I also made him some snickerdoodles (his favorite). And notice the painting behind us: it's the oil painting we bought on our honeymoon. It's finally framed and hanging in our home. I love checking things off my to-do list.

That night we went rock climbing after eating our body weight at El Azteca. If you haven't been to El Azteca and think Los Hermanos is where it's at, you should seriously reconsider your values. We tried Los Hermanos once and have never been back.

All in all, it was a fabulous day.

Getting better at taking pictures with my eyes closed.

Heart Attack

2012-02-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

This is our first Valentine's Day as a married couple, and it's already been exciting. Last night we had some sneaky ward members heart attack us.

We were pretty giddy over it, especially when we could hear some of them whispering. Also, our screen door isn't very forgiving when it comes to stealth. Brad wanted to yank open the front door and scare them. As much fun as that would have been, we decided to let them finish up, and we're glad we did. Neither of us had ever been heart attacked before, so we were thrilled. This was the best ward when we were singles in it, and it still proves to be so. Thanks wardies!

90% Dark

2012-02-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

I had my first taste of 90% dark chocolate last week. It's the new me. Thank you husband for not remembering which level of percentage I liked and getting me the darkest one on the shelf. You're the best.

Some other thoughts I felt like sharing:

This post on procrastination. If you don't read Louise Plummer, you should consider it. She's a gas. Her husband was the best writing teacher I had.
This coconut shrimp curry. It is delicious, even on the first try. I plan on making it again this month with chicken. Once I convince Brad that a pizza stone is a necessary kitchen tool, I'll make some naan to go with it.
Do you love documentaries? I do. Check out the entire Ken Burns film on the Prohibition for free on PBS. Learn about the anti-prohibitionists who advertised beer as liquid bread--a sort of health drink. They encouraged women to give beer to their babies and drink it while they're pregnant. That's about the greatest thing I've heard since Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize.
And lastly, I am loving this warm February weather that keeps our gas bill low. Come on Mother Nature, Kayla needs a KitchenAid! Not really, but one day.

Dr./Professor Quinney

2012-02-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

Back in my college days (in a galaxy not so far away), this article of mine was published. Give me a badge and call me Russell because I was pretty excited about it. I guess you can consider it a boring information dump, but I was first author--a published undergrad.

Because of this article, I've received a few emails from random people asking me to write more on my research and be published in their book or academic journals. They address me as "Doctor" or "Professor." Little do they know I often read their emails in my pajamas as I spend time liking her clothes, reading this magazine (this month's my current favorite), or watching YouTube videos about this guy before I begin my part-time job from home.

Sure enough I do not have a PhD. I don't even have an MD or a BYOB. The cake topper of all this hype was the email from an undergraduate student asking for me to mentor him. (Don't feel obligated to read it. Just know it's full of a ton of computer mumbo jumbo I have no experience in.)

As much as I would love to be addressed as "doctor" or more so "professor" on a regular basis, I don't have the credentials to be, but I enjoy it when the opportunity presents itself.

Back in town with frog legs

2012-01-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

We've been back in P-town for a while, but as you can see I've neglected to update on anything blah, blah, blah.

We went grocery shopping the other day to replenish our empty fridge from the holiday break. I usually go to the market on my own since Brad is busy during the day with school and work. However, this time he attended the haul with me. I was just going to get the basics and come back later when I actually had meals planned. Anyway, we were passing the seafood section and Brad found something he wanted: frog legs. (This is why I go by myself.)

My kind words: "Are you disgusting? We're not getting them."

Brad justified by saying his birthday was coming up, and now we have frog legs sitting in our freezer.

We'll see if he acutally cooks these--because we all know I'm not.

Pearl Harbor

2011-12-07T10:04:00.001-08:00

I can't pass up a good piece of history. Maybe one day September 11 will feel as far away as Pearl Harbor, and hopefully no one will forget either one.

Irrational...as always

2011-12-02T11:24:00.001-08:00

Like many people, I have a fear of spiders. On occasion, depending on the size of a spider, I become completely frantic. This time I went a little overboard. I may have mentioned this before, but our house loves to host the harmless daddy long legs. I have become a bit immune to them because of how many I have killed (except for the really big one Brad killed last Sunday). The count of these spiders I have killed has dropped from a regular three a day to probably one or two a week. (See, aren't I brave?)

However, two days ago I encountered a different spider--one that I was not ready for.

I was looking out the window, waiting for the mailman to drop by, so I could get a check I was expecting and head to work. While looking at the window I thought, "I should vacuum that. There's probably a spider in there with as many cobwebs as there are."

Then I saw it.

A huge, black and white spider came dangling down my husband's bike seat, which was next to the window. As always, I whimpered and panicked. My first thought was, "I can't vacuum that up. I have to kill it." I really didn't think a ride through the vacuum hose would cause its death as it does with most of my victims. At my parents's home, I would have grabbed the carb choker (nothing kills a big spider better), but I don't have any here. So, in all rational thinking I grabbed my hairspray.

I sprayed it until it finally hit the ground (it made quite a few mad dashes around the back of the bike). It was still moving, and I still was too scared to go near it. Rational decision number two: I grabbed the rubbing alcohol and starting dousing it. The defense seemed to do the trick, but it was still not as dead as I wanted it to be. I smashed it with my snow boot (one I was not wearing) and rushed to work as I was now 15 minutes late.

No, I didn't clean it up. I left a voice mail on my husband's phone about it to apologize. I came home that night to find everything cleaned up. I told my husband the story once again and began to cry because I had put the spider through so much misery (irrational decision number three?): hairspray, alcohol, boot.

Luckily I'm married to the man who as a boy would find the bugs that were already dead to present for his merit badges because he didn't like to kill them.

Dreamy cornbread

2011-11-29T19:10:00.001-08:00

I would feel selfish for not sharing this, even though someone has already shared it on their own blog. This is my favorite cornbread. The Jiffy stuff is a dry, crumbly joke compared to this--seriously folks. I finally made it for Brad tonight, and he scarfed as much as he could before going back up to campus (such is the life of being the wife of a student). We definitely ate more cornbread than chili tonight. (It seems to be the way I typically have the meal every time.) The cornbread is essentially cake with a light corn taste. It's fluffy, moist, and lovely. I don't see a reason to make any other kind. I didn't make the honey butter, but I'm sure it's just as wonderful (the comments seem proof enough). The cornbread is so flavorful by itself that I hardly put anything on it. Love it.

Recipe here.

Suit in a Tree

2011-11-28T12:58:00.001-08:00

I probably won't get around to posting pictures of our awesome Thanksgiving down in Las Vegas. Just know it was great. My mom made the best food (as usual!), we played games, put up the tree, watched movies, took pictures, made stuff (Brad did some blacksmithing with my grandpa while I taught Banana how to make roses out of t-shirts), etc. No, we did not do a lick of shopping, and we have no regrets. It was all grand, and I didn't want to make the drive back to Provo.

Nevertheless, the drive home came upon us. We went to pick up my cousin, Josh, and his wife, Shelby, so they could make the trip back with us. Brad took his suit out of the trunk to prepare for the extra luggage they were loading in. He hung it on the tree, making a mental note not to forget to put it back in the trunk.

Needless to say, the suit is still in Vegas.

A Rick Roll Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T09:09:00.001-08:00

The Macy's Thanksgiving parade is quite a big deal in America, although I have no idea who actually watches it. I may have seen bits and pieces when I was little. I respect the work that goes into it, but that's all I can really say. Read the Wikipedia page on it. It's short and interestingly quite historic.

Despite the little interest I show each year, I appreciate this performance.

Goodbye Internet

2011-11-19T06:20:00.001-08:00

Censoring the Internet? Really? Does that mean we can all live in a science fiction novel now?

Via http://fightforthefuture.org/pipa/

Thanks Jeanette for the reference.

Answers to life's questions: raisins

2011-11-17T21:04:00.001-08:00

Recently I struck a deal with some reasonably priced Honey Bunches of Oats. I bought about six boxes with many delicious flavors of cereal, one of which being of the Raisin Medley variety. After a few mornings of bliss, I noticed the box declared there were three kinds of raisins in the box. I looked down at my cereal and couldn't see a difference, nor had I been tasting a difference. I checked the ingredients: "RAISINS." Despite the wealth of knowledge that brought me, I wanted to know more.

Luckily, many people have already done the work for me and have written to Honey Bunches of Oats, inquiring the same query I had. The answer is as follows.

We have three types of raisins in the cereal. Raisins made from Natural Seedless grapes which are pale green grapes with sweet juicy taste perfect for making plump sweet raisins. Also, we have raisins made from Flame Grapes which are classic red grapes from California’s Central Valley. These grapes are not normally used for raisin production. Flames are plump, dark red and juicy. The third type of raisins we use are made from the Jumbo Natural Seedless grapes. These grapes are carefully nurtured in the sun until they have grown to several sizes larger than traditional grapes; these grapes are chewy and sweet with a slight hint of caramelized sugar.

You're welcome.

The spider and the hairball

2011-11-13T17:49:00.001-08:00

A few days ago I was in the bathroom hanging my towel back on the rack. I didn't have my glasses on, but in my peripheral I saw something brown on the ground next to my foot. Because I'm me, I thought it was a spider. I screamed and flew into the air. I came down and whacked my foot on the toilet. Brad wasn't too concerned because he knows that when I scream, it's usually a bug. When he heard me whimpering though, he came to my rescue and tried to comfort me in my tears of pain and laughter. I have bruises on the top of my foot and two of my toes. The hairball (AKA the spider) is somehow missing.

Poppies overshadowed

2011-11-12T13:24:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Veterans day, Remembrance day, Poppy day, Armistice day, or whatever you prefer to call it. I was a bit saddened over the hype of 11-11-11 and the fact that Veterans day is not a big day of memorial as it is in other countries. We don't take a day off, and most people forget that it is even happening.

I was one of those people who never took the time to remember the veterans on Veterans day, until I went to London a few years ago. The week of Remembrance day is a beautiful sight, and one of the best times to be in England. There are poppies everywhere. Almost everyone has one pinned to their chest, and everyone remembers.

I perhaps dramatize, but the wars are remembered differently there. They were attacked on their soil constantly, and in some places the wounds are still visible. It is called the Great War for a reason. No one had ever seen anything like it, and it changed the world. America has received battle on their own soil, but not as the grounds of Europe have. It was truly a remarkable place to be on November 11.

For more images and information regarding Remembrance day in London 2011, see this page.

And don't forget the origin of the poppy. I made some for Brad and I to pin to our shirts. We were the only ones who we saw wearing them yesterday, which is understandable. Usually only those of the Commonwealth take part in the wearing of poppies nowadays, but Americans used to. We should again. I guess I miss my little home across the pond still.

Locked out in the dark

2011-11-10T21:03:00.001-08:00

Three nights ago I came home from a Relief Society activity with my friendly neighbor. She forgot her keys, and her husband was in class. I invited her over to my place, so we walked a few doors down. I pulled out my keys and noticed the key to the house was gone. My husband was also at class, but he was in a basement that doesn't get reception.

I knew my key had to be in the grass somewhere because I was swinging my keys as I walked toward my door. I also knew it could very easily fall off because it was attached to my key ring...via safety pin. Brad expressed his disapproval weeks ago, saying I would lose it. Obviously I disagreed.

I kept my key that way because it was simpler to unhook it and pin it to my shorts when I went running. Since I've only gone running a total of three times in the last month, I would say that is not really a major concern anymore.

Anywho, my friend asked her husband to leave class, and I got to hang out at her place and see her cool crafts she makes. They're not the dorky kind. (Brad dropped by to get me eventually.)

Yesterday morning I had Brad give me his house key before he went off to work. On the way to the car, I found my key in the grass, just like I thought I would. I let out a huge gasp. It was there shining between the blades--safety pin and all. Brad suggested that I should learn to differentiate between my scared gasp and excited gasp. He thought I stepped on a snake. Then I insisted that he take his key back because I wanted mine.

"They're the same."

"No, they're not. This one is mine. Mine opens the door better."

"They're the same."

"Here's your key."

(For those of you who are concerned, my key is securely on my key ring not via safety pin.)

No milk

2011-11-07T21:54:00.000-08:00

We forgot to buy milk Saturday, which made Monday morning a bit of a struggle for me as we ran out of milk on Sunday. However, in times of trial usually come our best moments. As Charles Darwin said, "It's is not the strongest of species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change." I am neither the strongest nor smartest person I know, but I do know that when one runs out of milk to dip their graham crackers in, hot chocolate makes a delicious wintry substitute. It's my new treat and a great way to start a Monday.

Did I just write on my face?

2011-11-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

Brad was playing with his pen today during church. He was tracing it around his face while listening to the speakers. Toward the end of the meeting, he forgot to twist the pen closed, and he quickly turned to me and said, "Did I just write on my face?"

He had ink all around his mouth, particularly on the bottom. Within half a second I was bent over in my chair with tears streaming down my face. I took deep breaths, trying to stay quiet. Brad furiously rubbed his face and refused to look at me. (It's easier for him to stop laughing when he can't see me, but to be honest he probably wasn't laughing.) Eventually, I calmed down and wiped off all the dripping mascara from my cheeks. By then Brad had cleared off almost all the ink.

I still laugh myself to tears. Poor Brad struggles with the fact that the times I laugh the hardest are the times he doesn't mean to be funny at all.

Brad took a snapshot with his phone while I was trying to write this post.

The sandwich

2011-11-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

Today we went to my little cousin's baptism. I love family events, and it's nice that this particular part of the family is close to us in the Utah area. The simplicity and importance of baptism is a beautiful thing, and it's wonderful to see that knowledge in a child. More children in this world should know of and follow Christ, so those children can grow up to be people who make this world a better place.

After the baptism, we went over to the family's house for lunch. My uncle had ordered two six-foot subs--possibly too much for thirteen or so people. We didn't even make it through one. We gladly accepted some of the extra. This could be our lunch for the week.

Picture a sandwich twice the width and height of a Subway sandwich, and you have this.

Brad didn't quite grasp the request of "Pretend to take a bite."

More trick than treat

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

My parents did stuff to tease me as a kid, but it was nothing serious. It was fun. This is quite mean, but it's oh so funny...

Happy Friday.

On the prowl

2011-11-03T16:45:00.000-07:00

From what my education regarding the three little pigs and the big bad wolf has told me, the brick house is supposed to be the awesome one, right? That's what I thought. That's why I thought our brick house was going to be awesome. However, the cold weather is starting to make me second guess that decision. I think the pig may have had something we don't: insulation or a fireplace. Either way, we are getting to be on the cold side of things now that winter is approaching (keep in mind our windows are made of wood and don't exactly close all the way or entirely block the chill from outside). We're not desperate or panicking, but I've been looking for a new place for us because we have a feeling the gas bill may not be worth it here.

I've only been keeping an eye out for a few days, but options are looking slim. Being married is expensive. I also am being pretty picky this time, and the things I want cost money. I'm really dying for a dishwasher. I've found one place out of the twenty posts I've searched that actually have one. Really, Provo? It's not that I'm too lazy to do the dishes. I'm just bad at doing them. Horrible. I probably wash half of them twice. A few weeks ago, I completely forgot to wash the back of a spoon. Later that day Brad pulled that very spoon from the drying rack and used it to eat some soup. He got a mouthful of old yogurt as a side dish. Horrible.

Must find relatively inexpensive apartment with dishwasher.

Morning interruptions

2011-11-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

Brad and I agreed last night to wake up at five this morning. We've been saying that for a long time. It usually turns into 5:15 or 5:20. However, we were really determined this morning. I only say that because Brad woke me up twice telling me it was five. The first time it was three.

"We got to get up. It's five."

I looked at the digital clock on his side of the bed, clearly blaring in its red light that it was 3:02. "No, it's not. It's three."

"Three, four, five. We need to get up." Then he proceeded to cuddle with me.

I get rather irritated when I'm woken up in the middle of the night. Plus, with an answer like that, I knew he was sleep talking. I threw off the covers. "Well, since I'm awake, I might as well pee."

Brad responded by rolling over.

The next time an alarm actually went off. I once again responded by heading to the bathroom (I had replenished at three with a freshly filled water bottle).

I came back out, and Brad said, "My phone says it's 4:20. The clock must be wrong."

"Oh good. I'm going back to bed then."

The next time we woke up it was a little after five. Such is life.

Happy side note: I did my 5,000 words yesterday. I was and still am a teeny bit proud of myself. Don't worry. I didn't reward myself with food. I try not to do the whole dog thing.

NaNoWriMo

2011-11-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

Many of you may or may not know what today is. Today is the beginning of National Novel Writing Month. To be honest, I have never been successful in such a feat, but maybe I can do it this year. I've cheated a little and already have 25,000+ words written (50,000 words is a "standard" novel), but I'm still using the excitement of the month to possibly finish.

If you're just starting, know that you can write 1,700 words (about six pages...?) a day and come out well on top. Or you can up it to 2,000 words a day and skip Sunday. We all need a break. Note that this is simply a writing exercise. You don't need to have 50,000 perfect words. Just give it a shot.

Good luck to all embarking on this rough adventure. My goal is to write 5,000 words today (two chapters, 20 pages). Here it goes...

Family Home Evening

2011-10-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

I'm a Latter-day Saint, and as such I do my best to participate in family home evening once a week with my husband (currently a small family). Recently we watched this video about two boys filmed starting from the ages of eight and ten for 5,000 days. The oldest was filmed while on his mission in Chile--during the earthquake in 2010. The youngest was filmed during his experience as being the only LDS kid at a Catholic High School where he excelled in football and later went on to try out for BYU and serve a mission as well.

The film was made by an Evangelical Christian, Rick Stevenson, a filmmaker documenting the lives of children from their adolescence for 5,000 days. This is just one of his projects.

I highly recommend this film. It's 80 minutes, so get comfortable and take the time to watch it. It's uplifting and spiritually empowering. These boys are so faithful and full of the love of Christ.

I couldn't embed it, so here's the link.

Last-minute costumes

2011-10-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow may be Halloween, but Brad and I dressed up last night for our singles ward party. Oh, did you know we serve in a singles ward? Best calling ever. Brad serves in the bishopric, and I do my thing, which is chat and laugh. Okay, I have callings too, but we all know why I'm really there. Anyway, we love hanging with our God given friends, particularly the Willies, the other young couple serving in the ward.

I'm Rapunzel, with a very struggling yarn wig, Brad is a golfer/polo player/cricket player, and the Willies are bunnies. Brad was a saint and helped me make this wig in about 20 minutes. It probably was more of a half hour considering I could not get it on by myself.

This blog made it look so easy to make. "Oh my gosh I made mine in Disneyland!" "This was so simple!" "I made two!" Liars. Okay, maybe not, but I was ready to give them all a piece of my mind. Within five minutes my patience was gone, hence saintly Brad. Twelve feet of yarn tangles easily, and I was ready to give up and be a red crayon. Brad was determined. We got a system going and pulled it off. It still needs some work, but it was decent for the night.

I will do a better job of hiding my own hair next time. Brad even made the crown for me.

I think we were really going for the golfer here or cricket player? Pretending to be playing polo was kind of a stretch. I still liked his costume. He just really wanted to wear that hat of his.

Maybe tonight will actually get around to carving our pumpkin...maybe.

What am I doing?

2011-10-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

While I was perusing my blog drafts, I found this from a time ago..(apparently I never deleted it)

In the midst of cleaning out my draft pile tonight, I stumbled across this little beauty that I wrote at the beginning of last semester...

"Fall semester is out of control. I feel like I've been pleasantly riding my train of life. I've sat in my railway car, looked out the window, spent some time on the food cart, and suddenly there is no more track. I see it, but not soon enough, and if I don't think quick I'm going to crash and burn. Stop, stop, stop! I need to make decisions!"

I laughed out loud when I read this. I thought my life was hectic then. No, that would be now, and one day I'll look back and think now was laughable. But, for now, I still think that it's not only hectic but just flat-out hard. I've been rejected, criticized, and pushed constantly these last few weeks. I feel like everyone has been lining up to hand me a note that says, "You're too stupid. Sincerely, Smarter-than-you." But I'm really trying. I really am.

School is hard right now, but being in school while planning a wedding is the hardest thing I've done. Don't think it's because I can't get enough of my fiancé. If any of you even occasionally read my blog, you'll know I'm not a romantic. Planning just takes time. You know what else takes time? Getting good grades, working on a student journal, revising my thesis, keeping my job, being active in the gospel, staying healthy, and just staying sane. My emotional investment is too high in a large span of things and when it stretches too far, it hurts and I begin to cry. These past few weeks, my fiancé has seen me cry more than anyone else on this earth besides my own mother. He's surviving my lunacy and my doubts. (Are you really sure you want to marry me, darling? Like really?)

He's been good for me. He's confident. For once in my life, I'm anything but. He knows I get loony and begin to cackle when he does something that's barely funny. He knows I'm an emotional wreck right now. He knows that I cry at night while praying. He knows I'm scared. He just knows.

Even when I'm having my doubts, I tell myself he's the right one. Even when I'm crying over unceasing worries, I tell myself he's the right one. Even when I can't handle to think about it anymore and my brow is exhausted from intense furrowing, I tell myself he's the right one. He just has to be. He just has to be.

How could he not be?

This picture makes me laugh every time I see it.

I do look back at this post and laugh because amazingly enough, my life is busier. Married life is a whirlwind compared to being single, but it's so much more fun. When we were engaged, all my friends who were married told us that married life is the best. Every time I thought, really? Because I'm pretty happy right now and don't think my life was necessarily the pits before...

It is the best. I'm sure it will get better too. That's how we should live our lives by trying to make today better than yesterday.

And I don't question whether he was the right one for me to marry or not anymore. He definitely was. He makes me laugh to tears everyday. He's a good boy who loves the Lord. And he's so darn cute. Plus, I can't get past a person who loves me more than I love myself. That's impressive.

We're six months old today. I don't really know what I wanted to get across by saying that. It doesn't feel like six months. I feel like time has completely escaped me, and we're just married because we always have been.