Time Warp

Just for the record the "Love, Love, Love" post written below was not written Sunday. Otherwise, I would possess uncanny abilities to see into the future. I simply edited a post today that I had barely started on the 27th. Didn't notice the time stamp until just now, and I don't know how to change it...

Love, Love, Love

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! No, Dorothy - it's not cool to name my moods. The late summer blues (ie the realization that I have to return to full-time work in a few weeks), some undefined illness, and a resurgence of neck/back issues have left me, shall we say, less than blissful this past week. I've spent more hours than I care to admit lying in bed loathing the muscles that run along my shoulder blades, dreading the approach of department meetings, and wondering what it's like to take a deep breath. Today, I decided enough was enough. So what if I'm sick? So what if I can't move with ease? And so what if it's July 31st? Can't change any of the above - but I can change my attitude. So, here are things that have helped brighten a few rough days-

I love---
*that Hillary Collette was in town for almost two weeks. Everything seems better when she is near. Being around her is like being in a Disney movie - the flowers could start singing and the animals might help dress the baby because Hill is so kind and so optimistic.
*flying kites. I went with friends to Berkeley's Annual Kite Flying Festival this past Saturday. Hundreds of kites dotted the sky with the panorama of Berkeley on one side and the Golden Gate on the other. I love the Bay Area - so many cool things in one place.
*sewing with Jewels. No, I did not make that up. I do possess patience to sew when Jewels is there to guide me. We finished my fall quilt today. It's the first quit attempt since Mrs. Seidell's sewing class in high school. I am loving the final product! [Nanners - you are saint to have spent so much time with me. I really wasn't stressed with you there - you must have magical powers!]
*rediscovering "Alias" with my mom and Jenessa. Sydney Bristow rocks - no other way to put it.
*the power of movies and books to transport you to another world. This week (keep in mind, I've been sick and had orders from doctors to keep my neck and back still) I've cooked in Barbara Kingsolver's kitchen, fallen in love with Noah Calhoun, rooted for Julie over Meredith, been mystified by Eisenheim's illusions, and wished Will would get up the nerve to tell Syd that he loves her.
*people's comments on my last blog. Odd thing to love, but I had forgotten about some of the things people said. Fun to remember.
*fresh produce from the farmers' market. This past Saturday's purchases include Shady Lady tomatoes, green bell peppers, green onions (extra love here), Neptune peaches, and kettlecorn.
*General Conference. No, my pain pills have not dulled my senses completely. I know it's been months since the last conference. I set the goal to finish the May Ensign this summer and thoroughly enjoyed going over the talks again. I learned things I didn't even notice when I was listening in April. We are truly blessed to be led by men and women that are so in tune with God's will. I hope to follow their examples more closely with each passing day.
*that Baby Mae is almost here. That little one has no idea how much she is already loved - she might be a little too loved. We'll have to dial it down a bit (at least in public).

Basically, I love lots of things. Not really lions, tigers, bears, and those freaky black squirrels that live in Jewels' apartment complex, but lots of other things. Mine is a life truly blessed.

Strolling Down Memory Lane

Normally, I don't participate in questionnaires or the random things that come my way via the internet, but I found this on my cousin Jessica's blog...and I really liked the idea. We all have such distinct memories of our friends and our families - ironically, I don't think they're the same memories. When I talk about a roadtrip, I'll remember "flying" with arms out the windows while someone else will remember the insane stories that came from "truth or truth." So if you have a minute, give the directions below a whirl--

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Confessions

Am I allowed to air random confessions through my blog? If I could sit you all down on my couch and tell you these stories, I would. Since most of us are now living many zip codes apart, here a few of mine in one tidy stream of consciousness.

*"Happy Christmas!" No, not a mistake - if Hermione can say it, so can I. Ahh, but you're not commenting on the use of "happy," you're thinking the mistake is that it's July. We just celebrated the 4th. My birthday and Labor Day come first (literally could be Labor Day if my sister pops September 1st!), not to mention Halloween and Thanksgiving come way before Christmas. But I confess, I have been indulging the craving for Christmas music. It started one Sunday a couple weeks ago with a song that was on a church music playlist and has blown into me even listening to Christmas tunes in my car. It has to stop. In fact, I told myself I could do it for one week only (that week ended yesterday--guess what I listened to earlier today?)

*Confession No.2 - I have forgotten how to use a computer. Four times (not once or twice) I have replied to recent emails and replied to everyone on the blasted list. Two of these were missionary emails so a ton of people that I don't know got my "just wanted to say hi, etc, etc." Worse, last school year, one of my coworkers set me up with her son (she had China patterns picked out before we'd even met). We only went out once before he went back up to BYU-Idaho. Randomly, he sent me a forward a couple weeks ago with a second email that was actually directed to me. I just clicked on one of the emails and wrote him back - no, no, I emailed everyone back the "it's been a long time. How are you? How's school..." Are you kidding me? How did I make that mistake again?! He and all of his email list now know that I'm doing well. They know too that I saw his mom in May, that his sister and I still keep in contact and...good grief. So sorry, ps. and by the way, if you were on one of those unfortunate lists.

*Odd confession - I have managed to make myself sick - literally. I have been reading a book on healthy food choices (so much more to the book, but I'll write about it later) and pondering the inadequacies of what I put in my mouth (hello? have you read the ingredient list on a can of one of my many bubbled drinks?) Couple those thoughts with a few new-found stresses related to work, church, and just life in general - and you have physically ill. I didn't know I was so powerful. Now if only I could channel that power into finding a decent political candidate? [Wait - was that out loud? Dare I comment on politics to such a diverse group? I don't really dare right now - just saying my vote this year could be write-in for Dwight Shrute. Okay, not literally, but it sounds much more rewarding than the current choices.]

*Final confession - I love Gilmore Girls. Why is that a confession? Because most people just enjoy the show. I actually dream of living there with the characters. On more than one occasion, I have woken up feeling like I have just strolled the streets of Stars Hollow or gotten in a fight with Luke. Obsession? Madness? Admittedly, I am not much of a TV watcher anymore, but Gilmore Girls seasons are one of my vices. Ten minutes a day keeps the one-liners coming and the smiles about Rory's ability to pull a book out of any bag she's carrying, Lorelai's caffeine dependence, and Paris' and/or Luke's rants plastered on my face even during dismal bouts of traffic or excessively long homework assignments.

There you have it folks - a few of my confessions. Not quite as dark and juicy as you might have hoped, but watching "The Dark Knight" pales every dark thing within a thousand miles-- Catch ya later--

Snapshots

My mind is all over the place, and to save you a schizophrenic experience, I probably should write later. However, I keep putting it off so here are a few snapshots of my disjointed mind...


*I have been reminded recently of how many fabulous girls I had the chance to live with in Provo. In my years living in Happy Valley, I lived with over twenty girls from all over the country - girls that each had such distinct personalities and strengths. They changed my life. If I get too specific, I'll never be able to stop, but one memory that keeps coming back is one Sunday afternoon back in the fall of 2002. I was having an inner meltdown over picking a major, communicating with the adults in my life, crushing on a Cuban, etc, etc and these girls wouldn't leave me alone--sound negative, but the internal monologues I have with myself get intense and these friends wouldn't let me go cry alone. They surrounded me when I was at my lowest and stayed there until I was laughing over "Three Amigos," the idea that we could abandon school and get jobs at Sundance, and Treasure Barfus. Were the issues of that day solved? Of course not, but as Spencer W. Kimball said, God answers our prayers usually through the hands and words of the people in my life. Anna Jane, Mel, Carli, and Maggie B. were the answer to my prayers that day and so many other prayers in the days, weeks, and years that followed.


*I love books - sounds like I'm started over last week's blog, but this past week I read "The History of Love" (per Becca's recommendation - phenomenal book!), "Twisted" (young adult fiction - not as good as Halse's previous work "Speak), "A Million Little Pieces" (harrowing tale of a recovering drug addict- painful to read), and "The Holy Temple" (divinely inspired work - motivated me to attend the temple more often and to get back into family history). I won't go into more detail, but I am grateful to have extra hours to read.


*I went to Tahoe for the 4th of July weekend. While we were coming home from a game of mini-golf (have I ever mentioned how bad my hand-eye coordination is?!), there was serious traffic because of a car accident. Cars for a solid couple miles were turned off since they had been sitting so long--the joys of one two-lane road that surrounds the lake. So, what did the Hutchins children do? We decided to start walking. We chatted with people along the way, saw a Nevada state senator, looked into people's backyards, and had a really good time marching along single file. We probably covered about a mile and a a half before the cars started moving again. We were dusty, sun-burned (yes, I burn in less than an hour), and blistered (cheap flip-flops are not good cross-trainers), but we (Ryan, Cameron, Jenessa, & myself) had a great time on our random adventure.

Dare I post such disjointed writing? I think I do-summer is just going to take coherence from me as I mellow out so much I won't know what day it is. Love you all. Hope your summer whether you work, go to school, or chase little people around all day is going well.