Happy Mother's Day, Mama

Mother's Day was yesterday, and I want to take a minute to tell the world how much I love my mother.
Mom, I love you because you are always there for me and you give great advice. I love calling you in the middle of the day just to chat.
I love you because you have always pushed me and encouraged me to be my very best self. I know I can achieve anything I want to because you believe in me.
I love you because you suffered with me through those awkward teenage years where I had acne, a temper, and occasional emotional breakdowns.
I love you because you have faith when I don't. I'll call you and say, "I lost my wallet and I need you to pray that I'll find it, because I'm too mad to do it." Your faith is always enough. You pray, I find it, and my testimony increases.
I love you because you look for the good in everyone. I have never heard you saying anything negative about anyone. Gossip stops with you.
I love you because you are the most selfless person I know. You are always thinking about others before yourself.
I will consider myself very lucky if I can become half the person you are. You are the best friend I could ask for and I'm so glad you are mine. I wish everyone had a mother like you. Happy Mother's Day.

Easters and Other Happenings

It has been a busy couple of weeks for us! First on the update is Conference Weekend. My sister Katie and I were able to go up to the Conference Center in Salt Lake for the Sunday morning session. It turned out to be our favorite session so it worked out well. We were touched and uplifted and we resolved to be better people. Thank you Little America hotel for the free parking.

With Katie in front of the temple. It was a beautiful day.

Next on the list is our Easter festivities.

Russ, me, Katie, Daniel, and Emma.

We went to my family's house for the weekend and it was a blast. We played games and ate lots of Cadbury eggs and went to church. The weather was just beautiful and it was wonderful to remember our Savior's sacrifice and resurrection for all mankind! Easter is truly a special time of year. I am filled with gratitude and it strengthens my resolve to be more committed to the gospel and be more Christlike.

I love Russell so much.

In other news, Russell recently returned from a backpacking trip down in Blanding. It was rainy and snowy all weekend, but he really enjoyed himself and was glad to have prepared ahead of time (okay, so it was the night before) gathering and packing all his gear. I am happy he survived a cold weekend and made it home in one piece!

My little adventure man now wants to climb Everest in 2015...Ummm, I don't think so.

Finally, today we had a bridal shower for my best friend Melissa Johnson at our house in American Fork. It was for Melissa's friends and members of our home ward. It was really fun and a lot of people came. Melissa is so wonderful and she is going to be such a beautiful bride! I made delectable Oreo truffles that got devoured in five minutes. The only unpleasant part was taking all the gifts out to her car and getting rained on! A quick humorous anecdote: Our house is on a hill with a sloped driveway. Melissa's car was parked on it so it was slanted quite a bit. Russ was helping organize all the presents in the trunk when they all started sliding out. He had to stay there and hold them in place while we ran back and forth trying to get all the presents in quick so he could shut them in. Next thing I know, this bag full of lingerie slides out of the backseat towards Russ and all this lacy underwear falls out and lands in Russell's lap but he has no hands to stuff it back in the bag because he's doing everything he can from keeping everything else in. Needless to say, he felt really awkward about the whole thing. HA!

Katie, Melissa, and me under my umbrella, ella, ella

I guess that's it for the news that's happening in our lives. Happy springtime everybody!

Film Noir

A cinematic term used to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize moral ambiguity and sexual motivation. Film noir of this period is associated with a low-key black and white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography, while many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Depression.

I am in French 452, which studies the aesthetics of crime in classic French film. I have never taken a film class before, but I am fascinated by the techniques behind it and I now have a greater appreciation for film as an art form, and especially for the film noir period. It is amazing.

If my exciting description of film noir has not tickled your fancy, here's a small taste of the film noir era:



Alain Delon. Pretty much France's Brad Pitt in the 1950s. If this does not make you want to sit down and watch a film noir RIGHT NOW starring him, I don't know what will.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Last night I made a successful meal! This does not happen very often, as both Russ and I are too busy to make anything more complicated than mac and cheese or cold cereal. I made Bruschetta 'n' Cheese Stuffed Chicken, from a recipe that I found here. I served it with brown rice and spinach salad. Russell was pleased. Thanks Kraft Kitchens for making both our nights. Here's to the start of my endeavor to be a brilliant cooking housewife...one chicken dinner at a time.

Good Weekend

Good news: I am back to blonde! And my hair is eight inches shorter. It is quite a change to run my fingers through my hair and have it end so much sooner. But I love it!
This weekend Russ and I went up to Logan. The roads were snowy and we're grateful to have made it there and back safely. We played games with the Lee family, visited with our good friend Gabe, ate lots of good food, and even made a rainbow cake! It was a relaxing 24 hours.
We saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on Friday night and loved it! Except nobody told me that it was as long as Titanic. The movie started at 10:30 and didn't end until 1:30 in the morning! But it was an incredible film, really thought-provoking. I thought the cinematography was breathtaking too.
Before our movie, Russ wanted to check out the Quary so we walked over there and the guy working there let Russ climb the wall for free! He loved it. As soon as his Gold's Gym pass is up in two years, he wants a rock climbing membership. I think the place smells like stinky feet.
Now the fun is over and it's back to the grindstone. But more good news: the end is near! April is coming and there are only a few weeks left in the semester. I am determined to be optimistic. Otherwise I will look at the cold windy snow outside and run back into my room and pull my head under the covers and not come out until final exams have ended.

If Anyone Was Wondering...

...This is what I looked like as a little girl.

No Boys Allowed

Okay. I am starting to get annoyed by that cranky baby face that pops up every time I open my blog. So I am posting a piece of news. Last night, there were TWO MALES in my pilates class. This is extremely rare. Usually my class consists of about thirty girls. Females. No boys allowed. Are they just looking for extra humiliation? Don't they know about the unwritten code that says any boys joining a women's pilates class will be laughed right out of town? Guys shouldn't do pilates. They should do boy things...running, weightlifting, basketball, hockey, I don't know. But NOT pilates.

I can't help but wonder what the motivation is behind this. Why on earth would they want to come to a class full of girls whose bums are in the air half the time? Don't answer that. As if what we do isn't embarrassing enough without boys watching.

To make things worse, we did partner exercises last night. Naturally these two boys teamed up and were climbing all over each other and trying to balance on each others' backs. I can't imagine anything more awkward.

To all the guys out there who really want to do pilates, have some class, do it at home. Don't join a class full of girls and make things 100 times more awkward for everybody.