Down by the Baileys...

Artsy

2011-07-01T12:39:00.000-06:00

Free babysitting and supercool photos? Don't mind if I do! Thanks for coming down to visit, Mom and Linds!

These days

2011-06-26T18:14:00.001-06:00

Outside, J's fave

Testing out new flying skills

Filling the swing

Story time, a new part of the bedtime routine

Deep in thought (notice the DK shirt is still going strong)

Snuggle time

Just plain cute

With my friend, "Aunt" Kaycie!

Back in my Wogging Shoes

2011-06-26T16:22:00.000-06:00

I tried to keep running as long as I could while I was pregnant. "Running" quickly became "jogging". When I realized that I was barely outpacing a woman in high heels in a pencil skirt walking up hill pulling a full-sized roller bag, I knew I had graduated to "pregnancy shuffle." Needless to say, the final step to walking was not long behind.

It took awhile after J arrived, but I've started running again and it feels so great! Most often it's a "wog" with J in the stroller, but occasionally I do get to go out on my own and actually run. For the last month or so, my goal has been to go 20 miles throughout each week. Now that the Virginia summer sauna is in season, and J is more hit and miss when it comes to napping in his car seat, it's going to be more tricky. I logged 4.5 miles this past week. And that includes walking to Parking and Transportation to buy a new parking pass. I'm starting to see the wisdom of treadmills, though we don't have room for one. Sigh.

When I went out yesterday, I inadvertently joined the throngs of pink-clad women participating in the "Women's Four Miler Training Program" here in Charlottesville. The Women's Four Miler is a hugely popular race/breast cancer fundraiser held the Monday after Labor Day. My mom and I are signed up again for this year's race, but I didn't pay to join the "Training Program". Basically, it consists of a mini version of the race at increasing distances each weekend followed by a pep rally at the law school park. But I got to join part of the fun for free - not my fault that I happened to be planning the same route. It was entertaining and motivating to have cute ladies doing ridiculous dances cheering me on at each corner. "One half mile down, you're doing great!" And is it wrong that I found some gratification in passing old women while pushing a stroller? Well, if it is, I am guilty. But still gratified.

New Do

2011-06-25T18:25:00.000-06:00

My last haircut was underway just as I started early labor. The stylist asked, "Umm, do you need to leave?" "No," I replied, "This is the last chance I'll have. Let's get it done!"

As I predicted, it's been four months since haircut has made it on the docket. I laughed when the weekly parenting email I get mentioned that you shouldn't change your hairstyle during the first month of your baby's life so that they can learn to recognize you more easily. Don't worry - I was very consistent with the Air Dry beauty regimen.

Well, summer is here, my baby is sleeping more or less through the night, I've got some birthday money, and I found a fun website...so here are the contenders:

I don't have any lace fingerless gloves, but I still think I could maybe pull it off.

So, what do you think? A, B, C, or D?

The thing is, any of these will look the same the 75% of the time that I don't get to blow dry my hair before the day sets in. Oh well, still fun to plan.

This One's a Keeper

2011-06-13T13:10:00.000-06:00

J has really taken to his thumb lately. He has this funny habit of pushing it all the way to the corner of his mouth. Chris calls it the Fish Hook. What a catch!

Last Week...

2011-06-12T12:42:00.003-06:00

...was awesome.

Since last June, our life has been month in Roanoke~month in Stuart(where is Stuart, you might ask? Exactly.)~2 months of surgery~belly is growing~borrow a crib~buy a stroller 'n stuff~belly is still growing and now doing somersaults~month in Roanoke until two weeks before due date~shelf exam shelf exam shelf exam~birth of baby, and the crazy-wonderful-sleepless-how-did-we-get-so-lucky-ness~internal medicine~peds~super expensive licensing exam in Philadelphia~another exam in Falls Church...and then, we made it to last week. It felt like coming up for air after that timed swim I had to do to become a lifeguard in high school. And I'm not exactly a strong swimmer, people.

Besides all he boring catch up on life stuff, we did get to have some fun, too! For starters, we had Baby's First Campout at Sherando Lake. It was definitely a success. J slept better than we did!

J really liked hanging out in his play yard just checking out the trees.

We also went on Baby's First Hike.

Then we headed up to Herndon on Tuesday to spend the day with Chris's fam (and do mountains of laundry. The joys of having family close when you're still living the starving student life!).

Haven't mastered the "smile for the camera" trick, but he's still pretty super to me.

Those sly Baileys took advantage of the opportunity to have a little birthday surprise waiting for me! It was almost 2 weeks early, so I was definitely surprised.

There were balloons, delicious dinner complete with Boston Market macaroni and cheese (my all-time favorite food), and delightful presents.

Chris and Linds celebrated with the best Jenga tower of all time.

I felt so special that I decided to roast myself a baby over ice cream cake (didn't realize until after the photo was taken that it appears that I'm lighting J on fire - he was definitely a safe distance from the birthday candles)

Thanks so much, family-in-law!

I got to go running almost every day, Chris and J got to snuggle and play, we went to the bay...watched movies, went to the farmer's market, and just enjoyed the chance to be together sans med school or work or any other distractions. Ahhh, just what this little family needed.

He's started grasping toy, so fun!

And I may or may not have a particular preference, but J does seem to genuinely like Mikel-the-Bear.

Letting go to enjoy the good stuff

2011-06-03T10:45:00.000-06:00

When you get in the shower to wash off the baby pee, only to get spit up on as soon as you step out of the tub, you know it's time to give up on trying to be clean and just snuggle.

Bedtime Stories

2011-05-25T18:57:00.000-06:00

One of Chris's favorite things to do with J is read to him. They've already finished "The Wind in the Willows" and have moved on to "The Once and Future King." Little J usually just listens, but sometimes he takes matters into his own hands...

Catch Up

2011-05-24T13:06:00.001-06:00

So, you might ask, besides growing, birthing, and growing a baby, what have those Baileys been up to?

We got a bird feeder (clearly, after 5 years of marriage, we have now truly arrived).

We saw wild ponies up-close and, with our friends Kaycie and Merrill, discovered Prometheus' secret at Assateague Island.

We had a wicked "microburst" - this is in the parking lot of our apartment complex.

We visited with family.

We went to the Safari Animal park with Emily and her peeps.

This is called a watusi cow.

I ran the Women's 4 Miler again with my mom - this time, joining the ranks of cancer survivors! (The race raises money for cancer research.)

We attended the Rally to Restore Sanity on the National Mall and met one of Chris's fave celebrities.

We celebrated Christmas by making some sweet gingerbread houses (notice the snowman fishing pond) and hanging with the fam.

We went to the temple for the last time as a family of two.

I retired from my job at UVa, Chris finished his third year of medical school, and I started my gig as the Family Housing President (free rent in exchange for planning parties).

Fourth year and ice cream social, here we come!

Father and Son

2011-05-20T18:53:00.000-06:00

They make quite a cute pair.

During a baby workout session.

The day Chris introduced J to the binky.

You can't see it, but this onsie says "Handsome Like Daddy." I couldn't agree more.

Introductions

2011-05-19T16:00:00.002-06:00

In addition to almost doubling his birth weight, discovering his hands, and warming up his lungs, Little J had quite the social calendar during those first adorable/exhausting few weeks of life. He has discovered a great fan club:

Grandma Bailey, who came and helped the first 2 weeks post-partum and was AMAZING. We couldn't have done it without you, Mom B!

Grandpa Bailey, who drove down as soon as he could to meet Chris 2.0.

Grandma Williams, who chose to celebrate her one year re-birthday (post stem cell transplant) by coming to help during J's 3rd week of life. We couldn't have done it without you either!

My Aunt Becky and cousin Madelin

Great Grandma Williams and Aunt Beth, who was in town for Gram's 75th birthday party, which I was very proud of myself for attending, since it was less than 3 weeks after James was born and 2 hours away in Vienna. He also met Grandpa Williams, Great "Grandpa" Bernie, and several aunts, uncles, and cousins that week, but alas there was no decent photographic evidence. Somehow between naps and feedings and so forth, that just didn't happen.

Cousin Matthew, who was along for the ride in D.C.

His Florida fan club outpost, with Rocky (Great Grandpa Kaiser), Gigi (Great Grandma Kaiser), and Great Aunt Sandi. I was also very proud of myself for making this trip - all the way to Florida and back by myself with a 7 week old little guy!

Aunt Anne, home from BYU-Idaho

Aunt Lindsey, home from BYU

Great Grandma Wheeler

And of course, his animal friends...

No apologies

2011-05-18T08:43:00.000-06:00

I'm jumping back in. No apologies, no excuses. After being prompted by a friend, and reminded by Little J's grandmothers that they are in fact interested in our little life, I'm recommitted to blogging.

I've got 10 minutes while little guy is eating, so here goes...

We were showered with love, presents, and a diaper cake (thanks, fam and friends!)

The belly in the last post got bigger...

and bigger (this was the last belly shot, 3 days before D-Day)...

and then, the debut!

Little J (I haven't decided yet if I am going to use his actual name on this blog, since it's not private). And of course, our lives changed forever. The day he was born was the happiest day of my life, bar none. I've never been so in love - with both Chris and my new little son.

Okay, that's getting a bit too sappy and sentimental. Back to the cute photos.

So, we decided to take that bundle of cuteness home.

And Little J slept...

and ate (and slept - we called this the Milky Stupor)...

And like any self-respecting, over-documented first child, had his first official photo shoot within 2 weeks of being alive.

Hmm, this is taking much longer than 10 minutes. Thanks, Little J, for wiggling and talking to yourself for a little while. I have much, much more cuteness to catch up on. So, please comment if you are reading this so I will be motivated to continue the story!

6 Months - the Inevitable Profile

2010-11-06T04:00:00.000-06:00

I was planning to just take a quick snapshot to document the growing bump, but thanks to my talented and obliging friend Jamie, I got an impromptu photo shoot!

The Latest

2010-09-18T05:16:00.000-06:00

As my nephew Ben used to say at the ripe old age of 4, "Well, I've got some good news, and some bad news."

The bad news is that I've discovered one of those delightful pregnancy side effects that they don't mention in "What to Expect When You're Expecting." A quick primer: if you've had chicken pox, the virus that causes it now lives in your nerve cells and can flare up at any time to cause shingles. It's more likely to happen at times when your immune system is suppressed: when you are stressed, elderly, or pregnant. And if you're extra special, it will keep flaring up unless you stay on prophylactic meds through the rest of pregnancy. Lucky me.

The good news is I felt the baby move last night. Chris felt it too. Awesome.

An Announcement of Sorts

2010-09-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Since we got married, whenever Chris and I see mutinous children and their exasperated parents, we have a little joke of looking at each other and saying, "Our kids will never do that. We'll teach them better, of course!"

This morning as I was making my bed, I had a flash of memory. I'm 7 years old telling a bold-faced lie to my mom when she comes in my room and sees my bed was unmade when I've sworn I've cleaned my room already. "I just unmade it!"

Hmm, I think having children is the universe's payback. So here we come, February 9!

And the winner is...

2009-12-26T19:31:00.006-07:00

The Bailey People Watching Award definitely goes to the pink-suited kid in the Solitude ski lodge, circa 5 years of age. Said kid studied her hotdog carefully, licked the entire surface of the bun, then turned to mom and asked with perfect innocence and sincerity, "Want a bite?"

Flashback Friday

2009-12-25T07:40:00.001-07:00

An old friend from our University Villa days (sigh. good memories. once a 2nd warder always a 2nd warder...) sent me a timely email with an old photo he found in the eaves of his computer.

Besides a mild concern about photos of us kissing being in unknown locations, it was a happy Christmas surprise to get this little piece of nostalgia from 2004.

May this year's mistletoe bring you good luck and happy memories for years to come!

Seriously, so funny

2009-12-24T06:28:00.009-07:00

If you haven't already, you should definitely see this blog. I laughed out loud...and then laughed at myself over some things that hit close to home. But I still think that happiness is being married to your best friend. And I'm still glad Chris is in med school. And I'm still glad I get a pedi every week. Oh wait...

Pretty in Pink...and Palin

2009-12-23T05:15:00.004-07:00

Yesterday, I dropped off my mom and brother for a doctor's appointment. I decided to go to my favororite running store that just opened a new shop in Provo to use my Christmas gift money to buy some much-needed new running shoes (thanks, Mom and Dad Bailey!).

I picked out what I thought, and still think, is the most awesome shoe I've ever worn or owned: The Gel Nimbus 11 in "White Lightning". Oh yes, it is beautiful to behold.

It has I.G.S. (for the uninitiated (me), that's Impact Guidance System), GEL Cushioning System, and Asymmetrical Lace Design. I just like that it's incredibly comfortable and pink.

Pleased with my purchase, I went back to the doctor's office and picked up a copy of Newsweek while I waited.

Sarah Palin's still making headlines? I thought to myself. Nice running clothes though. Then, I looked closer.

That's right. She's wearing the Gel Nimbus 11. My Gel Nimbus 11. Never in my wildest, slightly fashion-impaired dreams did I ever think I would see my clothes--in a magazine--on a celebrity. Nevermind that I think this celebrity has a few screws loose (after all, what celebrity doesn't?). My new shoes are famous!

I think that may just get the new year off on the right foot.

Tipping the scales

2009-12-23T04:18:00.000-07:00

I think I may convince Chris to apply to residency in Utah after all...

My little mom

2009-12-22T18:52:00.004-07:00

Before chemo...
(we ran the Women's Four Miler together in Charlottesville just weeks before she was diagnosed with lymphoma)

During chemo...

(the wife of her home teacher made her lots of super cute, comfy, warm hats to wear - just one of many, many kindnesses we have received)

Looking forward to the day when I can post the "after chemo - remission!" She's a tough cookie, a gracious patient, and now as ever the greatest little mom a kid could ask for. I love you, Mom!

You know you're a nerd family when...

2009-12-22T18:41:00.003-07:00

...you find these beauties interspersed among the vacation and family photos.

There's just something about a lab coat, clip board, and the ability to harvest mouse specimens for an organ bath that I find irresistible.

The Weather Outside is FUNful

2009-12-21T07:26:00.009-07:00

With 27 hours of snow fall, by Saturday night our ugly little dead-end street was transformed into a winter wonderland!

Saturday we stayed inside most of the day, watched the snow fall, and had a romantic dinner of soup and biscuits.

Sunday morning, we ventured out in the Rachel-thigh-deep drifts. Cars were covered...

...and tragically, church and all of the accompanying early morning meetings for Chris were cancelled.

We were clearly devastated. We consoled ourselves by finally getting a good picture for a Christmas card.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

In Memory of John Jones - How You Can Help

2009-12-15T15:28:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged about this (besides that I haven't blogged about anything in months) because my heart is too full to express myself without blubbering, but I at least want to get the word out...

As some of you are aware, our dear friend John Jones died in a caving accident in Utah on November 25. John was in Chris's medical school class; he and his wife Emily are in our ward (local church group) and have been wonderful friends since we moved to Charlottesville last year. Emily is amazingly strong and wants to rise to the challenge of raising her 14 month daughter Lizzy and her unborn child (due in June) on her own. She graduated with her bachelor's in psychology and is now going to need to go to graduate school and start a new future with her children. We are doing a fundraiser at Applebee's here in Charlottesville on Dec. 19th from 7:30-9:30am. Applebee's is providing a pancake breakfast, and 100% of the proceeds go to Emily and her family.

If you're not in Charlottesville or can't make the breakfast on Saturday, you can also donate any amount to Emily and her children online at: johnjonesmemorial.com

Thanks for making a difference. Please pass the word along, and let me know if you have any questions about how we can help this wonderful family through this.

Weekend at Grandma and Rocky's

2009-07-20T17:59:00.003-06:00

My grandparents are pretty much the cutest people ever. They square dance. And play tennis, and win, with people 30 years younger than them. And love their Prius. And are frustrated with technology, but adapting heroically. And, like any self-respecting grandparents, they are master keepers of stuff--not only do they keep lots and lots of stuff, they keep it in mint condition.

I went to visit them for the 4th of July, and Gram pulled out this:

This is the dress my great-grandmother wore to my grandparents' wedding! It's 56 years old and counting.

My grandparents are also amazing socialites, so everywhere we went I got introduced to dozens of cute old people who were just tickled to see me all grown up. I think they enjoyed showing me off. Gram even made sure I was outfitted in red-white-and-blue for the festivities:

Sigh. Families are great. I just wish we all lived closer.

Please

2009-07-20T17:37:00.005-06:00

Can my kids be as cute as this someday?

Paradise Island

2009-07-15T16:57:00.004-06:00

Reason #4,519 why I love being married to Chris...

The week of my birthday, my grandfather passed away and Chris had final exams. Needless to say, I wasn't making, or expecting, any special plans. Driving home on my birthday on Friday afternoon, I figured Chris and I would just spend a quiet evening watching a movie or something boring but comfy. So imagine my excitement and surprise when I found a note taped to the apartment door:

"Put on this blindfold [rolled up t-shirt hanging from nail on door] before you knock".

I obeyed. And knocked. And was rewarded with Paradise Island!

The pictures don't do it justice, but Chris had "beach ambiance" sounds playing complete with seagulls and waves. He made a smoothie, a Caribbean curry dinner, had decorated the whole apartment, and was decked out in beach gear. He also had a put candles in a dish of Boston Market macaroni and cheese (my FAV!) for me to make my birthday wishes. Who couldn't love this man?

Funny subplot--I was so excited during the "island party" that I forgot to take pictures. So I recreated the scene the next day for photo documentation.

Patriotism...and presents

2009-06-22T19:27:00.006-06:00

Thanks to my wonderfully crafty SIL Brooke, my apartment is now prepared to celebrate Independence Day in style!

So, to carry on the traditions on which our nation was founded--namely creativity, glitter, and blogging--here goes...The first three people to leave a comment on this post will receive something made by me. However, there are some limitations:

1. I make no guarantee that you will like what I make.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it is going to be - cards, bows, a bag, frame or a little invention of my own. I may bake something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you that’s for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. It may blow your mind!

Here’s the catch, if you choose to do this. You must post this on your blog and be ready to make something for three people too. This will be fun! When you receive the fabulous item I make you, you must post a picture of it on your blog. Now time to comment and start thinking about what you will be making for someone else!

**Additional note: I reserve the right to make something less cute than Brooke :)

And out of control

2009-06-17T17:36:00.003-06:00

So remember the cats? They're taking over. This afternoon when I got home, I heard a very mournful call in the stairwell. That's weird, I thought. When I opened my apartment door to let in my friend Heather, a cat was rubbing up against her leg and then dashed into my apartment! It freaked me out so much that I screamed and tried to kick it. Heather did not seem to understand my distress...it was a little embarrassing. I'm just not a cat person, and so having it run in my house was like a squirrel stealing my food out of my hands. Not cool. Plus, Chris and I are both allergic. So more like a squirrel spitting pollen in my face and then stealing food out of my hands.

Out in public

2009-06-17T17:19:00.002-06:00

I am cheap. Not about everything traveling.running shoes.produce but about some things electronics.hair products.jewelry. So when we discovered how outrageously expensive internet is out here (since you have to buy a package including cable and a landline...seriously, who buys a landline these days? So 90's.), I was adamantly against paying for it. I decided I would just use the public library to do my online class. It's close, it's free. What's not to like, right?

Well, I've learned over the last 10 months that you definitely get what you pay for. Free internet actually means...

Biggest crusty I've ever seen from a mean old lady

Listening to the most annoying internet games ever. EVER. Good thing there's a time limit on computer usage. Oh wait, but that's actually not good for me.

Really smelly folks

Creepers not a few viewing slightly questionable material

Overhearing intimate phone conversations that are extremely awkward

Slimy keyboards that have almost certainly never been cleaned

The free internet at the student family housing is starting to look more and more charming...but until then, I'll just chalk it up to really great people watching. After all, it could be worse.

to pet or not to pet

2009-06-13T10:10:00.004-06:00

Last Friday, our rock-out neighbors moved, and they asked us to keep their hamster, Mario, for them "over night". Which turned into a one-week stay. Some people see hamsters as pets. I am not one of them. Hamsters are rodents, and rodents indoors should be caught in traps. That's just how I was raised I guess. As a cruel, cruel rodent trapper.

You may think they are cute. I can even admit that they can be cute. I just think they are much cuter in the wild that in my living room. Especially when they fling wood chips everywhere and have that annoying propensity to be nocturnal.

Our neighbors never called, so we finally drove over to drop Mario off. So he is now back where he belongs...sort of.

Rice to the rescue...almost

2009-06-01T18:32:00.004-06:00

Approximately 3 weeks ago, my phone went through the washer. Regular cycle. My resourceful and ever so helpful mother-in-law suggested that I take out the battery and put it in a bag of (uncooked) rice to dry it out. I was skeptical, but I tried it anyway.

After 48 hours in the rice, I put the battery back in the phone and...it turned on! I was converted.

Then, about 3 days later, I discovered that suddenly my phone only worked when plugged into its charger; it instantaneously turned off when unplugged. I also discovered that half of my voicemail messages are now complete, aggravating silence. I was disillusioned.

My cell phone became a landline. I am in the process of deciding how to replace it. Meanwhile, I effectively crawled back to my pre-cell phone cave. Only it wasn't as dark and inconvenient as I thought. I became harder to get a hold of, but I was been less tempted to answer it when driving, less glued to my phone. I was liberated.

Then my phone started doing more weird things. Like not working at all. Back to disillusioned.

Thanks but no thanks, rice. But it was still a good idea, Mom.

Spontaneous

2009-05-30T11:55:00.002-06:00

Last week on Friday at 9 p.m., my friend convinced me to run a half marathon with her on Saturday at 7 a.m.

Is it bad that no small part of my motivation was rationalizing all of the cake I wanted to eat on Friday night?

p.s. I paid the price--my knee hurts. A lot. But the cake was so, so good.

Opinions on a dismal affair

2009-05-30T11:48:00.004-06:00

Summer time means one very unfortunate thing for me this year: I need a new bathing suit. The strap on my current, tube top-style suit has lost its ability to prevent me from flashing unsuspecting children at the beach. Thus, I must undertake that most odious of activities for women in search of modest swimwear.

Since I would like to avoid the actual shopping at all costs, I've been looking online...

Any thoughts?

This is what happens when you don't have the internet at home...

2009-05-09T13:21:00.003-06:00

You go 5 months without blogging. Where has the time gone? Well, suffice it to say that I still have a job, Chris is now officially a second-year med student, we have a raccoon and a growing gang of cats that live in our parking lot (which will continue growing until the crazy cat lady that lives a doors down stops feeding them and trying to teach them how to sneak into the laundry room), our upstairs neighbors are building up our tolerance to gangster rap, and I never did end up running a marathon in February.

Speaking of med school, it has been much easier than I thought so far to be a med student's wife. We eat dinner together most nights, and I'm almost as busy as he is. And I'm filling in the almost with running, learning to crochet, and online classes through the UNC School of Public Health which I am loving. I'm grateful that, so far, the dire predictions of becoming a "med school widow" I heard from many a naysayer have not proved accurate. Although I am glad that anatomy is over--I could always smell when he'd been in the cadaver lab too long.

Speaking of cats, Chris saw an amazing event the other day. It was a meow-off. Two cats were nose-to-nose making the most annoying sound in the world, and neither was backing down. It was serious business. And Chris would be happy to demonstrate it on you, just as he did on me most unexpectedly when I arrived home. Think Zoolander meets Dumb and Dumber.

Speaking of marathons, finding races to run that are not on Sundays outside of Utah is a little tricky. So I decided to make my own race. It's the Bailey 20 miler on August 29. Yes, I picked pretty much the hottest day of the year, but the timing just worked out well. And I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess. Chris will be the "support team". His list of duties will include meeting me every 3 miles to provide water/gatorade, cheering me on like I'm an olympian, and diverting traffic :) Wish us luck!

What I would show you...

2008-11-10T20:58:00.003-07:00

If my camera would actually turn on when you switch it to "on" (funny concept, I know), I would display breathtaking photos of...

The amazing fall colors here in Virginia.

Our cute, mostly matching, much improved living room (this time, I picked the couch!).

The UVa Rotunda, a very templesque building that is the pride of all of Charlottesville. Designed by Mr. Thomas Jefferson. It looks especially stunning at night. Did I mention it was designed by Thomas Jefferson?

The delightful view of an overflowing dumpster that we have from our porch.

Chris in his white coat at the White Coat Ceremony. A bit bit pompous that they have the ceremony at all, but still kind of fun and all official. I'm in to graduations and that kind of thing. Though they usually come at the end and not the beginning.

The winning costume from our ward's Halloween party--a UFO.

J Dog and E's visit to our new hometown.

The amazing deliciousness that is Rita's Italian Ice and Custard.

The adorable twins in my nursery class, if they weren't so shy. They are so angelic it's almost weird. Example: during class, they are so good at sharing they just bring toys to other kids the whole time. Definitely not normal.

That's really all my tired brain can think of. Which is exactly what a camera is supposed to be for.

forgive me

2008-09-15T13:15:00.002-06:00

To whatever readership I have left after such a long dearth of new posts, I apologize. What could possibly have kept me away for so long? I have had an almost disgusting amount of free time since our relocation to the best place in the world (if all of my family and UNC-Chapel Hill were there, that is)--Charlottesville, Virginia--so I can't claim the "too busy" card. Although you would be surprised how much time can be absorbed by "shopping" on craigslist to completely furnish an empty living room.

Ironically, just as I am feeling inclined to blog again, I will no longer have such wide expanses of unscheduled hours. Because I start my very first real job a week from today. That's right, salary, benefits, office, 401k...the whole shebang. I actually negotiated my salary, which made me feel like a real live grown up. And then I hung up the phone and did a very silly, non-grown up victory dance (involving some very impressive spins) in my pajamas.

I will be working as a clinical research coordinator at UVA. I have to learn to draw blood, take EKG's, and handle a ridiculous amount of paperwork. In my interview, my boss asked me whether I would be comfortable talking to people about sex since some of the clinical studies have to do with restoring libido. I wisely resisted the urge to bust out a little Salt and Peppa. You never know if people are early 90's music fans or not...better not to risk it, I figured. And I guess I figured right.

The end for now. And I promise I'll blog again soon.

Sigh of Relief

2008-06-13T07:53:00.006-06:00

Important news update: after countless phone calls, emails, craigslist posts, and faxes, we have an apartment in Charlottesville! This is thanks in large part to a friend of a friend from an old ward who lives in C'ville went and looked at several places for us out there. Come to find out, she herself was moving this week. So she looked at apartments for someone she had never met, with two kids in tow, just days before she was moving three states over. What a gem. Another benefit of the Great Big Mormon Family!

It's a great location, a great deal, and ours on July 25, 2008!

I'm a very busy woman.

2008-05-29T09:08:00.003-06:00

During my extraordinarily demanding schedule in my last week in Las Vegas, I managed to squeeze in time to find this intriguingly, cynnically, spot-on website.

You should really check it out. But only if you're not too busy.

For the record, I like 38 of approximately 100 items on their list. So I guess I'm about 38% authentic.

Amber's post made me curious...

2008-05-27T16:23:00.003-06:00

In case you were wondering (like I was), I'm a red.

I guess I can't help it if I'm always right. It's just my innate personality color. Or so the infallible website says.

Confessions of a Twenty-something Temp

2008-05-27T15:08:00.002-06:00

Even though I have had lots of free time and the need for diversion, I haven't blogged in over a week. The reasons are two: the internet has been out at our hotel, and I've been working as a temp. Now before you think that my temporary employment has been so consuming that I couldn't possibly get a blog in edgewise, think again. I just didn't want anyone looking over my shoulder. Especially since those shoulder overlookers were exactly who I wanted to describe. And it was unclear to me whether or not I was allowed to do personal things when I didn't have anything else to do. I decided that discreetly checking my email was acceptable, but I'd better leave it at that. Better to ask forgiveness...

For the past seven business days, I worked as a temp at the temp agency itself; their receptionist was getting married and going on her honeymoon. Their office is only a few minutes' walk from our hotel, so it worked out quite nicely. So, after such a long and distinguished career, I am fully qualified to offer my certified opinion on [insert name of company here-I don't want any curious googlers ending up at my blog].

The whole experience was enlightening in several ways. First, I have never worked in a small office or at any other kind of "desk job" (not that I haven't spent plenty of rear end-widening hours seated at a desk). I feel I have a much better personal understanding of the accuracy of The Office. [insert name of company here] consists of Mom and Dad, who are away in Indiana half the year, Big Sister Boss, Little Sister Peon (or at least gets treated like one), Chain-smoking Bookkeeper, and Smooth-talking Sales Guy. Sales Guy got fired on my second to last day. It was pretty awkward and sad. Along the same lines, there seemed to be other employees who exist but may or may not be coming back to work. No one explained to me why they were gone, but I was supposed to check their email accounts and delete their junk mail. Personal theory: they were scared away by Big Sister Boss, so they didn't bother to come back and clean out their things.

Also, I have complained my fair share about unfriendly receptionists who don't seem to like people, even though their job description demands interpersonal contact. Having never worked as a receptionist myself, I was for the first time faced with the pressure: What if I am one of those receptionists that someone else will compain about? Can I deal with people all day? Even weird people? Rude people? Dumb people? Well, my own opinion is certainly unbiased, and I think I passed the test. I was friendly, polite, and efficient in fielding calls. Even the weird ones. And there are actually a lot of those at a temporary staffing agency. Here's my favorite:

Receptionist: Good morning, [insert company name]. How can I help you?
Caller: Yeah, I'm looking for work.
Receptionist: What kind of position are you interested in?
Caller: Dealing.

-Awkward pause-

Receptionist (thinking to herself, Uhh, we don't make those kinds of placements...): Excuse me?
Caller: Blackjack.
Receptionist: Right. One moment please.

I also learned a very important life lesson: if you are Little Sister Peon, don't work for Big Sister Boss. She's just going to walk all over you. And yell at you in front of the whole office staff. And then ask you to go with her to lunch like you're b.f.f.'s and she didn't just yell at you. And if you are Big Sister Boss, cut it out. Life is too short to take yourself so seriously. Your business isn't that cool.

When Big Sister was yelling at Little Sister, I had two conscious thoughts: first, I thought, I better not do anything to make Big Sister mad. But immediately I realized that, joy of joys, I'm just a temp. If she freaks out on me, I can just leave. And tell her not to take herself so seriously. And have my paycheck mailed.

But don't worry, it never came to that. In fact, Big Sister took Friday off. Funny how much more relaxed everyone seemed in her absence.

Rollin' In It

2008-05-13T10:33:00.003-06:00

The yard sale on Saturday was a smashing success. My goal was to make $15. We made enough to fill up the gas tank. And that's no small feat, these days.

It's funny the things that end up selling at yard sales. Someone actually paid me for an opened, half-used bag of balloons. I wonder if my neighbors ended up selling their "shark in a bottle." I should've bought it, dang. You never know when you might need a small, preserved shark.

Yard sales are also an excellent opportunity for people watching. It's funny to watch kids cajole their parents into buying them stuff. They are generally very successful.

The only down side was that I got sunburned on my scalp. I didn't think to put sunscreen on for that kind of event. Nope, all I was thinking about was all the dough I was making!!

Little Cow Girl

2008-05-06T17:11:00.003-06:00

Looks like Emily is following in the footsteps of her brother, Pecos Ben.

Review in Real Life

2008-05-03T12:19:00.002-06:00

Dear Dan,

I loved your movie. Your character was very sympathetic and endearing. And I was so happy you found love again. But you shouldn't have gone to the bowling alley. It was bad timing, really.

But maybe I'm just a murderer of love.

Sincerely,
Mostly Pleased in Provo...err, Vegas

Autopsychology

2008-05-01T20:51:00.003-06:00

I've stopped telling myself things like...

I don't like being alone.
I'm scared to take on debt for medical school.
I won't be a good mom.

And replaced them with...

Solitude can be refreshing.
The debt will be manageable and worth it.
I may be a little crazy and nerdy, but that will only make motherhood more interesting.

Life is easier when you cease to be the source of your own stress.

Truthfully

2008-05-01T20:28:00.001-06:00

Mom: What do you want for your graduation gift?
Me: Oh, just your love...and money.

Can you blame me

2008-04-30T09:51:00.002-06:00

for falling in love with him?

Window Shopping

2008-04-30T09:36:00.004-06:00

I ventured outside of my hotel room cocoon yesterday to walk a mile to Wells Fargo. Along the way, I noticed a few, um, interesting store names:

Stanky Danky's Smoke Shop
Shag Me Salon
The Hookah Lounge
Tatlantis World Famous Tatoo & Piercing (yes, that is how they spelled "tatoo")

At first I thought, wow, Rach, you're not in Happy Valley anymore. Then I remembered there is also a store with the word "Hookah" in it on Provo Center Street. Yet somehow, that wasn't very comforting.

Viva la Extended Stay Deluxe

2008-04-29T10:27:00.003-06:00

Chris and I decided to go to Vegas for my graduation trip. We figured we could hit it big, take the house, and pay for medical school up front. Or blow all our money in one last hurrah before we move across the country.

Since I've never played penny slots, that probably seems improbable. But we really are here in Las Vegas until the end of May. Chris got a job with a free-lance interpreting company that will pay him handsomely for his services on top of covering the drive to and from Vegas and the cost of staying in a hotel while we're here. It was an offer we couldn't refuse, especially since Vegas is our dream vacation spot. I will actually be here for a week, then back in Provo for a week, then back here for three more weeks. During those three weeks, I will hopefully be working for a local temp agency...or making burritos at Bajio's.

The good news about our hotel is that it's 3 miles away from the strip and close to UNLV and the public library. I went on a little walk yesterday, and I saw a cockroach for the first time in my life. I guess that's better than some other things I could see for the first time in Sin City. And thus our summer adventures begin.

Step 3: Wear the funny hood

2008-04-29T10:16:00.003-06:00

The diploma may have been fake, but having friends and fam to celebrate with me was the real deal!

Synapse to Synapse

2008-04-14T08:32:00.005-06:00

Thought 1:

My brother, Russ, is at boot camp, and I decided I was going to write him lots of letters. However, I wasn't exactly sure what I to write. Boot camp is pretty brutal, so I want my letters to be upbeat and not be focused on what HE is diong. But my brother and I don't exactly communicate a lot, so it feels strange to be writing him about what I am doing since he doesn't really ever ask. Plus it's not that exciting. And the things that I think are funny he might not. So I decided that each letter would center somehow around a "Top 5" list. So far they have been pretty lame...

Top 5 funny things I heard about this week (again, see above note about him not thinking I'm funny)
Top 5 memories of growing up in the Williams family
Top 5 reasons why it's nice to be American

Thought 2:
Since I am about to graduate, many people have been asking me whether I will be attending my graduation ceremonies, then offering their opinion about whether I should.

Bringing it all together:
Here are the Top 5 reasons why I will be attending my college convocation:

5. I really like having moments of closure and reflection that mark the ending of one phase of life and the beginning of the next. Hence I never even considered my parents' offer to just give us cash instead of paying for a wedding reception. Those moments are things that money can't buy (think cheesy credit card commercial).
4. I will be wearing my mom's cap and gown from her P.A. school graduation. That's kind of fun and symbolic or something.
3. I will get to have a very official-looking picture taken with my adviser, Dr. Bell. He has been the most amazing mentor to me, and I'm happy that I'll get to have him there to celebrate with me.
2. I am looking forward to taking lots of pictures in my cap, gown, and hood in fun places on campus. Again, I'm into the symbolic farewells.
1. Even though graduation is boring, it provides motivation for family members to travel long distances to come and sit in the Marriott center and listen to lame speeches. I'll do whatever it takes to have the excuse to spend time with the fam.

Why do I always do these things?

2008-04-02T10:02:00.003-06:00

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? Chris
2. What were you doing at 0800? Taking a Bistatistics quiz
3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Writing emails for the GSS
4. What happened to you in 2006? I graduated from college, started a master's program, got two new nieces, and went to the Galapagos Islands
5. What was the last thing you said out loud? "Okay, bye"
6. How many beverages did you have today? Just water from my water bottle
7. What color is your hairbrush? Light-colored wood
8. What was the last thing you paid for? Getting my permanent retainer fixed
9. Where were you last night? At a banquet in the Hinckley Center
10. What color is your front door? White, sadly (used to be nice wood, they painted over it and now it looks awful)
11. Where do you keep your change? In my wallet and in funny-shaped bottles
12. What’s the weather like today? Warmer than yesterday
13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Raspberry frozen yogurt
14. What excites you? Learning new things, having really good discussions, traveling and catching up with old friends
15. Do you want to cut your hair? No, I'm growing it out
16. Are you over the age of 25? No
17. Do you talk a lot? Yes, especially with my family and in my lab
18. Do you watch the O.C.? Never have and probably never will
19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Yes --the best character on Nacho Libre, among others
20. Do you make up your own words? I shorten words, which I picked up from my sister. Example: cookie >> cook. Shower >> show (rhyming with how)
21. Are you a jealous person? Occasionally
22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Anne
23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Kristen
24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? Chris
25. What does the last text message you received say? "just pulled into the parking lot below the little booth thing across from the engineering building"
26. Do you chew on your straw? Not usually
27. Do you have curly hair? Nope. Though I had many perms in my early years.
28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? Salt Lake for a Jazz game on Friday
29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? Probably shouldn't say
30. What was the last thing you ate? Bran Flakes and milk
31. Will you get married in the future? I hope not
32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? Enchanted...loved the parody, but still wanted the princess to end up with the prince at the end
33. Is there anyone you like right now? Yes
34. When was the last time you did the dishes? Monday night
35.Are you currently depressed? No
36. Did you cry today? No
37. Why did you answer and post this? To avoid working on my data project
38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey. Rachel H, Beth, Brooke, Nama, Jon

Give me a G-S-S

2008-03-21T12:54:00.009-06:00

In addition to lots of other fun things

(such as staying at the Circus Circus Hotel...

...or rescuing Rachel Hansen's earring from the bathroom drain with a paper clip)

I got back in touch with my high school roots this past weekend in Reno.

People I have met since my days at CHHS are often surprised to learn that I was a cheerleader for 5 years. I generally take that as a compliment, although I wonder if I've lost my pep.

But with the help of Larkin and Rachel at the NAGPS regional conference, it was confirmed:

once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader. Go Graduate Student Society!

What are the chances?

2008-03-21T12:52:00.001-06:00

About 5 minutes after I last posted, I saw a guy wearing a shirt that read:

"Feminist chicks dig me."

I'd say, slim to none.

The Feminine Misnomer

2008-03-18T14:49:00.004-06:00

"Feminist" is a title that I would rather avoid. It has taken on such a nasty connotation--the man hating, bra burning, abortion advocating, I-always-the-victim claiming, liberated-from-responsibility woman. Nonetheless, I do consider myself as being very aware of and in many ways worried about the problems associated with gender discrimination and sexism. So if that makes me a feminist, so be it.

Unfortunately, I think that in at least one major respect the feminist movement has failed the women of this generation. Instead of expecting equal respect as women, we (referring collectively to the women who make up the feminist movement) demanded to be treated like men. We pushed for sameness rather than true equity. We vowed to free ourselves from the roles forced upon us by a male-dominated society of woman--homemaker, wife, and mother--instead of asking for both the freedom to CHOOSE our role for ourselves and for equal prestige in those roles.

In other words, we degraded ourselves further by spurning motherhood and childrearing as inferior instead of raising the prestige of those roles. And in the process, we have prostrated ourselves before the Gender Gods and offered a prayer to take away our femininity. We have hated ourselves and worshiped men by wishing more than anything to become them.

So now, instead of having a society in which men and women are equally respected, we are creating a society in which men's work is still viewed as superior, and only those women who become the most like men receive the most recognition and status.

And I am guilty of being a part of it. Because in all honesty I see my future career prospects as more prestigious than my future as a mother. And I FEEL guilty for it. And I need and want to change.

I don't think the solution is for all women to stay home with their children or for all women to go to work (which, of course, would change the definition of childrearing to "work" since someone would still have to do it, even if they are getting paid). But I also know that building walls and judging each other as women for the choices that we make in trying to navigate this sticky issue only contributes to the problem. We are our own worst critics.

I also recognize the caveat that this whole work-versus-stay at home discussion is really only germane to that portion of the female population which has the ability to choose. Many women would love to have children, or to stay home with them full-time, but are powerless to do so. As an upper-middle class, white, college-educated American, I realize that it is quite silly to complain about just about anything in terms of societal status and advantage. Oh, that poor woman who can pay all of her bills, live in a safe neighborhood, has a husband who views her as a full partner, and has control over her reproduction and lifestyle. She has it so hard.

But from the larger perspective of women's role, respect, and equality in general, I think we need to change our approach. And we need a new word to call it that isn't so polarizing.

For Brooke, my favorite married SIL

2008-03-12T18:09:00.002-06:00

How long have you been together? We'll celebrate our third anniversary in August.

How long did you date? Eleven months, including engagement

How old is he? 26

Who eats more? Usually Chris, but sometimes I eat more for breakfast. Most important meal of the day!

Who said "I love you" first? Chris. I told him he couldn't yet because it was too soon. So he spent the next few months writing me love notes justifying why he really did love me. Then I let him say it (and said it back to him) right before he went home for Christmas...so romantic.

Who is taller? Chris.

Who sings better? The real question who LIKES to sing more? Definitely me--Chris calls me "Jukebox Wife".

Who is smarter? Me, of course. So goes the Bailey proverb: "Always listen to the wife".

Who does the laundry? We both do, and usually at my parents' house.

Who does the dishes? We both do, but Chris probably does them more often.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me

Who pays the bills? We both do. I pay the electric and phone, Chris pays the rent and insurance. It's just sort of worked out into a status quo that way.

Who mows the lawn? Neither of us, though when we have one, I don't want to do it. Chris maintains the porch garden.

Who cooks dinner? When we actually cook dinner...I initiate, and Chris is my excellent assistant.

Who is more stubborn? Probably me.

Who kissed who first? Chris kissed me first. But I was not subtle about whether or not he should.

Who asked who out? The love doctor Tina set us up...and I acted surprised when he asked me.

Who proposed? Officially-Chris. Practically-me. Chris was pretty much waiting for me to decide if I was ready to tie the knot. So I told him I was. We were sitting on the couch at my parents' house. Very romantic.

Who is more sensitive? Me

Who has more friends? Friends that we keep in touch with, probably me. Though we are both better at being friendly than at making friends.

Who has more siblings? Counting in-laws, me.

Who wears the pants in the relationship? Well, neither of us like to wear skirts, that's for sure.

Who are you tagging? Beth. I don't know if I have any other married blog patrons who would take the tag.

Step 2: Pass your oral thesis defense

2008-03-08T09:36:00.002-07:00

Check.

Thanks everyone for your well wishes and encouragement. I started feeling better not a moment too soon, and my voice lasted just long enough.

Come on Tamiflu, don't let me down.

2008-03-05T10:10:00.002-07:00

At a most unfortunate time, I have come down with the flu. So if any of you are available to do a presentation at noon on Friday titled, "Mechanisms by which Apoptotic Membranes Become Susceptible to Secretory Phospholipas A2," please let me know.

If not, just...pray that Tamiflu is worth $80.90.

Meant for private consumption

2008-03-01T09:48:00.002-07:00

I realize that in some ways I am a very private person. So I find myself at times surprised by the things that some people deem acceptable to do in public settings. Take the following example...

I was in the BYU library using a computer at one of those clusters of computers on the fifth floor. The computer facing mine on the other side of the table was being used by a nondescript male patron. An amorous female who I assumed was his wife pulled up a chair next to him. They began talking and smooching and so forth. It was a little awkward.

Then, she did the most unexpected thing, and I wish that I had not seen it transpire--she reached over and popped a pimple on his face. They both continued the conversation, not missing a step. Obviously, this was common behavior in their relationship. Never has the phrase "get a room" been more appropriate.

Political dialogue from the future of America

2008-02-26T09:43:00.004-07:00

A paraphrased transcript of a class discussion in my dad's remedial English class at Brighton High School on conservativism v. liberalism (note: a 20 minute lesson on the subject preceded this):

Mr. Williams: So, based on what we just talked about, Do you think Hillary is liberal or conservative?

Girl 1: Uhh...who's Hillary?

Mr. Williams: Okay, what about Obama?

Boy 1: Didn't we kill him? In Iraq or something?

Mr. Williams: Let's take step back here. (To Girl 2) Do you know what conservative means?

Girl 2: That's what you make orange juice from.

Maybe students aren't the only who ones who find high school demotivating.

oh,

2008-02-25T17:42:00.001-07:00

and if you are curious about any of the contents of those 62 pages, you can come to the Graduate Brown Bag Lunch on March 28 from 12-1 p.m. in B060 JFSB. Or you can wish me luck in my thesis defense next Friday, March 7.

Step 1: Submit Complete Draft of Thesis to Department and Dean of College

2008-02-25T17:33:00.003-07:00

62 pages. 20 figures. 96 references.

Check.

How Gus Came to Alpine

2008-02-16T17:33:00.001-07:00

Growing up, my dad would talk from time to time about buying some land and having horses on it. Being a fully suburban kid for whom “horseback riding” meant trying not to step in poop or fall off, I didn’t take him seriously. And I certainly didn’t share in his dream.

A few years after we moved to Texas, it seemed he might actually do it. On many weekends, he would take the whole family to check out potential sites for “the ranch”. We’d drive west of Fort Worth, stop at one place, walk around, check out the barn, and I would find a place to go to the bathroom. As many of the prospective “ranches” did not have any actual house on the property, this turned out to be rather difficult and thus traumatic for a young girl with a small bladder who had at least 3 more similar stops to look forward to before heading home. I remember trying to “wander off” to find a place out in the scrub oak and tall grass to relieve myself but being stopped by Mom who was afraid I’d embarrass the family in front of the realtor.

But I digress.

These weekend trips, interlaced with visits to livestock shows at the Fort Worth Stockyards, went on long enough that we kids never did think Dad would actually buy anything. But we again hoped too soon. He did, indeed, buy “the ranch”. Which is a bit of a misnomer, since there wasn’t really anything there. A cattle guard, some hills, lots of grass and scrub oak, and two muddy ponds. And now that he had the ranch, the frequency of weekend trips only increased. These visits for me consisted of helping trim huge dead branches off the trees, walking around, and generally trying to do whatever was necessary to get to go home as soon as possible. Obviously, these were highlights of my formative years. Somehow, my dad’s progeny did not quite catch his vision of the awesomeness of this new investment, which was probably highly disappointing to him, in retrospect.

I remember one time we went out to the ranch with some friends in our ward. We had brought a four wheeler and a couple of dirt bikes. For some reason I thought I was qualified to ride the dirt bike around the property. It was pretty fun, right up until I drove straight into one of the two ponds. I learned several things about dirt bikes that day, post hoc unfortunately:

Being submerged in freezing cold water is very detrimental to dirt bike engines,
dirt bikes are actually heavier in the water when their tires are stuck in the bottom of the pond, and most importantly,
I hate dirt bikes.

But again, I digress.

What I really wanted to tell you about is Gus.

We never did build anything or buy any animals to plenish this ranch land in Texas. But when my parents moved into their new house in Alpine, my dad’s dream finally did come to fruition: they bought two horses and built a pen in the back yard. The first two horses were named Jack and George. Jack was very old but reliable and easy to manage. George was unfortunately ill tempered, so he got the boot (no pun intended) shortly and was replaced by Jill. Meanwhile, Jack was still very old and getting older quickly. In fact, he now eats so slowly that he can’t get his fill before Jill has finished off all of the alfalfa. Let that be a lesson to all of you.

So, my dad again started scouting every horse auction and website for his next steed. And he found it—a beautiful Palomino, not yet broken with an excellent pedigree. His name was Gus. And he lived in central Oregon.

My parents decided to go and purchase their equine prize (my mom is endlessly supportive and was just as excited as my dad) over the 3 day weekend of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Upon arriving at their destination, they discovered that this gorgeous horse was a small (but sprightly, mind you) PONY! That’s right, one of those darling but not-quite-full-grown horses that are just right for precocious children. Somehow, in the interchanges between Dad and Gus’s owner, the actual size of the horse was never specified. After driving all that way, Dad bought him anyway. And they got stuck in Donner’s Pass on the way home with no snow tires or chains.

And now Gus is at “horse training school” and apparently at the top of his class.

That’s all.

Mastering the Bailey universe

2008-02-16T14:14:00.007-07:00

As I was contemplating getting out of bed yesterday morning, I started realizing all of the new things I have been introduced to by becoming a Bailey. And I figured it would be a very productive use of time to lay in bed a little longer while I carefully crafted a blog about all of those additions to my life. Let's see if I can actually remember them now that I am fully awake...

First, there's He-Man.

I can see now why Chris's love for costumes and He-Man go hand in hand. Who wouldn't want to run around in their underwear with furry boots and a fabulous sword? Not that He-Man would have called it fabulous. That wouldn't be He-Manly. After watching not a few episodes, I realize that the writers of that show had the easiest job in the world. After all, you just have to ask any 5 year old what they are thinking about, or make up some new magic crystal in the secret cave, and BAM you've got your next episode. And anytime you aren't sure what to have characters say, you can just insert a line such as, "He's on a destruction mission out in space." Cake.

Another joyous addition has been the ritual Bailey family viewing of "The Dark Crystal."

Don't worry, if you've never seen this movie, just think muppets, 80's, and a small amount of LSD. It's very much like the labyrinth minus David Bowie. For more details, you'll have to ask Chris because I've kind of blocked it out.

I've also been introduced to the art of speed cubing, Chris's algorithm of choice for solving the Rubik's cube. I haven't tried to learn, but I can definitely appreciate his eclectic talent.

Finally, Chris has taught me all about the microscopic world of nematodes. They're parasitic worms that live everywhere on the planet, including in your lymph nodes. Fortunately his are just in petri dishes and grubs.

How did I ever get so lucky?

Lines from songs that make me think of growing up

2008-02-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

What's the matter with the car I'm drivin'...

Only in dreams, we see what it means to reach out our hand...

Groovy groovy jazzy funky...flip fantasia (I never could understand all of the words)

Goodnight you moonlight ladies, and rockabye sweet baby James.

...open up those engines let 'em roar, head off down the highway like a big ol' dinosaur.

STOP for a minute, baby I'm so glad your mine.

I've got half a mind to call her, half a mind to go before I...

You're a little late, I'm already torn

Allison, I know this world is killing you.

I love L.A. background singers: we love it!

2 legit! 2 legit 2 quit!

Look at them girls with the daisy dukes on

I don't know what exactly that says about my childhood and teenage years...but a pan of rice crispy treats for anyone who can name all of the artists.

Here's one interpretation:

2008-01-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

The 1954 classic film "White Christmas" is a thinly veiled treatise on climate change. The proposed solution to global warming? Holiday cheer and Bing Crosby's crooning.

The Photo Shoot

2008-01-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

My mom just asked me to pick out my favorites from the family pictures that we had taken over Christmas break. It was quite the adventure getting everyone in the right color scheme, to the studio, on time, with three happy children under 4.

So, here we are-the whole happy Williams bunch!

While selecting the most delightful of the prints, I found a few funny things, too.

Examples:

Chris and I don't do the serious, demure thing very well.

And Bennie wanted to be in EVERY PICTURE...

...even though he looks rather bored in most of them. Especially compared to his bubbly sister!

But my favorite of all was the "Squeaky flip book":

Never a dull moment.

Nostalgia

2008-01-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

As I near the end of my 6th year at BYU, I have become unexpectedly sentimental. I keep finding myself thinking, wow, I am going to miss this place. Today's example was as follows:

I was getting ready this morning in the women's locker room after my yoga class. NOTE: this is actually a recent addition to my BYU daily routine. This is the first semester I actually pack clothes and get ready in the locker room. I have my own locker and everything. I feel so...athletic. I kind of like it.

Anyway, so the women's locker room has rows of hand dryers installed at head height. And I have discovered a handy trick (surely, no one else has ever thought of it before. Surely.): you can point the nozzles of two adjacent dryers towards each other. The result is excellent--two streams of air intersecting to create a wind tunnel, and it's hands-free. Awesome.

So as I was standing in this tunnel-o-warmth this morning, it hit me--I love this place! I've had so many good things happen here! And I'm going to miss it!

At least, I'll miss it until I install my personal double dryer wind tunnel. And I'm taking the best part of BYU with me wherever I move next summer. Smile.

Not so sassoon

2008-01-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

I don't know how to style hair, mine in particular. This has dawned on me especially as my hair is getting longer and progressively less manageable. Somehow, despite growing up with two older sisters, being a cheerleader for 6 years, and having a handful of roommates, this basic feminine skill has escaped me.

No French twists or French braids or anything French at all. I don't think I could even manage a topsy tail, if those were still in fashion.

My list of hair can-do's is as follows:

blow dry
pig tails
messy bun-like thing
pony tail
head band
curled hair (with my mom's old curlers or a slowly breaking curling iron)

Maybe that's part of why I have usually kept my hair shorter and thus easier to ignore. It also doesn't help that I am generally too cheap to get a decent haircut.

I have decided (completely on a whim, of course--not that I actually spend any time thinking about my hair, which is obviously part of the problem) it's time to make at least a small effort to improve this situation. My goal is to actually use the round brush I own at least once a week. And learn how to do one new cool thing with my hair per month.

So if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears. Or hairs.

HFAC-er: Classic Example

2008-01-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

Just one more reason why I wouldn't blend in with the HFAC crowd:

She is a professor in the theater arts department. She chose this picture as her profile on the official BYU website. And she is obviously very theatrical.

The People Paradox

2008-01-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

According to a video produced by NOVA we watched in my Environmental Health Science class today, the birth rate must be 2.1 children per woman over her lifetime to maintain a stable human population.

India's population will likely double by 2050. Japan, the Netherlands, and Italy will soon have more immigrants than "natives" populating their countries. And the U.S. population is aging quickly. It's a paradox. A conundrum. How many people is too many? Are we headed toward a catastrophic crash or not? What if the world's demographics are irrevocably altered during our lifetimes? Will it be the end of life on earth as we know it???

But the real question is, how does one have 2.1 children? Honestly.

A few years behind, I guess...

2007-12-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

Get a Cash Advance

Compliments

2007-12-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

Girl in BYU women's locker room: Are you on the [BYU] swim team?

Random guy at my parents' house: Have you done any modeling?

Granted, the girl probably was wondering why I had wet hair since very few people actually shower in the BYU women's locker room except members of the swim team. And that random guy was trying to butter my dad up so he would invest in the guy's crazy scheme. But I would prefer to tell myself that the locker room lady was impressed by my trim, toned physique and that Mr. Sweet Talker was truly struck by my stunning, model-like features.

Isn't subjective reality a beautiful thing?

Two Cheers for Robots

2007-12-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

I have been working in the same lab for over 3 years. Many of the experiments that I do follow roughly the same protocol, especially in preparing the sample. With few exceptions, I use modified buffered salt solution (MBSS) to suspend the cells.

But today, without noticing, I grabbed the bottle labeled, "MBSS sans Ca2+/Mg2+". As John Harmon will readily tell you, "sans" means without. I don't know if that is Greek or Latin. And no one in the lab speaks either Greek or Latin, so I don't know why we don't label it as "w/o." That's faster to write than "sans." I guess that's just what we scientists do--use the fancy way to say something simple.

Anyway, basically I ruined the 3 experiments I did because there needed to be calcium in the medium for the whole thing to work. Dang it.

The thing that's most frustrating about it is that I should have realized what the problem was after the first experiment. Someone else had to (very charitably) point out the problem to me. So I felt like a robot today who just goes through the motions of doing research but isn't capable of generating real solutions to problems or really thinking about what I'm doing.

Am I ready to convince my thesis committee that they should let me graduate? Or do I really have no idea what I'm doing? Either way, I'll be glad when April comes...

our own rules...

2007-11-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

In accordance with our renaming almost anything we see with our own "words", Beth and I played Scrab (some of you may call it Scrabble) by our own rules.

The rules were made as we went along, as in any good game. We quickly decided that "new" words would be permitted as long as we could define them. And that going off the board would be permissible if the resulting word was more interesting and/or funny than its truncated counterpart. Here are the results:

Rach coined...

Hui (noun): As in the sound made my Timon and Pumba at the end of the "Are you achin' for some bacon" song in the Lion King. Denoting the termination of a jam session or song.

Iud (verb): To gallop at breakneck speed across a highway towards an icecream shop or shaved ice station. Conjugated similarly to "bud." Not to be confused with the intrauterine device. Abbreviations are, naturally, not permitted in Scrab.

Ir (noun): The name of the place adjacent to Ur, crib of Abram.

Bling (noun): As in "bling bling" (which is probably familiar to many of you outside of the Scrab inner circle). Meaning the shine of a diamond or other such gaudy jewelry. As in "I got bling in my grill." Meaning one either has braces or has diamonds in your teeth. We are obviously also in the inner circle of the hip-hop community.

And Beth's contributions were...

Wiff (noun): Wife, but more endearing.

Okt (adjective): In reference to the German holiday of Oktoberfest. It is descriptive of anything relating to the harvest season.

Gooyata (noun): A Japanese delicacy consisting of rice and spinach. A derivative of "goo" (meaning yummy) and "yata" (as in, "yata yata yata" from Seinfeld. Don't tell us this is spelled incorrectly. We already said we are making up our own rules. And omniscient, if that was not previously mentioned).

Hooters (noun): the kind of owls that hoot.
This was permitted to run off the board because it is much more fun than "hoot". Not to be confused with the restaurant (not that anyone goes for anything but the chicken wings, of course) or any references to Dumb and Dumber.

If only Squeaky knew what kind of nonsense went on after her bedtime.

And gracias a Annie (aka cutest teacher-to-be ever)...

2007-11-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

Your Inner European is Swedish!

Relaxed and peaceful.
You like to kick back and enjoy life.

Who's Your Inner European?

Vacay Remix Epiphany

2007-11-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

I'm here in Austin with Beth, Reid, and Squeaky. It's Vacay Remix--Texas style. Whatever that means. aka Beth and me doing pretty much the same things we would have done in Provo with a few exceptions: visiting UT, buying UT stuff, seeing the Texas state capitol, and yes, oh yes, making a stop at my favorite eatery...
Actually, the only thing I like there is the macaroni and cheese. That dish is to me what the double-double animal style with extra tomato and onion from
is to Chris: heaven on a plate. Or in a to-go bag. So, of course, I went and paid $4.07 for a large side order of mac and cheese from "B-Mark" as we (as in Beth and me and no one else in the world) call it. I have rationed it into a three-day treat and will finish it tomorrow. Because $4.07 really is a lot to spend on fast food for someone such as myself. Although I do rationalize that B-Mark is not really fast food. Even though they have a drive through...?

Here's the epiphany part. After waiting with great excitement to come to Austin** to get to eat it and spending $4.07 and rationing it out, Beth pointed something out to me: "You know Rach, you should just look up the recipe on the internet."

Genius!

So, I did. For those of you who adore this celestial snack as I do, here it is:

3 cups rotini pasta
2/3 cup milk
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/4 t dry mustard
1/2 t turmeric, ground
salt and pepper to taste

You just make the pasta; cook the remaining ingredients in a double boiler, stirring with a whisk until smooth; and mix them together. Easy! Disclaimer: I haven't actually tried it yet, so I may be disappointed. We will see tomorrow.

I suppose I must confess that the epiphany is not mine to claim. But I will relish its deliciousness just the same, regardless of what city I'm in. B-Mark, eat your heart out.

** B-Mark is NOT the main reason why I was excited to get to Austin, scrumptious though it is. Baby toes and kisses are even more scrumptious. And I've been craving good conversation more than any food.

I'm not that complicated, right?

2007-11-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

From time to time, Chris half-jokingly protests that I speak "Rachelese". It is a dialect very similar to Bethanese, he has concluded. In other words, he claims that understanding what I mean by what I say is not always straightforward. My response is always, "Oh, I'm not that complicated." Afterwhich I give him a big, hopeful grin, and like a champ he concurs...though I know he still feels a bit at a loss.

So, I ask, are we women (especially we Williams women) really that complicated? Let's take a look...

When I say, "Would you rather do A or B," it is very clear that I really want you to pick A. Obviously.

When I ask, "Does this look okay on me?", of course I want your honest opinion. As long as that opinion is, "You look beautiful, as always." That one's a cinch.

When you ask, "Is something wrong?" and I reply, "No...sigh," then I'm lying through my teeth. No problem understanding that, right?

When I say, "We should really fix that," you know that's just a nice way of asking you to do it. Piece of cake.

When you ask why I'm crying and I say, "I don't know!" It's the truth. It really is. Easy to tell that one.

When I say I don't care what movie we watch, you know there is actually a (small) list of movies that I actually wouldn't care to watch. And that your job is to figure out what that list is without pointing out to me that I said I didn't care. No sweat.

Okay, so I admit that Rachelese can be a bit cryptic...but when I say, "I love you," I mean it. No jokes. And you can't fake happiness, even in another language.

At the behest of my dear friend/sister in law Brooke...

2007-10-29T10:44:00.000-06:00

a... attached or single... attached
b... best friend... Chris and Beth
c... cake or pie... cake when I'm with my fam, pie when I'm with Chris.
d... day of choice... Christmas.
e... essential item... my glasses.
f... favorite color... now pink, used to be yellow.
g... gummy bears or worms... neither.
h... home town... Colleyville, TX and more recently Alpine, UT, though I've only actually lived there for a total of 4 months.
i... indulgence(s)... Boston Market mac and cheese, laying in bed an extra half hour even though I'm awake, raiding my parents' pantry.
j... january or july... July.
k... kids?... some day, sooner than later :) (I second that, Brooke)
l... life is incomplete without... Chris and NPR (definitely in that order).
m... marriage date... August 26, 2005
n... number of siblings... three plus 3 brothers in law.
o... oranges or apples... both. I've just recently started eating apples because they are cheaper and don't have to be peeled.
p... phobias or fears... Alligators and being strangled.
q... quote(s)... "What is to give light must endure burning." --Viktor Frankl
r... reason to smile... I love my jobs and will be moving to Charlottesville, VA next summer because Chris got accepted to graduate school.
s... season... Summer. It has the best memories for me. The only thing that would make it better would be if it contained Christmas. But that's why it's good to have friends who recognize Julymas as an official holiday.
t... tag two... Beth and Annie.
u... unknown fact about me... I am growing my hair out for Locks of Love.
v... vegetarian or oppressor of animals... I eat meat, but I certainly do not oppress animals--agreed, Brooke.
w... worst habit...being indecisive and thinking negative thoughts about myself.
x... X-Men or Spiderman... since I'm married to Chris, I better say Spiderman.
y... your favorite food... besides the aforementioned mac and cheese, strawberries, cold cereal, Yoplait yogurt, and refried beans.
z... zodiac... Gemini. But I don't have a twin. Unless you count Beth as my "time machine twin."

p.s. Brooke, where did you find this?

Bienvenido Bear Gray

2007-10-19T10:38:00.000-06:00

As you may know, I have a great appreciation and affinity for stuffed animals, particularly of the teddy bear variety. So you can imagine my delight when Chris brought this...

...home with him from his most recent trip to Virginia (or perhaps I should say "he")!! Welcome to the family, Bear Gray! Or maybe Bear Gray should welcome me since he and Chris have been related for many years now. It was the best gift Chris has given me yet. Yes, that's right, I now claim Bear Gray as my own. And yes, he is on our bed. Our kids are going to love it. Or maybe I'll just love having kids so I have an excuse to buy lots of stuffed animals.

Remember when...

2007-10-13T19:19:00.000-06:00

This happened? Still the best day of my life. And the cool part about being married is you get to live it every day for the rest of forever. Although my hair doesn't always look quite so nice. That's all.

Souvenir

2007-10-08T14:48:00.000-06:00

I've got some good news and some bad news:

The bad news is I brought a friend home with me from Haiti.

The good news is I'm better.

Quote of the Day

2007-10-05T15:18:00.000-06:00

Bennie, my 3-year-old nephew (with funny, tight-lipped cackle): "I laugh like a evil one."

Why I want to visit Austin

2007-09-30T19:09:00.001-06:00

Who can resist this face??

But on a happier note...

2007-09-28T16:27:00.000-06:00

I am officially a published scientist!

This time, I was offended

2007-09-28T14:07:00.000-06:00

I have, among others, one rather sensitive insecurity: people think I look much younger than I actually am. It's a problem that people are constantly telling me, "Oh, you'll love it in 30 years." That may be true, but I haven't learn to count it as a blessing yet.

The first time I remember this fact being brought to my attention was the first day of 6th grade. I had just entered Heritage Middle School, which is next-door to Heritage Elementary School. As I was trying to find my way around the new building, some well intentioned but mistaken teacher approached me: "You must be lost; the elementary school is one building over." I wasn't lost, although I was a bit embarrassed. But not offended.

Another memorable incident happened recently on the Bailey family vacation to North Carolina. We went to a nearby aquarium and were all waiting outside while Chris's dad purchased the entrance tickets. The ticket lady wanted to know how many of us needed "adult" tickets; the age cut-off was, I believe, 18. The conversation went as follows:

Ticket lady (pointing at Chris's younger sister, Lindsey): How old is she?
Chris's dad: 15
Ticket lady: And the other girl?
Chris's dad: Who?
Ticket lady (pointing at me): Your daughter.
Chris's dad...uncomfortable pause
Rachel (with an awkward smile): I'm 23.

Again, I was a bit embarrassed, but not offended. It happens. I wasn't wearing makeup. And I still have a "baby face" that I think won't change even when I get wrinkles.

But the customs agent at the Fort Lauderdale Airport took things way too far. I walked up to the counter with Chris and we both handed him our passports. He recognized that we were a married couple. He asked me, "How old are you?" At this point I should have said, "Hey stupid, I just handed you my passport. Why don't you calculate my age from my birthdate and stop embarrassing me?" But I just answered, "23." He said, "Really? You look 14." Then to add insult to insult, he actually got out of his chair, looked me up and down, and then changed his mind: "No, 12." I was so embarrassed I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to make a scene, I just wanted this jerk to give me back my passport as soon as possible. But it didn't stop there. Jerk proceeded to ask us what religion we were, and then ask us if we knew Warren Jeffs, and then insinuate that our situation, with me looking so young, was like Warren Jeffs' marriage arrangements between young girls and older men.

This time, I was definitely offended. Chris was so angry. I wish I could remember Jerk's name so I could call his supervisor. But instead, I'm just writing this bitter blog. It makes me feel only marginally better. So the next time you go through customs in Fort Laurderdale, don't tell anyone your age.

A Caribbean Adventure

2007-09-23T15:54:00.000-06:00

Chris and I are currently enjoying a cool evening in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We came here last Sunday with a group called Healing Hands for Haiti. We've being involved in various volunteer activities since we arrived...doing physical therapy with disabled orphans, helping run outreach medical clinics, teaching classes on basic sign language and deaf education at St. Vincent's School for the Deaf (Chris) and participating in a 3-day prep course for parents of children with hydrocephalus who will receive free neurosurgery (Rachel). It's been hot, dirty, and full of activity.

Haiti is one of those places that doesn't seem to make sense until you begin to unravel the culture a little bit (and even then, sometimes it doesn't make sense to my white American self). What looks like graffiti is really address markers; what could be trash is actually for sale, again. The street doubles as a storage space, a sidewalk, a dump, a marketplace, a toilet, and sometimes a soccer field. Burning charcoal, which at home makes you think of barbeque, is the almost sickening smell that wakes you up in the morning when everyone in the whole city cooks their carbon-soaked breakfast. We also have seen people cooking over burning tires. It illustrates the mix between poverty and resourcefulness that abounds here in the capital city.

Everything is built with cinderblock and concrete, which is good because the smoggy residue just blends in. But it's beautiful, too, especially when you get out of the city into the quieter rural regions. It's also nice that, because the tourism industry is so small, you aren't mobbed by merchants at every stop. But we do get lots of stares and little children pointing and screaming, "Blanc! Blanc!" at the top of their lungs.

There are lots of things you'll find in Haiti that you probably won't find anywhere else. Sequined voodoo veve's (flags with voodoo symbols), for one. I bought one that means "fertility". Then there are the "tap-taps," small pickup trucks converted into open taxis with vibrant and crazy colors. My favorite thing about them are the weird corrupted phrases they have painted on the sides in English. I saw one that said "Don't bit the hand that feeds you," and another read "My Lover, My Lady, and the Lord." It makes we wonder if either the artist or the driver knows what it means. But then there are so many things that are imported from elsewhere. For example, everyone wears second hand clothes from the US and other places; Haiti imports most of its food and consumer goods. The "original" paintings of rural scenes and women in colorful clothes with pots and baskets that are for sale in the street all look alike. And according to one girl in our group, they are exactly the same as those on the other side of the island in the Dominican Republic. Except that in the DR the skin of the people in the pictures is light brown instead of black, of course.

Tomorrow we're leaving at 5 a.m. for a 4 hour bus ride to Les Cayes, "the most beautiful place in Haiti". We'll see if it lives up to its name and is worth the back pain--the streets here are the worst I've ever seen, and there are absolutely no traffic rules or stoplights. One truck scraped past our bus, and we almost got stuck in a country road-turned-river on Saturday. It felt like we were on a Haitian safari, and even though I felt it in my lower back that night, it was a cool adventure.

And the best part of all, no malaria, dengue fever, or typhoid...yet. I didn't drink the Sacrament water either at church today, just in case. I know it's blessed, but it's still Haiti. I sang the hymns extra loud in French to make up for it. Does that count?

Hijack Returns (not for the faint of heart)

2007-07-30T21:42:00.001-06:00

Rach is attending to the injury and I have taken control of the blog (I am Beth, the most wonderful sister in the world.)
Marathoning is physically grueling and fatal for Toenail #2 on the right foot. The pictures don't quite do it justice, but Rach concludes that the loss of a toenail is a small price to pay to the marathoning gods for the finisher's medal and the satisfaction of finishing our first marathon.

Next on our agenda of "Sister's Vacation Week" is to make our own marathon shirts to commemorate the event since the ones they gave us (and we paid good money for) are pathetically inadequate, and don't fit well. We wanted more than a genderless running cowboy to show off that we ran 26.2. More details to follow.

My problem (It's all I could think to write about to make a real post, not like the last one)

2007-07-19T17:59:00.000-06:00

I have a problem. Not the embarrassing kind that people talk about during Testimony Meeting, or on their blogs, that make other people uncomfortable and are best mentioned in private but still make people uncomfortable.

It's more of a growing tendency that I have to constantly reign in. Keep in check. Be very metacognitive about.

I guess it's all Lareine's fault (she is my 7 month-old niece, daughter of Beth). I have fallen in love with children. But that's not a problem, per se.

The problem is this: every time I see a child (who is clean and not crying), I have this urge to pick them up, ask them a question, start playing with them. It's a very, very strong urge. To the point of weirdness.

Like today, I was running on the Provo River Trail. There was a mom on a bike towing a kid-carrier, and her daughter was 20 yards behind struggling up the hill on her own pink Huffy, streamers and all. She said, "I can't make it up." I answered, "You can do it!" Her face was a mix of bewilderment and half-smile--she didn't mind my comment, but she wasn't talking to me.

In my defense, I do generally refrain from picking up the child who has caught my attention, mostly because I think that would scare them or their moms. That's really the problem--the moms. Some moms just smile when strangers notice their adorable little ones. But some do not smile. I may not be the most threatening of passer-by, but it is still not okay that I just asked them when they lost their tooth (at the post office), or how old they are (at the grocery store), or which movie they want to pick out (at the library).

I guess as long as I don't try to give them candy and a ride in the car, I'm not doing anything too socially unacceptable. And maybe I'm normal. And maybe this is what they are talking about by "maternal instinct." Either way, I think I better stick to playing with kids I actually know. And look forward to having my own.

Oh

2007-07-19T17:51:00.000-06:00

I have finally been persuaded, cajoled, manipulated, shamed, reminded, and at last forced to write a blog by my long-suffering, convincing, patiently persistent, loving-but-firm, and hard-to-say-no-to sister. To quote:

Beth: "It's been FOREVER since you wrote. Like 7 months."

Rach: "It's only been since April."

Beth (with Reid giving immediate confirmation of the veracity via head nod): "It's been since your Christmas request."

Rach: "Oh."

So, I'm writing. Beth had better comment because this post is really only interesting to her. And she really is hard to say no to, mostly because her baby is so cute.

But the problem is, I haven't blogged since December because I feel like I don't have much that is blog worthy to say. The situation has not changed...the end.

A Christmas Favor

2006-12-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

I'm writing an email Christmas card, but I need email addresses for a few of you. So if you read this, please comment with your email address. I can't promise the letter will be worth it, but it is the season of giving, right? Thanks!

New Niece

2006-12-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

My sister Beth had her baby yesterday at 3 p.m.! Here's the stats:

name-Lareine (pronounced "Lauren", the Utah way) Lilly Schellhous
weight-7 lb 8 oz
length-18.5 inches

She's adorable and tiny and cute and bald. She's also absolutely charmed by her dad, which is cool to watch. She'll wail until he picks her up, then she's absolutely quiet. He'll have to teach me his ninja ways when I have my first.

Lessons in grief

2006-11-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

Chris's grandpa passed away on Tuesday evening. It was expected, and there was at least some relief for those closest to him that the tension, the waiting was over. He was gone, it was final. He was a good and great man, and I love him.

Grandpa Wheeler was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gherig's disease a few weeks ago. One night last week, Chris said something like, "I hope I don't catch it [ALS]." I told him don't be so morbid, don't talk like that please. He answered, "Is it okay if I am? It helps me deal with it."

It was an important learning moment for me. Chris has always been a humorous, sometimes cynnical person who likes to make jokes, even at times that some (namely, his wife) would deem "inappropriate." I'd never thought of it as a coping mechanism. I'm glad he was able to help me see.

Not all of us shed tears that can be wiped away.

For NAma

2006-11-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

In honor of Nama and because I think it's a necessary part of modern life, here is the following "survey."

TRUE OR FALSE

Appearance:
I'm short: true
I have scars: true
I tan easily: half true
I burn easily: more than half true
I wish my hair was a different color: false
I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color: hmmm, false. but had to think about it.
I wear glasses or contacts: true. And when I'm w/ my sister and we're both wearing them, about 70% more people think we look like sisters. huh.
I'm legally blind without them: false
I have 5 or more piercing: false
I have/had piercing in places besides my ears: false

Relationships:
I miss someone right now: is it possible to miss a pet dog that you don't have yet?
I've gotten divorced: false
I've had a crush on a teacher: false, I'm pretty sure
I've hugged a stranger: true
I like my bubble: hmmm probably false. If there was a way to live w/o it, I would

Embarrassment:
I've laughed so hard I've cried: true
I've glued my hand to something: don't know
I've laughed till some kind of beverage came out of my nose: true
I've had my pants rip/drop in public: true. let's just say old pleather pants should be worn with caution.
I was born with a disease/impairment: false
I've sat in a doctor's office with a friend: true
I've had my wisdom teeth removed: false
I've had a serious surgery: false
I've had chicken pox: true

Experiences:
I've gotten lost in a city: true
I've seen a shooting star: true
I've wished on a shooting star: true...it really was romantic.
I've gone out in public in my pajamas: true
I've pushed all the buttons on an elevator: true
I've been to a casino: true, and it was depressing
I've been skydiving: false
I've played spin the bottle: false
I've drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour: false
I've been in a car crash: true
I've caught a snowflake on my tongue: true
I've sat on a roof top at night: true
I've played chicken: if it counts in the pool, then true
I've played a prank on someone: true
I've ridden in a taxi: true
I've seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show: false
I've eaten Sushi: forever false.

Random:
I own something from Hot Topic: thankfully false
I own something I got on E-Bay: true
I own something from Abercrombie: true, but i didn't buy it
I own something from American Eagle: true
I own something from Anchor Blue: true?

More Random:
I've stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant: false
I watch the news: false...i read and listen to the news
I curse regularly: false
I sing in the shower: true
I'm a morning person: true/false
I have listened to more than 30 CD's in a day: probably false
I've worn pajamas to school: true...especially if you count scrubs as pj's
I know how to shoot a gun: false...unless you count a blackpowder rifle one time on a High Adventure trip

I laugh at my own jokes: true
I am really ticklish: very true
I play video games: very, very false
I'm good at remembering names: false

So, is your life richer for having read this?

Weird wierd

2006-11-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I've had this blog for 2 years now. Weird. Or is it wierd?

Just checked dictionary.com. It's weird.

What's with the cats?

2006-11-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

So, Chris and I are poor college students. This is certainly not surprising news. As such, we are trying to qualify for this 3-to-1 match savings program...meaning that we have to attend these financial classes to qualify. Our first class was last night. I'd say it was a net negative. That is, my life would have been more enriched by spending those 2 hours in a variety of other locations. The best thing I got out of it was that I will get to write this blog...hopefully a worthy experience for my excellent readership.

The class was taught by a woman I will call Cat Lady. She referred to her cats no less than 20 times during the class. Which called for a lot of creativity (or repetition) on her part, seeing as a program talking about various financial practices doesn't relate even tangentially to how many cats she has, their behaviors, and their lack of preference on her financial decisions. I also struggled to see how her consistent reference to her cats related to my family and our financial habits. After all, unlike cats, Chris and I feed ourselves, can leave the house, and respond to people in a (usually) friendly way.

I recognize that since I am not a "cat person," my views on Cat Lady are going to be biased. With that caveat, I still think that a discussion of financial documents, savvy spending, and avoiding scams could do without the cat-talk. Unless the scammer was trying to con you into having cats as a pet.

Look Mom, I'm a scientist

2006-11-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, I defended my Prospectus of Thesis Research to my Committee. Bottom line: I passed (my advisor said I did an "exemplary job"), meaning that they accepted my plan for my thesis research. In essence they said, if you do all of this, we'll give you a degree and a handshake. And one of those funny colored hoods. And my sweet little mom came too. So, it was a big day!

Picture caption: those are mouse lymphoma cells (the circle outlines are their cell membranes, the part of the cell I care about most in my research). The colors represent regions where a fluorescent probe called laurdan is giving off light in a certain way, which tells us how regularly ordered the phospholipids in those regions are. We take the pictures with two-photon excitation scanning microscopy. Which basically means we get to sit in a totally dark room with a huge laser hooked up to a microscope and take lots and lots and lots of pictures until we get ones that look as good as this one. It's pretty awesome. And it means we just have to take trips to the microscope facility in Irvine, California...That's a little slice of the life of Rachel the Grad Student.

must--focus--

2006-09-16T18:14:00.000-06:00

I just reorganized my email contact list. And read emails I've saved from last summer. And read my own old blog entries. This "study break" is beginning to look suspiciously like procrastination. Now, back to the parabrachial region of the nucleus of the solitary tract...don't worry, I don't know what that is either. Therein lies the problem. Or is it, therein lays the problem? No, lies sounds right. maybe I better look that up on dictionary.com...let's just say that the act of becoming a graduate student doesn't somehow change my ability to sift through dense text and come away feeling smarter than I did before. I'll just assume that's ok.

And now I just wasted 2 more minutes editing/revising this blog. I better go.

Stop, Talk, and LIVE

2006-09-14T17:16:00.000-06:00

To Jon and Kimberly who I passed on the way to the Wilk, I'm sorry that I didn't have time to stop and talk. Because I really, really wanted to. I wanted to ask you about your new roommates and new classes and old friends and what you think. I wanted to ask you to come over for dinner and share your lives with me. But I didn't have time.

Hmmm, that seems to be the case for too many things in my life. These discrete divisions of Time that we are powerless against, that govern our lives. Time is the price we pay for the things we want - 4 years of education to get a degree. 4 more to get a job. 10 hours of studying to reach the threshold of memory capacity. And where has that studying really got me? Am I 4 years more capable, functional, smarter?

Passage of time qualifies us for some things (Senior Citizen discounts), disqualifies us for others (childbirth). I'm only 22, but I feel that, mentally, I'm in a hurry to live my life because I don't want to run out time. But then there's the discrepancy between that and my hand which loves the snooze button...It seems there really is something that we are supposed to learn by having to live in the constraints of a finite world. By chosing one thing, you automatically exclude infinite other possible choices. So next time, I'll choose to stop and talk.

almost.

2006-08-17T18:06:00.000-06:00

summer is almost over. i've almost been married a year. i'm a college graduate, almost. i almost made it back to work in time to actually do my work. i was almost not grumpy when i came home today from a long trip to the airport, clothes shopping (unlike some women, NOT my favorite thing. at all), walmart, and costco. i almost got a tan training for my half marathon this summer.

but i didn't almost finish the 13.1 miles. I totally smoked them. 2 hrs, 10 min down the Provo River Trail, and i didn't walk once. It was the greatest day EVER.