On most days I would usually end this sentence with "go away", but today I find myself actually enjoying and admiring the rainy weather. There's just something about being home, in sweats and looking outside to the pouring down rain with Missy Higgins playing in the background. It could also be that I'm having to force myself to write a research paper for school, which is so much easier to do when the weather is as cold and wet as it is today. Another reason I'm enjoying this gloomy weather could be that as I've watched the rain pour outside for the past few minutes, I was reminded of how beautiful the earth is after even a short rainfall. By the time I'm done writing this paper I'm sure I will have changed my mind and will be wishing the sun would make its appearance, but for now I'm just going to enjoy the rain.
I am so excited that my contract with Sprint is up because I am now eligible to upgrade to a new phone! On Friday, Abe and I went to the Sprint store to browse through the grand selection of phones where I found just the phone I was looking for. Not too pricey, easy to use and an easy keyboard to use when texting. However, next to my selection was a case full of "smart phones" with a grand poster advertising all of their nifty features. Don't get me wrong, smart phones are pretty sweet, but it got me thinking. Are they trying to allude to the idea that if you don't have a smart phone you're dumb? If your phone can't arm your home security system by the touch of a button or record a video clip in HD or allow you to essentially skype with anyone, anytime, any place is your phone not smart because it can ONLY connect to the internet? Or ONLY hold 2 or 3 GB of music? I wonder what percentage of people with smart phones actually use all of the features they initially bought the phone for in the first place. I think it's ironic how every time a new phone comes out there seems to be a constant tug-of-war between finding a more simple way to perform a complicated task which really makes it more complicated than the original way. Or that as companies try to make their phones easier for the users they really make it more difficult because there's SO much more to remember with every application or feature created. Really, it's probably just an advertising tactic. Obviously something is working, as I sit here and way over-analyze such a little thing, but it's just something to think about!
This clip makes me happy...and laugh :) This is totally something I could see my dad and older brother, Nic, doing. Maybe I'll make the request next time I go home to visit!
So You Think You Can Dance has started up again and I am SOO excited!!! Call me lame, but something about this show inspires me. I love the emotion and power behind each routine! Here is a clip to one of my favorites from a few seasons ago. Stay tuned for more updates and clips of favorites from this season!
Ever since I was young and asked the question, "What do you feel are your talents or strengths?" I always had the hardest time coming up with something to say. I would usually say that I'm friendly and always try to take a positive outlook on life or that I work well with and love little kids. Call it low self-esteem or whatever, but I'm convinced that I got ALL of the bad genes in my family. However, today I discovered one of my hidden talents! As part of an incentive at work, a small group of us had the opportunity to go to Sakura (a sushi restaurant) and got paid for it! While we were there, the guy cooking our food on the grill in front of us asked who wanted to catch an egg. None of us had any idea what he was talking about so there were no volunteers. Well, we didn't get off that easy and he picked on me. Little did I know...he expected us to catch it in our mouth. So he continued to chop up the "scrambled" egg and tossed it in the air. Low and behold it landed right in my mouth! A little embarrassing...okay, A LOT embarrassing. But, how's that for talent?!
Weekends are a big deal around our house. We really value the time that we have to spend with each other, even though it seems to get shorter and shorter as our lives get busier. This past Friday, while I so would have rather spent some quality time with my husband, I spent a good amount of time in the library studying for midterms. I sat down, logged into the computer and got things all in to place before I finally had some time to take a look around me. Not surprisingly, I was one of very few people in the LRC. As I glanced around I noticed that not one person in there was doing homework. The guy just a couple of seats next to me would switch between some computer game and chatting with a friend. Another guy, I noticed, as I walked by him had "Addicting Games" across his computer screen before he shyly minimized the screen and then looked over his shoulder to see just who was walking by. As I was leaving the library, another girl was reading some Japanese comic online. I just can't understand why so many people would CHOOSE to spend their Friday night in the library for such unproductive reasons. Any ideas?!
Meet Jackson and Elli...two of the five and a half world's cutest nieces and nephews! Abe and I recently had the opportunity to spend a little time with them without Mom and Dad and we had a blast (not that Mom and Dad are boring or anything :) )!! We visited the Living Planet Aquarium in Draper and it was a first for all of us. Though we were a little disappointed in the aquarium compared to others that we have visited it was so fun to see everything through the kids’ eyes! Jackson was fascinated by anything and everything that moved, and even those that didn't move for that matter. He asked tons of questions and I was so grateful that Abe was there to answer all of them for him! Elli, on the other hand, would occasionally give a very loud, high-pitched scream or shrill, which would then scare Jackson, which then caused Jackson to get mad at Elli for screaming so loud and scaring him. With time, however, Elli warmed up and was soon just as interested in all of the creatures as Jackson was (although she still maintained her distance for the most part). I’d have to agree with Jackson’s statement made in the car on the way home: “We should do this more often!”Mandi, please let Jackson know that we’re sorry for not taking him and Elli out on more “dates” more often and that the second “date” is already in the makings.Here are a few pictures highlighting our big adventure:
Jackson actually took all of the pictures of the penguins himself! I think he's got a career!
At the end of the trip, Jackson and Elli just couldn't part from these furry friends! Jackson had to have the longest, scariest snake and to no surprise Elli chose the pink and purple glittery sea turtle that she insisted was a frog :)
