In Other News

Kurt and I are currently stuck in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Our car conveniently stopped working at approximately 3 am last night, about 20 miles outside of Las Vegas. Luckily, we are safe and actually found a hotel room that had an available non-smoking room.
We actually had a really nice Thanksgiving break (though spent on the road) and I will fill y'all in on it when we eventually get back home. For now, just thought I'd let y'all know what's up.

My 24th birthday on the 24th

Cute, huh? I planned it.

I have to say, I had a pretty awesome birthday. The morning started as usual: I woke up and went to work. Kurt was slightly conscious when I left (he had this whole week off for CPA studying) and forgot to tell me happy birthday. So, when I was at work I casually hinted that he did.

Me: "Ummm.... You forgot to tell me happy birthday this morning."

Kurt: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Me: "Thanks.... but you're still in trouble."

I also casually let my boss know it was my birthday.

Joe: "So are y'all doing anything fun with your mother-in-law today?" (Kurt's mom was here from Sunday night to this morning.)

Me: "Well, it was her birthday yesterday and it's mine today, so we'll probably go out to eat somewhere fun tonight."

Joe: "It's your birthday? Happy Birthday! Hey, when you finish your work, why don't you take the day off? And also, there's a sweet sushi restaurant by DU y'all should go to."

So, I left around 11 and got home ... to an empty apartment. I figured Kurt was showing his mom around and decided to enjoy some time by myself. When he got home an hour later, he had flowers and a card in his hand.

Kurt: "Where were you? We went to your office to surprise you!"

Me: [thinking to myself] Hmmm, maybe I should've texted him to let him know I got early. Whoopsie.

We went to Sushi Den up by DU which was most delicious. Or, as the Japanese would say, "Sushi wa totemo oishii desu yo!!" Then we went pots and pans shopping because that's what Shelley's getting us (or rather, got us) for Christmas. Have you ever been shopping with Kurt? Can I please say that is an experience? I mean, it's fun and he never makes an uninformed purchase, but goodness that boy has to know everything about his purchases! (Obviously, this is a very good trait that I'm thankful for. But sometimes it tires me.)

As we headed out of the mall, I insisted on getting my birthday ice cream from DQ. Then we went home, at which point Kurt announced that he was taking us to the Melting Pot for cheese and chocolate fondue. Now, I was really excited because I've been subtly hinting to Kurt since we got married that he needs to take me there (there's one in SLC, too).

Me every few months or so: "You should take me to the Melting Pot."
I am the master of subtlety.

Before we left for the ol' MP, as I like to call it, we Skyped with my family. I'd already received emails and phone calls from various members of the family but I had yet to hear my family sing the Happy Birthday song Cooper style. What's Cooper style? It's everyone picking their own key (or 2 or 3 keys) and singing it as ugly as possible. Kurt even joined in. And about 20 minutes later, Chris sang it for me again. I even got to tease Chou chou as I called out for her and she could hear me but she just couldn't see me! A successful Skype session. (And Shelley got the pleasure of seeing how crazy my family is.)

At the Melting Pot, the fondue was very delicious and our waiter a bumbling, good sport who gave us much fodder with which to tease him but was very good natured about it. Then, we went to the local redbox, where they finally had Wall-E and rented it and watched it and it was as good as everyone says. Then, on Tuesday morning--because I didn't get to on my birthday--Kurt let me sleep in till 8:45.

So, I got my birthday flowers, my birthday sushi, my birthday ice cream, my birthday Skype, my birthday fondue, and my birthday movie. Kurt was so wonderful in making sure my birthday was really special. Have I ever mentioned that I really love him?

My Life has Peaked

Ok, not really because that would be sad, but seriously... last night was the greatest concert I've ever been to.
I was seriously excited all day. Wait, no, like all week. The night before the concert I was jumping around our apartment chanting in a sing-song voice, "Coldplay! Coldplay!" and making up songs about how we were seeing them. Have I mentioned I've waited 8 years to see them? Because I have.
Then, all day Friday at work, every time I thought about it, I'd get a huge smile on my face. I've been listening to Coldplay pretty much constantly the whole week (with random bouts of Christmas music and Wicked when I needed a break). Last night I rushed home, changed, grabbed camera and tickets, and hopped on the Light Rail to meet Kurt at his office. We ate dinner at Chipotle and then dropped by his office to by off some things we didn't feel like hauling to the Pepsi Center.

The picture taking commenced. Oh yeah, and Kurt's growing his mustache for chartiy.
We got to the Pepsi Center and got down to our seats on the floor.

Pictures with tickets! And apparently matching jackets...

The first openers, Sleeper Car. I actually really like them. Cool sound.

My first Coldplay shirt. After the concert finished I exchanged it for a butterfly shirt... you'll see why later.

The second opening ... uh... act. Jon Hopkins. It was weird. No, disturbing. Some dude was mixing techno-y tunes which were pretty cool but it was accompanied by some seriously wacked out animations. The screen at this point showed an elephant walking backwards and forwards. I mean, really weird, kinda disturbing stuff.

Kurt's opinion of Jon Hopkins.

Coldplay should be on soon!

I was really excited. There's my big grin I had on all day. Have I ever mentioned how much I love concerts?
Finally, the lights dimmed, and we heard a familiar tune....
[video forthcoming]
Coldplay! An amazing show. They played over 20 songs (I've counted 22 so far...), which was over an hour and a half. They had all kinds of cool effects and the lights were really awesome. They have awesome energy on stage and work with the audience really well. I realized during the concert that Kurt and I have very different concert personalities: I am the sing along to every word, dance, yell, clap, dance a lot more, sing even the ooooo's and lalalala's, while Kurt listens and sings every now and then. We probably looked quite the opposite couple there. But we both had equally great times.
So now, a bunch of pics and even more videos because our camera takes better quality video in less-than-perfect lighting than pictures. So, enjoy! (You can usually hear me singing in the videos. I told you, I'm a crazy concert audience member.




That would be Chris Martin as the band passes 20 feet away from us to go play in the back of the auditorium for a bit.

Playing in the back. The guys in the box behind them kept taking pictures. It was kinda funny.

Hundreds of paper butterflies falling from the ceiling as they played Lovers in Japan. That's why I switched the butterfly shirt. :D

Butterflies again. They did them about three times. They then played Death and All His Friends and left the stage ... not having played Yellow yet!!! I knew they'd come on for an encore but I was hoping and hoping they'd play Yellow because honestly, it's my favorite song! They came back out, talked about how Chris Martin's pants had ripped and now they'd taped them together. He then played a chord, then stopped and talked again, but I knew. I knew that was the very first chord in Yellow. And then they played it. My night was complete.

So our internet is being slow and not uploading any videos. They are forthcoming.

Pictures of my apartment (finally!)

So, I got tagged a while back and figured it'd be the perfect way to show y'all pics of our place. Just to let y'all know, it's 1 bed/1 bath and 672 sq. feet. It's pretty old but the carpet was cleaned and the walls painted when we moved in so it doesn't feel dingy. And it has a washer/dryer, all appliances, it's right across from the Light Rail, and we get a screamin' deal on the rent. And interesting neighbors are an added bonus! So we're happy here (until we buy a house and no longer :D )

I've been tagged! This is a tag that you have to do right NOW! No cleaning, or fixing anything, including your makeup or hair! Go around your house and take pics of the following as they appear RIGHT NOW and then post them! NO CHEATING!

LIVING ROOM:

Some days I regret the black leather couch and some days I don't.

YOUR KID(S) or ANIMAL(s):

Chou chou. She's still my puppy, chou poo magoo, in my heart (even though I gave her to Steph).

Future puppy. I totally want to get a boy and name him Captain Moroni. Because he was the man and we're mormon nerds.

YOUR KITCHEN:



A PICTURE OF YOU RIGHT NOW!:

(hey look! I didn't do an ugly face. How nice of me.)

FAVORITE ROOM: our bedroom. it's the best looking and most decorated.



FRIDGE:

Lots of leftovers. And things to drink (carrot juice, soy milk, almond milk, regular milk, lemonade, and water).

FAVORITE SHOES:

Favorite for how they look: left. Favorite for how they feel: right. (wow, they're getting really scruffy.)

CLOSET:


LAUNDRY ROOM:


I'll be honest ... I cheated. But seriously, I was waiting for actual furniture to show up and boxes to be unpacked before doing this. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been much to see beyond tons and tons of boxes!

They were all YELLOW

My favorite song by Coldplay.
My favorite song of all time. Period.
Love love love this song. It reminds me of warm, sunny spring break days in high school on James Island.
It reminds me of happy days at college with friends.
It reminds me unhappy days at college when I listened to it and instantly felt better.
It reminds me of Kurt.
I honestly couldn't put it words how this song makes me feel and how I feel about it. (Or how excited I am to hear it LIVE.)
Without further ado, "Yellow" by Coldplay.

Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah, they were all yellow.
I came along,
I wrote a song for you,
And all the things you do,
And it was called Yellow.
So then I took my turn,
Oh what a thing to have done,
And it was all yellow
Your skin
Oh yeah, your skin and bones,
Turn into something beautiful,
You know, you know I love you so,
You know I love you so.
I swam across,
I jumped across for you,
Oh what a thing to do.
'Cause you were all yellow
I drew a line,
I drew a line for you,
Oh what a thing to do,
And it was all yellow
Your skin,
Oh yeah your skin and bones,
Turn into something beautiful,
And you know,
For you I'd bleed myself dry
For you I'd bleed myself dry.
It's true, look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine for,
Look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine.
Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And all the things that you do.

My First Santa

My mom collects all kinds of nice, cool Santa's. I've always loved all of her Santa's. Today, while shopping for Christmas decorations, I found a Santa that reminded me of my mom. Then I thought, I should start a Santa collection. That will be my thing. I bought him and was so excited when I got home and took him out of the bag. Jim Shore (the company/artisti/creator/whatever) does really cool Santa's.
So here he is: my first Santa.


Like mother like daughter. :)

I have an IP tracker and I'm not afraid to use it!

So, I'm a narcissist. In case it isn't obvious. And about 6 months ago I signed up for free ip tracker. You can see its little insignia at the bottom of my page. This tracker is actually quite fun and gives me all kinds of interesting tidbits. For instance:

-People visit my blog from parents' house at least 5 times a day.

-I've had visitors from Canada, Italy, Australia, and England. I only know people in England.

-Today I have two new visitors: someone from San Francisco and someone from Mt. Pleasant, SC. I don't think I know anyone in San Francisco and I know tons of people in Mt. P.

-Someone from Anderson, SC visits my blog quite regularly and I have no idea who they are! If it's you, fess up!

-Most people only read the first page of the blog, but every day a few people people read a couple of pages back.

-In the last 30 days: the average actions per visit (links clicked on my blog): 1.5; average time spent on my blog: 2.5 minutes; total time spent on my blog: 17 hours 44 minutes.

Doesn't technology gives us all kinds of cool, useless information?

For Mandi

I hope these cheer you up while Ryan is gone. I tried to find a video of him singing Good King Wenceslas but to no avail.
(PS I realize I posted these last year, but this time of year always gets me in the mood for Love, Actually. I can't wait until we get a ClearPlay dvd player...)

Green Eyes

"Green Eyes" by Coldplay

Honey you are a rock
Upon which I stand
And I come here to talk
I hope you understand
That Green Eyes
Yeah, the spotlight shines upon you
And how could anybody deny you?
I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter now I met you
And honey you should know
That I could never go on without you
Green Eyes
Honey you are the sea
Upon which I flow
And I came here to talk
I think you should know
That Green Eyes,
You're the one that I wanted to find
And anyone who tries to deny you
Must be out of their mind
Because I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter since I met you
And honey you should know
That I could never go on without you
Green Eyes, Green Eyes...
Honey you are a rock
Upon which I stand

(This is me and Kurt's song. In case you were wondering.)

Intolerance

Yesterday, at my (free) yearly check-up (Our insurance may have a high deductible, but I get to go to the dr's, dentist's, and optometrist's once a year for free.) I heard something horrifying:

Me: "So, I have a lot of abdominal pain, tenderness, trapped gas, etc. (I won't gross you out with the details)."

Dr. Dude: "Hmmm.... I think you have mild IBS."

Me: "Phew! Is that all? No big deal."

Dr. Dude: [reading my medical history] "Oh wait. I think you're lactose intolerant, too. Lay off the dairy, ok?"

Me: "WHAT?!?!"

This is bad news for me. I love cheese. I mean, seriously, you don't understand the strength of my feelings for cheese. My favorite foods are: cheese, cheese pizza, macaroni and cheese, cheeseburger, and cheese grits. Let's just put it this way: I have toyed with different cheese types as children's names (brie, gouda, limberger, velveeta). So, upon leaving the doctor's office, I did the natural thing: I proceeded to consume as much cheese as possible for the rest of the day. For lunch, I stopped at Noodles 'n' Company for a heaping bowl of macaroni cheese. Then for dinner, I dragged Kurt with me to Sam's Club for a steaming slice of cheese pizza. My digestive system made its displeasure known the entire day, but it was worth it.
While at Sam's Club, I stocked up on Metamucil (which apparently will help with the IBS) and Lactaid pills (in case I ever want to eat cheese or ice cream again). I got my pizza as soon as we arrived. By the time we left (approximately 5 hours later) I was starting to feel my stomach's first protests from dinner. I moaned quietly and subtly doubled completely over. Kurt picked up the box of lactaid pills. "Ummm... why not take one of these?" he asked. "No!" I said groaned, "I have to experience the pain. It will help me remember not to indulge again. And it will make me appreciate cheese all the more."

It made sense in my brain, I promise.

Lovers in Japan

"Lovers in Japan" by Coldplay

Lovers, keep on the road you're on
Runners, until the race is run
Soldiers, you've got to soldier on
Sometimes even the right is wrong

They are turning my head out
To see what I'm all about
Keeping my head down
To see what it feels like now
But I have no doubt
One day, we are gonna get out

Tonight maybe we're gonna run
Dreaming of the Osaka sun
Ohh ohh...
Dreaming of when the morning comes

They are turning my head out
To see what I'm all about
Keeping my head down
To see what it feels like now
But I have no doubt
One day the sun will come out

Denver, so far

1. I still get really confused by the mountains being to the West. That really throws me off.

2. Speed limits are WAY slow here. If Denver was transplanted into Utah, then every speed limit would be at least 10 mph faster.

3. I really like the fall here, especially since it's snowing up in the mountains but it's still in the 50s down here.

4. It's pretty hilly here. I like that.

5. My neighbors are crazy.

6. The other day a client asked for some coffee. I didn't know how to get it for her. Turns out, all I had to do was pour it.

7. My calling is Activity Days leader and it's really fun so far.

8. Everyone here smokes. Even the babies.

9. Okay, not the babies. But they'll probably start soon.

10. Have I mentioned my crazy neighbors? Let me tell you about the craziest. We'll call her Tabitha. Tabitha, I believe, is in her late thirties, early forties. She looks 65. I'm thinking she is either currently or used to be addicted to meth. Tabitha doesn't work, that I've noticed. She stands at her screen door all day, (I'm convinced) waiting for me to come up the stairs. She can't remember my name and calls me Girlie Girl. That's right, Girlie Girl. One time I was changing the tire on our car, and she was out there chatting with me. After a minute she asked to use my phone. I let her. But first, I had to dial the number. She gets on the phone and starts yelling at whoever's on the other line, telling them to stop calling her neighbors and wait until she calls them. Great, I think, now this person's going to call me. After a 5 minute yell match, she says, "okay, love you," and hangs up. Later that day, she came over and asked to borrow it again. After a repeat of her earlier conversation, she starts telling me how it's her husband who moved back to Cali to live with his parents. Tabitha lives with a man, who I thought was her husband but now I'm thinking is her brother. This guy, we'll him Mike, seems to be mentally handicapped. I don't think he showers much. But he's really nice and seems harmless. Tabitha's husband, or whoever, has called me twice now. I've only answered once, at which point I told him to never call me again. Tabitha has about 3 teeth. She recently told us she was going to rehab, but the next day she was in her doorway again, smoking her cigarette and watching me leave for work.

11. The rest of our neighbors just really like smoking and getting drunk out in the courtyard every day. They're really nice but we've learned not to let them help us move heavy furniture after 8 pm.

12. Everyone in my office at work is really nice. Too bad I'm still not an official employee. (Long story.)

13. Google maps REALLY doesn't know Denver at all. I can't even say how many times it's gotten me lost now.

14. Kurt is growing a mustache for charity.

15. I really love Denver. :)

It's better than shake'n'bake and I did it all by my freaking self!

Ahem... I'm feeling feisty right now...

I made these for my first Activity Days activity night (eh?):

Pumpking Whoopie Pies, found on marthastewart.com

Don't they sound and look good? They're even better:

Ingredients

Makes 12 whoopie pies

• FOR THE PUMPKIN WHOOPIE COOKIES
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves
• 2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• FOR THE CREAM-CHEESE FILLING
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
4. Make the filling: Sift confectioner' sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
5. Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.

(Note: I accidentally put in 3.5 cups of canned pumpkin which made them WAY moist and made more cookies too. And don't be afraid by the large amounts of spices in them--they're just perfect. Also, as a cookie by themself they're a little spicey, but with the frosting they're just perfect.)

The Nerd In Me Loves This

All Hail the Mighty Coop

Today is Ryan's 28th birthday! I still can't believe my brother is a husband and dad x's 2. for his birthday I actually came up with 28 things about him (I'll bet you didn't guess I'd do that).

1. Ryan is really really ridiculously smart. Easily the smartest person I know.

2. When Ryan was a little kid (think 2 years old, and obviously I wasn't around to see this) he liked to play with pots and pans during bath time. My mom would ask him what he was doing and he'd say, "I'm makin'!" "What are you making, Ryan?" asked my mom, to which Ryan replied, "Chicken thoup!"

3. Ryan is one of the most even tempered people I know, except when it comes to basketball and video games.

4. Mandi will never allow their family to own any video game system because that is all Ryan will do. He really likes video games.

5. In addition to being really smart, Ryan's really really good at games. When the four of us--Stephanie, Mandi, Ryan, and me--would play games in college, the rest of us always played for second because Ryan always won.

6. Ryan's really pretty goofy (but you'd never guess that, being in MY family). One time in high school he tried to come to dinner without a shirt on (he'd just finished playing basketball) and my dad told him he had to put a shirt on. So, Ryan looked at the laundry room behind him and put on a black lazy shirt that Steph had to wear for a costume in a show. It was really funny.

7. For some reason, the summer after 8th grade, when my family went on the boat ALL the time, Ryan and I started this thing where we'd sing the, "It's Miller Time!" jingle over and over again in different harmonies. We had a lot of fun doing that.

8. Another time, Ryan was brushing his teeth and the rest of us were sitting at the kitchen table. Ryan suddenly crawled out on all fours with toothpaste overflowing his lips as he said, "Mad dog! Mad dog!"

9. Remember when I said Ryan's a genius? When he was 18 months old, he could read street signs like One Way.

10. He married another genius, Mandi, and now they are producing genius spawn. Seriously, Chris' intelligence is astounding for a kid his age.

11. Did I mention how cute his children are, too? Yeah, basically my favorite two little boys EVER.

12. Ryan's such a good dad. Sometimes it seems to weird to think he's a dad (just because sometimes I can't believe that one of my siblings has kids) but he's such a natural and so good with his boys. And his kids are adorable.

13. Ryan's really good at basketball and tennis, too. When I was little I thought he looked like Pete Sampras when he played tennis.

14. Ryan led his academic team to 3 National Championships. I hear they lost the fourth because he couldn't read his writing.

15. Ryan married the best girl ever, Mandi. Good job, Ryan. We'll definitely keep her.

16. Ryan and Kurt were actually in the same freshman ward together. Crazy, huh?

17. Ryan served his mission in Barcelona, Spain, and now makes some freaking amazing pae (spelling?).

18. Ryan is a really, really good writer.

19. When Ryan was in 5th grade, he got hit by a car while riding his bike. He broke his leg in 2 (maybe more?) places and got all kinds of banged up. Thankfully, his life was never in danger, but it was a scary thing.

20. Ryan remains the only person to ever stick my face in his armpit. It will stay that way.

21. Ryan was a Presidential and Hinckley Scholar. Presidential Scholar meant he got to meet the president of the USA (Clinton but eh, still the leader of the free world). Hinckley Scholar meant he got the highest scholarship at BYU. I don't know if he met President Hinckley though...

22. Ryan is really funny. I really wanted him to join LOL but he always had class on Thursday nights. He volunteered for games more than once and always did an awesome job.

23. Speaking of improv, on cross country trips with Ryan and Mandi, we would play improv games the three of us, like Acronym Panel and other games that I can't think of. It was really fun.

24. Ryan always gets the car door for Mandi. I think that is so sweet and cute.

25. Ryan double majored in math and econ. He just received his Masters in Economics from U. of Wisconsin-Madison last year, and plans on getting a Masters in Health Administration(or something like that)/MBA next year.

26. Ryan is the oldest grand kid on my mom's side. I've always that's a cool distinction.

27. Ryan was in the same school musical theater group that I was. In his debut performance in 6th grade he was Oliver in, well, Oliver! Other notable roles include FDR in Annie and Fagan in Oliver! his second time 'round.

28. Ryan's a great brother. Enough said. :)

Happy birthday, Coop dawg! I love you!!

Swallowed in the Sea

"Swallowed in the Sea" by Coldplay
(No, not all of their songs sound the same. Just my favorites :D )

You cut me down a tree
And brought it back to me
And that's what made me see
Where I was going wrong
You put me on a shelf
And kept me for yourself
I can only blame myself
You can only blame me

And I could write a song
A hundred miles long
Well, that's where I belong
And you belong to me

And I could write it down
Or spread it all around
Get lost and then get found
Or swallowed in the sea

You put me on a line
And hung me out to dry
And darling that's when I
Decided to go to see you

You cut me down to size
And opened up my eyes
Made me realize
What I could not see

And I could write a book
The one they'll say that shook
The world, and then it took
It took it back from me

And I could write it down
Or spread it all around
Get lost and then get found
And you'll come back to me
Not swallowed in the sea

Ooh...

And I could write a song
A hundred miles long
Well, that's where I belong
And you belong with me

The streets you're walking on
A thousand houses long
Well, that's where I belong
And you belong with me

Oh what good is it to live
With nothing left to give
Forget but not forgive
Not loving all you see

Oh the streets you're walking on
A thousand houses long
Well that's where I belong
And you belong with me
Not swallowed in the sea

You belong with me
Not swallowed in the sea
Yeah, you belong with me
Not swallowed in the sea

Learning Experience

Today, I have learned what it's like to lose friends because of your belief. I have been actively supporting Prop 8 on facebook for the last week. Most of my gay friends have engaged me in civil discussions, the conclusion of which have not altered our friendships. Today, one friend did differently. They accused me of being discriminatory and hateful.
I cannot change my beliefs to be convenient for my friends. I have to protect myself, my family, and my religion. I know now that sometimes that comes at a cost.

I'm sure this will not be the last time in my life.

My Thoughts on the Election

First off, I haven't been really interested in politics in sometime. I have a tendency to get very worked up, stumble over my words, and just go 'round and 'round logically when I try to debate with someone. I'm not good at it. And the last time before this year that I engaged in political discussions was in 2004 with a very close friend who happened to be a Democrat. The conversation ended with this person yelling, "You're brainwashed!" at me. Since then, I've stayed away from it. I've been pretty apathetic politically.
Then last summer, I heard that Mitt Romney was running for Republican nominees. I thought to myself, There is no way I'm going to support him just because he's a Mormon. So I read his platform. I read McCain's and Ron Paul's. I realized, I support nearly everything on Romney's campaign 100%. I got politically active.
Over a year later, we are here on November 5, 2008, with Barack Obama as our president-elect. As I've watched the reactions of my friends of facebook (and I am really entertained by everyone's statuses, whomever they voted for) and that of McCain, I realized that I wanted to express my thoughts on it in more than the 2 lines allotted me by my status. I will divide this into 2 parts.

One: McCain/the Republican party
To be honest, I pretty much hated McCain in the primaries. I watched him misconstrue quotes from Romney and plot with Huckabee to destroy Romney in the primaries. I know what happened at the West Virginia caucus. I wanted to punch his face at the debate at the Reagan library. I almost cried when Romney gave his concession speech. Surely there could be no better concession speech than his. He put the good of the party before his own wants/interests and stepped down in the most gentlemanly manner I've ever seen. I know McCain pissed him off during the primaries. You could see the frustration in his eyes during the debates (and still he kept his composure while McCain smiled smugly at the camera). But he asked us Republicans to think of the good of the party (and ultimately the country) and come together. He refused to split our party the way Clinton/Obama did theirs (and how nasty that turned out to be). So I decided to give McCain a chance.
I don't agree with everything on McCain's campaign. He's against drilling in ANWR; I'm for it. But on more important and more moral issues, I agreed with him 100% or at least mostly. I was excited at first when he chose Palin (well, disappointed that it wasn't Romney, but she seemed better than Lieberman). He ran a good campaign until then. Then things started to go down hill. The race got just plain ugly. Both sides were flinging mud (and don't deny it). I lost my faith in McCain and his ability to win the election. McCain is not usually very eloquent and unfortunately the American people think that reflects good leadership and intelligence (which they don't necessarily). Obama is very, very eloquent. He's charismatic. He's handsome. McCain looks unhealthy from his years spent as a POW and he's kind of a gruff old man. And one more thing: he's a Republican, while Obama did a very good job of reaching out to the demographic that was more likely to agree with him: young adults.
To be honest, I almost didn't vote for McCain. On the eve of the election, I got a phone call from a very good Canadian friend presenting some very good arguments for Obama. Things that almost overrode my feelings on his disastrous economic plan, his even worse plan for health care, and his abominal feelings on Iraq. I literally could not sleep at all that night. When I woke up, I realized that Obama supports gay marriage and partial-birth abortion, both of which go horribly, horribly against my moral convictions. The next president will probably appoint 2 - 4 Supreme Court judges and Obama will most definitely appoint liberal judges. So I voted for McCain. The rest of the day, I felt great. I didn't know if McCain could really win (though some said it was possible...) but I felt great knowing I had voted my conscience. It's amazing what kind of relief that gives you. When Obama was proclaimed president-elect, I was mad. I was mad because I felt that McCain had blown the campaign. I felt he had stolen it from someone who truly could've beaten Obama--Mitt Romney. From someone who has the economic experience and prowess to get us out of this mess (on which we can place a large portion of the blame on the greedy and delusional American public, the rest goes to Freddi Mac, Fannie Mae, and the like). I was at the gym when the final results unfolded. I went home, pissed off at McCain. But then I watched McCain's speech. His speech certainly rivaled Romney's. It was classy and dignified as I thought I would never see him. I realized then what a good man he certainly is (not great, but definitely good). And I felt better.
The Republican party is broken. We've lost everything; presidency, Senate, and the House. In Washington, it seems to be nothing more than petty back-biters. We've lost all respect in the nation. And you know what, that's ok. Maybe it's good that we lost control. We've been forcefully humbled. We can now band together as a party to rebuild ourselves, to become the great party we once were. We can rise above pettiness and work for our convictions. We've got 4 years to get back in shape and I think that's plenty of time. I have not been proud of my party for sometime, but I hope that maybe when 2012 rolls around, I'll be able to be again.

Two: Obama
A little over a week ago, I was scared. I could see that Obama was going to win. His policies scared me. His power just as a candidate scared me. His eloquence and charisma scared me. The fact that the Democrats were most likely going to have control over both the Senate and the House scared me. I was genuinely afraid for the next four years.
Then last Monday, I stayed home from work because I was not feeling well. Not one to enjoy sitting around doing nothing, I cleaned my house all day. While I did, I thought. And I prayed. I asked the Lord to either help me get rid of this fear (because fear is never a good thing to hold on to) or to help Obama lose. By the end of the day, the fear was gone. I still felt like Obama was going to win, but I realized that at most he'll be in the presidency for 8 years. And while that's still a long time, our leader is only a president, thankfully not a king, and can only wreak some havoc (without breaking the law and trying to become more than a president) and can't really destroy our country completely. Well that's not so bad, I thought.
Then, as I've mentioned before, came my dilemma the eve of the election. But I went into my voting booth and voted my conscience. I felt a hundred times better. However, the fear had returned. All day I checked the news to see any developments. And last night I kept the live coverage streaming on our computer while I made dinner. Finally, Kurt turned it off, pointing out that I don't do well watching something I'm emotionally vested in unfold (you should see me during the BYU/U of U game). We watched tv on hulu.com instead. Then we went to the gym, which thankfully only had espn on in the weights area. When we left, though, I got a glimpse of the results on the tvs in the cardio area. Obama was projected the winner. I'll be honest, I said loudly that he was going to destroy the country. I told the girl at the desk that I did not want him to win. We went home. I had a knot in my stomach. Then I watched McCain's concession speech. I realized, if McCain can take it like a gentleman and support Obama, then surely I can. Surely anyone can. It was Romney's speech all over again; unity is more important than anything. McCain realized that. He realized that the election was over and it was time to starting being one as a country again. I fully believe in everything he said last night. (And slightly unrelated, but his comment that the failure was his and not his followers'... wow... I mean, what an amazing and humble thing to say).
I did not want Obama to win. I still wish things were different. But the fact is that Obama will be our president after January next year. I do not agree with him on most of the issues. But I respect him because he is our future president. When Cheney came to BYU to give a speech at graduation and people were mad and protesting, I thought, people, he's not here because he's Dick Cheney, who gives a rip about Dick Cheney, he's here because he's the Vice President of the USA, the second highest office in our country, one that deserves respect no matter who the holder is. The same goes for the President. I firmly believe that all of the strife and the great rift in our country today is all because of the anti-Bush-ites, who put their pride concerns above that of the country. Republican, Democrat, or other, we need to work together to come together as a nation! We need to support Obama as he goes forward to lead this nation. Does that mean we need to sit blandly on the sidelines if he does things that we disagree with? Of course not. We still need to keep our backbone and our convictions. But if we disagree, we should do so in a respectful and dignified way, not malicious and petty. Republicans, this is a chance to show the rest of the country how classy we can be! Humility is unfortunately not something that is looked upon highly in this country, but the next time you want to bash on the president (no matter who he or she is and no matter who you are) think of Mitt Romney's and McCain's speeches this year and try to find a better way--one that is more fitting of an American--to do it.

Warning Sign

(You probably thought this was a post on the election results. Haha! Got you!)
"Warning Sign" by Coldplay

A warning sign
I missed the good part, then I realised
I started looking and the bubble burst
I started looking for excuses
Come on in
I've gotta tell you what I state I'm in
I've gotta tell you in my loudest tones
That I started looking for a warning sign
When the truth is I miss you
Yeah the truth is that I miss you so
A warning sign
You came back to haunt me and I realised
That you were an island and I passed you by
You were an island to discover
Come on in
I've gotta tell you what a state I'm in
I've gotta tell you in my loudest tones
That I started looking for a warning sign
When the truth is I miss you
Yeah the truth is that I miss you so
And I'm tired
I should not have let you go
So I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms
And I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms

Sick of this Election!

I voted. You should too. It's a right, duty, and privilege. Now on to something else...

Pick a question to answer in your comment:

My favorite colors are green and pink. Pink because it's so pretty in basically every hue. Green because it's the color of warmth, and moisture, and spring (and happiness). What's your favorite color and why? :D

Maternity photo shoots super creep/gross me out. Especially when a) the husband is, like, kissing the wife's stomach or b) the stomach is showing, skin and all. What do you think of them?

I think it would be so cool to own a dolphin that you could swim around with. If you could own any animal as a pet in this entire, and have it be completely civilized and a great pet, what would you own?

Our Halloween

I'll be honest, as far as Halloween goes, ours sucked. As far as a normal Friday night goes, it was pretty good.
On Thursday night I tried to make Halloween cinnamon rolls (cinnamon rolls with orange-dyed cream cheese frosting) but I learned that if I try to make cinnamon rolls late at night I forget important step. Like letting them rise one last time before they go in the oven. So they didn't turn out.
No one in my office did anything. It was kinda sad. I sensed that they wouldn't, and so I didn't dress up.
When I get home from work, I looked online to find a haunted corn maze in Denver. Ummm, there aren't any. How un-festive is that?
Then, when Kurt got home from work early, we tried to make Thai food with the bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, and Thai peanut and Phad Thai sauces we bought at Target, and some Asian noodles and chicken we already had. The result? I had a bowl of cereal after my one bowl of attempted Thai food. Note to everyone: bamboo shoots smell like urine, and Phad Thai sauces with fish sauce in them taste like butt.
Then, we watched The Office's latest episode very good. Then, we ventured out to find ice cream.
We went to Cold Stone for our favorite, Oatmeal Cookie Batter. They don't do that flavor of ice cream here in Colorado. Not at any Cold Stone in Denver, at least. Instead, I got an ice cream cone from MacDonald's.
Then we came home and I cried. I was feeling all sad because we basically don't have any friends here (read: I don't have any friends here), and I love Halloween and was all excited for it and it sucked. It was the most unHalloween ever. And we got at home just as the LOL Halloween Show was starting, which made me all kinds of sad. I miss LOL. A whole freaking lot. Which got me thinking to other things in Provo that are great, and I got really homesick for Provo. That's right, you heard me. I miss Provo.
Thank goodness for Kurt. He cheered me up. Then we watched a few episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (our new favorite tv show) and went to bed. By the time we went to bed, I was feeling better, but it was still a subpar Halloween.
Anyhow, I want y'all to keep your Halloween posts coming cuz I'm loving all of the costumes and great stories. :D And I know Thanksgiving is going to be WAY better, because we're probably gonna go down to Moab. :D

Amsterdam

Kurt and I are seeing Coldplay on Friday November 21, 2008, for the first time ever. I am so unbelievably excited. They are my most favorite band of all time, and sing most of my favorite songs of all time. I'll be honest, the tickets were quite spendy but they're on the floor and oh-so worth it! To count down to this memorable and much-anticipated event, I'm going to post a favorite Coldplay song every half week. That'll be 6 songs. I might have a hard time narrowing it down. In no particular order, here is the first: Amsterdam.

Come on, oh my star is fading
And I swerve out of control
If I, if I'd only waited
I'd not be stuck here in this hole
Come here, oh my star is fading
And I swerve out of control
And I swear I waited and waited
I've got to get out of this hole
But time is on your side
It's on your side now
Not pushing you down
And all around
It's no cause for concern
Come on, oh my star is fading
And I see no chance of release
And I know I'm dead on the surface
But I am screaming underneath
And time is on your side
It's on your side now
Not pushing you down
And all around
Oh it's no cause for concern
Stuck on the end
Of this ball and chain
And I'm on my way back down again
Stood on the edge
Tied to the noose
Sick to the stomach
You can say what you mean
But it won't change a thing
I'm sick of the secrets
Stood on the edge
Tied to the noose
But you came along and you cut me loose
You came along and you cut me loose
You came along and you cut me loose
You came along and you cut me loose...