The Little Moving Company that Couldn't Jimmer...

I'll get to taking pictures of my apartment... eventually. Every time I think about it, the apartment is a mess. Every time its clean, I, well, DON'T think about it. However, I did finish unpacking the last box on Saturday, so as of now we ARE currently living in a habitable apartment (hooray!) But sadly, still no pictures of said abode.

Also, you should know that I now hate moving companies. ESPECIALLY (but not limited to) the company that moved our junk from Nebraska to Texas, AND the company that moved our new couches from furniture warehouse to apartment. I don't want to bore you with the details as to why and how I have come to this conclusion, as I'm prepared to spare you that lenghty, drawn out discourse. But suffice it to say that when you are almost a week late delivering a person's junk to a different state, and you are a day late plus scratch-up-all-the-furniture-and-then-have-to-replace-it-again-3-days-later when delivering someone's newly purchased furniture, it tends to create some strong feelings that moving companies just might attract the most LAZY, INCOMPETENT, and UNRELIABLE individuals in the world (elders quorums not included). CLEARLY they couldn't "Jimmer"...

Anyway, moving on...

I actually had a really fun time cleaning out boxes this past week. This is mostly due to the fact that Rob and I had LOTS of help from my family to pack all said boxes, and I kept coming across things like this:

This...And this...

while unpacking boxes. I mean, how can you help but NOT have fun unpacking when you have the prospect of stumbling across a cute new note every couple of boxes?! These notes were mostly from my wonderful mom (who did a most EXCELLENT job packing up our Nebraska kitchen and was such a help during our move), but I also enjoyed seeing things like this:

written on the sides of boxes. I'm pretty sure Sylvi labeled this one, and I'm also pretty sure that it is SUPPOSED to say "tupperware"... you know, like the little plastic container thingys that hold leftover meatloaf? And, indeed, upon inspection, I discovered that the unidentified "tub-a-ware" box did--in fact--contained the missing "tupperware" items. Sylvi, I know you're embarrassed, but I got such a good laugh out of this label! Mostly because no, I didn't know how to spell "tupperware" either, and yes, I did have to look it up for the sake of this post.

My point? If you want to make unpacking a bunch of boxes a more enjoyable experience, have your family help pack!

Rob and I also enjoyed a good Mardi Gras party this week with some newly made friends:

But don't worry, no crazy, wild spurts of drunkenness were had in the making of these photos.

We've also had the chance to begin exploring our natural habitat in Houston's outer "burbs" (as in "Suburbs," people). Alas! We haven't made it to the city yet (Rob's been pretty busy with work) but during an eventful evening walk this past Sunday, I did discover a new species of bird that I would like to call a "Turkey-Duck":

Because, lets be honest, if a turkey and a duck got together and... well... you know what I'm saying... THIS is what it would look like. In addition I saw an otter for the first time:

I'm just astounded by the diversity of the wildlife here:

Teehee.

And lastly, I'm completely--and might I say, surprisingly--enamored with this:

And thus utterly and most absolutely excited for the prospect of this:

I heart Mia. What a talented little actress. Anyway, excited--as I was--to share the Jane Eyre love, I responded to Rob's request for a new book on tape by suggesting this. Unfortunately, his reply was: that when required to read it in high school, he bribed his sister Naomi read it for him. As an avid classics lover, Naomi happily obliged, giving him complete and detailed chapter by chapter summaries of the whole book. Thus, because he didn't want to waste all that good laziness, Rob explained he couldn't possibly read it now. During the course of this discussion, he also tried to convince me that no, this wasn't cheating, but rather, "using all of ones resources." I wonder how he'll respond to this same excuse coming from the mouth of his teenage daughter someday....

P.s. To make up for making fun of you, Sylvi, I suggest you read Jane Eyre. As a fellow Pride and Prejudice lover, I think you'll enjoy it every bit as much as I have!

P.s.s. Spell check doesn't recognize the word "Jimmer."

Addicted

And not even ashamed to admit it.

Monkey in the Middle

THIS week, Rob and I have finally taken the gigantic step into what feels like "old marriedhood," and gone couch shopping.... for NEW couches no less! Yay! It feels "old" married cause, who really has money to go couch shopping as newlyweds?! Not us! Admittedly, couches have been on our "to buy" list for some time now, but we didn't want to buy them right before we moved from Nebraska (extra baggage to move and all that such). However, now that we're safely in Texas, and because we had (literally) nothing else to do this week (our moving truck STILL has not arrived, but that's another story), we decided to go couch shopping!

Just so you know, Houston has NO zoning laws. One minute you'll be in what seems like a pretty decent area... the next... esta in la mexico!!... run down shacks and all. At first, Rob and I had the darndest time trying to find a decent place to go couch shopping. We always seemed to run into the stores whose large discount signs hung askew at one end and were manned by Jose, Paco or Amad. (Not trying to be racist here, just trying to paint a socioeconomic picture... you get the idea). Finally after a few dud hits, we found some stores we liked... and a few couches we liked. While most were your nomal hum-diggity-dum run of the mill furniture store, there was one store that sat in a class all of its own. For reasons I'll state, I seriously could not pass up the opportunity to blog about it. The store was called: GALLERY FURNITURE

Now, at first glance, this probably seems like a decent establishment, right? New paint, nice big sign, lovely modern art out front... I guess the first thing that should have tipped me off that something was off was the coral-type cage in front of the store. A coral? With hay? At a furniture store?? Did they have a petting zoo during the day? Weird. But figuring they just had some special event going on (a petting zoo to attract families with kids, maybe??) I brushed it aside.

Upon entering the store, we were greeted by a sales guy, who hurriedly hustled us around the store. It was huge! Lots of stuff to see... nice furniture to buy. A pretty decent place, I was thinking... that was, until I saw these in the middle of the store:

I kid you not. A huge cage full of monkeys sat in the middle of this store. When I asked the strange sales guy why there was a cage full of monkeys in his store, he shrugged and nonchalantly said: "They're our board of directors." At which point I was seriously contemplating the likelihood that transfiguration performed in Harry Potter was actually possible, and these poor monkeys actually WERE said board of directors, trapped under a spell by the evil sales guy. You can imagine then, that after my utter surprise at seeing a monkey cage in the middle of a furniture store, the large glass case full of these:

was not shocking in the least bit. The shareholders, perhaps?? Seems suspicious... Apparently the coral I saw out front housed ponies during the day... what the?? Am I the only one that finds this whole situation REALLY weird??

Although we did see a few couches at Gallery Furniture that we liked, the whole time we were there I couldn't help thinking that that the store was a part of some huge conspiracy I was missing out on. Like Hanzel and Grettle and the evil witch... who knew the Gingerbread house was just a trick? Or all those stone statutes in Medusa's garden... Percy Jackson and the Lightening Theif, anyone? If, in fact, the poor animals WERE real people trapped under a real life spell by evil furniture sellers, does that make me a co-conspirator for not trying to free them from the clutches of the story's wicked and coniving antagonist??

By the way, we DID happen to find new couches we liked. They're red (yesssss!) and they're being delivered tomorrow, horray!

And just because I know you're wondering, no, they did not come from the evil monkey store.

Updates!

Well, what to say, what to say! So much has happened recently, and yet I feel--as many of you probably inexplicably often feel--that I have nothing to write about! Alas, I shall just have to conjure something up to the best of my ability.

Update #1: I took the bar.

It seems strange that something so dreaded and so unwelcome in my life was over so quickly. In a matter of three short days (which I realize, yes, is quite long for a single exam, but is still quite short in the scheme of things) my entire existence for the past three years (give or take a few months) was reduced to my performance on one simple exam. And yes, that "simple" exam contained over 12 hours of writing essays, performance tests and 6 hours of brutally hard multiple choice questions, it seems strange that my past three years of life are resting so solidly on the completely unpredictable pass/fail ratio of a three day exam! Yikes. I will know on May 13th whether or not I passed. For those of you thinking, "So long?!" I echo your sentiments, although I understand that with over 1,500 people in my testing room alone (not to mention the other room full of occupants and 5ish other testing sites around the state of California) I think I understand the length of time devoted to grading. For now, I'm trying to enjoy the blissfully free feeling of my pass/fail ignorance while adamantly praying I will not have to face that exam for round two (or three for that matter!)

Update #2: Drove to Texas!

Ignore the fact that Rob and I (okay, just me, really) were unable to capture the beauty of both ourselves and the "Welcome to Texas" sign in one picture. At least no one can say we didn't TRY to capture that moment! Also you should think about ignoring the not-so-stylish, I'm-traveling-so-haven't-showered-greasy-windblown hair I'm sporting. Not cute. In fact, why I'm even posting this picture is kind of a good question. Comic relief, perhaps? Anyway... we drove to Texas. Actually the trip started in Utah, which happened to be one of the snowiest days of the year. Which is obviously due to well-known Murphy's Law that states: what can go wrong will go wrong. As a result, we ended up taking the southern I-70 route from Utah to Nebraska to avoid the wintery I-80 Wyoming road conditions. Its a route I don't recommend taking if at all possible. The 11-12 hour drive took us an unanticipated 16-17 hours to complete. Ugh. Google maps SO lied. Anyway, in Nebraska we packed all our junk into a moving truck (which thankfully, we did not have to drive), saw friends, played with my sissy Lisa and began the track to Texas. The drive from Nebraska to Texas was slightly more leisurely... we splurged and did the 14 hour trip in two days instead of one. Heehee. On the way down we frequently eyed the car's temperature reading, which steadily crawled upward the closer we got south. Temperature upon arrival: 80 degrees. [Sigh].

Update #3: Moved into New Apartment.

Rob and I both bore the hopeful jitters of all those who decide to rent an apartment online, sight unseen. We were optimistic that all would be well, considering the apartment was only a year or so old and we were the FIRST tenants EVER!! (A first for me...I've lived in many ghetto student housing complexes where I more likely than not the one thousandth tenant). Thankfully, the apartment is, well, perfect. Soft, squishy carpet, brand new paint, very shiny new black appliances and even a security system to boot. Yes, we were quite pleased! In fact, the only thing I do NOT like about the apartment is the proximity to the freeway, which can be a little noisey in the master bedroom sometimes. But I'm sure with time, even that will fade into blissful background music. Rob--who originally questioned my selection--has since recanted his doubt and placed me in charge of finding apartments for the little sales reps that will be coming out to work this summer to work for him. I would send pictures of said amazing apartment, but owing to the fact that we were forced against our will by Rob's "Boss Man" to get to Texas two days early, the moving company was unable to accommodate the accelerated schedule and all our stuff has not even arrived yet. I would feel bad posting indecent pictures of our apartment's nakedness online and hence, the "where I live" pictures will have to wait until a later date.

Update #4: I'm reading a Book.

I usually devour books. Even in law school I found that despite my busy schedule, I still couldn't make books last long enough. I just went through them like candy. Or chocolate cake, which I probably eat more of. Any-who, bar study was different. In law school, you generally knew what what kind of effort you did and didn't have to put in to pass. The bar?? You never know if what you've done is enough. As a result, most bar preparers probably kill themselves OVER-studying (at least that's what I'm hoping I did... it would be tragic to learn that all that effort was actually LESS than required...) And as a result of THAT, I didn't read nearly as much. I was book starved. Thus on my trip to California, I read two books. I am Number Four (which is, of course, better than the movie, even though the movie was still quite good), and The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton. I'd never heard of her but after Googling the book I realized that she has actually published quite a few books. I am happy to report that I have LOVED the Forgotten Garden and will probably check out other titles she has written. There are no swords or dragons in this book, so any action-hungry guy will probably be sorely disappointed. But for those of the feminine persuasion that enjoy a good mystery, this is your book! Anyway, here's to hoping that with my new found freedom stretching across the horizon, I will soon have more books to blog about!

That's all for now! The highlights of my recent life wrapped up into 4 small updates! I'm sure there is more, but for now, that's all I can think of and as the sun is setting, I'm finding I'm a little chilly sitting out here on my Houston porch. Guess it DOES get a little cool here now and again ( :

I LOVE...

YOU, because you are without a doubt the most epic partner in crime I have ever had...YOU, because I have never laughed so hard nor had such a good time flooding dormritories, playing hall tag, plotting, schemeing and causing an overall ruckus on BYU campus than I did with you four...YOU, for being the best roomate I EVER had (by far!), our mutual love of Pirates of the Carribean, your unconditional love and support, the sweet notes of encouragement I could always find after a bad day, and for sitting on that toilet slathered in icy hot...YOU, for being my home away from home, giving me diet coke, sharing your closets and for giving me memories that I will hold dear for the rest of my life...YOU, for being my Nash-Ga partner, the late nights we spent talking about missing our boys, all the fun we had abroad and at home, forcing Rob to propose in Paris, and for "HANDLE-ing" my entire wedding...YOU, for writing those letters I always looked forward to, being at every single family reunion I can remember and for being the best friend and cousin a girl could EVER ask for...YOU, for being so stinkin' cute, so stinkin' smart, so stinkin' sassy and for being so excited to see me every time I come home...YOU, for coming to see me and eating all my Otter pops this summer, for your crazy enthusiasm for life, for being such a tough guy and for your big bear hugs when I come through the door...YOU, for talking my ear off with the CUTEST stories every time I'm home, for your eagerness to share your talents with others and for a sweet spirit that never seems to dampen...YOU, for having such a kind heart, for being so thoughtful to your friends and family and for being such a good little ball player...YOU, for being so full of compliments, for being so responsible and grown up and for being such a beautiful example to everyone around you...YOU, for being so much like me, for making me laugh and for being equal parts sweet, handsome and studly...YOU, for all the late night chineese and chicken basket runs, the chick flicks, the upside-down mario kart tournaments and for your wonderfully ditzy moments that life just wouldn't be the same without..."Christina????"....YOU, for being such a great example of what a "good guy" is, for all our late night "girl" talks in high school, and for being my first best friend...YOU, because you are the best of what is good in our family, the glue that holds us together and for believing in me enough to force me into all that piano practice, I'll be forever greatful for all you've done...YOU, for reading every single paper I've ever sent you, for your wildly fantastic embarassing moment stories that get everyone rolling with laughter, and for being the dad that everyone wants and I get to have...And lastly, but certainly far from the least, I LOVE YOU, Rob...for being the kindest, most generous, loving, caring person I know. For making me laugh every day. For understanding me when I don't understand myself. And for being my very best friend in the entire world. I love you more than words can say!Happy Valentine's Day!

Weddings?! I love weddings! Drinks all around!

Rob's cousin, Caroline, got hitched to a completely amazing, wonderful guy this weekend! We had a blast attending all her wedding festivities... despite all the awkwardness that came with running into one of Rob's ex's along the way (haha!) Here are a few pictures. Enjoy!

Caroline was absolutely gorgeous...she looked like Winter Bridal Barbie 2011!! Woot, woot!

Me and my niece, Princess Sophie... isn't she so cute?!Princess Sophie loves taking pictures...Um, and by the way... we kind of still love each other... teehee.

Water for Elephants Trailer 2011 HD

Eeek! So excited for this film, guys! You might remember me blogging about the book a while back, and how excited I was that it was coming to the big screen... what can I say? Its one of my favorite books! The films is coming out in April, with Robert Pattinson (who, despite all the crap he gets for being a Twilight actor, can actually act quite well, I think [see Remember Me]) and Recee Witherspoon as Jacob Jankowski and Marlena Rosenbluth, the two leads. I was sorley disapointed when I discovered that Sean Penn didn't make the cut for August (Marlena's crazy husband) but I'm still so excited for the film. Check out the trailer... its so magical!


In other Media news, Disney is set to bring another favorite book of mine to film later on this year. I've also blogged about this in the past, so you might remember my post about The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.Its a fabulous story about a young writer in 1960's Missisippi, who defies the social norms of the day and writes a book about the way black women are treated in the south. Its inspiring and heartwarming. I loved reading it and I'm--once again--thrilled its coming to film! No trailers yet, but they'll be soon coming, I'm sure!

The thing about hair....

...is that it gets REALLY annoying once it reaches a certain length. Sure, it can be beautiful (on those rare NON bad hair days). And true, people around you will try to convince you that you have some kind of social obligation to keep said long hair once you have it. But after rolling over onto it in your sleep, catching it in your zipper EVERY time you put on a jacket or coat, going through twice as many shampoo bottles and doubling the bathroom time in the morning, you get to the point where despite said ongoing obligation to society, you just can't take it anymore! A change is in order! Yesterday, I got to that point. Actually, I've wanted to do it for a while now, kind of a "Whoo raw! I graduated from law school!" kind of thing, but I just haven't gotten around to it. And then once I got around to it--and I knew that deep down I really wanted a change--I kept having these mental up and down battles of "Do I REALLY want to cut all this off?" It was hard. I get attached to my body parts, what can I say? Heehee. BUT, in the end, I decided to do it. But of course, not to let me off too easy, as I'm standing in line at the bank RIGHT before my appointment, a bank manager passes me and tells me "Oh your hair is so beautiful and long." Sure, bring on the guilt for passing on my social obligations. But don't worry, even THAT wasn't enough to make me recant my desire to redo my "do".

BEFORE

AFTER

I happen to LOVE this new look!! Short hair is so sassy! And, might I add... it feels WONDERFUL to have all this:

off the back of my neck!

Crafty-ness

First of all, at no point did I ever claim to be the world's best seamstress... still, despite the obvious flaws in my mad sewing skilzz, I thought this turned out pretty goodish!Even though I am a died in the wool, true blue, through and through BYU fanatic, my mom thought I'd appreciate some memorabilia from my brief time hailing as Nebraska Husker. So she made me a Nebraska blankie! She didn't have time to tie it though (no surprise there, if she's trying to take on the making of 10+ quilts for Christmas!)so I finished tying it just the other day. She actually made one for Rob too, which has not been tied (on account of I made too many mistakes on the first Nebraska blankie and went through a whole bundle of thread re-tying it). However, Rob looked so puppy doggishe and forlorn when he gazed longingly on the BYU blankies she made for Scott and David Christmas morning, that I got the extra fabric from my mom to make Rob a BYU blankie too. Something tells me that Rob won't be using the Nebraska blankie all that much....

But on that crafty Nebraska note, I also made this for Shleesha:You have no idea how much glitter was shed from those strips of tulle in the making of this tutu. I was quite literally covered from head to foot in a coat of red and white glitter. Luckily, some of said glitter remains on said awesome tutu for an extra piz-aaaz of sparkly flare! Lisa will pretty much be the most stylish thing since Herby Husker at next season's football games.

Another Lisa-ism

Lisa called me with another funny/embarrassing moment this week. Bless her for calling me about these things! It gives me something to blog about!

This particular moment happened while she was enduring a Spanish tutorial from a friend. During the tutorial, Lisa was trying her darndest to remember what the word "cabesa" was. For the life of her, she could not remember it, although she knew it was one of those words you learn in high school Esponol one-oh-one and should have remembere it. (Its "head" for all you wondering). Lisa, perplexed, asked her friend to use it in a sentence, so he said:

"Estas loca en la cabesa."
(You are crazy in your head)

Lisa furrowed her brows, and after trying out several WRONG answers yelled:

"BED!!!"

Her friend burst out laughing. Poor, innocent little Lisa still didn't understand exactly what she said until her friend said:

"You are crazy in bed??!"

Lisa was mortified.

Ah, sissy... I sure do love you!

Talks

Nevermind that we haven't been in the ward more than a week. Or that there are hundreds of other possible candidates for speaking. Or that we'll be leaving this fair state in less than a month. Rob and I are giving talks on Sunday.

How did they even notice us sneak in??

Did I mention that this ward vomits into the overflow of the chappel EVERY Sunday? I'm not talking a few late stragglers here and there... no. A good half the gym is COMPLETELY filled. It feels like I'm in stake conference.

Do you think we might be in Utah??

Its a little nerve-wracking to think about speaking in front of a stake-conference-sized crowd of strangers.

I also have NO idea what I'm going to talk about. Usually I don't have this problem. I just slap together a bunch of stories from someone ELSE's life, squeeze in an inspiring poem or two and wrap it up with a little carisma. Voila! Instant talk! But this week the subject is on "How your service in the church has brought you closer to your Savior Jesus Christ."

Errrrr....

Memo to new bishop: I hate service!! No joke... I accept callings because every time I think aobut getting up enough nerve to REJECT one, I hear my mother's guilt ridden voice in my head telling me callings come from the Lord and that saying no is like giving a big fat slap in the face to the man upstairs. Hence, I just don't reject. BUT... if it was up to me I would just sit quietly in the back and twiddle my thumbs all through sacrament meeting and slip out the door before Sunday School, thank you very much. Easy schmeasy. So you can see how I don't have a lot of fodder for talk.

Rob said I should just try saying that I hate service. Riiiiight. That would go over well.

However, I DID just finished reading Harry Potter 7, and since I have nothing better to talk about during church, perhaps I'll just think of a way of how to incorporate HP into a talk about service. There's gotta be a connection in there somewhere...