Let Them Eat Cake of Life

Well kids.  It's been a rough six months, as I'm sure you've all had time to figure out.  Not only did I go through a bunch of crappy stuff, but on top of that I've been so sick for the majority of these past six months that it made it impossible to hold a job.  Since my body doesn't react well to pain killers in general, I couldn't usually take those, because they just made me feel crappier.  I couldn't go to school, I couldn't go to work...

But I'm really not here trying to say "oh, wo is me.." because really, I feel quite the opposite.  While I may have gone through all that junk, I look back at it, and I don't look at it as wasted time.  I feel blessed that Heavenly Father is helping me to look at this with a positive attitude.  It's a part of my life, it happened, and what do I have to be ashamed of? Like I said a couple posts back, the Lord lets us go through things, and if we didn't go through them, we wouldn't end up being the children of Him that we are intended to be.

Once I made that decision to get a divorce, took it to the Lord and got the confirmation that it was right on several occasions, I knew I had to do it right away and, for once, not second guess myself.  I didn't.  After that decision, I would get one prompting that seemed a little bit like it might not work, but I followed it, and things worked out.  Then I get another one... same deal.  It's just amazing to me how once we prove to Heavenly Father that we have faith in Him and what he tells us to do, how much easier our lives get!

I look up to the women in my life that are going through situations a thousand times harder than my own.  And not just women, but children who suffer through abuse of all sorts and other things that are out of their control.  Anyone who has lived or is living a life like that and has no control over it, my heart breaks for them.  No one, absolutely no person on this earth has done anything so awful to deserve to be treated like they don't matter, because you DO matter.  There is no one on this earth that needs to put up with anyone else's bad actions.  In no way, shape, or form is that ever OK. It's amazing to me how good of a hold Satan can get on the hearts of men.  So many men and women have the potential to be fantastic husbands or wives or fathers or mothers, but they lose their way so easily, and then Satan has them.

I'm not anti-men, in fact, this experience has made me want a man that will treat me like a queen even more than I did before, and I thought I did! Every girl deserves that.  And I don't hate Taylor, that's not the emotion I feel toward him...I don't hate him, and I don't hope he dies or jumps off a cliff or anything.  I certainly don't love him, but I do pray that he has a happy life, it just won't be with me.  And I'm happy about that!

I am so blessed to have the gospel in my life.  Sometimes we just have to get on our knees and thank our Heavenly Father for the trials he puts us through.  Even though at the time you think it is the most horrible thing in the world, when it all comes together, you realize how beautiful His plan for you is.  Does anyone remember that little story about the mom and daughter making a cake...? Let me refresh your memory.

God's Cake

The teacher shared this story in her lesson today. I thought it was so good!

“Sometimes we wonder, ‘What did I do to deserve this?’ or ‘Why did God have to do this to me?’ Here is a wonderful explanation. A daughter is telling her mother how everything is going wrong. She’s failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her, and her best friend is moving away. Meanwhile her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack. The daughter says, ‘Absolutely Mom, I love your cake.’
‘Here, have some cooking oil,’ her Mother offers.
‘Yuck,’ says her daughter.
‘How about a couple raw eggs?’
‘Gross, Mom!’
‘Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?’
‘Mom, those are all yucky!’
To which the mother replies: ‘Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!’

God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when he puts these things in His order, they always work for good. We just have to trust him, and eventually they will all make something wonderful.
God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He’ll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.” :)

Isn't that cool? He gives us all these raw eggs, cups of oil, and scoops of baking soda, all of which seem horrible on their own, but when you mix all of those supposedly bad things together, it makes a beautiful and delicious cake of life!!  I am having a really hard time writing out all the things I'm feeling right now, so I hope that you all get the jist of what I'm trying to say... yeah? :)

I want that...no, I NEED that...

Have you ever been so desperate for something that you will do just about anything to get it? Think about being a wee child... you smell those M&M's way up in the cupboard... you know they're just too out of reach, but the thought of that sweet chocolate melting all over your mouth makes you salivate... you want it... no, you need it... chair, where's the chair?... you drag it over... climb onto the counter, and put your chubby little hands up into the cupboard, feeling around for that luscious bag of M&M's... you feel the silky plastic against your fingers, and it feels OH so good... the gorgeous smell of chocolatey goodness wafts over you like smoke, except it's a good feeling instead of gag-worthy.. and then, you reach in, scoop up a handful of that beautiful, beautiful chocolatey pearl, and pop it inside your greedy mouth... OH THE JOY!!!

Well it's kind of like that.

I want a job... no, I NEED a job... so bad, SO BAD, that I'll do just about (I said just about, people...) anything to get it.  I have stuck my stinking resume into the hands of so many managers, I think I may just absent mindedly reach into my bag and start pulling out different objects and start handing them to strangers... I just don't know what to do with myself.  I just need a job folks.

I just don't really have much else to say.  There are a good many things on my mind, but really after that whole little fiasco with he-who-must-not-be-named, and I think we all know to whom I refer, I'm just really not in the mood to pour my heart and soul out into this big-little white box here... but worry not, gentle readers, I will be soon enough!!

Also, I would like to personally thank all of you for all your love and support while I'm going through all this.  I am happier than I have been in such a long time, and I know a million percent that I am making the right choices.  I also hope you all know that I love you :)

The Reality of Your Ugly Toes.

Oh toes.  Have you ever thought about just how remarkable your ugly toes are? And don't even pretend to be offended when I say your toes are ugly, because you know the sad truth.  Anything that spends THAT much time on the floor can't be seriously attractive.  Unless you are my Aunt Shannon whose toes are as elegantly sculpted as her beautiful fingers... but I digress.  Hideous toes are remarkable things! I remember once in the second or third grade, an ex-smoker came to speak to us about, go figure, not smoking.  Smoking had ruined his life.  He had suffered from lung cancer, throat cancer, and not only that, but it messed up his blood supply to his legs so badly that they had to be amputated.  He went on to tell us that he missed his toes.

Missed his toes? I hated toes.  Toes are ugly.  Feet are ugly.  Not that not having toes or feet is any more attractive than having such ugly appendages...

"Toes," he said, "allow you to keep your balance, and not fall over all the time."

"What is this nonsensical talk?" I thought to myself, "Balance? What the sweet Huckleberry Finn..."
He went on to tell us how once he lost his toes it was like he had to relearn how to walk.  No longer could he feel the ground beneath his toes...

Then I thought of The Witches.  You all know the book.  Roald Dahl.  That creepy book about the ladies that are bald and have NO TOES! I'm serious.  I began thinking about what the world would be like if we all had block feet... We would all be falling over, making fools of ourselves, wearing tissue box shoes...

I decided then and there that I loved my ugly toes.

Eleven years later, I sit here with a laptop upon my knees, contemplating the value of my second littlest toe on my right foot.  I mean, really, if I just ask them to kindly cut off that one toe, what's it really gonna do me? So maybe I will trip 10% more often than I already do... big deal? I'll have a sweet battle wound to tell anyone that ever asks! Seriously, I'm about ready to chop it off myself.

It all started a year or two ago.  Ish.

"Mom, my toe hurts."
"Why? What did you do to it?"
"I have no idea... all I know is when I walk it goes like this *pop* *crack* *pop* *crack*..."
"Well... that's not good.  Stop doing that."
"...Ok. But it hurts to do anything to it.  I can't paint my toes, I have to brace myself when I cut them!! Cut it off, please!"

So I go see my chiropractor.

"Dr. Stone, my toe hurts."
"Well why's it doing that?"
"That's kinda why I came to see you... you see, it goes, *pop* *crack* *pop* *crack*... when I walk, and if anything touches it, I scream."
"Does it hurt when I do this?"
"*wince* Yes..."
"How about this...?"
"*wince, whinny* YES...."
"OK, how about we stop doing that... Now, if I just go like this... *pop* how does that feel?"
"Well... better, but the second I take a step, it pops out again!"
"...hmmm..."

So here we are.  When Makenna gets angry she likes to go running.  Well, I got angry and went running.  What did my toe do? Oh, it just decided to pop out of its socket.  And stay that way.  On top of that, I started my new job yesterday.  It's supposed to be a door to door job.  Ha.  Can you just imagine how that went?

"Hi, let's walk for half an hour and make the pain in your foot excruciatingly painful, so you can't walk on it for the next week!"
"Yay! What a fun idea! I'm so excited!"

And now I can't walk on it.  So, I made sure I was still on my insurance plan, called the lovely doctor's office, made an appointment with a doctor that not only do I not know, but has a last name that would imply that he does not have the most productive work ethic.  Now, don't call me shallow for judging a doctor by his last name alone, because let's be honest here, we do it all the time.  It's like when we read books... we don't actually read the book, you like a book a whole lot more when it's attractive to look at, because then you look attractive when you are reading an attractive looking book! Please, people.

Ok, so I'm a liar, but still.  I just want them to chop my toe off, because nothing thus far has worked.  I vet wrapped in purple Vet Wrap, thanks to my dear friend Kaity Wim, and it feels marginally better, but it still feels like someone pinched my nerve between two ice cubes or red hot chili peppers, I'm not sure which sensation it most resembles.  Either way, I'm almost hoping they make me get surgery, because I seriously can't stand this anymore.  Sarah, set your laser to stun, and stun my freaking toe for eternity!

The promised post of gratitude

k, so I promised I would do a post that is solely one of thankfulness.  So here it is.

1.  I'm soooooo grateful for a Loving Savior and Heavenly Father that lift me and give me the direction I need.

2.  I'm really grateful that I know what's wrong with me this time, even though I don't know what the outcome will be.

3.  I'm grateful for my amazing parents offered up their house for us to live in.

4.  I'm grateful for an understanding mom that can help me through things that she has already been through.

5.  I'm grateful I can walk.

6.  I'm grateful for my sister, aka, my best girlfriend.

7.  I'm grateful for food... who isn't grateful for food...

8.  I'm grateful for the gospel!! 'Nuff said.

9.  I'm really grateful that we have had some nice weather lately... until this coldness! But... I really am grateful for the rain, too.

10.  I'm grateful for my friends who have stuck with me through hard times.

11.  I'm grateful for the few wonderful, awesome people who read my silly blog :)

12.  I'm grateful my daddy has work.

13.  I'm grateful for my family's health.

14.  I'm grateful for everyday miracles.

I wanna pull my hair out, but I worked too hard to get it this long.

Can I just vent for a moment? Yes, I broke a salad spoon today.  Was it out of frustration? No.  Should it have been? Maybe.  The coleslaw I made was the first thing that let me attack it.

Let's be honest here.  We have all felt like this technicolor fella at some point in our lives, haven't we? 

I'll start with the simple.  My nail broke.  I like my nails, and after having had gel nails, I have been quite excited about getting them to their normal length once more.  Well, unfortunately, I still have like... a teensy tiny bit that still needs to grow out.  And then one broke.

On top of all that, as you may recall from my previous posting about being a health nut... dear readers, I AM. I DO NOT eat sugar, I don't eat any refined foods of any sort, I love vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains and healthy fats.  I even love the heart healthy, great-for-your-skin salmon!! So then why, dear readers, WHY do I still get these little bitty "blemishes" (I don't know what else to call them - they aren't black heads or pimples... just annoying!) that randomly and inconveniently decide to pop up when they are so not welcome.  I chalk it up to hormones... or stress... or a combo.  But seriously.  This makes me want to become a zen yoga master.

Oh, and don't worry, I clean the house - THE WHOLE HOUSE - by myself.  I'm tired of not getting help.  Get up off of your rear ends, and clean up your CRAP!! I've resorted to grabbing everybody's stuff, putting it in a pile, and placing it in front of their doors so as they trip on it on their way in/out.  It worked effectively with one.

I know I need to go see a doctor, but I feel guilty because that costs money, and ... well I feel guilty! I don't want to show up and have there be "nothing wrong with me" and having paid out the nose just to have some specialist tell me something that won't make how I feel go away!  This, my dear readers, is a stupid thing of us women to do.  As we all know, when mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.  And when mama ain't healthy, ... well, she probably ain't happy.  Don't worry, I will go to the doctor... soon.

To top it ALL off, I'm supposed to be going to Costa Rica in... something like 43 days.  Guess who still doesn't have a driver's license? Or a passport? Oh right, that would be me.  It's not for lack of trying.  Next step for me... social security office.  Done.  Wait two or three weeks? Done.  DMV time.  Make appointment - 2 weeks away.  Soonest I can get it.  Fine.  Show up.  Done.  Please wait 4-6 weeks for your new driver's license to come in the mail.  Serious? Oh wait, ma'am, this is certificate.  But it's the only one I have.  Yeah, well, it's wrong.  OK.... ? You need to get the full one.  Serious? *jab jab jabbing* AHHH!! K, fine, that's done.  STILL WAITING ON LICENSE.  Gee, sure hope it gets here in time.  Costa Rica, I shall think of you.  

I'll let you know if I ever get to go.

I promise the next post will be one of gratitude.

In the mean time I still feel a little like this ...

Why am I a Health Nut? Well...

Anyone who knows me can vouch for this - I am a health nut.  And I'm proud of it!!.

All of teenage and adult life (I'm an adult now, right?) I've suffered from some sort of digestive malady, regardless of how healthfully I eat.  My body tends to dislike any food that I put into it too often.  This causes me to have to switch from skim milk (which I don't think I'll do anymore at all), to soy milk, to rice milk, to almond milk; eat breads this week, not next, eat this cereal this week, not next; sometimes it likes this fruit, not that, then it switches... you get my drift, right?

To be perfectly honest, I'm pretty much a vegetarian, if not almost vegan.  I never (ok, VERY VERY rarely) touch sugar, I don't eat any red meats, ever, hardly even touch poultry, but I do love fish (which, if you ask many vegetarians, you can eat if you are vegetarian).  I only eat whole grains, nuts, seeds, sprouted foods (so healthy!), green smoothies, GREEN SALADS, and drinks that are good for the gut, I could go on and on!! I'm so into all this.  It is a goal in life to become certified in Naturopathy.  It makes me excited :).

Sooo, as of late, my digestion has been serrriously out of whack.  And after a lot of research and conversations, I do believe it's time to do a flush.  That's right, a flush.  And it pretty much is what it sounds.  You may wonder, gee, what would prompt you to do such a horrific sounding thing? Well, dear reader, it would be this.  Flushes are necessary when the colon needs a good cleansing.  Sometimes, the body can't do it on it's own, and it needs a little lovin' and shovin'! Blockages and the like can happen for many different reasons.  A poor diet, lack of nutrients, lack of fiber, overgrowth of yeast in the intestines and more.  And you know what? You probably  need one.  But you're probably chicken.  And I don't really blame you...

See, there is this flush called a "Salt Water Flush".  They are saying it's new, but to me, it just sounds like a homemade version of Fleet.  Fleet is the NASTIEST substance on the planet.  When I was 12, I needed a colonoscopy (top and bottom, people) and the day or two before I was allowed NO solid food, only clear foods - water, clear juices, jello... that's about it - and then the night before I had to drink this incredibly salty solution called Fleet.  In all honesty, if I had anything to throw up in my stomach I would have done that and more.  It's that bad.  So when I was reading about this...

Salt Water Flush

1 liter of water

2 t - 1 T organic sea salt

Drink this, lie on your right side, and wait for... the crappy finale.

How freakin' hard to get down would this be?!  Ahh! Now, I haven't spoken to any professional on this cleanse, but as far as I have read, The kidneys can't absorb the water, and the blood can't absorb the salt, so you aren't overdosing on sodium.  Don't take my word for this!! I would not do this before consulting a professional.

But yeah, that's a good example of what a cleanse does to you! It ... *flushes* you out.

There are tons of different flushes and cleanses out there... even we health nuts need 'em.  But I am really glad I AM a health  nut, because that means I can ELIMINATE the problem, not just "put a bandaid on it" and make it "feel" better.  That's one thing that seriously bothers me about people who adamantly refuse to get any other help than traditional medicine.  While I believe that traditional meds have their place and are totally necessary at some times, I think the system is way too overused.  When you have a problem that can be fixed by diet and lifestyle, that's right FIXED, as in CURED, why on earth would you ever give up that chance? This body is the only one you got!! And it's a gift, dear readers.  So I say, to all of you who suffer, seek the natural help!!

I have a real history, and I want SOO badly for people to be helped the way I was!!  It was in my fifth grade year that I started getting really ill for long periods of time.  I missed school for months at a time.  Sixth grade got worse.  I was diagnosed with Mononucleosis.  And it hit me hard.  End of sixth grade year, and I was only getting sicker and sicker.  That summer before 7th grade I stopped walking.  My left knee, and ankle simply would not move.  I couldn't hold myself up.  I was allergic to every food on the planet.  I was taught by a home/hospital teacher, so I stayed up with, if not passed, my peers.  It was a struggle for me to get from the back bedroom to the living room, just for a change of scenery.  I dropped from 115 to 80 lbs at 5'5", I seriously looked like a skeleton.  Nobody in my family likes looking at pictures from that time, you can imagine why.  We all thought I wasn't going to make it.  The frozen joints moved from my left leg to my right leg, and to my left arm.  My hair and nails stopped growing.  Modern docs told me I was crazy, needed therapy, I was anorexic... ya da ya da ya da... one doc (the one who requested the colonoscopy) discovered that I had a mild sort of version of Crohn's (which I did).  She wasn't LDS, so we weren't really going to explain away everything.  After countless incredible blessings, and countless visits to my AMAZING Chiropractor, I started to make a recovery.  Some of my joints began to move again, I could walk with crutches, albeit slowly, and my hair started to grow... a little!  It was miraculous to say the least.  My incredible Chiropractor took a course on alternative medicine, became certified, acquired an Assyra Machine, and learned almost everything about Chinese medicine, all because of me!!  Heavenly Father truly healed me of my disease through him.

That whole episode is still a battle, I still have to fight to keep my health up, and I learned from that time, that if I don't take care of this body... I'll end up how I was back then, and I do NOT want that to happen!! I'll be normal one day, but I have to do my part.

So that's why I'm a nutrition freak :)

I didn't even mean to tell that story, I just got to writing... but it felt good! And I hope that maybe someone will read this and feel inspired... or something.  Have a good one, dear readers!

Another Painless Finger Injury...

Remember an earlier posting about a Crockpot incident, in which I received a nasty gash to the knuckle that bled copious amounts of blood and other fluids, and incidentally I felt no pain? Remember how weirded out I was?

Yeah, me too.

So the other day, I (very stupidly) put my entire finger tip on a burning pan.  I knew I had burned myself, and initially it hurt a little bit, but I quickly ran my finger under water and put a little Miracell on it and put a bandaid on so it wouldn't rub up against things, because I figured it would hurt.  Maybe it was the Miracell (it really is wonderful stuff, heals up anything with practically no scarring) that made it painless, or maybe it was something else, I just don't know! But either way, burns usually hurt quite a bit, and this one just... didn't.

In other news, I have yet to recover from this nasty cold/allergies/flu thing I got going on.  Is it just me, or is everyone getting sick?

In yet other news, I have had this TERRIBLE TERRIBLE urge to cut my hair... like CHOP my hair, and I know as soon as I did it, not only would I regret it and be angry with  myself, but just about every member of my family would be angry with me as well.  This is the longest my hair has ever been, and I really do love it, I was just getting really tired of it, and wanted a change.  So instead of cutting my hair, I cut some bangs.

Not my favorite picture, but you get the idea.

Also, the only other time I had bangs was in the fifth grade... and I look the same.

Newfound Addiction...

Green Smoothies.

That's all I have to say.

some of my fun adventures of 2010 so far

One day I decided I'd do a puzzle.  Ok so maybe it was a Christmas puzzle, and this was in January or February... but still!

One day, we went sledding, twas very fun.  

My gorgeous sister

My gorgeous mom

best friends since we were 12

we haven't changed much.

My black baby.

And so that ends one of our epic adventures.  More to come.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!!

Go Irish!!!!

Well, I have to admit, that I'm very proud of my Irish heritage.  Yes, on me mother's side.  Saint Patrick's Day happens to be one of my favorite holidays.

I, for one, went to sleep with Christmas socks on, which happened to have several green presents on them.  I even ate from a green bowl this morning.  Don't worry, I changed into some green garb as soon as I woke up.  Yes indeed, I'm decked out in green today, and I can't wait to get started on my Irish feast tonight!!

On the menu:

Irish soda bread, Colcannon, Cabbage and Sour cream, and who knows what else I'll be inclined to whip up! Shepherd's pie, stew, boxty, the possibilities are deliciously endless.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone!!!

Happy Birthday Erik!!

Here's an awesome poem that I wrote for my brother for his 23 birthday today!!



Happy Birthday Erik Donaldson!!


!It's rhymin' time.



Happy Birthday to my E-Y, and if it's ok with you,

I have some things I'd like to say, in a rhyme stanza... or two.

On this your day of birth, my friend, I think it may be wise,

to make sure that you eat your dinner before devouring pies.

You're now a year older than you ever were before

,and for every year you age you get to snore a little more.

I've never been your age, you see, so I haven't much advice,

so instead I'll tell you all the things about you that are nice.

Your crispy hair, your furry arms, the way your elbows bend

,your left ear lobe, your buddha globe, your third toe from the end,

your smoothy chin, your ankles thin, your knuckles and your nose,

the way you play your cello looks just like you strike a pose,

Oh, Erik, I could write a list that's seven miles long,

but by that time I'd have to write another poem song,

And so I think I'll be wise and I'll stop while you're around,

I hope your day's the best, and it's as happy as it sounds!



Love you brotha,



Love, Miki

Adventures of a Crockpot

I love cooking, I really do, but my new crock pot (which I love and adore) has been giving me grief lately.  I can't say that I know exactly why.  But I can take a good guess... I'm just not very intelligent, that's all!

Yesterday I decided to make this new dish that my mom copied down for me while she was in California.  It's called Thai Chicken.  Reading through the recipe I thought that it sounded so so good and super easy! How much easier could it get than sticking something in a crock pot?

The recipe called for 4 WHOLE chicken breasts (that's 8 individual breasts, for those of you who, like me, didn't know that... and that's a stinking lot) so I halved the recipe.  2 whole breasts, or 4 pieces, half a can of coconut milk, 1 whole onion chopped up tiny, turmeric and red pepper flakes, set on low for 5 hours, cranked up to high when the chicken gets tender, add some pineapple pieces, some cornstarch and water, let it sit on high for 15 minutes, serve it over brown rice... mmmmm....

Easy right?

Well, yeah, except for the fact that my crock pot has a lethal lock'n'go feature that cut my pointer finger when I tried to unlock it!

I thought it would be better to lock the crock pot because the lid stays on much tighter and I figured it would cook a little faster... but when I unlocked it to take the lid off, one of the little doohickeys that keeps the lid on snapped back and hit me in the finger.  I didn't even notice it did me any damage until i noticed blood streaming down my right hand.

"What the...?" *blast water at the sink* *run finger under water* "Why does this not hurt??.... ok, seriously... why does this NOT hurt?!"

Should I be grateful I'm not feeling any pain in my fingers? Is that just because I'm cutting my fingers so much lately that I'm just immune to the pain now? I mean, seriously, it was a big old gash in my finger right on my knuckle, and it should have hurt really badly,  I can't understand it, isn't there a name for that? Some kind of disease? Oh well, next time I feel pain in my fingers from a cut, we'll have a party.

Hats and Flowers

Here's a peek at a hat that I made for one of my aunt's friends.  Apple green with a bright blue flower.

I don't have a head model to put it on yet.

Here are some pictures of flowers that I've made, I'll put up more later!

That's all I'm putting up for now, team!!

Wow, I've Never Turned 20 Before...

How many times can a girl turn 20 in a year? Why don't you just ask Drew Howells.

Ever been to Texas Roadhouse? Yeah, me neither, until last night.  I went out to dinner with my little sister, my brother and his friend.  It's this restaurant that's really country and rustic, pretty cool in it's own sorta way.  It reminds me of Frontier Pies that used to be in Provo... but I digress.  The most important thing is that my brothers good friend, Drew Howells, just happened to tell the waiter after we were all done eating that it was my birthday.  Wow.  Really? I had no idea.  I had said something earlier in the evening in regards to it being my birthday.  Anyways, I didn't think the waiter actually believed him because after Drew told him he looked at me and said, "Ohh, lucky youu..."

.... OK.  Thanks? I guess. So I figured he knew Drew was just bluffing.  But then... out comes the whole parade of waiters and waitresses who pull out a saddle, yes that's right, a saddle.  "What do I get to sit on that thing??" "Why yes, genius, you do.  Saddle up."  So I saddled up, and they proceeded to yell that it was my birthday, my 20th birthday, in fact.  Can I get a Yeehaw? YEEHAW!  A good sport, they called me, what a good sport.

Is it ok to say that I felt like I was 9 again?

And so, as I dismounted from that wooden horse and got back into my seatbench, I turned and said, "Well that was the best birthday I've had all year... Wow, I've never turned 20 before..."

And it was indeed the best birthday I've had all year.  I really have never turned 20 before.

Oh, and as it turned out, our waiter was from Mission Viejo, the neighboring city to Drew's growing up.  Small world, right?

Just a side note, it is snowing as I write this.  Hooray!

Note to self, never wear a belt buckle that is bigger than... I don't know.  Just don't.

My very first blog, aww...

Well, team, this is a pretty exciting thing. Blogging, whoever would have thought? Now it's just time to get my mom on the bandwagon and get her blogging! She'd be a great blogger (did you read that mom?)

I'd like to ask you all something:
What in the world am I supposed to do for a research paper in History??? My wonderful, fabulous professor, Dr. Stecker, told us we had to write a research paper, about 16 pages long, has to be on something before 1500 AD, and needs a title page, a bibliography, a thesis page, and then the body of the paper. The "outline" is due in about a week, and I have already emailed the History tutor to no avail. I'm basically at my wits end. What in the world??? I picked a topic - Ancient Egyptian Medicine - because... well basically I have just always found it fascinating. But now I'm wondering how in the world I'm even going to write a thesis on that topic! Honestly, what in the world am I supposed to try and prove anything on that topic? Advice... please? Anyone that knows anything about writing research papers like this, I would seriously appreciate ANY help that I can get! Thanks :)


Nah. Not stressing! In the words of Radcliffe Emerson, "Peabody thrives on situations like these." Now, I'd like to think of myself as Amelia Peabody Emerson. She's intelligent, she's witty, she's logical, but also intuitive, she's practical, she can fight off an attacker with a parasol. I'd like to think of myself as Amelia Peabody Emerson. I really would.

So here I sit, attacking my History study guides, not knowing how on earth I'm going to get through all the things I have to get done within the next few days. I love it.

Ok, so maybe I'm being a bit cynical, but you know what, it helps, alright? And I reall do need a break from this study guide. Confucius and Daoism and Young Kong Qui and Filial Piety.... it's all far too exciting to take in at once. I'd better get back to it though, I think it misses me.