gum HATES hot vinegar

Q: What do you do when you sit in gum whilst wearing a beloved pair of jeans, have to leave the gum there for hours letting it melt into every possible denim fiber, throw the jeans in the freezer in a panic, and then decide to face the issue a week later?

A: You simply heat up some vinegar and brush away the chicle with a toothbrush. It will come off so easily you'll feel like you're filming an infomercial. Please spread the word: this could change peoples lives!!

banana phones

I don't like to be super shmoopy here, but when your husband agrees to have an entire semi-serious conversation at breakfast with you using bananas as fake phones, you have to admit he's your one true love. And when he grabs his Bluetooth so he can continue the conversation hands-free, that's your one ETERNAL true love.

huh?

What just happened?!?!?

I just got back from that job interview. She started off by giving me a detailed tour of the office (I now know where they do the laundry), confirming just a thing or two from my resume as we walked. She acted like I already had the job and she was training me or something, but English is her second language so maybe she was mixing present tense ("this is your desk") and conditional tense ("this could be your desk if I decide you're not an idiot"). But then she lost me. One minute we were talking about the schedule, and then the next she was saying they didn't really have a receptionist opening right now but they might in the future.

Huh??

I'm thinking it wasn't meant to be. Weird, weird, weird.

maybe sunday?

Last week I scheduled a job interview for tomorrow morning. It's to work at the front desk of a dental office (suuuper unrelated to my degree, but I thought it would be good experience for me). The boss-lady called me this afternoon to reschedule because something had come up. She asked when I would be available, and I said something like, "Oh, any time these next few days would be fine." So she said, "Okay, maybe we can do it on Sunday." Uh, wasn't ready for that option! I opted for Friday instead.

A job interview on a Sunday afternoon? What kind of business is this??

Freak, why can't I be employed already...

new york, new york!

We also spent half a day or so in New York. We took the train up and walked from Penn Station to the Upper West Side. That let us see the Empire State Building, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, FAO Schwartz, Central Park, the Manhattan Temple, and the American Museum of National History. Yes, our feet hurt.

Central Park

Me and "Night at the Museum" star. That's my scared face.

The movie lover in Doug wanted to shove this piano-hogging little girl out of the way. Don't worry--he didn't.

Later we met Kate and Cameron for dinner at this sweet pizza place. It was way fun to see them, and we have to thank them for introducing us to the delectable white pizza. Somehow we missed this photo op (how??), but trust me they look happy, healthy, and wise.

To top the night off, we headed to a Yankees game! It was one of the last games in the old Yankee Stadium, so we were thrilled we scored some tickets. Our seats were as high as high could be, but they had a great view of the Bronx and the new stadium.
The Yankees managed an easy win, and I managed to sit in gum around the 5th inning (we took the subway and later the train with a layer of plastic over the gum on my butt and my longsleeve t-shirt tied around my waist hiding the tragedy--it was great).

northern excursion

Doug got a break from school from last week, and so we headed north to visit my sisters and get a break from reality.

So what'd we do?
- We hit up the D.C. Temple.
- We checked out Princeton with Jenn and Lexi as our tour guides.

- We spent many hours with the Wii. The tank game and Dr. Mario ruled our lives!
- We saw Ty's soccer game, got our hair cut, played wiffle ball in the backyard (did we ever decide who won??), argued over Settlers, taught the art of Nines, and ate many a delicious meal.

- We got to see the kids in the primary program. They rocked it. Highlights? Lexi utilizing sass while standing near the podium with a drawing she did of her family, and Ty reciting the line he wrote himself: "I can be obedient by not stealing." Priceless.

- We also headed back to Doylestown to visit our old home turf. We enjoyed seeing our house,

running all over Kid's Castle (a gigantic wooden castle that's pretty freaking sweet... just plan on it doing a number on your back),



and even cheering on our Patriots at a football game (the CBE alumni proudly posed for the picture below... we're just glad Cyd chose the middle spot for this shot... sorry Phil).




Thanks again Cyd and Jenn for such a great time!!

seriously?

This girl

is now 13?!?!

My oldest niece is now a teenager, and I just aged about 15 years. Wow, wow, wow.

Happy Birthday, Kennedy. We sure do love your guts!

i like these people

We visited with friends from PA this weekend. Loved it.



Luckily Chelsey let me borrow her cute daughter Jill for the pic. And apparently at times like this all I can think to do is squint.

richmond national battlefield park

Fact: There were four major campaigns during the Civil War in Richmond (the Confederate capital).

Fact: The Richmond National Battlefield park preserves more than 1900 acres of Civil War resources in 13 units around the city and surrounding areas.

Fact: These units are a short drive from our house. Like 20 minutes! YES!

Fact: I LOVE this type of stuff. Doug... likes it when he has to.

Fact: We visited 2 sites. At the Cold Harbor battlefield, you can still see the trenches both armies dug (see photo of Doug and trenches dug. Ha ha.). We thought this was really interesting. This was one of the first times they were wising up and using trench warfare instead of just marching towards each other to die. Good move.

Fact: Homes near the Gaines' Mill battlefield still proudly sport the Confederate flag, one even opting to paint their mailbox post like a gigantic flag--for Dixie!

Fact: The National Park Service runs said park, yet the presentation still felt slightly biased towards said Dixie. (Or am I biased the other way??)

Fact: I truly appreciate what the men on both sides sacrificed to settle our nation's fate.

Fact: I liked it so much, that I hope to hit up the rest of the park soon. I just have to see whether Doug can stomach it or not. Sorry, man. 

FOR DIXIE!

september 11

I listened to this on NPR last year on my way home from work and I liked it.

When I think of the terrorist attacks 7 years ago, I can only think of how scared, numb, and shocked I felt that day. It was the first time our country had been attacked like that in my lifetime. So much hatred being directed at places far too close to home. Such an unnerving experience.

I wish I could look back at that naive BYU sophomore I was and say that I've grown into a mature adult today that can handle such things with greater grace. But as I sit here eating banana bread and chocolate chips for lunch, I just can't pretend I'm such a person. But I am grateful for what I learned that day. No country is invincible, horrible things happen, and unity is all we've got to save us.

Such deep thoughts for a girl that hasn't even done her hair for the day...

a hate crime

Thanks, stranger at Costco or the Outlet Malls, for keying our car doors.

Michael: I am the victim of a hate crime. Stanley knows what I'm talking about.
Stanley: That is not what a hate crime is.
Michael: Well I hated it.

the uniform

Starting mid-September he'll wear this flavor of scrubs every day until he becomes a real dentist in 4 years. Bring it on.



(He's thrilled about the hunter green--he'd heard rumors his year would be assigned purple. Hard to feel like a man when the contents of your laundry basket are mostly lavender.)

employees must wash hands

Whenever I see these signs in public restrooms I secretly hope that everyone realizes this rule applies to them to.

what's not to like?

I've never seen anything like this before, but I like it:



I enjoy Richmond.